At noon, the bells in the castle rang through the halls, reaching the Nuil's chamber, as its light, yet high-pitched noises travelled up to the round roof.
The chimes signalled the end of the shift for most guards, meaning a time for rest, food, catching up on sleep, or talking with friends and family. They had exactly two hours before their next three-hour period, and of course, Lamon had no breaks.
So when Atomu and Zuimu were passing through the hall, they encountered a massive wave of guards making their way towards the royal kitchen. Soon enough, the two were caught between the tight staircases leading from the basement and forced to stand in line, waiting for some soup. One guard seemed very excited about the meal, describing it as a tributal special, which made the paladian shiver a little.
When everyone sat down, oddly enough, no one took off their helmets. Instead, they opened a small hatch, revealing only their lips, and shoved loads of food into their mouths. Zuimu and Atomu quickly followed, stopping for a few seconds to analyse the broth.
One guard described it as a mix of vegetables exported from Malikan, taken by the royalty from Wendigo and poured into a nice, yet soft mix with rice. They couldn't deny its taste, but at the same time, they were wary of their entire operation.
Atomu tapped his fingers against the table. "We're wasting our time," he muttered, inching closer to Zuimu.
"Mm, mmm..." she pointed down to the dish, nodding her head.
Atomu looked to the side. "It's up to Chyuuichi, if the storm didn't catch him as well." He closed his eyes, stressed. "...and, oh my, whoever knows where he could've stumbled..."
Zuimu blinked, and he turned.
"F-Finish up with the soup, and we're moving."
"Moving? Where to, royal friends?" A guard, who passed by, holding another plate full of soup, said, as Atomu covered his mouth.
"B-Back to work?" The paladian tilted his head.
"Shin, you're funny, dude!" he chuckled. "Take your time!"
"Mm mmmm mm," Zuimu stated.
"W-We don't really have anything else to do," Atomu repeated her words, waving his hands around.
"That's perfect, then! Use this opportunity to sleep it off! If you don't have anything important to do, then don't even think about it!" he pressed against Atomu's helmet. "Silly goose," he added with a lisp, before walking away.
Zuimu laughed, and Atomu gave her a mean glance.
"Did Rowan set us up...?" Atomu proposed, albeit still quietly, as someone walked past him, carrying a tray of different foods in their hand.
"Rowan did not purposefully set you up, dumb idiot," Rowan muttered, sitting down. "Breaks don't always happen at noon. It's decided by how fast the cooks were at their job. Hell, usually takes them until the first sights of the evening to get anything done. Don't know what motivated them today."
"W-What are you doing here?"
"Second-class guards still get the fascinating right to eat food," Rowan spoke through their teeth. "...and no. I'm not helping you. Not that I could, not that I would want to, damned One!" They sounded pissed off, even though Atomu didn't say anything to incur their wrath. "Strike when the break is over, get to know some people, and act like humans!" Rowan inched closer. "If you keep acting like you're here to steal something, someone will eventually notice."
"Shh!" Atomu signalled, waving his finger. "Quiet!"
"Exactly what I'm talking about."
"Rowan?" A fellow tributal strolled by. "Why are you attacking that poor guard?"
Instinctively, Rowan pushed on Atomu's shoulder, forcing the paladian's hand to go into the bowl, spilling a few drops on the table.
"Oh, my!" Atomu muttered.
"Ambrosia, uh... H-He spilt his soup." Rowan stood up, fixing their glasses.
"I don't think you should be the one lecturing others over all that," they added, giggling. "Remember the last time when-"
"OFF!" Rowan pointed. "Walk to the table! Put down your food and start eating!" they pushed them away, as they giggled. Rowan glanced at the two, furrowing their eyebrows, and then disappeared into the crowd.
Atomu let out one final sigh, putting his hands on the table, and Zuimu chuckled again, covering her face.
***
"Lamon!" Eryk raised his voice, trying to stand up.
The mirillian slowly turned to the door, gulping.
"Come here, don't waste any more of my time!"
"Coming," Chyuuichi said, unenthusiastically, assuming that's how someone working under Eryk's influence would sound.
He made it up the stairs, seldom looking at the water below and drips of the same liquid from above. He glanced outside of the massive windows, seeing the distant, pouring rain, bouncing off the stone paths which made up the Midcity, which, coincidentally, caught Eryk's attention as he turned to the panes.
