Zenrin drew open the door with a feverish haste, coming nearly face-to-face with a smiling Veyha. Her smile was genuine, a large grin that touched her eyes, emerald-like eyes that glittered in the midday sun. They suited her; the dazzling colors blended well with her sharp features and her flowing waves of sunburnt hair that cascaded over her shoulders and down her back. Her silk shirts, much like his mother's dresses, were an oddity in a town that lends itself towards cotton, but beautiful nonetheless; today she wore a light brown silk shirt whose sleeves were rolled to her shoulders, her trousers and boots contrasting completely, though that seemed to be her intent. She was beautiful.
Wandering thoughts faded as her kind voice took over, "I was wondering when you were going to come outside! First you sleep in and then you take even longer to get dressed? Did Grayheim overwork you for being late? Oh, that old man, I'll have his-"
"No-" Zenrin cut in, "Grayheim didn't overwork me. He didn't care that much at all, if I'm being honest." Zenrin let a laugh escape, but his thoughts weren't humorous. Grayheim was distracted. Worried, even.
"Ah, well, that's good! You must be rather well rested, then! Enough so to remember to return my umbrella, at least; I'll be taking that back now, thank you." The umbrella was pulled from his hands in one swift motion that made him wonder if he even held it to begin with. "Oh, the funniest thing happened after you left! So, you know how I told you I was going to force Marrow to share his umbrella with me?"
Zen nodded, "I do."
"Hah, well this big oaf-" she nudged the muscular boy with her elbow causing him to let out a huff, though his attention remained on his book, "-is more of a pushover than I thought. Hard to believe, I know, but not only did he share his umbrella, he also gave me his coat. I didn't even have to ask, hahah~"
The suddenly click of a book shiftly shutting stole Zenrin's attention, as did the scoff from the boy steal Veyha's, "I was just being a gentleman; what kind of man would I be if I let you go cold from the rain while I remained warm? Not a man at all, I'd say."
"Going on about the 'man' stuff again, Marrow?" Zen questioned, "Your dad rubs off on you more and more each day." The logger simply shrugged while Veyha stifled a laugh. They all smiled at one another.
Zenrin took a quick look at the midday sky, the sun hanging high in the air as rays of light beamed down upon the trio through sparsely spaced clouds. The day wasn't quite warm, though, the hint of autumn that caressed the land sending quick chills throughout the town. Zenrin suspected that another bout of rain wasn't far off and tightened his coat. When he felt the odd sphere press against his ribs through the cloth, he muttered to himself. Mythos, I need to see Ixus soon. Or Mjunik. Better yet, both. Shaking his head, he looked upon his two friends. Relax Zenrin, you're giving into fancies. Relax.
Zenrin took a sudden lead and quick gate, pushing forward with newfound confidence, if one could even call it that. Veyha was quick to bound up to his side with a small smile and Marrow, after a sigh and a shake of the head, resolved to tagging behind them by a few feet. The first minute or two was silent as they simply took in the slow shifting colors of the trees, the once green leaves starting to take on edges of brown and orange, gold and red. But silence didn't last long; Veyha was the kind of person who didn't seem to enjoy silence.
"Well, Zen, Grayheim may not have overworked you until you couldn't move your wrist anymore, but I doubt he didn't work you at all. And, Mythos, Grayheim would hardly ignore your lateness entirely. He had to have punished you somehow, Zen. Come on- spill you stubborn boy." Her smile and half-giggle made her words seem light.
He pondered for a moment, then answered, "He mostly just told me not to do it again- odd for Grayheim, I know, but I swear I'm being honest."
"Mmm... sure."
"Oh, come on, Vey! Mythos, I swear it."
She laughed lightly and he blushed. He swore he could feel Marrow staring at him, too. "If you swear it, I believe you. Tell me what you did do with Grayheim, then."
"He drew maps, Veyha," Marrow cut in, jokingly, "Like always."
Zen shook his head but retrieved his mostly finished map from his bag nonetheless. He heard Marrow chuckle, but Veyha was simply watching as if she hadn't heard the scruffier boy speak. "Well, I guess you're not entirely wrong, Marrow. I did a little work on the map." He unfolded the parchment before himself as they walked, noticing Marrow move up to his other side. Veyha pressed her finger to a finely lined portion of the trees and traced it.
