Altair sank into darkness.
For a time she continued to sink down. Further and further into a comforting embrace of nothingness. An empty abyss on all sides prevented her mind from wondering for even a moment as she let go of all thoughts and instinctively welcomed the peaceful nothingness that was inviting her.
She sank and sank down, further and further for what seemed like eternity.
And then she felt her body float. It like she was in a cloud in the middle of the black abyss she was in. It lifted her slightly and seemed to carry her for a time. She then went up ever so slightly for an event shorter amount of time before she started to sink once more.
Compared to the time she was sinking in the first place, the amount of time she spent floating passed by in the blink of an eye.
A gentle hand seemed to press her down further into the darkness and Altair didn't bother to resist. The thought didn't even cross her mind. In fact, no thoughts crossed her mind at all. It felt too good to be swallowed by the dark abyss that it drained everything from her.
All except for one idea that popped up randomly in her mind at that moment.
'Ah, I don't ever want to go back up.'
Altair awoke with a start. She immediately sat up and smelt the familiar smell of foliage, leaves, and bark. Before her eyes was an expansive forest that wasn't as dense as the one from the Augmented Training Room. It was also filled with plants and trees that she recognized with just a glance.
'This is…? Where?' Her surroundings looked familiar but, ultimately, it was just another forest. One she figured anyone could find anywhere. She just didn't know how she got here.
She moved to turn her head to her left to check her surroundings.
Her head turned to her right.
'What…?'
Ahead of her was more forest, nothing special at all by her judgment. There weren't even any signs of anyone there so there was no need to keep watching there.
She tried to turn her head back to her left but her body stood up instead.
Altair was shocked. It was as if she couldn't control her body. As if to verify it, she then attempted to bring her hands up before her but her body still didn't listen. Instead, her body started to stand up and turned around while looking down towards the ground.
Below her, where she was just sleeping, was a familiar cloak laid on the cold and hard ground. Her eyes also caught sight of the familiar, tightly bound leather armor that she wore a lot before. Compared to what she was wearing the mansion, it looked ragged and shabby, as if it was sewn together by a child.
Her body reached down and picked up the cloak that was on the ground. Then swung the cloak around and tied it just below her neck to secure it in place. Immediately after that, her body continued to turn to her left, finally looking to where Altair wanted.
Laying the ground, less than two meters away, was a boy with a disheveled appearance. He was wearing similar armors to what Altair was currently wearing and had. His mossy green hair seemed to highlight the red scales that covered his skin. He was a reptile Demi-Human and Altair knew him well.
'Krinn!' Altair felt her heart tremble at the sight of him. He was Krinn, the forward scout for the infiltration team she was on. As one of the seniors in the party, he had taught Altair almost all that she knew about keeping herself aware, maintaining one eye open even while she slept.
There was just one problem with the picture before her. Krinn had died years ago. An arrow took him in the throat during a small skirmish and she couldn't get to him in time. He drowned in his own blood.
Altair wanted to desperately run over and hug him. They were unable to recover his body from that fight so she never got to say goodbye.
Her body wouldn't listen of course. She felt like a prisoner in her own mind and didn't understand what was happening yet.
A bell-like voice from the direction Altair faced when she woke up, "Oh, you're awake?"
Before her body turned her head towards the voice, Altair already knew who it belonged to. Her heart trembled even harder at just the sound of the voice talking in her native tongue. When her head turned towards the person and she saw her suspicions confirmed, a wave of joy and sorrow clawed its way through her body.
The person she was looking at was a bird Demi-Human. She had a beak that went along with her sharp, grey eyes. Her back and arms were lined with beautiful green feathers and her hair was a stark white in comparison. She looked beautiful even in her leathers that were modified to suit her characteristics. She was Oaras, a second sister to Altair and the marksman of her team.
Oaras as well was supposed to be dead. She died trying to get to Krinn in time. Altair still remembered watching as she was run through by five Humans with spears. That day was the second worst of her life. She never got to say goodbye to her as well.
'…This is impossible. How can they be here? Why am I seeing this lie?'
Her body responded to Oaras using her voice, "I couldn't sleep much."
Oaras gave her a warm smile, "I wouldn't doubt that. We're so far in Human lands that it's better to be a light sleeper than…" Her voice drifted off as she sent a knowing look to Krinn, who seemed dead to the world.
Altair's body laughed lightly as her gaze followed Oaras.
Oaras then brought her attention back to herself when she said, "I hunted up some breakfast." She held out a green-skinned rabbit that was the size of her thigh. "You wanna cook it or should I?"
It had been a long time since Altair saw a beast she was familiar with. If she was in control of her body right now she would have stared blankly at it. However, her body seemed to have a mind of its own as it instantly responded, "You want me to ruin it?"
Oaras shook her head sadly, "I suppose you have a point. Just figured you should practice cooking some more." She walked over to a circle of stones on the ground that was put together last night and started to prepare the fire. "We won't always be on the same team so it would be a relief if I knew you could cook for yourself when we split up."
