"Why do you have to drag me into this? " I complained as I tripped over a log and fell down, my pretty face kissing the earth.
"Can you stop nagging just for once!!" Millia shouted in an annoyed tone as she walked away from my wasted form.
"No!! I shall not!" I yelled back as I stood up dusting off the filth sticking on my clothes. I ran towards her, and so much for my luck, I tripped again. Fuck this forest!!
"Wait!! We didn't sign a contract saying that I was your servant and you could take me with you anywhere you want" I reasoned but she ignored it.
"Hey! Old granny, can you hear me?" I yelled again in a mocking way. She hit me. At the back of my head. It wasn't very hurtful but I wasn't smooth enough to be called just a pat. Now, a girl was hitting me. And the worst thing is I couldn't do much. Why on Earth are these elf so fucking tall?!! Wait, I forgot. This isn't Earth in the first place.
"Ouch! Now, what the hell was this for??" I complained again.
"To put some manners in you, little dumbass. Don't you dare call me Old again" She warned. And I giggled bickerley. These Elf girls are not so different from humans after all..hehehe!!
"Shouldn't an old granny like you, given the respect she deserves.." I mocked again and Millia stopped in her steps.
"YOU DARE say that again..." She said, her voice trembling with anger. The whole forest turned silent now. I could literally see fumes of anger rising from her. Oh my God!! Maybe this time I really crossed the line. I am dead now!! May my soul find peace....
"Zipped!!" I announced. I wouldn't be sorry to any girl for being funny, in my right senses, but here even a baby could be dangerous. It was best not to make people furious here. Millia didn't say anything and continued trailing down her path and as promised, I stayed silent the whole time, not daring to utter a word that could provoke her.
We were in the forest again. This was my second time here, if you deduct the few short walks I took. And as like the last few days, I was here to help this grumpy, bitter, old Granny. I only chose to help her here because of Elliot's request.
"They saved us and even provided us with food and shelter. We should do our least for them" He had suggested. And I had agreed to support this Granny here. But I heartily regret the fact I did. This lady here considered herself a boss and me her dear employee, her the princess and me her servant, her the wife and me her husband...Wait! What the fuck did I just think!!! I sighed at my silliness. 'You should look for some better metaphors, Nathan.' I thought to myself.
"We are here.." Our Mistress announced.
"Here, where? We are still in the forest." I asked.
"Did you think I was taking you to some palace?? Of course, we are in the forest. You are not going to find the herbs I need, on clouds or anything.." She said as she sat down at the base of one of the pine trees in front of us.
"As you say, Granny..." I whispered to myself, yet her ears perched up.
"Did I hear the word 'Granny'?" She asked in a deep voice.
"Nope....your ears are buzzing." I replied flatly and opened the bag she had given me to carry the herbs she passed me. Usually, this work of bringing herbs for Millia's medicines was done by Zeo and Elliot but with Elliot being injured physically and Zeo mentally, as I presume from his condition. It was up to me and Millia for keeping up the stocks of medicines for keeping up Elliot's treatment and Millia 's clinic.
You know, when I first saw Elliot soaked in so much blood, my heart sank. I felt a strange kind of loneliness at that moment. And then in the next moment I was bubbling with anger. I could have guessed by Zeo's attitude then, that it wasn't his fault but I needed someone to push my anger over and thus Zeo became the subject of my anger. I later regretted doing so.
"Are you thinking about your friend, Elliot?" Millia asked. Wait, am I so easy to read? Does she have the power to read minds??
If yes, then I am dead..
"How did you come to know? " I questioned.
" You're silent only when you are thinking about something. And after yesterday, your friend seems to be the best choice to think on, in case you are a good friend as I presume.
"You seem to have good deduction sense, tell me are you a cop or a spy" I commented and I could sense she just rolled her eyes.
"Did Zeo told you anything about what had happened?" I asked after some time.
"All I know is that they were attacked by someone...." She said.
"Wait, attacked? By whom?"
She just gave a shrug.
"If they were attacked, then there are chances that we might be too, no?" I asked.
"Are you scared?" She asked while turning towards me, her face painted with a merry expression.
"Wh-o is s-c-cared?" I said my face turned red with embarrassment. And Millia went on laughing.
Suddenly, a hushing was heard from the tall grasses behind me. I froze. My heart was pounding like crazy. I turned back. My body is still stuck to the ground. The voice of the crushing grasses and leaves was closing in. Surprisingly, I felt a hand pulling me out of my place. It was Millia.
We ran and hid behind a huge pine trunk, peeping towards the source of the trouble.
Soon a tall figure came out of the grass. His body supported by his bulky muscular build and short black hairs. Trips of blood were leaking out of the right side of his abdomen. The man seemed unusually tired and weak, quite the opposite of how his looks suggested. And then it hit me. He was the same man who had saved me from those wolves my first night here. I looked at Millia. She had a worried expression on her face, sharply contrasting with her merry look earlier.
