You make the last few steps up the grassy mountain slope. You are finally here! You made it to the top! You are about to learn the secret of wind magic and bring yourself one step closer to reuniting Undine with one of her sisters.
"I think that's a great idea Anon~ Make pacts with as many spirits as you can! Make yourself even more interesting and mysterious! Make yourself a better prize for ME!"
The voice you hear makes your blood run cold. It can't be, it couldn't be. There's no way she should be here! You step forward, deathly afraid of what you know you'll find. The flat plateau of the mountain shows the lab coat clad coyote staring back at you with those hungry, maniacal eyes.
"This can't be real!" You yell. "You aren't here Koyori! This has to be a dream! You aren't real!"
"Oh my sweet, sweet Anon~ Just because it's a dream, doesn't make our bond any less…real. Want to know the best part of that bond? I'll be with you wherever you go. All you need to do is close those wonderful eyes of yours, and as soon as you slip into unconsciousness, I'll be there."
Try as you might, you can't seem to make the deranged scientist disappear from your dreamscape. She takes an elongated step toward you, and then another. The clack of her heels creates a ripple of light that changes the area around you.
The welcome scene of the sky from the mountaintop is gone, replaced by a bold white ceiling. You find yourself in a room filled with all manner of strange machines and equipment. You are back in Koyori's lab.
Fear begins to take hold of you. You can't stand against Koyori alone. You feel your own chest about to burst from the force of your own heartbeat. With no weapons at your side, and no power within this dream you can control, you are at Koyori's mercy.
"Alone? You don't really believe that, do you?" Another faint voice you don't quite recognize, echoes within the room.
Whoever it was, they were right. You don't have to face this alone anymore. You remember your promise to Undine, to share your pain with the people who care about you. Although it may hurt, they will help you beat this.
"That's right, just one step at a time." Flare's voice comes as she appears next to you out of nowhere. "Anon will always have me, and everyone else that cares about him watching his back. Even in his dreams, I'll be right beside him. Together, we can overcome anything."
As the dream visage of Flare speaks, the room begins to change again. One by one, all of Koyori's implements she would hope to use to bind and torture you, disappear into thin air, only to be replaced by small bright stars that shine within the void of space.
"Flare's right, Koyori!" You say with resolve as you bring yourself back up to your feet. "I can't beat you back on my own, but I'm not facing you on my own anymore. You won't stop me from sleeping and you won't stop me from seeing all the wonderful things in this world that I can!"
As your feelings become louder, the more the scenery shifts. Soon you are floating in the vastness of space, stars and even planets seem to stretch for miles. Did you really cause this to happen?
"Good! That's very good Anon!" Koyori claps for you. "Fight back to your heart's content. You remember how much that excites me~"
"Save the sick flirting for another time!" Flare spits. "Anon has no interest in a girl like you anyway."
"Oh? Is that what he told you? When he and I were all alone, his body was telling a very different story."
This has turned from frightening to just bizarre. This is YOUR dream though, it's time you finally take control of it. With your fears finally subsided, you wish with all your might for Koyori to just be gone. You shut your eyes, and concentrate, and in a flash, the voice of the coyote just…vanishes.
You hesitantly open one eye, half expecting her to still be there. Only the vastness of space's splendor meets your eye and you breathe a sigh of relief. Flare places a gentle hand on your shoulder and nods. You knew this likely wasn't the end of the nightmares, but now you at least had a way to fight back.
In a shimmer of light, Flare vanishes too, leaving you all alone in an almost lucid dream. While you are a little sad she left, you are relishing the feeling of finally being alone in your own subconscious.
With nothing better to do, you simply begin to fly through the cosmos. The feeling is as wondrous as it is liberating. Scores of stars and planets pass by you in seconds, and there seems to be no end to them in sight. While soaring through the galaxy is cool, you feel ready to try something else. You set your sights on a distant pink planet and begin to fly towards it like a rocket. Each passing second the sphere becomes bigger and bigger, until you are within an arm's reach of it and you cannot see anything past it.
You gently float yourself closer with an outreached hand, excited by the idea of what it's like to touch a planet, even if this is just a dream. Before your finger can make contact, the entire planet suddenly vanishes, and in its place, the face of a very tanned skin girl with dark yellow eyes who looks at you with bemusement. You float backward in surprise as you try to make sense of what you are seeing. The woman is so large that she appears to be wearing planets for beads to tie each one of her cream colored twintails that fall down into the void of space. Her neatly combed down bangs just barely reach the tops of those eyes that look down at you with an almost fondness?
From her sides, hands whose smallest fingers were even bigger than you, reach up and cover her face. The cosmic woman then kneels forward until her face is mere feet in front of yours. Still confused and a little frightened, you continue to back away slowly. Wait a second. Why are you scared? This is your dream. If you were able to make Koyori vanish, some strange space woman should be no problem. You don't even know this girl.
"I don't know who you are, but you can go away now." You say confidently. "I'd like to see a few more planets before I wake up, so you can, like, disappear now or whatever."
The woman does not stir. You decide to just ignore her and begin to fly yourself to go around her, but she simply moves herself to block your path. Going to be difficult huh? You begin to concentrate your will on making whoever this is vanish from your own dreamspace. You try the same method you used on Koyori, but nothing seems to happen. The girl is still in front of you and as solid as ever. Maybe you have to close your eyes to do it, try a little harder too.
You force your eyes shut as you try to concentrate on making the obstacle in your way disappear, or at the very least move out of the way. After what felt like lifting a boulder from the ground, you exhale and open your eyes to find that your efforts did not yield results.
The gloved hands suddenly part to reveal those wide dark-yellow eyes as a voice resonates in front of you "Boo!"
As if fully propelled from your own dream, you awake the next morning almost dumbfounded that the first thing you see is actual sunlight. What was all that? You can remember it all so vividly too. The elegant space woman was not really worth thinking more on, what was worth your time however, was the fact that you successfully slept through the night. Sure, Koyori tried to induce another night terror on you, but with Flare's help you were able to stop that before it went too far.
