...So Our Journey Began For Real

The morning of our third day in the forest clearing comes with a whole different energy from the past few days. Our packs are full with a forest bounty of mushrooms, wild vegetables, and dried rabbit meat that Lasula had taught me to hunt the day before. And now that Lyra is all rested up, it's finally time for us to set off towards the mountain pass.

"And your pack? Is it set?" comes Lasula as she shoves a few remaining supplies into a small satchel of her own. "Remember, keep your water skins someplace easily accessible so we don't have to root around for them while we walk."

"Y-Yeah, it's all there," I nod, slinging my pack over my shoulder.

"Lyra dear, the little satchel I made for you, do you know where it is?" Lasula asks.

Lyra holds it up. Lasula nods and holds out a hand.

"Wonderful. Can you bring it here?" she asks. "I'd like to check one last time to make sure—"

"Lasula, I think we're ready," I say.

"Yes, of course. I just need to make sure that—"

"I think we're ready," Lyra and I both say nearly in unison.

Lasula glances between the two of us. She sighs.

"…When I agreed to guide the both of you into Gale, I didn't ask your reasoning. I don't know what family you are leaving behind. That is because I knew I would do everything in my power to ensure your safety. I would put your lives before my own."

"Well, I don't got any family," I mutter.

"My family locked me indoors for much of my life," Lyra mutters.

"O-Oh…" Lasula mutters.

The three of us stand there for a good few seconds.

"Sh… Should we just go…?" I ask.

"Yes… let's just go," Lasula huffs.

Not the start I was hoping for. But that hardly seems to matter anymore as we leave the clearing for the last time. We cut straight north through the forest until once again coming out onto the sprawling prairie, greeted with the looming mountains in the distance.

It's a beautiful day. The cloud-dotted sky sprawls out around us as we take our first few steps back onto the uncharted road. The sun casts its rays over the prairie, bathing us in a warm golden light. The prairie grasses bob in a soft breeze that blows to our backs.

"Now… I'd intended to leave it alone, but…" Lasula pauses. "Since we have quite a long trip ahead of us, would you both do me the honor of explaining yourselves?"

"I should've kept my mouth shut," I mutter.

"As should have I…" Lyra nods.

"I won't pry if you feel it's too personal, I only thought to get to know you better," Lasula smiles sheepishly.

"I came from the ground," I say. "Grew up in the village with a girl I loved. She married someone else. So here I am."

"O-Oh, that is… quite a lot to unpack. What do you mean by—"

"He came from the ground," Lyra replies. "Crawled out of a crack like an insect."

"Alright, well that's not how I would describe it," I mutter.

"And how could you describe it? You weren't conscious," she replies. She turns back towards Lasula. "My sister is the one who was married."

"Yeah. I left on my own, and this one followed me for a whole day," I reply. "Not to mention she tied me up that one night while I was sleeping."

"That was just…" Lyra begins, but gradually trails off. She timidly tucks her chin into her chest.

Lasula blinks twice before quickly shaking her head.

"That isn't quite as informative as I would have hoped," she says.

"Yeah, well we've got plenty of questions, too," I say, folding my arms. "Most of this crap I haven't wondered about until just a few days ago. Like why I don't get sunburnt. Or how I can fall outta trees without getting hurt."

"You're able to do those things…?" Lasula asks.

"Oh, sure. And I'm a bit stronger than most of the people back in the village," I reply. "Oh, oh—! Are people born with sharp teeth like me always super crazy strong?!"

"Not… really. As usual, that seems to be unique to you," she says. "Your teeth are a rare genetic trait present in only about one out of five hundred thousand people, I suspect. Besides that, there are no known differences."

"Damn…"

"Lasula, do you… know of a river of lava that flows underground…?" Lyra asks.

"Now where is this coming from?"

"C-Curiosity…" Lyra mutters. "…And experience…"

"Is that so? Well…" Lasula pauses to think to herself as we trudge on in silence. "It does sound familiar, perhaps it was from a story I had heard long ago…"

"Does it—"

"Oh, of course! It's that one, the… um… The…" She pauses. "…Yes, I remember now! It's from The… The Tale of the Red Abyss, correct?"

"The… what?" I mutter.

