Bab 148: Chapter 148 - Some Sullenness
They had traveled mostly in silence, leaving behind Celadon's dense forest with each step. Sonder was quiet, lost in thought for most of their journey, her gaze often distant, her steps measured. Occasionally, she had made one request—to avoid lighting any fire at night. She didn't want the wood to be burned for her, nor was fire summoned in any form. Even when the cold crept in, she kept it to herself, letting it numb her hands.
Vell seemed content with this decision, sharing in her silence, and often neither of them ate at all.
The cold didn't seem to affect him, nor did he appear to feel the weight of hunger.
At night, he lay with his eyes open, gazing up at the stars, as if waiting for their distant counsel.
Sonder's own sleep came in restless fragments, a dreamless quiet that left her weary but untroubled. She rarely knew what direction they traveled; Vell offered no destination, and she didn't ask.
She simply followed, step after step, until finally she realized that this wandering, this silence, no matter how sullen she had become, shouldn't be.
On the fifth night, as they lay in the quiet, Sonder sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees as she stared across the field, the breeze rustling the grass around them. She sighed, watching her breath, half-expecting it to fog in the chill, but it didn't. She felt no warmth within her, as though her own fire had dimmed and gone out.
Beside her, Vell's gaze shifted, watching her in the dim starlight. He said nothing, just waited, as though he knew she'd find the words soon enough.
Finally, she looked down. "Can you teach me how to defend myself with magic, but something... that isn't deadly?"
A faint smile creased Vell's face. "A straightforward request, isn't it?" He sat up, dusting his hands off, and chuckled. "Direct and practical—I like that. Most apprentices beg to learn the flashiest spells first, but you're looking for something with restraint." He studied her, nodding to himself. "Yes. I can teach you something less destructive, but every bit as powerful."
She held his gaze, her hands curled tightly around her knees. "I don't want to feel that helpless again," she murmured. "If I'm in danger... I want to be able to protect myself without... without hurting anyone or everything around me."
Vell considered this, tilting his head thoughtfully. "Then we'll start with a spell as old as the earth itself. Technically, it's not even magic—at least, not the kind most imagine."
Hadiah
-- Hadiah diterima Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone