She reacted with disbelief, and I went on to explain about the day of the liturgy and everything that had happened since: Myriam, Kai, the angels, the slaughter, the funeral, the manaless, the tower. As I explained, it felt as though it all happened years ago. I felt so tired while telling her my story.

“Sweetheart, I am so terribly sorry,” she said when I finished, and took me in her arms again.

I was so focused on being ready to console her, that her hug took me completely by surprise. Suddenly, all those feelings that I had been holding in, came rushing back to me.

I let them consume me for a little while before I pushed her hands away and with them, I also pushed away my need to cry for all that I had lost.

“It’s okay,” I said, as I looked into her big green eyes and saw that they were wet. “It really is. I’ll be fine.”

“You have to stay with us.” She stood up quickly. “I’ll prepare this couch for you. You can sleep here tonight, and tomorrow we will get a nice bed—”

“Smyrna.” I cut her off. “Thank you, but no. I have other people that rely on me. And I also need to inform Seika and Haad. Do you know where they are?”

She nodded. “Seika is in the university, that I know for sure, but Haad… I can’t tell,” she replied. “He was doing some business for The Order on the other side of the Endless Sea, but I am not sure if he’s back in Elysia or not.”

“I see. You said something about liturgy incidents too. What happened?”

“Well, as you know, Sumalen isn’t a liturgy location so I haven’t seen anything first hand. But I have heard accounts from people that were in other liturgy locations. In most villages, only one or two manaless received their mana before The Divine started to suddenly bleed gold blood and fell to the ground. After that, the angels started screaming and flew away. Oh Adel, if I knew that you were all in the middle of it… I am so sorry that I wasn’t there to protect you.”

“Don’t say that,” I said, and suddenly felt angry. “Nobody could have protected us better than our parents. They did what they could and they’re dead now. You have Shona to protect now.”

She nodded as a single tear ran down her cheek before she smiled. I took a deep breath and returned her smile.

“I’m truly sorry that I can’t stay longer,” I said, and I flipped the hourglass in my pocket. “Please give Shona my love. I will try to visit again in the future, once all this has settled down… If it settles down. Don’t tell anyone I was here.”

“You always were a brave one,” she said, and her tears now ran freely from her eyes though her voice did not waver. “I am proud of you little brother.”

I felt my mouth go dry as all moisture moved to my eyes.

“You are making mom and dad proud,” she finished, and I nodded. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.

I felt tears from both of my eyes flowing down my cheeks, but when they fell from my face, they didn’t land on the wooden floor of Smyrna’s home. Instead, they made a soft dripping sound as they hit the pool of water inside the cauldron back in the basement of the tower.

“I’m so happy you’re back!” said Krysha, while Kard helped me out of the giant pot.

“How did it—” Krysha stopped mid-sentence as Kard shook his head at her.

“Let’s get you in these towels and then up to your room to rest.”

This time we used one of the platforms to go directly up to the first floor where my room was, and I saw very few people moving around the tower. It must have been way past bedtime for most of them.

Kard and Krysha accompanied me to my room in silence, offered their help in case I needed anything and then retired to their own rooms.

They had waited for me. They were worried about me and I was acting selfishly by going out alone at night when the whole Order might be on our tail.

But I had to. I needed to inform my sister about our parents. I had the obligation to do it. I made up my mind then and there though that I wouldn’t have them wait for me like that again.

I changed into dry robes and got into bed thinking about how I could approach Seika at the university and inform her of what had happened to our parents. She might also have information regarding our brother’s whereabouts. Once I found him, I would finally be able to fulfill my duty of letting everyone in my family know the truth about Nara and then…

Then what? I hadn’t decided what I would do afterward and simply thinking about it made my head hurt. Fortunately, I was so tired that I quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

***

By the time I woke up and went down to the foyer, the sounds of lively activity echoed through the walls of the tower. During a short visit to the watch room, I that the sun was high in the sky and that we were on the move again. I walked toward the part of the ground floor that was furnished as a tavern and took a seat next to Man, who was almost done eating his breakfast.

“So, I hear you had a little walk out in the open yesterday?” he asked in a very casual manner, barely looking at me as he peeled an orange fruit with his dagger.

“Good morning to you too, Man,” I replied, laughing.

“Next time, don’t sneak up and away from us, Adel,” he said pointing his dagger toward me. “Next time, we ride together, yes?”

“You’re needed here, Man,” I replied, more seriously this time. “You are much more valuable here than serving as my bodyguard.”

“Bodyguard?” he chuckled. “I would come as a friend. And you are needed here as well.”

“Man!” someone shouted his name across the room, loudly and with a sense of urgency. “Man, we got a problem.”

It was one of the people that had been assigned regular duty in the watch room.

“Some people were blocking the road and have now stopped our convoy. They seem to be members of the Order. The people outside told them that our maejin will talk to them shortly,” the young man said.

“Gods damn them,” Man said, as he rushed toward the entrance.