There was silence between the pair as they walked through the dense forest underbrush. Merin knew why she was silent, and she assumed it was Red being Red. He might be quiet now due to the same reason as herself.

Both of them just witnessed horrific deaths, and neither of them reacted to it.

That spoke volumes about both of their past experiences and characteristics. Merin knew Red was a skilled killer, so he knew firsthand how that went. On the other hand, she'd seen her fair share of death. There wasn't a death she'd witnessed that could shake her anymore. The melting part was new but not too noteworthy. She'd seen worse.

Red had killed in front of her before without much reaction from her, so maybe that wasn't why he was quiet as well. He could be silent for the other reason she was.

He kissed her. Not only that, but they'd exchanged blood with each other.

Merin toyed with her necklace. The weight was once her only comfort, and she sought that peace while fiddling with the gems.

"Red," Merin said. She was always the one to break the peace, and this time shouldn't be any different. "What kind of ceremony was that?" She used her own native tongue to ask him. He was more adept at learning it than she was learning Habrinon.

Something other than blood and saliva had passed between them. She could feel it in her center and chest. They were connected. That connection allowed her across the water.

"It was a union spell," Red said in her language. He repeated the words in Habrinon.

Merin played with the words in both before nibbling on her lip. "You bonded us."

"For life," Red said. "It was a sacred Inni wedding ceremony."

Merin blinked rapidly as she processed this. "I'm immortal." She said in her own language. She hadn't taught Red that word, which would give her time to explain to him. She was going to have to explain it. Immortality wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

They were making good progress, which Red appreciated but resented. He didn't want to go back to Habrin. His plans meant rubbing shoulders with the people he hated the most.

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The only bright side would be seeing the look on his brother's face when he strolled back into their lives.

They were camped for the night, and both were introspective.

Since the two started their journey, there hadn't been time to rest fully at night. They could adhere to regular routines now that they were out of the desert. It would be an adjustment, but resting was the most important thing for now.

The snap of a broken branch tensed every muscle in Red's body. All of them relaxed when he realized it was Merin. She was directing the stick into the dirt and looking at him.

"Lesson." She said in Habrinon.

A half smile quirked Red's lips, and he nodded. Considering what family she married into, she would need to get better at the language.

The capital of Habrin has moved several times since its inception. The sons of the royal family were infamous for settling into their provinces when they were of age. Whichever royal prince became the emperor, their province became the new capital and center of the Habrin Empire.

The current Emperor of the Habrin Empire had settled near the Elan Nation during the conquest to destroy it. Naturally, most courtiers followed the Emperor because he had stayed in that spot for the last thirty years.

To minimize confusion, though it never really did, as each new regime had an adjustment period, the Habrin capital was called Capital while that province was in power. This land was called Adabin before. Not many adhered to calling it just Capital because the people who were native to it were stubborn. It is better known as the Capital Adabin.

Red was explaining this as best he could while they walked through the streets of Habrin.

Merin stared in confusion, and Red was unsure if she was listening to him.

"Merin?" He said. She needed to learn these things before they finished the journey.

"Why are there no women?" She said. She thought it was funny how Red had draped her in cloth when they left the forest. Red listened to her but ignored her giggles. She thought it was just him not wanting to carry the extra cloth now that they were out of the desert. Clearly, something else was at play.

As she looked around, she saw all kinds of craftsmen, finely dressed men, poor men, and more. There was only one thing glaringly missing. There wasn't a single woman in sight.

Red's lips thinned in an expression she was becoming all too familiar with. He leaned in, and his breath brushed her ear.

He said, "The Inni cursed the Habrin Empire."

Merin nodded at this. It'd been days since that lesson was finally bridged by the language gap.

"One of the curses was about the bloodlines that the Habrin people treasure."

Merin met Red's eyes with a quizzical expression. "What bloodline do the Habrin people treasure." Her Habrinon was much better and only messed up a few syllables.

"The Habrin people value men above females. The ransacking of Elan ruined countless women. So, the remaining Inni cursed the Habrin Empire. Anyone in Habrin land is cursed to only produce men from their bloodline. The Inni ensured that Habrin would die out. They underestimated the ruthlessness of their enemy. Women are brought in as brides because they can't be created here. This is why you must hide yourself. Women are treated as a commodity, and there's a lot of men lacking a bride."