บท 6: Ceptis

The room was dead silent. Only the slight pounding of the wind colliding with the window dared to make a peep. I felt like I was laying in a deep pit – a never ending, uncomfortable hole filled with regrets; past mistakes. In reality, however, it was quiet. Peaceful. Peering straight at the roof, laying on a fluffy, silk-colored bed. But the thought of what happened just mere moments before haunted me. Yumi was adjacent to me, laying head down on the opposite bed. I didn't dare talk. I just watched and listened, awaiting for nothing to come.

However, the subtle whisper of her voice startled me. Gave me a sense of guilt. "You still want to go, right?" She asked, a hint of dreary sadness lingering in her voice.

"Yeah." I briskly responded, carefully looking towards her in anxiety.

"I'm coming too. You can't change my mind."

"I know."

A silence struck the room once more. I felt my nerves begin to calm down, but I still couldn't get my mind off of it. A slight "I'm sorry" fell from my mouth.

"You already said that-" She said with a slight, painful chuckle as she lifted herself from the bed. "Don't worry about what happened, just try not to do it again, okay?" Her gaze pierced me. Her sorrowful, teary eyes yet with a gleeful tone felt like it took my soul and squeezed it.

"I can try…" I responded, with a slight gleeful and sort of playful tone. She gave me a smile, then quickly planted her head back down onto the bed.

"We still should try finding Rikka, though." She stated. My mind took a while to process. I suppose with everything going on, I had forgotten to look for her.

"Didn't Enna say that she skipped town?" I responded. Long ago did her things suddenly vanish, seemingly taken with her within a blink of an eye. She never even thought of saying goodbye before she left.

"Well, we can try finding her once we leave in the morning."

Part of me knew that was unlikely – the chances of finding her like that would be slim. I placed my head back on the pillow, covering my head with my arm as I tried to drift off to sleep. A silence, again emerging from the awkwardness, brought an unsettling tone to the room.

Yet all I did – all I felt I could do – was lay down and wait for this feeling to go away.

* * *

My eyes slowly drifted open, the windows shining through a brilliant golden light and the faint sounds of the chirping birds rang through my ears. I turned to face Yumi, who – to my surprise – wasn't present on the bed. She was already up, fiddling with small straps from her clothes next to the bathroom door.

"Come on, you're late." She gagged. I hopped out of bed, quickly grabbing some clothes out from my dresser and making my way into the bathroom. "You're the last person to be allowed to say that." I told her, just before shutting the door in her face.

As I looked into the mirror, I noticed an almost instantaneous flash of my eyes, glowing a bright gold before returning to yellow. I felt my heart drop, quickly grasping my eyes for nothing to change. I shook it off, however, and began to get dressed for our leaving. I quickly grabbed my rather dull sword, holstering it and briskly made my way out.

Yet at the same time, I noticed the front door began to turn open and Yumi began to slip out. I quickly grabbed my bag, bolting to the door and halting it from closing. I peered out, watching as she slowly walked away. She passed me a quick glance, though kept on walking away. A sudden sigh escaped my mouth. I turned, quickly closing the door and following in pursuit.

It felt odd. Though we haven't left yet, I had already felt homesick. The place we've gotten used to; the strange gateway separating the hallway, the room we've been in for almost a month now. I'd suppose I've grown attached. Losing my old home forced me to find a new one, now about to be left behind; a third start to my new life.

Marching down the stairs, I noticed Enna leaning on the counter, a visible grin creeping on her face and a slight wiggle in her arms. Yet as we approached, her arms wrapped around us, both held between her.

"There you two are!" She started, tightening her grasp and peering towards us- "I'd say, that was quite a commotion last night. Woke up half the town!"

Yumi quickly dawned a somewhat embarrassed expression, somehow getting loose from Enna's hold. "I assume you know that we're leaving today?"

Enna seemed to light up, almost as if she were happy to be rid of us. Yet, she pulled out a small envelope – sealed with a bright gold wax, along with a stamp of a kingdom placed, slightly off-centered and displacing the wax.

Inside were two gold coins, along with a small card attached to the side of one of them.

"I'd assume you were headed out towards Ceptis, so I put in a good word for you two at the local trainer over there. The gold is just an 'extra' payment for your deeds around here."

"Deeds?" Yumi murmured, subtly peering towards me whilst carefully moving her hair away from her face. I looked away however, quickly moving the envelope to my side and stumbling back towards the staircase.

"I would have hoped you had some better gear before going, but I guess the lighter the faster, right!"

