XXV — Float

“Oi, Sam, ya gotta see this!”

Sam heard the voice of Roger and set out after he had paused for a while to remember who he would be facing off against.

Gerwyn.

The empire’s dog. It was easier to call him the empress’s bloodhound.

He went through a small cloak from where Roger had wanted to see him peer through and could not believe what he saw.

Children.

Possibly orphaned.

They had been hiding inside the old clocktower that remained sturdy even after the conquest Gerwyn had. Perhaps the clocktower had seen many things, and it was the strongest fort the kids could run to, as maybe they were instructed by their parents, for their survival.

They all looked at Roger, still shocked and scared.

Some of them were crying for their parents who likely perished in the ashes. Others were simply scared and separated from guardians. Some already orphaned children were more wary, shielding the ones who had been crying.

From up above the hill, Kat had been panting out of mana exhaustion. Her vessel which housed a high mana capacity wasn’t enough to take in continuous and long, let alone high emissions, of magic channeled through her from the blessing of nature via the Great Mother.

Ellen had been continually nursing her with restoration magic as they slowly went down the hill, Kat having extinguished most of the flames that came around. When they slowly walked towards the harbor, they found Roger and Sam standing by at the old clocktower.

Seeing Kat panting out of exhaustion and mana deficiency, Roger rushed over to help her up as Ellen made her way to where Sam was. When she saw the sight that beheld her, she couldn’t believe her eyes, maybe even thinking her retinas had been lying to her.

Several children, either scared or wary, were hiding inside the old clocktower.

Sam looked at Ellen.

“We just found them.”

“Orphans?”

“Maybe,” Sam looked down and towards the carnage that struck the harbor. “Some of them, their parents…”

Ellen saw through them, and didn’t have to fill in what Sam said. It was exactly the same cruelty Gerwyn had committed when she saw Sam in the rubble of a tumbled house.

“I figured.”

“What are we gonna do now?”

Ellen paused. Usually people would ask her what she wanted to do next. But now Sam is offering a chance, a chance to help in ensuring these children’s survival will be achieved, not by her own efforts alone, not even by just the three of them, but alongside Sam’s.

He was willing to pay it forward to them, himself knowing that he must continue to become what he had strived to become: a protector, yet also remembering that they would be there for each other. Together.

“Together,” Ellen echoed. “We save them all, together. Give them refuge.”

Sam nodded. He slowly knelt down and told one of the kids that they were merchants selling through this port, and were about to sell through the port again, when they’d seen the carnage.

Ellen listened closely to how Sam had been engaging with the children, seeing them go from wary to somewhat trusting to acknowledging that he wasn’t evil. She remembered he initially vilified himself thinking he was the cause of her own misfortunes, but after seeing him like this, she realized how far his kindness stretched.

He wasn’t some big strong man, he was just a man. He had blessings of magic but again he was just a man.

And he’d been carrying this kindness for so long.

She helped him out, accelerating how much the kids trusted them, and sooner than they realized, they all treaded out of the clocktower up to the hill.

Kat tugged on Sam’s shirt.

“Big Bro Sam,” she opened. Leaning closer to him, she pulled him into a hug and with tears falling down her cheeks she said. “I’m scared Big Bro Sam, what if our home gets…?”

Sam didn’t give her a chance to finish. He patted her head, the other children attempting to give her some assurance as well.

“Don’t worry, Kat. We’ll make sure that won’t happen.”

Sam’s tone nearly reflected Diana’s. Even he was surprised; he didn’t think he had it in him, but his soul knew he had it in him.

“Y-You really think w-we can do it?”

“I don’t just think, Kat,” Sam replied. “I know we can.”

—————————————

Roger tapped Ellen’s shoulder. A gesture that she only returned after she snapped back to reality surrounded by children struck with soot and grime, some with tears.

“What are we gonna do Senpai? Ain’t no way we’re sellin’ if the place went up n’ popped…”

Ellen had heard how Roger had spoken. He didn’t seem like the confused angry type that he would have been. Moreover, he was gesturing to the children they had rescued. He wasn’t trying to find a solution to get it over with, he was concerned for the children.

She paused. She couldn’t think of anything that she could do with the lanterns they had brought.

She approached Sam.

“Sam,” she began, not knowing if he ever had a solution to their dilemma. “We don’t have any place for these lanterns. We can’t sell them, what are we gonna do?”

Sam paused. He didn’t know what to do with them either, but knowing Ellen herself asked him that question, he knew he needed to act on something.

They had promised to back each other up after all.

Sam, who had no clue what to do with it.

Ellen, who also had no clue.

Roger who asked the question himself.

And then there was Kat, who had an idea.

“How about we fly the sky lanterns…?”

Sam paused. Letting these many sky lanterns fly means all the hard work and dedication the kids had agreed to do were only for naught, they would’ve possibly been dismayed or found out that something was wrong—

His mind alighted. Sam grabbed Ellen’s hand.

“We should do this.”

“But why? It’s such a waste to waste them all here.”

“Ellen, look at me,” Sam gazed intently at Ellen, who slowly started to blush by the sudden burst of determination he had in him.

“You told me you carried the light amongst yourselves. Maybe it’s time we show it?”

Sam was gentle with his suggestion. And he was right. Maybe the time was nigh to show anyone whoever looked up into the glistening starry sky, of a sky full of lighters.

Lighters, that represented them wholly.

Ellen nodded and looked back to Roger, who would usually hesitate doing it for the same reasons Ellen would. Instead he nodded, and the children who were tugging onto themselves stared up at them, the four realizing that they also wanted to partake in the lighting.

Some of them had seen the lanterns before. Some of them wanted to see the lanterns float and light up the night sky.

Kat started it herself.

She didn’t have a strong affinity for fire magic, but she had enough mana left to wish for the Great Mother’s blessing.

She closed her eyes, mana coating around her fingers after she had lifted up one of the lanterns. Slowly it rose, and the rest of them looked in awe, in the dreams that they carried and lost, in the future that they wished. They wished upon the lantern.

The others followed suit. Sam had carried a knife he used to spark with an arrow that lit up the rest of the lanterns.

Each one of them steadily lifted up into the sky.

As the stream of lighters filled the sky, the townspeople stopped to be in awe, and the older members of the town began to realize what the archer among them had been fighting for.

Sam, in turn, lit the final lantern. Its mana crystal trapping the flame generated from himself as he and Ellen lifted it up. It started trailing behind them, but soon after became the tailbone of the lighters.

As they looked up at the night sky, stars coalescing with the lanterns forming a beautiful pure landscape on the canvas of deep blue, Sam and Ellen locked hands.

Now they know what it felt to become a beacon of hope.

A true symbol of courage.

And none of them, none of the children nor the townspeople, would ever exchange this for anything.

Sam and Ellen locked hands, all the dreams and aspirations that they’ve poured onto the sky lanterns now visible to those who could see.

With this, Sam, despite his earlier misgivings and hatred for Gerwyn, was now ready.

He will not agree to having his family taken away from him anymore.