Kyllian still had his eyes closed when he regained consciousness, he could barely feel his body, it was as if he was floating. The noises around indicated to him that he was in a forest, he could feel soft hands caressing his body. The hands were feminine and comforting but he still felt incredibly cold.

  " Do not open your eyes yet. "

  He had never heard this voice before but it was still familiar somehow, the woman kept touching his body as she was slowly moving around him. The voice was resonating in his mind. The voice felt cold, assertive, commanding and was filled with ressentment but not at him. It was a woman seemingly in her forties. S

  " Why are you here ? "

  " I don't know where I am .. "

  " This place is mine, you entered where none other has ever been. "

  " I'm sorry, who are you? "

  " Who I am is not important, who I was is what you should seek. "

  " I don't understand .. "

  " Open your eyes and you will. "

  Despite his curiosity, he felt that he should not open his eyes, he felt like something bad was going to happen if he did, the woman placed her hands on his face and he could feel her cold breath on his face.

  " Open your eyes. "

  " No. "

  " Open your eyes !! "

  " No !! "

  He started struggling to get away from the woman's grasp, he decided to flip her over and began to strangle her with his eyes closed, he could feel her scratching his face as she was losing strength.

  " Kyllian, open your eyes !!! "

  Finally, after this last demand, he opened his eyes and saw what the woman looked like, she was young, had white hair and blue eyes, her skin was as pale as snow, somehow he felt like he knew her before, he kept choking her and noticed a tear on the corner of her eyes, suddenly the woman's voice changed to Mika's voice.

  " Kyllian wake up !! "

  Startled by the sudden change, he blinked a few times and looked around him. He was not in a forest but in his bedroom. He blinked a few more times and discovered Mika struggling under him, he instantly let go off her and she rolled to the side while coughing intensively.

  " Oh by the creator Mika I'm sorry ! "

  She crawled away to the other side of the room and tried catching her breath, the two of them remained sitting on the ground for a moment. She brushed her hair back while massaging her sore throat.

  " You were having a nightmare and I tried to calm you down .. "

  " I'm sorry, I didn't want to hurt you, it just felt so real, I felt that she was going to hurt me."

  " She ? "

  " There was this woman, all dressed in white, I was so cold and she wanted me to open my eyes. She said that who she was now did not matter but I needed to know who she was before. "

  " You sure have strange dreams, at least your fight did not weaken you that badly. "

  " The fight ? Oh .. I remember now. "

  Kyllian stood up and headed for the door, Mika stood in his way.

  " Where are you going ? "

  " I'm going to kick his ass that's what I'm gonna do. "

  " You just woke up !! "

  " Yeah I'm rested, now I can get him, he was just lucky. "

  " Kyllian please ! "

  " Why are you defending him?! Did you two have a thing while I was passed out?! "

  She sighed and punched him in his hurt side, the hit was strong enough to make him bend, she then pushed him to the ground and got on top of him.

  " You idiot !! "

  She gave him a small punch in the face. He knew her strength but this punch was not as strong as she could do. She gave him a few weak punches before preparing for a big one, for some reason, he decided to not defend himself, he had hurt her enough already. He closed his eyes and waited but the hit never came. Instead he could hear her sniffing, he started feeling drops on his chests and face, he opened his eyes and made eye contact with her, her deep blue eyes were full of tears and sadness.

  " Mika I'm so- "

  " Shut up! Just shut up! You don't understand anything, I said before that you were scared of caring but now I'm starting to think that you are unable to know how to. "

  " I do.. "

  " No you don't or you would not dare to have these thoughts! "

  He caressed her face and she put her hand over his. Her tears were flowing even more, he slowly moved his hand on her neck and pulled her close to hug her, she nustled herself against him and cried on him for a while. He hugged her like she was the most precious thing in the world.

  " I'm sorry Mika, I just lose control sometimes and I don't always know how to handle things properly, I promise I will work on it.. "

  " It's ok, just don't hurt yourself for me ok? "

  " What do you me- "

  She slightly pulled back and looked him in the eyes.

  " Promise me you will never hurt yourself just for me. "

  " I promise. "

  She let out a sigh of relief and stood up, she held her hand out to help him up.

  " You should go back to sleep, Cynrik will lead us to the boat tomorrow. "

  " I see. "

  Kyllian laid back in bed and looked to the side.

  " Why aren't you leaving? "

  " I want to look after you in case you get another nightmare. "

  " You need to sleep Mika, I'm gonna be ok. "

  " Hmm. "

  As she sat next to his bed, he finally realized why she was staying, he pulled the sheets to the side and moved so she could get enough space in the bed.

