Linger: The Light Above the Spring

Ever since my travels first started, I’ve grown accustomed to being alone, which made the sudden change that much more noticeable. I only just recently decided to bring this girl with me on my travels, and I’ve yet to get used to it. At first, she was reserved, both towards me and her surroundings; but it wasn’t long until she began asking questions. Questions about who I am, questions about where I’ve been, questions about what I do, and questions about just what these Remnants are. The amount of curiosity contained within her small frame is daunting. With every question asked, she looks up at me with the widest of eyes, soaking in every word of my answer.

It isn’t as though I find her curiosity surprising. Truth be told, most must have question after question regarding what I do and how I do it. There aren’t many capable of what I am, and maybe even fewer than that, so their curiosity is not without warrant. However, with her, it’s different. Not only does she ask anything and everything, but that she is in a position to do so makes all the difference in the world.

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Tall blades of grass and picturesque flowers of every warm color bent and flattened beneath his feet as he walked. The lush green of the surrounding trees was made all the more radiant by the noon sun, and the speckled intertwining of light and shadow on the wood’s floor could mesmerize all but the coldest of people. Despite that, the telling breeze of a cool day danced about, signaling the transition from summer to autumn.

As Dyn walked through the wood, he would occasionally adjust his pace for the girl whose hand clung to his cloak. He still wasn’t used to her presence, so little things like that tended to slip his mind. It wouldn’t be long before he grew used to her accompaniment, and he hoped that she could put up with him until then. At the least, she felt welcome enough to remain on his cloak.

He and Lia continued their trek while Dyn searched for a clearing to build a campsite. They weren’t able to get much rest the night before, so an early stop was necessary if they wanted to make it to the next village without collapsing on the way there. Lia’s eyelids were already protesting her decision to stay awake, and it wouldn’t be too long before his followed.

Soon, the two found a tiny meadow amidst the trees. The sunlight, unhindered by branches filled with leaves, cast a warm light over the field. Small patches of the same warm-colored flowers that they had seen previously were even more abundant here. A local rabbit lifted its head, ears alert, and darted into the woods when they approached the clearing.

Lia sat down near the center of the field while Dyn began preparing a spot nearby for a campfire, digging out a small trench around the desired area. He gathered some nearby twigs in the center of the tiny patch of earth, leaving the dried leaves and grass to serve as kindle. He took a small, brown lighter from within a pouch hooked to his trousers via rope. The flame it produced spread the faintest of glows upon the leaves it was nearing. Within seconds, the birth of a fledgling campfire was complete. Dyn searched for firewood, and Lia joined him not but a minute later. It took little time to build the fire up to a more capable level.

Dyn prodded the burning wood with an extra stick while keeping an eye on everything around him. He noticed that Lia had bundled herself up, knees against her chest, and darted her eyes from one side to the other. He took a more careful look, but couldn’t see anything that would cause her concern. There was nothing but plant life near them, and only a squirrel or two could be seen just outside of the meadow.

“Is something wrong, Lia,” he asked. She reeled back a bit, startled, as though whatever had her so worried pulled her away from reality. Dyn added, “You look nervous. Are you having second thoughts about coming with me? We can still head back to the village, if you like.”

She hastily refused the offer. “No, no, that’s not it at all!” she said. Lia buried her head between her knees, still scanning the area. Overcoming her paranoia a bit, she asked, “Um, I was wondering, what exactly are those things? You know, those things that I can feel.”

He cocked his head to the side, thinking for a moment. “Oh, is that why you’ve been so reserved?” She clutched her knees even tighter, embarrassed at having her motive discovered. “Are they nearby?” Lia nodded her head.

“They’re all around us. I can feel a lot more of them than I could in the village.” She inched towards the fire, hoping the fire would somehow scare them away and keep her safe. “It’s kinda scary.”

Dyn scratched the top of his before saying, “Hmm, how should I put it?” He added a couple of pieces of wood to the fire as he thought. “When my father taught me, he likened them to various things. Traces, echoes, ghosts, footprints, even mementos. But most of all, he compared them to one particular concept: Vestiges. They are what’s left behind from those passing through this life. The emotions, the hopes, the goals, the dreams, and the longings of the humans in this world. And their form is just as limitless as all of those.”

