I rode at the end of the line, having switched places with Sebastian when we departed from Mira. As we moved further away from the oasis, the beautiful piece of paradise sank under the sands as if it had realized we did not need it anymore. I gripped Sangrine's scales and looked down below to see Kraseans trudge along, happy after seeing Mira.

A particular scarved head was bent and the person I was watching had his hands solemnly pressed together. Even when others turned around to ask him questions, he did not answer and their heads turned back. They have been trying to gain his attention throughout the journey.

I watched the person take one step at a time, not making any noise which set him apart from the Kraseans before him and my boys flanking him. One soldier leaned on his arm, but the man moved away, hands still held together. The man on his other side brushed his elbow and he stepped back to avoid them both.

Still, my subordinates continued to bother him and they even lifted the man's veil. For a moment, I sat on Sangrine in shock. I narrowed my eyes as the scene unfolded before me and I see the man was as shocked as I was. He froze and his hands shot out to cover his face again with blinding cloth.

Still, my men continued to bother him.

"Stop with your dumb antics!" I shouted down at them, urging Sangrine to fly lower so I can speak to my boys. They stared up at me, eyes bulging as if they did not think I would ever scold them. "Let the man pray in peace."

The Krasean lowered his veil, revealing his face to us. He tipped his head upward so I can see his honey coloured eyes that were duller than his peoples'. Black eyeliner outlined the rim of his eyes, drawing attention to his enchanting eyes.

His lips formed the shape of a circle while his eyes narrowed into tiny slits. His furrowed eyebrows express his confusion. As fast as his look came, his head snapped back down and the veil covered him again. I could see his lips move but I was too high up to hear his words.

I shouted to ask my men if they heard him. "Did he curse me?"

"No, he did not say anything of importance! He does seem depressed though." Augustus had removed the troublesome soldiers from the man's side and now, the healer stood beside the Krasean. The kind healer should be able to loosen the tension. "He said you were blocking the sun from him."

I chuckle to myself and Sangrine starts to flip in the air, casting shadows and moving them above the people on the ground. A group of Kraseans watched me as they walked on, cheering for my dragon. They muttered words of praise as they clapped us on.

After hours of travelling through the desert, we reached a familiar forest of cypress trees. Dade shouted from the front of the line. I can see that he stopped the group of travellers. "We have reached Vales! Marik, come down to unseal the kingdom."

Soldiers turned to the Kraseans staring at me in awe as I pass them on my mount. Each of my subordinates clapped, "Welcome to our home, your new home, Vales! Long live Emperor Utar!"

Sangrine swooped to the ground, dropping me off in front of the magical barrier protecting our empire. My mount left me and Pyro dropped her rider beside me. The two dragons flew up and played together while we stand before Vales.

I felt my heart sink for the Kraseans because once night falls, their lives will become bleaker and darker than midnight. Despite my feelings, I must deliver these people to Orotica, Vales' capital where slaves are made. The dumb people of Krasea had abandoned Cithen and looked at the forest with so much hope in their eyes.

Sebastian and I place our hands on the barrier to print Vales' Elite Army's seal on the barrier. This is to unlock the formation for a moment to allow us passage. Once we put down the seal, the lives behind me are sealed. Sebastian did not look worried, but I felt my conscience resurface.

Before I can react, the magical barrier disappeared with roaring thunder. Kraseans gasped, awed by Vales' first line of defence. If Cithen had used their magic to create traps and walls, Vales would not defeat it so easily. Although we have the most advanced magic in the world, dismantling foreign magic should be difficult.

I do not know if Kraseans could wield magic, however, they should have protected their city with more than a wall and archers. Cithen was easy to defeat because our trip was like walking through one archway to the next and so forth.

"You are all safe in the forest, but do not speak loudly. The trees and vines are alive and they are known to eat humans." I smirked as my friend laughed beside me. The trees are alive, that is true. I lied about their being carnivorous because a headache started to form in my head because of their gasps and shouting.

