Twenty or so minutes passed as Volan was driven from the Academy to his home in the northwestern section of the nation’s capital. It was a highrise made out of a few businesses and had recently been turned into the “heart” of the area with newly renovated businesses and stadium nearby. It was all so clean and proper, but was never comfortable to Volan. It felt foreign with how blocky and modern it was. Only a handful of other buildings were as tall or taller, so it stood out quite a bit with how the city skyline wasn’t packed with skyscrapers.
Volan recalled, as best he could, that it was designed by a guest architect from the Republic of Holy Technology; a nation of collected provinces some 300 kilometers or so South of the Kingdom. He remembered his father taking him there once, and it was a weird experience. While Zekanto had a fair balance between its progressive technological and conservative traditional sides, the Republic is much more interested in furthering their technological prowess as quickly as possible. Volan understood that researching new technologies and making new discoveries were good in their own right, but something about the place bothered him when he saw people taking a step too far.
Some people there had crystal augmentations. An engineering and medical marvel that has helped many people overcome life altering afflictions. They allowed people to return to a sense of normalcy that they had lost, or gave people who never knew what it was like to see colors or walk a chance to experience it. However, it wasn’t the people who needed them that unsettled Volan. It was the people who didn’t. And in more recent years, news articles were starting to pick up more and more on how it had gone from purely medical to a fashionable trend. Celebrities and people of import were starting to get augmentations as a means of becoming something along the lines of “people 2.0” or such.
However, that isn’t to say the other extreme is any better. Every now and then, throughout the year, a traveling troupe would come to Zekanto from the far East. Hailing from The Crowned Federation of the White Queen, performers of all kinds would come to share the tall tales, plays, music and many other kinds of performances. But for the people of Zekanto, something about these visitors always came off as strange. They seemed to try and have an ongoing party or celebration the entire time they were present. Where Zekans would usually head to sleep around 9 or 10 PM, those of the Federation would be awake and partying well into the dawn of the next day.
Additionally, some of the troupe had this unpleasant and over welcoming attitude. It was like they wanted you to come closer and join them on the stage. To come with them back to the Federation and be a part of their “Silver City”. Volan remembered almost being tempted and drawn away by one group of performers. Thankfully his father interceded and Volan was able to avoid a potential kidnapping. But the temptation for fame and riches was too much for some individuals or families. It wasn’t uncommon that a few people would go missing during the troupe’s visit. And while some people wanted the kingdom to go and find them, often the government’s hands were either tied as the person joined willingly or couldn’t find a trace of them.
Setting the matter of the building’s appearance aside, Volan waited inside the car as his chaperone exited the car and walked around to the other side. She tossed the vehicle’s keys to the valet just outside the entrance and opened the door for Volan to exit.
Then, two men in military fatigues approached them from the building. Their uniforms were a deep blue with golden epaulets, tassels, and trimming. Brass vambraces guarded reached down from their elbows to their wrists, meeting a pair of brown gloves. Both of them had high and tight haircuts, and their boots were nearly black in color. A patch over their left breast with the symbol of a flame announced their allegiance, but the lack of any other patches showed what they were. These were men under Volan’s father: Flameguard.
Immediately, they stood at attention before Volan’s chaperone. Their feet stomped the ground before quickly clicking together at the heel in unison before saluting to her. She responded in kind. Snapping to attention, Volan’s chaperone saluted back and waited for one of them to speak. The one to her left broke the silence. A small patch atop his right breast above a pocket showed his surname to be “Cortez”.
“Good evening, Commander Rose. Cortez and Kaplan of the Flameguard are here to escort you and Sir Roltand to the Sword-Captain.”
