Chapter 5: Dialogue Before Departure

It was the sixth of the eighteen months decorating Arrkad’vla Empire’s standard calendar year. Nights were becoming colder around Orron, and they would only continue to grow increasingly cold and dry. The constant riverward breeze after sundown was delightful after the still hot day. As was usual during such evenings, people were milling around with leisure and joy. Some were quite far out, enjoying their time at the banks of Xap’yu. Others were to be found within Orron’s walls, where most common people enjoyed the Common Market, while people with deep pockets lightened their load of wealth at the Business Hub. Though the two blocks were both commercial regions identical in form and function, their looks, services and sensibilities were as far apart as their regulars.

From his arrival at Orron until today, Jyevodirr had been one of the Common Market people. But this evening, he could only be found sticking out amongst the Business Hub’s richness. Anyone could see him leisurely walking through its wide streets, laughing and talking with old and newfound friends.

“I was so surprised to see so many city guards at the road,” he was saying presently, his animated voice rising above all other sounds, “I never even thought running could cause so many problems!”

Beside him, his friends were barely keeping up with his enthusiasm. An eventful day was nearing its end.

“Yeah, you don't understand,” grumbled R’vag. “It was so tense! My mind stopped working, you know?”

Jyevodirr laughed hysterically. Rraos chuckled a bit too.

“I know, I know!” Jyevodirr wiped tears of laughter from his eyes. Then he turned to Rraos. “Listen, Rraos. When we were young, R’vag was really bad at studies. He struggled to pass the last classes when we were studying. Can you guess why? – Well, it was because he had always grumbled and argued with me that school was pointless! But I always won the arguments, and he would always come to the class and sleep! Imagine going to study and always ending up asleep!”

R’vag’s face flushed with embarrassment, and he punched Jyevodirr on the back. The leaner youth’s laughter was still not snuffed.

Rraos watched these antics, surprised at how much he was enjoying himself. It was a terrible day for him; so why was he having fun? It was a tremendously conflicting feeling.
But currently, he did not want to abstain from joining in. He would sort through his emotions later.

“Really?” Rraos affected a serious, considerate face. “I thought Qai R’vag would have been working out his muscles instead.”

Jyevodirr laughed uncontrollably again. R’vag was undecided about whether he should have been flattered by the quip or insulted.

“Shut up, you two,” the wavering youth snapped playfully, pulling an exaggerated face of disgust. “Rraos, you may be new to us, but know that I won't go easy just because you cry a lot.”

A sharp pang of anger flared up within Rraos. It was abrupt and out of place. It made him curl up his fist and pull it back. Then, it fizzled away.
Embarrassed, he could only hit R’vag flimsily, following through his initial motion with half his heart.

R’vag deepened the exaggeration in his expression. “I mean, you call that a punch, city baby?”

Rraos made sure to hit a lot harder this time. “Shut up, you muscle-for-brains! I’m certain you exercised your muscles so much that they took up most of the space meant for your brain!”

Jyevodirr’s laughter echoed through the streets like the peals of a festival bell ringing in the middle of a funeral. It was terribly loud and out of place.

Business Hub was a reserved block. Unlike at Common Market, people there liked to think they exercised the mental muscle for leisure too. They loved the sound of modesty and discipline. Consequently, there being so much hollering and capering in the streets – especially without any action having been taken – was a most unusual disturbance for the Business Hub folks.
Most of the street occupants stared at the offending rascals with vexation at first. Then, seeing Rraos Arroxath of all people amongst them, the self-proclaimed cerebral critics adopted a more disapproving note. Many clicked their tongues. A common thought was vocalized in hushed tones to immediate confidantes –
‘What is this new generation coming to?’

Rraos had always been a Business Hub person, so he picked up on the mood quite fast. He understood how out of place they must appear with their noisy conversations and uninhibited mannerisms.

When he spoke this time, his timbre was hushed. “We should tone ourselves down a bit, Jyevodirr. Same goes for you, R’vag.”

R’vag could only respond quick and loud. “Why? What's wrong?”

