After hours of running and barely stopping, Daichi noticed that Rhea only paused to let him catch his breath.
She was breathing heavily too, but she didn't seem nearly as tired despite sprinting for what felt like miles through the dark forest.
How is she so athletic?!
She doesn't look a day over fourteen.
Daichi pondered internally. Rhea noticed him struggling to keep up again, so she stopped to let him catch his breath once more.
Daichi looked at her, leaning on a tree while panting. His muscles were sore, and he felt nauseous from the running.
"I don't get it"
"How can you just do that?"
He asked, struggling to get the words out between deep breaths.
"It's an automatic reaction from Vhis"
"it increases physical output"
"basically an enhancement"
Rhea responded, still breathing heavily but not bothered by it.
"That...doesn't make sense"
Daichi panted out, as Rhea looked at him, confused, but not entirely unaware of how strange he is.
"So you don't know what Angels are, you don't know what The Gift Hunters are, you don't know what Vhis or life-fog is. And you seem unnaturally...odd"
"Who or what are you?"
She asked, slowly growing more cautious with this anomaly of a person.
Finally catching his breath, Daichi looked at her, equally as cautious.
"What kind of question is that?!"
"You're the one with a flaming ring appearing over your head!. Which seems far too similar to what that weird creature had over its head when we were back in that destroyed ancient looking place."
Daichi paused. Catching his breath.
"And you healed unnaturally fast, and on top of that, what's with that disturbing noise when people die!"
"If anything I'm the normal one here!"
Daichi responded defensively, finally standing straight.
"And who even was that unhinged asshole?! And why did we have to run all of a sudden?. Everything was destroyed! And the first chance I got to catch a break from, we had to run?! From what, more threats?"
Daichi asked. His voice was rising. It's obvious how unmoored he felt. As if he was living in a really dumb dream, because nothing makes sense.
"It's getting really dark now."
"What's gonna happen next?. The trees come alive to play?! Or are we gonna have to battle an ocean of shadows?!"
He blurted out. Sarcasm dripping from every word. His ignorance to this world refuses to hide. Rhea looks at him, unimpressed by the way he's acting for someone in his situation.
"Look, it's no news how stupid you are, but I can't blame you because you don't appear to be from here. Which is puzzling, but not completely impossible." Rhea paused. Looking around "Do you know anyone else?"
She asked, still confused, but trying to connect the dots to something.
"No...I don't"
"You're the first person I met when I gained consciousness"
Daichi responded, hoping for some answers.
Didn't all the Seractnis die 400 years ago in the war.
From the stories...its rumored that they could traverse dimensions.
But by the looks of it. This couldn't have been the works of a Seractnis. Because they're supposed to be dead.
Surely the stories didn't lie...did they?
Rhea mused. Though unlikely, she was wondering if the ancient race transported him here. Because that's really the only thing she can wrap her head around.
"Look, I have answers, but we can't be out in the open like this"
"Follow me"
She said as she took off again, not even waiting for Daichi to respond. Having no choice but to follow, he sprinted after her, barely keeping up with her.
The forest only got darker and harder to navigate while they ran.
After 2 hours of running, Rhea finally got to what seems like a special part of the forest, where the trees seem to be trimmed. And the sky is more visible from the ground through the thick forestry.
The sky here is...a lot more visible compared to most of the forest.
Daichi noticed, and pondered internally, but stopping abruptly. Realizing Rhea stopped in front of him.
"Step back"
She said, Kneeling down and searching the ground for something specific. Then she grabbed something hidden under the bush and dirt. And pulled it with all her strength.
A hidden door in the ground flew open.
"Jump in"
She whispered to Daichi, who was skeptical and hesitant at first, but jumped in nonetheless. Rhea stood outside for a while. Checking the environment for any sign of emanating Vhis. Then she jumped down. Closing the door above her.
Her flaming halo came alive in the darkness of this underground base. Which was filled with scribbles of random notes and drawings. Scattered across the walls with lines connecting the notes and drawings to each other.
Rhea sighed softly, sitting on the wooden desk as she looked at Daichi.
