The Sundering

Chapter Two

(Leena’s PoV)

5 years later…

“Meat!! Eggs!!”

“Ten stark fruits, please!!”

The air in Dulakhan has always been the same—sandalwood, incense, and the scent of metal spreading everywhere. It has been five years since I was brought to this dull planet, yet I still cannot comprehend whether I’m a guest or a slave. They call us ‘Free Captives’ or ‘Aliens’, a title that sounds poetic and foreign until you live it yourself.

“Hey, Elf! Want some duhak eggs? It’s only three silvers each!!” I shake my head to the vendor who’s selling duhak eggs before walking past his stall. Duhak creatures are large birds that is used by the giants for sky transport, and their eggs are sold through the markets because one egg can last three days for a small elf like me.

I am a free alien captive for a reason; I am free to roam around the planet, I can work and get paid, I can buy whatever I want, I can eat whatever I want. There are no chains on my limbs, no curfews, no guards following me wherever I go. But there is a line with that freedom. After all, I am still a captive.

“Hey!” I quickly turn around when a Dulas giant bumped into me. “Sorry, sorry! I wasn’t looking!” I yelled so she can hear since I’m shorter than her.

Dulas can do whatever they want from us, whether to grab us as slaves, sell us in the markets, take us to their homes, and……make us their mates. Yes, we do have freedom to live, but there’s this silver band wrapped around our upper arm that screams, ‘Yes, we are the alien captives from outer space! Yes, we are not Dulas! Yes, you can do whatever you want!’ Tss…I hate it. I’d prefer the chains that this stupid arm band.

I am stuck here, along with the other alien captives from the other planets. I am confined inside the atmosphere of Dulakhan for years. It makes me heave a sigh every time I look up in the night sky, seeing those stars every night thinking one of them is my forest planet.

“One bread, please. And three large iron cookies, thank you.” I said to the baker selling stone breads ‘cause it’s hard as a rock, and iron cookies because they are cooked inside an iron oven. After putting the bread and cookies inside my basket and pay for it, I walk ahead.

We, though are captives, can have access to almost everything…except space transportation. Space transportation is the only way we can escape this dreadful planet, but no one has ever done it before and no one has ever made it out. So, we can eat Duhak eggs but we never ride them since that’s the air transportation of this planet, even in space.

“Leena!” I turned around from the meat stall where I’m choosing my meat stack for the next month when I heard someone calling for me. Then I saw my friend from the planet Corallis running towards me.

“Reef! I told you not run during daytime!” I scolded him gently as he halts in front of me and pants heavily, making me chuckle. “I know you’re a knight in Corallis, and a very fast runner. But this is nothing like your planet. Your strength is slowed down here, and if you force yourself to be fast, you’re gonna make yourself sick.”

“Well…I just…Hoo…Hold on, let me just—” I just chuckled again as Reef try to catch his breath deeply before standing straight. “Hoo! Anyway, I was looking for you since earlier.”

“Me? Why? You know I’m at the market every sunrise to shop.” I raise my basket full of meat and bread.

“Well…The Announcement Board is up.” I froze when I heard what he said. ‘Announcements? Why too soon?’

“Isn’t the announcement supposed to be posted in two months? Why did they post it so soon?” Reef and I walk back towards the Alien Village, where all the alien captives lived peacefully without any Dulas walking and stomping around us all day. He leaned closer to me and whispered,

“I talked to the Dulas guards of the village. They said the Khantra Game will be moved.”

“What? Why are they moving the games?” I asked confusedly as I put down my basket in the front door of my house. “The Khantra haven’t been done in advance before. Why are they rushing it now?” I added.

“Well, some says that it’s because the Stillborn Flame is gonna be participating this time.” ‘Wait…the Stillborn Flame?’

“That Dulas who hasn’t been mated for almost 600 years, never had his thravesk glowing, who has never in a relationship before, is going to participate this time? How so?” I asked again feeling confused and uneasy at some point.

“Some speculated that his thravesk flickered, some says it’s a rumor, but I don’t know.” I sighed before the two of us went inside the main hall of the aliens like us where we can see a large board that’ll show us the names of the aliens who will participate as runners in the Khantra game.

“Leena!” I turn my head to where I heard a voice calling me and smiled when I saw this little dwarf running towards me. Her name is Istire, she’s from the planet of Arenis, the desert planet. She has the same age as me, but not the same height. But she is very agile and can blend in perfectly well.

“Istire! Where have you been?” I asked her. “Well, just here and there. You know the Dulas always keeps the dwarves in the farm to tend to their animals. Have you heard the news?” I smiled at her and nodded my head.

Then a bell rang and the board was filled with names. ‘‘Jules… Caroline… Delisao… Vivid… Harold…Christine…Timra…Jusnip…What kind of name is that?!’

I was busy searching for my name when I felt my silver arm band tightening. “Ahh…” I softly whimpered. This band has been in my right arm since I arrived here in the planet. Based on my knowledge, if an alien’s silver arm band tightens, it means his/her Dulas mate is nearby. I quickly turn around to see some Dulas men hurdling around before Reef and Istire pulled me away.

“I saw our names here, Leena! Come on!” Reef told me as he drags me to the other side. And there I saw my name next to Reef’s. “I didn’t see mine, Reef.” I look down at Istire.

“Oh, that’s because you’ve been here only 6 months early so, you still have long way to go before the Dulas Council notice you. Leena here took 5 years to blend in before she was chosen.” Reef told her before I gave them a forced smile.

I look at my name up the board and sigh. Then my arm band tightens again. “Ah…” I glance at Istire and Reef if they noticed me flinching, and gladly they didn’t. I massaged my aching arm before turning around. ‘Why is my armband keep acting up?’ I tried looking around again but there’s no Dulas around with their thravesk glowing near me. I sighed again before I replied to Reef and Istire.

“Even if I tried not to be picked, here I am…”