Hello everyone, I hope you have been doing well. Today I bring the third chapter of our story.
As teased in the last chapter, Ray will be meeting a new individual. She's a character with a lot of mystery in her backstory, and I'm not just talking about her holy blood. You might be seeing her a lot in the future, so I hope you're ready.
Now, onto the reviews.
Friendly reminder:
Ishtar is the best ! = Text from the System
"Ishtar is the best!" = Talking
'Ishtar is the best' = Thoughts
*Ishtar is the best! * = Sound effect
Copyright Disclaimer: I don't own anything about this fanfic, except for its OCs. All the rest belong to their respective creators, and they're the ones that deserve praise.
Chapter 3: If you have time to eat, then you have time to dance.
Silence permeated my surroundings as I stared down at the greatest menace I had ever faced. It was no ordinary foe, for it was a foe that had already discouraged many young and hopeful adventurers. This adversary, the abyss, was rumoured to chew you up and spit you out if you're careless for even a single second: A baby.
"The plane's coming in! Say 'AAAHHHH'." My hand started zigzagging in the air as I approached the spoon I was holding near Ares' mouth. As soon as the cold metal touched his lips, he easily let it open, accepting the food before he started chewing on the bits and pieces of what was served. Or at least I think he was.
"Is he really as difficult as you said ?" I asked, slightly turning my head to the side to look at one of the three maids waiting on the side with worried expressions.
One of them took a step forward and bowed to me before speaking. "Y-yes. We've been trying to feed him, but each time we try, he'll either hit the spoon away, grab it and refuse to let go, or just start crying. The only people who could feed him without issue were lady Granhye and lady Lachesis." The other two vigorously nodded their heads at their colleague's words. I was a bit skeptical at the thought of such a small baby doing all those things, but whatever.
I sighed, thinking back on how I found myself in this situation to begin with. I was just planning on going over to the library to pick up a book about the legend of the Twelve crusaders. I didn't think I will get ambushed by three desperate maids who begged me to help them.
"Even so, I don't think there's a need to be so scared." I reassured the trio, who were still a bit nervous. How scary could a six-month-old be?
"Well, before you came in, we had to send Mailis out to look for lady Granhye and ask for some assistance." I nodded at her words, thinking that it was the most logical thing to do if it really was difficult to feed Ares. "The lady…doesn't like when we disobey her orders. Our job is to take care of the young lord Ares, and we failed."
*SLAM*
The doors of the nursery suddenly burst open with such force that I feared it will just fly right across the room, the violent nature of the sound caused me and the three women to flinch. The person that appeared in the doorway moved imperiously towards our position, followed by another maid, who quickly joined her colleagues to the side.
"I came as soon as I could." Granhye said, but stopped herself as soon as she saw Ares in my hand and his small plate already empty. "I didn't expect to see you here, milord."
"Ray's fine." I quickly corrected her. Some castle staff were already doing that, the last thing I wanted was for the others to start calling me that. It was…weird.
She nodded and approached me with her arms outstretched towards Ares. "Understood." She picked up the boy and threw a glance at the spoon still in my hand, as well as the plate on the table. "I heard news that the maids were struggling to feed him, and so I made my way here as fast as I could. Truth be told, he can sometimes be a bit grumpy -even with me. But seeing as you're hardly having any problems, I'm curious on how you've managed to do it."
I simply shrugged in response. It's not like I did some kind of magic or a performed a miracle, so I didn't really know what to say.
Granhye looked at me for a little while longer before turning around. "Clean up the table and then prepare us some tea and snacks." The maids bowed and immediately started following their orders. One of them came to the table I was sitting at and picked up the plate with the spoon on it. Granhye waited for her to leave before speaking to me once more. "Would you care to join me for a cup?"
I quickly thought back to the book I initially set out to find, and silently resigned myself to looking for it another day.
"It'll be my pleasure."
"Excellent." The smile she gave me seemed different from the one she usually wears. I didn't know what to make of that, but nonetheless we both went on our way.
I left the castle some hours after my tea time with Granhye wrapped up. She was, surprisingly, full of zeal. She asked questions after questions, making sure that I was comfortable answering them, and she didn't press me on those I didn't want to —or couldn't. It was during our conversation that I heard about the festival that was going to happen today and its implications.
Apparently, national holidays were a thing here too. Although the concept and motif behind them were slightly different, they were fundamentally the same, which was the reason we were in town at this time of the day when the sun was getting particularly harsh.
