An Unspoken Rule

Surrounded by the rustling forest, he panted heavily as he stood at the middle of the orange lit road. Drenched in sweat, the breeze chilled him down from the heat. He placed Rin gently onto the road, patted her head and soon after took a few deep breaths. Overusing the wind shoes is tiring… He thought and then muttered, “I think we should be fine from the pursuers… For now… “.

She raised her head towards Tony, staring at him yet not, as the eyelids were closed. She finally asked about the sentence that has been stuck in her mind ever since the battle near the Great wall, “Tony, what did he mean with that I will have to go through the same?"

He avoided her, turned towards the dirt road and held her warm hand. He kept walking slowly while lost in thoughts, until he answered, “I… I’m not sure if I am right or not… But whatever it is, those eyes I gave you has something to do with it.”

He picked up pace, fast but enough for Rin not to struggle, “I’m sorry Apprentice… But from now on, you are only allowed to see whenever we are training alone in our journey. Don’t look at anyone but me, yourself and the surroundings. I want you to do this for a few months, I need to make sure of something...”

She nodded without asking why. Shrouding herself in the tattered cloak, she then coated her free hand in mana, trying to form her first small dragon with the help of her delicate fingers as they walked across a crossroads with a wooden sign arrows. One pointing towards each directions, whereas they picked the road with a village beyond called, Maple Hills Village.

Her dragon exploded, glittering it vanished with the breeze. She sulked, yet he smiled and followed the road until they left the woods. Revealing a village on top of a large hill. The name fit the village perfectly. Surrounding the hill was the orange maple trees, together with the houses, placed neatly around the hill like a stair.

Walking closer to the village, he noticed a broken jail wagon, covered in bushes of the distance behind the trees. Tilting his head, he went deeper into the village. Wondering how it could have gotten there.

At first glance, the sun that was about to set, dyed the village like a painting with the bright orange horizon. A place where villagers would run around happily, yet taking the first step into the fountain square, a gentle breeze blew past with a leaf. It was empty, the whole village was empty.

She twitched his hand and asked, "Where is everyone?"

He looked around, as a metallic screech sent shivers down their spines. It came from the gap behind the window at the house to the right. Sneezing he gazed closely at the wooden window, turning back with another sneeze, he quickly picked up pace with Rin.

"What's wrong?"

"Shhh, they are watching, lets leave the village and find a place outside to camp for the day." He whispered, glancing at every window with a gap and a glint of white hair.

She nodded, followed closely as they left the village. After they had gotten far away, she asked Tony who took another look behind them at the distant village on the hill. "Who are they?"

"The beastmen that escaped the wagon pulled by the wind horses. You know... the one that passed us with the old man."

Gazing down onto the road, she stood still, forcing Tony to stop dead on his tracks. Head raised towards him, she asked, "What about to the villagers?"

He made a bitter smile, "Don't worry, they are probably safe. If they did do something to the villagers, it will take some time to clean up the mess... Not something that can be done in one day." Is what he wanted to believe, but with magic in their disposal they could easily cover the bloodshed in illusions. Not that it would affect him, but Rin on the other hand would be, unless she took a good look around with her Royal Eyes.

Sighing, he gently pulled her arm, quietly they both continued through the road, passing the hills covered with swaying tall grass with the height of Tony’s waist. While they did, the grass beside the road rustled a few times, wild critters appeared, running from left to right to hide from the newly discovered magician before them. He left them alone, but when a few fluffy rabbits the size of handballs appeared on the other hand, they got toasted for the day. With Smoke rising from the campsite while the sun fell, resting near the campfire, the bathing warmth soothed them

Tony rolled the stick with the rabbit meat, making sure that the spiced meat cooked evenly as he powered the fire. The aromatic smell and the crispy sound filled his mouth with drool. He gulped and soon after checked on Rin at the other side of the flickering fire.

She was smiling while sweating heavily, she could finally form her first dragon as she sat on the other side of the fire. Though, she still has a long way to go, since it only had the form of a dragon and the part where most apprentices struggles is forming the details itself. Or so his master told him.

He chuckled, he himself made a highly detailed one in one day. Not missing the the sharp claws, teeth, the tiny scales and even the silky wings. He bragged about it to his shocked master while also covered in sweat like Rin, yet one could wonder how he could accomplish such a feat in one day.

