Equilibrium

Perspective : Conrad Garnier

"Ohh ... come on you bozos can't even think of a way to help him ..... talk about pathetic".

Elkdrack retorted.

Patrick his face contorted in anger, responded,

"Like you are one to talk ... you didn't suggest a single thing".

Elkdrack as he gestures Patrick to calm down,

"Chill mate ... chill ... I was mess'in around".

Patrick replied,

"Mess'in around".

"Do you know how serious this is?".

"This forest is filled with things that can tear us to shreds... in the blink of an eye ...".

"And we will be overwhelmed... if we don't solve this shit".

Elkdrack tries to calm Patrick down, by extending his hand, palm facing downward, and making a gentle waving motion.

"Calm down mate ... calm down ".

Patrick responded,

"Sorry... I lost my compose... there for a moment.... It won't happen again".

"But Elkdrack this is serious.... We need to stay together if we want to survive... and return home safely".

Regina reacted with a long sigh, as she said,

"If only there was a way to prove to those guys that Kyle would never have any intention of causing them harm."

I replied,

"It's easier said then done .... kinda hard to believe a person who literally casted a death spell on his allies".

"They probably think that it's much safer if they stay away from him".

As I said that Kyle looks at me with a mixture of frustration and hurt. His eyebrows furrow slightly, and his eyes showing a glimmer of sadness.

Instantly, I realised what I spoke, So I apologised,

"Ohh, sorry... my tongue's kinda slippery".

Kyle responded,

"Nah .. nah, it's all good ... I don't mind".

Elkdrack reacting to Regina's statement,

"Back to what you said.... Is there a way to prove that".

Regina responded,

"I don't know ... Like Conrad said ... It's complicated".

Elkdrack replied as he leans back slightly on to the wall, with his hands on his chin.

"Okay ... the way I see this lads .... right now Kyle has an advantage.... the scales are slightly tilted to his favour".

Patrick responded,

"What are you ....".

He is instantly hushed by Elkdrack,

"Shhhh ... shhh! just listen.... And see this".

Elkdrack notices a small slice of firewood lying within arm's reach. Carefully, he lifts the slice, its elongated and flat surface catching his attention. With a delicate touch, he positions the slice onto a nearby rock, ensuring its stability. The slice rests atop the rock, creating a delicate equilibrium, neither side imposing more weight than the other. It's a moment of perfect balance.

Regina asked,

"What are you doing?".

Elkdrack replies,

"See this... that was our party before any of this bullshit".

Elkdrack's voice filled with a mix of nostalgia, as he points towards the right side, designating it as Kyle,

"This side is Kyle ... our leader".

Extending his arm towards the other side, he includes everyone else in the party,

"And this side is ... all of us ... like, you, me , her, Emilia ".

"The balance you see here ... is perfect harmony

.... no side is overweight or has an advantage over one another".

"But after Kyle revealed his death spell bullshit".

Elkdrack delicately lifts a small piece of firewood and purposefully positions it on Kyle's side. As the weight of the firewood settles, one side starts to bear a heavier burden, causing it to lean downward, while the other side responds by tilting upward in an attempt to regain balance.

He said,

"See this ... is what it's now".

"Kyle holds an advantage.... as a result everyone else is weary of him".

Patrick inquired, his voice filled with curiosity, "What's your point, mate?"

Elkdrack, maintaining his calm demeanor, responded to Patrick, saying,

"My point is... if we desire to restore everything to the way it was, we must strive to regain that balance."

Regina, expressing her confusion, replied,

"What are you saying? It doesn't make any sense."

Kyle, concerned for Elkdrack, chimed in, asking, "Are you alright, man?"

Elkdrack, slightly taken aback by their lack of comprehension, reacted,

"Did none of you understand what I just said?"

In response, everyone shook their heads, in unison.

"No ".

Everyone except me.

I understood what Elkdrack was trying his hardest to express.

Because of that I figured out what needs to be done.

"For restoring that balance".

[ (Not a part of Conrad's narration)

Elkdrack's voice carries a mix of nostalgia and disappointment as he points to the right side, designating it as Kyle, their leader. Then, with a sweep of his hand, he extends his arm towards the other side, encompassing everyone else in the party, including Conrad, himself, and others. Elkdrack emphasizes the beauty of the balance, where no side holds an advantage over the other, symbolizing unity and equality within the group.

But as one side becomes heavier, the once-balanced equilibrium starts to shift. The weight on that side gradually pulls it downward, while the other side responds by tilting upward. The contrasting angles of inclination reflect the growing imbalance within the group, due to Kyle's death spell. Elkdrack's gesture with the small piece of firewood, placing it on Kyle's side, visually illustrates the disruption caused by doubt and mistrust, and power further tipping the delicate balance.]

Elkdrack in reaction, to everyone's inability to comprehend, replied.

"Fuck it ... I don't care ... do whatever you want".

As, he leaned on the ground.

A moment later, Regina glances towards the meat skewers and called to everyone,

"Ohh ... they are ready".

With the meat on my hand, I eagerly lowered my mouth towards the skewered wolf meat, my teeth sinking into the succulent flesh. The first bite released a burst of flavor, a mix of charred edges and the gamey essence of that freshly killed wolf. The juices, still warm and slightly bloody, enhanced the taste, adding a robustness that only a freshly prepared meal could offer.

Admittedly, the reality of the situation was not lost on me. That wolf had been killed and chopped, its once fierce spirit now reduced to a source of food.

(How delightful)

The meat, not completely drained of its blood, retained a hint of metallic tang, a reminder of the consequences of its actions.

(Ohh ... how I wished... If I could eat it in front of its family)

After we were done eating, I asked Elkdrack for a leather belt.

Elkdrack replied,

"What do you need that for?".

I answered,

"Something personal".

He handed me a belt from his Item box, and said.

"Sure ... mate".

{Next day}

My muscles were sore from sleeping in the floor. But I was glad that we got to sleep at all.

After we cleaned up, Patrick took down his barrier.

To our surprise, nothing had attempted to enter.

I couldn't help but wonder why.

Soon enough, we discovered the answer to that question. As we stepped into a vast room, we were confronted with the sight of hundreds of dead ant bodies scattered around.

I noticed that their small tunnels in the walls were sealed off with a layer of ice. Instantly, I knew who was responsible for this."

Yuna.

But the most baffling of the sights were just hanging upside down.

As I cautiously stepped further into the room, my senses heightened, attuned to the peculiar and the extraordinary. The air itself seemed to tingle with anticipation, as if it knew that something mesmerizing awaited my sights.

Hanging from the ceiling, like macabre ornaments, were four dead giant ants. Their once vibrant bodies now suspended in a state of eternal stillness, their swollen abdomens stretched to grotesque proportions. Yet It had a strange beauty to it.

However, what caught my attention the most were the intricate patterns etched on their exoskeletons, as if someone wrote something.

As I was drawn by their intransic beauty,

Regina called me, while pointing towards their bellies.

"See ... something is moving inside them".

it was those shadowy specters trapped within those dead giants which truly intrigued me.

I could see a flicker of ethereal light, a spectral essence of something living and moving, nestled within their lifeless abdomens.

It was as if these ants were housing something inside them, and that something was making its way out.

That wasn't all.

In the heart of this eerie scene, a grander spectacle awaited.

A colossal ant, even larger than its companions, loomed in the center of the room. Its bloated body, an unsettling monument to excess, hung ominously, capturing the attention of everyone in our party.

And within its distended belly, a shadowy figure languished, its presence palpable, its secrets calling me to unlock its mysteries.

"What was inside them? ... we were about to find out"