"So, what are we celebrating today?" Dave decided to spend the day with me after I said earlier this morning that I wanted to check the town, which happened before the whole shebang with Ares and Granhye. He and I went on exploring the streets of Nordion, enjoying the decorations and events that were prepared for the festival.
"Apparently it's a festival to thank the gods for a fruitful harvest this season. Or so I've heard." We were both chomping our way through fruits that we got from a stall from winning a game earlier.
"So it's a harvest festival. They seem to be going all out." From what we've heard while walking, the entire town has been spending the entire day since this morning getting everything ready, and they weren't even done yet. This likely meant that the real party will take place during the evening, or even in the later hours of the night. However, seeing them work stirred something inside of me.
"Let's go help them out, Dave." Without waiting for a reply, I was already running towards a group of people carrying some heavy looking objects.
"Hey! There's no need to do that, they'll manage just fine." He protested as soon as he heard me, most likely due to the idea of working for free.
"But I still want to help, at least a little." I started carrying one of the heavy bags on my shoulder, following the others to where they were going to store them.
Dave grumbled about it, but also grabbed one of the bags himself before following after me, muttering all the while.
"I still think we should be enjoying the festivities."
"Helping a bit won't hurt you, Dave." I scolded him, especially if we're helping the villagers with the festivities he so wants to enjoy.
"I know. That's why I'm doing it, isn't it? I'm still going to complain though." Fair.
However, the work proved far more difficult than we anticipated at the beginning, primarily because the distance we had to go through was longer than we thought. It was also because most of the guys that were with us at the beginning had to leave in order to help elsewhere, and we couldn't just drop everything and leave without finishing our work.
It took us a while, more than ten trips back and forth —and probably a bucket-full of sweat— but we succeeded in carrying everything to where the owners wanted it. They thanked us profusely and proposed snacks and drinks to help hydrate ourselves, although I had to apologize when Dave grabbed the large cup of water and poured its content on himself, accidentally splashing water on them by mistake.
"At least now people won't say that we're just lazy free-loaders." I sighed as we finally sat down on an empty bench not far from where we were working earlier. I had apologized once more to the couple beforehand given the feeling of embarrassment that came up at the time.
Dave, still drenched in water, was using the shirt he had removed to wipe most of it from his face, leaving his muscular body exposed for all to see.
Looking around us, I was thankful that the area was relatively free of people. We didn't need someone to file a complaint to the authorities about an exhibitionist or a pervert in town. I threw an uncertain glance towards Dave. "You know you can't walk around like that, right?"
"I can't help it, my shirt is completely soaked… Maybe I should just go back to change…" Having suddenly decided that, Dave stood up from the bench and started walking towards the castle, waving his shirt in an effort to dry it somewhat as he went. "I won't take long. Don't wander too far away and wait for me here."
As such, I was once again left behind and told to wait for his return. Seeing as I was still exhausted from all the heavy-lifting we did before, I thought about taking a quick nap on the bench I was sitting on. Before I could even make up my mind on what to do, a peculiar melody caught my attention out of nowhere.
"What a pleasant sound… I wonder where it's coming from." I got up from the bench and started wandering in the general direction it seemed to be coming from, with my curiosity getting the better of me.
Finding out the origin of that sound proved to be more difficult than expected, seeing as the whole town was in a festive mood, there were plenty of other sounds in the area that came from some instruments such as a flute or even a violin. This made it somewhat difficult to track the mysterious melody down to its source as I walked through the town's cobblestone streets.
I kept my focus on the sound as I moved, trying my best to follow it. I took turns into certain streets that I've never even explored before, my feet guided by the tune that was still repeating itself in my head. After several more turns, I was surprised to discover that this melody came from outside the town's borders. Even so, I continued following it as I felt that I was finally getting close to it.
After a few more minutes, I noticed that I was back in a familiar looking forest —the one where I first landed upon reaching this world in fact. But my thoughts didn't go much further than that, as the origin of the sound I've been following up to this point now falls within my vision.
"Should've expected it to be him." A small smile automatically formed itself on my lips as I saw who was playing from his lute and up till now. The crown prince of the snowy kingdom of Silesse and sole heir to the Tome Forseti.
'Lewyn.'
"Hmm ?" Having seemingly noticed my presence, Lewyn stopped singing and turned his head around to look at me with his deep inquisitive eyes, tiling just a bit to get a better look once he spotted me. "Can I help you?"
"No, not really." I immediately replied, reducing the distance between us with long strides. "I was just wondering what kind of song was playing so far out here, it just so happens that I managed to stumble upon you."
"Oh? Heard me from such a long distance, did you?" The way he phrased his question made me pause at first for a second, leading me to believe that perhaps I shouldn't have brought up my reasons for being here in the first place. But then I remembered who I was talking to right then and there, quickly deciding on just telling the truth.
"Well, yes. It was quite a beautiful melody."
"Of course it was. I was the one playing." Yup. Should've expected him to brag. "That was actually a special song dedicated to the spirits of the wind." Oh? Now that he said that, I noticed that the air surrounding him was a bit more agitated, thankfully in a non-threatening way. The wind in the area around me also started to do the same thing, to lewyn's apparent astonishment. "How interesting, they normally don't care about boring strangers, but for some reason they seem to like you."
"'They'? I can't think of a reason why they'll be interested in me, though. I'm nothing special." Except the fact that I'm basically an Otherworlder, but I doubt that simple spirits from this world would know that by mere first impression alone. Probably.
"Well, most of the time, the spirits are easily attracted to those blessed by mana in one way or the other. So I suppose you must be quite the gifted wind mage to have drawn the Sylph's attention."
"Ah… No, I'm not. I can't even throw a spell properly, so you can forget the 'gifted wind mage' part." I was already frustrated enough as it is, so there was no need for him to add more salt to my recent headache. However, he just shifted his head somewhat, as if he was confused about what I just said.
He tilted his head back up before asking with a frown. "You can't? Why not?"
"I don't know." I exhaled with a deep sigh, thinking that there was no reason why I couldn't tell him. "No matter how many times I tried, I couldn't cast even a simple Wind spell."
"I see… Can you show me how you do it?" He asked with such honest eyes that I just couldn't refuse. Plus, there was no need to refuse when I already knew what was going to happen.
Sighing again deeply, I manually unbound my tome from its place at my waist, then flipped through some pages, settling on one at random before stretching an arm forward. And not long after, taking a moment to breathe in deeply, then out in the simple pattern I did before, I remembered the method of sensing and circulating mana I also attempted the other day while thinking of manifesting the spell.
I then shouted with as much gusto as I did the first time. "… Wind!"
But as expected, nothing came out of it. I locked away the book back into its case and looked at Lewyn once again, sheepishly ruffling my hair.
"As you can see, it's not working." I shrugged, putting my hands in my pockets while kicking a stone that was lying around.
"Of course it wouldn't work, silly." Lewyn's comment was followed by muffled sounds of him trying not to laugh. He failed. " Hahahah. Shouting the name of the spell while striking a pose isn't what you have to do, silly."
"It…isn't?" There goes the anime trope that was my guide until now. Damn you Jojo!
… Although I was still curious about how they were doing it then.
"Not necessarily, no." Saying that, he got off from the rock he was using as a chair and approached me. He looked me directly in the eyes and reached over to snatch the Wind Tome at my waist before I could even tell what was happening. "Look carefully." He said, and I could only obey.
In the long silence that followed, I was beginning to doubt Lewyn's plan. That was before I sensed wind gathering around him at quite a rapid pace. The wind gathered and took the shape of a crescent blade, which Lewyn silently hurled at a nearby tree, cutting off one of its branches in two. I could only stare, impressed at his little display.
"This is also one way to do so." He said nonchalantly, handing me the book with a smirk on his face. "The secret behind casting spells relies on three fundamental traits." He said to me after a while, raising his left hand with three fingers up and two already down. "First, feeling the mana, both in and out of your body. It is a crucial part where talent and effort plays a large role, but you already seem to have it down." I smiled proudly at that, thinking back to all the training I did since I've been here, which wasn't totally in vain. "There's no need to feel so smug, it's actually the easiest part of the three." He shot me down as soon as he saw my smile, which morphed into a frown at his remark.
He then had the next finger down.
"Second is circulating the mana in your body. You have the general idea, but the way you do it is way too inefficient. In fact, it's so jumbled up that I'm surprised you haven't yet injured yourself while trying to cast spells"
"Pardon me?" I blurted out, startled by what he just said. What was that about me injuring myself when I couldn't even cast the freaking spell?
"Don't misunderstand." He added quickly, raising his other hand to tell me to listen first and save any vexation for later. "I'm not saying you're doing it wrong. It's just that you use an excessive amount of mana when it's not even necessary. By doing that, not only does the speed of mana circulation in your body get slower, you're also under risk of running out of magical energy quickly. And I'm not even talking about the risk of your pathways being overused."
"The air surrounding you is always at a constant breeze. And so, you need not command it to do what you want it to, but instead feel the flowing energy that courses through and all around you. Consider it a synchronization of both man and nature, you could say that it's almost as if you're in some kind of trance."
