"You're not understanding me, Suna, strength isn't what you think it is."
"Then what is it?"
"Haha, you're trying to boil down your essence to simple, basic-to-understand words and concepts, when really if you just took it all in at once, for what it is, than your understanding of it would be much more complete and untainted."
"But I've been trying to do that, it doesn't make sense."
"No, Suna, you're not accepting it, you're trying to deform it to something you understand, rather than what it is. Don't make it complicated, stop trying to 'understand' it. Relinquish the control that you're so entitled to."
Suna tried her best to understand this person's words, but…
She felt watched. She directed her being to the impolite onlooker.
Fear.No, don't kill me! I'm sorry, leave me alone! Suna felt the fear of Death, countless urges and impulses coursed through her body. Run! Get away! Leave me alone!! But she couldn't escape the overwhelming intent, thick as an astral body. She felt like a molecule before the sun, there was nothing to do except hide, to put one's arms up desperately in a knowingly futile struggle. NOOO!!
Suna awoke suddenly. She was out of breath, sweat drenched her body. She was clutching tightly onto something, her arms wrapped around it, as if just a few seconds ago she was trying to find refuge under the foreign object. No, it wasn't an object, it was… Lilt. They stared at her, eyes wide open, body tensed. It seemed they, too, were infected by her fear.
The both of them lay there, frozen on the bed. Neither of them knew what to do or say.
"..."
"..."
Slowly inching away like an animal caught red-handed in thievery, Suna carefully backed away from the completely bewildered and stunned Lilt.
She made it to her side of the bed. Poor Lilt was on the very edge of it.
"Ahem." Suna slowly let herself relax her body. "...um… I'm sorry… about that…"
Lilt was still frozen in place. "No, um… must've been a, gulp, bad dream, or something, I, I get it…"
Suna felt ashamed. She would've just slept outside if she knew she was going to be so disruptive and obnoxious. Her confidence in herself lowered.
Suna tried to move past the tense, thick air that clogged up the room and their conversation. "S-So, um, do you need to do anything before we leave for the, um, mission…?"
"No. No, I'm, uh, good. Let's, uh, let's go right now, shall we?"
Suna gave a string of small nods, and slowly, the two seemed to be returned back to reality, one with a normal flow of time.
Why did she do that? She was trying to remember her dream, which seemed so vivid and real, but she could only remember certain segments, certain sounds. There was a conversation happening, but who were they? She, of course, remembered that overwhelming smothering feeling, like being dwarfed on a scale she had never even imagined before in her life. It was all extremely peculiar; unfortunately, it didn't feel like she could take anything meaningful away from the strange experience. It was just a cruel joke, and she was the butt of it. She felt a bit peeved.
The two were on the back of a wagon, one that was meant for ferrying people. There were a handful of others on the decently-sized, slow moving wagon, but they generally kept to themselves. She didn't bother trying to analyze them or deduce their occupations.
She and Lilt sat next to each other. There was a persistent, lingering, awkward air between them, one that Suna felt guilty for creating.
"I'm sorry, about that."
"Suna, it's okay, you don't need to keep apologizing to me."
"But, I mean, I must've affected your sleep! What if it hurts you during our quest?"
"Suna, I'm not trying to be mean, but my sleep was already affected before that."
"What? What happened?"
Lilt facepalmed. "Uh, Suna, I'm starting to understand, that you're not exactly, um… normal."
The words, that judgement… it hurt Suna.
Her face quivered. "I, I… I'm sorry…" She looked down. "I'm sorry about everything, I'll leave…" She seemed about to leave the wagon, about to hop over its sides.
She was stopped, by a hand. "Suna, Wait, Stop! That's, I, I didn't mean it like that!" Lilt tugged a little at Suna's hand. She sat back down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like, um, that, like, I, um… That's okay! It's totally okay, to be not normal, to, um, cling, to others, when you're sleeping…" Their confident voice seemed to taper and waver. "I-I, um, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Lilt's gaze wavered, dejected.
"...um, so you don't want me to leave…?"
