It was bright. Elise tried to cover her eyes from the light and opened them slowly to get used to the brightness. She was sitting on the ground and leaning against a tree. The noonday sun was leaking through the thick forest.
"Ah, you are awake." Elise turned towards the voice. The Traveler was sitting on a log with a short stick in his left hand. She tried to get up with the support of the tree she was leaning on. But she felt dizzy again, and the tree he was leaning on saved her from falling. That sudden movement painfully reminded her of the two cracked ribs Travel mentioned before.
"Slow down, you are still recovering." He was looking at the tip of the stick in his hand, which was shaved to be pointier.
She sat down and leaned back again. The sunlight was still pouring down on her, but it was not as irritating as before. "What happened to me?"
The man was still looking at the stick, he started to carve it and shave it with his fingernails. "You collapsed."
"Why?"
"You took a direct hit from that monster at the beginning, then you overexerted yourself to beat it. And I think you breathe a bit too much of the smoke coming from its acid. The sharp turn you did at the end was the cherry on the top, I think." He didn't take his eyes off the stick. "Why did you react like that anyway? You looked like you were trying to hide something."
She closed her eyes to get her thoughts straight. "What happened after I passed out?" She was hoping that the Landa guy didn't realize who she was.
"They tended to the wounded, thanked us, and said sorry about what they did before. Promised me to reconsider their life decisions and hit the road towards the nearest settlement." Elise took a deep, relaxing breath. "Although one of them was quite interested in you. He kept looking at you with curious eyes. Were you acquainted with any of them?"
"Which one?" This could be bad.
"The one with the longsword."
Oh, this was bad. She put her head between her knees and hugged her legs. She needed to get her head together. If he told someone who she was and where she was, the word would spread faster than the wind.
"Are you a wanted criminal or something?" He was still busy with the stick in his hand.
She raised her head and looked at him. He was asking the question, but didn't look curious at all. Could she trust him? If she told him who she was and who was after her, he could turn her in for the bounty.
But he could also not do that. He looked like a person who wouldn't care about money or fame. She needed to tell someone eventually. Why wouldn't that be him?
"Mr. Traveler, can I trust you?" She took the plunge and decided to try her luck with him.
"No." The man said while looking at his stick. That was not the answer Elise was hoping to hear. "Why should you? You don't even know me."
He was right. She didn't know a thing about him. But she had a feeling about him, and she had always followed her feelings. They haven't let her down since.
"I choose to trust you anyway. I am from a noble family. I escaped from my home. They are probably still searching for me. But I had to run away, because they..." She choked up and couldn't speak; that was not the life she was willing to live. Thankfully, he raised his hand to stop her.
"I don't care why. You choose to start your own journey, which I respect." He stuck his stick into the ground and got up. "You look fine now. I wish you luck on your journey." He turned around and started to walk away.
Elise couldn't understand the situation at first; her mind was still numb. She looked at his back for a second, and then she realized. He was going. She needed to do something.
"Hey, wait!" She tried to get up again. This time it was easier, but her head was still spinning a little. "Take me with you."
The man stopped, and after a pause, he turned his head slowly. "Why? You are not that bad; you can find your way back."
"Take me as your apprentice."
"Why?" He didn't even turn his back to answer.
"I want to learn. I will not be a burden to you. I can take care of myself."
"You can take care of yourself, huh?" His voice sounded curious. It must have been a good sign, right? "What do you want to learn?"
The question made Elise pause for a moment. She had never thought about what she wanted. She just wanted to learn. Something, anything. She was always drawn to knowledge. If there was something new, she wanted to learn about it. She was assuming that it was a side effect of her Blessing.
She didn't know how to answer. First, she thought she should say the thing he would approve of. But she knew she had to tell the truth when the time came. The short time they spent together was telling her that lying to him could end up really bad for her. So, she decided to tell him directly.
"I am Blessed with fast learning. I am good at learning new things, and I am always craving to learn new things. You are the most mysterious person I have ever met. I believe I can learn more things with you than I could ever learn by myself. Take me as your travel companion, you will not be disappointed, I assure you."
She looked at his back with hopeful eyes. He didn't move or answer for a short moment. But then, he started to turn towards her slowly.
"So, you are telling me that I should take you with me as an apprentice. Just because you want it too much." He slowly walked towards her as he talked. As he got closer, he got taller and muscular like the time he was against the Silver Dragon. "I travel to the most dangerous and cruel places, girl; do you think you can keep up with me?"
She once again thought that not lying to him was the right move. His posture was way more intimidating now. The small and weak appearance he had before was nowhere to be found. She felt as if she had said the wrong things now; it could be the end of her dreams. She felt threatened and got ready to defend herself, even though she knew there was no way to defeat him.
Then she realized something. Why was she thinking about fighting him? He was just asking a question; she didn't understand why she felt cornered. Was this the same thing he did to the Dragon? The intimidating presence of his was everywhere, and she was being crushed by it.
She got her thoughts together. There was nothing to fear. He was just standing before her. She discarded the uneasy thoughts and tried to stand strong. He was testing her, she knew it. She looked into his eyes and answered.
"I will do everything in my power to stand strong and move on." These words came from her heart, and she hoped the Traveler would notice that too.
The presence disappeared in an instant; he was just a messy, weak, and strange middle-aged man again.
"You are a greedy one, aren't you?" A wicked smile formed on his face. "Good, come along then. We have things to do." He turned his back and started to walk once again.
Elise was ready to press the matter further, but she was not ready to be accepted this fast. She stood there in shock for a moment, then rushed to catch up to him.
"Just like that? Are you just gonna accept me like that?"
"Of course not. But there is no better way to test you in the field, right?"
