"We will stop here for the night. I know Lorica and Sangrine are tired so we should set up camp here." I slid off my dragon and looked up at the darkening skies. I dusted my tunic, pointing down with my index fingers. "Night is falling upon us."

Zoticus stayed seated atop Sangrine. He clutched Lorica with the bag on his chest. "Where are we? I feel the presence of wild animals."

"We are a few hours away from the outskirts of Mesoa. This is a small jungle full of coverings. If you are afraid of wild creatures, there is no need to be. I will build a fire with these dry logs." I knew fire kept curious animals at bay but if I am proven wrong, I will use a sword. "I would use the braver animals as food."

"You don't need to start a fire," he said behind me. He had dismounted Sangrine without making a sound. "Pick a spot for me to start a flame."

I gasped when a pillar of fire flashed before my eyes. I felt blinded by the light. "Zoticus, I don't care where you create fire but I would like to keep my eyesight! Also, away from Sangrine. He becomes aggressive near heat."

A small flame separated from the long pillar of fire to bounce onto a log. Then, a small spark became a hot bonfire. Zoticus stood over the crackling flames with the warmest smile on his face.

His eyes lit up fanatically.

Lorica took the moment of silence to babble in the darkness. Her chubby arms reached out to grasp the fire, but Zoticus stepped away. She was the reason he moved from his source of energy and happiness. "Papa!"

Zoticus almost tripped over a twig after hearing Lorica's last length of babbling. She repeated one word, slapping his arm with her palms.

"Papa! Papa?" The baby whacked Zoticus on the nose and she giggled, bouncing in his embrace. Then, she stared at me. "Ma? Ma?"

I can never express the feeling in my heart when she constantly called me 'mama'. I pointed at my chest to ask Zoticus if she was addressing me. "Am I mama? Do I look like a mama?"

"You do," Zoticus said suddenly. He plopped down on a mossy log, holding Lorica in a feeding position. "She hasn't eaten since the market. She must be starving to call me her papa."

"She calls me her mama. You sound offended by her calling you papa." I pouted, not amused by Lorica's name for me. I am no one's mother! "If anything, I think you should be her mother."

"Because I act like a mother?' Zoticus nodded, not bothering to argue with me after registering the milk jugs in his hands. His eyes widened and his free hand dug into the bag. "I didn't have time to pack food! There's only a small piece of bread I hastily grabbed."

I gazed blankly at the loaf of rye bread that was the size of a brick in my house's wall. It's not as large as one would think. I can see his outstretched hands because of the bright fire. I waved my hands in the air, "I don't need to eat anything."

"But you do," Zoticus sighed and brought the bread back to Lorica's chest. Carefully, he broke the loaf in half. His hands moved to toss the bread over licking flames. "Catch it, I don't have any more food!"

I followed the lump with my eyes, puzzled by the amount of sweat dripping from my forehead. I caught the bread, frowning when I flattened it between my palms. "I'll enjoy the bread. Thank you Zoticus!"

"Yeah, whatever, I don't care if you shove it through another hole. I was a priest who provided bread for my people. I'm only acting out of habit." Whatever he said, I was enchanted by his voice. Zoticus nibbled on his piece of bread whilst glaring at the flames.

"Are you mad?" I walked over to the log he sat on and placed my foot on moist moss. The fallen trunk rocked and I smiled sheepishly. "You are mad now. Lorica is crying now!"

"She's crying because of you!" Zoticus stuffed the rye bread in his mouth, annoyed by being deprived of an opportunity to enjoy the food. He dusted his fingers to remove crumbs and his attention turned to the baby in his lap. "Oh, let's get you off my legs. Please don't cry, Marik won't startle you again."

I blow a chunk of hair off my forehead. "She's fragile and vulnerable, why would you bring her to a battlefield? She will be startled by the sounds of war!"

"Well, what else was I to do with her?"

"Oh, I don't know, stay at home with her? Why would you, a Krasean, follow us to a battlefield shared by Xishun and Vales?"

"I'm not a Cithenian or Krasean anymore! I know what war looks like and I know Lorica would be afraid, but I need to see your fall."

I held my breath for a moment. What did he just say? "I won't fall. Not tomorrow, not in a hundred years."