"This part is beautiful, Zenrin. I didn't know you could draw such fine lines." Her words were genuine and knd, but Zen had to stifle a groan. She was tracing Grayheim's work. Mythos, he was right. My work is sloppy.
"Thank you, but it is Grayheim's hand which-"
"Lined it?" Marrow butt in again. Zenrin casted his eyes down, "Yeah, I thought so." The stronger boy nudged him a little harder than he intended and Zenrin grimaced. The logger threw up his hands, "Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to insult or hurt you. Really."
"I know, Marrow..." Zenrin rubbed the half-aching arm. "I know." He was surprised how quickly it stopped aching, too. Usually it would hurt for at least a quart-hour, but the pain was gone seconds after he removed his hands. He folded and shoved the map back away.
"If I can ask..." a honeycomb voice cooed softly, "where exactly are we going, Zenrin? I mean, I don't mind a walk through town as much as the next gal, but I'm sure you'd bore Marrow out of his mind. Mythos, with the way he sits around reading all day, you'd think his legs would've already given out!" Marrow's cheeks seemed to tint a soft pink, especially when Veyha noticed and giggled at him, but he didn't retort. Zenrin, at least, thought that was the best choice.
Where? Mythos, I should head to Ixus this moment, but- "As you both saw, my map is unfinished, and since Grayheim has taken the apparently liberty of leaving town," Zenrin took a sharp, deep breath, calming himself, "this is the only task he left behind me to finish." He could feel their eyes on him as they walked, now, and Veyha's jaw was even handing. A soft click signalled her own realization, and her quiet voice followed.
"Grayheim... is leaving town?" Concern seemed slick atop her honey voice, like oil atop water. He was glad he wasn't the only one. Glancing back, Marrow's own eyes seemed distant in thought, but he didn't miss the faint flicker in his own eyes. The concern held them all now.
He let loose a soft sigh. Fancies, Zenrin, you're letting them take you! Mythos, Grayheim will be fine, and so will dad. "Yes, but only for a week. So he said, at least. He wouldn't tell me where he was going, only that he was going. But wherever they're going, it's not Regnora. My father said he wasn't one of those invited."
Marrow cut in with his slower, gravelly voice, "Wait, your father is leaving, too? And others, from the sound of it? How many are leaving, Zenrin?" Veyha remained quiet but was clearly anticipating the answer as much as the muscular logger.
It was like reciting a list he had spent hours memorizing, yet his father had only uttered the names once. "Mrs. Valein, Mr. Johta, and Mjunik, alongside my father, as I said." Marrow and Vey both had wide eyes now, but neither seemed to want to speak. If anything, they seemed all but entirely confused. "My father did tell me that Mjunik, for whatever reason, refused. Though I don't suspect that is very odd for a Starsayer, especially when a Hallowed Representative is involved."
"A Hallowed Representative?" Marrow butt in once more, brown eyes melting to caramel in the sunlight with curiosity now, as if the confusion and flicker of worry never had existed to begin with. Zenrin keep his own eyes on the gravel path as the other boy continued to speak. "You're telling me someone from the Hallow is coming here?"
"Not here, Marrow, Regnora. Hence why they have to lea-"
"Yeah, yeah, I remember. Still, that's monumental! I mean, last we saw of the Hallow was years back when a small group of Hallowed Guards came through town, and they were hardly here for half an hour! And now-" the logger seemed to suddenly shift his weight between his legs as he walked uneasily, "...why those four in particular? I mean, your father makes sense, as does the mayor, though I hardly see any reason for Mrs. Valein to be invited. And Mjunik?"
"Here he goes..." Veyha muttered. Coffee-colored eyes glared at her, but Zenrin kept his own low.
"Oh, Mythos, bless me! I'm not going to ramble, Vey! I'm just saying, as much as I may find Mjunik's stories-"
"-tellings-" insisted the girl with sunburst curls.
"Tellings!" Marrow threw up his hands, then sighed, "Tellings, stories, it doesn't matter. Regardless, I've read about how those in the Hallow treat Starsayers. I mean, it's like they think they're ill in the head! Bless me, the Hallowed Kingdom fascinates me as much as the next guy, but that doesn't seem right, even to me." The boy shook his head, "Not to me..."
