CHAPTER TEN (NEW MOON)
Chapter 10: Facing the Truth and Awakening it
Contrary to her expectations, she couldn't find the right opportunity to talk with the man. As usual, he was surrounded by others, making it hard for outsiders to enter the circle. She didn't push it, afraid that she'll annoy the only person who was kind to them.
Although she was a bit dejected with the situation, she was still happy that he kept his word.
There was truly no one who bothered them during the trip. The nasty glances they received were already close to none when they entered the last week of their trip back home. This lifted their heavy nerves, and even Oddny started to smile a bit more again.
Because of their slowly opening atmosphere, a certain someone started bringing herself inside their comfort zone.
"Mallory, Oddny!"
The two darted their eyes toward an incoming figure. She was shorter than Mallory by two inches, her hair is colored like the soil, and her skin was tan. She had an amicable smile on her face as she waved a stick of grilled fish in her hand.
"Hazen," Mallory commented before adjusting to her seat, giving the newcomer a space to sit on.
"Thanks," Hazen said. After taking a bite of her food, she sat down quite comfortably.
"What brought you here?" Oddny quietly asked, adjusting the position she was grilling the meat on the fire. The delicious aroma of the meat permeated the air, making the starving stomachs grow in protest.
As usual, the Exploration Unit stopped in an inconspicuous part of the forest and explored the area first before settling in when nothing noteworthy was discovered. They set up their tents and lit their bonfires to cook their food. Later after dinner, they would set up their tents and take turns overseeing the temporary camp while the others sleep.
As they had walked a tiresome journey, they ought to treat themselves with meat sprinkled with herbs and spices. They usually don't do that as they sought for nothing but to merely fill their stomach, but as their journey comes to a nearing end, everyone decided to give themselves a little gift to lift their spirits up.
Even the outsiders, Mallory and Oddny, were given spices to elevate their foods. Oddny can't be grateful enough to finally escape the tasteless and bland foods, albeit temporarily. Mallory, who didn't let anything show on her face, feels the same.
"My lovely friends! Do you not wish to see me?" Hazen managed to sound and look like she was hurt by Oddny's question, but the way she was munching on her food every second took the illusion away.
Oddny let out three fake laughs, "Ha ha ha."
Mallory shook her head and ate her own before mustering up a question. While she does that, she produced yet another skewer and roasted on the fire. "Really, why are you here?"
With her question, Hazen pouted. "The Exploration is coming to an end two days from now. I'm happy that I can finally go back to my house, sit on a comfortable chair, sleep on my bed, and eat to my relish, but then I'm also sad as my wanderer days are over…"
"Huh." Oddny scoffed. "How is that sad?"
"You wouldn't understand!" Hazen said while dramatically waving her hands in the air. Also casually throwing the empty stick away. "I love my pack and all—who doesn't—anyway, even though I love that place, I feel suffocated. When I heard that they will hold a small exploration team to find the Goddess' Blessed whereabouts, I volunteered as a trainee, since I'm still unblessed—Goddess, I can't wait for the ceremony this month. It's dangerous outside, but it's like an instinct to run free within a forest!"
By the mention of the Goddess' Blessed, Mallory's heart jumped. She controlled her emotions and observed Hazen to see if she knew, but then their eyes met. Mallory almost looks away, but Hazen's eyes were like vacuums. They didn't allow her eyes to break free.
"Of course, we also did our best to find clues about the Blessed whereabouts, it's just that…" Mallory's eyes almost widen as she looked deeper and deeper at her. As she was about to panic, she smelt something. Hazen's eyes went to her hands and cried. "Mallory! The meat! The meat's burning!"
Mallory jolted out from her frozen state and looked at the meat skewer in her hand. It was, indeed, burning. She cursed and pulled it away, only to see the delicate meat black. She tried blowing out the fire, and after trying desperately, she was ultimately left with nothing but something that will definitely taste like charcoal rather than meat.
Her panic was completely replaced by sadness and disappointment.
Oddny, who tried her best to help her but still got unfavorable results, looked at Hazen who was trying to sneak out from their fire. "It's all your fault!"
"How is it my fault?" Hazen forgot her plan on escaping and answered as if it was her instinct to not get wrongly accused. She reasoned out, exaggeratedly. "It's your sister who kept her eyes on me as if she fell in love with me—"
She saw Oddny's lips twitch. She rolled her eyes and answered. "She's not my sister! Also, fall in love? With you? Please! You can barely call your face a face."
Mallory knew their argument will continue for a while, so she tactically closed her ears off from the two and turned to comfort herself. While looking at her inedible meat skewer, Mallory discreetly glanced at Hazel from the corner of her eyes.
After seeing that none of the two were paying attention to her, Mallory quietly formulated a plan in her head before retreating to her own world.
-
At the camp, late at night.
The forest is as quiet as a graveyard. If not for the crickets and other bugs' cries, one would think that they had appeared in a place where sound does not exist.
That night, the moon hung up so high in the sky. As usual, emitting Her gold and silver light to half of the world. However, her lights can't penetrate the leaves of the high trees surrounding their camp, causing it to almost get swallowed up by darkness.
Somewhere far from the camp.
Everywhere around Mallory rustles as she passes by the thick bushes and trees. No matter how much she tried getting far away from the camp without noise, she can stop the leaves from creating a noise whenever they touch her.
Mallory sighed a great relief after hearing the distant noise of the flowing river. When she got out of the lush forest, her eyes immediately rested on the river.
The moon's light, which couldn't touch the forest, was shining down on the body of water.
Mallory looked around carefully, and then, slowly, she went to the edge of the river and knelt down.
When her reflection appeared on the river, Mallory immediately looked at her own eyes.
A lot happened after they got away from their previous pack. The loss of her and Oddny's family, the loss of the pack they once called home, the need to adjust in order to fit in the group—everything took Mallory's ability to think of the problem she is supposed to face and think deeply about.
Their journey is coming to an end. And with this, they had finally time to relax for a bit.
She won't lie. The sudden shift from a tense atmosphere to a slightly light one made Mallory want to just forget everything. But maybe it was by the Goddess' will, Hazen had to remind her about it.
She was the Goddess' Blessed.
Mallory pursed her lips and looked at her ever-unchanging face.
She was sure that there was something there when she almost lost control. She saw her own reflection in the terrified vampire's eyes, and she can still vaguely remember the patterns on her eyes and face. Mallory closed her eyes, trying to figure out how the power the Goddess gave her works.
Yes. She bitterly smiled. She gave it to her, but she can't even use it to save the important people in her life.
Mallory was determined that night. She wants to awaken the powers a Blessed.
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