“We are making too much noise for these streets.” Rraos pressed the issue without raising his voice. He hoped R’vag would find at least a modicum of wit within him to behave.
But unfortunately for him, that was not meant to be.

R’vag was still terribly loud and impossibly dense. “Then why don't we just go back to somewhere we can do anything we want?”

The answer spurred Rraos to nearly abandoning the two bumpkins and walking away. Fortunately for everyone, Jyevodirr stepped up to bridge the gap.

“Don't you want to eat at some place you never have before?” he asked, his voice as gentle and restrained as dropping leaves. “I want to eat new things, R’vag. Things I never had before. Orron has more than just the Flood Fields, Common Market, Security Station or the Wings, you know. But those are the only places we have seen. I want a taste of the ambience here. It's not so bad, is it?”

R’vag stopped and stared. Then, he flashed a wry grin and put his hands at the back of his head, assuming a relaxed poise.

“Sure, you bleating kid! As a man, I guess I’ve got to put up with your silliness.”

And they walked onward in silence.

The pursuit of elegance was a fine novelty for the countryside youths, but for Rraos, it heralded sombreness instead. It reminded him of the day’s events. The uncertainty of everything pressed down his shoulders to a droop. He felt robbed of any choice besides hiding behind joviality and conversation.

“So, Jyevodirr,” he began, “how were you so accurate that day? Where did you learn all those things about…. these events? About me?”

A frown marred the countryside youth’s contented countenance. “Some of our fellow guards said things about you. That you were a cheater. A dishonest person who looks down on others.”

Anger flared within Rraos again.

“What’s so wrong about that?” R’vag commented, oblivious as always.

The atmosphere turned frigid. Jyevodirr was not done, however. “Yes, R’vag. There is some truth to it. But he’s not that vile a person either, is he?”

R’vag glanced at Rraos’ anger filled face, then looked down with a smile. “No, I suppose he’s not. The rumours made him out to be much more cruel and fierce.”

Jyevodirr, though, still spoke with a frown. “That’s right. So why did people suddenly accept that as the truth? Why did no one want to know any better?”

Rraos caught on to Jyevodirr’s hint. “You think someone was actively dragging my name through the dirt? Doing it in such a scale that even voices speaking for me were drowned? But even then, how did they get to Z’xalorr?”

“Maybe they didn’t? Maybe you mother just took an opportunity?”

Jyevodirr’s supposition was solid. It was an idea Rraos hadn’t considered till now. Being bruised by the day’s events had kept him myopic.

“I’m not liking this,” Rraos said. “I can’t flatter myself that I’m important enough for someone to target me actively. That would mean I was just an instrument meant to get at something. Maybe my mother?”

R’vag spat at the streets distastefully. The foul action disgusted Rraos, but it was nothing before the uglier picture revealing itself.

“I cannot begin to fathom who would do such a thing, or what even their purpose could be. And I can’t imagine how strong or influential they are either!” Bitterness warped the older youth’s face.

Jyevodirr and R’vag both fell to a grim silence.
Jyevodirr did not know what the young Arroxath could be going through. If he had to guess, he would say the older youth was going through something as bad as his own world-shattering day. The matters were different, but the depth of hurt had to be similar.

Suddenly, Rraos sighed, seemingly getting out of the burden’s yoke. “What about the other matter? How did you learn that?”

Jyevodirr blinked. Then he laughed. “Oh, about the ‘heir’ matter? It was just a guess. You felt too smart, too irresponsible. I guessed you wouldn’t want to take on too much; you are also smart enough to figure out how. So, I knew I had to be right!”

The absurdity of the answer tore through Rraos’ conflicting emotions. It made him smile incredulously. Then, his sight caught R’vag trapped between cheering for his friend and being subtle. It was so surreal; it suddenly twisted his insides into further chaos. That lasted a long, brief moment, after which everything faded away. He was left feeling numb, a sensation that tore out a hollow chuckle from him. Desperate to push back against the empty feeling within, he punched Jyevodirr in his arm and made a comment he could not remember. Though it did not fill the void, it did take him a step away towards something. So, he forced himself to keep walking amongst his unfamiliar friends.

