Dragon Nest

Xxxxxxxxxx

The Children

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Why did you tell them our names were Edan and Shian?"

"Ssssh, lower your voice Nabiha, it could attract attention."

The Moon Lord frowned, "Okay then, why did you tell them our names were Edan and Shian? Why can't we tell them our real names?"

"Na-" Aoshiro paused, glancing at the door to the room before he spoke, "Shian, the reason is that we are quite well known back at home. However, Hilal and Khalil 'asked' us who we are? Doesn't that seem strange to you?" The Guardian waited for an answer but when he recieved none, he continued, "and furthermore, don't you find it strange that Hilal is alive and well here?"

"Only him." Nabiha muttered, causing his older brother to heave out a sigh in response.

"N-Shian? Have you already forgotten the traditions of the elves?" The Guardian asked, "they have to find their Telezia 'before' they hit the age of 20. How long do you think that Hilal and Khalil have been fighting?"

"...So are you saying...?"

"Khalil is Khayru," Aoshiro replied, "It's just that Hilal called her by her 'new' name when she introduced her to us."

Momentarily shocked, the Moon Lord released a nervous laugh, "And just moments ago I thought-"

The door suddenly swung open, revealing the robed Saint casually walking in "Edan, Shian, Khalil and I are- Did I interrupt something?"

"N-No," Aoshiro kept his hand on his chest as he released a shaky grin, "You just startled us that's all."

"Maybe not be our place but," Nabiha released several breaths of air, "have you ever heard of knocking?"

Hilal just raise an eyebrow, "...My apologies then. I came here to tell you that Khalil and I have been given another mission and that we have to leave for the time being?"

Aoshiro also raised an eyebrow, "So...no tour?"

Having been brough to the Underground Haven after their introduction, the Saint and the Tempest promised Aoshiro and Nabiha a tour of their home. In all honesty, the Moon Lord and the Guardian have been waiting in the empty room with nothing but a coach and a table as company, having wanted their 'siblings' to give them the tour.

However...

The Saint bowed his head slightly, "I am sorry but my duties as a Saint comes first." He lifted his head, "But you two are free to wonder and look around for yourself."

"...You trust us that quickly?" Nabiha asked.

Hilal turned around, "If you two had wanted to cause harm, then you would have killed my sister and I earlier." With that, he exited the room, leaving the Moon Lord and the Guardian alone.

"...Great," Nabiha then proceeded to seat himself next to his brother on the couch, "what now?"

Aoshiro pondered for a moment, "I guess we should take a look around." He then shrugged, "Who knows? This Underground Haven might be different from ours."

"True enough," The Moon Lord pushed himself onto his feet, "want to look around together or separately?"

"H'mmmm...Separately. That way, we can cover more ground."

"On it," With that, the blonde warrior exited the room, leaving the cleric alone.

Then with a small shrug, the Guardian stood up and exited the room as well.

Xxxxx

This wasn't the first time that Nabiha had visited the 'Commons', an area where people could just wonder around to the other door and entrances that covered the walls. In the eyes of the Moon Lord, not much has changed, from the doors that leads to the Medical Ward to the ones that leads straight to the quarters of the Elves. No change. None at all.

"This is quite boring," Nabiha yawned as he stopped right in the middle, eyeing each entry way carefully, "nothing much to see. Still the same old-"

"Nooooo!"

Surprised and caught off guard, Nabiha snapped his head towards the door of the Elves, blinking in surprise as a blonde blur sped through the doorway.

"Prince Xsayara! Please come back!"

Raising an eyebrow, Nabiha continued to watch as several female elves ran through the same door way, apparently being the ones that were placed with the blonde's care.

"Nooo!" The child shouted once again as he ran down the commons, "I don't want-"

Having his eyes shut and running a bit fast for his own good, the child had failed to turn...and ran straight into Nabiha's legs.

Being the taller and heavier of the two, the Moon Lord was quite unfazed when the speeding bullet rammed right into him, easily causing the child to fall back onto his butt. Shaking his head from the collision, the blonde child looked up and instantly, the child and the Moon Lord made eye contact, their blue eyes gazing intently in the other's.

