I was excited, of course—And eager for the chances this part of my life would bring. I’m called the Paragon of my generation here, but I want to face off against people who are stronger than I, and I want to fight to get even stronger. Even if I am unbeatable in my own age group here, at the edge of civilization, I hold no delusions as to my level of ability when compared to the truly god-like youths in the Central Empires.

Besides, when you’ve looked forward to a journey like this for as long as I have, it’s unbearable to know it was so close to happening. Even better, I knew that Idarus and Jasmine were going as well, which would make the trip itself less unbearable, what with all the sons and daughters of high nobility that were also taking the same caravan.

I left the inn that had been my home for the past few years with a smile on my face, and tears in my eyes. I knew it would likely be decades before I would be back, after having finished schooling. The inn-keeper, a kindly matron named Ms. Corova, hugged me good-bye with the fair twinkle of tears in her eyes as well. She fussed over me a bit—making sure that I had everything I needed like clothes, emergency food, and my sword.

Well, it had been my fathers sword, but he had given it to me shortly before passing on, entrusting my younger self to protect my family with it. I had seen to it that they were risen from abject poverty, and given all the space and comfort they would ever need. All this through my own strength, and despite all that had stood in my way.

I swear, I might have had a jaunty hop in my step as I made for the area the caravan was setting up. And, my grin might have gotten even broader upon seeing Jasmine and Idarus already standing near the back end of the caravan proper, having just arrived, it looked like.

I waved at them, and called out.

“Aren’t you guys here a little early?”

Idarus laughed in a strained way, while Jasmine just looked at me blankly.

“Huh? What’s wrong guys? You look like something bad happened.”

Idarus replied to my question in a low tone, as if he was sharing a fairly large secret.

“Well, you see, it’s about that Lady Katariah.” He started off, and my face may have fallen a little. That was the one regret I would have, leaving her behind here. I wished I could have slowly started courting her, even through long distance mail. However, with how she had acted, and dressed that night we went to that bar, that possibility had fled.

The whole time we were making conversation, she had simply ignored the group, even if we had made overtures to grab her attention. I even called out to her, only to get an empty eyed glance in response, or a non-committal answer at best.

I felt slightly heartbroken thinking back on that night. And, I was still confused about her choice of wardrobe. Did she wear that dingy old coat just because we were going to that bar? I much preferred her in those pretty dresses, when she simply looked unbearably cute. Not that she didn’t with the coat—but that brought a different vibe to her continence.

I was brought back to the conversation at hand by Idarus snapping a finger under my nose.

“Seriously? Can you please wait until I’m done before going off into heart-broken lover mode?”

“Sorry. Please continue—What were you saying about Lady Katariah?”

“What my brother wants to say, Joseph, is that you may have made a mistake falling for her so quickly.” Says Jasmine with a little grin.

“What do you mean?”

Idarus sighed.

“As it turns out, Lady Katariah is the ward of Overseer Joan, and isn’t even a beastkin!”

I pondered this for awhile.

“So?” I asked, not understanding what the big deal was.

Idarus face-palmed, and groaned out a response.

“You…don’t even know who the Overseer is, do you?”

I shook my head, eliciting a larger sigh from the siblings.

“Overseer Joan is possibly the one person more powerful than the royal family in this kingdom. There has long been rumors among some of the high nobility that she means to take the throne one day.”

“And?” I said, thinking about this tactically. “If she’s more powerful, then why hasn’t she taken the throne? I think that your rumors are just that—rumors.”

“But the threat still exists, no? Beside, the very fact that Lady Katariah is the ward of such a powerful woman begs the question of, who is Katariah?”

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, thinking.

“Who told you these things in the first place? You act like it’s breaking news or something.”

“But it is! Mom and Dad had us meet them before coming here, and told us to be on our best behavior around Lady Katariah, and to assist her as much as possible. When we asked them why, they told us about her being a ward to the Overseer, and the fact that she’s not even a Beastkin!”

“I have a few questions? Like, why do you guys seem so hung up on the fact that she’s not Beastkin? There are plenty of other species in the world, and Beastkin are only one of very, very many. Then, why are you guy’s talking as if you’ll be seeing a lot of Lady Katariah in the future? We’re leaving for the Central Empires today.”

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“That’s the thing, Joseph. She’s coming with us.”

Ah, I think I might have blacked out for a few seconds there. Not good, I need to take this calmly.

“Did I hear you guys right? It sounded like you said that…”

“Yeah, that Lady Katariah is going to the Central Empires as well, on this very caravan.”

Well, that certainly changes things.

Commence operation woo Lady Katariah!!!

No, wait Joseph. You’re getting ahead of yourself right now. I need to get more information first.

“You still haven’t answered my question about Lady Katariah’s race. What’s so significant about it?”

“We don’t know. All Mom and Dad would tell us, what that her heritage is very important—that it alone could make her the guest of any imperial family, never mind the royal ones.”

I leveled a measured look towards the royal siblings.

“Is all this supposed to make me hesitate over her or something? I’m going to pursue her no matter what. Especially now that I know she’s coming with us.”

“Please, Joseph. Just think about it for a while. She’s too unpredictable a variable now—we need to move cautiously.”

“Caution? She’s at most a few years younger than us, Idarus. Just a girl.”

