Jade slowed his pace as the dirt road widened, the packed dirt giving way to the path. A carriage waited ahead. it was stationary, two horses stood hitched to it. Both were white as 'snow'.
Jade adjusted the strap of his bag as he walked forward
almost there, his foot caught on nothing. Not a stone, a root, Just air.
"tch."
He stumbled, but quickly gained his balance. Slightly irritated, Jade rubbed his eyes, waited for the blur to fade, and continued walking.
He arrived at the carriage, but nothing greeted him, no driver on the bench, no bags stacked in the rear, no people inside.
he walked to the front, wanting to check on the horses.
but there weren't any. only two slack attachment ropes were on the ground, surrounded by dirt. However, the ropes had no trace of dirt on them.
Jade stopped.
The silence pressed in.
Just as he was about to turn around and walk away, he spotted it.
Jade's gaze drifted past the carriage, toward the side of the road. There, not far from the wheel tracks, sat a pond. Not too close but not too far away either.
It was devoid of any water, it instead was filled with black. There was no texture to this black, no shine, no shape. there was no life around it.
Jade stared at it.
then he deliberately looked away.
Something about the situation clicked into place—not with panic, but with certainty. Jade knew what that was, but he ignored it, as he could not do anything about it. Not for now atleast.
he turned around, walking away.
Three steps away from the carriage, a voice rang through the stillness.
"Hey!"
Another followed, sharper. "Boy!"
Jade froze, then turned back, confusion rising as fast as his pulse.
The horses stood where they should have been all along, harnessed and solid, their flanks rising and falling with slow breaths. One flicked an ear. The other shifted its weight, leather creaking softly.
On the driver's bench sat a man in his mid-thirties, reins in hand, brow furrowed as if he were the confused one. He looked healthy enough—weathered skin, short brown hair tied back, along with a few white ones, a simple coat worn smooth at the elbows.
From the passenger side, a second head peeked out.
A boy, no older than Jade himself.
Silence stretched.
Jade took a few cautious steps forward, eyes moving between the man, the horses, and the space where nothing had been moments earlier.
The driver cleared his throat. "Decided not to, or are you coming?"
Jade didn't answer right away.
Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded bill, worn soft with use. He held it up without a word.
The driver's eyes flicked to it, then back to Jade. He sighed lightly, leaning forward to take it. "That answers it, then."
"Bertha," Jade said as he climbed into the carriage, choosing a seat near the edge.
The man nodded. "About an hour."
Once Jade had settled, the driver gave a short click of his tongue. The horses responded immediately, hooves pressing into the dirt as the carriage lurched forward.
As they rolled away, Jade glanced back.
The pond remained where it was, black and motionless, offering nothing. No reaction. No farewell.
He turned forward again.
Inside the carriage sat three others.
Across from him, the boy who had peeked earlier now sat properly, a folded map spread across his knees. He traced lines with one finger, brows knit in concentration. Beside him leaned a young girl, asleep, her head resting on his shoulder. Her hair was lighter than his, tied loosely.
Younger than both of them, Jade thought. But close.
Relatives? The thought surfaced naturally. Siblings, maybe.
He opened his book, letting the familiar weight settle his hands, though his eyes skimmed rather than read. The carriage rocked steadily, wheels crunching over the road, wood creaking in a rhythm that made time feel slower.
Minutes passed.
The boy folded the map, tucking it into his bag with care. The girl stirred, blinking awake, lifting her head with a small yawn before straightening in her seat.
The driver glanced back over his shoulder. "Lot of people heading to Bertha these days. Any particular reason for you lot?"
The question edged close to intrusive, but his tone carried no suspicion—only curiosity.
The boy opposite hesitated, lips parting before closing again.
Jade spoke first.
"Just passing through," he said. "I'll head to Nort city after a day."
The driver raised a brow. "If you don't mind waiting two days, I can take you there myself."
Jade nodded once. "That works."
The girl spoke up then, her voice lighter. "We're returning. Vacation's over."
The boy beside her stayed quiet, gaze distant, as if his thoughts had wandered somewhere else entirely.
Silence returned, comfortable this time.
The road smoothed as they entered Bertha's outskirts. Buildings clustered closer together, sounds bleeding in from outside—voices, metal striking metal, the hum of movement. The town was alive in a way villages never were.
Jade closed his book as the carriage slowed.
They rolled to a stop near a wide street lined with notice boards and hanging signs. People moved in all directions, unbothered by the arrival of another carriage.
Jade stepped down, adjusting his bag.
The siblings went their own way.
The driver followed, stretching once before speaking. "Name's Fell. I'll leave a note at the library. Get your things in order, and we'll head to Nort after."
Jade nodded. "I'll find it."
Fell gave a brief wave and turned back to the carriage, already helping the other two passengers down.
Jade moved toward the nearest notice board, eyes scanning the clutter of papers and postings, the town's noise settling around him as Bertha welcomed another passerby.