Chương 15: The Clay Tablet

You killed him. Her voice echoed in his mind.

'YOU KILLED HIM!'

"Oren!" Freya called him.

"Oren!" Her voice felt faint to his ears. Oren kept looking at Zaku, his mind had gone blank and ears made a sharp noise.

"Oren!" Freya shook him. His eyes didn't move, just staring at his body. She kept crying.

"We can't stay here… they will come looking for us." She kept shaking him, but Oren's legs refused to stand.

"Oren please." Her voice broke.

"Please get up." He still didn't move.

"Don't you want to see your daughter?" His widened eyes finally turned and looked at Freya.

"Don't you want to see…" Freya handed a twig figure in his hand.

"Aeris!" A memory of his daughter came to him.

'It's you papa. It looks just like you.' His tears dropped on that twig.

"She told me to give you this when I see you…" He grabbed onto that twig figure tightly that her daughter crafted with her own hands. The thought of seeing Aeris, brought him out of that panic. Oren grabbed her hand.

"Where is she? Tell me."

"Zaku told me to hide at his home because of those men who were in our house." she said.

"He told me that he will bring you home then we all could escape." Oren had realised that Zaku had never attacked him, he was just blocking his path and guiding him towards his family. His words came back to him.

'He probably went in the direction towards his old home…'

'My home.' He realised that Zaku was hinting at him and telling him to go to his home. To his family.

"But when I heard a voice that sounded like yours, I rushed."

"We have to hurry Oren! Please…" Oren walked by his body and picked up that clay tablet and kept inside his shirt. Then he began to lift Zaku.

"What are you doing, Oren!" Freya said loudly.

"I can't leave him here." He grabbed his arm and put it around his shoulder. Then started walking, Zaku's foot dragged against the ground, blood was still spilling on the ground. Creating a trail along the way.

"Oren stop!" But his foot never stopped just kept walking. Freya stepped in front of him "Oren just stop! Look, you are making a trail which will lead to our location." Oren didn't care, just walked.

"I can't leave him, Freya."

"You have to!" She spread her hands blocking his way.

"You have to leave him, for Aeris, for us." Oren breathed heavily. Tears rolled down his eyes and he dropped Zaku on the ground.

"I am sorry…" He mumbled. Oren looked at him one last time, Zaku laid flat on his chest, the faint smile never left his face. Then he ran towards Zaku's home holding Freya's hand. As he ran he heard a sound of footsteps heading towards him, from the alley ahead. The path was narrow and Zaku's home was just two houses apart. He ran and saw his wife tearing up. His lungs were almost out of the air, just a few metres and they would be inside. The footsteps got closer. Louder.

Just a turn away and they would've been spotted, but Oren and Freya just made it in time. He closed the door behind him instantly and put his back against the door. He clenched his teeth and pushed himself towards the door, legs fixed to the ground like glue, hands and back pushing harder as the footsteps closed by. He hoped that Drago's men hadn't seen them. The footsteps just passed him, never discovering where they were. Oren looked sideways from a thin carved rectangular shaped hole, two men went ahead.

Towards Zaku. He breathed heavily and sat hard on the ground, his back still against that door. He covered his face with both of his hands and just cried. The guilt of killing his best friend got heavier inside his chest. A girl walked up to him and lowered his hands. He saw her face, which made more tears welled up inside his chest, just waiting for a moment to burst out.

"Papa… is that you." Her melodious voice reached his ears, that moment everything inside his chest burst out in tears. It felt warm against his skin. He hugged his daughter and felt a tear dropped onto his shoulders. He heard her voice, she was crying. Out loud. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it He wiped tears from her face, "I am here, it's okay." He said. She still cried, "I won't leave you ever again. And we will get out of here."

Aeris stopped crying shortly after that, and looked around the house. He saw her eyes were searching for something, "Where's Zaku?" she asked Freya. Freya never replied to her, she instead stared at the ground, quietly. Oren went quiet too, he didn't say anything.

"So, he's dead then?" He looked at her instantly, but Aeris didn't cry. She just accepted that and walked away.

"Aeris!" Freya called out her name.

"Just leave me alone for a while." Aeris said and walked out.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Before he could say another word she was gone.

"I've to go with her." Oren stood up, but Freya grabbed his forearm.

"It's okay… she'll come back."

"But —" she didn't let him finish.

"It's okay… Oren." Then he sat there.

"I'll bring you something to eat." Freya went to the kitchen. For a moment Oren just sat there then took out the clay tablet that Zaku had dropped, he still remembered him refusing to take that and his hand dropping on the ground. He looked at it carefully, reading every words on it, his eyes widened"This is —" his words refused to leave his mouth. Oren, this is for you… Two months have passed, and I still remember that day… like it was yesterday. I can't imagine how much pain I caused you that day.

For so long, I never knew how I would apologize for the things I've done. For the pain you suffered because of me. I think about it every morning. What I could have done differently and how would I tell you this. That day… Chaos spread within the city. After the mage stepped up and cast a fire spell on that man. You stayed frozen in a place. Freya shook you again and again but you didn't move. Houses burned, people running everywhere, nobles marching into homes. Every scream, every step just made my heart race.

I had to leave you for a moment, some things my parents left me were still there in my home.