"You-" Veyha continued, "think Mjunik is ill in the head, too."
"Not ill in the head, just-" the axe-wielder sighed, "Zenrin, please explain to her what I mean."
Zenrin gave a short shake of his head as his gaze rose and the conversation seemed to dwindle off into nothing as a consequence. He quickened his pace slightly, taking another slight lead as his friends simply kept a couple-foot distance behind him, quiet words exchanged between the two indiscernible by Zen who let himself fall silent as he walked. Shoving his hands inside his pants pockets - knowingly avoiding what lies in the pockets of his coat - he took in those who he passed with half-focused eyes. A wandering glance left darted to the old Mister and Missus Vera, each quietly talking to one another as they sat still upon their porch. Eyes wandering right caught a young couple in the midst of quiet conversations walking the other way; a tall, slender woman with straight brown hair giggled at quick quips from a shorter, well-dressed man. He couldn't quite remember their names. He saw young children playing in a larger field of vibrant green, their shoes slick with mud that followed yesterday's rain, and their smiling faces curled a small smile onto his own. It faded just as quickly as Mrs. Valein, dressed in a crimson dress with black lacings, her charcoal black hair tied tightly up in a bun. Age weathered her face, her grey eyes as cold as winter, and just as piercing as a dagger, her wrinkles furrowed tightly as if lost in thought. She passed the three with a quick stride, not even sparing a glance. He released a breath he didn't know he was holding, and wasn't surprised to hear his friends behind do the same.
Others passed, too, warranting little attention; Sahmin walked with his large dog at his waist and a bow in hand towards the forest behind the town, eyes forward with ferocious intent to catch a deer with an arrow; to sit down with a warm plate of venison. Even so, he seemed to tug himself to a stop while steading his dyed-green leathers, allowing Veyha - as he always had - a few sparse moments to give the grey-coat hound some quick scratches and pets. The dog scurried away as Sahmin began forward once more. The Kelshire twins, each more hairy than Sahmin's dog and half as smart, wrestled with one another over some trivial dispute in their front yard, but their mother - a stout woman with arms nearly as thick as Marrow's - dragged them in by their ears cursing their insolence. He hardly stifled a laugh, and Veyha didn't even try to hide her own. Then there was Samson, a boy but maybe a year younger than himself, who had been pulling weeds from his garden but stopped the moment his eyes caught their group. He rose and bowed to the three - Why does he always bow? - before addressing them all, though his undertones suggested he was speaking only truly speaking to one of them.
"Fine friends, and fine lady," he bowed deeper and Zen heard Veyha giggle, "Such a fine day, isn't it? Yes, yes I think it is. A fine day indeed. A fine day for tea, too, if you'd join me?" The boy, dressed in much too fine clothing for having farmers for parents, outstretched his hand as if it was the offer. He was sure the hand was not for hand, and Marrow's scoff seemed to acknowledge the same.
Veyha was quick to shut down the boy's advance with a quick, "I'm sorry, Samson, but Zenrin already promised me tea, and I refuse to break my promises!" She put her hand to her chest, seemingly proud of that fact. Her cheeks puffed; she was half as proud of the lie that preceded it.
"Oh, well..." Samson lowered his gaze, but jealousy flickered in his glare, "Another time, perhaps, my dear Lady Veyha?"
"Another time." Veyha muttered just as Marrow began ushering the others forward. Samson bowed until Veyha was five strides off, and even then he stared for another ten. Zen tried to shake away his own jealousy and found that he was not so strongly willed.
Soft hands suddenly took his arm and linked it with their own, and a smiling Veyha stole his gaze. Zenrin smiled in tandem, "So, I promised you tea?" Her soft laugh deepened the red hue upon his cheeks; they felt like they were on fire.
"Like I'd let you make me tea," she teased, "Last time you did, well..." she glanced back at Marrow and seemed to have said enough. Last time I made tea, Marrow swore he'd throw me out the treehouse's window if I made him drink another drop.
"Just didn't take you for the lying type, is all," Zenrin retorted.
"Lying? No, I- well, yes it was a lie, but it was for a good reason!"
"A good reason?"
"Yup! I didn't want to drink tea with him; that's a good enough reason, isn't it?"
