A/N
It's gonna be a while before I post again. Sorry but with school and a couple of other project, I don't have too much time on my hands. Again thank you for reading this piece. Guest or not, I'm happy that it gets touched. An extra thank you for reviewers. You're the best. Any criticism, concern, or comments are welcome.
... Destine to be forsaken...
When they crossed the mountain gate, Garet was close to freezing again. But with Mia apart of their group, she was able to immediately help him and he didn't suffer anything serious. It was the afternoon when they made it through the gate. The sky was grey with clouds and the wind was still pretty cold. They decided to take a quick lunch break before walking again. Garet emptied his bag of food and heated it up on the camp fire. It was bread and cheese. He melted the cheese and toasted the bread and distributed to his group.
"I'm impressed Garet. You cook very well." Mia said.
"Dude, its bread and cheese. I'm pretty sure a kid could pull it off." Garet said with a smirk.
"Yeah don't compliment him too much. He'll get snotty and that'll be the day when he cooks like crap." Ivan snickered.
"Yeah that'll be the day I'll be feeding ya dirt Ivan!" Garet laughed along.
It was a light and relaxing lunch despite the cold and the hard ground.
When it was nearly midnight, Isaac stopped the group. He kneeled down and began to breath slowly. Isaac began to sharpen his sense of hearing and close his eyes. Beneath his slow breathing he could hear something. He turned his head to focus it more in the direction. Isaac could hear something sprinting. The footsteps crushing the grass and hitting the dirt hard sounded like a horse. Then he heard low pitch screeching and skittering on the ground. Isaac honed away and listened around. It was the only audible sound that was distinct. When he was finished, he stood back up and said, "We should be careful. There's something out there." They nodded and kept their guard sharp.
When they reached the abandon house they stayed in last time, they found the door had been completely knocked over. Isaac couldn't hear anything in it, but they entered with the same caution as before. It was quiet inside and the living room didn't change. They looked around for a second before moving onto the kitchen. They entered together and saw a terrible sight. A body half eaten with a pool of blood sat in the corner of the kitchen. The person was missing its organs inside and showed its ribs. All of them couldn't bear to look. They cringed and held their breath to not smell or inhale the bloody and rotting scent. Isaac went closer to examine it and saw on its arm bite wound with two cuts. It reminded him of the giant rat in the forest. Then he recalled what he heard a while ago and conclude what he thought was a monster running was a person running from monsters. Isaac looked back at his group and none of them looked at the body. "Garet, could you help me carry this body out?" Isaac asked. Garet made a face and it looked like he wanted to say no but instead he made a quick nod. He walked towards the body while Isaac began to grab the corpse by the shoulder. Garet picked it up by the legs and they quickly lifted it up and took it outside to the back.
Outside they laid the body near the ground and Garet asked, "What are we suppose to do?"
"It's probably not the best place to stay, but the shelter beats the outside." Isaac said.
"I meant the body."
"Oh..." It was going to be hard to dig a grave or cremate it Isaac thought. But he would feel bad if he left it like this.
Suddenly they heard something in the distance. It was loud and it felt like a low rumble that shook the ground. They saw something in the forest. It was a dark figure that filled that gaps of the trees. "Back inside." Isaac said panicking. They ran back to the house and they hid from the window. The ground vibrated a little with each step the dark figure took. It got closer and closer until it stopped. They could hear heavy breathing outside the house and knew it had to be right outside. After a couple of seconds the footsteps came back but it was grew quieter instead. Isaac peeked out the window and saw nothing there, not even the body they put outside.
With the door wide open, they felt unsafe. There were an unnatural amount of monsters around the house. Instead of hunting to conserve food, they decided to just finish what was left in Garet's bag. It was a small dinner and when they finished, none of them felt like they could sleep. Isaac looked around his group and saw them as paranoid as he was. In the silence, no one wanted to speak. If one of them did, it would feel as if things from the outside would hear. Isaac felt the need to say something so he quickly blurted it out. "We need to sleep or else we won't have any energy tomorrow." Nobody said anything. Isaac looked around and all he got was blank stares. "How about this, one of us stays awake while the others sleep. We'll switch it off every two hours. Is that alright?" His group looked at each other for a second and nodded. "Alright, I'll go first. Garet, you're next, then Ivan, and then Mia. We'll switch it up every now and then." Isaac stood up and carried his sheathe in his sword. He walked towards the stairs and left his bag and coat upstairs. He walked down the steps and stood near the window. The dark corner hid his presence while he stared out the window of the part of the house missing the door. Isaac was a bit tired and leaned against the wall, but stayed sharp. There was no crickets in the night. The wind had stopped. There was only the dark feeling in the silence. The moon was hidden behind the clouds and outside was complete blackness. But Isaac kept awake and alive. He hugged his sword for comfort and his mind occasionally wandered around to keep him awake.
The thoughts came to him at random. Isaac thought about the sleeping potion Kraden gave him and how it was about to run out soon. Isaac thought about his sword and how he ought to sharpen it later when he had the chance because it was getting dull. Then Isaac thought about his home. He had mixed feelings about it. Then he began to think about Felix, Jenna, and Kraden. What would he do when he met them? Would things go back to normal? Then Isaac thought about his group he traveled with. He felt sorry for them and even felt a bit guilty. He wasn't too sure, but sometimes he wanted to do this alone. He wondered if the journey would be easier if he did it alone. He wouldn't have to worry about his friends he burdened. Then it occurred to him that that shouldn't be normal. Travelers always want company. Why couldn't I think the same way, Isaac thought. He knew it himself that he needed his friends around him so why on earth would he want to do this alone? He was confused and thinking was starting to get his mind off track to his night watching.
Suddenly a hand touched Isaac's shoulder. Isaac jolted back clutching his sword and turned around. It was Garet. He didn't mind Isaac's startled reaction and simply said, "Two hours passed. Go to sleep man." Isaac nodded gratefully and stumbled back upstairs to the spot he was sleeping on. As he was about to lulled himself to sleep, Isaac thanked his friends under his breath.