Rose, Volan’s chaperone, used to be Gael's second-in-command. And while she’s no longer part of the Flameguard, her current position as Volan’s personal bodyguard and attendant meant Rose reported directly to Gael. The two Flameguards before them are a formality, but Rose scanned the uniforms of whomever appeared before her. And if there was even one loose thread out of line, it meant someone was getting smoked the moment Gael heard about it
It was a bit of twisted fun, for Rose. This was a way for both her and Gael to always check in on the Flameguard and see who was slacking. The first time it happened, Volan saw Rose laughing silently to herself on the couch with the widest grin he’d ever seen. If Gael disciplined his men anything like how he did Volan, Volan prayed they’d never make the same mistake. Because of this, Volan often saw the Flameguards put in charge of this formality sweating bullets when Rose took a close look at them.
A few minutes passed by as Rose did her inspection while the two royal guards tried not to flinch. For them it felt like an eternity. Thankfully it never took long and she took the lead as the four now walked into the multistoried multipurpose structure. Volan chuckled in his mind as he saw the two much larger men give heavy sighs of relief, both over the moon with joy that they passed Rose’s inspection.
Entering the apartment complex, all four got in one elevator. Volan first, then Rose, and finally Cortez and Kaplan. Cortez hit the button for the 13th floor and sent everyone up. The electrical hum of the elevator was all that could be heard as they passed floor after floor before it came to a slow stop and a little ding signaled the end of the ride. The doors opened and Cortez and Kaplan stepped out first. They stood to the left and right of the entrance while Volan and Rose exited the elevator and made their way to the apartment they lived in.
Volan’s steps clacked against the hardwood flooring as Rose followed behind him. She matched his pace but kept a short distance between herself and him. A couple of turns and walking through corridors later, Volan stood at the entrance of the door leading in.
I hope dad isn’t mad about me being late…
Volan took a deep breath while Rose relaxed against a nearby wall.
I’m overthinking things, I’m overthinking things. We’ve been looking forward to this for a while, so let’s just go see dad and have our usual outing together.
Taking hold of the door knob, Volan turned it and pulled. The door swung open softly, but then he heard something he didn’t expect. His father was talking to someone. But it wasn’t a two-person back-and-forth, there were pauses.
“Zach. You know what day it is, yes?”
As Volan entered, he heard a muffled voice reply. It was gibberish with how far Volan was from his father, but he could at least hear something that resembled a reply.
“Why do you need me in charge of this investigation? Are your advisors sure it’s not just some wild animal or lost fey creature?”
Turning the corner, Volan watched from the living room as his father spoke with the phone up to his ear. He was sitting down in a chair with his back facing the entrance.
What’s going on that Uncle Zach’s asking dad to come back into work?
Gael was basically pleading with Zach to not come back into work. Trying to come up with any possible excuse to enjoy his day off from being the Sword-Captain. He already had on the cheesy cone-shaped party hat that he wore every time it was someone’s birthday. The decorated coat he wore during work had been left to rest on the couch and Gael had already desserts out on plates for him and Volan to enjoy.
“How do we not know what it is? Pretty much every possible creature, plant, bacteria, etcetera within a 40 kilometer range has been documented. Someone’s gotta know what it is. Maybe there’s someone at the Royal Academy who can… Oh. You already asked them.”
Gael sighed heavily and his head fell.
“Do we at least have an idea of what this thing looks like?”
Another pause as Zach replied.
“No one’s seen it?! Not even a street camera or something? Then how in the Flame are we supposed to find it?! We may be your personal unit, but we’re not gonna be able to sniff it out like dogs.”
Dad’s being called in to hunt down a wild animal?
Gael paused again as Zach answered before he let out another heavy sigh, depressed over how he wasn’t gonna be getting out of this call.
“Alright. I’ll contact Testris and Iker to get the investigation started. I’ll meet the detectives there so we can have this all sorted ASAP.”
With that, Gael let Zach end the call and he put the phone down on the table. Now stuck being dragged back into work on one of his few days off during the year, Gael got up from his chair and turned around. However, he didn’t expect to see Volan standing at the entrance. For a moment, he forgot about work and immediately ran over and bear hugged his son. Squeezing Volan tightly to where some joints in Volan’s arms and spine popped. Volan tapped Gael on the back to get him to stop.
