A bright light fell on her eyes. Elise tried to cover her eyes from the light and opened them slowly to get used to the brightness. She was sitting on the ground and leaning on a tree. The noon-time sunshine was leaking through the thick forest.
"Ah, you are awake." Elise turned towards the sound. The Traveler was sitting on a log with a short stick in his left hand. She tried to get up with the support of the tree she was leaning on. But she felt dizzy again, and the tree he was leaning on saved her from falling. That sudden movement painfully reminded her of the two cracked ribs Travel mentioned before.
"Slow down, you are still recovering." He was looking at the tip of the stick in his hand, it was shaved to be pointier.
She sat down and leaned back again. The sunlight was still pouring down on her, but it was not as irritating as before. "What happened to me?"
The man was still looking at the stick, he started to carve it and shave it with his fingernails. "You collapsed."
"Why?"
"You took a direct hit from that monster at the beginning, then you overexert yourself to beat it. And I think you breathe a bit too much of the smoke coming from its acid. The sharp turn you did at the end was the cherry on the top, I think." He didn't take his eyes off the stick.
"Why did you react like that anyway? You looked like you were trying to hide something."
She closed her eyes to get her thoughts straight. "What happened after I passed out?" She was hoping that Landa boy didn't realize who she was.
"They tended to the wounded, thanked us, and said sorry about what they did before.
Promised me to reconsider their life decisions and hit the road towards to nearest settlement." Elise took a deep relaxing breath. "All dough one of them was quite interested in you. He kept looking at you with curious eyes. Were you acquainted with any of them?"
"Which one?" This could be bad.
"The one with the greatsword."
Oh, this was bad. She put her head between her knees and hugged her legs. She needed to get her head together. If he told someone who she was and where she was, the word would spread faster than the wind.
"Are you wanted or something?" He was still busy with the stick in his hand.
She raised her head and looked at him. He was asking the question but didn't look curious at all. Could she trust him? If she told him who she was and who was after her, he could turn her in for the bounty. But he could also not do that. He looked like a person who wouldn't care about money or fame. She needed to tell someone eventually. Why that wouldn't be him?
"Mr. Traveler, can I trust you?" She wanted to try her luck with him.
"No." The man said while looking at his stick. That was not the answer Elise was hoping to hear. "Why should you? You don't even know me."
He was right. She didn't know a thing about him. But she had a feeling about him, and she always followed her feelings. They haven't let her down since.
"I chose to trust you anyway. I am from a noble family. I escaped from the home. They are probably still searching for me. But I had to run away, because..." He raised his hand to stop her.
"I don't care why. You chose to start a journey to change your life, which I respect." He stuck his stick into the ground, got up, and looked at her. "You look fine now. I wish you luck on your journey." He turned around and started to walk away.
Elise couldn't understand the situation at first. Her mind was still numb, she looked at his back for a second, and then she realized. He was going. She needed to do something.
"Hey, wait!" She tried to get up again. This time was easier, but her head was still spinning a little. "Take me with you."
The man stopped and after a pause, he turned his head slowly. "Why? You are not that bad; you can find your way back."
"Take me as your apprentice."
"Why?" He didn't even turn his back to answer.
"I want to learn. I will not be a burden to you, I can take care of myself."
"What do you want to learn?"
The question made Elise pause for a second. She never thought about what she wanted to learn. She just wanted to learn. Something, anything. She was always drawn to knowledge. If there was something new to learn, she wanted to learn that. That was the side effect of her blessing.
She didn't know how to answer. First, she thought she should say the thing the man would approve. But she knew she had to tell the truth when the time came. The short time they spent together was telling her that lying to him could end up really bad for her. So, she decided to tell him the real reason.
"I am blessed with learning. I am good at it, and always craving to learn new things. And you are the most mysterious person I have ever met. I believe I can learn more with you than I could by myself. Take me as your travel companion, you will not be disappointed."
She looked at his back with hopeful eyes. He didn't move or answer for a second. She couldn't see the man's face, so she didn't notice the excited smile on his face. And then, he started to turn towards her slowly.
"So, you are telling me, that I should take you with me, as an apprentice. Just because you want it too much." He slowly walked towards her as he talked. The more he got close, the more he became intimidating. "I travel to the most dangerous and cruel places, girl; do you think you can keep up with me?"
She once again thought not to lie to him was the right move. His posture was more intimidating now. The small and weak appearance he had before was nowhere to be found. She felt like if she said the wrong thing now, it could be the end of her. She knew there was no way to defeat him by herself. She couldn't run away too; she had seen his speed before.
Then she realized something. Why was she thinking about fighting him or escaping? He was just asking a question; she didn't understand why she felt cornered. Was this the same thing he did to the Dragon? The intimidating presence of his was everywhere and she was being crushed by it.
She got her thoughts together. There was nothing to fear. He was just standing before her. She discarded the uneasy thoughts and tried to stand strong. He was testing her, she knew it. She looked into his eyes and answered.
"I will do everything in my power to stand strong and move on." These words came from her heart. And the Traveler noticed that too.
The presence disappeared in an instant; he was just a messy and weak man again.
"Good, come along then. We have things to do." He turned his back and started to walk.
Elise was ready to press the matter more, but she was not ready to be accepted this fast. She stood there in shock for a second, then started to walk to catch up to him.
"Just like that? Are you just gonna accept me like that?"