"Yes! I mean, I don't want you to leave, Suna. Like… I can tell. From the way you fought. And how you treat me. That you're being genuine, that you're just trying to find your way in this world. This, weird and strange, world, haha, I get it. I get that, Suna! I, um…" Lilt fidgeted, twirling their fingers around one another, making weird gestures as they processed words. "I, uh, I'm just, I'm, um, someone, that's just, uh,"
"Thank you, Lilt." Suna looked up at Lilt, stopping them from tripping over their words eternally. "...you're nice, you know that?" Suna pat them on the head. Lilt seemed to be frozen by the gesture, their cheeks emitting a faint redness. Suna's voice was faint. "...Thanks for, um…" Suna fidgeted. "...for being my friend. Unless it's too soon, or something! Like, um, if, uh-"
Lilt gave a big, vigorous nod, accompanied by a pure smile.
Suna smiled back.
The two continued riding in silence. Lilt was clearly conscious of the other passengers, their gaze seeming to flicker back and forth between them. Are you worried about them? They're not dangerous, though? Suna didn't really understand it.
"Lilt."
"Um, yes!"
"Haha, calm down, Lilt, we still have a long ride left."
"I, uh, sorry!"
Suna remembered what Angie did for her. She brought Lilt's head closer to her chest, and wrapped her arms around their small body. "There, ther-"
"AAAGH!" Lilt exclaimed, pushing Suna away from them.
Suna was heartbroken. "I-I-I'm sorry, I must not've done a good job at it-"
"Suna!! That, th-th-that s-s-sort of thing, y-you should, should do with, someone you l-l-l-l-like!!"
Suna tilted her head. "...But I do like you, though…?"
Lilt was caught there, as if stuck between the pull of numerous forces, their words suspended between a myriad of thoughts that were all trying to come out of their mouth. It was funny, seeing them implode like this.
"Hehe, you're so silly, Lilt."
"UM, No I'm Not!??"
Suna burst into laughter. Lilt could only sit there, shocked. Eventually, though, they couldn't help but join Suna, letting small, cute giggles escape their restricted mouth. They started smiling. So Suna smiled. She let herself forget. Just for a bit.
"Lilt."
"...yes?"
"What spells do you know?"
"Oh, yeah, I should tell you."
Yet another long list of spells and their effects. They almost all seemed to revolve around water.
"So, the only healing spell you know is Shaanek?"
"Huh? No, Impra Gorgheim helps the body accelerate its healing, along with boosting vitality."
"So, nothing like Erykh antra I-"
"H-Hey!! What are you doing! Stop that!"
"...Huh?"
"You can't just go reciting the chants of higher class spells, it could hurt you!"
Suna was confused. "No, Lilt, I can't use spells."
"No, even if the spell doesn't work or function, haphazardly playing with its words is dangerous! If even a sliver of intent leaks into any of them, if you're not prepared for the backlash, it can hurt you!"
"...? Erykh antra Im, Feredoh."
A horrified Lilt, anticipating some sort of disastrous occurrence, raised up in worry. But, they lowered back down when they saw nothing happen to Suna.
"...Huh? How…?"
"I'm telling you, Lilt, I can't use any of the spells, they don't do anything." Suna didn't really get it. But she understood the feeling. The reality. That she can't use any of them.
Lilt was extremely perplexed. "But that's… that's just not possible, that doesn't make any sense…"
"Well, that's just how it is for me."
Lilt pondered about Suna. Suna took the time to mentally go over each and every one of Lilt's spells. Her mind twisted and worked, trying its best to form connections and understanding of the mystical spells and the ways they could be utilized.
"Hey, Lilt, for Empric Fantalla, don't you think…"
Suna and Lilt discussed at great lengths. Suna was determined to extract every bit of understanding Lilt had about Magic; she needed to know more about this world. She remembered how helpless she felt against Belle's smothering blaze. This was a priority.
It was annoying, however. Both Lilt and Angie would describe things in uncertain terms, describing an attribute or limit as something they just feel, saying that it's hard to put such sensations into words, especially ones that they've taken for granted for so long. Suna was frustrated with the vagueness of their words, but she persisted, trying to reframe certain contexts and meanings, trying her best to understand these strange sensations.
