Not much of what others deem as childhood is vivid to Shizuru's memories. In fact, when opportunities for him to recall his past arise, it always begin at Mado, at Pacifie, with Pan and the rest of the Digma townsfolk. At first, he thought it was normal for anyone's memories to begin at the stage of innocence. He learned recently that it was not, and at a stressful time when he is forced to remember Pan, the eternal frustration of not recalling anything beyond Mado is gnawing his mind that comfort is nowhere within reach.
Macer, much like other Digma towns within CANDEMARO, barely has any public space to gloom about, so Shizuru found himself behind the decorative awnings of a wooden food cart serving a variety of skewered items. Digma delicacies differ across towns and Shizuru was partly relieved to find his favorite among the menu: double-grilled squid meat. Even with five skewers in front of him, thoughts of the predicament earlier consumed his mind and he buried his chin harder on his palm at the possibilities that might occur upon his return in the Panuluyan.
Most of his thoughts knit itself to one tight ball, centered at regret for not immediately noticing the strange occurrences Mirano had pointed earlier in their arrival. He gritted his teeth as his mind reels back to the discovery of that Usor obviously casting a spell at the Panuluyan. How dare he play dirty?!
For Shizuru and majority of Digmas, they consider Usor Sorcery the cheapest method of battle. Where they exert force and tactics in warfare, Sorcerers attempt to turn the tides with their wretched spells of confusion then strike when their opponent is most vulnerable.
That fundamental idea is infuriating enough, but the idea that Mirano had stopped him from further beating the Usor made Shizuru drop a fist on the counter of the food stand, the momentary tremor shook three of his skewers off of his plate. Shizuru is aware of Mirano's peculiarity since their first meeting... so why is this occurrence even a surprise to him?
"E-Excuse me?" the timid shopkeeper raises a trembling hand to Shizuru. "I-I-I do not mean to intrude, but..."
The brief interruption had Shizuru snapping his face towards the shopkeeper, who immediately shrieks upon meeting his wild glare. The stand's lanterns only intensified Shizuru's already glowing ember eyes.
The shopkeeper gulps, mentally regretting he ever spoke. Still, he musters the little courage he has. "Your...uhh, well, y-you've been here for--for a while and, uhh," the poor shopkeeper then bursts wailing, much to Shizuru's bewilderment. "--wOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE YOUR FOOD REHEATED?!"
"H-Huh?! Y-Yes I do, but...!" Shizuru has jumped out of his seat, arms outstretched in an attempt to console the shopkeeper.
"I am so sorry! It's about closing time and you seem to be deep in thought I apologize for imposing!!"
After a moment of consolation, Shizuru ends up assisting the shopkeeper to close their food stand. Shizuru looked on as the shopkeeper leaves, pulling away their food cart, all five skewers of double-grilled squid in one hand. His brows meet in another frown, but this time, he pinches the bridge of his nose with his other hand.
"So much for cooling off." Shizuru mutters as he begins walking back to the Panuluyan, chomping off one skewer clean. "I think I got a headache instead."
There's no doubt that the squid is delicious, but he is no short of disappointment at his own train of thoughts. What if Mirano ended up nursing that cursed Usor back to health? Shizuru is literally in front of the Panuluyan as a grimmer thought entered his head. He rolls his eyes as he discards the third skewer. Is there anything worse than seeing that Usor all healed and walking?
At the swing of the door, the image before him seem to confirm his darker thoughts and Shizuru swears his sight swayed temporarily: he recognized the cloak of the man above Mirano; his glowing hand hovering over Mirano, and Mirano, who was on the ground, seemingly cannot push him away, because, as Shizuru recalled, has injured his ankle and leg.
His free hand immediately found its way to his pocket, where he had kept Flaskalf before he left, grasping the ornate hilt tightly. Every step forward seem to take forever and Shizuru, despite urgency making his blood run, struggled to lift one foot from the ground.
"Jyu, you're back!" the cheery ring of Mirano's voice echoes in Shizuru's ears and almost quickly, his vision clears.
By the time Shizuru regains his awareness, he is mere steps away from the Usor and Mirano. He was initially confused as to how he arrived at his spot, yet he found the Usor lowering his head, as if further hiding his profile under his cloak, while Mirano has stood up and is visibly consumed by the odd item in his exposed hand.
"Are you alright?" Shizuru manages to get the question out, though his voice still vibrates with suspicion at the Usor beside Mirano.
