Chapter 02 – Post the escape
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Due to the fall, Rio had injured his leg heavily. He tried to stand up, but he failed miserably. 

Giving up, Rio leaned on Helgar’s shoulder, adding extra weight to his pal's harmed body. They both looked tired and exhausted, walking for almost an hour with only green fields insight.

 "Helgar maybe we should stop," Rio said in hopes of breaking the silence that accompanied them for what seemed years.

 "I am fine. There should be something close by." He stopped for a moment fixating his gaze on the horizon

 "I am also fine. I was just eating a lot lately, maybe you cannot carry me any longer", Rio commented seeking to catch a smile but it did not happen. So he raised his hand and hit Helgar gently on his chest. "It was a joke, you should laugh now."

  Helgar let a fake chuckle that gradually turned into a depressed face. His hollow eyes reflecting their crimson color in such moment of sadness.

"Helgar trust me… everything will be ok". Rio said, grabbing Helgar's hand and squeezing it.  Helgar nodded back, confirming the trust.

"Let's rest here for a moment," Rio seated himself on the grass. For a long time, it was Rio who took the lead, and Helgar did not seem to mind it. 

 The grass field looked so tempting to sit and enjoy the scene. The stars, at the north of Kingdom Promesus, made a fascinating shape of a paved road, starting narrow on the earth side and growing more widespread as they touched the sky and faded beyond the clouds.

 When Rio was a kid, he always believed that if he walked long enough to the north. Then he would reach those stars and climb up far in the sky.

 That was Rio a cheerful, and full of hope guy. Helgar was the opposite side of that coin. He had always struggled to show happiness, and his hopes of life were none existent. He was though different around Rio. 

 "You are staring at the stars again" Helgar commented before finally smiling for real and sitting down close to Rio. So close that he needed to push him gently.

 Rio did not seem to mind this closeness. Instead, his heart bounced in happiness. He dreamed that this moment would last forever. *Helgar is smiling finally*

"Why did you follow me, Rio? How did you know I was on the train?"

"Well you can run away a thousand times, but I will still find you and I will not leave you alone into this," Rio answered.

rejecting Rio's answer, Helgar shook his head and sighed. "And where do we go now? the whole Aerman territory is looking for me. You are endangering yourself by staying close."

"You don't understand Helgar. You can't decide for me what I want. And what I want now is to make sure you are safe," Rio complained, his voice raising considerably at him. Whereas Helgar had averted his gaze, looking in the other side with a frown. 

 Rio calmed himself down. He knew Helgar long enough, and he could easily see that he had stopped listening.

"Listen, our goal now is to get you to escape to Aurum territory. This will both cease blood and obscure your location."

"Not everyone has the luxury choice of entering Aurum like you," Helgar replied. 

In the end, Helgar was right. Aurum was a broad region at the north of Aerman. There was no easy way to go there, not only because the Promesus Saviours were chasing Helgar. But also because no human living in Aerman had the access ticket to Aurum. It was unfair. However, the Kingdom system had always worked this way, separating the poor from the rich. 

If a man were born in one of Aermans cities, then he would live and die there. Except when becoming a Promesus soldier, be it a Promesus Savior or a Warrior. 

   The other choice was to pass the national exam at seventeen. An insignificant number of around ten students got shortlisted every year. The amount of knowledge and education someone would need to gather was massive. It made it totally not worth even trying. 

 Rio was different from the other children. Regardless of lacking an adequate teaching system and living in poverty. He was a passionate learner and was so determined to apply to the national exam. And he even managed to pass and to get the access ticket to Aurum! 

Helgar was no less smart than Rio, he only lacked the interest of studying that hard. Most likely it was something related to the magic he inherited earlier, and how it affected his attention span. But regardless of that, he had followed Rio's steps and pushed himself to study as hard through all those years.

Though, When the time came to apply for the exam. Helgar's evaluation process had been interrupted. And Rio dropped the whole plan of leaving Aerman. He refused to leave Helgar behind. 

"Helgar, you cannot keep hiding. " Rio looked at the skeptical face beside him. "When did you lose faith…"

Helgar groaned in disapproval. "The moment you decided there is a hope of this catastrophic situation."

"So what? Are you giving up."

"I don't know. I hate myself Rio. I wish I never existed" In a weak moment, Helgar, a vulnerable and lost soul, could easily be remarked. 

"You never knew!" Rio exclaimed 

"Thanks, I guess," Helgar replied, he was not angry anymore. What Rio had said, was just about Right. He never knew what he wanted, even going through the national exam was not his idea. He was so dependent on Rio, and they both knew that. 

"I am sorry. But I hate to see you giving up again," feeling that he is too harsh, Rio sighed. It wasn't his intention to break Helgar's morale.

"ِAll good," Helgar sighed softly, deflating.

A moment of silence and serenity ruled the place. Both were tired and hopeless. that moment gradually became a handful of minutes.

"They say that if you travel on to a trip. Do not overwhelm yourself, of how will you reach the end ." Rio said, placing his hand on Helgars shoulder. 

"And.." Helgar turned his head, looking at Rio. 

"Take one step at time.." Rio presumed, his eyes widening and revealing speckles of a darker shade of green.

Looking into his eyes, Helgar smiled, ignoring the whole sentence.

"What now?" Rio asked confused

"Let's go" Helgar straightened himself, offering his hand to Rio and ignoring his question. "I remember seeing a light coming from the northeast direction when I was on the train. It should not be far away." 

 

"Let's go then." 


Later on, the two of them walked in the direction Helgar suggested. It only lasted few miles before they saw a glimpse of light waving on the horizon from a wooden house.

"You were right, there is light. It's destined that we stay alive," Rio said in a cheerful voice, pressing gently on the arm that he was already leaning on. 

Helgar winced his eye and smiled. "Maybe we are already dead." 

Rio could not help but giggles. "Finally this young man is hitting my jokes back… let's go towards this place, we can debate if we are alive there."

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