Wolfram shivered at the look of a cave full of strange vines hanging from the ceiling like snakes. He didn't know what it was and didn't feel like checking, so he turned back immediately, returning to the monolith.
When he came back, the rock was still as it was, so without much thinking, he turned right.
If he was well oriented in this place, the other path should lead somewhere near the giant rock monster, so it was only one way left to check. Hopefully, it would be something better than that cave.
Only so far would his anger lead him, and when he calmed down, the pain in his knee appeared again. He was forced to slow down but didn't stop, pushing out of his thoughts his leg. It would heal soon. Instead, he focused on his hearing. He listened if anything was approaching him, especially flies. Wolfram now had the blade, but it didn't mean he wanted to fight this thing again. Not in this place, at last. If this monster turned out to exist, then what other beasts from the tales there are. From one side, he wanted to find out about it, but from the other, it could wait until he escaped this place.
After turning on the crossroad, the road was turning slightly to the right, leading downhill. Further down, another clearing was visible, but it was still too early for a stop, so Wolfram didn't even think about stopping there.
But someone was standing there, making Wolfram slow down. It was too far to see who it was, but he had already encountered a human-like monster, so he prepared himself mentally for another meeting.
He checked his knee. It might be problematic to move as fast as he wanted. He couldn't run, but the monolith was still close if the blade didn't work.
After getting closer, the person seemed to look too familiar, which only made him anxious. Was it something that could take on the appearance of someone else? If it also could get the strength, Wolfram had a small chance to protect himself.
The Gwendal-like person noticed him and slowly walked over, making Wolfram stop in his track. But when a pair of blue eyes looked at him, he sighed with relief. It still was strange how his brother could appear here, but until now, every monster had yellow eyes.
„Gwendal?" He asked carefully.
„Are you alright?" Gwendal stopped before him and placed his hands on Wolfram's shoulders, examining his body.
„Yes. What are you doing here? There's this huge wall around this place. How did you get here?"
„We will talk about it later. First, we must cross this lake and make it as far as possible until it gets dark." He let go of him but didn't look too pleased with his examination.
„Lake?" Wolfram looked beside his brother and saw the path getting further downhill and ending in the water. „How do you want to cross it? There wasn't any bridge, and I doubt we could get off the path."
„Just let's go." Gwendal turned around and walked over to the lake.
When Wolfram followed him, he noticed that there was no monolith in the middle of the clearing. Instead, there was only a round rocky foundation in the place where it should be standing, as if the whole thing hid underground. If that rock structure could bring him stuff out of nowhere, then maybe it works the same with people? If so, he was grateful. Well, maybe not to the person that locked him here because allowing Gwendal to come to him didn't make this any better, but he wasn't alone now. And his brother seemed to know what to do, so maybe they would be able to get out of here. Wolfram was even ready to do everything he was asked to without saying anything.
Gwendal stopped by the shore, his feet only centimeters from the water. The lake was wide, with crystal clear water. And probably deep. Dark stone pillars sticking out of it might indicate that there was a bridge some time ago, but it was the only thing left from it. Yet, Wolfram stood still, waiting silently for his brother to do something.
With more wrinkles appearing on his face – those signifying focusing – Gwendal knelt and placed both hands on the sand. The ground shook beneath Wolfram, and he flinched, hearing crackles and rumbling. The nearest pillar seemed to stretch, and a stone platform began to form from it towards the shore. It stopped in front of Gwendal, and then another pillar started to change its shape, turning into the platform.
Wolfram forgot about the shaking and observed his brother's actions with wide eyes. Soon, a simple bridge was leading through the lake. He wondered if he could do the same, taking the heat from the water and freezing it, creating the passage. It would probably take much more time because he needed to be close to the object whose heat amount he was manipulating. But he wanted to try, maybe back home, in a safer place. Gwendal could use his maryoku on things so far away, and he wanted to learn doing this too. Being able to melt or freeze something behind his opponent would be impressive.
„Wolfram," Gwendal called him back to reality. 'Let's go."
They walked through the bridge, and Wolfram felt even more in awe. It seemed as if it was standing there all the time, built by hand and not by maryoku. Whereas Gwendal looked as if doing such things was his daily routine.
On the other side, his brother took away Wolfram's blade and backpack, inside which he put things from the one he had with him. Then he handed over to Wolfram the smaller one – nearly empty and light – and led them on the path leading toward the mountain.
Wolfram saw the mountains when they were walking down to the lake, and he didn't like that they were heading there. Particularly the climbing. But if Gwnedal decided that is what they would do, then so be it.
„We will probably not make it to the top today and need to sleep halfway through."
„Is there some monolith there?"
„At the peak."
„So, you want to sleep on the path? What if something happens and we will need help? I can light the road, so we can walk after sunset too."
Gwendal scrutinized him.
„We will see how the road looks." He said. „But it would be better if you get some rest."
„I'm fine."
„Don't argue with me."
Wolfram bit his tongue and didn't say anything more.
When they climbed, Gwendal told him about how he got here, and a description of a diorama with him inside made Wolfram a little confused. The same as the fact that all the stuff he might need was prepared for him. Locking him in this forest seemed to be planned for a long time, but he still couldn't understand what for. If someone wanted to kill him, they should just let that old hag on him the first day without giving him the blade to kill her. Is someone else observing him, like Yuuri and others in that house? Is it for their entertainment?
