Suta POV

Suta felt a wave of restlessness covering his bones. He slept in intervals during the endless night but found he could never truly be at peace nor relax underneath the tension of his surroundings. To be honest, the air was mostly quiet and gentle, but he couldn't shake away the story of the Shinjin, subsequently drawing a parrel between his own arrival here and the mystery surrounding Lysann.

He stirred beneath the furs he was given to cover himself with and eventually found himself lying on his back. His eyes stared into the dreamscape expanse above, and so he ended up stargazing for most of the night. Time passed and even that became a chore after he quickly realized there was no daytime here, only the twilight, the stars, and the golden half-moon.

'Demoria...I hope you're safe.' His heart trembled whenever he thought about her, leaving her alone in that strange castle felt devastating. More so, now that he was questioning whether or not this skill he held was the cause of all of this made him feel ten times more worse

The constant tussle between his thoughts was enough to spur him awake.

Upon rising to his feet, he found Anak busying himself with a large map sprawled against the ground. With curious steps, Suta made his way towards him. The map was quite big, so he ended up crouching against one side of it.

Scanning the contents of the map, he noticed there were no words or symbols drawn on it, but a very detailed drawing depicting one side of a large world, most of which was surprisingly covered in the ocean. Three distinctively large masses of land were etched across specific parts, with one of the islands housing a noticeably giant-sized tree. Suta's eyes lifted, and he placed a finger on the island, peering into Anak's gaze.

"Is this where we are?" he asked paying close attention to the different large islands drawn against the four corners of the map

Anak softly nodded before pointing towards the largest mass of land dwelling on the other side of the detailed map. Suta swallowed harshly, guessing that must be Candy, where the Blue Castle stood and where Demoria currently was.

'That's a lot of sea between us and there" He noticed from a first glance

"Not to mention these tiny shaped islands in between,' he frowned, taking it all in, already knowing this was going to be a headache.

'More concerning is how I managed to teleport all the way here. And why here? But I guess I should be glad it's not out across the middle of the sea. '

A cold shiver ran down his spine at the thought. The lack of control he held with this skill was troubling, but Suta understood he would need to acquire mastery over it sooner rather than later. That's even hoping mastery can be obtained with the unusual ability.

"Human, say—can you defend yourself?" Anak asked him suddenly

Suta felt a little embarrassed by that question for some reason and scratched the side of his nose whilst stammering on his words.

'Why am I bothered by that? It's not like it's news to me. Ugh, do I want to seem tough in front of him? Tsk! I've become just like those fairies.'

Eventually, he arrived at a simple, "N-no... I don't think so," replying rather sheepishly, Anak didn't show any great deal of change within his expression, merely allowing his gaze to fall against the map again.

"It'll be a difficult journey for the both of us. And while I can very much guarantee my own survival, you, on the other hand... I'm afraid I can't be wholeheartedly assured I can keep you safe."

Suta felt the weight of those words forming a stone in his throat.

'Directly blunt and straightforward, heh. Can't really be annoyed at that, can I?' He creased a self-mocking grin figuring out if the things he could still remember in regards to martial arts, and how to defend himself would be of any use here.

"Therefore, we'll be using any spare time along the way to empower you! Combat is a basic requirement for traversing any kind of plane, whether it's this world or your own. You're no good to me or yourself if you're dead, so we'll start off with the basics right now. Prepare yourself well, human. I have no real sense of... what does your kind call it—holding back."

Afterward, Anak scooped low and retrieved the map into his grasp, looking as though he was done with their discussion, leaving a speechless Suta left to reel over the one-sided discussion just now.

'C-combat?' He paled just thinking about it. A whole host of thoughts started spiraling through his mind. In spite of the obvious perils awaiting their voyage, Suta couldn't help but romanticize the idea of finally being able to learn some form of combat techniques. His main focus was still discovering how he could learn Arcane, but after his recent encounter with those nightmarish creatures, there was no harm in perhaps equipping his body to withstand different scenarios that may appear before him in the future.

Time passed on gently.

Anak had changed his clothes to fit someone who at least looked the part of a traveling hunter, although his clothes still managed to end up fitting tightly against his slender body while maintaining that gothic dark look he seemed to have going on. Suta, on the other hand, had been given slightly oversized hunter's wears—light brown leathers with loose robes and trousers. He also tied his thick electric pink dreadlocks into a bun.

