HOSTILE

After taking a nice, warm bath, Sam sat on his bed and looked around his single bedroom. It barely changed since he left three years ago; the closet in front of him had the tiny dent he made when he accidentally bumped the handle of his blade against it. On the table next to him were a stack of papers - drawings of his dreams and nightmares. He reached out for them before flipping through the fading sketches. His first drawing - a house in the forest; the image of the quaint, little building is still etched in his mind. The second was a massive tree with flame-like leaves and a shining iron trunk. He tried searching for any information about the strange tree but found nothing. At first, he dismissed it as a case of an imagination running wild, but the tree kept on reappearing in his dream day by day, so that he could feel its scorching heat sticking to his skin.

The moment of silence, however, was disturbed by the knocking on the front door. Sam got up, feeling slightly anxious at the unexpected visit. Was it Cindar on the other side, waiting for him to come out? “He can’t possibly be that stupid,” Sam muttered. He pressed his hand against the door to open it and was immediately surprised by the sight of the Nightingale siblings standing outside his room.

“Man, you look like someone died,” said Rupert.

“I was actually expecting someone different,” Sam replied.

“How did it go with Cindar? Judging from your expression, it did not go well,” Lucy remarked.

“The man’s obsession with me hasn’t diminished over the years. Perhaps that’s the reason he has two new wrinkles on his forehead.”

“I don’t get it. He’s already a talented and skilled warrior. Plus, he has the support of the Overlord himself. What does he have against you?” Rupert inquired.

“Honestly, at this point, I have no idea,” said Sam, shrugging his shoulders. “So, what are you up to? Sneaking around the Tower, looking for trouble?”

“Is it that obvious?” the elder Nightingale laughed before he was elbowed by his younger sibling.

“We’re heading to the Dining Hall to grab some grub. Just wondering if you would like to tag along?” Lucy asked.

“We just had dinner earlier. You know what? That sounds like a good idea. Let me go get my stuff.” Sam briskly made his way to the table to grab his sword, giving one last hurried look at his drawing. Perhaps it was just a dream, he thought, or at least, that was what he tried to tell himself. “Right, let’s go.”

“Do you think he will be in the Dining Hall? Not that I’m counting on it, of course,” said Lucy.

“Going on a crusade, are we?” Sam responded.

“I wouldn’t phrase it like that, but it’s just…Cindar has constantly been giving us a hard time. Nagging and complaining about how we are not fit to be here, and we are an embarrassment to our parents. I was mad at first, but then it’s getting rather annoying.”

“Oh, is that why you broke his jaw?” Rupert interjected.

“No, I broke his jaw because he was making lewd remarks about the female fledglings. I say he got off easy because if it were Rowanna, she would have cut off his tongue and fed it to him.”

“Knowing how intense Rowanna is, I think it will go south almost immediately, and by that, I mean, literally,” Sam added.

**********************************************

Located on the third floor, the Dining Hall was the social hub for the residents of the Tower. 50 round tables are scattered all over the room; most of them were occupied with returnees.

“It’s much livelier than before, don’t you think?” Lucy brought up.

On the far right of the room, a man stood from his seat and started laughing his lungs out. “Hah! Pay up!”

“You got lucky, Darren! LUCKY!” another man exclaimed.

Lucy scratched her head before letting out a deep sigh. “As noisy as ever.”

“It’s Darren being Darren. Hm, I wonder if he is still making shipments of the Fragrant Mangoes,” said Rupert.

“I don’t think it’s the Fragrant Mangoes season. If it is, the entire Dining Hall will be stuffing their faces with those fruits.”

“Which is a good thing,” Sam jumped in. “Those fruits make people do some crazy stuff. It’s a miracle the Council hasn’t banned their consumption.”

“And deny the people a little distraction from their chaotic lives? Yeah, that’s not gonna fly,” Rupert chuckled.

“There, a vacant table. Come on,” said Lucy.

The trio walked past a few curious gazes, but compared to before, none of them seemed to mind his presence. As he took a seat with the Nightingales, a blue holographic interface manifested in front of them, listing all the available foods and beverages.

“At least, there’s no more oatmeal porridge-Oh wait, there it is,” Sam grumbled. “I bet it tasted better than the one Markus made.”

“Please don’t bring up that abomination ever again,” Lucy retorted, her gag reflex acting up.

“Honestly, aside from the taste, I kinda enjoy it,” said Rupert, shocking his sister and Sam.

“Are you serious? It tasted like a mix of vomit and warm piss. I don’t know what Markus put in there, but by God, it was pretty ghastly,” Lucy uttered with disgust. She then swiftly pressed a few buttons on the interface, causing it to momentarily turn green. “There, I’ve already put up my order.”

Sam glanced at the main door as it swung open, and his heart immediately stopped when he saw Cindar pompously enter the hall. The entire room went silent; every single soul glared at the man as if he were the most despicable person in the world. “Ah shit, trouble’s coming,” Sam said to the siblings.

“Good evening, gentlemen…lady,” Cindar greeted with an unsettling grin. “Don’t be alarmed. I’m not here for confrontation.”

“That’s a first,” Sam countered. “So, who put you up to this?”

“Excuse me?”

“Come on, Cindar. You’ll only talk to people if you want something or if someone forces you to do it. Who is it?”

“Is it difficult to believe that I still have a shred of decency in my heart?”

“Are you sure you want us to answer that question? Absolutely sure?” Sam asked, his eyebrows snapped together. “Contrary to what you believe, Cindar, your track records are not what I would call pristine. We have no reason to trust anything that comes out of your mouth.”

