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Chapter 11 – Luion's Moonlight
The sky was clear and crystal-like, with no trace of clouds. Cold winds blew through the open space, and moonlight filled every corner, creating a grey visibility where dark shadows stretched like reflections of the sun.
In that open area stood a black boulder, as big as a small house.
And on top of it, there was a figure sitting—completely exposed to the cold wind, staring straight at the moon. His posture was calm, but his stillness carried weight, as if countless thoughts were roaming through his head.
It was Luion.
He wore a loose black shirt that fluttered slightly against his wide, relaxed body, a half trouser hanging around his legs, and black rubber sandals—one of them broken at the front strap. He balanced it lazily with his toes so it wouldn't fall off.
Everything around him looked grey and eerie under the moonlight…
But his eyes—
They shone bright white in that same light.
He was clearly thinking. Deeply.
And what could it be?
Of course… his father.
A man born handicapped—one leg uneven compared to the other. To make a living, his father chose to become a lottery chit worker, an illegal job in Vinash, often falling under scam or fraud. But unknowingly, he used the sympathy people felt for his handicap to sustain that work.
And for twenty years… it worked.
It all began the year his first daughter was born. Unemployment pushed him into that path, and since then, the entire family had lived off it.
They were rich—slightly above middle class.
But that never brought respect.
People first felt envy… then jealousy. They saw a man who didn't do hard labor like them, yet provided comfortably for his family.
His children went to private schools.
His wife never worked in the fields.
They even hired laborers to handle their work.
And all that bitterness—
People would take it out indirectly on his wife when his father wasn't present.
Luion, his brother, and his sister had seen it many times.
But their lives were restricted.
Only school and home.
No outside play.
No mixing with local kids.
Their father was strict—he wanted them to succeed through education, not follow his path. Even if he couldn't rise, he would never let his children fall.
That mindset shaped them.
They had fewer friends in their own village than in school.
And then… the memories.
Even when his uncle beat his mother when they were small—
Luion never cried.
Never raged.
Because once… he had seen his own father sit silently while Luion's grandfather beat his mother.
And now, under the moonlight, Luion was thinking about all of it.
Not forgetting.
Not pushing it away.
Not trying to counter it.
He called it a "logical thought war"…
Instead of admitting it was overthinking, nervousness…
Or maybe—
Cowardice.
---
"Hey Luion, what are you doing?"
A voice came from behind.
A slim teenage boy climbed onto the boulder with ease. He had black hair, a long but slightly wide face, less brown skin, and faint beard patches with a small moustache—showing his chase toward adulthood. He wore a white shirt with yellow stains marking its age, a red towel around his neck, and brown cotton trousers.
He jumped up beside Luion and sat down.
"Did you have dinner?" he asked.
Luion slowly shifted his gaze from the moon toward him, exhaling deeply.(he was his father's sisters son)
"Still not… I was going now," he said, letting out a heavy breath to cool his mind.
"Hm… okay. Will you come to the southern area? There's a kando (like kabbadi) game going on."
"Why now… at night?" Luion asked, his tone uncertain.
"A tournament. Different areas competing. Organized by local government-run students and some interested uncles for fun. I heard our area's match is next. I was going there… will you come?" the boy asked, slightly shrinking his shoulders from the cold.
Luion hesitated.
"Aaa… as I told you, I didn't go home since evening. If I'm late for dinner, mom will scold me, and father will ask many questions… so I think I'll come next time," he said.
It wasn't guilt.
It was how he had been raised.
And deep down… he preferred avoiding such gatherings anyway.
"Hm… okay. Then let's walk a bit. It's too cold sitting here. A small walk might bring some heat."
Saying that, the boy slid down—half jumping, half slipping—landing on all fours with a heavy breath.
"Okay then," Luion followed, jumping straight down, landing smoothly on both hands and legs, bending his knees slightly.
"How do you do that so easily, ah Luion?" the boy asked with a small impressed smile.
"Ah… it's nothing. I come here often, so I know it well. That's it," Luion replied, smiling lightly.
---
They started walking along the muddy road, naturally formed over days.
Soon, they reached the main street of Vinash—a wide, brick-laid road stretching straight from the main gate to the end of the town wall.
Clean.
Organized.
A contrast to the muddy paths.
Closed shops lined the sides, following their winter tradition—more activity in the day, less at night—not forced by rules, but by habit.
As they moved toward the footpath…
They saw him.
A tall, slim man, looking around their age but older in presence, walking barefoot in the middle of the street. His physique was lean, his hair messy, and he wore only a bath coat—completely unnatural for their area.
He walked while looking at the ground, arms folded across his chest, deep in thought.
Luion recognized him instantly—
The same man he had seen earlier while running to his grazing spot.
"Hey Yuva… who is he? Do you know him?" Luion whispered.
"No… never saw him. Seems new. And why is he walking barefoot? Strangers are rare here. Let's ask him."
"Hm… okay," Luion agreed after a moment.
They stepped off the footpath and approached him.
---
He was Laryoal.
He sensed them.
Without turning much, his eyes scanned the surroundings. As they came closer, he slowly straightened—raising his head and shoulders neatly, his posture controlled and sharp.
"Hey… no Inamon," he greeted in Vaerman.
"Aaa… okay, sir," Yuva began. "It's rare to see outsiders here, so we thought to gain some outside swarg knowledge."
Laryoal looked at both of them with a stern gaze.
"To meet your lord… or master, as you prefer."
"Seems important and confidential. We don't doubt. Anyone walking in the center of this street clearly came through the gate—and alone. That's rare," Yuva replied.
Laryoal took a slow breath.
