Chapter 8 Part 2
-It Was Not Meant That We Should Voyage Far Into Ourselves, Yet We Do-
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A glass garden, bringing to life all the soil nearby, beautifully standing atop a long hill alone, in the midst of a flowery field whose smell intoxicates, and the colors it blooms cause me to question if maybe it has all the ones I know of or more. I'm sure that what is hidden there is probably a view of many plants unknown to me, only waiting for the gaze of someone eager to give them attention; many types, I'm sure, may not have been seen by another human, and they won't now, as Milesian ordered me to wait outside, not even using her voice to talk sense to the one who brought us here, planning to use me to fix her problem; Circe denied me entry in the clearest way possible, and that is precisely why I won't wait around for them to end their talk and seek me out, choosing instead to do something with my time that may prove best.
Far on the hill end lies a dirt road, a path that leads up to a mountain where I can see the top of a house peaking from there, and down, towards the sand paths Milesian commented. I know going uninvited to our summoner's house would be a bad decision, so instead I firm my feet on the grass that stabilizes my walk and start moving. On the way, I find myself bothered; unlike before, when my hands nestle on the inside pockets of my coat in a practiced move, I hang my head low as the thoughts swirl hard enough to create weight, planting my attention more on my feet than on what is ahead. I would like to say that I'm not upset, but lying to yourself is harder—much harder than lying to others.
In the heat of the moment, with my legs moving on their own, I start to run, and run, and run. Going all out, putting all my thoughts away, and focusing on my breathing, then on the burn that starts to build in my legs as they tire, and finally, on how difficult it becomes to run as I reach the sand area; all steps I take sink my feet in the grains, pressing me into forcing my way out every time to keep on running. Wind caresses my face, escorting dearly on its body the salt the sea holds, a different feeling than I'm used to, one that alleviates my head enough to the point I manage to look around; seeing that the sand paths are a beach. Sounds ring of the water reaching the shore, rocks peak from the waters like little islands where some birds happily nest, and in the distance a long way continues the beach for what seems to never end. This is enough to make me not notice when a scream tells me to look out.
*Thump*
My world spins, and what was just a run on the beach turns into a bad fall as I trip on a piece of torn log peaking out from underneath the sand like an unwanted treasure; it hurts to kick the thing at full speed, and to my luck, the sand is soft enough to make my landing less of a pain, even if the cost becomes clear when the cold water enters my coat and wets my back.
"Hey, are you alright?" The woman who tried to prevent me from falling extends her hand to me, blocking the sun with her unique big bamboo fisherman hat, helping me get back on my feet. "That was one bad fall."
In a quick motion, I check my knees and legs for any injuries, finding none in the process, only some pain in my feet that came from kicking something solid. "I'm good, just embarrassed, that's all." I turn to the woman with an awkward smile.
"I know the feeling very well. The first time I walked down this beach, I stumbled on a passing duck. The little guy got so angry that it kept quacking at me for hours." The young woman brushes her black hair behind her ear, exposing her green eyes to me, who too shares the embarrassment of an unlucky story. "I assume you to be the guest Lady Circe was waiting on; strange... she told me you had a skull face and were, in her words, not mine, a walking headache."
"Oh, no, I'm not Milesian," I correct her, holding a laugh as she comments on how Circe too has some strong opinions about Milesian; hearing about them like this makes me almost think they are friends behind all of this. "I'm her apprentice, Noma, a normal human, I assure you."
"Another human!" The woman exclaims surprised, then, as quick as a rabbit, she holds my hand, shaking them so hard that her short blue dress reveals part of the two-piece swimsuit she wears under it. "By the gods, that's a relief. To find another human after so long—you know, dealing with a goddess who only talks of her tales and doesn't wash dishes and her two nymphs who spoil her like a child—gets tiring at times. Oh, and I'm Nora, by the way."
"It's good to meet you, and I don't know if it helps or not, but I get it, somewhat," I admit to the woman and hold her hand back in hopes she stops shaking it as if wanting to take it with her home. Maybe this is a good opportunity to let out some of the weight on my shoulders. "Milesian can be hard to deal with too; sometimes it is like she understands me so well and provides comfort in her words that no one else could, and at others, it is like she forgets I'm an adult and not a kid."
