Indebted

"It happened more than a thousand years ago. In the age of insanity, caused by mankind's worst enemy, the Calamity of Chaos. Every kingdom fell. Decatris was formed as our last fortress. When the chaos weakens, the twelve rulers venture to their lands with their finest warriors and the mission of ending the Calamity of Chaos and his army of evil. 

The Panteran king and his men fought enemies more than twice their number. On the verge of defeat under the moonlit sky, a strong warrior on par with the king appeared. He was a bearer of the Great Wolf's Zeal, the leader of his tribe, and was known as the 'Moonlord'. With the Moonlord and his people's help, the result of the battle was flipped and the Panteran king and his men reclaimed our land.

Honorable, the Panteran king swore that Pantera would forever be grateful for the Moonlord and his people. But, the tribe wanted to live in peace on their own, and so, the Panteran king took an oath to protect them even after generations. This oath was passed to his family, successors, the council, and the high-ranked knights, who also swore to keep the tribe's existence a secret."

Arsen was intrigued with his mother's tale, while Donos appeared to know of it.

"How did you come up with such information, mother?" 

Lyra smiled, "I'm quite the researcher, aren't I?"

Arsen chuckled, "Right," after a brief pause, "Does the guardian of Arsida know this?" he asked.

Lyra nodded. She said that the knights from the rank of Chiliarch knew about it. They took an oath similar to the king and would only share the information if necessary and under the Proud Lion's guidance. Also, most of them felt indebted to the Moonlord and his people after hearing the story. Lyra added that if the Panteran people knew about their existence and story, most would've treated the tribe with respect and gratitude.

Over time, the tribe lived on their own in unknown parts of the Great Verdant forest of Pantera where people were prohibited from going. They were secluded from the outside world, but sometimes, Panteran kings would visit them or a great warrior of their tribe would visit the king in secrecy.

Arsen stared at the girl, "Then, how did she end up in Aakdan?"

Lyra shook her head, "I don't know," she said. She has an empathetic expression as she cleans up the girl's face. 

"Did you bring it?" 

Donos nodded in response. He pulled a rolled material that looked like clear paper and handed it to Lyra. Arsen asked them what it was when he saw it.

"It's clearskin, made from the skin of an octomeleon," Lyra answered

Octomeleons are chameleons with eight legs. Their size ranges from the size of a teen human to those of a full-grown harion. They are the masters of camouflage. By manipulating the light that hits their skin, they could become a part of the scenery in the blink of an eye as if they vanished in thin air. Their true colors weren't yet concluded. Some suggested that they must be clear because it is the color of the skin they shed. Getting a dead specimen didn't help researchers as well, since when an octomeleon dies, its last color remains. 

These creatures are seen to be capable of the four-elemental magic, as well as light magic. An element that only several humans could wield.

"What are you going to do with that, mother?" Arsen asked.

Lyra told the two men to look away as she planned to remove the girl's old dirty ragged clothing. She then unrolled the clearskin and tore some that could cover the entire Zeal of the girl.

"It's to cover her Zeal," Lyra replied to Arsen's question. The piece of the material was on her palm when Lyra's Zeal glowed while her palm appeared light orange as she heated the material with fire magic.

Warmed, Lyra placed the clearskin at the Zeal of the girl located above the right side of her chest. She covered the girl with a blanket, asked Arsen to borrow some clothes from Issa since she's the closest to the girl's size, and Donos to leave the room for a minute so she could finish cleaning her up before they decided what to do next.

After some time, Lyra opened the door of the room. She allowed the others to look at her but whispered to Aeneas not to tell the others about her Zeal and to also be in the room in case the girl woke up. "She would want to see a familiar face," she continued.

Then, Lyra went to Arsen's office with Donos. In there, they talked about the course of action they needed to take. 

Arsen mentioned that Konon went back to the Chronis manor and must've informed the guardian of Arsida about the situation.

"But I don't think sir Konon knows about the girl's Zeal," Arsen continued.

"It won't matter," Lyra replied.

Nireus Chronis would be able to figure out that there must be something about the girl for two Aakdani soldiers to trespass on the Panteran territory. Still, Arsen planned to visit Nireus with the girl early the next morning.

"What about the body of the mother?" Donos asked.

Arsen suggested burying her near the manor when the girl woke up, allowing her to see her mother one final time. He turned to Donos and asked if the knights surrounded the corpse with flowers that would shun away all kinds of insects.

"Yes, her body won't change much even after a day."

*** 

Aeneas, Tiriara, and Issa remained in the room where the girl with silver hair rests.

"Do you know her name, Aenie?" the fifteen-year-old, Issa, asked.

Aeneas shook his head, "No," he replied.

"What!? I thought you at least knew her name," Tiriara blurted out. Although it was her typical voice, it was loud and echoed in the quiet room, so the other two shushed her.

Issa chuckled, "Don't be too loud, she looks like she needs a lot of rest," she whispered.

As a reply, Tiriara mouthed the word, "Sorry."

Tiriara turned to Aeneas, she asked him what happened before she arrived with the two knights. The boy decided to tell the two, leaving behind the fact that he saw the girl's Zeal glow when he appeared in front of them.

"That's horrible," Issa muttered. Meanwhile, Tiriara was blinking, as she tried to sniff her tears away.

All of a sudden, Yri appeared in front of the opened door. She was there to inform the three that the late dinner was prepared and to go to the dining area for a meal. 

Both Issa and Tiriara stood up, while Aeneas remained sitting on the floor. 

Tiriara placed her hand on the boy's shoulder, "Aenie? Yri said it's time for dinner," she said.

Aeneas looked at her, he realized that Tiriara was wearing the gift he gave and that she must've already forgiven him since she was back to her true self while with him. With a smile, "I'll stay here, she might get scared if she wakes up and no one is in the room," he said.

Tiriara stared at him, then sat beside Aeneas, "I guess I'll also stay."

"Aren't you two hungry?" Yri asked.

"I've eaten at home before going here," Tiriara gulped, "Oh, can I go get dessert and bring it into this room?"

Yri smiled, "Of course. But, are you sure that you don't want dinner? I'll bring it together with the dessert if you want to stay here," she said.

Tiriara grinned, "Then, I guess I'll also have dinner. Thanks!"

Her voice was still loud, so Aeneas shushed her. Again, the girl whispered, "Ah, sorry."

When Yri and Issa left, Aeneas looked at Tiriara, "I've bought a water crossbow, let's play after training in the morrow."

Tiriara smiled, "Okay, be ready to get drenched," she said as she chuckled.

"As if. You won't be able to hit me."

The girl attacked Aeneas with a light slap on his shoulder. Her face was still with a smile. Then, there was a sudden shift in her expression, "I feel bad for her," Tiriara said.

"Me too."

With a sigh, "When she wakes up, she will know that her mother's dead."

Aeneas and Tiriara stood up when they heard the sound of Yri's steps heading towards them. Aeneas received the wooden tray that had two plates, both with a steak and sauce. There were also two bowls of soup with meat and vegetables in it. Then, for dessert, they both have a cake that has frozen cream fillings and paired with Aeneas's favorite jar of honey.

Then, Issa appeared behind Yri. She was carrying a short wooden table for the two to place on the ground. They both thanked Yri for bringing them their food and Issa for the table.

After setting the table, the two of them took out their food from the tray and placed it on top of it. Tiriara was excited to eat, so she immediately took a slice of her steak and gulped it down like water. On the other hand, Aeneas was eating in peace and at a decent pace.

Their meal was halted when they heard the sudden movement of the silver-haired girl who sat up from her bed.