FSE

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Purpose

They waited until dark before preparing, when they were sure everyone is asleep. Riku had put his cloak back on, and stood outside Yula's cottage, waiting for the wolfess as she made preparations, finally emerging from her home with a small pouch, held like a purse. She more than likely had it filled with medical supplies.

"Are you ready?" he asked. She answered with a nod.

~~~~~~

With the village behind him, Riku continued his excessive journey as a fugitive, now with the company of Yula. They traveled quite a distance, far from the village and near the edge of the forest. There was an opening in the trees above, revealing the twinkling stars in the night sky. It seemed like a suitable place to make camp. He took off his cloak, taking a moment to catch his breath, as it was very hot given the land's climate, though somehow, it felt pleasantly cool.

He turned to face Yula, making sure she was able to keep up. She seemed more than capable, until she tripped over a tree root. She was caught just as she was about to hit the ground. She found herself with her face planted on a patch of black fur, looking up to see Riku.

"Are you okay?" She blushed at her situation.

"Y..yes." He helped the wolfess to her feet. "Are we stopping here?" He answered with a nod.

~~~~~~

A fire was made. Riku had fallen asleep nearby. Yula, however was still up, mixing another remedy. She had forgotten to tell Riku that he would need a second dose before his arm could make a full recovery. Truthfully, she forgot about it herself, and remembered only when he started to hold his arm as he groaned in his sleep.

She tried very carefully not to wake him. The second she touched him, however, he suddenly grabbed and pulled her down by the arm so she was face to face with him, snapping his eyes open and glaring at her. When he realized who it was, he seemed to ease up on his grip.

"It's okay, Riku. It's only me." Her voice was sweet and gentle, and seemed to calm him. He hadn't felt this comfortable around one person since his nanny, Juli. He released her arm and closed his eyes again, allowing her to continue her work. She noticed the wound as the bandage was removed. It had healed quite a bit, but still showed signs of infection. After she applied the second helping, she replaced the bandage, then fell asleep herself.

~~~~~~

Half the night passed by. Riku slept soundly, until a sudden chill filled the air. He opened his eyes, and nearly jumped at the sight of a familiar hooded figure. Syncros had appeared before him. He was about to speak, but felt a cold, wooden hand cover his mouth.

"There is something you need to see," the spirit stated. His hand traced up to Riku's forehead, and in the blink of an eye, the entire scenery changed. He stood up as he took in his surroundings. He stood in a gazebo like building. It's columns were covered in vines blooming with red flowers. A garden surrounded them, flowers of all sorts bursting with life. He had a glimpse at the floor and noticed a symbol. It was the mark of nature, which symbolised the goddess, Valtina. Before them was a much larger structure, representing a temple of sorts, also covered with the vines.

"Come with me," Syncros ordered. Riku obeyed, and followed the deity into the temple. He could feel something different in the air. Something cold and dark. The plant life in here was withered and read, or dying. They could see the end of the room. Large trees surrounded a large plant, surrounded by thorny vines. There was a large bud among the thorns, large enough to hold a single person within. It was closed up, and for some reason grey. He could feel a strange, brilliant energy coming from the plant, unlike anything he felt before. He could feel his fur stand on end, as though he were in the presence of some wondrous, mythical creature.

"Is this..?"

"Yes. This is Valtina, the goddess of nature, and our mother."

"What's happened to her?"

"She has fallen ill, as have my brothers. She shares a special bond with us, her sons, something more that what a normal mother would have. When my brothers fell ill, mother did as well."

"But how? How does a god become ill?"

"The shadows found a way to our world, and did not relent. One by one, my brothers fell to them, and as a result, had their essence taken." Riku was confused about 'essence', and as if reading his mind, Syncros answered, "Essence is what gives us our power. Our life. It is what you mortals would refer to as a soul. Without it, we are powerless. I have gone into hiding, for if we all succumb to the shadows, mother will die. And without her, so will Aber." Syncros looked at Riku with black eyes. "That is why I need your help." He stared at the God's black face, slowly getting use to the intimidating gaze.

"You mentioned that I must understand darkness to destroy it. But even though my bond with the dark has grown, I still have no clue what I'm suppose to do with it."

"Your power has indeed grown stronger, that much is true. But there is still much for you to learn. It is not yet time for me to share." Riku gave an annoyed sigh.

"Is there a way I can help her?"

"Yes. But it will require you to visit the others. This will be vain, however, if you lack the power to help them. You will first need to find four keys. These keys are in the form of a ring, each possessed by a legendary knight of Akula. Knights recognized as guardians of this world. You will need to visit each before anything else." Syncros stared at the pup for a long moment with those intimidating black eyes before continuing. "It will be difficult to find them, for they have not been seen for centuries. Nevertheless, they are your only chance." The strange deity looked towards an opening in the ceiling, which led a ray of sunlight down on the ill goddess. Riku could only imagine the kind of beauty this added to her, when she was alive and well that is. "It is almost morning in your world. It is time for you to go back." As Riku was about to question him further, he was cut off as Syncros looked at him once more, on the belief that he was, in fact, reading the pup's mind. "Worry not, child. I will aid you as you go, however ever I can. It has been my task, after all, from the moment you were born." Syncros placed a single finger on his forehead, and in a flash second, returned to his familiar campsite. Looking around he noticed the sun slowly rising in the sky. Some birds could be heard chirping in the wild. Yula started to wake up, rubbing her eyes and giving a yawn, noticing Riku already up and about.

"Riku? What are you doing up so early?" she asked tiredly.

"No particular reason," he lied, "Come. We need to keep moving.