Plummeting downward from the sky, a comet of flames descended rapidly, approaching the very area she stood in. The popping and crackling of the soaring flames was blaring; as it descended faster, the elven hunters jumped back, along with Celly who moved out of the way before it crashed into the ground with a pillar of flames reaching up.
An extraordinary heat emitted from the position of the fire, which took the form of blazing, bird wings. The silver-haired girl kept her arms up, protecting herself from the sudden heat as her cloak was rustled by the new winds.
'Emilio? No…This doesn't feel like his mana,' Celly thought.
The flames washed away, revealing a figure within them, though one that Celly did not recognize: a black cloak swayed in the ember-filled winds as a red-and-black ponytail cascaded down the back of the stranger.
It was undoubtedly a woman, though they could only be seen from behind; the stranger with mix-colored hair stood there, staring at the three hunters.
'Who is she?' Celly thought.
"I'd suggest you back off–now," the woman commanded, speaking directly to the black-eyed elves.
She possessed strong, scarlet eyes, wearing only a bra beneath the cloak that was worn on her shoulders; tattoos ran along the woman's body, focusing on her left arm that she held as if ready to strike with it.
The hunters looked at the stranger for a moment before surprisingly–they retreated, swiftly jumping back before disappearing into the tree line.
A sigh left the unknown woman's lips before she turned to face Celly, now holding a small smile, "You're new here."
"Err…where is "here", exactly?" Celly asked.
The question took the scarlet-eyed, toned woman by surprise as she looked blankly at the silver-haired girl for a second, "Uhh…Say what now? You don't know where you are?"
Celly shook her head, "I was dropped into this island…by a teleportation spell, I think. A couple of my friends are here too, but we got separated."
Hearing the explanation, the tattooed woman scratched her head, looking off in the distance as she seemed to think to herself before finally responding, "Alright, then. I think I understand the situation. For now, come with me–oh, the name's Cora, by the way. Cora Legend."
The name stuck out to Celly as she accepted the extended hand from the woman who saved her, "I'm Celly Van Strezzhume. Thanks for stepping in–I don't think I would've been able to handle those people…"
Leading the way now, Cora gestured for the half-elf to follow as she walked casually, "Oh yeah, make sure to steer clear of those ones–the Harken. They're real tough customers–a clan that's been living on this island for who-knows-how-long. Anyway, that's caused them to evolve into extraordinary hunters."
Following the strong-seeming woman, Celly watched her from behind, "So, where are we? I've never heard of Harken before. Just what kind of island is this?"
"It's called 'The Island of The Grand', but it's more like 'The Island of Death', to me. Everything here wants to kill you–even the plant life. It's extremely hard to get here and even harder to survive, then making it to the temple is an even bigger task. Passing the trial–now that's a real bitch to do," Cora said, speaking without much refinement.
"Trial?" Celly asked.
"Huh, you don't know what either? Well…" Cora said.
On the way to where the camp Cora stayed in, the Sage Trial along with everything it entailed was told to Celly, who finally gained an understanding of what was going on with her current situation.
"Sage…That sounds like something Emilio would be chosen for. Why was I brought here though?" Celly questioned out loud.
"Beats me. You can ask him yourself when you find him," Cora explained, pushing through large, defense bushes, "--We're here. Also, don't mind my brother–he's a bit…energetic."
"Brother?" Celly asked.
Arriving at the campsite, which was marked by a large tent and bushes strategically placed to mask its location, Celly stepped into the area before immediately jumping upon hearing a loud sound.
For seemingly no reason, one of the nearby trees began leaning over before completely collapsing, plummeting onto the soil with an echoing thud.
"Huh–"
"Dammit, Jace! I told you to stop chopping trees so loud!" Cora yelled out.
Jumping out from the foliage where the old, tall-standing tree had collapsed, a man with the same black-and-red hair and baggy, black cloak landed on the campsite. Oddly enough, despite the tree seemingly being cut down, the man didn't wield a blade of any sort.
"Sorry 'bout that, sis," the man chuckled before noticing the girl standing beside his sister, "Hey–ya found somebody!?"
The sibling of the woman had a black cloth wrapped around his face, covering his right eye, though the single scarlet eye he had revealed still stood out more than normal pairs.
"Mhm," Cora said, "This is Celly–she's actually got a few friends scattered around the island, too. Oh, and this is Jace, Celly."
Jace waved briefly, "Friends, huh? Probably de–"
Before the eccentric man could even finish his sentence, he was forced to lean back, dodging a swift punch from his sister.
"Woah! Close!" Jace laughed.
Cora whispered to her brother, "Don't."
The tattooed, youthful man nodded, chuckling, "Yeah, yeah, my bad."
Though Celly didn't know exactly what it was that was being discussed, she looked around the camp, seeing assortments of traps built and stone tablets scattered around.
"Anyway, we'll help you find your friends," Cora said.
"Really?" Celly asked.
"'Course!" Jace proclaimed with a smile.
Celly was ecstatic to learn she gained what seemed like two, reliable companions, though she was still confused about one thing, letting it out directly, "...But why? You don't know me. If this island is as dangerous as you say it is, then why go through the trouble of helping out someone you don't even know?"
The twin brother and sister looked at her for a moment before looking at each other, nodding to one another before moving their cloaks aside, revealing the intricate tattoos placed on their bodies. Of black ink, the tattoos were beautiful and detailed; Celly could make out the designs of flames on Cora, and a design of rocky mountains along Jace's right side.
"We're Sage Apprentices," Cora revealed.
"It's our solemn duty to help guide those who want to become sages as well," Jace explained.
Celly was surprised, hearing how difficult and revered the position of a sage was, hearing the two were closer to it than anybody else, "Sage apprentices? That's amazing, isn't it? You must have passed that trial–"
Cora stopped her assumption with a small shake of her head, "Actually, we didn't pass the trial. We only made it to the trial."
"You didn't pass, then just how difficult is it?" Celly asked.
"Sorry, but can't say," Jace said.
Cora tapped her chest, "We're bound by a Geass not to speak about what occurs within the trial. Don't worry too much, though. Let's find those friends of yours, then worry about the trial."
"Right! Thank you!" Celly smiled.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