Shizuru was already perplexed to see no signs of scuffle in the lobby, but what surprised him more was Mirano skipping happily in front of him, his injury seemingly gone in a blink of an eye. He has been going off about a "miracle" done by the Usor, which made Shizuru even more annoyed.
With squinted eyes, he shoves the remaining skewers to Mirano's hand. "it's not a miracle, it's Sorcery, Mirano." he meets the Usor's wary gaze and clicks his tongue. "It's not divine work, but a result of petty attempts at one."
"But I felt alright after..." Mirano replies with another hop. "so, it's okay?"
Shizuru simply shrugs at the statement, then moves towards the lobby, looking for the owner. "We're heading out, Mirano. To chase the one who stole the journal." he declares.
There was no affirmation heard. Shizuru thought that the statement was too direct to be easily understood, though he soon found Mirano beside him, hugging his bulky knapsack on his arms.
"You know, we can take him with us." Mirano jutes his lips towards the Usor, which immediately received a disgusted expression from Shizuru. Mirano blinks. "No? He can help us track down the silhouette, considering they were accomplices."
Shizuru took a breather to consider the possibility then smirks. "You're right! We can take him hostage and he'll bring us right to where we want!"
The Usor flinches at the declaration.
"Yeah!" Mirano answers with the same level of glee despite not understanding what it means to take someone hostage.
As Shizuru finishes his transaction with the attendant, he asked for a length of heavily-bound rope, casually walking towards to the Usor while stretching the rope menacingly.
"Hey!" the Usor shrieks, clamoring to get away.
"Oh no, you don't!" With a big swing of the rope, Shizuru manages to trip the Usor as he run, immediately sitting on his back and tying his limbs.
Despite their visible physical differences, with Shizuru being a good centimeters shorter than the Usor, he was able to masterfully tug on the ropes and tie the lankier Sorcerer. The latter's thrashing did not help to his benefit, in fact, it seems that the more he wriggles away, the more Shizuru was able to tie him up.
In all of the quick action, Mirano finds the whole thing unnecessary, and he is now doubting whether it was correct of him to agree to take the Usor hostage. As he watches Shizuru struggle alone on getting the complaining Usor up, Mirano chimes. "You know we can let his legs loose so he can walk by himself."
The obvious solution has had both Shizuru and the Usor exchanging glances, but they quickly turn their heads away, as if both refuse to acknowledge that the proposition is the most correct. Shizuru, having his actions clouded by his rage, agrees, but he continues to struggle lifting the Usor in fear that he may take the opportunity to run away.
Mirano somehow notices the flaw in his suggestion as he watches Shizuru drag the now silent Usor towards the doorway. He sighs at the thought of seeing Shizuru uphold his pride despite the lack of practicality and he scratches his head, unsure of whether or not he should help him in his plight.
At that moment of pointless struggle, the attendant arrives at the lobby together with a taller individual dressed modestly in a collared shirt and leather pants. He has sharp facial features and disheveled brown hair. Mirano hums as he finds the other person's full beard to be quite intimidating. Amidst the ruckus, the attendant introduces them as the Panuluyan Owner. Only Mirano is able to acknowledge the introduction with a small bow, but the Owner is more focused on Shizuru and Neviah's shenanigans. "Leaving Macer already?" his voice is somber, but full of curiosity.
"Yes... we h-have to..!" Shizuru successfully raises the Usor to his shoulder, earning another shriek from the Usor. "...chase his partner... so we can...! Ack!" Shizuru receives a smack on the side thanks to the Usor flailing his head. "...Retrieve Pan's journal!"
"I figured." the Owner nods as he rubs his bearded chin. "but it looks like you will be nowhere chasing him with a hostage slowing you down like that."
A grunt of defeat escapes Shizuru's lips as he throws the Usor on the ground, his frown acknowledging the older Digma's presence and remark. Mirano nods in agreement, then raises his hand.
"You can tie me up with him if you're that worried he'll run." he suggests with the most non-convincing tone Shizuru has ever heard.
It was most convenient, at least for Shizuru during that time, and he happily agrees to the proposition to tie one of the Usor's wrists with a separate rope, tying the other end of it around Mirano's wrist. After a heated argument that eventually led to Shizuru promising to return and explain everything to the Panuluyan Owner, they left Macer with Shizuru leading the way to the woods where Mirano saw the silhouette disappear. As precaution that the Usor will never cut the rope and run away, Shizuru looped another longer rope across the Usor's rope and wrapped it around his waist. In this setup, he was able to lead them in the dark woods, without having the annoyance of standing too close to the wretched Usor.