I could only look at him, my mind getting more and more confused as he continued with his explanation. Funnily enough, what he said was kind of familiar to some of the explanations I heard in my past life about magic. Though, just hearing about it and actually experiencing it were totally different things.
Seeing the puzzled look on my face, Lewyn decided to try another approach.
"Let me show you, turn around." Wondering what he was about to do, I did as ordered, soon feeling a hand on my back the second after I did so. "I'll show you how to utilize it correctly. Remember this sensation because I'm only going to show you once."
Having said his piece, I was left waiting for this so-called feeling I was expecting, and sure enough I felt something strangely comforting circulating through my body starting at my back.
It was a pleasant sensation, as if a cool breeze was passing by me on a particularly hot day. Unfortunately, as soon as I got accustomed to this sensation, I felt Lewyn's hand leave my back followed by the sound of his voice which broke the silence that was reigning in the forest just a few moments ago.
"Now, try to do it yourself." He said, prompting me to turn around to which I saw the smirk on his face, it was as if he was daring me to actually succeed this time around.
Nodding once, I closed my eyes in order to concentrate on the mana inside my body and recognize its effect within me. Recalling the feeling I experienced not too long ago, I tried moving the energy in my body the same way Lewyn did. Although it was not that much different from what I usually do, I could clearly feel that I was gathering my magic faster than before and with relative ease too.
"Good. Seems like you got it. Remember, this sensation is what you should feel each time you try to properly cast a spell. Now onto the last part." Going back to sit on his rock, Lewyn looked at the ground around him as he walked, suddenly picking up a stick before sitting down. "This last bit is actually not that difficult either, especially so for a wind mage. After gathering mana, you have to give it the shape you want. I call it Mana Modelling —Just think of it as using clay for pottery or sand for sand-castles. You have to be creative, or just be flexible in nature, and it'll come naturally to you. Of course, even if you lack both, working hard enough can help bridge that gap."
Closing my eyes yet again, I repeated the three processes enumerated by Lewyn one by one.
'First, perceive the mana.'
I didn't even have to try. As soon as I closed my eyes and focused a bit, I could feel the huge amount of magical energy in the air surrounding us, and the relatively small amount presently in my body.
'Second, circulate the mana.'
Remembering the method Lewyn taught me, I started moving the mana in my body in a specific pathway.
'Last, shape the mana.'
Finally, I focused on moulding the mana that has accumulated in my hand into a crescent-like shape.
It suddenly got windy around me, as if I was in the middle of a tornado. With my closed eyes, I couldn't say with absolute certainty whether I had succeeded or not. The only thing I could do was continue to focus on maintaining this state, until…
"Launch it!"
Lewyn's sharp voice made me reflexively open my eyes, and the wind blade in my hand surged forward instantly, cutting in two a tree that was in his path before disappearing.
I didn't even hear the System message as my eyes were still glued on the bisected tree some 10m in front of me.
[The wind answers your call, shaping into lethal blades at your command. The system acknowledges your mastery over the wind.]
[A new skill is born.]
Blades of Zephyr
- Rank : A
- Cost : 25MP/Use
- Type : Active
You harness the very essence of the wind with Blades of Zephyr. Swift and ethereal, your mastery over the element of freedom manifests as blades of air that answer your command. With a mere thought, invisible blades materialize, slicing through the air with unparalleled precision. Each strike carries the grace and speed of the wind, leaving adversaries bewildered by the seamless dance of the Blades of Zephyr. In your hands, the very breeze becomes a lethal weapon.
- Distance : 50m
[Words become unnecessary as your will shapes the arcane. The system acknowledges your silent mastery.]
[A new skill has been generated.]
Silent Incantation
- Rank : B
- Cost : [N/A]
- Type : Passive
You've mastered the art of casting without uttering a single word, weaving spells in silence as if the very air responds to your unspoken will. Silent Incantation allows you to perform magical feats without the need for vocalization, providing a clandestine advantage in both subtle manipulations and overt displays of mystic power. Your will becomes the language of the arcane, and the absence of verbal cues conceals your magical intentions, making it a formidable tool for surprise attacks and stealthy enchantments.
Quest Update !
Title : The first magical steps
Type : Main Quest
Time-frame : Indefinite
Description : Magic is an essential part of this world. Every human being is born with the potential to become a mage, although few are able to achieve that objective. You, however, haven't abandoned that idea yet and worked hard in order to become a bonafide magician.
Objective : Grasp the concept behind casting a spell and successfully launch one.
