Chapter 123
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It was a very simple question that Sief had asked Altair. But it was a question that Altair found herself completely unable to answer properly.
The world with the Empire was almost completely different from the world with the Kingdom. The Empire had intergalactic travel, Holodisplays, movies, starships, cruisers, and so on. The advancements made by science and technology were literally seen as Magic to Altair's eyes when she first saw them. She couldn't even figure out how a bath worked or recognize it when she saw it.
Even the Humans of the Empire had accepted other races if Liam's appearance was anything to go on.
The Empire was just too different compared to the Kingdom. It was more different than night and day. She found herself lacking the vocabulary to even describe her stay there.
Thus, after a long moment of silence, Altair finally answered, "A place very far away. A place where Human's don't slaughter other races." As she said those words, the images of how Sief and the rest of the people of her village treated her when her traits emerged came to her mind. She felt her heart thump nervously in her chest and she suddenly found it suspicious that Sief was acting the way he was.
She could no longer bring herself to believe him even about the claim that Aselia had died. She had no proof that it was false, but the idea was just in her head. She also couldn't bring herself to trust him when he said that eight years had passed.
'I'll need to check this with the church,' she thought to herself.
The Holy Church kept their records very tight and clean. They also wouldn't hesitate to educate people on things they found beneficial. If the claim that Altair had been "killed" by the Hero eight years ago was true, then the people at the church would probably prattle on to her for hours about it if she asked.
For now, she had to see if her brother's façade was true or not. In order to do that, she would need more information that she was going to ask for anyway after his claim.
Thinking to here, Altair asked, "What has happened with the war since I have been gone?"
Sief's expression stiffened and Lily stopped moving at the same time when Altair asked this question. Lily turned her back to Altair in an obvious effort to conceal her expression but she didn't continue to wash the bowl she was washing in the washbasin.
Sief looked at the table before him for several long moments before Altair repeated her question. This caused him to sigh loudly before he said, "The… war, as you put it, is over. It's been over for about seven years now."
Altair's eyes widened in surprise, 'It's over? It was a Total War. Since my brother is right here that must mean…' She lowered her head towards the table for a moment before she gave a questioning look to Sief.
Sief nodded his head grimly before he said, "Around six years ago the church announced the end of the Demi-Human race. There hasn't been any news of any new Demi-Humans or even sightings of them for the last six years…"
'This can't be,' was the only thing that ran through Altair's mind. She felt a pit in her stomach as her heart suddenly started to race. Her face paled to a ghastly white and she started panicking under what she was just told.
Ever since she went to the Empire, Altair has had split thoughts about what she would do when she returned to the Kingdom. It was her entire goal to return and continue the fight for her people. Even though she didn't want the role of leadership, it was handed to her so she had to do her best.
She would have never expected that she wouldn't ever have the chance to fulfill her responsibility towards the people who saved her when she needed them the most.
They taught her how to hunt for her own food. They gave her insights into Magic, even though those insights weren't that useful for her. They gave her the ability to be able to defend herself and to pay the Holy Church back for its lies. They even, to a lesser extent, taught her how to cook.
But, most importantly, they saved her from the darkest hour of her life. When she was kicked out of her home by her family and the village she had lived in, they were there to help her pick up the pieces of herself that were left. They had wound up becoming her new family that she treasured, even though she probably couldn't have told anyone most of their names as she had stopped asking for them in time.
She would have chosen the Coalition over her real family whenever she had to. Even now, despite having a niece, she would have chosen to follow the Coalition if they asked her to kill her brother and niece right now. It would have hurt her but they were no longer on the same side anymore.
'It's a lie,' she told herself darkly.
Once the possibility of it all being a lie flashed in her mind, Altair instantly calmed down. It was a very unnatural shift as her complexion quickly reverted back to normal and her breathing returned to a normal rhythm. The worry in her eyes vanished without a trace.
Sief was stunned at the abrupt change. From his perspective, Altair was inches away from collapsing but she stabilized herself as if she hadn't heard what he just said. It hurt him to tell her about what had happened back then and he knew it would hurt her, but she asked for it so he told her what he knew.
