《The World in Between》 Chapter 1: A Light in the Forest Birds chirping. Trees swaying gently in the wind. A small brook gurgles and passes on by. A deer takes a small break from hopping around to take a drink from the brook. It would be the deer¡¯s final meal. From the shadows of a bush, Soleil takes careful aim at the deer¡¯s chest with a wooden bow and arrow. She signals her partner to get ready to intercept the target if it decides to run away. Soleil takes a deep breath, tenses the bowstring and releases. The arrow whizzes through the air, striking the deer right in the chest. The deer lets out a yelp of panic, but before it can make a quick getaway, Soleil¡¯s partner in crime, Ezra, swoops in from behind a tree and strikes the deer down with a hunter¡¯s knife. Soleil exits the camouflage of the bush to take a look at their collective catch. Ezra grins as he ties up the legs of the dead deer, ¡°We¡¯re eating good tonight, Soleil!¡± He holds out a hand for a fist bump which Soleil does. ¡°Gramps will be happy with the catch for sure. I¡¯ll go get the horse so we don¡¯t have to lug this massive thing around with our bare hands,¡± Soleil leaves the boy alone to do as she says. Ezra finishes tying up the dead creature and takes a couple steps towards the small brook, looking at his reflection in the water. His frizzled dull pink hair cut in a messy undercut and sun-kissed face look back at him. He contemplates his hair for a moment, runs a hand through his locks, questioning whether or not he should go see Karla the hairdresser to conserve his perfect, stylish hairstyle. No way was he gonna let Gramps cut his hair like last time; that was a disaster. A soft neight and a harsh cough bring him out of his thoughts. He turns around to see Soleil looking at him with a coy smile and a sly look in her eyes, already prepared to pick up the deer and put him on the horse. ¡°As great as it is to see you contemplating your reflection, Ezra, I¡¯d suggest you help me carry this deer on top of this lovely horse here before I decide to ¡®accidentally¡¯ let you fall into the brook.¡± An audible gasp escapes Ezra¡¯s lips, and he scurries over to help Soleil place the deer on the horse¡¯s back. The task complete, the duo begins their trek back to Acre Falls, the small village they grew up in. ¡°So what do you think Gramps wants to talk about tonight?¡± Soleil asks her childhood friend. Ezra shrugs, ¡°I dunno, he¡¯s probs gonna talk to us about ¡®adulthood¡¯ and what our future is looking like. I don¡¯t need Gramps to tell me I¡¯m going to become a hunter for the rest of my days though.¡± He pokes the deer and scrunches his face at the disgusting squishy noise the skin and whatever¡¯s inside of it makes. Soleil laughs softly, ¡°But don¡¯t you think we could be meant for something else? A destiny greater than that of a hunter or a farmer? Maybe Gramps will tell us we¡¯re meant to fulfill a grand prophecy, I mean, we¡¯re both eighteen now!¡± Soleil¡¯s soft violet eyes gleam as she daydreams of what could be. ¡°Eeeh,¡± Ezra doesn¡¯t seem on board with that idea, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what we¡¯re meant to be. Besides, you¡¯ve been reading too many stories and legends, we¡¯re from Acre Falls, a village with like¡­ twenty inhabitants; not from the great city of Ryuulong or Jaeyon.¡± Ezra kicks the dust as he mumbles out that last part. ¡°They¡¯re not legends,¡± Soleil looks at Ezra judgmentally, ¡°They¡¯re true stories of the brave soldiers who fought during the Great Chaos or the Dividing War. These people also thought they were nothing, but they accomplished fantastic deeds that even the Goddess recognized.¡± ¡°Right, right, and hunting down a deer is definitely going to get me into the Goddess Hall of Fame, I¡¯m sure.¡± Soleil slaps Ezra on the arm. Ezra massages his arm and sticks his tongue out in Soleil¡¯s direction. Soleil looks off into the distance, the soft afternoon breeze letting her long auburn ponytail flow with the wind, ¡°I want an adventure too¡­¡± She says softly, mostly to herself. Ezra says no more and they walk in silence the rest of the way back to the village. Acre Falls, a small remote village to the far East of the Litian Kingdom, was known for two things: its wide fields of wheat all over the many small hills of the village and the imposing backdrop of the Dividing Mountains that loomed over the villagers day after day, separating the Litian Kingdom from the Darkian Empire. As imposing as the mountains were, there was always a certain solace to them; as unmoving as they were, they were always a constant in Soleil¡¯s and Ezra¡¯s lives, they could rest assured that the mountains would always be there to greet them in the morning. The moment they arrive in front of Gramps¡¯ village home, they unload the deer, hang the animal in the cooler room of the kitchen to let the meat mature for tonight, and meet up with Gramps who was sat on the front porch of the home in a wooden rocking chair, reading the newspaper. ¡°Wassup Gramps?¡± Ezra plops down in the seat next to their elderly guardian, ¡°What¡¯s the newspaper gotta say today?¡± ¡°Not much Ezra,¡± Gramps replies, turning a page, ¡°Just speaks of big city news we¡¯re too far removed to understand.¡± ¡°But we could visit the big city eventually,¡± Soleil points out, leaning back on the pillar. She hears Gramps sigh, his weathered face looks at Soleil in a disappointed manner. ¡°We¡¯ve already had this conversation, Soleil. There¡¯s no need for you to visit places like Hariq or Ryuulong. They¡¯re too far anyway and would take weeks of travel by horse.¡± ¡°I get that¡­ but there¡¯s got to be a way! If the problem is defending myself, then that¡¯s no problem, I¡¯m good with a bow and a knife, and I¡¯m agile on my feet!¡± Soleil protests, repeating the same arguments she¡¯s said over and over again. She kneels at his feet, ¡°I¡¯m an adult now, Gramps. You can let me go.¡± Gramps¡¯ mouth is a thin line as he shakes his head solemnly. Soleil grits her teeth, stands up abruptly and stomps off in the direction of the fields. Ezra prepares to stand up to chase after her, but Gramps holds out his hand, shaking his head once more, ¡°There¡¯s no need. Soleil¡¯s a good soul, but she¡¯s got a short fuse. Just give her some time.¡± Ezra looks at Gramps with a quizzical look, ¡°You two have been this argument constantly though. It¡¯s gotta stop at some point. You know as well as I do that sooner or later, she¡¯ll leave and you won¡¯t be able to stop her then.¡± There¡¯s a beat. Gramps rocks back and forth slowly in his chair. There¡¯s the faint noise of a sheep bleating in the distance. ¡°Ezra,¡± Gramps begins slowly, ¡°Go grab Soleil, you two should pick up the ingredients to make a delicious stew to mix with the deer meat tonight.¡± Gramps rocks back and forth once more as Ezra reluctantly stands. He stretches before leaving in the direction of the fields. At the bottom of one of the many hills of Acre Falls, Ezra sees Soleil laying at the bottom of a hill, reading one of her many beloved novels. Ezra prances over to her position and stands right in front of her. He notices dirt and kicked grass to the left of Soleil. Her boots are dirty. Her general demeanor is calm now, so Ezra attempts casual conversation. ¡°Which story are you reading this time?¡± Soleil doesn¡¯t look up from the novel. ¡°My favorite one,¡± she says, a soft smile tugging at the corner of her lips. ¡°The story of Elicia Orel, the first queen of the Litian Kingdom. She appeared out of nowhere during the Dividing War, her skills unparalleled to even the strongest general at the time.¡± Ezra waves his hand, ¡°Yeah yeah, I¡¯ve heard you explain it a hundred times. I personally believe Mirza was better though. Certified badass, blessed by the Goddess, and a hottie. He even married Elicia as a bonus and became the first King, there¡¯s nothing cooler than that.¡± He sits down in the grass next to her, looking passively at the seemingly infinite rows of wheat that lay before him. Soleil looks up from her book, rolling her eyes at Ezra¡¯s statement, ¡°You¡¯re objectively wrong, Ezra. Although we can both agree Mirza and Elicia were the best first rulers a kingdom could ask for.¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± They sit a minute in silence, with only the sound of flipping pages filling the air. Seeing that Soleil seemed to have cooled off thanks to the story, Ezra decides to state the reason why he came. ¡°Gramps asked us to pick up the ingredients for a stew to go along with the deer tonight, you coming?¡± Soleil ignores the question and there¡¯s the distinct noise of another page being flipped. Then a sigh escapes Soleil¡¯s lips, ¡°Fine. The market should still be open, let¡¯s go grab some vegetables.¡± She stands up, closing the book, and placing it temporarily in a pouch attached to her hip.