It was way into the second half of the day when Layne finally awoke. For a few minutes, he laid in his bed disoriented, trying to remember where he was. Upon putting it all together, he turned around to see Coden's bed empty and neatly made. Layne stretched out his arms and legs with great pleasure, although the attempt to get out of bed ended with him falling right back again.

He rolled around the lumpy mattress as if it was a bed fit for a king. He didn't know how much time might have passed like that, but it felt like it could have been hours. Finally, putting in all his strength, Layne managed to get up and stumble outside.

He found Coden sitting in front of the house, peeling a boiled potato with the dullest looking knife Layne has ever seen. The guy looked up at him and smiled. "Good morning. It's dinner time."

"Great." Layne sat on the ground next to him and fished out another potato from the pot. Inside it, he found a second knife. He had been wrong – that was the dullest looking knife he's ever seen. Nevertheless, it was dinner and he was still hungry from the day before. Coden handed him a jug of water – just as ice cold as before. Layne wondered where did those people keep it.

"Hey," a woman's voice called from behind them when they were finishing their meal. As he turned around, Layne recognised the same blonde woman from the night before. This time, she didn't have the child with her. The woman came closer to them with a wide smile across her face. "I realised we didn't even introduce ourselves, that's rude of my part."

"It's alright," Coden responded and put his knife away. Layne followed his example and smiled at the woman.

"I'm Mary," she said. "You've also met my son Phil. He's out playing with the other children right now."

"Layne." He offered her his hand, which she shook firmer than he had expected from her.

"I'm Coden," Coden nodded at her.

"Coden. Not a common name. Sounds very familiar for some reason, though. Anyway, nice to meet you both." Mary interlocked her fingers in front of her chest. Her round cheeks blushed which only made the woman look more genuine and well-meaning in Layne's eyes. "We hope you'll stay here with us. It's always exciting when someone new joins, especially if it's two abled men."

The last part caught Layne off guard and he stayed still, looking at the woman who didn't appear to notice anything. Neither did Coden, as he without a doubt in his voice responded, "yeah, we'd like to stay."

"For now, at least," Layne added. "How many children are here? There are none in the other village."

Mary chuckled. "Of course there aren't, why would they allow women to keep their kids there? Children are only a burden to them, after all. We have seven in the whole village, at the moment, though the oldest one is sixteen already. I don't know any other person who's been in the Land longer than her. She's part of the reason this place even exists."

"How come?"

"Well, when she was born, her safety was a big motivation for Collins and Haslett. You could say they were the founders of this place. Well, at least they were the first to stand against the leadership."

Coden frowned. "Collins and Haslett?"

"Right! That's where I know your name from!" Mary clapped her hands together. "They had an illegitimate son of the same name. That's why they got rejected in the first place. Poor couple, they did nothing wrong."

An uncomfortable silence followed. Layne glanced between the two people, wondering which one of them would be the first to speak again. Coden watched the woman with an empty expression, while Mary didn't appear to understand the situation. Her smile eventually vanished and she furrowed her brows as if asking what was wrong.

"Gosh," she finally whispered. "I didn't realise."

Coden squeezed out a smile. "Did you know them?"

"Oh, no, they passed away long before I got here." Mary shook her head. "I've heard a lot about them, though. Everyone here did. The same way people would learn history in Eumain, we teach our children about Sophia Collins and Clyde Haslett."

"Really? That's... Wow. I had no idea."

"Of course you wouldn't have," she laughed. "I'm not sure it's appropriate to offer, but if you'd like to, I can show you where they are buried."

Coden clenched his fists, his lower lip shivered. He turned to Layne. "Will you go with us?"

"Ugh." Layne leant back and frowned. "I don't think it's something you need me for."

"Please? I don't want to go alone."

Mary crossed her arms and set an offended expression. Although just a few seconds later, she laughed and her face brightened. Layne responded to that with laughter and thought. He did want to find Adan and discuss bringing in the other people from their old cabin – but that could wait. He was likely busy, anyway. "Fine."

