Age of Heroes

'Permission to enter' one of the messenger shouted from outside and Lisa drop the subject.

'Enter' Arial ordered and the messenger quickly enter the tent and kneeled before him.

'My lord it is good to see you well' the messenger exclaims the moment; he sees that he had arisen from his state of unconsciousness

Behind him was Kyle. He had already finished his task and returning back to the tent. Arial only smiles at the messenger and said

'It is. Now what news you came to deliver?'

'Yes, my lord. The healer is outside'

'Tell him to wait in the nearby tent as I clothed myself and wash my face.'

He nodded and went outside to relay his orders.

'You have to undressed when he examines you right?' Kyle said looking at Arial trying to dress himself up.

Lisa already distances herself from Arial the moment she saw her brother at the entrance of the tent

'Why bother with clothing?' he asks. Arial only reply

'Manners Kyle, manners. We both know what he came to do, yet it is our duty to show him respect, and I intend to show it, as long as I have the energy and capacity to show it'

'A lord's manners' he said snorting.

'Is that a compliment or an insult?' he asked Kyle

'You never care about such things before.'

'Before, I did not know.'

'Now I know. Woe to the man that never change, constant, inflexible, Kyle. Woe to such man.'

'I will never win if you spar with me with words.' He said

'Then, don't come unarmed' Arial said chuckling.

He sighed in surrender.

'Fine…. Arial. Do take care of yourselves. I still do not approve of you taking to battle tomorrow but…who am I but a loyal banner man to your noble House. What does my counsel do other than irritate you?'

Arial shook his head and said

'Do not say such hurtful words to spite me, Kyle. You are my friend, my brother. You must know that'

'THEN LISTEN TO YOUR BROTHER!' he shouted., Arial did not seems flustered. He seems extremely calms like he had expected Kyle would explode.

'Brother!' Lisa yelled

'He needs to hear it Lisa.' And Kyle approached him.

'You have been pushing yourselves more than any of us. I'm two years older than you, yet I could do nothing for you. I'm two years older than you, but why does it feel like you are the older brother? You took no confidence in us, in the great burden your bear on your shoulder like a curse. I am heartbroken, devastated to see you in such conditions. You said you treat me like a brother but you rarely share your thoughts with me. How can you be the closest thing to me, like a brother you professed, yet I know nothing of your worries and trouble? Why…...even among companions, you look so lonely, wearing a mask of smiles while deep inside your heart you hold such sorrows? Tell me, BROTHER!'

Arial smiled

'You have certainly been thinking a lot about me, Kyle. And judging from your expression, you too Lisa.'

She looked at him, and her gesture of denying is betrayed by her look of worries.

'But as I said it to Helia, and what I said to Lisa, it is my burden to bear and I will bear it alone.'

'You do not trust us?' Lisa said

'On the contrary. I trust you to let me handle my burden the way I see fit.'

'You are stubborn' Kyle said, looking at him.

'And you too, Kyle. I am no more stubborn than you are. We are not that different, brother. I am surrounded by stubborn people. You, Lisa, Helia, even West. It seems only the lords that I defeat are not stubborn. The irony!'

'In which part of me, that I am stubborn?' Kyle asked

'My stubbornness lies in me, holding my burden alone, your stubbornness stems from your desire to press me to share it. You are young' Arial said

'So are you.'

He nodded

'I do not mean in that sense that young is determined by age. I mean in the ways of the world. One day, you will be faced with the same choice as I have, a burden as you so eloquently put, saddled upon you, and you will know, you will understand that that burden, is not for anyone to know, it is your burden, and you will relish from the fact that that burden is yours and yours alone, so does the pain that came from it. And you will insist in carrying that burden for yourself because you know.... you know that burden is tailor made for you, your own …. Quest. And Kyle you were wrong about one thing'

'And what's that?' Kyle asked, looking at him, he tries to understand his words and he looked at him, this time waiting for the answer.

'It was never a burden. You all believe that I was hiding some secrets, some sorrows I did not tell you about, but to me, it is never a burden.'

'What is it then?'

'It is a responsibility, a duty, a charge I have taken for myself'

And Arial know they do not know about his own designated mission that he takes charge for, but they are his closest friend.

Lisa, Kyle, Helia.

They are his precious friends, people that he bonded with in their quest and trips and all the fun and sadness they enjoyed and joined together in a group.

It would be weird if they notice nothing, if they sense nothing. They knew he is hiding something from them, they just don't know what it is.

The reason Arial could not tell them is not because of his selfishness, it is because laws of time and space especially dealing with such untested magic, breaking every laws of magic, a magic such of this, he does not know their effects.

Telling them about some events, may very well, turns them into a causal factor of such events or change the very thing he want to change.

'Duty? Duty, huh…humph. Fine. You will insist in your stubbornness and I will insist in mine.'

'Just the way I preferred it Kyle' and Arial laughed. Kyle could not help but grin.

'Call the healer in' Arial yelled to the outside.

'I guess this is where I will leave you, friend' Kyle said.

'Get well, Arial' Lisa said. She began getting up from the bed

'Do not wear such a worry face Lisa. I will be fine.'

And the pain strikes again. This time more biting that before as the wind from the outside bring that coldness again but he manages to keep a calm face until they are leaving.

The moment they leave the tent Arial staggered to the table around his bed.

'Huh, huh, huh' He panted with him feeling even breathing is hard. He felt like his lungs and his heart is being pierced by a thousand needles piercing him slowly and painfully.

He knows using internal energy would not help.

His answer and his suspicion will be lifted if he heard what the healer opinion, though he himself have a terrible suspicion of what he has been afflicted it.

And slowly the curtain opens bringing him a news that probably would change his life, for the second time.

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Will not be saying anything because afraid I am going to give a hint. See you tomorrow and leave some comments and some votes for little old me