Waking up is a practiced art.
Numidean warriors were trained to sleep very lightly, thus quick to respond to any surprise attack. However, it was a rather inconvenient skill to have in their day-to-day lives. Being on edge from the first gleams of daylight often made approaching them quite the dangerous endeavor.
An unfortunate boy made that painful discovery while trying to prank the slumbering Aeden. Whatever he had planned to do greatly backfired as he found himself eating the ground, in a literal sense. The Sorcerer had instinctively smashed him against the wooden floor and would have ripped his arm away if not for his cries.
"Who are you?"
"Let me go! You're hurting me!" The child yelled again.
Enidra immediately entered the cabin, stirred by the noise. Some of her clothing was ripped, but she didn't wear much anyway. That exotic, near-nakedness strangely made her more attractive to him, though he quickly dismissed those thoughts.
"Sis! Tell him to let me go!"
"'Sis'? Do you know him, Enidra?"
"Yes… He's my little brother. Unhand him, please." She sighed. "Chiun, what are you doing here? You know you can't let Grandma alone."
The boy stroked his reddened cheek while glaring at Aeden. He seemed around ten years old. "It's not my fault! She told me to search for you since you weren't there yesterday."
"How did you even manage to enter the cabin?"
He pointed at a central hole in the ceiling with carefully removed planks. "You were sleeping in front of the door, so I wanted to surprise you from the inside."
"Now that's an interesting way to wake up." The Sorcerer stretched.
"Wait, sis… Why are you hiding an outsider?" Chiun picked up on something and naturally asked. "You know you'll get punished! I don't want to lose you too!"
"Shhh!" Enidra hurriedly closed the door. "Don't worry about me. You just go back to Grandma and tell her I'm fine."
"What is he talking about? You'd be getting punished for what?"
"Nothing. Let's get you out of here before someone hears us." She exited the deckhouse first to check if there was anyone nearby.
Her decision to help Aeden seemed to make her brother somewhat angry. "You better go away. I won't forgive you if she gets caught."
"Right, little guy." The young man simply grimaced.
"The way is clear. Quick!"
Luascach's outskirts were deserted, though they could hear some commotion deeper into the village. Chiun rose atop crooked, abandoned buildings to return to his house unnoticed. According to Enidra, that's most likely how he had spotted them. He was an excellent climber.
Aeden carefully entered the Swamp again, noticing the wisp-stifling fog while following her. It elegantly whirled and spun, coalescing into thin hands at times and prey-seeking tendrils at others. The manner it conducted itself - like a living being - mesmerized him, drawing his guide's attention.
"Eerie, isn't it? Don't be deceived, though. The Fog is your enemy. It's the Swamp Dame's veil, forever expanding her control over the wetlands."
They cut through gnarled vegetation, nimbly jumping from one giant lily pad to another. Greenish still water rarely was worth a touch, even less inside a Mana Biome. Fireflies followed them in colorful swarms, giving the marsh a lulling, mystical atmosphere.
"So, how are we going to leave this place?"
"We? You're the only one who's leaving."
Aeden raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't it your dream to escape this prison?"
"And who's going to take care of my little brother? Chiun might seem capable, but he's hopeless alone."
"Didn't you mention a grandmother? What about your parents?"
Enidra's expression darkened. "As much as she tries to hide it, my Grandma is at death's door. And my parents… they're gone."
"I'm sorry." Aeden was apologetic. He knew more than anyone how painful it was to lose a parent, even if his was still not dead yet. "I thought you wanted to accomplish your dream."
"Don't worry. You couldn't have known. Besides, I'm the one who rambled about 'pursuing your dreams' yesterday. For now, I only need to focus on the family I have left." She marked a pause, slithering between swaying branches. "Some don't even have that option…"
It took them several hours to reach the biome's edge, mostly spent in idle conversation. For its mysterious aspect, the Swamp itself was easy to navigate through once you knew how to spot the danger. Despite the enormous Mana density, there were no Nightmares inside, and you only had to look out for the wildlife. Fortunately, Enidra knew her way well. Thus their little trip was abnormally easy.