"I have never heard of such a tale," Lyra says.

"Really?" Lasula ponders. "Well, I suppose it's more of a poem than a tale. It went something like… 'something, something… in an ashen place of hollow ground the eyes of man shan't see, lest witness the river of fire beneath lay waste to all that be. Peer not the depths of… of… something, and… earth…?'"

Lasula pauses.

"Is there more?" Lyra asks.

"Well, it seems I can't remember the rest. I've only heard it once or twice," she replies. "But I do know it's a cautionary tale in Galan folklore. Since your destination is Mares, perhaps you could ask to hear it from a local, if you're curious."

Lyra and I exchange glances. Looks like we've got the same thought going through our heads. Lasula's story matches up a little too well with what Lyra described about the day she and Sera found me.

Lyra turns back to Lasula.

"…Is it based on truth?" she asks.

"Well I wouldn't know, but I would hope not," Lasula replies. "If the tale is to be believed, you would go mad from just a single glance."

My shoulders stiffen. As do Lyra's. Let hell freeze over before I turn to face Lyra now. Lasula doesn't know it, but she just said something that had to have cut her pretty deep.

Though… as my deadly curiosity gets the better of me, I slowly pan my gaze over to her.

"So that's what happened…" Lyra whispers to herself, more as-a-matter-of-factly than anything else. Her face is perfectly calm.

…Never mind, she's totally taking it in stride. Good for her… I guess.

After a moment, I lean over to Lyra.

"Should we just tell her…?" I ask. "I don't wanna hide things from her… And at this point, she's probably made a few too many assumptions…"

"What kind of assumptions?" Lyra whispers back.

"Wrong ones," I mutter.

"Oh…" she replies, followed by a moment's silence. "…I like Lasula…"

"Y-Yeah," I say. "Me too…"

Lasula leans in.

"…What are you two whispering about?" she asks.

"H-Hey Lasula…" I say. "We've… actually got some stuff to tell you…"

Lyra recounts her story to Lasula. I fill it in as best I can, but it's mostly her since I don't have any memory of the events. After, I try to give a brief overview of every weird thing I've discovered about myself while living in the village. During that time, I sorta… start to get into what life was like in the village. Lyra seems hesitant to add to this, but after a while ends up talking about what her life was like as well.

For years after coming into contact with what we're now calling the Red Abyss, Lyra would constantly hurt herself by trying to reach into open fires. Her family had to stop lighting their hearth because of it. That's why she was kept inside for most of the time, just because of how much of a danger she posed to herself.

But as she started to become more receptive, her family started letting her out more while supervised by she and Sera's grandfather, the village elder. I guess that's why she talks like an old person. And she used to watch me while I played with Sera… which is creepy since I never realized it. Of course I say that, but I'm more glad that she decided to share that. Better off knowing than not… And it's not like she seems all too proud of it, anyways.

It took over an hour to explain it all. Once finished, I glance forward to see Lasula nodding slowly.

"So you really did come from the ground, then…" she says. "That may not explain much, but… In any case, it sounds like the village you came from is a wonderful place."

"Y-Yeah, well…" I mutter.

Lasula glances my way from the side of her eye.

"…And while I feel like you might have grown more emotionally by confronting your sadness than by leaving it behind, I do commend the resolution you've shown in trying to move on."

"Yeah, well… Still hurts, but I'm getting there," I grumble. "…Don't make me think about it. I'm trying to forget."

Lasula laughs.

"Forgiving is one thing, forgetting is another thing entirely," she says. "And absolutely nothing can mend a broken heart but time."

"A-Alright already, can we just stop talking about that?!" I stammer.

She laughs again.

"Well besides that, I'm glad I had the chance to hear about—"

All of a sudden, Lasula stops dead in her trail. She immediately holds out a hand to stop us as well.

"W-What's wrong now…?" I ask.

"Shh… Quiet for a moment, please," she whispers.

There's a scarily serious look on her face as she says this. It prompts me to shut up immediately.

The three of us wait in utter silence. The only noise that can be heard is the soft rustling of the grass in the wind, and the chirping of the insects in the far distance.

"L-Lasula, what's—" I begin.

"Shh—" she hushes me again. "…There is a foul magic in the air."

"…What?" I ask.

