Chapter 33: Puzzle
"I'll find food. Iris and Kristine, stay here to unpack the stuff while..."
"You know what? Why don't I stay here to watch the stuff while you guys go on a hunt for food and water. Hugh and Iris will look for water. Atlas and Kristine will hunt for food. Sounds good? Great! Now shoo, I'm starving." Nova winked at Atlas and Hugh while the girls were chatting under the shade of a tree.
The birds chirping a harmonious tune, the rustles of leaves swaying in the wind and the rapid beating of hearts weaved into an orchestra.
"Vanellope. Do you believe... Do you have faith in me?" Atlas ceased at a spot where the shades did not cover. The birds paused its singing, amplifying the mounting tenderness pervading in the air.
Kristine stopped on her tracks, her silk hair dazzled golden under the sunlight. "Atlas? What's wrong?"
"It's just... I..."
"No one competes with my speed!" A loud voice of absolute assertiveness broke the toasty and heartfelt atmosphere.
A lion dashed out the woods lifting its paw.
"Hello Atlas! I'm happy you're visit..." It glanced from left to right, then from right to the left. The majestic lion crawled back into the woods behind a bush like a shy cat. "Sorry... I owe you a favor Atlas..."
Millions of signs of resentment and impotence were scribbled all over his face as it twitched with disbelief and relief.
Kristine bravely walked up, eyed Atlas for ensurance and attempted to run her fingers across the lion's mane. It pounced away, screaming. "Don't mess my hair!"
"Atlas. This lion just spoke! Do you know what that means? This lion is an Azoth! An Azoth!" Witnessing, Kristine danced in intoxication, her dress twirling the leaves off the ground.
"Vanellope, chill. Sorry to break it to you, but Leon isn't an Azoth. He's just has the ability to speak."
"Indeed." Stomping out the woods, an elephant appeared, speaking in a deep, old voice. "We are the only two in this forest who can communicate with humans. Sacred mushrooms in the nearby temple granted us wisdom and the ability to speak."
"Oh, I was thinking too much." Kristine patted her own cheeks, clearing her mind from unrealistic thoughts. "That makes a lot of sense. If an animal were an Azoth, it would have preferably transformed into human form to cultivate better. Most importantly, would not be so kind with humans as for some reason, they always channel hatred to humans. For a second, I saw hope..."
"Is that true?" Atlas gasped in awe at this information. He acknowledged things about human Azoths, but not about animals Azoths.
"Intelligent girl!" Don nodded with approval. He held in laughter, sharing eye contact with Leon. That would usually be the case. Usually.
"Atlas, aren't you going to introduce your girlfriend?" Leon the lion growled a low pitch.
Kristine played with her fingers as she hid behind Atlas shyly. For a courageous person, it's funny that relationships are her weakness.
"Don and you now both owe me one." Atlas jerked his head away, not saying much. After destroying such an amazing opportunity, Leon was now officially in his blacklist.
"Fine. Well then, when will you two be getting married?"
Kristine flinched. Shaking, she tightened her fist and shut her eyes.
"Did I say something wrong?" Leon panicked, wagging his tail furiously.
"Yes." Atlas cupped her trembling hands, steadying it with the warmth from his own. "May you please leave us alone for now."
The area was deserted. Atlas and Kristine were under the aegis of an ancient tree, the only sounds heard were rapid breathing and heartbeat.
"Sorry Atlas. I wanted to keep it a secret..." Kristine sobbed, tears swelling her already swollen eyes.
"Don't apologize. I'm glad I'm an Axonn. I saw the message with my Third Eye. Without a night to brace this impact, I would have been devastated." He tugged her into his embrace. "I don't want to let you go. You'll forever be mine Vanellope."
She cried even harder, digging her head into Atlas's pounding chest.
Were they tears of joy or were they tears of grief? Kristine didn't know. She had to disguise herself as a strong, independent girl all her life. She had to endure the humiliation of being rejected by her own family, the Summer family.
Despite moving far away from the Summer family, her inevitable fate still struck.
"If you're not a talented female Warrior, you're worthless. Merely a currency to invigorate a family's future." That was what she ear dropped from her grandfather's room the night before her aunt's suicide.
The cracked skull and blood drenched body. Her aunt smiled despite being dead. It frightened her.
Confidence, strength, intelligence and so on, she had to claim them all in order to protect herself from the conflicts of the surrounding factors and the battles within her head.
Finally, all the emotions, all the fake acting and all the pressure weighing on her, was distributed out by a bodyguard her father hired.
"Come. I'll show you something amazing." Atlas cradled her in his arms, leaping towards the peak of a mountain.
"Now I know why my mentor planted these vines." Atlas gently placed her down, inhaling the stormy cloud in front of them, revealing a bijou wooden hut. The blue vines from when he was young has switched into a shade of purple, crackling around the hill like an electric fence. The intimidating blade-like grass was just a deceiving, soft rug, massaging their bare feet as they proceeded towards the simple yet delicate wooden hut.
With a deafening roar of thunder, heavy rain started to smash down.
They rushed into the hut, unaffected by the raindrops due to Atlas's Aura 'umbrella'.
The inside was fairly simple. A comfy bed on the right; a grand piano sitting in the left corner, as well as a silver chest.
On the wall, hang a decorative painting on the right, a flute positioned above the piano.
It was naturally cool and cozy in the hut with a hint of minty taste. The lamp in the ceiling hummed bright, a purplish blue vine connecting from behind.
Atlas invited Kristine to sit on the bed, which she sank into it.
He then pulled out a wheeled seat under the piano, placing his fingers on the keys.
"I've learnt a few tricks while traveling the world for missions." Atlas combed his thick, tousled and messy hair.
"Dun~" his slender fingers danced across the piano keys, starting off with a slow yet heartwarming rhythm. With his flexible, husky voice, he hummed out an enigmatic tune, accompanied by occasional lyrics to embellish the melody with deeper tang.
The light dimmed romantically, the rain enchanting the mood.
Atlas closed his eyes, singing in a higher and richer voice. "Dreadful rain's storming outside, do you mind staying by my side? Your distant shadow is fading, can I give you one last embrace? I wanna run my fingers across your hair, so I can keep the fragrance within my hands. A ravish memory we can share, even if you aren't right here..."
"Did you plan all this?" Kristine smiled softly, her heart melting as the song she hoped to never cease came to an end.
"I wanted to play my flute, but I changed my mind in order to sing for you."
"Was the rain planned too?"
"No. That's actually unplanned."
"Do you know what else is unplanned?" Kristine stared into Atlas's deep, stunning, space black eyes with her caramel brown eyes.
Atlas leaned forward. "What is?"
"This is." Her hair stumbled down her shoulders like cinnamon waterfall as she yanked Atlas by the shirt, closest to her.
Eyes widening, he felt a soft, warm, tingly tap on his lips, fitting perfectly like two puzzle pieces.