“Let’s take a break,” Ezrel suggested upon reaching a clearing shared by Khar's and Bamunz's territory.

He jumped off his mount and pulled out the map. Kian quickly joined him as they discussed the best road to take. Malak helped Saori off the horse as Mizuki observed her surroundings. Detecting every sound in the forest, her ears twitched and rotated. When she was satisfied, she carefully descended from her mount. Quickly, with the help of the maid, they got the camp settled.

A month went by ever since the two sisters joined the others. Mizuki had adapted well to her role as Malak's personal maid since then. The group, except for Çiçek, left Acrilas once Kian acknowledged her skills. All remnants of the opposition were swiftly eliminated, and the repairs were progressing well.

“How long until we reach Bamunz?” Malak asked as he walked up to the men, who were still examining the map.

Kian shifted his attention to the love of his life. Kissing Malak's temple, Kian wrapped his arm around his shoulder. “Your back must ache from all the riding,” he teased.

Malak’s eyes bulged out before digging his elbow into Kian’s ribs. “What are you doing?” he whispered, worried Ezrel might misunderstand it.

Ezrel smiled politely before pointing to their location on the map. “If the weather permits it, we would be able to arrive in a day at the earliest,” Ezrel explained before looking at the dark clouds covering the sky.

“It’s still early. Should we stop here for the day?” Malak added with worry. “Is there another clearing in proximity?”

Kian shook his head. “The humidity is high and with all the clouds, it will only get darker throughout the day. It’ll be safer to build our tents here.”

“Yes, Sire,” Ezrel acknowledged his master's order before placing the map in his leather pouch.

As Ezrel walked away with the horses, he gave the new orders to the females. Together, they effectively carried out their tasks. After attaching the horses’ reigns to a tree, he fed them.

“Let’s see how far you’ve come,” Kian said as he pulled his arm away from Malak’s shoulders. “I hope you haven’t been lazy.”

“Then you shouldn't have assigned Ezrel to teach me,” Malak scoffed while stretching his arms. “He-”

“Should I punish him?” Kian smirked with a tilt of his head.

“Yes! Wait, what?”

“How should Ezrel suffer in retribution?” he crossed his arms with a frown.

Flustered, Malak grabbed his husband’s arm. “Don’t punish him.”

Kian stared at him in confusion. “But he offended you. It shouldn’t be easily forgiven.”

“He truly did nothing wrong. He’s a strict teacher, but he only did his job,” Malak pleaded before Kian burst into laughter. Pouting, Malak punched his arm. “You’re so mean.”

Kian shrugged, still smiling. “Well, are you going to show me?”

With his arm stretched out and palm facing the sky, Malak easily created a white ball of light with a pinkish hue. The hardest task was yet to come. He wished the orb would morph into the same weapon Kian created the other day. Ripples disturbed the smooth surface of the orb as it sensed Malak’s will. The undulations grew in speed and size until the ball of light exploded above his hand. Malak closed his palm with a sigh. With a renewed concentration, a new orb of pinkish light appeared but unfortunately ended with the same result.

“What are you trying to create?” Kian asked with a slight frown.

“A dagger,” Malak answered in frustration.

“Why?”

Startled by his question, Malak thought about it. He then remembered all the hints Ezrel gave him for the past few weeks. Realization quickly hit him. Malak was so obsessed with the dagger idea that he didn't consider the many other possibilities.

“I think you're right,” Malak nodded, lost in thought.

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Kian smiled before closing the distance between them. “I’m sure you can do it,” he whispered to Malak before walking away to help Ezrel with the horses.

ʕ◉ᴥ◉ʔ

The group soon arrived in the small town of Naram in Bamunz territory. Before they arrived, Ezrel scouted the area for a suitable inn. They only intended to stay for the night before leaving for the city of Bamunz, where Lady Drusus awaited.

The village of Naram fared better than other villages and towns in Khar's territory. War wasn’t the only reason for the people’s suffering, but the greed of their Lords. Along the way, Malak tried his best to help the people in need while spreading the name of the Morganite Saint. In Naram, it was no different. Malak worked hard with the help of Mizuki and the maid. Saori tried her best. She fetched water and other necessities to help them.

