Sunlight shined through the ceiling made of leaves, casting spotted shadows and light upon the forest floor. The brothers were currently carefully weaving their path, avoiding mud and areas with dry shrubbery, lest they leave tracks their pursuers could follow. Birdsong rang through the forest and the chirps of various insects accompanied them. In the distance, they would occasionally hear the growl or howl of some wild beast. Now that they had left humanity's territories, the chance of them encountering wild beasts would only increase.
Telamon turned to his brother, breaking the silence between the two. "I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier. I got too worked up and didn't think anymore." Herodotos nodded, a crestfallen expression covering his face. "Don't worry, I understand how you feel. I myself don't even know exactly why I'm so insistent on going west, but I feel like we must." Telamon furrowed his brows. "Why do you feel like that?" Herdotos showed a pained expression, before answering. "Ever since we... killed Troy, I have felt this pull." Herodotos whispered the word 'kill' so quietly, that Telamon almost couldn't hear it. Even so, once he processed what his brother said, he couldn't help but feel his heartbeat quicken and his vision narrow, an electric feeling coursing through his body, leaving his muscles trembling with tension.
Herodotos continued with his narration. "At first I thought that it was pointing us towards Synoror, but once we arrived, the direction didn't change. As I said, I don't understand why or how this works, but I know, that we must head west." Telamon let out a light groan and massaged his temples. Even so, the two brothers never stopped walking, they had to gain as much distance from their pursuers as possible. "You said that this started when I... killed him? Did something special happen then?" Telamon struggled to utter the words, yet he resolved himself not to hide from the truth.
Herodotos glanced at the sky while squinting his eyes, searching his memories. A shadow of fear crawled up the back of his spine, but he persisted. The memories were hazy as if they had happened a long time ago. He remembered only flashes, the feeling of the grass beneath him, the sounds of struggle coming before him, him holding Troy down, Telamon's form as he stood over Troy, and of course, the scent of red. It was overwhelming, blocking out every other memory, invading his thoughts and mind. The scent stuck to everything, his clothes, his hands, even his mind and soul were not spared from the insidious smell. Herodotos felt it overwhelm him, his entire being drowning in the scent- when suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Herodotos looked up and saw his brother crouching on the floor next to him, placing a gentle hand upon him. "Calm down, it's ok. I'm here with you." Herodotos was unsure as to how he had ended up on the ground and why his brother was comforting him. He gazed at his brother in confusion and only then realized how fast his heart was breathing and how quickly and shallow his breaths had become. He closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. He leaned forward and fell into his brother's embrace, his presence comforting him and giving him strength.
Feidi slumped at her desk, a tired sigh escaping from her lips. Sprawled across her desk were various wax tablets, containing reports, requests, and other documents that required her attention. Running a city and its neighboring villages wasn't easy, and something always needed her attention. Usually, her husband would handle all the bothersome work, but sadly at the moment he wasn't here to help her with the administrative work. If she had known that things would get so chaotic, then she would never have let him take his admittedly well-deserved vacation trip.
Feidi scanned the tablets, her eyes flitting across the symbols etched into the wax. A village in the northwest had spotted a pack of winged wolves threatening some of their roads and forestry areas. Already two villagers had gone missing. She made a note to delegate this matter to the captain of the lizard riders. The next tablet contained an order of Her Majesty, to import new domesticated animals called sheep, to test whether they could withstand the southern climate. Feidi was familiar with the animal as the provider of wool, a relatively new material most used in weaving clothes. Ever since the Queen had ascended the throne, she had been aggressively expanding human territory, often leaving small pockets of untamed wilds within claimed human space. This caused problems to crop up, such as the pack of winged beasts stalking humans within humanity's territory.
She decided to delegate the task of importing the sheep to the general advisor, who would probably in turn delegate it to the inner advisor of agricultural affairs, who usually dealt with crop yields. Feidi sifted through the next few tablets, reading reports on the growth of newly founded villages and their projected crop yield this year. This allowed her advisors to calculate how much tax she should expect to receive this year. Once she knew that number, she could then start on deciding how many resources to allocate to which task and organization, to maximize growth within her territories and still be able to contribute a certain amount to the Queen. Offerings to God and Minsol should also be considered and- Another weary sigh resounded within the study of Victoria's city lord.
