Elsword swept the sweat off his brow with his forearm and took a deep breath. He could feel his red hair sticking to his neck just as much as his clothes. The scorching sun above gave him a headache, and the humid air around the training grounds made him dizzy. The boy furrowed his brow, urging himself to keep standing. His legs and arms were extremely sore, but he had to keep his combat stance. Elsword could hear the tired groans from the thirty or so recruits around him; they were all young men as old as his sister but far weaker than her. Some of them even dropped on their back to catch their breath. As much as Elsword wished to join them, he could not falter. He held his trembling legs steady by using his training sword as a cane. His sister would have never faltered.
"Excellent job, lads!" a man's voice bellowed behind them. Elsword immediately forced himself to turn around and salute his captain. Most of the other recruits followed his lead.
The captain of the El Search Party was an imposing, tanned man with messy but short chestnut hair and sky-blue eyes. His grin was as confident as his stride, and the sword he carried on his back was as tall as he was. He dressed purportedly like the other recruits: a black shirt, puffy white pants, and black leather boots. The only way to truly distinguish him as the captain was the red cape he kept tied over his pants.
The blue-eyed man clapped once, then began to walk around his recruits, eyeing them all with his arms crossed.
"I see that some of you are still on the ground," he noted before he dismissed his remark with a swat of his hand. "But that doesn't matter; you did a great job today. Rest and let your comrades take care of you."
Elsword looked around him and saw that he was right next to a teenager who was still out of breath. His curly golden mane was tied in a messy bun. The locks of hair that escaped from it were glued to the sides of his face. The teenager's brown gaze was fixed on the sky above. He looked disoriented, almost on the brink of passing out. The red-haired boy rushed to his side, knelt beside him, and began looking for the tiny water disk they had been given when the training started in his left pocket.
Once he had the ice-cold saucer-shaped gem in his hands, Elsword lifted his companion's head just enough to place the water disk over the nape of his neck. Then, the boy stood back on his feet and made it so that his shadow covered most of his comrade's upper body. The most important thing was covering his head from the unforgiving sun; Elsword had that more than covered. However, it was getting harder to keep himself steady, even through sheer willpower.
"This summer's gonna feel like we're facing the goddess's wrath, lads," the captain added. "And it's just getting started. Don't forget your water disks; don't let those waterskins run empty. Tomorrow's an important day for all of you, so get some rest!"
"Roger that, sir!" The trainees answered in unison.
Elsword turned his attention back to the blonde teenager in front of him and offered him a reassuring smile.
"Thanks, kid," the blonde sighed. "But you should take care of yourself first. You don't look good."
The teenager took out his water disk from a small bag next to him and offered it to Elsword.
"Here," he offered. "You can take mine."
Elsword accepted his offer with a nod. The ice-cold feeling that spread over the nape of his neck was nothing short of divine. The boy sighed in relief, basking in the wave of cold that spread throughout his body. His dizziness was subsiding, and only then did he realise how thirsty he was.
"You chose a tough time to begin your training, kid," the teen said as he sat down. "Summer's the worst, especially without a waterskin."
The brown-eyed teen took out his waterskin from his bag and offered it to him, too. Snatching it and drinking until the last drop was tempting, but he had heard that his sister had completed her training without drinking a sip during or after her training. Elsword knew he had to do the same.
"I'm fine," Elsword lied. "You should keep that water for yourself."
"Are you sure?" the teen asked as he got up. "Well, then. Do you mind if I accompany you out of the base?"
"Sure!" Elsword beamed. He loved the company but had to try his hardest to avoid looking at his comrade and enviable waterskin. He had already declined his offer and could not steal from him. Still, the red-haired boy found himself glancing at it from time to time.
After they left their training weapons in the designated box, they scurried away from the burning sun into the barracks where the showers were. As expected, the line for the showers was incredibly long due to the heat. The two eyed each other and decided to head into the changing rooms to pick up their regular clothes. The room was bizarrely deserted, but the stench of sweat still clung to the room's wooden walls.
"Oh, I forgot to ask," the blonde chimed in as he took a cloth bag from a shelf a few paces to Elsword's right. "What's your name, kid?"
