Kalika and Donovan pulled along the sled housing Bjorn and their newly replenished supplies. After what had seemed like ages, they finally broke through the captive forest and entered a lush valley entrenched in long, swaying yellow grass.
The space was so wide open that it felt like stepping into a new country entirely. Donovan stopped along with Kalika, getting a good view of the new land ahead of them.
In the far distance, they could see a forest that carried an aura of malice. It unnerved Donovan, but he ignored this feeling, seeing that Kalika and Bjorn were unbothered by it. He exhaled and took a moment to study his new surroundings. They saw on either side of them the walls of the pit itself, which was riddled with the white magic crystals that illuminated this world.
Growing impatient, Bjorn urged them to keep going. Kalika growled but returned to pulling alongside Donovan, trekking through the vast valley plain.
Unlike the forest they were in much earlier, the wide-open valley was peaceful and quiet. It was a rare tranquility given that they were able to enjoy as the small breeze passed them. However, this peace didn't last long as Donovan almost tripped on a broken helmet that was crudely and custom-made for horns.
They stopped and noticed some swords implanted in the ground, which were hidden just beneath the bed of yellow grass.
"Wait…" Donovan scanned the area, finding more and more of what they somehow missed earlier. "What is…. All this…?"
Weapons, armor, and skeletal remains soon became common sights for them as they spotted the secrets the valley tried to hide beneath the patch of grass. It was easy for Kalika and Donovan to understand that this place was once the site of a long-forgotten war, left to decay for any traveler to come across and plunder. It was almost a sad sight to see.
Donovan wandered away from Kalika and Bjorn, examining one of the swords. He reached out to pick up the sword, but just before he grasped it.
"Stop!" Bjorn yelled.
Donovan halted, jumping from the sudden order. He gazed back to find Bjorn's eyes now on him.
"Don't touch those. Those are ancient blood blades. Or what you humans call, demon blades. Unless you want a blade contracted to yourself, you should leave it be!" Bjorn's ire was clear. It was obvious that he wanted this sight undisturbed.
Donovan furled his hand. "Demon blades? Wait. I think I remember hearing about these." He glanced back at Kalika. "Weapons that can be contracted but render us unable to fight unless we use them. If I'm not mistaken, Kalika has something like that…"
Donovan stepped away from the weapon. "Do you know … What happened here?" he asked, his voice filled with even more curiosity. Even Kalika casted a curious glance at Bjorn.
"If you must know, almost a hundred years ago, the Heroes of prophecy invaded these lands. The father of the previous demon king sent his armies to intercept, but the four heroes proved too much. Eventually, they slayed our king." Bjorn took a deep breath. "Now, if you're satisfied, we should keep going."
Kalika and Donovan overlooked the scene one last time before returning to pull the sled. They treaded more carefully, being sure not to trip over the many decayed and rusted equipment on the ground.
The ancient battlefield was vast and long running. By the time they reached the other side of the valley, it was already noon. They looked forward at the dirt path ahead, seeing they had made it to the black forest.
"Stop here," Bjorn said.
Both Kalika and Donovan ceased, glancing back. "What happened?" Donovan questioned.
"We finally reached it... The Writhering Forest."
Kalika couldn't help but peek back at the forest. For some reason, she felt as though they were being watched.
From the subtle silence, they started to hear the rushing of water. Out of curiosity, Donovan looked around. Donovna once again wandered off.
"Where are you going?" Kalika inquired.
"I'm just checking something. I'll be right back," Donovan searched the general direction until he finally caught a glimpse of some rushing water. And it was just off the path.
"Hey, down here," he called.
Kalika followed Donovan off the path, where she was led to a small river, gently passing through the rocks.
"Maybe we should set up camp here," he suggested.
********
Noon quickly turned to high dusk as Donovan filled a tightly sewn leather pouch full of the river's water as it flowed downstream. Tempted, he sipped from the freshly filled pouch and slowly gulped down half its contents. "This water's better than the ones from those last rivers." He thought.
