Droplets On Heliotropes [Wanderer x Reader]

VI

Sunsets in the desert were truly breathtaking. You loved those hours of actually endurable temperature, the colours in the sky, ranging from blue and purple to bright orange and yellow and the sounds of people coming to rest after a harsh day in this kind of environment. From your high position, a rock overlooking the small oasis with tents, inhabited by a few desert people, you could see all of it. You felt actually relaxed for a change.

"I'm glad the children are safe," you heard Kusanali's voice in your ear, transmitted through the device similar to the Akasha Terminal that she had given you to keep in contact.

"Mission accomplished," you told her proudly. "They are all exhausted, of course, but every single one has survived. Farid and the others will take them back, they should arrive within the week."

"We are all so glad everything worked out," the Dendro Archon agreed with her kind voice. "But the kidnapper - Illium - still got away."

You thought back to the moment.

The dust from the fight was finally settling and you could see the scene clearly for the first time. The huge machine standing in the centre of the temple, the smaller devices surrounding it, with unconscious children inside, and in the middle of it all, a man. He looked foreign, wearing long white clothes that you couldn't allocate to any of the nations. His hair was blonde and long, almost reaching his knees. Illium was completely different from what you had imagined. This whole situation was.

His ice-blue eyes were blank, almost dead, filled with no emotion as his gaze creeped over your team - all facing him to continue the fight - until they reached Wanderer's frame. That was when you could see something changing, a slight glint in his eyes, a subtle knit of his eyebrows. You doubted any of the others had even noticed.

Before you could react any further, he retreated into the big machine. With a loud noise is started glowing more, powering up, and lifted itself into the air on huge legs that emerged from the bottom.

"Don't," you told Safiyya, who was already proceeding to follow him. "The children are our priority." Walking towards the temple, the others joined you as you started freeing the kids from their strange cages.

"Yes." Your hand went up to your forehead and rested there in frustration. "But he took the huge device with him. It will be easy to track him."

"The one that was fed the children's energy?" she asked you.

"Exactly," you answered. "We still don't know what it is and what it's used for, but Wanderer and I will deal with it. He's not exhausted at all from our journey, so he can join me."

"I guess you already know why." The small smile she wore was almost audible in her voice alone.

"Yeah." You couldn't help yourself but smile as well, especially when remembering the situation in the cave. "I spoke to him about it."

"How is he faring? Did he manage to fit into your team?"

"We had some difficulties, but I think the end result is quite satisfactory," you told her, thinking back fondly to the moment just after the fight had concluded and you had put the children to safety.

Farid shaking Wanderer's hand with a firm handshake and a look of respect, even a small hint of thankfulness in his eyes. The others, agreeing with him, their posture changed when facing him. And Wanderer himself, seemingly conflicted between being annoyed and smug for being praised.

"I'm glad to hear that." Kusanali told you. "But I knew from the start that you'd be the right person to assign him to."

"Thank you for the compliment," you said sincerely - her praise meant a lot to you, with her being the Dendro archon. "Alright, I'll have to go back to my team. We will spend the evening celebrating the successful rescue of the missing children."