Chapter 40 - Transport

Via watched on from a crouching position as the anaconda slithered away from the group.

"Thank you once again for saving us." Avery said to Via in a respectful manner.

"Don't mention it, but aren't you a bit old to be afraid of snakes?" Via questioned, looking up to her.

A slight hint of annoyance entered Avery after hearing that statement, but she held back on any comment.

"Elder Claire, do you believe their story?" Mai asked quietly. "Messengers from Ignus who also happen to be a group of orphans looking for refuge..."

"... And their party was scattered after they went through a rift. It is quite the story. What is your judgment telling you, Mai?"

Mai briefly looked over to Avery and Sayu and was reminded of the first time she encountered Kaden at the peak of the mountain. She released a light sigh and faced Elder Claire.

"We should immediately join back with Elder Treya and the others." Mai decided.

"Hmm, I'm not a fan of that conclusion." Claire replied with disappointment in her voice.

"Then, what did you-"

"Via darling! Come here for a moment."

"Yes ma'am?" Via answered as she walked over.

"Here's what's going to happen." Claire stated. "I still need to honor my promise to Via, and for that reason her and I will be continuing forward. Mai, I trust you to escort our guests to the rendezvous point."

"I can't do that." Mai responded firmly. "As a guard appointed to the Elder's Council, who is accompanying one of the honored members outside of Aestus. It is required that I, no matter the circumstance, always stay by your side."

"You're as diligent as your grandmother says you are. That being the case, then you should also know that an Elder's word is final. We determine when those rules can be broken, and right now, I'm ordering you to break this one."

The reckless command Mai just received from Elder Claire had her torn completely in half. For someone like Mai, who prides herself on doing everything by the book. No matter what choice she made here, there were going to be lingering thoughts that she made the incorrect decision. However, a decision had to be made. Leave Elder Claire alone in the Redwoods or disobey her orders and remain by her side.

"I..."

"I'll protect her." Via said to the conflicted Mai. "If anything happens, I'll bring her back right away. We're out here because of me anyway, so I'd feel responsible if anything were to happen."

While those words weren't enough to fully put Mai at ease, they at least gave her the slightest amount of reassurance.

"I'll trust you." Mai replied while clinching her fists.

"I'm sorry, but we didn't get your names, did we?" Claire asked.

"My name is Avery, and this little one is Sayu."

"I'm not little!" Sayu replied.

"It's a pleasure to meet the both of you." Claire responded with a bright smile. "Mai here will be taking you to Aestus, where I hope the other members of your group are already waiting for you."

"Thank you, ma'am." Avery replied.

Mai led the way with Avery and Sayu following closely behind her.

"Let's make haste, shall we?" Claire said to Via.

"Right!"

.....

"I'd say this doesn't make any sense, but I'd be sounding like a broken record at this point." Kaden stated while leaning against the wall of the cave.

"You entered through the Gate of Pride but came out through this gate? How does that work?" Trill questioned.

"Beats me."

"Why'd you activate it?!" Tarver questioned as he returned to the group.

"I didn't activate it idiot!" Trill replied. "This guy just came through, and he says he's from Aestus. Haaah, how am I supposed to report this."

Kaden looked over to Jayson, who was stood in front of the active gate, transfixed by the energy emitting from it.

"When you open your eyes again, there's gonna be someone there who you can learn from. Allow them to teach you, and at the same time, you should stand beside them."

"...Hey. What's your name?" Kaden asked, stepping away from the wall.

"..."

"Guess I'm talking to a flipping statue."

"This is light essence, isn't it?" Jayson asked without facing the others. "If so, then that would explain how you got here."

"How so?"

Jayson finally turned away from the gate and swiftly walked over to Tarver.

"You said you came through the Gate of Pride, which is nearby Aestus right?" Jayson questioned, extending his hand out to Tarver.

"Yeah, that's right." Kaden replied as he carefully watched Jayson.

"Oh, yeah, your stuff." Tarver said as he handed Jayson his gloves and the lighter, which was still intact.

"If it got you here, maybe it'll get me there." Jayson stated.

"Wait, are you crazy!?" Trill exclaimed. "We can't allow anyone to use the gate without permission from an Elder."

