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A strong rain pummeled the small tents throughout the night. Even with the rock wall behind them to help against the wind, it still threatened to blow the tents away at any moment.

The sound of the heavy rain hitting the ground was only obfuscated every now and then by the sound of thunder in the far distance.

The rain eased up only in the morning, but showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Riou looked outside his small tent to see how the others were coping with the rain.

Therese and Leona, as experienced travelers, were already using a long hooded cape for protection, it was well made and of high grade leather. It was quite long and protected their bodies and most of the horse’s as well. Only their faces remained uncovered but well protected.

As expected, Eileen wore one of those as well.

In fact, everyone had something similar to that. ‘Shit… I feel like I forgot my umbrella. That means the carriage for me…. At least there I will have some protection from the rain’ thought the boy looking at the carriage’s direction with a depressed expression.

Seeing his look, Bronach glanced at Herger and pointed at Riou. The mercenary nodded to the marchant understanding his request.

A Moment later a horse approached the boy.

Herger from the horse threw him one of those capes. “Did you forget your raincoat somewhere?” He smiled. “This is a gift from the old man.” 

Riou looked in the merchant's direction. The old Bronach smiled and nodded. Riou raised the cape to show him his thanks and promptly put it on.

With everyone set, the journey continued.

After a while, Therese approached Riou in the back of the caravan a moment after sending Leona and Eileen on some errand on the front.

Therese seemed serious and a bit apprehensive “There is something watching us… I can feel it’s eyes on us since last night” said the Lioness in a very low voice.

Riou frowned, he sneakily searched the surroundings. “Are you sure?”

She nodded once, slightly. “It’s hiding its presence, but I can still tell. Something has been lurking in the shadows of the trees, watching us, masked by the rain.”

Riou looked around once more. “Is it still here now?”

She nodded once.

The boy concentrated his mana in his eyes.

Once again the itchy and burning sensation that he was hoping not to feel anymore. He resisted the urge to scratch once again while quickly looking around.

With enhanced vision, the first thing he tried to detect were traces of heat, but nothing warm could be seen on those parts. He tried other lenghwaves and different sources of radiation and even movement, but it was to no avail. There was nothing there that he could see.

He then turned off the spell on his eyes and lowered his head. ‘Let’s see if a more direct approach works’

A magical aura deliberately expanded from his location, like a sonar, at a very high speed covering a lengthy distance in all directions in an instant.

Suddenly, something caught his attention. He felt a disturbance in the mana caused by an unknown entity. It was far away and he quickly looked at it’s possible location, immediately sending another pulse towards the spot in an attempt to locate it once again.

To his surprise, by the time the second pulse arrived, it was completely gone. His eyes could not see anything as well. Like it was never there.

Whatever it was, vanished into thin air without moving.

Riou looked at Therese with concern in his eyes. She could tell just by looking at him that he did find something as well.

“I don’t know what you did, but it’s certainly gone now” she said looking around as well.

“Do the others know?” asked Riou.

“No, not even Leona is aware. I came to inform you. Whatever this thing is, I think it’s here because of you” said Therese.

Riou understood the remark. “I guess I’m doing a crappy job at hiding my presence then”

Without any issue they continued on the move, the oh-so-feared wargs that constantly attacked travelers at those parts, could not be seen anywhere.

The only signs and tracks of them found, showed that they were keeping their distance. Fearful of the caravan.

The mercenaries became restless, the tracks of the beasts seemed that they were deliberately running as far as they could from them, long before seeing it or smelling it. That was unheard of and sent chills through their spines, certainly it was a bad omen.

The trip continued, Elias and his group were occupied trying to get Leona’s friendship, Therese and Eileen spent a lot of time talking and Viki seemed much more reserved. She barely seemed the same person. She kept her distance and just followed the caravan.

Sometimes Riou tried to listen to the teachings of the Lioness as well. Nothing seemed outside of his knowledge, but he found it interesting to listen to the way Therese put things into perspective.

And when Eileen was not taking lessons, she traveled beside Riou so they could talk.

She used the time to tell him the adventures she had before finding him and some older lessons under Therese. They talked and laughed pleasantly from time to time at the back of the caravan.

Some of the men there envied the boy who could talk so easily with such a beauty. Others envied him even more because he was an acquaintance of the Lioness herself while the rest just felt the same because of both reasons.

As Eileen approached Therese at the front, after spending some good time talking to Riou, the lioness smiled faintly towards the princess.  Eileen was always in a happy mood after talking to him.

“You are very lucky to have found a strong mate at such a young age, I envy your luck” spoke Therese complimenting the princess.

Eileen, surprised by the sudden comment, blushed a bit. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” replied the princess.

Therese ignored her and continued, “He is young, but he has very strong and good traits that a male should have. Soon enough, he will grow into a fine man.” Therese looked seriously at Eileen. “You should claim him before the competition does” continued the Lioness.

Eileen widened her eyes. “Competition?” questioned the princess.

Therese nodded. “It’s evident. Despite his claims, it's certain that he is not of common birth. He is highly educated and extremely well trained. He may be hiding in the shadows now and not have a name to support him in these lands, but once people start to realize his potential, once they discover how strong he can really be. They will try to get him for themselves. Don’t be a fool 

Eileen, they will fight desperately for him.”

The princess glanced back at the boy in the back of the caravan.

“Nobles and kings everywhere will not spare resources to get his support. Some will offer to marry him into their families, wishing to gain his influence. He will become a strong political figure in the future.”

Eileen seemed to be taken by surprise, that hadn't crossed her mind.

