"Is she really not here yet...?"
Midas frowned dimly as he shook his head at Jevaila's concerned question. Four days have passed since she woke up from her coma—the fact she stood alone with him clearly showed how much Skye had meant to her; where she might be currently must have been on her mind for quite a while now. Realizing this caused a lump to form in the youth's throat; seeing her glancing to her side and out of the roof with an equally noticeable frown gave him the push he needed to finally set off to his last destination.
"Listen, we know that she is currently at the Eau'Troi academy... if we manage to get enlisted in there, then we might be able to free her from the commander's son. We became quite the group during our stay at this university, and we might be able to take advantage of our numbers."
"So... you mean we will forcefully bring her to us...?"
The youth parted his lips, halting before answering as her expression didn't change at the information—rather than lighting up at the naming of the academy, her eyes seemed to rather dim at the implication Midas made. Sighing just flat enough for her not to notice, the youth turned to the same window she glanced through—his brows stern to think about the words he would tell her.
"I currently don't see any other option but forcing the boy who is keeping her by her side to cooperate... I have seen him rob Skye of her freedom multiple times now, and her own expression made clear that she would rather not stay beside him. We tried to avoid combat, but especially after he drew Patriq and Jakal into this—I quite frankly don't think he deserves anything else but direct confrontation."
"You almost sound like him... ever since I woke up, I can't shake the feeling that my own brother feels somewhat foreign to me—as if something had altered him while I was sleeping. His eyes have somehow lost their determination, and nowadays, he follows me everywhere I go. The both of you... I'm really thankful to you, but I'm beginning to think that I missed out on things—perhaps something that happened on your trip to get my medicine."
Looking down at her vulnerable glint, able to catch it before she sunk her eyes completely onto the washed-out tiled floor, Midas was forced to remind himself in what a condition he had found Javelin in—even though only separated for what really were three days, his friends' mental state was completely shattered once they found him. For a short moment, the youth's head had turned blank as Javelin had suddenly given up at rescuing his sister—only able to somewhat stabilize him while blurting out whateverwas on his mind during the stress of getting attacked by Waterkingdom troops.
"Truth is, I only was able to catch up to him after he changed—there were a lot of things that happened, so give him time to calm himself again. He was the one that wanted to set off right to the plant kingdom after Avalon announced that your survival chances are barely predictable."
Unable to form a smile, Midas nodded softly at her while his brows relaxed again—a weak encouragement the youth tried to bring to her, as the only one who really knows what happened during his imprisonment was Javelin himself. Losing himself in the shimmer of the painted glass that bit by bit formed the elongated window—its fractions coming together and varying in size, shape, and color—the youth was dimly able to make out the silhouettes of the long, slim towers that ranged over the roofs of the nearby town.
"Midas...! Are you going to finally come over, or not...?"
Suddenly hearing a shout through the empty walkway, both Jevailas's and Midas's eyes lit up in surprise as they looked at Haya approaching them—his knuckles hid behind leather gloves, now equipped with a shortsword on his belt and chainmail around his torso. The burn marks on his exposed forearms are still visible; his blue shirt is sleeveless.
"Oh, am I interrupting something here...?"
"No, don't worry, Jevaila, I will definitely search for Skye, but there are still two things I have to do at all costs before I can do so... until then, simply wait and keep an eye on Javelin for me."
Nodding at each other one last time to say a quiet goodbye, Midas turned his back to Jevaila—leaving with Haya to wander through the gate and towards Cascrender. The plain grass fields and the bordering forest that enveloped the university grounds had already burnt into Midas's head; he had almost spent half a Trestempo in the water kingdom now. The streets of the town already began to quiet; only spare barrels and wooden frames of market stands and crates lay around the cobblestone-riddled streets that made their way through the stone bases of the many houses around them.
Entering through the door Haya had opened for him, Midas finally entered Graf's residence for what most likely would be the last time. On a hasty decision made by Midas, they were able to accommodate Uteli under the old man's roof—not being able to bring her to the dorms since she wasn't an attendee at the university. Seeing her sit beside Fudula at the campfire, her legs put up as her arms wrapped around herself—balling up with the young girl at her side. Upon entering, she quickly raised her head up at Midas, standing up as if she awaited some kind of order.
Seeing her stand awkwardly in front of him, Midas shook his head, planting himself down onto one of the tables as he waited for Graf to return from the backyard. Haya found his place beside Inaya as the two of them were busy meddling with the aged cookware in the kitchen. Uteli eventually made her way to sit herself beside him, her fingers tracing along the engraved patterns of her axe's head. After a quiet moment, the old driver eventually showed up—dimly surprised to see all of them arrive so suddenly to claim their respective part of the room.
"May we speak for a moment...?"
Midas had to get some info before he would set out again; his biggest problem at the moment was finding the right route to head to Cle'Phoria—actually arriving there forced him to either go through the wide-spreading plains in the middle of the water kingdom or the somewhat shorter path leading through the mountains. Tale or not, the youth couldn't afford running into dragons or anything similar to them on his way there—which is why Graf's opinion on the matter meant so much to the youth.
"You look serious..."
"Yes, I think it's time I go back to the desert—I still have some business there that I have to take care of..."
