Ceaseless Devotion || Garroth Ro'meave x OC

2: Journey to Pikoro

"Stay safe and hidden, okay?"

Cecelia's last five words to Garroth clung to her memory like a parasite. Even through the passage of time, those words felt fresher than the morning air of O'khasis. Five years had passed since Garroth's disappearance, and within that time, O'khasis changed drastically.

After months of searching and no results, Garroth Ro'meave was officially declared dead. All search parties had been called off and a funeral was held for close relatives and friends before announced to the public for them to mourn.

Part of Cecelia felt that it was all a front, giving Garroth a funeral to please the people of O'khasis when the Ro'meave family knew he was alive, somewhere... Although she had no proof of this, just a feeling.

Things for Cecelia have been different without Garroth around. Guard training sure felt quieter, as did every day after her graduation. There was nobody to be comforted by on tough days, nobody to hang out with on days off, and nobody to talk to... Sure, there were other guards who were somewhat kind, but other guards weren't Garroth.

Time continued on, and Cecelia had spent every moment putting all she had left into her work. She raised her status from one level to another, making her way through the ranks. After a year of doing so, she had made it from being a close guard for the Ro'meaves to being a part of Jeffory the Golden Heart's elite team of guards.

Being approached by Jeffory alone was something to be proud of. Not only that, by the money she'd be earning from this position would be more than enough to support and fund her travels to search for Garroth.

Cecelia decided that it would be best to stay working under Jeffory to earn some money while she searched for leads for where Garroth might've been.

Garroth must've been some hider if he had managed to avoid the eyes of everyone and remain hidden for five whole years. And as much as Cecelia despised waiting around for a lead to appear, what other option did she have? She didn't exactly have the supplies to start a worldwide adventure looking for him, she needed something to work from.

Cecelia had already gotten frustrated once before, making an attempt to leave O'khasis and search for him, but her adventure was quickly put to rest when she lost her way in the sacred forest.

Even when she'd realised how much of a foolish decision it was, she struggled to find her way home for hours, and wouldn't have managed to do so if it wasn't for the kindness of a lady she'd met who guided her back to the outskirts of O'khasis.

Cecelia had been back to square one again, with no plan of how to leave or find Garroth. How on earth had he done it in the first place?

Cecelia left the outskirts of the sacred forest, legs tired and sore from the hours of walking she had done prior. She halted at the back gates, a fellow O'Khasisan guard holding a firm stance.

"Hello, may I be allowed entry?" Cecelia requested politely, the guards simply looked at one another, silently communicating.

"That depends, do you have proof of your identity?" One of the guards spoke. Cecelia had been taken aback. It wasn't often she left the O'Khasian walls, let alone used the back entrance.

"Excuse me?" Cecelia questioned, unsure why she had been suddenly accused of something.

"Have you no clue where you're coming from?" The other guard questioned.

"No O'khasian guard has left these gates, yet you come in full O'Khasian armour heading from Nahakra?" Their point had now been made abundantly clear, she should have seen this coming beforehand.