Speaking of the half-elf, you are still pleasantly ensnared in her embrace. One of her legs has also seemed to find its way in between your own as it hooks to secure you with her. While you are enjoying the degree of closeness with your friend, your excitement from the idea of the next trial, AND having a full restful night's sleep, fills you with a need to start the day.
As you attempt to pry yourself away, Flare's hold tightens around you. How is she so strong while she sleeps?
"Flare…" you say. "Flare, we need to get up."
The half-elf answers you with nothing but a soft snore, as her leg raises up slightly, getting dangerously close to a special place of yours. You wiggle yourself a little more, which only earns you an even tighter hold around your body. You couldn't waste the day laying here, you both have a mountain to climb. There has to be a good way to wake her up. Suddenly, a possibly brilliant idea comes to mind.
"Flare~ You better wake up. I just learned how to make a wind spell." you say, confident that this will spur the half-elf's interest.
You can feel her eyes dart open behind your head as you let out a small chuckle. After she realizes where she is and what you had done, she brings back one of her arms and starts grinding her knuckles into the back of your head.
"Hey! Come on!" you yelp as you try to wriggle yourself free, but Flare's powerful legs wrap around your own to keep you from escaping. "It was just to wake you up!"
"You jerk! You actually had me worried that you somehow beat me!" she whines.
"Hey! Truce!" you yell.
"Truces with me expire the next day!" Flare fires back as she continues her assault.
Looking for any way to escape Flare's rage, you take a gamble and reach down to the exposed skin of her thighs with one of your hands. Fluttering your fingers against her bare skin, you begin to try and tickle the girl. Flare's body spazzes and jerks behind you as she tries to control her involuntary laughter.
She removes her hand from your head and tries to grab your wrist, but your own frantic movements keep her from gaining a firm grip. Your struggle for dominance rages on, you have just about freed your legs from her own with your desperate tickle tactic, until Flare makes a desperate move of her own that stops you both in your tracks.
Flare's body suddenly shifts downward in an attempt to get her close enough to stop your hand completely, but in doing so, your fingers have now found their way under the frills of her skirt and begin to graze her inner thigh. As if that was not enough to put the entire exchange on ice, in a frantic attempt to grab ahold of your wrist, the half-elf's hand reaches and runs along something she had not been aiming for.
It was like being struck by lightning. A gentle accidental touch against your crotch was enough to stun you completely. Both your respective hands instantly retreat to your fronts and you cooperatively untangle yourselves and sit with your backs turned to one another. You don't think you've ever seen Flare's face that shade of red before…it was kinda cute.
"Sooo…" Flare breaks the silence. "Did you sleep okay? Any nightmares?"
"A tiny one." you answer as you slowly regain your composure. "But it didn't last too long, and it didn't wake me up either…thanks for your help Flare."
"What happened? If you're alright to talk about it that is. I think it would be a good idea to start getting into the habit of it."
"Well…almost as expected, Koyori showed up again, fully visible. She spouted more nonsense about how we are connected now. Which if I'm being honest, scares the hell out of me still." you begin, finding this retelling significantly easier than the previous night's.
"Anyone would be scared of that. I mean have you seen how that girl gets? She's completely unhinged no matter how you slice it." Flare adds, clearly trying to get you in a better mood.
"You don't know the half of it." you let yourself chuckle. "But there I was, having another breakdown, but then I suddenly remembered something, or rather, a voice reminded me that I didn't have to confront her alone. And just like that, you appeared."
"I suppose I should be honored to make a guest appearance in on of your dreams." Flare says playfully. "How did I look? Was I in shining armor or anything?"
"No. No armor, but you were shining a little bit. I'm not really sure why myself, maybe just for dramatics. Anyways. You stood up for me, and reminded me that you'll always have my back. That kinda gave me the courage to take back control of my dream, and just like that, I made Koyori disappear." you end with a satisfied smile.
"Glad to hear your dream version of me is just like how I actually am." the half-elf says proudly. "So, do you think she's gone for good?"
You shake your head. "Likely not, but now I might be able to actually fight her off when she does show up. If it's alright though…could we sleep like we did, again tonight?"
"S-Sure Anon…you were actually a pretty good body pillow." Flare says with a faint tint of orange in her cheeks.
"Well that's a compliment I never expected to get in my life." you say standing up and giving your body a morning stretch. "But I'll take it! Let's pack up and get going. We still got a whole lot of mountain to climb."
After a quick clean up of your little camp as you both ate a breakfast of bread and berries, the ascent begins again. Flare walks with a spring in her step like you've never seen before up the slowly spiraling mountain path.
"My legs feel so limber! The rest of this is gonna be a breeze~" she chirps.
"Must be nice…" you mumble under your breath. You had almost forgotten that Flare's legs muscles had received very generous treatment from you, while your legs were left untouched.
While your legs burn like there's no tomorrow, you distract yourself by talking with Flare about what you think the first two trials meant in regards to using wind magic. You both had a mind to take a break and see if either of you could make a functioning wind spell, but you agreed to wait until you were at the top. Polka would probably never let you hear the end of it if you both decided to have a magic practicing session after you told her you wouldn't while on this climb. The fennec has a keen; almost otherworldly sense for knowing when either of you were up to something, so best not to put that to the test. Not to mention, Undine would undoubtedly know if you started to use your own mana like that…you wonder what she's been up to without you.
"Anon? You're slowing down again. What are you thinking about?" Flare calls as she looks over her shoulder to you.
"Oh! N-Nothing!" you assure her as you try to catch up.
"Well come on! It's almost noon and we haven't seen the third trial yet. Today's the day, I can just feel it! I'll be able to use a wind spell, and then you'll owe me a favor!"
