Whispers of Destiny – Chapter 2, Part 1 - To the City

The air was fresh, the land untouched by humans or others alike. It was simply breathtaking. The sun caused the grass to shimmer with a green-golden color. The trees swayed lightly in the wind. Animals roamed, in packs or by themselves. Bugs flew around constantly. The land seemed to stretch for miles, meeting. No sign of the city, but the map assisted him. According to it, he could find a large tree near the Gilded Meadows, and can use that to point him in the direction of the next landmark. The map showed a detailed path of where he needed to go. For the moment, he just needed to head straight. That would take him to the meadow, which he could find the tree and head towards the next one. He folded the map back to its small size, placing it in the leather pack and latching it shut. Damian took a deep breath.

"Let's go!" He shouted, his voice echoing amongst the lively plains. His pace picked up, the wind blowing his hair away from his eyes. It felt great. Never had he felt this exhilarated. Never had he journeyed to an unknown place he knew next to nothing about. It was a bit frightening at first, but the adventure behind it was spectacular. It was time to see the world with his own eyes.

He continued onward, taking breaks here and there to regain his energy. The animals mostly ignored him, some coming near him to see if he was a hunter or not. He, again, pulled out the map. Judging by the drawings, he was about halfway there. He could safely assume that he would get there before sundown, and could campout until the morning. Out of all the paths, this was the longest, but most linear one. He stood up, picking the pace up again. It wouldn't be too long.

[A few hours later…]

Damian could see it. The large tree stood tall, the trunk expanding over a wide area. The shadow cast below the leaves was dark, but scattered with bits of light. The sky was a magnificent blend of blue and orange, the two colors seeming to clash for dominance over the sky. The clouds were dark from passing by the sun, but were slowly becoming invisible as the sky grew darker and darker. Soon, the moon ruled the sky. The flowers that bloomed around the tree were bathed in the soft, white light of the moon. Never had Damian seen such a sight from the village. It was wonderful. However, he didn't have time to waste. He gathered branches that fell from the top of the tree, piling them into a teepee style. He cracked open a small fire magicite, placing it inside the wood. It caught ablaze. The wood from the tree was thick and durable; it shouldn't burn out for awhile.

Damian took this time to collect his thoughts. Just thinking about how big the world around him was amazing. He had only trekked from the village to the meadows, but it took a day's worth of time. It just proved to him how large his surroundings were, how vast. Damian sat near the fire, warming his hands. The breeze was cool and not too cold. Despite the perfectness that seemed to be set up for him, he could feel something. He knew it would happen soon. Something that would terrorize that perfectness. And, so it did.

Growls filled his ears. He jumped back, grabbing the hilt of his sword, ready to draw at any second. The moonlight reflected off the infuriated, red eyes. Wild wolves. But, these weren't normal. Normal wolves did not have red eyes. No known wolves had red eyes. However, that was not the problem. He kicked up a spare branch, sticking it inside the fire. It lit; a circle of light surrounded him like a barrier. He drew the sword, gripping it tightly in his right hand, the flaming branch in his left. Damian advanced slowly. The wolves backed up as he continued to walk forward. They began to bark, now closing in on him. Damian swung the makeshift torch at them, causing them to leap backwards. It was a known trick. He didn't want to kill them, if possible.

"Back!" Damian shouted as he swung the torch, protecting his camp. The wolves couldn't get closer. They turned away, seeming to walk away. Damian sighed in relief, putting the stick down and extinguishing it with his foot. But, his worries were then brought back to fruition. He saw a gleam in the distance. Metal?

"An arrow!" He whispered alarmingly to himself. He sidestepped out of the way, the arrow puncturing the tree. Remnants of lightning could be seen around the arrow. A thunder magicite was on it?

"Did he hurt you, my babies?" A voice said behind him. Damian turned around. The four wolves were sitting around a girl. She held a bow with some iron plating and strong string. Her hair was dark blue, long, falling down her back like a waterfall. She wore a flower in her hair with a wooden pin. Her skin was slightly tan, but more on the pale side, like Damian's. She wore leather gloves with plates of iron sewn onto the back of the palm, along with leather boots. She wore a dark blue skirt with green designs, along with a shirt that covered her semi-large bust, leaving the bottom part of her torso exposed. She opened her eyes. An emerald green, reflecting the moon. However, despite her beauty, Damian could sense it. A fight. A battle. It was imminent.

"Are you the one who fought back?" She stood up, looking him directly in the eyes with an innocent smile.

"Who are you?" He asked, "More importantly, what do you want?"

"Oh my, aggressive, are we?" She giggled. He was not in this for the games. Damian tightened his grip on the sword.

"I'm Cristal, and who might you be?" She asked him, her tone was soothing, but partially hostile.

