The woman bent down and pulled Nana into a hug. "I’ve been looking for you for a while now."
Nana, shocked and almost on the verge of crying, just stammered, "Wh-what?!"
"Master Dagon sent me a note about you finally being found, and I had to see you for myself. So I sent a quick vestige," she explained.
She had first received a report from General Mattison about a small girl being found. Master Dagon’s message made the report finally make sense.
Running her hand through her dark blue hair, she stated, "I’m sure you’ve had a rough time. We will all meet you at the church, as he mentioned you are going there for the ritual."
The camp quieted around their reunion.
Old stone and mud walls surrounded them, making the reunion feel stranger to Ty.
To Ty, the sudden quiet carried less of a bustling city and more of a camp holding its breath.
She kissed Nana’s forehead. "See you soon." Then she faded into an array of light while Ty watched.
Nana, slightly stumbling back, was quickly steadied by Todd, who rushed over to her, dropping to a knee. Ty observed her, lost in a sea of confusion and emotions.
"Sorry, we forgot to mention that we ran into Master Dagon while you were passed out," Todd said. "We told him about you, and he said he would help."
"I wasn’t aware it was this severe," Nana muttered. She pushed Todd’s arms away and stormed outside into the night.
Todd started after her, but Ty blocked the doorway. "Give her room. If all of us chase her, she’ll feel cornered. I’ll go once she has a little distance."
Ty watched her go, noticing the tears streaming down her face in the faint light.
Todd, placing his hand over his head, voiced his confusion, "Wasn’t this whole kid thing her idea anyways?"
Ty, offering up his thoughts, stated, "Perhaps she didn’t really expect anything more than just making this a quick mission, and we have no idea how the culture here works, so maybe they are quick to take in orphan children."
As he spoke, concern tightened across his face.
"Go ahead and get some sleep," Ty continued, his voice carrying a hint of resolve. "I will try and find her before we head out in the morning. This could be troublesome, and we don’t know if we can freely trust the woman who showed up as quickly as she left."
The night air felt heavier after he said it.
"So do keep a lookout," he added, his gaze drifting towards the darkened streets, where uncertainty lurked in the shadows.
Todd, giving a slight nod, asked, "You sure you don’t want me to go with you?"
"No, I think it’s best if I go alone. If you go out, you might get mistaken for a monster again and end up having to beat more people up." Ty gave a slight chuckle, but his tone carried a seriousness nonetheless.
"Makes sense. I might try to study a bit and get some sleep then. Don’t take too long. It’s almost midnight already," Todd responded, his voice trailing off.
The door slammed with a resounding thud, the walls clanking around Todd with a metal-mud-like effect, echoing through the hut.
As Ty left the small hut, he tried to figure out where she had run off to. The cool night air brushed against his face as he stepped outside.
Small footprints marked the dirt road, sunken from the recent rain. Ty followed them, his thoughts as murky as the night sky above.
Sighing, Ty was hit by flashes of memory, small bursts that gave him glimpses into her past. The experience was disorienting, like watching a storm from far away and knowing it was coming closer.
"Why would she suggest making up such a lie if it affects her so much?" Ty thought to himself, walking down the dirt road towards the exit gate of the camp. The night was quiet, save for the distant sound of the guards conversing at the gate.
As he approached, the two guards looked up, a bit shocked to see Ty. "You’re that guy with the ogre that beat up all those monsters?" one of them asked, an undertone of respect in his voice.
Ty nodded, keeping his query brief. "Have you two seen a small girl running around by chance?"
"And yeah, she came running past a few minutes ago and kept going. Seeing as she came with you, I let her pass, since she can probably handle herself," the guard answered, his gaze shifting back toward the darkness beyond the gate.
Ty looked beyond the gate and saw the trail thinning into broken grass and churned mud.
Nana was small, but she moved like someone used to running before anyone could decide whether to help her.
That thought made him move faster.
Walking past the town, there were a lot of open lands with burnt trees and broken foliage from hundreds of battles.
"This place must be a nightmare or a paradise, depending on the perception. I wonder if the Demon King took inspiration from popular RPGs when creating this world. But did he create it, or just influence it with those crystals he mentioned?" Ty pondered.
"No point in worrying about all that, I guess," he thought, yelling out, "NANA! Can you hear me?" just as a low growl appeared behind him.
"Oh great," he remarked before noticing an array of dead creatures splattering towards the forest. The crazed animal lunged at Ty, but he sidestepped it, slashing it in half with his black flame-infused hand.
As the creature melted and faded into the ground, a small orb was crushed into the chest of Ty.
A bit shocked at this, Ty thought, "How can a creature like this have a soul?" Closing his eyes, everything seemed to slow down around him: the wind and the cool breeze gradually coming to a halt.
In his mind, a giant wheel appeared, featuring hundreds of orbs. Among them, five colored orbs emerged, presenting themselves in front of him.