"What makes you think I won't be able to cast it first?" you argue, the half-elf's presumptuous attitude fueling your legs to move with more vigor.
"Because I can feel that I'm going to win." Flare grins. "Simple as that."
"I'll look forward to what exactly you'll be feeling when I end up the winner. Victory is going to taste especially sweet after your boasting."
"The only thing you're going to taste is a hearty helping of my first wind spell. I'll try to keep it small enough so it doesn't blow you off the mountain. Thankfully it will be almost impossible to miss that big mouth of yours."
The two of you go back and forth with playful insults and taunting for the next few hours. Through narrowing cliff edges, and scaling walls, you keep your banter going as the rite of ascension tries to challenge you both.
Almost your entire life was spent not being seen as anyone's equal. You were always a student or a child to be cared for by your dad and uncle, and no one from the village ever saw you as capable of doing anything worthwhile. With Flare, you finally know how it feels to be viewed as someone to beat. Sure, she talks tough sometimes, but you've practiced enough together to see that she is trying her hardest to stay ahead of you. While you long to finally be her better, the fact she tries so hard to prevent you from doing so, makes your heart swell with pride and belonging.
The afternoon sun beats down on your both as the hours of traversing the mountain begin to take their toll. You've barely stopped except for a few short rests here and there to catch your breath, but there has still been no sign of the third trial. You crane your head to look towards the peak and can see enough to tell that even at a slower pace, you should arrive by nightfall.
You are suddenly stopped by Flare's hand against your chest, to bring your attention back to what's in front of you, or rather, what isn't in front of you.
The pathway you walk on abruptly ends, as a deep ravine separates you from the incline on the other side.
"Did we somehow miss a turn or something?" you scratch the back of your head.
"No. The path we've been on has been the only way up. If there was an alternate route, I would have seen it."
"What if that's part of the trial? Finding a secret way up the mountain? The first trial was kinda similar to that." you offer, but somehow you know that isn't quite right.
"Unless they somehow are able to put secret doors into the mountain itself for us to find, I doubt it. Almost everything about this rite of ascension is supposed to be doable by a normal tribesperson. I don't think anything that complicated would be involved." Flare says, as she ponders deeply about your situation.
"Nothing looks broken around here. There's no sign that there used to be a bridge or anything." you add as you inspect the edge more closely. "That drop doesn't look too pleasant either."
"This doesn't make any sense." Flare groans in frustration. "Why would the only path up just…stop like this?"
You decide to look through the pack of supplies the Talonclaw gave you, maybe there is some sort of clue left in there. Unfortunately, all you find is your sleeping blanket, more food, a couple of bandages, and…wooden wind chimes?
The smoothly carved cylinders roll between your fingers as you try to understand their purpose for being in your sack of supplies. Could they actually have something to do with the third trial?
While you ponder any possible clues from the previous two trials that could somehow solve your current problem, you spot a lonely branch that barely stretches over the ravine from a tree that grows along the edge. You're not really sure why, but you decide to hang your wind chimes from this branch. The stringed together instrument of nature just looks right tied around the sturdy arm of the tree.
"Are you done decorating?" Flare asks playfully.
"As a matter of fact, I'm not. If you got chimes in your bag too, give 'em here." you faux demand.
Flare giggles at your response to her teasing, and happily gives you an identical set of carved chimes from her own bag. You carefully hang the second set a few feet apart from your own along the tree branch. Satisfied with your own placement, you give both strings of chimes a gentle brush from your finger to initiate their musical tunes.
It's a very simple, but very pleasing rattling of hollowed wood that emits from the grouped cylinders. You take a second to look over the ravine again, the ledge on the other side was still as far away as ever, but the picture was at least a little nicer with the background noise to go with it.
"Come on. Anon. Let's do a quick double check of the path behind us. Maybe we missed something after all." Flare calls to break you out of sight seeing.
The two of you retrace your steps, turning over every rock in hopes of finding something you overlooked before. A faint rumbling then reaches your ears as well as under your feet. Flare quickly turns you to the source of the noise, and your eyes are met with a large boulder, rolling and hopping down the mountain toward you both.
Taking Flare by the wrist, you begin to run back in the direction of the ravine. You don't look back, and a few seconds later, you hear a hard crash against the hard mountain surface. A powerful gust of wind whizzes past your ears, causing you and Flare to turn your heads back and see something mind boggling.
The boulder had not found its way off the cliff like it should have, instead, the wind that just blew past you was holding the boulder in place as it spins like a top.
The two of you don't know how to process what you're seeing. How? Why? This should not even be possible naturally. Before either of you can verbalize these thoughts, the rock begins to start rolling towards the two of you.
Still holding onto your friend firmly, you both race to escape the approaching stone. It continues to get closer and closer, as it easily manages to make the narrow turns that no free rolling boulder should be able to do. Panic begins to set in, as the cliff of the ravine starts to come back into view.
You two skid to a halt before the edge, as you take out your spell book. There can't be anything normal about this. That boulder was chasing you with the help of the wind. Normal tribespeople can't be expected to deal with something like that.
"Blast it, Anon!" Flare yells as she begins forming a spell of pure mana in her hands.
"Right! This should reduce that pebble to pieces! Stellar!"
In unison, your blast of starlight travels alongside Flare's own spell of pure golden mana toward the accelerating boulder. Your spells hit it dead on! But what you watch happen next seems almost too hard to believe. The wind that carried the rock on its journey, was now shielding it from your spells. The blasts of light dispersed to the sides, leaving the boulder completely untouched.
As Flare looks on stunned at the phenomena, you decide to fuel your spell book for one more try,
"Stellaruga!" you shout as the spiraling beam of starlight fires forth from your palm.
Again, your attempt to stop the approaching stone mass is thwarted by the wind again. Defeated, you place your spell book back into its straps, and try to quickly think of your options. You turn to look at the ravine a couple feet in front of you. There is no possible way to make a jump like that…but what other choice is there? The path is way too narrow now to try and get around the boulder, and whatever force is in charge around here, seems bent on the two of you going straight along the path as you were meant to.
