Chapter 3: To the Unknown

Inside the dark forest, Cyan eyes finally adjusted to the dark, he could see now the traces of red vivid blood that was left by the Hunter Queen, Serah, and the smell of blood can be easily detected by the undeveloped sense of smell of Cyan.

Still scared, but even so, 'i need to find Arlom', overpowering his sense of fear, was one though, ‘Arlom, must be hurt too, I must find and help him’.

Even in this unknown place, even if someone has just drop dead in front of him, Cyan was only thinking about Arlom wellbeing, that talkative old fellow with his smiling face that had left a good impression in Cyan.

Arlom did not have any evil intentions, but Cyan could still remember that cold wind he felt just before Serah voice was hear for the first time, and after that, the cold wind around Arlom has become even stronger, but even so ‘He was protecting me right?’

If Arlom had protect him just now, he needs to find him and help him somehow, 'if Serah was like that', Cyan didn't wanted to think what the conditions Arlom would be.

After some running around following the traces he could find, Cyan had arrived to a big hole in the ground where the blood originate from, looking around you could see trees burning with a blue flame and traces of destruction caused by an unknown force, trees being ripped from the ground like if a hurricane has passed by, and some trees were neatly cut in half.

‘This amount destruction… how can two persons do such things’, The scene in front of him has left in stunned, this was taken right of giants monster movie.

Cyan worries only increase more every second that has passed, in this silent forest he could only think to do one thing, it would be a very stupid thing to do considering the facts, but, he was left the traces of Serah ended in the this hole.

His clues to find Arlom were cut short now, and in this destruction, trying to find another trace would be ludicrous, no, you can say Cyan thinking was stupid but, it was also the shortest effective way to find Arlom, you even can praise Cyan quick thinking, and guts to not despair at such scene, ‘I had to give it a chance… every second counts´

After thinking it again for a fraction of a second, Cyan let out a small sigh… and the he filled his lumps with air.

[Cyan]: “ARLOM, WHERE ARE YOU, AAAARLOM”.

Cyan started calling after Arlom name as loud he could, and after calling his name for 5 minutes he was getting nervous thinking that maybe Arlom was unconscious or even worse, but all his worries were dispelled when he heard the voice that he was waiting for, and was unexpectedly close to him.

[Arlom]: “Cyan, you stupid kid I am over here, stop screaming already”

Arlom for the other hand was not too happy to see and hear such careless actions, but deep down he was a little happy that Cyan was alive, after that last attack that costed him a high price, if that attack didn’t kill the hunter queen them it was game over… for Cyan that is, he could escape, but escape with Cyan? What a joke, no all this mess what because of Cyan to begin with, remembering Cyan name once again he smile bitterly to himself.

Cyan turned around and started moving in the direction that the voice of Arlom had come from, and finally he found Arlom lying down in the ground with his back against a tree, his body was full of wounds and bloody, but worse than that, he was missing his left arm and bleeding profusely.

Cyan hearth skipped a beat after finding Arlom in such conditions, he was afraid to come closer to him, afraid Arlom would die if he touch him or even to move such a wounded person slightly worsening his wounds, on the other side was Arlom with angry face, which was actually worsening his bleeding.

[Arlom]: “Such a stupid child, running around in this forest, screaming like a fool, if you really wanted to die so much I will kill you myself right now, come closer so I can use my axe on you, I didn’t save you so you could kill me of anger.

Letting out a sigh, Arlom anger went down, Cyan was just scared and trying to find him because he was worry about him, he could see that in the stupid face of Cyan, it was the face of someone showing concern for the wellbeing of another person, what strange thing to be seen in this forest,

Arlom shook his head like shaking all of his anger with it. 

[Arlom]: “sigh, Stop doing things that will get both us killed, why didn’t you waited for me in the clearing like I tell you to, never mind it, forget it, more importantly… where is the Hunter Queen”.

 Arlom was now looking at Cyan with a glint on his eyes, ‘if you are then, she is dead or… this a trap to find me, which one is Cyan?’

After saying his piece, Arlom eyes were sharp as a knife with his last question, he has never drop his guard even when he was half dead, until confirming the hunter queen dead, he could not relax of course his definition of relax was, that he will not be trying to kill ‘something’ in the next 5 minutes.