Yumi and I never had much — only some basic equipment given to us by Rikka. Yumi had something similar to a muted purple robe or long overcoat, underneath that what seemed to be basic armor. For me, on the other hand, was much of the same — though more of a run-down brown than muted purple.

"Anywho, I'll be seeing you two, hopefully sometime soon." She pointed to the door, holding her other on her hip as if she were posing. "Get going before night falls."

"See you soon, Enna." I murmured as Yumi began to lightly jog towards me, moving as if she were a penguin – shuffling behind me until matching my pace.

"See you."

The door began to creak open, the bright light – crack of dawn shining through. A deep forecast hovered above, however, the light being blocked from sight. It was quiet out. A long breeze blowing throughout the town, quiet streets and a deep presence of emptiness.

The door closed shut, Yumi appeared from behind me whilst her arms began to shiver. "When do we head out?" she murmured, a tremble in her voice as she turned towards me.

"We just got out and you're already cold?" I found myself mocking, "Why not bring a coat or jacket?" She glanced at me, a somewhat mad expression. She turned away, putting off what I had said completely and began looking around.

What seemed like an eternity went by. Reality being just one or two minutes, but not a sound between us broke the deep silence we had found ourselves in.

"We should just go-" I heard Yumi finally speak, churning back towards me. A subtle smile was stained to her face, almost an expression of excitement. "Come on, we wouldn't want to sit around all day."

"Y-yeah, I suppose."

It was almost sad to see it go. I guess, for a while now, we had found a home. I glanced at the buildings as we walked by – some containing memories, and some I had never entered. As we reached the end of town, I gave one last look back to the guild hall – now barely in sight with just a hanging sign at the corner of an intersection. It seemed that Yumi did the same, gently placing her hand on my shoulder as we looked back together.

With one deep sigh, I turned and began to walk away. This was the true beginning. The beginning of a new life, one that may get us killed.

* * *

The noise of the crickets surrounded us, the fire crackling and the smell of meat roasting filled the air. The moon was up, providing what little light that it could. Yumi sat not too far from the fire, pouring all her attention to a small Grimoire, carefully studying the pages at every turn. I sat on a small log, not too far from the forest's edge. I felt my heart sink at every tiny noise and rustling in the bushes, but tried not to seem distressed.

"Yumi…" I began, "what exactly are you doing?" She failed to even glance my way, slowly streaking her finger beneath every sentence she read. "I don't think I've ever seen you so focused on a book before…"

"Silence!" She responded, with a sudden yet playful tone. "Trust me on this. It'll work."

Though I doubted her, I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"If you want to know, it's an old text containing some rather ancient spells. Enna gave it to me as a 'going away' present."

"Yumi…" I sighed, "Are you sure that would be safe? Spells- magic- we don't know how any of it works yet!"

She looked up at me, sort of in a shock. However, she turned back–only to let out a slight murmur; "Together, Eren. It's fine."

The camp turned to silence. Nothing but the wind rustling the leaves and the crickets chirping around us. But a quick yelp from Yumi broke our silence. "I found it!" she victoriously stated, Quickly analyzing every tiny detail.

"What'd you find? Something that wouldn't kill you I hope…" She didn't respond, but shortly after, she gently placed her hands together. It looked as if all of her mind had gone towards it. Soon after, a bright yellow shimmer appeared from inside the cusp of her hands.

I couldn't help but watch in amazement; Hypnotized and lured like moths to light. "Surround Me," Yumi began, some form of incantation as her hands slightly began to tremble, "My targets, and keep away others, with a ray of light…"

Large beams began to shoot out from her hands, only to be stopped by an invisible field surrounding us. It moved almost like it was alive – like it had a mind of its own. A hypnotic dance of light that was both terrifying and astonishing all at once.

"Cast shield!" Yumi then shouted out, the light completely leaving her hands and shooting out – almost in the blink of an eye – forming a small sphere around the campsite. However, as soon as it appeared, it was gone. The light evaporated, and all that remained was the rustling of the brush.

In my shock, I failed to have noticed that Yumi collapsed; now on the floor as I rushed over to check on her. "Y-yumi!" I shouted out, snapping back to reality. I held her up, Yumi now rubbing her head in what seems to be pain. "I think that was too much…" She whispered, sounding as if she were about to faint.

"Yumi, you need to get some rest." I stated, carefully resting her back on a small stump, "You shouldn't have tried that…"

"It's fine, Eren." She responded, grasping my hand before letting out a deep stretch, "As long as you're here with me, I'll be fine. I promise."

