Change of Sky

After running for a distance. They reached the periphery of the woods and stood overlooking a lowland in front.

"A bridge and a little walk and that's it."

They slid into the low areas and scurried towards a tranquil canal, coloured in shallow moonlight. Something was missing, a bridge that was supposed to connect the prison with the city was missing.

The figure grasped it's head.

Kanito was consumed in fear when he turned back to see the eerie forest behind slowly open up into numerous pores of light, the guards from behind will be here anytime !

The figure didn't waver, it turned around to face Kanito.

"Can you jump to the other side?" The figure asked,

'Sir or ma'am, I am not a long jumper.'

"No. The gap is too much !" Kanito exclaimed.

Kanito went up to the edge of the land after which, it scooped down into a canal. Standing on the edge was a very wobbly feeling. He immediately pulled away.

The figure turned around and offered a hand,

"We will jump together." Kanito saw the obscure contours on the face, lit up by the faint moonlight. It was a feminine, short face with a flat jaw.

"I cannot jump that far."

The figure made an annoyed sound and forcefully grabbed his hand, "Don't worry, I will catch you up if you miss by one or two steps."

Kanito noticed that the sound of footsteps were becoming clearer and the lights were coming closer but he hesitated.

'This is so ridiculous. I know I am sounding like a coward but I can not jump that far !'

"Come on !" the figure angrily pulled his hand, making him step on the edge again. Kanito stared at the canal below,

'O God, if I die now, please let that be a certain and permanent death.'

"Argh, fine !"

Kanito fixed his gaze on the land on the otherside.

"Are you ready?" The figure looked at Kanito's face for the last time before jumping

"I'll manage." Kanito replied.

After a count of three, Kanito and that figure made a giant leap forwards, flying over the canal, creating an arching pattern in the sky.

They landed on the other side successfully. They were now in the city !

'We did it... I did it !'

A subtle feel of euphoria and relief was seen in Kanito's face.

The figure got up and held his hands again and ran again to a distance, this time in a comparatively lower pace. Exiting the Bakerheim Central Prison, they entered West Bakerheim.

A bull-drawn carraige with a closed roof waiting by the side of the road, The figure went up to the carriage and asked Kanito to get in.

The driver at the front seat turned around at the figure.

"Oh finally you are !.. wait someone else too?"

The figure replied to the driver's astonishment, "Yeah, a messenger of the prince came to me and told me that there might be a prisoner hiding in the forest, he told me that he was unjustly held captive and the prince wants to free him, so to finish off my quota of daily tasks, he assigned me with the task of saving him."

The driver immediately pulled the reins of the carriage and drove away. Inside it, the figure lit up a candle.

He saw her in the flickering candle light, it was a young woman with a round and short face. She had a pale brown complexion, waist-reaching pale brown hair and straight, simple black eyes. She wore a brown himation like a jacket over a white robe, the outfit was held together with a thin blue belt at the waist. Beauty surely lies in the beholder's eyes but in the eyes of standard beauty norms, she will probably be slightly above average and unremarkable.

"But still, how were you able to escape the prison and enter the forest? That's impressive !" She asked.

She slowly calmed the expressions in her face and leaned back to lead out a sigh. She slid her hair back with both hands and took out a mirror and a powdered puff from the folds of her himation, "All these missions, yet my beauty is intact? That's shocking." She looked at herself in the mirror while smiling and arching her brows.

Kanito just noticed a striking feature about her, she had long pointed ears.

The young woman sensed an unspoken question lingering on his lips, she made a serious face and answered, "Yes you are right. I am a refugee, an elf."

Kanito did remember Yuriel mentioning about the demonic invasion of the Elf World.

'Now how do I tell her this without sounding like a predator.'

"No, I did notice your ears but it's not that. Your robe... it's a little scratched in the... private area. Please cover it."

The girl was flushed with mortification and gave her cloak a hitch, she looked away, "Th-Thank you."

Kanito replied with a polite and transient smile. The driver of the carraige turned a little to tell the girl something but he turned the wrong side and looked at Kanito, "Wait, aren't you?"

The driver had messy auburn hair and a long, stout face. He looked at Kanito with a big smile, "Sir!" he exclaimed with a big smile, "I never knew I would meet you again, sir. You, most esteemed gentleman, despite being young, you foresaw the disaster that day and saved me and my chariot from those goons."

"Really?" The young woman was shocked, she patted her face thoroughly.

"Yes and yet, he was arrested. This country's law system has become a joke under Sarstin Eurashio."

Kanito looked at the driver with curiosity,

"Umm, aren't you..." he observed him closely.

'Wait a second, This is the charioteer from that day when that terrorist attack happened. What a small world! I also remember that I acted all grandoise and eloquent in front of him, so I have to keep up the act. But wait.. won't it be too wierd if I instantly recognize him? I don't want them to think of me as a jobeless creep who goes around remebering faces. But if I don't recognize him, it will probably be very rude. I'm not a stalker, nor am I rude. I need to think of flowery words, think !'

