Chapter 13: Chapter Twelve: Sea Breeze

The green aura that surrounded Vertex and Ace faded as Ace slowly reopened his eyes, groaning as drowsiness fought to knock him out a third time. He then looked forward. Suddenly, he shouted out, stumbling back as he realised Vertex standing directly over him. He had instinctively unsheathed the sword from his back, and now looked over at Valdus, expecting an explanation.

“W-wait, wait! Vertex isn’t our enemy anymore!”
Valdus shouted.

“Not our enemy? She tried to-!”
Ace snapped back, suddenly cut off mid-sentence.

“I can explain! As I’d already said to Valdus, what happened earlier was in fact me, but in a way, it wasn’t me either! The Corruption in Eldoria is growing, and... I got caught. This Corruption – it can turn creatures into beings known as Cursed, turning them evil and making them attack anyone they see.”
Vertex then yet again apologised,
“I’m...truly sorry for attacking you two... All the people I’ve killed, I-”

“Vertex, it wasn’t your fault! You don’t need to apologise anymore! That aside...we should thank you. For getting us back to shore.”
Valdus responded.

“N-no! I’m the one who should be thanking you, Valdus! Whatever you did, those flames stopped the Corruption! You freed me from being Cursed. I’ll...never really know how to fully thank you, but...the very least I could do at the time was to bring you two safely back to shore...”
Vertex’s voice trailed off a little, causing her to mumble.

“All...right... I’ll apologise as well - I didn’t realise the black mist surrounding you back then, what-with how dark it was out there... I’m surprised Valdus noticed.”
Ace spoke, sheathing his sword,
“So, this black mist... You say it’s the same with the Raptors from the plains then, right?”

“Yes, it’s the same. Just like what happened to me, they were caught by the Corrupt. Many more throughout Eldoria may have been afflicted by the same darkness that’s broken into this realm. I just hope someday there'll be a way to fix all of this...”
Vertex responded.

“Hang on, I only just thought about it. What do you mean by ‘the Corrupt’, and ‘Corruption’?
Valdus blurted out.

“Y-you...don’t know?”
Vertex responded.

“Well, we both know about something causing this so-called ‘Corruption’, but we haven’t really heard of something being named ‘the Corrupt’. What do you mean by that?”
Ace questioned.

“The Corrupt... They’re hellbent, and they only aim to destroy everything they come across. Despite that, the stronger ones and their leaders are highly intelligent, commanding their forces and hunting down our havens. The Cursed are...those touched by their Corruption. If they try to fight it, it forcefully controls them. That’s...how the Raptors and I...”
Vertex explained,
“You’ve seen them, I’m sure, if you’ve dealt with other Cursed before! Those scary, black shadows!”

“So that’s what they’re called... There’s got to be some way to stop them. To be honest, I wouldn’t be sure on how... Ace and I have fought them before, but...they were strong. Just two powerful Corrupt overpowered us, and because of that...”
Valdus spoke, his voice beginning to waver,
“Our friend, Lucile... We couldn’t do anything...”

Vertex curled up a little and lowered her head with a worried expression, now concerned for Valdus and Ace.

“He was a brother to me... We stood powerless, but he stopped them. In the end, Lucile had used his magic to sacrifice himself... There was no other way. One Corrupt we fought had bound its life to his, thus any damage to it would hurt Lucile.”
Ace said.

“I-I’m...sorry...for the loss of your friend...and your brother... I can’t begin to imagine how painful it’d be to lose someone like that.”
Vertex sympathised.

“It’s all right. We shouldn’t dwell on it anymore. He protected us so that we’d become stronger, to fight against the Corrupt in the future.”
Ace responded,
“He sacrificed himself so that we’d live on to find a way to keep this realm safe.”

“Right! We agreed with Cedric to continue forward as Lucile watched over us. We’ll find a way, and we’ll stop the Corrupt!”
Valdus said confidently.

Surprise then rose from Vertex’s expression, and she no longer felt worried. Instead, she was inspired by their resolve, and somewhat amused by the sudden uplift in mood as well. She let out a small giggle and smiled at them. Ace returned a small chuckle and Valdus scratched the back of his head, chuckling as well.

“I wasn’t expecting the both of you to have such resolve, but I admire it. The way you’re both so confident, even now - it’s inspiring.”
She giggled again,
“That aside, I’m sure things will work out! Not only that, Valdus’s magic can deal with the Cursed. You’ll probably be surprised by how many have already rallied to join the fight against the Corrupt, too!”

Valdus and Ace looked at each other and smiled, hearing the good news.

“But...if I may pry... You said your friend Lucile sacrificed himself... Must that have been the Ancestral Affinity?”
Vertex asked.

“You...know about that? It was his Key Affinity.”
Ace replied.

“I’ve...heard stories about it...much like many other Key Affinities.”
Vertex explained,
“I had always thought...to have such a power as this, to be fated to sacrifice one’s self... I don’t think I could ever have that courage. I’m sure Lucile was truly an admirable, and compassionate person.”

Ace smiled softly and stared up at the sky.
“Yeah...my brother was...”

“I-if...I may interrupt... What’s a Key Affinity?”
Valdus blurted out.

“Hm? Wait, we never explained that?”
Ace seemed baffled by the fact that he and Lucile had missed such important information.
“It’s an Affinity that’s unique to very few, or to just a single person. Not everyone has a Key Affinity, but those who do usually have their own kind of magic – something nobody else can replicate. Of course, unless their Affinity were to have the Ability to replicate others...”

