Kassan Horun was motionlessly lying on the hard rocky cave floor, the space around him, and all around the cave was illuminated by small white creatures, that looked like fireflies, that emanated a warm yellow glow.
The lake was still shining in its turquoise lustre at the centre of the cave.
Right next to Kassan was Marv, he was kneeling, his hands resting over Kassan's eyes, his palms covering them.
Daren was standing behind him, towering over him and watching while biting his nails, "Well? Any progress?" he chipped in.
But Marv ruefully shook his head, "Nothing new..."
Kassan's brows furrowed, and Marv continued to evaluate his condition, "I have managed to stem the bleeding after our first few sessions, and now I helped your body in recovering your sight to the best of my abilities. This is the full extent of my skills. I am sorry, if my father was here, he could definitely return light to your eyes, but I just don't have enough experience to do the same."
"Hah." Kassan exhaled as he slowly got up, "You did your best, I will live, that is the most important thing. I can continue doing my duty as the leader of this expedition and continue protecting us all. You should return your focus to the other survivors, there are still some whose injuries never healed, please help them for now." he bowed his head to Marv.
Marv raised his hands to stop the man, "Don't! You don't have to bow your head to me, of course I will help, you are making sure I'm fed, it is only natural that I will make myself useful."
"Thank you, Marv. You are a good kid. I will make sure you are rewarded for your efforts when we return home." Kassan nodded at him.
"I am not doing this with the intention of being compensated, but... I won't decline if you insist." Marv smiled at the man, even though he couldn't possibly see it.
Kassan then turned his attention to the other man besides them, "Daren. You have returned. Do you have anything to report? Any leads on these 'hearts'?"
"Me and the other scouts you assigned to me have been searching east of here, but so far, we haven't had any luck. Although, there is one peculiar thing I would like to mention... while observing the locals that passed by at the edges of this dead part of the swamp, of our territory, we noticed that it seems like they... cannot enter it?" Daren scratched his head, "I am not entirely sure how or why this is the case, but there hasn't been a single sighting of them within our borders, and those that came close enough, simply circled around..."
Kassan tilted his head upwards while pondering over the words he just heard, "And did they notice you? How close did you get to them before they did?"
"They did notice us, yes, but only after we were already within their attacking range. A different experiment where we attacked them from a distance showed, that they were entirely unable to react to the first strike that came from the dead swamp. Like they could not see anything from in there. However, we have only tested this on the rank one and two Treemen, and Flyers, the rank threes don't come nearly as close to our border, while something like that flower-monster hasn't shown itself at all since their attack on our former camp."
"That is... important information. So, we are safe here... Daren, I need you to find out why this is the case. Make this your priority, even over finding another 'heart'. We need to ensure that this isn't a temporary situation. If they come flooding in here like they did in our old camp... this time we might get wiped out." Kassan placed his hand on Daren's shoulder.
Daren made an affirmative noise, "We will take some rations and head out again immediately." then walked away.
Marv waited for Daren to leave their vicinity before speaking up, "Isn't that why you ordered for a dummy-camp to be build out in the open? To draw away the attention of the locals and give us in here a head start if they attacked again?"
"That was the idea, but the attack on our camp was... coordinated, the locals knew that they needed to destroy the portal first, and so they sent their strongest while we were lured away by the hordes all around us. They are smarter than we think, and I am not going to underestimate them again." Kassan gnashed his teeth.
"-assan! Master Kassan!" a member of the church waved his hand in the air, trying to catch the man's attention as he got closer, "Master Kassan, could I have a moment of your time?" the warrior huffed.
"Of course. Is there a problem?" Kassan answered.
"No, I mean, yes, well, kind of..." the man shook his head, trying to untangle his thoughts, "I just wished to speak to you, about Plamus."
"Plamus again? Why am I not surprised... You aren't the first to come here and tell me about the way he treats his subordinates. Take some of the fruits in our storage, I cannot confront him at this very moment, but I will see to it that he betters himself-"
The warrior cleared his throat, "Uh, thank you, but that isn't what I was going to say... I wanted to inform you that we encountered the boy Plamus has been looking for, it sounded like he had bad intentions, and my conscience has been gnawing at me ever since my friend, who I partnered up with for our hunt for food, has revealed that to him-"
"Frey?!" Marv moved closer to the man, "Are you certain? How is he?"
"The boy that found this cave?" Kassan turned to Marv.
The man took a step backwards from Marv, "This- I am not sure about his specific situation, he looked like he adapted to life in the swamp... but Plamus and the others, they are intending to go after the poor boy, using the compass I gave him to locate him."
"Shit! We can't let them, Kassan! I am going after him too!" Marv shook Kassan's shoulders.