Mia saw the sun rise and looked around the house. It was clear and as the sun shone in, the land was visible again and the shadows in the dark disappeared. She figured it was about time she woke everyone up. Mia went back upstairs and looked around at the guys. Garet snored wildly and Ivan had a bit of drool dripping from his mouth. They had shifts that were disruptive in the middle of their sleep. She was a bit afraid in waking them up. She feared they would be bitter and nasty. So instead she woke up Isaac first. She gently shook his shoulder and whispered, "It's time to get up Isaac." Isaac awoke with drowsy eyes and made a short stretch. He looked around the boys and said, "Wake up dudes." Garet made a long moan and grunted, "No, nope, not happening, you can shove a cork in it."
"Ugh, this is what hell probably feels like." Ivan mumbled. Mia was glad she didn't wake them up.
Ivan led the way with the map while Isaac took the rear and Garet and Mia were in the middle. They walked with a quick pace and since last night, all of them were very sharp and aware. Ivan made sure to be extremely aware because his left arm was broken. Thankfully the amount of monsters decrease with sunlight out, but it was still quite unpredictable so they made sure to keep their guard up.
It was seven pm when they arrived at Biblin. They quickly checked out a room and went upstairs. They bought two rooms next to each other and wondered how they were going to split it. Mia went to one room and the boys stayed outside whispering to each other. "So who's gonna share a room with her?" Garet asked.
"Hell I'm not going. Mia is like, intimidating." Ivan remarked.
"Yeah, Isaac?"
"No, that's weird. One of us will just have to sleep on the ground." Isaac said. They huddled together and played a game of rock paper scissors. It was quick and resulted in Isaac losing miserably as the only one that played paper. "You thought I was going to go rock again eh? Well you got juked man." Garet snickered. Isaac signed. Mia walked out of the room and asked, "So how will we do this?"
"Rooms all yours Mia, we're just gonna have one guy sleep on the floor." Isaac said.
"Are you sure? I really don't mind."
"Positive, we'll get settled in and meet you downstairs."
"Ok, meet you guys there." Mia went down the stairs. The boys went to their room and unloaded their things. Isaac took off his gear and jacket and laid it on the floor. He figured he should ask for a pillow at the front when he got the chance. Isaac was tired and felt like sleeping and not eating at all. But as he settled in and relaxed, Isaac began to feel hungry again.
The restaurant was crowded as usual and today they served a pot luck stew. It had a thick stock and random things. Everyone ate except Ivan who was a bit skeptical. "What the heck is in this thing?" he asked.
"Dunno, probably like random game chopped up and boiled." Isaac said.
"It's pretty good man. Really meaty." Garet said.
"Come now, you can't be too picky Ivan." Mia said.
"It's not being picky when you're just afraid of suspicious things in this stew." Ivan said.
"Well its not too random, there's like bunnies, I think rats, umm..." Isaac continued. Mia closed her eyes and stopped eating for a bit. "You've had rat before Ivan so why are you so scared of it now?"
"The whole time I was eating it, I was mortified. How the hell can you guys eat it with a straight face?"
Garet and Isaac glanced at each other and made a smirk. "Back home we had an inn that made a random stew. I remember this one time they made it with sweet meat." Isaac said.
"Yeah, man there was like frogs and snakes in it." Garet chuckled.
"Heh, anyway beggars can't be choosers. Just imagine this is what beef should taste like or something."
"Can't do that. We could probably be eating human right now and not know." Ivan said.
"Cut it out, I'm losing my appetite really fast guys."Mia signed.
"Humans eh?" Garet snickered. He took another spoonful of the stew and remarked, "I wouldn't mind going cannibal if they taste like this." Garet and Isaac made a hearty laugh. Ivan signed that leaked out a smile and Mia shook her head but made a light chuckle.
When they finished eating and resting for a bit, everyone was off to sleep. Isaac stayed behind at the table though. "Hey guys, I'm gonna get some air before I go to sleep." Isaac said. Everyone didn't mind it too much and went off. When everyone disappeared from sight, Isaac went outside. It was a bit chilly outside, but not cold enough to make him go back to get his jacket. Isaac took a deep breath and began to wander the town.
It was nine and Isaac expected shops to be closed. But strangely the herbalist was still open. When Isaac went inside an old women who sat behind a counter drinking tea greeted him. Isaac gave her a light smile but couldn't help to clutch the dagger on his thigh. The old lady hid her face under the robe and her voice felt unwelcoming. Isaac quickly released his dagger on his thigh to hide his startled reaction. Isaac recomposed himself and reached into his pocket to check an old piece of paper. It was crinkled and faded, but the important information was still there. There was twelve ingredients Isaac needed to get but was a bit clueless in how to make it. The old woman noticed Isaac's confusion and said, "What do you need boy?"
"Oh, just a couple of things." Isaac said. The old women put her hands out and Isaac was a bit reluctant at first but handed the paper to her. The old women looked at the list and said, "This is very peculiar. This isn't exactly something you put in boiled water and drink. Have you been sleeping well?"
"I have, thanks to that list." Isaac said. The old woman went behind a curtain and came back with a vial. She handed it to Isaac and said, "Smell it, it's the exact thing." Isaac was still skeptical and took a smell out of it. But it was the same scent that made Isaac gag. "What do you think dreams are boy?" The old lady asked. Isaac's eye raised and answered, "I don't know."
"There are many explanations of what they could be. Some think they are revelations to the future, others think they are the deep subconscious trying to tell us something." The old lady said. She took a drink from her cup of tea and made a deep sign. "Yet no matter the explanation, it cannot make any nightmare better. Nothing can calm or give peace to madness that has happen. Trying to make sense of something like this only brings pain. Letting it be only brings pain."
"So then what? Are we doomed to suffer?" Isaac asked with a tone. He was wondering why the old lady was telling him it was hopeless but it was beginning to be overwhelmed by anger. "I prefer not to be forced to listen to this crap. There's a way to end this. But not with that mindset." Isaac said. He left the herbalist and walked out with his head down and signing.