Cyan was stunned to hear the lively voice of Arlom, but more than that there was another thing, Arlom was still bleeding, he need to stop the bleeding, but, Arlom eyes were very dangerous right now, coming closer to look at his wound and try to stop the bleeding? Don’t joke with me, do you think a dying tiger that has crouch down in a corner will allow to you come closer to look after him? No, a tiger will be willing, after he can’t move any more or is dead.

But Arlom eyes looked like he would not be willing, even if he is dead and can´t move anymore, in that order, his eyes were telling Cyan not to come closer to him, his invitation before to come closer if you wanted to die, didn´t sound like a joke right now, he will be really chopped into pieces with Arlom axe if he comes closer.

No, Cyan has stopped a few distance away from him because he felt it was too dangerous to come any closer, but there was something else in Cyan mind right now, he actually has understood what Arlom has just said.

[Cyan]: “Arlom…, Arlom you know how to speak my language? Forget about that, are you ok? You are hurt so badly, please don’t move so much you are worsening your wounds, please hold until I can get help, we have to stop the bleeding first and look for help, there must be a hospital nearby but I don’t where we are, is there a first aid kid in your tent?”

With a worried face Cyan tried to come closer to Arlom to get a better look over his wounds, that missing arm was to alarming, even before he run somewhere Arlom will die of blood loss, is this it? Cyan didn’t hold any hope for Arlom, never the less he could not get any closer right now.

[Arlom]: “A Hospital? What is that? You speak the strangest things, also you only realize it now? and you were running around screaming in another language just a second ago without thinking, indeed you are very stupid, child, I am not the one talking in other language, it is you that is speaking in something I can understand, also do you think I am weak like you? I will not die from this wounds, now stop being so stupid and tell where the hunter queen is”

Cyan now realize that Arlom was still talking in a foreign language to him, but at the same time he could understand clear it, like if someone was translating it in his head, ‘I am the one talking in another language? But how? That’s doesn’t matter right now, what matter is…’

[Cyan]: “By the Hunter Queen do you mean that women Serah? She… I think she is dead, she said some words, but I didn’t understood what she had said, but I somehow understood her name, she was walking into the clearing and dropped to the ground filled with wounds, I was worried about you, so… so using the traces of blood she left, I followed the traces hopping to find you, but Arlom we need to tend your wound before more blood is lost and you… die”

Cyan didn’t care Arlom calling him stupid or what not, a dying person could call him whatever he wanted, this could be his last moment and Cyan would not care at all if was being called stupid, but the most strange thing was that even with those wounds Arlom didn’t look he was at death doors, maybe there was hope after all?.

By now Arlom has realize that Cyan was actually not his son, so he had no qualms to call him stupid because he was doing stupid things one after the other, well he would call his own son stupid if he did stupid things too, but he was secretly glad that such stupid kid was not his son.

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Of course when you fight for someone else sake you will think about the why are you fighting, being friendship, loyalty, or it us just because is the right thing to do, to Arlom nothing of that matter, his reason of fighting was family, if you see this in another angle it was as cliché as the other reasons but there was a big difference, between those, if Cyan was not actually his son then what? Flee? The answer to that was a big yes in Arlom mind, the hunter queen had prepared some nasty surprises to him, fleeing was the logic thing to do.

While fighting Arlom has spent some of his precious thinking into doing some mental calculations about if Cyan was his son or not, he actually started doing the math since the moment he heard Cyan’s name, but before he could finish the hunter queen has come attacking.

His conclusion?

Cyan’s build was different from his, and they were nothing alike, more than that, he had 25 years inside this forest his son should be already 30 year’s old, he has tried to refute this date but nothing had come up, he had very carefully count each and every day he had spent in here, and the time flowed the same, in the inside as the outside, so there was no way for Cyan to be this young.

After remembering how many years he had spent in here, Arlom face grew dark, his son was already a grown man already, a life time of searching, a life time of being trapped in here without being able to escape, and this place was an eternal hell to Arlom.

At the end he had sort things out in his mind and discarded the possibility of Cyan being his son, but Arlom was not a heartless monster, so he had come to a conclusion, if that last attack were he sacrificed his left arm didn’t killed the hunter queen, then he would flee and leave Cyan behind, giving his left arm for Cyan only because he had the same name as his own son? That was already a huge sacrifice to anyone, this end was not something had envisioned.