They reached the point when they would be able to see the whole forest if not for the trees blocking their view. Wolfram hoped that at the peak, he would see anything. Gwendal told him that they climb the highest mountain here, and he wanted to know what this place looked like from the top on his own.
As Gwendal was walking at a steady pace, Wolfram was slower and slower, feeling the pain in his knee had returned. At first, he thought it was just a scratch and bandaged it without much thinking. But as climbing made him put more pressure on his leg, he felt that something was wrong. His knee was pulsating, and when he examined it closely, Wolfram noticed the swelling. It started to be too painful to walk, and he finally gave in and asked Gwendal for a stop.
It was probably halfway up the mountain, just in time when the sun was setting down. Gwendal took out the medical kit and put an ointment on the bandages before changing them. It was hard for Wolfram to not protest and sit still through the whole procedure, and even after this, he was forbidden to move. He hoped that, by sunrise, it would get better. Being unable to walk on his own was something he could not come to terms with.
Gwendal lit a campfire at the edge of the path and looked sourly at the ingredients as he slowly prepared to cook dinner. And the Wolfram couldn't stand it anymore and snatched the knife from his hand. He did not consider himself a good cook, but he was still far better than his brothers. They didn't care about taste, as long as it would be edible and could be made fast. Herbs were just fancy weeds to them, taken into account only when they were useful for treatment. A way how they learned to live in the military, they said, but when their men were going somewhere with Wolfram's, they always ate his food like a pack of hungry wolves. All of these things are on their own equipment too, so they might learn to use them too.
He cut up the salted meat and vegetables and cooked a broth from them. He added herbs from a small sack, staring at Gwendal with the face saying: It wasn't that hard, and then served it with bread. After that climb, the hot soup warming his whole body was all he needed. Not only he felt better, but it also made him sleepy. This and the fact that he wasn't alone might help him fall asleep.
„Until now, nothing happened during the night. At last, at the clearing." Wolfram said, getting closer to his brother with the blanket.
Gwendal sat down under a tree, with one hand on his sword in the scabbard and another on the ground, holding the silver blade's shaft.
„Just go to sleep."
Wolfram stared for a moment at him but obediently settled down next to his brother, wrapping himself in the blanket. Then, right after closing his eyes, he felt a hand pulling him closer to the big, warm body.
„Just go to sleep," Gwendal repeated himself as if he predicted Wolfram would protest.
That made him shut up immediately, and he even refrained from sighing but groaned quietly, when big hand started to pet his head as if he were a cat. There was no further reminder to go to sleep, but maybe he just didn't manage to hear it already.
There wasn't much change with the swelling on his knee, but walking was manageable. Maybe a little slower than his usual pace, but Gwendal didn't comment about it and just adjusted his speed.
The sun was high above their head when they reached the peak. The first thing that caught Wolfram's eyes was a sea of red flowers with a violet monolith sticking out of them. He didn't expect so much change in the scenery, and he would never expect so many flowers on the mountain top. Kneeling down, he gritted his teeth when his knee reminded him of itself with piercing pain. But he stayed in this position, examining the plant.
Its petals looked as if it was on fire, and Wolfram even felt warmth coming from them. They were thin, nearly transparent, getting darker closer to the middle. The flower steam was flexible, allowing them to wave in the wind, but also strong. Wolfram couldn't pick the flower or even make a scratch with his fingernail.
Gwendal told him they should have to look for clues about getting out of here on the peaks. So those flowers were probably that. But how they could be used, Wolfram had no clue. His brother was slowly walking around the area, looking around, but judging by his face, he didn't know either.
He looked at the monolith, wondering if maybe something useful would be sent to them, but the rock stood unmoved. It took them the rest of the day, but they didn't manage to find or think about anything.
When the sun was setting, Wolfram sat under one of the few trees here and observed the flowers. Now, with the orange light on them, they look as if they really were ablaze. He liked looking at the fire, even the artificial one. It was beautiful.
„It's for nothing," Gwendal said, standing next to him. „We will go check another mountain tomorrow. Maybe we will learn about something there."
„If you say so," Wolfram murmured, still observing the flowers. The sun finally disappeared, and the fire went out. There was only a small ember among the blossoms. Intrigued, Wolfram stood up slowly and walked over to it, with his brother behind him.
It was one of the flowers, with its petals glowing with warm, gentle light. Wolfram reached them, feeling a similar sensation as when he was touching his bracelet. So, he poured his maryoku into the plant, and the light intensified.
He didn't even say anything, and Gwendal had already handed him the silver blade. It cut the steam easily, and the glowing didn't stop after that. Wolfram felt as if he was holding a strange torch in his hands.
„Let's go to sleep and go down the mountain tomorrow."
Emerald will end with the end of this forest part. But it will not be the end of the story. I decided to rewrite the first chapters, because I just feel, that they aren't good enough. It's like a ball and a chain, making me unable to move forward with the story. I don't want to leave you all with unanswered questions, so in the next one or two chapters will have explanations (but probably not all of them). Thank you for the reading. And don't worry, it would not take me so much long (I hope).