Journey To Eden

"Ezra...Help...It's Alba." the communication cut and Ezra started hit the device against his palm but it was fried from the heat and water.

"Alba, come in. Alba?" He angrily placed the phone into his pocket and looked at the others.

"Hey Ezra, who was that?" Tina asked.

"It was Alba. She's alive but needs our help. We need to get to her." Ezra said getting ready to leave but Koko held him back. 

"Woah, come down. Alba and her group are all the way down south just before the town of Christville. We can't make it there immediately it's like a one week journey on foot and we may be too late if she asked for help." Koko explained. "Our best course of action is to go east to the boat of Henry." 

Everyone looked at Koko, shocked that he knew all of those places in the western continent when he was from the southern continent. 

"What?" he asked.

"Aren't you from the Southern continent?" Tina asked.

"My mother dumped me here for a year when I was thirteen so I know practically the whole continent." he explained.

"That's okay but your wrong on the time we can get there." Ezra said.

"If we find a carriage coming from the north to Christville, we can get there in three days." 

"Yeah, I guess your right. Then we have to find a waypoint." Koko said.

"Oh, I think I saw one when we were coming into the forest. I can track it down. I remember its scent." Tina said. 

"That's great, let's get going." Ezra said, overjoyed that they were going to meet up with Alba but he was still worried about her current situation but he had faith in her strength.

"Lead the way, Tina." Koko said.

"Tomorrow, though. Do you expect me to walk through the night in wet clothes?" Delilah said as she held herself trying to get warmth. "And besides the waypoint isn't far from here."

"She's right and we may run into Nova again if we travel right now." Ezra said as he began collecting firewood.

"Weren't you the one who wanted to run to the south so badly?" Koko asked.

"I know that Alba is strong enough to take care of any challenge that comes her way and even though our leader has become rogue, we are still group one and we need to watch over each other so could you help with the firewood." Ezra said throwing sticks at Koko that he bundled together and set on fire.

The group took off their clothes and began drying them as Koko was roasting some fish that he and Ezra had collected and finally they went to sleep except for Ezra who was keeping watch. Tina was awake as well and she sat next to him as they looked up into the sky.

 "You're not sleeping?" Ezra asked.

"Can't sleep. I've been thinking." Tina said.

"Thinking about?" Ezra asked. 

"Alba is in my sisters' group. Victoria and Adriel. I'm just worried if they are also okay." Tina said looking up at the purple sky.

"They're okay. I'm sure of it. Once we get this phone fixed, we can communicate with them and know their position." Ezra said.

"Guess I'll trust you." Tina said.

Ezra looked at her briefly before glancing at her drying clothes. Next to them were a nice pair of pistols and a hunting rifle that he had seen mounted on her back the past month. The guns were silver with a crest that looked familiar but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. While the hunting rifle was wooden with a silver barrel and the same crest curved in the wooden parts.

"Nice guns." he said.

"Oh those, they were a birthday present from the Beverley family. I got guns and Adriel got a really cool claymore." 

That's where he had seen the crest before. The Beverley family was the ruling family of the Western continent and they had a tradition of travelling around the country giving the locals gifts but since most of the continent was forest, mountain and small villages apart from a few large towns like Christville, they mostly had that tradition in the north but the locals throughout the continent loved them since many of the villages were built and funded by them.

Despite this, Ezra and Nova hated them because of their hubris and tendency to undermine those who didn't leave in the north.

"I guess royal families interact pretty well with each other." Ezra said looking back at her.

Her hair was brown and long and swayed in the wind beautifully. Underneath the moonlight, she was like a paint.

"Some of us. The Beverley family and the Arkwright family have been lifelong friends since we both pride ourselves in killing the world serpent. That's why our family crests have snakes in them." Tina said now looking at Ezra.

"Although the Beverley family and the Mochizuki family are life long rivals. They always try to get one over the other. I think you'll see it when you meet Reina and Asher." 

The chuckled before looking at the full moon. 

"So are you going to turn into a werewolf?" Ezra asked jokingly.

"What?" Tina chuckled looking at the full moon. "Oh, you're some idiot you know that." she said laughing her literal ass off.

The two then sat for a while longer, not speaking but watching the beautiful night sky together before Tina fell asleep and Ezra put her to sleep next to Delilah before he sat next to a tree and leaned his back against it falling asleep.

As he was sleeping, he heard Alba calling his name but he couldn't see her but her voice become fainter before he reached what looked like her body, her eyes covered as always but he also saw her standing above the body on what looked like a throne, her eyes uncover and her hands bleeding.

"Alba, what happened to you?" He asked holding the bloody hands of the other Alba.

"You're not supposed to be here. Leave or you'll continue learning. Everyone you love will die before you're very eyes." she said before a hand pulled the seat and she was taken away leaving Ezra in a dark room.

Alba!! 

He woke up. 

Everyone looked at him with faces of worry. Koko gave him his clothes that were dry now.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked, worried.

"Yes, just a dream." Ezra replied putting on his clothes.

"Didn't sound like a dream. Anyway, get dressed we're heading out early before someone comes looking." Koko said. 

Ezra finished wearing his gloves and stood then the four of them left for the waypoint as Tina led the way with a wolf. 

They walked for quite some time. The sun was rising in the distance exposing more the forest. The birds were chirping freely enchanting the air with their sounds. After two hours of walking, they finally made it to the waypoint.

"It's up ahead." Tina said joyously.

"Finally, I was getting exhausted." Koko said running ahead of them. "First one to the waypoint wins." 

"We're not kids, Koko." Ezra said.

"You're not but they are." Koko said. 

Suddenly Delilah and Tina to Koko and a race happened that Koko ultimately won but as soon as Tina and Delilah reached the signpost for the waypoint, their faces immediately became deadpan.

"What's the matter guys? Why are you..." Koko asked before turning around. His joy also quickly dropped.

"It's unfair to start a race when you're already ahead, Koko." Ezra said before noticing their deadpan expressions. "What's wrong?"

He then turned his head and looked at the waypoint.

"Hey Tina." Ezra called out.

"Yes, Ezra." Tina replied.

"Where is the waypoint?" Ezra asked.