Dio - Onwards (2)

“Maybe he’s new to the Dream,” Helsat grumbled.

“No. His clothes are too old for that. I only wonder why he’s still wearing them. Which settlement could he belong to? Deli?” Erta muttered, more to herself than to anyone else.

“I don’t know. Maybe Wes remembers something. He was at the last Arrival, waiting at the stream to bring people in. Perhaps he spoke to someone who came from Deli…” Helsat mused.

“How exactly did you find him?” Dio asked, flinching when the man’s legs suddenly kicked hard into the air again.

“Well, he was lying flat on the ground! No idea what he was doing, facedown like that. Nobody meditates facedown on purpose, right?” Hoto said thoughtfully.

“No. We’ll wait. He’ll come to soon enough,” Erta decided.

“How long could that take?” Dio had never meditated for more than a single night.

“Depends. I once saw someone stay inside themselves for days. Well, at least I think it was days; there weren’t really days yet,” Hoto grumbled.

“Days?” Dio jumped to his feet.

“Yes. Calm down. We’re hunters, we have patience. It doesn’t matter,” Erta said, giving him a reproachful look.

Luckily, they did not have to wait that long. While Dio ate a few berries from a nearby bush and the others continued butchering the ataca with four pairs of hands, the man began to stir. Dio crawled to him at once.

“Hello, can you hear us?” he asked gently.

The man blinked, looked around, and struggled to his feet with a groan. “What… what happened?”

“That’s what we’d like to know. You were lying in the dirt,” Helsat said, still busy with his prize and not looking up.

“We were hunting and found you. Who are you? What drove you so deep into the forest alone?” Dio asked, ignoring the hunter.

“I’m Lao. Lao Tso, but Lao is fine,” the man said after a while, once he had gathered his thoughts.

Dio introduced himself, and the others followed.

“We’re from Daw,” Erta informed him curtly.

Lao looked at them, puzzled.

“What’s that?” he asked after swallowing hesitantly.

They all fell silent, and even Erta could not hide her surprise.

“Our village,” Dio explained.

“Where do you come from?” Helsat asked, finally lifting his gaze from his sack.

But Lao suddenly clutched his stomach.

“I… excuse me, do you have anything to eat? I have nothing to trade, though maybe…?” he asked, his face turning red.

Dio handed him one of the rolls he had baked for the hunt. He was glad now that he had brought them, even though Erta had argued against it, claiming their smell would warn the animals.

Lao accepted the roll with confusion, already salivating as he bit into it. Greedily, he devoured it after the first taste, sighing with relief.

“Thank you, that is truly kind. I… I’ve never eaten anything so wonderful! At least not here in the Dream… perhaps before? Thank you! Though, as I said, I have nothing to trade…” he said, then glanced around cautiously.

Dio shook his head in confusion.

“Why trade? We don’t expect anything in return.”

Lao nodded and bowed slightly. “In some places I had to trade. Not everywhere, but some settlements wanted something in return for their food. I’ve never actually been in a village though… I had even forgotten the word.”

Thoughtfully, Lao brushed his matted hair out of his face.

“You can come with us if you like. You can rest and regain your strength there.”

Lao nodded eagerly.

“That is very warmhearted, thank you kindly! I only… I’m a little unsteady on my feet, and I lost my walking stick when I tumbled down one of the nearby slopes. Could someone support me?” he asked, blushing slightly again.

“Of course,” Dio said, offering him his hand.

“Thank you, Dio, that’s very kind,” Lao replied, giving him a radiant smile.

Dio couldn’t help but return it. The others nodded their agreement, and soon Dio and Helsat were walking with Lao between them, while Erta kept some distance to watch for predators.

“So, Lao, you said you’ve already passed through many settlements. Where did you originally come from?” Dio asked after a while.

Questions welled up inside him, multiplying the more he considered Lao’s words.

“Ah, dear Dio, that was so long ago… My Arrival, I mean. You see, I found myself near an ocean that stretched as far as the eye could wander. Blue and majestic, peacefully slumbering… I remember looking out across it and simply… but as I said, it was so long ago now…”

His legs twitched, and Dio had to hold him tighter to keep him from falling.

“Forgive me, forgive me! They just do what they want sometimes. Very strange, they always have been.”

“Your legs?” Dio asked, looking down with concern at the man’s worn sandals, which must have been bought or given to him long ago.

“Yes, very astute. They serve me, though at times I think I’m not worthy of them…” Lao let his head sink and sighed.

Dio felt his body slacken for a brief moment before he steadied himself again.

“Why do you think that, Lao?” Dio asked.

“Ah, dear Dio, I don’t want to burden you with that. I’m only a foolish wanderer who should have stopped pushing himself long ago. Yet something keeps pulling me onward…” he sighed.

“The distance can be very alluring. So many secrets,” Dio replied softly.

Lao nodded wearily and closed his eyes. Dio decided to let him rest for now and focus on getting him safely to the village. Fortunately, he was not particularly heavy, and Helsat marched almost as quickly as before, despite carrying his full sack and supporting the half-sleeping Lao, who kept nodding off.