"Prince Xsayara!"

Snapping his head to the elves following him, the blonde child quickly stood up and scrambled toward Nabiha, easily hiding behind his legs as he did so.

"Prince Xsayara!"

The elves, 3 of them in all, came to a slow stop in front of the blonde haired adult, bowing in respect as they did so.

"Our apologies warrior," the elf in the middle spoke as the three elves straighten out their posture, "but could you please excuse us. Prince Xsayara." She then knelt down, "Please, come with us."

The Prince huffed, grabbing onto the pants of the Moon Lord as he did so, "No!"

"Prince Xsayara please," The elf sighed, "your mother entrusted us for your protection, it is only until she returns that you-"

"Noo!" Xsayara cried out, tightening his grip on Nabiha's pants as he buried his face into his legs.

"Prince Xsayara!"

"Hey!" Nabiha frowned, "I may not be an elf and all and I don't have that much knowledge of their traditions but you don't use that tone to a child, especially if they're already unwilling to go with you in the first place."

The kneeling elf snapped her gaze towards him, a frown also upon her features as she stood up, "How dare you speak to us that way, human. Tell me, who are you?"

"The name's N-Shian," Nabiha replied, "and I don't like the tone of voice you're using lady."

"Stay out of the business of the elves human," The Elf snapped, "otherwise there will be consequences."

"Consequences? Oh I'm so scared," Nabiha rolled his eyes, "just to tell you lady, I'm new here and I'm still not quite use to the 'rules.'" His eyes narrowed as he continued, "So in other words, I don't think these 'consequences' apply to me."

"Why you-"

"Hey kid, where do you want to go?"

The Prince lifted his head just enough so that his eyes were showing, his gaze clearly showing awe and shock.

"Anywhere," the blonde child replied as he buried his head once again into the Moon Lord's pants, "anywhere but there."

"P-Prince Xsayara..."

With a cheeky grin, Nabiha gently pried the Prince's hands from his pants before kneeling down and scooping the blonde into his arms.

"Seeing that he likes me more than you," The Moon Lord chirped, "then he's coming with me."

With that he turned and left, leaving the elves completely dumbfounded.

"W-Warrior Shian!"

Xxxxx

No changes.

The same old Underground Haven.

Just the way the Guardian likes it.

Taking in a deep breath, Aoshiro came to a slow stop in the room he was in, 'The Fountain Square' as the people like to call it if he remembers correctly, thanks to the fact that there was in fact a large fountain in the middle of the room.

The same musty air with the scent of the earth around him.

Yes, the same old Underground Haven.

"Hey you!"

Snapping his eyes open, Aoshiro turned his head calmly to one side, blinking as a small group slowly approached him.

"Yes? May I help you?" the Guardian asked as the group of four came to a slow halt in front of him.

"You're new here right?"

Aoshiro nodded, "Yes, I am."

"And from the way you're dressed, you're a cleric right?"

"Of course."

Then to the Guardian's surprise, the leader of the small group grabbed him by the collar of his armor, pulling him close so that they were face to face.

"Go back to where you fucking belong devil!"

With that, the man shoved Aoshiro, enough so that he stumbled but kept his footing. The Guardian stared on, confused, "May I ask why?"

"Why?" The man laughed, turning to his comrades, "This guy, he just asked why." The rest of the group laughed along with the man.

The man's expression then turned suddenly serious, "It's because what you damn clerics did," he growled, "if it wasn't for your damn goddess-"

"Vestinel isn't our goddess."

"Oh really? Then explain why did all of you killed off many of our best warriors and defected to her side then?"

"Impossible, the clerics would never-"

"Don't act dumb devil," The man hissed, "you know clearly what your damn monastary has done and it's time that you paid for your sins!"

With that, the man lunged at the Guardian.

Having seen the attack coming, Aoshiro slid to the right, easily dodging the punch that the man had attempted to throw at him.

"Get him!"

Hearing the familiar sound of metal sliding against each other, Aoshiro held up his shield as a hammer came down upon it, shoving the man back before twirling around and blocking another strike. Then after proceeding to kick the man away from him, Aoshiro ducked, narrowly dodging a swipe from a knife before ramming his shield into the man's chest, hearing the man release a wheeze upon impact.

