Alasla: The New Age

Chapter Sixteen- The Parting

It's been three months since Kanitha left. Ralph and Eve had explored many more parts of the world during these times, including a quick visit to the Dark Island and a vacation to the Luana Chained Island (which Ralph personally loved) where they met the 'Lord of Coconuts'. He was basically a guy that loved coconuts too much he had now a coconut lifestyle. It sounds absurd, neither Eve nor Ralph believed the rumor until they met him in person.

Eve wasn't surprised about Kanitha leaving them. She believes it was going to happen eventually, and she was better prepared for her departure than the groceries Ralph brought back.

They were still living in the same boat, doing the same thing. In the back of his mind, Ralph wanted to show Kanitha when he had finally learned some equations. He still can see her standing at the boat's front. He still feels her.

In these three months, he has never received any pain more than a scratch on the knee, so he hopes that's a good sign meaning she's doing fine.

Today was just like any other. It was five in the morning, and the sounds of Eve making breakfast is already coming from the kitchen as he entered the navigation room to plan their route for today.

Sitting down in the sunlit room, he patiently traces the map, attempting to figure out the most reasonable navigational route for them today. The tip of his pen stopped dead when it reached Ling.

That's where we'll be arriving next. He realized with a shudder.

At his first thought, he tried to turn away. But something that nagged him in the back of his mind holds his pen tip still, refusing to move.

After a few beats of struggling, he placed the pen down and left to find Eve.

Eve was just coming out with breakfast when he sat down at their table. The third chair was still left empty beside their table.

"Did you see that washing machine in the last inn we stopped by?" Eve asked as he passed Ralph his plate of roasted squid.

"Washing machine?" Ralph echoed, recalling the worn device in the corner of the bathroom. "Yeah... I guess. What about it?"

"I tried using it once, it was literally shaking so hard that it almost fell out of the balcony," Eve shook her head.

"Damn," Ralph raised a brow, stuffing more sauced squid into his mouth.

"Um... Eve?" He started after swallowing his mouthful. "What do you think about Ling?"

"Interesting place," Eve replied casually, inspecting a squid part on her plate. "I like the buildings there."

"Would you like to pay it a visit, then?"

Eve looked up at him, mildly surprised, for a few seconds, then turned back down to work on her food.

"Like I said the first time we met, I'll go wherever you go," she says, poking around her carrot. "But don't you hate that place?"

"I... Do," Ralph admitted. "But I felt tired now. I've seen the world, and now I want to go back to take a look at the start. I feel like... I might learn something there."

"Sure," Eve shrugged. "What do you want me to do?"

Ralph sighed, placing his fork down. He knows that if he says so, Eve would do it. He overthinks his decision, he didn't want another friend dying for his cause.

"I want you to travel to Garavia for me," he said finally and carefully, observing Eve's reactions. But she seems fairly calm about this insane request. Seeing that, Ralph continued. "I have been researching and analyzing the clues these three months. In all honesty, I believe the root of the Government is based in Garavia. If I didn't guess wrong, that was why Kanitha wanted me to escort her to that particular place, too. I want to help me take a look at a specific spot in Garavia."

"And that is?"

"Mount Layat. The tallest mountain in the world, also the oldest."

"Sure," Eve agreed. "I can do this for you. How long will it take us to reach there?"

"In a couple of hours," Ralph checks his pocket watch. "Around midday we'll arrive at the boundaries between Ling and Garavia. We should part there."

Eve shrugged in agreement. She picked up their plates and returned to the kitchen.

Ralph sat back down at his study table. They'll be arriving at a port that is unfortunately not Port Neverreturn. That's a little too far from the major city areas than Ralph's liking; He'll just have to steal someone's vehicle.

A knock on the door stopped his thoughts. He stood up and pulled it open, Eve stood outside, her left eye cupped in her hand.

"What happened?" Ralph hasted out to check her eye. "Did you get hurt?"

Eve backed away, refusing to let Ralph touch her, then shook her head.

"I just want to show you something," she removed her hands, revealing her eye.

It was no longer in its usual shade of hazel brown. Instead, it was a fake, mechanical-looking blue eye.

"What-"

"I just wanted to do what I can to help you before you leave for Ling," she closed her right eye, her left fixed on Ralph. "There's a reason Ling has the most advanced technology in this whole world. That reason is my family. The Family of Alameke."