Over the course of a few days, this ongoing discussion was how they spent most of their time. The best way to describe Lilt's understanding of Magic was, mature. It was clear. They were well-read. Their terminology and depth-of-understanding were wholly more sophisticated than Angie's. But it was funny, seeing instances where Angie's instinctual intuition would surprise even the knowledgeable Lilt. But Suna didn't really have a direct attachment to these words, they were mostly all just that, words, to Suna. There was only so much she could grasp when the base elements of the conversation devolved to pretty much wordless feelings, that ultimately could not be conveyed via words alone.
That isn't to say that their hours of discussion were a waste of time, though. Suna felt much more enlightened, even if it was a pseudo-enlightenment. She developed a much better grasp for the limits of their Magic. The requirements for performing certain actions (such as that pesky field of stifling air), and how people normally counteract or respond to such things. She felt sad. It seemed this World didn't have many tools for the less Magically-inclined to be able to directly counter or deal with Magic in general. She would have to get creative, it seemed, working around her foes' abilities, rather than through them. She resolved herself for the life of trouble ahead of her.
"Oh, Lilt. I forgot." They exited their wagon, having just arrived at a town, one near the Kowfan Mountains that they were going to scale. It was a little before midday.
Lilt looked at Suna, prepared for another question.
"I actually did one spell, once."
"Huh? Really? What kind of spell?" Lilt was surprised. Their impression was that Suna was completely incapable of performing any spells, especially after seeing her try and fail so many elementary ones.
"Avadakh Holferim. Does that ring a bell?" As she said those words, she felt it. A faint echo, of those meanings that coursed through her, back at that very distant-feeling time and place.
"Hmmm…" Lilt tried to recall. "I don't think I've ever heard or read about that one. It sounds like a darkness-related spell though, right?"
"Yeah. I think my closest affinity is for darkness spells. Yet, I can't use the basic ones…"
"Huh. Well, maybe if you keep trying, you'll be able to replicate that spell?"
"I dunno. It only happened when I was about to die." Lilt looked a bit shocked. "Since then, I haven't really been able to replicate that same feeling, even when I've been close to death since." Suna wore a helpless look of puzzlement.
"...Well, Suna. I think you should keep trying. Even if it doesn't happen immediately, or any time soon, even." Lilt started walking, accompanied by Suna. "See, magic for most people is a lifetime's endeavor. It usually takes people literalyears to grasp inspiration for a single new spell. Hah, trust me, if it were easy, everyone would know every spell, haha." Lilt shrugged. "But, it is the way it is. Don't give up, Suna."
Suna looked at Lilt. "I won't."
The two found a tavern of sorts. It was a small village, but there were still some people walking the streets. There were fields interspersed throughout the village, but they also saw very interesting-looking blankets and crafts. They didn't bother purchasing any, though, the both of them seemed to agree that travelling light was ideal.
They entered the well-used tavern. They had agreed to eat a small meal before scaling the mountain. On it, they'd look for tracks, and camp out if necessary, taking turns watching throughout the night. They already developed numerous maneuvers and plans for different situations, most utilizing Lilt's spells. Suna was extremely relentless and meticulous about her plans, which also seemed to have plenty of flexibility built into them to account for mishaps and unexpected situations. Lilt found it a bit much to discuss the scenario of a flood of monsters at length, but they figured being over-prepared was never a bad thing, especially given their lack of numbers and manpower.
"Oh, Hunters, right? What brings you to our small village?" It was a nice-looking middle-aged waitress, who seemed to fit right in with this environment.
"Oh, we're Hunting a Mark, up in the Kowfan Mountains."
The lady looked astonished. "What? You two are…? No, that thing, it's dangerous, far too dangerous!"
"It's okay." Lilt reassured her, taking out their card. "I promise you, on my Platinum rank, that we're not only going to survive, but we're going to return with the head of that beast!" The lady seemed shocked, but then ultimately relieved.
"Oh, I, I didn't realize! Please, pardon my rudeness."
Lilt gave a wave of their hands, and a reassuring smile.
"How about I cook up my best dish for you two? Maybe it'll provide you with some good luck and energy!"
