Shimos' Past

The campfire crackled softly as silence fell over the group. Shimos sat with his knees pulled up, staring into the flames as if they were windows to another life.
Mira broke the silence.“You… You’re really a Velhart. I can’t believe it.”
Shimos nodded without looking up.
“Yeah. Shimos Velhart. The name used to mean something. Used to.”
I looked between the two of them.“Okay, seriously, someone fill me in. What’s a Velhart? Is that like… a celebrity family or something?”
Mira turned to me, her expression a mix of respect and fear.
“The Velhart family is one of the five great noble houses of the Western Kingdom. Known for their mastery of elemental magic and control over magical relics. Some say they were descendants of the first mage born in this world.”
I blinked.“...And you’re telling me this guy got banished from that kind of family? What, did he forget to water the family mana tree or something?”
Shimos gave a soft, bitter chuckle.“I wish it was that simple.”
He finally looked up at us. His expression wasn’t angry or sad — just… tired.
“I was born as the third son of the Velhart family. Not the heir, but still important. I was gifted — more so than my older brothers. I had high mana affinity, learned spells faster, and I… I questioned too much.”
“Questioned what?” Mira asked.
“Traditions,” he replied. “Our family is obsessed with power and legacy. But they do terrible things in the name of maintaining status — sacrificing people, hoarding relics, manipulating kings behind the scenes. I didn’t want any part of that.”
I nodded slowly. “So… you rebelled?”
“I exposed them,” he said simply. “Tried to. Spoke out during a royal council meeting. Thought I’d be protected. But instead... they twisted the story. Made me look like I was corrupted by forbidden magic. Said I’d tried to curse my father.”
“Classic nobles,” I muttered. “Throw you under the carriage wheels the moment you threaten their image.”
Shimos clenched his fists.“They erased everything. My name was scrubbed from the records. My belongings seized. I was exiled from the capital under guard and dumped into this jungle to die.”
There was silence again. Only the fire dared to speak.
“...How long have you been here?” Mira asked softly.
“A year. Maybe more. I lost count. I survived by using the very magic they tried to suppress — wind and fire. The jungle became my teacher.”
I leaned back and whistled.“Well… guess you’re not just some jungle hobo after all. You’re a full-on banished noble badass.”
Shimos chuckled again, this time with a little warmth.
“I didn’t expect to see people here again, let alone be sitting at a campfire eating stew.”
“Well,” I grinned, “welcome to the party. We’re weird, dysfunctional, and possibly in danger most of the time, but at least we’re not alone.”
Mira smiled faintly. “You’re not the only one with a heavy past. Maybe… you were meant to find us.”
Shimos stared at her for a second, then looked at both of us.
“Maybe. If you’ll have me… I’d like to travel with you.”
I stood up and raised my hand dramatically.“As long as you don’t randomly shoot fireballs at me again — you’re in.”
And just like that, our duo became a trio.
But little did we know… someone else was watching us from deep within the jungle.