Rough Road and Clothings of the Past

Climbing the tall hills, he turned around as the cloak flapped happily with the wind. Standing on the road, he took a heavy breath from the nature as he watched the sun fall from the sky over the Loskantros. The sea behind the city was dyed in orange as the seagulls far away flew around the city.

But there she was, the girl in tattered clothings, followed Tony all the way out of the town, struggling to climb the hill with her delicate arms, yet fierce eyes. He sighed, turned around and kept walking.

Passing the lushy trees one by one, the cold breeze made him shiver, as the owls sang their song. The two moons shone brightly as he illuminated the surroundings with a ball of fire, hovering above his palm.

Someone grabbed his cloak , it was the shivering girl. Walking close with her left hand on her chest, gazing around into the darkness, her heart skipped a beat when a bush rustled nearby.

Ignoring her, he kept walking as water started to rain from the clouds hidden in the sky. At first it was just a drizzle, soon after it started to pour, creating puddles and mud on the road as he walked.

A thunder roared through the sky, illuminating the ground for a second and made the girl skip another beat. Her clothes started to get drenched, the cold raindrops that hit her face shattered into fragments and showered her away from the dirt.

“Achuu!” She sneezed, shivered, yet kept walking after the man that protected himself from the rain with magic. Still her eyes burned fiercely as they walked for hours.

Wolves howling near the cliffs could be heard, bushes started to rustle as eyes glowing inside the darkness started to appear in pairs, one by one. Watching their prey, yet scared by the man with a fireball hovering on the palm, they growled. But their 6th sense didn’t stop them from noticing the cold attitude of the red cloaked man, so they grabbed the girl as he kept walking without care.

“Tony!” She screamed, as the back of the man kept getting further and further away. Wolves started to surround her as the rain stung her eyes, they growled, she shuddered. Reached out her hand towards the man, the raindrops shattered on the arm, draining the warmth away. Did I pick the wrong choice? she thought, gazing down onto the muddy ground.

Heavily sighing, he turned around, stomped the ground that erupted towards the wolves, piercing their body with spikes that tried to prey on the trembling girl.

The remaining wolves sensed the danger and left the limping wolves. Though, the wounded soon after fell to the muddy ground, leaving their last breath before he stood before them.

Using wind magic, he cut the wolves in pieces, blood dyed the girl in red as he removed the inedible parts and put the fresh meat inside a bag. He smiled, turned around and kept walking, not before he left the girl on the muddy ground with his red cloak.

Eyes still burning, she pushed her muddy body up and ran after the man as the cloak reduced in size flapped happily with the rain.

After yet another few hours, the rain stopped, clearing the sky as the sun rose from the dawn. A growl could be heard from behind, no both of their stomach. Scattering the birds that hid in their homes to the sky.

Walking to the side of the road near the glittering pond, he cut a tree down, creating a cleanly smooth stump and sat on it. Curiously, so did the girl with the red cloak, snuggling beside him.

The man frowned. What is it that makes her heart burn with will? And... is it the same as mine? he questioned himself, but as he watched the beautiful water, he grinned. Took back the cloak and sent her flying into the pond, water scattered everywhere as she stuck her head out, spitting out the water like a waterfall from her mouth.

“Take a bath, you smell…” He said while preparing a few sticks of wood.

Nodding, she swam around the clean pond, removing the stench of blood together with the mud and dirt.

The strong aromatic smell of meat started to cover the area, animals hungry for food started to appear from the bushes, yet ran the moment after they noticed that the man before them casted fire magic.

A while after the pale girl, with her blue iris and long white and black hair, fully cleaned other than her clothes that screamed peasant. Glittered together with the pond as the sun shone strongly at them.

Tony shook his head, Those clothes doesn’t fit you… he thought, beckoning her towards him.

Nodding she stood before him, tall as his stomach, body still drenched in water. Face turned away, bright red as the man removed her clothes, revealing her petite body and private parts as she stood there trying to cover a few. Everything for powerful magic… She thought.

“Are you mentally prepared?”

She nodded, face burning more than ever.

But all he did was remove clothings from a hidden bag that she had never seen in her entire life. Some kind of white shirt. Short pants and a black pants that were longer than the one before.

He smiled, seeing his old clothes being used once again after 10 years. He used wind magic to force her onto the stump, held her delicate feet and dressed the black briefs onto the girl. It fit perfectly. Yet, for him, he was confused to why the girl was avoiding his eyes, holding her delicate fingers near her shiny lips and cheeks bright red.

Ignoring it, he kept dressing her. Starting from the black pants, shoes, then the white shirt and lastly, he took out a brush, and brushed through her long silky hair. Taking a few steps back as he stared at the girl, he then threw the red cloak upon her.

“I ask again, are you mentally prepared?”

She hesitated, steeled herself as she rested the red cloak around her neck and gazed upon those black eyes, “Yes!”

The man grinned, muttered something, pushing her forehead onto the stump, a red magic circle surrounded her as her vision turned black. A pain coursed through her body, starting from the toe until it reached her brain and lastly the eye. She screamed, screamed for help as her body twitched around, eyes rolled everywhere, yet all she could feel was pain as the world turned pitch black.

After he was done, she shuddered, gazed around and asked “Where are you? Did I pass out until night?”

“From now on you are my apprentice, and in a few days you will be able to see again”

She waved her hands near her open eyelids, then held her body, shivered and said, “I… I’m scared”

He shrugged, embraced the tiny body that stole his warmth and calmly said “I kicked you, I hurt you. You faced the rough road without preparation, without sleep and food, struggled past the cold rain in tattered clothing, stood beside me in the darkness and survived the wolves, even dyed in blood, yet you can’t face losing the sense of vision?”

“Stay close to me and I’ll protect you, I’ll be your eyes for the week”

She nodded, tears fell from her eyes that saw nothing as she hugged the man.

Patting the head, he said “The food is getting cold, lets eat shall we?”

“Yeah! But you’ll have to feed me...”

“... No…”

After somehow eating the delicious meal with the help of Tony, she held his warm hand as the cloak fluttered on her back with the wind. As the sun shone brightly, the sound of horses and a wagon from behind, accelerated closer by the second.

The girl embraced the man, trembling as she couldn’t see where it came from, other than from behind.

Parking next to the man in black clothes, a old man asked “Oi? Are you heading to the Capital city nearby? If so, need a lift?”

Tony smiled, bowed and said “Yes please, and thanks”

“Hop on behind lad, and don’t forget your daughter”

“Right” He answered, used wind magic on the girl who flew onto the wagon filled with wheat. He then jumped into it himself and plopped down there on the cold bed of wheat.

“Hip hip!” The old man said and the brown horses started to walk.

As the girl slept under the arm, Tony gazed upon the blue sky and white clouds that passed by together with the lushy forest and the smell of wheat.

“Oi, lad, that’s some fancy cloak that girl has over there, are you guys from upperclass?”

“Heh, I could only wish, it’s a cloak passed from my master onto me, we are magicians”

“I see, and if you need a rest, I’ll wake you guys up over there”

“Ah, don’t mind me, but thanks for worrying”

“If you say so, Mr wind magician”

Yet, Tony slept quietly on the wagon...

The old man shrugged. “Children these days”