Chapter 20: Found

Miko:

My right fist buried awkwardly into Maleki’s head. His face carried to the side, but he spun on his heels, intercepting the second strike with a short kick at my right foot, sending me onto my back. His eyes tracked me up and down for several seconds, almost as if he was battling internally. “Where the hell were you!” I yelled, red with anger and panting like an animal. “I waited — for seven days — you never showed!”

Maleki’s right hand braced his temple in confusion, his voice shaking. “I don’t understand…The Trials…”

“You had all the supplies; I was hungry for days. I needed you!” I was trying to hold my emotions in, but they overflowed at the surface.

“The Garden — We were going there to get you better.” Maleki seemed confused like his brain was struggling to process the information.

“We were trying to get there, and then we got split up somehow, but that was almost two weeks ago!” I wanted to stay mad or punch him some more, but he didn’t seem to understand me.

Maleki’s eyes widened, looking at me more worriedly, “Miko! Where have you been? I was searching for you. These woods are so dense. I got so lost and didn’t know what direction I was going, but I just kept walking.” Exhaustion overtook him. Some of his cuts and earlier wounds had healed, though the major ones from the beast had remained with some improvement. My brother looked more akin to a corpse than alive. No wonder I caught up to him sooner than I had expected, and to his credit, I did have the compass. But why didn’t he search the beach for me?

“Brother…where were you headed?” I asked with a questioning tone.

“I…I was going to The Garden to heal you — then I think I was trying to find the trial or you, but I don’t…I don’t remember.” He was in worse shape than I realized. No wonder he never sought me out. He was barely able to get a complex thought out in this state.

I breathed out, accepting the circumstance as a victory, “It’s okay now. Let’s keep heading South with this stream, which should take us deeper into the island and closer to that tree.”

We pushed on through the creek, neither of us speaking to the other. The only acknowledgment we had of each other’s existence was the distance our blades kept when cutting away at the mass of plants and trees that stood in our way. Together, we were able to speed up the process and conserve energy simultaneously. I worried for Maleki; he seemed different somehow. His movements were slower, and the thoughts he did share were jumbled or lacked any context. His scythe was more convenient at cutting than my disc since the blade was longer, but the real benefit was his reach. Without speaking to me, his body seemed to track onto a small animal that resembled a rabbit with a little horn on its nose and hair that was coarse and silvery. Maleki’s hand gripped the middle of the scythe and arced in a shorter area, cutting through the twigs and limbs ahead of him, meeting the rabbit and killing it swiftly. How had he found two rabbits in his time when I couldn’t even spot one? In my desperation, I had resorted to eating river snails that had slimy flesh and a terrible aftertaste. Today, though — today, I get to eat real food!

I proposed camping for the night to cook the food. Maleki sloppily cut the thing open, his handiwork was evidence of a lack of experience, yet he had killed it quickly and without hesitation. Although, there wasn’t much hesitation as he opened the rabbit open to get the meat within — slicing imperfectly at the creature as its innards clung to its hide due to cuts that incorrectly scraped where they should have sliced. Neither of us audibly complained, being careful not to waste any cooked morsel.

“Here. You should eat.” Maleki said.

“I already have. That’s yours.”

Maleki inspected the thing, almost like he had forgotten that he was the one to cook it. “I have? Yes, of course. Sorry…”

When the sun rose, I was first to put out the campfire and gather our things. Maleki seemed to grumble in his sleep, avoiding my waking prods at all costs. He turned over onto his side to resist me, but after shaking at him a few more times, he sat up looking as tired as he was the day prior. Was this what it was like to wake me? My left forearm was now clenched with more power but still stayed limp at the shoulder and bicep. This disease was confusing, even more so now, but more and more of my mobility and senses are slowly returning.

My continued existence appeared to be returning Maleki to his previous self. Every day we walked through the woods, I saw more and more of his personality and traits return. His thoughts still weren’t cohesive, and he often repeated himself, but his overall demeanor improved. We moved through the stream for several days, and the branches and grass somehow grew thicker, colliding with each other more often and making the path harder to push through. More and more of the stone vines began to appear as we journeyed deeper into the forest. Neither of our blades put a significant dent in them. They would either regenerate quickly or recoil and twist after the barrage of attacks. Eventually, the stream brought us to a wall of trees tightly connected by the vines, resembling a manmade wall with uneven grooves and grass spouts. The flowing stream continued through an arched opening in the wall which was large enough for us to fit through but small for it to be an unnervingly tight fit. As we squeezed through, a perfectly square field of grass appeared, closed in by the walls around it. This grass was mostly clear with green at the base but did not form into narrow shoots. Instead, the grass was clumped into a mass, feeling almost flat and soft on its bushy top. Only one tree stood in the middle of the closed meadow, sitting alone as it basked in the rays of light that peered through the clouds above. Stone tablets as tall as Maleki rose imperfectly out of the ground across the grassy plane. Small bushes appeared throughout the meadow that bloomed with bright berries. I picked one and rolled the white spherical shape in my hand on my now fully restored left arm. The berry collapsed with the force of my finger and thumb, and a fleshy material that resembled a grape squeezed out. I sniffed the berry, inspecting it carefully to ensure it didn’t smell poisonous. I was quite sure it didn’t work like that; something could surely smell good and still have adverse effects, but this somehow comforted my mind before I tossed it into my mouth and chewed it thoroughly.

