The journey had been long. The sun stood directly overhead. Miers seemed eager to continue, but Melino appeared exhausted. Though she hid her fatigue well, Miers could tell by the sweaty, trembling legs of his younger twin.
"Let's rest here," Miers suggested.
Melino released Miers' hand with a long sigh. Miers took out food and water from their backpack and handed it to Melino. Melino reached for the water from Miers' hand and quickly drank to quench his thirst. Another glass of water was poured over his head to cool down from the scorching sun.
"Don't drink to much. We don't know if we'll find any water later," Miers cautioned. Melino nodded in understanding.
"We're almost at the edge of the city, heading into the wild Dyrys Forest. It's got all sorts of thorny stuff and wild critters. Keep an eye on where you step, don't want those plant spikes getting you," Miers warned.
"Alright. But why do we have to go into Dyrys Forest? Wouldn't it be easier to take the main road? Plus, it's closer to reach Dampbad City," Melino questioned, doubtful about the chosen path.
"The main road is too exposed. There's no place to hide from 'them.' I'm sure 'they' won't enter Dyrys Forest. No one dares to come here. We'll keep heading towards the sunrise until we reach Dampbad City, then we'll head to Esperanza Cityfrom there," explained Miers.
"But Dyrys Forest is so dark... and frightening," complained Melino.
"Stop whining. This is the only path we have. Don't forget to tie your hair, Mel, before we enter. The trees there are low and thorny. We don't want your hair getting caught in the branches," Miers advised. But he paused after seeing his sister.
"On second thought, ignore that. You are too short for your head to hit the branches anyway. So, entering Dyrys Forest shouldn't be a problem for Mel," teased Miers.
Although they were twins, the height difference between them was significant. Miers was taller, and he always teased Melino.
"Shut up! I knows I'm short. But, but... I'm cute!" Mel pouted, placing both palms on her cheeks, striking a cute pose.
"Yeah, yeah, whatev..."
CRACK!
Quickly, Miers reached for his weapon and stood up. His heart stopped briefly upon hearing the sound of breaking wood, as if someone stepped on it. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings. A shadow emerged from the corner of a building. Miers' breath quickened. Even with his hands sweaty and cold, he tightly gripped his spear, ready to strike at any moment. His mind raced, strategizing for a potential confrontation, searching for a safe way out. His body tensed, sweating profusely, both afraid and courageous simultaneously. Melino just stood silently, watching her brother's actions.
The shadow approached. The sound of footsteps on the ground became more audible. Miers' eyes never blinked for a moment, ignoring the sweat that entered his eyes. The growing shadow added to their anxiety, knowing that the enemy had found them.
Suddenly, the shadow stopped.
No movement for a moment. Miers glanced at Melino with a furrowed brow, a signal that he was as confused as she was.
Miers moved slightly to peek around the corner of the building where the shadow had stopped. He was surprised to see a pair of feet standing on the other side. Swiftly, Miers raised his spear to shoulder level, took a deep breath, prepared to strike.
Miers ran quickly to make the first move before his opponent could react. Once he pinpointed the location of his opponent, Miers threw his spear.
"Miers, don't!" Melino's shout startled her brother.
However, the spear had already left his hand. In that moment, Miers saw that the one standing there was a dirty, barefoot girl. There was nothing more Miers could do. The spear was getting closer to the girl.
TANG!
Miers' iron spear pierced right next to the girl. Luckily, Melino's startling shout had caused Miers' aim to go astray. Both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
"Miers has changed," Melino whispered to herself. Melino smiled, as this was the first time she saw her brother act bravely, no longer scared as he used to be.
Miers approached the girl.
"What do you want, kid?" Miers scolded.
The girl didn't say anything. Instead, she pointed towards Miers and Melino's bags.
"There's no food here for you. Get lost!" Miers scolded again.
"Miers, it's not right to treat her like that. She's just a child," Melino scolded her brother.
The girl simply lowered her head, her hands holding her stomach. She looked extremely thin and unkempt, with long, messy hair.
"Mel, don't be quick to trust others. She may be a child, but maybe someone else sent her to follow us and steal our food. We need to be careful. There are no honest people left in this world," Miers warned Melino.
"Don't worry. Mel is sure this girl is not a bad person.
Look at her eyes, round like mine. People with round eyes are good people, ya' know" Melino replied.
"Who says that?" Miers asked, annoyed.
"Mel says it. Who else? Hehe~"
"Hmph. Suit yourself, Mel. But I won't take my eyes off this girl. What about you, girl?" Miers still didn't trust the girl.
"That's enough. Here. Take this." Melino handed a piece of cooked meat to the girl.
Slowly, the girl walked towards Melino and reached for the offered food. She stared at the meat for a moment and then devoured it in one gulp. Without chewing much, she swallowed the meat, choking a bit. Quickly, Melino handed her some water. After taking a sip, the girl smiled satisfactorily.
"Thank you," the girl spoke.
"You're welcome," Melino replied with a smile on her lips.
"I'm Melino. The one sitting there, scolding everyone, is my twin, Miers. Don't be scared of him. He may look fierce, but he's kind," Melino introduced.
"Twin? I'm Umoya. I have a twin too, but... he's gone," Umoya shared with a hint of sadness.
"Sorry, Umoya. Mel didn't mean to make you sad," Melino tried to comfort, but there was nothing more she could say.
"Miers, we don't even know who she is. There's no need to call her by name as if we've known her for a long time. Kid, if you've eaten, it's time for you to leave," Miers suddenly snapped.
"Why is Miers like this? Umoya is just a child. There's no need to be so harsh on her," scolded Melino while hugging Umoya protectively from her brother's anger.
"Miers understands she's a child, but..." Miers couldn't find words to reply to his sister.
"It's okay. I'll leave from here. Thank you for giving me food," Umoya stood up and prepared to leave.
"Wait, Umoya. Take a bit more food. Miers, don't be such a baby, let her take some food from your bag."
As soon as Melino and Miers turned their attention to their bags, Umoya quickly ran away, taking Melino's bag with her. Melino and Miers were shocked by Umoya's action and couldn't do anything.
"Ah, Mel's bag! Miers, Mel's book!" Melino panicked.
"Shit. Miers already warned! Don't trust that kid!" Miers shouted.
"Maybe Umoya thought there was food in Mel's bag," Melino guessed.
Miers immediately grabbed Melino's hand. They ran to chase Umoya, who was as fast as the wind. In a moment, she had disappeared from their sight.
"Worthless kid!" Miers scolded again.
They lost track of Umoya. However, Miers wasn't worried. His years of surviving alone on the streets, abandoned by their mother for 10 years, had taught him various survival skills such as tracking footsteps, direction, and position. His ability to use these skills to hide from enemies was not much different when he used them to track others.
Finding Umoya wasn't a problem for Miers, but would Umoya just let herself be caught? What was Umoya's true identity?