Chapter 113
Through the memories deeply engraved in his mind, Zavi returned to the tense moments from two years ago; the year 1541 according to the Star Calendar, the year of a massive tragedy forever remembered by the people of the Kingdom of Norn so it would never happen again.
Like the destruction of important buildings across Moran, including the two cathedral towers in the center of Kuranda in Havanuheta. The mystical structure said to be a remnant left behind by the gods and goddesses when they descended into the human world; Eaurealis Castle, a place of rest and leisure with beautiful scenery created by the emerald-green glow coating the castle and the aesthetic gray marble floors that enhanced its luxurious atmosphere.
Nischilan, a one-hundred-story building, became a gathering place for gods and goddesses to relax and spend time together. Peremeterr, though not considered one of the mystical structures left behind by the deities, was still an ordinary building that held important history from before the Kingdom of Norn was formed, even the history of the creation of the Chynoria continent itself. It had now become a ruined museum during the era known as the tailed star, or comet.
That location was in Caestevil, which should have been part of Moran but became abandoned territory ten years earlier because of a conflict between two opposing rulers.
Meanwhile, the City of Semilir had lost its important statue; a statue of two gods and goddesses tightly holding each other's hands high above them as a symbol of unity and freedom, serving as the guiding principle of Semilir's people who refused to be controlled by others and followed the teachings of compassion and virtue from the mother of all mothers; Goddess Yarandrela.
As for the City of Greysia, the destruction of its fields, forests, and rice farms pushed the city to the brink of collapse alongside the devastation that spread through several other important cities in the Kingdom of Norn.
It was a terrible memory, and the ruler of the Kingdom of Norn; Mereyssa De Norn, along with the high-ranking nobles, wanted to conceal that dark truth from the outside world. The Kingdom of Yessaka in southwestern Chynoria, the Sheak Empire in the south of the continent, the Kingdom of Synomia in the south, the United Republic of Tagasa in the center, and the Kingdom of Hovewer located in northern Chynoria were all watched carefully by the king of Norn, especially because of Hovewer's cunning nature.
Zavi had no desire to get involved in matters tied to the three major religions spread across the five provinces of the Kingdom of Norn, along with the rulers of those five territories and the nobles scattered throughout Norn.
He understood the plan—or more precisely, the idea—Aaron had suggested earlier about acting as the infamous killer Lamena, whose identity and whereabouts remained unknown even to him.
One mistake alone could destroy everything, and of course, it would endanger the lives of everyone involved in this plan.
However, he had already resolved to move forward so the goal he pursued could be realized as soon as possible. Beyond that, he wanted to bring justice and freedom to people oppressed because of their low social status. He also wanted to do everything he could so people could live decent lives and technology could be distributed more equally, no matter how poor or terrible a region was. This was the only way to fulfill the desire he carried from Earth, and he wanted to pass that dream on through those people themselves, including his new family in this world.
After thinking through the next steps and plans, he let out a deep breath and spoke in a restrained voice;
"Saying goodbye to them before leaving this place is probably the best idea I have. Don't you think?" He looked at Aaron with a happy expression.
Aaron gave a small nod, his heart feeling like the snow slowly falling outside.
"Of course," Aaron answered with a faint smile. "I can't even imagine those two kids crying when you leave them behind."
The corner of Zavi's mouth twitched after hearing those words.
'Damn. Those two kids remind me of how badly behaved I was when I was little.' Zavi thought as bitter memories resurfaced, memories of his parents getting angry because of how troublesome he used to be.
No more words followed after that. The atmosphere on the terrace turned tense for several seconds, and the silence continued into the night.
The clock showed 8:20 PM.
Zavi closed his pocket watch and slipped it back into his jacket pocket. He had not moved from the same spot for hours, his clenched fist supporting his head as drowsiness slowly crept over him.
'Damn it. Are those two still not home from work? By now they should've been walking through the alley in front of the house and greeting the two of us waiting for them.'
Zavi still did not fully understand what kind of work the homeowners actually did. While Aaron remained outside leaning against one of the terrace's wooden pillars, Zavi had gone back inside earlier because he was tired of standing and ended up helping the two children finish their homework.
