The immaculate young man was not even watching him as he was still turning his back to Dushiel except his hand stretched to point his sword at Dushiel’s throat. “Stop LYING!” the flawless one uttered sternly.

Dushiel was not even dare to gulp, although he was urged to. He wished the handsome man turned around for him to reveal the secret of the pendant but the voice of the necklace rescued him just on time.

 “SILVER BREEZE” it chanted the same way as it did at Dushiel’s home. The elegant warrior tensed, yet he did not swirl. How on the earth this was happening? He witnessed his brother’s death through his own eyes in the battlefield, and the body was been buried in the funeral, yet was it not the energy of his brother’s spells that he was sensing?  Nonetheless, was not it a voice that he was desperately wanted to hear? Even drowning in hundreds of riddles, hope was winning as he traced the silver sword blade on Dushiel’s skin until it met Dushiel’s chest. On the other hand, Dushiel’s had hair stood up by noticing how Silver Breeze smoothly moved his sword without eyeing and grazing his skin. The blade finally lingered by the pendant slightly lifting the enchanted shell away from Dushiel with its sharp point.

  Eventually, Silver Breeze turned around and lowered his sword releasing the grasp of the sword on the pendant. Next, Dushiell promptly undid his new necklace and handed it over to Silver Breeze who was restraining astonishment in facets of restfulness. If Dushiel was not mistaken, he saw the stranger’s eyes were momentarily teary despite overall indifference. The bivalve shell on Silver Breeze’s palm shell glowed conveying a familiar feeling to Silver Breeze to thaw volumes of inner snow which had been piled up ever since the day he lost Skylark.“Where did you get this from?” he inquired and hence, Dushiel narrated the tale of wounded messenger, the swallow and his connection to it in brief.

 The night fell leaving two men in the deep forest and Dushiel’s feet were killing him.

“Ahem! Would you mind showing me a place to lie down tonight?  Ugh! My legs are numb right now” Dushiel nagged due to fatigue.

 Silver Breeze folded his fingers gripping the pendant tightly and glanced at the fellow in front him. Sure, the choppy dark mocha haired chap in dull fern green attire had done a great deed by delivering him the best gift Silver Breeze ever had for ages.  Then, it implied that he should not neglect this guy, even though Silver Breeze did not welcome, especially strangers.

 “My place” Silver Breeze said curtly and strode forward. Dushiel nodded agreeing. Actually, whatever the place was he just needed to rest as soon as possible. He followed Silver Breeze to a yellow hay roofed secluded hut. Despite its humble appearance, as soon as Silver Breeze lit an oil lamp after entering Dushiel observed the clean cozy interior look through flickering light. A rug at the threshold, well-arrayed shelves with herbs, bottled food and dishware, a chair, a stool with parchment scrolls and books in order and in the corner next to a large trunk box there was a single bed. Dushiel could guarantee that room was twice as neat as his own, but it was not a marvel after one wondered the manner of how exquisitely Silver Breeze must have had tugged the edging of his headband for it to not to pop out behind the high ponytail.

 “You are the guest. Take that bed” Suddenly, Dushiel heard Silver Breeze’s voice behind. By then he saw Silver Breeze had taken off his white cloak revealing red dark sleeved tunic embellished with glimmering embroidery on arms and a wide belt in white. Whether the headband of Silver Breeze with distinctive symbol was considered or not, Dushiel felt Silver Breeze was a far cry from someone had inexpensive taste. Moreover, he assumed whoever he and his brother were, they must be from an affluent family, but he what he could not fathom was the exact reason for Silver Breeze’s recluse lifestyle.

“No, just give me a blanket. If get to lie down with a roof over my head, I’ll be more than glad. Besides, you don’t look like someone who used to sleep on the floor” Dushiel smiled.

 Silver Breeze remained silent and   kneeled in front of the trunk box. Opening it, he picked up a fresh blanket plus a pillow and stood up. Soon, Dushiel was received a blanket and a pillow. Silver Breeze never had any discomfort from having a guest before as Dushiel was precisely the only person who had ever visited him. His mind was still seeking answers and not yet fully convinced to trust a stranger without reasoning. However, now since he had invited the messenger with the exciting pendant, he could keep eye on the stranger and uncover this mystery of the shell by himself.

  Silver Breeze saved words to be spoken to the charmed pendant and served a wheat bread, tender cheese and veggie dinner to both him and the his guest.  While munching moist costly bread, Dushiel recalled how he would only have coarse barely bread at home, and it further inferred Silver Breeze’s well-fixedness. After the meal Silver Breeze waited until the stranger dozed off and walked out leaving the door ajar. In the moonlit night, he stood with the spellbound shell on one hand and slid the other into a hidden pocket in his tunic to yank out an item inside. Within a blink Silver Breeze was holding an oval token with an Amaryllis which was his family symbol imprinted on it.

   He drew the token towards to the shell and flower print on token shimmered emitting a white light to illustrate that energy of the pendant was from a bearer the verified legacy.  “Skylark” when a tear of contentment streamed from an eye, Silver Breeze murmured.

“Brother, I knew you were taking time to talk to me alone” the voice from the shell whispered as a response.

“How….no…where are you? “ Instantly, Silver Breeze brought the pendant close to his heart as he spoke.

“I was hurt badly, wasn’t I?” the voice questioned itself. “But I woke up somehow in a cave unhurt apart from my powers are weakened.  I’m unable to move or smash the boulder that obstructs the entrance with what I have now”

How could Silver Breeze confess it was not just “hurt badly” but Skylark literally died?  He could not discern what or who formed this miracle beyond masterful healers at Moon Covert, but what he knew was the family token would not react to an imposter, if this was not Skylark himself.

“Skylark, how do you survive there?”

“This cave has groundwater” Skylark said “I tamed some swallows here and they fly in and out through a crevice that I’m incapable of reaching. Swallows fetched me food and it also through one of them I tried to get to you first”

“You saw me through minds of birds?”

“Certainly, I sent them to catch a sight of you. When I was viewing swallows memory, one of them had returned with the good news of seeing you at Erling and then all I longed was to talk to you”

“Brother, could you recognize the surrounding? I will come to you” Silver Breeze immediately volunteered.

“No, I shan’t be a trustworthy guide with my diminishing telepathy and unstable memory viewing” judging his state, Skylark refused to be delusional as well as misleading. “ It’s only when someone is close to the shell that I sense their energy and I couldn’t collect a steady view from swallows except visions of Night-veil Bridge and Wolf Pillar in West .”

Night-veil Bridge and Wolf Pillar were indeed sounded poignant as from young Arluns to adults knew many heart sickening tales haunted behind those names from hostile territory, but it held back Silver Breeze. “I’ll be on my way at tomorrow’s daybreak” he assured. 

“Silver Breeze, no…” for the second time Skyalrk was against his brother’s will. “ Never take this road alone. I recommend you to have true insight to this journey before you step into the realms of enemy. For that you need to return to where we used to dwell and your best comrade, Medreth is still living”

“Moon Covert!” Silver Breeze’s purple tinted blue eyes widened.