-Chirp. Chirp.

The morning breeze grazed the Otherworlder’s cheeks. His hair fluttered in the wind as the chirping of the birds melodiously chimed in his ears.

Now sitting on Cockarista’s back, he could see the fresh blue sky and the glistening white clouds with clarity like he had never seen before.

The gigantic palace and the bustling city around it had disappeared into the distance a while back as the two sailed through the skies.

‘I live in the southern outskirts of Blume County,’ the Otherworlder said at long last. They hadn’t exchanged a word since he came to, even now he did not know what to say.

The Otherworlder went back to sky-gazing as a bout of silence filled the gaps between them.

‘I see. It’ll take a tad,’ Cockarista replied a while later. ‘It’s a long road.’

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ ⟨ ⏣ ⟩ ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

Water rushed down the flowing stream. It cut through the ground to keep going ahead and ahead, crashing into the occasional rock or stone in its way.

The Otherworlder cupped some water into his hands and brought it close to his mouth. Fast and cold, it was probably safe to drink. He slowly sipped on the water before swooping more in. He turned to find Cockarista further downstream with his head half-submerged into the stream.

The sun had gone much farther up when they stopped near the stream to take a rest. The Otherworlder placed two rocks under the shade of a wide tree and took a seat. Cockarista soon joined him and sat next to him.

They simply stared at the flowing stream as they slowly relaxed their back and then their shoulders. A small squirrel came down from the tree behind them and circled around the two. It was Cockarista who broke the silence this time.

‘I’ll be going to Rohatan. I’ve heard those people are accepting of the unknown. It was where I was off to before I got caught.’

‘I see...’ the Otherworlder replied, his eyes still stuck to the stream. ‘Rohatan... how long will you stay?’

‘Until the winds ask me away.’

The Otherworlder nodded and went silent again. Soon, he felt a strange sensation on his feet. A squirrel was poking at his boots with a strange expression.

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ ⟨ ⏣ ⟩ ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

The Otherworlder and Cockarista were flying again. The sun had already swum overhead and was slowly making its way back down to the horizon with each passing minute.

Their speed was much more tamed and consistent than before. The birds seemed to have gone away and the soft heat made small beads of sweat form on their heads.

‘We’ll reach the Blume County before sundown, lad.’

‘I see. This was much faster than coming here, thanks.’

‘Of course. Say, lad. Would you like to travel together?’

‘Hmm... I–’

‘Yeah. I thought so too.’

Cockarista slowed down even further as he turned his head towards the Otherworlder.

‘You... You don’t accept this world, you run from it. Always hiding your emotions and thoughts inside, as if they are detached from you...’ Cockarista’s eyes sparkled as he took a sharp breath. ‘But yet, you show no signs of going back. Why?’

The Otherworlder tilted his head at Cockarista’s words. He then narrowed his eyes and answered with a wry smile.

‘I hope I can stop it soon.’

Cockarista’s eyes widened at the words before his face melted into an understanding gaze.

‘I hope so too.’

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ ⟨ ⏣ ⟩ ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

Sparks crackled from the makeshift fireplace as the smoke mixed with the succulent scent of meat rose in the air. With no culinary tools to use for themselves, the Otherworlder and Cockarista resorted to roasting a squirrel and a rabbit.

‘It is a shame.’ Cockarista picked up a stick impaled with rabbit meat and started eating into it with small graceful bites. ‘At least that princess. We should have taught her a lesson. I had enough strength to bring down the castle. Teaching one brat shouldn’t have been difficult.’

The Otherworlder chuckled at Cockarista’s words. ‘We did though.’

‘We did, indeed. Wait? We did?!’

‘Hahaha!’ the Otherworlder let out a cocky laugh as he grabbed the meat of the squirrel and took off a bite. ‘I planted notes with a description of her abilities into the clothing or carts of the servants we encountered.’

‘W-what?’ Cockarista almost stood up in surprise at the Otherworlder’s words. So this was why he was taking on the risky job of checking the path alone. Thinking on it for a second, he then asked. ‘When did you write these notes?’

‘When I was coming up from the prison.’

‘...hah.’

‘...haha.’

‘hahahah!’

‘hahahah!’

Cockarista’s meal tasted much better all of a sudden.

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ ⟨ ⏣ ⟩ ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

The strong sun had mellowed down as it started to set. They were moving right above the forests in the southern ends of the Blume County when the Otherworlder noticed a familiar lake on the ground.

‘Cockarista...’

‘Yes?’

‘I think... I’ll walk from here.’

Cockarista’s eyes widened for a split second before he began his descent. ‘Understood,’ he said as he slowly landed back on the ground and got the Otherworlder off his back.

The Otherworlder dusted his clothes and turned to Cockarista with a wide smile. He pushed his hand outward, which the cockroach met with slight hesitation.

‘I guess this is it, lad. We’ll be going our separate ways now.’

‘Eh, we’ll meet again. Eventually.’

Cockarista smiled at the Otherworlder’s words and bobbed his hand up and down. He finally broke the handshake and took a few steps back.

‘Say, lad. Did you know her name?’

The Otherworlder sighed and shook his head from side to side.

‘Ah... I see,’ Cockarista muttered. ‘And yours? It isn’t Iatra Fors, right?’

The Otherworlder nodded his head and smiled. ‘Yes, that isn’t my name.’

‘What is it, your name?’

The Otherworlder closed his eyes and thought for a while. After another long sigh, he smirked and Cockarista and said.

‘Just call me the Otherworlder for now.

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ ⟨ ⏣ ⟩ ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

Alone, the Otherworlder made his way towards the lake nearby. Long hair, the shade of wheat, fell over his shoulders as the Otherworlder leaned towards the lake to see his reflection. His hands clutched into tight fists as he stared deep into the brown eyes staring from the reflection.

The deep, hollow eyes.

The red shade.

And the dozens of blurry figures around him. Like ghosts, they all stared deep into the Otherworlder’s brown eyes, through the Otherworlder’s brown eyes. The sight he saw every time he looked into a mirror was slightly different today.

A new figure had appeared. A short yet rigid figure with waving brown hair. The figure seemed so distinct, so familiar, yet he could see nothing but rows of blurry lines in the place of her face.

Just... what was this all about?

Why did it happen?

Why did he go out of his way to save the girl that day in Andata? Why did he flip a coin at her sobs in the prison? Why did he risk life and death to break out and save her?

All for her to die?

For something like this...?

He wanted to say it. He wanted to protest, to call it unfair...

... But how could he? Cockarista’s unconditional friendship. A new set of wires. A cornering for the princess and insight into his future moves. The information he received from Vera. Straightforward or not, the profits he had received from the ordeal far outweighed the losses.

So how could he just deem it all useless? Did he have the right to do so? He couldn’t save that one girl he didn’t even know the name of, it wasn’t that big a deal.

Then why was his heart pounding against his chest? Why were his eyes trembling as he saw the new figure in his reflection? Why was his soul so unsatisfied, so angry, so hurt?

“Haah!”

The Otherworlder went to his knees and put his entire face in the water. He shook his head from side to side before pulling it back out and taking a deep breath.

He stood back up and fixed his wet hair, tying it behind in a ponytail.

The Otherworlder rubbed his eyes and sighed again. His eyes turned away from the lake and back to the road.

As his lips twisted into a blank smile, the Otherworlder walked back home.

“This really is...

... the Den of Misfortune.”

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Arc 1 - The Otherworlder and the Den of Misfortune

END