[XASTOL CITY, KAZÛNTHRA (UNDERGROUND MINESHAFT)]
A small group led by Ivan, Gido, and Huin sped through Kazûnthra as fast as they could. Captain Upo, whose stamina proved far better than the Councilmen's, raced ahead, eager to protect them, his gun-blade in hand. Jacender and Aleximus weren't too far behind; they matched the Captain's pace and followed along closely so they wouldn't get lost. After another moment, they had overtaken the Murong brothers entirely and were leading the chase. Hisagi, Hidemi, and Esi — alongside three Sentries — brought up their rear, letting out exhausted gasps of air as they struggled to keep up.
Ivan pushed against the slick debris on the ground and fought for control. Many thoughts flew across every corner of his mind, but the only ones that mattered — the one true feeling of importance — were making sure that the Colliers were not harmed. Regardless of what had happened to him, he still cared deeply for his people.
"Over here!" Jace called with a swift turn of his head. He ran into an opening, vanishing behind a wall of orange light, where the cavern widened. Gido and Huin followed suit, entering the clearing without a second thought and disappearing as well.
"What the…" Ivan murmured as he barged into the clearing. Spread out along the cave all around them, lay unconscious Colliers and Miners. Each person rested on their backs or was propped up against a nearby wall, as if sleeping. Ivan glanced toward Captain Upo, who was equally perplexed. The report that an intruder had come had frightened every dwarf there with the prospect that some people might have been injured or worse. To see Banderd's workers resting peacefully… It was, to say the least, confusing.
Aleximus and Jacender gently walked around the bodies, unsure of what they were seeing. Behind them, Hisagi, Esi, and Hidemi had finally arrived.
It's faint, Aleximus thought, …but I can sense Sanctum Energy. Someone was here. He glanced at one of the workers at his feet and inspected him. He was a freckled teen with a clipboard glued to his hands. Jace knelt and put his finger under the boy's nose — a trick he'd learned from his uncle.
"He's breathing," he said as he pulled back his hand. Captain Upo jumped, recognition in his eyes, and marched over to them. "Wājué?! Hey! Wake up!"
"You recognize him?" Gido asked. The Captain nodded and shook the young dwarf hard.
"Yes. Months ago, Speaker Banderd approached me with recruiting talent for his special excavation in the mines. Wājué was among the top picks. Eventually, Councilman Banderd chose him as the project leader."
Wājué's eyes began to move behind his eyelids. "Ngh…"
"He's waking up!" Jace yelled. Gido and Hidemi sprinted forward, joining the Captain and those around him in getting answers. It was but a moment before Wājué opened his eyes.
"What..? Councilman Gido..? Where… am I..?"
"Easy!" Upo urged him. He carefully pressed Wājué's shoulder so he wouldn't force himself up too fast. "What happened here? Why is everyone out cold?!"
"Out cold?" Wājué repeated. The moment after he'd said it, Aleximus sensed terror fill the dwarf's heart. Jace watched Wājué shoot up, recognizing immediately that he was remembering something horrible, and moved to the side.
Wājué's head whipped left to right, his eyes flicking over the collapsed bodies as if seeing corpses. A broken noise escaped his throat — somewhere between a squeal and an angry grunt. "NO, NO, NO!" he screamed. He dashed to the railings overlooking a deep hole and shivered at the sight of its emptiness. "It's gone! The Jidan ore that master Banderd asked us to recover — it's gone!!"
Alarm struck the faces of those present, spinning all heads in search of what Wājué might have been referring to. Ivan's eyes danced to his surroundings quicker than the others. In terms of skill, he was the best Sanctum-Smith in all of Xastol. It was because of that that he knew the ore needed to be something special. He racked his brain, recalling Banderd's memories and the ore that the intruder had asked for while he examined the gaps in the ceiling. Faint vestiges of heat and orange liquid dotted the smooth-stone wall underneath each gap. It's lava, he realized. He looked down, mapping out where it would possibly fall if it were flowing, and deduced that it could have only been in the cavity below, which Wājué stood above. The Jidan was submerged in lava… But it's all gone…
What stood there now, to the surprise and worry of everyone there, was a small river of water silently evaporating below.
"It was stolen," Huin muttered. Ivan looked to him, understanding that his brother had also formed the same conclusion, and nodded. "Whoever this intruder was, they took the lava and the mountainous ore that these men managed to unearth. But how?"
