At the edge of the dark lake, Vicheam began swimming over, leaning into the stone edge. Once leaned in, he got a breather, internally exhausted. The impact earlier had hurt him badly, mostly his skin, like he'd been slapped by an abusive parent.
He got up the stone edge, settling down and leaning his head against the cold floor. He gazed at the orange sky, its view breathtaking. The usual contrast was from a dark cave ceiling, and this was rare.
Sighing, he asked himself.
"....Where am I now?"
He leaned up, getting a good look at his surroundings. There was a dense forest ahead of him, covered in loads of greenery and bushes. The scene behind him was even more breathtaking.
"... Whoa...".
Before saying anything else, he made sure to completely stand up, burning the memory into his brain. Behind him was a flat grass plain, accompanied by several rivers flowing down from his direction, and trees and flowers spread across the fields. In the far horizon were several mountains by each other, even further behind that again — Vicheam saw what he believed to be Rodan's next hill, barely visible by the walls of mist.
A long towering mountain piercing through the sky infinitely, and the walls forever stretching to the side like there was no end. First time in his life, He could get a full view of his goal. It was both amazing and horrifying?
This place... was an entirely new world in contrast to the previous hills.
A branch cracked near the forest, startling Vicheam, reminding him of the circumstances. He was about to unsheathe his sword when until realized his sheath was empty. The sword was gone.
"...Oh shoot!"
Instead, he got into a guard with his fists first, prepared for whatever would come at him. The approaching steps became clearer, and the bushes ahead of him began moving, creating a way. As the tension continued to thicken, Vicheam gulped.
As the black figure finally made its arrival in front of him, a shorter, older man stood there, carrying a big white beard and thick mustache. That wasn't just it, on his back was a rack of firewood and an axe dangling — he'd been chopping wood?
"Oh? A Traveler? That's rare". The old man seemed surprised, like he hadn't expected to see someone at all. The surprise shortly turned to a warm smile.
"What's a young man like you doing all the way here in the middle of nowhere?" The older gentleman chuckled; he didn't seem to be afraid of Vicheam, nor did he mention the sheath on his waist — Vicheam was obviously confused, unsure what to make of the situation.
The man's expression changed to sudden suspicion, staring down at his clothes, and finally at the sword.
"A weapon, huh... An imperial?.... No... An Imperial wouldn't go with such torn clothes, they wouldn't risk their pride". The man contemplated before taking another look at his face. "Black hair and... golden eyes? I see... so that's what you are".
The last sentence came out like he realized what Vicheam really was. Would that be dangerous for him? Vicheam had a conflict running in his head: His instincts told him to kill the man that but his morals told him something else — Hiding his appearance in this new world was a priority, so excuses to kill came up in his head fast and without a second thought.
'It could be a monster disguised as a human'
He clenched his fists harder, ready to strike him down at any moment. The older gentleman took notice of the hardened fist. His expression softened before raising his hands, displaying vulnerability.
"R-Relax, young man, I'm not here after you... I'm a native of this great forest".
The man observed Vicheam's clothes with great interest, the foreign texture and attire he'd never seen before.
"Mhm...You're a dragoneer, right? We can't wait, There are Imperial scouts in the area".
There it was again, the name 'dragoneer'. The same name that made Vicheam encounter Salt and survive until this point — He still didn't know what it was.
The man turned around, walking into the forest, gesturing for him to follow. He did, walking slightly more behind, which confirmed the older man's suspicion.
"...How did you know?"
Vicheam asked, curious. The older gentleman looked over his shoulder before waving his hands.
"You have a built body, your clothes look like they've survived hell, not only that, but I can sense something dangerous within you... Usually, the last thing is all you need to know if someone's a draganeer... A gut feeling".
As the two walked through the dense forest, Vicheam took great notice of a pair of elk looking their way. The sound of a bird singing echoed through the woods, everything... felt so peaceful. As he continued to watch the branches above, He decided to ask.
"...You don't seem to be surprised that I am one. It makes me suspicious, and I might just kill you if you're planning something". He eyed the man, unsure where he would lead him. The man seemed like an overly kind person, but something just didn't sit right, like always.
Walking towards the open area, they got out of the forest, met with a green plain overrun with hills scattered across the scene. The grass stood tall, and animals were running free without a care — A beautiful sight and surprising sight for Vicheam.
"You're not the first one I've encountered. I've met both men and women, confused, wearing foreign attire, with grave wounds and injuries that cannot be explained. They all had the same face when they first came here... A look of peace.".
After several minutes, Vicheam looked ahead of him, a village lying in ruins, overgrown with nature. In the middle was an open space in between the ruined houses, a fountain with a marbled statue of a sword on top of it.
"What happened here?"
The old man went down on his knees, clapping his hands together and seemingly praying to the sword in front of them. He was confused by the sudden move, but he didn't question it, letting the man finish. Shortly after the old man stood up again, he continued walking.