* * *

Layne looked up at the top of the hill, surrounded by trees. Sunlight only reached the very top of it – the only part not covered up by thick foliage of green and golden leaves. A few stray rays made their way through the gaps between them, highlighting small patches of ground beneath.

They'd have to climb it – that was clear. A small path leading up was barely noticeable, covered up in wet leaves. A good way to break one's neck. He then regretted coming up there – and from Coden's expression, he had his doubts as well. Mary alone looked just as enthusiastic as she did before.

"Well, it won't climb itself," she announced. "You can crawl on your four if you're scared."

The woman cleared up some of the leaves with her shoe and took the first steps up the hill. She then turned back at the guys and waved at them with a soft laugh. They had no other option but to follow her.

Layne placed his feet firmly in the cleared areas. At first, it seemed like that wouldn't be such hard of a task but the further they climbed, the more wrong that thought proved itself to be. The hill got steeper, the path became more and more difficult to follow. Mary stopped clearing the path and instead, used the trees and saplings for support. Layne followed her example – until he slipped and stretched out on the wet ground.

Mary turned back. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine." Layne scooted away and allowed Coden to pass while he was brushing the dirt off his clothes. The stains stayed, but at least the fall hasn't been painful.

The rest of the way he climbed with his hands on the ground. As proud as he was, falling once was embarrassing enough and he couldn't risk it repeating. He cursed under his nose, silent enough for Coden not to hear, although he had a feeling that he knew anyway.

When they finally reached the top, however, the trip proved itself to be worth it. An enormous area stretched out in all direction. They stood above the tree-tops, chilly wind ruffling through their hair. Not too far, he made out the rooftops of Adan's village. Further away – parts of those in Victor's. A deep blue blanket that was the ocean rose in the distance and blend into the sky, speckled with tiny, feathery clouds. No rain in the forecast.

Coden approached two large boulders, standing proud between a couple of aspen trees and surrounded by pebbles. "Sofia Collins", was roughly chiselled into one of them. Below it, smaller, almost illegible words said, "heroines are to stay immortal". In the same fashion, the second gravestone read "Clyde Haslett. Alive in legends." He knelt before them and brushed his hand over the names.

Layne stood right behind him, not sure if there was anything he could do. In the back of his mind, he thought of how his parents' graves looked. Of course, they wouldn't be in a location like this one. Definitely in the cemetery, surrounded by hundreds of people they didn't know, perhaps a few lone trees casting their shadows over the dirt. He didn't doubt that Levi would have paid a great amount to make everything look just right – but there's only so much one can do for the dead.

"Do you know how they died?" asked Coden.

Mary nodded. "People don't always like rebels, unfortunately. As far as we know, they were eventually tracked down and... You know."

Coden sobbed and rubbed his eyes. "I didn't even know them," he said. "It shouldn't make me so sad."

"They were your parents," said Layne. "It's normal. I think."

Coden looked up at him and his shivering lips stretched into a smile. His eyes were red but sparked with genuine joy.

"Yeah." He nodded and stood up. "In a way, at least I know where they are, now."

Mary took him by the hand and squeezed it until veins protruded underneath her skin. "Your parents are the reason a lot of people who would have been killed are still alive and well. In the Land of Rejects, they are the legends." With her free arm, she wrapped him in a hug. "I am so glad you are here with us, now. Everyone else will be thrilled, too."

Layne watched the scene with a sad smile. He wasn't certain telling anyone else would be the safest thing for Coden – then again, from the way Mary acted, it showed that they didn't have a choice in that matter.

It came to him that this guy, barely adult, was already a mascot of a movement back in Eumain and a son of who people in the Land saw as heroes. Coden was a special person – more than likely, he didn't even understand it himself. He wasn't very brave, nor very strong. Layne guessed that he hadn't even seen much of the world and lacked judgement skills.

There and then, Layne decided that Coden would need all the help he could get.