Ominous Clouds

Chapter 4: XX - XXVI

The petrichor emanating from the grass, the psithurism resonating in my ears, the towering pine trees surrounding, the vast and thick uproots creeping on the ground, the distant chirping of canaries that rest on protruding branches, the deafening cacophony of cicadas rubbing their wings about, the faint trickles of dew on leaves, the crackles of blazing embers of a campfire—they contribute to the solemn ambience of this somber forest like a symphony—a place of eternal solace.

The four of us settle on a two-story log cabin that we happen to find amidst the thick forest of pine trees. At the front of our cabin there lies an array of thick, knotty roots protruding from the ground. At the far end of the rooty abundance, a large, weathered tree stump rests amongst the roots, overcame by wild mushrooms. The stump leaves a strange impression to me, but I soon pay it no mind.

"It's really quiet here, huh?" Nico says, spacing out towards the window covered in mist.

"With all those noisy crickets and cicadas? I don't think so," Al scoffs.

"Appreciate nature a little more, my friend."

"Uh-huh. Whatever you say, Nicolas."

"I feel like we're finally safe here. We can finally rest easy, don't you think?" Jun says, looking towards my direction

I nod, paying her a soft smile. She's right. Despite the feeling of being completely isolated by the modern world, this place gives off a sense of security and relief. We gather ourselves in front of the fireplace, our backs slumped against the backrest of the sofas. We feel as if we were in some sort of a getaway, though in reality, our lives are hanging on a thread from having 5 artifacts stolen from them. "We can finally rest, huh... Finally," or so I think. At this very moment, the only thing that resonates within the four of us is insouciance.

The calm before the storm.

Several minutes float by as we rest in silence until Al suddenly breaks it off. He sits up, then he clasps his hands together as he rests both his elbows on both his thighs. He looks at me with a concerned look.

"Hey, there's something I wanna tell you," Al says.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Some moments ago, after we arrived here, I felt a slight pain on my left ear, where the earring is."

He points at the push back earring pierced through the upper lobe of his left ear and touches it to reaffirm the pain he felt. The earring holds the same design as Jun's necklace, Nico's brooch, and my ring— a flower with several pointy petals and a gem attached to its middle. The pointy petals look like the wings of a bird. The gem on Al's earring is obsidian black; the gem on Jun's necklace is ruby red; the gem on Nico's brooch is a sapphire blue, and my ring's a diamond white.

"So, I took out the earring, and I kinda felt something while touching it. I looked closer and saw something written on it— some kind of letters. I thought it was really weird, y'know? And I thought maybe the same thing happened to you all," Al continues.

"So, I'm not the only one after all, huh," Nico says.

I give the three of them a hard look and release a sigh.

"Everyone, take off the artifacts and place them on this table," I instruct, as I begin to remove the ring from my finger. "I still haven't told you all on what we're gonna do these with things, have I?"

"Nope. You only said that these artifacts will take us to Elysium— or paradise. Whatever," Al says.

"That's right. Will the three of you check for the inscription Al mentioned?"