White as snow, privilege of a repressed anger

A stain in the night, the desire for pleasure of a lonely baron

Proud legend of a greedy world

Lazy greed of an unhappy concubine

Peccatum, Anonymous Quatrain, Stele of Nothingness

***

Reflecting little on the meaning of the message and with a mechanical gesture Caleb turned the page. But still nothing was written on the following pages. Leaving the book aside for later, he finished the dessert he had retrieved from the kitchens on his floor, when three knocks on the door drew his attention.

As soon as he opened the door, he found himself facing three mischievous angels he knew well with mischievous smiles stuck to their lips. Intrigued by this gathering, Caleb approached his visitors when his arms were pulled by two hands. Then began a crazy race full of laughter and shouts in the corridors of the tower. Letting himself be carried by the joy of his companions, Caleb followed them with a little more spirit than usual. The group stopped in front of a large mithril door. Erwë began to move his hands in an intricate sign and then jumped out as the door opened.

Rawën followed him and then Aloÿs pushed Caleb unceremoniously into the void to rush after him. Grumbling a few rudenesses, as a good grumbler that he was, Caleb let himself fall not without shouting. He was suddenly engulfed in a kind of slimy liquid. An inner turmoil ensued when suddenly deeply hidden memories were released from their chains.

A small body cries out for help. It tries in vain to rise to the surface, but the water in which it lies pulls it down. A hand presses on the child's head, leaving him at the mercy of the cloudy water. He suffocates, can't breathe. The hand is too strong compared to the little body that can't take it anymore. The child's vision becomes blurred, he is in pain. Extremely. He needs air but he knows that this wish will never come. And for the last time he hears the cruel voice of this monster and then he loses consciousness.

Caleb suddenly woke up to the sound of three worried voices begging him to open his eyes. It took a while before his eyes could see again. With difficulty he caught his breath and slowly began to perceive the faces of three shadows bending over him. He closed his eyes, then opened them again and found himself facing three white faces crying.

Touched by the trio's concern, Caleb croaked a phrase of comfort and wrapped them in a bear hug, brusquely but still affectionately. They were so adorable and their mischievous smiles should never be taken away. Not by anyone. The feeling of protecting their laughter and innocence despite their great age, caught Caleb by the throat and the tears he had been holding back along with the bitter memories of his life, fell on their blonde hair.

- Where did you three want to take me," he asked in a voice that was meant to be cheerful as he dried his tears.

We wanted to take you to visit the capitals of the regions. Eheil told us that it would be good for you to get out of your books once in a while," Aloÿs answered.

- As we are in the region of Lumeïs. It's the right time to make you discover Toril'an, Erwë added.

- It is also here that the sweets are the best and that the largest library is located, with more than forty thousand books! Finishes the greedy Rawën

- So big? I'll go see it then, answered Caleb who could already see himself surrounded by books of various themes and sizes

- No book today! shouted the three angels in unison

After a long walk punctuated by the laughter and jokes of the three cherubs, the city walls appeared on the horizon. It is from there that Rawën, Erwë and Aloÿs started to run with energy. Soon, while Caleb was following them quietly, the dark-haired man stopped abruptly when he heard the cry of his friends.  He started to run to fall in front of a critical scene.

The three companions had found themselves surrounded by three menacing-looking demons. Two had rather ugly pig heads. A protruding snout on the middle of their face and huge lips full of slime completed their faces. The third demon was shaped like a caterpillar with tentacle arms and red eyeballs. The tentacle demon that was the largest of the three had grabbed Erwë by the collar of his tunic.

Meanwhile, Aloÿs and Rawën had tried to get him to let go but the other two fatties had stopped them, holding them at arm's length. Animated by a feeling of frenzy, Caleb threw himself on the insect demon. Caught by surprise, he fell to the ground and let go of Erwe who prevented himself from joining his two friends, who had already managed to free themselves by hiding. They went to hide behind Caleb who was assiduously protecting them.

Red with anger and lips trembling with rage, the two pig demons quickly approached Caleb. And without any compassion they raised their limbs and... While Aloÿs and Erwë rushed to Caleb's side and Rawën positioned himself in front of his fellow demons to protect them, Caleb unconsciously placed his hand in front of him and with his fingers made a complex symbol with a golden circle appear, which stunned the two demons.

The aggressive atmosphere changed and Time seemed to stop. Caught by surprise, the actors of this magical scene froze. They quickly regained their composure and the quartet fled, leaving the petrified demons behind. It was only when they arrived near the ramparts that they slowly caught their breath.

- Say... What's gotten into your head, seriously! Caleb reprimanded, staring at Aloÿs, Erwë and Rawën with a disgruntled look mixed with a sickly anxiety. Don't you have anything better to do than to go and piss off demons three times your size?!

- But Caleb..." murmured Aloÿs

- Caleb, Erwë said with tears in his eyes. It's not... our fault this time!

- Not ours! Rawën hiccupped after them.

Although surprised, the three angels were delighted! It was the first time in a long time that a stranger was so anxious about them. It felt so good to be cherished. Hearing those sobs, uncomfortable Caleb kept quiet. It was one of the first times he had felt so distressed, for people he barely knew! It was such a weird feeling.

I... I'm sorry. But do you know what it did to me to see you like that? He said, running his hand through his hair. He sighed. Let's not talk about it anymore, you show me around?