  " Hey, get in. "

  " What ? "

  " Come on, there is enough space for us both in this bed. "

  " Kyllian .. I don't want you to choke me again. "

  " I won't, come on, be a man! "

  Mika slightly gasped at the remark but couldn't help but smile.

  " You dick! "

  " I know ahah. "

  She removed her shirt, once again his eyes laid on the bandages she was using to make her chest look smaller. Noticing his eyes on her, she blushed and turned around, slowly she undid the bandages and took a deep breath. Once she was done she got in the bed, her back against his torso, he gave her a kiss on the neck and let out a sigh.

  " I'm sorry I didn't realize earlier. if we get to the boat, your mission will be done and you will have to go back to Glatsko, that's why you didn't want to leave. "

  He wrapped his arms around her and she grabbed them to keep him close.

  " I'm annoyed at myself for thinking about you Kyllian, just for tonight even if you don't mean it, can you act like you love me? "

  As an answer, he hugged her tighter and kissed her neck again, now locked in this embrace, they both fell asleep, free from any worry or nightmare.

  " This time I saw him, a young blonde man, who is he? What is he? Why do I keep seeing him when I close my eyes? Why is he so bright? It's like a second sun shining all over me, I hate it, I want to break him, I want him gone, I feel him getting closer. Then come, man of the sun, I will extinguish your flames and snuff the life out of you. "

  Kyllian woke up in the morning, his arms still around Mika. He was awakened by a knock on the door, trying his best to not disturb her, he moved around Mika and got out of bed to open the door. Yordan was on the other side smiling at him.

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  " Hey. "

  " Hey Kyllian, slept well ? "

  " Yeah yeah, you ? "

  " Maggie snores but it could have been worse, get ready, we are going soon. "

  " Yeah alright. "

  Yordan looked inside and saw Mika topless in the bed and smiled at Kyllian.

  " Had a good night I see. "

  " Shut up. "

  Kyllian closed the door and turned around to discover Mika waking up, he took a few seconds to admire her. The sun of the morning was shining through the window they had covered with the other blanket of the room. The sun coming from behind her back was making her look like a goddess. Her unbrushed hair covering her breasts, the wind carrying her scent to his nostrils, everything made him wish he could stay in this room with her. He took a deep breath and looked away. She put her arms above her head and kept stretching.

  " Mornin' "

  " Morning, it was Yor', came to told us to get ready. "

  " Ok. "

  She yawned and scratched her neck. He looked through his bag and grabbed a clean shirt, he then tightened his bandages and after giving her a last look, he left the room to get breakfast. Mika stayed there, thinking about how much she wished he stayed for longer. She sighed and started to get dressed. When she was done she joined with the group downstairs. After a quick breakfast, she excused herself to post the letter to her father that she had written the day before. An hour later, they were all ready to depart. When Cynrik exited the inn, both Mika and Kyllian were throwing daggers at him with their eyes.

  " Morning folks! We need to get going aight. "

  Kyllian stepped up and rearanged his bag on his back.

  " Where is your boat ? "

  " It's out of town, we are gonna have to walk. "

  " We have a cab. "

  " You do? Damn ok then, will be even faster, we just need to head north. "

  " How far north? "

  " Just trust me blondie, you don't really have a choice or you are back to square one. "

  Cynrik began to walk away and Kyllian turned to the rest of the group.

  " This guy is such a dick. "

  " I heard you blondie! "

  The group went back to the stables and loaded their belongings onto the cab. Once they were ready, Mika got on top to drive and Cynrik instantly got next to her.

  " You don't mind me staying up there do you? I get motion sick and kind of claustrophobic in cabs. "

  " Hm hmm. "

  " Also I have to give you directions aight? "

  " Sure sure. "

  Maggie and Yordan got inside of the cab while Kyllian kept staring at Cynrik. Mika gave him a nod as if she was telling him she was going to be alright. After a few more seconds, Kyllian got inside of the cab. Despite seeming oblivious, Cynrik smiled as he caught all of this interaction between them. Mika moved the reins and the horses started pulling the wagon. A little after they departed from Sutra Kyllian was trying to listen in on what they were saying outside.

  " This damn road is so bumpy, I can't hear anything of what they are saying. "

  Yordan let out a sigh of annoyance.

  " Maybe you should stop trying to listen? "

  " I can't, I don't trust this guy. "

  " I don't either, but he is useful. "

  " It could be a trap, maybe he doesn't even have a damn boat! "

  " We shall wait and see. What about you Mag'? "

  " I don't know, I trust Kyllian's judgment, I don't like him but Mika is a big girl, she can handle herself. Speaking of Mika, how did last night go? "

  Taken by surprise, Kyllian took a second to answer.

