“Not that it matters, and I don’t give a shit. But if you keep treating that filthy Halfling like a child, someone, that isn’t you, will rip out her innocence and take it as their own.”
The words that Aaerynn cut deeper than the arrow. Caelis always knew though. In the back of his mind, Caelis was always thinking about it. It was likely a fruitless endeavor like rolling a boulder up a mountain. A Sisyphus-esque situation where no matter how hard he tried he would ultimately never succeed. However, what else was he supposed to do? Faith had saved his life. She didn't save him from bodily harm. No, she healed a fatal wound in his mind. It was from that day on that Caelis decided that he would live on to see Faith grow up and to make up for all that time that she lived in that orphanage. So, it might be a hopeless attempt. But, giving up would be giving up his purpose in life again. He refused to feel such a draining emptiness again. Maybe it was selfish of him, but did a person really deserve to suffer like that?
He looked back at the elf as she walked away. She had been an emotional miasma that practically emitted disgust, annoyance, but under it all was a hint of sadness. She claimed that she did not care at all, but then why would she expend any energy talking to him about it then? Rather, Caelis believed that she was lost much like how he was years ago, living almost a hollow existence. Something traumatic likely plagued her mind every waking moment and perhaps even her dreams as well. Thus, she raised an intricately built facade of a haughty elf... or at least she emphasized that aspect of her. Caelis felt some empathy towards her. No one deserved to live an empty, scornful existence.
Caelis put on his shirt again, and hid his wound. He now had to address something else important. Caelis drew his sword and looked at the spots of blood that was left. It had already died on the blade. Caelis lowered the blade into the spring and scraped off the blood. After cleaning it, Caelis wiped the water off, and reached into his bag once again. He pulled out a small clear bottle with some sort of clear liquid in it. He tipped the bottle over and the liquid slowly dripped onto the blade. It was oil to help prevent the blade from rusting. Caelis' sword was quite old, so he had to take meticulous care of it. He evenly applied the oil until it lightly coated the cold steel. Satisfied, Caelis then put everything back into the bag. It had been a while, but Faith had not come back yet. So, Caelis thought that it might be time to search for her, and was starting to get a bit worried. After all, everyone else was preoccupied, and Caelis never developed a taste for alcohol. He preferred to keep his mind clear since that was what kept him alive through all these years.
Caelis got up with his sheathed sword in hand, and began to walk while using his scabbard as a walking stick.
Extol the light of life with prayers until the day to come,
Let it be with you
Let it be with you.
Faith quietly sang to herself as she looked around the trees. She knew that Caelis just wanted her to leave. Probably because of the injury that he received during the fight. She noticed the hole in the back of his shirt. Caelis never ignored things like that, so Faith knew that he had gotten hurt. But, what could she do? She couldn't fight. She didn't know how to treat injuries. She didn't know how to help Caelis. Rather, she just felt as if she was a burden to Caelis. She couldn't help but think that things might be better if she just left. As she brushed a bush side, she saw something flash right in front of her. She yelped and fell backwards.
Before her, a snake slithered out of the cover of the bush, and came closer to her. Faith looked at the snake and was locked in her position, frozen. The snake was an exotic, exuberant red with its hourglass figure and slit eyes. All the signs pointed at it being poisonous. It slowly continued to come closer to Faith and then it began to slowly rise from the ground, getting ready to strike. Faith was too scared to run, and tried to crawl away. The snake finished rising and bolted with its fangs bared. Faith closed her eyes.
A flutter of wings came furiously and whizzed by in front of Faith. She opened her eyes and saw an eagle in a vicious struggle with the snake. But, it soon ended with the eagle clamping its sharp beaks on the snake's head and ripping it right off. Faith continued to look. Still trying to process what had just happened. The eagle tossed away the head, and then stared back at Faith. The two simply just started at each other until the eagle cocked its head in an inquisitive manner. Faith started to chukle and found it funny for some reason that she couldn't explain. It was then that the sound of loud rustling of glass and bushes came from her right as something was coming her way.
Caelis came bumbling out of a bush and the eagle took flight the moment that he did. Caelis looked panic as he came into view. He looked at Faith and urgently asked "Faith! Are you okay? What happened?" Faith said "Ther' was a snake, but... an eagle came and saved me." Caelis' anxiety visibly dropped as he no longer was tense and he quickly walked towards Faith. Faith expected Caelis to begin scolding her for being careless, but instead she was almost smothered in a bear hug. Caelis began to cry softly and said "I thought you were taken from me. Please, don't ever leave me." Faith found herself surprised again and dumbfounded. This was the first time that Caelis had shown himself crying and so vulnerable. To be honest, she didn't really know how to act or what to say. So, all she did was hug him back and said "Okay." as she bore some of Caelis' weight.
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