What greeted him outside of the forest was surprising, to say the least, after a while of traversing throughout the woods as the sun continued shining on them from above. Now they find themselves at the very edge of new scenery, displaying desert sands stretching miles far beyond, scattered across what the eye can see.
Seth stood in front of the group, his shocked expression slowly replacing itself with a cautious gaze before he scanned every direction carefully before nodding in approval. "We are in the desert," he answered in surprise, finding himself unable to believe his own words while maintaining composure beside self-doubt being expressed through body language alone.
Others' reactions ranged between anxiety and excitement in general, although Solomon, however, didn't find this much of a problem. "So? Why are we stopping now?" Not getting it, he turned to the others and said, "Is this just another place? What makes this different?" Bluntly asking, which caused them to stare at him dumbfoundedly.
"It means there might be no civilization here," Bruno said in disbelief of being unable to comprehend how a small boy can remain ignorant of the significance of their current surroundings being placed around them without even realizing the importance attached to the location itself.
"It's extremely rare for people to settle at a place with barely any resources around them like wood and food supplies," he explained as much as he could through simplistic language, trying to make himself clear enough for the child's mind to understand easily.
Solomon snorted at this: "Yeah, but is this even important? We can just walk around it and find our way through this dump," he gestured disdainfully with his index finger pointing out at the barren expanse before them. "It's not like this desert is going to be massive, right?"
Genno took a few steps forward while shaking his head. "We can never know, and it is highly dangerous to even traverse in a place like this," he said, frowning at the new surroundings they landed themselves in. "It is better if we turn around and find another way," he suggested as he folded his arms thoughtfully.
However, the boy became upset upon hearing this: "No way! We just came here and are now going back after such a short time of being here?!" He protested in outburst, causing the other two to respond with their own reasons, questions, and answers altogether about this troubling situation.
Meanwhile, Seth couldn't help but frown at what to do while his traveling companions continued to converse with one another about whether they should continue their journey or find a better route that doesn't revolve around entering deserts like this.
Frowning at the thought, he briefly looks up at the blue sky as the sunlight touches his face, closing his eyes softly in concentration, thinking of something other than their current predicament being put on them all. A few seconds later, the young man finally got his answer when feelings came in.
A feeling belonging to the holy spirit, telling Seth of the correct choice to make as its power coursed throughout his entire being. This energy flowed through him like a gentle river that flows from distant mountain tops through valleys downwards onto the oceans themselves.
"Where are we going to continue?" he announced to everyone, turning around with a determined look on his face. "This is the right path we are heading down," the holy man said, watching as others shifted their attention back at him in bewilderment. "We should proceed and trust in faith alone, for its guidance will lead us somewhere else."
While Genno remained unconvinced and Bruno did not care about the correct choice of picking the safer route, Solomon was glad to hear the choice their group leader made for them. "Alright, great, now we can go," the boy sarcastically remarked, stretching his limbs a bit before cracking his knuckles loudly.
"Are you sure?" Genno took a couple of steps forward to the man. "There is no telling where this place will lead us if we go through this barren desert without food or supplies," he advised sternly, without hiding concern about his own worries being known among them.
Seth raised his hand and smiled to reassure him. "Trust in me, friend, just as I trust my heavenly father," he responded before sighing calmly afterward. "I know what I do is right because it comes from Him, in whom I have faith," he explained without hesitation despite others feeling otherwise. "He will guide us to the right destination safely and bring us through unharmed if need be." The answer didn't really ease his friend, but he accepted it otherwise.
Nodding his head with a sigh, the monk agreed to this decision despite having some doubt. "I hope your God will lead us through this," he muttered under breath before walking over to Seth's side as their three other companions soon joined them. "Just be careful with where you're stepping," he warned with a wry grin on his lips.
Bruno scratched the back of his neck nervously before composing himself, "Damn, we have gone through this? Whatever, I just hope this desert isn't as completely empty as many claim to be," the poet blurted out without thinking first as he breathed out sharply in frustration at being in such a difficult situation before glaring upwards towards the heavens above. "Anyways, let's just move on already before the sun goes down on us."
The group followed behind him as Seth led his entire group with a smile on his face, walking through the hot sand underneath as well as feeling its burning warmth being felt through the soles of their own feet despite wearing shoes, all while keeping an eye open for anything unusual appearing anywhere near or far away.
It was as if they stepped foot onto a furnace that was slowly heating up every inch of their bodies as the sun began to sink lower into the horizon, far off into the distance, creating a golden hue that cast shadows behind them onto sand dunes that rise and fall beneath their feet.
The wind was barely harsh against them, but its heat still managed to reach through layers of clothes worn by each person except Seth himself, who was unaffected by the extreme temperatures being pushed upon him. Solomon and Bruno, on the other hand, were not having an easy time coping with such conditions, especially when both grew uncomfortable as they walked through dry, coarse sand for what seemed like hours upon hours without any rest whatsoever.