"Huh. The first rain of Herbes." Eryk smiled. "Isn't that neat?"
Chyuuichi nodded, sitting on a wooden, round chair that had Lamon's name engraved into the wood. Well, sort of. It was a poor man's effort, so he tapped his fingers against his armour, thinking about how he would've done a better, Mirillian job and a way out of this fiasco.
Analysing, there were many balconies crafted of a white, shining stone, with pillars extending to the top, separating tinted glass. Closer to the Nuil's bed was a collection of jewellery, neatly laid next to the waterfall growing near the chandelier, decorated with various crystals, ones that Chyuuichi recognised. Murlins, which were found all around the town he came from, and partons, ones growing naturally below the Whiteburn Mountains, hidden around stalactites.
"I love the smell. It reminds me of the first time I went to my woods," he breathed out. "Although I'd say that they should already fix that damned rooftop! Why is it raining in my chamber?" he quickly got agitated, trying to stand up. "Lamon?!" he looked at him, and Lamon waved. "What's with you today?" Eryk sat back down. "You'd usually be running over..."
"Shit." Chyuuichi thought, wrestling with another thought.
"I'm not mad." Eryk stared forward. "Just a bit... surprised, I'd say."
Chyuuichi haphazardly took out a piece of paper he found in Lamon's armour, firstly seeing tons of mean words presumably directed at the Nuil, but when he flipped it, the other side was blank. There was charcoal wrapped in some cloth, so he quickly wrote something down before showing it to the Nuil.
"I have... mizuls." Eryk squinted his eyes. "What are mizuls?"
Chyuuichi looked down before using the cloth to erase what was written, changing it up.
"I am sik," Eryk read. "Jeez, Lamon," he snickered. "Just because you're a guard doesn't mean that you can skip out on basic elementary courses."
Chyuuichi sighed before leaning into the chair and closing his eyes, nervous.
"Either way-" he waved his hand around. "I'm not here to ask you to help me walk around the castle. None of that today. Guess it's just a force of habit when I see you. My little pedestal," he patted Chyuuichi's head. "It's um. About the thing I mentioned yesterday. The attack on Magna."
Chyuuichi turned curiously.
"Things seem to be taking care of themselves, aren't they?" He chuckled. "People are getting back to work in Handulia, and everyone else is helping each other out. The citizens whose houses were destroyed are now living with someone else, voluntarily." he scratched his head, gulping. "A day passed, and things are already starting to look as promising as they always were. Why? Of course, I know why; they were prepared for this possibility. Why are you asking?"
Chyuuichi hasn't uttered a word.
"Why," Eryk repeated, sinking into his throne. "Why?" he continued, closing his eyes. "Why should they be prepared in the first place? A town like this shouldn't have to worry about these matters. Its people should be able to live lives without such fear. Then, you said... that it was somehow my fault." he pointed to himself, glancing at Chyuuichi. "I'm just following the rules. I'm doing everything the other Nuils did and prospered, and yet, this is supposed to be my fault."
He stopped for a moment.
"Maybe if things were a little different, we could've somehow prevented it, although I think that might've been... physically impossible." Eryk shook his head. "Why is this supposed to be my fault?" he kept asking, and Chyuuichi didn't answer, although Eryk kept staring at him as if he knew his secret, yet said absolutely nothing.
He sulked for seconds before clenching his fist.
"You don't need to say a word. I know you want to, but it'd just be repeating the same things all over again, wouldn't it? You asked me: when will I realise that there's a reason why people dislike me? Do people dislike me? I thought we were on good terms with what was agreed upon. I give you Silver, houses, a life full of glory, a place to live right beside someone of royalty, of the great Tukman family, founded in the 23rd year after the first war! But royalty offers protection, don't they?"
He closed his eyes, clearing his throat.
"Maybe that's why everyone dislikes me. The guards, the Demonears, townspeople, you too, Lamon. I refused to listen to their vows because I wanted to follow what was already written, but somehow, when all of the other Nuils did exactly that, it all worked out. Maybe the problem is just me, myself. I don't get it. I don't."
Everything went quiet. The silence was so piercing that Chyuuichi could hear his heartbeat, each sniff of Eryk's nose, and was somehow able to ignore the pouring rain outside.
