Am I Not The Hero?

Chapter 12 - Akira Verez

"The stars are beautiful tonight," Elliot said as we walked down the streets of Flumen. He had asked me if I wanted him to show me around town, and I said yes, I wanted to know more about this town, how it came to be, and why it is so different from the ones in the Abyss or in Mere. "They are," I answered; they really were that night. After the rain had passed, we got a clear sky, and out here, without the light pollution of the cities, you could see them even more apparent. Since I was young I have always loved watching the stars, I imagined how many stars and planets there must be and that surely we can't be alone on this planet, right? I guess younger me turned out to be correct, there is other intelligent life out there, and we never were alone.

"So, what's up with those crystals?" I then asked to keep the conversation between the two of us going. "The Aquamarines? They're from Aescamyr; our ancestors took them here when they went on land. They hold a lot of Tendrá in them, and we use it to protect the city," Elliot explained while pointing out all the different crystals. Each one looked different than the other and was totally unique. "Protect the city from what?" I confusedly asked, "from outsiders, obviously? They're hunting us, so I didn't want to let your friends in at first, too, but they're acceptable."

I was baffled, outsiders? Hunting? I've lived my entire life in Mere, and there was never anyone hunting the Zaratans. Sure, we weren't Esperars favorite race, but no one was out to get us. "What are you talking about?" I asked him, "The Elves? They've been hunting us people from the Gladdare Abyss for centuries. As far as the Elders have told me, the Guntai kept it a secret from all the other Nations, but we know, and we won't forget just because we're safe now."

The more Elliot told me, the more confused I got. When would this hunting have happened? Thousands of questions popped up in my head, and I didn't know which one to ask first.

"I see you're quite confused; I am guessing that the people on Mere forget about all this? I suppose that means they don't hunt our people anymore; that's nice to hear. But I can give you a history lesson sometime soon. If you want to, of course." I would have loved to say yes; I always wanted to learn more about my culture.

Growing up in Mere was horrible; I was more focused on trying to survive in that hell hole and didn't have time to read books. But if I actually wanted Elliot to tell me more, we would have to stay here longer, and I can't force the others to delay the entire trip even more. "You don't have to answer now; I get it you want to stay with your friends," Elliot interrupted my thought process.

"They're not really my friends; I guess we're more like coworkers."

"Then why are you staying with them?"

"I don't know. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do something good and be part of something bigger, but I think they don't really like me, except Esme maybe."

Silence. The silence that came over the two of us was defeating. I was pathetic, wasn't I? For choosing to follow these strangers at the end of the world. Why did I even say yes? I guess I didn't want to be the only one to say no. Maybe my mother was right, peer pressure is an actual thing, and it's dangerous. I laughed to myself.

"What are you laughing about?" Elliot asked me, and I turned to face him. "I would like some history lessons with you. Fuck the others; they don't need me anyway," I said to him, and he laughed too.

We walked to his house and chatted about gods and the world. It was nice to have someone listening to me. It's not like Esmeralda didn't do that in the three days we had known each other up till that point. But it's different with Elliot; he actually understands me about how I feel and what I've been through, and it's nice, it's really nice.

(720 Words)