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The two head off to the marketplace, investing their pocket money in carrots, potatoes, onions; anything they can get their hands off before the shopkeepers close their stall for the night. There¡¯s much bartering, especially when it came to the potatoes, for some reason, the shopkeeper thought it was completely fine to sell them at twice the price Ezra was used to. ¡°What a greedy bald man,¡± Ezra grumbles on their way home. ¡°Who sells a pound of potatoes for 10 gold pieces, those potatoes aren¡¯t fresh from the soil!¡± Soleil laughs, ¡°Please, he could¡¯ve fooled me, I don¡¯t know the difference.¡± ¡°Well, I am the master chef of the family after all.¡± They idly chatter until they arrive home where Soleil becomes awkwardly quiet once more. Dinners were always awkward when Soleil and Gramps fought. Ezra hopes it won¡¯t impact whatever news Gramps had for them. Ezra takes complete control of the kitchen, everyone is at his beck and call. He handles all the slicing and dicing, he was always the quickest and most accurate of the three. Soleil handles the deer, she delicately skins the animal and collects everyone¡¯s favorite part of the deer. Gramps creates his signature stew sauce which always gave a mouthwatering smell throughout the house. All the ingredients ready, Ezra takes Gramps¡¯ pot, already prepared with the necessary amount of water and sauce, and he places it on the stove, carefully adding in the meat and vegetables little by little over the next hour. Once the masterpiece is finished, as can be told by the tender color of the meat and the delicious smell that wafts through the air, Ezra takes the pot and brings it over to the kitchen table to enjoy. ¡°One deer stew coming right up! Not gonna lie, I think I outdid myself tonight,¡± Ezra states proudly, serving his two housemates. They all dig into the food, nothing¡¯s heard except for munching and slurping. Soleil eats the fastest, devouring the stew and letting out a satisfied sigh when she finishes, ¡°That was delicious, that¡¯s incredible Ezra.¡± Ezra¡¯s ego boosted once more, all he does is snicker proudly in reply. The remaining two finish their meal right after Soleil. As Gramps sets his bowl down, the duo feels that he¡¯s about to say something. ¡°Soleil,¡± Gramps begins. The room immediately tenses up. Soleil eyes her guardian carefully; Gramps weighs his next words carefully. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want you to travel¡­¡± Soleil interrupts him, ¡°I have a compromise to make.¡± She blurts out the words, ¡°Let Ezra and I travel to the Goddess¡¯ Shrine in Rosemire. If the Goddess gives us approval to travel, then you can¡¯t object. Plus, if Ezra comes along, it''ll be safer.¡± Ezra nods approvingly, that did seem like a reasonable plan. Gramps remains stone-faced. ¡°Soleil, let me finish.¡± He sees Soleil retreat in her seat, arms crossed, ¡°Look at your ribbon, the one you use for your ponytail, look at its inscriptions.¡± Soleil takes the ribbon out of her hair. The golden yellow ribbon has been with her as long as she could remember, she¡¯s always worn it, and she never lost it. Inside the smooth silk of the ribbon, Soleil could faintly make out inscriptions, they looked like runes, writing from time bygone. ¡°There have always been people after you, Soleil. That ribbon you have is proof of that, it¡¯s been blessed by a God of some sort to keep you safe. That¡¯s why you¡¯re here. It¡¯s to keep you safe,¡± Gramps explains. ¡°So¡­¡± Soleil doesn¡¯t take her eyes off the ribbon, ¡°This ribbon was blessed by the Goddess?¡± Ezra takes a look at it, ¡°I dunno, the runes don¡¯t appear like the one on the Goddess¡¯ Shrine.¡± Soleil sends him a confused look, ¡°A Darkian God blessed this ribbon?¡± She¡¯s getting more lost by the second. Gramps shakes his head, ¡°That would be strange for a ribbon such as this to be blessed by a Darkian God. The point is, you need to stay out of danger, and you have, for the past 18 years. The same goes for Ezra, you¡¯re both here to stay safe.¡± ¡°Me too?¡± He points at himself, eyebrows furrowed, ¡°I don¡¯t have a ribbon blessed by the Gods though, that¡¯s not fair.¡± He pouts, earning a small chuckle from Gramps. ¡°Just because you don¡¯t have a ribbon to identify you doesn¡¯t make you any less valuable in the eyes of certain people,¡± Gramps says cryptically. ¡°But why?¡± Soleil continues to ask for answers, ¡°What does this ribbon identify me as? Are you saying I can¡¯t go ask the Goddess for her blessing to travel?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere. I can¡¯t tell you what this ribbon means; you just need to remain safe.¡± Soleil gives one last long look at the ribbon in her hands, at the runes weaved so finely inside the silk, before she ties it back up in her hair. She stands from the dinner table, grabbing her bowl and placing it in the sink. ¡°I¡¯ll do the dishes,¡± Gramps says, ¡°You two can go to your room if you¡¯d like, get some sleep.¡± Ezra nods silently, bringing his own utensils to the sink before heading up the stairs to his shared room. Soleil is already in the attic bedroom, pacing back and forth slowly, deep in thought. Ezra closes the door slowly behind them. ¡°What do you think Gramps is hiding?¡± Ezra muses out loud. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s trying to get us to discover our own identities for ourselves or if he just told us to mess with us.¡± Soleil places the book from her pouch on the small bookshelf she keeps next to her tatami mat. An idea hits her, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the library.¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely closed.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, the owner always forgets to lock the back window,¡± Soleil says. ¡°Let¡¯s go find some books. If this ribbon is so important, there has to be info about it somewhere.¡± Ezra doesn¡¯t look convinced, ¡°Why don¡¯t we wait until morning, this seems a little rash¡­¡± ¡°No. Let¡¯s do it now,¡± Soleil is already opening the attic window, ¡°Not only as an act of defiance to Gramps but also because if I don¡¯t get answers now, it¡¯s going to eat me up.¡± Ezra looks back at the door, then sighs, rubbing a hand through his hair anxiously, ¡°Fine, but if Gramps catches us, this is all your fault.¡± Soleil just shoots him a grin in reply, before going on the ledge of the window and jumping into a nearby pail of hay meant for the cows tomorrow morning. Ezra follows suit. The two head off to the central street of Acre Falls. The night air is settling in; Ezra feels the cold bite of the wind. There¡¯s a lump in his stomach when they arrive at the library. This felt weirdly exciting. Soleil circles the building and nudges at all the square windows until one slides open. But just as Soleil is about to jump into the library, a massive flash of light erupts in the nearby forest. ¡°Did you see that?!¡± Ezra¡¯s eyes are wide open as his face is glued to the forest. They¡¯d never seen that before. Soleil clutches Ezra¡¯s arms, ¡°We have to check it out.¡± Another pillar of light flashes in the forest. ¡°It¡¯s definitely magic,¡± Ezra mumbles. He weighs his options. They could ignore the light, trespass into the library and spend their night looking for answers; they could also investigate the light and maybe make a life-changing discovery about the forest; or they could go home, forget everything Gramps told them and live out the rest of their boring villager lives. Ezra groans, ¡°Of course we have to explore that light, let¡¯s go.¡± Soleil¡¯s eyes are gleaming with joy, she¡¯s basically skipping alongside Ezra as they make their way into the forest. ¡°On second thought,¡± Ezra whispers aloud, ¡°Should we have brought weapons just in case?¡± Soleil shakes her head, ¡°There¡¯s no way an evil entity is in the forest, it¡¯s probably just a harmless magical creature like a pegasus or something that wandered here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember pegasus shooting out pillars of light,¡± Ezra mumbles to himself. They shuffle to the location hidden by the shadows of the trees. They approach a small clearing but find nothing. The air is perfectly still. Soleil leaves the protection of the shadows to analyze the clearing. Soleil squats to look at the grass. She notices squashed grass and some blades of grass appear burned¡­ She stands up, turning back to Ezra. She barely notices the panic in his face before the wind is blown out of her by a powerful spell, her entire body sent back into a nearby tree. Ezra can¡¯t feel his legs anymore as he sees the person responsible for the pillar of light appear in the clearing. It¡¯s a man with shoulder-length, staggered white hair and cold, piercing blue eyes that shake Ezra¡¯s soul to its very core. The man had just created a spell with his bare hands that had caused Soleil to be thrown back wildly as if a bull had just run into her. He was Darkian. Only a Darkian could use spells without a weapon to aid them. What was a Darkian doing in such a remote region of the Litian Kingdom? The man begins to approach Soleil who¡¯s currently trying to regain her breathing. She¡¯d never felt such ache in her bones before. Ezra¡¯s thoughts are racing. What was this Darkian going to do to Soleil? Ezra feels his belt and lets out a small gasp when his hand feels his hunter¡¯s knife holster. He had kept it. In a moment of terrified determination, Ezra exits the safety of the trees to sneak up behind the Darkian. If he could just stab in the leg, that would give Ezra enough time to grab Soleil and run. He brandishes the knife, about to stab the Darkian, when suddenly his arm gives way and he can¡¯t move his body anymore. The mage turns around, piercing cold eyes digging deep into Ezra¡¯s very being. Ezra can¡¯t feel his surroundings, he feels as though his life might flash before his eyes. With one hand still using the spell that paralyzed Ezra, the mage takes the opportunity to grab Ezra¡¯s knife and place it right at his throat. There¡¯s no emotion in his eyes when he speaks. ¡°Sorry, but I was given orders that there must be no witnesses. Don¡¯t take it personally.