Chapter 40 Eli's Story

Chapter 40 Eli's Story
“Why did Eli move into that cottage? Was he also mocked and treated like an outcast?” Lyriel asked, leaning closer, eager to hear more.

“No, that wasn't the case,” Hugo said, furrowing his brows in deep thought. “He moved into this village about a year ago, but no one knew because he kept to himself in the cottage and rarely interacted with anyone. It wasn't until much later that the villagers discovered he was living there.”

“Isn’t he a native of this village?” Lyriel tilted her head in confusion.

“No,” he replied. “How should I put this…? He is actually a native of this village—born and raised within the walls of the kingdom. I knew his father very well, and his mother too.”

“Where are they now?”

“They died many years ago, when Eli was still a boy,” the old man replied.

Lyriel rested her arms on the table and lowered her head sadly. To think that Eli had grown up without his parents… that was cruel.

"How did they die?"

“They were killed when the Sumerians invaded the kingdom. Many were slaughtered, and the children were taken to their land as slaves. Eli was among them... Oh, how I remember that terrible period! This kingdom was in utter ruin.”

Hugo shook his head sadly. It definitely wasn't an incident he loved recalling.

“The high priest led his priestly armies to recover the children. He succeeded in bringing many back to the kingdom… but Eli was among the few who were not rescued from the land of Sumer.”

“What do you mean by he was among the few not rescued? What happened to him?” Lyriel asked, hoping he had not actually suffered in slavery.

“They held him hostage in their kingdom, and to this day, no one knows what they did to him or why he suddenly appeared in the village. In fact, I was the only one who recognized him even after so many years.”

Lyriel stared wide-eyed at Hugo. To say she was shocked would be far beyond words.

She did not know Eli's story and had made a mistake by not asking the villagers about him. His past was so dark… too dark. Now she understood why he was cold and a little difficult to understand.

“Perhaps he escaped to another kingdom, where he lived in hiding for many years. You just didn’t know, and that was why you couldn’t find him.” Lyriel argued, not wanting to believe that her handsome Eli had gone through such a traumatic childhood.

Hugo remained silent for a while, lost in deep thought. “I wish he had escaped… but it was impossible,” he said. “The kingdom of Sumer is one of the greatest and most powerful on Earth, equipped with all sorts of magic and sorcery, as well as powerful weapons that no man in Malakh had ever beheld. That was why the high priest had to intervene with the help of our god, Elyon, who rode along in the form of fire that connected the clouds to the earth, twirling like a tornado.”

“Elyon…” Lyriel whispered, savoring the name on her lips. She had heard this same name from Fabian, and yet again, it intrigued and captivated her. “Sounds like a very powerful god.”

Hugo smiled faintly as he remembered the battle scene—one he would never forget.

“At that time, I was in the royal army and had the opportunity to go to war alongside the powerful priests of the temple and their Lords. The Sumerians thought they possessed the most powerful sorcerers and creatures the world had ever known. Their armies were immortal and could not be killed with ordinary blades. But when the priests of Elyon came riding at the forefront, bringing terrifying dark clouds as they approached, the Sumerians knew they had lost the war before it even began.”

“We, the royal army, who were not as powerful as the priests and were no match for a supernatural battle against the armies of Sumer, had only two options: stay aside and not get involved in the battle, or enter the kingdom and rescue the children. At first, I stood and watched the supernatural chaos unfolding, but I could not bear the terrifying sight. So I went with a few soldiers into the kingdom, which had lost its guards and was therefore unprotected.

At first, we were captivated by the extraordinary beauty of the kingdom. I saw things I had never imagined before... I don't know how to explain them to you, Lyriel. It was as though we had stepped into another world, where the impossible had become possible.

We eventually entered the prison cells where the children and young adults were enslaved, and we freed them. I searched specifically for Eli but did not find him. To this day, I do not know what they did to him or where they had taken him during the war.”

“But he’s right here with us,” Lyriel chipped in. “He’s currently living in the village. Why not ask him what happened?”

Hugo shook his head in disapproval. “Many years have passed, Lyriel. He does not even remember me. We were never that close in the first place. I was only a friend of his father, and I want it to remain that way.”

Hugo gazed intently at Lyriel as she furrowed her brows, unable to make sense of what he had just said.

“I have my reasons for not letting him know who I am, Lyriel. He has gone through much trauma and many transformations. You must be careful around him.”

Lyriel sighed deeply at what the old man had just told her. It truly bothered her. This was the second time she had been warned about Eli. Why was it so? Did having a very sad and traumatic childhood experience automatically make someone a bad person?

In fact, this was the moment when he needed to be loved and cared for the most—to fill the emptiness in his heart and show him what it truly meant to be loved.

Lyriel's emotions got the better of her, and she voiced out her thoughts.

“Don't you think it's now that he needs you most? He needs to know that someone truly loves and cares for him, and that he's not alone.”

Hugo shook his head gently, smiling at her innocence and kind heart.

“The world isn't as simple as you think, Lyriel. Some things are better left unspoken.”

Lyriel gazed at him for a moment. There was something about his words and the way he spoke that unsettled her heart. Was there something he wasn't telling her? Or was he misjudging Eli?

Eli had been nothing but a good and caring man who had saved her from the dangers of the forest and had given her food and shelter. He had never once harmed her or spoken badly to her.

Perhaps Hugo had to realize that one cannot simply judge another person based on their past experiences. They really had to see him for who he truly was, rather than judge him by what his childhood experiences might have turned him into.