“You know full well that there are some who retain the appearance of a child well past the time most people would have died.”

“Yeah—powerful experts. She’s doesn’t have that feeling of power, or arrogance yet. She’s still young, trust me.”

Idarus simply sighed, like he was suffering my opinion. Jasmine, however, stated her thoughts on the matter rather plainly.

“Just stop pining after her, Joseph. You already saw that she has no interest towards you. There are now more cons than pros in going after her, when we add in the fact that she could be really dangerous.”

I smiled at Jasmine.

“You can’t chose who you want so easily, Jasmine. I like Lady Katariah for whatever reason, and I want to see this through.”

Jasmine looked like I had struck her, and turned away from me.

“Fine then, idiot. Do whatever you want.”

Idarus simply shook his head at me, somehow conveying all his feeling towards me in that one motion. I took this as a sign, and moved to one of the luxurious carriages lined up, and ready to go. I was about to dump my meager possessions into it and claim it as my own, when I heard a heavenly voice on the other side of the carriage.

I immediately knew who it belonged to, and stopped where I was, listening into the conversation completely by accident.

“Yeah. You owe me a spar after we’ve hit the road.” Said the person with the voice.

I recognized the other member of the conversation as well—Gabriel’s older sister Samantha. Gabriel’s always called her Bea though, due to a nickname she got among the armed forces.

“Sure.” Replied Bea, promising Lady Katariah a sparring match. I gasped aloud, nearly ran around the side of the carriage in order to warn Lady Katariah, but was stopped by an obnoxious voice off to my side.

“Oh? If it isn’t the little commoner monkey that had so viciously assaulted me. I would have thought that the Nobles had strung you up, like the little criminal you are.”

I groaned.

“Not now, Carlton. I have to go do something. I’ll have time to kick you ass later. Come see me then.”

Carlton, who still had a pair of black eyes from when I had punched him during the ball, turned red with anger.

“You impudent weasel! You think you’re hot shit, do you not?! My household guards would trample you into oblivion!”

I sighed.

“No, no, no. You just can’t do that. Don’t say something like ‘You think you’re hot shit’, and follow it with ‘do you not’!” Said Lady Katariah, who had come around to the other side of the carriage, followed by Bea.

“Ha! A commoner bitch joins the violent little squirrel beastkin! I won’t let you get away so easily this time, my new concubine.”

Lady Katariah smiled, and I felt my back go cold. She was wearing the old coat again, and had those weapons on her—one slung on a shoulder, and another pushed through a scarf-like belt.

“I’m afraid that you would have to do better than that to convince me into your bed.”

Carlton, apparently, saw this as a challenge, especially as Lady Katariah started walking towards him. She was slowly closing the distance between the two of them, and Carlton simply stood there, speaking viciously back to her.

“Convince you? I am the son of a Duke! Just my status alone should have you jumping at the chance to jump me! Not to mention my…prowess.”

Lady Katariah’s grin broadened, and she stepped within embracing distance to Carlton. He was taller than me, and of course Lady Katariah as well. However, she motioned with a finger for him to bend over, and he obliged, smirking towards me as he did so.

“Are you shy or something? Want to accept without that pathetic little squirrel knowing? Is he your lover or something?”

Lady Katariah simply whispered in his ear in response.

His broad grin faded from his face with each whispered word, and the arrogance seemingly melted from him.

His face paled quickly, and by the time Lady Katariah had finished, he looked sick and wan, and frantically tripped backwards. As soon as he was gone, I looked at Lady Katariah in wonder, trying to figure out what had gotten Carlton to scurry off so quickly.

I caught an annoyed look passing across her face, before she turned away, calling to Bea as she did so.

She didn’t even so much as look my way.

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“Just out of curiosity, Kai? What did you say to that boy? He looked like he was going to vomit right then and there.”

I laughed a little, thinking back on what had just happened.

“Not much. I simply informed him of some of the interesting things that would happen to his body, should he bring me to bed with him.”

Bea pondered this for a second.

“You know what, I’d rather not know.”

I smiled.

“Good girl. There are some things that shouldn’t be know, for the sake of keeping yourself sane.”

“Though, I am still curious about Joseph. Have you even talked to him yet?”

“Hhm? Why would I?”

Bea looked at me, amazed.

“My gods, are you really that clueless? I thought you were just playing hard to get or something!”

“I still have no idea what you’re talking about, Bea.”

“I’m talking about you attitude towards Joseph, who is obviously interested in you romantically!”

“Is that what that was? I thought he simply had a nervous tick or something. Always glancing towards me…”

Bea sighed.

“Never mind. You just have no common sense, do you?”

“Now you get it! Got rid of that some time ago. You should too, since common sense makes life so much more annoying and boring.”

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Meanwhile, a boy was squatting near a caravan ready to depart, muttering to himself about having been ignored, and wondering what she didn't see in him.

Of course, he determined to grow ever stronger, and make her notice him through his power.

He rehearsed the words ‘I will get stronger!’ in his heart over and over again, as the caravan began moving out of the city, and towards the Central Empires.

He would train non-stop until they reached Tinefil, the city by the holy seas.

And, he decided that he would crush all in his effort to gain the love of Lady Katariah, even if it meant entering the holy seas themselves, and visiting the hell that remained after the Elfen Wars.