Star Sun Cave

Ch. 41 - Dancing Fools

A few days passed since Pagonia's and Ingenius' admission to the inn, and Eryk was left alone in the pure wonder of what to do with all his free time. No one demanded answers when it came to Demonear matters, and his loyal guard, Lamon, hadn't shown his face in quite a while.

Most hours, the Nuil sat in his chamber, his head on his palm thinking about whatever currently sprinted through his mind, be it, the castle, the city of Magna, its people or their jobs, and how things could pan out. Whenever he found nearly a plausible answer, he'd get distracted by... something else. That, being a feeling he couldn't describe.

Perhaps it was guilt or a memory which pulled him away from unearthing a certain truth, nevertheless, the frustration with the lack of anything solitary usually led him right to the kitchen, which opposed his usual stance.

He'd put his anger and sorrows into sustenance, taking large bites and ordering big portions, refusing to eat anything else for today. Afterwards, he'd head back to his chamber, now lumped on his bed and forcing himself to sleep through twelve hours, avoiding any potential overthinking.

This day, however, was a little different. The sun cascaded through the tinted panes and shone on Eryk's distraught face. He squinted his eyes right as they opened and sat up, staring down at the tiled floor. With one loud breath, followed by a weary sigh, he crawled out, grabbed the wooden crutch from the right-hand side and waddled to his washroom, dipping in the circular bath.

Thirty minutes later, now bearing his usual Nuil attire, the Tukman moved out from the castle gates and to that one singular place he thought of when the word refuge and calmness came to mind. One would think he'd mention the Tukman Woods, but with the changing times, he pretty much found himself abandoning the idea, deeming that from what happened a year ago, the flora was ruined.

So, he headed to the fountain with his statue. The sun from above gleamed bright atop blue skies, with patterned and layered clouds swiftly moving by the calm and breezy winds. There were lots of people out in the streets, children playing on the stone ground, drawing little flowers or moons with coloured charcoal, mothers sitting on the adjacent benches, watching over as their kids joyously fooled about.

There stood and walked fathers, whispering to each other and pointing to the Midcity Bar, some successfully sneaking out of their parental duties. Some kids scoured the various market stalls, splattered around Midcity and Handulia. To put it simply, Gorro was in full swing, and Eryk could feel it on the bits of his skin that progressively grew warmer. He tried smiling at the sight, yet, no emotion managed to find itself squeezing through the vast tides.

Finally, the Nuil made it to the fountain, hearing muffled music in the distance. With events, came the bands, all celebrating the arrival of the happier days, or waiting for someone to throw a couple of silver in their baskets. It seemed that, wherever Eryk's gaze found itself, that place was full of sparkle, tinted by the smiles of the people passing through, laughing about the simplest of things in life.

So why couldn't he be happy?

Eryk sighed, staring into the water, unable to bear the weight of glancing at the statue. Unfortunately for him, however, its reflection bounced into his eyes, now a bit distorted, and perhaps unfamiliar.

As if the statue itself never really portrayed the true Eryk.

Finally, the Nuil glimpsed up, peering at his likeness, high and mighty, holding a sharp Tukman sword in one hand and bearing the familiar book full of set rules in the other. His eyes were sharp but suggested a rather calm and approachable glint.

Eryk raised an eyebrow, scratching his forehead, and sighing out.

"Hello, Nuil!" A woman passed by, and Eryk turned his head. "A beautiful day, isn't it?" she asked, with a bright beam from ear to ear. Before he could form an answer, she disappeared among the crowds.