Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He knew he shouldn’t have acted.

The dryad that was currently hosting him had warned against standing out, but he acted before he could think. 

“You need to lay low for now, or you won’t be trusted.” The man said “This is the second time a monster has appeared in this kingdom since your arrival.”

His golden eyes had shifted to look at the back of Yuder’s hand, with his eyebrows furrowed more than usual, manifesting his concern. “Unlike me, they can’t feel the barrier weakening, so you can’t blame them if they start to convince themself that you are the cause.”  

No more words were needed, they both knew about the twisted beliefs surrounding that mark.

He knew full well, yet he couldn’t bear to be forced to do nothing at all. He’d been trained to kill monsters since he was a child as a way to protect himself from harm, but also as an instrument to protect others surrounding him. He would have betrayed his Grandpa's words by choosing to hide.

With a graceful arc of the marked hand, the air stirred, summoning a breeze from nothingness. All the things that the monster had overturned were instantly put back in place, while the ruins of their shattered surroundings were gently put to the side. The main road was clean again.

The civilians that had witnessed the scene started coming back from their previous escape, visibly alarmed. Their eyes darted anxiously from the monster’s corpse, laying in a pool of its own blood, to the young man that had killed it in the blink of an eye and cleaned up almost every trace of the aftermath as if it had been nothing.

Yuder ignored all of their terrified but curious gazes, glancing at the dead monster once again and trying to recall the last time he’d seen something similar.

As soon as he remembered where he had seen the monster before, he turned towards the people who were now warily surrounding the monster’s carcass, speaking aloud so that everyone could hear.

“Its tail should be edible, if you peel it and cook it for at least an hour over high heat. Moreover, its skin is very resistant, while the claws and teeth can become good materials for building daggers.” 

No one replied. Yuder just couldn’t wrap his head around why people always got rid of the monster’s corpses without even thinking of using the good parts, so he’d decided to start telling them. It was a waste, it made Yuder wonder how much they didn’t know about monsters. 

“Truly fascinating.” a voice not far from his side spoke, a velvety murmur, warm and resonant, more akin to a quiet decree than a fleeting whisper.

Yuder looked at the direction where the voice was coming from. He recognized the two men approaching, those who had drawn their swords and stood ready to fight, yet had been caught off guard by his sudden intervention.

The human with short brown hair smiled at him, his eyes shining with a glint of curiosity. “Are you a hunter? Or maybe some sort of Monster’s Byproducts expert?”

Yuder hesitated for a second, slightly unsettled by such a bright, welcoming smile. He was so used to others being afraid of him, asking what he was or what his intentions were. For someone to genuinely ask about his profession, it was a first. 

Looking into his amber eyes, he could sense some strange energy coming from the man. His antennae scanned his figure, and he looked down to a ring wrapped around his middle finger where the floating energy was pulsing, albeit almost undetectably. Probably some sort of magical artifact. 

He glanced over at the other, red-skinned man following him, who was busy placing his longsword back into its scabbard. As soon as Yuder's eyes met the man’s two vertical pupils, the purple wings on his back went stiff. Something ancient and mysterious was swirling beneath those eyes, and a feeling that he’d never experienced before washed over him. 

Since he arrived in the Sarain Forest, it wasn’t unusual for him to see or learn about new types of creatures, but it was the first time he felt uneasy to not know the true nature of the individual he was looking at. 

He couldn't help but wonder what kind of creature was hiding inside the man. He could guess the other was asking himself the same thing by his gaze, that was scanning Yuder from head to toes, with his hand still placed on top of the scabbard, wary but not openly hostile.

The weirdest thing, however, was the strange connection he felt between the two. They were two different beings, but it felt like both their energies were intertwined. It was the first time he perceived something like that with his antennae.

“Is that… a fairy?” A voice coming from the crowd interrupted his train of thought.

“...They’re still alive?”

Yuder ignored every noise and murmur coming from the townspeople, looking at the brown-haired man in front of him once again. As soon as he opened his mouth to speak, he saw a tomato flying in his direction. He moved to dodge it, but the man in front of him was faster and grabbed it in midair.

In just a second, the atmosphere became unbearably tense.

“What is the meaning of this?” He moved between Yuder and the crowd, still smiling with nonchalance, the fruit a little squished in his hand.

“T-This is the third time something like this has happened since he arrived a month ago!” A middle aged man shouted, trying to justify his action. “This can’t be a coincidence anymore!”

“Oh? And what makes you think he’s to blame?” Interest was evident in the man's tone. 

‘It’s happening again.’ Yuder could barely hold back a sigh. Even though he had been ready to face the consequence when he took action, it was still disheartening. ‘The apothecary was right.’ He could already picture his angry expression and the feeling of his cheeks being pulled on.

“Why, you ask? Obviously, because he’s a-”

Like Yuder had summoned him, a sudden shout rose from the crowd.

“Oh for Luma’s sake- YUDER!” 

