Chapter 2: The first occurrence, I.

Its been 3 days since Blank with Luna, Ran and Cyane had stepped outside the boat and set out for their journey. They were sure getting along, as long as
Blank paid for their food and everything. They walked through the grass fields, an area covered full of green and farmlands, it was the only way to get to
their destination, and the shortest one. Their first destination was Fierre town, a little town to the west of Aishling, its size was small and its population was
no biggie. The town specialized in farmlands, harvesting and providing food and first needs to Aishling during the hard winter seasons.
Cyane was playing with Luna
Hey Blank, how long is it till we reach this town at last, were wasting big time resting out here under a tree, ugh
Eh.. Dont worry Ran, well get there eventually, just have be patient a little longer, it wont be long before we reach. (He really has no patience this Ran)
I dont get it though, why are we going to a town which as you described has farmlands, what is there to find, isnt it just a waste of time?
There is actually a little cavern behind the town which holds some old paintings. They portray some sort of hint that we could use to get a lead on where to
go next and there is even a little library you might find to your likings Ran. (Time that, time this, time time time damn this).
Is there any good dango (some sort of dumpling) shop there?
Um..Im not really sure about that, but why? Do you like dangos?
Cyane suddenly got really excited. Of course! Dangos are love! Nothing beats than them.
Alright, well search out if there is any dango shop out there.
It seemed as if Cyane had 2 weaknesses, one being cats and secondly a love for dangos.
Okay guys, lets get going, were about 8 miles away. (If I could nap just for a while)
The sceneries were full of grasslands, nothing out of the usual, just crop fields, farms, trees and little rabbits popping out of nowhere. The melodic sound of
the birds contributed in making a rather beautiful atmosphere around us, well not all of us, except Luna which had a tiny obsession with them, probably her
carnivore tensions. Weve walked quite the way; at least the weather was fine so we had no trouble moving.. After going straight for a short while we came
upon the entrance to the town. I must admit Ran and Cyane were sort of feverish. They never stepped outside Aishling borders and as such every little
thing they saw came as a hit to them. Their eyes wide open from curiosity and a little thrill that their expressions hinted marked our way inside.
As we walked inside Cyane was aimlessly staring at the shops, trying to figure out if there is a dango shop. Her dango-nature got the best of her. Ran on the
other hand left us alone and rushed in the little library located to the east this town had to offer, he had to get his hands on any new book he could find that
had to do with sorcery. It seems like Ill be the one searching for the paintings, they were too occupied with their new findings and it was only normal since

they never had any experience of the outer world. Therefore I left them behind with Luna and went on to find this cavern behind the town on my own. At
this point there is a need to mention that 5 kilometers behind Fierre lies a beach, Nefrun Beach. It was a rather long beach that would cross around 300
kilometers across Fallowvale. At the north-ends of it was the summer city Pefurum. Needless to say it was pretty active during summer seasons since
humans came across the whole continent to relax and enjoy a good time under the sun-burning beachJust thinking about this gives me a headache and
makes my skin crawl
It took me a short while but I found that cavern. It was amidst the shore behind the town, under the cliffs, hidden with some complex vines. I took a knife
I was carrying and started slashing them down to open a path and reveal the entrance. The cave was rather small at a first sizing. The path led straight to a
single ending; there were no alternative routes inside. It took us a moment to step inside but we started walking , aware of any lingering danger we might get
into; but it was rather silent and nothing out of the blue to get suspicious of though. The only weird thing was that air current from the beach that made a
sizzling noise through the cavern.
Luna, look at these patterns on the walls, they seem to lead us straight through to the end of the cave.
Meoh?
You can talk now, dont worry, nobody will hear you.
Luna had a look around her. Finally!! You had me not talking for quite a while
I think they show an image of a larger room further into the cave but there is a warning, you can notice the beast drawings.
Walking further inside
Yah, here look Luna, the Ancient Istal Language. It says: Beware, for what you seek is dipped in heavy bloodshed, go unprepared and contribute to their
appetite.
Who would have thought, Istals decryptions? Blank, lets go back first, get Ran and Cyane and then venture any further.
And so we walked our way out of the cave, fully aware of what was at the end of it. Luna was finally happy she got to talk after a long while. It was actually
more like her being angry and annoyed that she had to remain silent throughout all this time. I made her understand quickly that it would be like this for
the most of the journey. Now on the other hand we had to go there; we had to make it to the end of the cave if we want to progress any further. Im sure
Ran and Cyane will be able to pull it off, and they must be informed about the danger that awaits us, but Im sure of their skills so Im not scared, they will
do well.
Stepping inside the town I realized it was evening already, time had passed by at quite a speedy pace. It was easy to spot them; Cyane was around the towns
entrance, sitting on a table eating dangos. She had bought like 3-4 packs of them. Next to her was Ran, stockpiled with 3 books plus one that he was
reading.

