Chapter Nine: Sparks On The Cliff
Estelle
"Where are we really headed? We've been walking for minutes now," I complained but still followed this man in front of me. As if I have a choice.
Wait... I do have a choice!
I can just sneak away and enjoy the festival on my own and since he was in front of me, I'm sure that he'll only notice that I'm gone at a later time.
I held the lower part of my dress carefully and was about to step back so that I could run away when suddenly he turned to me and reached out his hand.
"The path here is steep, hold my hand."
"Then we shouldn't have come here," I mumbled to myself.
Truth be told, I was expecting that we would check each booth in that place earlier that they called 'Central'. I was already amazed by the dancers and the band, the colorful lights, the banners, and especially the sword fight.
I just realized that sword fight is really a thing here!
I thought Adela was just joking when she said that swords are very common here one time I asked her why a lot of the men who went to our inn were carrying a weapon.
But then... here I am!
Being taken somewhere by Azval instead of enjoying the festival in the Central. I still haven't eaten some delicacies there.
I want to smack this thing in front of me now.
"Are you uttering something?"
"N-No... did I?" I said avoiding his gaze but reaching out his hand.
This man is not joking when he says that the path is steep. I almost stumbled countless times and just imagined how many times he was suppressing his laugh so that both of us could reach the top without any accidents as he guided me.
"Look," he said as he was already standing at a plain soil. When I already walked beside him, I almost dropped my jaw in awe.
The view is so unbelievable!
"That's the Central," he continued and pointed out a particular place full of lights.
I don't know if we're just really at somewhere high right now but that place is sparkling. I can only see the lights and can't see a person walking around.
When I decided to roam my eyes to the scenery in front, a small gush of the wind welcomed me and made my hair dance with it.
I gently hold my hair as I still gaze in front. This is just a world that I hop into when I am asleep after taking the pill.
A world that is from my imagination— that is one of the many possible things that I think about whenever I wake up in my own world to explain this. But as I am standing now in front of this landscape, the mountains, the highlands, even the bodies of water that are visible in this view. This is a sight beyond my imagination. I may be here only after sleeping but this, I am sure...
I am not dreaming!
"A parallel universe!" I unconsciously exclaimed but covered my mouth after I realized it.
"Pardon?"
"N-Nevermind me. Sometimes I would just say things that come into my mind first," I said as I stepped away back from him.
"Miss Estelle, wait! Don't move."
"Then don't walk towards my direction. You're startling me— AAAHH!"
"What part of what I said did you not understand?!" he screamed as he frantically reached out to my hand and grabbed me towards his chest.
"You almost fell!"
With how close our bodies are right now, I can feel the movement of his chest breathing up and down and I can hear his heart beating. I can see the worry in his eyes when those met mine.
"S-Sorry," I whispered. He let out a deep sigh as he released me from that hug. He later put his hand on my head and slightly twisted it so I could see what was in front of me. My eyes widened.
I almost fell off the cliff!
I also gulped when I peeked and saw how high it was. I could've gotten my head detached from my body.
Without saying a word, Azval dragged me to the other side wherein there the cliff was a lot more inches away though the scenery was still visible and when I looked around, I saw a lot of trees behind us.
Oh, it's a forest and I think this is its end.
"Just enjoy the scenery from right here. I'll be back," he said and immediately ran inside the forest. I dropped my shoulders in awe.
Did he just leave me here? Alone? With no explanation why?
"Oh yeah, he did," I said to myself to confirm and sat on the ground. The soil was cold but I didn't mind it.
Come to think of it, this is also the first time I can sit on the soil since I grew up in the City. You can rarely touch any soil there, let alone sit on them. It was all cemented.
With that opportunity to connect with nature, I lay on the soil.
Hah, this is so great and comforting.
"So there are stars and a moon here too, huh?" I mumbled to myself as I stared at the sky, "There's a lot of them."
While waiting for Azval to come back, I closed my eyes and hummed some of my favorite songs.
Ah, that reminded me of Sophie.
She would always sing along with me but nag me if she didn't know the song that I was singing. I won't see her for about 20 days... I wonder what face would she make if I came back and told her about all this unbelievable stuff happening to me right now.
I let out a small smile. Ah, let's not do that.
Knowing her she'll probably accompany me to her mother's office and would let her check on me as she is a Psychiatrist.
"What's taking him so long?" I said and got up.
Suddenly, I felt a tiny bump in my pocket. I decided to pick up that tiny thing that was inside. It's the bottle that the elf seller gave me.
I wonder how this one works...
I opened the jar and suddenly a lot of sparks went out from it which took me by surprise. With that, I let out a short scream and unintentionally threw the jar and it rolled just a few inches away from the cliff.
"What happened?!"
I heard Azval's voice and footsteps from the forest which was approaching where I was standing right now.
Later on, I just felt him standing just close to me. Both of us were too stunned to speak. In front of us, just almost 10 feet above if I'm not mistaken, are three different colored sparks putting on a show. Those sparks are dancing as the colors take turns to light up.
"Fireworks," I said as my eyes sparkled as I was watching it.
It's like a mini form of Fireworks to be exact and since I know that magic exists here, I think that this one is made from magic. It is impossible to start a Firework in a small jar, after all, scientifically speaking.
Still, this small replica is very impressive.
