Soaring gracefully through the boundless sky, the wayran's iridescent wings shimmer in the golden light of the dawn. The wayran soon disappears from their sight in the distance, leaving Mauka and Afroth awestruck.
'Sis, What's a wayran?' Afroth asks Mauka.
'I don't really know that well. They are like dragons but very pure and kind of despise everything that isn't pure,' Mauka tries to answer his question but struggles to form a correct sentence to express her answer.
'So basically dragons with attitude.'
'Yeah, pretty much,' Mauka chuckles.
'So what's next, do we stop and go back or do we keep on going?'
'That wayran will probably be a problem, but I think I can take it on,' Mauka speaks confidently.
'Have you ever dealt with one before?'
'Once, it was a smaller one, but don't worry about that. The presence of the wayran will probably keep people away who could reach the meteorite before us.'
'Sister, that doesn't sound as reassuring as you think it does.'
'Aaaah, drop it. We will deal with it when we reach the finger.'
With a swift snap, the molba starts moving forward, resuming their journey to the finger. After travelling for another three hours, Afroth starts to feel drowsy. With nothing to do, he gently lays his face on his sister's back. Suddenly, Mauka shakes Alfroth with her left hand and asks him to look ahead. Afroth shifts to his right and sees a small settlement in the distance.
'Is that a bazaar?' Alfroth inquires, shading his eyes with one hand.
'This is my first time going to another village.'
'Good for you, but don't get excited. We are only going to look around just for a while.'
'Why can't we spend the night here?' Alfroth asks as he lays back and looks at the sky.
'Because there is no need to, and listen, I don't want any trouble either, so behave yourself.'
'Sis, you're such a bore.'
This is the second time Afroth has traveled to another settlement. Mauka tells him to sit back tight as she pulls back the reins, stopping the molba. Confused, Afroth does as he is told and grabs the bar behind him on the saddle.
Mauka raises both her hands and snaps the reins very hard. With the snap, the molba starts rushing towards the village, scaring Afroth as he screams for Mauka to stop the molba. The wind rushes past them, and Afroth's heart races with fear and excitement. Mauka, with a mischievous glint in her eye, enjoys her brother's reaction as the molba goes faster. Just before they enter the bazaar, she pulls the reins back, stopping the molba. Still catching his breath, Afroth looks at Mauka with a mix of astonishment and amusement.
'Was that fun?' Mauka asks.
'Yeah, I didn't know they could go that fast,' says Alfroth, still catching his breath.
'They can go that fast for just a short amount of time. After this, it will need to rest, so we will probably be walking through the bazaar,' Mauka explains as she grabs the reins into one of her hands and starts walking. Alfroth follows her and also gets down from the molba, thanking it, after which the molba starts licking Alfroth.
As they enter the bustling bazaar, Alfroth is captivated by the wide roads and the various colorful stalls. The air is filled with the scents of spices and the lively chatter of merchants and shoppers. Mauka leads the way, weaving through the crowd with ease and behind her alfroth and the molba follows her like little children following their mother.
As they wander through the bazaar, Alfroth's eyes land upon an odd-looking tent surrounded by various vibrant stalls with a weathered sign that says, "Read your future for just ten bama." Intrigued by the promise of glimpsing the unknown, Alfroth's curiosity leads him to the mysterious tent, with Mauka in tow. The tent's exterior is patched with mismatched fabric, and the seams are clumsily mended with haphazard stitching.
'Alfroth, why are we here?' Mauka questions the dubious scene.
'Sis, look, they can read the future,' Alfroth responds, pointing to the sign.
'You think so? This screams scam to me,' Mauka retorts skeptically.
'But sister, ten bama is not a big deal and it will be fun' Alfroth argues, his eyes filled with anticipation.
'Alfroth, just look at the tent. It's falling apart, and it seems like nobody has been here for years, what fun are you going to find here? We are leaving NOW,' Mauka speaks strictly.
