Pathos find himself in a dark place. There is no light, only darkness. A voice calls out for Floppa—it's soft and almost familiar. Slowly, Pathos begins to wake, the voice continuing to call him. His vision is blurry, but he sees the silhouette of his own mother.
«Pathos (thinking)» Mo...ther?
As his sight sharpens, he realizes it's Petra, her hand gently resting on his head.
«Petra» Ah... I'm sorry, did I wake you?
Pathos blinked, staring into her kind eyes, his mind still heavy with sleep. It wasn't until a jolt from the carriage wheel striking a stone jarred him back to reality that he lifted his head, still gazing at her.
«Pathos» I'm still here...
Petra tilted her head slightly gently caressing the top of his head.
«Petra» Where else would you be?
«Pathos (thinking)» I fell asleep?
Pathos glanced around the cramped carriage, Petra watching him with a puzzled look. For a moment Pathos thought that everything might be a dream, but when he was reminded of his surroundings that hope quickly fades away. He grips the fabric of his cloak tightly, only to feel his fingers sink into a patch of cold, sticky mud.
«Pathos» Ah?
Both he and Petra glanced at the mess now smeared across his hand.
«Petra» My husband told me what happened to you. Would you mind if I cleaned that cloak for you?
Pathos is taken aback by the request he couldn't tell if it was out of kindness or not, however he couldn't let them see what was under the cloak.
«Pathos» Wha—no thanks. I'm going to throw it away once we reach the city. I'm not really attached to it.
«Petra» I see. But I can't let you wear it until the end of the ride—you'll get sick. Come on.
She withdrew her hand from his head and extended it expectantly signaling him to give it to her.
«Petra» Cooooome on~. I can take it off you if you want!
«Pathos» Really, there's no need.
«Petra» Give it...
Francis hearing the commotion joins in. He knew his wife well enough to know who was going to win the dispute.
«Francis» It's useless, kid. My wife won't back down once she decides something.
Pathos glanced at Francis, then back at Petra's patient—yet stubborn—smile. He slumps in defeat. Reluctantly, he pulled the cloak from his shoulders. As he held it out to Petra, she froze. Her eyes widened. Pathos blinked, confused. The cloak that was covering his face all this time had revealed something nobody ever expected
«Pathos» Is something wrong?
Petra pointed at his face, looking half-curious, half-shocked. Pathos, alarmed, patted his cheeks but felt nothing strange—at first.
«Pathos» ?
«Petra» You have four sets of eyes!
«Pathos and Francis» What!?
Francis turned sharply in his seat as Pathos frantically touched his face, his fingers brushing over a second pair of closed eyelids just beneath his normal ones. His heart hammered in his chest.
«Pathos (thinking)» What is this!? How did I not notice before? Was I too distracted to notice?
He stared at Petra, fear gripping him. Would she recoil? Would she scream? His thoughts spiraled. In a panic, he squeezed his eyes shut.
«Pathos (thinking)» Please... please don't hate me.
The silence stretched unbearably. Pathos could barely breathe, waiting for the disgust, the fear — anything but the warmth he once saw in her eyes.
«Petra» How cute..!
«Pathos» Eh?
Pathos cracked one eye open in confusion.
«Petra»: I've never seen one so up close. I always thought they were just myths, but now that I'm seeing the real thing... it's different. Kind of adorable, really.
«Pathos» You're not... angry?
«Petra» Angry? Who do you take me for?
Petra puffed her cheeks dramatically, clearly offended. Relief crashed over Pathos like a wave, though guilt gnawed at his stomach. He waved his hands frantically, trying to explain.
«Pathos» N-No, wait, it's not like that! I just thought—you might see me as a monster and—
Petra leaned closer, a spark of indignation in her eyes. Pathos instinctively backed up until his shoulders bumped against the carriage wall.
«Petra» A monster!? Why would I ever think such a thing!?
Pathos's shoulders sagged. Completely defeated, he lowered his gaze and rested his hands limply on his knees.
«Pathos» I'm sorry...
From the driver's seat, Francis watched, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
«Francis (thinking)» She doesn't spare even this poor boy.
Petra huffed and marched to the other side of the carriage, dragging the cloak with her.
«Petra» That's it. I'm mad now.
Pathos reached an arm toward her helplessly, shooting a pleading look at Francis, but Francis only chuckled and shook his head.
«Francis» It's no use now. Come up here.
He patted the bench beside him invitingly. Pathos hesitated, then clambered up next to him, still sneaking glances back at Petra, who was aggressively scrubbing the muddy cloak.
Francis leaned in and spoke in a lower, more comforting tone.
«Francis» Don't worry. She's not really mad at you. She's just... complicated sometimes.
His voice softened, a tinge of exhaustion creeping in.
«Francis» Especially lately, because of the pregnancy.
