A New Beginning - Chapter 5
Jiyuni walked through the forest as it got darker. Must hurry up, he thought. The tall man strided through the path of pebbled soil, ornamented with weeds and ferns at the side. I hope Circe isn't mad… He shuddered at the thought of what would happen to him if she was. Better hurry up. He looked up into the distance ahead, and there were mountains of rocky brown dipped with clouds that gave a certain mist and enchantment to them, yet eerie and cold. Almost there. He looked up into the sky to see the moons getting brighter and the sky getting darker, and swore under his breath. He started running.
It was almost close to darkness now, with only a few rays of light left shining upon him. Made it. He sighed with relief, and stood at the center of a clearing surrounded by trees of heights unmeasurable. And that's when he closed his eyes.
Placing his hands under his forehead together to form some sort of ceremonial gesture and making some motions, he whispered under his breath, "Modgnik laciga mehtotem…DAEL!" A sudden light reached from the two moons and shone upon him. Within a second, he disappeared into thin air, as if he was never there, before all signs of light disappeared, letting night roam Gaea.
When Jiyuni reappeared, he was standing on grounds near the edge of a cliff, and directly in front of it was a cave carved into a mountain. He got up, brushed himself off, and walked calmly into the cave. The instant he stepped inside, torches around him sparked to life. He casually turned to look at the light, and soon, the torches faded from sight, leaving him in complete darkness. He came to a pitchfork in the road, where there were three paths to choose from. The three each separately glowed a different color: red, green, and blue. He acknowledged the fact that each contained a deadly trap in them, and chose the blue cavern to enter. Once he was inside, all background surroundings morphed, leaving him in a completely different place than before. There was ice around him everywhere, and only a narrow path for him to walk on. He paused before walking forward. Once he took his first step, ice shards came out of nowhere, flying around in all directions. His brows furrowed in concentration, and he shut his eyes, making the same gestures he did before, and opened his eyes just in time to see the ice sharps coming at him together at the same time. "EDISER STIRIP SECI!" Giant flames spread in the ground in a symbol the shape of a star with a circle around it, and he stands in the center of the star. The shape encased just in time around him, creating a shield of fire. The ice shards melted once they had contact of the shield, and once all the shards disappeared, he let go of the shield, and casually walked a short distance of the narrow path.
Once he came to his destination, he stopped. Staring at what seems like endless paths in front of him, he stepped forward once more. But instead of solid ground, his foot touched nothing, and disappeared into a type of warp. Soon, the cave was just as empty as it was before.
*****
Again, Hitomi stared up at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Thinking of the night before, she finally decided not to tell Van. Even if I told Van, he wouldn't believe me, she thought. Truth struck her that she didn't trust him enough. Why can't I trust anyone as I used to? She pained at the thought that perhaps this isn't the right place she was supposed to belong after all. She quickly pushed away the thought, and stared out her window at the dark blue sky, letting her eyes lay on the moons. Is Yukari and Amano okay? A knock on the door turned her back to her surroundings. "Who is it?"
"Van."
"Come in." She immediately regretted her words, and tried to fumble for words on how to greet a king. Before she could say anything, Van pushed the door open. Hitomi sat in fear, unable to move. "S-sorry your majesty, I…" Van raised a brow in confusion, and started walking toward her. Hitomi visibly shook. Van stopped in his tracks. Something's wrong... An alarmed expression quickly came over him, and he reached for his sword, which scared Hitomi even more. "Is something wrong?" he whispered fiercely, as if he's afraid whatever is in the room will hear. Hitomi sighed realizing what had happened, paused, and quickly smiled, shaking her head. Van sheathed his sword, and looked at Hitomi in even more confusion than before. Hitomi tried to hold back a giggle, but was not successful as she burst into laughter. Van just stood there and waited for her to calm down. Hitomi eventually stopped herself long enough to tell Van what just happened. She began laughing again right after she finished telling him, and Van smiled in realization of his stupidity. Watching Hitomi, he leaned closer, while she closed her eyes. Anytime now. Their lips locked for a moment, and Hitomi was just about to kiss back when Van resided back to his own place on Hitomi's bed, and stopped smiling as he stared at Hitomi's reaction. Hitomi laid with eyes wide and reached a hand up to touch her lips where Van's just lingered.
"I've missed you," he simply said. Hitomi opened her mouth to say something, and Van shook his head gently, and said, "You don't have to say anything. I just…missed…you?" Was that shock she felt the beginning to adult lust? He stood up and walked to the door. He turned to look at Hitomi, and stopped walking. "Good night, Hitomi." He continued toward the door, and she watched him slip out the door as the door closed. She sighed. He still cares about me enough to protect me. She pulled the covers of the cloth to hug herself even tighter. Shifting to one side, she drifted into sleep without another thought, smiling.