The group reluctantly allowed Linda to travel behind Aston on his horse. They were mostly silent outside of the few questions they asked Linda. After all, they still didn't know who she was or where she came from.

"Where are you from if not Zetheria?" Elric asked.

"Hm..." Linda paused, taking what seemed like forever to reply. "It's rather far from here."

"Okay, but where?" Cetri asked, quickly turning her head as a stream of sunlight filtered through the trees and got in her eyes.

"A big city by the ocean." Linda smiled, reminiscing on the memory; though none were able to see.

So, Aquariot. Why not answer as much?

"You're not tan enough to live in Aquariot—" Elric was cut off.

"I don't go outside much. You see, I... I ran away." She looked away.

"Why?" Gwyneth asked.

"Because there was something I had to do."

"Help us, right?" Aston asked, feeling deep down that there could be no other reason.

Linda nodded before realizing Aston's head was turned the opposite way. "Yes."

"Why can't you go outside?" Cetri asked.

"Because I have a duty."

"And you abandoned that duty to help us?" Elric raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, not abandoned at so much as... I took some time off. After all, my duty is meaningless should our world be destroyed."

Elric, Cetri, and Gwyneth didn't know what to make of Linda. It was obvious she was hiding something, but what? And why was she so determined to help them?

Night fell and the group made camp. However, it wasn't long before Aston was shaken awake. He rubbed the blurriness out of his eyes before blinking to adjust to the darkness.

"Come with me," the girl in front of him said. Linda. Though he could only make out parts of her face and her long white dress.

Instantly, he sprang up and followed her out of the tent and into the forest. Dozens of fireflies gathered to form little white lights throughout the forest as if guiding the duo somewhere. The lights reminded Aston of the glowing flowers from Losufea.

Eventually, they made it to a small clearing with a river and a couple of trees. Linda gently tugged at Aston's arm, dragging him under the two trees.

Aston watched as the fireflies surrounded them forming a giant circle. Somehow, the gesture made him feel safe. "Are these your doing?" He asked.

She simply nodded in response before patting the ground next to her for him to lie down.

"Does that mean... You have magic?"

She nodded again.

"But how is that possible?" Aston blinked. Humans can't wield magic!"

"Humans are not born with magic, you mean."

Did that mean she had killed a Fae? What elemental magic would allow her to summon fireflies? Did she use a gust of wind to gather all of them? No, that would be ridiculous! Besides, Aston couldn't feel a chill in the air.

"Then how did you get yours?" Aston asked.

Linda smiled sadly. "That's a forbidden secret. But I'm sure you'll remember someday."

"Remember?" Aston raised an eyebrow.

"I've missed you. I've missed you so much..." She choked out small sobs before wiping her eyes. It was no use as more tears streamed down.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Do we know each other?" Aston jolted. What she had said made no sense to him, yet she was also crying, and he wanted to comfort her. He quickly summoned a handkerchief to wipe her tears away.

It made no sense, yet he somehow agreed with her sentiment.

"I'm glad I got to see you one more time." She forced a smile. "Perhaps when this is all over, we'll... We'll find peace and happiness this time."

Aston paused as she gently placed her hands on his cheeks, pulling him in for a kiss. It was slow and gentle, yet somehow familiar. He knew for a fact he had never kissed anyone before, and he knew he had never seen her before in his life.

Then why was everything about her so familiar?

She pulled back and he felt tears stream down his cheeks. I'm losing her again, he thought.

Seeing his expression, she momentarily began to panic before composing herself. "Sleep, my love. I'll watch over you as you sleep." She sat on her legs and motioned to her lap.

Aston reluctantly obliged, a sinking feeling in his stomach. Could he use his magic to freeze this moment forever? Was such a thing possible?

She began to hum a soft tune, and he felt his body grow heavy, then numb. His eyelids began to close, and the last thing he saw before drifting off to sleep was the moonless sky.

—-

Surprisingly, Aston awoke in his tent. Had everything that happened last night been a dream? He hesitantly reached up to touch his lips. If he pictured it hard enough, he could still feel Linda's lips against his.

