Willow arrived at the bank of the river, heaving for breath. The most common place for people to fish was roughly one hundred meters from the town hall. The stream widened out into a pool, giving fish a good place to gather. A few cut logs had been brought to the flat, pebbly bank, providing a great spot for anyone to sit while they fished.
On the other side of the stream, an aging cedar pine craned over the water. Small cloth charms were tied to many of the branches, marking it as a popular place for the children to play. Right now, though, no one was present.
Willow looked around in confusion. Didn't Sal say Edol was heading to the river? This is the best spot for swimming and fishing, so where…
Looking up and down the river, the girl suddenly recalled another spot Edol could be.
"It's in the north, right?"
Willow recalled the 'private swimming hole' Nes had mentioned once in a drunken stupor. He had refused to entertain her requests of where it was, saying she had to wait a few more years to go there. Unfortunately for the elder, Willow had already overheard a few other people speaking of it.
'I'll check up there, just in case. I've decided that we should leave tomorrow, so I need to let him know right away! I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have a spar with him before we leave, too.'
After recovering her breath, Willow started back through the woods, heading north. Her feet moved swiftly, and it wasn't more than a few minutes before she overheard a voice from the front.
"Another one! Let's catch a few more, we'll have extras to bring back to town!"
Willow's pace slowed, and she peeked through the trees at Edol. The brit was lifting a fish from the pond, its silvery scales sparkling in the noon sun. By the boy's feet, there was already a small pile of fish, along with a hungry-looking eagle.
'I'll sneak up and scare him! Heh heh.'
Willow crept closer, making sure to keep silent.
"Oi, hurry and start the fire. I'm hungry after all that training!"
Willow's heart jumped, and she froze.
'How was I spotted already? There's no one else here, so he must be talking to me.'
Before the girl could walk forward, Ghost let out an annoyed squawk. The large bird deposited a beakful of branches onto a small pile of sticks, then pecked his beak toward the tinder.
Fwoosh!
Flames lept up, quickly engulfing all the sticks the bird had gathered.
'Huh?! I thought Nibbles had a life legacy!'
Willow watched on, too shocked to breathe. She'd definitely seen the bird grow potatoes on their trip back from the northern village. It wasn't surprising for a tamed animal to be given a legacy.
That said, having two was impossible. As far as the girl knew, no one could have multiple elements.
'M-maybe I just missaw that.'
In front of her, Ghost shook his head, trying to drive away the taste of bark. The bird then hopped back to the riverside, sticking his beak over the water. Instead of leaning down to the water to clean his beak, Ghost just stood still. An orb of water rose, cleansing itself before moving over to the eagle and washing his beak.
'W-w-what is going on?! Multiple elements? I think I might've just walked into another big secret!'
Secrets and Willow don't go well together. After her previous mistake with the northern villages' secret, the girl had vowed not to do the same thing again. Having a loose mouth was a mistake of the past!
'I can't mishandle this again! Hmm… I should ask for advice! Grandpa Nes is wise, I should ask him!'
Staying as silent as possible, Willow slowly crawled away from the camp, her entire visit going completely unnoticed by the duo.
~
Town hall.
A cheerful Nes hoisted his glass into the air, clinking it with a glass held by a fellow hunter in the next seat over.
"Life up here is great, right? It's only mid-day, and I'm already drinking! Bahah, and I don't even have to watch the kids! Keeping Willow around really was a great idea! I give her a few pointers, and she just goes off and practices on her own!"
The other hunter cheered in agreement, and Nes slapped the man on the shoulder.
"So what about you? Training some hidden protege? Finish your trapping rounds already? Kid duty?"
The hunter's face fell a bit, and he took another sip of liqueur before answering.
"I've gotta make a trip down to Edain tomorrow, so I gave my trapping line to another hunter for a few days."
The man massaged his forehead, his visage a look of disappointment.
"My son and his idiot buddies managed to get themselves arrested. Made a bit too much money off raiding a relic tomb, got drunk, and started fighting at a bar. They even blew all their money on booze, and don't have enough left to bail themselves out!"
Nes chortled and gave the hunter's shoulder a pat.
"Hey, who hasn't gotten arrested a few times? I'm sure your kid'll take it as a learning experience!"
Before the man could answer, the doors of the town hall burst open, revealing Willow.
"Eh? Are you back for some more lessons?"
Nes eyed the girl as she tried to catch her breath.
'I already spent most of the morning beating her up, but she's already back for more?! This girl's going to become some kind of spear demon if she keeps this up!'
"Huff. No. Nes, I need to ask you something. Alone."
Noticing the serious look on her face, Nes set down his drink right away and headed for the door.
The two walked to Nes's house, settling down at a creaky wooden table after entering.
"So, what's up?"
"I saw Edol's bird use multiple legacies. Life, fire, and water. How?"
Nes's eyes stretched wide in shock, and a faint, unhearable murmur escaped from his lips.
"The demon's spell…"