Responding with a nod, Eliam stood up and caressed their son's hair before going back to his seat. Both of them strive to be a great parent to Elias, grabbing a mix of meat and broth inside that mouth.
'It tastes warm,' going in for more and ultimately finishing it. Eliam smiled slyly at Manuella before handing towards her, his own empty bowl, which she gladly poured another.
'Maybe this is my punishment, a penance for the sins that I did.' Elias thought, relishing such perfect dream. Perhaps to go even further, "Eliash, if you habe nofthing to do, come elp me plough the fields latur, there has been a hortage of people worshing on ip and it vill become a provlem if the farm gets a laye vield."
Hearing Pa say that, I somehow felt relieved, as it was the same things he said in the past, except for what happened earlier.
I remembered them both to be farmers, but only Pa remained as one due to the strenuous work, so Ma became a nanny that takes care of children and livestocks. They waited for me to say something, perhaps it was from my own past habits that the two simply let things be.
"I.." figuring that I needed to say something, anything. Now making me nervous after seeing them stare at me with a surprised look, "w-will accompany you, Pa."
Lifting up my own bowl, savoring the broth while waiting for them to speak- yet nothing came out as mere scrapes of wood and footsteps came out, walking away.
Finally done with their meals, I immediately went outside for a walk, gazing at the once village of Yulindol. I saw myself having a brown, fitting-sleeved tunic with pants, reaching just below my knees as I thought while patting them down, 'Still the same as before..'
Those childlike palms, bringing them over to my face. Oily and smooth skin, then pinching one cheek. Smiling at the fact that, 'This is.. my face.' Young and innocent compared to before, where I always looked wrinkled and ill-tempered.
Going back inside my home, wanting to have a moment for myself before Pa came to me and said, "Son, are you alright? Before we go, wear this." Tossing towards me, in what seemed to be a hood to cloak my head.
"T-Thank you.." Gazing low, disappointed at my hesitation, looking up to see Pa also wearing the same but a larger one. Then bringing his right hand on my left shoulder, "Thank your Ma, son." Motioning for me to go towards her, "As she's the one who made it, and we should hurry now as well or else we'll be late."
Approaching slowly, having a view of my mother cleaning the things we used. I pushed myself to hug her before feeling that same touch, caressing my head again. "Take care," she said as we headed our way outside towards the fields.
The initial dirt road, now connecting itself to the cobbled path, leading to the main streets of this village. Crowded with the usual laboring people, and gossips from the neighborhood- lowered to a hush by a pig herder and a steward.
Passing by them both on the other side, even from here- I could smell that putrid oozing turd. Brushing a hand on my mouth, chuckling quietly the next, 'I sniffed worse things than this.'
Quarreling again, insistently at that, "I have said enough! Do you not realize that you and your pigs stink?" Merely a spit came out from the pig herder, fully ignoring the steward. With a smirk, "My Lord and his noble guests would like to know your arrogance when they come, toppled with this foul smell, shortly by!"
Scampering away quickly after hearing those words alongside that perceivable laugh, evading a clutching grip from the mad steward. "Listen carefully, son." I stared at my Pa from behind, "There are things which you cannot do, just like that man right there. We cannot afford to offend an aristocrat, no matter what."
Remaining my gaze towards that jewelry shop, where the steward went inside, 'Will it even matter? Nevertheless, everything that has happened so far is still familiar..'
Brushing a once forgotten memory in that head. His parents lived their lives as serfs, serving the highly regarded Shuova church.
Thinking about it again, he never got to know about it in the past nor did Elias care what origins Eliam and Manuella descended from. Knowing that now, how so little of them.. made him feel depressed.
According to my memories, the Shuova church was so great that it had become a national religion after decades of history, always aspiring to their promise of, "Every life is pure, no one is below the other."
Surely enough, their influence became great with most of its believers, mainly of low descent- same as us. Spreading across this continent like wildfire, no one could stop the townsfolk from mentioning it.
Because of the principle this religion has, many aristocrats opposed its establishment, yet concerned of a mass revolt from its citizens. The king of Pobro made a decree, granting the Shuova religion numerous churches, situated around the territory as his offering.
An intertwined leaf, going in a circular motion around where a bronze crown, runneth a reddish liquid. The insignia of the Shuova, symbolizing life and liberty.
Unstable in breath alongside the increasing thumps of my heart, I just can't believe.. How much further do we need to walk?!
Those tingling sensation on his legs, wobbling once as they continued their walk. The sun, having shone gloriously that Elias could see his skin light up and feel a welcoming warmth, simply by being exposed in that same moment.
When the cobbled path was about to reach its end, now replaced with another dirt road. Elias saw many trees at the corner side of his view, reeling itself loose from a mysterious force.
A calm wind brushed them both, moving away as birds began to cheep, flying above till they perched themselves up on those very trees.
Having a moment for himself to stare and feel his surroundings, something Elias took advantage of- a peace like no other. 'Yulindol is not a safe place, but just envisioning it being overrun by monsters in the future..' breathing deeply and releasing it through his mouth, 'Not even the Shuova church could help, much less, the aristocrats who only cared about themselves.'
What can I even say, now that I'm here? A man- a boy like me who probably can't even lift his own weight. Yulindol is damned at this point.. But I can't just have it like that.
Beautiful sunrise, placing both hands above the short boundary wall. Wanting to grasp this block and shout at this elevated place, which Elias didn't do, 'What can I simply do in this life? When I am nothing more than a pitiful joke, graced enough to be in this suffocating dream..!'
Crouching down, staring at the solid wall before closing both eyes and bringing his forehead to feel the surface. Rough and cool at the same time, comfortable at an uncomfortable place, all those restless thoughts that continued to rile him up- now washed away.
Opening those eyes before turning his head towards the left and right, perceiving his father's puzzled look. Elias stood up and went to him, feeling embarrassed.
A moderately-sized expanse of land, from hot in the north that gradually reaches through the south. The Vindel continent is known for their superior soil, most suitable to nearly all plants and crops.
Home to a large variety of fruits and vegetables that a portion of them are best cultivated within this continent, producing a much bigger yield than normal.
Perceptible winds are usually mild, yet storms and extreme weather can happen. Bountiful harvests alongside a looming disaster.
Aristocratic scholars have begun teaching its own citizens, building a structured system for drinking water, land management for serfs, and construction.
Despite its history of random land collisions, specifically the one close to a sea port- mainly a city near Yulindol, named Cavan Port.
Engineers alongside the support of architects have developed higher walls to prevent raging waves from flooding the entire region that could swallow the Pobro kingdom, potentially destroying countless lives of the common folk.
Hence, the sea connected to the southeastern territory of Vindel- namely Pobro, is difficult to traverse and daring people that do otherwise have never returned.
While the seas on the north, east and west are much calmer. Rumors of a mysterious land, a place so vile that they began to call it, "Sarni," which most merely think of as nonsensical wimps.
Something like a natural event, the majority have ended it that way. As of now, only the families of prominent figures in Vindel knew the real cause.
Mysterious enough that not even with their centuries worth of knowledge can ascertain their identities, more unsettling than those creepy little things on the ground.