Light from the Shadow

Chapter 29

"Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere, Rishi?" The man who saved him asked.

The 12-year-old boy shook his head weakly.

"I'm sorry we have to do this to you. We think it is better to hide your eye color. No one here has golden eyes and we don't want you to get unwanted attention here." The man who would soon become his father explained.

Little Rishi nodded. He understood what the man said. Golden eyes were extremely rare. The most well-known people to have them were the descendants of the Imperial House of Mehari. And they were supposed to be dead. All of them.

"Here you go." The man took out a pair of glasses from his pocket.

The boy looked at the object in the man's hand with confused expression.

"I asked for this too just in case you need to travel outside of Remblan. The lenses are filled with magi. You know about magi? The thing that was just casted on your eyes?" The man asked again.

Rishi nodded. He read about it before in the history book back in Mehari. An ancient power that was once used in the war.

"If you stay too far from His Majesty, the magi will lose its power. But recently our scientists have found a way to trap it. I asked one of my scientist friends to make this for you, with His Majesty's permission of course."

His Majesty the King... The man that casted magi on his eyes that morning. He looked at his reflection on the windows as they passed through the Grand Hall. It was as if he was seeing an entirely different person. The tired and lifeless expression on his face. The dull colored clothes on his body. His proof of identity, the Mehari golden eyes had been replaced with a new pair of dark, black eyes.

Rishi took the glasses and lowered his head. "Thank you." He muttered.

"You can call me Qwentine." The man smiled. He put his hand on the boy's head. "The civil bureau has approved my request to adopt you as my son. We will be family from now."

"Qwentine..." Rishi repeated.

"That's right." The 32-year-old scholar said in cheerful tone. "As you know, I live alone, so there will be only the two of us."

Rishi tried on the glasses. They fitted his face perfectly.

"You look good with them." Qwentine smiled. "You don't have to wear them now though. The magi is strong enough here."

The little boy shook his head. "I want to. They are... comfortable." With the glasses on his face, Rishi felt he could take his new identity better.

"Are you sure?" Qwentine laughed. "You are a strange kid." That day, he saw the boy he picked up smiled for the first time. That was months before little Rishi started calling him "Dad."

***

"What's wrong, brother?" Lady Fusia asked the king. They were drinking together in his office. When there was no one around, he preferred his cousin to call him like how they used to call each other when they were younger.

"It's Rishi." The king muttered.

"The library guy?" The former Grand Admiral asked.

King Ekua nodded. "I'm worried about him."

"I heard he left his position here because he wanted to travel around the east." Lady Fusia recalled what her son, Jyaga, told her the other day. "Ahh.. you are worried about the recent rebellion there? But it has nothing to do with him? As long as he doesn't poke into things he shouldn't." She laughed. "You know he is quite a bold young man..."

Lady Fusia tilted her glass and sipped her wine. "Why are you suddenly thinking about him?"

The king did not answer.

His cousin let out a sigh. She knew no matter how close they were, there were things that he could not just talk to anyone, not even to his closest family. "He will be alright. Anyway, Jyaga and Ayna will reach Solbaru soon. We should wait for their news." She added, trying to comfort him.

King Ekua smiled and nodded. "I hope so." He still remembered the day he first met Rishi. A little boy hiding behind Qwentine. After learning about his origin, he decided to hide the surviving royal in Remblan and casted his magi on his eyes to hide his identity. That was the least he could do for him, he thought back then.

"I hope they all return safely." He added softly.

The king turned to the big window behind him. He could see the moon slowly hiding behind the dark clouds. A moment later, a series of lightning flashed and he could hear thunders rumbling in the distance. A storm was coming.

***

"That's enough, Helten!" Ares shouted at her husband.

The crown prince ignored her warning and swung his sword, stopping only inches away from Rishi's neck. "Have you come to kill us? Were you behind those traitors?" He meant the people who recently raised their swords against the empire.

Rishi wiped the blood from his lips and sneered at him. "If your father is doing his job right, the rebellion wouldn't happen, would it? Please don't blame his incompetence on me."

"You bastard!! How dare you insult the emperor?!!!" Helten grabbed Rishi's collars. The librarian just laughed.

"He is no emperor. He is a murderer." Rishi glared at him. His golden eyes showed no fear in front of the Solbaru royal.

"I should have killed you with my own hand back then." He lifted his sword and was ready to cut off the former royal's head. "Die!"

"STOP!!!!" A voice came from behind. Someone grabbed Helten's arm that was holding the blade. The prince was caught in surprise. He was not aware that someone was behind him.

Rishi recognized the voice. Before he could call out the name, Helten's sword had already slashed the person behind him. It happened so fast that no one had the chance to do anything to stop it. Blood splattered and the body slumped to the floor.

Rishi could feel his heart pounded heavily. It was as if someone had dropped a heavy metal weight on him. He heard another voice he recognized.

"QWENTINE!!!" The voice screamed.