¡± Ezra¡¯s eyes widen in fear. Was he about? Behind the mage, Soleil hears what the mage says, and takes a giant leap towards the Darkian, effectively pushing him, ruining the mage¡¯s concentration and freeing Ezra from the spell. ¡°Run. Get Gramps, tell him I¡¯m sorry,¡± Soleil says before pushing Ezra in the direction they came from. ¡°Tell him yourself,¡± Ezra says before running in a wobbling manner towards the village. Soleil sees the mage regain his attention and points a finger at Ezra. A laser manifests on the Darkian¡¯s hand, and Soleil holds out a hand towards Ezra, ¡°NOO!!!¡± Soleil¡¯s fingertips begin to glow, and a rift in space appears in front of Ezra for him to fall into right as the concentrated laser beam transpierces his shoulder. Ezra disappears behind the rift, and the rift closes before the mage can load another spell. Soleil runs. She can¡¯t feel her legs, only adrenaline is giving her the will to keep going. The mage is no doubt behind her, probably about to paralyze her just like what he did to Ezra. She hears the wind howl in her ears, as she resorts to her last plan. She feels a spell whizz right past her, probably that same laser spell. The Darkian is trying to stop her from running. She holds out her hand one more time, right as she runs straight towards the tree. She sees a rift in space appear, and, without looking back at the forest for one last time, jumps in eyes closed. The rift closes. It¡¯s as if Ezra and Soleil had never wandered into the forest in the first place. Gramps rocks back and forth in his rocking chair. He looks up to the night sky. ¡°May the Goddess protect them from harm on their travels.¡± A star twinkles in response. Gramps smiles softly, satisfied. Chapter 2: She Fell from the Sky Kaiyo was sure of two things in his life: he¡¯s a proud wolf demon and this was a perfectly normal day. The terribly hot desert sun was the worst thing on the continent that¡¯s for sure, but Kaiyo had willingly chosen to work alongside Selene for a couple years while her spa started to get more popular. Today was just a day of errands. Kaiyo had gone to buy various foods and knick-knacks for the spa, and he was now on his way back to the spa on the outskirts of Hariq, the fire capital. The desert sun was really coming down hard now, Kaiyo feels his life drain as he waves his shirt, letting some air flow through his body. This really was the worst. This stupid sun didn¡¯t feel like setting early today, despite it being almost 8 pm. Kaiyo hates that sun. In the distance, he sees Darkian guards posing as a checkpoint for anyone going to the outskirts of the capital. They were everywhere these days. What a pain. He really needed something to make his days more interesting. As much as he loved the spa and the various drama that went down every time a Hariqan soldier and a Darkian soldier crossed paths, he really needed something to make the days less dull. So it really appeared as if the Goddess heard his pleas when out of nowhere, he senses something wrong. To the left, far off the desert path, he just faintly sees a rift in space. And out of this rift, he sees what vaguely resembles a human fall from that rift in the sky and crash land in the desert sand. Purposely antagonizing the Darkian guards at the checkpoint will have to wait, Kaiyo decides. He shapeshifts into a wolf, clutching his bag of errands in his now canine mouth, and leaps off the trail into the direction of this person that fell from the sky. At the top of one of the dunes, he sees the shape of a person. She was awake, clutching her arm, looking around feverishly. Kaiyo shapeshifts right back into a human, not wanting to scare the girl, and slides down the dune towards her. Upon seeing Kaiyo, the girl appears to hobble backward. He notices her eyes are barely open, almost squinting, trying to look around. He can sense that the girl seems more confused and scared than anything else. The terrible horrible desert sun probably isn¡¯t helping either. Kaiyo holds up his hands, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not here to hurt you. Are you okay? What¡¯s your name?¡± The girl swallows thickly. She stumbles backward and trips over her boots, falling into the sand. The poor girl looked pathetic. She stops moving. Kaiyo takes that opportunity to walk over to the girl and sees she¡¯s passed out from, no doubt, the heat and whatever caused her to fall from the sky like that. Kaiyo closes his eyes, feeling the sun underneath his combat boots, feeling the thick dry air, and feeling every creature in a mile radius, feeling their auras, their life force. The Hariqan inhabitants¡¯ aura manifested as yellow, the Darkian soldiers at the checkpoint showed up a deep purple, but¡­ the girl in front of her had a crimson aura to her. He opens his eyes. The ribbon in her hair catches his attention, it was golden yellow, the color of the royal family. And it seemed inscribed with ancient godly runes upon further inspection. Ah. It all made sense. Kaiyo curses the sun. He needed to take a back route home to avoid the Darkian guards. He shapeshifts back into a wolf and, through careful maneuvering, places the girl limply on his back. He picks up the bag of errands, and heads off, carefully navigating the desert in this stupid sun back to the oasis where Selene¡¯s Salvation: Spa and Hot Springs resided. Selene always kept the sliding door in the back of the spa where her room was open so that Kaiyo could sneak into the spa without dealing with pesky customers or more Darkian soldiers to ruin his day. Selene¡¯s Spa was quickly growing as one of the most popular spas in the Litian Kingdom. Situated a ten-minute camel ride from the entrance of Hariq, many fire tribe inhabitants jumped at the chance to try the spa for themselves. With excellent customer service, gorgeous hot springs decorated with palm trees and shrubs to create the ideal oasis landscape, and a spa treatment that offered a wide variety of treatments, from massages to facials to mud baths to exfoliate the body, it was hard to believe this entire operation was run by one ambitious succubus who Kaiyo had the pleasure of calling a long time friend. The spa had even expanded to include a second floor of rooms for overnight stays. Kaiyo nudges the sliding door open and squeezes his canine body into the room, right as the door unlocked and Selene entered the room. Selene was always seen as an elegant woman by many. Her blond hair, long, and always in a different hairstyle every day, always appeared soft and flawless even though it reached down to her lower back when untied. Today she had been wearing a soft deep red dress to contrast with her pink skin and her yellow eyes. Her devil tail and small bat wings were impossible to miss and quickly labeled her as a succubus demon if her skin color didn¡¯t give that away automatically. In contrast, Kaiyo looked like a ruffian. Messy red hair, mismatched yellow and blue eyes, and a hefty amount of freckles ever-present due to the stupid sun defined him. His wolf ears and tail remained present even in his human form. With his combat boots, ripped black pants, brown biker jacket, and the red bandanna around his neck present at all times, it was hard not to label him as a delinquent at first appearance. Kaiyo did like to cause trouble when he was bored, but that didn¡¯t mean he was a bad person. Or at least, that¡¯s what he thought of himself as. Right now though, he knew Selene was about to lecture him for a good ten minutes judging by her flared nostrils and the murderous intent in her eyes. ¡°Kaiyo,¡± she began slowly, her voice slow and controlled, ¡°Get you dirty, sandy paws off my floor before I burn you alive and serve you to the guests.¡± Kaiyo looks down at his paws. Sure they were a little sandy, and sure he had scratched the delicate wooden floor a little, but was it really that big a deal? He glides his front left paw experimentally. The wooden floor creaks and he sees scratches where his claws contacted the floor. He can visibly see ten years leave Selene¡¯s soul. ¡°Change back, before I roast you,¡± Selene says threateningly, holding out a manicured hand. It begins glowing slightly. ¡°W-wait!¡± Kaiyo cuts the crap, ¡°There¡¯s a girl on my back!¡± That came out weirdly. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Selene looks more confused than angry now. Kaiyo carefully turns his body, showing the girl to Selene, who gasps and grabs her immediately, putting her down and places her hand beneath her auburn bangs and on her forehead. ¡°She¡¯s burning, poor thing¡­ Kaiyo, get me a wet towel from the bathroom and prepare a tatami mat next to my own.¡± Now free of his passenger, Kaiyo turns back into a human, sets down the bag of errands and goes to the bathroom, and does as he¡¯s told. He hands Selene the wet towel and goes into the closet to set down a tatami mat, complete with pillows and a blanket. Selene sets the girl down on the mat, and, sure that she seems to be cooling down, takes a deep breath and exhales. ¡°Where did you find her? Who is she anyway? Her clothes definitely aren¡¯t from anywhere around Hariq¡­¡± Selene asks Kaiyo who¡¯s sitting on the floor with crossed legs. ¡°She fell from the sky, Selene. She created a rift in space, a portal basically. And judging from her rune inscribed ribbon and her crimson aura, she¡¯s gotta be Soleil Orel, right?¡± Kaiyo says sensibly. Even though all the events that occurred fifteen years ago would lead to the conclusion that the young three-year-old daughter of King Aelius and Queen Thea died buried under the debris of the fallen royal capital, all signs pointed to the girl in front of them being that very same princess.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Selene closes her eyes and senses the supposed Soleil¡¯s aura. Kaiyo was right, it was of a crimson color, symbolizing the royal family. ¡°And you say she¡­ fell from the sky?¡± Selene grabs a cushion from the closet and carefully sits down on it, making sure to not stretch out her dress. ¡°Yeah, I saw her fall. She seemed all out of strength, the sudden change of environment must¡¯ve played a number on her.¡± Selene doesn¡¯t know what to say. By all accounts, the literal hope of the Litian Kingdom was right in front of them. A clunk is heard outside in the men¡¯s hot spring. Selene pinches her nose in disappointment. ¡°Ugh, I have to get back to work, my break is over. If the Litians and Darkians could just stop fighting for one day, it would save me a lot of work.¡± She rises from her cushion and opens a door that leads out into a hallway. She looks back at Kaiyo, still innocently sitting down. ¡° If she wakes up, do not, under any circumstances, bombard her with unnecessary questions.¡± Selene glares daggers at Kaiyo before leaving to go deal with customers. Darkian soldiers had been coming by a lot recently, just as the checkpoints were becoming more frequent. The problem is that it caused a lot of tension between the Darkian and Litian customers. They always had ridiculous complaints that Selene had to deal with all the time, with the most ridiculous one being that a Darkian didn''t want to have a room right next to a Litian because Litians had bad ¡°vibes¡±. Ridiculous. Kaiyo could see it was starting to wear her out, especially with her threats. He sees Soleil stir, her eyes fluttering open. She proceeds to jolt up, her eyes darting around her new surroundings until they finally rested on Kaiyo. ¡°You¡­¡± She begins, ¡°Who are you? Where am I? Is the Darkian mage still here? Ezra. Where¡¯s Ezra?¡± She rambles off question after question in a frenzy, hugging herself. There was still a wild look in her violet orbs. ¡°Woah, calm down there missy, one question at a time,¡± Kaiyo calms her down, giving her a soothing motion with his hands until her body relaxes ever so slightly, ¡°I have questions of my own too.¡± ¡°Oh really,¡± Soleil peers at him suspiciously, looking him over, trying to judge if he wasn¡¯ a shady character, then she finally notices the extra appendages on his body. Her eyes widen, ¡°Wait¡­ Are you a demon?¡± ¡°Huh? Uh, yeah, Kaiyo Fen the wolf demon, that¡¯s me,¡± Kaiyo scratches the back of his ear. Demons didn¡¯t travel out of their city often, but they weren¡¯t an uncommon sight either, especially in big cities like Hariq. He supposed wherever Soleil grew up, it was remote enough that demons were a rarity. ¡°That¡¯s crazy, I¡¯ve only ever seen a goat demon once when he stopped by Acre Falls to sell goods,¡± Soleil leans towards him, forgetting her suspicions, ¡°Are your ears real?¡± ¡°What? Yes, of course, they¡¯re real, what the hell, I need those to hear,¡± Kaiyo isn¡¯t used to the sudden attention. It was usually Selene who attracted everyone¡¯s eye. ¡°Real ears, real tail, yes I can shapeshift into a wolf, and yes I can use magic according to the environment.¡± He rapidly answers all the questions he was sure Soleil was about to ask. ¡°Woah¡­ That¡¯s so cool, can you shapeshift right now? I¡¯ve only ever read about it,¡± Soleil¡¯s eyes gleam with childlike wonder, the traumatic memory of the mage¡¯s attack now completely distant. ¡°Uh, no actually, my claws would mess up the floor and Selene would hang my head on a pike,¡± there¡¯s a sinking feeling in his stomach when he notices Soleil¡¯s disappointment. He coughs, ¡°Anyway, so as you¡¯re not too lost, this Selene¡¯s Salvation: Spa and Hot Springs if you¡¯ve ever heard of it. We¡¯re on the outskirts of Hariq.¡± Soleil nods, digesting the information, ¡°That¡¯s in the mid-south of the Litian Kingdom¡­¡± She laughs bitterly to herself, ¡°I¡¯m a long way from home.¡± Soleil crosses her arms, rubbing them, she suddenly feels quite alone in the world. This demon seemed nice enough¡­ but Ezra¡­ where was he? ¡°You fell from the sky, you looked so dazed and confused, I bet you don¡¯t even remember it¡­ You seemed scared of something, what caused you to open a rift in space?¡± Kaiyo knows it¡¯s definitely a no-no question to ask someone who just woke up, but after carrying her through the desert, he feels the need to know. ¡°I¡­¡± Soleil looks down at her hands, ¡°In the forest¡­¡± She shuts her eyes close, shaking her head, ¡°It all seems so far away now¡­ but I still remember the feeling, like I was about to die. And Ezra¡­ I sent him who knows where. He could be dead right now too.¡± She blinks. Tears had suddenly appeared in her eyes, the memory was now back in the front of her mind and the guilt felt unreal. ¡°Gramps was right.¡± Sobs escape her mouth, ¡°He was right¡­¡± She clutches her mouth to block the sound of her sobs, she makes eye contact with Kaiyo and quickly looks away, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Hey¡­¡± Kaiyo says softly, ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. Whatever you went through is probably too traumatic to remember right now. I¡¯m sorry for bringing it up.¡± He doesn¡¯t know what to do. She was a complete stranger breaking down in front of him, and yet all he wanted was to hold her hand and tell her it would be fine. She wipes her tears, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she says again and shakes her head, ¡°I¡¯ll need some time to clear my head, but¡­ there¡¯s a reason I¡¯m here, there¡¯s a reason I was attacked, isn¡¯t there? Demons can sense auras or life force, tell me who I am, that¡¯s all I want to know right now.¡± She¡¯s pleading, tears are still in the corner of her eyes and she¡¯s looking deeply into Kaiyo¡¯s own eyes. There was nothing but an honest will to know her heritage. Before Kaiyo can concoct an answer, the door of the bedroom opens and Selene walks back in, clearly exhausted by the rowdiness of her clientele. She perks up right away as she sees Soleil is awake, ¡°Ah perfect, you¡¯re awake, how are you feeling sweetie?¡± Selene has a mug of tea in her hand, she hands it to Soleil who gladly takes it. ¡°Ah, thank you,¡± she takes a sip of the warm tea, feeling the warm mixture spread through her body. ¡°I feel odd, but not too bad. A day of rest and I¡¯ll be out of your hair. Kaiyo explained to me where I am and how he found me. But, I was just asking him if he knew who I was.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Selene sits down on the cushion, ¡°You know your own name, right?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Soleil.¡± Selene claps her hands, ¡°Well that would all add up then. I don¡¯t know how you grew up unaware of that fact, but you¡¯re Soleil Orel, the one and only heir to the Litian throne.¡± Everything clicks in Soleil¡¯s mind. The ribbon, the Darkian mage, Gramps¡¯ reluctance to let her go on an adventure. As much as she was at a loss by the revelation, it all made sense. ¡°Then,¡± she swallows thickly, ¡°What do I need to do.¡± Selene and Kaiyo exchange looks. ¡°Wh-what do you mean, sweetie?¡± ¡°The Great Chaos was fifteen years ago. The Litian Kingdom lost everything to the Darkians. If I¡¯m who you say I am, then there¡¯s got to be something I can do.¡± ¡°We can go to Hariq tomorrow, Captain Sayid Yong can help you out--¡± ¡°-- except that would be dangerous,¡± Kaiyo interrupts, ¡°There are Darkian troops all over Hariq for some reason.¡± ¡°Then what do you suggest?¡± ¡°Ryuulong is our safest bet. The acting leader Lord Yamato was King Aelius¡¯ brother, he will no doubt know what to do.¡± ¡°That would make Lord Yamato my uncle then¡­ right?