Especially since tomorrow was Wednesday the fifteenth. The two children were about to face difficult times because Wednesday was considered a terrifying day for some students due to mathematics classes happening twice—once in the morning and again before school ended.
Cold sweat ran down Zavi's back as memories resurfaced of being punished for failing to submit homework for two straight weeks, becoming gossip not only in his own class but in others as well.
The original Zavi had managed to survive those miserable Wednesdays because of one thing; the support of his closest friends, even though they often laughed at him whenever he got punished.
His entire body shuddered for a moment as those lingering memories flashed through his mind again. He shook his head to drive them away and quickly swallowed before continuing to show the children how to solve multiplication and addition problems quickly and accurately.
"Don't use this method anymore," Zavi said seriously, causing both children to stare sharply at him before nodding in response.
Zavi sighed before continuing, "Maybe this method can help both of you get better grades."
One of them, a black-haired boy with several strands dyed purple, voiced his thoughts since he was already used to the method taught by his teacher.
"Big brother, I don't understand the method you're using."
"It's easy once you get used to it, and..."
His words were cut off when the black-haired child beside him, lying on his stomach while doing homework, interrupted angrily.
"Ah, I don't even know how to solve this stupid problem."
A faint smile appeared on Zavi's lips when he saw the boy complaining about homework, reminding him of himself.
Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly to relax his mind enough to deal with the two children. The calm and gentle atmosphere around him instantly transformed into something like a wild beast preparing to tame its prey.
Seeing the veins bulging on his neck and forehead along with his reddened face, the two children immediately turned serious and slightly frightened as they listened to Zavi explain how to solve the problems.
Second after second. Minute after minute. Hour after hour passed quickly as the children finally finished all of their homework. Even though both of them received scoldings for talking back, they were now able to sleep peacefully after completing the remaining assignments as well.
Letting out a long sigh while scratching the back of his head because it felt itchy, Zavi quickly walked out the door, put his shoes back on, and returned to his previous spot to accompany Aaron again.
"They... still haven't come back?" Zavi asked as he stood beside Aaron. The difference in their height and build made Zavi shiver slightly after noticing it more carefully.
"Yeah," Aaron answered indifferently. Then he asked, "What time is it now?"
Zavi snorted before quickly slipping his hand into the right pocket of his jacket, pulling out his pocket watch, opening the cover, and showing it toward Aaron.
"Hmm, half past nine at night?"
Zavi double-checked by staring at the clock hands moving in rhythm with his heartbeat.
"Phew, looks like the two of us won't be able to say goodbye to them directly after all."
Aaron's face tightened briefly as he said, "Leaving a farewell letter behind the door is the only way to convey our thoughts to them."
Zavi nodded in agreement and immediately turned around, quickly removing his leather boots as the thunderous sound of his footsteps echoed across the first floor while he headed toward the drawer in the corner of the room.
Once he found a smooth sheet of paper perfect for writing everything they wanted to say, the two of them took turns expressing their thoughts without either knowing what the other had written since the upper section was covered while Zavi wrote on the empty bottom half.
After reading the contents of the letter, Zavi nodded in satisfaction before folding it into a small square without even glancing at Aaron's writing.
With Talazze Lirei writing visible on the front, Zavi placed the letter directly behind the door, which he had now closed from the outside, hoping the two of them would eventually read it.
After taking a long breath, their hearts burned as if refusing to leave that house.
But because each of them had their own goals, they understood the kindness of the homeowners even though they had never truly known them. Yet for some reason, it felt difficult when their feet hesitated while stepping away from the terrace.
In the end, however, with heavy hearts, they forced themselves to leave behind everything that had happened during the past two weeks and walked through the empty streets accompanied only by falling snow and the dim glow of electric street lamps.
But without either of them knowing, the husband and wife who owned the house were lying in a miserable condition atop the stone streets for hours, helpless, without aid, without screams, surrounded only by suffocating silence and death slowly approaching them as the snow began turning into a grave for the two of them.