No matter how much Valeo tried, he couldn't remember what happened between the 'dream' and his victory, it was all a blur to him, The more he tried to remember the more his head started to hurt, so Valeo gave up for the time being.
"Wait.....where are the lights coming from?"
Valeo looked at the illuminated ceiling only to question his sanity upon seeing no source, Valeo shook his head, the headache he was forming grew ever slowly.
Focusing back on the book in his hand Valeo couldn't form words on this 'treasure' he got hold of, the hero he was named after 'Valeo the Gale' very own book. His words, tales and ideas was written in this very book, but there was one tiny issue.
Valeo can barely read.
He only recognized it was the hero of the Wigsi's because his name was plastered on the first page and some of the words in the book he knew but everything else was alien to him.
"We need to learn."
Valeo said slumping his head, feeling a cool breeze somewhere he shouldn't Valeo remembered his attire was currently lacking their purpose.
Getting up with haste he scanned the room for anything to cover himself up with and laid his eyes upon a large stone box. Walking over to it Valeo spotted the symbol he saw on the stone floor on the box.
"Strange."
Pushing the lid off the box sent dust up in the air making him cough and step away. When Valeo stopped coughing he peaked inside, random pieces of cloth and paper littered the inside in a chaotic mess.
Picking one of the pieces of cloth Valeo noticed it was just his size, a large black pants with slight padding on the knee and shins, a long strip of cloth that is a lighter shade than the pants covered the waist.
"They fit perfectly.....but it's odd they have something in our size."
Valeo shrugged and looked further in moving random pieces, grabbing something that he saw Valeo lifted up a large tattered end cloak that was the same shade of his pants.
"By the code, they really like this color."
Valeo quirked an eyebrow looking back and forth between his new clothes, putting on the cloak he noticed it reached his waist making him more puzzled.
"Our size again....Valeo the gale must of been as tall as us."
Valeo felt a little warm thinking he had another thing in common with the hero, even though Laylana told his tale to him recently Valeo couldn't help himself but to admire the hero.
When Valeo went to move to check the room some more he felt something sharp dug into his foot making him lift his left foot.
A sharp rock was embedded in his foot blood dripping down it's surface, plucking it out Valeo saw the wound close faster then remembered.
"That's....odd."
Not giving anymore thought Valeo remembered seeing things on Laylana's and everybody else's feet, looking in the stone box again for something similar Valeo grabbed two dark grey leather boots.
"This is getting weird."
Valeo was getting concerned for his hero's taste in colors, and once more when he put on the grey boots they fitted him perfectly.
Not use to having something on his feet Valeo walked uncomfortably around the room trying to get use to them.
After a few minutes of walking Valeo walked over to his gunbai and picked it up, the fan part was the size of his forearm and wide as his hand.
The Staff-like handle reached below his diaphragm when it stood up straight.
The mysterious weapon was another of his many questions, last time he check he had one of the wicked blades in his hand with the entity ready to kill him with the other, but that's when he had that 'dream' and everything went bright.
Valeo didn't understand what that whole sequence was about, or what the giant gem meant.
"Child of the wind? 'ower long forgotten? What does that even 'ean?"
A loud rumble echoed throughout the room making Valeo pause and look down.
"Shit."
He noticed his stomach was aching from hunger, that's when it occurred to him.
How was he supposed to get out?
"Shiiiit."
Valeo quickly grabbed some random papers on some of the desks and slide them into the book which he placed in his oversized pocket, taking his gunbai and held it on his shoulder not knowing where else to put it. Walking out the hidden room Valeo spotted the coffin now laying there without the weird glowing energy.
It was still as a corpse, metaphorically and literally, Valeo made his way to the coffin and looked inside, the corpse still there and still decomposing.
The stench made him back away immediately.
"Why did we do that?"
Valeo said holding his nose, but he noticed something odd about the room, the wall he destroyed by getting sent through it was gone, no trace of the fight that transpired to be in sight either.
Rapidly looking around trying to find anything that resemble his almost near death experience but he found nothing.
This added to Valeo's growing headache and made him question his own sanity once more. Walking in the hallway leading to the strange stone floor Valeo noticed the lights from before were gone.
"Seriously....where was the light coming from?"
The dark smooth ceiling seem to mock Valeo with its mystery, reaching the small circular room with the strange stone floor Valeo stepped in and waited, it didn't take long for the stone floor to rise.
When Valeo arrived at the cave he saw in the distance the rotting corpse of the creature that chased him down here, when he reached it Valeo had to cover his nose again.
" 'y the code."
Holding his nose with one of top arms Valeo looked up at the hole he fell through, sun rays kissed his face.
It would've brought a comforting feeling if only the stench of the rotting corpse next to him didn't ruin it, seeing the only way out it's to climb Valeo hesitantly let go of his nose and started to climb, with his gunbai between his teeth.
"For our first time doing this we ain't doing tha- OH SHIT!"
Valeo fell landing on his back, the wind knocked out of him.
Gasping for air only to gag when the stench of the corpse entered his nose and mouth. Getting up quickly Valeo tried to climb again.
And failed, again.
After his fifth attempt Valeo finally made it to the surface and couldn't help but laugh.
His tiny burst of laughter was stopped when his stomach growled again making him remember his main objective at the moment, Valeo got up and started to walk in a random direction.
The sun rays gave the forest he walked an ethereal glow, the sight made Valeo stop and enjoy the scenery, the softness of his eyes were the only give away.
It was shortly ruined when a flying body of a deer-like animal hit the tree next to him with an sickening squelch.
Looking at the body Valeo noticed it was missing two limbs and it's head, the loud hissing sound across from got his attention, the same creature from all those years ago, it's white mane and it's serpentine body made Valeo remember the past, the look Valeo had went unnoticed by the creature nor did it care.
But Valeo did remember something else, he body language changed and he was staring dead at the creature.
He was hungry.
The creature suddenly felt like it needed to run away.
* * *
"My moonlight, I told you it's only for a small thing."
A man with grey skin said to a woman who was walking beside while messing with his leather armor.
The woman with same skin tone clicked and cross her arms over her chest, her grey trench coat and long brim hat swaying in the wind.
"You said that last time."
Her tone heavy with irritation, the man looked at her with an unapologetic expression which made her mode sour even more.
"Remember the contract?"
"....you must help your partner..if they're indeed."
The man clapped the smile on his face not reaching his eyes, each clap making the woman's face darker.
They both suddenly stopped when the ripping of flesh reach their ears, both looked in the direction each having different expressions.
The male had an apprehensive and stoic look.
Meanwhile the woman a glimmer of curiosity in her eyes but her face was set readiness.
The duo slowly made their way to the noise, with each step the sound grew making the man slightly green, they reached a clearing with what ever was making that noise being in the center.
It's hunched making it hard to tell if it was animal or human, but it didn't matter to the duo as they watched it tear of pieces of another creature and consumed it.
When the man was backing up he accidentally stepped on a stick making the area go eerily quiet.
"You've got to be joking..."