"Damian–!" He was cut off by an arrow that he barely dodged. Before he knew it, he was plunged into battle.

The battle of the Skilled Sword, and the Forest's Gemstone.

Damian had not noticed it, but she had a sheathed sword attached to her belt, next to the quiver on her waist. She drew her sword, lunging at him. He sidestepped, placing his blade to the other, pushing it into a lock. The swords were formed into an X, both pushing against each other. Damian pulled out, back stepping away. Cristal came at him again, slashing at him masterfully and with great speed. However, he was faster. He blocked each strike, one after another, the last strike, pushing her sword away from him. An open strike, however in her hand, she held a fire magicite. Damian kicked upwards, knocking the magicite out of her hand while gaining some distance. He pocketed it, as he noticed Cristal pull out her bow. Impaled onto the arrow, she had another fire magicite that lit it aflame. Along with that, she shot three arrows at a time, three times. A volley of nine. They were all targeted to hit in the range he could dodge. He had to think. He thought back to his lessons on magic. That's when it clicked into his mind. He pulled out two ice magicites, dropping them onto the ground. He slashed them both with a horizontal slash, creating a medium sized ice wall that caught the arrows. The flame arrow melted the wall quickly, turning it into a large puddle cluttered with arrows. Cristal came at him with her sword again. He dodged her frontal assault, pulling out a thunder magicite. He threw it up into the air, slashing downward. The magicite reacted, causing a small lightning bolt to shock the puddle of water. It was a good idea, but she had already gotten away from it just in time. Their fight had taken them away from the tree. They were equally matched, but Damian had an idea that might just work. He stepped forward, then dashed with great speed. He could feel it next to him. A wolf came at him as he focused on Cristal. She smiled victoriously. However, as the wolf leaped at him with his mouth open, Damian threw a thunder magicite into it's through, which he had already cracked before he threw it. The magicite shocked the wolf from the inside, causing it to feint. His hand moved quickly upward, before he took a quick few slashes, actually not hoping to land one. It was a distraction. Their swords locked in a cross formation. Damian jumped back, as he threw two fire magicites in stepping distance. Cristal pulled out her bow. She had a clear shot that could knock him out, but, she hadn't foreseen his next and final attack. Damian hopped a little bit into the air, crushing the two magicites, before taking a step off them. He smiled. When he threw his hand up, he had thrown a fire magicite into the air. He pierced the orb as it fell from the sky, pointing forward at Cristal. The sequence began as he spoke—

"Burning Whip!" Damian slashed the air with his sword, the blast from the magicite propelling forward off the blade as a flamethrower. It was as if it were whip, as he had said. Cristal had never seen such a well planned spell, nor had she even seen a combination of magicites as masterfully done in battle as he did. Damian could not see what happened. He finished it off by slashing the two fire magicites on the ground, which were already crushed and ready to initiate, into a flame wall just as a precaution. Nothing came at him though. The fire faded. Cristal stood not too far away, her gloves and boots slightly charred. Her arms and legs were covered in burn marks. He could see it in her eyes though. She smiled, walking towards him. Was it a test? No, it seemed much more than that. But, why? Cristal stopped in front of him and held out her hand.

"I'm Cristal. Nice to meet you." She said cheerfully. Damian was still weary, but could feel her hostile attitude and tone fade.

"I'm Damian. Likewise." He shook her hand, looking at the sky. The moon was still high up there, but it wouldn't be too long before morning. He already had questions about this girl. She appeared out of nowhere with those wolves, and attacked him. But, now she was docile. Did she know that she couldn't beat him, or what? Damian didn't find himself all that powerful in brute strength, but when it came to mind games and speed, he was good at that. However, he could feel it. This girl—Cristal, was as if she were one with the land, the forest, the air.

Damian sheathed his sword, but was still wary of another attack. He let his hand fall to his side, but he kept it ready just in case. He let out a sigh of slight exhaustion, sitting near the fire that still stood lit, under the massive tree. Cristal was not too far away. She was currently caring for the wolf that was electrocuted by the magicite Damian had used. He felt bad about it, but on the other hand, if he didn't do that the fight might still be occurring. He pulled out the canteen in his leather bag, taking a sip. By the look of things, morning wouldn't come for a few more hours. He planned to embark as soon as the sun began to rise.

Damian glanced over at Cristal. She held a healing magicite over the wolf, covering it in a soft green aura. Its eyes opened no longer red. They were dark yellow, back to how they should have been. Was something controlling the tamed beast? He had heard tales of animals and humans being controlled by ancient gemstone, but he never thought it was true. Still, this did not convince him it was real. Cristal guided the wolf near the fire, taking a seat next to Damian who was now leaning against the tree.

"Is he going to be okay?" He asked.

"He'll be fine." She assured, "He just needs some rest is all."

