Capítulo 109: Within Names / The "Debate" of "The Century"
At first glance, the thought of traversing and scaling Linuxinia Mountain wasn't a big deal for the group. But now that they had seen it up close, they all realized this would be more of a challenge than they first thought.
The sunset filled the entire sky with the deep color of rubies, setting the clouds ablaze among humble dusk as carriages rolled in and out of the distant town of Oksanna Village. Peace at last, and yet, the wanderers still didn't feel secure.
After the troubling conflict that insatiably stirred up inside the Adventurer's Guild, Asahi, Aletha, and the others were escorted outside of the building by Joshilyn, who informed them as they saw the streetlights glimmer among the stone roads.
"So, now that both groups are prepared from weaponry to registration on recruitment for an Adventurer's License..."
She made a faint whisper while steadily lifting short after.
"Although some of you already have one... I will now introduce all of you to your transportation methods!"
With a bright and enthusiastic tone, Joshilyn adjusted all their gazes forward to the lot.
One was a horse-drawn one with a decent exterior fit for driving on flat terrain; the other was a midnight blue, a ground-dragon carriage with an oddly shaped spherical carriage attached to it, fit for scaling mountainous terrain.
Asahi expressed doubt and fear looking at the carriage, imagining horrible and remembering past scenarios like when their carriage collapsed on the bridge from Pladtioa or if it suddenly breaks and the ground breaks loose.
"I don't know. That doesn't look sturdy to me."
Canyon scratched his chin and lifted his arm. His gray hair flew with the chilling breeze of the night, and his thick emerald green coat splashed the mixture of orange and azure before making a burlesque expression of confidence and pride in his statement.
"Well, judging by the exterior and the bolts drilled onto the sides, I say it's sturdy enough."
Fint added.
"Yeah... I don't think--
But luckily enough, Joshilyn informed while petting the lime-green-colored ground dragon.
"Don't worry, the carriage has been experimented on, and results say it's fit for driving. On the other hand, this ground dragon is well-tamed and perfect for mountain travel. Do not worry. The ground dragon is trained to stay even if the carriage somehow gets loose."
Goosebumps popped out Asahi, trying to keep his smile now that Kali was around. But he knew, even Telos, that this looked highly dangerous. Once again, Asahi sprinted to the brunette-haired girl and asked with an unsure tone.
"A...Are you sure that this carriage is thoroughly built?"
Brunella nodded, peering her brown eyes toward the beautiful scenery of luscious, towering green mountains and rich brown dirt.
"I'm optimistic that our engineers have carefully designed and planned the carriage's construction. It was PLANNED to be released for adventures tomorrow, but..."
She perked her head toward the sky's shimmering pink and orange canvas.
"I figured waiting a few hours would just be a waste of time. As long as you take good care of the carriage, I'll give it to your group. But you better ensure you return it, or else you will have to pay for it."
Asahi gulped and nodded, striding to the carriage with his dirt-stained boots and chalky mocha attire glistening with amber color.
"U-Understood."
Promptly, Aletha, Kali, and others were also preparing for the training session, grabbing tools, utensils, and food in case things went wrong.
They observed the clouds catch fire as the sun sank. Aletha questioned Kali about her brother's peculiar response as the sun's brilliant rays peaked over the far hills.
"Do you know what happened to my brother? He... looked... different when than when I saw him before."
Kali's face flushed. As she was looking at Aletha, Kali's mind flashed only to the memory of Asahi's smile. She couldn't help but keep the vision engraved in her mind. The girl couldn't even discard it.
Aletha snapped her fingers and tried to grab Kali's attention. She quickly turned around and bounced away from her dreamy state, replying while scratching her head nervously.
"O... Oh, he was just smiling, that's all! What, you haven't seen your brother smile before?'
Aletha hunched her shoulders with a sad inquiry that seemed to dwell within her quirky actions. She sighed deeply and turned back to Kali, answering with a familiar voice.