For all answer a smile illuminated their faces and of a joyful step the small troop entered the city like princes. Past the huge wrought-wood gates, the hubbub of a busy city could be heard. The street was teeming with people walking, talking and haggling.

Shopkeepers shouted to lure customers, onlookers hung out in the bars, families strolled by the textile and other merchants. The European-style buildings stood close together. On some of them, a porch stood in front of a large wooden door. The facades were made of wood and the tuff of the walls filled them with a pale white color. The second and third floors above the stores and doors had small windows without shutters. Wooden half-timbering embellished these white stone walls. The black slate roofs finished the whole harmoniously, like an ancestral painting.

From what little Aloÿs had told and what he had read, Toril'an, which was located in the South of Hö'faä in the region of Lumeïs, was also called the white city because of the important role it had played in the construction of the four regions - which at the time was only one and looked like a vast expanse of forests and lakes.

It was known for its delicacies, in particular the Guardians - small rectangular cakes made with nox butter* and meilhant milk* -, but also for its immense and majestic library containing more than ten thousand manuscripts.

During his research Caleb had also become interested in the monetary system of this world. The very beginning of this system was in the form of bartering, then little by little it diversified and turned into shell exchange. Then the leaders wanted something meaningful for the people of Ho'fäa. To remind them of their origins, what better than a motto in the form of a feather. Which they called Feathers without much thought. To make a long story short, 2 silver feathers were equivalent to 20 copper feathers and 10 silver feathers to 10 gold feathers. 

Walking through the white city, trapped in a crowd of men and women rubbing shoulders in mock harmony, Caleb had not paid enough attention to his surroundings and had again lost sight of his trio of prankster guides. The search was short-lived as he found them in front of a candy and pastry store window.

Above the main door to the right of the storefront was a wooden board suspended by two black hooks. The name of the store was written on the board in stylized capital letters: Trésors d'Alys.

Rawën had his hands and head stuck to the window while the other two, Erwë and Aloÿs, looked on helplessly. As Caleb approached his companions, Rawën turned around in a flash, his eyes full of stars and a stream of drool on the edge of his chin, a sign of excessive greed.

- One enters? Asked this one of a glance which forbade to give a negative answer

- Why not. Do you have enough feathers on you?

- Mn, we have some. Otherwise how do you want us to walk around?

- Well, why ask? Caleb exclaimed as he opened the door to the candy store with a decided step.

The glutton Rawën rushed inside followed by his two other comrades.

The sober interior of the store gave the feeling of being at home with a delicious smell of sugar. The floor of the room of a brown varnished parquet welcomed furniture made of a blond wood. Behind a circular counter was a closed door where next to several shelves, all kinds of pastries rested under crystal cloches.

Opposite these, were the two large windows of the store where a dozen cylindrical candy boxes filled with delicacies were piled up. In the leftmost part of the store was a large wooden bookcase filled with colorfully bound books. Next to it, four or five tables were staggered for the customers' use. On the opposite wall a clock with a melodious ticking sound was adjusted. Hanging from the flat ceiling of the shop, a modest white light fixture illuminated the room.

Rawën at the counter was earnestly choosing colorful sweets while Aloÿs had started a book and was devouring it. Erwë was drinking a cup of hot chocolate while daydreaming. It was one of the first times that Caleb saw them so calm. Since the beginning, Caleb had always seen them moving, running and even sometimes causing trouble in the tower, with a smile on their faces. They looked so young and candid that Caleb had almost forgotten that they were nearly three hundred years old and had surely gone through many trials to get to this state. And since then, a complicity had formed between Caleb, Erwë, Aloÿs and Rawën. It was also the first time in a very long time that Caleb had been able to laugh without being insulted or hit.

This tranquility was suddenly broken by loud angry voices outside the store. It was the three demons they had met outside the city. Caleb then hurried the three boys out of the shop after paying for their purchases. There followed a chase through the crowded streets of the white and shiny Capital. Erwë, Aloÿs and Rawën, who had sensed the danger when Caleb had made them get out, ran and slalomed between the people with ease, as if they knew such a scene.

For his part, Caleb had begun to bellow words, making him look like someone in danger. As their pursuer began to catch up, the passersby began to form a barrier with their bodies in solidarity. Caleb was still running when his name was called. Turning, Caleb moved as quickly as he could toward those voices and entered a dark, rundown alley. Rawën was digging into his huge bag of sweets he had bought, Aloÿs was reading the book he had paid for a few minutes before while Erwë was smiling at him with her radiant air. Catching his breath Caleb asked:

- And now what do we do?

- Since we can't stay here, why not go to Argeneone? What do you think, guys? Aloÿs asked in a serious voice.

- Why... Erwe began in a dark tone.

- Don't worry Erwe, we're just here to show Caleb around. We'll leave quickly, Rawën finished gently.

- Do you promise?

- Promise. Then they turned back towards the end of the alley which turned out to be a dead end. Caleb, are you coming?

During all this time Caleb had watched the exchange silently. So they can make a face like that, he thought. Then he slowly followed them as a dark voice he did not hear disappeared into thin air.

- Be careful Caleb Her Liez...

nox: dry fruit resembling almonds
meilhant: four-legged animal with the hoof of a goat and the tail of a leopard