Rush and Revelation

"We're almost there Mira!"

I, Yusof Harim, said to Mira, who was running right behind me. My body is drenched with sweat from the prolonged running and my legs felt like they would give out at any time.

But I kept pushing forward because I know we are getting closer.

The end of the forest was close. It's piercing light made me barely fail to grasp it.

The light only grows brighter with each step we take forward.

Until.

"We made it!"

The roads, we exited through the path we came from, where the broken trees and the wheel tracks started.

The sky is barely shining, clouds cover most of the sunlight leaving only enough for vision from the sky.

"haaargh."

The roars of the troll lost most of it's volume because it's locked in the location deep in the forest. Luno is defending against it by herself.

The troll was persistent, it followed us until the near end of the forest. Luno stayed back because she didn't want to risk the troll following us until the cart, which would make defense and escape even harder.

"Let's go! Quick!"

Mira ordered me as she ran to our right, leaving me behind.

"Wait up!"

I fixed my position carrying the woman and started to move. But the fatigue is catching up to me causing my legs to shake. Even taking even a single step is difficult.

Mira turned around and made an angry expression.

"Stop messing around! We've got to go help Luno!"

I tried to move but nearly fell over again.

"I can-"

"I don't want to hear it! Let's go!"

She didn't let me speak, her face got even more annoyed at my excuses.

Sweat dropped down my cheeks. I gritted my teeth in frustration and unconsciously screamed back at Mira.

"You're not the one carrying an unconscious person behind your back! Let me rest for a moment!"

"The longer we stay here the more Luno is in danger! Make yourself useful for once!"

She rebuked me for my attitude that I'd say is justifiable.

No.

I hate myself for thinking that.

Luno is in danger from defending against that troll and I'm here dying from my weakness thinking I'm more important?

I gritted my teeth at the thought and forced myself to step forward again, my legs shaking and my spine hurting. I couldn't. The weight of the woman and my current condition made it near impossible for me to move.

"I'm sorry... I can't"

I'm defeated by my fatigue.

I'm too weak.

I can't accomplish anything at this rate.

Mira has been seeing this pathetic side of me since we left the forest. She scratched her hair in frustration

"Gah! Fine!"

"I'm sorry.." I spoke in an apologetic tone. She replied in an apologetic tone as well.

"No.. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lashed out like that."

"Your concerns are in the right place. I'm just too weak."

There was a silence between. I took this time to rest but the accumulated fatigue from sprinting that long was too much.

After a while, Mira sighed as she placed her left hand inside her robe.

"Well... I never thought I'd have to use this now."

Her words intrigued me, making me want to know what she had under there. I stared at Mira's hand movements, she had her entire forearm into her robe.

"Aha!"

She fished out a vial with some sort of yellow sparkling liquid inside it. The vial had some sort of paper label, which Mira observed before handing the vial over to me.

"Here, drink this. I made this myself."

I extended my hand to receive the vial. I turned the vial around to read the label.

'Enerji'

What joke is this?

I cringed as I read the label that misspelled 'Energy' as 'Enerji'. I lifted my face to see Mira who is clearly proud of her creation, puffing up her chest while placing her hands on her waists.

I made a confused face trying my best to hide the disgust and asked.

"What is this?"

"It's a little bit of the results I got last night. An Energy Potion!"

What results? Last night? So this is what you're doing. You skipped sleep making this and then spelling it wrong?

Upon further examination, this vial looked extremely suspicious. She's asking me to drink this? I may hate myself sometimes but I still want to stay alive.

"Don't worry, you won't die. I already tested it."

She took the words right out of my mouth.

But I need to learn more about this is a dangerous hobby of hers.

"On who?"

"Oh? On a grasshopper that was on my window."

"What happened to it?"

"I think.. ah I remember! It jumped around like crazy, like it became hyperactive."

"That's great!"

So it really does give energy! This is a life saver!

"Then it died."

"...."

Nevermind.

"Probably from a heart attack, I don't really know. I haven't gotten much into testing it, ehehe."

She said nonchalantly with a cheeky laugh. Does Mikra know his daughter is becoming a mad alchemist? Testing her suspicious concoctions on living things, next thing we know she's transmuting monsters.

"Now hurry up! We don't have much time." Mira said, turning her body towards the direction of the cart and started moving.

"Why don't you drink it first?"

She stopped moving as she heard that and looked at me with an energetic expression.

"Eh? I'm not tired."

She tried to act like she isn't. Which is futile.

"Liar."

"W-what? No I'm not."

"You're sweating just as much as I am. I saw the clothes under your robe drenched in sweat."

I said that with a proud face, thinking I can corner her to drink the concoction. Then instead of making a face of defeat or a shocked face, she looked at me like im a lowlife.

"You're peeking at what's under my robe? ...Pervert...."

"Don't go misunderstanding things!"

Where did that come from! I was definitely not!

"Ehem! Anyway-"

I coughed as I tried to evade this topic. It's not important right now and I'm not getting myself into more of this.

"-Lets drink it together, that way it's fair if we both suffer."

"Hng.. sure whatever! We have to save Luno quick!."

She reluctantly agreed. She fished out another vial similar to the one she gave me and opened its lid - I did the same.

I adjusted the woman's position on my back to make it easier for me to consume the drink. However she released a soft breath in my ear again.

I'm starting to think she isn't unconscious at all.

But I ignored it so I wouldn't cause any possible misunderstandings.

We both held the opened vials in front of our mouths. None of us daring to take the first sip

I knew this was too suspicious.