That sounded painful, he flinched before he leaned back, dodging yet another knife swipe.

"Surround him! Attack at once!"

Slowly regaining his stance, Aoshiro released a heavy sigh as he eyed he men that were now circling around him, watching the Guardian for any openings.

"With the blessing of the Goddess flowing through me, I smite thee thy sinners!"

A sudden burst of lightning popped up from the ground, causing the men surrounding Aoshiro to yelp in surprise and shield their eyes. Having been using light based attacks since his coming of age, the Guardian stared on confused before a voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"This way."

Wanting to avoid the fight as much as possible, Aoshiro quickly quietly brushed past the distracted men, hearing their roars of outrage when they regained their visions.

"After him!"

Turning the corner from where he had heard the voice from earlier, he was surprised to see a child pop out from a small gap on the wall.

"In here, hurry."

Hesitant but desperate, Aoshiro ran and slid into the gap, blinking as the men from earlier turned the corner and ran past him, yelling curses all the way. Hearing their footsteps fade, the Guardian listened intently for several more seconds before he nodded once.

It was safe.

Sliding himself from the small space, Aoshiro heaved out a relieved sigh before turning around, "Thank you child for your-"

He stopped, his blue eyes showing concern as the child backed into the gap further, hugging his knees as he did so.

"Is something the matter?"

"N-No."

A small smile appeared on Aoshiro's features, "I know a lie when I hear one child." The Guardian then approached the small gap, kneeling so that he made eye contact with the child, "Come here, tell me what is the matter."

That's when the Guardian heard the child whimper, "Th-They hurt me. And I'm...I'm scared that you..."

"Do not worry," Aoshiro held out a hand, "I will not harm you." He then smiled, "Trust me."

The child looked up at him, his bright blue eyes showing hesitation as he reached out as he placed his small hand into the bigger hand of the Guardian. Gently, Aoshiro wrapped his fingers around the child's.

"See," He whispered, "no pain. Everything is going to be alright."

Glancing into the Guardian's eyes once more, the child slowly inched his way out of the gap in the wall, revealing more of his features as he slid out of the shadows.

White hair could easily be seen as it somewhat glowed in the dim light, cropped just below his ears. White strands barely brush against the child's blue eyes, his pale features causing the blue eyes to stick out even more against his face. But what caught the attention of Aoshiro was the child's clothing. A pale green high collared vest with the goddess' sigil could be seen with white short sleeves, his pants of the same shade as well with knee high brown boots. Minusing the gloves, the Guardian instantly recognized him as one class.

A cleric.

"A-Are you going to hurt me?"

Snapping out his thoughts, Aoshiro released a gentle smile, "Of course not." He looked straight into the child's eyes, "So tell me, what is the matter?"

Turning his eyes downward, the child lifted his left hand. Almost instantly, concern flashed in the Guardian's blue hues. Bandages were hastily wrapped around the palms of his hand all the way to his upper arm, the tattered cloth easily showing the blood underneath.

"When did you get this wound?"

The child hesitated, "...A-about a couple weeks ago."

"How?"

"I...I don't want to..."

"...I see then," the Guardian pulled the child closer, putting up one finger to signal to stay where he was.

Then slowly, Aoshiro unbuckled the bag around his waist.

The child's eyes went wide, "What-what are you doing?"

Instead of answering, the Guardian rummaged through his bag, pulling out the needed object that he was searching for, "Medical aid, what else?"

Then sitting on the ground, Aoshiro patted the empty space in front of him, signalling to the child to sit down. Though reluctant, the child inched his way closer before slowly sitting down cross legged in front of the Guardian. Then gently, Aoshiro lifted the child's arms and started to unwrapped the tattered bandages. That's when the child snapped his hand back, clutching it in his uninjured hand.

"What are you doing!?"

"It needs to be cleaned," Aoshiro replied, holding out his hand, "it has not been properly treated."

