Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Yuzuru

“You’re kidding me.”

Everyone looked at Yuzuru like he’d just lost his mind.

Everyone except Leona, of course. Yuzuru made a note to buy the kid a cool toy in the city when they got there. He cleared his throat and tried again.

“No, Gweyn, I’m not joking. I really do feel something calling me.” He pointed to the east, into the thick woods off the path they were taking. “Call it a Traveler’s Hunch, but someone that way needs me. Or I need them.”

Gweyn crossed her arms. “Can you believe him, Kitty Cat? Three days from the city and he wants to go off the beaten path, on the tingling feeling he’s getting in his boob.”

Taiga looked torn. “Are you sure whatever it is that’s attracting you can’t wait?” she asked Yuzuru.

Yuzuru looked out into the woods, trying to figure out what it is exactly that was calling him like this. Truth be told, he felt it long before setting foot into Pekorin’s village. But after taking the wraith into his body, his senses had sharpened ten-fold. He could pick up scents lost to him before, and hear the smallest insects crawling along the ground by his feet.

Along with this heightened awareness was also the urge to go east; something akin to seeing a giant quest arrow pointing him to where he should be.

He tried explaining this to his party members.

“I hate to sound like a broken record,” said Gweyn. “But what if this is a part of Pekorin’s plan to eat your soul?” She put quotations over the wraith’s name.

“Don’t start that again,” Yuzuru sighed. A warmth spread from his chest. A second later, everyone collectively gasped and stepped back. Confused, he looked down and saw Pekorin’s ghostly face emerging from within him.

“I’m not hungry anymore,” she said.

“Put it back!” Gweyn cried. “There are children here, dammit!”

Pekorin stuck out her tongue, then disappeared back into Yuzuru’s chest.

Everyone stood in uncomfortable silence.

Taiga lifted her bag back onto her shoulders. “Well, I’ve had all-too-similar arguments with Honoka about this kind of behavior to know I won’t win it.” She took out a day’s worth of rations and a small sack of coins, and tossed them to Yuzuru. “Just don’t die.”

Yuzuru thanked her and promised he would repay her.

“Repay my butt,” Gweyn said. “We can’t split up. Who am I supposed to follow?”

“You stay with him, Gweyn,” said Taiga.

"Don’t you want your gold?” Gweyn asked.

Taiga shrugged. “I’ve brought these kids up on nothing. I can do it again.” She turned but stopped when Gweyn called out to her.

Biting her lip, Gweyn reached behind her neck and unclasped a thin chain. On it, a small bronze key dangled at the bottom. “It’s my safehouse in Bronzehaven,” she said, handing it to Taiga along with a tiny square of parchment paper. “If you don’t manage to find somewhere to live, follow the map.”

Taiga’s face broke into a smile. She hugged Gweyn, whispering, “I’m so glad I didn’t kill you.”

The party became two, Taiga and her kids continuing towards the city of Bronzehaven first while Yuzuru and Gweyn followed a side path deeper into the woods.

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Gweyn grumbled something under her breath as she trailed behind.

“Sorry you got roped into this,” Yuzuru told her, and meant it. He had already mentally prepared to go off at this alone, so it was a pleasant surprise to have her tagging along.

“Save yourself the saliva of explaining,” Gweyn said. “I don’t need a reason to follow your frolicking as long as we end up in the city sometime soon.”

They crossed a shallow stream and climbed the steep bank opposite. More woods welcomed them. Yuzuru used his dagger to cut down any low-hanging branches and sweeping ferns in their way. They carried on in silence, and soon his mind wandered.

He’d been through a lot during the short time he was here. He felt like he’d aged five years in the span of a few days. It was thanks to this constant growing list of troubles that preoccupied his thoughts from the more disturbing things. But now, surrounded by nature and a blue sky framed by a canopy of soft leaves, his thoughts go finally to home.

He imagined the look on his parent’s faces when they opened his room to find it empty. He tried to see how their fears might show despite their better judgment. He pictured them standing there, his mother calling the police while his stepfather drove down the street looking for him.

He thought about Sara and how she might act. Would she be upset? Or glad?

Or would she have already gone into his room, found the second cube and was in this same world?

A sourness gathered at the back of Yuzuru’s throat. He didn’t want to deal with the worry that his half-sister might be facing the same horrors as he did.

“Do you like her?”

The question took Yuzuru off guard, so he didn’t even think about his answer when he said, “Who doesn’t?”

“It’s the ears, isn’t it?”

Yuzuru pulled back a branch and held it for Gweyn to pass through. “Sorry. Who are we talking about?”

Gwyn rolled her eyes. “You know who…” The rest of her words petered off as she studied the trees. Her expression hardened. “Get down and keep quiet.”

Yuzuru let the branch go slowly, then crouched next to her.

Voices. He heard them, murmuring in the distance. He held his breath. Gweyn moved behind a tree. He followed.

Out from the shadows, two men trekked past, carrying rucksacks over their shoulders. Both were dressed in studded leather armor and were armed with swords. But it was their attitude that was most out of place. They were chatting idly as they cut through the path Yuzuru was going to take, as if both men were out on a stroll and not hiking hours away from civilization.

Neither man noticed they were being watched. They turned east and continued on their way.

Gweyn waited until the men were out of sight before speaking. “I’m assuming whatever is calling you is that way?”

“Yea,” Yuzuru said. “Time to follow Hansel and Gretel to the gingerbread house.”

“Technically the gingerbread house is the one they weren’t trying to find,” said Gweyn. When Yuzuru gave her a quizzical look, she just shrugged.

The two men carried on down a game trail half-burred under twisting roots and crumbling banks. After passing by a lake, they changed direction and began pushing through a particularly well-hidden path between overhanging vines. There, they picked up the pace and their conversations stopped. One of them was even checking behind to see if anyone was following.

Gweyn stalked the men like a true predator. Yuzuru kept further behind, using the little markers she left behind to make his way. He caught up to her as the men stopped by the foot of a cliff. One of them felt along the walls while another stood watch.

Yuzuru settled next to Gweyn behind the treeline. They watched the men operate some kind of hidden mechanism in the wall, opening a door.

Gweyn chuckled. “The mystery lessens.” After the men disappeared inside the wall, she got up and went over.

“Where are we?” Yuzuru asked as he studied the jagged cliff face. “It felt like we’ve walked for hours.”

“We’re at the border of Stryde territory,” Gweyn said. “This place is known as the Corridor.” She gestured towards the treeline. “If you go further, you’ll be met with mountains and cliffs tall enough to gather snow, reaching across both Yellow and Blue Nations, ending at the edge of Red territory. It’s impassable to all but the most desperate of people.” She fingered the outcrops, looking for the hidden mechanism. “It’s also the only section of the border unguarded by Cold Castle. If I had to put gold down, I wager we’re about to enter a secret base filled with Red soldiers.”

Yuzuru heard a click.

“Gotcha.” Gweyn stood back from the rumbling wall with a triumphant grin on her face. A rectangular door swung inward, showing nothing but darkness inside.

Yuzuru peered into the void. “M-maybe this isn’t a good idea.” He tried to focus on the magnetic draw, hoping that it wasn’t leading him into this clearly very shady hideout. But it was. He felt it beating like a second heartbeat, pointing him in that direction.

Gweyn must’ve picked up on his anxiety because she gave his arm an encouraging pat. “You want to go back? We can still catch up to Taiga.”

Yuzuru pointed to his chest. “This won’t let me.”

“Your ribs?”

“Funny. I was talking about my lungs, actually.”

He smiled at her. She smiled back. They both turned towards the dark cave and stepped in together.