Was it because he was good at imagination, one of the strongest weapon of a magician?

He wondered as he stared into the fire, recalling the past before the incident in the plane. Back when he was just a kid like all the other kids out there. Playing with their friends, families, going to school whenever they had to. Study for the test, homework, physical activities or simply play games together.

None that he actually liked… Scratch that, he loved to play games a lot and read books whenever he had the time, but mostly. He liked to paint alone in a room, somewhere none would disturb him as he relaxed with his brush. The only place where he could let his imagination flow beyond the limits and also something he could do without struggling. It was the only subject he excelled in at school, the rest was at average. Maybe this is why I have such a easy time to learn magic? He thought, wondering if he could ever return to the memories he cherished.

Tired from using her mana, Rin sighed. Taking a break as a wind breezed through the swaying tall grass surrounding them, it chilled her body from the heat and sweat. She hugged her knees with the boots that reached her thighs, tilting her head as she gazed upon Tony curiously.

With a wry smile, he was gently swinging his dominant hand around the air. Holding something while he did, yet not. He was lost in thoughts, forgetting about the meat that was starting to get cooked on one side more than the other.

Crawling forward as he was staring off to the distance, she rolled the stick with the meat. Continuing where Tony left off as her small chest tingled with butterflies. Not because she was hungry, but because it was urging her to ask about what’s in his mind, about his past, about who he is and why he doesn’t use his power for world domination.

Tempted she gently opened her tiny mouth, yet closed it right after. She couldn’t. She was afraid that if she did, she would walk on the invisible thin ice. As if an unspoken rule has been set between them without both of their consciousness.

She gazed upon his black eyes. Over 8 days has passed, and he still hadn't asked her about herself, why she wanted to become a magician and what gave her the will to continue the day they first met. As if he was respecting her private life and thoughts. Making it awkward and hard to strike up a conversation between them about themselves, about their past.

She sighed again, she barely knew anything about him, yet she still idolize him in a affectionate way. Someone that cared for her, love her for who she was. She shook her head from the reddened face. She wanted him to be like her mother, her mother with the white fluffy ears she loved to cuddle with. Also the fluffy and soft tail, filled with warmth that tickled her cheeks and nose like the red cloak he had.

Tears rolled down to her red cheek. I want my mother back, I want to snuggle with her, She thought, sniffing for a while until her heart tightened when a handkerchief gently covered her teary eyes.

He sat down beside her, brushing of her tears, he said. “Tears doesn’t suit you apprentice… Besides it seems your eyes is now used to my mana.”

She avoided his eyes, the eyes that stared into her as she took the handkerchief and brushed her wet tears herself.

He did it again… Apprentice… She thought.

Smiling he cut the meat in slices with his wind magic and distributed the meat evenly in two bowls, “The food is done… shall we dig in?” He asked, handing over a bowl filled with steaming meat together with a fork towards her.

Keeping the handkerchief for unknown reasons to him, she grabbed the bowl and fork. Inspecting the meat with her small hands around the bowl, she began to smell the meat with her tiny nose, it made her smile towards him. He shrugged and quietly they sat next to each other.

Blowing the steam off from the meat, they took the first bite with a crunch. It was tender yet soft enough for a slight bite to cut through the slices and the crusty skin, it leaked salty juices together with the unique taste of the rabbit, or in Tony’s case chicken and filled his mouth with drool as he munched them down.

Rin grinned, gave a thumbs up, the taste of the spices they had gotten from one of the villages they had passed in the country once called Photos did their work.

Together they watched the glittering stars at the open field surrounded by the dancing tall grasses. The stars that filled the black sky, the stars that was afterwards covered by the orange clouds and orange sky as leftover smoke rose to the air from the campfire.

Birds chirped, the sunrise blinded Tony as he blinked a dozen times to focus. Trying to reach the sky with his heavy hand pulled by gravity, something soft yet heavy held his arm down. Turning his head to the right, he noticed the tiny lips point blank.

How did she get here? He wondered.

He turned his gaze back towards the bright sky. Reaching his hand out with the other, he created a large ball of water. Dropping it onto his head and Rin’s, he woke up from his drowsiness whilst she jumped to the air.

