Neglect

Three years before...

Location: Earth, Tegan's desert

This is very odd to see a Cedar slouched, but a little bird flew down on one. Immediately picked on his caber and rudely chirped, "Why are you chapfallen this way I've never seen a Cedar like you?"

The dozy tree groaned and with a disinterest drawled, "Destiny had done this to me! A beautiful living red flower shone across my sight, every day I used to wake up and look at her, praising her beauty… listening to her, but suddenly about to droop, I couldn't neglect that she is gloomy and bent if I could do something for my beloved.

I shielded myself around her to make sure that the wind won't hurt her more, but it didn't help. I was too young, crude, and unaware of the short life of flowers. My beloved was gone then and when I tried to rise back, I saw that my body shape changed. I kept my head up to stand even. Now that you see my stature had carved is the reason for destiny's wickedness because I had a good intention."

The little bird caroled, "you could've asked to make your prescience up and don't rely your negligence on Destiny".

Cedar paused and answered, "Yes, legitimate words will push away excuses in my mind, I neglected and blamed destiny, daydreaming made me hurt myself and I missed peace within me when I observed myself in mirror-like water if you can stay here and be my coadjutor."

"I've got no art to fix you back, but you are serving as an example, let the passengers know what is the end of negligence and indiscretion." The little bird punched those words on his soul one after another wickedly but believed that sometimes you need to know what you are doing to your life in a serious tone.

"Yes, I loved her, but my illusion and one-sided feeling did such a thing to me, I was cruel to myself for a chaffy love which didn't take me higher!" The tree cried out so purely that could melt a stone…

Arno stopped reading the small-sized book and gilded it into his bag on the saddle, took out his binocular, it had a name carved on it, "Samuel Burner", he moved it up took a look on the lenses to observe further and his eyes wide opened, whipped the air by the harness and kicked his horse's hip and said, "Thunder… Faster, someone is over there, move on guys", he cried and rapidly galloped when he pointed to a hillside. There, between the hot sting rays of sun hitting stones and sands making the passengers see a mirage, you could see a blur grayish thing down the legs of a horse.

Three other riders followed his direction and increased their speeds. Deserts of Tegan laid right behind mountains. It was famous for severe heat. As far as possible people would try to do not to pass through that road, even animals would rather change their direction and avoided getting harm. Also for monsters deserts were the least priority till they couldn't find any human flesh.

Dried thorn bushes grubbed out of roots escaping away from heat. The stranger was face-down on the burnt soil. His black horse was stomping its right hoof kicking him smoothly, trying to keep him conscious, but he didn't move.

Arno arrived there, quickly dismounted, and ran to him. He loped to the unknown person. Cocked the wounded guy on the back and, his face was covered by a black scarf. He unopened his wrapped head and his long wavy brown hair showed up. He touched his forehead, his high-temperature fever forced him to take his hand away. The man could hardly breathe.

His lips chapped, dried, and got a deep wound on his left arm, prints of claws proved him that he got attacked by wolves and his lesion infected. Perhaps he rode a long way to reach his destination. His muscles flaunted that he is a strong man who could survive a wildlife attack although got that wound but remained alive.

The rest of the riders arrived and dismounted and walked to them.

There was a very familiar face between them. Crystal Ferssi dragged her shawl down. Recently vessels under her skin got cured, not dark and tumid anymore. Atendor's remedy made of dragon-phoenix tear impacted very well. Yes, Daniel asked the astonishing Lariduna to help his beloved. The girl who saved his life once.

*

The Ferssi family buried their only daughter, the crowd scattered then her parents left the gravestone after a while. Taeyan -Athor- was there under the dark and gray sky. He sat till darkness arrived. He felt the cold and couldn't bring back his stepsister so walk out to leave the house of gone as down was coming along.

As the gravestone fell in silence to let them rest you could see an umbra. In order to be hidden someone incognito wore a black cloak, masked, and passed the gateway.

He was very ghostly-like in that black-red color of the sky. Not much light you could see coming above to clarify sphere, but the one which hit clouds and made them black-red. He straightly went to crystal grave and start spading it. The bare trees made scary umbers pushing you to think someone is watching and chasing you.

He brushed away all soils on her pall and opened it immediately. He cradled her out of that cold place, murmured, "I'm truly sorry, I hope you forgive me for such a filthy plot, I got late because your stepbrother was right here", then took out a glass vial and poured some green lotion into her gullet. She heaved a breath then coughed slowly.

Her voice was cut when she said, "eve...rythin.. will be alright with me… coughed... Atendor's drug made my body vegetal… nothing annoying I could sense".

Daniel couldn't afford to keep his tears hid, panted while walking out of the gravestone, "I'm grateful that you're fine, better to leave this poisonous place". He felt the indicator loveless souls are after alive ones may be to find another chance to live again, uncaused frizzing air brought him goosebumps. Yes, even a man like Daniel was, wouldn't tolerate that black frost.

He arrived in his surrey, positioned her on the back seat, and wrapped her between blankets as her hands were as cold as snow. He got back quickly and filled the grave to be assured that no one will realize what had happened during that dark. His heart was beating hard no lover can handle to see the beloved one is suffering, but he had to bury her to keep her safe. He gulped so heaved a sigh to shove thoughts away and finished the rest.

Daniel checked around no one saw them, much better to say even brave ones wouldn't dare to spend a second among dark graves. Anyways, that night passed and Crystal was with new people who could be considered as her family now. But what forced them to hid Crystal from magicians or even her parents? Atendor and Daniel were the only ones who knew the reasons behind it.

*

Back to then…

"Oh, poor man, is he alive?" crystal asked Arno. Chagrin saturated her gaze. The man seemed to lose much blood and very weak to stay kittle.

"Still breathing, but I'm not sure if he can hang on because that wound infected, and might hurt his heart before we arrive in Airson, he needs a miracle", he responded.