Penelope stepped forward without hesitation, her emerald green eyes brimming fearlessly. ‘Yes, Father,’ she said slowly, pressing the bible given to her by the church tightly against her abdomen. ‘I seek to become an Acolyte.’

‘Do you truly wish to become a servant of God?’ the man asked. ‘Will you, with all your abilities, strive to help those in need and bring peace?’

‘Yes, I will Father,’ Penelope answered, her voice full of determination.

‘I accept your will to become an Acolyte. However, we will require you to prove your will. I believe you must’ve already been prepared for the trial of penance,’ the man said. Penelope nodded in return, the man smiled gently at his young disciple. ‘Very well, Penelope. Please follow me.’

As the man lead Penelope towards another door at the back, she turned around to take another glance at her friends, who gave her thumbs ups and words of motivation. Cedric watched as Penelope turned her back towards them, her long silky hair bouncing gracefully behind her as she disappeared behind the door. He could feel her air of resolve still lingering in the room, somehow uplifting his spirit and leaving him feeling at ease.

‘She’ll make it through,’ Cedric smiled. ‘I’m sure of it.’

The remaining three of them decided to give Aalaiyah a tour of Prontera. It was heartening to see Aalaiyah fascinated by every little thing they showed her. She ocean green eyes would light up as they turned at every corner, revealing a much bigger walkway than before. Hirei reckoned that Aalaiyah was from a wealthy family who were overly protective of their only daughter. Cedric on the other hand, had other things on his mind rather than speculating how much fortune Aalaiyah might have.

‘Are you sure you’re alright, Ced?’ Hirei asked, annoyed that his friend has ignored him since they bought some ice-cream from the market area near the centre fountain. ‘You want to look for your brother, right?’

At the mention of his brother, Cedric raised his head from his half melted ice-cream, leaving a trail of vanilla down his lips. Hirei smirked mockingly, but offered a tissue to his friend. ‘You know, you should have reminded us earlier. You can always go back home and check out on your brother,’ said Hirei, who took the ice-cream from Cedric’s hand and helped wipe the cream off his cheeks. ‘I’ll walk Aalaiyah around town. We can meet back at the Prontera Church and wait up for Penelope later.’

‘Thanks buddy!’ Cedric leapt and gave Hirei a big bear hug. Waving goodbye, he ran towards the residential area where his house was located. He used to race down this street with his brother since he was little, and the first one reaching the training court yard of the former Swordsman Guild would get a bigger serving of Mrs. Kusano’s homemade ramen. His brother would always be in the lead, being twelve years older and much fitter than he is. However, due to Cedric’s persistence, he would never allow Caleb to take him easily or offer handicaps during their races, which resulted in him having to eat a smaller bowl of ramen while Caleb and Hirei both enjoyed larger bowls(he insisted). He never complained about this though, as Caleb would always offer Cedric his fishcakes, making the lost worthwhile. Cedric’s adrenaline was rushing even as he ran alone down the quiet street, feeling as if his brother was right ahead of him.

‘Caleb!’ Cedric busted through the door of their single storey home, their ordinary furniture were sitting suspiciously in their original places. Cedric’s eyes darted back and forth, his heart beating faster. It was always silent in the Spencer’s residence, but the stillness and lack of Caleb’s presence sent stones down Cedric’s throat. Slowly, he walked into the dining area where a paper sat innocently upon the table, weighed down by a strength amplifying ring. Struck by panic, Cedric took the paper and read the familiar, tiny writing of Caleb’s.

Dear Cedric,

By the time you read this, you must’ve already become a Novice. Congrats! You’ve finally accomplished your childhood wish! I wish I could’ve been there to see you in your new outfit.

You must be wondering where am I. I am deeply sorry, Cedric… At this moment, I might not be in Prontera anymore, maybe even far away from here. I have received an assignment from the Chivalry and was asked to leave immediately. I cannot spare you any more details, as this is a classified assignment. I might be away for a very long time – months, maybe even years. I could not bring myself to tell you about my departure. I don’t know when I will be able to see you again, but do know that I’ll always be thinking and praying that Odin will guide you on your journey of Knighthood. Do not worry about me, and allow your friends to care for you. Cherish them, for they will be important in your journey. I can rest easy knowing that you will be in good hands. I have faith in you, and we will meet in the future. Don’t forget our promises, because I’ll return and join you on your journey.

