MYSTERIES OF NO-LAND (Chapter 2.2) - Fantasy

Chapter 2.2

He sat at the bank of the river allowing his legs to fall freely into the flowing river. This morning, all was quiet and still. The wind even had learnt of the peace and solitude in slow and gentle motion, the swishing the leaves from side to side in reckless abandon like a child rocked the trustworthy hands of a caring mother. Vince wished she was here.
A light was brewing from the bottom of the river. At first, it seemed a false image, a mirage probably due to the effect of the rising sun but a closer look proved otherwise. He stared, gazing deeply and noticing it's ascent. It's radiance increased as it surfaced till it bubbled up, blinding his eyes.

He opened his eyes to find himself lying on a bed, sweating.
Burning lamp on the wall
The room was illuminated by the glow of slowly burning lamp hung on a wall which looked long overdue for painting. A soft whistling caught his attention and sitting up, he saw the pot brewing at the fireside as it ejected steam which towered towards the ceiling, one he hadn't seen before.

Kettle brewing on fireplace
What is this place?

A sharp pain at his back aroused his senses and he remembered with trembling the arrow he had seen hanging from his back. Looking downwards at his body, he saw he had been wrapped in some foreign cloth and some dirty looking cloth was serving as his bandage. He examined it. The pain definitely wasn't as much as it should be thus ascribing to the fact that whatever herb had been applied to his wound was working.
But who was it? How had he come to his rescue?

“I see you're awake.. “
He looked up to see descending from a staircase, a fair lady taking gentle steps as she approached him. Her black gown had some stains in it only visible though as she bent over him feeling his temperature. Her hand felt cold to his body which looked like it was being cooked in an oven.

“The temperature is still there but I think you're better. “

“Who are y…”
“Shss…you are not quite ready to speak. There's no need rushing it. You'll have all the time to ask questions.” She pushed his head down slowly till it rested on the makeshift pillow.
He watched her take down the pot from the fire and pour it's content into a cup. It was greenish, no doubt some herbal concoction. He wondered if he was going to be asked to drink that, whatever it was.
Someone pushed open the door and rays of the sun gushed in. He had no idea it was day.
“Has he awoken?”
It was the voice of a boy, a young one. By his look, he could pass for ten. He had curled hair and he dropped what looked like a map on the table.
“He woke up but he's back to sleep.“
The light he had seen in the boy’s eyes when he heard he was awake was short-lived but loveable. He wondered why he wanted him awake.

“How did the class go? “
“Horrible mum. I could barely channel my essence to locate Minnok.“
He pulled off his shoes and drew the socks off his legs, dumping them on the table.
“The teachers are wack!“
“O common, don't say that. I was once a student there. Nivert raises the best cultivators in No-land“

NO-LAND? What sort of a name was that?

Closing his eyes, he imagined a school were students were taught how to grow crops.
A school for farmers? Who does that?

Back at Pongash, farmers were self-taught,oftentimes learning from their parents as they kept on visiting the farms. He had never for once imagined there’d be a school for that. What were they going to teach?
The boy had said something about channeling. Channeling his essence?

He wondered what that meant. This was one strange place. He wished he had the audience of Stewart, the all-knowing palace tutor. He would no doubt have provided worthy answers to these rubbish he was hearing.
What had even been Stewart’s faith? Had he gone with his wealth of knowledge?

He remembered how he had come up with a nice explanation about the pendant that hung around his neck. He had told him that it was a symbol of a separate life attached to his own. That another of his own self roamed some other world and that he had in that other self a watchful eye. That was the only occasion he had doubted him. On every other occasions, Stewart provided what sounded like accurate answers.
Except for the one that involved the pendant
One thing was clear though, he had, again and again, been warned never to remove it from his neck.
He wondered what the pendant truly was. He reached for it and to his greatest surprise and fear, it was missing.

Discussion Starter : What do you think happened with the pendant?

Find out more in the next update. Thanks for reading.
Here are the rest parts in case you just happened upon this update.

PROLOGUE

Chapter1

Chapter2.1

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