Rewards : 1 000 Gold Coins, 100 EXP, Unknown.
Failure : Being unable to use a sword and now magic will leave you as easy prey to the monsters of this world, who won't hesitate to tear at you. Plus, you can't be a hero if you can't save anyone, right?
Status : Success
I could only stare in front of me, deep in silence, as I finally noticed the System message that followed. Lewyn was the one to bring me out of my contemplation by the sound of slow applause he made.
"That was incredible. I may have shown you that, but I didn't expect you to actually pull it off." He said as he slowly approached me, standing a bit too close for comfort.
"Thank you." I managed to reply despite feeling uncomfortable due to our proximity.
The twinkling in his eyes were, admittedly, quite concerning too. "Come to think of it, you didn't use any incantation either… Can I ask you a question?" He asked back, his face still way too close to mine.
"Yes?" I managed to utter a response without stepping back.
"Looking at your hair, it may seem obvious but, you are from Isaach right?" He asked, pointing at my hair for emphasis.
"Correct." I replied immediately. Even if some of my memories were fuzzy, at least the System couldn't have made an error.
"And both of your parents were Isaachians?"
I frowned slightly at that, wondering for a second just where he was going with these questions. That was when a thought suddenly crossed my mind. "Are you asking if I'm a mixed blood?"
"Well, in a way, yes. But what I surmise from your expression alone, I'll assume that you're not… Either that or you yourself do not know, I don't really care either way."
His comment made me think that he may be onto something. Perhaps that was why Dave was so taciturn when it came to talks about my origin. He would talk about the many years we spent in Isaach, but nothing before that.
While I was deep in thought, Lewyn finally took a step back, increasing the distance between us to a more appropriate one.
"We have not been properly introduced yet, correct? Silly me." He said with a smile, placing one hand over his chest before bowing lightly. "I'm Lewyn, a Bard and traveling performer. I also dabble a bit in magic…"
'Yeah right. As If I'll believe that.'
"And you are?"
"I'm Ray, a mercenary. It's nice to meet you, Lewyn." I extended my hand towards him for a hand-shake, which he took after a second of contemplation.
He let go of my hand and went to retrieve the lute he left on the big boulder earlier. "As pleasant as this was, I have to go. I'm afraid I cannot make my audience wait for too long."
"Your audience?"
"Yes, I'll be heading to a nearby village for a performance."
"I see."
"If you stop by there someday, you can find me at the inn." After those parting words, he silently made his way towards the town, leaving me with my thoughts on what just happened.
Roughly fifteen minutes of fruitless thinking later, I decided that everything could be settled if I could just make Dave talk. I made my way back to town, where Dave was probably already looking for me.
"I'm pretty sure it was this way…"
So, I wasn't exactly lost per se. I just got distracted on my way back.
"Wait, didn't I just pass by this store ?"
… No comment.
Retracing my steps, yet again, I apparently wasn't paying enough attention to where I was going as I bumped into another person in my haste to find my way back.
*BAM*
"Ouch…" Whimpered the person I just knocked down. "Hey! Look in front of you when you're walking!"
The sharpness of the voice aside, I stepped forward and extended a hand towards the green-haired girl who just fell on her bum.
"I'm sorry. Are you alright?" I asked as the girl took my hand, later pulling herself up from the floor and dusting off her dress not long after.
"I'm fine. Thankfully, my dress is too." The smile she gave me was so bright that I feared my eyes would be blinded if I stared at her for long. It was enough to wash away any of the frustration my body accumulated as I tried to find my way, and I swear my heart skipped a beat. "Oh right. I'm Silvia, by the way. What's your name?"
I involuntarily took a step back, my brain still in the middle of processing what my eyes were seeing.
'Ahhh. Cuteness overload…'
"Are you okay?" The way she tilted her head to the side and looked at me with big concerned eyes forced me to take another step back as I desperately tried to calm my racing heart.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine." I replied after a while, my right hand still gripping my chest.
"I'm sorry for bumping into you. I was a bit lost and didn't see where I was going." I was rather surprised that I so easily admitted to being lost, knowing that my sense of direction was a sensitive topic to me. Thankfully, the feeling of unease I felt disappeared as quickly as it had come when my gaze fell upon Silvia's smiling face once more.
"It's okay. I'm not injured, and you're fine too so it's a definite plus!" The smile she was showing this time definitely seemed even brighter than the last one, and I silently wondered If they were natural or practiced.
"You still didn't tell me your name, though."
Nope. Natural.