The next morning, at dawn, they departed for Bamunz. On horseback, it would usually take half a day. But the dark grey clouds covering the usual blue, bright sky would make their travel difficult. It hadn’t rained for the past few days. The humidity was high and the air heavy. The horses easily got tired in weather like this.

“This weather is terrible,” Mizuki mumbled as she fanned herself with her hand.

“If it rained, it would be much more comfortable,” Malak answered as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

As Mizuki adjusted Saori's position, she remained silent. The little werecat was fast asleep, with drool dripping off the corner of her mouth.

“Aren’t you afraid?” she asked, unaware of the maid monitoring them from behind.

“Of what?” Malak questioned as he tightened his grip on the reins.

“Anywhere we go, you leave a mark as the Morganite Saint. Everywhere you go, changes occur. Don’t you fear the king will want to claim your life?”

“Fear you say…” Malak seemed to think about his answer before smirking cruelly. “When the time comes, I shall be ready to receive him in my best regards.”

Shocked, Mizuki stared at him. She has never seen Malak showing such an expression. As long as Kian tightly sheltered him, she thought he was incapable of dealing with it.

Snapping out of it, Malak quickly composed himself. He cleared his throat with embarrassment. “Albimbert, he doesn’t know what I look like.”

“There are many witnesses. He could easily get your portrait,” Mizuki argued.

Malak chuckled. “Are you worried about me?”

Once more, she did not answer.

“With magic, appearances are trivial.”

A few hours before arriving at Bamunz, the sky rumbled. Strong, snarling winds raced through the trees, bringing along tree leaves and broken branches. Lightning flashed across the sky, followed by the roar of thunder. As quickly as possible, everyone donned their cloaks along with their hoods. Soon after, the rain pelted down on them. In a mere few minutes, their clothes were soaked.

“Let’s take shelter under that oak tree!” Kian shouted over the thunderstorm.

When the thunder roared, the horses neighed in fear while refusing to move. They dismounted their horses and carefully made their way toward the biggest tree in the area. The downpour was so heavy they could barely see ahead of them. Under the thick old oak tree, it provided them with a relatively dry shelter.

“How long do you think it’ll last?” Mizuki asked wearily as she tried to dry Saori’s clothes as she was shivering from the cold. “Should we make a fire?”

Kian stared at the dark grey clouds covering the sky and sun. “Yes. It doesn’t seem like it will stop soon. We may even need to spend the night here.”

Together, they gathered some wood and rocks to create a campfire. Using magic, Ezrel created a burst of hot air to dry the branches and twigs. With a snap of his fingers, sparks quickly blossomed into a fire.

Relieved, Mizuki and Saori held their cloaks near the fire to dry them. After obtaining a kettle and cups from the bags, the maid boiled water. As their bodies warmed up with a warm cup of water in their hands, their bodies relaxed. The cold and unforgiving weather relaxed their grasp on them.

“Do we have food left?” Ezrel asked the maid.

The latter rummaged through the bags in search of food before nodding. Most of their provisions were dried goods, like bread and dried meat. Fortunately, they were all stored properly and thus protected from the rain. The maid distributed it equally before taking a seat between the sisters and Ezrel.

Kian sat next to Malak with their meat sandwiches in his hands. As soon as Malak saw him, he stopped practising magic. Protected from the rain, they observed the scenery. Although thunder and lightning rumbled through the sky, Malak found peace in the rain pattering on the leaves above them.

“What’s the plan when we get there?” Malak asked before taking a bite of his sandwich.

Kian swallowed his food. “With Nuzan, we have the capital surrounded, and the west is in our hands. Furthermore, Tessazalut's army is secretly moving toward Nuzan. Then we will attack.”

Malak frowned. “Don’t we also have allies in the east? Was it Kirakzar and Ginargzar?”

“They won’t be of any use,” Kian dismissed it before taking another big bite.

Despite being curious, Malak didn't ask him more about it. Kian was familiar with the territories better than he did.

As suddenly as it started, the downpour stopped. The grey clouds parted, revealing a crystal blue sky behind them. The raindrops glistened like hundreds of crystals under the sunlight. In them, an entire world appeared in miniature while a rainbow. On the outside, they helped reflect light to create the rainbow.

“Let’s go,” Kian ordered as everyone finished their lunch.