Boboiboy: Elemental Tales

Under the Shadow [DQ AU]

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***

"What colour is the sky?"

"Red."

"What colour are trees?"

"Brown and grey."

"What colour is water?"

"Murky brown."

"What colour is grass?"

"... I don't know, mama."

***

He was on his way back from the food cart when it happened.

A clatter, yelling, footsteps pounding on the dusty street. A cloaked figure speeding his way, apple in hand, two Grey Guards on their tail.

Gempa instantly dropped his meagre bundle of groceries behind a crumbled wall and ducked into a shadowy alleyway. As he watched, the figure stumbled over a large crack in the ground. The Guards took the opportunity to whip out slingshots and greyish egg-shaped capsules, and aimed.

The figure passed by the alleyway's mouth. Gempa yanked them in sharply, making the hood fall off in the process. Two capsules impacted the ground where they'd just been, splattering lethal poison all over the cracked stones.

They didn't stick around to get a similar gift. The two of them raced deeper into the alley, turning often to make sure the Guards couldn't get a clear shot. The shouting at their backs became progressively more annoyed.

While running, Gempa levelled a supremely unimpressed look at his younger brother. Blaze, thankfully, had the sense to look sheepish.

A short time afterwards, Gempa became aware of another figure hopping across rooftops, treetops and fences just ahead of them. Blaze noticed too, and their path veered to follow the flapping cloak.

The figure abruptly disappeared, and a moment later Gempa and Blaze came across a sturdy rope hanging over a brick wall. They both scrambled up and pulled it back behind the wall with them - just in time for the Grey Guards to run past, none the wiser. Hopefully they wouldn't realise they'd lost the scent until it was too late.

After making sure they were safe, Gempa breathed a sigh of relief through his nose and turned to face their saviours.

"Duri. Taufan." His tone was flat. "How did you know where to find us?"

The second-eldest sibling rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "We were, uh, watching out for Blaze."

Gempa raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"So he could steal from the Shadow Lord?"

"We didn't think anyone would be watching the carts around this time!" Taufan yelped, holding his hands up placatingly, "How were we supposed to know they switched up the patrol schedules?"

"Besides, it's not like his servants can't spare a few apples." Duri added, disdainful eyes shifting in the direction of the palace, "Apples that our people grew, I might add."

Gempa pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"You know what? Never mind. We've had this conversation enough times already." He sighed, "No one was caught, no one got hit by Blister poison, no one has a bounty on their heads. Good enough. Let's just get home before curfew."

With that, he started herding his siblings through the rubble of the old, destroyed pottery, glancing worriedly at the setting sun.

They steadfastly ignored the Shadow Lord's brand printed onto the one standing wall, even as the sight made ever-present anger boil up in the chests of even the most cheerful among them. After all, resistance never led to anything but painful death. A lifetime under the Shadow Lord's rule had taught them that well.