Nomen’s feet dangled from within the tree as he sat across a long branch. He appeared to be asleep with hands clasped together over his chest and neck tucked in. One of his eyes opened slightly to check if we were looking at him. “You have questions?”

“What is this place?” I asked curiously.

He pondered over his wording, “A false garden. An improper imitation of the real one, though it has its quirks.” His eyes wandered to the berry bushes along the meadow.

“The berries are special, aren’t they?” I said, looking down at the cuts on my arms as the surrounding healthy skin overtook the slits in my skin. A sweet burning sensation had erupted when I first ate the berries, which stilly lightly lingered as the healing process continued.

“Yes, they speed up the body’s healing process. Of course, it is only a marginal increase, not a cure-all by any means. They might get you back into action quicker-“ he paused, eyeing me specifically, “-but they don’t regrow limbs or heal something the body isn’t already capable of if that is what you are thinking.”

“So…is this the trial?” I asked without confidence.

“This place?” He asked, expecting a confirmation, which I answered with a nod. “Oh, no…this place is a checkpoint of sorts.”

I analyzed the walls and contents of everything inside, “This trial isn’t like the ones before, right? It’s all of it. This whole place and everything we experience?”

“Hmm…in some ways, yes. There is no final zone, but don’t obfuscate the details as meaningless.”

“Each of the elements had a trial. We were told there were two others — the unnatural elements — life and end. I had suspicions, but these berries told more of the story.”

“Correct. This is the trial of ankh, or life as it is more dully called.”

“Well, what makes it unnatural?” I asked inquisitively.

“I’m not sure. People build social constructs around many things, and this, I fear, is one of them. What makes summoning a flame at your fingertips more natural than a light that heals? I do not know the answer….”

“Majik is confusing. We weren’t taught about it growing up and only learned about it recently.”

“Yes, I am inclined to agree. Learning anything new can be complicated. There is a distinct advantage in being exposed to majik as a child. It is very comparable to learning a language.”

“And you can speak this language?”

“Of majik? He asked. “Yes, I can, but my siblings are much stronger.”

“To be stronger — What does that really mean?”

“I…hmm…your brother is better than you with a weapon, yes?”

“That’s unfair, but yeah, I guess.”

“Majik can be sharp, blunt, or dull, like a sword. Or, majik can be durable and wide, or weak and thin, like chainmail versus a bronze chest plate.”

“That…actually makes sense. Thank you.” He acknowledged me, extending backward onto the trunk of the tree, letting the shade of the large leaves carry him back to sleep.

The place he called a false garden was quite beautiful. Of all the places we have traveled through, it was not dreadful, hot, wet, or cold; it was nice. I removed my shoes and crossed the meadow to enjoy the soft, comforting grass. The stone tablets from earlier were close enough now for me to get a good look at. They were obsidian black with chalk-white letters and had clearly been weathered by time and storms. In a few spots where a tablet would be expected stood only a chipped stump. The others weren’t in great shape either, but the letters were mostly visible on the few that remained standing. I began to read the first tablet aloud.

Aerth: Of the ground, all rise or connect. We stone our hearts, lest the whole world shake.

I continued to the next obsidian tablet that stood a head taller than me.

Agni: Of the fire, warmth and flames secure us. Take care of thy flame, all suffer if it wanes.

Without me hearing, Maleki had appeared behind and was listening to my deciphering. “These must be in order with the trials.”

Aeros: Of the winds, the breeze that divides.

A large crack ripped through the last line.

Aqua: Of the water, the streams that guide. Their rage-“

It cut off short, a small section of the rock entirely missing near the middle.

Ankh: Of life, the blessed healing light. Be a seer for the blind.

“What was the purpose of these? Why show them to us now?” I turned around, asking. Maleki raised his shoulders without an answer.

The end tablet was cracked in half, with crumbled bits around the base. The only words that could be made out were “Anhi:————shadows————cling.”

Several tablet stumps appeared, and then a final one stood at knee height, sliced clean through that looked seared at the top with three words etched into the vibrant black stone. “The Primevil lurk.”

“What do you think that means?” Maleki asked.

“I’m not sure. The word is misspelled, so it has a different connotation here.”

“Connuh-what? He questioned.

“It’s like context, but there’s not enough information since the tablet is incomplete, so it doesn’t matter anyway.”

“Oh.” He stopped momentarily as his face struggled to wear the usual expression of determination. “We….need to continue on.”

“Just one night here! Please? It’s getting dark, and I want to explore some more.”

“I...What about your sickness? “He sighed.

“I’m getting better!” I said convincingly as he eyed me and blinked. “I’m serious. When I first woke up, I could only move one arm and a leg, and I couldn’t hear, but over the last two weeks, my hearing and an arm have come back. You don’t have to worry about me now.”

