Harth of Darkwood

Rebe

Rebe was filled with shock when she heard a familiar voice call out her name. She rose to her feet, wiped away her tears, and slowly turned. She saw none other than Bruno behind her. Had he followed her here? No, surely she would have felt his presence. Unless he knew how to mask himself somehow. Or the forest itself masked presences. That would explain how she lost Dasher. No matter how. He was here. She would have applied her war paint were he not watching. Instead, she equipped a mask. 

"I'm here to take you home, my lady." Bruno continued on as if he hadn't stumbled into her collapsed in ball crying in the middle of a mysterious forest.

Bruno was amount his black stallion Kuro towering above her. The horse's hair was so effective at trapping light that the horse nearly melted into the shadows of the thick Darkwood from which he emerged, making the man appear to float. Rebe felt the beast more than she saw it. 

Bruno was dressed in all forest greens today, which also blended into the background, albeit in a much different manner. He had his signature serpentine spear in one hand. And in the other a lead. A lead that led to Dasher the komodon. Rebe ran to the beast and hugged it. 

"Who sent you? Leo or Sato?" Rebe's mind added Sam, but she stopped her mouth, refusing to out her friend.

"Neither my Lady. I came of my own accord. Leo just left to retrieve Sato. Neither knows where we are right now, not precisely. Nor shall I tell either, should you wish me not to. I simply must insist we leave immediately. If we don't hurry back, we may well miss the start of the Harvest Festival," Bruno's tone was jovial and kind.

"Bruno, you know that isn't going to happen. I came here to learn..." Rebe replied much less kindly. She was still petting Dashe,r who was much calmer now.

"About Wicc and the wood. Yes, I'm well aware," Bruno brashly brushed away her hesitation.

"You aren't angry?" Rebe wondered. She decided to mount Dasher so she could be of height with Bruno and he wouldn't have to hold him. Bruno handed her the lead. He began to trot his horse slowly down the clearing. Rebe brought Dasher to a steady trot and followed.

"At a youth so desperate for adventure, seeking the call of the forest. Hardly. I'd be quite the hypocrite had I been. I was much like you in my youth. I had abilities most would prefer to keep quiet. I could speak with the beasts, serpents specifically," Bruno gestured toward his spear.

"Serpents? Like the giant ones underground? The ones digging the tunnels for the Faeries," Rebe replied, remembering what she felt below. Even now, she felt them, hard and slow, at work. 

"Young lady, those are the wyrms, not serpents. They are much larger and more powerful," Bruno look genuinely confused. "If you feel the wyrms... Rebe that knife on your hip, give it to me quickly," urgency overtook Bruno's voice. At this point, she had fallen far behind, and he was not in reach. 

Rebe did not hesitate. Regardless of her reservations over him and the Prince, she had no doubt he wanted to keep her safe. Why else would he have come to this place? She launched her dagger with greater velocity than intended towards the man. 

Bruno reached his hand out to catch it, and at the last moment, its hilt turned into him, landing gently in his hand. He inspected the blade briefly, rode over, and then returned it to her. This only puzzled her further. It was only then that Rebe realized that both her hands were firmly planted on Dasher. The blade had flown on its own. Had that been her doing? How? 

"Lady Rebe, I'll bet anything you can feel the minerals in that blade, and in the soil, and in your bones and blood. I'll bet you can hear things move around you. When your feet are on the ground. Like an echo," Bruno speculated.

"I can. Yes, you're right. What does all of this mean?" Rebe wondered.

"It means you are a Geo. One gifted with the Arch-druids' abilities. Specifically, the abilities of the Mother Wyrm. You can move and feel, and speak to the ground and its components with your mind alone. Suppose you could call it a maegic, but more call it Wicked," Bruno explained.

"But why can I do these things?" Rebe wondered. Shouldn't Sato have this gift? He's the Hero. He's the Wielder. Or Daniel. He's the smart one. The strategist. Imagine what he could do with the sixth sense. Why her? Why me?

"It also means, among many other things, that you aren't from where you think you are," Bruno declared. "Rebe, you must have been born in Æurea. You are Æurean like Leo, not human like Sato," Bruno concluded.

Somehow, Rebe knew instantly that it was true. Her missing mother. Her sixth sense. It all only made sense if she wasn't who she thought she was. She had always been an outsider. A little different. On the other side of the portal, her red hair had gotten her bullied so much that she decided to dye it black. That only made her father and brother resent her further. 

Rebe had always struggled. That's why when she met Sato and he invited her over, she felt seen. She felt for the first time like she belonged. Ever since coming to this world, she had felt a connection she could not explain. Like this place was calling to her. Now she knew why. 

Rebe was born here. Not just in Æurea or in Kelton. She was from the Darkwood specifically. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew. This was her home. Her first home. 

"I don't think Sato is who we were sent to find. I think it was you, Rebe. I think you are the Hero of Otherworld," Bruno added. 

That Rebe did not know to be true at all. In fact, she was sure it couldn't be. Sato wielded the relic. She had seen it herself. Before she could respond, they were interrupted. The wolves silently set upon them.