The light particles started to move around, soon embracing the two figures as Carmelia felt her whole body twist. She soon sat upon a wooden board, the lights changing as her gaze looked to the surface she was floating at, the beautiful golden water being present with her on the boat, and the guy in front of her.
The lips took shape above them as they started to speak.
“The only way you can win this is if the trust between the two of you increases. Sharing stories of the past, telling each other secrets, and facing certain truths, only by going through this would you be able to row forth, else you shall die here alone.”
With that, the lips disappeared, and the two of them left looking at each other with a pedal in their hands, one a beautiful growing princess, while the other cloaked boy faced her, the two of them with definitely their own secrets as they looked at each other. A moment of silence fell as brain power started to move through Carmelia’s mind.
“First of all, how are we to create trust when I can’t even see you?”
She asked, her slow movements in the boat rocking it left and right in the golden water, to which the masked figure just looked at her with a silent gaze, after which he spoke.
“I cannot show you my face.”
“Then how can I trust you?”
Carmelia asked, to which instead of trying, the masked boy placed the pedal on the golden water and tried to move. Yet even with all his strength, the water couldn’t move at all. They were situated in a flowing river-like situation, with just water all around, golden water that blinded the eyes.
“How about we share one truth with each other?”
The boy spoke.
“How can I know it’s the truth?”
Carmelia asked.
“I can swear on it.”
The boy replied, to which a thoughtful look took over Carmelia’s face, both of them gazing at each other silently. After which, the boy, seemingly hesitating, spoke.
“I swear upon the creation Goddess that I have two sisters whom I love and care for very much.”
The mention of the word sister softened Carmelia’s gaze, her mind wandering towards the one single sister she came to care about, a small spark of connection taking place. Plus, the sense of restraint and certain respect and distance she had when she thought the one in front of her was an adult disappeared, making another certain close reaction since the boy in front of her might be of her own age.
Not to mention it didn’t take a lot of thinking to understand that perhaps the boy might be of a powerful family and is just adventuring his time all around the world. With such stern thoughts, Carmelia lessened a bit of her wall as she spoke.
“And I swear that I have a sister I care about too in the name of the Creation Goddess.”
The words made the boy flinch as he asked.
“Does that exist in your family?”
The jab was very clear to see, to which maintaining a smile Carmelia asked back.
“Why is that not possible?”
To which the boy remained quiet, his gaze focusing on her as she felt a certain flow of relief. She tried to move the paddle, it being small but the two of them felt it. Before they could ask more questions, the lips appeared back in the sky above them as they muttered.
“Oh! I forgot to mention! You don’t have a lot of time! If you don’t quickly start rowing to get away, you will soon be eaten!”
With that, the lips disappeared, several suffocating auras appearing all around the lake, enough to drown the two. Thus, with frightened gazes, the two of them looked at each other as the boy spoke powerfully.
“I have a girl I have a crush on!”
“I hate too much salty foods!”
Carmelia quickly replied, the two of them feeling the heat all around as the boy spoke again.
“I love cooking!”
“I liked the food you cooked!”
Carmelia responded, as the two of them slowly started to surge, the golden liquid giving away as secrets started to spill around, the two of them rowing faster and faster.
“I like playing music!”
“I hate my family!”
“I like writing!”
“I feel suffocated in life!”
“I want to see the world!”
“Me too!”
With not just some secrets but info for each other being spilled here and there, the two of them started to row harder and harder. A small trust was created between the two of them as they kept rowing away, the great pressure they felt above slowly getting weaker but with it so did the hardness of the water, certain words not having any more powerful effects.
It was within this situation the lips appeared above, its teasing voice being heard.
“If you want to make it more to the second part of the lake, if you want to beat the toughness of what you row, then this time more secrets you guard need to be said, else be food to what lay below!”
Throwing that off, the lips disappeared again, leaving the two of them trying their hardest to row yet still end up looking at each other. There was a heavy silence between the two this time, Carmel having taken control, her gaze looking tired, while her face turned a bit haggard since her mind kept reeling from everything, but she still wanted to do this.
Carmelia’s mind was extremely worn down right now, and with everything she went through and all the secrets she bore, at the end of her heart, she just wanted to shout everything to the world and feel a relaxed mind. Thus, in the situation, she had shouted a lot of her own tastes and info to the boy in front of her, making him someone who now knows the most about her.
The situation had become dire to her, the auras in the back started to get heavier, and Carmel understood that she had no chance against it. Plus, after all the shouting that was done, she did feel a sense of relief at the edge of her heart, a sense as if her mind had cooled down. Thus, grasping at her heart, she shouted a dear secret one of heavy value.
“I have two minds!”
“I hate my mother! She is a cheat and a killer!”
“I want the entire royal family to be purged!”
“I don’t want to be betrayed!”
“I don’t want to cry anymore!”
“I want to feel safe and loved!”
“I want a happy family to be with!”
“I feel that there is no trust in the world! I don’t want it! I just want everything to end!”
Carmel seemingly couldn’t get a hold of herself at that moment as she shouted out every secret she could, her feelings of loneliness, her hate towards the concept of male-female love, her disdain and anger for it. Everything came out to the last betrayal she felt to leave her in this place. By the end of it all, Carmel felt tired.
“Huff… huff… huff…”
Breaths kept leaving Carmel’s mouth as she looked at the boy in front of her, to which the boy, seemingly hesitating, spoke out.
“I have been chosen with a heavy responsibility to save this whole world from an impending danger. I have to face it all alone, and I feel scared and lonely, it being hard not having anyone to shoulder my pain with.”
Just as the boy finished speaking, the two of them started to row very heavily, thus quickly passing through the first checkpoint and landing in a safe part of the river, getting rid of the powerful enemies from the lake, leaving the two of them looking at each other.
Carmel with no emotions, the main being embarrassment and extreme shock.
