Chapter 11 - Smoke Signal

Warmness surrounds my being, be that from the lit torches, the raging desert storms outside, or my unleashed emotions. Large sandstone beams line the orderly hall I was stood in, metallic bonfires light the hall with a warm orange hue. With the entrance only broken up by a wall of pale mist. My very home, about to become something to dream about.

"Judari, I'm begging you, don't leave. You must stay within here." A disheveled husky voice speaks to me, lacking all it's prior charm and geist.

"The mistake you are about to commit will ripple throughout your entire life, son." 

"I have to. I know it's my destiny to become a Sigil Knight." I say, not daring to look back at my poor starved father. Rito stands beside me, idle and not peeping a word.

"The only thing the position of a Sigil Knight leads to is decay, forces of oppression that serve none but power, and when you are in the cycle, you cannot escape it. Deny the oath, before breaking it." An accentless haunting sentence exits my father's raspy throat, I can't even believe it's him speaking. A man once so proud and loud, now just a husk and accentless man, who's begging his son not to become a knight of order. His breathing becoming fatigued as he tries to summon the last of his speaking strength.

"I'll note every single high ranking officer and commander, to ban you from their selections. You would have to do years of mindless service for no benefit around Gaia, for you to even be considered! Are you seriously going to waste your life like that?"

"Yes, yes I am!" My declaration of liberation rings loud for my skeletal father to hear, even so the halls of the sanctuary hear me.

 "Come on Rito, let's get out of here. I hear from Isaac that Sentinel is an adequate place to start. Especially for young knights like us." I smile, trying my best to keep the mood up as it's being dragged down by the man behind me.

"You're grasping for the stars, Judari. And the stars are not kind."

"I'll see you, dad." I say coldly. stepping into the cold mist, I keep my head straight and focused, not even wanting to glance at the shadow behind me. Rito still waving at him and saying bye.

Leaving my black dotted father behind, we step out to be blasted to our faces with the heat of the raging desert storms above, with bits and pieces of sand-corns plunging down, while the scorching hot srills of dense air, spilling down from the cliff-faces above, leaving sweat drops trickling from my forehead, maybe even from my eye sockets. We began our leave from the engraved sanctuary that me and Rito had been fostered in. I hope I'll see my father soon as well. 

Two weeks, all gone in a matter of a few blinks of my eye. My mind had yet to be mended or sewn from the traumatic experience in Oresfall's streets. The image of Askeladd exploding into the stone scraped wall, with guts and organs sliming down the sides. That day only made worse by my own venomous words I had slung out to Rito.

Wasn't it the alcohol's fault? I couldn't control myself. No, that's delusional, for the only thing the intoxication did, was tear down my social barriers.

I can't go on just overthinking, just digging my mind into a deeper and deeper pitch black hole, I have to talk with him, and of course muster out an apology. Considering our two weeks of mandatory leave are up on this very day, I'll hopefully be able to see him at today's rehearsal. I'm sort of excited to meet the new commander of our patrol group. But I don't think anytime soon the image of Askeladd will leave my mind. 

I wish I hadn't spoken with him that night, for only I am the one burdened with the knowledge of what he left behind. His daughter, his legacy. If I hadn't engaged with him, he would just be a random face I would forget. But as I chose to forge a link which has now been broken, I can feel myself damaged from it.

I raise myself up from my warm yet foul smelling bed. I had done nothing but lay in it for the whole two weeks, only on occasion going out to indulge in the slop in the cafeteria, or work my muscles till I threw up. Even if just in two weeks, my whole body has become a full other being, I don't even feel like I have my own skin anymore. My body and form has never looked better, but I've never felt more sick in my life. 

The rustling leaves from outside my foggy window scrape against the panes, an alert of such that I have to hurry myself. The gathering of the Red Cross patrol is in twenty minutes, and I've barely raised myself from bed. I simply close my eyes shut, and let my restless body carry itself on, washing, cleaning and finally I feel my clothes being taken on.

