The Gem Holders

Chapter 2: An age gone by

The rustling of leaves filled the empty air, with trees dancing alongside the warm breeze that blew by, Squirrels scurried from branch to branch, insects hummed and birds whistled as they flitted through the forest. The sun slowly rose from the horizon, cascading the sky in strokes of orange and yellow. A lone house stood upon a clearing in the forest, next to it was a running river, its waters collided with the rough edges of rock, causing a soothing sound that rang throughout the woods. As the melody of nature played, inside the wooden house was a hunter and a child by the name of Sei. The hunter sat on the side of the bed, the child was lying in its soft sheets, flailing its arms playfully while he made several adorable coos. The man stared at the infant. "Hmm..." He leaned forward, "Hmm..." Sei turned towards the man, "Goo goo ga ga!" The hunter flushed in embarrassment at the realization, before he quickly stood and picked Sei up, "We need to buy you clothes."

(-)

The duo quickly made their way to the market, with Sei on Hunter's back, his arms gently wrapped around his neck, as he stared at the buzzing shops of the palace, his eyes dilated with shock and awe. "Freshly cut boar! Freshly cut boar over here!" The hunter could hear Fred speak, as he slowly skinned a boar perched on his table. "Fish! Fish! Fresh from the sea!" An old man spoke, his gaze resting upon the Hunter. The Hunter smiled but politely refused. As they continued to walk, Sei giggled happily as he pointed to a shop selling several toys, the man chuckled, "We'll buy you some later." He said, before making his way to a store that sold clothes. As he neared, he suddenly saw a crowd of people a couple of meters off. The hunter's eyebrows furrowed, "I wonder what's going on over there?" Sei let out another coo, as the hunter slowly started to make his way towards the crowd, "Let's check it out." They strode towards the horde and stopped just at the outskirts.

They glanced to see a round wooden dais, with a podium set in the middle, a pole behind it where sheets of yellow and blue cloth flowed from, tenting the platform and cascading it in shadows, its fabrics ran down where it reached the ground, several pegs keeping it in place. A man clad in royal garments stood between the rostrum and column, and a golden crown sat upon his head. His eyes were a shimmering hazel hue, with trances of a mustache growing on his face, he had well-trimmed brown hair, and limestone-colored skin. "It's the king," The hunter said, surprise evident in his tone. To the king's side was a lean man, with pompadour black hair, a chiseled jaw, thick eyebrows, onyx black eyes, and ivory-colored skin, he donned himself with pride.

Behind the man, were several more people dressed in nobility. All held their heads high, with an aura of majesty surrounding the group. "That's a lot of robes." The hunter stared at the majestic cloth, but before he could do any more gawking, the king abruptly spoke, "Citizens of Bourbeux. I have gathered you all today, to announce the death... of our heroes." His voice was laced with a thick layer of sadness, his eyes were downcast, and tears slowly formed in the corner of his eyes. The people clamored in response and shouts erupted from the crowd, anxiety gradually eating away the hope that once overtook the crowd.

"What about the threat of the demon lord?!" One of them yelled, his voice a mix of fear and anger. "How are we supposed to be safe?!" Another one shouted, causing the uproar to grow wilder. "SILENCE!" The man beside the king bellowed, his tone held authority and power, causing the crowd to go quiet as fast as a fire would go out when it felt the touch of the ocean. "The passing of our heroes... is dispiriting. They sacrificed their lives for us, in order for us to live today," The King said, his head dropping low as he was racked with grief. "However, the gems will find another champion, to carry the remnant of responsibility our heroes left behind." He clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm.

"Let us not be disheartened," The king's voice broke slightly, "We will persevere, we are not called the kingdom of hope for a reason." In the silence of grief, a glimmer of hope shone, slashing through the darkness called despair, as the people began to murmur amongst themselves. "Let us have... hope." The king turned away from the crowd to wipe a tear from his eye, before proceeding to step off the podium and leave the dais. The hunter sighed, "Another one bites the dust." The man left the muttering crowd and began striding back to the clothing store, "We really need to get you clothes." Sei giggled in response as he pointed back to the store that sold toys.