There was a slight moment of silence where Kaero doesn't respond, she seems to be thinking about something as she walks normally, a moment later she simply sighs.
"Actually, I'm..." Kaero doesn't finish speaking which makes a slight curiosity grow inside me.
"I have some questions about the world, I was thinking about something, well, actually, I think that since you are here, you, a person from another world, then, maybe your soul could attract the curiosity of that thing..." Kaero mumbles with some embarrassment.
I don't know what questions Kaero has, but judging by her melancholic demeanor and sparkling eyes, it's probably something very important.
Kaero smiles resignedly after a moment, wiping away the few tears that were staining her cheeks.
After that I simply remained silent, we returned to the barracks, I went back to my room and everything continued as usual.
Training in the morning, lunch at noon, lunch in the afternoon and sleep at night.
During this time I have also been trying to get to know Kaero better, however, she is very reserved with some topics, and it always ends up with her asking me some questions about the world I come from.
A week passes quickly and once again it's time for us to go out into the forest to explore.
This day Kaero is more animated than usual, she smiles at me as she hurries me to get changed so we can get to the training camp soon and then go out into the forest.
By the way, today is more cloudy than usual, those black clouds that cover the sky are much denser than on a normal day, just a few drops of rain fall and there is a slightly strong wind that shakes my hair.
Looking outside I can't help squinting my eyes, in fact, since I came to this world there has never been a sunny day.
Kaero behind me also calms her excitement, she mumbles something I can't understand before moving a little closer to me.
"It looks like there will be a storm, we should...", Kaero murmurs close to my ear, "0We should find a place where we can take shelter during the day..." Kaero sighs with some disappointment.
The other squad members that came out next to us are no longer visible and only Kaero and I walk through the forest.
"How about a cave?", I propose to Kaero as I look up at the greasy clouds in the sky.
"Those things are not that common around these parts, but we might find something similar..." Kaero murmurs, she's shivering slightly from the cold outside, her voice sounding a little higher pitched than usual.
"By the way, there's almost no fog today, Is it because of the clouds?", I mutter to myself under my breath as I walk forward.
As I walk forward through the lush vegetation I soon come to a large lake of green water, there are some herbivorous animals drinking from the stream water and some small mountains not far away.
If I look straight ahead I can discern some small makeshift camps in the distance.
"What's that?", I mutter to myself as I look back.
There was a brief moment of silence. Kaero, standing next to me, simply stared at the green lake for a moment before raising her gaze to look at the camps.
Kaero's eyes widened in surprise, her expression serious.
"That's...," Kaero squints, "They appear to be centaurs that live in the forest," Kaero smiles slightly.
"Centaurs?"
"Actually, they're some human-like creatures that live in various places, that they're here is not uncommon, but..." Kaero grimaces slightly.
"They are tough, hard to kill, but they don't attack if they don't feel threatened, so at this distance we should be fine," Kaero observes the green lake after speaking.
Kaero's expression undergoes several changes as he looks at the green lake and then at the herbivorous animals not far from the lake.
I can see Kaero's eyes dilate slightly, as her breathing becomes heavier, she herself begins to tremble as she watches the lake closely.
Kaero remains silent, she stares at the green lake, mesmerized, her breathing becoming faster and faster.
I move my right hand with celerity to touch Kaero's shoulder and ask her about her condition, however, my hand passes through her shoulder as if she were a hologram.
"What the fuck!!" my eyes widen due to surprise, Kaero turns her head in my direction, she opens her mouth and closes it desperately, however, no sound comes out of her mouth.
Kaero herself begins to fade into thin air, she also seems to notice this and points in the direction of the lake and then in the direction of the centaurs, she tries to communicate something to me with her actions before fading away completely.
I remain looking at the place where Kaero was before for a moment before looking in the direction of the green lake and then in the direction of the camps.
"What was that? It felt... strange," I murmur softly, my eyes slowly moving towards the green lake with some distrust, maybe I should retreat.
However, can I do that?
I mean, Kaero has disappeared in some mysterious way, which means there is something bad going on here.
When that thought crosses my mind I turn around and try to go back to the barracks.
I cautiously observe my surroundings, but besides the abundant vegetation, I can't notice anything else. Looking again in the direction of the green lake, I can now see all the animals that previously drank from the water watching me.
Their eyes are a bright green, jade-like color, and their bodies seem a little strange, as if they were holograms.
"Illusion?" I murmur to myself as a feeling of danger invades my entire body.
My eyes widen, dilate, and I try to escape quickly, but I'm unsuccessful; something prevents me from moving.
The world begins to darken, the vegetation takes on a dark hue, a strong wind blows and shakes my hair, while everything around me gradually loses its shine.
As I try to force my body with all my might, a kind of black liquid suddenly envelops me. My eyes focus on the animals, now black with dull white eyes.
I can't escape, this liquid enters my mouth preventing me from breathing, everything around me is black and white, despair fills my mind as my consciousness fades.
...
...
...
"Lord Ferr, Are you awake?", as I open my eyes I quickly see the face of a pretty girl.
Any?
I get up from the soft bed, Any not far away helps me to sit up and then brings me a bowl of crystal clear water.
Am I dead?
No, that shouldn't be possible. I'm in that world, my supposed past. That means I'm dreaming, or at least I want to believe that.
I observe my surroundings for a moment, then my eyes focus on the smiling Any. For a moment, this girl's simple smile makes all the bad thoughts running through my mind disappear.
Finally, I smile, I guess thinking won't help at the moment.
With a sudden thirst I grab the bowl of water and put it in my mouth.
"Hmph... fantastic" I murmur after relieving my body thanks to the water, then looking around the room where I am an place comes to my mind.
Any's room.
However, I feel different, unlike my previous dream in this one I feel weak, tired, and using the primordial energy of my surroundings I find it complicated.
"Lord Ferr, Will you... leaving soon?" Any murmurs near me, I for my part simply shake my hands for a moment before shaking my head with a smile.
"I don't know," I murmur, I may not be able to stay inside the terrarium forever, so perhaps my current weakening is because my time in here is coming to an end.
I raise one of my hands to gently stroke Any's head.
Any for her part looks me in the eye before replying, "Mom said you can't stay here for long, there is a limit and it will take years to come back," Any's eyes are slightly sparkling.
I then draw Any's body to mine to embrace her, her heaving breaths warm my chest as her arms wrap around my chest and press me tightly against her.
A moment later.
Walking out of Any's hut I am met with a sight to behold, all the villagers of Tazy have gathered to celebrate a small feast and bid me farewell, however, all the villagers are melancholic for some reason.
In all that, Kivea acts as the organizer of the feast and several villagers gather for me to bless their bodies using some primordial magic to strengthen them.
In all of this, I saw Any looking a bit discouraged, so, in the middle of the party I went over to talk to her.
However, for some reason Any didn't answer any of my questions.
It wasn't until the feeling of weakness became greater that Any approached me with something in her hands.
"This is a contract," Any says as she hands me a sheet of paper with something written on that sheet.
"You will come back, Do you understand?, you must not forget to come back," Any's eyes start to get slightly bright as she looks me in the eyes and speaks firmly.