He looked at his reflection in the clear water as it rippled past his legs. His face had some dirt and a little bit of blood. "And cleaner too…"
He quickly washed his face and hands before grabbing more water for the camp, where Kalika and Bjorn waited.
After gathering all the other pouches he had filled, alongside a huge-sized pouch, he carried it over his shoulder. Using all his muscles, he trudged them back to their camp.
Returning to the camp, he could smell the skewered rabbit meat slowly cooking. It didn't seem to fail to stir up his appetite.
He circled the campfire and approached Kalika, who stared into the campfire. "Here you go," Donovan said.
Kalika slowly turned her gaze and took the fresh pouch of water in her hand. She then set it aside and returned to staring at the fire. "Thank you…."
With Kalika's water delivered, Donovan went up to Bjorn and passed the biggest water pouch to him. Bjorn didn't hesitate to gulp the water down in one go. Quenching his throat with the freshwater.
"Hey, you can at least savor it." Donovan scolded.
"I'll refill it myself later."
Donovan directed a doubtful gaze at Bjorn and scoffed. Seeing no reason to argue, he sat himself down by the fire. "So, what is it that you wanted to tell us about this forest, Bjorn?"
Bjorn took one last gulp, satisfying his lust for water. "The forest up ahead is what the locals in Berg call 'The Writhering Forest'... Do you remember what I told you two when we passed the large tree yesterday?"
"Yeah?" Kalika spoke. Her attention shifted to Bjorn.
"Well… Unlike that large trent tree that was slumbering, the withering forest is filled with many more of those trents. Albeit smaller and more active. These creatures are living trees that'll drain your blood and consume your flesh if given a chance. But luckily for us, we only have to travel through that forest for less than a day."
"I don't think I'd call that lucky. This forest sounds dangerous. And there's no way around it?" Donovan asked.
"If there was, I would've said so. But the forest is like a natural wall separating us from the rest of the pit, and the path ahead is the safest route I know. Although it has been over twenty years since I used it myself."
"That doesn't inspire confidence," Donovan noted.
"If you're so concerned should train with your fire magic. Their wood is dryer than typical trees so they're easy to burn."
Donovan sat and pondered Bjorn's words for a moment. "Is there anything else we need to know about that forest?"
"No. The only real danger are those trents, so once we get through, Berg won't be too far."
"Right. I suppose I should get to it then, but I'll train further downstream so you two can rest."
"Fine but remember what I told you."
"Sure." Donovan got up, taking up a few of the water-filled pouches.
"And make sure not to go too far either. The last thing we need is for you to become goblin food. And my blood magic can't help if you go off too far."
Donovan simply waved. "Yeah. yeah."
Kalika, who was simply listening in and watched as Donovan left.
********
Far from their camp, behind a few trees and rocks, Donovan practiced manifesting the fire magic in his hands. He stretched his fingers, bringing forth the sensation of speed to his palm, and moved it out with much more ease than anticipated. Before he knew it, He conjured a ball of fire.
He smiled. Proud of this small accomplishment.
It felt much easier and free flowing than he initially expected as he kept flickering the fire in his hands on and off. He brought it back and forth, conjuring it from the palm of his hands to the tip of his fingers. He manifested one fire in his finger and moved to conjure a second. This, however, didn't work.
He tried even harder, but quickly felt a headache arise as he attempted this stunt in vain. "Oh well..." He stopped immediately, freeing him from the pain.
He conjured a small ball of fire in his hand. He searched the area until her found a big boulder that could be used as a target. He quickly locked onto it. He aimed his hands and tried throwing out a blast of fire.
It failed miserably.
"Crap…"
Unexpectedly, he heard the crunching of a few branches. He went on guard. "Who's there!?"
He once again searched the area, scrutinizing the trees around him. Eventually, he found a familiar swaying demon's tail from behind a tree, along with the tip horn that clearly belonged to Kalika.