That water couldn't have come from nowhere, Ivan thought. Theres a slight drop in temperature, plus its too humid to be a place to where lava reigns supreme. That water… It's ice. Somehow, whatever was here was replaced with a mountain of ice!
"Listen to me, Wājué!" Gido spat with a confident spin. "Tell us what happened here and tell us now!"
Wājué faced the Counselors with a look of defeat and sank to the ground.
"A monster," he whispered, reliving the memory. "He was clothed in dark green and black a-and he wore a long winter coat."
Ivan and his brothers exchanged worried looks. The description sounded too familiar.
Wājué continued, drawing in a deep breath before letting his voice shake: "He stood right here where I'm sitting, looking over the railing with a smile as the lava fell. At first, I thought he was a dwarf who wandered in here by mistake, so I tried my best to get him to leave. But…"
He recalled something with incredible speed hitting him and all the other workers at the same time, knocking them all out cold. "I've kept my promise. I won't take any lives today," was the last thing that Wājué remembered hearing.
"Aleximus," Jace whispered.
"I know!" his brother responded sharply. "I know. But if we say anything, we'll look suspicious."
He looked back at Wājué, who was cradling his head in his hands. "I'm a disgrace! Speaker Banderd gave me one job and yet I…"
A hand touched his shoulder, making Wājué look up. Hidemi had stepped forward with a gentle expression and a soft smile. Though he'd never met him before, Wājué recognized the half-dwarf boy as the shame of the city — the one person to be wary of and keep distance from. And yet for some reason, this boy — who he'd been told was worth less than every citizen put together — held such a gentle compassion behind his eyes. It was striking, yes, but Wājué was overcome with how pure it was, like love given human form.
"My son is right," Ivan said. They all faced the tattered ex-Councilman and looked on as he extended his hand to Wājué. "There is no use beating yourself up over something beyond your control. You did the best you could and did it in service to the city. You're an exemplary dwarf."
"Y-You're ex-Councilman Ivan, aren't you? What are you doing here? And besides, what would you know about being in service to Xastol?! You're a traitor!"
"No, Wājué, you're wrong," Huin spoke. "Ivan is innocent of all the charges that have been leveled against him."
"What?!"
"Yes," Gido added. "There's no need to treat him as we have for so long anymore. Banderd was—"
"—That's enough, Gido, Huin," Ivan said sharply. His head was tilted at an angle where his hair covered most of his face, making it hard for any of them to read what he was thinking.
Hisagi cast a hard glance at Wājué before looking to Ivan. Is he angry? We're the only ones who've heard the truth from Uncle Banderd's diary…
Aleximus's eyes told of a similar thought, but he waited for Ivan to speak before making any assumptions. He wondered if by now, Hidemi's father had arrived at the same answer he'd come across after he and Jace had gotten to know Hidemi.
After a long moment, a muffled sound escaped Ivan's throat. A snicker, Jace realized. As he thought it, Ivan clutched his belly and let loose a loud laugh, his falling hair whipping behind his ears and shoulders as he shook.
"Bwahaha! Well, you sure don't beat around the bush, huh? I can see why Banderd chose you as his project manager! However…"
Ivan bent down until he was face to face with Wājué and stared him down with half-lidded, drooping eyes. "Casting aside your morals and bowing to rules that don't prioritize the needs of the many over the few is not dwarven. What you did here — your work with these men — you did it in service to a cause for all, not just the many or the few. It's something that none of us have been able to do until now. Banderd was the first dwarf to come to this understanding and put hard work into making it a reality. And thought he would have never said it aloud, that was the purpose of this excavation, Wājué. We can't control everything, but we can control our own choices."
Wājué's eyes began to water. He'd never heard words that felt so opposite to what he believed, that also felt so right deep, deep down. Confliction ravaged him, hearing such things from Xastol's worst criminal.
Ivan noticed the shift and extended his arm to the young dwarf again, saying, "I'll say it once more, Wājué. You did the best that you could in service to the city. You are an exemplary dwarf."
The teen glanced at the others: Councilmen Gido and Huin, as well as Captain Upo, the young master Hisagi, and, to his added shock, two human boys. They all nodded for him to take Ivan's arm, and after a brief moment of hesitancy, Wājué finally rose with the disgraced Councilman.
"V…Very well…"
"Thank you," Wājué said and began to bow.
