Erydale

SELENE wakes up with a terrible headache and throbbing body. She barely has energy left to move. She's lying down on cold, hard wooden floorboards that make her back feel even worse. When Selene moans in pain, Kaden's face comes into her view with a troubled expression.

Selene plasters a weak smile. "You're finally here," she murmurs feebly.

"What happened? That slave from last time said that he saw Mardella come inside before he lost consciousness."

"Cessair." Selene corrected irritably.

Kaden stares at her with a puzzled look on his face. "The young boy who was with me, his name is Cessair. Quit referring to him as "that slave," he has a name, you know."

Kaden exhales loudly before grabbing his hair in frustration. "What really happened?"

Selene ignores his question and asks a question herself. "How long have I been asleep?"

"It's been almost a day. We were able to cross the Crystal Mist Forest without a problem. We're just taking a quick rest to feed the horses, and we will be taking camp later tonight. Tomorrow in the afternoon, we will be reaching our destination. Now, are you going to answer my question?"

Selene sits up and looks over her surroundings. When she's sure that no one is around to listen in to their conversation, she starts to recall and tell him what happened last night, down to the tiny details. She purposely emphasizes Mardella's warning, the glowing mark on Cessair's neck, when the witch drank her blood, and when the gash in her palm instantly healed. After telling everything to him, Kaden remained quiet and in deep thought for a long time.

"Are you not going to say anything?"

Selene watches as Kaden's adam's apple bobs up and down before answering her. "The reason why you lose consciousness must be because Mardella drank your blood. Our blood has potent mana that is also our life force. As for your healing powers, are you sure about what you saw?"

Selene vigorously nodded. "I'm sure with what I saw. Let me borrow your dagger. Let's test it out right now."

Kaden hesitantly took the dagger from his belt and gave it to her. Selene could see the honest to goodness worried look in his eyes, and she gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. I'm just going to cut myself a little."

Before Selene chickened out, she instantly cut her palm using the dagger. She bit her lip to stop herself from whimpering in pain. When pools of blood sprout from the slashed skin and flow down her palm, just like what she felt last night, a warm feeling enshrouded her hand, and the blood stops instantly. More so, the skin also closes completely.

Because of what he witnessed, Kaden becomes ghastly pale and stiff, frozen from his position. A few minutes had passed before he recovered and tightly clasped her previously injured hand. "Don't tell anyone about your healing abilities. It is for your safety and those people around you. You understand, right?"

Selene remembered the witch's warning last night. They're both saying the same thing. She has to be careful not to get caught. For the first time since they met, they have something they finally agreed upon without arguing with one another. Selene silently nodded and glanced at Kaden gravely. There is still one thing that she needs to discuss with him.

"About Cessair, is there a way to free him from being a slave?"

Kaden shakes his head. "When you are born as a slave, you will always be one for the rest of your life. The burnt mark on their back is proof of that. Only someone from a high-ranking family can strip them of their status, and no one would willingly do that. It always comes at a high price."

Selene remembers his vehement rejection when she asks him to show his back. She gritted her teeth. "Then, we can just take him away from that merchant."

"It will be quite difficult to negotiate his freedom. It may not look like it, but Mr. Vanderbilt favors Cessair more than any other slaves. His presence in some of his important business transactions proves that he has some value."

Kaden talks as if he'd known Cessair for some time already. "Do you know him?"

Kaden shakes his head. He suddenly looks uncomfortable with their topic. "No, I've only just seen him a few times when I visit the town."

"There must be some other way. Aside from Mardella's advice, remember what I told you last time: I need to do something in this world. The woman who appeared in my dreams told me to find the people who would help me, and I would know who they were once I saw them. When the glowing mark appears on Cessair's neck, I think my body responded. It must be the burning sensation on my chest. There must be some connection."

He gave him a doubtful look. "Will he even come with you?"

Selene stilled because of Kaden's question. She forgot the most crucial thing, Cessair's opinion.

"I will try to convince him," Selene replies determinedly.

"I don't know how it is with your world, but it would be difficult for you to convince him. Is he even capable of thinking of living a life aside from being a slave when that's all he'd ever known?"

Kaden sounded earnest in his opinion; she found it difficult to reject what he said. One day, Selene hopes that they will be able to understand each other sincerely.

She smiles honestly before answering, hoping that her message will come across to Kaden. "I'm not someone who believes in predetermined fate. How someone thinks and acts for himself determines the kind of fate he will live for the rest of his life."

Kaden suddenly became quiet and unmoving. However, a myriad of emotions plays across his eyes, and Selene can't decipher its meaning. His eyes had become quite terrifying that she had to break away from his gaze before continuing.