"Uhh… Kalika? What are you doing here? Did you... Follow me?"
Kalika grumbled at being discovered. After a while of not receiving an answer, he went up to check on her. He peeked, finding Kalika leaning on the tree, hugging her leg.
"Uhh… Did you want something by chance?"
Kalika glared. "No."
"O-okay then. If you need me, I'll be over there… Training, I guess." Donovan pointed to a small area that was relieved of trees with a boulder that stood tall behind him.
Donovan hesitantly left, returning to training with his fire magic. With the magic crystal in his left hand, he began his fine-tuning.
He tried throwing a fireball.
He failed.
He tried it again.
He failed.
This time, he put everything in one shot.
This also failed.
Donovan kept at it over and over again with each attempt to shoot a ball of fire, failing. He began to pant from trying to use some of his own magic. It was a lot more energy-consuming than he anticipated. He felt out of breath from the sheer number of attempts and his vision hazed.
Kalika, who was peeking from behind the tree, couldn't help but wonder to herself. "Is it really that hard for him to shoot it? What an idiot…"
"I don't get it...." He said with a pant. He looked at his slightly singed hand. "What the heck am I doing wrong?"
"Hey, Donovan. Stop trying to throw it like some spear," Kalika said as she poked her head out. "You have to push it..." Shortly after, she returned behind the tree.
"Push it?" This left Donovan a little stumped. Unable to fully decipher her words, Donovan sighed and continued his training, failing each time as night approached.
He tried to throw, thrust and shake the ball of fire from his hands. Eventually, Donovan's numerous failures got on Kalika's nerves, rendering her unable to bear his naivety.
Finally, she rose from her hiding spot and clutched onto Donovan's wrist as he was manifesting his new ball of fire. He jumped, surprised by Kalika's directness.
"Kalika?"
"Are you still channeling your magic?" she asked
"Y- yeah?"
"Alright, stop it."
Donovan raised a brow at her command. Her demeanor, however, remained unchanged. She continued staring at him with a blank seriousness.
"O-okay. fine"
The fireball in his hands stopped growing, he could feel the warmth of the flame hovering within his hand.
Kalika gazed upon it, examining it. Slowly, she released his hands, locking her eyes on the ball of fire itself.
As if regaining her own thoughts, she recomposed herself, straightening her back. "Okay. Now make your hand feel normal."
Donovan lowered his hand, confused. "What?"
She took his hand, pointing it straight back at the boulder.
Despite the initial confusion, Donovan took a moment to finally realize what she truly meant. In an instant, the ball of fire repelled from his hands, striking the boulder to his shock.
He looked back at Kalika, dumbfounded, but also very excited. "W-whoa! How did you…" He stopped himself, remembering Kalika's words from how she once used the magic crystals herself.
"I played around with a bunch of magic crystals as a kid, so I had more than enough practice... not that it's useful for me anymore. I can't even use those magic crystals anymore."
"If you don't mind me asking… How did you find out that these crystals actually held magic in them?" Donovan held up his magic crystal in front of Kalika
She briefly glanced at the crystal before turning her gaze away. " I discovered it by accident when I was a child. It was a time when I was trying to impress my father… Not that it ever seemed to work."
Kalika became silent for a moment as she thought back to her days as a child. She remembered finding the magic crystals that were deemed useless and uncovering the secrets they held for generations.
But she also remembered the face of her adopted father remaining stone cold as he watched her excel beyond Lillian's seemingly slow progress, only for Lillian to show up to steal his smiles.
********
"Hey Kalika! Hey!" a girl's voice called.
In the moonlit night, a blonde-haired, green-eyed Kalika, still in her teens, looked down from her room balcony.
She discovered Lillian, with her long brown-hair and blue eyes, waving at her. She was dressed in fine casual clothes and a skirt that barely touched the floor.
Kalika quickly glanced around, unsure, and looked back out with her nightgown. She spoke back in a more hushed tone. "Lily." She scanned again. "You're not supposed to be here. Father will be mad."