"Well, not that I remember. The only time I remember seeing my brother smile or genuinely laugh was before the calamity years ago. Ever since we lost everything, even in the lightest moments, the only thing that came close to a genuine smile was a slight smirk."
Kali took a step back, putting her hand to her heart, gasping.
"R...Really? That's... sad. What... did you lose?"
A somber and breathless calm hung over the deepening eve. An utter depression of her soul gnawed back at her, forcing Aletha to blurt out random things, feeling an unpleasant and heavy sensation sitting in her heart.
"I... I... I lost..."
The reaction was so sudden that Aletha believed her mother was standing right before her. But that was just a trick played by her broken mind, forcing her to cry out and long for the love she can't get anymore.
"Mom, please... I need help, I'm scared, I'm lost. Where are you? "
Kali backed away, silent and confused about Aletha's short whines.
"..."
Aletha squeezed her eyes, and her eyelashes turned wet.
"I miss you, I miss dad... I miss our home. I want to hug you. I'm so scared, mama. Where did you go? I want to go to the grass fields and run! I want to see the snow pigs!"
It's too hard for her to consider that the world she sees now isn't the same as it was back then.
Aletha couldn't hold her emotions anymore.
Even in the darkest moments in pladtioa, she had always suppressed her mental breakdowns to avoid making a scene.
But given such freedom and now bearing and harvesting the thought and accurate remembrance of the old world and family, Aletha broke down amidst a peaceful setting.
"I want to see you! I want to go home! Don't you see how beautiful the sky is today? You said you always love the clouds! L-Look... over there!"
It's as if she was smitten by a sudden spasm, causing most in the group to panic and question her sudden, immature breakdown.
Unfortunately, Asahi had already taken off... so even if she wanted comfort, not even one of the last members of their family could help, leaving Aletha to unleash a river of remorseful tears.
Words strangled her throat, her face clouded with disapproval and disappointment as she saw the vast winding green hills bathe in orange.
"Mom, our world doesn't look the same. I... I want to see you again..."
Phthonus looked to Kali and squinted, mumbling as others watched from the background.
"What did you do?"
Kali gulped and shook her head.
"I-I don't know..."
He growled and bit his teeth, looking back from Aletha and recollecting what happened to Drimi. He felt like he was cornered. Although he wanted to save Drimi, informing Aletha about the problem would worsen her attitude, and so...
"I will have to restrain myself from informing her until she calms down."
Phthonus decided to not tell Aletha.
After that, Aletha calmed slightly, looking over and depending on the natural beauty of her changing world to calm herself down. The scarlet flowers and the emerald trees reminded her of a better time.
. . .
Not long after, Joshilyn gathered everyone up toward the carriage and started explaining THEIR training session.
* * * * * * *
(Back in the present)
Asahi's group was still far away from the mountain.
They were only at the beginning hills where the tallest trees had thrived, the waterfalls were at their tallest, and life sputters. Bridges began extending far and out across tall and dangerous gaps, but luckily enough, the bottom was reinforced with steel.
Before their arrival, Asahi's appetite was thin, having only consumed noodles and a few foods yesterday. Joshilyn's boredom caught up to her, so she chose to bring a few foods during their travels while also participating in the event just in case things went wrong.
Chloe's brown eyes darted to Joshilyn's fingers that were burning not from the fire but because of her uncontrollable passion for cooking. Then, her eyes met back with Asahi, forming an introduction and asking the traditional question that sparked a friendship.
"What's your name?"
A silence dawned up in-between them. Asahi stared at the window and examined the beautiful scenery. It was one of the only things that could teem interest within him.
After he heard Chloe ask, Asahi transitioned to the foreign language that only Chloe was familiar with and replied.
"Oh? My name is Asahi. Asahi Adtraic." He said with a smile and heard his stomach grumble, ignoring it and tilting to Chloe and trying to keep his smile. "What's your's?"
A look of astonishment beamed up in Chloe's brown eyes.
