65 The First Treasure Hunt Begins (2/2)

”See,” Elanor emphasizes.

”Daddy would look funny!” Donna exclaims unperturbed.

”It might be fun for you, but your dad would be sad. Do you want a sad daddy?”

”No, sad daddy,” Donna concedes.

Elanor claps her hands together to get everyone's attention. ”Alright, everyone. Your parents are in good hands. Let's get going!” she exclaims.

For some reason the children felt more uneasy after the visit. Still, they gathered up some supplies and joined Elanor outside the village. They looked like a sad bunch with patchwork clothes of fur and broken rusty swords and equipment. Still, Elanor felt proud and led the procession happily.

As they left their ears to twitch as they heard a young girl gleefully tell Kendra and Rosie, ”You can't be mean to daddy, but the rest is alright. If you put their nose by their butts that'd be funny!” Donna giggles.

As they march through the forest to the ”treasure cave,” everyone chats casually. Eventually, the topic turns to Laurel's unusual eyes. It was a taboo topic typically but with the children only have Elanor as a chaperone, so they didn't feel as restrained.

The short Douglas curly brown hair bounces energetically as he walks. After chatting for a bit he finally builds up the courage to ask Laurel, ”What's it like to see the future? Did you know our parents were going to get beat up today?”

Laurel frowns as she thinks about her eyes. She shakes her head. ”It's not like I see the future all the time. Also it's mostly only just a few seconds before anyways so I don't have time to react,” She explains.

”Oh, well that still useful. Have you ever changed the future?” Douglas continues questioning.

”NO!” Laurel yells causing everyone to look at her. ”You can't do that don't say that,” She states while covering his mouth.

”Why not. Isn't that the point of seeing the future?” Roy jumps in.

”No, it's impossible,” Laurel says definitively. Tears almost forming in her eye in frustration. She then continues, ”you guys don't get it. It's like Deja Vu but not... It's more solid,” She looks at her hands as she rings them together as she tries to find the correct words. ”It's like this is how it should be, so I do it.”

”What happens if you don't do how it's supposed to be?” Franklin asks with a shrug.

Laurel looks at him confused and questions, ”what do you mean?”

”Just don't do what you saw. It's easy,” Franklin explains.

”It's not easy,” Laurel says in a small voice.

”What?” Franklin says straining to hear.

”It's not easy idiot! It's beyond hard. It's almost impossible. It's not something a person can decide,” Laurel yells in frustration.

Elanor then steps between them. ”Calm down. Time is one of the hardest dao to understand. How could Laurel understand or manipulate it like that? It's closer to a chain that binds her and leads her on the path chosen at this point,” She explains more clearly.

Laurel nods, ”Yeah it's impossible.”

Elanor rejects this though shaking her head, ”It's not impossible just hard. If you're strong enough anything is possible!” Elanor then picks up a stick off the ground.

”Watch,” Elanor commands. She then snaps the stick in half. Elanor then sucks in deeply her arms bulging. Energy escapes her body as she unleashes it. Even these inexperienced children felt the power emanating from her. Elanor then grabs forward with lightning speed causing the area around her hand to become indistinct. When it re-solidifies an unbroken branch is now in her hand.

”Is that the same branch?” Laurel asks with wide eyes. For her the process was beyond heaven-defying. She could see time crack around Elanor's hand.

Elanor breaths heavily and her skin seems to have turned three shades paler. ”That's right. If your strong you can do anything,” she teaches.

”Wow, you're like a master of the dao of time too?” the tall Louis inquires in surprise.

Elanor looks at the boy like he's an idiot. ”Of course not!”

”But you manipulated time just now,” Louis pushes.

Elanor then kicks right through a tree sending splinters flying. The tree then falls to the ground badly damaged. ”Now I'm all a master of the lumberjack dao right? Forcing something with strength and being a master is too different. While if you're strong enough you can have everything. It's not the same as having mastery over something,” Elanor elucidates to the children.