"Who cares. I wanted to walk with you in the garden."
Kalika looked back at the night sky, clearly Lillian understood that it wasn't the best of times to go strolling in the garden.
"There's something I want to show you too," Lillian added.
Although reluctant, Kalika finally gave in. "Fine. But I want to retire, so let's make this fast."
Lillian vigorously agreed.
Shortly after, Kalika dressed in something fast and casual, wearing something similar to Lillian's attire. She also tied her overgrown hair together with a green cloth used to make her bow.
Finished, she met Lillian outside and strolled through the castle halls to reach the garden on the cliff. They passed by a few guards and a maid who minded their business.
"Good." Kalika thought. She preferred people to keep their noses out of her business.
However, as they quietly strolled, she noticed Lillian becoming increasingly Awkward as if wanting to say something but coming up with nothing. Kalika simply ignored this and focused on getting to the garden. After a short stroll, they were met with a vibrancy of colors.
From the light of the torched fires, they could see the greens, the reds, and the blues, and in one section, it was invaded by a series of pink and purple flowers.
"Alright, so what do you want to show me?" Kalika looked over the walled cliffside, almost uninterested in the conversation.
Unexpectedly, Kalika felt something touch her head. It was light and wrapped around her head.
She reached up and grabbed what seemed to be a headband made completely of flowers. The only flaw was that the flowers were still buds.
"Do you like it? I made it myself."
Kalika looked back at Lillian, then at the headband. "This is... Childish..." She glanced back at Lillian, still confused by this.
"Aren't you a little too old to make these?" Kalika asked.
"W-well... I wanted to make something for you. A-a-and look!"
Lillian immediately held her hand to the flower headband and used her holy magic upon it. In a mere second, the buds revealed their splendor, showing a vibrance of different shades of purple from different flowers.
Kalika was surprised by the gesture. The flowers were beautiful.
Seeing that the flowers had fully bloomed, Lillian took her hands away. But after a minute of appreciating their beauty, the flowers started to wilt away within Kalika's hands.
Lillian brought her hands to her mouth in shock. "I-I'm so sorry." Lillian took the flower headband back in her hand. "This didn't happen last time."
"It's fine. So, what's the real reason you wanted to talk to me?"
Lillian looked a little surprised but quickly blurted a chuckle. She stood silent for a moment, thinking over what she wanted to say. "I heard that Beatrice was... telling you that I hated you. O-or that I'm holding some grudge."
"I just want you to know that I don't care where you came from. You are my sisters, so, whatever happens, good or bad, I always want you to remember that."
Kalika smiled. She hugged Lillian, calming her down.
Lillian accepted the warm gesture. "Thank you, Kalika."
"Of course, Lily… of course," Kalika said.
Unseen by Lillian, Kalika grimaced as they embraced. "Sister. What a pointless title to give me... Like that means anything. Unlike me, she could be anything… And everything."
Kalika clutched Lillian's dress much tighter. She feigned her smile once again. "I couldn't ask for a better sister!"
********
As Kalika was brought back to the present, she grasped her stomach. "Why am I remembering this now?"
Donovan waved his hands to Kalika, who was in a trance. "Hey Kalika, are you alright?"'
"Oh?" Kalika looked at Donovan for a second. She pursed her lips and gazed away more bitterly. "Sorry, I was... thinking about something."
"Would you like to share?" Donovan asked.
"No." Without another word, she returned to the tree where she leaned back to watch Donovan. "I-I'm bored, so I'm gonna sit here and watch."
Donovan could see that Klika was purposely not looking in his general direction. Figuring it was pointless to talk, Donovan continued his practice well into the night, getting a better grasp of controlling fire magic.
As he finished, He noticed that Kalika was sleeping peacefully. Despite the rising awkwardness he felt. He manned up, carrying Kalika back to their camp, laying her on her bed before preparing to sleep.
He glanced back at Kalika, a little worried. "That look she had earlier… I hope she's alright..."