Isaac had trouble sleeping. It wasn't the hard ground it the cramped room. Isaac just wasn't tired when he knew he should be exhausted after today. Something was bothering him. He wanted to sleep and maybe wake up with what the old lady said out of his head. But it kept him awake. He tried to shut what she said out of his head and it kept his mind sharp making it impossible to sleep. Isaac didn't want to move in fear of waking everyone up and he was pinned in the spot he laid unable to sleep. Eventually, Isaac no longer cared. If he woke up tired, Isaac figured tough luck and he'll just find a way to manage. It put him a bit at ease, but he still couldn't sleep.
Suddenly a sharp pain went through Isaac's head. Isaac quickly got up and cringed in pain. Isaac moaned disturbingly and began to stand back up. His friends didn't seem to feel it and Isaac called out their names. But they did not respond. Isaac tried to shake them awake but they still remained sleeping. Desperate, Isaac bashed through the door crying for help. He held his body against the wall yelling for someone to help, but no one answered. Isaac panicked and tried to leave the inn. He stumbled down the stairs with his head clamping his head. As he tried to move, he felt nauseous and almost tripped down the stairs. As Isaac made his way outside, the pain began to intensify. Isaac fell to the ground screaming wildly now. His vision began to blur and he felt like vomiting. Isaac began to lose control of his body and laid collapsed on the ground. Before his vision disappeared, he looked up to the night sky and saw the most peculiar thing. Light sparkles rained from the sky like soft snow.
As Isaac awoke, he found the sun greeting him. The pain receded and Isaac felt a little better. He looked around and the town was completely still. Isaac began to walk back to the inn trying to figure out what has happen. The inside of the inn was just as empty as it was outside. There was no one at the front desk and no one at the bar. Isaac began to go to his room beginning to feel suspicious of the silence. Isaac opened his door and on the beds where Garet and Ivan slept were two wooden figures. It looked like trees laying on the bed with branches reaching outwards. As Isaac looked closer, he saw that the lines in the tree made out a face. Isaac could see eyes closed and mouth half open. Isaac backed away looking around. He quickly geared himself back up and checked Mia's room. It was the same way, a tree laying on a bed. Isaac took a deep breath trying to calm himself. He quickly sprinted out of the inn and into the town.
When he reached outside, Isaac went to the front gate and saw a similar human like tree he first saw when he came. Isaac ran around town and found tree like bodies scattered everywhere. They were in homes and outside. The ones outside had spears next to them and Isaac assumed they were patrols. The one inside laid in beds which made sense since it happened in midnight. Isaac wandered around a little more until he saw a soldier near the castle. Isaac ran to the soldier and as he got closer, the soldier turned around with his spear pointing at Isaac. Isaac stopped and had his hands in the air as other soldiers began to close onto him. "Who are you!?" One of them yelled.
"I'm Isaac and my friends turned into trees in the inn and I just want to know what the hell is going on!" Isaac said panicking. The soldiers looked at each other and the same one asked, "So you were in the inn last night and didn't turn?"
"I- I guess not. Wait, what do you mean?"
"Follow us inside the castle, we'll explain everything there." The soldiers began to lead Isaac to the castle. They followed him closely as they led him through the halls and to a double door.
Inside the double door was a husky man with a curly mustache. "Who's it?" The man said.
"Lord McCoy, this boy was found in the town during the night of Tret's curse. He is immune to it." The soldier said. The man stood from his desk and walked closer to Isaac. He examined Isaac to foot to toe and said, "Young lad, ye didn't turn?"
"I still don't have any clue what is going on." Isaac said looking at the man and soldier. "Sorry, it is about time I explain to you the situation." The soldier said. "Kolomia the town of lumberjacks, stumbled upon the sacred tree in the forest. It was a massive tree it seems and would produce a lot of lumber. But when they tried to cut it down, the tree began to rage. It seems that the tree was a living entity and trying to cut it down was its last straw. He cursed the entire village and so we created a roadblock to warn travelers of the curse. However the curse has been expanding each night and now, it has reached here. The curse just turns people into trees."
"Indeed, and you lad are the key to this crisis." The husky man said. "We dunno anything 'bout this tree, but it's cause we can't even get to it without turning into bark. So, would you be such a kind mate and perhaps go there? Of course, you will be rewarded handsomely." The lord said the last part very alluring. But Isaac didn't care. The intense risk or reward washed over him. "Whatever, I'll go." Isaac said quickly.
"Great! Captain, help tis' lad with his needs. We're counting on you!"
The captain led Isaac back outside. "You seemed a little eager to leave boy."The captain said. "Oh, sorry. We've never even asked for your name."
"Isaac."
"Isaac? Well Isaac, thank you for accepting our lord's request." The captain said with a nod. "But with all honesty and truth. Are you really going to go to Kolomia Forest? It's more dangerous than you think to traverse something so unknown."
"I... Have no choice." Isaac said with his head down. "My friends who turned are depending on me."
"Oh, I see now. I'm sorry." The captain said with his head down. "Do you need any supplies? We have quite a few things here you can use."
Isaac declined by showing his duffle on his shoulder. "Alright, but if you need anything, just ask." The captain said trying to sound as sincere as possible. "To get to Kolomia, you'll need to get through the barricade. So here's the key to get through." The captain handed him a key and Isaac asked, "You think I could use a boat or something on the river?"
"That might be a little hard. There is a spot where you can take a raft through the river. But unless you know the boat mechanics, which we don't it might not be possible. If the curse reached town limits, it might have reached the boating spot. But you can stop by there to see."
Isaac nodded and before he left, the captain told him, "And Isaac. I don't know what you will expect when you get there. But if it's something that is too much for you, don't feel afraid to come back. Don't be going there to throw your life away." But Isaac didn't say anything. He stood to listen but left no expression.
Before he left Biblin, Isaac went back to the inn. He went to the room where he and the guys stayed. He went through his bag and dropped the Mars star in Garet's bag. As he opened Garet's bag, Isaac saw a photo. He took it out of the bag and saw that it was a picture of Jenna. Isaac figured Garet must have took it from her house before they left. Isaac took a deep breath and returned the photo to the exact same spot he found it. Isaac left for Kolomia after that.
