Chapter 4: Fading Life

One morning, Kaelar stood in his field, walking slowly across the dead land. He looked around in disbelief, shock weighing heavily on his chest.

“What is this…?” Kaelar murmured to himself.

The front door of the house was knocked on repeatedly.

Elariel opened it in surprise, her eyes widening as she saw her husband’s tired, shaken face.

“What’s going on? Are you alright?” she asked sincerely.

“Not as much as any farmer whose land just died would be,” he said as he stepped inside. “Where’s Aurel?”

“W-died? Wait-what?! Our farmland died?!” she asked, her voice rising in panic.

“YES! Now where’s Aurel?!” Kaelar snapped.

Aurel quickly appeared at the sound of their raised voices, Rin beside him, still half-asleep.

“Why are you both shouting?” Aurel asked, while Rin rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“Aurel, get dressed. Quickly. Go to the field right now,” Kaelar said firmly. “I need someone to stay there. I’m going to Jariel’s house to see if the same thing happened to him.”

“Wh-” Aurel tried to speak, but his father had already turned away, leaving the house in a hurry.

Elariel turned to her son, worry clear in her eyes.

“Aurel, please… get ready and go to the field. Your father isn’t well-and neither is the land.”

“Okay,” Aurel replied quietly, glancing at Rin beside him with a raised eyebrow.

Moments later, Aurel was ready. He left the house and ran toward the farmland-their only source of living.

Even from a distance, he could see it.

Gray.

The air felt heavy, yellow leaves drifting around him as he followed the path.

When he reached the field, his breath caught in his throat.

“What the-” he whispered.

Everything was dead. The green land was gone.

He walked slowly through what remained of the farm, his eyes scanning the ground in disbelief. He picked up a dead plant, and it crumbled into dust in his hand.

“This was never a thing…” he said quietly. “Plants don’t just die like this.”

After a few moments, he went to the stable where the sheep and cows were kept.

He glanced at them and began feeding them with the remaining hay.

“Ugh… what is really happening?” he muttered aloud, his voice echoing softly inside the stable.

“This never happened before. If we can’t supply seeds, fruits, wheat, and vegetables, the kingdom might stop supplying us as well!”

Only the animals listened, their quiet breaths the only answer he received.

After a while, his father returned to the farm and noticed Aurel inside the stable.

“Aurel… you’ve done enough. Come,” he said, his voice tired and heavy.

Aurel walked toward him.

“Okay… but what’s going on?” he asked sincerely.

“Something is happening. No one knows exactly what it is,” his father replied, staring at the sheep.

“The markets have already raised their prices. Those bastards.”

“Uh… by the way, I fed the animals before their food dies as well,” Aurel said.

“Well done,” his father nodded. “We need them alive. They’re the only source we have left for now.

We sent a messenger to the kingdom walls to ask for help. I’ll stay here at the farm. You go back home.”

He paused briefly before adding, “And I’m ignoring the fact that you didn’t listen to me yesterday about not bringing the bird home. I’m not in the mood.”

“Uh… sorry, Dad, I-” Aurel began.

“Just go. Now,” his father interrupted.

Aurel stepped out of the stable and began walking back home, glancing once more at their dead farmland, his chest heavy with sadness.

His mother opened the door as he arrived.

“So… what happened?” she asked, placing her hands on his shoulders.

“The farm died,” Aurel said quietly. “Not just ours. Every farm in Elinoria.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh my…”

“Dad said they sent a messenger to the kingdom for help,” he continued.

“But I don’t think that’s a good idea. What if they cut our supplies?”

“No,” she said firmly, shaking her head. “The queen wouldn’t do that. She’s just and kind.”

Aurel nodded slowly.

“Wait… is that why the apples were so expensive?” he asked.

“They’ve been expensive for a while,” she replied.

“No, I mean too expensive. One basket was sixty Elinions.”

“Sixty?!” she gasped. “Sixty Elinions?! Are you sure? Then how did you buy apples with the five Elinions I gave you?”

“I lied,” Aurel admitted, lowering his voice. “I bought only one. For Rin.”

“Oh… you didn’t buy one for yourself?” she whispered, pulling him into a hug.

“I’m sorry, my baby. Your dad wasn’t home, and I didn’t think we’d need more money.”

“It’s okay, Mom. I don’t care,” Aurel said softly.

“But apples are dying too. That’s my conclusion.”

A sudden, loud scream echoed from the boys’ room.

Aurel and his mother turned instantly toward the sound. They rushed to the room and pushed the door open with force.

“Rin?! What’s going on?! Are you alright?!” his mother asked in shock.

Rin was sobbing, tears streaming down his face as he clutched the dead bird in his hands.

“It… it… it died…” he said, sniffing through his tears.

His mother stepped forward and pulled Rin into a warm embrace.

“I’m so sorry, Rin,” she said gently.

Aurel stood frozen, lost in deep thought, his eyes fixed on the lifeless bird in his brother’s hands.

“It wasn’t able to fly… before the farm died…”

His eyes suddenly widened, sparkling with shock.

“Mom!” he exclaimed. “The bird died for the same reason the farms died… but it died much slower!”

“Eh… what?” she asked, turning toward him, confused.

“The bird couldn’t fly yesterday,” Aurel said, his voice steady but tense.

“That’s not normal for a creature with wings. It slowly died here.

The plants lost their ability to live for a reason, and I think it’s the same reason the bird lost its ability to fly.”

His eyes locked onto his mother’s, unblinking.

“Okay… that’s a reason,” she said softly, “but what’s the real reason?” she asked her son.

“That’s what I don’t know,” Aurel replied. “But… we will find out.”

He hesitated, then added, “Uh… Mom, I was thinking of-”

A sudden knock interrupted him.

The father was at the door.

His mother opened it as he stepped inside, his expression grim.

“Okay,” the father said firmly, “something is wrong, and now we know it.”

“You know it now?” the mother said sharply. “Then say it already! What’s going on?! Even the bird just died!”

“The bird died too, huh?” the father muttered, sitting down heavily on his chair.

“I figured it out already… the seawater is polluted.”

“Polluted?” Aurel asked, his voice low.

“Yes,” the father said. “At least we humans drink from the wells, not directly from the sea. But something has polluted it… from the other side.”

He paused. “The color of the water is getting darker. Dirtier. For no clear reason.”

“I knew it was about the water,” Aurel said quickly. “The bird might’ve drunk from it… right?”

“Most likely,” the father nodded slowly. “He died slowly…”

He hesitated, then looked at Aurel.

“You said he couldn’t fly yesterday, correct?”

“Yeah,” Aurel answered.

“And then he just died here…” the father continued quietly.

“I don’t know how to explain it, but I think the seawater is polluted with something worse than poison.”

He glanced at the mother.

“Something that carries death.”

The room fell silent.

The two boys stood there, unable to understand, the weight of the words pressing down on them.

That day, Aurel and his brother were called to lunch.

They stepped out of their room, noticing their father already at the table.

They all sat down, finding only bread and milk placed in front of them.

“Uh… where’s the meat?” Rin asked, glancing between his parents.

“Sorry, bud… we need to save it for sale. Let’s try to make do with bread and milk for today,” their father said, forcing a small smile.

Aurel looked at the bread and milk, realizing the seriousness of their situation… with no real answers.

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