Hey guys, found what you were looking for ?

Cyane didnt even bother talk, her mouth was full of dango.
Yes, I found a few books, but nothing too interesting. I bought a few of them to have for our journey so I wont waste time.
Cyane suddenly stood up. Where were you yourself? You disappeared out of thin air.
haha, sorry, I went looking for the cavern and I discovered it already.
So? said Ran.
It wasnt really deep but I didnt make it to the end of it.
There were monsters guarding the final chapel, I heard their sounds and made a run for it I said with a sort of smile.
Weak
Lets go guys, we need to finish them off to get what we want.
You mean me and Cyane. Said Ran in an ironic way.
(Poor him) Ok, lets go kill the monsters, do you know what they are? said Cyane.
Um, as I told you I didnt risk venturing any further with Luna.
Anyway, guys well call it a night, its late already and its not wise to try our luck against monsters this late so lets find a place to stay for now and get a move
on tomorrow. (Plus I can finally attend to my sleep loss.)
And so we headed for an inn that was around the middle of the town, one mostly provided for weary travelers. It was fairly cheap and the conditions inside
were acceptable at least. The rooms were clean and most importantly the beds were cozy
Before I got to comprehend it the night had passed by and the sleep was not sleep at all we packed up, had a share of breakfast and left the inn. We
started moving alongside the road that led to the back entrance of the town to get to the cavern. Cyane postponed us for a while before doing so to get a few
packs of dango As usually on the road ahead they were scanning everything around them and they both got really excited when they came across the
beach that laid a short way behind the town. But we had to get to our original destination anyway so I showed them the way inside the cavern and we started
taking a few steps, walking through that one directional road.
Cyane seemed to be excited that we would get into some action; it was visible on her face. On the other hand Ran was having a weirder look the deeper we
went inside the cavern.
Here guys, the room ahead lies the monsters.
Blargh! Ran shouted.
Whats wrong Ran?

Um..Aha...Nothing just that this air current makes me feel a bit confused

Ok, Luna go have a short look on the monsters carefully.

Meow.
It was obvious at that point that Ran was scared of exploring
I made Luna head a bit deeper and check on what sort of monsters were laying in the final room of the cave. After a couple minutes she was back. She tried
to draw with her paws on the sand the shape of the monsters. It was a kind of four-legged one with a tail. It looked like a Tigrun. A beast that sizes around
200 kilos and has an average height between 0.50 cm 100 cm, quite scary at a first glare but nothing too hard for a seasoned warrior or magician.
Theyre probably Tigruns, you all know them right, theyre in the first books youve learned about Beasts. I mentioned to them.
The males have horns whereas females dont. They have sharp claws, they fast and are at most 1 meter tall. Pretty dangerous but Im sure its nothing you
guys cant do.
Yes, we shall kill them.
B-but shouldnt we take our time and form a strategy first? said Ran in a scared tone.
No, Ran you first of all people knows how precious time is. (hahahah) I said.
You are good with Elementalism so your actions are already set. You will use earth magic and root them down, a simple Earth Bind should do it. Whats
your limit?
Ran replied in a more serious manner. I can cast around 5 or 6 binds.
Its enough. I doubt the sounds I heard matched more than 10 of them.
Now, Cyane your task is to slay them down, while Ran will bind them. Only thing you have to know is that you must be fast and Ran must bind in order of
which one attacks so that you can avoid them easily. Got it?
And what will you do? Cyane asked
I smiled and replied Heheh, Ill be the one providing the moral support.