With such strange reasoning in mind, she tried to make sense of the strange feeling such thoughts provoked in her.

Eileen glanced at Riou who rode alone in the back once again “I don’t think he’d accept an arranged or political marriage…” said Eileen looking back at Therese.

Therese kept her smile. “Who knows? He is a lost child in strange lands… without any support he might be inclined to accept an offer, given the right circumstances and incentive. I mean, it’s definitely possible, especially if he discovers that he can't go back home. Don’t you think?”

Eileen looked down. She didn’t realize many of the things that Therese pointed out so easily.

Therese smiled faintly, looking from the corner of her eyes at Eileen’s reaction. “Well, if you don’t have that intention, then you shouldn’t worry too much about it. Someone else will certainly take him away”

The strange feeling rushed once again inside the princess’ chest, a pressure and discomfort followed that thought.

Therese just smiled faintly at the sight once again

------------------------------ 

Riou kept trying to find whatever was lurking about on the following days, but there was no luck. Not even Therese was able to notice it again after the first incident.

They finally arrived without any trouble at the next norse coastal town of Kellige.

A rustic wall made from dirt and uneven stones surrounded the city, barely protecting it from animals and bandits.

The caravan approached its wooden front gates, at the sight of the merchant the guards waved, greeted everyone and opened the gates. Bronach and his mercenaries were well known there as well.

The town was very big when compared to the villages of Allard. The houses were mainly made of wood and stones in a very rustic manner, nothing as fancy as seen in the large cities. Stone roads were almost non-existent there. Near the shore there were many small fishing boats, some on land and some on the water.

Few merchant stands could be seen, mostly selling fish, meat and raw leather. Small children ran in the alleys between the houses, playing around and watching the mercenaries walking by.

Weapons and armor were clearly in demand at the town, it seemed that the supplies expected from the capital had not arrived yet and the locals jumped at the opportunity offered by the merchant.

Bronach sold many of his weapons and ores to the locals. The leather armors were well received by the hunters and guards as well.

They traded in coins, leather and meat jerky.

Riou was looking around the local merchant stands when he noticed something that caught his attention.

“Is this an onion?” It was the first time he saw one in that god forsaken world. Eileen approached and looked at the root in Riou’s hand with curiosity.

He looked around the stand with more care. The smell of the herbs and seasoning were all familiar to him.

There were not many varieties but it was enough to put a smile on the boy’s face. ‘Maybe the colder weather is favorable for growing them here... or could it be that they still haven’t exchanged these kinds of products?’ thought the boy. ‘How can they possibly not be trading these yet with Allard?’

The merchant seemed unsure of why the boy was so excited looking at that root. “This is a root we roast and eat when the meat is over. Sometimes it’s good with soup as well. We also have this other root here, but since Jarvev died after eating one last week, we avoid using it” said the merchant, pulling a crate of some kind of wild potato.

A tear ran from his eye. Sweet bliss of different food varieties.

He was tired of the same taste everywhere; pure meat or soup with strange bitter roots with awful taste. Culinary was wildly underdeveloped, aside from a few taverns and castle dinner parties.

“No, no, don’t stop growing them!” quickly advised the boy. “Just store these safely from the sun and cook them very well before eating it.” He proceeded to discuss the proper ways of cooking these products with meat, as well as using the herbs and seasoning at the stall. 

Eileen was following the excited Riou through the city, just listening to the conversations he was having. She was intrigued that he even knew that much about farming and cooking.

The happy boy had bought enough seasonings, potatoes and onions for a few meals. He asked Bronach and stored them on the empty carriage.

He bought whatever he could find. He was so eager in the process that even Bronach became curious to see why the boy was so active and excited for those cheap roots.

“Why are you buying those things? They are not very tasty you know,” questioned the merchant.

Riou smiled brightly. “Ohh, but they are, if you prepare them properly… if I were you I’d buy them as well, they will fetch a very high price real soon.”

Bronach thought for a moment “Well, it’s not like we don’t have the space, and if you are so certain, I can’t pass a business opportunity like this” He turned towards the local merchant “I will also buy what the boy is taking. Everything you have”

As the night approached they went to the only inn in town.

It was big, but unlike the inns of other towns, it was only 1 story with a very high ceiling  held up by wooden pillars and supports. The huge, rectangular room had a big fireplace at its center for heat. To the back, there was the counter and the access to the storage room and kitchen.

On the walls, many doors for the rooms could be seen. The tables were many and distributed in the middle of the big central room around the fireplace.

Riou was carrying a crate full of products he bought without concern and went straight to the kitchen without even asking the owners permission. Curious, Eileen followed him.

With the chef’s help he proceeded to prepare a meal that he used to do for himself: simple steaks with well-cooked and seasoned onion gravy and mashed potatoes.

As he noticed Eileen curiosity, without a word he promptly passed a knife and some onions to her as well. “Peel them and slice them like this before cutting them into small pieces” said Riou showing her how to do one.

Eileen slowly peeled and cut a couple of them. She never had done anything like that before. Without practice, it took a while to do it properly.

While she was at it, a strange burning sensation affected her eyes that began to water up.

Not understanding what was happening, she looked at Riou to question him.

With his expertise, Riou had already peeled and sliced many onions by that time. His nose was running and his eyes were completely red, tears rolled his face without stop.

He smiled with difficulty, truly happy despite looking like that “It’s fun isn’t it? I could do this all day long, easily!” he said struggling to keep his eyes open and with a large smile.

Eileen giggled and laughed at the sight of him in that deplorable state, wiping the tears of her eyes, she promptly continued to help on her own pace.

The cooking began and they were finally back to normal.

Eileen was intrigued watching him do all those things.“How do you know all this?”

Riou smiled. “I lived alone for a long time, so I had to learn a few tricks in the kitchen. This is a very common recipe from my land.”

She found such a response very strange, but everything around him was quite strange. But she couldn’t wait to try it.

The tavern owner and chef was called Marko, he was closely watching everything, doubtful of the results of such strange cooking methods.

With the hard part over, the cooking proceeded well as he borrowed the rest of the ingredients from the inn’s kitchen.

After all was done, Riou served Eileen first, still inside in the kitchen and waited for her to taste it.

As the food reached her mouth her eyes widened in surprise.

Riou nodded and gave a large smile of satisfaction. “It’s good isn’t it?” He said with a sense of accomplishment, Eileen nodded surprised by the taste. “It’s very good! I never tasted something like this before.”

He was overjoyed to eat something he was used to for a change, it renewed his spirit.

Marko rushed to taste it as well after such a compliment from Eileen. The chef also couldn’t believe his palate.

Marko hurried to take notes of what was done. No detail of the cooking process could be forgotten. 

Riou brought plates with steak and mashed potatoes with gravy for Therese, Leona and Bronach. The rest would serve themselves as the pans were brought to by the staff members.

The plates were cleaned in an instant by everyone, it was a huge success.

Therese looked at the pans with desire, noticing she was craving for a second round he looked at her with a wry smile. “So even the mighty Therese couldn’t resist my cooking skills?” said the boy joking with them in a good mood.

Therese smiled faintly. “Was it that good?” he asked with a smile, expecting a response.

“It was very good indeed, thank you for introducing me to it”. Riou looked impressed at her politeness and bowed respectfully as an artist would. “You are most welcome! Allow me to serve you once again my lady.”

He then went towards Leona. “Now it’s your turn.” Leona who was caught by surprise and was still eating. “Did the meal suit your tastes my lady?” said Riou, pretending to be a high chef speaking to a customer.

Leona nodded looking at Therese with a smile, thinking the boy was acting funny.  “It’s very good,” she said with a full mouth.

“Glad you liked it,” said Riou, turning towards Elias' group. “And you bunch, I hope you tell your folks about this food and help introduce it in Allard. We need more food diversity in that land, urgently.”

With mouths full, everyone nodded and cheered with enthusiasm.

Riou looked around and noticed Viki leaving the inn. She had been acting suspiciously for a while now, she even stopped pestering him since Eileen arrived. ‘What is she scheming now?’ thought the boy leaving her be.

The food was a huge success. Bronach promptly agreed with the boy’s earlier remark. If that food was brought to Allard it would fetch a very good price indeed. So the Merchant sat down with Riou and took notes on how to produce those roots and seasonings together with the recipes to spread them in Brigantium as well. He’d even hire a local to help with the first crop in the Allardian lands.

After everyone from the caravan ate, the locals began to appear and occupy the tables in the inn. Everyone wanted to know what that lingering smell was. Marko had plenty of orders to train the new recipe that night.

After having a joyful time with everyone, it was time to sleep. Eileen, Therese and Leona, as usual, took a room next to his.

The boy’s room was small, there were no baths but since it was cold, it wasn’t that necessary anymore. Just a bed, a table and a chair. A small candle on a bronze support rested on the table for light.

Riou took off his heavy clothes and placed his weapons on top of the small table near the candle and laid down on the bed closing his eyes caressing his full belly. ‘Ahh, today was a good day.’

------------------------------------

“How curious” a deep male voice sounded from inside Riou’s room. The boy immediately opened his eyes and quickly raised himself facing the voice source.

Sat down on the chair, was a man holding Riou’s dagger. Analyzing it meticulously.

A strange darkness surrounded him, it moved as if the dark itself was alive.

His silky black hair was as dark as the night itself. Long over his shoulders, completely combed back. His attire was like those of a noble, mostly made of black, dark purple and golden strand details. He didn’t seem old, but it was clearly not young either. Riou couldn’t place his age.

Despite the colors used, the boy could tell by his attire he was not from the Council, there were no runes or sigils or any reference to magic or mana. His attire was pompous but rather normal in comparison to their robes.

His eyes suddenly gazed intently at the boy, his head moved afterwards, to match them. His eyes were as black as his hair. The white in them seemed to emit a strange and faint glow of its own giving him an eerie feeling amidst that dark.

The man put the dagger on the table and slowly stood up. Walking towards Riou who kept silently watching his every move without moving a muscle.

“What are you?” asked the man slowly, speaking as if trying to find the answer himself.

He looked at Riou from above, the man's eyes were definitely unnatural. Riou couldn’t quite grasp why.

At one moment they seemed relaxed and the next they were completely widened, giving the man these strange expressions from time to time. Riou could notice he looked directly at him for the next moment to be focusing elsewhere, while maintaining an unchanging serious expression.

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The boy found it very discomforting to say the least.

“Who are you?” questioned Riou unsure.

The man’s expression changed. A smile appeared as he moved his head to face the boy once again.

“You don’t know me?” questioned the man strangely pleased by that realization, walking back, he sat down on the chair once again.

Riou watched him carefully, his movements were also strange. They began slowly to suddenly accelerate and catch up with the rest of his body, as an afterimage that caught up to the moving object.

“Should I know you?” said Riou sitting down on the bed.

The man's smile became a little too big for a human face to hold. His teeth were white and glowed as his eyes, very sharp and pointy, especially his canines which were way too big to fit in his mouth.

His face returned to normal as he continued with his questions, “I was under the impression you had come here for me, but if you haven’t, why are you here then?”

