I hope Father’s okay. Indu squeezed the pewter plate in her hand. The Castile soap covering it ran into the basin filled with warm water, making little splashes. But these splashes reminded her of the troll’s blood splattering at the hands of Axer. She shuddered at the thought.

No, they will be okay. I shouldn’t worry. Indu looked at the plate. A stain remained on it, and she attacked it with vicious fervor, determined to scrub every last hint of dirt marring its surface. Her deathly grip left indentations in the soap bar, permeating its fresh scent deeper into her nostrils.

“Big sister, you can’t bully the dishes.” Peeking from the edge of the ajar door was little Aniya, her hands behind her back. She had a confused, slightly fearful looking, and it only then did Indu look down to see a fourth of the bar gone, flattened like a plateau.

Indu sighed. What am I doing, wasting such good soap? She turned back to look at Aniya, who slowly approached her with a hesitant expression.

“What is it, Aniya?” Indu quickly dried her hands and grabbed Aniya’s soft fingers. She then sat on a chair and placed Aniya on her lap, gently massaging Aniya’s hair as she spoke.

“Umm…umm…w-when is Father coming home.” Aniya’s eyes widened into giant saucers as tears pricked the edge of her eyes. Indu froze.

“Why are you crying? Do you miss Father?” Indu smiled softly as she pulled her sister closer into her chest.

“I…I…Waaaahhh!” Aniya broke down into sobs, and Indu’s heart jumped.

“Why are you crying?!” She turned Aniya around, pulling her face into her body as she patted her back.

“F-Father got m-mad at y-you b-because I-I t-told father t-that big sister w-went out a-at night. T-Then he h-had to go o-out where b-big sister d-didn’t want him t-to.” Aniya’s choked out through her sobs. “I-If I d-didn’t say a-anything, t-then F-Father wouldn’t do s-something d-dangerous.”

“Oh my goodness, is that what you thought?” Indu softly smiled as she peppered the crown of Aniya’s head with kisses. When her sobs quieted down, Indu stopped and spoke.

“Father had to go out for a different reason. You know that Father was a knight long before you were born, right? Something happened, and he had to attend to his knightly duties. It absolutely isn’t your fault Aniya.” Indu tilted Aniya’s head up so she could look her in the eyes.

Her eyes were puffy and red from tears. Her long hair covered her forehead in a scattered tangle of threads. Though Indu hated to say this, Aniya looked unbearably cute with her flushed cheeks and innocent, enlarged eyes.

“Oh my goodness, you become more squish-able every day.” Indu showed no mercy as she squeezed and molded Aniya’s cheeks into different shapes. Aniya cried in protest.

“Big sister, stop!” Aniya giggled and screamed. “It hurts!”

“Then bear with the pain.” Indu bumped her forehead against Aniya’s, smiling at her. As she did, however, complicated emotions swept through Indu - irritation, anger, and fear.

Why did Father choose to go with The Disciples? Why would he leave his daughters behind and investigate such a gruesome attack at his age? Indu gently caressed Aniya’s back to stop the tremble in her hands.

She was irritated because her father had restricted her freedom, but she was even angrier because he had left the two of them alone in favor of going on a dangerous investigation – how could he do something like this while punishing her for doing the same thing? Accompanying it was a sickening fear. She had already lost her mother; how could she lose her father as well? She feared the possibility so much that it suppressed her irritation.

Indu looked at the moon through the kitchen window. It shone like a jewel – ethereal and beautiful, something she wished she could be. The Lunar Knights and her father had left several hours ago, but she hadn’t the slightest idea when they’d return. It could be anytime in the next minute or week. Although she knew it was bad if her, Indu wished they didn’t find The Disciples and chose to return instead. It was a terribly selfish wish considering how evil the group was and how many lives rested upon their defeat, but did it have to be her father? Did he have to be the one to defeat them? Couldn’t he leave that job to the Lunar Knights?

Indu pulled Aniya into her shoulder (after she had a fill of squeezing her cheeks), and she nervously bit her nails. Let’s go outside.

Holding Aniya in her arms, Indu carefully walked out of the house. The cool breeze kissed her exposed skin, and she shivered. She wore a simple, dark-green cotte with a square neckline but no cloak to block the chill. I should’ve worn a cloak.

As Indu turned around to grab a cloak for her and Aniya, a horn blared through the night.

“They’re back already?!” Indu quickly rushed in and grabbed them both a brown cloak, and they made off to the town’s entrance.

He said it would take a few days, but only half a day has passed at most. Did they find The Disciples?

When they arrived, a sizable crowd had already grown, lining the street edges. Indu and Aniya quickly joined them as the Lunar Knights entered in a single file.

Their black, armor-covered war stallions contrasted their gleaming moon-white armor. However, not all of the Lunar Knights had pristine armor. Some had armor marred with dirt and ash, whilst some had cracks and chips across their surface - a telltale sign of battle.

Did they find The Disciples? Indu’s heart skipped a beat as she anxiously looked deeper into the procession. Axer was nowhere to be found, and neither was her father. She couldn’t even see the gentlemen sitting next to Axer earlier that day. The more knights that passed, the more anxious Indu became.

“Big sister, where’s daddy?” Aniya looked at Indu with widened eyes, still in her arms.

“Father’s coming; he’s just taking his time, that’s all,” Indu reassured Aniya with a smile, but she feared her trembling hands would give her away. Where are you, Father?

As they passed, Indu could no longer ignore their smell - fresh trees mixed with sweat, but a different, more sinister smell permeating from them, something Indu couldn’t put her finger on.

She nervously chewed the nail of her left thumb, eyes scanning left and right, up and down for her father, when Aniya pointed.

