Lost Fantasy-The Flowers of Stelis (Arc 2) [Hiatus]

Chapter 48

The journey to Rostindel was long and dull. It was also constantly accompanied by the low temperatures of winter. However, it was because of this silence before the large storm that the party could truly rest and slowly ease themselves back after taking a few days off for the New Years holiday.

The journey from Astalan to Rostindel on paper was supposed to take about two days, which meant that the party was scheduled to arrive at Rostindel at dusk of the second day. That, therefore, meant the party will have to spend the night in the wilderness, camping underneath the starry sky above and in the severe cold of the night. However, they were ready for it. This is the reason why they had brought along a tent that they could build quickly as well as Heat Crystals, a type of Mana deposit that releases heat when crushed.

Loganel's fingers were stiff as he tried to tie the ropes into knots in a fashion so that it held up the tent's exterior as well as the cloth that covered it. This is a big tent, which is the reason why the male members of the party were all involved in the pitching of it while the female members took on the simpler tasks of starting the fire and preparing the food.

"Come on, you're gonna have to pull harder than that, Tetsuya," Kaz called out to Tetsuya during the process.

"I know," Tetsuya responded as the two struggled.

Loganel on the other hand, focused his attention on the task that was assigned to him. This allowed him to complete his task with great efficiency and the final product was of a superior quality. He let out a tired sigh as he forced himself up from the squatting position he was in earlier. After he had rose to his full height, he discovered that Marilin was standing behind him with two cups of warm water in her hands.

"Here," she offered him a cup with a light smile.

"Thank you," Loganel accepted the tin cup and consumed the warm beverage that quenched his thirst. He then looked over at Kaz and Tetsuya and discovered that Kaz seemed to be having some fun by himself as he fidgeted with the ropes and the framework of the tent on his side.

"When will he ever learn?" Loganel heard Marilin sigh.

She then left Loganel by himself and proceeded to walk over to where Kaz was standing, scolding him as she handed him his beverage. Not too far from them, Tetsuya stood with Sheriel, who also handed him his beverage and offered to wipe away his sweat with her handkerchief.

Once the tent was all set up, the boys sat down by the fire, warming their stiff fingers and hands in its steady warmth. Loganel could feel the warmth slowly slipping back into his body and down to his toes, which were ice cold just a few moments earlier. As he sat there, Loganel stared into the crackling fire, zoning out completely from fatigue and allowing his mind to wander off on its own. Around him, his party mates engaged in a casual conversation as dinner was being prepared by Marilin.

Loganel was snapped out of his trance when dinner was finished. Marilin was handing him a bowl of hot broth and seeing that he wasn't responding, she started calling his name. However, that voice of hers was unable to reach Loganel for he was too engrossed in the memories of the past when it was just him, Azura, and Juliana. Back then, everything was so much simpler. The intent was to just make enough money and hone their skills. Those were the good days in his eyes. Now, things were so complicated with all the politics involved. Loganel was then pulled out of that world when someone began shaking him gently.

Loganel's consciousness soon returned and the world around him returned back to focus. Before him was Marilin's concerned face as well as the bowl of steaming hot broth that she held out towards him. A person's hand was placed on his shoulder, and looking over in the direction of the hand, following up the arm and to the owner, Loganel discovered that it was Kaz who had shook him back to reality.

"You alright?" Marilin asked in a concerned voice.

"I'm fine," Loganel smiled and accepted the bowl from Marilin. "Thank you."

That night, the five slept in the single large tent in order to save money and preserve heat. They had brought multiple wool blankets to use in the cold nights of the winter, and in addition to that, they crushed a Heat Crystal to provide them with desperately needed heat that ensured that they would not freeze to death.

That night, Loganel slept peacefully. He dreamt of something but he could not recall it, which is unlike the dreams of that mysterious world where the boy Logan had inhabited. However, all that Loganel knew was that when he woke in the morning, there were tears rolling down his cheeks. Since he wasn't the first one that woke, Marilin, who had woke before the others, saw those tears flowing. She didn't ask any questions though, which made Loganel glad since he didn't have the confidence that he'll be able to engender a response that would be deemed acceptable.

"I'll go make breakfast now," she whispered to him as she approached the exit of the tent and was about to push past the dangling cloth that blocked the exit. "You can sleep for a bit more if you want."

"Do you need help?" Loganel asked as he rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"I'm fine," she then said. "You should definitely rest more. You seemed quite tired yesterday."

Taking her advice, Loganel laid down once again. However, he was soon disturbed by the sound of Sheriel stirring. He opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the girl. It would appear that she wasn't aware of him being awake for she approached Tetsuya in a bold manner and gently stroked his head, smiling as she did so.

Loganel felt quite awkward in his situation, so he intentionally turned his body in order to notify her that he's slowly stirring. When Loganel sat up a few seconds later, he intentionally yawned and rubbed his eyes once again in order to make it appear as if he had just woken to keep Sheriel and him from an awkward situation. His plan worked for Sheriel had ceased her actions and had returned to where she originally laid. She made it seem as if she had just recovered from her slumber as well.

"Good morning, Loganel," she said with a yawn.

"Good morning." Loganel intentionally responded to her in the most casual voice he could muster, but the image of Sheriel gathering her courage and gently stroking Tetsuya's face was burned in his mind.

After consuming breakfast, the party continued on the road once again. The journey, like the day before, was long and dull. There were no surprises on the road, which Loganel was glad for. However, without any distractions, Loganel's attention was entirely focused on the cold temperatures. He shivered as the wagon progressed on the road and he removed his gloves in order to rub them together in order to generate heat to warm his stiff fingers.

Loganel was never more glad to see tall city walls than when he saw the city walls of Rostindel in the not-too-far distance. They were finally there without any problems on the road. However, that did not mean the journey was an easy one for it wore Loganel out both physically and mentally. He couldn't wait to lay down on a soft bed by a warm fireplace.

After entering the city before the gates closed for the night, the party made its way to the Adventurer's Guild in the city to check in. There, they confirmed the quest they had taken on and asked the attendant that manned the front counter for suggestions for inns. After acquiring that information, they made their way through the city, arrived at the inn that was suggested to them, and checked in.

Once they were led to their rooms, one for the boys and one for the girls, Loganel allowed his entire body to relax as he fell down onto the bed he picked out. The pillows were soft and the bedsheets were warm. That night, Loganel slept peacefully, but even then, when he woke up in the morning, there were still tears flowing down his cheeks.

Author's Note:

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