A surge of movement catches the corner of your eyes as you look at the wind chimes you had hung earlier. They swayed to and fro, playing their simple hollow tune. That's strange, you don't really feel the wind around you. How are the chimes being moved? You try to set your focus around them, listening for anything at all, and then, another melody reaches your ears, from a very familiar voice.
Your eyes shoot open as you recognize the harmony being carried along the wind to be Watame's! Was she possibly singing from the bottom of the mountain? How is it even possible for you to hear her? You can worry about that later. The musical notes in your head are causing a powerful feeling to swell up inside you. You can feel an almost, liberating feeling through your limbs, as if they suddenly weighed nothing. You have felt similarly thanks to magic before, but this was different. Everything was starting to become more clear, the chimes, the wind, Watame. They're all trying to tell you that THIS is the only path forward. That fluffy sheep…somehow even miles below you, finds a way to give you hope and make you feel your best.
You take Flare's hand in yours as she looks into your eyes. You can tell she had heard Watame's song as well, the fear in her eyes was gone, but there is still a speck of uncertainty you need to squash first.
"Do you trust me Flare? I know exactly what we need to do."
"You're not actually thinking of…" she starts as she looks down in the ravine, and then back to the boulder fastly approaching.
"We gotta make the jump. I can't do it without you though. Are you with me?" you say, not taking your eyes off the half-elf.
"I've come this far by jumping into the unknown with a boy who came with nothing but a fantastical story to tell…" Flare says back with a smile. "Everything I know tells me this should be impossible…but with you…when we're together, I feel like nothing can ever stand in our way!. I trust you Anon! If we're gonna jump, let's do it together!"
Not needing to say anything more, you give Flare's slender hand a firm, but caring squeeze within yours. The two of you take a few steps backward, and with a running start, you leap as far as both your legs will carry you toward the other side of the ravine.
You keep your head forward toward the ledge you so desperately want to reach, you hear the rolling boulder fall off the ledge behind you. Your flight forward eventually ends about halfway across the gap, and you start to see the ledge on the other side fall upward.
This isn't the end. You know deep down, somewhere, somehow, you'll make it.
As if responding to your faith, something begins to push you upwards from under your feet. At first it feels like a very slight prod, like stepping on a small dirt mound. Then suddenly, a gale of wind surges from below. You and Flare watch the ravine slowly move as you both fly along the wind's current. The unsure and panicked screams that came from the impending fall, are now replaced with screams of glee and excitement.
You thought you had some idea of what it really feels like to fly from when you would use the waters to propel yourself during your spirit resonance, but this, this is something completely different. You feel weightless, exhilarated…free. Your heart flutters like the winds and you can't seem to stop yourself from smiling, you even want to laugh because of the joy flight makes you feel.
This revelation causes something to spark within you, your free hand tingles with mana that feels unknown, but also familiar to you. This was it! The thing you were missing all this time! Like with water, you had to figure out how exactly wind makes you feel. It wasn't just about what the wind does for the world, but also about what it does for you.
With pedaling feet, you and Flare are brought up to the mountain path's surface on the other side of the ravine. With another gentle nudge from the wind, you both softly touch back down onto solid ground. Your heart is still racing, but you feel so alive. Flare pants with one of the most wonderful smiles you've ever seen on her. She looks so carefree, it makes your heart beat even faster.
"Can you actually believe that just happened!?" Flare exclaims. "We were nowhere near making that jump, and then, we were flying! It was like every time my feet moved, I was pressing against the wind as if it was as solid as the ground!"
"I can barely believe it myself!" you reply between breaths. "I believed we would make it somehow, but I never thought we would actually make it across like that! It felt amazing! And you know what else!?"
"I think I figured out how to make wind mana!" you both say to each other in unison.
The simultaneous declaration puts a look of surprise on both your faces. You search each other's expressions, you can tell Flare is trying to find some tell that you are bluffing, since you are doing exactly the same thing to her. The look in her eyes tells you that she may very well have found her own answer. Also in sync, you both look down to your hands that are locked with each other. Even Flare will need both her hands to make a spell that is completely new to her work…and she probably knows the same of you.
"Well." Flare starts. "How about we find out who is actually correct once we reach the top?"
"Sure." you say plainly. "I'm not letting go of your hand though. I don't want you sneaking in any practice along the way."
"I wasn't going to let go of yours either." Flare says back snarkily, but you can see the very faint tint in her cheeks fight its way to the surface.
Hands gripped tightly together, you both begin to walk up the slowly inclining mountain path. With the summit within view, the rest of the climb is joyfully easier, and uneventful. When you first started this rite of ascension, you assumed the air would get thinner, and it would be harder to breathe the higher up you went. Getting fresh air into your lungs even at this height is surprisingly easy, but with everything else you experienced so far on this mountain, should you really have expected otherwise?
The rest of the ascent is spent in comfortable silence. Your body should be ready to collapse, but the feeling of Flare's hand in yours, and her close presence gives you the charge you need to keep going without complaint. As you walk, you begin to try and envision what your first wind spell will create. You want to be as prepared as you can to cast it as quickly as you can. If Flare truly unlocked the secret to wind magic herself, every fraction of a second would count if you have any hopes of winning your wager. You also want to make sure you don't lose hold of the feeling that made what you are pretty sure to be wind mana.
A small hill is all that stands between you both and the summit. Your feet stop for a moment to let yourselves prepare for the end of this hard journey. Would you find something at the plateau? Or someone? Your mind unwillingly traces back to your dream the night before. Everything logical tells you that there is no way the beginning of that dream could become a reality, but then again, what about Koyori was logical?
