With the first shine of the sun, the party left for Redmere fort.
"What is your name!?" Terren asked the girl, as she kept clinging to his arm. She was stable now, but still frightened. Her eyes were searching all in front.
She didn't speak. Kael looked back, at her and she gripped Terren tighter. Kael sighed and settled his eyes back on the road.
Zodiac led the way, followed by Kael and Nollan. While Demiurge tailed them, just behind Terren and the girl.
"The mental and physical torture has broken her soul," Nollan muttered. Terren gazed at him as words reached his ears. Nollan stopped. Turning back his eyes met the girl's. She clung tighter to Terren. Terren stumbled as he felt the push.
"Why don't you name her!?" Nollan said.
Terren froze mid step. He had not expected this situation. He stumbled, looking at the girl. She looked back, her eyes still held uncomfort in them.
"I think that's a good beginning" Kael spoke, pushing Terren. Terren smiled awkwardly, still not sure.
"If you insis— "I have a name"
Before Terren could finish, he heard a soft voice. His eyes widened as he realized whose voice it was. Kael also couldn't believe, and kept staring at them. Terren looked beside him at the girl.
"What did you say?" He asked, looking at her pale, malnourished face, as her lips moved.
"I have a name… Its," she murmured and everyone stopped, focusing on her words. "Its Maya."
Everyone fell quiet. Not even Zodiac moved a step. It wasn't usual that someone so injured from both mind and body was on their feet this early and now stable enough to talk.
Nollan frowned in shock. Zodiac took another step ahead as Demiurge patted Terren on his back.
"We are already late. Keep moving." Demiurge instructed. They all started moving again.
"What!! You can talk!?" Terren asked He was startled hearing her talk. He bumped on a rock as he walked, almost falling down. Demiurge looked at him with a peculiar look, but soon focus back on the march.
She again didn't mutter a single word. Terren kept staring at him, her eyes met Terren's but she soon broke the eye contact. She was trembling even more now, her grip was slowly losing and her breaths were getting shallow. Terren understood what was happening and grabbed her by the wraist, helping her walk easily.
Even though she was awake and now walking, she was still weak. Terren sighed and kept moving.
By the full noon, they made a little camp, resting. The girl had lost her consciousness by then.
"How are we going to carry her?" Terren asked, sitting with everyone else. They ate the roasted deer meat they hunted yesterday. The surrounding at this point had started opening up. Now the jungle was less denser than before and open grounds were visible. The cart trails were visible but they weren't clear.
Zodiac swiped his fingers over dried trails of tires, his brows frowned. Demiurge looked at Zodiac, invested. Zodiac looked back at Nollan, Nollan was talking to Terren.
"Veyth," he said, Nollan turned his head towards him. "Are you sure we are on the right track?" Zodiac asked.
Nollan's eyes ran through the ground, noticing the tracks and eventually the sky. Kael followed
Nollan, also staring into the sky. "We should be, the elements doesn't lie."
"Then why is there a single trail, dried like nothing has passed from here for months!?" Zodiac raised a question. Kael finally understood what was happening.
"If we were on the right track, and Redmere was just three days away… How are there no trails of people? Zodiac asked another question.
Kael stood up, staring at the sky. Demiurge looked at Kael and followed. Soon, he also stood up.
"What happened to you people?" Zodiac asked.
"Look over there," Kael murmured, pointing towards the sky over trees. Zodiac frowned but followed and soon he also stood up.
"I didn't know there will be something like that in our world!!" Kael muttered with a low laugh.
Terren also stood up, stared back at others and with a chuckle he said, "Am I going mad or that building really flying in air?"
Zodiac looked back at Terren. His face wearing no emotion, blank as stone, then he smiled. Sinister smile of his. Terren felt a cold shiver raising from the bottom of his spine. "Lets check it out… If its really levitating!!" And he left.
"Where are you even going?" Nollan screamed from behind, sighing.
"Lets go." Demiurge said, moving after Zodiac. Kael looked at Nollan, Nollan nodded and started moving. Kael picked Terren's bag, and started moving. While Terren carried Maya on his arms and went after others.
