We had another soup in the morning. Unlike last time, this one was more mellow and rich in nutrients.

Afterwards we made our way to the tower. It had a cylindrical shape and was made out of stonebricks. The tower which was quite new, watched over an old wooden gate, leading to a gravelroad. Surrounding it were makeshift guards that checked for any strangers.

After they quickly examined us, we were let through and they told us to be careful.

"Will you also go with me," I asked Seraph.

"Looks like it for now," she replied.

"Alright then."

We thus resumed our little trip.

At the beginning, we met some farmers tending their crops or feeding their cattle, but gradually they were all left behind, and only Seraph and me remained.

"So how is life as a priestess," I randomly asked.

She tilted her head in confusion, "a what?"

"A priestess, I mean, your clothes."

"Ah, I'm not one, I just like wearing it. It's not even the proper attire."

"Huh, is that so. Won't you get punished if the church catches you."

"Well, if."

"Yes, but still," I moved near her.

"Alright, worry about yourself first," she said and pushed me away.

Hmm, I thought we would had grown closer after the day we had spent together, but guess I was wrong.

In the first place, her whole background was mysterious. She kept on avoiding any personal questions that I asked her.

Who was she anyways?

Her personality, abilities and demeanor all indicated that she was not a normal character.

Also, she was very pleasing to look at. It's nothing worth noting, just my personal opinion, but how her small head bobs every time she's walking and how she looked like she could fall asleep at any moment, it was quite charming.

Nevertheless, I couldn't let my guard down on her. It wasn't like we had any hostility between us. Quite the opposite, I found it rather fun to annoy her. Still, my instincts told me that she was a dangerous individual.

Similar people understand each other, after all.

However, she won't ever hear that from my mouth. I felt like she'd just tease me if she found out.

Quietly, I kept my thoughts to myself, while inhaling the fresh nature.

After half an hour we had met a crossroad. If I remembered correctly, I was told to keep left.

It was a worn out path leading towards the rising sun.

The rays deluged my sight such that I had to cup my hands above my eyes. I looked towards the way we came from and realized that I wasn't able to see the town anymore.

"I wonder if they will be alright," I muttered.

Without showing a reaction, she chose the left path and said, "they will manage, I'm sure."

"Eh, aren't you surprised by what I said?"

"Why, I got the meaning."

"Che, how boring."

Good job, you killed the conversation, now it looked like we spoke in riddles.

It was somewhat peculiar though, the towns vigilance. If they were a big city, I would've understood, but the place was just too small and insignificant.

Who would want to attack that place.

Still, they fenced the whole area off and even build a new tower. Also, there were men protecting the place day and night.

It was only rudimentary but the intentions were clear.

I would have understood if they were just being cautious, but the way the townspeople handled the situation made me believe that it had only been a few weeks since they decided to secure their home.

Those action didn't seem arbitrary. It was more like a reaction towards something.

The fact that they would go to such lengths makes me wonder what menace was threatening them.

"Don't think that hard about it," I heard Seraph abruptly say.

"Hey, stop reading my thoughts."

"I wasn't reading it, you were projecting them."

"Whatever."

Have my thoughts been to obvious lately?

"But to answer your question," she gave me a quick glance, "they are preparing for war."

War?

I tilted my head in confusion.

What war could they possibly lead? Against another town? That would be a small skirmish at most. Might as well solve their problems with a game of rock-paper-scissors.

"Obviously not in a full scale," she added, "as you may know, there was a famine that ran rampant."

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Hmm, what's that got to do with anything. I closed my eyes and using my index finger I massaged my temples.

War.

Famine.

War, famine.

Ah, I got it.

Still Seraph already began explaining, "not only this kingdom has suffered from it, the neighboring countries had their fair share of backlash. Now that there was a food shortage, the political stability is threatening to topple over, and who knows when the countries will go to war."

"Due to that, many suspicious people had been coming and going as they pleased. Spies, mercenaries, bandits, all kinds of characters have been assembled," I completed her monologue.

She slightly raised her eyebrows, "oh, looks like you aren't as stupid as I thought you'd be. Then you explain the rest, I'm taking a break."

This hateful girl.

Still, I continued, "well, as you may have noticed, even though the town is small, it was still a hotspot for travelers. Not only did they have an inn, but it was rather lively in there as well. Given the circumstances it was only natural for them to be vigilant. If I had to guess, someone tried assaulting the well-endowed inn owner."

"Oh, how would you know?"

"I'm just guessing, but who in their right mind wears long sleeves in the middle of the summer. Especially in the kitchen were it's extra hot. Also, it's pretty annoying to carry plates if you don't roll them up," I raised my finger, "it's probably because she's trying to cover her bruises," I then pointed at my mouth," there was also the small wound on her lower lip. I didn't see a husband by her side, so it probably wasn't domestic abuse. Since most strangers go to the inn, I would say there was an altercation regarding a customer. Did I miss something?"