I peel my eyes open, myself dressed in my dull sullen armor. In my hand is my very own chipped sword, with carvings of the elements referenced in the blue steel. I let my body flow along, and exit my room, the halls are only littered with a couple of roaming soldiers, who make no mind of my existence. I simply go along with the indifferent halls till I, with luck on my side, make it to the entrance of the sanctuary.

Sea of blue, a vast display of vibrancy hits my eyes like staring into the iris of the sun. Strikes of white sea-foam hit the shore cliff under me. And with the barrage of sea lashing out on the shore, the dirt under my feet feels soggy, yet just sturdy enough to hold me up. 

I had maken my way down the tree, and only needed to go to the docks. In some luck, The Red Cross squadron had to meet in the middle of the docks of Palelink, where we'd be briefed on our new patrol leader, and newest assignment. 

The shifty gravel path leading from the slight uphill of the tree, slowly winds down to one of the many colorful bannered entrances of Palelink, the cobblestone built docks close by to the entrypoint at which I had entered. I wander down the streets, the rows of houses serving just as blockades from my objective, though the artistry and meticulous detail of each stone and brick set and cemented into the houses, peak my interest, though to no avail did I stop up like a distracted lost child.

 Fresh strays of sea-green salt water flow in between the small growing hairs of my nose, as the very steaming sea ahead of me seemed to dampen my hair. As the view of the shining ocean comes to view. The street slowly chippling away from layed gray bricks into the solid placed oval stones and cobble, laying the groundwork of the dock beneath my silvered plated boots.

The pier itself was structured as a long seemingly flawless shape, one large beam of ground connecting to land, with large protruding buds of stone going deep into the waves below. Several market stalls made of dark brown oak had been established alongside the blockade of houses acting as defense wall from the wide-open ocean, though with a second look at the books, the blankness of this area's battle history is clear, completely null. Across the sea, my eyes gaze upon a shadow, a wide-spanning shadow, casted from trees taller than the ones above my head at this very moment. A straight-cut tree top was at the fault of the shadow, with the canopy's leaves being denser than rock.

 I ignore the dark looming forest and focus my sight back to the dock, where a group of Sigil Knights had already taken in line, but no Commander was in sight, all except one bald bearded man.

"Judari! My boy, I'm glad you finally got out of that rotten bed of yor's. Be happy your commander is running late! Or else you'd been in real trouble young man!" The energy of my old father radiates from Frey. His wide open loud-mouth belts out shockwaves of roaring laughter, nearling blowing my hair back.

"Oh wait, I see him!" Before my head even begins turning, Frey cranks open his mouth.

"OI RYUDE YOU SLOW-ASS! YOU ARE'A MAKING YOUR PATROL GROUP WAIT IN PH'URE BOREDOM!" Frey lets out his yells, as a man dressed in the most glimmering of armor-suits I'd ever seen walks across the harbor. His scarlet red skin and reddish-brown hair kept up in a tight facade of brilliance and superiority.

"Tisn't my fault the recruits are earlier than me, Knight Captain Frey. Though I hope they've behaved well without my supervision." The stern speaking man says.

"Agh light up Ryude, these knights are all adults, no needing to be treatin' them like chilren." Frey says.

"In my eyes, they might as well be. Their past Commander was Askeladd right.?" Ryude bows his head.

"In Solan he rests." He whispers, letting me see the first display of negativity from Frey.

"Yes. Askeladd was their previous Commander." Frey answers in a dreaded tone.

"Not to piss on the grave of a buried man. But I don't think he had time to truly discipline these knights. You know their training is rushed, barely even able to retain the slightest ounce of knowledge or discipline for that matter."

"Ey ey Ryude, don't go calling the knights dumb-arses when one of em is right in front of ya'." He gestures his hands towards me. His eyes lock onto me with vicious intent, as if I had just appeared out of nowhere.