¡± Soleil says hesitantly. Kaiyo nods. ¡°Well,¡± Soleil smiles, ¡°Better late than never to meet family, right?¡± ¡°Alright then, we can leave tomorrow night, I¡¯ll pack for the trip, it¡¯s a three days walk on foot, I hope you¡¯ll be ready,¡± Kaiyo grins before standing up and leaving the room. As soon as Selene is sure Kaiyo is out of earshot, she sighs, ¡°I hope he wasn¡¯t too much of a bother. Kaiyo does love it when things get eventful.¡± Soleil shakes her head, ¡°No, of course not, I¡¯m glad he¡¯s guiding me to Ryuulong. As crazy as all of this is¡­ it¡¯s honestly still hard to process¡­ but I¡¯ll be fine, I just need some rest.¡± ¡°Of course, honey,¡± Selene smiles kindly, ¡°We all need the rest, trust me, let me tell you, never start a business when there¡¯s in-fighting.¡± She says in an exasperated tone. Selene heads off to the bathroom to take a shower, and by the time she exits, Soleil is already fast asleep. The next day is filled with idle talk between Soleil and Kaiyo as the two get to know each other a bit more. Despite the events of last night, Soleil didn¡¯t let the news get to her, but it was decided that she remained hidden in case she¡¯s recognized or a demon senses her abnormal aura. They had also decided on leaving at night to avoid any Darkian soldiers that they could intercept on their way out. By the time night rolls around, Soleil and Kaiyo are packed and ready to go. Selene is in Kaiyo¡¯s room as he packs the last needed amount of food for a three days trip. ¡°Remind me again why we¡¯re helping the lost princess of the Litian Kingdom and not just selling her to the Darkian Empire?¡± Selene asks matter-of-factly. ¡°There¡¯s nothing in it for us.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s everything in it for the humans,¡± Kaiyo replies, placing the bag around his back, ¡°This girl is literally the hope that the Litians need right now. The moment she gets into contact with Lord Yamato, it¡¯ll be a revolution. There¡¯s a chance for the Litians to regain peace and I¡¯m all for it if I get to live history. We demons have nothing to worry about, but the Litians need this. I¡¯ve seen how miserable the Hariqans have been over the last couple of years, the Darkians have taken everything from them.¡± Selene chuckles, ¡°So you¡¯re saying you want to play heroes now? I¡¯ve seen your fighting prowess and it¡¯s not anything to be proud of.¡± She teases the wolf demon. Kaiyo flushes, ¡°Sh-shut up! I¡¯ll get stronger along the way. Besides, we¡¯re not going to run into trouble on our way to Ryuulong. As long as her identity is hidden from the public, I don¡¯t need to fight. Now, come on, let¡¯s get going.¡± He exits the room and heads to the front of the spa, right outside the entrance doors. Cobblestone made up the path to the entrance of the spa, beyond which lay a trail through a verdant forest that would bring them to Ryuulong in three days. For a grand total of six days, Kaiyo could happily say goodbye to the stupid desert sun and say hello to the kind mild temperate sun of the forest. Soleil is already waiting outside for the duo. She has a hooded cape on to hide her face, an idea of Selene¡¯s. ¡°Sorry for the wait,¡± Kaiyo says, ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± ¡°Stay safe, don¡¯t die,¡± Selene says monotonously. ¡°I¡¯ll try not to murder my customers in the meantime.¡± Kaiyo rolls his eyes at his friend¡¯s dramatics and off they go. Thoughts are still racing in Soleil¡¯s mind, but she¡¯s sure of one thing: she would finally get answers at Ryuulong. Her destiny awaited. Chapter 3: The Waiter & the Knight Ezra jolts awake. He breathes heavily, holding his chest before realizing that all his limbs were still there. His shoulder ached as if he had lifted 200 lbs, but it seemed intact. Huh. The memories race back, and Ezra remembers the mage. His cold, calculating eyes that didn¡¯t feel a single emotion even as he was about to slice the throat of an innocent 18-year-old. The very memory sent shivers through Ezra¡¯s spine. He had definitely almost died. Out of curiosity, he touches the aching shoulder and feels the awkward texture of dried blood. However long he was out was long enough for blood to dry. Speaking of his surroundings, Ezra looks around. He had crash-landed in a massive stack of hay inside a barn. The hay must have cushioned the fall, and led him into a comfortable sleep. He had slept in hay before after massive arguments with Soleil, it wasn¡¯t that uncommon to him. Ezra steps out of the hay, looking around. There were horses and cows fast asleep, so it was more than likely nighttime. Ezra tentatively steps towards the giant barn doors. He pushes them slightly and is happy to find that they creek open just enough for him to slip out. The stars shone above him, the moon illuminated his path. The familiar landscape of the Dividing Mountains was nowhere in sight. Only a small path that traveled from the barnhouse to a splitting path stood in front of him. He approaches the crossroads and is pleasantly surprised to see a sign pointing to the destination of each path. To the left was the ¡°Shrouded Forest¡± while to the right was a ¡°Bar & Inn¡±. Ezra didn¡¯t feel in the mood for forests right now, so he decides the inn would be the safest bet. Soleil was nowhere to be found, Ezra notices. That was worrisome. The last thing he had told her was to go apologize to Gramps herself when they got back. It seemed silly now, Ezra had no idea where he was. And as of right now, he has no idea whether or not Soleil escaped that Darkian mage. He hopes that wherever she is, she¡¯s safe and finds people to trust. Ezra hopes that will be the case for him too. As he approaches the inn, Ezra sees the lights are still on and a general rowdy and public crowd still seems quite active there if the noise was any indication. It¡¯s a small building with two floors of windows, with a rustic cobblestone architecture unlike the wooden structures of Acre Falls. This was all rough stones and vines growing around the fence surrounding the inn. He walks into the inn and finds himself surrounded by people of unfamiliar dress. The men sported rougher clothes, made of leather or linen, quite unlike the light wool and silk clothes Ezra had grown up around. He had a simple wool tunic with a silk coat and baggy pants to call his own. Most of these men had long coats and tight pants¡­ not unlike what the mage had been wearing. Ezra suddenly feels the urge to find out where he is as fast as possible. He goes up to the nearest person serving drinks to customers and taps them on the shoulder. He was a younger-looking man, with black hair sporting long bangs that hid the right side of his face. He had on a tight black tank top, exposing toned arms, and he wore the black pants to match. What seemed like a long coat was tied around his waist. With a darker complexion not unlike his own and stormy grey eyes, the young waiter gives him a kind smile. ¡°Can I help you? I¡¯m sorry we don¡¯t have any open tables but are you here to stay the night?¡± The young man asks in a merchant like tone. Ezra looks around before staring at the guy straight in the eye, ¡°This is gonna sound crazy, but I need to know where I am.¡± Concern appears in the young man¡¯s eye, ¡°Uh¡­ we¡¯re on the outskirts of the Shrouded Forest. Beyond the forest is the city of Glimhagen, but if you instead continue on the path outside the inn, you¡¯d eventually reach Cindergate. Does that help?¡± These names didn¡¯t sound Litian at all. They sounded more Darkian than anything. Ezra hesitates before asking, ¡°Am¡­ Am I in the Darkian Empire?¡± The waiter nods, ¡°Yes¡­?¡± Ezra feels the blood draining from his face. The young waiter quickly places his tray down and holds Ezra up, ¡°Are you okay, sir?¡± He then yells towards the bar, ¡°Penny, handle the customers at table 34, please!! I have to take care of something, sorry!¡± One of the customers at table 34 laughs, pointing a filled beer mug at Ezra, ¡°Looks like that kid couldn¡¯t handle his drink, huh? Another customer chimes in, teasingly saying,¡°Make sure not to trip up the stairs, Akui!¡± Akui gives them a forced smile, heeding their warnings. He guides Ezra upstairs to a room and sets him down on the bed. It wasn¡¯t a tatami mat like Ezra knew. Ezra was in the Darkian Empire. Oh, Goddess. Akui removes Ezra¡¯s coat, placing it on top of a bedside table. He had planned to let the boy sleep comfortably, Ezra wasn¡¯t the first person he had tucked into bed due to alcohol-related issues, but he notices the dried blood on Ezra¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Wh-what is that?¡± Ezra vaguely looks at the injury, ¡°Oh¡­ It¡¯s nothing¡­ I just tripped in¡­. The forest, yup.¡± Akui sighs, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be asking questions, and it¡¯s definitely not my business but¡­ first, you almost pass out at the mention of the Darkian Empire, and second, you have signs of a magical injury on your shoulder. Who are you?¡± Ezra holds his injury defensively, ¡°Hey wait a sec, how can you tell it¡¯s magical? I tripped in the forest!