Aether Nexus: Curse of Love & Hatred

“N-Nina…? Did… Did you get smaller?” Dama uttered as Nina looked up at him.

Staring at each other for a bit, Nina's black slits for eyes soon widened into ovals, seemingly in shock, as she took another look at the now taller Dama.

Nina usually stood at a height of almost five feet, six inches, even more when standing up straight on her hind legs. Compared to Dama's height of four and a half feet, she easily towered over him.

Now, however, her head only reached Dama’s stomach. It was then Nina realized her master didn't grow taller, she shrunk! She repeatedly tilted her head left and right, trying to figure out why.

Mumu was appalled himself as he went over and picked up his sister, also tilting his head in confusion. “Mmmmmmmmmm…” A low rumble sounded from Mumu, taking Dama aback, since he had never heard such a thing.

“Did Mumu just growl? No, that's not quite right, more like a mumble, but still, I've never heard Mumu make such sounds before! He almost always stays silent with rare grunts here and there… It's just like when Nina was growling at that shadowy figure…” Dama pondered while Mumu and Nina continued to stare at each other.

After a little while, the tips of Nina’s stitched mouth raised as she nuzzled her nose with Mumu’s, who lovingly reciprocated.

“What the…?” Gus uttered under his breath. “How’d you do that, Dama?”

“Hm?” Dama turned to the back of the carriage, remembering that Gus was there. “Oh, Mr. Gus… I honestly don't know. I didn’t do anything.”

“Dama?” Liam called out from the front, “Everything alright? We’re ready to head out!”

“Ah! C-Coming!” Dama shouted back before running up to Mumu and Nina. “Hey, you two, we all don’t know what’s going on, but let’s make the best of it, alright? Nina, you seem to be small enough to fit in the back, could you please stay with the boy for the rest of the trip? Mumu, could you do what you’ve been doing and watch our backs?”

Looking from Dama back to each other, Mumu and Nina nodded their heads and heeded Dama’s commands.

Nina hopped in the back and curled herself beside the unconscious boy, much to the relief of Gus, who immediately went back to sleep in the other corner. Mumu stood guard of the back, ready for anything that would happen.

Hopping into the front seat of the carriage, Dama gave Liam a big smile. “Alright! I’m ready, Mr. Liam! Onward to Briarstone Village, was it?”

Responding with a smile himself, Liam chuckled at Dama’s comment. “Indeed, it was! Onward to Briarstone Village!” he exclaimed as he lightly tugged on Dorsey’s reins, signaling their departure once again.

Later, as the group made it up a high hill of snow, they could see a snow-covered forest. Smoke could be seen rising from it. In the middle was their destination: the mountain-bound village of Briarstone.

“Home-stretch lads!” Koul yelled out into the icy wind, taking in the, almost literally, breath-taking view.

While Liam and Koul carefully led Dorsey and the carriage through a detour to scale down the hill, Dama looked out towards Briarstone. It's cluster of dark spruce houses could be seen dissappearing behind a gate as they climbed down. “Woah! Is that really it, Mr. Liam?”

“It should be, I myself haven't been here, unlike Koul.”

“Eh, it's been about a decade or two, give or take. I don't have that good of a memory!” Koul chortled out before running his fingers through his hair, looking up at the sky. Flashes of the men that accompanied him rang through his head, men that later perished from the Hiyan Plague. “So much has happened these past years, huh?”

“Best you don't get nostalgic now, just beyond this forest, I'm assuming, will be the front gate.” Liam commented.

“You'd be right!” Koul said, “Let's go, lads!”

Now exiting the forest and into a clearing, the group finally made it to Briarstone Village, indicative of the giant wooden stakes sufficing as the barrier much like Enohay's. Only difference being their tree of origin, Enohay sported a beige oak, while Briarstone, a dark brown spruce.

At the front gate, three individuals could be seen. Squinting, Koul could see two of them were men with spears. Their uniforms consisted of layered garments, such as woolen tunics and gloves, designed to keep them warm while allowing freedom of movement. The taller one didn’t have a fur helmet on, leaving his combed black hair to billow freely in the wind.

The last figure was a petite woman, draped on a blue tunic dress that had a hood stitched onto it. She seemed to be in a great amount of distress, her face a sobbing mess. “This doesn't look good…” he said as he ran up to see what was happening.

Noticing Koul's approach, one of the guards confronted him before he could get any closer, spear up to Koul's chest. “Halt!”

As Koul put his hands up, he got a good glimpse at the guard’s face. His skin was clear and smooth, with a natural tan from hours spent outdoors. His stubbled jawline was defined, yet still holding a trace of boyish roundness. His blue eyes were sharp and alert. Every feature of the man gave Koul a faint sense of familiarity.

