The harsh high rays of the sun irritate Mirano's eyes and he stirs with an annoyed grunt. As his consciousness slowly returns, his skin picks up the dusty sensation on his legs, as well as the coolness of the other side of his shirt as he turns to his side. Even without opening his eyes, Mirano has gotten a general understanding of his location.
Crawling to the refuge of a nearby shadow casted by an exposed rock, Mirano yawns behind the Juni family blanket wrapped around his neck, finally opening his eyes to see the remnants of the mysterious fight last night. Slabs of rocks broken off from the cliffs littered the area, while an erosion across him was undisturbed. Just near where he was, Mirano finds the strange package once more and he fumbles on his hands and knees to reach it and buckles it in his belt strap, in line with his blades.
Upon retrieving the item, his mind recalls his main purpose within the ominous site. He turns to his right where the ravines begin. The debris of the erosion is left exposed to the great heat, which Mirano finds most problematic to scale. Standing up, he sweeps his feet to the dry ground in the hopes of keeping it full of dirt, but the dust simply rides the wind to obscurity. Nevertheless, Mirano begins his ascend; hopping from rock after rock, not waiting for his foot to fully land on the space in fear of burning his soles.
Being propelled by the pressure from his toes is not a bad strategy, but the next area Mirano lands gives in, the stones break off and send the Unknown Child rolling back down to foot of the erosion. Mirano grumbles at the predicament, quickly getting out of the way of the falling rocks.
As the ground settles, Mirano finds himself a few meters away from the debris panting and coughing from the cloud of dust sitting in the air. Looking up at the blockage, it seems as if the earth is mocking him for his failure.
"One obstacle after another? This must be a joke!" He hollers, punching the ground in irritation until his fists bruises from the abrasive dirt.
As he lands the last punch to the hallowed ground, the parcel somehow slips from his belt strap and lands beside him. Mirano's expression softens upon realizing it has fallen off and clumsily picks it up. The item, still bundled in its packaging, seems to indicate something. As Mirano stares at it, the voice from within appears clearly with a firm message:
"Not yet! Heed its warning!"
Mirano rebuts with a, "its?" As if inquiring who the voice is addressing.
As if almost awake and listening, the voice replies, "Pan."
As Mirano glances back to the seven-sided circle engraved on the fabric, the voice repeats, "Pan."
Mirano stares at the parcel for some more, thinking that the intense scrutiny will prompt the voice to reveal more of the name it is saying. A moment of silence passes without any further statement, making Mirano sigh. Realizing that there is no further information to receive at the moment, he decides to move in accordance with the first advice: Heed. He turns to the ravine, eyeing it firmly. Mirano inhales sharply and addresses the earth: "I am Mirano Suri, Duko'o of Aiden Maris. With the identity Hele has bestowed to me, I vow to return wiser and most worthy of your secrets."
With that, he turns around, treading out of the Jigsaw Canyon, without sparing the site a second glance.
---
As expected, the debris blocking the forked path is now gone and Mirano has met a few wagons bound to Hele along the way. Several hills dot this commonly used route, which makes the journey to the Northern Postal House quite tedious. Mirano hasn't had the time to count how many hills he has crossed and when he decided to begin counting from the foot of the hill he is currently on; he hears several chattering coming from in front of him. As he continues on the path, he eventually meets a small group of four large men, their dark complexions complimenting their leather clothes. All have their heads up on the sky with cocky grins and each is wielding metal weapons Mirano has never seen before. He and the group pass by each other, and, without even having a stretch of dirt apart, he hears someone from the group call:
"Hey, gifted!" The tone is deep and fuming with mockery. "Why don't you give us a show of your powers, huh?"
It has taken a heartbeat for Mirano to understand their words. He has been too busy thinking about their statement that he has already walked a good distance away from them.
"W-What insolence! The rumors about these Western Encantos are true!" Another one pipes, gritting their teeth in irritation.
"Let's show him!"
At the insult the group receives from Mirano's ignoring, the shortest of them charges towards Mirano, aiming to land a few hooks of his metal-lined knuckles on the Unknown Child's back while the rest of the group prepares to throw their long-range weapons from behind.