"But...But it's fine..." The child insisted, "It'll heal, It'll-"

"Child please," the Guardian interrutpted, "leaving it in the state it is in now, it could lead to infection and if not further treated, it can lead to the amputation of your left arm."

The white haired boy paused, warily staring at Aoshiro before slowly, he placed his left arm into the Guardian's open palm. Nodding his head once, the Guardian then proceeded to unwrap the tattered badnages.

"So..." he continued to unwrap the boy's arm, "you never told me your name."

"...It's Xithyl..."

"Nice to meet you Xithyl," The Guardian greeted as he examined the arm, frowning a bit, "the name's Edan." He looked up at the boy, "May I ask why no one had attempted to treat your wound?"

Silent for a moment, Xithyl slowly replied, "It's because...everybody hates clerics."

"H'mmm...I see," Aoshiro turned the boy's arm, "what about your parents?"

"...My mom died when I was born and my dad...I...I didn't want to worry him."

"From what I can tell Xithyl, you hardly hit the age of 3, am I right?" Aoshiro gained a nod as a response, "well, for such a young age, you still need the aid of a parent." The Guardian locked eyes with the boy, "Do you want your father to find you deathly ill because of an ill-treated wound?"

Xithyl sadly gazed at the ground, "N-No..."

"It is better to tell your parents about things like this," Aoshiro placed the wounded arm onto his lap, taking out a clean cloth and a bottle of cleaning alcohol, "otherwise, all you'll be doing is placing more worry upon their shoulders."

"I...I guess." Xithyl replied only to yelp in pain as Aoshiro dabbed the cloth onto his arm.

"Stop struggling," The Guardian warned, "It's only cleaning alcohol."

"But...But it hurts," Xithyl whined, flinching every time Aoshiro dabbed the alchohol soaked cloth onto his wound.

"It's only for a moment," Aoshiro said before he examined the wound before once againt placing the arm back onto his lap, rummaging through the medical kit once again.

"What are you doing now?" the child asked before the Guardian held up a roll of bandages in response.

"Hold still," Aoshiro warned as he held up Xithyl's arm once more, wrapping the bandages carefully around wound, and seconds later, he clapped his hands together, "Finished."

"H'm?" the white haired child held up his arm, flexing it as he blinked several times, "It feels better now."

"You still have to be careful with it," Aoshiro warned as he started to pack the kit, "otherwise relax and it should be fine."

Xithyl rubbed his arm, "...Thank you... Mr. Edan."

"Just Edan," Aoshiro smiled as he stood up, "and there's no need to thank me." He ruffled the child's hair, "Aiding others is what Clerics do best."

Xithyl smiled.

"So...you hungry?"

Xxxxxx

"So let me get this straight," Nabiha frowned as he sat across from the young blonde, "you...never had cake before?"

Xsayara stopped on what he was doing, slowly chewing on the dessert before he swallowed and nodded, "Yeah, the elves say that I can only eat vegetables." The blonde child then proceeded to stick his tongue out, "they say it's because my mother is an elf so I have to follow their traditions as well."

"...So I'm guessing you're only half elven?"

Xsayara nodded as he picked at his cake, "Yeah, my father was human but..." A sad sigh escaped from the child's lips, "He died before I was even born."

"H'm, Harsh," Nabiha leaned back in his chair, watching the child from across the table, "So tell me why you were running from those elves earlier?"

Almost immediately, the child's face turned serious, a look of full on hatred evolving in his eyes, "They want to teach me archery even when I told them many times that I wanted to wield the sword." Xsayara threw his fork onto the plate and crossed his arms, "They never listen to me, no matter how many times I repeat myself."

"...Does your mother know about this?"

"Yeah," Xsayara huffed, "but even with her orders, they ignore them behind her back and try and teach me archery when my mother isn't around."

"Orders?" Nabiha sat up straight, "what do you mean orders?"

"H'm?" The blonde child blinked, "you mean you don't know?" He then raised his hands in the air, spreading them out as his eyes sprinkled with awe and excitement, "Mom is the Queen of the Elves."

That's when Nabiha went slack jawed.

This...this kid is Khayru's?, his eyes went wide, then does that mean his dad is-

"Xsayara?"

