Their journey began with low expectations for the future, to nobody’s surprise. Marque had hardly been a welcoming city, despite its citizens seeing the most travellers out of all of Kosira. Luckily, they weren't expecting to encounter anyone, considering that they were travelling alone. The path to Veritas shown in Navi’s map was the most direct one, but it was less popular. This was mostly due to the lack of civilisation out in the dry grassland, along with a notable lack of water and large animals.
Thankfully, Rascal deigned to accept Raine’s commands while riding, and the journey had started off relatively smoothly. Despite her mischievous tendencies, the seriousness of the situation kept them in check. Unless something interesting caught her eye; then there was no use trying to get her back on track until she sated her curiosity.
Several days passed in the blink of an eye. With nothing to do but stare out at the unchanging scenery of dry grass and brown trees, Raine attempted to strike up a conversation with his travel companion. Nikolay, that was. Though, Rascal certainly would have been more talkative than him, despite being a horse. Attempts to communicate with Nikolay yielded poor results, usually resulting in no response. They often went a little like...
Nikolay, are you there?
No.
Good. I want to talk to you.
Did you not hear me? I said no.
Insults weren’t uncommon, but there was rarely any heat behind them. Both Raine and Nikolay were feeling the strain of the constant horseback riding, though Raine was pretty sure that he took most of it as the vessel’s current controller. He had mentioned switching over in passing once, but Nikolay adamantly refused, as usual.
Of course, they didn’t spend all of their time on a hard, unforgiving saddle. Truly a shame, considering how positively riveting the whole endeavour was.
They used their nights as downtime, mostly for Rascal to rest and recuperate. Meanwhile, Raine did every task that couldn’t be performed whilst on a horse. This included cooking meals, setting up a place to sleep, and other things required to be self-sufficient out in the wild. As per Nikolay’s advice, the food that they bought had been non-perishables, so most times it was as simple as opening a can.
This left ample time on their hands before they felt tired. Less than three days into their trip, Nikolay had somehow concocted a way to torture Raine in their spare time.
It started off with a proposal.
Say, Raine. We’re all too familiar with the... physical limitations of our vessel. How about fixing that while we have the free time?
Raine quirked an eyebrow. You want me to work out? Yeah, sure.
Not just strength — we need technique. From what I’m hearing, there is combat ahead of you. Not just the beast mentioned in the prophecy, but also the fact that there are people hunting you down.
I’m listening.
I know you are. I have residual memories as a street fighter in one of my previous lives. With her skills, I should be able to pass on some simple fighting knowledge to you. Though, keep in mind that she lived many, many years ago. The technique may be outdated.
A female fighter in the early ages? Damn, I didn’t realise you were pioneering the feminist movement.
Quite the opposite. I would be concerned if women took her as a role model. Her unrelenting pursuit of revenge ended up consuming her.
Revenge? Raine’s ears perked up. Sounds like interesting gossip.
There was a conspicuous pause from Nikolay, then he said, Now seems like a better time than any to start. Get up.
Raine sighed. He should’ve known better than to expect answers from Nikolay.
In the middle of a flat savannah with nobody in sight, they were confident enough to create a campfire. This provided ample light well into the night, giving Nikolay plenty of time to drill his knowledge into Raine’s brain.
Nikolay hadn’t given Raine a chance to check the time, but he was sure that they had trained for hours. Sweat dripped down his back, making his shirt stick unpleasantly to his clammy skin. Each laboured breath felt closer to a wheeze than a proper exhale, and his head was pounding just as much as his heart was.
Lifting his arm for what felt like the millionth time, Raine pulled his hand back in anticipation for a punch.
Try again.
Raine scowled. Come on, you didn’t even let me do the move.
Your stance was already off. I’ve seen you perform it incorrectly a hundred times before this, and that was an exact match.
Needless to say, Nikolay was a horrible teacher. He was making a single punch seem to be the greatest, most difficult move to be performed.
Stop internally talking shit about me and try again.
How did you even know? Raine groaned.
The hatred radiating from you was enough.
...Whatever.
Despite the added harshness of the nights, they also provided Raine with reason to start a conversation with Nikolay now. Raine found that Nikolay was much more responsive when he was already opening his figurative mouth to criticise Raine’s form.
I’ve been wondering, how old ARE you?
Well, how old are you?
...23.
Then, I’m 23.
What? Raine scoffed. I call bullshit.
It’s true. I’m as old as this vessel, which was tailored to match your biological age.
I meant your actual age. Like, cumulative.
Technically, I’m around 600 years old, but this isn’t a good indicator of my age. Even though my previous lives are ‘mine’, I remember them as facts, rather than personal experiences. Except for my first life, which isn’t part of my contract with the gods.
