"Ahahahahahaha!"
Quite blare noises of a clamorous guffaw was heard from the little boy uncontrollably rolling over the grassy floor beneath the color of ever-changing sky; depending the position of a sun and the situation of a distant horizon free from any eyes distraction but ears, sound-based distraction in a form of an eye-distracting moment. However quite enjoyable regardless the noisy atmosphere muffling the breeze, it was peaceful in a gleeful way.
"Stop it, Gizado... i-if you laugh too much, you'll hurt your stomach, you know?"
The reason remained unknown, something that caused so much laugh from the little boy whose two hands were already being put over his stomach as he slowly felt the side effect of this amusing moment which happened almost at once, right after the little lady - his same-aged friend - voicing her concern for the excessive chuckle; albeit the slightly irritated look on her face, because it seemed she was the cause of such a chuckle.
"S-sorry sorry, Maya... but--- but it can't be help. Ahahaha! You still up with such a weird naming habit, huh? Shi-shining worms? Ahaha!"
"Geez...! Quit with that already, Gizado! Is it wrong for me to name Erynew's creation with that name? They're glowing anyway and do appear like worms which fertilize our field."
The embarrassment simply couldn't compete with that annoyance; eventually the cause was found, the humour causing quite a delightful hilarity despite the need to sacrifice the little girl, Maya's pleasure who seemingly took a little fancy of enjoying such a moment. Due to an old habit which persisted to live within her innocent, always-learning mind; however she must brace herself with the variable out of her control, while at a moment something she could and would do as usual was to elucidate and to defend her out-of-the-ordinary ideology of naming things based on her childlike perception - which was found fairly amusing as well by the likes of Erynew... the one-horned devil who had been watching everything quietly from behind, yet eventually couldn't resist the tickling feeling thus she started to let out a muffled chuckle.
"Look, even the creator herself felt amused by it."
Quickly noticed the devil's muffled chuckle, Gizado regained his composure at least from the excessive laughing and returned to sitting posture still above the same floor with grasses of nature sensation beneath his gluteus maximus; telling his same-aged friend about what he just heard and saw the alteration of expression on the devil's face which seemed to be entertained by all of this.
Maya then turned her little head therefore, staring at the said creator yet without saying a word but with seemingly a pitiful mixed-up with her embarrassment on her facial expression and brown eyes simply telling Erynew not to laugh at her out-of-control odd habit - difficult to explain the cause of it, moreover she too heard the muffled chuckle from that one-horned devil herself... making the situation even more difficult for her now that the creator herself laughing at the given nickname. Hence with the silent response of no a word spoken through the thin rosy lips she bit slightly.
"A-ahh, sorry Maya... didn't mean to say that's... a bad name you gave. It's quite good actually, that means you were paid attention to your surroundings, weren't you? Memorizing every detail you were, thus came up with... quite a name. W-well, they do glow because of their magical body containing pure positive energy and the fact that they behave so much similarity with an earthworm wriggling the underground then capable of fertilizing the soil. You pretty much have a basis for giving them such a name. Shining Worm... nothing bad about it really, I tell you. In fact I never have second thoughts of giving my creation a name."
Clumsily grinning at first, as at the first glance Erynew did seem to be laughed at such a risible phrase typical of a child whose mind full of unbound fantasy - always wildly apprising anything she heard and saw for what it was and what might her little mind imagine. Hence why with this sort of misinterpretation that was built up from within the little lady's feeling, as what the devil had said initially was true indeed... she was not laughing it off; was not thinking it was all that bad nor it was somewhat absurd in some capacity; the name the little lady give... product of her creative wit. Instead the previous chuckle she did, was meant for a risible scene before her yellow gape... a friendly one-sided teasing kind of performance over which she relished,
'These... shining worms are though, well... actually aren't worms at all. Rather, it is actually kind of a root from Tree of Life – Gaokhold. But I think... it's better for them not to know about this especially Maya the curious one. So long they are fine with the name given by her. Too fine in fact, haha. And in practice, it seems to be much more easier to refer the Root of Gaokhold as Shining Worm after all.'
Despite within the devil mind, covertly whispering she was, regarding the truth as trivial as it sounded she considered it as an undeserving fact to be revealed to the little girl... since the name of her creation had already been patented. A name that was somehow found amusing by the likes of Gizado, gasped from laughing too much,
"That's why Gizado... aren't you a bit too much?"
Turned her whitehead, facing a little boy whose name the devil called. Seemingly tired the little boy was, after so much guffaw that it slightly hurt him by stomach, yet so much stress had been relieved in such a simple way through that of euphoria feeling... giving quite a sensation as his grin from ear to ear was remained persistent to fade away, instead purposefully becoming wider as he began with his response,
"I've said sorry. Didn't mean to as well, really. It's just... uh, well... if only you knew, Erynew, what the others names and things Maya has come up with in the past. A lot of---"
"No! D-don't remind me of that! I mean especially that, Gi-Gizado, if don't you dare to...!"
