Chapter 16: Venturing Out
[Hellion Arc]
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"So according to our investigations, the holder of the death pearl should be the leader of these one-eyed monsters called Usamata?" Urika clarified.
The King of Hellion, Riuzyll nodded grimly. Despite being being barely fourteen, it was seen that when he grew up and matured, he'd be a very handsome man.
Saya stared at the map inlaid in the circular oak table in front of her but then looked up and looked around the candlelit meeting room around her to see the king's knights, her sister, cousins and their knights surrounding the table sitting on silver chairs with the king sitting on the golden one with his adviser beside him which indicated his status of this realm. There were also some guards at the doors and a few trusted maids standing silently at the side.
"So, what's the plan?" Rinne asked while fixing her eyeglasses which she frequently wore whenever in meetings like this. It was her technique to get focused because she tended to be quite easily distracted. Though the idea came from her knight, Kiari, of course.
"We find out their exact location. Though the files say they frequently set up their colony in the Hollow Mountains, we still aren't sure if they're really there. There's also sightings of them just on the borders of the Forest of Memories and in the Moon Fields so anywhere is a possibility and besides, those places are where they benefit best." Saya explained instead of King Riuzyll.
The places she mentioned were quite interesting, really. The first time she read the files about them, she was amazed. How come such places existed?
The Cosmos truly is really vast and mysterious.
"Huh? The forest of what now? And a moon what?" Rinne asked confusedly while blinking her golden orbs like a deer caught in headlights.
Saya giggled slightly and was rather surprised when Sumire suddenly laughed and answered Rinne instead og herself.
"The Hollow Mountains are one of the darkest places in this realm. They're one of the places where demons and other dark dwelling creatures reside which makes it one of the possible places where Usamatas might dwell in. On the other hand, the Forest of Memories is the best place to get their meal without a sweat. The trees in the forest carries a sweet smell that lures other creatures and traps them in their own memories and barely anyone escapes there. So all the Usamatas have to do is grab a bite to eat for they aren't affected by the forest's lure and besides, they have no memories other than food except for their leader. The Moon Fields also displays a great role in the growth and strength of these Usamatas but not only them, all creatures, good or bad alike benefit from the power of the moon and this place has the most abundant Luna, or moon power, which makes it likely and unlikely for them to be there at the same time.
So, is that alright for an explanation?" Sumire clarified with a gentle smile.
All of them nodded in understanding. That was a great way of explaining things. If it were Saya, it'll probably take a long time because of her excitement.
"We'll have to split up if we want to find out their exact location then." Kiede commented with her usual cold and blank face but the undeniable excitement in her silver eyes were evident despite the candlelit room.
They all nodded in agreement.
"We do have to split up to hasten this mission and avoid calamity. How about pairs, then? All of you do realize the places mentions are vast and there are some areas that can't be searched in such a short period of time." The King's adviser, a wrinkly old man with a gentle aura commented with a smile. His temperament was somewhat surprising. In a realm full of chaos, it's surprising such gentle aura existed.
"Hmm... that can be considered." King Riuzyll remarked still with a slightly immature voice. "We'll do that then."
"Okay. It's officially decided. We'll go off in pairs with our knights. If anything happens, just fly straight away. And if you encounter Rose Reaper in some way, it's better to not act rashly since we still don't know the extent of her powers." Saya warned them seriously. It was only often she got serious like this. It was usually when she was in front of her parents or the other members of the royal council or in displaying her powers.
The others nodded at Saya now with a serious look on their faces. They knew her well and knew the weight of her words especially that Rose Reaper has escaped from them without a single scratch while they suffered damages, although of almost no importance but still damages nonetheless.
"Okay then, we'll head out first thing in the morning." The king said and stood up with them following suit.
"Dismissed!"
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The next day...
Urika looked over behind her to see Gikushi and glanced at him wearily as she flew with him towards the Forest of Memories. It has been four hours since they flew without stopping and it had quite taken a toll on her, well the both of them, because even if he wasn't far off behind her, she could still see buds of sweat on his forehead.
Urika turned around and flew towards him and upon closer look, Gikushi looked much worse than her. His handsome face was pale and his lips were slightly blue.
"We need to rest, now."
Urika sighed as she watched Gikushi sprawled on the mantle laid on the ground. She stood up and walked towards the brook not far away from where she was sitting and pulled out her handkerchief from the pockets of her silver and green armor. She dipped it into the cool waters and wrung it out to remove excess water. She then stood up and walked back towards Gikushi.
She placed the handkerchief on his forehead as she watched the steady rise and fall of his chest. She already removed his breastplate to ease out his breathing and as much as she would like to remove more, she couldn't risk it, he was vulnerable enough and she couldn't have him dying on her that easily.
Urika sensed him stir in his sleep and she immediately snapped out of her thoughts. She saw him slowly open his evergreen colored eyes and then looked at me languidly.
She touched his forehead as a jerked reaction. "Are you feeling better? Can you stand? Your fever was really high, you know?!" she asked him worriedly. She didn't point out that he didn't even tell her he had such high fever.
Gikushi sat up with a groan as Urika immediately helped him up. He looked at her weirdly and to her surprise, pulled her into his broad chest and hugged her quite tightly.
Urika could feel the steady thumping of his heart as she just stayed wrapped in his arms. She hugged him back tightly and sighed at how comfortably safe his embrace felt.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you and worried you. I just didn't want to trouble you and I thought the fever would just go away. But I guess it didn't. I'm sorry, Urika-hime*." He said with regret, his chest rumbling with every word said.
Urika sighed once more and broke the hug to look up at him. "Just tell me next time if something's wrong okay?" she asked while looking straight in his evergreen colored eyes. Gikushi must've sensed her worry for he smiled gently and patted her head like he usually does.
"Hai, wakatta.*"
Urika smiled back at him, glad that he understood. She looked around them to fully survey the place that they've landed in for she didn't really do at first because of the worry for Gikushi's wellbeing.
She glanced around her and to her surprise, they were surrounded by those black trees with blue leaves. Dread instantly gripped her, goosebumps rising all over her body as the feeling of dread seeped in. She immediately turned around to find Gikushi but to her surprise, he wasn't there and instead, she was back in ner very own palace.
"Why am I back at the Green Rose Kingdom?"
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*Urika-hime- means, Princess Urika in Japanese.
*Hai, wakatta- means, 'Yes, I understand' or 'Yes, understood' in a casual and close manner. Japanese
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