He felt like a cross between a monk and a miner but wasn't complaining too much. His attention was more focused on the fellow standing ready just ahead of him. Before setting out, Anak was hell-bent on gauging Suta's combat prowess. Suta, of course, quickly told him that he had absolutely none whatsoever, but the shrewd vampire was not letting up.

And now...

"Sigh ... I'm forced to partake in what will almost definitely be a one-sided beatdown. Well, guess I should try not to lose straight away, at least."

'Okay, come on, Suta. L-let's see what we got.'

It was hard to ignore the obvious truths staring him right in the face, but besides that, Suta was someone who wouldn't give up on a challenge so easily, one of the few things he took pride in about himself was his will not to shy away from hardships.

He squared his footing and raised his two fists just a little above eye level, unconsciously adopting a boxing stance. Memories of his time spent sparring with his seniors came flooding back to him. Suta enrolled into a boxing club during his youth, by which he was already well versed in judo and Brazillian ji-jitsu. The corners of his mouth pulled upward before a serene breath exhaled through his mouth. Suta steadied his breathing, feeling his heartbeat through his fists and the tips of his toes.

'Ah, this feeling... hehe, I missed this.' Feeling a swell of euphoria welling in his chest, Suta felt a familiar calm moving through his bones again. Just like the times he readied himself before a spar.

On the other side, Anak stood completely still without so much as adopting a fighting stance.

"We'll start off with the basics. Try to follow my movements and at least dodge one of my attacks. I'll restrict myself to attacking with a single hand, and I'll also keep my movements to my right leg. I hope you're ready, human... here I come."

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As soon as those words were spoken, Suta's confidence was suddenly washed away. He lowered his guard, his eyes casting a look of deep confusion at the scene before him.

Anak had hopped to one side, maintaining his earlier promise of only using his right leg, but his movements had been so quick a ghostly afterimage trailed his step. Then he hopped towards the other side. Suta could've sworn he saw three Anaks moving together, which completely startled him into a helpless stare. Before he gained another second to observe, Anak suddenly took a forward step and rushed towards him, the speed of which was so fast that Suta only managed a single exhale before he felt a firm force striking him in the dead center of his torso.

He felt the strike before he saw it.

A horrible feeling of weightlessness cloaked his ascending body. Suta's world spun 360 degrees before he found himself crashing against the firm ground. By the time his body stopped rolling, he was staring with wide eyes toward the starry twilight above, his chest heaving hurried breaths as he tried to make sense of what had just happened.

'Str-strong... so-so strong.'

Not only was that one of the coolest things he had ever experienced, but Suta could also tell that despite that oppressive force, Anak had very much held back.

He heard footsteps softly approaching and the towering silhouette of the gracefully adorned vampire glaring down upon him.

"Hm... so only this level. I see. Well then, human. You best accustom yourself with tasting the cold dirt from now on. We'll be replaying this scenario every chance we get. Now get up... we'll do this a few more times before we leave."

***

Suta and Anak made their way down the sloping stone road, a sudden thought appeared within the shorter boys ever inquisitive mind.

"Say, who taught you how to fight like that?" he asked the aloof vampire walking beside him, still massaging the back of his head from the earlier impact.

Anak lazily moved his indifferent gaze towards him. "My mother..." he replied stiffly.

"Oh, she must've been strong... was she a v-vampire too?"

Suta noticed a slight air of hesitancy before Anak chose to respond again.

"She was like you, she was... a human. My father was the cursed one, born from a bloodline of undead spawn who relied on drinking blood to survive."

Suta nodded, wondering why Anak subtly reminded him of a human. Well, hearing about his family, it did make sense now.

"You told me briefly about your oath to one of the Shinjin... Lysann? I imagined you were close?" Anak raised his helm towards the stars again, that rigid look of melancholy plastered against his features.

"He was my lord. I... his servant. Close? Have you ever felt half of your heart being carved out of your chest? There was nothing I wouldn't do for him, even if it meant taking my own life. I was bound to his will like the moon was to the sun."

Suta started to feel Anak's solemnness clouding over him also. He could feel his sadness, his loss, and his regret.

'I guess it's the same with me, my family... I've lost so much, sometimes I have to remind myself of who I once was... Sh-Shoba.'

