The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

"Nice to meet you, Avril. Thank you once more for letting me into your home. I promise I won't be a bother." Oscar bowed slightly. "What's your last name?"

The woman, Avril, crossed her arms and tilted her head, frowning, her face expressing great distress. Did he make a mistake? Clearly, the topic of a last name upset her greatly, and Oscar clamped his mouth shut, not wanting to say anything else to disturb her.

"My last name…I don't have one." Avril lowered her head as the candle died out, and her exposed gold eye no longer held the same gleam, waning by the second.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad." Oscar relit the candle, but it only highlighted Avril's despondence, clear from her face and shoulders. Oscar's mind flashed through several ideas and ways to continue the conversation. He needed information and couldn't do that with his host having a bad impression.

'Fruit!' Oscar pulled another fruit from his space pocket and placed it on the table before Avril. Her head lifted with a gasp and gulp from her mouth; her eye trembled as clarity returned to its golden surface. Relieved that his present worked, Oscar pushed the fruit closer to Avril with a smile. "It's all yours."

"Thank you!" Avril didn't hesitate and grabbed the fruit. With a loud crunch, she sank her teeth into it and ate with a smile.

Oscar observed Avril as she devoured the fruit with a look of ecstasy. Strange. Everything seemed strange. Landing in this unknown place was weird, but Avril was weirder. There was no reason for someone to live alone in a place like this. Did she isolate herself here for a purpose? Was she running away?

Avril's last name concerned him. Even a commoner like him had a last name, so typically, she should have one as well. He thought of many reasons why someone would not have a last name or not say it. An orphan? A runaway who wants to hide her identity? None of the possibilities were favorable to her, and Oscar pitied her.

Avril relished the taste of fruit and said, "The stranger, Oscar, gifted many fruits. She was certain that this meeting was destined! To have someone to talk to and eat something new was certainly a stroke of fate. She looked more favorably on the newcomer."

Again, she spoke in a strange narration of her thoughts and observations, describing the happenings to someone who wasn't there. Oscar had no clue how to handle her quirkiness for now and set aside his precautions. It was strange but provided a good amount of information.

"May I ask you where we are and how long have you been here?" Oscar asked. Avril revealed she had been here for a while and should have more valuable insights. However, his hopes were dashed.

"Sorry," Avril yawned, cracking her neck and lying on the uneven floor. "I don't know where I am. I've been living here for a year. There's no way to fly; the only way out is shut…."

"There's a way out?!" Oscar exclaimed, hitting the table with his knees as he stood abruptly. He apologized and set the table back properly. "Can you take me there? I want to see it, and maybe I can get us out."

Avril, still lying down, squirmed, looking uncomfortable. Was it because of the shoddily made floor or his request? Whatever the cause, Avril remained silent for several minutes. Oscar waited for Avril to answer. Badgering her would yield the opposite effect.

"Oscar, you should rest while she thinks. Our Ein isn't fully recovered; the medicine barely helps with the wounds." Erden spoke, not within the mental connection but with his lips.

"IT CAN TALK?!" Avril sprang from her bumpy resting place, her one eye so wide as her mouth dropped with her jaw hanging. She pointed at Erden with a trembling finger and stuttered as she struggled with her words. "Never had she seen such a rare thing. An Exalt Beast that can talk? Were these two King Exalts? Why would such powerful beings come here, injured and weak? She wanted to know more!"

She stepped over the table, her long blue dress fluttering from her bustling and rustling. As if her previous cautiousness was thrown out of the window, Avril approached Erden, eyeing him with wonder and awe. Her hand reached out, wanting to touch the fur, but she thought better of it and retracted.

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"You can touch my fur if you want." Erden chuckled.

"Really?" Avril asked.

"Here. I permit you to do it." Erden lowered his large head and brought it before Avril.

"Thank you!" Avril placed her hand on Erden and rubbed against the white fur. "How soft. I never thought I'd meet a talking Exalt Beast."

"We're not King Exalts. You should be able to sense our power as we're not hiding it." Oscar explained. He could tell Avril was also a Lower Knight Exalt, though weaker than him. "Erden has some soft fur. If you remove your gloves, you can feel them much better."

