017 Those Who Watch the Sky 17
17 – Children Wandering
Under the Sky 1
~ Adventure.
To experience excitement.
There is no excitement greater than clinging to one’s self.
Faced with the uncertain of life or death gives every moment meaning.
There is no emptiness.
You are always filled with fear or elation.
That is adventure.
To go forth and experience.
To face yourself and meet yourself.
I want to meet myself and know that I can hold onto her. ~
To experience excitement.
There is no excitement greater than clinging to one’s self.
Faced with the uncertain of life or death gives every moment meaning.
There is no emptiness.
You are always filled with fear or elation.
That is adventure.
To go forth and experience.
To face yourself and meet yourself.
I want to meet myself and know that I can hold onto her. ~
“Ugh…”
Groaning softly and still feeling the pain present below
his sternum where Link had struck him, Eliot became aware of the sounds of the waterfall
and pool he had spent the last two nights at. Birdsong accompanied by the light
of day told him that for the first time since before the destruction of Cross
that he had slept. Still having his own thoughts about him was surprising in
itself but the relief that washed over him as he heard footsteps nearby
implying he had not been abandoned was cathartic. Finding a reason to smile
earnestly he did not resist as the expression curled his lips and he forced
himself to sit up.
Taking in the sight of the camp around him it seemed that Link
had been busy the night before as a makeshift fire pit rested near him and
there were signs of meat of some kind cooking over it on sticks. Link herself
was nearby and in a more normal state of dress than Elliot had seen her in
before she unexpectedly made sure he got some rest. Her attire was not quite
normal however as she had ripped off the legs of her leggings revealing her
bare legs as she danced about in practice with her sword flashing in the morning
light. Elliot watched her for a moment with a smile on his face before a slight
sadness found its way into his eyes. The night was not a dream yet it was hard
to think that Link had been open with her fears. It seemed to be a consequence
of the Foreigners upending their lives but it weighed heavily on Elliot all the
same. Link’s mental state was not all that weighed on Elliot and he held up his
hand and stared at it wistfully.
“Hey, don’t tell me after that you’ve suddenly started
feeling differently about me! It was embarrassing enough last night but it’d be
even worse if you started having those types of feelings for me…!”
“You don’t have anything to worry about Link; I was just
thinking is all.”
Looking up Elliot offered Link a smile as she looked at him
obviously embarrassed. His words did not seem to bring her much satisfaction
though and she started pouting as she planted the tip of her sword into the ground
and her free hand on her hip.
“Hrm… I don’t know how to feel about that Elliot. You’re so
hard to understand some days…”
“If it makes you feel any better Link, then you should know
that you’re beautiful.”
“EH⁈”
Link’s mouth fell open and her face glowed as she deepened
by at least two shades of red. Stunned into speechlessness Link just stood
there paralyzed and though he smiled Elliot felt sorry for her. It was obvious that
she was not prepared for the compliment even though he spoke it truthfully.
Even now he was still enamored by the sight of her naked flesh and felt as
though he could see past her clothes and was sure she probably felt the same
way based on her expression. Not wanting to torment her however he decided to
provide her a way to take her mind off of what was so obviously embarrassing her.
“So where’s Melody?”
“Melody…⁈ Oh! Right! Melody! Um…! She
went out to scout out a good path for us up the cliff here!”
Spinning around and looking up the waterfall the excitement
in Link’s voice countered her attempts to conceal her embarrassment. With her
eyes off of him Elliot took another moment to look at his hand. Closing his
eyes he pressed his finger tips to his chest and his smile grew pained as he
recalled the sensation of Link’s flesh upon them. He did not allow himself to
dwell on it though and rose to his feet falling into his accustomed stance with
his left hand resting on the head of his scabbard.
“Then the plan is to follow the water to its source?”
