Children of a Lesser God

Chapter 215: Finding Direction

Laz woke up with a headache and back pain, probably having to do with the tumble he took. Surprisingly, he came to in time to see the owl walk away while Tyr came over to him as though he wanted to know how he was doing. Just as Laz was checking himself out to make sure nothing was broken, the pain in his head suddenly stopped and a cool wave replaced it. When Laz focused on the wave, he felt like there was information in there that wasn't there before. Almost like someone played a movie for him that he didn't remember watching but he knew the whole thing, word for word. And this movie involved how to expel the grey mist form his body faster.

'What the hell?' Laz had no idea how he suddenly knew this, but connecting the dots, he knew it had to have something to do with what the owl did before.

The information was profound, but understandable. It involved doing what he had already figured out by himself, circulating his energy in an effort to dispel the grey mist and use the residual energy to strengthen the inside of the body. The biggest difference that Laz learned was in the same way that increasing the oxygen going into a fire causes a fire to burn hotter, using energy from the air can result in more of the mist being burned away. The idea was to forcefully mix outside energy into your center to help break it down faster. Laz had never tried this, thinking that the energy wouldn't cause a difference since it couldn't get through the mist towards his foundation, but now that he knew it was doable, he would be more than happy to try it.

Looking at the giant owl that was about to leave, Laz found that it wasn't as annoying looking as before.

:Ok?: Tyr asked.

"Yes. I'm fine. Just a bit sore now."

:Good. Bad birdie! I yelled.: Tyr said as Laz leaned over and petting his furry head. Tyr had shrunk down to dog sized now that he wasn't needed to carry anyone.

:I'm not a bird.: The owl seemed to overhear their conversation and decided to interject. Sarah was still standing there waiting and Laz didn't want to hold them up, but he did have a few questions first.

"How long will this take her?" Was his first question.

:Based on your human's telling of time? Around a year or so.:

"Sigh. I guess this is goodbye then huh?" Laz looked over at Sarah's glazed over eyes, knowing that she didn't know what was going on as she was currently lost in her own mind. He walked over calmly and gave her a hug, telling her that she would be fine and that when she was done, she could come find him if she had any problems.

When Laz turned around to talk to the owl again, he failed to notice a tear drop that started falling down Sarah's face.

"What is Tyr?" Laz asked, hoping to find an answer.

:That's for him to say, not me. One more question and we have to be off.:

"What exactly are you creatures? Demon beasts?" This point had bothered Laz since the last time he was here. Even after meeting the giant owl in front of him, he still didn't understand. After all, all of the demon beasts he had met so far had been violent and aggressive. And none of them could communicate with him, minus Vivi and Tyr.

:Don't compare us to those inferior creatures. You humans had truly regressed so far as to not even know this. We are considered spirit animals and the biggest difference between us and your demon beasts is that we have intelligence and a blood line from birth which affects our growth. Unlike you humans, we can't exactly write things down to be remembered, so memories and abilities are imprinted into our bloodlines which then get shared by our future generations. This allows us to pass on our inheritance so that things don't get lost over the cycle of time. Although we are similar to demon beasts in that we store our energy inside a crystal inside our bodies, the similarities end there.:

"So you are really smart demon beasts?" Laz wasn't trying to be an ass, he was just trying to make sense of things. But it didn't sound that way.

:Are you an ape? Just... less body hair?:

"No."

:Same thing then. You might have been an ape at one point in your evolution, but you are already very different. Despite that, there are similarities. Now, if your done, it's time for use to go.:

Before Laz could ask anything else, Sarah and the owl started walking away, quickly disappearing from sight. Laz just stood there and watched them leave, even after they had long departed..

"I guess I had better go tell her family. Let's go Tyr."

As Laz made to turn around and start walking, he noticed that Tyr was still standing in place, as though he was thinking of something.

"What is it?"

:Tyr... needs stay.:

"What?!? But why?"

:Needs... energy. Mist. Grow stronger.: Tyr was trying his best to explain with his small vocabulary. It didn't take long for Laz to understand. Despite feeling depressed over this loss of another friend, Laz didn't show it. Instead, he leaned over and picked up the boxer sized Tyr and gave him a big hug, one in which Tyr happily returned back. Two arms gripped Tyr tightly while eight arms gripped Laz tightly back.

Letting Tyr climb down, Laz noticed that the young spider looked a bit depressed, as if he understood that Laz would be leaving while he stayed. The environment in this realm wasn't one that Laz should stay in for too long, especially since he was still recovering from the last time.

"Don't worry. I will see you again soon ok? And besides that, there is still Vivi, Ruby and Leona out there along with two others who you haven't met yet." Laz comforted Tyr, not really thinking about what he was saying.

:Our... family?: Hearing the question, Laz was taken back. He had never really thought of it like that. He had no idea what would happen with the girls long term. And sure, Vivi might be like his little sister, but would she still feel that way the next time they met?

Still, seeing Tyr's excited face, Laz could only laugh and nod, agreeing with him.

:YAY!: Tyr said, doing what Laz could only assume was a happy spider dance.

Laz knew that he should be going, so that Tyr could get to doing what he needed. As he turned to walk away though, he heard Tyr's voice one last time in his head.

