Stormy Day

The sky had turned darker and the wind blew stronger. It started to rain but faint as the wind is overpowering the water. No entity could be seen walking around as each windows had lights. Everyone already retreated to their homes before the storm would fall.

This event was unusual for Shirohara. She had never experienced storms before nor seen one. She only hears about it on Mokuro's story. Like how he flew during the storm to seek shelter. But he couldn't find one so he flew up and higher than the storm. Shirohara smiled from the thought of Mokuro as she tightly held the soul gem that he gave her as she watched the storm through the glass window.

Shirohara paused as she looks at the window. "Glass? A glass window? But the I can feel the wind…" she said as she tried to reach and touch the widow.

It was solid, there was indeed a glass yet the wind can get through it.

"It's a magic barrier, not glass." Namia told her as he enters the room and holding a tray with two cups and a pitcher.

"A… magic barrier?" she curiously watched Namia placed the tray on the table next to her.

"Yes. This storm is not just a normal storm. The ventus are doing this. Judging from those black lightnings, they were here to create chaos and fear to anyone here." Namia explained as he sips tea on his cup.

"What are… ventus?" she asked without taking her eyes off the storm cloud.

"They are wind demons. Powerful enough to create storms and tornadoes. They fed themselves by the fear of any entity they encounter, and those entities dies from being drained. The only way to defeat them is by not being afraid." He took another sip.

"Not being afraid huh, I don't think anyone won't be afraid after seeing that demon." She thought while looking above. Then she gazed at the building in front of her.

"Namia! Look!" Shirohara yelled as she saw a figure which she couldn't make a shape but it entered the window in front of the building they were in. There was a child in there, probably around six who was screaming in fear as the demon slowly approaches her.

After calling Namia's name, she looked behind her and didn't see Namia at all. Then she looked back to the child and saw Namia carrying the child and the ventus was gone.

"Cool! How did he get there?" she thought as she looked amaze.

Suddenly, a ventus appeared in front of her, that made her flinch. Seeing it nearer, it was six feet tall and looks like a tornado with red eyes that glows, it got hands that were like small tornadoes too. Her knees started to shake and she couldn't move. Even when it's windy, a sweat dropped front her chin and flew towards the ventus.

She clearly had no idea what to do. Then the venti slowly dissapear and she saw Namia being surrounded by the venti.

The buildings were starting to crumble, the roofs started flying and the curtains, plants, trees, furnitures started to flew towards Namia's direction. Shirohara felt like she's being sucked too by the vortex yet she managed to hug on the building's foundation. She couldn't see Namia and what's in front of her was a tornado.

Suddenly, the ground shook and fragments of the earth started flying too. Shirohara was hit by one of the fragments on her head and she fainted.

When she woke up, she found herself in ruins of the building where she was staying. The sky was clear, there were birds chirping. Some people started to carry some woods from the destroyed buildings. She also saw the kid that Namia saved. Her mother was hugging her. Shirohara felt sadness. She had never known what it's like to have a parent after all. Though everyone in the falan community was like a parent for her, they weren't humans at all.

She looked around and found six houses were destroyed in total and Namia was walking toward her.

"Are you harmed?" Namia asked while Shrohara asked "What happened to the venti!?" At the same time.

Namia sighed and scratched his head. "Well, looks like you just hit your head but didn't mind at all. You're not seriously injured. Anyway, I summoned the Earth's power to surround me boulders so the wind would stop. Those venti ran away when they realized who I was." Namia answered proudly.

"Aw, I didn't get to see the action." She sighed and pouted. "What's gonna happen on this human building?" She asked as she stood up and looked around.

"Well, they can fix it anyway. The people have no idea what happened and I told the kid it was a bad nightmare she had. I talked to the owner of this inn and he said he had another inn just near the port where we can move. We're heading there now." Namia then picked up his cloak that was on the chair. It seems like it didn't even get affected by the wind at all.

"Oh... I see, let's go then." Shirohara gladly followed Namia.

Even so, Namia was still worried about Shirohara's sudden chance of mood. He recalled a student of him before that took grudges and plotted revenge against the people that murdered his family. Yet here's Shirohara who accepted the fact that the dead ones will not come back. She knows she was weak and therefore wanted to learn more. Still, Namia didn't show any emotions so she wouldn't be spoiled.

They kept on walking towards the inn.

"So, that continent we were going... Are there humans there?" She asked.

"Yes, but a few of them. There's a hidden place there with dinosaurs. There were also different kind of entities. First thing I must taught you when we arrived in the inn would be how to interact with them." Namia explained.

"Whoa! This is called the sea!? It's beautiful! Look! There were small boats floating around the water! So cool! Mokuro used to draw them before but now, to see them for real feels like it turned into reality!" Shirohara ran towards the port.

Namia felt ignored. "Well, it was real after all." He thought as he passed by the inn where they were supposed to move.

"Hey, Shirohara. Don't wander off on your own. By the way, this is the inn where we're moving." He said. Shirohara looked into his direction and ran towards him.

They went inside and they were greeted by the owner.

"I'm really sorry, your room was destroyed but I thank you for saving my child. If it weren't for you, I would've lost my daughter too. I don't mind about my inn being destroyed but not just to lost my only daughter. Thank you so much, great Alchemist." He bowed at Namia.

There weren't people around as Shirohara noticed. They probably gathered around the ruins.

"Don't worry about it, Belor. It's nothing." Namia said as he patted his shoulder.

"Thank you so much, so much." Belor almost cried and he looked next to Namia. "Who's this little lady?" He asked.

"Oh, her name is Shirohara. She's my new apprentice." Namia introduced.

Belor looked a little worried to Namia which made Shirohara curious bit decided not to ask.

The two looked at each other. "Oh, anyway, I should escort you to your new room." He smiled and Shirohara followed the two.

They went upstairs and their room had a beautiful view of the port. Belor thanked them again and left.

The building was made of light red bricks and there were two beds. There were fruits on the table.

"You had an apprentice before?" Shirohara looked at Namia who immediately sat on the couch.

"Yes, I did." He replied as he took a bite of the grapes.

"Where... Is your apprentice now?" She asked as she stood near the window and looking at Namia.

"Out there, on one of the richest kingdom. He turns lead into gold. Creates medicine and various other stuff for the kingdom." He replied.

"Turns lead into gold?" She asked. "Is that possible?"

"I can turn myself into a gold, and you saw me because the wind. Yet you asks such thing if it's possible." Namia chuckled.

"Sorry, I didn't think about that... Anyway, what should I learn about Illyria?" She managed to change the subject.

"Well, first. Don't speak anything. We'll arrive on a country named Solasis. The entities there are sensitive to sound. They die when a human speaks. Their ears actually bleed which causes death, so the people on the ship we're going to ride won't go near the city. They will just give us a ship. So I don't want to cause any deaths on those poor citizens and this is important. So just don't speak, okay?" Namia said.

"That's just it?" She asked. "And how do you communicate? You said I'm a lunarian, does that makes me human?" She asked

"Oh, you got a point. We communicate by sign language. And you may be a lunarian, but you look like human. So I don't know, maybe let's try if you'll kill them." he answered as he was scratching his chin.

"I don't want to kill anyone so I'll just keep quiet." She pouted.

Namia chuckled. "Anyway, I shall teach you some basic sign language."

Shirohara looked interested and started to learn sign languages from Namia.