Leo sat in the dark room with his eyes staring into nothingness. "I did something reckless again, that's been happening frequently now." he thought.
"It's so silent, even after releasing the aether from my ears.
How thick are these walls?" Leo muttered.
He stretched his hand out to the wall but was limited by the constraints of the chain that binded him.
The curiosity on his face washed away as he rested his back on the wall and exhaled unsteadily.
{I would've thought I'd be feeling a bit lonely in this room but I couldn't be any farther from the truth.
I've been farther from the truth many times as of late, but that feels nice because I have more to learn.
Unlike this…this feels uncomfortable, especially these chains.}
Leo blinked and a memory reoccurred in his mind.
***
– Years back –
Leo and Marcus were bent over staring at the ground in the alleyway beside the bar in Mjiormire.
[Screech] Leo carved something through the ground. "Here I'm done."
"What did you draw?" Marcus asked as he adjusted his glasses.
"A house obviously." Leo replied with a smile.
"Oh my…" Marcus let out in amazement.
"I think I could've done better, but it looks great right?" Leo said with a cocky tone.
"That looks nothing like a house…" Marcus responded.
Leo was stunned, unable to respond, his friend's words had struck him deeply.
Leo glared at Marcus, he smirked in return…this only lasted for a few seconds till they got into a scuffle.
[Step step] footsteps creeped in on them.
Now a person towered over them, it was a lady in a bartender's attire. "You kids never stop do you?".
Marcus and Leo paused comedically as they looked up to her face, she looked pissed off.
They shared a glance in that moment, Marcus pushed Leo away. "There are less people if he follows that direction." He thought.
"Run!" Marcus said was he rolled over and attempted running away.
"And where do you think you're running to?" The lady said as she grabbed Marcus by collar, he struggled yet to no avail; he had been caught through and through.
Leo however was successful, he tumbled and stood from Marcus's push, running away from them.
"Make it out for me Leo!" Marcus screamed in an exaggerated manner.
His act was met by looks of amusement by the lady, by this time Leo had already made turns and was now out of sight.
"You both are very silly boy's aren't you." She gently let go of Marcus who was giggling.
They stared into the distance together. "When is he going to come back?" The lady asked.
"I don't know, it shouldn't be long." Marcus replied.
"You've got dust on your hair, you both play too much" she said.
[Pat.] She rubbed off the dirt from his hair.
"Thanks ma'am" Marcus said.
"Your friend hasn't returned yet, where do you usually run to?" The lady asked.
"Not far, we go through alleys because of how anxious he gets, I've tried everything but it's hardly helping.
Do you perhaps know of any solution that could work?" Marcus replied.
"Do you think adults know everything?" The lady asked.
"No, but you look smart." Marcus replied.
"This kid…" She shook her head slowly with a faint smile.
"Hmmm, I don't know about curing anxiety…" she muttered.
"It's that he gets anxious when there are multiple people around, or crowds.
Sometimes it's for other stuff but he's mostly anxious of people." Marcus said.
"You seem to care a lot about him… then…how about you do this instead, from now on run along the path to the end of town then turn back.
There are people on that road, make him get used to them slowly." She replied.
"So basically immersion therapy…I've already tried that but this approach might work." Leo didn't let his thoughts stop him from upholding morals. "Thanks ma'am"
"It's not for free, in return I want you both to be friends with my friend's nephew.
He's finding it hard to fit in with kids his age." The lady shaded her eyes with her palm staring into the distance.
"Not this again, it'll be one of those boring kids." Marcus thought. "Yes ma'am" he replied.
"That'd be great, be sure to be patient with him, he just lost his parents but he's a tough one…be nice to him.
Speaking of, is your friend ever coming back?" She had waited for his return but never go it.
"Don't you have customers to serve?" Marcus asked.
"Eh- don't worry there's hardly any business lately." she replied. "You kids are one of the main reasons I'm still here, I say you're loud but the streets are definitely louder.
The moment I hear a rustle in the back I just know you are into another scuffle, usually the most eventful part of my day",
"I don't think he's coming back…" Marcus's voice gently thinned out.
—
[Huff huff]
Over in an empty street Leo stopped running and was gasping for air, also proliferating as sweat trickled all over his face.
He held his chest and tried regaining balance, the day was very hot, and Leo was saved only by the mercy of the clouds that now blocked it.
The shade was back.
