Miles away from the Bountiful Sands was the Gapwood, the nearest location where the blistering heat and winds subsided, and were replaced with a soft and gentle breeze from the tall trees of the forest. The Rot's influence hadn't reached the Gapwood as much as the other forests, now that the Bountiful Sands begun clearing out the Rot from the outskirts in their numerous training and military camps.
The traveler, who took point ahead of Ardine, remained quiet the moment they entered the grassy section of the Gapwood. Lyn followed a further distance away from Ardine from behind, speaking to Alfaic in secret. Gnats and flies whizzed overhead as sparrows began to chirp in response to their families gathering together. The basking scent of the fresh dew, mixed with the clear spring water running through several rapids entered their noses, clearing the dust and debris from the sandy wasteland.
"Blade," Lyn begun, staring in front of her while keeping her distance from the traveler. "Why are you doing this? How long do you want to me to keep this up?" She asked.
"I don't know," Alfaic said. Lyn was the only one who could hear his echoing voice, as he spoke directly into her ears. "I don't want to ruin this for Ardine. I can't imagine the traveler's reaction to seeing me. I don't think it would be as friendly as Cethe, or Damian."
"Ardine seems bothered." Lyn said.
"Because he is," Alfaic continued. "I haven't seen him so serious before. He's always been the bubbly, charming type, don't you think?"
"I do not know what that means." Lyn said.
"Bubbly? Charming? Like me, wouldn't you say? Someone's who's a talker, really well versed in language?" After Lyn failed to react to his own compliment, he continued to speak regularly. "He seems like that kind of person, at least those are the stories I've heard from the ones back at the Bountiful Sands."
"That doesn't help," Lyn said. "Perhaps you could give me an example?"
"Oh, sure," Alfaic said. "Uhh... okay, here. Watch this."
Silence came to the two.
"Hey, Lyn. They say that the tongue is the strongest muscle, according to science, of course," Alfaic's voice nearly cracked on his stringing of words. "So, do you wanna wrestle?!"
Lyn chuckled briefly before instantaneously switching to a calm and emotionless expression when Ardine turned around, reminding her of Alfaic's existence. "I have... no idea what that means." She said, almost letting her laughter out.
"Hey, you're laughing!" Alfaic mentioned. "It worked after all, see? That's what you call charming and bubbly. Wouldn't you agree?"
"I guess so, I can see it," Lyn admitted for Ardine. "I will admit, the dill pickle joke was worse."
"How do you still remember that?!" Alfaic shouted.
The traveler paused in her tracks as a yellow-spotted butterfly fluttered past her head, landing her nose. Ardine stopped behind her, placing his hands on his hips as a flock of birds flew overhead, nestling by the branches of the tall trees. He approached the traveler.
"Something troubling you?" Ardine asked.
The traveler extended her right foot out until it was shoulder-blade distance apart. Ardine stepped back suddenly, as Lyn and Alfaic ceased their conversation to watch what was unfolding.
Her light leather boots drifted against the rustling leaves, crinkling the dried bundles of orange and lemon colored leaf litter. Her brown ponytail swayed from side to side, delicately resting upon her shoulders as her light strands of hair on her forehead remained by her side. With one slow movement, the traveler slid her left leg back and performed a graceful waltz across a small imaginary circle. The flowing fabric below her waist from her leather attire brushed against her back thigh as the forest wind brushed against her cheeks.
As she closed her eyes, she imagined herself in the center of the woods where four trees would intersect, and she took center stage among the calming silence. She utilized her footwork and spun gracefully in the air before landing perfectly shoulder-width apart, spinning elegantly with each second passing. In her imagination, she opened her eyes and found five unknown figures around her watching her, both admiring her beauty and commitment to perform in front of them.
The illusions were ghostly, yet vibrant. One of them was a young black-haired boy who crossed his arms at the sight of the traveler's dance, and another was of similar stature, but with brown hair and brown eyes. The ghostly illusion of a middle aged man with a beard also stayed by their side, smiling and chuckling at the traveler. Two individuals, holding hands, which were genderless and almost impossible to make out their facial features, also watched.
As the traveler spun her final waltz, she extended her arms out until she ceased, cupping her right hand out to point in front of the final figure, a sixth figure whom only appeared near the end. The dark green trees now shifted into bright autumn leaves, falling as the breeze tickled her freckled face. The figure was a muscular and fit girl with a short black bob, blushing fervently at the sight of the traveler's finale. When the traveler finished her final dance, she extended her hand further to reach the ghostly apparition of the girl, until she vanished upon touching her face.
The other ghostly figures vanished as well, returning her back to reality.
Lyn, Alfaic, and Ardine had been watching her dance the entire time, utterly speechless over the enchanting routine she had performed. The traveler reverted back to her normal stature, swiping the green leaves off of her shoulders before moving along the path again, ignoring the others who had been watching.
