In a wild field, two people were arguing under the bush. One was a child in a tattered cloth. His face winced as a tear streaming down from the corner of his eye. The other was a woman dressed in saintly attire, clutching a peculiar rock resembling a human head."Aria, please don't do that to Rocky. He hasn't done anything wrong," Rain pleaded, his voice filled with distress. hands shaken."Yes, your friend is innocent, but everyone has a job to do," Aria replied, grinning. "And his job now is to be a bait.""I will take his place instead. Let him go, okay?" he pleaded, pressed hands together."But you told me you cannot fight a monster.""Ah, I'm telling you the truth. I'm weak, very weak. If I get hit, I'll surely die," he said. "Do you see that big boar over there? It's at least two feet taller than me," he pointed towards the field, where a large boar with black fur and bloodstained teeth stood pointed to the sky, fierce and dire there."That is why this task should be assigned to your friend," she said, taking hold of the smaller version of Rocky that Rain had made, making it easier to carry during his travel. She poured some oil on it, an odoriferous oil that would attract monsters, and then threw out far away to the field."No, Aria! You're so mean!" Rain cried as he ran after Rocky.She smiled and said, "Ah, I really enjoy this. It's a relief from all the stress, even better than having a good night's sleep."§ Four hours before this arrived. §"This is good," Aria said, stretching her arms. She had enjoyed a restful night's sleep, which had left her feeling refreshed and clear-minded.As she left her camp, Aria noticed Ella sat near the campfire, her head resting on her knee. She had fallen asleep during her night duty, again. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a transparent orb of water onto her palm. It felt refreshing and clear. But it was fine, the magic alarm was still functioning.Approaching the campfire, Aria grabbed a mug and filled it with hot water from a nearby kettle. With a magical touch, a blue particle shimmered on her hand, slightly cooling the water. She sat beside Ella. Gently touching Ella's shoulder, "Ella, the sun is rising." she said. Her voice was sweet, like a harmony note.Stirring from her slumber, Ella replied in a drowsy voice, "Ah… A-Aria, good morning." She used her hands to brush the hair away from her face."Here, have some water," Aria offered, handing Ella a mug.Ella gently took the mug from Aria's hands, feeling the warmth radiating from it. "Mmm… so warm," she murmured with delight. Taking a small sip, she tasted the slight sweetness and couldn't help but smile at Aria. "Did you sleep well?""Yes, a good one.""A wonderful dream?""Yes, little white cloud and radiant moon.""That, lovely. It must be a promising dream.""Um, are you resting well?"Ella paused for a moment. "Mmm... yes, Can I rest a little more?"Aria Nodded for her.Ella's mouth lifted slightly as she moved closer to Aria, their arms touching, and rested her head on Aria's shoulder. She adjusted herself into a comfortable position."Aria… So warm," she murmured, relaxing her body and placing the mug closer to herself, enjoying the warmth from both sides.The sun's warming light drew nearer, creating a beautiful scene as its rays shone brightly, signaling the start of a new day.
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Alright, I'm all set to go. I've packed everything and my comrade is ready as well. Aria looked around for the black child, and soon spotted him in the distance. Great, he came alone without his imaginary friend.However, something about the Red Witch caught Aria's attention. She was staring at a sachet with gleaming eyes. When she noticed her gazed, she held it tight and moved closer to her body, as if she wanted to protect it like a precious treasure."Aria, I'm not giving it back. You already gave it to me," she said. Her voice was wavy, like a stubborn kid.Ignoring her playful taunting, Aria addressed everyone. "Let's stick to the plan. We should reach Sun Rock in two days."Everyone nodded in agreement.As the group traveled, the three saints took the lead, followed by the mage, and the child with tattered clothes walked at a distance. Despite his worn appearance, he always had a smile on his face, looking around and muttering to himself. The group journeyed through the forest towards a field surrounded by a river.The sun was directly overhead, but we still had a long way to go before resting and setting up camp.The Red Witch slowed her pace to allow Rain to catch up. "What are you looking for?" she asked."I'm