Young master, I need a full address.

Is it safe outside the capital?

...

Not any less safe than inside right now.

I’ll... take it back, sorry.

They were at the guild again, right?

...

Who?

Be safe in your return.

Don’t you know?

Yeah.

Wait, you don’t mean...

The Ameshin.

Act II: Ameshin Loyalty

Chapter 13 - Birds Of A Feather

6:46 // Day 47, Dienstag. Luna 97c.

A well-trodden road, east of Rubia and west of Elsmyr

“You didn’t get any flowers,” Kyomi innocently asked, feigning genuine disappointment—a description I don’t use lightly, at least one I haven’t used so far.

A short chorus of neighing from the pair of horses filled the void left after Kyomi’s ‘witty’ remark, stealing the cricket's job—though, not to their dismay since none were present in these cold conditions.

We’re an hour's journey from where we set up camp, and about a fifth of the way to Elsmyr: at least according to the sparsely placed signs out in the countryside. It was surprising but, even just a day from the capital, the surrounding areas were fairly under-developed.

There were barely any signs leading to nearby villages, miles of open country not being farmed, and equally vast woods, seemingly barren of life.

Well, most of the citizens of Ceae lived in the capital—presumably due to the protection provided by the walls and not due to any financial limitations. From what I had heard, the government was generally disliked by the majority of the nation—a stark contrast to Enviar—and living in the capital was generally cheaper than fending for yourself in the outer walls.

“So, did you?” Kyomi asked once more. “I told you that I liked pink flowers, no?”

“I didn’t get flowers, Kyomi, it’s a euphemism,” I dryly replied; my horse's pace increased, turning from a light walk into a trot, answering her somewhat irritating question by leaving her in the dust, but in line with my incremental increase in speed, the distant Kyomi caught back up.

“Yes. It was a joke, White,” she replied,

A joke, huh... That was something I rarely heard from her, at least, not since our first-time meeting; though that was only by definition, you could hardly count it as such: comedy is her least prominent attribute for sure.

“Was that your first joke?”

Kyomi looked aback with a feigned look of disbelief, though her usually distant, somewhat cold response betrayed her coy action, “You have asked me this before, White.”

“Yeah... I have; I didn't think you would remember.”

Honestly, Kyomi had changed a lot since our first meeting—at least, from an outside perspective she had. We've only been so-called friends (a more fitting term eluding me) for the past couple of weeks, so I can say more confidently than most that these changes are recent. She's certainly come out of her shell (or should I say crawled).

Anyone would wonder how she could ever have problems ‘fitting in’ at Eclipse, though, after speaking with her at such lengths, I had long since realised that she did so consciously, entirely of her volition.

“Is something troubling you about that Calsian boy, White?”

Calsian boy... she meant Theo? I had brought him up in conversation, though not in a negative light, “No, not really,” I replied.

While Theo did seem to be the conditional variable in a number of my recent problems, I couldn’t blame him for that.

"I heard you speaking his name this morning when I was pretending to be asleep."

“Is that something you should admit...”

“You woke up earlier than I thought, White. The men at the guild arise much later.”

Well, yeah, any days they’re not risking their lives, they're risking their liver’s instead.

Maybe I'll fall in line with them when I'm older but, as much as I respect them, I hope I'm exempt from that fate.

Our conversation took brief interludes as we continued to survey our surroundings; these main roads were usually safe, though being caught off guard was never a good thing. Beasts had an equal, if not greater claim to Ceae’s countryside than any old chordate, migrating corvī or common pest.

So, the risk was little in such an open area, but vigilance is seen as the opposite of negligence to some; either way, there’s no harm in caution.

“Are you sure he is not troubling you?” Kyomi queried. Her tone was expressive, though I knew she had little concern for the topic at hand; she was simply making conversation. "He is a Calsian, after all.”

“He might be, but I don’t think it’s fair to judge him based on that—at the very least, I’m not worried about it, it’s just on my mind a lot,” was about as good a response as any.

I was certainly losing sleep over this tournament, being dragged into it by Elise and all, but I wasn’t worried perchance. Maybe I should be; anyone else should be, but I'm not. I have enough to worry about as is, so I've decided to worry about 'the now', instead of the if.

Honestly, I think it might be a coping mechanism. When life goes awry, people tend to find one event, or person, to blame. Even if my memory was intact, I would still be here. I’m still here. That won’t change. I suppose, after piling up my problems, I’ve reached the point where they need to be sorted out individually before I can move on.

The past few weeks have been exhausting, and the main reason why I haven’t bothered documenting them. Though I suppose we all have our problems, some more-so than others, so I probably shouldn’t be complaining.

數分後

Perhaps one quality that was severely under-appreciated about Ceae was her bountiful fields, her chiming creatures, from all corners of the land, and her beautiful arrays of greenery.

