goldentigerfestival
hi i love moses sandor
this is a tales blog. blog is very not spoiler free. extremely Fluri heavy. tales fan since like 2004 or smth you know right around when tos came out in the west. been stuck here since, just finally decided to actually make a tales blog. tumblr user for over a decade.
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Book 1 Part 1 Chapter 3.2
Chapter 3.2
Their first time ‘outside’. A vast sky, unobstructed by the castle walls, with no sign of the barrier’s shining rings. Lush verdant grasslands that stretched out forever. Dark, sprawling forests. And, majestic, towering mountains in the far-off distance.
Even the whistling wind smelled different. With the herald of early summer, the plant life was sprouting all at once, and signs of vitality overflowed from every place.
So this is the ‘outside’.
The boys thought, overwhelmed, sweating as they pushed the cart under the brilliant sunlight.
Even Flynn seemed to be at a loss in the presence of such unadulterated freedom. He looked incredibly moved.
There was no trace of the feeling of being stifled like back in the lower quarter. More than anything else, this place was under no one’s jurisdiction. There were no nobles, rich people, or knights here. Not even adults. Even the capital of the world, Zaphias, was nothing more than a small existence in the face of the vast scenery that spread out from before their very eyes. When they thought about it that way, even the ‘other side of the wall’, that had always been the target of their envy and jealousy, started to feel like a suffocating place squeezed between the castle walls.
It’s not like they hadn’t come into contact with nature before. They’ve walked through places where trees grew thickly, where there were no buildings, right on the edge of the barrier. But now, as they moved forward with an especially heightened awareness of what it meant to be ‘outside’, the outside world seemed full of stimulation in a different way compared to before.
Apart from the sound of the cart’s wheels rolling over pebbles on unpaved road, the only sound they could hear was the occasional chirping of birds. It was nothing short of idyllic.
But. As he pushed the cart, Yuri looked down at his waist. The hatchet tucked into his waistband gave off a dull glint. There were dangers lurking within the scenery that dictated the necessity of such precautionary defensive measures.
Jiri and the others had told Yuri so many times, about the threat of monsters roaming about in the outside world. It wasn't that he didn’t believe the adults’ warnings, but he was sure that if he acted quickly, he’d make it work out somehow. He didn’t really know the concrete details of what a monster was, and at most, he’d only seen one or two types of monster corpses. How dangerous they were had always been left vague and unclear. But now that Flynn had mentioned the need for weapons, things suddenly started to feel more realistic.
It was only now that he keenly realised how reckless he had been, but now that he had come this far, there was no turning back. Since it’s come to this, I have no choice but to reach the intended river and return with the water as soon as possible.
Yuri glanced at Flynn beside him. Ever since they set out, he had been silently pushing the cart, not speaking a single word. But his machete was firmly secured to his waist, and his face was as alert and vigilant as a boy could look.
Flynn’s presence reassured him. When Yuri realised he was thinking that, he frowned slightly, and pushed the cart with more force than necessary.
As for Jareth and the other boys, they didn’t even try to hide their anxiety at first, clutching at their farming tools-quickly-turned-weapons. But as they walked and nothing seemed to occur, in the face of the liveliness of the early summer and refreshing breeze, they gradually started to gain more confidence. Right now, they were enjoying themselves, chatting away without a care in the world.
Yuri felt mildly irritated at the fact that they looked like they had forgotten about the danger of the monsters, but it was true that despite the adults’ repeated warnings, it was hard to evoke such feelings from this rich scenery unlike that of the gloominess of the Gray Alleyways.
“I’ll build a house, as easy as that, I’ll build two houses, as easy…”
One of the boys got carried away and started to sing, and the other boys joined in as well. As expected, that was going too far, so Yuri opened his mouth to give them a warning.
“We don’t know where monsters will come from. It’s better not to be so loud.”
Flynn said without looking behind.
Jareth and the others, who had their good moods ruined, rebelled all at once.
“Don’t be such a bore. It’s only a song.”
“Surely the monsters are scared of us.”
“They’re nowhere to be found, aren’t they?”
Flynn looked like he was about to say more, but he seemed to have changed his mind and kept quiet. With no other choice, Yuri took over from him.
“That’s enough. What if the monsters really hear us?”
After Yuri said that, Jareth and the other boys stopped singing, but they didn’t stop talking, deliberately calling out things like ‘There are no monsters’, ‘We’re not afraid’, in loud voices so Yuri could hear them, and had to tell them to stop again. Flynn didn’t say anything.
If it was going to be like this, it would have been better to come here alone, even if it meant bringing less buckets. Yuri didn’t know how many times he had thought that bitterly.
But eventually Jareth and the others were forced to keep quiet. At this point, they had to get off the main road and push the cart into the grasslands. That was the only way they could get close to the river.
The cart became more difficult to push, and the boys gasped for breath, no longer having the energy to spare for idle chatter or criticisms. At times they even had to push the cart through grass that reached up to their waists.
****
The river suddenly appeared in front of their eyes. Although they could hear the sound of water, they didn’t notice it until they got closer because of the surrounding grass blocking their sight and because it was the size of a ditch.
It was one of the many nameless brooks that flowed from the distant mountains, trickling and meandering by until eventually flowing into the large river.
“Yeah!! We’re here! We’re finally here!”
“Calm down. We haven’t done anything yet.”
Yuri chided them, but that didn’t dampen the boys’ excitement. Yuri gave up and, letting out a sigh, went around to the back of the cart where the loading platform was. He reached out a hand to bring down a bucket. And from the other side, another hand reached out to support its weight together.
It was Flynn. He didn’t look at Yuri, but it seemed he was determined to lend Yuri his strength. Just like that, Yuri brought down the bucket without a word, and, with both hands, carried it to the river. Flynn followed after him silently.
The river was narrow, but not to the point they could leap over it, and there were clumps of tall grass growing on the riverbank on both sides, so he could fall in if he wasn’t careful.
Perhaps because the flowing water had eroded the earth in places, but there was a big difference in level between the grassy area they were on and the riverbank, about tall as an adult. Yuri and Flynn had to search for a way to get down to the riverbank.
They finally found a relatively gentle slope. It took the both of them to lower the bucket together and dip it into the dark, flowing water. Yuri flinched from the weight as he pulled the bucket out of the water. It’s going to be tough carrying this up all the way on my own.
“Hey, everyone! Come over here!”
Yuri shouted a few times from the riverbank, and after a few minutes Jareth and the other boys finally appeared.
From there, everyone concentrated on the operation, working to carry down the buckets, lower it into the water, bring it back up, and load it into the cart. They needed to synchronise their timings because the buckets were quite heavy when filled with water, so they called out to each other. They worked together, sweating while doing their jobs, and for a while, everyone stopped thinking about unnecessary things.
Everyone was drenched in sweat by the time the last bucket was loaded onto the cart. Yuri and Flynn sat side by side, their backs against the cart, panting heavily.
When Yuri looked at Flynn, he found Flynn also looking back at him. He gave Flynn a small nod, then stood up. It isn’t over yet. Now, we have to go back the way we came. As if those feelings were transmitted to Flynn, he stood up as well.
Yuri was about to turn around and call out to the others, but suddenly — the sound of something falling into the water rang out.
Instinctively, Yuri began to run towards where the sound had come from, but when he heard the cheers that followed, he stopped in his tracks.
The sound of water again. Then, cheers. And again.
Feeling a rush of anger, Yuri approached the riverbank and looked down at the river.
Jareth and the other boys were swimming. They didn’t even take off their clothes, shockingly enough, and when they noticed Yuri and Flynn peering down at them they waved their hands.
“Yuri, you should come down too! It feels great in here!”
“Whoa, it’s really cold!”
“I’m glad to be free of all that sweat and stickiness!”
Yuri’s patience finally snapped.
“Knock it off, all of you!”
He yelled, and Jareth and the other boys, startled, started to tremble.
“What did you all come here for? This isn’t the time for fun and games! What if—”
“Yuri.”
A voice near his ear said abruptly. When he looked up, he saw Flynn looking in the opposite direction of the river with a grave look on his face. The level of seriousness in his countenance was different compared to anything he had seen before.
Instead of speaking further, Flynn slowly turned his body in the same direction as his gaze. Then, he pulled out the machete from his waist.
Ahead of Flynn’s gaze, something large and black was steadily approaching, pushing through the grass as it moved. One, no, two. Sweat dripped down the back of Yuri’s neck.
If only he’d mistaken what he saw, but as if to shatter than wish, Flynn murmured.
“Monsters.”
****
Were they attracted by the sound of Jareth and the boys making noise, or the sound of them drawing the water? Or maybe they had been following them since long ago. Whichever it was, it didn’t matter now.
The black shadows were now close enough that he could make out their shape. Eyes that burned brightly even through the tall grass. Long fur that bristled on end.
Yuri had seen them before — as corpses. If he remembered correctly, they were creatures called demonic wolves. According to Jiri, they were monsters classified as extremely weak. But taking another look at the living demonic wolves in front of his eyes, Yuri couldn’t shake the thought that maybe that was only the case if you were Jiri.
Behind him, Jareth and the others must have sensed something was wrong and come up from the riverbank, because he heard their gasps. Without turning around, he called out to them.
“Stay hidden! Don’t come out, no matter what!”
Jareth and the other boys had left their weapons scattered around the cart. There was no guarantee they could get there before they were attacked. If that happened, it would be a nightmare.
If only I had a blastia. That thought also crossed his mind. A bodhi blastia, designed to let humans combat monsters. It was said that if one possessed a bodhi blastia, they could exhibit power unimaginable for humans, allowing them to stand toe-to-toe with — or even surpass — monsters.
But Yuri had only heard about such things from stories told by someone else a long time ago. He’d never seen the real thing before. Right now, the only thing he could expect to have was what he had on hand — a hatchet, which had at most been used for chopping wood.
No— Yuri looked at the boy standing at his side. At the very least, Flynn was here. He didn’t know when Flynn had moved, but he was now gripping his machete and in a battle-ready stance just like Yuri.
But.
Is the tip of his machete trembling? Before he could think about what that meant, Flynn opened his mouth.
“Yuri, can I ask you something?”
“What, do we really have time for this?”
“Have you ever fought a monster before?”
At that question, he felt a surge of fear rush through him.
“Not at all. ……You?”
The golden-haired boy answered without taking his eyes off the approaching monsters.
“Me neither.”
Yuri lifted his eyebrows in amusement.
When all is said and done, he’s not such a bad guy after all. Yuri thought to himself. Perhaps we could even get along well — if we survive this, that is.
“I heard this monster has a habit of targeting nearby prey.”
Flynn said, in a tone as if reciting from memory.
“I’ll bait it from the front. You—”
Without waiting for Flynn to finish speaking, Yuri started to run. Out of the two demonic wolves, he leapt at the one in front.
The demonic wolf was momentarily confused by the sudden movement, but then it let out a low growl. Kicking off the ground, it sprang towards Yuri.
As he watched the monster’s jaws draw near him, he felt goosebumps running all over his body. He skidded to a sudden halt, and, using that same momentum, jumped backwards. It wasn’t over with that one time, though — as soon as his feet touched the ground, he dodged the attack with another jump.
One more time— is what he thought, but his foot caught on the grass, and he fell backwards. His vision was filled with a view of the sky, quickly covered by a fierce shadow—
“HAAA!!”
Accompanying that spirited yell, a chilling, dull thud rang out. Yuri felt a warm liquid splash onto his face. The black shadow collapsed heavily beside him, and the ground shook slightly.
“Hurry and get up. The next one is coming!”
Flynn’s voice called him back to his senses, and he quickly got up. The demonic wolf lay collapsed right next to him. Blood gushed out from its forehead as it twitched and convulsed in its final moments of agony.
Yuri let out a deep breath. He didn’t know when, but Flynn must have stopped it.
Flynn was right by his side. Fresh blood dripped down the machete he was holding as he stood there, protecting Yuri. His face looked angry, and at the same time, surprised. Without looking at Yuri, he yelled.
“How could you be so reckless!?”
“You were going to do the same, weren’t you?”
“But!”
“I just thought your aim would be more ‘reliable’!”
Flynn was about to argue further, but was abruptly interrupted. The second demonic wolf suddenly rushed towards the both of them.
“Ugh!”
“Why, you!”
As if by agreement, the two of them simultaneously leapt to the left and right. The demonic wolf landed in the spot in between them and paused, exposing its flanks defenselessly. Yuri and Flynn immediately slashed at it from both sides.
The demonic wolf shrieked, and with the last of its strength, attacked Flynn. Yuri struck it with a blow from his hatchet, ending the last remains of its life.
This time the demonic wolf fell to the ground with a splatter of blood, where it lay beside its companion and stopped moving. The smell of blood they were unaccustomed to made the both of them feel nauseous, but a sudden gust of wind carried the smell away.
As if that had severed the tension in the air, Yuri sank to his knees on the spot. His hatchet fell to the ground with a heavy thud. The moment he thought it was over, the strength in his waist gave out and his legs started shaking. He didn’t care about anything anymore.
Flynn sat beside him. His hands were also trembling slightly, and he slowly peeled his fingers off the machete gripped in his right hand.
Neither of them spoke for a while, basking in the reality that they had narrowly escaped from the jaws of death. They had no blastia, no experience fighting monsters, and even though the monsters were considered one of the weaker types, they had still managed to take them down. For the boys, they were truly fortunate.
Some time later, Flynn spoke.
“Yuri, what was that thing you did earlier?”
“What thing?”
“You spun the axe in your hand as you slashed the monster, right? I’ve never heard of anyone doing that before. If you slipped up, you could have cut yourself.”
“Ah, yeah…”
Yuri tilted his head, as if realising it only after Flynn pointed it out.
“I mean, the head of the axe is heavier, so I just thought it’d be easier to spin it.”
In response to Yuri’s answer, Flynn opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, looking extremely surprised. His face suddenly softened.
“Easier, you say…… You really are strange.”
“Maybe so.”
Yuri shrugged lightly.
“Pft.”
Laughter burst out of both of them like a fountain, gradually growing louder until it permeated the blue skies.
“Ha ha ha ha…”
From their hiding places in the grass by riverbank, Jareth and the other boys watched on in wonder.
****
“Alright, before we go back, I’m going to wash up a bit.”
Yuri said as he stood up. His face and clothes were covered in monster blood. Even if he tried to wash it off in the river, he wasn’t sure how much of it would come off, but it was better than not doing anything at all. If I went home like this and Grandma Jiri caught me, who knows what she’d say.
Flynn also stood up, and, sensing that it was safe to come out, Jareth and the other boys also showed themselves.
Yuri was about to nod to them when Flynn cried out sharply.
“Look out!”
From a corner of his vision, a black shadow rushed towards Jareth and the other boys. A third one! By the time he realised that, it was already in right in front of Jareth and the other boys.
Then a golden blur crashed into it.
“Flynn!”
Yuri screamed and rushed forward as well. Flynn had used his body to collide into the demonic wolf. Its large body staggered from the blow, and it struggled to regain its footing. Yuri reached it before it could stand up, and, using all of his strength, rammed himself into its shoulder.
In front of the cowering boys, the demonic wolf and the two of them clinging to it did a somersault, rolled over, and — fell. Past the grass, and towards the river.
Three pillars of water rose up. The first was Yuri. He had fallen into a shallow part of the river, and quickly got up and grabbed onto the grass growing by the riverbank.
