Chapter Twelve.

The distant, colossal clock continued it's rhythmic ticks, its echoes resonating through the room. As Sira began unveiling her secrets to the individuals gathered around the dining table, the atmosphere slowly eased, shedding its initial tension. She commenced her story with her birthplace, Rieti, and the devastating battle that had led to its demise. With a deep breath, she delved into her life spent in the seclusion of the woods with her guardian, Neith. Her voice trembled as she recounted the harrowing encounter with the Silver Wolves that ultimately claimed Neith's life. 

The words hung in the air, holding the undivided attention of everyone at the table. When she finished, a solemn silence enveloped them. Sira, unable to meet their gaze, glanced up, expecting shock or sympathy, but what she saw was a genuine curiosity in their eyes. 

Sira's chest tightened with anxiety as she waited for someone to break the silence. Zev quickly downed the remainder of his drink, while Koa wiped his mouth with a napkin. Twila, on the other hand, couldn't contain a giggle as she read from her journal, where she meticulously noted down everything Sira shared. 

At last, Twila finished reading and broke the silence with empathy in her voice. "I'm truly sorry for your loss. Words can't fully express the pain you must have endured all alone." Koa and Zev nodded in agreement as Twila continued, "Neith's death is a tragedy, but remember, it's not your fault. Neith made a choice to protect you, and no one could've foreseen such a terrible turn of events." 

Sira bit into her palm, forcing a smile. "Thank you," she whispered. Koa cleared his throat, "Twila is right, don't blame yourself. You're among friends here. This is the Alvarez household, and anyone we welcome is part of the family." He reached over and gently patted her hand. Sira looked up, tears stinging her eyes. 

 She tried to wipe them away with her thumb, but Koa handed her a napkin. She sniffled and accepted it. "Thanks," she murmured, using it to dab her face clean. Koa added, If you ever need anything, just ask. Ena will handle your personal needs, but if you ever need a friend, the Alvarez family will always be here for you." He offered a warm smile, and Sira, touched by their kindness, sniffled again and gave him a grateful nod. 

Sira's heart swelled with warmth as she sat among these wonderful people. She felt at ease, grateful that they accepted her without judgment, despite her heritage. Now, it was Zev's turn to speak. 

"Correct me if I'm wrong. Your name is Aesira Kier, you're twenty, and a blood elemental from Rieti, the lost city that was annihilated. Your guardian was the infamous Neith, but she was killed by the Silver Wolves that attacked your home in the woods where you lived in secret," he pointed to Blu. "And that's your cat, Blu, whom you bonded with?" 

Sira chuckled, "Yeah, that's pretty much it. Although, I don't remember how I got to the forest where you found me. Thank you for bringing me here." Zev nodded, his earring swaying. "Of course. I'm glad I did. You'll have to thank Blu, though; she was the one who carried you to the forest. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have found you." His smile widened slightly.

 Sira smiled back. "Yeah, she's always a big help." 

Koa rang a small bell on the table and minutes later, Ena walked in with other maids. They took away the empty plates and glasses from the table and left one by one. After the last maid left, Koa turned back to Sira. "I think this has been a long, confusing and emotional day for everyone here," Koa said, looking towards Zev, Twila and then at Sira again.

Twila chuckled before placing her journal on the table. "I know we've done a bit of introduction, but let me add little details." Sira nodded, listening attentively. "I'm a twenty- five year old purebred water elemental, Koa's twenty-three and a half-bred. Finally, Zev's our adopted brother, twenty one and a purebred earth elemental." Sira blinked as she tried absorbing the information Twila presented, which seemed quite easy to understand. She looked at Zev and Koa, who smiled at her, and she smiled in return. 

Sira turned her attention to Twila, who was still talking. 

"Those empty seats belong to my parents, Juan and Selma Alvarez. They were pretty influential people." 

"Were?" Sira inquired.

"Yes, they're late." Koa cut in. "My dad served under the Founding Elements as an elder, while my mum was a healer and teacher. She built the Vitality Apothecary, but after she died, Twila look over," he adjusted his glasses before continuing, 

"Twila here, takes after my dad as a purebred elemental while I take from both my parents, my mum being human."

"Oh," Sira whispered. She didn't know what else to say, even though she was really fascinated. She usually avoided conversations with other elementals, as it would lead to her talking about herself, so this was a new experience for her. 

