A noticeable smell lingers in the air. No matter how many flowers flourish left and right, their aroma can not hide it. Subtle as a single raindrop on a field, the smell remains undetected by human senses.
It is the early sign of an upcoming storm.
Beyond the field that the search group set their camp, in the forest, two men are wondering further into its unexplored land. This place is nowhere near scouting territory. In fact, it is way out of the Kingdom's borders.
The group split into three pairs. Wizard with Strawberry, Red Chille Pepper with Gingerbrave and Madeleine with Espresso. They all head into different directions. East, West and North. South leads back to Kingdom X.
Even with knowledge on how to return to the Kingdom, Espresso does not feel reassured, especially when the chances of getting poisoned with Illusory magic by a small plant is higher than the chances of encountering a regular black bear.
The two men stop by a tree, eyes pinned to a very unsettling sight above. Half of the tree has been torn off. The missing part remains unseen in the area. They are sure that this is the work of a monster. Espresso exchanges a look with the knight, nodding in agreement that they should keep moving.
The issue with Sparkling's advice is that he did not mention how far from the field Vampire could be. When asked to come help, he refused. It was out of fear, but he hid it well.
Suddenly, the ground is striken with a vibration both can faintly feel in their hearts. They stumble closer and push their backs against each other, preparing for any attacks. The earth appears to shake beneath them and a strange whistle is heard between the trees. Then it stops as abruptly as it started.
Madeleine can feel Espresso's quickened heartbeat behind him. He quietly asks the other if he is okay, to which Espresso does not exactly reply.
'Let's keep moving.' He sounds more hasty to get this over with than before.
Madeleine continues walking near the magician, confident in his ability to keep them both safe. Soon, almost an hour will have passed since they split from the group. It is evening. The sky is a soft blue, allowing a few bright and white clouds to dwell in it. Perfect weather for Spring, although it remains very humid in this thriving forest. Plants proliferate quickly here.
Commander Madeleine knows that too. He admires the flora from afar.
Of course, he could never admire anything more than himself.
This may feel like a stroll in the woods at times, but they are being watched. Constantly.
'Friend, I am getting a bad feeling.' Madeleine stops in his tracks and pulls out his sword.
The sound of it unsheathing instantly makes the feeling of Coffee magic in Espresso's body more intense. 'Are you?' For the first time, Espresso is willing to listen to Madeleine's warnings.
'The Light in my sword...' He closes his eyes and clenches the handle '...keeps giving me this uneasy feeling.' His eyes open again, glowing because of his brief connection with the magic.
The moment the glow subsides, the vibrations return. Stronger, more aggressive. The whistling is louder, pinching their ears and trying to pull their bodies to a fetal position. Make them submit to their fear. But the experienced fighters stay on their feet, as calm and collected as they can be, for they both wish to stay alive.
'Down!' Madeleine grabs Espresso and pushes him on the ground.
Then it passes over them, carrying with it the magic that caused the vibrations. Even with Madeleine blocking his view, Espresso can tell what it is. A dragon with a name that literally means nightmare.
YOU ARE READING
Sweeten My Coffee
Fanfiction~ After the arrival of Madeleine to Kingdom X, Professor and Founder of the Coffee magic school, Espresso, often found himself unintentionally watching the knight Commander from afar. Whenever he caught himself in the act, he would mumble things suc...