Soon, the trio stood in front of Rraos’ preferred diner. The guard who had chased Jyevodirr away many days ago was now the one to welcome them in.
Rraos walked ahead once inside, indicating the other to follow. He walked past the common tables towards the end of the tastefully lit room. Then he led them through a door and up a flight of stairs, reaching a narrow corridor with few doors, each looking strikingly private. At his behest, one of the doors was opened; he strode inside immediately. He made himself comfortable and looked outward. The scene greeting him was refreshingly new.

“What are you doing?” Rraos asked R’vag, who was lending a bizarreness to the scene by fidgeting outside the doorway. “Are you too intimidated to walk in?”

Jyevodirr, who had by now taken a seat beside Rraos, laughed at his old friend. “Come on, you big baby! It’s just a room!”

“I’m not scared!” R’vag protested. “It just looks too private, okay? Why do you build rooms that want people to stay out?”

Rraos’ smile was flat. “Because we really don’t want just everyone to walk in.”

R’vag grumbled and cursed, but his feet forced him in all the same.
A few jokes were made at his expense initially, but they quickly simmered down to a hush. As Jyevodirr and R’vag grew comfortable, they began to engage in mundane, familiar chatter. The conversation quickly grew to include Rraos, evolving into the laborious process of getting to know each other.
They hopped from interest to interest, tale to tale. Childhood memories surfaced as often as near-adult convictions did. The table filled with food and words aplenty. They were served dishes of poultry and red meat, of dried legumes, grains and tubers, all of which were seasoned to a nicety beyond the capacities of Common Market. They gorged down the food, each in their own way, and they talked and talked. In time, conversation here too took a turn towards being exceedingly solemn. When it did, they returned to the comfort of delicious food and banal chit-chat. Only a long time after the food was finished did they finally move on from the past and began talks of the future. R’vag was already nodding sleepily by then.

Rraos lit a cigarette, the flare hiding the tension in his face. “So, if I understand you correctly, you want me to be the Jin’xasyi Mag’rrus when you step up as the Kraturr?”

Jyevodirr narrowed his eyes in irritation, but he did not complain. Yet.

“Yes,” he said, “that’s why I was after you. Your mother seemed to approve the idea.”

Rraos sighed. “Yes, the whole thing about having a look at the business.”

Jyevodirr said nothing.

Rraos continued at his pace. “You told me you completed your primary education. You seem smart as well. Do you mind if I try to gauge the extent of your knowledge? So far as your…… well, it’s our goal now – but yes. Can I test your knowledge so far as our goals are concerned?”

Jyevodirr nodded.

“Great!” Rraos thumped the table.

The noise startled R’vag, whose eyes flew open. Then, he dozed off in a more comfortable position.
It amused Jyevodirr.

“So, what do you know about the Kraturr, and the process to assume that priceless position?” Rraos’ question forced the entirety of Jyevodirr’s attention back on the conversation.

“Well,” he started answering, “Arrkad’vla is an empire that respects strength. The strongest person here is very well respected. But different people understand ‘strength’ differently. So, the person recognized as being the strongest, the person with the highest standing, is considered to be special. That person is awarded the trust to make all important decisions for the empire. Of course, that doesn’t mean that person can do whatever they want. They need to listen too. That said, war, security and defence are domains where they are the absolute authority.
This person, who has the strength and the trust to stand above everyone else, is given the title of Kraturr.”

“I see that you were indeed as good as you claimed. But you are missing some ideas. How exactly is anyone recognized as the strongest? How do we prevent misattribution of the title?”

Jyevodirr appeared flabbergasted. “How do we prevent what?”

“Misattribution. Mistaken idea of someone being the strongest.”

“Oh. Is that why the Kraturreni Om’na exists?”

“That is indeed correct. But do you know how it works?”

“I think so? I know that it is a challenge. You must gather companions and try to take on the current generation of Kraturr and Mag’rra. Sometimes, you may even need to take on other people that have the recognition qualifying them to be the next Kraturr, or even one of the Mag’rra. At the end of the challenges, only the winners have the right to be the next generation of Kraturr and Mag’rra.”