"This village once had an abundance of lovely locals, men who tended to farms for the winter, women who washed crops and sewed clothes for the next generations, carefree children playing around like there was no tomorrow... Well, you asked what happened? A dragoneer happened".
Getting out of the village, they began walking uphill to a lone cabin, which was maintained unlike the others; it must've been the man's home. Vicheam listened intently as his legs pushed forward up the hillside,
"A confused man from the edge of the world, believing we were something called the cursed ones. Nobody knew what he was talking about; we thought he was crazy, and he thought the same about us. In the end, the village was burnt and destroyed, and the ones who survived the hell migrated to another land".
Finally reaching the uphill, Vicheam took notice of the wooden cabin. To the side were several logs stacked up on each other, firewood, and animal meat drying on a rack. The older man put the rack of firewood off his back, placing it by the door frame.
"Come in... It'll be raining soon".
He looked to the sky, noticing the half sky turning a darker shade of gray. Once he settled inside, he observed the room. There was a subtle interior in the corner of the room, nothing eye-catching. In the middle was a table with two cups readily placed for them.
"You know...I hope you're not planning to kill me, bringing a dragoneer to your house when you just said your village was destroyed by someone like me...". Vicheam said, cautious and calm.
Turning to the axe he had put to the side, he grabbed the axe from the rack, lifting the sharp edge close to the man's neck. He was suspicious; he couldn't trust the man... not yet. The older gentleman huffed, raising his hands, showing even more signs of vulnerability.
"I can understand you have to be cautious, young man, but please trust me when I say I have no plans of avenging my village. It happened when I was a little boy; when you grow old, you come to learn a thing or two about the world".
"Think of it like this, I had an axe on the time we walked... If I really wanted to kill you, I would've done it there and then". He eyed the old man, huffing before letting the axe descend, still holding onto it.
The man put his fingers gently against his own neck, taking a deep breath of relief, relieved to feel it still intact.
Vicheam had a question about the name draganeer. Just what was it? He'd heard the name several times by now; even the soldiers back then had mentioned it before Lorenzo had thrown him into the sinkhole. The name was his priority for the moment.
"Tell me... what is a draganeer, and why is it that the imperials despise us so much?"
"Oh? Your eyes tell me you already know everything... I'll tell you simply as the social norms explain."
"Dragoneers: They are climbers from beyond who wield unnatural powers similar to the chosen ones. They wear clothes, speak, and look human; they are masters at manipulating locals, getting everything they want".
"They're not seen as humans? So they're seen as criminals of some kind?".
"Even worse, they are seen as monsters...".
The older man chuckled at his own statement.
"I don't doubt you're a human capable of what we are too, but see it like this —, You're a foreigner from the beyond, a place where no one has been except for descenders, and constant exposure to insanity, you come to our world with strange ideologies, taking no hesitation to do cruel things because you don't view this world as your own... You can see it.... alien of sorts"
With his last words, Vicheam felt like he could lower his guard for once. He slid the axe in his hand onto the table before pulling a chair and resting down on it, sighing. He understood where he was coming from; it was a reasonable point.
"I understand... then what of these unnatural powers, what kind of powers do they possess?".
The older man shrugged, not sure himself. He'd met a few in the past, but not long enough to see what they were capable of.
"Beats me, I think of these unnatural powers as just a fear factor, a reason to stay away from them. Though the people believe that they have different powers from person to person, manipulation, seductions, wielding elements, and so it continues".
Vicheam looked around him, beginning to notice the dust scattered around the floor and interior, even a spider web in the corner of the room.
"You did mention encountering other people like me? I myself have never met anyone else like me when I climb- I mean, when I was in the beyond... how were they?"
The old man sat down across from Vicheam, understanding that he could engage in a conversation without any fear of being killed or threatened.
"Ah... It's been many years since the last one, but for now... I've met four". The older man recalled them but could barely remember their face except for their genders. "One woman and three guys, each one encountered with a decade gap atleast".
"I'd have to say, unlike them, you're a pretty outgoing person; I remember they all sat in the same chair like you, confused and unsure of their goal after coming to this place... but I have the feeling you've already set your goal on something".
Vicheam snickered, feeling complimented, which had been a while.
"You said it yourself, old man, I'm a draganeer, I'm going to continue climbing until I reach the peak".
The man chuckled before standing up. "That's just an old saying made centuries ago by the first emperor, who I experienced with the previous; they had other goals in mind. I recall one young man seeking a treasure".
The man's eyes gleamed with interest, turning back to Vicheam's goal. "But to actually see a dragoneer still holding onto the goal, it makes me wonder what will come of this world... They said once they reach the peak, the world will go under... but how many years has that been? The world hasn't disappeared yet, has it?"
The man smiled, almost like he could see himself within Vicheam. He ignored the parts of him being a dragoneer only seeing a young man with a clear goal.
"Young man... Let me give you something".