The lady rushed into the kitchen, oblivious to Lilt's comments that they didn't want an excessive amount of food. They gave a helpless sigh.
"Lilt, why are you so slow?"
They were out of breath, doing the best they could to keep up with Suna's fast pace.
"You, hah, you're, you're just, too fast!"
"What are you talking about? I'm going slow. Ugh." Suna slowed down her pace even further, allowing the thin mage some reprieve. "Need me to push you up the mountain?"
"It's, hah, it's not fair, Suna, I, hah, I'm not, hah, used to this kind of thing…!"
Suna sighed. It seemed she was going to have to just bear with Lilt's sad excuse of a pace. She realized, just how fit James and the others were. Even Angie made Lilt look like a toddler. She sighed again.
So the two slowly ascended the mountain. It was a different kind of mountain compared to the last one Suna visited. It was relatively small, but she knew that the Highland Mountains were an unfair comparison, that was a sprawling mountain range, home to a towering behemoth of rock in its middle. No, these were much more tame, but they were still proper mountains which ascended far above the ground. The rock was a different tinge of grey. The slopes were more forgiving – they were even lucky enough to be able to walk on a proper trail. From what the two gathered from the local villagers, there didn't seem to be an extensive system of caves or mining shafts, something she decided she would never enter again unless she absolutely had to. Man, they really are slow, though, huh… Suna was going to have to factor in their lack of stamina in the future.
When the two seemed to reach the higher parts of the set of mountains and plateaus, the sun seemed to be going down. Suna stopped Lilt, and pulled out their sleeping bag from their pack.
"You should go and rest. I'll keep watch."
"Hah, hah, huh? No, I can, hah, keep watch, first."
"No. I'll stay up tonight. You need to replenish your strength and stamina. I don't trust you to keep a good watch when your mind is likely at its limit."
Lilt seemed to want to argue, but they were ultimately just too tired to. After an entire half day of forced, rushed steps up this steep mountain, their legs were burning, their lungs sought air, their body urged them to give in to Suna's offer and indulge itself in uninterrupted rest. They gave in to this urge.
"...I'm sorry, Suna, I-"
"It's okay, Lilt. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. I'm even more helpless than you when it comes to Magic. So, it's okay. As long as you're refreshed tomorrow, and we can take down this thing, I'll be satisfied.
"...Got it. Thank you, Suna." They still seemed a bit ashamed and regretful, but Suna didn't feel the need to say anything else.
It was… eerie. The drone of insects. Howling gusts of wind. Suna felt that the moonlight was simply lacking on this mountain. It was hard for her to feel at ease. She and Lilt were alone, on this mountain. If they were in need help, there'd be no one remotely close to help them. She felt a bit of a nervous feeling in her stomach. But she didn't try and suppress it. She let it enhance her sensitivity to the surroundings.
It was cold. But Suna didn't mind. She minded far more the lack of stimulation. She was wondering if she was seeing things, if there was movement, in the darkness. But such movement seemed to just be her imagination.
Maybe… Maybe having a few more people would help a lot. She was probably being a bit rash, thinking that just the two of them alone were sufficient. It was her honest judgement, she felt the two of them were more than capable of dealing with an assortment of great threats. But this beast… what if they underestimated it? They didn't know its exact attributes, maybe the brief sightings were all misleading? What if its strength was greater than theirs? Would they be able to emerge alive, if they were to face it?
Rustle. Suna almost jumped up. But it was just Lilt, adjusting themselves in their sleeping bag. She wondered if they were able to sleep. In this unsettling place. Knowing the two of them were all alone. Suna bit the bottom of her lip.
Cries. Or howls. It was hard to tell. It was very distant. Was it the beast? Was it something the beast was in the middle of devouring, this very instant?
But then, she felt it. A gaze. She was relieved. So relieved.
That this beast wasn't capable of concealing its gaze.
She made no motion. Instead, she started whistling. A soft whistle, of a basic melody. Lilt didn't move.
