Ch. 44 - The Other Side
In many places around Errarion, tales were told of an unknown land in the east, seemingly undiscovered, untalked and avoided. It was a common topic in conversations around Prope Portam, and the Paladians there often discussed or theorized what could hide under that question mark that no one could find an answer to.
It isn't that anyone hasn't attempted, though. In 243 A.F.W. in the middle of Herbes, a group of fifteen Paladians went out on a bigger boat, and carefully steered through the waters, circling the eastern land without seeing any shores, only massive rocks that almost resembled a wall or barricade.
They returned, reporting, but set out again in Gorro, now equipped with special flares made out of the kanki rocks, which were minerals that were prone to explosions in flashy colours.
Their last light was sent went they reached the middle course of the Aria River, named the High Current, which could be seen over the Wall of Life and Death. However, there were no more signs of life shown. They have never returned, and no one ever does.
There were more Morians, Paladians or Erans who set out by themselves or in small groups but never made it back home, presumed missing, then labelled dead.
Since most history connected to what it once could've been was either lost to time or brushed off as a topic for another day, it seemed that more and more younger people in Errarion have become completely unaware of its existence, or someone lied about it ever being there in the first place.
...and partially, Morio and Jyuzou would've been lumped together with the others if not for just a few words Jeffy left on that day. There was a promise the white-haired Morian made to himself, that if it was no one else, then he'd solve the mystery of this land, despite its potential dangers and the lack of knowledge, heading forth.
For the longest time, it didn't seem like anyone would dare to try and attempt something so futile again.
***
The waters were rather calm, sometimes turning into small and light currents which propelled them forward. Morio kept looking at the sun to make sure they were heading in the right direction, but sometimes it was obscured by a light fog that extended above into the pink and orange sky and sharp rocks which grew from below.
There weren't any stops along the way, though. No water was shallow enough for them to step out and stretch their limbs, and as far as they were concerned, everything below spoke of an uneasy silence.
Sometimes, the river would appear a bit clearer, and Jyuzou would glance down, holding his book and sketching whichever fish swam by. Most of them were ones he'd already seen in the Shimori Lake, but a few were new, which caught his attention.
Whenever the other Morian found himself busy, Morio went through his backpack, trying to find anything useful, or snacking on the generous amount of food left in the deeper pockets. When it got warmer, he took off the Talia cloak, grabbed Jyuzou's spear and created a flag out of it. At first, he used it to tell the direction of the wind, before quickly realising how useless such was, as they were already swimming in a direction that slowed them down. The headwater of the Aria River was located about halfway up the mountain, and there was no way to swim up.
Instead, Morio opted to clean his cloak, by dipping it into the water, and then hanging it atop Jyuzou's spear again. He waited for it to dry, and started scraping off the dirt and blood that stained its thick on the inside and thin on the outside material.
His other clothes, though, weren't in such a good state. His vest was completely ruined, and the dried blood didn't want to wash away, so he decided to stuff it below the deck. It wasn't as cold in Shimori, but he trembled a bit, waiting for his Talia to dry. His undershirt was full of small and big holes, so Jyuzou promised him to make another one if they found any cotton on the other side.
...and going back to Jyuzou, he caught every fish that seemed even a little different. Over the six hours, he managed to get his hands on six of them, all with different fins, colours or skin. Some were squishy, others hard, full of meat, or way too tiny to even consider it proper food. He wrote down every detail he could inspect, and soon enough, it started getting darker.
The two agreed on something, then. One slept for two hours, while the other stayed awake. Do such until the sun rises, then breakfast, and continue, until they reach the shore, if the sun sets again. Although nothing happened, it was in both's words, the best thing they could do.
The night itself seemed rather uneventful. The thick fog passed, revealing a sky with nothing but the same formations, over and over again, but in the distance, Mount Aria's peaks shone bright and clear. Aria already connected four big countries in the middle, but its insides were also something to talk about. They were filled to the brim with nasty creatures, tight caves and darkness that couldn't be countered by anything, and as well, rumoured to be the home of the strongest demon.
For three hundred years, people rarely stepped inside Mount Aria, vowing to use any other means necessary for travel, be it the Cirim undergrounds or the unsure seas around the Mainland. Even strong Demonears such as Bancho, Axel, and even Kashmir refused to make their way through.
At first, Morio thought that if there was no other way to the different countries, they'd move right through the middle, but Bancho knocked that idea out of his head. Jyuzou still considered it sometimes, saying that there could be an interesting animal to see there.
When morning came, the sun was nowhere to be seen. The boat had moved a bit during the night, and the rocks which sprung from below the waters were scarce, before disappearing entirely. With each row of the oars, the returning fog that covered the sea only grew denser, and the vibrant colours from earlier disappeared, fading into a sad grey.
Jyuzou took out the familiar black pot from his backpack, struck two stones against each other and lit a fire a top of a firm material. He dumped all the fish inside, mixing it up with a few different seeds, adding some water, and making a delicious stew for both of them to enjoy.
"Mmm." Morio made a few noises, chewing through the mix. "Mm! MM!" his eyes shone, and he held the wooden spoon in his hand, in awe.
"You seem to be gobbling that up," Jyuzou asked, a bit proud, before looking to the side.
"Mhm!" Morio quickly nodded, before digging in further.
"Hey, hey! LEAVE SOME FOR ME, DAMN IT!" he started swinging his spoon in the mix.
"Ph!" Morio backed out, stunned by the taste, and how full he already was. "Ahh. Uhh."