Besides, the biological limits of this vessel constrain my mental age — that is, I’m limited to thoughts that a 22-year-old can fathom.
Huh. It doesn’t feel like it to me.
Maybe that’s because you might be below the standard for adult intelligence.
Good job proving your point about being immature, Raine pouted. I like you better when you don’t talk.
Likewise. Yet neither of us can get what we want.
What a tragedy, was the sarcastic response.
And so they continued further into the night until Nikolay thankfully stopped to let them sleep.
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They fell into a rhythm over the next few days: travelling during the day, and training at night. Raine was trying not to be ungrateful, but it was becoming increasingly tiring to repeat this cycle. When he wasn’t suffering from numb legs and a sore ass, he was being subjected to both physical and mental endurance tests by a sadist.
It was like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Or rather, ricocheting between them. Raine had a growing suspicion that Rascal was intentionally trotting with an uneven gait to make him more uncomfortable.
When night fell, Raine practically fell off Rascal’s saddle. He was far too exhausted for graceful leaps to the ground and instead stumbled his way down while clutching the saddle.
After Raine took care of the necessities, such as setting up the tent, he reluctantly plodded away from the camp to a wide, empty space. It was better to rip off the proverbial bandaid as soon as possible, rather than agonising about it and being forcefully dragged by Nikolay.
Let’s just get this over and done with.
Eager today, aren’t we?
Mhm. What special taste of hell am I delightfully privy to this time?
Drills.
Again?
Yes. Based on the estimated time to reach Veritas and your currently calculated learning curve, we should focus on two skills per week. However, considering that the basics will take longer, I’ve set out a plan to go through approximately one basic skill each week. That should be enough general fighting knowledge to hold your own against most regular people.
Nikolay sounded a little too invested in this, to Raine’s dismay. He was expecting some casual exercises, not a rigorous bootcamp training regiment. Clearly, he severely underestimated Nikolay’s obsessive planning skills.
We’re doing this for weeks?! Raine exclaimed. Nikolay. You forgot to account for the fact that I am a human being and not a robot.
Hmm. I’ll factor that in.
Are you actually- Forget it. Next time, don’t tell me what’s coming. I’d rather keep my hopes up.
Taking it into account.
With no other substance to distract Nikolay with, Raine took up a loose fighting stance. Okay, be my guide.
How poetic, Nikolay said in amusement. You should use that more often. Makes it sound like you’re depending on me.
Raine broke his concentration to scowl at the air in front of him. God forbid a man joke around with his only companion for days on end.
I’m only teasing. You can call me whatever you like.
How does ‘stupid asshole’ sound?
Your words wound me deeply, Nikolay said in feigned hurt. I will never recover from such a hurtful comment said by someone just as stupid.
You know, the only time you’re not serious is when it gives you an opportunity to insult me.
Is that so? I’ll have to be more serious when insulting you, then.
How chivalrous of you, Raine sighed. Truly my knight in shining armour.
That’s enough fooling around. Get to work.
They were barely a few minutes into the drills, and Raine was feeling the exhaustion already settling into his bones and aching muscles. Each miniscule movement became more and more difficult, to the point where it took a Herculean effort just to lift his arm. It was as if lead had replaced his blood, constantly weighing down his limbs. Though, obviously this wasn’t the case, and Raine was just suffering from sleep withdrawal and criminally low levels of energy.
His struggle didn’t go unnoticed by his unforgiving coach. Nothing escaped Nikolay’s sharp gaze, especially when he pinned his entire attention on Raine’s every movement. But despite all of Nikolay’s focus on Raine, he misinterpreted the cause of his fatigue.
We should work on your endurance instead of drills tomorrow. It won’t be doing anybody a favour if we continue to repeat something without solving the issue.
Too busy trying to block out the screaming protest from his overexerted muscles, Nikolay’s words were distant echoes in Raine’s mind. He barely registered the sound, let alone the meaning.
Nikolay paused for a moment, then prodded Raine’s dormant consciousness with a spark of annoyance. Raine.
Wh- Huh?
Nikolay let out a quiet sigh. We should take a break from training today.
Raine startled at Nikolay’s sudden words. Wait, why? Don’t tell me that you’ve given up?
You're clearly too tired to do anything effectively, Nikolay raised a metaphorical eyebrow. But I didn’t realise that you were looking forward to getting yelled at by me.
Raine sagged against a nearby tree trunk, feeling his aching muscles thank him. It’s just that I feel unproductive if we don’t do anything at night. The clock is ticking with this prophecy and we’d just be… lying down and doing nothing.
Nikolay hummed to himself as he pondered Raine’s answer.
Then, how about this? We’ll do something less physically demanding. Close your eyes.
I have a bad feeling about this, Raine said apprehensively, as he followed Nikolay’s command.