Making his way out of the crowd, not paying attention and consequently shoving the man that was just trying to talk -and, actually, probably doing so on purpose-, a dryad with long, messy gray hair that was covered in leaves appeared. His eyebrows, already pointed themselves, were furrowed in anger.

“Everyone of you is such an ungrateful being! Better yet, I think that monster would have found you especially tasty!” He approached Yuder and the two men with big steps, all while trying to free himself from a towel that had gotten stuck on one of his branch-like horns. 

“Oh no… it’s that apothecary again,” someone muttered with a resigned sigh.

He was well-known throughout the Sarain Forest. Respected, certainly, but just as much feared. Everyone had heard of the ‘talented and mysterious apothecary’ who lived in those woods, and most had learned, one way or another, to tread carefully around his temper.

“Enon, please! You can’t just defend some random stranger that came out of nowhere!” A woman tentatively screamed in disbelief.

“Well, this random stranger just saved your lazy asses, for the third time I might add, since he moved here! You should throw him flowers instead! Or lemons, if you’re so fixated on what you throw being edible! And you !” He roughly pulled Yuder away from the brown-haired man, dragging him in the opposite direction. “What did I tell you? Stop putting yourself in danger! At least say something before you decide to disappear all of a sudden!”

It was then that Yuder remembered why he was even there in the first place. He’d been in the market until just minutes before, running errands with Enon. He’d left him in the middle of the street as soon as he sensed the distortion appearing in the sky, and… Dropped the herbs he’d been holding in the process.

“Enon, i’m sorry about the goods-”

“Is that what you’re worried about?! Ughh, shut it! I don't want to hear your voice anymore!”

After that confusing, yet somewhat funny exchange, they left everyone behind. Yuder shot one last glance at the two men, before following Enon in complete silence. The brown-haired one was smiling, waving with the same hand that wore the magic ring, while the mysterious red-skinned individual beside him continued to observe from a distance.

He had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time he saw them.

───  ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅  ───

“Sir Enon! Yuder! Welcome back!” 

A green haired human opened the door of the apothecary with a welcoming smile, and the familiar scent of freshly processed herbs greeted them.

When his green eyes met those of Enon, he seemed to notice that his expression was grumpier than usual. the human expression somehow even grumpier than usual, He covered his mouth, a worried frown shifting on his face. “Did something happen...?”

“You’d never guess, Lusan.” The dryad scratched his gray hair furiously. “ Someone here wanted to play the lone hero so bad he put his life on the line again ” He then started pulling Yuder’s cheeks to further emphasize who he was talking about. 

After he heard that, Lusan hurried to Yuder without any hesitation whatsoever.

“Yuder, are you hurt?! Are the villagers okay?” 

Even if it had just been a month since he’d arrived, Yuder was still not used to the way Enon always scolded him: like he was talking to a child and not a grown man. At the same time, he was still unfamiliar with Lusan’s concern behaviour. He’d been alone for so long that he could have never expected to find someone who’d genuinely care for him. He was first a patient, and now a temporary assistant to them, not positions that he would have thought warranted this much care. 

“I’m fine. None of the civilians were hurt.” Relief appeared on Lusan's face for a moment as Enon started to pull on Yuder’s cheeks even harder.

“He’s fine, he says! Like having the whole kingdom throwing tomatoes at your face while blaming you for all these monster’s appearances was a funny joke!” 

Lusan's eyes saddened at the revelation.

“I’m so sorry, Yuder… I can't believe so many simple-minded people still live inside the Great Sarain Forest!” His voice was filled with frustration, but he tried to keep his emotions in check. “I understood the situation… Why don’t we sit down for a moment?” Enon was about to disagree, but he remained still when Lusan put one hand on his shoulder. “I think it would be better to calm down a little before discussing the rest.”

Yuder nodded and Enon let go of his cheeks. After closing the apothecary for the day, both of them followed Lusan to a side door that led to a small dining room. They sat down on the wooden chairs, looking at Lusan as he poured tea in three wooden cups. His long hair, tied in a ponytail, was swaying on his back, following his quick movements. 

No one would have guessed he was just a normal human, judging its peculiar brilliant green color. Yuder was also surprised at first, but it turned out he wasn’t so far from the truth. Lusan’s family descended from an ancient lineage of naiads, a specific type of nymph that lived in rivers and were said to have strong healing powers. Even if Lusan’s ancestors intertwined their lineage with humans, the naiad genes and a strong curative energy were still present in their descendants.

“Here you go, this should help.” 

The sweet aroma coming from the cups filled the room and eased the atmosphere in an instant. Enon's eyebrows started to relax from all the previous tension. As confirming his now calm state of mind, from one of his branch-like horns a lemon started to bloom. As soon as it had perfectly matured, he picked it and started to chew on it, peel and all. 

Yuder still remembered his shock the first time he’d seen him do that, but it happened so often that now it was as normal as seeing him drink water. 

