The Beast Within

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

"What is taking Haneul so long?" Ceraun asked impatiently, already tired of waiting.

He had been waiting with Adrik at the rocky incline for far too long and yet Haneul was still not making an appearance.

Adrik shrugged, getting to his feet. "He knows where to find us." He pointed out. "Let's head down to the river bank."

Their daily races had simply become tradition, they could all easily keep up with each other now anyway so it was more to prepare their bodies each morning for training and keep themselves in shape.

Ceraun was training to hold the form of his lightning in his hands, it was most difficult.

He had almost forgotten about the possible presence of the only girl joining the army, not Adrik though.

Occasionally, he used his enhanced eyesight to keep on the lookout, did she decide to not come and Haneul was trying to convince her?

He could only wait and see, paying double attention to the usage of his magic, the last thing he needed was getting distracted and breaking his arm.

Just about the moment when they had resigned themselves to not seeing Haneul for the rest of the day because it was already past noon, he stumbled over to the river bank, carrying a hooded figure on his back.

Ceraun stopped punching at his usual scarred boulder to turn around in shock., Adrik getting up from underneath the slanted rock where he had sat to take a brief rest.

"Haneul?" Ceraun called in surprise, coming over to where he went down, bending at the knees to help her come down from his back. "We were starting to think you had deserted us."

"Hey." Haneul huffed, a tad breathless. "Sorry it took so long, convincing Auris to come down the rocky incline was harder than I thought, she is terrified of heights."

Ceraun gaped in confusion. "I see." He mumbled.

"I am sorry for making Haneul late." Auris bowed slightly, her ragged cloak swishing.

Ceraun was again shell-shocked, he was not sure what he expected her to sound like but her feather soft voice didn't feel too out of place.

"It's fine, I'm relieved that you chose to come at all." He replied, the task of holding up conversation falling to him because Haneul was still catching his breath.

From the looks of things, the slender Mage had carried her all the way from the rocky incline back at the town.

Adrik on the hand looked suspiciously busy, going through kicking motions like he was not blatantly listening in on their conversation.

"Er, do you mind taking your cloak off?" Ceraun asked nervously after a short spell of awkward silence.

"Oh? Of course." Auris bowed again in that feather soft voice, she only had it up because she looked upsetting to the other Mages.

She could not blame them for thinking that way, Mages eyes only glowed when they were using their magic but hers glowed also when sunlight hit her eyes.

She pushed the hood backwards over her head, giving a bright smile when she could properly see them.

The one that had been talking to her looked oddly familiar, perhaps she remembered him from the enlistment the day before, he had shrewd black eyes that held no animosity which was good enough for her and a jagged glowing scar beside his left eye.

She already knew what Haneul looked like so she glanced over at the other Mage, he was the tallest out of them, a reserved expression on his face.

Surprised sounds got pulled from Ceraun and Adrik.

Ceraun was not sure also what he had been expecting this time but it was not the voluminous curls of pure white hair which was trapped underneath her cloak and her eyes.

Adrik's surprised sound quickly transformed into one of dismay, he did not think it his place to pry but he could not wrap his head around why someone as fragile as this would decide to enlist into the army.

"You want to ask why I am joining the army, don't you?" She directed at Adrik, the tall Mage clearing his throat uncomfortably.

"If you don't mind." He replied politely.

Auris shrugged. "There is nothing for me here so why not join the army?" She stated simply, taking off her cloak.

Everyone gulped at the length of her hair, even Haneul who was yet to see all of her hair.

How did she carry that weight around so effortlessly?

It was easily down to her hips, curling wildly as she smiled again with her eyes closed to dispel the gloomy air her words brought.

"I do not mind dying the instant I get to the army." She opened her eyes, they were iridescent, like flames were trapped behind her eyes.

Adrik's eyes widened briefly at her words.

"I could not bring myself to eat a wild lotus." She said truthfully, staring at the river like she was seeing it for the first time and perhaps she was.

"I don't mind living or dying, neither seems better." She added, drifting in the direction of the water.

The three boys watched her flawless movement like they were entranced, without her cloak, there was a tattered dress underneath.

It looked like it might have been pretty once but was now aged, the material frayed from wash and wear.

Rough cotton strips were wrapped around her feet and legs which were encased in shoes that looked too big for her.

Adrik was the first to break out of it when he realized that she had squatted beside the river, dipping her hands in it to take a drink.

His body reacted faster, moving to snatch her up and run in the direction away from the river, his eyes glowing.

His actions made the water that had ben cupped in her hands splash every which way, none gratefully getting in her mouth.

"Huh?" Auris blinked in confusion, clutching her hands as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.

Adrik realized a little too late what he had done but it seemed wrong to just drop her down to the ground.

"T-the… uh… the water is poisonous." He stuttered slightly, looking away from the iridescent eyes fixed on his face.

Ceraun made a dismissive sound. "You could not have smacked the water out of her hands or even better yelled at her to stop?" He asked.

"Not everyone is a barbarian like you, Feyrer." Adrik scoffed.

"Um?" Auris started softly, red ears peeking out of her curtain fall of white hair. "Y-you can put me down now." She reminded him, her feet dangling in the air.

"Oh, of course." Adrik agreed immediately, he had almost forgotten about the fact that he was still carrying her.

Her weight was insubstantial, he wondered why Haneul had seemed so out of breath but then again the Wind Magic User wasn't sturdy.