One With the Earth

Nico was long past Airedale by the time he stopped to give himself a break. By his estimate, he was almost three-quarters of the way there. In that time, the sun's rays had also changed their hue, going from the fiery glow of dawn to the lustrous light of the day. 

Giving his breath a chance to recover, the brown-haired boy reflected on his blistering experience with lightning so far. 

The sensation of the wind rushing through his hair… the feeling of being the fastest living being under the heavens, and most of all, the feeling of extreme power coursing through his veins. 

Nico couldn't help the broad smile that formed on his face. 

He also sensed that he was getting more adept at manipulating the mana inside his body. At first, the energy flow was choppy and far from smooth, but it was slowly and surely getting more streamlined and efficient. 

After a few more minutes of rest, Nico pressed on. 

He continued to weave in and out of the trees like an ice skater gone mad. It was as if he was carrying out an elaborate dance with death, a gamble to see who would be the first to tap out. 

'After travelling West for a while, you'll see the trees start to thin. That's the sign that you're getting close to the village…' Nico repeated Henry's words in his mind along the way. 

He kept his centre of gravity low to enable him to change direction quickly. It put a lot of strain on his body, but the brown-haired boy didn't care about that too much. 

Maybe the soreness could help take his mind away from the encounter he was about to have. Nico dreaded it slightly, for he did not doubt that he was about to reopen a fresh wound, both for him and Henry's family. 

…Nonetheless, he had to go. 

For the sole reason that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did not visit his friend's family and give them his condolences. And, promise that the green-eyed boy's sacrifice was not in vain.

Nico's ascension would play a key factor here, though it wouldn't remove the bitterness the news of Henry's death had doubtless brought. Still, Nico felt it was the right thing to do. 

As much as he feared the reaction of his friend's family, it just had to be done. 

Who was he to say otherwise? 

True to Henry's words, the verdant behemoths did begin to decrease in number after a while. It was almost unnoticeable before the sight became more pronounced; the trees surrendering large swathes of land to an unknown and unseen foe. 

Nico was close.

Slowing down slightly, he kept a vigilant eye for any signs of a human settlement so far out from Airedale. He wondered idly why someone would think to set up a village in such a remote area. To access any services provided by the Empire, they would have to journey for three-quarters of an hour to the nearest city. 

'Whatever the reason must have been, it had to be important enough to make such travel worth it…' 

Sometime later, Nico came to a halt. By now, most of the trees had thinned out to reveal a large, open stretch of land perfect for farming. Yet, instead of seeing people working the fields, grazing sheep, or carrying out any other activity a farmer did, everything was silent. 

Strangely so. 

He had expected there to be a certain bustle about the place. 

Nico frowned, surveying Henry's village. There was a row of houses built in the centre of this large clearing, with open fields taking up every other inch of land. On those pastures, no cattle roamed its verdant expanse, nor any other livestock. Only the sound of the wind and rustling grass echoed. 

The homes appeared to be run down and in dire need of repair. Some had resorted to using straw to cover the holes in their ceilings, while others seemed to have tried their best, but, that wasn't enough based on the flimsy doors, cracked walls and the dilapidated foundation. 

This village was seriously… neglected. 

Nico's frown deepened. A twinge of anxiety took root in his stomach. 

What if Henry's family had migrated to some place else after they learned of their son's death? Even worse, what if they had succumbed to their squalid living conditions and joined the green-eyed boy in the Great Beyond? 

'Blast it!' 

Nico cursed, his mind spinning. 

In the unnerving silence, save for the rustling of the grass and the swaying of the leaves, he came up with an idea. Getting down onto one knee, the brown-haired boy placed both palms on the ground and closed his eyes. 

A pulse of mana followed. 

…Then, he became one with the earth. 

His perception deepened, tapping into the vast and sprawling land. He was boundless, immense and indomitable. 

Nico ignored the harrowing feeling of his heart turning into stone and focused on what his senses were transmitting. Similar to echolocation, he sent off a rhythmic pulse, hoping to discern whether anyone still occupied this place. 

The boy's brows furrowed in concentration, beads of sweat starting to form as he resisted the urge to discard his emotions. Just as Nico was about to remove his hand from the earth, he froze. There, in a little corner of the village, he had sensed movement, albeit very briefly. 

Galvanised by the discovery, he hurried over to that abode. Along the way, Nico shook off the lingering effects of using the Earth Element. He could not let that get in the way of investigating this sudden lead. 

With a sense of urgency in his steps, the brown-haired boy quickly reached his destination. In front of him, a building more dilapidated than the rest stood, overgrown weeds thriving around its neglected expanse. The walls seemed partially decayed, while the roof was completely thatched, a noticeable difference from other abodes that had better protection against the unruly elements. 

Nico's gritted his teeth at the sight. 

How could these people possibly live in such terrible conditions? 

Having grown up with a somewhat silver spoon in his mouth - he wasn't one to flaunt his family's wealth, nor was he one to think he was superior to others because of that - his mind struggled to understand the concept of poverty. 

He knew that some people lacked the basic means to live. But imagining himself in that position was another matter entirely. 

His heart hurt for the occupants of the house. However, it was an ache born from compassion rather than pity. Ross and Cynthia had made an effort to instil in Nico that those who lacked the means to live comfortably like him were not always "poor", and that they could be well-off in different ways. 

They could even be more content and happy than him who had it all. 

'Just because they're poor by society's standards, doesn't mean they're impoverished. They may have a heart of gold on the inside.' 

Nico understood appearances could be deceptive. A person's character often showed when it counted the most. Shaking his head, the boy stopped musing and took a deep breath, walking up to the entrance to rap his knuckles on the mouldy door. 

'Here goes nothing…' 

Waiting with bated breath, Nico forcefully controlled his anxiety, not letting it show on his face. 

A few moments passed in deafening stillness. He frowned, wondering if he had sensed wrong. 

Yet, just as he was about to knock again, the sound of shuffling feet entered his ears. 

Nico relaxed slightly. 

A moment later, the door opened, revealing a gaunt and emaciated woman. Streaks of grey covered her hair, while her face seemed haggard, bones visible beneath skin. The woman's eyes seemed spiritless, as if her world had once come crashing down and she had never recovered. 

"... Have you come to take me away from my home?"