'But... but... the future,' Alfroth pleads, his expression crestfallen.
'Stop acting like a child, you moron,' Mauka dismisses Alfroth's attempt.
'But... but... but my future,' Alfroth persists, casting his sister a pleading look.
'Ok, fine, I suppose. But we're only doing this for you, and don't complain if this turns out to be a scam, okay?' Mauka relents, unable to resist her brother's excitement.
'Yes, thank you, sister,' Alfroth responds with gratitude, his eyes bright with anticipation. Mauka ties the molba to a nearby fence and slowly enters the dimly lit tent with her brother. Their commotion outside alerts the person inside the tent, letting him prepare his services for his next customer.
As they step inside, a harsh voice greets them, 'Welcome travelers, to my realm where the future, past, and present are all the same to me.' Alfroth's excitement increases with every passing second, while Mauka's patience is wearing thin. They survey the dark tent and then fix their gaze upon the crystal ball at the center of a small table. Behind it stands a man of diminutive stature, with a hunched back and half of his upper face covered by a broken mask.
'So, which one of you would like to know their future?' the mysterious man says with a smile across his face.
'That would be me,' Alfroth speaks up in excitement.
'Well then, please sit down,' the mysterious man says, pointing to the chair opposite him across the table.
Alfroth quickly seats himself and takes out the ten bama from his pocket. But before he hands it to the man across the table, Mauka stops him and looks at the man with doubt.
'Can you prove that you can see the future?' Mauka asks the man.
'Well, only after the payment,' the man happily replies.
'But then how do I know that this is not a scam?' Mauka questions.
'Well, for that, you have to believe me first. Everything starts with trust, young pretty lady,' the man responds.
Mauka looks at the man with disgust and anger in her eyes. 'Don't ever call me that, creep.'
"Why is she looking at me like that? It's scary, very scary. Does she have a problem with me? Well, can't afford to make her angry, or else I will lose the customer, and she looks like she will beat me to death. I need to pull out my final card to win her over."
Looking at her face, the man apologizes to calm her anger, 'I... I can read your mind, if you want me to as proof,' he says with his hands in front of his face.
'Okay, then do it,' Mauka speaks firmly.
'Sister, can you please stop this? It's embarrassing,' Alfroth whispers to his sister.
Mauka ignores Alfroth and looks at him again, his hand extending to her face. 'What?' Mauka asks. 'I need to touch your head to access your memories,' the man explains. Mauka's disgust and anger increase even more.
"She definitely has a problem with me," the man screams in his head.
'Please, uncle, do it on me,' Alfroth interrupts, trying to diffuse the situation. 'Oh, yes, child, of course,' the man immediately shifts his hand to Alfroth's head. Alfroth gently lays his head out, and the man puts his hand on top of his head.
'Now, ask me a question to which only you could know the answer, and I, the seer Zamba, will tell you the answer.'
"Of course i will tell you the answer little idiot. With my power in hand, i can read your mind and your past so of course i will know everything, now ask, ask you idiot. You and your dumb sister have fallen right into my trap" zamba laugh to himself in his head.
Alfroth's voice echoes through the dimly lit tent, 'How much bama do I have left in my shelf back at the inn?'
'Nine hundred and seventy-two,' Zamba responds instantly.
'Correct,' Alfroth confirms, leaving everyone in the room stunned.
'Wait, you already have that much bama?' Mauka asks in shock.
Intent on stealing Alfroth's bama, Zamba delves into Alfroth's memories and discovers the drawer containing his stash. 'This poor kid wasn't lying,' Zamba thinks to himself, even more surprised than before.
'Uhmm, how long do I need to keep my head below?' Alfroth inquires.
'Oh... oh, it's done already, right? Now you kids believe me?' Zamba retracts his hand from Alfroth's head.
'Of course I do,' Alfroth replies.
'I guess, but make it quick; we don't have that much time left anyway,' Mauka maintains her harsh tone towards Zamba.
