NOTE: This is a dream
A young boy with messy black hair, dark green eyes, and a small mole beneath the left side of his mouth played outside while his parents were away doing chores.
He sat alone in the backyard near the forest, holding a small toy airplane in his hand.
The young boy ran through the wet grass, imagining the toy soaring high through the clouds.
Suddenly, he slipped.
The toy airplane fell from his grasp as he landed on the ground with a soft thud.
The boy let out a small huff and slowly sat up, brushing the grass off his t-shirt.
The toy lay untouched on the grass.
Then suddenly —
A large shadow covered his view.
The boy froze.
Slowly, he looked up.
A man hovered before him, floating slightly above the ground with massive wings spread wide behind him, nearly three meters long. His hair was long and white as snow, and his pale skin looked almost unreal.
But his face...
His face was blurry.
The man slowly approached the boy and reached down, offering the toy airplane back to him.
The young boy stared in amazement.
He had never seen anyone like this before. Not in his town. Not anywhere.
The boy hummed softly and reached for the airplane—
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THE ALARM WENT OFF
Elendil groaned and slowly opened his eyes.
His hair was messy, and his clothes were slightly twisted from sleep. With a tired sigh, he turned off the alarm before dragging himself out of bed.
(((AT THE LIVING ROOM)))
Elendil yawned and stretched his arms before sitting down on the wooden bamboo couch. He glanced at Neptur, who was calmly reading a freshly printed newspaper.
Angel walked over and placed a bowl of noodles on the wooden bamboo coffee table.
Angel: "Elendil, you okay? You look like you had a nightmare."
He sat down and started eating.
Elendil: "Uhm... I'm okay. Just had a weird dream." He grabbed his bowl.
Neptur looked up from the newspaper, suddenly interested.
Neptur: "Hm? What kind of dream?"
He folded the newspaper and placed it on the table before taking his bowl of noodles.
Elendil: "I'm... not really sure what it was, but it felt strange." He took a bite.
Elendil: "But I'm too lazy to think about it right now..."
He yawned again and quietly ate.
Neptur chuckled.
Neptur: "Sure, sure. Anyway, we'll have a visitor coming soon."
Elendil blinked.
Elendil: "Mhm? Who?"
Neptur: "My brother. He's from the southern border. I'm sure you two will get along."
He smiled faintly.
Neptur: "Though he's a bit... extreme, if you ask me."
Angel scoffed quietly while eating his noodles.
Elendil: "Ah? Really? I hope so. It's getting boring around here with nobody to interact with."
Angel stared at Elendil for a moment, raising an eyebrow before quickly looking away.
Neptur: "Ah, I see."
He stood up and carried his empty bowl to the kitchen sink.
Neptur: "I'm heading out to fish. You two kiddos stay here, yeah? I'll be back before afternoon."
Elendil: "Mhm, okay."
Angel: "A fish fishing for fish… mhm."
Neptur sighed and smiled awkwardly. He grabbed his hat and fishing rod before opening the front door.
Neptur: "I'm leaving now. Don't make a mess while I'm gone, okay?"
Elendil nodded as they watched Neptur leave.
Elendil: "Mhm… I wonder what Uncle is going to look like."
Angel: "Probably like a fish too... ugh."
He looked away, already imagining what Neptur's family looked like.
Elendil: "I mean... you're not wrong. But I'm wondering what kind of fish."
Angel: "Fish is fish. And I hate fish." He narrowed his eyebrows.
Elendil: "You still hate Neptur after ten years together? What's with your hatred of fish anyway?"
Angel: "They smell like fish. I hate it."
Elendil sighed as he watched Angel carry his empty bowl into the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Elendil: "Mhm… I see." He yawned once more.
Elendil stood up and walked toward the front porch to get some fresh air.
Elendil: "Haaa… Nature is so nice—"
Suddenly, he heard a noise.
Elendil looked to his left and spotted the mail-dog.
Dog: "Arf! You have mail!"
The dog rummaged through its backpack before handing Elendil a letter and trotting away.
Elendil: "Ooh? Mail... I wonder who this is from."
He watched the dog leave for its next destination before looking down curiously at the letter in his hands.
Elendil glanced around carefully to make sure nobody was watching.
Slowly, he began opening the letter—
Angel: "What are you doing?'
Elendil jumped and spun around immediately, only to see Angel standing behind him suspiciously.
Angel: "Mail?"
Elendil: "Oh—uhh… yeah. It's probably from Neptur."
Angel hummed and took the letter from him.
Angel: "You weren't planning to open it?"
Elendil: "Pfft—why would I? I would never open someone else's letter.." He chuckled nervously.
Angel sighed before heading back inside and placing the letter on the coffee table.
Angel: "I'm heading into town to buy groceries. Wanna come?"
Elendil's eyes lit up immediately. He nodded without hesitation. He was getting bored anyway.
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(((AT THE KINGDOM))
It was market day, so the streets were crowded with people selling fresh goods and raw materials.
Elendil followed Angel through the busy marketplace while Angel searched for groceries.
Elendil: "Sooo...what kind of food are you buying?"
Angel: "Mhm. The usual. Vegetables, fruits, and meat." He scanned the nearby stalls carefully.
Elendil: "Ah... okay."
Elendil looked around.
The market was lively. Children ran around laughing while merchants shouted prices from their stalls. Some people bargained loudly while others restocked supplies.
Angel stopped at a stall and began checking fresh cabbages.
Meanwhile, Elendil quickly became bored watching Angel shop.
Elendil: "Hey, I'm gonna walk around for a bit while you do your thing, okay?"
Angel: "Mhm, sure—wait, what?"
He turned around, only to realize Elendil had already disappeared.
Seller: "Did you find everything you needed, sir?"
The elderly woman smiled warmly.
Angel glanced at her while holding cabbages, potatoes, and carrots.
Angel: "Mhm. How much?"
Seller: "That'll be twenty silver coins."
Angel: "Uh.... expensive."
Still, Angel paid without complaint. He handed her the coins before placing the vegetables into his basket.
Once finished, he began searching for Elendil.
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MEANWHILE
Elendil wandered through the streets, glancing around at the busy crowd.
Suddenly, a ball rolled near his feet.
He bent down and picked it up just as two children ran toward him.
Child: "Sorry, sir!"
Elendil: "No, it's okay."
He smiled and handed the ball back.
The children thanked him before running off to continue playing.
Elendil yawned. Now tired, he decided to return to Angel.
But while walking back, he heard strange noises coming from a nearby alleyway.
He stopped.
The sounds grew louder the closer he got.
Muffled voices.
Struggling.
Elendil glanced around, confused that nobody else seemed to care.
Curiosity got the better of him. Slowly, he stepped into the alley.
As he approached, the sounds became clearer
Elendil carefully peeked past the wall—
His eyes widened.
A woman was being cornered by three men.
She sat trembling against the wall while her basket of raw supplies lay spilled across the ground beside her.
Woman: "Please... Leave me alone! I told you I don't have it!" She cried softly.
Man: "Aye, aye, aye... stop lying. We saw you stealing from the stalls.""
Woman: "I told you already—I didn't!"
Elendil froze. His heart pounded.
Should he help her? Or leave before he got dragged into trouble?
But...
He felt bad leaving her alone.
Elendil took a deep breath before stepping forward..
((TO BE CONTINUED))