"Hardly..." Muttered a quiet Marrow. Veyha's half-friendly gaze shut him right up.
"It's reason enough." Zenrin said plainly, and Veyha smiled wider before releasing his arm, half-dancing back to Marrow.
Zen looked back to them for a moment, and then forward. Five more steps and he blinked, and suddenly the grey-robed figure, their glinting amber hues staring at him as they passed behind a distant building. Something compelled him forward. He broke into a sprint after them, ignoring the shocked calls of Marrow and the sudden, quick and soft footsteps of the half-elf's pursuit after him. Nothing else filled his head; he chased the amber eyes and their grey robes. Down the main path, then a turn behind a building, then down a beaten dirt path, then back onto another main, then behind another building that turned into an alley between two. Each and every time he saw only the edge of their cloak billowing in an omnipresent wind. A wind that chilled Zenrin. But forward he went, pursued by a pair of soft and heavy footsteps that he felt no compulsion to acknowledge, and bolstered by the glint of those eyes. Amber eyes.
You are bound.
Zenrin came to a sudden halt inches from a stone wall directly in front of his face. In disbelief he reached out and touched the carved bricks, eyes half-wide as dread washed over and through his body. He could still see the eyes in the corners of his mind. He could hear the echoes of the words from his dream. Of their words, he was sure. He was shaken from his trance by heavy hands that spun him like a rag-doll, heavy brown hues staring deep into his own eyes, filled with anger and confusion.
"Mythos, what was that! Scorn me!" he cursed, nearly shouting in Zen's face, "Are you mad, Zen? Well? Are you?!"
Veyha pried the heavy hands off of him, Marrow scoffing as he was yanked back, though her own verdant eyes seemed concerned. "Zenrin...?"
"I'm fine." he stated abruptly, cutting her off. She seemed abashed, and Marrow didn't seem to believe him. "Mythos, I'm not mad. I just- I thought I saw some... something." Why couldn't I say "someone?"
Veyha seemed more confused, but Marrow threw up his hands, "Scorn me, Zenrin! You saw something? What is so important that you'd just break off like that, forcing us on a- a wild, scorning goose chase?"
"Language..." muttered Veyha softly. Not even Marrow acknowledged her.
"I'm just saying that he needs to think before he acts! You agree, don't you, Zenrin? I just don't want you to repeat-"
"I get it, I get it..." Zen cut in with a sigh, "I'll make sure I warn you before I sprint off after nothing. My apologies, Marrow. Mythos, I just..." he let his words trail off to nothing.
He could feel Marrow's eyes linger on him for a moment more before the larger boy turned, motioning towards the half-elven girl, "Come on, Vey. I, for one, am tired of standing around this alley like some scorning-"
"Language." Veyha demanded.
"...sorry. Just- let's go."
Emerald eyes turned back to look at Zen, but his gaze was distant again as he stared at the stone wall before him. How could they slip away? Who are they? Mythos, am I seeing things? Those amber eyes-
"You are bound."
Zenrin shivered when soft hands suddenly grasped at his arm, pulling him along with little hesitation. The tall boy had to shift his footing to make sure he didn't fall, but he smiled when he noticed the cascading waves of golden and molten hair, the soft giggles shaking away bad thoughts. And, as he was dragged along by the rather strong girl, right past the logger who also couldn't hide his smile, he couldn't help but laugh, too. Their footsteps echoed over the gravel paths, occasional stumbles and trips shaking frenzies of short laughs from the pair as Marrow even joined their run, dashing past others who paid them hardly any mind. The Caisriln family passed in a blur, the parents purposely ignoring them while their red-headed daughtered simply spared them a quick glance. El'vear, the town's brewer, with his long beard and thick nose, let out a loud chuckle as Marrow nearly collided with Selahn, who - to anyone with eyes - was clearly the logger's "secret" crush. His rosy cheeks that lasted for the following minute did little hide that secret. The Vox twins, both "too elvish to have any real fun" according to his father, each turned up their noses as they passed. Their glares towards Veyha bubbled anger into his chest, but a well-aimed pebble hit one in the forehead and each promptly made efforts to look anywhere but at the half-elven girl. Her giggles could erase even the deepest rooted hatred, Zenrin though. And then they passed Starsayer Mjunik in his flowing robes, his shaven, tattoo-covered head as colorful as his silks. Zenrin nearly fell flat on his face when he realized the man's gleaming blue eyes were following him, but Veyha managed to catch him. Why was he staring at me?