The second pillar of water was much larger, and as it floated to the water’s surface, quickly revealed itself to be the body of the large demonic wolf. There was no sign of the demonic wolf moving, and it continued to float slowly along the river’s current. Jareth and the others thought they saw something like a handle of a hatchet sticking out from its body, but it soon disappeared from view as the corpse spun in the current.
The problem was the third one — Flynn. Despite being a small river, the current was still deep and rapid in some places. Clearly, Flynn had fallen into one of those. He kept trying to get close to the shore, but the current would sweep him away each time, preventing him from getting close.
Yuri, who had been pulled up and out of the riverbank by Jareth and the others, frantically searched for a rope or something that could serve as one. But unfortunately, in such a place in the middle of nowhere, there was nothing they could use lying around. In the meantime, Flynn was being swept further and further downstream.
Yuri and the others were worried that Flynn would drown at this rate, but surprisingly Flynn wasn’t sinking under the water at all. Looking closer, they could see that he was clinging to something white in colour. They didn’t know what it was, but thanks to that it looked like he was able to stay afloat.
“We’re going after him!”
Yuri called out to Jareth as he ran along the river. He had no idea what to do, but he knew that he couldn’t lose sight of Flynn no matter what.
Flynn continued to be swept away by the current, and there was no signs that he was any closer to the shore. How far will this go? As Yuri started to worry, one of his fellow friends cried out.
“Look over there! It’s a caravan!”
There were several horse-drawn carriages parked on the shore downstream from where they were. Smoke from a bonfire rose from a corner of one of them.
“Heeeeey!”
Can they hear me shouting from all the way over here? And even if they did, will they notice Flynn and save him? He didn’t know but had no choice but to call out anyway. Yuri and the others all ran and called out to the caravan as loudly as they could.
Sure enough, there was movement. They saw people frantically moving around the carriages, taking something out.
They cast out something like a fishing net and caught Flynn. As several people pulled him ashore, Yuri and the others finally arrived and helped out as well.
“Flyn……wait, what the heck is this!?!?!?”
Yuri yelled involuntarily. Definitely, what they pulled ashore was Flynn, wrapped in the fishing net. But the thing that Flynn was clinging onto—
“Watch out, that’s a merman!”
One of the adults from the caravan shouted. It had a large, pointed head that screamed carnivorous, and small, unshapely human-like limbs attached to a slippery body. Just like how there were demonic wolves lurking in the grasslands, there were aquatic monsters lurking underwater. And Flynn was clinging onto one of them.
But the merman was even more limp than Flynn was. It didn’t move even as Flynn crawled out from the fishing net.
“……Is it dead?”
At the adult’s question, Flynn shook his head.
“I think it’s just passed out.”
Sure enough, as he spoke, the merman beside him slowly started to move. Realising that it was surrounded by humans, it hurriedly slipped out from the fishing net, jumped into the river and, in the blink of an eye, swam away. Everyone looked on in shock.
“That’s a monster that usually lives in the ocean. I’ve never heard of one appearing in a river. I hope it’s not an omen of things to come…”
A man from the caravan murmured. Yuri ignored him and rushed to Flynn’s side.
“I was wondering what you were holding onto, but I didn’t expect it to be a monster. There’s something wrong with you.”
“I heard if you cover the gills around the merman’s neck they won’t be able to breathe. Well, I never thought I’d be able to test it out for myself.”
“You heard from whom?”
It was only after he’d said that that Yuri realised he’d messed up. In an instant, that familiar stiffness slipped back onto Flynn’s face — like a mask.
“Well, I’m glad you’re okay. Both of us, I mean.”
Yuri didn’t pursue it any further and said. The mask disappeared, and Flynn broke into a smile.
“Yes, I’m glad that was no big deal.”
Both of them were stained with monster blood and soaking wet from their fall into the river. Although it was true that they had miraculously gotten away with no injuries apart from a few bruises and scrapes, the things they had experienced in that brief period amounted to more than just a big deal. Despite that, Flynn had spoken so dismissively. Yuri could only shrug his shoulders in amazement.
“It was a big deal for you, though.”
As if interpreting Yuri’s words as sarcasm again, Flynn looked a little offended.
“U-Um…”
Jareth and the other boys spoke up timidly. The boys were fidgeting, looking for the next words to say, as they looked at Flynn. Flynn had a suspicious look on his face, but Yuri grinned.
“If you guys have something to say, make sure you say it properly.”
Prompted by those words, Jareth and the other boys took a step forward.
“Um, well, thanks for saving us.”
They stuttered as they spoke, as if they were probing Flynn’s reaction with each word. Flynn, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have expected it, and his expression looked as blank as always. Jareth hesitated, unsure if he should continue, but then he took a deep breath and let it all out in one go.
“So, we’re sorry for everything we did before! We were in the wrong!”
Jareth and the other boys bowed their heads in unison. It took about a second for it to sink for Flynn.
“Okay.”
Not saying anything unnecessarily, Flynn nodded seriously. Jareth and the others continued mumbling, but they looked visibly relieved, as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
“Well then…”
A man from the caravan, who had been watching the entire exchange, cleared his throat.
“You guys seem to be done making up, so is now a good time? I’m guessing you guys are kids from the Imperial Capital? We’re also headed there. We can’t just leave you kids alone like this, so if you want to we can travel there together.”
When Jareth and the other boys heard this, they cried out in joy, as if they had forgotten why they had come here in the first place. ‘The adults are coming with us. We can go home.’ Looking at them, even Flynn let out a somewhat happy expression.
But Yuri couldn’t bring himself to truly feel happy. He had intended on carrying things out secretly, but it had ended up getting adults involved. He had a pretty good idea as to what awaited them when they returned.
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I'll be talking about this more in one of my differences posts, so the short of it aside from vocal tone here is: Don tells Karol to protect his friends and that his answer will come to him when he does, Raven calls Harry an idiot, says bye to Don, calls Don by his first name (indicating a close relationship and bond that the dub yeeted for some weird ass reason), and Yuri simply says "I'll do it" when Don asks for a second and nobody else steps up.
Other than THAT, I adore Yuri and Don's exchange here. Yuri is so much softer right now in Don's final moments. The exchange itself is respectful (not the wording, but the vibe between them indicates a strong respect for each other) but so much gentler than their usual banter. I love the softness in Yuri's voice because I feel like that in itself is his way of being respectful.
#GTF Vesperia Clips#Yuri won't change the way he talks for anyone but he WILL speak differently depending on the mood/tone of the moment
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Yuri’s 5☆ image from the White Day gacha (February 28, 2015 to March 9, 2015)
#Asteria#Yuri#ah yes. yuri. and his flynn coded white day gift. again.#evidently forgot to reblog this yuri one too so here we are#also his HAIR in this one i love the FLUFFY
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Book 1 Part 1 Chapter 3.1
Chapter 3: Sword
The door opened, and a tired-looking man entered. In unison, all the people in the room turned to look at him.
The floor creaked as he walked in and sat down on a nearby chair with a heavy thump. Jiri placed a mug on the sidetable, and he drank its contents with a single gulp.
“Damn, I’m fed up with them. Every single time I see those guys from the ‘other side of the wall’.”
There were some people who told him to spit it out, but Jiri ignored them. She just stood at the man’s side, crossing her arms and stared down at him.
“You knew how they were going to treat you. That drink was your reward for putting up with it — you did put up with it, right, Keldon?”
The man, Keldon, grimaced and nodded.
“Obviously. I don’t want to take a beating from the knights just because I made some mistake.”
“So did you find out what was going on over there?”
Hanks asked as he slowly made his way forward. Keldon let out a deep sigh and spread his hands.
“It’s construction work. It’s nothing to do with us — just construction, plain and simple.”
“Not ‘nothing to do with us’. Hasn’t the waterfall stopped flowing?”
Another person said from the other corner of the room. At that, Keldon turned around, with annoyance on his face.
“Those people don’t give a damn about us, okay? They don’t know that the waterfall is our only water source capable of quenching our miserable thirst. They found a water pipe in bad shape, so they decided to fix it. It just happened that it’s at the opening to our waterfall. That’s all.”
“Well, at least that means they’re not purposely trying to make us die of thirst.”
At Jiri’s words, Hanks nodded, but his expression was thoughtful as he spoke.
“With that being said, we can’t just ask them to hurry up so the water can continue flowing like normal again. If they make a mistake, it can stop flowing permanently. In the end, that waterfall is the result of someone else’s oversight. We don’t have any right to claim it as ours. Then the question is, how long will the construction work take?”
Keldon shook his head.
“About that, old man. I don’t know if they themselves didn’t know, or they didn’t want to tell me, but basically it’s like that.”
His report caused an uproar.
“What?! Then how long will we have to bear with it? The water we have saved up won’t be enough. This is going to be a huge problem.”
“You don’t even know the one thing that matters the most? Then what was the point of going all the way to the ‘other side of the wall’, Keldon?”
“I did all I could, okay? But if I sniffed around any longer than I had, they would have gotten suspicious! Or do you think I should have informed them of our plight? Do you really think they’d do something to help us after hearing that—”
Before he knew it, Keldon had jumped up in anger, but Jiri placed a hand on his shoulder. Although it didn’t look like she was using a lot of strength, Keldon easily sank back into his chair.
“Stop it, you all.”
Despite not being that loud, Jiri’s voice echoed clearly throughout the room. That alone was enough — the room fell completely silent.
“What’s the point of fighting among ourselves here? Keldon acted as our representative and investigated the situation. It would be cruel to expect any more than that.”
“She’s right. We’ll just have to help each other. Just as we’ve always done.”
Hanks took over from her, and continued to convince everyone.
“If we lend each other water and use it sparingly, we should be able to hold out for a few more days. If there are no signs of the construction getting done anytime soon, then we’ll take action. But until then, we’ll just have to wait and see. That’s what we’ll do for now. Is everyone okay with that?”
“You’re right. We don’t want to take any unnecessary risks.”
Those words were said by a plump woman with a large waistline, and everyone else murmured their agreement as well.
****
“Yesss! We won’t need to fetch water for a while!”
One of the boys said, his voice raised in excitement.
“What, that tiresome job?”
The other kids nodded.
In a corner of the lower quarter, at one of the open spaces that served as a gathering spot for the children, Jareth and the usual bunch of kids sat together.
It had been two days since the water from the waterfall stopped flowing. Pretty much everyone in Fountain Alley knew about it. The adults kicked the children out of the meeting room for an important discussion, but they secretly eavesdropped on it, thinking it must have been about this matter.
Once the adults finished their discussion, they quietly left the area without being noticed and went to the open space, where they immediately began to dissect what they had seen and heard.
Apparently the waterfall wouldn’t come back for a while. The first thing they thought was that they would be free from the hard labour. For them, the word ‘waterfall’ was almost synonymous with the ‘job of fetching water’.
But for the kids who had a wider perspective on things, their faces were clouded with worry.
“But what if this continues, and we run out of water?”
“Eh, once the construction is done everything will go back to normal, so we’ll be fine.”
“But they said they didn’t know when it would be done, right?”
“Yeah, if this continues even after the construction is done…”
“I don’t think there’s much water left in my house.”
“……”
The excitement from earlier had disappeared, and the severity of the situation they were in began to sink in. The boys who lived in between the castle walls and the world outside fell silent.
After long pause, one of them looked up.
“River……”
“What did you say?”
“A river! The last time I went to the ‘other side of the wall’...... uh, the citizen’s quarter, I could see the river from there. If it’s there, we’ll be able to get plenty of water!”
At first the boys’ expressions were filled with suspicion towards their friend’s words, but they lightened up, before quickly returning to worried ones.
“You say you saw it from the citizen’s quarter. You mean, it was ‘outside’, right? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Yeah, it’s on the other side of the barrier, right? What will we do if we’re attacked by monsters?”
“If it’s further away than the waterfall, wouldn’t that mean it would be even more tiring?”
“If the adults found out, they’d definitely get angry.”
Faced with the other’s opinions, the boy who had mentioned the river didn’t press the matter further and fell silent. But even though they had reflexively shot the idea down, it’s not like that would help solve their current problem. After a moment’s ruckus, the boys stopped talking, feeling awful.
In the end, no one was able to come up with a good idea. The boys, who had deliberately heightened their own anxieties, carried those feelings with them as they dispersed. The boy who had mentioned the river also started to walk away with heavy footsteps. Just as he was about to quicken his pace to catch up with the others—
“Hey.”
“Hmm?”
The boy looked up.
He didn’t know when, but the black-haired boy had appeared by his side, standing there with his arms crossed.
“About that river’s location, could you tell me more about it?”
His gaze facing the direction of the ‘outside’, Yuri said unsmilingly.
****
“……Here we go.”
Yuri let out a ragged pant, somehow managing to push the bucket onto the cart by leaning his weight on it. There were already a number of similar buckets lined up on the cart.
It was the same scene as when they did the job of fetching water. The only difference was, Yuri was the only one in the cart’s vicinity.
After loading the buckets, he quickly looked around. Alright, no one’s around. He gave a small nod to himself and walked to the front of the cart. He grabbed its handle and leaned his weight forward.
It didn’t even budge. It was no wonder. Even an adult would have difficulty trying to move the loaded cart all on his own. For the boys, normally they would need at least five or six of them working together to get it moving somehow.
Yuri turned to look at the row of buckets behind him. I see. I loaded in as many buckets as usual, but I guess I was being a bit too reckless. Yuri climbed onto the cart’s platform and pushed out one of the buckets. The bucket made a dull thud as it hit the ground. A second thud followed. And a third.
In the end, only half of the buckets were left in the cart.
How about this? Yuri returned to the front of the cart and, once again, gathered all his strength and pushed the cart forward.
The ground stubbornly pushed back at the soles of his feet. The platform of the cart creaked slightly. Still no good? —Is what he thought, but the cart suddenly began to move slowly. It takes quite a lot of strength, but I think I can make it work somehow.
Did I take out too many buckets? But the cart will be even heavier on the journey back. Better not get greedy. Yuri cut off his lingering regrets and decided to only look ahead.
The aim is to go ‘outside’.
Even if the cart was a lot lighter, it was still too heavy for a child to bear alone. Yuri’s steps were laboriously slow.
The alleyways that he ran freely about every day now felt so long. Even the bumps on the road felt like they were filled with malicious intent towards him. They were extremely difficult to get a footing on, and every time the cart passed over a bump, the sound of the wheels bothered him.
Even though I chose a route that people don’t usually pass through, if I dawdle here for too long someone is bound to be se mee.
There was a risk of losing control of the cart if he increased its speed, but Yuri was determined to get out of the lower quarter as soon as possible, and concentrated all of his strength in his arms.
At that moment, someone appeared to block his path. Yuri hurriedly braced his legs to kill the momentum he had just gained. Befitting its weight, the cart was slow to come to a stop, and Yuri gritted his teeth and dug in his heels.
After a few seconds that felt like forever, the cart came to a stop. Yuri felt relieved and angry at the same time. He’d almost run them over, or was in danger of getting run over himself. Yuri was more angry at that than the fact that he’d been discovered. Who the heck is that?
“Whoa, you came this far pulling the cart all by yourself!”
“As expected of Yuri!”
When he looked up, he saw Jareth and the other boys looking at him. He couldn’t tell if they were impressed or amazed.
“You guys… why are you here?”
While saying that, Yuri noticed that the boy who had told him about the river was also standing with them. They must have heard about it from him.