¡± The waiter looks at him expectantly, then explains, ¡°Judging from the wound, it¡¯s too precise for it to be a natural wound like taking a nasty fall in a forest.¡± Ezra pouts, refusing to answer. Akui continues, ¡°There are plenty of travelers here that showed up with wounds so I know my way around them.¡± He stands, ¡°Come with me to my room, let¡¯s get you patched up.¡± Ezra doesn¡¯t move. Akui smiles, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to hurt you, I¡¯m just a waiter, after all, I have nothing to gain.¡± Ezra doesn¡¯t really have a choice. And Akui seemed trustworthy enough. The customers seemed to know him. He sighs internally, this might as well happen. He follows the waiter into a room at the end of the hallway. It was a simple room, the cobblestone walls, a bed with a bedside table to match, and a dresser. Two sheathed swords sat on top of the dresser. That didn¡¯t seem like something a simple waiter would have¡­ Although these days, he assumes the Darkian Empire wasn¡¯t particularly safe.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Akui takes a first aid kit out of the dresser and instructs Ezra to sit down. ¡°Ah, do you mind dragging your sleeve down so I can just patch up your shoulder?¡± Ezra shakes his head, dragging his shirt sleeve down for the waiter to cautiously apply alcohol and clean up the wound. He winces at the sting, but sits in comfortable silence, before he hesitantly begins to speak, ¡°Okay, this is going to sound crazy, but bear with me. I¡¯m from the Litian Kingdom¡­¡± Akui stops momentarily, processing the fact before continuing to patch up the wound, letting Ezra finish his story. ¡°... And, well, also crazy, but this Darkian mage attacked my friend and I in the woods, and my friend, she like, broke the space continuum or something and opened a portal right as that mage shot a magical laser at me. I know I must sound insane, but it¡¯s all true. That Darkian mage says he had to kill me because I was a ¡®witness¡¯, whatever that means¡­ It sounds crazy out loud, and trust me, I can¡¯t wrap my head around it either, but you seem like a sane enough guy. What the heck should I do?¡± Akui finishes applying a bandage, and sits beside Ezra, taking the information all in. His expression was a mix of seriousness and deep concern. Ezra awkwardly puts the sleeve back up and puts his jacket back on. ¡°... That Darkian mage.¡± Akui says, ¡°He didn¡¯t have dark skin, white hair, and blue eyes, did he?¡± Ezra nods vigorously, ¡°Yes he did! He looked at me like I was some ignorant rat. Which I definitely am, but that¡¯s beside the point.¡± Deep concern is apparent on Akui¡¯s face. ¡°You were attacked by Lucil. One of the Knights of Cethin.¡± ¡°¡®Lucil¡¯? ¡®Knight of Cethin¡¯? What??? Isn¡¯t Cethin like¡­ the great overlord of the Darkian Empire right now?¡± ¡°You can put it that way, yeah. The Knights of Cethin are his personal lackey, they do all of his biddings. Whoever you are, you¡¯re on Cethin¡¯s radar.¡± Ezra shakes his head, ¡°Nu-uh, the only crime I¡¯ve committed is stealing the hearts of every person in my village.¡± The joke falls flat. Ezra groans, leaning back on the bed, ¡°Why the hell would a ¡®Knight of Cethin¡¯ attack my friend and me? That makes no sense.¡± He sits back up, looking at Akui suspiciously, ¡°Wait... How come you believe my story anyway?¡± Akui gives him a sly smile, ¡°I¡¯ve heard stranger stories. Travelers from all over the Empire come here. We¡¯re at the halfway point between Glimhagen and Cindergate after all, they¡¯re two of the biggest cities in the Empire although you wouldn¡¯t know that, I suppose. That story is too crazy to be fake, anyway. Who would spend the time coming up with something like that?¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right¡­ Well, thank you¡­ uh¡­?¡± ¡°Akui. Akui Devta. And your name would be?¡± ¡°Ezra. Well, Akui, thank you for your help. Now not to harass you for more help, but where should I go find some answers? I¡¯m still very lost, and some guidance would be helpful.¡± Akui rubs his chin, ¡°Going to Aethis¡¯ Shrine would be a good start. There¡¯s one on the outskirts of Cindergate.¡± He notices Ezra¡¯s long stare. Akui quickly explains, ¡°Uh, Aethis is our Goddess of Magic, she would probably know about the portal magic that brought you here.¡± ¡°You people have multiple Gods?¡± ¡°Yeah, we have six Gods.¡± ¡°Darkians are weird,¡± Ezra mutters under his breath. That makes Akui crack a smile. This kid was a whole lot more interesting than he thought. Before Akui suggests Ezra should stay the night before leaving tomorrow, the door to his room is roughly opened. ¡°Yo, Akui, we got issues.¡± It¡¯s one of the bartenders. He¡¯s fidgeting in place, looking behind him every five seconds. Akui stands, a serious expression back on his face, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Soldiers just arrived. They say they want a pink-haired kid with an undercut and Litian clothes.¡± The bartender looks directly at Ezra. Ezra feels his heart drop, this wasn¡¯t looking very hot. Akui unties the long coat that was vaguely tied around his waist and puts it on. He grabs the two swords and puts them around a holster at his hip. He suddenly seemed a whole lot more intimidating. ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to them,¡± Akui says, ¡°I¡¯ll try to resolve things peacefully.¡± ¡°You¡¯re our man for that, my guy. Good luck,¡± the bartender pats Akui on the shoulder as he leaves the room. Ezra must have been making the most confused face in the world because the bartender bursts out laughing. ¡°You must be new here, huh? Akui hates fights. The guy¡¯s a real pacifist, he¡¯ll do anything to make sure shit doesn¡¯t go down in this inn.¡± ¡°Uh, yeah, the swords kinda gave the opposite impression, not gonna lie.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just to intimidate the soldiers. Those guys think they have strength in numbers. They¡¯re a nasty bunch.¡± The bartender heads back towards the door. ¡°Well, see ya kid.¡± He leaves. At this point, Ezra mused, he had two options. He could either stay back, sleep here, and do his best to avoid any interaction possible, or he could sneak downstairs and observe the situation because hell if he wasn¡¯t curious. The sudden gasp of a crowd from downstairs gave him his answer. Ezra sneakily makes his way down the stairs to observe the situation. The customers were surrounding Akui and a woman. This woman, a bit on the 30-40-year-old side, with long dull purple hair and the outfit Ezra could only assume was that of a battle warrior, had just poured a bottle of alcohol all over Akui. Akui remained silent, his expression a cold mask. The woman smirks, leaning in towards Akui, her emerald eyes, thick with lashes, blinked innocently at the waiter, while her tone spilled venom. ¡°You will tell me now, Mr. Waiter. Where is the boy?¡± Akui remains silent. Whispers emerge in the crowd. ¡°What is she talking about?¡± ¡°Akui should just hand over the boy, didn¡¯t we see a pink-haired guy walk in? He did seem fishy.¡± ¡°Bro, I wouldn¡¯t disobey Jadis if I were him.¡± ¡°Jadis?! Bro, isn¡¯t she one of the Knights of Cethin?¡± ¡°I heard she fought in the Great Chaos, and that she¡¯s the leader of the Knights.¡± ¡°I heard she can crush a skull with her bare thighs.¡± At that point, Ezra stops listening, the conversations were straying a little off-topic. The woman did seem battle-ready. A battle-ax hung around her back, and he could see what could be a war scar on the side of her face. She was definitely one of those women Gramps warned should never be messed with. Despite the hushed whispers of the crowd, Akui refuses to answer. Jadis clicks her tongue. ¡°Search every nook and cranny of this bar!¡± She barks orders at the soldiers behind her. ¡°I want that boy. He¡¯s a witness and he needs to die.¡± Upon hearing that word, Ezra¡¯s whole body tenses up. He was still hidden by the staircase, but it was only a matter of time until they found him, that much was for sure. Before the soldiers can begin their search, Akui holds out his hand. ¡°The boy you¡¯re looking for isn¡¯t here. You don¡¯t have the right to search this inn.¡± He stares at Jadis straight in the eyes. Jadis laughs, placing a hand underneath Akui¡¯s chin. She stood about an inch below and yet it felt that she was the one in control of his fate. ¡°I will do what I damn well please, Waiter boy. Now. Bring me the witness.¡± Another round of whispers explodes in the crowd. Ezra sees discomfort in Akui¡¯s eye. He could tell Akui desperately didn¡¯t want a fight to break or Ezra to be found. Ezra knows he should go back in hiding, but a part of him told him that would be the coward¡¯s way of getting out of trouble. Ezra groans internally, he hated being torn up like this. Akui responds once more. ¡°Please,¡± he says in a strained tone, ¡°Whoever tipped you off they¡¯re wrong. That boy you¡¯re looking for isn¡¯t here. Please leave. It¡¯s late.¡± Jadis gets uncomfortably close to Akui, ¡°If he¡¯s not here like you say, then why is it such a problem if my men search?