The new ally was already with us, and little by little, the alliance was beginning to take shape. As we made our way back to the wagon to continue toward our next destination, I couldn't help but glance at Aelira's wings.
They were retracted, but even so, it was hard to ignore them. She walked with the group with an elegance that almost made me feel like I was looking at an angel in person.
I kept watching her wings a bit longer than I should have, trying not to be obvious, but it was in vain.
Aelira noticed immediately and, without stopping, raised an eyebrow, catching on to my curiosity. Trying to play it off, I quickly averted my gaze, focusing on anything else.
Aelira didn't say anything, but she didn't need to. It was clear it would take a bit to earn her trust. It wasn't just because of the darkness she felt in me, but also because she barely knew us.
When we reached the wagon, Zhavros took the reins of the salamanders with his usual carefree attitude. Eldrek, on the other hand, unrolled his map and studied it carefully.
"We have three options," he said, pointing to different spots on the parchment.
"They're all at a similar distance, but some routes have more difficult terrain than others."
Aelira, showing an unexpected interest, asked Eldrek if she could take a look at the map. She leaned over it and pointed to several spots she had identified.
"This path is safer for the salamanders, but it involves passing through areas with hostile creatures," she calmly explained.
"The other path has rougher terrain, but we're less likely to encounter enemies."
Zhavros was the first to react, not giving it much thought.
"Let's take the easier route," he suggested with a grin. "If we run into creatures, we can handle them. After all, we're a capable group."
The rest of the group nodded, though not without exchanging looks of doubt. Aelira, especially, seemed not entirely convinced by the decision, but she said nothing.
We decided to take the easier path, trusting that we could face any danger that came our way.
The journey was calm at first, but it didn't take long before we encountered some creatures. The group's combined skills proved effective in clearing them without too much trouble.
Lyris managed her magic with precision, while Aelira used her celestial abilities with impressive grace. With Aelira there, we barely had to exert ourselves. As for me, I did what I could to keep control in each fight, keeping chaos to a minimum.
However, Zhavros didn't bother getting down from the wagon. He stayed up there lazily, watching us from above while the rest of us fought. More than once, I caught him suppressing a grin as sweat poured down our faces.
Finally, Eldrek couldn't hold back. "Aren't you planning to help at some point?" he asked, not taking his eyes off Zhavros.
Zhavros chuckled lightly. "The group is strong; they don't need me," he replied in his typical tone.
We looked at him with disdain, but it wasn't worth arguing. After all, we had managed things so far, though his attitude only fueled our resentment towards him.
After several hours of travel, as we neared our destination, Zhavros raised his hand, signaling that he would stop. "We have visitors," he said quietly, pointing ahead.
In the distance, there were two semi-humans sitting on a large rock, arms crossed. They seemed calm, but something in their posture indicated they were waiting. Zhavros stopped the wagon at a safe distance and watched the scene, analyzing the situation.
Aelira, with her ability to sense mana, was the first to speak.
"It's possible they're the ones we're looking for," she said softly, not taking her eyes off the semi-humans. "Both of them possess a variant of light mana, specifically of the order type, but even so, we should proceed cautiously."
"Order-type mana?" I asked, curious about the terminology.
Aelira turned her gaze to me and nodded. "Yes, it's a form of energy derived from light, designed to restore balance and control chaos. In the right hands, it's a stabilizing force rather than a destructive one."
Zhavros grinned, enjoying the tension. "Well, I suppose I'll be the one to convince them," he said as if it were the most logical thing, preparing to get down.
"No!!!" Lyris and I said almost in unison. Lyris spoke first after our reaction. "If it's okay with everyone," she suggested, looking at the group, "I can be the one to go speak to them while you all wait here. That way, we won't scare them."
"We won't scare them?... Did she mean that I'd scare them?" Zhavros muttered to himself.
"Fine," I responded to Lyris, though the uncertainty still lingered. "But, just in case, we'll stay alert if things go south."
Lyris nodded, and the rest of the group prepared as she walked toward the semi-humans, hoping this encounter would be more peaceful than previous ones.
Lyris walked steadily toward the semi-humans, who remained seated atop the rock. From our position, we couldn't hear what they were saying, but there were no signs of hostility in their gestures. In fact, they seemed relaxed, almost friendly.
I watched the scene intently, ready for anything, but something about them reminded me of Loran, the semi-human I'd met in the past era. A slight feeling of nostalgia crept over me.
Though we never became close friends due to the short time we shared, he left a good impression on me from the start, with his enthusiasm and worldview. It was curious how small things like this could bring back valuable memories.
Lyris continued conversing with the semi-humans, both of them attentive to every word she said. Their postures remained relaxed, with no signs of distrust.
After a while, I saw them descend from the rock with agile movements. When they reached the ground, each extended a hand towards Lyris, as if sealing a deal. It was a clear gesture, a sign they had reached some kind of agreement.
The group walked back toward the wagon, chatting and smiling as if they were old friends. The tension I had felt moments earlier began to dissipate little by little.
Zhavros, who had been watching everything with apparent disinterest, let out a soft laugh. "Lyris has a knack for convincing people, don't you think?" he said, jokingly, crossing his arms with a smile.
"Maybe you could learn a thing or two from her," I replied, unable to stop myself from flashing a slight smile of complicity toward Lyris.
When the three of them reached the wagon, the semi-humans stopped in front of us and, with a respectful gesture, introduced themselves.
"I'm Kaelar," said the first one, with a firm, clear voice.
