Violet
Things changed later that afternoon.
I felt a lot better. And having fully recovered and filled up the supposed reserve in my chest for a bit, I continued practicing, while Kael kept a much closer eye and focus on . This ti, I practiced with smaller stones, getting a feel for the difference in my body. He also had try to return the stones back into the earth, and to also have more control over objects I moved instead of having them shoot straight towards most of the ti.
Kael suddenly stopped mid-motion. He had been gathering more wood for the fire pit, but now he stood frozen, his head tilted toward the sky.
"We’re moving," he announced abruptly.
I carefully lowered the last rock back into where I had uprooted it from before looking up towards him. "What? Why?"
"There is a storm coming." He was already striding toward the tent, his movents sharp and efficient. "We need to get to higher ground. We’d find better shelter there."
I glanced at the clear sky. The sun was still out and most of the clouds were clear and white. I lightly frowned, confused.
The sky was still clear, but I slowly made my way towards the tent as he started dismantling it. If the urgency in his words hadn’t been enough, the way he swiftly got to work dismantling the tent made realise the gravity of the situation.
He had surely sensed that a storm was coming, whether it was clear or not.
"We would usually have signs of a rain or storm coming," I mumbled, standing awkwardly as I watched him work. "Is there anything I can help with—"
"No," he said without looking at . "Also, this is another land. Nature works differently depending on the region."
In a flurry, the tent ca down and he began to quickly fold and bundle the fabric up. What surprised was how he neatly stuffed everything that was inside the tent, the bedroll and even the smaller bag, into the large one.
Within minutes, everything was packed. Kael slung the visibly larger bag over his shoulders and stood straight, looking into the distance.
"There’s a cave system not far from here. We should be able to get there before the rain hits."
He started moving and I followed close behind, sparing one last glance at the clearing we were moving from.
I looked at the sky once again. "How long would it take for us to get there?"
"I would suggest absorbing what you can from the sun now before it’s no longer there. We will be on the path for a few hours."
I stared at his back, the sack once again concealing a large part of his upper body.
"A few hours?" I nearly squeaked.
That might nearly be the sa amount of ti it took for us to get to this place from the inner district!
His voice hurriedly trailed behind him, "It will be two if you’re fast. But that is unlikely... pay more attention to where you step."
His words made sense after so ti as the terrain started changing within minutes.
The gentle and mossy vegetation and trees gave way to harder ground scattered with loose stones. Natural rock formations protruded out of the earth at odd angles, and it slowed down considerably.
Kael moved smoothly, as if the rocky paths had no effect on him. I mirrored his steps to the best of my ability, and placed my feet wherever he placed his, but I still struggled.
My foot would slip on loose gravel. I would catch myself against boulders, and the rough stone would scrape my hands a few tis. I still pushed forward, and unlike the silence that had been between us when we initially left the inner district, he constantly told to be careful.
And it didn’t take long to notice how deliberate his movents were.
He was slowing down because of .
The next section made my stomach drop. A high rock face rose before us, its stone rough and weathered.
Kael scaled it in seconds, his movents fluid as he made his way to the top. To my surprise, he turned around and pulled up just as I was trying to figure out how I would climb it.
Lightning roiled through the clouds and by the ti I looked up, it had gotten considerably darker.
"I’m slowing you down," I said quietly as we continued to move.
He didn’t deny it.
"You’re doing fine... Just keep paying attention. Use the terrain."
He said that but paying more attention only made slower. I was also more cautious since I had to analyze each movent instead of just moving.
Soon enough, the downpour started without warning. It was heavy, cold and sharp. The sudden heavy rain made wince, but I soon saw a large cave entrance looming in the distance not too far away, and partially hidden by an overhanging rock.
I imdiately felt relieved despite being hamred by the rain and we made our way up to the entrance. Kael climbed a few rocks and pulled up each ti, while being careful due to the slipper slopes.
By the ti we made it in, water was dripping from my hair into my eyes. My clothes were plastered to my skin, and I felt so cold.
I wiped the water away from my eyes and walked inside. The cave was larger than I expected and its roof was so high that I could barely see the ceiling through the darkness.
A short distance in front of , I heard Kael moving, the sound of bags being set down, fabric rustling.
’Isn’t he going to rest?’
"You’re setting up the tent?" I walked closer, my sight adjusting to the dimness of the cave. He was already assembling it. "We already found shelter."
"Privacy," he said without looking at . "You’ll take the tent."
I went still. His voice was rough and he sounded strange.
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