*****

After dinner, Sira retreated to her room, where Blu lay dozing in a corner. She reclined on her bed, her thoughts drifting upward. Since she revealed her inner truth, she found it easier to converse with her emotions. Shifting to her side, a solitary tear trickled from her eye, and she whispered, "Neith..." 

 Though she found some relief in talking about the past, the anger still surged within her. Sira gently wiped the tear from her cheek, frowning. "I have to avenge Neith. I must avenge Rieti. It's a necessity; otherwise, I won't be able to confront Neith when I die," she resolved, sitting upright with determination. "I must survive." 

Sira sighed, the weight of her resolve evident. "But, the question remains- how can I do this?" she mumbled. "Me against four realms? Or maybe I should take them down one by one." Dismissing that idea, she reasoned it would only worsen matters. If she emerged from one unscathed, the others would undoubtedly come after her again. Closing her eyes, she immersed herself in contemplation. 

Suddenly, Sira's eyes shot open, and she turned to face the door, her mind awhirl with thoughts. "Maybe my first step should be to uncover who sent the Silver Wolves," she pondered aloud. She relaxed slightly, her shoulders dropping. 

As she continued to wrack her brain, a knock echoed through the room. "Hey, are you in?" a voice called. 

Startled, Sira leaped from her bed, hurrying to the door. "Uhm," she stammered. "Yeah! Yes, I am." 

Carefully, she unlocked the door and swung it open. On the other side stood Zev, his expression marked by concern. "Do you have a minute?" he inquired quietly. 

Sira stepped aside, inviting him in, and replied, "Sure. Have a seat," her face breaking into a small, welcoming smile. 

Zev took a seat on a sofa near the bed, and Sira settled on the edge of the mattress, legs folded beneath her. Zev couldn't help but notice her unease and let out a light chuckle. "You don't have to be nervous," he assured her, leaning back comfortably. Sira glanced around the room and shrugged. "I'm not nervous. It's just that this place takes a bit getting used to." 

Zev smiled at her response. "That's understandable. Anyways, I'm here to give you this." He revealed her amulet. "This was on the ground near the stream where i found you. I don't know what it is but Koa said it's called Bludark? I don't know, does it mean anything to you?" 

Sira's heart skipped a beat. Had she nearly lost Rieti's sacred treasure? She gingerly took the amulet from Zev, her hands trembling as she inspected it closely. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how important this amulet is to me. Neith entrusted me with it, and I swore to protect it with my life." Sira whispered shakily. 

Zev, with a hint of amazement , responded, "Wow, that's heavy. Quite a responsibility." Sira chuckled with relief as she placed the amulet around her neck. "Yeah, it's really important. Wait, did you mention Koa calling it 'Bludark'? How does he know its name?" Sira inquired, turning to Zev. 

Zev pondered for a moment, then explained, "Well Koa is our family historian, so he's a wealth of knowledge about stuff like these. Twi knows her fair share too, but for accuracy, Koa's your man." 

Sira rubbed her chin, contemplating this. "Huh, that's interesting," she mused.

Zev shifted the conversation gently. "I wanted to talk about something else," he said softly, reaching into his shirt pocket to reveal a small white seed. "This is called a Soul seed. My friend Bie, a Bloomer troll, gave it to me." 

Sira raised an eyebrow. "Bloomer troll?" she questioned. Zev nodded.

"Yeah, and she also gave me this earring, But back to the seed, when you plant it near a grave, it grows into a flower that symbolizes the soul of the departed." 

Sira's eyes widened in surprise as she took the seed from him. 

"Really?" she asked in awe. Zev nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Yeah."

Sira's hand hovered over the seed. "But, Neith was cremated, so I'm not sure if this seed would help," she said, examining the seed. 

Zev's smirk returned. "Koa has an idea about that. But tomorrow is the anniversary of my mum's passing, so Bie gave me the seed to plant for her," he explained. 

Sira gazed at the seed, her smile genuine. "That's a beautiful gesture," she said. 

Zev nodded. "We're all going to the family grave tomorrow. Would you like to come with us?" he offered.

Sira handed the seed back to him. "If I can, I'd love to. It would be fascinating to see what kind of flower represents your mother's soul." 

Zev beamed. "Great!" he exclaimed, rising from his seat. "We're leaving at noon, okay?"

"Okay," Sira replied. Zev gave her a thumbs-up and exited the room, leaving Sira with a contended smile. "He's pretty cool." she thought to herself. 

Zev's footsteps echoed through the hallway as he made his way to Koa's study. Upon entering, he found Twila standing beside Koa, and both greeted him with smiles. Zev returned the gesture and took a seat across from them. Twila asked eagerly, "So, how did it go?"

