"...What?"
The boy's reaction confused Tori.
Or rather, his lack of reaction did.
"...That's it?" she thought.
"...I expected him to start crying or at least make a scene."
"...But he did not react at all!"
Tori felt perplexed. The boy's reaction wasn't natural.
In her mind, there had to be a reason. Even if someone were okay with being imprisoned for the rest of their lives, they would still feel a sense of regret or distress.
Yet, he showed none of that. He remained silent.
"...As a matter of fact, he has not said a single word yet. What is wrong with him?"
Numerous questions popped up in Tori's mind. Before they could make her head spin, she spoke up...
"My child, may I ask you something?"
The boy raised his head, meeting Tori's worried gaze.
He nodded.
"We have been talking for quite a while now, but you still have not said anything."
"Crystal told me you refused to talk when you first met, and even when I treated you, you did not speak once."
"We assumed it was because you were badly injured, but even now you are still quiet."
"Is something wrong?"
"I know that everything we have told you is hard to understand and that it can be unbearably traumatic, but you can speak your mind."
"It's okay dear, let it all out, we are here for you."
The young boy stared blankly at Tori.
His lips stayed shut.
No answer.
"Hmm... still nothing huh?"
Even reassurance proved to be useless. Although Tori empathized with him, she couldn't help but feel a little frustrated with the situation. She wanted to help the boy, but he kept closing himself away every time. It just felt like plain stubbornness at this point.
However, Tori knew getting angry would solve nothing. Yelling would only push the boy further away.
One must have patience. If not now, it'll happen eventually.
"That's okay my child, if you do not want to talk right now, I will not force you."
"But just know that you can come to any of us whenever you feel ready."
Crystal and Goreas smiled in agreement.
Sensing the conversation nearing its end, the boy got up from his chair.
He looked at Tori and pointed to the entrance door.
"Uh...you want to leave?"
He nodded.
"Okay...sure, you can go out for a bit to...clear out your thoughts."
The young boy then bowed. Everyone at the table took it as a sign of gratitude.
"Just don't wander off too far all right?"
Thud!
As soon as she finished the sentence, the door closed.
Tori let out a deep sigh.
"Poor boy, he didn't ask for any of this yet he is facing the consequences of his people's past. Who knows how he is feeling right now."
"I am not sure even he knows honey, maybe we should leave him alone for a bit." Goreas replied softly, caressing his wife's shoulder.
"But I just cannot bear leaving him like that! There must be something else we can do."
The Dreemurrs spent several minutes talking; thinking of ways to aid the young boy.
Multiple ideas were given, but none seemed like they would work.
15 minutes went by. Still no solution.
Accepting that nothing could be done, the family concluded that giving the boy some time was the best option.
Not everyone agreed though. One member grew impatient.
"Mama, can I go talk to him?!" Crystal jumped from her chair.
"Huh?" The sudden explosiveness startled Tori.
"Are you sure my dear?"
"Yes, I'm sure! I could be wrong, but I feel he's more at ease when it's just me around."
"Maybe I can get him to open up a little."
Tori wasn't convinced. Talking to the boy again felt counterintuitive. After all, he just asked to be alone.
"Please, Mama!"
The look on Crystal's face wasn't new to Tori. After all, that look caused her some pretty memorable headaches in the past. Persistence. Once her mind is set on one thing, nothing will deter her from that. No amount of reasoning will work.
Tori thought intensely about her daughter's request. That only lasted for about 5 seconds before she gave up entirely. Even if she said no, Crystal would bother her nonstop until she obliged. Either way, her daughter would get what she wants.
"*sigh* Fine. You can go."
"Really?!"
"Just don't be too pushy all right?"
"Don't worry, I'll go easy on him I promise!"
"Thank you, Mama, I love you!"
Slam!
"*sigh*, what will I do with these kids?" Her head dropped to the table.
Goreas comforted his resigned wife with a not-so-hidden smirk on his face.
"Pfft, it will be okay honey, have faith in our little girl."
***
Near the Dreemurr's house, an old black tree rested near a small pond.
The tree never had any leaves on it. Every time some grew, they fell right off like the others. Over the years, red leaves began surrounding the tree's roots leaving no empty spaces. Some even fell into the pond, quietly floating on its clear surface.