“Or hopefully to a town along it. It’s not like we really
have any choice though. As close as Melody is with her ability to manipulate the
air, none of us can really cast magic so we can’t just summon water like Sister
could. That and we don’t have any supplies to tend to our swords so I’ll need
to keep an eye out for any stones I might be able to use.”
“It sounds like you’ve planned things out fairly
thoroughly.”
Stepping up next to Link, Elliot offered her another smile.
Not quite ready to face him yet Link looked away from him and her nervousness
twisted the confident expression she tried to put on as she moved her free hand
from her hip to the back of her head.
“W-well, that should be obvious. You know I’ve always wanted
to be an adventurer so I’ve learned what I could about how to survive. I just
didn’t expect to have to deal with a Foreigner along the way. I guess I was too
careless.”
“Under the circumstances Link I don’t think you were in any
position to be prepared for it.”
“Li~ink! ~♪ I’m back! ~♪”
Melody’s voice ringing out from above Link and Elliot had their
conversation cut short. Turning their attention skyward they saw the harpy zip
into view from above the waterfall. Flapping her wings and spreading her tail feathers
as wide as she could Melody drastically slowed her pace and began to descend in
a gentle circle. Turning her attention to where she would be landing Melody’s
face lit up as she saw Elliot standing with Link.
“El~liot! ~♪ You’re awake and not a monster!
~♪ Link and I were so worried that she had been hasty in just
knocking you out cold. ~♪ Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha! ~♪”
“Melody! Don’t reveal stuff like that! He seriously really
needed to get some sleep and didn’t need to hear that I was worried!”
“It’s fine Link. And yes Melody, as you can see I’m fine.”
Chuckling at Link’s expense Elliot earned a pout from her
before he turned his attention to Melody who landed behind him and Link.
Skipping up to them Melody offered them both a bright smile.
“That makes me so happy to hear ~♪ Link may not admit it but we really were so worried about
you ~♪ Though after that whole scene last night I don’t know what
Link has to be embarrassed about ~♪”
“Shut up Melody! It was and still is embarrassing!”
“Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha! ~♪”
Laughing playfully Melody ran from Link who started chasing
after her obviously annoyed at being so embarrassed. Watching the scene Elliot
couldn’t help bursting out laughing himself and earned a dirty look from Link.
“Don’t you start too! Argh! You two are starting to make me
think of Squawk!”
“No~! ~♪ Don’t compare me to him Link! ~♪ I don’t want to be compared to someone so mean! ~♪”
“Then stop teasing me!”
As much fun as the three of them were irrefutably having they
did not have the luxury of time to so indulge themselves. Thus, it was not long
before they were on the move with Melody leading them along the best possible
path to take them to the top of the waterfall. It was not a straightforward affair
however and she had to take to the sky numerous times to double check the route
she chose for them. Eventually, though far removed from the waterfall itself,
the three of them reached the stream that fed the pool they had spent the last
two nights beside and began their journey. Having finally begun and freed themselves
of any further immediate distractions Elliot spoke on at least one thought that
was still distracting him from the night before.
“Link, last night, and Before Melody interrupted us… The
way you spoke about the Foreigners infecting us…?”
“Hm? What about it…”
“It’s just with all of the Sa·B·ers you’ve pestered over the
years–”
“I wasn’t pestering them.”
“–I don’t recall even one of them ever referring to the
Foreigners as anything at all like a person. So I was wondering how you came to
that conclusion.”
“Hmm… well it’s not that I really see them as people… I
mean we mostly just call them Foreigners even though we’re not actually talking
about the actually Foreigners but the monsters that legends say are born from
their cities. But, even then… when I move any infected part of my legs it’s that
sensation I have, like someone is fighting back and trying to kill me… …that
and I swear I see green eyes like a dragon or something from a children’s book.
You don’t experience anything like that?”