Lia listened to his explanation, though it didn’t look like she fully comprehended what he was telling her. However, she continued with another question. “Are they all bad?” Her body language implied that her questions also served to distract her from her worries.

“None of them are ‘bad,’ so to speak. They’re just the feelings of humans taken form. Even the one from the village had no concept of right or wrong, it just acted as it believed it should. That’s what they all do. Some have positive effects, and some have negative effects. It’s my job to find a way to remove the ones that influence people in negative ways. Though, to tell you the truth, most of them are capable of hurting anyone.”

Lia’s head lifted ever so slightly off of her knees, wanting to believe what he was telling her. Still, the stifling sensation that comes from feeling surrounded is difficult to deal with, even more so for a thirteen-year-old girl. “Are you sure?” she asked, her eyes still moving side to side.

Dyn sighed and responded, “Alright, I suppose I can take a look.” He placed his thumb under the eye patch covering his right eye and lifted it up. The moment that eye opened, the right half of his body was engulfed in flames burning with all the colors of the rainbow. Though, Dyn was the only one who could see this harmless blaze. After all, it was those very flames that are both a part of and allow him to see these vestiges. Even so, Lia still retreated back to her sheltered position, no doubt intimidated by his flames’ far stronger presence.

As with every time he used this power, it was as if a new layer of the world suddenly opened up to him. Alongside the world everyone knew was the world only he could see, distinguishable only by the same rainbow-coloring as the flames he now wore. The shapes the came in varied from flora, to fauna, and even a few creatures that would never be mistaken for the common wildlife. However, what caught his attention more than anything was a large caravan of lights moving through the wood to his right. Each light was only the size of a campfire’s spark, but all of them together lit up the meadow in a way that could be seen by none but him.

“Well, that’s suspicious,” he said. “There are indeed quite a bit more than normal.” Hearing that, Lia’s fear of the flame’s presence quickly subsided as she moved towards Dyn, preferring someone she knew to someone she did not. Thinking little of her action, he continued, “But these ones couldn’t do anyone any harm, whether accidental or intentional. So, there’s no need for you to worry.”

She grabbed the sleeve of his cloak and asked, “How do you know if they’re dangerous or not?” Lia’s voice was a tad strained. No doubt, the presence of all of these vestiges at once was taking their toll. Dyn replaced the eye patch, and the flames retreated. At the least, he could ease her burden until she grew used to it. She must have appreciated it as well, since her body and face were relaxing.

“These ones are common in the woods and forests that border civilizations. They’re created from the positive memories and feelings of those on camping trips.” Dyn tossed another log onto the fire before placing a hand on his chin and adding, “Still, I am curious as to why there is such a large volume here.” He looked at Lia and asked, “You lived in the village for quite a while before I picked you up, right? You wouldn’t happen to know of any stories they had for these woods, would you?”

She seemed shocked that he would actually ask her a question. She thought for a moment, and a red tint adorned her cheek as she did so. “Well, I do remember one,” she said. “A couple times, I overheard some of the woman talking about a spring that they wanted to find here.”

“Oh, wait just one moment.” Dyn pulled out a small journal and pen from a small bag he kept with him. “A spring, huh?” he said as he wrote down a single line in the journal. “Go on.”

She seemed perplexed by his actions, but continued nonetheless. “Uh, they said that there was a special spring somewhere in the woods. If you drink the water together with someone you love, then you’ll be bonded with them forever.” Lia had a difficult time looking at Dyn while she said this. “That’s just what I heard, anyway.” When she built up the courage to look in his direction again, Lia saw him jotting her words down in the journal. Her curiosity took over. “Why are you writing that down?” she asked.

He looked up from the journal. “’Why’? Because I need to make sure I record everything I see related to the vestiges. Not only is this for my own personal records, but it often takes a lot of investigation to solve their cases. These things can be tricky business.”

Lia raised an eyebrow. “So . . . this is a case?” There was the slightest bit of disappointment in her tone. She began fidgeting in her spot and rubbing the dirt with the balls of her feet. The next second, she found herself falling to the ground, her support suddenly gone. Then, she saw Dyn standing up, looking into the woods. “What are you doing?” she asked.

Dyn extended a hand to her, which she hesitated to accept, and helped her up. “We’re going to look for that spring you mentioned,” he told her. He saw a light flow into her eyes as soon as he uttered those words. He was about to lift his eye patch again, but Lia interrupted him.

