Chapter 8: A Crooked Bunch (II)

"Like and dislike." Suppressing a chuckle, he flicked his head, removing his curtains from his eyes. "You should know by now I do not attach significance to fleeting sensations." He replied and then thought over something. "God I sound really edgy."

"Hehe." A giggle escaped her lips. She stayed silent for a while, pondering over something, deep in thought. "And I know. I know well that you don't dwell on such things." She paused, letting her words settle in. Settle in on herself rather than someone else. "But since it's not trivial… perhaps, is this place somewhat important to you? You came back to this place afterall." 

Arthur's lips quirked up in a faint smile, a glint of amusement dancing in his eyes. "It's a special place, yes." he replied cryptically, his tone devoid of an outward expression, yet his gaze had a look of unwanted nostalgia in it. "That is why I wanted to come back here at least once with someone special as well."

A troubling sense of mixed feelings settled in the pit of her stomach. There was something about Arthur's demeanour that set her on edge.

Something that had bothered her for three years, since the day he found—saved her. A feeling that he was hiding something beneath his normal exterior. "Good to know you hold something close to yourself." She spoke, hugging her knees. She pouted but her expression was overshadowed by the looming shadow above, casting a veil over her features. 'Special…' She thought.

Arthur's smile widened, his gaze drifting back to the lake below. "Oh, don't get me wrong. I hate this place." The warm smile coupled with his words made it sound really unsettling. As he traced his finger along the rough texture of the ground, he plopped down. Facing Astrid, he spoke again. "This is where I found out I was not normal." 

Astrid's brow furrowed in confusion, unsure of how to interpret his words. There was a darkness lurking behind Arthur's facade, a sense of danger that made her instinctively wary of him. And yet, despite her misgivings, she couldn't deny the strange pull she felt. Like a moth to a flame. 

"I don't get it… you say you hate it but you still came back."

"Hmmm. Well obviously you won't understand. No one other than my parents knows about this." He started explaining. "You know how everyone is either born with an Arcane Art or manifests it over time when conditions are just right, yes?" 

That totally has nothing to do with what I asked… "Yep. I know that much. And also the fact that you and your family, for some reason, can't manifest unique types."

"Yeah." Arthur nodded. "However, it is not the same for me. My siblings left me alone here…" Arthur motioned with his head to the back, where the lake was. "...for a few days when I was a kid. And this is the place that I took refuge in. It was the strong outburst of emotions that forcefully manifested my Arcane Arts."

"Siblings?" 

"Brother, I mean."Arthur smiled once again as he scooted closer to her. 

"And wait, Arts? Plural?" 

Astrid stared at him for a while, her eyes reminiscent of a clear sky. 

"I will leave some things hanging in the air for your imagination to fill."

"...I see." She could only mumble those words, the close proximity making a slow, rising wave of heat rush up to her face. Looking away and creating some distance, she managed to get hold of her confident demeanour. "Ehm, so, err, why me?"

She was happy, to say the least, that he had finally shared something on his own accord. But her mind could not muster up any question other than this, blurting it out. 

Not having enough, Arthur moved closer and pressed his hand against the boulder on which she was leaning against, pinning her in place. A few strands of her hair came loose from the hold, sprawling over her face. Her lips quivered as she looked up at him, his dishevelled hair casting dark shadows over his face. Astrid's face flushed, unable to say or do anything. 

"What- What the hell? What are you doing?"

The answer she was hoping, any little whisper she had hoped for never came. 

"Arthur- Hey! What are you doing?!" She squirmed, as she saw his face grow closer and closer to her. There was a personal space that Arthur had always maintained. To see him so close, in this way, was something she was experiencing for the first time. Don't tell me this is why he brought me to this isolated place… 

Placing his hand near her waist, his arm touched it as it sent a shiver down her spine. 

"This is a pretty big cockroach." Arthur spoke as he pulled it from behind her. 

"What are you talkin–KYAAAA!" Jumping to her feet, she ran off before stopping just before she was about to fall off the hidden platform they were on. 

Grabbing her by the scruff of her sweater, Arthur pulled her back before throwing the cockroach off the platform. Once she looked over her shoulder and confirmed to herself that it was gone, she fell to the ground with a resigned sigh. 

"God- please, don't scare me like that."

"It was the cockroach that scared you. Not me."

Snapping her eyes back at him, she huffed. "That is not what I meant, but that as well!" Folding her hands beneath her chest, she looked the other way. The air was cold. She wrapped her arms around herself, but refused to look back at him. 

Meanwhile Arthur had his hand on his lips, amused, but refused to show it. For some reason watching Astrid get flustered in this way was oddly enjoyable. As she was still facing the other way, Arthur walked in front of her and crouched down. 

"Sorry." He apologised, simply. There was no haunting premonition behind his words this time. Just a genuine apology. Yet, Astrid continued to look away, squirming uncomfortably. 

"You know I am scared of bugs. Don't joke about them again, please."

He can see my face… it's definitely red…

Arthur crossed his legs and sat in front of her. Pointing his hand to the side, a small spark ignited the pine, forming a small blue flamed campfire. Astrid was about to turn her head towards it, however, Arthur's words stopped her from doing so. 

"It's like we are on the edge of a cliff. Waiting to fall." He spoke as he massaged the inside of his palm with his thumb. 

"I mean, we literally are. Although this isn't exactly a cliff…" Astrid's voice trailed off as she saw Arthur hang his head low enough that his hair completely covered his features. "...what do you mean by that, Arthur?" 