The question is, why did they decide to show up? Yuri didn’t want to dwell on that too much. After all—
“Why, obviously we’re here to help out.”
There it is.
“You say help, but I’m going ‘outside’, you know.”
“We know that, obviously.”
“You don’t need to force yourselves. It’s the ‘outside’, you know? Outside. Like Grandma Jiri and the others told us so many times, the world ‘outside’ is swarming with monsters.”
“Yeah, of course we know that!”
Well, what now? Putting aside the fact that he also didn’t know much about the ‘outside’, Yuri thought to himself. None of them have ever gone ‘outside’ for real. At the very most, they’d only been to the edge of the barrier because an adult took them there, but that means they didn’t really know the actual scale of the danger they would be facing.
But Yuri did hear a slight tremor in their voices as they spoke. Scary things were scary, after all. Then why?
“Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could fetch water while the adults were busy freaking out?”
Jareth said with a grin, as if to say, You understand, right?
I see. Yuri was satisfied with that answer. To get one over the adults. Was that their goal? But there must be some of them who were simply taken in by Jareth’s words, or just couldn’t refuse him.
“That’s only if everything goes smoothly, right?”
“But you’re still going, aren’t you, Yuri?”
That’s true, but not because I want to score a win against the adults or anything. Inwardly, Yuri clicked his tongue. If I waste any more time here and an adult finds us, then it would all be over.
My only goal is to get the water and go home. And it’s true that if there’s more people, I can get there quicker and collect the water faster.
Besides, if I refuse, what will Jareth and the others do? Will they go to the adults and tattle on me? Even if not all of them did, one of them might. Well, what’s even more likely is that they’ll ignore whatever I say and follow me anyway.
If that’s the case, then—
Yuri took a quick look at Jareth and the others. There weren’t any girls or extremely young children. Looks like Jareth took that into consideration when recruiting his comrades.
It’s probably time to accept my fate.
“Okay, okay, I get it. Let’s all go together.”
As he hurriedly quelled the cheers rising up, Yuri once again got the feeling he was doing something extremely reckless.
Maybe the one who truly doesn’t understand what they’re getting into, is me.
****
Certainly, the cart was lighter to move now. They had taken the buckets that he’d left behind and put it back onto the cart. Now that there were several people pushing the cart, the cart moved easier than it had been when Yuri was pushing it alone. He was still dissatisfied with some things, but that point alone he conceded.
But at the same time, the chances of being discovered had increased significantly. Yuri tried not to dwell on which option was better.
As luck had it, despite a few close calls, they managed to reach the outskirts of the city without being questioned by any adults.
Houses that were lived-in became sparse, and the number of abandoned houses gradually increased. As even the ruins started to slowly be replaced by weeds and trees, the feeling that they were getting closer to the edge of the barrier — nearing the outside of the Imperial Capital — grew stronger. Most of the roads were already half-covered in dirt.
Beyond that, the final obstacle in their way awaited them. The fields. The outer edge of the Imperial Capital was full of patches of cultivated land and pastures. Most of the land was used to feed the people from the ‘other side of the wall’ — that is, the people inside the castle walls, however, there were plots of land that lay untouched due to reasons like lack of sunlight and water. On the other hand, there were places where the land was in good condition, but extended beyond the effective range of the barrier, pushing the limits of its safety. In any case, there were plots of land that the people from the ‘other side of the wall’ left alone, that the residents of the lower quarter used for the same purposes.
That’s the kind of place Yuri and the others will be passing through. The fields, which have been ploughed and cultivated by the residents of Fountain Alley for generations, as their means of barely getting by. The fields that they often brought water to from the waterfall. It wasn’t harvest season, but it wouldn’t be odd to find an adult here.
Unlike the alleyways, there was hardly anything that could obstruct one’s view. While pushing the cart, Yuri thought of the excuses he would give in the event they were caught.
Before he could think of a good excuse, as they entered the fields, they were greeted by an unexpected person.
“What are you doing?”
At that familiar voice, he turned around, and like he expected, what entered his view was that familiar golden hair.
“Flynn……”
The boy he hadn’t seen since the Grey Alleyways incident ran towards him. He wasn’t wearing his usual cap, and his knees and sleeves were dirty, as if he’d been working in the soil. There were many children that were sent to tend to the fields, but Yuri was surprised to see Flynn out here.
Flynn looked at the cart that Yuri and the others were taking turns to push, and frowned.
“Where do you think you’re going, Yuri?”
At that question, Jareth and the others shifted into a hostile stance. However, Yuri felt something else hidden in that question of his. What is it? It slipped away before he could pin down what it was. Yuri shrugged his shoulders.
“Oh, you know, just going to fetch some water.”
“Yuri!”
The boys involuntarily raised their voices in protest, but Yuri waved a hand at them as if to shush them.
Hearing Yuri’s words, Flynn looked behind him, in the direction the cart was headed towards — in other words, the ‘outside’. His gaze returned to Yuri, and he shook his head, looking amazed.
“You really are a person whose thoughts I can’t fathom at all.”
His face suddenly took on a serious countenance.
“Hanks and the others should have forbidden you all from going outside. Did you really get permission from them?”
Flynn’s gaze shifted from Yuri to look at Jareth and the others one by one. It was as if he could see through them. Flinching from that piercing gaze, Jareth looked to the other boys for their agreement.
“Ah, ahhh, yeah?”
“What did they say again?”
“It-It’s none of your business, right?”
“They forbade it because there are monsters outside the barrier. ……Did you really talk to them?”
Suddenly Yuri understood a part of what he had felt earlier.
This guy… is only talking to me.
“Of course not.”
“Yuri!!!”
Yuri turned towards the despair-filled Jareth and the others with a fed up expression on his face.
“What a pain. Besides, with us lying to him like that, it’s obvious we’d get exposed.”
“……Even though there are monsters outside, you guys want to go out there alone? That’s too reckless.”
Flynn said after a moment of thoughtful pause. Yuri couldn’t really read his expression well.
“I know it’s reckless. If that’s all, we’re leaving. We don’t have much time. Say hello to Grandpa Hanks for us.”
As Yuri was about to signal to Jareth and the others to get going, Flynn raised a hand to stop him.
“……Could you wait for a bit?”
As soon as he finished his words, Flynn turned on his heel and started running. One of the boys noticed a small shed in the direction he was headed and called out.
“Don’t tell me he’s going to tattle on…”
It’s true that there was a possibility someone was in the shed.
Yuri stayed silent. Even if that was the case, if they tried to chase after Flynn now they wouldn’t make it in time. He was confident that he had the fastest legs out of anyone in their group, but he still felt like he wouldn’t be able to catch up with Flynn. Plus —
Right in front of everyone’s eyes, Flynn entered the shed. He didn’t come out for a while.
“H-Hey, let’s take this chance and go.”
One of the boys said, but Yuri ignored them and remained silent.
Eventually, Flynn reappeared from the shed, carrying a bunch of stuff in his arms.
With steps less steady than they were before, Flynn returned to the group and threw what he was holding onto the ground.
“You… These are……”
Yuri examined Flynn’s face seriously. What lay on the ground were farming tools — things like machetes, sickles, shovels and hoes.
“I think this is better than nothing.”
Yuri grinned at his tone, which wasn’t joking in the slightest.
“That’s thoughtful of you. We’ll take them.”
Yuri bent down and picked up a hatchet. The size and weight were perfect for him. Plus, it looked powerful.
“I’m coming too.”
“…Come again?”
This time Yuri broke into a fit of coughs. The other boys stared at Flynn with their mouths wide open.
“I’ve checked out the medicinal garden here, but it looks like it’s lacking water. I’d be in trouble if it withered.”
One of the boys came back to his senses with a start and started to speak.
“If I recall correctly, there are various kinds of medicinal herbs around here…”
“……Is it because of your mother?”
Yuri had overheard talk of Flynn’s mother not feeling well.
“I’d be in trouble if it withered.”
Flynn repeated, answering the question without answering it.
“Besides, I want to repay the debt I owe.”
“Debt?”
Yuri blinked. What’s he talking about? Since when did he owe me something—
Ah, that. The Grey Alleyways incident came to mind. I mean, I did come running to help him. But in the end, didn’t Flynn handle it on his own without even needing me? Can you even call that a debt?
Yuri looked at Flynn again. That face, and that gaze of his, was straightforward — so straightforward, in fact, that it could be called too straightforward.
Before he knew it, Yuri had relaxed his body. Letting out a huff, he grinned in the face of that sincerity.
“You’re a pretty good person, aren’t you?”
“Please don’t make fun of me.”
Yuri couldn’t believe his ears. What did he just say?
But for some reason, the other person had an offended look on his face.
“I’m not making fun of you.”
“No, you were.”
“I was only praising you.”
“That’s called making fun of me.”
After saying that, Flynn turned away abruptly. Yuri was at a loss for words, and his mouth opened and shut wordlessly. He searched for a biting remark to throw back at him, but—
“H-Hey, shouldn’t we leave soon? If we stay here we’ll definitely get caught.”
At Jareth’s timid words, Yuri shut his mouth. He gave one last glare at Flynn, and then placed his hand on the cart. To his surprise, Flynn took his place right next to him. It looked like he intended to push the cart together with Yuri. Certainly it was better if the person with more strength pushed the cart, but with that being said, still—
Yuri decided to stop thinking or saying anything else.
The group finally resumed their march in silence.
Yuri fell into a sullen silence, and struggled to sort out his myriad of chaotic emotions. The glimmering golden hair that forcibly entered the corner of his vision kept irritating him.
As I thought, I don’t like him at all.
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#Vesperia#Novel#Yuri#Flynn#Fluri#GotC#''jareth and the others'' the novel. half literally#jareth and the others and the boyfriends#love how they all go to yuri like their little leader#and he just runs off to flynn like. new crush he's so excited BYE guys#the best part is they're Noticing#but it's hard not to when yuri is very obvious abt his new crush#and flynn is still Not Sure abt him bc he's the little leader of these dumb bully kids#but at least the dumb bully kids will finally learn their lesson today and just become kids#then flynn can see yuri and not see him as the little leader of the weirdos who don't like him
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Book 1 Part 1 Chapter 2.2 (2/2)
After hearing their story, Yuri didn’t even have time to click his tongue before he rushed out of ‘My Home’. He didn’t ask the bewildered Jareth and others to accompany him. If they all went together, there was a chance the commotion could attract the adults’ attention, but he wasn’t concerned about that right now.
Someone unfamiliar with the notoriety of the Grey Alleyways had gone inside. And it was Flynn, of all people. That had lit an indescribable fire within Yuri. Was it because it was Flynn? Was Yuri concerned for his safety? He didn’t really know. He only knew that he had to go — and it was because of that thought alone, that he had moved.
It wasn’t until he had spent quite a while in the Grey Alleyways that he realised he was all alone. Even when he stopped to listen, there were no signs of Jareth and the others following after him.
I don’t think they’ll come here on their own. Yuri resigned himself and steeled his resolve. Thus, he started wandering through the eerie Grey Alleyways, all alone in the night.
“Back then, at least we were all together.”
Yuri was also with them when Jareth and the others challenged the Grey Alleyways. He didn’t remember the reason why. Maybe he thought it would be fun just like the others, or maybe he tried to stop them but was dragged along instead. Either way, just like everyone else, before he knew it, he ended up getting lost.
It would be a lie to say Yuri wasn’t as scared as Jareth and the other boys. But in front of his tear-filled friends, he thought he had to do something, and exhausted his brain trying desperately to search for an exit. Eventually, he was more angry than scared at the grey labyrinth.
After being rescued by the adults, Jareth and the other boys avoided talking about the Grey Alleyways, but Yuri remained unfazed. He didn’t challenge the area again, but that was because he still had some sense of discretion — Jiri’s fists had their own kind of effectiveness.
Since the first time he entered and even now, Yuri wasn’t particularly afraid of the numerous rumours surrounding the Grey Alleyways,.
The barrier protects the city from any invading monsters. That was common knowledge among the residents of the Imperial Capital no matter their status. The reason such supernatural rumours continued to exist despite that fact was because humans were fundamentally superstitious creatures.
The children of the lower quarter were the same, but Yuri wasn’t particularly affected by such dubious tales. It wasn’t that he lacked the imagination, or wasn’t interested. But he so frequently lent a hand in other people’s troubles, that he had developed a habit of being distrustful towards things he was unsure of. Most of the time it was the other children who landed themselves in said troublesome matters, but no matter how much Yuri thought they got what was coming to them, he was never able to leave them alone after seeing the helpless expressions on their faces.
The adults he was close to, like Hanks and Jiri, did not particularly entertain such superstition, and he could have been largely influenced by that too. Some people might see Yuri as lacking any sort of cuteness as a child, but in any case, it was thanks to such a personality that he was now able to proceed without getting overly frightened.
Nevertheless, he took precautionary measures in his own way.
“And this stone here… done.”
At the T-shaped junction, Yuri took out a piece of charcoal from his pocket and made a black mark on the grey wall. He had grabbed it from among the ashes of the fireplace before he had rushed out of ‘My Home’. That part of him, at least, had remained cool-headed.
If he made a mark every time he came across a junction in the road, at least he’d be able to know the way back. When he had gotten lost before, there were many times where he had thought, If only I had done it this way. He never thought he would have the opportunity to try it out like this.
However, in this alleyway where it was hard to tell left from right, the odds of ‘winning’ hadn’t really changed since the previous time. Plus, it was daytime then — now it was nighttime. If anything, the odds were even lower. If he wasn’t careful, he might even lose sight of the marks he had painstakingly left behind.
He was already deeper in the place than the last time he was here.
If what Jareth and the others said was true, the place Flynn’s cap had fallen was even deeper inside. He still had a long way to go.
In the first place, they said it was deep inside, but was he sure he was going in the right direction? Even if he wanted to check, the winding corners and looming darkness made it completely impossible to see the path straight ahead. He tried entering a nearby building and looking out from the rooftop, but after a while he found himself in the same situation again.
At this rate I’ll never be able to find Flynn. Or even worse, I can’t say it won’t happen, but I might end up collapsing and no one would know. Without realising it, he found his gaze falling towards at the charcoal clutched in his hand.
Oh, whatever. I’ll deal with it when the time comes.
As he prepared to take another step forward, he suddenly tensed up. He quickly scanned his surroundings.
He thought he had heard something. Was it my imagination? No, there it is again. The footsteps are faint — what’s more, they’re getting closer. This rhythm, this interval… it’s a person.
Suddenly, the rumours of the Grey Alleyways came rushing back to him. Among them were stories of dead people who had gotten lost inside the labyrinth, stuck roaming about even after they had rotted away — Aaand, stop.
Yuri shook his head to clear away the thoughts in his head. Instead of worrying about such fantasies, I should focus on reality instead.
“Listen carefully.
Only people that have hands they can hold a knife properly with have the ability to hurt others. Personally, I think ghosts will find that a bit too heavy for them to handle.”
Grandma Jiri had once said those joke-laden words without so much as a smile on a face.
Yuri closed the lid on his lantern to prevent any light from escaping and hid behind a building. Depending on who it was, he would either ignore them or launch a surprise attack. In terms of weapons, though, all he had was a stone that was lying by his feet. It was at times like this that he really wished he had learnt at least one sword technique. Even if he didn’t have said essential sword with him.
