Richard awoke to a most familiar sight: the medical tent where he had spent most of the last few days. He tilted his head away from the ceiling, trying to get his bearings, but an atrocious headache immediately assaulted him, waking him from his daze. He tried to stand up, but a deep pain seared his muscles before they buckled under the strain, prompting him to fall back into the soft bedding.

"It's alright. Don't force yourself," a soft voice said to his side. The voice was gentle and caring. He felt a soft hand tightly gripping his own. He squinted, trying to fight the haze obstructing his vision until a mane of silver appeared before him. Upon seeing the most welcomed of sight, Richard closed his eyes and exhaled, letting go of all the tension plaguing his battered body.

Although his bloodline granted him powerful regenerative abilities, it didn’t mean he was immortal. Everything always came with a price. In his case, the price was blood. He had lost too much during the last battle, so he was weak and dizzy. It would take a long time for him to replenish what he had lost, but it was worth the expenditure since he could come back alive to see her smile.

His goddess stood on his bedside, his hand tightly into hers. She had spent the last two days barely eating and sleeping, only at his side, hoping for the man she loved to open his eyes once again. She blamed herself for his current state. She should have been the one on the front line. Rage mounted in her heart when she thought back to the one who had detained her within the command tent. She wished nothing more than to strangle him with her bare hands. Noticing her agitated state, Richard asked, “What happened?”

A helpless smile graced her beautiful lips, making for an endearing picture contrasting her usual stoic personality. Richard felt flattered; he was the only one she had left her guard down with. She would usually emit the aura of a majestic Goddess of War, yet now she only felt like a lost and helpless little girl. The thought brought a smile to Richard's lips. A small laugh threatened to escape his throat, but it suddenly became a dry, rough, unending cough.

With each contraction of his diaphragm, pain jolted to every part of his body while a small amount of blood dripped on the corner of his mouth. Maria panicked and wished to call a medic for help, but Richard held her by the arm, preventing her from rising. He knew his condition best; he wasn't the Order's best medic for nothing.

Soon, his cough subsided, and calm returned. He could finally see her face clearly. She was just as beautiful as always, even when haggard and sleep-deprived. The small traces of weakness and sadness only made her more endearing. He asked the same question again, patiently waiting for an answer. He had no intention of blaming her; he did everything of his own free will; he simply wished to ascertain the truth.

On the other hand, she was assaulted by guilt. She stood rooted in silence for a long time, unable to find convincing words; even the truth only felt like an excuse. Richard felt her distress, so he gently caressed her cheek before slipping his hand into her silky hair, bringing her head closer before softly kissing her exposed forehead.

His gentleness, despite the traumatic injuries he had suffered, touched her greatly. She buried her head into his chest and sobbed like a little girl for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Her long, beautiful, soft silver hair fell like a waterfall on each side of his chest, hiding the mess on her lovely face. They stayed in this position for a long time, appreciating each other's warmth.

Once all her tears had dried, she finally rose once again. She turned away, hiding her face behind her hands; she had never felt so embarrassed. Richard saw her rosy complexion suddenly turn bright red, making him smile.

Once calm, Maria recounted the events within the command tent, which caused Richard to frown. He had suspected something when she failed to show up once the battle started, but he would never have imagined that something so shocking would happen in the short time they were apart. He did recall seeing riders approaching from the south, but he assumed those were reinforcements the Princess had gathered while on her way back. Multiple hypotheses and deductions flashed in his mind, but the information he had was limited; what he could infer from what he knew may be far from the truth. While he was deep in thought, a notion struck him.

“How’s the front line? What was that light?” he asked.

Maria showed a complicated expression. While the front line held, most of the Count's forces were decimated. The Order was luckier; many survived but would take a long time to recover. As for the beasts, when the light engulfed them, they stood rooted in place as if frozen in time. Witness accounts from the surviving knight reported sights of tiny, almost invisible, black tendrils wriggling out of the beasts' ears before succumbing to the light. The knights likened it to smoke being blown by the wind.

Once the parasite was gone, the beasts seemed to recover their mind. They stood rooted in place, disoriented, before slowly returning to the forest. So came the end of the war. They had suffered much for this victory. While the war was over, their battle had yet to end. Beasts' carcasses littered the land while disease-ridden insects feasted on the mounds of flesh. The cleansing blazes still had a lot to do.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Ever since the end of hostilities, the lightly injured busied themselves cleaning the battlefield. Under the Princess's orders, everything that came even remotely close to those black parasites was offered to the cleansing flames. Even their comrades' remains, nothing was spared. While the light seemed to have purged most of the corruption, traces of it remained within the recesses of the earth, littering the plains. Without any other choices, everything had to burn. Christina felt helpless about this matter; it would take a long time for this region to regain its abundant and lush fertility, but she steeled herself as this was necessary.

