004-Mal

Walking on the leaf-covered trace in the dark forest of Nyx, Nonoth didn't seem to be even a bit scared. After all, of all the countless days she spent in the eternal garden, it was only in the nights that she felt alive.

All of a sudden, she heard some gentle noise coming from behind, as if a huge wind was going through the grass combining with some light footsteps. She quickly turned to see, but the tall grasses, hiding in the darkness cast by the forest, were not even moving swiftly enough that would have given that kind of sound.

"Now that's weird." Nonoth thought to herself, and turned around back to her original route with no further interest.

A moment later, that kind of sound rose again, and again, Nonoth turned around to check only to find the grass behind her moving slightly, as if deliberately helping whatever was hiding in there.

Nonoth tilted her head and thought for a while before she turned around again, still as if nothing has rose her suspicion and she was just focusing on her route.

But before the sound rose again, Nonoth started to run fast without any waning and takes several sudden turns on the route she takes. The huge-wind-like sound rose again, and this time not so subtle. It was obviously panicking over Nonoth's sudden change of pace, but Nonoth was already nowhere to be seen.

Again, the dark forest settled down and fell into quietness.

Taking a circle back to where she heard the sound the second time, Nonoth was now hiding in the shadow of the dark trees, following her own steps she took just a moment ago. It would have been impossible normally because the thick layers of fallen leaves leave no footprints, but this time, it was easy.

Because now on the route that she chose randomly, there was a trail of sand.

Nonoth summoned Azurite and flew up into the air, as high as possible without touching any branches in the forest, repeating her route again above the trail. It didn't take long before she spotted small figure, standing on an open clearing and turning its head around confused, obviously looking for something, or someone.

Apparently, that was what has been following her.

Nonoth sat cross-legged in the air, taking her time observing the small figure.

The dark figure looked like a little boy with a round head which didn't seem to have any hair on. He had a somewhat stiffness in his movement, as if he was not used to simple act even like walking or turning his head. But the trail of sand only ended under his feet, so obviously, the sand was coming off his body, and that explained why there was huge-wind-like sound behind Nonoth just now when the grass wasn't moving much. The huge sound was the sand hitting the grass, instead of just the sound of the grass moving.

The small figure lowered his head in disappointment and started to turn back slowly to the direction he came from. Somehow, he was giving out a sad instead of ill-intend feeling with his posture, so Nonoth stood up again and landed behind him.

"Are you looking for me?" Nonoth's voice rose behind him.

He jumped up and turns around in panic, eyes fixed on Nonoth which were soon filled up with fear. Nonoth looked at him in silent polite, waiting for his answer. Okay, Nonoth was totally having fun watching him panicking, but let's just say it was also for politeness.

Taking the time of his panicking, Nonoth checked him out head to toe.

His whole body was wrapped in a palm's width wide foxing bandage in grey yellow, even his fingers. Apparently his feet were also in that style before the bandages under them got worn out and broke up and were now hanging around his feet. He managed to tackle some of the loose end in so the rest wouldn't fall out completely. Hard to imagine he did that with his clumsy hands wrapped up.

He was a little mummy.

He turned slightly peeking at the trees around, as if calculating his chance of hiding behind them again without Nonoth noticing. It didn't take him long to get the obvious estimation: zero.

"I... I got the riddle..." He managed out a kind of whole sentence, although not making much sense.

"What riddle?"

"The one you taught them." Little mummy muttered.

"How did you know?!" Nonoth gave out a surprised loud shout, but actually already knew the answer.

"I... I was there..."

"Really? I didn't see you." Nonoth gave an evil smile.

"I was hiding behind a tree..."

"Haha, you are so cute! Now that sounds about right." Nonoth burst into laughter before the little mummy could finish his sentence and took her pointed hat off as a show of friendliness: "My name is Nonoth, what's yours?"

...

The little mummy was actually the quiet type. You wouldn't even notice him if he doesn't move. Nonoth only noticed his following her because of all the tall grasses really didn't agree with his way of moving.

"I see... So you are looking for your parents." Nonoth nodded at the little mummy, not sure if she should break him the news that his parents might not be in this world anymore.

"Yeah. But I have no clue except my name..." You can see the idea of looking for his parents with only his name as a clue is bothering him from the sad look on his face. Interesting that he could somehow show an expression even though his whole face was hiding under the layers of bandages. Maybe it's because he has them on for so long that they already become part of his body.

"Lord Malwesco Ali the 3rd." Nonoth finished his sentence with the name she just got from him.

The little mummy looked up hearing his name spoken by Nonoth, and gave her a shy but cute smile: "It's a name for tomb stones, you can just call me Mal."