Tiny cottages, similar to the shoddy ones in our residential district, were dotted in-between the numerous fields, seemingly void of life. Though not in a ‘derelict’ way. It was hard to describe, but there was a certain beauty in this isolated living (if you ignored the beasts, that is.)

A rare stream could be spotted alongside our path, running through thickets of trees, vast expanses and converging on the sloping landscape—several aquifers presumably running throughout these rolling hills.

While still early in the morning, not a single person could be seen working the fields; yet they were already tilled, ploughed, picked—you name it—obviously having been extensively worked on not hours before... and I thought I got up early, do these people even sleep?

It was about two hours since our departure. We set off around half-past-6 under the light of day, something we had grown accustomed to over the last few weeks of Luna, greeted mostly by snow-filled landscapes and cold, yet not dreary, greetings from nature herself.

Kyomi and I were protected by our enchanted cloaks; items many would kill for in this weather. Though while both achieved the same effect, they did so not to the same degree.

Aesthetics apart, it was clear that Kyomi’s cloak was much more expensive than mine. This was due to the enchantments placed upon it: the material itself mattered little; it wasn’t on your skin after all. My cloak’s enchantments, however, were so weak that I could identify the inner-workings of its magic, even though my knowledge of the subject was limited to a few lessons with Enryn.

Still, the cloak works and I'm not cold. I can't ask for more than that.

“White, you know a lot about birds, do you not? What are those white ones?” Kyomi pondered, for whatever reason, she viewed me as a know it all, probably because I was the one person she talked to, and the majority of her knowledge was second-hand from books.

“They’re Envirian corvī. They partially migrate, which is why some of them have grey feathers. The grey-feathered birds adapted to life here, leaving the snowy mountains south in Enviar in favour of the cooler land of Ceae," I replied, having already denied her notion that I knew everything that she didn't on multiple occasions prior.

“They migrate during the mid-season of Luna, though the white-feathered birds retain the traits of a common Corvus, meaning they aren’t albino like the other white-feathered birds in Enviar.”

Happy with my response, returning attention to the flock of mixed white/grey birds above, she continued to admire nature’s creations, “You really do know everything.”

“Sure.”

Thinking about Kyomi’s lust for knowledge, I came to the same realisation that I did time and time again. Living in Mirai for the majority of her life probably restricted her access to outside knowledge heavily: since Easterners are immensely prideful people.

I’m sure that if they could isolate themselves from the rest of the world, they would have done so millennia ago.

I am inclined to agree, White. Based on my knowledge of the people.

[Well, I’ve only read stories about them, and Kyomi is the only Miraean I have met, so I can’t say for sure, even though it seems to be a likely event.]

And her strength cannot be understated, even with the rumours of vast power in the East, White. If she was 10 years older, I doubt anyone in the guild would hold a candle to her.

You couldn’t argue with that. I’d certainly had a one-of-a-kind sample when it came to Eastern persons.

[Considering that you were against this change of names not hours ago, you’ve certainly warmed to the idea fast...]

Yes.

Well, whatever. It’s not like it matters anyway... but I thought that our inner-selves shared our personality or lacked one entirely. I couldn’t think of anyone more unlike myself than Black—this fact was certainly an inspiration for his name.

I’d had a great night’s rest earlier. So good that even the familiar swaying motions of my horse couldn’t faze me; these rocking movements usually make me feel drowsy. Perhaps it's some form of motion sickness.

Curiously enough, I don't have the same reaction to carriages, and it's only during long periods of travel, so I can't say for sure. As much as I want to befriend these timid creatures, it seems like my body is against any extended usage of their services.

I stroked the mane of my mount, following up the gesture with a “Good girl,” in an empathetic manner. These horses weren’t used to the conditions of Luna. The pair were foals, so far unaccustomed to the wintery conditions, though they were holding up well.

It’s either this or they freeze in their limited stabling at the guild. But, now that I think about it, they would probably be warmer with their team—they’ll just have to forgive us: since there was a limited selection due to circumstances aforementioned, and complained about, countless times (it was either one of the younger horses or the stallions and mares.)

“Good girl, you’re doing great,” I spoke softly, running my hands through the foal’s brown mane, receiving a gentle whinny in response.

With her usual lack of comedic timing, Kyomi interjected a quick “Thanks, White,” about ten seconds after her opportunity for the quip had left.

I’m fairly sure the majority of her jokes are prepared in advance.

“...”

I sensed Kyomi staring at me—something she usually did when she wanted to ask, or tell me something, but didn’t know how to start a dialogue.

Responding with my trademarked "Uh-huh?" she began her query.

“You have been talking to your Astral Body... though I only showed you a few weeks ago: you figured out how to communicate faster than most.”

I didn’t know what to say—honestly, it’s more accurate to say that I just stopped ignoring Black, well, a couple of hours ago.

