Chpt. 48) Early Morning
The following morning, after a long day of presence training and an even more brutal than usual physical workout, I awoke to an empty room with Yuki still curled up next to me. Everybody had left at some point and forgot to wake me or something. I yawned and stretched as I got out of bed and did my usual morning routine. Feed the fox, bathe, dress, and decide I need breakfast to survive.
I walk back into the bedroom and reach under my mattress for my money bag. I run my hand under the mattress a couple of times. Then, a couple more times. Then I flip the mattress off the bunk bed frame and yell, “WHO STOLE MY MONEY!?”
At that moment, Haze burst into the room and yelled, “CAMI!!” she looked around in a panic before noticing me and asking, “Have you seen, Cami anywhere?! Has she come back!!”
I froze at those words. Haze, never panics. My Master, never panics. I quickly composed myself and shook my head, “No, I haven’t seen her. I think she took my money last night while we slept.”
“Fuck!” Haze exclaimed and punched the wall beside her, putting a fist-sized hole into it. With half her arm through the wall, she took three long, deep breaths before asking in a more controlled tone, “How much money was in that bag?”
“Um-uh, about twelve-hundred Lucre,” I said after a moment of panicked remembering.
Haze nodded and pulled her arm out of the new hole in the wall, revealing a very scared old man taking a shower that I could just barely see through the hole. “Zeana, take to the sky and search high and low for Cami. It’s not like her to be gone this long and—and I’m—” Haze’s voice began to crack as she visibly fought back a wave of emotion and quickly lost control of her breathing again.
“Say less, Master,” I said with a quick bow, “We’ll find her safe and sound.” Then I ran past her as Yuki quickly followed behind. But before I got too far, I turned to Yuki and said, “No, stay with Haze. She needs you more than I do right now.” Yuki yapped in agreement and turned to run back into the room while I started running down the stairs and out of the building.
If I were a short, underaged alcoholic, where would I go? I would go to the shadiest part of town, find the shadiest bar, and then go to the third shadiest to be safe-ish. Now, where would that be?
I looked around the walkway and saw only a few early risers up and about, and they all looked too well dressed or were cultivators to know where she would’ve gone. I shook my head in frustration and quickly grew my wings, deciding to search for her the old-fashioned way. The moment my wings finished growing, I felt Fangbao cycle my Storm chakra to them as I rocketed high into the sky.
Looking toward the rising sun to the east, behind the massive Yggdrasil tree, I orientated myself and flew toward it, casting a level one spell with a thought to improve my eyesight. I looked down upon the buildings and people far below as I searched rapidly for Cami, wherever she might be. I was so focused on what was beneath me, that I nearly ran into the Colosseum.
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I managed to stop just in time before flying head-first into a stone wall. I shook my head again, refocusing on what I was doing as I turned to fly north. I flew to the city’s edge and turned to follow its edge as I flew at blinding speeds that nobody but I could see. As I followed the city’s edge, I slowly circled around, closing into the city’s center. Occasionally, I would see Shiro down below flying between the buildings near the ground with Scarlet, the twins going person to person, asking people if they knew anything, while Jax and Xiao ran to every bar they could find.
Yet, no matter where I flew, how many spells I cast to see, or what I saw, I couldn’t find Cami. Frustration built up in my chest, and I flew higher and higher into the air, until I felt my lungs burning. I looked down to the ground far, far below me, and closed my eyes. I drew in a long, deep breath, the cold air stinging and biting my lungs and skin, and I pushed it all out in one powerful yell, “CCAAAAMMMMIIIIII!!! WHERE ARE YOU!!!???!!!”
As I pushed out the last word, my head felt light, and I could hardly move my wings to stay up there any longer. I clasped my wings close to my body and dove back toward the city far below. As I fell, I continued searching for Cami in the city and still couldn’t see her. But someone did make me stop for a moment. On a high road, on the city’s east side, I saw golden glowing eyes looking straight up at me. Not in my general direction, but literally at me. It was Orrin. He wore his signature white suit and looked up at me from below the brim of his fedora.
I angled my body and spread my wings a little to guide my fall toward him. He did not move from his spot on the walkway, lightly tapping his foot.
Apollo began channeling his power to my wings, boosting my speed even more.
Orrin began tapping his cane on the walkway as he whistled.
The city seemed to grow bigger as I fell closer to it, and I had to spread my wings again to slow down. I quickly canceled my sight spell as I reached the tops of the buildings and landed before the patiently waiting Orrin. “Orrin! I need your help,” I said, wasting no time as I looked up at the tall man.
Orrin smiled, his golden eyes seeming to pierce into my soul as he said, “Good morning to you as well, Zeana. Enjoying your brisk morning flight?”
“Orrin!”
“Yes, well, I am doing quite well myself, thank you for asking,” Orrin continued with his imaginary conversation.
“Orrin! This is serious. Cami is missing and has been missing all night,” I quickly added before he could continue with his morning pleasantries.
Orrin froze at that and closed his eyes as he nodded, “Ah, so that is why you and your team are running around town in a panic.” He took a deep breath and, in a serious tone, said, “You are in luck. I have seen her last night. We ran into each other and went to a concert a few kilometers outside Nexus. Head north, and you’ll find a small lake in a crater. That’s where the concert took place, and I suggest you start looking there.” Orrin then pointed in the direction I needed to go with his cane.
“Thank you!” I said, spreading my wings as Fangbao and Apollo cycled energy to my wings, launching me into the sky.
As I crested the tops of the buildings, I turned north as Fanbao said, “What do you think happened to her?”
“I don’t know,” I answered, fearing the worst, “But whatever happened, we need to find her fast.”
“Young Zeana,” Apollo said, his deep, regal voice washing over my tumultuous mind, “You must calm yourself. Take a deep breath and still your mind. You will find Cami in due time, and she will be fine.”
“How could you possibly know that!?” I yelled, failing to hide my panic.
“Because you are searching for her,” he answered, still as calm as ever.
That gave me pause, and as I flew, I took several deep breaths, holding each one in for five seconds before exhaling and holding for another five seconds before taking in the next breath. After that, I felt much calmer and more focused on the task at hand, flying in a straight line north.
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