Pouting her mouth this time, biting her lower lip even more apparent, and escalating her voice - no more holding back, despite her diffidence to express it. Seemingly her anger and frustration had bested the embarrassment she exhibited before; because simply unwilling more to be exposed by the still grinning smile of her same-aged friend who deliberately wanted to keep teasing her hence keeping her annoyed expression at bay... for he somehow found such an expression of hers was attractive.
That noticeable pouting surrounded in between blushing cheeks and those brown eyes squinting themselves stared at the little boy whose face right now eventually frowned in fear, realizing that he perhaps had crossed the line this time. Clumsily he began to elude from the unwanted result, therefore stammering he began to speak, for he must also disguise his laugh overlapping his convincing words through that goofy grin of his lasting and showing so much satisfaction,
"Ha-haha~ "
Such a moment - it might be better for the outside viewer to take no heed of such, as the heedless reaction would be the best alternative for Erynew to divert herself away from this friendly that seemingly became everyday quarrel for them two; although it was hardly to call it a quarrel when this happened because of - again - one-sided teasing where there were only one seemingly a victim and one seeming a troublemaker. Regardless of such, it was their relationship; the architect of their own happy moments at this peaceful time upon returning from the rougher and warring - agony and grief moments.
Therefore the devil, once again was heard the gleeful chuckle of hers... knowing all of this, at first seemingly insignificant about humanity yet in reality it was important for them humans to fill the gap between the soothing ambient awaiting for the sun to set while the stars of the blackness void prepared to rise - to adorn the sky. And right now... a moment at which the devil was about to convey her delightfully surprised thoughts, the said process had been completed over the half, for the orange shade around the three of them slowly becoming stronger only to get faded in the shadow of early evening which was overwhelming,
"Never thought I would see your other side this fast, Maya? That anger and frustration, despite that kind of reserved personality I got when we first met."
"N-no... i-it's not... it's just that--- i-it's just Gizado that... he's the one who forces me to do it,"
Still appeared to neglect the most obvious sign of hers, the little lady whose unconscious mind - her hidden reservoir of feelings and thoughts - unintentionally - without she realized it as much - opened herself up for a stranger-turned-friend and possibly would become one of her very few best friends despite she just met less than a half day before, yet the bond had grown uncontrollably stronger. And this was what Maya, the little lady wanted to neglect, for a reason she thought that kind of emotion - anger and frustration - may lead her in a situation where her new friend would find it quite annoying and thusly ended the amity. Yet she failed to remember one thing however, that overthinking was also one of her unconscious traits - something that made her quite different from others and her devil friend too, had registered such a trait within her mind.
Therefore Erynew was only smiling upon listening to the little lady's stammered elucidation,
"What? Why me?"
An instant rebuke was heard coming from the little boy for obvious reasons, protesting against the seemingly a biased reason that was voiced by his same-aged friend for her source of anger and frustration couples minutes ago, while in reality it was a solid reason for her to say such a thing, especially because of the envious curiosity of hers that was about to be brought up later,
"Th-that's... that's true though. After all what is it with that? Why and how did you able to summon the shining worms without even trying?"
"Ah... right, I forgot to tell you about it, didn't I, Maya?" Erynew was first to answer her wondering thoughts, as it was supposed to be; recalling the events prior to this, the little girl had a right to question something she was struggle to do before after watching her same-aged friend had done something more, even with little to no effort at all, "It was me who taught him, well... not really taught but more like... introduced himself to the shining worms. They are, after all, sentient beings thus by introducing yourself to them, can create some sort of agreement between them."
"In-introducing himself?" it was a late confirmation from the devil regarding the situation, yet nevertheless was capable of capturing her interest anyhow,
"Yes. Similar to mutual agreement in your term - human term - but it's more like sharing one's trust towards one another, and then you will reach a point where you can - strictly speaking - bend them to your will." added Erynew, further explaining to the curious little girl whose brown eyes seemingly unfaltering from staring back at that one-horned devil,
"So... that was what happened back then," turning her brown head, fixed her gape towards her same-aged friend now; Maya eventually slowly to uncover many inquiries of hers, yet one still remained, "But... why?"
"The power to protect!" devoid of second thoughts, as quick as he received that question, the little boy soon answered without so much hesitation but exclamation, "But you know what? Erynew at first said no to teach me anything, till she introduced me to them. Well, it was still counted as she did not teach me anything, remembering how many types of cool-looking magic she has. Kinda disappointing, really."
Quite a notion that little boy gave, seemingly to provoke the devil who was mind teaching him more deeper about this arcane art of hers which was vast in knowledge and understanding; therefore she must understand the danger of such knowledge, and was against his idea of wanting more power despite in the name of protecting the loved ones.