The flickers of the torch in Shizuru's hand casted ominous shadows across the tree barks and the dirt path they are on. The silence of the night has been making this trip quite unsettling, as Shizuru finds solace in knowing that animals are present in the tiny skittering and rustling of his surroundings. As they walk, Shizuru cannot help but to look over his shoulder occasionally; his worry over the suggestion earlier became more apparent. As much as he wishes to distance himself from the inconvenience of being near a Usor, having Mirano, whose abilities are still unknown to him, so close with an unpredictable enemy, might be a terrible idea.
As the trip continues, the journey was filled with bouts of whisperings, small conversations between Mirano and the Usor reaches Shizuru's ears, and every time he looks over his shoulder, he finds the two close to each other, exchanging words too soft for him to hear. Their faces contort to distinguishable reactions, and Shizuru was able to take a guess at the topic of their conversations. Seeing the Usor pull a grin beneath his auburn locks somehow makes Shizuru reconsider his actions.
The Usor somehow notices the eyes over them as they talk and once more, his and Shizuru's eyes meet. Per their last interaction, the two snapped their heads away once more, this time, Shizuru grunting in annoyance.
"Don't get so comfortable with him, Mirano." Shizuru calls out, the intensity and mockery in his voice has made it obvious that he wishes to irk the Usor. "trust his sweet words and that might be your undoing!"
As he intended, Shizuru's words popped a nerve or two in the Usor as he heard him squeak impatiently. Shizuru grins at the success of his scheme.
"That's unfair," Mirano's sad voice catches the two off-guard. "Neviah has been sharing some really interesting stories." He looks at the Usor with drooping eyes.
The sudden shift in the mood has definitely turned the tides and Shizuru, too perplexed to keep up with his initial banter, drops a big sigh and begins stomping forward, the tugging of the rope has subconsciously prompted the Usor to move as well.
A few seconds later, Shizuru has realized what Mirano has said and immediately stopped on his steps, turning to the two with the most defiant shriek: "What did you say earlier?"
Mirano tilts his head. "About Neviah?"
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Shizuru approaches the two with gritting teeth. "That's right! Why did you know his name?!"
Finding the inquiry stupidly obvious, Mirano gives the Usor--Neviah-- a glance, then slowly lowers his head in reply, "he told me."
Unacceptable, thought Shizuru as he threw a frenzy in front of the two. Those small exchanges has come to this point; an incident Shizuru has believed will lead to anyone's undoing. No one should be comfortable to ask a Usor their name; better yet, a Usor who did bad things.
"Shizuru Ryu, right?" Shizuru heard the Usor utter his name and he quickly turned to Mirano.
"It is only right to be known to your fellow travelers." Mirano interjects upon seeing Shizuru's insulted expression. He turns back to Neviah. "Is there something wrong?"
Neviah shakes his head, prompting a small grin across his lips. "He's just so interesting. How do you travel with a dork like him?"
"Excuse me?!" Shizuru did not find the statement well. Was it because he was called a 'dork'? or was it because a Usor said it? Whatever the reason is, it was enough for Shizuru to dig his hand in his pocket and grasp Flaskalf.
Mirano's laugh echoes in the woods. "He is interesting, right? Nights with him are truly memorable! Have I told you..."
The next few anecdotes from Mirano seems to mute down as Shizuru's face softens. He recognizes the tale; that was their first night together, and they played all night because neither of them wishes to lose... but the sensation he had after hearing Mirano laugh... what was that? Shizuru finds it odd. Whenever Mirano is around, his rage; the rage that defined his violent nature to the people of Mado, seems to waver, eventually vanishing to obscurity. it was the most mysterious effect and Shizuru has experienced it the most in just this night... but why?
The thought consumed Shizuru into contemplation. He did not notice that he was losing his grip on his torch and the wood falls to the side, the flames quickly extinguishing and flooding the area back with darkness.
"Jyu! Are you alright?!"
Shizuru heard Mirano's panicked voice in the darkness and he immediately realized his mistake. The moon, in the best of times, has hidden behind thick clouds and Shizuru cannot make out even the silhouettes of his companion and the Usor. His heart races: What if the Usor has used this chance to escape?!
