"Valun, the sun has already risen; wake up," Goma says while standing atop Valun's chest. Strokes of sun break through the leaves overhead as a slight breeze blows through the area as he opens his eyes. He lets out a loud yawn followed by a long stretch as he rises to his feet. "It's not like you to sleep this late," Goma remarks while hovering up to meet Valun at eye level.
"Yeah, I had some trouble getting to sleep. I guess I'm just excited to finally see what's out there, you know?" Valun replies as he begins gathering his belongings. "My daggers, my bow, a rope, fifty or so arrows, food, drinking water, herbs, and I better not forget this." He thinks to himself as he approaches the well. Valun grabs three glass vials from his belt, and one by one, he fills them with water from the well, and as he returns them to his belt, he pauses a moment to glance up at the sun breaking through the canopy of the forest. "Hey, Goma..." He pauses briefly before continuing. "What's it like out there?" He asks, still staring up into the leaves blowing in the wind.
"Well, considering I've been here with you for the last century or so, I doubt the world is the one I once knew," Goma replies, hovering slightly behind Valun. "The truth is I don't know what we might encounter outside these woods. Honestly, the only thing we immediately have going for us is that you have the Well of Ghanroh's blessing already."
"How exactly is that helpful again?" Valun replies as he returns to gathering his belongings and scavenging a few nearby Doki berries.
"The blessings that come from each well can only be given to one person. Should that person die, the well would then have the capability to bless another, but only when they die. Which means if someone were say turned to stone or frozen in ice, the blessing would remain." Goma explains as he sits atop Valun's shoulder as he finishes preparing.
"So basically, if whatever is messing with the other wells wants to get this one, they would need to kill me first?" Valun asks, sounding slightly confused.
"Yeah, you've got the idea," Goma chuckles.
"Don't die, got it," Valun lightheartedly laughs back. "Well, I think we're about as ready as we can get. Should we go?" Valun asks, glancing at Goma still seated on his shoulder.
"Valun, there's something serious we need to talk about before we go. I was going to wait until we got to the edge of my domain, but I think it would be better to do it before leaving. We don't know when we might get another chance to talk peacefully like this." Goma calmly replies as he hops off Valun's shoulder and hovers up to meet him at eye level.
"You sound concerned Goma, what's going on?" Valun asks, staring back at his Jix companion.
"This is going to be a lot to understand, so stay with me Valun. We Jix are considered guardians or spirits if you will. The form you see is just something I conjure to make communication seem more normal as most people want to see who or what they are talking to. If you so wish, we can communicate telepathically. However, I need your permission to do so. Seeing as we Jix are guardians, we can't force our will upon you."
"Wouldn't that make things a lot easier and safer?" Valun interrupts.
"While it does have its benefits, it comes with a cost as well. As you know, we Jix watch over our domains, and they are the source of our power. If a Jix leaves their domain without a contract, they will slowly lose their power and fade away." Goma answers.
"Goma! When were you going to tell me this!?" Valun angrily responds
"As I said, I had planned on telling you when we got to the edge of my domain. It is your choice who you go on this journey with, and I am not to decide for you." Goma replies, momentarily breaking eye contact with Valun.
"Well, let's make a contract right now. As you said, we don't know what we might encounter after we leave, and we might not have time when we get near the edge." Valun quickly replies.
"Let me finish explaining first Valun. To make a contract means a Jix must give up their power to control their domain, as they are abandoning it. To my knowledge, it's something that has never been done. What that means is we won't be able to return here if we need to without extreme difficulty. However, by entering a contract, I can retain a small amount of my power outside my domain. For example, I will still be able to use the most basic of my abilities, like conjuring my physical form, to communicate with other people we may encounter. Also, we will be able to detect each other's emotions much more easily, and they will feel as if they are our own. Lastly…"
"Ugh, enough already. I'm not doing this without you, so let's get this over with," Valun interrupts impatiently.
"Very well, Valun, as you wish, now close your eyes," Goma responds.
"Now what, Goma?" Valun asks, still sounding impatient.
"Calm down and repeat after me," Goma replies as Valun takes a deep breath.
"I Valun, open my mind to your will. I shall bear your burden. Together we seek the truth, this is my wish, and it shall be done." As Valun finishes, he opens his eyes, and a flood of white takes over his vision as he collapses to the ground.
"Lastly...you will be tested," Goma sighs as he shimmers away.