Halting slightly at the youth's words, Graf eventually sat down on the opposite side of the table, mustering the stern gaze of the boy in front of him with a thoughtful expression. The salesman knew this child came from the northern fort—which made the fact he wanted to return to the same ransacked prison all the more puzzling to him. Massaging his wrinkled forehead slowly, the bald man tried to think of the best possible answer—interrupted before he could muster an answer.
"However, before I can truly go there, I need to meet someone who lives on the east coast of the water kingdom—Alma has a brother that resides there; I have to get in touch with him to understand how I'm able to stop the sandstorm."
"So that was the reason you wanted to come with me... the East Coast, you said? Where exactly...?"
"The town's name is Cle'Phoria... I don't know its exact location..."
Having already planned to bring Haya and Inaya to the capital himself, the old man murmured to himself in thought as his fingers glided softly through his chin beard, mapping out the best location in which he would be able to drop the child off on his way to the vaguely familiar town. Not directly passing it, as the capital lay close to the large mountains up north, Graf would have to make a major turn if he wanted to bring the youth himself there.
Not taking long to think, Graf opened his eyes again—forced to recommend a mountain path, as it provided the most direct way to the eastern gulf on which the town lay. Choosing the long path that led through the open fields of the central plain was simply not worth the time—especially since the youth planned to span the entire distance from the shores of the east to the northern desert, having to cross rugged terrain no matter what way he chose since the youth plans to cross the border.
"The only path I could recommend is a hiking path, which is frequently climbed to pass through the crown of the mountains in the center of the kingdom—that's your most efficient way of getting to the east. However, if you really plan on going there, I firmly adviseyou to use a transport service or join a group that knows their way around there—who knows what you might encounter on your way through that snowy region..."
"So the saying of dragons residing there is real...?"
Hearing the boy mutter, Graf raised his shoulders—shrugging, as he knew as little as Midas did. Uteli watched with widened eyes, eventually grasping the implication that the youth would take on the path on his own. Something she had tried herself once she was forcibly separated from her own parents in the far north—her journey having her end up in the middle of the Luvious forest as an orphan. Clinging onto the wooden shaft of her axe just a bit tighter, Uteli looked at the bald driver again—able to see that Midas simply sat there, his face stern but his limbs awfully still.
"There is a town named Centour that is set in roughly the center of the middle plains; once you're there, I'm sure you can just take a ride through these mountains. I don't mind paying for it if it really helps you. I don't know, Alma, but I'm sure whateverhe entrusted you with is important—and if you really have a solution for the sandstorm, then I'm willing to lend you a bit of my earnings..."
Midas's stern expression softened slightly, almost bowing as he stood up from his stool, making the old man scratch the back of his head—the youth straightened his back, his body forcing him to yawn. Gently giggling beside him, Uteli glanced out of the window—her own reflection lit up dimly by the candles lit on the table, the outside barely musterable in the dark. Forming a playful grin, Uteli grasped Midas's wrist, gently pulling onto him to follow as his other hand grasped her axe, dragging both of them up the stairs.
"Don't worry... get some rest; you'll need it. I'm sure Avalon will handle the rest when it comes to your seat in the academy you're headed to."
Haya looked after Midas as he was dragged upstairs, giggling at the sight before turning to Inaya to help her chop some vegetables. Eventually catching up to her pace, Midas felt her grasp tighten on his left wrist—glancing at her scattered strands of hair as she opened up one of the many wooden doors of the hallway, he saw a dusty table and a wooden bed in front of him. Leaning her axe against the tiny table, Uteli reluctantly released Midas's wrist, turning away from him to blow out the candle, shutting the door as the two of them stood inside the room.
"Might as well take the offer..."
Muttering to himself, as the youth felt too tired to head the same distance back again to his dorm, Midas slipped out of his shoes, undoing his blue blazer and tie. Reluctant to pull his pants or shirt off, he lay under the blanket—only able to hear distant rustling from the darkness in which Uteli currently lingered. Lying on his side, the youth made sure to keep enough space for her on the mattress, the dim light of the moon his only way to tell how much space for her there was.
Still feeling unsure about what he was doing, the youth practically lay on the edge of the bed, his back turned to the other half of it as he felt the soft ground on which his back and head rested slightly dip—announcing that Uteli now lay beside him. Forcing his eyes to shut, Midas brought his bandaged arm up to his chin as he lay there, his other hand covering the rune half-mindedly. Able to feel movement behind him, it sent shivers down his spine as everything around them seemed to quiet down completely.
Regretting his choice, Midas completely froze as he felt someone's breath glide along his neck—an arm eventually wrapping around his stomach as Utelis's body pressed against his back. Clenching his teeth, the youth felt Utelis's hair ghost over his ear as her head rested shortly on top of his, making her chin graze his neck. The only sound in the room was her breath, as she clung onto him almost painfully—catching air became harder as her other arm secured him further onto her by wrapping around his neck, almost choking him.
"When you go to the north... you always have to share your warmth to make sure no one freezes in the night... It's important you know that when we go there..."
In a soft tone, Uteli muttered against his neck, making the youth's back stiffen even more as she lectured him sleepily. Feeling her eventually calm down completely, Midas was kept awake by the sound of her gentle breathing—a long night was ahead of him, as he forced himself to hopefully fall asleep just like she did.