Chapter 2: How they met

Rianna kept her hood down to cover her face and to prevent any sand from flying into her eyes as she took every step forward through the sand storm. It was quite big. Her cloak flew as she used one hand to hold it tightly.

"I never encountered any sand storm when I was in my village, but now I did. Why now…? What a rotten luck!" She mumbled; a little annoyance in it as she covered her eyes with her free hand and continued with determination. But after a few hours, her determination was slowly turned down when sweats ran down her face and she felt her legs started to exhausted. She panted.

"Mustn't… give up… I ca… can do it…" Without any words more, she collapsed into the sand. Suddenly, she heard something from the distant.

"Hello, is someone there?"

She then saw a tall figure approaching her, but she couldn't tell who was it because of the thick sand and her vision slowly faded to black. She reached out her hand to that person, begging for help. But she could only see the cloak flew freely through the wind before her hand fell and her eyes finally closed…

"Urg…" Rianna groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, feeling a little headache.

"You're awake!" Someone spoke, making her jumped a little. She looked at that person and a light shade of blush formed on her face.

He was a handsome boy with fair skin and dark smooth hair His matched black eyes were so bright that Rianna thought that they were the stars on the midnight sky. She opened her mouth, as to say something but was cut off when she looked at his cheeks. They had two yellow lines that nearly reached his chin, just like a White Robe's. She then looked at his outfit and jumped.

She was right, he was a White Robe.

"Thank Gods, you're okay." He smiled.

"W…What happened?" She mumbled, still a little shocked.

"I found you when I was trying to get out of the sand storm. I called out, but when I reached you, you had passed out. So I brought you to this cave and rest while waiting for you to wake up. Look, the sand storm is gone now."

She didn't say anything because she was feeling shame. She had let him, a mighty White, saved her, a lowly Red. Now she felt useless, she felt that she didn't deserve this.

"Uh, you okay there?" He asked and placed a hand on her shoulder, but she moved away, making him felt a little confuse.

"I'm okay. Thank you for saving me."

"No problem. Beside, we have to help each other." He smiled gently at her. "Why are you here, anyway?"

"Well, I'm… on my way to the Gods." She thought he was going to laugh at her, but he didn't. Instead, he replied excitedly.

"Wow, really? I'm going to there too. What a coincidence!"

"Oh, that's… great… I think."

She didn't have anything to say than that. They were different, one Red and one White. Although they had the same destination, but she couldn't bring herself to go with him, or for exact, she couldn't bring herself to ask him, a White, for going with her. That would bring more shame to her. Well, at least that was what she thought.

Silence came to them, and Rianna soon felt uncomfortable of it. But good thing that he spoke to break it.

"Hey, I have an idea. Since we're both going to the Gods, why don't we become companions?"

She couldn't believe her ears anymore. What did he just say again?

"W… What?" She asked with wide eyes.

"Let's be companions. I think we'll be a great team. Beside, it would be lonely for me if I just go with myself. Agree?"

He reached out his hand, waiting for hers. She stared at it for a while, she couldn't believe it. He wanted her to be his companion? Nobody had said that to her before. But eventually, she took it and they shook their hands.

"Okay, I think it's fine, then."

"Great! I'm Sohka."

"Nice to meet you, Sohka."

Before she could say something more, he spoke.

"Uh, sorry but you had been hiding your face since you wake up, can you… show it?"

'Oh, I forgot that I had pulled my hood down over my face when I was in the storm. But… should I show it?' She thought. She didn't know why her mind didn't want her to show her face. She felt weird about it, though.

"I…" She mumbled while keeping her hood down. "I think you shouldn't see it." She felt his eyes were staring at her confusingly, which she felt embarrassing about it. But he just said again.

"Okay, I won't force you then. What's your name, anyway?"

"I'm… Rianna."

"Rianna? What a beautiful name." His compliment made her blushed. No one had told her that. "Well, pleased to meet you, Rianna. I hope we'll be good companions."