Riou looked sideways to the man. “Just traveling with some friends,” said keeping his guard up.

“The humans?” He then took Riou’s short sword from the table and unsheathed it in silence, analyzing it quietly.

Riou waited for a bit and asked again, “Why are you here?”

The man listening to the boy, snapped out of his thoughts and laid down the weapon on the table once again.

“Why? To meet you of course” he said nonchalantly.

Riou nodded. “So, it was you that was watching us a few days ago?” questioned the boy intrigued. 

The strange shadows that surrounded the man were a strong indication he was capable of powerful magic.

He smiled once again. “The female from the clans… She has a very keen sense. Please compliment her on my behalf, not many are able to sense me like she did.”

He looked straight to Riou’s eye. “And on that note, I feel I must praise you as well. That magic wave you sent… what an amazing trick, it caught me off guard for a moment. I was not aware of such technique. I thank you for showing it to me. It was very exciting” said the man very eloquently.

Riou was impressed by the man’s politeness and way of speech. He was certainly some kind of noble. “Thank you, I guess… but why did you come to meet me?”

“It’s very rare for me to have a visit such as yourself, so I thought it would be courteous to meet you before I killed you” replied the man nonchalantly.

Riou seemed confused. “Kill me?”

The man looked puzzled himself, as if not understanding the reason for confusion.

“You enter someone’s domain, spreading your presence, aggressively letting your mana lose without any contention. How can one perceive that, if not a clear act of provocation? You wanted to challenge me, did you now? So, here I am”

Riou sighed, beginning to understand what happened.

“But I must say, I’m delighted!” said the man with a smile. “It’s been far too long since I had a real challenge… You see, no one worthy ever appears in my domain. Most of today’s youth wouldn’t even dare to appear before me and from the old ones… well, let’s say that very few are worthy of my time. But you… ohh you are different, are you not?”

The man leaned back on the chair clearly in a happy mood. “You must understand my excitement when someone like you suddenly appears in a world like this.” He paused for a moment looking once again to the boy with curiosity.

“But enough with these games and deceit. Tell me, what are you? I can tell that you had come from the Abyss recently, I can still smell it on you” Asked once again the man in black in a more serious tone.

Riou smiled wryly. “I’m quite flattered… but there is no secret here. I’m a regular human and I’m very new to all this mana thing, so I wasn’t really trying to challenge anyone. I was really just passing by. I just don’t know how to control it very well.”

The man's eyes twitched, clearly angered. He instantly appeared in front of Riou in a blink of an eye, standing, looking at him from above. He didn’t move nor stop time, he just appeared in a dark smoke in front of the boy to his surprise.

The man looked intensely towards Riou, his eyes seemed to glow brighter and Riou could notice glints of purple colors dancing within them, his eyes suddenly changed, the man’s pupil became thin as the eyes of a reptile.

They were nothing like Therese’s. His gaze was very  intense and clearly not of a hunter focusing on its prey. His eyes lacked any emotion, Riou felt as if he was able to look through him.

The man didn’t move a muscle while in that state, Riou stayed on guard and watched him carefully.

Finally the man relaxed.

“That’s intriguing… you seem to be speaking the truth” said the man quite surprised. Extending his hand above the boy as if sensing his mana with great satisfaction. “You are not passing as one, you are indeed human despite this absurd presence and mana.” 

The man walked slowly back to the chair. “That brings back some memories… reminds me of another human I met. How long has it been now since I met Arthur?”

“Arthur Strongheart?” questioned Riou immediately.

The man exclaimed with a certain degree of joy in his tone, “The only being that was capable of almost killed me! Truly a shame he was human and short lived.”

The man looked at the boy. “But you, you are very similar to him, this strange source of mana, this smell and taste in the air… you must have come from the same world as him, have you not?.” The man looked once again at Riou with attention.

“But why is your body...”

Riou leaned in with curiosity “What does my body have anything to do with this?”

The man looked at the boy’s muscles and face with strange intent. “Your body is still adapting… you’ve been poisoned by the dark mana of the Abyss and then you crossed the threshold under all that mana pressure. How are you even alive?”

The man smiled, very intrigued “Your body managed to regress to a more malleable vessel to survive… it's not your true form, so that’s what threw me off mark, very interesting.” The man paused for a moment taking a step back.

“You will become even more powerful than you are now, once your body completely adapts to this world” The man looked at the boy’s eyes with a strange interest and wicked smile before continuing, “Perhaps I should kill you now, while I still have the upperhand.”

Riou felt the intent in his tone and smiled devilishly back to him. “You are more than welcome to try,” said Riou ready to attack or defend himself at any sign of hostility.

The man's eyes glared, a purple flame flashed briefly inside his eyes.

“Such spirit! You really remind me of Arthur!” The man smiled full of satisfaction.

“Let me introduce myself…” the shadows around him swirled, a purple flame danced inside his eyes “My name is Noctis Aardwing, The Shadow Bringer, the Everlasting Flame, First-Born of the Dragon race.” The man lowered his head respectfully while maintaining his eyes on Riou.

Looking up he continued “How may I call you, Rift Walker?”

Riou looked at him sideways with suspicion, it was a too sudden change for someone that was just threatening to kill him.

But he was curious since the moment he heard the word dragon in those titles.

“You can call me Riou… and I guess I just gained a fancy title from you,” said the boy greeting the noble. Still, he looked suspiciously at the man.

“Are you really a dragon? I mean, really, with wings, claws and everything? And what exactly is this rift walker you spoke of? How do you know? And more importantly, what is the meaning of this malleable vessel thing, how long until I get my body back?” he quickly shot questions as he was filled with them.