There was a brief moment of silence after Jyevodirr’s answer.
The many holes in the image presented by the countryside boy did not go unnoticed by Rraos. Too much was left out in this version. He had to consider now how much more to expound upon what was said.

“You have the most of it right, but there are things you did not reckon.
First – do you think the Kraturr and the Mag’rra have nothing to do but take on challengers? Of course not, no? To even be granted the right to challenge, one must make a name for themselves, improve their standing first. Only the recognized may challenge the Kraturreni Om’na. Even those who wish to use nothing but brute force must prove their worth by building up their recognition, decimating their opposition. Else, even a person who manages to kill the Kraturr will only have the Katov tearing them down. They would never be considered the next Kraturr.
So, as you now know, the event is a formal one; it is almost the biggest festival for the people of Arrkad’vla. Though inevitable, it is also rare. Even sorrowful at times. Many former Kraturr, and even a few Mag’rra, had not seen a feasible path ahead of them after defeat. They choose to rather stake their lives on their position and die as Kraturr, or Mag’rrus.”

Rraos paused for a breath, took a long drag, then exhaled a deep, sighing breathful of smoke. “Another thing you’ve taken lightly is the reason why candidates sometimes need to go up against one another. This only happens when a Mag’rrus has grown too old, and no one has been able to procure a victory against them. Only then must selected candidates from various relevant factions go up against one another. So, such a condition will not concern us at all.”

“Most of what you said makes sense,” Jyevodirr spoke with a frown. “What I don’t understand is what ‘relevant factions’ are. There being people responsible for raising Mag’rra seems inconsistent, so what exactly do you mean?”

“Hmm. Let me first ask you a question instead. Who do you think are the Mag’rra?”

Jyevodirr scratched his head. “The people with a standing immediately below the Kraturr? His or her advisors?”

“Quite correct. What more do you know of them?”

“I know that each Mag’rrus has their own field of expertise. There is Death and Information, Money and Livelihood, Food and Nature, Culture and People, Workmanship and Calculation, and lastly, Mayyux and Healing. Being the Kraturr’s advisors, they are the strongest influence on him – or her – I think. That’s everything I know.”

“The last thing you said was redundant, but that should be all in general. It is enough.
Now, consider this. All Mag’rra have their own field of expertise. So, only someone who is extremely proficient at the relevant field can be a Mag’rra, correct? But do you think the same people specializing in ‘death’ can also be an expert regarding ‘food’? Do you see what I mean?
You only came to me, an Arroxath, to put me in charge of money, no? Why not for Mayyux and healing? It is because I am an Arroxath, no? You must have heard that Arroxaths are people who breathe money, correct?
You see, this is what I meant by ‘relevant faction’.”

Jyevodirr brightened with comprehension. “Oh, I see now!”

“Great!” Rraos exclaimed, affecting the same level of excitemeanr and energy. Then, the lines of excitement on his face flattened away.

He threw the now finished cigarette’s butt into the ash bowl. His aim was immaculate. He reached out for the next stick, though a hand that wanted him to stop suddenly obstructed his vision.

“No more smoking, now,” Jyevodirr warned lightly.

Rraos’ lips thinned to a mirthless smile, but he made no move to the contrary.

“So, Qai Jyevodirr,” he addressed, his anger driving him back to formality, “What do you intend to do now? What is the first step in your plan?”

The countryside youth hummed and leaned back thoughtfully. “Your mother already told us to travel through the Moyegan first. I suppose we’ll have to listen to her. Don’t you think so too?”

Rraos scowled. The reminder of his situation dredged up needless emotions, all of them as thick and fetid as decay. The clawing filth threatened to pull him under their weight, but he would not give in so easily. He needed to shake it off with a long, deep breath.

It did not work as he wished, so he had to turn to something else. Despite Jyevodirr’s previous warning, he pulled out another cigarette. He made a show of respect however by not lighting the stick up.

“I need it,” he said.