"Alone. Important. Confidential. And I am still busy now. So if you guys give me some air…"
"Aah, of course. We just wanted a hint—there are seven known swargs, so there must be a vast world, right?"
Luion thought the same but stayed silent.
"Well… it's all the same. Different gods, different languages, different cultures and traditions… and also isolated solitary things," Laryoal said calmly.
Luion finally spoke, gathering courage.
"Really? That seems too many differences to still call it same, sir."
Laryoal looked at him with slightly raised eyebrows.
"Still… humans."
---
At that moment—
"Hey, Laryoal, wait! Let me join."
A voice came from behind, slightly rushed but energetic.
It was Arifoam.
He appeared under the moonlight wearing a different set of clothes than before, looking fresher, as if he had just cleaned up. His steps were quick but controlled as he approached.
"Whom are you talking to?" he asked, glancing between Laryoal and the two boys. "And why did you come this far? There will be a program after the ongoing leaders' meeting. Soon, oil lamps will be lit across the main street… so it's not good to move around much."
He paused for a breath, then continued without waiting—
"But if you want, we can go to the game happening in the southern area. We can get premium seats at my community seating slots, ah," he added, slightly lifting his chin with a casual pride.
Yuva relaxed a little.
He already knew—Arifoam would take over the conversation anyway.
"Hey, Yuva, what are you doing? Not going to the game?" Arifoam asked, recognizing him instantly, his tone friendly and slightly senior-like.
"Yes… I was going there," Yuva replied, rubbing his hands together lightly from the cold. "But before that, we were just strolling."
"Where is your Ranim these days? Your big brother—I'm not seeing him much," Arifoam asked, tilting his head.
"Ah… he went to Selvom town for working. He got a job there," Yuva answered simply.
"Good," Arifoam nodded, folding his arms loosely. "I was always telling him to go and work outside, or in government. We can't just go on in fields for every generation, right? Because each generation gets less and less property after sons divide it again and again…"
He kept talking, his voice steady, as if explaining something obvious.
Luion, meanwhile, stood slightly behind, his eyes drifting here and there—never fully engaging, avoiding direct involvement.
Laryoal stood still.
Unreactive.
His eyebrows slightly twitched, but his face remained stern and unreadable.
Yuva noticed the flow stretching too long.
"Aah… well, we will be going then," he said, gently ending the conversation.
Without waiting further, he and Luion stepped past Laryoal and Arifoam.
As they crossed them—
Laryoal turned his head slightly toward Arifoam, his expression a bit less stern than before, but still carrying that strong, controlled presence.
"You look… fresh," he said calmly.
Arifoam smirked lightly, pushing Laryoal's shoulder playfully.
"Ah, come on," he said. "Let's go to the southern town. Though it's dark, my military training will help both of us anyway."
He started walking, expecting Laryoal to follow.
"You will like this game called kando (like kabbadi). It came from our community, but over the years, some influence of Vinash also came into it. Still, our community has won most of the games since the tournaments started some years ago," he added, his tone slightly proud again.
Laryoal followed, his steps steady.
"Let's see… but first, who were those kids?" he asked, glancing ahead.
Arifoam responded casually—
"Well, that Yuva kid—he is the youngest son of the main priest of our biggest lord seva temple in our community."
He paused briefly, then continued—
"And the other one… he is Yuva's nephew. Langdu (a short name for leg handicapped in Inamon, which is normal for them, not being racist)… Larnams son."
He stretched his arms slightly as they walked.
"His father writes lottery chits… do you want to know lottery chits? It's easy—I once won too—"
"Wait," Laryoal cut in calmly, his voice low but firm. "Let's be centered on straight walking now. It's dark."
"Ah, yes… be careful," Arifoam immediately adjusted, nodding as both of them focused ahead.
And just like that—
They moved forward…
Slowly dissolving into the darkness.
---
After walking some distance, Yuva and Luion reached a corner of the street—the point where the path split toward Luion's home.
"Hey… will you go to the game now?" Luion asked, turning his head slightly toward Yuva.
Yuva shook his head, stretching his back a little.
"Ah, no. I will just go and sleep. I am tired from field work today," he said, letting out a small breath.
"Hm… okay. Bye. Good night," Luion replied.
"Okay… bye," Yuva said, adjusting his red towel—removing it and placing it back properly around his neck before turning away.
They separated.
---
Luion stepped into the darker path leading to his house.
Here, the moonlight barely reached.
The houses were closely packed, blocking most of the light, creating deeper shadows than illumination. The streets felt heavier… quieter.
Many houses were completely dark—families already asleep.
Some had even covered their entrances with large, old woven sheets, sealing off any remaining light from inside.
Only faint silence remained.
---
Luion reached his house.
A small structure.
Grey and dull under the uneven moonlight.
Inside, a dim lamp was still burning.
The door was closed.
He stepped forward and pushed it slightly—
creaaak…
The wooden door made a dry, dragging sound as it opened.
Immediately—
"So you came now? At this hour? In this dark?" a voice shot out sharply from inside.
His mother.
Her tone was rushed, screechy, filled with sarcasm and exhaustion.
"Where did you go? For work or what, ah? Didn't even bathe for days! Look at your legs—they are full of dust! And your clothes—do you know how hard it is to wash them?"
Her voice rose with each sentence.
"I have to soak them in water for the whole night! Haa? Why are you silent?"
Luion didn't respond.
Not a single word.
He stepped inside quietly, his face blank, his shoulders slightly lowered.
He took a deep breath—
Small, but heavy.
And without looking at her—
He walked straight toward the washroom.
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The End
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