"I apologize for that." Damian laughed slightly to lighten the mood. He pulled out the map from the bag, unfolding it to see where he would have to head next.

"Where are you heading?" She asked, leaning forward to look at the map.

"Rebena Te Ra, the city." He pointed to his destination, "I'm meeting someone to get an herb for medicine."

"What about you?" He questioned, looking over at her. She stared at the map, before shaking her head.

"Same place." She said, looking up at the sky.

Damian wondered what she needed to get from the city, but he refrained from asking. Even though she had, he didn't really want to know. No, wait. She hadn't asked. He told her straight out. It was weird. Damian shrugged in his mind, putting the map away. Getting any kind of rest now was pointless. A long silence ensued between the two, as the only sounds able to be heard—

Were the cries of wolves, looking for their lost master.

He managed to get a little sleep, but was wary of Cristal. Even though she seemed kind enough after their battle and didn't fret over the fact that he injured her wolf, she was still a possible threat. His eyesight was still a little blurry, but returned to him clearly after a few blinks. Damian had been used to sleeping outside ever since he was a little boy. His father would take him to the woods and they would lie down and look at the stars. That was something that always interested him. Cristal, who had not left, was lying on her side, facing him. Her sleeping face was peaceful, and she had a smile. Damian sighed. Was she planning on going with him? She had said that she was going to Rebenna Te Ra, but nothing more. However, it would be better to bring along someone who knew their way around the battlefield and around the land. He could already tell that Cristal knew the layout of the land better than he did.

Damian shook Cristal with his hand. Her eyes tightened before opening slightly. The sun from the sunrise reflected off her emerald eyes. She looked at Damian, who had a normal expression. Frankly, he wanted to get on the road before wasting too much time, but he also wanted to bring Cristal along if they were going to the same place. Cristal yawned, sitting up and leaning against the tree.

"We don't have time to waste." Damian told her while beginning to stand up. He quickly put his blade and bag over his shoulder back on how he had it before.

"Eh?" Cristal glanced over at him.

"Come on, you knew it would lead to this didn't you?" Damian asked her. Cristal began to laugh slightly.

"I didn't think you would actually let me come with you." She tried to contain her unnecessary laughter. Damian sighed again, putting his hand against the side of his head.

Cristal stood up, stretching. Damian, who had realized her beauty when he first saw her, had not gotten the chance to look at her outside of battle. However, he didn't let that dissuade him. He could feel it. The time slowly ticking away. The time the twins had left. Even though it might've just been a sickness that keeps them from awaking, Damian could feel it. Those two—

Would die soon. That's why he had no time to wait.

"Let's get going." Damian rushed her, already setting onto the path the map had showed. Cristal quickly caught up to him, walking side by side. Damian felt it would be the right time to ask her something.

"Why are you heading to the city?" He continued to look forward, as a barren path could be seen. The path that was showed in the map.

"There's something I need to get from there." She simply said, but Damian could hear it in her tone. She was partially lying to him, but it was as if she wanted him to know she was lying.

"Alright." He accepted it, looking up at the sky as they continued the trek.

"Are you running against the clock?" Cristal asked him, noticing his worried expression.

"You can tell?" He laughed quietly.

"You look worried." She bent down, looking at his face while continuing to walk.

"If I don't get this medicine soon, I feel like something bad is going to happen." Damian clenched his fist tightly.

"Like what?" Cristal questioned him further. He didn't answer this time. He stared at the ground, his bangs casting a shadow over his eyes. He stopped in his tracks. Cristal knew what that meant.

"Let's get moving." Damian picked up the pace to a running speed.

"H-hey! Wait up!" She called to him as he continued to sprint.

[A few hours later…]

"That's what you get for running too much." Cristal stood in front of Damian, who was crouched underneath a tree to catch his breath. However, that is not why he was there.

"Really, how can you—"

"Shh!" Damian silenced her. He ran out from under the tree. The sun was setting, but that's not was bothering him. Storm clouds circled around in the sky, seeming to quickly be covering the orange sky. He was correct. The grey puffs covered the surface with a dark shadow. Normally, that would just mean a storm. But, it was different. Cristal shivered.

"What is this?" She could feel the land around her cower in fear. Damian could feel it too. At that moment—

A bolt of black and red lighting, stroke the ground with great force, causing a massive explosion.

Preview of Chapter 3 –

"What do you want with them?!" Damian shouted at the figure in the cloak. But no answer. He drew his sword, the rain blasting against him, the wind working against him, the world around him out to kill him.

"I won't let you!" He rushed forward into the battle.

"Fool." The cloaked figure whispered with a hum of a tune.

"Yuri!" Damian called out to his friend as he was trapped into a storm of black fire.

"Damian!" Cristal cried out to him as blood splattered to the ground.

(Just a small thing I would try. It's not exactly permanent, tell me what you think)