Resting her hands on the back of her head as she walked
Link looked curiously at Elliot. Sharing Link’s mannerism for pinching her chin
while in thought, Elliot bowed his head and stared at the ground he treaded
over as he did. Closing his eyes he concentrated on the terrible burning
sensation that coursed through his veins and under his flesh. Horrible as it
was though he could not see anything but the back of his eyelids though he
could feel emotions he was certain were not his own. Even then he did not feel
as Link did.
“I can’t really say Link. All I feel is… something like
aggression and a horrible burning sensation.”
“Really? Hmm… Maybe you should try imagining something then.
You’ve obviously been holding on through sheer willpower, but is that really
enough?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I don’t just want to survive, I want to win. I want
to beat this Foreigner that’s infected me and take back not only my body but
since it’s here take its powers for myself. Foreigners have amazing power and
grant the Sa·B·ers who conquer them those same powers. I don’t know enough
about the Foreigner infecting me but if I can conquer it then I can claim its
powers once I learn what they are.”
“That’s a nice dream Link, but I don’t recall any of the Sa·B·ers
who visited Cross ever really clarifying how or why Sa·B·ers gain powers from
the Foreigners that infect them.”
“I don’t think it’s that complicated, and since Squawk
suggested that maybe Melody is a Sa·B·er I’ve been thinking about maybe it’s
like how I have my father’s hair color and my mother’s eye color.”
“You mean passed on traits?”
“That’s about right. I mean, the Foreigners that infect
Sa·B·ers become a part of their body right? So it’s kind of like if they have
that power then the Sa·B·er should too. I think I’m kind of looking at it like a
book maybe. The Foreigners that infect us have all this data in them and when
they merge with a person the person gains access to that knowledge if they know
how to look for it.”
“Are you seriously describing a Foreigner like a spell
book?”
“That would be fun but maybe more like a machine. It can
only do what it was built for but we have to guess what that is ourselves. I
want to try to figure that out myself before we find a town to make myself more
valuable to the Cardinal Church so they’ll help me become a true Sa·B·er. I
just don’t know where to start. Like I said, I just don’t know enough about the
Foreigner infecting me.”
“You really are amazing Link. I never would have thought of
it that way. But if I could understand the nature of my infection…”
“You could make the Foreigner your own!”
Finishing his thought for him, Link offered Elliot a bright
smile. His reaction though prevented it from lasting and she was left wondering
if she had finished his thought incorrectly.
“Am I wrong?”
“I couldn’t say Link… my infection wasn’t really like
yours. There wasn’t a single Foreigner I let touch me; only their blood which
likely infected mine through my wounds.”
“Then I bet you’re better off than me.”
“Link?”
“Well, think about it. I bet that’s how most Sa·B·ers get
infected is through blood mixing during battle. But that means you just have to
conquer the changes to yourself. Since you’re a swordsman conquering yourself
is necessary to become a better swordsman anyway. Me on the other hand… I have
no doubt that the Foreigner infecting me is definitely its own entity that wants
nothing more than to eat me.”
“Saying it like that Link makes it sound like I’m the
Foreigner…”
“No, only a part of you.”
“Only a part of me…?”
Though Link’s words were more hypothetical than insightful they
resonated with Elliot in a way that opened his mind to a new way of thinking. Link
caught on as she saw the change in his eyes and decided to run with it in the
hopes that her rambling would help Elliot not lose out to his Foreigner
infection.
“Yeah! The you I’ve always known is human, but who is the
Foreigner coming to life inside of you? Whatever it is it’s taking your form
for itself so you just have to separate the Foreigner you from the human you.
Then you can see the face of your opponent and not just defend yourself blindly
but fight back. And if you don’t hold back like you do against me you’ll be
able win for sure.”
“I don’t hold back against you Link.”
“I don’t believe you, bu~t…”
Link smiled broadly before skipping off ahead of Elliot alongside
the stream. Looking over her shoulder she read his blank expression before spinning
around to face him and clasping her hands behind her back.
“As long as you don’t hold back against the Foreigner you,
I’ll forgive you.”
Copyright © 2019 Joshua D Tarwater
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