A bead of sweat drips down Lasula's brow. She bites her lower lip as she gazes towards the horizon. A moment passes. I start to grow all too conscious of the beating of my own heart. Lyra worriedly steps behind me and timidly holds onto the strap of my pack.

An orb of light appears in front of Lasula. She takes in a deep breath. And then she turns to us with the same dark expression.

"…It means that monsters draw near…"

Monsters… The things I've always been warned about, but haven't seen until now. They aren't born into the world like people or animals. They're the spawn of negative runoff from the ley lines that flow underground. That's to say they came into being kinda like me: They spring out of the ground. But them… Their sole desire, from the moment they're born to the moment they die… is to trample and slaughter every living creature they can.

Lasula hurries us off towards the edge of the forest. But as we near it, the orb in front of her suddenly glows red and she again comes to a sudden stop. Vicious snarling can be heard from just beyond. Not even a moment later… dozens of horrendous creatures begin to emerge from between the trees.

They crawl on all fours, with blue scaly skin and plated reptilian faces. Their bodies are stout and thick, with muscular legs that end in massive claws. And their tails are meaty and have several horns protruding from the scales along their spine.

"Basilisks…" Lasula mutters. "…C-Come now, we will just—"

As Lasula turns back towards the middle of the prairie, her orb again glows red and she stops herself. Dozens more basilisks crest the nearest hill, which quickly surrounds us before we have a chance to flee. My heart begins to sink.

"L-Lasula—"

"…Don't worry," she replies. "Stay behind me. I will keep you safe."

I watch her for a few seconds. But as I finally make up my mind, I adamantly shake my head in disagreement.

I hold out my hand, and the ground beneath us begins to rumble. The red rift forms, and my sword is spat out of the ground. I grab it and hold it at the ready.

"…I-It's up to me, r-right?" I say. Except my body is shaking. "…T-There's not much you can do with your vow of non-violence… S-So I'll… I'll…"

"How did you—" Lasula pauses. But soon after, I find that she puts a hand on top of my head.

"H-Hey, what's that for—?" I spout.

"You forget the extent of my vow," she says. Turning to her… she has a smile on her face. But it's a different kinda smile. More… determined. "…My vow extends only to humans. I have no patience for twisted creatures born of nature's rot."

The ground ruptures underneath several of the basilisks and massive stone rods spring from the ground, skewering them from below. Lasula then quickly shifts to the opposite side and holds up two fingers, causing a segment of the ground to pull free and float into the air. She then balls her hand into a fist and throws her arm back, causing the mass to suddenly barrel into four or five more. And with this… they all charge in unison.

Lasula circles around us, casting rapid enchantments that slice up the monsters as quickly as they can converge. I can't even tell what's going on. It's like she's able to see in every direction at once. By the time I realize that they've snuck up behind me, Lasula is already there to dispatch them.

I try my best to keep the unarmed Lyra between Lasula and I… but at this point, I don't think there's anything I could do even if they get past Lasula. I've never hit anything with my sword, much less a living creature. And as they're cut down, more and more only appear from the forest to replace them.

"L-Lasula— Isn't there something… bigger you could do—?" I call. "S-Something that could take down a lot of them at once—?"

"If I did something like that, I would risk harming the both of you as well!" she responds.

"T-Then… Then…" I pause. "Oh, got it! If you can get me an opening, I run with Lyra on my back! P-Pretty sure I can outrun these things, anyways…!"

Lasula briefly glances back. She takes out another basilisk with a bolt of magic that I can barely see.

"…The basilisk reinforcements will be hiding in a group just beyond our visibility," she says. "I will make a path for you towards the prairie exactly to the northwest. I will then create a widespread attack. You must be at least twenty yards away by the time I begin… or you will be swallowed by it."

"Twenty yards… I can do that," I nod, kneeling down. "Lyra… Climb onto my pack. And hold on tight."

She does as I say, and wraps her arms tightly around my neck. I stand upright again.

"Alright, ready when you—" I begin.

"One thing first," Lasula says between kills. "Some of them may follow you. If you do this, you must be prepared to fight any that might evade my range."

"…Y-Yeah… But I mean, what's one or two of them when I've got my sword…?"

"…Then when you are ready," she nods.