The forest is like a world of its own.
Seeming to resist the inclement weather of the season, it thrives in a lush green vibrancy despite all the falling snow.
Aside from the sound of my breath and the crunching noise of footsteps against grasses and twigs, or the brush of air —high above the canopy of leaves from all the tall trees crowning the view of the skies, these woods has so much sound orchestrating around, almost drowning but calming to listen to; sounds I don't usually hear from my daily life inside the walls of Greenrun castle. It's trivial but it's an interesting world I have yet unraveled.
In fact, if I close my eyes now, there's so many things I want to listen and focus on that I end up wavering on my own tracts. I almost lost my footing and slip but I manage to reorient my balance by opening my eyes even before I could have tripped. So I dismissed the hyper awareness and just used my eyes for the mean time.
We had been in the woods, traveling off road for several days now. Days pass by so fast but when you're aimlessly walking like this, it feels like time is so tedious.
Ever since we set off from the night I talked with Faram, about enhancing my other senses, they made me walk in front to lead and set the pace while Aide follows just behind me to guided me which direction to go; behind her is Scias and then next is Emis. Last and all alone, Faram walks farthest in the rear. We continuously walked towards south, which was the only country in the entire continent that provides transport to the other continents overseas.
My eyes were focused ahead but my thoughts were scattered. I tried to think about what to do after we get off this continent. It seems like Faram agrees about searching for Nora's parents so I can return the brooches. But after that, what do I do next?
I'm not like my brother, I honestly don't know how to start searching for the Sage. I have no leads and what so ever.
I looked down in a sigh
and saw my shoes are giving up on me too. These aren't the type of shoes for these kind of walks to begin with. Such a shame it's all worn out. The grasses are a bit iced but not enough to appreciate snowfall at all. I wonder how this forest seems to resist the winter snow?
"Aerra!"
I felt a strong grip by my arm. I paused and glance at Aide who stopped me. "Do you hear that?" she murmurs, tilting her head to the side as if trying to sense something.
I closed my eyes and listened beyond the noise of the forest.
A buzzing sound is heard. A very low and deep shuddering noise that I can't seem to make out what it is.
"Aide" Faram hollered, as he steps towards the shadows of the trees and vanishes. Aide nodded and takes my hand, gently pulling me along to the shades of the trees; carefully hiding to the nearest bush to take cover. Scias and Emis did so too.
The low buzzing sound became louder. I can almost feel the vibration in the air. And then all of a sudden something flies across and above the trees. Two of them.
"Now what the actual fuck is that?" Scias mutters quietly as we all watched them hovering away.
My eyes widened seeing the hovering objects
My eyes widened seeing the hovering objects. They look like some kind of industrial contraptions. But they seems oddly advance for this kind of world— too advanced.
—something that shouldn't exist in this time yet.
I thought science is under developed in this world because they depend on magic too much...
So how is such a thing exist???
As it passed by without noticing us, I saw the emblem of Osteell Empire from its behind. Somehow, that gave me a dreadful feeling.
Osteell is— Levi's homeland...
A powerful military empire of the East, known for their technological advancements. They have more commonfolks living in that country than noblebloods. Which means magic is not as 'epidemic' as they are like the rest of the continent. So it's understandable why they would focus on mechanical stuff.
But this world is already problematic with magic as it is.
There's even a civil war going on at the northwestern lands, commonfolks versus the noblebloods.
So for something like that to even exist now...
"Airships?" Emis wonders.
"Too small for an airship though. That doesn't seem like it can even contain any passengers at all." Aide argues. "How curious..."
We walked out on the clearing when they were gone.
As I recall, airships are powered by magic. It needs few men inside to make one ship fly across the skies. Or at least someone with magic should be feeding it.
But those things just now... they seem to work without one.
I wonder how Levi got them to work?
Hmm.
Levi's a brilliant guy... he seems to be leading his empire to advance in such a ridiculous rate.
It's my fault why he became the heir to the empire in the first place. If I didn't mingle on a certain event back when I was younger, Syreon would've been their next warden instead.
And now, Levi seems to have developed a way to make those things exist and move without relying on someone with magic.
I just hope he doesn't use that to incite a war.
A war...
—while the rot is growing and spreading insidiously....
"Looks like they'll be throwing us weird flying objects from now on to look for ya'!" Aide chuckled, breaking my train of thoughts. "Y'sure are a special young lady. Weren't ya' supposed to be married to the young Lord of Osteell?"