He didn't think much of the Nuil's inner conflicts, barely understanding what he was trying to say, yet, absorbed every word as if he were cotton.
Eryk looked up before breathing in. "I think the people of Magna were only truly happy back when the town first came to be. When no one knew of the dangers lurking in its surrounding forests or between tributals that thought too highly of themselves. Back when three families ruled the three districts, Tukmans, Lessoins and Vigils. Each was responsible for one thing that made the family so inseparable, yet unique to each their own. Tukmans were amazing tool makers, and I mean, they created the elshuims for erans..."
Chyuuichi was reminded of what he came here for and grew even more anxious.
"Lessoins were great warriors, using what we created to defend the city from demons, and Vigils built great, tall towers, even reaching Lot Thúrum. They all worked in unison and didn't step out of their roles or become a mixed bag, too confused about where they should put their feet. I guess... they knew what they were doing."
He sighed.
"L-Look at me. I can't make tools. I can't fight, I can't build. Hell, I can't even move. Maybe the other Nuils were better than me simply for not being such failures from the very beginning? When did it happen? When did we step off the road that only led us to glory? Why am I not trying to follow in their footsteps? Not many Tukmans remain; there's only one Lessoin and only the remnants of Vigils as you scatter here and about. Three fortifications, once tightly packed, now led by someone... who shouldn't have ever gotten this into his mind."
He squeezed the Tukman talisman that hung on a chain, as if ready to add something else. Chyuuichi shot up, straight as an arrow, but Eryk seemed to calm down, letting go.
"I'm scared, Lamon," he stated. "What if all those rumours around Errarion are true?"
"What do you mean?" Chyuuichi uttered.
"I already told you. Some information that should've never landed in your hands, but I trusted you, still do, and always will." he closed his eyes, rubbing his hand against his forehead. "The attack on Magna, that woman falling into a coma in Mistwick, ancient temples of demons being discovered each day, the underground, rumbling with some strange power, the Wise disappearing, sights of fairies... what if that Shi Hon is gathering power to terrorise our world again, ending humanity once and for all?"
Chyuuichi gulped.
"If he escapes, he'll... he'll kill everyone," Eryk muttered. "Deep inside my heart, I trust the notion that he's been dead ever since the second war ended," he breathed out. "However, an unsure hand won't paint a sure painting."
The mirillian looked forward, noticing the picture of Eryk that hung above the entrance.
"How would a Nuil like me handle this? Tell me, Lamon. What would you do if there was one amongst your friends that only turned out to be a scheming demon? Killing all that you were sure of, and instead replacing it with a wobbly future, and just like me, you end up realising that you just don't get it, in the very end."
Chyuuichi took an unsure step back, gulping.
"I understand, Lamon," he sighed. "I need you to do me a little favour."
"Mh!" He turned.
"The book... You know which one. Can you get it for me?" he signalled with his fingers.
Chyuuichi nodded before slowly walking down the stairs, eyeing the other's moves. Eryk sank his head into his hands, as if feeling sorrow for the first time in his life. While leaving and heading left, he recalled the three districts and their three strategies for no apparent reason.
"Toolmakers, fighters, builders," he mumbled under his breath as he walked through the empty halls. He skipped down a few flights of stairs before encountering an ajar door, with steel equipment sitting on the table. He looked left and right before he swung it open, stepping in. "Bingo," he muttered, throwing off his armour with a large smile on his face.
He took three of the elshuims, stuffing them beneath his clothes. One was completely hidden, the second one stuck out, and the third one was very visible. Although they weren't big tools, they were rather voluminous.
Afterwards, he decided to look around, just to quench his curiosity. There were glasses of different drinks, wine reserved only for the Nuil, packets of tributal food, swords and spears, shields, more helmets, and even feathers for the helmets. Paintings leaned against the walls, ones that reminded him of Eryk's words, since, no doubt, they weren't of the best quality.
Chyuuichi finally stumbled upon something that caught his attention, prompting a spark in his eyes.
"Rope! My ropy rope!" he exclaimed before rushing to the five-tailed rope that hung from a small opening in the wall. He reattached it to a small opening in his belt, taking one final glance around the room, and then deciding to borrow some of the stuff lying around, concluding that it looked pretty cool. Something resembling potions, bandages, some normal-looking food, anything he could realistically stuff into his long pants pockets.