"I know him.." I whispered.
"You do..??"
"Yeah, he was the one who saved me from three wolves my first night here and then brought me back. His name was...ummm.. Ryker, yeah Ryker." I said.
"Should we help him, he seems injured." She asked. I remained silent. I wanted to help him but I was afraid that the one who attacked him might attack us too.
Then that man or Ryker fell on his knees and then to the ground.
"I think we should..." I suggested as I slowly slid through the pine trunk. Millia followed me.
As I got nearer Ryker, his features became more vivid. His build and hair are clear in my memories but his face had blurred in the darkness. But here in the broad daylight, his sharp jawline, thick red lips and manly tone was more clear. He also had a piercing in his lips and it kind of complimented his face.
Millia came forward and bent down in front of him.
"What are you doing??" I asked.
"Turning him into a rat...Of course I am treating his wounds dumbass!!" She replied as she put on some of the medicinal portions she had on some cotton puff.
"He really has some muscles here..." Millia accepted.
"Oh, so this is the first thing you notice about your ripped patients, doctor" I mocked. She gave another 'whatever' type shrug and rubbed some of her portion on his wounds. Ryker immediately groaned with the burning sensation.
"This is weird.." Millia said, a bit confused.
"What is?"
"His wounds, it isn't deep enough but the strange thing is that it's healing itself.." She said.
"Isn't healing normal for elf's bodies?"
"No, not many elf can perform healing techniques. Mostly higher sorcerers(who are extremely rare here) do it through good practice and experience, else there would be no need for doctors like me.." She explained.
I looked at his wound. It seemed like his blood itself was turning into skin and filling up his wounds.
"Could it be?" Millia exclaimed, a bit surprised.
"What?"
"This guy is a Soul Manipulator." She said mostly to herself.
"Huhh?" I said I was confused.
"I think we should leave.." she declared.
"Hahh??"
"Just come" She commanded.
"But we can't just leave him here." I protested.
"We can come back later with some help. After all, neither of us can take this guy on our shoulders" She said with an urgency in her voice. She did have a point so I gave a last look to that poor Ryker and left with Millia.
She was walking with quick steps. Her tension was on her face. And her tension made the situation even more difficult for me.
"Millia clear me this Soul Manipulator thing right now..." I declared as I jumped in front of her. She first gave me an annoyed look but then it was replaced with understanding.
"Soul Manipulators are a different type of Elf sorcerers who use their souls as the source of their magic unlike Elemental sorcerers who use nature' s elements as their source of magic." She explained.
"And??"
She sighed, knowing that I wasn't going to back down.
"The thing is that these soul manipulators are rare and are treated a bit differently than other elfs"
"Differently. How?" I asked.
"You see, about a thousand years ago, a great war occurred between the Angels and the Six great elemental clans on one side and the Demons and the Soul Manipulators on the other side. The battle lasted for fifty-two years and many warriors were killed on both sides but finally the Angels and the six clans emerged as the winning party. The Demons were banished in the Demonic Realm while the Soul Manipulators here were massacred on a huge scale. The ones who survived lived in fear of being found. Soul Manipulators are not easy to distinguish from the normal elfs with no magic. Since they absorb no magic from the elements they are not easy to locate. But due to the actions of their ancestors the soul manipulators of this era are still hated and subjected to prejudices. Some are arrested and some are executed in the name of Justice here." She added, her voice getting more and more teary with each word.
I didn't ask for anything more as we walked back slowly to the house. My mind went on thinking what that Ryker guy must have gone through because of something he couldn't control. 'Different place, same problem.' I thought to myself.
"You know...."Millia said out of the blue.
"I am a soul manipulator too. I can have visions of the future."
"What!!" I exclaimed but got silent a moment later.
"So were you subjected to the same-"
"No. no one knows about this apart from dad and Zeo. They decided that it was for the best to keep this a secret."
"I see..." I said.
"You know, looking at that man I felt a pinch in my heart. The feeling of fear engulfed. And I ran away." She told me.
"I am really a coward." She muttered. I put my arms on my back, the highest part I could reach.
"You are not a coward. We all have our fears. Now look at me, I am afraid of spiders. Silly right?" I tried to make her laugh. And it seems I was successful.
"You are afraid of spiders" she looked at me in disbelief.
"Don't you dare tease me about this" I warned. She gave me tongue and ran away.
"Hey! Come back here. I shouted as I ran behind her.
But she abruptly stopped with the sight of the house. I almost crashed into her.
"What happened now?" I asked.
"That's my dad's carriage" she said pointing towards a lavishly decorated carriage.
"Shouldn't you be happy right now?"
"I should, but just now. I had a vision just now and I somehow don't feel right."