It was very cautious. Very. It made virtually no sound, but she could feel it. Approaching. Suna tried hard not to smirk. When things actually got dangerous, she just felt… alive. As if the past few days of her sitting and talking with Lilt were all just superfluous, extraneous filler. The whole time, that whole time, she hungered for action. Violence.Growth. Strength. Only by putting her life on the line would she be able to grow. So she wore a terrifying smile. One that Lilt was lucky not to see, in the near pitch-black environment.
It was a while. A long while, that felt like forever. But Suna eventually whispered.
"B."
Lilt emerged suddenly from their sleeping bag,
"La Viera!!"
They cast a bright light, which lit up the whole surrounding area.
Suna saw it. It was a little ghastly looking, a white-grey coat of patchy fur covering its body. It stood on four legs, large spikes for claws that curved near their end. Its face was, just creepy. It was like the head of a demented ape, it just looked off-putting. Its body was large and tall, but not in a muscular way. It was lanky. She measured its height as 4 Sunas, but if it stood on its hind legs, that number would likely double.
Just off of her first impressions, the beast didn't feel particularly threatening, and it seemed to roughly match the sketches attached with the mission notes. She, of course, didn't let her guard down.
It was strange. She was waiting for it to either run or engage in a fight, but it did neither. It stood there, motionless. She was trying to understand its motivations and purpose, but she was really struggling to establish any sort of connection with the beast. It just seemed… inhuman, no, non-animal-like.
Lilt was on edge, waiting for Suna's judgement and call. But nothing seemed to be happening. They, of course, saw the hideous beast as well, but they made no movements.
Suna started… walking. Towards the beast. Lilt was a bit dumbfounded.
It was perplexing. She saw its strangeness, its hideousness, its abnormality. And she felt a bit… connected to it. Not a familial one, but more… one killer, to another. She didn't know how to feel about this sensation. She didn't know if the beast was simply a non-thinking entity. But she walked.
Prepared to end its life.
All too suddenly, the beast lunged at Suna, a swift, vicious swipe of its claws.
Suna deftly dodged.
"Lilt, Buffs!"
"Got it!
Impra Gorgheim.
Fallas Aa'medth.
…"
Suna hadn't the wherewithal to process Lilt's chants. She felt a feeling of energy and vitality coursing through her, one that was hard to describe. But it was a good feeling, as if the blood in her body seemed to flow smoothly, as if her body itself started to flow, like water. It was all so… smooth. But Suna didn't linger on the sensation. She was evaluating the beast, gauging its speed by making noncommittal maneuvers of her own. It wasn't completely overwhelming, or blindingly fast. If it was, Suna would have made the call to obstruct it, and the two would run.
Satisfied with her understanding of the beast's capabilities, she yelled.
"Restrict!"
Lilt did not hesitate, following through immediately.
The beast seemed to sense the oncoming threat associated with the frail figure a distance away, but impeding it was a vicious, merciless small creature, one whose knife experienced no issues with piercing its rough hide and exterior. It showed a ghastly grin.
"HaaoooOOOOH!"
A very strange, peculiar howl. But Suna felt it, it wasn't a simple noise. She didn't seem particular perturbed, but when she glanced behind her…
Lilt was on their knees, shaking, shivering. Their mouth seemed to go up and down, uncontrollably.
"Lilt!!" But her call was ineffective. The beast doubled its efforts to slash the nimble girl. "Ugh!" Suna struggled to find an opening, but she soon did, using a small window of time to throw a rock at the head of her stunned companion.
"OW!" Lilt clutched at their head, but they seemed to escape their stupor of fear.
"Restrict, Lilt!"
Lilt, back to reality, started chanting again. Suna would not let the beast pull the same stunt. She threw a few knives at its eyes and mouth – most were deflected, but one found its place on the beast's face, eliciting an angered snarl.
It was too late for the beast. It soon found water flooding at its feet, water that crawled up its body, like a vicious slime. It tried to jump away, to run away, but its legs were caught in what felt like mud, yet looked like normal, clear water. It started thrashing and making more cries, but thankfully, Lilt didn't fall victim to the same attack. The water crawled up more and more of the beast's body, all while Suna waited for the right moment. Distracted, thrashing randomly, the beast did not notice a blur flit through its arms, coming close. It tried to bite at the figure, but it was simply too slow.