"Of course not. But there is no better way to test you in the field, right?"
They walked together for a while, without a word. The forest got denser and darker as they walked deeper into it. They didn't encounter any monsters on their way which was weird. Elise always thought this forest was full of them. When she mentioned this to the Traveler, he said; "There are no strong monsters in the area, so I am keeping them away for us. I usually don't bother myself with them, but I have a feeling that you might want to fight every single one of them. I saw how you fight I don't need to see it again; I have something else in mind for a test."
Elise asked what he had in mind, but he kept it a secret. They walked for hours without a rest. She did all she could to keep up with him. Sun was already set, and the forest was getting colder and colder as they walked deeper. She walked without complaining, but the freezing cold on top of last night's exhaustion did a number on her. The Traveler noticed that after a while and stopped walking for the first time.
"Sorry about that, it has been a while since I had a companion with me. Let's start a fire here, you are going to freeze."
She kept quiet all this time, but he was right. She needed to rest, but she also wanted to show him that she could keep up. She started to look around for the firewood.
"There is no need." The man said as a ball of fire started to form in front of him. "This will keep you warm. Get a good rest, this can be your last for a while. I'll keep watch through the night."
"Are you not tired?" The fire was warm for sure. She felt its heat inside her bones. She got close to it and sat down on a soft spot.
"Not at all. I can walk for a long time if I need to. Don't bother yourself with me, you will understand everything in time. If you can pass my test, of course."
It was easier said than done. But the exhaustion got to her, and she left those thoughts for another time. She knew she should be sleeping with one eye open while traveling with a stranger, but this man was an exception. If he wanted to do something, he could do it anytime he wanted. Elise was like an ant compared to his strength; she knew that. So, she fell asleep in a nightmare full of screams and fire.
***
She woke up to a touch from the Traveler's foot. "Come on, rise and shine. We still have ways to go."
The fireball was gone. The slight chill of the dark forest was still around but at least the weather was not freezing anymore.
"Are we not gonna eat or drink anything? I drank my last water last night and didn't eat anything since the other night." Last night she was tired enough to ignore them, but now the hunger started to show itself.
He stared at her face for a while like she said something weird. Then he put his hand inside one of his layers of clothing. He took out a package and a strange transparent bottle filled with water from there.
"Here, these should hold you for a while." He put those in her hands and turned his back to her. "Come on, get moving. You can eat on the road."
Inside the package, there was Mama Millio's pumpkin pie. It sure was delicious, but she was not sure she could challenge a Dragon for it. It did satisfy her hunger and gave her the energy she needed. The bottle, on the other hand, had a strange lid on it. She realized she should turn it to open it after trying every possible way. She had never seen something like that before, but it was useful. She put the bottle in her bag and kept following the Traveler.
They walked until noon, and at last, they stopped under a strange tree. It was wrapped around a big stone obelisk. But the stone had a smooth surface and a dark color. Elise had never seen a stone like that before. She walked forward to touch it and wanted to feel its smooth surface.
The Traveler hit her hand before she could reach it. "Do not touch it, if you don't want to materialize somewhere you don't know or disintegrate into the void."
"What is this thing?" It had a strange beauty. The perfect rectangular shape and smooth surface of it looked like it was crafted by some genius craftsman. There was nothing on its surface. Not a single piece of dust or leaf from the forest.
"This is a Gate, girl. Tell me, do you know anything about the magic in this world?" He was looking at the obelisk as he spoke like he was trying to see something in it.
"I know some spells but never had time to get serious about them. The art of sword was always more tempting to me than the art of magic." She was an energetic kid, sitting and practicing spells was not her thing at all.
"Okay then. I am going to show you a universe that you have never experienced before. But I am warning you for one last time." He looked at Elise in the eyes and extended his hand to her with an inviting gesture. "The Journey I am traveling is not an easy one. I am not guaranteeing you a safe return to your home. You could get seriously injured or even die horribly. But I can guarantee you, this will be more than an exciting journey. If you prove yourself to me in the next adventure, I will accept you as my apprentice and make you stronger than you can ever imagine. Now choose, this is your last chance to turn back."
He was excited, Elise could see it in his colorful eyes. And so was Elise. She didn't even think twice. This was what she wanted for all her lifetime. This was why she left the house she was born and raised in. This was what she was born for.
She took his hand. And the man reached the obelisk with an approving smile on his face. As soon as he touched the stone the view changed. They were not in the forest anymore. The first thing she felt was a crushing force like it was trying to turn her inside out and take her soul from her.
And the first thing she saw was a rocky wasteland. It was erupting with magical energy all over the place that lit up the darkness caused by the thick black-purple clouds.
And the first thing she heard was the joyful voice of the Traveler.
"Now this is looking like a fun journey to me."
***
"I finally found you."
The long figure's voice was deep but cold. Even the excitement of the moment didn't make it lose its cool. It was looking at a floating vision in front of it. A female swordswoman in a cloak and a bearded man with white clothing was showing in that vision. They were standing in front of a long obsidian cylinder.
The figure took a step back from the vision. Infinite visions of many different realms were filling the dark space in front of it. The figure turned its head slightly towards the left. Another figure appeared immediately inside the darkness.
"Take the best. Find him. And erase him from existence."
The figure disappeared as fast as it appeared. Left the long figure alone in the darkness, looking at its visions.