• Off on the Road to Nowhere

    “So where are we going?” Tera asked randomly.

    “If I only knew…” Koza responded without looking over.

    “Sounds like fun!” She said with a smile. Koza looked over at her and smiled as well. It was nice to have a traveling companion. The two smiled and stared at each other for a while, until they realized what they were doing, causing both of them to blush a little and quickly look back forward. Koza cleared his throat and looked off to the side while they walked. The air was thick and humid from the rain a little bit ago. There was also a thin fog forming around them. The two walked in silence for a while before stopping to rest in a clearing.

    “So, tell me about yourself,” Tera said to break the silence. It caught Koza off guard slightly.

    “Huh?” he said. It was more of a reflex than an answer.

    “I said, tell me about yourself. If we’re going to travel together, we should at least get to know each other a little,” she explained. She did have a point, and Koza was just as curious about her as she was about him.

    “Well…” he started. “Its not a particularly happy story I could tell,” he warned.

    “I don’t mind. Unless you don’t want to talk about it,” Tera said.

    “No, its. I don’t mind at all,” Koza said, drifting off into thought. He proceeded to tell Tera of Adrian, of his hometown, of that fateful night, of why he was traveling alone before the two met each other. All the time, Tera listened intently, never once interrupting with a question or comment. Her eyes were focused on Koza as he talked of his past.

    Koza finally finished with his story. A few moments of silence went by. Tera seemed to be thinking on the story.

    “Well, there you have it,” Koza finally said. “Now then, why not tell me a little bit about you?”

    “Lets see… where to start…” Tera began. “You already know my name. I’m Tera. I was born in a small town high up in a mountain range far from here called Alpine Village. As you have probably noticed, my eyes are white. I was born like this. The other villagers took it as a sign that I was possessed or something. The village turned on my family and ran them out of my hometown. They chased after us relentlessly. I was so young at the time, though I can remember everything so clearly…”

    She drifted off for a moment, staring at the ground. Koza looked at her for a little before shaking her shoulder gently.

    “Tera? You ok?”

    “Huh?” She looked back up at him. “Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Now then, where was I?”

    “Something about being run out of town?” he said hesitantly.

    “Ah, yes. Anyway, there we were running for our lives from the village people that we had once trusted so much. Luckily, we were able to hide out in a nearby tree that was hollowed out partially. As the village zoomed past us, shouting the whole way, we all held our breath and ducked down as best we could. A few minutes of silence later, everybody let out a sigh of relief. With no village to go home to, life was extremely hard from then on, but we managed. And here I am today.”

    As she finished her story, Koza got the feeling that she was still hiding something, but he wasn’t about to question her further. Not after a story like that.

    “I’m sorry to hear all that…” was all he could think of to say.

    “Don’t be. Its not your fault.” She smiled at him as she spoke. He returned the smile with one of his own. They were a lot alike in so many ways. They just smiled at each other for a while before Koza said,

    “It’s getting dark out. I guess this is as good a spot as any to sleep for the night.”

    Tera nodded and went to lean up against a tree. Koza did the same with the tree next to her. Within a few minutes, both were fast asleep.

    The morning sunrise broke through the treetops, bathing the area in a warm, orange-red glow. Koza and Tera had both slid slightly off the trees they were against, and were now leaning against each other’s shoulder, still asleep. Then, then light from the sunrise finally shined on them enough that they both opened their eyes halfway. Feeling something on their shoulder, both looked at each other. When they realized the position they had spent the night in, they both jumped up and blushed.

    “We uh… better get going…” Koza blurted out nervously.

    “Right! No use hanging around…” Tera said in the same nervous tone. They continued on the pathway that seemed to lead to nowhere at the rate they were going. Neither of
    them knew what to expect next, but they knew whatever was in store for them, they could handle it together.




    Next Chapter: Showdown at Aurum Town