At this point, Mirano has finally realized the origins of the call thanks to his gaze dropping at the Juni family's blanket bundled around his neck. They might have recognized some of the markings on it as distinct Heleian symbols. He turns around, ready to call out an apology to the group, but finds one of the members dashing to him, arms close to his chest in preparation to launch an attack. He sidesteps to his left where the trees' shadows are abundant while unfurling the cloth and draping it around his shoulders, then hollers to the group while their member tumbles down on the dirt.
"Oh, you were calling for me! Apologies!" He says with a wave of his hand.
The group, thinking that the Encanto is playing with them, grit their teeth even more and two of the members furiously throw their spears towards Mirano, which the Unknown Child evades by jumping through the branches of the trees.
"He's getting away!" The member with the knuckle braces hollers as he points at the boughs.
"After him!" The largest roars, charging through the trees.
"With weapons like that, you must be Digmas from the areas, right?" Mirano calls from above, thinking that the string of attacks is their way of saying salutations.
Retrieving their spears, the two members shoot blindly through the dense branches, missing Mirano by a hair strand. With the mild touch of the shadows within the area, Mirano finds it easier to spot where they will attack. He smiles at the seemingly warm greeting.
"We're never going to find him like this!" One complains, looking around.
"Boss! Let's use those Elixirs! That rogue child said it'll power up any Digma weapons, right?!"
Remembering the bounties looted from their plunder not too long ago, the members grin with renewed confidence as the largest man retrieves a handful of large glassy orbs from one of his pockets. Each orb glows with a different light and seems to encase a piece of nature within it. Five orbs sit on the Digma's and each member takes one, with the boss keeping the last one and propping the yellowish orb in the base of his axe handle. Its glow travels from the handle towards the large blade, illuminating the area greatly and even blinding its owner so much that he swings the axe downwards, sending a large wave of light on the ground and cracking it.
The immense energy caused by the haphazard attack uproots the trees nearby, prompting Mirano to leap off of the branches and back to the dirt road, away from the commotion.
Meanwhile, the disorder startles the other men, who didn't have the time to use the Elixirs on their weapons, for seeing the power one Elixir has and their Boss' inability to control his own weapon further has scared them into trying it out on their own.
"Cursed!" One of them squeaks, dropping the orb he was holding to the ground and sprinting through the forest.
"The devil's power is within it!" Another shouts, following suit.
Unable to control its might, the large man abandons his glowing axe stuck on the ground, seeking the solace of his fellow members and disappears deep within the woods.
Finding the immense light bothersome, Mirano squints his bloodshot eyes, clicking his tongue at the disturbance the Digma warriors left. Covering his head with his cloth, Mirano pushes through the glow and, gathering both scuffed palms across his chest, clasps it together in a swift motion, at which point, a small ball of still darkness emanates from between his palms. He pulls his hands closer, then slightly apart, to which the ball of darkness complies; pulsating and growing until it was large enough for Mirano to throw at the axe and extinguish the blinding light.
As the solitude of the area resumes, Mirano creeps around, glancing at the great battle axe left on the ground. Its huge blade is enough to make anyone back out at first sight. Signs of wear are evident in the chipped blade, as well as the unevenly bound handle. Curious, Mirano peeks at the base of the handle, where he finds a glass orb; this time, containing a part of darkness he had just released. The sight earns a big gasp from the Unknown Child as he retrieves it.
"How can this be?!" He asks no one in particular.
As he was about to leave, Mirano finds another of the glass orbs on the ground. Looking further, he finds the last one in the area, lifting the translucent orb up to where little of the sunlight peers within the leaves. Mirano squints, as he cannot fathom what it is that is contained within the orb.
There are some... things within it that are easily recognized: one is the same color as the dirt, the other has the fluidity of water in it, the next has His darkness... Then, this one. Nothing seems to be in it, so Mirano thought.
The more his bloody eyes peer through the glass, however, it seems to be clearer: within the orb something resembling smoke drifting about; softly, slowly.