"Fireworks? What's that? Oh, is that what you call that thing?" he uttered in excitement while both of us were watching them.
Later on, I felt his hand on my left cheek. Stunned, I wasn't able to react.
"Why are you weeping, Miss Estelle?"
I immediately turned my face around him and wiped off the tears that continued to flow down my cheeks.
"Oh! Did you perhaps open the jar and blind your eyes? Someone used to give me those kinds of jars when I was little and she told me to break the jar away from you to see the sparks!" he worriedly asked as he kept on peeking to my face.
He kept on talking but I wasn't able to understand his words since I was focused on stopping the tears that won't stop.
Ah, is that so?
Maybe that is one of the reasons but I think another reason is that I was reminded of my most precious childhood memory.
That is when my parents would take me to the park so we could see the fireworks together at an event I barely even remember what it was called. That was the happiest time of my life and when I think back from today, it was also the saddest.
That was the first and the last.
We weren't able to bond like that anymore.
"Pardon my rudeness, Miss."
Azval forcibly grabbed my face in front of him using both of his kinds placed on different sides of my cheeks. He slowly brought his face closer which made me close both of my eyes in panic. I could feel his breathing on my face and the next thing that he did made my body freeze.
He gently kissed my left eyelid and I felt him wipe my tears on both of my cheeks.
When I opened my eyes, I saw him staring at mine intently.
I've never seen his eyes this close. I can keep staring at his eyes forever. As if it was pulling me to a vast ocean.
"Y-You've stopped. My apologies again, Miss Estelle. It's just that I can't stand it when you're painfully weeping in front of this young man."
He took a few steps back and scratched his nape.
"My mother used to do that to me when I was a child to stop me from crying and give me comfort. I guess it worked for you, too."
I didn't reply. I just kept staring at him which made the atmosphere between us a little bit awkward.
I'm still processing!
"What the hell..." I mumbled which made the man in front of me widen his eyes.
"Miss Estelle? What the hell? What's that? Are you cursing me right now? Is that another way to say 'May the devil take you'? or 'Damn your soul'?"
I instantly put my two palms on my lips.
"I didn't mean to curse you. I was just shocked!" In my defense.
"So it really is a curse word! What the hell? What the hell? What the hell! Might as well use that to some nobles at the banquet—" He wasn't able to finish what's he saying when he suddenly made an unexplainable face in front of me. "Excuse me, Miss Estelle."
Once again, he left me and ran to the forest.
Nobles? Banquet? Did I hear him right?
I brushed off that thought first and followed him. The mini fireworks from the jar already ended and I wasn't able to fully enjoy it so I might as well know what his business was in that forest and why he kept on entering it and leaving me behind.
"Seriously?" I exhaled. I saw him leaning on a tree, hugging himself and shaking. He looks so pale and his face looks like he's about to puke. "Are you alright?"
"W-Why did you come after me?" I looked at him wearing a poker face. I didn't answer him and just stared at him while he was still gesturing for me to go away.
When he realized that he couldn't, he sat on the ground like he was surrendering. He lifted his head yet when our gazes met, he avoided mine.
"I am afeared of the depths! That is why the cliff is making me uneasy. It scares my soul and troubles my spirit," he said as he hugged himself again and gritted his teeth. I almost burst out laughing.
This man is scared of heights!
"T-Then, why did you bring me here?" I asked holding out my laugh and started to pat his head to provide him comfort. He's like a shivering puppy on the streets.
"To show you the scenery," he said in such a low voice yet it reached my ear and it made me stop patting his head. I started walking away.
"I already saw it. Let's go back?" I said without turning my back on him. I just placed my right palm on my left chest and gently massaged it. I can also feel my body burning up.
What's this feeling?
I hurriedly walked down. It was also quite easy because the path was steep earlier and I was already going downwards. My heart was beating so fast, some sweat also built up on my forehead, and the feeling I couldn't explain suddenly just piled up in my mind. With that, I wasn't able to make sure that Azval was still following behind me.
That was my mistake.
When I turned around, I didn't see him following me. I realized that this was not the path that we had taken earlier. Instead of going out of the forest, I think I might have entered it.
"Haha, don't panic," I said to myself for comfort.
I just stayed in the same place for a while and just hoped that Azval would appear somewhere.
I really am inside the forest now, aren't I?
A lot of big tall trees are surrounding me right now and the wind that was being blown is kind of chilly. Not to mention that I can smell nature, soil.
"Azval..." I mumbled his name as I started to shake my right leg due to uneasiness.
Seconds later, I heard some rustling of the leaves from my back. With that, I happily turned around. It might be Azval.
"What took you so long—"
My eyes widened when I saw the person in front of me right now. It wasn't Azval. He glared at me while walking in my direction. It made me take several steps back also.
A chilling voice from him ranged to my ear.
"It's already almost dawn. Why are you still here? You're not supposed to be here."
The silence engulfed both of us and only the birds in this forest, the rustling of the leaves created by the wind and the sound of the river nearby were relieving me that I am still not deaf and I am still alive. The man in front of me is still standing with an ominous aura even though a small portion of his face was already stricken by the sunlight.
"You put both yourself and Amalia in danger. Follow me," he said and turned his back to me. He started walking yet I was still fixed on where I stand.
Danger? What kind of danger is he talking about?
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