"That's why he won't know until he tries. It's only natural for people to change. Cessair just needs to have the courage to take that single step, and I will support him as best as I can throughout the way. Though, I know that's quite arrogant, considering that I'm also relying on you."

As if recovering from his sudden stupor, Kaden clears his throat and rewards her with a distracted smile. "You said that you would immediately become independent, and I believe in you. You look like the type of person to do just that."

Selene chuckles; even if it's just a little, she finally earned a bit of his trust. A small voice from outside, calling out Kaden's name, interrupts their conversation. She sees Cessair's head poking inside the carriage.

"Sir Ashnard, it's time to leave."

Kaden hesitantly stands up. He suddenly has a look that says he doesn't want to leave. Selene motioned for him to go. "See you later."

When Kaden finally left, Cessair timidly headed towards her and took a seat across from her. "Are you alright? I apologize for losing consciousness. I wasn't able to be of help to you."

He looks discouraged and embarrassed that Selene can see the redness on the tip of his ears. "You don't have to apologize. Besides, nothing bad happened to me."

"But, you collapsed."

Selene starts massaging her aching shoulders and flexes the muscles on her neck. He shouldn't worry about her. "I must be more tired than I thought. I've been traveling for a few days, and my body is not just used to a long journey like this. What's more, I think nothing happened. I don't even remember what happened last night, aside from seeing Mardella."

"You should be grateful that you just collapsed and nothing else."

The shaman from last night arrives inside the carriage and takes a seat in her usual place, followed by her other companions. Cessair assists her in standing up, and they take a chair across the woman. This time, Cessair didn't leave her side and quietly guarded her.

"We will be on our separate ways by tomorrow. I still don't know your name, Ma'am. I think it's only proper to introduce ourselves. I'm Selene; may I know your name?"

She snorts while a bemused look is openly displayed on her face. "I'm Martha."

Martha starts to introduce her companion one by one. After that, they fell into comfortable banter. They discussed many things like everything there is to know about Blackspire and the upcoming festival that will take place in the capital. Martha and her companions have become chatty, while Cessair remained quiet and only replied when asked. However, Selene can still feel his warm presence by her side. That is how they spent their remaining day before arriving at their destination. And before Selene knew it, they arrived at the entrance gate of the capital.

THE caravan goes through a short inspection before entering the city gates. Aside from their group, many merchants and other visitors have also been lining up for review. Once they confirmed their passes and checked on the trunks in the carriage, the caravan went directly to the merchant`s guild and started unloading the goods. Selene thinks that the guards have been lazy with their job for an inspection. Kaden had been expecting this and had been prepared, especially when he gave her a fake identification card she didn't know where he had gotten. Selene also caught Mr. Vanderbilt whispering something to one of the guards. After that, they forgo inspecting the large cage that was tightly sealed. Selene wasn't sure, but she thought she heard something growling coming from the carriage. And before she could even go near the cage, someone blocked her.

The man from Elijah`s group was the one who`s been sneaking glances at Kaden as if he`s monitoring him. Cessair said that his name is Bethrion, and just as she suspected, he`s a recent recruit. Selene does not know if Kaden had already noticed his suspicious behavior and decided to stay quiet about it or if he`s completely oblivious of his surroundings. Selene hopes that it's the former. After that short encounter, Selene once again finds herself observing Bethrion. In addition to that, Mr. Vanderbilt is acting suspiciously too. And despite seeing his limping leg due to the "accident" last time, Selene`s remaining guilt dissipates when she overhears him slewing a string of curses at Cessair.

When Kaden, along with the others, finally finished unloading the heaps of trunks for about three hours, she called unto Selene, who had been patiently waiting on the stairs of the guild. They will be staying in a different place from the group, though they will meet again after the festival to travel back to Blackspire together. Before parting with Cessair, Selene promised that she would visit him after doing her errand and that she would need to discuss something with him. She decided to discuss her plans with him privately, and they just hadn't had the chance to do that during their journey. Selene also needs to think of a solution to get Cessair from Mr. Vanderbilt.

Kaden and Selene decided to walk around the city and visit the library before going to the place they would be staying in. However, Selene feels a pair of eyes following their every move since the start of their walk. Although she doesn't feel that scared because Selene doesn't detect any malice from their stalker, it's like they're just being followed to know their whereabouts. Since arriving in Albion, Selene noticed that she has heightened senses. Even while people are surrounding them, she is sure that someone follows them. While still being enclosed by various noises, Selene decides to talk about Bethrion.

