The sunlight filtered through the dense canopy of Elora’s forest, casting golden streaks onto the ground tangled with twisted roots. Matt walked cautiously beside Sehr’mana, both of them alert to the sounds of the wilderness.
"Zaalen-shu," Matt murmured with a satisfied smile, repeating the word Sehr’mana had just taught him.
"Ash," she approved softly. "You… learn… fast, Matal." She, too, was making an effort to use the words he had taught her.
Matt nodded, slightly flustered by the compliment. Since their journey together began, he had tried to grasp bits of the Shivaar language. The breathy, vibrating sounds challenged him, but Sehr’mana seemed to appreciate his persistence.
"Gosaa'k ma!" he suddenly called out, testing another phrase.
"Gosaa'k ma," she replied with a slight smirk, amusement flickering in her eyes.
As they continued, they reached the edge of a shimmering lake. Sehr’mana signaled for Matt to stay back while she summoned their transportation. She whistled a complex melody, and moments later, a massive quadruped with a fluid, aquatic coat emerged from the reeds.
"Raar'nu," Sehr’mana explained. "He… help us… cross… Duvai."
The creature lowered itself, allowing them to climb on with their Kravakh. Once settled on its back, they advanced slowly through the calm water. Matt felt the warmth of the sun blend with the cool splash against his skin.
"You said… the people of your village… wouldn’t accept me?" Matt asked hesitantly.
Sehr’mana turned her gaze away. Her expression darkened slightly.
"The Zhe’naar do not… accept outsiders," she admitted. "To them, you are… va ku’smo."
"Despised?" Matt guessed.
"Yes. But… I do not think like them. I know you are… ii Shamaani. That means different."
Matt smiled faintly. Ever since meeting Sehr’mana, he had sensed her actions went beyond the typical hostility between their peoples. But there was something deeper in her voice, a pain hidden beneath her words.
"You sound sad," he murmured. "What’s troubling you?"
Sehr’mana took a deep breath, resting her hand on her alien-crafted bow, tracing the organic material with her fingers.
She reached for Matt’s notebook and took a burned twig as a writing tool. She began to scribble, and what unfolded between them felt more like a dialogue than mere sketches.
"When I was Zhuna, still a child, there was a trial all young ones had to pass. Surviving alone in the Nur’vak for several cycles. It was a rite to prove our worth to the tribe."
Matt listened intently, sensing the weight behind each word.
"One day, a boy… my friend Nevali… did not return. The elders said it was Khelvor’s will. That his fate was sealed."
"But you didn’t accept that, did you?" Matt guessed.
"No. I disobeyed. I went searching for him alone. I found him injured, attacked by a Tazmorr. I helped him return. But when I came back… they said I had broken the Nashaari. That I had disrupted harmony."
"So they banished you?"
"Yes. Raa’sul… shame. They said I had betrayed the ritual."
Matt felt a surge of sympathy. He gently placed his hand over hers.
"To me, what you did was brave. Saving someone—even when the world tells you not to—that takes Zurai. Courage."
Sehr’mana turned, a silent tear rolling down her cheek.
"Uvari' temene… Thank you. Sometimes, I wonder if I was wrong."
"You followed your heart. And I’ll follow you too, no matter what others think."
Sehr’mana smiled, a smile touched by nostalgia and relief.
"Shaalu’mei…" she whispered, barely audible.
The Raar'nu carried them forward, giving them time to savor the moment in stillness. In the distance, the Thuunal Mountains rose against the horizon—a quiet promise of their shared destination.
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