“Alright, I’m sure I don’t need to remind you all what to do, do I?” Fiona scanned her pupils, briefly catching each of their eyes as she turned her head to face them. A chorus of nods and murmurs of agreement came from the group, prompting Fiona to position her gaze forward to lead the way.
……….
“Hey, take it easy, you two!” I called out to Ursa and Sura, who were both vying to climb the trees for a chance at more fruits. It was obvious that they had only decided to climb together because of me, as I was their mutual partner. Also, in this world, they shared the same category when it came to beauty, so I wasn’t surprised how quickly they had become familiar with each other.
“Don’t worry, we’re fine!” Sura called out as she deftly balanced on a tree branch and pulled Ursa up beside her. I watched as Ursa leapt from the tree trunk and caught hold of the branch with a firm grip before hauling herself up and perching on it.
“Be careful!” I called out again, observing as the branch shook and bent under their weight as they stood up and jumped to the next one. Despite my initial surprise at how well they were handling themselves, I realized that their carefree demeanour might not be a good thing. They seemed to be taking the climb lightly, even though they had only watched others before attempting it themselves.
Nevertheless, I was sure that I didn’t need to shout out the obvious – that falling from such a height could be hazardous. Besides, one of my concerns was if there was a tree nymph in this tree, and if it would react aggressively, just like it did yesterday when one of us had only slapped the tree’s bark a few times.
“Don’t worry abo–” Ursa began to say before the branch she was standing on snapped under her weight, causing her to lose her footing. Sura, who was right behind her, also fell as the branch gave way beneath her.
“Shit!” I couldn’t help but curse out loud as I watched both girls plummet towards the ground, screaming at the top of their lungs as they fell with the branch. Without hesitation, I sprang forward, ready to cushion their fall. I positioned my body to brace for impact, determined to catch them safely.
As they hurtled towards the ground, my vision blurred as the world spun around me, and I was suddenly thrust backwards by a powerful gust of wind.
“WHOOOOSH!” The rush of air filled my ears as I struggled to maintain my balance, my heart pounding in my chest.
“What the hell?” Dazed and confused, I picked myself up from the ground and sat upright, trying to comprehend what had just happened. As my vision slowly cleared, I was astonished by what I saw before me. Ursa and Sura were suspended in mid-air, held aloft by a powerful gust of wind, with their hair whipping wildly around their faces.
But just as quickly as it had appeared, the wind current vanished, and Ursa and Sura tumbled headfirst onto the bushy grass below with a thud.
With a collective “Ouch!” Ursa and Sura exclaimed as they tried to shake off the pain. Sura was the first to stand up, and everyone, gathered around them to understand what had happened. However, instead of just observing, I quickly picked myself up and rushed towards them to check if they were okay.
As Sura stretched her hand downward to help Ursa stand up, Ursa grabbed her hand firmly, only to suddenly retract it with a scream.
“AHHHHHH!” Ursa rolled on the ground to the other side, clutching her right hand in agony as her palms burned and itched intensely. Sura brought her hands to the centre of her vision, staring at them in shock and bewilderment. Without hesitation, I changed my direction and ran towards Ursa, holding her down as she rolled and screamed in pain. It took several seconds for me to calm her down, with the others joining in to assist.
“It hurts! It burns!” Ursa continued to cry out, her voice filled with distress.
Soon thereafter, Fiona snapped out of her trance and quickly joined in, kneeling down beside Ursa. Meanwhile, I tore my gaze away from Fiona and shifted my attention to Sura, only to be stunned by what I saw next. Sura’s hands were bathed in a scorching red glow, radiating intense heat that caused plumes of smoke to billow in all directions. Despite the heat, her hands remained unharmed and unscathed, a mesmerizing sight that captivated my attention.
“Are you feeling better now?” Fiona inquired, catching my attention. I glanced downward towards Ursa, whose eyes were filled with tears and puffed up from crying, but seemed to have calmed down a little as she nodded in affirmation. Fiona let out a relieved sigh and continued, “We should count ourselves lucky that there wasn’t a tree nymph in that tree. That would have added to our troubles. Come on, let’s take you to Mrs Shani so we can find a healer on the farm to tend to you.”
Together, we assisted Ursa to her feet before Fiona turned to me and remarked, “Since I won’t be present for the time being, you will be the one in charge.” ．
As I heard Fiona’s request, I nodded my head in agreement and calmly responded, “No problem, I completely understand.”
Fiona’s eyes scanned the group making sure her words were heard by everyone, before she fixed her gaze back at me, adding with a hint of caution, “Make sure your mates don’t cause any trouble until I return.” I nodded my head in confirmation, watching as she then turned towards Sura and called out, “You too, let’s go! Now that you’ve both awakened your gifts, we need to see Mrs Shani and figure out what to do with you.”
Sura’s attention was elsewhere until she heard Fiona’s voice, at which point she snapped out of her daze and hurried over to us. When she arrived, her eyes were wide with fear, likely due to the unsettling way she had awakened her gift. After offering me a timid nod, she followed Fiona and Ursa back towards the centre of the farm, with Fiona supporting Ursa with one arm around her waist and nodding reassuringly at me as they walked away.