"W-Woah!" Ivan said suddenly. Both he and Hidemi stopped him midway with a quick raise of their hands and bashfully laughed. "We're not officially recognized as citizens of Xastol, nor do we hold any station! In any case, you're ranked higher than we are... You don't need to bow to us..."
Wājué shook his head and pursed his lips into a smile as he remembered something Banderd had once told him not long ago:
"Nonsense. My position has nothing to do with the way I treat others. And if what the Counselors say is true… You deserve my respect, and therefore I will give it to you — title or no."
Hidemi's eyebrows raised, an understanding dawning within him as to what exactly his father had just accomplished with Wājué here. He'd always been raised to love others and live to show the other dwarves that fear didn't need to exist in place of dialogue. Everything that had happened since his birth till now, when he'd won the Dwanivit, had been building up to his moment. Aleximus observed Hidemi's smile grow larger and thought: He finally got it, huh?
"Humans," Gido said, standing in front of the twins. Huin took a stand next to him and — to the surprise of everyone there — bowed with his brother in respect to both Jacender and Aleximus.
"We understand now what you've been trying to tell us with your presence here." Huin smiled. He took off his glasses and looked intently into his frames. "We've been blind for so long that being able to see for the first time almost feels impossible. This must have been the feeling Banderd held when Hidemi had displayed the Song of Arsaes."
Gido nodded. "Ivan, it's clear what we must do now."
For the first time in over a decade, all three Murong brothers shared a knowing smile between one another; a symbol of understanding, even in the bittersweet loss of their eldest brother. And for the first time since his dismissal from the seat of Speaker… Ivan was looked onto by several dwarves as the person to lead them.
The pressure was heavy on Ivan. Though he had thrown aside all ill will and grievances, a part of him knew that what came next would be no easy task. And yet, Hidemi squeezed his hand all the same. He looked down at his son and ruffled his hair as thanks.
Hisagi crossed his arms and blushed, embarrassed to be left out, and said: "We're all behind you, Uncle Ivan."
Jacender thrust his fist in the air in agreement while Aleximus shrugged as if he didn't care. Though he could feel the overwhelming support behind him here, Ivan knew that what came next would be hard. But if they could get through it?
"Captain," Ivan said to Upo. "Prepare Gang Jian Intersection for an assembly, starting from Arsaes National Park. I'd like to speak to my countrymen."
-------🅰🆂🅷🅵🅸🅴🅻🅳-------
[XASTOL CITY, ARSAES NATIONAL PARK — THREE HOURS LATER]
Jun, the young boy Hidemi, Jacender, and Aleximus had encountered when they'd entered Xastol earlier that day, pushed his way through a crowd of people. He was bewildered, to say the least. There were thousands of people gathered around the park alone, and perhaps even triple the amount spilling out onto the intersection. All vendors and roadblocks had been moved out of the way to account for space.
This doesn't make sense, Jun thought. Mother said the Council called for an assembly, but there hasn't been one since Speaker Dwygrand died a few years ago!
He squeezed through a group of Miners in front of him and crawled underneath their open legs. I heard the Menark caused some trouble today at the Dwanivit. Was he really a bad guy after all? He thought of Hidemi's smiling face and his face immediately flushed with embarrass discomfort. He shook it off, his cheeks rosy, and thought: What am I saying? He is a bad guy! The rules say so, right? Why should I care about his feelings?
As Jun crept forward, he caught whispers of hushed conversation. He was not the only one who was confused.
"I swear, I saw him!" someone whispered.
"No way," someone else squeaked. "He broke out of Jianyu Prison without any Sanctum Energy?"
"Speaker Banderd was right then! Ivan is a danger to Xastol! He and that son of his!"
At the mention of Ivan's son, some eyes shifted, unsure if that thought process rang true anymore.
"But the boy played the song of Arsaes… He even helped other boys redefine and deepen their understanding of Sanctum-Smithing. Can he really be a danger?"
"True… My son was a participant this year! Ivan's boy had reignited a fire in him!"
"No way!"
More hushed arguing ensued.
The Song Of Arsaes?! Jun flinched. B-But I thought he was half-human — soiled! How can someone like that do something no dwarf ever has?!
Before he could toil over it further, a cluster of taken-aback "huh?"'s and stifled grunts snapped him out of his funk.
"Is that?"
"The Councilmen! They've arrived."
