It had been a while since I had been in this place.
There is a light scent of incense permeating the air. The floor is paved with polished stone tiles, arranged in intricate patterns that guide towards the altar at the far end of the massive room. Tall pillars, covered in scriptures older than the Nchāren empire itself, support the high ceiling.
Streams of light filters through strategically placed windows and skylights, illuminating the central hall.
There are not many people around, the few who are present sit three to four benches away from each other as they meditate or pray quietly.
I feel grateful that this temple has been so well preserved, and it surely is in no small part thanks to the new inhabitants of Jin'raeh—Asso, this place is called Asso now.
On the other hand, I find it interesting that the way people here worship is so different from how we did it in Nchāre. Back in the days of the empire, worship was much more energetic and livelier, with a lot of music, dancing, and many other communal activities. Here, it is more… subdued, solemn. Like something that should be taken with the upmost seriousness.
I prefer this one best truthfully.
I stare at the at the marble cross on the wall. I was hoping that by coming here, god would give me some kind of sign, an enlightenment maybe—anything to help me understand why this had to be me.
Of course nothing happens.
"I doubt you will find whatever answer you are searching while staring dumbly ahead."
I look beside me, and a freckled boy serenely stares back.
"…Hello."
"…Hi."
An awkward silence sits between us. I stare back at the cross and he continues to observe me.
"I will journey north… I will not be alone." I finally say.
The boy looks ahead, "I know."
"Am I… am I too late?" I ask after a moment of hesitation.
"Let's hope not." He answers eventually, and I feel my heart drop. If the world ends, it will be my fault, won't it? "I mean… We are still here, aren't we? Anyway, I have two things to give you."
He digs into the pocket of his trousers, pulls out a piece of grey cloth and hand it to me. When I take it I feel something hard inside, I carefully open the cloth to see two objects inside.
One is an unassuming pendant, it is made of an immaculately white crystal encased in a black rope wrapping that forms a net-like structure around it, securing it in place.
The other is… A compass… I think?
It looks like a compass, except that it lacks the cardinal directions and degree markings all compasses usually have. It only has a single arrow-like needle pointing north.
These look like completely ordinary objects no matter how I look at them. They don't seem to be made of any mystical material and are not embedded with any glyph. Even through the lens of my Spiritual senses they appear perfectly mundane.
"Keep them well. They will be invaluable for your journey."
He does not explain why they are going to be invaluable or how I can use them. I also have a feeling he will not tell me even if I asked.
I guess I will have to figure it out.
"Thank you."
I hang the pendant around my neck and pocket the compass in my dress.
"May I ask you another question?" He answers with a shrug, so I carry on. "What is your name?"
He stares wide-eyed, then chuckles lightly. "Oh… Oh. I did not see that one coming—Of all the things you could ask—but then again, we never properly introduced ourselves..." He shakes his head lightly, a smile dancing on his lips. "Greetings Vyswe'eyaga. Please, call me Tchio."
~~~~~~~~~~~
"I will be leaving for a long time, so you cannot come back here, understand?" I am only answered with a contented meow. The kitten licks its paw which it passes over its head. A pick the feline off the ground and look at it with a serious expression. "I am being serious little one, stay with your mother."
I walk to the window and set it down the ledge. "Now shoo."
The kitten does none of that, it just looks at me curiously.
"Go on, be on your way."
It meows once and jumps off. I have a feeling it will not listen, but hopeful it will stop coming here when it realizes I am not there anymore.
I take a deep breath, then exhale slowly.
"This is it." I whisper.
A place a cautious hand over my clothes, straightening non-existent wrinkles. The outfit is made from cool, supple black and brown leather with long sleeves and a high collar, all which hug tightly against my torso, but flows freely down to my knees. The trousers are of the same material with knee-high boots.
I have never worn such tight trousers before—it feels so strange on my skin—I feel unreasonably embarrassed wearing this outfit, but it is the best adapted for the type of expedition I will be going. I still remember how unpleasant it felt to travel with my old robes, with all the heat and humidity and dirt. This one on the other hand will offer me better protection to the elements, so I guess I can endure this.
I check one last time at my bedroom, I did not have many things to keep here but it was still a nice and comfortable room. Now it is as clean as the first day it was lent to me.
With another deep breath I step out and I close the door, only to bump into someone.
"Ah… Good morning Kemfak."
She nods. "I came to say goodbye," she walks closer and take me in a tight embrace, "it was short, but I will miss you."
"I enjoyed our time together." I say, returning the hug.
I like Kemfak, she is calm and mature, but at the same time I always feel flustered when I am with her. It is so strange, she is around my age, but I still feel so much younger than she is. I wonder if it is because she is already a mother of four this early.
