Chapter 57 : The Village of the Eclipse/Eclipse Village

  In the streets of Flahoa, in Voltruite, the day is already well underway. I glance one last time at the map.

  “Well, we better get moving toward that damned village,” I mutter, clutching the map in my hands.

  Alfira sighs, clearly annoyed. “And after that, we’re heading to Verdesable. Maybe we should hurry up a bit, don’t you think?”

  “True…” agrees Elvie, giving me a mischievous look. “But Aley, didn’t you promise we’d find better equipment here?”

  “That’s right, you did say that!” adds Valentin, ever ready to call me out on anything. I roll my eyes, exasperated. Like it’s my fault I didn’t memorize every forge in Voltruite!

  “Yeah, yeah…” I answer, feigning innocence. “The map says there’s a blacksmith in Eclipse Village. Supposedly one of the best in the country.”

  “We’ll see,” murmurs Valentin, sounding skeptical.

  We finally leave the city behind, leaving the street noise behind as we take the narrow roads that wind through this continent. As we walk, the conversation picks up again, punctuated by the rustling of tall grass underfoot and the whisper of the wind through the leaves.

  “So… do you think Githin’s gonna be mad we left him alone back at the house?” Valentin suddenly asks, trying to look innocent.

  I stare at him, incredulous. “YOU’RE THE ONE WHO SUGGESTED WE LEAVE HIM!”

  Valentin grins, half-embarrassed, half-amused. “Yeah, but I left him a note to let him know. It should be fine, right?”

  Elvie, amused, nudges Valentin aside and takes his place beside me. She glances at me out of the corner of her eye. “You all talk too much. I want in on the conversation too.”

  “I’m listening,” I say.

  “I don’t have anything in particular to say… I just wanted to walk next to you,” she replies with a sly smile.

  “Ah… okay.”

  So, we keep walking, crossing plains and forests where the leaves of the trees dance in the gentle breeze. The air makes the grass tremble under our feet, like a hidden path to another world.

  “Hey, Alfira,” says Valentin suddenly, breaking the peaceful silence.

  “Yes?”

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  “You have a magic academy in Iveralmn?”

  “Yes, but what’s your point?” Alfira asks, sounding a bit curious.

  “They stole my hero’s sword.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I lent them my sword because they said, ‘We’ll give it to the best student in the academy as motivation,’ but the problem is, they still haven’t given it back.”

  “W-What a tragedy! I’ll talk to Father—”

  “No, no, no need… I have another idea,” Valentin says suddenly, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

  We continue our journey through a valley where the sun shines on white flowers scattered across the ground. The air here is light and refreshing, though, at one point, my outfit gets snagged on the branches of a tree.

  Unlucky for the tree: I’m way stronger than it is. Instead of getting pulled back like anyone else would, I keep moving forward, uprooting the tree in one motion.

  “PFF BWAHAHAHA, WHAT IS THIS SURREAL SCENE?!” laughs Valentin, laughing loudly.

  “Valentin… stop laughing,” I say, trying to stay serious, though I can’t hold back a smile.

  Our “local hero” is currently staring at me dragging the uprooted tree behind me as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

  “Nice going, Aley, like a real man,” Elvaria suddenly declares, giving me a thumbs up, looking more impressed than ever.

  “I-I’m impressed, Aley… guehehehe,” adds Alfira, though… I’d rather not dwell on that.

  “Are we far from the village?” Valentin then asks, smoothly changing the subject.

  “No, it’s just past this valley,” explains Elvie. But wait a minute…

  “How do you know that, Elvaria? I’m the one with the map.”

  “Ah… uh…”

  “Explain yourself.”

  “I can see what you see, my eye lets me sense evil in men. And for that, it has a lot of interesting features, you see…”

  “W-Wait a minute…”

  “I’m always watching you, ahahah…”

  “You weren’t watching me in the bathroom, were you—” I turn to her, horrified, but she cuts me off with laughter, royally ignoring me.

  Finally, we reach the top of a hill. At the foot of the hill, a sea of yellow flowers lights up the ground. The light breeze makes the petals dance around us, creating a scene of simple, almost unreal beauty. At the center of this expanse of petals stands a small village, rural, with no particular embellishments, but with a peaceful charm, frozen in time.

  Along the path, a small child with blond hair, wearing a crown of petals, notices us. He’s dressed in a beige top with an apron, small black pants that stop at his knees. For a peasant, he’s quite well-dressed, and that little face…

  “He’s adorable…” Elvie murmurs, her eyes sparkling as she spots him.

  “I want one too, Aley,” she adds with a little smile.

  “Okay, but why are you asking me… OOF—” I don’t even get the chance to reply before she pinches me with all her strength, her dark look shutting me up.

  “You’re hopeless, Aley, really…” sighs Valentin, shaking his head.

  “I think she wanted you to—” starts Alfira, only to be abruptly cut off by Elvaria, who jumps in to clap a hand over her mouth to stop her from saying more.

  What are they talking about, for crying out loud?

  Suddenly, small footsteps echo behind me. It’s the blond-haired child from earlier, who’s now come closer, his eyes shining with curiosity.

  “H-h’lo, I’m Pion,” he says, opening his mouth wide, showing off his missing baby teeth. Up close, I’d say he’s around eight years old.

  “What brings you to Pion’s village?” he asks, his voice soft and lisping.

  Alfira steps forward, kneeling down in front of the boy with a tender, almost motherly smile.

  “This is Eclipse Village, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “We were invited here.”

  “Wow, it’s not every day we get visitors,” he says, clearly impressed, his voice adorably lisping. Then he perks up, suddenly inspired. “I-I’ll go tell Mom, okay? Wait here.”

  Author's note : Short chapter, but no worry, im making big one for later