The blonde snapped his head to the side, his eyes instantly lighting up, "Xithyl!" Then in a flash, the Prince leaped off his chair and somehow flew across the large distance between him and Xithyl, landing straight on top of the younger child.

...Yep, Khayru's kid definately, Nabiha released a nervous smile as Xsayara grabbed his friend and pulled him into an airtight hug, otherwise, how else could he close in that distance?

"Xithyl! I'm so glad you're okay!" Xsayara pulled the younger child onto his feet, the latter looking slightly dazed, "after that one time when that man slashed you with his knife I thought-" The blonde child paused, his blue eyes looking up at the Guardian standing behind the younger cleric, "...Who are you?"

"Edan," Aoshiro replied camly, giving the blonde a small smile before he turned his eyes towards Nabiha, "and I am guessing you're already acquainted with my brother?"

"Brother?" Xsayara glanced back at Nabiha and then back at Aoshiro, "You guys can't be brothers, you don't look alike."

The Guardian nodded once, "Not blood related but," his blue eyes twinkled a bit, "we consider each other as one."

"You mean like Xithyl and I?" Xsayara pulled the child cleric closer to his chest whom squirmed in reaction, "But cousins?"

"Cousins?" Nabiha stood up from his seat, approaching the small group, "what do you mean cousins?"

The Prince lifted his head a bit, pondering for a bit, "Momma says that Uncle Hilal is her brother but not blood related." He then tilted his head to one side, "So doesn't that make Xithyl and I cousins?"

When he earned no response, Xsayara looked up at the two men, blinking when he saw absolute shocked etched onto their faces, "H'm? Is something wrong?"

Once again no response.

"...Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Xsayara repeated

"X-Xsayara," Xithyl gasped, "Can't...breathe."

The Prince blinked once, "Oh...sorry." He then abruptly released his grasp, letting the child cleric fall onto his hands and knees as he gasped for air.

"...So...let me get this straight," Nabiha finally spoke, "Xithyl, you're Hilal's son?"

The white haired child nodded as he stood up, rubbing his throat, "I-I know it's a taboo for clerics to marry and sire children but..." He hesitated, "ever since the other clerics defected to the side of Vestinel, no one wanted to join in the monastary." Xithyl side as he kicked the ground, "So I guess that means that the traditions of the clerics are practically nonexistent now."

"Non...existent?" Nabiha repeated, his eyes showing concern as he turned his gaze towards his brother, whom stared blankly at the young cleric. He then turned his gaze back towards the two children, "But...why did they defect? Do you know why?"

"We can tell you why."

The small group then turned around, only for Xithyl to immediately run to the side of the Guardian, whimpering as he and Aoshiro recognized them as the men from earlier.

"It's because they lost their faith in the Sleeping Goddess," the first man spat, "they started to believe that she was never going to awaken and as such, turned their loyalty to Vestinel, the jealous goddess." He then jabbed a finger at Aoshiro, "and you clerics killed several innocent people to show your loyalty to Vestinel." The man then spat at the ground, "What I don't understand is why there are clerics still around in this place. Who knows, they could be spies." He then turned to his men whom nodded in agreement before he turned his attention back to Aoshiro, "Are you giving information to Vestinel...traitor."

"We would never betray Althea."

"Sh-Edan?" Nabiha asked, only to gain nothing as a response.

"Althea...she gave us the gift of Altera," the Guardian whispered, his eyes staring wide eyed at the ground, "why would the clerics abandon her?" He then raised his hands, visibly trembling as he continued, "We stayed with her for years, before we were even born we stayed loyal to her. So why would...?" Aoshiro placed his in head, "No...no...no..."

"Edan?" The Moon Lord inched his way closer to his brother, his hand reaching out to the Guardian's shoulder.

"No...no...no, no, no! No! No! No!" The Guardian roared, "She would never abandon her children! We would never abandon her!" He took in a shaky breath before he lifted his head, "We would never abandon her!"

"Edan! Snap out of it!" Nabiha grabbed his brother's shoulders, shaking him, "Snap out of it!"

