CRYSTALLUM LOST DREAMS | Fantasy Novel |

Chapter 5 - Part 3

"The good news is that the military man in question is certainly your relative. You are practically identical." He opened his hands on the table and turned the image towards them. Cora was stunned. He shifted in his seat at the sight of the old photo of a group of soldiers posing. In the last row there was a young man with brown hair, in his twenties with the same features, the same look, and the same mouth.

"Ethan Standford?" Cora asked excitedly.

Sergeant Ferris gestured. "It's the only thing I can tell you. According to the records, he died in battle a long time ago, a mission against the Hozmans to the south of Harall, a story that ended badly."

Cora observed him silently. He had no saliva in his mouth nor any desire to speak. Elidana took him by the hand. "Could I know something about him? If he has any other relatives? You can't dismiss me like this."

"I'm sorry. You're not the first in this situation." He made a defeated grimace and sighed. "But unfortunately, I can't help you."

Cora held his breath. He would have liked to jump over the desk and read everything related to that man. He felt in a dead end. All that journey for just a name. He slumped in his chair. Was it really over? No, he couldn't give up. He clenched his fists with anger and stood up ready to make his demands.

The light in the room had a peak of intensity. The Sergeant looked around bewildered until a roar from the main hall. "One second," he said, running towards the door.

Cora saw some smoke clouds coming from some large power supplies behind the panel on the wall. Eight soldiers piled up near the damage. "An overload?" the Sergeant asked loudly. "But we replaced them less than a month ago!"

Elidana jumped, circling the desk. "I'll take care of it," she said confidently. A button with "print" written next to the photo stood out. "Will it be like this?" she whispered, glancing at the door. A hiss was heard and a sheet descended from the bottom of the table. She tore it and took back the military plate.

She grabbed Cora by the arm and shook him. "Hurry up," she said. "We have to go!"

They sneaked into the middle of the crowd of military personnel that had just formed and left the building.

Cora was still upset and took the photo to examine Ethan Standford's face and his comrades more closely.

"He won't be able to give us any information... but the others in this photo will be able to help us," Elidana told him.

Cora looked at her for a moment and hugged her tight. "Thank you."

She didn't struggle and stroked his shoulders. "I'm sure you would have done the same for me." They looked into each other's eyes. A gesture that meant more to Cora than a thousand words.

They left the barracks and sat on the side of the road in silence. After about half an hour, Elidana took the piggy bank and left. She returned shortly after with two colorful bottles. "Something fresh," she said, handing him one.

Cora nodded and drank a sweet syrup that tasted of peach and apple. He swallowed the contents and stood up. "Let's go back to the hotel."

They waited a long time for the arrival of a vehicle like Mansell's. Throughout the journey, Cora remained with a blank expression, never looking back at Ethan's face. He wondered what had brought him to Lud, to enlist. If he liked living in Edel or any other Kharzanian city. But in the end, among all those ideas, there was always a shadow: Ethan was dead, he would never meet him.

"If you don't want to tell the others, take that long face off," Elidana told him in the elevator.

Cora looked at the mirror and nodded.