Despite the possibility of snake infestation, they chose to stay the night at the guard settlement.
It wouldn't be as dangerous as marching towards uncharted territory at night, and they had learnt the hard way the night earlier.
The ones gusty enough or unbothered slept inside some of the buildings around, these included; Dan and Cera, Saul and Karius.
Most of the others opted out of sleeping in general, with a few sleeping in the wagons, like; Fiona, Clarence, Herra and Rud.
The commanders and the supreme still kept a watch out.
Leo rested on a guard rail on a buildings porch with Zefroth and Caesar seating on the stairway.
"What kept you there, I was looking for you all over." Caesar said to Leo as he turned at him.
"I was looking for a statue." Leo replied, he sounded disappointed when he said this.
"What is that even supposed to mean?" Caesar asked him.
"Yeah I would also like to know as well, because of that someone had to buy time for you." Zefroth joined in on the conversation.
Leo turned his attention to Zefroth.
"Someone…
Was it him?" Leo looked at Caesar.
Caesar bent his jaw inwards to his chest, consequently his throat compressed a bit.
Then he shifted his gaze to Zefroth.
"Me?" He asked.
She looked at him.
"Of course not" Zefroth said to Caesar.
"Can't you guess who it was." Zefroth turned to look at Leo again.
Leo rubbed his hand on his hair.
"Why is everyone asking me to guess.
Today it's you, yesterday it was Fion…" Leo stopped talking.
He remembered the first face he saw when he got back previously that evening.
"...Was it Fiona?" Leo asked with a subtle tone,.it was one of the easier things he had pieced together.
Zefroth smiled faintly.
"You got it on your first try, you aren't so bad after all." She said to him.
"Her
She barely talks and has only one facial expression...that Fiona?" Caesar asked with a stunned face.
Zefroth looked at him.
"She might be hard to read now, but she wasn't always like that." Zefroth said to Caesar whilst pointing at his chest.
"What do you mean hard to it's impo-" Caesar's opinion was interrupted.
"It's the opposite though it's quite easy, or that's what it looks like to me.
Unlike someone like Dan, I don't know how to explain it but I'll make sure to thank her tomorrow." Leo said.
He made his way down as they parted for him.
"Does he know?" Zefroth looked at him with perplexity sprinkled all over her face as he walked by.
She turned to Caesar, who had a similar look in addition with an awkward squint.
They continued conversing through the bright night.
Leo walked aimlessly; lost in his own thoughts.
"What a venture…"
***
– Earlier in the evening –
Not long after Heimer dished out the orders to the troops, Leo went on to search a building as ordered.
The one he entered was a little one with only a living space, and no other rooms.
Leo held his stomach as he was revolted by the substance on the walls.
"Blood…" He muttered as he looked at it.
"It's becoming a normality to me, and I don't like it.
The same goes with unrestrained violence." The scene of Heimer bludgeoning the corrupted flashed before his eyes, followed by Curth's 'display'.
He budged out of it, then looked through the open window that was opposite the door he had come through.
It was tall grass as far as the eye could see, with only the mountain being a constant.
He took in the view.
"At least the world is still beautiful" Leo thought to himself.
He smiled as he gently turned his head, forgetting all about his duties.
"Whatever happened to that statue" Leo wondered.
What started as a thought sparked his curiosity, it overcame him and without another thought
he left the building immediately.
The next thing he did was run towards the mountains through the grass.
There was no definite path, only the land that was gradually depressing through a gentle descent.
"I can't even use aether, what a hassle." Leo used his muscles to the best of their ability.
The probability of starting a large fire was closer to certainty than anything else, for that reason alone he cast aside any thoughts of using his aether.
His pace was already commendable nonetheless, but even with that, this attempt at finding the statue could be seen as nearly aimless.
{ My only guide was the memory of what part of the mountain we were relatively beside at that time.
Nevertheless I chose to go for it, our last fond memories were at that place}
Leo increased his pace again, straining his muscles.
[Ah?!] Leo was startled.
Something crossed atop his leg, he stopped immediately.
–
He kicked his leg upwards throwing the thing with it.
And with that action it was now in the air for his eyes to see;
It was a snake, a very long one at that.
"I didn't kick it that hardly, why is it still in the air.
And isn't it too thin?" Leo pondered.
He looked up at it, not knowing the shock it was about to deliver next .
The snake stayed afloat for a while, with no respect to gravity.
?!
It slithered through the air like it was the ground and descended downwards into the grass then seemingly merged with it.
That was the last he saw of it.
Leo stared all bamboozled, he rubbed his eyes out to see if he had been seeing well.
"I've never read of anything like that in my life, and did it just fly??
