As Xian glanced over the twin walking away towards the line of people keeping up to enter the city, Xian walked the opposite and arrived at a small tree to shield against the warmness of the sun at it's peak.
Right now, she wore a hood for additional shield for the sun, her belongings now in the mother's embrace thus only carrying the leather sling bag in her back.
The soft breeze touches her skin as the texture of the grass upon sitting. It was quiet up here unlike the noisy crowd of lining people below that either discussing something or just chatting with each other, probably to pass time as they wait, the twin is among them where Xian focused her sense from.
"I'm just wondering Joana, if Xian's mother is... Let's say gone, and supposed her father is here... Why is that?"
"Don't ask me, I'm not Xian... But if I would like to answer for her, based on my incredible knowledge, their family should be probably uhh... Broken..."
Xian, at the shade of the green leaves. Thought about it too, but unlike the two, she already know her mother and father problems.
Back before she was born, her mother and father had a relationship, not the romantic type but something close to comradice. It happened that the two got drunk and did the thing and Xian was born.
Well, that is what my mother's told me. Thinking it about, I don't hate my father for not marrying my mother, and my mother really insisted on getting married since she was only interested in woman like her and that the bloodline of Black family should continue and not stop from her.*
And my father would visit almost thrice a month, whether it was my birthday, my mother's, or close to new year. I remember him inviting me to go outside the forest but my mother insisted and so do I, it was probably the immature little me being scared of the world.*
Thinking about, how should I tell my father the news about mom...*
Multiple thoughts flood Xian mind and only when a creak of wood twig getting cracked when Xian opened her eyes to see a blurry vision.
"What a little girl doing here?" Said by a man, clothed in leather armor. He was bulky and handsome at the same time, he carries a large axe at his back. He wasn't alone.
To his left cling a woman, cleavage barely showing with thin mage dress and a robe. She was beautiful and alluring if a man said that, she looks at Xian with piercing eyes.
"Who cares, let's just go." She said. But the handsome man insisted, he leaned forward to the girl and the next thing he saw is the blue sky and the bright sun that is spinning wildly.
Xian used her fist to greet the man face and sending him to the ground. The woman didn't anticipated this and took a step back.
I'm tired of being called like that.*
Xian stood up, eyed the woman in her left side, clearly surprised but wasn't scared. She gritted her teeth and shouted:
"Guards!"
The loud scream alerted the whole area from the grassy field where Xian is standing to the lessening crowd of line below. The guards, wearing silver armors with engraved patterns in their chest, sent two to go the commotion.
As she turned her head to Xian, the only thing the woman is seeing a a blurry pale fist coming towards her.
Bam!
Her fragile body was thrown to the ground, like a wheat dummy, she dropped to the grass after getting knocked. Her face red, and seemingly distorted and incaved.
"F*cker!" The man earlier, who just stood up saw this and immediately rushed towards Xian like a madman wearing a large axe behind her back, ready to swing to this innocent girl.
As he was about to cleaved sideways, the swing of the large silver axe seemingly stopped suddenly midair. And to his shock, someone other than the girl was infront of him, stopping the silver axe with a hand... Only a one hand at that!
This man looks old due to his graying hair, but he was handsome enough for to be called young, the conflicting features also gets conflicted with his scars in his left eye down to his lift, depicting someone with experience.
He wore a silver armor, adorned with symbols engraved to it with two stars in his right chest, showing authority and an aura of a leader.
"For what reason you we're bullying a defenseless girl?" His voice was deep, and commanding.
"G-Guardian's head!" Shouted by the guards approaching to the scene with their silver armors clinging.
"She's the one who started it! She punched me and my woman!" Started by the handsome man, his face now swollen from the punch made by Xian earlier.
"Article 12, section 4; No one should lay their hands on someone innocent, let alone a defenseless citizen." Said by the head of the guardians. His raven black eyes piercing the man's soul.
"As I sai-"
"Do you have evidence?" Refuted by the head before he can even finish.
Anger flushed in the man's swollen face but against a guardian, the head of that, he can't do anything but to withdraw his weapon and left with the unconscious woman she had.
"Go back, the two of you, I'll take care of the rest."
"Yes, guardian head!" The two guardians placed their hand infront of their chest, fist tight as a form of salute before running back to their post.
Xian watch all of this, quiet in the tree, sitting as if nothing happened.
"You just got outside and you already causing trouble... Xian." The head of guardians spoke, not deep, not commanding, but normally as if he was talking to someone close... And that proves that.
"Father..." Xian finally let out a word after some seconds, her quiet posture earlier was not about being nonchalant or cold, she was reminiscing about the past, a warm tear appeared in her eyes, from her blurry vision, the only thing she remembers is her falling to the ground.
...
Watching her daughter was about to fall, Larry immediately rushed forward and lent his arms to catch the exhausted girl. He doesn't know what happened for this girl to be so exhausted, not physically, but mentally as he sensed it.
"You must be so tired of the outside world, don't worry, father's here..."
He lifted the girl around his arms, walked away from the tree, onwards to the gate, now not so crowded with people getting in. The sun was placed 90 degress, the loud bell of the Church of Sun means it was afternoon, just hours after the last bell of the noon.
Larry carrying his daughter arrived at the gates, with his commanding aura and position, the other guardians didn't stop him nor question him about the girl, they made his way while maintaining the pace of people going in.
At the walls, there were small room just inside the actual concrete walls. It was the guardians post house where they store weapons and supplies as can be seen inside where compartments, drawers, stands, and tables are placed here and there.
It was not crowded with guardians, only Larry was there. He went to a small chair and placed the girl on it while also considering to add a small cotton meant for bandaging against the girl's head.
Opposite of Xian, he sat, still and unmoving. As if he was readying himself to what news he was about to know.
The news these recent days seems to be concentrated to Neap's western forest. Imperfect demons, crowd of monsters, and signs of portals and summoning rituals.*
I... Would not expecting something good, the fact that Xian is here without her mother means Xen is... Xen is in danger and worse...*
Larry wanted to keep it cool, but despite being the most powerful guardian in the Neap and a strong influence among his comrades, he can't think the fact that his daughter's mother, his best friend, Xen might be dead.
He looked at his daughter, still had teary eyes despite closed, clothes a bit rag, and tiredly sleeping, Larry clenched his fist tightly, not from anger but disappointed to himself.
For what any news she was about to bring, I need to be strong and prepared to accept it... I need to show her my good side, the side she can cling to, whether Xen is alive or not, I'm here for her!*
Larry kept reassuring himself over and over again to prepare, but deep down, with his fist tightly clenched, he was nervous and scared. This is not for the safety of him or the city against the upcoming dangers from the forest, no, it was the fear about the fact of Xen's status and the future of his daughter.
From his bitten lips, blood slowly formed and fell down in specks.
Keep... Keep it controled Larry!*