Flare seems to notice you hesitating and gives you an assuring squeeze of your hand as smiles at you. The reminder that she's here with you helps to steady yourself. You can't let the fear of what MIGHT be waiting hold you back from all the wondrous things you want to see.
You step forward together and are in awe of the sight you behold. A completely flat plateau that shines with a brilliant orange in front of the setting sun. The scene is so breathtaking, you let go of Flare's hand and walk yourself further so that you can truly take in all you can see.
From here you can see so much. The plains down below, the forest of Bjornholm, even the mountain that houses Uisce's shrine. There's so much else you don't even recognize yet. Further to the east, you see the tops of a lush green forest. Maybe it was just how pretty it looks in the twilight, but something about it keeps your attention, almost like it was calling out to you.
A gentle breeze begins to blow through your hair which brings you back to reality. Your body tenses up as you remember you're still in a competition! It was finally time to put all you learned on this climb into practice.
Wind is so many things. It's a gentle guide, a harsh obstacle that cannot be overcome by any singular being, an unseen supportive force, but also, it was freedom.
Freedom to go wherever your heart desires, to travel without boundaries. That is something you value greatly.
Bringing your mana to the surface, you focus on all the things that paint the perfect picture of what wind is to you. A soft light green glow begins to take form within your two hands. Now that you have the mana, you need to form an actual spell with it.
Something simple, something you know. You focus your thoughts again, thinking of a light force to push back opposition. You also need something to blow the wind right out of a certain half-elf's smug sails! A wind to propel you to even greater heights as a summoner! Now show everyone that there's no border or boundary that will stop you!
"Hey Flare! Check this out!" you call as you turn to your friend with your hand extended forward.
As you unleash a gentle burst of wind from your hand, you spot Flare poised toward you, her hand open in an identical way. A flash of mana erupts from you both instantaneously, as gusts of wind collide with one another. The one you had created is easily overtaken by Flare's, and her wind breaks through and knocks you over onto your butt.
You both stare at each other stunned.
"W-We did it…" you say first, still amazed how the spell actually left your hand, as you marvel at the lingering feeling.
"Yeah…at the same time too…" Flare says, still shocked. "How did you…"
"Weren't expecting me to actually brew a spell as fast as you huh?!" you say with pride from your seat on the plateau.
"But mine still literally blew yours away." Flare recovers, her own cocky smile coming back to her face.
"But the bet wasn't for who would make a stronger one first. Just any spell at all…so what happens now?" you ask, genuinely unsure where this leaves your wager.
"It's a tie, I guess." Flare remarks as she walks over and helps you to your feet.
"A tie? I tied? With you?" Pointing a finger at yourself and then at the half-elf. Flare gives you a hearty nod along with a proud smile.
"This is amazing, Flare!" you exclaim as you bring her in for a tight hug. "I actually learned something new in the same time it took you! Thank you so much for helping me get this far! Now we both can do wind spells! Your magic is gonna get even cooler and I'm gonna be able to make a pact with the wind spirit when I find her!"
Your excitement begins to overtake you, as you swing Flare from side to side while she is locked in your arms. When you felt like you have shown your gratitude enough, you let a slightly dazed and blushing Flare go, and take her hand back to the spot where you saw the forest that called to you.
"Look over there Flare! Look at all we can see from here! We can even see all the way back to Bjornholm from here! Uisce is gonna be so proud when she hears we can do wind magic now! And over here, that big bushy forest. I want to go there next." you begin to rattle on uncontrollably as you guide your friend's gaze to each point of interest.
"Why there, specifically?" Flare asks when she feels she can finally get a word in.
"Just a feeling." you answer matter of factly. "The more I look over at it, the more I feel something from it. I can't really explain it."
"Well if that's what you want, as long as the others don't have any other priorities, that's fine with me."
"Thanks Flare! You're the best!" you say with a wide smile. "The view from the top was definitely worth it, wouldn't you say?"
"I don't think we could have timed it better either. Seeing all this with the sunset…I don't think I could ever forget it." Flare says with a gentle satisfaction.
"Just wait till the stars come out. It's way too late to start back down again, so we might as well take the opportunity to sleep as close to the stars as we can get."
"Were you this into stars BEFORE you discovered that spell book of yours? Or do you feel like you have to keep a theme for appearances?" Flare jests.
"If you must know, I always liked looking up at them. They looked particularly bright above the ocean where I grew up…plus…they were probably some of the closest things I could call friends. Kinda silly right?"
"Not at all." Flare shakes her head. "Did you ever make wishes on them? Noel used to tell me you could do that on particularly bright nights…and maybe your wish would come true."
"Yeah. I actually made wishes a lot." you say somberly.
"Me too…" Flare admits, her gaze dropping to the landscape below. "Did any of yours ever come true?"
"Not at first." your smile leaving your face as you remember all those lonely years, the seemingly endless prejudice the villagers had toward you. Your smile then returns as quickly as it left when you continue to answer Flare's inquiry.
"It took a while, but I think the wishes that mattered most came true. What about you?"
"I think that's the best way for me to put it too!" the half-elf chirps.
The bond you feel with Flare is irreplaceable for sure. Someone who faced a similar loneliness as you, someone who understands what it's like to just want to be seen as a person, someone who looked up at the same stars as you and just wished for acceptance. As long as you breathe, she would never have to feel that way ever again.
While there is still fleeting light, you tear yourself from basking in the view of the overlook and begin to set up camp for the night.
Another campfire that previous climbers have no doubt used before is set up for the most part already. It only takes a gentle reposition of a few logs and a fresh rekindling to get the fire roaring. After laying out the sleeping blanket, you dig out the night's dinner provisions and the two of you begin to eat as you share the rolled out blanket to sit on.
As you eat, the two of you begin to do some very light magic practice. You only promised your friends you wouldn't practice on the climb up after all. At one point you tease Flare for how much force she put into that first spell that knocked you over. She tried to play it off that it was the weakest she could make it, but you know she has far too much control over her own mana for that to be true.