"A Vind?" He says.

"He's indeed a Vind, and I betcha' you won't guess who his father is." Ryude stands in ponder in response to Frey's remark.

"Hmpf, Frey, what a foolish question, he could be any sky-bound Vind's offspring."

"Come on now Ryude, do you not see any resemblance?"

"I do not." 

 "He's Inari's kid, you dense nut." Frey goes on beside Ryude, and proceeds to knock on his skull with his fists. As Ryude takes another glance at me.

"You're… Inari's child?" He looks at me with a hint of bewilderment. 

"Yes, I am." 

"Didn't even have the thought that such a man would aspire to an heir of any sort." He slithers beside me, as if I'm nothing but a gust of wind. I turn around to look at the patrol group stationed in the complete center protrusion of the harbor.

"Arg that Ryude, always so uptight, maybe you'll mellow him out a bit, just gonna have to carry some of ya' father's spirit!" Frey slaps me on the back of my armor, though even with a thick plating of metal covering my spine, I could feel the quick burning sensation raze across my skin.

"Now go along with ya'. I can't be holding you back." Frey says.

"Thank you, Captain Frey." 

"One last thing though." Frey reaches down in a sack binded to his hip, and pulls out a small light-brown carton box.

"What's that?" I ask.

"You'll get to know, I don't think I got much time to explain, now go you runt" Frey says, making me instinctively salute to him. Making him nod with a warm grin on his face.

I walk across the populated and crate filled pier, the smells of the newly caught fish catch my nose off guard, as the murmurs and whispers of my patrol ahead of me penetrate my ears. I finally stand in place, completely still in a line of fourteen other knights, one of them being a long haired Fischeran. Rito.

"STAND AT EASE, KNIGHTS!" Ryude yells, as he's standing at the very front of the small rows of us knights, close enough for him to fall into the ocean. From the right side of my vision, a semi-large timber boat was docked in, a wooden plank connecting to the harbor led into the belly of the ship. Seems there was a reason for our patrol gathering being here.

"I am your new commander, Ryude Veiln. I'll keep this brief, as we have a long journey across the sea ahead of us. I do not tolerate rebels in my patrol, and with the speciality of this Field mission, I have requested my prior patrol group join in on this mission, making you knights the third patrol group I've had to pick up in my schedule." Ryude yells out, as a march of veteran looking Sigil Knights walk along the sides of our patrol, and stand up beside Ryude.

 "Considering the miniscule amount of time you've had with your last commander, I will have to join in on this mission and guide you along."

"Regarding the mission itself, we are on the hunt for a Necromancer by the name of

Ambulvaas Moréthorn. They've recently been spotted in the Sleeping Forest. Ambulvaas has claimed the lives of three civil scientists we have stationed in the area. They have also unleashed an army of the living dead, stitched and weaved together to create abominations, undeserving of life, shriekers" Ryude says in a harsh tone.

"I'll have my elite patrol attend another objective in the Forest, while you all search for the Necromancer, your main goal being to capture and subdue the rogue. Just know, if the mage dies, their beasts will collapse, though we would like to put Ambulvaas to a trial before , so please refrain from murderous intentions unless necessary."

"Now, onto the boat with you all!" Ryude tells at the top of his lungs.

"Yes sir!" We all scream back in unison, finally able to board into the dark and moist weather of the wooden ferry. 

Inside of the boat is what I would describe as a cave, darkness all around except for a small lantern hanging in the middle of the room. The climate of the interior added even more to the feeling of a cavern. 

I stand behind the wooden door, ready. A shaken mess of a champagne bottle had made its way into my gut, spritzing my whole body full of geist and anxiety. I try to let my eruptions of emotions simmer down. 

 "Come on Judari, you're ready." Rito says.

"But he isn't." 

"I know but, at what point does that matter, it's your life right?" 

"Of course it's my life, but I still want to make him proud."

"And you make him proud by staying cooped up in this dense-aired sanctuary?"

