Elynn struck flint and steel together, sparking the fire as Kiera approached, limping. When she noticed her, she dropped everything and stood up. "Are you good?"

Kiera smiled in pain and stood still, carrying a bucket of water while holding her hand on her other hip, pausing awkwardly. "...Yeah...I'm fine. I have blisters on my feet. The sand really does not help." She then placed the bucket on the ground, took off her rucksack and sat down, wincing and rubbing her feet clean with some water.

"And where did you get that bucket from exactly?" Elynn asked with raised eyebrows.

"I prayed to the Gods, and it fell from the sky," Kiera said with a surprisingly good neutral expression.

"Ah, of course!" Elynn smiled, "You better bring that bucket back. I don't want this village coming after us when we leave tomorrow."

"Kind of hurts you think I stole it," Kiera said with a soft smirk while cleaning her other foot. Elynn's silence aroused suspicion as Kiera looked at Elynn, who just smiled at her.

"I didn't steal it, I swear! It was just lying there by an old boat that was broken and-ow! Fuck!" Kiera suddenly winced and used her piece of cloth to get the sand out of the wounds.

"Alright, let me help you with that," Elynn said while walking over to her.

"It's fine. I got it." Kiera sulked, but Elynn wasn't having any of that, crouching next to her and reaching into her belt pouch, taking out a tiny vial with red oozy liquid, and uncorking it. "Put some of this on your finger and apply it on your wounds. You don't want that to get infected."

Kiera looked at the vial sceptically. "This one of your magic Elf potions?"

Elynn rolled her eyes. "It's snowdrop ointment, you dingus. Put it on!" she said as she held the vial closer to her. "Or I'll do it!"

"Fiiine.." Kiera said as she took the vial, putting some ointment on her finger and smearing it on her wounds. Elynn stood up, "Also, there's nothing wrong with Elf potions." and left inside the tent. It took a bit before Kiera noticed her more serious tone as she looked at the tent to see her gone. "I know, I'm sorry!" She shook her head and mumbled to herself. "Well done, Kiera. Idiot."

When she did all the wounds, she finished it off by wrapping a clean cloth she also packed in her rucksack around her feet, wiggling them around a bit. When she wanted to stand up, her thoughts veered back to the gem, taking it out of her pocket and looking at it again, seeing the black smoke dance around within. "What have I gotten myself into?" Kiera asked softly, "Please don't be evil and try to lead me to my demise."

After a short pause, while staring into the gem's core, she put it back into her pocket and stood up, heading into the cloth tent. There sat Elynn, reading a book while laying on her bedroll. Kiera reluctantly lay down on hers, taking a deep breath. "What are you reading?" she asked.

"Just a book of some Archmaster from Vraleth. Have you seen someone who can wield magic like that?" Elynn answered, not taking her eyes off her book.

"No, not really," Kiera answered, looking to the tent's ceiling. "Have you?"

"I've seen someone in Elvaeron when I was young," Elynn answered, "He never showed any of it, though, so who knows. They've always been reserved about it."

"Hm," Kiera agreed, starting a silence that felt awkward to her. She turned her head to her friend. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I'm not going to sweet talk it, but my father has been trying to engrave into my mind since the day I was born that anything Elven is bad. I obviously don't feel that way. I promise I will get that old way of thinking out of myself."

Elynn remained silent for a while but then softly kicked Kiera's leg with hers. "Next time, it'll be harder."

Kiera chuckled. "Good. I'll take you up to it. Do you mind if I catch some sleep for a few hours? Being stuck in that sandstorm really drained me." she ended with a yawn.

"Of course, I'll see if I can help around in the village before nightfall. It's the least we can do. I'll rest too, and then we can start travelling early in the morning before it gets hot."

"Sounds like a plan," Kiera smiled, already closing her eyes and sounding like she was about to fall asleep. Elynn pulled up her mask and took her rucksack with her bow and quiver attached, heading outside as the sky turned into a warm pink while the sun was setting. She walked over to Shadow, untied the reins from the pole and hooked up her backpack onto his saddle before hopping onto it. "Come on, boy," she whispered, quietly trotting away, and when she was far enough from the tent, into a gallop away from the village. She rode like this until she could only see the lights of the town in the distance, stopping next to a small sandstone formation. "Ho!" Elynn commanded her horse, looking around with her hood and mask pulled up, only leaving her ocean blue eyes visible. She hopped off and stroked Shadow's black manes when everything seemed clear. "Stay here, okay? I will be back."

