The amount of time that had passed was ambiguous to the two, who had barely survived the harrowing encounter with the mage known as Yves. A mage devoid of empathy and reason, Yves had replaced those traits with wrath and cunning.
They both had learned the harsh reality of the world. You can think you have it all, but the moment there's a fracture in that world, companionship, normality, and everything else can collapse.
Xerxes felt a sharp beak poking his nose as his eyes slowly opened, and he saw Airi. She called his name once, "Xerxes."
His sense of self slowly returned after hearing his name, and he noticed where he was—lying on a bed, with a fresh change of clothes and bandages wrapped around his body. Xerxes was in an oak-panelled room that was simplistic and practically empty.
Quickly rising, he pushed himself up from his resting position, calling out for his friend, "LEIYA?" His gaze shifted around the room, and on a bed placed two metres to his left, Leiya was resting.
Peering at her ivory skin, her distressed expression even in sleep, and her sapphire-blue hair, Xerxes was only reminded of what had happened. Despite being relieved she was okay, guilt swarmed through his body like a sickness.
He raised his bandaged arm over his eyes. "Airi, it's my fault. I didn't tell anyone; I kept everything a secret. I kept the fact that there's someone in my soul core, that he told me to leave with Leiya, and maybe if I'd told Aemon... then..." He paused, forcing out the words, ensuring he acknowledged his blame.
"Then maybe Conrad, Aliya, and everyone else could have survived. Maybe Leiya wouldn't have had to face everything she did. She's right..."
Xerxes recalled Leiya's fit of rage, which had laid bare her view of him. Despite her words stemming from irrationality and anger, they still held meaning: 'You've never had anywhere to belong, so what would you know!'
"I've never had anywhere, but Leiya did, and because I was too damn stupid back then to tell Aya not to take us on that mission, I caused everyone to die. Yves said it himself—I'm—" Xerxes began to breathe frantically as tears streamed from his eyes. He tried to rub them away, but they kept pouring.
"I'm to blame," he whispered between sobs.
Airi rested on his lap. Finding the right words was hard, especially when he felt like this, yet she pressed on. "You know, when Yves destroyed the castle and I was separated from you, I couldn't reach you, so I did my best to assist Aemon."
"Aemon knew neither you nor Leiya would ever accept him sacrificing himself, but that brought him some sort of peace. He said to me, 'Airi, when I'm gone, Leiya and Xerxes may feel as if they have no meaning left, but their journeys have only just begun. With determination and valour, they need to push forward, and one day, I know they'll avenge me, avenge my family, and lead lives that will go on to help many others. They aren't to blame for being selfless, but I'll blame the rascals if they despair and abandon what they were meant to do. Because the impact they will have any many other lives, will far outweigh my own.'"
"Xerxes, I'm still trying to figure everything out, but this isn't where everything ends—it has only just begun. You're not to blame for a situation beyond your control. Going to the fallen kingdom with Aya that day brought you to me, to the rest of the Truth Family, and it has jump-started your growth."
"What will more tears, more pain achieve? We can not bring them back, Xerxes. What we can do is cherish who they were and honour their memories, because doing anything less would be a dishonour to them."
Xerxes looked at Airi, gently stroking her flaming feathers. "Don't ever leave me, Airi. I need you and Leiya now more than ever, and I promise—I promise—that one day, when I'm strong enough, I will kill Yves and avenge them all."
Xerxes sensed her compassion and relief, but all he could do now was wait for Leiya to wake and figure out where they had ended up.
Peering out of the window, Xerxes noticed an abundance of adventurers and infrastructure that resembled the Kingdom of Layne. Unlike kingdoms rich in natural resources, Layne was not as fortunate.
Instead of houses and castles made from high-quality stone, Layne had many buildings constructed from simple wood—even then, acquiring more was difficult, as laws governing resource rights in the Eshvir Forest were strict.
The reason was simple: if the forest were destroyed, the native monsters would migrate outward into the mainland in search of a new home. That would cause absolute chaos—something neither money nor power could fix.
Another resemblance to Layne was the variety of people from different races. Xerxes spotted a few elves passing by, but he couldn't rule out being in an elven kingdom due to the vastly different infrastructure.
"At least that ticks off one possibility, so I'm either in a human district or a dwarven district. Wait a moment, Airi, how did we even end up here?"
Airi shrugged. "I woke up around the same time as you. I'll stay here with Leiya, and you can find whoever helped us."
Xerxes nodded. He wanted to ensure Leiya had someone nearby because after what had happened, he knew she would need space. Xerxes did too, but he wasn't going to dishonour Aemon's wishes of moving forward.
Grabbing his sheathed sword, he used it to steady himself as he walked. Despite having broken most of the bones in his body during his battle with Yves, he felt relatively alright.
It was as if he had been healed—but that didn't make sense, because Leiya still bore bruises and fresh cuts. Nevertheless, Xerxes pushed forward, refusing to dwell on it, as he had more pressing matters.
Turning the doorknob, Xerxes stepped into a corridor that stretched a few metres. From below, the sound of music and raucous cheering was overwhelming.
Xerxes dragged his feet down the corridor until he reached the stairs. Descending, he was met with a surprising sight.
A crowd of dwarves and humans—clearly adventurers—were drinking ale and revelling in the music that fuelled their merriment. The chorus was approaching, and based on past experience, when the chorus hit, drunk adventurers became more chaotic than the monsters in the fallen kingdom.
Xerxes quickened his pace, seeking someone who could help, and made his way to the bartender. He was a dwarf, roughly in his fifties, with a large, greying beard that had likely once been ginger. His bushy eyebrows framed an inviting, tender expression, and his attire was professional—a simple button-down white shirt, green-and-black checkered trousers, and a flat cap.
Noticing Xerxes, the dwarf dropped the tankard he was cleaning and leapt in excitement. "By the Six Kingdoms, you're alive! BERTHA—THE CHAP WHO DROPPED AT OUR BEER GARDEN IS ALIVE AND WELL!" he roared in a thick northern accent to the woman working beside him, who was busy serving more ale to the drunken patrons.
Xerxes raised a hand in greeting. "Excuse me, I'm trying to figure out where, or how, I got here. Can you help me, sir?"
The dwarven tavern owner cupped his ear. "COME AGAIN, CHAP? IT'S TOO LOUD!"
Xerxes repeated himself, louder this time. The dwarf hurried over, instructing the woman to handle the bulk of the work, then, he grabbed Xerxes by the sleeve and pulled him aside to a quieter spot.
"I should be askin' you that! A week ago, I was servin' drinks like any other day—then me world was flipped upside down when you and a lady came crashin' through the beer garden out back! Ya' damn fools cost me a week's worth of trade!"
Xerxes decided against explaining that they had barely survived an encounter with a deadly mage, the strongest he'd ever faced, while living in the fallen kingdom. Feigning amnesia was the safer option.
Holding his head, he said, "I'm sorry, but I don't remember much of what happened. All I know is I need to get back to the Kingdom of Layne."
"LAYNE?!" the dwarf exclaimed, as if Xerxes had said something absurd.
Xerxes tilted his head in confusion.
"Chap, ya' don't seem to understand. If you're from Layne, you've got a long journey ahead. Where you are now is the central kingdom of the continent—home of the dwarves, birthplace of adventurers and craftsmanship: the Kingdom of Baratheon."
Xerxes eyes widened, though he was back in Elaijya, he was at least a years travel away from his original Kingdom.