"Unfortunately, there's no time for that."

SCREEEEEEEEECH!!!!

"..."

The four of them were all frozen in place by the sudden screech that echoed through the cave they were in. They turned their attention to the waterfall and waited for a few seconds to see if they would hear it again, but was surprised again when the path into the cave opened.

"Brother Alex mentioned that something like this was possible." Elder Mildred stated as she and Markus entered the cave.

"Elder Mildred..." Trill whispered softly before quickly bowing her head in respect.

Tarver followed along behind her while Kaden and Jayson stayed exactly how they were.

"Jayson Hillinger, I am here to retrieve you." Mildred exclaimed as she came closer.

"Are you an Elder?" Jayson questioned.

"Indeed I am. Floris Mildred is my name. The Elder Council has quite a few questions for you, so it would be best if we began heading back to Aestus now."

"How'd you find us?" Kaden asked.

"The light from the gate can be seen through the waterfall. If you're here, then I assume you passed the trial."

"Indeed I did. It was quite easy."

"If it was so easy, why'd you fail the first time?"

"Patience. Everything takes time." Kaden replied in a snarky tone.

"You were speaking as if you knew he would end up here." Jayson stated. "That means travel between the gates is possible."

"In theory, it is, but two or more gates need to be active, and this would be the first time in a long time where that's the case." Mildred explained.

"So then we can-"

"Mr. Adams. You have to confirm for us that the gate is safe to use for travel. Only then will I allow it."

"I need to be your guinea pig. Fine." Kaden said as he turned to the gate. "...How do I know it won't take me into the trial?"

"Simple, the rune hasn't been activated." Mildred answered, pointing to the sapphire stone on the gate.

"Good, cause I need a break." Kaden said to himself.

He casually walked into the light without a hint of uncertainty that it would transport him where he wanted to go. For a brief moment, Kaden felt as if his body was suspended in nothing more than pure light essence.

.....

"Something definitely is wrong!" Aaron exclaimed. "He's been in there for too long, and the gate isn't even fully lit anymore."

"I understand your concern, but there is nothing we can do but wait." Treya stated. "If you go in there, it won't take you to the same place he is."

"I know, but-"

Some ruffling in the bushes nearby caught the attention of Elder Treya, Aaron, and Kenzo, who had just joined back up with them a few moments before. Damien led both Shaedon and Nakayla out into the open area from the treeline.

"I found some visitors, Elder Treya." Damien stated casually.

"Children... from the fire continent?" Treya asked, slightly surprised.

"I didn't find any signs of the Luminents being anywhere nearby. I also couldn't find any remnants that they may have left behind last time. They move very cautiously."

"Well, good job anyway, Damien."

"Would you look at that." Kaden exclaimed with a grin.

Everyone paused suddenly before turning to face Kaden, who was halfway exposed from the gate.

"Gimme a minute. I'll be right back." Kaden stated before stepping back into the light, leaving everyone perplexed and speechless.

After about thirty seconds had passed, Kaden returned alongside Jayson and Elder Mildred.

"Jayson!" Nakayla exclaimed out of relief.

Jayson took notice of both her and Shaedon and immediately had the thought of "Where are the others?"

"I made it back conscious this time." Kaden stated with a conceited smile as he approached Aaron.

"I was worried to death about you yanno."

"Yeah, and you came back again?"

"Funny." Aaron replied with a slight grin.

"Sister Mildred?" Treya questioned.

"Did Brother Alex not inform you? I went to retrieve Jayson Hillinger after we received a message from Himawari. By the time I got to him, he had found himself at the Gate of Greed."

"Where you ran into Kaden." Treya finished.

"Convenient, I'd say." Mildred replied.

"Pardon my intrusion, but there's an urgent matter I have to discuss with you." Jayson stated as he showed the lighter to both of them. "There's a message in this from Merina Canton of Ignus. She entrusted me to deliver this to an Elder of Aestus."

"Then we should head back immediately." Mildred responded.

"But what about them?" Treya questioned as she gestured over to Nakayla and Shaedon.

