Chapter 542: A Great Omen


    Lyn hardly could contain herself when I swung open her stable again, a dingy saddle pressed firmly against my hip... it felt almost like an insult, especially to a horse as elegant and refined as her.


    But y’know what? Unlike we petty humans, horses tend to be rather prejudice-free appearance-wise... at the end of the day, she gets to ride with the wind against her face – what’s toin?


    Once out in the vast endless ins, Lyn was practically soaring across the fields, hitting her strides so gracefully it was almost like flying – and I was there holding tightly onto reins half-expecting her too.


    Dad became just a blur in the corner of my eyes as we shot right past him in less than a second.


    Clearly, it’s been quite a while since she’s been let free to stretch her legs.


    Excitement like this can prove hazardous to the bones, and instinct advised me to slow us down, calm her down, but, just for a little while... I decided not to discourage her just yet.


    Back then, during the race at the convention, the makeshift buildings and tight corners everywhere would constantly limit our speeds. Frankly, It was really quite a hassle, but now...


    .....


    “Let’s see how fast you can really go.”


    In response, Lyn loudly neighed and promptly doubled her pace... then tripled.


    It was exhrating – feeling the wind like a searing pressure breezing by, over mounds and across ditches, we galloped through the acres without a single care in the world.


    Eventually, though, Lyn’s fervor settled, and with the both of us donning tousled manes, we returned back to the barn entrance, where Dad had a good view of the entire spectacle perched atop his more well-behaved steed.


    “Sammy’s going to hate you,” He stoically remarked, drawing up beside me. “She’s been trying to tame this one for days, and just like that – her beloved Emerald has been stolen.”


    “Love at first sight, unfortunately,” I said, giving Lyn a nice long pat, much to her delight. “But if she ditches that name, I might be willing to negotiate a part-ownership use.”


    I can barely remember thest time that we both went for a ride... so long ago now, it almost felt like an entirely different lifetime, especially after everything that’s happened.


    At a more calm, leisurely pace, wepped around the ce, admiring our finished work.


    Uprooted weeds in bags, sheared wool from the sheeps in even bigger bags, freshly harvested crops from the fields, all piled neatly at the back of the truck, prime and ready for the markets first thing in the morning.


    But I knew this scenic stroll we were on was not just solely for leisure’s sake – more than that – it was a ponder.


    I could feel Dad’s gaze on me like it was a mosquito on my neck. An entire crowd’s worth of conversation happening in his mind before he would finally decide on a single sentence to let me in on the discussion.


    “Do you know about the Four Great Ones?” He asked. “They’re mythical creatures, the Divines’ faithful guardians with the purpose to protect and oversee the realm of Kronocia in their ce.”


    Ask the question and then provide the answer before I even have a chance to confirm or deny.


    Seriously, he’d be a terriblewyer.


    “I know of Neplims,” I said, recalling a simr conversation from way back when. “Basically just cats, right? They can sense your nature if I remember correctly... able to tell if you’re good or evil or something like that.”


    Dad nodded. “Yes, Neplims is one of them. I’m surprised you know about that.”


    “Came up once. Own a cat now, y’know?”


    “I see...”


    “Also kinda exins why we’re surrounded by all kinds of animals, but not a pet living under a roof,” I threw him a nce. “Allergies, am I right?”


    He swerved around the remark, opting instead for another question. “Do you know of the other three?”


    This time he gave me enough time to give a quick, “No.”


    “The Fidulius is a noteworthy one to mention.”


    Fidulius... that’s a new one to add to my ever-expanding vocabry.


    “Noteworthy how?” I asked.


    He caught up to me, and side-by-side, I saw his stare tilt ever so slightly downward.


    “Because the Fidulius is said to take the form of a pure white horse.”


    Lyn let out a snort, whipping her head slightly, throwing her snowy-white mane about... noteworthy, alright.


    “ording to legends, the Fidulius is said to only approach those they have ascertained great enough to bring about great tidings,” Dad exined, his booming voice adding all the more to the mystical vibe. “Whereupon, they’ll forge an unbreakable bond with the individual, remainingpletely loyal to the end... as it was with the Magus Vendrick, the Schr Ss – ”


    Ss? The name’s familiar... Ria’s guardian?


    “- As it was with the Hero Leonardo...” Dad finished.


    I felt my jaw slightly go ck, lips with a small gap between. What was he trying to say? imply? Whatever it was, it felt big... bigger than me.


    “So... what? I finally spoke after a long while. “Lyn is...”


    “Just a horse,” Dad interjected, and there he went with that veering nce again. “As far as we’re concerned...”


    I looked down at Lyn again. “And if she actually turns out to be something more?”


    He lifted his head, meeting me once more with his signature in stare. “Then it would just simply mean that you are too... that’s all.”


    That’s all? No, that’s just not all. There’s a lot more to it than that and he knows it. Me? Seriously? Those titles, those names... mine didn’t belong anywhere near theirs. It felt like a joke, seriously...


    “Hard to believe that things can just be decided just like that...” I muttered, utterly bbergasted. “Suddenly, I’m destined to do something big, something good for the world? Like, how am I supposed to – ?”


    “I said great,” He interjected again. “I didn’t say good.”


    I blinked. “And the difference?”


    “The difference... great things doesn’t mean good things. It just means great.” His stare veered again, this time, far away. “As it was for my case...”


    There it was again, those implications in his words. Making me think, making me nervous...


    Lyn snorted again, shaking her mane to and fro... as if sensing my unease herself...


    Great things...


    “And how about my case, then?” I asked.


    For once, to my surprise, he reacted – a sliver of emotion to his usual stony expression.


    “I said it before – you could be a better hero than me, didn’t I?” he spoke, a faint curl in the corner of his lips... almost reassuring,forting. “But then again, it’s not up to me, now, is it?”


    Now he gets a sense of humor...


    Then he turned, guiding our little posses back into the barn, ending our stroll impromptu, leaving me trailing closely behind him in silence... with an entire crowd’s worth of conversation happening in my mind this time that was far from over.


    “This is all hypothetical, remember,” He said, ncing back. “It isn’t definite.”


    “As far you know,” I responded.


    “Yes,” Dad just nodded. “As far I know.”


    And therein lies the root of my unease – that ‘maybe’.


    Maybe I should reconsider this ownership deal...