Faces flashed past Tepo's eyes.
A childish redhead, lively and filled with energy.
A white-heard beauty with a sharp gaze and high intelligence.
And a tall, quiet man wishing for a stable life.
Ganaph will definitely be fine. She joined the Free World Alliance, a force which even has world lords looking over it.
Although it's unlikely for one of them to stay in the World of Carrying Winds, local power struggles still shouldn't involve them.
Nocia's situation is somewhat unclear, but she wanted to stay close to Ganaph, so she should mostly be safe.
But Parton… if he is still part of the guards…
Suddenly Tepo's chest tightened. Worry filled his mind.
No. I have to take a look! I have to get him out if necessary! Yerive is right in saying that I neglected him recently. But this is still a small issue compared to the life-threatening danger!
Still, a hint of reluctance emerged in Tepo's heart.
Parton has chosen the life of a soldier. Back then in the army I valued nothing higher than my duty. What if Parton thinks similarly now that he has served for more than half a year?
However, the situation is still different. Strictly speaking Parton is part of the guards and not of the army. Furthermore, they are fighting against fellow humans instead of some catastrophe.
We should ask Parton for his opinion. If he really refuses to come with us, we can only leave it be.
After a few minutes of thorough contemplation Tepo had stabilized his mind, burning the note in his hand.
Varei noticed the change, asking tentatively:
"What do you want to do now?"
"I have to go home. One of my best friends is part of the guards. I want to help him."
"Ok. Let's go."
Although Varei's voice contained a hint of reluctance, he still didn't hesitate in his answer.
"You want to come with me?"
"Of course. Someone needs to keep you safe after all."
"Thank you. I won't forget this."
"Don't get sentimental. We are bound for life. We will go through many dangers together in the future."
Tepo nodded at Varei, gratefulness in his eyes.
Subsequently the duo returned to Shorey and Quordh, apologizing and explaining that they had to leave.
The dormmates were surprised and a bit worried, but Tepo didn't plan to explain himself.
He could only leave them behind as he and Varei walked towards the forum's entrance.
Sneakily changing his face Tepo left the building, followed by Varei from some distance.
The young man didn't forget to be careful. He always felt strange since the Gold family had been silent so far.
But with the Web's mask Tepo felt safe, making his way through the city and soon reaching a large natural area.
"I will wait outside."
"Ok."
After the short exchange Tepo stepped into the Church of Guiding Nature's territory.
Naturally, no one took note of him. The territories of various organizations were still mostly public places, with only their core areas being tightly controlled.
Thus, Tepo strolled along the lush forest paths, observing his surroundings, searching for the residential area.
But surprisingly he didn't find anything even after multiple minutes. Eventually Tepo could only ask one of the passers-byes.
"Hey. Can I ask you where the church members' residential area is? I wanted to visit a friend."
"Hmm?", a mature woman looked strangely at Tepo. "Are you trying to scam me? Tzz!"
With those words the woman walked away, leaving behind a bewildered Tepo.
The young man didn't know what happened, so he could only try again:
"Hello, good sir. Can you tell me where the church members reside?"
"Sure. They live in the Spirited Reytis Trees behind the main church.
But don't waste your time. Visitors can't enter there."
"Oh? Why?"
"Because we unenlightened would only disturb the harmony of nature."
The man spoke those words with a teaching tone before nodding at Tepo and continuing to admire the forest.
Tepo furrowed his brows, inwardly complaining about those weird religious rules.
So, what should I do now? Wait until Yerive comes out? Or sneak in?
Only pondering for a moment, Tepo quickly came to a decision. He naturally had to sneak in. If Yerive was in seclusion, who knew how long it would take for him to come out?
Unfortunately, Tepo never bothered to learn about the various religions or he would know that the Church of Guiding Nature held a service every two days, mandatory for the weaker members.
But now he was forced to hide his tracks as he went into spirit form and awkwardly lingered around the church building.
Luckily the Spirited Reytis Trees before him soon moved, some of their branches sinking down, opening a passage towards a spacious area built from branches and leaves.
