*Cecile Amavus’ POV*

“MY LADY, ARE YOU OKAY?!”

The Captain of the Guards screamed while holding me up. I felt a burning pain throughout my head which had started to fade away slowly. I tried to stand back up on my own as I opened my eyes to look at the area around us. It had become dull and gloomy and the air had felt cold for a while now. My instincts had been screaming at me to not approach the direction of the Star.

I knew there was someone there. Someone extremely dangerous. I didn’t feel any pressure while approaching the area but that was making me feel more terrified. Someone who I can’t even feel. And then there was the reaction of the heavens. The mana had been roaring around me as if agitated at our slow speed. But even if we did reach the place in time, I didn’t think there was anything we could do, due to a terrifying existence there.

That was when the heavens sent me the last message, to go and wait in Baelor.

“I’m okay but we need to go. We can’t stay here anymore. The Star got teleported.”

“Teleported?!! There is no gate there, My Lady!”

“I know that. Just the fact that there is someone who can teleport without a gate, not too far away from here, would mean that we would have met certain death if we went there.”

The Captain looked at me with a worried expression. He helped me get up as my attempt to stand on my own had been fairly unsuccessful. He took a step back as he bowed slightly and started speaking in an exasperated tone.

“I’m sorry, My Lady, but we will have to take you back now. We can’t let you be harmed. The more we stay here, chances of the Ruvonne army finding us increases exponentially. We need to go back.”

“No, I’m going to Baelor. That's where I’ll find the boy.”

“The city of swords?! You cannot, My Lady. We have clear instructions from your father-”

“I said… I am going to Baelor.” I looked at the Captain as my eyes sharpened. He hurriedly put his eyes down as he took a step back instinctively.

“B-but My Lady, your fath-”

“TO HELL WITH MY FATHER!”

I saw the colours fade from the guards’ faces. Their breathing became faster as they heard the words that would be considered a sin and treason of highest order if someone else had said them. A few of them looked around frantically to check if someone had heard us, while some instinctively pointed their swords and staffs at me. It only took a moment for them to realise that it was me they were pointing their weapons at, as they sheathed them as soon as they had taken them out.

“Go and tell my father that I won’t be back for a while. I don’t know how long it would take to find the boy, but I’ll come back once I’m finished here.”

“But My Lady, your father will be worried about you.”

I had started getting annoyed at this man’s unceasing blabber. I looked at him as I opened my mouth and started speaking slowly,

“Then go back and tell my lovely father that he should be worrying about the things that actually matter. Tell him, verbatim, that he should stop worrying about his 24 year old daughter who is working to better the horrendous situation of his nation that he has created. Tell him to not play the King but ACTUALLY BE ONE. Tell him to get up from his cushioned throne that he didn’t have to earn. Tell him that HIS ‘PRECIOUS’ DAUGHTER is trying to find the boy who can actually save his hide. Tell him to OPEN HIS EYES and SEE the situation in the continent. Ruvonne’s King has been strengthening his forces and Leklenia has started holding hands with the smaller eastern nations while the Republic of Neer is at our throats. Tell him to STOP LIVING IN THE PAST revelling in the old glory of our Ruhala and improve our present. Tell him... if he can’t help me, then at the very least, do not impede me.”

The Captain looked at me devastated, as if what I had just said had shattered his world view. Well, berating a King in front of the Royal Guards was something only a suicidal fool would do. And yet here I was, still standing in one piece. Notwithstanding the fact that I was the strongest person here, they wouldn’t even try to hurt me. But still, my outburst left a sour taste in my mouth as well.

“Go back now. I need to leave for Baelor.”

“B-but your safety is paramount, Princess!”

“Lady. Not Princess. And send our Assasins to me. I will need them from here on, and the issue of my safety will be handled by them as well. Anyway, it's much more productive for me to command them than the King. Go on now.”

I sent away the guards who moved begrudgingly. I actually liked these guys a lot. They were the ones who volunteered themselves to follow me on this suicide misson of infiltrating our enemy nation, just on the naked belief that I was actually the Diviner. But they had to go. These guys would stick out like sore thumb in the city of swords.

I wonder how long it would take to meet the boy.

*Mehr’s POV*

My vision cleared as the world stopped spinning. I felt weak and felt as if my head was splitting apart. I flailed my hands around to grab onto something but my knees touched the ground before that. My hands fell on something cold and crumbly. I focused my eyes to look around the area before noticing the stark difference from the place I lived at for the past 4 years.

“Snow..”

I picked up a handful of snow and mushed it in my hand. It was a surreal feeling. I was in a dense forest a moment ago, and now I saw houses covered in snow. I took a step forward before collapsing on the ground. The pain that I had momentarily forgotten came back rushing to me. While it wasn’t something that I would usually care about, my body resolutely stayed stuck to the ground.

I heard hurried footsteps near me but all the voices were muffled as they entered my ears. I stayed there without moving. Even if I wanted to move and protect myself, my body wouldn't listen to me anymore. It had been a while since I felt so helpless.

“-er, he is hurt. Father!”

As the footsteps got closer to me, I could make out some words. Judging by the voice, I could guess that it was a child. The child held my hand as turned me around, looked me in the eyes and asked with a voice tinged with worry, “Are you okay?”

His eyes were green with a light shade of orange mixed in them. His light brown hair covered his forehead as sat there looking at me worryingly. I tried to smile to convey that I was alright, but my expression must have betrayed me. The child screamed again beckoning his father who, with several other men, was approaching me already.

“This child has lost a lot of blood, My Lord. He might not make it through the night.”

One of the men who had crouched down to look at me said to the innocent child’s father. The child tightened his grip on my hand as he said, “Can’t we save him, Father?”

The Father and Lord of these people stared at me for a moment. He came a bit closer and stopped near my feet. I was getting annoyed for a while now. If a child is dying in front of you, you save him. It is that easy.

“Do you want to live, child?”

What kind of a question is that? Of course I do.

I nodded my head slightly. Even these kinds of minute movements had gotten more difficult. My body felt colder than the snow I was laying on.

The man came near me and crouched down as he kept his hand on my head. I noticed he wasn't even looking at me. He was staring at his son who was holding my hand worryingly. The man turned his eyes to me as he looked hesitant for a moment. I heard his sigh and could feel the warmth flowing from his hand to me. My eyes started closing slowly as my anxiety and confusion loosened their grip. I relaxed and embraced the sleep just before I heard the man say under his breath,

"So this is where it begins."