Jyevodirr sighed. “It’s your place anyway.”

The cigarette was lit.

“You know, Jyevodirr, I honestly feel lost. I don’t know what I’m doing, what I want to do from now onwards. I’m conflicted because I don’t want to be a Mag’rra. I don’t want to be anyone in particular. All I want is to live easily. In luxury.
But I know that’s not possible. People are more aware of me than I am of myself. These days have handily proved that to me. I hate this so much!
What I find funny now is my silly belief; I honestly thought I was the schemer in the family. I schemed for money and comfort. I schemed to live a life where others would work for the sake of my comfort. I schemed, and I dreamed. It was a delusional story where I was the almighty, and all else were beneath me.
You know how good such thoughts feel, right? Thoughts where you are the one overpowering the world? Where you are the centre of everything that happens?”

Jyevodirr did not respond. Blood and screams flashed like lightning before his eyes.
He could not answer Rraos’ question, though he understood very well what the older youth was saying. Being drunk on power was the most dangerous addiction he knew.

Rraos, though, was grateful for the lack of answers.

“Maybe I was never the best; not as a person, nor as a talent,” he said. “You met my mother; you could feel what she is like, correct? A shining figure, gallant and smart? Even when someone is putting me back down where I belong, she only thinks of how to give me a chance.
Travel the sy’vethrron? Look at the business up close? Of course! Those are the rites the next head of the Arroxatha must go through. But I am not the next head. I will never be. Still, she asks me to go. You know what that means, don’t you? She is giving me a chance to be someone larger than most.
But you know what I want? I want to go back and live easily. I want to be a wealthy man who doesn’t have to work. I want to be the hero of my own tale, one who is worth so much money that people cannot refuse my words. I want to be so powerful I never have to see the face of you two again!”

Rraos’ eyes were glazing over. He cleared his throat, blinked, and sat silently for a few moments. He smoked like his life depended on it. Finally, he chuckled.
His mind wasn’t made, but his life’s motto made his decisions for him. It would never allow him to let go of the single silver thread dangled by his mother. He had lived by the equation of effort and profit too long for him to change his tendencies at this last minute.

“This is the only chance mother could give me, you know?” Rraos finished, his voice thick with emotions. “I don’t want to lose this.”

For a long while, the weight of those words reigned supreme. It maintained each nook and cranny of the room thick with emotion and tension. It kept anything other than silence far away.
Even if Jyevodirr was free to break this solemn silence, he couldn’t do it. The hush belonged to Rraos. It was the cocoon sheltering the older youth as he metamorphosed from a juvenile swindler to something more.

The powerful silence was only brought low by a very light-hearted sound at last.

Soft snores of the sleeping R’vag loudened climactically to a grunt, after which the young man comfortably changed side. This little moment shattered the seriousness like a breaking spell, forcing even Rraos was to smile. It was still a wry one, but his heart was certainly a little lighter.

He threw the long-extinguished cigarette butt onto the ash bowl and looked at Jyevodirr. “That was quite the performance I put up. I hope you didn’t mind it?”

Jyevodirr smiled. “Not at all. You may not think much of me, but I did understand what you meant, what you felt. And yes, not everything in their entirety, but definitely all that you wanted to convey. All that mattered.”

“Then I am thankful for your understanding,” Rraos spoke with a nod. His thoughts retreated inward.

But the introspection did not get to live a long life.
Jyevodirr was growing weary. He wanted some time for himself after this long day. For the sake of his solitude, he had to wrap up the conversations and discussions here.

“So……” he began again, dragging the word out as long as he needed to pull Rraos’ attention back, “is there anything else that we should discuss now?”

Rraos blinked, his mind lagging behind the question asked of him. A fleeting few seconds dragged him towards comprehension of the words and their meaning.

“Ah, yes,” he said, “there may be a few things we need to think before we end the day. First of them should be…… yes – it should be the matter of money, I think.
If I recall your tale correctly, you said my mother would be funding us, correct?”

“Yes. That’s what she said,” Jyevodirr replied, his body angling forward as it always did when he was intent on a conversation.