"Wait," Ardine called, crossing his arms. "Would you like to explain?"
The traveler turned her head back, meeting her gaze with Ardine's. Only this time, there was something strangely peculiar about her stare; it was no longer of confidence, but of pureblooded young innocence. The traveler's eyes shimmered as light hints of tears under her eyelids began to manifest, to which Ardine noticed upon immediate contact. However, despite the quivering eyes, the girl turned back, hiding herself once more as she led point on the path again.
"No." She coldly said.
As the traveler took point once again, Ardine stepped back to converse with Lyn and Alfaic. They made their way through a set of broken trees, destroyed by what seemed to be a lightning bolt, with its sharp cracks and flame torching the surrounding area.
"She's an interesting fellow," Ardine commented. "Though I'm not completely used to women her age, most people wouldn't up and dance in the middle of a forest."
"Having doubts with her guidance?" Alfaic's voice rang through Lyn's combat suit.
"I certainly hope I don't." Ardine replied. "Lyn?"
Lyn's eyebrows curved downward for the first time in a long while. "The dance... seems familiar," She said. "It was… certainly unique."
"You've seen it before?"
"No," Lyn denied. "At least, I do not think I did. But I could sense doubt, and guilt with her dance. She was dancing freely, but her face had read otherwise. There was pain within her closed eyes."
Ardine nodded. "Huh, is that so?" He said, staring at the back of the traveler's head before scratching his. "I could have never figured that out myself. You're always full of surprises, aren't you?"
"Hey, where did she go?" Alfaic asked aloud, so both Lyn and Ardine could hear. The two of them turned around to where the traveler was last seen, and she was not present.
"Shit," Ardine voiced, rushing to the center of the dead trees piling in front of him. Lyn ran with him, and found nothing but the sound of the small animals twittering and fluttering around them. They rotated around multiple times, but to no avail, could not find her. "Traveler!" He shouted for her false name.
They sprinted several feet further until they found a massive pine tree, skyrocketing above a hundred feet from the ground. It was blessed with the light surfacing below a pile of branches and pine cones below. Ardine slowly made his way around the pine tree searching for the traveler until the thwack of a snapping branch collapsed nearby his feet, making him look up against the sun's radiant shine.
"You're all disturbingly dense." The traveler's voice echoed from above the pine tree. She sat on a large stable branch with both of her short legs dangling, looking at the two clueless individuals beneath her.
"Sightseeing, are we?" Ardine asked.
The traveler giggled. "I've always wanted to climb this tree," She said, admiring the tops of the smaller trees and how they stretch beyond the sky's limitation. Her white eyes were so reflective from the sun. "I never could when I was a child."
"You still are one. Now get down here. You made a promise."
"I didn't say I had to take you today," The traveler corrected. "Don't be stubborn, old man. Why don't you and your friend come up here instead?"
"My God..." Ardine muttered to himself, covering his forehead with his palm in utter disbelief of the tiring complexity of the traveler. Yet he did not except Lyn to accept her suggestion, rendering him utterly speechless when Lyn darted up the pine tree at supersonic speed to join the traveler. She dangled her hand off of a nearby branch and pulled herself up, wobbling the branch the traveler stood on.
Lyn and the traveler's eyes both twinkled as they scanned through the broad scenery. It was rare that such a beauty could be marveled, for the lands plagued with Rot only brought nothing but death and disease. After looking down upon the traveler's face, Lyn sat shoulder to shoulder with her on the sturdy branch.
"Seems we haven't acquainted with one another yet," The traveler began, continuing to stare down at the beautiful sights. "Your eyes show a sign of mystery. It's almost impossible to read your mind."
Lyn looked at her freckled cheek, trailing up to her white eyes. "Yours too." She said before looking back at the peaks where the trees converged.
"Everyone's eyes show a sign of mystery, these days," The traveler continued. "The nations across the world are all mixed together now. No one knows who they are or where they come from. Which could be a surprise to many, if people delight in mystery," She turned to Lyn. "Your eyes are still impossible. Sorry, you're..."
"I'm Lyn." She introduced.
"Lyn," The traveler repeated. "That's a beautiful name. In ancient times, that name meant 'lake,' or 'pool.' Considering how the history of those could be mysteries, it fits you well."
"And yours?" Lyn asked.
The traveler shook her head. "I don't think much of my name," She confessed. "I'm ashamed to say it. It... doesn't mean anything much, now that I think about it."
"Your dance confessed that much," Lyn said, cupping her hands together. "Was it a dance of shame, or a dance of peace?"
The traveler's eyes trailed to the side, glistening as Lyn could see some resemblance of light tears trickling within. But her cheeks blocked her view, purposefully. "Neither. It was a dance of nothing." She said.