¡± Akui grits his teeth. She had a point. Ezra decides to move back up the stairs, but the floorboard creaks under his weight. He had been standing on that piece of wood for too long. Damn it. One of the customers turns around in the direction of the noise. He dramatically points at Ezra. ¡°Wait you¡¯re the boy! Litian clothes, pink hair!¡± Shit. Shit shit shit. Before Ezra can run up the stairs to jump out some random window, the customer, along with some of his friends, grab Ezra from all angles and throw him out in the ring with Akui and Jadis. There¡¯s a look of pure horror on Akui¡¯s face. Jadis¡¯ grin is wider than the Cheshire Cat. Ezra attempts a wave and a miserable smile. Jadis unsheaths her battle-ax, letting the dull end of the terrifying weapon fall with a thud on the traitorous floorboard. Ezra feels his soul beginning to organize a prison break from his body before it''s too late. Jadis looks with all the hate in the world at Ezra. ¡°You die. Tonight.¡± Chapter 4: The Garden of Dragons Soleil had only ever heard of Ryuulong from the various novels and history books she had read about the famous city, but seeing it in real life was a surreal experience. The gates opened up to a massive central street, lined with market stand after market stand. People from all over the Litian Kingdom gathered at Ryuulong to sell their goods or for tourism. Today seemed to be no exception, it was late morning and the streets were filled with people from everywhere. She could even pinpoint some demon stands around, selling Darkian artifacts they had picked up on their travels. The main street had three lanes, forming the east, south, and west entrances and they all met at a massive central fountain where two sculptures of serpentine dragons poured out water from their mouths. To the north, the central street led to an imposing staircase which then led to the Ryuulong Palace. Built on top of the biggest hill in the Ryuulong province, the palace was said to be built to reach the dragons. Dragons were now long extinct, but long ago, these creatures roamed the Ryuulong province alongside humans. The palace, built in an intricate architectural complexion of wooden posts, beams, lintels and joints, was wider than it was tall. The rooms of the palace, rumored to be 36 rooms to be spiritually close to the dragons of old, surround the center of the palace, an open garden said to be on par with the mystical garden qualities of the nature capital, Jaeyon. The Garden of Dragons, as the history books labeled it, is said to be where Mirza, the first king of the Litian Kingdom, tamed the first dragon. Soleil is more than elated to be here, she¡¯s practically bouncing up and down as she looks at the various stands. Of course, she¡¯s not trying to get scammed so she¡¯s only looking, not buying. Kaiyo watches the girl get so excited about Ryuulong with crossed arms and the expression of a tired parent. The benches around the fountain were his home now. A little girl watches him curiously from the other bench. She valiantly waddles over to Kaiyo and points at him. ¡°Puppy!¡± She says confidently. Kaiyo didn¡¯t know whether he found it endearing or whether he wanted to strangle the toddler. ¡°Puppy!¡± She says again, more sure of herself. Soleil decides to show up right as the little girl says that. She kneels in front of the toddler, ¡°Aww, isn¡¯t she cute?¡± Soleil smiles brightly at Kaiyo. Kaiyo scoffs, ¡°Sure. But she¡¯s dumb.¡± Soleil rolls her eyes, ¡°Nonsense, she¡¯s just discovering the world around her, right?¡± She smiles at the little girl who now points at Soleil, ¡°Ribbon!¡± She says excitedly. Soleil grins, ¡°Yup, and I¡¯m about to figure out its secret.¡± The little girl¡¯s eyes widen at the word secret. Soleil nods in reaction, ¡°Yeah, isn¡¯t that exciting? I¡¯m on an adventure!¡± ¡°Adventure!¡± The little girl repeats. Kaiyo finds himself smiling at the innocence of the conversation. Soleil was hiding her solitude quite well. Multiple times over the three days travel, he had caught her hiding tears to herself or being solemnly quiet for long periods of time, as if she was thinking deeply about what she had learned about herself and about her current situation. The mother of the toddler appears, bags in hand, and she apologizes for the little girl¡¯s antics and thanks them before leaving with the girl in her arms. ¡°Well,¡± Soleil says, waving at the little girl who was doing the same, ¡°Should we head up to the palace?¡± Kaiyo stands, glad the torture of waiting was over, ¡°Yeah. You nervous?¡± Soleil tugs at her sleeve, ¡°Yeah¡­ I mean what if they don¡¯t believe me? I¡¯m sure there¡¯s plenty of people that show up saying they¡¯re me.¡± ¡°You have the ribbon, you literally have divine proof of your existence.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± They begin walking up the staircase in silence. Silences Kaiyo was long used to by this point. He was just an escort after all, once he deposited her at the palace, he was free to go and to let fate run its course. As much as he had enjoyed the trip -- and loved being away from that stupid teribble no good very bad desert sun -- he knew this was only a finite amount of time. The staircase seems infinite but it finally comes to an end where they¡¯re met with the palace guards who brandish their naginatas as soon as they see the duo arrive. ¡°Halt! No visitors allowed!¡± Kaiyo saunters over, ¡°Calm down, Mr. Guards, we¡¯re here to see Lord Yamato Orel.¡± The guard looks menacingly at Kaiyo, ¡°And you think I¡¯m just going to let you in?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I have something important to tell the Lord, it can¡¯t wait.¡± The two guards exchange looks before howling in laughter, ¡°This demon thinks he¡¯s so important he can just waltz up here and request to see Lord Orel! You''re a funny one, demon, I¡¯ll give you that. Now scram.¡± Kaiyo turns around and winks at Soleil, this was all according to plan. He takes a breath, closing his eyes, sensing the aura of the trees around the entrance, right in plain view of the guards. With a flick of his finger, a noise emanates from the nearby wood, attracting the attention of the guards. With another quiet flick of a finger, vines erupt from the wood, distracting the guards. ¡°Oh Goddess, I sense the aura of a person in that wood, they probably caused those vines to shoot out!¡± Kaiyo yells out innocently, pointing at his own work. The guards gulp but begin to head over to the wood, giving Soleil and Kaiyo enough time to make a run for it and bolt through the large entrance into the main building. They hear the guards screeching behind them to halt, but the duo run from room to room. Kaiyo senses the royal aura of Yamato Orel in a large conference room and they burst the door open, causing the Lord and his guest to stand up, weapons at the ready. Not the greatest first impression. Behind, guards had already caught up, invading the room and surrounding Kaiyo and Soleil. Kaiyo takes the opportunity to shapeshift, surprising all the guards and effectively intimidating them. It was the first time Soleil had seen Kaiyo shapeshift and she was surprised to see that, unlike regular wolves, he was twice as large as one, and sported red fur that matches his hair. Kaiyo growls, causing the guards to step back. ¡°What is the meaning of this. Who are these people. Guards, how did you let them sneak in? Arrest them immediately!¡± Yamato barks out. ¡°WAIT!¡± Soleil shouts as loud as she can. She takes her ribbon out of her hair. ¡°Please take a look at this before you rashly decide to arrest us. My name is Soleil. Soleil Orel as it seems.¡± A hush falls over the room. Yamato can¡¯t believe what he¡¯s hearing. He walks over to Soleil and delicately takes the ribbon from her hands. Upon seeing the runes, he tells the guards to stand by, leave the room, and close the door behind them. Kaiyo shifts back. Yamato falls down onto a cushion, an elbow on the large coffee table, a hand clutching his temple. Lord Yamato was an imposing man on first look, what with the bushy black eyebrows, spiky ponytailed hair, and small goatee, but what stood before her right now was an incredulous man. He stands back up and embraces Soleil.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Soleil melts into the hug, the embrace of a relative she¡¯d never thought she¡¯d be reunited with. Yamato lets go too soon. He looks at her with soft violet eyes, ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see another Orel ever again.¡± His voice is deep, sincere, and oh so relieved. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you can¡¯t meet your parents, Soleil, but I hope that your uncle is enough to fill the gap just a little.¡± The smile on Soleil¡¯s face reaches up to her ears, ¡°I¡¯m elated¡­ Uncle.¡± She grins at the word. Family. Real family was in front of her. Not that Ezra and Gramps weren¡¯t family, but there was something mystical about actually sharing genes with someone. Ezra¡­ With the help of Yamato, she could find him, and apologize a million times for the mess she caused. Yamato realises his surroundings, ¡°Ah, my apologies, please, let¡¯s sit down altogether.