Nora, nodding her head, gives me a look of someone who understands; slowly, I feel a little better. "It was like that for me too in the first year I got here, but things got easier after some time and a lot of long talks with her." She looks around, gazing until her eyes stop at four nice-looking beach chairs. "Come on, let's sit down, and if you want, we can share our stories."
"Yeah, that sounds nice," I admit with a low tone, following the high spirits Nora to the chairs; we place ourselves at each other's sides, and doing so, I let out a tired sigh as my eyes focus solely on the sea in front of me as the waves break, causing a calming effect to bloom in me.
"So, I think it is only fair I start as it was my idea," she says, leaning her gaze onto the same things as me. "Well, it all started when I was out with my family on their boat to commemorate my eighteenth birthday at the strangest party in the middle of the sea; we were planning to fish as I always did with my father, and my mother, as usual, seasick, tried her best not to throw up and keep her smile to hide her anger with the boat. We had plans to catch some fish and go back home before night so I could go bowling with my friends, but the thing I ended up fishing was not a fish, but something bigger. I remember screaming happily to my parents when I saw a strange thing fighting my fishing rod, thinking I had caught the biggest fish possible, meaning I could get a few bucks out of my father, but it turned out that it was no ordinary fish but a creature that, still to this day, I don't know what it was. It was angry that I tried to capture it, so it started bumping against the boat, so hard in fact that in seconds I was underwater, as my family managed to go away, or so I like to believe." The woman's eyes turn serious for a moment, but noticing my gaze shifting to her, she smiles once again. "I passed out, and then I woke up on this shore; that was when Lady Circe took me in my deplorable state and helped me with food and a warm bed; she then proceeded to try getting rid of me, promising to get me back to the city."
"And you didn't want to go back?" I ask, already knowing the answer.
"I learned much that day about the existence of something more than college, something better; it was too much of a sweet deal to pass by. Too, back in my city, I was no one; I didn't know what I wanted with my life so I had to sit by and watch my friends go away; living off my parent's money like a parasite to go to parties with the friends that were like me, to smoke weed all night and forget about all; that was not a thing I wished for. But believe me, I'm happier here than I ever was; these two years that I've been living here, I helped Circe and managed to earn my place in her household." With a friendly punch, Nora steals my attention and gestures for me. "Go on, your turn."
"Oh, yeah... how do I start?" I ask myself, placing my hands safely between my knees and looking down at the sand. "I come from a catholic orphanage with the worst nuns that ever existed; I lived there my whole life without being adopted, and I left not so long ago, almost a week, if I'm not mistaken; when I turned eighteen, and wanted to seek my 'freedom'. I took some buses around the country, trying to get to London, and I ended up in Cotswold, where I planned to take one last bus to London as it was all my money could get me; but on the way, a monster chased me down the forest and Milesian saved me, then offered me to be her apprentice as she's not allowed by the church to be near humans. I'm staying with her because that is all a person like me can do; I don't have any family to seek, good grades to get to college, or a future in sight that isn't the streets."
We both stay in silence for a moment; there isn't much more to say after swapping the stories, but there is at least the comfort in me that I'm not the only one who got into this situation, and hopefully, Nora feels the same. Between us two, she's the first to break the silence.
"I think your master is approaching," She points to the left, where I came running from, where I can see Milesian walking towards us with her gaze locked on me. "It was good to talk with you; if you stay for more time, you can always find me on this beach, either walking or fishing." She rises from her chair and puts a hand on my shoulder. "Thank you; it was good to talk with someone who understands." Her smile lasts only a moment, but it carries truth in it. I smile in return to let her know that I share the sentiment, and so, she parts her way.
Milesian finally arrives at my side and changes her focus to Nora, who walks away; her eyes stay on her for five long seconds before returning to me. "I can see you made friends with Circe's human acquaintance." The tone in which she comments is strange, to say the least; there is a coldness that makes me question my ears for a moment.
"Yes, it isn't every day you find someone who knows how it feels," I comment, already starting to walk along the beach to explore some more, acting a little more like Milesian than I like to admit, only expecting that she would follow. "What does your friend need from me? What happened that she wants me to solve?"
