You Owe Me Two

Chapter 13 - Sun Festival for the Divine

××Zypher××

The cheers and songs of glee could be heard miles outside of Seraville. And, despite all my pleading to go around, Wild was adamant she learned what was going on.

I knew and told her but she wasn't satisfied. She wanted to see the Sun Festival with her own eyes. That's how we ended up standing in the middle of a dancing crowd with her watching in awe.

"This is amazing," Wild squealed. Her eyes bounced around the people around us.

All dressed in their finest, brightest clothes. Cloaks of red and hair littered with sparkling gold. Orange paint ran across their skin, tracing their veins.

All a testament to the Divine Beast Seraph that they thought so high of. I thought she was a temperamental god who deserved nothing but saying that in the city that worshiped her would get Wild and I thrown out.

I pulled Wild away from the mass of dancing adulting. We stepped onto a barren sidewalk; every one had chosen the street as their dancing ground.

"Everything is so pretty," Wild sighed, throwing her gaze back at the hundreds of worshippers.

"They're also all crazy," I mumbled, watching the signs as we passed. Each one looked closed unsurprisingly.

"Don't say that," Wild chided. We moved to the side quickly as a group of screaming children raced passed, chasing one another with small glowing orbs of light.

"Can you blame me? They chose the worst Divine Beast to worship. Seraph was full of anger and malevolent power. She was exiled for a reason."

I stopped in my tracks when we reached the end of the street. I sighed in defeat. There was no getting away from these people.

Long lines had formed along the sidewalks, full of cheers and happy faces, all glued to the parade making its way down the main street.

"Not everything that's bad stays that way." I met Wild's serious gaze and stared for a moment, knowing she wasn't just speaking of Seraph at this moment.

"Can we watch the parade for a bit?" And then the moment was gone, an excited Wild taking its place.

I couldn't say no to her wide smile and nodded in defeat.

She jumped into my arms, delighted, before yanking me towards the crowd of people. We pushed our way forward; me holding tightly to her hand so we wouldn't become separated.

Once we got as close as we could, I noticed Wild leaning on her tiptoes to see over the people in front of her and graciously offered her a piggyback ride. She jumped on and held on tight as I spun back into position.

Her ecstatic gasp was music to my ears.

Men and women alike danced across the stone path, lost in their own words. They were draped in white robes and had golden bangles attached to different arms and legs. A few, doing more lively and difficult dances, carried hoax golden wings on their backs. Those playing the music had pure gold instruments and were dressed just the same.

Their goal was to appease Seraph's anger. That if they showed her likeness and showed how much they appreciated her, she would douse them in riches and good fortune.

After an hour, I couldn't ignore Wilds or my own grumbling stomach. The parade was beautiful and crafted with precision but wasn't worth starving for.

"Let's get something to eat," I called over my shoulder. Wild laid her head on my shoulder and nodded. I smiled and tightened my grip on her legs as I shoved my way out of the crowd.

It took quite awhile for us to find any shops that were open. Thankfully, not everyone was stupid enough to close their business the entire day.

"Flavor looks really interesting," Wild commented, setting her hands on my head to turn it in the right direction. I hummed in agreement and crossed the street to get closer to the shop.

I dropped Wild to the ground before opening the glass door for her. The sign on the front said they had the best variety around which was good to know.

The inside of the restaurant was covered in vibrant colors that were so different that they fit together well.

We slid into the booth offered to us and ordered the strangest thing on the menu: Sea Slug Stew. It sounded disgusting. Wild and I chatted until our food arrived.

Our waiter slid it onto the bright pink table and quickly disappeared to greet the customers who had just entered.

We gazed at the slimy, blue, bubbling stew in unease.

"You go first," Wild ordered, sliding the large bowl closer to me. I rolled my eyes and dipped my spoon into the Slug Stew. I brought the spoon to my lips and looked Wild dead in the eyes as she watched nervously.

It wasn't that bad. It took a moment to convince Wild that I wasn't lying just to make her try it but soon enough, the stew was gone and we both felt much better. We thanked and paid the waiter before leaving to the noise filled outdoors again.

Instead of going back to the ongoing parade, Wild dragged me towards a different melody being played a street over. Wild used my intimidating form to get to the front so she could see the dancers moving to the calming tune. 

My eyes found their way to a popup booth on the other side of the circular crowd. The famous name Sire was printed across the sign. I knew for a fact they sold amazing lemonade.

"I'm going to get us a drink. Do not move from this spot," I commanded, leaning down to speak the words in her ear. She blushed at the close proximity but nodded in understanding.

It didn't take long to get to the booth; many people were happy to take my closer spot. I checked on Wild every few seconds as I waited in line to grab the sweetly sour drink. I passed the money to the worker and turned with the drink in hand.

I started back the way I had come but paused when I couldn't spot Wilds form. She was short but I should have been able to see her from this spot. I rushed a little closer, in my panic, dropping the drink.

The liquid splashed the people around me but their shouts and curses fell on deaf ears. I spun in a circle, my eyes catching on anything red. Usually it would be easy to pick her out in a crowd but not here.

Something in me snapped when I was shoved to the side. I lashed out and sent the man flying with a punch to the jaw. I leveled my eyes on a tall building in front of me and teleported to the very top.

I grabbed the edge of the roof to keep myself steady as my gaze roamed across the streets below and to the streets I could see from the other side.

My eyes caught movement and zoned in on a man who didn't seem to fit in. He was dressed in all black, much like me, and while he wasn't looking around suspicious, the fact that he wasn't going towards any of the partying didn't seem right.

When he slipped into a brick building with high windows, I made my move.

"Teleport."