25 The Forgotten Lands, Part Three

{Rin}

After Rin had decided to go along with Xhez's proposal, the two of them were now walking side-by-side through this place, and Xhez had not stopped asking questions from the moment that decision had been made.

"Ohhh, what's a theater?" She asked.

When asked about what life was like in a human city, Rin hadn't told Xhez about Libera, instead, she talked to her about Dren.

"Uh, so, basically," she explained as she looked around, making sure no monsters were also listening to her elementary school level explanation of what a theatre was, "it's this place where you act out stories."

"Stories?"

"Yeah, you know, things people make up to tell each other," Rin responded.

"Oh, like legends!?"

"Yeah... So, people take those and they pretend to be the characters in them. They dress up like them and talk like them and all of that."

"Ohhh, they dress up in these things you call 'clothes'?" She asked.

"Mhm," Rin nodded. "Uh, specific clothes though. The ones that belong to the characters."

"Ahhh, this is so interesting!" Xhez giggled and the genuine happiness in her voice nearly made Rin smile.

However, as much as she didn't mind telling the girl more about herself, they were together for a reason. So, Rin asked:

"So, what's around us? What kind of monsters or whatever?"

She wanted to know what she should keep an eye out for, of course. Better safe than sorry, especially if she had a guide with her.

"Well, seven years ago I saw a lion with wings! A year after that, I saw a human skeleton walking around, and..."

"Wait, stop, stop, why are you being so specific?" Rin asked, chuckling.

"Hm? Because I remember when these things happened," Xhez replied, smiling.

"... Wow, seriously?" Rin asked.

"Mhm. Us sprites have a very good memory, after all!"

[I'd say if you can remember something down to the year, it goes a bit past "very good".] Rin thought.

The two of them continued on their way. Every now and then, Rin would think of something Xhez might find interesting, and let her know about it, while Xhez would confirm to her that they were headed down the right path. However, that was just one problem that she'd managed to solve, through this encounter.

The other problem was one that made itself clear when Rin heard a low hiss coming from her left at one point, and she stopped.

"Hm? Wha-"

"Get down," Rin pulled Xhez with her as she crouched. The water sprite held onto Rin's right arm as Rin looked for the source of that noise.

She searched for a moment, before the object she was looking for appeared before her. It was one of the strangest creatures Rin had seen, though she could say that for pretty much everything she'd seen since she had arrived here.

It had a bird-like orange body, but its head and legs resembled that of a lizard. In addition to that, it had two large wings at its back and no arms.

"Oh? Are you looking at the yariko?" Xhez asked.

"The what?"

"The yariko!" She reiterated loudly.

"Quiet down! It'll hear us."

"Oh, do not worry, those things are harmless."

"... What?" Rin asked as she turned towards Xhez. The sprite smiled as she responded.

"My mothers told me about it. Well, they never told me much, but they said those creatures are friends to us. Come, let us see what it is like!"

Xhez said as she tugged on Rin's hand for her to follow, and Rin sighed.

"I-I guess, okay," Rin replied as she went along with her.

After having been conditioned by Cara to think of every single creature outside of Libera as hostile, the idea of a passive animal like this was strange. Still, she and Xhez walked up to it. However, as soon as they approached, the "yariko" turned towards them and hissed, lowering its head.

"Uh..." Rin said, raising her hands nervously. "I don't think it likes us."

"Nonsense, my mothers would not lie!" Xhez replied as she walked up closer to it.

Sure enough, the creature allowed her. As Xhez got nearer, it became obvious that the creature wasn't hissing at the two of them, but at Rin specifically.

"Uh, oh, there there~" Xhez cooed as she began running her hand over its head and the yariko shut up, turning its eyes onto her. "Xhez gave it a little hug and the creature seemed to settle down a little, though its eyes quickly went back to Rin.

"Hm... This boy wants to be soothed!" Xhez said as Rin hesitantly walked up.

"W-What do you mean? How do you know it's a guy?"

"As for the second question," Xhez started, "the body. Male yarikos have one solid color, while females have stripes of a secondary color running down. My mothers told me. As for the first... I, I do not know. I can feel it though," Xhez replied. "It has had a rough time."

And then, she did something Rin hadn't expected. Xhez cleared her throat and closed her eyes. Her body glowed just a little, covered in a blueish haze, and then, she started singing.

And Rin's jaw hit the floor.

Xhez let out a low, thoughtful note. It came out slightly quiet at first, but as Xhez really got going, it was like a choir had suddenly appeared. Rin had heard nothing like it. The music she produced at that moment felt like it was caressing Rin's very soul.

To the point where a tear came out and Rin caught it as it slid down her cheek.

Xhez kept going for just a while longer after that, but then, her voice trailed off, and the blueish haze left her body.

The yariko damn near purred then as it licked the side of her face.

"A-Ah!" Xhez giggled. "I see he enjoyed it!"

Xhez looked up at Rin with a smile, and Rin chuckled, shaking her head.

"What was that?" She asked. "That was amazing!"

Again, Xhez laughed a little as she continued running her hand up and down the yariko's head.

"It is just my Spirit... I am glad you enjoyed it. I can sing more for you if you want me to."

"Eh, maybe later," Rin told her. "For now, though, we should probably get going."

"I see," Xhez nodded, agreeing. "Well, goodbye," she spoke to the animal. "Stay safe."

... [She is something else,] Rin thought as the yariko walked away, in the opposite direction, before flapping its wings and taking off.

---

A few hours later, the trees began clearing up and Xhez pointed ahead.

"Oh, look! This is the 'city' I was talking about, we can see it from here!" Xhez told her as the two began jogging, up to the clearing. They had ended up on a small hill, and from here, Rin inspected their destination.

"Wait..." Rin raised a brow.

"Huh?" Xhez saw her reaction and got worried. "Is... Is that not it?"

"... Nope," Rin thought as she sighed. "That's a ghost town is what that is."

What Xhez was pointing at, was a collection of buildings and roads, overtaken by vegetation, that were all crumbled and broken in some way or another. As disappointed as she was, Rin did see why Xhez thought this was what she was looking for. It had clearly been a city at some point but just wasn't that anymore.

"O-Oh..." Xhez replied. "But, don't worry! I know of a few other places! Surely, one of them can lead back to your home!"

Rin paused.

"... Yeah, it's best to steer clear of places like those," she told the sprite.

"Why is that?"

"They belong to the Old World, before the Split," Rin explained. And, then she told her something Cara had made clear to her, just before she'd been taken away and dropped off here. "Those places have a bunch of strong monsters hiding in them. We'll probably want to stay in the forests."

[At least, I think that's the smart thing to do here.]

"I see," Xhez nodded.

"I mean, unless you've been down there, have you?"

"What? No, no," she shook her head. "My mothers never traversed those places. The Bright Ones fear them."

Raising a brow, she wondered what the Bright Ones were, but she decided to put that off till later. Right now, she needed to figure out a path.

"... Actually," she thought, pausing, "I've seen a place like this before. On a map."

"What is a map?" Xhez asked.

"Uh, it's like something that shows the land, and where you are on it," Rin explained. "Uh... Where was it?" She closed her eyes, trying to remember lessons from school that hadn't been useful to her in years. "Right! So, east of Libera, there's a huge grey spot. If this is that grey spot, then..."

[We're probably a long way, still, but that direction,] she turned around, [would be the right way to go... If I'm right and I haven't completely lost it yet.]

"Xhez, is there anything down that way?" She asked, pointing towards the direction she'd picked out.

"Yes," Xhez nodded. "Though, no 'cities' from what I know."

"... It's the best option I've got."