Submission (#1946) Approved

Quest: Resonance - Act 3
Act Type: Character / Advanced Act
Word Count: 1293
Adult Elnin Present: [ELN1792]
Regional Affinity: Kyendi
Claiming Regional Affinity for: Hikoboshi [ELN1560]

This was pointless.

That thought was the only thing running through Hikoboshi’s mind as he listlessly trailed behind the blue and white kittom bouncing ahead of him. Overflowing with energy as always, even humming some random tune as they walked. 

How much of that positivity was faked, he wondered? He was certain that, by this point, Meltem’s optimism that he would ever be “fixed” had begun to fade. They’ve traveled so far, visited so many places, tried so many things, all to no avail. It was only a matter of time before that flame of resolve died out completely. The sooner the better, in his opinion. 

This week’s attempt involved visiting a shrine to one of Eyre’s many elder trees. They were in Kyendi now, the homeland of the Elnin that had been guiding them across the world at Meltem’s urging to help find a cure for Hiko’s... “condition.” The stoic ‘nin quietly walked a short distance behind Hiko, so lightly he could hardly hear his steps. 

The path up one of the region’s round-top mountains was steep and precarious; he imagined most faint-of-heart individuals wouldn’t be able to make the trip. As he went, he idly looked down over the edge of the stone path they were climbing. The mountains here seemed eternally encircled in rings of fog and mist, making it impossible to see the ground however many feet below. The occasional moss-coated broken pillar or stone archway built into the mountainside suggested a civilization of eons past once lived here. Ifrit had explained to them that this shrine they were going to was not a popular or well-known one due to its hard to reach location, but that he believed it contained a stronger concentration of spiritual energy for the same reason. They haven’t encountered a single soul aside from a few roaming animals since they’d started their trek uphill. 

When they finally neared the top, Meltem suddenly burst forward with a rush of energy. “Race you to the top, Hiko!” Hiko didn’t bother increasing his speed and simply continued at his own pace. Meltem was making various oohs and ahhs at some sort of structure by the time he stepped over the final level of the staircase. 

It was a small shrine, just three wooden walls with a roof built in traditional Kyendi architecture and a few cushions for travelers to rest upon. There was a circular window on the back wall of the shrine with an intricate design interlaced through it in high quality woodwork. He didn’t realize what the point of a window even was in an open-faced structure until he realized that it perfectly framed Kyendi’s Elder Tree in the far distance when one looked at it from the right angle. All in all it was pretty unimpressive, he thought, for the three days’ trip it took to get up here. 

“Woahh, look at how high up we are! I’ve never seen a view like this before. I wonder if I could see our house in Faerindell...” Meltem admired the surrounding landscape while Hiko absentmindedly inspected some of the trinkets hanging on the walls of the shrine. Feathers, handmade dolls, various scrolls… There were some drawings of races he didn’t recognize and also abstract depictions of what he assumed was the Elder Tree. Other traces of Kyendi were present in the pictures as well: waterfalls and rivers winding through the dense forests, rounded hills poking above lakes of mist, the characteristic floating islands. The memory of going on a trip there once with his siblings to watch the fireworks came unbidden to his mind.

“Here, it is said an ancient people would climb the mountain every season and meditate upon this shrine in order to connect with the spirits of the land and rid their bodies of evil energies.” Ifrit spoke up behind them, shifting both their attentions towards him. He gestured to the middle of the shrine where a pot of incense sat on a low table. “These herbs will help cleanse your internal mana flow and clear any blockages the miasma may have caused.” 

Even though the fire wasn’t lit, Meltem leaned down and took a huge sniff. “I feel closer to the spirit of Eyre already. Don’t you, Hiko?”

“We’ll see,” he spoke plainly, not a shred of enthusiasm in his voice. Before Meltem had the chance to look disappointed, Ifrit took something from his satchel. 

“I’ll light the incense now, so take your places around the table. We must remain still and keep our minds empty in order to allow the herbs to fully take effect.”

Hiko sighed heavily. Keeping his body still and his mind clear wasn’t hard for him in his new state, but he felt like it was all a huge waste of time. Still, he did as instructed, settling on the cushion beside Meltem who beamed at him with anticipation he didn’t want to look at. So he closed his eyes.

---

Meltem ended up completely passing out before the hour was over. A blessing, in Hiko’s opinion; this way he wouldn’t have to deal with the inevitable questions of “So how do you feel now?” that always followed these experiences. The same. He will always feel the same. 

While he snored softly from his place on the cushion, Hiko and Ifrit sat quietly around a campfire. Though his heart had left him, his need for sleep had not. He just didn’t feel like sleeping most of the time these days. The constant weariness that came from so many sleepless nights hadn’t gone unnoticed by his companions with the way it manifested in dark bags beneath his eye, but he refused to listen to their words of concern. In the waking world, he could be at peace. What were once feelings of fear and despair, shame and regret, were numbed and able to be pushed aside so he could simply live. Exist, and nothing more; just as he wanted. 

But in his dreams… he feels those emotions more intensely than he ever did before. They haunted him in slumber and leeched him of his energy, negating any positive effects sleep would have granted him anyway. He stared into the flickering flames and tried to ignore the headache pressing behind his aching eyes. 

For what was far from the first time, he could feel Ifrit’s steady gaze watching him. 

Annoyed, he glanced up. He didn’t sleep often either, Hiko noticed. Even with his own many slumberless nights, not once had he seen this nin close his eyes to rest on this entire journey. And yet he didn't show any tiredness at all: no missed steps while hiking, no sagging eyelids, no sluggish words. He wondered what kind of life this ‘nin had led before meeting them, but didn’t care enough to ask.

Just when Hikoboshi thought he’d remain quiet, he spoke. “You feel no different.” 

It wasn’t a question or an accusation - it was stated as fact. 

“No.” 

Something told him that Ifrit had expected this result just as much as he did. Ifrit’s gaze shifted to Meltem and it frustrated Hiko that he couldn’t read his expression. Several moments of silence passed.

“You should rest,” his voice broke the tension once again, even and undecipherable as ever. “We have more work ahead of us.” 

Hiko wanted to say he didn’t want to do this anymore, that it didn’t matter, that he would always be like this no matter what he or Meltem tried to do. But it was too much effort. Everything was too much effort lately. 

Instead, he resigned to his fate for the time being and curled up close to himself, hopelessly praying that the demons of his nightmares would leave him be for just one night.