"Supposed..." I echoed her words in response. Now that I joined this party of mercenaries, its quite obvious that such thing is no longer possible.
"Are we still headin' south?" Emis asks, nudging one hip to the side then placing her fist on it. "Those weird flying stuff are heading south too. Seems like they already knew we're planning to get out of this continent"
"The south is the only way out, right? So now what?" Scias added, stepping forward.
Aide rubs her chin, "I also think it's best to change direction." she says this while looking at Faram, who just appears behind us.
Scias rubs his chin while folding his other arm close to his chest, pondering. "The Leingods of Greenrun are affiliated with the esteemed House Morlock of the East; the noble House Rahn of the South; revered House Ellafale of the West; and ultimately the Grand Central Kingdom because of their familial connection with the High throne." Scias enumerated as he lifts his gaze up to us, "It's actually almost impossible to smuggle her away."
"We could head to the Northwest. The commotion there can serve as our screens." Emis suggested pressing her lips in a hard line.
"And run straight into the battlefield? No way! Also, with the war going on over there, they would've surely increased checkpoints already." Aide says sighing. "So, what now?"
"Claude already agreed to take over the 'watch' in this continent. We should stick with the agreement that we take Krosz continent instead." Faram answered but he turned his head up. "They might've arrived by now. No matter what, we need to meet up with them first."
"We can assume they've increased security by the docks in the Southern Kingdom. Sneaking pass guards may not be a problem but how about those flying objects? We aren't even sure what those things are."
"Maybe we can switch places with Claude's group? We'll do the watch in this continent for the mean time and Claude can do theirs at Krosz. That way we can stay low until the search pacifies."
"Or we can just ask Claude to help us get out of here without getting noticed." Scias suggests
"No way, you're seriously goin' to depend on that guy for discretion?" Emis crossed her arms together tightly in disfavor.
Like an owl, I just moved my head from one direction to the next, watching them exchange ideas. They were all talking with their masks on except Faram who just stood a little behind in silence. I wonder why they are too particular in hiding when in the first place, I don't think anyone aside from me knows what they look like. They are from foreign lands, so surely no one knows them here, right?
My uncle already tried hunting for them when I was younger too. But here I am now with them and their identity are still a mystery.
"Umm..." I began as they turned and look at me, all at the same time. 💧 I paused and hesitated.
"G'ahead, what is it?" Aide urges me to talk.
"W-when you came to Greenrun, nobody really saw your faces. How about we just hide in plain sight by taking your masks off and blending in like ordinary travellers?" I stated, shrugging.
There was silence.
Am... I wrong?
After a minute they finally exchanged glances.
Scias slapped a hand to his face. His shoulders were shaking.
Suddenly he took his mask off and cackled.
"Aha hahaha!!! I'm loving this kid!" Scias suddenly bursted out laughing. He walked towards me and started patting my shoulders repeatedly. "So you can be astute when ya' want, huh?"
That's... quite insulting.
"We might encounter trouble 'cause your hair and eyes are too eye catching, but aside from that I think we can do away with that plan!" Emis nodded with a hand on her chin.
Oh. So my suggestion is plausible after all?
"Ya need to speak more often —well, next time!" Aide commented.
So is it bad after all?
I looked at Faram. He just stood there in silence. The three began to exchange remarks and joking around about why no one thought about that.
"Aide..." Faram finally spoke.
They all stopped and turned to him, "I leave her up to you."
Aide straightened her back and just nodded once at him in response.
"Let's get going" Faram concludes as they all looked at me and gestures to start walking.
Huh?
What does he mean by that?
What is he asking Aide to do?
"I can't wait to dress you up!" Aide says cheerfully.
Oh.
Perhaps it's to hide my hair and eyes, a symbol of a pureblooded Arcanian descendant.
But d-dress up?
Somehow, as Aide took her mask off and grinned at me, chill ran down my spine.
I have a bad feeling about this.
••▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅••
We soon reached a small clearing where a waterfall is seen, almost hidden from view with all the trees and vines stretching so high up
We soon reached a small clearing where a waterfall is seen, almost hidden from view with all the trees and vines stretching so high up.
"Let's rest here" Faram walks pass me and wondered off ahead.
Aide threw herself down a corner where the grass cushions her weight, "Ahhh, this place looks nice, ain't it?"
I nodded "Like a secret paradise" I supplied, then I began to minutely pace around, letting my eyes do all the scouting.