I knew my words startled the people visiting Vales for the first time. Their hushed voices had died into silence. Of course, my men also played along with my fib and pretended to be alert. They drew their swords from their belts, brandishing them at wriggling vines.

These vines are mischievous as they would pull legs or wrap themselves around waists. The worst-case scenario is that they hold you captive for too long. Besides that, a dragon would be faster to eat apples than the forest would eat a live human.

The sun dipped below the horizon as we enter the forest and as the last Krasean stepped into Vales, the barrier thundered as it rebuilt itself. The last Krasean is still the quiet and sorrowful man, walking alone with his thoughts. It seems that he is the only Krasean to know his fate, or he was always wallowing in darkness despite his sunny appearance.

Whatever was the cause of his stoic face, everyone else around him will come to learn their fates -even him. We quickly rush through the forest and crossed a stone bridge hanging over the body of water called Acheron. I stayed on the other side, waiting for every single person to cross. I knew who would come last.

I was annoyed to see the blonde Krasean still maintained his peaceful pace as his people rushed behind my men. He had his hands together and his eyes stared ahead, void of emotions. His lip was pressed into a thin line which made me wonder. Despite my impatience, I let the man cross the bridge at his own pace.

"Tell that Krasean to walk faster! The others do not want to be held back by one man." A soldier whose name I do not know called out to me from the end of the line.

I turned around to face him, waving him off with my hand. I urged him to go without me and I said that I would personally escort the last Krasean to the house. I see my subordinate sigh, yet he pushed Kraseans along. If they were worried about the last man being lost, that will not happen if I lead him myself.

"Wait right there," I held out my hand when the Krasean finally passed the bridge and finally, his eyebrows raised. For once, I can see a clear emotion on his face! I try to crack a smile on my hard face and held out my hand to him. I spoke broken Cithenian as there was a high chance he does not speak Valesian. "Give me your waterskin."

The man shook his head and to my surprise, he spoke Valesian. The cold look on his face told me the obvious: he does not trust me. Who would trust a stranger dressed in clothes splattered with blood? His eyes shone with grief as he spoke, "No."

"I did not see you refill your water supply at Mira," I started to explain myself. A part of me knew what I was doing is very unnecessary, that I do not need to keep anyone hydrated. My job is to kill people, not help them live! Despite this, I continued to speak softly. "This river is full of clean fresh water. You should at least take some for later."

"What is the point?" The Krasean spoke Valesian with a heavy Krasean accent, but I understood him enough to hear his perspective. He lowered his head and removed the scarf on his head, placing the shawl around his tanned shoulders. He heaved a sigh, "If I refill the waterskin, it would be taken away from me as soon as we reach the House. I am preparing myself for the lowly life I will have in Vales. The one where I must go without water and food for days."

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I can hear the sorrow and bitterness drip from his words. Almost accepting my first defeat, I throw my waterskin at him. He caught it with an arm and I smiled to myself as I waved him forward with one hand. When he is close to me, I leaned in to take a glimpse of his golden eyes. "Even if you know what lies ahead, isn't your goal to live? You may be able to endure the pain, but would you want to die?"

"Besides," I waved a hand in the air as if to dismiss one of my soldiers. I pulled my face away after having a long look at his exotic eyes. "If you knew about the life you would lead in Vales, why would you come here? You had a chance to escape at Mira when no one was paying attention to you. You must have come for a reason so I suggest you stay hydrated and alive."

It pained me to know I have and will put this man and many others in pain. Although I torture and slay my enemies on the battlefield, I had to kill the ones whose aim is to kill me. On the battlefield, everyone's goal is to live and win. These poor citizens of defeated kingdoms do not deserve to suffer because their soldiers lost.

"I need to find Marik, the evil warrior who killed my people." Behind me, the man spoke louder than he ever had. At the moment, it was just the two of us as the rest have gone ahead. Above us, stars started to pop into the sky. "I must kill him so their souls can rest well. Our gods demand it!"

