The stage was decorated with paper lanterns acting as miniature stars, turning the night sky indigo. Smiles and laughter from children dotted by their mothers and fathers filled the theater. It opened a wound in his heart Leor thought he closed years ago. Ceri, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying herself. Her leg bounced up and down, shaking their shared seat and Yoru who rested in her lap, as she glued her eyes to the red, velvet curtains.

On the way to Yui’s stall, they had come across the open roof theater with a sign in front that read: The Birth of Syvernia. When Ceri’s eyes brightened at the sign, Leor knew they had to watch if he were to heed Alden’s advice. Now, he hoped the performance would start so there would be at least something to focus on other than the silence between them. But that was not all. Even though they blended with the audience, Leor could not help but feel vulnerable. He felt eyes watching them from the shadows, but when he cocked his head to check, he couldn’t find a single person paying them attention.

For a while now, he felt rhythmic pushes from Ceri. He found her pinching her nose away from the man beside her who reeked of booze and sweat. His belly was as large as his mouth was loud and overbearing. Yoru’s silver eye gleamed through his cloak, slanted and growling. Despite nothing particularly exciting happening, the wine flushed man swung the curve of his stomach side to side, expressing proudly his son being in the play. When the woman next to him tried to calm him, he cursed her with an angry belch and told her to let him celebrate the festival. After another push that was sent down the row, Leor jumped to his feet and slid Ceri over, then sat in her place, flaring his elbow by the man’s rib cage. When the man turned to face the constant pricking at his side, Leor flashed the handle of his weapon and the man froze sober and began apologizing to Leor, Ceri, the woman, and everyone else affected by his antics. The people around them sighed to Leor in thanks.

That takes care of one side. Now. . . Other than the families, Leor took notice of couples snuggling, resting on one another, and displaying their affection for all to see. Is this what girls like? Relations were foreign to him; it was hard to meet women his age in the Edgewoods and as a reject. But a voice in him, perhaps Alden’s, told him something must be done. So, his heart pounded in his chest like drums, sweat beaded his hands and warmth filled his cheek as he wrapped his free arm around Ceri. She nearly jumped when his hand gripped her shoulder and she turned to him with wide eyes and pink cheeks. She looked at him long and hard without saying a word as if wondering if he was sick or it was a dream. “I-it’s to stop them from shoving you”, Leor muttered, fixing his eyes to the stage, trying to keep his stony gaze.

“Thank you. . . Leor.” His shoulders loosened a bit when he heard her call his name, but he felt the awkwardness still lingering in the air and wasn’t sure what to do next. What would Alden suggest, he asked himself. It wasn’t long till he heard the chirps of eavesdroppers.

“Oh, my, how adorable. The forest is green with these two,” a woman said from behind. Leor could feel her snarky smile on his neck.

“Young love. . . I wish my husband did that,” said another, envious.

A man who Leor figured was the husband responded flatly. “Don’t start, Sheila.”

“Don’t mind them,” Leor whispered to Ceri, but it was too late. Ceri’s face was beet red and it made Leor now notice how sweaty his palms were. Does she notice? Can she feel it through her cloak? Then, the fire lanterns and licht lamps along the ends of each row flickered off, and silence befell the crowd as the curtains parted open. A man dressed in a sleeveless cream tunic walked across the stage, stopping at the center. The man was stacked with muscles and bladed scars painted his arms. Leor found it strange for someone like him to be a performer.

“Sir Robert?” Ceri whispered, “I didn’t take the captain of the guards to have interest in the arts”.

Sir Robert held an old, yet well-kept book larger than any Leor has ever seen and flipped it open. “In times long past, the realm was once desolate and cold. Beasts of the ancient stalked the earth, stormed the skies, and haunted the seas. . .”

Fog rolled onto the stage as Sir Robert held a pause. A cannon of sorts shot a sapphire orb into the sky; it popped in the air like a firework and sprinkled a wet, coldness onto the audience. Ceri shivered and Leor pulled her in closer without giving much thought. Yoru nuzzled beneath the tent made from both their cloaks. From the right, a boy, too beefy for his age, slithered on set and waved his rubber tentacles, circling Sir Robert. A shriek roared from the left and out came a girl flapping her mighty wings black as night; violet streams trailed her flight as she joined the strong boy in his march. Last, another boy boasted a costume of plump, jagged rock and stomped into view, before joining the others with a stoned frown.

“Look, Leor. It’s you,” Ceri said, pointing at the frowning boy and laughing quietly. Leor chuckled at the jibe and remembered the old tales his mentor told during his many drunken rants. Golems made of different stones used to patrol the mountains of Storm Peaks, protecting whatever it was the Old Gods had them protect. Monsters of the sea prowled the great oceans and wrapped their tentacles around fleets, dragging them down before the passengers could jump ship. And of all the ancient beasts, his mentor always spoke of the drakes with awe. The scaled beasts ruled the realm above land and scorched towns and kingdoms. Even with all the fables and myths, Leor wondered if the beasts even existed.