"Ah…." Avril stared at her hands, covered by gloves with the long black sleeve stretching under them. A small tremor passed through her eye. She shook her head and smiled. "I'm fine. I like having gloves on."

Feeling the conversation turn sour again, Oscar looked away to avoid showing any unsavory expressions. Talking with Avril was like walking on needles with bare feet. Avril continued to stroke Erden's fur with a hum while he organized his thoughts. He needed to ask the right questions and say the right comments.

But before he could say anything, Avril said, "Exciting! How can you talk? Only King Exalt Beasts should be able to talk. It's so incredible." Her hair kept in place as her focus shifted to Oscar. "Ok, let's set out for the exit!"

"Seriously?" Oscar couldn't understand anything of Avril's behavior. Her decisions seemed so random. What was going on in her mind?

"She felt like the man in front of her had problems. Did he miss her words, or did he lose her hearing? Avril mumbled before raising her voice with clenched fists as if she was lifting her spirits up. "I said before that the two of you coming here is fate. Together we can embark on our great adventure out of here as companions! Now, let's go."

Avril tugged on Oscar's arm and Erden's antlers, exerting as much strength as she could from her thin arms. Her strength at the Lower Knight Exalt realm with the minimum physical power was nothing compared to Oscar and Erden's well-trained bodies.

"Hold on. Erden and I still need to heal up and rest. We can go out after a good night's sleep." Oscar scratched his cheek, not knowing what to do. Avril was still trying to pull him out of the small home. He and Erden stood firm and planted their feet. After a while, Avril gave up and returned to her corner of the room, lying down with a tired look.

"Fine. We'll go out at the break of dawn. Sleep well. No excuses tomorrow." Avril declared, resting her head on a bundle of dead leaves in a sack.

Oscar reached into one of his space pockets and pulled out several furs. "Take some fur. They're great as blankets and pillows. I also have a spare mattress." He retrieved a small mattress and handed it to Avril, who had run over with a fiery gaze. He watched Avril place the mattress in her corner and roll herself into a thick fur blanket.

"Haaaaaaaah~" Avril's sigh of relief filled the room. She rolled over to face Oscar while enveloped in her fur cocoon–a bright smile plastered over her face. "Thank you, Oscar. To be able to talk to someone, eat fruit, and sleep on such soft things is amazing. Tomorrow…." Avril's words became softer as she spoke until she fell asleep, leaving only her soft snores.

'She's asleep.' Erden talked mentally to avoid waking up Avril.

'Phew. I almost didn't know what to say. What a strange woman.' Oscar chuckled in his mind, nearly spilling out into reality, saved by his hand clasping his mouth shut. 'No last name, strange optimism, and narrating herself…She said she was here for a year. Was a year all it took to make her lose her mind, or was she always like this?'

'I don't perceive her as a threat yet. It could always be an act, and the so-called exit is a trap.' Demon's voice joined in with a warning.

'What should we do?' Erden said. 'I suggest we trust her, unlike Demon. When she stroked my fur, I could feel the genuine excitement and kindness from her.'

'All of which could be dropped at a moment of danger. Don't be so naive as a beast of nature. You should be more understanding of survival.' Demon argued back.

'Enough. I feel like my mind is splitting apart when you two argue.' Oscar rubbed his temples and glanced at Avril, still tucked in and sleeping soundly. He sighed and prepared his own bedding. 'We'll wait for tomorrow. If you're that suspicious, Demon, keep watch from inside me and come out if something happens. Don't kill her or hurt her.'

'Fine.' Demon agreed.

'Don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't try anything.' Erden curled up and fell asleep.

Oscar checked the wounds on his body. The medicine had some effect, and Oscar felt he would be healed enough for tomorrow. Laying down on his bed, Oscar imagined Gol-4 hovering above. He missed talking to Gol-4 through the night. He missed his friend. He worried about his home.

'Is everyone alright? Please be fine, and please wait for me. I'm alive.' Oscar prayed.

"It'll be alright…."

Oscar snapped his eyes open and turned to Avril. She was still sleeping but was mumbling in her sleep.

"It'll be alright," She whispered in her dreams. She rolled around in her sleep, turning to the other side with her back facing him.

"That's right. I made it this far. Everything will be alright." Oscar didn't know who Avril was talking to, but he was grateful for those words. He had to move forward. He had to believe in a hopeful future.

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