As we prepared to leave, the three of us--Hiroshi, Lezlie, and I--made our way towards the entrance of the village of witches. The villagers had gathered to bid us farewell, and as we rode our horses slowly through the crowd, we couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude towards these kind-hearted people. The chief approached us with my map in hand, the very same map that had brought us to this village in the first place.
"I have broken the seal of the map," he announced. "Now it will guide you to the person or place you seek."
I thanked him for his kindness and generosity, knowing full well that his people and he had been instrumental in our journey so far.
"The same applies to us," he replied, his eyes fixed on Lezlie. "You have helped us greatly. My final request is that you take good care of her."
I promised him that we would, and hoped that his tribe would find a new home soon.
"Today we will evacuate," he added, his voice heavy with sadness. "I am sure we will meet again. Until then, farewell, Wolf-descendant Ryuu."
With a heavy heart, we rode away from the village. It was satisfying to see the grateful expressions on the villagers' faces as we bid them farewell, but I had many foggy thoughts, to begin with on our journey.
As we rode, I took out my map to see where we should go next. But I was caught off-guard, only to be astonished by what I saw. The map had been transformed. With our current location marked as a red dot that moved in real-time as we did, it was moving from one side to the other,
And as we watched, another black dot appeared on the map, representing our destination. The red dot, that was shining brightly at the beginning, now had met with another black one, and a sharp line was drawn between them. There appeared a black line on the map, trailing between two lines, and showing us the destination of where to follow and go.
It happened just as I held it.
I looked at the map very much confused, while still trying to ride my horse.
"The map is showing us a specific route," I explained to Hiroshi and Lezlie standing beside me with their horses. We stopped on the road for a couple of minutes and examined the map. The black dot was still very visible to all of us, and I knew I had to begin explaining what was happening. "This happened just now." I stopped and looked at them, "I heard that it is showing the thing that we most want, but I don't know anything about a black dot."
Hiroshi put his finger on the map firmly and then trailed the line with the tip of his finger,
"It seems like it is showing us where to go."
"It would be best if we followed it for now." said Lezlie, with a quiet voice tone, "These types of maps usually work as normal types of maps. So we can go by that route."
"We ain't out of the woods yet. We still need to be careful." said Hiroshi, fixating his horse way before us and gently riding away.
I wasn't very sure to directly follow that path, but we had no choice.
We turned our horses eastward and continued on our journey. The weight of the chief's words was still heavy in my mind. We had come so far, but there was still so much more to do for myself, and the others around me.
---------------------------------
-(At that time) The Castle Of The First Epic-
The chamber of the First Epic, located deep within a Castle, was a sight to behold. Intricate tapestries adorned the walls, and the throne on which the First Epic sat was a masterpiece of craftsmanship. It was in this regal chamber that a soldier appeared, his footsteps echoing across the marble floor.
"Sir," he said, bowing before the First Epic. "Your elite soldier number three, Jixus, has returned."
The First Epic's eyes flickered with interest. "Bring him to me at once," he commanded.
Jixus entered the chamber, his body wounded and exhausted from battle. He bowed before the First Epic and delivered his report.
"Sir," he said, "I regret to inform you that I was unable to capture her. Nozu has also was defeated. He... He is gone."
The First Epic's anger simmered beneath the surface, but he kept his composure. He leaped from his throne and towered over Jixus.
"Incompetents!" he roared. "You couldn't even kidnap a woman from a powerless witch's village!"
Jixus was quick to defend himself. "Sir, it wasn't the witches," he explained.
"THEN WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM?"
"Two people appeared in the midst of the battle," Jixus continued. "They possessed incredible power. A young boy, and a middle-aged cowboy. There were just mere human beings, but they weren't normal warriors. The younger one fought as if he lived in battle, counter-attacking every attack we had. And that pathetic -cowboy- caused all of us to lose the advantages we gathered at the most crucial moments." With desperation in his eyes, Jixus raised his head to hear an answer from his master, "And I heard that these two were the ones who defeated our fifth elite soldier."
The First Epic's eyes narrowed. "I don't care who they are!" he shouted. "Put a high bounty on their heads and spread the word throughout the First Kingdom. And leave the young one alive."
Jixus was confused. "Why, sir? He is not as weak as he appears! Capturing him will not be easy!"
The First Epic paused for a moment before responding. "If he is as strong as you say, he may be the one Miron seeks. Inform the first and second elite soldiers and have them search for these two."
"Sir," Jixus interjected, "Are we going to take this situation so far? These two are monsters."
"They are merely trying to intimidate us," the First Epic dismissed. "Find them. Now!"
