It is later into the day; the sun having gone down and the birds are quieter in the pre-night air. Kaiden's eyes flutter open as he regains consciousness, only to experience a brief moment of panic when he initially believes he's still bound and restrained. However, as his vision adjusts to his surroundings, he discovers that he is indeed unbound, lying comfortably on a bed of hay beneath a sturdy roof. A sense of bewilderment washes over him as he tries to orient himself and recall his whereabouts. Kaiden's attention is diverted as he hears a soft chuckle, and his gaze drifts to the swordsman who stands casually in the doorframe, leaning against it. Kaiden looked up, his vision still somewhat hazy as he slowly regained his bearings.

A familiar voice cut through the air, and he saw the swordsman standing before him, a cheeky grin on his face. "Ah, there you are, princess, finally woke up, huh? " the swordsman said.

"Well, well, if it isn't my knight in shining armor," Kaiden replies, his tone playful. "I must apologize for swooning at the sight of your incredible manliness. It was simply too much for my delicate sensibilities to handle."

The swordsman approached Kaiden with a confident stride, his chest puffed out in pride. "Had me worried for a moment back there when you just collapsed after I saved you from those villains at the slave market." he said. “Thought you'd swooned from witnessing my incredible bravery and manliness."

Kaiden couldn't help but shake his head at the swordsman's boastful attitude. "You sure are full of yourself, aren't you?" he thought to himself. While the swordsman's self-confidence and heroic actions had certainly saved him from a dire situation, his inflated ego was difficult to ignore. Nevertheless, Kaiden couldn't deny the swordsman's bravery and bravery of stepping in to rescue him.

“Thank you for saving me.” Kaiden says “how did you know where I was?

The swordsman chuckled; his confidence unwavering. "Ah, no thanks needed, princess," he replied. "As for how I found you, let's just say my instincts are top-notch. I have a sixth sense for finding damsels in distress."

“I am not a damsel.” Kaiden responds with force. Irritated by the other man’s words. Kaiden moves to get out of the hay but feels his body is still too weak to support his weight.

The swordsman chuckled at Kaiden's irritated response. "Oh, my apologies, dear sir," he replied sarcastically. "I meant no offense. As for your current state, it seems you're still a little weak on your legs. Maybe we should find you a throne to rest your dainty feet on."

Kaiden, determined to prove his strength despite his weakened state, tried to stand up once more, only to find himself falling back into a kneeling position. As he looked up, he realized the swordsman was now standing directly in front of him, his hand extended.

"Careful there, princess," the swordsman teased. "Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself further."

Kaiden sat on the ground, his belly grumbling loudly as he felt the pangs of hunger. The swordsman chuckled upon hearing the sound. "Looks like someone's stomach is complaining," he said, a smirk on his face. "When was the last time you ate, princess?"

“I don’t know. A few hours maybe. Or days, I don’t know how long I’ve been here.” Kaiden says with some sadness.

The swordsman's playful demeanor softened a bit upon hearing Kaiden's response. "A few hours or days?" he repeated, realizing the severity of the situation. He let out a contemplative sigh. "You must be starving then. We should head into the nearest town and find you something to eat."

Kaiden smirks a thought crossing his mind. “Will my brave rescuer be giving this princess a piggyback right into town to fetch food since he needs a throne to seat upon.”

The swordsman's eyes lit up with amusement. "Ah, so the princess has a sense of humor," he replied, unable to resist the playful banter. "A piggyback ride, you say? Well, I suppose I could oblige and carry you into town, but on one condition."

“Pray tell what condition would that be my fair brave sir,” Kaiden says with elegant and elaborate hand movements.

The swordsman chuckled at Kaiden's extravagant hand gesturing. He stroked his chin thoughtfully, pretending to ponder the condition. "Well, fair princess, my condition is simple," he began in a theatrical voice. "You must acknowledge and proclaim my incredible strength and manliness the whole way to town."

Kaiden considered the swordsman's condition, but quickly realized a potential issue. If they were to loudly proclaim the swordsman's skills, they could attract unwanted attention, such as bandits or other threats. Additionally, there was a possibility that the previous villains they had encountered at the market could track them down. Kaiden thought carefully, not wanting to put them in unnecessary danger.

“Could we save the boasting for later and the proclaiming? We don’t want to attract any unwanted attention right? If we are attacked, then I would be putting us in needlessly danger just from my praise and appreciation.” Kaiden says with much seriousness

The swordsman chuckled, realizing the wisdom in Kaiden's words. "Ah, you're quite the strategic thinker, princess," he replied. "I suppose you have a point. It wouldn't do us any good to attract unnecessary attention, especially if those villains are still on our trail. So, I'll save the boasting for later. For now, let's focus on getting to town safely."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

The swordsman bends down presenting his back to Kaiden, “Up you go. One piggyback ride as requested”.

Kaiden chuckles at the swordsman's playful compliance. "Very well, my dear knight in shining armor," he responds with a hint of amusement. "Prepare yourself for my royal weight."

Kaiden then carefully climbs onto the swordsman's back, wrapping his arms around his neck and latching on tightly.

The swordsman stands up, Kaiden holding onto the man’s back. As they walk out the door, Kaiden says,” By the way what is your name. Or what should I address you as. My name is Kaiden.”

The swordsman chuckled, continuing to walk with Kaiden on his back. "Ah, manners befitting a true noble," he replied with a grin. "My name is Loden. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kaiden."

