Chapter 7
Deep black fades into a lighter shade at the back of my eyes as I start to wake up. Debating if I should wake up now or get a bit more sleep… Haha if these two heard my thoughts I'll get called sleepyhead again. Fine, wake up it is.
Open my eyes and look at the person sleeping beside me on a spare mattress on the floor which Keisuke kindly brought for us last night. Strands of Jowy's sandy brown hair are falling over his face. Nimbly tuck them behind his ear, careful not to wake him up. Up on the bed, I can tell that Nanami is still fast asleep as I can hear her faint snore.
This room was supposed to be meant for solitude, but I'm glad you can at least hear the birds chirping outside. If it was too quiet, it might drive whoever was staying in here crazy. Gazing at Jowy's sleeping face, I still can't believe that not too long ago, I still thought something like this could only be a dream. A peaceful morning and the two most important people in my life right next to me as I wake up … What more can I ask for? I wish it will always be like this.
"It's been five minutes, Kenji… Come on, when is that stolen kiss coming?"
"Ki… Kiss?!"
Jowy looks on, waiting with a grin, teasing.
Sigh. As I lean in to kiss him, he captured my lips in a chaste kiss.
"Morning, Kenji." He whispers, lightly touching my nose with the tip of his index finger.
"Morning, Jowy."
As if voicing my earlier thoughts, he says "I wish our mornings will always be like this" as if uttering a prayer, then kisses my forehead.
If he doesn't stop being too sweet, I'll fall right back asleep from all the warmth and comfort I'm feeling right now.
W snuggle for a short while until we decide to get up to make tea, toast, and some sausages. Nanami has always kindly prepared our meals, so this time, we wanted to do it in return. A big breakfast for a big day. Yesterday, Seisuke and the Prince said they've decided to introduce us to their trusted allies. But because they need to be careful on who to trust, we need to pass their test. The problem is, they're not going to tell us what it is, when it begins, and what we need to do in order to pass it. Jowy said it could be mental or physical- or both- so we need to be prepared.
After all our preparations, we get ready to set out and go to where we agreed to meet Seisuke and the Prince.
"Kenji, ready?" Jowy asks as we take one last spot check before living the room of solitude.
"Yup!" Nod, as I put on Jowy's hand-me-down winter coat.
"All right then, you two. Let's head out!" Nanami chirps as she opens the door and we step out.
-x-
"According to the instructions Seisuke gave us, we are to meet with them at the entrance of the woods. If we followed the map correctly this should be it."
As if right on cue, Seisuke appeared from thin air. Something we can never seem to get used to.
"Welcome, Leader of the Orange Army and companions." He greets us with a grin. "The Trial of Light begins as of this moment. As you can see, a fork lies ahead."
"So does this mean we have to split up?" Nanami asks.
Seisuke only smiles cryptically. "The roads may differ, but if we walk the same path, we will surely meet again. Good luck, my new friends. I have faith that you will pass and become our allies."
And he vanishes again.
"Kenji, you decide. Do we split up? Or should we go together?"
"The roads may differ but the one is the same…" I absently echo Seisuke's words. "I think we're supposed to split up. Our goal is the same, to pass the trial and gain their trust and offer allegiance. So even if we all take different trials, we'll all meet at the end."
"Gotcha. Then we'll see you on the other side."
I face the middle fork, Nanami the left and Jowy the right. Before we move forward, Nanami pulls us both to a tight hug. "Take care, you two. If you don't show up at the end of this forest, I'll hunt you down, you hear me?"
Jowy chuckles, hugging us back and patting our backs.
"We'll all make it. We've come this far. We won't back down now."
I hug them both back and ask my rune to give them its protection before we part ways.
-x-
I wonder if it's because of the cold, the fog seems to be thickening. The further I go in, the harder it is to see what's up ahead. Shake my head. No, self. This isn't the best time to be thinking back on what happened back then. That was a long time ago, and back then Grandpa Genkaku was still alive.
Grandpa… He always taught me how to be brave. And courage doesn't mean being able to face enemies. The biggest battles are often from within. Our weakness is often not what we are afraid of, but fear itself.
But no matter how old you are, it never makes it any less frightening to get lost. Not knowing where you are, not knowing what to do, and not knowing where to go... these are things that will scare anyone regardless of age.
Breathe in, breathe out. It's okay, Kenji. Think…
"Markers!"
That's it! I remember now. After I got lost, Grandpa told me that if you look hard enough, you'll see no tree is exactly the same, just like no people are alike- even identical twins. I can either look closely at their features, and if that's too difficult, I can make the markers myself.
Taking off my favorite yellow scarf, I tie it around a branch to make sure I'm not just going around in circles or coming back exactly where I was. I move forward, taking note of tree markings and distinct shapes every time I reach a fork. And before long, I come to an opening.
There, I see the Prince in the middle as if he had been waiting for me.
"You finally made it out. Not bad, Lord Kenji. This time, I'll be your opponent."
He pulled out a small glass bell and tied it around the handle of his sword.
"If you can take this bell from me, then the trial is over. Pretty simple, isn't it?" His unseeing gaze looks in my direction.