I froze in my tracks, not expecting him to say such words. I struggled to keep myself from laughing at the irony of the situation. He wants to kill Marik, and it seems his plan will fail because he told me, the one he plans to kill. Smiling, I spoke without looking at him. "I will advise you to reconsider your brave decision. Marik is our God of War, and who are you?"

"I know he is fearsome and ugly, but I know I can defeat him if I can find him. He brought pain to Cithen and who knows how many kingdoms will fall at his hands in the future!" The Krasean growled behind me. I can imagine smoke coming out of his ears. "He may be a God of War, but I am Cithen's God of Sun and Peace."

"Our general is a ruthless man, I do not think the sun or peace can ever move him closer to you. No, you should throw away that fantasy because you will never get close to him." I was amused by the amount of determination I detected in his voice.

Suddenly, a hand pulled my shoulders so that I am turned around forcefully. Confused, I faced the calm Krasean smiling back at me with his dull eyes. He truly looked determined and scornful. The line below his nose morphed into a bow.

"I am starting to think you are Marik. I could not see him on his dragon, nor did I hear his voice as he commanded his army and my people. My eyes were closed for the majority of this journey and anyone can be Marik Valerius." The Krasean pushed his face into mine and I gulped. His intense gaze made my heart skip a beat. "Tell him I will find him to kill him."

"You know you will become a slave, how will you ever find Marik from a household that can be anywhere else in Vales? Unlike Cithen, Vales is half of this world. We only fought your kingdom because your king overestimated his abilities, waging war on us as the new year arrived." I grinned deviously to provoke the sneering Krasean. "Marik defeated half of your kingdom."

"And I will defeat him." The Krasean let go of my shoulder and pushed past me, suddenly eager to walk unlike before. I admired his foolish confidence. "Everyone must have reached Orotica while we had this lovely talk."

I stretched my arms upwards, glancing up at the night sky. The moon smiled down at me through the sycamore trees' dark leaves. I heaved a sigh and started to follow the Krasean towards Vales' biggest city. He is the only one to know his new life, but for me, he would gladly enter the new life? I laughed as I watched him run holding the shawl like bat wings.

Soon enough, we reached Orotica's monumental gates. It has been a while since I have last seen these gates and standing in front of it made my thoughts vanish. The Krasean watched me as I held out my arms as if to hug the empire. Behind the gates, my people called my name in a chant and I wish they would go back to their homes to sleep.

Not wishing to reveal my identity to the Krasean, I pushed him through the gates and the chants stopped for a moment. I peeked through the gates to see four slave gatherers pounce on the Krasean to drag him off into the crowd. My heart dropped when he gave me a knowing look and then, he sadly joined Vales' joyful crowd.

I gathered all my strength to drag myself through the gates and the chants have restarted until I showed myself under the titanic archway. Two gatekeepers crowned me with a circlet of laurel leaves and Emperor Utar stood before me with a large smile. I bowed before my master, glad to have returned home.

"Marik Valerius," the emperor raised my hands with my wrist and his people started to throw gold coins at me which I did not appreciate. This was our tradition, so I held my tongue and let the emperor hold my arm. "Vales' God of War has finally returned! Show him your praise."

I wanted to hide my face with my helmet, but I remembered I must have discarded the piece of armour somewhere in Krasea. I held a hand to my face to hide my disgust. I wanted nothing more than to go home and wash my body, but these people and their ruler would not stop celebrating one victory.

"Please join my family at my palace for a feast. The night is still young and we have had our wine chilled to serve the God of War. Vales has been blessed by the gods to have such a formidable warrior live and serve with us." Emperor Utar begged me with his eyes, but I was not willing to party with his family after having no sleep for eight months.

"I apologize for my rudeness, but I am tired and dirty. If you will allow it, I would like to go home to rest and have some peace. Perhaps we can have a feast another day." I clench my fist and Emperor Utar finally let go of my arm. He looked disappointed, but I was too tired to care. Besides, he cannot touch me even if he was offended.