Shadow responded with a soft nicker, and Elynn walked around the tall rocks, transitioning into a timid posture, hunching slightly with tensed shoulders. The flames of a torch reflected into her eyes. With a hard swallow, Elynn stopped. In front of her stood a tall woman facing away in a silky white dress, with long and pointy ears and five silver rings on each. Long, wavy snow-white hair fell to the back of her knees.

"You are late, Ashryn." the woman's voice sounded soft and warm but radiating strength, almost aetherial and echoing. Elynn remained silent and looked down to the ground, holding her arms next to her body. The woman turned around, the torch's light revealing her pale, smooth skin. A narrow face with perfectly shaped features and blue eyes even brighter than Elynn's that almost seemed to glow. "Remove that hood and mask. I want to see your face."

Elynn submissively pulled down her mask and hood, revealing her white hair, reaching her lower back, tied into one long ponytail with several ties. But hers was messier, being tucked into a hood all the time. Her ears were pointy, too, but only half of the woman's length. The lady walked up to her and pulled up Elynn's chin, but she still couldn't look into the woman's eyes.

"These lands are draining your beauty," she said while inspecting Elynn's face, noticing a few small pimples here and there, and a scar across her lower lip. "Why are you still travelling with this girl?"

Part of Elynn screams in confusion about how they kept knowing everything she did, but she swallowed her words and took a deep inaudible breath. "She is my friend, my Reina."

The woman let go of Elynn's chin and minced to her side, but Elynn remained still, looking in front of her. "Did I not tell you to get rid of her last time we conversed? Have you forgotten, perhaps?"

"No, my Reina. She saved my life numerous times." Elynn responded. Her voice trembled a bit. By then, the woman stood behind Elynn, looming over her as sweat rolled down Elynn's neck. She placed a hand on her shoulder, wearing a silky three-finger glove with a silver flowery pattern. She wore a silver ring on the other two fingers, adorned with a red and green gem. "Do you want to return home, my dear Ashryn?"

"Of course I do, my Reina," Elynn answered, looking to the side.

"The Conclave gave you an order. Directly disobeying that order will leave you stranded and banished from your home for eternity. If it were up to them, you wouldn't even have this last chance right now. But I am Reina." she paced back in front of Elynn to look into her eyes. "And you are my daughter. This is the only last chance I can give you. Otherwise, what good is a Conclave if their own Reina doesn't respect them?"

Elynn still looked to the ground, forcing the Reina to hold her chin up again. "Look at me."

She looked into her mother's gorgeous eyes. She even took a step closer, looking down on her daughter. "Drop her. Or I will have no choice but to end her myself."

"Then you might as well do it right here." Kiera's voice startled both of them. Elynn's mother darted her head towards Kiera, who stood there confidently in the gloom of the setting sun.

Elynn's mother turned her whole body towards Kiera and remained calm, taking slow steps toward her. "You must be Kiera."

"Kiera, please, don't do this. Just go!" Elynn pleaded, glued to the ground as she was too afraid to move.

"Do you know who I am?" the woman asked.

"You're Queen Nylathria," Kiera said and stood her ground, but her heart pounded in her throat.

"I always wanted to see what you looked like. My daughter grew very fond of you and even spoke highly of you. What did you do that made her stick around with a human like you?" Nylathria said, stopping in front of Kiera and looking down on her.

Kiera cautiously rested her hand on the handle of her knife. "I was there for her when you people left her to die in my city. She would never have survived considering my people's hatred for your kind."

"Then tell me, Kiera of High Harbour. What about you? Don't you carry hatred for the Elves?" the Elven Queen asked curiously.

Kiera looked down. "I used to. I was raised to hate you." and then raised her head to look into Nylathria's eyes. "But Elynn was the first to prove me wrong. I found her in an alley, soaked to the core. I thought she could just draw her last breath any moment."

A thunderstorm raged above the city of High Harbour at night. Rain fell from the skies in buckets. The capital seemed empty, apart from a few horse carriages trotting through the cobblestone streets and guards keeping shelter underneath small tents and staying within the towers. One of the only ones tramping through the streets was Kiera, carrying a cat underneath her leather coat and trying to hold down her hood at the same time.

"Fuck sake, this cat is going to be the death of me," Kiera whined to herself, hearing a soft meow in her coat. "I'm going to eat you one day. You know that?"

All Kiera got as a response was an angry meow. She turned into an alleyway to reach her house and then saw a skinny girl, soaked and crouching down, shaking vigorously and forcing Kiera to stop in her tracks because she was in the way. "Hello?"