"They're with me." Jayson replied. "You see, I fled Ignus along with a group of orphans who are like family to me. There wasn't any way that I would've left them behind in the middle of all that violence. So, I made the journey here with them. However, we were separated when they all walked through a rift, and I got stuck behind."

Jayson paused and took a deep breath as he looked over to Nakayla and Shaedon.

"Where are the others?"

"We don't know." Nakayla answered. "When we went through the rift, there wasn't anybody around besides the two of us."

"Rift?" Mildred questioned. "Unless you're directly touching each other, you're not going to get transported to the exact same location. The time between when you all go through plays a factor as well."

"So then everyone else is-"

"Nearby." Treya answered, cutting off Jayson. "They aren't together, but they should all be near this general area."

SCREEEEEEEECH!!

Ondo announced his presence as he too stepped through the gate with Markus mounting the top of him.

"What the fuck!" Kaden exclaimed which was followed by Aaron lightly hitting his back.

"Markus, you have new orders." Mildred stated. "Take Ondo and survey a two mile long radius around Aestus. You're searching for kids that look like those two, and if you happen to find any, bring them to the Elder's Courtyard."

"Understood."

Ondo leaned forward before leaping several feet into the air, followed by a single flap of its wings, propelling it even further into the air. The strength of the wind created by its wings caused some people to brace themselves and cover their eyes from the proceeding dust.

"That's insane." Kaden said, looking into the air.

"Let's not waste any time." Mildred stated as she began walking back to Aestus.

Elder Treya approached Kaden and Aaron with a delighted look on her face.

"Good job." Treya said as she followed Mildred.

Aaron threw his arm around Kaden's shoulder while grinning and following behind the Elders. The smile on Kaden's face only lasted a few seconds though, as he remembered something important.

"Hey Aaron, we need to talk in private when we get back." Kaden stated in a serious tone.

"What happened?"

"...Does the letter N mean anything to you?"

A curious gaze gradually turned into one of realization from Aaron as he recognized what Kaden was asking.

.....

"Good morning, mommy. I'm sorry it's been so long since we've talked last. A lot has happened. I actually got into a lot of trouble for using the Lake of Lazarus that time, and they even thought of executing me. Thankfully, that didn't happen, but now I'm teaching this guy who's friends with Aaron how to use air essence. And since he's Aaron's friend, you probably already guessed, but yeah, he's also from another realm. I'm meeting so many new people now, and my everyday life has changed completely from what it was before I met Aaron. Oh yeah, I forgot to bring him so you can meet him! Ahhh, and he came outside with us. I promise I'll let you meet him someday. I do have someone else here. Her name is Miss Claire, and she's actually one of the Elders of Aestus. She's been really nice to me and even joined me for the walk here. I'm living in Aestus now, and there's a lot of good people there who live happily... I'm really not alone anymore. I think you'd be happy to know that. Since I'm a bit further away now, I won't be able to visit you like this every day. But I'm alright where I am now, so don't worry, okay? Talk to you later..."

"..."

"Are you finished?" Claire asked as she approached Via.

"Yeah, I'm done, thank you." Via answered as she continued to kneel in front of her mother's grave.

"Is this an empty grave next to your mother's?"

"It was supposed to be Venmi's, my brother. But Aaron took over his body when I resurrected him, so now there isn't anything to put in there."

"..."

Via was trying her best to hide it, but Claire quickly realized that Via was beginning to cry. Her body shuddered, and she held her head low while remaining completely quiet.

"Take your time and cry." Claire said as she knelt down behind Via. "Crying is usually associated with sad emotions, but those emotions prove just how much a person means to you. The more you love them, the more it would hurt when they leave. That's natural. Everyone would be honored to know that there is someone in this world who would cry for them because it tells them that they are loved."

Those words opened Via's eyes and allowed all of the tears that she was trying to hold back to finally flow out. Claire wrapped her arms around Via's upper body and leaned gently against her.

"You're not leaving your mother here. She's following you everywhere you go, watching over her precious child, who I know she loved. So if there's ever a point where you feel alone, just raise your head and give a warm smile to the heavens. Because your mom will be right there looking down on you."

Sniffle... Sniffle... "Okay..."