Chapter 24: Cat out of the bag

They stopped the speedwagon to proceed with the little demonstration.

Esther shot a mini black laser that made the trunk of the tree disappear and the parts near it burnt.

They decided to take an early stop to discuss the matter at hand. The next hour composed of Autumn asking questions, and Lu explaining all he knows about Esther. Including how he thought she could not interact with anything until recently.

"I thought so too" Esther said. "But when I smelled something that smelled like mom, I remembered something. Creating things. Many things, good and bad. All just hazy visions. If we find any more orbs like that, I may be able to remember more".

"I see" Lu thought. He told Autumn what Esther said and Autumn started to believe it.

"Can Esther hear me?" Autumn asked.

Esther nodded.

"Yes she can" Lu said.

"Esther. By any chance, are you a sprite?" Autumn asked.

Lu looked at Esther. She was hesitant for a moment.

"I'm not very sure" she said. "You can say that I am but I can swear I don't do harm to anyone" Lu conveyed her message to Autumn

"Well, anything else you can do?" Autumn asked, dismissing the previous topic.

"Same question from me" Lu said.

"I can probably make a lot of other things but creating something takes mana from me and I have to sleep longer depending on how much mana I spent awake, which would also mean depending on what I create" She said.

"So that's what took you so long after that night" Lu said.

"And why I only created a minature beam instead of the original one" Esther said.

"What did she say?" Autumn asked, and Lu conveyed.

"I guess we can't interact much, but can we be friends?" Autumn smiled."

Esther lit up at the thought. "Can we, really?" Lu repeated for her.

"Even though I can't see or hear you, I hope we'll get along".

"No problem! I'll just borrow Lu's mouth!" she smirked.

"Hey don't I have a say in that?" Lu complained before relaying her message.

The two girls laughed and their cart moved on.

***

The following days ended up peacefully travelling as Esther could now sense titans in her sleep, and promised that she would tell them whenever she senses one nearby even if she's sleepy. She explains she got it from the orb Lu absorbed because their souls are linked. Esther does not know how, but she's sure they are linked. Also she explains this is the reason she could feel how Lu feels. Lu asks why it isnt vice versa and Esther doesnt know either.

Autumn and Lu had exhausted all their supply of collars and have managed the lack of rations by hunting and preparing food themselves. Thankfully, the animals were only a little different compared to the animals Lu used to know. There were wild cows, which they were called, albeit they looked a lot more hairy and bigger and fewer in packs than the cows Lu used to know.

Wild pigs were half the size Lu expected them to be, were much faster, and much darker in color.

So far Lu has not encountered chickens, but many wild birds which he has not even heard of has come his way.

They shared recipes with each other that they have learned from their differing cultures. Esther looked jelous of their ability to eat each time they prepared a delicious meal.

Lu wished that those peaceful days would go on forever, but he knew they would not so he made sure to make every second count.

A lone titan had appeared along the way and the two took care of it without much effort.

Four days have passed since they have travelled from Elle, and it was the next day they would be arriving in Cybelle if things went well.

Lu thought that this was their last night together. He was lost in his thoughts poking a wooden stick at the campfire

"Lu, could you come with me for a moment?" Autumn said after coming back from her turn bathing in the clear-as-glass-water lake.

"Sure, where to?" Lu asked.

"Yeah, where to?" Esther asked jumping up excitedly and Lu relayed what happened.

Hearing that Esther perked up, Autumn was silent for a moment.

Lu noticed Autumn's troubled look.

"Ah, I see! Autumn wants you to create something big tomorrow and doesn't want you to feel left out! Can you sleep lots for her tonight so you have enough mana to create it and still be awake?" Lu asked enthusiastically.

"That sounds super exciting! I'll start right now and make sure to wait for me okay!" Esther said and twirled, disappearing into nothing

Lu's expression turned from being cheerful to serious as soon as she had vanished.

"Is she asleep now?" Autumn asked.

"We call it sleep but I don't actually know what she's doing. Eitherway, she's not here right now. What was it that you wanted to discuss in private?"

"As perceptive as ever. Come with me, you need to see this" Autumn gestured and headed toward the lake.

A short, chatterless walk to the lake began as the full moon gave them enough light to see their path.

They stopped by the edge of the water as Lu waited for instructions.

"Do you want to get wet?" Autumn asked.

"No"

"Great, neither do I. So run as fast as you can on the count of three. One..."

"Wait, can you explain a little more before--"

"Two..." Autumn stood right at the edge of the lake and Lu followed closely, preparing himself for the worst.

"Three!" She blasted the water in front of her, creating a wide gap between the long line of water. She took Lu's hand and pulled him, and soon he came to his senses and ran on his own.

The waters crashed behind them as the tides reunited in the middle. They made it to the other side barely getting their feet wet.

Autumn tried to speak while catching her breath "It was... easier to... show than... explain" she said.

Lu only glared at her for a second to tell her that he did not like her idea.

Autumn laughed after she took back her breathing.

"That could have killed us!" Lu complained.

"Well I for one did not want to get wet" Autumn teased.

"We could have thrown our clothes to the other side, swam over, and wore them here" Lu said.

"Wait, can you hear yourself?" Autumn raised her eyebrow.

"Well now that I think about it this was actually better" Lu admitted that he had forgotten some certain facts.

"Alright enough about that. It's over here" Autumn said.

She led them further into the thicket of trees until the encountered a giant metal bulk which Lu recognized.

"Another playstation?" Lu asked.

"You guessed it" Autumn said, pushing the dirtied glass door, revealing the interior. A deactivated titan lay inside along with various signs of struggle like craters and marks on the floors and walls as if a fierce battle took place there.

On one of the walls, the words "Death to all sprites" was inscribed in coal.

"It was like this when I got here. You probably don't want Esther to see this either, don't you?" Autumn walked to the titan and took a close inspection.

"Look here" she pointed into the titan's core.

Lu sat next to Autumn and saw a feather stuck inside the core of the titan, glowing gold.

The pair looked at each other, thinking of the same thing.

"They don't like titans too, huh?" Lu commented.

"It appears they don't" Autumn stood up.

"So what do you need me to do?" Lu asked

"What do you mean?" Autumn raised an eyebrow.

"I just thought that you could have just told me what you saw. Is there something you need me to do?" Lu asked.

Autumn blushed and sighed. "Alright you got me. There's one more thing. I just thought that since we were going seperate ways tomorrow, can you take me to that place again... Eversunset cliff?" Autumn asked shyly, fidgeting with her fingers.

Lu smiled. "Oh, that? I thought it was something big. Alright, hop in" Lu said and booted up two of the consoles, then both of them equipped the gears.