"It's young master Hisagi!"
"W-Wait! Isn't that—"
Jun rushed for the exit before he could be buried under such excited fervor. He needed to see what was happening for himself; to see what had Xastol in a bind, unlike any he'd ever seen before.
WHAT'S HAPPENING?!
RWOOOOOO!!!
The wind ripped past Jun's ears as his body came out of the gap of people, freezing him in his tracks. Three things attributed to the sudden change in Jun's demeanor:
One: a wave of silence fell upon the city of Xastol like a heavy blanket, hushing every rumor and whisper in Jun's vicinity, all the way down to every corner of the intersection.
Two: the familiar brown and blue color scheme of the Sentries uniform greeted the boy as to his surprise, they hadn't been standing with the Council nor inbetween them and the citizens, but the Sentries — alongside their Captain — stood with the people of Xastol, ready to hear whatever this new announcement was.
And finally, as Jun's eyes slowly lifted towards the man who sat at the foot of Arsaes' statue, everything became eerily clear.
I-It's him! It's Ivan Murong!
Sure enough, the disgraced ex-Councilman had appeared alongside the other counselors and sat directly in front of the spot where Jun had poked his head out. Behind him stood his son, Hidemi, as well as Hisagi, Jacender, and Aleximus.
The humans and the menark, too! Plus, young master Hisagi! What exactly is going on?!
"Hm?" Ivan's brow raised as he noticed the awestruck boy. "How did you get all the way to the front?"
Jun flinched and shifted his body backwards, thinking, C-Crap! Am I in trouble?
"Owa!!" Hidemi jumped. He pointed his arm excitedly from Jun to the twins and squealed with joy, making Aleximus's cheeks red with embarrassment. Jace, on the other hand, had also remembered Jun, made evident by the fact that he had taken in a deep breath and looked at him wearily. He hadn't forgotten how he'd thrown a wrench at Hidemi when they'd first arrived.
A chorus of "Is that really Ivan?" followed in the wake of Ivan's words to Jun. The spectators shifted nervously from foot to foot, both surprised and scared. Many of them had heard of what took place during the dwanivit mere hours ago: how Banderd had stopped his brother from being arrested and took both him, the Councilmen, Hidemi, Hisagi, and the twins to Dragon's Breath Tower. It was the start of a frantic bewilderment that had ripped through the city streets. Everyone had been speaking about it.
Why was Ivan there, they wondered. Why was a man who had someone escape Jianyu Prison walking free alongside the city's most esteemed council, their very protectors? One would not have been faulted for thinking that Ivan would have been taken into custody again and punished to the fullest extent of dwarven law. But no such thing had happened. Instead, he sat there, facing the entire city with his half-dwarf at his back, by the feet of Arsaes, the greatest dwarf.
Of course, outrage ensued.
"How dare you?!"
"Step away from Arsaes's statue!"
"What are you Sentries waiting for?! Arrest him!"
"Murderer!"
"Where is Councilman Banderd?!"
"Who do you think you are?!"
"You're an affront to Xastol!"
"Somebody take him!"
"Banish him!"
"Do you think you're above the law?!"
"Counselors, do something!"
"Take those humans with you!"
"Monster!"
"Demon!"
"False-dwarf!"
Aleximus staggered at the weight of it all. He hadn't known Ivan for long, nor had he any profound attachment to Hidemi's father… but to see such hatred bared at someone who people had merely believed had broken the laws… instilled in Aleximus a sense of despondency beyond any other. Jacender was of a similar mind.
They had both thought, up until moments ago, that they had fully grasped the meaning of Nahasch's words to Hidemi in the forest. Both brothers had arrived at an answer for Hidemi and Ivan in terms of how to deal with Xastol, but neither of them could fully appreciate the scale of it all. Xastol was steeped in a history that predated the maps of Sanctaefi. It's people went back even further. According to what they could piece together from Banderd's words, Arsaes was almost like a god to the dwarves. They worshipped his words like scripture, and once they had gotten a certain understanding out of them, they refused to see it in any other way. The Councils that had passed for generations since Arsaes' time saw to that themselves.
Hisagi — being from Xastol but never seeing insurrection or mass protesting of any kind to this extreme — felt a chill creep up his spine. So this is what Uncle Banderd was afraid of. This must have been what happened when they found my father's body. But this… This anger could threaten to swallow Xastol whole.
