《Lost Fantasy-Life After Reincarnation (Arc 1)》Chapter 23
Advertisement
The morning air was quite chilly as the sun had just started to transfer its warmth to the world. It rose from the east, casting its rays onto the world, and the objects in the world would then in turn cast shade onto the ground that they towered over, as if mocking them for being to short that they couldn't even receive the blessing from the sun.
In the waking world, all was quite calm. People that had just risen from their slumber were still quite sluggish as the cold morning air gnawed at their skin, causing them discomfort as they yearned to sleep but the cold made it almost impossible for them to as they moved along in their life.
That was the case for Loganel as he followed Juliana to the Academy's front gate where they were to meet up with the others. Loganel yawned as he dragged his body along. Since he has just recovered from a severe injury and had spent a long time laying in bed, his muscles had not recovered to the state that they were prior to his injury. In addition, because his new armor was heavier than his old one (which couldn't even be considered armor since it was basically a shirt that he viewed as something is better than nothing). Loganel rubbed his eyes and looked at the world with his gaunt eyes as he had done so prior to his injury. For some reason, those days seems to be long in the past despite only being a few days in the past.
Loganel looked over at Juliana, and he realized that she has been peeking over from time to time with a worried look on her face.
"Are you sure you're gonna be alright?" she asked.
"Yeah," Loganel responded with a tired voice.
"..." Juliana frowned as she engaged in a mental conflict with herself on whether or not allowing Loganel to accompany her was a good idea.
"The twenty Silver," Loganel mentioned, causing Juliana to be distracted from her internal turmoil. "I'll pay you back."
"It's fine," Juliana waved it off. "It's for the group as a whole's benefit. You got some nice gear with it so I think it's worth it."
"I..." Loganel opened his mouth to speak but closed it again as he remembered that he wasn't the best at conveying his thoughts.
Soon, the Academy's front gate came into view, and there, many others were awaiting already. The other parties waited for their own members, and once everyone was there, they set off on their hunt for the day. As for Loganel, he could see the three familiar figures standing by the water fountain just inside the school campus and directly facing the front gate.
After seeing Azura, Loganel could finally confirm that her and Juliana had also upgraded their gear, with both of them no longer wearing shabby looking starting armor. They were now equipped more professionally.
"Everyone's here," Tetsuya smiled as he saw Loganel and Juliana approaching. "So, yesterday I accepted a request from the bulletin board. It's from a nearby village and it asks us to take care of a band of orcs that has been raiding the village. Everybody fine with that?"
Tetsuya looked around at everyone and they all expressed their approval. All but Loganel, who stared blankly into the empty space before him. He didn't have any objections, but he also doesn't have any approval. As if a lifeless machine, awaiting orders, he just waited. He could feel that something wasn't right. That something wasn't the same as it was prior to his injury. And when he finally realized what was wrong, the group had already reached the village that has sent out the request. It took them walking about two hours to reach the village, and investigating took the rest of the day since they had to go investigate the site of the raids and villagers' testimony.
Advertisement
"So it looks like there's about twelve of them," Tetsuya concluded that night.
The five of them were using the small cabin that the village elder had provided for them to use as a base. There, they discussed the results of the day's investigation and prepared plans for their future.
"So I think we should be fine," Tetsuya said. "I trust everybody here. That's why I believe we can do this. It won't be easy, but it's doable."
Four out of the five were huddled around the table in the center of the one room cabin. The only one that wasn't at the table was Loganel, who sat on the ground by the window with his sheathed sword in his arms. He looked out at the full moon and basked in its moonlight.
So that is what is wrong... Loganel thought to himself. He's the one making decisions now.
The boy glanced over at the brown haired stranger that has now became the center of their group. He is the core now, the fuel cell that allows the party to function. And Loganel, he's now an expendable. He's easily replaceable and not important.
Loganel sighed as he yawned. He was tired from the long trek they had participated in to reach their destination, and was ready for a long slumber until the son rises tomorrow morning and would need him to rise as well. He didn't want to rise, but society standards forced him to.
"So it's determined that the orcs' den is here," Tetsuya pointed to an area in the forest surrounding the village. "According to the villagers, these orcs built something like a fort here. So everybody must be on their guard. Got it?"
"Got it," Sherriel nodded, and the others did so as well.
"Alright everyone, let's all rest up," Tetsuya concluded the meeting. "We all have a long day before us tomorrow."
With the meeting over, it was now time for bed. Since this cabin was provided to them by Tetsuya asking the village elders for a place to stay the night, it was provided without notice so it lacked beds and other furniture since this cabin has just been recently built and was intended to be a village storage. However, with the nights being quite cold as summer gradually faded away, the five needed to stay warm as they slept. That was why the village elders lent the some blankets to use for the night. But, there was just one problem. There weren't enough for all five of them. There were only four blankets.
