GAMBIT

The arrival of dusk commences, producing an orange hue throughout the horizon. During this time, everyone is given an opportunity to rest or perhaps even eat their dinner if they wish to. Although, dusk is the only advent of the training session's night shift.

"You've got to try this," Harold suggests as he hands out a plate of roasted meat to the young man. The meat, however, doesn't look like meat coming from pigs or cows.

"And from which creature does this meat belong to?" Quartz questions while staring at the campfire alongside with a few other men.

"Trust me, Piglin meat tastes delicious." Harold encourages as he takes a nibble on his dinner. Unfamiliar with the creature, Quartz decides to ask more details about the food.

The food does look delicious, but Quartz would rather eat food coming from creatures he is familiar with. Perhaps a boar could satisfy his belly.

"Piglins are creatures that look similar to ogres and trolls except for the fact they're much smaller than them. They have large tusks growing out from their jaws.

They can walk like a man, and can fight like one too, but they prefer to use an axe instead of a sword." Harold describes the creature as a pig who walks and fights like a man.

Quartz then stares at his food, thinking if he should eat it or not. Harold on the other hand continues to persuade the young man to at least take a bite from the meat.

With enough persuasion, Quartz finally decides to take a nibble. Once the meat touches his tongue, he felt an explosion of savory. For him, Piglin meat tastes somewhat like boars but with an extra pinch of salty flavorings.

"See, Piglins tastes delicious right?" he queries to Quartz, then queries him about the food. The young man, on the other hand, responds with ecstasy as he craves for more Piglin meat. His mouth bursts with a flavor his tongue hasn't taste before.

After eating dinner, the young man starts to stare at the campfire, thinking about his father. The question still remains in his head, does his father know his son is missing?

With the arrival of the cold wind, the fire serves Harold and Quartz with tenderness and warmth throughout their resting period. A question then pops up in Harold's head, and decides to ask it to the young man.

"Why did you join the army?" Harold queries with a subtle pace with his eyes staring-fervently unto the flames of the campfire.

Quartz responds, "Well, the king promised me freedom once the war is over. Perhaps I can finally return to the place I truly belong to. About you? Why did you join the army?"

"My father and mother were killed by the hands of the enemy. I want to avenge them, so I decided to fight by the king's side." Harold replies with a solemn voice. He continues to watch the flame glow and cherishes the memories he made with his family.

"My father used to tell me, the spirits of those who die are lifted to the stars. They stare down at us, especially during our darkest hour." Quartz tilts his head to the stars, thinking about his mother.

As he stares at the stars, something peculiar catches his attention. A bird glimmering with light dashes throughout the night sky.

"Hey did you see that?" Quartz stands up and searches for the bird.

"See what?"

"The bird, there was a glowing bird. It was this big!" Quartz exclaims, trying hard to describe the bird he saw. However, his descriptions are hard to comprehend for Harold.

As he explains sincerely, the bird dashes above his head again, catching the young man's attention once more. Surprisingly, Harold wasn't able to see the bird.

Without another moment to lose, Quartz decides to look for the bird which flew to the nearby forest. Harold was left with confusion after seeing the young man leave for some peculiar reason.

"Um, ok?" Harold mutters sarcastically, watching Quartz dash to the forest.

As Quartz steps on the entrance of the forest, he is once again greeted by the bird. Slowly, the light disperses to show the bird's true color. Quartz was left with awe.

Primarily, the bird has a red lustrous pigment with a tail painted with the hues of a rainbow. The bird's beauty alone attracts Quartz. The bird starts to chirp, then dashes further into the depths of the forest.

"Hey wait!" The young man starts to dash through the forest, trying to keep up with the bird's beauty.

For every step, fireflies start to disperse from the lush grass. They spread their light, making the forest seem vibrant and colorful.

Quartz continues to chase the bird, wherein he encounters a whole lot of creatures his eyes hasn't seen before. Some of these creatures look cute, while the others have a malicious trait.

"Wait up!" Quartz calls again. The bird, however, didn't dare to stop.

The young man decides to stop for a while in order to grasp some air. He looks at his surroundings, questioning his location.

A spark of hope starts to flicker as the bird clings to a nearby tree, staring down at the exhausted young man. It starts to chirp a melody of harmony, bringing a serene feeling to Quartz's heart.

"What are you?" Quartz glances at the bird, and starts to question it. The bird, however, didn't seem to respond for it continued to sing its melody.

Out of nowhere, Quartz hears an unusual tune. He then gazes to a patch of flowers only to see a young woman about the same age as him.

The woman is playing an ocarina, somehow similar to the flute. She dances around the flowers while playing her ocarina. Above her butterflies of several colors. She has violet hair, purple eyes, and a complexion similar to his.

Quartz continues to stare at the young woman. The music is softening, it brings delight to his heart. It gives the sensation of peace and tranquility throughout the night sky.

"Excuse me!" Quartz decides to go closer to the woman. His abrupt voice suddenly caused disruption on the melody.

"Ah?!" The woman reacts after seeing Quartz dashing towards her. She quickly runs away from Quartz, assuming that he's about to harm her.

"Wait! Don't go yet." Quartz begs as he tries to chase the young woman. The young woman didn't listen to him, however, and decides to run as far away as possible.

The young man gradually got tired and decides to give up for he believes this won't be the last time they'll see each other. He has high hopes to meet the woman she saw tonight.

As for the bird, it smiled then left the tree, returning to wherever its nest is. Now, Quartz is left with a bewildered mind as he tries to find his way back to the camp.