In the night, swaying in the waves dubbed the dark current, one navigation mistake away from a one-way charter to the oceanic darkness, none of them could sleep.
For Ichor, she just wasn't tired. She was too cautious to sleep when so close to darkness. So, she filled her mind with thoughts about what kind of being would earn the title of hero, so far and wide in the world, and inspire such faith in its companions.
Arduo was just anxious. Her heartbeat was erratic, pulsing with worries. Only one Hope kept her from thinking everything would go wrong. She couldn't afford to let Ansi suffer.
Gydil was just as anxious as Arduo. After all this time, she was going to come face to face with the ilk her life. This though radiated through her being; it wouldn't let her sleep.
In the night light, dedicated crew kept watch. The starry skies and singing waves that sang a soft lullaby couldn't convince them to just sleep.
A few weeks at sea passed, finally making land hoe on the shores of the Home continent. Luckily for them they had arrived in the most appreciated time of day, morning.
"It's been a pleasure sailing with all of you."
"You weren't so bad yourself captain." Ichor then waved goodbye to the captain.
"Have you guys ever been to Elleria? The Captain said it's very close to here."
Arduo strapped her bag even tighter. "Not really interested."
"Me neither." Gydil added.
"Really? It's rumoured to be one of the most enchanting places in all of Ouran."
"Not interested." They both replied in sync.
They tracked across the Home continent, passing by a route leading past Maroon city. They stopped in a few towns. Having taken an established route – they bumped into very few monsters, only a couple of travellers, and an escorted caravan by Adventuring parties.
Soon, they came into view of Arulli. Just as every city, it's walls far passed the clouds. That was not what made it so majestic though. It was knowing that this was one of the four major Knight headquarters, given the sacred duty of guarding the Laurels.
"Here we are guys." Said Arduo.
"You two were raised in villages, right?" Ichor blatantly enquired.
"Yes?" … "Yeah?"
"I'm just wondering what it feels like to have travelled the world. Visiting all those great places. Even coming to see the marvellous city of Arulli."
"You talk too much." Remarked Gydil.
"I told you guys already. It's just been so long since I had company that knew me so well. Actually, this is the first ever time."
"we know. Gydil is still saying that you talk too much. It's been years now. And still have more…"
"Okay then. I'll try not to talk too much."
…
"Can I still get your answers?"
"You're still on that?"
"For me…" Ichor looked at Gydil as she answered. "… I found it fun to see that not everyone is buried deep in loss as we are. Their smiling faces remind you that even in a world besieged by darkness people can still live."
Arduo finished fastening her bag. She angrily gripped the shovel she just took out of her bag. "You're all still so naïve as ever."
Ichor smiled. "Okay tough gal. Let's hear your answer."
"I don't care how many smiles I see, none of that joy is worth living in a world where one day you could live through what I did."
Ichor's fascination grew. She etched closer to Arduo's face. "Will you tell me now where is it that you got this dark experience you keep mentioning."
The shovel dug deep into the soil, ignoring Ichor's question. Making manifest a hole deep in the ground, she threw her bag at Gydil, jumping in the hole, coming out as a soul. Now that they had someone who could still hear and see her in her soul form. She had no need for a body now. Especially since they'll be staying in Arulli, and she didn't want to get caught using people loved ones as clothing.
They all became quiet. Entering the city, they got screened by the Soldiers at the entrance. Arulli was even bigger than the usual cities, it was supposed to be a capital of Home. It was so big that one required multitudes of maps to see its full layout. Even then, that was not enough to understand the landscaping it had gone through to be so accommodating.
As planned, they booked a stay in an Inn close to the Academy. Gydil and Arduo still hadn't told Ichor much about their benefactor, only mentioning that he was a knight.
"So where is he Arduo?"
"I don't know."
"So, how are you sure he's coming here?"
"Four years ago, during my last report. It mentioned it will not be receiving any reports for that time. And for me to just come here, in the small chance I found you."
Gydil might know more than Ichor about the state of things, but she herself had only spoken to the Knight once. "How long might that be?"
"I don't know. A few months, a year, or two, even a decade. But one thing I do know is that it's efficient. I don't think we'll be waiting too long. Meanwhile, I'll try to give another report every year end till then."
"I can wait." The priestess stretched her arms in the sun like a feline with all the time in the world.
***
For that time, they learned to live in Arulli. Arduo spent her days mentally preparing herself. Only occasionally stopping to go find a body to eat. Mostly she spent her time following Ichor around the city, watching her, whilst allowing her the freedom to roam.
Gydil spent her days exploring the city. Its many districts, architecture, and diversity of services and goods. These were amongst the most extensive catalogues she's ever seen in her life. Even after months of exploring, she had barely scratched the surface. She also wanted to explore the academy, but she was not a squire, a knight, or a guest of one, and there was no tournament either, so she could only dream.
Like a sleeping dolphin, Ichor split her mind in two. Simultaneously doing two things. First, vigorously preparing her mind for what is to come. Her worries were not many, but for the time being, the only worries on her mind were the little bit of inconsistencies she bumped into on her journey.