"In this island lie many exotic creatures; as I said before, one of them is a giant cow who lives deep into the forest in the middle of the island; our quest is to investigate a series of events that have led Circe to believe one of the cow's daughters was taken by another creature not originated from this island." To my surprise, I'm stopped as her hands tightly grasp mine and pull me back, making me stumble backward and find myself being pressed against her. "Circe has asked us to wait until tomorrow to explore and resolve the problem, so for today we will return to the train."
There isn't anything to say against her demand, as at the moment my mind completely comprehends what's happening, the smoke from Milesian body surrounds me entirely; my eyes lose the ability to see, my ears the ability to hear, and for a moment it feels like all my senses have gone off, but my mind stays on, entering a state of panic, unlike anything I've ever experienced. It lasts for a moment, yet when it ends, it leaves a feeling in my mind that makes me hug myself in fear.
Milesian's hands turn me slowly to face her as I shake the feeling away as best I can, managing to get rid of the shakes. "I see that the transportation spell affected your mind. How are you feeling?"
There it is again, a question that is only asked by the fact that she had taken a second to analyze me; she cared enough to place her hand on my arm to help kill the remains of the fear in me. "I'm fine; I was just a little shaken by how suddenly everything happened."
"Follow me; let's get you to a seat." She urges, gesturing to the door in front of us; it takes some blinks and a look around to notice that we really did move; we are at the back of the train; there is the workbench behind us; the same smell of herbs and smoke; my head starts to spin as it lacks the will to process the fact we just got from one location to another in the blink of an eye.
The door opens slowly, and from inside it, a quick gasp of wind passes me by, bringing with it a familiar smell that attacks instantly, one resembling old, time-worn books and dusty corners. A bright flash of light threatens to blind me as we get through the door, but once we step on where it leads, the sight in front of me proves to worsen my head situation. A big living room resembling much of the library in a lot of things—wood floors that creak as we step atop it, filled bookshelves extending as high as the ceiling containing what must be at least a hundred books, and that's counting only the right side—and to put the final nail in the coffin, my eyes spot a figure with a paper white skin, dusting the ground impatiently with a broom.
Immediately, moved by instinct, I close on her, trying to wrap it in my head that somehow Milesian must have connected the library to the magical door in the train, but the more I get closer to the figure, the more details distance her from the person I'm thinking she was. "Loa?" I let the question hang in the air in a low, uncertain tone, afraid to be wrong and waiting to be proven as such.
Orange eyes turn to me, glowing in a bright burn that loses its familiarity as they take my face in an attempt of recognition, clearly failing. A more mature face compared to Loa's is revealed; with a more slender body too, I notice as the woman takes a step forward toward me and reveals to be long-legged, standing at a whopping one meter and ninety-five. Her black dress hugs the side of her tall body, flowing to her ankles and having a cut on the right side that reveals one over-the-knee black fishnet sock with a set of three knives resting on its elastic cuff, reflecting partially the rays of light from the chandelier atop me; directly at my height, on the middle of her chest lies a white flower that takes up a lot of space, which on a closer look seems to be a tie of sorts.
The woman tilts her head as she studies me for a moment, letting the crown-like metal accessory she has on her neck be in full view, spikey as the metal armor parts Loa has, matching the same black and whiteness of her clothing. Her expression changes; her lips curve into an upside-down smile that seems not at all friendly and even dangerous. She then clicks her heels together, with a loud sound being produced in turn and making me look away instinctively.
"The time comes, then," the woman says, her mature and sharp voice taking over the ambient like it belongs to her and her only. The way she presents herself dominantly and how she takes yet another step forward makes me feel little once again, but this time I shoo away my instinct to back off and stand my ground. "You're far away from home, Master." Her words confuse me for not long as she shifts her gaze onto Milesian's.
"A situation demanded my absence from the forbidden library." Milesian comments, clearly wanting to say more before the woman loses no sweet time to interject.
