By the time Alicia returned to the Tamoanchanese enclave, she found Wisesa already sitting in front of the fire, trapped in a ring of tables lavish with grilled meat, mashed avocado, confections, and vessels brimming with chocolate atole. Barong in its kitten form had already dared to waddle out some distance away, engaged in a cat-and-mouse with a group of children in the field. As the dark descended, some parents came to shush them, pulling them into their tents for slumber. Those lucky enough to escape the parental reprimand revelled in their newfound freedom, which was spending the night in the company of the Earth Monster first-time ever.

"Don't ask why," Wisesa muttered to Alicia. "The tribe's elder's a snitch."

Alicia scrunched up her forehead. "Watch yer languages, Wisesa!" she hissed. Both of her hands were outstretched at the various delicacies. "At least they seem to hold ye in high regard, like a king. A loner king, I'd reckon." She let out a sweet smile and giggled.

Barong abruptly ceased its pursuit and greeted her, to which the lass waved with a genuine smile.

"You're the one who came home late. The others got tired of waiting and went to bed. They said it was all for you and Izel," Wisesa said.

"And where is she?"

"Man, how should I know? Nowadays, ladies just be roaming around all over the place."

Seated on the cool grass with a cup of chocolate in hand, Alicia was prompted again, "So? Did my teaching work?"

"Yer teaching method lacking, to say the least. Not to mention ye left me," Alicia's mouth tilted to the side, an annoyed yet endearing expression. A second later, it lapsed to one of excitement. "But, but! I found something!"

Alicia proceeded to recount her meditation experience and inner discovery. Wisesa seemed to show signs of surprise.

"I didn't find any replica of my face while meditating," Wisesa replied casually, munching on the meat skewers laid in the fire. "But hey, if that's what you got, cool. Keep going. Maybe it's a form of your subconscious." The lad then patted his puffed-up chest. "I am one heck of a teacher."

"My unconscious form?" Alicia squinted. "Is there such a thing? And you're pure convinced I'm doing it right."

"There is no dogma about the subconscious, Missy. Again, inner things are not an exact science with limitations. If you get inspiration and enlightenment, then great. Now all you have to do is kick it up a notch."

"No, no, no. Not great," Alicia refused with a swift shake of her head. "My meditation was suddenly interrupted by the presence of the Eyes of Khaos. I cannae harmonise with my subconscious if I meet that gaze once more."

Wisea's brow furrowed. "The Eyes of Khaos?"

"One eye is purple, the other pale white. I ken it's Khaos because I often encounter it in my dreams and purification sessions!"

Hearing that, the lad's hand absentmindedly massaged his chin. "A traumatic memory, I think? You've always had a tormented past."

"Well, that hurts," Alicia's atole rippled as it was blown then down her throat. Instantly her eyes popped open. "Ellie's Wrath, this is pure tasty! Better than Camelot's cocoa brew! I mean..., back to the topic. Khaos is a bit unnerving, no doubt, but I disagree, pal. I've got this notion tucked away in my noggin: It's one of Khaos' sneaky maneuvers to keep me from hitting my stride, ken? Considering... I'm a Child of Prophecy."

Spluttering, Wisesa shook his head gently, hands raised in a shrug. "I'm running out of nagging due to overindulgence, but if that's what you believe then..."

"I'm serious!"

"Just because you're serious doesn't make it correct, let alone something you should believe, okay?"

"It is!" the girl insisted. "Ye ken what? Let's clear that hurdle first. What I'm itching to ken is, how can I make the Eyes of Khaos vanish? How did ye stand yer ground against a force like Barong that time?"

"Well, I just fought him. You know, imagining wrestling with a lion and pushing it into a crack in the wall and then patching it back up."

"But ye said I shouldnae think at all!"

"Hmm, true. Oh, I'm like a meditation pro, so my subconscious just takes care of tussling with Barong on its own, you know!" With that, Wisesa laughed.

Alicia was already showing signs of irritation—almost slamming her glass was one of them. "Ye're not helping at all!"

"I'm helping all I can." Wisesa sucked out the meat from the beef ribs and placed it on the clay plate. One satisfying dinner, even if the impetus was upsetting, thought he. But good food remained good food. The banquet would not be complete without sucking his five fingers still coated in spices. "You just need to defeat them and then create a barrier between you and the Eyes of Khaos so that he no longer haunts your mind. But that will take a long time. And while waiting for that, I guarantee you can't use Arcane for real."

Alicia sighed when she heard those words. "Using Arcane, huh? I mean, helping them through research and alchemy is quite grand. It's like a hobby too. But..., if I actively helped them, I'm sure I'd sweep through the mujino wave as fast as the Thunderkeeper's Lightning, shaving off a good few hours of war, ye ken? I even have an idea to block them portals they're sneaking through with some Arcane. Any mujino that evolves and rebels out will emerge as nought!"

"You underestimate war. Have you ever been to war, Miss? A real war, okay, not a pillow fight with other girls." Wisesa dismissed her at once. "There are many people who have crazy ideas and think they're geniuses like you. Arcane wielders in previous waves must have had more brilliant strategies than your imagination. But they died before they could take twenty steps."

"Yer explanation is so detailed that it sounds, for the umpteenth time, exaggerated."

"Exaggerated? I haven't even explained it fully! War is where they unleash their chaotic nature, and chaos is unpredictable. Soldiers learn from their mistakes, so..., just trust their experience, alright?"

"Perhaps it's for the best," Alicia became resigned.

Wisesa tossed a bone into the campfire in an attempt to indulge his intrusive thoughts. "Just don't be too obsessed with actively showing off Arcane might, Missy. People already know what Arcane is, for gods' sake. It can make you lose your way, you know, becoming an acute narcissistic person who needs affirmation just to freakin' breathe."

A sense of shock gripped the bookworm. "There's no way I'm obsessed! I just want to help people, nothing else!"

"Well, they accepted your help by researching mujinos' origins. That alone is a big favor in my opinion. Be grateful for that and do well."

"Aye, fair enough."

The topic was cut short by a huffing gasp from the tent curtain that constituted the entrance gate. When they glanced over, Izel came in with her pointed hat clasped on her chest. Her entire being was soaked; one could not tell if it was a strenuous bout of sweat or a dip in a lake. Her limb gait struggled to seek support from the other tent poles.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Divine Mercy, what's wrong with ye?" Alicia asked. "Are ye awright? Were ye beset by mujinos or did those foreign shinobis cross yer path—"

"I'm fine. Cease your prattle," Izel cut in, tone flat and cold. The look on Alicia's face seemed to be affected by it, mostly in a negative sense. When she met the laden table, Izel walked over and promptly commandeered the plates of dishes and vessels of atole, cradling them in her hands and the padded surfaces of her arm muscles. "I was fatigued, so I brought the food to my abode. Rest easy, my friends."

"Eh, wait...!" snapped the spectacled lass. "I—"

"Oh, are you still hungry?" Izel returned the vessel to get a new plate for Alicia, then placed a small piece of rib and a few grains of sweets before reclaiming the vessel and completely disappearing into the tent.

Wisesa's head was still fixed on the Orange Witch's snake-painted teepee. "Yeah, I mean, I have to admit she's one seriously determined individual," he said, vacillating between mockery and praise.

But Alicia did not share his sentiment. "What was that? Wisesa, why did you stay mum?" she grumbled, her voice rising an octave.

"Huh? I'm done eating!"

"I haven't eaten at all!"

"Come on now, you're just doing your meditation thing. Back in my day, I'd meditate on just a couple of beef jerky pieces, or a dash of bitter veggies, maybe some plain white grub. You Western folks got it good, chowing down on beef ribs after your meditation sessions! As for that lady, she's a tad wild and a bit of a mischief-maker herself. Let her have it. That's my command as king!" he playfully addressed

"You are not the king. I am no longer willing," Alicia grumbled as she looked at a pathetic piece of thin ribs and ate it with a dour mien.

***

For the following session on the following day, Alicia certainly no longer wanted to meditate within the stifling confine of the colossal dome. Going to the upper city demanded too much time, effort, and money, too. Therefore, she conceived an even more astute plan: to meditate right outside the city limits.

Alicia did as she had intended. Once she reached deep enough into the forest, Alicia took her place on a giant boulder, the driest amidst the damp surroundings. She inhaled the morning air; it was crisp and earthy. Breathing in the shade of trees was never a mistake.

Seated with poise, Alicia shut her eyes to initiate her session. "No more than an hour," a mental note to herself. She did not want to be caught in the conundrum between day-long meditation and oversleeping. "I have other things to do. Not more than an hour."

The invigorating stream of breath flowing into the lass's nostrils allowed her to unwind, and before long, she felt herself diving back into the waiting limbo of subconscious inspiration. However, the tranquillity made her other senses more sensitive than usual, and more often than not, the chorus of birds could be so deafening. Alicia's ears did pick up nature's cacophony, but then her eyes were opened again by an anomaly; a sound neither native nor conceived by Mother Nature herself.

The crackling of flames.

In all directions, Alicia turned, but she found only a point of bright light dappled by trees when her eyes narrowed. Someone was camping nearby, she guessed. Now her concentration dissolved into intense curiosity. Whoever that was still had not put out the fire in spite of the bright sky threatening to spread it into a wild one.

So Alicia sneaked closer to the fire's origin. When she leaned against the nearest tree, she was taken aback. The fire she spied on was bigger, encircling a prostrate lady who was about to make another fire out of the symbols crafted from dry twigs and gunpowder.

"Are you meditating as well, Izel?"

The figure within the ring of flames jumped, crying out. It was indeed Izel's voice. Swiftly turning, she hurled a fireball at the bespectacled girl. Also startled, Alicia took Orb reflexively and erected a blue plasma shield.

"It's me! S-sorry if I interrupted yer meditation!" Alicia spoke again, pleading in a high tone.

Hearing the familiar voice, Izel was dumbfounded. "Fool! What brings you here? I could have incinerated you!" Both her hands drooped, and the fiery eyes on her snake staff extinguished.

"I-I want to m-meditate too," Alicia stammered back. "So... all that fire and symbols on the ground...?"

Izel's eyes widened again. Quickly she swept clean the fire circle and erased all traces of the markings. The ground they stood on returned to its previous state: devoured by dead leaves.

"T-there's nothing to see...!" Izel's turn to stammer. "Do not startle folks with that manner henceforth, do you hear? It is not deemed fitting. If I lose control of my fire, then it will truly burn the forest down."

"Okay. Sorry again. But, that was the Tamoanchanese form of meditation, wasn't it? Would ye like to practice together? Perhaps yer meditation method is more understandable than Wisesa's."

Izel's expression was almost touched with flattery before common sense hit her again like a tidal wave. "Don't jest, Woman. My meditation is not a means of recreation."

"I thought no one took meditation as a means of recreation."

"Nevertheless, my meditation can only be done by Tlemaoyatotli practitioners, especially a chosen few."

"A chosen few?"

"I m-mean... High-level p-practitioners. I am one of them," the pyromancer's voice trembled awkwardly. "'Serpent's Breath' is the name of this meditation. You must imprison yourself in fire and breathe in its fumes to train your focus and strength while seeking serenity at the same time."

Presumably, Izel's flippant mannerisms proved she had failed to achieve the latter goal.

"What prompts a Westerner like you to engage in meditation?" Izel chimed in again.

Holding onto Orb, Alicia stared at her favourite ballmate with her face knitted with discontent. "I thought you had seen it."

"Seen what?"

"Me losing control while wielding Arcane."

"Your friend, Wisesa, said as much, but I saw nothing."

"Orb said I had to do something to myself and my subconscious to reconcile and collaborate. Meditation is the way."

"I see. Unfortunately, I can't assist you with that. Continue your meditation with Wisesa or seek guidance from someone else. I am too occupied to teach meditation. After all, you won't understand my explanation any better than Wisesa did."

Alicia was about to turn away when a glimmer of an inquiry resurfaced. "By the way, if it's nae bother, I've got a wee question..."

"What is it?" said Izel as she fetched a water bottle and drank, her gaze towards Alicia unimpressed.

"Ye're a Tamoanchanese, aye? I felt more at ease asking you this than anyone else, so I suppose I... well... want to ask you something. I want to ask you something related to the Eternal Sun. Ever heard of it?"

Izel spurted out her drink and coughed.

"Och, ye do ken! Thank goodness!" Alicia exclaimed excitedly.

"What? I didn't say anything about knowing anything about... that! Don't fabricate lies!"

"You were shocked and spit out yer drink when I mentioned the Eternal Sun. Are you alright, by the way?"

Izel promptly packed her gear and walked away.

"Wait! Where are ye going?"

"Stay away, Alicia!" Izel flicked her hand. "I don't have time for this conversation. I have to train."

Unfortunately, Alicia's legs had revolted; instead of walking backwards, they matched her pace with the pyromancer's.

"Do ye really not ken what the Eternal Sun is?" Looking up at the morning sun and pointing at it, the bespectacled lass asked another question: "Is our sun called the Eternal Sun? Och, or does it have something to do with the Star Serpent?"

"It's an apt nickname, but truly I tell you, I know nothing! Leave me be!" Izel denied Alicia a second time.

"Are ye certain? Hm...," Alicia mused, her feet not yet obeying the Orange Witch's plea. "I've read a prophecy connecting the Eternal Sun to xiu dragon, and yer nation is closely tied to xiu dragon!"

"Where does that rubbish come from?"

"From the writings of an astrologer named Nostradame. Ever heard of it?"

Izel's outburst of sarcastic laughter sounded forced. Apparently, the Tamoanchanese were no strangers to this... illustrious astrologer. "You jest?" she sneered. "Are you playing games with me? Because I'm not in the mood for games! Tamoanchanese does not believe in Nostradame's nonsense!"

"B-but he spoke about me and Wisesa. I have the book in my bag if you want to read it together—"

At a moment's notice, the witch's serpent staff nearly cleave through Alicia's midsection with its lava venom. Collapsing with a grimace, Alicia reopened her eyes to witness a conflagration consuming both foliage and arboreal beings. It genuinely lay waste to everything this time; the lass could feel her coat smouldering hot as well.

"What are you doing Izel?"

"Will you stop your babbling!" Izel snarled. "Must you be schooled through the language of pain to lend me your ear, Woman? I seek solitary practice. Disturb me not, shadow me no more, nor inquire about the Eternal Sun! Are you deaf? I don't know! Go away!"

Alicia stood like a sculpture struck by the lightning of despair, pupils widened in dread, mouth agape in incredulity. Her hands, initially at rest upon the ground, quivered as she beheld Izel's wrathful visage become a shadow of tongues of flame, and her orange eyes blazing like a furnace. It proved effective in disciplining the bookworm's wayward feet. The slumped Orb widened its white eye before Izel, blaring as if threatening against even the minutest blade of flame escaping to deface a single thread of its wielder's garment.

Only as Alicia's hand hesitantly retrieved Orb, and the acrid, stifling aroma that pierced her olfactory nerves did Izel become roused of the undoing she had wrought. With a single blow of her hand, she extinguished all the flames, even imprisoning the smoke to prevent its ascent into the heavens. Izel jerked her hand after that, and the air fuelled an inverted pillar of fire and smoke that rocketed her away, leaving Alicia alone in a state of lingering shock.. []