"Tetsuya will need one," Azura said, "he's the one that's leading us. If he gets sick then that'll affect our performance. Sherriel will need one since she's our main fire power. Juliana will need one since she's gonna be healing everybody and will require a large amount of Mana to be expended so letting her rest up is the ideal situation."
As she spoke, Azura passed the blankets around, and finally, there were just one but two people left. She looked over at Loganel, and Loganel closed his eyes.
I get it, he thought, you don't have to look at me like that. I know. I wasn't suppose to be here. I wasn't supposed to be here to disrupt your plannings. I'm expendable, so I know...
"I'll pass," Loganel said.
Advertisement
Is that my imagination but did Azura for a split second there appeared quite disappointed? What am I thinking? There's no way. Who would care for me other the Laurina and Redgilus? I'm just imagining things. There's no way they would care. I'm an expendable, someone that could be easily replaced. Just like how I was so easily replaced...
"But you just recovered from an injury," Juliana said.
"It's fine," Loganel forced a half-smile. "You said I just recovered from an injury, so I won't be the most efficient."
Don't cry...
"Plus, I don't know your strategies."
Keep it together. Keep your voice calm. Don't them let them see...
"So I won't know how to work with you guys."
Don't let the tears show...
"So it's best for me to just watch."
Don't...cry...
"Yeah," Loganel said, feeling that he won't be able to maintain that facade for any longer. "I'm not tired yet so I'll go take a walk outside. You guys could go to sleep. I'll be quite when I get back."
After that, he immediately left the vicinity of the cabin and into the woods. He could feel some tears rolling down the side of his cheeks but he didn't bothered with them. Instead, he continued walking until he came upon a small cliff that overlooked a forest. He sat down, and looked up at the gentle moon, whose lights shined on the tears in his eyes.
Yeah...I'm thinking about this way to much. Why did I even think that I was of any value to them in the first place? Isn't this the reason why I offered to stay behind in Ekeletas in the first place? So that is my role...a human shield...Feels kinda bad.
Loganel pulled the collars of his coat closer to his face, and hugged his legs close to his chest so as to preserve valuable body heat. Then, he closed his eyes as he prepared for a slumber.
Would they come for me when they realize that I didn't return when they wake up in the morning? What am I thinking about? Stop lying to yourself Loganel. You're pathetic. They only kept me because of guilt...God I'm pathetic...
And just like that, the boy dozed off in the cold, chilly night with some tears climbing down his cheeks slowly. All around him was silence, and the world lacked any color. The only colors were the gloomy shadows that was casted by the trees. and the cold, silver moonlight that is so comforting but stupidly cold.
***
"He...left," Azura said, she was dazed as to what has happened.
"..." Juliana was silent as she was still surprised by what Loganel had done. Because she was around him the longest, she could tell that something was bothering him. She's never seen him like that before in the past. It was almost as if he was on the verge of tears. This was something that only she could tell.
"He'll probably come back when he's feeling better," Tetsuya said trying to comfort the others as he prepared to lay down and sleep on the ground. "He's probably just not used to everything yet. He did just return from being unconscious for a few days. I think that's a normal reaction."
"You think so?" Juliana asked, as if trying to lie to herself for peace of mind.
"Probably," Tetsuya answered back. "We still have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Everybody rest up."
The rest of them did as Tetsuya suggested. They prepared their sleeping areas on the other side of the cabin from Tetsuya.
"He's kinda scary," Sherriel said as the three girls sat next to each other with their back against the wall.
"Who? Loganel?" Juliana asked.
"Yeah," Sherriel nodded. "He seems so cold and everything...Looking at him I could feel like an aura that is so forbidding and everything. It's like the direct opposite of Tetsuya. Loganel just feels...cold."
"He wasn't like that in the past," Juliana sighed. "He used to be more outgoing. That is until he was eight years old."
"What happened?" Sherriel asked.
Juliana looked at her curious look, and she peeked over at Azura, who was looking the other way but occasionally glancing at her.
"Well," Juliana, sensing that if she didn't tell them the story they wouldn't be able to sleep for the night gave in. "Loganel lost his memory."
"He lost his memory?" Sherriel exclaimed.
"Yeah," Julian recalled the past. "Before that, he used to be super kind and outgoing. But then after he lost his memory, his smiles just looked forced. Initially, he was super easily agitated and everything. We all thought he was going crazy. I overheard him one night when we were sleeping about how he has to find a way to get back. But to where he never said."
"So he was actually cute when he was a child?" Sherriel appeared shocked. "I thought he was like that in the past."
"He only began having that attitude after he was around twelve. You know...three years ago. It was super weird if you think about it. He just slowly became like that. His eyes just slowly became...that um...lifeless look?"
"And then?" Sherriel pressed Juliana for more.
"I think we should go to sleep," Azura suddenly interrupted. "We have a long day tomorrow so we all need to rest up."
"Alright," Sherriel whined.
"If we have time in the future," Juliana said, "and if you would like to listen, we can continue this."
"Great!" Sherriel smiled. "Goodnight everyone."
"Goodnight," the girls heard Tetsuya say.
"You're not asleep" Azura asked.
"No one could just fall asleep immediately you know?" Tetsuya explained. "Now, let's prepare for tomorrow."
Author's Note:
Hello everybody!! Please give me any criticisms or ENCOURAGEMENTS that you would like. I prefer encouragements though, but please point out any flaws in my story telling since that would help me improve. Thank you.
Also, please vote if you've enjoyed. Thanks everyone.
Advertisement
- In Serial22 Chapters
I Have to Text my Ex, or the World Explodes
Do you have an anus? If you do, here's a great little nonsensical story for you to turn off your brain and read while you're stuck in the toilet with nothing to do. Here's the premise of my new story: Andrew Garage thought he was the Chosen One.Stuck in a time loop that reset whenever a meteor crashed to Earth, he was determined to save mankind and get himself out of the loop. On his seventh try, he finally eliminated the catastrophic meteorite with an Antimatter Gun.However, a self-proclaimed Goddess suddenly appeared and sent Andrew back into the loop again because he saved the world 'the wrong way'. As Andrew bitterly scavenged for solutions, he found out that the reason the meteor kept crashing into Earth because. . . he kept ignoring his exes' texts. Great for people with anuses and people who want to destroy meteorites. Not recommended for people who expect actual logic like NOT winning the lottery five times in a row.
8 89 - In Serial8 Chapters
The Chosen
Every 50 years 5 individuals are chosen, at random, to receive gifts of power, oriented toward their interests, in order to shake up the world order. The only restriction being that they be loners, seperated from every day society so as to give them a chance to develope their new found power before those who may seak to maintain the status quo snuff them out. Jared Thorne woke to find himself gifted with the Game Character subspecies. Although starting out weaker than other chosen,past and present, his potential is far greater.
8 90 - In Serial26 Chapters
Tales and Legends of Tamriel : Twin moons
The continent of Tamriel is a unique place where many races live together. Humans, elves, orcs, lizardmen... they are many to populate this mythical continent. But of all the peoples, the khajiits are undoubtedly the strangest and the most curious of all. This race of cat-people lives in the warm and exotic province of Elsweyr. Under the benevolent gaze of the moons, the Khajiits live as they have for millennia. To our human eyes, their culture would be strange and bizarre, but they don't care. Princess Shazira, daughter of the khan Razirr'Ri, has lived locked up and cut off from the world since she was a child. She is said to be fragile and sickly by nature, but she knows perfectly well that it is all a lie. Curious and adventurous by nature, the princess does not hesitate to run away at the slightest opportunity to discover a little more of this vast world that fascinates her so much and from which she is kept away. It is during one of her many escapades that she crosses by chance a young human mercenary freshly arrived in Elsweyr, Alberic, who pays the price of this meeting. Unbeknownst to Shazira, forces are at work in the shadows as the young khajiit is the object of an ancient prophecy made to her father before she was even born. Strange events soon strike the family of Lord Razirr'Ri and he decides to take his daughter away to hide her and put her in a safe place. For the first time in her life, Princess Shazira leaves the capital. At first euphoric at the idea of traveling, she soon discovers that the evil that has awakened in the shadows is now after her...
8 103 - In Serial15 Chapters
The World Of Thousands (ENDED)
Note: THE STORY HAS ENDED. 11 CHAPTERS IN TOTAL You can read this when you lack brains. 🌹 🌹 🌹 Clarice was chosen by the so called "System" after fainting in her small house in front of her younger sister who took her ex-fiance away. The man she had loved for so long, Sy, seemed too ideal to be true, but he had abandoned her for Charlotte, her own little sister. "Yen's assignment is to get Sy's love back" "Failing to earn enough points will result in immediate obliteration." WAIT WHAT? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET HIM TO LOVE ME WHEN HE LITERALLY CHEATED ON ME?!! "Yen has received twenty points for getting Sy's attention by falling into the mud pool!" "Ding! Congratulations! Yen has received a fan as a weapon!" And so she began her journey as a bunglar who was always in the state of confusion, shock, or fainting.
8 68 - In Serial9 Chapters
The idiotic adventures of Vini and Enzo
Second chapter of the adventures of best buddies Vinicius "Vini" Valverde and Enzo Carvalho. The two friends live in the neighborhood of Barra da Tijuca, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and they get into a lot of trouble in their neighborhood and in their condo, that they simply call Lake.
8 81 - In Serial63 Chapters
To HIM,
[ To HIM, 040218 ]❝I was a rainbow but he was colorblind.❝In this story told from the perspective of a strong individual, Hayden Williams. Let us witness his story and on how his friendship to a straight guy decay because of a intruder that came to their life.
8 76