I have been challenged by famous fighters from all around the globe and we both know half of them had more skill than the ruler of Vales. Sometimes, my men would suggest I become the emperor, but I was never interested in shouldering his burdens. Who would actively try taking a throne where safety and sanity are not guaranteed? No sane man would want to be a king or emperor.

Even with a tough life serving the empire, I had not considered getting near Vales' disgusting throne. I love Vales, but not enough to throw my mind and youth away for its sake. I will gladly help Prince Fabio sit and drink on his throne as long as I can be Vales' Elite Army's general. If someone wishes to overthrow Emperor Utar or his son, that is their decision.

"I understand, it is cruel to make you stay awake any longer. You are excused but I did want to invite you to tomorrow's slave auction in the House. I have seen the Kraseans and I think you should buy a slave for yourself." Emperor Utar did not need to know I was annoyed to step away from me. He nodded, "I will stop talking and let you rest. Everything you do tomorrow is up to you."

As it should be, I thought to myself. The crowd had realized I do not wish to be receiving their attention and like scolded dogs, they disperse sadly. I started to walk through Orotica's streets to the road leading to my manor. After being promoted to general, I have been gifted a plot of land in Vales' most affluent precinct. Disgusting!

For the past five months, I have owned the land, but I never step foot in the big house I would call a palace. Vales' citizens call the neighbourhood Midaz, the Home of Gold, and Kingsdom. In the darkness, the extravagant houses lining the streets did not look so gaudy but my eyes would burn in the morning.

I counted twenty large houses, two temples and eighteen shops until I believe I have reached my house. As soon as I reach a stone wall I rip off my armour and chucked them over the wall. Then, I got to my knees and slithered along the dusty ground like a snake. I run my hand along the grey wall to find a moving brick.

I have not thought I would need to enter my new house, but here I am hoping no one found my secret place for the keys while I was away. If I find someone living in the manor, I will not be able to sleep for another day.

Then, I hear a scraping noise where I had just pressed my hand. Carefully, I pulled the loose brick towards me and cursed when the keys jingled on the other side of the wall. If I hired servants to watch my home, I would not be panicking. I do not like living with other humans so I have not considered bringing servants into my household although many people offered to serve me.

I looked around to see no one was taking nighttime strolls and as this is a rich neighbourhood, no one was returning from the fields or other places of work. In this deserted territory, I was alone and peeking through a broken wall like a thief. I blow a piece of hair off my eyes. "I am truly blessed by the gods."

In my head, Sebastian's voice shouted a suggestion that I would easily follow. "You are Marik Valerius, would you be defeated by such an unworthy opponent? Jump over the damned wall or kick down the gates, you blockhead!"

I push myself off the ground and ran to the gates of the house sitting across mine. My leg muscles tightened and I prepared to sprint towards the stone wall. As I ran the wind rustled my clothes and hair which brought a smile to my face. It has been a while since I was not running into a crowd of soldiers.

Suddenly, I was hit with such force I stayed frozen for a moment. I have been so focused on running fast that I forgot to take the leap of faith and my idiocy cost me my nose. Finally tired of life, I flew over the wall and cursed myself for being so brainless. I am too tired to remember I had magical powers.

"Home sweet home!" I held out my hands toward the large house and the white columns lining the entrance. My shouts faded into silence and I stood against the wall to stare at the dark house. I bent over to retrieve the keys.

The marble columns, vast gardens, gold doors, and big archways were signs of wealth that only the emperor's most favoured people can display in their homes. Houses like mine were smaller versions of Vales' palace. The silver key in my hand would not be needed to enter the house so I tucked it into my tunic's pocket.

Then, I raced towards the dark house. I could imagine bathing at night in my pool, jumping into a comfortable bed and sleeping until noon.

If the gods love me enough, I can sleep tonight.