"Oren, take your daughter and wife and meet me at my home. We need to leave this nation now!" You nodded and ran to your house, but from that moment everything changed. Drago approached me. He thought I was a Misfit so he threatened me. We fought. I used every magic of mine, even my most powerful magic "WATER SLASH!" that should've torn him apart, but it didn't leave a scratch on him. Then all of the sudden, he gave up.

It was strange but all that mattered was to escape this city, so I turned away, headed towards home. But then — "I bet that friend of yours is a misfit." Those words stopped me, it hit hard like a rock.

"Leave them alone!" I shouted. He chuckled and came forward, "And what if I don't?" Neither of us moved for a moment. He paused.

"Tell you what, you can try and escape with your friend. If you do manage to escape, I'll leave you all alone. But if you don't…" He didn't need to speak further, everything was said through his gaze. He just walked.

"If I were you I'd hurry." He never looked back, just kept going ahead. A few moments later… You arrived with your daughter and wife. We planned to go to the kingdom of stonehold.

"We must leave at this very moment before the king sends their guards." I spoke then, but I was more worried about Drago's warning. He felt more dangerous than the guards, even magic couldn't damage him. We ran ahead towards the exit. The group of people suddenly appeared in front… Those were Drago's men. When they had blocked the exit, and that fire ball was shot at the person. The crowd broke — I lost you. One moment you were there. Then you weren't.

The crowd never let me catch up to you and Drago had just appeared again. The smug smile lingered on his face.

"No!... Move!" I screamed at the top of my lungs and tried to move past the crowd but they had blocked the way. He walked in your direction and disappeared within the seconds.

"Where did they go?" I rushed and then you finally appeared in front of me, some man had surrounded the exit and Drago was waiting for your escape. If you'd walk any closer, you would've died. The only way was to stop you, it was to protect you…

"WATER BALL!" I whispered as I shot towards you. That moment made my heart ache, my hands still trembled.

"Zaku, Why…?"Those words still break me apart. I am sorry Oren, I am so sorry for what I've done that day… I couldn't imagine how you would have felt, I never wanted this, none of it. But if I hadn't you would've died.

"I will do as you say, just let them go. They don't deserve this," you shouted.

"Let them go." I remember tears dropping down your eyes.

"Just please!" It tore me into pieces, made me cry inside. Drago kept looking, even after all that. He didn't believe it. We went back to your house and drago had followed us. I had to lock you up so they couldn't harm you. I know what I did back there wasn't enough to convince Drago, at some point I had to prove to him that I changed, I might have to work for him, just to keep you and your family safe. Drago came in with his men, he was smart and saw through that deception.

"Did you think I would believe that stunt you just pulled back there?" I had to convince him somehow that I had really changed, so I offered him that I'll work for him to prove my loyalty. He still didn't believe it, for him it meant nothing. Then he said "If you really mean what you've said, then hand over that person you attacked. You have till morning. And my men will be out of your house just so you won't run." I had no option but to give you up.

Everything was falling apart but, I knew this, if it were you in my place… you would've kept my family safe. And that's what I thought you would expect from me. I don't ask for you to understand, I don't ask for you to forgive me. All I want is for you to keep living. One day you'll be free. One day we'll go back to how things were before. Just keep living Oren. The tablet ended there. Oren didn't move, he wasn't able to. His heart clenched, hands were shaking, both of them.

He held that tablet close to his chest, tightly. Like he was hugging Zaku, like he was there with him. Tears never stopped, just kept coming. There was another thing he carved on the other side of the tablet, an escape route that he had planned for us. Oren looked surprised by what Zaku had planned, Freya came closer and held his hands.

"What is it?" She asked.

"He planned everything for us, we can get out of here without Drago or his men finding out." Oren stood up.

"This time we have to escape anyhow…" He said,"We aren't alone in this." There was a group of people. A group of Misfits, standing there behind her. He stood there just watching all of them with Aeris.

"Aeris wha —" She interrupted.

"This is what Zaku wanted from the very start, he had been working on a plan for ten years."

"The plan of freedom, the plan of A city, The Misfit City." She said,"When did he —" she interrupted him again.

"From the very start. He didn't just want your freedom, he wanted everyone's freedom."

"Everything happened like he planned it would, even the king's sudden decision to exile the misfit was also because of him. These people are what he died for. We can't let that go as a waste Papa!" Aeris has a serious look on her face, he saw it. Something inside him which was dead, for all this time had finally awakened. Every corner, every detail he had already planned. There were times when I had given up but he never did, not even for a second.

"We will all leave this nation, together." Her words felt more alive to him. The ray of hope returned to him." Oren nodded at Aeris then said.

"We'll go at midnight, when his guards are asleep." Aeris smiled, and nodded.

"According to Zaku's plan, we will all gather around the graveyard at midnight." Nobody goes there at midnight. He had thought of that, a perfect place for a huge amount of people to gather.

"We'll gather as many people as we can, in the meantime." Aeris said.

"Be careful —" Oren said, "I always am papa." She smiled and went. The people who came left to their homes, so no one could suspect them. They've all decided to meet at midnight. The sun went down and then midnight came. People started gathering in the graveyard. When he arrived in the graveyard, he was surprised by the sheer volume of the crowd.

"What is this?" he couldn't believe his eyes, that many people had faith in Zaku and his plan. The crowd was huge, like the night when Prince Escanor had become king. Thousands of them.