Chapter 19: Chapter 18: Klaive

Chapter 18: Klaive

Tianyu’s bubble fades, an unconscious Francis still in his arms.

“What happened here?”

The water Mage looks around, his eyes immediately focusing on the unconscious Maru across the room. His heart nearly jumps out of his chest, forcing Tianyu to his feet. With a wave of his hand, Francis is encased within a large sphere of water, floating behind Tianyu as he runs across the room. He remains wary, his head darting from side to side while keeping an eye out for Elafi.

Tianyu didn’t know what to think at the moment. Part of him was mad at himself for thinking it was a good idea to let Maru take on Elafi all by herself. He could sense just how strong that girl was, and the fact she was able to hold her own against Francis with ease should’ve been a red flag. Still, Tianyu let Maru go ahead and fight her without any scapegoat.

He crouches down beside her, lightly pressing the back of his hand against Maru’s forehead.

“Still warm,” he mutters, then pressing two fingers against the side of her neck. Tianyu lets out a heavy sigh of relief. She wasn’t dead, and that was all that mattered to him. Maru was always resilient and durable – it’s no surprise she managed to live through the battle. He knew she was injured, but it likely wasn’t something Magic can’t fix.

Tianyu scans the rest of the room one last time, trying to piece together what happened during the battle. There were plenty of rock fragments, craters, and debris everywhere. It was clearly a hard fought battle. Even if Maru lost, she didn’t go down easy.

That’s when his gaze hovered over Elafi’s body, a hint of blood still oozing from her wound. Tianyu’s eyes widen immediately, and he gets up to take a few steps closer. He saw that she was weakly holding on to Maru’s staff, and it was covered in her own blood.

“Did she…” before he could finish his sentence, he runs over to Elafi and stares at the gaping wound in her chest.

“Maru did that?” he thought, reaching down and waving his hand over Elafi’s wound. She may have been their common enemy, but he wasn’t going to leave her to die like that. She was still human after all, no different from the rest of them.

Using small threads made from water, Tianyu manages to close the wound, sprinkling it with Magic Energy as if it were salt. He then takes the staff out of Elafi’s hand, gently brushing his palm against the patches of blood. A Magic Circle appears on the back of his hand, releasing a splash of water to cleanse the staff of its bloodied stains.

“Maru doesn’t have the willpower to actually kill someone. So for her to use a lethal attack like that, the situation must’ve been dire. Either that, or maybe she remembered that Mages are much more resilient than normal Arcanians. But this girl isn’t a Mage…”

He then focuses his gaze on the antlers atop Elafi’s head. Features like that weren’t natural, at least to his knowledge. It’d have to be the result of something magical.

“I’ll need to research it later.” He turns back to face Maru, a Magic Circle still covering the back of his hand as he waves his palm over her body. Much like Francis, she is encased in a circle of water, levitating over the rocky ground beneath them.

Before he leaves, Tianyu performs one final scan across the room to see if he missed anything. He still had the map from earlier hidden within his robes. Out of everything in the room, it was the only thing he’d be able to take back. He stares at the giant crystal in the middle of the room, its magnificent glow beckoning him closer. He thinks back to when Maru asked him about it. She likely wanted him to explain, but he remained silent intentionally. He knew what it was, but he couldn’t disclose it. Maybe she’d be ready to learn about it later, but not now. It was a truth too great for her to understand.

“Reoh,” Tianyu whispers, “play your next cards carefully.”

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Tianyu ventures throughout the sparse cave system, a dimly lit lantern in his hand to guide his way, with Francis and Maru still floating close behind him in small bubbles. He already tried to retrace their steps, but the pathway they took to enter the cave was mysteriously blocked off. Hours passed, and he didn’t seem to be getting any closer to an exit.

“I have to hurry back. The dusk has likely passed already. If I were here on my own, then I’d try to explore as much as possible. But Maru needs to head home – I don’t want her parents to start getting worried.”

While walking with his lantern, Tianyu spots the faint glow of a yellow, flame-like light stuffed into a cavity not too far ahead.

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“Someone lost?” He mutters, “or a potential traveler? Either way, two minds surpass just one.”

