Legacy of the Remembered

15. Aftermath

Watching his siblings unwillingly leave the castle made Bohjin anxious. Though he had known this would be the best course of action, going through with his plan remained difficult. It did nothing to help when Bohjin remembered the look of betrayal on his siblings' faces. If everything went well, Bohjin would have a chance to amend the broken relationship he had created.

The sun had yet to rise, but Bohjin stared at the horizon as long as he could. The light giving away the party's position faded too quickly for him. Though no tears fell, Bohjin felt the weight of what he had done settle in his stomach. No matter how necessary it was to get his siblings out of Ehvera, Bohjin could hardly bear it. He spent years coddling both of them, perhaps too much. Would it have been healthier for Eske to breach his boundaries earlier? Would Ollyah have been more comfortable if she spent time roaming Ehvera?

Probably.

Bohjin found it hard to go through with those ideas. Seeing Eske crying or panicking made it difficult for the oldest to force the other to leave the castle. With Ollyah, Bohjin had not noticed her shyness was not just a personality trait until much later in life.

Was that his fault? Should he have spent more time with her? He had a kingdom to run. He never asked to be the oldest. He never wanted for their parents to die. He never even asked for his magical affinity. He would have been fine simply being the powerless Ehverian they all believed him to be. Complaining about that when he could hide his ability, unlike his siblings, made Bohjin feel selfish. Yet, he wanted to vent about pressure. He wanted to talk about being able to see auras and judge people without being able to act on it. If he acted, he would have to explain why his intuition was viable. If he explained his powers, traitors would take that into consideration when planning their coups. He could not be public about his magic if he wanted it to remain effective.

Bohjin waited until the Fumarian party could no longer be spotted. He waited until the last remnants of his brother and sister disappeared into the distance. When would he see them again? Would that even happen?

There were too many possibilities. Too many scenarios with multiple streams branching off from them. The further into the future Bohjin considered, the less clear it was.

Bohjin knew not what would come from this. Despite having that anxiety, those many questions tumbling about in his head, he felt free. He worried, yes, but he no longer had to hide what he knew.

But Ehvera was not free.

Bohjin was still awake when the sun rose. He and Rime spent hours going through the mess the red magic left. In the chaotic rampage the Ehverians fled with, a dozen people died from the trampling. Figuring that out, however, was the easy part.

The emotional upset created by the magic led people to leave their morals and boundaries behind. Instead, they ran through the near villages, even going so far as to wreck the markets and houses. People fought each other, stole from each other, maimed each other, and it was all within the twenty or so minutes during which the strange magic affected them.

No one knew who caused it. No one remained to claim the role of antagonizer. Whoever brought about the disheveled mess Ehvera's immediate land became disappeared among the havoc.

Bohjin allowed himself few hours to rest before beginning the investigation. Rime awoke with him, refusing to sleep longer when he suggested it. This was her kingdom too, she said, and he admired her ambition.

Amidst the problems caused by the emotional experience, Bohjin had lost track of the small crowd from Panjuun. That unsettled him, though to a lesser extent. Eske left. He was safe. Unless, of course, Xuun went after the Fumarians. How would he know to search for them? Why would he expect Eske to be anywhere but in the castle? Bohjin could only hope his brother had enough time to leave before foreigners caught wind of it. That is, if he was Xuun's only reason for visiting.