Sighing out loud, he leaned backwards. "It sucks, honestly." Astrid blankly stared at him, his cryptic way of talking and leaving out any details always leaving her half-guessing about every matter. "I loved spending time with you."

A streak of chilling sensation pierced her chest. Like an icy claw, slowly prickling away at the flesh. She kept her ears open, determined to not leave a single detail- any single sound out. 

Pointing his finger upwards, Arthur's eyes softened. "The universe has been telling me… brace for impact. A message for you and me. Us." He spoke, his voice getting heavy. "I don't like responsibilities. I just wanted to spend some more time, like a normal human being, before- I guess it doesn't matter. Not anymore." 

"Wait, wait, wait… Arthur. This all isn't making sense. I am still here. I am not going anywhe-" A realisation, or rather, a thought that she had conjured herself popped in her mind like a kernel. "Are you- are you thinking of abandoning me now?" She asked. All she wanted to do at the moment was to cover her ears, for time crawled like a bug for her. 

"I would never do that." Looking upwards, the breeze blew his hair backwards. "Even if hell froze over. But I think our time together might start shrinking." He said as he leaned forward and placed his hand over Astrid's head, his palm towards the sky. 

A single drop of rain fell in it, followed by the sound of sizzle as another drop dissipated mid-air from the sheer heat of the fire. 

"Arthur…" 

"It's going to start raining soon. And I think that is starting as well." As he spoke, he pulled Astrid back to her feet. Taking his jacket out, he wrapped it around her shoulder. "Whatever happens, do not take it off. And one more thing."

"Are we going back? Huh? What happened all of a sudden? What is the meaning of all this?"

He suddenly scooped her face into his palms and squeezed it until she was pouting so hard that she couldn't talk. "I want you to run as fast as you can. I didn't think it would arrive so soon, but whatever. Just keep repeating my name in your head." As soon as he said that, Astrid felt as if someone had poked an extremely sleek, wet finger into her ear, and worked its way upwards until she felt a tether inside her brain. 

"Your name… why? What's wro—" 

Before she could finish her sentence, Arthur pulled her into a hug and then lowered down before a projectile zipped through the air like a missile and then exploded right behind him. The entire platform juddered, a crack running through the thin lining that connected it to the mountain's main body and the jagged rocks that connected back to the main trekking track. 

As Arthur moved from above Astrid, their eyes flicked upwards. On the summit, there were four people, standing with a few mediaeval weapons in their hands. Their silhouettes were dark, but even though the lighting was poor, there was something very- very wrong about them. 

"Arthur- They don't… they don't feel… human?" Astrid seemed to be in a shocked trance, her lithe frame trembling in Arthur's arms. 

Leaning a bit down, his lips touched the tip of her ears as he whispered. "Don't make a noise. Run."

Astrid was about to talk, but she bit her lip. Whatever it was, she definitely could not be of any help. She was self-aware. And she knew that she would be putting Arthur's life, potentially, on the line if she didn't listen to him. After all, he had not once said the wrong thing. Her trust in him was ironclad.

"Oya, oya. What is this? Dwarves on a mountain?" A shrill voice cut through the air that sent a chill down Astrid's spine. 

So much Arcanum… it's even more than Arthur…

"Nonsense. Those can't be dwarves. Forget about the man, even that woman is taller than you!" Another voice, much more… rasp yet feminine this time, spoke up as Astrid subtly shifted, trying to make her way to the nearest support that would lead back to the main trekking track. 

"Ehh? Now that you talk about it, their ears are a bit- wait, Elara. Aren't their ears a bit…strange?"

The sound of heavy rain making its first impact with the ground resonated as Arthur let go of Astrid's hand. Her gaze flicked between them and Arthur as with every passing moment their hostility started to manifest like a dome around them, the mere presence of their animosity making her guts flip out. She could feel the bitter taste of bile pushing against the back of her throat. 

"Perhaps a mix-breed? Still they look a bit—" The woman in question—Elara—spoke and then suddenly flicked her head towards Astrid. "Stop right there." She commanded, the echo of her voice subdued by the ever increasing rain and howling winds. "Thelesa. Go and confirm her identity."

The clouds swirled overhead, and with a cracking sound, the first flash of lighting drowned out the ever increasing darkness. It was only one look. But Arthur could tell they were not human. 

The woman who was ordered to check Astrid—Thelesa—had pale skin and long, spear-like ears. Wet jade coloured hair stuck to her shoulders. She was holding a huge bow in her hand and a quiver was strapped to her hip, carrying a few arrows. 

The woman—Elara—who had given the order had a dark-chocolate-like, brown skin, same spear-shaped ears and a glowing- literally glowing shade of white hair. Her golden eyes were visible even after the flash of lightning yielded its short-lived reign over light to the darkness, peering down at Arthur, her fingers slightly firming its grip on the spear in her hand. 

Astrid was petrified in her path. While she had not taken in the features of all four of them, she could tell exactly that her hypothesis was accurate. Since she had the ability to use and perceive Arcanum, she could differentiate between the specific signatures that differentiated humans—herself and Arthur—from them. 

And the flash of lightning only served to solidify the notion she had been reluctantly entertaining, which she was dismissing as mere whimsy of her mind. Another flash of lightning split the sky into half, followed by a low rumble of the thunder as the figure in the back focused his eyes on Arthur. 

"This isn't Silverglade…" A voice with aged and brittle timber spoke.

It was the old man that was standing in the rear of the four people group, his eyes wide. His cropped jade-white hair was wet, and the creased skin around his green eyes crinkled even further.

"This isn't Eden. This is… They are… Humans…!"