The Trek Continues

Osiris was now back on the road. Full steam ahead! It had been almost an hour since Osiris's departure from the clearing and Sylixis. Despite losing his eye, he had a wonderful time in the company of the druid. It had been quite some time since he had just talked to someone. It had been an even longer time since he had spared with someone. Even if the outcome of their duel had not been the one he had expected, nor the one Sylixis had, he still felt he had achieved something in his time with the druid.

The ground beneath him and Dusk was still rocky and unstable. The ground seemed as though it had not been blessed by the rain in some time, multiple cracks spiralling through its surface. Even in the poor conditions of the road, he would march Osiris would march on. He was determined to collect all of the shards. He craved freedom desperately. He had been on the run since he was thirteen. During that time, he had accumulated more and more charges. Plenty of thieveries to reach ends meet, the occasional assault charge. The list went on. When he was a child, he was left by himself and had done whatever it took to survive.

Now, however, things were a bit different. After so many years of running. Of hiding. Of just surviving. Osiris felt the need to live. However, with so many charges against him and a bounty so high it could touch the clouds, there was no way he could live out the life he wanted to, especially a life where he could love.

If Osiris was honest, he felt his chances of love had already fled. His body was littered with scars. Who could ever love that? He often pondered. Then, even if he found someone who didn't care for scars, mental and physical ones. Someone was willing to look past it, to accept him. He still had his crimes, after all. Who would ever love someone who had killed at the age of thirteen?

These thoughts often floated through the Knight Slayers' mind. Perhaps there was hope. Sylixis hadn't flinched when she saw his face, nor when he told her what he went through. Though she may have reacted differently, he hadn't told her the entire story, just what he felt comfortable sharing. Perhaps he truly was helpless.

Despite these worrying thoughts, Osiris pushed on. He still had some distance to travel he also had the constant pressure of time's sword pressed against his throat, pushing him forward. They continued forward at a decent pace, deciding to skip lunch to gain more distance.

Soon the ground began to shift once more. The road they were on practically disappeared. The treck to the Maw was long and often resulted in a waste of time. Nobody found a venture into the mountain range was worth it. Not only was it an arduous trip by yourself, but if you wanted to reach the Maw in comfort you would have to spend a fortune. Not to mention the monsters that were said to lurk in the mountains. For these reasons, a path was never constructed. Yet, Osiris still had to make the journey anyhow.

Looking from Dusk's back he was able to see everything around him. The druid's eye had yet to assimilate entirely, and because of that everything in sight gave off a pale glow. This light however was nothing in comparison to what Sylixis had looked like. She glowed with a vibrancy that he had yet to see since leaving the druid.

He had been travelling for a while now and the sun was just starting to set. Osiris decided to find a place to stay for the night. He soon came across a small stream. He took his time to get off Dusk and soon found a sturdy rock to tie him to.

Osiris then created a small fire. Having run out of fire starters, he used a simple spell, basking in its light. He then looked around himself, long grasslands stretched out before him. Only a few trees dotted the landscape.

A little while after, he had a small meal of dried meats and a few fruits. It most certainly wasn't the grandest of meals but it was suitable for his journey. Not too long after he settled nearby, laying down in the grass. He knew that he would have to rest, but he found it quite difficult when his eyelids gave off a faint glow something he had not noticed until darkness had fully engulfed the small camp.

Not being able to sleep, thoughts began to find their way into Osiris's mind. He wondered what his life would have been like if his parents were still alive. Perhaps he would have found his way into a school of magic. These schools were quite rare and even when his mother was alive they didn't have enough money to send him to one. Maybe if his father was still alive he would have had the opportunity to go to one of these schools. Maybe if he had gone, he would have been able to learn the ways of magic without having to hurt himself in the process.

Osiris had learned magic largely through trial and error. This resulted in many scars and injuries over the years. Even if it was just to figure out how much magic it would take to light a fire, or to learn the most basic concepts. Like how all creatures contained magic. Such trivial things would have been taught in magic schools without even an ounce of harm to an individual.

Osiris pondered the unfairness of the world he lived in and its cruelty. Whatever it might be that caused him pain. He knew that he wouldn't be able to change a thing in the end and that he would have to live in the injustice of the world no matter where he went. Eventually, Osiris fell into a restless slumber, knowing he would have to face tomorrow.