The footsteps were definitely approaching him. As his eyes slowly adjusted, Yuri stared intently at the darkness ahead of him. They’re almost at the corner, but I can still only see darkness. Are they really wandering around these dark streets without a light? What if it really is a ghost— stop thinking that.
Someone, or something, appeared around the corner. It was too dark to make it out clearly, but the shape looked human. At the very least, it wasn’t a stray dog, much less a ghost.
It slowly approached. Yuri gripped his stone and prepared himself.
And then, the footsteps stopped. As if they were confused, and were observing their surroundings.
Don’t tell me — did they notice me? A chill ran down Yuri’s spine.
Yuri hesitated. Should he act first before they made a move? Even in the darkness, at this distance he could probably hit his target.
But. But in the one in a millionth chance —
Yuri tried to unstick his tongue from the roof of his dry mouth, and somehow managed to squeeze out his words.
“……Is that you, Flynn?”
The other person jumped, visibly startled at the sudden call.
“Who’s there? If I remember correctly, that voice…”
He was right. Yuri let out the breath he was holding, and relaxed all the tension in his body. He opened the lid of his lantern and stood up, exposing himself.
“It’s Yuri. Yuri Lowell.”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t properly given him my name until now. A bit too late for that, though.
The person who emerged from the glow of the lantern was unmistakably Flynn. Like Jareth said, he must have been wandering around in this place all day since morning, without eating or drinking. Even in the dark and covered in dust, it was obvious he was exhausted.
Once Flynn knew who he was, he probably remembered what happened a month ago. His eyes were filled with caution. Still, he looked relieved to encounter another human in this labyrinth, especially so since he recognised them.
“Yuri…”
Flynn slowly enunciated the name, as if to confirm that the person standing in front of him was real, and not an illusion.
Upon hearing his voice, Yuri realised that this was the first time they had spoken each other’s names. Even though it had been a while since their first meeting, that realisation made Yuri feel once again the distance that lay between them.
Yuri looked at the thing Flynn held in his hand. Although it was slightly dirty, there was no doubt it was his cap. In other words—
Unknowingly, Yuri’s face contorted. The reason Flynn dared to enter the Grey Alleyways without hesitation was because he didn’t know any better. That was fine. But for him to venture into the heart of the labyrinth — that everyone in the lower quarter avoided for fear of getting lost — in a search of a tiny cap, find it, and then make it all the way back here, without even needing a light. He wasn’t even an adult. He was a kid, no different from me.
Could this guy really be a ghost or something similar after all?
“……Hey, how did you even find your way back here?”
In response to Yuri’s question, Flynn made an expression like he didn’t quite understand.
“I just retraced my steps.”
“‘Just’, you say… You’re kidding. What kind of trick did you use?”
“I didn’t do anything special. I’ve never been here before, so I took extra care not to forget the directions, that’s all.”
He’s a monster in a completely different sense. Yuri thought to himself, unsure if he should feel surprised or horrified.
While Yuri remained speechless, Flynn seemed to have judged that there was no need to be cautious anymore, and walked towards him. The distance between the two of them slowly decreased.
“If you don’t need anything, please move aside. I’m going home. I don’t want to worry my mother.”
He said, in the same tone that rejected everything and detached himself from the world around him. Yuri backed away without a word. Tired or not, it was clear that he didn’t need saving, and even if he did he wasn’t going to accept it.
I’m glad you found your cap. Yuri thought about saying that, but he felt like that would make Flynn angry, so he kept quiet. He silently watched as the blond-haired boy walked past him, with weariness in his steps.
Suddenly, Flynn stopped.
“……Yuri, why did you come here?”
“Because I heard about your cap, I guess.”
As for what he planned to do after he found Flynn, he didn’t say. Even if he wanted to, he himself didn’t really know what to say. Was it because he was cleaning up after Jareth and the boys’ mess, or because he was atoning for what he did to Flynn, or was it because he was worried about Flynn, or maybe —
But Flynn seemed satisfied with that answer. He turned around a little, and looked down at his cap.
“This is… something that Mother made for me when we came here. I couldn’t lose it. Absolutely not.”
As he spoke to himself, Flynn turned to face Yuri.
“You’re a strange person, aren’t you.”
“……Maybe so.”
Suddenly, Yuri felt like there was something he recognised in Flynn’s eyes, something that hadn’t been there before. Perhaps it was a trick of the dim light and flickering shadows. But before Yuri could determine what it was, Flynn gave him a small nod, before turning his back again and starting to walk.
Yuri shrugged. Keeping his distance, he also started to walk.
After that the two of them didn’t exchange any more words. Flynn didn’t look like he wanted to talk, and Yuri didn’t start up a conversion either. The invisible and hard ‘something’ between the two of them had softened a little, but the change was so subtle neither of them were aware of it.
****
But I have to say, he has quite the impressive memory.
Flynn actually didn’t need a light or charcoal markings, as he proceeded down the correct path leading outside of the Grey Alleyways without getting lost once. Yuri was once again filled with admiration.
Yuri didn’t doubt Flynn when he said he had memorised the path. But when they finally reached the end of the Grey Alleyways and a the familiar row of eaves came into view at the end of the path, Yuri felt relieved, and at the same time, couldn’t help but stare intently at Flynn.
So there are people like this that exist in this world —
“Who’s there?!”
A loud voice suddenly rang out. Yuri instinctively froze, thinking the adults from the lower quarter had noticed them, but the footsteps echoing down the alley dispelled his worries. Even though it was hard to make out their figures due to each other’s harsh lighting, that noisy metallic clank was clearly the sound of armour. There was no way it came from a lower quarter resident — it was a knight. They must have noticed Yuri and Flynn because of their light. Yuri realised he had to be careful in a completely different way now.
The knights who were responsible for keeping the peace and maintaining security in the Imperial Capital. The knights were an unwelcome presence in the lower quarter as they often adopted a coercive attitude towards its residents. In the first place, as the only officially armed organisation in the Empire, the members of the Knights rarely went ventured into the lower quarter.
To the lower quarter residents, it didn’t matter if they had something to hide or not. The fact that the knights were here was in itself a sign of trouble.
Yuri knew some of the knights were commoners. For commoners, it was incredibly difficult to join the Imperial Knights. But there were always people who aspired to join, because it was one of the few ways a commoner could advance their career in the Empire.
And regardless of whether they were nobles or commoners, all of the knights treated the lower quarter residents harshly. They all came from the ‘other side of the wall’. There was no such thing as a knight that came from the lower quarter, a knight that was born in there.
Even though it was at night, the knights ran towards them without any hesitation, making clanking noises as they ran. Normally he would have run away, but unfortunately the only way he could go was the one in front of him, from where the knights were coming from, and the one behind him, where the Grey Alleyways was. Obviously he had no intention of going back in, so Yuri resigned himself to waiting patiently as they approached.
Speaking of which, Flynn was also staring intensely at the knights without making a single sound.
Eventually the knights arrived in front of Yuri and Flynn. It was unusual to see them not wearing helmets, but despite that the armour-clad knights still gave off an intimidating impression, even when silent. Surrounded by them, Yuri and Flynn looked even smaller.
One of the knights thrusted a lux blastia in their faces, not caring if it blinded the two of them. The silhouettes of the two of them were illuminated in the bright light.
“Oh, it’s only some brats from the lower quarter. What are you two even doing out here at this time of the night?”
There was blatant contempt in the knight’s tone. One day, I’ll hit all of these guys’ heads like ringing a bell, Yuri thought, as he held it in and struggled to remain calm.
Sorry, we just got lost, he was about to say, when Flynn took half a step forward. When Yuri glimpsed his face from the side, was shocked.
There was something dangerous in his expression. Beneath his golden hair, he shot a burning glare at the knights. Yuri had seen that look before — it was the same as the one a month ago, during the confrontation in front of Flynn’s house.
Is he going to pick a fight with the knights?! Yuri hurriedly pulled on Flynn’s sleeve as a warning.
But before he could, Flynn spoke up.
“We haven’t done anything to be blamed for.”
He said flatly. Upon hearing his challenging tone, for a moment, Yuri and the knights froze, as if they couldn’t understand what he was saying. Then—
“How dare you talk back to us, you little—!”
A sharp sound rang out. In front of Yuri’s eyes, he saw the knight slap Flynn. Even if it wasn’t a punch, it still came from an adult, who was wearing gauntlets. The blow to Flynn’s cheek sent his body flying sideways, and he fell onto the stone-paved ground.
Without a word, Yuri ran over and tried to help him up, but Flynn refused his help and stood up on his own. His cheek, where he had been slapped, was dyed crimson. The inside of his mouth was probably cut as well, and a thin line of red blood trickled from the corner of his tightly pressed mouth down his chin.
But Flynn’s gaze did not waver. In fact, it was the adult knights who flinched. All of them, not just the knight who had slapped him, tensed up and leaned forward.
Yuri started to panic. At this rate, the knights will beat Flynn up. No matter how skilled he is, he can’t put up a fight against real knights, let alone several of them.
Well then, what to do?
At that moment, one of the knights lifted a finger and pointed, as if he’d been struck. It wasn’t at Yuri and Flynn, but at something behind, or above them.
“H-Hey, look!”
The other knights turned to look in the direction he was pointing. Confused by the sudden turn of events, Yuri and Flynn also turned to look. What is it this time?
A row of buildings formed distorted ridgelines in the darkness. On top of them, someone was there. Like the buildings, they were mostly shrouded in shadow, and you could barely make out their silhouette. They were wearing so many layers of clothes, it was impossible to discern whether they were a man or a woman. There they stood in full view, on top of the roofs of the buildings, with the moon forming a halo behind them.
“I-It’s the Dark Wings!”
One of the knights cried out.
“You there, don’t move!”
The other knights cried out in unison, and holding up their lux blastia, started running.
Grasping the situation, the silhouette swiftly turned around and disappeared behind the rooftops. The knights gave chase, shouting ‘Stop!’ and ‘Come quietly!’. It was as if they had forgotten about the boys.
“The Dark Wings…”
Yuri muttered as the footsteps and yells gradually faded into the distance. According to the rumours, they were a famous thief that only targeted nobles and the rich. So that was them?
The knights must have come all the way here chasing the thief. Otherwise I don’t think they would have bothered showing up at a place like this at night. If the thief had run into the Grey Alleyways, would the knights have continued to pursue them?
Flynn remained silent, staring straight ahead. Yuri couldn’t tell if his gaze was directed at the fleeing thief or the knights. The expression he had on his face a short moment before had already vanished, but traces of it still lingered on his face, like a scar.
You know, you could have gotten into trouble with the way you were talking, Yuri resisted the urge to say.
Yuri remembered the series of exchanges they had. Whether it was last time or this time, the trigger was the same. Just a single word — ‘Knight’.
During their match, Yuri had guessed that the reason Flynn, a commoner’s child, was so knowledgeable about swordsmanship, was because he had a knight in his family. And the moment he had voiced that thought, it had triggered intense emotions within Flynn to arise to the surface.
Relative. Family member. A family member that taught him how to use a sword — his father?
Yuri didn’t know what it was like to have a father, and because of that, he didn’t know what that meant, or imagine what that felt like. Even so, he could tell that this was an extremely sensitive topic for Flynn.
Flynn, for his part, didn’t say anything.
Then so be it. Yuri will just pretend he didn’t hear anything.
“There’s no point just standing around here. Let’s go home.”
It was an incredibly exhausting day. More than anything else, he wanted to crawl into his bed and fall asleep, before Grandma Jiri or anyone else noticed them up and about.
The last traces of that intense ‘something’ on Flynn’s face had disappeared. No, rather than disappeared, it was more apt to say it had only sunk below the surface. Either way, he had returned back to his usual calm demeanour.
With his golden hair swaying, Flynn gave him a small nod, but did not move. Yuri waited patiently.
As the two boys stayed there on the dark streets, the night regained its silence, and slowly deepened.
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Book 1 Part 1 Chapter 2.2 (1/2)
Chapter 2.2
“Maybe I should just give up and go back.”
The murmur was mixed in with a sigh. The enveloping darkness of the night swallowed up the sound, leaving not even an echo behind. The light from his lantern wasn’t reliable in the slightest. Each time the small flame burning from within flickered, the surrounding shadows danced, blurring the line between stillness and motion.
Night. Abandoned house. An empty alleyway. Darkness.
Yuri sighed again. He knew he was acting extremely recklessly — more so than usual.
If only this was an open area with a full view of the sky. Then even on the darkest night, the shining halo in the sky — proof of the barrier protecting the Imperial Capital — would provide enough light for him. But in here, where buildings loomed overhead from all sides, the sky was nothing more than a narrow strip. You couldn’t rely on it at all. The streets almost looked like they were painted black, covered in shadows cast by the buildings. Even if there were holes in the ground, he wouldn’t be able to tell where they were.
If he had a lux blastia with him, he’d be able to see and walk around like it was daytime. Sadly, he didn’t possess such a convenient item. All he had on hand was an old lantern, coated in dust and soot, with a meagre amount of oil in it.
Even if he had enough light to see around, it didn’t wouldn’t help the situation he was in.
The shadowed alleyways and sandwiched buildings stayed the same no matter how long he walked — he couldn’t tell the difference in the scenery between where he was right now, and where he was a few moments ago. Moreover, the streets were narrow, winding, and full of intersections. One moment he was going uphill, and the next he was going downhill. Sometimes, the road even led you through buildings.
It was true the darkness did make things even worse, but even if it disappeared it wouldn’t resolve this chaotic mess of a place.
This little chaotic mess of a place was dubbed the Grey Alleyways. People on the ‘other side of the wall’ probably saw it as part of the lower quarter, but the people of Fountain Alley called it that to differentiate it from their own neighbourhood.
This was one of the so-called no-man’s lands that were scattered throughout the lower quarter that surrounded the Imperial Capital. Residents from the ‘other side of the wall’ aside, even the people from the lower quarter didn’t dare to get too close the area — people, that is, with common sense.
Yuri looked at the grey walls that encased him in. Apparently the smooth, bare walls of these buildings were once white. But after so many years of exposure to the elements, they all dulled into the grey colour that was the origin of the district’s name.
Still, no matter how many times I look at them, the buildings lack any distinctive features, whether in colour or design. Yuri had no way of knowing what had led the construction and subsequent abandonment of the buildings in this district, but he didn’t imagine that they were built by someone bursting with creativity or originality.
Or maybe that was the point? If so, then the creator must be one twisted guy.
They purposely built it like a labyrinth that was difficult to understand and easy to get lost in. The residents probably couldn’t take it and ran away.
At least if there were still traces from the time when people once lived here, they could serve as landmarks. But the debris scattered throughout the abandoned alleyways had already been worn down by the passage of time, and blended seamlessly into the bland, grey scenery.
Sometimes he would stop to listen, but he only heard the sound of his own breathing and gravel crunching under his feet. There were no signs of monsters or ghosts prowling about, unlike in the rumours the boys liked to talk about.
This place feels emptier than a graveyard, Yuri thought. Even graves have visitors from time to time. This place is well and truly deserted.
No wonder the adults kept warning them not to go near this area. As Yuri was proving firsthand, there was no point entering, because once you did, you’d get lost, and then you’d never make it back out.
That’s the kind of place the Grey Alleyways was.
And Yuri was inside said place.
At night. All alone.
****
The incident occurred during lunch on the same day.
Jareth and the others, who usually chattered on about trivial stuff or grumbled about their work, were strangely silent at the dinner table. It’s not like they had been told off by Jiri or anything. Not only that, but they seemed unusually restless, and were fidgeting around with anxious expressions on their faces.
