A village with many houses made of stone and wood, and trees everywhere welcomes Nicholas, and he feasts at the sight of the village where people around are watering plants, and some of them are carrying round baskets on their shoulders.
Nicholas peeks into the basket of a certain resident who walks past him, and he whispers, "Oh, dried fish."
His gaze lingers on the basket until a hand tugs his wrist, and he gets dragged away by Aya.
"Welcome to my village," Aya told him, "it may not be big but it's decent."
"Oh, thanks for welcoming me," Nicholas said while looking at her.
Aya looks over her shoulder. "No need to thank me. If you weren't able to arrive on time, that monster might just kill me, so, I should be the one thanking you."
She takes Nicholas on a long walk, and as they walk, he takes in the sight of the houses around them until his eyes widen at the sight of a huge temple made of stones with green glowing lines on them.
"Whoa," Nicholas exclaimed with excitement in his eyes.
His head throbs, and Nicholas flinches. He touches his head and shakes his head. In his mind, he sees a vision of a tall man with green hair facing a glowing green crystal. Aya steps closer to Nicholas but he raises his hand at her.
"I'm okay," he told her.
Aya walks past him, and before she walks toward the village, she tells him. "I'll wait for you inside."
Aya walks toward the temple's entrance with calmness in her steps, and Nicholas rubs his forehead before he walks after her.
The wind blows gently over the village, and every villager enjoys the breeze. The inside of the temple is dark but soon torches ignite with green flames, and the sight causes Nicholas to be amazed.
"This is the first time that I have seen green flames." he smiled from ear to ear.
As the ambles the stone pathway of the temple, Aya begins to talk, "The green flames are a rare fire to be seen. It exists only when a fire is mixed with the energy of nature, and the green fire can heal any wounds but it only works with a good person."
"Do bad persons die after they use the green fire?" Nicholas raised a question.
"Definitely," Aya replied in a calm tone, "but it will leave a burning mark that cannot be extinguished which will kill them slowly."
A bright piercing green light causes Nicholas to close his eyes. He lowers his hands, and slowly opens his eyes, seeing Aya standing beside a large glowing green crystal.
Nicholas holds his chest and forms a round shape with his mouth. "Why do the monsters that we fought desire to have that crystal so badly?"
Aya gazes at the crystal which is surrounded by a crown of green energy. Her joyful gaze turns to a stare of sternness, seen with her fingers closing into her palms.
"They want this crystal because they are avoiding the awakening of the last descendant."
"Awakening of the last descendant?" Nicholas stared at the crystal and there was no smile to be seen on his face.
Aya clears her throat with a serious expression on her face. "After I held your hand, I felt a strange flow of energy within you. Tell me, who are you really?"
Aya leaves a lingering stare at him, a stare of curiosity. The passerby moves his feet as if he's going towards Nicholas but he halts after Nicholas speaks, "I am Nicholas. My last name is Verde, and I am an orphan. Honestly, I do not really know who I truly am because I've been studying hard.
"I want to give back the good life that Sister Madelaine gave me, and that is why I am persevering every day."
A sense of peace washes over Nicholas, and a smile manifests on his face. "That is who I am but now, after fighting the woman from earlier, I am questioning my existence."
A hand taps his shoulder, and Aya stands closer to him. She shows him a smile. "Even I myself am confused sometimes. Am I truly an elder sister or a guardian who must secure this crystal behind me?"
She turns around and stares at the crystal before speaking softly. "Now, I know that I am both an older sister and a guardian. What I am saying is that you should explore your new role so that you may find the fragments of yourself."
"How did you know that I don't belong here?" Nicholas asked.
A reply of laughter but no words from Aya. She taps his shoulder and walks past him. "Do you want to go on an adventure of self-reflection?"
Aya stops walking and looks over her shoulder only to see the confusion in Nicholas' gaze. She smiles and points to the exit with her thumb. "Let's go now."
Over the long trail of a river that flows gently. Small fish hop from the water, and land on the other part of the water which leaves ripples. A face reflects on the river, and it's the face of Nicholas.
"This is where I go to perform meditation." Aya leapt from a dark horse, landing on the stone ground with ease.
Nicholas straightens his upper body from bending forward and looks at her calmly. "Not bad, this place is good for hanging out."
Aya looks around while hovering her palm above her brows. "Good point but I haven't tried that."
Nicholas nods. "It's understandable."
"Understandable?" Aya smiled a little at his words.
"You're a guardian who protects not just the crystal but an entire village, and because of that, it's impossible to have fun." Nicholas picked one small rock from the ground and threw it into the river.
Aya watches the rock bounce on the surface of the river until it sinks. She steps closer to the side of Nicholas and she grabs one rock before doing the same with it.
She chuckles. "That was fun, it's the first time I've done that."
Nicholas stares at her, wondering why she doesn't explore too much. "When you come here, do you come with someone important to you?"
Aya's hand pauses before she can throw another rock, and she lowers her hand. "Well, yes. He wasn't just someone important, he was my fiancé."
In her eyes, she sees the image of her running with her fiancè along the shallow body of the river with bright smiles on their face. Her eyes twinkle not because of happiness but from remembering the man she once loved.
A tear falls from her eyes but she brushes it with her thumb before forcing a smile on her lips. "He used to bring me to the mountains, and waterfalls."
She chuckles. "Sorry for crying, you need to meditate, I'll teach you now."
Nicholas pats her back before rubbing it with affection. He stares at her before looking at the surface of the river which reflects the clouds on the clear skies.
"I felt that feeling too when I lost my dog."
"What is the name of your dog?"
"Brix." Nicholas smiled painfully.
She lends her hand towards his hand on her back. She intertwines her hand with his and looks into his eyes. "Two people grieving over the things they've lost. I think, both of us need to meditate together."