To be honest, it's fascinating.
I've never been an adventurer even from my previous life. Being in the forest and seeing the raw side of nature is rather intriguing.
"BAAAAATH!!! Woo-hoooh!"
I turned around and saw Scias dunked himself like a falling meteor towards the spring waters. The splash reached Emis who sat comfortably nearby the edge as she was about to fix her small rucksack.
Soaked and annoyed, she bolted up and threw her one hand in a slice chop at the water, but wave created suddenly grew tall and swallowed Scias out of sight. And then she began to make few silly-looking movements as the water followed her dance.
Ah. I can see Scias struggling inside the turbulence. Amazing he's not dead yet.
Such a lively bunch.
"Don't ya' want to get into the waters too?" Aide asks all of a sudden. "We're travelling for quite a while. I'm sure you're itchin' to take a bath!"
I took another glance at the springs and saw a raging whirlpool trying to drown Scias at the moment. "Maybe later" I smiled apologetically at Aide.
"For someone who grew in a castle, you're surprisingly calm." Emis stated, finally done antagonizing Scias.
"What do you mean?" I answered, one brow arched in curiosity.
"I was expecting a bratty lil' girl of a rich noble or a whiny damsel who can't help but cry at night because of her misfortunes." Emis explains, sitting back down. "But you... you're calm and silent. Brooding— is a better word, act'lly."
"Oh.... I hope I'm not being bothersome—" I asked, but my eyes blankly watched Scias who finally manages to surface. He gasped for air aloud and began to cough out like he's trying to gag both lobes of his lungs out.
"Nah! I prefer it that way. I think I see now why Faram choose ya' as his apprentice... well, more or less!" Emis shrugs while going through her stuff inside her rucksack.
"I'm going to nap for a bit!" Aide says, lying flat on her back with both arms folded behind her head. Scias climbs out of the waters looking so infuriated and tried to tackle Emis head-on. But one uppercut from her easily sent him flying and twinkling like a star high up to the skies. I wonder when he will be back though...
I look around and saw Faram near the foot of the waterfall. The waters over there are shallow compared to the adjoining springs where the depth just suddenly crates deep, seen over its crystal clear surface.
"I wonder what is he up to..." were the words that escaped from my mouth even before I could have caught it. I clasp at my mouth, covering it. I didn't mean to say that out loud.
Emis just turned her gaze at me and then followed the direction of my eyes. "Faram is a brooding sonuvabitch. Nobody in this group ever wonders what he's up to anymore." Emis chuckled. "If you're curious, you can go ahead and see for yourself. G'head!"
I stole my eyes away and was about to politely decline but she cuts me off
"Look. I believe there's nothing wrong with brooding." Emis added, "We all have some things to brood about but it's not really good keeping your thoughts to yourself a bit too much.
—Especially when there're people who're willing to listen."
"..."
I wonder if she pertains this to me or to Faram?
"I will go fetch us s'mthin t'eat. You go join the others." Emis stated but her eyes glances at where Faram is.
I nodded and watched her vanish as she walked back to the shrouded-ness of the forest.
I guess she wants me to specifically go and join Faram.
I shrugged.
Why not?
I pushed at my knees to carry myself up. Dusting my skirt, I went and walked to where Faram is.
So I have been too silent and brooding for a while, huh?
If Aeron is here, he'd nag me out of it.
"Hey!!!" I hollered, deciding to be casual with Faram. I should be more lively like how I used to be.
But when he glanced my way, I sunk back to my shoulders and felt like swallowing the words I just uttered.
The gallant yet intimidating air around him is too oppressive to break away from.
"Master Faram..." I stand corrected in a gulp.
"I'm glad you're here. While the others rest, let's continue on your training." He says while walking towards the waterfalls.
He doesn't seem particularly glad actually.
The moment he walked to the pouring falls, the water suddenly evaded him, as if he's holding an invisible umbrella.
He took a side-long glance and gestured me to follow.
"How?" I almost shouted against the loud booming sound of the waterfall.
"Use your Null" he answered, reaching an open hand out but the waters repelled off from him. Not a single drop fell on his palm.
Unsure, I just braced myself and stepped in.
The water poured relentlessly.
It's freezing cold too!
I stepped away and back to the dry lands.
I looked up at Faram as he just stood there in the middle of the waterfalls, untouched and dry as the freakin' desert.
"How?" I asked out loud.
