Embreal Series 2: Elevate (COMPLETED)

Chapter 01: Another Step

THIRD PERSON’S POV
To some, life is just a word that can easily be taken when death is around. But to others, it’s a thing that’s imperative and needed to be kept. But the time that it was taken by, there shall no second chance to bring it back.

All it takes was just a single blow that had cost a single elusive change towards something they have lived for decades. Embreal, known to be a deviant, strong place where willed and extravagant powers do exist, had now become altered. The system they once fear had now lurked in the shadow and the stages were unified as one.

Embreals, the name had been laid and the people were now symbolized by it. It has been three months when a prowling group had caused the great destruction. It was their moment.
After a long, excruciating quest, Era thought that it will be the end of their pilgrimage.

But the past is still pursuing them, nonstop. It was tormenting every soul in the group. Now that everything had changed, still, there are those who seek retribution for the outcome. And no one knows when will they took their steps from their shadows.

A man let out a sigh as he crossed both of his exhausted legs on top of the wooden table. The weather was too hot to handle that he needed to fan himself using a piece of cartoon. It has been an hour when he started to wait for his wife to come home.

A yawn escaped his mouth as his eyes went drowsy. He was getting into sleep, not until a loud thunderclap knock was heard from the door. He scratched his head for the interruption. It didn’t take long for him to stand on the couch and moved to open it.

A wide smile was visible on her face as he looked at him. He opened the door wide for her to enter. Her long silky black dress had touched the ground. Her face was covered with a scarf and her hair was in a messy bun. She moved and convened on the couch and took a piece of the pie. She gently munched the food, closing her eyes as she tasted every bit of it. The man took a sigh and crossed his arms.

“Where have you been?” He firmly asked her.

She let out a smirk and answered. “I was taking a scenery from those two. You should join me next time. You should have seen the fountain right now. I heard that it will be running soon. Don’t you think the current leader is making his way underneath?"

He rubbed his temple and sat across her. “I don’t know. I don’t have information about him right now and I don’t want to deal with him. And you know we can’t do that often. Now that the woman is near to us. Are you not weary of her presence?” His voice sounded worried.

The woman nodded her head slowly as a response. She placed her pie on the plate and stared at him intently. Her face became stiffed. “You know my answer will still be the same, William. I’m not like you. I won’t let time just go and let me stay put in this lair. Get your butt from here and start to pay off from what the man did for us. If you’re that terrified then just dig a hole.”

In an instant, he stamped his fist on the table letting out an outrageous, self alarming manner. His eyes were sharp.

“That’s far too long, Liech! Can’t you see? We can do anything we wanted from the start. We can go inside the city once again. Are you not contented?” He held her in her arms.

The woman snagged his hands and gave him a snappy look in turn. “Not until he’ll get what he deserves. If you want, you can stay here, but the kids and I are going to make our move. Your niece will be here not far from now. You should lay everything and let her hear it from you. You don’t want her to take a grudge too right?” She said and stood.

She was about to take her step outside their house, when the man held him tight on her right arm, pulling her closed to him.

“You will be at harm…”

She pushed him on his chest, making him to stumble back a few steps from her. He wasn’t expecting the vulgarity from her. “Tsh. As if you didn’t put us in danger since before. Get your thoughts together, William and don’t be such a chicken.” She spoke and left the house without any words to say again, her steps were heavy and she didn’t look back at him.

The man was left dumbfounded and stood there for minutes until his wife was gone by his sight. He took a tedious sigh and hunched himself on the couch.

He suddenly scoffed when he remembered something. He crossed his arms and sighed in frustration. “Until now, you’re hunting us, huh? When are you going to stop following us, Elikai? When?” He slowly looked over the picture frame. It was him and besides was a man who got his arm around his shoulder. They were brothers and they were happy back there.

He suddenly felt his tears gradually fell off his cheeks. He immediately wiped them off and took a profound breath. He raised himself from his seat and went to follow his wife.
His conscience had been poignant around him, bothering him up until his sleep.

He’s not at rest or had felt safe. He was warry. And he knew that the thing that kept him bound with the man will never be broken up until he paid it. And the only thing he knew for him to do it is to face the thing that kept him at bay for years. He needed to fight his own monsters, fears and do what he needed to do.

He needed to brace himself for what’s in front of him.