"Ah, could it be...?!"
His verbal thoughts are interrupted by a rustling coming towards his direction; an action he senses past the dimness of the woods.
"Hey! Give those Elixirs back!"
Mirano watches as a short, furious man appears before him. He bears the same complexion and brute anger of the Digma warriors he just met, though his small stature seems to downplay the threat he poses. The man is wearing an orange set of collared shirt and shorts, and his ember irises burn with fury beneath his fluffy short wavy locks. He rudely points his finger at the items in Mirano's hands.
"Those are mine! You're with those unruly thugs who stole it, right?! Give it back!"
Offended by the wrongful association, Mirano shoots back, "Are you blind?" while gripping on the cloth around his shoulders
Based from the Digma warriors he met earlier, Mirano thinks it should have been obvious for anyone to recognize him as an Encanto at that point, but the short man in front of him simply grits his teeth at him and pulls out a golden ornate hilt, which, much to Mirano's amusement, has no blade attached to it.
The Unknown Child finds it hilarious that the man has all the makings of a warrior (at least more noble than the group he had encountered in terms of his glare and his stance), but the fact that his hilt is lacking a blade has given Mirano a boost in confidence. What can he even expect from such a warrior? Pulling one of his short blades from his belt, Mirano throws it towards the Digma, intending to make it land on the ground, dangerously close to his skin. Call it a playful threat, if you may, as a repercussion for the wrong association.
Before the blade even lands on the ground, however, the short man's hilt expands enough to volley the blade back to its owner. Mirano hasn't had the time to witness the strange occurrence as he leans to his left to avoid his own blade. Blinking, he now finds the short man charging towards him, gripping on a blade greater and longer than the man's own stature. Amazed at the feat, but with adrenaline rushing through his body, Mirano forces all his body weight to the right, flinching as he twists his right ankle forcefully in an attempt to avoid the attack. He was able to stumble backwards, but the blade seems to stretch towards him, and part of the Juni family's cloth was caught in its mercy; the fabric sustaining a large rip on the side and is literally hanging by a thread as it clings by Mirano's shoulder.
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Backing up to a tree trunk nearby while clutching the broken fabric, Mirano's breathing turns erratic at the sight of the Juni embroidery ripped beyond recognition; the memories he holds of the cloth and the people he associates dearly to it flashes before his bloodshot eyes. As his vision shakes, the voice within him becomes louder in its warning:
"Don't!" it repeats, but the clearer it becomes, the more Mirano ignores it.
Glaring at the short man who wields his great blade above his head as if it was weightless, Mirano digs his fingers on the tree trunk behind him, his hand bleeding from the splinters caused by the action. His right ankle continues to pulse in pain, but he also gives it no mind. His brows furrow with anger and this time, propelling himself with the energy from his hand, he charges towards the short man, whose triumphant, smug expression instantly shifts to terror as he closes in. Stretching his left hand to the man with the intent to hurt him for destroying his cherished item, Mirano's surroundings immediately mutes. He does not recall whether or not his attack has reached the Digma before a sudden sensation; similar to getting struck by Rai's lightning; but greater, surges throughout his body, terminating his consciousness. It will be a while before the pain in his body registers through his skin again.
During these events, the short Digma has overcome his initial fury at the sight of the wilder rage within the stranger's expression. He realized that the man he accused of being a thug is not with the group who robbed him, though his terror persists in his mind as he stares at the unconscious man across him. He drops his great blade, which retreats into the air and the ornate hilt is the only one that clanks on the ground. With weakened knees betraying the man's stance, he hastily crawls to the unconscious... Encanto, at least based on the damaged cloth he has. He squints, shoulders raised in anxiety as he glances towards the man's left palm, which he has gotten a good view of earlier. His heart pounds, for he is sure of what he witnessed within it: an eye. A golden eye opens on the palm, at which point, is the reason behind his sudden unconsciousness.
