Project: TheirWorld - Chapter 037 - Part 1

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A Fire in the Night

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TheirWorld

Guin felt her face flush as she stared at the beautiful humanoid form of the Dragon King.

“So,” it said candidly. “Miss Reili has sent you to me for one of my scales, isn’t that right?”

“Yes… my lord,” Guin said with a great deal of uncertainty as she lowered her eyes.

The Dragon King gave her a gentle smile. “You should be proud of the way you have faced me this day,” it told her. “You are stronger than you think, human child.”

Feeling foolish for a number of reasons, Guin looked at her feet until a shining blue scale, about the size of her hand, came into view. “This…” she looked back up.

“It’s only a scale,” it said with a smale. “The grow back.”

“But…”

Its eyes were soft as it told her, “Your words were not wrong - but nor are mine. There are many sentinel spirits like myself in this world - Amikavi and I are even among the lesser of those. With each passing day, fewer and fewer of us have the patience for the ambitions of the Che. Your life, no matter what path you chose to take in the future, will be full of all kinds of corruption - some, more obvious that others - and you may very well have to face your foes alone. You actions have saved the forest and your friends today, but I hope that you do not think that it’s over. This,” it said, waving the scale in front of her. “Is barely a piece of cloth for a scrape. The root of the problem will still be there tomorrow.”

Though hesitant, Guin took the scale from its hand. “I will do my best to serve the spirits now, and in the future,” she told it.

As her quest updated, the Dragon King pat her on the head. “Good girl,” it said. “Wise will go back with you to where Miss Reili awaits. You should have everything you need now to cleanse the forest.”

“Thank you,” Guin said, placing the scale into her inventory.

“We shall meet again,” it said, and with a great whoosh! He, and the surrounding area became mist.

As the mist cleared, however, she felt cheated. They were in the forest again. Had it been an illusion all along?

“Guin!” Jormund’s voice called.

“I’m here!” she called, and ran over to where they were standing.

“Uhh,” went poor Dawl who had probably been unable to see the Dragon King in the first place, “...What just happened?”

Jormund just shook his head as, from his shoulder, Wise said, “We should make our way back to Lady Reili.”

“Let’s go!” Guin said, and took off along with Wise.

“Guin!” Guin’s heart jumped with happiness when she heard Tik-Tak’s voice called her name when they arrived. He came, bounding out from Reili’s cave to greet them, fluffy white tail high in the air. “Guin, Guin!” he cried, bouncing around her feet. Guin reached down and caught him, picking him up to rub his soft, feathery fur across her face. Nuzzling her back, Tik-Tak asked, “Did you find the things Momma was looking for?”

“I did!” Guin told him. “Let’s go bring them to her!”

“Yeah!” Tik-Tak exclaimed, climbing up onto Guin’s head.

“We will stay back here and set up the bonfire,” Jormund told her. Leave the wood you are carrying and we will find a place for it nearby.” Guin took the stacks of wood out from her bag and left them in a pile for the other two to figure out. As Guin and Tik-Tak moved to go in, however, Reili gracefully appeared in the entryway.

“Greetings, Candidate. I assume that your meeting with the Dragon King went well?”

“Well enough,” Guin said. “I have brought the things you asked for.”

From the top of her head, Tik-Tak gasped, “Wow! You met the Dragon King? I wanna meet the Dragon King!”

Reili chuckled, while Guin just looked away unhappily. Tik-Tak didn’t have a ‘one day’ anymore, but no one seemed to want to say it. Instead, she said, “Dawl and Jormund are making a fire…”

“The bodies in the cave should be placed within the logs,” Reili said, looking at Jormund.

“I will start pulling them out,” Jormund said, giving Dawl some instruction. Guin went in with him, and bit by bit they moved all of the rotting bodies out from the cave and into the pit that Dawl had made. Eventually, Dawl also joined them, and things moved quite quickly. Guin was very thankful that Liorax had kept her sense dulled; she wanted to gag even through his buff.

Once all of the corpses had been moved to the fire - including Reili and Tik-Tak’s - all of them gathered around the stack of wood and bodies.

“It’s done,” Dawl said, lowering his head. “I hope this works…”

“This one,” Reili said, looking at the Master Hunter. “This one is a fool.”

Jormund chuckled and pat Dawl on the shoulder. “He’s not so bad.”

“I never said he was bad,” Reili snorted. “Good or bad, a fool is a fool.” Jormund, Guin, and Tik-Tak laughed together as Dawl stood, confused.

Reili stood in front of the pyre a moment, then turned to look at Guin. “It is time,” she said, her voice softer now than it had ever been. “Light us aflame, girl. Set our souls free.”

Tears welling up in her eyes. Guin took out a flint and tinder that Dawl had given to her, and set the kindling off. As the fire took to wood and flowers, the air filled with the scent of a soft, sweet perfume that made her think of a combination citrus and lavender.

And then the sky filled with spirits.

One after another, the spirits of the burning bodies were set free, flying up into the sky, pure white as they began to dance with one another, with the stars in the sky, with the leaves and branches, with the grass and the ground. They raced about the forest, glowing so brightly in their purity that they lit up the forest. Other animals and spirits began to appear and joined the dances of those who had been trapped so long that they had lost themselves. Everything those spirits touched, Guin saw, was purified of the corruption.

Tik-Tak watched on with wonder until Reili nuzzled him. Looking up at her, he went, “...are we going now, Momma? Do I need to say goodbye to Guin?”

With a smile, Reili nodded. “It is only for a short time,” she told her cub. “After all, once our spirits are free, we shall continue on the great cycle of rebirth - and even if we do not remember this life, we shall meet again!”

“Momma…” Tik-Tak looked at his mother with ernest eyes. “Will I be able to protect the forest like Papa? Will I be able to meet Guin again?’

“I do not know such things,” Reili said, shaking her head. “But perhaps if you wish it in your heart hard enough, the gods shall hear your wishes. Now. Say your farewells.”

As Tik-Tak hopped over, Guin knelt down. Their farewell was wordless, for Guin’s throat had contracted in her tears, but she gathered his little spirit up in her arms and hugged him tightly. She kissed his head, and he licked her nose.

“That’s enough, now,” Reili called. “Time is growing short…”