"I know that's not true." Lyn replied.
The two of them remained silent for a while, listening to the winds brushing against the trees and the twittering of the birds. It seemed that their conversation about the dance had dropped, leaving the traveler to reignite their talk.
"Why did you come?" The traveler asked. "That man wanted to string you along. Is there a reason why?"
Lyn thought it through. "I want to protect the people," She said, planting her palms on her thighs. "They deserve a brighter future."
"I never wanted protection," The traveler said. "But a noble answer, regardless."
"There was a child, a while ago. He carved picture on a cave wall that resembled a beach and some waves, splashing against the shore. He felt lonely, so he carved his parents. He felt empty, so he carved some trees and a sun that could shine down upon them. And he did so, wanting a better a future, free from the chaos that spreads this world."
The traveler pursed her lips and slowed down her breathing. Something about Lyn's short speech struck something within her; it was difficult for her quivering eyes to hide it.
"These people... deserve it," Lyn continued. "All they want is to live. So, to answer your question, I'm here to protect everyone, and those who would make life harder for this future... must go."
Silence came between them again.
"You say that as if it's easy," The traveler pieced together with what little voice she had. "In this time, it's hard for me, or anyone to accept that."
"But it is what we must do," Lyn said. "That is the mission."
No...
A voice rang in Lyn's head.
"Blade?" Lyn spoke out.
"Huh?"
The traveler's eyes widened as soon as she heard another voice echoing around her.
"You spoke."
"I didn't-"
The traveler jerked back. "Who's there!?" She yelled.
"LYN!" Ardine's voice interrupted the three of them from below. She turned and found him surrounded by three of the Rot. They were humanoid tall lamprey teethed aberrants that hunched over with a desire to eat, with the same visible parasites exiting out of their holed mouths.
"Allow me," The traveler's sharp voice rang beside Lyn as she stood up on the tree branch. She unsheathed her metal blade, which turned out to fold two-ways for easy transportation from her sheath. "We fight." She uttered before letting herself off balance, slumping forward off of the tree.
The traveler somersaulted once before landing on a lower section of the tree's thick branch, launching herself off of it and propelling herself forward toward the Rot. Ardine withdrew a small dagger instead of his firearm propped behind his back to ensure that the noise of the firearm would not bring more to their spot.
Yet before one of the Rot could strike with their lamprey parasite, the traveler soared through the skies and pierced through the back head of one of them, severing the connection of the parasite to the body and killing it immediately. Ardine dashed backward and kept enough space for the traveler, leaving her to delight in the battle.
She kicked off the Rot from her blade and dodged gracefully a horizontal swipe by spinning through the air. She rained down her sword with the amount of force from her spin, slicing the mouth of the lamprey Rot in half.
"Blade!" Lyn shouted.
"Right!" Alfaic replied, summoning himself onto Lyn's firm grip. Alfaic thrusted and propelled Lyn into the air from the high distance as she held on, leaving herself directly above the final Rot. She then brought Alfaic down upon the Rot, slamming down upon it with a piercing stab to finish the job. Lyn pulled Alfaic out and swiped him to the side, ridding the acidic blood from his system.
The traveler's eyes widened in confusion over Alfaic's sudden appearance. "You can fight as well," She said. "Where did you get that sword?"
"Who, me?" Alfaic's voice rang out loud and clear.
"AHH!" The traveler squealed, dropping her folding sword on the leaves below and tripping on a large bushel of twigs. She collapsed on her elbows as her mouth widened in utter awe. "Wha- wha- uh, it... talks?!" She exclaimed.
Ardine sighed as he approached Lyn from behind, smiling at the traveler's change of expression. Lyn released Alfaic from her grip, ascending to the skies above the two and hovering.
The traveler caught glimpse of how calm Ardine was. "You... you knew? You knew this whole time?" She asked.
"Yep." Ardine said.
"A talking, flying sword," The traveler continued, gazing upon Alfaic's golden and white colors beaming from the sun. "I'm not dreaming, am I? Why wouldn't you tell me about this?" She asked both Lyn and Alfaic.
"You kept secrets from us, so naturally, we kept some ourselves." Alfaic stated.
Ardine nodded. "Couldn't have said it better."
The traveler watched as Alfaic hovered down to Lyn's armor, vanishing from existence completely. Lyn approached the traveler and extended her left hand out to pick her up from the ground. The traveler, still fazed by the existence of Alfaic, quickly gathered her senses and extended her right hand, pulling herself up from the grass.
"This is... certainly..." The traveler's voice trailed off as she took point again.
Ardine smirked at Lyn, who nodded back at him in understanding. "No time to lose," He said. "Onto the droids, then."