“For example, my Key Affinity is the Shifter Affinity, the one that gives me the Ability to change size.”
Vertex giggled yet again,
“Oh, it should be noted that in some rare cases, it’s possible to manifest multiple Key Affinities too!”

“I-I see... I wonder if what I have is a Key Affinity...”
Valdus muttered to himself.

Ace then let out a loud sigh.
“Anyway, we’d better set up a new plan at some point... Can’t be stuck here on the shoreline forever with nothing. Travelling out right now is just going to be stressful and exhausting, though. Especially after what happened out at sea...”

“I suppose so. Guess the only next place is that canyon, huh...?”
Valdus responded, lying down on the soft sand and staring up at the sky. 

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He began to ponder upon what they’d face if they are to reach the Canyon of Flames. Vertex then walked over to Valdus and stared down at him, blocking his vision of the sky. Valdus froze and Vertex tilted her head.

“So...what'cha gonna do?”
Vertex asked,
“You’re not gonna just sleep on the sand, are you?”

“I’d...uhh... Well, what are you doing right now...?”
Valdus questioned nervously.
Space... Personal space...please...!

“Hm~? Oh, sorry~!”
Vertex responded singsongingly, giggling again.

She then moved away from Valdus, closer to the water. Valdus then sat up and asked Vertex why she wasn’t returning to the water’s depths.

Vertex gave a simple response,
“I don’t have much else to do, so I thought I’d stay with you two for the time being. I...could go, if-...”

“N-no, no need, it’s fine!”
Valdus laughed,
“I just didn’t think it’d be that amusing to stick around for too long.”

Ace then stumbled to his feet, letting out a groan before walking off.
“I’ll set us a small camp to rest... I feel rather tired...”

 

Later that night...

Valdus and Ace sat by a campfire. Before the fire was lit, Vertex had helped procure a large amount of fish to eat. Soon after that, she had curled up by the seashore, having seemingly fallen asleep already. Valdus yawned and stared at the fish cooking on the fire, more so at the ones that looked nothing like what he’d seen before. One of them had a small eye on the left, and a rather large eye on the right. It had large fangs growing upward from its bottom jaws, while the rest of its teeth were small and razor sharp. Others seemed vibrant, beautiful, and only a few looked like the ones from his home realm. He failed to hold back an expression of slight disgust, feeling as if he’d lose his appetite. He then looked at Ace, who was already eating. Though the aroma which came from the fish was rather tempting, Valdus felt hesitant to try a taste.

“What? Some may look weird, but they taste great!”
Ace spoke, after eating a piece.

“They are...rather different to the kinds of fish I’ve seen before... I mean, some look like the ones from home, but... Heh...”
Valdus still felt reluctant.
Did these things swim through a pool of toxins or something?

“Homesickness got your appetite...?”
Ace asked.

Valdus returned a small smile and shook his head. As he and Ace then fell silent, Vertex suddenly leaped out from her supposed slumber and grabbed one of the cooked fish. She licked her lips and ate it in a single bite, before giving Valdus a wide grin. He and Ace had fallen back in surprise from where they sat, caught off guard from Vertex’s sudden approach. While they had thought she was sound asleep, she had only been taking a short nap, and the aroma of the cooked fish had enticed her.

I thought she was asleep!
Ace thought, holding the handle of his sword.

“Why not at least try a small bite of one? Wouldn’t hurt to at least try, would it?”
Vertex giggled.

Valdus sighed and finally grabbed a stick with one of the fish on it, taking a bite out of it. He expected a slight, foul taste, but instead it tasted much better than he’d anticipated. The texture of the fish was smooth, succulent and juicy on the inside, yet completely crisp on the outside. Not a bit of seasoning would be necessary with its natural flavour. That joy brought a bright smile to his face. Ace and Vertex held back their laughter, while Valdus chuckled. After eating more and lounging about, they all finally took a rest. Vertex rested by the water again, while Ace and Valdus rested nearby the campfire.

 

A couple of days had passed, and Valdus and Ace were continuing on with their journey. Vertex had decided to tag along with them for a little longer, taking joy in keeping Valdus company the most. Daylight had come once more, and while Valdus had expected to open his eyes to another calm, bright blue sky, he instead awoke to a bright blue dragon prodding him and telling him to wake up.

“W-what? Why-!”
Valdus jumped up.

“What? You wouldn’t wake up at all, so I figured I’d have to wake you up myself. Ace has been calling for you!”
Vertex exclaimed.

“I tend to sleep in a lot, since I stay up at night! I must’ve been gazing at the stars again...”
Valdus replied.
Geez, is she trying to be my little sister now or something...?

“Valdus, get over here already! We’re heading out again, on our way to the canyons we can see up ahead from here!”
Ace shouted, already walking away,
“Shouldn’t even take another day by now.”

“Already?”
Valdus grabbed his gear and rushed to follow Ace.

“Well, I’ll see you two another time~! If you ever want to meet me again, you now know where to find me~!”
Vertex called as she flew into the air and dove into the water.

As she did, she changed to the size of a large ship and vanished below the water’s surface. Valdus and Ace then continued heading out toward the canyon, occasionally accompanied by random fauna within the plains. Contrary to the fauna, anything Cursed or Corrupt had suddenly become a rare sight since the fight with Vertex.

 

It was getting close to sundown, and the pair found themselves relatively exhausted with the long walk, but with fewer stops than before, they finally arrived at the canyon’s entrance. Toward it, from the Cardinal Plains, the grass gave way to burning, rocky ground. Further ahead from there, the sky looked like a gradient sheet - the sky setting ablaze deeper into the canyon. A low snarl crept from the canyon depths, and a gust of hot wind followed.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this...”
Valdus muttered.

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