Pathos fidgeted with his fingers nervously.
«Pathos» I didn't think she would react like that...
«Francis» Again, no need to worry. Look at her.
Pathos turned. Petra was working with quiet determination, wringing and soaking the filthy cloak without a hint of resentment.
«Francis» She's still doing what she promised, even if it's not for herself.
Pathos nodded slowly, facing forward again.
«Pathos» I get it
Then a memory stirred in his mind.
«Pathos» So you know what these eyes are?
Francis squinted at him now able to see this eyes up close.
«Francis» Little. All I know is it's called an "Kindled eyes ." Beyond that... I'm not sure.
Kindled eyes . A word Pathos had never heard before, his mind tries to remember a conversation or story where the word "Kindled eye " was mentioned. But again he never heard it from nobody.
«Francis» Can you try opening them?
«Pathos» Ah, I didn't think of that. Let me try.
He focused, willing the strange eyes to open. Nothing. They stayed stubbornly shut. However an idea travels his mind, He gently pried open one with his fingers and turned to Francis.
«Pathos» How does it look?
Francis felt a shiver run down his spine as he sees Pathos casually opening and checking the interior of the "Kindled eyes " he stared at for a second—then immediately recoiled, shuddering.
«Francis» Well... uh... there's nothing there.
«Pathos» Ah?
Pathos out of curiosity carefully probed the area, confirming that there is only an empty, hollow socket.
«Francis» God, please don't do that. It's making me want to puke.
«Pathos» Oh, I'm sorry.
Pathos quickly dropped his hands into his lap. The Kindled eyes where ended empty shells however their presences meant something that Pathos couldn't tell yet.
«Francis» I'm Sorry. I really don't remember what the Kindled eyes are for.
«Pathos» It's alright. Do you perhaps remember who told you about it?
«Francis» No — truth be told, I only heard about it secondhand, through a story someone else told.
«Pathos» Mhm.
«Pathos (thinking)» Now that I think about it, this Kindled eyes isn't the only strange thing that happened to me... Those bolts of lightning...
He looked down at his hands, trying to summon the power again. Nothing happened. Not even a spark. He strained until his face flushed red, but nothing happened—not a spark. Whatever fueled that power... it wasn't there now.
«Pathos (thinking)» For some reason, I can't recreate it. where my emotions fueling this power? No. When I was fighting all I could feel was my body burning with each bolt, that *fire* became stronger and stronger every time I used that ability, especially in my hands.
He let out a frustrated sigh, tilting his head to the side as the carriage rumbled down the endless road. He could remember little about that night, but he could never forget the pain and fear he felt in that moment. He looks back at Francis.
«Pathos» I didn't even ask you why you're headed to Serras.
Francis looks at Pathos, then glances at the sky, pondering.
«Francis» Well, you see, 5 years have passed since I last saw my family and they still don't know about the pregnancy.
He starts scratching his cheek with his finger while shifting his gaze back to Pathos.
«Francis» So we thought, why not surprise them in person? I wonder what their reaction is going to be...
Francis smiles mischievously.
«Francis» Oh, you see, I have a sister, and she is...
Francis freezes and quickly examines Pathos closely.
«Francis» How old are you?
Pathos looks at Francis, trying to understand if the question was genuine or not.
«Pathos (thinking)» Huh? Where did that come from?
«Pathos» I'm thirteen.
Francis looks ahead again.
«Francis» Ah, I see. So, as I was—wait, thirteen!?
«Pathos» Yeah?
«Francis» YOU'RE THIRTEEN!?
Francis examines him again, trying to spot anything he might have missed. Now that Pathos isn't wearing that cloak, he can clearly tell he's thirteen. Francis quickly rubs his forehead with his hand wondering how can someone so young be this tall.
«Francis (thinking)» Kids nowadays keep getting taller and taller-Or is it me getting smaller?
«Francis» My apologies. I thought you were a lot older with that cloak on.
«Pathos» Ah, is that why...
«Francis» Well, as I was saying, my little sister always thought that I would never have a wife. Nor kids.
«Pathos» So you're going to prove her wrong. Is that why you're heading to Serras?
«Francis» What? N—no... it's so I can give a huge surprise to my parents.
Francis starts giggling, imagining the defeated look on his little sister's face. Pathos looks at him, and by the way he's laughing and that mischievous look on his face, Pathos can tell he's lying.
«Pathos (thinking)» Liar...
«Francis» Ah, here it is.
Pathos leaned forward, wide-eyed. In front of them loomed the massive stone walls of Serras, towering like a mountain made of bricks. It blocked most of the view, but that only made the city behind it feel more alive, more mysterious.
«Francis» Welcome to Serras.
«Pathos» I've never seen anything like this!
«Francis» First time visiting?
«Pathos» Yeah... I—
He stopped himself. The lie about his parents gnawed at him.