Wait, “How do you know that?” I asked the still-staring Kyomi.

“You open your mouth slightly when you are concentrating... it is quite amusing,” responded the cool-faced woman, that factor only offset by her snuggling into her ‘cloak’ for the whole ride.

Wait a moment. I need to confirm this.

[Do I really do that?]

You do, White.

[...am I doing it now?]

...

So that’s a yes...

I sat with my thoughts for a moment, trying my hardest not to catch flies but, thinking about it, it’s quite amusing that such a small habit bothers me more appearance-wise than my appearance itself.

I almost let out a small chuckle at my priorities or lack thereof, but someone had already beat me to it. It was a cutesy, feminine laugh that I rarely had the pleasure to hear. It was difficult enough to get Kyomi to laugh when I was trying to my best to, doing so of her accord was a new experience for me.

My left hand pushing against my cheek, glancing sideways towards the merry Kyomi, I muttered a short “What?”

Kyomi stopped her sequential juts of giggling for just long enough to form a response, “Nothing, White. I just find your behaviour rather... cute.”

“Am I supposed to know why?” I pleaded.

Kyomi’s response was, indeed, a lack of one; instead choosing to continue her laughter, much to the bewilderment of myself.

でも、その時は...

We continued for upwards of an hour. Our road was long, though easy to navigate, at least, until we arrived at our first obstacle.

Well, I say obstacle, but we could easily manoeuvre around it. The main reason for our stopping was the intriguing creature circling above the obstacle—the obstacle in question being a large boulder... in the middle of the road... surrounded by miles of open field. This boulder wasn’t a stones-throw from a mountain, it hadn’t rolled here from a nearby hill, it was just... There.

“White, that Envirian corvī has lost her group,” remarked the concerned Kyomi, though like most people would have been, she was gravely mistaken.

I knew this bird wasn’t an Envirian corvī, even before recognising the fact that a bleeding great big boulder was lodged square-centre on the path.

Growing up in Enviar, I could distinctly tell the difference between this bird and an Envirian corvī. Hell, it’s not even in the lesser or greater family of corvī.

A low, almost croaking caw, a triangular-shaped tail, the lack of a team, the blacks mixed in the mostly white feathers. I could tell. Even having never seen one of these creatures before, I could tell.

“Kyomi, don’t go near it,” I warned the curious woman. I wasn’t one to believe rumours and hearsay so easily—especially ones regarding appearances—but my cautious nature took over in this instance.

“What is it?” she asked; either confused at my reasoning for stopping her approach or annoyed. That I couldn’t tell, though I knew she wanted a straight answer.

“That’s not an Envirian corvī, Kyomi," I replied, starting my explanation by telling her that this was, in fact, an acosti corvum—widely referred to as Northern ravens, and even more commonly known as;

Bringers of Death.

The appearance of this bird signals a catastrophic event—typically involving death, in whatever form it may—to the first person whose eyes, unfortunately, land on the creature... or so I read in a book.

Still, this specific bird does look awfully similar to its distant relative, the Envirian corvī, and I’ve never seen any drawings of white-feathered acosti corvum—and this one has them in abundance—but that isn’t surprising. After all, there’s always more things people don’t know than do.

上の説明

“We’ll have to ignore it... and, well, I’m not superstitious, but try not to look at it.”

“I will try, though it is difficult when it screeches like so,” Kyomi awkwardly responded as she attempted to block out the dreadful noise.

It was almost as if the bird wanted our attention, though I had no understanding of why it did. After all, it was a bird.

As if in response to my attempt of ignorance, the bird’s low caws continued to increase in volume and size; it was certainly demanding my attention, and it seemed unlikely to stop.

We made our way around the prominent in a single file as we, slowly but surely, attempted to avoid the aforementioned deathly creature.

We continued a few paces until I heard a voice behind me, “White... that bird, it’s looking at you,” whispered Kyomi, tugging ever-so-slightly on the cloak draping over my back.

Now is the time I should be annoyed that she looked at the creature, not moments after I told her not to, but... Be that as it may, my curiosity had peaked.

I had an eerily accurate suspicion of the same thing, even before we had stopped. Perhaps it was my cognitive training coming into play, or perhaps I was just paranoid, but, a glance in the direction of the acosti corvum revealed the fact that it was indeed looking directly towards me.

The bird’s beady eyes seemed to flicker joyfully at my returned glance, the creature's caws reducing in quantity, its wings oscillating momentarily before gently gliding towards me; landing, to my lack of due concern, directly atop my horse’s mane, continuing to gaze mindlessly into my eyes.

To my relief, the horse remained calm as did the bird. It was only Kyomi who was worried, though we both understood now that the creature meant no harm.

You see, Bringers of Death usually target individuals, doing so moments or hours before their untimely demise. They appear before people when they are at their lowest; when they’re defeated, both physically and mentally.

