Lenn grabbed his forehead in pain. His horse neighed and trotted away from him. Merri dove off her horse and knelt by his side. She observed him for a moment. The rest quickly got off their horses and came to see. Corrin looked at him and thought about Tomu.
"Is he having a seizure? What's happening?"
Merri shakes her head.
"Hey, Lenn. Are you okay? Can you tell me what's wrong?"
Lenn coughs and wheezes. She quickly feels his pulse.
"His heart is beating fast. Too fast."
The thought of a beating chest fell close to home to Corrin. During his training with the mysterious man, Corrin found his chest was beating faster than ever before. It was because of a constant flow of Anees Energy directly into Corrin's body.
"I think… he's having a lot of Anees Energy direct itself into his body…"
Merri looked up at Corrin.
"Like calling it from the air? No, you're the only person here that's ever used the Anees in the air. With the shard, Corrin."
Corrin shook his head.
"No, you have to at least consider it. Whenever I used the shard to a greater volume, I found my heart pounding and difficulty focusing."
Merri looked down at Lenn. Then, miraculously, he seemed to come to his senses. His heartbeat returned to normal, and he began to recognize people around him.
"What happened?"
Forrest held out his hand and helped Lenn up.
"I saw her. I saw the Queen."
Everybody's hearts skipped a beat. Edwin's jaw dropped.
"What do you mean you saw the Queen?"
"It was like some kind of vision. She was standing in front of me."
Lenn rested his hands on his knees, catching his breath.
"I saw her lips moving, but I couldn't see nor hear to whom she was speaking."
Vesterii put his hand on his chin.
"How peculiar… I wonder why it happened to only you…?"
Lenn held his head for a moment and whistled his horse closer to him.
"I don't know why that just happened, but I'd rather not think about it."
Merri and Edwin seemed to accept his request easily.
Corrin was a little more stubborn in that regard. He was confused as to what had happened. He rode beside Forrest a few minutes later.
"What do you think just happened?"
"I'm not sure, but something very strange just occurred. Lenn had some kind of vision… Merri and Edwin both brushed it off as if it were nothing. Merri is usually not that kind of person. Especially in regards to Lenn. They've never gotten along very well."
Corrin thought for a few moments.
"Why did he fall and pretend like nothing happened? Why did Edwin and Merri accept it?"
Forrest steals a glance at Vesterii.
"Vesterii didn't seem to care about it, either. This is concerning."
The horse's hooves began to press in the dirt more easily as rain began to fall. They all put on their cloaks and pulled the hoods over their heads. Corrin pulls his hood away from his eyes to see Forrest better.
"It isn't natural. Maybe it's some kind of Resonance?"
"Possibly. Seeing as how peculiar the only Resonance we've seen so far can be, I wouldn't see past it being one. But who could be using one?"
Corrin thought it was possible that they were being followed. He wondered if he should mention the vision he had regarding the queen during his training with the mysterious man from his dreams, but he figured not.
He believed it would not help in figuring out what was happening.
That night, they were forced to sleep in their tents and eat some of their dried rations; there was no possibility of a campfire in the pouring rain.
Corrin found it difficult to sleep. There was clearly something deeper going on.
In the morning, the rain had passed. Lenn, Edwin, Merri, and Vesterii seemed to have recovered from the event the day prior. In the distance was a singular mountain. Not a tall mountain, but a very visible one nonetheless. Atop it were large walls and the tops of castle spires.
Forrest pointed towards it.
"That's our destination. It's a few hours away. When we reach there, we'll wait until night to climb up to avoid being spotted. From there, we'll go through a secret entrance at the side. Our spy will check it every night and open it if we're there."
Forrest takes a deep breath after the explanation.
"After that, we'll be taken to his house and stay in the cellar for about a week. When it's the first of May, we'll sneak into the castle and complete our mission. When we've done that, we'll open the gates alongside all of our spies within the walls, and we'll have won."
Edwin interjects.
"What happens if we fail?"
"Then everybody will die. We are Vrebathia's last hope. We cannot lose."
As they travel closer, the anticipation of reaching the Capital City rises higher than ever. The mountain is much larger up close, the walls tower over the highest point of it, and the city itself is colossal in scale.
They soon reach the base of the mountain, and they get down from their horses. In an emotional moment, they remove the saddles and let their horses roam free. Leaving them here would certainly mean their death. They could only hope that the horses would live a good life.
They took all that they could carry on their back and began the ascent.
"We're going to stop about halfway up and wait until nightfall."
The first half was mostly manageable. The terrain was rocky, and the rocks were loose. Bits of grass popped from out of the cracks, and the sun beat down on their backs. The rain from the previous day had created a humid atmosphere.
Soon, however, they finally reached halfway up the mountain. Their ankles were in pain from the constant twisting, and the soles of their feet hurt from the constant jabbing of rocks into them.
The sun was nearly set by then. They spent the next few hours resting in anticipation of infiltrating the castle. When the night fell upon them, they set out one last time up the mountainside.
The night was dark, and a new moon hid itself from view. The night was cloudy. It seemed as though the night sky itself was on their side. Traversing the landscape at night was objectively more difficult; the loose rocks were harder to spot. Eventually, despite the hardcomings, they managed their way up the mountain.
As they made their way up, Forrest began to lead the way along the face of the wall. Corrin's eyes drooped the farther the night went on. Forrest walked along the wall for what felt like hours, but he soon stopped suddenly. Corrin bumped into Edwin from the sudden stop.
Forrest tapped on the different large bricks on the wall. One of the bricks begins to move inward and crashes on the floor.
"So, you finally showed up, eh?"
A man's voice with a very expressive accent was heard from inside the wall.
"It's good hearing your voice, Kalem."
Forrest climbed through the hole. He disappeared into the darkness beyond. The others quickly leaped through the hole in the wall as well.
The darkness consumed them for a moment, until the man named Kalem struck flint and steel and lit a torch.
The fire illuminated his appearance. He was an Erthari, a typical human being. The fire made his shoulder-length red hair glow bright, and his brown eyes glowed like the embers under a flame. He wore a deep blue undershirt and tan overalls, the attire of a blacksmith.
"Heya, all. Name's Kalem. I'm the Vrebathian spy, I'm sure you've heard all about!"
His accent was foreign to Corrin, but the unfamiliarity of his voice was quickly diminished by the warmth he showed to The Hidden Vanguard.
He spent the time to greet each individual, and the kindness and optimism he revealed were beyond anything Corrin had expected from somebody who lived in a place such as the Capital City of the Shem Empire.
He brought them through the wall and down into a tunnel system under the city. He spoke warmly with Forrest and the rest of them as they went. He spoke of simple things: the weather, life in Oaksjean, and the adventure to get to the Capital City.
They soon reached a wooden ladder. When they climbed up it, they found themselves in a cellar. The cellar was cold and damp, despite the warmer temperature of the recent nights. On either side were shelves with different types of preserved foods.
"I know it's a tight fit, but we'll make the most of it, I'm sure."
He walks over to one of the shelving units and grabs a bottle of wine.
"Wine, anybody? Not aged for too long, but tastes well enough."
Corrin and Edwin back away and give a polite bow.
"No, thank you, we're far too young for wine."
Kalem laughs.
"Suit yourselves, back in my hometown in the far north, kids your age drink alongside the adults. It helps with relieving stress."
Corrin and Edwin are still back down.
"We're only sixteen, we can't be drinking yet."
Kalem respectfully accepts their decision, but pours a cup for the others.
"Well, welcome to my cellar. You'll be spending until May the first here. You'd all better get used to it, you'll be here for about a week before the day the queen dies."