"You're… You're right. Just go to the entrance, and have our bags ready, I'll be back soon."

"Going in alone?" Rito smiles.

"I wish you luck." Rito walks away, leaving me at the mercy of the gods of the man behind this door. My fragile heart pounding like one of a great dragon. I take a large inhale, and pull on the door's knob. To the cries of a disheveled old man.

"No please, no please, please no. Get out, now you ra'at, you RAT SCUM." The cries continue.

"GET OUT! I miss her so much, please just let me be." My father, sits on the floor, his arms across his head, as he rocks back and forth, yelling and screaming at himself.

"Dad?" His head twists around before his lifeless sunken eyes can even follow. Tiny black dots shoot out in several places on his wrinkled and rapidly eldered face. His whole body that of skin and bones. His hair being that of a pathetic excuse for strands, with the whole piece being lept in visible grease.

"So-...Judari?" For a brief second his eyes return to warmth. But as quickly as it returned, it was gone.

"No please not him."

 "I cannot lose more, please get OUT!" He screeches, exposing his blackened rotten teeth, one falls out in the scream, and falls down onto his tongue and down the abyss of his throat.

"Dad, I'm leaving with Rito. We're going to join The Order. I don't care how much you've tried to wane me off this path. You aren't you anymore. I cannot trust a person who isn't you to guide me in life." I say, summoning as much confidence as possible.

"Do it then, child. Waste your life away." He says.

"What?" Bewildered by the sudden shift, his tone transforming from pathetic to a heavy dense voice. Like nothing I'd ever heard come out of his mouth.

"No please don't!" My father raises himself from the ground, his legs barely able to stand and snot dripping from his nose. I run.

"Please please, I'm begging you! Judari I cannot lose you!" I make my way through the maze of my own home, with my ghoul father on my trial. I run and I run. He's no longer my father, he's something else, something, evil.

I stare out into the densely populated ship's cabin, with my squadron sitting pushed up against each other. I look up. One drip, two drips. Flowing from the small miniscule cracks of the planks, they keep falling, an endless loop with no objective. Just nature enacting its will on kindred-crafted structures. Seems most of the planks of the ferry had begun the process of rotting, with hints and patches of mold dotted around. I sit cramped inside the belly of the ship, as my fellow knights sit silent around me, their armor pushing against my own. My lungs compress themselves inwards from the dense air. I jolt out of my seat, my whole body sweating.

 No one even seems to notice as I rush up the creaky stairs leading to the ship's deck. As soon as the back of my head feels the warm sun rays, a wave of relief flows down my spine, spreading out to my ached back and shoulders. I step up fully to the mostly even floor, as the wind of the open sea paints my skin, like a soft brush to canvas.

Even with the blazing sun slowly crouching over the lands, directly above my head. The looming eruption of shadows casted from the forest ahead of the ship steals my focus. Now closer to the dark lands, the nature of the trees becomes apparent. Long thin excuses for logs twist and tower up to the sky-reaching canopy. The underside of the cavern-like forest top, feels more infected by the roots it's connected to. Like the dark sea below travels up the gunked up veins of the withered bark. At the very peak of the pillars of bark, it starts an eye-razing splinter into a thousand tiny wires connecting to the leaves above, it just doesn't look natural.

I go forward across the creaky and softly wet deck, till I reach the horizon of the boat, the edge.I lay my hands upon the cold wooden rim and stare out to the moving sea. The ship's bow gets washed in the ocean's tides, as it parts the sea. Slowly the water turns from the glistening azure waves, to a dark jade hue. Small blades of seagrass and kelp peek out from beneath the abyssal water, as the winds of the ocean stop in a whisper. The darkness the canopy casts envelopes the ship's hull. Finally a piece of landmass appears in the darkness, as a thick fog blankets my body and vision.

"All aboard, we are approaching land, be at the ready to leave the ship!" I hear, yelled loudly from the steering deck.