Isaac went to the river first. He really didn't want to walk on foot all the way to Kolomia. When he reached there, he saw that it was very scenic with a lot of trees. But as he came closer, he saw the ferry also had trees in them and knew it had to be the curse. Isaac felt strange as he walked freely around the trees with human like expressions.
Isaac hopped into the ferry and began to examine it. He ignored the trees on the ferry and went to the front of the boat. He looked around the contraptions. It was made like a small sailor ship. The front had the wheel as well as a few switches that Isaac did not recognize. Isaac went to the center and began to pull up the sails until the highest one was up. He went to the end and saw a chain that was thrown into the water. Isaac used the lever to begin to pull it up. It was heavy and took a while to completely lift it up. Halfway while he was lifting up what he thought was the anchor, the boat began to pick up speed. But it was beginning to pick up too much speed. With the river current and the medium wind, the boat was going so fast that the sails looked like they were about to tilt. No one was at the wheel and Isaac dropped the lever and ran to the wheel to try to avoid crashing. Isaac grabbed the wheel and spun it wildly to the left. But the boat did not turn towards that direction but instead just turn its body. The boat was sailing sideways and Isaac began to panic. Suddenly, a tough jerk halted the boat. Isaac tripped forwards and nearly fell off. He landed on his chest and the air was knocked out of him. As Isaac began to recover, he decided to pull down all the sails. He checked the trees onboard and saw they were safely rooted to the ground. The boat itself seem fine and Isaac decided to pull the anchor back up. As the current of the stream began to carry the boat, Isaac tried to be quicker so he could return to the front. The anchor was in reach and Isaac carried it into the boat and quickly returned to the front and took the wheel.
Isaac was gentle with the wheel. The flow of the stream was slow. Isaac had both hands on the wheel and was sweating a little on his palm. He was afraid of the boat crashing. The boat flowing sideways kept Isaac paranoid. But Isaac knew he would have to eventually learn how to control the boat. After an hour, a turn was coming up. Isaac took a deep breath and began to slowly turn the wheel. The boat turned a little after Isaac turned the wheel. Isaac remembered the way he turned the wheel with his muscle memory. He focused closely on the time it took to react and how wheel it took to turn a specific distance. As the curve came in, Isaac turned the wheel to the left slowly. The boat turned with Isaac and he had plenty of room still. It was a perfect turn and Isaac realized piloting a boat was much more easier than he had anticipated.
Isaac began to feel a bit more relaxed as he was able to trust his ability to control the boat. But something bothered Isaac and kept him from fully enjoying this feeling he had. Isaac looked behind him and saw the unnatural trees stuck on the boat. Isaac wondered if they were conscious and if they would remember Isaac if he would take the boat again. But Isaac knew for sure they were suffering. There was a reason why they called it a curse.
Isaac found a nearby port and assumed it to be his destination. It wad near the afternoon now and Isaac needed to hurry before it hit midnight. Isaac quickly jolted to the back and tossed off the heavy anchor. The anchor crashed into the bottom and the boat jerked a bit and came to a complete stop. Isaac climbed to the edge and leaped off to the ground. Isaac looked back at the boat and couldn't help to smile. It realized his love for boats.
There was a massive forest north of where Isaac was. The trees reached the mountains and Isaac knew it was where he needed to go. As Isaac walked on foot again, he felt a sense of danger with each step he took towards the forest. Isaac constantly glanced around him paranoid. As he walked closer to the forest, the sun began to set from the distance. As Isaac reached the edge of the forest, he felt an evil edging his feet. It was in the air and Isaac could smell it. It was an unsettling bitter scent that made Isaac nauseous. As Isaac walked into the forest he felt an evil presence that cried out destruction. It came from a certain direction and Isaac walked towards it. The forest was beautiful with a variety of colorful plants growing everywhere and massive trees that towered Isaac. But as Isaac walked towards the direction his sense pointed to, he saw a dead tree. It's bark was gray and old and it looked close to withering away. Isaac could feel that it was not natural.
Isaac kept following the the scent of dead trees until until he saw a very peculiar sight. It was a yellow light that dashed behind trees. It zipped around trees for a while until it saw Isaac. It began to flash towards Isaac and Isaac drew his sword ready to fight. The flash suddenly stopped in front of Isaac. The yellow light began to fade away and revealed an interesting creature. It looked like a thick squirrel that had a jagged tail. But it had no neck and its face was on it's body itself. As Isaac looked closer, he saw that it's very were like ducks. Isaac held his sword tightly and took a deep breath. Suddenly the creature began speaking. "Put away your sword mate. I ain't gonna fight ya." Isaac was startled and surprised of it talking. Isaac backed away and lowered his sword and asked, "What the heck are you?"
"Well damn, someone forgot their manners eh? Here's a lesson, if it talks, it probably got feelings you prick." The thing said with a tone.
Isaac held in a laugh. He wasn't expecting the thing to be so sassy. Isaac decided to play along and asked calmly, "Sorry, what the balls of the earth are you?"
"I'm a djinn you smart mouth, name is quartz."
"Well Mr. Quartz, my name is Isaac."
"Alright, we got that out of the way. So tell me, you an adept?"
"I am."
"Cool, I can feel it too. You're exactly what I'm looking for."
"What are you looking for?" Isaac asked.
"Earth adepts." Quartz said. "Why do you look so confused?"
"Well, I don't know what you want from me. I've never even heard of a djinn before."
"Well, well okay." Quartz said with a bit of a sign in his voice. "Djinn are creatures, like me, made of pure psynergy. However, it is very unique psynergy in that it ain't just energy that comes and goes. We are psynergy that is in touch with just a bit of matter giving us a conscious, or more specifically a will to think and do things other than just float around and be mindless energy. So check it, I'm just a piece of a puzzle towards something big, like big. And since you're such a tough guy, you probably are going to run into other things like me. We're attracted to sources of energy which is why I'm here and why I'm approaching you. Finding another piece of me is why I'm in this hell hole traveling around. So how about it? Can I tag along?"
