The Zodiac War

🌚The night walkers🌚

Arla and Terran walk along the through the trees. It is dark and the only light is cast by the bright moon. Terran has to jog to keep up with Arla.

"Can we stop walking now?"
He asks.

"No."
Responds Arla.

"Please, we've been walking for hours, it's night!"
He groans.

"You choose to come with me, you choose to follow my rules, and they say we keep walking."
She shouts, not once turning round.

"Why are you so uptight."
He retaliates.

Arla pauses and turns around.

"Why am I uptight!? WHY AM I UPTIGHT!?Maybe it's because my father was taken and brutally killed by the Scorpios, maybe it's because I have no one, my clan is the only one that's isn't twisted or MIA. Maybe Terran, just maybe, I'm uptight because I am completely and utterly alone!"
She shouts, Terran stares into her eyes. Tears pour down her face. Her muscles are tense and she is breathing heavily. Terran slowly reaches for her waist and warp as his arms around her. He pulls her in to a deep hug and the both collapse to the floor, he gently whispers in her ear.

"Your not alone anymore."
Arla hears the the smile in his voice. As she relaxes into his embrace, she realises the sacrifice he had made for her, he had given up the chance of getting powers, real powers, he'd entered a whole new realm without any sense of what to expect and he'd walked for hours on end, all for her. Maybe she really wasn't alone.

***
Terran wakes up first, he looks down and notices him and Arla had fallen asleep. She is cuddled against him, a smile spread subtly on her face. He smiles and closes his eyes again, the morning sun warms his face. They pay like this for another thirty minuets, before they here the sound of metal armour clanging against more metal. Terran and Arla bolt upright, they look around and in the distance here the shout of a woman.

"C'mon soldiers pick up the pace!"
It shouts.

Arla stands straight up and begins to run to a nearby river, Terran follows her. They both dive into the water and swim down the bank, the come to a small gap in the rocks, they cling onto the moist rock and peer round at the group. A group of soldiers lead by a hooded woman. She strides through the trees. They are all dressed in deep red uniforms the girl stops and turns around.

"Hurry up you maggots!"
Shouts the girl again.

Terran whispers.
"Is that?..."

The girl drops her hood to reveal her blonde curly hair.

"Harriet."
Whispers Arla.

"What are they doing here."
She says, slowing paddling away from the rocks.

"Arla, it's just a patrol, don't forget what we came here to do."
He says, she gazes into his warm eyes.

"But why is Harriet here, her patrol never comes this far into my realm.
She says.

Arla swims out as if to follow them but a dim glow from further in the cave beckons her back.

"What's was that?"
Asks Terran.

"I don't know."
Responds Arla.

The two swim into the cavern to find a cave perfectly carved out of the rock. Swimming onto the shore., they gaze in wonder at the green crystals that illuminate the cavern. A small water fall trickles in the middle, above it is engraved an unknown sentence in ancient Zodian. The glowing seems to be coming from behind it.

"What is this place?"
Asks Terran, he ruffles his hair flicking water around.

"I used to come swimming in this river when I was little, but I never knew this cave was here."
Arla replies whilst she wrings out her hair too.

Their footsteps echo in the cave. Terran peers into the water fall, Arla strokes her fingers across the water. She steps through it into another cave, Terran follows her quickly not wanting to loose sight of her. They peer around the smaller cave, there is a meter wide ledge that circles the room, three meters away from this ledge is a circle island, in the center of the island is a green light illuminating a neatly rolled piece of parchment, tied in the middle with a golden ribbon.

"The map."
Says Arla.

The two of them peer over the edge, Terran kicks a pebble of the side, twenty seconds later it hits the floor sending a dim echo up and out of the circular trench. Terran looks up.

"The question is, how do we get it."