¡± He directs Kaiyo and Soleil to the other end of the table where the other man was still sitting. Kaiyo and Soleil sit down next to each other, while Yamato headed off to a side room. Clad in silk robes, sashes around his chest, and a sirwal, the man was adorned in a variety of jewelry from earrings to bracelets to necklaces. The robes were of the deep royal blue color of Hariq royalty. His eyes, aged, yet still wise, acknowledges the duo in the room. ¡°Greetings, your highness, I am Sayid Yong. I was the captain of the guard of your father, and I¡¯m currently the leader of Hariq and the nearby province. Now, if I may, who might you be, demon?¡± Kaiyo rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, ¡°Uh¡­ Kaiyo Fen, my Lord. I help out at Selene¡¯s Salvation Spa if you¡¯ve heard of it, it¡¯s on the outskirts of Hariq.¡± Sayid lets out a hearty laugh, ¡°Ah yes! My men love the place, my son has been planning to go for ages, but hasn¡¯t found the time. Tell Selene she has my approval. I¡¯ll have to pay it a visit one day, too.¡± Kaiyo nods feverishly, surprised that the Hariqan leader had even heard of the spa. He couldn¡¯t wait to tell Selene when he got back. Yamato comes back into a room, holding in his hand a pair of amber colored gauntlets. He sits down and presents them to Soleil, ¡°These are for you.¡± Soleil looks at the gauntlets peculiarly. She grabs them and puts them on, expecting the gauntlets to be too big for her. Instead, the parts of the gauntlets magically mold and adapt to her hand. They felt lightweight, as if they were a part of her body instead of a normally heavy piece of armor. ¡°These gauntlets were gifted to the royal family by the Goddess after the Dividing War,¡± Yamato explains, ¡°They¡¯ve been passed down through generations and generations. Each time, the gauntlets adapt to the fighting style of the wielder.¡± ¡°Huh? They¡¯re weapons?¡± Soleil had always used a hunting bow, this was going to be new. ¡°Well,¡± Yamato chuckles, ¡°Instead of explaining it to you, I¡¯ll let you experience it. Come.¡± He rises from his seat. His trio of guests follow him out a sliding door into the Garden of Dragons. Kaiyo and Soleil can¡¯t believe their eyes. The trees, ranging from full bloom cherry blossoms to maple trees and wisteria trees, all added to the mystical aspect of the garden. Small paths littered the scenery, all following small river paths, with small two feet long bridges to travel over the river. A variety of songbirds fluttered about, chirping happily. It all seemed so serene and alive. In the center of the garden, surrounded by water, with only a small bridge to bridge the gap, was a rectangular land of dirt, but in that dirt was a magical circle inscribed with runes. Yamato guides Soleil to the spot, but doesn¡¯t go there himself. Sayid and Kaiyo stand off to the side. Kaiyo feels awfully like an outsider; he looks around, trying to figure out if he could sneak off. Would Soleil care? Soleil stands in the middle of the magic circle, ¡°What am I supposed to do?¡± ¡°The royal family, when gifted with the gauntlets, usually start going on a pilgrimage at around age 18 to pass the trials of the 12 tribes of the Litian Kingdom. The first trial is always the Ryuulong Trial. If you meditate on this spot, your soul will be transported to meet your ancestors and discover your destiny.¡± Soleil doesn¡¯t quite process everything, nor did she quite feel like completing 12 trials when there were much more important things at stake. She honors Yamato¡¯s feelings for now and sits down cross legged in the middle of the circle. She closes her eyes, and feels everything around her. From the outside, Kaiyo sees the air begin to flow around her. He closes his own eyes, he senses Soleil¡¯s aura and¡­ others. Floating around her, there were four other crimson forms. ¡°Do you see them?¡± Yamato asks the demon. Kaiyo nods, ¡°Four other auras¡­ Incredible.¡± Never before had he seen a lifeless aura float around. On Soleil¡¯s side, she had moved on to a plane where the sky reflected on the floor like a mirror. All around her was a blue sky with white puffy clouds floating about. In front of her, she sees a massive white serpentine dragon appear before her. ¡°The trial of the dragon,¡± a voice, grand, deep, echoes in her head. ¡°Follow the lead of your ancestors and defeat me.¡± Soleil looks at her gauntlets and looks back up at the majestic creature before her. There was no way she was capable of taking a dragon down. She couldn¡¯t even stand up to that Darkian mage. Up above, she could vaguely see shapes, people, floating above her, assessing her. The dragon lets out a roar and readies its stance. Soleil stands at the ready, but her mind and her body aren¡¯t in sync. The mystical creature flies forward, it¡¯s long, snake like body, sending a spiral of air towards Soleil. Soleil keeps her stance, protecting her face with her arms raised up, as the dragon recedes and stands back in front of her again. ¡°Fight. Come.¡± The voice echoes again. It looked like she didn¡¯t have much of a choice. Soleil swallows, her ancestors were watching. Would they know she wasn¡¯t raised like her? She was agile on her feet, due to chasing down a number of chickens in her younger days; but she didn¡¯t hit very hard, Ezra was the one good with close fighting. Soleil grins to herself, what was she thinking? Gramps would reprimand her for comparing herself to Ezra. She could do this just as well as he no doubt could. The dragon would get a fight then. Soleil lunges forward and halts completely, right underneath the mouth of the beast. The gauntlets adapt to the wielder, Yamato had said, so it made sense that they could change to the wielder¡¯s needs right? Her hypothesis comes true. The gauntlets shine, transforming into a bow radiating of light. She quickly shoots an arrow right in the underbelly of the beast, before continuing to rush forward, sending more arrows along the way, all the way through its tail. The dragon, hurt by the arrows, lands, it¡¯s tiny claws leaving ripples through the strange sky-shaped ground. Now behind the beast, Soleil climbs on top of it, running as fast as she can up its fine. As she reaches the top of its head, she uses it as a jump off point and looks back at the dragon¡¯s satisfied face. She shoots two arrows in successions as they bleed through the creature¡¯s eyes and she lands on the floor, a satisfied ripple at her feet. The bow transforms back into the gauntlets, snug around her hands. It wasn¡¯t over though. The dragon stands before her, its wounds completely healed. Soleil assumes it''s an illusion at this point, this entire plane of existence was no doubt fake. A spirit comes towards her, her form fluttering. Soleil couldn¡¯t make out who it was, but the spirit had to be one of her ancestors. ¡°Harness the power of the dragons in the gauntlets and use its strength to defeat it.¡± The spirit says in what appeared to be a hazy male voice before its ghostly hand touches her gauntlets. The gauntlets glow a hue of turquoise blue. ¡°Use the blue flames with the punch of the gauntlets.¡± The spirit¡¯s will was Soleil¡¯s command. She looks at the dragon and with a flick of her hand, demands it to attack first. With a powerful roar, the dragon lunges forward for a bite that could eat Soleil alive. She readies her fists, and, wills the blue flames to erupt around her hand before jumping above the beast right as it attempts to bite her. Blue flames glowing, she strikes the beast with a satisfying skin to scale contact that sends the creature downward to the ground. Satisfied by the Soleil¡¯s showcase, the dragon appears to smile at Soleil. ¡°Good. Your ancestors may speak to you for a couple minutes. To explain your destiny.¡± The beast disappears, fading into the endless sky. Soleil turns to face the spirit that had fluttered down. It was now accompanied by another hazy figure. ¡°A good first showcase of your skills,¡± the same hazy masculine voice speaks. ¡°You¡¯re a beginner, it shows, but there¡¯s potential to become a great fighter.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you,¡± Soleil bows, grateful that her ancestors seemed to approve of her fighting style. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have many things you want to know,¡± the new spirit says in a hazy feminine sounding voice. ¡°But there¡¯s only so much we can say.¡± Even now, Soleil begins to see the sky around her distort. ¡°Please, tell me. Tell me what I must do.¡± Soleil pleads with the spirits. Voices begin to speak to her incoherently. ¡°Seek the pendants.¡± ¡°Bring balance to our continent.¡± ¡°Restore the peace of the two countries.¡± ¡°Defeat Cethin.¡± ¡°Find the World in Between.¡± ¡°Bring balance.¡± ¡°Red. Blue. Green. The pendants.¡± ¡°Nemesis.¡± Sentences become mumbled words echoing in her mind, before the sky around her completely disappears, and she opens her eyes to the Garden of Dragons once more. Sweat radiated on her temple. She feels the aftermath of her acrobatics in the plane. The voices had put a strain on her mind. She stands, the words still echoing, unable to leave her head. Soleil had a lot to think about.