The young boy sat silently beside the tree, staring at the pond. The water was so lucid it seemed to glow.
Creak, creak.
Sounds of leaves crackling approached.
"Mind if I sit with you for a bit?"
Crystal settled down next to the boy. Leaves rustled under her knees.
The two youths admired the pond for a few minutes. No words were exchanged.
Crystal wanted to talk but didn't know how to begin the conversation. She knew it was a difficult topic to discuss, so diving headfirst into it felt like the wrong approach.
"...Remember, not too pushy." Her mother's advice echoed in her head.
"I've always liked this place, it's a nice relaxing spot. When I was little, I always took naps here after playing."
"Sometimes animals joined me, and we would all sleep close to each other. Kinda like an outdoor sleepover."
"You should try it sometimes; the leaves are so soft. They're like pillows, and the water's noises are super relaxing."
"..."
"So... how are you feeling?"
Small talk wasn't going to bring in any results. Despite Tori's advice, Crystal asked what bothered her the most.
"..."
As expected, no reply. The young boy continued to stare at the pond.
"Your reaction confused me you know. Are you really ok with all of this?"
"..."
His hollow eyes stood motionless.
Awaiting a proper response from him was just plain delusion. Nevertheless, she had to keep trying.
The main issue was his silence. Knowing why he refused to speak bothered Crystal almost as much as how he felt.
If asking about his current state of mind wouldn't work. Perhaps understanding its origin could bring him to reveal something.
"Did...something happen on the surface for you to be like this? For you to stop speaking?"
A few seconds passed by.
The boy had yet to look at Crystal once. His eyes were still focused on the lucid water.
However, he nodded.
At last, an answer. A vague one, but it was a start. Finally getting a response motivated Crystal to ask more questions.
"Do you plan on ever speaking again?"
The boy shook his head instantly. It seemed he wanted to make that point particularly clear.
Not speaking for a long period wasn't a foreign concept to Crystal. In fact, she had already heard of something similar once or twice before.
"Is it like a vow of silence? I know they exist, but I didn't think people actually did them."
He nodded, answering just as quickly as his last reply.
Getting this much information from a wannabe mute should've already been considered a mission success, but the princess had one last question. It sounded improbable and even she considered it a stretch. However, given the circumstances, it was worth the shot.
"Is the reason you stopped speaking...related to you falling here?"
One could have criticized Crystal for her odd choice of questions, but ultimately, even the oddest ones led to some kind of answer in the end.
A pause ensued.
The young boy nodded for the final time.
"I see."
"So, something happened on the surface that made you vow to never speak again. Which then led to you getting here."
"I understand now. Thank you."
Crystal had a lot she wanted to say. She tried putting herself in the boy's shoes, but being a mute for the rest of her life wasn't something she could picture herself doing.
What kind of tragedy did this boy go through for him to give up on such an essential part of being human?
Crystal bit her lip, stopping herself from saying any mean-spirited words.
"I...I'm not going to judge your decision. I don't have the right to do so. After all, we barely know each other."
"You made a choice and I'm going to respect it. I won't ask you to speak anymore."
"But...since we'll be living together from now on..."
"Can I please just know your name?"
Silence again.
Then for the first time, the young boy looked at the princess. She wore that same saddened frown she had when they first met.
He turned to his left and grabbed a small branch from the ground. Using that branch, the boy began scribbling on the dirt.
Rustle, rustle.
Crystal watched intently as his hand moved back and forth.
Letters slowly accumulated, forming a name.
The name of the Fallen.
[RAZIEL]
"Raziel. That's..."
"Such a beautiful name!"
Crystal jolted forward, getting so close to him that their faces were inches apart. The boy's cheeks reddened slightly.
"It's nice to meet you Raziel! Thank you for opening up to me!"
"I hope to be great friends with you!" Her shining smile never ceased to get old.
Despite everything Raziel had experienced these last 2 days, he was happy he managed to befriend such a cheerful person in the end.
The two started laughing. This time, both did so out of joy.
And so, the story of the fallen angel truly began. Adapting to his new life underground surrounded by magical beings and rocky skies.
"...She's nice."
CHAPTER END.