Anyway lets do it alright.

We walked our way inside the last room of the cavern; it was large, spacious and occupied by 9 Tigruns.
Lets do this! Are you ready guys?

Totally! They both replied.

So, Ran stay 15 meters away from those monsters, when I hit the signal you will start binding them. Try to match your pace with Cyanes.
You Cyane, well you know how to kill beasts like this, thats what youve learnt, time to put it to practice.
Yes! Cyane replied with a thrill on her face.
And so she stared a second at me, drew her long sword out and without any hesitation and charged straight at the first Tigrun closer to her. Ran was aware
and reacted immediately casting aEARTHH BIND! Ran shouted binding 2 Tigruns that chased right after Cyane, locking them on the spot!
Good job Ran!
Of course, this is a piece of cake for me he said.

Die! said Cyane with eyes full of hype, whilst covered by Rans bindings, slashing all 3 of them down in a single sweep of her sowrd.
The Tigruns were relatively quite fast moving but thanks to Rans intervention it was made way easier for Cyane to hack them.
It was obvious at that point that Cyane was a very good practisian of the sword; she knew how to weave and kill. The Fallow Knights trained her properly.
Her instincts and skills were far above that of any normal swordsman.
All of a sudden the 6 Tigruns that were left rushed around Ran and trapped him, they were agitated by the deaths of their fellow group.
Ohhhhh, save me, save me!! Ran shouted.
Dont worry Ran! I said while opening my bag, and drew a magic earth stone out, pointing it at the beasts and throwing it.
There, you see! Theyre all bound; now keep them at their place while Cyane will finish them off!
It was easy for Cyane to finish them off like that and so we celebrated one sweet victory against those Tigruns..
(Sorry Tigrunsrest well..)

Good job guys! You did it! I said.

Yeah, we made it. Said Cyane with a weary, happy expression on her face, covered by a portion of her hair.
It was too easy. Said Ran with a smirk on his face.
Yeah, I saw your coolness when they charged at you; you kept your calm, good wits. But lets not forget our primary reason here.
Even though it was their first time, I could see the vast potential those 2 had. Cyane was remarkable; her sword skills could only improve in time, her
ferocity was something you could be intimidated of. Ran on the other hand was uncertain about the faith he had in himself, probably because it was his first

encounter and he was pretty scared, something that the seriousness of the battle made him get over and do splendid no matter the problem. Casting such
spells was no big deal for him; hell be a great magician. Putting that aside, on our main focus, the whole room was covered in patterns and shapes, peculiar
ones that depicted strange stuff and were some sort of ancient language.
Whatre all these patterns? Ran asked.
Cyane was staring at them.
Were not really sure, well draw them on a paper and try to decipher them later on with a book I have.
Anyway Ill head back into town, Ran do the work and copy those patterns with Cyane. Ill go get something.
They accepted what I asked them to do without raising any objections.. Something that was somewhat weird.
And so me and Luna left them behind
Luna, you saw those patterns, theyre the same as Istals decryptions.
Meow, most concerning to see them inside a little cavern like this.
And it was certainly a map. We need to piece it together and understand so we can get moving to our next destination, time is going rampant.
Beware Blank, well have to get any possible info on why such a thing exists right here and who drew them. (Poor Blank)
We reached inside the town and went straight to buy a special dango box for Cyane as a gift for her valiant effort and a book Im sure Ran hadnt seen
before. Im sure theyd like a gift after their first fight.
Meanwhile:
Cyane, hurry, make a copy of all these patterns I drew, we dont have a lot of time.
Im hurrying Ran, Im sure our legion master Mr. Black will reward us for this one.
Yeah, we did great work here today.
Poor Blank though, he doesnt know what hes getting into.
Forget him, he might be nice but he is secretive anyway. You realized we havent even seen his face clearly. Its always covered by his capes hood.

