The Butterfly Effect [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 2 ー Anzen Rozu

❀✿

Sᴏʀᴀ

"Okay, so you're telling me, that your parents were florists in the capital before your home burned down, and you were initially taken by the Von Faecero family as foster children?"

"Yep," said Kotone, and Daichi nodded.

"But you were forced to serve, and it was too late to leave?"

Daichi nodded again. "We decided that since we'd be stuck there most of our lives, might as well learn something. I'm a pretty good artist, if I do say so myself. I've stolen some books to teach myself."

"I'm better with menial tasks, so I cover for Daichi whenever he's drawing," Kotone added. "I rather one of us has a hobby than neither of us."

It was really nice having Daichi and Kotone around to talk to, it the past few hours. Hibiki had proved to be too puzzling, and judgmental, Tomoe and I had nothing to say, and Haruka wasn't a conversationist whatsoever. It was fun hearing them talk about friendly things like food, music, or even books. I hadn't had a friend to chatter with over simple things in ages.

Hibiki spun around, walking backwards now. "That's lovely, but can you hold a weapon at all? Flowers are nothing in the face of an opponent."

"Well, Sora probably can't, so why do you keep her around?" Kotone mumbled.

"She'd be dead where she stood otherwise. Besides, I'm pretty sure that she's got experience with a k--"

Haruka held her arm out in front of Hibiki, who bumped into her with a grumble. "There is a wall."

And indeed there was, built up using cement and stone, ivy growing between every individual brick. Too weak to climb, a likely deliberate decor. It was your average wall, easily imaginable, with people positioned up above as well. I guessed that guard towers lined the corners. Two guards in specific were, as their job dictated, guarding a grand archway, standing on the threshold a bit to our right. Well, not entirely. They were playing cards. They hadn't noticed us yet, since we were walking through the vegetation, not the gravel path of the main road. It smelled like fresh paint, and a hint of soil.

"I thought that this city would be better protected," Daichi hummed, shielding his eyes from the sun.

It was morning, that I knew for sure, and only a day and less than a dozen hours has passed since the wedding. The Von Faecero's were no more, and we had two new additions to the team, at least, until they found a place to settle in the capital.

That's where we were headed now. Trekking through the greenery of the Tekonn forests, once again. It was much more lively then our previous hike, with bees bumbling by and the very occasional chirp of a sparrow. The world had that fresh soil smell, and it was intoxicating in a natural way.

Yes, it felt like spring time.

Now, I must inform, that I've only been to the capital once before. 'Anzen Rozu' was the name, with no exact pronunciation, but I usually said 'An-zen Rose-oo'. A city of fugitives, ne'er-do-wells, hybrids, fascists, democrats, bourgeoisie; people from all walks of life. I'd say color, but in this day and age, people don't care about that anymore. It's your bloodline that matters. Anzen Rozu was the only place in Aithe, our continent, that gave everyone freedoms that other places scorned. Free speech, marriage, emancipation, you name it. Some things still existed, since people couldn't be pardoned. Maybe a handful every decade. Some convicts were just too dangerous to indulge in such freedoms granted here.