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Chapter 2

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Chapter 2: All Good Things End

Traveling was something Rythulains seemed to be well made for. So it was no surprise Emineo and Soldus had no problem making their long trip…As far away from Xiphias as possible. Not to mention, war conditions weren’t exactly the best for a child. As they walked through the dying lands, nearly in its desert state, they spoke often to pass time. One subject was what the name of their child would be. “Maybe he should just be Soldus jr.”

“That’s terrible.” Emineo stated. Soldus laughed, not the least bit serious about the suggestion. “What’s wrong with it?” “It lacks creativity, and would make us seem like lazy parents.”

She looked at her child bundled up in her cloak. He was doing much better, but it still bothered her why she couldn’t find what had been the matter in the first place. At least he seemed fine now….

He opened his black eyes, blinking sleepily.

“….How about…Ater?” She chirped.

“Ater? I like the sound of it. How did you come up with that?”

She looked into little Ater’s eyes as she walked.

“….Hm. It just seems right.”

They traveled together for several days, before finally settling in the ruins of what looked to be a forgotten temple, and by the looks of it, no one had been there in quite some time. The ruined structure was nestled against a canyon wall, and was covered in shade half of the day. The ruin was built into the stone wall, leaving most of its insides intact, but the outside pillars and statues were crumbled and worn down by unrelenting winds. Emineo couldn’t help but notice just how dead this world had become.

Soldus looked around, and discovered a school of cloth fish flitted about the place, and a few artifacts were left behind. Old wall carvings, some pottery, even some ritual rooms were left untouched deep in the rock walls. It was a good place to live. It was isolated, but fairly safe. And that’s what Soldus wanted, a safe place for Ater to grow up before he lives on his own.

They soon settled in, placing what little belongings they had with them in the ruins. Ater was soon released to explore, under the watchful eye of his mother. He played outside, chasing the cloth fish and sliding in the dunes. Emineo was stringing some beads she had found to pass the time, when it occurred to her how on the desert dunes was Soldus going to eat? Way out here, there was almost nothing at all. No sooner had she realized this, that she saw him carrying a scarf with him.

“Do I want to even know how you managed to get that?” She said, not taking her eyes off her work. Soldus folded it up and tucked it away in his satchel. “There are travelers out here, they just go through the pass further down the wall. I only need a scarf to get by. I have some saved up.”

“True…But what if they run out, and we get a few days without any travelers?” “I won’t starve, Emineo. I’ll figure something out…”

Would he? This was a good place to live, it was just lack of food that was the problem. He was taken from his thoughts when Ater ran over, looking very excited. “What is it, Ater? Did you find something?”

He chirped happily and showed him a polished, round, blue stone. Soldus smiled. “That’s a good find. It almost looks like something I used to play with when I was…” He trailed off, and REALLY looked at what Ater was holding. Soldus froze. Ater, being the naïve child he was, paid no mind to his father’s mental state, and ran off to play some more with his special blue stone. Soldus stood up, and looked around at the desert around them.

“Is something wrong, Soldus?”

His red eyes squinted. “…No. I suppose not.” He looked back to his son, throwing the stone at the cloth fish and his squeaky laugh as they scattered away from it. How could Ater possibly have that? There was no way he had gotten it before they left…They would have noticed if he was carrying it. Soldus was on edge. It couldn’t be…His father wouldn’t follow them, right? If he was, his son was for sure in danger of being taken away, but once more, his father was completely losing it if he had followed them all this way just to take Ater from them. Actually…It didn’t seem that farfetched. That Warkin could hold a grudge, and Soldus was pretty sure his old rag would stop at nothing to make his life miserable…But to go this far.

Ater lived with his family for nearly two years without problems. As the days went on, Soldus’s fear of his father coming back for Ater faded to almost nothing. He was making due with what little food he had, though it was almost like fasting, and he was tired most of the time. Emineo was happy to clean up the place over the years and make it homier. Ater grew up to the age he was able to actually speak a few words and understand his parents, and he seemed to be growing quickly, at least, he was taller than the normal baby. No doubt he would be getting his father’s height.

On a nice day, (as nice as a desert got), Ater was rolling around in the sand, and came to a rest on his back, laughing at how the wind tossed him around. Emineo smiled as she watched her son play, thinking how wonderful he would be as a Rrythulain some day. As she looked on, the wind lifted up Ater’s hood to reveal his chest. At first she thought her eyes were playing tricks. Ater giggled and hopped up, running around with his favorite blue toy.

“…Ater, come here a moment.”