Because she - Erynew had experienced it firsthand... how such a noble desire turning one into a monster that was unrecognizable even by her own son,
Therefore Erynew wanted to straighten the wrong path of his upon letting out a breath of sigh,
"No Gizado... that's more than enough, You see, the power Erynew gave to you..."
However it wasn't Erynew's own voice that voiced her concern... instead it was the little lady who initiatively had an honor to do so. She swiftly spoke the words out of her little rosy lips while not yet a single word coming out from the devil's,
"I believe Erynew has her own reason to do so. Because arcane art is an act of altering the very fabric of nature. It's not something to be taken lightly. By you learning how to make an agreement with the shining worms, I think it's more than sufficient to protect our village and its inhabitants."
"Maya, I know that already. I was just kidding though. Geez... you sounded exactly like Sis Gisalda. Well, anyway... with this power alone that I already mastered, there will be no bandits nor raiders who'd dare to attack our village anymore. I've been watching what they can do, after all. I'm sure with this, and your genius mind, and of course the help from others, we will be able to protect our village this time and so on. Hehe..."
"We have Erynew to thanks about. Don't get cocky because of this, Gizado."
Smiling lightly was what left for Erynew to do at this serene moment; stared at both of them from behind the scene and let everything flow to their paces. No words of hers needed to be conveyed, only utter silence, as the sudden slight breeze mingling between her white hair, gently combing it through and watching shadow that slowly became longer to the east before faded away.
What a rewarding experience Erynew had for herself, after the moonlight rendezvous that brought her to this relishing moment,
'Right. With Gizado's boldness and Maya's wild creativity, I think it's enough to convince myself to leave this village without any worries. Surely the others will also help. The village recovery is going smoothly and surprisingly faster than I expected. I also heard that Chief Jovier is collecting some swords and armors from those knights that still can be used. So... this human settlement finally tries to fend for themselves. It's so heartening, seeing them thriving... the very first human settlement that accepted me. It also feels weird somehow, remembering what kind of creature that I am. Well, no matter, only want to enjoy it for a little longer. But with this however, there's only one problem left.'
Slowly turned her whitehead, staring at the distant horizon which lied before her the towering the orange-turned mountain overlooking this vast plain of green - but mainly had mingled between the same orange hue - and amongst this seemingly boundless possibility of something, of someone roaming across the plain... Erynew had been long since she felt a sense of someone within the vicinity, walking closer and closer, seeming to have Kasala Village as their destination - someone more than one whom she didn't know the purpose of. Only capable of guessing for now,
'Three, huh? I've been watching them for quite a while. Thought they were just some passers-by, despite this region located at the very edge and supposed to be rarely visited... but since then, their movement was approaching the village. And now they seem to have stopped. Perhaps they're resting? No. They are waiting for the night to fall.'
.
.
.
.
.
Fought against the odds this flock of blue birds... at a distance from the remote village, this flock was seemingly seen just like another small creatures gathering and flapping their ice-feathered wings in unison, thus creating a particular formation for their group especially to aid their own kin passing through the eye-blinding light of orange before reaching the snowy mountains eventually; because it was just a part of their life, their migratory venture to find a suitable place for lying their eggs - their younger ones.
"It's finally coming, the migration season of those ice birds. Ahh... we should've gone hunting for their eggs, instead wasting our time waiting for the night to come."
Watching that same flock of blue birds from somewhere far from the village, yet still on the same ground of this vast plain of green... a girl with a longbow resting on her slender back covered in thin plat of brown leather, as well as her front chest, partially her abdomen while her lower wearing shorts in such a cold season which would only become even colder by the end of cycle; hence the existence of this midnight-blue overcoat she wore on top of her main attire - to preserve oneself from that dry and cold air mass of the atmosphere. This short pigtails girl whose mousy hair was loosen to the two side of her slender neck; she somehow sounded disappointed at a moment... standing atop her black high boots while her head looking up to the the vast orange sky devoid of cloud only was filled with that flock of blue birds which became her sole reason to stare at,
She averted her emerald gaze from it later on however, turning her back and staring at her others two friends and one of whom - the athletic-looking one - was sitting on the grassy ground while his iron-platted broad back leaning against the greathammer of his that stood tall with its large head of black steel. Giving quite a serious look this man was, and through his pair of wide deep black eyes gazed back at the girl.
And her another friend; slimmer in appearance compared to the other one, seemed to prefer wearing thick long-sleeves leather coat rather the hardened and stiff clothing, for - not only it also provided the same level of protection - it was too leaving so much space for him to move around faster and more agile, hence his situation right now was in even less convenient position - such as placing his trousers on top of dome rock, gazing at a distant seemingly remote horizon before averting his black stare at the girl who then began to convey something for both of her friends,
"You sure we go hunting every one of them in Kasala Village tonight? Sounds like a terrible plan, I'll wager."