"It's warm," Aqua commented.
Everyone had been hiking through the darkness for an hour. Hunger had settled in, as well as intense exhaustion. Jewel fell asleep on Kairas' back, the boy struggling to stay awake himself. Takabi had Nana's arm over his shoulder, keeping her upright. Aqua was the only one with all of her energy intact.
The crystals stopped giving them light a bit after they entered the cave, not that it had too much of an effect. Takabi and Kairas' eyes allowed them to see in the dark for any incoming threats. Sadly, the only threat currently was being lost and drained of energy.
Takabi caught his foot on a stone, both he and Nana falling over into the soil. Kairas stopped, walking around them and putting Jewel down against the wall, before sitting himself.
"You okay?"
"Nope," He commented. "I'm just gonna lie here for a while."
Nana groaned at his words, placing a hand on his back and agreeing, not that she could nod. She raised her head faintly, an overwhelming wave of nausea and exhaustion gripping her. She felt so sick, and the world was dizzy around her. Her skin was a shade paler than normal, but it was difficult to tell in the darkness.
"Guys… How much longer…"
Aqua looked ahead of the group. She squinted hard, face growing a smile at the thin white circle in the distance. She pointed ahead, forgetting no one aside from the twins could really see her gestures at the moment.
"Look! I think that's the exit!"
Takabi raised his face from the dirt, slowly pushing himself up and taking Nana on his back, before standing straight up and sprinting quickly ahead. Kairas laughed weakly, sweeping Jewel in his arms and making sure her head was on his chest, before he followed. Aqua rubbed her head, wondering where their burst of energy came from, and broke into a run after them.
For a split second, she felt a presence behind them. Something faint, hidden by sight and sound, yet purposely allowing their magic to be discovered.
It scared her, truthfully, to the point she picked up her speed and caught up with the boys as they broke out into the open air.
The humidity was intense, a strong cloud of moisture floating about in the air, making the three stop in their tracks. Looking around, they took in the multicolored vegetation, and the difference of night and day compared to before and after. The sun was above, beating down, yet there was rain as well. A couple monkeys rushed by on the vines overhead, and an iguana brushed past Kairas' foot.
Aqua had nothing but amazement in her eyes. She almost squealed, hopping from stone to stone, grabbing on a vine ahead and swinging around the group. When she let go and landed, she sped in front of Takabi, speaking quickly, "This is so cool!"
"We're not here to play, Aqua," He said. She may have grown, but she still had the heart of a child. She tried her best to be mature, but in moments like this, it would often break and she'd be difficult to contain. "We need to find the flower for Garuga."
Kairas shook his head. "No. We need to rest and recover strength first. We have no clue what kind of creatures are around here." He looked at his twin, bangs dropping in front of his right eye. "As far as we know, we could run into a monster. With how exhausted we are, I doubt we'd have the energy to fend it off, especially if there's an army with it." He paused a moment, looking ahead, spotting a path to their left, and starting down it. "Let's try this way and set up camp."
Groaning at first, Nana nudged Takabi's shoulders and he nodded, walking after his brother. Aqua followed, once more feeling a strong presence behind her. It came more vividly, and when she turned, she was relieved to find nothing.
"Aqua," Nana asked, looking back at her. She made Takabi stop moving. "You alright?"
"I think. I might be tired is all," She lied.
Nana shrugged and gestured for him to continue walking. He grit his teeth, verbally complaining about being treated like a horse. Nana whispered something in his ear that turned his expression from annoyance to an embarrassed smile.
Hesitant at first, Aqua looked around, drinking in her surroundings once more, a different feeling overcoming her. She couldn't describe the itching at the back of her mind, but she didn't want to figure it out. She ran after Takabi, mind locked on the reason they were in the mountains in the first place.
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Sunset came fast.
Takabi and Kairas sat across from each other, a dancing fire between the pair. Their eyes were shut, breaths deep and relaxed. The girls stepped through the bushes, picking up sticks and stabbing them through the flames quickly to clean them off. Under their left arm, they carried five fish a piece. Nana was the first to stab her sticks through her catch, lying them around the fire and watching them cook.
Aqua handed hers to Jewel and watched the girl repeat the process. She stepped aside, leaning back against the tree, looking up at the darkening blanket that was slowly gripping the world.
It would be nightfall soon, and shelter was needed. They could make a house out of sticks, stone and dirt, but felt the task would be too straining. In an attempt to not waste any efforts, Aqua got to her feet, willing the moisture in the air to solidify around them. Nature soon blurred, until a thick layer of water shaped around them as a small hut.
"Should keep us safe for the most part," Aqua told them.
Nana poked the wall, taking note of how strong the liquid was against her touch. "A solid wall? Aqua, when did you learn this spell?"
"It's just changing the shape of water in the air. Not complicated once you get the hang of it." She smiled warmly and looked at the artificial door. "I'm going to get more food. We're going to need it."
Nana nodded.
Jewel called to her, "Be careful out there!"
She waved at them, leaving the water home and stepping back into the open air. She could smell the river not far off, its fresh scent strong in the air. As she cut through bush after bush, she felt hesitation in her body.
The sky was growing darker by the moment, the dark green glowing with distant stars overhead. Crickets, owls, and the like greeted Aqua with sounds of welcome, as well as warning. The worry she suppressed hours ago quickly made their way back to the forefront of her mind.
From the corner of her eyes, it seemed as if the shadows moved to her gaze. When she got close, they would run. The further away she moved, they slowly crept after her steps. She clenched her hands to her chest, sucking in heavy breaths. She spoke low to herself audibly, as if trying to have a separate voice soothe her. There was a faint duality in her words, and her blue eyes glowed for a moment.
"It's alright, Aqua." Her tone was low, a hint of fear in her words. "Just the river and back."
Her ear twitched on her left. Instinctively, her gaze snapped in that direction, shadows faintly dancing around a pile of broken sticks and fallen leaves. Aqua broke into a quick jog, sucking in a lungful of air. The shadows behind her reached for her back, calling to her, whispering her name faintly in the darkness. Fear took hold of her heart, eyes wide as she broke into a full blown sprint.
The echoes of her name grew louder, more fierce. Closer and closer the voice came, catching up with her top speed, hanging over her like a cloud. She wanted to look back, but fought with every ounce of her being to do so.
Aqua, It echoed.
Her eyes went wide, water swirling around her fingers. Skidding to a stop, she snapped around on her heel and threw her hand forward. Water rushed ahead, cutting through trees, and nobody was present.
That wasn't nice, It said.
Aqua looked around, clenching her fist tightly. "Show yourself!"
Oh, Aqua. Shadows shot up from under her feet, wrapping around her limbs. They squeezed into her skin, reaching towards her lips, forcing themselves down her throat, cutting off air to her lungs. Up from the shadows came a body. Masked in darkness, voice distorted, it leaned in close, whispering in her ear.
I already have.
She bit, snarled and fought against her captor. Her feet began to sink into the shadows, Aqua's eyes going wide in terror. She bit her tongue hard, coughing the shadows, screaming at the top of her lungs, before the shadows swallowed her whole. Once gone, the shadows faded away as well, a faint laughter echoing in the dark.