Leo cleaned the sweat off his face that was showed relief. "How far did I run?
?!
Are there any people around?!" Leo thought as he looked around; there weren't only one kid sitted with his back to a building.
A boy with yellow curly hair, his head bent downwards and each palm covering each of his palms covering each eye, water dropped from them — the boy was bawling it out.
Leo would never walk to people first, but on this instance he did, the reasons were the words of Marcus that resounded in his mind;
(Try talking to people, it works sometimes.)
[Slap!] Leo slapped his cheeks. "You can do this."
Leo walked up to the boy and crouched in front of him. "Why are you crying? Little boy…" Leo asked in a low tone.
[Sniff Hiff]
"You're a little boy too…" the boy replied whilst cleaning his eyes with his palms.
"I know it's something I like to do, it even better when I say it to Marcus who is older..." Leo replied.
"Who is Marcus?" The boy asked asked her was done cleaning his eyes. "You have grey hair…"
"I know, my dad said it's rare, and yours is blonde and curly, I didn't know they could curl that much" Leo replied.
The boy shook his head. "It's yellow."
"What's the difference?" Leo asked.
"I don't know [Sniff]" The boy replied. "But there's one."
Leo held his jaw up with his hands, he was pondering…and then he gave up. "I'll just ask Marcus…"
"Oh, i forgot to introduce myself, I'm Leo." he stretched his arm towards the boy.
And the boy replied in kind. "I'm…"
{I later found out on our way to Marcus's house that he was crying because he had lost his parents.
So his uncle brought him down from Stallgate to stay with him, I don't think Marcus knew this part but he somehow pieced up the other part.
The surprise on his face when I brought Moore back was priceless.}
— The next day —
Leo and Marcus were in the same alleyway, with Marcus holding a book in hand.
"Two days in a row?
Why are we here today?
And how many times will you read that book?
Hey answer me." Leo asked.
[A loud shutting noise] "You never stop with the questions, nice." Marcus gave him a thumbs up. "For the first one just take it as me increasing the frequency of your treatment."
"What treatment." Leo leaned in closer as Marcus pushed him away with his palm.
"As for the second, I'm waiting for someone." Marcus said.
"Who?" Leo asked and Marcus ignored him.
"And for the third, it's the first time my father is letting me take this book, he usually speaks the contents to me." Marcus said as he adjusted his glasses.
Leo bent down to look at the cover, only managing a glimpse as Marcus turned away.
Only managing to get a glimpse at some letters of the back, there was a large number 2 and some incomplete words.
"Oh come on, let me see…" Leo struggled more but was unable to get a proper look.
"My dad said he doesn't want me talking about this one, and in these parts of the empire is dangerous." Marcus said.
"But I want to know what's in it." Leo asked.
"Don't worry, I'll let you know when I finish reading it, It's really large." Marcus replied.
[Footsteps drew near]
"The person I've been waiting for is here." Marcus said to Leo as he looked at the person walking towards them.
A lighter footstep could be heard behind her.
"What?, shouldn't we run?!" Leo said in fright as the bartender lady came closer.
"It's alright." Marcus adjusted his glasses. "Is the package ready?" He asked the lady.
[Knock!] She drove her knuckles onto his head. "You brat, that's not what a greeting sounds like."
"Ayayaya!" Marcus held his head. "Good morning ma."
"Go- ood morning" Leo said as well in a lighter tone.
"That's how it's supposed to be, you can reveal yourself now." she said.
At her words a boy stepped out, he was using her back as a blockade earlier although sloppy.
"These are Marcus, and Leo.
Marcus Leo meet." She didn't need to say more, they moment the three saw each other their faces lit up.
The boy was the same one Leo had taken to Marcus earlier, Leo and Marcus completed her sentence for her in delight.
"Moore!" They exclaimed.
***
"Moore." Leo thought as he sat in the sheer discomfort that was the room.
"Why am I the one behind these walls and not someone like Curth." Leo thought. "The moment I'm out of here I'm going to find them by myself.
It doesn't look like I'll be getting any good news from the investigation soon.
I was planning on going to the library but that will have to wait, the books are safe, the people I hold dear aren't.
It's all about priorities, the lost history can wait…
The Lost history, The L- Hist-" Leo came to an abrupt realisation as the book from his reminiscing came to mind.
{That book Marcus was reading was one of them; the second iteration of the lost history I finally came to understand now.}