It had been over a month psince that day on Old Pal. Henry along with his sister, the only survivor, had been taken in by the caravan which passed by their village a few dats after. If not for his sister, Edith would have wanted nothing more then to lie on Old Pal, starving to death eventually.
Worried for Ren, he carried her down the hill as soon as he woke up. He headed to Vapor Lake only to realise that it had turned dry, not having any signs of ever being full.
He rushed to the nearest house he could find, Ren in his arms. His arms carried newfound strength and his entire being was born anew by the entire ritual. There was no trace of fatigue in him.
His mind, however, was focused entirely on water for his sister.
Grabbing a waterpot from the porch of a nearby house, he lay his unconscious sister gently on the ground. Then hurriedly sprinkled some water into her face, hoping that she'd would come to her sense.
His brows relaxed when his saw his sister's eyes twitch. In a gentle, calm and unhurried voice that betrayed the haste he had displayed, he said, "Ren, wake up. Are you hurt anywhere?"
Ren gently opened her eyes, fighting the lull the dim of dusk put her into. She looked at her brother, his smiling face filling her with strength which she had been sapped away of.
She woke up, clung close to him, tugged at his torn clothes and cried. Soft sobs could be heard making Ediths smiling face become dark.
He wrapped his arms around her, calming her and saying, "Everything will be alright, Ren. No need to be afraid. I'll protect you."
He gently pulled her away, wiped her tears and gestured to the waterpot. He said, "Drink some water first, we'll figure out the rest later."
She cupped her hands to draw water as she leaned to drink from them. Leaning in forward she immediately coughed, spitting out the mouthful she had just taken.
Edith immediately leaned to pat her back gently, settling the droplets still in her mouth as a result. Even though it was dark, he could still see as good as he could during the day. This was why he could see the red tinge in the water Irene had spit.
His brows creased as his gaze became still for a moment.
Blood.
His mind momentarily turned into blank as his surroundings started to spin. He felt himself go dizzy and he's breath become uneven. This state lasted only for a moment as everything returned to normal.
Next thing he saw was a scroll— yellow and torn paper, with signs of dried blood covering it, before his eyes. There were lines of a foreign text decorating it but he could somehow tell what it said.
[Name: Edith Wane]
[The First Marker of a successfully Ritual.]
[Age: 15]
[Stage: 2 (Progress: 1%)]
[Complete the Ritual as the First Marker.]
Edith was startled at what was happening to him but he did not let it show. He immediately turned to ask Ren if she was alright. He did not want her to make her any more worried than she already was.
"Drink slowly, Ren. There's no need to worry, okay? I'm here."
"Yes, brother."
She slowly sipped another gulp she has drawn in her hands.
"Brother, I'm tired."
"Okay, little Ren. We'll go to rest then and figure things out tomorrow."
Edith bent down and gestured for his sister to climb his back. He would give her a ride home.
While walking Edith had kept a close eye on the houses and streets. He was hoping to see anyone, even a single person besides the pair.
He could see the houses he had seen that morning. They were just as he had seen them, not even a single deviation in them.
He saw his house far into the distance. The memories of the morning he had departed from their surfaced his mind. He recalled how he had teased his mother, given his sister the flower and how he had helped with the chores.
His eyes became teary as he suppressed a cry. Ren has long fallen asleep and he did not want to wake her up.
Stepping inside, Edith lowered Irene into the mattress that lay in his mother's room. His gaze lay still on his sister for a moment as he turned to wrap a blanket around her.
Blood.
Another blood-dyed yellowish page appeared in Edith's mind. It contents flowed into his mind like a stream of water in a spring.
[Name: Irene Wane]
[The second marker of a successful ritual.]
[Age: 11]
[Stage: 0 (Progress: 20%)]
[Complete the Ritual as the First Marker.]
Edith stepped outside closing the door behind him gently.
He finally had the time to digest everything that had happened so far.
Everything had been going fine up until the matches with Horus and others.
It came suddenly and without warning. As if appearing from thin air. Then there were those mystical beats. The carnage of the wolves followed by that strange ritual.
There were the snakes too that caused that life to the mist. Everyone died only us two remained. Nothing about it makes sense.
I'll make preparations to leave the village tomorrow. For now, let me check the surroundings.
He left his house quietly and ran to every house of the village to see if there was anyone present inside the houses or not.
Not finding anyone, he became dejected. He turned back towards his house. He did not want to leave his sister alone for long.
The caravan will come by in a few days. I can sell the crop to them for money. We can also leave the village along with them. But I don't know how I would explain everything... Let's just be honest.
His thoughts wandered but he hadn't forgotten to take note of the leftover in the empty homes. The pair need something to survive the upcoming days.
It was midnight when Edith arrived next to his house. Slipping in stealthily he took a peak at his sister. He gave a sigh of relief seeing her sound asleep.
He went back to his room to rest. He wasn't tired but out of habit, he had wanted to get a good night's rest. There was a lot he had to do in the upcoming days.