Deciding to judge for herself if they were telling the truth about it tomorrow, Altair moved onto her next question. "Why aren't you hostile towards me anymore? I'm still a Demi-Human despite looking like this."
Sief gave her a pained smile as Lily finished washing the last bowl in the murky water of the washbasin. He spoke in a fond voice as he said, "A little over six years ago I was traveling around to find a home for myself and Lily. Aselia was with us and she was pregnant with Allie. We got caught in a bad spot after being robbed by bandits and we were walking along the road to Luksiof on foot. All of our supplies had been taken and we had no food or water."
Lily sat down next to Sief as she dried off her hands that were covered in filthy water. The sight of it caused Altair to want to grimace with what she now knew about things. She continued for Sief, "We followed the smoke of a fire we saw in a patch of trees off the road, hoping to do some work for food. We came across a scaled Demi-Human who looked emaciated that was cooking a rabbit over a fire. He looked like he hadn't eaten in weeks."
"We were on our guard the moment we saw him," Sief said, "But when he turned and saw us he just walked away from the food as if it didn't matter to him. Thanks to that meal, we made it to Luksiof before any complications arose with Aselia's pregnancy."
Lily smiled warmed at Sief, "Yes, it was all thanks to him that Allie was able to be born."
Altair covered her face with her hands to hide the dejected look on her face. She knew that what they were saying was the truth from their eyes but it wasn't what really happened.
She knew that the Demi-Human they came across didn't leave them the food out of choice. The Coalition had taught them well and the Demi-Human they had stumbled upon followed the training he had probably received, even though it likely caused him to die that very week.
That Demi-Human was probably thinking only of his survival when he saw the Humans that had found him. He had likely struggled to catch that rabbit for himself. But, since he was discovered by Humans he had no choice but to run. If the Humans that found him said anything about his whereabouts to the Holy Church, they would have scoured the entire area without leaving a single stone unturned. He needed to flee immediately since there was more than one Human and he was in no condition to fight.
The reason he walked away instead of ran was most likely for the same reason as well. He was too starved and didn't have the energy to actually run. That meant he wouldn't be able to hunt any food and predators would find him as easy pickings. Even if the Holy Church didn't find him, the wildlife probably did.
Sief, Lily, and Aselia may have survived with his "generosity" but it very likely caused him to die in return.
Altair gave herself a mocking smile, 'Sometimes our training is too good. He should have struggled if he wanted to live.'
Sief continued, "That was what made us question the Holy Church's teachings. They had always said that the Demi-Humans were violent creatures that impeded Humanities ability to ascend to the Gods. But what we saw that day was very different from what we were taught." He looked at Altair with warm eyes as she uncovered her face with a neutral expression, "That's what changed our minds. Even Aselia wanted to tell you she was sorry for what she did back then but… Well it's too late for all of that."
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It was a very simple question that Sief had asked Altair. But it was a question that Altair found herself completely unable to answer properly.
The world with the Empire was almost completely different from the world with the Kingdom. The Empire had intergalactic travel, Holodisplays, movies, starships, cruisers, and so on. The advancements made by science and technology were literally seen as Magic to Altair's eyes when she first saw them. She couldn't even figure out how a bath worked or recognize it when she saw it.
Even the Humans of the Empire had accepted other races if Liam's appearance was anything to go on.
The Empire was just too different compared to the Kingdom. It was more different than night and day. She found herself lacking the vocabulary to even describe her stay there.
Thus, after a long moment of silence, Altair finally answered, "A place very far away. A place where Human's don't slaughter other races." As she said those words, the images of how Sief and the rest of the people of her village treated her when her traits emerged came to her mind. She felt her heart thump nervously in her chest and she suddenly found it suspicious that Sief was acting the way he was.
She could no longer bring herself to believe him even about the claim that Aselia had died. She had no proof that it was false, but the idea was just in her head. She also couldn't bring herself to trust him when he said that eight years had passed.
'I'll need to check this with the church,' she thought to herself.
The Holy Church kept their records very tight and clean. They also wouldn't hesitate to educate people on things they found beneficial. If the claim that Altair had been "killed" by the Hero eight years ago was true, then the people at the church would probably prattle on to her for hours about it if she asked.