"You, Vind, get down to the knight's cabin again!" The voice is clearly Ryude, but I quickly rush my feet down the stairs before I get to look at the voice who spoke.

Before I feel the planks beneath my soles, the ship comes at a complete machine-like standstill, nearly throwing me to the floor. Every single knight in the cabin raises themselves as the ship stops moving, gathering their luggage and belongings. I quickly gather myself and get in the stream of silver plates rushing out to the decayed and rotten single dock. 

A single dim lantern sat on one of the wooden beams holding up the sorry excuse for a dock, slightly lighting up the area through the thick green fog. The ship's sides seem nearly glazed in a thick coat of mist and sea-foam, with small crustaceans climbing up the side, which I couldn't have spotted before on the much more sold cobble-dock.

 "Make sure to only go a few out onto the bridge at a time, it's not kept up to standards, so any wrong move could break it apart." Ryude yells from above. I stand close enough to the end of the line, to see how two knights exit at the same time, and make their way across and the peer on repeat. Finally I am first in line right beside… Rito. 

He doesn't glance in my eyes, with good reason, though I also don't catch a glimpse of distaste from his expression, just simply null and focus. We walk out together onto the whining planks, the air between us fully dead and buried. We march across the peer, not a word spoken. SQUEAK

I hear below from the plank boards. Suddenly the planks give in to the pressure, and snap in half right under me. I feel the weight of my armor, dragging me down into the abyssal water. Just as I feel the chill water surrounding my plated foot, a force takes a pull in my arm. Dangling for a second, I respond by pulling myself up. I stand for a second processing the rapid succession of events that just happened.

"Thank you, Rito." 

"Don't think about it." He says quietly.

"What did I tell you! Be careful on the foul bridge, now we'll have to do extra repairs in our stay. Only one at a time now, we cannot risk breaking more!" Ryude yells from the deck. 

"Now move along knights, we have to use most of the day setting up!" He yells as we move along to the soft and fur like grass. I take my march beside Rito to a small established camp-site set in a cove, the overhang being that of roots and barely upholding dark toca dirt. One of the large thin stickly pillars that holds up the forest's canopy, sits atop the overhang. Though the camp was a sort of replication of more primitive settlements, a small cobble path had slowly been formed with more metallic and modern lanterns hung around on posts.

 It seems the sun is already setting beyond the Royal Wood's tree top, the light slowly dwindling into a dark pink hue, spread across the barren night sky. I see all my squadron mates already hard at work setting themselves into place, like they're able to adapt to this new place so quick, it's gotta be an act, a facade of productivity to mask away the memory of our last mission.

The darkness had finally taken its grave embrace of the sky, coloring it with a sinful black. Though hard to see through the long expanding tree canopy, the stars still show their glimmer. While the cackling of the fireplace warmly lights my sullen face. The flickering embers flailing up towards the sky, fading away into a tragic end.

"All Red Cross knights present!" Ryude lifts himself from the worn down log he had sat on. Ryude fishes from a bag laid next to him, and pulls up a wrinkled piece of paper.

"Tomorrow we'll begin our hunt for the Necromancer, there is no chance that they'll show up here, as we outnumber them thirty to one." The interruption of a swarm of critters and bugs fly by our campfire, humming their buzz, till eventually they fly away again, letting Ryude speak his words.

"So you knights can sleep well knowing the camp is guarded to the brim. We'll start our search in this first area of the Sleeping Forest, moving our way slowly through the terrain to cover all ground. Every bush tree and cave need to be checked, as the rogue could be hiding anywhere."

"Now, everyone will get around an hour of free time, before you need to head to your assigned tents." Ryude states in front of me and my patrons. We all collectively raise ourselves up in a just manner, we salute, with no words or whispers.

"Dismissed!" He yells, as I find myself in a state of stunlock, I have no direction. I want to use my time wisely, but I don't know for what. Maybe, I could try talking to someone… But I only know one person here.