Shhhh. Suna slid her knife through its neck, like butter. Its neck was too wide for the knife to cut through all of it, but she was able to cut through more than half of it.
She landed, back on the ground.
"Suna!! You did it!!"
"I-Idiot, stay-!"
Suna couldn't stop the beast from enacting one last, final attack. It swiped its arm, flinging its sharp claws towards Suna. She dodged and deflected one of them, but Lilt, who was in the middle of running towards her, was behind her, right in the impromptu projectiles' paths.
Blood. Thump. The vicious beast collapsed into the water surrounding it, letting out a few last death cries and swipes. Blood. Suna saw it run down the side of Lilt's head.
"..."
Lilt was shaken to their core.
"You, You idiot! What are you doing! You…!" But Suna found it meaningless to rebuke them further. She could see. They were learning their lesson, a painful one.
Sigh.
Suna walked over, past Lilt, and bent down to pick something off the ground. Lilt stayed there, motionless.
"Look, can't you, like, reattach it, or something?"
Suna handed what was in her hand to Lilt, who still stood there, frozen in terror.
"I…" Lilt uttered. "...I, I… I almost… died…"
Suna forced herself to be sensitive to the person who was apparently new to this, something that had long become a complete normalcy for her. She gave them some time and space.
"I.. I…" Lilt's knees gave out. They fell to the floor, still upright, their crumpled legs beneath them. And they started crying. "I… sniffle, I, I…" They just made sounds.
Suna waited.
The sounds eventually subsided, somewhat.
"Sniffle, I'm, I'm sorry, that, sniffle, you have, to, s-see me, like this…"
Suna bent down, in front of Lilt.
"Hey. Look. Look at me." Lilt's shaky gaze wavered over to Suna. She seemed unperturbed. "Look, this sort of reaction is completely normal." Suna put a hand on Lilt's shaking shoulder. "You should just be glad. Glad that you're not headless, like that beast is about to be, haha." She tried to lift the mood, but it wasn't easy. "Look. Let's get down this mountain, let's go back to the village, okay?" She extended a hand out. She forgot what was in it.
"Aah!! Is, is, i-i-is that, m-m-m-mi-m-"
"Hey, Hey! Lilt look at me, look, you can heal yourself, right? Look, I'm going to put it up to your head, you're gonna chant your spell, and you'll be good as new, okay? Okay?"
Lilt struggled, but eventually Suna could make out some nods from them.
"Okay, here you go." She put the ear up to the side of Lilt's head. It was all quite bloody, but she didn't mind. She figured it was a far worse experience for Lilt than for her.
"Sh-Sh-Sh-Sh-"
"Hey. Look at me." Suna put her free hand up to Lilt's face. "It's gonna be okay, alright? Just breathe, breathe with me, okay?" Suna exaggeratedly inhaled, slowly, and Lilt tried to join with her. It took a while, and Lilt's breathing would constantly get interrupted by gasps and chokes and sniffles, but eventually, after a long while, Lilt was able to steady their breathing.
"Alright, do you think you can do the healing spell, now?"
Lilt nodded.
"Alright. You got this, okay? Just keep looking at me."
"Inhale. Exhale.
Inhale. Exhale.
Shaanek.
Shaanek."
After a couple of spells, the ear seemed to reattach itself to the side of Lilt's head. Suna figured that if she were to tug on it, it would likely come right off. It seemed that it would only really be back to normal once the body repaired its connections with it, naturally. She was really quite befuddled by healing spells in general. Lilt and Angie both didn't seem to have a good explanation for how they worked, they just accepted that they worked. This didn't really satisfy Suna's thirst for understanding and knowledge, but there was little she could do to quench this deep thirst of hers, especially when it seemed to be normal to simply take a lot of the mysteries of Magic for granted.
Suna helped Lilt up off the floor. They seemed to be doing a lot better. Other than their ear, they weren't hurt anywhere. So Suna helped gather Lilt's sleeping bag, she cut off the head of the beast and gathered its peculiar claws and her knives, and the two started their downwards descent, down the mountain, a hint of blue peaking over the horizon. Suna held Lilt's hand, the whole time.