The man nodded, acknowledging the questions. “This here is but a shadow, a facade to allow me to roam the human world unnoticed. My true form is very different indeed”

Noctis picked once again the dagger from the table “A Rift Walker is someone that is able to walk between worlds, inside the rifts that connect them, it’s a rare feat, not many can do it for it requires a great deal of power and will, most that dared, died in the process.” He looked through the edge of the blade, from the base to the tip.

Riou listened with attention wanting to know more about it.

“As Arthur, you grew in a world without mana, the magic essence that molds and rules over this reality. What do you think happens when someone like you is suddenly exposed to it?”

Riou shook his head not knowing the answer.

“When you entered the rift to this world, your body was thrown inside a vast pool of mana that lingers between worlds. Like water in a very dry land, your body was infused by it. But mana is not inofensive as you might think. Especially the dark mana from the Abyss. Your body had to adapt to survive and seemed to have chosen to regress to a more suitable and malleable vessel, one that could withstand its constant needs to change. But that also means that once it fully adapts, you will recover your real form”

Riou listened with interest. ‘Maybe something to do with growth peak, hormones and cell adaptability… as we grow older our body slows down as well…maybe it needs a faster metabolism to somehow interact or withstand this mana adaptation… well I don’t know for sure, but it’s the best theory I can make up right now.’

Riou looked at the dragon “You sure know a lot about this… If I’m a rift walker, how did I end up here? How can one walk between the rifts?”

The dragon nodded while smiling maliciously “Some worlds converge briefly, while others are frequently paired. There are places with thin boundaries, one can force a passage to traverse there”

‘Ok, so far nothing groundbreaking,’ thought the boy before promptly continuing, “Do you know how to open these passages?”

The Dragon looked from above at the boy. “Of course I know, I used one to come to this world just like you did. Does the silent forest remain? How did you manage to leave the stone wall without wings and even survive its mana pressure?”

“So you know! What about that dark place? You said it was the Abyss, you too came from there?”

“Yes, I was born there… it's called Abyss, the darkest realm”

“Why is it so dark in there, I couldn’t see anything?”

“The dark mana is so dense there, that it forms a dense fog, a miasma if you will. Plain eyes won’t work in there, you need to use mana to pierce through that thick dark veil.”

“I see… so if you know all this, can you send me back to my world?” asked the boy with clear interest in his tone.

“Perhaps I could… perhaps I could not,” said the dragon dismissively.

‘This damn dragon... maybe Max will know what to do with the information he has.’ Riou looked back at him. “What could I give you for you to be willing to help me?”

Noctis looked impressed. “You dare ask favors from me, who threatened your life just moments ago? How amusing... sadly, you have nothing that I desire,” said the dragon even more dismissively.

Riou smiled wickedly towards the Dragon. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m just asking nicely out of respect for your gentleman manners.”

The dragon contained a laugh. “Was that a threat? How elegantly put.”

Holding his head high, the dragon quickly added, “Perhaps we should fight, just for the fun of it.”

Riou widened his eyes and smirked towards the man. “Perhaps we should.”

His eyes once again flared with excitement and a strange sense of satisfaction. His smile increased in size showing his long and pointy teeth.

Noctis returned to normal and continued “Speak my name into the shadows, I will listen to your voice. And depending on my mood, we will speak again”

Riou nodded with satisfaction, the dragon seemed inclined to cooperate. “Do Dragons enjoy human food? I heard they do in my world… So, how about I put something together to eat along with some special drinks? Perhaps it could improve your mood and make you more inclined to talk. The dish I made earlier here was great, you should have tried it.”

The dragon laughed. “Perhaps it could... I do participate in human parties and social events quite often.” He then paused, pondering on the offer and finally nodded towards the boy. “It might work”

“Good, I’m going to Thanes, I will stay there for awhile. I hope to see you there”

The dragon nodded once “The humans know me by Lucian Brahm, please refer to me as such if we ever meet amidst them. A smart man like yourself will know how to keep my identity hidden, will you not?”

Riou was impressed. “Of course, and I expect the same courtesy from you. They do not know of me as well”

The dragon nodded “It’s a deal then.”

Riou was curious “So, you’ve been living amongst humans, hiding??”

The dragon smiled. “Arthur told me it would be a good way of passing time. And they’ve been a good source of entertainment. Their politics, schemes and behavior are very curious to me. I rarely meddle in their affairs, but I do like to watch their developments”

Riou was surprised and nodded in agreement. “Very well, Lucian Brahm, I expect to hear from you very soon then.”

The man stood up and prepared to leave. “Very well Riou, the Rift Walker. I have a feeling that now you are here, I will not be bored for a long time” The dragon nodded bidding his farewell. The boy followed after him in “I feel the same way, Noctis Aardwing, first born of the dragons. It was nice meeting you”

“The pleasure was mine” replied the dragon.

Riou quickly added, “And I must say as well, you are much more of a gentleman and a scholar than I expected any dragon to be.”

The dragon laughed while wandering into the shadows in the wall behind him, fading into the dark and completely disappearing.

After he was gone, Riou glanced at the shadows on the room. “That puts privacy into a whole new perspective”

‘Well, that was interesting to say the least… he will have to help me, even by force if I have to… perhaps Max knows how to deal with him’ thought Riou as he relaxed in the bed once again.

‘I need to take this aura thing down before it brings me more unwanted attention. This time I was lucky… was I? Was that a good or bad dragon encounter?’ Riou frowned. ‘Well, he didn’t attack me… so that’s a plus on the good side’ 

But still there was the problem on how to suppress his aura.