I tap slightly on the tent where he's assigned, already slowly flattening the sleeping bag he brought.

The light blue of his skin and hair mellowed out by the darkened green fog emuting through the swamp, like a cloak of darkness.

"What do you want." He cuts off my tongue with one sentence, his words sharp as a knife.

"I just wanted to have a chat is all. We haven't really talked in a while so I think it's time we, you know, caught up a bit." I say, while letting out an exhausted sight, letting his sleeping back slip out of his hands.

"Fine." He raises himself:

"So?" His eyes look directly into mine, like they're judging me.

"Could we go somewhere a bit more private?" I ask.

"All right."

We walk out of the raggedy torn down tent, and into the dense fog. Every part of my vision coated in the thickness of the green mist patrolling the area. We walk along the edge of the camp where it meets a wall of earth, where slowly the path we walk upon shifts to an underpass, deep below the large plateau above. Finally secluded from the group, I lean up against the cold mud, sending chills up and down my spine. We stand quiet for a second, both waiting for the other to break the mold

"I'm sorry." I say, while Rito keeps his eyes to the ground.

 "I don't know what came over me. I've only been able to think about the words I said and how much I regret they even came out of my mouth. I really wish I could take them back but, of course I can't." Rito finally takes his eyes off the ground.

"Your words hurt me, deeply. I knew in some sense you had held me to blame for your mother. But for some reason I just never thought of a reality where you would directly tell me."

"Directly tell you?" 

"I know you Judari, you hold things in, and so do I. Just holding onto turmoil for the sake of others. It's not healthy but we both do it, but I should have guessed that as I had my breaking point, so would you." Rito says.

"Judari, I get it. I'm still hurt by what you said, but I can place myself in your shoes. I wouldn't even know how to feel if I knew a person close to me was to blame for my parents death."

"Rito please, I don't hold you to blame, not entirely of course, it's complicated." I throw my head back slightly, trying to wrap my head around my words

"So, what is it then, do you hold me on a pedestal of blame or not?" Rito says. His words pushing me.

"I hold you to a reason for my mother's life having ended, but I cannot hold you to blame, you were a child for the gods sake, you also didn't ask for it to happen, while I might always have the unclear cloudy image of my mom being impaled by a sword to save you, I could never hold it against you." I see Rito turning his head slightly away from me.

"Of course I loved her, she's my mother, but I'm glad you got to be a part of my life as well, I cannot dwell on the past or what could have been, you are here now, and I couldn't be happier about that." He turns around, his eyes filled with lakes of water. As he embraces me in a hug.

 "Thank you." I feel his arms wrapping around me, squeezing the air out of my lungs.

"I don't forgive you, because there is nothing to forgive." I say, as I respond back with my own embrace. We stand in synergy for a bit, before Rito disjoints.

"Ah fuck." He raises himself, wiping off the tears from his sockets.

"Didn't mean to go all cry baby on you, everything just sort of caught up in my brain."

"It's alright, you're allowed to show how you feel, I'm no stoic either."

"That reminds me." I say while rummaging through a small sack on my hip, until finally I feel the shape of the carton box, and I grip upon it.

"Frey gave me this before we took off, he didn't get to explain what it was, but he seemed pretty excited about it, though he always seems ecstatic."I pull out the small sleek carton box, with the label 'cigs' stapled on. 

"Oh, I've seen those before, apparently you are supposed to put one end in your mouth, and to light the exposed side on fire." Rito says and gestures his hand out as an indicator to give it to him. As soon as the box is in Rito's hands, he pushes the front of the small box, revealing a compartment stored inside, littered with small white paper sticks inside.

"Take one." He holds the box close enough for me to reach inside, and I do, and grab one of the sticks out of it and put it in my mouth.

 "Alright, stand still." Rito grabs his sword and lights it ablaze with in a swift motion, then moving his flaming sword close to the end of the stick till it starts embering the paper.