The short man gulps and looks around the area, guilt drowning him by the throat. Looking around, he finally notices the great battle axe, as well as the discarded glass orbs. He quickly retrieves it, finally realizing that he is indeed wrong for accusing the Encanto for being part of those unruly ruffians. The short man attempts to leave the area, but his Digma roots refuse to escape his atrocity. With a stomp, he rushes to the Encanto's side and gently flips him face up, at which point, the Digma notices his bloodied hand, twisted ankle, and a parcel strapped on the Encanto's belt, engraved with an intricate symbol of a ram's head inside a decorated heptagon.
The Digma gasps at the sight of the familiar crest. He has been searching for its owner since his departure from his hometown. He glances once more at the unconscious Encanto and exclaims, "Just who are you?!"
----
Later...
Misfortune seems to have followed Shizuru Ryu throughout his life. Growing up, he had not been blessed by parents and when he thought he had found a guardian who would take him in, they simply vanished into thin air; out of sight and out of the town's mind. It doesn't help that his own townsfolk refuse to acknowledge any of his guardian's achievements, saying that his so-called "dissertations" are unofficial in the eyes of the academic world of CANDEMARO. When he had decided to leave town to reclaim his guardian's honor, a mysterious power kept him within his town and by the time he successfully surpassed the obstacle, he ran to misfortune after misfortune; the latest of which was getting robbed by fellow Digmas upon arriving at the north.
Shizuru's resolve is best described by his townsfolk as bold, to the point of brash and careless, yet as the country showered him with its one of a kind welcome, his resolve wanes to the point of exhaustion. His condition before and during his journey were not the most optimum, and his short temper got the best of him upon receiving the ill treatment. When he's in such a foul mood, he notes that everybody; involved or not, gets the blunt end of his anger, and Flaskalf's blade.
The image of the golden ornate hilt he received from his guardian gently shimmers by the flickering flames of the campfire he made earlier. Shizuru had made camp in a different area of the woods near the dirt path and had been tending to the unconscious young man he had wronged earlier, hoping that by the moment he awakens, he can ask for retribution for his actions.
Shizuru slowly retrieves the man's embroidered cloth, squinting at its unusual length. It's too wide to be a scarf, but too short to be a blanket. Is it an Encanto decor? A carpet? Shizuru shakes his head to take his head off of the unnecessary concern, eyeing the man and his tight short sleeved ebony shirt, sighing in relief to discover that it wasn't damaged earlier. As he sits near the fire, ready to mend the cloth, his ember eyes shift to the placid expression of the sleeping man, then down to his hand where Shizuru's anxiety mildly returns. The image of the golden eye haunts him momentarily and Shizuru shudders at the recollection, pulling out a few items from his animal skin knapsack in the hopes of distracting himself.
He finally retrieves a small needle and a small spool of white thread and begins sewing. The crackle of the firewood seems to be the only source of sound within the area, which Shizuru finds quite unsettling. Every now and then, he looks up to the still woods, interrupting his own sewing and anticipating another malicious person, or creature, to pounce on him. By the third time of looking up, Shizuru slowly reaches for Flaskalf, the ornate hilt, and places it on his lap, just under the cloth he is mending, in preparation to defend himself.
A few minutes later, Shizuru sighs proudly upon finishing his little task, the thread barely visible beneath the fabric. He folds it neatly and paces around the campsite, eyeing the still unconscious man curiously. He had not searched him after tending to his wounds, believing that looting fallen enemies is an act of treachery. Well, in every other scenario where his transgressor clearly did him wrong, Shizuru Ryu will not hesitate to rob them of their belongings. However, every other Digma bound to Halli's Code of warriors and personal conscience, cannot. The only item Shizuru has retrieved from the man was the parcel bearing the seal of his guardian; an academic Rogue who searches for the truth within CANDEMARO's shadows: Pan.
Gulping, Shizuru pulls the strings off of the parcel, shedding its thin wrapping, to reveal the brown skin cover of a small journal, the crest of the ram within a heptagon embossed on it, along with the inscription of its owner. The journal is bound by a golden lock on the side, which bums the young Digma, as it implies that Pan discourages anyone from unlocking it and prevents anyone from reading its contents... Yet.