Ater continued to slide about for a few moments before running over to his mother, his black eyes crested in joy. “Peep?” he enquired, resting his cloak on his mother’s knees as she sat.

“I just want to take a look at you….” She lifted his hood of his small red and gold cloak and inspected his chest.

Meanwhile, Soldus was dozing in the sun on the higher parts of the ruins, when he heard his mates call. She sounded distressed.

Soldus sat up and quickly floated to the sand below.

“What is it? Is everything alright?”

Emineo looked like she was shaking.

“….Look.” She whispered.  

She reached down and lifted Ater’s hood. Soldus bent down on one knee to take a closer look.

“….By the Stone Father….” He muttered. He reached out and gently touched what looked like a jagged line over Ater’s chest.

“I-I….I don’t know what this is! It almost looks like…Like…”

“…A mouth.” Soldus said grimly.

Ater tilted his head. “What’s wrong daddy? Am I not supposed to have this?” He looked down at it, not really understanding the gravity of the situation…But he soon did when his mother started crying.

“Why are you sad mommy?” He chirped. He tugged at his mother’s cloak desperately. “Mommy?”

Eemineo shook her head as she covered her mask. It wasn’t the fact that Ater had a mouth that made her sad, what was really causing her distress was the fact her child had been….in a way….violated. Operated on without consent, and he had been a perfectly healthy little baby…And to be put through that sort of thing! His pain must have been incredible. He was a child! And she had let this happen. It was all her fault this happened.

Soldus frowned, feeling a sharp stab in his cloth to see Emineo like this. He felt the same way she did, but he had to make sure he let Ater know there was nothing wrong with him.

“…Ater…Listen to me.” He pulled him away from his mother as she tried to pull herself together. “Did I make mommy sad?”

“No, no Ater…Did you know about this?” “About what?” “This…mark. On your chest.” “Mhm.” He nodded. “I thought it was supposed to be there.” “You don’t remember getting it from anyone?”

“I don’t know. I’ve always had this.” He looked down at it, and rubbed the place it was under the cloth of his hood. “Is it bad? Am I in trouble?”

“No, son. You’re not in trouble. Let’s just…Why don’t you go play inside now? I have to talk to your mother for a few moments.”

Ater went inside without question, leaving his father to talk to his mother alone.

Soldus wrapped her in his cloak to hug, and she was starting to calm down.

“Soldus…” She said after a while, her voice tiny and small.

“Do you think….Do you think that night…That all this time we had no idea…”

Soldus gripped her closer. “I don’t see any other way this could have happened. In fact…I have something to show you.” He went into his satchel and pulled out the old parchment from long ago.

“…Xiphais DID do this to our son…I can’t believe it…”

She looked at him. “And you never showed this to me? After all these years…?”

“I’m sorry, Emineo. I didn’t want to make you worry…I mean…He was hurt, but he lived. I had no idea he was…Altered at all. I didn’t know about that, I promise. I thought he had just left the note with him to frighten you…So I kept it to myself. But it proves that…My father did this, for certain. I can’t think of anyone sicker than him.”

“I shouldn’t have made you tell him. What was I thinking? He’s a savage, a mindless, killing—“ She stopped and looked at Soldus.

“…I mean…” “Take it easy. I agree with you. But right now…We can’t fret over the past. What’s done is done…So we have to do our best to fix the present.” He looked in the direction of the ruins.

“…I know I don’t want him using that mouth. I hope he hasn’t…Used it already. But…I don’t see what good that mouth would do if he isn’t corrupted. You heard what he said…He doesn’t know what it is. But as he gets older, he may start to wonder.”

Emineo nodded. “I’ll sew it shut, and he should be just fine. Still…I’m worried Soldus…If your father did give him a mouth, and he has plans for him…Does that mean…He’s coming back?”

“…I’m not sure. I do know Ater is of no use to him without corruption, and I intend to keep it that way.”

Emineo frowned. “…Ater is Warkin isn’t he? I don’t understand how he didn’t….”

Soldus shook his head. “We shouldn’t question it, Emineo. He’s not Warkin.” He said, almost forcefully like he was trying to convince himself of that very fact.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Here is a little something to compensate fro my absence. Enjoy~
Next chapter: Chapter 3

art (c) me
story/characters (c) me
canon story is based in (c) WayfarerChirp
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© 2015 - 2024 EndlessShower
Comments3
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DarkMousySan's avatar
This is really cool, you know?
I like it a lot and little Ater is cute ^-^
Are you still doing that ask thing for Ater and Gelu?
My two Journey Characters have a few more things to ask.