The stars glittered over the dense sea of darkness, the moonlight shining on the sparkling grass bristles. Drimi, the wanderers, Sally, and Phthonus all traveled together, saying farewell to the village and Belial.
The Goblin crouched in place, bellowing and snarling, howling "fruit" into the night. The villagers, exhausted yet determined, let the wild cries wash over them, each trusting that if they stayed calm, the beast would soon wander off.
Some villagers slipped gratefully into their warm, cozy beds, while others busied themselves with quiet nighttime chores, mindful that tomorrow's rain would keep them indoors.
As the chorus of night creatures swelled, the group fell silent, their footsteps echoing softly through the sleeping village.
Most of the lights slowly dimmed as the group traveled. Crickets chirped like a melodic lullaby, soothing the wild night.
To the wanderers, this quest felt like a gentle ripple after the chaos of the Ruins. At last, they could savor a long-awaited, peaceful respite from disaster.
They moved through the drifting mist, trailing one another along winding paths that reached out like ribbons across the land.
Sally was ready to unravel the mystery behind the winding and straight paths that crisscrossed the land.
As they wandered along the moonlit path, Sally tapped Asahi and Aletha to get their attention, her eyes bright with excitement. She beckoned them to listen. Drimi and Phthonus lingered nearby, quietly observing the landscape as Sally prepared to speak.
"It's said Pladtioa's paths come from The Ruler of Purity's footsteps," she said. "You can see how much they aid travelers who wander this land. The Ruler of Purity's paths don't cover Pladtioa completely—he controls his magic. Strange, but it helps us."
A silken breeze swept over them, sending Aletha and Asahi's white hair shimmering in the moon's pale glow. The night air blurred the world's edges, softening the sharp outlines of the lunar landscape.
Still, the sea and land drew such a clear, breathtaking line that awe rushed through the group, and they exclaimed with eager, hushed wonder.
The sudden unveiling of the landscape felt like a velvet cloth whisked away, exposing every secret beneath the moonlit sky.
Blue fireflies danced in the breeze, streams of wind threaded through forests, and giant trees marked glowing spots across Pladtioa.
Phthonus saintly muttered as he gazed at the mellow, glowing grass field at a distance.
"The Firefly Plains. Not even darkness can engulf it. The last of the remaining magic from our abandoning god."
Asahi and Aletha smiled, awestruck by the wonders unfolding at Milmoor's edge. The others gathered with them, their eyes drinking in the endless fields of Pladtioa and the dark, jeweled ocean beyond.
Though many had gazed upon this view countless times, its beauty never failed to renew their spirits.
As the wanderers averted their gazes to the firefly plains, Phthonus jumped up and exclaimed.
"I found it."
Drimi knelt, asking curiously,
"What do you mean by that?"
Phthonus brushed his hair aside, looking away, cheeks flushed, amber eyes darting from the wanderers.
"You! T-The girl with the long white hair, stop looking at me."
Aletha studied Phthonus with curiosity, her long white hair glittering in the moonlight. While Drimi and the others looked at him, Phthonus whispered under his breath, not quite meeting anyone's gaze.
"She looks… stunning."
He swiftly shook off his blush and shouted, standing confidently.
"I know where The Fruit is! But the distance from it is far from us. Far on the other side of Pladtioa."
Aleta remembered Télos's cautionary words about the power of The Shadows and its unavoidable force, her expression briefly reflecting concern as she recalled the warning.
She released a soft sigh of relief while Asahi muttered a question.
"What?"
Phthonus tilted his head downward, staring at the scenery in thought. He listened to the crickets chirping and breathed deeply in the sweet lunar silence. Then, gaining confidence, he raised his chin and addressed the wanderers directly:
"I have a solution to this! Back in my nation, Zomrack, I have transportable carriages ready at my fingertips. Suffice to say, it won't be running under the moonlight, so… we are forced to travel on foot for now."
A long, weary sigh escaped the wanderers, the weight of countless journeys etched in every line of their faces as exhaustion settled over them like a thick, unshakable cloak.
Drimi released a loud yawn, her body pushed forward by the weight of exhaustion.
"I'm sleepy. Let's find a safe place to rest, so we have energy to continue tomorrow," Drimi said.
Phthonus nodded his head and approached her down a hill.
"You're right. Let's rest at my outpost. It's just down this hill. I saw dark clouds coming from Deepenpond, so rain may start soon."
Drimi approached Phthonus, telling the wanderers,
"It's best that we return to the village. But if we must, perhaps we can travel to this stranger's house?"
Before they realized it, the first raindrops splashed down, then another, and another, until the gentle patter became a steady drumming, soaking the leaves and turning the earth to soft mud.