:South. Go... South. Thing there. For you.: Tyr said as Laz stepped though a patch of shadow. Once he was through, Laz was almost blinded by sunlight that was coming in from between the branches of the trees and hitting him in the face. When Laz turned around, he noticed that the shadow had vanish and the entrance was no longer there.

"Sigh. South huh? Alright. I guess I have no choice." Laz smiled a bit, but there was an obvious sadness to it. Laz slowly made his way back to the farm house.

...

Back inside the spirit realm, Tyr had caught up to the big owl who was strangely floating along next to Sarah. While there was still two trails of tears, they had started to dry while Sarah herself was focused on finding her guide.

:Is he gone?: The owl asked Tyr.

:Yes.: Tyr replied, while his little legs just seemed to drag along.

:Are you sad?: The owl asked, almost amused by Tyr's relationship with the human.

:Yes.:

:It's for your own good. You interrupted your training the last time without even scratching the surface because the human woke up. You almost drove those old ones to death when you took off then. These things are not something a human can teach you little one.:

:Yeah.:

:Have you considered that the faster you finish, the faster you'll be able to go see him again?: The old owl asked the question while not being sure what to say to comfort the young spider. But after hearing this, Tyr seemed to perk up immediately while coming to a stop.

His head was bobbing up and down for a moment while his little legs wrote out a few numbers in the dirt. After another few moments, Tyr jumped up, did his happy dance and took off like rocket, heading towards the spider's faction of land in the forest.

The old owl stood there, shocked.

'Don't tell me he never even considered that fact before?'

...

As Laz made it back to the farm house, he noticed Onacona waiting for him. Without even needing to announce himself, the old man ran over faster that his age would suggest was possible.

"Did you find her?"

"Yeah. She's fine and will be fine. Let's go inside."

Sitting down at the table, was Laz, Sarah's mom and Onacona.

"Sarah is fine, but she won't be back for a while." Laz started to explain.

"Not going to be back?" Sarah's mom worried. It took a minute for Onacona to calm her down enough to ask his own question.

"What happened?"

"What she was feeling? Why she was feeling it? I'm not totally sure on the details. But I do know that it's part of her... awakening."

"Awakening?"

"It's the first stage of growth for us. Each one is different."

"So this is... normal?" The old man asked while Sarah's mom looked on.

"It's normal enough. Like I said, each one is different and my best guess would be that he awakening has to do with being a part of your tribe, a descendant of your people."

"Where exactly is she then?"

"Close by but far away. In the place that spirits gather."

"What?"

"ARE YOU SURE? HOW CAN SHE BE THERE?" Onacona seemed livid. After all, that place had almost killed Laz before and Sarah was much weaker than him.

"I'm sure. And unlike me, she was invited in. She needs to find her guide so that she can begin her training as a spirit walker."

"Really? That's... that's what's happening?"

"So I was told. I don't really understand since those so called spirits are just like smart demon beasts, but whatever."

"Uhh...?"

"Nothing. Anyway. I was told it would take about a year from now. At least this time. And she will find her way home after that. Will everything be ok here?"

"Yes. Actually, it's probably a good thing she isn't here..." The old man sighed as he said this, causing Laz to wonder what was up.

"Old man?" He asked.

"They are coming to check out the village. It seems... just staying away from the rest of the country wasn't a feasible idea."

"Who's coming? Police?"

"Not just them. The feds as well. They are organizing. Huge searches which are suppose to clean up the infected from all over. Her not being around for that is a good thing. But you need to leave, as soon as possible." The old man advised.

"Yeah. It was time I got going on my way anyway." Laz sighed as he stood up. Once again, it seemed he had to go someplace else.

"If you have no where else to go, head west. It's a lot easier to hide in the large open lands out there."

"Thanks Onacona, but I have to head south. I was told I needed to find something there," Laz replied, thinking about what Tyr had told him.

"Alright. Come with me."

The old man took Laz out to an old shed on the property. After prying open the stuck wooden doors, Laz saw an old, yet well cared for motorcycle sitting there. It was a classic Indian.

"Wow..."

"It's old, but it still runs. Kick start, just a speedometer with a manual gas gauge on the tank so keep an eye on it."

"Are you sure?"

The old man laughed at the question.

"My riding days are far behind me Laz. At least I feel that she will get much more use with you than I could ever give her." The old man then reached in his pocket and grabbed out the keys before helping him push the bike outside.

All of the kids ran up and gave Laz a hug before asking about Tyr. After reassuring them that Tyr would be back and was just on a mission with Sarah, the kids finally let him off. Laz then gave a hug to Sarah's mom before exchanging a handshake with Onacona.

"Take care everyone. I will come back to visit soon." Even though Laz meant it, he knew it would be next to impossible to actually do it. He had a knack for drawing danger with him and he didn't want to hurt this nice family.

"Take care of yourself, young one. You have a difficult journey ahead while the world changes around us. But be careful not to lose that heart of yours. The devils come when the heart is weak."

Laz waved one last time as he put on his old eagle helmet that had been collecting dust in his storage pouch. The only friend he would have on the road from now on was the setting sun.

-End of Volume 2-