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During a brief silence, the rear party could hear someone singing a song in the middle caravan.

(Verse 1)

In a realm of darkness, where shadows loom,

There shines a radiant light, dispelling gloom.

She's the Lady of Light, a celestial sight,

Her beauty unparalleled, a beacon in the night.

(Chorus)

Oh, Lady of Light,

your grace divine,

Guiding us through darkness with love so kind.

Your presence fills our hearts with pure delight,

We sing to honor you, our guiding light.

(Verse 2)

With golden tresses that cascade like the sun,

Her eyes, like sapphires, sparkle and stun.

A voice that soothes, a gentle melody,

Her words of wisdom, a balm for the weary.

(Bridge)

In her presence, all worries dissolve,

A love so pure, our spirits evolve.

Through trials and storms, she stands tall,

A symbol of hope, to whom we all call.

(Chorus)

Oh, Lady of Light, your grace divine,

Guiding us through darkness with love so kind.

Your presence fills our hearts with pure delight,

We sing to honor you, our guiding light.

(Verse 3) In her hands, miracles unfold,

Healing the broken, warming hearts cold.

She spreads compassion, a boundless embrace,

A symbol of love, in this mortal space.

(Outro)

Oh, Lady of Light, forever we'll sing,

Your name on our lips, a joyous ring.

With gratitude, we cherish your divine embrace,

Forever grateful for your eternal grace.

it was Phil singing. He was the crew of a circus as parafin, a firebreather. He preferred to be addressed as Phil the parafin than Phil the Pyromaniac.

Phil sang The Lady of Light as the rest of the men marched along the road towards Serendale Village. His melodious voice was followed by a chorus of humming from his comrades.

Phil's song lingered in Aden's mind.

"Okay, who is this Lady of Light that Phil singing?" Aden asked freely to everyone, "Can someone fill me in?"

Aden's question piqued Phil's interest and he eagerly walked slower to get to the back of the caravan where Aden walked.

"You don't know Lady Light, ruhimi?" Phil asked.

"Nope," Aden answered. His imagination drifted away.

The young Jinn pictured Lady Light to be a mature woman somewhat in her 40's. Someone who had devoted her life to God with wrinkles already beginning to form on her face. Her ashen hair adorned her head in a close-cropped style that belied her wisdom, and she wore a simple white robe that represented the purity of the divine.

"Let me tell you, Lady Light is The woman of God venerated by the church of Aione. She is the embodiment of hope, devotion, and guidance to be the example for every woman in the church of Aione. Every generation has their own Lady Light as we got our Lady Light three years ago." Phil proudly explained to Aden.

Sir Percival walked at the rear of the group, his armored boots clacking against the stone path. "Lady Light's devotion to her calling is unmatched," he called out reverently. "But more than that, her beauty must be unparalleled as well."

Victor, the roguish smuggler, swaggered alongside with a devilish grin. "And her sex appeal," he interrupted with a lascivious wink. "Trust me, my friend. The moment you lay eyes upon her, she'll be the only one occupying your thoughts - in the chapel and the bedchamber." He licked his lips suggestively.

Phil shot Victor a withering scowl. "Shut your mouth, smuggler!" He turned to Aden with a reassuring smile, trying to erase the vulgar imagery. "Pay him no mind. Do not speak of Lady Light in such a crass manner."

Victor threw up his hands in mock surrender. "My apologies. I didn't realize you numbered among her devoted flock."

The group continued down the winding path, Percival's shining armor glinting in the dappled sunlight as he extolled Lady Light's virtues. Victor's bawdy comments hung uneasily in the air, contrasting with the knight's adulations of purity and grace.

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"She is a wench," Ethan added in. "She was betrothed to a lord's son only to marry the main house's lord."

"Don't listen to them, Aden." Phil defended Lady Light as if he owed her his life. "I met her once when I was performing in the circus carnival at the Lyondyn. God, she is such a goddess, even Ishtara pale to comparison to her beauty."

Phil carried on to venerate her highly, "She was also sweet, articulate, and well-mannered. I wish I could see her once again."