Less than a hundred feet from the edge of town, a deep and demanding voice halted the trio in their tracks. "Marrow, boy, is that you? I've been looking everywhere for you, son! Where have you been hiding? Are you really trying to avoid your responsibilities again? Scorn me if I don't double your chores!"
Coffee-colored eyes silently pleaded to them as if to say, "Help me. Help me. Help me!" But, with a quiet sigh, the muscular boy turned and called back, "Apologies, father. I'm afraid they slipped my mind."
The man continued to make his way over. Marrow's father, Herschel Lohwic, was the same height as his son, if maybe half an inch shorter. Unlike the scrubble Marrow's chin held, Mr. Lohwic had a full beard of dark browns, the hair upon his scalp trimmed short to hide his retreating hairline, though his dirt-colored eyes were solid enough to demand most anything from you if he had the mind. Unlike Marrow, though, the clothes he wore were tight against his skin, sweat-drenched, undyed leathers covered with abrasions and cuts from his rather labor intensive job as the town's main logger. Surprisingly, he had less muscle than Marrow, but the great axe upon his back showed his superiority in the forest. "Scorn me, boy, if that isn't the fifth time they've 'slipped your mind' this month. Come on, we've work to do."
Marrow bowed his head slightly to his father, "Yes, sir." He glanced back to Zenrin and Veyha, his gaze pleading more than ever, but they could only return such pleads with faint, sympathetic gazes. His dad turned on his heel and immediately began back into town, a quick gesture forcing Marrow forward.
Veyha called out after him. "Someday we'll save you, Marrow! You're the damsel in distress, and I, Asnorath! And like the Emperor Clad in Crimson, I will even burn down the hells to save you if I must! I swear it!" Marrow's laugh echoed in the distance, and Veyha's smile seemed proud as she turned back to face Zenrin.
"Asnorath?" Zenrin asked, "I always thought you were more of a Sword Maiden Liranu kind of girl."
Veyha laughed as if such a name was a joke, "Liranu may have cut down the Chaos Lords of Rynorax and split the Void Flow in two, but she also cut down the five Arch-Guardians of Bavarian. I'd hardly call that a hero." She spat as if she were disgusted, but fascination lingered in her eyes.
"Maybe, maybe." Zenrin half-agreed, "But Asnorath didn't just burn down the hells, he also rebuilt them and created the hierarchy of the arch devils. Not to mention he was said to have burned down every building in the Hallowed Kingdom, sparing no one as he blazed his way straight to the Hallowed One."
"Ah, I suppose. But it's said he spared the Hallowed One, isn't it? That he burned some sort of symbol into his heart before disappearing."
Zenrin shrugged, "Stories can say a lot. But yes, it's said that he hadn't been seen even a day after, as if he suddenly vanished. The Crimson Empire collapsed within a week, or so the stories say." He sighed, "But stories are only stories. Tales of legends wrought by our ancestors to scare us, excite us, or both."
"Mjunik says that the Crimson Empire did exist, and he's one of the few people in this town who've been out and about in the world!"
"Yes, but that could just as easily be a simple lie. I mean, it'd be our word against his, all he'd have to say is 'but I've seen it.' We couldn't prove him wrong if we tried." Zenrin retorted.
"Mjunik isn't a liar, Zenrin. At least, I don't think he is. I don't think he has the heart to lie, nor half the mind. If anything, he seems more eager to share stories than live in them."
"Can you blame him if that is the case? There are twice as many bad stories and good ones. The Great Scourge of Thysandri, where every civilizations - no matter how small of a village or how large of a city - was razed to the ground by the Luthin, Champion of the Chained Darkness? Only Culthane still stood because it was supposedly the strongest city to ever exist, predating even the War of Divine Right, and even then it was half destroyed itself. Or what of the tale of Mel'o O'lem the Split, a man driven so crazy by studious pursuits that he split his own mind in two? Should I mention the supposed Coven of Crows, the murders for hire who are rooted on Szinvilla? Mjunik tells many stories, and frankly I'd rather hear no more if I had the choice."