Valun opens his eyes to what appears to be light all around him. Above, beneath, all around, an all-encompassing light. A calm sensation begins to blow over him as he lies flat on his back. He slowly finds the energy to sit up, and just as he does, he hears something.
"Welcome Valun, I've been expecting you for some time now." A soft voice that sounds as if it belongs to a female echoes throughout the surrounding area as if it's coming from every direction directly into Valun's thoughts.
"Who's there?! What's going on?! Where's Goma?!" Valun asks rapidly, one after another as his mind races.
"Goma is watching over your body back in the woods. Valun, you have entered into a contract with a Jix, and now you must be tested. As for who I am, well, you can consider me as a gatekeeper."
"Gatekeeper?! Test?! Valun quickly interrupts.
"Yes Valun, for only those who are worthy may enter a contract with a Jix. I am the one in charge of deciding if you are worthy or not." The voice continues to infiltrate Valun's mind, but at the same time, the voice seems to be bringing a sense of peace to Valun.
"Okay, let's get started then." Valun eagerly replies.
"You aren't worried, Valun?" The voice echoes.
"Goma wouldn't have sent me here if he didn't think I'd be able to handle it, and I'm not about to let him down, so bring it on!" Valun proudly states as he rises to his feet. As he makes it upright, the light that seemed to surround him in every direction quickly turned black, void of any light or emotion. The calmness that had blown over Valun was quickly replaced with a chilling sense of misery.
"Tell me, Valun, what is it that you seek?" The voice was again digging into Valun's inner thoughts. Valun closes his eyes and takes a deep breath when suddenly the surrounding area returns to its previous state, with an almost white light surrounding Valun in every direction once again.
"What do I seek?" Valun mumbles to himself as he opens his eyes. "Honestly, I don't know...." He replies confidently. "Before yesterday, all I knew was surviving in those woods. Now, I'm here with some gatekeeper taking this test to see if I'm worthy of some contract. It's a lot to take in, but I'm doing my best. I guess what I want is to see where this all takes me. I want to travel outside those woods and see what's out there. But, most importantly, I wish to do so with Goma. Without him, my journey would have never started, and I probably wouldn't be here today." Valun explains as his eyes begin to water from his emotions.
"You think that's enough to overcome the obstacles in your way?" The voice asks.
"Yes, I do. I believe in Goma, so if he thinks this is what needs to be done, I'm going to help in any way I can." Valun replies, wiping his eyes and regaining his confidence.
"Valun, the path you must walk would break the mightiest man, bend the strongest steel, and destroy your deepest dreams. Are you sure this is the road you must take?"
"Yes, I'm positive." Valun immediately responds without hesitation.
"Very well, then the contract has been formed, and your mind will be linked with Goma's. I wish you luck on your journey, Valun and I leave you with one last gift." As the voice finishes, Valun's surroundings turn to darkness, and he awakens on the ground back in the woods. "Seek the red-eyed girl," the voice from the light echoes within Valun's mind before departing. Valun quickly jumps to his feet, looking in every direction before calling out to his companion. "Goma, where are you?!" He yells out.
"Relax, Valun. I am with you." Goma's voice echoes within his mind like the previous voice had.
"Wait, where are you?" Valun states, confused.
"I'm currently in your mind, Valun. My power and energy now lie within you. Whenever I'm not in my physical form, I will be within your mind. Which also means you can stop talking aloud and just think what you would like to say to me." Goma's voice jokingly replies as Valun has been talking out loud to himself.
"Okay, calm down and think what I want to say." Valun thinks to himself.
"Exactly!" Goma quickly interrupts Valun's thought.
"Woah, you heard that?" Valun thinks to himself, surprised. Goma then appears in his physical form hovering in front of Valun.
"Our minds are connected now. Whenever you want to speak to me inside your mind, just concentrate and channel your thoughts. Even when I am in my physical form, we can communicate this way. However, I can only go so far from you in my physical form before returning to your mind. We can test the range of this as we go to get a better feel of how far I can go from you." Goma explains.
"So it's like we can read each other's minds?" Valun asks.
"Yes, to put it simply, we can read each other's minds. I was trying to be a bit more elegant." Goma jokes before vanishing to within Valun's mind.
"Gee, now I can't think rude things about you, Goma." Valun thinks to himself.
"I'm glad you're getting the hang of this so quickly." They both telepathically joke as they finish gathering their belongings and prepare to make their way towards the exit of The Forest of Ghan.