She tugged on his arm and said, “But that’s just a story I heard. I don’t even know if it exists.” The lasts words came out slowly, as though speaking them brought forth a realization from the back of her mind. She cast her eyes to the ground, but her hand remained on Dyn’s sleeve.

“It might not,” he said. If the man was anything, he was very direct. “But they are moving towards something; there are too many of them for their not to be a destination.” He lifted the eye patch, allowing the rainbow flames flood the right side of his body. He felt a stronger tug as Lia felt the sudden presence. It was something she would have to get used to if she was going to travel with him. Dyn added, “Like I said, it’s my job to examine and deal with these vestiges as I see them. You’re a part of this now too, you know.”

He and Lia started walking alongside the floating sparks. Dyn saw her scramble to get something from the camp, but paid it no mind. Once she caught up, she kept a firm grip on him to quell her fear and so that she wouldn’t get lost. Dyn paid little attention, only checking on her every few minutes to be sure that her fear wouldn’t hinder their progress. Though, her nerves eased the longer they walked.

The myriad of lights led them through the woods, like a small road burned into the air itself. It made no sharp turns, led them on no winding paths, and did nothing to complicate the journey in any way. It was simple and straightforward. All that they wished for was their destination. They need not make it more difficult. They need not even think about it.

After a good deal of walking, the woods grew thicker, and the foliage denser. The flowers and trees were wilder, and the sun’s rays were even more scattered. It felt like they had entered a much less trekked portion of the woods. However, the number of vestiges that Dyn saw never increased, and the campfire sparks guiding them never once deviated from their path. They would, however, reach the end of their travels shortly.

Just through a particularly dense thicket, they came upon the place that gathered these vestiges to it. It was another clearing, although smaller than the one where the two were camped at. Though, there was another major difference. At the far end of the meadow, backed against one of the older trees in the woods, lay a small spring surrounded by a line of pebbles and other small stones. The light from the sun easily reached the water, casting a mesmerizing shine across the surface of the spring.

Forgetting her fears for the moment, Lia left Dyn's side with both her eyes and mouth open wide. She twirled about the field as she admired the scenery, coming to a stop in front of the spring. She brushed her hair aside and stared into the water. “It's beautiful, isn't it?” she said, looking back at him.

He looked around, seeing all of the scenery that she was. However, he saw more. He saw the rest of the gorgeous scenery in this place. The vestiges shimmered about the meadow, especially the spring. There was such a large amount that it surprised him just how calm Lia was. Their radiance wasn't unlike that of a small aurora, outdoing the sun's own efforts in creating such a wonderful setting. A small smile formed, and he said, “Yeah, it's not bad.” No matter how many times he saw sights like this, Dyn still enjoyed them.

Getting back to business, he pulled out his journal from earlier. He walked next to where Lia was crouched down and began observing the area. The number of campfire sparks distracted him, making the tinier details harder to make out against the light. Lia preoccupied herself with something, but he was too busy to notice what it was. He walked the perimeter of the spring in hopes that he could find something that stood out, or at least a spot that would be easier to examine.

Lia stood up, finishing whatever she was doing. She swayed to and fro as she walked along the edge of the spring with him. “So,” she began, “do you think this is the spring from the story? I wonder if it really works.”

“I'm not sure,” he answered. His tone lacked the enthusiasm that she was surely looking for. “Regardless, they certainly believe this to be the right place, if nothing else. I don't think I've ever seen such a large gathering before of these kinds of vestiges before. It's very rare to see them move in such unison.” He kept inspecting the spring, but had little luck determining anything crucial.

“But doesn't it have to be?” Lia asked. “Why would they waste their time on a fake?” She turned towards the spring and she bulged her bottom lip in a tiny pout. It was clear that she wanted this to be the famed spring. After all, it was one of the few pleasant memories from the village.

“These vestiges don't act on any sort of intelligence. In fact, the vast majority of them don't. They simply act on a purpose that is already imbued in them by those who create them. All they desire is to find the spring that the campers sought after. For some reason, they've come to the conclusion that this is that very spring. My question is why.”

