Days quickly passed with Astel unable to learn a single rune, much less grasp Monte's intentions. At some point he did realize he was supposed to be learning, but it felt like there was some sort of barrier preventing him from doing so.
Time wasn't wasted, however, as the two became practically inseparable. Each day they performed a simple routine: in the morning, or whenever they woke up, they filled their bellies, after which they dedicated most of their time to the silly game of write and point before going back to bed.
After so long, Astel even began feeling nostalgic about his time in the desert. He thought of his own little cave when he first arrived, of the small water fountain, of his first bite of food, and, of course, the stalker. He shuddered at the thought of the bright amber eyes staring directly at him.
'What's wrong with this guy? Did he give up?'
Monte waved his arms at Astel, desperately trying to make him focus back on the symbol he had painstakingly carved into the soft stone ground.
Then they both heard a loud noise, which Monte immediately recognized as Felix's call.
'Well, that's the end of this, I guess. Let's go, kid.'
Monte threw away his little stick and ran toward the exit without so much as looking back. He climbed up the not-so-tall wall, squeezed into a small crack, and disappeared for a few moments. With a quiet click, the sliding stone door began to open.
Finally noticing what was happening, Astel stood and walked slowly to the door.
"Hey, ferret, where are we going? I was just starting to enjoy myself here."
Monte quickly passed through the open door and up Astel's body, wrapping himself around his neck and pointing his little feet into the dark corridor.
"You want us to go outside?" Astel said in a higher pitch, like talking to a baby, but inside he was starting to feel nervous. Although he knew his new friend didn't mean any harm, he had a weird feeling that something bad was going to happen.
Reaching the end of the hallway, they slowly entered the golden glow of the setting sun, both covering their eyes from the direct light.
'There you are, Monte. I was starting to worry you wouldn't co—'
Felix stopped before he could finish, completely stumped.
'He's alive?' he asked, unable to hide his excitement.
Flying in from behind, he landed on Astel's head, startling him.
"Oh, it's just you, Felix." He sounded calm, but his heart had already skipped several beats. "I wasn't sure you made it out, but I'm glad to see you doing well."
'I'm pleasantly surprised as well,' Felix answered, the words not reaching Astel.
"Felix?" he asked, confused as to why he couldn't hear his voice.
'Dammit. I thought I gave him enough for a few years. How is he already out?'
Felix turned his attention to Monte. 'Where did you find him?'
Monte scratched his head. 'Near the ravine.'
'When?' Felix pressed further.
'Well, I wasn't really sure he was the guy you were looking for, so I just watched him for a few days.'
Felix cut him off. 'Did you see how he got there?'
Monte shook his head as Felix fell deep into thought.
'Was he caught by the basilisks after I escaped? No, that would be impossible. The queen wouldn't let him go. She would use him against me… Wait, there was that one flying idiot who went after him.' He shook his head. 'No, he would've eaten him. Then the centipede king?' This time he frowned. 'No way am I believing that empty-headed excuse for a ruler would save a random kid.'
Minutes passed, but amidst all his thoughts he never even considered the possibility that Astel would survive the ravine by himself, when Astel suddenly coughed, trying to get Felix's attention.
"Are you not going to speak to me? I don't even know what happened to you after I fell down there."
In that moment, Felix froze.
'Don't tell me he was serious and actually climbed down the ravine… Monte, go on, ask him about it.'
Monte shot him a mean, tired look. 'I can't. He doesn't know how to listen, much less speak.'
'Then how did you talk to him until now? You two seem like good enough friends, considering you're all wrapped around him.'
Realizing what he was doing, Monte climbed down Astel's body and instead climbed up the pile of rocks covering the now-closed entrance.
'We're just… likeminded.'
Astel shivered, a chill running down his body.
'Likeminded, huh?' Felix wasn't convinced.
'We shouldn't stay here long. Come,' Felix continued after a short pause, eyeing Astel from top to bottom.
His figure was much thinner than when he last saw him, and even then, he had looked too thin to be considered healthy. His cheeks were hollow, his ribs showing through his tattered, dirty clothes.
'I don't get why he still wears those things,' he huffed, turning his head and taking off deeper into the tall forest.
Monte waved his arms at Astel before darting off to follow his feathered friend. Astel watched as both of them took off with unnatural speed.
"Where are they going now?" he complained out loud.
He seriously contemplated whether he could even catch up. He glanced at his leg. The image of his bone sticking out was deeply engraved in his mind. Shaking his head, he placed one foot in front of the other and pushed himself into a sprint. Not yet trusting his healed body, he didn't push himself too much, but because of that, he found himself lagging far behind his companions. His breaths were long and ragged; his heartbeat had an irregular rhythm. Astel wished he could slow down, but then he would lose sight of them. Even now, he was just barely keeping up.
'Shouldn't we slow down more? He'll lose sight of us soon,' Monte suggested.