Without hesitation, Zamba places his hands on the crystal ball in the center of the table and starts chanting random incantations of spells, pretending to know their meaning. After completing his fake incantations, he lifts his hands up, claiming, 'Now the future will show itself to me.' However, the crystal ball remains dim. Alfroth's excitement wanes, while Mauka laughs to herself.
Zamba panics internally, realizing that his mechanism to emit a glowing effect under the crystal ball has failed. Despite his internal distress, he pretends that everything is fine on the outside. After performing the incantation multiple times, the crystal remains dim. In a moment of panic, Zamba pushes the pedal under the table, causing the crystal to suddenly glow, shocking Alfroth, Mauka, and even Zamba himself.
'Now let me see what your future holds,' Zamba says, breathing heavily as the tension rushes out of his body. Internally, Zamba chuckles, knowing he can make up anything and the siblings will fall for it. Externally, he maintains his calm composure.
'You two are going to fight a beast, a beast that is twice as large as you, but you will face it with courage and gain victory over it with your brain and strength combined,' Zamba tells Alfroth confidently.
'See, sis, even my future tells us that we will gain victory over the wayran,' Alfroth exclaims.
'I guess,' Mauka sighs, not entertaining the idea at all.
"A wayran, the large one that appeared today. These kids are going to die. Do they not know what wayrans are? Us normal humans don't stand a chance against them. Only an experienced party takes on wayrans, but these morons are going to fight a wayran," Zamba thinks in shock as the siblings argue about the correctness of his prediction.
Alfroth hands Zamba the ten bama, then gets up and leaves the tent with Mauka, leaving Zamba surprised and shocked in the tent. They make their way to the molba and get on top of it, starting to leave the town and head towards the finger. As they continue their journey, the town fades into the distance. After a few hours of traveling, they find a suitable spot to camp for the night, allowing them to rest. They both set up a campfire and sit around it to warm themselves.
'Alfroth, did you notice that?' Mauka asks.
'What?' Alfroth responds, taking a bite of his bread.
'He used magic on you.'
'When?' Alfroth replies in shock, his mouth halfway full.
'When he touched your head to tell you about your past, I saw multiple black thorns come out of his hand at the last second and It's not just any ordinary magic; it's a uniquity.'
'What's a uniquity? and why didn't you stop him.'
'A specialized type of magic that is either unique to the user or passed down through a family. Although his doesn't seem harmful, I think he might have read your mind to know how much bama you have stored.'
'Do i have a uniquity?'
'If you had one, it would have probably manifested in some way till now but don't worry if you don't have one, it's a rare thing after all and even i don't have one'
'What if he steals all my bama?' Alfroth worries.
'Don't worry, Carmilla is a skilled control magic user. She can handle small fries like him and he wasn't that strong anyway. But this is what happens when you let your guard down. Today, I let you participate in the scam as a lesson, but from now on, anyone in the world can be against you, and Carmilla or I will not always be there to save you.'
'Oh... okay,' Alfroth replies quietly, disappointed in himself.
'Well, don't worry about it. It probably doesn't have any negative effect on you. Treat it as a learning experience,' Mauka reassures him.
'Okay,' Alfroth responds, still feeling sad and thinking he's just a burden to his sister.
'But explain one thing to me, why do you have this much bama?' Mauka inquires.
'It's for something important that I can't tell you right now. Please wait; in a few months, or so, I will use them for a good cause.'
'Are you doing this for Fraadh?'
'Yes,' he replies softly.
'I guess that's fine. Go to sleep now; as usual, I will be on the lookout.'
Alfroth finally closes his eyes, his mind still racing with thoughts of the day's events. The crackling of the campfire and the gentle rustling of the leaves lead him into a peaceful slumber. As he opens his eyes to gaze at the night sky filled with stars and celestial bodies, he finds his sister sitting by the fire, her presence bringing him comfort as he drifts off to a dream.