"Right. I'm Ray. It's a pleasure to meet you, Silvia."
"Nice to meet you too !" She replied cheerily before giving me a once-over. "It's my first time seeing you here, though. Are you a traveler? Or just new to town?"
"No? Well, not really. Why are you asking that?"
"Like I said, it's my first time seeing you. If you were a resident, then I couldn't have forgotten about you."
"Why not?" It was now my turn to tilt my head to the side, quizzically.
She looked at me and deadpanned. "How could I forget such a pretty face?" Her matter-of-fact tone caused an involuntary twitch of my eyebrow, as though I couldn't believe what she said, or how casually she said it. I didn't even notice as my cheeks suddenly grew warmer and got redder by the second.
'Way to stay cool, Ray.'
Sylvia laughed after seeing my expression, which didn't help my blushing at all.
"You're cute." She giggled to herself at my discomfort. To be fair, I never had a stranger tell me that I had a pretty face directly to my, well, face. Much less a pretty girl, so I was a bit unnerved. She seemed to catch up on that as she resumed her giggling again, apparently amused by the situation somehow. "So, what should we do as an apology…"
"But I apologized already?"
"Yes, of course you did." She quickly countered, as if she was used to saying this. "But as they say, actions speak louder than words, so you have to apologize with your actions one way or the other. Now what to do…" She started lightly tapping her left cheek with her index, visibly deep in thought. A few seconds of tapping later, she clapped her hands once, as if a lightbulb ignited in her head. "I know! I need a partner to train with for tonight's dance. You'll help me, right?"
Without even waiting for me to reply, she grabbed my right arm and started pulling me as she walked.
"Wait! Wait a minute."
"What's wrong?" She asked, but she didn't have any intention of stopping.
"I don't know how to dance! I don't know what kind of partner you're looking for, but I'm pretty sure it can't be me."
She stopped at that moment, thankfully. Releasing my arm, she plunged yet again into the same posture as before when she was thinking about something.
"Hmm…"
Then, just like before, she clapped her hands together the second another idea popped into her mind.
"I've got it! I just have to teach you how to dance!"
"Excuse me?" I asked, eyebrows raised as I thought about what she was saying.
"You're excused." She replied with a smug smile before, thankfully, giving me an explanation. "I can teach you how to dance and train myself at the same time, so it's win-win."
I suddenly understood where she was going with her train of thought, which seemed to somehow make sense. To her at least. But knowing that she most likely won't take no for an answer, I gave her my agreement, although it was sadly a bit too soon.
"Great. Now, to thank me for teaching you how to dance, you can bring me to a date this evening."
Of course, I stared at her blankly, dumbfounded at the logic behind her words. So, still too stunned to think properly, I did the one thing my body could reflexively think of… I ran away.
*FWOOOSH*
"Hey!"
Despite her shouts, my body was already running at full speed, taking each turn as soon as I saw them. I wasn't even aware of where I was or where I was going anymore, and at this point, I didn't even care. I just wanted to get as far from here as possible. And fast.
The dust lining the hard streets under me was kicked up into the air behind me as I flew through multiple areas of the town in a blur, and for the better part of a minute in my non-stop running, I could've sworn that I ran as fast as the wind.
'Did I equip that Pursuit ring earlier? Huh.'
*Huff! Huff! Huff!*
Breathing sharply, I managed to find a bench in a familiar street where I could sit and calm down a little. My face was sweaty, and although I wasn't exhausted, I was still feeling a slight pain during each breath.
As my lungs eventually took in oxygen in a more steady manner, I realized that I now had some time to reflect on what just transpired. Thinking back carefully on the situation, maybe I shouldn't have run off like that. However, my body acted way before my brain could form any coherent thoughts.
'Maybe I should go back and apologize… Granted, I did bump into her, but asking me to bring her on a date was a bit…'
As I was pondering on how to solve this particular situation, I failed to notice that my face was becoming redder the more I tried to remember. Oh, and I also didn't notice the two people walking towards me.
"What's that? You were here this whole time??"
A figure suddenly came into view from behind me, accompanied by the now familiar voice of Dave. Before I could even turn around, he jumped over the backrest of the bench from behind and landed on the open spot beside me. Oddly not managing to break it from how carelessly he threw his weight onto the poor bits of wood that cradled both of us.
"We've been searching for you for a while now, you know?" Crossing his arms, he slowly turned his head left and right as if looking for someone.
"We?" I asked, wondering who it was that came out here with Dave.