Today they would reach Zetheria. Finally, their long journey would end. In the distance, they spotted tall structures, far too straight to be hills or even mountains.

"Are those mountains?" Elric asked, even though deep down he already knew the answer.

"Buildings, actually," Linda replied.

"W-What buildings could be so tall?!" Elric gawked, taking in the sight of the buildings again. There sure wasn't anything like it in Aeceria.

"The type of buildings you'll only find in Zetheria."

"Should I wear my hood again?" Isla asked before looking back at Cetri who was still wearing it. She could've sworn she heard a sharp hiss. So that's a no.

"You won't need to." Linda shook her head. "They won't care whether you're Fae or not. They hate everyone equally." She mumbled that last part.

"Is there anything we should know before entering?" Gwyneth asked.

"Too much." Linda shook her head. "Keep your weapons close. Do not trust anyone who willingly offers help. You will have to bargain for any information you want."

"With gold?" Gwyneth tried to recall what sort of currency Zetheria was interested in.

"With batteries."

"Batteries?" Cetri narrowed her eyes. "What's that? Sounds like some sort of disease." She paused. "Or a new type of bat."

Linda chuckled. "These." She dug into her pocket before retrieving a blue and gold gadget. The middle was comprised of three gold cylinders while the top and bottom were of a dark blue metal. She handed them to Aston. "I trust you can make more?"

Aston nodded, and within an instant, two more appeared in his hand.

"I've never seen anything like this before, let alone a type of currency." Gwyneth shook her head.

"Currency is an odd way to put it... But I suppose it's being used as a currency now." Linda racked through her thoughts trying to remember if there was any other information that would be useful. "You won't be able to make it to the castle right away. And the castle itself is more like a tower than anything. Barging through the front door won't work, so you will have to use an underground passageway. With enough batteries, you should be able to convince someone to show you the way. Oh, and don't trust anyone with red hair."

"Red hair...?" Elric tilted his head to the side.

They came to an abrupt stop.

"We're here." Linda breathed. In front of them was a large stone wall that surrounded the entirety of Zetheria. It must have been at least ten meters tall with no possible way to scale it. And without knowing what was on the other side, Aston had no means of teleporting around it.

Curiosity piqued Gwyneth's interest as she reached out to touch the stone wall. Immediately, she retracted her hand as she felt a shock buzz up her arm. Scaling it was definitely not an option.

Thankfully, there was a gate not too far to the left. Unfortunately, there were also four guards stationed there. With the flick of Linda's wrist, all four guards dropped to the ground and lost consciousness.

"What did you do?!" Elric shouted, drawing his sword and pointing it at Linda who held her hands up defensively.

"They're just sleeping," she answered. "I told you I'm not a resident here and you needed a way in, correct?"

Gwyneth and Isla went to check their pulses before nodding to Elric who sheathed his sword, keeping his hand on its hilt. "Aston could have done as much."

"The trick is to do it before the guards notice you. My guess is that you would have approached them head-on, correct? You would have fought your way with brute force, and let me tell you, these guards are no pushovers. Besides, you wouldn't have known about the batteries without my help."

"This was never about helping us." Elric deduced.

Linda smiled knowingly. "Perhaps it wasn't, though I do hope I was able to help in some way. Truthfully, I just wanted one last moment with my love." She glanced at Aston.

"I—" Aston sputtered for the words that never came.

Elric's grip on his hilt tightened before Linda raised her hands defensively. "I'll leave you be. The rest is up to you." She paused. "Good luck."

Isla wanted to say something, but the words didn't come. Had they been too harsh on her? She had helped them, hadn't she? Maybe they should have been kinder, maybe she should have been kinder. She knew more than anyone else what it was like not to be trusted. She shook her head as she watched Linda's silhouette fade into the distance.

"Let's go," Gwyneth ordered, not wanting the conversation to linger. Staring down at the ground, she noticed right before the gate was a few centimeters of land, different from that of the plains they had just come from. It was black and gray. Attempting to collect a sample in her hand, it simply dissolved.

Just how cursed was this kingdom?