"So negative..." Veyha muttered, "Rather unlike you, too. If I recall correctly, your favorite story has always been the Eye of the Realm and the Unsung Cascader, has it not?"
"I-... well, I mean-" Zenrin stuttered. Mythos, she's right. She's right, and maybe I am crazy.
"That's what I thought. Not that I blame you, of course," she giggled, grabbing his arm as she began walking towards the edge of the town, not giving him much of a choice but to follow. "Honestly, that story is one of my favorites, too. Mjunik has told it a few times over the years, but if I'm being honest..." Veyha paused, looking directly up into his eyes now. He found it hard not to blush, but impossible to look away, "...I think your version is better, haha! You should tell it again!"
"I don't think that I-" Mythos, let me look away. "Fine, but let me walk on my own, at least!" Veyha released his arm with a quiet laugh, spinning on her heels as she clutched her hands behind her back, holding her head high as she took to a smooth stride beside him.
"Go on, then, Starsayer Zenrin!"
A short cringe at the title, followed by a sigh, then finally he went on as she had requested. "Well, if I must... the Eye of the Realm and the Unsung Cascader is a story built on the foundation of stories, and those stories upon myths, and finally those upon legends and rumors. The Eye of the Realm itself is a mystery modern masterminds could only dream to understand, and even then they're not quite sure it exists. It is said that upon the tower at the apex of forever stood the Observer and their Eye, the Eye of the Realm. They saw everything; today and yesterday, yesterday and tomorrow, forever and never, never and always. It is said there is nothing the Eye of the Realm couldn't see, and whatever the Eye could see, so could the Observer, or so the stories say. But what of the Eye, what of its importance? One often wonders, but some say it saw salvation. Especially the worshippers of Illus, the goddess of understanding, for her very own symbol is an eye. One often wonders if the Eye was her own, but most think not.
"The question, then, is why was the Eye destroyed? Dark forces brought down the tower and the Eye with it; it is said the Observer died beside it. But why? More stories and myths, all melding together, suppose that the salvation the Eye saw was only salvation to us, and to those that brought it down it was everything but. Dark forces, perhaps even the Calamities themselves, but the common consensus is that whoever brought down the Eye was everything but good. But the Eye only saw salvation; it didn't create it. And yet those who destroyed it had to have a reason. Paired with the Eye was said to be the Pupil, an ancient device referred to as the 'Corner of Forever.' It is said the Pupil existed within the eye, and only the Observer could choose when it must be separated. It is called the Corner of Forever for a reason; supposedly, everywhere branches off from it, and bends to its will. A simple word spoken as command could rewrite the world under its influence. That is why they are said to have destroyed the tower. To destroy the Eye is to retrieve the Pupil, and to control the Pupil is to control the world.
"But they never got their hands on the Pupil. Someone got to it first, someone forgotten by even legend and rumor. They are remembered for not being remembered, revered for not being revered. Emerald eyes are all that was remembered, shining emerald eyes which held in their hand the Corner of Forever. A simple command was all they needed to change everything, to make everything well again, but that was not the choice they made. They chose, instead, to cascade the Pupil into obscurity, along with all the dark forces that pursued it, and even themself. The Pupil vanished, undiscovered still over a millennia later, and likely never to be. The Corner of Forever has been plunged forever into the unknown, and from that unknown we are assured the salvation of the Eye.
"Or, at least that is how the story goes-" Zenrin blushed, noticing the intense awe in Veyha's forest green eyes. He forced himself to look away, but his cheeks didn't burn any less.
"A beautiful story indeed," she noted, smiling. Mythos, her smile. "And for someone who would rather not hear another story of Mjunik's, I find it rather odd that you remember that one so fondly." Zenrin blushed again, but Veyha shoved him slightly and didn't seem to notice, "I'm just messing with you, Zen. But thank you. I love how you tell stories!"
"Ah, well-" he swallowed, clenching his hands together, "Perhaps I will continue to listen for your sake, simply so I can retell them."
"Really?" Her eyes were wide with excitement, now.
A nod. "Really."
