Chapter 22: A Long Walk
Walking on a sandy road in the middle of the plains, Grey and i stopped underneath a tree to hide from the sun above our heads.
“How can you still stand after walking for two days straight?” Grey said, lying on the tree’s roots.
“I am tired, I’m also thirsty, hungry and i also need to take a bath.”
After days of mindless walking, i learned about the limits of the human body and how weak it is, after walking like that, i must’ve lost half of my weight already.
‘why does it feel like the more further we go to the south it feels more hot and barren, there’s sand almost everywhere now.’
Looking at the plains that’s filled with grass and sand, i stood up and picked up Gray.
“Let’s go, Pilgrim city is not far from here, it’ll probably only take an hour on foot.”
“You said that a thousand times already, you need to take care of your body or you’ll faint, and doesn’t the sun hurt you as a vampire!” Grey shouted, biting my fingers.
“It’s okay my form right now is fully human, and remember i can heal myself with my abilities, it’s only an hour from here” i said, pulling grey from biting my finger.
“I don’t care if it’s really just an hour from now, I’m not going until you lie down and sleep” he said, releasing his mouth from finger.
“Come on Grey, we already wasted enough time, what if Red and Emily is worried, and also, I’m worried about someone.”
‘It’s already past the due date for father’s execution; they better not do anything to him!’
“No, I’m not going,” he said, jumping out of my hand.
“Don’t make this difficult Grey; we’re going even if you don’t want to.”
“No!” he said, running to the other side of the tree.
“Sigh.”
///
In the sandy plains, a carriage pulled by two strong horses could be seen traveling.
“Look Mance, another tree, and it’s on the left this time, looks like i win” a little girl covered fully in white plain clothes that hide her figure could be seen inside the back of the carriage, talking to smaller boy wearing a blue overalls with a black shirt underneath it.
“You win big sis, since there was a tree on the left and i said there would be a tree on the right” the boy said, looking at the passing tree behind them.
“Hehe, since i won, you have to do everything i say for today” the girl said, standing up and gleefully skipped towards the boy.
“Hrgh, why do i lose every time, is it because of the gift of god that dad told us you have” the boy said angrily.
“I don’t know, i just had a feeling that the next tree is on the left.”
“you must’ve know the entire time, you’re always calm when playing this game, as if you knew that you’ll win every time we play” the boy stood up, trying to intimidate his sister, but it backfired as it only made him less intimidating as the boy is a full head shorter than his sister.
“I didn’t, trust me Mance,” the girl said, patting the boy’s head.
“You always win,” the boy said silently, submitting to his sister’s touch.
“How about we play the game again, this time you pick first” the girl said, walking back to her side of the carriage.
“Right, i chose the right side” the boy said as he sat back down, silently staring at his sister
///
“Come on Grey, it’s only an hour walk from here, if you want, i can run to reduce the time to get there” i said, pulling Grey that’s holding the tree trunk.
“No, only if you sleep” he said, holding onto the for dear life.
Pulling on Grey, his body continued to stretch into unimaginable length for a living being.
“Why are you so stubborn?”
Worried about Grey’s body health, i stopped at the edge of the tree leaves’ shadow.
“Ugh.”
A strong burst of hot wind filled with sand blew out from the west, causing sand to fill my eyes and light to shine on my skin and eyes as the leaves are moving to the east, causing me to get distracted me and lost my focus.
‘Crap, my body is not listening, it hurts!’
Even though i could’ve closed my eyes to reduce further damage to my eyes, i can’t, as there’s a curse on my body, causing me to have a delay of a second before my body reacted to my commands.
In my panic, i tried to move one of my arms to block my eyes, but, that only caused me to launch forward towards the tree because Grey’s elastic body pulled me in.
‘This will hurt.’
Before having colliding with the tree, i managed to cover myself in my soul flames and managed to soften my impact against the tree by absorbing some of the kinetic energy on my body, but, the tree fell down to the road as a result of me crashing against the tree.
“Grr, i hate sand” i said, standing up in the cloud of dust caused from the falling tree.
After exiting from the cloud of sand, i looked at hand to see that Grey is not in my grasp but only grey fur.
“Where did he go, this is wasting so much time” i said in annoyance as i searched around the plains for Grey.”
///
In the carriage where the brother and sister is on, the driver, the father of the two, is talking to his beloved.
“Marguerite, do you think Mance and Lucy will be alright in the city without us,” the husband said, looking at his wife, in a grey robe.
“Don’t worry Lancey, Father Ron received a message from his Excellency Owen directly, Lucy was chosen by a bishop, the kids are in good hands,” the wife said confidently as she comforted her husband.
“i guess Lucy is in good hands, but, i don’t know about Mance, Father Ron spoke highly of Lucy and he requested for Mance to accompany his sister to Pilgrim city but, he said so indifferently, i can’t help but worry for Mance well-being” he said, silently looking behind him.
