“Nervous?”

“It would be weird if I wasn’t. Couldn’t sleep at all.”

“Cheer up. At worst, all of our souls shall be forever lost,” Finnean chuckled.

Daniel didn’t laugh.

They both stared up at the Dawn Citadel, counting the minutes. Daniel turned to look at his friend, who had dressed up for the occasion. White silk robes adorned his body, lines of gold forming a radiant sun across his chest. A tiara rested comfortably on his head, inlaid with gems every colour of sunrise and sunset.

Behind him trailed two figures. The first was unnaturally tall and lanky and sheathing six gold-plated swords. The second was large and muscular, perpetually holding his hands behind his back. They were both covered from head to toe in white cloth, a cross over where their faces were supposed to be. Their heads were lowered.

As for Daniel, he was in his battle outfit, his hood lowered to not cover his face. Of course, he didn’t have a death wish - Finnean had bleached them the night before. Instead of the grim reaper, it was more appropriate to call him an angel of death. There was still the issue of his sinister abilities, but that would have to wait until they survived dealing with Velkir.

“Here comes the life of the party,” Finnean said as he gazed at the gates.

The first to exit was an imposing figure, standing at close to seven feet tall. Thomas the Paladin wore ornate plate armour that drew in the sun’s rays and scattered the light over the sturdy steel, bathing him in radiance. A sapphire hummed on each shoulder, and a blood-red ruby the size of Daniel’s fist protected his heart, thrumming with magic. A heavy kite shield was attached to his left arm, inscribed with a golden sun. A thick, spiked mace hung at his side, sparkling menacingly

Behind him followed dawn’s warriors, impressive in their own ways - a mismatch of weapon and armour styles all under the banner of Croelius. As the fifth and final warrior finished walking through the gate, Daniel spotted Raph at the back, but, to his chagrin, he also noticed the madwoman who had attacked him a week prior. The moment he met her gaze, he understood that nothing had changed.

Finally, three more figures emerged from the citadel, their heads held up high, their outfits matching Finnean’s. Each held a metal staff in their left hand and a book in their right.

“Greetings!” Thomas bellowed upon seeing Daniel. “You were supposed to come alone. Who are these people?” he asked, confusion clouding his eyes.

Before Daniel could say anything, Finnean nudged him to the side.

“My name is Lucius. May you prosper under the Dawn’s Gaze, Eternal Paladin” Finnean said, holding his palm flat over his heart. Like a blooming flower, he spread his fingers outwards, lowering his head toward the Paladin.

“I hail from the eternal nation of Skysong Dominion, Croelius bless her imperial majesty. These are my warriors. Do not address them under any circumstance.” Finnean said with a wicked grin. Immediately, the entire mood changed as every person besides Daniel gave the fake priest a subtle look of disdain.

This was why he hated Finnean sometimes. “Trust me,” he had said. Damn him.

“An honoured guest,” Thomas said, straining the words. “We would have welcomed you with open arms at the citadel. Why did you not come?”

“Ahhh, this here is a private deal between me and Daniel,” Finnean said, rubbing his fingers. “I shall be leaving Verdant City upon the job’s completion. The capital calls me,” he smirked.

The Paladin slowly looked him over before arriving at a consensus. “We shall not shun a fellow priest, even if we might disagree on some matters,” he said, giving a pointed look at the two “warriors”.

“Are we really going to let him walk around with slaves?” One of the priests interjected, and, seeing as no one rebuked him, it must have been the common opinion.

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“Each nation is different. The Dominion may have indentured servants, but Vesteria is also not perfect. Or shall we talk about how you hunt down every non-human in your lands to the point of extinction? I hope you can accept my customs, just as I accept yours.”

That seemed to silence the warrior for a brief moment.

“There shall be no infighting amongst us. We are hunting a great foe. Let us show the guest our way of dealing with problems,” Thomas said, turning to his subordinates.

“Everyone here has been informed of the dangers ahead. Daniel shall lead us to the monster. It may be tough, but try to protect him the best you can.” Instantly, every gaze was concentrated on him. He nodded, pulling up his hood to hide his embarrassment.

In total, the party consisted of 13 people, including himself and the dolls. Daniel walked alongside the Paladin, Finnean, and the two puppets at the front. Right behind him were the priests, and the rest of the warriors surrounded them in a semi-circle, ready to protect them at any time. He followed the hazy red river to the eastern gate and stared out at the forest. In a day or two, either Velkir or they would be dead. Daniel didn’t feel prepared.

“Light the way,” Thomas said as they stepped outside. An older priest walked beside them, spreading his arms towards the horizon.

“Sun’s Path.”

Moments later, the grass between their feet faded away, replaced by a luminescent path. It was reminiscent of a warm sunrise and stretched on for as far as he could see. Sparkling motes of light danced along the edges, preventing one from stepping off. Daniel felt the effects immediately. His body light as a feather, his every stride carried him further than imaginable.

“Song of the Sky.” The other priest sang, and soon enough, the others joined in, adding their voices to the chorus. Their gentle words grew in volume until the song echoed through the vibrant plains.

“For as the dawn breaks the night's embrace,

I'd paint the sky with gold and grace,

If riches flowed like rivers wide,

Would I stand by, or walk beside?”

“If the dawn's light ever fades away,

In its gentle arms, we'll find our way,

With hands entwined, we'll touch the sky,

And keep the world from saying goodbye.”

Each word filled him with boundless strength and stamina, warming both his body and his soul. With light guiding his path and the sun giving him energy, he could march until the end of the world. With their voices joined together in unity, Daniel forgot about his earlier uncertainty, time merely a suggestion under the skill’s influence.

But even it couldn’t last forever. He regained clarity hours later. Glancing behind him, the city was miles away, and even with his metal horse, he wasn’t sure he would be able to cover the same distance in this time. Even now, as both the song and the path had faded away, he was still full of energy.

“May I have a word?”

Daniel whirled around just to find Raph standing beside him.

“Sure, though I’ve got a question first. What just happened?” Daniel asked, detaching from the rest of the group.

“A skill combination granted by Croelius. Under his grace, we can march without exhaustion. The priests will not be using the skill in the forest - it’s not the most defensible.” Raph said, and Daniel nodded along.

“I must warn you about your travelling companion. If you are unable to pay for his services, you can ask us for help. Otherwise, you shall end up like those two - branded, forced to obey every command,” he grimaced, his distaste evident from a glance.

“Don’t you think it’s... wrong?” Daniel asked, aware that he was sowing further discord amongst his friends. Even so, he was beyond curious.

“It is. They interpret Croelius’ teachings in a different way. Work and wealth are both aspects of our god - but in the Dominion, those that are unable to pay fall further and further into debt, working for the rest of their lives, making the priests even richer,” Raph said, his face contorted in sadness.

“But, they still believe in our god, so even if we have our differences, we must stay united. That is the will of Croelius,” he sighed. “Look, there they are. Maybe we’ll convince him to see the proper teachings yet.” Raph pointed at Finnean, who was being swarmed by both priests and warriors.

Well, that was one way of blending in.

“I’m more worried about her. What is she doing here?” Daniel said, gesturing at the woman wielding an arming sword and a dagger, who was pointedly ignoring him. Her blonde hair fell in cascades, trailing behind her.

“May is a part of the team and also our best fighter. She won’t do something that will put the mission in jeopardy. Besides, she’s reflected on her actions.”

Somehow, he doubted that. As if the mission wasn’t dangerous enough already, now he had to watch out for his allies. If she tried anything, he had to be prepared to cut her down. He just hoped he would be ready when the time came.