Focus on your breathing. Block out everything else. I want you to take a deep breath in and then hold it for five seconds before exhaling.
It sounded easy enough. Raine did as Nikolay instructed, taking a deep breath in and holding it for five seconds, then exhaling slowly.
I’ll stop talking to remove any further distractions. Continue the rhythm.
Instead of simply placing a wall around his thoughts, Nikolay’s presence seemed to dissolve away and disappear. For the first time in ages, Raine felt like he was alone. Even though he was probably being closely observed by Nikolay, it was easy to pretend otherwise.
Raine dutifully continued the breathing exercise. In, hold, out. In, hold, out.
Time seemed to pass outside of himself, as though it was something inconsequential. Sounds of rustling trees and cicada calls became a distant hum in the background. The usual clamour of his thoughts died down, giving way to the action of his methodical breathing.
This was... nice.
It was oddly soothing, contrary to his expectations. Funny how Nikolay’s absence made everything much calmer.
Stop thinking about me. I can feel your animosity from here.
Ah- You- I... Raine was a deer in headlights, too flustered to respond immediately. Why did you word it like that?! I’m only thinking about you because you’re constantly up my ass about everything I do!
I didn’t even say a word until just now, Nikolay sighed. And now your concentration is broken. Well, it was a good thirty minutes while it lasted.
No! I’m not that easily distracted. You’re just underestimating me!
Raine desperately tried to shut out Nikolay’s amusement and concentrate again. As much as spite acted as a powerful fuel for him to prove Nikolay wrong, it was impossible to return to the zen-like state from before.
Don’t say a word, you prick.
Even though Nikolay obliged, it didn’t stop his smugness from conveying the same message.
You’re insufferable, Raine sighed.
It’s hardly my fault that you’re the first person to be bad at meditation.
Wait. You’re telling me that we spent a night on... meditating? Oh my god Nikolay, I thought you were more practical than that.
What!? You were the one complaining about being too tired. Don’t pin this on me, Nikolay said defensively. What did you think you were doing, anyway? It was pretty clear what I was telling you to do.
I don’t know, some... magic thing? It doesn’t help that I’ve been constantly in the dark about how things work around here. I sure as hell wasn’t expecting meditation, of all things.
Raine let out a breath and smiled, despite his words.
...But thank you anyway.
Nikolay made a noncommital sound, almost as if he was unsure of how to respond. You’re strange.
Raine was relieved at having a break from training, but a larger part of him felt guilty for being happy about it. After all, he was essentially shirking his duties because he was ‘too tired’.
But there was a silver lining to it all when he reflected on the night. It was a pleasant surprise when Nikolay didn’t force him to go through another night of drills, considering how unforgiving he could be. Raine got to see Nikolay’s softer side again, without the added pain of having a panic attack. At least, he was too tired these days to have another existential crisis about his current predicament.
Maybe it was just Raine’s wishful thinking, but after that day, Nikolay seemed less harsh in their training sessions. His instructions were in a less demanding tone, and even borderline helpful at times. Still no praise whenever Raine got something right, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
--
The next day started with significantly less muscle ache than usual. When Raine sat back down in Rascal’s saddle, it was a joy to see that it didn’t hurt nearly as much as he expected.
At first, it seemed like another day of monotonous riding was ahead of them. However, they were quickly proved wrong.
Do you see that?
Raine nodded, lips tightened into a thin line. He squinted at the black dot on the horizon as they approached to get a better look. After a few nerve-wracking minutes, their eyes could make out a figure riding in the opposite direction to them.
This path wasn’t well known; Navi’s map had clearly indicated this as a back road, only used if the main road had some serious disaster befallen it. Clearly, this wasn’t the case if only a single person was travelling down the path. There weren’t many reasons why they would have any business here.
Nikolay made a disconcerted sound. He isn’t carrying any bags with him. How did he survive all this way?
It was true. There was a distinct lack of luggage attached to the horse’s saddle. The figure raised an arm and waved while signalling for their horse to slow down.
Raine tensed up in anticipation. There was no reason to talk to strangers, not even if they were travelling on the same niche path. Even still, he pulled slightly on Rascal’s reins to slow down as well. It was better if they complied for now, since he wasn’t sure whether Rascal could outpace the stranger’s horse.
More details revealed themselves as they got closer. Loose hessian cloth swathed the unknown rider’s entire body, and a scarf obscured the majority of their face. A wide-brim straw hat covered whatever the scarf didn’t, effectively making them completely unidentifiable.
I know I say this a lot, but this doesn’t look good.
I agree. I’m inclined to think that it’s not just your anxiety this time.
Who was this person, and why was he so eager to talk to Nikorai? Surely nothing good could come out of this interaction, but it was near impossible to avoid such a direct encounter.