Huin and Gido exchanged looks and stared forward, unflinching. This is in part our fault, Huin thought with a quick tap to his glasses. The Councils of old have made the people into a hive mind incapable of seeing another way.
Gido examined each screaming face as though its mouth were opening and closing in slow motion. By robbing them of choice, all we've left is obligation. Regardless of whether they learn the truth today or not, if the people don't believe in themselves, they'll just think they owe it to us to take a stand against any sort of confrontation.
It's a delicate situation, they both thought in unison. One that hasn't happened once in the twelve billion years of dwarven history.
They looked at their little brother's back, a smile forming at the prospect of such a ridiculous change starting now with their generation.
Whatever you choose, we will stand with you, Ivan. Because that is our choice, too.
Ivan felt the breeze flow through his sleeves and gently move his hair and beard. His face looked at peace as he let his head fall back.
"Woah, he looks super relaxed," Jace whispered to Aleximus. Hisagi caught the end of it and added, "Well, of course! He's Ivan Murong — Xastol's most gifted Sanctum-Smith! He must already have a way to address the crowd!"
Aleximus and Hidemi just kept watching with blank stares, unsure if that was the case. Only they could see the pool of sweat forming around Ivan's neck.
Idiots! Ivan barked inside. I don't have a plan at all! Don't you see these crazy people screaming at me?! Who would have anything to say?! If I were standing, my legs would be clacking against each other!
His nervousness broke out into an anxious smile that flashed a few teeth as he stared up into the sky. Though he hadn't intended it, it'd just made the crowd more furious.
"Lunatic! You think this is funny?!"
"Pay attention and look at us, damn you!"
"Hey! Answer us!"
"He should be banished!!"
With every word hurled his way, Ivan's panic became irritation, and his irritation became annoyance. Finally, in one ear-splitting shout, he bellowed:
"PLEASE, SHUT YOUR MOUTHS!!!", quieting hundreds and shutting down thousands more in the sea of stretching faces.
Everyone behind him flinched, all of them surprised at his sudden outburst. That wasn't like Ivan to scream in such a way. He was emotional at times, sure, but not like this.
His shoulders rose up and down with an awkward growl. Ivan himself hadn't expected to do it. Like a child, he let an impulse take over for a moment, assuming he'd win the argument just by being loud. And for a moment, it worked.
Ivan sighed and collected himself. Then he rose to his feet and glanced at Hidemi. His son returned the look with a confident smile and held out his hand. In it, sat Banderd's Jidan-ore necklace. Ivan took it and faced the dwarves.
"I apologize," he began sheepishly. "Yelling is no way to speak to you all."
People looked at one another, confused. Why were the Counselors allowing him to speak to them freely? Ivan soon answered that question in a way none of them had ever expected.
"I've never been much of a public speaker, so if I sound unsure of myself, I ask that you forgive me. My brothers were the ones who decided that I should be the one to address you all."
He turned from left to right, surveying the sea of faces, and took each one in. The elderly, the young, the Sentries… everyone was united in silence.
"I understand that there are many questions you have. Some of which I may be able to answer, while others I may not. However, what I will not do is lie to you. Xastol has had more than enough of that."
Ivan looked down at his brother's pendant and thought of Banderd and his secret. Then, he turned around to look at Arsaes's statue. He'd always pass by it as a child. Dwygrand had told him that it was nothing more than a tribute to the great dwarf's memory and that nothing could come close to rivaling his grandeur. Because of that, the statue remained as a part of the park — something to be stared at and admired from a distance, but never studied.
For the first time in his life, Ivan paid close attention to the statue's eyes and saw it. Where there had once been a stern and watchful look about him, Arsaes felt solitary and expecting, as if he were waiting for someone to meet his gaze.
Xastol's laws, Ivan thought with a small smile, …I think I understand what you meant by them, at last.
He held the pendant closer to his mouth and spoke again to the citizens:
"Earlier today, Speaker Banderd Murong — my brother — … gave his life for Xastol."
Jun and the others behind him let out startled gasps.
"I know this may come as a shock to many of you. He was beloved by all in our city and cherished each and every one of your lives above his own. Banderd was more virtuous than any of us standing here."
He wavered for a second, but Hidemi — sensing his father's sadness — reached for his free hand and squeezed tightly. He nodded for Ivan to continue.