To Koul, however, the characteristic that struck him the most was a certain mole on the left side of the guard’s nose. “Woah, hold your horses, pal. This is a far-cry from the warm welcome I received last time I came.”

The guard’s face contorted out of sheer confusion. “Last time? Elaborate, now!”

Hearing the confrontation, the other guard turned around to see Koul, then the approaching carriage. “What the?” the second guard said, his confusion palpable in both his voice and face. Confusion that seemingly doubled once he caught a glimpse of Mumu. “What is THAT thing!?”

The woman, however, took the chance to try and leave the village.

Unfortunately, she was too slow, as the guard beside her immediately stopped her with his spear. “Ma’am, please! We are under strict orders, we cannot let you leave the safety of the village! It’s too dangerous!” The guard yelled out of desperate anger, his eyes filled with concern.

The woman's eyes matched his, but tenfold, as she grabbed onto the spear. “Please, you have to! My son is out there! He'll die!!” She shouted back, her voice cracking out of a desperation that put the guard’s to shame.

“Son?” Koul uttered, peaking the guard’s and woman's interest, as the carriage made it to the confrontation. “We found a boy in the snow coming here! He's alive in the back, along with some food we brought from Enohay Village!”

The first guard recognized their nearest village neighbors. “Enohay!?” he said, shocked that they would come all the way here through all the snow.

“Food…!?” The second guard repeated to himself under his breath. The fact it took some effort to fight back him salivating at the mouth baffled him, distracting him too.

The woman simply dashed towards Koul, pushing beside the first guard with ease and recklessly tackling Koul. Koul stood strong though and caught the woman in hysterics.

“What did he look like!? Please tell me!!” The woman cried out, completely bawling at this point, as she gripped Koul's vest.

“If he has black, spiky hair like your’s, then I assure you, he's as good as a buttered biscuit.” Koul said, his voice reflecting his parental sympathy for the mother. Hugging her as he tried his best to console her, he then called for Gus. “Gus! Bring the boy!”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Koul!” Dama responded from behind, “Mumu already has him!”

Looking over Koul's shoulder, the woman spotted Dama, Mumu, and a child in Mumu’s arms—her child. “Miron!!”

Dashing once again to Mumu, she swiftly took the blanket wrapped child from his arms. Brushing aside his bangs and confirming that it was her son, she fell to her knees, repeatedly saying “Thank you!” through tear-filled gasps.

Taking a moment to look around himself, the first thing that Dama noticed was the heavy blanket of unseasonal snow covering the village and its surrounding fields. “Jeez, not even Briarstone's safe…”

“Not only that, but it seems like Briarstone got the worst of it.” Liam added on, “Is it any better within the village?”

“No, I fear…” The first guard responded while the second guard helped him back up from being pushed. Dusting himself off, the first guard then instructed his companion. “Clemens, kindly take Isola and her child back to her home, then fetch Leadguard Domitius! Tell him to meet me in the stable lot!”

“Roger!” Clemens saluted to his supposed superior before following orders, leaving his first guard with the Enohayen men.

Planting his spear into the snow, the first guard questioned Koul further. “Are you men really from Enohay Valley?”

“We sure are!” Koul exclaimed with a chuckle. “We noticed that we haven't heard anything from you guys for a while, so we decided to come to you. Usually, you guys come to us for our bi-yearly trades. I would say ‘what gives’, but pretty sure this snow is an obvious reason why.”

“Ai, we're dealing with a pretty sticky situation at the moment…” The first guard said before shaking his head, as if to ward off bad thoughts. “Anyways, I'm sorry for the weird encounter, and bid thee welcome to Briarstone Village, friends.”

“Why thanks, pal!” Koul responded before adopting a slightly confused expression. “Though, I gotta say son, you look pretty familiar… What’s your name?”

The first guard crossed his arms. “My name? Well, I guess I should have told you earlier, my apologies. It's Ryuu—Ryuu Mikayel.”

Koul's face instantly lit up as he patted Ryuu's padded shoulders. “Ryuu!? I remember now, my golly! I knew I recognized that face from anywhere! It's me, Himon Koul, we met when I first came here twenty years ago! To think you'd still be a guard to this day, with such graceful aging too! You look like you haven't aged a day! How's the wife?”

As Koul giggled like a child, Ryuu could only give a grim look as a response, his shoulders drooping. “Sorry to tell you this, Mr. Himon Koul, but you're mistaken. I am Ryuu Mikayel, but I'm also a junior, named after my father, who I assume you speak of.”

Turning around and pointing his spear to the peak of the Briarstone Mountains, Ryuu continued. “My father, he died fighting that dreaded Oni that has caused all of this…”

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Next: (Chapter 35) Briarstone Village: Part 2