"I... I know what it must feel like to lose someone you love. I... I have lost a lot too."

The pain still ate away at his gut whenever he remembered them. These days, he thought of them less but hurt even more when their faces did appear. Suta's entire mood . He clenched his two fists whilst walking, a cold light shining across his eyes. Anak didn't miss this, of course. He held a somewhat indifferent yet curious look while watching the boy's side profile in silence.

Turning away, his cold mask soon reappeared.

"We'll need a sturdy boat to cross the Emerald Seas. Along the way, there will be multiple islands we'll use to hunt for food and replenish water. Remember what I told you before: you must hone your combat skills along the way... For what we may have to face... tsk- you'll need to be prepared for it."

Those last sentences bothered Suta a little.

'What we might have to face? He can't be talking about those furry idiots, can he?' Just remembering those two fellows in particular almost made Suta chuckle. He found it hard to imagine those idiots having a bad bone in their body. They seemed rather inviting and cordial to both he and Demoria.

'wait, am I missing those weirdos already?", I guess that castle wasn't as half as bad as all of this.'

"That reminds me, why do the fairies live here, so far away from the blue castle?" He asked the vampire,

Anak's eyes narrowed a little more before he opened his mouth again.

"They were driven out by...the Mad Queen. You se, the moment Lysann departed a great deal of the harmony he had built...left with him."

"Wait...I remember something, the-the deceptors I think I heard who are they....Wait, th-that cant be right, are you saying that the deceptors are the-" Suta arrived at a startling conclusion finding his words being caught in throat.

A wry smile creased against Anaks face,

"They were told a lie about the Faey clan, who were the original inhabitants of this realm before Lysanns spell... but of course they would buy into the lies sold to them by ."

Suta walked on in silence, a terrible foreboding feeling carried along with his walk, there was quite a lot of things he needed to understand. These secrets ran deep, to depth of which he sensed increasing danger looming in wait.

'I need to get us out of here...and fast.'

Suta felt a little annoyed with himself that he hadn't gotten the chance to eat anything.

"Come to think of it, all I've eaten so far are berries and dried fruits." He rubbed his stomach with a curious glint swirling around his gaze.

"Don't tell me I'm somehow immune to starvation, am I? No, that's absurd. It must have something to do with those berries." He recalled when he had first started eating those tiny balls of delight. Unsurprisingly, he hadn't felt hungry since then. That was possibly all the proof he needed about the nature of those berries.

The conversation between the duo grew less and less, mostly because of Anak, who didn't really seem like he was in the mood to talk about his origins. Actually, Suta soon realized the slender vampire wasn't in the mood for anything at all. Every question he raised was met with a low growl or a head nod.

'I guess I should enjoy the ambiance then,' he half thought to himself soon enough. The air surrounding them had grown noticeably warmer, and Suta faintly captured the wafting aroma of burning sweet spices dancing into his nostrils

Before long, the surrounding scene of slender tall trees covered in bluegrass and autumn leaves changed a little. Tiny rolling hills soon took center stage, littered across a vast valley filled with vibrant signs of life. Thin valleys appeared fashioned into narrow pathways, with wooden sign posts and wicker-made stalls appearing.

From the arch-shaped doors to the tall roving windmills, the thin stream of emerald-colored waters passing through very short bridges

Suta could hardly believe what he was seeing right now. To think within the crowded and silent jungle, an entire civilization like this existed. The incessant chattering echoed softly from the thousands of tiny voices he could see muddled between the light twinkling of many, tiny wings.

'Faires?"

And lots of them.

Their whimsical town was everything he imagined a place inhabiting fairies would look like. Decorated with countless paper lanterns slung from tree to tree, with acorns entwined between thin wicker-made wires, spaced apart just enough to allow the soft wind to knock them against each other, spurring a melodic clatter. The vast spread of this whimsical place was mostly a rural shire, completely draped in midnight blue. Most of these fairies were dressed in rural clothes, wearing little hats or pieces of fabric cut apart to make a bandana or a shawl.

Suta felt like he had walked into a fairytale. He took a few moments to appreciate the scenery. Soaking in every fine detail of this place. It was moments like this that reminded him just how beautiful all of this where he was reminded about the untold beauties of a world beyond what he had always known. Anak was less than graceful about things; he took a few moments to survey the area before proceeding forward with a stern look plastered across his pale face.