Reverse of the Rain

“Today we rest here,” Aria said as I set down my belongings and began setting up camp. I checked the platform, set the pin, and unfolded the tent. Finish. So, let check around the area.

I glanced at Ella and said, “I will go scout.”

“Okay, Aria. Good luck scouting, and please return before nightfall,” Ella replied.

She Nodded to her, then looked around to see the other, especially on problematic duo. They chattered all along the way. He would constantly ask questions about everything he saw ‘what is this tree’, ‘Why rock so strange’, ‘Can this plant eat?’ He seemed curious about everything, like a child. But the worst part was the Red Witch. She spoke like a Cerberus, No, Should be like a medusa more, hissing annoyed mouth. Is it that hard to tell in short? Ever blabbing with long, very long nonsense that hurts my sanity. They don’t look tired or think to stop at all even we crossed a high mountain. I should rest my ear. So Aria swiftly dashed out of them.

“Finally, alone,” only the sounds of nature. The gentle breeze brushed against me, making my body feel weightless. The leaves rustled in the trees, creating a soothing melody that calmed my heart. She climbed up a tree to heighten my senses.

“This place should be safe for us to stay the night. There are no immediate threats in the area, except for some monsters near the north riverside. Just some alert magic is enough for this situation.”

“As for food, we are running short, with only enough for three days at most. Making porridge will help stretch our supplies a bit. I’ll buy more when we reach the next village.”

Meanwhile, Aria was also thinking about our supplies. Far from Aria's place, Rain was searching for something to eat as well.

He gazed at a group of plants and weeds in front of him. “Hey! Are you edible, little green one?” he grabbed some green plants and muttered to himself, “No, please don’t eat me. I’m just a thin blade of grass, not enough to fill your stomach.” His expression turned sorrowful as he continued, “I’m sorry, but I need to survive. Please don’t be angry with me, okay?” He pressed his hands together as a sign of respect towards the weed in front of him. He tore it, then rolled into a ball shape and placed it in his mouth.

“Yak! So green taste. Why it has green mana color, are you really eatable?” His face crumpled.

He placed the glass weed in his hand to the side and gazed at the little mountain that he had been experimenting with, the strange taste still lingering in his mouth.

“Rain, this is the freedom you’ve always wanted, right? Happily wandering through fields and forests, searching for plants and weeds to eat, just like a happy cow,” he babbled.

“Huh, so pathetic. Why do all these plants have weird tastes and weird names? Tabo Grass, Water Sassafras, Doddorika, Mellow Hyssop, ChupaChupa... Ha, I should try to think positively. At least they’re all edible and don’t make me sick. Thank goodness for my ‘Eyes Of Verity.’ If I can’t classify a plant by its mana color, then I shouldn’t have survived this long.”

“Green is definitely edible. Yellow is questionable. Maybe I can eat it if I process it somehow. As for red and purple, stay away from them, don’t even touch them. Even if they appear safe, they will kill you. Rain, do you remember that flower with the cute purple mana color? Just one bite and it transports you to a river with a black door. Death greeted me warmly last time. It was such a terrifying experience. I should never try it again,” he talked to himself.

“Ok.. Next one.” He picked a plant that looks like grass with a fluffy ball on top. “This time, I choose you, ChupaChupa. Please don’t disappoint me.” Beads of sweat covered his face as he remembered the poor taste of the other plants that still lingered in his mouth. His throat felt dry. He sucked in air and then quickly took a bite.

His eyes lit up, and tears shimmered in his eyes. “... for all the blessings in the world, ChupaChupa, I love you!” he cried. “This is life, this is sweet!” he exclaimed with joy. “Who is the luckiest person in the world? Yes, it’s me, yes, it’s me.” He finished devouring the rest of the plant, his face tear stained.

“Ahwww, how sweet you are. Where were you before? Why didn’t we meet earlier, ChupaChupa? Now, you are my best friend.” He looked around and noticed that the word “ChupaChupa,” written all around the area. His smile widened, his eyes sparkled, and he said, “I’m truly the luckiest.”

