"Tch."
Yamka grumbled in annoyance, not approving of that idea; she preferred moving forward over sneaking around like some kind of rat.
She didn't stay seated with them for long before pushing herself up to her feet and walking toward a large, oval-shaped boulder covered in moss, which made it look more like some kind of wise old elder rather than just a rock hosting a family of tiny creatures on top of it.
Yamka sat at its side, leaning with both her arms on her knees, the axe resting in front of her, while her eyes did not leave the shape of the distant fortress, as if she were waiting for the slightest movement to charge forward and begin the fight.
"Stubborn Viking girl."
Noroi muttered in a low voice, his eyebrows knitted in annoyance at her constant insistence on fighting and her recklessness. Noroi stood up as well and moved away from them.
Haruki watched Noroi's back as he walked off before letting out a sigh and crawling toward the nearest tree, resting his body against its trunk and taking shade under its long shadow. His eyes drifted up toward the blue sky of the morning of Malvura.
His thoughts gradually drifted until they reached a dark place in the back of his mind. It wasn't as if he wanted to think about it, but rather as if some kind of hidden force had dragged him there against his will, causing the usual brightness in his brown eyes to fade, only for troubling thoughts to begin circling in loops inside his head.
His thoughts bothered him until he began muttering them to himself in hopes of getting rid of them.
"If Noroi is the mind and Yami is the muscle, then what am I between them? I feel useless compared to them, why did the world choose me for this place?"
Haruki folded his knees and pulled them slightly closer to his chest when those thoughts began turning into emotions, striking with painful thorns straight at his heart and increasing his sense of helplessness.
Only for Tomoi to leap out of the pocket of his cloak and fly up a little before settling on his knee. The boy tilted his head slightly, confused by his bird friend showing up at that exact moment.
The pink bird began flapping its wings and making many urgent sounds, as if trying to convey its opinion about Haruki's discouraging words that it heard. The bird then placed its wings over its heart specifically.
Haruki lifted his hand, imitating Tomoi by placing his hand over his own heart, still confused by his friend and not understanding what the bird was trying to convey.
"The heart…?"
Haruki whispered, trying to deduce the meaning of the signal, and Tomoi nodded its head at Haruki's word, showing him that this was exactly what it meant.
Haruki turned the word over in his mind for a moment until the shine returned to his eyes and his expression lit up entirely, his gloomy frown transforming into a wide smile.
He spoke with overwhelming happiness and a sudden sense of importance.
"The body needs a heart to function! Tomoi, you're the best!"
Haruki held the pink bird in his hands and hugged it, grateful for the comfort it provided him.
Meanwhile, Noroi was patrolling around the fortress walls, observing from a safe distance. He stopped when he noticed the large doors, firmly held by dark gray metal, and saw that on either side of the doors stood two trolls guarding the fortress, ensuring that anyone entering or exiting passed through carefully.
Noroi narrowed his eyes for a moment in thought before turning to his robotic assistant, who never left his side wherever he went.
He spoke to him in a stern voice and commanded.
"Turn off your engines."
Mini obeyed without a second thought, and as soon as he shut down his engines, he lost balance and fell ,but Noroi's arms caught him.
Noroi advanced toward the fortress…
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Thank you for reading! If this moment touched you even a little , please consider adding it to your library.💐