The pair made small talk as they carried themselves out of the town, the grass beneath their boots a vibrant green despite the faint chill of autumn that occasionally washed past them. Fifteen minutes out and the flat green began to roll, still plains turning into small valleys and gentle curves that rose just to fall again, small thickets of trees dotted at the top of beautiful hills. Flowers ran along the hills, beautiful roses of red and pink, white buttercups, even a rare few heroblooms, their black leaves and scarlet stems like beating hearts in the midst of much more colorful landscape. Veyha had suddenly broken off from her stride, skipping through the fields as one would image someone half her age would. Her boots were kicked off before he could've even hoped to notice, her pants rolled up past her ankles as she dashed and galloped, spun and dived. He had withdrew his map to sketch in the Sunset Hills, but he spent more time watching, and each time she caught him staring she smirked, he blushed, and he returned to sketching for no more than a minute or two. Deeper and deeper into the hills they went, small hills dipping further and rising higher, the sparse trees now thicker in their clusters. Flowers grew taller, the grass itself brushing above their ankles. Zenrin had even tied Veyha's books to his hip in fear she'd forget them, and he had been entirely correctly.
Minutes eventually turned to hours, and somehow Veyha seemed just as playful, if not a little slowed by self induced fatigue. Zenrin was not blushing as much anymore, but he was staring just as often. Half the time he didn't even dare to look away. The sun hung closer to the horizon, brushing the top of a distant forest as a cool chill ran through the air to remind them of the looming season. With a quiet breath, Zenrin looked upon his sketch and smiled. The corner left was nearly full, Veyha's antics having led him through most of the remaining area. Only another mile or two was left to map, and the sun was still high enough to stay out for another hour or two without so much as a worry of being caught in the darkness before they returned home.
Another hour passed, another mile was mapped, and the sun drew deeper in the sky. Veyha had finally allowed herself rest, joining Zenrin against as she drew on her boots, exchanging quips as they reached the deepest stretch of the Sunset Hills. On the southern border of the Flourishing Expanse and the western border of the Cracked Lands, the Dawn Hills sat, rising much taller than the others, in the middle of which sat a deep belly where the Sunset Thicket rests. There were no trees otherwise, but flowers dotted nearly every step, colorful varieties everywhere and anywhere. There were so many that even Veyha, as conscious of nature as she was, would be forced to step on some as she walked. Thankfully, she didn't seem to pay too much mind. So up and down hills they went, jotting in more and more of the map, circling the edges as he drew in the edge of the Flourishing Expanse, the trees at least twice as large as those they had seen over the past hours, and much more beautiful with bark the color of coffee and leaves as vibrant as Veyha's own emerald eyes. Further around came the edge of the Cracked Lands, hills that cascaded unevenly into the horizon with leafless, twisted trees, dead or dying grass, and rocks jutting from the ground in jagged angles, all leading into the distance where the Sunrise Valleys would lay. The pair was quick to turn back inward and begin towards the center, up and down and around until they stood at the crux of the tallest hill, peering down into the Sunset Thicket.
With one final stroke of his pencil, Zenrin smiled down upon the parchment in his hand, "And... finished! Finally."
"Finally?" questioned Veyha, "I mean, that hardly took half a day. I can't imagine that's much too long."
"Ah, I suppose you're right. Regardless, all I've left to do is revising and then it'll be prime for sale!" Zenrin let out a sigh of relief and neatly shoved the paper away in his pouch, taking a deep breath as he turned his green-ringed blue eyes towards the lowering sun. Blackness was slowly pulling itself into the sky, melding purples and oranges beginning to line the horizon in beautifully complicated curls and curves, and he could even see the sparkling star of Dy'unn the Duskfeller sparkling in the sky above. "I suppose we should head back now, it's getting rather-" Zen continued, only to notice Veyha making her way down the rather steep hill with mystifying ease.
"Wait- Veyha, hold on!" he called after her, stepping down the hill rapidly after her, only for his foot to slip. He tumbled head over heels, painfully rolling over himself in awkward positions that left every inch of his aching as his head slammed into the dirt at the bottom of the valley. His vision dazed, his arms and legs blazing with aching shots of pain, and he swore he could hear Veyha's voice, though it sounded distant, replaced by a faint ringing. And then he saw it; laying two, maybe three feet in front of him laid the weird orb seated gently in the grass.
"You are bound."