just looking around. Maybe I'll find some good plants," he replied."Oh, that's great, lovely you! I've tried a plant called Chupachupa. It tastes really good, sweet to the core. It's a little green, but that's it, the good one. Have you found anything similar?" She said, her hands waving excitedly."Right! I told you, it's sweet and flavorful. As for your question, yes, I'm looking for something like that, maybe something spicy this time," he smiled."For the fire of truth, it's a little surprising. Even though I have vast knowledge and know a lot about herbs and ingredients." She adjusted her accessories on her hair. It's reflected, glowed with sunlight. "I have to admit, I'm impressed with your knowledge of these little green things. Life in the wild can be dangerous, and choosing the wrong plant could even lead to death. Where did you acquire this knowledge? Did your former... I mean, your ex-dormitory taught you?" She asked, avoiding mentioning of the prison. Her hand remained in place as she gazed into his eyes.He noticed her concern and nodded before saying, "Yes, they did teach me. However, I mostly learned on my own. You know, when winter arrived." He stared toward the west, at the sky's cloudy expanse. but it seemed could not cloud his pain memory. "everything depended on yourself. A smart person would persevere and save food for the long months of starving. But a smarter person would steal it from others. So... the bad things always come. When the snow falls, there are no laws at all." He spoke the words, his voice low and his face creased with a deep sadness."And you are the smartest, right?" she asked, wanting the story to continue."No, not at all. I'm actually quite a fool. I didn't have any food, they never gave me. So I had to look for it and when I found some and was happy." He rubbed the stone that hung it around his waist. "But there was always someone who needed it more than me. I would give it to them. I just wish I could have had one more day to talk with them.""That sounds hard. Isn't there a jailer or judge there to enforce the law?" She wondered."No, the Holy Hand never lays a finger on us when winter arrives. They also fear winter and leave when it came. They don't bother about how we live. They open all the gates and let us be free... to face the White Death," he said, his face growing darker. "Yes, when that winter takes hold, it doesn't matter if you're strong or weak. It doesn't care at all. It always takes someone. One becomes two, two becomes ten, and ultimately, half of us, our friends and enemies alike, lost to the cruel winter..."Listened his story, Faye's eyebrows raised slightly. "But, Rain, you survived and you're alive. Isn't that good enough?" She looked deeply into his eyes. "Still have a life that can tell the story, their story."Rain looked back at her eyes. Her iris shaped into a vertical line and glimmered slightly.His face softening. "Yes, that is good enough. They also lived in my mind. Thank you, Faye."Her giggle, light and airy, banished the tension that hung heavy in the air. Stepping forward, she turned to look back at him while walking in reverse. "Oh, what about your rocky friend? Did you leave him alone in that cold forest? He's going to get cold and sad.""Oh, you're concerned about him, too? You already know how cute he is, don't you? Hehe, don't worry. He is coming with me too," he replied.Then he showed her a small rock adorned with vines, resembling Rocky's head. "Here, see? Even though he only has a tiny head, I made this one with special materials," he said, gently stroking its hair. He smiled and proudly presented it."This hair made with Goma Grass. I grind it, mixed it with vital cray, dried it under moonlight for six hours to make it soft with a smooth touch. I worked on it all night to ensure it met the desired aesthetic quality," he proudly declared.Thud! Halting her walk, Aria turned her head to look at what was causing the storm. Horrified! She saw a mess of green hair attached to that stone, making it look like a cursed doll's head. Even the Red Witch agreed, wearing an eerie expression on her face.I have to destroy it, she thought, solidified in her heart. That wicked thing needed to disappear. Otherwise bad luck will catch us all. This is unacceptable. Aria turned head back and continued walking."Did you not sleep to create this?" Red witch asked with dry smiled."Yes, he is my best friend, and I wanted him to be created with care and gentleness," he replied earnestly. His hand drawn a thin line in the air. Eyes focused on it."Okay, okay, honey, good for you. But why does he