[Arlom]: “She gave you her name? Just like that?.... Buhahahahahahaha, Serah huh, at least we can be sure that she is dead if you are alive, coming here and causing me so many damn problems, and then that crazy women had shown up just to give you her name and then die, you truly had a god’s luck”

Arlom shook his head, he was surprised he could understand Cyan now, and now everything was clear, it was because the hunter queen has given up her name to Cyan, of course this was not her title of hunter queen but her own name, Serah, names are power and how do you used them depends on you, it seems Cyan was using Serah name to understand him, even if Cyan himself didn’t notice it.

‘Sigh, you really have the extremes of lucks’, to get a name and to used so well, Cyan was not some as weak as he thought of before, ‘maybe he can be of some use’, it would be a waste to just let such luck be waste, maybe it was Cyan luck itself that was acting in Arlom, unknown to him when, Arlom has come to a decision, he will take Cyan.

[Arlom]: “Whatever, I will tell you her history later if you want, some weaklings do really have the extremes of luck, to even get the name of a hunter queen without doing anything at all”

The result was something that Arlom did not expected, Cyan luck was too good to be true.

[Arlom]: “Come, let’s go to the clearing, we need to loot her body and burn her remains, and we also need move away from this place, I am sure more monsters will come after all that noise”

Using his axe as support Arlom, stood up, and after taking a bottle from no were, filled with a bright red liquid, he drink it, visible to the Cyan eyes Arlom wounds started closing, even the missing arm that was bleeding profoundly a while ago was now closing, until it stopped bleeding altogether.

Cyan of course was stunned, Arlom that was near death a moment ago, now was walking like nothing in front of him, all his wounds closed leaving behind no scars, if not for Arlom missing arm and bloody clothes, he would never think Arlom was at deaths doors just a moment ago, Cyan was thinking of helping this person just before? Are you joking with me?

[Arlom]: “Will you keep standing there like a target asking to be kill or are you coming?”

That sounded more like an order more than a questions, Cyan feet’s started to follow behind Arlom even without his knowledge, like if they didn’t wanted to be left behind in this dark place, when they arrive at the clearing, Cyan mind could start to boot again, because… Serah body was still there… in a pool of her own blood, this is when Cyan could catch out, this was not a dream, this was real, someone has died.

He was still holding to the hope this was all a dream, but the smell of blood was to strong, and the scenes of destruction were to real at the same that too unreal.

The only thing that was holding Cyan mind from breaking apart was Arlom presence, after he had drank that potion, his mind had being in autopilot, now he has come back to reality, Arlom had obviously protected him, why else had him enter the forest when it was obviously that it would be filled with traps.

Serah was taking advantage of Cyan presence from the beginning, if the battle had being in the clearing, next to him, Arlom would had to directly protected him, but Serah was not very sure how much would Arlom sacrifice to protect Cyan.

In the clearing Arlom could choose to give up protecting Cyan life, making Serah to lose his advantage over Arlom in that instant, but Cyan would end dead, not that she care about him anyway. No Arlom was her target from the beginning.

But if Arlom comes to her, to a battlefield of her choice far away of Cyan, were she could prepare all kinds of traps, Cyan life would not be in danger, but Arlom would take all the burden of a disadvantageous battlefield meaning he was willing to even give his life for Cyan, she could even use that later into the fight, like ‘if you down block this then that boy is death you know?’, of course at that time Arlom could grit his teeth and take the hit, this fight was very hard, and even until the end Arlom has never given up Cyan life to her

Well, if Serah knew the true, that, that last hit was as far as Arlom would go, she would puke the remaining blood in her if she had any, at the end she managed to reach Cyan but that’s as far as she could go, a sad ending for her.

There was no doubt about this in Cyan mind, Arlom was good person in his mind, and for some reason Arlom was taking Cyan with him.

Cyan could only follow now, his feet’s had understood this before him, so Cyan put all his hope to know what was happening and where he was in the man known as Arlom.

Arlom did took anything attention to the rapid changes in the face of Cyan, from shock to fear, to relief, to fear again, to hope in found out what is going on.

