I was half-asleep . Sunlight reached my eyes and the chirping of birds kept me awake . Zam was asleep , his chestnut hair covered his face . A total mess he was .
I'm not the one to talk . It was still cold. Not as much as yesterday's night though .
I took Zam's ribbon which had fallen loose from his hair.
I wonder how my family is doing back home..
Zam called out my name .
' Yeah ? '. I walked away to the lake as I gave the ribbon back to its rightful owner.
Zam got up dramatically . As he tied his hair a chuckle formed through his lips and he started sprouting some nonsense.
' If you look at me this much . Then people might misunderstand .'
' You should start your morning by washing your face not by sprouting nonsense .'
I said as I jumped into the water.
We bathed and started our journey to the lingering flame that was enough to burn a kingdom .
Roxinbey.
Merchants who carried pride and noble women who wore jewels far more valuable than humans filled the busy street's of the Noble City.
I stopped.
In front of me was a store filled with potions and poisons .
' Anything you need , dear customer ? .'
A middle-aged woman greeted us.
They showed me the potions and poisons. I took what i needed. Quite expensive. I sighed. Still had to pay.
We walked further and further. Roxinbey was out of sight but the freezy cold was slowly decreasing.
' Brian , what do you say ? Should we ride a carriage ? .' He seemed exhausted . I could feel my thighs . Sweat dripped from my forehead .
' Yeah. we should .'
We waited and waited for a carriage to pass by. One carriage came but as we were about to get in , A noble lady arrived and we had to back off.
Rediculous class divisions!
As if he read my mind Zam replied ' Still we can't do anything that will draw in attention .'
' Yeah. You finally said something that makes sense.'
He laughed ' I have great common sense . It's just that I act like an idiot so you can shine.'
'Yeah. Right.' I pretended to agree but he was indeed one of the most intelligent people I have met.
A carriage was passing by and we got in.
It was old and dump. The smell of sweat was all over here.
I took of my hood . Poured the potion I bought into my eyes . It hurt . But I endured .
I had to.
Finally I looked at myself . The carriage window was broken and dusty..maybe that's why it reflected me so vividly .
My crimson iris had changed color and were now dark brown .
Zam opened his mouth as if to annoy me
' You look extremely ordinary now .'
But it didn't annoy me . Because being ordinary is sometimes a blessing in disguise .
My hood was back on my head . It no longer had to cover my bloody eyes .
The coachman stopped . He ate his breakfast . Bread . He was kind enough to share it with us.
Zam asked him how longer it takes to reach Roxinbey.
' Its getting hotter here . Its near .' he smiled at us . The carriage moved forward . My life was moving forward...But not my deeds.
The sun was shining brightly . It was so unfitting for the season of Gamelion . Roxinbey itself was like a social outcast.
Blazing heat struck me . I removed my hood and minimized it's size and put it inside my pouch . It was basic magic . An element everyone got . Of course , except for the ones under the curse of deception .
' It's scorching hot .' Zam removed his upper clothes .
The coachman laughed ' All the best young lads ! '
Another cunning Old man who guessed we were in for the exam .
We thanked him .
' How is Commoner City these days ? I haven't been home in ages.' The old man acquired.
' You're from Commoner City ! Well , it's still the same as ever.' Zam answered .
' Rotten and smelly .' The old man joked with Zam.
The heat didn't seem to affect their sense of humor or maybe lack of humor.
He stopped the carriage .
Before we could ask why he spoke ' This is my limit . I can't take you further from here . From here on either you walk or crawl . What matters is whether you could reach your destination or not . '
The horses acted simultaneously with their coachman and they were gone .
' Now what ? .' Zam complained as he relied onto the ice that emerged within my hands .
' We should either crawl or walk as he said .'
I said this but I remembered something . I had something to ask Zam .
Why he was still here ?
Why he is enduring this torrid climate ? He was indeed beside me through a lot of heavy memories in the past .
But...This time it's something else I'm sure he has his own reason . This is not the time to ask him this though .
Once we survive Roxinbey..I will listen to his story .
My motion became unstable and the heat had gotten stronger . The path ahead was unclear . Fog filled air spread across . Soon enough..It was just me . I could no longer see Zam who was right beside me moments ago .
' Zam..Zam..' My voice trembled .
I took out my sword .
' KEIZAM YOGERS!!! .' My voice must have reached the birds flying in the vast sky .
I sighed . Where could have he gone ?
I slipped . I was now falling down into an abyss . One so hot enough to melt the heart of a Iceonix .
This must be roxinbey...
I fell deeper into the abyss . I could feel the ground now . Tears and saliva came out of me .
Hot...
Is Zam here ?
I could smell blood around me . The blood that belonged solely to the crimson eyed swordsman .
I wanted to puke. My legs were trembling too much . Standing up felt impossible. My never ending thoughts slowly became empty...My eyes closed itself .
