Each wagon was filled with different types of minerals the workers got from their constant digging, and to preserve what they have underground, not taking everything at once, the council governing their land implemented a law about how they only need to take what is needed. Whoever shall defy the law will be imprisoned for ten years, and will be banned from the work for another five years once the person is released.
For those who are relying on the mine as a job, and since their region is generous, and the council always sees to it no one will ever be hungry, and be out of job as long as they are compliant to the rules nailed, they won't have a problem. They are very fortunate to have a life within the Land of Scorpion.
The rules are not made for Edrei's satisfaction, nor for those who have governed them before her, but these are made for the sake of the natural resources, and to keep people from getting greedy. This rule also lets the other kingdoms and countries seek the noble's houses, selling them their goods, having them pay a huge amount of tax for the importation; a very clever move for the Meadow Kingdom.
Grun sighed as he drank his alcohol while pushing the wagon filled with mines he needed to mold for jewelries for the month. Despite his good talent at designing the expensive accessories, he is still avoided by his peers for his abnormally heavy alcohol intake.
"What have I told you about drinking at work, Grun?" one of the supervisors raised an eyebrow on him.
"Just weigh this in and let me be on my way," he groaned and pushed the wagon with force towards the supervisor; a start of a conflict.
His aggressive behavior is also one of the factors why people had always seen him as someone unapproachable. Grun would never smile and always keep his frown no matter what it is he is doing, not even when in front of a superior at work.
This had caused Grun to become dislikable at work, this had also led him to feel alone and judged from the people around him.
With no wife, and no kids to feed, Grun had always kept his money all to himself and had lived a very pleasant life. But because of his alcohol intake, his money has disappeared little by little until he can only rely on his jewelry, but not always one would make such a huge profit out of it, especially when the designs he's making are not improving. He had stuck to the simple ones that only the lower nobles, and the middle class would care to buy.
One night, Grun thought of having a stroll while he kept a jar of alcohol with him; staggering out of the village gates, no one dared to warn him about the dangers of the small wooded area just right in the middle of the northern forest and the desert area of the land.
But that should not be the concern of Grun and the citizens, for within the woods, a shadow has been watching him closely. Choosing him as the perfect candidate to do the deeds for her.
She grinned, showing her teeth as her white eyes glowed in the dark. Then she vanished as Grun was approaching the entrance of the wood.
Walking, talking to himself, recalling the nasty things he caught everyone had said behind his back over the years. Yet despite all of it, he had remained silent, treating everyone the same as he would usually treat them, like crap. But they seem to have exaggerated their reactions whenever he did so.
They had reported them to the authorities but they couldn't arrest him, saying it is just his personality and had never caused any disturbance to the public. Advising them to just stay on their lane and to not bother him if he's done nothing. But it seems like people love to pick on him.
He spits on the side, groaning as he felt his head throbbing, "stupid headache!"
The shadow figure giggled above him and he thought he was hearing things, "fucking winds."
He cusses and crushes some branches on the way, chugging on his jar, swaying as his heavy footsteps try to take him deeper in the woods.
The giggling sound appeared again, this time, a little closer to him.
Grun turn around to catch the child giggling but he did not see anyone, "stupid kids!"
He swayed his hand before turning back again, walking deeper. He doesn't even know where to go, he just wants to let it be, wherever his feet take him.
"Grun," the playful voice of a little girl seemed to move past him, but there's no one with him. He's alone.
He started to feel scared.
"Who the fuck is there? Stop messing with me!"
The wind giggled again.
"Don't play with me child, I will kill you if you don't stop."
The person seemed to tire at his boring reaction; the wind seemed to have gathered in one place-in front of him-and its strength almost pulled him towards the danger.
"Will you?"
A girl who seemed to be around twelve appeared before him, but she didn't look human. Her appearance may be like his but her white eyes suggest otherwise.
"Who are you?" his voice cracked.
This girl wears an innocent face, white doe eyes, light blue short shaggy hair, she's wrapped in a white clothing and she's barefoot but her ankles have bandages. One of her ears has a turquoise gem dangling.
"You really wish to know who I am?" the girl giggled, her voice echoed, but it is impossible, the woods isn't a closed empty room.
Grun did not notice the girl was floating; she flew towards him, encircling him.
"My, my, my," she chuckled, "dear Grun."
"Stop bothering me, kid!" he tried to keep her away, waving his jug to her. He may be scared but his annoyance is bigger.