For now, she had to see if her brother's façade was true or not. In order to do that, she would need more information that she was going to ask for anyway after his claim.
Thinking to here, Altair asked, "What has happened with the war since I have been gone?"
Sief's expression stiffened and Lily stopped moving at the same time when Altair asked this question. Lily turned her back to Altair in an obvious effort to conceal her expression but she didn't continue to wash the bowl she was washing in the washbasin.
Sief looked at the table before him for several long moments before Altair repeated her question. This caused him to sigh loudly before he said, "The… war, as you put it, is over. It's been over for about seven years now."
Altair's eyes widened in surprise, 'It's over? It was a Total War. Since my brother is right here that must mean…' She lowered her head towards the table for a moment before she gave a questioning look to Sief.
Sief nodded his head grimly before he said, "Around six years ago the church announced the end of the Demi-Human race. There hasn't been any news of any new Demi-Humans or even sightings of them for the last six years…"
'This can't be,' was the only thing that ran through Altair's mind. She felt a pit in her stomach as her heart suddenly started to race. Her face paled to a ghastly white and she started panicking under what she was just told.
Ever since she went to the Empire, Altair has had split thoughts about what she would do when she returned to the Kingdom. It was her entire goal to return and continue the fight for her people. Even though she didn't want the role of leadership, it was handed to her so she had to do her best.
She would have never expected that she wouldn't ever have the chance to fulfill her responsibility towards the people who saved her when she needed them the most.
They taught her how to hunt for her own food. They gave her insights into Magic, even though those insights weren't that useful for her. They gave her the ability to be able to defend herself and to pay the Holy Church back for its lies. They even, to a lesser extent, taught her how to cook.
But, most importantly, they saved her from the darkest hour of her life. When she was kicked out of her home by her family and the village she had lived in, they were there to help her pick up the pieces of herself that were left. They had wound up becoming her new family that she treasured, even though she probably couldn't have told anyone most of their names as she had stopped asking for them in time.
She would have chosen the Coalition over her real family whenever she had to. Even now, despite having a niece, she would have chosen to follow the Coalition if they asked her to kill her brother and niece right now. It would have hurt her but they were no longer on the same side anymore.
'It's a lie,' she told herself darkly.
Once the possibility of it all being a lie flashed in her mind, Altair instantly calmed down. It was a very unnatural shift as her complexion quickly reverted back to normal and her breathing returned to a normal rhythm. The worry in her eyes vanished without a trace.
Sief was stunned at the abrupt change. From his perspective, Altair was inches away from collapsing but she stabilized herself as if she hadn't heard what he just said. It hurt him to tell her about what had happened back then and he knew it would hurt her, but she asked for it so he told her what he knew.
Deciding to judge for herself if they were telling the truth about it tomorrow, Altair moved onto her next question. "Why aren't you hostile towards me anymore? I'm still a Demi-Human despite looking like this."
Sief gave her a pained smile as Lily finished washing the last bowl in the murky water of the washbasin. He spoke in a fond voice as he said, "A little over six years ago I was traveling around to find a home for myself and Lily. Aselia was with us and she was pregnant with Allie. We got caught in a bad spot after being robbed by bandits and we were walking along the road to Luksiof on foot. All of our supplies had been taken and we had no food or water."
Lily sat down next to Sief as she dried off her hands that were covered in filthy water. The sight of it caused Altair to want to grimace with what she now knew about things. She continued for Sief, "We followed the smoke of a fire we saw in a patch of trees off the road, hoping to do some work for food. We came across a scaled Demi-Human who looked emaciated that was cooking a rabbit over a fire. He looked like he hadn't eaten in weeks."
"We were on our guard the moment we saw him," Sief said, "But when he turned and saw us he just walked away from the food as if it didn't matter to him. Thanks to that meal, we made it to Luksiof before any complications arose with Aselia's pregnancy."
Lily smiled warmed at Sief, "Yes, it was all thanks to him that Allie was able to be born."
Altair covered her face with her hands to hide the dejected look on her face. She knew that what they were saying was the truth from their eyes but it wasn't what really happened.