And so Cyane with Ran returned inside the city, Blank was there to surprise them with a gift.
Hey guys! Ive got you a gift!
Woawhat? Cyane replied in awe.

Hmm?
I offered my hands out. Here is this special dango box for you Ms. Cyane.
Cyane accepted it in excitement, she was really glad and immediately opened it to get a taste of the flavor those dangos had.
and for you Ran Ive got you this book you might be interested in. Its named Elementalism: Hidden techniques to boost your magical capacity and
power. Im sure youll enjoy it.
Ran greedily grabbed it out of my hands, mostly curious and interested in reading it. T-thanks Blank, but this doesnt make me think any better of you.
Anyway, heres the drawings, you can have them.
Thanks Ran, now if youll excuse me Ill need some time alone to bring this map together. I said while walking away..
Ok, Cyane Ill go send the copy through the mailbox.
Alright.
I made my way at the nearest pub, found a quiet table and sat, ordered some ice juice and started working on it.
Lets settle down and get this thing done. It wont be easy getting Istals puzzle solved.
Yeah, dont forget you cant decode its alphabet and shapes using your eyes, it takes more than that. Luna replied in a silent tone.
Yeah, damn it all, I might as well take a nap.
Luna remained silent
That guy in black must be a sicko, hes talking to himself. Said the barman at some person staring at Blank with a weird look.
Twas hard indeed, Istals decryptions were very odd, common knowledge of decrypting proved to be far insufficient for such a task. It needed a keen eye,
smart thinking, observation.. But those would prove inferior still unless you had Istals own teachings.
Istal was one of the 5 Great Heroes, aka Void Knights, legendary figures that once protected Etel from great harm. He was a Sorcerer with unimaginable
magic, boasting to hold the All magic., said to be the ability to comprehend all the magic, able to create any sort of spell by a mere weave of the hand.
Something that has been long since forgotten since its been stated that only one person every millennium bears that magic. Its really weird to believe such a
person was forgotten. All those tomfoolery acts of the nobles buried his fortune and teachings along with him; the traitors that once were by his side were
nothing but Fallowvales now nobility.
Istal was the magician that brought Spell books to creation. That term was nothing but one used to describe books about rituals and demons in the ancient
times, but now is the way to cast and channel ones own magic. Thus by making the Magi Pages, pages that hold written spells, Istal managed to succeed in
something no one ever dreamed of. To be more precise a Magi page holds a spell, thus the magician is not required to cast the incantation, just naming the
spell is enough. That not only allows faster spell casts but less Aether to use them, giving more capacity to ones spell limit.

Spell books are common these days and hold up to 5-10 Magic pages, meaning each page is equivalent to a single spell, making it 5-10 spells. Only the
skilled magicians are allowed to challenge themselves and get a higher grade one, surpassing the 5-10 page limit. Although that is a benefit you can still get to
practice spells and use them without any Magi pages, but it takes long to cast and gets weary for the caster.
Blank suddenly awoke yawning
I really did take a nap; ah sleep got the best of me, ngh.
A sudden scratch runs across Blanks face.
Lunaa!
Meow?
UghI got lost into a dream again.
Blanks face was sort of distorted.
A FEW HOURS LATER..
Luna, I think I managed solving it, have a look!
Lunas whispering tone can be slightly heard Yes, this makes sense, Im not sure if youre 100% on it but.. .
Yes, Im afraid we have to hurry because time is really limited and we dont have any more than the time given in this ancient code.
So we made our way out of the pub reaching for Cyane and Ran both of which were waiting with a slightly angry expression on their face. I guess my nap
was a slightly long one... It was night already.
Lets get moving guys! We have to rush our way to the next destination! I said whilst trying to desperately look serious after procrastinating on them.
Tskyou will pay us double for this, you better know this already. Ran said as Cyane nodded in agreement.
So where are we headed to now and whats really going on with those decryptions, Blank?
I didnt manage to make out what those decryptions mean but I found where were going next. So according to your question were moving towards our
next destination ofcourse!
Arghhh!!
Meoh.. Luna sighed.

Chapter 2 - End