Isaac rubbed his his head a little. He wanted to refuse. But before he could say anything, quartz said, "Check it bro, you let me tag along, I'll be like another source of energy for you. You know how you adepts are like sources of energy? Think of it as having two bodies. Sounds any better?" Isaac gave it a little more thought. "What do you want for exchange?" he asked.
"Just traveling with ya is good. Well, how about this, you run into something like me, you have to try and get it." Quartz said.
Isaac thought about it for a little. He was a bit unsure, but he thought the power he was offered would be good to have. Isaac stood thinking for a bit and Quartz followed it up saying, "You won't even notice me. I'll keep my conscious in another dimension until you need me."
"You can do that?" Isaac asked. "Bro, I can like do anything. I'm literally talking energy."
"... You're not going to sneak up and surprise me with, I know your every thought right?"
"What? Damn, you paranoid. You're an adept, you can feel if someone was invading your bubble."
Isaac thought about it for a little. It seemed like he didn't really have anything to lose. Isaac kept thinking wondering if there was something he missed. "When I find your... Companions, are there anything weird I should know about them?"
"What? What does that even mean?"
"I'm not going to run into you guys like clock worth and you'll be dragging me down?"
"No... Are you done with the questions?"
Isaac thought about it for a bit more and finally said, "Fine, you can tag along." Quartz jumped up and down looking excited. "Nice! You may not know, but I just hitched a free ride to travel the world!" The djinn dashed towards Isaac as a yellow flash. Isaac didn't have a chance to be surprised and as the djinn flashed into him. Isaac fell off his feet and began to panic as he got back up. He felt as if something was living inside him. "Hey! Quit squirming! It probably feels weird but you'll get use to it." Quartz voice echoed in his head and Isaac tried to stay calm. "I thought you said it was going to be like you're not even here!"
"Cause I haven't left into another dimension you freak! Now calm down! That feeling in your chest is my psynergy component stored into your body. Make good use of it. It's special because it resonate with the ability to manipulate life. So with that said, I'll be napping now. If you need me, call me." The echo in his head left but the feeling in his chest remained. It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, but Isaac could feel it in his body. It was as if he swallowed something huge and is taking time settling in it. Isaac stood still and tried to focus back on his goal. He honed his senses and began to walk towards the direction of the dead trees.
As Isaac walked deeper in the forest, the thick trees from above began to lighten. Isaac could see the night beginning settle in. Isaac began to see more dead trees. A cold chill traveled into Isaac's skin. The ground was beginning to wither and turn gray. Isaac could feel an evil presence grow closer. Eventually when Isaac walked past the thick dead trees, Isaac saw two massive trees. One was withered and gray while the other was a pale purple. As Isaac walked closer, he was able to distinguish a face on the trees. The withered one had a mouth drooping with dead eyes. The other one looked like an old man sleeping. The ground was completely dead and it felt as if the poison that killed the other trees started here. Isaac walked closer to the withered tree and suddenly, an eye opened. It was a warm orange with pale white pupils. "A human? Strange, what is a human doing here?" It said. It had a soft female voice and Isaac kept his composure against the talking tree. "There is a curse that has turned people into trees in Biblin. I was sent here in hopes of relieving the people of that curse."
"I see, but you must forgive me. I fear there is no hope of relief for those poor souls." The tree said. "The curse was cast by Tret, the tree next to me. But as you can see, we are near the gates of death. The only being that can lift this curse is the being that gave the curse. He is lost in a bitter rage and even if he still has one last breath, he will not help you. His ears are closed to compromise. Please, leave while you can." Isaac closed his eyes as he turned his body towards the tree of Tret. Isaac couldn't leave. His mind wouldn't allow him. Isaac didn't know what to do, but he knew he could not leave. Isaac began to walk towards Tret. When he was about a meter away from Tret, Tret's cold eyes greeted him. "A human," he simply said. Tret stared at Isaac and Isaac gently stared back. Tret looked tired and sad. He looked as if he was already dead. "Are you here to kill me human? Go ahead, I am exhausted." Tret said as he closed his eyes.
"I'm not here to do that. I just need to ask you for something Tret." Isaac said as calmly as possible. "You cursed people, and I am here to ask for you to lift that curse."
Tret opened his eyes again and said, "Foolish human. You know nothing to be asking for something like that." The old tired face turned into a twisted face with eyes fueled with rage and wrinkles indicating anger. "You want to know why I cursed you humans? One day, a human decided to takes his axe upon me, a sacred tree, simply because there were no more sufficient trees with regal wood. My forest has suffered because of you humans. Our resources are depleting and all you humans do about it is take more. This curse you call, is justice for the forest. These pitiful creatures shall wither away with me and understand the true fear of death."
Isaac did not say anything for a bit. His gaze adverted down and it looked like Isaac was trying to hide his sadness. "I'm sorry. You may think you have been just, in fact, I can almost agree. But my people, my friends, no one deserves to die. And I am sorry for you. I know it doesn't mean much to you anymore and what I will say will sound horrible, but this bloodshed should have ended with you as the only victim. Just because you have been wrong does not mean you are allow to kill. If you truly believe in justice, you cannot believe in retribution. That is what taints justice. It is what distinguish revenge from justice."