Jixus left the chamber to carry out his orders, and the First Epic returned to his throne. "I hope he is the child Miron seeks," he muttered to himself. "Or he will destroy the entire kingdom." It was clear that the stakes had been raised, and the fate of the kingdom hung in the balance.
------------------------------
-24 Hours Later- (Ryuu)
-An Unknown Place In The East Of The First Kingdom-
After a long ride on the horses, we slowed down a little. Lezlie looked at me and said, "Ummm, Ryuu, when I was in the village watching you fight, you were using powers that normal people didn't have. Maybe it's not appropriate for me to ask, but what kind of powers were they?"
"Well," I replied. "I'm a descendant of wolves. But I only recently discovered it, just like you did with your powers. That's why I can't use much of my power yet, but it feels good to know I can defend myself more than one way."
Lezlie then turned to Hiroshi. "You were quite strong there too. Do you also come from a special lineage, Hiroshi?"
Hiroshi lit the cigar in his mouth and replied, "No, I'm not a descendant. I'm a Ruiet."
"Ruiet?" I asked, hearing the word for the first time. "What does that mean?"
"It means I'm just a normal human," he said, "I don't have any fancy powers to throw around. Nor do I have the want to have them."
As we spoke, we saw something blocking our path ahead - many trees and stones. It was a dense forest of trees and large rocks ahead of them, which was our initial stop in the deeper parts of the forest we started our path in.
The path through it was narrow, and it was apparent that it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the horses to pass through it.
I looked at the map again, trying to find an alternative route, but there seemed to be no other path to take. I wondered how they were going to cross it, but I also felt sure that there could be another route to take.
But as I was looking around to the surface of our path, Hiroshi, being a skilled cowboy, observed the situation with his sharp eyes and surveyed the surroundings, hoping to find a solution just like me.
And after a few minutes of silence, he spoke up,
"I think we can go around it." He gestured to the right and left of the blockage, indicating that we could try to bypass the obstacle by taking a different route.
We could have entered comfortably on foot, but it was impossible for the horses to pass through. We would have taken risks, but we didn't know how the conditions of the horses would be after we took that very path.
Hiroshi looked to his right and left and said, "I think we can go around it."
"Hiroshi," I replied firmly. "We can't do that. The map says we have to continue from here. I know it is much easier to follow that path, but the map shows this very path and I don't think we should follow another way around."
Lezlie looked at the horses and said, "Then we must leave them here. Otherwise, we can't get through here."
We dismounted and proceeded cautiously down the narrow path, walking in a single file. Hiroshi led the way, I was in the middle, and Lezlie followed behind me.
As Hiroshi said, the idea of going around was not bad, but the map seemed to insist that we go in here, so we kept going.
Suddenly, Hiroshi signaled for us to stop by raising his hand. After scanning the ground, he turned to us and said, "It's not safe here."
Before we could react, the floor beneath us gave way, and we plummeted down a tube-like slide. We were unable to stop or grab onto anything as we hurtled downwards. The slide then abruptly split, sending Hiroshi to the right and Lezlie and me to the left.
As we approached the end of the slide, hurtling down with exhilarating speed, I instinctively shielded Lezlie with my body, determined to protect her from the imminent impact of the impending crash. The slide abruptly spat us out into the unknown, and we found ourselves hurtling through the air, weightless for a moment, before gravity greedily reclaimed us.
When we finally hit the ground, a plume of dust and smoke erupted around us, shrouding the air with a hazy veil. The ground beneath us quaked with the force of our landing, and the echoes reverberated through the cavernous space, creating an eerie symphony of rumbles.
Lezlie, her nerves still tingling with the adrenaline of the descent, peered up at me with wide eyes, her voice a hushed murmur amidst the chaos. "Th- Thank you... Ryuu," she stammered, her gratitude mingled with a trace of lingering fear.
I offered her a reassuring smile, my own heart pounding in my chest. "No problem," I replied, my voice steady despite the lingering rush of adrenaline. "But we certainly landed faster than expected."
As I gingerly rose to my feet, testing my limbs for any sign of injury, I took a moment to survey our surroundings.
As the dust began to settle, revealing the cavernous surroundings, beams of ethereal light pierced through cracks in the cave's ceiling, casting an otherworldly glow on the jagged rock formations that surrounded us. The air felt damp and cool, and the distant sound of dripping water echoed through the chamber, creating an eerie ambiance.
My gaze returned to Lezlie, who had risen to her feet alongside me. The unknown beckoned, and with a mix of trepidation and excitement, I wondered aloud, "Where... are we?"