Suddenly, though, he heard footsteps, and when the door was opened, a silhouette appeared, covered in darkness.
"Eh?" he tilted his head. "Who are you?" he muttered, without much emotion.
"L-Lamon?" Chyuuichi asked, pointing.
Lamon nodded. "I overslept. The Nuil's gonna get mad," he shook his head. "Whatever," he rubbed his eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"Borrowing." Chyuuichi beamed.
"Okay." Lamon yawned, and the mirillian walked past him, patting his shoulder.
"The Nuil wants you to bring him a book."
"A book?"
"Yeah, like, whatever that is," Chyuuichi smirked. "He told me that you know which one. I'm off, then!"
"Oh. That book." Lamon looked up, stepping into the storage room. "Who was that guy?"
***
Atomu peeked inside one of the adjacent rooms, seeing a guard sleeping on the floor, snoring. He sighed, taking a step back.
"Mhm?"
"Nothing," Atomu responded. "Every room is either occupied or empty. Where are the goods everyone keeps talking about?"
Zuimu moved in leaps, before opening another door, which revealed hundreds, maybe even thousands of jars full of jam. Atomu curiously looked inside, met with a sour... or perhaps sweet, disappointment.
"What does he need all that f-for?" he stepped in, taking one from the shelves. "Oh, great. Lignorian Tree Sap Jam. Probably fake," he muttered. "Presumably," he took off the lid, opening the plate and revealing his lips, stuffing some into his mouth. "Huuuh. Ekhem... l-like I said..."
Zuimu presumably rolled her eyes before shutting the door, almost hitting Atomu's face. When they turned the next corner, no guard could be seen in the close vicinity.
The paladian turned back and forth before glancing over at Zuimu.
"L-Like I said earlier..." he whispered. "I don't think it's a good idea."
The girl shook her head.
"I just... we need more time, okay? Your case is different from mine, so no words there. N-Not like you're speaking much anyway."
She tapped his shoulder as he adjusted his helmet, turning forth towards a silhouette that ran through the halls.
After a few blinks, it was no longer a suspicion, but certainty. One that made him gulp.
"Chyuuichi?!" Atomu raised his voice. "You're out of your armour!" He grabbed his hand. "Hide somewhere! In here, with the jam!"
The mirillian caught his breath. "I got the elshuims! I borrowed them! For ya!" he threw one at Atomu, who failed to catch it. "...and ya!" Zuimu didn't struggle much. "Lot should be thankful that I didn't forget to do this! Not even a thank ya, Chyuuichi!" he folded his hands. "Too many words, too many people, too many stories, too many freaking questions!" he yelled out, eyeing the two.
Atomu glanced at Zuimu for a moment, then back at Chyuuichi. He gazed at the staircase leading up to the upper walls, and with that, to one of the makeshift exits of the castle.
"Oh, yeah." Chyuuichi blinked twice, smiling lightly. "What are we waiting for?"
...and as quickly as the three snuck into the castle, they stormed out, jumping above the gates surrounding the entire building. Rowan observed them from an open window in one of the castle's towers and breathed out.
"Idiots. Complete buffoons," they thought. "However, I guess it must be true that fortune favours fools."
Through conversations, of which there weren't many, the three took off towards Lot Thúrum, stuffing their newly found tools in bags amongst plenty of food.
They were quite surprised, seeing the sheer size of Chyuuichi's backpack. Atomu wondered how many of these were stolen, but didn't say anything, knowing that the mirillian would deny any allegations. When he wasn't looking, leaving his heavy load on the ground to look around Magna, trying to find the best possible way up and onto the mountain, Zuimu peeked, taking a 'borrowed' bottle of juice, managing to gulp it down fast enough before the two realised that something was wrong.
Afterwards, they settled into travelling through Kyrkogarde and using the stairs they were informed of by a passerby, who used to live in Lot Thúrum, in one of the few houses scattered around the tops. From Homieo, they travelled to the Suspio Bridge, which was the oldest viaduct of Magna, made out of mossy stones and decorated with bricks which supported it from below, extending above the water. When stepping on, the first thing they noticed was the different roads, which extended all through the district, made out of square stones, and strangely unpleasant to tread on.
