The two walked in silence for a bit. Despite holding the second fruit in his hand, the raven-haired man hesitate in eating it. He thought that his friend might change his mind any minute now and demand it back. There was plenty of food in this world, he knew that, but old habits die hard. He still clearly remember his own home, where food was scarce.
"Are you sure you don't want it?" Klyran finally asked and raised his hand holding the second apple, feeling somewhat guilty for taking it.
"I ate plenty of those in my life" Aldryn said with a smile and his friend only nodded and finally began eating the second fruit after another moment of hesitation.
Remembering the conversation the fox had with Klyran earlier that day, the oracle glanced at the blade. During the months that the two have travelled, they fought some bandits that terrorised local villages and the oracle got the chance to see his friend in action more. While Klyran was fast, some of his movements were sloppy and his speed was the only thing saving his life. The blade was also not of the best quality, after a fight it would vibrate and Aldryn feared that it might break soon.
"We should take him to the mines" the Thrae suddenly said, which the oracle agreed to, claiming it to be an excellent idea.
"We should first take him to Ildurin though. I did promise to introduce them and he waited long enough" the priest replied in his mind.
"Where did you learn to fight?" Aldryn suddenly asked his friend.
This caused Klyran to pause and look at the blonde. It seemed that he was thinking about how to explain his situation.
"I taught myself" he quietly explained, "I try to imitate my brother and his friends", as he said those words, Klyran started waving his hands around, trying to repeat the movements that he saw so many times.
"They never taught you?" Aldryn asked instead, which caused Klyran to hesitate again.
"The way we fight is not like yours" he begun, but then took a few seconds to formulate his next words.
"There is this", he started speaking again, but it seemed that words did not come easy. Just when Aldryn wanted to suggest that he speaks in his own language, to make it easier, Klyran continues.
"Instinct" he finally said and nodded to himself. "They each fight in a unique way and cannot explain how they do it. But I" he begun again, "I am a", he tried to speak only for the words to die before their reached his tongue, "I don't have it" he finally said and dropped his head.
Some part of Aldryn regretted asking this question, seeing the defeated look his friend had. The pained eyes. And on some level, he understood what Klyran was feeling. It was the feeling of being different, of being made fun of for years. He knew this feeling well.
Aldryn thought back to his own childhood. The way children from other villages, where his family passed by, would make fun of him. They would all ask where his home was and he never knew what to answer. Children are cruel and all of them made fun of him, for never having a home. For never having his own bed or a permanent roof above his head.
"Tell me more about him", the oracle suddenly said, "About your brother."
This caused Klyran's mood to be visibly lifted, but at the same time, another type of sadness took over him.
"He is great. The best brother one could ever ask for. And I miss him greatly" was all that he said, but there were more words just at the tip of his tongue.
'He always looked out for me', 'More often then not he had to be my parent, and not my sibling', 'He was carrying, to the point of being annoying', 'Always worried about me and never let me do anything', 'He made my life safe, but at the same time, trapped me in a cage.'
He wanted to say all those things, but for some reason, Klyran couldn't. Because among all those thoughts, there was one screaming at him more than the others: 'I might never see him again'.
No other words fell from his mouth and Aldryn did not dare to ask again.
'He must really want to go home. At least a part of him' the oracle then thought and could relate. He himself would give everything just for another chance to be with his family.
"Aren't you on a roll today?" the Thrae mocked him in his mind, "Taking someone from one low to another".
"You are the one to talk. You made him think about his sword breaking. You began this." Aldryn snapped back in his mind.
"You are the one who mentioned that to like and to love are different and then didn't know how to explain. I improvised. But I am starting to think that your stupidity is starting to affect me. We should find someone smarter than you. I can feel my brain slowly dying in your company. Maybe the Kenman?" the fox laughed and then its voice grew more quiet, thinking about its own words and the old Kenman that lived in the mines the two of them planned to visit.
"And what do you suggest then? Oh wisdom to my stupidity?" the oracle mocked back.
"Oh how generous you are with words today" was the sarcastic reply he received, "Why am I the one to always get you out of your own messes?"
Just when Aldryn felt like snapping back again at the fox, not feeling in the mood for joking around with it, the Thrae spoke again.
"Take the highlight of the day and speak about it. He liked the apples right? Tell him more about the fruits from this world."
Despite not wishing to admit it, the suggestion seemed like a good one. Therefore, not wishing to admit defeat to the fox, Aldryn decided to not say anything else, which apparently was an even louder shout than any words he could have said.