Tret eyes grew more furious. The branches of the tree began to shake with rage. Isaac backed away and drew his sword. "You dare lecture me about justice when you have no idea of the pain I feel?! Do you think your pathetic justice has any place for this cruel world?" The ground beneath Isaac began to shake violently. Suddenly, a crack in the earth made its way towards Isaac. Isaac knew what it was and as it approach him, Isaac leaped into a different direction. The ground beneath him burst upward and Isaac quickly regained his footing after the dodge. Isaac knew his small sword wouldn't do too much against the massive tree so he began to focus his psynergy. Isaac caused his own fracture in the ground and a crack began to move towards Tret but when it went under him, it did not explode or anything. Tret seemed to have swallowed it whole. "I see now." Tret said with a low voice. "You're a Venus adept aren't you? That's why you haven't been cursed. But no matter. If that's all you can do, you can't hope to live." Near Tret a small plant emerged from the ground. But it was ashy and as it grew, it revealed massive spikes. As it approached Isaac, it grew faster and moved quicker towards him. Isaac began to run back but the trail of spikes continued to follow him and Isaac knew it was a matter of time before it caught him. As Isaac moved back, he quickly leaped and climbed a nearby tree before the spikes reached him. The spikes halted and the ground began to shake violently again. But there was no fracture in the ground this time. Isaac looked at the ground and saw a small twig grow from the ground. But like the spiked plants, it grew faster and eventually became massive. It was a dead tree growing towards Isaac. It came at massive tree and grew upward towards where Isaac climbed. Isaac leaped off the tree and onto the ground. Isaac looked back up and saw the tree growing pulverize the tree he was just on. The tree snapped into half and the brittle top half fell to the ground, shattering like glass.
But it wasn't over. A stream of trees grew towards Isaac. They grew quickly in size and distance. They looked dead like the forest but the sound of wood bending and morphing made Isaac know that the trees will pack a punch. They all homed towards Isaac and Isaac desperately tried to dodge them. The trees came in close and Isaac managed to dodge a few because the angles made it hard to home into him. But there was one growth that he knew he wouldn't be able to avoid. It grew at the angle he ran towards and there were many other trees that would catch Isaac if he dodged carelessly. As the tree grew closer. Isaac desperately slashed into the tree. His sword managed to cut into the tree but it did not stop growing. The tree continued growing and Isaac's hope to split the tree into two was worthless. Isaac was pushed back and he kept his footing. The halves he cut split where his sword was and did not touch Isaac. But after a bit, Isaac noticed his sword was beginning to bend. Isaac began to panic. Isaac collapsed and laid on the ground as his sword snapped into half. Isaac kept still underneath the tree growing. Isaac began to feel hopeless. He could not fight Tret. He had never faced against anyone with such vast and divergent psynergy. Isaac trembled as he hid under the tree that almost got him. He couldn't bring his body to run. Isaac forced himself to stay but knew if he stayed any longer, he would die. His trembling slowly turned into tears. As Isaac laid perfectly still under the murderous and ashy trees, Isaac was reminded the weight of the world he was given. It was with the fact that if he left here, his companions would surely die. He didn't know what to do. He had to choose to either die a dishonorable death or live without his company. He didn't want to leave but knew he would have to if he wanted to live. But he couldn't bear to travel alone. So he remained still. His own emotions paralyzed him. Isaac laid frozen as the cold air sent shivers down his spine.
Isaac saw a very peculiar sight. In the dead ground, a trail of fresh and likely plant life traveled towards Isaac. Isaac couldn't believe what he was seeing and knew it could not be Tret. Isaac saw it with no harm and did not try to evade this trail of grass and flower. When it reached Isaac, Isaac was overwhelmed with a warm feeling. The cold air disappeared and was replaced with the fresh scent of grass and beautiful flowers. "Human," A female voice called out to Isaac. It was the other massive tree near Tret. "I will help you fight Tret. If you are an earth adept, I can help you fight Tret with the force of nature. Listen closely. Tret creates and manipulate life. This is seen when he creates a seedling and morphs it into a lethal weapon. You can do the same. Imagine creating plant life. When you can hear that plant breath and pulse through the earth, give it the life and energy to grow. It will grow and morph to your will. Imagine it and you will be able to create it." Isaac kept still. He wondered if it was really that easy. But the warm air around him gave him the confidence that it is possible.
Isaac recalled with what quartz said to him and decide to try to call him out. Isaac called out him out with his head. A voice went into his head and it said, "What you want kid?"
"You said your specialty is manipulating life right?"
"That's right."
"I could use your help right now." Isaac said. There was a bit of silence and quartz said, "Alright, I'll give you a hand. But it'll take mostly you. So focus." Isaac began to feel an energy flowing through his body. It was very different from anything he had ever casted before. "Feel that? That's me trying to create plant life. Try to finish it." Isaac closed his eyes and put his hand out. He imagined a small seedling in the ground. It was the size of a coin and would be an inch in the ground. Isaac focused deeply and felt life at his palm. "It's there. Remember that feeling Isaac. Now, make it grow. Remember that lady's words." Isaac recalled giving it life. Isaac focused on nurturing and caring for the plant. He imagined it growing magnificently and Isaac saw it sprout from the green ground. It was a small plant with a stem as tall as the grass it was around and a single leaf. Isaac focused it completely differently then. He imagined the tree to be a tool of war. He asked for the plant to grow with such a force that it would destroy the trees above him. The small plant transformed into a massive tree. Isaac could hear the wood in it stretch as it pierced through the trees above him. Isaac stood back up and saw Tret in the distance and knew he wasn't finished yet. Swarms of trees began to travel towards Isaac overlapping the Tret had already casted. Isaac climbed onto the tree he grew and focused all of his psynergy to make it grow. As it grew higher with Isaac on the side of it, he imagined Tret as an enemy. The tree curved downward and began to grow rapidly towards Tret. Tret's tree began to close into Isaac, but the tree he was on moved to fast and even as the trees rammed into Isaac's trees, their ashy and brittle figure shattered. The tree Isaac grew was not brittle like Tret's. It sprouted out random branches with leaves on them. It glowed a powerful brown that stood out in the dead forest. The tree grew towards Tret and all of the trees Tret casted could not stop Isaac. Tret desperately casted a tree directly at Isaac's. It came under Tret and went straight on towards Isaac. But it was no match. Isaac plowed through it and the end of the tree reached Tret. The fragile wood Tret was made of erupted behind him as Isaac leaped off the tree he was on as it pierced through Tret.
