Torvald had dropped a wind bomb.
"Shit!" Nico cursed.
He was unable to get a hold of himself. He landed hard on his back and began rolling down the mountain until he got stopped by a sturdy tree.
Nico winced.
He placed his hands on the part of his stomach that had impacted with the tree trunk. Nico could sense that his ribs were broken.
"Shit!" He cursed again and slowly sat up using the tree trunk as support.
He let out a deep sigh and relaxed his head on the tree. Thoughts of his mother began to crawl into his head. Would she be proud of this step he'd taken? Was vengeance really the best choice?
A thin line of tears ran down his cheeks. He quickly cleaned his face. Now wasn't the time to think about this. Going back up to the cabin would only fuel the flames. Staying out here on the other hand wasn't a great idea either.
'Mom! What should I do?'
Nico stretched forth his hands hoping someone would just come grab him out of this place.
That's right, he's all alone now.
Nico's vision soon started becoming blurry and despite how much the boy tried to fight the urge, he still fell unconscious.
The forest became quiet again. The only audible sound was the sound of rustling leaves and cooing doves.
TZZZZ!!
The sizzling began.
A strange blue aura enveloped Nico where he sat. He was still unconscious. The sizzling became louder and the range of the aura increased.
Then it stopped all of a sudden, extinguishing almost immediately.
—
Torvald stood at the edge of the mountain staring down, hoping to see Nico arrive. The day was slowly becoming darker and the lad had not made any appearance. Did he get lost?
Torvald began to question himself. Was the wind bomb a little too much? Even though the kid was an astounding one, the wind bomb felt unnecessary.
Or did he engage spirit beasts already?
These questions raced through Torvald's mind. He became restless, changing spots at intervals. After waiting till it got dark, Torvald decided to call it a night.
He decided to look for the boy by morning.
–
Where Nico lay, someone approached. Her step, graceful. From her stature, she looked the same age as him. Her demeanor was plain and pure.
Her steps crunched the dried leaves on the ground. Her hair, off-white with grace, braided twice on either side of her head. Her outfit, a white gown with amazing embroidery on the neck.
A scar below her jaw, not fully healed.
She treaded carefully towards Nico so as not to wake him up. When she got close enough to him, she knelt down and stretched her arm towards Nico's face.
Her scent, cinnamon. A familiar scent!
"Eleanor!" Nico yelled from his sleep and leaned forwards until his face was only inches from hers and the morning sun cast its radiance on Nico's face.
The girl raised her brow in awe, her cheeks reddening immediately.
"Eleanor?" Her young timid voice asked.
Nico's gaze slowly crawled from surprise to indifference. His blue irises glowing faintly. His brows straight, his eyes arched into dagger-like shapes staring coldly into the girl's soul. Her eyes became round in fear.
"What are you?" A cold hoarse voice escaped Nico's throat.
The girl was drenched in terror and she quickly stood up on her feet and began to sprint away from him.
Nico's expression was a mixture of shock, amazement and surprise. Her reaction was quite unprecedented. He stood up and placed his palm on his stomach. It didn't hurt.
Nico began to trace the path he'd seen Torvald take. As he walked he began to wonder why the girl earlier smelled like his sister.
"Eleanor, where are you?" Nico whispered under his breath.
Then he began to hear silent sobs from afar. He was going to ignore it but as he proceeded, it began to pique his interest. He carefully traced the sound amidst proceeding with caution.
Nico came to halt after he found the source. The girl from earlier. She sat on the floor with her back resting on the trunk of a tree. She wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her face in them.
"What's your problem?" He rolled his eyes.
"What are you doing in the forest all alone."
The girl raised her head, her face puffy and red from crying a lot. She stood up slowly and rubbed her face with the back of her arm.
Nico tilted his head giving her a pitiful glance and then he realized he wasn't being a good big brother. The girl was just about his age, maybe younger.
"I'm lost too–" Nico started in a nicer tone.
"I'd try to find my way. Do you want to tag along?" He asked and offered her his hand. She was reluctant at first but it seemed she had no choice.
Nico held her hand tightly and slowly began to navigate his way through the thick forests hoping to find any hospitable sight.
They walked for minutes and it felt like they were walking in circles– although only Nico noticed. He didn't show any signs of weakness as that would only put fear in the heart of the girl.
"You survived?!" That voice was a familiar one.
"Mr. Torvald!" Nico called and raised his head towards the direction he'd heard Torvald's voice.
Torvald stood, perched on the branch of a tall tree looking down graciously at the kids. Nico wondered how the branch didn't snap despite supporting the weight of Torvald.
Torvald narrowed his gaze to the girl Nico was holding. He admired her demeanor and with one glance, he could already tell she was from a noble family. Torvald sighed.
An attention he'd tried avoiding.
Suddenly, Torvald vanished. Momentarily reappearing behind the kids who only noticed he was gone after he'd put his hands on their shoulders.
Nico's eyes slowly widened. He's fast!