Gael looked a lot like Volan in some ways. They had the same lightly toasted skin tone, same thick brown hair and eyebrows, and same sharp jawlines; though Volan was still growing into his. There were some differences though. Where Volan was around 180 centimeters tall, Gael was around 195. But other than this, Gael had piercing blue eyes and a light scowl he’d developed. At the moment he was wearing a black t-shirt, his fatigue pants, and boots. It wasn’t until after eating their bit of dessert that he would usually change out of them.
“Good to see you, kiddo.”
Volan nodded, “And same for you. But I guess you’re gonna have to leave pretty soon?”
Gael’s gaze fell to the floor as he looked defeated. He always looked forward to seeing Volan in person, so it definitely stung being dragged back into work on one of his scheduled days off.
Gael explained, “Unfortunately. His Highness said he needed me to handle the matter personally. Tried to get out of it, but guessing you already know how that went.”
Volan agreed, “Pretty much.”
“Well. Let’s at least enjoy a bit of dessert before I head out. And tell me how school’s been. Mr. Hunt still giving you a hard time?”
The two went to the kitchen and enjoyed what little time they had together. And, of course, Volan wore the silly party hat the entire time. It had become a kind of tradition for the two of them to wear the really dumb party hats most families grew out of, but to them it was special.
The two ate a slice of strawberry rhubarb pie together as Volan shared what new things had happened at school. Gael did the same back; sharing what details he could about missions here and there. But he made sure to also ask about Volan’s studies, especially after Volan said he was late due to falling asleep in the library. Thankfully did keep his grades up to the best of his abilities. He wasn’t anything outstanding, but he was at least above average when it came to academics. After all, it isn’t worth having bad grades when you’re Gael’s son.
Eventually, the conversation wound down and the topics they could talk about dwindled to but a handful. And Volan was curious about why his father was being called to work.
Volan asked, “So… may I ask why you’re getting called back to work?”
Gael responded, “When did you start hearing my responses?”
“About when you asked Uncle Zach if he remembered that it was my birthday today.”
“Ah, okay. Well, you’ve heard most of it then. Some unknown thing is causing problems around the city. It appears, destroys some small and dark corner, then leaves. Apparently, the City Guard’s been investigating the matter for some time now, but can’t track down whatever it is.”
“What’s that got to do with you?”
“From what I understand, we’re being brought in as insurance. Most of the Flameguard will remains as they are at the palace, but I’ll be leading a small contingent to take the monster down once it’s found.”
“Guessing it’s not a big fluffy teddy bear if you’re being brought in?”
Gael chuckled, “If only. Would be interesting fighting some like that if I’m honest. What do you think would win? Its hugs or mine?”
Volan retorted sarcastically, “In a competition of strength or popularity?”
Gael’s head recoiled in annoyance at his son’s retort.
“C’mon… my hugs aren’t that bad, are they?”
“Well, I don’t think most people would want impromptu chiropractic treatment done on their spines. Otherwise you’d be richer than any of the nobles.”
Gael laughed, “Fair enough!”
Volan laughed with him as things slowly came to stop. The good time had to come to an end, and Gael got up from his chair and walked over to the couch to grab his coat and put it back on.
“Alright. I gotta get going now or His Highness is gonna call me for work on another of my days off.”
“Stay safe out there.”
Gael smiled, “You too, kiddo. Oh! And do try to stay indoors at night. People have started to go missing out of the blue and turning up elsewhere. Shouldn’t have to say it, but let your friends know as well. Best to go straight home after school for the time being, alright?”
“Alright, dad. I’ll let ‘em know.”
“Good.”
Gael was about to head out the door, but felt like he was forgetting something. It took a moment, but Rose stared at him with one eyebrow raised before rolling her eyes. He had the door already open and one leg raised as if to take an exaggerated step forward.
“Wait! I forgot to tell you something!”
“What is it?”
“I’m… trying to remember…”
A moment of silence passed as Volan and Gael stared at each other. Then Gael remembered.
“There’s a present sitting on your bed! That’s what it was!”
“Who’s sent it?”