"Elsword," the redheaded boy answered as he flung his bag over his shoulder. "Elsword Sieghart."
The teen's brown gaze widened for a moment, and the glint in his eyes was unmistakable. The blonde had heard about his sister, Elesis. The boy smiled with pride, his thoughts racing with all the stories he could tell him. No one but Elsword knew how she had fought against monsters of all kinds.
"Sieghart?" the teen gasped before a huge grin formed on his face. "Oh, so you're Elkashu's kid? I've heard he's still a living legend, even as a Free Knight! Ah, I should've suspected that you had to be related. Your hair is just like–"
"Who?" Elsword questioned, tilting his head at him. The boy's pride had been utterly deflated. "Haven't you heard of my sister? You know, Elesis Sieghart, the Legendary Red-Haired Knight."
The blonde's excitement slowly died out as he repeated Elesis's name and title. His eyebrows furrowed, and his gaze sank as if the floor held the answers he sought. Thankfully, it did not take too long before his brown gaze lit up again.
"Oh, her!" he exclaimed with a smile, "Ah, sorry, I was still living back home when she completed her training here. My brother was the one who trained by her side."
"Really? What's his name?" Elsword asked, his curiosity piqued. "And what's yours?"
"My brother's Liam," the teen answered. "And I'm Wyll."
"Wyll and Liam…of what house?"
The blonde began to walk out of the dressing room with Elsword in tow, though a frown on his face soured his otherwise friendly demeanour. "Uhh, we aren't high nobility."
Elsword raised an eyebrow at them. "You aren't? Then, you have a surname from a minor house, right?"
"Well, we do have a surname," Wyll said through his teeth, "It's Gesson. Wyll and Liam Gesson." He sighed and looked at the boy, looking a tad less tense than he did at his previous questions.
"But, please," he added with a complicated look. "Don't call me or my brother by our full names. We, uh, don't care for proper etiquette."
"Oh, alright," Elsword agreed, though he was not thinking about Wyll anymore. Instead, his mind was occupied with his brother's name.
Liam Gesson. The red-haired boy tried to remember if his sister had ever mentioned a name like that, but nothing came to mind. Maybe he could ask her when she came back home.
'Maybe this year she'll come back…She has to come back, right?'
The boy's gaze sank, but he quickly dismissed the thought that weighed his mood down. He was finally accepted as a recruit for the El Search Party; he would make his sister proud once she returned. There would not be many days where he would feel alone in that big, empty cottage. After all, he would be coming to the base every day from now on. Wyll was his first year-round friend; they surely had a lot of things in common, and Elsword was all too eager to find out.
"Say, Wyll," the redheaded boy asked, extirpating himself from his thoughts. "Where are you from?"
"Resiam," He answered dryly. "Why are you asking me all this all of a sudden?"
The tinge of anger in his voice was not lost to the boy, nor was the subtle scowl that soured Wyll's face yet again.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I just…" Elsword faltered before coming to a halt. The thought of ruining his first friendship with someone close to his age paralysed him. He thought Wyll would storm off and leave him behind or just show him the entrance to the base, considering they were headed straight toward it. Instead, the blonde realised the boy was no longer by his side and turned around to look at him again. Wyll's coffee-coloured eyes met Elsword's, and the blonde teenager took a deep breath before walking towards the red-haired boy.
"Sorry about that, Els. It's just that…" Wyll paused, passing a hand around his neck before murmuring as if confessing a big secret. "It's just that, my brother and I want to be recognised for our skills here, not our past or titles."
Elsword furrowed his brow at him for a moment. It was hard to believe people would care about status when they were the guardians of an El Shard. On the surface, it seemed impossible, but he had heard Elias Felford sometimes badmouth people from the lower houses. His parents corrected him, of course, but maybe not all parents did.
"I get it, Wyll," he said apologetically. "Sorry to have stepped over the line. I, uh, well, I didn't think you'd mind me asking."
"Don't worry about it," the teen said with a smirk. "You live in the village, don't you?"
Elsword nodded.
