I couldn’t take my eyes off the statue.
[Little Quartz! Where are we? I feel so full of energy!]
It was Aqum, Aqum indeed.
The precious stone that should have been in my pocket was now stuck firmly to the eye of the statue of Aubawth.
‘Why are you there?!’
Aqum definitely said that outside of Travel, it would be forced to sleep.
I rubbed my eyes in disbelief, but it was still Aqum.
“Berry, are your eyes hurting?”
“Are you okay?”
My dad and Theon asked, and even the Grand Priest looked at me. Not only that, but my surprised shout upon seeing Aqum had drawn everyone’s attention.
[What is this? A giant guy!]
Slap. Slap. Aqum was hitting the forehead of the statue of Aubawth with its paw. Thankfully, the Grand Priest and the priests were unaware of this sacrilege.
‘Oh, what should I do…!’
I needed to talk to Aqum, and as naturally as possible.
I clasped my hands together over my chest.
“Ah! Great God Aubawth…!”
“Oh ho, Master Reytan. Berry seems to have deep faith.”
But the delivery got misdirected.
My words reached the Grand Priest instead of Aqum. It seems that the devout appearance of a young follower had moved the Grand Priest.
“…Yes. I didn’t realize that.”
My dad answered with an uneasy tone.
“How admirable. A child’s faith is all the more precious because it’s pure.”
I’m sorry. It’s not pure at all.
[This is exciting! This isn’t Travel, right? No way there could be a place I don’t know about!]
“The god…”
“It’s proper to say, ‘The god has,’ dear.”
While the Grand Priest’s words pricked at my conscience, he corrected my words as I muttered, looking at Aqum.
The god, in high spirits, well…
[Little Quartz! Can I go explore outside?]
“Ah…!”
No!
The Grand Priest’s eyes met mine. If I said no or shook my head here, I might never see that kind smile again.
“I thought the God Aubawth was moving! Wow…!”
I hoped for a miracle, like the statue moving its hand to catch Aqum, but no such miracle happened.
[Ah, I see. There are too many humans, so you can’t answer? I’ll just wander around a bit then. There’s a lot that looks interesting!]
With that, Aqum jumped down from the statue and hopped out of the temple.
Horrified.
I couldn’t stop him, nor did I have the chance to. Maybe because of the small size, Aqum was incredibly fast.
It reminded me of the nightmare from the last time Aqum disappeared in Travel.
‘I have to follow Aqum!’
There was no guarantee that Aqum would return before we left the temple.
If I couldn’t find Aqum, the Travel grounds would lose their caretaker, and I would remain clueless about any connection between my illness and Travel.
I didn’t want to see my dad or grandfather disappointed, thinking I had lost grandmother’s keepsake.
“Berry, what’s wrong?”
Noticing my restlessness, Dad crouched in front of me to make eye contact, his concerned, kind blue eyes gazing into mine—those blue eyes that reminded me of my vanished companion.
“Dad, can I go explore outside a bit more?”
“Outside?”
“I wanted to see those small statues along the white path! I learned in history class that the statues are the flowers of the Main Temple. I need something to talk about if Madam Freya asks what I saw on the field trip.”
“You mean the divine messengers on the ‘Path of Emptiness’? Observing those statues is indeed a good learning experience.”
“Really? Grandpa Grand Priest?”
Just then, even the Grand Priest nodded in agreement, thinking it was a good idea. Dad narrowed his eyes at me and asked,
“Who was it that kept asking to see Wyndis?”
“I changed my mind! You said there’s nothing in the room with Wyndis. And we have to go to Theon’s Grandfather place later, so we should save time.”
I thought it was a reasonably good excuse for something I had made up on the spot, but then there was an unexpected twist.
“Let’s go.”
“Are you coming with me, Dad?”
Dad wanted to accompany me on my journey, which was supposed to be a solo one.
“I’m coming, too.”
Theon quickly stood next to Dad, letting me know his intention to come along. I wondered if this was the same kid who was just so anxious to see Wyndis.
But then, the Grand Priest’s face looked distressed. ‘If only you could go see Wyndis sooner…’ I heard some murmuring from the priests in the back.