He took his flame-endowed hand and stuck it into the spring. Given its ethereal nature, the spring did it no harm. He swirled the water around with his finger, then with his entire hand. Dyn even splashed the water about the spring. As he did this, he noticed the reactions of the vestiges surrounding them. More accurately, he noticed their lack of reaction.

“Hmm, interesting.” Dyn noticed Lia's raised eyebrow and preemptively answered her question. “These vestiges should be heavily tied to this spring. Any disturbance, particularly from another vestige, such as my hand, should elicit a reaction. However, these aren't responding to my actions at all.” He scribbled down this newfound fact in his journal.

Lia was turning from a state of mere confusion to one of annoyance. His passing explanations weren't doing her as much good as he thought. “And that's supposed to mean what, exactly?” Her hands were firm against her hips for that question.

Dyn sighed. “It means as exactly what sounds like. The spring isn't what these are gathering around.” He got to his feet and cast his eyes upon the area outside of the spring. “In other words, something else brought all of them here.”

The two of them began combing the area near the spring, hoping to find anything suspicious. The volume of vestiges in the air made it impossible to pinpoint an exact location just by their presence near it. All the while, Dyn mumbled to himself, “What could it be? It can't be simple coincidence that there's a place similar to the legend that Lia told me. If the campers knew about the legend, then the existence of these vestiges should be obvious, even if only on a base level. Besides, I can think of no other reason for so many of them to travel to this specific location. What am I missing?”

“Hey, Dyn!” Lia shouted. “I think I found something!” She was standing in front of one of the nearby trees and pointing at it with one of her hands. “Take a look! I think there's something written here!” All the while, she kept waving her hand to capture his attention.

He walked over to her and took a look at the tree. Indeed, there was something written there. It was etched into the bark, and for quite a while, judging by the look of it. Dyn read the words aloud. “We found it.” That was all that was written. There were no names, symbols, or anything else identifiable. Just those three words.

It was all starting to make sense. The vestiges strange attraction to the area, their indifference towards the spring, everything would fit together as long as one more piece of information was confirmed. They had to react to this writing. Without one more word, Dyn stretched out his hand, cloaked in fire, and placed it atop the carved message.

In a single, unified motion, the campfire sparks tossed and turned in the air. They spread themselves wide and covered the tree's vicinity in a dome. It was enough to block out all light for those within. Of course, that only applied to Lia. He, on the other hand, could see just fine by the luminescence of both his vestige and the ones surrounding them.

She nearly jumped onto him from shock and screamed. “Wha- what's going on? I can't see anything! Everything just went dark!” she asked. Her voice was frantic.

“Relax,” he answered. “The vestiges have encircled the area; but don't worry, it's merely a defense mechanism. They can't harm us, even in such great numbers. This is about the extent of what they can accomplish.”

The lack of sight made it hard for her to calm down. “But why are they doing this? All you did was touch that tree, right? Besides, you said that you've never seen so many at once before! How do you know they can't do anything to us now?!”

He flicked her forehead and responded, “I told you, didn't I? Something specific drew them here. If that gets disturbed, they react. And as for how I know we aren't in any danger, you haven't felt your guardian's presence, have you?”

She thought for a moment. “You're right. I can't feel Alastair around me at all. In fact, I don't feel anything different at all.”

“You see. It can sense when you're in danger, especially if it's related to other vestiges. If it's not here, then we should be fine.” Dyn paused for a moment, then looked at Lia, still clinging to him. “Wait a minute. 'Alastair'? You named it?”

She glared at him for his condescending tone. “Of course I did! Why wouldn't I? He protects me, after all!” Lia shook her head. “But that's not important right now! Even if they aren't going to hurt us, how are we supposed to get out of here?!”

“Hmm, how indeed.” He browsed the inner face of the dome, looking for any readily apparent weaknesses. As he thought, there were none. It was only natural, since you would need far fewer for there to exist any thin points. He started moving towards the closest side of the dome to him, an act that Lia did not appreciate.

Feeling the sensation of him pulling away from her, she cried, “Hey! Where are you going? Don't leave me alone! I can't see anything!” She was getting hysterical. Not that he expected anything different from someone ten years his junior.

“Don't worry. I can,” he said as he walked. “Just stay put and you'll be alright.” A displeased grunt assured that she was at least listening to him. He snickered before preoccupying himself with the rainbow wall before him.

