Chapter 16: Yula pt.1

Evan felt himself being shaken awake and he could hear a voice calling out to him. It took him a second to recognize that it was his mother's voice and that they had arrived.

With bleary eyes, he tried to look out the window but it was tinted. He hadn't noticed it before because he was exhausted. With a groan, he stretched out his limbs and stepped out of the car, shocked at what he was seeing.

It felt like he stepped back onto Earth and was surrounded by the feeling of New York, except it wasn't. Tall buildings as far as the eye could see in colors unheard of, such as pinks, blues, yellows, and whatever one could really paint. Some buildings were cut in half and floated on one another. He guessed it was some form of gravity magic and he was stunned. The heart of the capital was the city and the people were amazing. They were all human but the way they dressed was so different than what he was used to. He felt as though he were at a party dedicated to different eras. Evan spotted tunics, dresses, and...was that guy naked?!?

Evan felt two large hands cover his and quickly realized it was his fathers. "Just ignore that bud, some people forget common decency." His father grumbled, clearly irked by the man being naked in the middle of the sidewalk. It was worse because he could hear children pointing the guy out and telling their parents about it.

Evan was slowly led towards a building, before he was allowed his eyesight again. It was a beautiful teal motel with vines that scaled the whole building. The flowers growing on those vines were purple and he didn't recognize them but found them lovely nonetheless. As he opened the doors to the motel, he noticed how earthy the entire place felt. There were flowers and trees everywhere, it was somewhat overwhelming.

His parents had walked ahead of him to the check-in section and got them all signed in. While he was lost in thought, admiring the motel, his mother grabbed his hand again and brought him towards the elevator. They were rooming on the first floor, room 103.

The room they received has 3 beds, 1 large tv, and a tiny section in the corner with one comfy chair and low table. There was also a bathroom that contained a shower/bath setup. It continued the earthy feeling he had downstairs, with a few vine-like plants scattered around.

"Alright, we can unpack everything later, let's go out and explore." His mother giggled, before putting a beanie on both herself and Evan. She made sure to cover their hair by connecting pins to the beanie to prevent any hair from showing.

Once outside the motel, his mother continued to lead the way towards what seemed to be a clothing store of sorts. The mannequins were dressed fashionably for the colder weather, in dark reds and browns. The only issue was that Evan could not read the store name whatsoever, it was all squiggly.

His mother and father seemed to have no problem, so he just went along with it. The store's interior was very elegant and seemed to cater more

towards the wealthy, something his family was not. From the corner of his eye however, he could see his mother negotiating with one of the salespersons, seemingly victorious in that regard. His mother had bargained for a stunning white lace dress that went past her knees but not quite long enough to require heels. It had gold accents and gave off a feeling of purity. With her new dress, all three of them left the store.

The next store they ventured towards was one that had his father feeling completely giddy, a weaponry store. His father enjoyed training and keeping in shape, especially through the use of sword play. Evan himself had no talent in that field whatsoever but, he still found himself interested in the store. Row upon row of weapons were scattered throughout the entire store, with anything one could think of being available. Evan found himself attracted to a small short-sword that he knew he'd be able to lift. It had a beautiful silver blade that gleamed in the sunlight, with a red velvety hilt adorned with tiny white gems. He knew he wouldn't be able to afford it.

With a miserable sigh, Evan stalked towards where his mother and father were, short-sword in hand. His father was eyeing up a golden rapier with a rose on its hilt, with some sort of longing gaze. What really surprised him however was how the shopkeeper seemed to recognize his father, as he could overhear him telling him to take the rapier for free.

Torres turned towards his son, who he had heard walking over and saw the short-sword in his hand. "Champ, come show your old man what ya got there." He chuckled, noticing how tightly his son held onto the sword as if he couldn't bear to leave without it. "Hey dad, I er, yeah.." Evan trailed off, unsure how to ask his father if were possible to buy. He didn't want to make it harder on his parents who did not often get to spend for themselves.

The shopkeeper, who'd been standing off to the side as their exchange began suddenly spoke, "Well, you can take both, Torres. The academy may seem peaceful on the outside but children are cruel, so a weapon is always good to hold onto if you are unable to activate your magic." Evan was surprised by what the man had said, wondering why exactly they were receiving products for free.

"Ahah, thanks Paul! Knew I could count on ya." His father patted the guy on the back before letting him pack both weapon. Evan had handed his over when the shopkeeper, Paul, had spoken up about letting them take the weapons for free.

As Paul let out a warm thank you, they left the store. Once outside, Evan prodded his father asking, "Hey, why did he give us the weapons for free?". His father wistfully sighed, "Well, back in the old days, I was quite the fighter. Maybe the top rapier duelist in the entirety of Sentil." Evan was amazed by this information, but also a bit sad that he wasn't able to grasp any of those skills as the old Evan for sure couldn't. His father patted him on the back, before gently grabbing his wife's hand.

They all quickly made their way towards the plaza and Evan just gaped, fascination lighting up his features.