9
Kassius
Four hundred years is a long time.
That’s what I’d come to realize as we stepped inside town. Except “town” wasn’t quite the right word anymore - Cinderhollow had grown to the size of a small city.
Many buildings and structures I recognized, unchanged from back then, and others were fixed or changed, or added-on to somehow. It was a surreal experience, to be back again. It was almost like we never left.
Halo and I walked right in, questioned by nobody. I assumed once you were past the barrier, you were free to go as you pleased. Not a single Knight, or anything resembling one, blocked our path.
It was so… free.
We stood now in a square with a fountain in the center. The very same one where I met Halo for the first time. The marble dragon statue on top of the fountain stood, unchanged except for weathering from the elements.
Halo hadn’t spoken a word since we arrived. He was too busy being in awe, taking in the sights and tearing up. The love was crystal clear in his eyes.
He loves Cinderhollow,I thought.Anybody could see that. That’s the reason he created the barrier in the first place. To protect it.
And he created it with the magic we hated so much.
I glanced at Halo, and realized he looked small among the people of present day Cinderhollow. His slender body, small even for most omegas, was nearly lost among the crowd around the fountain.
And nobody was afraid of him.
In my day, not a single person would get too close to him. They were frightened by both his powers and his defiant omega attitude, thinking maybe that associating with him would get them in trouble with the Knights.
But now, nobody even seemed to notice him. His mere presence brought no attention to himself; he was just another member of the tribe.
Halo made eye contact with me, and I could tell by his expression that he was thinking the exact same thing. He threw his hands up in a gesture that said,Isn’t this awesome?
“Are you seeing this?” Halo asked quietly. “Nobody cares about us! I mean, in a good way, like, they’re not chasing us out with pitchforks or anything.”
“No,” I agreed. “I doubt they even know who we are.”
“Well, of course they don’t know you, butI’mfamous,” Halo said with a grin. “But I guess it’s been too long for anyone to know what I look like.”
“Yes, that detail must have been lost to time,” I mumbled. Despite the easy atmosphere and the lack of anyone openly trying to attack us, I was still unsure. I wanted to stay on guard, just in case. I glanced over my shoulder, half expecting someone to be staring at us with evil intent. But there was no such person.
“Look, even the money’s the same!” Halo exclaimed, leaning down to pick up a gold coin from the bottom of the fountain.
“Hey, you!”
I froze at the sharp voice. An older woman wearing scrubs and a cross expression stormed over to Halo, and I instantly tensed, ready for a confrontation.
“Huh?” Halo asked. His magic had only returned enough to light a small fire - any involvement in a big fight was far out of the question. I rushed to his side, ready to defend him.
Then, as the woman stopped in front of us, I realized how ridiculous I was being. She was almost elderly, barely taller than Halo, and would have looked kindly if she wasn’t frowning.Andshe was wearing hospital scrubs. Was I really going to fight her off? I felt embarrassed with myself. Living in a cave for so long apparently caused me to forget how to act civilly.
“What do you kids think you’re doing?” the woman asked, pointing to the coin in-between Halo’s fingers.
“I’m not akid,” Halo argued.
The woman cocked an eyebrow. “Are you a dragon?”
Halo blinked. “Yes.”
She waved him off. “Bah. The ones who look likeyounever are more than a few decades hold. I’ll stop calling you a kid once you’re at least one hundred.”
