TBATE | Lingering Flames

TRISTA NEWFLOWER

Slippery little runt!

I was comfortably relaxing in the shallow stream, thoroughly wiping down my body with a ripped piece of cloth from my ruined shirt, when all of a sudden a heavenly voice descended into my head! Into my head!

Seem to be enjoying yourselves? Tell me what you're doing here?

Ha! What I would give to find out the answers to that question, miss disembodied voice. What the hell am I doing miles deep into the enchanted Forest of Elenoir, following what might possibly be the most peculiar child on Dicathen?

And the boy walks about as if it is the most natural thing in the world, his casual demeanor and his unhurried gait speaks volumes of his mentality. He was clearly on a mission, and it killed me not knowing what his mission was.

Standing back up after my graceful fall into the stream, I grabbed my dual daggers laying on the side of the riverbed and prepped myself for an attack. I look over to the boy and his sister, wondering if he too got the same message, only to see him slightly turn his body and kneel down to one knee. A gesture more of respect and less of worship.

He stays still for a few moments, wiping away the occasional tear with a sad smile on his face. Knelt down for a few moments, the boy suddenly lifts his head and darts forward, kicking up dust, as he heads into the thick forest.

"Hey! Wait for me!" My cry fall on deaf ears, the boy not even bothering to look back. I use both of the elements at my disposal to try and chase after him.

Yet dispute being a gifted dual elemental augmenter at the solid yellow stage, the boy, or Arthur as he calls himself, makes a mockery of my abilities. He doesn't even seem to concentrate on manipulating mana, there is no effort in his movement nor any delay in his spell.

The mana around him dancing to the tune of his existence, obeying his every command, his every thought. As Arthur speeds away, I was half-certain he didn't even realize he was casting spells around his body, as if unconsciously conjuring the most useful spell in any given instance.

I mean seriously! His status as an awakened, a mage already at the light orange stage, is already weird enough without the addition of his crazy control. And don't even get me started on his quadra-elemental affinities, because such a fact only add to his ridiculousness.

He's disappeared into the distance and I'm left with countless questions as I chase him down. He doesn't leave behind footprints nor a scent, forcing me to follow him by his last known general location.

With a few more minutes of my top speed, in the distance I make out a cliffside hugged by large and small boulders alike. I come to a halt with panting breath, my hands on my knees as I take a break long enough to replenish some of my mana. Heh, he either went left, right or climbed the cliff. Though through the short time I've know him, I wouldn't be surprised if he instead chose to go under the cliff side.

I approach the bundle of boulders to look for any potential clues, only to get blown away by an earth shaking shockwave. With cat like reflexes, I twist my body to land on my feet, only to be forced down on all fours by a crushing, ferocious pressure.

An all encompassing presence, fueled not by anger but something that felt closer to irritation. The almost mellow feeling emotions were still enough to force me to grit my teeth and take in short, desperate breaths.

Against all the protests coming from my neck, I look up see the previous cluster of rocks blown away, a large hole ripped into the ground. From below, faint golden and purple lights shine upon the dull, brown rocks, glowing in fluctuating intensity, as if they were telling a story.