RAIWAN AGAINST THE DIVINE

Chapter 23: A Song of Sorrow and Secrets

Abril wrapped his arm around Raiwan's neck. "Come on, I'll tell you everything on the way."

Malina nodded. "Yes, we should get going before it gets dark."

Everyone agreed, and they began their journey back home.

As they walked, Abril cleared his throat, his gaze drifting to the starry sky. There was a hint of nostalgia in his voice as he said,

"I'd say you felt it before—when you touched the carvings and even the bark. They're as hard as diamond. For some reason, even enchanted weapons can't cut through them."

Raiwan nodded at the first statement but was surprised by the second. "Then how did you…?" His eyes glistened with curiosity.

Abril smiled at his reaction. "Yes, that is our secret."

He glanced at Malina and then at Sulail. They were all smiling, lost in the same cherished memory. It was a moment of triumph—their first grand success. The feeling of achieving something no one had ever done before.

Abril continued,

"When Princess Sia released her first song, Fated to Hate, Destined to Love, the world was in an uproar. So were we. The song, its melody, its melancholy... Everyone was stunned by her talent, though it had much to do with her ability."

Raiwan smiled, recalling the song. It was one of his favorites—a heartbreaking tale of a princess who hated the one she loved. It was a song that could make anyone cry.

"At the time, we thought Sia would be remembered forever for that song," Abril went on. "She was our age, yet she had already achieved something so grand. 'Can we do something like that too? I want to be remembered,' Malina said."

Abril glanced at Malina before resuming,

"We all wanted that. But what could we do? What could we achieve on a scale even remotely close to Sia's? So, we brainstormed."

He patted Sulail on the shoulder. "Sulail here had a brilliant idea: 'What if we inscribed our names on the Wyrdhoards? Carve them so large that anyone who sets foot in this kingdom would see them.' It was a bold idea, and we went for it."

Abril took a deep breath. **"Every day, we came to the Wyrdhoards, trying to figure out how to accomplish what seemed impossible. But we knew that nothing was truly impossible—after all, even the word itself has 'possible' in it. We never gave up. We tried everything we could think of, but it was all futile.

Until one sunny day…"**

Abril shot a knowing look at Malina and Sulail, both of whom suddenly looked shy. Raiwan immediately noticed, and his curiosity grew.

"One day," Abril continued, grinning, "Sulail decided it was a perfect day and a perfect place… to confess his love to Malina!"

"What!" Raiwan burst into laughter at the sight of Sulail and Malina's embarrassed faces. Abril joined in.

Malina pouted and walked ahead, while Sulail could only endure the teasing and keep walking with them.

When the laughter died down, Abril continued, "Malina was eating at the time. When she heard him, she got so flustered that she threw her spoon at him in frustration. She missed, of course—but the silver spoon struck the bark of the tree and got stuck."

"That's serendipitous!" Raiwan exclaimed.

Abril and Sulail nodded. "Yeah, but there was still a problem," Abril said. "The moment Sulail pulled the spoon out, the tree healed itself."

Raiwan nodded thoughtfully. That made sense. Many trees were known for their healing properties, and the Wyrdhoards were among the most magnificent and mysterious he had ever seen.

Abril continued, "That became another puzzle we had to solve. It took us a long time. But thanks to Malina, we finally found the answer. She suggested researching weaknesses of magical plants and testing them on the Wyrdhoards."

Abril turned to Raiwan, eyes twinkling. "Guess what worked?"

Raiwan smirked. "What?"

"A mixture of garlic and black salt."

Raiwan chuckled. "Patience and persistence can achieve almost anything. Your persistence paid off in the end."

Abril and Sulail nodded. "Yeah… it did."

"But come on, Abril—silver, garlic… are you sure those giants weren't just giant vampires?" Raiwan joked.

They all laughed.

"That would've been a catastrophe," Sulail muttered between chuckles.

They continued chatting all the way home. When they arrived, Sulail and Abril waved at Raiwan before heading to their respective houses.

Inside, Raiwan and Malina found that Manika wasn't around.

"She must have gone to Sulail's or Abril's," Malina said.

They were exhausted anyway, so they went straight to their rooms. Raiwan took another bath before collapsing onto his bed.

Nightfall

Raiwan was awoken by Manika shaking him. "Get up, it's time for supper."

"I'll be right behind y—ARGH!" he yelped as she pinched him.

"Come on, I'm not leaving until you get up." Manika declared.

Raiwan groggily opened one eye, just in time to see her hand reaching for his face again. He shot up from the bed, dodging the incoming pinch.

"Now you'll be behind me!" she said triumphantly, leaving the room.

Raiwan exhaled heavily and dragged himself to the toilet. A few minutes later, he emerged and found the rest of the family already seated at the dining table.

Ankas was back.

As they ate, Malina suddenly said, "Father, we went into the woods today. We showed Raiwan the Wyrdhoards, and he wants to carve his name above mine. When you have time, can you increase the height of the ladder?"

At the mention of the woods, Ankas froze. He slowly set down his spoon.

Manika and Raiwan exchanged glances. Something was troubling him.

After a long pause, he finally spoke. "Actually… I want you all to stay away from the woods for now."

Manika frowned. "Did something happen?"

Ankas nodded. "The border knights have been reporting a drastic increase in beasts around this area. Today, one of their teams was ambushed. Everyone who went to the hunting grounds was killed."

Silence fell over the table.

"Until the castle takes action and clears the beasts out, you must avoid the woods," Ankas warned.

Malina's eyes widened. "Mayfrin… Was Mayfrin among them? Is he dead?"

Ankas sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, dear."

Malina's face crumpled as tears welled up in her eyes. A soft, sorrowful sob escaped her lips.

Manika reached for her hand, gently caressing it. "I'm so sorry. Pray for him and be strong, okay?" she whispered.

Raiwan looked at Malina with sympathy before turning to Ankas. "Who was Mayfrin?"

"A friend she met in the woods. They had grown close—they always talked when they met. He even wanted his name carved beside hers on the Wyrdhoards."

Malina let out a broken sob. "We just saw him a few hours ago… He warned me not to die, and now he's gone."

Raiwan closed his eyes. "May death be his peace."

"May the gods grant him rest," Ankas and Manika said in unison.

Malina cried harder at the reminder of that simple yet painful memory.

That night, they finished dinner not with full stomachs, but with heavy hearts—burdened not by food, but by the cruel reminder of mortality. A table once filled with laughter now carried only black sorrow.