"It is because of Banderd's virtue that we were able to survive long enough to come across the truth of what transpired that night. A truth that Banderd revealed not just to clear my name, but to unite Xastol. And I intend to carry on his will."
Huin stepped next to Ivan, his necklace hanging in the air. "A man came to Dragon's Breath Tower months ago, mere hours before the death of our brother, Ruo. We are not yet sure how he managed to bypass the walls' power, nor do we know where he is currently."
"What we do know is that he was a human," Gido added. He took his place on the other side of Ivan and said, "And we know that he was the true culprit behind our brother's death."
Just as Gido and Huin had dreaded, panic and bewilderment began to run rampant amongst the dwarves below. One by one, fathers looked to their families, children looked to their friends, and the Sentries looked to their Council for an explanation. Captain Upo was chief amongst them.
What?! Masters Gido and Huin gave me a vague understanding of what had happened with Ivan's framing, but I still don't understand it! If this was during the night of Master Ruo's death, then this intruder made it past the walls on my watch!
Upo felt sick to his stomach. He'd sworn to uphold dwarven law and order, taking up a position as the captain of the Sentries to prove Xastol's greatness in his own way. To think that someone—a human no less—had bypassed his guard and killed the very Counselor responsible for instating him in such a position…
Damn it! Upo clenched his teeth. Is there no end to my shortcomings?!
"E-Excuse me!" someone called from the crowd. Hisagi and Aleximus turned to the person who had spoken and recognized him as the older dwarf with balding hair who had assaulted Hidemi during the back-end of the Dwanivit.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Counselors Huin and Gido, but is what you're saying true?! Is Ivan truly innocent? And if so—if it really was a human who killed Master Ruo—then why should we believe anything you say?!"
Jacender bit back a response as Aleximus pinched him. It wasn't their place to interfere. The brothers looked out as resentment filled the hearts of those around them.
"Yes! You've lied to us for months!" someone screamed.
Another shouted louder, yelling, "Xastol isn't safe! Not anymore!" while some Sentries glared at the Counselors.
"You've broken the laws! All of you!"
"Those humans standing next to you — how can we be sure they aren't a part of it?!"
"You mock Arsaes, Ivan!"
"The Murongs are the cornerstones of Xastol! Do you mean to tell us you've betrayed our trust?!"
"I can't believe this!"
Ivan met each one of their gazes, refusing to look down. Their anger is understandable, he thought. Banderd did lie, whether it was for their safety or not. He stole their right to know, and now the consequences of that have begun to bare their teeth.
But Ivan understood that that, too, was a choice in itself. Whatever the city decided to do from now on was not up to him. He was no dictator, nor would he ever force people to follow his ideologies. He could only do his best to do right by them. And that was exactly what Ivan Murong intended to do.
"What is the law?" he asked them loudly. "What is culture, or tradition, or family? Are they just words we pretend to give meaning, or do they truly mean something beyond what we think they do?"
He approached the first row of people and stared at them intently. "If our laws are so definitive, then why are there those of us who have second-guessed them? Why are many of you so angry right now? Is it because your way of life has been challenged, or is it something deeper than that?"
The Sentries, who stood at the front, hesitated to respond. Ivan walked past them, nodding as they opened a path within the mob for him.
"You've all felt it at one point or another within your lives: the question regarding whether or not you have the autonomy to make your own choices? You wake up day in, day out following a set of laws forced upon you by an older generation — one that dealt with much different circumstances than we have today. We've become cowards, so complacent in our own lives that we're afraid to live them. So I ask you, who deem yourselves more knowledgeable than I on what it means to be a dwarf…"
He stopped hundreds of feet away from his brothers and supporters, in the very center of the heart of the crowd, and softened his gaze.
"...Can one with no choice sincerely live a true existence while being skeptical of what they believe in? I think not."
To that point, no one could muster up a logical argument. Ivan was right. The dwarves had been visited more often by a sense of unrest these past few years. The rifts had begun with Ivan — that much was true — but no flame could be stoked without a spark. It was obvious that there was a fundamental flaw within Arsaes' ideology when he enforced his laws on the dwarves. There had to be. Trust could not be built on the foundation of uncontested obedience, and they knew it. Ivan's questioning of the system was brought about by the system itself. And now, just a few short years later, Hidemi had caused his waves within Xastol's society. He had repeatedly challenged everything dwarves claimed to stand for, all starting with his very birth.