"Why!? Why!?" The Guardian continued to roar, "We're not traitors! Clerics are not traitors! We're not-"

A sudden punch to the face snapped Aoshiro back into reality, causing him to blink several times as his brother continue to shake him.

"Edan!" Nabiha's eyes showed concern as he paused, "Edan...are you feeling...yourself?"

The Guardian blinked once before he groaned, placing a hand on his head, "...I think I just had a breakdown."

"...No kidding," The Moon Lord muttered only to quickly place his grip on the handle of his blade as the small group of men unsheathed knives.

"See what you have witnessed?" the first man growled, "Clerics are nothing but traitors, filled with nothing but crazed ideas and beliefs."

"They're not crazy ideas," Aoshiro retorted as he rubbed his temples, "it is fact and actually events, proven by the existence of Vestinel and this war."

"Shut your mouth devil!" The man roared, "once we kill you and that damn cleric brat, we'll be rid of-"

A sword pointed at his throat stopped him in mid-sentence.

"You know, I hate bastards with big mouths like yours," Nabiha turned his blade, his eyes showing full on seriousness, "especially when the words that come out are directed at my brother."

The man gulped as the Moon Lord continued, "If I ever hear you ever insult 'anything' about clerics, 'especially' my brother 'and' any other cleric present, I swear," Nabiha's eyes turned deadly, "I'll cut that tongue of yours right out of your mouth."

No sooner had the words left the warrior's lips, the man and his comrades turned and ran off, leaving a small cloud of dust where they just previously stood.

"...Cowards," Nabiha sighed as he sheathed his blade, clapping his hands together to rid of excess dust.

"That...was...awesome!" Xsayara exclaimed as his eyes twinkled in awe, "Can you teach me ? Please?"

"...Maybe," The Moon Lord shrugged, "but first, let's find a place to hide for a while. Staying out here isn't safe," He turned his eyes towards Aoshiro and Xithyl, "especially for you two."

The Guardian placed a hand on the young cleric's head, "I have a feeling that if the two of us are with you two, we shall be fine."

Nabiha huffed, "Anybody know a place where we can stay for a while?"

Xsayara raised both his hands like as though in surrender, "Not me, my mother lives with the elves and one things for sure, they don't take Clerics lightly."

"Uhm...we can stay at my father's place," Xithyl whispered, "but only for a little bit, I'm not sure how my father will react to strangers staying in our home."

"...It'll have to do," Nabiha muttered.

Xxxxx

"Man, this place just shouts Bishop," Nabiha commented as he entered the room, his blue eyes examining the crosses on the walls and the scrolls littered all over the floor.

"Shian, please," Aoshiro warned as he started to remove his boots, "more than anything else, I find that slightly insulting."

"My bad," Nabiha raised his hands in defense, "just came to that conclusion cause you guys worship the Goddess and all."

The Guardian just sighed as he too entered the room, placing his hands on his hips, "Looks like as though your father lacks the cleaning skills."

"It's because he's busy," Xithyl defended as he ran up to the Guardian, "He only has enough time to pray and read several verses before he has to leave."

"...So I am guessing that the rest of this mess is yours?" Aoshiro asked, causing a blush to bloom onto the young cleric's face.

"I-I study a lot," Xithyl admitted, "I...I wanted to become a Priest, just like my father was but since there isn't anyone to teach me..." his voice faded.

"...Studying isn't something to be guilty of, Xithyl," Aoshiro smiled as he patted the young cleric's head, "it's something to be proud of."

Blinking once, the cleric child smiled gently.

"Well, talking about studying," Xsayara jumped in, "What should we do? I'm bored."

Nabiha and Aoshiro glanced at each other.

"...What do you guys usually do?"

To their surprise, Xsayara gave a sly smile, "You'll see."

Yep, Nabiha and Aoshiro meet the children of Hilal and Khayru XD

Yes, I know Clerics are like monks and monks can't have families or children but...I couldn't help myself XD

and Yes, the clerics are really hated in this AU universe :p

I planned it out that way and nearing the climax of the story, it will go more into depth so yeah...

I also planned out Aoshiro's breakdown because...well...you'll figure it out later on in the story XD

Enjoy XD

~123arcalas