I sighed and straightened my face. I glared at Mira as I opened my mouth to speak.

"In the count of three-"

She nodded and gulped down her saliva.

"One."

The more I stared at the potion the more afraid I became. I closed my eyes so I won't have to.

"Two"

I hesitated, but I have no choice if I want to go back and help Luno.

"Three."

As soon as I said three, Mira and me simultaneously gulped down the concoction inside the vial.

Please don't die - Me.

At first, I didn't feel anything.

Did it not work?

After a few seconds.

Oh...

OOOOOOOOOH

The accumulated fatigue melted away in an instant. My legs that were shaking immediately became strong and my body temperature lowered, no longer causing me to sweat.

I opened my eyes and saw that the effects also applied to Mira. She is looking way more energetic than she was before and now we're set.

"I feel amazing! It was a success!"

She jumped up in glee knowing that her suspicious concoction actually worked. The joy from that childish smile reminded me that she is still 13 years old.

Mira rarely showed any of this side of her since we met.

It puts a smile on my face.

She celebrated her success then suddenly her voice and expression became sullen

"Yeah.. it worked now.. only now.. I could.. If only.."

"Mira?"

"Ah.. Y-Yusof.. uh.. sorry about that. Forget that it happened. Let's go!"

I called her name and she snapped out of it, immediately dropping and proceeded to move on. I looked at her as she walked ahead.

"Hurry! Luno is waiting!"

That sudden change in behavior is concerning.

____________

We ran towards the cart to see Aner, Luno's boar, still sleeping. The man who must've heard us running towards his direction stuck out his head from the cart, he had recovered a bit since I placed him there.

"Oh! Shenre! She's safe! Thank you! Thank you!"

He became overjoyed as he saw his wife, which is the woman I carried on my back, arriving safely.

"Ahh!"

He tried to stand up to get her but only resulted in him falling over again.

"Sir! Don't move yet!"

"Ah.. Hahaha. Sorry.."

"It's okay. Can you make space? We have to place her on the cart."

"Ah.. yes, yes.

He moved to the side as I walked towards the back of the cart to place the woman whose name is Shenre, on the cart.

However, just as I was about to climb on the cart.

"Sweetie that's enough." A mature woman's voice is heard.

"Shenre?"

"Miss?"

"Uh... Miss?"

The man, Mira and me spoke in confusion as we heard her voice.

Me in particular, her seductive voice pierced through my eardrums, awakening something that I didn't know existed inside me.

I let out a breath of relief after confirming that I'm still a normal healthy man and at the same time troubled knowing what happened.

"Can you let me down, sweetie?"

"Ah.. Y-yes."

She spoke into my ears, once again causing my eardrums to go to heaven. I obliged to her request and crouched down until her legs touched the ground.

"Thank you, fufu."

She let out a laugh as she thanked me. All I did to reply was give a light nod. She stood up and climbed on the cart herself.

"Oh my, Dariyes, you're injured. That's bad, you must take care of yourself. You know you have a weak body right."

Her husband, whose face is one like as if he is about to cry, hugged her and let out tears of joy.

"Waaaaaaa- Shenre.. I'm so glad you're safe."

"Ara, It's alright dearie, these two brave sweeties made sure I arrived safely."

She replied with a smile as she patted the head of her husband.

"You're right.. huh? Where's the other young woman?"

He turned from being clingy to worrying where Luno is. To which Shenre replied to him.

"She is holding back the troll that chased after us. That's why we mustn't talk more, they must go and save her."

"Yes! We can't waste time! We have to save Luno!"

Mira interjected and said in a strong voice. She was being patient, but now she can finally rush back to aid Luno. However, the man whose name was Dariyes stopped us.

"No. Wait."

"What it is now!"

"Sorry.. but I wanted to tell you that when you were all in the forest, something happened."

Dariyes' face became serious as he spoke.

"There was a hooded man that asked me where you are all."

A hooded man.

That sentence made me shake. I caught a glimpse of a hooded man just when we left Luno.

"Hooded man?"

Mira was confused, it seems the word hooded man doesn't really ring a bell to her.

But it did to me.

I have to confirm one more thing.

"Anything else you remember about him besides that?"

"Uh.. He was wearing blue clothes and.. oh! He had silver hair! I saw it under his hood."

Blue clothes.

Silver hair.

So it really is him.

Jeyson Arostarea.

What is he doing here?

"So what did you tell him?"

I looked at him with a straight face and asked, and he replied making a guilty expression.

"He almost hit me. I was afraid so I told you where you all were, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, you were very brave."

"Thank you."

His wife gave him another head pat.

Lucky bastard.

However, after she finished comforting her husband, Shenre looked at me and Mira with a serious expression. Her expression alone caused the normal atmosphere to suddenly change grave.

"You both must be careful. I have a feeling that this hooded man might pose a threat to you."

She warned us in a dire tone.

I really want to say Jeyson isn't.

Mikra trusts him, that's enough reason for me to say he won't hurt us.

But I don't know him well enough to say he isn't a threat, especially with how he was around me last night.

"Are you done! Let's go!"

Mira, who had gotten impatient, screamed at me. She already ran off herself.

"We'll be careful. Thank you." I thanked Shenre to which she replied with a nod and a smile.

I started to run in a hurry to catch up to Mira.

"Mira! Wait up!"

She didn't reply nor listen to me and continued sprinting.

•

I'm sorry

I broke my promise, Mikra.

I couldn't stop them from doing all these dangerous things.

But I promise you now.

I'll get them both back safely.

•