After leaving the hospital, Darian and his newborn son began the journey home. The bumpy road jostled the cheap stroller, nearly tipping it more than once.
The deeper they went into the Trila, the more visible the poverty became. Crime and hardship weren't rare sights in Trila.
Trila was the capital of Theales, the largest kingdom in the Western Cradle.
Famous for its chaotic fish markets and sprawling underground railway, Trila is an attraction for many visitors throughout the nation.
Theales' powerful neighbors, Lebrad and Gliasia, were in a constant state of hostility. Decades of animosity between their rulers meant war could erupt at any moment.
Then, disaster struck Theales: Empress Thala Van Selwyn and her three sons, the crown princes, were assassinated. Emperor Magnus Van Selwyn IV was the only one left.
Right away, Magnus suspected Gliasia. The kingdom that had always wanted Preole Grye back, a small but important island south of the Western Cradle that Theales took way back in the Second Era.
Relations were already decaying, so Magnus began preparing for war.
But then something unexpected happened; Gliasia's king was assassinated. A new ruler emerged: Edmund Evermoor.
Magnus knew a war with a big kingdom like Gliasia would be a bloodbath, so he stopped his attack. Instead, he sent Theales' Secret Police to sneak into Gliasia and Lebrad.
Their job was to find out who was behind all these killings and why.
The sudden deaths of the Empress and princes hit Theales hard. The economy tanked, and even the fish markets, usually booming, crashed.
People inside Theales started pointing fingers at the Elevated – those with special powers – blaming them for the royal family's deaths.
Protests to eradicate the Elevated became rampant. People who once protected this nation during the 4th Era Great War were now targeted.
Fortunately, Magnus surprisingly came to their defense and dismissed any accusations. Murders still became extremely rampant in Theales, causing the military to take action and deploy inside the country itself.
Weapon shops opened on nearly every block, and it wasn't uncommon to see men, women, and even children carrying blades or clubs. Who knows if they get attacked next? Theales has become a kingdom infested with murder.
Darian pushed Emory's stroller past Fisher's Market, which used to be a bustling metropolis. While it was a place infested with scamming and social class divisions, it was still a staple of Theales.
"It's all empty..." While surveying his surroundings, Darian couldn't help but remark on the significant absence of the public.
The wheels on the stroller began spinning once more as they left the area and approached the municipal living precinct, where Darian and Elara lived. Darian couldn't help but shed a tear reminiscing about his days with Elara.
A piercing shriek emanated from the area, interrupting his thoughts. Darian's back muscles tensed, eyes darting to where it came from. Emory however, stayed quiet as can be.
To his left, in a small closed café, a man and a woman were inside. The woman on the floor kneeling, and what looked to be a man beside her.
Darian approached carefully to examine, his pupils constricted, cold sweat running through his back. His large hand loomed over Emory's face before gently covering his eyes.
The scene Darian witnessed was not a pleasant one. It was a man, dead, in an unopened café. The man's body was crushed, his arms and legs flattened, his torso nowhere to be found. His head was jagged and scarred. This wasn't just a regular killing, no, this was planned.
This was torture.
A woman knelt beside the corpse, she was wailing. A couple of passersby came and surrounded the dead body, some of them started consoling the lady. "D-don't let him get away!" The lady screamed, "He went left, someone get him! Get him!"
Darian, still peering into the café, turned abruptly. A figure was sprinting down the road. He was wearing a black suit and holding two daggers. His skin was stained red, and a dark maroon aura shimmered around him.
The ground beneath the man's feet caved in slightly as he bent his knees to jump. He landed on the roof of a neighboring building.
In the stroller, Emory sat silently, clutching the cheap toy Darian had bought him and chewing on it absentmindedly. His black hair was fluttering in the wind, his red eyes covered by Darian's hand.
His mouth moved, but no words came out. This was the second time Darian had seen a dead body in the past 3 days.
"..."
Darian pushed the stroller away as fast as he could. His face was frozen with fear. The lady was screaming for someone to help catch the man.
While Darian didn't like to think of himself as a coward, he did however know his limitations. He had no supernatural abilities and his physicality was subpar. It was better for everyone if he just left the area.
After a couple of minutes, they arrived at their house. Locking the door immediately behind him, Darian rushed to the washroom to relieve himself.
Their house was a one-story house on Hind Street, towards the end of the long collection of houses.
As he exited the bathroom, wiping his hands with a towel, a loud crash reverberated through the area.
"The military.. this is serious." He picked up Emory and placed him on the dark green worn out couch. "Hopefully they stop at nothing to catch him.."
Emory did nothing but stare at the man speaking to him. His dark red eyes watched Darian silently.
"A-alright. I know, let's eat some yummy food. I bet you're hungry little Em!" He tried to distract himself from the atrocities occurring near his home.
Food was being prepared as Emory looked at his surroundings. Not once did he cry nor show any sign of discomfort. All he did was stare silently.
Darian, while cooking, glanced at the silent baby continually. After he fed and changed Emory, he put him to bed. Emory didn't fuss nor cry, Darian's mouth twitched slightly as the baby looked like it was staring him in the soul.
The cold autumn air hit Darian like a dagger as he stood on the balcony. Faint murmurs filled the night, house lights flickered throughout the city like fireflies.
"Elara." He put his forearms on the railings, his eyes cold and isolated.
The next morning, Darian awoke to a knocking sound on his door. He groggily approached the large white piece of wood in front of him and opened it. The newspaper? I thought it was only on Thursdays.
While drinking tea, he began to look through the papers. The annual minister-public conference was canceled?
The minister-public conference was a meeting run by Trila's minister cabinet. It was set up by the High Chancellor Valtha Ashenvale, and was a meeting where the public can voice their concerns about issues in the economy.
Trila was the only city in Theales to do this, which is why it's the most densely packed city in the kingdom. With a population of a little more than 2 million, it boasts 3rd largest city in the Western Cradle, only behind Gliasia's Argenhold and Brenholm, each housing a little over 4 and 3 million.
Darian himself never attended the minister-public conference, but he was aware of what it meant to the people of Trila. Without the feedback from those meetings, Trila wouldn't have developed its intricate underground railway system, essential for it's transportation of fish from one side of the city to another.
It's also the catalyst for Theales National University, which is one of the best schools in the nation. The cause for the cancellation was because the murders were too rampant, too many people in one place is a goldmine for terrorists.
Emperor Magnus Van Selwyn IV issued a report this morning, urging citizens of Theales to not leave their houses unless necessary. The military could be found in any corner, and members of the Secret Police are investigating suspects and victims of the brutal torture that happened in the café yesterday.
"Oh my, how am I supposed to enroll Emory in a daycare?" Darian scoffed at the urgency and put the newspaper down.
Inside Emory's crib, the little black-haired red-eyed child was wrapped in a blanket, staring at the roof. He was no older than 4 days and yet, he didn't cry once.
Darian gently opened the door, avoiding the puzzles and books in his path. He meticulously made his way to the crib, "Good morning baby." The blue blanket covering Emory's body was slowly unraveled as the baby stretched his arms in reflex.
Darian lifted the child and took him to the kitchen. Placing Emory on the couch beside the newspaper he dropped. Emory's head turned to face the paper, and his eyes widened.
It was a picture of the tortured man in the café. Emory glared intensely at the picture of the dismembered man. His red eyes analyzed, his facial features focused.
The newspaper in front of him was quickly taken away, "Uh uh. This is not something babies should look at."
Darian placed the newspaper on the table next to him and handed Emory a pacifier.
Wrinkles started forming around Emory's face, and for the first time in his four days of living, the child cried.