The main path wound through the savanna like a scar carved into the earth by some ancient hand. Dust rose in lazy spirals with each step, the dry grass crunching underfoot with the rhythm of a slow, steady march. The air carried the scent of sun-baked earth and the faint, sweet perfume of distant acacia blossoms—a fragrance that was almost mocking in its gentleness, given the tension that coiled beneath the surface.
Jannali walked at the front of the group, her movements slow and deliberate, her head tilted as if listening to something only she could hear. Her lips moved in a constant, low murmur, words tumbling out in fragments that never quite formed sentences. Her headscarf was slightly askew, her afro moving in the breeze, and her hands hung loose at her sides, fingers twitching with unconscious motion.
"Madriax prgel ol ar-oz-zod, zacar ca c-i-s-umi od Nika... Obelisongi Vonpho Lythe, drilpa archei mad s coazior... Era, Eos, Set, Cue, Oas, Are, Emit, Thye, Aeth, Aura, Fibi," Her voice was barely above a whisper, the words rising and falling with the cadence of a chant. " Vovin Hitotsume – left eye if Archei... Ta-Taba Vonphe Vitriol wom Od anima Mundi..."
Marya walked behind her, her ringed golden eyes – one partially silver, fixed on the oracle with the patient watchfulness of a hawk. Her leather jacket creaked with each step, the Heart Pirates insignia shifting in the light in brief flashes.
Sanza walked beside Marya, his small frame bristling with barely contained energy. His red hair stuck up in all directions, and his bamboo practice sword secure at his side, its tip dragging through the dust. His eyes darted between Jannali's trance-like state and the distant mountains that loomed on the horizon, his expression shifting between curiosity and the solemn determination of a boy who desperately wanted to be taken seriously.
Jelly bounced along on Sanza's shoulder, his form rippling with each movement. His head swiveled constantly, tracking the insects that buzzed through the warm air. With a sudden lunge, he snapped his mouth open and closed, catching a fat, green beetle mid-flight. His form rippled with satisfaction as he chewed.
"Blop! Crunchy!" Jelly announced, with the bright enthusiasm of a creature who had never met a meal he didn't like.
Sanza glanced up at Marya, his brow furrowed with the intensity of a question he had been holding for too long. "Big sis?"
Marya looked down at him, her expression unreadable. "Yes?"
Sanza's grip tightened on the hilt of his practice sword, his knuckles whitening. "Have you ever been to Mary Geoise?"
Marya's gaze shifted to the horizon, her golden eyes distant. She considered the question for a long moment, her jaw tightening almost imperceptibly. "Once. But I don't remember it."
Sanza's brow furrowed further, his confusion evident. "Really? How come?"
Marya's voice carried the flat delivery of someone reciting a fact they had long ago accepted. "I was unconscious. My father came to get me with Uncle Shanks."
Sanza's head tilted, his red hair flopping to one side. "But what about big brother?"
Marya sighed, with the weight of old grief. "They weren't able to get us both. He was left behind."
Sanza's brow burrowed deeper, his small face twisting with the effort of understanding. "But how? How could they just leave him?"
Marya took a slow breath, considering how she would explain this so an eight-year-old would understand. "We were separated. They thought Micah was dead." Her voice dropped, carrying the flat delivery of someone who had long ago accepted a painful truth. "They couldn't get to him in time."
Sanza's mouth opened, his brow still furrowed with confusion. Before he could form another question, Marya's voice cut through the air, with practiced deflection, redirecting the uncomfortable conversation. "Do you have any other brothers and sisters?"
Sanza's shoulders dropped, his small frame sagging with the weight of the question. He replied with the reluctant admission of an uncomfortable truth. "Yes."
Marya smirked, her golden eyes gleaming with something that might have been amusement. "Do you not like them?"
Sanza pushed his chin out, his pride clearly wounded. "They are always teasing me. They don't believe me when I say I'm going to be the next Supreme Commander." His continued with indignant conviction.
Marya's lip quirked, her smirk widening slightly. "Oh, what about your mother?"
Sanza's expression flickered, a shadow passing behind his eyes. "She is..."
Marya asked. "She is what?"
Sanza's voice dropped further, with sadness of a child carried grief in silence. "She is always sad." His head snapped up, a defensive edge creeping into his tone. "I try to cheer her up, but she..."
Marya reached out, her hand ruffling his red hair with a gentleness that seemed out of character for someone so guarded. "I am sure she is proud of you. And I'm sure she's missing you right now."
Sanza looked up, his small face brightening with cautious hope. "You think so?"
Marya nodded, her golden eyes softening for just a moment. "I know so."
Her head snapped up, her eyes narrowing as two silhouettes began to take shape in the distance on the path. Her hand tightened on Nisshoku's hilt, her body shifting into the coiled readiness of a predator who had just spotted potential prey.
Sanza noticed her tension, his own hand moving to his bamboo practice sword. "What do you—"
Marya shook her head, cutting him off. "It's probably nothing. Just stay close."
Sanza's jaw set with determination. "What about Jannali?"
Marya's eyes shifted to the entranced oracle, then back to the approaching silhouettes. "I'll walk on her right. You and Jelly take the left."
Sanza nodded, his chest puffing with the importance of being given an order. He called out to Jelly, with sharp edge of command. "Jelly!"
Jelly's head swiveled, his form rippling as he swallowed another bug. With the bright enthusiasm of a creature who had no idea what was happening. "K!" He bounced onto Sanza's shoulder.
---
Hino Rohin and Cohei Duukk walked along the path, their footsteps falling in the steady rhythm of soldiers who had covered this ground a thousand times. The dust rose around their feet, and the sun beat down with the familiar intensity of a Ushirikan afternoon.
Cohei bounced with each step, his energy barely contained. His kudu horns twisting divides against the dusty path, and his freckled face was split in a wide grin that appeared to be permanently etched there. His voice carried the breathless enthusiasm of a man who had never met a moment he didn't want to fill with words. "So, do you think they'll have any interesting news from the capital? I heard there was something going on with the oracle's latest prophecy. Something about outsiders? I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention. I was too busy—"
Hino's voice cut through the chatter like a blade, his deep rumble carrying calm authority. "Cohei."
Cohei's head snapped around, his eyes wide with eager attention. "Yes, sir?"
Hino's gaze was fixed on the path ahead, his dark eyes narrowing as he studied the approaching figures. "Look."
Cohei's gaze followed his commander's, his energy shifting to something more focused. His hand moved to his shield, his body tensing with the readiness of a soldier who had been trained to respond to threats.
The figures resolved into four distinct forms as the distance closed: a woman with dark hair walking with the coiled grace, a small child with wild red hair and a practice sword, a bouncing blue creature eating bugs, and a woman in a trance-like state whose murmured words drifted across the gap like whispers from another world.
Hino's chest rumbled with a low, considering sound, "The prophecy."
Cohei glanced at him, his brow furrowing. "What do you want to do, sir?"
Hino's massive frame shifted, his dark eyes tracking the approaching group with the patient assessment of a seasoned commander. "They appear to be formidable."
With a note of confusion, Cohei asked, "Sir?"
Hino's gaze was fixed on the group, his expression unreadable. "Let's investigate. They may be friendly."
Cohei's eyes slid sideways with skepticism. "Right. Friendly."
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