10 Chapter 10 - Potion (2)
Raiene raised her head to find Alin standing in front of her with piercing blue eyes, the vicious scar on her face contrasted with her pale skin. Alin doesn't even bother to cover her scar, she wears tight fitted black garment and leather gloves that cut open around her knuckles.
Her sentence is clear cut and straight to the point of matter.
She hates the idea of teaching Raiene.
A worthless human.
Clinging to a Nymph, causing trouble at Qye.
All for the sake of watching Festival Lantern.
What a joke!
When Alin heard the brief explanation from Ruby a moment ago, she felt furious within a second.
Why did Ruby have to go through such trouble to assist this child to Qye?
Why risk such danger?
Raiene gulp down her own saliva for the nth time, trying hard to gather enough courage to blurt a plea, "I want to learn archery from you. Can you teach me?" Raiene stares turned desperate with a hint of hope filling the orbs. Such gaze could melt away any resolution her own mother or Ruby previously held.
However, such a thing won't work towards the girl in front of Raiene.
Alin indifferent glare turned murderous.
"Disgusting."
The word was able to make Raiene take a step back, pupils shaking from sudden hostility. Ruby had mentioned countless times that Alin is a girl with few words, every single sentence she poured meant entirely the truth. Raiene pupils shaken from this apparent hatred Alin directed at her. Though she was used to those stares and gaze within the castle, she was never blatantly confronted like this before. All those inside the castle tried to hide their gaze in fear of the King's rage, though Raiene was sure the King wouldn't bat an eye if something did happen.
"She risked her precious life to attend to a useless human like you and you depend on her just to watch a festival," she tried to suppress her rage, though it was still visible within her face, "I would rather cut my own hand right this instance rather than teach you a thing."
Alin turned around and was about to leave the girl behind, she had expected the girl to stay in place with a defeated mindset filled her head.
Who would have expected her to challenge Alin?
Now, Alin is thoroughly convinced this girl is crazy.
"I can prove myself!"
The word is clear and loud, confidence lacing through every word, booming between every crevice of the forest.
Raiene admits half of what Alin had mentioned, Ruby is risking her life at this moment, trying to conceal Raiene true identity that could possibly send Ruby to immediate death. However, Raiene couldn't accept the word useless Alin had mentioned a moment ago. Determination flitted through her eyes.
"I can definitely prove myself! Just wait! We will meet right here at this spot at sunset and I will bring you the biggest animal you could find!"
She turns around and dash deeper into the forest. Leaving Alin behind with confused eyes.
Alin scrunched up her forehead, clearly taken aback by the sudden turn of events. She didn't expect the human girl to suddenly blabber and run off just like that, her facial features turned cold once again. She turns around and decides to leave.
Ruby's words echoed through her mind, causing a single throb on her chest.
She went through a lot. Just like you.
So be kind.
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Ruby had initially predicted that it would take half a day or even till midnight before the girl appeared at the cottage once again. She had allowed Raiene to venture around the forest near Two Mountain and trained under Alin for today. Tomorrow they could take time to tour around the town and taste everything off the list that Raiene had created within five minutes inside the carriage.
Ruby couldn't even suppress her flustered expression off her face, she was even more dumbfounded to find Raiene returned with scrunched up face and disappointment drawn on her face. She presumed perhaps Raiene couldn't keep up with Alin and was about to comfort her when she smelled something off around Raiene's body.
The scent around her body had disappeared.
Ruby ran off and stumbled along the way to Raiene's side within seconds, a temporary barrier created in a flash around the cottage with a single movement from her fingers. Raiene's actual scent wafted through her nose. Anger slowly flitted through her flame like pupils and directed it to the human girl in front of her.
"What happened!"
Ruby is fuming red, Raiene could only lower her head to the ground, eyes sticking to the grass around the backyard of Ruby's cottage. It's the end. This fleeting Happiness. Farewell, Land of Qye.
"The ring, it cracked," she whispered under her breath, not having the courage to face Ruby. Feeling ashamed as time went by, she had declared such a promise in front of Alin, dashing off without any sense of direction deeper into the forest, when out of nowhere she heard a crackle sound.
It was weird at first but gradually she became aware that the ring around her finger had cracked and by the time she turned around to dash toward the cottage, her 'fairy' scent had completely disappeared into thin air.
Without Errian Ring, she couldn't leave the cottage. Perhaps, they would need to return to Arrenquile as soon as possible. The thought had deflated her determination of proving herself into nothing within seconds. Now it would be lucky if she could stay inside the Land of Qye until midnight.
Ruby let out a deep breath. Her eyes taking closer look at the ring, it had shown its true form of ash white gem-like colour, indicating the power had sucked out and ruined it. Suddenly it hits, the one important thing she must do before arriving at the Land of Qye.
Qye was known as a place full of strange herbs and plants, the amount of vegetation that has yet to be discovered all reside at this magical land. She should have remembered about that one particular plant, a plant called Polyus, shaped like a cotton flower with a red stem around the edges.
The Plant wasn't harmful to any creatures, but it could suck in any spell or spirit that passed right in front of it. Errian Ring function was one of the things that the plant could suck, this plant originated from the Land of Qye.
There are few options she could do to prevent Polyus from sucking the spell of Errian Ring and it is a preventable case. She should've strengthened the ring first before letting Raiene run through the forest. To think she couldn't even remember this simple thing.
Admitting it was her fault, she explained to Raiene.
"I could give you a potion instead," Ruby seems reluctant at first, her face scrunched up for a while before she continued, "It would wrap a witch scent around your body. Though temporary, that was the best choice we have if you still want to witness the Lantern Festival."
Ruby thinks it over once again, there's a reason why she hesitates when giving this information to Raiene. She bit her lips and crossed her arms, before she continued, "Unless you want to return early or you can stay inside the cottage for four days, while I fix this Ring," she ultimately said.
Ruby is aware that Raiene would do anything to be able to stay inside Qye, especially if it could allow her to move freely. Even if she had to eat the most disgusting potion in this world, she would do it for a chance of magical adventure around the Land of Qye.
Raiene's previous dim expression turned back into its usual expectant and sparkling filled pupils, her head nodding eagerly, she would definitely choose the potion over any other option.
Ruby snicker at the girl, feeling ache creeping upon her head. Well, no one could predict this turn of events, she hopes her decision wouldn't create any future problems and wouldn't warrant any trouble at the end of the day. Though Ruby had planned everything out, if something did bound to happen, it would eventually find its way into her life. Just like the girl before her.
Ruby turned around and gestured with her fingers to follow her inside. Raiene jumps happily and stays close to Ruby, getting inside the cottage.
Ruby walks to a shelf full of potion situated at one corner of the room with Raiene tagging along like a tail. Her eyes read the label of each bottle with close attention, fingers rummaging between one shelf above her head to right below her chest, eyes light up once she finds the right one.
Pulling out a small bottle from the shelf, Ruby reveals the crystal color potion with a little speck of blue glitters around the bottom. It swirls around along with Ruby's movement, taking close to the swirling ocean surface.
Raiene was about to take the bottle from Ruby's hand, when Ruby wrapped her fingers around the bottle tightly and looked at her eyes with stern warning gaze.
"One thing though, once this potion effect is gone, you won't remember a thing. Every memory of the four days you spent while using this potion will vanish at the end and your body will automatically teleport to the place where you first took this potion."
Raiene was taken aback upon hearing that explanation.
"Do you still want to drink this?"