Keeping the journal in his knapsack, Shizuru returns to sit by the fire, staring at the man for some more. Finding him twitching has made Shizuru jump. The more the man stirred awake, the more Shizuru panicked. The man hasn't even sat up and the Digma is already on his knees, bowing profusely.
"Encanto of fellow land, my greatest apologies!" Shizuru exclaims with his eyes shut. He is unsure if the tongue-speak he is using is best fitting for the vocabulary of the Gifted Tribe. Still, he continues. "I am no transgressor! Apologies for mistaking you for a thug! Mercy!"
With all the numerous bows and endless appeasement, Shizuru hears a confused, but rather anticlimactic, "Huh?"
Opening his eyes and looking to the stranger, he finds himself staring at the reddest gaze he has ever laid eyes on. Its unusual hue unsettles him for a moment, but realizing the scrunch of worry washing over the stranger's face has won him over and Shizuru composes himself, clearing his throat.
"I come in peace. I am Shizuru Ryu of Mado."
The stranger slowly tips his head, still confused.
"I believe I have mistaken you for a ruffian who stole my Elixirs and wrongfully attacked you. Apologies!" He clasps his hands.
"It's not a problem." The stranger laughs as they shake their head, their midnight hair gently swishing at the action. "You must be a great warrior, then." He looks to the sky. "How long was I out..?"
"All afternoon." Shizuru replies with a nod, pursing his lips in uncertainty whether to impart the fact that he isn't the one responsible for his passing out. He points to the cloth near the man. "Your... scarf. I fixed it to the best of my ability as reparation."
The stranger slowly reaches out for the cloth, dangling their fingers on the fabric and pulling it close. As they drape it open, Shizuru's shoulders tense up in recollection of the terror he had witnessed earlier. Will it be enough?
"I can't even see the stitches!" The stranger gasps. In the flicker of the campfire, his red eyes seem to glow with glee. "Thank you so much!"
Shizuru grins at the praise. Not to be a bragger, but his hometown prides itself on a wide skill set of crafting. It'll be a shame for him not to keep a few in his sleeves. The images of Mado and his village folk, its numerous shops in their greatest times, flicker in Shizuru's mind and his chest rises with pride as the man puts on the cloak and embraces himself happily.
"Oh right, I have retrieved these glass orbs from those people."
Shizuru almost did not hear the young man amidst his imaginations and his gaze drops on the glass orbs on the young man's palms. Relief washes over Shizuru at its sight, as moments prior to this meeting, he thought he shall never see these items again.
He shows both of his palms and the young man slowly drops the orbs, each clinking gently as it arrives on Shizuru's hands. The young man's gaze is enough for Shizuru to concur that it must have been a first to witness such a peculiar weapon.
"Elixirs usually draw curious gaze." He says, holding one across his nose.
The young man nods. "I swear I witnessed the element within one. How does it work?"
"Well, it powers up my weapon." Retrieving Flaskalf, Shizuru shows the hollow oval opening on it and places the elixir above it. "Depending on the element encased within one elixir, it will manifest as part of Flaskalf's blade." He moves the orb away from the opening. "Placing one here will consume it, so I'm saving it for good use."
"Don't you have more of it in stock?"
"Well, you see," Shizuru scratches his head. "My Elixirs are differently made, so I only have this much." He looks down to the orbs and counts them. He flinches upon realizing he is missing one and mutters a curse under his breath. "Anyways," he clears his throat, keeping the Elixirs inside his shorts' pocket. "I probably should get more, only if Pan appears, that is."
"Has he crafted those for you then?"
Shizuru nods wildly. He grips on Flaskalf and shows it again. "This too! He's the greatest blacksmith in town! Oh, but I'm not searching for him because I wish to get more supplies, no!"
The young man chuckles at Shizuru's brief display of defense. Shizuru pouts at the reaction, though he does not hold any contempt.
"Then why are you looking for him?" The young man asks after a moment of chuckling.
The question startles Shizuru and for a blink of an eye, his interactions with Pan, along with the numerous inquiries he has about the blacksmith's academic endeavors return. Flaskalf and his Elixirs are the last of his mementos of Pan and while his disappearance is still a mystery, the fact that he is leaving his ideologies behind ignites Shizuru's belief that he is still out somewhere in the country; searching for the truth.
"Pan is onto something." Shizuru begins, eyeing the flames with a serious frown. "He knows something is incorrect with the Usor's records of CANDEMARO's history and is independently researching to uncover the truth." He looks back to the young man. "I intend to find him and join him in his endeavors."
With his statement, Shizuru half-expects to elicit a strange reaction from the young man with red eyes. After all, his mission sounds preposterous to a stranger. A Digma doing academic work? It has been a while since that was a thing! However, seeing the solemn expression on the young man's face has surprised him instead.
"What a noble cause. Let me join you in your quest to find the man you call Pan. Maybe he has answers to questions I've been asking myself in the past few years."
Shizuru's eyes widened at the acknowledgement. He whoops happily, throwing his hands to shake the man's hands. Remembering the sight he witnessed in the man's hand earlier, he is now convinced that Pan will have an explanation for it too.
"It's an honor to be in your presence, Jyu! I am Mirano Suri, Duko'o to Aiden Maris!" The young man's eyes curl with glee as he greets.
There is something about the nickname "Jyu" that irks Shizuru, though with Mirano's energetic greeting, he cannot seem to get truly angry about it. It's a bit annoying now, sure, but as he shrugs his shoulders, he thought he might get used to it.
"It's not fair to be the only one to be called by a nickname!"
"Then I give you permission to call me Ran-Ran! Only if you beat me in a battle of wits!"
There was a teasing whip in Mirano's voice as Shizuru frowned while watching the young man draw a square on the dirt. Realizing what the setup is, Shizuru chuckles.
"Hah, challenging me on a game of Tancha*? A mistake!" He exclaims.
Mirano selects a stone near their camp and Shizuru does the same. Once they have selected their champion, the night hears the echoes of grunts and cheers. The sun has begun peeking from the shadows when the echoes die down and both young men recline to their side, keeping themselves up while sleep crawls to their mind. In the rising of the sun's first rays, Shizuru manages to flick his champion stone against Mirano's stone, knocking it out of the line.
With a tired cheer, Shizuru falls on the dirt, smiling triumphantly. "I won... Ran-ran." He giggles as he finally drifts to sleep.
Mirano retrieves his stone with a weak laugh, yawning as the sun rays blinds one of his eyes. Pulling the Juni cloth over his head, he reclines near Shizuru, closing his eyes with a satisfied smile.
-----
It was halfway through the journey to the Southern Postal House that Aiden realized it would be easier to travel back to Hele to send a message. However, it is too late to turn back now. It has been a day since they left Mado and it will be another half day to reach his destination. No matter how ridiculous the message delivery will be, he will still post mail for his family in Hele.
Gayat has been sharing great stories from his ceramic shop and the town of Mado throughout the journey and Aiden is glad to hear and learn more about the townsfolk he has met. Still, there was uneasiness in his mind given that the incident he has resolved in their town implies a grim fact: somebody did malicious things to the people here. What annoys him more is their motivation, which, despite looking over their notes and materials, reveals nothing.
Why are they doing this?
Only one thing is certain: Project CONDE is related to this.
For the next few hours, Aiden immerses himself in his thoughts while staring out of the wagon. The abundant woods in the area reminds him of his time with Mirano in the Beda Rainforest and the thought washes away his worries temporarily. At the memory of his Duko'o, sadness seems to come to Aiden in the soft breeze from the forest and he reaches out for the crystal sewn over his ebony choker.
"I need your guidance, Mirano." he mentally whispers.
----
To be Continued...
*Tancha (n.) CAN.,: a popular game across CANDEMARO where players take turn in attempting to flick their opponents' stones (aka champions) out of a designated ring. It is believed that winning is merely based on luck, hence the name. In some places, the game is called, "ChanChan."