“Oh, I’ll go alone. It doesn’t seem dangerous at all. Grandpa Grand Priest, it’s safe here, right? Besides, Dad, you need to calm down Wyndis as soon as possible!”
“I… suppose so.”
If a well was hastily dug, it would be quicker to dig it together. The Grand Priest and I exchanged a glance, forming a silent alliance. The Grand Priest spoke.
“There’s absolutely nothing dangerous here. Not at all. No outsiders have been allowed in today, so you’ll be as safe as if you were in your own living room.”
“Wow! Then, can I explore alone?”
“Yes. If anything happens, this old man will handle it, so go about with peace of mind.”
“You heard the Grand Priest, Dad! I’ll take care of my things, so you and Theon can go see Wyndis!”
With a big smile, I waved to the two of them, though inwardly I was tapping my feet anxiously.
“……..…”
“………..”
Dad and Theon looked at me with skeptical eyes. Like teacher, like disciple—they were both looking at me in exactly the same way.
This wasn’t working. I didn’t have time to try to convince them further. When desperate, even a little trickery was a method.
I looked up at them with teary eyes.
“Do you… not trust me?”
The fear of potentially losing Aqum and the urgency to find its mixed, making me feel genuinely on the verge of tears. So, without much acting, my nose tingled a bit. Had it been an act, Dad might have seen through it, so this was for the best.
“I trust you.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
They said it simultaneously. I got their permission.
Without giving them a chance to catch me, I quickly ran out of the temple.
“Then, I’ll be back! See you later!”
***
“Oh, Aqum.”
It was good to have made it out, but the problem was that neither the Travel grounds nor the Main Temple made it easy to find Aqum.
This place was vast, so where would I even start looking for such a tiny creature?
Aqum was nowhere in sight around the temple. My steps grew anxious, wondering if I really wouldn’t be able to find it.
‘Where did you go…?’
After about ten minutes of wandering in search of Aqum, I discovered one downside to this heavenly temple.
It’s so white that it hurts my eyes.
“Hello, young devotee.”
Even the clothes and hats of the priests I encountered were completely white. It was so white I worried about how they would manage to eat without making a mess.
“Hello!”
It seemed everyone knew I was my dad’s daughter. Every person I passed greeted me with a friendly smile.
Of course, those smiles were probably for Reytan Quartz Travel, not for me.
‘Ah.’
A thought suddenly came to mind. Aqum manages the water veins of Travel.
If its wasn’t around the main temple, I had to assume it’d traveled a greater distance. I pointed to the area behind us and asked the priest standing nearby.
“Priest! How do I get over there?”
“Over there?”
The priest turned his head. In the distance, down a landscaped hill, water cascaded refreshingly down an artificial white stone wall.
***
“If you go behind the main temple, the path splits into three directions. The far-right path leads to a small plaza with an artificial waterfall.”
Using the excuse of a learning experience, I found out the way to the artificial waterfall through the priest.
‘Aqum might be over there!’
It had to be. Given the current situation, I couldn’t think of any other likely places to search.
The only slight relief was that the area around the artificial waterfall was somewhat more colorful.
Except for the tall waterfall itself, it was free from that artificial whiteness. But, Aqum wasn’t there either.
“………”
Maybe Aqum was underwater, blending in due to its camouflage.
Standing in front of the water basin catching the waterfall’s crystal-clear flow, I peered down into the pristine, transparent water.
“Aqum.”
“……..”
“Maybe Aqum can’t hear me from afar.”
I tossed my twin braids behind my shoulders, placed my hands on the white marble of the basin, leaned over, and called closely into the water’s surface.
“Are you there?”
“What are you looking for?”
Oh my! I was so startled I nearly fell face-first into the water.
Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to keep my hair dry. As my body leaned forward, the tips of my hair, which spilled down, got soaked.
‘Ugh.’
When would I have time to dry this? Just as I made a pouting face, a voice spoke from behind me again.
“Sorry. Did I scare you?”
It was the sweet, melodious voice of a young boy, as clear as rolling glass beads.
