Capítulo 132: Catch Up! (Aletha: Part 13)

The forest was limitless, wet, and diverse, covered in tints of cyan, green, and emerald. Its canopy was dominated by pine, hickory, and warmth, sufficient twinkling lights bursted through the tall beams of wood for a motley of shrubs to consume the soft, rich soils below. Walls of colossal, red-wood pine trees shone vibrantly under the soft rays of the sunlight.

The world around Aletha blurred in her quick motions. Her flying feet trailed along streams rushing through the thick patches of foliage. Endless plots of mud drenched and smothered her legs in dirt from her ankles to knees.

Her breath came in short gasps as she tried to push harder and go faster, sprinting away. A thin layer of sweat covered the nape of her neck, making this all the more uncomfortable for her. There were so many thoughts sprawling in Aletha's mind that she could hardly think. The only thing that really emerged as she ran was…

(When will this be over?)

And yet, it only lasted five minutes. What was it that she was running for? Well, what Aletha could recollect after she awakened was that…

(Okay, to remind myself. Ubel told me this is the first phase of Alai's training. He said that this is where my body would be crammed into a daunting series of challenges which would test my endurance and health. But why do I have to do this first? Am I not healthy enough?)

Keeping her breathing steady, Aletha pushed herself and tried to use every fragment of her energy until it was fully wasted. She ran and balanced herself on a tilted log lying horizontally above a stream, and ran across it, ike running across a bridge.

(Convenient.) She thought.

Then Aletha centered on a plain of mud, grass, and lilypads. Although she tried to go around it, the purple grizzly bears that lurked in the wild roared and immediately urged Aletha to divert her course and tread through the mud. Her shoes pounded heavily across the ground, causing mud to slash up her leg. Each breath made her feel as if her heart was about to burst. But just before she forgot her objective, she remembered…

"I have to chase that animal in that carriage."

Squirming and rolling in the distance was a green bull-like specimen with several deer antlers protruding on its head, back, and tail. Despite its three-legged appearance, the sheer speed of this animal matched that of a cheetah, making this the quickest animal Aletha encountered. It swerved, veered, and hauled off any obstacle it could find, intelligent enough to pave its own path and find the safest method to pull the wagon attached behind it.

When Aletha finally caught up to the strange bull, memories quickly flashed in her mind.

* * * * * * *

The sound of growls, faint squeals, and chains bounced around a circle of trees. Aletha swung her restless gaze to the climbing plants embracing every pine tree and cliff, winding around like the giant brown roots wrapping and coiling over the lands, then to the green bull who was smiling at her. A half-uneasy, half-laughing compunction rose up in Aletha's heart, mumbling as she saw its beady eyes.

"Aww, you look so cute."

Then, a silver-haired man walked out of a shed next to a pond and dragged in a fairly-sized wagon with two sets of wheels around to the bull. Aletha, being curious as she was, patted the green bull's head and asked as Ubel positioned the sturdy wagon behind the green bull.

"Hey, Ubel! What is the purpose of this creature?"

Ubel made a light chuckle and grasped the chains. He then attached it onto the ankles of the mystical bull and petted it, before leering off and replying to Aletha.

"That right there, is the product of the first test in your training."

"Really?"

A wistful smile beamed on his face.

"Yes. And all of that environment over there…"

Aletha's eyes tilted over to Ubel. He took a deep sigh and pointed his finger to the forest coated in the shimmering hues of the green-tinted skyline. The sun shone vibrantly across it, as if it was a corridor of nature. The wind blew their hair unheeded as he spoke.

"Is your training ground."

Aletha's eyes broadened.

"Ooo…"

Ubel pushed his silver hair to the side and led Aletha to the bull.

Glimmering underneath the rays was a wooden chest attached onto the wagon with several strong ropes. A teeming sense of curiosity bloomed in Aletha, asking.

"What is this?"

Before Aletha's fingers could even skim the surface of the gold inside the chest, Ubel slammed it shut and locked it, tossing the key to her and explaining to Aletha.

"Not yet. You don't deserve it, as much as your beauty, Alai said." From out of nowhere, Ubel pulled out a pair of perfectly-sized boots and gave it to Aletha, explaining.

"Alai told me to give these boots to you. She thought that the high heels you're wearing wouldn't really help you on this training and… heh heh, I think so too. Take this as a token of appreciation for your positive aura, it's a gift from Alai."

As the wind blew across the wilderness, Aletha thanked Ubel with a forgiving smile and took hold of the brown boots. With excitement, Aletha stepped over and sat on the chair, taking off her high heels and looking at the pair of boots. Her eyes twinkled in fascination as she noticed the surreal curvature and aesthetic of the boots.

From the heel, to its tip, the boots matched exactly to the color scheme of her attire. Not only that, there was an 'S' mark implanted with woven string on the side of It. She squealed in excitement and hurriedly put the boots on, smiling and cheering.

"Oh… my… GOODNESS! These boots look fabulous!"