Kiera's voice horrified her, dropping everything she was doing and crawling backwards against the wall, cowering while staring into Kiera's eyes with wide pupils, holding her hands on her ears. She looked to be a teenager as well, the same age Kiera was.

"Woah, Woah, easy. I'm not going to hurt you." Kiera said, feeling cold because the rain started creeping underneath her coat. She then saw the bloody dead pigeon the girl left behind. Kiera then took a look behind her, and there was no one else here. "I don't know what to do."

The girl didn't keep her fearful stare off of Kiera, her lips blue and bags under her eyes as black as night itself. After a moment of thinking, Kiera took a deep breath and began taking off her coat. "You know what? I have an idea." she carefully walked up to the girl who just kept crawling back against the wall. "Shhh, easy. I'm not going to hurt you. I want you to take my coat."

The girl let Kiera come closer but still watched her every move. While holding the cat, which struggled because of the rain, she placed her coat over the girl, shielding her from it. It only took a few seconds for Kiera to be entirely soaked as well. "Wait here, okay? I will be back soon."

Without a response from the girl, Kiera ran towards her home. Upon reaching the door of a small stone house wedged between a row of other houses, she opened it as silently as she could, entering and closing the door behind her. Dripping on the floor, she saw her little brother in his nightshirt, almost looking like a gown, holding his homemade teddy bear.

"Look who I found," Kiera smiled, kneeling in front of Aidan, showing a soaked white cat, who immediately jumped into Aiden's arms.

"Snowball!" Aidan smiled, hugging his cat no matter how wet he was.

"Now go back to bed and be careful not to wake up mother and father, okay? I will be there soon." Kiera whispered, "Snowball will protect you from the thunder."

"Okay!" Aidan said, carrying Snowball to his room. When he was gone, Kiera took a deep breath and began searching the kitchen, opening drawers and looking into containers. She found a few pieces of bread and half a cabbage. That was about all the food she could find. Looking upon her findings scrambled together, she realized she could do better. She quickly grabbed a metal pot and put it on the fire used for last evening's dinner. There were still some embers on it. All she had to do was put some fresh wood on it and blow to create a small fire. She then took the pot and headed outside, placing it in the rain and jogging towards the girl, who still sat there, shivering in the cold with the coat over her head. Kiera offered her hand. "Please come with me. I can get you warm water. You don't have to come inside the house if you don't want to."

The girl kept gazing at Kiera helplessly. She knew she wasn't going to do anything. How could she? She was too scared. To give her a little push, Kiera slowly grabbed the girl's hand, who pulled away a little bit. "It's okay, see? My parents are asleep. They will never know you were here."

She pulled the girl up softly, but she could barely stand. The girl's hand felt so cold, and only then Kiera noticed how blue her fingers were. She wrapped the girl's arm around her shoulder and guided her through the alley back home. "You're going to be okay. I promise. My name is Kiera, by the way."

She opened the door, took the pot, filled with water, and headed inside first. "You could sit by the fire if you want," she whispered, placing the pot on the fire. The girl stood outside, refusing to go in.

"That's okay," Kiera whispered, sometimes looking at the bedroom door of her parents. Watching the water heat up, she suddenly heard the front door close. The girl stood inside, trembling and dripping. She weakly walked to the fire and sat down with her arms crossed, held closely against her body. The water was warm enough by now, and with a thick piece of cloth, Kiera grabbed the pot and drank some water from it. "Perfect, here, drink up." then offered it to the girl. "Be careful. Take it with the towel. The metal is hot, but the water is just right."

The girl weakly held the pot and saw her reflection into the water, pausing shortly before gulping down the water. Meanwhile, Kiera stood up and grabbed the bread and cabbage, sitting back down behind the table and offering them to her. "It's not much, but eat this."

The girl began eating the bread like an animal. But suddenly, Kiera noticed something different about her, not believing what she saw. The girl's ears were pointy. All she could do was stare at them and remember every word her father said. Elves were dangerous, vile, arrogant creatures that were a blight upon this world. Harmful and manipulating monsters. Her heart started pounding in her chest, sneakily looking for the nearest weapon she could see. But then she realized something. How could this Elf even come close to hurting her? Why was she all alone starving in an alley? When the girl took another few gulps from the water, Kiera reached out her hand from the other side of the table. "Can I see your hand?" she asked.

The girl, shaking a bit less, looked at her with frowned eyebrows before carefully reaching out her blue and shaking hand. Kiera softly grabbed it and looked at her nails. They were chapped, blue, and coarse. But there was a hint of fading polish and a tiny red sun tattoo on her thumb. Then, Kiera was confident. She wasn't just a regular Elf, but a noble, too.