She knew that the Demi-Human they came across didn't leave them the food out of choice. The Coalition had taught them well and the Demi-Human they had stumbled upon followed the training he had probably received, even though it likely caused him to die that very week.
That Demi-Human was probably thinking only of his survival when he saw the Humans that had found him. He had likely struggled to catch that rabbit for himself. But, since he was discovered by Humans he had no choice but to run. If the Humans that found him said anything about his whereabouts to the Holy Church, they would have scoured the entire area without leaving a single stone unturned. He needed to flee immediately since there was more than one Human and he was in no condition to fight.
The reason he walked away instead of ran was most likely for the same reason as well. He was too starved and didn't have the energy to actually run. That meant he wouldn't be able to hunt any food and predators would find him as easy pickings. Even if the Holy Church didn't find him, the wildlife probably did.
Sief, Lily, and Aselia may have survived with his "generosity" but it very likely caused him to die in return.
Altair gave herself a mocking smile, 'Sometimes our training is too good. He should have struggled if he wanted to live.'
Sief continued, "That was what made us question the Holy Church's teachings. They had always said that the Demi-Humans were violent creatures that impeded Humanities ability to ascend to the Gods. But what we saw that day was very different from what we were taught." He looked at Altair with warm eyes as she uncovered her face with a neutral expression, "That's what changed our minds. Even Aselia wanted to tell you she was sorry for what she did back then but… Well it's too late for all of that."
It was a very simple question that Sief had asked Altair. But it was a question that Altair found herself completely unable to answer properly.The world with the Empire was almost completely different from the world with the Kingdom. The Empire had intergalactic travel, Holodisplays, movies, starships, cruisers, and so on. The advancements made by science and technology were literally seen as Magic to Altair's eyes when she first saw them. She couldn't even figure out how a bath worked or recognize it when she saw it.Even the Humans of the Empire had accepted other races if Liam's appearance was anything to go on.The Empire was just too different compared to the Kingdom. It was more different than night and day. She found herself lacking the vocabulary to even describe her stay there.Thus, after a long moment of silence, Altair finally answered, "A place very far away. A place where Human's don't slaughter other races." As she said those words, the images of how Sief and the rest of the people of her village treated her when her traits emerged came to her mind. She felt her heart thump nervously in her chest and she suddenly found it suspicious that Sief was acting the way he was.She could no longer bring herself to believe him even about the claim that Aselia had died. She had no proof that it was false, but the idea was just in her head. She also couldn't bring herself to trust him when he said that eight years had passed.'I'll need to check this with the church,' she thought to herself.The Holy Church kept their records very tight and clean. They also wouldn't hesitate to educate people on things they found beneficial. If the claim that Altair had been "killed" by the Hero eight years ago was true, then the people at the church would probably prattle on to her for hours about it if she asked.For now, she had to see if her brother's faade was true or not. In order to do that, she would need more information that she was going to ask for anyway after his claim.Thinking to here, Altair asked, "What has happened with the war since I have been gone?"Sief's expression stiffened and Lily stopped moving at the same time when Altair asked this question. Lily turned her back to Altair in an obvious effort to conceal her expression but she didn't continue to wash the bowl she was washing in the washbasin.Sief looked at the table before him for several long moments before Altair repeated her question. This caused him to sigh loudly before he said, "The war, as you put it, is over. It's been over for about seven years now."Altair's eyes widened in surprise, 'It's over? It was a Total War. Since my brother is right here that must mean' She lowered her head towards the table for a moment before she gave a questioning look to Sief.Sief nodded his head grimly before he said, "Around six years ago the church announced the end of the Demi-Human race. There hasn't been any news of any new Demi-Humans or even sightings of them for the last six years"'This can't be,' was the only thing that ran through Altair's mind. She felt a pit in her stomach as her heart suddenly started to race. Her face paled to a ghastly white and she started panicking under what she was just told.Ever since she went to the Empire, Altair has had split thoughts about what she would do when she returned to the Kingdom. It was her entire goal to return and continue the fight for her people. Even though she didn't want the role of