Soon enough, the stars and moon begin to light the sky with their brilliance. The night sky over the land from the mountain top is just as beautiful as you hoped it would be. From here, you can see more stars than ever. From this height, they really look almost close enough to touch.
"I almost can't believe we did it." you say quietly to Flare who stands next to you. "This could be one of the biggest climbs in the world for all we know, and we made it to the very top."
"It is pretty amazing huh? We did it all by working together and trusting each other. Just another typical day for us then, right?" Flare giggles.
"More than just a typical day for me." you begin. "Flare, you helped me so much through this. Not just with the climb itself you know, but with a lot of other stuff…magic, Koyori, even just…me. Elder Ruumal said things would become clear at the top, well one thing definitely became clear to me, right now. Just like these stars, I want to be someone people can look to for hope and comfort. A shining spark of hope when things seem dark. From here, looking out at those very stars, I KNOW I can be that person, for you, for Watame, for everyone."
As the words of your resolution leave your lips, you feel something deep inside swell like a cresting wave. The spell book at your hip starts to shine with an almost blinding light against the night sky. You and Flare look down in anticipation, you have a pretty good idea of what this could mean.
Flipping through the book's pages, you find what you had felt to be true, the seventh spell! You can hardly believe that a new one appeared so naturally. After your battle with Koyori, you weren't sure what to think anymore. Part of you even thought that your defeat at her hands put your growth on ice.
"What are you waiting for, Anon?" Flare asks. "Read the new spell!"
"R-Right! Let's see…" you begin as you step a few feet away from Flare. You can never be sure exactly WHAT these new spells will produce after all. With a deep breath and focus of your inner strength, you begin to read.
"The seventh spell, Stellberna Ma Stellar."
Second nature begins to take control of your body as your free hand extends, palm open towards the clear night sky. Light begins to shine up to your wrist as a gentle beam of light, whose point is the shape of a multi-pronged star, flies forward into the air. A single, solid shining star hangs in the air, and in a flash, one more appears next to it, then two more, then four more. You count sixteen stars created by your own spell floating high above you.
As you marvel at your creation, you notice the constant strain from your spell book that keeps the spell active. The stellaruke spell is not very taxing at all to keep active, but this spell is somehow so very different. Looking at each star, you feel as if your brain is being tugged in multiple directions. It was as if when you focus on a particular star, the book is yearning for a new command. You try to focus on one of the stars to try such a command, but the split you feel mentally is too great.
With heavy breaths, you let the spell fade and hold your hand to your head. It takes a lot to not fall to your knees. What kind of spell is this?
"Anon!" Flare gasps as she fading stars bring her attention back to you. "What happened? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine…just need a sec to catch my breath." you pant. "This spell is unlike all the others, Flare. I'm not sure how I can hope to use it though. It felt like my head was going to split open for a second there."
"Let me see." Flare says as she takes the spell book from you. "I'm going to cast the spell for you this time. If the strain is too much, let me know and I'll cancel the spell, okay?"
You nod in agreement and steady yourself to try again. After Flare casts the spell, the sky above you is filled with the same sixteen shining stars. Your mind feels…just fine. You can focus on each individual star in your mind, and feel a sort of connection to them. The book's connection to you is still as strong as ever too, but it's not demanding anything of you it seems. Flare gives you a confident look to indicate she is alright as well. Focusing your thoughts on the star directly ahead of you, you nod to Flare to give something you can feel she is itching to try.
"Roll." Flare softly says.
The star you had been focusing on, begins to spin and float itself to the empty space a couple feet away from it where it then stops. That is exactly where you had thought about it going as well…You wonder if you can move two stars at the same time.
"Connect." Flare then says.
A bright silver-white ray of light stretches from one of the stars you had been focusing on, to the other, creating a tether between them both.
"Unreal…" you mutter. "But what can this spell really do?"
"I don't know…but it's beautiful." Flare says softly.
"Flare, I want to see that one up close." you say, pointing to one of the lone stars. Flare nods and utters the command to have the star roll itself to a mere foot in front of your face.
You give it a soft touch with your finger, and like you thought, it was incredibly solid. It is also warm against your fingertips, you really had the potential to make something like this? You gesture for Flare to closely examine what the two of you had created, and she feels a similar comfort from its radiance.
While the light show is nice, you can't help but be preoccupied with what the spell's true purpose is. Everything so far indicates that the book is made to help you in battles, to help protect yourself and your friends. It doesn't sound right to assume that this is just a spell meant to be pretty, especially when the strain of using it on your own was so massive.
"I can see that brain of yours working~" Flare teases as she closes the book and lets the spell fade away. "I'm not sure we can figure out just what this spell is meant for yet. Maybe it has something to do with actual celestial magic?"
"Celestial magic?" you ask.
"That's the official term for magic that uses the elements of the cosmos, for you, that's starlight. I've only read about it in the books back home, and even then, there was barely any information on them. The fact you can even make mana coats of starlight is a rare feat in itself."
"Really? I guess I never thought anything of it…now that you mention it though. I guess this spell feels almost like a first step. Maybe the closer I get to the stars, and what they mean to me, its true power will be revealed." you say, as you begin to recollect the second part of last night's dream. Could that strange space woman have something to do with this?
"Maybe you're right. Either way, we'll just have to keep practicing with it anyway. Who knows when it might come in handy. You'll want to make sure Polka and Watame get a feel for how the spell works too. I can't always be the one to cast your spells for you, ya know?" Flare says as she begins to walk back towards the campfire.
"You got a good point there." you reply as you follow her. "What do you think they've been up to without us?"
"Probably trouble." Flare snickers. "Polka, Watame, and Nene together are probably too much energy for the Talonclaw to handle on their own. I wouldn't be surprised if they end up being a bad influence on Undine while you've been away."
"Oh like you're so much better." you chuckle. "If anything, Polka and Watame have been learning from you."