'Why is it this hero is shrouded in mystery? Why is Arduo and Gydil so secretive? A knight? Why would a knight seek out a priestess of the divine? One can be a hero, a knight, a figure of dread and celebration, revered, famous, and unknown. But why is it that he's all of them and more?'
These questions plagued one part of her. The other wasted no time, choosing to enjoy what the city of Arulli had to offer. The time came and passed, giving way to seven whole months.
It all began with the quaking of the ground as something massive approached from outside the city. These had not approached as one would hear a giant, they just suddenly sounded too close, not easing closer. The gates opened letting this strange presence in.
Gydil rushed into the room. She could not see Arduo but with Ichor being in the room, she knew she was too.
"Guys did you hear the rumours? They say the hero has finally returned to Arulli."
"I did." Replied Ichor, she turned to face Arduo.
Arduo had not much for a spiritual presence. She was a floating orb of luminous light for those that could see, without humanoid features, this was because she was not dead. Just a disembodied soul with a conscience. Still, she could articulate herself to Ichor.
"Those are just rumours. Only a few even saw it." The disembodied voice said.
Ichor turned to Gydil – deliberating for her what Arduo had said. "Arduo is asking how true you think these rumours are?"
"Granted, they are vague, shouldn't you still try to give a report to confirm?"
Arduo could still hear and understand Gydil, so she promptly replied. "I said I'll wait for a year before I try to give another report, that'll be in five months, I'd rather not try if I don't really have any solid reason to. And I won't bother it over every little rumour I hear. The rumours don't matter anyway, if anything can be taken from the tales of the hero, we'll know pretty soon if it's here or not. If that happens, I'll try to give a report."
Gydil intently starred at Ichor, awaiting to be told the response. "Oh. She said we should wait for the rumours to confirm themselves. Otherwise, she'll try to send another report when our stay in Arulli makes a year."
"If you say so. I'm going back to the library then."
The rumours soon died down. Nothing was there to fuel them.
A few days later though, Arduo's prophecy came to pass. The rumours confirmed themselves.
In the afternoon light, everything, instantly, without warning, lost all colour.
Gale force winds strong enough to rip sea voyages apart, tore through the city. It flung everyone in its path off their feet.
There was no wind. There was no damage.
'The winds aren't real… but how?' Ichor got up as she inspected the strange phenomenon.
Regardless of how much physical evidence there was to support the reality of the winds and its force not being real, everyone still braced for it, collapsing to the floor as it phased right through them.
Even one as ethereal as Arduo was, she felt the full brunt of these waves. Still – they phased right through her as well. She too was stranded on the floor. The phantom waves had paralysed her ethereal self.
They gazed high into the skies. Shouting at each other, as if they were deep in a storm. But nothing blocked their voices, it was just their minds still refusing to render the reality of all of it. A few hours later, a calm, unlike any before it, washed over Arulli.
It was as though the entire city had been granted inner peace.
The calm had come, knees weak, none could rise to their feet. Only the strong and powerful manged to recover enough to stand. In the strange calm that imposed itself, those who stopped shaking, found it in themselves to gaze at the apparent source of all this chaos. And none of them liked where it seemed all this originated.
"It came from the house of mother!"
"Is everything okay?"
"Are we under attack?"
"From whom?"
"The dark knight?"
"Those cowards!"
Frantic, confused, and lost, they formed all sorts of predictions.
Panic befell the city. Cloaked in this veil of shades – none dared to do anything and believe that if the rumours were true, and the hero truly was here, everything would resolve itself. Even if he wasn't, this was Arulli, it could never fall, it just couldn't.
A few more hours passed. The veil collapsed into a point. Bringing colour and life back to the vibrant streets of Arulli.
"what was that?" Gydil asked Ichor. The priestess had this look in her eyes. Gydil could tell that she understood more about this event, more than she and Arduo ever could.
Ichor did not reply immediately. Both Arduo and Gydil patiently waited for her to find the words. Even if she understood, it could not be easy to put it into words.
Finally, she spoke. Not to them. To herself. Aloud.
"A force so intense that special designation Ouran failed to render it. Impossible…" She looked at Gydil, this time answering her. "That was an explosion of sort. By the patterns of the phantom winds, it was a recoil of something else, something far beyond what we experienced, something more contained."
She stopped. Took a breath and continued. "In a simplified view, what we watched was reality pretending to understand it had something under control by imitating it with something it knew well, in this case a storm at sea."
Arduo felt something within her, an ill omen. Gydil stepped closer, visibly confused.
"what do you mean it couldn't understand?"
"Imagine trying to explain colour to a blind man. What we witnessed was reality's best attempt at making us understand something had happened, without understanding itself, what is it that happened. And by the manner in which it unfolded – I'd say it failed catastrophically."
Gydil did not know where in the room Arduo was, so she spoke in a general direction.
"So, is this what you meant earlier, Arduo? If the hero is here, we would know pretty soon. Do you believe it now?"
Faceless, Arduo starred up at the island of mother.
"Unfortunately… I do."