"Ah, yes, that egregious act of terrorism on that calamitous day still conjures a paroxysm of horror within me whenever the memories slither insidiously in my mind. Tarry, your visage which once shone with the auroral glow of a triumphant conqueror has faded. Weren't you once a stalwart auriga expertly guiding equine steeds? Why, pray tell, do I find you incongruously yoked to a humble carraige? I tell you truly, it is a mockery of your antecedent association with chariots!"

'Hoosh, those were some words. Finding such words is even more difficult. First I have to think of it in my language and then the tongue alter potion in my body is helping my brain to translate it into Agloic.'

The driver turned back and flashed a proud grin, "Well you see sir, chariots were a past business, or you can say that, now, it's a side business. Name's Barrett by the way, and you sir?"

Kanito's face instantly fell when he was asked his name, he looked down at the candle's flame, thinking whether he should be proud or not while introducing himself.

The flame flickered for a moment, "Kanito Aramishi." he hushed softly.

Barrett seemed a little taken aback by the phonetics of the name.

"I've never heard of that name before, but again, I am a small man, It's not like I know everything."

Kanito smiled at Barrett's words, he turned to the girl infront of him who also had a faint smile, while also patting her face with the puff.

"And you?" Kanito thought the exchange of names between him and Barrett might have made her feel excluded.

The girl stopped rubbing her face as she stared at Kanito with wide eyes, as if she was taken aback by the question. She saw her reflection on the mirror, "Fiona Glorian."

Soon, Barrett stopped the carriage and let go of the reins. They reached the border of West Bakerheim, beyond this lies the poorer section of the city – East Bakerheim.

"We reached sir, this is the place from where you and Yuriel hopped into my chariot that day."

In a way, he told him that they have reached where he is supposed to drop. Both of them had no idea that he was a refugee so they expected him to atleast know his way from the chariot stand.

Kanito looked a little nervous when he got off the carraige. He tried to speak something but restrained himself.

'I can't tell them that I don't know the way ! My secret as a refugee might be revealed. These people don't feel like they will be cruel to me just for being a refugee, given that Miss Fiona is a refugee as well. But still, no one knows who harbours belligerence towards whom. Playing it safe is always the better option – that's what this world has taught me.'

Fiona looked at Kanito with slight concern, "Wait, will it be safe to leave him alone? What if the prison guards had entered the city? I will be safe since they haven't seen me, but him?"

Barrett nodded at her words but replied, "Of course it is not safe, but I need to make sure you get home first, I'm sorry." saying that, he drove away towards the east without waiting.

After waving a goodbye, Kanito turned to a dark alley to his left flanked by buildings. He tried to remember the path which lead to Yuriel's house.

As a teen, he wasn't scared to walk in the dark; however, who would not want a well-illuminated path? Added to that, this place was unfamiliar, with every step being laced with uncertainity, it made him feel uneasy as recognizing the patterns in the night was becoming more and more difficult.

'Only if I had a torch or my phone..'

After walking to a distance, he stumbled upon a magnificent building with its back facing a dark lake. Kanito was sure that this building would've overshadowed any other building if this was daytime. He suspected that this might be a politician's house or a temple.

'There might be guards roaming around in this area, I have to get away from here.'

When he turned back, he stepped on a hard, thin substance – oddly enough, it was an unused candle and even more oddly, there was an unused, thick match. He picked them up.

'Why would anyone spend so much of time in decorating a match? It is silver plated and has intricate red and black designs on it, only if they spent more time on tailoring such designs on their bland white tunics..'

He was about to strike the match on the building's wall to ignite it, but just as he held it tightly with two fingers, it ignited on its own. Kanito was taken by sheer surprise.

'Okay, maybe it's a chemical thing or some tech exclusive to this world. I have more pressing concerns.'

Kanito brought the match near the wick of the candle and slowly ignited it, when the flame was set, he removed the match. The candle burnt in an elegant, yellow flame. He stretched his hand forward for the candle to illuminate his way.

When the candle's flame fell on the ground, Kanito arched his brows as he sensed something off. A mild quake seemed to ripple under his feet. Soon, unclear but loud sounds wear heard. The sounds became louder and louder and then, the entirety of the dark enviroment around him, drew apart like curtains, transporting him to a totally new place. This place was warm, windy and the atmosphere was basking in the orange-yellow hue of the setting sun.

Kanito found himself standing amidst a crowd of cheering audience who were sitting in a colosseum, he was standing on the lowest row of the colossuem which was a few meters above the grounds surface.

An androgynous voice which seemed to come came from every direction spoke up in an echoing tone, "The final round of the Golden Souls Elite League is about to commence !"

Two young men came forward from two sides of the arena.

"Maxim Flores and Aerian Hoffman, show us what can be done by mythologers in the Sixth Age. But remember the holy words..."

A collective slogan came from the audience and the voice, "Ignite the candle and it will you grant you its light. But put its flame to test and it will burn you with fright."