Zev replied with a grin, "She agreed to come." 

Koa and Twila exchanged warm smiles. Koa, closing the book he had been reading, asked, "How did she react when you gave her the amulet?" 

Zev crossed his arms, recalling the moment. 

"She seemed surprised, nervous, and relieved. You know, normal reactions." 

Twila chuckled. "I hope she warms up to us. Poor thing." she said, opening the box and retrieving a wrapped leaf, which she placed in her mouth. She bent down for Koa to light it and then exhaled fragrant smoke. 

Zev chuckled and propped his feet on the table. "You're still into that? What's it's called again?" he inquired.

Koa teased, "How could you forget what we've been enjoying since childhood?." Twila pinched Koa's cheek, saying, "People forget, stupid." 

 Koa groaned while Zev laughed.

Twila explained to Zev, "It's called weedroot. But let's not dwell on that. Tell us, you escaped from prison, didn't you?" 

Zev nodded, launching into the story of his escape with Pa Chu, recounting Pa Chu's message to Yonamine. He also shared his encounter with Bie. As Zev spoke, Twila sat down with the leaf in her mouth, writing in her journal while Koa listened intently, nodding along with the tale.

"Anyways, I found Elm City following Bie's directions, and you found me right on time." Zev concluded. 

Koa adjusted his glasses. "Like I told you, I came across you quite by chance. I was on my way from Sirion when I just happened to spot you as Grover drove by." He grinned, adding, "I'm pretty lucky that I did." 

"Yes, we were really worried about you," Twila responded as she closed her journal. "Dealing with our parent's death was overwhelming, and then Auntie Noemi fell ill. I tried to help her but my knowledge of healing was limited, and Koa didn't know much either." A deep frown creased Twila's brows. 

Zev noticed that Twila's anger was a rare sight; even now, her compassion outweighed her frustration. 

He tousled his hair and grinned, saying, "Then I tried to save mum by stealing from a pharmacy, yada yada yada, got caught and landed in Crystal Pit, blah blah. Let's leave that behind and move on, man." Twila blinked in surprise, then leaned closer to Koa. "You were right; he truly has changed." she whispered to him.

Koa chuckled. "See? He's much more cheerful and optimistic. Little Zev has grown up now." he teased Zev, elbowing him.

"Hey," Zev playfully whined.

"Shut up, he's right," Twila said, punching Zev's shoulder. "And I'm so proud of you. Well done," she exclaimed with a grin, ruffling his hair with her hands. Zev scrunched his nose, trying to make Twila stop. "Okay, okay," Koa interjected as he rose from his chair. "It's getting late. Tomorrow is a big day for the Alvarez family. Get to bed, you noisy shits," he teased while packing his books and putting them on the large shelf behind him. 

"Sure, sure." Twila said, heading for the door, laughter and smiles in tow.

Zev followed her, yawning. "Yeah, I'm tired as fuck."

Koa smiled, shaking his head as they departed. Then he reached for the transmitter on his desk and placed his finger on the top. Its edges lit up and a voice spoke. "Young master?" the voice inquired.

"Grover, did you find it?" he asked. The voice hesitated.

"Yes sir, I can't believe I'm actually holding it," Grover exclaimed with excitement. Koa smiled and said, "Hurry up and bring it home. It'll be midnight soon." He gave the order.

"Yes, young master! I'm already on my way back," Grover replied before Koa lifted his finger from the transmitter. It powered down, casting a red glow around its edges. 

*****

The following day, 

Sira gradually opened her eyes, squinting against the morning sun streaming into her bedroom. She turned and saw a maid arranging fresh flowers in a vase, but it wasn't Ena. Sire recognized her as one of the maids she'd seen at dinner the previous night. The lady turned and noticed Sira was awake. 

"Oh," she exclaimed.

"Ma'am, you're finally up. Good morning. Madame requested your breakfast to be served in your room." 

Sira, still groggy, replied, "Thanks." She got up, realizing she wasn't feeling wobbly or dizzy. "Looks like I'm all better now," she commented as she walked out of bed, heading towards the bathroom. The maid followed her, which puzzled Sira. 

Sira paused and looked at the maid. "Are you following me?" she asked as the maid nodded enthusiastically. Sira sighed and continued towards the bathroom. The maid followed again. "You're following me....into the bathroom?" Sira questioned, feeling a mix of confused and annoyance. 