  " W-what do you mean? "

  " Well she stayed with you all night. "

  " We just talked and slept. "

  " Slept hmmm? "

  " Stop. Right now. I'm not in the mood to entertain your gossip. "

  " I'll ask her then. "

  " She will say the same fucking thing! Just leave it. "

  " Ok ok, someone is grumpy today. "

  Yordan had a chuckle.

  " We have been traveling with him long enough that you should know that grumpy is his default mood ahah. "

  " Very true! "

  Kyllian started pouting and pulled his blanket closer.

  " Fuck both of you. "

  The two friends laughed at his mood and kept making light fun of him. Meanwhile, Mika was just looking in the distance, trying her best to avoid having a conversation with Cynrik. He laid back and put his hands behind his head.

  " So blondie, what can you tell me about you? "

  " Don't call me that, I have a name. "

  " Yeah Mika but I like calling you blondie. "

  " I don't and it's Tsirek to you. "

  " You seem to like me less than when you tried giving me puppy eyes so I would say yes. "

  Mika was startled by his remark for a second, he laughed at her and kept talking.

  " Yeah I noticed, don't worry, I know girls like you, they think that all they have to do is smile and say please. "

  " You don't know me at all. "

  " Do you know yourself? "

  " I do. "

  " Ok then, simple test, what is your relationship with the other blondie? "

  " What? What kind of question is that? "

  " It's a question I decided to ask. "

  " It's none of your business. "

  " To me it seems that you just don't know the answer. "

  " I know it! "

  " Ahah sure you do, ok then miss Tsirek, what can you tell me about yourself? "

  " I have nothing to say to you. "

  " Oh come on! I ain't that bad aight? Just because I roughed up your brother? "

  " My brother ? "

  " Yeah the other blondie. "

  " He is not my brother ! Did he .. did he say I was his sister ....? "

  Cynrik smiled and kept talking.

  " Well, when I asked if you two fucked he said you didn't but he is very protective of you so I assumed you were brother and sister. Am I wrong? "

  " Yes you are! We are not related. "

  " Ok then you fucked that's settled. "

  " What does it matter to you if we did?! "

  " Ok I have my confirmation now, that is a lot of information. "

  " What do you mean? It's not a lot. "

  Cynrik leaned to be closer to her.

  " People have this way of saying things that just tells a story even if they don't mean to. Him saying you didn't fuck but you saying you did shows how you treat this relationship. You care more about it that he does, you are also younger, what it tells me is that when you two had your moment, he pushed you away but you are still attached to him despite your feelings not being reciprocated. This kind of strong attachement is also sign that you as a person changed due to you two fucking. People just don't fall for each other after one hook up so he was also probably the first to taste your forbidden fruit. See? You do talk a lot. "

  Mika fixed her eyes on the road and did not say a word to him for the rest of the road. They rode the whole day following the directions Cynrik was giving. To not waste time they took no breaks and only stopped when the sun was about to go down. Cynrik jumped down from the wagon and walked a bit to stretch his legs. Yordan, Maggie and Kyllian got out of the cab too and waited for Mika to get down. Kyllian walked up to her.

  " Are you alright? Did he try anything weird? "

  " No, we just talked, It's ok. "

  " Ok .. how long do we have to go? He said out of town but not how far. "

  " I don't know. "

  " I thought you guys talked. "

  " Yeah but about other things. "

  " What other things? "

  " Nothing you should be worried about, ok? I'm tired, Kyllian. "

  " Hmm. "

  He turned around and walked up to Cynrik, Cynrik turned around and smiled as he put his hands on his waist.

  " What do you want, blondie? "

  " Where is your damn boat? "

  " I told you, up north out of town. "

  " I'm sick of your games! Tell me now. "

  " That's not how it works, blondie. "

  " Do I have to beat the words out of you? Speak ! "

  Cynrik expressions changed and Kyllian slightly braced himself as a reflex, Cynrik smirked as he realized the small movement "he is careful now, I can't surprise him with speed again.".

  " You remember how well that went the last time we talked with our fists. "

  " I have been aching for a rematch. "

  Cynrik sigh and turned his back on Kyllian which irritated him.

  " Well I don't, I'm tired, we will do that another day. "

  " Oh no we won't! "

  Kyllian rushed at Cynrik and tried hitting him in the back, Cynrik opened up his vest and threw it behind himself to obscure Kyllian field of view, he then swept his legs and pinned him on the ground.

  " See blondie? It's always going to end up this way, it's two zero for me. "

  " Let me go! "

  " No because you are going to punch me if I do. "

  Out of nowhere, Cynrik found himself with Mika's sword under his throat, he raised his hands and smiled at her.

  " Woops? "

  " Let go of him now. "

  " Hey, he came at me. "

  " I said, now. "

  Cynrik stood up and as Kyllian got up he almost instantly wanted to go back in to continue his fight but Mika stood in the way.

