The night grew darker throughout Etveya's forest. The sound of deafening silence pervaded the entire area, singing inaudible music for the people resting in the vast grassland. The fires from the scattered campfires were fading, making the area darker as time passed. A peaceful night in which everyone slept soundly and without worry.
Gideon opened his eyes because of a faint sound in the distance, the sound of fast-moving fire. The source of the sound was far away from Gideon, but his ears caught the sound and unintentionally woke him up due to his developed alertness while in the forest. Gideon's still-half-closed eyes darted around in search of the source of the sound, his gaze fixed on the dimmed orange light from afar.
The light did not appear to be dangerous; it appeared to have come from a small lamp moving so quickly in such a small area.
Gideon raised his head and looked in the direction of the light, which was far enough away from him and the campfires to not wake anyone nearby, but close enough to catch Gideon's attention and pique his curiosity. After a few seconds of thought, Gideon stood up, climbed down, and slowly walked toward the light's location.
Gideon crouched and made no sound as he approached the light, then hid behind the tree and investigated the source of the light.
Loafy, the elemental wisp, encircled the small area while its entire body was covered in fire, floating around the open space where there were no trees that could be burned. It was like a miniature meteor, but instead of falling, it was orbiting its caster. Halini was spinning with a smile on her face, following Loafy with her cheerful pair of blue eyes.
"Now, Loafy, Ice Ball!" Halini commanded, and Loafy instantly transformed from a ball of fire into a rushing ball of ice visible thanks to the fire glowing on the tip of Halini's staff. "Ice Storm!"
Then there was an explosion of three-inch-long ice spikes in every direction except the one where Halini was standing. A magic spell cast by Loafy rather than Halini, Loafy was not just an extended limb of Halini but a separate mage in its own right. Loafy could launch bombardment attacks of the elements Halini possessed, such as rain for water, hail of ice spikes for ice, and a miniature meteor shower for fire, with the duration determined solely by Halini's mana pool.
"Holy shit!" exclaimed Gideon as he leaped out of the way of the ice spike barrage. He landed on the trunk of the tree behind which he was hiding. When he realized he had made a sound that drew Halini's attention, he immediately covered his mouth.
As a blinding light rushed toward his position, he shifted his gaze but immediately closed his eyes. His enlarged eyes were fixed on Loafy, who was floating directly above his face.
"Gideon?"
Gideon raised his head to find Halini standing nearby, her bright eyes directed at him with a gentle smile. She held her staff with both hands.
Gideon cleared his throat and folded his palm over his mouth. "Yo, what a great night we're having tonight, isn't it?"
Halini breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared me for a second there."
Gideon stood up and clapped his hands on his clothes. "That should be said by me. You almost turned me into a cheese grater," he said, his gaze darting to Loafy floating near his face. "And why is this ball of light so drawn to my freaking face?"
"Hmmm..." Halini groaned, her lips slightly pouted. "She's not like that to everyone; she's only like that to me and a few other people, possibly because Loafy likes your face."
"Thanks, I suppose? Anyway, Loafy, huh? She has a name and gender... neat," Gideon said.
Halini laughed. "Of course, she's my familiar after all," Halini replied as she walked back to where she was training. "You can't sleep?" Unlike her usual voice, which was always full of energy, Halini's voice was relaxed and much softer in tone.
Gideon followed Halini while keeping an eye on Loafy, who was floating nearby. "Not really, I was just concerned when I saw the mysterious light from a distance and assumed that some kind of arsonist had decided to burn down the forest."
"Loafy," Halini called, and Loafy rushed to her and floated above her shoulder. "I've always practiced here whenever we stay in Intersection Clearing; I just find practicing my magic at night more comfortable than during the day when everyone can see me... When it comes to my magical abilities, I am a little self-conscious."
"But why?" Gideon wondered as he sat on the thick branch of wood lying on the ground. "From what I've seen so far, you're doing more than great, and you have cool magic spells."
"Perhaps because I still need a staff to cast a spell, whereas some people can cast their skills with just their hands; I aspire to be like them, and I envy them," Halini said before making a gesture with her hand that caused Loafy to orbit around Halini while covered in fire. "I think I should continue my training now."
"I hope you don't mind if I watch; I lost all my sleepiness after landing at the tree's root earlier," Gideon said, touching his right rib, which had landed first earlier. "I also want to see your magic skills; it's not every day that I come across someone who can use magic, especially where I come from."
Halini smiled weakly, but her back was turned toward Gideon. "I don't mind."
Gideon remained silent the entire time, just watching Halini hone her elemental skills, revealing that she could use Loafy to cast Fire, Water, Ice, and Wind based magic spells, thanks to Halini's skills such as Fire Ball, Water Ball, Icicle Spears, and Wind Blast.
Wind Blast was a skill that allowed Halini to summon a wind current that pushed enemies away from her. The strength of the pushback, however, was solely determined by her mastery of the skill and the amount of mana she used to cast the skill.
After a few minutes, Halini decided to take a break and sit next to Gideon. Gideon did not speak to her while she rested to replenish her mana, instead staring at the starry night sky above. When Halini saw what Gideon was looking at, she smiled.
"Gideon, have you decided to stay here and keep an eye on me because you're worried about me?" Halini inquired, her gaze shifting to Gideon. "That I will be attacked by a monster while training alone?"
Gideon lowered his gaze and locked his gaze on Halini. "Perhaps... how did you know?"
Halini laughed. "Ordy had done the same thing before. He insisted on watching me train for a few months until I convinced Mian to convince Ordy to stop. Ordy agreed, but only on the condition that I always train near the campfire; this is also why, if you're wondering, our campfire is always in the corner of the Intersection Clearing."
Gideon gave a nod. "I see why; Ordy is the type of guy who cares so much about other people; I mean, I already knew it; it's no longer breaking news."
"Yes. Ordy cares about us more than he cares about himself, to the point where he would rather be badly hurt than put us in danger... To be honest, Ordy and Mian care about me more than my own family has ever done or will ever do," Halini said the last words so softly that she thought Gideon wouldn't hear them. With sad eyes, she rested her chin on her knees and lowered her staff to the ground. After some time, she smiled brightly and turned to face Gideon. She sighed and stretched both of her arms. "I'm already tired; let's go back."
But what greeted Halini were Gideon's compassionate eyes. His gaze was drawn to Halini's gem-like blue eyes. "Is that why you'd rather stick with this party than your own family?"
Gideon, who would always prefer to be with his family, inquired, his voice filled with compassion for Halini.
Halini's eyes grew larger as her mouth opened in surprise. Her eyes shivered in response to Gideon's gaze. "Gideon."