Chapter 759: Bright Wind

Titania followed Noct in silence. She struggled to keep up with the tall rulus. He wasn’t one for conversation and he did not slow his pace for her. Worse, he left no footsteps in the sand where he walked. She wondered if it was some sort of trick from the rulus sand tribes. And if so, could someone like her learn how to do it?

The hour had grown late and the first rays of sunlight would soon be upon them. It was still dark enough that Titania had trouble making out anything in the sand of the dunes. Instead, she focused on Noct’s back. If she lost sight of him out here, she would be lost to the desert forever.

“We’re here,” Noct said.

She almost bumped into him before she registered his words. “Huh? What?”

“Bright Wind.”

Titania wouldn’t have noticed anything unusual if Noct hadn’t spoken. She squinted in the darkness and made out what appeared to be a few misshapen rocks jutting out from the sand at the base of the dunes.

“This,” she made a face, “is Bright Wind?”

“What’s left of it.” Noct leapt off the top of the dune and landed on its side. Instead of tripping and falling as Titania had expected, he landed on his feet and slid down the sand like rain on smooth stone. It looked fun.

Titania grinned in excitement. She wanted to do that. Without thinking twice, Titania leapt off the top and aimed for the dune’s side. She landed on her right foot and it twisted on impact. She cried out in panic before face-planting and getting a mouthful of sand. 

Noct watched her tumble down in a mass of awkward limbs and pitiful cries. She landed in a heap a few paces in front of him and moaned weakly.

“What are you doing?” he asked, unamused.

“N-Nothing.” She stammered and quickly sat up. Pain shot up her blistered arm and she grimaced.

If Noct noticed her burns, he made no comment or show of it. Instead, he left her there and headed deeper into the ruins of Bright Wind. “Keep up.”

“Wait up!” Titania scrambled after him, her entire body aching from the day’s ordeals and her latest blunder.

Noct ignored her and kept an eye out for anything of note. Or at least, that was what Titania assumed. She couldn’t quite tell what he was thinking. He paused at a rock and stared at it. As Titania stared at the rock’s unusually symmetrical formation, she realized it was the corner of a roof.

Slowly, it dawned on her that the entire village hadn’t been destroyed. It had been buried. “Did the people make it out alive?” she whispered her thoughts aloud.

“...No.” Noct closed his eyes almost as if saying the words physically pained him.

 “Did you know the people here?”

“No.” Noct left the ruined rooftop and made a beeline towards an unremarkable spot in the sand. He crouched and scooped up a handful of sand.

“What are you doing?” Titania asked.

“Quiet.” He closed his eyes and inhaled and exhaled slowly. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and blew away the sand in his hand. As the grains scattered into the air, so did the sand pile in front of him. The ground gave way, the sands parting to the sides, leaving a tunnel to a door deep under the sands.

“Whoa.” Titania stared at the sight, wide-eyed.

She had heard stories of the rulus’ magic and how it differed from chromatic mages. She had seen green mages move sand and rock before, but there was something else about the way Noct had done it. A certain elegance to it she could not quite explain. This was the elemental magic of the sand tribes, she had no doubt.

“Follow me.” Noct slid down the sand-made slide and opened the door at the bottom.

Still sore about her last attempt at sliding, Titania tentatively made her way down. Though the door was open, there was no light inside. The thought of total darkness sent shivers down her spine and Titania tried to climb back up, but the sands gave way and she tumbled backwards into the doorway.

She found herself blind in the dark and she scrambled to find the door, but she could not. There was no light down here.

“Noct, where are you?!” she whimpered softly. “Noct?” She called out again, but there was no response.

Titania fell into the fetal position and cried quietly. Memories of the past flooded her mind. She was back home, pleading for her mother to forgive her.

“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!” Titania cried.

“Then you should have studied your books when I told you to,” Lydira said in a cold voice. “Do you think I spend gold on your tutors so you can simply throw it all away?”

“No. It’s just— I was reading for hours. I was bored and I saw the other kids playing outside. I thought it would be okay if I just played with them for a little bit. I swear, it was only going to be for a little bit.”