Isaac fell on his chest from exhaustion. He tried to get up but the distance he caused his massive tree to grow was more than he could bare. Isaac was growing tired and his arms shivered as he tried to push himself back up and failed. Isaac laid on the ground and turned his head to look at Tret. His old rage ridden face had faded away. His face looked more composed. Tret began to move his mouth and whispered, "Thank you human. I was afraid to wither away with this bitter rage. But now I can die as myself." As Tret's branches began to shrivel into thin twigs, purple stones began to fall from above. One fell near Isaac and he was able to immediately tell that it was psynergy stones. "Wait!" Isaac yelled out. "There are people who have been cursed! You need to help those people!" But Tret was silent. His eyes did not open and he did not move. Isaac began to panic and used all of his strength to yell. "Tret! You can't leave yet! Dammit! Think of those people! You can't leave them! I can't fail them!" Suddenly a rush of warm air touched Isaac. It was the same feeling when the females tree reached out to him. But it was the voice of Tret instead. "Human, my body is too weak to do anything. I am fading away fast and it is only a matter of minutes before my body dies along with my spirit. My spirit is what can lift this curse and your body can provide the power to make it happen. Open your heart to me." Isaac closed his eyes. He wasn't too sure how to do it but he had an idea. Isaac thought of the suffering of Tret. He thought of the idea of being exploited and disregarded. He thought of Tret and could feel his presence besides him. "Stand up human." Isaac began to regain his strength to stand. But it wasn't natural. The psynergy stones around him began to dissipate and turned into light glitter. The sparkling glitter flowed into Isaac and he began to feel strong again. His body began to glow and Isaac fell on his knees. He felt like he was losing control of his body. "Focus! This is your body and not this cursed magic! Feel your limbs again! Control your body and you will be able to control your mind!" Isaac took deep breaths. He resisted the sailing feeling in his arm. He kept his head still though something in his neck tried to jerk him around. Isaac began to regain his footing. As he slowly began to stand again, Tret began to speak again. But he was calm and very delicate.
"What's your name human?" Tret asked.
"Isaac."
"In order to lift this curse, you must understand it. It came from a bitter heart when man tried to kill me. It came from a twisted mind when the psynergy stones touched me. With the forbidden magic and my hatred, it created the curse." There was a bit of silence between them but Isaac remained focus in controlling his body. "Do you remember what you said to me about justice Isaac? That is what makes me confident that you can do this. Imagine a dying forest in need of love and care. Imagine the people who destroyed it. Together, create the beautiful balance to repel this ugly curse. Carry the burden of people's crime and use the motivation to save a forsaken forest and you will find the strength you need." Isaac kept still. He thought of the people who took their axes to Tret. He thought of their crime but forgave them. Then he thought of his dear friends and sincerely believed he could help them. Isaac took a deep breath. He felt something inside his body. It felt like he was holding a precious flower in a dying land. "Now, release it. Push this power so it could reach the people who need it. You have the strength and you have the spirit. Believe in yourself." Isaac took a deep breath. He raised his arms outward like he was pushing a bubble he was trapped in. The light feeling expanded and Isaac saw the dying ground sprout with green grass and flowers. Isaac took another deep breath. He thought of his friends in Biblin. They were far but it only made Isaac try harder. Isaac pushed outward with all of strength. He felt the feeling reach out throughout the forest. The dying land was beginning to rejuvenate with life. The dirty curse was beginning to fade away into the air. Isaac let out a yelp and with all of his power he pushed in hopes that it reached Garet, Ivan, and Mia.
Isaac stopped glowing. He felt relieved when he gained full control of his body. The voice in his head was light and almost gone. It left his head and travel into the wind and whispered, "Thank you." Isaac collapsed to the ground again. He was incredibly tired. Isaac laid on his side having trouble keeping his eyes open. He took a deep breath trying to keep his conscious. But instead it lulled him to sleep.
Laura awoke with eyes opened wide, she thought she had died. Laura looked to her left and saw the tree that was once Tret had disappeared. But she did not understand how the forest was restored. The once gray broken ground was now a lush green fresh with life. Laura looked around and saw how peaceful it was again. In front of the ground Tret once was laid the human she helped fight Tret. The boy looked like he was sleeping on his side, but he looked disturbed. The boy shivered and kicked his legs around. Laura looked closer and felt a familiar presence. It felt like Tret left a bit of his spirit with the boy and the forest itself. Laura felt glad that Tret still existed in some form. Laura looked at the boy and recalled him saying his friends were cursed in Biblin and perhaps his trouble sleeping was because he was still worried. Laura felt it to be unfortunate that he was stuck here. Laura casted a gentle spell. A small sapling grew from the ground and lifted Isaac off the ground. Laura took him to the closest river that was flourished with sparkling blue water. Laura created a thick bed of flowers and gently placed Isaac on it. She lifted the flowers into the water and casted the bed to flow against the current. As the boy floated away, Laura smiled and silently thanked him for what he did.
Garet awoke from his bed feeling stiff. He turned to Ivan who seemed to have just woken up as well. "What the hell? Why am I so stiff?" Garet asked.
"You don't remember? I think we were trees." Ivan said.
"Were we? Man I thought that was a dream."
Someone knocked at their door. Ivan went to open it and found Mia. "Hey, did any of you guys have a crazy nightmare of being a tree?" They both nodded. "That's weird. A whole bunch of people are awake right now confused. It seem everyone had it."
"Yeah I think we were actually trees." Garet said. "I don't remember turning into no tree though." They looked around confused and felt around their neck and back looking stiff.
"Where's Isaac?" Garet asked. Garet searched around their room and it looked like Isaac's things weren't around. "That's weird, we all slept in the same room right? He should be here." Ivan said.
"No, he went to get some air or something. Did he come back?" Garet said.
"I don't know. Lets look around town and maybe we might run into him." Ivan said. They decided to all split up and search the town for Isaac. As Ivan and Mia left his room, Garet went through his bag. It wasn't where he put it and he felt suspicious that someone went through it. As Garet went through it, he found a mythril bag. Garet was a bit confused. He knew Isaac always carried it. The mars star was in there and Garet put it back in his bag and pushed it under his bed.
