Truth

"My name is Katrina Bolsoviz," the alien woman said as she crouched down before Yamato and had a good look at his foot that was stuck in the trap. "Ah, this is bad," she couldn't help but exclaim.

"Who's fault is it?" Yamato said somewhat irritated.

The woman looked up at him but chose to ignore his attitude. "Stay still, I am gonna force your leg out now,"

"Wai...!!"

Before Yamato could finish Katrina grabbed his leg tightly then pulled up with force.

Yamato screamed in excruciating pain, his vision going black for a moment. The only thing that stopped him from falling to the ground was the hand he instinctively placed against the wall of the wooden house!

His forehead was covered in cold sweat. When he come back to his senses he noticed that the pain in his foot has reduced by a considerable degree. Tentatively, he looked down at his injured feet, expecting the worse, only to see the Alien woman had took off his shoe and was applying a cold liquid to his injury.

"What the hell are you doing...?!" Yamato started saying in anger, then abruptly stopped as he felt a pleasant cool sensation on his wounded spot that quickly eased the pain. Looking closer he realized every place the green paste touched will immediately ease the pain there.

"What's that?" He asked softly.

"A salve I made. There you go, your foot is healed," the woman said standing back to her feet and stepping back.

Yamato frowned, but it was true. He gingerly placed his foot back on the ground. Besides the slight itch and numbness, it was perfectly fine. He shook the foot in the air for a few times then turned to the alien woman called Katrina, his eyes wide in surprise.

"Amazing! If I can heal this fast wouldn't I not care about getting injured and just fight to my heart content?"

"You think this thing is easy to get?" Katrina sneered.

After that she invited him into the house. Turns out he just stepped on the wrong side of the step and not all sides were covered in traps.

Inside, the house was lacking furniture. The only thing in the sitting room was an old table with three chairs around it. The walls and floor were bare wood, no carpets or wallpapers. A door ahead led into a hallway with a stair leading upstairs and another to the left led to the kitchen, that's from what Yamato could make out through the open doors.

"Please sit human boy," Katrina told him then disappeared into the kitchen.

Yamato looked around one more time then pulled a chair and sat at the table. He noticed the little girl was standing at the entrance looking at him sullenly. "Tila right?" He said.

The girl said nothing and just kept staring at him.

"She doesn't speak much of your human language," Katrina said from the kitchen. "That's why I have been using it to her so she can learn too," A moment later she came out with a tray with three steaming mugs atop. She kept the tray on the table, handed Yamato one mug and sat down, before gesturing for the little girl to come over.

Yamato looked into his cup to see a brown liquid that looked like chocolate. He took a sip and it was indeed chocolate. The little girl hurried over and took the last empty chair. Her mother handed her the mug and she started taking cute little sips.

For a moment the three drank the beverage in silence before Katrina spoke. "What was the reason you came here again?"

The question came out of nowhere that it took time for Yamato to even realize she was talking to him. He shrugged. "I was worried something might happen to you guys... But I see you can handle yourselves quite fine,"

His lips twitched in irritation as he remembered that trap. Katrina seem to understand what he was thinking about and grinned showing perfect set of white teeth. "A girl has to be extra vicious to survive this cruel world you know, after all we don't have the leeway men do,"

"I accept your apology," Yamato scoffed taking a sip of the delicious chocolate. Just this beverage was worth coming over here, he conceded.

"Okay, tell me about yourself kid," the woman said looking at him curiously. "You don't seem freaked out that I am not human, have you seen many Outworlders?"

'Outworlders...? Oh that's polite for Aliens isn't it?'

"No," Yamato shook his head. "Well, it's a little weird that your skin is grey and all but you don't seem different from other people, infact you are more nicer than some,"

"Thank you. Me and little Tila needs all the assurance we could get in this foreign land..." Katrina said. Suddenly tears rolled down her eyes as she seem to recall something. Yamato froze awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

"Sorry for showing you that," just as quickly she sniffed and wiped away her tears. Then she smiled sadly. "Hey kid can you listen to my story? I need to tell someone to led a listening ear,"

"Yeah... Sure.."

"You are a so kind human boy," Katrina chuckled.

"Actually just call me Yamato,"

"Okay Yamato, what do you know about Alrer?"

"Nothing really,"

"Good then I'll start from the beginning. You see Alrer is not like your human world, it is not divided into fragmented kingdoms. In Alrer there's only one emperor that rules the whole planet from north to the south and east to the west. My father in law was such a man, his name was Venar. Many believe him to be one of the most powerful of emperors among the long line of rulers that ruled Alrer in all time.

"That's because he was what could be called a tyrant. In his time he started and won many wars, forcing no less that eleven realms and Outerworlds under the empire. However despite his success in governing and war, his family was a mess. Venar had three sons, all born on the same day,"

"Triplets?" Yamato couldn't help but ask in surprise.