"Then, you better get going. The road's long enough as it is, and this heat is gonna make it worse." Wyll said before offering him his waterskin again. "Here. Take it for the road, Els."
"No, I'm fine. Really," Elsword insisted, shaking his head at the teen's offer.
Wyll only put the waterskin closer to him. "C'mon, I don't want you fainting on the way home. You can bring it back to me tomorrow."
"But, you need it, too…"
"Nah, I can borrow my brother's," Wyll chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Just head home safely, okay?"
Elsword walked down the narrow roads of the village. Summers were always hot, and even though it had cooled down with the sunset, the heat was still intense. Usually, the road between the El Search's Party base and the village only took an hour by foot, but with the heat, Elsword made a detour and bathed in Lake Noahz. It had been so pleasant that he had dozed off after changing into his usual white tank top and red shorts.
While the residential roads were deserted, Elsword could hear the cheers and applause from the village's plaza. There had to be a new acting troupe in town, and maybe he could convince the Felfords to come watch the next performance, assuming they had arrived.
Elsword finally reached the door of the spacious cottage he shared with the Felfords and knocked twice. No reply.
'I guess… they're still on the way from Velder,' he thought while sighing.
Elsword opened his bag and took out the keys to unlock the door to his home. It creaked open, revealing the dark dining room and the kitchen, and it gave a small glimpse at the corridor leading to the other rooms. The dying sunlight still piercing through the open door let him glimpse three pairs of slippers, and the smell of a vegetable stew still lingered around the home. The boy smiled. The Felfords were here; they were probably just enjoying the play in the plaza.
The boy left his shoes at the entrance and stepped into the home, picturing what he would add to the stew to make the Felfords a hearty meal when they returned.
An ashen-blonde boy emerged from behind the kitchen counter, his short wand high up in the air. He dressed in a red t-shirt and black shorts, emulating Elsword's style. Unlike the red-haired boy, however, the blonde's hair was too smooth to form any spikes on his head. Instead, it fell flatly to the middle of his neck.
"Luminous!" The blonde boy exclaimed before dozens of small orbs of light, barely bigger than fireflies, began swirling all around the home, giving it a cosy but festive look.
Two other people emerged from behind the counter. One was the boy's sister, Amelie. She was a honey-blonde girl in a white summer dress. She held a big gift box – enough to almost eclipse her completely. The last one was Lady Seris herself. The honey-blonde, green-eyed woman wore a short-sleeved white shirt and a pastel-yellow skirt. Unlike her daughter, she kept her silky hair in a high ponytail. Seris carried a small white cake with thirteen unlit candles that she set on the counter.
"What's all this about?" Elsword asked with a chuckle as Amelie rushed to him with her gift.
"Your birthday," Amelie answered as she raised herself to the tip of her toes to hand over his gift. "Eli was worried you wouldn't come back at all, but I knew you would!"
Elsword thanked the blonde girl with big, round, violet-red eyes as he took the gift from her. She was almost an exact copy of her mother, save for her eyes. She had gotten those from her father, just like her brother had.
"Nuh-uh! I– I wasn't worried!" Elias pouted before he dramatically turned away from everyone else, arms crossed. "Wh– Who cares if he's late! I wasn't caring about big br– I mean, Elsword at all!"
"Elias," Seris calmly called his son, and one gaze from her was all it took for the boy to listen. "Please help me set up the table. You too, Amelie."
"Okay," the twins said in synch as they walked to the kitchen. Amelie took out a varnished wooden box with cloth napkins while her brother took out enough utensils for four people.
"Is Lord Felford not joining us today?" Elsword asked as he put his gift aside to help the other kids. He took out the tablecloth and set it before Elias Felford began setting each set of utensils around the table. His twin sister followed and set up neatly folded cloth napkins where the utensils were.
"Daddy's busy teaching some mean marks a lesson!" Amelie chimed in as she looked for a candelabrum in one of the kitchen cabinets. "He couldn't take time off work this time."
"Marks? You mean mercs?" Elsword questioned, raising an eyebrow at Seris, "Which group?"