Looking at the boy eyes at the back of the carriage with the same set of clothes as him, he can’t help but notice the uncertainty in his eyes.
“Lance, don’t think like that, Mance is just as important as his sister, after all, in gods eyes, all living beings are equal.”
“You’re right, I’m just nervous to part with my little pumpkins, they’re still so young, too soon to part with their parents.”
“You’re such a loving father Lancy, but, Lucy is twelve now, she’s already old enough to have children, and even though Mance is only ten, he’s about to become a man.”
“Yeah they’re growing up, soon it’ll just be me and you in the farm, and they’ll be too busy in the city to live with us.” He said, feeling more conscious of his age.
“Whoa there.”
The horses i front of the carriage suddenly stopped and started to get a bit crazy as a strong burst wind appeared threatening to tip over the carriage to the side.
“What strong winds.”
Although the carriage shook a bit, there was no damage and the horses are safe, but, as the winds started to die down a small object or creature flew past the parents and landed on the back of the carriage.
“What was that?!” the husband replied, reaching for a short spear next to him.
///
‘A carriage?’
Looking at the approaching carriage, i hid myself by lying on the nearest sand patch and buried myself in sand.
The carriage stopped as the tree is blocking their path and a man stepped down from the carriage.
“Come out, we know you’re there, this rat of yours ratted you out,” he said, holding grey up in the air.
“Grey you idiot,” i said, coming out of the sand pile.
Walking towards the man, i took Gray from the man’s hands though barely as he’s half a head taller than me.
“Alex we cou-“
He tried to say something but I shut him up before he proposed anything weird.
“Thank you for finding my friend” i said, turning around and fast walking away.
“Wait, what about this tree that’s blocking the road.”
‘I shouldn’t use my powers in front of them, i don’t want them thinking about the wrong idea.’
“Lance, how could you force a poor young lady to lift such a big tree!”
“Ah, it’s not that, I’m sorry, it’s just that the road being blocked while you’re hiding is a bit misleading, how about you go with us, your rat have already explained your situation with us.”
“You don’t have to.”
I gently refused but, he insisted.
“I can’t just leave someone alone in the road without any transportation.”
“We accept, also I’m not a rat!” Grey said, managing to slip out of my hands.
With Grey interrupting i can only accept, it’ll be too rude to not accept at this point.
“Please get on the carriage; i can get the tree off the road, also my name’s Lancy.”
“I’m Alex, sorry for taking me in.”
On the back of the carriage, there are two children with the man’s supposedly wife with them, judging by the way the kids call her mom.
“You must’ve gotten through a lot, please have some water” she said, handing some water from a barrel made out of wood.
“Thank you”.
Accepting the water, i looked towards the front of the carriage to see the man called Lancy, lifting the tree that’s probably as thick as three elephant legs with some default.
‘I’ll help you; after all, i caused this.’
Using some of my soul flames, i converted some to energy and gave it to Lancy.
“Aahhh”
The man lifted the tree and also pulled tree roots.
‘Hmm, he broke through to and became a beginner Warrior.’
“Hahaha, I’m suddenly filled with energy.”
The man threw the tree to the with no effort with the ground shaking after the tree touched the ground, showing how heavy it is.
‘I didn’t give him much energy; he was already almost a beginner warrior.”
“Wow dad that was awesome” The boy next to Lancy’s wife exclaimed as ran out of the carriage towards his father.
“Yeah you’re so strong dad” the girl, probably the boy’s sister, also ran out of the carriage.
“Haha it was just luck” Lancey said, lifting up the two kids.
“But, the tree is now on the left” the boy said, sounding very disappointed.
“No, it was on the right, look at the ground, there’s a hole where the tree used to be, so you win brother, you finally beat me.”
“No, i didn’t, the final result is the tree landing on the left, you still won sis.”
“Enough, the both of you lost, the tree was in the middle, so i won,” Lancey said.
“Hey that’s not fair” the boy said.
“Now that I’ve won, my order for you two is to get along better, the two of you shouldn’t argue with each other.”
Looking at the father son and daughter bonding with each other, i felt more insecure about my father’s condition.
‘Why am i still here?’
“Alex, are you feeling lonely.”
“A bit, it’s just that my father is in a bit of trouble miss.”
“Marguerite, my name’s Marguerite, i don’t know about your family condition but if you feel lonely, i can accompany you.”
“Thank you, I’ll pay you back one day, i promise.”
“Hey I’m still here, why are you lonely” Grey said, hugging my left leg.
‘It’s because you’re too young’ i thought but didn’t say.
“I’m not that lonely, i just miss my parents” i said, putting him on my shoulder.
“Me too” Grey said, but only i heard it.
‘Grey...’
Haha, you know it what you said makes other books look really slow!