Hypothermia chapter 13
Mannen stared up at the moon. It had become night and they decided to set up camp at dusk. It was a full moon that was bright and seemed to have its own glow. Mannen had wondered away from the others to find himself on a tree branch. He found the moon to be very beautiful tonight and as he stared up at it he began to think of what the oracle said.
It was then when the moon seemed to change. It began to change to different colors and swirl around. It also, soon after, seemed to shift shapes. Mannen squinted his eyes; he thought he was hallucinating or imagining it but the moon did not stop changing.
"Hurry." said a voice.
"Huh?"
"Come...to...me..."
"Who are you?" Mannen asked but the voice did not answer. He rubbed his eyes then looked back at the moon, which had returned to normal.
Mannen decided it was a good time to return to the others. He climbed down the trunk of the tree, which he sat on and walked on the ground that he had walked to get to his current position. Or at least he thought he it was.
He walked but he seemed to keep getting more and more lost. The forest was unfamiliar as if it were shifting and purposely trying to confuse him. He still continued to such for his friends.
Campsite-
"Where the hell is Mannen?" Go asked the group. He had been looking all over since he had noticed Mannen was missing.
"We thought he was with you." Sasame answered.
"He's not."
"Mannen's missing?" Himino asked from her seat near the fire with Shin and Hajime.
"Mannen where the hell are you!" Go yelled.
"Mannen!" Hayate joined and soon after the others did too. After awhile they decided to search for him so out they went wondering away from the campsite like he had. After hours of searching they were unable to find him and returned to the campsite where they had left Himino, Reki, Shin, Hajime, and Takako to discus what to do and see if he had returned.
Deep in the forest-
Mannen stood looking at a river that reflected the moon. He definitely didn't remember this. He was frustrated now and sat down by the river. He looked at the moon's reflection again.
"Hurry!"
"To where?" he asked quietly. "Why?"
"Please..." Mannen stood up. He looked at the sky to see a small, bright light swirl around. "Come!"
Mannen flew up to what ever was making the light to see a small crystal float around. When Mannen tried to touch it, it moved away from him then flew around him and headed off in another direction. Mannen decided to fallow it.
It lead him for what seemed like hours and started to wonder if his friends saw it too and if they were worried about him. The crystal began to descend in the direction of a huge tree. Mannen also descended to the tree but when he got there the crystal broke into several little shards.
"Mannen!" he heard someone call from behind him. He turned around to see the ones he had been looking for.
"Hey gu--" before Mannen could finish Go punched him in the face which sent him to the ground. He looked up at him.
"Go! Stop!" Himino protested.
"You know how worried we were again!" Go told Mannen as he rubbed his own cheek were Go had hit him.
"I had to come here."
"Why?"
"I dunno..." They turned to the tree. Mannen tried to touch the trunk of it when energy of some sort protested and shielded itself from Mannen. Himino stepped forward and Takako tried when Sasame grabbed her hand. They hadn't excepted what happened next.
A light shown from the two and then the sound prétear appeared. "What? How can this be?" Takako looked at herself. Sasame was equally as shocked as were the rest. Mannen turned back to the tree.
Reki walked up and stood next to him. They looked at each other then held hands and another light emerged then disappeared to reveal the ice prétear.
The tree suddenly grew and tried to attack the group by using its branches; it tried to in ravel them like vines.
"It's Reki who's allowing us to prét!" Sasame said. Soon the wind prétear appeared as well. The branches pushed them from the trunk of the tree. Shadow creatures appeared all around which they now had to fight off along with the tree.
"What do we do?" Himino said desperately while slicing another branch. "I dunno." Kei yelled back as he fought a shadow creature.
"Where are Reki and Mannen?" Go asked the group while looking around.
Himino came face to face with the largest shadow creature. It was then when she remembered something Mannen had said.
'Purification.'
"Purification?" Himino repeated. She then closed her eyes.
"Himino! What are you doing?" Hayate yelled. Himino ignored him then spread her arms and opened her eyes. A ring of light appeared around the shadow creature. The shadow seemed to dissolve and a leafanian floated in its place. The ring slowly disappeared and the leafanian floated down to the ground.
"Himino! Up there!" Hayate yelled. She looked up at the sky and saw the ice prétear.
"Takako!" Himino yelled to her then waved her hand upward telling her to fallow.
The two met up with Reki and Mannen. Takako had seen Himino use purification and understood it now.
Takako and Himino used it on the tree, which made the tree almost defenseless. The ice prétear flew down to the trunk to see the bark peel away. Reki reached toward where it was peeling.
Inside the tree was dark and hallow and was as though it was not inside the tree at all.
Reki reached in. 'Is there something in there?' Mannen asked.
"I think so." She continued to reach further and further until her fingertips touched something soft and warm. She reached in further and wrapped her hand around whatever it was. She then pulled it out and it fell on top of her and Mannen.
"Is that a leafanian?" Mannen asked.
The leafanian had gray-blue hair and ears and a ail like Reki only a different color. She wore a dress like Reki only it was black as well as her hair tie.
The leafanian slowly sat up with her eyes closed. Around them the tree returned to normal and the shadow creatures dissolved into leafanians. The prétears floated down to the knights.
Reki and Mannen stood up in front of the girl as she slowly opened her gray-blue eyes and looked at them with tears.
The prétears unpréted and Reki came forward to help the girl up with kindness. Mannen stood behind smiling slightly.
One month later-
(At the Awayuki Mansion)
"Mannen! Get up! You're gunna be late for school!" Go yelled into Mannen's room.
"I'm up! I'm up!" Mannen got off his bed and went over to the window. He saw Reki and Ishi (which they had named the girl) out at a table with books. Ishi was slowly learning how to speak and talk for she didn't understand it. They weren't sure why.
Reki seemed to know a lot more about Ishi then anyone else but they had decided to give them privacy and didn't ask. They had suspicions that the two were sisters from how much alike they looked and how well they interacted with one another.
They lived life together like it was before anything ever happened except with two new friends.
The End