«Pathos» —never had the time before. I always lived in villages or desolate areas. This.....is a new experience for me.
«Francis» Mhm. If you're impressed now, just wait till we get inside. Merchants on every corner... and the ladies aren't bad either.
Before Pathos could react, Petra spun around, twisting the wet cloak in her fists.
«Petra» I heard that.
Francis raised his hands, laughing.
«Francis» Kidding, kidding! Wouldn't trade you for the world.
Petra gave a proud "hmph" and turned back. Pathos, meanwhile, stared at Francis in awe. Pathos is impressed by how smoothly Francis handled her sharp temper, much better than he did before.
«Francis» So if you're interested, you have some possibilities here.
«Pathos» Possibilities?
Francis smiles and speaks again with a calm voice.
«Francis» To find the love of your li—
«Pathos» I think it's a bit too early for that.
Francis answers back, his tone lowered by the sudden interruption.
«Francis» You didn't even let me finish my sentence...
They reach the gates where two armored soldiers signal for Francis to stop the carriage for inspection. One soldier approaches Francis, looking him up and down, while the other inspects the back.
«Soldier» Well, well, well. Francis. It's been a while since we last saw each other, hasn't it?
«Francis» It has. How have you been?
«Soldier» I've been doing good so far.
The soldier notices Pathos and stares at him for a moment, placing a hand on his waist.
«Soldier» Is this yours?
«Francis» No, he isn't. He's too tall to be mine.
«Soldier» I see.
«Francis» Real kid's still in the womb — can't show him off yet.
«Soldier» Aaaah, unfortunate.
The soldier who went to inspect the back calls out.
«Soldier 2» All clear!
«Soldier» You're free to go. Say hi to your family for me, will you?
«Francis» I will.
With a crack of the reins, the horse moved forward, pulling the carriage into the lively streets of Serras. The streets buzzed with life, just like Francis said — carriages rumbled along the roads while people on foot crowded the sides. Multiple shops lined the entrances, and one in particular stood out, full of colorful flowers of all shapes and sizes. People talked, people traded. Pathos held onto the edges of the carriage just to get a better look at everything. He sniffed the air around him as he passed by that shop, but that wasn't the only thing he smelled. From the other side of the road, another shop stood out. Outside of that shop, multiple types of meat were laid on display. The smell of fresh meat as he passed by filled his nose, and his mouth started watering in response.
«Pathos» Wow...
«Francis» I told you.
«Pathos» I didn't expect it to be this cheerful. It's beautiful.
«Francis» I'm glad.
«Pathos (thinking)» This place is amazing! I wish Dad and Mom could be here to see this...
Pathos's smile faded. His chest tightened as the memory came back — why he was really here Pathos sits down properly, remembering that he isn't here to have fun. He is here to search for someone that can help him.
«Pathos (thinking)» I'm not here to have fun... I need to find Jhoel — before they find me.
Elsewhere, a horse gallops through the mist. Two soldiers ride together, their destination unclear. Both wear the same emblem that Pathos bears on his cloak. One controls the reins while the other stands behind him, holding on lazily. He yawns.
«Soldier 2» What a pain in the ass. I could have stayed home with my wife.
«Soldier riding» Blame the other squadron. We didn't get any information, so we had to check it out ourselves.
«Soldier 2» I know.
Soldier 2 sighs heavily.
«Soldier 2» I swear to God, if they're still alive and just forgot, I'm beating their asses.
«Soldier riding» I doubt that.
«Soldier 2» Huh? Why?
«Soldier riding» Look ahead.
The second soldier frowns in confusion, then sees it—the village sprawled out before them, littered with corpses, both villagers and comrades. He is shocked, but oddly impressed.
«Soldier 2» Oh. So something *did* happen.
«Soldier riding» My suspicion was right.
They ride into the village—the same one Pathos had left behind. Death hung thick in the air, heavy and suffocating. Flies buzzed greedily over the bloated bodies, some crawling into gaping mouths and hollow, empty eyes.
«Soldier 2» Ugh... I've seen my share of corpses, but this many in one place? Never. What do you think happened here?
«Soldier riding» Hard to say. But judging by their wounds, they didn't fight someone with a sword. No... whoever did this didn't use any weapon at all.
«Soldier 2» A monster, then?
«Soldier riding» No. If it were a monster, there wouldn't be any bodies left. This problem is much bigger than we thought.
«Soldier 2» Explain.
«Soldier riding» It's possible that one of our targets has learned to use the Prometeo.
«Soldier 2» Someone who can use the Prometeo... Interesting.
«Soldier riding» Let's head back and report this. We'll probably have to track this guy down.
The rider glances around, his eyes narrowing as he spots fresh footprints pressed into the damp earth.
«Soldier riding» Oh?