Touch of the stars

Perspective : Conrad Garnier

I expected that, people ignoring me, no one talking to me. So why did it feel so bothersome?

I didn't care, all I did was for the sole reason of saving Regina and Myself. Who knows, what deadly spells Kyle had up his sleeves.

So, I did the most sensible thing, shut him up for good, now he couldn't pull anything against, any of us. My actions been expected to come with some amount of backlash.

Which brought me back to my first question.

Why do I care?

It felt pretty uncomfortable, or rather a deep instinct that I messed up.

But where?

Anywho,

Due to Regina's ingenuity, we managed to escape from that ant colony, the things we saw there were truly mind-boggling, otherworldly and grotesque.

Never in my life, had I seen an ant queen and so huge at that. It was disgusting and captivating to look at, in the same time. After we managed to escape, we were greeted with an unexpected scenario.

Where I thought we would emerge back to the dark forest with tall trees, enshrouding the sunlight, to my surprise we found ourselves amidst an open forest with very few trees, here and there, in a quiet and serine environment.

Too quiet in fact.

For the track of two days, we didn't faced any challenges, besides dare wolves, who were very easy to deal with and served as a convenient source of food for us.

For the spun of those two days, Only Regina, Elkdrack and Patrick spoke to me. The ladder two being only when necessary. Otherwise it would be just me and Regina.

Which was perfectly fine, not like I was dying to talk with them. Let them give me the cold shoulder, I didn't gave two shits about them. However, after two days, we arrived at a old settlement of sorts.

As Elkdrack tapped his foot in the snow, he exclaimed,

"Look!".

"It's more rigid, like it's made of sturdier stuff".

(Yes it is! ... Its a damn road , covered in snow)

(What is he getting at).

Patrick, intrigued and slightly frustrated that Elkdrack stopped everyone, asked,

"What's your point Elkdrack?".

Elkdrack, his breath forming misty clouds in the frigid air, replied with a hint of awe in his voice,

"What I mean is, as I feel the texture beneath the snow, it feels more rigid, sturdier than just plain earth or grass".

(Because it is not! ....)

(Its an old road)

(Is he trying to act brainy or something?)

Patrick nonchalantly responded,

"Yes, so what".

(Yeah, what?)

Thor Gild chimed in,

"Fair observation".

(No it's not.... it's just common sense).

Keira asked excitedly,

"Did you discover something Thor?".

"Care to share with us?".

Thor Gild, with an air of importance, responded as if he had unraveled an ancient mystery, though it could be noticed by anyone with a perfectly functional pair of eyes.

"Over the past two days, I've noticed a pattern - as we venture further, the forest seems to grow less dense."

(Very estude observation)

(How come anyone else didn't notice that professor)

(Because they did!)

As Thor Gild finished speaking, everyone turned their attention towards him, acknowledging his words with a mix of curiosity and realization.

(Or maybe not)

Thor Gild continued,

"If so forgive me Arngrim".

"I might be incorrect".

"But that stone there doesn't look natural".

"It looks man made".

(That's a pillar)

(Ohh! this guy is so .... so... stupid)

Keira responded, his tone filled with an air of contemplation and understanding,

"Yes, I think, I understand what you are getting at".

(Sometimes I just feel the need to punch someone.... like so badly)

Sheela, her impatience uncontainable, retorted with a touch of annoyance,

"Does that mean we have crossed over to the other end of the forest".

(No, we are very much inside the forest)

Regina, searching for clarity, ventured,

"That would mean we are near the borders of principality".

(Are we?)

(No .. No )

Ikbal interjected, a flicker of concern present in his words,

"I am afraid, for that to be true".

"We should be in fenn".

"And fenn is a lot warmer then this".

(Fair point)

Regina exclaimed, clearly taken aback,

"So what are you trying to say Thor?".

Elkdrack chimed in, his voice laced with curiosity, albeit tinged with skepticism,

"Yes, mate what are you getting at?".

