Zachary, Heather, and the gang fled west until they could no longer sense the tremors of battle behind them, until they could no longer see any trace of seagulls above their heads. Only then did they feel safe enough to slow down and finally stop. Their mounts were exhausted. They were exhausted. And night was about to fall.

“Zachary… everyone…” Jean-Pierre spoke up as they were about to set up camp.

They all stopped what they were doing to listen.

“We accomplished something great today,” He said, “If that scorpion dragon died, that’s for the best. But even if it didn’t, it no longer has access to the quintessence spring to get stronger. Together, we have struck a heavy blow to the Blood Church. For that, I thank you.”

The reactions to his words were mixed. Carlos and Shuhua looked confused. Zachary was also trying to understand but he hid his expressions better.

Heather was the first one to realize what was happening.

“You… you are leaving?” She asked.

Jean-Piere chuckled, “I am.”

“Can’t you stay? I have a settlement named Roan Oak Village. We have good, reliable people.” She offered.

“I know about it. But no thanks. I won’t stay in this region for long.”

Heather looked almost offended but didn’t try to convince him.

Jean-Pierre turned to Zachary and patted him on the shoulder, “Zach, you have no idea how much you helped me out here. I swear on my name and my soul, you are my good brother for life. I owe you one.”

“It’s alright. You helped us too.” Zachary said.

After all that they had been through, he had no complaints. He still felt that Jean-Pierre held many secrets. But who didn’t? Each person in this wild land had a unique reason for being here. He and Jean-Pierre were not different in this way. One self-admitted killer and one unwilling mass murderer, they were truly fitting to become brothers.

The two shared a brief hug and a laugh.

“I’ll see you again in a few weeks, at the beach. You better be there.” Jean-Pierre said.

“Definitely,” Zachary said.

Jean-Pierre waved to the others and let his shadowless cloud owl take him into the trees. With many words unsaid and a silent gust of wind, he disappeared into the night, leaving the same way he arrived.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“He’s gone, just like that?” Shuhua asked.

“So what? We don’t need him.” Carlos retorted.

“Awww. Someone just lost their crush. And someone else is jealous.” Heather teased.

“Hey!” Shuhua and Carlos protested at the same time.

The trio devolved into their usual arguments as they set up camp and ate dinner.

Zachary didn’t chime in as he was still thinking about the prior day and the terrible battle between the scorpion dragon and the giant seagulls. It was an experience he would never forget. It was something he could never get from textbooks or secondhand stories. Such life-threatening and soul-stirring events were what it meant to live in the New World and explore its mysteries. He was scared and excited at the same time. If he didn’t have to go back home, he would stay here forever.

After dinner, the gang settled into their usual routine. Whatever Doro managed to gather during their last day at the quintessence mine was divided amongst them. Shuhua took up the first watch, leaving the others to rest.

Zachary lay on an animal fur atop a bed of soft moss. It could almost compare his bed back home. It was quite comfortable considering where he was. He sighed and stared up at the clear night sky and the sea of stars.

He currently had four smaller chunks of earth stone which was enough for Doro to attempt a breakthrough to the Four Paths Adept Rank. However, there was no need to rush. Doro just broke through and needed a few days to recover so that its soul would be at peak condition.

He had enough time to reach the Four Paths Adept Rank before the end of the year. With four paths, he could bring out all of his strongest summons at the same time; Wander, Doro, Onkie, and Voodoo. It was probably enough for whatever challenges lay ahead.

Now, he just needed to improve the battle strength of his summons and train their abilities. He also wanted to catch a few more as backups. He could also let a few more of his summons breakthrough to the adept rank but it wasn’t necessary. His core roster was already in place. Wander took care of defense and support. Voodoo was a deadly long-range attacker. Onkie was fast and tough and Doro was slow but even tougher.

As Zachary was thinking about various matters and chatting with Wander, they were interrupted by soft footsteps. Heather’s face soon appeared in his field view, looking down at him with a secretive smile.

“Hey,” He greeted.

“Shh.” She said, placing a finger to her lips, “Don’t be too loud.”

He nodded and spoke softer, “What’s up?”

“Nothing.” She glanced up and down at his bed, “This looks pretty comfy. Scoot over.”

Before he could say no, she knelt and then laid down beside him. With two people, there wasn’t quite enough space and she was partly lying on top of him. Her soft body was quite comfortable and he didn’t feel the need to ask her to move.

There was a period of awkwardness as she settled in while he calmed his fast-beating heart. All the while, the noisy sounds of the jungle at night serenaded the two. A warm, intimate atmosphere gently fell around them.

“Do you think the scorpion dragon died?” She asked in a whisper.

“Probably not. My guess is that the seagulls won in the end but the scorpion dragon escaped.”

“Pity,” She said.

“Don’t tell me you were thinking of catching it. It’s a Blood Church creature.”

“I wasn’t planning on going back so it doesn’t matter to me. It's the perfect summon.” She sighed, “Pity.”

He chuckled and they fell into a comfortable silence. He studied the shimmering stars for a while until he felt his arm go numb. He wanted to move it which made her stir. Their eyes met and something sparked between them.

Zachary slid his hand around her waist and pulled her closer, “I hope you didn’t come here just talk to me about the scorpion dragon?”

Heather’s cheek slightly reddened as she huffed, “What do you think?”

He smiled, “I think…”

He left the remaining words unsaid and leaned in to kiss her.