Since when was I standing? Since when did I find it hard to breathe? I can't hear anything. Slowly, the static builds up the same way the anticipation does, until all I can hear is my own labored breathing.
This sense of panic is familiar.
The other person doesn't say anything to me. He breaks our eye contact and moves to an empty seat near Amani's, diagonal to mine.
Lady Amani smiles at him. "Where were you last night? Your friends and I had a lot of fun playing games. It's such a shame you couldn't join us."
"Games aren't my specialty." His facial expressions don't fluctuate.
"Is that so. Right, I'd like to introduce my guest, Obrecht, to everyone. Obrecht, be sure to make yourself at home. Everybody here is a friend of mine."
"I understand. Thank you for your hospitality."
As if just noticing me standing, Lady Amani asks, "Is there something wrong, Videre?" Everyone's gazes land on me, including those hazel orbs.
Tukare pulls me back to my seat, shaking her head at Amani. Slowly, the feeling recedes like water ebbing down the drain, and I am oddly at peace again. Empty.
Under the table, I don't see the squirming hungry-like shadows that slowly made their way to one particular person. They look as if they want to devour the person whole and hide him where only the shadows can stay.
"Please", Lady Amani gestures to the food in front and Obrecht obliges, not sparing me a single glance ever since.
We eat breakfast. The food Girtro made is delicious, but the spices are different, so the taste follows. But that's to be expected; this isn't Lumea. I glance at Obrecht eating without an expression. I can't tell whether he likes the dishes or not.
There are nights where I've imagined so many scenarios of how you and I will be once we meet again. You'll chase after me, and I'll walk away so you can't hurt me. I'll walk away so you don't have to choose between me and that person.
Leaving things vague is also a kind of closure.
Yet daydreams must remain as they are—dreams.
Immediately after breakfast, Lady Amani opens the discussion about Laris' plans. Except for me and Obrecht, it seems that everyone was already aware of the spy so they deliberately created false plans. It's just that they didn't expect Letitia and Girtro to get in conflict with the spy in secret ahead of time.
Amani is the twins' greatest backer outside of the Lycan Kingdom. Though, it is quite rare to find an Encantado willing to associate themselves with the matters of other human-kinds.
No, maybe it's not rare; Aovialutre seemed quite willing to interfere in other human-kind's affairs.
To go against Vaugh, the head of one of the strongest races who is allied with the cowardly prime ministral mage of the Sorcerer-kind, Laris suggested to ally with the other smaller races. Even if they weren't able to have them fight with them, to at least gain an amiable relation with them is already a good thing in itself. Who knows, maybe in the future, just like the Faerie-kind, the stronger can provide protection through an alliance while the other weaker but talented races can start trading their special commodities or offering their services.
Laris looks awfully passionate about it. I'm not against a dream like that. If it were to happen, then it might be safer to travel more places in the future. It may be better adopting the guilds that the city of Lumea has, and build one on each race's territory to further unite different places of culture.
Laris nods at Amani. "You can count on me, Lady Amani."
"Alright, then that sums it. We'll leave for the Faerie-kind's village in three days' time."
"Which group is going this time?" The person called Serena throws the question up for discussion.
"Since Laris is going, I should stay. Besides, I'm still recuperating. I might also be just a liability to everyone, should we encounter danger on the road."
"Then I'll stay too, and accompany Letitia. I haven't finished checking the inventory yet. Ah, since you're going out in three days, I better make a list of spices and food we need."
"Girtro, were not going grocery shopping..."
"I personally think that Serena should stay. I'd feel more at ease this way", Laris suggests.
Serena quickly argues, "The fighting power of the group will lower. I think I should go."
"Theo and Girtro staying in the camp are a given", Laris notes.
"Hey, what's that 'are a given'—I can fight", Theo complains.
"Oh shush, you weak chicken", Girtro takes a fruit and stuffs Theo's mouth. "The adults are talking." Theo unhappily grumbles.
"Letitia is still healing, and though she's staying, I really do feel more at ease with having you stay, Serena. Just in case of emergencies. I can just bring Tukare with me." Laris turns to me, "And Videre, if you're willing of course."
"...If Tukare is going—"
"I object." I wasn't even finished saying half of sentence out when Tukare already rejected it. "You're not coming."
"Then you're not going either." I purse my lips at her.
'Stop shielding me' —I tell her with my eyes.
"How about this", Lady Amani interjects. "Let some of my guests accompany you on this trip. Don't underestimate them; they are surprisingly strong. Would you mind going as a backup guard, Obrecht?" Amani says the last sentence to Obrecht. All eyes shift to the man.
"I don't mind."
"Then, that settles it. Obrecht can go with Laris, Tukare and Videre. The rest will have to stay at home." Amani claps his hands twice to adjourn the meeting. "Are there any objections?"
Although there might be, no one dares to. This is his backyard after all. The owner of the land rules the land.
"Then that's good to hear. Let's finish here today?" Amani says the last sentence to Laris. "Videre. Can you stay behind for me? I want to get to know you better a little better."
Tukare gives the twins a glance, still sitting beside me. Girtro comes over and grabs her arm. Flashing an 'it's going to be fine' smile, he tugs Tukare away. Everyone else had stood up and left, save for Lady Amani and I.
Our gazes cross. After a bout of staring, he breathes out one statement, "So that's how it is."
"...?" Extremely confused, I give Amani a look. What is he talking about?
"Each human's body, with the exception of the Encantado's, has a so called balance; a harmony. From life energy to emotional energy to your cultivation energy. Which do you think is the most important?"
"...Life energy."
He gives me a smile, one would typically give a child, "Wrong. Tell me, Videre, do you know why the Encantado's were made by God?"
"...To balance the world?" Didn't Aovialutre say something like this before?
"In a sense, yes." Amani glances at the dirty plates on the table. "What do you know about the child, Girtro?"
"…He's a Djinn-kind. He can see immediate and distant futures, and control the dreams of the people sleeping closest to him." Though I don't understand why you're asking me this.
"Very good. But do you know what type of energy the Djinns eat?"
I stare blankly at him.
"Don't tell me you also thought that the Djinn-kind merely control dreams for fun?" He chuckles good-naturedly. "Well, they do sometimes prank that way, but some Djinns eat dreams, more specifically, they eat the energy extracted through dreams."
"Energy?" I ask in to-clarify tone.
"Emotional energy", Amani affirms, "the most replenishable energy in the human body, that even the Djinn-kind can digest guiltlessly. To sum it up, there are three types of energy that I can differentiate within a human's body. I like to call them life energy, emotional energy and cultivation energy, for lack of words to call them."