Time flew, the sun was setting, saturated everything to be orange.

Aria gently brushed off the dust from her hand. And said, “Okay, I’ll set all the alarm magic. I should go back before others worry about me. I also need to prepare some porridge.”

Blue Saint returned to the camp, finding her way back with ease. She collected berries and herbs along the way.

“I’m back,” she said, while moving out from the forest.

Ella noticed Aria coming. “Ah, welcome back. Is there any problem around?” she asked.

While Aria was setting up the fire pit for cooking, she replied, “Just some monsters by the riverside.”

“Um, is it safe? Did you set up an alarm?” Ella inquired.

Aria nodded in response, placed a pot on the fire pit, added some oats and dried berries, and stirred it, causing a sweet aroma to fill the air.

“Berried oatmeal today?” Ella remarked, coming closer to the pot and sitting with her knees up, resting her chin on her arm as she observed my cooking.

“Are you okay with that?” Aria said.

Ella softly shook her head and said, “Umm, not at all. Your food is always good, a little soft, fragrant, comforting, warm, and easy to eat.” She smiled softly.

Once the fragrance became rich, she poured in water and milk, added some sugar blocks, and let everything simmer in the pot, making it look soft and glittering. She continued to stir.

“Everyone loves your food, you know? However, Faye always comments on it, saying, ‘Ah Aria, where’s the meat? I’m not a squirrel that only eats berries and seeds, you know?’ While Eeon would like the same ‘I’m not good with soft food’” imitated Eeon with an icy expression, then giggled.

A small smile formed at the corner of Aria's mouth as I looked at her. Yes, they would say the same. The Red Witch always needs more meat, perhaps to nourish her robust body. I’ll hunt some monsters later. As for Eeon, should I bake some bread? But that takes time to prepare. Yeast and dough need warmth too. Maybe I can do it at Sun Rock. And as for Rain...

Suddenly, something sparked within her, and she stopped stirring. What is he eating? How can he live without food?

“Ella, could you help me stir?” I asked.

“Ah, yes, of course. I’ll take care of the rest,” she replied.

“Thank you.” She said.

She getting up and walking around the camp. I noticed Eeon meditating as usual and didn’t want to interrupt him, so she walked past him without saying anything. The Red Witch was standing far over there. He must be nearby. As I thought, he was a bit farther away. So, I walked up to Faye to greet her first. But when I approached the Red Witch, something seemed off. Her face looked incredibly shocked.

“What happened, Faye?” she asked in a serious tone.

“Ahh! It’s you, Aria,” she said, her body slightly startled.

“Are you okay?” I inquired.

“... Okay,” Faye replied weakly.

“You look pale. Can you tell me what’s wrong?” I asked.

“Ah, it just... Is he crazy? Why does he do that? Is it... a golem—” she mumbling within herself.

“Faye, what happened?” Aria raised voice.

“Argh! Look at it yourself.” then pointed her finger fast to the side.

Aria looked following that direction, shocked. She saw two people sitting and talking, one man and one stone decorated with leaves, plants, and vines to resemble a person.

They talking, no, only him talking but using two different voices. Sometimes they laughed, sometimes they were serious, talking as if they were old friends. Also, they were eating! They even had bandages tied around their necks, resembling napkins, but their food consisted solely of plants, flowers, and grasses, lots of grasses. But the strangest thing was that the man looked incredibly happy every time he took a bite of grass, and he even fed some to his rock friend.

“Do you like it, Rocky, my friend? Is it good?” he asked. “Yes, Rain, this is the best meal we’ve ever had,” the rock friend replied in a stronger tone. “As I told you, this Chupachupa is a grand discovery. It will definitely be our next highly recommended dish.” He changed the tone again. “I. Agreed with you!”

Rain noticed Aria and Red Witch presence.

“Rocky, we have some acquaintances. I will greet them and introduce you,” he said.