"Why are you out here alone?" Kiera asked, but she saw someone standing in the hall in her peripheral vision. It was her father, shocked at what he saw. The girl noticed Kiera's sudden tension as she looked behind her, jumping off her chair and walking back against the counters. Kiera stood up from her chair and walked in front of the Elf. "Father, I brought her in. I found her in an alley."

His brown eyes glinted from the cooking fire in the kitchen, remaining silent and looking at the girl. He tensed up his muscular arms and fists. "Is that an Elf?" he then asked.

"Father--please." Kiera stepped forward, holding out her hands.

"Get out of the way, Kiera," Bryce growled.

"N-no." Kiera stuttered, standing her ground. Suddenly, her father marched forward, pushing her out of the way with incredible force, making Kiera bump against a closet. The Elf fearfully walked around the table, but Bryce furiously shoved the entire table aside, grabbing the Elf by the neck.

"Father, STOP!" Kiera screamed, feeling powerless about what was happening. He dragged the girl by her throat outside of the house and threw the door open, tossing her onto the mud in the pouring rain. With adrenaline surging through her body, Kiera froze and watched how he walked outside and climbed on top of the girl, wrapping his hands around her throat, the Elf's legs desperately squirming around. Kiera's hands trembled, and she panted as if she had just run across the entire city. Her mother came out too, hearing all the commotion.

"What is happening?" she asked. When Kiera saw her mother being afraid, too, something in her snapped. She began breathing even faster and stomped outside towards her father. Not expecting to be attacked from behind, he felt Kiera's arms wrap around his neck and be pulled away. "Get off of her!" she snarled, but he was way too powerful. He threw off his daughter against the ground. Covered in mud, Kiera tried to get up but suddenly felt a stinging pain across her cheek when her father hit her.

"You're a traitor, Kiera! A damned traitor! Bringing this filth into MY house!" he screamed, looming over her. Kiera held her hand on her red cheek and cowered. Every fibre of her body screamed at her to stay. Still, she felt overwhelmed by fear. She heard her mother yell from the door. "Bryce! Stop this!"

He grabbed Kiera's cheeks and forced her to look at his enraged eyes. "You ever bring an Elf into my home again, you will be in for way more than just a slap. Do you understand?"

Kiera sobbed, too scared to look into his eyes, even reply. He then shook her head, raising his voice even louder. "Do you understand?!"

"Y-yes--yes--yes--" Kiera whispered shakily. He let go of her face and walked away. By then, the Elf was already long gone. Kiera's mother ran past Bryce and ran towards her, crouching down beside her.

"By the Gods, honey, I'm so sorry." she hugged her, not caring about her being covered in mud. Kiera couldn't say or do anything else but sob softly in her mother's arms. "I'm so, so sorry. Come back inside, please?"

Kiera shook her head and pushed her mother away gently. She then stood up and strode back inside, her father standing in the kitchen, staring at the wall. Kiera quickly ran past him into her room, finding Aidan lying in bed scared, squeezing his teddy bear. "What's happening?" his meek, soft voice broke Kiera's heart. She took a deep breath before walking up to his bed and crouching down, gently taking his hand.

"Your sister has to go. I won't be coming back for a while." Kiera said, a tear rolling down her bruised cheek.

"Why?" Aidan asked, his voice shaking a bit.

Kiera swallowed, wiping off her tear, but another instantly took its place. "I can't stay here anymore. But it's not father's fault; it is mine. I have been a bad girl. I put everyone in danger, including you."

Aidan gazed at his sister, confused. "Where will you go?"

Kiera couldn't stop herself from releasing a sob, sniffing and forcing a smile. "I don't know. Somewhere far from here. But I will be okay. I always will be. And one day, we will see each other again, okay? I promise."

Her little brother looked to the ground and remained silent, then suddenly hugged her. At that point, Kiera couldn't hold back her tears, breaking into a cry and hugging him back tightly. "I love you, okay? Be good for me."

"I love you too," Aidan responded, sobbing as well. At that very moment, all Kiera wanted was to hug her brother forever. Feeling his embrace made her forget about everything that just happened for just a little bit. But she knew she had to let go, so she did. She grabbed him by the shoulders and looked into his teary eyes. "Goodbye, little brother, always listen to father and mother for me, okay?

