REN
"I know where to find her."
I stood up shakily. "Ling, open a gate to the nearest cemetery."
"Why - "
I cut Cellon. I do not have any explanation. Just that, that image I last seen in my haze pulls me towards Nina. I don't know how but I feel it strongly in my bones.
"Just trust me in this Cellon. Please."
Cellon nodded, hesitation still lingering in his eyes. But he knows I have a reason for it. And he will not stop asking me questions later on. Better later than now.
"Come on," Ling called us as soon as he secured a gate.
We crossed it and searched in the magnificent cemetery.
The cemetery wasn't a uniform one. Some bodies are buried below the ground, some are on tombs above ground.
But I'm looking for a girl kneeling in front of a headstone. How can we cover more ground in this large area?
"Commander," Ling snapped me out of my reverie. "I think we should split up. After 30 minutes, we come back in this area."
"Do you have phones with you?" I asked. Both nodded.
"Let's call each other when you find her. Turn on GPS so that we can all arrive to whoever has found her."
I looked back at the cemetery. My heart says I need to go right so, I'll go there.
"I'll head right," I declared. "Cellon, you go north. Ling, you go the left."
"See you in 30," Cellon said with a wave.
Ling and I nodded and headed to our separate ways.
The part I chose was full of tomb. My heart sank at the site. I'm not looking for this. If this goes on, my 30 minutes would be up and I need to go back. The tombs are endless here.
I craned my neck to the front, left and right of my path. But there are still no signs of open space. All I can see are tombs after tombs after tombs.
Just then, my watch timer sounded, signaling the end of the 30 minutes. 30 minutes was a short time to cover the whole area.
I sighed. Maybe not this cemetery.
As soon as I turned around, I heard a sound. Someone was crying nearby. Faint, but I can still hear it.
I inched forward slowly. The crying sound gets louder. My pace quickened. Cellon would be back to base in no less than 10 minutes, Ling would get back in a heart beat. I still have time.
I ran and paused to listen for the sound. My left, its coming from my left.
I zigzagged my way around the haphazardly arranged tombs, the early morning fog obscuring my vision.
I stopped again, losing the sound in my loud footsteps. I hear it, much much louder now. Now its coming from my right. I ran straight.
The first rays of the sun peeked at the horizon, making me able to see the woman sitting in front of a headstone, her head bowed and her cries reverberating in the vicinity.
My heart ached at the sight of her. Why is she crying? Is it because of me?
I pulled out my phone and texted the both of them.
I inched closer to her, my footsteps light to avoid scaring her.
When I was a meter from her, I called her softly, "Nina."
She looked at me. Her tear-stained face was both ethereal and scary.
I swallowed. "It's me Ren."
Her face morphed into one of mockery, "I know who you are."
She stood up rather clumsily but managed to stand dignified. She wiped her face with the back of her hand. All I ever wanted was I get to be the one that wiped it. Get a grip Ren.
"And how did you find me?"
I shurgged my shoulders, "A hunch."
She scoffed, "Stalker."
"Hey wait. We were worried for you. Selena tasked us to find you."
She sighed. "Are they okay Ren?"
The way she speaks my name melts my heart. Get a grip Ren.
"Yes, they are safe in Agrissi. Nina," I said. my hands raking my hair in shame and guilt. "I'm sorry - "
I stopped when she raised her hand.
"I am the one to be sorry Ren." By the Great Mage, what is she doing to me?
"I'm sorry for snapping like that at you, not knowing the hardships you have experienced. I'm sorry I was a little bit selfish."
"No, I am sorry too. It was a fault that we left you alone on a mission."
"Nah, that's okay. I managed to kill that one nasty minotaur right?" She beamed at me, overshadowing the sunlight shining behind her. I wanted to just run to her and hug her so tight. Get a grip Ren.
I can't say I'm proud, but dang who am I kidding? I am very proud of her. She is very tough. Maybe she can fight one on one with me and I'd end up losing.
Just then, Cellon and Ling came bounding towards us.
"Nina!" Cellon shouted. "What are you doing here in this forsaken place?"
Nina chuckled. "I was visiting my Grandpa."
All three of us looked at her. "Grandpa as in?" I asked.
"Who else? My Grandpa Bo!"
"How is he buried?" Ling asked, too straightforward.
Nina scratched her head, "Uh, he died so we had a wake for him then we buried him. What else do you mean?"
I motioned for them to stop talking.
"Nina, you saw his body inside the coffin, right?"
Nina nodded.
"You saw his body still inside the coffin when you buried him, right?"
Nina nodded, confusion evident on her lovely face. I just wanted to touch it and feel her soft skin. Get a grip Ren.
"What is this damned questions?!" she said in outburst. "One more question and I might strangle you all for the disrespect you are showing my grandfather!"
"Okay, okay. Nina calm down. Do you know how mages die?"
NINA
I was tongue-tied with Ren's question. "Uhm, isn't it the same as humans? Die, placed in a coffin then buried or burned or whichever you like?"
"No Nina. As soon as mages die, their bodies disintegrate as their mana comes back to the Earth and will therefore be passed to a newborn mage."
My heart skipped a beat. "So what do you mean to say? My Grandpa's alive?"