Kalen laid by a stream, arms under his head and one leg crossed over the other, admiring the starlit sky. Dynamic patterns of brilliant lights danced underneath it, like a moving curtain.
'It's called aurora borealis.' Sarah said.
'Simply mesmerizing.' Kalen replied, wishing he could one day show the fascinating phenomenon to Shiori.
'It's common here in Novarus because of the geomagnetic storms.' Sarah explained.
Hues of blue, red and violet crossed the horizon. But green was even more prevalent. Twisting and expanding like a river constantly flowing beyond.
The World changed a lot after the Reclamation, Kalen had read. The atmosphere of the planet was different, and as a result many phenomena forced humans to adapt to new life conditions. One book he had read mentioned humanity used to rely heavily on electrical power in order to generate energy, which in turn allowed the invention of several devices that molded societies' way of living.
That was no longer possible because the planet's magnetic field was constantly disrupted by many phenomena, geomagnetic storms being just one of them. To rely on electricity as the main power source meant accepting one could go completely out of energy at any given time, and obviously, that was less than ideal.
To remedy the problem, new mechanisms were invented, making sure another power source could provide support whenever a disruption in the magnetic field occurred. Unfortunately, two other problems were considerably harder to be solved. Communication and navigation.
Even though there was still technology available to accomplish those tasks in some way, it couldn't match what was once available in the past. Kalen remembered also reading that in the years of the second calendar, people were able to communicate between themselves instantly, regardless of the distance. Apparently all they needed was a device and what was then called 'internet'. He certainly wished he had access to something like that.
'Thinking about your family?' Sarah asked.
Kalen nodded. 'I don't remember ever being away from them for so long.'
'I know how you feel.' Sarah said. Her voice so low, Kalen almost didn't hear it.
'I miss them, and I miss Shiori.' He said quietly. 'Honestly, if I didn't have you to talk with, I don't know how I would be dealing with this loneliness.'
'You're tougher than you give yourself credit for.' Sarah said. 'But I understand what you mean. We have covered a long area inside the forest domain in this last week, soon we should be reaching the closest town.'
'Any chance I'll be able to contact my family there?'
'I don't think so.' Sarah replied. 'I can't imagine you'll be able to use any signal gateway to Athrea here in the south. Even when we get to the capital of the continent, you'll still need to find a specialist willing to help with that. The Emperor tries to have tight control over information crossing the continents.'
Kalen sighed, no longer able to enjoy the beautiful show of lights in the sky as much. He turned his body and laid sideways, closing his eyes. He imagined Shiori was there, beside him, like they had spent many nights in the sandy beaches of Iroyama.
He could still make out every detail of her face in his mind. Her unique smile, the way she blushed when he teased her, the look of excitement when she talked about something she loved, and all the other expressions she would make. But Kalen was beginning to fear he might start to forget them. One week would turn into two, then a month, and after that... How long until he could finally be with her again?
Suddenly, he felt his decision to help Sarah might have been a hasty one. Perhaps instead, he should focus on finding a way to return home as fast as possible. How could he so arrogantly declare he would stop the man that almost killed him? That man had been able to defeat Sarah. And if her suspicions were right, that meant the Emperor of Athrea was behind it all. What was he getting himself into?
Since the day he left the cave they had been discussing anima wielding almost nonstop. Whenever they did stop, was only so Kalen could practice and meditate in search of new insights. Still, he wondered if he would ever be as powerful as Sarah had been. If he was worthy of carrying Gaea's will.
A descendant of a god long missing. That was all he had discovered about his origins so far. He had lived his entire life oblivious to the incredible possibilities wielding anima offered, but in his core he knew he did not care. Kalen would gladly forfeit any life as a descendant if it meant he needed to sacrifice the peaceful future he wished beside Shiori and his family.
"Dammit!" Kalen cursed, punching the ground. I went through this in my head already! He thought. I can't go back and risk drawing whoever is hunting me near them.
'I am sorry.' Sarah said softly, making him aware of his sudden outburst.
'Are my thoughts leaking to you again?'
'They aren't.' Sarah replied. 'But I don't need to be a genius to know you'd feel frustrated by your current situation at some point.'
He let his back fall on the ground again, his arms spread to each side. 'My mind is a mess right now.'
Sarah chuckled. 'Finally! That proves you're still human. I was beginning to think you were some kind of second calendar robot driven only by logic.'
Kalen rolled his eyes. 'I am glad I was able to disprove that idea. And also amuse you while at it.'
'I may have joked, but I meant it, Kal.' Sarah said. 'I won't deny I am fascinated by the way you often rationalize everything you discover, but I'd start to feel scared if there wasn't a single trace of doubt in your mind. Humans need it to grow. Otherwise we would be simple and emotionless beings.'
Kalen remained quiet for a moment, feeling strangely pleased and annoyed with himself at the same time. 'I like it better when I am the one teaching you life lessons.' He finally said.
Sarah chuckled. 'You do realize I am older than you, right?'
Kalen had a teasing comeback ready for Sarah but before he could say it, Gaea reached out in his mind.
'Something is off.' He said, bringing his body up in a quick movement and enhancing his hearing.
'What did you sense?' Sarah asked.
Kalen focused, letting his connection to Gaea guide him in the direction of the muffled sounds he heard. 'Three anima signatures not far from here. One of them is closer, the other two following behind. I'll open our link so you can feel it too.'
'Doesn't look like they're after you.' Sarah said. 'The signatures are moving parallel to us.'
He had noticed that fact too, and it made him feel at ease, but Gaea's warning in his mind remained. It seemed he needed to pay attention to the movement of these three people for some reason.
Letting one knee touch the ground, Kalen placed one of his hands over the dirt, trying to sense the patterns in the newcomers' steps. Recon insights were new to him, and even having practiced them all week, he still needed a lot of concentration to properly gauge his targets.
The person closest to him was moving very erratically, as if searching for a path. The two behind would move in a slower pace, but always adjusting their trajectory to keep following the first one.
'Rogue hunters.' Sarah said.
'And their prey is having a hard time trying to hide.' Kalen added.
'What do you want to do?' She asked. 'You should be able to mask your presence with what you already know.'
Kalen paused, considering his options. Keeping himself hidden would be the smartest choice, no doubt. But that meant ignoring Gaea. He also didn't like the idea of possibly denying help to someone in need of it.
'I'll get closer, then assess the situation.' He said.
'Alright, be careful.'
Moving through the tree branches — almost in simian fashion — with his vision enhanced, Kalen didn't take long to find the person being chased.
She seemed young, or maybe about Kalen's age. Her long blonde hair was messy and her clothes dirtied. It was clear she had been running from her pursuers for a while.
The girl stopped behind a tree, dropping over her knees and panting heavily. She is at her limit, Kalen thought.
'They'll find her.' Sarah said.
Kalen nodded, revisiting his options. It proved a waste of time though since he already knew which one he would choose from the very beginning. 'I'll have to do something.'
'I knew I was right about you.' Sarah said proudly.
'Well, that will depend on me being successful.'
'I'll assist you.' Sarah said. 'We need to hide the girl first. See that other tree to her left?'
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