Drimi shrieked out, panic and frustration etching her voice as she jolted toward the village, rain plastering her hair to her face.
"Never mind, I don't have time for this. I'm going back to the village."
The wanderers hesitated, torn between paths as their feet sank into the rain-soaked earth, uncertainty pooling around them with every step.
Phthonus, noticing Drimi's reaction, looked displeased but genuinely wanted the wanderers to join him. As the rain began to pelt his ear, he shouted over the noise.
"Seriously, my shelter is just down this hill. Are you sure?"
The gentle sprinkle swelled into a pounding downpour, drenching the earth and flattening the wild grass beneath its relentless weight.
Drimi paused mid-run, water dripping from her hair. She scratched her head in confusion, glancing back at Phthonus before speaking.
"Hold on. Are you serious?!"
Phthonus jumped up and replied, his hair getting drenched.
"You bet I am! I don't lie."
Aletha and Asahi shake their heads and, without warning, jolt down the hill towards Phtohonus' shelter.
Sally fell silent, her steps slow as she trudged down the hill. Her platinum hair clung to her shoulders, and the moonlight quickly disappeared behind brooding clouds. She avoided the others, her quiet surrender echoing in the sound of the rain.
Drimi's long, dark hair quickly became soaked with rain. She swiftly took off her dark mask and, energized by the challenge, sprinted after the others up the hill, a faint smile forming on her face.
"I'm going to beat all of you!"
Phthonus walked behind her, slapped his forehead, and sighed.
"Drimi, this isn't a race. No one from Wraileza acts like this."
Phthonus dashed past a tree, bracing himself against the trunk as his feet slid in the mushy, moist dirt at the base of the hill.
"Zomrack receives little from the rain. It's pretty satisfying to experience this rare event again,
He reached into his pocket for his scarf and quickly wrapped it over his mouth, shielding himself from the chill.
"But for now, I just have to cope with being stuck in this deceptive nation."
He hurriedly walked down the hill, following the damp footprints scattered within a linear pathway.
. .
As the storm faded into the distance, a moment of quiet fell before the next scene began among the grasslands.
The rain-soaked grass stood frozen, as if paused in the middle of a wild dance. Spring's crisp scent floated on the cool air. Birds fell silent, tucked deep within leafy shelters, guarding their feathers from the lingering damp. Across the shimmering grassland, small feet tiptoed, each step careful not to disturb the fragile hush left behind by the storm.
"Sis, where is it? I can't see it from here; it's too dark!"
A faint mist resonated within the small forest of trees, slightly obscuring everything and further obstructing their visibility.
For now, the rain had paused, but thunder rumbled on the horizon. The scent of misty rain lingered, soothing their senses as droplets slipped from the treetops above.
Drimi, catching up to the wanderers, called out and waved her arms to get their attention as they neared the small wooden cabin at the center of the forest.
"Hey guys, I have-- what is this?!"
Phthonus stepped in and chuckled proudly.
"That… Drimi... is my home. The one where I dwelled ever since I was first trapped in Pladtioa. You could say it looks… somewhat neat, correct?"
Aletha muttered while staring at the one clear window near the area of the roof.
"I guess. I didn't know it was this big. I thought it was just some tent."
Asahi remained silent while Phthonus responded with a small smile.
"No. I'm a respected Zomrack citizen. I wouldn't live in a tent, even while traveling. Let's get inside—this storm looks serious."
The wanderers nodded and dashed for the door, eager to escape the soaking rain. With their long hair plastered to their faces, none of them wished to stay wet a moment longer.
However, Drimi and Phthonus couldn't care less about the incident and dealt with it. Just as Phthonus pushed the wanderers away from the door and pulled out his key, a massive lightning bolt burst from the clouds and onto the ground.
Phthonus' amber eyes broaden, hastily tilting the doorknob to the side and pushing the wooden door open. A calm, warm aura escaped from the door and out into the chilly storm, with a bright fireplace situated on the right side of the room.
"Come on!"
Another lightning bolt strikes behind the wanderers, and then another. They hastily jolt inside as fast as they can.
Drimi dashed through the door, breathing hard, relief washing over her as she dropped her mask to the ground.
Drimi knew her worries were nothing compared to the wild fury of the storm outside.
They made it just in time, before the storm.
. . .
Night deepened, and the storm raged. Inside, the story continued as the thunder rolled overhead.
Gray clouds blotted out the moon. Rain drenched the ground as thunder illuminated the forest.