An acosti corvum doesn’t appear without a reason.

I looked back towards Kyomi, who was keeping her distance and was more concerned than I was. She didn’t want to interfere, which is wise considering neither of us has found ourselves in a situation such as this before.

caw, caww

The bird continued to demand my attention the moment my eyes averted their gaze, “What is it? We have somewhere to be,” I half-heartedly asked the bird. I was entirely sure that the creature would think me crazy, or possibly it would fly away at my reaction, though the opposite was true.

As if responding to my question; as though the bird understood my exact words, it gleefully flickered its triangular tail.

“I must be going crazy,” I told myself. There are many magical things in my world, and I’m sure this situation could be explained by one of them, but I had never encountered a bird in the wild that displayed this level of intellect.

Once again, in response to my dismissal of the creature, it ruffled its feathers in a downwards direction, drawing my attention towards a small piece of weathered parchment: a piece of paper carefully wrapped around a slender leg of tendons and bones. Those same legs that attached eight deadly talons to the bird’s body.

“Is this for me?” I asked, still somewhat confused from the bird’s actions. The bird, seemingly pleased with my appraisal of the situation extended its leg towards me, though it struggled to keep its balance and almost fell over.

Extending my hand towards the bird, I asked, “Can I?”

In response to my question, the bird stood upright, stopping its fruitless attempt at balancing itself. Without much warning, the bird hopped onto my hand, making sure to be gentle with its sharp talons.

The creature’s action was met with concern from Kyomi, who had now reigned in her horse beside me, "White, is that a wise thing to do? You said so yourself, is this creature not a bad omen?" she asked.

Though it seemed that the bird responded not just to myself but also to Kyomi, as it greeted her disapproving gaze with one of confusion; it was as if the bird didn’t understand the implications of its arrival.

“It’s fine... I think,” I voiced in response, the bird making itself comfortable as I fumbled towards his left foot with my non-dominant hand, “I mean, it seems well-behaved...”

“Right,” she tentatively responded, cautiously leaning in to see the object that I was still trying to unwrap.

The small parchment was kept in place by a taut string—possibly the reason for the bird’s lack of balance—which I pulled apart easily enough, despite its obvious firmness.

Careful as to not drop the paper, afraid I would never find it again under the snow, I brought it closer to my eye. The parchment was weathered to the point that the original message had gone, though four words stood out under the brilliant sunlight.

To my son, Ater.

“What does it say, White?”

“‘To my son, Ater,’ but I don’t understand what it means,” which was the truth. I’d never even heard the name before, so, “I think you have the wrong person,” I told the bird, turning my attention away from Kyomi who was equally as confused as I was.

The bird's only answer was an equally confused caw.

I studied the bird for a bit longer. Perhaps it had escaped from somewhere, and... no. It wanted to see me. Whatever this message was meant to say, it wanted me to see it, so I asked it a very simple question, one it should understand, "Are you, Ater?"

Based on the bird’s previous actions, I guessed that it could understand this question.

And it did; the bird... nodded in reply.

“So, then, why are you here?”

The bird, now assumed to be Ater, only responded with another questioning glance, unsure of the reason himself.

So, it doesn’t know...

[Do you know something I don’t, Black?]

I feel as if I should, but I don’t. However, White, it would be wise to take the bird with us, at least for now. I can’t explain why: but I believe it is related to our loss of memory.

I looked back towards Ater—quickly realising that my mouth was half-open, and promptly shutting it—to see him ruffling his feathers and grooming himself rather dottily: momentarily removing his tiny head from beneath his wing, he met my gaze and started joyfully flapping his wings towards me. Was he greeting me? I had always thought corvum to be proud creatures, I guess this one missed that memo.

“What did he say, White?”

Well, even if Black said that we should take him with us, I doubt the bird would leave even if we told it to.

“Black says it’s fine,” I replied, “The bird can stay with us for now.”

Continuing to groom its feathers, we turned our attention back towards the deceptively simple-minded bird.

“It’s fairly obvious that it’s an abnormal case,” I continued, glancing towards the equally confused woman beside me.

Kyomi greeted my gaze with a similar expression to mine, “I would... have to agree.”

“I guess we should go then...” I replied, in an unintelligible manner, similar to that of the bird. It was just so innocent that I couldn’t fault the creature: even if it was a bad omen.

So, with that, we made our leave—the large boulder fading from our view as we departed from the scene, now a party of three (or five, counting the astral bodies)

Not moments later I was met with a chuckle from Kyomi, almost the same as her previous one, for reasons I was once again unaware of.

Why is she laughing now?

It’s because you gave me a name, White. It is not the done thing.

...

Still, it seems like our first trial was passed rather successfully, though we had only created more questions for ourselves, and I found myself hoping that the trials yet to come would provide some form of solace to my questions: or at least not give me more.

8:09

Chapter 13, End