and swore.
“That's not what's really bothering me, though,” Emila continued. “My side of the tether has been getting stronger. At first, I could only sense your presence as a kind of feeling at the edge of my mind. That feeling fading was how I knew when you were leaving Forga. When you were fighting that vampire, I was woken up by a feeling of pain in my left hand. I later found out that was the same hand in which you inflicted a wound upon yourself.”
“Right,” Luca said. “I made myself bleed, to distract the vampire.”
“I feel none of the things you feel when you tested the connection,” Emila said. “But I'm guessing that's because those things are caused by the tether being strained. When the tether is strong, I feel the same pain that you do.”
“Yesterday you stubbed your toe on a rock,” Luca added. “I felt that, but only a little bit.”
Emila's eyes widened. “The pain goes both ways? I didn't know it could do that...”
“How much did you know about this spell before you used it?”
“Not much, unfortunately,” Emila sighed. “Actually, not a lot of people do. It's not a well-known technique, and what little research has been done on it varies wildly. It is known that if the two people connected are too different in personality, it can produce negative reactions.”
“Negative reactions?”
“People have killed each other to get out of the tether,” Emila said quietly, staring into the fire. “It's driven people insane. There's a good reason I was so hesitant to use it.”
She grew quiet after that. Luca stared at the fire as well, thinking to himself. Around them, the light of the sun faded and the shadows grew bolder, closing in around their small sanctuary of light.
“Thank you, though,” Luca said to her. “I would be dead if you had not done what you did. I'm starting to see what a risk you took to help a total stranger, and I want you to know that I appreciate that.”
Emila met his gaze and smiled.
Luca did not return it.
Instead, he unfolded their map and checked the roads, looking for the one they had just crossed.
“Here we are...” he muttered. “We're close. Allma Temple is only another day's walk away.”
“What will happen when we get there?”
“I have someone to meet,” Luca replied.
“Yes, Master Dori.”
Luca blinked, a bit surprised she remembered. “Indeed. Hopefully, he can give me some of the answers I'm looking for.”
“Answers...”
Emila sighed, and turned away from him.
“He still hasn't told me anything,” she said under her breath. “Who he is, where he came from, how he ended up in Forga with an Acarian and covered in snow... He's so...”
She looked over at Luca, whose back was turned to her. The man whose soul was linked to her own, and yet she knew nothing about.
“...distant.”
<> <> <>
They reached the top of the hill, and looked down at Allma Temple below.
The temple itself was a large stone sanctum built into the side of the hill. Within the temple was a large garden, through which a river ran. Many buildings were built on the left and right sides, making up something of a small town. And finally, a large stone wall ran around the temple, enclosing all of this from the outside world.
“Well, that's it,” Emila said. “Allma Temple. The most prestigious training facility in Torachi. Many of the greatest swordsmen and warriors of the past century were taught there.”
Luca nodded. “And that's where Dori is. Let's not waste any time. I'm eager to meet him.”
He started down the hill, but Emila hesitated. He noticed this, and turned to her.
“What is it?”
“Nothing,” she muttered. “But - do you really want me coming with you?”
Luca gave her a puzzled look. “You have to come. You know this. I can't live without you.”
Emila looked down at the ground for a moment, before nodding and following him down the hill. She was glad Luca wasn't looking at her, because that last sentence
“That's not what's really bothering me, though,” Emila continued. “My side of the tether has been getting stronger. At first, I could only sense your presence as a kind of feeling at the edge of my mind. That feeling fading was how I knew when you were leaving Forga. When you were fighting that vampire, I was woken up by a feeling of pain in my left hand. I later found out that was the same hand in which you inflicted a wound upon yourself.”
“Right,” Luca said. “I made myself bleed, to distract the vampire.”
“I feel none of the things you feel when you tested the connection,” Emila said. “But I'm guessing that's because those things are caused by the tether being strained. When the tether is strong, I feel the same pain that you do.”
“Yesterday you stubbed your toe on a rock,” Luca added. “I felt that, but only a little bit.”
Emila's eyes widened. “The pain goes both ways? I didn't know it could do that...”
“How much did you know about this spell before you used it?”
“Not much, unfortunately,” Emila sighed. “Actually, not a lot of people do. It's not a well-known technique, and what little research has been done on it varies wildly. It is known that if the two people connected are too different in personality, it can produce negative reactions.”
“Negative reactions?”
“People have killed each other to get out of the tether,” Emila said quietly, staring into the fire. “It's driven people insane. There's a good reason I was so hesitant to use it.”
She grew quiet after that. Luca stared at the fire as well, thinking to himself. Around them, the light of the sun faded and the shadows grew bolder, closing in around their small sanctuary of light.
“Thank you, though,” Luca said to her. “I would be dead if you had not done what you did. I'm starting to see what a risk you took to help a total stranger, and I want you to know that I appreciate that.”
Emila met his gaze and smiled.
Luca did not return it.
Instead, he unfolded their map and checked the roads, looking for the one they had just crossed.
“Here we are...” he muttered. “We're close. Allma Temple is only another day's walk away.”
“What will happen when we get there?”
“I have someone to meet,” Luca replied.
“Yes, Master Dori.”
Luca blinked, a bit surprised she remembered. “Indeed. Hopefully, he can give me some of the answers I'm looking for.”
“Answers...”
Emila sighed, and turned away from him.
“He still hasn't told me anything,” she said under her breath. “Who he is, where he came from, how he ended up in Forga with an Acarian and covered in snow... He's so...”
She looked over at Luca, whose back was turned to her. The man whose soul was linked to her own, and yet she knew nothing about.
“...distant.”
<> <> <>
They reached the top of the hill, and looked down at Allma Temple below.
The temple itself was a large stone sanctum built into the side of the hill. Within the temple was a large garden, through which a river ran. Many buildings were built on the left and right sides, making up something of a small town. And finally, a large stone wall ran around the temple, enclosing all of this from the outside world.
“Well, that's it,” Emila said. “Allma Temple. The most prestigious training facility in Torachi. Many of the greatest swordsmen and warriors of the past century were taught there.”
Luca nodded. “And that's where Dori is. Let's not waste any time. I'm eager to meet him.”
He started down the hill, but Emila hesitated. He noticed this, and turned to her.
“What is it?”
“Nothing,” she muttered. “But - do you really want me coming with you?”
Luca gave her a puzzled look. “You have to come. You know this. I can't live without you.”
Emila looked down at the ground for a moment, before nodding and following him down the hill. She was glad Luca wasn't looking at her, because that last sentence
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