"And I'm Kaelarion," added the other with a friendly smile. The two shared a striking resemblance, and we later learned they were twins, distinguished only by their hair color: one had a whitish tone, and the other, a dark brown. While Kaelar maintained a serious posture, Kaelarion exuded a more relaxed vibe, as if breaking the ice came naturally to him.
"Pleasure to meet you," replied Lyris, stepping forward to introduce us all. "This is Eldrek, Zhavros, Aelira, and he's Darius," she said, pointing to each of us.
The twins nodded respectfully, their gazes sincere. It seemed that this time we wouldn't be facing a threat; instead, we had found potential allies for our cause.
"So, what's the next step?" I asked, trying to stay focused on the mission.
Eldrek was the first to respond. "We should find a shelter for the night. It's late, and it'll be safer to continue in the morning," he suggested, putting away his map. The twins nodded and exchanged glances.
"We know a nearby spot," Kaelarion said. "It's reasonably safe and secluded enough that no creature will surprise us overnight."
We headed toward the place the twins suggested, chatting along the way. We shared details about our mission, and they listened with interest, especially when we mentioned the Dark Being.
It was a topic that sparked concern in everyone, and though we didn't fully trust them yet, it seemed they understood the gravity of the situation.
When we reached the spot, it turned out to be a hard-to-reach place, hidden among rocks and trees, making it perfect to avoid unwanted visitors.
The wagon was parked nearby, and each of us grabbed a blanket to settle a few steps away. The salamanders, calm after the long day, nestled down in their own way, and the sounds of the night enveloped us.
Aelira simply placed her blanket on the ground and sat on it, eyes closed. She wasn't lying down like the others, which made me wonder if she actually slept like that, or if she was doing something else. It was hard to read her.
Zhavros walked away from the group shortly after we settled in. "I'm going to check the area," he said in a carefree tone, not looking at anyone in particular.
I murmured quietly to Lyris, not taking my eyes off him. "I still don't fully trust Zhavros. Why would he wander off now, in the middle of the night?"
Lyris nodded, sharing my concern. "I know, but for now, we don't have another choice. Besides, he's the only one who can control the artifact," she replied softly.
Slowly, fatigue overcame us, and soon we were all asleep. But sometime in the early hours, Aelira woke the group with a firm tone.
"Someone broke into the wagon and took some things!" she exclaimed, her voice clear in the darkness.
Lyris was the first to wake, rubbing her eyes urgently. "What's going on?"
Aelira repeated calmly, "They've stolen everything from the wagon."
I quickly got up and ran to the wagon, only to find it empty. They had taken the provisions and some weapons. "It's true; our things are gone!" I announced to the group, alarmed.
Eldrek, who had already approached, looked around with a grave expression. "The semi-humans aren't here."
Lyris, surprised, looked in all directions. "It can't be... they wouldn't have stolen from us, would they? Could this have been their plan all along?"
Aelira, showing no emotion, replied, "They can't be far." Then, she spread her wings and, with a quick movement, took to the air for a better view of the area. Her wings glowed faintly in the moonlight as she ascended, observing intently.
Just as I was about to continue searching, I realized something else. "Zhavros isn't here either," I said aloud, disturbed. "Could he be involved too? Maybe he took the artifact."
Eldrek shook his head, though he kept his eyes on the wagon. "I don't think so," he replied calmly.
The darkness made it difficult to see more than a few meters ahead, but from the air, Aelira raised her hand, pointing in a direction. "I think I sense the semi-humans' mana. Over there."
Without wasting time, she flew swiftly in the direction she had indicated. Lyris and I ran after her, though it was hard to keep up. Aelira flew nimbly, moving through the shadows and rocks as we did our best not to fall behind.
Eldrek stayed at the camp, keeping watch in case anything else happened.
After what felt like endless minutes, we arrived at a clearing. Aelira stopped abruptly in mid-air, observing something with curiosity. Lyris and I caught up to her, slightly out of breath.
"What do you see?" I asked, looking in the direction of her gaze.
And then we saw it. Zhavros was floating at a low height, with the semi-humans under his control. He seemed to be manipulating their minds in the same way he had projected terrifying images when we faced the chimera.
This time, his projections took the form of shadowy figures, almost zombie-like, slowly advancing toward the semi-humans.
They, terrified, tried to defend themselves from these creatures, but it was useless. The projections kept appearing relentlessly, surrounding them. They were so engulfed in fear that soon they began to beg Zhavros to stop.
"I never trusted you from the beginning," Zhavros said, visibly enjoying the scene. "And I saw you when you stole from us."
Lyris and I, shocked by what we were seeing and hearing, looked to the side and saw a bag on the ground. Approaching it, we found all our provisions and weapons inside. Zhavros had been right: the semi-humans were the thieves.
However, Zhavros didn't seem to intend to stop. In fact, he looked determined to finish them off. Aelira noticed this and approached him, keeping a safe distance.
"Is it really worth eliminating them?" she asked calmly. "Look at them. They're just creatures acting out of fear. They're only trying to survive."
Zhavros listened to her, and after a pause, he simply made a gesture of disdain. Despite this, he slowly descended to the ground and finally stopped his magic.
Taking advantage of the moment, I approached the bag, grabbed some of the fruits among our supplies, and threw them at the semi-humans.
"Go," I told them in a calm, almost compassionate tone. "Just go."
The semi-humans, still trembling, stood up and fled, grateful for the chance to escape. As they disappeared into the shadows, I was left with a strange feeling of pity for them, and for everything this world was doing to all of us.