146 Nothing to Worry Abou (1/2)

After a couple of days worth of rest, the time had come to leave the city of Haufin. There were still four more 'great wounds' that required their attention. Reed and Lu'um knew that time was running out... for everyone. Their success in Centlani Deep had helped delay the slow crawl of decay in the world, but it would not be enough to reverse the situation.

They could not stay in one place for too long; every day wasted was a day closer to the inevitable end -- the prophesied Eventide of Faith.

Reed and Lu'um had considered every option available to them and after much discussion came to the quick conclusion that they would need help for the next great wound on the list. They had been given a specific, required order to follow by her.

There were some wounds that needed immediate attention depending on the severity of the infection and the next one was second on the list after the wound in Centlani Deep. In fact, it would have taken first place in terms of severity had Centlani Deep not been on the verge of blowing up.

Reed felt something in his gut telling him that this was probably predestined. He and Lu'um agreed on the hard fact that they would not be able to handle the next wound on their own.

They would need help. It was not something they were too thrilled about, but they knew better than to let their feelings get in the way of the immense task they had been given.

Lu'um did no have any qualms about returning and surprisingly, neither did Reed. She knew that Reed had grown and then some, but she had not expected for him to have agreed with her on the spot when she made the suggestion. Reed's calm response had shocked a little bit too at the time.

She had expected a little resistance, but...

”My feelings are of no importance in the face of an impending apocalypse, don't you think? We have a job to do and I intend to see it completely through, no matter what I have to do.”

Reed had been correct, but the way he had responded genuinely scared the living hell out of Lu'um. Were it not for her warrior conditioning kicking in, she would have gone into a flight or fight state. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, screaming at her brain to do something, but she held firm like a mountain...

For a brief moment, she actually thought that... he had returned. Reed had sounded exactly like him, all the down to the intonation and cadence.

...A truly frightening prospect, indeed. I cannot even begin to imagine how terrible Reed would become had he decided to follow that man's path instead of his own.

Thank Heaven that he actually overcame his own 'Colelectli,' his self-destructive urges, and finally took hold of the Mark of Responsibility for himself.

Lu'um quickly destroyed the nightmarish idea and reigned in her breath, which had, unexpectedly, become slightly staggered and unfocused. A very thin veneer of cold sweat had also formed on her skin... not that Reed noticed as he had been too focused on remembering the faces of the people he thought he failed.

Even so, Lu'um did not get any sleep that night. Not with those accursed nightmares haunting her whenever she closed her eyes...

The following day, they set off toward their next destination and bid the city of Haufin farewell. In the end, Reed enjoyed his short stay in the city, despite his general wariness over the many Eisalons that called it home.

They flew straight over the eastern coast for several hours, and then took a sharp turn toward the west for the better part of the day until they finally arrived... at the Shining Nexus, the capital of the East.

It was still the same city as Reed remembered it, though it was not as if he had expected it to change much, if at all since he left. The Avunians were the longest-lived race, after all. For a mortal Avunian, a year was akin to a month for a mortal human.

Their perception of time was fundamentally different than that of all other races by far, so it made perfect sense that nothing had changed.

Reed had missed the Shining Nexus, despite not having explored much of it during his tenure as a prince. He always regretted that missed opportunity, but it was different now.

The first time Reed had come to the Shining Nexus, he had already been made a prince without his knowledge. This time, he had come as nothing more than a stranger -- a mortal from some random corner of the world. He was no longer a sacred son of the Alf.

It was a liberating experience being a nobody. Someone who was not beholden to the responsibilities of a prince. As magnificent as the view from the royal spire was, it had cost him many experiences that existed below on the ground. Suffice to say, Reed had not enjoyed the noble life he had been forced to live like a prince.

He would rather bite his own tongue off than attend another noble gathering.