He glanced at me, taking my words in like I did when inspecting the berries for poison.

“Brother, come on — you owe me!”

“Fine,” Maleki grunted with crossed arms.

I spent the rest of the daylight inspecting the berries and collecting them into a bag to take with us. Despite the tablets and the tree, there wasn’t much besides grass and leaves. Honestly, I hadn’t expected to find anything else important — I just needed a break after the constant galavanting around the dense brush, sharp twigs, and thick limbs. Now that Maleki is here, I can relax a little. I thought whilst falling asleep in the lush mossy grass.

Pain erupted in my side, and I shot up out of my sleep. Maleki stood over me, both pupils in his eyes larger than normal. “Wake up!” He yelled as he arched his foot back to kick me.

“I’m awake,” I responded loudly to Maleki, Nomen standing nearby.

My brother’s breaths were shallow. “I tried waking you up for five minutes!” He said in exasperation.

“What are you talking about?” I demanded. “I know I usually fight you a little, but you don’t have to be so-“

“No! I tried everything, Miko. You were limp until I kicked you.”

I felt at my side. So that’s why I’m in pain. “It’s okay! I’m up now. My body was just tired, and then I ate a bunch of those healing berries.

He eyed me.

“I’ll be more careful…sorry….” I responded, which was enough to appease him for the time being.

My shoes slipped back on reluctantly. They had been tattered and worn because of that miserable walk through the jungle, but it was time to leave, and I couldn’t argue for more time after sleeping so hard. Nomen was heading with us this time, though he warned he would be following at the end of the pack, per usual. The opening ahead of us showed that there was still more crowded forest to crawl through. How much farther we had in this trial was a mystery, and Nomen was always careful not to share pertinent information. That didn’t worry me right now for some reason; I felt better than I ever had. If we stayed here longer, maybe the curse would be healed. I started regaining motor function in the left side of my body well before the berries, so there’s something else happening here; Maleki was recovering slowly, too. That almost guarantees that the life trials effects have been on us well before the berries.

“I really am getting better,” I said to my brother as I swept through the limbs, swinging both my discs now and cutting far more efficiently. “You just have to trust me. I’m not gonna let you tow me around forever.”

He kept his eyes forward on the web of trees. “I do trust you, Miko.” His thoughts trailed as he attempted to regain them. “…it...it is this place I do not trust. While it improves you, I feel weaker than ever. It is…difficult to describe because the feeling leaves me so quickly, but my mind slips like feet on wet stone.”

“The end of this forest has to be approaching soon, right?” I said to Maleki, with my head turned slightly to Nomen to try and get him to confirm, but he wasn’t paying attention. “To show you how much better I have gotten, I’ll climb this tree and see if the end is in sight.”

With a reluctant nod, he waved me off to let me find a tree, watching to see if I had improved as much as claimed. Climbing trees was too difficult with only two limbs, so we stopped trying when the illness worsened, but now I have the chance to prove to him that I was getting better. Fortunately, this wasn’t the first tree I had climbed since getting better, so I didn’t look awkward or slow. These trees were easy to climb. The only downside was having to squeeze in between branches that wove around one another uncomfortably. Once I reached the top of the tree and stood straight enough to see out, a chill rose down my spine, similar to looking down from a high-up place. Arbor Majikae. We had seen it earlier, but the angle changed everything. A massive tree peered through clouds in the distance, towering above everything around us, much like the mountain had before. We were so close. “The tree line is a day or two journey,” I yelled to Nomen and Maleki.

Maleki patted me on the back with a smile on his face, congratulating me on completing what we thought was impossible not too long ago. That smile; I had not seen it in a while. Now we can do all the things we had planned as kids. For the first time since I found him in the forest, we talked while we moved our weapons with swift cutting motions. His memory wavered a few times, but for the next five hours, our conversation was about what we would do once we reached The Garden of Need and then after. We had come too far to turn around, so we wanted to try and reach it even if I was getting better, but I wasn’t sure what was next. Now that I had most of my movement back, we could travel the continent or find our parents. We hadn’t talked about them in a while, and the idea of searching for them was always second to healing me — even with my brother’s optimism, which felt unreachable for the both of us, so we always ignored the other problems that scratched away at us. After the walk, we retired next to the stream and prepared our spots next to a fire that Maleki had quickly made. Those days of sleeping alone in the lonesome dark of the forest were over now.

Sleep whisked me away, and I roamed the world of my mind, slipping between familiar places. Then, the maze of memories ended, and red light covered my closed eyelids. A voice reached out to me, but it felt too far away. No, it was close, but I couldn’t speak back; my mouth felt dry and closed tight at the lips.

“Miko?” The voice muttered.

“Miko?” The faceless voice was my brother, shaking me by the shoulders.

“Miko!” Maleki kicked at me, attempting to wake me. I felt the blow, but I did not recoil. My body refused me.

Time passed so differently in this state, but the voice rang out once more in the dark shell of my head.

“Miko, please?” My brother sobbed. The weight of his head buried into my chest as tears fell.

I don’t understand. I’m right here… What’s wrong with me?