While the Thrae was gloating at the back of his mind, the priest stopped near a clearing and looked around for a spot they could spend the night at. He saw a forest beginning not far from the hill that they were walking through. It would be nicer to sleep under the trees than out in the open, Aldryn thought and headed that way. He explained his intentions to Klyran who only nodded and followed after him.
"We should soon reach the Silver City", the oracle begun, "Ildurin will meet us there."
Remembering from another conversation who Ildurin was, Klyran only nodded again and silently walked a few steps behind the priest.
"Don't tell him that you liked the apples tough", he continued, which amused Klyran.
"If he hears that its the only fruit that you tasted he will throw you a feast made out of them and then make you taste each and every fruit found in the South and a few from the North. Knowing him, he will then try to convince you that Strawberries are the best, since they are his favourites."
This conversation highly amused the young man, who then asked what strawberries were. This caused the oracle to try and explain the many type of berries that grew in this world, describing how they looked and tasted. It made Klyran rather excited to find and try each and every one of them.
This talk drew into the late evening, when they finally reached the forest. Klyran was curious about the concept of grapes and blueberries, but was also very curious about dried fruits and how humans made them.
After the two have settled down in the forest, Aldryn spoke again.
"You must feel somewhat lucky to be here. To get the chance to try out all those new things. It must be amazing for you." the oracle laughed then.
"Not really", Klyran said and for a moment the apostle feared that he once again made his friend think about his family and caused him grief.
"It's cold" the young man continued, which surprised the priest.
"You are cold?!" Aldryn exclaimed, "Why are you saying this to me only now?"
He quickly took off his cloak that he now wore as a cape, all the while wreaking his mind and trying to remember of even a hint that his friend was feeling cold. He wrapped the cloak around Klyran and said a few spells that caused the fur within it to heat up.
At first, Klyran wanted to refuse the cloth that was being wrapped around him, not wishing to appear weak, but after it embraced him, he couldn't find it within himself to do so. After Aldryn said his spells and it became even warmer, Klyran only sighed in happiness and drew his legs up, trying to make himself as small as possible, to wrap the cloak around himself fully.
'This is the best that I felt ever since I came to this world' the Ryan sighed happily, 'The only other time that could come even close was that night when I slept above the fireplace.'
Happy that his new friend now seemed warm, Aldryn could only feel apologetic for not noticing it sooner. But his worries were calmed down by the fox, who admitted of not noticing anything itself.
"Are you not cold?" Klyran suddenly asked, feeling guilty for taking his friend's cloak.
'From what he told me... Humans are weaker than me. The cold must be affecting him even more' the serpent thought sadly, and then scolded himself for being greedy.
Aldryn only shook his head and explained to his friend that he was unable to feel the cold. He then preceded to explain the difference between the apostles and simple humans. He even went as far as to tell him about the six priests that were from his nebula and existed in this world. He told him about Zevram and Ylvis who lived in the South and promised to introduce them to Klyran. After that, Aldryn spoke about the two female apostles that lived in the North, despite their belief being more popular here, in the South. He even confessed that his friend would feel much more comfortable there, as the weather was much warmer. At the end, he even spoke about Shyra and her betrayal.
"Shyra used to be one of us" he said, "But then she sided with the Nalrits and the Shucks. She led them to a few invasions. Killed hundreds of humans and even a few immortal creatures, which is considered a sin for us. She raided old graves and holy places" the blonde tried to best to explain the situation.
'Truthfully... I don't even know what her ultimate goal is' he then thought sadly.
All the while, Klyran simply sat and listened intensively. The parts that he could not understand, he would ask about, and they would be retold in the old language. He became curious about the Greenyards, the people who lived with Zevram, and wanted to learn from them.
"The Greenyards are people who live in the forest with Zevram. It is considered cursed by outsiders, but they find it rather welcoming. They were also blessed by the God of Wind a long time ago and have become proficient in using wind magic. It makes them light as a feather and fast as a gust. They use bows and arrows as their weapons and never miss their target" Aldryn told him, remembering the last time that he visited their village.
"Then there is Ylvis and the Monias. They live in a city under the mountain here in the South. They are known as the best blacksmiths and jewellery makers. Their precious gems are also one of a kind and many would give up a fortune just to have one."
After hearing about the mines, Klyran glanced down at his blade, wondering if they could possibly help him improve it. Finally, when he heard more about Ildurin he wanted to challenging him to a fight.
"Ildurin is the High King of Men. He has a Legendary sword called the Aesthir. It grants him speed and skill above that of a simple human. It also allows him to regenerate from any fatal injury. But beside that" the blond then said with a glint in his eyes, "He is a good friend of mine. Even before he got the sword he was a renown Knight. Won many championships in many parts of this world" Aldryn then told him, feeling proud since he played a major part in inspiring Ildurin to travel the world and learn many new things when he was still a prince.
