"Hey August see my new weapon, i mean it's the old one but …you got it right?"
Shelly frowned as she slowly lowered her battle axe. The amusement in her eyes slowly faded away, "August?" Then she dismissed her weapon, taking a step ahead and simultaneously shaking off the blood from her clothes and asked, "Uncle Logan, where did August go?"
Shelly hid the disappointment in her expressions realising that she lost a chance to show off her new weapon to August, again.
"Oh the young lord, little Shelly?" Logan replied making sure the other bucket of milk is safe, "He said about having important work and went into the direction of woods".
"Man, that boy" Shelly sighed, turning in the direction Logan just pointed, "What about his bleeding wounds?"
"Should we follow him?" Asked Logan with genuine concern.
"Don't worry" Shelly waved a hand, "He is not the person to do anything without a cause. He'll come back himself." Shelly clicked her tongue, "If he takes too much time I'll just come back for him".
Logan seemed in agreement with Shelly on this. There was hardly anyone in the town oblivious to the kind young Lord. While it was true that he was ambivalent and didn't possess magical abilities like his parents or even his peers but in truth, he was of a great sword skill, which Logan himself witnessed just now.
Not to mention his behaviour was generous and kind towards all the townsfolk. Might be due to his parents' values and fine upbringing.
"Shall we go then little Shelly?" Logan asked the young warrior girl feeling both proud of her and happy to be alive.
"We can, yes. However…" her eyes stuck at the corpse of the beast, specifically at its shining claws, "Uncle Logan? How much will the claws of a lesser beast make these days?"
"Well, what do I know?" Logan answered, letting the businessman in him speak aloud, "Only thing i can say is they aren't cheap" Shelly's eyes glistened with the idea of so much money which ultimately would mean more food for her. And various types at that. Shelly wiped the drool off her mouth and continued listening to the vendor, "Even its meat would be to die for."
"Nope" Shelly said without thinking twice, "I won't eat that" Then she shivered, "Yep. Definitely, never"
Normally she wouldn't have any problem eating the delicious flesh of a lesser beast, it was a kind of delicacy in their area after all. But today, Shelly was reluctant to eat that thing which came after her life.
'Like who would want a murderous lizard in their stomach anyway?'
Without wasting a second after that Shelly summoned her weapon and started to carve the shiny claws of the beast off its corpse.
— — —
Deep into the boundary of the forest August was running, without even catching a breath he continued to run. A hand hard pressed against his shoulder wound, ignoring that pain continuously. Wondering what Shelly and Logan would make of his sudden disappearance.
Well, he did leave after telling Logan that he had an important task to take care of but August was worried that Shelly might not believe the excuse and would chase after him. Even if she did, however there was no stopping now. He couldn't possibly tell anyone about it.
August ran through the boundary of the dense, green forest stepping on twigs and fallen brown leaves. While this was the boundary, the place didn't look anything different than the centre of the forest itself.
The dense canopies of tall trees covered the area almost completely, not letting the sunlight pass through them. This area was especially dark as compared to the place they fought that lizard beast a while ago. Moving through the dense forest August passed through various types of trees.
Some stood tall making their youth be known flaunting the greens in them and some looked old from the dead bark gathered around their thick stem. Some were tall and some were dwarf also, some with a ton of green leaves and some shedding the brown leaves due to age.
While the season wasn't of Autumn, the scattered brown leaves sure left the impression like that.
August was at his limits. Why wouldn't he be exhausted? At first he fought a lesser beast and from then on he was just running along the length of the forest. But the task was all but important. It wasn't just a matter of importance, but also of utmost secrecy.
It was something he wanted to keep from anyone he cared about. So that he never would have to experience something like that trial class again.
Finally August's feet came to a stop taking in all so familiar but breathtaking view. Before him trees of the forest made way for a beautiful pond. Well it was something like between a pond and a lake but not quite a lake.
Crystal clear water stretched out in the entire plane making the site deep within the boundary of the forest completely different from what it had to be. The flora around the pond looked healthy, born in the presence of freshwater.
The brown leaves lay still making a layer above the wet dirt spread like a carpet. The colorful flowers made the place deep inside the forest look eerily beautiful.
The strong stem of a fallen tree bent down taking the shape of a near perfect bench and that also facing the pond. Some unknown flowers floated on top of the green leaves on the clear water.
August calmed himself down, nearly exhausted. But the thing for which he came this far from his home wasn't letting him relax even a little.
It was the same problem he faced every day and night. The echoes were troubling him again.
August tried to endure as the influence of echoes became somewhat unbearable for the young boy. He heard the undecipherable voices from near, from afar, from everywhere. He felt the will of the elements to be of use.
"Stop it!" August shouted on top of his lungs knowing well there was no one to hear him scream in pain and agony.
In all of those years the disturbance of echoes got even higher and higher. August thought if he would not try to manipulate his surroundings maybe someday these voices in his head would stop and leave him alone for the rest of his life.
Only if life was so easy. By each passing day the effect of echoes started to test his limits. Again and again. He endured trying not to bother his parents again. It wasn't like they could do anything about this.
Ambivalence was a problem even divine mage wasn't able to solve. So the thought of him enduring the pain of echoes, would only have made his parents worry more. And he wasn't ready to give his mother another reason to worry about him. She had already suffered more than enough because of him.
So August decided, even if he had to endure this pain he would do that in someplace far away from his house. After making sure no one would be able to hear him cry and scream.
August came in search of a place like this a long time ago and he succeeded. Found this beautiful spot somewhat far away where the town met the southern forest. And came here nearly every day. Or whenever he felt the need to.
When August felt this immense pain he wasn't able to differentiate between mental and physical effect the echoes had done on him. The meditation helped a lot but the ambivalence was like a disease which kept spreading until met with cure or faced with death.
August sat on the bench made from the stem of the long fallen tree. He clenched jaw and tightened his fist. At that moment he completely forgot about the wound on his shoulder.
As the voices began resounding in his head, be it may of a greater element or of a lesser one. He wasn't able to differentiate the effect. The only thing August was feeling that time was …pain.
Uncontrollable and immense pain.
His heartbeat became wilder as the blood started rushing into his body up to the extent, threatening to burst his blood vessels. Especially his head. The voices in the ear felt so real making his tympanic membrane go numb from the effect.
His breathing became hoarse and the temperature of his body began to rise. His mind was telling him to scream like a madman but August held his ground knowing well what might happen when he ever let himself surrender to these calls.
His grip on the wooden bench became even tighter when the second wave of echoes hit him. The echoes were troubling him more and more day after day but today it seemed he was about to reach his limit.
Maybe it was because August was already exhausted from the fight earlier or maybe it all was just a coincidence. But the truth was that today especially the effect of echoes on his mind was becoming unbearable. The pain felt like his head being severed in pieces simultaneously. Like his consciousness was being split into several parts, each one trying to use him according to an element's will.
The head piercing pain was growing more and more by the minute making August go insane under the strain of the echoes. He clenched his jaw again, this time a helpless growl also escaped his throat.
Even the amount of tears falling continuously from his eyes seemed non-existent in that instant. As he tried to ignore it, the voices grew even louder. Hurting his mind, body and even soul. In that moment of utter helplessness, his head was completely filled with the selfish wills of his surroundings. As in the elements were surroundings and the other way around.
August lost his balance and fell helplessly on the ground still covering his ears with both of his hands. Covered in mud and dirt he wanted nothing but salvation from that painful agony. The only thought soothing his mind in that moment however, was not having his parents here to witness him crying in harrowing agony.
They didn't know the growing effect of echoes on him because he never let them know. Keeping this condition from his parents a secret he managed to keep the charade going.
'I can do it, I can do it ... .i can do..'
He came very close to lose his consciousness and to do that now would mean him being the subject to the elements. Dragging his agonising body towards the pond he removed his hands from the ears, cupped some water in them and splashed on his face.
"This should keep me awake," August said to himself, his voice barely audible. The effect of echoes fading slowly as he regained his numb grown senses. Two corners of his lips curled upwards in a faint smile as he laughed at his own pitiful self, "I wonder how much more of these I can endure?".
While it was true the magnitude of echoes were increasing day by day, but the pain and agony he experienced today, felt way over the limit. August had read and also heard about many ambivalent mages who took their lives and some went insane under the strain of echoes. Now he was getting the reason why.
Slowly, August rose up to his feet and shook off the dirt he had on the clothes. Then he took a white handkerchief from one of his pockets, brought that up to his ears and wiped the trail of blood falling down from them. Placing the cloth back into his pocket, he took some steps forward and wiping the stains of tears and dirt from his face he stretched, trying to come back to his normal self.
Looking at the Sun which was about to set in an hour or so, August forced a smile. His body still recalls the harrowing experience. He sighed and left for home.
— — — — —