(What are you getting at ... Thor)

(Please share your in-depth research).

Thor Gild, his unease becoming palpable, started to fumble with his words,

That's when.

Keira interjected,

"He is basically saying that, whatever is happening to this forest, we are getting to the heart of it".

(No ... he wasn't saying that)

Thor Gild, with a sense of relief, replied,

"Yes ... yes what he said".

"That was what I meant, Regina?".

(Saved from humiliation, I see)

Sheela, still dissatisfied, could not hide her lingering skepticism,

"That is still vague".

(Yes .... ask him)

(This is fun)

Thor Gild hesitantly attempted to clarify, his words laced with a hint of anxiety,

"You see ....".

Keira tried to explain in his stead,

"Look there, that stone pillar".

"Those carvings and those wind chimes hanging".

"Does that seem natural to you".

Sheela, her skepticism unwavering, responded firmly,

"No".

Keira continued his line of thought, his tone filled with incredulity,

"Yet we are inside a forest where no man has set foot in".

"Like never in ages".

"How odd is it to see these man made objects here?".

Sheela muttered, her voice betraying a touch of bewilderment,

"That's" .

Regina interjected, her voice tinged with revelation,

"Remnants of old civilizations".

Thor Gild chimed in with a tinge of excitement,

"That's right, she gets it".

(You didn't say that)

Sheela, now slightly intrigued, asked,

"What's it to us?".

Elkdrack, his voice laced with anticipation and adventure, smirked,

"It means treasure, gold, ancient relics".

"All waiting to be pillaged".

Sheela's tone shifted, now tinged with a hint of intrigue,

"Now that I can understand".

Kyle intervened forcefully, his words carrying a harsh and cautionary tone,

"The forest wasn't as deserted".

"What makes you think these ruins are?".

Keira responded, a touch of defiance in his voice,

"No one said it would be?".

(Those two, they are on their own league of annoyance)

Then that stupid Thor Gild stepped in, attempting to defuse the mounting tension, his voice gentle yet firm,

"Everyone is making a fair point".

"Come on let's see for ourselves".

Elkdrack, gestured to me with a sense of urgency,

"Conrad! let's get moving".

I nodded in agreement,

"Right".

Elkdrack was excited, no matter how dire and dangerous the situation is, talk of gold and treasures always seemed to excite him.

We wandered around for hours, searching, investigating but didn't found anything worth sharing. All we saw was those same pillars, statues which I admit were an intrigue on their own. But there was nothing else substantial around there.

The sun was about to set. The sky grew with a tinge of orange.

It felt like forever, since I got to see an sunset. Yes, for the past few days, we were traversing a less dense forest, however it was still a forest, those trees, not much, were still obscuring the setting sun.

Ikbal, with disappointment evident in his voice, stated,

"There is nothing here".

"Just crumbling pillars and destroyed statues".

As he absentmindedly rang a wind chime, frustration seeped into his words,

"And these fucking wind chimes".

Thor Gild, his tone laced with false wisdom , replied,

"Have patience Ikbal".

"God only favours those who can wait".

Soon, the orange sky morphed into a beautiful starry sky, while enshrouding the everything else in total darkness.

In the heart of that dimness and chilling air, a delicate mist unfurled, gracefully weaving its way across the ground. Its ethereal presence held a beauty that evoked memories of enchanting tales that I read during my childhood. And amidst this mystical ambiance, our eyes beheld a scene both captivating and mesmerizing. We realised that the vast expanse beneath our feet was a frozen lake. As the cloak of darkness descended, something wondrous lay concealed beneath that icy surface. A gleaming radiance, like the shimmer of gold, emanated from beneath them ice, casting a luminous glow. The ethereal lights, gleaming amidst those intermingling mists, imparted an otherworldly beauty, it felt as though the very stars themselves had landed upon our surroundings.

Patrick remarked, his voice filled with awe,

"That glow it almost devine".

Sheela, her tone imbued with a sense of enchantment, replied,

"It's so romantic".

