"Man, that sure was terrifying!"
"Those beasts came out of nowhere."
"They are gone now!"
"Finally we can rest in ease."
"I hope we are safe now."
"The thought of waking up to a beast next to me sends shivers down my spine."
Chatter echoed, laughter followed. The camp had come back to life and the fireplace was brimming with vigor.
Edith heard everything. He was sitting there as well. Soaked in water, trying to warm himself up.
The blood had grime covering him had been washed away, leaving only the stains that his shirt didn't want to let go of.
A frown was on his face but he could do nothing to prevent thee chatter responsible for it.
A gentle, happy voice echoed, "Don't be too angry on them, Ed."
"They are just trying to lighten up the mood. They are doing this for your sake too."
Helix continued in his gentle voice. He made sure to not agitate his friend. The boy was already put on the edge, both by the beasts as well as what happened afterwards, after all.
Edith turned to look at him, the frown disappearing from his face. He cast a deep look at his friend then sighed, as if a huge burden had been lifted of his chest, his breath finally returning to him.
He heard some footsteps, dry leaves rustling under their might. He along with Helix turned theirs heads, almost at the same time, only to see Selena, the green haired girl com to them.
Helix exchanged looks with the pair and silently withdrew, giving the two the time they needed.
Another sound of footsteps echoed in Edith's ears as he saw his friend leaving. Turning his gaze to Selena again, he saw the girl walking shyly. A hint of reluctance could be seen in her demeanor.
Still though, the girl did not stop. Edith saw her stand in front of him, staying still for several breaths.
The girl's breathing was rough, gradually turning calm. Edith heard her say, "I'm sorry."
For a moment, he was unable to make sense of what she was saying. Questions like "What?", "Sorry?", "What happened?" flooded his mind before he was reminded of what had happened before.
Apparently, pushing Edith had been weighing heavy on the girl's heart as well.
'She was really angry at my bloody appearance before Ren. And that was only for Ren's sake. Since the beginning she has been staying with Ren, becoming a comfort for her. I should be grateful to her. Ren spent a good deal of time with mother, I...cannot replace her. I should be more thankful to this girl.'
He gestured for her to sit next to him as he continued.
"It was my fault. I should have been more careful."
"I should thank you instead. If not for you, I would not have even realised what wrong I was in. So, thank you for that."
'and thank you for everything else too.'
He saw fiddle with her fingers and then said, "Don't be worried about Ren, she'll be fine."
"Yeah, I wanted to tell you that too. Ren's fine. So you don't need to worry too much. Her breathing has become calm and her heart has returned normal. When she wakes up tomorrow, we'll just tell her it was all a dream."
Edith was stunned for a moment. He did not know this crafty side of the girl. This was his first time seeing her like this.
"That's a relief. We'll tell her there was a beast during my sparring, but that was taken care of by someone else. I did nothing."
"Okay, that would be great."
"Go to sleep now. I'll be doing guard duty for the night."
Eduth got up as he said those words. She followed him with her eyes. Seeing the boy join up with his friend, she smiled too.
***
[Name: Edith Wane]
[The First Marker if a successful Ritual.]
[Age: 15]
[Stage: 2 (Progress: 100%), 3(Progress: 5%)]
[Complete the Ritual as the First Marker.]
Edith's eyes regained focus. He said to the captain, "Captain, I want to be on guard duty tonight. I can't calm my nerves."
He saw the man's gaze size him up as the latter's voice soon followed, "Sure. Helix is gonna be up as well. Might as well there be two of you."
"Thank you captain!"
***
Edith took a spot looking at the caravan that was gradually retreating into sleep. The loud chatter and noise that had been echoing throughout the forest came to a gradual end too.
The forest regained its sacred silence. The crackling of firewood and the cawing of the birds above, singing a choir to its eerie lonesome.
Edith alternated from spot to spot, both to do his duty as well as to calm his nerves. He checked the "scroll" multiple times too seeing the condensation which he had always heard about in action.
His immersion which helped him in a breakthrough was fading away and so was the progress he had made as a result.
He summoned the scroll again to look at the information it gave. His attention directed to the section about his Stage.
[Stage: 2 (Progress: 34%)]
'I can atleast see my progress.'
His gaze turned wistful as his eyes became teary. He was glad that Helix and others had been scattered around the camp, guarding different places.
This gave him the chance to shed tears he had been suppressing all this time.
Muffled sobs, which only Edith could hear, spread through the forest. His face contorted as tears flew down his face.
His cheeks became wet and as a salty taste spread through his mouth.
The loss of his parents, his friends, Hours, Carla, Rinnie and everyone else, the burden of caring for Ren alone had all been weighing in him for a while now.
The tears he shed only strengthened his resolve, he became more firm in his determination to protect his sister.
His nerves calmed down as clarity returned to his mind.
"So, what if I'm alone? I'll bear everything I have to for her sake. I swear, from now onwards, nothing will break me, only I will break everything that comes my way. I swear upon my entire being, I won't ever falter."
He wiped his tears, a flame of resolve now burning in his eyes. He could feel his blood rush through his body, strengthening him and giving him confidence.
As if celebrating the light that emerged in his heart, his surroundings lit up too, a sign of the the approaching sunrise.