Feidi placed her arms on her desk and lay her head over them, breathing deeply. While her head was still placed on the desk, her eyes glanced over to a particular tablet placed on her desk. Picking it up, she read the contents of the report for the fourth time today. The report detailed the information gathered from Dolo and Paeon. She had authorized the captain of the lizard riders to use any means necessary, to find out where the son of the heretic couple was hiding. This tablet contained the information that Dolo gave after being 'persuaded' for a long time. She would have loved to do the deed herself, however, as city lord, she owed an obligation to her people and God, to fulfill her duties. She did however spend any free time she had down in the dungeons. Glum satisfaction spread within her heart as she remembered, though it did little to quell the hatred she felt for the two brothers who had escaped her grasp. A vicious smile spread across her face, as she imagined the divine retribution she would bestow upon the heretics once she would get her hands upon them. Of course only after finishing her administrative tasks.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"You saw his... soul? And it got sucked into the ground and whisked away. Ever since then, you have been feeling this tug within you. Is that correct?" Herodotos nodded his head without adding another word. After he had calmed down, they continued marching while he explained the strange phenomenon that he observed shortly after the merchant died. "Hmm. That is truly bizarre. I don't remember father mentioning something like those invisible roots in any of his stories, so it implies one of three things." Herodotos tilted his head in question, amazed at his brother already being able to deduce something from so little input.
"First, it could mean that this is an entirely new phenomenon, which has only started appearing in the last decade or so. Second, it could potentially mean that it's incredibly rare and you just happened to be so lucky as to see it happen, or third, it could have something to do with you specifically, either as a descendent of Minsol or otherwise." Herodotos nodded his head, impressed at his brother's deductive abilities. "I don't know why, but I feel like I'm being guided to someplace, and I think that it's the same place the soul was brought to." Telamon scratched his chin, feeling the developing stubble, a result of spending days on end in the wilderness. "Could be."
Suddenly, Telamon halted in his tracks while stilling. "Something's wrong." Following his brother's lead, Herodotos froze, glancing left and right, trying to discern what had alerted his brother. After being unable to see anything, even after following his brother's gaze, which was staring into the distance, he listened, trying to pick out the sound that might have alerted him, and yet he heard nothing. Absolutely nothing. A chill ran down Herodotos' spine, as he realized that all the natural sounds he had come to expect from a forest had ceased. No birds chirping, no insects buzzing. The only sounds he heard, were the light whistling of the wind and the breath circulating within his lungs.
The trees were just as green, the sky just as blue and the sunlight just as warm, yet with his previous realization, the forest took on a sinister atmosphere, that deeply unsettled the brothers. Telamon exchanged a glance with Herodotos, and seeing the recognition within his eyes, placed one pointer finger to his lips while gesturing with his other hand in a kind of waving motion aimed at the ground. Herodotos nodded and crouched, while silently stalking forward amidst the silent trees.
The brothers prowled their way through the forest, moving slowly but silently, taking great care, to place their steps lightly. This world had many dangers, especially within the unexplored western wilderness. The main and official reason why the Queen sent out so many expeditions into the west, was to search for the holy temple, that had supposedly disappeared in this direction, but another reason was to map out the edges of the human territories, to continue their expansion across the world.
With nonsensical thoughts bouncing in his mind, Telamon took another step, ensuring he wouldn't step upon a branch or another piece of foliage, that might alert any predators nearby. While Herodotos was a descendant of Minsol, it didn't mean that he was invincible within this world. Especially as it grew to become more and more unpredictable. There were plenty of wild beasts and other monsters, who could, if caught unaware, injure or even kill an ability wielder, never mind a mere mortal like him. Telamon gritted his teeth at that thought and took out his knife with a white-knuckled grip.
His eyes scanned from side to side, ensuring nothing escaped his attentive gaze. They were scaling a small hill, and soon they would crest the top, allowing them to see behind it. From the geography of the surrounding hills, Telamon could already guess, that what they were approaching was a natural basin. The hair upon his neck stood straight up, and he instinctively felt, that something terrible was located at the bottom of the basin. Slowly the brothers crested the top of the hill, catching their first glance down into the earthen bowl.
At first, Telamon couldn't make out anything, as the trees and forest foliage covered much of his view. After shifting positions, his pulse quickened to get a better view and he had to stop himself from gasping. Located at the bottom of the basin, coiled around itself was a creature the brothers were most familiar with. Their father had told them stories of his earlier life, and this story was one that they had heard countless times, one of the few their father spoke of with pride. Before them, curled in a deep sleep, was what appeared to be a large lizard, matching the description their father had given them, however, there were two key differences. The first was that the brown scales of the creature were covered in long gashes with fresh wounds covering the entirety of its body. The second main difference was the large pair of wings covering parts of its upper torso, and on which it had placed its head, eyelids closed and breath steady. A branch suddenly snapped behind them, and turning around, the brothers saw two dozen hunters and guards surrounding them, while Aster and Lexia were only a few paces behind them.