"Kid?" the floating girl laughed, "I may look like it but I am five hundred years older than you, child."
He scoffed, "ha, a kid who likes to kid around adults."
"You don't believe me," her eyes squinted as Grun's back faced her, trying to walk farther from her.
"I know you people love to get on my nerves, now leave me be dumb kid."
The kid sighed, "You will know my name."
"What's that?"
Her soft words seemed to not have entered his ears and he turned back to make sure he's going to hear what she'll say next. But what he will be something he'll regret for the rest of his life, that is if he is still sane.
As soon as his eyes met her glowing orbs, a strong wind came to him and entered inside his mouth, nostrils, earholes, and eyes.
He gagged.
"You will know my name!"
Her hair grew to a white one, each strand slapping each other with the strong winds, the trees started to have cracks with her power.
Her life suddenly flashes in his mind, she has control over him now that her winds have entered his body.
Foul smelly red cave, acid rivers, and a pool of magma. Her home. But what's more alarming, the amount of gigantic creatures with the same features as humans but their skin color, their eyes, their fangs. They are not from this world. They are creatures within the stories told to them as a child to keep them inside when the night comes.
Spirit.
The girl grinned as she watched him utter her name.
"Spirit."
She snapped and the wind died down, releasing Grun from pain she inflected in him.
"Now that you have spoken my name," his eyes shakes, "you are mine."
"What will happen if I disobey you?"
Spirit gasped at his question, she liked his courage.
"You will die."
"What will I get if I follow you?"
Spirit started to encircle him, her fabrics floating behind her.
"You will get what you have always wanted."
Spirit blew a gust of wind towards Grun, letting him see the world have a huge respect towards him, smiling at him and praising him.
"Is that not what you have always wanted?" she whispered in his ear.
Grun started shaking.
Spirit floated before him, their faces close to each other.
"Is that not what will make you happy?"
He trembles in excitement, the world will treat him better.
He laughed hoarsely and slowly got on his knee.
"I will serve you, my lady."
Spirit grinned, playing with the hair of her new servant.
In front of a twinkling white tree with only beautiful big fruit of crystals hanging on its branches, Verin was looking at his team running to him.
"Verin!" Lance said when he saw his friend casually leaning on the trunk.
"This tree," the swordsman said, "is unusual."
The three he found were in front of the entrance of the woods, and just like the stone found in the northern forest, it emits a strange force.
"Have you asked anyone about this?" Lance inquired, checking the surface of the tree.
"Yeah," Verin turned around and the two guards he brought with him arrived from scouting the area, they reported no suspicious activity around the tree, "they said this tree would have people come and get tempted on taking its bizarre fruit."
"Does the council know about this?" Lance asked the two guards, they nodded.
"Then why weren't we informed about this?"
"They probably wanted us to find this on our own," Thenea wondered, "She must have known this could be the possible cause of the abduction."
The two guards looked at each other, not following the conversation they were hearing.
"It has a weird force around it," Lithea felt, they nodded.
Viv suddenly remembered what the old couple told him, "People feel weird."
"When?" Lance asked immediately.
"The start."
All of them looked at each other, and then Serene turned to the guards, "when did this tree sprout?"
"Just a couple months ago, miss." One of them was trembling while answering her.
"This is really weird," Serene thought.
"They said someone had eaten the fruit," Verin informed them.
"Where is that person now?"
"He died, so I went to his grave. And it has the same energy as this one."
All of them focused on Verin.
"But the energy of the dead," they waited for his next words, "there's nothing coming from that grave alone."
"Has someone stolen the remains?" Thenea asked.
"I'm afraid not," one of the guards butted in, "the graveyard is heavily guarded."
"Also," Verin started to speak again, "that person also happens to be a miner."
"Mining…" Serene whispered to the air.
"Could he be the person abducting all those children?" Thenea asked, "But that would be impossible since he's dead."
"Could he be possessed?" Lance asked.
"He's not dead."
Everyone turned to Lithea, her eyes changed their color from black to golden.
"Lithea?" Thenea worries.
The priestess stares far up north for a little while. Still activating her divine vision, she scanned the area and saw small bits of the same energy are scattered. But the stronger remnants are headed up north.
She suddenly ran as fast as she could, trying to scan as far as her eyes could take.
'Just a little more and I can identify this without the divinity.'
"Oi, Lily!" Serene ran after her and the others followed, including the two guards.
