RAIWAN AGAINST THE DIVINE

Chapter 15: The Path of Known & Unknown

Raiwan ate the ghost eggs, savoring their divine flavor. "Good, but not as good as Mum's," he mumbled to himself.

Each ghost egg was the size of a man's fist, azure in color, and tasted like heavenly meat—more delicious than any kind of meat he had ever eaten. And their aroma… it was one of the finest scents in the world.

Raiwan scooped a spoonful and brought it to his mouth, letting the soft texture melt on his tongue as he closed his eyes in bliss.

One great thing about ghost eggs, he thought, was that you didn't need to chew them like real meat. Being eggs, they were naturally tender and soft.

He enjoyed the meal immensely, his worries momentarily eased by Malina's earlier words. At least for now. The word kept ringing in his ears—brother—and he couldn't help but smile each time he recalled it.

Malina entered the room again just as Raiwan was finishing his meal, a glass of water in her hand.

She placed the glass on the bedside table, pulled up a stool, and sat opposite him.

Raiwan gestured toward his plate with his spoon. "Want to join?"

She shook her head. "I've already eaten mine," she replied.

"This fast?" Raiwan asked in surprise, noting that he still had half a ghost egg left on his plate.

Malina blushed slightly. "Well… I was in a hurry to come and talk to you!"

Raiwan went quiet for a moment before asking, "Don't you have brothers, sisters, or… friends?"

Her eyes sparkled. "I do—Abril and Sulail. They're my friends. I'll introduce you to them tomorrow." She hesitated, her eyes dimming momentarily, but then she sighed and continued, her voice cheerful again. "But I don't have a brother or sister… until now."

Raiwan was about to respond, but she cut him off, her excitement bubbling over. "I've asked Mum countless times to give me a little brother or sister, but she always says, when it's time. I wonder when that will be!"

Raiwan placed his now-empty plate on the bedside table. "At least your mum is kind. Mine would just tell me to dream on. Gods, she was merciless."

Malina chimed in, "Yes, they can be. Maybe they don't understand how painful it is to feel all alone."

"I agree!" Raiwan said, and they continued chatting.

Back in the parlor, Manika could hear them laughing and talking. She chuckled quietly to herself.

'These two, you're getting along with each other quickly, aren't you? Well… you have each other for now. But only for now. There's no way you can remain by a sovereign child's side forever, darling.'she thought as she sipped her tea. 'Their destinies don't intertwine with ours—not like this.'

The conversation between Malina and Raiwan carried on late into the night. Since they had slept most of the day, neither felt even a hint of sleepiness.

Manika, however, was impressed. She had assumed they wouldn't have much to talk about, them being strangers to each other. But they surprised her. It was as if they could talk all night.

I never knew my daughter was such a chatterbox, she mused, shaking her head.

Finally, Manika stood up and walked to the room. She opened the door slowly, and two pairs of eyes immediately turned to her.

"Hey, you two, it's already late. Get dressed and go to bed," she said. As she mentioned "dressed," her eyes lingered on Raiwan, realizing he didn't have any proper sleeping clothes. She made a mental note of that with a sigh and ordered Malina to leave Raiwan alone.

The two bid each other goodnight, and Malina closed the door behind her.

Malina went to her room while Manika returned to the parlor to wait for her husband, who would never come—no matter how long she waited.

Yawning, she finally stood up. "You can stay out all night for all I care," she muttered, pouting as she made her way to her room.

Raiwan, however, was still awake. He had been waiting for Manika to leave the parlor. He had no intention of escaping through the main door and causing any alarm. As soon as he believed the household was asleep, he made his move.

Quietly, he opened the window of his ground-floor room. It was large enough for him to slip through easily. After stepping out, he closed it gently behind him.

The azure moon hung high in the sky, its glow illuminating the town's landscape. Multicolored stars—blue, green, crimson, gray, silver, gold, purple, brown—dotted the heavens, pointing toward known and unknown destinations. The sight of countless falling stars added to the enchantment.

Raiwan took a deep breath. The sky is peaceful, but the land, turbulent.

The beauty of the sky made it easy to see his surroundings. He realized the house was the last one in town; beyond it lay only forest.

And no forest in Subraata was safe.

Raiwan knew that all too well. He had experienced the truth of that saying many times.

It struck him then: "Where do I even go?" He had nowhere to go.

Still, he didn't want to remain there. He faced the forest and began walking into its depths, aimless but determined. The night was already half over.

The forests in Subraata no matter how small were always danger zones. They teamed with all sorts of nightmares.

But still, Raiwan believed them to be safer than the town he knew nothing about. He could guess the worst that could happen in the bushes, but not in the town.

Every city is different from the other. For example, enemies could be spotted before the even step their foots back in San Raza.

Who knew, what this city had, who controls it?

As he walked, he looked up at the sky. "There you are!" he whispered, spotting the Star of the Known and the Star of the Unknown.

Although the sky was filled with stars, Raiwan always found those two easily. 'Because you engraved them in my mind, Mum.'

Astronomers knew little about the stars, and even less about these two. His mother had known only fragments herself, but he remembered her words clearly: Follow the Known and Unknown stars, and you'll find yourself exactly where you should be.

'Is this the right thing to do? I don't even know where I'm going.'

'But I have to go. I will not let that dream come true'

***

Not far from the house, Malina's father sat on a swing he had built for Malina, lost in thought. His wife's words from earlier rang in his ears.

"She was right," he muttered with a rueful smile. "I just hate it when she has more foresight than me."

Movement caught his eye. A figure darting toward the forest, slipping away in the moonlight. His heart dropped.

"Was that… someone leaving my house?" He was already running before the thought finished.

Bursting through the door, he rushed to Malina's room. She was sound asleep, her peaceful face easing his panic slightly. But as he turned toward their room, dread clawed at his chest.

He ran into their bedroom, breathless.

"What happened?" Manika asked, startled.

"It's… it's... it's nothing," he stammered.

Manika narrowed her eyes, sensing his unease. "What happened, Ankas? Why would come in like that then? You scared me half to death you know!"

He explained what he'd seen, chuckling nervously at his own paranoia. But Manika wasn't laughing.

"Did you check on Raiwan?" she asked.

Ankas froze then shook his head "No…"

Manika bolted for the guest room, Ankas close behind his thoughts guilty, "Ankas you are selfish, you are selfish! How could you only think about your family?"

Manika flung the door open—and then... She froze.

The room was empty.

"Gods," she whispered, her voice trembling.