“Don’t know! But if I had to warrant a guess…”
Volan, intrigued, tried to pry for more information, “Yes…?”
Gael toyed with his son, “I think it’s someone who’ll help improve your day.”
His vague answer left Volan feeling unsatisfied and gypped as Gael now ran out the door.
“Alright, see you later son!”
Volan sighed, “You too, dad.”
By the Flame… You just can’t give me a straight answer when it might concern mom, can you?
As the door closed, Rose entered and shut it. She walked over to Volan and ruffled his hair, cut a slice of the pie for herself, and headed to her room to unwind. Volan appreciated it, but now he was left to figure out the mystery of the present. After a few more slices of pie, of course. Then a quick handling of dishes. And once it had all been taken care of, Volan finally went to his room to see what awaited him.
Opening the door to his room, he saw a very simple and white box kept closed by some blue ribbon that went under and over the box to form a very simple criss-cross on top. And atop it was a letter without any sender information, just a blank wax seal keeping the envelope sealed.
Well, this definitely isn’t dad’s handiwork. He’d have given it to me the moment I got home. Rose wouldn’t have done this either. She’d probably have just handed it to me first thing in the morning. Broderick and Kunal also aren’t the type for big boxes like this. They’d have just given me money or a game or something so we could play together online or something. So who sent it?
Volan walked over to his bed and took a seat on top of it. Picking up the letter first, he looked it over to see if maybe there was something on the back. Or if maybe there was some kind of puzzle he had to figure out. But no matter how he held it up to the light or squinted his eyes, there was nothing of note. Just an envelope with a blank wax seal.
I’m overthinking this. I guess the best case scenario it’s from a secret admirer or some hint to my mom, and worst case it’s some noble’s physical hatred towards me.
Admittedly, Volan was curious if the latter would happen again. But he refocused on the envelope and broke the seal. Pulling out the letter inside, it read:
To my dearest V,
I’m sorry I couldn’t give this to you in person, nor am I able to ever see you on your 16th birthday. I’ve watched you grow and succeed and make me proud. How I hope and pray for the day when I can hold you in my arms again. Of how I hope to one day be with you and your father again. And it is that hope that keeps me going as I lurk in the shadows.
I wish I could explain or even share what my name is or what I look like, but doing that would put you in danger. One day, we’ll be a family. A proper family. One that can smile, have meals together, and live in the light with heads held up high. But until that day comes, I must remain hidden. And for now, this is all I can do.
The present I’ve left on your bed is something I found while I was traveling. I don’t remember how I found it, nor where I was when I got it, but I feel it is something that’s been trying to find its way to you. I know it may not look the most impressive, but if we have the same eyes you’ll notice something about it on your own. May it protect and aid you as you grow. Use it well, my little V.
Love,
Mom
Volan was stunned. His mind emptied itself as he held the letter close to his chest.
Mom… was here.
It took a moment to register his feelings as a wave of joy rushed through him from the depths of his heart. This was the first time anyone had come forward to say they were his mother without Gael immediately interjecting to disagree. His father made sure Volan knew his mother wasn’t some random woman off the street. And if someone did try to approach Volan claiming to be his mother, Gael made sure to intercede and turn them away.
But in this instance. In this instance, Gael had let it through. Volan had no idea why or how exactly, but his father was eternally dedicated to the mysterious woman he knew to be his wife. And a gift like this, a letter like this wouldn’t just get by unabated. All kinds of different attempts had been made over the years from nobles, commoners, and criminals alike to try and worm their way to Gael’s side. Every one of them was a woman most any man would accept at face value, but not Gael.
Gael would have, without question and had, scanned the present over before allowing it to reach Volan. And if he hadn’t, Rose or any of the Flameguard would’ve. So for it to be here. For it to be in Volan’s hands meant this was the real dea. This wasn’t a hoax or anything. It was a genuine letter from mother to son.
Mom. Was here.
My mom… was here.
Volan repeated the phrase over and over again in his head. One of the heaviest weights ever put on him had just fallen off, and he couldn’t be happier.