In the light of day, I can now see it… His eyes are truly beautiful. Like leaves and grass and looking at them is like being in a meadow. Calm and peaceful, I can't pull my eyes away, like they're drawing me in.
"What's the matter? Do my blind eyes scare you?"
Shake my head.
"It's the opposite, actually. Your highness, your eyes are so beautiful. I feel like I'm looking at trees!'
His eyes widened for a moment, then his face relaxed into a smile.
"It's been a long time since I've heard someone compare my eyes to the trees. I usually get told they look like unpolished emeralds… lifeless and dull. Your comparison is very refreshing."
He got into a fighting stance.
"Enough small thalk then. Let's get down to business."
And I pull my twin fangs out.
Nothing but the sound of our weapons clashing could be heard throughout the forest for what seems like hours. But unlike that time when we were facing Highland soldiers or those mysterious cloaked people who were after Seisuke, there's no sense of danger or survival, nor the need to fight for your life. This feels more like training, and it's so familiar. Rather than a test, his movements feel like he's teaching me, and it reminds me of those lessons and practices with Grandpa Genkaku.
'Your movements are slow, Kenji. You rely too much on your visual and reflexes. You need to use all of your senses if you wish to become a better fighter.'
That's it! I remember now, Grandpa Genkaku. I'm glad your lessons stayed with me. Now I know what I have to do.
Close my eyes, and get my ears attuned to the sound of the bell beyond the noise made by our weapons. Just a little above my right hand. Block his sword with my left fang and… Gotcha!
The prince seemed surprised, then smiled.
"That last movement was off, and it threw me off the rhythm of yor movements that I was listening to. Good job, lad. You pass."
"Thank you, Prince."
The next moment the prince pushes me away and I hear a whooshing sound just inches from my ears before I see something flash by at the corner of my eyes.
"What the…"
I have no time to process what's going on until I see another black fireball-like thing heading towards the prince.
"Prince, behind you!"
He ducks from it just in time and it barely misses him too.
Using my one of my runes, I activate a barrier around us, to buy us some time to figure out where these things are coming from and how to counter.
"I guess this isn't part of our trials anymore, eh?"
"Afraid not."
"What are those things?" I asked.
"Black fireballs."
Oh. I see our enemies have quite a naming sense.
"If one of those hits you, it'll keep feeling like it's burning until it's dispelled. Some people fall into a shock or even die from the pain with prolonged exposure."
"Oh no… We have to fight back, but how can we fight an enemy we can't even see?!"
"Dear boy, you already know the answer to that don't you?"
Oh. He's right.
Close my eyes. Listen to where the shots are being fired from… Found you.
It's a good thing I have the lightning rune on. Magic is just about the only long range weapon I know how to wield.
"Over there!"
Cast a lightning spell, and the attacks stopped. We take this chance to leave he open area and run for cover into the woods. I keep the shield up just in case, but as soon as we get under the cover of the trees the prince falls to his knees, his breathing labored.
"Your highness? What's wrong?"
I take a sharp breath when I see his sleeve torn and a purple bruise growing darker on his exposed skin. It's on the arm he used to push me away from the hit. That means he…
"You saved me."
"You're my ally now, after all. And my allies are my family. We look out for each other."
He says between panting.
"Looks like they're gone. Let's head to our hideout. I'm going to need Seisuke's white magic to cure this."
"You don't have to wait that long. It's painful isn't it? Perhaps I can ask my rune for help."
Close my eyes. Feel the warmth in my heart and let it travel through my arms all the way to my fingertips as my hand hovers above the wound in his arm. I can feel it taking away the darkness that has infested his body, and when I open my eyes, his skin looks as good as new. As if he was never hit by those black fireball things.
"Your people need you, Prince. Please take better care of.. yourself…"
Sudddenly feeling very tired and sleepy, my body goes limp. The prince manages to support my weight before I fall to the ground.
The prince snorts.
"I could say the same to you, Lord Kenji of the Orange Army. Don't you have people waiting for you at home?"
Stick my tongue out.
"Touche."
He pulls my arms and put them around his neck. And before I know it, he lifts me up on his back, giving me a piggyback ride.
"P… Prince! What are you doing?!"
"Seeing as you don't have any strength even to walk, I'm giving you a ride. Unless you'd rather stay and spend the night here in the forest? With who knows what lurking around here at night."
So it's either I eat my pride and let a prince carry me like a child… Or be forest beast dinner.
Ugh.
"I'll take you up on your offer then, Prince. Sorry."
He chuckles, his laughter reverberating in his back. His back is broad, and nice and warm, and his scent it very nostalgic. It reminds me of my days as a child for some reason. Maybe those times Grandpa Genkaku would carry me just like this.
To be continued…
-x-
A/N: I'm so sorry again for taking so long T_T A lot of (big) real life stuff happened. I moved to Japan, and while most people might think it's a dream come true, in my case it was far from it. I'm still going through stuff now, but thanks to 5ngela who reminded me there are people still reading and enjoying this story, I got motivated to get off my lazy ass and start typing again. To those still reading this, I can't thank you all enough. I hope finish this story eventually and that it will be a memorable one for all of us :-)