"How can you be so sure?" Zoticus quickly leapt to his feet and although Lorica was still in his arms, he dug into the pockets of my tunic. His hands emerged from the last one, tightly gripping an item. He thrust it into my face.

I raised an eyebrow, slightly irked by his flaring nose and laboured breathing. I gathered he must be livid, but why?

"Where did you get this and why? It has been with you, but you don't know what it is!" Zoticus held the jewel given to me by the strange fortune teller. His golden eyes blazed brighter than the fire crackling near our legs.

Lorica clapped her hands together, making both of us jump. "Mama!"

I found her innocence adorable, but my focus should be on Zoticus. I snatched the yellow gemstone from his strong hands and apologized to Lorica for brushing her forehead with the sides of my palm.

"Fine, I don't know what it is. What is it to be alarming enough to make you shout at me?" I opened my ears and eyes.

"The Sun's Jewel is dangerous to people who possess dark magic. Light and darkness clash against each other, have you felt nothing while the stone was in your pockets?" Zoticus stared at the jewel, almost entranced. "You've visited a witch also. She is using the Sun's Jewel to slowly strip you of your powers."

He paused to readjust Lorica. "Slow enough for a skilled man to barely notice. Why is she trying to do this if you are immortal?"

"This stone won't be able to kill me, but the worst thing besides dying is losing strength. How would you feel is you lost your powers after years of refining them?" I gave him the jewel, regretting the moment I lashed out at him.

He knew more than I did but I was too angry to care.

"Here, if it's detrimental to dark magic, perhaps it can give you strength?" I knew Zoticus was powerful without the sunny jewel, but anyone would want a booster. I clenched my hand after his slender fingers plucked the Sun Jewel off my palm.

I felt his skin for a mere second, yet where he touched me tingled and burned. It felt like a spark from the fire had been spat into the center of my palm.

"The magic is compromised, but I can push out her magic to make the stone pure. Why did you meet this witch?" Zoticus gave the baby to me with deeply furrowed brows. He paced around with the jewel in his hand.

I shrugged, "I felt a pull and as soon as I regained control of my body, I found myself standing before her shop. I can't describe the force attracting me to her. What I did there is not important."

"You had your readings done, didn't you?" Zoticus plopped onto the log, using one hand to pull down his skirt. His hands glowed beneath the Sun Jewel. "Marik, tell me you had your readings done with her."

I gulped knowing the moment of hesitation was a solid answer, but he waited. Should I tell him with my own mouth? I rocked Lorica and nodded. "I did. She knew so much about me."

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"Did she mention me? I'm sure she did." Zoticus tapped the jewel in his hand, withdrawing when a dark substance drifted out of the gem. "She's powerful, but not too threatening to you."

"She said to give this jewel to my counter star? If you're my counter star, you should know the significance of the stone." My heart raced when he nodded in the glow of the fire. I needed to hear his thoughts.

Zoticus shook his head and chucked the Sun Jewel into the burning pit. With solemn eyes he watched the orange tongues lick the jewel. He gripped the log as if his life depended on it.

The gem exploded like Xishun's weapons. I hear Zoticus hiss when a shard of the jewel embeds itself in his chest. How was that possible?

"Zoticus!" I shouted and the baby girl started to scream into my ear. I hear her shout 'papa' until we reached Zoticus. I knelt before Lorica's adoptive father, barely feeling the cold ground. I looked down at my bleeding forearm. I've been hit too.

"I'm fine," Zoticus whispered softly. He cautiously pried open the rip in his tunic, pinched the shard and quickly plucked the object out of his flesh. He ripped off a strip of cloth from his tunic to soak up the blood flowing from his heart. "I'm truly fine, worry about yourself. Don't let your blood touch Lorica!"

I immediately moved my arm away from the baby, not knowing why I drew away. "Are you sure you are not going to pass out?"

"Lorica is only a baby. Blood and dirt can kill her easily." Zoticus winced, probably tempted to stop applying pressure on his wound. Sweat lit by fire made his skin glow and as he sat hunched over, I thought he looked like a statue. He was a marble statue that had been chiselled by the gods.