"Asa... hi? Wow. I've never heard that word before, well... not from this world. It was from another."
Asahi raised his eyebrows.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean... it's a word that came from my homeworld. Earth." Chloe expressed as she pressed her hands against her chest confidently. "Specifically, from this place called Japan. D...Do you know what it means?"
A calm yet strange emotion bloomed in Asahi, like a sprout springing up to the air of knowledge.
Though he knew who named him, he never thought these specific identifications correlated with meaning.
Asahi replied, forgetting about time management.
"Not at all. I don't recollect these names having any sort of meaning inside them. All I thought about was that they were just given words."
Chloe covered her mouth and froze in place in surprise.
"R... Really? Strange. How does your mother know a name from my world if you were born in a completely different place?" She shook her thoughts aside, and as the carriage approached the first of many bridges, Chloe pushed her hair to the side and continued.
"N... Nevermind. If you really want to know, your name means "rising sun" in this language called Japanese. It's a really poetic and beautiful name. I was surprised you had it, despite being from another world."
A teeming spark of curiosity bloomed in the boy.
"Huh? So, if my name means... rising sun in your world's language? Do you know what my sister's name means?"
Chloe made a prideful smug. She knew exactly what that name meant, despite it having not been used for a long time. The confident young woman snapped her fingers and clicked her teeth, answering.
"Aletha? Hmmm. That's a very unusual name. It hasn't been used for a while. Well, that name means verity. It's another word for truth."
A sort of stunned incredulity beamed on Asahi's face. Realization kicked him in the chest, remembering his sister's broad and robust power of seeing the truth and detecting lies.
"Truth? Well, that makes complete sense now! No wonder why my sister could detect liars and find truth in everything. Because she was named after that word." His gray eyes glinted with flooding curiosity. "If Aletha means truth, and my name, rising sun. Then I wonder what the other names of my friends mean."
Chloe rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
"Hey, before you get all caught up in interest, I'm not Mrs. No-it-all! I don't know every meaning, just a little. If you really want to learn the meanings, how about you go to some library and find some. I bet you there will be some there."
Chloe faked a smile; she sniffed and found a tingling, steaming aroma from the room inside the carriage, then jumped up, following the scent.
"What smells so good?!"
Canyon hastily backed up and scrutinized her.
"Yes, that aroma is so enticing. Wait, I thought this was a training session, not a feast!"
Before the carriage crossed a bridge, the door swung open and revealed a petite girl holding a spoon, stirring a grainy substance in a pot. It was just in time for late dinner.
. . .
Once the carriage stopped halfway near the opening of a cavern, what looked like a rock obstacle course, Asahi, Chloe, and the rest bounced out of the carriage, eager for what was to come.
The moonlight shone high, giving its rays and shining on the emerald green and chocolate brown hills. Asahi rushed out and turned to Chloe, who looked concerned about the girl that stood at the entrance of the carriage, holding four levitating spoons and several bowls of rice without actually carrying any of them.
"What is she doing?"
Asahi added.
"I think she's giving a treat."
Suddenly, a hard solid metal spoon flew toward Asahi's cheek, hitting and spanking his face before it levitated in front of his chest. His face turned red, and he screamed.
"What the heck--"
"Silence. This is your meal. Don't be picky." The brown-haired girl, whose eyes glowed a brilliant golden luminance, held several bowls of hot steaming rice (applied with extra moisture to give it its touch) with what seemed to be "telekinesis" powers. She threw all the bowls "nicely" toward Canyon, Chloe, Brunella, and Ubel, who had not said a word until now.
"You literally didn't have to toss the bowls to us? Couldn't you just use your hands?"
Brunella also tried to show a frustrated look but feared the possibility of her losing her job. So, she remained silent and only gave a sneer. Ubel smacked his forehead and forced himself to sit down, grabbing the levitating spoon and squinting at Joshilyn.
"This better taste good."