“The forest’s far enough for me. Who knows what beasts lurk further out…” the hunter muttered.

It took nearly half a day before they left the trees behind and stepped onto the road, smooth and welcoming, leading through rice and wheat fields to Daw. From its countless wooden cottages rose the smoke of evening fires.

“Oh, that smells marvelous! You seem to have quite a culinary abundance here…” Lao marveled, and Dio had to restrain himself from launching into a long description of the dishes made by Wes, Reab, Andelion, Hesee, and the other cooks, who now gathered in the evenings to outdo one another with delicious feasts.

Curious eyes followed them. Dio felt them all in his thoughts as they peeked out from behind shutters or half-open doors. Along the street too, people paused their evening routines: finishing the trimming of flowers, hanging up the last of the laundry, or whispering with neighbors about plans for tomorrow. All their emotions hummed in the air—their contentment, their pleasure, their carefree ease. Dio did not know exactly how he perceived it, yet the longer he spent time among the villagers, the clearer their presence became, not only inside him but also… around him.

He hesitated, for never before had he sensed it as strongly as on this evening. Was it because he had been away longer than usual, and only now truly felt what he had been unconsciously missing?

The others welcomed them as warmly as they welcomed anyone who stepped onto the wide village square, already filled with benches and long tables. At first Dio hardly noticed the sparkle in Lao’s eyes and the broad, incredulous grin on his lips as he took in the houses, the people, and the tables. The firepits were already burning, spreading warmth, sooty scent, and flickering light. The villagers were polite enough not to crowd Lao right away, though when he sat down on a wooden chair he drew countless glances, and without doubt he was the subject of all their hushed whispers.

Helsat did not sit. He gave Dio a nod, bowed slightly to Lao—just as Lao had bowed in the forest after returning from within himself—and then strode off quickly to Erta. The huntress had stayed well back, arms crossed, standing at the edge of the square. She also gave Dio a short nod, but before long she disappeared with Helsat and their catch between the houses. Dio could not see the other two hunters either, and assumed they were busy sorting and storing the kill.

Lao’s already of no interest to them… Dio realized in surprise, and let out a small chuckle.

“Back safe and sound, Dio? And I see you picked someone up along the way?” Brela’s cheerful voice called from behind him, her hands pressing warmly on his shoulders in greeting.

Lao looked up at her and bowed with his usual politeness before introducing himself. Brela did the same and dropped into the chair beside him. Dio sat as well, and soon they were waiting for the meal.

“Des not here?” he asked.

“No, not yet, he’s in his garden. I gave him some tomato seeds, and he’s planting them right now, as careful and meticulous as he always is,” Brela said with a smile.

“I see.”

Lao looked at her, nodding a little awkwardly, and she gave him one of her broad smiles. When the food was served, he fell into astonished silence, sniffing in disbelief at the roast that Andelion and Wes carried around. Dio too felt his mouth water, the scents of savory and tender dishes stirring his usual anticipation.

The steaming plates set before them were filled with carefully prepared dishes, richly garnished and precisely seasoned, sending out aromas so overwhelming that Dio nearly forgot to restrain himself until everyone had food on their porcelain plates.

“A miracle, Dio! A miracle! What fragrant meals you serve me! Truly, I traveled through many settlements, through distant groves and along glittering lakes. Never have I smelled such delight! Tasted such happiness! Seen such buildings! And yet, they feel so familiar, don’t they? These cottages, only of wood, built with skill and joy…” Lao exclaimed, drawing a few discreet but pleased glances.

“Tell me, Lao… where do you come from? How long have you traveled?” Dio finally asked once more.

It was almost as tempting to hear Lao’s story as it was to bite into the feast before him. The young man gave Dio a brief smile, then looked down at the roast on his plate.

“Ah, good Dio, it is very far away, as I said. A shore, you see, near a vast, eternal ocean… The memories are faint now…” he explained. But when Reab officially began the meal, he sank into the delicacies before him.

Dio did not need to be told twice. He bit into the ataca meat, and for a moment his thoughts almost slipped away.

Does it taste this good because I helped bring it down a few days ago, or because I know no spirit ever dwelled in it? Dio wondered, letting the juices melt on his tongue, savoring the tender texture between his teeth.

It was somewhat resistant, though not unpleasant. He thought he recognized the taste, but the memory would not hold, and so only the satisfaction of a full stomach remained. The meal allowed no conversation. To speak even a word would have meant admitting there was anything besides the delicate, lightly salted sauce and the firm arpures, mashed by the cooks and served with potatoes, their brown skins crisp as they crumbled in the mouth.

“A true wonder, this food. I don’t think I have ever eaten so well, neither here nor before…” Lao marveled, leaning back in contentment, eyes closed, his hands pressed against his full belly.

“The ocean… what was it like?” Dio asked at last.

The words had stirred something in him, and only now, with his hunger satisfied, did he realize it. The urge to know more rose up in him again, as it so often did. He simply had to learn more.

If not now, then when? If not from Lao, then from whom?