The fire flickered, licking the air as if reaching for the sky.
Around it, Alary and her team, consisting of three men and one woman aside from herself, sought warmth while remaining alert of their surroundings. Nightfall had caught them in the middle of a forest, so they had been forced to camp and spent the night there.
Two of the three men wore unfriendly expressions, while the remaining one didn't seem to care much, as if he had already expected the current situation. The women, however, were happily chatting without sparing them a glance.
"Garry, how far do you think we are from Gale?" Asked one of the two men that until then had remained silent, with a displeased look.
Garry seemed to think for a half a breath.
"About a quarter of a day, I believe. Why do you ask?"
"No particular reason, my friend. I was just wondering if a beggar is worth us not being able to start with our quest, that's all."
Harold, who until then had been calm, suddenly threw a serious look at the skinny man who just talked. "Gallathorn!"
The man, upon hearing his name, ignored Harold by glancing the other way.
"Why don't you say what you truly want to say?" Called out a female voice then.
"Please, Miss Dothein. There is no need for you to hear me complain." Said Gallathorn, while looking at an attractive young woman who sat across the fire. A wooden staff rested by her side, her long and curvy hair seemed to mix well with the flames, and she wore a tight, blue robe which elegantly defined her figure.
Her friends, however, knew her as Alice.
"No, please, say what you truly want to say. You've been clearly mulling over it the entire trip." Alary retorted, quite annoyed with the man's attitude.
"Do you want me to roast him a little?" Alice whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Harold's face paled a bit at hearing this, "Squad leader, let me talk to him. I'm sure I can make him see reason."
Alary lifted her hand to silence him, which he did.
Gallathorn, however, seeing he had been given the opportunity to talk, became even bolder, "I mean no disrespect my lady, but you seem to pay way too much attention to that beggar as of late. Why should we, the members of your team, have to suffer because of a waste like him? What does he have that we don't?"
Alary remained calm, and said, "Gallathorn, you sound like a cheated wife."
The remark hit Alice hard, for she couldn't help but snort with laughter. Harold and Garry repressed their impulse to follow suit, with not much success.
Gallathorn's face turned red from embarrassment, and couldn't help but snap, "It seems my lady prefers to make fun of me rather than answering my question…"
Alary's eyes turned serious, and a hint of hostility flashed across them. Gallathorn felt a shiver run down his spine as he became unable to hold her gaze.
"That's because your question is not worth answering." Her tone seemed to whip him into submission, "And if a certain someone had prepared the horses like I told him to, instead of talking behind my back, we'd already be at Gale."
Gallathorn, on hearing this, cast a bitter look at the man sitting beside him.
"I don't need Garry to tell me a chicken can't fly but can surely cluck." Alary dismissed his thoughts when she saw his reaction. "Next time I hear you complain about my personal, private life, I'll whip your skin raw all the way back to Greenleaf."
The wind around them suddenly twisted and slapped Gallathorn's face. His hand trembled as he covered his cheek.
"You'll do the first guard tonight." Alary ordered, relaxing her control over her essence.
Aside from Alice, who was still laughing lightly every now and then, not a soul dared to say a word afterwards. And Alary, finding her mood had been spoiled, soon headed to rest.
Later that night, Alice left her staff at a reasonable distance and glanced at Alary, who laid beside her in their shared tent.
"So… about that beggar… " Alice muttered.
"You too?" Alary retorted.
"Oh please, even I can't ask you about him?" Alice asked then, apparently hurt. "Until today I didn't even know about his existence. Me, your best friend! You can't blame me for wondering why you would go to such lengths to keep it a secret... "
Alary sneered, clearly not fooled by her tone.
"It's not like that... "She gave in, in the end. "I just didn't want to cause him more problems. Look at how Gallathorn reacted."
"So you wanted to keep the beggar a secret." Alice teased.
Alary rolled her eyes, then muttered, "It's not like that! And he is not a beggar…"
Upon hearing her tone, Alice decided to strike while the iron was hot, "What's so special about him anyway?"
It took a few breaths for Alary to respond, "Nothing much, really."