The maid's face reddened a bit, and she admitted, "Well...yes, ma'am. To help prepare your bath." Sira frowned and entered the bathroom. As the maid headed for the doorway, Sira held the door. "You are not following me into the bathroom," she stated firmly and locked the door. The maid moaned in defeat.

A little later, Sira left her room, wearing a beautiful blue dress with a high slit on one side and white sleeves that stopped just above her elbows. Blu trailed behind her as she descended the stairs. Sira scanned the scene and spotted Twila, issuing orders to the household staff in her usual attire. 

Twila noticed Sira first and beckoned her to come downstairs with a warm smile. Sira reciprocated the smile. Twila quickly turned to a butler and requested him to bring her a chest. "Thank you," she said, and he left to fulfill her request. 

Turning back to Sira, Twila pulled her into a hug. "Sira!" she exclaimed happily, "How are you feeling?"

Sira gasped under the pressure of the hug. "I...am hurting right now," she replied breathlessly. Twila released her, looking apologetic.

"I'm sorry, I forgot your about your aversion to touch. But you do remember what today is?" Sira nodded. 

Twila glanced at the clock. "Good, It's only 9:03am. Would you like to go to Plant Market with me?" she asked eagerly.

Sira smiled. "I don't think i can say no with those eyes of yours staring into my soul." she said with a grin. Twila chuckled before taking her arm. "Come on, you're gonna love it." 

The butler returned with a small chest. "Your chest, Madame," he said. Twila thanked him and opened it, revealing numerous square gold coins. Sira eyed the box curiously. "Ducarins. I've never seen so many numbered ducarins."

"They're all for you." Twila explained, raising Sira's curiousity. "The boys and I wanted you to have it."

 Sira raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" 

Twila nodded.

Ducarins were square gold coins, Elamenta's currency. They came in two types: Numbered ducarins for higher values, displaying actual numbers (10 to 1000), and Lined ducarins for lower values, featuring numbered lines (up to ten lines).

Twila tugged Sira's sleeves as she gazed at the chest in amazement. "Ena's waiting for us, let's go." Sira blushed, embarrassed. Twila noticed and laughed. "You're cute." 

Sira smiled.

Twila pulled Sira out of the chateau, and Sira gripped her chest with one hand. As they headed to the stables, Sira spotted Blu with one of the maids. Twila, with a twirl, said, "Welcome to the stables," and revealed a big stall full of horses. Sira's eyes widened with amazement as she stepped inside, gazing at the horses. "Woah, so cool." 

Some of the horses moved their heads to look at them with curious looks on their faces, though most stayed put. Twila giggled. 

Sira wondered aloud, "Why do you have so many horses when you have plenty of motorized carriages?" Twila shrugged and replied with a chuckle, "Why not?" 

Sira laughed too and asked, "So, are we gonna ride these horses?" Twila laid her hands on Sira's shoulder and locked eyes with her. Sira was taken aback, meeting Twila's azure eyes. "I have something better. Do you wanna ride land striders?" Twila grinned.

Sira burst into laughter, saying, "No way, you're joking."

Twila assured her, "Trust me, I'm not." 

Sira laughed genuinely for the first time since Neith. "I've always wanted to ride one. Bring it on!" Twila squealed and took Sira's hand. "Come on then!" she said cheerfully, pulling Sira along. 

The two of them went deeper into the stables where the land striders were kept. Sira saw Ena preparing one of the three large bluebirds. Ena turned to them, and bowed briefly, "Good day, ma'am and Madame." Sira greeted back with a grin. "Morning, Ena!" 

Twila hugged Ena and then mounted a landstrider. She wore a brown helmet that matched her outfit. "Sira, come on. Get on a darn bird." she giggled. 

Sira approached the landstrider next to Twila's and asked, "Can I hold on?" The bird flapped its wings and hopped forward, allowing Sira to climb onto its back. Sira adjusted herself until she felt comfortable. "Ready whenever you are," she whispered to the bird, which responded with a sound that seemed like agreement. Sira smiled, "Thanks." 

Ena hopped onto her own bird and handed Sira a blue helmet. They both put on their helmets, and Twila urged her landstrider to move forward. Sira copied Twila's action, holding on tight and stretching her leg. She leaned forward, and the bird began to walk. They left the stables and, soon after, the chateau. 

The wind ruffled their hair, and Sira felt the soft feathers of the landstrider beneath her. A joyride to the market huh? Not bad. She thought.