"Focus, Ri. Remember how you abated fires. The concept is the same the only difference is the nature of the element."
Such ambiguous words.
Hearing him now reminded me how hard to have Faram is as my master back in the deserts. He's like talking in riddles and with minimal directions, he just assumes you understand and waits for you to do what he asks. Not to mention he doesn't react or commend if I've done the right thing or not. You'd only know you did it correctly if he proceeds to the next course of action.
Well at least he doesn't get angry. He's very patient actually.
And... he came back for me.
Right now, I know he's not evil but I can't understand him either way. What am I for to him?
I know he used me to trigger the rot to manifest before and yet he sent Aide to me. He said he was worried I'd die.
It's like fire and ice. He's warm and cold at the same time.
"Ri, the waters won't bend no matter how long you stare at them." He suddenly spoke. I know he means that to simply say he's waiting.
Yet surprisingly, he can be sarcastic too.
"I'm on it!" I replied.
I held my hand out to the waters and closed my eyes.
When I abate a fire, I simply try to focus on what it can do. Like concentrating on the heat that radiates out and savoring the scorching pain it brings when it begins to burn away your flesh. And then, I'd wish for it to go away. I'd focus on what I feel or sense from it and demand it to disappear. Soon, I learned to make it go away even before it can hurt me. Just sensing it around me, I know I'd want to avoid it even though I walked right through it, back at the Farms in Greenrun when the field was burning.
The water, unlike the flames, are much kinder. It doesn't hurt to run my hand through it, like brushing your fingers against your hair, stroking it. You know it's there. It's flowing.
But a running water like this has an energy as it ran pass you. Like a force, it can push you.
Unlike the fire, I can feel the rush the water offered; the weight against my hand that I held out unmoving. Painless but strong.
How to want it gone?
What should I want gone exactly? The water itself? The entire waterfalls??? Is that even possible?! Or is he asking me just to make it stop from flowing?
All of a sudden, I felt someone grabbed my hand. My eyes sprung wide open. Faram is standing before me and gently holding my hand over his.
"Come" he says as he began to walk backwards. I took a step forward as he lured me further. I can see how the water around my arm deterred away from flowing right at me.
I looked at him and the sun shines against the crystal waters, it reflected on him and I can see how pale yet ivory skinned he has. His silver hair is darker than my own.
Watching him as he guides me to the middle of the raging waterfalls without getting a single drop of water on us is like watching an ethereal being trying to lure you to his Kingdom. The small droplets around us seemed like crystals that shined in a—
"You're off focus" he says and my imagination bubble popped away like a balloon.
"Sorry" I murmured, pursing my lips. Shaking my thoughts clear off the unnecessary reveries.
"The water is one of the four main elements of Light. It's not as ferocious as a fire but can be just be as lethal. It's force can be equated to a terra, which is a more solid element, but only at a certain amount just like a waterfall or a huge wave of the ocean.
If you can understand its very nature, you're closer in understanding how to nullify terra as well." he explains, slowly wrapping his fingers close against mine. "All you need is to focus. Know what you want and what you don't. The Null itself is a formless magic. It relies on how strong your mind is and how strong your desire to make any element on your hand vanish."
Slowly, I felt the water began to drop just on our hands as Faram removes the barrier specifically just on that area. The strong and ice cold water went pouring relentlessly.
"Now, concentrate."
So I did.
I'm actually not sure if I want it to vanish or I'd just want it to stop flowing completely.
What do I want to do?
I decided to try both.
And began to concentrate on wanting the inconsistent flow of water to disappear first. But as I did, I can feel the area of the pouring water spreading. Like the coat of nonexistent umbrella is slowly moving away. Faram is slowly letting the water flow directly at me. From our hands and reaching to my wrist... and then my forearm and now up to my elbow...
Ugh! I can't concentrate!!!
I let go of Faram, pulling my hand away.
Bad move.
The waters suddenly poured fiercely at me.
I squirmed and tried to step away but I slipped and fell to the shallow waters instead, face first and mildly bumping my forehead to the water floor.
I quickly carried myself up and turned to Faram as I sat up. I think my forehead is bleeding.
Faram just stood there in silence.
"Stand up and do it again." he says, I can see his hand waiting inside the fall.
I pulled myself up and grabbed his hand.
The moment I touched him, the water avoided me. I stood beside him and began to concentrate harder this time. And again, just like before, he allowed the water to run just to our hands but with every passing second, it slowly crept wider towards me.
••▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅••