Hikari and the Soul Edge
Chapter 2: Magical Ally
Hikari finally made it down the hill and entered the forest at the base. As she traveled deeper into the woods, she realized a not-so-happy truth.
"I'm lost," Hikari groaned.
Because Hikari had never traveled on her own before, she had no orienteering experience. As she stared at her compass and map, Hikari knew that she had no idea what she was doing.
"If dad was here, he'd know where to go," Hikari said to herself.
She sighed and continued through the forest. Little did she know, however, that she was being watched from the bushes around her.
Hikari eventually stopped her trek to get some lunch. She pulled out her lunch, which consisted of onigiri, the extra fish that didn't get destroyed, and some water, and began to eat. As she ate, she thought about what had happened for the past few days.
She eventually finished her food and stood up. She then heard something step on a twig in the bushes and focused her attention around her. She saw that a whole pack of something was surrounding her.
"This isn't good," Hikari thought.
Suddenly, the creatures attacked. A whole pack of Wolfos jumped out of the woods and surrounded Hikari.
"They must've been attracted by my lunch," Hikari said to herself.
The Wolfos then charged towards her. Hikari fought off as many as she could as they jumped forward.
"I can't fight them all off!" Hikari thought. "I'd better make a run for it!"
Hikari then knocked some away to form a path out. She then ran away as fast as she could. The Wolfos weren't about to let their prey get away, so they began their pursuit. Hikari ran deeper and deeper into the woods as she attempted her escape from the hungry creatures that chased her. She soon reached the edge of a cliff. She looked down and saw that a river was far down below her.
"Dead end!" Hikari thought.
She turned around and saw that the Wolfos had cornered her.
"Alright," Hikari thought. "Jump or fight? What should I do?"
The Wolfos slowly approached the cornered Hikari. Hikari continued to decide between the two dangers. Eventually, she turned around and made for the cliff. The Wolfos tried to catch her, but Hikari managed to jump off of the cliff before they caught her.
Hikari screamed as loud as she could as she fell towards the water. After a long fall, there was a splash, and she passed out.
Meanwhile, further down the river, an 18-year-old young man wearing a blue robe and a yellow wizard's cap was fishing in the river. He had blonde hair that was almost completely hidden by his hat and blue eyes. Along with the wizard's outfit, he wore a pair of brown boots. He looked completely bored.
"I haven't had a single catch all day," the mage thought.
He yawned out of sheer boredom until he saw a body float down the river.
"What's that?" the mage asked himself.
He then jumped into the river and began to swim towards the body. Though he didn't know who it was, the person he had rescued was our heroine, Hikari.
"What happened to her?" the mage thought.
He pulled her out of the water and checked her breathing and pulse.
"She's definitely alive," he said to himself. "I'd better get her warm and out of the wet clothes."
He picked her up with one hand, lifted her sword and his fishing rod with the other, and walked away from the river.
That evening, Hikari slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the bright fire shining through the night.
"So you're awake," a guy's voice said.
Hikari looked up to see the mage sitting across from her.
"What…happened?" Hikari asked with all of the energy she could.
"You were floating down the river," the mage said. "I found you while I was fishing. I got you out of your wet clothes and gave you one of my extra robes. It's a little big, but at least you're warm."
Hikari noticed that she was wearing a blue robe that was too large for her.
"Your own clothes should be dry soon," the mage said. "Have some dinner and relax."
The mage handed Hikari some fish that was cooking on the open fire. Hikari took a bite of the outdoor-prepared bass.
"It's delicious," Hikari said.
"If there's one thing I'm confident in, it's my cooking skill," the mage said. "By the way, my name's Kenji Somenosuke."
"I'm Hikari," Hikari replied. "Hikari Kamai."
"Good to meet you, Hikari," Kenji said. "Let's talk after we fill our bellies."
Kenji and Hikari continued to eat their fish. After they were through, they put the fish bones in a pile and just sat down by the fire.
"So why were you floating down the river anyway?" Kenji asked. "Isn't your family worried about you?"
Hikari now looked more downhearted.
"My family's missing," Hikari said.
Kenji looked a bit confused.
"How about you tell me the whole story," Kenji said.
Hikari told Kenji everything about the mysterious girl that attacked her home. She also told him about how her family escaped and how she ran away from the Wolfos in the woods. Her story ended when she jumped into the river.
"That's quite a tale," Kenji said. "So you're traveling around to find out where your family disappeared to."
"Right," Hikari said. "I won't give up until I find them."
"You definitely sound determined," Kenji said.
"By the way, why are you here?" Hikari asked. "Are you looking for someone?"
"Not exactly," Kenji said. "I'm just a wandering magician. I go wherever the wind blows me. I've been doing this for a while now."
"Really?" Hikari asked, now interested in the mage's tale.
"Yep," Kenji said. "But that's enough about me. Let's get to sleep. The moon's up in the sky now. Let's sleep until sunrise."
Hikari and Kenji slept by the warm fire. The following morning, Hikari got up and changed her clothes. After she finished, she saw that Kenji was getting up.
"Morning," Kenji said. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah," Hikari said. "Thanks for everything, Kenji. It's about time I head on out."
"This is your first time adventuring, right?" Kenji asked. "It'd probably be a good idea to have someone by your side in case you get into trouble, like you did with the Wolfos. From now until you find your family, I promise to be your guardian."
"You don't have to…" Hikari began.
"I won't take 'no' for an answer," Kenji said. "I'm going with you. But we'd be best to put out the fire first."
Kenji pointed the palm of his right hand towards the fire.
"Blizzard," Kenji said.
A gust of cold wind shot from his hand and blew out the fire.
"I may not look like it, but I've got some magic experience under my belt," Kenji said. "Having a mage in your party usually is a good idea."
"I guess," Hikari said.
"Starting today, we're partners," Kenji said as he held out his hand towards Hikari.
Hikari then reached out her hand and shook Kenji's.
"Alright," Kenji said. "Let's get moving."
"Just how do we get out of here?" Hikari asked.
"That's no problem for me," Kenji said. "I've got a special tool."
"Do you mean a compass?" Hikari asked.
"Even better," Kenji said. "Check this out."
He pulled out a light-blue feather. Hikari looked confused when he pulled it out.
"What's the feather for?" Hikari asked.
"It's a Seeking Feather," Kenji said. "These babies can find almost anything anywhere."
"Could it find my family?" Hikari asked.
"Unfortunately, the years have not been kind to this feather," Kenji said. "The thing's so old that it can't track people anymore, and it's near impossible to find another one. But we can use it to find cities and other places."
"All you need to do is focus on where you want to go," Kenji said. "And then…"
Kenji began to focus. The feather then began to spin around until it stopped. The tip of the feather pointed in an angle to the left.
"There we go," Kenji said. "The nearest town is that way."
Kenji and Hikari then began to follow the direction that the feather pointed out. Hikari knew that she had found someone she could trust. What adventures lie ahead for Hikari and Kenji? Only time will tell.