Truly, there was not a single discernible gap between the tiny campfire sparks. Try as he might, his eyes couldn't see the slightest hint of sunlight. Dyn reached for the wall, but the vestiges pushed his hand back. Any forceful efforts would surely see to it that he get blown backwards for his effort. He continued eying the dome up and down, but still found nothing. There was nothing left to do now but return to Lia's side before she suffered a nervous breakdown.

The girl was rocking back and forth, head shooting from side to side. She would probably be embarrassed if she could see for how she was acting. All the same, this would prove to be a good experience. Her constitution would need a bit of toughening up if she wanted to continue with him on his travels. There would definitely be more taxing cases than this.

As soon as he was within reach, she regained her grip on his cloak. “So . . . what are we gonna do?” Her nervousness was showing more and more with each second. It was easier for him, since he hadn't lost all means to see. She, however, was shaking. Dyn had to admit, for as weak as they were, this defensive measure was pretty effective.

“Not much to do, I'm afraid.” He took a seat on the ground. “Eventually, they'll release us from here, once they realize that we wish them no harm.” He pulled out his journal and began writing. “Still, I'm impressed that they can counteract forces applied to it. It's like a force field. I don't believe I've ever seen them so capable before. I'll have to make a note of that.”

Lia shook him as she shouted, “How can you be so calm about this?! We're stuck in here for who knows how long, and you just want to write about it in that book of your?! What are we supposed to do?! We don't know how long it's gonna keep us in here!”

He smacked the top of her head with his book. Her attention now his, he said, “First, calm down. There's nothing we can do about it.” He opened his journal again and continued writing, saying, “Second, if you want to do something, how about we talk for a bit?”

Rubbing her head, she answered, “Talk? Okay, how about we start with how you aren't doing anything about this?” She clearly wasn't willing to let this go. “In the village, you told me that you can get rid of these things by 'destroying its anchor' or something like that, right? Can't you just do the same thing here?”

He continued working on his journal entry as he responded. “Even if I wanted to, the barrier was also constructed around the carving itself. Besides, I don't like using that method if possible. It's disrespectful to those who birthed them. I only do that if they are negatively effecting the area they reside in. And even then, I prefer to use my power to reason with them instead. Although, reasoning with the ones before us now is rather impossible.”

Lia tucked her knees into her chest again. It was quiet for a while. The only sound was the scratching of Dyn's pen. Finally, she spoke up. “So, what do you want to talk about?” She was rocking back and forth in her spot.

The scratching of the pen halted for a moment. He glanced over at her out of the corner of his eye before saying, “Hmm, what indeed.” Dyn turned towards her and asked, “After both this and what happened in that village, are you still willing to travel with me?”

She stopped rocking. Her eyes contained a mixture of surprise and insult. The question seemed to separate her from everything else. She turned towards the direction of his voice. Though she did no know where his eyes were, she happened to be staring directly into them. She asked, “What do you mean?” However, her tone implied that her real question was, “Why would you ask me that?”

“You aren't unfamiliar with these entities. You even have one at your side to protect you. Still, I worry if you're ready for what we might run into. From the time we stepped out of that village until now, you've held on to me as tight as you could. There weren't many vestiges in the village, I know. I'm sure coming out here and suddenly being surrounded by them isn't easy, but you have to understand that this is only the first of countless times you will be exposed to situations like this. Just so you're aware, we can still head back to the vil–”

Lia was biting down on her bottom lip as tears forced their way out of her eyes. She was angry. She squeezed her knees together as hard as she could. Dyn didn't dare say anything more while she was in this state. He rested his arm on his raised knee. While he contemplated what to do next, he felt a sharp sting on his side. Letting out a grunt, he turned to see Lia's outstretched leg. Dyn wasn't sure if she knew his location from his voice, from his vestige's presence, or just from sheer luck. However she knew, he wished she didn't.

“Don't ever ask me that again!” she shouted. “Don't even think it! I don't want that!” She pulled her leg back, and her voice shrank. “I want to travel with you. Sure, it's a little scary, but you were the first person in the village who ever offered to let me be a part of something. You were the only person in the village who knew about the strange things that I was feeling. You were the only person who paid any real attention to me.” Her quivering voice picked up again. “I'll get used to them, I promise! Just let me stay with you!”

