Arin sighed, leaning to rest against the broad trunk of the tree under which he was sitting. Late morning sunlight filtered through the lush canopy, dappling the grass below with dancing, silvery specks. Leaves gently rustled in the soft breeze, and a harmony of birdsongs trilled all around him.
Filling his lungs with crisp, sweet air, he was just starting to feel pleasantly drowsy, when a bright voice broke through the calm.
'Brother! I asked around at the tavern. Once we're past this stretch of the forest, we shall be there soon!'
Arin, somewhat reluctantly, snapped his eyes open. From the distance, he could see a young, wide-eyed boy running up to him, his overly large clothes flapping around him like large, uncoordinated wings.
It was the same boy he'd come across on the fifth level of the tower, on his first day in this world. Just the day before, that white-haired man had pretended to think about it for a while, before telling him he'd be doing his first assignment as Rin with this junior brother.
The boy – Siel – had later told him he'd been the only other student who'd been present at the tower.
Well, he'd briefly mentioned it, crammed somewhere in the middle of a whole bunch of other things. In fact, he'd barely stopped talking since Arin had first set out with him, early on that same morning.
Siel, having finally reached his side, flopped down onto the ground by him. A large smile was playing on his boyish face.
'We can make it there well before it's time for lunch! Ah… do you suppose we'll be able to find something to eat at Silvershade?'
Before Arin could respond, he happily answered his own query. 'I doubt it! But no matter, we have plenty of our own supplies – enough to last us days!'
Arin had forced his face into an unusual sort of expressionlessness, and only responded with a small nod, and a dull, 'Hm.' That alone somehow seemed more than enough for Siel, who beamed widely at him.
'Truly, brother, I cannot tell you how gladdened I was to learn you'd be accompanying me. I am yet young and untested, and your guidance on this assignment means more than I can say.' His unusually large eyes sparkled happily as he looked up at him.
Uh, this kid was clearly a fan of his senior…
Once again, Arin nodded, and giving the boy only a small, tight smile. Then, pushing himself off the ground, he straightened up and said, 'We should get going.'
Siel jumped up immediately, patting grass off his clothes. 'Yes! The swifter we strike, the richer our recompense, after all!' he cheered, leaping ahead to run along a narrow path that cut through the woods.
Looking on from behind, Arin allowed himself a small smile. He couldn't help but be reminded of the way his own younger brother had once been; long ago, before the adolescent angst set in. It was only recently that that kid had started opening up to him again, calling daily to vent about his failed romantic ventures.
Oh well, they'd have plenty of time to keep getting along after he returned.
Stretching his back, he followed Rin's junior brother.
*
Silvershade was a medium-sized village, nestled in the shade of hills somewhere in the southern region of the forest. Unlike the isolated Lullwater, it was within a few miles of several other settlements, and seemed to be more of a commercial village than a purely agricultural, self-sustaining one.
The journey to it might have lasted only a few hours, had Arin flown in on Tarra. On foot with Siel, however, it had swallowed the whole morning. And that was after they'd made use of a teleportation portal to get to a small hamlet – a kind of transfer center conveniently nestled within reach of all the surrounding settlements.
Arin had almost surprised himself by how easily he'd accepted the idea of walking through an empty doorframe in the middle of nowhere, and emerging from a similar structure miles away.
Maybe he was just thankful for not having to traverse much of the forest on foot. Besides it being a time-taking venture, he wasn't keen on making a trip that might've featured other freaks on par with that damned lake that had tried to crush him.
Now, emerging from the shade of the last of the scattered trees, he and Siel stood side-by-side, taking in the view of the village.
Before them, lay Silvershade.
Neat rooftops gleamed in the sunlight, slate and thatch rising and falling with the gentle slope of the hills. Paths, both of dirt and stone, were swept smooth, and colorful banners and buntings flapped in the wind.
A small group of tiny, chattering birds hopped about near the entrance. Upon seeing the two men approach, they flew away as one, chirping furiously at the disturbance.
Perhaps alerted by the commotion, something stirred behind the window of a small cabin nearby. After a few seconds, its door was pushed open from the inside, and a young, haggard-looking man stepped out to greet them.
'Welcome, sirs. Might you be the magicians, from the House of Grace?' he asked, tone cautious and polite.
Arin inclined his head, while Siel bounded ahead to grasp the man's outstretched hand.
'And you must be Sir Veylor! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!' his voice rang, clear and pleasant as the smile on his face.
The young man nodded. He had smiled in response, but even then, his brows remained drawn in a worried frown. His overgrown, unkempt beard, and the deep, dark bags under his gray eyes further highlighted his fatigue.
'I trust you have made yourselves aware of our situation?' he asked, eyes flitting between the two of them.
'We have,' responded Arin.
Assignments, from what he had understood, were mostly free-for-all tasks that were put forth by the royal family. They covered a range of issues, such as natural disasters, personal grievances, animal attacks, and the like. Involved or affected parties reported them to officials, and each issue was then added to a list of assignments that could be picked up by the disciples of any magic tower.
Rewards were declared on the basis of how well, and how promptly, each task was dealt with, and towers – especially the relatively independent ones such as their own – basically survived on this compensation.
This assignment, in particular, had been listed just a month ago. It had been chosen on the basis of the village's relative proximity to the House of Grace, as well as Siel's own talent.
It had to do with a village that had one day, without any clear reason, simply refused to wake up.