Volan repeated, “My mom was here.”
It was a phrase so mundane and commonly said by so many other people, but to Volan it felt like he’d been blessed by the Flame itself to speak the words of god for one miniscule moment.
Now, starting to come back down from the clouds, Volan caringly tried to put the letter back in the envelope. But the moment he did, it caught fire. Panicking, Volan tried to put it out by smothering the flame. Alas, the paper burned up before he could do anything and not even ashes remained.
He felt heartbroken for a moment, but then remembered the contents of the letter.
I… understand.
Seeing the first words his mother had ever written to him suddenly burn up and disappear to never be seen again stung horribly. But believing what she wrote about her situation, it made sense. And if anything, it only solidified that she was out there. That she needed to keep as much information about her hidden, and this letter could’ve been a potential liability.
But what of the box? What of the ribbon-tied gift she’d left for him? Volan regathered himself and turned his attention to it and undid the ribbon keeping it bound. It was a surprisingly large box, somewhere between 15 and 20 cm on each side.
Volan wondered, Is it a weapon or shield? Maybe a piece of armor?
Pulling the ribbon that kept it bound, he carefully opened the box and looked inside. But what he saw immediately hit him with a dizzy spell. Inside the box was a pit of darkness with a single eye looking up at him. It was as if he were staring into the abyss, and it decided to personally stare back. Volan collapsed on his bed and fell unconscious. His mind sinking back into the darkness.
Then he started to wake back up. Blinking a few times, he realized he was laying face first on a cold and wet cobblestone floor. Slowly getting back up to his feet, he looked around and found himself in the same circular room as when he fell asleep in the library. Only, he couldn’t remember he’d been here only a short time ago.
To Volan, all of this was new again. The light falling from above. The blue petaled flowers with red in their centers. The mossy stone with scratched out eyes and tree roots breaking their way into the room from outside. Even the chained up book that had brought him here with whispers. He experienced it all again.
And once his eyes fell upon the book, a strange compulsion drew him towards it. With his right hand outstretched to touch it, he approached with full intention to hold it. Soon enough, it was within grasping distance. At the moment, the book’s eyes were closed but the mouth looked like it was breathing.
Is it… sleeping?
Volan continued forward with the strange compulsion and grasped the book with one hand. Then the snap of a chain happened and the book’s eyes fluttered open for a moment. Then another snapped and the book woke up. It noticed Volan first and began to shake, but not in the way something does to struggle against restraints. No. This time, it was shaking because it was excited.
The chains all began to break and fall. They crumbled to dust as they hit the ground and it wasn’t long before the book was able to freely fall into Volan’s hands. It blinked erratically as if it couldn’t believe what it was seeing. Then it shuddered as if to stretch and give its pages a quick fluttering. Yet, it didn’t say a word with its mouth. There weren’t any whispers or a strange masked man to intervene. This time it was just Volan and the tome.
Then, floating for a moment it held its mouth open and seemed to be waiting for something. Volan didn’t understand and the book moved itself to where it had its mouth just in front of volan’s right hand.
Volan asked, “Do you want me to give you my hand?”
The book turned itself forward and back as if to nod. Volan was hesitant to offer it his dominant hand, but it felt like this thing wasn’t trying to hurt him. Its gesture came across more as a request for him to trust it.
Taking a deep breath in and then slowly letting it out, Volan offered his hand and watched as it slid inside the book’s mouth. And once fully inside, it closed its mouth and bit into Volan’s arm. But it didn’t hurt. There was blood, but also a flash of light as the book used the blood and created something that resembled a gauntlet on Volan’s right hand.
The blood it drew transformed into strappings and bindings while the book’s leather formed a protective glove over his hand and down Volan’s forearm. And as all of this is going on, Volan hears someone speaking to him in his mind.
It asked, I am Galarin. Who are you?
Volan responded, I’m Volan. What are you?
I don’t remember… All I know is something is coming, and I am to help you face it.
And with that, the world returned to darkness and the voice faded away.