“But I checked – the card she gave doesn’t promise money on credit, and the balance on the card is nil.” Rraos chuckled in spite of the momentarily frothing anger and indignation. “That’s quite like her, I must say. So are her warnings about us needing to repay her later. That means we need to be careful about spending money from now onward. But that’s not something I need to be telling you, no?”

“No.”

“Of course. That brings us to this – I assume you have some plan for improving your standing?”

“Well, I do have a general plan about that. We wouldn’t be sitting here and talking, otherwise. I wanted to take care of money first, so here we are. The rest is more flexible. I thought of gathering companions first and then working on our standing. We could get to major festivals and make a name for ourselves.”

Rraos frowned. “That sounds good, but I doubt it’s going to be enough. I’ll see what I can do. But before that, I think you need to refine your approach. We’ll be traversing the Moyegan, so should you really let this chance pass you by?”

“What do you mean?”

“The money we’ll be spending. The time you’re investing. Don’t you think you should start making a name for yourself first wherever you go?”

“But how?”

“Let me consider this later. We’ll have a few days before we rush off to the wilds, no? So, let me instead impress on you the scale of what we’ll be doing. For that, I’ll be asking you the last round of questions.”

“Go ahead.”

“What do you know about Sy’vethrra?”

“Jyevodirr’s eyes narrowed in surprise. “As far as I know, they’re divisions of the empire. They are governed by the Dosila. I don’t know what more to tell you.”

Rraos chuckled. “That’s quite enough. But you need to know that each Sy’vethrron is currently larger than all the land you have seen in your entire life.”

Jyevodirr laughed, but did not comment otherwise.

“It may sound strange,” Rraos continued, unperturbed by his listener’s sudden, if soft, outburst. “It may even perhaps feel overwhelming. But the truth of the matter is you’re a strong person who has grown out of nowhere, An anomaly, let us say.
Anyways, I am telling you all this so that you understand how isolated you’ve been. From that isolation, you need to turn into someone seen by all. If you ask how far your name needs to be heard, consider that Moyegan is only one Sy’vethrron. There are six other such regions you will need to traverse looking for acknowledgement. Roughly speaking, this is three thousand and seven hundred farsteps from north to south, and two thousand and seven hundred farsteps from east to west.
Do you realize how large this land is? And do you see how each steps matters so much?”

Jyevodirr’s smile was as bright as the full moon. He understood that the conversation was nearing its end. There was so much he could say, so many more of his ideas and differences he could share, but he didn’t.
He only nodded.

Then, still smiling, he softly added – “Our journey will be even longer than the limits you have described, theyi.”

Rraos eyes widened. His heart fluttered.
Whether this was due to being so genuinely called a friend, or due to the strange claim Jyevodirr was making, he could not say.

“What do you mean?” he asked, his heart finally pounding again after the evening of hollowness.

Still wearing the same smile, Jyevodirr got up and looked at Rraos.

“As you said, we still have some days before we head off, right? How about I tell you some other day? And we will be a band of merry people to the end anyways.
Let’s leave some talks for later, right?”

Watching Jyevoirr wake up his friend with a violent shake, Rraos sighed. His heart was a little calmer than before, but it wasn’t the back to being a lifeless thing either.
For better or for worse, he had little idea what he was in for.

“Let us part here and all go our own way,” he said, his gaze absently shifting between the smiling Jyevodirr and the sullen, sleepy R’vag. “It would be prudent to take you both along today, but I just need my space tonight. I…… need some time. And my own company.
Maybe from tomorrow, the two of you could come and stay at my lodgings. You could find out what a life of wealth is all about. So, we meet here for lunch, around eight second-quarter?”

Jyevodirr tilted his head approvingly; R’vag grumbled.

“Very well. Tomorrow will begin our journey together. We shall stay at my apartment, and you shall experience opulence!
Farewell, both of you. I wish you a good night.”

With this, the three youths walked out of the room, each immersed in their own condition, their own experience. The lights blinked out behind them. The rich brown door was shut.
The long day finally came to an end.