Genno, however, was the least affected, but he still felt the heat affecting his skin nonetheless and sweat droplets running down his forehead while managing his breathing steadily enough as they kept their pace moving onward into unknown territories of this barren desert.
Not only after walking, they came across the beach shoreline, where there were waves crashing against rocks along with tides going up and down and water rising higher before sinking down immediately. It was a comforting sight for them to head into.
"Finally, water!" Bruno exclaimed joyfully, "Let's go there!" Without wasting any more time, he sprinted happily towards the ocean without hesitating as the boy then ran after him closely behind before both entered its depths, enjoying the cool liquid refreshment after a long trek through scorching lands surrounding them.
The wise monk approached Seth's side. "They seem to be enjoying themselves," he chuckled lightly. "Shall we join in, my friend?" Turning his head towards the holy man, he says, "I'm sure it won't try," urging him with a grin before nudging him with his elbow in a playful manner.
Seth smiled as he looked at the two of them, relaxing themselves into the cooling waters while feeling its gentle currents embrace their entire bodies altogether. "Why not?" Answered with a mirthful smile, "While I do not feel hot, it would be rude to not bond with my friends." The reason was good enough for him to justify his decision to join them.
The proclaimed brothers calmly approached the waters in front of them, entering without care of their own clothes getting wet. Genno and Seth allowed themselves to float on top of the gentle waves, a warm breeze brushing against their faces softly.
Moments of peace hang on the air as the group lets the water carry them like leaves falling upon the surface, watching the sun setting over the distant horizon as colors painted across cloudless skies in red, orange, purple, pink, and yellow bask underneath it while its rays shine down upon their figures that lay peacefully on its light.
There were no birds chirping around or insects flying above, only sounds of tranquil silence, which filled their minds with contentment at being able to spend precious moments together, allowing their troubles to be temporarily forgotten while taking deep breaths while gazing upwards at the sky.
For the first time ever since his mission of hunting down imperial bastards, Solomon could feel himself finally relaxing without having anything weighing upon his shoulders, free from responsibilities as well as the burdens that come along with them.
Now he feels relieved, as if someone lifted weights off his chest while inhaling fresh air flowing into his lungs, exhaling loudly with satisfaction evident across features once more. This made him smile. He finally smiled for what feels like forever ago, ever since he lost his loved ones.
Through all the vengeance and hatred that made him obsessed, the boy had managed to experience being happy or relaxed again. It feels like a lifetime has passed since I last felt something genuine for once through its fleeting warmth brought upon by its touch alone.
Nearly submerged into the waters with only his neck above it, the youth laid himself there, his eyes still fixated on the sky, waiting for the sun to finally descend further downward and disappear so the light could be replaced by the moon's ethereal glow instead, illuminating across land with stars twinkling above.
However, before that could happen, a sudden splash interrupted his musing as Solomon gasped for breath upon feeling impact knocking him out of balance and almost swallowed plenty of water that caught his surprise. "What the fuck?!" The boy swore out loud, spitting out a few drops that nearly went down his throat.
Turning around was grinning and confident Bruno, who were proud of managing to scare the little boy while he swims circles around him without trouble, laughing merrily at what he had done. "Well, aren't you so tiny?" He jested amusedly with a laugh escaping his lips, "Not so tough, are you?!"
Pissed at being laughed at, Solomon gritted his teeth as his fingers twitched violently in rage as he used the water around him to also splash at the man's face, causing him to stumble back in shock at receiving the same treatment. "Not so funny, now is it?!" Satisfaction replaces anger when he sees how helpless his enemy appears.
Then another splash hits him from behind, enraging the boy more: "You gotta be fucking kidding me!" He raged, turning around quickly to whoever did it, but instead saw a smiling and innocent Seth just swimming in front of him without guilt or shame for doing what he had done.
Waving at the enraged boy with a wave of his hand, he said, "I got you!" Seth jokingly said with cheerful laughter at the end, ignoring the glare coming from Solomon, whose eyes filled with fury itself. "Try to catch me if you can," he said outloud before swimming away.
At first, Solomon was beyond enraged to the point that he tried to chase him through these waters, intending to violently beat his father up, but those thoughts disappeared when he laughed from behind, turning around once again to see Genno and Bruno just having fun by splashing one another.
He realized at this moment that they weren't making fun of him in any way but were only having fun, just like friends usually do in these types of situations, letting out a deep breath after realizing how silly his action was compared to theirs.
Breaking away their attention, he then focused on the grinning Seth, who playfully waited for him with outstretched hands, extending forward and beckoning him to take part in their game while the other two friends joked around in the background.
Instead of anger flying back again, the boy simply grinned at this challenge: "I'll make sure to regret you the day you mess with me!" He warned gleefully while racing towards the holy man as if they were having an actual race, intending to deliver the largest water attack he could come with while everyone else merrily laughed and joked without a care in the world.