When Yuri asked them what was wrong, they evaded the question, so Yuri decided not to worry about it.
But when dinner time came around, their behaviour still hadn’t changed — and in fact they were acting even more strange, so Yuri decided he couldn’t let it be.
“I’m not trying to be rude, but if there’s something bothering you all, hurry up and spit it out.”
After Yuri said that, Jareth said that they would talk after dinner. Upon hearing that, Yuri knew it was going to be a lot of trouble. After dinner, Jiri and Hanks went back to their houses to retire for the day. The kids were the only ones left in ‘My Home’, since they lived there. In other words, it was going to be an extremely troublesome story that they didn’t want the adults to hear.
“I’m sure I don’t need to tell you all, but don’t stay up too late — tomorrow will be another long day. Good night, kids.”
After saying that, Jiri and the other adults left. Jareth and the other kids immediately ran to Yuri’s side, as if they had been waiting for this moment. They had been suppressing it all along, and now he could see how upset they were.
“So? What did you all do?”
At first Jareth seemed at a loss at how to put it into words, but eventually he gathered up his courage and spoke.
“Flynn… that blond guy… is in trouble.”
As soon as he heard that name, Yuri felt his heart rate speed up. I have a bad feeling about this.
“……Speak.”
Already regretting it, Yuri urged him on.
****
That morning, Jareth and the others went to the citizen’s quarter to do some shopping for Jiri. The shopkeeper easily recognised that they were lower quarter residents at a glance, and treated them with contempt. Jareth and the others were expecting that, though, and endured it — the faster they finished their errands, the sooner they could return to the lower quarter.
As they were hurrying back home, a familiar figure caught their eye. His eye-catching golden hair was hidden by a cap, but there was no doubt about it. It was Flynn.
They had refrained from messing with him like Yuri told them to, but at that moment they were still smarting from the shopkeeper’s insults. Adding on to that, they were dissatisfied with the fact that Flynn had not joined them in the lower quarter’s communal labour work despite being here for almost half a year already.
Even if we don’t like it, even if we get mistreated for it, we still do our jobs. Meanwhile, what does he do? The expression on Flynn’s face as they approached him also got on their nerves.
“Where are you going?”
“Oh I get it, you’re here because you missed your previous home.”
“……”
Flynn walked past Jareth and the others without responding. Jareth and the others spread out, trying to block him. Without slowing down, Flynn tried to dodge them by slipping through a gap.
At that moment, something happened that surprised both parties. Jareth and the others had stuck out their hands and legs in an attempt to block him — or even make him fall — and in the process, someone’s hand grazed Flynn’s cap.
The boy who had stuck out his hand was the most surprised of them all. The cap flew from Flynn’s head and fell onto the ground. Flynn was surprised that he had failed to dodge the attack, and because of that his reaction was delayed. It was Jareth who noticed that, saw an opportunity and took it.
He quickly scooped up the cap and tossed it to his friends. They immediately understood and started passing the cap to each other while running.
“Give it back!”
Flynn started to chase after them, just as they expected. Surprisingly, he had cast aside his usual reticent and composed demeanour, and instead was showing an expression that betrayed a sense of urgency.
When he saw this, Jareth grew ecstatic, letting out a laugh. He wasn’t even bothered by the reactions of the nearby residents of the citizen’s quarter, who were frowning at the commotion.
That blond-haired bastard is in a panic! Serves him right. This is payback for what happened a month ago.
“Look, I’m over here!”
“Whoops, too bad, it’s over there now!”
“Your precious cap is over here!”
If it was a one-on-one confrontation, things would have been different, but the situation wasn’t in Flynn’s favour. The boys skillfully tossed the cap back and forth, dancing around and preventing Flynn from snatching it back.
As they continued their game of catch, before they knew it they had arrived at the outskirts of the citizen’s quarter, in an elevated area overlooking the lower quarter below. From below, it would look as though they were on the castle walls.
The city walls dropped off vertically from there. A fall meant certain death. To prevent that from happening, there were thick, stone railings erected along the sides.
Jareth and the others had been running about and making a ruckus, and were stumped by the sudden appearance of the railing in front of them. Ahead of them, a gaping void. Behind them, Flynn.
Flynn had realised he was getting nowhere, so he had driven them into a dead end. They still had the advantage of numbers, but now their movements were constrained. They started to lose their composure, and that slowed down their movements.
Flynn approached the boy holding onto the cap. The boy panicked but was unwilling to let go of the cap, and he backed away, bumping into the railings behind him. Reflexively, he jumped on top of the flat stone railings.
Flynn stopped moving.
“Don’t!”
Misunderstanding him, the boy gestured provokingly.
“As if! If you want it, come and get i-”
At that moment, the boy’s body swayed precariously. He tried to regain his balance, but the movement only made it worse.
Like a string that had been cut, the boy suddenly fell backwards — beyond the railings, into empty space.
“AHHHHH!”
The world flipped upside down and his vision was filled with the blue sky. The boy instinctively closed his eyes. But in the next moment, he felt someone grab his arm. He stopped falling and hung there midair — that sudden, violent jerk, combined with the sensation of not having anything under his feet, almost made him wet his pants.
Timidly, he opened his eyes. He met Flynn’s gaze. Flynn was leaning over the railings, grimacing from the weight as he held onto the boy’s arm with both hands.
Before Jareth and the others could cry out, before the boy could even scream, Flynn had moved.
The boy scrunched his face, at a loss for words. But then his expression froze — Flynn was slowly sliding over the railings. Flynn had a child’s body, just like the rest of them. He couldn’t support the weight of two people in such a precarious position. It was too heavy for him.
“Ugh…”
Flynn’s expression became even more strained.
But in the next instant, several hands reached out from behind and grabbed onto him. Jareth and the others had come to their senses. With desperate expressions on their faces, they called out to each other, struggling to coordinate as they desperately tried to pull Flynn and the boy up.
The boy felt his dangling body being pulled up and let out an involuntary cry of relief. He clutched Flynn’s arms and held on tightly. But in exchange, he had let go of the item in his hands.
“Ah…!”
In front of Flynn’s eyes, the cap slowly danced in the wind as it descended to the far-off ground below. It was swallowed up by the chaotic jumble of houses below and finally, disappeared from sight.
Flynn looked on in shock.
Realising what he had done, the boy clutched onto Flynn with a desperate expression on his face, like he was grasping at a straw. Thankfully, Flynn didn’t let go, and a few minutes later, all of them were safely back on the ground. They panted heavily as they looked up at the sky, which stayed unchanged, as always.
The boy who had dropped the cap remained miserable. He looked at Flynn, eyes begging for mercy. Flynn noticed his gaze and stared back at him wordlessly. The boy, not knowing what to say, cringed in fear. He desperately searched for the right words to say.
“It-it, wasn’t on purpose—”
But Flynn didn’t respond. He stood up and, brushing the dust from his clothes, walked over to the edge of the railings. He looked down, towards the area where his cap had fallen, and stared thoughtfully for a moment. He slowly turned on his heel and suddenly — started to run.
“H-Hey!”
Jareth called out, startled. Flynn didn’t spare him a single glance and continued running. Uneasy, Jareth did what Flynn had done and peered over the railings. His face stiffened.
“Oh crap, he’s gonna…”
Jareth muttered and started running. The other boys followed suit, despite not understanding the situation.
“What’s wrong, where are you going, Jareth?”
“We’re chasing after him, idiot!”
Passing through the castle gates, they raced downhill to the lower quarter. Behind them, the citizen’s quarter quickly receded into the distance, stretching into a tall silhouette.
The boys were familiar with the area like the back of their hand, and took a shortcut to where they thought Flynn would be headed. But when they finally arrived, lungs burning, they found they were too late. The figure with blond hair turned a corner and disappeared into the jumble of colourless buildings.
“The Grey Alleyways…”
Muttering unconsciously to themselves, the boys came to a halt.
They looked at each other, silently urging each other to go in first and take a peek into the alleyways. Flynn was nowhere to be seen. He had already gone deeper inside.
The boys didn’t dare go in any further. The sun had yet to reach the midpoint in the sky. And yet, Jareth and the other boys hesitated as they stood in front of the silent, deserted alleyways.
The adults had told them numerous times before not to step foot inside the area. However, the more forbidden something was, the more alluring it was for children. There was once a time they had faithfully followed that creed. Perhaps it was as a test of courage, or to uncover hidden mysteries, or perhaps it was the simple pleasure of breaking a taboo. Whatever the reason, the boys had ventured into the grey labyrinth.
And promptly gotten lost. They had wandered around for half a day, tasting the bitterness of solitude to the point of hating it, fuelling each other’s fear, and trembling with regret from the bottom of their hearts. The adults from the Fountain Alley had organised a huge search effort, and when they were finally rescued, they had broken down into tears, noses dripping with snot as they cried profusely. Of course, they were given a thorough scolding and lecturing afterwards.
The current silence of the alleyways made Jareth and the other boys recall that time.
It’s no use. I can’t take any more of this, were their thoughts.
“Heeeey, Flynn—! Heeeey!”
They tried calling out, but of course no one answered. In fact, the eerie echo of their own voices only served to frighten them even further.
In the end, Jareth and the other boys decided to wait at the entrance, in the vain hope that Flynn would return.
However, even as noon approached, Flynn still did not reappear. Jareth and the others had no choice but to leave. One of their friends stayed behind to keep watch, since he was more flexible in terms of the time he needed to go back, since he did not stay at ‘My Home’ but with his parents.
After some time passed, they returned, but Flynn had yet to return.
Their anxiety grew, and they abandoned their afternoon work and split up to search for Flynn. They checked the other entrances leading into the Grey Alleyways, and even went all the way to Flynn’s house.
It was all a waste of time. It was as if all traces of Flynn had been completely swallowed up by the grey labyrinth.
The sun set, evening came, and night descended. The guilty boys jumped at the chance to ask Yuri for help.
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#Vesperia#Novel#Yuri#Flynn#Fluri#GotC#him worrying about flynn just being his unconscious gay awakening#and you know it's so real bc he's too young for the social pressure#that shit just HAPPENED
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Yuri’s 5☆ and 6☆ images from the Christmas gacha (December 16, 2019 to December 31, 2019)
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Cover and Backcover scan of Tales of Vesperia - Kokuu no Kamen manga
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Book 1 Part 1 Chapter 2.1
Chapter 2: The Grey Alleyways
The girl stretched her hand out from the railing. In her hands was a wooden bucket, raised skywards like an offering. The bucket trembled precariously in her hands.
In front of her, a waterfall the width of a fully grown adult crashed down. It was far enough from the railings that the girl could barely reach it with her fingertips. The girl stretched her arms as far as she could, trying to catch as much water as she could into the bucket.
“If you lean too far out, you’ll fall.”
Yuri’s voice startled the girl, and she quickly jumped back. The water sloshed around in the bucket as she moved.
Yuri was careful not to spill his own bucket of water as he loaded it onto the cart. Inside the cart, there lined buckets of various sizes, all already filled with water.
Including Yuri, there were five or six people surrounding the cart, but all of them were children. Some of them were even younger than him. There were no adults.
Yuri set down his load with a pant. He looked around. Their party, along with the cart, was in a small square. In front of them towered a giant wall. The waterfall cascaded down from high above, directly into a pond that bordered the wall. There was a platform that jutted out over the pond, and the children used that to draw water from the waterfall.
The wall was large, ancient, and intimidating. It stretched all the way out on both sides, extending as far as the eye could see, half-obstructed by the buildings leaning on it, until it gently curved and disappeared from sight. It was also incredibly tall. Even the tallest buildings from the lower quarter were shorter than its halfway point. The waterfall flowed out from a lofty point in the wall.
The sky was clear, but their surroundings were dim here. The enormous shadow cast by the wall covered the whole area in darkness. From above, Yuri and the others probably looked like ants crawling around.
But when Yuri looked up, he could still see a hint of greenery peeking out from the top of the wall. Yuri knew it was a roadside tree from the citizen’s quarter. As he looked up from within the shadows, the tree appeared to be shining, as though it was emitting light.
Beyond that, he could see a row of spires. They had distinctive shapes, and were spaced out at equal intervals. These were the barrier blastia that protected the Imperial Capital. According to Hanks, its main body stood right in the middle of the Imperial Capital, while the spires were devices to help support it.
‘Other side of the wall’. Those words unconsciously appeared in Yuri’s mind. The other children probably thought the same thing.
This was the great wall that surrounded the Imperial Capital, Zaphias. And, it was also the line that divided the lower quarter from the rest of the city. A ‘borderline’. For the boy who had yet to understand everything, he at least understood that the word held numerous meanings. Most of them were bitter ones.
The castle gates were never closed, probably because of the barrier. They stayed open, even to the residents of the lower quarter. But to the residents of the lower quarter, the citizen’s quarter remained a distant place, and not one they could visit freely.
Yuri once visited the place out of curiosity. He remembered the looks of pity and contempt on the people’s faces, even though he was a commoner, just like them.
Whatever. Yuri squashed down the feelings beginning to well up inside of him. It doesn’t bother me. They don’t care about us, and we shouldn’t care about them.
The girl from earlier came back, struggling to carry a bucket that was too big for her to handle.
“Thanks for the hard work.”
Yuri said as he helped her load it into the cart.
That was the last bucket. The children all nodded, and surrounded the cart. At a signal, they all shifted their weight and started to push the cart.
Weighed down by the water, its wheels creaking, the cart slowly began to move. The children carefully made their way back to the lower quarter. Occasionally they would call out to each other, or let out exhausted groans.
Apart from rain — which happened irregularly — the waterfall that flowed from the castle walls was the only water source for the lower quarter. That precious water was quite literally their lifeline. The waterfall came from the waterworks system that extended throughout the citizen’s quarters and flowed out. The decorations on the waterfall’s outlet were similar to that of the Fountain Alley’s — namesake’s — fountain. It seemed like the fountain used to be one of the many extravagant devices used by the Imperial Capital, though it had long since dried up.
Apparently a long time ago, the walls didn’t exist, and the Imperial Capital extended further beyond the lower quarter. Remains of buildings from that era were scattered throughout the lower quarter area, and Some of them were even being used as residences.
They say the artificial waterfall was abandoned when the people retreated behind the city walls. No one really cared about its origin now, though. The water was safe to drink and there was a safe way to obtain it — that was all that mattered. Most of the water that flowed through the lower quarter was sewage water from the ‘other side of the wall’. The ruins underground blocked the water veins so wells couldn’t run, and the lands outside the Imperial Capital was fraught with danger.
As a result, for the lower quarter residents, fetching water from the waterfall was an indispensable part of their daily routine. In the poorer areas of the lower quarter, not just the adults, but the children too had to perform all kinds of manual labour, but the task of fetching water was an especially arduous one.
Also, they didn’t know whether the pond that the waterfall flowed into mixed with dirty water or not, but it definitely wasn’t clean — in the summer, area around the pond was filled with a stench worse than that of the sewage water. With the abundant humidity in the shadow of the walls, no one was willing to live nearby. And so, fetching water always involved collecting it as it came down, and then carrying it all the way back to the lower quarter. Furthermore, there were fields on the outskirts of the lower quarter that the residents managed. Water had to be delivered there too.
The lower quarter was an existence half-abandoned by the Imperial Capital's government. There was no chance a new water system would ever be installed there. Anger, doubt, and even hope… those feelings of the residents had already been lost many generations ago.
