ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ : ᴛᴏʀᴇ
Going across the superficial, thin yet magically reinforced sheet of ice above the lake water with wary steps, they succeeded in setting their feet upon solid ground, hand in hand, without managing to crack it under their weight. Rhydal had offered his hand for the sake of safety and synchronising their movements, to avoid the worst case scenario. Now, even with the reason left behind, Yuuta found the soothing heat still enveloping his hand. He watched Rhydal’s back as they ventured deeper into the woods, and he showed no signs of letting go. In a dilemma, Yuuta pondered over whether to ask him about it or to quietly slide his hand out of his grip. ‘Is he scared?’ - was the first question that came to mind, before realising both of them were trained for this. Finally, Yuuta settled on - ‘He must have his reasons.’ And let it be. After all, he might be the one befitting more from it, than Rhydal.
As previously agreed upon, Yuuta kept leaving a slash on the barks of every other tree on their path, for them to trace their steps back, when needed. Nonverbally deciding separate directions to keep an an eye out at for danger and taking in the details, they entrusted their flanks to each other. Minor changes were becoming more and more prominent, the deeper they continued on their mana trail into the forest. Signs of local animals were becoming more noticeable, and so was the nature’s mana from the local ecosystem. Yuuta discerned that they were close to the core area, or at the very least were in travelling across the buffer area. Concentration of the specific mana trail they were following surged in the air, with the snow raising up by inches along their legs.
At a certain point, on their hike along the trail, Rhydal came to a halt, and snapped his gaze towards a direction, in a bewildered gaze. Following his lead, Yuuta too turned his head and saw the unfamiliar bird flying away, taking their trail along with it. As the warmth disappeared from his hand, Yuuta faced Rhydal to see him face-palming. He had gotten the idea of what just transpired before their eyes. Yuuta breathed out as though he had been holding it in until now. He had been holding onto the optimissm for both of them, but now cracks had began to form on it. Time was running out, and results were nowhere to be seen. With a kid out in the wild, it was a race against the clock. Yuuta looked up the sky above them. The daylight was present, and Flayke’s instructions were to return before nightfall.
[We still have some time until sunset.], Yuuta met Rhydal’s eyes, a serious gaze having replaced the cheerful and endearing mood he usually exuded. [If it’s okay with you, l would like to look around a little more. Wouldn’t wanna go back empty handed, if I can help it.], he proposed and gave Rhydal a choice to refuse, knowing the risks of the freezing cold climate of the land. Yuuta was ready to take responsibility of bringing up the idea, in case Flayke reprimanded them for it.