“It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Loden.” Kaiden says. As they travel down the road and pass smaller buildings, Kaiden gets up the courage and asks, “How did you actually find me, Loden? You weren’t in the crowd, that I could see, to appear that fast.”

Loden chuckled, remembering the events that led to him finding Kaiden and replied, "You're a perceptive one, aren't you? Yes, I did notice the peculiar display of lights. It was quite a show, to say the least."

Loden continued to explain, "When I felt the pull of that mysterious energy and sensed the celestial mark on my shoulder burning, I knew it was no ordinary occurrence. It was as if fate had drawn me to that very location. And when I saw the energy emanating from you, Kaiden, I knew I had to step in and protect you. It was a matter of fulfilling my duty."

Kaiden was shocked and happy with Loden’s response. The celestial wolf deity was right about having faith, and he would be okay. Kaiden relaxes more into Loden’s back. Feeling very much protected and safe.

Loden chuckled as he felt Kaiden relax on his back. "Comfortable, are we?" he teased. "Just make sure you don't doze off and fall off my shoulders, princess."

“I won’t. I’ve slept enough. I wish my legs and body would just work. And I could walk on my own.” Kaiden says the feeling in his body is still slowly becoming less numb.

Loden nodded his understanding, his expression sympathetic. "I can imagine it's frustrating to be so weak and unable to move on your own. But don't worry, we'll reach town soon, and you'll have food and rest in no time."

He continued walking, carrying Kaiden with ease. The swordsman's muscles were strong and toned, easily supporting Kaiden's weight.

“Thanks again Loden.” Kaiden says, “You said your celestial mark on your shoulder burned when the energy was released, how is it now?”

Loden chuckled, feeling Kaiden's genuine gratitude. "No need to thank me, princess. It's what any valiant knight would do," he said with a smirk.

As Kaiden asked about his celestial mark, Loden thought about touching his shoulder, feeling the spot where the mark was. "Ah, you're curious about my mark, huh?" he said, his tone slightly introspective. "It's still tingling a bit, you know. Like it hasn't fully stopped burning yet."

“Were you born with it, or did it suddenly appear” Kaiden says and then thinks he is prying too much into Loden’s life

Loden chuckled at Kaiden's curiosity, realizing the kid was asking more personal questions. "Ah, so we've gone from my heroic feats to celestial marks, have we?" he teased. He took a moment to consider his answer, then continued. "I wasn't born with it. It appeared on my shoulder suddenly one day. I remember feeling a strange surge of energy and then a burning sensation. When I looked, the mark was there."

“What does it look like?” Kaiden blurts

Loden chuckled at Kaiden's eagerness to know more, amused by his curiosity. "Impatience doesn't suit a princess, you know," he teased.

However, he didn't mind satisfying Kaiden's curiosity. "My mark is a symbol of a wolf's head with glowing eyes," he explained, describing the mark on his shoulder. "It's unique and always serves as a reminder of my connection to the celestial power."

“Cool. Do the other warriors have the same marks or are they different? Are they in the same place on their bodies as well” Kaiden says more curious since the celestial wolf deity didn’t explain everything to him in the dream.

Loden chuckled at Kaiden's continued questioning. "You're full of questions today, aren't you?" he teased. He took a moment to respond, glad to share more information. "The warriors do have celestial marks, but they're usually different from each other. Some have symbols, others have animal marks, and some have unique glyphs. As for the location, it varies from person to person. It's usually on the shoulders, chests, or backs."

Loden 's curiosity was piqued when he heard Kaiden mention the other warriors. He tilted his head slightly, eyebrows furrowing as he considered the young man's words.

"How do you know about the other warriors?" he asked, his tone laced with intrigue. "What do you know about them, princess?"

Kaiden considers his response but decides to go with the truth. Relaying the story of the dream with the celestial being. Which makes Loden nod his head at different intervals of the retelling. Loden listened attentively to Kaiden's retelling of the dream, his expression thoughtful. As Kaiden finished, he nodded his head several times, processing the information.

"Interesting," he mused, rubbing his chin. "So, you're saying you've had a dream about a conversation with a celestial being? And it mentioned the other warriors?"

“Yes, he is the one who brought me to this world to aid his people and to fulfill the prophecy as written. He didn’t give a lot of detail on the other warriors, only saying that the warriors will have to be found and that they will help on my journey.”

Loden absorbed Kaiden's words, his expression growing more serious. "So, he's the one who sent you here, huh?" he said, a hint of skepticism in his tone. "And he expects you to find these warriors and fulfill a prophecy? That's quite a responsibility to bear."

Kaiden shrugs his shoulders, thinking about all the responsibilities that he has taken on over the years. Helping raise his little sister, being captain of the soccer team, mourning his grandfather and now having to save another world. At the thought of his grandfather, Kaiden tears up a little feeling if he hasn’t fully been able to let go of his grandfather like he should have at the burial.

Loden noticed the tears welling up in Kaiden's eyes. Sensing the pain and sadness linked to the mention of his grandfather, Loden's expression softened.

"Hey, it's okay," he said gently, his voice carrying a hint of understanding. "It's not easy dealing with loss, especially when you've had so many responsibilities on your shoulders. You don't have to hold everything in. Let it out. I don't mind."

Loden noticed Kaiden's change in composure, allowing the young man to regain his bearings after the emotional moment.