****
Even as they pushed the cart, the children continued to chatter. Doing so distracted them from the pain and monotony of their work. Even if they were poor, they weren’t slaves. As long as they went about it carefully, the adults didn’t make too much of a fuss about it.
Yuri was silent, and kept to himself. As an older child, it was his responsibility to supervise those younger than him, since fetching water was an important job no matter who did it. He didn’t mean to neglect that, but his mind was occupied by something else.
A month had passed since his unexpected confrontation with Flynn.
The season for flowers had come and gone, and there were gradually more and more days where it didn’t get cold, even at night.
After that incident, Yuri had never once visited the area where Flynn was. He had no reason to. He hadn’t seen Flynn since then, either.
He wasn’t sure if he wanted to meet Flynn again, or what he would do if they did. He tried not to think about it too much.
Despite thinking that, from time to time he would find himself thinking back to that scene. He’d recall Flynn’s movements, and then contemplate how he’d respond to them. If he comes from the right, I’d do this, if he comes from below, I’d do that. Once he became aware of it he would try to focus on something else, but soon he would find his thoughts leading back to the same place.
The adults were a different matter, but for Yuri, he’d never lagged behind any of the kids in the lower quarter. Winning and losing aside, he was surprised at how affected he was by the whole thing.
When he asked around, he was told Flynn was the same age as him. Maybe that was why.
Yuri grew irritated, and the fact that he couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason why irritated him even more. The other children were keenly aware of Yuri’s moodiness, and even those older than him didn’t dare bother him.
Regardless of the various childrens’ behaviour, the cart continued to creak as it rolled forward.
Their work had its own dangers. The Imperial Capital sat on a single hill, which sloped gently — or sometimes abruptly — the farther away you got from its centre. Naturally, the road back to the lower quarter was a downhill slope, so if they lost control of the heavily loaded cart and let it gather momentum as it rolled down, it could lead to a disaster.
And even if they reached the lower quarter, their job didn’t end there. Their job also included delivering water to the elderly and those who were unable to come and collect water on their own. Anyone would feel like not doing anything for a while after ferrying heavy buckets to and fro in the lower quarter, but Yuri actually welcomed it. If he worked until he was exhausted, he wouldn’t have the energy to think about unnecessary things.
If the days continued to pass like this, eventually Yuri might stop worrying about Flynn altogether.
It looked like Jareth and the rest hadn’t messed with Flynn ever since that day either. If that was the case, good. Let it stay that way.
……Is what he thought, but he was too naive.
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As an addendum, here's a picture of what the Imperial Capital looks like in the game overworld!
The river over there totally doesn't come into play later in the novels or anything...
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This is so cute.
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Book 1 Part 1 Chapter 1.2
Chapter 1.2
When people focus, their sense of time becomes warped. Long periods of time can pass by in the blink of an eye, while at other times an instantaneous moment can pass excruciatingly slowly.
Yuri felt like that, facing Flynn. He started to lose track of how much time had passed.
After assuming his stance, Flynn was completely motionless. Yuri started to wonder if time had stopped, but of course that couldn’t be the case.
Behind him, Jareth and the other boys from the lower quarter were probably watching their match with bated breath, but he didn’t have the leeway to pay attention to them.
If he lost focus for even a single moment, he would be taken down in an instant by a single powerful blow. There was no doubt about that. No, it might not be a single blow, judging from Flynn’s behaviour in Jareth’s match earlier. It might be a relentless flurry of blows that wouldn’t give Yuri time to surrender even if he wanted to.
Will I even be able to make it back home without any help, Yuri wondered. It was a passing thought from the back of his mind, but he found it funny that he still had room to make such witty remarks to himself.
To a casual bystander they might look like nothing more than children playing at sword-fighting. While that might be true, at the same time it was also a serious competition — the complete opposite of the words ‘for fun’. Yuri made a conscious effort not to dwell on the irony. Anyway, regardless of what he thought, the reality of his situation wouldn’t change.
On the other hand, Flynn had also sensed that this second challenger was somewhat different from the first. Yuri was obviously playing at it by ear, and his stance was full of openings, there was something about him that made Flynn uneasy. Like there was some kind of hidden power within the boy. If he struck carelessly, he could suffer an unexpected counterattack. Flynn decided to be cautious, and wait for his opponent to move first.
Another long moment passed.
Although they appeared to be at a stalemate, the situation was anything but. Beads of sweat started to gather on Yuri’s forehead.
If I knew this was going to happen, I would have learned how to use a sword at the very least. Though at the same time he thought that, he realised there wasn’t really anyone who could teach him. He hardly saw anyone in the lower quarter carrying weapons, to begin with.
Outside the Imperial Capital, he heard it was essential to be armed in order to defend against monsters. With things like swords and armour. Or blastia. While such convenient and powerful magical devices were regulated by the Imperial authorities, people capable of handling a sword in the lower quarter should be common enough… Or so Yuri thought, but he had never heard talk about it.
Perhaps among the residents, some of them were people who once lived adventurous lives. Well, even if they existed, Yuri had no way of knowing who they were. In the first place, all of the adults of the lower quarter looked like they had zero fighting experience. When he pictured Hanks holding a sword, he could only think of it as a funny joke. Violent weapons such as swords only befitted someone like Jiri.
— Jiri?
The moment he became aware of that name, Yuri felt his thoughts being drawn to it, and he thought, Oh, crap, but it was too late.
“Make sure you’re back by dinner time.” That terrifying voice resurfaced in his mind.
He started to grow worried. What time is it? How much time has passed since then? If we don’t make it back in time for dinner, she won’t stop at just a scolding—
Suddenly, Flynn grew bigger. No — he’d only thought so because Flynn had suddenly closed the distance between the two of them. Flynn thrust out his stick fiercely, as if he was wielding a real sword. Yuri immediately leaned back, barely managing to dodge the blow.
Immediately, Flynn twisted his hand, swinging his sword horizontally. Yuri barely managed to dodge this as well, almost flattening his body against the ground in the process.
He isn’t trying to kill me, is he?!
Without a moment’s hesitation, Flynn’s stick swung down from above. Yuri managed to roll on the ground to avoid it, using the momentum to get back up while putting some distance between them.
But Flynn had no intention of giving Yuri time to recover. He immediately stepped forward and closed in on Yuri, swing his stick without any shred of hesitation.
The attacks came in a consecutive sequence. Yuri managed to evade them by exerting every part of his body to the utmost. He didn’t bother parrying. A clumsy parry would only end up like what happened to Jareth. Until he figured out how to counter that disarming technique of Flynn’s, such a risky move was out of the question.
Yuri knew far too well that Flynn’s technique and skill far surpassed his. Amidst his dodging, he looked for an opportunity to counterattack, but that was out of the question — it was already taking all he had to hold on to his stick, let alone think about attacking.
For a newcomer, he sure knows a ton of skills… and this is despite him being a kid just like us. Yuri licked his dry lips. Did Hanks and the other adults know? Well, even if they knew and told me, I doubt I would have remembered.
Flynn’s movements were flawless and merciless. There was no doubt about it, he had received professional lessons from someone. I don’t know much about the ‘other side of the wall’, but I don’t think they’d teach all of the residents inside how to wield a sword. Which means—
The unrelenting attacks suddenly stopped. Flynn took a step back, readying his stance.
Is he going to unleash a new attack? Careful not to show any sign of doubt in his expression, Yuri observed Flynn warily.
But Flynn was also wary of him.
Flynn had let out a series of consecutive attacks, but unexpectedly Yuri had dodged all of them, even if it was by a hair’s breadth. It’s true he had looked down on them for being rough and uneducated kids, but he hadn’t gone easy on them either. Though black-haired boy’s foundation was lacking and he lacked any sort of refinement, his movements were surprisingly agile, like that of an animal. Flynn still looked down on Yuri with contempt, but that fact alone had to be acknowledged in his favour.
Yuri had no idea Flynn was thinking all this, but thanks to that he had acquired some breathing room.
Taking advantage of the lull in the fight, Yuri voiced the thought that had been running through his head earlier.
“……Do you, by any chance, come from a family of knights?”
He was just blurting out his thoughts, and he wasn’t expecting it to have any effect. But upon hearing Yuri’s words, Flynn’s demeanour changed completely. It was as if a living and breathing thing had suddenly turned into stone, or water had frozen into ice. Flynn’s body stiffened, and his stance relaxed. He lowered his face slightly such that his golden-coloured fringe hid his expression.
Yuri also realised something was wrong. Just as he was about to say something, he heard a sound akin to low growl.
“…………up.”
“What?”
“I said, shut up!”
With a yell, Flynn furiously attacked Yuri. The swing came in so fast, it made Flynn’s previous moves look like a trial run in comparison. Even if it’s just a stick, it can still be life-threatening if it hits me in the right spot!
“H-Hey, wait just a moment!”
But it didn’t look like Flynn had any intention of listening. His once complicated expression was now filled with fury. He looked like he was planning on giving Yuri a thorough beating.
Yuri desperately parried, somehow surviving the onslaught of attacks. Wait, I can parry them? Unlike before, Yuri was able to block Flynn’s stick with his own. Despite the anger-fuelled attacks growing in intensity, they were more predictable than before, Yuri realised.
Something about his words must have triggered Flynn. His golden hair had puffed up in anger, to the point it was detracting from the finesse of his movements.
Swordsmanship — knights — mother and son. So it was like that.
He could provoke Flynn even further. If he did it right, it could even expose him to a counterattack — No, that won’t work.
Yuri firmly dismissed the idea. He didn’t like the idea of relying on such dirty tricks.
Then what should I do? The attacks were easier to handle than before, but only by a small degree. It wasn’t like Flynn was giving him an opening big enough to exploit. And if he dawdled for too long, Flynn would eventually cool his head. If that happened, there would be no chance of winning.
But then, what?
Yuri quickly leapt back, putting distance between them. before surging forward. He swung his stick over his head with all his strength and leapt forward. He got in front of Flynn’s face and, with a battle cry, swung his stick down at his opponent’s head.
“HAAAAA!”
But Flynn blocked the incoming attack diagonally with the side of his stick. Then he twisted his wrist, hooking his stick under Yuri’s, and flicked it upwards. It was the same disarming technique Flynn had used on Jareth — the moment Yuri recognised it, he released his grip on his stick.
Yuri’s stick flew into the air, and Jareth and the others let out a gasp.
Flynn’s eyes widened in surprise.
Paying no heed to his lost stick, Yuri continued his momentum and rammed into Flynn, hitting him squarely in the shoulder. The two boys crashed onto the ground in a tangle of limbs.
Cheers resounded.
Amidst the dusty ground, Flynn lay on his back, while Yuri sat on top, straddling him. His knee pinned down Flynn’s right arm so he couldn’t lift up his stick, and his fist gripped Flynn tightly by the collar.
He was breathing heavily. Sweat dripped down his temple. He had taken a gamble and won — as expected, Flynn wasn’t on guard against attacks outside of swordsmanship. Now he just had to hope that Flynn wasn’t just as skilled when it came to a fistfight.
Will he calm down if I hit him two, no, maybe three times? If so —
Underneath Yuri, Flynn suddenly relaxed, and all of the strength in his body went away.
“!?”
With a confused expression on his face, Yuri looked down at Flynn, who lay underneath and gazed up at him with unwavering eyes. His eyes are blue, Yuri thought. It matches his golden hair perfectly.
“Are you satisfied?”
Flynn’s voice was cold, as if all the passion he had shown just moments before was a lie.
As Yuri searched for a response, Flynn furrowed his eyebrows with displeasure.
“If you’re satisfied, can you move out of the way?”
Surrounding them, Jareth and the others started to get noisy.
“Yuri won!”
“Serves him right for acting so high and mighty!”
One of the boys picked up Yuri's fallen stick and brandished it at Flynn.
“Stop it!”
The shout came from Yuri. The boy holding the stick flinched as if struck by a whip, and threw away the stick.
“We’re done here. No more of this. Understand?”
After seeing Jareth and the others nod with confusion, Yuri slowly got up. After a pause, Flynn got up too — leaving his stick on the ground.
Flynn brushed the dust from his clothes and turned his back on Yuri and the others. Without saying a word, he started to walk back to his house.
Should I say something? Yuri wondered. But what do I even say? Jareth and the others were holding their breath, waiting to see how Yuri would react. Dammit, how can they act so carefreely?
“Flynn?”
A voice that didn’t belong to any of the boys rang out.
Yuri turned around and saw a woman standing on the streets. She wore simple clothes typical that of the lower quarter residents, yet there was a certain air of refinement about her that made her look out-of-place.
“Mother.”
Before Yuri could recall who she was, Flynn spoke — and then the memory came back to him. Several months ago, she was the woman who came to the lower quarter with Flynn — Flynn’s mother.
She looked haggard, as if she had just recovered from an illness, and there was a worried expression on her face. She shifted her gaze from Flynn to Yuri and the other boys.
“And these children are…? Were you all…”
“It’s nothing. They just came to… play. They’ll go home soon.”
Flynn said in a cheerful voice. It was the first time Yuri and the others had heard such a bright tone coming from him. Flynn was even smiling, even if Yuri could tell it was a little stiff.
Yuri noticed Flynn staring at him.
Please shut up and go home. That was what his eyes were saying. It was less of a demand and more of a petition.
Jareth opened his mouth to say something, but Yuri lightly elbowed him in the side, and he fell silent. He gave a small nod to Flynn’s mother, hoping he didn’t look too unnatural.
“……I see. Thank you for coming all the way here.”
Whether or not she knew what Yuri was thinking, she smiled faintly. However, that smile soon disappeared like vanishing mist.
“I’m really sorry, but I have to start preparing for dinner now. Flynn, could you come in and help out?”
Speaking quickly, the mother walked past Flynn. She went through the doorway and disappeared into the house.
It was just the boys once again.
Flynn looked like he wanted to say something to Yuri, but he only turned on his heel and followed his mother, disappearing into the house.
The front door closed. Yuri and the others stood there for a while. No one moved or spoke, like actors that had suddenly lost their turn on a stage.
“……Let’s go home. Grandma Jiri won’t leave any dinner for us.”
Yuri finally spoke. As if the tension had dissolved, Jareth and the others silently nodded.
On the way back, Jareth and the others were quick to forget their lesson, running their mouths about how Flynn narrowly escaped with his life, as expected of Yuri, and so on. At first Yuri only listened silently, but soon he started to grow angry at Jareth and the others, who were the ones to instigate the whole thing. He felt like he wouldn’t be able to settle down unless he told it to their faces.
“Listen here, you all. I’ll let it go this time, but next time, you’re on your own.”
Now that they know what Flynn is capable of, if they choose to mess with him they’ll get what’s coming to them. Jareth and the others probably wouldn’t be able to win even if they all ganged up on him.
But soon became clear that Jareth and the others didn’t take Yuri seriously.
“Don’t be like that, come and help us again.”
“Yeah, yeah, and give that guy a beating again.”
Even Jareth, who had been thoroughly beaten by Flynn, acted like he hadn’t learnt his lesson. To them, Yuri was a person that, no matter how harsh his words were, when it really came down to it, he would always come in and save them. And that Yuri’s current displeasure only stemmed from the lingering feelings of his match. Yuri let out a sigh.
“Today’s win was a fluke. I just got lucky.”