“So… Yuder. You came here because of your Grandpa's wish in the first place, right? You told us something about it the first time you came here.” After taking a few sips, Lusan resumed the conversation.

“Yes, that’s right… He wanted to be sure I would be able to find a place and people that’d accept me for who I am.” His eyes automatically fell to his mark. Enon slapped his hand.

“Stop looking at it like you want to cut your hand off!” He sighed. “If it was that easy to be accepted, then more creatures would have been part of the Grand Sarain Forest since long ago. It’s only thanks to King Keilusa that we can have some peace around here.”

Yuder nodded. Enon wasn’t the type to talk highly of someone else, but it wasn’t the first time he’d complimented the King’s achievements.

“And that’s why…” The dryad looked back at him, pointing the half-bitten lemon to his direction. “You should build a good reputation around here. As soon as the royals see you in a good light, then it’s done. But! ” He started to pull on Yuder’s cheeks again. “If you ruin everything now because of those stupid civilians’ opinions, then you’re screwed! That’s why you should lay low! Like, I don't know… Use at least some type of disguise if you want to play the hero in the middle of the street!”

Yuder was genuinely confused. How was he supposed to have a good reputation if he was defeating monsters in disguise? 

“Well, that could be an idea, but…” Lusan cleared his throat to hide his snicker at the weird suggestion, trying to change the topic. “What are we gonna do about the whole situation now?” 

Silence filled the room for a couple of minutes. 

Yuder thought about how the two people in front of him had accepted his existence so easily, healing him and treating his wounds the very same night he’d killed the first monster that had invaded the city the day he arrived. He knocked on so many doors, asking for a place to stay, offering to work as payback, but none of the places he visited wanted to host such a creepy stranger.

But not them.

As soon as Enon opened the door that night, seeing him covered in dirt, he was so ready to throw him inside a bathtub that Yuder was speechless. That same night, neither of them left him to rest alone in the room they provided for him until they’d treated all his scratches. 

He wondered if they hadn’t seen him defeating the huge monster that same morning, maybe that was why they weren’t so scared of him in the first place. He was surprised to learn that wasn’t the case at all when Lusan thanked him for saving the civilians.

What he had thought would be only a temporary place to stay ended up becoming part of his life for a whole month, an offer made by Enon after Yuder helped him develop new medicines. When Yuder left his old home behind, he took with him a few homemade remedies he had learned to prepare from his grandfather, using common herbs that grew near the mountains where he once lived. Enon was immediately fascinated when he saw them for the first time. He asked Yuder to teach him how to make them, and, impressed by their effectiveness and low cost, offered him a place to stay in exchange for the right to learn and sell those remedies, a simple, affordable way to help those in need.

Yuder wasn’t sure if they could be considered friends, but they were the first people who had treated him with genuine concern since his grandfather’s passed away. That alone was enough to make him hesitate, he didn’t want to trouble them any more than he already had.

“I think… It would be best for me to change where I stay for now.” He broke the silence, voicing his thoughts out loud.

“Why do you say that? Don’t speak nonsense.” Enon cut in at once, his voice gruff but quick with concern. He waved a hand sharply in the air, as if swatting the idea away like an annoying fly.

“I think that more people would come here to complain about me staying than before. I don’t want to involve you in all of this.” They both knew what he was referring to. Two customers had already come by just to complain about his presence in the shop. 

Enon had put their names on the ‘ Unwelcome customers ’ sign out of the apothecary as soon as he’d made them leave.

“Yuder, I’m sure that there is another way. Me and Enon are more than happy to have you here! You’re not troubling us, if that’s what you think.” Lusan smiled at Yuder, sincerity filling his eyes.

“The little one is right. Also-” Enon was suddenly interrupted by someone knocking on the main door. After the third knock, he got up from his chair, his eyebrows frowned again.

“ For Luma’s sake ! Can’t they see the big wooden sign saying ‘ closed ’?!” He walked towards the door with big steps , without worrying if the customers could hear him from the other side. Lusan let out a little laugh and followed him alongside Yuder.

“Sorry to intrude.” A clear and familiar voice came from the front door. “I wish to talk with the mysterious hero that saved my life on the main street.”

As soon as Yuder had met the eyes of the people behind the entrance, he couldn’t help but be surprised. The two strange men that approached him before were standing in front of Enon. The brown haired man had the same beautiful, playful smile as before.

“And who are you supposed to be?” The dryad asked, his arm crossed and without any intention to let the two in, even despite them being much taller than him. He probably didn’t recognize them, since his only focus on the main street had been saving Yuder from the crowd.

The brown man lifted his hand and touched the same strange ring that Yuder had sensed during their first meeting. As soon as he’d done that, his appearance changed.

Pointed ears, long golden hair and two unmistakable crimson eyes. The features aligned perfectly with the description that Enon had repeated numerous times.

It was none other than the prince of the Sarain Fores, Kishiar La Orr.

───  ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅  ───