"By the way, Irene, as you were telling me about your past, you said they called you the cannibal, why such a name?" Rya said as she plucked a branch heavy with ripe berries, carefully placing them in the basket Aeloria carried—which was already full of a wide variety of fruits from the hidden groves they had wandered through.
Aeloria paused, her hand hovering over a greenish oval-shaped fruit that hung from a low branch, its skin smooth and speckled with light.
"I wondered the same thing," she answered with a bright smile that lit her face. "Maybe because of my fighting style. I do whatever it takes to bring my enemy down, even if it means getting a little bity."
'I'm sorry, Rya, but that isn't something you should know—not now, at least,' Aeloria thought as she continued to pluck the fruits, her fingers moving decisively among the leaves.
"I see," Rya replied, her voice thoughtful as she reached for another cluster. "Then the man in black must be really strong for being able to defeat you. I mean, you did defeat the soldiers chasing after me. I can't believe how strong you need to be to achieve something like that."
'I see Nyxelene has kept her in the dark. She doesn't even know what being strong truly means.'
Aeloria took a step toward another set of fruit trees, her basket swinging lightly from her shoulder. "They didn't take their training seriously," she said with a calm voice. "I believe that was what gave me an advantage."
Just then, a xevnora viper—one of the eight deadliest vipers known to man—sprang from a tree toward Rya from behind. These species of viper don't grow more than a meter long, and they are the most patient species of snake. They have a habit of waiting for as long as it took, striking true only when their prey's guard was at its lowest. They are carnivores who bite and chew instead of swallow. They have jaws like a human's and fangs that contract and extend at will. They have flexible skulls and are able to alter the shape of their head to a certain extent. Just like all other vipers, they had purple eyes with black split pupils.
The viper that had been waiting patiently among the leaves sprang forward toward Rya's neck the moment she turned her back to it.
Before it reached her skin, Aeloria caught it with one hand, she snatched the viper mid-plunge while plucking another fruit with the other, the basket still hanging off her shoulder.
The viper altered the shape of its head in an elongated manner and twisted with its fangs extended. It bit into her wrist twice but she paid it no heed. She casually plucked another fruit bringing the viper close to her face as the wounds on her wrist healed almost instantly.
She bit the elongated head of the viper, chewed once, twice, and spat it into the nearby bush.
Rya, who had been oblivious to the entire situation, turned just in time to see Aeloria throw the remaining body of the viper into the distance, though she only saw the afterimage and couldn't fully see what it was.
"What was that?" Rya asked, holding one berry in her hand with a puzzled expression.
"Just a harmless worm on the branch," Aeloria answered casually, shaking off the lingering numb effect of the venom. Any other person would've been dead in less than a heartbeat.
'We need to leave because those worms mostly travel in groups of twelve.' Aeloria thought to herself.
"Look, the clouds are thickening—we should head back before the rain spoils the fruit."
Aeloria led the way, and Rya followed with a puzzled expression, glancing back at the bush where the "worm" had disappeared.
"Anyway, Irene," Rya spoke with a curious voice, trying to sound positive. She could sense that they had to leave the place earlier because something wasn't right, so she decided to lighten the mood. "You never told me the name of the man who saved your life."
Aeloria glanced at her, her smile returning, though her eyes stayed watchful on the trees around them.
The forest had grown quieter. Too quiet.
Birds had stopped singing.
Even the wind seemed to be in slumber.
Aeloria led the way back along the narrow path, basket heavy with fruit, steps quick but unhurried.
Rya followed, with curious expression lingering, berry still in her hand.
Aeloria's senses stayed sharp, listening for the telltale rustle of scales on leaves.
But nothing followed.
For now.
Aeloria led the way down a narrow path she knew by heart.
Rya followed, glancing at the trees, the flowers, the small signs of life that had survived in this hidden place.
After walking for a while along the narrow path back toward the hidden house, Aeloria spoke.
"His name… you asked?"
Back then, before Rya was even born, Aeloria opened her eyes in the small inn room and looked around slowly. She was the only one there.
But something felt different. She turned her head carefully and realized it didn't hurt like before. No fire in her spine, no grinding bones. She flexed her fingers, then her toes. She could move her limbs. Just like before, she wore nothing underneath the blanket.
Before she could fully examine her body, the door creaked open.
The man who had treated her earlier walked in, carrying a big bag that smelled of fresh bread and herbs.
His gaze settled on her the moment he entered the room.
"Oh, you finally decided to wake up," he said, relief clear in his voice. "It's been three days since your struggle to get outside. I was actually beginning to worry you wouldn't wake up."
He settled the bag in one corner and walked toward Aeloria, but then stopped short.
Aeloria was now rubbing sleep away from her eyes with both hands.
'Wait—she's rubbing her eyes. It means she can move her arms. I need to find out how much of her body she can move and decide how to escape in case she doesn't like the food I brought and wants to eat something else… someone else… me.'
"So, how are your legs?" he asked, trying to sound casual. "I haven't washed in a week, and I suspect I'm rotting from the inside. Truly hilarious, if you think about it. Also, I brought delicious food. Lots of it."
He was babbling, his voice thin with trepidation. He wanted her to think he was "bad meat," a pathetic meal not worth the effort of a Cannibal
Aeloria turned slowly toward the man.
"I won't eat you," she said flatly. "I know bad meat when I see one."
Those were like golden words to the man's ears.
"You mean it?" he asked, his hope rising. "I mean… how are you feeling?"
As a weak and cautious person, even if he didn't fully believe the rumours, he wasn't one to take chances.
Aeloria didn't answer.
She turned to look at the ceiling, her eyes distant.
"Why did you bring me here?" she asked finally turning her gaze towards him in a slow manner. "Why did you help me in the first place? And most importantly… who are you?"
The man looked at her expression and knew he had no choice in the matter.
He hesitated, then took off his shirt.
"What are you doing?" Aeloria asked with surprise evident in her voice.
He turned his back to her.
Aeloria froze, she was all too familiar with the markings on his back. It was a black tattoo of a big tree, most of its parts withered and dry. On one of its extended branches was a single rose dripping something liquid. There were eight vipers on the tree and four human skulls around the root—one of a man, one of a woman, one of a child, and the last of an old person.
That was the distinct symbol of a thornsleeper.
The tree symbolized all plant life. The dried parts symbolized the deterioration of the value and purpose of plants due to their usage for bad intentions. The rose represented the bad results yielded from the usage of plants. The eight serpents represented the eight pathways of thornsleepers, each pathway deadleir than the last. Finally, the dreadful skulls—none is safe from a thornsleeper, be it a man, a woman, a child or an old person.
Showing someone this image was the same as trusting them with your life.
"You… you're a thornsleeper?" Aeloria asked in a low tone. "Was it a lie when you said your grandmother was a herbworker?"