As Sheela tenderly grasped Thor Gild's hand and urged him forward, she enthusiastically exclaimed,

"Come on Thor Gild, Let's have a look".

In a synchronized moment, Regina reached out and grabbed my hand, her excitement apparent,

"Conrad!, let's go".

I wasn't able to refuse her.

What right did I had to deny her that happiness.

So, I followed along.

[Keira exclaimed, her eyes captivated by the sight,

"It's absolutely mesmerizing."

Kyle responded wistfully, his voice tinged with longing,

"I wish I could share this with my sister."

Surprised, Keira inquired,

"You never mentioned having a sister."

Kyle countered, a hint of defensiveness in his tone,

"Well... you never asked."

Keira stated matter-of-factly,

"That's not something one typically asks."

Kyle retorted, revealing a hint of satisfaction,

"Now you know."

Expressing concern, Keira remarked,

"I hope she's doing well."

Kyle responded with a noncommittal sound,

"Hmmm."

Just then, Elkdrack called out to him, interrupting the conversation,

"Could there be gold hidden beneath these icy sheets?"

Keira pondered for a moment and then responded with intrigue,

"You might be onto something." ]

Regina marveled, her eyes wide with awe,

"It's so beautiful isn't it".

She continued, her voice filled with nostalgia,

"Like the tales we read".

With a touch of excitement, she added,

"The adventures we always wanted to go on".

In an unfortunate turn of events, I lost my footing, causing me to land on the icy surface with my palms. In that moment, I attempted to determine the source of that captivating glow, only to witness a figure emerging from the depths. It resembled a twisted, dark-bodied creature with emptied holes in place of its eyes, its figure resembling a human. Drawing closer to me, it extended its hands, placing them adjacent to mine on the icy sheet. Its lips moved as if attempting to communicate something to me. As I watched, transfixed by this encounter, the creature gradually faded away into the golden radiance. It was then that I overheard Emilia muttering to herself, She was also on her knees, observing these phenomena, but her reaction seemed less surprised than mine.

For a moment, confusion and bewilderment enveloped me. But then, Regina called out to me, and as I turned my gaze towards her, I saw my guiding light in her eyes against the moonless sky.

The radiance of her blue hair rivalled the brilliance of the stars themselves.

"Hold my hand, will ya?" Regina requested, breaking the enchantment of the moment.

As I clasped her hand, all thoughts that had occupied my mind just moments ago vanished. The warmth of her touch and the steady beats of my heart drowned out any other distractions.

(No ... you shouldn't Conrad)

(This is unbecoming of you)

Regina remarked,

"It's like that scene from 'Adventures of Alva,' isn't it? The part where Alva rescues the witch, and they spend their evening gazing at the stars."

I quipped in response,

"Shall I offer my eyes too?"

Regina assured me,

"No... your company is enough for me."

(She doesn't mean that)

(And you know it Conrad! ... you are just a guardian)

Regina continued,

"It's bittersweet, isn't it?"

Caught off guard, I questioned,

"What?"

Regina explained,

"it's bittersweet. The witch never regains their memories, and Alva's love for them remains unnoticed."

She let out a sigh and added,

"It's truly a tale of sadness."

It was a bizarre night; the words that escaped my lips were completely unintentional. I didn't know what had come over me.

In that moment, a multitude of voices incessantly invaded my consciousness. The throbbing pain in my head grew more intense. Shortly after, I lost consciousness. In the depths of that state, I caught a fleeting glimpse of a dream. I found myself cradled in Regina's lap, tears streaming from her eyes.

Truly, it was a bizarre day indeed.

The next morning, as we ventured deeper, we stumbled upon the crumbling ruins of an ancient town or maybe a village.

There we encountered him, blocking our way, His figure cloaked in mold and snow, as though frozen in that position for countless years, or perhaps centuries. In a curiously warped voice, he warned,

"Trespassers turn back, there is nothing of note here, only distortion awaits further".

"Lest you be counted among the slumbering ones".