"Me and…" He let his words trail off as his eyes wondered to another direction. I silently followed, bu before I could even turn my head around, "... Eve." As if summoned by his name, the red-haired cross knight suddenly came into view, his blue scarf still fastened around his neck. The expression he was harboring wasn't a pleasant one.
"What were you thinking, going off on your own like that? Do you realize how worried we were all? Lord Eldigan almost issued a search warrant and was ready to dispatch the town's guards to search for you!" The look in his eyes told me that he was serious, and I couldn't help but smile at the image of Eldigan being worried about me.
Although Eve was clearly not amused, his frown deepened even more after seeing me smile. Before he could comment on it though, I quickly stood up from my chair and lightly pushed aside Eve, who was still standing in front of me.
"Is that so? Then I guess I'll have to apologize to him later."
"Him and Lady Lachesis." He snorted, crossing his arms as he looked at me. "She didn't say it explicitly, but I could see that she too was worried." He didn't look entirely at ease by that notion, which in turn made me feel guilty somehow.
I decided to change my approach, the pained smile on my face changing into a smirk as I remembered a very particular piece of information about Eve. One which I was about to use to its full potential.
"Ehhh? Is that so? I wonder how you noticed it then." Noticing the playful tone behind my words, Dave couldn't help but chuckle, already understanding where I was going with this.
"Of course I would. She's the woman I swore to protect as a knight with my life." The seriousness in his voice and words almost made me abandon my plan, but I couldn't just pass up such a nice and easy set-up. Not in a million years.
Crossing my arms too, I nodded my head repeatedly, as though I was in agreement with whatever he just said. "Of course, of course. Despite being a Knight of Nordion sworn to its lord, you decided to do everything possible to protect the woman you love. How very noble of you."
At this point, Dave's chuckling had changed into a full-blown laughter. Of course it would. Anyone would laugh upon seeing the look of utter shock and disbelief spreading on Eve's face. The fact that his cheeks were becoming more red with embarrassment wasn't helping either.
"You knew?" He asked slowly, to no one in particular, although I could feel he was talking to me.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I feigned ignorance, giving him my most puzzled expression. I even tilted my head to the side to further add to my fabricated confusion.
"You…"
"Let's go." Smiling innocently, I started walking without waiting to see if they were following me, although I could hear Dave telling him to drop it.
The festival was in full swing. Night had fallen already, and the dark sky accentuated the multicoloured lights in a pretty nice way. The number of people wandering through the streets had also considerably increased, most of them were enjoying the games, drinks or foods installed at the various stands.
Our group wasn't exempt from the enjoyment there was to be had on this night either, as each of us had at least one snack in hand. Or rather, Eve and I had a pastry in hand, whereas Dave was walking with tankards of beer in each hand.
"From what the festival organizers say, there's going to be a dance beside a large bonfire tonight. Everybody can join at no cost." Dave was looking through the paper we got earlier which was in Eve's hand, taking calculated sips of his drinks from time to time.
"Then we should go. I'm sure it's going to be great!" Eve responded, with his usual enthusiasm, wholly agreeing with the idea as he looked at me with twinkling eyes.
"I agree, it should be fun." Folding the paper and putting it back in his back pocket, Eve immediately wolfed down the last of his snack before walking off towards the town's square. Dave emptied the remaining tankard before licking his lips, later hastening his steps as he took the lead in front of the group.
"All right, follow me everyone."
Eve's reply was eager and instantaneous. "Yes!"
Mine was hollow and reluctant. "Fine."
Despite the difference in our responses, both Eve and I followed Dave as we walked towards our destination.
Well, to be honest, It wasn't really that far to begin with. We were already pretty close, so we managed to reach the square in less than five minutes. As expected, the area was the most crowded place in town at the moment. Many people were hanging beside the fire, either dancing, discussing the fruits of their labor from the year's harvest, or simply enjoying the heat beside the flames.
"Looks like they're having fun." Dave said as he stood beside me, looking at the crowd of people dancing in pairs, either in a group or by themselves. He had a peculiar look in his eyes, one I've gotten used to seeing during my time in this world.
"You're free to join them if you want, you know?"
Apparently, Dave loved dancing. Despite the fact that he, too, turned out to not be very good at it whenever he took the opportunity to do so. He didn't seem to get disheartened and danced however he liked. The fact that he didn't care about the public's opinion of his dance moves was certainly a plus I didn't have.
"Hey you!"
Before Dave could respond, a loud yet familiar voice came from our left. As one, Dave, Eve and I all turned our heads to look at the source of that noise, only to find a young girl with green hair and dancers clothes.
'Crap.'