"Lithea?" Lance called to her while she kept running.
Lithea halted and then sat, doing her usual pose when meditating, but this time, her hands were on the ground again. She summoned her mana and created the invisible threads to help her look for more residue.
'Negative energy.'
'Negative energy.'
'Negative energy.'
She kept repeating herself in her mind, focusing on looking for more, as far as her threads could reach.
'Even the faintest lingering energy, let me find them.'
The others near her are getting anxious, hoping she would successfully do her part. Even without telling them, they know her sensory will be a huge help for this mission.
'This is weird,' she thought, 'had this been here just now or has this always been here?'
Knowing how the mana or energy only have a few hours to linger around an area or an object, hence why the divine couldn't help the Jades with their investigation, what baffles Lithea is the strength of the furthest mana trailing on the ground is as strong as the near ones.
'Is that tree the source of this energy?'
She gasped, her heart beating fast as she opened her eyes and removed her fingers on the ground.
Serene caught her back and rubbed on it.
"It's okay, it's okay."
"What happened?" Lance asked, wanting to know what happened as soon as possible, "what did you see?"
"Let her breathe, will you?" Serene scolded him.
He knows he should be someone who treats his members nicely but the amount of time that had passed through their negligence, he can't think of doing it at times like this.
"I'm sorry but we have to hurry."
Lithea nodded and pointed as she tried to catch her breath and steady her breathing.
"The trails are going to the north," she tried to stand, "but I can't reach any more to where he's traveling."
He nodded, "you did well but are you sure he'll be there?"
Serene and Viv frowned with his doubts.
"Seriously?" Verin reacted.
"I believe what our Lily said!" Thenea shouted, wanting to smack their leader.
"I know, I know but I have to make sure!"
"I am sure of it."
With that, Lance nodded, "let's go."
Viv tugged on Thenea's frills, "walk?"
Thenea hummed and started thinking, "uh, commander?"
Lance turned to her.
"Where is our wagon?"
Lance gulped, it dawned on him. They have left their wagon back at the inn where they stayed at!
"WHERE'S OUR WAGON?" he repeated Thenea's question.
"Did we cross the screen portal without the wagon you rented?" Thenea emphasizes on the word 'you'.
Lance blinked, "no. no!"
They all wore a bored look.
"We will get a penalty for neglecting it!"
Serene tapped on his shoulder, "excuse me, you mean you?"
"NO! MY MONEY!"
Verin sighed while watching his best friend have a meltdown. He walked to the guards and asked them, "Can you please get us horses? Four, perhaps?"
The guards nodded.
"And we'll start walking so I'll just let you know."
The guards nodded again and went on their way, running as fast as they could.
Verin moved by Lance's and kicked his ankle.
"What the heck?"
"Stop acting like a child and start walking."
Everyone looked at him, "What?"
"I have already ordered guards to get us some horses but we should move and not waste any more time."
Serene tilted her head, "again, my thoughts on why you're not the commander came back."
Lance glared at her, "what is that supposed to mean?"
She shrugged.
"Move!"
Lance got kicked again.
"Alright, alright you sadist."
They all started walking north, and as they walked, Viv came to realize.
"Horse!" he gasped loudly.
"Why?" Lance raised a brow.
"Oh right," Thenea snapped her fingers, "Viv, Lithea, Verin, and I can't ride a horse."
Lance groaned, "What's the use of asking for horses if there's only two of us who know how to ride a horse?"
Verin gripped his shoulder and looked at him with eerie dead eyes, "I have already thought of that."
He let out a dry laugh, "right."
"Since there are people who can't ride," Serene's eyes started to sparkle.
"What now?" Lance frowned.
Serene pulled Thenea to her and hugged her tight, "you will ride with me, right, right?"
Thenea couldn't speak, she was too stunned by the sudden behavior. "Um."
Serene saw Lithea who was silently walking, minding her own business and pulled her towards her too, snaking her arm around her neck, "Lily too!"
Verin shook his head, "Serene, let them go."
She made a face before letting the girls go, "but I want them to ride with me."
"Only two people shall ride on one horse, Serene." Lance reminded her sternly.
"Why not three?"
"Do you wish to wear the horse and have nothing to ride back home?"
Serene stopped talking and pouted; her arms crossed and threw laser eyes behind Lance's back.
"Stingy, smelly, old fart."
"I heard that!" Lance reacted.
"I did not mention a name, guilty!"
Lance faced Serene, "you!"