The heavy voice of a guard echoed through the night's silence, "Master, we must take our steps toward the palace now."
Len ignored the words as if they were mere wind. His eyes remained anchored only on Eric. He took a step closer and asked with curiosity, "May I ask you one more question?"
Eric looked at him with his crimson eyes, tilted his head to one side, and said in a low voice, "Fine."
"Where do you live?" Len asked.
A hollowness emerged in Eric's gaze. "I don't know," he replied in a cold tone. "Nor do I know anyone here."
Hearing this, a wide and deep smile bloomed across Len's face. His golden eyes shimmered with hope. Without a word, he reached forward, gripped Eric's hand firmly, and began to pull him along. Eric froze in his spot, knitting his brows as he asked, "Why are you dragging me like this
?"
"Since you don't know anyone, just come with me!" Len said in an authoritative tone.
With a swift jerk, Eric freed his hand from Len's grasp. "I am going nowhere," he said firmly, turning his steps in the opposite direction. He began to move rapidly into the darkness.
Len hesitated for a heartbeat, then immediately followed after him. "Where are you going?" he asked as he walked. The guards repeatedly signaled for Len to stop, but for Len, they didn't even exist. He was simply chasing Eric's shadow.
Irritated, Eric turned his neck back and made a face, snapping in a frustrated way, "Why are you following me? I don't want to go anywhere with you!"
Suddenly, both guards moved swiftly and stood before Eric like a wall, blocking his path. They bowed and spoke in a very polite, pleading tone, "Could you please come to the palace with us?"
Eric looked at them with disbelief. "And why on earth would I go with you? I don't want to go anywhere."
Fear and helplessness were clearly visible on the guards' faces. They pleaded once more, "Please, come with us. If you do not come, the Master will not listen to us and will not return to the palace. Just come this once, and then you may go wherever you wish."
Eric observed their panic for a few moments, then took a deep breath and said, "Fine.
"
Upon hearing this, a wave of relief washed over the guards' faces as if they had been granted a new life. They bowed toward Eric in gratitude, "Thank you so much! Today, you have saved our lives."
"So... are you really coming along?" Len asked, his eyes brimming with a hidden spark.
Eric tilted his neck slightly to one side and said briefly, "Yes.
"
Upon hearing this, the first guard took his steps toward the palace without losing a moment. He walked ahead like a guide, while the second guard remained stationed behind them like a shadow. Along that desolate path, the pair of Len and Eric followed the lead guard.
Len still held Eric's hand firmly in his small palm, as if fearing the stranger might vanish into the darkness once more.
As they walked, Len's curiosity stirred again. Looking at Eric's calm face, he asked, "What is your age?"
There was no hesitation in Eric's strides. He stared straight ahead and answered in a flat tone, "I don't know."
Hearing this, Len's footsteps suddenly came to a halt. He stopped Eric right there for a moment. Len observed Eric intently from head to toe. His gaze traveled from Eric's forehead to align perfectly with his own eyes
A.
Len raised his free hand and placed it first atop his own head. Then, he moved that same hand straight across the air until it reached the top of Eric's head.
The line of his hand was perfectly level. A look of wonder-filled joy surfaced in Len's eyes.
"Your height... you are exactly as tall as I am!" Len said, his voice laced with astonishment.
The two stood facing each other in the dim light of the night. The breadth of their shoulders and the level of their heads matched each other perfectly.
On that lonely road, they appeared like two reflections in a mirror—identical in stature, standing at the very same height.
Eric kept his gaze fixed on the path ahead and motioned to move forward without a word. A deep sense of relief washed over Len's face. He tightened his grip on Eric's hand, as if ensuring that this companionship would not be broken.
They resumed their walk side by side. Throughout the journey, from the dusty trails of the desolate village to the main road leading to the palace, Len did not let go of Eric's palm for even a single heartbeat. In the dim light of the night, their twin shadows crawled along the stones in perfect unison.
When they reached the massive and majestic Main Gate of the palace, where the guards stood alert, Len's hand remained firmly clasped in Eric's.
The clashing of heavy iron and chains as the gate opened tore through the night's silence. The sentries watched in bewilderment as the Master himself led this unknown boy, but the gravity in Len's eyes left them with no courage to question.
They crossed the gateway and proceeded along the royal paths within the palace grounds. Passing between the manicured gardens and towering spires, Len's steady stride and Eric's silent presence created a peculiar sight.
Finally, they stood before the main entrance of the palace. As the massive, heavy doors gave way and swung inward, the golden light of the torches from within spilled across their faces.
Moving through the grandeur of the hall and along the carpeted corridors, until they reached the very heart of the palace, Len continued to hold Eric's hand just as before. He had brought him across the royal threshold, treasuring him like a precious gem.
The moment they stepped into the golden radiance of the hall, Len's gaze fixed upon the velvet sofa spread before them. Astria remained seated there, her posture as unyielding and regal as it had been when Len had departed.
As the sound of Len and the unknown boy's footsteps echoed through the hall, Astria slowly turned her neck.
In Astria's eyes, there was a mixture of bewilderment and suspicion. She anchored her gaze first upon Len and then upon their joined hands.
Her voice resonated through the high walls of the hall, growing even heavier as it echoed, "Why have you returned so late? And what were you doing outside all this time?"
Astria's sharp, inquiring gaze now came to a complete rest upon Eric's face, as if she intended to read the secrets hidden within the depths of his eyes. The shimmer of the boy's crimson eyes and his silent presence created a peculiar tension within the palace atmosphere.
Len lifted his gaze toward Astria. There was neither fear nor hesitation upon his face. He tightened his grip on Eric's hand slightly more and, looking toward her with immense confidence, he said: