Chapter 11
My knees ached as I ran frantically.
A short stretch of time had continued from the moment I stepped out of the Return's shadow.
After a few minutes of running through the traces of sunlight that seeped through the branches, I began glancing back to see if Juno or anything had followed.
My heartbeat was in my ears, and I could practically feel the blood rushing to my head.
I was sure that I had already surpassed the brink of my limits, but beyond certainty on how long I could keep up.
The sunken reverberations in the distance pursued, however, it wasn't until I heard the immense impact of a collision that I reached a complete halt on the path.
I stumbled, the force of how fast I was running caused my leg to lift as my boot that remained on the ground slid forward, burying under grains of dirt and dead leaves.
Damn it—
My reflexes played favorably and I managed to catch my balance before I could slide on my stomach.
A vicious current of wind followed the blunt sound of two bodies colliding.
My legs shook, but it wasn't from fear or exhaustion, setting aside how presently I was plagued by both.
The forest was trembling from beneath me!
Did the creature form a crater on the surface this time?
However, that thought was quickly swept away by a separate person.
Fuck—is she…
Although the Return is eminently larger compared to the both of us, I tried reassuring myself after encountering her reaction towards its sudden presence.
She hadn't expressed any sort of panic… in fact, she knew what to do—her language implied both experience and unyielding bravery.
She couldn't be, otherwise it would have caught up.
The movement beneath me slowly subsided, and I stood still cautiously staring down the path I impulsively fled from.
Eventually, everything fell into its previous state, with the most apparent noise being my breathing.
"Am I supposed to keep going?"
I ponder what I should do, whispering as to avoid drawing attention from just about anywhere.
"Strange how it fades, isn't it?" I flinched at the youthful male voice that provoked my heart to nearly fall from my chest.
My eyes naturally changed course and I raised my shoulders, sharpening my foresight in the other direction.
"Shh! Tu es un imbécile!"
Another person with an older accent responds, shushing whoever had spoken.
The proximity of their voices came from a place that drew noise almost directly…
I tense my jaw and shift my eyes toward the sky.
The queasiness in my stomach worsens before two figures come into focus.
A boy with tawny beige skin, and short, daintily waved locks, peered down.
Two dimples formed in the upper part of both cheeks, lending detail to the smooth features encompassing his clumsy smile.
"Sorry…did I scare you? …I can vouch that it wasn't my own idea to hide up here."
A girl stood with a straight posture on a branch behind him. Her hand was placed on the tree stump, offering fragile support.
The tiny dimple was displayed on her face as well.
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"W-who are you?" I press my hand below my collarbone to ensure that my pulse is slowing down.
The boy glances up and behind him, acknowledging the girl first.
"He probably thinks we're weird now, can we get down?"
The girl looks away from me, the small smile fading from her expression as she concentrates on the other person in the tree.
She didn't speak, only nodding fervently.
"Thank goodness! My damn legs were starting to cramp," he said, evidently relieved.
I watched quietly as he grasped the branch with both hands, momentarily crouching in a frog position before sliding his legs off the tree so that they dangled.
He used another branch as leverage to swing himself forward and land away from the tree.
In a different manner, the girl climbed to the lowest branch before hurdling onto the ground.
I stepped back, from the two of them clenching my fists.
The light refracting in their brown eyes gave them a warm presence, and strangely I found myself relaxing my fists.
"I am Fleur, and this is Abel." The girl spoke with an accent that made her voice notably tantalizing.
"Nice to meet you I guess…"
From a near display, I recognized how the color of her lips resonated with their similar skin tones.
Inherently, the two of them next to each other shared various characteristics. From their eye shape and color to their noses and even facial structure.
Fleur must have noticed my eyes comparing the two because she replied before I had the opportunity to ask.
"We are fraternal twins, in case you think we look alike rest assured your mind is not playing tricks."
"Yeah, but I am the smarter one—if you have questions look for me." Abel is quick to add to Fleur's remark. A forward assertion followed by a wide grin and sealed eyelids.
Fleur suddenly stomped her foot near Abel who briskly jumped back, thrusting his leg in his sister's direction.
She caught it and dug her fingers into the outsole of his normal brown shoe.
"Wait–"
Fleur smirked at him, firmly yanking his leg higher. He immediately lost balance, throwing his other foot in the air as he landed on his tailbone.
I ignorantly chuckled watching them squabble.
Abel held onto Fleur's ankle, it was clear who the stronger one was when she proceeded to drag him because he wouldn't let go.
"You call this… smart?" Fleur said, pulling him further from the place where he stumbled.
I interrupted them, recalling Abel had offered to answer the questions I had eventually lost count of.
"I actually have a few questions…"
Abel promptly released Fleur's ankle and stayed on the ground crossing his legs like a respectable subject.
Fleur politely fixed herself, clearing her throat as she patted down her clothing.
Is this what they call twin telepathy? No… that's mind reading.
I shake my head, deviating from the topic.
"What's your question, sir?" asks Fleur.
Oh, I haven't told them my name.
"Just call me Hoku. Do either of you know Juno Mirai?"
"Hoku?..."
"Mirai!"
Both of them answered in broken unison. I grew unsure of how to respond, fortunately, Abel who had enthusiastically repeated Juno's surname, granted me actual disclosure.
"She's a binary star. One of only two voyagers in the timestream, she and Li are—speaking of which, how come she hasn't returned?"
Binary star? Voyager? Who is this Li person??
I respired, phrasing a nonchalant explanation of the creature we dredged up while feverishly searching for a 'safe zone.'
"She slapped me across the face before informing me there were others and that the forest was infested with monsters. We were scouting out a narrow path for somewhere called the nucleus but a huge creature she entitled the Return left a crater before waking up and floating over us. I ran after nearly dying, but she was held back."
Abel's lips parted, and the creases of his mouth expanded.
Fleur's eyes widened but returned to normal as she joined the conversation.
"Was she using her fan?"
I raise my eyebrows,
So she has dealt with monsters before.
"If you're speaking about the red Chinese fan, then yes."
Abel heaved a sigh of relief, then stood up and brushed himself off as well.
"You don't need to worry then, she will be back soon."
I too endured a subtle sweep of assurance.
"That's good to hear… I also hoped to ask ab—"
Fleur abruptly hovered her hand in front of my face.
"Hold on."
Abel gazed in her direction and proceeded to raise an eyebrow at her manners.
Without any elaboration, she glimpsed ahead. I took notice of the intensity in her expression.
Abel read more from it, reacting for the second time to a question I had considered beforehand.
"Someone is trailing us," he says, wearing a similar guise.
'What?'
The Memoir Chapter 7
Rule 12
The safe zone should be utilized under highly restrictive circumstances. It has a capacity that can be exceeded and will weaken with the presence of each individual. If commotion outside fades rather than halts consider searching for a new region to reside. It generally takes around a day and a half for the safe zones to become completely ineffective.
「This section has no objective」
-The Memoir Chapter 7 end-