As Sir Robert resumed, a few more children, dirtied and ragged, filled the stage, hiding behind props of boulders and trees and caves. A holler of cheers for their children rang from the audience.

“. . . Mothers and Fathers and their young hid in fear, in the depths of the abyss, for they did not belong on the surface. . . the Old Gods deemed humanity unworthy and the flames of hope continued to wither as time grew old —”

The night-winged drake swooped the tiniest of kids onto her back with a smile on both their lips, forgetting to keep their act of monster and prey. The Kraken lifted two children onto his shoulders with ease. The crowd burst into laughter. Leor could only imagine it was pointed at the golem struggling to drag a child out from behind a tree with a reddened face of strain.

“ — until one day, before the embers turned to ash, a hero breathed life into the fading fire and carried the torch of humanity to the surface . . .”

Seven children raided the stage, gleaming in their shining armor and makeshift swords, all representing the seven lords of the realm, Ludwig the Hero, Gwyn the King’s Shadow, Naiomi the Oceanhart, and the other lords whose names Leor had not bothered to remember. Since his youth, all anyone has ever praised and mentioned were the three lords of Tridon. They’d only mention the rest to slander their people. And even now, it showed in the play. The other four lords stood frowning behind the grinning three and were granted no lines as they fought against the beasts in silence.

After that, Leor refused to hear the story any longer. It had been preached and passed around all his life, and yet, it seemed not a single one started the same, but all ended with ‘the Hero Ludwig saving humanity’. He couldn’t understand how people never tired of hearing the same old tale when the end was known to all. A waste of time. Leor glanced over to Ceri who still had the sparkle of innocence in her eyes as she gazed at the performance with admiration. The strings that held his shoulders loosened at last. Maybe the night wouldn’t be as dreadful as he thought.

Loud cheer and hollers brought Leor back to the present when the play ended and the audience funneled out the rows, making way to the back exits. As expected, many had joy written on their faces and exclaimed how extravagant this year’s performance was. Leor and Ceri remained seated, waiting for the line to lessen. Leor spotted a few other groups that did the same, which reassured him his actions were not abnormal. However, unlike the rest, there were no smiles or laughter amongst them, just disdainful stares at those who enjoyed the performance. From their foreign garbs that barely covered their upper torso, Leor could tell they were not from Tridon. At least I’m not the only one.

“Wasn’t that wonderful, Leor?” Ceri said, tugging on his clothes as she stroked Yoru’s chin; her voice sounded as sweet and caring as before. The wolfling sprawled onto its back, defenseless, and let out a low purr. Now, more than ever, Yoru looked like a normal house hound. “It truly has been a long while since I’ve seen this play”.

“You’ve seen this before? Then, why did you want to see it again? Isn’t once enough?” He tried his best not to sound critical.

“Why a good story should be heard more than once, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, a good one.”

Ceri pouted at him. “You truly are like those golems in the tales. Emotionless hunks of rock.”

“Doesn’t sound bad to me,” Leor said with a sly grin. “But, I prefer to be a drake”.

“If you were a drake, may the Lords help us all”.

Leor looked at the proud smirk on her face and watched it carefully. When the smile showed no signs of leaving, Leor broke out in laughter. Her innocent youth and the confidently coy remarks filled him with a warmth that reminded him of Gerald, of home, of his mentor. It had been a while since a laugh pinched his gut in painful pleasure.

“Perhaps that may be true if you believe the tales,” he said while wiping a tear. “What’s your stance? You believe the old tales of ancient beasts?”

Ceri pinched Yoru’s cheeks and combed his black fur between her fingers, her eyes lost in the wolfling’s shining ashen eye. “I know not if the tales are true. I only care that those things no longer walk the realm and we have our Gods to thank for that,” she smiled, faintly. “Besides, there are new monsters to worry about”.

Confused, Leor looked at her sideways, but before he could pry for an answer, Ceri stood up and gestured to leave.

“Miss Yui is waiting, Leor. Let’s not keep her waiting,” she said with a weak smile, one hand holding Yoru and the other clamping onto something around her neck.

And with that, she made for the exit. Leor found they were alone in the theater, the other groups seemed to have long left. Yet, for some odd reason, he felt gazes on him from somewhere he could not see and Inazuma and Ikazuchi shuddered in their sheaths.

Once they reached Yui’s stall, a host escorted them to their table in the courtyard behind the storefront. Paper lanterns coiled the red-painted wooden beams and provided a faint scarlet glow over the bustling dining tables and open bar. Each table was populated with guests; those from Tridon ate like starving beasts, stuffing their faces with meat in one hand and mead in the other; Yonchin natives carved their meal into thick chunks and paced themselves with their wooden pin utensils. Both factions proudly bore their House sigils on their armor and silks. Mortified and impressed, Leor watched Ceri ravage her food like the Tridon Knights around them.