For the first time in Xastol's history, not only was a half-human dwarf born, but he had placed first in the Dwanivit while the whole city watched. Humans had been allowed inside the wall, a murder had taken place within the rule-governed place within Xastol — Dragon's Breath Tower — and now, the Council itself, who for centuries had never budged in their interpretation of the law, stood behind Ivan — Xastol's ultimate rule-breaker. By all means, none of it made sense. And yet it was because of that that it did. Clarity that nothing made sense meant that no one needed to feel guilty for thinking otherwise.
"Tradition," Ivan continued, "As important as it is, it is a prison. A cage that can halt freedom and preference if overused. We're all familiar with how Arsaes created Xastol. By moving the dwarves across the Doldrum Oceans during the Great Hijra after a war unlike any this world has ever seen, Arsaes ensured dwarven safety and society by erecting these walls to keep us isolated from humans or any that may have sought to do us harm. Yet, we dwarves were a part of that war that led to the formation of Xastol, were we not? It's recorded that we built the weapons used to fight back against those who threatened others, much to the regret of Arsaes, but it happened all the same. So, does that mean Arsaes was wrong? No, I'd disagree. In fact, I would like to propose another interpretation of our sacred rules."
He raised a finger. "A dwarf must not kill. We all know that this rule was created to wash our hands of the deaths our ancestors helped bring about, but over the years, it has been treated with such taboo that it's true meaning has been lost and transformed into an abhorration for any sort of violence — even if it is in defense of another. We must all remember that Arsaes, like it or not, was a dwarf who was most likely grappling with the remorse of facilitating thousands of deaths. Those who came after interpreted his words to mean something it should have never escalated to."
"Two," he continued, raising his second finger, "Dwarven forging methods are to be kept as a closely guarded secret." He smiled and looked at the older man who had spoken out earlier. "For years, you have all hated me for my assistance to the humans of Sanctaefi and how I supplied them with dwarven-forged weapons. And while you may have felt you were justified in hating me, I would like to explain myself."
He ran his hand through his hair and thought back, reminiscently. "When I was a younger man, my father wanted nothing more than to see me succeed him and use my talents to further Xastol in the ways of our forefathers. I thought differently. Instead of just helping Xastol, I wanted to use my talents to help the wider world as a whole. Maybe it was just a foolish drea,m seeing where it landed me, but I wholeheartedly believed in that dream, as I still do now. I dislike violence as much as any of you, but the difference between us is that I understand that sometimes… change cannot be brought about without great power. To have a power great enough to stop all violence without violence is my ultimate dream. And yet to achieve it, violence must be used. It's an enigma that still puzzles me to this day."
Ivan's golden-brown eyes burned passionately as he envisioned the dream. "Maybe I betrayed what you all thought was right. But I did it for what I thought was right. And though I stand by my choice, I acknowledge that blindly refusing to compromise has led us here: at a crossroads between a torn city and its confused people."
The words stirred something within Hisagi as well, and made him look onto the citizens with a remorseful stare. His eyes told everyone watching that what Ivan was saying was no lie. They had all seen it for themselves: the way Hisagi had nearly attacked Hidemi at the Dwanivit; the way Jun had struck the boy with a wrench in the back right after Hidemi had entered Xastol; the way the city itself bubbled with anger as Dwygrand cradled his dead son in his arms, grappling with the fact that his youngest had been his killer.
Xastol had endured too much to still be blind.
Ivan smiled and turned to Jacender and Aleximus. He beckoned them to come forward with Hidemi and put his hands over each of their shoulders.
"Arsaes's third rule barred all contact with humans from Xastol. To do so was to bring calamity to Xastol, as written in our scriptures. And yet, for thousands of years, none of you have ever seen a human. None of you has laughed with them, cried with them, envied them…" Ivan felt something get caught in his throat as he recalled Gwentyn.
"...None of you have ever loved them."
Jacender felt Ivan's hand tremble slightly on his shoulder and hung his head. Nahasch had told the twins about Hidemi's birth and some things regarding who Gwentyn was, but Jace knew that words would never be able to express the love someone had for another. Anna was proof enough of that.
"Since these boys set foot in Xastol, they've challenged us again and again. They've challenged our rules, our customs, our people. The reason we are even gathered here today is in part due to these boys' tenacity. Their strong moral compass for justice and freedom led my son back here to show us all that while fear of the unknown is great, it will always be overcome by the drive to do what is right."