[Arlom]: “Her clothes are filled with holes and are worthless now, but at least the ring is still intact, it a shame I can’t use it, damn weaklings luck, Cyan catch, and put it in your middle finger, that would do”

Arlom throw the ring to Cyan that was starlet by the sudden action, he was shaking nervously and looking around, in case of something would come out again from the dark forest, but he still manage to catch the ring, his only though was that Arlom wanted for him to hold onto the ring or something like that.

[Cyan]: “Ok, Does it matter in what hand I put it in?”

[Arlom]: “This stupid child, it don’t matter what hand, put it in whatever, now go and move the body to that bed over there”

Cyan looked over the bloody body, but still did what was told like obedient child, he didn’t wanted that the man that did this her, to be angry at him, nor he wanted to be thrown like trash for being worthless person.

After closing to Serah body, she still look… beautiful, like she was just sleeping with a please face, maybe it was because all that blood loss but her body was very light, carrying her in a princess carry, Cyan put the body of Serah into the bed he was previously using, Cyan thought that if you ignore all the blood, the image of a sleeping beauty Serah was giving was very strong, it is a shame she was death now, the smell of blood did not allowed him to forget this fact.

In front of the bed was Arlom and Cyan looking over Serah sleeping body, now under the bed were a pile of wood that Arlom has took from nowhere.

[Arlom]: “I am not a monster like then, this the very least i can do for her, Hunter Queen Serah, you history will be remembered and pass on to Cyan I swear it in my name, Cyan do you want to say something?”

Cyan that was still in a dazed has come back to reality, ‘word, what should I say to someone I knew only for a few sounds, sigh’.

[Cyan]: “I didn’t know your name until today, but I will forever remember it, Serah, your name, I will carry with me, so, you have remember mine as well, my name is Cyan remember it well”.

Arlom nodded to Cyan words and casted a fire ball behind Cyan where he could not see, instantly lighting the bed in fire together with Serah body, Cyan didn’t saw where the fire has come from but he don’t care as right now.

[Arlom]: “To your last resting place to be this comfortable and warm bed, sigh, weakling do really had the best of lucks, come Cyan we have to move”

Maybe it was the words say by Cyan but Arlom did not call him stupid child this time.

[Cyan]: “Where are we going?”

[Arlom]: “To my base, it is safest place out there and I need some time to recover from my wounds, the middle-level-health potion can only close my wounds and restore some of my blood but it can’t regrown limps, and I don’t carry any of those expensive potions with me”

[Cyan]: “Regrown limps? Restore blood loss? Middle-level-health potions?”

‘Is this an rpg game to you!’ what Cyan wanted to reply but how could he?

Cyan was shaking, did he heard wrong? No, he had heard it clearly, and that red liquid was a potion?, talking another idiom he doesn’t know only to understand it right away some time later?, and now that he think about it, where did the fire has come out, Arlom chanted some things and the bed lifted in a ball of fire, and all the explosions in the forest, Arlom did not look like it was carrying a box of dynamite with him to make all those explosions.

[Arlom]: “Stop being stupid and lets go, the base it is not too far away from here, we will arrive in less than a day if we run hurry”

Cyan gulped down all his questions, maybe it was because he was being called stupid so many times already that it was wearing his mind down to be asking more questions only to be called stupid again.

But his grey matter started to have more serious thoughts, ‘Arlom had just killed the Serah, he is a murderer, but she was also trying to kill him right? Will he kill me too? To be following a murderer into a dark forest how stupid I am’, this halted his footsteps.

Hearing Cyan stop walking after him, Arlom stopped and turned around.

[Arlom]: “Stupid child, are you afraid of me now? There are more scary monsters out there, but no matter if you don’t wanted to come with me it is also fine, go die like a weakling where I can’t see you”

[Cyan]: “Tell me why you kill her?”

[Arlom]: “She tried to kill me first so I kill her”

An instant reply, not a shadow of a doubt nor regret for killing her, Arlom just turned around to Cyan and started to walk again to the dark forest, what else was to say, come, not come, ‘whatever’, it was the same for Arlom, he actually was not even sure of his own actions.

‘To be called stupid again, sigh, what other choice do i have? My only option is to follow Arlom'

Leaving behind a bed burning in flames, and giving one last look to Serah sleeping face, he started running after Arlom into the dark forest.