Altair felt a pang of guilt. She never did learn how to cook her food well. Every time she did it would always end up charred on the outside. She would have to cut away the skin it was so bad. She had always felt that if she had time to practice her cooking then she would have time to practice how to fight or other uses for her Magic. It was part of the reason she had become so skilled so quickly.
As if avoiding the topic completely, her body turned in the direction that Oaras came from and asked, "Where's Max?"
The words seemed to echo in her mind. At the same time, her heart ached harshly and she felt like she was suffocating at them. Even though she didn't have control of her body she still somehow felt like she would collapse under the meaning of what was said.
'No,' she thought to herself as she realized she was seeing what she had already been through. 'Don't say it. Don't tell me he went ahead to check the town.'
She remembered having a conversation like this before with Oaras. The sequence seemed to follow the day she remembered well. She just really didn't want to remember it ever again.
As if ignoring her thoughts and wishes, Oaras responded while trying to light the tinder before her, "He went ahead to check the town. It's an important mission from the council and they're expecting some valuable information from today's mission."
Altair's heart sank. 'Please,' she begged in her mind, 'Don't show me this. I don't want to live through this night again.'
The sound Oaras was making while trying to light a fire woke Krinn up. He groggily sat up from where he was sleeping and looked around with a dazed expression. His eyes eventually rested on the food that Oaras has caught and he gulped loudly.
Oaras didn't even look up when she said, "Skin that for me, would you Krinn? You know how Altair is when it comes to cooking."
Krinn nodded his head blankly before he blinked several times. After he did so, his eyes finally focused and he took a deep breath before standing to his feet and giving Altair a sarcastic look. He then spoke in his pitched voice, that was also familiar to Altair, with a tone filled with ridicule, "You won't ever get a man to fall for you if you can't even cook a decent meal. How do you expect to be a good wife and raise your children properly if you can't do such simple things!"
She heard herself laugh dryly at the usual joke as her heart ached again. It was a common joke among the Coalition to talk about futures that would probably never happen. Because of how long it took for their bodies to be able to develop enough to have children and the war they were in, everyone tried to make the tension they all felt all the time a little lighter by trying to bring some normalcy into their lives.
No one actually lived long enough to be able to have kids.
A warm, lively voice came from behind Altair, "That's enough Krinn." Altair's heart felt like it was being crushed just hearing it. "Don't make such noise this far into Human lands."
'Please,' Altair pleaded to anyone or anything that was listening. 'Don't do this.'
Her body spun around like it was released from a coil and looked at the man behind her.
Altair sank into darkness.
For a time she continued to sink down. Further and further into a comforting embrace of nothingness. An empty abyss on all sides prevented her mind from wondering for even a moment as she let go of all thoughts and instinctively welcomed the peaceful nothingness that was inviting her.
She sank and sank down, further and further for what seemed like eternity.
And then she felt her body float. It like she was in a cloud in the middle of the black abyss she was in. It lifted her slightly and seemed to carry her for a time. She then went up ever so slightly for an event shorter amount of time before she started to sink once more.
Compared to the time she was sinking in the first place, the amount of time she spent floating passed by in the blink of an eye.
A gentle hand seemed to press her down further into the darkness and Altair didn't bother to resist. The thought didn't even cross her mind. In fact, no thoughts crossed her mind at all. It felt too good to be swallowed by the dark abyss that it drained everything from her.
All except for one idea that popped up randomly in her mind at that moment.
'Ah, I don't ever want to go back up.'
Altair awoke with a start. She immediately sat up and smelt the familiar smell of foliage, leaves, and bark. Before her eyes was an expansive forest that wasn't as dense as the one from the Augmented Training Room. It was also filled with plants and trees that she recognized with just a glance.
'This is…? Where?' Her surroundings looked familiar but, ultimately, it was just another forest. One she figured anyone could find anywhere. She just didn't know how she got here.
She moved to turn her head to her left to check her surroundings.
Her head turned to her right.
'What…?'
Ahead of her was more forest, nothing special at all by her judgment. There weren't even any signs of anyone there so there was no need to keep watching there.
She tried to turn her head back to her left but her body stood up instead.
Altair was shocked. It was as if she couldn't control her body. As if to verify it, she then attempted to bring her hands up before her but her body still didn't listen. Instead, her body started to stand up and turned around while looking down towards the ground.
Below her, where she was just sleeping, was a familiar cloak laid on the cold and hard ground. Her eyes also caught sight of the familiar, tightly bound leather armor that she wore a lot before. Compared to what she was wearing the mansion, it looked ragged and shabby, as if it was sewn together by a child.
Her body reached down and picked up the cloak that was on the ground. Then swung the cloak around and tied it just below her neck to secure it in place. Immediately after that, her body continued to turn to her left, finally looking to where Altair wanted.
Laying the ground, less than two meters away, was a boy with a disheveled appearance. He was wearing similar armors to what Altair was currently wearing and had. His mossy green hair seemed to highlight the red scales that covered his skin. He was a reptile Demi-Human and Altair knew him well.