"That I can tell, keeping in mind that you only visited this place once in a long time. Now inform us of my target, which shall be dealt with at this moment." The woman's expression changes momentarily, into a seriousness that shows me she's not someone to mess with, especially when she takes her glove off and throws it into the empty space behind her, prompting a strange event to happen. The glove glows into a dark light, shifting and pulsing before, rising from the light it creates, a body starts to form; at first, it resembles a human form, but then it twists and reshapes, becoming larger and stronger. Two bull horns spring forward proudly as the creature comes to life fully; a dark gray biped stands on his two naked feet; a medium tail plated with an outer shell that resembles many metal plates swishes to one side, scratching the wooden floor lightly in the process; spikey shackles stay on the thing's wrist, with the chains that connected both broken; on his hands a set of dark nails as sharp as a sword stay ready out of his fingers, clearly meant to kill.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
The beast's many orange orbs atop his head glow, serving as eyes that he uses to gaze at me. His strangely shaped face with a large, long mouth breathes out the heat of a furnace in my direction, growling wildly.
"There isn't a target; the time yet hasn't come that the library is in danger." Milesian states, and the woman's face loses the anger and seriousness, going back to her strange, fake-looking smile that steals the ambiance of its heavy feel.
"If that is true, then I pray I won't be needed anytime soon," The woman sighs sharply, relaxing her posture and already starting to move around to a door far left of us. "For the moment being, I'll get your tea ready, and then you can tell me about the current situation."
Time passes, she returns with the tea and hands it promptly to her master, and in turn, Milesian takes a moment to explain all as she enjoys her drink. I'm able to watch as the woman's gaze lies on me for more than long seconds at a time, turning the strange smile she has onto an idle expression with the more Milesian comments about me, especially when it's mentioned of me being a human, and strangely, too, when it is commented of the moment Milesian caught me reading the book for Loa; that alone causes the woman's gaze to cease for the rest of the conversation, no longer studying me like a fire yet to be started.
"I understand enough for the moment; for all the time you need to use this space, I'll serve you dutifully." The woman informs me, holding herself like a knight with a purpose.
"For now, I'll stay at my office," Milesian says to us both, then turns solely to me with her red, glowing eyes. "If you plan to explore, don't leave the train's premises." Those are the last words she lets out before raising to her feet with the half-filled teacup in her hands and disappearing to a door at the right corner of the room.
Before the silence can manage to take over the living room completely, the maid moves to my side swiftly, taking Milesian's seat as she adjusts her braided bun; she then places her hands atop her crossed legs while her eyes lock on mine expectantly, stealing the attention I was about to give to the floor to allow myself to think. "Tell me, young master, have you any experience with any type of blade?"
"Uhm, no," I admit, studying the woman's eyes as they travel the surface of my palm in search of something. "I don't have much experience with lots of things, actually. Why?"
"Then what do you think about using your free time to train with me?" She asks, but in truth, I can already tell that she's not just offering more than demanding by the way her eyes light up a hungry fire. "It should prove both useful to you in the future and a good way for us to learn about each other."
Her words take me to the moment Circe wanted to attack me, to how I was nothing against her, and if it wasn't for Milesian, anything could have happened; perhaps I need to relink myself to the same feeling I had my whole life, the one that tells me I can only count on myself to manage things and to save myself. I don't know if the woman sees something in my eyes, but I nod my head, feeling myself lose my expression as her smile turns amused. "Please do teach me."
"My, oh my, I can tell this will be fun." The maid gets to her feet, prompting me to do the same. "Follow me to the training room, young master."
While accompanying her, I notice the loud steps that belong to her beast trailing right behind me all the way as we move toward one of the bookshelves at the end of the room. The maid turns her face to the beast and nods her head, a signal for it to do something that, as soon as he reaches the bookshelf, I understand. With his strong hands, the monster lifts the whole piece of furniture without spilling any of the books stored in it and reallocates it to the side with a loud sound, placing the thing down. From behind the furniture, a hidden door comes into full view. It takes no time for the woman to open the door and for us to get inside. A large room reminding me of a gym with a lot of open space is what I see. On the corners of the room, many weapon racks containing all types of combat material stand, only waiting for someone to use them, and in the middle of the room, I see an orb resting atop a small stone pillar.
"Is there any type of weapon you prefer, or do you wish for me to choose one for you?" she asks, pointing at the many types of swords, lances, shields, and so on.
