Chương 24: The Starboy and The World Forcing Him To Hear

Enel crossed the room faster than anyone could blink, and only Mira and Duncan saw him moving. But while Mira was near and yet too far to stop him, Duncan was not... because Enel was heading straight toward him. But he didn't move, not at all. Not because he couldn't... but he won't. He only watched as Enel sunk his fingers into his steel armor like it was clay, and the next thing he knew, his back had already hit the wall.

The stones split, and chunks of splinter and debris exploded out of the manor as Duncan and Enel tore through the wall and out into the yard. The impact shook the manor hard enough that the new fancy curtains they had just put up fell from the windows. Everyone held their breath... everyone but Lamb. She already had her sword drawn, a smile plastered on her face as she rushed to follow them out. She leapt through the hole, but as soon as she was out, Mira grabbed her by the ankle and threw her back in.

She rolled several times before her back hit the wall. Tiny rushed to help her up.

"Stay put, Lamb!" Mira pointed at the floor.

"That is a command."

"N-no!" Lamb lightly pushed Tiny away, then pointed her sword at Mira.

"We need to kill that dog!" Mira stared into her eyes, and a sigh escaped her.

"Are you... hearing yourself?"

"Are you?" Lamb gritted her teeth.

"He will kill your husband."

"That... is not what he is doing." Outside, Duncan hit the dirt of the training yard and rolled twice before stopping near one of the old posts. His armor had bent inward across the chest, and blood already ran from the corner of his mouth. Still, he calmly sat up, letting the blood drip from him. He looked forward, and Enel was standing there staring down at him.

"Draw your sword," Enel said. Duncan pushed himself up slowly. He spat blood into the dirt and looked at Enel again.

"No." Enel's lips trembled.

"Draw it."

"No."

"Draw it!" Duncan stood. His breathing was rough, but his sword remained at his side.

"You are not my enemy, Young Lord. Do not—" Enel suddenly appeared in front of him and grabbed him again. This time, ripping apart his armor and throwing it to the side—still, even with this, Duncan's hand refused to go to his blade.

"Not my enemy...?" Enel whispered.

"You want to kill my father."

"No."

"You want to kill my father!" Duncan's jaw tightened, and for the first time since arriving in Widow's Wall, the calmness on his face withered away.

"No," he repeated.

"You, Enel. You did this." Enel leaned away from Duncan.

"What?" Duncan gritted his teeth, then grabbed Enel by the collars.

"Think before you act, damn you!" Enel threw him. Not with his full strength, of course. Some part of him still knew not to do that. But even restrained, the push threw Duncan across the yard and into the dirt. His gloves scraped lines through the ground, stopping him. He looked up at Enel and, once again, only stood up. From the manor, Mira watched them from the broken wall. She was about to jump, but it was Lamb's turn to grab her by the arm.

"No! Let him!"

"Let him?!" And for a moment there, Lamb did not see a mother—but the warrior who had trained enel. Mira's hand closed around her wrist, and Lamb's knees hit the ground before she even understood how she had been moved.

"If Enel kills that man," Mira said, whispering loudly into Lamb's ear, "He will never come back to us."

"You're scared of the king and his soldiers!"

"I am scared!" Mira jabbed a finger on Lamb's chest.

"Not of the king or his son. Not of Duncan... but of what Enel will become. Tell me, Lamb, would you still stay by his side if he became the very thing the two of you promised to fight against? The very monsters you play as and claim to vanquish?" This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Lamb stood up and didn't look away at all as she said,"I will slay the gods if that is what he requires of me."

"You..." Mira lightly gasped at her words, but a small curve moved at the edges of her lips. Then, without saying anything... she struck Lamb in the stomach. The color in Lamb's eyes instantly disappeared, and she dropped into Mira's arms.

"My son is truly lucky to have a friend such as you," Mira whispered, gently laying Lamb on the ground.

"But you are not what he needs right now." Mira looked at the yard again, and Duncan was still standing. Barely. His left arm hung wrong, and blood had darkened the front of his armor. The soldiers in the yard stared in horror, their swords raised, but Duncan had told them to stand down.

"Raise your sword, sir." Enel's face continued to twitch.

"Use the divine Breath the gods have gifted you."

"No."

"I will not think to destroy you."

"Heh..." Duncan scoffed.

"That is the problem. You do not think."

"I have already resolved myself to die for my people." Enel's voice cracked.

"I have killed for them!"

"Die for your people? Kill for them?" Duncan leaned back, staring up at the horizon.

"Dying and killing are easy. What you do after and why matters the most. Think about the people around you, Young Lord. You do not understand anything."

"Stop talking." Enel frowned.

"Your father has already given you the chance to walk away from this forever. Do not waste it."

"I said enough."

"I have buried enough boys who served under a lord like you." Enel's fingers tightened. Duncan's voice roughened.

"One of them was mine... and he died because of me." The yard went quiet. Duncan stepped closer instead of away, limping with each movement.

