The Hunter and The Sorcerer

The moon is at its fullest tonight. As soon as Aela sees the candor of the moon from up above, she gracefully steps down from the boulder and starts to dance. Her hands flip delicately from the song emanating from the forest itself. She looks genuinely happy. Watching her is like witnessing an angel performing a miracle for everyone who's lucky enough to lay eyes on her. She reaches an arm for me, inviting me to join her. I don't dance so I respectfully wave my hands, gesturing for her to continue on without me. I flash an assuring smile. Damn, the way she moves is like snow falling on an undisturbed mountain. Magical.

          "Come on, Vatic." She reaches for an arm for me again. "Dancing under a full moon invites good luck you know. Plus, it's simply magical." It's like she's reading my mind.

          "Fine. But, I warn you…" I start to come down from the mossy boulder. "I don't really dance." I reach out my right arm for her.

          She yanks me closer to her as our arms touch. I know she's strong but not this strong. I almost fall on her. "Don't worry. I'll teach you." Her pearl-black eyes sparkle the closer I get to her. "Place your right hand here and I'll take your left hand like this. See? It isn't so hard." She places my right arm to rest on her lower back. Even with her leathers, I can feel the warmth of her flesh just centimeters underneath my palms. Her right hand holds my left.

          "This seems doable." I croak but I can't seem to look at her in the eyes. I just hope she doesn't mind that my hand is already sweating. What is happening to me? I just noticed that despite my towering height, she's pretty tall as well so it isn't hard for her to look me in the face nonchalantly.

          "You're too stiff. Loosen up a bit, Vatic." She beckons, slightly shaking her right arm on my left and gently punching my shoulders with his curled-up left hand. I relax my muscles. "There, better. Follow my lead."

          One. Two. She steps back. Three. Four. I step forward. Five. Six. We sway to her right. Seven. Eight. We sway to my right. On the sixteenth count, she starts to hum a familiar tune. I hum back. It turns out that she's humming the song Mother used to sing for me to bed when I was just a kid. With me still humming, she starts to sing the words. What can't this woman do? She's smart, she's sweet, and she can fight, dance, and now sing. Straus is a lucky man to snatch her heart. The song is probably a common thing in the town since she and Mother know it.

          "You have a good voice, Aela." I can finally look straight into her eyes, smiling widely. "I can listen to you sing all day."

          "Thank you. Those sirens aren't the only ones gifted with vocals." She laughs. I can smell her breath caressing my nostrils. She smells so good. Like honey. Sweet and earthy.

          I take the lead in dancing. I pull her closer and closer to my chest, hold her tightly, and spin her outward then right back in. All the while she's in the climax of the song. Before her body touches mine, I break off, letting her spin two or three more times. I catch her, and let her body lean almost to ground the while resting steadily on my arms. The moon once again illuminates her beautiful face. I think I heard her heart skip a bit. She must've been surprised and thought I let her fall to the grassy forest floors. I didn't. I smile, teasing. I pull her back up. She smiles back, blushing.

          "That was… that was amazing." She whispers, looking back up at me. Is it just me or her eyes are even more sparkly now? "But, you said you can't dance."

          "I said I don't dance." A sweat breaks out of my forehead. "I never said I can't." I haven't done that to anyone before. I didn't think it would be that physically demanding. It's obvious she likes it though so it's definitely worth it.

          "You and your words, Vatic. You and your words." She rests her head on my chest as we dance slowly throughout the night. Her right hand is cupping the other side of my chest while her left hand wrapping towards my back. I don't know how I should place my hands from here so I instinctively wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly as she rested more comfortably on me. This dance becomes even more ethereal.

          Our harmonious hums fill the night up. The howls of the wolves, chirps of the crickets, and hoots of the owls sprinkle another layer of magic on the already majestic evening. I could get used to this. The coldness of the night isn't something to be worried about. The warmth I'm feeling all throughout my body is enough to negate the freezing feeling. I know she can feel it too. At one point, she looks at me and her lip is the first thing I see. Her face always sends my mouth smiling but for some reason, they quiver this time. 

* * *

It took us three more moons to finally decide that the coast was clear. Aela monitored all the possible activities around town to see if it was completely free of pirates. I helped her disarm any traps that weren't hers. Thank the Gods we're finally going in. I wonder what lurks inside the walls of Hiraya. What sorts of discoveries are waiting for us there? I just really hope it's something worthwhile. Also, I must fulfill my promise to Aela that we'll find something about Straus. That's the only reason she joined this journey anyway.

          "Are you sure we're going in? Don't you think you need more time out here?" Masid asked sarcastically, stretching his body to maximize the benefits of the early morning sun. I just shot him an awful look. I don't have the time for his banters right now. I'm just excited that I can finally see Hiraya after all these years.