He looked down at his untouched plate; the seared pork, garnished with chopped green onions, gleamed under the red light, it still sizzled fresh and filled the air with the smell of meaty smoke and oil that would make anyone’s mouth water with just a whiff. But after witnessing the savagery, his stomach no longer ordered him to finish his food as quickly as possible. He cut off a quarter and fed it to Yoru who hid beneath the table cloth.

“Mmmm! This is amazing!” Ceri moaned as her fork rattled against the empty plate. “I can see why there was such a craze for the Yojin pork.”

Cheeks stuffed, Leor grunted in agreement. He noticed Ceri staring at his plate and swallowed. “D-did you want some?”

“May I?” Ceri said at once, then realized her manners. “If you are finished . . .”

“N-no. . . it’s fine.” Truth be told, he was heartfully enjoying the meat and the juices that expunged from it when he took a bite. He hadn’t had such high-quality meat longer than he could remember, but refusing the hopeful look in Ceri’s eyes would ruin the taste. “I wanted to save room for drinks anyway.”

After Ceri finished his portion, Leor pointed at the center of the courtyard. White bell-shaped flowers decorated the black waters of the center pond, burning red and hot with fire along its petals. From afar, they could easily be mistaken for the reflection of the stars. Leor and Ceri eyed it strangely. Even Yoru seemed to have noticed its oddity. No such flower exists in Tridon. How could it blaze and not turn to ash, let alone burn at all in water?

“That is a Yojin Lotus,” said Yui, smiling with three tall glasses of beer on a tray in hand. “The Empress’ favorite. It grows only in volcanic springs in the Yonchin mountains. Beautiful, isn’t it?”.

Ceri stood and thanked Yui for the hospitality while Leor remained slumped in his chair.

“I can see why Lady Maria adores you so. Such a polite mannered girl.” She looked at Leor, sideways with the corner of her lip curled. “Unlike some.”

Though Ceri gave her courtesies, Leor noticed how she avoided Yui’s gaze as much as she did his. She fiddled with the thing beneath her clothes again. Her face twisted as if desperately trying to hold in a secret. It would seem she still held resentment towards them both, but the curiosity was much harder to keep down.

“Miss Yui, may I ask you something?” Ceri said, her face still unsettled.

Servers came bowing before Yui and took away their empty plates. She placed the platter of tall glasses onto the table before sitting with them and drew her pipe from her dress. “What is it, dear?”, she said as a gray cloud steamed from her lips.

It was quiet for a moment while Ceri mustered the courage to speak. The air felt thin as ice. Leor knew what was coming and feared an uproar. He took a large gulp of beer to quell his thoughts. It burned a tad down his throat and a bonfire burned in his belly. He wiped the froth off his upper lip with a satisfying sigh.

“The bodies — why? Why did you burn them?”

A glimpse of sorrow filled Yui’s eyes but her graceful, stone demeanor returned as quickly as it left. “Oh, my. You’ve seen it.” She took a long inhale from her pipe and let out an even longer exhale of smoke. “It’s no small wonder why you hold this grudge against me.”

Leor narrowed his eyes; he wasn’t sure if she was speaking to him or Ceri, or both. He took another gulp and watched with his ears.

“Know that you are not the first. The people of Tridon have shown their anger at the ritual and Lady Maria and I have acknowledged their pain but there is little else we can do.”

“Could you have not buried them? Why turn them to ashes before their families?” Ceri’s voice began to rise and shake. Leor reminded her to quiet down. He didn’t want others hearing the conversation.

“The Purblights are forbidden from resting in the Ethereal Plains. You should know that, Ceri.” Yui called forth her damned flaming pigeon to her arm. She sensed Leor glaring at the thing and smiled. “Fear not, Leor. It won’t bite. This is Miki — my Familiar, the power gifted to me by Empress Azura. Now, I’m sure you understand what that means.”

“Yes, but —”

“It means the church, Lady Maria, and I have decided blessing them with the fire of the Empress was better than letting them rot in an unmarked land.” Yui sighed and emptied ashes onto the floor. “Know that I take no pleasure in burning these poor souls. I only do what's best for them.”

Ceri sat in silence, still clutching the item around her neck. Her lips moved but no words came out. Leor placed his empty mug back on the table, clinking filled the silence. As he reached for a second helping, Ceri snatched it and hammered down the liquor in seconds. Wide-eyed, they watched the Pontiff’s apprentice wipe the intoxicating drink from her lips with a practiced swipe of slender fingers.

“I shall take my leave now. Customers are waiting.” Yui unfolded her exposed legs and stood, pushing her silky onyx hair behind her ear, smiling. “It was a pleasure speaking with you, Ceri. Oh, and you, my unnamed ‘guide’, I look forward to hearing you speak some time”.

With that, Yui left them alone and Leor felt a heat rise to his cheeks but he could not say if it was from the alcohol, the slight at his pride, or Ceri’s haunting glare. She tilted her empty glass at Leor as if challenging him. He smirked. There was no way a girl half his size dared challenge him.