"No, you got it. Good job," she said and clapped once. Yes, just once.

I placed my hands on her head, even though we were around the same height and gave her a simple, "thanks."

She was just about to swipe my hand away, but for some reason decided against it. In the end she said, "I don't get why these small kingdoms would wage a war. Those insignificant squabbles, they should just settle it with a game of rock-paper-scissors."

I used all my power to grab onto her forehead and swung her around, "stop stealing my sentences," I told her.

She tried reaching for my hand, but due to her swaying side to side, she couldn't properly grasp it. It was like I was watching a chick trying to catch the worm hanging

above her, as she arduously flailed her arms.

Seeing that there was no chance for her to retaliate, she bit her lip out of frustration and her face slightly flushed. Her pearl-colored brows formed two sickles hovering above her eyes and she pouted her cheeks. It was honestly an expression I didn't expect to see.

It was also an indication that I might have gone to far. Just as I was thinking about to run as far as I can, she stepped on my foot. It wasn't a playful one, she put all her strength into it. In other words, it hurt like hell.

Without giving me a chance to retaliate, she added more pressure on my toes.

"I was joking, I was joking," I pleaded, but she showed no signs of stopping.

Only after she had her way with me, did she decide it was to stop. My foot was metaphorically swelling, and I felt like I needed Gerald to carry me again.

Without me realizing it, she had returned to her cold expression void of any emotions. As if nothing happened, she started picking her pace and let the way with her half-opened eyes.

I could only follow her quietly.

But I'll remember what occurred just now. I glanced at Seraph one more time.

Just like ever, she had the face of a poker player performing the biggest bluff of their life.

White, white and some more white. That's the only thing that sprung to my mind every time I saw her. Her ghastly appearance was unfitting for the peaceful scenery behind her.

She held her hands folded and in front, while gracefully taking her steps. Since I had nothing to say I just kept observing her features, trying to make a mental imprint.

Suddenly she turned around. Startled by her actions, I almost slapped her, but I knew that would be the last thing I'd do in my life if that happened, so I restrained myself.

The point she chose to stop at was another crossroad. On the left was the vast plains, while on the right were some steep hills.

"This is were we'll part ways," she abruptly said.

"Huh, this soon?"

I raised my head to the sky and saw that the sun had yet to reach the zenith meaning the afternoon had yet to be over.

"Well, I didn't build the roads, so what can I do."

"But we were just beginning to have fun."

"I feel like we have different interpretations of what happened," she replied.

I turned my head towards the plains and then towards Seraph.

I repeated my actions. Plains, Seraph. Plains, Seraph.

My behavior apparently made Seraph misunderstand, so she knitted her brows and voiced with a low sound, "you can join me if you want to."

"ah, no I was just thinking how you and the plains were pretty similar."

"What do you mean."

I pointed towards her chest.

There was a short silence between us. Only a reckless bird dared to chirp his morning song.

"Forget it, just drop dead," she sighed.

"Well, it's not like I have any room to judge," I told her and ran my hands through my own bosom. There was really no difference between her and me. To be fair, I was still growing. I don't know about her.

Wait a minute, I was adapting a bit too well there. I'm a guy.

"I take it that you won't follow me."

I regretfully shook my head.

Truth be told, I did want to follow her. Toying with unsuspecting prey and teasing her was probably one of the most fun activities in this world. My partner in crime always told me I had the most vile hobbies, but I believed that he just didn't understand true entertainment.

What's more fun than than playing with the emotions of others?

If you felt like it, you could make them happy, sad, angry. A myriad of expressions, waiting to be uncovered.

It's too bad, I could not follow Seraph, as I still had some unfinished business to take care of.

"It's not a big deal," Seraph said, and to my horror let out a slight smile. Don't get me wrong, it was nice to look at, but I would have never expected it.

But she was right, it really wasn't a big deal.

I began to laugh, "I'm pretty sure we will see each other again."

I didn't have anything to prove my conjecture. It was just something I felt deep in my guts that this wouldn't be the last time we meet.

Maybe we had build a karmic bond, or maybe it was just fate. Still right in my heart, I was sure of it.

People like her and me, unlike normal people who search for warmth, we look for the darkness. The depraved, perverted or the corrupt, anything is fine, as long as it could fulfill our needs.

It was hard for people like us, because those shadows always stay hidden from the light, which has unfortunately become the default of society.

So now that we had found each other, we couldn't possibly just let go. Where's the fun in that?

It was obvious that she felt the same way, as she said, "talk to you soon," and left without any fancy ceremony. She didn't even give me a hug. It did not take long, before her original size was reduced to a pint, as she disappeared into the distance.

"Don't get kidnapped, because you look like a doll," I shouted.

Hearing my voice she turned around and just stuck her tongue out.