Following the Rainbow

The rain did stop eventually and Zero relished in the squelching sounds his shoes made against the muddy ground. Truen watched the young boy play in the puddles, jumping into the huge ones without hesitation. Some splashes were big enough to reach the elf but Truen didn't scold the boy for ruining his clothes. He knew that everything was new to Zero and wanted the brunet to enjoy himself.

The quest to find a leaf for Gaia was temporarily put on hold. Zero shot off to any puddle he could find and Truen followed closely behind. The forest was tranquil and the sounds of birds were slowly returning after the heavy downpour.

Some creatures like Namekuji appeared but they had shells on their back. Zero was fascinated by them and decided to name them Namekuji 2, Namekuji 3 etc… According to Zero, Namekuji was huge but his cousins and family looked tiny. Truen didn't have the heart to tell Zero that it was all a matter of perspective. According to Sedna, Zero was very tiny at that point of time so Namekuji appeared as huge to him.

The sun was beginning to show itself again and the humidity increased. Truen felt his skin become clammy under the heat but Zero did not notice the change. They entered a small grass clearing and for the first time ever since arriving on Earth and Zero could finally see an unobstructed view of the sky.

While there were a few fluffy white clouds, Zero ignored them. He was immediately captivated by the spectrum of colours instead.

"Truen look! It's a colourful sky bridge!"

The elf smiled. While Zero wasn't wrong, he didn't want Zero to think that he could walk on it.

"Yes Zero. That's a rainbow. It usually appears after a heavy rain but will disappear soon."

Zero's eyes shone with awe at Truen's vast knowledge. "A rainbow… if it is going to disappear soon, we should hurry."

"Hurry?"

Taking Truen's hand in his, Zero walked forward with a determined expression. "Mii said that if we reach the end of the rainbow, a treasure awaits. I want to get that leaf for Gaia."

Puzzled by Zero's conclusion, Truen asked how the boy knew what the treasure was and if the treasure existed.

With a confident smiled, Zero puffed out his chest. "There has to be a treasure there. Why else would people tell stories about it? As for what kind of treasure, Mii says that it is a surprise for whoever manages to reach the end of the rainbow. I'm just guessing that it will be a leaf with the same shade as Gaia's hair."

"But Zero," Truen frowned. He didn't want the boy to be disappointed when he learns that the treasure is a lie and that the myth isn't real. He doesn't want Zero to be disheartened when he couldn't reach the end of the rainbow either. "What if the stories aren't real? It could be simply the imagination of humans."

Zero didn't pause. Instead, he started teleporting them as quickly as he could. "Then we will find out for ourselves. First, we need to reach the end of the rainbow."

Helpless and slightly afraid of the speed they were travelling at, Truen held onto Zero's hand as tightly as he could without hurting the boy.