The light slowly filled the room through the open window as a breeze, smooth and soft like cotton, tickled Oscar, who was lying in a deep sleep on the bed. His nose twitched from the sudden sensation, and his eyes slowly rose into small slits, just enough for him to see. Oscar yawned as he groggily got off the bed like a worm and closed the window, which let the intrusive winds in.
"It's dawn." Oscar went over to the water basin and washed his face, patting it to feel the cold sensation of the water on his cheeks. The two suns peered over the horizon and peeked up from Oscar's window like two children trying to stay low while watching. Oscar recalled staying up late yesterday, watching the constellations and stars with Celestina.
"In the end, she ended up hogging up most of the time." Oscar smiled slightly, remembering Celestina's child-like excitement and behavior with the telescope. After a long night, they settled in a nearby inn to rest and prepare for today's objective, which Celestina also wanted to keep as a surprise for Oscar.
Outside in the hallway, most of the doors were shut, and several snores could be heard through the walls. It was still very early in the morning, and most patrons were not early risers like Oscar. Oscar walked carefully and quietly, not to cause a stir that would disturb the other guests; his goal was Celestina's rented room.
"Wait," Oscar stopped. He was right before Celestina's room. "Is she still sleeping? She was the most active yesterday."
After a moment of reflection, Oscar turned around and did not wake Celestina. Instead, he went downstairs and exited the inn; his feet dragged him through the streets of Gosla City, where many stalls and shops were just opening or getting set up. Oscar roamed for some time until a sweet aroma captured his attention; his eyes wandered until they stopped upon a bakery, the source of the mouthwatering smell.
"Hello?" Oscar opened the door, getting a burst of warmth on his face and the smell of freshly baked bread made him drool.
"Welcome." A young man around the age of twenty-five pulled some bread from the brick oven. He had a welcoming smile, worthy of being in the customer service industry. "I just finished the first batch of baked goods. Would you like to purchase some?"
"I would love to have some," Oscar eyed the plethora of pastries and bread on the counter. He knew Celestina would love to have some for breakfast. "Can I have two of the apple turnovers?"
"Of course." The baker pulled out the fresh apple turnovers, covered with a coating of sugar and cinnamon. He wrapped them up and handed them to Oscar. "I hope you enjoy them."
Oscar bowed before exiting. "I will!"
Outside, the two suns were now further up from the horizon; it had been an hour since Oscar woke up. Oscar tried to hurry back to the inn before Celestina would get up and find he was missing. However, he realized he had been gone for too long when he saw Celestina outside the inn, looking around with her disguised blue eyes.
"Oscar!" Celestina walked toward him; her steps were steady and calm. "Where did you go? I knocked on your door but found you were gone." She was irritated, judging from her rushed voice.
"Sorry. I woke up early and went out to get breakfast for us." Oscar held up the wrapped apple turnovers. "I happened to pass by a bakery with a sweet aroma. These apple turnovers are sure to be delicious."
"Hmm." Celestina stared at the wrappings in Oscar's hand and took one. She took out the apple turnover and was struck by its sweet smell, making her grin. With a single bite, Celestina looked to be in a trance with her eyes closed. "It's delicious. You're forgiven for your sudden disappearance."
"Much obliged." Oscar bit into his apple turnover. His tongue was assaulted by the rich, sour apple soothed by the sugar and cinnamon, topped off with the warm sweet glaze inside and the texture of the baked bread. "It's delicious."
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"You have to tell me where this bakery is." Celestina finished her apple turnover in an instant. She took out her handkerchief and wiped the sugar and crumbs off her lips. "I'll make them an exclusive baker for the royal family."
"That seems a tad excessive," Oscar said. He refocused their attention on their true objective. "Tell me what we are supposed to be doing today?"
"First was to visit the Preisn Observatory to use the telescope and read as many books as possible." Celestina smiled, remembering the fun time they had yesterday. "Second is to go into the Vermillion Mountain Range to hunt down our mission target and get the surprise."
"Both the mission target and the surprise are in the Vermillion Mountain Range?" Oscar wondered what this surprise Celestina had planned.
