Misunderstood Destinies

Layla saw Jargos suddenly vanish. She could still sense him, and only hoped her magic would last over the distance. "I can't believe we came this close to talking about Bonding! If this is how you want it, then you'll get no sort of agreement from me, Airen!" She was close to allowing her ancient magic rise to the surface to the point that her speed had picked up greatly. She moved fast, attacking by fist and by fire. Her hands were rarely seen by the color of the aura around them. "Elder Ramona, bring him back!" she yelled. Her voice echoed. "You're just as bad as these morons are!"

Before Layla finished her sentence, Ramona had cast her away as well. Jargos was unconscious and at the base of the east side of the mountain, while Layla, still conscious, was cast to to west

When casted, Layla was unsure of where she was. Looking up, she saw she was back at the base of a mountain. She sighed.

There was only one way to go. Up.

Layla's shield over Jargos faded as he began to wake up. He simply laid there, exposed to the world and unable to move. But that's not what bothered him, nor the fact that Layla was the only one to appreciate his help, but the fact that he had lied to her. He didn't tell her about his true form, how he was only half-human because of his runes, anything. She had been nothing but kind and he lied

Layla grabbed on to a ledge and tried to pull herself up. She was exhausted from the fight. After getting a bit of the way up, a rock fell from her hand and sent her tumbling down. Landing against a rock, with a few scratches, she pulled herself from the ground to stand. Summoning a sphere to her hand, she tried to call out to Jargos in a connection.

"Jargos, can you hear me? Please, tell me you're all right. I'm fine, I just want to know if you are. Please respond," she said desperately.

"I am here . . . I do not know where here is, though . . ." He spoke to the sphere that appeared before him after it spoke Layla's voice to him. "I can't move . . ."

"I'll try to find you. Somehow, I suppose. The longer I can stay connected to you the longer I can sense how far or close to you I am. I'm at the base of the mountain, and my best guess is that you're somewhere on the other side. "

"Aye . . . Sounds about right . . . I can't smell you . . ." His voice was very soft and low, it was clear that he was exhausted

"I promise I'll find you. Rest now. It's already noon. With some luck, I'll be there soon." She closed the connection. Layla tried to climb back up, however she was extremely sore from the fall.

Jargos bid her farewell and fell into a deep sleep

By evening, Layla had finally reached the peak. She could sense that Jargos was still alive. Continuing on, she started heading down the other side.

Jargos was still asleep, his runes glowing a soft green

When she nearly made it down, she lost her gripping. Layla quickly activated her shield and took the impact upon landing. When she hit ground, she cringed slightly. It still hurt, but she was still alive. Barely retaining consciousness, she kept moving. Layla was determined to find Jargos before morning.

A pack of wolves surrounded Jargos, but did not make menacing advances on him. A bear soon joined and they kept him warm and safe

After some time of searching, Layla still couldn't find him. She tried to open up another connection, but she knew it wouldn't last long. "... Jargos, can you hear me?" She was struggling to stay focused. She felt a strong breeze pass through that nearly pushed her over. Unable to stay focused long enough to hold the sphere's connection, Layla finally collapsed. She was too exhausted to go on for the rest of the night.

Two wolves heard and saw the sphere, then headed out to find the source, drawn to Layla by her rune. A bear soon joined them. They found Layla and gently dragged her back to where they were keeping Jargos.

Layla started having dreams about Airen. She missed him so now that he had turned against her. She had always wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, but it seems now it was an impossible dream.

Jargos began to wake up, though it was still dark out. He wasn't cold, and realized his beloved friends from Darkwoods had come to protect him. He noticed Layla was there as well, and knew that they must've brought her here to keep her safe. He Was rather embarrassed at his lack of clothes and got up to make some from tree bark, though to little avail. Soon, one more bear came up holding a sack in his jaw. Jargos petted his bear and took the sack, and he was happy to see clothes inside. He puled on the woolen shorts and leather boots and bracers. He went back to sleep

In her dream, Layla saw Airen standing in front of her. Somehow, she made connection without realizing it.

"I can't believe you summoned the Guard, Airen."

"You know it was my duty."

"Your duty to turn your back on people who haven't even harmed you? That's not fair, Airen."

"Life isn't fair, Layliana. You know this."

"... I suppose this is goodbye, then."

"Next time I see you, we will be rivals if you return to Zeiza."

"Airen, can I ask one favor?"

"I think I'm already a step ahead of you."

Airen walked up to her, putting a hand to her face. His lips met hers.

"You know it doesn't have to be this way, Airen."

"It does, Layliana. I'm... I'm sorry." His spirit faded from her. A cold sensation ran through her skin.

Jargos slept without dreams, his runes still glowing green

Layla woke up early the next morning, unable to sleep any further. She saw the set of animals around her and Jargo, now aware they had brought her to him.

"Thank you," she said.

One of the wolves awoke and licked her cheek, then nuzzled her sweetly. Jargos slept still

Layla watched Jargos rest for a few moments, then looked back at the wolf. "We were fighting right at the edge of Zeiza before Elder Ramona finally cast us away from one another. I tried defending him, but her magic is far beyond mine."

She glanced at her belt. The potion was still secured tightly. The shield she had used protected the bottle as well. Layla turned back to the wolf.

"I should have used my strongest powers. Maybe asked for the Runes help to tend to Jargos. I don't know how to tap into the Runes. I don't know anything about their powers." She sighed and pulled her knees to her face. She looked at the marking on her hand. "I don't know who I can ask for help about it. An ancient spirit gave it to me."

The wolf spoke in the language of beast, the same as Jargos and his ancestor had used when the rune was given to Layla

"To use the rune, you need to ask your primal side for aid. You are an elf, yes?" The wolf asked, then nuzzled her more, trying to comfort her. A bear awoke when he heard Layla and the wolf speaking and walked over

Layla was amazed at the wolf being able to talk. She pulled her bangs back, revealing her ears. Elves were always defined with the pointed tips of ears. Layla nodded.