"Now we can talk"
She said in a low tone, almost relaxed. It's clear she's somewhere familiar, and comforting.
Didn't this kid just lose everyone she knew like...this morning.
How's she this relaxed...
Could she be compartmentalizing?
She's adapted really fast so far...but.
Never mind that, i need to know about this place to find Mori
"First thing i wanna know...where am I?"
Daichi pondered to himself before he asked hesitantly. Disturbed with how comfortable she is.
"You're in the far southern region of Astheria. Not many rulers are here in the far south so there's mostly just small settlements with the not so powerful races"
Rhea responded softly. Looking at the notes and drawings on the walls.
So this place is called Astheria?
Not so powerful races?
"What do you mean by Races?. I don't imagine you'd be referring to ethnic groups huh?"
He inquired. His eyes glued to her, and the flaming halo above her head. But patient for answers.
"What?. Ethnic groups? No, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about Angels, Dragons, Wyverns, Humans, Harpies, the extinct race that goes by Seractnis, and the Necrocians, the most mysterious race based on what I've heard from stories. And they're the reason we had to run. Far far away from my village."
She said as she hopped off the wooden desk to go to the other side of the room to look at the notes and drawings she made. Which made the whole underground room feel like a stone age science lab to Daichi.
"Why did we need to run though? I get that it's dangerous, but we were in a village filled with corpses, they'd have no reason to just pop up...and that ring over your head, what's with that huh?!"
"It looks like the very thing that was over that creature's head in the village. I asked earlier and you didn't answer!"
Daichi proclaimed. Now also confused by the Necrocians. Stepping back slightly.
"Necrocians are attracted to areas of mass death, the black mist you saw coming from the corpses?. That was our sign to leave before they showed up. And the halo?. It's not real okay, it's just something I use my Vhis to manifest. And yeah, that angel is the reason I have a fake or somewhat similar Halo"
She whispered. Freezing up for a second as he reminded her of what the angel did to her village. And the nightmare that'd come if they didn't leave when they did.
"WHY DO YOU HAVE IT!!"
Daichi snapped. his eyes locked her halo. Frustrated and confused at why she'd want to look even remotely close to that 'angel'.
"BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF IT DAMNIT!"
Rhea yelled back, slamming her fist on the desk. She continued.
"Everyone and everything sees a halo and starts shivering"
"Angels are the terrors of Astheria"
"Especially Sorphel...who's allegedly the prince of the southern kingdom of angels. But the fact that he kills everything that breathes in the far south is what makes him known. Not his ties to royalty."
Rhea said in a low tone as she smiled softly.
"And soon I'll be right there with them...With him"
"Gift Hunters will think twice before even entering my region..."
She continued. The statement sent shivers down Daichi's spine.
That thing is...a prince?.
And is she...inspired by him?!.
Great. So even the kids in this world are unhinged
"And the gift hunters. What are they?"
Daichi asked. Not wanting to express his thoughts freely, especially after understanding that this girl isn't as harmless or as stable as she seems.
"Ahh, the Gift Hunters hm?"
"I believe it's quite self explanatory. They hunt the gifted. Not the adults though, the children, who're blessed with a vast amount of Vhis. Based on what I've heard, they only target the races they know they can kill children from, and walk away without risking their heads getting blown off. Or the landscape being re-arranged in an attempt to kill them."
She responded. As she smiled softly at the memory of the Gift Hunter she killed.
"His life-fog was 'to die for' huh"
"I sure hope it was"
Rhea muttered to herself, with a content smile. Remembering how low the Gift Hunter spoke of her little brother after being the cause of his death.
Daichi looks at her, feeling uneasy. Her smile resembles that of the gift hunter she killed, and Sorphel.
That smile...
It's satisfaction with taking a life.
He mused. Almost shaken by the feeling he's getting from her presence. She looked at him slowly. Noticing his gaze.
"I've noticed how odd you are"
"Now. Who are you"
She demanded. Her tone is slightly darker. The flaming halo flickering gentle blue flames under its natural orange.