"The guy from Elijah's group, I think his name is Bethrion. Do you know him?"

Kaden shakes his head while looking in front. "I don't. Why are you asking?"

Selene is trying her best to match his long strides, but she still gets swept off by the sudden waves of people in the street. Selene grits her teeth in frustration. This is because of her cursed body. She should have been at least a little bit taller, and then things would have been easier. After Selene attempted to stay close to him, Kaden tightly grabbed her hand and led the way.

"So that you know, he's been sneaking glances at you from the start though he's trying his best to discreetly." Selene clears her throat. "I thought he would confess to you or something, but it doesn't seem to be the case," she added jokingly.

Kaden suddenly stops walking and turns to her with a grave expression on his face. "I will deal with him. I will drop you off in the library and leave for a while. Just wait for me there. Besides, men are not allowed to go inside."

Selene stares at Kaden in confusion. She was about to ask him what he meant, but he didn't give her the chance to voice her questions since he started to drag her further deep into the bustling city.

Erydale, the lively capital of Lyriboña, is a blend of elegance and antiquity. The houses that dotted the snowy city were built slated, tiled roofs and chiseled stone walls to wooden ceilings, timber, and brick walls. And because of the upcoming Spirit Blossom festival, gold and silver flags of the kingdom with the Queen's emblem that shows a crown that rests atop the shield decorated with gems can be seen hanging in every house.

Selene can also see the neatly paved ground because the residents were busy removing the heaps of snow and being replaced with a decorated bed of violet-colored flowers said to be the infamous Baptisia Flower, the kingdom's national flower. Inside the city, banks of a sparkling river flowed through canals, where a few small boats traversed the waters. Despite the cold and dreary climate, the atmosphere inside the city is warm and soothing. However, upon closer inspection, the population in Erydale seems to be composed primarily of females. From those just wandering the streets to the marketplace filled with female vendors, she sees some female knights inspecting the road. They wear the necessary knight fashion she'd seen in history books from Earth, such as helmet, suit of metal plate armor, and gauntlet.

According to Kaden, the Kingdom of Lyriboña is a matriarch-centered country where the Queen is placed at the highest seat of governance. At the same time, the Priestess who resides on the Island of Felora is the most revered figure representing the Temple. At present, this kingdom is one of the most powerful in magical firepower because of the priestesses they produced after undergoing rigorous training and education. However, they like to isolate themselves from the rest of the world. They only become lax in their security and allow foreigners inside the city because of the Spirit Blossom Festival that happens once every three years.

Although men were not necessarily mistreated, women still held a higher position than them. That is why those who still reside in the city are the ones that decided to stay because of their family—most young men ventures out of the kingdom to seek opportunities in the neighboring country. Selene almost whistles in mixed disbelief and awe. That must be why Kaden said that men are not allowed to go inside the library. Though the guards she saw by the entrance are men, they seem to be much more underprivileged than the female knights inside.

When Selene arrives in front of a massive castle made of glass, her mouth hangs open in awe, and she stares at it, utterly mesmerized. There are also rows of beautifully sculpted statues of Priestesses lined up outside the castle entrance that seems to serve as a reminder of the kingdom's long-standing history. It doesn't look like a library, even a teeny bit. Is this because she's in a fantasy world?

"I'm asking this just in case. There's no way; this is the library, right?"

"You're right. This is the Central Library."

"Not the Royal Library?!" Selene asks in disbelief. What would the Royal Library look like if this place was just the Central Library? Just thinking about it makes her drool. She always has the hots for libraries. Whenever she's out of the country, she always visits their beautiful libraries and spends her remaining time reading just about everything.

"Am I even allowed to go inside this spectacular haven?" Selene murmurs while still feasting on the stunning edifice in front of her with her eyes. She's itching to know what kind of books she will find inside. Wait, can she even read everything that is inside?

Selene is preoccupied with the scenery that she doesn't notice the woman standing beside her until she accidentally bumps into her. She immediately turns towards the woman and slightly bows her head to apologize. After doing so, she raises her head and finds her staring intently. The woman is wearing a red cloak and a red veil, making it difficult to make out her facial expression aside from seeing a faint smile on her lips.

Selene thinks she got herself into a staring contest because of how long she's been staring at her. And it felt like time froze when her gloved hand touched Selene's cheeks. Despite the thick cloth separating their skin, she felt a spark of energy flows into her skin. Selene feels a burning sensation on her body, and she starts gasping for air when Kaden saves her again in the nick of time by taking her away from the woman's touch. She can feel Kaden's hot anger prickling her skin, which becomes hotter when the woman's airy and melodic laugh fills the air.