Of course, Yuri knew that luck had nothing to do with it.
That confrontation. When he was straddling Flynn, he noticed that Flynn wasn’t even breathing irregularly. Yuri, on the other hand, was breathing heavily and sweating like crazy. Even though there was a moment where Flynn lost himself in anger, it didn’t affect him as much as Yuri thought it would.
If the fight had continued, and they started exchanging blows with their fists, who would have won?
Yuri felt torn between feeling relief at having been saved, and feeling like he would have preferred to let it play out and see who would have won.
Did I want to beat him? I’m not sure. I didn’t really go into that fight with that intention in mind. But then, what’s this itchy feeling in my heart?
Yuri walked silently and alone, with a frown on his face, all the way until he reached ‘his home’.
It was well past dinner time by the time they got back.
Yuri was prepared to receive a fist the moment he stepped through the entrance, but Jiri only glanced at his face and the faces of the children following him, and must have read something from their expressions, because she only let out a snort and said nothing. She reheated the food and served it to the boys.
In exchange, Jiri remained there and watched with her arms crossed in silence as the boys ate. Even though she hadn’t ordered them not to speak or said anything of the sort, not a single line or conversation was spoken during the meal.
Overwhelmed by the pressure in the air, everyone tried to finish eating as quickly as possible, barely even conscious of what they were eating or how it tasted.
The dinner was more bearable than to a badly thrown fist.
Unaware of the plight of Yuri and the others, Hanks sat in a chair in the corner of the room, snoring away.
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#Vesperia#Novel#GotC#Yuri#Flynn#Fluri#snippy leader baby Yuri my precious#also love how Jiri's standard existence let alone pose is just. arms crossed. frowning.
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Book 1 Part 1 Chapter 1.1 (2/2)
It’s funny to think that he remembered where they lived even if he didn’t even remember their name. Maybe it was because even though he had no interest in the people, he thought the event was worth remembering. Maybe there was no reason to begin with. Regardless, Yuri walked unhesitatingly towards the district where the mother and son lived.
No matter what the other children felt, Yuri had no personal grudge against the mother and son. It certainly was a memorable scene. He vividly remembered the sight of the blond-haired boy, with his head hanging as he stood by his mother’s side, under the grey, cold sky.
And just like the other children, Yuri felt it too. Ah, he’s different from us. His appearance was well-groomed, but more than that, the elegance that emanated from his entire being clearly showed that he belonged more to the ‘other side of the wall’ than here in the lower quarter. Even though they looked the same height and age, it felt like he was an unfamiliar being, that belonged to a completely different world.
But that was it. There were new residents in the lower quarter. For Yuri, that was all there was to it. Several months had passed since then — he has never seen the mother and son up close, let alone exchanged words with them. Even though they were fellow residents living in the small and cramped district of Fountain Alley, they were far apart that they didn’t encounter each other, and naturally they had no reason to venture into the vicinity of each other’s area. He didn’t know why the mother and son decided to move into the lower quarter, nor did he ever think to ask anyone about it. He just vaguely sensed that the reason wasn’t a pleasant one, and didn’t care to press further.
The streets gradually became less populated, and the already dilapidated houses began to deteriorate even further. He could also start to see abandoned houses that had already collapsed and left to decay.
Using Fountain Alley as a reference point, the house of the mother and son was quite far out. Beyond that lay a district where hardly anyone lived. There were vacant houses closer to the centre of Fountain Alley, but Yuri heard that they had chosen to live here.
Maybe they disliked socialising with people? Or maybe there was something they wanted to hide?
“Hey, I know you can hear me!”
He was still quite a distance away, yet he could hear it clearly. It was a familiar voice. It was without a doubt Jareth, one of the boys who had invited Yuri. Other voices overlapped, shouting something in unison. Yuri knitted his eyebrows at the sound of jeering. Clicking his tongue, he started to run.
The house was just around the corner, a few houses down. Its faded walls had cracks running through them, and the roof was slightly askew, as if it could collapse at any moment — in that regard it was not much different from most of the houses in the lower quarter.
Jareth and the other boys stood at the entrance to the house, shouting loudly. Their voices hadn’t begun to break yet, so while the jeers they did their utmost to deliver lacked power, the high-pitched shrills unique to that of children were still quite grating on the ears.
Perhaps the reason the mother and son chose to live in an isolated place was to avoid something like this, Yuri thought with a twinge of sympathy. But in the end it was all for naught. Simply keeping a distance wasn’t enough to ward off the childrens’ malicious and ill-intended curiosity.
“Come out, Flynn! I know you can hear us! F-ly-nn!”
Flynn. So that was the blond-haired kid’s name. Yuri had probably heard it more than once before, but even upon hearing it from Jareth and the others, the name still didn’t ring a bell. Ever since he was a kid, he’d had trouble remembering people’s names.
Either way, it wasn’t a pleasant sight. Just as he was about to step in and tell them to cut it out, the front door opened.
That boy with the unforgettable golden hair — Flynn stood there. He stood tall, his back straight, and met the gazes of Jareth and the others unflinchingly.
“......Do you need something from me?”
He made no attempt to conceal his disdain in both his expression and voice.
This was turning out to be a big hassle. Now then, what to do. Yuri tried to gather his thoughts, but before he could he was spotted by one of the boys.
“Yuri, I knew you’d come!”
Flynn also turned to look at Yuri in response. Seeing the disdainful look turn on him, Yuri felt inwardly bitter. Oh come on, now I’m being lumped together with these guys too, he thought.
“Geez, what the heck are you guys doing?”
Jareth and the others didn’t notice the reproach in his tone, and pointed at Flynn and continued to run their mouths.
“This guy totally tried to ignore us!”
“Yeah, he wouldn’t come out even when we called for him!”
“Just because he’s from the ‘other side of the wall’, he thinks can act all cocky!”
Yuri didn’t know what started it, but it seemed this wasn’t the first time Jareth and the others were bothering Flynn. And judging from their attitudes, it seemed like things didn’t go the way they planned it to.
Maybe this was the first time they had gone to his house. They’d reached the limits of their patience, so to speak.
But no matter how much Jareth and the others complained, there was no mention of what Flynn had done. If Yuri had to guess, the problem was that he hadn’t done anything.
“It’s not like he did anything, right? If you do anything stupid, you’ll get it from Grandma Jiri.”
“But he was taking us for fools!”
“Yeah, just because he’s a little more well-off than we are!”
If he really is taking you for fools, it’s because you guys are acting like one, Yuri thought exasperatedly, even if he didn’t say it out aloud. He turned his attention towards Flynn again.
He still had the same bright golden hair as the last time Yuri saw him. But his appearance—
“Take a good look at him. How is he more well-off than you are? His clothes are in even worse condition than ours.”
It was as Yuri said. The fine clothes the boy had worn the first time he appeared in the lower quarter were nowhere to be seen, and he was now wearing a set of worn-out, shabby clothes. Only his shining golden hair remained, the remnants of a bygone era. Still, it must be because of his natural elegance that he didn’t give off the impression of a crude person. Jareth and the others probably sensed this as well, and cried out as one to Yuri.
“Are you taking his side? You’re kidding, right?”
“Yeah, he took us for fools, you know! Don’t screw around!”
Each and everyone of them, they kept repeating the same words. Blinding by their own prejudice, they refused to listen to reason. What’s more, even Flynn was scowling back at them. He probably thought he was being insulted.
I should just have Grandma Jiri knock the senses out of all of their heads and replace them, Yuri thought. He wanted to turn and leave this place immediately.
— Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.
So in the end, these guys did go and do something stupid. Yuri let out a small sigh. Give me a break.
“Okay, I get it. So what are you all going to do?”
“Isn’t it obvious? We’re going to teach him who’s the boss around here.”
Jareth said as he picked up a long stick that had fallen by the side of the street. He swung it like an imaginary sword, then thrusted it out in Flynn’s direction.
“......I see. Then it can’t be helped.”
“Huh?”
Yuri picked up another fallen stick and threw it towards Flynn. It fell at his feet with a clatter, and Flynn picked it up without a change in his icy expression.
Sorry, just play along for a bit. Yuri gave Flynn a slight nod, before turning to Jareth and the others. Thinking that the tide had turned in their favour, Jareth and the others started to praise Yuri, making a racket and saying things like ‘As expected of Yuri’ and ‘It’s gotta be like this’.
“In exchange, make it a one-on-one.”
“......What?”
The boys visibly flinched. Flynn also looked at him with a confused expression on his face.
“There’s nothing strange about it. Don’t tell me, were you guys really planning on ganging up on him? Come on, that’s so shameful.”
“W-Well, that’s…”
“You’re going to teach him who’s boss, right? If you made it so you can’t lose, there’d be no point.”
“...…Um, yeah. That’s… right.”
Under Yuri’s fixed gaze, Jareth and the others nodded awkwardly.
Alright, now all I have to do is wait for a suitable moment to intervene, tell them to stop, and we’re done. He didn’t approve of their method of overwhelming a person with sheer numbers, and it was time for Jareth and the others — who always drag him into solving their problems for them — and are now getting dragged into it themselves — to have a taste of their own medicine.
Still, Yuri had no intention of taking either side. He didn’t want his friends to get hurt, but that didn’t mean he wanted the newcomer to get hurt. The moment the fight, done for appearance’s sake, was out of the way, he intended to immediately step in and mediate.
“So then, who’s first?”
When he said that, all the boys looked at each other, and after a moment all of them except Jareth, who was holding the stick, took a step backwards. It was as if Jareth had come forward of his own volition. To Yuri’s surprise, Jareth swallowed any protests he had and stepped forward, pointing his stick at Flynn.
Well, at the very least you had enough integrity to do that, Yuri thought without showing any emotion on his face. Though he would have preferred it if the boy had shed some tears, since the match would end faster that way.
Flynn had stayed silent the entire time, but when he saw Jareth approaching he raised his stick.
…Hmm?
Yuri raised his eyebrows. He’d never seriously studied swordsmanship, but he could tell that Flynn’s stance was different from that of a child imitating one. Was Flynn made to learn swordsmanship as part of his good upbringing? While Jareth’s stance was shaky and restless, Flynn’s was firm and unmoving. The difference was clear.
This guy could be in trouble — Yuri narrowed an eye slightly. Jareth hadn’t noticed it yet. Did he not consider the possibility that he’d lose to someone he thought was raised as a sheltered kid, or was he too flustered by the sudden challenge to think straight, with the way he was continually waving his stick and making threatening cries? The crowd surrounding him took it as a sign of superiority, and as they bore no responsibility, cheered him on freely.
Flynn didn’t move.
Maybe because that angered him, Jareth suddenly attacked. It was an exaggerated movement with a lot of openings, even to the casual observer. Flynn still didn’t move — the moment he thought that, a dry sound rang out, and Yuri’s eyes widened. The boys who were spectating in the background let out a large cry.
The stick had disappeared from Jareth’s hand. It spun in an arc behind him and fell to the ground with a clatter.
As Jareth stared dumbfoundedly at his empty hands, wondering where his stick went, Flynn’s stick came down sharply from the side and slammed into his shoulder.
He let out a sudden scream and collapsed to the side. Without wasting any necessary movements, Flynn lifted his stick to deliver another blow. Fear flickered in Jareth’s eyes.
Flynn swung down his stick — and stopped midway.
“Isn’t that enough? You’ve already won.”
Yuri had stretched out his hand from the side and grabbed Flynn’s arm. Flynn, caught in a mid-attack stance, glared at Yuri. Yuri couldn’t tell what Flynn was thinking from his expression.
But after a few moments of silence, Flynn relaxed his stance and stepped back. Yuri didn’t persist further, and let go of Flynn’s arm.
“So you can bend the rules in your favour? Even though you guys were the one that started this.”
Ever since he first appeared at his doorway, his words had been filled with bitterness.
“Well, you have a point.”
Yuri scratched his head indifferently. Jareth was still acting depressed, clutching his shoulder and whimpering. Turning his gaze from Jareth back to Flynn, Yuri couldn’t help but feel impressed.
It looked like Flynn was able to deflect Jareth’s incoming stick with his own while adding a twist so the stick would fly out of his opponent’s hand — probably. Yuri added the ‘probably’, because it all happened too fast for his eyes to catch, meaning he had no actual proof.
Well, this is troubling. This guy actually knows how to wield a sword.
“For what it’s worth, these guys are my pals. I can’t just stand by and watch as they get beaten up.”
“That has nothing to do with me.”
With such a curt response, Flynn raised his stick towards Jareth again. Was he planning to continue until his opponent admitted defeat? But Jareth, who couldn’t even stand up, scrambled back frantically. The other boys, who were also completely intimidated, weren’t in any state to offer help, and only watched from a distance,
“......Well, I guess it’s true I can’t complain.”
Yuri slowly stepped forward, until he was in between Flynn and Jareth. After making sure Flynn had completely shifted his attention from Jareth to him, he moved behind Jareth without taking his eyes off Flynn.
“It can’t be helped. I’ll sub in.”
Yuri picked up Jareth’s fallen stick and, holding it in one hand, pointed it at Flynn.
“Yuri……!”
Jareth’s face, which looked like it was about to burst into tears at any moment, lit up with hope.
Flynn wordlessly readjusted his stance to face Yuri, as if to say, even if you changed my opponent, the result will still be the same. He was just that confident.
In contrast, Yuri, who knew that he lacked knowledge and skill, relied on intuition to adjust his stance.
Even as his face remained unchanged, Yuri grumbled inwardly.
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#Vesperia#Novel#GotC#Yuri#Flynn#Fluri#ohhh my god pre-development baby Jareth my child#I can just hear his whiny voice from the e-book and I wanna throw a pillow at him#also love this part of the novel with its Fluri soulmates vibes...
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Book 1 Part 1 Chapter 1.1 (1/2)
Chapter 1: Newcomer
Three empty glass bottles were lined up haphazardly on the cracked stone pavement of the alley.
About twenty steps away, a boy sat there alone. He stared at the row of bottles unmovingly, as if picking them up and down and weighing them in his mind.
There were several other boys standing behind him. They kept talking to the black-haired boy, but he neither replied nor turned to face them.
“You don’t like that guy, right?”
“That guy?”
“That newcomer! The blond one!”
“Oh, now that you mention it, there was that guy.”
Saying that, the black-haired boy threw a pebble with a flick of his arm. The pebble arced through the air, hitting the empty bottle on the right as intended.
“He’s going to live here from now on. Then we have to properly teach him.”
“What do you mean, teach him?”
“The rules, duh. He can’t keep feeling like he’s from the ‘other side of the wall’. Right?”
“Just leave him be. I’m not interested.”
He picked up another pebble and threw it. With a brief, high-pitched sound, the bottle on the left fell over.
“Don’t be like that, Yuri. Come with us.”
“Why should I? In the first place, you’re all going as a group just to confront one person. How ridiculous.”
“You don’t have to say it like that…”
“Don’t do anything stupid. Got that?”
The forceful tone of his last words also lent strength to his arm. The pebble flew with tremendous force, hitting the remaining empty bottle in the middle and shattering the target into pieces.
The boys flinched at the sound echoing through the alley, and finally gave up, slowly retreating one by one.
As he listened to the footsteps behind him that clearly betrayed their owners’ reluctance, the black-haired boy known as Yuri let out a sigh as if he was fed up with it all.
A while back, there was a kid who moved into the lower quarter of the Imperial Capital, Zaphias, where they lived. Everyone was planning to bother him.
