ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ : ᴛᴏʀᴇ
Once snapped out of the trance with the help of Yuuta, Rhydal too crouched down next to him, inspected the barrier and the movements of the shadow himself and seemed to agree with his partner. Be it the suspicious mana making a riot or pure shock, either one or both of them interfered with their equilibrium. Yuuta was glad that it did not seem to leave a longer effect. A sober head was crucial for the mission, after all.
Although, the shadow “crying out for help” part was a tweaked interpretation of the impulsive conclusion Yuuta somehow reached of the possibility of the creature being the boy they were looking for, Rhydal still considered it an option. Yuuta did not know whether to feel guilty of making excuses or be happy that Rhydal did not dismiss his partner’s words right away, even though they were a little dumb sometimes. He even offered to help the creature. [Let’s look into it on our way back, then. Or maybe we can come back to it later after we have returned the kid back into the safe hands of Flayke.], he suggested as Rhydal stood up. Rhydal further reminded that they could not afford to get distracted. Yuuta nodded in agreement, taking the help of the taller man and standing up.
As expected, Rhydal too had sensed the new trail. Once he closed his eyes, Yuuta let him feel the mana in his own way, in silence, while looking around and keeping an eye on the surroundings for danger as well as any other trails, should there be any. Their eyes met again once Rhydal had completed the process and agreed to be on the move again. Yuuta nodded at his proposition of letting Flayke know about the lake’s location. [I’ll leave a trail for when we trace our steps back, so that we don’t get lost in this maze of identical trees.], he informed quickly before drawing his Katana (click on it) out of its scabbard, so that Rhydal was not shocked or threatened by the movement. Rays of the sun gracefully glided from its sharpened tip along the polished reflective edge onto the intricate traditional designs near the the base, as Yuuta pointed the Katana at the trees in front of them, hinting that he would leave slashes on their barks as markings, on their way.
Rhydal did something unexpected, but not unwelcomed. Yuuta tilted his head a little in confusion at the extended hand before Rhydal explained himself. [You could take my hand, just as a safety measure.] Yuuta accepted it. He immediately noticed the change in temperature as Rhydal’s warmth spread over his cold exposed palm. Yuuta had donned clothes only the necessary amount, allowing him to feel a little chilly, to maintain the co-ordination between his senses, and for a swordsman, gloves were an obstruction, which resulted in his cheeks tinting into the faintest shade of red and palms become freezing cold in such a climate they were in. Yuuta gratefully smiled down at the little but steady source of warmth from Rhydal’s hand. He looked up and having both his hands occupied, silently mouthed the word, ‘thanks’.
They crossed the frozen surface of the lake together and followed the new mana trail into the woods.
ORP : When the genre changed from “fantasy” “mystery”, to “Shonen ai”