Eventually, they finally reached the first steps, marked by big, grey buildings, with sloped, dark red roofs, square windows, and staircases leading up to their wooden doors. There were many stones, nature grew around the structures, and a river flowed through the main street before extending towards the other currents.
One could've questioned why most houses weren't built on such solid ground, but in fact, most were used for a graveyard, which stretched from the mountain marking the Tukman Woods to the river under Darius' statue, and then to the bridge connecting Handulia and Kyrkogarde. About a fourth of the district was made up of houses, older than the ones seen elsewhere, and strangely untouched by the demons. Kashmir Zenon believed that the aura surrounding one's death was enough to deter the creatures away.
Some huts belonged to either a few tributals, guards or other prominent figures. They appeared in clusters, one near Suspio and the other on the tilt, right and left to the statue of Darius. The other part was made out of graves, surrounded by fences with soft roads leading to unevenly placed tombstones. If one were to try to reach the now headless statue, at one point, they'd have to step through the graveyard, whether they'd like it or not.
Atomu, Chyuuichi and Zuimu decided to take the straight path, leading towards the stairs, cutting through the graves. They passed Elton's hut, and the paladian knocked, only to be met with no answer. The sun started setting, and they continued in odd silence, trying to beat the sunlight, though catching themselves lingering on the names.
There were many written on the memorials. Ones that caught Atomu's attention were those of people described in paladian stories he heard when younger.
"Blasmona Catherine. 125 A.F.W. to 187 A.F.W." Atomu read. "So... she actually did exist."
"Who's that?" Chyuuichi stepped in.
"S-She was the first one who thought of utilising nature and turning it into food, ending the Paladian hunger."
"Wait." Chyuuichi put a hand on his chin. "So you're saying that no one ever thought of turning to that beforehand?"
"I meant, she was the first to try what everyone thought to be poisonous. The tree sap," he smiled lightly. "I thought those were just myths!"
"I know I'm not the one to speak, but-"
"Then don't say it," Atomu uttered before the three went back to marching.
There were a few more notable people buried below the soil.
Lyslia Stargard, 106-146 A.F.W., a mirillian who invented steel pickaxes, the most common and easily accessible tools for mining. To this day, all such tools are signed with a replica of her signature.
Shun Pito, 379-451 A.F.W., a morian who had gotten on the royalties' nerves and managed to survive three tributal arrows to the heart, yet died at the hands of a demon in the Bore Forest. His story led to tributals inventing more effective quivers.
Kliaska Gierun, 351-407 A.F.W., was a tributal warrior and the most honourable of the Gierun family. They were the pioneers of forts, leading to the Great Defence of Apharel in 398 when an army of demons tried to overtake its people. From that day on, in their honour, the city was renamed Fort Apharel.
After that digression, the three went up a hill, surrounded by people curiously watching over the travellers, right as the rains seemed to have faded. At the top stood stairs, leading straight and up, before bending up the side of the extremely steep, dark grey mountain, with stalagmites which served as fences. At times, they grew wider or tighter, and some were very big or very small. The stairway wasn't man-made, but a naturally formed way up the mountain, changed into something resembling steps from all the people walking up and down, with even one small bifurcation and a boulder which would allow the passing to climb further along the statue.
Nearing the top, Zuimu and Atomu stopped, peering at the headless Darius, while Chyuuichi continued marching. Atomu glanced at his head and shoulder, lying in the water, as the rivers changed their courses for a split second to avoid the obstacle.
"A sign of hope for Magna was destroyed that night," he recalled Kashmir's words, and Zuimu turned to him. "I don't think they'll find a way to stick that head back to where it once was. At least, it won't be the same."
He turned to Magna, seeing it clearly from above, still eyeing thousands of changed landscapes, debris in the water and fewer people on the streets.
Zuimu lightly elbowed his chest before staring into his eyes. Atomu didn't say anything, as if he understood her message.
"Come on, ya two!" Chyuuichi yelled out, putting his hands on the edge. "It's gonna get too dark to travel!"
"It's already way past that point!" Atomu yelled back, looking up. "W-We need to find a place to sleep in for the night."