* * *

The roads were quiet. Distant sounds of thunder now began to emerge from beyond the mountain, yet no imminent signs of a storm. A thin pathway, seeming to wrap completely around the foot of the mountain before us, blocked by foliage on both sides.

I led the way, though I could tell a sign of worry began to stain my face. Yumi lagged behind, however – seemingly dreary with a slight wobble in her step.

Despite this, we both continued walking – cautiously awaiting the storm that would soon present itself. Though we were unable to see it, the winds soon began to grow violent. Trees seemingly about to snap in two and dust being picked up by the breeze.

Yumi slowed in her pace, coming almost to a halt. Quickly did we rush to the mountainside, the storm almost as if a hurricane had appeared over our heads. With each step up we took, it sounded as if the thunder were getting closer and closer. The wind stepped up in speed and the air grew dry.

"Yumi," I murmured to her, "It's getting too rough out here. We need to find a place to lay low."

* * *

The mountain only seemed to get steeper the more we made our way up. We followed a smooth yet rocky slope, carefully creeping its way through the cliffs and hills. Not to mention the pain of my feet growing with every step.

Alas, the winds began to howl more and more as we progressed. Yet as we reached the precipice of the cliff, my stomach dropped as all we saw and heard was the swirling storm above the city below. A large, dark cloud rotating as if it were a massive whirlpool floating in the sky.

A glowing, ominous red tint sat dead in the center with a dark and deadly crackle emanating off from the formation. The town seemed almost dead below. Houses looked as if they were torn from their foundations, and there wasn't a single sign of motion.

Yumi still seemed in awe – standing and observing, nothing more and nothing less. Quickly did I tug on her arm, signaling her over to a nearby opening in the mountain. The wind at this point was harsh; So much so it could lift you off of your feet. We went as deep as we could into the hole, hugging the wall as we just sat and waited.

We were there for what seemed like an eternity. However, the wind had finally died down, as me and Yumi left the crevasse and continued down the rocky pathway. Yet the further we went, the closer we came to the center of the storm. The further we went, the more we felt heavier. As if we weighed almost a third more than usual, and yet feeling smaller than we ever had been.

At the same time, the gush of wind had almost ceased completely. The trees stopped shaking. Random debris from the forest stopped getting thrown around. It was almost as if the storm above had vanished, though it was very much present.

The forest – now receding and fading away, eventually merged with the buildings of the city. And yet the sky looked almost normal. The clouds were still circling overhead, but no longer did they look dark and gloomy. The red glow in the center now looked more like the sun.

It was as if the storm was masking its own presence from us – now scared to show itself, carrying out its plans in the shadows. Yet despite its hidden appearance, the town still remained empty. A few of the houses looked battered and worn down, almost as if no one had lived here for years.

Numerous amounts of bits of cloth and wooden debris stained the streets. It would have passed as a ghost town if not for the few people who dared traverse the streets. At the same time, there were still more people than back at the other town – apart from the festival, which I'm fairly certain we remember vividly.

We passed by many buildings, some houses, some storefronts with their swinging signs and some with overhanging roofs and small wooden pillars. The town looked quite similar to where we were before, yet everything seemed quite compact and less spacious.

Eventually, before us was a large building – mostly wood and stone – that sat two stories high. The sign read 'inn.'

* * *

The rush of warm air hit my body as we entered. A bard strummed Melodies as many people drank in groups – some moving table to table as drinks clashed together and laughter erupted. A dark, lingering tone filled the air, however, some people sitting in dark corners – cloaks covering their faces from view.

With every step further in, The more ominous it seemed to become. The front counter was cleared out with not a single thing on it besides a small bell at the end.

A man – seeming to be quite a bit older than us – rough and dark hair with a thick beard masking his face. He gave a small smile as we approached, gently leaning on the counter. "Can I do somethin' for you folks?" He asked, in a brisk, deep yet fragrant voice.

Yumi briskly placed a handful of coins on the table, quickly stating "We'd like a room-" without the blink of an eye.

"Sure thing; first room on the left." After a quick walk over, we both were greeted into our new room. It was a bit larger than our old one – however with slightly worse quality. The dust-covered floor creaked with every step, a burnt candle stick sitting on almost every surface. Yumi almost instantly collapsed onto the bed, dropping her bag to the floor and letting out a deep sigh.

Whilst we were settling in, a faint growl echoed outside. It was a sickening, almost familiar sense – as if my body were to soon resist my own control. I shook it off, preferring to sleep than think of the old horror's in this world.