Tianyu takes a few hurried steps towards the source of the light. As he turns the corner, he is greeted by the heat of a fresh flame, resting atop a wooden torch lodged into the rocky wall. A young man with pale skin was sitting beneath the torch, curled up into a ball. His dark and messy hair blocked his face like a dense hood. He wore a quilted black cloak, slightly torn and tattered with more holes than seams. Between the black cloth were patches of grey, clear indications of past repairs.

“Greetings, comrade.”

The man lifts his head to look up at Tianyu. His eyes were droopy, with noticeable bags beneath them. His mouth was shrouded by a thick scarf wrapped comfortably around his neck.

“Who are you?” His voice was airy, light, and quiet. Tianyu could still hear him, albeit barely.

“Tianyu, descendant of a family now lost. And you are?”

“Alex.” The response was blunt, even uncomfortably straightforward. Tianyu could sense that there was something off about Alex. He was eerily truthful with his answer, yet his voice seemed to be hiding something.

Tianyu figures he should continue the conversation.

“What brings you all the way down here then? Are you lost, just like myself?”

Alex is silent. He stares at Tianyu rather than answering the question.

“Do you have food?” Alex asked.

Tianyu was about to say no, but then he recalled that Maru packed some spare food for them in case they ever got stuck inside the cave.

“I do.” Tianyu turns around, reaching his hand into Maru’s bubble as he grabs a potato from a large pouch in her bag. He takes the potato out of the bubble, handing it to Alex.

Alex gently takes the potato, a little surprised that it was completely dry. He takes a bite, chewing as he looks back up at Tianyu.

“I’ve been lost for a while now. Not in this cave, but through the winding roads of life. I wander, aimless, nowhere to go. No place to call my home.”

Tianyu’s gaze immediately softens, and he takes a seat in front of Alex to help him feel more comfortable.

“What happened to your home?”

“It happened some years ago, the memory still haunts me, though some parts of it are foggy. It was a small village inside this cave, not many people lived there. I never did much besides mine materials and take them back to the village to use for construction and ceremonies. My life was like that for countless years, at least until it all came crashing down.”

He falls silent again, taking another bite of his potato before continuing.

“A group of relentless tyrants came and took everything my people had. They wanted control. When we didn’t give them control, that’s when they destroyed everything.”

“Tyrants…” Tianyu mutters to himself, taking a moment to ponder, “...do you know what their names were?”

“Klaive. I remember their red coats, once white but stained with the blood of their enemies. Relentless, they stopped at nothing to get what they asked us for. I escaped, but only with the help of the Gods. The thunder – it gave me strength at the tips of my fingers.”

Alex holds out his hand, spreading his fingers apart as arcs of lightning would jump between them. Tianyu’s eyes widened briefly.

“He’s a Mage. No wonder he was able to survive.”

“Alex was your name, right? Would you be interested in starting a new life? A new place to call home?”

“If only such a place existed.”

“It does. There’s a whole world above you, you know. A world of adventure, discovery, and Magic. And it all begins right here on this little island. There’s a small village above your head, likely no different from the one you once called home.”

Alex stares deep into Tianyu’s eyes, giving him a somewhat judgemental but still soft gaze.

“Its name?”

“Redville.”

Tianyu choked a little once he uttered those words. This interaction reminded him of when Maru first found him. Much like Alex, he was lost with no place to call his home. It was her encouraging and confident words that gave him the strength to get up and follow her. Even if she wasn’t a genius, she had a way with words. He was hoping her same words could work wonders for someone like Alex.

“Redville,” Alex echoed, taking another bite of his potato. “I will gather my things, Tianyu, and I will see you in this ‘Red Village.’ If you are lost, then I have something that will help you return home.”

Alex reaches into the pocket of his cloak, pulling out an old and worn piece of paper with a few holes. Tianyu gently grabs it, examining it closely. It was a poorly drawn map of the cave system, clearly over a decade old. It was better than nothing, and was more than enough for Tianyu to find his way out.

“Thank you, Alex.” Tianyu puts the paper into the pocket of his robe, nodding towards Alex as a thanks. He turns around and reaches into Maru’s bag again, handing the boy another potato.

“For your journey,” he whispered. Alex nods and takes the potato with his other hand.

“Safe travels, Tianyu.”

“Same to you, Alex.”