‘This is nothing like killing intent or something that I can control easily… maybe I should try a different approach. Could I do it forcefully?’ realized the boy as he spread a very thin and strong mana shield around himself, it was a net intended to restrict this so called presence and mainly stop his mana from leaking from his body.

‘This mana leakage that Noctis mentioned is a new factor… and maybe that’s the main issue here’

He made an attempt to contain everything within his body to prevent anything from escaping. ‘Is it even working? I can’t tell... in any case, this will take some time to get used to. I can’t forget to keep this up from now on. Maybe Max can create a ring or another necklace with this spell in it to do it for me, after we confirm this actually works, of course’

------------------------------ 

After a quick stop on the local producers for stocking a few potatoes and onions seeds. The caravan once again began moving towards the next city, the last big city before Thanes. The city of Askar.

Viki joined the caravan late as it was already leaving the town, she greeted everyone as her energetic self. 

When she crossed eyes with Eileen, the beautiful blonde was beside Riou. The rogue smiled and deliberately sent the boy a kiss from a distance.

Eileen forced a smile.

‘And she is back…’ thought Riou as he saw the rogue acting in her strange self again.

After a while on the road, Riou noticed Herger passing by, going for the front of the caravan and back a couple times, Riou promptly called him.

“What is it boy? Do you need anything?” questioned the mercenary with a smile.

“Do you know any Lucian Brahm?” questioned the boy.

The mercenary frowned towards the strange question. “The Brahm’s house is famous, they are the richest amongst the nobles here in the north. Everyone knows them. They rule over a small town, deep within the mountains for many generations now. They have a gold mine there or so they say. Most of the gold of the country is provided by them. It’s really a remote place, very hard to get to, why do you ask?”

Riou shook his head. “Just curious. I overheard the name yesterday but couldn’t quite place it.”

Herger nodded. “Well, if you are very lucky, you might see him in Thanes. They will be having the summer festivities right about the time we arrive in the capital. He might be attending this year.”

Riou thanked the mercenary for his time. Herger nodded and continued towards the front at a faster pace.

The boy turned to Eileen that was beside him “What do you know about dragons?”

The princess looked confused by the sudden topic. “Not much, it’s been over a century since anyone has seen one. The last one was killed by Maximilian.”

Riou nodded. “That explains the dragon slayer title… so, there are none around these parts? I heard dragons love mountains, don’t they?”

Eileen just shook her head without any knowledge of dragons in the region.

The boy insisted, “So, have you heard anything about some dragon, the Shadow Bringer or something like that? The first born of the dragon race?”

Eileen squinted her eyes while looking at him very confused. “Why this sudden interest in Dragons? And how do you know the Shadow Bringer is the first born?”

Riou scratched his head. “I think I overheard some stories from the locals, maybe I got something mixed up… but I got curious, so do you know about it?”

Eileen nodded, as her suspicion grew. That was not a casual talk to have overheard in an inn, even less the knowledge that he was the first born of the dragons.

“The shadow bringer is an old legend. It is said that the black Dragon would appear in the sky, bringing the shadow of the night with him. The day would become the darkest of nights as he rained down his purple flame, destroying entire cities in its path. His fire would burn for days without end and nothing would be able to put it out.”

The boy was impressed by the princess' knowledge. “That’s a nice legend, you know more about it?”

“My ancestor was the one that fought the black dragon and ended its reign of terror, it’s a known legend in Allard”

“Arthur? Tell me more, I want to know””

Eileen nodded and continued, “It was said that the dragon could listen from the shadows to whoever called for his name. Those who dare speak it, would bring his wrath upon their cities. He caused so much destruction and death that his name was cast into oblivion; every record of it was destroyed and all those who dared to even say it were sentenced to death.”

Riou widened his eyes, the punishment was very severe.

“It was only at much later time that the Black Dragon was banished by my ancestor, Arthur Strongheart fought him and won. The dragon fell and was never seen again. But to this day the dragon’s name is feared and related to bad omens, and is still forgotten to this day. The shadow bringer is the only reference that still remains of him.”

Riou smiled wryly, he had come to meet a rather troublesome entity. “That was very insightful. You sure know a lot Eileen.”

Eileen smiled, she took a good look at Riou, she couldn’t help but find him intriguingly funny. It was the middle of the morning, Riou was clearly very sleepy. His hair was uncombed and messier than ever. And he was once again asking the strangest questions out of the blue, without a single concern in his mind about anything else. The princess smiled while thinking how someone could be so carefree.

Noticing her sudden intense gaze and bright smile the boy was caught off guard, their eyes met briefly for a few moments before the princess quickly averted them down.

“Say Riou, what do you think of political marriage?”

“I told you before, I’m not very fond of it… you should be able to choose and do what you think it’s right.”

Eileen nodded, reformulating her question, “But I mean, if it was offered to you, would you marry to gain a name and lands in case you couldn’t go back to your home?”

Riou thought for a moment while the princess waited anxiously. “I don’t think so, well I mean, maybe? If it were a princess… I might consider it.” He looked mockingly at the princess with overly charming eyes, clearly joking.

He continued after seeing her smile “But now that I’m thinking about it, I would only marry her if she won against me in a formal duel.” Riou paused for a moment, quickly adding “And if she doesn’t snore and drool, that’s also a deal breaker.”

Eileen giggled while looking at his silly face. “Careful, don’t forget that you already lost to me on a formal duel.”

Riou looked overly surprised at her “You’d be so evil and hold that against me?”

