Calytrix's Journey

Chapter XXVI: Our Journey

"Our journey? What does it even mean?" I asked.

"It means what it means," Akios said, uninterested, and walked through a field riddled with black holes.

"Wait!" I yelled and ran towards him, but I tripped on something and fell while darkness consumed me. 

The next second, I opened my eyes and looked at my outstretched hand. I was drenched in sweat and heat, though it was only a dream.

The metallic door swung open, and Akios quickly walked to my side. 

"I could hear you from the other room," Akios said as he checked my forehead for temperature. "It's fine... now get dressed and meet me outside."

I still needed a few moments before I could jump out of bed, so I lay with my eyes open until my body calmed down. My attention focused on the large wooden beams that ran across the ceiling, which were probably made from rough-hewn wood. The room, except for the door, was all wood. It was such an oddity, but Akios was still my number one in strange oddities.

What was that nightmare even about? I've been travelling with Akios for a while now  — a week, to be exact. Travelling with him wasn't bad. We actually got along well, although he enjoys keeping a lot of secrets. There were even a few fun times. Last night was particularly fun.

There was a big wedding celebration when we arrived at the inn. I was ready to head out as soon as I saw a crowd, but the guests stopped Akios and me from leaving.

"It's a grand feast," they said and invited us to join the fun. 

They sat us down and gave us free food and drinks. We ate delicious high-quality meat that brought me tears of joy. I didn't remember the last time I had eaten something so nice. Akios was stuffing himself with the food, too. He seemed like he had eaten nothing this good in a while, too. We ate ordinary, tasty food during our travels but nothing this exquisite.

"This was so delicious," I complimented the host, but they couldn't hear me because of the loud music.

The crowd prevented us from leaving after we finished eating. They pressured us to dance with them. Just like me, Akios didn't seem to know how to dance, but we improvised. Everybody laughed merrily, whether they knew the moves or not. I improved the feast by adding some colourful, dancing lightning to the party, and Akios started singing in a loud tune. The sound of his singing voice made me stop everything for a while. His voice sounded perfect. It was as though he had been practicing singing for his entire life.

Everybody in the room stopped for a few seconds just to hear his voice, but soon the song got carried by many voices. I didn't know how to sing, so I opened and closed my lips, pretending to be singing.

The night was long, and we danced it all away. At one point, everyone paired up to dance while holding hands. Akios and I linked hands, and we danced despite the initial awkwardness. I was really proud of myself for not stomping on his feet later.

A quiet knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. 

"I'm coming," I yelled to Akios, but he said nothing.

"Miss Witch," I heard a child's voice before the door. 

A little boy dressed in shabby clothes humbly entered the room. He didn't look directly at me until I got up and walked closer. His red eyes glowed in the dim light of the room. Without a word, he presented a silver ornamental dagger to me.

After a few moments, the child spoke: "Master Lemniselenis would love you to have this." 

I took the dagger in my hands and watched it from every angle. The blade was engraved with small, elaborate details. They were too minuscule and complex to be observed without magnification. I'd examine it for a much longer time with a magnifying glass. My reflection was perfectly visible on the blade's mirror-like surface.