"The boy could help in finding more 'hearts', whatever method he used to find this one, it might just work for the others! Yes Marv, you must go after him, but not alone! Wait a moment, I will have Daren return and go with you, I will also have someone get Marquis Gomon-" Kassan answered.
"We can't wait that long, you heard him, Plamus and Reyna are already on the move! You!" Marv pointed at the warrior, "Take me to where you found him. We just need to get there first, then sneak him into this cave, Plamus won't dare take any actions against us while you are around Kassan."
"Wait Marv, you can't go alone, you might get killed in the process!" Kassan rebuked him.
"I don't care! I owe it to Frey to get him out of this mess! I betrayed him, and now I get a chance to make things right!" Marv pulled the confused warrior along.
"Damnit Marv!" Kassan cursed under his breath as he felt the boy's aura fade in the distance, he waved his hand through the air, causing one of the fireflies to head after him, "Someone go and get Daren to come back!" he shouted into the air, his voice echoing through the cave, alerting all the people present, both the healthy, and the injured ones.
... ...
Reyna and Hadrian were being guided through the swamp by a warrior of the church, his expressions were pensive, his scalp continuously tingled, a slight sense of fear spread through his body as he considered the possibility that they wouldn't find the boy.
"Urgh." Hadrian grunted, "My feet are starting to hurt! How much longer do we have to walk? This isn't what I signed up for!"
The warrior lowered his head, not daring to turn around, "We should be there soon... I just hope-"
"Hope what?" Hadrian interrupted him.
"I just hope that this 'Frey' you are looking for hasn't decided to go deeper into the plane. If that were the case, then we probably won't be able to find him." the man gulped down the saliva that had built up in his mouth.
Hadrian nodded his head, "I hope so too." then stared daggers at the man's back, "For everyone involved." his eyes trailed to the left, where Reyna was walking, "We have to make sure that your Prince Charming is still in one piece, no?" he voiced another snarky remark, but his words fell on deaf ears, Reyna refused to give him the time of day and simply ignored him.
"Come on, you know I'm curious, it is awful of you to keep me in the dark about why you want him gone. Did he do something to you? Something about the fact that he belongs to the Aventias? Just for fun?" he tilted his head and placed an index finger on his chin, striking her with a questioning pose, "You never did explain yourself, even back before this whole situation turned to shit."
Reyna sighed, she closed her eyes and knit the bridge of her nose, "Will you just shut up? I've had about enough of your unending babbling."
"Huh?" Hadrian stopped in his tracks, one of his eyes was twitching as he glared at her.
Reyna then stopped too, and turned to look at him, her face was serene, devoid of emotion, like he wasn't even worthy of a single frown.
Their guide halted his steps as well, silently observing their exchange among the white walls of fog.
"...You know what? I am done." Hadrian declared as he tightly squeezed both of his hands into fists.
"You've been doing this for a while now. You and Plamus both. Acting like you are somehow superior to me." he kept on raising his voice, slowly, but his fury was seeping through, "Plamus? Sure, I get it. He is a rank three. His strength got to his head, and he thinks he is something special now. I can't do anything to him at the moment. But you?"
He inhaled sharply before continuing, "You are nothing special. You are just another rank two mage, just like me. No. Worse. I have an advantage thanks to my element, while your fire is very much lacking in here. And yet here you are, going around and ordering me to do this and that."
Hadrian exhaled, the trembling of his vocal cords could be heard throughout it, "What? Do you think this little fling you have with Plamus gives you some kind of leverage? That he would choose your side over mine just because you entertain him at night?"
"Hadrian." Reyna said, her eyes narrowed, and her face finally began to twist and contort in the manner he was hoping.
"Did I hit a nerve? Or are you angry that I'm stating the truth?" he shrugged his shoulders.
Reyna's teeth were clenched, "Not another word out of your mouth... or I'll make sure that the locals will take their time with you, eating you inside out..."
"Oooh, scary!" Hadrian raised his hands, "Why don't we finally settle this matter once and for all?"
Reyna closed her eyes again, the veins across her face were ready to pop out and burst, "Fine then. Have it your way-" but as she glanced down at the compass artefact she was about to store in her pocket, she saw a new dot appear, the anger vanished from both her face and mind, as she began to run in its direction.
"Where are you going?!" Hadrian shouted, then sprinted after her.
"Quiet idiot! We are close!" she spoke back.
... ...
"Frey!" Marv shouted, both of his hands were around his mouth, in hopes that it would cause the sound to travel farther, "Frey!" he repeatedly called out.
The warrior that led him here felt the tiny hairs on his neck stand up, "Hey, hey! Are you trying alert the locals?"
"Are you sure this is the place?" Marv ignored his words as he turned towards the warrior who was inspecting a nearby tree.