Drimi finally shut the door, a mix of strain and comfort crossing her features as the wind swept into the house. She listened as the pitter-patters from the roof echoed the pounding in her chest. Aletha lingered at the window, watching droplets race down the glass, captivated but lost in thought as thunder rolled outside.
She then thought about the map...
"Asahi, do you know where we are right now? I can't find my map anywhere!"
Asahi's eyes broaden, and he yelled in confusion.
"Huh, where did you last have it?"
Aletha tried to resist answering him at first, but then, defeated, she stepped forward and admitted.
"I… I showed Sadiki it back when I was in the training area the other day. I-I'm sorry," Aletha admitted, shame rising in her voice and gripping her shoulders.
Asahi patted Aletha's head, sighing. "It's fine, sis. We'll just use my map."
Phthonus squinted at Asahi and Aletha, analyzing their interaction, while Drimi lounged back on a couch, visibly exhausted for reasons she couldn't quite identify.
"Hold on, and you two have a map?"
Asahi nodded. "Akwan gave us world map copies."
"Akwan gave us copies of the world map."
"Akwan?" He mumbled. "Who's that?"
He stared into Drimi's eyes, remembering what she had said.
"N-Never mind about that. I… prefer we should talk about something else."
Phthonus pushed his dark hair to the side and suspiciously stared at Asahi for a moment. He then shook his head and walked towards the kitchen at the very end of the house, on the left side.
Meanwhile, the wanderers sat on the floor together and unfurled the map. The black canvas spread with dark shades of green and blue into its silk sheet of paper. Many white names hovered over specific landmarks such as the distant forest, Milmoor, and the lake Phthonus mentioned earlier, Deepenpond.
Though almost all of the birds-eye view places looked natural, there was one spot on the map that the wanderers paid most attention to—that massive bleached white area far deep in The Forest of Plados. Dreamtoe. Aletha's eyes parted, and she turned to Asahi, whispering.
"Asahi, is that what I think it is?"
His eyes swiftly opened as well, with a fearful look on his face.
"I… don't know. Surely it can't be--
Just as Asahi was about to finish his sentence, Phthonus interrupted while walking to the fireplace.
"Welcome, wanderers, to my camp. This is where I utilized most of Zomrack's technology to construct the majority of this building. Overall, it took almost three weeks to construct this all. Just by using that table over there, I can craft anything I please with my knowledge level."
The wanderers' eyes widened in shock.
"Three weeks?!"
Phthonus lightly chuckled and nodded his head, then placed the glass of water on a small wooden table.
"Yes,"
He pointed to another table, which had strange, curvy shapes and glowing blue streaks scattered over it.
"Just by using that table over there, I can craft anything from the power of my mind. It's Zomrack's strange technology that comes from their type of Soil. You two know what that means, right? It has been mentioned everywhere around Gincad."
Asahi replied with a dull tone.
"Yeah, we've heard that. My friend said that the Soil creates the world's magic. Right?"
Drimi responded while yawning and stretching her arms into the air.
"Of course. Even the youngest knows that. Seriously, Phthonus, are you just tired from today?"
Phthonus shook his head and sighed. His amber eyes stared into the wooden floor, hearing the rain from above.
"I'm just tired. It has been a hectic day." He said. "I have helped farmers plant their crops, I had to hunt boards for just a small amount of currency, and I had to travel from the Pladtioa city back to Milmoor to bring food since they were in short supply."
Aletha pitifully whispered.
"Wow, you have been busy."
Phthonus replied while slowly walking towards the stairs, yawning and stretching his arms.
"Yeah, and I have more to do because of both your requests. I'm headed upstairs. You can sleep on the couch or floor; blankets are located in the closet. I like sleeping when it rains. Good night."
Asahi, Aletha, and Drimi all nodded in approval, having experienced this sort of moment before. Phthonus rushed upstairs, grabbed two large blankets, and tossed them towards the wanderers. He then waved goodnight at them and turned off two of the three lanterns in the living room. He informed the wanderers before he returned to his room.
"I left a light on in case of monsters, but I doubt any will come during the storm. Let's rest. Good night!"
The wanderers set up their blankets on the large carpet in the center of the living room.
"Good night!"
And so, Drimi immediately fell into slumber on the couch. At the same time, Aletha and Asahi slept on the carpet, closest to the fireplace, feeling warmth soothing their skin from the chilly rain outside.
Asahi pulled his comfy blanket over his chest while Aletha did the same and tilted her head towards Drimi.
Bookcases and sturdy furniture encircled them, wrapping the room in a sense of true home. The wanderers let themselves relax, comfort finally settling in.
So comfortable, they quickly fell asleep.
Before they did, both said goodnight, eyelids slowly shutting.