Joshilyn winked. Her personality seemed to have shifted when she exited the carriage, pushing into a lenient and goofy tone like all the other strange people in Linuxinia. This just downright confused Asahi, questioning why the magic in this world was the most incoherent sack of poison potatoes he had ever seen.
"Goodness, the magic in this world is weird."
Telos had no business inserting himself into the situation.
(Don't worry, it only gets stranger.)
Asahi gnashed his teeth.
"When will you stop appearing out of nowhere?"
(Never. I just found this situation interesting, that's all.)
As he began to scoop the first portion of rice and smelled its steam tingling his nostrils, Ubel raised his hand and asked, with his face beaming in satisfaction, chewing every last grain of this wonderfully tasting rice.
"Wow! This tastes fantastic! Joshilyn, or whoever cooked this rice? What flavor is this?"
Joshilyn stepped forward and covered her mouth with a spoon, squatting down.
"Rice."
Brunella raised an eyebrow.
"Eh? What are you implying, boss?"
Joshilyn turned her head around.
"Rice. That's the flavor."
Everyone, including Chloe, looked at Joshilyn with an intruding sneer of confusion, sparking an argument shortly after.
"Eh?!"
Ubel jumped in and slurped the last remnants of the rice. He dropped his spoon and stepped forward, hearing the petite girl chuckle behind the spoon's surface.
"Rice? What do you mean, RICE?! That's the food's name, not the flavors."
Joshilyn just added.
"Rice. That's the flavor."
Canyon choked and spat out the rice in confusion.
"So you're saying that what we are eating is rice-flavored rice? It tastes different from the rice I have eaten before."
Joshilyn made a smile of pride.
"Yup. It's rice that is flavored like rice. It's single-handily my favorite specialty in cooking."
"HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK?!"
Asahi placed his bowl down, thinking about the absurdity of the flavor's name. Of course, the granular substance of calories would taste like what it was. But why would the flavor of it be called rice? Asahi had to find out, no matter what it took.
"How can a food be flavored after itself if it tastes different?"
Joshilyn snickered.
"Come on, it's just rice. That's the flavor."
"Yeah, but HOW is it like that? What seasonings make it different compared to the other kinds of rice? I know you have to have added some seasoning."
Ubel sighed.
"It's just RICE if it's flavored after RICE! There's no need to bounce in--
Canyon caged his fingers, invested in the debate.
"Hmm, so if rice is flavored after itself, then the illusion and dumb name being called rice just make it seem as if were tasting the same subject when in reality, it just tasted different before Joshilyn had implied that the flavor is rice flavored." He snapped his fingers and drew the attention of everyone.
"If this rice is the same flavor and named after itself, then there would be no need to name it rice-flavor. It's just cooked rice."
Ubel erupted with a look of confusion and disturbed the environment as the moon lifted higher into the horizon.
"Yeah, this debate is so UTTERLY stupid! I thought the owner of the Adventurer's Guild was intelligent, not some sort of joke. It's damn rice; no need to name it! It's rice with seasoning! Now that I mention it, the rice just tastes like rice!"
Joshilyn stomped her feet.
"But there IS a difference. See, rice-flavored rice is different compared to regular rice. Instead of the meal tasting the same with no flavor, I have applied extra ingredients to specialize and refine the aftertaste."
Ubel, Canyon, and Asahi tilted their heads.
"Oh, and what ingredients did you put in it?"
Joshilyn giggled and covered her mouth.
"Nothing."
An unimaginably dumb silence dawned in the area. Telos was even dumbfounded from hearing this utterly useless and stupid debate that he covered his ears and tried to conceal himself behind Asahi's soul.
Before they knew it, 45 minutes were wasted as the entire group debated whether rice-flavored rice was just rice.
However, what the group didn't realize was that Joshilyn added a sleeping formula inside the food so that as it settled in, everyone would go to slumber and start a new day, where the actual training would begin.
But of course, Joshilyn, the strangely confusing girl, never told them this.
And she watched as one member of the group collapsed into deep slumber, one by one.
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