by Za1d3
She cried.
Suddenly the dream shifted, and it was her in that exact position. Four boys were grinning as they kicked her. One held her mouth so she couldn’t yell for help. Deep inside of her, she feared for her life. She screamed inside with all her might, for what felt like an eternity, her screams rang out for help. Suddenly, a voice shattered the painful dream. She felt her body refreshed and the pain disappeared. Her brother was there with her. He had helped her, and they were both walking back home, happily laughing.
Her mind wavered at such bliss. That was not her reality. She remembered the position she had been in. Her brother was not there to help her. He was laying in his bed, still recovering from the injuries he had sustained. Her happiness shattered, and the pain came back. She fought with all her might to escape.
“-s…. ight… ery… kay…” she heard a familiar voice.
“It’s alright. Everything is okay.” She heard it clearly this time. There was a warmth to the voice. She could also feel a warm sensation right next to her, supporting her.
“Big brother?” she spoke, as she tried to open her drowsy eyes.
“Are you feeling better?” The familiar voice asked her.
Rubbing her eyes to wake herself up, she turned to see a young boy. One even younger than herself.
Sleek black hair that fell down to his eyebrows, a childish face that was in the process of evolving, and wearing plain clothes that was common amongst the populace.
He turned to look at her, then gently sat her on a crate.
The girl looked around, they were in an alley.
“NO! NO!!!!! PLEASE DON’T!!” she cried out, remembering what happened. His small hands quickly shot forth to grasp hers to calm her down. A strength belying his small stature.
“Please… no more…” she begged, on the verge of tears.
“It’s okay now. No one’s going to hurt you.” The boy spoke, his calm voice soothing her.
“What is your name?” He asked.
“C-Ce-Celene V-Valnur.” She managed.
“Good. Do you know where you live, Celene?” a coaxing voice that calmed and reassured.
“Y-yes… 3rd w-ward, Dryva district…” she answered.
“Well then, let’s get you home.” He held out a hand to her.
She walked in silence, holding onto the younger boy’s hand. The fear and panic inside of her had subsided. She noticed that there was no pain in her body and that there was something strange about the boy. She wanted to ask, but she was too afraid to do so: whether it be about him, how he got her out of that horrific situation, or what happened to her injuries. They walked in silence until they reached her house.
The Dryva district is another residential area bordering the shopping district. The difference between Dryva and that of the other districts were that: it was where the wealthy of the 3rd ward lived. Large houses—almost comparable with the manors of nobles—rose side by side, many were even gated, and stationed with guards.
“Then I will take my leave.” The young boy spoke, as they reached Celene’s house.
“T-thank you…” she replied. Questions for the boy warred in her mind, trying to get out, but none prevailed.
…
Seeing the boy leaving,
“M-May I have your n-name?” was all she could muster in her state.
“I am Kaidus Paltos.” The boy replied, as he walked away.
Chapter 27 – Consequences
“Find the boy who did this to my son. Use any means necessary.” A well-dressed man spoke solemnly to those around him. His face distorted angrily, as he looked at the sleeping young man in front of him.
“Yes sir.” Three men responded, before promptly leaving the room.
Seven broken ribs, a cracked sternum, and a punctured lung. Using his wealth, he had hired the best physicians around to treat his son—his heir. The bones had been set, and the puncture stitched up, but his son was now unconscious.
‘A child…’ he thought to himself.
The sole person who had gotten out of the ordeal unscathed, had also begged and cried as he gave his recollection of what happened. A monster in the form of a child assaulted the four of them in the alley, dealing such damage to his son and two of his son’s friends. Strangely, the boy had begged for them to not pursue the attacker, as if fearing for his life.
“I will find this ‘monster’, and make him pay for what he’s done!” The man vowed in anger, smashing a fist into the nightstand by the bed.
The similar incident last Zali—which his son took part in—was already forgotten.
——————-
“Kaidush! Look! Birdy!” Anise pointed to the sky.
A large flock of small birds was flying above Ferrent, flying low enough that Kaidus recognized what they were.
The annual Lippar migration was here.
Tiny exotic birds of greenish gold for females, and blackish silver for males. They were nomadic birds, and always appeared around the turn of Hiso. They inhabit the surrounding forests and gorged on insects before moving onto a different forests around Darsus.
“I guess it’s that time of the year again.” Kaidus spoke to himself, as he watched as the cloud of Lippars grew larger and blanket the sky.
“Kaidush, can Anish have a burd?” Anise asked, not taking her eye off the spectacle.
“Maybe if you’re a good girl.” He replied back.
“Anish ish a good gurl!” she pouted.
“I know.” Kaidus answered, a big smile on his face—showing that he was joking.
He cupped his hands together, and stretched it out to his little sister. With a thought, he willed mana into the cupped hands.
Kaidus motioned for Anise to put her hands under his. She did so, and he opened his. A tiny wooden Lippar fell into her cupped hands.
“WAAA!!! Can I have it?!?” Anise beamed back, her eyes were overjoyed.