"You think pain makes you righteous. You think grief makes your hand clean. It does not. Your father knows this. That is why he took the burden before you could spend your life pretending it was yours...... You. Know. Nothing."

"I said stop talking!" Enel rushed forward, but Mira stepped between them this time.

"Enel!" He did not hear her. His arm moved to Duncan, but it caught Mira across the shoulder and chest instead, and the blow threw her into the dirt. The sound she made was small, but it was enough. Mira lay on her side, one hand gripping the ground. Blood ran from a cut near her mouth, and the shoulder of her dress had torn where his arm struck her. For a moment, Enel only stared. Then, very slowly, his fists opened.

"Mother…?" he called, but Mira did not answer.

"Mother... I'm... I'm sorry..." Enel stepped toward her, but stopped as he felt something he'd never felt before. Like a wall trapping him, making it hard for him to even breathe or lift a finger. Fear. His face twisted, and whatever rage had carried him was gone so quickly—and all of a sudden, the world opened for him.

"Argh!" He screamed and dropped to his knees, clutching his ears. He could hear it. He could hear the beating of his heart slamming through him, as if it wanted to be let out. He could hear it. All of it. The blood dripping from Duncan's arm. Mira's weakened breath. Tiny crying inside the manor. The soldiers shifting their boots... the ants beneath the dirt. And a whisper... a whisper coming from the Dark Forest. Too much. It was too much.

"Stop," Enel whispered, but the world did not stop. Not for him. He could hear it. The earth breathing.

"S-stop," he said again, louder this time. Duncan stared at him, blood running down his chin. He looked back and forth between Mira and Enel, not knowing who to help.

"What is this…?" he whispered. Enel pressed his palms even harder. Hard enough that his fingers dug into his skin. It did nothing. The sound was not entering him from outside anymore. It was already inside. But then, all of a sudden, a voice.

"E-Enel." Mira, crawling toward him.

"My... my baby boy." He shook his head.

"It hurts," he said.

"Mother, it hurts." Mira crawled harder, reaching for him. Her knees and elbows scraped against the ground, causing Enel to shake his head.

"Enel," she whispered. Until finally, she reached him. She placed her hand on his wrists. He flinched away from her touch, then froze when all the sound disappeared, and all he could hear was... nothing.

"I... I hurt you," he whispered.

"Yes," Mira whispered.

"I hurt you, M-Mother."

"Yes." His breath began to twist again, and the world grew louder with it. Mira squeezed his wrists tighter.

"Listen to me."

"I-I can't. I hear... I hear everything. I can hear—""Stop... stop." Mira leaned closer, wrapping her arms around her son. And with a breath, she began to sing. It was quiet, too quiet for anyone else to hear. But to Enel...

"Sleep, little star, the night is deep…" Enel's hands trembled against his ears.

"The wall will watch you while you sleep… Sleep, little star, the night is deep…" And slowly, everything else faded. The ants disappeared, and then the earth.

"The wall will watch you while you sleep…" Slowly, Mira's voice had become his world. Enel lowered his hands, and he looked at his mother's face. He stared at the blood near her mouth. At her torn dress. At the place his arm had struck her.

"I... hurt you," he said again. Mira's eyes softened, and she caressed her son's cheek.

"And now you will remember." Duncan, who was watching on the side, wiped the blood from his chin. And for the first time, his fingers trailed in the air, the words he wrote glowing with a light that filled the yard. [Earthmother, receive my plea. Sovereign of the Seven Laws, witness your servant. Mend those harmed beneath judgment unjustly given by a child. Heal.] And as Duncan grabbed the words and raised them in the air, a light of blue and green blanketed the entire yard.

His wounds and Mira's wounds began to heal. Enel gasped, watching as the blood on his mother's chin was washed away like an ember. He looked up at Duncan, then looked away... in shame. Then, he looked at Robert, who calmly stepped into the yard. He didn't run, he didn't shout. The only thing he did was stare at Enel.

"Enel," he said, his voice still gentle even after all the chaos that had happened in his manor.

"Stand down."

"Father..."

"Stand down, my son." Enel looked at Mira again. At Lamb, who was now conscious and looking from the hole he made. Then at Tiny hiding behind the broken wall. At Duncan, who had not once drawn his sword. Enel's hands struck the dirt, and his head lowered until his golden hair hid his face.

"I…" His voice cracked.

"I... hurt Mother." Robert stared at Enel, but didn't say anything. Instead, he approached Duncan and lowered his head.

"Thank you, Lord Commander," he whispered.

"And I apologize for putting this burden on you—but I wish my sentence to be carried today."

"... Today?" Duncan blinked.

"Do you not wish to spend more time with your family?"

"That will only draw out the hurt." Robert smiled.

"And if I may, I have another request."

"Speak it, My Lord."

"I wish to die in front of Widow's Wall." Duncan's eyes widened at his words, and then he bowed to Robert.

"You truly are the boy's father."