"You care more about Lorica than yourself? Look at you, you're tilting to one side!" I could not believe that I'm on my way to fight Xishun. "I'm sorry, the stone hurt you and it's my fault."

"No, the jewel would have exploded one day anyway. If it wasn't in a fire, it would have been at your heart. It's fortunate that you didn't press it to your heart." Zoticus held a soaked piece of cloth.

His head lifted to reveal a scary smirk. The bloodied fabric did not make him look innocent. "I want your body to be perfect when I find a way to kill you. The Sun Jewel would have devoured your heart."

"You should not spend your most youthful days planning to kill me. Focus on Lorica because you are her papa." I pat the baby's back, hearing her burp behind my ear. I felt my lips turn upwards but it was just the ghost of a smile.

"No, I must fulfill my duties or the gods of Cithen will punish me. If I must be honest, I don't want to kill you. The world will collapse into itself if someone like you dies." Zoticus started a flame on the tip of his index finger. Using his other hand he pulled his tunic down to his waist.

I turned around to avoid staring at his body. I would not be surprised to see a statue of him in one of Cithen's temples. My god, did he look like a god!

"Are you shy? You've lived with men for a long time, why can't you feel normal looking at me?" A soft chuckle rippled through the air. His merry laughter came in waves of sound.

"I'm not shy!" I snapped.

"Do you like me now?"

"I do not!"

"Your tone and aura do not make me think so. Marik, do you like me?"

"How can I like you if I barely know you? I've thought of liking you, but Sebastian kissed me before you did!" I spin around, irritated to see a triumphant smile plastered on his face. He won and I fell into his trap.

"I didn't ask about your friend, but you used him as an argument against me? You're clearly hiding something." Zoticus pulled his tunic back over his shoulders after sealing his wound with fire. Beads of sweat still dropped from his head.

I give Lorica to him and moved away to sit beside the fire. Staring into the raging flames did not help to calm my nerves. "You should sleep. We will reach Mesoa by tomorrow evening if we do not run into any mishaps. Once we're there, you and Lorica can have no rest."

An owl hooted from above us and I will admit I jumped at the sudden sound. I did not know this jungle was home to forest animals. At my feet, glowing beetles crawled into the fire. Those poor souls.

"Marik," a voice sweet as honey called out to me, cutting through the still darkness. Zoticus took a deep breath and after that, he made no sound. Only when I turned around did he murmur softly. "Good night, Marik."

I stared at him with gaping jaws. I stuck a finger into each ear to check they were not blocked by earwax. Did I hear him right? "Zoticus, what did you say?"

"You heard me clearly." He waved his hand and he swayed on the log. He hugged the baby in his arms to wrap her in warmth. "I'm going to sleep."

I blink thrice, not believing the words echoing in my ears had been said by the golden man under my care. For all the nights we've spent together, I was the one to bid him a good night. The best reply I've gotten thus far was a curt nod.

Tonight was the night I gave up because I thought I bothered him with useless wishes before bedtime. It was strange to hear him wish me a good night. Suddenly, it was so out of the blue! Was he ill?

Whatever the case was, I trembled before the spitting fire. I may be shaking because I am alone with such a beautiful man. His perfect curls resembled gold clouds, his smooth cheeks were full and the permanent smile wrinkles on his face added to his beauty.

Even more beautiful than his physical appearance was his character. Never did he make our conversations about himself, he always patiently listened to me. Perhaps he was noting my weaknesses but I don't care.

The one thing to reveal his genuine thoughts is Lorica. As a new parent, he worked without rest to attend to her needs. He fed her at precise hours, he gently bathed her, he dressed her and he moved objects that could potentially harm the fragile baby.

Even now, when he was resting, his arms wrapped around her protectively. For Zoticus, Lorica was more important than the two of us combined!

I slapped my face, urging myself to quit thinking about him. I should be a cold and ruthless man. I have no time for receiving and giving affection! I should be wary of the men who want me dead more than they want their lives. Still, how could I resist his youthful face?

Oh, my gods, I'm a pervert!

I shouldn't be having these thoughts before fighting a physical battle. I don't know what I will do when Zoticus follows me to the fields. Will I be burdened by him? I already felt the damning urge to protect him and his daughter.

