"—Keep that halberd close to your heart, my son. I will go far from here, where the sun and skies are not so distant. And still, I will be with you. You just have to hold your weapon."
—Ascension, 15:2.
Merlian opened her eyes and jumped up. A pungent smell filled her nostrils as she briefly assessed her surroundings. The clock had transported her to some poorly kept stable, with much on the walls and feed that had an unpleasant odor. Moments ago, she had been lying on a pile of hay. She sighed in relief, lucky not to have fallen into horse manure.
She didn't dwell on it and quickly pulled a compass from her bag. The needle pointed northwest and then southwest, the directions changing from tip to tip every so often.
—The compass swings between northeast and southwest.—She spoke urgently as she used the transfer and appeared in front of the neighboring hut.
—We need to locate ourselves first, Miss Merly.—An old man's voice resonated in her mind.
She looked through the sand in the corners of the hut. There lived a couple of elderly people who spoke a language that sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it. Growing impatient, she transported herself to the nearby town square. It was night, the place was crowded, villagers walked and chatted idly.
«Saudro is asleep and won't wake for a while. The only one who could understand anything is…»
—Auryn will leave my domain.—She tried to whisper in vain, the Whisper Law pronounced it loud and clear.
The townspeople noticed her and were surprised. The sudden appearance of a foreigner was rare in the small village. A man approached and stopped upon feeling something brush against his foot. He looked down and saw weeds growing, their stems widening and coiling around his leg like a snake.
—What...?—he said, instinctively moving his foot. It was hard to shake off, the plants had grown at an alarming rate. Feeling increasingly scared, he pulled hard and fell on his backside.
—Ugh... Who...?—He lifted his head to complain but was stunned by what he saw.
—By Fauntis…—he whispered at the scene before him. All the plants in the square were growing at an alarming rate, filling the dimly lit place with green. Large stems were damaging the windows, all kinds of flowers popped up, and even trees grew from the cracks. The people around quickly scattered, screaming.
—Where are we?—A feminine voice spoke behind him.
He turned and saw fine bell-bottom pants. He looked up and found the face of a woman.
—Where are we?—the woman repeated. The villager swallowed hard. The woman showed no emotion, and her eyes lacked luster. For a moment, he thought he was looking at a corpse.
—W-we're in Kante… High Law!—he said, and stopped hearing noise, the plants had ceased to grow at some point.
Auryn looked at him in silence, and the man mistook it for a threat. He quickly continued.
—We're just a small village near Palas, high law. There's nothing to gain here!
She stopped looking at him and turned to Merlian.
—We are in the north of Germandia.
Merlian heard her and looked at the compass with doubt. She had to choose one of the two directions. Lunhde was in a coma, she couldn't leave it to chance.
«Northeast or southwest... Which is it? Where could he be?»
—Southwest.—Auryn said. Merlian looked at her and replied anxiously.
—Are you sure? How do you know Essau isn't there?
They stared at each other in silence. Merlian saw her lifeless eyes and sighed.
—I don't know if you're naive or know what you're doing. Come on, there's no time to lose!
After Auryn entered her domain, Merlian disappeared from the square. She used the transfer to transport herself hundreds of kilometers in the blink of an eye. She left the village behind and moved southwest.
Her figure was seen in the skies for a moment, like a blurry spirit. Then, she appeared among the sand on the ground. Nearby animals jumped in fright at the sudden intruder. Occasionally, she encountered people, who reacted similarly. She had no time to worry about that, she needed to get there as soon as possible.
Sometimes she had to switch places with Auryn, there wasn't sand everywhere. Similarly, Auryn had to switch with Merlian when there was no vegetation on the path, but that rarely happened. Within hours, they left behind mountains, rivers, forests, cities, and towns. Sometimes they glanced at the compass for a moment and disappeared.
After a while, Merlian ended up leaving the journey to Auryn. There was little sand for the rest of the way. She looked at the vegetation around her, she had always liked Auryn's domain.
—Ahm... —Merlian heard a yawn resonate in her mind.
—You've woken up, Saudro.
—That was a good nap. So, what 'appened? —Saudro replied lazily—. Has the world 'nded and we're stuck in your domain 'til you die?
—Not yet. —Merlian responded—. The compass is pointing in two opposite directions, which makes me believe Essau fell quite far. Ot must be chasing him, so we need to hurry and... secure the receptacle as soon as possible.
There was silence for a while. Merlian played with the flowers in Auryn's domain until Saudro spoke.
—In the end, we take this decision, right? —Saudro spoke without hiding the sadness in his voice.
—That's right. We must be better. We'll understand why he did what he did. —Merlian said firmly.
—What if the truth turns out to be more 'rtbreaking than the lie? I get what you want to do. And believe me, I support you. But we must be prepared for 'nything.
Again, there was silence. Merlian brushed a white lily with her fingers and stood up.
—If that happens, I'll kill the receptacle with my own hands.
The conversation didn't continue after that. The others also said nothing; each had too much on their minds. Time passed, and Merlian grew bored of looking at the plants. At some point, she pulled the others out of her domain, and they stayed in Auryn's. Though seeing the beautiful green landscape was better than looking at sand, it didn't lift anyone's spirits.
—We'll need to get Lun a wheelchair, there's no way to leave him lying around. —Kaely said while braiding the sleeping man's hair.
Merlian nodded and forced a smile.
—Lun will be quite embarrassed when he sees himself in a mirror.
—Knowing Mr. Lun, he'll make us trip into a ravine as soon as he finds out. —said an older voice. Merlian turned and saw Ferned smiling.
The group laughed, albeit a bit delayed.
—I wouldn't be surprised, he values his hair more than his person. But who knows, maybe he'll like the new style. —said a younger voice. Ferned looked to the side and laughed with Fauste.
They continued laughing. Fauste climbed an apple tree and threw the fruits.
—That carefree guy will never braid his hair 'very morning. —Saudro took a bite of his apple, swallowed, and continued—. Maybe if he gets married someday.
He turned to look at Kaely, and she didn't avoid his gaze.
—You've always been good at making people uncomfortable. —she said sharply.
—I'm just saying, just saying. —He smiled mockingly—. The glove was thrown, and you picked it up.
Kaely stood up and extended her hands, looking ready to levitate him. He got up and ran in the opposite direction. The others laughed as they watched them run through the jungle. Suddenly, they heard Auryn's voice echo throughout the area.
—Everyone in my domain will leave.
Merlian saw a wall of bricks in front of her. She turned and checked her surroundings, the streetlights illuminated the streets in the distance. They seemed to be in a dark alley. She looked at Auryn beside her, who was focused on the bar in front of them.
—The needle changed direction. It points to that bar. —she said emotionlessly.
The others glanced at each other with dark expressions. Eventually, all eyes were on the building.
—Can you see who's in the house? —Merlian asked.
—There's only one room with flowers. There's a person sleeping.
Merlian calmed down and gave orders.
—Saudro, deepen everyone's sleep. —She walked over to Lunhde and brought him into her domain—. We'll enter together after that, we still haven't confirmed if it's Essau or the receptacle. If it is, we'll bring him into my domain and get out of here.
They nodded, and Saudro began to recite his Whisper Law. Merlian sighed, whatever happens there would be the beginning of a big change.