After Mii dematerialised, Truen decided they should resume their adventure.
The bell was located by the door that could not be opened with normal means. Zero wanted to do the honours of ringing the bell so Truen lifted him high enough to reach it. The bell wasn't made of metal. Instead, it was an electronic one that chimes three times before activating the portal behind that door and unlocking it.
The duo walked through the portal and arrived at the exact spot they left last night. The fire they grilled fishes over had long died out and only ashes remained. The fish bones were where they left them and Zero asked if it was alright to leave everything the way it was.
"It's fine," replied the elf. "The forest cleaners will take care of the rest."
"Forest cleaners?"
Truen nodded. "Nature has its way of taking care of things like that. When something dies or is left behind that is not man-made, nature will send something to return it into the soil."
After listening to Truen's explanation, Zero got excited and decided to catch the forest cleaner in action.
Unable to deny the brunet, the bodyguard was caught in another dilemma.
Chuckling weakly, he explained. "Zero, the forest cleaners won't turn up immediately. It could take weeks to months or even years. Why don't we search for a leaf that matches Gaia's hair colour first? Who knows, we might be able to catch these shy cleaners in action."
Zero frowned. While he did want to find that leaf, he was also very curious about the forest cleaners. Who were they? What did they look like? What will they do with the bones and ashes?
Sensing the boy's hesitation, Truen threw in a compromise to appease the child. "We can wait here for two hours if you really want to. However, if they do not appear we should carry on with our journey. Endow Hill is not a very big place, I'm sure we will have the chance to meet them before we leave."
Reluctantly, Zero agreed and they climbed a tree to hide among the foliage. An hour passed and Truen sniffed the air suddenly before frowning. Zero was on the brink of nodding off and the sudden movement caught him by surprise.
"What's wrong?"
"Rain is coming."
Zero tilted his head to a side. "Rain?"
Before Mii could answer, Truen already launched into an explanation about how 'rain' was a phenomenon that occasionally happened. Water would fall from the sky over a large area for a period of time before stopping. The sky would become very dark and sometimes there would be strong wind and loud sounds following flashes of lights in the sky.
"We should take shelter soon, it's not good to stay out in the rain."
"Why not? Is rain bad?"
"No, rain is not bad. It is actually good for the plants and rivers. However, you might fall sick if you stay out in the rain for too long."
Zero didn't question further and helped Truen look for shelter. True enough, the sky got darker after twenty minutes and the wind picked up speed. From a distance, Zero saw how the light in the clouds flashed. A low rumbling noise followed it and Zero jumped whenever that happened.
"The rain is coming, do you want to hide out in the lamp until it passes?"
Zero shook his head. While he was frightened of the loud noises he was curious about the rain. "I want to know how the rain is like."
For the next ten minutes, Truen ran through Endow Hill with Zero on his back to hasten their search. Fortunately, they found a small cave hidden behind some rocks just before the heavy downpour. It was drizzling by the time they made it to the cave. The gentle pitter-patter got heavier and soon, it became a raging storm. Trees swayed so violently that Zero feared they might break. The lightning and thunder came closer as the dark clouds ruled over the sky. Zero huddled close to Truen, seeking comfort in those arms.
"Truen, where does the rain come from? Why is it coming this way?"
The elf hugged the brunet close. "The rain is created by gods. I don't really know how it was created, you should ask Sedna or Gaia about this. As for why it happens, many plants and animals drink water. Humans too. Water is very important and the rain helps to replenish the water used by plants and animals from the rivers, ponds and lakes."
Zero hummed. That made a lot of sense. Zero used the water in the stream to clean up yesterday. He'd seen many plants too and if everyone needed water, 'rain' must be very important indeed.
"I'm going to call Sedna and ask her if she knows anything about how 'rain' was made."
Truen chuckled and helped Zero dial for Sedna. While Zero waited for the call to connect, Truen discreetly texted his bosses in the group chat, updating them about Zero's progress.
"Hello Sedna!"
The goddess couldn't contain her joy when she heard the adorable voice.
"Zero! How have you been? Did you eat well? How was your sleep? Was the lamp comfortable? Do you need anything else?"
The brunet grinned widely as Sedna rambled away. "I'm good, Sedna. The fish Truen caught and grilled was delicious. Sleep was good too. The lamp had everything inside and it was so spacious! I couldn't reach the bell but Truen was there to help me. Also, I don't need anything else but I have a question."
On the other end of the line, Sedna was nodding and tearing up. "Yes Zero, how can I help you?"
"I was just wondering if you know how 'rain' was created. Truen said that 'rain' was good for plants and animals replaces the used water."
The Goddess of the Sea smiled. This question was right up her alley.
"Yes, Truen is correct. Water is important to many living creatures, some even live in it. Remember the shellfish? It isn't the only animal that needed water. The bird, Namekuji and even the frogs need it too. However, unlike animals, the plants that need water are unable to move. Rain is a way that Zeus and I made to help these plants get the water they needed. We used magic to create a cycle that borrowed water from rivers and seas, bringing them over to the plants who cannot move from time to time. Small amounts of water will rise into the sky to form clouds. As water is very heavy, it is not possible for the wind to carry it far. With clouds, it is possible to transport large amounts of water further. Once there is enough water in the clouds, the wind will blow it to the place with plants that need water. The clouds will then undergo change and become dark when the water come together and become heavy again. The light and sounds coming from them are a result of the clouds working hard to becoming water so you don't need to be too worried about them. Once all the clouds become water and have fallen back to the ground, the rain will stop and you can see the sun again."
The explanation was very thorough but some parts still eluded Zero. Nevertheless, he thanked Sedna but decided to ask Mii about it later. At the end of the call, there was one thing that made Zero conclude that Sedna and Zeus were awesome.
"Truen, did you hear what Sedna said? Water can travel upwards! No wonder the goddesses are so powerful... they can make water go upwards and move them around."
The elf nodded. He didn't quite understand Sedna's explanation as that was beyond him. However, he was also impressed by how the gods could make so much water travel upwards without anyone knowing.
"I wonder if they can make anything else travel upwards too..." Truen mumbled and Zero hummed.
"Maybe they can make fishes travel upwards?"
"No, that will be terrible because fishes need water to live in."
"But clouds are water, right? Wouldn't they be fine?"
Truen looked at the pouring rain from the cave. "And fall down like that? I don't think so. It would hurt the fishes."
Frowning, Zero nodded. "Yes, that will be bad. We don't want to hurt the fishes."
"Mhmm," Truen agreed. "I think having water is enough."
Zero laughed cheerfully. "Me too! It might be nice to see different things though."
Truen didn't nod but remained thoughtful. Sometimes Zero had ideas that were out of this world. But Truen wouldn't trade it for anything else. After all, it was what made the job so interesting.