He recalled again, "She was out there by the main venue tent with her betrothed lad. I kissed her hand, and it was soft and warm and like one of those of Valueldor's fine sculptures."

"and then," Ethan Cut in. "She canceled the betrothal with her betrothed lad and made the main house's lord annulled his marriage and disown his children just to be able to marry her."

"That's a dick move, in Lua's Law she is not allowed to cancel her betrothal." Aden gave his belief perspective.

"what do you mean?" Ethan asked.

"In the Law of Lua, they have to marry first and then they can divorce after. You can cancel a marriage but you can't cancel an engagement." Aden gave the solution from Lua's Law perspective.

"She and her now husband's lord are from great houses in Wessen which are affiliated with the Old Law of the Aione's church," Ethan explained further.

"Marriage in the Old Way is for a lifetime, They can't get a divorce," Victor butt in again, "unless they both marry under the domestic law of the New Way."

"And what is this annulled? annulment?" Aden asked out of curiosity, "Is it the same as divorce?"

"Ah yes, you are a ruhimi so you are still new to this domestic law in the empire of Men, Regalyon." Victor answered in a cynical way to the empire of Men's words."The thing is, the church of Aione Old Way doesn't recognize divorce but they do recognize annulment."

"In an annulment, the former wife didn't take or get anything from her former husband. Even the offspring didn't get the father's last name. They would be considered as bastards." Gilbert added.

"Under the New Way domestic law, women can demand a divorce, the former wife gets half of her husband's assets, alimony, and child support." Ser Parcival shared his knowledge of the law of the church. "Annulment doesn't. The wife and the children got nothing as if they never existed."

"In short, in the New Way, women held the advantage while men got the bad end of the deal." Ser Percival was well versed with the laws and rules in the Wessen realm especially in the church of Aione and the Regalyon empire justice system.

"So your church has two different factions?" Aden asked Ser Percival with furrowed brows, his curiosity piqued.

The knight nodded solemnly. "It's more akin to two heads of the same body. One is the Old Way, adhered to by the great noble houses of the Regalyon Empire. The other is the New Way, favored by the lesser houses and younger generations." He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Allow me to explain in simple terms."

Victor interjected with a derisive snort. "Most city-dwellers and those in the greater territories follow this New Way." He curled his lip in disdain. "It started about a century ago, under the guise of 'reformists', but the most rapid changes occurred within the last fifty years."

"The New Way abolished old laws like punishments for fornication and female adultery," Ser Percival continued. "It also instituted lifetime marriage, women's rights to demand divorce and claim half their husband's assets, alimony, child support..." He ticked off the reforms on his slim fingers.

"Things the Old Way simply doesn't accommodate," Ethan stated flatly.

Percival inclined his head. "Indeed. The New Way also established freedom of faith. Were it not for them, your head might've already rolled, my friend." His gaze landed soberly on Aden.

Aden's brow furrowed deeper. "Then why can't this...Lady of Light simply demands a divorce herself?"

"She cannot," Percival replied grimly. "Lady Light was married under the Old Way church's domestic laws. What's more, both she and her husband's families are among the great houses devoted to the Old Way."

"Heh, I won't be surprised if she had a secret child with her ex-betrothed lad." Ethan scoffed.

"Looking back she has been betrothed for six years."

"How do you know?" Aden was genuinely curious. He didn't know the real lifestyle of the Wessen people as he only heard it from second-hand rumors or some tavern yarn.

"Hey!" Phil protested, he couldn't take it off all these men talking bad about his respected figure.

Old man Jedd slinked towards the back of the wagon, ears perked up as the banter about women piqued his perverse interest.

"Come now, Phil. Let's be realistic here," Ethan said with a sly grin, trying to get under the parafin's skin. "It's six years. Imagine you are betrothed to the most beautiful, desirable, lady in the empire of Men. Are you honestly saying you've never once felt the urge to touch her?"

Victor chuckled lasciviously. "Everyone in the capital city of Lyondyn and the greater territories talks constantly about her beauty."

Ethan leaned in conspiratorially. "Word on the street is her now-husband was poisoned, and she was the one behind the attempt on his life - though her plan failed ultimately."