Jyuzou sighed, slowly moving the pot into his hands, analyzing each bit, as if he were one of those wannabe Paladian food critics in Magna. "I hope there'll be enough food in the eastern land."
"Surely!" Morio replied. "I bet there are even more delicious opportunities waiting for us in the wild! Ah, I guess that counts as another goal, then. Eat everything edible, especially if you can't find it in Shimori."
"Edible. Could be dangerous, though. I don't know anything about the flora or fauna there, atop not having a single clue where we're headed." Jyuzou looked out. "Some things could be poisonous."
"Don't you have that book?" Morio asked.
"Yeah, I do, but when it comes to the places these things appear, there's no mention of an eastern land. The closest thing to that is the label 'found everywhere', yet I still have to see the Kallunfikhuola flowers in Shimori." Jyuzou crossed his arms.
"The what." Morio opened his mouth.
"Kallunfikhuola flowers." Jyuzou repeated.
Morio squinted his eyes. Jyuzou couldn't utter the word purple without stuttering thrice but managed to spur out such an abysmal excuse of a name without much effort.
"Man." Jyuzou sighed. "None of this would've been a problem if you prepared for travel beforehand. There's not enough food for the two of us in my backpack, assuming we don't find anything else." he scratched his head.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Morio muttered, covering his mouth.
"I know it was a sudden decision," he added. "But if you were already planning on changing something I'd go back and think twice. Hell, when I left the Midcity Bar I headed straight for my backpack, even though I had trouble finding Jeffy's house." Jyuzou said before his eyes made contact with Morio's, and Morio immediately looked away. "Uh. How's Jeffy, by the way?"
Morio opened his mouth slightly, gulping.
"I'm hoping his house didn't burn down or get destroyed. It'd be a real pity for him and his parents, if... No, wait. They come back in Gorro, right? I'm sure that by then something will be done with Magna. I can't imagine that city falling into-" Jyuzou didn't stop speaking, but his words seemed nothing but a muffled blur in Morio's mind.
The white-haired Morian clenched one fist, breathing in.
"Morio?" Jyuzou raised his voice.
"Uh." Morio looked at him. "He's okay!" he spouted.
"Oh." Jyuzou raised his eyebrows. "That's good."
"H-He told me he's gonna leg it for Mount Aria." Morio nodded, swallowing saliva.
"I think there are a few houses in Lot Thúrum." Jyuzou put his hands together. "I hope he's s-safe."
"Well, he's a Demonear, just like us." Morio looked to the side.
All the emotions of the tragedy still swelled inside, growing, but masked under all the events that were to come.
***
When they were done with their meal, Jyuzou hid the pot back inside the backpack, and the two were ready to go back to rowing. However, something revealed itself in the distance.
"What is that?" Morio peeked out, squinting his eyes.
"I think it's a boat?" Jyuzou proposed, and Morio grabbed the cloak from the spear and wrapped it around himself.
The boat swam by another boat, which was empty, with a few different pieces of cloth on the inside, one stained with blood.
His eyes shrunk, as he slowly sat back down.
"Was there anything on the inside?" Jyuzou asked, raising his voice, while the other slowly blinked, without an answer. "Argh, Morio." Eventually, Jyuzou looked out too.
"Clothes?" Jyuzou asked. "...blood?" he continued, a bit fearful. "What on Errarion?" he muttered, gulping. He put both of his hands on the edge of the boat and looked into the water.
"What are you doing?!" Morio asked, a bit panicked.
"Maybe they drowned?" Jyuzou continued.
"W-Why would you be looking for their bodies?! KEEP SWIMMING!" Morio grabbed his hand, pulling him back.
"Damn it, what's with your reaction?!" Jyuzou turned, angered.
Morio breathed out, his eyes drifting back and forth.
Jyuzou seemed shocked as well before his expression softened.
The two heard a strange sound echoing into their ears. It resembled the crickets of Gorro, only were they lower in tone, more scarce and oddly, unsettling. They didn't know whether it came out from beneath the water or somewhere next to them, as they didn't dare to move a muscle. Through their cries, a loud-pitched scream could be heard, as if someone was calling out to them.
Then, it stopped, as abruptly as it appeared. The boat was picked up by a small current, speeding up.
Morio breathed out. "I d-don't think those were humans trying to make their way back home," he uttered. "Something was heading our way."
"D-Demons?" Jyuzou asked, after a while.
"I don't think these waters are safe, Jyuzou. Whatever's hiding below, it doesn't seem as if we're welcome." He continued gulping. "Whether it's the eastern land or just the Aria River. Hell, as far as I know, we still could be only halfway ther-"
The boat hit something a bit rocky. The mist cleared, revealing an empty, rocky beach shore, which had carved paths in between the rocks, going up into a dark green forest.
The two looked at each other, then stared forward.
Jyuzou stepped out of the boat and onto the land, taking his backpack. His boots sank into the small stones and felt a bit damp. He reached his hand out towards Morio, helping him off. The two looked around before one broke the silence.
"There it is," he muttered, taking out a piece of paper with the map of Shimori and a blank space above the river. He smiled lightly.
Jyuzou breathed out. "Then, we've made it." he beamed a bit as well. "The eastern land, as one w-would call it. Or..." He looked towards the signs etched deep into a rock.
"Old Manjuno." Jyuzou shook his head, and Morio stepped forward, pointing to the little letters below.
"Morta." Morio read aloud, before turning to Jyuzou.
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top