“Do not concern yourself with the same wants as peasant children. They are servants. You are above them. You will always be above them.”

“I’m sorry. I understand. I won’t skip my reading lessons anymore. I’ll be good, I promise. Just please, don’t leave me in there,” Titania begged.

“One does not learn from words alone, but actions.”

“Wait, please. Please!”

Lydira ignored her daughter’s cries and closed the door to the cell, locking her in complete darkness. Titania cried and banged and scratched at the door until her fingernails cracked and her hands bled. She cried in fear at the sounds of the things that shifted in the darkness that only she could hear. She screamed until her voice was raw and there was nothing left for her to give, only a quiet rasp.

“Titania,” Noct’s voice brought her back to the present.

“Noct…?” she whispered in a broken voice.

“I’m here.” His cold hand touched her arm. “Are you hurt?”

“N-No. I—” Titania bit her lip and swallowed the lump in her throat. She couldn’t find the words.

“Stay there.” Noct pulled away.

“Wait, don’t go!” Titania snatched his hand and held on to it with what little strength she had left.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered with an unseen softness in his voice.

Slowly, she nodded to herself and let him go. She listened as he moved around the dark room unimpeded. There was a certain confidence in his footsteps, as if he knew exactly where everything was.

“Noct?” she said tentatively. 

“I’m still here,” he replied patiently.

Titania sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Okay.” Though she tried to sound reassured, she couldn’t help but tremble.

After a few moments of tinkering in the dark, Noct lit a simple oil lamp. The orange flames flickered with life and banished the darkness, leaving deep shadows in their wake. Titania couldn’t help but gasp in relief and several more tears slipped down her face. She looked away, ashamed of her appearance.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

“For what?” Noct asked.

“I… For being weak.”

“Weak?” He shook his head. “Fear is not a weakness.”

“But I…” Her mother had always called her weak for her cowering in the dark of her cell. It was a weakness to be conquered, Lydira had claimed. And so Lydira would throw her into the cell again as punishment for fearing the cell in the first place.

“A warrior cannot be brave without fear.” He sat cross-legged in front of her, a bottle in his hands. “Show me your arm.”

Titania sniffed and did as he asked.

“Your other one,” he clicked his tongue and grabbed her burned arm. “You’re lucky, the burns aren’t too bad.” Noct opened the bottle and poured the liquid over her arm.

It stung. 

“Ah!” She winced and recoiled, but he held her arm in place and kept pouring.

“Calm yourself, it’s just some spirits. Doesn’t taste great, but it’ll keep your wound clean.” Tearing off what was left of his shirt, he made makeshift bandages, and wrapped them around her arm. “We’ll get you to a proper healer soon enough. For now, this will do.” 

Without his shirt, Titania noticed how wounded he really was. A dozen cuts, some remarkably deep, were scattered across his flesh. It was a miracle he wasn’t crying in agony, she certainly would have been. The injuries must have pained him a lot, yet he gave them no mind.

“...Thank you,” she whispered.

“Hm,” he grunted.

As he worked, Titania took her first real look around the room. It was small, barely enough for two people. That was when she spotted the well sitting behind Noct.

“This is a well house?” she asked.

He grunted again.

“You brought us to a well house? Why?”

“We need water, don’t we?”

“I guess,” she conceded meekly as he handed her a bucket full of water.

After a long moment, he sighed. “I hid some things here. I came to get them back.”

“Like alcohol?” She stared at the bottle in his hands.

“Something like that. There, all done.” Noct got to his feet and began tearing up the planks on one of the walls.

“What are you doing?” The last thing Titania wanted was for this old well house to come crashing down on them.

Noct ripped up the last of the planks and reached down into the hole in the wall. He pulled out a shortbow, then a quiver of arrows, a sword, a pair of daggers, a hatchet, and finally a shield.

“Can I have one?”

“What?” Noct frowned.

“A weapon. To protect myself.”

“No.”

