Vitalus Sustain

The group agreed to meet back after two days in the city. However, it had been five days before Mel spotted the pair of empyrians. He wasn’t worried, and many times, he contemplated leaving town on his own to go back home, but the books. The books here held his interest; he was reading about the moons and their effect on water. The magical qualities outlined in the book made him wonder what sort of reosean would evoke this sort of magic. Were they creative, like rivers cutting through rock? Were they like a calm ocean or a raging sea? The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to go home and experiment. 

“Mel!” Komang called excitedly when she dropped from the sky next to him. He had been lounging in the shade of trees near the entrance of the town with his books. 

“Did you find your sibling?” Mel asked flatly while closing his book, fearing the kicked-up sand would taint the pages. 

“No,” Winona sighed as she landed much softer next to her sister, “We were told he had traveled back to Roenden.”

Mel shook his head, “I will help you toward the Vitalus border, but I won’t go with you into that frozen hellish place.” A shiver ran through Mel as he imagined the ice and chill that always came with stories of the continent he had yet to see for himself. 

The sisters laughed, “It isn’t so bad.”

Mel huffed and gathered his books. He maneuvered the satchel of books over his shoulder before he started to walk down the crystal-laden path. He didn’t look over his shoulder to see if they were coming, and he didn’t say a word as he carried on. Winona and Komang flew behind their vayron guide, watching him carefully in case he vanished again. 

After several kilometres, Mel looked over his shoulder at the tyrians that glided through the air with ease. High above them were floating islands scattered in the sky, creating the odd shadow on the ground. Mel wondered briefly what it was like to fly, and then he made a note in his mind to find books on the topic. While he thought, his pace slowed until he was standing in a shadow watching the empyrians. 

“What’s the matter, Mel?” Winona asked gently. 

“Do you want to fly?” Komang asked more bluntly, “One of us could carry you.”

Mel quickly declined, refusing to put his life in the hands of other reoseans. “No, that’s alright, I was just going to mention that it's two days to the border. We’ll need to keep our eyes out for some shelter before it gets too late.”

Komang and Winona nodded, eager to help, “We’ll be on the lookout!”

The group wandered further through crystal forests and hilly terrain, and now they were trying to cross flat salt plains. They were making a steady pace when the sun started to set. Mel was deep in his thoughts, walking in a straight line; he hadn’t noticed the sun's position until the empyrians dropped in front of him. 

“It’s starting to get darker,” Komang started to say. 

“Yeah, it will happen quickly,” Winona added. 

Mel snapped out of his thoughts, peering towards the horizon, where the sun seemed to be floating just above it. 

“It’ll be cold out here,” Mel hissed, “We have to find shelter.”

Mel looked around but couldn’t see anything but flat pink salt. He mumbled to himself.

“There’s a cave to the east,” Winona mentioned, “it will take a while, but on the way there, we can try to scavenge for supplies.”

Komang nodded, “Good idea.”

Mel didn’t voice his opinion. He would do anything to avoid the sharp chill that settled over open spaces like the one they stood in. 

“Let’s get moving then,” Mel grunted. 

Winona nodded and took to the sky. Komang stayed near the ground as she glided. Mel was surprised by the empyrians’ burst of speed and had to break into a run just to keep up. The trio made their way east as Winona guided them. Mel didn’t think to question her sense of direction because something told him that she knew exactly where she was leading them. The group quickly crossed the plains as if they were racing the sun. 

“Look over there,” Komang called as she lifted into the sky, “There are some pieces of lumber sticking out of the ground.”

Komang banked to the right, and Mel followed. The pair reached what looked like an ancient shipwreck. Like at one point, it was submerged in water years ago. Mel started to pull pieces of lumber apart while Komang tested the strength of the aging ropes. The ropes tore apart at the slightest bit of weight, and Komang huffed, “How are we going to carry this stuff?”

“Do you have a spark that could help?” Mel asked. 

“Not unless these things will float with music.” Komang laughed before she gasped, “But Winona can help!”

Without another word, Komang raced into the sky after her sister. Winona hadn’t gotten far because she was keeping her eyes on the other two. So when she saw her sister racing towards her, she circled to meet her. 

“We need your help. Your spark can carry the materials!” Komang exclaimed, and without waiting for a response, she turned and raced back to Mel. 

Winona followed after her sister a short distance in the clear, darkening sky. It was getting later as quickly as they expected, and yet it felt like it was happening too quickly. The cities in the distance started to stand out as the glow of their lights brightened against the sky. The forests that surrounded glowing crystals also glowed, making it difficult to determine what was a city and what was more wilderness. The pair gracefully twisted in Vitalus’ sky as the air grew colder. 

By the time the two empyrians reached Mel again, he was pacing back and forth, clearly agitated. Winona pulled her magical threads into existence quickly before she landed. The golden threads weaved around them all with a warm, soft yellow glow. Winona directed her threads to circle pieces of wood and started to pile them for easier transport. 

“Why don’t we stay here?” Mel grumbled as the chill in the air seeped into his bones. 

“The cave isn’t far,” Winona insisted quietly as she worked with her magic. 

“But with your magic, we could create a makeshift shelter without getting too far from the path.” Mel countered with a twitch of his tail. 

“We can give it a try,” Komang said. 

“We…” Winona mumbled to herself so quietly the other couldn’t hear. 

Despite the small note of frustration building in Winona, she didn’t complain outwardly. She did what Mel suggested and created a wooden shelter just big enough for two and a small fire. It was all that she could manage the aged wood available to them. Mel didn’t wait for instruction before he went inside and curled into a ball near a far corner. He sighed, content to just be out of the cold breeze that was starting to pick up. 

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Winona warned. We’ll take shifts watching through the night.”

Mel huffed but didn’t disagree. He fell asleep quickly before Winona or Komang had a chance to argue. 

“You sleep,” Komang whispered. I’ll start the fire and have the first watch.”

Winona nodded and made her way into the shelter to lie down. 

[1252]