“Of course. I made it for you.” He smiled.
The Paltos siblings were currently at home, watching the migration through the living room window. Kaidus had been reading while Anise played with some toys that Adalina bought her. Adalina herself was sitting on a chair nearby, sewing a new dress for Anise.
*knock knock!* someone was at the door.
‘Who could that be?’ Adalina wondered, as she got up to get the door.
“Hello madam, is this the Paltos residence?” a stranger asked. There were two of them—a man and a woman.
“Yes it is, and who might you two be?”
“We are mages from the 11th ward Mystiks Guild. We would like to ask you a couple questions. Is that alright?” the female responded. On their right chest, they each wore a silver badge with a symbol on it.
“Yes, of course. How may I help you?” Adalina replied.
“Were you and your children in the shopping district five days ago? Around the afternoon?” The woman questioned.
“Five days ago…yes. Yes we were.”
“What were you doing?”
“Buying ingredients for lunch and dinner…” Adalina answered, not sure where the questions were going.
“What about your son?” The man asked.
“What about my son?” she questioned.
“Was he also out shopping with you?” the man asked again.
“No. As I recall, he separated from me and my daughter, and went to a book-.” Adalina stopped. She was feeling uneasy about this. “Sorry. May I ask what this is about?” She inquired.
“Of course. Around noon five days ago, three young man were beaten horribly in an alley near the outskirts of the shopping area. We are just following some leads that brought us here.” The man replied.
“…W-Why here? What does that have to do with us?” Adalina was dreading the answer.
“We were called over to investigate this event three days ago. One of the victims had injuries that would be impossible without magic. The only witness mentioned a young boy with black hair who used magic to attack the
m.”
Adalina’s body went limp.
As if on cue, Kaidus came over to the door. “Is everything alright?”
“K-Kaidus…” Adalina barely managed his name.
“You are Kaidus Paltos?” The woman asked, a hint of surprise in her voice as she scrutinized him.
“Yes I am.” Kaidus answered, gazing back at the woman.
“We have information that you have awoken? And that you are currently going to Zorin academy?” The woman queried, almost doubtful.
“Yes.” Kaidus simply replied, not tearing away the gaze.
“Are you aware of an attack a couple days ago in an alley off of Trilsuv Street?” The woman added.
“Yes.” Kaidus calmly replied.
“Were… you involved”? The woman got to the point of the matter.
“Yes I was.” Another calm answer, precise and honest.
Adalina’s knees buckled at the confession.
“For what reasons did you attack the boys?” the woman questioned. She was looking at him differently now. Unsure what to make of the brazen reply.
“I did it in self-defense.” Kaidus answered. Not wavering, or showing an ounce of regret.
“Self-defense?” The man spoke up. It was the first time they heard of any such thing.
“I was cutting through the alley, and they attacked me. I merely fought back.” Kaidus replied with a straight face. He did not want to lie, but he didn’t want to drag the poor girl who had gone through so much pain into this mess. Also, it was mostly the truth. They did attacked him first.
“…” they two mages were not sure what to make of it.
“M-My son would never do such a thing without reasons.” Adalina had managed to pick herself off the ground, and moved to hold Kaidus as she defended him.
“…that is the first we’ve heard of you fighting back in self-defense. Using magic maliciously to attack others is a serious offense. I’m sure you know that. Yet, if it was for self-defense, considering your age, there may be justifications.” The man spoke.
“The point of this investigation is to find the culprit and bring them to trial. Would you be willing to explain your side of the incident in a trial?” the woman asked him, curiosity and doubt both showing on her face.
“Who am I to be judged by?” Kaidus promptly asked.
There were three different types of trials.
One is a trial judged by the people of the ward you live in. This sort of trial normally encases: domestic violence, disputes, theft, various damages, murders, fraud, etc… pretty much anything that has to do with any crime. The offenders are judged by those in their own ward, and is the most common trial for both commoners and nobles.
The second is a trial judged by members of the Mystiks guild. This usually happens when someone is abusing magic.
The third is the royal court. Offenders are brought before the King himself, and judged by him. This is where disputes between nobles usually ended up, along with uncertain disputes between high profile people in Ferrent.
“The Mystiks guild will oversee your trial. A messenger will deliver you the time and place.” The woman answered.
“Understood.” Kaidus calmly replied.
“NO! PLEASE! There must be something else!” Adalina pleaded.
The Mystiks guild held the highest authority in Ferrent when it came to magic. At best, Kaidus would be freed without any problems. But if guilty, they would brand him as a dangerous element, and exile him. She has heard many stories from Lady Reanne of nobles who are found guilty of abusing magic, and sent to other continents as exiles.
“The decision have already been made during the beginning of our investigation. With that, our search comes to an end. Good luck at the trial.” The woman replied to Adalina’s pleas. The two mages promptly turned around, and walked away.
They had been searching for the boy for three days already. It was only through their connection with Zorin academy, which they learned of a young mage. With that contact, they were able to trace the boy’s name back to where he lived. For him to have admitted to his crimes so easily, they were thankful that they did not have to resort to more violent means.
