Celestial Saga: Exiled To Earth III 12 Stage Twelve: Keon's Life

STAGE TWELVE: KEON'S LIFE

Freyja, Kirin and Alaric changed into the clothes the pirates lent them, so they won't stand out. "I hope you won't mind these shabby clothes. You all look affluent to be honest." Said the bearded old man beside Keon. "No! We're adventurers, so we're used to anything, really. We can even go naked! That's how versatile we are!" Freyja bragged, earning her a twist in the ear from Kirin. "I'm just joking, jeez."

"Anyway, thank you for letting us stay here for now. I guess we have to lay low from here on." Alaric said, sipping a cup of warm coffee.

They were given food, shelter, and a warm welcome by the pirates they first thought were dangerous. It turned out that six years ago, when Keon jumped off a cliff in the Aethelmaer manor, the waves washed him off to a nearby sh.o.r.e and was found by this band of pirates. Since then, he's joined their travels. The story of their travels was impressive, to say the least. They exchanged stories and experiences, and the mess hall was livelier than ever.

"You must have witnessed it yourself, young lady. Those people don't really care about anything but themselves. That town is a port, very well known for smuggling illegal weapons, psychedelics and many other products. The reason why we prey on them is because Keon hates those kinds of people. Haha." The old bearded pirate laughed. "We may be helping you, but keep in mind that we are pirates."

"Can't argue with the old man." Kirin commented, "Some people really deserve to die."

"Just look at how those cowards tried to kill us for the reward." Alaric joined in.

"That's disappointing. It reminds me of how things are back in my previous world. We have a lot of those in our agencies. Gosh, they're so corrupt and annoying, I should have… anyway," Freyja added, "Who do you think put the price tag on our heads? That's quite the bold move involving even Alaric."

"It was Ahrin or his men." Keon replied. "We've been hearing rumors about a young lady with pure white aura, it's even more likely that word reached Ahrin too. His underlings must have thought that if they hand you over to Ahrin, they will gain the favor of the Aethelmaer clan."

"We know that Ahrin won't just sit quietly after what we did. I killed father, we messed up the manor, beat most of his soldiers, and completely taken his defenses down. Of course, he'd be furious. He's just waiting for the proper time to strike… calm after the storm, period." Kirin interrupted.

"But that aside," The old pirate joined in, "Lately there has been strange creatures appearing out of nowhere. Tall, grey-skinned, crimson eyes. We've never seen those things before."

Kirin, Freyja and Alaric looked at each other, a very good guess about the 'strange creatures' the pirates were talking about. Even so, they kept quiet about it.

"Anyway, it's getting late. Once you finish eating, go ahead and rest for a while. You'll have to excuse the rooms, that's all we can give you."

As they thanked Keon and the pirates once more, they finished their meals and headed straight to their rooms to rest.

~ o 0 o ~

"Keon? I figured you'd be here." Freyja walked to the young pirate leader who's sitting on the s.h.i.+p's open deck under the full moon and sparkling stars in a clear night sky. Freyja took a deep breath, enjoying the cool breeze, before sitting beside him. "Hey, why did you run away yesterday? You were the one who saved me from the a.s.sa.s.sins, weren't you?"

"I didn't know what to do."

"You never change, I'm relieved." Freyja chuckled. "Now that I think about it, this reminds me of the first time we met in that cave. You were so p.r.i.c.kly and always running away from me. But…"

"But?"

"But you always come back." Tears started rolling down Freyja's eyes, a wide smile on her face. "I'm sorry, Keon. Sorry for leaving."

Keon hesitated at first, but he ended up gently touching her cheeks, wiping the trail of tears off. "Why do you always apologize? It's not your fault. What matters is that you're here again, right?" Keon's smile made Freyja blush, and she laughed. The last time she saw him, he was twelve and about the same height as hers. But now, he's much taller, his voice deeper, and his shoulders broader. If she hadn't known any better, he wouldn't recognize him. But he was Keon after all. His expressions, his mannerisms, everything about him is exactly the same Keon she knew.

Kirin was standing far behind the two, hiding behind a big crate. He was about to step forward to take Freyja and scold her for staying up late, but Alaric grabbed his arm. "Kirin, let them be. Freyja will feel better after spending time with your brother. We both know how worried she was about him. And don't you think Keon deserves time to catch up too?"

"I guess you're right."

Kirin looked over his shoulder, taking a last glance for the night. Freyja and Keon were laughing, as she started telling stories about what happened to her when she was 'resurrected.' Then, about Haia and their adventures. Keon too, told her about what happened to him. His life as a pirate, his battles, Ahrin, everything. They talked for so long, that Freyja didn't get a wink of sleep. Before they realized it, it was already sunrise. Freyja felt so warm and relieved, to see Keon's smile again. "Keon, no matter how much he's grown, is still the little Keon I know." She thought, staring at him with a smile. "Why are you staring at me like that?" Keon blushed, and turned his face away. "Thank you, Keon for being alive, and for treasuring my gift." She said, pointing at the rather tight bracelet wrapped around Keon's wrist. It was the first and only gift she gave him for his eleventh birthday. Seeing it around his wrist even after so many years pulled her heartstrings. "I'll adjust it for you." She untied the knots and loosened it before securing it with another knot.

"There you go!"

Keon's comrades couldn't believe what they're seeing. The stoic Keon they knew, has a wide smile on his face. "So, she's that Freyja…" One of the pirates whispered to another. "Yeah, that must be her!"

In the middle of the sea, the waves began to get rougher and stronger, but no dark clouds in sight. The pirate s.h.i.+p began to shake, harder and harder, as if something is under it! Alaric and Kirin ran to Freyja and Keon at once. "Lenfiare! I sense the presence of a phreinian!" Astrid alerted. They all stood on guard, but the s.h.i.+p just kept on shaking, with no enemy showing up.

"Sorry Keon, I'm going to scratch your s.h.i.+p a little." Alaric apologized before casting a powerful ice spell. The surrounding water froze and the shaking stopped. But much to their surprise, in a few seconds, the ice Alaric conjured cracked, and a gigantic shark like creature emerged.

"WHAT IS THAT!? That's not a shark, come on!" Freyja exclaimed, witnessing how a giant fish monster, with the lady she saw with Kirin riding it. "It's the woman that tried to kill me!" Kirin recognized her.

"Lenfiare of Celestia… I'll kill you, while you're still 'asleep.'"

And the lady's aura began to melt the rest of Alaric's ice.

~ o 0 o ~