A blazing compulsion burned through his chest, and everything around him hazed. His focus was entirely on the sphere, and his hands burned with the aching to touch it, to grab it, to hide it. He blinked and everything blurred as if he were looking through a window stained in thick blue. He could see for Veyha in one flicker, and then he felt himself moving in the second, and by the third his vision had cleared and the aching in his hands and chest vanished in an instant; the aching elsewhere hadn't. He let out a breath he didn't know he had held, but twitched his hand out of his coat's - Huegur's coat, he reminded himself - when he felt his fingers against the cold orb. Whatever it was, he didn't want to touch it. Mythos, I need to see Ixus soon.
"Zenrin?" His eyes flickered over his shoulder, his whole body tensing, but all tension released when he saw Veyha. "Ethernia to Zenrin, are you alright?"
It took the black-haired boy a moment to composed himself, then: "I-... think so?" Unconsciously he rubbed his head, his hand twitching back when the aching pulsed.
"You think so? You didn't hit your head hard enough to lose all sense, did you? Mythos, you have cuts all over your hands..." Zenrin took a deep breath as pain pulsed through his hand, though he was relieved enough that it wasn't the same pain as before. And suddenly soft hands were upon his one, a small canteen of water held above as it poured down upon his palm, washing away the blood.
Scorn me, but she shouldn't have to take care of me! "Vey, I'm alright, I promise. I just-"
"Nope, won't hear it," she interrupted with a smirk, reaching into her small pouch, "If I can't take care of a simple cut, I'll never be able to become a doctor. And then what? I swore long ago I'd never marry a man for his money."
Zenrin blushed and hoped the darkness hid it, and for a moment his eyes seemed to flicker in what little sunlight remained. By the time Veyha touched the bandages to his hand, a small gasp confused him. "What? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I-... your hand, Zen. I swore you cut it, but- well, there isn't a single cut left."
And she was right. A quick twist of his hand and wipe across with the bandages left nothing but fine skin. Not even the slightest scar remained, though a cut so small would hardly leave one regardless. Taking a deep breath, Zenrin let out another sigh. The pain was there, I could feel it. Mythos, what is happening to me? "Probably just a small cute that only bled when pushed upon. Like I said, I'll be-" a shock of the headache pulsed through him and he grimaced for but a moment, "-fine."
"...are you sure, Zen?" her emerald eyes sparkled in the slowly rising moonlight, but concern sparkled brighter within.
"Sure enough..." he shook his head slightly. I won't let her worry over me more. "Why... why did you run down here, anyways?"
Veyha offered a hand and heaved Zenrin to his feet before looking in towards the Sunset Thicket with slightly confused eyes, as if she was unsure of where she was currently standing. "I don't know... I swore I saw something, but-..." her eyes glanced back to him, concern deeper than before, but a blink washed such a sight away and replaced it with her normal glee, "I must've been mistaken. I can be such a fool sometimes, can't I? Haha." The laugh didn't quite sound genuine.
The pair collected themselves and, under the slowly rising duo of moons - Xelzyr, the blue moon, and Aryon, the red moon - made their way back to town in a little under an hour. Talk was quiet along the way, far too sparse to be normal. Zenrin's thoughts had drifted as a result, but he did his best to shake them from his mind. Amber eyes, "bound," ogres, even the lack of a wound. All of it was too much and he knew far too little. Part of him wish he knew nothing at all.
Once he made sure Veyha was home safe - much to her protests claiming she should be walking him home - Zenrin made haste homeward. He was not quite as fond of the dark as he used to be; the dark was one of the few things in common with the bad dreams. And darkness surrounded amber eyes.
Seated against an oak tree, a figure draped in grey robes lay silent, eyes like a feline's gazing through the darkness with ease. They watched figures come and go, mostly disappearing into homes which alit with faint, flickering glows. Settling in for the night, as most folk do. Fire burns perfectly fine, night or day. Still, no figure seemed to be whom they were looking for, if they were even looking for a someone. They shook their head. They'd find it eventually, but for now they watched. A distant pair made their way through the gravel path under their watchful eyes, eyes like frozen flames staring down the figures before one broke off. The other came closer and closer, towards the middle of the town, before ducking into their own home.
Odd, it almost felt like he-... no matter. I will have my query, and then it will be done.