The woman did not bother to answer him. Instead, she asked him to help her take four cups to the table. As Elsword busied himself with the task, Elias stopped him and raised himself on his tiptoes to whisper in his ear.
"Dad's gonna let us stay longer here," Elias whispered, "He thinks it's safer if we're far from those marks."
Though Elsword could not help smiling at the news, part of him wondered if he should worry about Lord Felford's safety instead. The redheaded boy quickly shook that worry off. After all, his sister was the incredible Red-Haired Knight. She would beat up any troublemakers, regardless of who they were. Maybe this year, she would return with Lord Felford, and both would tell him how they put those mercenaries behind bars.
While the three kids finished setting up the table, Seris reheated and served the pottage for each of them. However, unlike in previous years, Lady Felford brought two different drinks to accompany the meal. One was the usual sweetened wine she enjoyed; the other was a sparkly neon-blue liquid stored in a round flask.
"What's this?" the red-haired boy asked as Seris began serving the blue drink to her children and him.
"Desert Soda." Seris smiled. "It's very popular in Sander."
"Daddy brought us some after talking with the grown-ups in Senace," Amelie beamed. "It's the best drink ever!"
"Oh, Senace? I made a friend who comes from there. His name's Wyll Gesson," Elsword chatted as he ate. "He has a brother, too, Liam. I can't wait to meet him tomorrow."
"Gesson?" Seris questioned him, her brow furrowed. "Where is he from, exactly?"
"Resiam," Elsword answered. Lady Felford's frown momentarily deepened, but whatever troubled her, she did not let it show for long.
"Resiam?" Elias asked, tilting his head at the redhead, "Dad told us that town doesn't have any nobles."
The thirteen-year-old shrugged, "Well, maybe there are just newer, or smaller noble houses in Resiam. Wyll even talked to me about some Elkashu Sieghart. He's a so-called Free Knight."
"A Free Knight? What's that? Daddy's never mentioned them before."
"And he's a Sieghart, too. Hey, big bro, is Elkashu your big brother?"
Elsword shrugged, "My sister's never talked about him. I bet he's just some mercenary who wants to pretend he's a noble." He shot a glance at Seris, who seemed oddly quiet. "What is a Free Knight supposed to be anyway? That title doesn't exist, right?"
"Children," Seris called them calmly but firmly. "I know this topic is rather interesting, but we'll miss the last performance if we continue talking instead of eating."
Ruben's plaza was made of three stores around a large, stone-paved circular area that served many purposes throughout the year, and today, after nightfall, it was the centre stage for a bard troupe hailing from Velder. Elsword had donned his birthday gift on his hip; it was a red and white training sword that Amelie had chosen for him, and that Elias had enchanted to make it lighter and sharper than other swords of its kind. The twins had gone off to play with the other kids their age, some yelling, some singing along to the folk tunes the bards were offering for the night.
Lady Felford had remained by Elsword's side, enjoying the spectacle and surely keeping an eye on her children. Despite the music, the songs, and the laughter from children and adults alike, the red-haired boy could almost touch the uncomfortable silence between him and Seris. It was a first, and, just like what had happened with Wyll earlier in the day, Elsword was unsure how to deal with it. Maybe if he kept quiet, Lady Felford would convince her husband never to return. The dreadful thought made him clench his new sword's handle tighter. A hundred scenarios raced through his mind, and none led to positive outcomes. Though he tried to hide it, tears welled in his crimson gaze. The boy swept them away with a quick hand gesture as if to pretend he only had some dirt in his eye.
That, of course, would not fool Seris Felford. The blonde woman looked at him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer to her. Though Elsword sometimes thought it was wrong of him, he leaned on her, finding comfort in her warmth.
"I'm sorry I upset you," he told her. He was staring at the dancing crowd but not paying attention to them. He only wished to mend his relationship with the only family that always cared about him, even when they were far away. If he lost them, the world might as well cease to spin.
"I shouldn't have talked about my friends. I'm sorry, Lady Felford."
"I would never be upset at you for making friends, Elsword," Seris softly explained. "You need to form those bonds in the El Search Party. I'm incredibly proud of you for getting admitted, to begin with. You're the youngest recruit in their history, you know that?"