Felix glanced back at the struggling boy and shook his head. 'He'll be fine. Besides, we can't slow down too much.'
Monte frowned. 'Where are we even going that we need to hurry so much?'
Felix smirked. 'To dethrone a king, of course.'
Far behind them, Astel finally managed to get a hold of his breathing, but there were still more problems. Aside from his legs searing with pain, his heart hadn't stopped beating differently. It was less noticeable when he was staying still, but now he truly felt that his blood was thicker, denser.
Then something squirmed beneath his ribs, gently wrapping itself around his heart.
Rather than painful, it felt like a warm embrace.
Without even noticing, blood flowed out of his mouth, dripping onto his already filthy robes. His breathing suddenly turned into a violent cough, bringing him to a full stop as he leaned against a nearby tree.
'Shit.'
He felt his consciousness begin to slip, more so with each passing second.
Until it didn't.
He took a deep breath, feeling air fill his lungs. Pressing his hand against his chest, he felt his heartbeat had returned to normal. After stumbling back to his feet, he felt like he could run a marathon.
'What is happening to me?'
He stared down at his body in disbelief when his stomach rumbled. He felt that it was a bit odd, since he had eaten just before leaving, but he waved it aside. After all, when had he not been hungry? Even he could tell he was impossibly thin.
Seeing Felix continuing to fly, he didn't wait any longer and continued moving.
Soon they all arrived at the edge of the forest, which stood on a tall cliff overlooking the barren wasteland below. Multiple large burrows stood out among the otherwise boring expanse, with only occasional movement disrupting the silence.
Astel had arrived a few minutes later than the others, who already looked like they were talking. Aside from the small magpie and his furry friend, there was also a mean-looking falcon holding a large chunk of deep red flesh, which looked like it had just been ripped off someone. Next to the falcon stood a tall basilisk with somehow an even meaner look. The sight of it made Astel's skin crawl, but he also noticed that the pressure wasn't as demanding as before. Perhaps they just looked mean but weren't much stronger than Felix, he thought.
'How strong even is Felix, anyway?'
He pondered, letting his eyes drift until he noticed something he never thought he'd see here.
His blood immediately started boiling when the sight of a vulture-looking creature entered his eyes. He knew it wasn't the same one as the Scavenger he had met before, but he couldn't help himself. Without even thinking, he guided his inner energy to try and summon his spear, taking a step forward.
Noticing this, Felix swooped in, trying to stop Astel.
Then their gazes finally met.
Almost immediately, Astel was overcome with the memories of his first encounter. His legs shook. He was stronger now, at least he felt so. Then why, why was he still feeling so much fear?
The vulture turned his head, seemingly unconcerned with the child anymore, like tossing away a toy he was no longer interested in.
'This bastard. I swear I'll kill him.'
Since the spear wasn't responding, he grabbed a sharp rock and resumed walking toward the vulture, completely ignoring Felix.
'What is this idiot doing?'
Felix landed on his shoulder, pecking at his face without any response. Shaking his head, he thought, 'Sorry for this,' before sticking his beak deep inside the back of Astel's neck.
Astel flinched, finally turning his attention to Felix.
"Hey, what the fuck, man?"
Then he felt something squirm deep inside; the pain brought him to one knee as he let go of the rock. Felix thrashed around with his long tongue while trickling his own energy inside Astel's head. Astel finally managed to push the bird off his shoulder, but it was too late. Whatever Felix wanted to do, he had already done.
'What the hell happened to you?' Felix asked, his strained voice appearing like a whisper in Astel's mind.
"Felix?" Astel asked, confused. All other thoughts disappeared.
'That's right,' he answered.
Tears slowly formed in Astel's eyes.
"It's really you, right?" He paused. "But how?"
Felix shook his head. 'Never mind that. Could you not attack our allies? Please.' He sounded more tired with each word.
Astel could feel something else squirming beneath his skin, slowly erasing the temporary connection between the two.
'I see how it is.' Felix shook his head. 'Astel, you'll have to do something for me, alright?'
Astel nodded without hesitation.
'I've injected some of my internal energy into your brain. Protect it and keep it safe from that thing inside you.'
Astel was stumped. Felix had invaded his mind without even asking, and now, without even saying sorry, he was asking him to protect it and keep it there? Who knew what that could do to someone? And how did he know about the parasite? Was he familiar with it? So many questions flooded Astel's mind.
'Please, Astel. Trust me.'
Astel stared at him for a moment, then swallowed his pride and guided his energy to block off the advance of the thing inside him.
The squirming didn't stop, however. Instead, it began to feed off Astel's already low reserves. He screamed out in pain.
Then, in a few moments, it stopped.
The thing inside him retreated, leaving Astel covered in sweat and exhausted.
"Felix?"
Silence filled the air. Just as he thought he had failed, a voice appeared in his head.
'Well done.'