"I'll take on your recommendation," I tell her, as I'm sure she knows a lot more about these things than me.
Nodding her head, she gazes me up and down in a long analysis, traveling from my hands to my arms, my legs to my waist, and finally from my chest to my shoulders. "Average muscle structure, weak arms, good legs; what you lack in strength, I'm sure you can make up with agility... or maybe in magic." She takes a moment before making her final decision. "A weapon is a part of one's self; if you don't know what you want, maybe you'll learn, or even create." She gestures for me to walk with her, and I do without losing time, observing as we approach the orb in the middle of the room. Placing her hand atop the orb, she turns her face to me. "We will play the slaughter game; once the orb is activated, all the wounds either of us take will turn into points for the opponent, instantly healing, so we won't kill each other even if we try, I assure you of that. Now place your hand in it."
For a moment, I stop to consider her words, knowing this will be for real. The thought alone makes me almost back out of it, but I find myself betraying my body as I force my hand to come into contact with the orb. As my fingers feel the coldness of the orb's material, a tingle runs up my finger, the same feeling of letting my magical energy flow out of me, only this time I'm forced to do it by the magic in the item; once it has taken enough, the grayness of the thing turns a glowing blue, indicating something that the maid turns to explain.
"Three hits and the game is over; now go stand at your side of the room; and about the weapon thing I talked about, just trust yourself and lean on your instinct; I'm sure something will happen."
'That doesn't help at all', I think to myself, but to no avail, as the woman assumes her position, but instead of drawing a weapon, I watch with a cold sweat as her beast stands in front of her with all the intentions to end me. What was I thinking? It was obvious that this would be her main way of fighting; nonetheless, a warning would have been good.
This isn't going to end well for me, I'm sure.
I take my position on the other side of the big room, guiding myself by the drawn lines carefully placed on the ground and stopping atop a circle that indicates where I should stand. It takes only half of a second to process what happens next, but it isn't enough, as the moment the orb beeps and turns green, everything starts to happen. Of course, the beast shows an impressive reaction speed, as he rushes me the moment the orb changes colors. He comes in a straight line, horns pointed at me, ready to stab me down mercilessly, but reacting as fast as I can, I avoid this fate by a centimeter, feeling the sharp ends of its long horns make a cut in my shirt.
"Ask yourself, why do you seek to fight?" The maid's voice echoes through the room to reach me, almost stealing my attention from the beast as he uses the moment to turn around and jump at me with his nails ready. "Is it to hurt others? To be able to stand on your own two feet? Or is it to protect what you love?" There is no need for me to think about her question; I already know my answer; in fact, I always did; hurting myself by making my own decisions is a privilege I don't plan to waste.
Being her intention or not, the maid enters my mind for long enough so that her beast attack connects; his nails perforate my stomach in the worst pain I've ever felt, making me scream in desperation instinctively as it lifts me off the ground easily. Then, cold air fights against my body as I'm thrown into the distance, directly to the woman's feet, as my back painfully comes into contact with the hard floor. My eyes reach my stomach, expecting a horror scene, only to notice a thin layer of something over where the creature hit me—an elastic magical material that prevented me from being really wounded. Then, the orb beeps to make clear of the point the creature earned as the pain slowly fades away like it never existed.
Looking up as I get back to my feet, the woman smiles at me and offers me her hand, which I gladly take, noticing the way my back cracks because of the throw, as the magic layer only seemed to block the fatal damage. Once again, orange eyes bore on mine expectantly. "Aren't you going to do something? If you plan on becoming a mage, you need to use your magic; otherwise, you're just another, regular human being." I'm pushed forward by her, facing the creature against my will as he waits for a chance to come running at me again. "I'll help you out." Confused by her words, I only hear another beep ring from the orb as a cold metal feeling rings in my system, mixing with a pain so strong that I get nauseated by it. The only thing that makes me notice the air leaving my lungs involuntary as a knife is stuck to my back and quickly removed; the two hits leave my body in a cold sweat as I enter a state of survival, knowing the next hit will hurt like hell like it just did, even if for just a moment.