Alice furrowed her brow, slightly annoyed by her friend's secrecy. "Alright, if you won't say, then I won't press you. I'll just have to check for myself. Actually, I think I'll go meet him right after our quest! I wonder what I should wear... I have a few skimpy robes I keep for special occasions... "
Alary then hit her in the shoulder, without force. "You are incorrigible! And I already told you it's not like that!"
Alice laughed lightly, "Out with it then! You know I won't judge you."
Alary took a deep breath, made sure no one was listening to them by examining the surrounding essence, then said in a stern tone, "Alright, but first, and let it be clear: He is not a beggar, and his name is Avaln. He has never asked me for anything since we met, even though I sometimes wish he did."
Alice raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, but repressed her comments.
"In fact, he didn't even know who I was. It wasn't until that brat Roland saw us talking by chance that he found out." There was a hint of a grudge in Alary's tone.
"The son of Lord Hallen? What's his connection with him?" Alice asked then.
"Lord Hallen is the owner of the orphanage Avaln was raised in…"
In the time one could brew and drink a cup of tea, Alary narrated Avaln's appearance and situation, including his sickness and poor prospects for the future.
"I get you are worried, believe me… but I still don't understand why." Alice couldn't help but voice. She felt sympathy for him, but as she had never met him, she could hardly understand the reason her friend seemed so interested in such a character.
Alary nodded, expecting the question, "Well, for starters, as of late the beatings he's been receiving have become worse, even vicious..."
"... and you think it's partly your fault." Alice finished for her.
It would indeed make sense. As one of its founders, the house of Hallen was the second major power in Greenleaf, and Lord Edward Hallen had been in a political struggle against Alary's father for a few years now, absorbing minor guilds and constantly looking for ways to loosen his hold on the city's resources, namely, the adventurers. Roland Hallen beating Avaln was but one of such ways.
If Alary were to defend him, Lord Hallen could easily turn it into Greenleaf's guild overextending its authority. It would not lead to violence, but it could certainly be used to bargain. Avaln, on paper, was sort of his employee.
"Does he know?" Alice inquired then.
Alary nodded, "He has never blamed me, but every time I think about helping he reminds me I shouldn't interfere, less it becomes troublesome for me."
Alice's eyes opened in surprise, and she nodded in approval.
If one of the most powerful people in the city were to extend a helping hand, how many would be able to reject it if they were in Avaln's shoes? Despite his upbringing and circumstances, it showed he not only possessed a great character, but was actually smart enough to see beyond the immediate situation.
Alice just hoped that after refusing a map, he wouldn't fall from a cliff.
"And the other reason?" She asked then.
Alary took a few breaths to answer, "It's difficult to explain… it's something I felt before actually meeting him…"
It was early in the morning when she spotted a disheveled hut in front of Lord Hallen's orphanage. She wondered how the latter could allow such a thing to happen, as she knew his character, so she decided to check it. It wasn't too out of her way towards the west entrance, and once her curiosity had been picked she just couldn't let it go.
It wasn't until she was ten steps away that she noticed something off.
At the time, she was at the peak of Tempered Essence third stage, so her seventh sense was reaching its mature state. Said sense was incredibly useful for adventurers, as it represented an extra tool to examine their surroundings, and it was capable of distinguishing details the other senses were blind to. With enough practice, it could even replace them in most cases.
If the sixth sense was a survival instinct every adventurer has and nurtures with their own experience, the seventh sense could be said to be their comprehension of essence reaching a more subtle and practical use.
As such, Alary being able to pick up something unusual only spoke how good her seventh sense already was, and like a pup who opens its eyes for the first time, everything she could perceive through it made her incredibly curious.
And right there, she could feel a sort of constant fluctuation coming from inside the hut, like waves drawn in a lake.
She approached the hut's door, gently pushed it, and took a quick peek inside.
That was the first time she saw Avaln.
He was still sleeping at the time, but she could clearly tell such strange waves were coming directly from him.
Her gut told her such waves were incredibly beneficial for her, and it wasn't long until she noticed her seventh sense developing at an incredibly quick pace…
"Two weeks later, during the Lich extermination quest, I advanced to the Manifested Essence realm." She finished, provoking Alice's chest to shake.