Ubel reacted with a prideful head shake and pushed Aletha to the bull. Although he looked rather friendly, the serious aura in him quickly fluctuated in his face as Aletha continued to admire her new boots.

"You will need those as the terrain ahead will be covered in mud. I don't mind it, the terrain here doesn't come anywhere close to the mystical environments of Destia."

His eyes steered over to Aletha's boots, informing.

"Those boots are specially crafted to endure any type of terrain, whether that be sand or snow, any ground is no match for this. And… just because Alai felt so generous…"

Ubel pulled out a larger, more grotesque version of Aletha's boots, with a slightly more masculine -design and differentiating pattern. He chuckled and said as Aletha grabbed the pair.

"Here, this is for your brother. Alai heard from others that you two were World Wanderers, and so… she couldn't resist making a pair for your brother as well. Please, make sure you take care of it. It took a huge portion of Aurelia's payment."

Just before Aletha thought that was enough of the gifts, Ubel surprised her with an even greater one. Suspicion started to fly in Aletha's mind.

(Why am I given so many gifts? Is the training going to be THAT difficult?)

Aletha's thoughts quickly flew away as she saw something else being given to her by both hands of Ubel. He spoke.

"Oh, and before I assign you the quest, Alai was so caring enough to make two specially designed bags for you. Look, she waited so long for this moment. Ever since she saw you and heard the rumors about what you and your brother did in Pladtioa, she wanted to give you a lot."

Aletha's mouth shut in shock as her eyes darted over to the items on Ubel's hand

"Eh?! Woah, what's this?"

Sashed at Ubel's waist looked like a pair of black and white-painted leather crossbody bags. One of them had a white silhouette of Asahi's head placed at the center of the black bag and another had a black silhouette of what looked like Aletha's head on the center of the white bag.

After she grabbed both crossbody bags, Aletha placed her white one around her arm and folded Asahi's bag, walking over to Ubel, awaiting her lesson.

"So… what is my 'quest' you speak of?"

Ubel backed away and crossed his arms, replying.

"Okay, this will be a lot for you to digest. Ready?"

In return, Aletha nodded her head excitedly, rubbing her hands together, and paying full attention to Ubel, exclaiming.

"Yes, sir!"

Ubel chuckled.

"Good." He leaned forward and continued "You are assigned by Alai to chase this bull down and try to stop it before it reaches the outskirts of Gushy Geysers. That is roughly around… a couple of kilometers."

After he tookba breather, fhe silver-haired man looked down at the green-skinned bull, informing Aletha.

"Don't underestimate the speed of this creature. It is both more intelligent and smart than you can ever think of."

As he rubbed the bull's antlers and fondled its ears, Ubel looked over to Aletha and declared.

"If you manage to stop this bull, the treasure is yours. But don't think it will be easy, as this test will also force you to use your strength as well."

Hearing this, Aletha backed away and froze in question.

"H-Huh? What do you mean by that?"

Given this response, Ubel took the liberty to ignore her, walked over to the sunlight and stared at the clouds, informing Aletha as colorful birds flew across the treetops.

"To give you a run-down, a few weeks ago; Alpine Glitterfy Range and Gushy Geysers recently experienced several rainstorms and creature activity. The examiners of Linuixnia don't understand why, but it is most likely due to the Ancient Wind Vortex that all of a sudden activated."

"An Ancient… wind vortex? Being activated?" Aletha placed her fingers on her bottom lip and retraced Ubel's words. "Does that mean…?"

Suddenly, memories flashed in her mind to where she was inside the illusory library in Pladtioa City.

The Forbidden Book and The Mysterious Illustrations. She undoubtedly remembered that on one of the illustrations in the pages, was a drawing of her brother and her being caught in the vortex. Aletha pondered.

"Could that be what the book meant? Did escaping The Forbidden Book unleash and activate--

Ubel interrupted.

"What are you talking about?"

In fear of revealing anything, Aletha brushed her thoughts away and stammered.

"N-Nothing." (I have to find a way to stop that vortex.) Aletha thought as she lied. "Is there anything else you need for me to know?"

Although curious, Ubel took his precautions to resist asking her. He stifled a laugh and patted Aletha's back.

"Not… really. All I want for you to know, is that I, Aurelia, Alai, and the others wish you success and safety on this training course. It might be single handedly, one of the most brutal, relentless, and transformative training you will ever experience."

While Ubel backed away to the shed and prepared the green, antler-bull to take off, Aletha twiddled her fingers, took deep breaths, and whispered to herself.

"You can do this, Aletha. This is for my brother, myself, and my safety. I'm no one but a mortal now. So in order to be strong, I must prove my soul."

Just as Aletha started running, before he forgot, Ubel shouted from a distance.

"Oh, Aletha, one more thing! If the chase DOES reach Gushy Geysers, Pridia will be waiting for you there in the distance. Anyways, good luck!"

Carrying a beautiful and confident smile, Aletha gave a thumbs and replied as she saw the bull and the wagon fleeting away.

"Thank you!"

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