“But you have so many.”

“No. Get some rest.” He lay on his back, crossed his hands over his chest, and closed his eyes.

“What’s the plan?”

“To sleep,” he said without opening his eyes.

“Yeah, but afterwards, I mean.”

Noct sighed. “We’ll sleep here until the sun sets. Then we’ll make our way to the closest village.”

“And then what?”

“You’re annoying for a noblewoman. Go to sleep.”

Titania dipped her head in quiet dismay. “Sorry…” she mumbled.

~~~

Sleep alluded Noct as the hours passed by. Though he kept his eyes closed, it did little to help. His wounds ached with every breath he took. He tried to pay them no mind. After four hours had passed, he gave up on sleep with a groan and opened his eyes.

Perhaps a walk around the perimeter outside under the scorching sun would help tire him out. He got up to leave the well house when he spotted the noblewoman fast asleep. Except, it wasn’t a woman. It was a child, no older than eight or nine, if he had to guess.

For a moment, he thought it was another person, but her features were similar, right down to the two small nubs for horns on her forehead. Whatever magic she had been using to retain her shapeshifted form had finally given out as she slept.

His eyes softened as he watched her sleep. Quietly, he made his way out of the well house and went in search of one of the villagers’ houses. He returned a few minutes later with a couple of cloaks. He placed one over her as a blanket, then used the other as a pillow for himself and tried his best to fall asleep. 

~~~

Titania awoke covered in sweat. She shot up and gasped for breath, her mind still reeling from a nightmare. She looked around and took in her surroundings. Slowly, her mind began to collect itself.

It hadn’t been real. Or rather, her nightmare was a memory of the night her caravan was attacked. She was safe now. As safe as one could be with the infamous Tribe Slayer deep in the desert in the middle of a ruined village. As for the man in question, he appeared asleep, his chest rising with even, quiet breaths. 

Sunlight filtered in from beneath the door. It still wasn’t time to head out. Her bandaged arm didn’t sting as much, but her whole body felt sore. Her throat was parched. She got up and tiptoed over to the well for some water. When she went to grab the bucket, she noticed her hands were small once more.

With a panic, Titania realized she had reverted to her original body. She took a deep breath and hurried to channel her magic.

“You don’t have to do that, you know,” Noct said.

Titania stiffened and slowly looked over to him. He was still lying on the ground, eyes closed.

“I…” Panic choked her voice and she stumbled back a step.

“If I wanted to hurt you, I would have killed you in your sleep.”

His words brought her little comfort.

With a sigh, he sat up. “How is your arm?”

“...Better.”

“You know, there are tales of a few desert tribes with special abilities. Some of the rulus there are born with a unique form of magic. The ability to shapeshift their bodies to a certain degree. Like swelling muscles, changing their faces, that sort of thing. Their skills were useful in battle and subterfuge. Ever heard of something like that?”

Titania shook her head. “Not really.” But her voice came out weak.

“You’re a hybrid, aren’t you, kid?”

Titania paled and swallowed hard.

“A rulus and sune hybrid,” Noct went on.

Titania exhaled in relief. Her shoulders sagged and she felt the strength go out of her legs. She had been worried for nothing. “Y-Yeah, I am,” she lied.

“I knew I smelled something different about you,” Noct nodded to himself. “You need not shapeshift to appear stronger or older. Not for me. Not for this.” 

“Okay,” she said with a hesitant smile. It felt nice being back in her normal body, as if she had been flexing for a long time and could finally relax her muscles.

Noct got up and drew her a bucket of water from the well.

“Thanks.” She grabbed the offered bucket and downed the entire thing. Water had never tasted so good. “So, what’s the plan?”

“There are still a few hours left before nightfall.”

“And then?”

Instead of ignoring her, he noticed the twinkle of curiosity in the child’s eye and replied, “Once we reach a village? ...Hopefully find a healer and some horses.”

“Then off to Olduun?”

“Ideally. But these things have a way of never turning out ideally.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means keep your eyes open. You never know what lurks in the sands.”