Enda: Fallen Grace (BL BXB)

5: Who Are They?

"Good Evening!" Kids shout outside the hut that I'm in. I flinch and wake up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I stare up at the circles in the log ceiling. Slowly sitting up. I want to be like the little kids and run towards a sweet night time but my weak body won't allow that.

"Hello?" I asked looking around the empty hut watching the fire slowly burn out. I bit my lip and pushed myself up to my feet. The clean clothes I was given by Ari, hung loose from my weakened body. I had to have two soft ropes tied around my waist like a belt to keep it from falling. My Auburn hair is still very long and soft green eyes are hazed from too many years sleeping. I held onto the wall as I gently stepped forward towards the door. When I reached the outside of the hut, all the children had already ran past. Ah....too bad. I frowned, saddened.

"Uncle Ujik!!" I heard the children scream with so much excitement. "Uncle Dukem!!!"

"Ahhhh!!!" A scream pitched higher than the gods erupted. I pushed myself to waddle faster to see around the corner. To see three new grown men. One was exceedingly tall and muscular. Were those...flames in his red hair? A much shorter person with shoulder length dark blue hair screeched again as the children all huddled around him and hugged him tightly. "Let me go!!! I demand it! Children cooties! Ewww!"

"Ujik!" Ari shouted coming from the kitchen hut. He laughed watching the children tease the stranger. I held onto the hut and walked towards the crowd.

"Let go!"

"We love you Uncle Ujik! We missed you! Did you miss us?" The kids asked the strange man. I giggled watching the sassy soft voiced man, roll his orange eyes. Something from his mouth caught my attention. Fangs? The tall man beside him smiled but had scars around his mouth. I finally reached the middle of the crowd of kids. I almost lost my balance when one of the older kids, stopped me. She held me up until I could stand on my own. She could be around 13. She gave me a soft smile.

"Thank you." She simply nodded and helped me walk to the bench in front of the crowd. Ari gazed at me. He patted the girls head and she smiled, rushing to hug the strange blue haired man. "They're good kids." I commented.

"Well of course. Twilie teaches us to be kind and understanding. They all know about you and that you are weak." Ari explained then left me alone to join the kids.

"Uncle Dukem!"

"Hey Kiddos!!!" A loud masculine voice came from behind and a man dressed in all black came carefully running to the kids with open arms. A big grin on his face revealed after he took off his metal face mask. Dimples kissed his fluffy cheeks and his bright green eyes filled with love and warmth. He was very welcoming. The kids clung to this man. A child got onto his back and gently kissed the man's head. Saying something quietly. Dukem, as the kids shouted, grinned happily. "I missed all of you too!" His eyes panned the crowd then stopped on the man known as Ujik. Ujik rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Is that who I think it is?!"

"Oh god..." Ujik hissed.

"Oh god, is right! Ujik look at you." Ujik nodded and sashayed his hands over his body, so much sass in his movements.

"Yes, just look at how stunning-

"You look ollllldddd. Ha!" Dukem let out a sudden snicker. Standing beside Ujik hugging him extremely tightly. Ujik was offended.

"I do not hug!" Ujik screamed.

"Well I do." Dukem proclaimed. Looking at the tall magical man, quickly pointing a thumb Ujik's way. "He missed me, didn't he? How are you Suzuki?"

"Immensely. I am busy, mostly." Suzuki answered with such a gritty deep voice it sounded like it could shake the ground. Dukem smiled and waved at the kids. Twilie finally emerged from his hut. The kids rushed to the dining room. The small path was cleared up. Twilie's eyes danced between the men. He ushered to me. Along with his hand came their gazes. I felt frozen. The wind gently blew a cold biting air around us. Loose leaves billowing in it.

"This is whom I wanted to introduce you all to. He is a survivor of the great war. A village that was...too close."

"Oh....." Dukem's face suddenly fell grim. He rubbed his neck. "...I see."

"One of the example villages..." Ujik scowled shaking his head. "I still can't understand why the hell that idiot Canton would ever do that.."

"Nobody can." Twilie agreed with a solemn expression as he gazed at me.

"What's your name? Can you come here?" Dukem asked me, crossing his arms putting his weight on one side.

"I...um..."

"He is far too weak to even hold himself up. He was in hibernation for 10 years. His father's skeleton was beside him. These were in it." Jaan explained handing the arrow to Dukem. He inspected it with the other two. Their expressions full of pain.

"It is indeed an air clan arrow..." Suzuki said, he placed a hand on Ujik's shoulder noticing how distraught the short man had become.

"I'm...I'm so sorry..." Ujik mumbled lowly, lowering his eyes and blinked away tears he didn't want to come.

"It wasn't your fault." I simply said as loud as I could listening to the wind whirl around us. It was silent for a few moments. Unspoken sadness radiated from the men. I cannot speak for all that was lost, I understood that. I lowered my eyes, setting my hands on my lap. "I... don't remember anything...but I want to. I don't know if that's a good thing or not."

"Knowing the truth is always good." A new voice commented. I gazed up and met blue eyes. A strange guy was coming up from Dukem's shadow. I stared in disbelief. What in the world?

"Nai, you've come. That makes me happy." Twilie said softly. "We made a feast and sweets. Join us please. We will discuss this...harsh topic after we have eaten." Varin helped me to my feet and Jaan walked beside us.

"Who are they?" I asked them quietly.

"They are the last original guardians of Enda. The ones that left when they saw what Canton was turning into." Jaan explained and I nodded. Gently walking of trying my best to. Why did they leave? Was Canton already going crazy when they did?