~ He who watches the world with closed eyes - II ~

The night came and went, as the day graced the land with life and prosperity.

What prosperity.

I was considered a prisoner now for they had locked me inside a room with a basket of raw fruits and one small cup of water.

Rolling my eyes at their behavior, I sat down to eat some fruits, which appeared to be native wild berries and melons.

The ink that Rai Xo had scribbled on me still hurt my neck at odd hours, but for now it had given me a respite and I was determined to eat something before I died of hunger.

Taking a bite I sniffed it a bit, but even if they were to poison me, I had no choice but to eat what they served.

Now thinking it through, maybe it wasn't a good idea to sell my identity out, maybe I should have presumed the role the previous Raven played and behaved as if I was normal. Then secretly I would have sneaked into libraries and searched for a way back.

Aargh, I was so stupid! I should have gone with some manga plot where the Main Character would hide his past, abilities and all that nuisance and would strike when the iron was hot.

I slapped myself in pity, how ridiculous was I?

Sighing, I fell back on the thin mattress on my side, still chewing the first bite and staring at the ceiling which was nothing but plain wood, a small lantern holder hanging from a hook at the center.

Since I came here even my abilities to see spirits had given up on me, it was so weird, suddenly feeling normal.

"I want to go back home," I whined to no one, pouting at my pitiable state.

It was soon after I finished my berry, when the floor outside thumped with loud footsteps. And the door slid open, as a blond head peeked in.

"What can I do for you Adam," I snapped unhappily.

Yet, Adam didn't take it to heart, "M-Master has arrived at the central, you need to get ready, we are leaving."

I felt pissed now, he talked as if I had riches with me which I could pack. Or as if we were going on a tourist trip.

"When do we leave?"

He counted the time on his finger tips, "It would take 10 hours to reach there, so we are leaving right now."

My mouth fell open, I had to drag my feet for ten hours?

What the-

"Fine, then are we taking a carriage?" I prayed he answered with a yes, but instead he shook his head. "No, we will be going bare foot, no wagon would be able to cross these mountains."

Right, of course.

"Then do we have a slipper?" my feet would hurt if they didn't have it. I had seen how nobody wore slippers, but walked around bare foot. Which was weird to be honest, I wasn't used to it.

"You r-really aren't our Raven," Adam admitted, fidgeting. And I thought 'Even you aren't the Adam I knew, Adam would actually cry if he saw you.'

"Any Kind of footwear a-are worn only by the nobles or those who have very high status in the society," he told me after some thinking, "we cannot wear them, for it is costly and would offend someone if they see us going against the rules."

"They have rules for even wearing slippers?!" the fact was astonishing, even for my adaptive brain.

"Yes," he nodded like an innocent 3 year old, "will you come with me now?"

I prayed my feet wouldn't bleed out by the end of the day.

~~

The sun was still high and bright when we ventured outside the barrier, and I was angered when I found that the barrier didn't do anything to those who wanted to get out, Rai Xo had clearly tricked me.

We crossed various small forests and ponds, even a small stream as we walked with a casual pace. The life around us kept us entertained even if we did not share many words with each other.

My fate might turn against me, but I did enjoy the journey, the cool breeze once in a while would ruffle my hair softly, as the trees would shade me as I passed them. The whole place was enchanting, picturesque and happy.

And the hour turning to two and the two turning to four, the time didn't wait for us and soon it was night.

I had thought we would stop to eat or maybe take a bit of a rest since my feet were finally killing me, yet my hopes were dashed as the senior never took a pause and simply lit up a torch to keep track of the path head.

"Will we not stop until we reach there?" I managed to ask under the now dead silence, even the breeze seemed to be too scare to make a sound. As if that would disrupt some sort of calm.

"We have a lot of distance to cover and master would leave tomorrow, so we better reach there by tonight."

I wanted to throw tantrums at the head strong buffoon, which would have been fun, if I wasn't this scared of their retaliation.

That morning dagger threat had done numbers on me, and if the senior was some 'ink master' as Adam put it, then it wouldn't be surprising if his brush strokes would land me in a pool of pain again.

"My feet hurt," I still complained.

"Then cry for all we care."

I huffed, how cold hearted were they?

~~

It was another few hours later that we started to see some bold lanterns hanging from the trees, and as we went along the way, the lanterns increased in numbers as the smaller settlements started to appear and the path widened.

At one point, I felt like I was in some old china town, the red and the golden lanterns, all brightly lit around various shops, and there were even people who were crowding the street.

The abrupt change from forest to town was startling, but I felt warm when I saw how the kids played around in circles, and the adults were all chatting among themselves, laughing and buying stuff.

"Brushes, paper and ink, buy it under 2 grains, brushes, paper and ink, buy it under two grains..."

"...Reldeeeee, Reldeeee melons, under 5, under 5"

"White, blue and pink, a gift for the ladies, cheap and durable, cheap and durable..."

"...sell your old rags for new ones, sire, ladies, children, we grant negotiating."

"Sale on vegetable and fruits, vegetable and fruits!"

"I thought it would be silent during the night," I mumbled to myself as I watched the hawkers lining the street and shouting their prices, trying to attract customer with cheerful faces and cheap sale tricks.

Even the small little hut houses at the edges were full of life, as people sat around on hand-made chairs and enjoyed the crowd with a peaceful tranquility.

The town looked small, since I could see the ending tip down the lane, the slope allowing me to view it clearly. Still, it was very lively and entertaining.

"The main town comes after we cross the mountain, we call it Ken Jui," Rai Xo informed me, "it is one of the most flourishing town in the southern region of Zor En."

I wondered why we were chatting all of a sudden, but I didn't think it was any good to respond to him in kind.

"The sect here controls the trade and commerce, people don't go against the sect," he continued. And I felt as if I could tell what he was going to say next.

"So even if you run away, our sect's influential background wouldn't let you escape."

"If I didn't run away until now then I wouldn't do it in the future as well," I stated as if facts, "hopefully your master will listen to me."

"Our master is one of the 12 nobles who were granted the golden brush, so don't assume he will tolerate your evil."

I wanted to say that even high and might folks could be idiots, but seeing as how prideful Rai Xo was of his master, I reluctantly kept my mouth shut.

~~

We entered the main town after a few minutes of walking. And this town was also one of those which was based on iron grid pattern, with 90 degree street cuts and perpendicular intersecting drain lines.

Even the most cornered alleys were spotless and majority of the town had two floor single unit cottages.

Those circular fountains and huge nodes, were the most attractive feature of the town.

I appreciated the night life.

Even back on earth, where I lived, we didn't have so much going on at one place. Only on Halloween, Christmas, and new year would I see some cheer.

Otherwise, the life went on as it would everyday.

"Where are we going?"

Adam who walked beside me, clearly heard me, so he reluctantly answered, "The Sect."

Like I know that much but, "Where is that exactly?"

"On the hill up there," he pointed towards the hill sitting at the end of the town, it was huge and steep, almost like a massive wall overlooking the town.

"So we still have a while of walking."

"Yes, half an hour if we walk fast."

I exhaled with relief, "Alright, let's walk fast then," I told him, as we caught up to Rai Xo.