Dyn looked at her and her pained face. He scooted next to her, a movement that her gasp implied was unexpected. He put an arm around her and pulled her close, rubbing her shoulder. “I'm sorry,” he said. “I'll make a promise too. I will never ask you that question or any question like it ever again. Alright?”

She wiped the tears from her eyes and answered, “You better not. I'll kick you again if you do.” A tiny smile curved her lips. She tried her best to hide it, but it was too late. He already saw it. A small burst of laughter escaped from his mouth, something that didn't please Lia one bit.

As Dyn held his hands up to guard her flailing arms, light began to pierce through the vestiges' dome. Piece by piece, they separated from one another and returned to their lazy floating above the stream. In less than a minute, the place looked just as it had before Dyn touched the writing on the tree. He stood up and took a quick walk around the area to verify the state of the spring and the writing. Lia stood up as well once he finished.

“Um, since you got to ask me a question, can I ask you a question?” she asked. Not giving him the chance to refuse, she continued, “Why were the vestiges so concerned with the writing on the tree? The story was about the spring.”

“Is that all?” he answered. Dyn took out his journal and wrote down what happened, explaining, “There's nothing special about that spring. They were attracted by the vestige that was undoubtedly made by the writers of that message. It must be among the myriad of others surrounding this spring.” He looked towards the swirling, rainbow-colored embers. “They were drawn by the excitement and sense of discovery that created it. That was the point of the message. They found it. And they were proud of it.” He closed his journal and added, “Of course, they could never have known that their little message would cause such a huge migration. It's as though the past campers of this place got their desires vicariously.”

“And what are we going to do now?” She was over at the spring, staring into it once again. The worry in her tone betrayed her romantic side.

He pulled the eye patch back over his eye, and the flames vanished. “We're not going to do anything. They are causing no harm. They're just floating idly about, unaware that they are fulfilling a wish that most humans carry with them their whole lives. Even when this spring dries, they'll still be here. And likely a great deal more vestiges will have arrived by then.” He started making his way back towards the campsite when Lia's voice stopped him.

“Hey, I know I've already asked you a lot of questions today, but I was wondering if you wouldn't mind answering one more. You've been calling them vestiges all this time, but don't they have a name or something like that.”

“A name, huh? Well, it depends on who you ask. I call them vestiges, but not everyone in my family history calls them that. I picked up the name from the records that my family kept, but my father and grandfather called them something different.” He resumed his walk towards the campsite. “They called them 'pieces of the soul.'” Lia didn't say anything in response. She simply followed him back to their grounds.

Once there, Dyn got to work rebuilding the fire. A few embers managed to survive after all the time they spent away. It only took a few minutes to get the fire roaring again. The shadows were getting taller, and the golden light of a fall afternoon washed over them. Crackling wood was the loudest noise for miles.

Lia pulled out two cups from a sack that she carried with her, along with a brown waterskin. “I'm surprised you could find your way back here without relying on the trail of vestiges to lead the way,” she said as she poured water in both of them. Then, she handed one of them to Dyn.

“Oh, thanks,” he said. “It's no big deal. I've been traveling for a while already. Your sense of direction gets pretty good. Plus, I try to keep my eye patch on whenever I can. If I let the vestige out for too long, the others start to get agitated. Though, that's not something you usually have to worry about with the less powerful ones.” He took another look at the waterskin sitting next to her. “By the way, I don't recall filling the waterskin up that much at the village.”

“Really?” she responded. “It looks about the same to me.” She had a huge grin on her face, much larger than any that he had seen on her before. He thought nothing of it and took a drink from the cup. Lia did the same.

#####

Neither of us said much else that day. Only a word or two. It's not surprising, though. After all, we were both tired. I spent most of my time reflecting on the decision I made, the decision to take her with me on my travels. True, her guardian should prove beneficial, but I've held my own for the past five years. What made me bring her along with me in the first place? What made me decide to bring such a young girl on something so potentially dangerous, even without having to deal with vestiges.

I looked back on what the two of us experienced here in this woods. The vestiges were born from a desire to find what was truly nothing more than a story. If I were to guess, I would say that the ones who wrote the message on the tree probably knew that as well. And yet, despite that, their simple act inspired a gathering of vestiges the likes of which I've never before seen. From just that one, simple desire, all of those vestiges found one another and made that location their home.

I guess all it really takes is having one important thing in common.