Much has happened since Richard fell unconscious. He patiently listened to Maria recount what happened, entranced by her soft voice. Such moments of peaceful tenderness were rare for the couple; they were busy people with many responsibilities. Even in this case, Maria felt compelled to aid in the restoration efforts, if only to alleviate her guilt slightly, but Christina had commanded her to stay at Richard's bedside. He understood Maria well and didn't blame her for it, but he also felt grateful to the Princess. Spending time with her, simply talking even if the subject was heavy, soothed his heart. One thing came to mind as he listened to her.

“Whatever happened to that man? The Duke’s son?” he asked, perplexed.

Maria's expression grew ugly but also complicated. A mix of anger and helplessness swirled in her heart whenever she thought back to that incident. A multitude of swears and insults threatened to come out at his mere mention, but she reigned them in through sheer force of will. She closed her eyes, regained her calm, and simply sighed.

“That’s the difficult part. Even the Princess is at a loss,” she finally said after deliberating over her choice of words.

"How come?" he asked while frowning. From what she had told him, the case was clear and cut. The man arrived at the camp in their hour of need and, instead of helping, proceeded to impede and blackmail them. His guilt couldn't be more obvious, but he finally saw the problem after reflecting on it. What did he have to gain by doing this? His actions only brought him demerits.

Richard was familiar with the young man, for they had met at a ball his father hosted. Although they hadn't talked much, he reckoned the man was intelligent and meticulous, a far cry from what Maria described him as. Something smelled fishy.

“He's feigning ignorance; says that he doesn't remember how he got here. How convenient," she added. Her words were laced with such an obvious disgust that Richard was taken aback. She wasn't one to be so open with her emotions. Richard thought that maybe she was being more open with him, but on closer look, her aversion was so intense that she couldn’t control it.

"Isn't it odd?" he replied while frowning. "Doesn't that remind you of something similar? You said the beasts were left in a daze, disoriented once the light hit. What if the same happened to the Duke's son?"

While only conjecture, Maria found it reasonable. The Duke's son acted much too strangely. Although she despised thinking he might not be guilty, she couldn't in good conscience ignore that possibility. She thought back, replaying the whole scene in her mind. One image rose to the forefront: the strange woman hidden in the back with an eerie smile. No matter how hard she tried, her facial features remained an enigma. She could barely remember her existence. If Richard had not noticed the discrepancies, she would have forgotten entirely. Once she told him about the woman, Richard fell into deep contemplation.

“Did we interrogate the Count's son? He might know something about her," he asked after a brief moment.

“He's missing," she said helplessly. "I remember him standing near the exit, but when the light blinded us, he was gone. We tried to track him, but no one saw him leave. I regret to say that his trail has gone cold, at least for now.”

Richard grew silent, reflecting on the implications, while Maria stood at his side, silently watching him sadly. After a moment, she opened her mouth to speak, but knowing what she wished to say, Richard put a finger on her soft lips, preventing her. "I know," he said softly before bringing his head closer.

Both of their lips touched, filling them with warmth. He had much to think about, much to reflect on, and much to do, but all of that could wait. He thought he would have died in battle, unable to see her once again, so now all he wished to do was forget all his pains and woes and immerse himself in her touch, feeling her soft fragrance and bathing in her warmth.

They melted together, drowning in desires, yet their love remained chaste this time only, for he was still gravely injured. They stood at a standstill, immersed in each other while time passed them by. It wasn't until a nurse came to check up on him that they finally grew apart. Gasping for air at this embarrassing interruption, Maria grew as red as an apple while Richard couldn't help but burst out in a hearty laugh, which caused his wounds to ache again.

“Where are my sister and the Princess," he asked, still cheery.

“They went to seek an answer from the Duke," she said after calming down. "Let’s hope he can shed some light on these matters, and if he is somehow involved...”

While the words were left unsaid, her threat was real. Even if he were a Duke, if they somehow found proof of his involvement, then his reckoning would come; of that, she promised herself.

******

Miles away, deep in the heart of the Acrean Forest, concealed within a lush valley surrounded by majestic peaks, stood a small village hidden among the trees. Small cabins stood high above the ground, hidden within the dense foliage of the majestic pillars. Simple suspended bridges made of wood and rope spanned the gaps between each dwelling while leaves were spread throughout, camouflaging the whole, making it unrecognizable from the surrounding wilderness.

Hidden among the leaves of the grandest of those trees stood a wooden mansion, both more prominent and more majestic than all the other houses. Seated on a small bench on the house’s porch was a gorgeous woman slowly sipping fragrant tea while overlooking the valley below.

While her gaze was cold, as if she were looking down on all creation, her graceful visage and voluptuous figure would never fail to light a fire in the hearts of most men. On her backside were a multitude of white and fluffy tails that shone under the sun's light while slowly dancing along a gentle breeze. Two furry ears stood perked up on her head, scanning its surroundings for foreign sounds; clearly, she wasn't human.

For days, her sight had been riveted to a certain point far away when a light erupted, drowning all its surroundings. The woman furrowed her brows, yet this action only accentuated her beauty. She stood motionless for a moment, absorbed in her thoughts, before she turned, addressing the servant standing next to her, "Bring him to me," she said.