A few high-spirited youths walked out conversing happily, not noticing that someone sneaked by them and entered the residential area.
Tepo found himself in an extremely spacious corridor, which obviously also served as a gathering place. Most of the area had no ceiling, with large branches protruding from the surroundings in some places, offering shadowy spots for relaxation.
The entire corridor was surrounded by a wall of brown branches, with multiple doors inlaid.
Tepo studied the doors but unfortunately the were only marked with numbers instead of names.
With no other way find Yerive, the young man hid in a corner and sneakily used his com.
A voice could be heard after a few seconds:
"Hi? Tepo?"
Yerive sounded somewhat apprehensive but upon listening closer one might notice a hint of relief in his voice.
"Yes, it's me. Listen, can I visit you?"
"What? Why are you whispering?"
"Bro, can, I, visit, you?"
"Visit? O… ok.
But maybe I should come to the forum? If you don't… want to get close to the church?"
Tepo smiled wryly as Yerive made it sound like he was some demon burning in holy radiance as soon as he got too close to a church.
"Don't bother. I'm already here. What's your room number?"
"Number? Wait! Are you in the residential area?"
"Yes"
After Tepo gave his confirmation, Yerive's side fell silent, only some rustling remaining.
Movement could be heard in the corridor. Tepo turned his head abruptly, staring at a door which had just opened.
The back of a head with long, brown hair could be seen.
Letting out a sigh, Tepo put away his com and walked over to the door, scurrying in the room.
Yerive was taken aback as he suddenly felt a movement close to his body, recognizing the minimal distortion in the air.
"Tepo?"
"Yes."
"You want to go… in?"
But Yerive's question was unnecessary as Tepo had already passed him.
The young man arrived in a small room formed from tree branches. A few chairs and couches grew out of the tree, colorful paint and cushions making them stand out.
A comfortable smell permeated the air, stemming from a few flowers growing in the corners.
Tepo suddenly stopped in place, staring at one of the chairs in surprise, or rather at Droa'va seated on it.
The dark-skinned woman rolled her eyes, speaking to the air:
"Don't you think it's rather impolite to walk into a lady's home in stealth?"
Tepo coughed awkwardly, cancelling his spell.
"Sorry."
"Hey, Tepo."
"Hi Droa'va."
The atmosphere was somewhat awkward but Tepo couldn't refrain from asking the question burning on his tongue:
"Is this your room?"
"Of course."
"And Yerive is here because you are… training together?"
At this moment, Yerive also came back. Hearing this question, he exchanged a gaze with Droa'va before taking a deep breath and speaking honestly:
"We are dating, Tepo."
For the tiniest moment, Tepo felt like berating Yerive, but he hastily suppressed his impulse.
After sorting out his emotions the young man relaxed, showing a genuine smile.
"Congratulations, you two."
Droa'va and Yerive were both surprised. They expected Tepo to at least show some suspicions.
Especially Yerive was touched.
"Thank you, bro."
"Yeah, thanks Tepo."
Tepo only waved his hand as he sat down randomly.
"This only shows how much I missed over the last few months. I'm sorry Yerive."
"No, no. I'm sorry. I said some harsh words, which you didn't deserve.
You are not my parents and shouldn't be responsible for me."
"Your parents…"
Yerive's words reminded Tepo of the reason for his visit.
Staring at Tepo's increasingly solemn face the couple felt uneasy.
"Tepo? What's going on?"
"Yerive… something big has happened."
"What?"
"War… has broken out in the Carrying Winds World."
"Wah…?"
Yerive's mouth gaped open, feeling as if the words were stuck in his throat. Memories involuntarily shot into his head, showing scenes from his childhood in the Floating Rain City.
Droa'va also had shock in her eyes as she reached out and held Yerive's hand tightly.
Tepo smiled wryly upon seeing this move but didn't comment.
"Are you sure, Tepo?
Where does this information come from?"
"One hundred percent."
"Then… what should we do? Should we do something?
Can… we do something?"