  " Kyllian stop! "

  He was breathing heavily and his eyes were fixed on Cynrik who was literally taunting him with his smirk. Mika touched Kyllian's face and made him look at her.

  " Please? You boys can fight over who is the manliest later ok? For now we need to figure out what we are gonna do next.". She then turned around to look at Cynrik. " So you need to tell us where you are taking us. "

  " Alright, I will tell you but I'm starving and I can't tell shit with an empty stomach. "

  Kyllian was a few seconds away of losing his patience again but Mika cut him off before he could say anything.

  " Alright, we will unpack for the night, get something to eat and then you better tell us the truth. "

  " Of course blond- milady Tsirek. "

  Cynrik walked past them and headed for the wagon, Kyllian was still being held back by Mika who sheated her sword. She gave him a judgemental look and followed Cynrik to the wagon, Kyllian let out a heavy sigh and followed them. The group unpacked some of their things and started a fire to cook some food. Cynrik started his explanation once they had begun eating.

  " Alright so, I did tell you that my boat was out of town, which is true, it's also up north which is true, I just didn't tell you how far. "

  Yordan bit in a piece of bread and asked the burning question.

  " How far north do we have to go ? "

  " Well that's the tricky part .. we have to kind of .. get into Fardug. "

  " WHAT ?! "

  " Yeah I know ! Crazy right? "

  " Are you out of your mind? You want us to go into a country that is currently at war and full of crazy fanatic soldiers ? "

  " We will be away from the war, it's on the coast a few weeks away from here. With your wagon we will reach the border faster than expected but we will eventually have to leave it as we cannot enter the country legally. The king has recently grown parano?d to the point that he will refuse if not flat out imprison anyone trying to pass the border without the proper documents. " Cynrik paused and looked at Kyllian while taking a sip of water. " And unless one of you is a son or daughter of a noble, we ain't getting in, which is why we have to go through the Waylan's pass. "

  " What's that ? "

  " A mountain chain that joins the two countries, Fardug never pays attention to it and refugees escape the country through here. "

  " And how sure are you that we can get through there ? "

  " Because I've done it lots of times aight! Told you, I'm a merchant and I sell valuables and my current employer wanted me to get the chest back to him. "

  Maggie scratched her head.

  " There has to be a price to pay to go through, it cannot be that easy. "

  " There is no price as it's just dangerous to go through but you people are competent enough so I have no doubts we will be ok. "

  " How long until we get to this pass? "

  " If we keep the breaks to a minimum and we keep the same rhythm, we will be at the pass in two weeks. After that, it's a ten days walk to Halvi, the port where my boat is. "

  Kyllian was staying silent as he was eating his bread. Without saying another word, he stood up and went to grab his sleeping bag. He settled under a tree not too far from the group and laid down. He heard everything he wanted from Cynrik and did not need to hear more. The rest of the group ate the rest of their meal in silence and they all went to sleep. But before that, Mika walked away from the camp to clear her head and unbind her chest. She slowly unwrapped it and massaged her pained breast who had been restricted all day. Hidden behind a tree, Cynrik was observing her with a smirk on his face.

  " Damn blondie was hiding those, I definitely need to catch a feel of those beauties. "

  He then heard a very peculiar sound, like a sort of metallic screetch. The next second, he felt a blade being pressed against his lower back. Kyllian was standing right behind him, ready to plunge raven directly in his back.

  " If you turn around, I won't miss and I promise, I will kill you. Not only are you a liar but also a pervert. "

  " Oh come on blondie, the real crime would be to not be looking, I mean have you seen her? Oh yeah of course you did ahah. You feel what I feel right? She is a gem among stones, a shining star in the sky. "

  " Stop trying to sound poetic, you don't feel for her, you just want to have your way with her and it won't happen as long as I am here. "

  " Relax blondie aight? "

  " And stop calling me that, I have a name, use it. "

  " Yeah, Kyllian Ashstep hmm, if I had to come up with a name or an identity I would have chosen something else. What about your real name? "

  Kyllian slightly backed off and released the pressure of the blade.

  " Who the fuck are you and how do you know so much? "

  Cynrik laughed and turned around.

  " I'm just a merchant who is good at seeing through people, the real question is not who I am, it's who are YOU? Because I think even you don't know the answer yet." Cynrik walked past Kyllian and headed back to the camp. " I'll see you tomorrow " Kyllian ". "

  Kyllian stood there, stunned by how perceptive Cynrik was, in the near future he would have to be careful of what he says or how he acts around him "he is definitely not just a merchant.". He sheated raven back and headed back to bed, his head filled with more questions than he had answers.