The girl's father was an elf?

The floorboards, stained by the soles of Moulin's boots creaked as he stood. His silver eyes stared intently at the sick man laying on the bed and the little girl tugging at his white cloak, staining it with the dirt on her fingers. Moulin didn't mind it.

"M-Mister?"

Seeing that the Moulin wasn't paying attention to her, she grew anxious, stepping back. Moulin noticed the child's movements and he gave a soothing smile. No matter how he looks at her, there wasn't a hint of any physical feature similar to the bedridden elven man.

Moulin patted the head of the little girl and then dragged a wooden rickety stool and bent his head so he could check the man's pulse and temperature. Just as he was about to touch the sickly man's wrist a rough hand abruptly grabbed Moulin's hand.

Moulin only stared at the hand and frowned as he spoke disapprovingly uttered, "What is it?"

"I'll do it." Hadrian responded with a serious look. He carefully pulled Moulin and sat on the stool. Moulin didn't resist and only let the man do what he wants.

The youth knew that if he were to do the examination, he reckoned Hadrian would do nothing to comfort the little child. Honestly, even the man's usual expression could haunt children in their dreams. Moulin suppressed a laugh. Wasn't Hadrian just trying to escape the responsibility of reassuring the little girl?

As Moulin thought about it he bit back a chuckle as he crouched at eye level with the child in front of him.

"Tell me how long was your father like this?"

"Mmn..." Pressing her lips, the girl fiddled with her fingers as she glanced at her father laying on the bed. His chest heaving as he let out large puffs of breath. The child's black eyes moistened as she looked at Moulin. "T-that..."

There was hesitation in her eyes, Moulin had noticed. There was something hindering her from telling. Perhaps, other people in the town had the same circumstance given the deserted pathways and the wary eyes hidden behind shut windows. Seeing the long hesitation n the girl's eyes, Moulin turned to gently stimulate the truth from her. With a smile and a saddened expression, he asked, "What's your name?"

The girl blinked at him with her round eyes as she silently let five seconds pass before she responded shyly, "Phuna..."

"You have a pretty name, Phuna." Moulin warmly smiled. His brows then furrowed once he had the girl's full attention. "Listen, Phuna... We will not be able to completely help you and the people in this town if you won't tell us what problems trouble you. It will also probably take us a long time to heal your father if you won't tell us. So don't be afraid... You can tell me..."

Phuna clenched her hands as she silently nodded. Moulin smiled as he stroked her head gently. He repeated his question while observing the little girl's expression and little gestures.

"Da told me to stay indoors e-every day ever since Aunt Molka turned sick a... um... I don't know when... Like my Da right now, s-she could not move... t-then her son turned sick too... and then uncle and then my friends and their p-parents and... until Da turned sick." She whimpered as she clutched Moulin's hand who was gently patting her. "P-Please... Da is all I have! Please save him..."

"Shh... Don't worry. Your father will be alright." Molina reassured. "Can you tell me why they are all hiding in their house?"

"Mn..." She nodded. "Da told me that... that if you touch a sick person, you will get sick too..."

The moment her words sank in Moulin's ears, Moulin narrowed his eyes in alarm as he quickly whipped his head towards Hadrian. There was disbelief in the youth's silver eyes as he stared at his lover. He opened his mouth and crowed out, "You foresaw this, didn't you?"

Hadrian slightly turned his head incautiously, placing the hand of the elven man down. There was a smile tugging his lips, looking dangerously amused as a gold flicker flashed in his crimson eyes. "Are you worried?"

Moulin let out a scoff as he rolled his eyes. "Even in this situation..." His voice softened as he trailed off, cursing and grumbling, making sure none of his vulgar words were heard by the little girl who was confusingly staring at the pair with round eyes.

The man was lucky each of the sentinels was enveloped by a protective barrier to keep malevolence and other impurities away from the sentinel's body. Within the moment of alarm, Moulin had almost forgotten it. Clenching his jaw, Moulin currently wished for nothing more than to beat up Hadrian. It wasn't even something to be amused about! Bastard!

Shortly afterwards, Moulin led a healer inside the house with the girl's approval. She would do anything if it could save her father. 'Torhan' briefly explained the elven man's symptoms as well as the results of his own examination. Fortunately, Phuna's dad was not in grave danger. Although, his limbs were strangely immobile and his breathing was rapid and heavy, there wasn't anything too severe that would put the man's life at risk.

"Next time, do not be reckless," Moulin muttered to Hadrian standing beside him as he stared at the little girl's joyful face. Tears fell from her cheeks as she thanked the healer. Before rushing inside her house, she turned to wave a hand at Moulin. Her eyes were brightly shining and watery. Full of gratitude and hope.

Moulin smiled watching the girl enthusiastically enter her house. He felt warm inside as he recalled the warm embrace the girl had given him earlier.

Moulin and Hadrian were standing a couple of meters away from the house. With Phuna's explanation, the sentinels were careful as they carefully approached the people within their homes. The little girl helped them converse with the townspeople with her weak voice filled with courage. Within that small body, there was surging strength and bravery unearthing to save her people.

