As Aira and Ria were lost in their emotional conversation about the past, Kael was walking behind them, listening.
He saw how serious and sad they were getting.
Being the older “brother” of the group, he decided it was time to change the mood.
“Look at you two,” Kael teased from behind, a mischievous grin on his face.
“Such tough girls, yet getting all sentimental over a few old buildings!”
He started laughing and began playing with Pia and Tarin, zig-zagging between them in a teasing manner.
The children started giggling as Kael made funny faces at his two serious leaders.
Aira and Ria stopped walking and turned around at the same time.
Their sentimental mood vanished, replaced by a look of “trouble.” They shared a quick glance—the same look they used to have as eight-year-olds when they were about to get into mischief.
Seeing that look, Kael’s eyes went wide.
He knew he had pushed his luck.
“Uh oh,” Kael whispered.
He didn’t wait for them to speak.
He turned and started running for his life through the crowded street, weaving past merchants and fruit stalls.
“If we catch you, you are dead!” Aira and Ria shouted together.
With a burst of energy, they took off after him.
The two powerful leaders of the Northern Military were now sprinting through the capital, laughing and shouting like they were kids again.
Pia and Tarin ran after them, their little legs moving as fast as possible, their faces bright with happiness for the first time in days. This chapter was copied from novelping . com without permission.
For a few minutes, they weren’t refugees, orphans, or soldiers.
They were just a family playing a game of tag in the middle of Cloud Land.
The House of Memories: The Arrival
The group finally stopped running, their chests heaving with laughter and breathlessness.
Aira and Ria looked at the kids.
“Okay,” Aira said, smiling.
“Let’s go home.”
They walked toward a specific gate that had been locked for two decades.
As they stood in front of it, Aira and Ria felt a rush of excitement and nerves.
For twenty years, this house had lived only in their minds.
A Vision of the Past
As they looked at the gate, they could almost see the ghosts of the past.
In their memories, the house was a place of constant life:
• The Backyard: General Arin and his fellow soldiers would be out there, the sound of wooden practice swords clashing together filling the air.
• The Kitchen: Miss Yuri (Ria’s mother) would be busy directing the house help, the smell of fresh cooking floating through the halls.
• The Living Areas: Lady Nina (Aira’s mother) would be walking around, making sure every room was in perfect condition.
• The Study: Two little “trouble makers”—Aira and Ria—would be sitting at a table, trying (and failing) to focus on their lessons instead of running outside. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
The Reality of the Present
When they finally opened the door and stepped inside, the vision vanished.
The house was silent and covered in thick layers of dust.
“The house is so dirty!” Pia exclaimed, scrunching up her nose.
Aira, Ria, and Kael nodded sadly.
Cobwebs hung from the ceiling, and the furniture was hidden under grey sheets.
Without a word, the five of them began to work.
Even the children, Pia and Tarin, helped pick up old debris.
Kael groaned as he moved a heavy rug, a cloud of dust making him sneeze.
“Is this why you two brought me to Cloud Land?
Just to be your cleaner?”
Ria laughed, wiping a streak of dirt off her forehead.
“Yes!
Exactly!”
Aira clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention.
“Listen, if we finish this quickly, we will go to the market and eat whatever you want.
So, stop talking and work as fast as possible!”