Hearing the few flips of a book and the soft chanting, Shizuru's urgency to locate Mirano, despite being connected by the ropes, intensifies. He finally remembered to use the ropes, but it was too late.
Light suddenly manifested near Shizuru. Its glow was enough to blind the Digma and send him down to the ground scowling, for the light has temporarily burned his sight. When he was able to peek through his lids, Shizuru finds a tiny glowing ball hovering across them. Behind the ball of light, Shizuru clearly sees the Usor with a satisfied expression on his face, his free hand holding on to a small open book, while the other gently hover across the stone decorating his ebony choker. Shizuru sighs in partial relief as the Sorcery active is, at the very least, harmless.
"That's amazing!" Mirano chuckles, an arm raised over his eyes as he admired the ball of light. "It's even brighter than the torch Jyu had a while ago!"
Shizuru's eyes twitch but he made no follow-up on the remark. Instead, he picks himself up and turns his back to the blinding light, dusting his shorts. "You could have been helpful a while ago."
"I am your hostage, right?" Neviah quips. "Why would I even offer my help in the first place?"
"Whatever, this is of big help!" Mirano nods. "You can finally traverse through the woods faster than before!"
"As if!" Shizuru exclaims, stomping forward, jerking the rope so much that Mirano and Neviah were forced to take a fumbling step forward.
With extra effort in his steps, Shizuru manages to drag the two up on a hillside. Even with the good distance, the glow from the ball of light reaches past Shizuru's view and it had helped him recognize the grassy clearing near the dirt path. He ends his walk there, finally turning to the two as he throws his knapsack on the grass.
"We'll rest here for the night. At this point, we will be at a disadvantage if we continue tracking the silhouette blindly."
The statement confuses Mirano. The main reason they took Neviah with them is to aid in the search of that silhouette, is it not? The predicament made the Unknown Child frown, as the shift of mood has rendered Shizuru more unpredictable.
"I'll begin a fire, then..." Looking at the ball of light, Mirano slowly redacts his statement with a scratch of his head. "...though it looks like we're covered by Neviah's light."
"Oh, apologies, but I cannot keep this up for the night." Neviah replies, withdrawing it by closing his book.
The moon has now peeked from its heavenly hiding, blessing their location with enough glow for Shizuru to begin gathering fallen wood.
Much to Mirano's disappointment, there are still more things he is not aware of in the country, so he did not pursue the topic anymore. With the familiar darkness resuming, his body seems to feel lighter, with every simple hop taking him higher from the ground than usual. Everything around him is more vivid than when he was in Macer.
"Do you need help with the campfire, Jyu?" Mirano asks as he watches Shizuru move within the darkness.
"I'll be fine," Shizuru answers poutily. Turning to Mirano, Shizuru points a finger to Neviah, sneering, "...and can you not call me that when he's around?"
"Neviah? But wh--!"
"I don't know! It annoys the hell out of me!" The sudden burst of Shizuru's voice has shaken Mirano. The intensity of it is different from the one he heard in Macer. His eyes pop open in surprise as Shizuru continues, his voice cracking as it scratches his throat. "To think that my name will be known by a Usor like him! It's dishonorable! You bring nothing but terrible omen to others! Why should we even trust you?!"
Silence passes like a lifetime in the shadows. A brief gale from the east jitters across Mirano's exposed legs that he was able to regain focus of the blackness surrounding him; Shizuru's panting seems to match the loud thumps of Neviah's heartbeat.
"D-Do you think you're the only one who is being disgraced here?" Neviah's trembling voice breaks the silence. "I am equally disappointed of my actions towards you in the Panuluyan! It was never my intention!"
"And am I supposed to believe you in that? You Usors are quite skilled in sweet talk, huh?! Trying to persuade us only to stab us in the back! Tell me, how did you manage to get Mirano on your side?!"
"Jyu, it's not lik--!"
"I'm not talking to you!"
Neviah steps forward, flailing his arms in annoyance. "Why does it matter if you were known by someone like me or not? Do you think I'm happy to reveal my name to you?!"
"It seems that you are! You witches can do a lot just by knowing our names right?!" With a cocky smile, Shizuru advances another step, baring his chest as he threatens, "Why don't you go ahead and curse me?!"
With that final statement, it is clear from Neviah's expression that Shizuru has hit something close to home. Mirano is not sure what it is but with his clear view of the Usor clutching his choker, it seems that in another second, a full blown attack may occur. Causing a disturbance may lower their odds of locating their target.