Suddenly remembering that she talked to me about her having to dance tonight, I was close to hitting myself for forgetting such a thing.
Feigning ignorance, I looked left and right in faked confusion before slowly pointing at me before replying in an uncertain voice.
"Who? Me?"
Well, it wasn't as if she didn't know that I was faking it, seeing as her eyes were looking straight into mine.
"Are you seeing anyone else?" Her reply was so deadpan and automatic that I was slightly taken aback.
Wondering what was going on, I turned around in the hopes that Dave and Eve would be able to help me out a bit. They each harbored blank expressions, silently wondering what was going on before looking back at her, unsure of how to reply.
Seeing that both of them wouldn't be of help, I turned around to look at her again as I opened my mouth to give her my reply, as hesitant as it was. "No?"
"Exactly!"
…
…
…
The collective silence was hanging heavily in the air, despite the noise from the festival still booming beside us. However, Silvia didn't seem to care one bit.
"How could you abandon a poor, defenseless girl that was only asking for help after YOU hurt her?" She said as she walked towards me. Her voice small and her eyes teary, she took my arm in her hands without any warning. Again.
"Woah woah woah, wait just a minute." Shaking his head strongly, Eve only looked at me as if I was some kind of monster.
"Hurt her?" repeated Dave next to me, having finally thrown away his bewildered look, only to be replaced by one of utter astonishment.
"I DID NOT!" I shouted, horrified at this sudden development. How could they seriously believe her words over mine? Frankly, I would've been a bit insulted by this if I wasn't panicking right about now.
"Hehehe." Giggling to herself after our exchange, Sylvia finally let go of my hand and took a step backwards. "Well, there's still a way I could forgive you."
I, too, took a step back, my eyes full of suspicion as I looked at her with a frown.
"Go on."
"You do owe me a dance, don't you?" She said as she glanced over at the area around the fire where various people were dancing, later looking back and extending her hand towards me.
Before I could even think about saying yes or no, I felt a sharp pain in my back, followed by a strong force pushing me forward.
"Excuse me?" Turning around rapidly, I saw Dave, shaking his head with a somber expression.
"Just have a dance with the lady. What? Are you scared?" Dave was the one to nudge me, judging by the grin on his face.
Eve nodded his head with both eyes closed, as he agreed with Dave.
"I don't understand why you're so cautious about this if she seems genuinely interested in you. Hmph, if only I was in your stead."
Seeing as both Dave and Eve were already against me in this, there really was no other choice for me than to accept. Reluctantly, I took Sylvia's hand, prompting me to get pulled closer to her as she dragged me towards the dance floor.
'If this is my karma for toying with Eve's feelings, then please Naga forgive me.'
But there was no sign that the goddess heard me. Only the sound of the festival and Silvia's sultry voice could be heard.
"Just follow my lead."
Having said that, she took both of my hands and started guiding me through the steps of a dance which looked like a waltz. I quickly noticed that my body was somehow moving in sync with the music, guided by her hand and gentle encouragement, which was a testament to her skills. Granted, I did step on her toes more often than not, but she just laughed it off as a beginner's mistake and continued despite the awkward moments of pain.
Unbeknownst to me, I had been smiling as I went through the motions that Sylvia gestured me to follow, and in time, everything else slowly faded away into the background.
Whilst Ray and Sylvia were off dancing away the night with one another, Dave had a forlorn expression on his face. His next words, seemingly coming out of nowhere with a far more serious tone than expected, would hold a subtle yet important meaning that no-one save for him would truly understand.
"I just hope you'll keep smiling like that in the future, Ray."
{ Preview }
Next time in Fire Emblem : The Holy War... How not to summon a demon follower.
Ray : So there's this thing that people do when they're sorry…
??? : …
Ray : You know, that word that starts with an "a" and ends with a "e".
??? : … Apologize?
Ray : YES! You do know of it. I wasn't really sure.
??? : You want me to apologize?
Ray : I mean, aren't you gonna?
??? : …
*Throws another deadly spell towards me .*
{ End Point }
Early introduction of Lewyn and Sylvia. Both of them are characters that I really like, as individuals and as units in the game. We'll talk more about them later during their recruitment, so I'll end it here.
A little precision. In his bio, it is said that Lewyn left Silesse in Gran 756 and settled in Agustria in the year 758, but I pushed those events a bit forward as you can see. It was necessary for Ray to have a magic teacher, and I felt like Lewyn was the best candidate.
Oh right, after this one there are only two or three more chapters left before the beginning of the actual story, i.e, where the game starts. You can look forward to it.
See you next time.