More active, I manage to jump away from the woman as she smiles widely like a demon having gotten what she wanted, but I don't stop as the beast uses the time to rush me. My mind wanders on ways to avoid getting hit, going from dodging to running, but knowing my energies won't last that long, a plan comes to mind. Using the fact that the beast is already sprinting at full speed, I bet on my own agility and run to the opposite side, leading us both to the meeting with a solid wall. The beast, only focused on me, fails to notice my plan until it is already too late; the moment I'm about to hit the wall, I fall on purpose, sliding to the side as a loud sound vibrates the whole room. Pushing myself up, my legs tremble in an adrenaline rush, and a smile comes to my face without my approval as I earn one point, but better yet, the bull-like beast stays stuck for a moment in the wall, time enough for me to grab one of the weapons that were shaken off the rack because of the impact, a short sword that fills up my hand perfectly. Easily, I could stab the beast's side and earn a point; just two swings and it would be over, but looking at the beast, I notice that some weapons from the rack he broke stay stuck to his stomach as he agonizes in pain, bleeding onto the floor as he tries wiggling his horns off the wall. The protection I have, the beast doesn't seem to share. So that means only the maid and I have the luxury of not being truly wounded in this training.
The view sickens me; the smile on my face dies down as guilt strikes over my stomach; he looks to be in serious pain. The sword that felt so right in my hand feels heavy now, making me let go of it. I hear the metal claking against the floor as I do so, taking over my hearing. This isn't what I want; yes, I want to be able to do something, but I wouldn't want to do this to anyone, not even Circe, and that's me remembering how she treated me before.
In my mind, a memory comes to mind, one where an old friend of mine from the orphanage was beating up a kid who had stolen the pendant I had gifted her, and how in a moment I was so angry that I wanted to beat the kid up too, and the opportunity had presented itself when the two friends of the kid had joined in to beat us up. I was so angry that I don't remember the moment my fists went numb, when my teeth were bloodied because I had bitten one of the thief's friend's arms so deep that it left a scar, but I remember how I felt after, like a monster. That day I had promised I wouldn't hurt others like that again, and I remember the words of my friend.
"You don't need to do any fighting; I'll protect you next time. You'll see, I will be like that knight from your favorite book. I swear." The words of my first love meant so much, only for her to have been taken away one week later, being adopted by some rich folks, never being able to realize her promise.
Approaching the beast's side, I place my hand on his body, feeling the muscles flex under its thick skin, hearing him growl, and almost being thrown off my feet as he wiggles his big body to protect itself, only stopping as I gently run my palm over to his back to calm him down. That's right, the reason I ran away was so I could choose my own path, make my own mistakes, and find my place somewhere.
I plant my hands on the beast's wounds and close my eyes, doing like in the encounter with Circe and focusing my energy on my fingers, connecting myself to the existence in my touch, feeling my own existence flow like roots onto the thing's body until I manage to find the core that burns so hot in his chest, slightly cracked by the wounds his body sustained, pulsing with rage. My energy surrounds the core, like water wetting a paper, finding the cracks and filling them in, restoring it to the point where no more cracks can be felt by me.
Ungluing my hands from the creature's body, I notice how his breathing diminishes as the rage gives room to a calmness that tells me I managed to do a good job; better yet, the weapons that were stuck on his body are now on the ground, and his wound is close, leaving me mesmerized by what I just did.
"What an interesting outcome!" I notice now that the maid has approached as I heal the creature, standing by my side with her hand resting on my shoulder the whole time. "Presented with the choice to hurt another to win, you choose to carve another path. Good job; you win this game."
"Wait, what? Why?" I ask the woman, frowning my brows, thinking she is letting me win so I don't feel bad.
"Because Taurus doesn't wish to fight you anymore, don't you?" She asks the beast, who finally manages to free his horns from the wall. Taurus turns to me, no longer breathing out the heat of a furnace more than the gentle warmth of a fireplace in the winter. He raises his hand atop my head, making me notice how just his hand manages to be a whole lot bigger than mine, before lowering it enough to give a weird, really strong head pat.
At one point after all of that, I just laid lazily on the couch in the living room to sleep off the night in order to obey my body's need to rest and heal, as well as deal with the psychological stress provided by the new environment.
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