I’ll miss you Cedric. No matter what happens, you’ll always be my little brother.

Love, your brother,
Caleb.

Cedric slipped down onto the floor, mouth gapping, all breath taken out of his lungs. He could not give his brain enough time to digest the contents of his brother’s writings. However, Cedric could not bear to read the letter again. He was always understanding when it came to his brother’s actions, and it was not the first time Caleb was leaving home on a mission. But this time, he knew it was not the same; he could tell that Caleb was hiding something from him, and even if the blessings of the letter were genuine, not everything in it were truths.

Caleb was never a good liar when faced with Cedric; Caleb’s colleagues would always use Cedric as a lie detector when they want to dig into his personal affairs. “Cedric! Ask him if he’s with that Kafra girl!” or “Do you think your brother likes short-haired or long-haired girls better?” they would ask him. A part of Cedric have seen this parting coming, since his brother gave him the brown, wrapped object before he left for the Novice Training Grounds. He could tell from Caleb’s speech, from Caleb’s face and eyes. Cedric had just simply decided to stay naïve and ignore it. He suddenly wished he was not able to tell if Caleb was being untruthful, then he would not have to be weighed down with the thought, or to have to act in denial just to protect the great image of their brotherhood. Cedric curled up on the freshly cleaned kitchen floor, cowering and hiding as his eyes started to tear up, half wishing that his brother would barge into the house and told him it was all a joke, and then his warm laughter would fill up the room, and they would dine out to celebrate Cedric becoming a Novice…

***

‘Cedric?’

Cedric was awoken by Penelope’s angelic voice. He had to use all his effort to open his tear-filled eye, finding himself facing the ceiling, three worried looking faces overlooking him. Quickly, Cedric wiped off the sweat and tears from his face and sat up straight. It seems that he had fallen asleep for almost three hours, Penelope already wearing a cream and pink garment of the female Acolytes, a muffler resting delicately on her shoulders a cross decorating the clasp. Cedric apologized for his disappearance as Hirei started throwing him questions. Cedric tried his best to explain the situation to them in the least words possible and without risking his brain exploding from thinking about it.

‘Is that it?’ Hirei frowned, disappointed. ‘I’m so sorry to hear that, I wished Caleb could’ve joined us. It’d be nice having a Knight with us.’

Cedric shook his head and smiled bitterly. ‘He wouldn’t want us to worry like this. He’ll be fine, and so should we.’

‘I’d really like to have met your brother, Cedric,’ said Aalaiyah. ‘But all that matters now is that you’re okay.’

Cedric did not want to discuss about it further, as all that needs to be discussed has already been said. ‘Hey… It’s already night now. Why don’t we eat out and celebrate us becoming Novices and Penelope passing her Acolytes test? Then we could sleep over at my house and leave tomorrow morning.’

Hirei, noticing where Cedric is heading, tried his best to lighten up the mood and change the topic of conversation. The rest had no objections, and they carried on with their celebration and ended the night over at the Cedric’s house, all these with one less Spencer with them.

***

‘Have you gotten all the stuff we need?’ asked Hirei the next morning while polishing his stiletto. Aalaiyah was attempting to make them toast with Penelope’s help as Cedric had just came in through the door, balancing a large basket of potions, fly wings and other needs.

‘I sold all the loot Penelope collected for us,’ Cedric said, laying down the groceries beside his rucksack. ‘We might have to raise more money though, depending on the distance of our travels.’

‘Penelope has already gotten some funds from her mum – oh, thanks Aalaiyah,’ Hirei said while Aalaiyah laid down a plate of toast on the table. Hirei grabbed one(‘Itadakimasu!’ he cried) and chomped it up, looking happy with its taste, spreading a satisfied grin across Aalaiyah’s face. ‘I’m gonna go home and pack up some of my other stuff later. Probably get some zennies from okasan too.’

Labels: NaNoMadness, The Eminent Guardians