During the morning, two days after Alden's, Lucius was about to leave for his daily run, but as soon as he exited through the front door, he found himself facing Joanne.

“Hey, kid… care for a walk instead?”

He sighed.

She had been waiting for him in the front yard. She wanted to visit Amos to discuss how things would proceed and given that Alden basically appointed him as her helper, the two of them departed together.

He doesn’t like to walk through town…

While the attitude of the people towards him had gotten better over the years. Especially after his mother had opened the clinic and effectively became the cornerstone of the resident’s health.

Yet, he felt no sense of belonging, he can still feel the stares burning his back. He also didn’t like those girls that always followed him, thinking he didn’t notice them. Their giggles make him think they are laughing at him.

But the place Lucius avoided the most in town had to be the Aynor residence, the place where Ran’s grandfather and Gabrielle’s father lived.

He hates this man, Amos Wren Aynor, the ringleader behind the attempt at his family’s happiness.

A big part of his abhorrence to the place came from the first time he ever visited it.

Long since then, when they first came to Hillside, his father had to talk to the village chief and, as such, decided to bring his son with him.

When Lucius first saw the red roof peaking from behind the big gates and the wall of shiny stones surrounding the dwelling, he thought it was the biggest house he had ever seen and was completely dumbfounded.

When they entered, a beautiful and well-kept flower garden greeted them. It was as if several hands worked on it from day to night so that no singular petal was misplaced.

It was then he noticed the people tending to this garden, all of them had ragged clothes and dead eyes, old wounds were visible from the uncovered places on their skin, a few of them were in obvious bad health and would not last long without medical treatment.

The worst of it, the most clashing of factors for Lucius, was that most of these people, that he recognized as slaves, were elves. Pointed ears and pale skin, the usually beautiful visages of the log-lived species were nowhere to be seen.

He saw himself reflected on them and feared.

Would the person behind this enslave him and his mother? Was that the reason for the visit?

Back then, he would stick close to his father when he was scared. When was it he stopped doing it?

Seems he never got any again. Elves at least.

After that first appointment, he would go on a few separate occasions but he always tried to avoid it. He never saw those elven slaves again.

Did he kill them?

“Something wrong?” Joanne asked him.

“Uh?” He looked at her, realizing she was staring at him.

Was I making a face?... this place that makes me feel like I want to puke

“No, I’m okay. It must be the sun is pretty hot today,”

For now, at least, walk faster. I want to get this done quickly.

“What? Too sunny on a young elf’s skin? Freesia is the same. Once we traveled through a desert, she was gasping and crying for water the whole way,”

“Yeah, guess we’re not made for harsh climates,”

They entered through the big set of wooden doors, urged by a maid wearing a nice, clean, and fancy-looking uniform. She had her brown hair braided.

“Please, this way, master has been waiting for you” She bowed and led them to a relatively small room where a small, lean man sited behind a big desk.

“Ah! Young Lucius and I suppose you are Ms. Joanne of Wald, I’m Amos Aynor Hillside’s village personal trouble fixer” The man stood up and walked towards them with a practiced smile and calm demeanor that reminded him of how Raanan often talks, this man had truly molded the mind of that child.

If only I could beat the shit out of you and leave, shitty old man.

“I heard you arrived two days ago,” he said

“Yes, I was acclimating to town and resting from my travel,” Anne replied

“Oh, don’t mind me, I’m not condemning you of anything dear, please take a seat, I have already been informed you will be acting in Alden’s place as the village guardian,”

“Just for a few months until his return,”

Joanne and Amos spoke for a while about the intricacies of the job and her responsibilities as a guardian, all boring stuff.

“And what was the reason for his departure? If it’s not too much to ask on my part, I’m a curious old man,” he said once the work talk finished.

“It goes back to our time spent as adventurers,”

“Then I guess it must have something to do with an exhilarating venture,”

“You could say, but I’m afraid I was told not to say much of it, besides I’m sure you will find out in the long run, anyway”

“Well, if you say so then I guess I will, please enjoy your stay in town, I’m afraid that even if you hold the title, there might not be many chances to put it to use since this is a peaceful coastal village, and please, do come back if you need me at all”

They said their goodbyes and went back home.

“You don’t like him very much, do you?”

“No… I hate him,”

“Wow, thought I will have to pull it out from you,”

“No pulling needed, I can’t stand his face. I heard what he did, I will never forgive him,”

“What did he do?”

“He sent Gabrielle after dad, so she could seduce him,”

He probably did a lot more than that, but I’m not sure. Maybe he tried some other sneaky thing, shitty old fart

“So, what are you going to do? Your brother will succeed him as the village chief. You will replace Alden once he retires?”

“No, I’m leaving, I’m going to make a name for myself in Assythia, I was born there and I want to go back,”

She eyed him, sheer determination displayed on his young pretty elven boy face. “I see, not going to lie, it’s a rough life, not for everyone”

“I know” he stopped in his tracks, looked at her, and lowered his head

“I heard from Alden that you are strong. Please teach me what you know!”

Joanne smacked her lips and pondered the young boy’s request. She indeed had thought about training Freesia’s blood once she arrived. She wasn’t a good teacher, and little remained from her training days but the most grueling memories of It.

“You know, if I train you it’s going to take a lot of effort so you have to give it your all,”

“I will,”

“You can’t back out once you start, and if you do, I won’t teach you again, it’s already enough of a pain as is, I won’t teach an indecisive brat,”

“I won’t,”

“And you will be sparring with me for a few days before I agree to anything. I won’t be teaching a wimp either,”