"Out in Shimori?!" Chyuuichi looked around. "We could have still slept in Magna or something!"
The paladian walked up the stairs, putting his hand on the stalagmites. "We'll go as far as the night lights still shine."
The three soon found themselves above Magna, and as for the last bits of Shimori, all the way up until Mount Aria, they weren't to go any lower than this. There were no hills or valleys below, only plains, copses and small forests leading up to Lot Thúrum.
...and Lot Thúrum itself was nothing more than steep hills with trees extending from above, sometimes disappearing, leading to open, snowy paths with rocks sticking out from the top.
Besides Mistigo Mountain, this was one of the highest peaks in Shimori, and even before the mountain range, things seemed very small from the top. Magna's bridges could fit in the palm of one's hand, and the Nuil's castle was the size of a fingernail. The Aria River, as well as the surrounding waters, were distant but flew calmly into the distant, pink mists.
Although Herbes came, much of Lot Thúrum was still covered in white sleet, which, unlike in most places, sat still until Gorro. The temperature here was way lower than in most of the Shimori, so at times, the three had to put on extra layers of clothing, except for Zuimu, who still bore a more traditional Dear outfit.
Chyuuichi resented her for this, asking her about the magic behind her garments. She nodded, instead focusing on the road.
There weren't many flowers poking out, at least not ones that they had already seen, and the trees resembled the ones in the Whiterobe Forest. At one point, a big mountain came into view, with barks running down from the steep top, and brown rocks revealing themselves from beneath puffs of white. Walking near bushes, they found a small copse with some grass sticking out from below, and that's where they decided to set camp for the night, lighting a fire and eating some of the food they had.
"It's quiet," Chyuuichi mentioned.
"Hm?"
"Too quiet," he said, looking at Zuimu. "Are ya going to add something of yerself to our little adventure?"
Zuimu gave him a thumbs-up, quickly squinting back at the paladian.
"Chyuuichi..." Atomu shook his head, a bit stressed. "I-I already told you-"
"That she won't be much of an obstacle, yes, I heard," he frowned. "That's the problem, though, do something!" he shook her around, and she looked at him.
Atomu put his hand on his face, calming down.
"Okay, maybe yer just shy." Chyuuichi clapped his hands. "Zumu."
"Zuimu." Atomu quickly corrected him.
"That's what I said," he mumbled, before glancing at the two, with some devious thought plotting behind his large eyes. "How about we play a little Mirillian game? Eh?" he stood up, taking something from the ground, as the two observed his every move. "It's called three rocks, four rocks," he put down such on the ground. "Let me explain. You step back exactly twelve steps," he spoke, although his voice could barely be heard, yet his wide grin was visible. "...and! You throw!" he chucked the fourth rock, and it landed right next to the second one. "Ah, darn it!" he ran back. "Zumu, your turn!"
"I'm sorry. What is this game about?" Atomu looked up.
"The person whose rock lands the furthest wins the round!" Chyuuichi explained, signalling with his fingers. "If it lands above the third one, that's the fourth rock, meaning you automatically win."
"What if two people hit the fourth rock in the same round? Who wins then?"
"Like that would happen."
Zuimu snatched the stone from Chyuuichi's hand, and he counted her steps. She squinted her eyes before throwing the stone as far as she could. Chyuuichi tilted his head with an unsure smile, looking out. The rock disappeared into the mist, extending very far from the three.
"Mhm?" Zuimu looked at him.
"You won," he sat back down.
"This game makes no sense." Atomu shook his head, half-asleep.
"Hey!" Chyuuichi pointed. "Don't judge my entertainment, okay? It's fun, right, Zumu?" Zuimu blinked. "Gah! Should've never shown ya that game!" he folded his hands. "A paladian and a... girl. Ya wouldn't ever understand."
"You're sounding like Rowan." Atomu rubbed his eyes.
"Maybe because I spent too much time with them! Pesky royalty." Chyuuichi snickered.
The three sat in silence for a few awkward moments. The paladian rubbed his eyes.
"Could you get a little bit more of that wood, Chyuuichi?" he asked. "The fire's going out. No way I'm standing up."
Chyuuichi rolled his eyes before waddling over to the nearby trees, grabbing some of the twigs that fell from above. He went further ahead, taking dry leaves hidden next to the revealed roots of the bigger tuks and stuffing them all into one pile he carried in his hands.