The border was shrouded in thick mist, seething and sizzling like sentient gas. From the limits, Aeden guessed that the Mana Biome was circular in shape. The Swamp Dame's domain - where he had first woken up - served as the epicenter while Luascach sat at the northernmost side.
He also observed that the glowing wisps always led southward before getting extinguished by the moving fog. Perhaps a peculiar feature of the local Mana flow? He didn't know what to do with the information but kept it in mind.
They were right at the exit. He could feel it. The Mana was considerably thinner near the hazy frontier, though not to the point where he was able to use spells freely. Oddly, the more they approached, the less sure he was about his decision.
Maybe he could convince her to come with him?
The young man didn't understand why he felt that way. He had just met her, yet the simple thought of leaving her behind - and by extension never seeing her again - was excruciating.
He instinctively glanced at Enidra, who was visibly conflicted too.
Only then did he notice a small, wooden locket safely tucked between her breasts. It was carved in the form of a sundial, closely resembling the one that 'Overseer' had been knitting. Enidra followed his gaze and gently took it in her hand.
"What is it?" He asked.
"A gift, given to me by my mother before she.. went away. She loved exploring the Swamp and had stumbled upon a similar symbol during one of her excursions. She carved it herself."
"It looks lovely on you." These words slipped from his mouth before he could even stop himself. Both went beet red as they halted close to their goal.
"I guess it's a definitive goodbye." Her striking green eyes locked onto him. "I enjoyed your company a lot."
"That's a stiff farewell, don't you think?" The Sorcerer smiled. "And why should it be definitive? I could always come back for you."
"Don't get ahead of yourself," she chuckled, trying to filter her apparent sadness. "That's the best I can give you. Also, the Fog never lets anyone in again after they leave. This will be our last time seeing each oth-..!"
Aeden suddenly hugged her. He didn't know what impulsion drove him to do that, but it certainly wasn't his creeping madness. It tugged at his heart in a way he had never experienced, pushing him to enjoy these sweet, last moments.
It was the first time he realized how much he towered over her, how lovely her scent was, how smooth her fair skin felt to the touch.
What were those feelings? Why were they so overpowering?
"Aeden, I…-"
At that moment, an abrupt chill froze them in place.
"Oh no... The Weeper."
"Damn it!"
Soft sobbing slinked from amidst the thick vegetation, followed by familiar, ominous whispers.
"Enidra, what should we do?! Do we need to close our eyes again?"
"No." Terror twisted her face. "The Weeper attacks everyone near the edge, regardless if they look at him or not... You should go! Your friends are surely waiting for you." She tried to push him through the barrier, yet he resisted.
"Nonsense, I'm not going to leave you. Not until you're safe."
"You idiot!"
Something leaped from the marsh in a white blur, plunging on them with blinding speed.
Maybe it was because of the Numidean training ingrained in him, or perhaps the dreadful encounters he previously had with Fear itself, but he managed to move away in time. He instinctively grabbed Enidra, jumping to the sides as the creature crashed on the ground.
A single look at it made Aeden shudder.
The Weeper was vaguely humanoid, towering over them even though it crawled on all fours. He had a bald, eyeless head with a gaping maw the size of a human. His hunched back had bloodied spikes growing out of his spine, supported by powerful, unnaturally crooked legs. An extra set of beastly forearms protruded from his elbows, with a single, malicious eye in each palm. It stared at them with pure malevolence, oozing bloodlust and unrestrained frenzy.
Numerous mouths littered his underside, crying, yelling, wailing, murmuring... They all merged into an incoherent jumble of ululating voices, able to invoke madness from the strongest of minds.
The monster let out a terrifying screech, loud enough to make Aeden's skull vibrate. It nearly forced him to take a step back, though the quivering Enidra helped him stand his ground.
The young man could very easily cross over the mist border and escape. It was the logical choice, the one most likely to keep him alive. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to.
That girl risked her life to protect him from the Swamp's dangers; she had warned him when he first came, hidden him in the safest place she could think of and guided him to the freedom she longed so much for.
She had even awakened undiscovered feelings in him, emotions he never thought were possible for his kind.
He would be damned if he abandoned her to the Weeper. She was no fighter. She would die for sure.
That simple thought stirred his slumbering insanity, quietly purring in his ears:
'Let me take over~'