Two days later, a messenger arrived at the Paltos residence. The trial would take place at noon on the 34th within the 3rd ward. Three days before the end of Hiso.
————————-
It was nearing the afternoon, and Kaidus was sitting in a large room filled with people. They were waiting for the judges from the Mystiks guild to arrive.
The current room was in the 3rd ward community building—located near the 3rd ward library, and is one of the largest buildings in the area. The trial is in the main hall, allowing for spectators to come and watch.
The room had two wooden podiums set on two sides—for the parties involved. There is a large desk in front of the podiums for the judges. Behind the podiums were benches for both parties, along with anyone else who would speak for them. The rest of the hall was empty of furniture, and the audience was left standing.
Troyle and Adalina were sitting next to Kaidus, with Anise on Adalina’s lap. Troyle had gotten the day off to come stand by his son for the trial.
Opposite of their position sat four angry families, and the boy who was unharmed. The boy was begging his parents to let him leave. Making eye contact with Kaidus, the boy started crying in fear—it only infuriated his parents.
Earlier when they saw each other, the angry parents had threaten to overrun the Paltos family. Lucky for them, the guards quickly stepped in before Kaidus needed to do anything. With the guards now in between them, the parents were now shouting at Troyle and Adalina for being unable to discipline Kaidus.
The Paltos family sat quietly as they waited for the judges.
A large audience had gathered in the hall.
Many of those from the shopping district who knew the Paltos, were there to spectate. Others who heard of the attack and were curious to see the outcome, were also there to watch. Many people were merely there for entertainment, hoping for something dramatic.
Everyone was shocked to see that the malefactor who had caused such grievances was nothing, but a young boy. Even those from the shopping district who knew him, were shocked to hear that the calm young boy would do such a thing.
Mixed in with the crowd were a couple of nobles from the 11th ward. An immaculately dressed old man with an insignia of a sword and helmet on his coat, with three companions. Another old man with a white beard and missing his left arm, also in the company of a few people. The two groups were in the back, failing at the feeble attempt to not draw attention to themselves. They were just there to see what the boy would do, and the outcome of the trial.
Also mixed in with the crowd were: Lord Varath, Lady Reanne, Jillian, and Sylvia. The Varath family had heard about the attack, and was there to witness the outcome of the trial.
As noon rolled around, nine people came into the room. Six women, and three men. The nine of them each wore a cloak with the insignia of the Mystiks guild on it—a flaming hand. The women wore cloaks of black and red, while the men wore white and red.
“Thank you for waiting. Let us commence this trial.” A woman around her 30’s spoke up, as the group sat down.
As the trial proceeded, Kaidus did not believe what he was hearing.
The parents of the four boys were collaborating their stories. Claiming that their kids would never have provoked Kaidus, and that the injuries they received were unwarranted. They appealed that their sons were good kids, even if they’ve done some wrong in the past, and that what Kaidus did was nothing short of attempted manslaughter.
Each of the parent’s took turns going up to the podium to relay about the condition of their son, and what kind of a child they were. Spouting praises without an ounce of blemish.
This was the main goal of the vindictive families. Cooperating, the wealthier Heldeins house had used money and bribes, to force this into a public trial. They would discredit
the boy who had done this to their sons, and disgrace his whole family.
Even with one of the boy’s incessant begging to not do such a thing, the parents had gone ahead with the plan.
“And the side of the offender?” The woman sitting in the middle of the desk—facing both parties—spoke up, gesturing to the Paltos family.
Troyle quickly stood up to defend his son.
“Dad, please. Let me explain myself.” Kaidus request, also getting up.
Troyle heard the resolve in his son’s voice. He had heard about the problem from Adalina during dinner the day she learned of it. They both listened Kaidus’s short recount of the engagement. He knew his son would not do something like this without proper cause. Although he did not know what the cause was, he was confident in his son. Troyle sat back down, and allowed his young son to defend himself.
“You want to speak for yourself?” one of the judges spoke. Astonishment in her voice, at the young boy who took the stand.
“Yes.” Kaidus replied.
Surprise flew about the faces of the judges. They were not expecting such a young child—even after hearing about the case. For said child to calmly walk up to the podium, and ask to speak for his own defense, it was quite the unusual trial.
“Very well… can you tell us what happened on the 20th of Hiso, in an alley near Trilsuv Street? What you were doing, and how did this incident come about?” Another judge asked.
The audience watched with abated breath, as the young culprit took the stand.
“Of course. I was on my way to the ‘Waylaying Pages’ book store. Using a path I normally take to avoid the rush of shoppers in the early afternoon, I ran across the four of them in the alley.” Kaidus calmly conveyed the first part of the engagement.
“Noticing that something was wrong, I approached the boys to investigate. Unable to divert me away with threats, three of them attacked me. In my surprise, I retaliated in self-defense. Upon seeing what they were doing, I simply gave them what they deserved.” He finished off his defense, not going into details.