Where's Miel?

The smile on Artie's lips froze as she got kissed again. Then again, she only laughed inwardly and sighed at the apparent inability of this man to freely say the things he wanted. Even when interacting with his beloved son, he couldn't say the right words without being embarrassed by them. He could only spout shit if he had to just to get away. Perhaps there were a lot of things to fix.

Her hands came to the sides of his head as she began to play along, forgetting the conversation just to give Larkin a little way out for his awkward retreat. He must have been sent into panic deeply when he suddenly heard that Miel could be in trouble soon. Perhaps he thought that the child had gone through a lot already; he wouldn't be able to breathe if his son ended up facing worse in the future.

After a few seconds, Larkin pulled back and got off of Artie. He quietly assumed a sleeping position, but he pulled Artie close to him as if she was a pillow to help him sleep. The future wife only sighed and shifted her body around to find a comfortable position.

Silence seemed to be on its path to lull them both back to sleep.

[Random event commencing! In the depths of the night, a soul on its way to Kolorantha had been salvaged by the living. However, it was to whittle away and aching to put off another fire with its vanishing smokes. Apostasy bonus quest: decide which one will die tonight: Miel / Jillian]

"Holy fuck!" Artie quickly jumped out of the bed, alarming Larkin who had fallen asleep for a few seconds already. She even grabbed Larkin's collar and pulled on him harshly, even tearing the collar that she held. "Get your ass out here—! Oh, my God… I'm so sorry!"

"Don't mind it for now." Larkin had gotten out of bed as well and went to grab the faux fur robes lying on the drawer by the foot of the bed. He tossed one to Artie and wore another. "What caused your surge of fear?"

"Right! We need to find Miel! Quick!" Artie rushed out of the room while putting on her robe, loudly running across the hallways in great strides. She passed by the two guard knights that were running towards Larkin's room as if they heard her screaming from the room. Artie didn't pay attention to them as she locked on Miel's location. However, when she saw the number of the marker, she slowed down.

Larkin quickly caught up with her and grabbed her arm as if dragging her somewhere, but she was planted on the floor. The archduke only took one tug to realize something was wrong. "Artie…?"

"...three hundred kilometers? Why is he so far?" Artie walked to a window and opened it. The wind rushed inside, disheveling her hair. She then pointed in a direction. "Larkin, what's the furthest place in that direction? Can you remember? Miel is way far into the direction."

"You can tell he's out there?" Larkin walked towards the window and approximated the view. "Only the southern gates lie in that direction. The deserts abounded that area." He stepped back and summoned his black smoke and crafted a glimpse of the map of the devildoms in the air. "If that route is taken, he could only reach Latodine or Musanea in a few days."

Artie stared at the map Larkin had drawn. For some reason, her eyes were recording every nook and cranny of the smoke map. Then, she felt like something had been embedded in her brain.

[You have unlocked an entire region in the map of Galacia: Black Galacia! The seventeen devildoms that rested on top of a legendary kingdom stayed close and together through the toughest of times. You can now opt to travel to all of them as you please. Choose your destination wisely.]

[Reward obtained!]

[You have unlocked the third transmutation: the Grand Wandering Albatross!]

[Soar among the clouds and along the line where the sky meets the land but not in the form of an angel. You can use this transformation for five hours with a cooldown of twenty-four hours. This steed transmutation can bring a total of (1) people and could soar up to 600 km/h.]

[Warning! This transmutation will grant you the steed status. You cannot ride another creature with the 'steed' status while assuming the transmutation.]

'600 km/h?! That's even faster than the bullet train! Great! I can get to Miel in less time! This is way faster than the Black Kodiak, right?' Artie's eyes shone.

She previously had a quest about Lupina defeating Black Kodiak in a race, and so that meant that it was possible for Lupina to outrun the Black Kodiak. If a normal horse could run up to 90 km/h—putting Lupina around 100, then that would mean the Black Kodiak could only speed up to 200 even by a long stretch. That was enough for Artie to convince herself to fly off instead.

Before she could speak again, Larkin dissipated the map while a soldier ran up to them for a report: "Your Grace! The dungeons had been broken through! The assassin had escaped!"

"She escaped?"

"...Larkin, we have to go now!" Artie flashed a big smile and jumped off of the window like how Larkin would. She didn't care much about her garments as she was not going to be seen with those on. Larkin probably wouldn't care enough about his, would he?

Even if the soldier gasped, Larkin only followed suit. He jumped off of the window even before the assistant seneschal could come find him. As he opened his arms and let the winds rush against his body, the shadows moved to provide him with a sleek obsidian armor. However, that was not the most shocking sight.

Artie, who jumped out earlier, was consumed by a soft light. Her silhouette looked like it had grown wings, but the body had shrunk into a slender build… and has two long stick-width legs! The head part turned into a beak, and white feathers abounded her entire body. The angel had transfigured into a white slender bird with a wingspan that could probably compare to a boat's length.

She swooped down and caught Larkin on her back before she dashed into the fading night sky. Larkin almost lied along the bird's back, his hands grasping on that white skin while the shadows worked on giving him a saddle. His blonde hair danced furiously in the wind, and his eyes were almost sealed shut… until the shadows coated his head and gave him a frog-mouth helm. It reduced the wind on his face and completed his look.

He then moved to crouch on the bird's back. "Artie, where's Miel?"

Artie depended on the marker for a direction. Her long white wings moved from time to time to keep up with her speed. Soon, she went past the gates of Ellis Plains and looked into the deserts that seemed to be rather familiar. Her eyes squinted, and she hummed inwardly. 'Where have I seen this place before?'