When the sun lit the bedroom window, Elisa's eyelids opened slowly, tired yet with relaxed muscles. Turning her head to the side, she saw Shaphira lying on her chest, purring and holding her sister in her arms.
Elisa's fingers wandered through her hair, stroking the dark strands. The tail of the Pillar of Unification swayed in appreciation, although it did not wake her.
Sitting up on the humble bed, Elisa observed other Indigenous people sleeping together in a way that was not vulgar, but beautiful, almost like an extended family.
Separating from Shaphira for a moment, she sat up and rubbed her eyes, looking for something to tie her hair with. She found a small cloth, held the strands at her nape and wrapped them under the fabric to form a ponytail.
Leaving the hut and supporting herself on the walls, she spotted Loren de Vargas sitting on a rock with her feet in the same stream where Elisa had bathed. Loren hummed with a soft and steady voice, like a dawn call for an entire nation.
When she saw Elisa approach and sit beside her, she offered a greeting smile. She asked if Elisa wished to bathe in the morning to wake up better. Elisa replied in a calm and slightly hoarse voice that no, she only wanted to rest her mind after recent events.
The Indigenous woman nodded gently and invited her to lie on her lap. Elisa refused, but Loren's gentle hand on her nape, so delicate it nearly shut down her senses, gave her no choice and she ended up resting her head on the woman's legs.
Loren's fingers caressed her cheeks with near medicinal care. Her voice continued humming an ancient melody that made Elisa's mind vibrate with pleasure.
Trying to return to what mattered, Elisa demanded her clothes back. She needed to go to Rykenzon, fulfill the mission and find Slady. Loren asked her not to hurry, since she recognized the mental burden Elisa carried.
Elisa wanted to deny it, to say she was fine and would complete her duty without faltering. She knew, however, that this confidence was a façade.
With doubt on the tip of her tongue, she asked how she was still able to move since she remembered having her bones broken. Loren asked another question in return. Did Elisa want to hear her point of view?
Elisa nodded.
***
While she watched the population move away from the newly formed stone walls, Loren remained calm beneath a tree. People avoided the dark-robed figure approaching without expression, carrying Shaphira by the scruff of her neck and holding Elisa by the hair, dragging her.
After placing them on the ground, Loren questioned him about his presence and about why he was acting so gentle. Using the word priestess, Slady said that the ones he delivered into her care were his daughters. He saw himself as a danger to them and trusted Loren either to guide them away or to shelter them until departure.
When Loren finished her account, Elisa ran her fingers through her own hair and asked why the priestess had not expelled them from Brazilovia. Loren, still stroking her strands, said she had noticed a motivation in Elisa beyond the mission, something personal. She wanted to let Elisa continue her journey, but she did not want her to risk herself. Elisa stated, serious, that she would not get hurt. For now, she needed her equipment and had to go to Rykenzon to seek answers from Slady.
Loren helped her stand and said she would not stop her from achieving her goal. She added a question, wanting to know if Elisa would take her sister with her.
Elisa adjusted her clothing, turned to face the priestess and asked her to take good care of Shaphira. She would go alone. Loren, understanding, guided her to where her garments were kept and said she could change however she wished since no one would mind her nudity.
Elisa thanked her, relieved, but said she was used to not being seen naked and preferred going into the forest to get dressed.
Left alone, Loren kept her hands joined in front of her waist and watched the clouds with calm. She breathed deeply and murmured a request that Elisa would not get hurt on the way.
A short while later, Elisa emerged already dressed in dark, military clothes. She returned the borrowed cloth, thanked Loren and said she would depart. Loren nodded and began guiding her.
Their walk continued in silence. Their steps echoed through the village. Elisa observed the surroundings. Some still slept. Some men prepared weapons for the hunt. Women cared for their children or prepared to hunt as well. Animals rested in burrows, branches or on the path itself.
When they reached a cave, Loren suggested that they each take a torch to see in the dark. They used sturdy branches and lit them in the fires.
As they entered the shadowy space, curiosity rose in Elisa's mind.
Renkatas? In a cave?
Loren noticed her curious stare and explained that they too did not know why there were Inférius ores there, but they existed. They considered themselves lucky.
Their steps continued to echo. Insects moved away and a distant light began to appear. When they reached the end of the path...
The ocean.
Before Elisa could ask, Loren interrupted. She explained that a natural bridge appeared when the water level lowered. It happened a few times a day, so they had to wait.
Elisa crossed her arms and asked if she could not simply swim to the island visible in the distance. Loren replied seriously that besides the distance, the sea near the island was surrounded by marine Renkai Creatures.
Frustrated, Elisa nodded and sat on the edge of the cave exit. She asked Loren to leave her alone and attend to her responsibilities. The priestess obeyed and withdrew with light steps.
Alone, Elisa watched the sea in silence. Her thoughts began intensifying.
What awaited her? Would she get answers from Slady? Should she have left Shaphira behind? Was there a dangerous secret in a place so perfect? The questions echoed like a relentless drum.
When she noticed the sound of the sea diminish, she opened her eyes.
The bridge had appeared.
She jumped from the cave's edge, braced herself on her sword and began sprinting at great speed toward the island. As she approached, demonic serpents emerged in the water.
She tried to ignore them, but the situation worsened. They wrapped around her legs, leapt to bite her and fired spines. Crabs the size of two feet tried to climb her.
The more Elisa fought, the more creatures appeared. The sea rose, pulling her, and her body was invaded by the demons.
In desperation, she ran with everything she had to reach the island and free herself from them.
The creatures slipped under her clothes, nipped at her abdomen and chest, devoured the fabric.
When she finally reached the shore, Elisa began cutting everything with her blade. She tore the remaining clothing to kill the Renkai Creatures trying to invade her body.
Naked under the sunlight, she hit the sand, overtaken by rage. Her body was wounded, flesh exposed where skin was missing.
With parts of the creatures still clinging to her, Elisa found herself weak after what she had endured. When she was close to fainting, an arm wrapped around her naked body with respect, not malice.
A familiar voice sounded near her ear, promising that no danger would ever touch her again.