Tearha: The Number 139

Chapter Fifteen: The Walker

Dark clouds covered the sky till the horizon but not a single drop of rainwater touched the dry and desolate lands across his field of vision. The tower made of pile of junks and jutting metal struts overlooked the plains, spotlights sweeping across the landscape. An explosion rocked in from the west, plumes of smoke bellowing out from the sites of devastation.

The warrior sat on the edge of the dirt ledge, hands by his sides, legs swinging away on air. There was still a long walk ahead of them and the brief respite from the fighting and violence of the war was something he had much needed.

A voice from behind asked, "What are you doing?" He turned to see the young man his age, a blonde haired, thin built, sharp faced teenager, who took a seat beside him.

"Hey, Luviet," he greeted, before turning back forward to face the tower in the distance. "Just enjoying a little quiet."

"Isn't that a little hard in a war zone?" Luviet asked, swinging his legs in tandem with his friend.

From his coat, the warrior took out a pocket watch, the circular engraving on the titanium frame had been kept unscratched, even throughout all the battles.

Luviet asked, "What's that?"

"A gift. From my big brother. It's got my real name on it. I might never see him again."

"See who? Your brother? Or your real name?"

"Both, I guess."

Luviet slapped his friend across the back. "Well, you've got a brother, right here. And when you're ready, you can tell me your real name too." The pair looked out towards the tower as another explosion echoed from place unseen. "When this whole thing is over, you, me, and everyone, we're going to live happily ever after."

***

"Watcher?"

"Yeah?" He broke out of his daydream, head shaking.

"Is something wrong?"

"No." He stood before the last flight of steps before the peak of the ridge. The Twins were setting over the horizon to their west, the double stars lit the sky in a dizzying array of red and orange. The Watcher looked out over the rope rails of the mountain path to the glowing Tower in the north. "I'm just remembering better days." He turned back to face Kathleen, who had already made it halfway up the last flight.

She had changed into a pair of long brown pants and sleeveless shirt for the climb, long hair tied tight into a bun. "Well, we're almost at the top," she said, panting as she did so. "Let's be quick about this. I want to head back and rest my legs."

He quipped back, "You don't exercise much, do you?" He continued the walk up.

"What's that suppose to mean? I exercise plenty, I'll have you know."

"Taking a stroll around the house does not count as exercise."

"It's a really big house!"

They continued their banter on the way up. He had grown to like Kathleen's company. She was definitely a person of noble descent, as stereotypical in physical capabilities as nobles were. But she had a lust for adventure that he had not seen in awhile. A want to not just see more, but to know. She had plenty of knowledge from books she had read through her life and was not afraid expand on them and challenge their ideas. A drive for exploration.

As if to prove his point, she stopped mid-climb to pick up a blue, rose-like flower. "Prigmatia," she explained the plant. "They use these for blue dyes. I thought they'd be much nicer to touch though. It's a little sticky."