Eileen giggled once again. “Well, a victory is a victory after all.”

Overly shocked, he replied in a fun tone. “I don’t know what to say… Poor me, doomed to a terrible fate by such a tyrannical princess… Poor me.” He squinted his eyes and looked at her sideways with a mix of great interest and suspicion. 

“Do you snore? I bet you do”

Eileen couldn’t take it any longer and laughed out loud.

Therese smiled hearing that while Leona turned her head towards the princess in the back with surprise.

Riou smiled seeing that she was having fun talking to him “But jokes aside, I can’t imagine it. I mean, to have to fight against these candidates… I don’t quite understand how that can even work to choose a partner. Because, fighting would only increase hate between you and them right? Even if one of them were to win the duel, you would not suddenly fall in love, especially because you lost. Makes no sense, I think you’d actually hate the guy guts afterwards, so I don’t really see how this custom works.”

Eileen smiled, in a more serious mood she continued. “It’s a tradition, the ancestors protect the maiden until the one worthy of her appears. My mother used to say that a maiden of the north always knows when she is fighting the right one, so she can lose on purpose if necessary. It’s just a matter to keep going until he appears.”

Riou nodded. “Must be hard being a princess, even harder to have to defend yourself like that since such a young age. I envy your resolve Eileen, it is clearly not an easy path to take.”

The princess thanked with a single nod while blushing slightly by the sudden compliment. 

Used to be complimented on her beauty and elegance, her other traits were hardly noticed. Riou was the only one that seemed to notice them without reserve, at the most unexpected moments.

-----------------------------------

As the caravan advanced signs of the wildlife began to appear once again, Riou smiled to himself as he was finally seeing improvement on his aura suppression. The mana leakage was the main factor as he suspected.

Therese looked towards Riou and nodded with satisfaction.

Didn’t take long for them to be attacked by wargs, the big wolf-like creatures with short legs. The mercenaries were used to fight them, so they were dealt with quickly. After the first attack the mood on the caravan improved, they weren’t cursed after all, it was just a coincidence that the beasts were moving away.

Herger used the opportunity to approach Elias' group to put some pressure on them: “You came to gather experience in the life of a mercenary and adventurer right? From now on, when we are attacked, you will step in to help.” Everyone in the group swallowed hard.

Herger wanted them to realize that it was not an easy life, perhaps helping in fending off the beast would provide a good fear sensation and make them realize they have much better options than that life.

As they moved  farther to the north the temperature went down a lot and the snow could be seen further down in the mountains.

The rocky terrain gave space to a small plain with many hills that seemed to go all the way from the coast to the forest at the foot of the mountain range. The earth was very dark and covered in grass. It was still summer so Riou imagined that in the winter that land would be covered in snow.

There were no roads there, just a trail that most merchants used.

Therese called Eileen and pointed in the distance where the caravan was headed. A thin white smoke was barely visible behind one of the small hills.

Eileen looked with attention and quickly replied. “Hunters or a bandit camp? A few hours at this speed, I don’t see a way around it.”

Therese nodded while handing her great sword to the princess. “That’s most likely an ambush, you are still not allowed to use your Rapier” reminded the lioness.

Therese raised her hand in a clenched fist. Herger approached her immediately.

She quickly pointed out possible enemies in the distance. Herger acknowledged the issue and questioned her. “I said to the greenhorns to step up and help on the fights, but maybe this is a bit too much for them. What do you think? Should I tell them to sit this one out in case a fight breaks out?” added the mercenary leader.

Therese quickly replied, “Do you wish to put the young ones on point to gain some experience, correct? That’s fine, tell them to be ready when the time comes and tell the other mercenaries to stand down and just watch. Eileen and Leona will take care of the young one’s safety” said Therese looking at the two who understood their roles immediately.

Herger was impressed. If half of what he heard about the Lioness was true, then there was nothing to fear.

He nodded agreeing with Therese.

Herger addressed everyone in the caravan as soon as he turned towards them, “Rejoice you bastards! We might have company soon. The young ones will be the ones to deal with them! Do you hear? Stand back and let them gather some hands on experience”

As the mercenaries shouted excited by the news while Elias and his group showed extreme concern and signs of anxiety. Herger approached Elias shortly after. “Listen boy, be careful and don’t give any chances to the enemy. Kill if you have to; I will be watching nearby in case you need help. So muster some courage and lead your group when the time comes,” said the mercenary in a low voice tapping the noble’s back a little too strong.

Elias nodded a bit fearful, he was not the same enthusiastic and optimistic self since the event with the thugs.

As they continued their way and approached the hills, they began the downhill tread, the caravan noticed a group approaching them quickly as they were half way down. About 20 well-armed men and women. They all possessed decent and brand new leather armors and weapons. The men held long axes while the woman had short bows and short swords.

The caravan now knew where Gufa’s late supply from Thanes ended up.

The strange group moved forward clearly intending to block the way of the caravan at the end of the hill, they knew that the caravan would not be able to turn around in the middle of the hill  without abandoning its goods.

Herger approached Therese concerned and whispered to her. “There are far too many for the greenhorns to handle,” whispered the mercenary leader with concern.

Therese didn’t look at him. “We already discussed this, the young ones can fight these kinds of enemies, their numbers don’t matter.”

Herger clearly wanted to be sure. “I will tell the boy to take a few out first with his magic, just in case.”

“Which boy?” questioned Therese immediately with a sudden spike in interest.

“What do you mean? The mage friend of yours of course, Riou.”

Therese smiled faintly. “What spell did he use?” questioned the Lioness.