Sliding in front of Neviah, Mirano pulls two of his blades and stretches his arms across the Usor and the Digma, the tip of the blade on his left hand once again sits dangerously on Neviah's throat, while the other points threateningly towards Shizuru.
Though both of their weapons will guarantee the resumption of light in the area, Neviah and Shizuru hold their places, for while they could not see Mirano or each other within the shadows, they can somehow feel the intensity of the Unknown Child's threat to them. Even without sparing any word, the two lowered their stances, with Shizuru fumbling in his knapsack for his flint.
Meanwhile, Neviah drops to the ground, his legs giving in from having a blade so close to his skin the second time around. Mirano withdraws his blade as soon as the first sparks of the campfire emerges, endless apologies streaming from his mouth as he pats Neviah on the head.
It has taken a while before the campfire became stable. When it did, Shizuru reclined on the nearby dead log, watching indifferently as Mirano and Neviah console each other. In the shower of dim orange light, Shizuru wonders if the threatening sensation from earlier indeed came from Mirano. With the other's cutesy and calm demeanor now, he is having a difficult time to fathom his capabilities. What else does he not know about his mysterious companion?
Probably numerous things; Shizuru said to himself with a sigh as he shifted to his side. While he is grateful to learn of these quirks, the fact that he has to discover it during a scuffle with a Usor is most insulting. Had it not been for Mirano, he would already cut that Usor down.
Shizuru noticed Mirano on all fours, approaching his side. He had fumbled with the connecting rope for a second, but he was able to arrive beside Shizuru with a sheepish grin. With a wave of his hand, Mirano showed Neviah curled on the other side, with his face obscured by his own cloak.
"He cried himself to sleep, what do you know?" Mirano chuckles nervously. He kept his knees close to his chest as he sits in silence with Shizuru.
The Digma noticed the strange silence and sits on crossed legs. He slightly bends to get a good look at the sleeping Usor, then to Mirano, who is staring at Neviah as well.
"Are you not going to sleep?" Shizuru finally breaks the silence.
Mirano flinches at the question and gives Shizuru another awkward grin. "I think I'll be watching over our 'hostage' for tonight. Besides, between you and I, you need rest more."
Beneath half-closed lids of doubt, Shizuru puffs his cheeks. He is not one to relent to any offers, but recalling the occurrences of the night, he acknowledges the truth with another sigh.
"Apologies. I've been making this journey more difficult for us." he mutters. "it's just that..."
"I am not aware of how or when your hatred towards Usors began, Shizuru." Mirano interrupts softly. "However, maybe not all Usors are what you think they are."
The two exchanged gazes as the campfire wood breaks. Mirano continued.
"We had a fine conversation throughout the night. There were a lot of things that I learned from him in that short amount of time. I am not sure why, but I strongly believe that we can trust him."
As much as Shizuru wishes to rebut, he finds Mirano's resolve on the matter stronger. If he is saying that the Usor called Neviah can be trusted, then there must be no harm in doing so.
Mirano was the first to break the gaze as he reaches for something in his pockets. He soon reveals it to Shizuru as the mysterious key they retrieved from the Panuluyan.
"I have offered this to Neviah as soon as he healed my injuries. He did not wish to possess it."
The statement seemed to have awaken Shizuru. "What? But this key opens Pan's journal! Why?!"
"He made it not known, but he revealed that he will be more than willing to assist us in the journal's retrieval. He..." Mirano looked over his shoulder, towards the sleeping Neviah. "He believes that his former companion will use the journal to do bad things."
Shizuru scratched his head, visibly confused. Pan, as the notorious academic rogue in CANDEMARO, might have unearthed remarkable information if people within the land is seeking his artifacts. But for bad things? What could his guardian be researching if these studies will be used for such an action?
"Shizuru." Mirano's voice echoes once more in Shizuru's ears and the recognition immediately washes away most of his worries. Being aware of the sensation, Shizuru flinches.
"Shizuru, take some rest now. I'll be watching over now. Also, can you..."
Mirano's words seems to lull Shizuru to sleep that he was unable to get a full understanding of his last statement. As if in a trance, he simply nods to Mirano's blurred inquiry and quietly prepares his sleeping bag, glancing at Mirano one last time, with the image of the Unknown's Child's soothing bloodshot eyes being the last thing he saw before slipping into unconsciousness.
---
To be Continued...