          "If you're all set, let's get moving." Aela beckons, leading the way. Her excitement towards knowing what happened to the love of her life is evident. I'm happy for her.

          The moment we locked eyes that night, I felt my body lean closer and she closed her eyes. I was going in for a kiss but the moment I closed my eyes, the face of Straus smiling brightly at me flashed to my mind where Aela's beautiful face was supposed to be. I stopped myself. It didn't happen. We didn't happen. We just can't. We're just friends and her heart is already promised to someone else. We didn't talk about that night since. There's a hint of regret but I mustn't stray away from my true goal. I mustn't give in to any temptations. In a different circumstance, there could be something between us but not now.

          I smell emptiness as soon as we step foot inside the town. No soul to be seen, no laughter, cries, and chatters which I naively hoped for before coming here. I let my hopes up for nothing. It may have been a decade but I can still vividly remember how lively this town was. The kids are running around chasing each other, the adults are just doing their own business while exchanging laughter with one another and the music that can be heard throughout town is really something to look forward to. All of those are gone. On top of Hiraya being abandoned, it appears that the forest is starting to claim it. All sorts of vegetation started to wrap their way through and around all the establishments giving off another layer of creepiness to it. This is where I grew up, where I was born. I can't let myself be scared. I only feel sorrow. My heart goes to the residents who were once living happily here. Wherever they are now, I hope they're fine.

          "Vatic, are you okay?" Aela grabs my shoulder with her right hand.

          "I'm fine." I rest my hand on her. She doesn't let go.

          "You finally got what you're asking for. You finally saw Hiraya with your own two eyes." I know Masid wants to sound sarcastic but that isn't how it sounds. I know my feelings mirror his.

          "Let's go look around. We're already here anyway." I beckon. They don't contest.

          The first place where my feet brought me is our former home –or the land where it is supposed to stand. All there is is rubble and the darkened ground indicating the extent of the burn it didn't endure. I look at Masid. Knowing how he suffered here that day shoots a shard of glass to my heart. I fail to hold back a tear from popping out. He sends me a warm nod. He walks closer toward me and lets me pet him. It calms me down a little. I search for something –anything– in the rubble and what I find is definitely worthwhile. I found one of Father's green long-sleeved shirts. I glance back to where Masid and Aela are, finding Aela resting a hand on her mouth and holding back tears. She must be that happy for me. Once I get back home, I'll surely tell Mother what I found. I wrap the shirt around my waist and knot it tightly so it won't fall off.

          We continue to roam around town to see nothing but more abandoned homes and growing vegetation. We finally stumble upon the town square where what used to be a magnificent fountain sits isn't so magnificent anymore. I remember it always turned on and doing a show for all the townspeople to see. The rhythmic streams of water jumping from one part of the fountain to another are nowhere to be found. What's left is a dried-up pit of cement and the forest nymph statue built atop. The statue sits gorgeously on top of the fountain. It's said that the statue was gifted by foreigners who fell in love with the place. I never learned who they were though but I bet they're some rich family from the mainland or something.

          A realization hits me. I knew I had seen Aela's face before but I couldn't put a finger on it. I can now. I look at her and the statue and back at her again. She greatly resembles the nymph. I knew it. That's why her beauty is ethereal. The Gods have bestowed a very beautiful gift. I didn't think it was possible but here she is: a woman as beautiful as a deity. I smile at her and she smiles back. She probably is thinking what I'm thinking. These past few days made us even closer than ever after all.

          "You look like her!" I point at the statue. "I knew I saw your face somewhere before." Excitement escapes with my words.

          "People say I do but personally, I can't see it. I'm flattered though." She blushes, gently brushing her hair back behind her ears.

          "Yeah, right." Masid chuffs. "That makes two of us then. I don't see it either." They can both deny it but there's no way they can't. It's like she's the muse behind this sculpture.

          Deities, also known as the nymphs, are believed to be the guardians of the natural world. They may be lesser than the Gods but they possess a tremendous amount of power themselves so no one would want to cross them. For the town of Hiraya, it is believed that its guardian is the forest nymph known as Noicnusa. She's a forest nymph who is believed to protect the townspeople's crops and other land-oriented livelihoods. That is why despite living next to the open seas, the residents chose to focus most of their energy on agriculture. The island is vast enough for that anyway. 

          I wonder what the people felt towards her when the plague hit. If she is real, she must've been devastated. Who would still believe in the Gods or even the deities if every single person you love dearly dies one by one? No one. If they felt they were abandoned by faith then they will have no choice but to abandon that same faith as well. I feel my body tingle when I glance back at the statue. Something isn't right. Some strange liquid is pouring out from its eyes. It's that dark crimson substance I despise the most. Blood.

          "Vatic!" I hear Masid but he sounds so far away.

          Not this.

          Not now.