There was a bubble of silence in the wake of that accusation.

The world outside was still spinning, yet inside the house a stillness settled over those present, only their eyes roaming from face to face seeking answers.

Tercius turned to his mother he saw that she was looking right back at him, and in that moment he saw in her eyes the reflection of same thought that was nestled in his own mind. What the hell is this fool talking about?!

He saw his mother place a hand protectively over her protruding belly as she turned to Septimus, her eyes intent on asking him the same question they just asked Tercius.

Tercius got up, leaving his utensils behind, and started moving towards his mother. No matter the answer she found, he better be there to help her.

Besides he knew that Septimus was of a particular nature, one which would not allow him to cheat his customers.

"This man... Did he tell you anything else?" his father asked.

"No. That was everything. After he said his piece he got up and left." Kasim said as he took a mouthful of water, then went on with the story. "I just gave my servant order to get some refreshments, when the man just said his piece then went on his way. He took no more than a few moments of my time. That is why I came here straight away. Septimus!" Kasim raised his voice, his eyes bulging. "Tell me if you are in some kind of trouble, I will help you. You and your own have brought me back from the brink of ruin! I will never forget that." the man was clearly agitated as his words raced to get out.

Thank goodness his beard prevented leakage.

Still this whole situation is troubling. he thought.

He had some knowledge of the army, small titbits he picked up along the way.

When anyone mentioned an army they meant The Official Army of the Empire. It had it's branches with different names but for your average citizen of the Empire it was collectively known simply as The Army.

A colossal machine that made the Empire what it was today.

A multinational, multiracial conglomerate on four different continents.

It's size known only to the upper crust, the Army was the force that expanded the borders ever outward, conquering settled lands, encroaching the wilderness and putting down rebellions.

One part of the army bearing the name Sentinels was known to all because they were the ones that kept peace and order inside towns and cities and any settlement with large enough numbers.

His grandfather explained to him that the army was divided into six different branches all called by a numeral in the order in which they were created. Before the Sentinels came to be called by this name they were the Third Official Army of the Empire and the story of their genesis tells how General Nasir, at the time leader of the third army, approached the Emperor and expressed his concerns about further expansion should they neglect to keep in order what they had.

In doing so, he became the first Sentinel General and his army the first peacekeepers of the Empire, where previously that responsibility was left to local lords and from all accounts it was a nightmare.

I can barely imagine the whole mess where people who have no idea how things truly work dispensed justice, probably based on connections. he mused internally.

"A Sentinel?" Septimus asked.

It seemed his father was thinking along the same lines as he was.

"No, he had the mark on his uniform of the Fourth." Kasim replied.

Tercius pulled his mother's hand into his own, startling her for a moment. Her body released its tension when she realised who held her hand and slowly allowed herself to be led to the bench.

"Thank you Tercius, my feet are killing me! Do you think you could go get our guest a pitcher of water? The cups are by the stove." Petra said.

He could see they wanted to talk without his presence there so he nodded and went to do the task. At least, it looked that way from their perspective.

He paused in the corridor opening the front door, but not going through it.

"Do you know what is it about? " asked the bearded man.

"Since you've told me about him I've been going over my trade deals with the Army and you know I would have to be suicidal to made a bad deal with them. So the only thing that comes to mind is that some problem showed up with one of those times I resold something to them. Damn it! I always checked everything! " Septimus said, Tercius hearing for the first time that his father got so worked up.

"Septimus don't jump to conclusions. First set up a meeting with this man and see what he wants." his mother's calm voice prevailed over his father's rising panic.

"... You are right... Kasim would you invite this man to my house for a dinner tomorrow night." his father said, then suddenly added. "Actually tell him that he will be welcome to our food and company any night this week."

"I will pass the message if that is what you want. Just know this, my friend, should you need help come to me." said Kasim with a firm voice.

Tercius heard the men getting up, the benches creaking as the weight was lifted from them, so he quickly and quietly left through the door. Running to the water barrels, when he got behind the corner of the house, he filled the pitcher in a splash of water, wasting much of it on the floor, but urgency was required.

No time to waste. he thought.

He ran to the same corner then came around it walking normally, if a little winded. More time spent on physical exercise is a must from now on, look at me, a little run and here I am - a heated mess.

His parents and Kasim were at the front gate talking and he was about to go there when Kasim turned and left and his parents came his way.

