'I'm learning a lot thanks to this kid,' I think and nod as a sign of acknowledgement. "Mhm... Seems like King Zephyr has his hands full with that war, huh?"

"Yeah. It, for sure, is tough for King Zephyr. I wonder who'll win this war? And who'll seize Seemagi, which is most likely the reason why they're fighting against each other?"

Those two questions make me wonder how this whole thing will affect my surroundings. 'He's right. Those are questions without a definite answer. Seemagi... Why is Emperor Caleo trying to win that huge lake over, though?' 

Leaving all the unanswered questions behind, I pay for the food with my left-over money, and Ros then leads me somewhere. "Goodbye!" He takes my hand and says goodbye to the tavern employees and drags me somewhere.

There's a lot on my mind thanks to this kid. I would love to wring out the answers from him, but my still rational and sane self prevents me from doing so.

'What am I thinking, wanting to threaten a kid like him into giving me answers...? Haa, I'm going crazy,' I sigh and shake my head to get rid of these thoughts.

'What a creepy guy... I don't like the vicious look in his eyes. It reminds me of a wild beast set free! But he acts differently than what I make him out to act like. I don't understand him at all.' Ros thinks and keeps leading the way through his hometown, leading me to a specific place.

A smile appears on Ros's face as his demeanour turns a bit more joyous. I take notice of this small change in the young boy pulling me to make me follow him, but I don't comment on it.

Leading the way, Ros shows me around the village a bit, and we encounter a small cat. It has sleek black fur with a white belly and white fur on his paws, which remind me of socks. How cute...

"Oh! Hey there, Faelis!" Ros greets him, and I frown slightly in confusion as I look between the small animal and the young boy. "Ah, you might not know, but this is the local cat. We call him Faelis," he mentions, and I smile a bit as I hear the explanation, hiding the small frown that was on my face just a second ago.

I crouch down, and the bicolour cat gets closer, nuzzling my hand with a little meow. "Hey there." The cat purrs and plops down on the ground, rolling over onto its back as it shows me its white belly, almost like it's asking me for some belly rubs.

"You have a way with animals, huh? Faelis doesn't usually allow people to get too close to him." This makes me look up at Ros whilst still petting the cuddly cat on its belly, enjoying the feeling of the well-groomed fur under my fingers. The cat, in response, purrs as it seems to enjoy the gentle ministration in return.

"I guess... He's cute." Faelis purrs even more, almost as though it understands my words and is thanking me for the compliment. It rolls around and nuzzles me and the ground.

"Let's go." With a sigh, I get up and give the black'n'white furball one last look before I follow Ros again. 'Too bad that I have to go. I really like cats. They're so cute and adorable. Especially Faelis. He's friendly as well!' 

Ros smiles and giggles, looking at his own arm, and remembers his own interaction with Faelis. 'That rascal scratched me when I tried to get close to him!' 

Then, he leads me away from the cat, who gives us a sad and pleading look, and that adorable, betrayed expression tugs at my heartstrings, but I follow Ros and don't looks back, knowing I'll see the cat again someday.

We stride towards a house, and I see an older man, probably in his early 40s, talking to a guy who seems to be around my age.

 

"Hey, chief!" Ros calls out with a friendly tone and waves at the two males. "Ah, Ros. What brings you here, laddie?" The older man, who's supposedly the chief, asks and puts a hand on his hip.

Just then, his eyes dart towards me, and I stay quiet. "Nothing much, chief. I just met this guy, and it seems as though Faelis has taken a liking to this fellow. Just thought that I'd introduce him and show him around."

The young boy smiles and then looks back at he chief of the village, who smiles back at him and tousles his hair playfully with a small nod. "You're doing a good job, laddie. Thank you. Keep it up." 

Meanwhile, the younger boy looks at me with a slightly curious gaze, and we lock eyes. 'Now that I look at him, he's also quite the looker himself.' For a moment, I only stare at him, taking in his features.

He has unruly hair that's as black as the midnight sky, eyes that are grey with a slight purple hue, creating a mesmerising mix of colours that seem to pull everyone in, yet they hide many secrets and depth that even words cannot describe. His body is lean, although he also executes confidence and has a mysterious air around him. 

The small beauty mark under his left eye can be seen well, even when he smiles a bit. To be honest, he seems rather easy-going but not too approachable. It's clear that he knows how to keep his distance and stay in his comfort zone while ensuring the other person's comfort as well. Not to mention the marking on his neck. He's a spiritualist. 

"Hey there," the young man speaks to me and gives me a small smile. The smile, despite being small, also gives off a gentle-like vibe, but I also find it rather... sly. Shrewd, even.

"Hello." Something tells me that he's not as gentle as he appears to be. Perhaps there's more to him than it seems. But he's interesting. However, I can't trust people eaisly now. Especially not after what happened with Hewie.

The young man looks at me, his expression turning into that of intrigue and something else that lurks underneath that gentle smile.

"I'm Rodel, the chieftain's son." The mysterious guy named Rodel introduces himself, and I nod subtly it acknowledgement of his introduction.

A small smirk creeps onto Rodel's lips as he seems to notice something. "You know, you're really interesting. I've never met anyone quite like you before." Rodel's words make me raise an eyebrow doubtfully.

Noticing my suspicious expression, Rodek only chuckles a bit. "Your presence is so weird. I mean, you have this weird aura about yourself. What's even stranger is that I can sense both life and death coming from you. Or should I say around you? Heh, truly interesting!"

'What? What is this delusional guy even rambling about? Life and death? This dude has some serious problems!' I keep my expression calm despite my thoughts, making sure that it doesn't change even when I curse him out and decide that he needs to get some help.

"Thanks." 'Why the hell did I say 'thanks' out of all things?! Have I finally lost it?' 

Rodel seems a bit taken aback for a moment before a wide smile spreads across his face, followed by a light laugh. "Hahaha! I knew that you weren't ordinary! No normal person thanks someone for simply stating a fact about them. I like you already."

"Pray tell what may I call you, friend?" I hesitate for a moment before inhaling a bit to answer him. "I advise you to he careful, dear. He's a bit weird," Hewie interrupts me, and I silently agree.

"Alaire." A simple and straightforward answer without any unnecessary stuff leaves my mouth. For unknown reasons, Rodel smirks, and I catch something behind his gaze, but I can't quite place my finger on what it is.

One thing is for sure, though. It's not something good. Or, at least, that's what my gut feeling is telling me. I better stay alert around this guy.

"Alaire, huh?" Rodel mutters a bit, trying out how my name feels like to say. "Nice to meet! I hope that we'll get along well." Then, he extends his hand to me, and I only nod and grab his hand, shaking it with a firm grip. Although his grip is a bit too tight for my liking... Even a bit hurtful.

"I see that you're already getting acquainted with my son. It's nice to see, lad!" The chieftain chimes into our one-sided conversation. And I offer a nod in response.

Rodel, on the other hand, beams and turns his gaze towards his father. "Indeed! I have a feeling that Alaire and I will be very, very good friends."

"That's good to hear, son!" Ros smiles and agrees with his father's words. I stare at them as I retrieve my hand from his grasp after some struggle and focus on them.

While I wonder about that, Rodel shifts his sight back on me again. 'I wonder what Alaire really is. Even though I sometimes get called mysterious, he's the literal meaning of that word. However, I don't like that pesky presence around him. But that only makes it clearer he's not a normal human being.'

Rodel gazes at me, deep in thought. 'How interesting. Let's see what you really are, Alaire. I wonder how long it'll take me to crack you open. I can't wait to see your reaction to that.' And with that, he gives me a somewhat sinister yet amused smile with an unreadable glint in his eyes.