Nadleeh’s voice was stiff and commanding, his speech was constructed in a way that was an order that could not be opposed, and yet did not impose a feeling of dissatisfaction. Instead they had a sense of pity and desire; they knew that Nadleeh was just trying his best to protect his precious daughter. Clearly, it would be useless to object Nadleeh’s wishes of Aalaiyah staying back in Geffen. She lowered her head, her ocean green eyes brimming with tears as she nodded in obedience. Edel swept forward to console Aalaiyah, using his gloved hands to wipe her watery tears. He placed a comforting arm across Aalaiyah’s shoulders, her brown hair running down her forehead untidily, covering her sad face.

Nadleeh turned towards Cedric, Hirei and Penelope. ‘Thank you again for being so kind to Aalaiyah. You are welcomed to return to Geffen whenever you like. I’m sure Aalaiyah would love that, and we will do our best make your stay here be worthwhile. Edel, please lead them to the exit of the tower.’

‘I am sorry…’ Edel said miserably as he opened the door and slowly led them out. They did not even have the chance to say goodbye to Aalaiyah. What if their paths would never cross again?pot As the doors closed in on them, they took a quick glimpse at Aalaiyah for one last time before leaving, smiling back at them bitterly.

***

The uplifting trip had turned gloomy for Cedric, Hirei and Penelope. They rested and washed up in an inn before preparing to leave Geffen the next morning. As usual, Penelope would sell their loot for zeny to replenish their supply of food, potions and other gears. They spent some time looking at the sights around Geffen with Penelope as their tour guide, but not even Thor’s magical flames could cheer them up right now.

‘So… how should we get to Payon?’ said Cedric as he analysed his map. They were sitting around the fountain area, discussing about their departure. ‘It would take us about two weeks by foot.’

‘We’ve got to go back the way we came eh? Going through Prontera and heading further southwest.’ Hirei chipped in as he flipped through the newest issue of “Bullseye!”. ‘Man, what a pain. Can’t we get to Payon by the Kafra teleportation services?’

‘That is an option,’ Penelope nodded after counting all their money and putting them back into a leather pouch with a “Z” and a vertical line through it, the symbol of their currency, zeny. ‘We have enough money for the three of us, but that’ll make us broke. We simply can’t afford the luxury.’

‘Maybe I can help.’

Penelope gasped at the voice, dropping her money bag onto her lap. Standing before them was Edel, dressed in his long cape. Peeking out from behind his back was a girl with brown hair, two braids hanging from both her shoulders. She was wearing a cream, short cape over a revealing Mage outfit. She walked forward towards the trio, pulling the cape closer to herself as she smiled.

‘What are you all staring at?’ said Aalaiyah, blushing.

‘Aalaiyah, it’s you! You’re a Mage now!’ cried Penelope as she dashed forward and hugged her friend tightly. ‘Oh, we’re so sorry we did not say goodbye! Aren’t you staying back in Geffen?’

‘Don’t worry, Chief Nadleeh has reflected on his decision and concluded that he shall be letting Aalaiyah go,’ Edel explained quickly with a warm smile. ‘He only asked Aalaiyah to stay back to take the Mage test, and will be passing down his magic personally through the magic scrolls he has given her. Aalaiyah is allowed to follow you, only on the condition that she attains the knowledge she spoke of and become a Wizard we will all be proud of. Otherwise, you three will answer to the Chief.’

Cedric laughed, excited with the quick turn of events. ‘Definitely! This is great, Aalaiyah!’

Aalaiyah smiled cheerfully, the row that happened before was left in the past. ‘So, are we still heading to Payon? Because here we have –’ Aalaiyah took out four pieces of the strange looking papers that Cedric recalled being used by Pavienne when she teleported them to the Novice Training Grounds. ‘– four free tickets for Kafra Transportation!’

‘Oh, Aalaiyah! You’re a lifesaver!’ Hirei said as he hopped off the bench, ready to leave for Payon. They packed up their stuff and headed to the Kafra employee nearby.

‘Cedric, I heard from Aalaiyah that one of your quests is to search for the Ymir’s Heart pieces, yes?’ Edel inquired, receiving a nod from Cedric as an answer. ‘I have to say that it is a very ambitious goal. If you are headed to Morroc after your trip to Payon, you could look for a friend of mine, Nellie there. She’s a Sage, an elite from the Schweicherbil Magic Academy of Yuno. She does many researches on this legend, and maybe, you will learn something from her. Here, let me write you my recommendation and her temporary address in Morroc…’

Edel took out a scrap piece of parchment from his pocket and scribbled an address neatly with a pen. ‘Thanks a lot, Edel,’ said Cedric as he took the paper, excited by the extra information. While Cedric was still arranging his equipments, he saw Edel bending over and speaking to Aalaiyah, handing her a gorgeous wand with wing ornaments coiling around the rod, a dull, glass blue orb fastened at the top. Aalaiyah nodded, and hugged the wand tightly before keeping it in her bag.

‘Alright, are we ready?’ asked the Kafra employee, holding the tickets given to her by Aalaiyah in her hands. The four nodded in return. ‘Thank you for using our services! We will start with you then, Miss Wingstaff.’

Aalaiyah raised her hand to stop the lady from bowing. She nodded in Edel’s direction, smiling in graditude. ‘Thank you so much, Edel,’ she said. ‘I’ll treasure your gift, and I will miss you a lot!’

‘Same to you, take care!’ said Edel in return before the Kafra girl raised one of the tickets at head level and stamping it onto Aalaiyah’s forehead. The paper started glowing, emitting a swirl of light which surrounded Aalaiyah, and swallowing her into a vortex. In a blink of an eye, Aalaiyah had disappeared into the thin air, jumping across miles in space towards the city of Payon. Cedric and Hirei were both wowed by the new sight, being complete strangers to this form of teleportation. Just as Cedric wanted to open his mouth to speak, the Kafra girl stamped the second ticket onto his forehead.

‘Cedric, take care of Aalaiyah please. I’m counting on you,’ said Edel with a smile as Cedric felt faint from the swirling lights, losing his senses at the tip of his fingers, his arms, his shoulders, his legs… closing his eyes and just like Aalaiyah, disappeared like a magic trick.

***

Cedric fell on his knees onto the soft, lush green grass. He shivered at the weird feeling running down his spine as his senses returned to him slowly from his feet upwards. He opened his eyes slowly, finding himself opening his mouth in awe at the scenery. Everything in Payon was mostly green, otherwise, a calming earth tone of brown and cream. The village was surrounded by thick forests which swayed in the wind, bringing a fresh scent and a cooling breeze in the air. The river was flowing steadily from the mountains up north, the sounds of the water streaming at harmony with the still silence of the village. The atmosphere was cool and serene, Cedric felt that he could lie down on the grasslands all day and throw all his worries aside to truly experience the gifts of nature. Aalaiyah helped Cedric get onto his feet and soon, they were joined by Penelope and Hirei who appeared with a flash of light.

‘Wow… this place is wonderful!’ said a breath-taken Hirei. ‘You know what… could we just walk around Payon Village all day? I’ll just take my Archer Test tomorrow. I feel like I’m in heaven.’

And that was exactly what they did. They were welcomed warmly by the locals of Payon, inviting them into their homes with opened arms. Cedric, Hirei, Penelope and Aalaiyah had the chance to learn about the cultures of the people in Payon. They even learned how to process fruit juices and cook a few local delicacies with simple ingredients. They went to the forests west of the town of Payon to stock up on potatoes from the Smokies there.

Labels: NaNoMadness, The Eminent Guardians