"I have been nothing but the perfect role model since we met." Flare huffs.
"Let's see, the endless teasing, breaking truces in under a day, and threatening to freeze my arms over…and that was just in the past few days alone. You're an exceptional role model alright."
"Oh shush, you know you like most of it anyway…" the half-elf pouts as she sits on the rolled out blanket.
"The thing with the ice was kinda funny. The fact that a truce with you only lasts for the day…is concerning." you say taking a seat next to her. "You really gotta include that in the initial agreement so I know what I'm getting into."
"Or maybe you should behave in a way that won't lead to us needing truces in the first place."
"That doesn't sound too fun." you smile.
"Speaking of not fun. How are we expected to get down? Going down the way we came seems like a drag, and I'm not really sure if that jump we did will work both ways…" Flare brings up.
"No idea." you shrug. "I say we worry about it in the morning. I'm beat, and just wanna enjoy a night under the stars."
"I guess you're right. Well, since we got the place to ourselves and nowhere to go…would you mind giving me another massage?" Flare asks brazenly.
"After we already made it to the top? I don't know, Flare. I thought I was only halfway decent. Not like you need someone like that giving you a massage when the hard part of our climb is already done." you tease.
"You know, I could just force you to by using that free favor I won." the half-elf smiles smugly.
"What do you mean the favor you 'won'? It was a tie. You said it yourself."
"Yeah, it was a draw, which means we both win, or we both lose. So I decided we both won. That way we both have a favor we can ask the other person. Great, right?!" Flare chirps, so sure of her own logic.
"You've just had something you've been DYING to make me do haven't you? That's why you made this bet to begin with!" you say giving a playful shove to Flare's shoulder.
"Maybe~" the half elf purrs. "And if I recall, YOU were the one who made a bet in the first place. I just made the stakes actually worth playing for. I don't know why you're complaining, Anon. You get to ask something of me too."
"And you're the one who has clearly given a lot of thought to what to ask for…which is the part that worries me." you pout.
"Oh please, Anon. Do you really take me for someone so devious? You don't even know what I plan to ask you for yet. What if it's something really fun?" Flare mocks with a fake pout.
"Tell you what. If it's something I actually enjoy, you can even have TWO favors. But good luck, I know how that head of yours works enough by now to tell it will be an absolutely nerve wracking experience."
"Ooo confident that I only like watching you squirm huh?" Flare coos, the curve in her lips growing more mischievous by the second. "Should I just be merciful and cash in on that favor now? Or should I hold onto it? Make you continuously think about what I might have planned."
"Oh just get it over with!" you concede, crossing your arms. "You know I already have one mental torturer…I don't need another."
"If you say so~ Now remember, this is a no questions asked favor. So any questions or second thoughts you have, just turn them off for once. Got it?"
"Yeah yeah. I got it. Are you sure you didn't want an audience though? More people to snicker at my embarrassment?"
"What I had in mind…is best with just the two of us…" Flare almost whispers, her cocky attitude almost completely diminished.
This causes you to turn and raise an eyebrow at the half-elf. What could she possibly ask of you when it's just the two of you? Atop a starlit mountain…in the dark…as she's looking at you with an almost bashful expression…oh….ohhhh!
Your heart immediately jumps at the conclusion you have just drawn, but at the same time, you try to remain cautious. Flare is certainly not above making you think about such things to only tease you for doing so.
"So what is it?" you manage to push the words out through the butterflies that are in the middle of a frenzy in your stomach.
"Just…something I've been wanting to try for a while now." Flare softly answers as she takes each one of your cheeks in her shaky hands, and turns your head to her.
Between the moonlight, the firelight, and just her in general, Flare is simply stunning, and redder than she's ever been before. Her eyes dart back and forth between you and the fire. She seems to try and focus on your face, but can't seem to do so for more than a few seconds. The girl is actually nervous beyond all measure. This somehow washes away your own nervousness, now you can finally get her back for all that teasing.
"Well? I'm waiting." you say with an air of impatience. "Or was holding my face all you really wanted? I gotta say, I expected something a little more…intense from you, Flare."
"I-I'm just getting ready!" Flare spurts. "Besides! This is something you're doing for ME! How do you know I'm not the one waiting for YOU?"
That familiar false bravado. Where confidence ends and insecurity begins, you can't quite tell. Either way, this is fun, you'll have to milk this for all it's worth.
"Well I'd be happy to, Flare. A bet is a bet after all. Although, I haven't the slightest clue what you mean for me to do. I mean, here we are on a moonlit night under the stars, your hands on my face, and I can't begin to guess what you actually want. It all could be an elaborate ruse after all, kinda like what you said my future bride would do just to get to Undine. That ring any bells?"
Flare's fingers tighten around your cheeks. Her hands that shook with nerves now vibrated with something a little more…confident. Your own teasing has seemed to get a rise out of her, even if she's trying her best not to show it. You can push this just a little further.
"Not to mention, if I did something without you saying anything. How can I know that you just won't claim it wasn't the favor you were going to ask for? I think these favors we ask each other should be very clear don't you thi-"
Through sheer force of will, Flare leans forward and connects her lips with yours to silence you. Your eyes widen, seeing a close up of the half-elf's face against yours, those brilliant eyes of hers closed for the act. You follow suit and do the same, enjoying the electrifying moment that her soft lips have created.
She pulls away slightly, the surface of both your mouths giving mild resistance, as if they did not want it to end either.
You open your eyes slowly to be met with Flare's gazing back at you with a mix of affection, nervousness, and even pride.
"So…that was a kiss." she says after a moment.
"Uh huh." you say back almost drunkenly, before coming to a sudden realization. "Wait. You've never kissed anyone before? I mean, I haven't either, but you're, you're so beautiful. How? Why?"