"Then take a deep inhale, I'll also get one myself." He says sticking his blue fingers down in the box, while I take a large inhale.

"Argh! I didn't expect it to be so bitter!" I say coughing up the slime that had now gathered in my throat. Rito inhales as well but doesn't react.

"Not too bad. Though I guess it should take a bit of getting used to, I had one before we got on the ship." Rito continuously takes whiffs of the stick.

"It's like my throat is on fire." I try to gravitate the slime in my throat upwards till I let out a rough spit, sent out into the dark sea below.

"I mean kind of, you're inhaling smoke into your lungs, don't worry though, it shouldn't harm you in any way." Rito smiles

"That's good to know." I say.

"Aw shit!" Rito fumbles with the stick in his hand and it lands on the ground, extinguishing it. He quickly bends down and picks it up from the soggy grass.

"Just throw it away." 

"It can still be re-ignited, just watch." He pulls out his sword yet again and lights both it and the now semi wet stick up in fire, igniting it."

"See? Good as new." He takes a massive inhale, burning a good portion of the stick to flailing embers.

"You know, I didn't lie before Rito, I do actually want to be caught up with what you've been doing. Until today we last spoke about two weeks ago." I say taking another inhale of the stick, and then letting out a cloud of dark fumes from my mouth.

"That's true I guess, but it's not like I've done a whole lot in these two weeks, or well, I went around Gaia with Kaladin, we even went to Oval Qaebs. It was a great vacation." Rito says with the biggest smile spread across his lips I had ever seen.

"That reminds me, how's it going between you two?" I ask.

"Oh well you know, it's going good, nothing crazy. What about you man? Are you seeing anyone?"

"Me? Pfft, no." 

"Aw come one, you can tell me, have you met the one?" Rito teases.

"No or well, maybe. I met some girl on the day of the Sigil exams, I felt something between us, but I don't think I'll ever see her again."

 "And if you do?" Rito says.

"I guess I'll ask her out, or allude to it at least." I smile.

"Allude to it? Come on, you gotta take some risks Judari, can't be living life in your own safe box all the time, how are you supposed to grow then?"

"You're right, though the main problem is gonna be finding her again."

"You'll figure that out when you get to it. But let's just focus on the now." Rito says, casting his vision out to the dark sea, connecting up against a large mountain range.

"I wrote a letter to my father. I still really regret how we left him back in the sanctuary, but I just couldn't bear to look at him anymore.

"We did the right thing, and I'm sure Isaac and all the monks there are still taking good care of him. And Inari is a strong person, he can handle his son leaving to pursue his dreams."

"You think so?"

"I do, I've seen what that man can do, especially when it's regarding others." Rito says, as I feel my eyes starting to tear a bit, though I quickly wipe it away.

"I just miss him, I haven't heard a word from him in two years, I really hope he's okay. I of course appreciate your reassurance, I just can't help but worry about him." I say, my voice starting to stammer.

"I think it's about time we broke this silence between us and your dad, I miss him a whole lot as well. So maybe we could visit next time we get leave from our duty." Rito says with high optimism.

 "I'd like that." I say, keeping my tone low.

"Then it's settled!" Rito half-shouts, but quickly he loses his geist and leans back against the dirt wall.

"I feel like life is moving so fast, I can barely tell what day it is in a week." I say.

"We're just getting older, the more we live the more used to the mundane we get. The only real way to truly experience now, is to slow down and look where along the track of life you are.

"Wise words Rito." I stretch my arms out with half the stump of the burnt stick in my hand, and I throw it to the ground.

"What did you do that for, it was only halfway done." Rito says.

"I could feel it should have stopped there, if I took anymore inhales of it I wouldn't be able to speak tomorrow."

"You're a little crazy Judari." Rito shakes his head, while taking another whiff of his.

"Aren't we all." I say as the chirping of the critters around us null from a brilliant choir, to a low and single hum.