"Indeed. We should hurry. I would have liked to take our time, but that blue-haired stalker will start bugging the people at the Pavilion if he notices I'm gone for too long." Celestina grumbled with a pair of hateful eyes.
"Gilbert? He does things like that?" Oscar's brow twitched in disbelief. He couldn't believe someone behaved in such an uncouth manner.
"Not as excessive as you think, but the last time when we were at the Floating Islands of Edin and the Raeven Duchy, Lockwood only made passing remarks and questions to Eleanor at most once a day. But I don't want him interacting with anyone. Everyone shouldn't have to waste their breath with that insensitive prick." Celestina looked exhausted, as though talking about Gilbert always sapped her liveliness.
"Then let's forget about him." Oscar quickly changed topics in an attempt to comfort her. "I've never been to the Vermillion Mountain Range. Can you tell me all about it?" He knew that Celestina always felt uplifted whenever she could display the knowledge she learned from her reading and help others learn. It went double for Oscar since they could talk about what book they read it from.
"From the Records of Mountainous Regions III, it is said that the Vermillion Mountain Range is a wondrous place with red fertile dirt, birch trees with red leaves, and unusual red rocks." Celestina instantly fell out of her stupor and launched into a long lecture about the Vermillion Mountain Range. "The red is similar to the Rust Cliffs except that instead of being covered by foliage into a dense jungle, the Vermillion Mountain Range has multiple sites."
Celestina continued to explain while Oscar attentively listened as they journeyed out of Gosla City and into the wilderness. Finally, Celestina stopped talking and asked Oscar if he had any questions, to which he shook his head; her lecture left no room for any questions as she explained everything to the finest detail.
They continued their trek until they noticed the ground was slightly red.
"Look up, Oscar." Celestina pointed up.
Oscar looked up to see a large series of red mountains and hills, which looked to glow scarlet under the bright blue sky. The meeting of red and blue outlined the mountains a slight purple tinge which Celestina explained earlier to be a trick of the eyes. "So this is the Vermillion Mountain Range…."
"Below us, the dirt is a mix of the regular dirt and the special red dirt of the mountains." Celestina pointed down. "We'll truly be in the Vermillion Mountain Range when the dirt is fully red."
"There's movement," Oscar readied himself with his buckler, but the creatures within the trees rushed off.
"They're only Apprentice Exalt Beasts. We must go deeper for the Elite Exalt Beasts." Celestina drank an elixir and undid her disguise, revealing her silver hair and deep emerald eyes. "Phew, I like my silver hair much better."
"Agreed," Oscar said as he strode forward to avoid showing Celestina the slight blush that appeared on his face.
Deeper they traveled until the signature red birch trees surrounded them, and the dirt beneath their feet was scarlet red.
"ROAR"
Oscar turned his head toward the source of the sound; he could not see the beast, but the distant trees were disturbed and knocked over. He brandished his buckler and readied himself for battle, but Celestina was unbothered and crossed her arms.
The trees in front of them parted as a large gorilla trampled over them. The hulking gorilla pounded its chest like drums with a mighty roar; it was about five times as large as Oscar and towered over them, snorting from its large nose.
Its fur was black on the front but red on the back. Its face, hands, and feet were bare, and its eyes were purple. This beast bared its flat rows of teeth, but four sharp fangs protruded on each side like hidden daggers.
Celestina leaned back against a birch tree; she looked at the gorilla indifferently as if it was not a threat to her. But she glanced at Oscar. "Oscar, this Exalt Beast is also a Lower Elite Exalt."
"I know." Oscar dodged a two-fold slam that quaked the earth. "But the Redback Ape is not a solitary creature. Where are its companions?"
"I don't sense them." Celestina shook her head. Her eyes held a deep thought as she spoke further. "This gorilla is perfect for your first opponent as an Elite Exalt. You should be accustomed to your power as soon as possible."
"So this is also training for me?" Oscar groaned.
"Correct!" Celestina smiled, looking enchanting beneath the scarlet leaves. "Now fight as an Elite Exalt."