have long hair? Is he modeled after... A-aria?"Aria swiftly gazing back again. How can I be that wicked thing? She sent her darkest, dangerous eye to make sure that he can sense it from afar.The Red Witch noticed, but her expression remained unchanged. She stepped over and blocked his vision.Despite staying the farthest from the group and being unable to meet her gaze directly, he still felt a chilling sensation wash over him. As he tilted his head to see who was causing this coldness, his breath caught in his throat. Despite her enchanting appearance, her intense gaze was fixed on him. Not even use his Verity Eye, he knew blue mana waved at him, in actually it both at him and his best friend."N-No, I didn't intend for that. I just thought long hair meant beauty, right?" Rain nervously replied, his face covered in sweat. "Ah! Why are you asking me this, Faye? You also have long hair!"The Red Witch smiled mischievously, like a child with a new toy, "Rain, even though I have long hair, it's wavy," she said, gently caressed her hair down to the tips. She continued with a sweet tone, "Ella has braids tied and styled with elegance. Only Aria has long, straight hair, just like that R-O-C-K-Y."Aria walked slowly towards them, step by step. Blue hue mana sparked in her eyes.Rain noticed. Nervously Looking left and right, his hand rubbed together, sweat make his hand moist. I gotta run. No, no, she will chop my legs if I do that. I have to say sorry, a big apologize one.Ahh!!Never bother want happening Rain sat ducked his head stay in surrender position. "Spare us! For the name of The Great Rocky, we did nothing wrong."Aria swiftly turn back, looking for a way of coming sound. Saw Ella with a white dress but her shoe dumped in a pond of dirt. Contrary to that, Eeon stood on the surface, with no stains or dirt attached to him."I hate mud! It's everywhere. My shoes were filled with it. Why is there so much mud in this area? And it's even stained my skirt, my dear skirt," Ella said angrily."Control your mana, Ella. If you can manage it properly, there's no need to worry about a little dirt like this," Eeon replied casually, showing no concern or willingness to assist her.Aria walked towards Ella and sent a mana energy towards her. "Ella, follow my lead," the mana flowed and guided her as it continued to cover Ella's shoes."Thank you, Aria," she said gratefully, following the direction of Aria's mana. The white mana flowed through her feet, erasing all the stains and mud. She lifted her foot out of the mud and could walk easily again.Aria gazed at a vast mud pool surrounded by green plants on the riverbank."What happened, Aria? Is something wrong in this place?" Ella asked, while using her mana to clean her skirt."Why is there a mud pool here now? It should be a river along the way before the Fall," Aria said."Could this be a threat? Or is something happening?" Ella asked."Actually, it's a good thing," Aria replied, unfolding the map and indicating the river symbol. then dragged her finger straight to the mountain. "We can take a shortcut and save one day travel time.""But that's not aligned with our direction and plan," Eeon stated firmly."Yes, but time isn't the only advantage. On this small island, we can also find animals and replenish our food and water supplies." She tapped the small island on the map. There was a small boar symbol on it.Eeon stiffened his shoulders. "Aria, this is not good at all. We've completely planned and prepared everything, including the food, timing, and sequence. We can restock at the next stop.""I agree with Aria." Ella chimed in. "Eeon, have you grown tired of porridge lately? Wouldn't it be nice to find something else to eat?" Her tone was casual and unconcerned about Eeon's reaction.Eeon's gaze hardened as he stared at Ella, but she remained unfazed, meeting his gaze without even blinking.The Red Witch joined the conversation with a smile. "I'm with Aria on this. I'm tiring of eating grainy things, too."Clearing his throat, Eeon spoke up. "Do as you please, Ella. This mission is yours. Take responsibility if anything goes wrong."Ella smiled and then linked her arm with Aria's. "Alright, let's go, Aria. Lead the way. It's time to hunt the boar!""Um, OK," she said, while planning something in her mind.Meanwhile, everyone continued talking with each other, completely ignoring Rain, who was still crouched down, raising both hands to the sky, seeking forgiveness from the sun."It's just a hair. I just thought it looked beautiful on him, like it does on you," he muttered, but no one paid him any attention, leaving him alone...