Herger got intrigued by the question, but explained excitedly as he still remembered the scene, “He dropped 5 thugs back in Allard in a blink of an eye with some strange rock spell. They floated and then vanished from his hand and went straight through some thugs head. Then a moment later, he dropped another 5 in the same way. He didn’t chant nor called any runes… I never saw magic like that. He is really something else.”

A full smile could be seen in Therese.

“There is no need to call for his help, this is a good opportunity for the young ones to fight, Leona and Eileen will be more than enough to make sure they don’t get hurt.”

Herger swallowed hard looking back at Elias' group, clearly concerned for them, but if Therese was saying, it must be true.. “I will let them know then.”

Therese nodded still with a smile on her face. “And don’t involve Riou in this” she made sure to remind him.

Eileen and Leona were already in the front, when Elias' group joined them with Herger. The mercenary leader stayed nearby just in case as well.

Riou approached Therese; they were alone near the front of the caravan and could talk freely while watching the fight from above. “So, we are just watching this one?” questioned Riou. “You sure are harsh on the girls” added the boy.

Eileen and Leona were already leading Elias' group towards the men blocking the path, closely followed by Herger.

Therese turned towards Riou. “They must learn, there is no better teacher than practice.” She paused for a moment smiling once again. “And while we wait for the fight to begin, why don’t you tell me about this spell of yours that can kill 5 men in a blink of an eye?” She held a very satisfied expression at the boy.

Riou smiled wryly. “You heard about that?”

Therese nodded with a happy expression. “I heard many interesting things lately, but I confess this is the one I’m most curious about right now.”

The boy scratched his head and looked to the sides before addressing her. “Would you believe me if I told you that I just threw some rocks so fast that they thought it was magic?” said the boy in a humorous and unconvincing tone.

Therese laughed, Riou was surprised as it was the first time seeing her laughing.It was a rare sight to see her that joyful, but she promptly replied back as usual, “No.”

He sighed in defeat, there was no point in trying to deceive her. “I wasn’t expecting you guys to show up, so I ended up using a bit of magic… I was hoping that the mercenaries feared you enough to not talk about it, but it seems these guys just can’t hold their mouths shut”

The lioness still waited for more.

“It was just a little, simple spell, honestly.”

Therese nodded quickly adding, “Little you say? Not by what I was told.”

Riou smiled. “Nah, it was nothing that amazing” he paused for a moment rethinking it. “Ok, maybe… I confess that I overdid it the first time because I did not know the power it would have.”

“Was it the first time using it?” questioned Therese. 

“Yeah you know? When you try stuff for the first time and you don’t really know how it will end up” added the boy. “I tried to scale down in the second attempt, but it was still not nearly enough.”

Therese sighed, “How long have you practiced and studied magic?”

Riou pondered for a moment. “I don’t know. The theories I learnt back home, my whole life. But doing it hands on, with real practice it was just recently that I could use mana for the first time. Just a bit after I arrived in Allard. So it’s been what, over 2 or 3 months now”

“Months?” questioned a skeptical Therese.

The boy nodded. “About that, yes.” 

The lioness shook her head in disbelief. But she was now certain that the boy was also the mage in Brigantium ‘That humongous image and presence, no wonder why it was so overwhelming. What an outstanding pool of mana and knowledge he must have to be able to do all this… he actually can do both internal and external magic with ease.’ 

And with the vivid image of what she saw when touching him in the Drinking Bear she let out a few words “You really are a monster”.

The boy frowned.

Therese shook her head “That’s not what I meant… I understand your struggle,” she said in an apologetic tone.

Riou looked at Eileen and Leona, a bit fearful, he asked Therese “How did they react to it?” 

Therese understood where the boy’s concern laid.

Smiling she continued, “The princess didn’t hear it, neither did Leona. And I intend to keep it that way.”

Riou looked surprised at her. “Why is that?”

“Since you prefer to hide your true capabilities… I know the struggle one must endure in such a path, I tried it myself once.”

The boy was confused and looked at her as expecting an explanation.

“My master shares your view… she always advised me to do so as well, but as you can see, despite my attempts, I ended up quite famous.”

Riou smiled. “I think the fame suits you well. I can’t imagine a world without the Great Lioness.” 

Therese smiled brightly. “Nowadays I don’t mind it either, and it’s quite helpful when dealing with mercenaries, merchants and inn owners. They tend to offer better service and products. Also the kings and lords attend me without delay and pay whatever price I ask. In that regard is pretty useful.”

The boy nodded, impressed. “So, your master… She is the type that hides her strength huh?”

“She definitely is, I met her before I even started the Lioness path at the Lion’s clan. She taught me many things that helped me become who I am today”

Riou pondered for a moment, “You have only a female disciple, your master was a woman as well… is this some kind of code or law?”

Therese nodded “Only a female can be another female’s teacher and only a male can be that for another male.” explained the Lioness.

“I was not aware of that. What a strange custom”

“It’s a necessity for most of the clans due to the nature of the young ones.” she explained.

Therese looked at him from the corner of her eyes. With such magical potential, something began to bother her, so she asked “Did you hold yourself back at the test we performed that night we found you?”

Riou smiled wryly. “Well… I fooled you right? I held back and delayed the response, so you would think it was average and would not suspect me anymore. You didn’t notice, right?”

Therese couldn’t contain herself and let out a laugh. “You certainly fooled me, but not the way you thought” She paused for a moment. “You will have to explain to me how you achieve this… average of yours. We will surely talk about this in greater detail later on. But for now, let’s focus. The fight is about to start.”

Riou sighed as he could anticipate another round of late night interrogation incoming.