"Potion? Checked. Rations? Checked. Alright, good to go."

After checking everything in his bag, Xiao closes it and walks out of his room.

Iva has already waited in the living room.

She only has a small bag that Xiao provided her, while he carries two heavy bags.

Iva was wearing the clothes that Xiao made for her. Compared to how happy she was when she wore them yesterday, she wears a gloomy look now.

"Ready?" Xiao asked her.

Though unwillingly, Iva nodded her head.

"Then let's go."

Xiao did not talk more than necessary as he thinks nothing he says will make Iva feel better. He strongly believes he was doing the right thing by sending her back home.

When Xiao and Iva went out of the cave, Xiao touched the giant boulder to lock his cave. Iva looked surprised by the lock mechanic of the cave.

Xiao noticed her expression and was going to say something. He stopped himself from doing so and proceeded to start walking. Iva followed behind.

Because Iva was with him, Xiao travels the terrain much slower than he usually traverses so that Iva can keep up with him.

Xiao has chosen the safest route to travel as he wants to avoid any encounter with animals, monsters and beasts. Though Xiao can fight and possess the undying skill, he doesn't have enough confidence to protect Iva from danger should an attack come to them.

Although Xiao has already carefully planned out the safest route, they still encounter a pack of wild wolves.

As soon as Xiao spotted the wild wolves across the bushes, he quickly commended Iva to lower her head and stay put.

("That's strange. The wild wolves shouldn't appear in this area. Did they change their hunting ground already?")

As Xiao was pondering the appearance of the wild wolves, he remembered the mysterious footprints he had encountered for the past few weeks.

("Maybe it has something to do with that mysterious monster. Nevertheless, I have to do something about those wolves.")

Deciding what he's going to do, Xiao ordered Iva to hide in the bushes.

"Stay here. Don't come out until I say so."

Iva nodded her head and followed his order.

Xiao then takes out his mask and wears it, readying himself to eliminate the obstacle that was in their way.

"....so the masked man was mister all along..." Iva murmurs in a soft voice upon looking at Xiao's mask. She remembered seeing it when she was in the Goblin hideout.

Xiao missed her whispering. His mind was already focused on the battle that was going to happen.

Xiao ignites and throws out a smoke bomb to the wolves from the bushes.

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The wild wolves noticed something was coming towards them. Still, it was too late as it exploded upon reaching the center of the pack, covering the area in smoke.

Xiao moves out from his hiding in reflex. With both swords in his hands, he rushes into the smokescreen.

Iva kept close eyes at Xiao but lost track of him after he entered the smokescreen. She felt anxious by his disappearance at first, but quickly enough, she heard beast growling and meat slicing sounds coming out from there.

It only took a while for the smokescreen to disperse completely. And when Iva laid her eyes on the field again, she saw a gray figure standing among corpses of wolves.

It was still a green grassy field just a minute ago, but now, it was painted in reddish blood and gore.

Iva didn't expect herself to be shaken by the scene where her mouth was wide open. And when the gray figure turns around, revealing an ominous-looking mask with red eyes, she jumps in fear.

It was only after Xiao took off his mask that Iva felt relish, though her heart was still beating fast.

"You can come out now," says Xiao.

Iva timidly walks out from the bushes. She slowly moves towards Xiao while inevitably looking around.

The sight of corpses and blood has Iva feeling disturbed and body shivering unwillingly.

("Looks like she has never encountered this kind of situation before. Guess I was right on bringing her back.")

"Sorry for letting you see this kind of stuff. Let's hurry up and leave this place." Xiao extended his hand to Iva as he said.

When he holds Iva's hand, he can feel her uncontrollable shivering as well. He squeezes her hand in return and gently pulls her away from the field.

After walking out from the field, Iva walks closer to Xiao while also holding his hand.

As they hold each other's hands while they traverse the terrain, Xiao and Iva continue their journey in silence.

They also stop at a few points to rest up, but they didn't speak to each other even while resting. Each of them has their own thought that they were afraid to let the other know.

The silence continues until when the sky starts to turn dark.

"Let's stop here for today. We'll spend the night here," says Xiao.

Iva nodded her head. She then helped Xiao to set up the camp and lights up a bonfire.

The dinner they were having was a simple meat soup with mushrooms.

While Xiao was eating, he spoke to Iva to check on her.

Iva didn't touch her food at all. She just holds the bowl with both of her hands as she feels the warmth of the soup.

Iva's expression stays gloomy. Her eyes were swimming with mixed emotion, doubt, despair, helplessness.

"Your food is going to get cold," says Xiao.

Upon hearing Xiao's words, Iva just nodded her head in response, and she slowly drank the soup.

Usually, she will eat up any of Xiao's cooking with a fortune expression. But now, her face stays emotionless with every feeding of the soup. It was as if she was eating because Xiao told her to do so.

The gloomy and silent atmosphere continues even after the two of them finish eating.

"Let's sleep. We still have a long road ahead of us tomorrow," says Xiao as he finally can't stand the awkwardness of the atmosphere.

Xiao turned his back to Iva and was about to sleep until he heard Iva calling.

"Ca-can I?!" Iva shouted out suddenly.

Xiao quickly turns to her. She was breathing hard as she tried to get the words out of her mouth.

"Yes?" Xiao asked, trying to learn what she was going to say.

Iva gripped her shirt hard. Her mouth was opening and closing, yet no words managed to come out. Her gazes, however, express what she was thinking about, about going back to her homeland.

Xiao gulps his saliva hard. He can already imagine what Iva was going to say. He stares intensely at Iva, readying himself for what comes next.

"Sorry," Iva says.

As anticlimax as it sounds, that was the only thing Iva said to Xiao.

She immediately turned her back to Xiao and covered herself with the blanket.

"I see..." Xiao says.

He didn't force her to speak out her thoughts, as he was too afraid to know it. He was afraid of giving up this journey.

The memories of Xiao's family and Lars flashes to him as he lays down on his sleeping mat.

"That's right. Iva can't stay with me. I just can't..."

As the two are filled with thoughts and words that they wish they could just scream out, the night quietly passes without any incident.