If that was all, it would be okay. It irritated him that they were going to pick on someone who hadn’t done anything to them in the first place, but such behaviour was far from uncommon in the lower quarter, a place you could hardly describe as well-behaved. The problem was that several people were trying to do it as a group.
There was only one person on the other side. Even if he hated them, forming a group to gang up on one person was even more despicable, let alone being considered part of them. The thought alone made his skin crawl.
The other boys were also aware of that part of Yuri’s personality. Still, they called out to him, because in the unlikely event they received an unexpected counterattack that they weren’t able to handle, they would feel safer with Yuri around.
With his strength and bravery, even among the boys of his age in the lower quarter Yuri was highly respected.
Yuri looked in the direction the boys had gone. Their figures were already out of sight. Yuri scratched his head and scowled.
He had stopped them, but had they accepted it? He wasn’t sure. Their attitudes were that of someone who had already decided to act. Going to see Yuri was a mere stop on the way for them.
Letting out a short huff, Yuri leapt up from his seat. His black hair spread out and fluttered softly.
He wasn’t much taller than the other boys. He didn’t particularly focus on physical training, but there was something about his demeanour that evoked that of a wild cat. To naturally possess everything necessary, while not having anything unnecessary, that kind of aura.
“If you guys get scared even before throwing down, don’t expect me to help you.”
Drawing trouble to themselves, then relying on Yuri when things got tough. That attitude of theirs was something Yuri always couldn’t stomach.
Even so, Yuri never truly disliked them. After all, they were friends that lived in the same lower quarter. In a sense, he even thought of them as his brothers. After all, the times they spent laughing together was so much longer — and the times they’ve endured together even longer.
In that case, why am I even going? Yuri asked himself. For the sake of those idiots who are only going to make fools of themselves again? Or for the sake of that newcomer everyone’s been talking about? No way. I don’t even remember his name.
He couldn’t feel at ease. He couldn’t sit still, but he didn’t have a clear reason why. He couldn’t help but go. That was just how he was. It frustrated him, but there was nothing he could do about it. To stop them from ‘doing anything stupid’, that was probably it. Stop who? Who cares.
After stretching his body, Yuri started to walk down the street.
****
A nasty guy.
That was the first impression most of the kids from the lower quarter had when they saw him. Even though he was a commoner, he stood out like an alien presence because he wore better clothes than them.
And that golden hair. Even though the lower quarter had people with hair like that, there was something clearly different about him. Although it was just hair, in the eyes of the children of the lower quarter it was representative of the Imperial Capital’s nobles, in other words, a symbol of the ‘upper class’.
On a cold, overcast day, with clouds looming low as if it could start snowing at any moment, the boy arrived, clutching his mother’s hand while having only a small amount of their things with them. Regardless of the details, even the naive, inexperienced children — who acted like they knew and could do more than they actually did — could understand that there were special circumstances surrounding him.
But for the children of the lower quarter, instead of evoking sympathy or compassion, rather, it served as a perfect ammunition for them to attack him. This was because the mother and son came from inside the castle walls — what the lower quarter referred to as the ‘other side of the wall’. Inside the castle walls was the citizen’s quarter, where even the commoners lived better and wealthier lives than the people in the lower quarter. That alone was enough to evoke feelings of resentment.
Despite the childrens’ feelings of resentment, however, the adults warmly welcomed the mother and son. They accepted what they had to say and didn’t ask for further explanations, offered them a house to live in, and even pooled together a portion of their meagre savings to give to them to provide them with the basic necessities for a short while. The mother and son barely had anything on them when they arrived, after all.
As for housing, there were plenty of vacant houses, and it was incredibly ambiguous as to who owned their rights, so it wasn’t a big issue. Despite its size due to it surrounding the outer circumference of the Imperial Capital, there weren’t a lot of residents that lived in the lower quarter.
Strictly speaking, the lower quarter wasn’t considered part of the Imperial Capital. Originally, the name Imperial Capital Zaphias referred to the inner layer of the lower quarter enclosed by the towering castle walls. The outer layer was originally nothing more than a leftover area the monster-repelling barrier’s power extended to, that various people took advantage of to live in, and over time turned into a settlement that hugged to the castle walls. And then after hundreds of years of repeated and accumulated unorderly expansion and demolition, the lower quarter was transformed into its current state.
Naturally, the sprawling lower quarter that was spread out in a huge circular area, wasn’t just one big cohesive district. Not only was it impossible in scope, it was also impossible for such a large district to be full of people. There were uninhabited ruins scattered between the districts such that each district more or less depended on the ‘other side of the wall’, but lived their lives separate from the others.
Its residents were all people who didn’t have the financial means to live on the ‘other side of the wall’, or the ability to move to another city, or were burdened with some other circumstance. They rarely paid attention to matters of governance, doing their best to live to see the day next, so they never thought of reorganising things. The lower quarter used the ‘other side of the wall’ to differentiate themselves from the people on the other side, and compared to the general term ‘outside the wall’, it could even be considered somewhat derogatory.
For the record, each district had their own name to differentiate themselves from the other districts. For example, the district where Yuri and his friends lived was called Fountain Alley, named after its remains at its centre. But in most cases, people simply referred to their own district as the ‘lower quarter’. The districts rarely interacted with each other anyway, so there was little need for differentiation.
As such, for the Yuri who was currently walking down the street he’d grown up seeing, he simply saw himself as a person who was ‘born in the lower quarter’.
The road, which had been paved long before Yuri was born and then left neglected, was now worn down, leaving cracks and hollows here and there. Weeds poked out from those cracks, and in other places dirty water collected and emitted a foul stench. Even though winter had ended, and the warmth of spring had begun to grace the streets, giving way to a pleasant scenery, Yuri was barely conscious of it, walking forward without getting distracted.
The place where he was born and raised. The place he has never left since he was born. For Yuri, this was a common and familiar sight, and nothing more, nothing less.
In the place where he lived, everyone knew each other. The distinction between family and other people was remarkably small.
On one hand, Yuri had no one he could call a blood relative. He’d only been told that his mother died shortly after giving birth to him, and he didn’t even know her face. As for his father, he was starting to doubt whether one truly existed.
The fact that a child with no relatives or assets to his name was able to survive was due to the spirit of mutual aid deeply rooted in the lower quarter. In reality, children like Yuri were far from uncommon, and even among adults it was not rare for one to be in dire straits. What saved them was the wisdom that the people had built up over generations, to prevent all of them from dying by the roadside.
By supporting and helping each other, despite their poverty they manage to overcome their hard times and somehow make ends meet. That was how despite being neglected, the people of the lower quarter had tenaciously survived this way.
In this case, the mother and son were only able to be saved because this spirit was alive and well.
****
Yuri suddenly stopped in his tracks, turning to look at the building beside him.
Although he didn’t think any of the boys were inside, he wondered if he should check just to be sure, or simply continue on his way. As he hesitated, a voice called out from behind him.
“What’s wrong, Yuri?”
It was a calm, elderly man’s voice. When he turned around he saw the man who fit that description holding a piece of luggage in his hand. He had a petite frame with a slightly hunched back and a thick beard, and from behind his glasses a gentle gaze could be seen.
“Grandpa Hanks.”
Although he had accumulated quite a few white hairs on his head, it was still too early to be addressing him as ‘grandpa’, but due to his mature demeanour, everyone in the lower quarter affectionately addressed him as such.
If you’re just going to stand around right in front of your home, you might as well come in.”
Hanks tilted his head, pointing at the building Yuri had been looking at.
‘My home’. The people of the lower quarter had taken one of the vacant houses and designated it as a residence for Yuri and other children with no relatives to live in, and he referred to it as such.
Hanks was one of the adults responsible for taking care of them. Not only that, but with his gentle demeanour, he was considered by the lower quarter’s — Fountain Alley’s — people to be their mediator and organiser, and by Yuri, someone akin to a foster parent.
“Leave me alone. I’ll decide where I want to go.”
Hanks merely raised his eyebrows slightly and offered a smile at the boy’s biting remarks, regarding it as nothing more than a sign that he was energetic. While it irritated Yuri, he also was a little relieved that they were close enough to allow for such exchanges.
Just as he was about to walk off, Yuri felt a sense of danger at the back of his neck and quickly ducked down.
The next moment, something flew past the area where his head had been a moment ago. It arced through the air and crashed onto the ground with a jarring sound. It was a roughly-carved wooden plate, big enough to hold in both arms. If it had actually hit him, he wouldn’t just get away with seeing stars.
Despite knowing what had happened without needing to look, Yuri still turned to look at ‘his home’ with fear in his eyes. Without him noticing, the front door had opened, and a woman was standing alone in the doorway. ‘Standing’ was a moderate description, if anything, it was more appropriate to call it ‘standing imposingly’.
Glaring at him, with her rough, tight clothes and large and sturdy physique unbefitting that of life in the lower quarter, was Hanks’s wife, Jiri. Right now, her copper red hair looked like they were on fire.
“Gran… Aunt Jiri.”
Seeing the fierce glint in her eyes and sensing trepidation, Yuri quickly corrected himself.
Since she was the wife of Grandpa Hanks, it sounded obvious to address her as ‘Grandma’, but she refused to be part of that package deal. Despite the husband who acted older than he looked, for some reason she was the opposite. It was generally agreed among the lower quarter people that she was much younger than Hanks and acted even younger, but no one actually knew the truth.
It was a stretch to call her young, and the person in question didn’t deny that, but no one dared to directly ask her how old she was.
Regardless of the truth, while her husband didn’t mind being called ‘grandpa’, she never hesitated to deliver a solid punch to anyone who dared call her ‘grandma’.
Yuri and the others were well aware of this, but when she wasn’t around, they didn’t hesitate to refer to her as ‘grandma’ as usual, and force of habit made it easy for a slip of the tongue to occur.
At first glance they looked like an odd couple. When they stood side by side like this, that bizarreness became even more apparent.
Hanks, who looked like he’d never held a knife except during mealtimes, with a personality as though he was dressed in kindness, and had a small frame. If you were to put it roughly, you could even say he looked shabby and poor.
On the other hand, Jiri was easily a head taller than her husband, and their physical statures were completely different to begin with. Her physique was sturdy enough that she could wrestle monsters with her bare hands if she wanted to, and her personality was just as strong. There was a fierceness in her eyes that you would think she could never acquire just from living in the lower quarter.
To the children of the lower quarter, Jiri was by far the most terrifying of the adults, and most likely the strongest — no matter how old she was.
And that ‘Aunt’ Jiri was currently glaring at him with a scary look on her face. As far as Yuri was concerned, he had to choose his next words carefully and discreetly.
“Just now, I think I heard someone sounding rude?”
Her voice was deep and gruff, as one might expect from her appearance.
“Is that so? Maybe your hearing is going bad. Uh, you know… from working too hard.”
Seeing Jiri’s eyes grow even scarier, Yuri hastily added. But Jiri didn’t say anything.
Yuri cleared his throat with a resigned air and picked up the fallen plate. He cautiously approached Jiri and held it out to her. Jiri accepted it silently and then simply stared at Yuri, as if waiting for something. Feeling extremely uncomfortable, Yuri quickly surrendered.
“......Sorry. I’ll be more careful.”
“Alright.”
Instantly Jiri, who’d gotten what she wanted to hear, lifted the corners of her mouth and nodded. This must be what it looks like when a tiger smiles. Or would a crocodile be closer? Imagining Jiri smiling as she devoured him head-first, Yuri's face grew stiff with fear.
“I don’t know where you’re going, but make sure you’re back by dinner time. Be sure to tell everyone else too!”
Yuri’s body spun around due to the forcefulness of Jiri clapping his shoulder. When he finally managed to stop and turn around, he found that Jiri had already disappeared back into the house. Her leaving the door open was probably for Hanks’s sake.
Yuri took a peek into the house. Sure enough, besides Jiri, no one else was at home. He let out a small sigh.
“Escaped by the skin of your teeth, did you. Here, take this.”
As if nothing unordinary had happened, Hanks took out an apple from his things and offered it to Yuri. It was a small luxury in the poverty-stricken lower quarter.
He accepted it and eagerly took a bite. The perfect balance of sweetness and sourness spread in his mouth, and moistened his stiff throat. Alright, let’s redo that.
“Thanks, Grandpa. I’m off.”
Prev | Index | Next
#Vesperia#Novel#GotC#Yuri#Flynn#Fluri#funny thing abt the novel is that i went into it thinking i would hate jiri#bc i usually hate this personality type and trope#walked out loving her LMAO
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Book 1 Part 1 Prologue
Part 1: Prologue
“What a dangerous guy.”
“What a rude guy… I guess.”
Hearing the two of them say that, the girl’s eyes widened for a moment, before she broke into a sweet smile.
As someone who knew them well, it was surprising to hear them blurt out those words, but when she thought about it, it was very like those two to say that.
The impressions they had of each other the first time they met. At that time, this was their answer to her question. It seemed that they weren’t very friendly towards each other.
But even if that used to be the case, she is able to declare it calmly now. That in itself, for the two who would clash fiercely with each other time and time again, was indeed the symbolic representation of their current relationship.
However, even if that was the case now, she suddenly became curious of exactly what they went through to end up like this. Before she met them, what exactly happened between them?
The girl looked at them again. Yuri, dressed in black from head to toe, with his cynical and sarcastic wit. Flynn, clad in gold and white armour, with his unwaveringly upright and honest personality.
The two individuals, who were completely different in their appearance and way of life. Yet at the core, they resembled each other, like twins. How did they meet, and how did they end up entrusting their back to the other?
“How did that happen, you say? Why are you even asking?”
Despite Yuri sounding exasperated, the girl, whose fire had already been ignited, wasn’t about to back down over something like that. Flynn, who was very familiar with that aspect of her, spoke with a wry smile.
“Why not, Yuri. After all this time, it’s not like it’s something we need to hide.”
“You may be fine with it because you’re so well-mannered, but I’ve got my own reasons.”
But Flynn subtly gestured towards the intense gaze directed at both of them, and Yuri shrugged and held his palms up in resignation.
‘This is just between you and us,’ Flynn started, and the girl nodded vigorously. Filled with anticipation, she clenched her fists, eyes sparkling like a child’s.
For a moment, Flynn looked up at the sky. As if trying to decipher the distant memories that were inscribed up there. Indeed, the sky had watched over everything that had happened from above.
“Anyway, to put it mildly, we weren’t exactly on good terms at the beginning. In fact, Yuri was, how do I say it…”
“Hey, just so you know, this guy wasn’t like this at first either. Don’t be fooled.”
As Flynn began to speak, Yuri quickly interjected. ‘If you’re going to say unnecessary things I’d rather do it myself’, he’d say, but his face also expressed a hint of nostalgia for the past.
They really are alike. Watching them bicker with each other like it was a competition, the girl confirmed her thoughts again.
Yuri and Flynn began to dredge up each other’s memories, as if confirming them with each other, and slowly began to narrate.
“Back then, the Lower Quarter was quite different from how it is now…”
#Vesperia#Novel#GotC#Yuri#Flynn#Fluri#thank youuuu for working on this! can't wait for other ppl to feel Emotions (tm)
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Moses Skit Icons (Animated)
Normal
Joy
Sad
Angry
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Posting another favorite. Because. The emotion. ✌️
#GTF Vesperia Clips#I ended up talking a bit abt this one in my drafted posts but for now this post is to enjoy the vocal nuance
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