On his way back, barely managing to carry the weight, he spotted something. Squinting at Atomu and Zuimu, the paladian's mouth moved, whispering something. Then, he stopped, waiting for a response.
Even if Zuimu had her back turned to him, he saw her taking her mask off, and replying to the paladian, perhaps answering his question or asking another one.
Chyuuichi opened his mouth before frowning. He sat near a tree, sliding down its bark and scratching his elbow with his other hand.
***
In the morning, the three ate a light breakfast in rather awkward peace, which none of them seemed to address, except for Atomu, who thought it was a little weird. Afterwards, they went back to marching, and the mirillian stepped in the front, speeding up. Sometimes he furrowed his brows, and at other times he'd just stop, signalling his anger.
Atomu said a thing or two to Zuimu, but Chyuuichi thought that if he was near enough, she wouldn't take off her mask, and that's exactly what happened. Over the next few hours, the mirillian and paladian didn't exchange a single word, and eventually, Atomu hushed as well.
At times, Chyuuichi would take a glimpse at the two, seeing Atomu's confused expression, but he brushed it off, looking back at the road, which he wasn't sure was right. Of course, none of them were morians, and at one point, Atomu thought that they would've already been to Mount Aria if they had those two brats leading the way instead.
Morians were naturally much faster than any other race, and by that, forced everyone else who followed to match their inhumane speeds, which was part of the reason why Atomu's, Jyuzou's and Morio's travels to Lapida took them a few hours, and Chyuuichi stumbled around for three days. The distance from the top of Magna to Lot Thúrum's peaks could be crossed in about four hours at Morian speed, and in all honesty, they all felt as if they were wasting too much time, only following the hollow silhouette of Mount Aria.
Eventually, they found themselves on the open plains of snow, with a black dot extending far away. They kept a steady pace, eventually reaching the speedy Chyuuichi.
"What's g-going on with you?" Atomu asked, raising a brow.
"Nothing," Chyuuichi answered, forcing a smirk.
"You haven't said a word since we woke up."
"Guess I'm just not too chatty today. Oh, my." Chyuuichi signalled.
"My c-catchphrase." Atomu pointed.
"I don't know." Chyuuichi shrugged. "Herbes is coming. Definitely that."
Atomu squinted. "You, a mirillian, feeling the weather?"
"Do you know that Herbes leaves and moss grow in the caves?" Chyuuichi looked at him. "No? We feel seasons in the same way all of ya do!"
"You're acting very weird."
"This is just how I am. Stupid, right?" Chyuuichi strutted forward with closed eyes.
"Ah. N-Not like that." Atomu followed suit.
"Yer not trying to deny it!"
"MMMH!" Out of the blue, Zuimu raised her voice, grabbing both and pulling them back.
The paladian bellowed in fear, glancing down.
From beneath the shadow, a massive sinkhole revealed itself, with an endless pit of darkness at the bottom, and roads leading down the circular walls, closing in.
The paladian fell to the ground, scared. "A sinkhole?!"
"Whew," Chyuuichi muttered. "I guess my instincts led me back to the sinkhole!" he clapped his hands. "Did ya know that there's a tunnel leading to my home down there? No? Thought so."
"Cut it out!" Atomu added, brushing off the snow and standing up. "What are we going to do now?"
"Just... cross... the sinkhole?" Chyuuichi proposed. "Walk around it? We still have a bit until we reach Mount Aria."
"Walk on the edge? N-No thanks."
"Who said anything about edges?"
"If you knew something about sinkholes, you'd know that they're unstable even after being formed!" Atomu said, standing up.
"I know sinkholes!" Chyuuichi stated. "I bet there's even a way from here through the caves of the sinkhole to Mount Aria."
"That's stupid," Atomu said.
"Oh." Chyuuichi squinted his eyes before sitting down on the edge. "Then, blow my mind, sir."
"Don't..." Atomu signalled with his hands. "Don't do that!" he reached his hand out. "Come here."
Chyuuichi smirked, sticking his leg out and moving it around above the edge.
Atomu breathed in, while Zuimu stepped forward. "Chyuuichi! Stop it!"
"What are ya going to do?"
