William hung his head down low. He had really tried his best not to be reminded of Joss as this would only cause him unnecessary heart squishes, but how could he?... His gaze soon landed on Leonard who had successfully shaken the dark energy off of himself. He was now joyfully blabbing on about his test boulders.
William hadn’t thought that being close to an old man like Leonard, would be the same as looking at the very image of loss. Yes, he could learn from this geezer that you can move on and live through loss, but now and then something sad will seep in through the cracks…
Besides, William wasn’t about to die from old age like Leonard was. He would have to live on with Joss’ demise for many years to come… And in the end… Was it his fault that Joss died?... For what if he had chosen to stay? If that was the case, would all of this even have happened?... He didn’t want to blame himself for being a bit selfish, but… Does everything in life need to have a consequence!?...
In a sullen tone, William asked, “I was wondering… Among all those papers you got, do you perhaps have a map- or the knowledge of where Halbal is?”. The old man who was showing off the strength he had when he was at his most powerful, sunk his shoulders when he discovered the young lady wasn’t that interested in his past physical achievements…
Leonard cleared his throat before answering the girl, “Hmm, a map?... And Halbal you say?... I think I’ve got a map that was drawn with how the borders looked 50 years ago… Don’t know if it’ll be that useful these days… But we can at least have a look at it… Come, come Mirabelle. Inside we go”.
Within one of Leonard’s stock rooms, he had a compartment where the map was stored. Both of them stared at the scribbles for a while, trying to decipher where the name: Halbal, stood... “There!”, Leonard burst out in a triumphant way. Somehow their search for the word had turned into a competition, that the old man won with glee.
“My house should be stationed around here…”, Leonard stated as he circled his finger around a certain forest area. They were placed way up north compared to Halbal and Blaise island. Seeing this, William wanted to facepalm himself. He really had been wandering in the wrong direction for a good distance.
“Hmm… Mirabelle, I know nobody likes detours, but I would strongly suggest that you make a big tour around this area…”, Leonard said with a grim mask on his face. William saw the way his fingertip was going way off course, to avoid the territories of Denkwood and Ponile. With a questioning glance, William soon got a short but concrete answer from Leonard, “War! My dear girl! These two clans have been going at each other for who knows how long. I’ve always heard only of strife from those who come from that area...”.
Lucifer cawed in the background, trying to get the humans’ attention. Alas, it got ignored as William asked, “You said for a while… Then… Are they at war right now?”. The geezer looked up as he thought, “Look, I’m not all-knowing although it might seem that way! … But hey, you look like a smart girl, so I’m sure you would rather avoid conflict than take the risk of it, right? So make the detour and remain safe and sound, Mirabelle!”.
William didn’t respond. Instead, he gazed down at Lucifer who was getting very tired of staying inside of this wooden box of a mansion!
William thought: Taking a detour would be safer but… I have matters that need tending to! I’m not stupid. I know exactly how it feels to be left isolated, not knowing what has happened to your loved ones… Why should I expose my dearest friends to this kind of torture?... I want to get back and as quickly as possible to elevate this pain. Because they must be thinking that we’re both dead by now… And you know what geezer?... I’m not afraid of their conflict. For with my new senses I should be able to catch on to their situation without getting too close. So, if there is a war, of course, I won’t head straight into it. I’ll take a small detour, but that’s only if there is a war…
Stolen novel; please report.
William was determined to continue his path ‘home’. So with clenched fists and a burning heart, he thanked Leonard for his hospitality, and then he left. He also received Leonard’s map as the old man was convinced that it would be of no further use to him.
****
For three sunny days, the bonded pair traversed the landscape.
During their time of casual traveling William had tried to use Lucifer’s ability but to no avail. Somehow he just couldn’t find the right trigger to unleash the power, that he had seen Lucifer so splendidly execute some time ago. It really bothered him since it would be a huge triumph card for him. Alas, he had to make do with his now enhanced senses and physical abilities…
“Oh? You found some berries?... But are they edible? Hmm…”, William hummed as he went down for a look. Lucifer was really proving itself useful these days. Although it still wanted to bring him some offerings of the dead kind here and then, it was being way more agreeable those times he didn’t accept them.
One of the plump berries was about to get tasted by William when he got the whiff of something deceased and fresh. This well-known smell made him steadily lose his appetite for sweets.
Lucifer could also smell the kill, but these kinds of smells were quite common in the wild. Who knows, it might be a herbivore that just fell victim to its hunter. But still, they both kept their minds alert for any killing-intent that should be sent in their direction.
A few berries were plucked for later and then they cautiously made a circle around the smell. They were just about to leave the area when the sound of someone sobbing also got carried through the thick forest. “That… It really sounds like a human being…”, William muttered.
Although, Lucifer was still deaf to the language it helped William’s sanity to bander with cub as it was his only travel companion. This was also just fine for Lucifer since it would get more used to the human tongue, and hopefully, along the way, it would pick up the meaning of a word or two.
Lucifer sensed how Willam had changed his mind about the danger. So it took another more thorough look back into the thickets, which exuded a silent dread. “Aruhhh…”, it cawed with a tune that was begging for the human to reconsider. To this, William simply bowed down to clap its head a few times before he soothed, “I know, it could be dangerous… But I can’t shake the feeling off that someone needs our help in there… You may not understand this Lucifer, but humans are curious beings and we love to stick our nose in other people’s business. I can’t just leave, knowing that somebody in there might need my help. At least, as a fellow human, I can’t...”.
As he finished his speech he wiggled out his golden sword along with its sheath. Then he fixed it to rest on his hip. That way it would be more accessible if trouble should arise.
William stepped into the forbidden area. As soon as his foot landed unto the mossy grass, Lucifer growled in dismay. But William continued to tread forward. Since a nasty snarl wasn’t enough, Lucifer hopped on and bit his sheathed sword; hanging onto it as annoying weight. “Okay, okay… You don’t like it when I ignore you… So here”, William said as he lifted the little white dino unto his shoulders. There it was suddenly above the ground and very close to its parent head. It was strange, but being up there, Lucifer felt that it was being filled with a huge sense of power and warmth, which made it a lot more consenting.
Now they were both curious as to what made the smell and sobbing noises. It was just behind the carpets of hanging moss and ancient plants, that a gruesome scene was unfolded. Indeed… It was a very fresh kill they had smelled... It was still breathing.
The oozing scent of flesh had come from a teenager that laid haggardly breathing in a small forest clearing. The light that penetrated the trees seemed to roast his back that was ripped into shreds. Something had forced him unto the ground only to tear all his nerves apart. William gulped at the poor lad’s awful state. And yet, he didn’t step so much as one step closer to the dying youngster. For this was clearly a trap!
But it wasn’t set up for him…