---
"Am I the only one or there people!?" Kael whispered as they made their way closer to the building. Nollan gestured him to keep quite. Kael looked back at Terren carrying the girl. Terren gave him a nervous smile.
When Kael looked straight again, his eyes widened and he looked back Nollan.
"It seems, you really were right," Nollan spoke with a soft smile over his lips. "There really are people here."
Kael's eyes sparkled and lips curled, as if he had just won a war.
When they finally came out of the jungle to the open ground where the huge building was, the only thing that came out of Kael's mouth was,
"Wow… this is ginormous."
Everyone stopped, mesmerized by the view.
The huge building carved out of stone stood open heartly. The structure had four stands on the ground, making a room in between, eventually merging together as it reached the top. The whole structure was cover in beautiful carvings, sculptures and statues. Each statue deferent from another, each statue of a woman dancing, hunting, killing, reading and nurturing.
Each step Kael took, moving through people and finally reaching the hall, He had lost his mind in the beauty of carvings. It was as if the carvings were calling him, talking to his soul, mesmerizing him.
People around him were talking, gossiping, making sound;
"How beautiful!!"
"I've never seen such thing in my entire life!!"
"Ohh… My lord, did you build this with your own hands?"
"I built a little stall here, selling drinks."
"Do you think we will make it?"
"I'm afraid… Help me.. Ravaan… Amen.. Save me…"
"Ahhh… Gods, save me…"
"Hahahahhh"
Kael jolted, all the hairs on his arms and neck stood up. Everything fell quiet, he could hear his breath again. He felt a cold breath on his right and he moved his head towards the right.
Everything changed. "Where am I?" He whispered. He was standing by an old, darkened balustrade. He was in a balcony, covering a huge rectangular area.
"What is this sound?" Kael wondered as he heard some noise coming from the lower story. Both side of the balcony led to darkness as it was so dark to see anything clearly. Kael slowly moved towards the balustrade, leaning over it carefully. His eyes opened wide as he looked at the seen.
it was all blue. Blue fire scorched by two lanterns hanging at two sides. A stone block laid on the ground and over it sat a dark figure, holding a glass in its hand. Another figure sat lower on the ground by that it, holding something sparkling. While two figures, visually humans stood infront of them, naked.
"
Now… now are the fairs of longing begun… and my heart… *my heart…* plays its sorrowed drum... At some lone turning ,,..ah, gods.. save me.. I shall call thy name through tears, though my voice break as glass in the wind... Make thou no deceit… *please…* no deceit… for I am laid bare, undone… haah… If I should whisper what my heart beareth still… wilt thou turn away… haahhh… please…. let me go… ahh ahhh…
"
The cry covered the whole place, sobbing slashed deep through Kael's chest, stumbling, he fell back. But something else had reached even deeper.
***Fear***
Fear of the thing sitting on the railing infront of him. Blue eyes, piercing through the darkness around him, and horns coming out of his jaw. A hand slightly tapped on his left shoulder, he turned left and that thing stared right back into Kael's eyes, smiling.
Kael skipped a beat, cold sweat dropped from his head and breathing became tougher.
"Ahhhhhhh"
A scream from behind, Kael turned and the thing too. It was Maya, screaming and shivering in Terren's arms.
"What.. what happened!?" Terren put her down slowly, slapping and shaking her softly. Suddenly Demiurge burst through and performed a mudra, eventually calming her down. Terren was sweating, scared. Nollan tapped his shoulder, comforting him.
"I.. I don't know, what happened!!" He was shook.
"Calm down." Nollan muttered, turning his head towards Kael. "Kael… Kael!!"
"Ah.. Yes.. Yes!" finally Kael came back to his senses, standing at the middle of the chamber, drowning in sweat.
"What happened to you?" Nollan asked.
"No-nothing… I was just lost, seeing other people after such a long time… haha." Kael giggled, breaking the bad atmosphere. Nollan looked back at him, frowning. He swung his head a little, visually confused.
"What other People, Kael!?" Nollan whispered.