Old Acquaintances [1]

It was the third day since the group had set out on the journey through the woods, and so far, nothing eventful had happened. The days were all the same: they ate, slept and rested wherever they could, and they would take turns keeping watch at night. It was tedious, but the thought of the reward waiting at the end kept them going.

Jae and Syl integrated into the group and got along with most of them. It seemed like the other escorts had looked past the issues between Jae and Damien, and were more than happy to get to know Jae despite that. And Syl was treated like a little brother, as he was one of the youngest; he had only been a teen when he was kicked out of his clan.

Today was like any other and again, nothing special happened. They were going through the forest and the air was cooler, and relief spread through the group. Now they could relax more and their walking speed increased exponentially. The mood was happier, which put Jae in a good state of mind; better than what it had been at the start of the journey.

All thoughts of Damien and other worries went to the back of her mind as she conversed with those around her. Laughter bubbled out of her and a smile lit up her face. Her already exquisite features bloomed and the surrounding people couldn't help but to look twice.

It had been a long time since she had felt so relaxed, but that was soon to be quashed by the arrival of some people from the past.

☽

Soon the sky darkened, and the group found a place to settle down for the night. A fire was set up in a clearing and tents were erected around it, hoping the inhabitants could warm up.

Sitting outside the tent, Jae stared into the flames and memories she had suppressed during the day broke free and came to the forefront of her mind, like a bad movie that she wished would end. It didn't help that the main actor of them was also sitting before the entrance of the tent opposite.

Luckily, his image was blurred by the flickering of the fire, and his gaze was hidden from view.

Silence spread over the group as they wound down for the evening and prepared to sleep. Only, the quiet atmosphere was broken a moment later by the cracking of twigs and the rustling of grass sounding out from between the trees.

Jae jumped to her feet and protected Syl behind her. This was a clearing that anyone could find, as it wasn't that inconspicuous, but they had checked the area before setting up camp and no one else had been in the vicinity. So the sudden intrusion came as a surprise; they just didn't know if it was a good or bad one.

Before starting a task, you always had to be ready for any situation, dangerous or not, and Jae was fully aware of that. Syl had also been taught the same by Jae, and he stood at attention behind her and listened out for anything that seemed amiss. The rest of the group was now awake and joined the trio in waiting with bated breath for the person or people to appear.

Five or so people broke through the trees and entered the clearing. Most of them had expressions of pleasant surprise at seeing others already there, and the rest were more vigilant. Jae and her group shared the same sentiment and had their weapon of choice in hand and ready to attack at any moment. 

The supposed leader of the new arrivals stepped forward with his hands raised and said, "hey now, we are not here for trouble. We've been travelling for a few days and need somewhere to rest. There's plenty of space here, so our camp won't intersect with yours. We can share, can't we?"

Riven, the person with the higher status and the most important one amongst them, went to step forward and speak with the leader of the other party but was pulled back by his guard. The whole point of the mission was to escort Riven to his father's residence in one piece. They didn't know the people opposite, so for his safety, it was better that he stayed at the back and out of sight. It would be their heads that would roll if something happened to him. 

His guard stepped forward and started conversing with the leader, who introduced himself as Ven. And while they were talking, Jae observed the people behind him: there were three men and one woman.

Looking at them, Jae froze when she recognised one man and the woman who was holding onto his arm. And Damien, who had been drawing closer to Jae's side so he could protect her if things took a dangerous turn, recognised them at the same time that Jae did.

More than a century ago, they had both been a part of a small coven that accepted both males and females: it was new and only had a few members. They were always on the lookout for new people and hoped to expand the coven so that one day it would become something great. And while searching for new recruits, they met Hadir and Selene.

They were a married couple that had been together for a long time, and after spending all that while alone, they decided it was time to join a coven and meet fellow witches and wizards. And at first, everything went swimmingly and soon they became an integral part of the group. But things soon changed when Selene became greedy and wanted to take the position of High Witch from Jae.

That was when the trouble began and led to the incident that happened a century ago. The one that forced Jae and Damien to go to a different world. The only question was, how did Hadir and Selene come to be in this place, too?