Drip

Drop

Drip

Drop

".....H-Hello?" I called into the darkness.

Drip

Drip

Drop

There was a soft breeze, but it was chilly.

Drip

Drop

"Did you know that Water puts out Fire? Too bad for you."

"Who are you?!" I quickly lost my temper.

"Do you know how lucky your friend would be if you weren't so useless?"

"...!" I could barely muster a word. It wouldn't let me.

"Water is a natural conductor. Anything that flows through it is just a follower."

"What...do you want?" I spoke slowly.

"You need me."

"I do not!" I testified.

"In time... you will come to know the..."

"Become the ---- ----! Become the ---- ----! I am -----! The ---- ----!"

"The Fire Lord! I am Kotsu, the Fire Lord! None can escape these flames!" Kotsu chanted to himself in enjoyment, holding flames in his hand. 

"Kotsu." I yawned.

"Oh! Morning, Iyosa." He replied normally

"What were you just doing...?" I rubbed my eyes.

"Oh uh... you know." He avoided the question. 

"Yeah, sure I know, Fire Lord." I snickered.

"Yo, shut up! You already know I'm gonna be the Fire Lord anyways, I dunno about you." He said quite confidently.

"Are you sure you weren't the one who accidentally Burned Down the village?" I teased him, taking the situation lightly.

"Iyosa, I was with you before the village burned down, you know it couldn't have been me. After all, we all know my flames are way hotter than what we came back to!" Kotsu took it lightly as well. 

"Heh, yeah, I know." I grinned, taking the nearby pouch of Berries and popping a handful in my mouth. 

"Hey, let me get some too. " He ushered, reaching out his hand. I then tossed the Berries at him again and he caught them a lot easier.

"I expected as much." Kotsu smiled, specifically picking the few blueberries I luckily found and eating them.

"Anyways, Kotsu, we should get moving soon. I'll take care of the clearing and toss away the burnt wood. Do we have any leftover meat?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, we have a hell ton of Venison, I already salted it and packed it up in the bigger bag. Should keep us up for the week." Kotsu nodded, untying the two Deer Carcasses from the tree and throwing them to the side in a nearby bush. 

"You got the backstraps too, right?" I asked hopefully.

"Oh hell yeah, its the best part. We'll split em."  Kotsu nodded again, grinning. 

As everything was packed up, Kotsu and I marched forward.

"You know... we should start moving into more unknown territory. When the Sun starts to set, we'll rest up and take a look around the perimeter. We've been at this for more than a month already... if we don't find a way to bring the Legacy back to life..." I began to ramble.

"Iyosa." Kotsu said calmly.

"...?" I didn't say a word.

"Yanse Village isn't going anywhere. Neither is the Relic. In time, we will reach it.  Ok?" He settled me down.

"Heh... since when did you become Grand Elder?" I smiled a bit, comforted.

"Ever since we lost ours." Kotsu said plainly.

I looked down, knowing how much Kotsu looked up to the Grand Elder for guidance. I couldn't tell if he was hurting or not... but he was pressing forward. Many would call that admirable. Even the Grand Elder would too, if he were still around. We continued our march through the shining and never ending forest. Multiple streams and fallen logs were scattered far and wide, while the sun would gleam through the crevices of the forest rooftop.

"Hey Kotsu.... once we do retrieve this Relic... what will we do after?" I asked out of the blue.

"You already know, don't you?" Kotsu looked back to me.

"Yeah... but..." I said slowly.

"But what?" Kotsu asked.

"...We'll... still be alone." I stopped walking. At the exact same moment, Kotsu turned around quickly and hit me upside the head.

"Have you already forgotten what we've come all this way for? If you insist on retrieving that Relic, you must remember your resolve! I'm tired of hearing all this doubt from you! You're strong, Iyosa, I shouldn't have to tell you that! Yeah... Yeah, we're alone. We can't bring the villagers back... neither can we restore the Grand Elder. However, you want the village back despite all that, right? As do I. Yanse Village is our home, and we will travel together until it is restored! But First... you must gain confidence in yourself! Understand?" Kotsu got frustrated with me.

"... I understand." I rubbed my eyes, nodding.

...

The walk continued until nightfall. Before I could slow my walking and offer to set up for the night, Kotsu pointed to something in the distance.

"Iyosa, do you see that?" He asked.

"...Yeah... what is it?" I asked as we walked closer towards the object. It took 5 more minutes to approach the shadow in the distance. We finally made it.

                                               The Relic Shrine, foretold in the Yanse Scrolls.