“That sounds like a ‘you’ problem, ain’t it?” Cindar lashed back. “The Council reprimanded my…misbehaviours and ordered me to apologize to you. But, it seems that will be unnecessary.”

Cindar suddenly hurled his sheathed gladius toward Sam, and the latter instinctively caught it before it hit him in the face. Rupert promptly jumped out of his seat, swinging his right hook at the crooked-nose man. However, before the fist connected, a pair of hands appeared from behind the elder Nightingale and pulled him back into his seat.

“Let us all take a deep breath and calm down,” said an authoritative, male voice.

A frown appeared on Cindar’s face as he saw a dignified young man standing behind Rupert. With only the palm of his hand, he stroked his brunette crop hair to the side – his bright, tangerine eyes were glued on Cindar.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Jason Helians, the crown prince of the Opal Sun Kingdom. This is truly an honor.”

“Flattery won’t do you any good here,” Jason said. “You know the rules: no raised blades against our own, especially in the Dining Hall. Now, I heard all of you had a pretty interesting day, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get any special treatment.”

“We’re just messing around, Your Radiance. A friendly banter, that is all.”

“Is it now? Then, you shouldn’t have any problem if I confiscate this?” Jason seized the gladius from Sam’s hands, causing Cindar to nearly lunge forward.

“You don’t have the authority to do that.”

“Since when do you care about the authority, Cindar? This blade, although incomplete, witnessed everything you have done, including the blood you spilled.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” said Cindar, smirking suspiciously.

Jason returned the gesture with his own smile. “A wise man once said that no matter how deep you buried the truth – even if it was in the deepest depths of the world - it will eventually rise to the surface. Not that it has anything to do with you, of course. Or perhaps my words might have stirred something in you – your conscience, maybe?”

“Unlike you, my conscience is clear.”

Sam huffed, prompting Cindar to glare at him. “What’s so funny, Edelweiss?”

“Nothing. It’s just…everyone in this room knows your conscience is as clear as a muddy river. So, I find your statement to be quite comical.”

“Laugh all you want. Whether you like it or not, I’ve earned my spot in the Order.”

“That remains to be seen,” Jason replied. “I’m keeping this until your Inauguration. You can go complain about it to Thomas, but I doubt he’ll be any help. He’s preoccupied with more important stuff.”

“Do as you will, Prince Jason,” Cindar muttered angrily before storming off toward the entrance.

“Thomas is not going to be happy,” Lucy commented.

“When’s the last time you saw him happy?” Jason countered before taking a seat next to Sam. “So, how are things? I heard it got pretty rowdy at the end.”

“It could have gone worse…a lot worse,” said Sam.

“Give yourself some credit. Most of the Faceless only knew about the Manglers from books and pictures. You guys had the opportunity to meet it face-to-face and live to tell the story. “

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell my sister,” Rupert jumped in. “We defeated a mighty foe, and yet, she kept on ranting about the forest.”

“I was not ranting; I was merely stating the fact. We razed a significant portion of a century-old forest, or perhaps older. An ancient ecosystem ruined in a matter of minutes – there will be a reckoning.”

“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate our triumph over evil.”

Lucy quietly stared at her brother, then shook her head. “Of course. A celebration, it is then,” she replied with a smile.

Sam glanced at Lucy worriedly. It was brief, but he caught a glimpse of the empty look in the younger Nightingale’s eyes. In that instance, he knew what was really in her mind. But before he could say anything, Jason grabbed him by the shoulder and whispered into his ear, “Not now. Give her time to sort out her feelings.”

Although reluctant at first, Sam eventually nodded his head.

“It must be nerve-wracking, waiting for the Summer Solstice. The big event of the year – The Inauguration – the moment you become an official Faceless,” Jason muttered.

“It’s not the Inauguration that worries me. It’s what comes after,” Lucy retorted.

“Ah, The Choosing. Rest assured, the three of you are skilled enough to be inducted into any of the Seven Divisions.”

“But?” said Sam, waiting eagerly for Jason to continue.

“It depends on whether or not the Seven Lords are interested in you. If two or more Lords want you, you will be lent to each Division for one year, and by the end of your terms, you will choose your preferred placement. However, there are rare cases in which none of the Lords will choose a Candidate. If that happened, the Overlord has the final word – whether to place you in any of the Seven Divisions or to send you to the Culling.”

“That’s hardly fair, isn’t it?” Rupert remarked.

“As I said, it’s rare. Even then, none of those cases ended terribly. So, there’s nothing for you to worry about…except for Cindar, of course,” Jason sighed.

“Is it true?” Sam said in a low voice. “About the cave-in?”

“There’s nothing conclusive yet. I wish I could tell you about it, but Markus will be extremely upset if I divulge anything about the investigation. Fortunately, a piece of advice is all I can give you right now: watch your back, especially when you’re alone.”

After delivering the ominous speech, the prince got up and quickly left the trio to their own devices. Lucy slumped against her chair before pinching her aching temples. “Great, this is just great. Maybe it’s the Wailing Forest’s curse – you know, for our recent tomfoolery.”

“There’s no such thing as the Wailing Forest’s curse, and you know it,” Sam responded. “As to our current predicament, we might be able to put a stop to Cindar’s constant meddling.”

“Ooh, you’ve got a plan in mind?” said Rupert excitedly.

“I do, but you’re not gonna like it.”

“That’s to be expected,” Lucy replied. “Let’s hear it, then.”