I didn't even feel when it encroached the confines of my zone, I got too laid back." Leo regained composure.
"Either way there is no time to think right now, where am I currently…" Leo scanned through the area.
Something caught his eye as the breeze blew the grass, in the distance down the land; a thin brown wooden line appeared.
The brown was a bit darker than that of the grass, almost inconspicuous, would truly be to an untrained eye.
Luckily Leo's was anything but.
He made that his goal, then ran towards it.
What had begun as a line became larger gradually, revealing the structure of a wooden shelter within the grass.
That only reinforced his urge to reach there even more, and he made it there soon after.
–
The sun was about to set, and little time left before it would become dark.
With no idea if the group was going to leave or set camp, he had no time to spare.
He made his way around the shelter, and in front of it was a path leading downhill.
Leo had a rush of emotions as he saw what was down the path, it was 'it' or at least its head — the ominous statue from that day.
Leo walked down the path, slowly with heavy steps, the statue became more visible with each.
By the time he got to the statue it was still the same, six months apart, same old same old.
He placed his hands on the statue like that night, anticipating the impending headache.
….
Nothing had happened.
{It all started as a question;
"what if I was the cause of it it all, from the moment I touched the statue that night."
I've been holding shallow guilt that I might have been the cause of everything.
But it seems like that was not the case, with this my chest felt cleared up.}
"Who was I kidding, I'm not that special." His face softened up, his eyes gleamed but tears didn't flow.
Leo looked at the darkening sky.
–
"I'll just be quick with it" He thought as he ran to the building.
On the door leading to it, a crossbow was on the bare ground, and atop the stair was a sword.
With two used torches on the ground.
"Hmm?" He mumbled.
He opened the door, and there was no bloodstain on the wall, just a white paper, he picked it up.
"A letter?" Leo muttered.
There was a seal at the bottom, with a signature beneath it.
Leo read the contents of the letter.
<3rd of April, 340>
He jolted backwards.
"Isn't that…a day before the events transpired?" Leo stuttered a little.
He read the next line that held the name of the sender.
It was one he was all too familiar with over the recent days.
He proceeded to read through the contents of the letter, it was truly rivetting.
Line by line; word by word; letter by letter, everything sent chills through him.
"Mr Heimer needs to see this" Leo thought as he rolled the letter up and held it in his hands.
***
Leo had stopped his aimlessly stroll under the moonlight, he looked at the pillar of light that had grown larger.
"This isn't just something I can reveal openly, I have to be discreet about it" He concluded.
He walked to Heimer who was conversing with Gustev at the extreme end.
"I have something to report sir.
I think it's very serious" Leo saluted at Heimer.
"Speak up." Heimer said with all seriousness.
"But first I would like to request for something, I hope I can get a reply today." Leo asked in a way that made it sound like a trade.
"Hoh?
He is growing up nicely." Heimer rested both of his elbows on each lap, resting his jaw on his netted fingers.
"Sure, I'll give you an answer as long as it is within my capabilities." Heimer assured him.
"Would it be possible for you to take me to the empire's library, the library of dreams?
After this expedition of course." Leo requested.
Heimer's facial expression was bland.
"You have legs, you could go there yourself, why feel the need to ask me?" Heimer asked him.
Leo rubbed his hair.
"I actually plan on reading the list history line of books by Slocthger Kennedy.
Only the first nine…" Leo said a bit coyly.
"You do know that you could have just asked Ren for this.
Just seek his help when the time comes, if that's all then proceed with the report" Heimer ordered.
Leo nodded in agreement.
He followed through with the request, explaining everything from the moment he left duty, and sure enough; it was shocking.
–
[Kekeke] "You've been had." Gustev said to Heimer.
"So that girl lied to me, as I had thought…" Heimer said.
"Can't you let her go this once?" Leo asked awkwardly.
Heimer raised his hand and waved it off.
"The statue-,...is it the same one you've told me of before?" Heimer asked for clarity.
"Yes, it's the one.
But it seems to be a normal statue though, no signs of aether, nothing." Leo said.
"And the letter?" Heimer asked.
Leo looked at his left forearm guard, put his fingers beneath it and drew out a piece of paper.
He handed it over to Heimer who dismissed him.
After a while, Heimer read the contents of the paper subtly for Gustev to hear since he could not see in the dark.
<3rd of April, 340
From: Slocthger Kennedy.
To: Guards of the settlement.
"I trust you are all performing your duties deligently, the punishment for not doing so is one you are all too familiar with.
Make sure everyone is in a building before nightfall, and as long as that is there, they shall pass you by.
If there are no compromises, you all shall survive the night.
If these of the empire don't care for the truth, then things shall return to how they should be" >