"Turns out boys would rather not get involved with a half-elf…a foreigner in their own lands." Flare answers almost scornfully. "Pointy-eared, darkie…freak. I've heard it all. I learned early on that the boys that lived in the capital wanted nothing to do with me. Any that were halfway nice to me were only doing it to get to Noel anyway. Not that she gave them the time of day either."
That made your heart sink. You had your own experience with rejection before when you became a teenager. For you it made more sense, you weren't exactly amazing looking or brimming with confidence, and on top of being a supposed cursed child from the sea, the girls from the village wanted to be nowhere near you. Flare was different though, she was so kind and fun, not to mention alluring in her own ways. How could no one want to get closer to her?
"They were idiots!" you say as you grab hold of Flare's bare shoulders, which causes her to look back at you in surprise. "Any guy you would let kiss you should consider themselves blessed by the gods. If they can't see how simply amazing you are Flare, then they're just hopeless chumps with rocks for brains!"
As your own courage and passion rise higher and higher, Flare's own emotions look to be swirling in her head. The pain of remembering her lonely and unjust past mixes with the shock and gratitude caused by your words in her eyes as they begin to tear ever so slightly. You need to continue, you need to let this wonderful half-elf who you care for so deeply know how great she really is.
"And you know what else? I LOVE how your ears look." you say resolute, and knowing how much actions speak louder than words, you pull yourself close and land your lips upon Flare's.
A small gasp muffles from the half-elf's closed lips as they press against yours. Her arms tremble and tense under your hands, you loosen your grip on her shoulders and gently run your hands down her arms slightly. She lets out a small sigh into your mouth, it's a strange but also fulfilling feeling, having someone else's breath intertwine with your own. You let yourself stay connected for another moment, savoring the soft feeling of her lips as jolts of electricity dance across your nerves.
Breaking the kiss, you pull yourself back and look at Flare, her half hooded eyes look at you with a deep longing. The way she looks right now, and the way the touch of her lips made you feel, awakens something within you. You need more.
Before you let yourself act on your urges, you notice Flare stare you down intensely. Something blazes in her own eyes now as she looks you up and down, seemingly to burn the picture into her memory. As if she can somehow feel there is even something to beat you to the punch on, she lunges forward into you, arms wrapping around your neck that pull her into your for an even deeper kiss.
Your own hands begin to caress and explore the length of her back as the two of you try to assert yourselves as the dominant kisser in this game you've made for yourselves. As your own pecks begin to overpower the half-elf, she changes strategies. With a slight adjustment of her neck, Flare lands her lips right on your own, as she begins to plant kiss after kiss.
The sudden change in sensations is jarring, but not all too unpleasant. After a slight giggle from you, Flare takes that as a sign to double her efforts and try something more daring. Between kisses, she begins to suckle gently on your bare skin. Each separation from her mouth ended with an audible plop. She may regret showing you this trick.
You go on the offensive and repeat the actions Flare has just enacted on you, earning quite the moan from the half-elf as your mouth collides with her bare neck. You both take turns assaulting the other with your lips, the game growing more fun and exciting by the second. Soon, your gazes meet each other again head on.
Your lips meet again, and the passionate wrestle between the two of you rages on for an unknown amount of time. You feel so satisfied, so warm, and so wanted in Flare's embrace.
The need for breath and rest for your weary bodies soon comes to the forefront, urging you both let yourselves part from each other. You sit in front of the cozy campfire with one arm around Flare's shoulder to hold her close to you, as you bask in the satisfying afterglow of what you two just experienced together.
"You really meant that? About my ears?" Flare asks shyly as she moves a lock of hair back behind one of them.
"Was the kiss I just planted on the girl who wears them not proof enough for ya?" you ask snarkily. "I think you're beautiful, Flare. Everything about you from head to toe. Don't let anyone ever tell you that you're anything but."
"When did you become such a romantic, Anon?" Flare teases.
"Just comes naturally I guess."
"Oh please. Well if you're such a Mr. Romance, that just means I won't have to use my next favor on anything similar in the future. I can save that for something really fun." Flare snorts.
"What do you mean your next favor? That first kiss was the one right?"
"Maybe it was the first, maybe it was also the second, or the third, or the fourth. Maybe it was that thing you did to my neck earlier~ I think I especially liked that." Flare retorts, her usual cockyness returning to her tone.
The replaying of the acts in your mind makes you go red slightly.
"I was just caught up in the moment…that was all completely new to me by the way!" you try to save face.
"But the enjoyment on your face was as clear as day. Which means, I get another free favor~" Flare chirps. "You were so damn sure you were going to hate what I had planned. I bet you feel silly now huh?"
"Okay so you get one more. ONE. More." you hold up your index finger to demonstrate the point. "But remember, I still have one I haven't used yet, so if you try to use yours on something embarrassing for me, I'll get you back with one that's ten times worse."
"Anon, you should know threats have never stopped me before. Especially when it comes to you." Flare says playfully.
"Yeah…but I can still try. Now that I've officially tied with you in something, who knows how else I might surprise you." you grin. "Maybe you have no idea what I'm truly capable of."
"If I don't, you sure as hell don't either." Flare laughs.
"Okay you got me there." you laugh with her. "Should we get some shut eye? Might be a big day for us tomorrow."
"Sure, Anon. Same setup as last night?"
"I was hoping you'd ask."
With tired bodies and content souls, you and Flare snuggle together under one of the blankets. The clear skyline that is littered with the gleaming lights of the stars creates an even deeper sense of comfort as Flare wraps her arms around your chest. This trip yielded so many rewards. You learned how to cast wind magic, a new spell from your book, and you even made a crucial step in overcoming the hold that Koyori has on you. Even more important than that, was your bond to Flare. You two have grown even closer through these trials, and you finally have become her equal in at least ONE school of magic, at least for now. Oh, and your first kiss on the lips. While in the grand scheme of things it is easily not the most important thing you've accomplished today, but for now, it's at the very top.