After wandering around town for a while, Garet began to worry. The fact that the mars star was in his bag never left his head. As the search for Isaac became more futile, he began to panic. The inevitable thought of Isaac leaving the mars star for Garet because he may not be around planted itself deep in his head. Garet wandered around a bit more and found himself at the castle. He saw Ivan there and jogged lightly to him. "Hey Ivan." Garet said.
"Hey there." Ivan responded. "I'm asking the soldier on what happened. Turns out we did transform into trees for a bit."
"Forget that, have you seen Isaac?"
"Nope, nothing yet. You okay man? You're sweating like a pig?"
"Don't worry about it." Garet went to the soldier and asked, "Have you seen a guy about my height, actually a bit shorter... Blond hair... Always seems to be wearing blue..."
"Garet, lets calm down for a second. I'd doubt a soldier knows if..."
"I think I know who you are talking about. The curse didn't reach the castle yet so I was still conscious." the soldier said. "He was a mysterious man who didn't turn. I think he said his name was Isaac when we were about to arrest him."
"Arrest? Why'd you arrest him?" Garet asked.
"He was the only person who didn't turn. We were suspicious." The soldier answered. "Anyway, after some talking, he went off to Kolomia forest to lift the curse. I'm guessing you two are his buddies?"
The two of them nodded. After that the soldier went through his pocket and handed them three tickets. "I know he probably isn't going to come back yet. But since your his friends, give one of them to an inn or a shop and they'll provide you with their services. Compliments for succeeding in lifting the curse from us. Tell Isaac thank you in case we miss him. We owe a great debt to him." the soldier gave the two a sincere nod and went back to his post.
"Well at least we know where's he at. Lets head back." Ivan said. Garet agreed but was still a bit doubtful.
Garet, Ivan, and Mia sat at the dining floor of the inn. It was a bit slow. They figured it was because everyone was still recuperating from what happened. They were all a bit quiet. Ivan and Mia tried to make some small talk, but Garet was completely silent. "That was the weirdest thing we've ran into." Ivan remarked.
"Not everyday you turn into trees I guess." Mia said. "You okay Garet? You've been quiet for a while."
"Just a bit worried is all." Garet quietly said.
"Don't worry about Isaac. He's sharp and he thinks things through." Ivan said reassuringly. "Come on, lighten up."
Garet didn't say anything for a bit but he had something he really need to say. It ached his stomach and boiled inside. "Guys, his bag is gone. But he left the Mars star with me." Garet said. Ivan and Mia's expression changed. It confirmed Garet's fear. He was hoping they could keep lightly still, but they were all quiet now. It was a while until Ivan said, "That doesn't mean anything. He might have just gave us it because he was worried. He's sharp, he'll be all right." But Ivan could not hide the bit of doubt that was in his voice. No one said anything after that though. They were all quiet.
It was getting really late. They sat in the same place for a while. All of them knew that they should go to bed in case they run out of energy in the morning. Ivan was quiet and Garet had his head down the whole time. Mia was silent as well but had the stronger nerve to say something. "Guys, I know I don't know Isaac as long as you two have. But we have to say that we'll be okay, with or... Without him." Garet and Ivan knew she was right. But they couldn't bring themselves to accept the chance that they would have to go on without Isaac. Garet got up and left for his room. After Garet went, Ivan got up too and left. Mia sat at the table a bit longer and took a deep breath. She was tired but didn't want to sleep because she knew she would have trouble with it. She anticipated tomorrow and knew it would probably never be as pleasant as it was before.
The next morning they were a bit sluggish in waking up. It was already nine when they were prepared to leave. They ate breakfast and sat at their same spot. "So, should we wait a little bit more or head out." Garet asked the group.
"... Maybe we should head out. If we're lucky we might meet him halfway or something." Ivan said.
Garet lightly chuckled lightly and got up. They got ready to go and left.
They walked in a stranger formation than they were use to. Ivan led the way with his map and Garet followed. Mia had the rear but felt more like she was being dragged around. It was a shame because it was so nice outside.
After a while of walking, Ivan pointed out something he saw at the stream. "The hell is that?" Ivan said out loud. The two walked closer to the stream and saw something floating upstream. It was colorful and as it came closer, they saw it was a person. They were a bit bewildered at the sight of a person being swept against the currents of the river and stood by and watched. As the bed of flowers came closer, they saw a familiar blue coat and batch of blonde hair. When it was a few yards away, Garet back away petrified. Ivan turned to Garet a bit confused and Mia walked closer to the bed of flowers. Garet closed his eyes and turned away with his eyes covering his face. Ivan swallowed hard and prepared to start consoling. But his chest was heavy and his legs felt weak. Mia was a bit confused at first. Something that was so strange and peaceful through her off. As the bed of flowers reached the ground, Mia went close to it and examined Isaac. He didn't look like he was breathing. Mia placed her hand on his neck trying to feel a pulse. The second it touched, she felt Isaac's entire body twitch. Mia back away startled. Isaac woke up as if he had just awaken from a nightmare. He was gasping for breath and looked around confused and startled. "What the heck? Where am I? What am I doing on these flowers?" Garet and Ivan heard Isaac's voice and immediately tried to recuperate themselves. Garet tried to control his breathing into something more calm and composed and Ivan quickly tried to dry his red eyes.
Garet and Ivan casually walked towards Isaac who was still sitting on the floating bed of flowers. "Damn dude! We were worried about you man!" Garet said. "You had some sort of party on flowers bro?" Isaac stepped back onto land and watched the flower bed sink into the water. "I'm not too sure... I went to some forest and fought this huge tree and then he helped me repel the curse and... Well that's all I remember."
Garet walked up to Isaac and handed him the mythril bag containing the Mars star. "That's alright. Good to have you back buddy." Isaac gave him a light smile and put it back in his bag. "Sorry for worrying you guys. I was scared that I was walking into a death trap."
"These guys were worried sick about you." Mia quietly said so Garet and Ivan couldn't hear. Isaac chuckled a bit and looked at his friends. "I'm just glad we're back together."