“Hi, Faye, Aria, please come. We have plenty of seats for everyone.” He waved hand welcome everyone.

However, no one dared to approach him. Red witch stood still. Aria tried to speak, but his weird behavior and his weird friend left her speechless.

Instead, Rain approached to woman and said, “This, this, I’ve found something really amazing this time. You will not be disappointed.” He grabbed a packet of those plants and showed us.

“Faye, if you’re interested, you can have all of this. It tastes even better than the herb in the sachet that you took last time.”

Aria stare looked at him, wondering if he had cursed, drugged, or poisoned by the grass he was consuming.

“Ah, don’t look at me like that. I’ve already packed it for you. And if you want it all, I can give it to you,” he said nervously.

Red Witch couldn’t resist her curiosity and asked him, “Rain, is it really edible? And does it taste good?”

“Yes, it is. You can try it. It’s called Chupachupa, and it has a very sweet taste. It will make your mood happier,” He smiled.

Then the Red witch slowly turned her head to Aria, her face a little paler, and said “A-Aria, he told the truth... right?... Can I try it?” She looked at the white fluffy grass in his hand, her hand trembling as she tried to catch it.

Rain’s face slowly smiled like as a successful merchant, that succeeded in gray contact.

This is not good at all! I have to interrupt. No, it’s a must. Otherwise, we will lose our wizard and create one more crazy person, maybe even more rocky men will appear. My sanity will break down into pieces if that happens.

So, Aria quickly grabbed Faye's hand and said, “Faye, our food is ready. Let’s go.” I dragged her out fast.

“Ah, okay...” she said.

Rain was confused about what had just happened. He looked back at his rocky friend, wanting to ask his opinion. The sound of Rocky’s voice told him, “Don’t worry, they were just shy. It will be okay. You still have me, your best friend Rocky.” Then he shrugged his shoulders and continued eating.

Aria dragged Faye along and when she saw Eeon, she said, “Eeon, food is ready,” not even bothering to wait for his response. I walked back to Ella.

The porridge was already prepared. Ella did a great job. Aria divided it into four bowls, and while eating, we had some usual chats, some comments, and some admiration, but I don’t remember it at all. The image of him eating grass with his rock friend is still clear in my mind.

My confusion faded, but anger started to flare up instead.

Does he know that I’m the one who cooked? Why does he have to show me that he’s eating, to mock me, even that rock? What was it named again? Rocky! Yes, that Rocky. Why does it have long vine hair? Is it referring to me? Do you think I’m a rock? Argh, I hate it. Can I destroy it? Moreover, what’s with the star-recommended plate? It’s just a piece of sloppy grass. Argh, why do you do this to me...

“It’s already night,” Ella said, then she looked at me. “Aria, you should rest. You haven’t had any rest for two days. You look a little tired. So, for the night guard duty, leave it to us, okay?” She said with a smile and concern, not wanting to make me worried.

Everyone turned their gaze towards me and nodded, confirming and agreeing with Ella’s intuition.

“Um, thank you, Ella,” Aria said. I needed to clear my mind and get some proper rest. Everything would be better than.

Aria standup, waved at everyone and took a leave.

The silence of the night began to heal my heart and soul, and she knew that she would be able to rest well tonight. However, the fire within me started to burn again when she saw a bundle of that white grass in front of her tent. She wanted to destroy it with the strongest skill she possessed.

But then she noticed the letters drawn on the floor beside it. They stopped her thought.

“Swo-rry, Awia, don an-ry, it swoot gla-ss, cwook it, it tatety, nuam Chupachupa, trute, I swer, Awia.”

My heart became crystal clear, even though the words I saw were sloppy and uncorrected.

When Aria looked at the package again, she noticed that the herb neatly sorted, with the short and tall pieces arranged in perfect manner, all the dirty roots cut off. It was like it was ready to be used.

A fairy-like smile appeared on her face, the wind gently caressed her, light of half moon shine. In the pale night, warmth embraced her.

“This is... really... sweet,” with a little soft sound.