A small smile curled Elsword's lips. "I didn't. I should tell my sister about it. The training she made me do paid off, even if it was three years ago…"
"You know, Elsword, you could write to Elesis, too," Lady Felford suggested, "Owen is quite close with a lot of the Red Knights. I'm sure your letters would reach her desk first thing in the morning, even if she's a captain."
Elsword shook his head. "I can't write to her. If I do, she'll have no reason to visit anymore. She told me she'd come back to hear how I've been doing and tell me all about her adventures."
His voice broke under a new wave of tears he was less inclined to clean away. "I didn't know she was a Red Knight captain now… Lady Felford, I can only write letters to you because you're the only family that always comes back."
The blonde woman hugged him, letting him cry what few tears Elsword would allow himself to shed. There were not many, but it was enough. Elsword stepped away from the green-eyed woman who looked at him with the same concern she would direct at her children when they got hurt or sick.
"I'm okay now, Lady Felford," the redhead reassured her with a nod and a bright smile. "Ah, I'm so tired from training that it's also affecting my mood."
"Elsword," Seris was still worried, perhaps even more so at his act, but Elsword knew he could not allow himself to be weaker than Elesis was. He was sure his sister had moments of doubts and weakness, but she never dared to burden him with it. He owed the same courtesy to the Felfords.
"During dinner, I wasn't upset. I was just a little worried. You see, Elkashu…" She paused, combing her hair behind her ears. "Elkashu Sieghart is no impostor, Elsword. He is your father. I know it pains him not to be there for you and your sister just as much as it'd pain me if I had to leave my children behind."
"Free Knights maybe don't always live up to their name, huh? They're all tied up in their work!" Elsword joked, but it did not ease Seris's saddened expression. That alone was enough for the boy to drop his facade.
"That title, Free Knight…" She sighed. A slight frown made her expression look more sombre, far more fitting for a soldier than the kind woman Elsword had always known. "It's simply a more honourable way to refer to soldiers who ran away. But that title alone doesn't come close to defining who your father is, Elsword."
Her motherly smile returned, even if it carried some sadness. "And I know that because, even if the goddess' will didn't allow him to be with you, your father moved heaven and earth to make sure you wouldn't be abandoned. And I'm glad he trusted us to be part of your life, Elsword."
Elsword took a deep breath, finally taking in the magic of the evening dance. The lamps and their warm, golden glow pushed the darkness out of the village. Perhaps deserters like Elkashu were among the travellers, and maybe even some of the bards had been knights or mercenaries at one point. None of that mattered at all. They were all enjoying the moment without caring for yesterday or tomorrow.
He ought to do the same.
The red-haired boy thanked Seris for her words and headed out to dance alone. Each clap and clumsy step played their part to stop another wave of tears. He spun between couples dancing, trying to bounce off them to reach the southern entrance to the village. Elsword knew it was selfish; he knew he would make the twins and Lady Felford worry, but he wanted to be alone.
He was almost out when he bumped into a woman. As he looked up to apologise to her, he froze for a second. Her long, blonde-ish hair and bright green eyes were almost a perfect match to Seris's. This woman, however, was not Lady Felford. Her long, pointy ears were a clear sign of her nature. She was an elf. She was effortlessly carrying six wooden crates in one arm, for some reason.
"Hm? Oh, are you alright?" The elven woman inquired as she turned her attention to him. "Are you hurt somewhere?"
She crouched slightly to look him eye-to-eye and looked at him more closely. Elsword turned his face away because he suspected she was close enough to tell that he had been crying.
"I'm fine," he mumbled as he stepped away from her. "I gotta go."
"Ah, but the forest is dangerous at night! Let me leave these in Ann's shop, and I'll come with you, okay?"
Elsword nodded and watched the elven woman expertly navigate the moving crowd as she made her way to the tavern. There was no point in trying to sneak away from an elf; they could track anyone and everything in the forests. As much as it annoyed him, the red-haired boy bid goodbye to his moment of solitude.