'Krinn!' Altair felt her heart tremble at the sight of him. He was Krinn, the forward scout for the infiltration team she was on. As one of the seniors in the party, he had taught Altair almost all that she knew about keeping herself aware, maintaining one eye open even while she slept.
There was just one problem with the picture before her. Krinn had died years ago. An arrow took him in the throat during a small skirmish and she couldn't get to him in time. He drowned in his own blood.
Altair wanted to desperately run over and hug him. They were unable to recover his body from that fight so she never got to say goodbye.
Her body wouldn't listen of course. She felt like a prisoner in her own mind and didn't understand what was happening yet.
A bell-like voice from the direction Altair faced when she woke up, "Oh, you're awake?"
Before her body turned her head towards the voice, Altair already knew who it belonged to. Her heart trembled even harder at just the sound of the voice talking in her native tongue. When her head turned towards the person and she saw her suspicions confirmed, a wave of joy and sorrow clawed its way through her body.
The person she was looking at was a bird Demi-Human. She had a beak that went along with her sharp, grey eyes. Her back and arms were lined with beautiful green feathers and her hair was a stark white in comparison. She looked beautiful even in her leathers that were modified to suit her characteristics. She was Oaras, a second sister to Altair and the marksman of her team.
Oaras as well was supposed to be dead. She died trying to get to Krinn in time. Altair still remembered watching as she was run through by five Humans with spears. That day was the second worst of her life. She never got to say goodbye to her as well.
'…This is impossible. How can they be here? Why am I seeing this lie?'
Her body responded to Oaras using her voice, "I couldn't sleep much."
Oaras gave her a warm smile, "I wouldn't doubt that. We're so far in Human lands that it's better to be a light sleeper than…" Her voice drifted off as she sent a knowing look to Krinn, who seemed dead to the world.
Altair's body laughed lightly as her gaze followed Oaras.
Oaras then brought her attention back to herself when she said, "I hunted up some breakfast." She held out a green-skinned rabbit that was the size of her thigh. "You wanna cook it or should I?"
It had been a long time since Altair saw a beast she was familiar with. If she was in control of her body right now she would have stared blankly at it. However, her body seemed to have a mind of its own as it instantly responded, "You want me to ruin it?"
Oaras shook her head sadly, "I suppose you have a point. Just figured you should practice cooking some more." She walked over to a circle of stones on the ground that was put together last night and started to prepare the fire. "We won't always be on the same team so it would be a relief if I knew you could cook for yourself when we split up."
Altair felt a pang of guilt. She never did learn how to cook her food well. Every time she did it would always end up charred on the outside. She would have to cut away the skin it was so bad. She had always felt that if she had time to practice her cooking then she would have time to practice how to fight or other uses for her Magic. It was part of the reason she had become so skilled so quickly.
As if avoiding the topic completely, her body turned in the direction that Oaras came from and asked, "Where's Max?"
The words seemed to echo in her mind. At the same time, her heart ached harshly and she felt like she was suffocating at them. Even though she didn't have control of her body she still somehow felt like she would collapse under the meaning of what was said.
'No,' she thought to herself as she realized she was seeing what she had already been through. 'Don't say it. Don't tell me he went ahead to check the town.'
She remembered having a conversation like this before with Oaras. The sequence seemed to follow the day she remembered well. She just really didn't want to remember it ever again.
As if ignoring her thoughts and wishes, Oaras responded while trying to light the tinder before her, "He went ahead to check the town. It's an important mission from the council and they're expecting some valuable information from today's mission."
Altair's heart sank. 'Please,' she begged in her mind, 'Don't show me this. I don't want to live through this night again.'
The sound Oaras was making while trying to light a fire woke Krinn up. He groggily sat up from where he was sleeping and looked around with a dazed expression. His eyes eventually rested on the food that Oaras has caught and he gulped loudly.
Oaras didn't even look up when she said, "Skin that for me, would you Krinn? You know how Altair is when it comes to cooking."
Krinn nodded his head blankly before he blinked several times. After he did so, his eyes finally focused and he took a deep breath before standing to his feet and giving Altair a sarcastic look. He then spoke in his pitched voice, that was also familiar to Altair, with a tone filled with ridicule, "You won't ever get a man to fall for you if you can't even cook a decent meal. How do you expect to be a good wife and raise your children properly if you can't do such simple things!"
She heard herself laugh dryly at the usual joke as her heart ached again. It was a common joke among the Coalition to talk about futures that would probably never happen. Because of how long it took for their bodies to be able to develop enough to have children and the war they were in, everyone tried to make the tension they all felt all the time a little lighter by trying to bring some normalcy into their lives.
No one actually lived long enough to be able to have kids.
A warm, lively voice came from behind Altair, "That's enough Krinn." Altair's heart felt like it was being crushed just hearing it. "Don't make such noise this far into Human lands."
'Please,' Altair pleaded to anyone or anything that was listening. 'Don't do this.'
Her body spun around like it was released from a coil and looked at the man behind her.