I could no longer see..hear..or feel . All of my senses had gotten weaker . Maybe they needed some rest too . The corner of my lips formed a smile...The always dull looking Brian Alhemaht was now smiling .
Why do this feel so comfortable ?.....
That was my last thought until I could open my eyes .
The fog had disappeared .
The heat around me were much stronger than the one Zam used on me . This was roxinbey . A torrid land indeed .
My legs were trembling . I was able to stand up thanks to the tree nearby .
This tree had branches but it had no leaves . Instead of leaves , Fire spread across the tree . The tree didn't burn . It stood as if it's used to this heat . It was the same for all the other trees around me .
I walked. My pant tore with each step i took . Burn marks covered my already scarred arms and thighs .
I was getting weaker and weaker .
This is the second hottest place in this world . If the second hottest place feels like this , I wonder how hell would be like...
The fire trees had disintegrated and lava was flowing through rivers . It was kind of mesmerizing to watch .
As I watched the wonders of Roxinbey , I sighted a cave . Two tall fire trees stood in front of the cave .
Something was written on the cave but my poor eyesight couldn't determine what it was.
With my trembling and sluggish body as slow as it is I was able to reach the cave .
I cleared my eyes . The words carved on it were quite familiar to me .
" Even in the heart of ice lingers a small flame enough to burn a kingdom " was carved on the cave.
The inside of the cave was gloomier yet extensive.
I couldn't determine if it was just me hallucinating or something but...A figure was standing in front of me . Holding a sword as if they're facing an enemy.
I guess I have to fight even when I'm in this state.
Even in the torrid roxinbey , my sword was still icy cold . My skin had tanned down .
And the figure ahead was still unclear to me .
Whoever it was I had to fight them and that was the only way ahead.
' Who are you ? .' I spoke as blood flowed through my mouth down to the ground.
The figure simply ignored me or maybe to this person in front of me I might have been just another figure.
Maybe this person is also asking me questions...and what if magic was used in a way that it makes communication impossible between us.
Then...
I just have to communicate with my sword or even with my fists.
Our swords clashed . I can't determine who's got the upper hand in this fight . But... I will try.
This person's figure was empty but bright . And blood had been spilling out of their body as well . The cave became stinky with the smell of blood , sweat and saliva.
He or she was simply strong as well . Something dropped .
Something that gave me shiver.
For a split second I was scared.
I touched my eyes in order to feel them and order to make sure they were still there on my face .
It wasn't mine . The person who stood in front of me trembled . One of their eyes had fallen down.
They had azure blue irises...Azure blue....
What if this person in front of me is Zam....
What if...
My hands felt loose . My sword fell of and I simply let go of my pride and fell onto the ground dirtier than the back alleys. My knees were bent.
' Are you...Are you Zam ? .' My voice trembled even more . Not cause of the heat not cause I'm tired...From something else entirely .
Was it guilt ?....
I couldn't determine .
The figure took their eyes in their hands .
Tears along with blood came from their eyes .
Should I continue this fight...?
Azure eyes aren't as rare as crimson eyes but they were still rare in their own way .
What if all of this is just an illusion ?
What if I'm hypnotized ?
I wish that were the case here .
If this is actually Zam..will he be okay..?
There's no way..I can't even ask for forgiveness cause ....it's his eye..
The figure came towards me . I couldn't see them or their expression but I could feel the rage in their attacks .
I have sparred with Zam more than anyone else . But while we sparred we both tried our best and were careful enough to not hurt each other . That was cause we both know who we were fighting and there were no emotions involved.
But now I don't know who I'm fighting...And the attacks coming towards me contained resentment.
I came here with big goals of destroying the core of the curse.
But what am I doing now ?
I could only think of one way whether if this was Zam or not...
I took my pouch from my half-tore and burnt pants. I took a poison and poured it onto the ground.
Breathing became suffocating. The air was filled with a poison that can make the ones who inhale it unconscious.
I was used to this poison so I could endure it for much longer. But the person in front of me was coughing hard and hard . They slowly bent onto the ground..still coughing and vomiting.
And as my eyes were once again turning blank..I could see the figure fainting .
And soon enough I fainted as well .
I'm sorry towards whoever I hurt .
I don't think I could ever be forgiven .
I also gave into unconsciousness .
And so Brian Alhemaht and the person beside him gave into the toxicity of Belladonna , a poison also known as the deadly nightshade .
Arms covered with gloves , face hidden by a mask , someone entered into the cave filled with toxin .
With the help of basic magic , the now unguarded Brian along with the figure were made into miniature humans .
That person walked out of the cave unaffected by the poison . Do they breath poison everyday or what ?
This person gazed at their pocket which now contained twenty miniature humans .
They continued walking towards their destination .
The trees filled with fire and the half burnt houses and building didn't affect them .
This person stood tall like someone who have endured poison and fire for decades .