"Marik, control yourself!" I growled to myself. "Friendships with enemies are useless. Love only weakens strong men. I don't care about him!"

Frustrated as an unsatisfied female cat in heat, I roll onto the ground whilst tugging at my jet back hair. Although I wished to sleep, I could not invite the darkness. My scalp itched and my heart burned like the orange bonfire.

"Well, I'll be damned," I mutter quietly. I had finished displaying my immature personality, quickly rising to sit erect. Before my weary eyes, a warm spirit danced. Behind my back, a hot flame slept. "I have started to break."

I was not ready when Zoticus came and uproot my life. How am I supposed to stay sane when the man on the log managed to shatter the illusion of Marik Valerius? I can't remember the last time I was aware of my heartbeats.

Perhaps, it had died when I was left on the streets to raise myself. No, I recalled feeling fear as I ran from wild dogs. Then, my heart may have been petrified after I found myself under 'his' care. The longer I lived the more my heart withered.

Growing up surrounded by blood and suffering does affect one's head. I have been influenced by tough men who only smiled at spilling guts and rough sex. I shuddered, still shocked when I recall my hazy past.

Zoticus never believed me when I say that I understand the situation of average slaves. He knew my early life was not smooth sailing, but he thought I was abandoned and that was the worst of the lot.

I had plenty of time to reflect on my abhorrent past. I would not dare claim I had been a slave although I had been treated as such. If toiling day in and day out without pay or food could be categorized as slavery, I endured worse.

On top of working like a mule, starving until my ribs showed and receiving nothing but air, I was ridiculed daily. I remember torture chambers full of sweaty men and brothels full of overbearing women.

Zoticus still prays to his gods before going about his daily life, thanking them for favouring him. He knew that somewhere in Vales, his people are not as fortunate as him. He acknowledges that I am a fair master.

I crinkled my nose, still feeling a distinct taste of bitterness on my tongue when these thoughts form. I have not given into Zoticus' insisting we address each other as 'slave' and 'master'. I will never give in to this plea of his.

He had asked me to find him a harp, and I bought one for twenty gold coins. I didn't question his motives even when I dragged the instrument around Orotica.

He had asked me to find noodles from the kingdom of Hanjin. I rode Sangrine to Hanjin to purchase the red noodles I have not seen before in my life. Still, I did not question him.

If Zoticus ever asks for materials, I will provide them as soon as I have my hands on them. His urging to officially became master and slave is a different matter. One that I will not fulfill.

"I've changed too much. This is dangerous, I must return to my former state!" I talked to the crackling fire, flicking tiny sparks with my fingers. My mind was a jumbled mess. The only constant thing was my role as Vales' God of War.

"Marik," an airy voice called to me as the first streak of light penetrated the blanket of twilight. On the log, Zoticus yawned quietly beside Lorica's ear. The golden-haired man waved his hand. "Good morning, did wild animals come to visit?"

"Of course not -I scared them off with my killing aura!" I hear melodic laughter join my loud chuckles. His laugh was enchanting, casting shivers down my cold spine. I rake my hand through my hair, staring at the dying flames. "Zoticus-"

I was not able to speak any further when the man behind me answered. He moves to stand behind me, startling me out of my wits by pressing his hand on my shoulder. "What is it, Marik?"

I trembled under his feather-light touches, unsure of what I had originally planned to say. I sucked in a deep breath, "Why are you doing this to me? I don't like what you are doing to me."

"I don't understand," he said.

I swivelled around, taking him by surprise. I watch the man holding Lorica step back as if he was a step away from bubbling lava. I scratched the back of my head, "You're special."

Why was I telling him this at this moment? I'm frustrated to find myself spilling my thoughts. It was so unnecessary!

Zoticus peeked from behind the baby. "I'm special? I still don't understand."

"Good," I exclaimed. I waved a hand in the air to urge him to forget what I've said. "We need to fight soon. Thinking about such things will not be beneficial for us."

"Perhaps I can kill you today while you fight." His personal musings frightened me. The voice that could originate from the depths of earth had returned.

Zoticus walked up to me, pushing his youthful face close to mine. Golden eyes flashed light into mine. "Your heart is changing. I will see to it that I will pierce it today."