leadership, it was handed to her so she had to do her best.She would have never expected that she wouldn't ever have the chance to fulfill her responsibility towards the people who saved her when she needed them the most.They taught her how to hunt for her own food. They gave her insights into Magic, even though those insights weren't that useful for her. They gave her the ability to be able to defend herself and to pay the Holy Church back for its lies. They even, to a lesser extent, taught her how to cook.But, most importantly, they saved her from the darkest hour of her life. When she was kicked out of her home by her family and the village she had lived in, they were there to help her pick up the pieces of herself that were left. They had wound up becoming her new family that she treasured, even though she probably couldn't have told anyone most of their names as she had stopped asking for them in time.She would have chosen the Coalition over her real family whenever she had to. Even now, despite having a niece, she would have chosen to follow the Coalition if they asked her to kill her brother and niece right now. It would have hurt her but they were no longer on the same side anymore.'It's a lie,' she told herself darkly.Once the possibility of it all being a lie flashed in her mind, Altair instantly calmed down. It was a very unnatural shift as her complexion quickly reverted back to normal and her breathing returned to a normal rhythm. The worry in her eyes vanished without a trace.Sief was stunned at the abrupt change. From his perspective, Altair was inches away from collapsing but she stabilized herself as if she hadn't heard what he just said. It hurt him to tell her about what had happened back then and he knew it would hurt her, but she asked for it so he told her what he knew.Deciding to judge for herself if they were telling the truth about it tomorrow, Altair moved onto her next question. "Why aren't you hostile towards me anymore? I'm still a Demi-Human despite looking like this."Sief gave her a pained smile as Lily finished washing the last bowl in the murky water of the washbasin. He spoke in a fond voice as he said, "A little over six years ago I was traveling around to find a home for myself and Lily. Aselia was with us and she was pregnant with Allie. We got caught in a bad spot after being robbed by bandits and we were walking along the road to Luksiof on foot. All of our supplies had been taken and we had no food or water."Lily sat down next to Sief as she dried off her hands that were covered in filthy water. The sight of it caused Altair to want to grimace with what she now knew about things. She continued for Sief, "We followed the smoke of a fire we saw in a patch of trees off the road, hoping to do some work for food. We came across a scaled Demi-Human who looked emaciated that was cooking a rabbit over a fire. He looked like he hadn't eaten in weeks.""We were on our guard the moment we saw him," Sief said, "But when he turned and saw us he just walked away from the food as if it didn't matter to him. Thanks to that meal, we made it to Luksiof before any complications arose with Aselia's pregnancy."Lily smiled warmed at Sief, "Yes, it was all thanks to him that Allie was able to be born."Altair covered her face with her hands to hide the dejected look on her face. She knew that what they were saying was the truth from their eyes but it wasn't what really happened.She knew that the Demi-Human they came across didn't leave them the food out of choice. The Coalition had taught them well and the Demi-Human they had stumbled upon followed the training he had probably received, even though it likely caused him to die that very week.That Demi-Human was probably thinking only of his survival when he saw the Humans that had found him. He had likely struggled to catch that rabbit for himself. But, since he was discovered by Humans he had no choice but to run. If the Humans that found him said anything about his whereabouts to the Holy Church, they would have scoured the entire area without leaving a single stone unturned. He needed to flee immediately since there was more than one Human and he was in no condition to fight.The reason he walked away instead of ran was most likely for the same reason as well. He was too starved and didn't have the energy to actually run. That meant he wouldn't be able to hunt any food and predators would find him as easy pickings. Even if the Holy Church didn't find him, the wildlife probably did.Sief, Lily, and Aselia may have survived with his "generosity" but it very likely caused him to die in return.Altair gave herself a mocking smile, 'Sometimes our training is too good. He should have struggled if he wanted to live.'Sief continued, "That was what made us question the Holy Church's teachings. They had always said that the Demi-Humans were violent creatures that impeded Humanities ability to ascend to the Gods. But what we saw that day was very different from what we were taught." He looked at Altair with warm eyes as she uncovered her face with a neutral expression, "That's what changed our minds. Even Aselia wanted to tell you she was sorry for what she did back then but Well it's too late for all of that."