"Dear wife, did you know that your son is a little spy?" Septimus turned his head towards mother.

"Oh?! I did not know that. That is a serious charge my husband. Do you have any proof of your words?"

These jokers! he chastised them internally.

"Unfortunately the little spy is quick on his feet, I was not able to catch him in the act. Truly his mother's son." his father said with a playful smile sent towards Petra.

"So he is my son now? What about you? Aren't you his father? I bet he learned this from you... "

I better end this before they go from word play to the real thing. he thought.

"Alright, I get it, I am sorry. I just wanted to know. But I only did it because I know you will not tell me later." he said with accusation woven into his voice.

This was a serious problem and even he got cold sweat just thinking about the things that a skill powered, anger ridden group of people could do. So it’s better to deal with this confusion as soon as possible, with as much attention to delicate details.

He knew he was no genius in situations like these, in fact this was the first altercation of this kind for him, but maybe there was something he could help with. Now the only problem is convincing his parents to let him participate.

How to approach this? Hmm, what the hell, let's try to reason. he thought.

"I want to be present when this man comes." he said, and his parents started speaking in the same moment interrupting each other, so he surged forward while the momentum was still on his side.

"Now tell me your reasons for not wanting me there. Be warned I will argue back on good ones and dismiss the ones that boil down to "because I say so"." he told them in a stony voice his face expressionless.

That will show them I mean business. he thought,

Bewildered his parents looked at him then at each other and once again at him as if he sprouted a second head, then back at each other.

Some unspoken exchange happened there in a matter of fractions of a second and his father picked him up like one would a large sack of potatoes and flung him over his shoulder, much to his vocal protests.

"We might be dead tomorrow but today some things will still be observed as they should. Darling?" he said smoothly and extended a hand towards Petra.

"I went ahead and got it for you. Here you go darling." his mother replied in the same tone this brute used a moment ago. He felt a breeze on a part that he was sure was under cover. Oh oh! Oh no!

Something leather this way comes.

"You traitor!" he yelled at his mother as the first strike made his bottom the epicentre of the biggest fucking COLOSSAL MISTAKE his torturers did.

As soon as he got out of the vice this big idiot held him in he would show them! I just wanted to help!

This is how his concerns for them are rewarded?

Here's to fucking being reasonable.

Fuck you universe!

***

His ass ached something wicked!

Have these people no humanity in them? Tercius was sure his backside had no layers of skin remaining to protect his muscles. Any attempt of movement sent jagged spikes of pain up his spine where they lodged themselves inside his skull as to taunt him of his stupidity.

Hours have passed since the incident. His grandparents came home and talked to those two brutal partners, and he tried listening through the door but everything was muffled on top of the fact that they were exchanging information in a tone barely above a whisper.

He was forbidden from leaving his room until he was told otherwise. That on top of the belting was the punishment for "being disrespectful to his parents".

Tercius was on the bed laying down on his stomach, his face stuffed into the linens, trying with every modicum of strength to use Meditation.

It was a long shot but he had hopes that in such a way he would have some relief from the soreness.

The problem lay in the fact that it was difficult to grasp that initial moment of peace, when your body was telling you that there was something wrong with it.

Go check that out! it screamed.

He was pushed back from the brink of the entrance to that much desired state of mind too many times to count. But he was getting there, he was sure of it. With every passing minute his aches were lessened and his concentration increased.

Soon his repeated attempts were rewarded.

Success! he thought.

Meditation was a curious skill in multiple ways. It did everything it's description said it did, but there was more. When he used this skill with open eyes his surroundings slowly became grey blurs with bits of colour flying here and there.

Whit closed eyes he saw what he believed was a silhouette of his inner self. That was how it looked to him. There was nothing outside, and nothing inside. Yet he felt this barrier that defined his shape, a boundary that barred outside from going in and the reverse.

When he first got the skill, it was not this way originally, but something that happened over time.

Floating in the void of being was a great way to relax. There was literally nothing else to give your focus to. Your pains melting away like snow under a desert sun, and the environment was so unlike anything else ever experienced, it seems so far away that no problems could follow here.

So peaceful...

Serene...

Aaand the fucking rainbow wisps are here...

Just my luck.

He felt them the same moment they crossed that border where he began.