They walked together for a while, without a word. She didn't want to ask too many questions and deter him too quickly.
The forest got denser and darker as they walked deeper into it. They didn't encounter any monsters on their way, which was weird. Elise always thought this forest was full of them. When she mentioned this to the Traveler, he said, "There are no stronger monsters than the one you just fought in the area, so I am keeping them away from us. I usually don't bother myself with them, but I have a feeling that you might want to fight every single one of them. I saw how you fight, and I don't need to see it again; I have something else in mind for a test."
Elise asked what he had in mind, but he kept it a secret. They walked for hours without a rest. She did all she could to keep up with him. She had to back her words up. The sun was already set, and the forest was getting colder as they walked deeper. She walked without complaining, but the freezing cold on top of last night's exhaustion did a number on her. The Traveler noticed that after a while and stopped walking for the first time.
"Ah, sorry about that. It has been a while since I had a companion with me. Let's start a fire here; you are going to freeze."
She kept quiet all this time, but he was right. She needed to rest, but she also wanted to show him that she could keep up. She started to look around for the firewood.
"There is no need." The man said as a ball of fire started to form in front of him. "This will keep you warm. Get a good rest, this can be your last for a while. I'll keep watch through the night."
"Are you not tired?" She felt the fire's warmth inside her bones. She got close to it and sat down on a soft spot. The heat from the fire was not too much; even so, she thought she could touch it without burning herself. But stopped herself from trying it, of course. She didn't want to look weird from the first they.
"Not at all. I can walk for a long time if I need to. Don't bother yourself with me, you will understand everything in time." The wicked smile of his once again spread through his face. "If you can pass my test, of course."
It was easier said than done, but the exhaustion got to her, and she left all the thoughts for another time. She knew she should be sleeping with one eye open while traveling with a stranger, but this man was an exception. If he wanted to do something, he could do it anytime he wanted. Elise was like an ant compared to his strength; she knew that. So, she fell asleep in a nightmare full of screams and fire.
***
Elise woke up to the touch of a bare foot on her shoulder. "Come on, rise and shine. We still have ways to go."
The fireball was gone. The slight chill of the dark forest was still around, but at least the weather was not freezing anymore.
"Are we not gonna eat or drink anything? I drank my last water last night and haven't eaten anything since the other night." Last night, she was tired enough to ignore them, but now the hunger had started to show itself.
He stared at her face for a while, like she had said something weird. Then he put his hand inside one of his layers of clothing. He took out a package and a strange, transparent bottle filled with water from those layers.
"Here, these should hold you for a while." He put the package and the strange bottle in her hands and turned his back to her. "Come on, get moving. You can eat on the road."
Inside the package, there was Mama Millio's pumpkin pie. It sure was delicious, but she was not sure if she would challenge a dragon for it. It did satisfy her hunger and gave her the energy she needed.
The bottle, on the other hand, had a glass-like but flexible body and a strange lid on it. She realized she should have turned it to open after trying every possible way. She had never seen something like that before, but it was useful. She put the bottle in her bag and kept following the Traveler.
They walked until noon, and at last, they stopped under an overgrown tree. It was wrapped around a big stone obelisk, which had a smooth surface and a dark color. Elise had never seen a stone like that before. She walked forward to touch it and feel its smooth surface.
The Traveler hit her hand before she could reach it. "Do not touch it, if you don't want to materialize somewhere you don't even know or disintegrate into the void."
"What is this thing?" It had a strange beauty. The perfect rectangular shape and smooth surface of it looked like it was crafted by someone talented. There was nothing on its surface. Not a single piece of dust or leaf from the forest.
"This is a Gate, girl. Tell me, do you know anything about the magic in this Realm?" He was looking at the obelisk as he spoke, like he was trying to see something in it.
"I read some about it, but never had time to get serious about it. The art of sword fighting was always more tempting to me than magic." She was an energetic child; magic was a bit too tranquil for her taste.
"Okay then. I am going to show you a whole new horizon that you have never experienced before. But I am warning you for one last time." He looked at Elise in the eyes and extended his hand to her with an inviting gesture. "The journey I am traveling is not an easy one. I cannot guarantee you a safe return to your home. There is a high possibility that we will not come back here again. You could get seriously injured or even die horribly. But I can guarantee you, this will be more than an exciting journey that you'll never want to return from. If you prove yourself to me in the adventure we are about to get into, I will accept you as my apprentice and make you stronger than you can ever imagine. Now choose, this is your last chance to turn back."
He was excited, Elise could see it in his colorful eyes. So was Elise. She didn't even think twice. This was what she wanted for all her lifetime. This was why she left the house where she was born and raised. This was what she was born for.
She took his hand, and the man reached the obelisk with an approving smile on his face. As soon as he touched the stone, the view changed. They were not in the forest anymore.
The first thing she felt was a crushing force like it was trying to turn her inside out and take her soul from her.
And the first thing she saw was a rocky wasteland. Both the ground and sky were erupting with colorful explosions, mostly pink and purple, all over the place, that lit up the darkness caused by the thick black clouds.
And the first thing she heard was the joyful voice of the Traveler.
"Now this is looking like a fun place to me."
***
"I have finally found you."
The tall, dark figure's voice was deep but cold. Even the excitement of the moment didn't make it lose its cool. It was looking at a floating vision in front of it. A swordswoman in a cloak and a bearded man with strange white clothing were shown in that vision. They were standing in front of a long obsidian crystal.
The figure took a step back from the vision. Infinite visions of many different realms were filling the dark space in front of it. It turned its head slightly towards the left. Another figure appeared immediately inside the darkness.
"Take the best. Find him. And erase him from existence."
The figure disappeared as fast as it appeared, leaving the long figure alone in the darkness, looking at its visions.