Captain Upo furrowed his brow. A deep sense of shame took hold in the pit of his stomach and refused to let go. He, like the hushed crowd, was beginning to wake up from an eon-long slumber forced upon them by every generation since the time of Arsaes. To have not only been one of the main facilitators in Hidemi's exile, but to have insulted him time and time again whenever the boy would come to the wall and attack him? Upo knew then that he had not just failed to protect Hidemi in the way he had failed Ruo… but he had failed Xastol in forgetting who he was meant to be.
Along every row of dwarves, many were coming to a similar epiphany. Elders like the one who had spoken up earlier looked to each other, absorbing their mistakes, while the younger generations — the impressionable ones, looking towards the future — felt a striking sense of pride within Ivan's words. To consider the very idea that a dwarf was not just limited to values from the past, but allowed to grow and figure out their own worth was both new and marvellous. A childlike excitement rippled through Xastol City.
Ivan raised his voice, thundering: "If humans, whom we thought could never change, can come to our city and support one of our own with the hope of a dialogue, then there is no reason why we cannot do the same!"
"Quite right," Huin added as he stepped forward. Gido accompanied him as they both took Ivan's side.
"We are capable of so much more than what we are."
Ivan smiled while keeping his gaze fixed on Xastol. Among the heads in the crowd, he saw the spectral figure of Banderd, who grinned with acknowledgement.
"I challenge you, people of Xastol," Ivan said. "I challenge you to be free."
A silence settled before them all, but was cut through by something soft and sharp.
TOK!
Those on Ivan's side looked down to see Jun — who's previous expression was fright — to see him saluting Ivan and Hidemi with a fist-palm salute.
Another sound popped up a few rows back, where the older dwarf who had spoken out against Ivan stood. He was also pledging.
One after another, hundreds of dwarves began repeating the gesture, leaving no hand stationary. Again and again, they struck their closed fist into their palm. Again and again, the noise echoed throughout the intersection, reaching every corner of the city. The salutes rang so loud, it was as if the very walls of Xastol were amplifying their sounds.
"Hey Aleximus," Jace whispered as they watched. "That sound—"
Aleximus nodded. "Yeah. It's similar to what Hidemi played during the Dwanivit: the Song Of Arsaes."
True enough, a harmony was being brought about by the dwarves — one that their city had never seen before. Hidemi glanced from face to face, unsure of what to make of this change for a moment. All he'd known since the day he was born was hardship, after all. He'd been hated, insulted, excluded… but this — what was happening now — it was what his father had always believed he'd be capable of doing. There were times when this dream was the only thing that kept Hidemi going, so to see it actualized for the first time sent a tingling sensation so strong rushing in the deaf boy's ears that it almost felt like actual sound.
Hisagi watched Hidemi's lips tremble, and his own gaze softened in the process. It's only natural you feel this way, Hisagi thought. You've been alone so long, haven't you?
Hisagi slipped between Jacender and Hidemi and stood side-by-side with his cousin. Hidemi turned his head slightly to look at him, noticing Hisagi mouthing something.
"Straighten yourself, cousin," Hisagi said in a low voice. He stared forward, stern-faced as always, but his cheeks had a hint of rosiness. You don't have to be alone anymore. I'll stand by your side.
"Don't show any weakness if you're going to stand up here. A dwarf must be strong."
Hidemi read his lips and took in a shaky breath before looking back at his people. They were staring back at him, looking to him for something. He recognized the expression immediately:
Forgiveness.
Hisagi pinched Hidemi's hanging arm without looking at him. "Well? Xastol wants you back. Do you accept?"
Hidemi let loose a sound between a sigh and a laugh and wiped his face on his elbow. His answer was already clear. He'd held onto it for a long time now.
He leaned now, smacking his fist against his palm and saluting them back in turn with a bow.
"OWA!" he boomed with a wide grin. Those nearest smiled in turn, and soon, every face present formed a smile. For once, Xastol was finally able to understand Hidemi Murong in the way that he understood them. Unconditional love and forgiveness: the epitome of change.
Hidemi had roused Xastol with a thunderous, "Of course!".
Understanding was at last reached, and the half-dwarf boy who'd been suffering in silence all his life without it had finally been liberated of its deafening quiet.
[XASTOL CITY [III] ]