A straw-filled cart passed by. Multiple knights and their armor atop it, pulled along by two warhorses. Her father sat among them, one leg outstretched with bandages covering his arms and legs. Even under the faint moonlight, the black circles beneath his eyes didn’t escape Indu. Suddenly, a trail of blood leaked from the edge of his lip. Indu’s stomach dropped as fear flooded her system, her hands trembling.

“Father!” Indu screamed. She covered her mouth in shock as tears pricked the edge of her eyes.

His unfocused eyes snapped toward her. The other cart riders and knights in the procession looked her way as well. The cart stopped right in front of her, and everyone, including her father, jumped off its sides, landing on the ground with a thud. Indu nearly lost her mind when her father winced from the impact.

“Oh my god, what happened to you? You promised me you wouldn’t get hurt; you promised you would stay safe!” She gingerly touched his bandages which were dirty and wet from sweat. Hints of red were beginning to break through, and Indu panicked.

“Healer! Where are the healing mages!” She frantically looked around.

“Not even an ‘I miss you, father’ or ‘welcome back’?” Her father pouted, but his playfulness flew over Indu’s head as irritation washed over her.

“How can you be like this when you’re this hurt!” She looked around once more. Where are the mages?!

“Young lady, you shouldn’t worry about your father too much.” A tanned knight with a bandage over his cheek laughed. “You should have seen him in battle! He killed three Wraiths by himself!”

Other knights chimed in as well.

“He’s every bit as strong as a Lunar Knight!”

“No, he’s strong enough to be a squad captain!”

“If only he wasn’t the Town Chief, I would want the commander to recruit him.”

“Please, you flatter me,” her father sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

“How could you do something that reckless?!” She held his arm and inspected the wound. When she touched it, her father winced, and she trembled.

“Where are the healers? Why aren’t they coming?” How could he have fought such horrific creatures? What the hell even happened?

“Indu, the healers already healed me. These wounds have to heal by themselves. If I used healing magic for every wound I got, my body would become dependent and would no longer be able to heal itself.” Her father patted her shoulder and reassured her.

“Are you sure…?”

“I’m positive. Either way, my recovery speed is already high, so these wounds should vanish within the week.”

Indu chose to believe him, but anger still remained in her heart. However, she was forced to keep it inside to save her father’s dignity as the Twon Chief. What would people think of their family if she scolded him in public?  Even now, she heard the whispers of the bystanders surrounding her.

“Isn’t that the town chief?”

“Those women hugging him must be his children.”

“Wait, that big one, isn’t she…”

“…the one with an eye scar? Yeah, that’s her.”

“She’s very brave to walk around like that.”

“Shut up; she might hear you!” Someone whisper-yelled.

I can hear you clearly. Indu fought back the tears threatening to spill down her face. Their words made her remember Axer’s disgusted expression, and her mood grew worse.

“Let’s go back.” She told her father, ignoring their cruel words.

“Town Chief, young ladies, please allow me to escort you back to your home.” One of the knights – Sir Ainsleys, she believed his name was - appeared with an extra horse. After a short argument with her father on who would steer the horse, Indu took the reigns. Aniya sat between them, squished in the middle.

“Where is Count Vasilios?” She asked with an icy tone while they rode.

“Err….the count is...recuperating from his journey right now.” He gave them a soft smile. “I promise you he’ll inform you of everything tomorrow morning.”

“He better,” Indu said, and the man was visibly taken back. Indu ignored his reaction and made her way forward, following the path back to her home. Although she seldom rode a horse, she had enough skill to make it back home without falling off or veering off course.

When they arrived, her father jumped off, carrying Aniya in his arms.

“Don’t do that!” Indu yelled. He was over 50 but acted like a man in his 20’s. And he’s injured too.

“I’ll have to agree with your daughter, sir. Your injuries are fresh; they need time to heal.”

“I am neither feeble nor am I old. Mere claw wounds are nothing!” In a matter utterly unbefitting of a Town Chief, her father flexed his right arm, his pectoral muscles bulging through his tunic.

“He’s just like Dunstan….” Indu heard Royce mutter under his breath. God, just let me bury myself.

They walked inside, and Indu gestured toward the sofa.

“Please, have a seat, Sir Royce. Would you like some tea?”

“Actually, I have a few more tasks to take care of, miss. Thank you for the offer.” He bowed in gratitude. Indu nodded and brought over glasses of water. She wanted to sit, but how could she when a respected knight was choosing to stand?

“It seems the mission was hard?” She spoke while sipping her water.

“There were close to 200 Wraiths,” Sir Royce leaned against the wall right next to the door, his shoulders slumped. “And the one who commanded them….” He glanced at her father, who had collapsed onto the sofa with Aniya on his lap, gently stroking her head.

“There’s no need to hide what happened from my daughter. She’s a strong one.” Her father reassured Sir Royce, and even though she didn’t know the content of their discussion, she let out a soft smile from his praise.

“You won’t be smiling from what you next, my lady.” He took a deep breath. His voice began to tremble. “He was a dark mage, one who controlled nightmares. Engraved on his chest was a bloody star, and he went by the name Bloodstar….”

The sound of glass breaking echoed across the room. Stings of pain flared on Indu’s leg. The glass shards cut into her skin, and her blood pooled on the floor. Her knees buckled, but Sir Royce caught her before she could fall.

“Young lady!”

“Indu!” Her father barreled over, followed by her sister, both panicked. But her vision remained dizzy. The name Bloodstar echoed in her mind, again and again, and she covered her mouth. Nausea washed over her, and she puked over Sir Royce’s boots.

It was him…it was him…

Mother…mother…

“Oh my god, what happened! Indu!”

She tried to speak, but no voice came out. She desperately tried to tell him. It was him, father…it was him…

“It was him…he…” Indu managed to croak out. “He killed…mother…”

Unable to handle the surge of emotions washing over her, Indu fainted.