Amiel and I were in the forest, building a wagon so we could make our way to the nearest settlement once we brought down the veil. It was the same plan as before, but this time, Ael and Eira were trying to figure out a way to take down the tower. The only issue was that we had to be careful of the moose wandering around. All we knew was that it was in the forest and it could ambush us at any time if it saw us.
We decided to go to the forest on the south side of campus since it was furthest away from where the moose would be, on the northwest side of campus. Even though it was just the two of us, we haven't talked one bit. I was just following along with what he was doing. The process was a lot easier than before, especially after making the pact.
As he carried a heavy log, Amiel looked at me. "Shouldn't you be careful, especially with your injuries?"
I turned to look at him. "No, I actually think I am mostly healed up by now," I said, pulling up my shirt and checking my wounds. "Honestly, this light absorption is amazing."
"Light absorption?" He questioned as he carried some logs to the platform we were building.
"It allows me to heal faster from taking in light, kind of like how plants take in the sun and make their food," I replied, looking back at him, placing down the logs. "Pretty cool now that I'm thinking about it."
He placed down the logs as well, getting on his knees to tie them. "So you're a plant..."
"...you don't have to put it like that." I stared at him, pouting.
A moment of silence lingered in the air.
"This pact... do you regret it?" He asked.
I took a moment, and snow started to fall. "Not even one bit."
His eyes don't stray from tying the logs together, "I wonder if I'll be the same."
"Amiel, what do you plan on doing when you get out of here?"
He blinked a couple of times, looking back up at me. "I need to get back to my family." He said. "As Ael said, the Empire was invaded. I need to get back there and help them."
"I'm sorry to hear that," I replied, unsure what else to say.
"Thank you," He said, getting up from the ground, finishing tying the logs. "How about you? I know you said you wanted to end this war, but how exactly do you plan to do that?"
I stared off for a moment, "I don't know, haven't thought about it much."
He chuckled, "You made a big promise and didn't make a plan as to how?"
He fell back, embarrassed, "You know it was a spur-of-the-moment thing, but still, I do plan on making good on my promise."
He stopped controlling his laugh. "Why don't you come in and serve my family?" He said unexpectedly. "We govern the coast, and we can use someone like you."
"Huh?" I said, caught in surprise, getting up.
"You're surprisingly smart and quick on your feet, and now that you've made a pact, I am sure you will be a force to be reckoned with once we get out of here." He said, walking up to me and grabbing my shoulder.
"I don't know..." I lingered, looking down.
Releasing me, he turned around. "Eirian, the only way we end this war is by finishing the war pact made. We need defeat the other countries." When I looked up, he turned his head to me. "My family was planning on setting out on an expedition within the following year. I am sure it's going to be pushed back a bit with the invasion and all, but once we take back the Empire, we are setting out." He extended his hand. "Join us."
He goes silent. Birds chirping, but I am filled with self-doubt. 'This is a chance for me to do what I set out to do.' I thought. I only made the promise to end the war yesterday, but a leap this large is beyond what I imagined. My heart started beating faster as I looked at his hand. 'His family was strong, and I know it. It was one of the few core houses of the Empire with close ties to the royal family. 'There's no reason I shouldn't accept, right?'
"You're making me feel awkward." He said, still holding out his hand.
"Sorry, it was just unexpected. I don't know what to say." I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
"Don't say anything, just take my hand." His eyes don't stray away from me. "Do what you set your eyes to do. Joining my family ranks could be a first step."
"Okay, I'll join you then."
---
Finishing up the wagon, the cold was getting to us. The sun was coming down, and our breath was more visible than before. The wagon was complete, except for the materials we needed to load. Ael and Eira said they would work on that if they had a chance, but I doubted they did much. Right now, taking down the tower was priority number one. I would have understood if they focused more on that than anything else.
As for Amiel and me, we didn't talk much after that whole talk. I was still surprised by how he had been acting lately. For the most part, he was very standoffish, but now, he was dropping the wall he had put up between us.
'Am I making a friend?' I said, confused by the situation.
Ael and I became friends through unique circumstances, but with Amiel and me, this was a whole different situation in itself.
'No, he is more of an ally than anything else... right?'
I stared at the back of his head as he finished up the final touches on his side of the wagon.
'Why did I have to be such a shut-in?' I thought back to how I would stay in my room every night, reading different books and studying for exams.
"And with that, we're done." He slapped his hands together to wipe off any dirt on them. When he did, he looked up to see the sun setting. "Didn't realize how late it was getting, we should head back."
"Okay..." I replied as he grabbed his bag.
"Ready?" He asked.
"Y-yeah"
"Then let's get going—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a scraping sound came from deep into the forest.
"Amiel..."