Chapter 57 Water That Travels Upwards (1/2)
After Mii dematerialised, Truen decided they should resume their adventure.
The bell was located by the door that could not be opened with normal means. Zero wanted to do the honours of ringing the bell so Truen lifted him high enough to reach it. The bell wasn't made of metal. Instead, it was an electronic one that chimes three times before activating the portal behind that door and unlocking it.
The duo walked through the portal and arrived at the exact spot they left last night. The fire they grilled fishes over had long died out and only ashes remained. The fish bones were where they left them and Zero asked if it was alright to leave everything the way it was.
”It's fine,” replied the elf. ”The forest cleaners will take care of the rest.”
”Forest cleaners?”
Truen nodded. ”Nature has its way of taking care of things like that. When something dies or is left behind that is not man-made, nature will send something to return it into the soil.”
After listening to Truen's explanation, Zero got excited and decided to catch the forest cleaner in action.
Unable to deny the brunet, the bodyguard was caught in another dilemma.
Chuckling weakly, he explained. ”Zero, the forest cleaners won't turn up immediately. It could take weeks to months or even years. Why don't we search for a leaf that matches Gaia's hair colour first? Who knows, we might be able to catch these shy cleaners in action.”
Zero frowned. While he did want to find that leaf, he was also very curious about the forest cleaners. Who were they? What did they look like? What will they do with the bones and ashes?
Sensing the boy's hesitation, Truen threw in a compromise to appease the child. ”We can wait here for two hours if you really want to. However, if they do not appear we should carry on with our journey. Endow Hill is not a very big place, I'm sure we will have the chance to meet them before we leave.”
Reluctantly, Zero agreed and they climbed a tree to hide among the foliage. An hour passed and Truen sniffed the air suddenly before frowning. Zero was on the brink of nodding off and the sudden movement caught him by surprise.
”What's wrong?”
”Rain is coming.”
Zero tilted his head to a side. ”Rain?”
Before Mii could answer, Truen already launched into an explanation about how 'rain' was a phenomenon that occasionally happened. Water would fall from the sky over a large area for a period of time before stopping. The sky would become very dark and sometimes there would be strong wind and loud sounds following flashes of lights in the sky.
”We should take shelter soon, it's not good to stay out in the rain.”
”Why not? Is rain bad?”
”No, rain is not bad. It is actually good for the plants and rivers. However, you might fall sick if you stay out in the rain for too long.”
Zero didn't question further and helped Truen look for shelter. True enough, the sky got darker after twenty minutes and the wind picked up speed. From a distance, Zero saw how the light in the clouds flashed. A low rumbling noise followed it and Zero jumped whenever that happened.
”The rain is coming, do you want to hide out in the lamp until it passes?”
Zero shook his head. While he was frightened of the loud noises he was curious about the rain. ”I want to know how the rain is like.”
For the next ten minutes, Truen ran through Endow Hill with Zero on his back to hasten their search. Fortunately, they found a small cave hidden behind some rocks just before the heavy downpour. It was drizzling by the time they made it to the cave. The gentle pitter-patter got heavier and soon, it became a raging storm. Trees swayed so violently that Zero feared they might break. The lightning and thunder came closer as the dark clouds ruled over the sky. Zero huddled close to Truen, seeking comfort in those arms.
”Truen, where does the rain come from? Why is it coming this way?”