Magical Soul Parade

Chapter 337: Lord Errant!

Osmund’s POV. Somewhere between Stratus and the New Soul Sanctum.

"Madoc," Osmund called out in a somewhat serious tone. He and the taller Anaelle were out in the woods, casually hunting for an animal that would serve as their dinner tonight.

Both of them knew it was totally unnecessary, though, but it had been an order from the Lord Errant, so they duly complied.

"What do you think the Lord Errant’s motive for stopping is? We were making such good time. Right now we’re more than halfway to the Soul Sanctum according to Sue," Osmund continued when he received no immediate response. "You and I both know that stopping to rest and eat serves no purpose to any of us. We are Anaelle and our soul density is high enough to sustain our bodies for weeks without a single morsel of food or an hour of sleep. The Lord Errant is even more capable than we are. So why the delay?"

Madoc continued to walk alongside Osmund for several steps without responding. His eyes were scanning the shrubbery and surrounding trees as if he was truly engrossed in finding a prey.

It wasn’t until after nearly a minute that he finally responded.

"Who knows? It is not our place to wonder or try to understand the plans of the Lord Errant. He sees the world through a lens that we cannot even begin to comprehend. All we can do is comply with his orders to the best of our abilities. If he wants us to hunt for a dinner we do not need then we shall bring him the finest game these woods have to offer."

Osmund’s eyes went distant after hearing Madoc’s reply, then he shook his head with a wry smile. "Lord Errant," he repeated the title softly.

"I still find it difficult to believe how much he has changed. It feels like only yesterday we were dealing with a lost boy who was just discovering his place in the world. Now he carries an aura that makes my skin crawl with a mixture of fear and reverence. And all of this happened in such a short time."

Madoc finally turned his head to look at Osmund. His expression was solemn. "It may not have been short for him, Osmund. I told you before that I can only guess at the duration of his stay in the past. My estimate was that he was trapped back in time for less than five years... but I cannot know for sure," he corrected Osmund. "Time flows differently in the gaps between realities. It may have been longer... much longer than that."

Osmund let out a short snort of breath. "I know you better than that, Madoc. You are not a man who makes a guess unless you are certain that your conclusion is somewhat correct. You believe he was there for less than five years. It is terrifying to think that a person could achieve that level of power and change so fundamentally in such a brief window of time," he said the last bit with a slight shiver to his tone.

"Well at least we are on the right side of that power," Madoc said while he resumed his walk. His eyes softened with a look that was close to veneration. "We are not the ones who will have to endure his wrath. In a way we are the luckiest people in this world because we are on his side and we know him closely. This world remains ignorant of it, but the physical equivalent of a raging storm has descended upon this world already... He is ready to overturn every single thing that the humans have built."

Osmund went silent and pondered Madoc’s analogy, agreeing firmly with it.

"Speaking of this world, Madoc... you’ve felt it too, haven’t you...?" Osmund asked hesitantly. "His call?"

Madoc’s expression changed immediately. He stopped in his tracks and his head snapped in Osmund’s direction sharply.

"This is not a concern, is it, Osmund?" Madoc asked while his tone turned wary and ominous. "An Anaelle of your caliber and your experience can handle something as minor as that, can you not? We have our own souls and our own purpose. We do not answer to the echoes of the past anymore..."

What exactly ’that’ was remained unknown, but Osmund nodded repeatedly after a moment of hesitation, looking more sure of himself the more he nodded.

"Good." Madoc nodded in return, before going still. "Speaking of which... I have spotted our dinner for tonight." His eyes were locked onto a creature munching on some grass meters away from them in the distance.

.

.

.

When they arrived back at the campsite they found the Lord Errant sitting languidly on a large mossy log that he had claimed as his chair. He had his legs stretched out and his back was leaning against the trunk of a fallen tree.

A long straw of some wild plant played at the edges of his lips and his gaze turned to them the moment they stepped into the clearing.

It was in moments like these that Osmund remembered Finn was still just a young man. Despite the heavy and ancient presence he carried, he still cut a carefree figure as he paused his casual discussion with Sue, the weird girl who had tagged along with them.

"Oh? What kind of animal is this?" Finn asked with intrigue, staring at the game they’d hunted.

"It appears to be some sort of cross-prehistoric version of an antelope, Lord Errant," Madoc was the one who replied. He was the more knowledgeable one between the two Anaelle about inconsequential, little human details like these.

"Hmm? You know what an antelope is?" Finn asked, his tone even more curious.

"Ah. Well, I have seen a few things from..." Madoc started to say, but then he glanced briefly at Sue, who was listening with her signature gleeful and unsettling smile.

Madoc was clearly not yet accustomed to the presence of the stranger, and he was not comfortable speaking about the flashes of the Space Transcendent’s memories while she was within earshot.

Finn looked to have understood the meaning of the pause immediately. And while he did not seem to share the deep wariness that Madoc felt toward Sue, he did not press the issue. He respected the boundaries of his companions.

"I’ll handle the cooking!" Sue stood in a rush, as if she were a child calling firsts on a task to ensure she was the one to handle it.

Osmund’s fist clenched slightly at his side, and he barely held himself from speaking out to decline her request immediately. He didn’t trust her near their food and he certainly didn’t like the way she inserted herself into every aspect of their life so far. But he knew his place and held his tongue, looking over subtly to the Lord Errant to see his reaction.

Finn’s attention had already shifted. His eyes went distant for a moment as if some random and profound thought had preoccupied his mind. He looked toward the northern horizon for a few seconds before he waved a hand non-committally.

"Sure, have at it."

Lord Errant! Osmund practically yelled in his mind. You’re taking this woman too lightly!

He quickly averted his eyes and tried not to let his thoughts show on his face. But Madoc wasn’t like him. The taller Anaelle clearly felt the same as he did, and Osmund could see him frowning slightly and opening his mouth to speak as Sue strode over with a bounce in her steps.

But before Madoc could utter a single word, Finn spoke again. His eyes refocused on the two Anaelle and his expression became unreadable: