[chapter 10] + The Man In The Forest +

Not much work was needed around the inn. The new comer, Levi, was still fast asleep while the inn owner was out in the markets to buy the necessary foods. It was still early in the morning and Cadens took this opportunity to go back up the mountains to visit his parent’s so-called grave once again.

The forest was quiet and it was slightly darker there than it is in Asthralle because of the thick bushes of tall trees. This was the only time Cadens found peace in himself. He had already accepted the fact that his parents were long gone and this was the only way he can be somehow united with them.

He soon reached the spot where his parents died. The white cross stood proudly as it practically shined. It was as clean as ever. In fact, there were even flowers on the foot of the cross. Was someone actually visiting the Orithiah couple?

Sitting beside the cross, Cadens held his knees high and buried his face on it. This was always his manner of sitting; curled up like that with his view hidden from the world around. The young boy was about to be preoccupied with other things when he felt a motion around him. He looked up and glanced around but it seemed like no one was there. Cadens was about to rest his head again when he heard cracking twigs and crunching leaves. Someone was with him and it was hard to deny it.

“h-hello? Is anyone there?” Cadens called out.

No answer.

Just after a few moments of calling out, he saw something move from his peripheral view. Cadens looked at the source of the movement so fast that it wasn’t able to escape him. He saw the same cloaked person who was keeping the cross clean the other day.

“Wait!” the young boy shouted. He badly wanted to talk to him.

Cadens stood up from where he was seated and ran to where the cloaked person was. When he was near enough, the cloaked person moved away.

“D-don’t go.” Cadens said calmly and the cloaked person stopped, his back turned away from the boy. “Can you face me?” Cadens requested.

The cloaked person turned around but still kept his distance. Cadens did not see how the cloaked person looked like. He was wrapped with that dirty cloth from head to toe as he grasped the middle part inside, to keep the cloth from falling. The young boy could see almost half of the lower part of his face though. He was pale, almost as pale as Asthralle’s new comer.

“A-are you the one who… keeps my parents’ cross clean?” Cadens asked. The cloaked person nodded.

“T-thank you, Mr. Caretaker” the young boy said in a broken voice, not because he was scared. He was so glad that someone else cares for the grave, it almost brought him to tears.

“It is the least I can do” The caretaker replied as he quickly fled.

His actions were all too sudden that Cadens was frozen in the spot. For once, he heard the caretaker’s voice. No, for once he actually talked to the only person who kept his parents’ grave clean all these years. Cadens wanted to know him. He wanted to know who he was and why he had been doing this.

“perhaps another time…” the young boy told himself.