"Chyuuichi, I swear to..." Atomu closed his eyes. "If you fall..."
"I won't fa-"
The rock below Chyuuichi shifted, teetering his body right off.
Headfirst, out of the blue, he plummeted into the unknown.
His eyes shrank.
"CHYUUICHI!" Atomu stuck his hand out before leaping, grasping his hand.
Chyuuichi breathed out heavily.
The paladian groaned, while Zuimu held onto his legs, digging her foot into the snow. "H-Hold on!"
Chyuuichi gulped. With one heavy breath, he put his other hand on Atomu's forearm, climbing up steadily.
Atomu ground his teeth, sinking his other hand between the openings of the rock, feeling a strange warmth. He screamed out before Chyuuichi leapt above and landed on the surface.
Atomu breathed in through his nose, then his teeth, making a loud, whistling sound. Zuimu slowly let go, backing out, while he still lay on the same rock. "Oh..." he sighed loudly. "...my."
"Atam!" Chyuuichi raised his voice as the rock suddenly slid down, with Atomu on the top. He stood up, trying to dash, but slammed his body against the steep wall. "Shit!" he repeated, throwing his rope forward, hoping it would reach.
Fortuntately, the paladian was fast enough to take the elshuim out, piercing the wall before him. He breathed in and out, glancing about.
"Grab on!" Chyuuichi yelled as he could barely make his face out. He reached one hand out but was unable to grab the rope. He backed down, holding onto the elshuim, and closed his eyes.
With all the force he had in his body, he put one foot on the tool, and then the other, leaning against the wall. His fingertip touched one of the five tails, and if he could lean forward, he could wrap his hand and live through.
But... at the last moment, the elshuim slipped, falling into the abyss, taking Atomu's body with it.
His scream echoed before reaching Chyuuichi's ears. He opened his mouth, devastated, before screaming his name out in disbelief.
Out of the blue, Zuimu pushed him out of the way and jumped inside, extending her arms out.
"Zumu, no!" The mirillian crawled forth. "ZUMU!" He screamed out. "ZUMU! ATAM!" he pleaded, wrecked with stress and fear.
Why did Zuimu jump down into the hole? Is Atomu dead? Are both of them dead?
He put down both of his hands, at a loss, as a few tears dropped onto the surrounding boulders. He couldn't even muster another yell amidst the chaos.
"Atam... Zumu..."
Without warning, something sounded from below, as Chyuuichi dared to look in, putting his head over the unsure edge. The sound echoed a few more times before two silhouettes came out of the dark, with something resting on both sides of their hands.
It was Zuimu, carrying Atomu's body out of the darkness. Although he couldn't put his hand on it, something about them seemed a little different. Nevertheless, a hopeful smile appeared through the tears, and before he knew it, she stormed out, jumping out.
Zuimu landed, as the dark elements retracted back to their hands.
"I f-forgot! Yer a Demonear as well, Zumu!" Chyuuichi said, looking at her in awe. "Yer abilities are amazing!" Zuimu didn't turn, while Chyuuichi glimpsed down again before Atomu leapt out of her grasp, trying to catch some air around the cold snow. "A-Atam!" he yelled out, standing up and running to Atomu, who didn't budge. "Oh, my days! Gaah!" he added, completely relieved.
"I'm sorry, Chyuuichi," The paladian said, as the mirillian suddenly stopped.
"No, it's okay, yer alive, and that's what matters!" he asked. "I never knew ya hid something so amazing," she punched her shoulder, as her eyes widened. "Bet mine can't do all that."
Without an answer, Chyuuichi took a step closer, finally spotting Atomu's face, and everything else that coated his body.
His hands had resisted the fall, with sharp nails scratching the nearby rocks. His tail seemed to have wrapped around one of the boulders, which in turn, gave Zuimu enough time to save him.
His sharp nails?
His tail?
His...
"I'm sorry, Chyuuichi. I'm so sorry."
Two great horns extended from his head. A pointy, thin tail could be seen, and a sharp tooth grew out from beneath his mouth. His short white nails turned into long, brown ones.
Chyuuichi took another step back, with his foot tracing the edge of the sinkhole. Earlier tears froze in place, and a short breath led to Atomu's eyes penetrating his.
"You're..." Chyuuichi mumbled, pointing.
"A demon."