When Aldryn didn't know what else he could say, he was surprised to hear Klyran speak. He spoke about his family and home. A land that seemed like a horror to Aldryn.
"I wish my own world was more like this one. So... alive. There are no trees or grass where I come from. The only plants that exist are tough and chewy. There are no birds, or squirrels, or rabbits, or dogs. There are only predators and hunting for meat would be suicide to a human. In fact, it is considered rather dangerous for us as well. That's why I was never allowed to go" he said, trying to be cheerful, only to fail, feeling somewhat resentful for being denied an important part of his kin's life.
The animals that Klyran spoke about, reminded Aldryn about the feline predators that lived in the South and some even made him think about the Shucks, hound-like creatures. It seemed like a dangerous world to live in. It made him fully understand when Klyran mentioned how all children were precious there and how the raw instinct of his kin never allowed them to harm the young ones.
The conversation then turned more light, as words fell more easily from Klyran's mouth. He spoke about his parents, confessing of never having known his father, who died shortly after he was born. About his mother who died in an accident when he was very young, but he didn't elaborate on it and Aldryn didn't ask. Finally, he began speaking about his brother. It was then that the oracle found out that Klyran's brother was a King, which should have made Klyran a prince, but when the apostle commented on it, his thoughts were proven wrong. Apparently, in their world, strength was everything. The King was the strongest one of their Kin and he could always be challenged for the title. That was how Klyran's own brother became a King himself. Apparently, he challenged the old King when he no longer was a child and managed to miraculously win. Because of that, everyone started fearing him, a child who defeated a King that no one dared to challenge.
After explaining that custom, Klyran went back to speak about his brother and his brother's friends. Apparently, two of them were his cousins and another one had no relation to them by blood whatsoever. He spoke about how kind and patient his brother always was, even when Klyran would cause troubles on purpose.
He then spoke about his brother's strength. About his ability to summon swords and the illusions he could create to trap and kill his opponent. It made a shiver run through Aldryn, who thought that he would never wish to challenge such an opponent. Klyran then drew a deep breath and explained about their kin's Harth. An ability that allowed them to have unique skills and fighting style. A fire that burned deep within that could only be seen when they were in their true form. Then, Klyran drew in another deep breath and confessed of being born without a Harth. Which caused him to be called a cursed child and become the embarrassment of his family. He spoke about how others would frown at him and even shout that his curse is what killed his parents.
Such a cruel childhood was not something that Aldryn could ever imagine having. But in place of pity, he felt pride for his friend. He was proud that in place of feeling despair, Klyran wanted to become stronger, to prove them all wrong.
When the sun was about to raise, Klyran finished his story by telling Aldryn that his brother used a similar blade and in order to copy him, the young man gathered pieces of metal and asked his cousin to melt them down, only to shape them with his bare hands in a form similar to his brother's weapon. It made Aldryn look again at the blade his friend carried and suddenly it made sense. The rather strange shape, all the bends and uneven form. Aldryn couldn't help but imagine Klyran holding melted metal and shaping it.
'It must have been difficult' the blonde thought, 'Makes me feel bad for sometimes complaining about my own childhood.'
"As it should" the fox suddenly appeared at the back of his mind, "Compared to that kid you life's peachy" it then laughed.
"Why are you here?" Aldryn scoffed at it, "Don't you cats like... Sleep most of the day?"
"Again" it said annoyed, "Not a feline" it then shouted and its presence disappeared, a clear sign that the Thrae went back into its seal.
'Whose the child now?' the blonde then felt proud for his achievement.
It was only when the sun was finally up in the sky was it that the two of them realized that they spend the whole night talking. The oracle then rose to his feel and declared that they should be on their way. When Klyran rose, he begun undoing the cloak that was wrapped around him. He took it off and held it out for Aldryn to take.
"Keep it for now" the oracle said and shook his head, "If you will feel cold again tell me and I will put another warming spell on it. It's rather weak, but I am not very good with magic in general."
After a bit of hesitation, Klyran drew his hand back and looked at the piece of cloth. It was only after he felt a gust of wind touching his skin did he truly noticed the lack of warmth that the cloak provided. He quickly threw it back on and wrapped it tightly around himself.
"Are you warm enough?" Aldryn asked, thinking maybe he should cast another spell now, but his friend quickly nodded his head and begun walking.
"Tell me if you will be cold this time" he shouted after Klyran and ran to catch up to him.