"No, all are from different mothers, the emperor's wives. One could call it a curse from the heavens because, you see, by tradition only the first born could be heir to the throne, but in this case no one could confirm the first born!"

Yamato found himself engrossed in this story, subconsciously trying to solve its problems like a puzzle. "Can't they use the time of birth? That way they could decide the first born,"

"Sure, that's what the emperor thought at first but on closer look it wasn't feasible; the time of birth was too close that the only difference was a matter of a few minutes, making it easy to fabricate stuff without getting caught,"

"How could they deceive anyone, wasn't there doctors?"

"Which doctor would dare tell the truth? Which doctor will dare lie?"

"So the doctors were in cohort?"

Katrina smiled. "You catch on fast. Anyway because of the confusion, Alrers experienced its first succession battle history. Each of the three sons of the emperor started gathering power and influence. Thus that's how I came to marry the imperial prince Veish."

"Was he...?"

"Yes he was the one your Realm Knight slayed."

"I am sorry..." Yamato said, clenching his fist.

Katrina sniffed and looked away. "No I am sorry, it is not your fault after all. Back to my story. The power struggle between the three brothers reached a head when the emperor, in his death bed, gave a verdict.

"The three brothers are to fight in a three way fight in the royal arena, before billions of audience, both present in the arena and watching from home. Anyone that wins will become the next emperor!"

Katrina stopped here and her eyes went distant. Yamato patiently waited for her to continue this surprising yet captivating story. She closed her eyes, sighed then she went on.

"That was nine years ago. Little Tila was just a baby. I sat at the VIP seat next to the emperor - that came to see his children slaughter each other even though he was sick - and he kept making small talks. But even though he's the emperor and I had to be polite to him, my mind was not there. I was afraid for Veish."

Her eyes flew open, there was anger in it. "Th.. That day Veish, my foolish husband, won the succession battle, he defeated his brothers effortlessly. I can't describe how ecstatic I was at that moment, dreaming of a long life of happiness with my family,

"But Veish, he... he was supposed to kill his brothers and get the throne, but he was too honorable to kill his own blood. He tossed away his spear and denounced his right to the throne! Veish was so foolish a man he didn't know that he had destroyed Alrer with that statement!"

"What happened next?" Yamato questioned.

Katrina shrugged. "The emperor died of pure anger right there in the VIP stands. Then Veish relocated me and little Tila to the country side where he thought he'd stay away from the politics in the capital, even when I told him that's not possible.

"As for his brothers, they started a civil war till one won and the other fled. After that the new king convinced Veish to be his general, as no one in Alrers is stronger than him. Again I told Veish not to accept but he thought his brother was a honorable man for not killing his other brother so they could build Alrer together,"

Katrina shook her head and laughed in derision. "Thus when the guy that fled returned, we found ourselves in the middle of a war, in the middle of politics we were supposed to be avoiding. Veish fought well to hold the rebels away in the border but, in the end his Emperor brother was assassinated in the capital and the other brother seized the throne with the support of many nobles.

"The soldiers wouldn't follow Veish anymore thus the only thing he could do was flee with his family,"

"That's how we came here six months ago," she took a sip of the chocolate and sighed regretfully. "Now even he is dead. And I suspect Jorj, the new emperor, sent that Realm Knight to kill him."

"Sent to kill him?" Yamato frowned. "Wasn't it because illegally crossing Realms is paid in blood?"

"You believe that hehe hehe.." Katrina sneered. "Nothing in this world is a must. The Realm Knight could have actually chosen to overlook us like they do about many other Outworld migrants!"

"Is that really true?" Yamato's worldview was suddenly changing. "To intentionally target you for benefits... would that Realm Knight really do that?"

Katrina nodded. "Yes, he will. But I know you'll rather believe your human Realm Knight rather than me, an alien."

"The Realm Knights are suppose to stand for good," Yamato ignored the bitterness in her words and uttered with a frown. "Though I can see how it is possible they might be corrupt..."

"They are truly corrupt, the world is pretty dark isn't it kid?"

"I guess..." Yamato conceded, yet he didn't totally believe her. He might be young but he isn't stupid enough to blindly trust the words of a person he just met.

Besides it doesn't really matter. Not that Yamato couldn't empathize with her but this matter is above him. So far above him that his opinion doesn't matter.

Yamato wasn't being callous, but a person like him, down in the dirt, can't afford to bother about the Realm Knights' business. After all, in the eyes of those aristocrats he's no different from an ant they could step on at any moment.

That's the cold reality of this world. However it would make one feel bitter if they suddenly found out that their heroes are not the pure good people they want them to be, but actually flawed villains.

At least it'll make Yamato feel a little bitter..