A merry jaunt by the lakeside

A FEW HOURS LATER:

The afternoon is upon the squad as the Sun reaches the highest point in the sky, they walk past some large purple leaf trees keeping them cool as they continue along.

As they walk alongside a hill, John examines all around, feeling somewhat uneasy about his surroundings, but his uneasiness is interrupted as Lani asks, "Uhh, John, about yesterday...".

John's mind then retreats back to last night when he admitted about meeting Elliyah, internally, he feels that guilt once again.

This time however, Lani places her hand on his shoulder before saying, "I understand that it's a, lot, to try and explain, just know that, you can take however long you need, okay?".

John smiles at Lani before saying, "Thank you Lani".

Lani smiles back before going back to look forth as she hangs onto John's shoulder.

ANOTHER HOUR LATER:

The team are still trudging ahead with Kyuala happily leading the group, eventually they come to a stop near a small lake as Kyuala says, "Let's take a break and recharge, we can refill our canteens here".

The party then head over to the lake as they take a seat on the grass before topping up on water and relaxing their tired legs.

John takes a drink from his canteen as Amilia asks, "So, how long d'you think it'll take for us to get to the Darkcross?".

Kyuala thinks for a moment, "Well, we've covered a good few miles so far today but the rain really screwed us last night so we're a little behind so I'd guess about maybe two, three days max?".

"Three days of walking? Greeeeeeat" Amilia sarcastically replies as she dramatically falls back onto the grass which earns a chuckle from the others.

As the laughter stops and the girls begin talking amongst themself however John has begun to zone out, everything quieting around him as his mind starts to drift back to Elliyah, focusing on what she said to him, about his future, his destiny.

He delves deep into the thought, wondering how he'll even get that powerful to defeat such a creature but that's when his internal debating is interrupted by a familiar yet warped voice echoing throughout his mind.

"John, can you hear me?".

John is stunned, the voice almost making him freeze on the spot, he doesn't know exactly how to respond but that familiar voice calls out again.

"John, if you wish to speak to me, you only have to think it, I can hear your thoughts, remember?".

John's mind then clicks as to who that voice belongs to, so by taking the voices advice, he thinks to himself.

"Elliyah?"

The voice of Elliyah then lets out a chuckle before clearing of it's warped nature before responding.

"Yes John, it is I, see, I felt your struggle, the weight of your internal searching, so I decided to delve into some old magic to help you find your answer".

John takes a sigh of relief, "Well, thank you, because honestly, I have no idea what I should tell them, hell, I don't even know where to begin".

"I have been listening in, I know that you mentioned our meeting, albeit very briefly, and I can also hear your running thoughts and the loudest is how to explain our meeting to your friends" Elliyah says, calming John a little as she doesn't seem upset about him mentioning their meeting.

John then goes on to say, "So, how do I explain it? Like do I just tell them everything? I mean--".

"NO!".

John is stunned by the sudden shout by the angel, that calmness from before now swapped for fear.

Elliyah seems to feel this fear within him as she says, "Oh, I am sorry, I should not have shouted, it's just, if they were to know about the Drakkatel, the prophecy will most certain change in unpredictable ways! So, whatever you do, you must not tell them about the Drakkatel until they are ready to know".

"Okay, okay, I won't, I swear" John internally says which calms Elliyah who simply responds, "Thank you".

John then takes a moment before asking, "So, how do I tell them?".

Elliyah then chuckles, "Simple, you tell them the truth, but do not disclose what I told you, if they ask, tell them it was a meeting of the miracles, between an angel and the second human to warn you of the dangers that you may face".

"So not completely a lie then" John responds.

"Exactly, now, take a breath, because in a moment, it will be time for you to talk, as for me, I bid you farewell" Elliyah says and her voice seemingly fading away.

John however doesn't quite understand what she meant but then, a single moment later, he feels a hand on his shoulder and Lani's voice follows by asking, "John, are you okay?".