"You are quite soft to children, my love..." Hadrian a strange glint in his eyes, he glanced at Moulin.

"Children are young and well... innocently adorable... " Moulin whispered his last words while still staring at the wooden house. "Well, sometimes..." He added.

"I'll consider it one of your awaited wishes..." Hadrian's smile widened. His eyes briefly transforming into pools of pure gold. He looked mysterious and enigmatic. At the moment, Moulin wanted nothing more than to splash a hucket of pink paint on the man's head. Perhaps, he would look cute too.

"Stop talking with your lower body." Moulin shot him a glare.

Hadrian released a laugh. "I did not know you could understand such language."

"Shut it!" Moulin elbowed the man's arm while redness stretched across his face. The flush painting his pale cheeks. Silver eyes, trembling with annoyance and a hint of embarrassment.

"Ao!"

Moulin stopped as he spotted a tiny ball of white scurrying towards him. His tiny form almost leaping as Snow ran towards his master.

Hadrian's eyes slightly dimmed while Moulin brightened once he saw the little brat making its way towards him. The sentinels and a handful of people unconsciously stepped away from the little fox's path. They stared curiously at tiny-looking beast. Was it even a beast?

"You never listen, do you?..." Moulin faintly smiled as he crouched to pick up the fox who started clawing his leg. Snow gave a dark glower to the man standing beside his master. His tiny paws pressed on Moulin's forearm as he leaned towards the evil man who dares to ceover his master from him. He recognized the man. There was no mistake.

Moulin didn't even wonder how Snow could recognize Hadrian. He onky caressed the little fox before telling the brat to return to the horse mercilessly. Snow whined. Like the stubborn little beast that he was, he whimpered gravely. With no choice, Moulin sighed as he continued to embrace Snow.

"You two looked strangely comfortable with each other..." Jagra walked towards Moulin with a smile. Although his impression of the new member, Torahn, was a bit wary he had seen how Torahn cares for his fellow members especially Moulin. He could not forget the look on Callun's face before they activated the teleportation pearl.

"Do we?..." Moulin smiled with knitted brows. Suppressing a laugh, he found it amusing to see Hadrian trying to resume his 'cold, silent, and dark' facade.

"Unusually, yes. And you're oddly cozy with someone who you just met." Jagra squinted his eyes, "That's a first..."

"Ao!"

"Look? Even Snow agrees..." Jagra nodded to Snow like he would to a fellow warrior.

A few minutes after their short chatter, Rowan and Relena gathered the group once again. Moulin then learned of the strange illness enshrouding the whole town. One could become infected through skin contact. When infected, the body would become stiff and immobile, swallowing would become difficult, the body would turn lethargic. It was as if a deadly poison seeping away the life of the town. The townspeople had no knowledge of the origin of the illness. There was a lot of guesses and theories but none could trace the from where the illness had come from.

Relena decided to leave a few sentinel groups in the town along with an expert seer to investigate. While the rest would be traveling to the Woodland palace, Thundralln.

Mounting their horses, the rest sentinels prepared to depart while the rest followed the town mayor to their temporary living quarters.

"Take care..." Jagra spoke as he lifted his head to gaze at his friend swiftly mounting his horse. Unfortunately, he was one of the sentinels who would be staying in Yan'Gofrae. Moulin furrowed his brows and smiled.

"If Ghana should see you, she would think that you're seeing me off to my death"

With lowered brows and a look of disbelief in his eyes, Jagra snorted. "I am not!"

"Yes, yes, yes..." Moulin laughed as he slightly clenched his reigns. His tied hair dancing with the merry wind. His smiled dazzled and blinded Jagra making the man helplessly smile. Moulin's joyful expression was always contagious.

Contagious enough that a particular man smiled faintly as he stared at the youth with silver hair. Callun internally swooned. His expression made a couple of his friends joke at him.

Moulin was about to say goodbye to his friend when he spotted a familiar little figure running towards him. It was the little girl, Phuna.

She panted once she reached Moulin's horse. Jagra gently guided her towards Moulin with a warm smile.

The little girl embarrasingly stretched out her hand, handing a small stone to Moulin. Moulin curiously looked at what the child have presented to him. Patting the girl on her head, Jagra handed the object to Moulin.

A greyish stone in a shape of a bird. The size was smaller than his pinky. There were strange markings on the stone that Moulin could not understand. Before he could inquire the girl about it, she bowed and hurriedly left towards her house. Moulin squinted his eyes to see a figure in one of the open windows of the house.

The little girl's father was staring at him.

Moulin could not determine the expression of the man from far away. The youth only nodded at the man by the window in thanks. Even though, he didn't know why was he given a rock.

It wasn't long before the group departed from Yan'Gofrae. Leaving through the wooden back gates of the small town and once again traveling through the forest.

As the wind brushed his face, Moulin rode his horse beside Hadrian. He could not help but become curious. Why was he given a rock?

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