"Absolutely, this is right where we met him." he assured Marv, his hands trailed over the notches he had created earlier to climb up and harvest the fruit.
Marv faced the fog again, "Frey! It's me! Marv! I want to talk to you! Please, if you can hear me!"
After several minutes without a single noise in return, he looked at the warrior again, "Perhaps you should leave. Thank you for leading me here. You know the way back to camp, do you not?"
"I- uh, of course, but are you certain? What if the locals show up?"
"I will be fine alone. Run along now." Marv shooed him off.
The man nodded his head to Marv, then slowly distanced himself.
"Frey! I am alone! See?" he shouted again but sighed when there was still no response, "I am going to continue, listen if you want, or leave if you don't."
Marv looked torn, he hesitated for some time, mulling over his thoughts before looking off into the fog, "I am sorry Frey. I know I made a mistake, I realised that, and I understand, that I have no right to ask you for your forgiveness, and I won't. I am not going to spin the narration on how I didn't have a chance, because I would have been in danger too or something, I know I fucked up. I was selfish, afraid if I had to honestly admit it. Even if it looked like a foolish decision back then, I really regret not standing up to Plamus and the others back then, that I turned my back on you."
"The two of us worked together seamlessly, it was astounding, the way your defence was the perfect addition to my offense, but I am trailing off... I am not looking for you because I need a fighter, because I want you to help me hunt the locals again."
"Our time together..." Marv scratched his head, "It's embarrassing to admit, but you grew on me. I am not just saying that because your master and my father have an amicable relationship, but because I really mean it. We bonded over our mutual struggles, and your dedication to keep fighting, in a situation where others would have given up, inspired me. You were like a little brother, which has been eating away at my conscience literally forever now! I hate myself so much for abandoning you, and even more so because I thought you were dead for a good while!"
"Frey. Come back with me. Back to the camp. Things aren't how they used to be; the portal home has been destroyed, we are fighting for our survival, together. I am sure Daren would love to see you too. He has mentioned you on a few occasions."
Marv extended his arms and waited, he allowed some time to pass, then some more.
He closed his eyes and tried to sense Frey's familiar aura, his surroundings though were overwhelmingly filled with nature and its particles.
His eyes reopened as he heard the faintest sound of footsteps, "...Frey?" he looked in the direction of the source.
The boy appeared before him; his figure cut through the fog, but stopped several meters away from Marv, "You were listening?" he asked, looking Frey up and down.
His clothes were ruined and wet, but oddly without any stains of dirt, as was his skin, like he had taken a bath just recently... in the swamp water? Despite the looming threat of locals at all times?
But that just made it easier to spot the scratches and scars across his arms and legs, "It was hard to ignore with how much you were shouting." Frey answered, his eyes were deep and dark, resembling the night sky.
"Then... what's your answer?" Marv took a step closer, concern written across his face as he tried to imagine all the pain and aching Frey was currently experiencing.
"I have missed talking to you." Frey said, but there was no emotion in the way he spoke.
"Ahem." a third voice cleared their throat, shattering the illusion the two were in, "What a touching reunion, I am almost moved to tears." Hadrian mocked as he appeared from within the fog, with Reyna right next to him, the skin beneath her clothing lit up in an orange hue for a moment.
Marv looked at them, then right back at Frey, "It's not what it looks like! I- I didn't bring them here! I promise-!" he reached his hand out to Frey, but the boy raised his foot just above the ground, then stomped it into the earth, shattering the ground beneath him!
A loud sound and a wave of dust assaulted everyone present, bright red balls of flame shot at Frey, Reyna's fingers were outstretched, her sight focused on him.
Pillars of rock appeared from out of the ground, taking the brunt of Reyna's spells, but shattered under their might.
"After him!" Reyna shouted, she was the first to react in going after Frey, no way a mere bit of dust would be enough to get her off his tail.
Hadrian and Marv then began to run as well, the two prepared a spell each, gathering water particles in their surroundings to unleash upon the other, "The compass Frey! Get rid of the compass!" Marv screamed at the top of his lungs, hoping that his message would at least reach Frey's ears.
He quickly pulled out his trusty knife and made a cut on his flesh, drawing blood to combine it with his spell.
"Get the boy! I'll take my anger out on this one!" Hadrian bellowed an order at Reyna as the watery mist around him took the shape of thorny vines, snaking their way at Marv from all directions.
"Like hell you will!" the blood-filled water that Marv wielded surrounded himself at the same time, encasing him in a red cocoon.
The ice struck the cocoon, the shattered pieces of Hadrian's attack spread in all directions, but that wasn't the end, new vines just as quickly took their places as they wrapped around the cocoon, and Hadrian began to gather another wave of particles!