Other than colour they also had temperature, whereas he was always of a same neutral even zero, they had both positive and negative ones. He was never burned nor frozen by them, but he could feel their potential to do it. Tercius had his reservations at first but so far they showed themselves as gracious guests, never doing any damage while visiting, so in the same way of being a gracious host he always welcomed them when they arrived and spent time in their company.

For their existence he had two theories.

The first one was an extreme example of narcissism : they exist because he exists, rather they exist as an extension of the skill Meditation.

If true, for what purpose? To be found out.

He liked this one better : these wisps already exist naturally in the world and Meditation enables him to see them.

Now, he liked better the second theory in part because he wanted them to exist and not be a figment of his overactive subconscious mind and in part because he didn't like to think about himself as a narcissus.

Sure, he had his moments where he stared at a mirror one too many times, but...

Tercius knew that was not how experiments should be conducted, biased on naked wants and wishes, but he was only human. Plus he always tried to find all the possibilities, only then playing favourite.

They went on their merry way, leaving him relaxed and restored, so it was probably time to go back to the world. The process of return felt like when you lift a smooth blanket placed over your head, and you feel it's edge slowly going up your neck, over the chin and lips, tickles your nose when passing over it and finally your eyes see once again.

It was like that every time, like a parting gift from an already generous person, tempting you to come back again.

The sun was still up, but just barely. His room was in a state of semi darkness where the upper part of it received some rays, and the ones meant for the lower were blocked by the wall.

He found his face in the middle, shadow and light playing their eternal game, like they did for who know how many years so far.

Getting up was much easier than it was to lay down. He felt no pain in his lower body, which explained why he woke up on his back. That was the only way he ever slept, for some reason no other position suited him.

He checked the door and they weren’t locked, so he was probably out of the dog house.

Someone must have come in here and thought I was sleeping and left me to heal in the arms of Hypnos. he thought.

So what now? Do they expect him to come out and apologise? He could do that. Tercius still wanted to attend that dinner with the army guy, but what strategy to employ this time? Maybe guilt them into it?

Could work, but first let's see where things stand.

He found the rest of his household sitting around the table having a meal in silence. Every person had a sombre expression, their hands mechanically filling their bellies with food, while the minds behind those mouths and hands took a leave of absence.

They did not even notice him at all as he sat down on the stairs right behind his grandfather, the sound of people chewing and swallowing the only thing heard.

They ate slowly and finished much later that usual, first his mother then father and in the last spot his grandparents in tandem. When the food stopped finding it's way to their respective mouths, some of that clarify of thought returned behind their eyes and they started noticing his presence there.

Still, no one said a thing.

His grandfather was the last to get the memo on his position, and only because three other heads around the table stared at him. When the old man turned, his white beard and greying hair turning with him, it was evident he wanted to say something. Only he stopped himself. His mouth kept opening and closing a couple of times before it settled.

So they cast their gaze at him and he returned the courtesy.

"Did it hurt? " his grandmother asked her voice even.

"A little. " he answered.

"I am sorry Tercius, I... " he cut his father off before anything else was said.

"For the pain? Don’t worry about it. But I am not sorry for asking. I still want to be there when this man comes." he said resolutely.

The elders kept taking glances at each face present, his unique position offering a broad view of the table and everyone at it's side.

"Why do you even want to be there?" his father asked. "I know you understand that this could be a dangerous. Life threatening even. I know you are intelligent enough to run from danger. So tell me why should I not send you with your mother and grandparents far from here tonight." his father finally asked the right questions.

Then it hit him. Damn. Did I really do that earlier today? Did he really ask a man clearly worried for the survival of his closest family in such a way? No matter that the said man acted nonchalantly about it.

Idiot! Do better this time.

"I just want to be here to help if I can." Tercius said.

"I am sorry for today, I acted rashly." Tercius apologised, and then moved to something that bugged him about this whole situation. "I think they sent Kasim first with a purpose. Not that the man himself was involved. This man from the army could have come directly here, yet he found a friend of yours to alert you first and I wonder why?"

"...He wanted us to react in some way? Maybe even for you Septimus to send us all somewhere and stay here alone?" his grandmother said.

She looked deeply troubled by this revelation.

"...But what does he gain from that?" she continued giving voice to her line of thought.

Everyone went deep in thought combing out for the answer. He knew little of these things so while everyone else searched for the answer to the riddle he kept his hands busy by snatching a few yummy leftovers from the table.

Not like anybody's gonna miss them.