Soaked in water, he stood up gasping. Stretched his arms and said, “Good morning…”

She was silent. Not because she was angry, but because she was still tired.

He shrugged, used water magic to remove the water and then patted her head.

“We can’t stay here for long, I’ll let you piggyback me whilst we continue our way towards the capital.”. Time was of the essence, sleeping for too long might give the pursuers more time to catch up. Even if he had covered a long distance by foot.

She nodded, shrouded herself in the tattered cloak to avoid the sun as she walked slowly around him who crouched down into position with his cloak. She jumped onto his back and held around his neck, resting her head on the warm back.

Holding her pale thighs he marched, marched past the tall grass beside the road for a while until he stopped dead on his tracks from a familiar sound.

“Rumble, rumble, rumble…”

“Oi! It’s you guys again!” The happy old man waved, calling out to them with his wagon pulled by the strong two horses.

He parked beside them and said, “Hop on, I’ll drop you off near the Capital city of Afauthien! That’s where you were going right?”

Tony smiled, used wind magic to propel him onto the wagon filled with less hay than yesterday. The horses must have eaten some, he thought, placing Rin gently onto the stack of hay, brushing her white and black hair into the hoodie to hide them.

While Tony did, he whistled from the wind magic that always amazed him. He soon after said, “Hip hip!”. The two horses started to march, continuing on the dirt path as the old man struck up a conversation. “Hey, did you see the great wall? It’s totally in crumbles!”

“Yeah, luckily we passed it before the wall broke down” He replied, laying next to Rin as he gazed upon the bright blue sky.

“Heh, lucky indeed… For me it took a while for them to clear a path. Though while they did, the royal magicians of Afauthien asked around for information from the passing travelers… Which includes me.”

Tony rose an eyebrow.

“I believe they asked about someone with a red cloak, someone like you…?”

“Eh? Did he? Must be someone who loves red cloaks”

“Nah, I believe it is you, no I know it’s you. But I told them that I saw you on the road towards Arkantos. More because I believe from my intuition that you didn’t do it, not without a good reason”, he laughed.

Tony laughed back and asked, “Did you pass the Maple Hills Village?”

“Yeah, the villagers were really nice to me, maybe a bit too nice? As if they were celebrating about something. Not that I really mind, at least their food filled my stomach!”

“Heh, I can guess why… But, how was your day at the Mountain of Snakes, did you find what you were searching for?”

He smiled, searched for something inside his chest pocket and threw a leather bag that landed on Tony's nose. "Ops..."

Grabbing the tiny bag, he opened it. Revealing scales with unmatchable glittering rainbow colours that shone brightly like the sun. “Wow…”

“Wow... Indeed, if only you could see the real deal, you’ll probably be blinded by the light. Though I got really lucky, those snakes are known to be shy...”

Giving the bag back, he recalled why the old man wanted to pass the borders and asked, “You told me that you were going to the Flower Garden, right?”

“That I am young man! Why you ask?”

“Well… When I have time with my apprentice, I think I’ll will take a look to see if what the rumours says are true.”

“Please do young one, you’ll not regret it. Besides, girls like her would be happy to see them.” He snickered.

“Probably…”

Tony was suddenly quiet, making the old man look behind if to find out the reason. “What’s wrong?” He asked, eyebrows raised.

“I… I might have done a great mistake that I am regretting for my life…”

“Tell me young one, and I’ll see to if I could help you.”

Would it be right to involve a passerby into this mess? No... I barely know him. Yet this familiar feeling… Tony thought for a while and then finally answered, "Sorry... I can't involve you afterall..."

He shrugged, "If you say so, I will not prey any further... Just remember, if the shackles is too heavy for you yourself to bear. Share it with someone, someone like me. A old man who would be happy to help a youngster like you!" He tapped his chest.

Tony smiled, he doesn't know why. But the old man always made him calm with his overflowing energy. As if the container was sharing some of it to him.

"Well… Anyways, if you are tired. Just rest for a while and I’ll wake you up when we arrive. Probably in a few hours.”

“Thanks…”

“Heh… No worries.”

Being in the old mans care, he slowly closed his eyelids from the light. Sleeping comfortably as if he was at home, a place where he can rest without worries.

The wagon made its way towards the capital city of Afauthien as Rin and Tony slept quietly.