"When you come back, let's introduce ourselves properly then. No lying about who you are." She smiles when my eyes widen in surprise. "Travel safely."
She squeezes me one last time before leaving.
At the front of the house, I am further surprised to see not only Kayin, whom I am supposed to meet but also Kembe, Onana, Tatchou, Ebako and Yenge.
"They wish to see you off." He says.
They all come to meet me halfway, and Yenge and Ebako give me a hug.
"Aunty…" Kembe calls out.
"Have a safe travel." Tatchou says.
"You will be coming back, right?" Asks Onana as she comes and gives me a hug too.
"I… I will."
I hear stifled whimper and see that it comes from Yenge when I look down. The poor thing is barely holing in her tears when she looks up at me.
"Stay here." She pleads weakly. "I don't want you to go… Please stay."
"We will see each other again." I kneel down and hold her face like Teacher used to do when I was sad and kiss her on the forehead. "Don't cry."
I make sure to look at each of them. "This is goodbye."
They all bid me farewell as I stand up and walk to Kayin, when I turn to glimpse at them I don't miss Ebako holding his little sister's hand as she continues to whimper quietly. I am moved to see him be so tender with her, a stark contrast to his usual annoyed behaviour around her.
"I… had not expected such a moving farewell."
"They liked you that much." He states.
"Mmm…"
He gently taps my shoulder, beckoning me to following. "We are to meet the others at the city gates… Let's go."
Just as Kayin had said a small caravan is already waiting for us—All familiar faces. I knew that Ike will be a part of it, and that he was tasked to choose those others who are to come with us.
They are Gamba, Azikiwe, and Ewa.
Ewa is the first to spot us.
"Vyvy, it's been too long." She interlocks arms with me when we are closer. "Hmm? Is it me or have you gotten… Squishier?"
"Ah…" It is true that I have added a few grams since we last met, have I been eating that much?
I smile with some embarrassment. "I got a bit carried away, I guess."
"Are we ready to leave?" Kayin asks from the side.
"Naturally." Answers Ike. He glances at me and greets me with a nod of the head.
I go greet Gamba and Azikiwe who are securing the cargo on horses. There are four of them, but only two are carrying less load than the rest. I don't even know why they are bringing so much baggage with them—Then again, what do I know?
"I think you are short on two horses."
They both look at me strangely.
"We are not. Only you and the boss are going to ride." Azikiwe answers.
"This will be a long trip. Are you really going to walk all the way?"
"Vyvy… You do remember that Warriors are stronger than the average person, right?"
Right… I almost forgot that these people have inhuman physical vitality and can walk for hundreds of kilometres without breaking a sweat.
And as if to drive the point home, Ewa carries me by the waist and seat me on one of the horses saddles in one swift movement. I did not even have time to react.
"I believe it is time we went on our way." She playfully winks at me.
Kayin, who had already mounted his horse, comes next to me and takes the rein of my horse. "Hold on tight." He pulls on his reins, making his stride move in an amble at first, then in a sprint.
At that point I am holding on to the saddle for dear life. I was acutely aware of the horses' muscles beneath me—A whole new level of sensation compared to that time a rode with uncle Owono—The rhythm of the gallop is powerful and consistent, each hoofbeat resonating through my body.
I tighten my posture, keep my shoulders hunched and rigid, and clamp my legs firmly around the horse's sides to maintain some semblance of balance and control.
"Try to relax, you are going to fall otherwise."
From the corner of my eyes, I see Ike running next to me—He and the others are actually keeping up with this speed.
"What?"
"Look ahead, not down. Sit straight and centred in the saddle."
I would love to do that, but my body will not move. What if I fall?
He catches on my reluctance to move and sprint to Kayin's level. He tells him something that makes him slow down. Kayin turns to me with a guilty expression.
"Sorry. I did not realize I was going so fast."
A nod is all I can manage to do. The rush of adrenaline has not receded yet, and I realize that my hands are shaking a bit.
"We are not going to reach the Nguo anytime soon anyway so why not take a calmer pace?" Ewa suggests from the side.
Kayin run a hand through his hair. "Right… Yes. We should do that." He looks at me again. "Sorry."
"It's alright." My voice comes out as a breathless whisper.
With the rhythm having slowed down, I can now manage to sit properly like Ike instructed. I look at Kayin's back. He is restless, on edge, and a bit irritated—he has been like that ever since I told him about the prophesy.
I feel at fault for this… No, I am at fault. He was living a perfectly normal life before this, now he has to deal with my problems—Venturing into the wild with no idea what to look for, and a very high chance to face danger. I don't know what to do, maybe talk to him? But I had not been able to talk to him since he and uncle Owono were busy preparing for this journey… Right now does not also feel like the appropriate time to do so.
Maybe another time.
When things would have calmed down a bit…
Hopefully.