For adventurers, advancing a great realm sometimes could be extremely hard, for even if they could refine their essence through killing monsters and other creatures, such realms required a deeper understanding in order to enter them. The Manifested Essence realm, for example, asked for a seventh sense strong enough to manipulate one's essence and allow it to take form outside of one's body.
Needless to say, not many adventurers could do so. Much less in their twenties like Alary. Alice herself, even though she was only slightly older than her friend, was still stuck at the peak of the Tempered Essence realm. And if what she said was true, her success had been in great part due to Avaln's strange influence…
Alice licked her lips. "Can I keep him?"
Alary's expression went from shock, to reticence, and finally to embarrassment once she realized her friend had laid a trap and she had walked right into it.
Alice laughed, then added as if suddenly having a great idea, "We can share him if you want! We could sneak inside his hut one of these nights... "
Alary couldn't contain her laugh, but struck her in the shoulder anyway, a bit hard. Just a bit. "Not even you would be so shameless!"
"But it would be a win-win situation! Even more if I put on that red robe that exposes my…"
"Oh, stop! I shouldn't have told you anything." Alary turned to face the other way, breaking contact. "We should sleep. First thing in the morning we'll depart for Gale and I won't be waiting for you to wake up."
Alary heard no answer, and as soon as she began to close her eyes, imagining her friend was still trying to control her laughs behind her, she felt Alice's arms around her waist.
"I'm sorry, Aly. I was just joking, you know that." She whispered, resting her cheek against her shoulder, then added, "Thank you for telling me. Can you take me to meet him one day?"
After a few breaths, Alice felt her nod. Soon after, they fell asleep.
When Avaln opened his eyes, he doubted he was awake.
"You look young." Said the woman in front of him, with a mix of surprise and indifference.
Avaln blinked. Then blinked some more.
How could he be awake?
"What's the matter? Missing your tongue?" She asked then, with a tone that couldn't quite care about him, but still found his reactions entertaining.
Avaln closed his eyes, remembering a scene which had been burnt in his memories, then opened them again.
She looked exactly like his saviour.
How could it be?
After a few breaths of silence, the woman seemed to lose interest in him and began to walk around instead, as if looking for something. As she moved, Avaln's gaze was inevitably drawn to her defined figure, seamlessly wrapped in a tight, dark purple suit made of a kind of cloth Avaln could not recognize, almost like a second skin...
She was entracing.
Her long, purple hair waving behind her, and falling like waterfalls around her pale shoulders...
Her graceful steps, taken by her slim yet defined legs, swaying her hips and gently heaving her chest...
"Done looking?" She squinted her scarlet eyes as she glanced back.
Avaln shook his head, scratched his cheek, sighed, and after taking a deep breath, composed himself, "I'm sorry, that was rude of me."
"No offense taken." She dismissed, then resumed her search with the ease of someone who takes a stroll through their own garden.
Avaln followed suit, but soon realized all he could see was a grey area with no clear walls or ceiling. For that matter, there wasn't even a floor to walk on… so he soon gave up to focus his attention on her again.
"You never told me your name... "He commented.
"Indeed." She answered, still looking around, "I never asked for yours either."
"Could you tell me your name?" He insisted then, without force nor demand, but with an earnest wish in his voice.
"What for?" She rested her gaze on him again. "How do you even know this isn't a dream?"
Avaln met those eyes head on, trying to discern the strange sensation emanating from them...
"It doesn't matter if it is."He answered, without hesitation. "I, however, don't want to live with the regret of not having asked."
She held her chin in one hand, as if deep in thought, then commented, "So you don't care if I give you a fake name?"
A fearless smile formed in Avaln's lips, "Once I find you, I'll know the truth."
At hearing this, a hint of interest awoke in her eyes.
She turned around, hiding her expression.
As Avaln wondered if his persuasion had been successful, a sudden change happened.
His head trembled, then pounded inside his skull, as the grey area around them began to crack.
"It has begun, uh?"