Phil shook his head vehemently, blind to any rumor that besmirched Lady Light's reputation. "She would never do such a thing! She is a respected lady, a woman of God, a sister of Aione."

"Oh my sweet summer lad," Ethan clucked his tongue. "I'd wager she's more than capable, thanks to the New Way paving the path for the black widow's lifestyle to flourish."

From the wagon, old man Jedd cackled. "I'll drink to the New Way any day!"

"Sure you do old man," Victor replied with sarcasm.

Ethan's eyes danced with mischief. "I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if one day, news spread that her husband passed away under mysterious circumstances." He let the insinuation hang in the air like a fetid cloud.

Ser Percival turned to Aden, his expression impassive. "You're in luck, ruhimi. The Old Way cannot touch you for your differing faith in this empire, thanks to the protections granted by the New Way's reforms. And the New Way itself cannot persecute you either, as their domestic laws are based on individual faith systems."

Trying to lighten the heavy mood, Aden asked playfully, "So why was I arrested then?"

The knight's reply was curt and casual. "You crossed the border illegally."

Aden sighed, spreading his hands in a placating gesture. "You know I had no power to choose which shore I washed up on, right?"

A wry smile played across Percival's weathered features. "Heh. Consider yourself lucky all the same."

Aden accepted his fate with a resigned shrug, hints of a wry smile playing at the corners of his mouth in response to Ser Percival's dry comeback. Walked at the front of the caravan beside the captain and the corporal, Hjalmar - Aden's former cellmate from the Merlyon outpost border dungeon - grinned approvingly at their exchange.

"Speaking of black widows," Ethan's voice rang out from the back, his tone taking on a distressing edge that sliced through the pleasant ambiance. "I heard Ugly Don was working for them before he got caught."

The words hung thick and ominous in the warm spring air. Instinctively, those at the vanguard slowed the caravan's pace, conversations stilling as all strained to catch the disquieting gossip. The topic of black widows has been a mounting concern for the capital city's safety these past six months.

"When I was a crown enforcer, he lurked as a small-time debt collector and later cutthroat in the murky depths of the Lyondin underworld. He struggled to make a name for himself until he began committing unspeakable atrocities," Ethan opened the topic from his point of view before he became a smuggler.

Ethan told stories to those who listening about how he never forgot how far the underbelly of Lyondyn, the capital city of the Regalyon Empire, was able to corrupt someone. It was a couple of years ago before when Ugly Don was a smalltimer in the Lyondyn underground world.

Aden, Marcus, Victor, Oliver, Gilbert, Hjalmar, and Ser Parcival listened attentively.

"Hey fellas, what do you think about that Ugly Don? Do you think he made it?" Phil asked.

"Who knows," Marcus broke his silence.

"Maybe he already reached the closest village by now. if I knew the path in this mountain would be this hard I would bail out too before reaching the mountain." Phil complained contemplating his life choice.

"Lucky bastard," Phil cursed.

"Perhaps if you didn't burn down your circus showman's tent and created fire in the neighborhood you wouldn't be here in the first place." Ser Percival reminded Phil about why he ended up as a prisoner. "You would be still performing in the circus and meet your beloved Lady Light on some occasion."

"That man deserves what he got," said Phil with no regret a bit.

"Yet, the citizens and circus performers who live in the neighborhood paid the price." Ser Percival still pressing Phil.

"Yeah, well.." Phil looked remorsed.

"Hey, what's the ruckus back there?" Corporal Knightly loudly asked from the front of the caravan wagon. "Keep up the pace or you will fall behind and become the feast for the harpies."

"Anyway, let's not talk about her too much for now. Right now, we should focus on our mission." With that, Ethan signaled the party to pick up their pace and they continued towards the misty village to complete their mission.

Aden observed during their journey on the road this morning they hadn't encountered any single harpy, not even their presence felt. unlike last night they can feel and sense the harpy watching them by the elevated branch in the woods. yet, they kept hearing sensual moaning echoing around the mountain wall which sounded like it was close but it was actually far.

⁕⁕⁕