Aidan nodded, and Kiera stood back up, turning around to grab her things, even though it wasn't much. She put her journal inside, a leather canteen, and the few silver coins she had she put in a small pouch that could be attached to her belt instead. She then noticed the bow she got from her grandfather, resting against her bed along with a quiver filled with arrows. Wiping the last tears away, she grabbed the bow and wrapped it with the string around her torso, and hooked the quiver to her backpack. She walked towards the doorway, only then realizing her father would never allow her to leave. With shaky hands, she reached into her bag, taking out a sharp knife and looking at it with unsteady breaths. One last look at her brother was all she needed, and she saw him frowning at her in fear. "I won't hurt him," she said before leaving into the kitchen. And her gut was right. There stood her father, in the way.

"Where do you think you are going?" he asked. In the background stood her mother, terrified and keeping silent.

"Why do you even want me around?" Kiera asked, her eyes getting watery again.

"Go back to your room," Bryce commanded.

"Is it so one day you might find a chance to use me as a broodmare to become a lord? Tell me, father, why am I not allowed to leave?!" Kiera raised her voice, but her voice cracked and trembled.

"Because I love you, Kiera," Bryce responded, his posture becoming more relaxed. Kiera then broke into laughter, shaking her head, but tears rolled down her cheek simultaneously. "You're joking." her laugh quickly turned into anger as she raised her voice even more. She stepped forward and pointed at her bruised cheek, almost standing right in front of Bryce. "This is not something you do to your own fucking daughter. And if you truly loved me, you wouldn't be standing in my way right now. Just fucking admit you hate me. You cannot even do that!" she nearly screamed. Bryce suddenly clasped down her arm, but she was ready this time. Without hesitation, she planted the knife she was hiding behind her back into his hip and pushed him out of the way, leaving him grunting in pain and her mother screaming. She used this opportunity to run outside, shoulder bashed the door open and tripped into the mud and in the still pouring rain. Cluttering back up, she ran through the streets as fast as she could while a flash of lightning lit the skies

Kiera's Anguish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyY8H6KYIkw

When she knew she was far enough, she stopped and looked back, her emotions overwhelming her again. She leaned against the wall of a house and descended to the ground, crying, shaking, soaking wet. She sat there for at least an hour, slowly losing every bit of emotion she could feel. The rain finally came to a halt, apart from some distant thunders every once in a while. The sky became brighter as dawn settled in. More and more people began roaming the streets again, ignoring Kiera sitting in a corner, curled up. Suddenly, someone approached her and kneeled in front of her.

"Kiera?"

She didn't recognize her voice, so she didn't even bother looking up. In her view, the person in front of her placed down a piece of bread. It took Kiera a bit to realize, but she looked up to see who it was when she did. Those ocean blue eyes, her pale skin. She wore a hood covering her ears this time. It was the Elf.

"I'm truly sorry about what happened there. I know it is my fault. And I don't know how I could ever make it right. But I never told you my name. I'm A-... Elynn. My name is Elynn."

"From that point, I left High Harbour and never returned," Kiera said. Nylathria turned to look at her daughter. She wanted to know if what Kiera said was true, but Elynn's genuine gaze had already said enough. She turned back to Kiera. "Were you to be born in Elvaeron, you never would've been hit by your father."

"No," Kiera said, "But instead, I could be banished from my home by my own mother, right?"

Nylathria squinted her eyes slightly, pausing shortly. "You couldn't possibly understand. You're only human. Will you continue to be by my daughter's side?"

Kiera raised her chest. "Until my final breath. I would sacrifice my life if it could save hers."

Nylathria nodded. "Very well." and turned around back to Elynn. "The Conclave is getting impatient. You better come up with something soon, or I fear your stay here will become definite."

Elynn softly bowed. "Yes, my Reina. I will not disappoint you again."

"Good." the Elven Queen said, walking away, and as soon as she raised her hand, she disappeared into a thousand light particles ascending into the darkening sky. And then, silence. Kiera and Elynn looked at each other for a bit before falling into each other's arms. "We will find that treasure so you can finally return home, I promise," Kiera whispered.

"Thank you, Kiera." Elynn said, a tear rolling down her cheek, "We should get some sleep. We still have half a day worth of travelling tomorrow."

"You're right," Kiera answered, stopping the hug. "You don't have to explain anything about what just happened."

Elynn nodded and wiped away her tear, following Kiera to the horses before riding back to the village.

The screech of an eagle reverberated through the hazy morning sky. The sand underneath Shadow and Ghost's hooves began to heat up while they carried Elynn and Kiera through the Waste once again, travelling on top of a tall dune. The two friends had their cloth masks, and hoods pulled up, protecting them from the upcoming heat. Kiera rode in front of Elynn, seemingly lost in thoughts. She had to break the silence. "Elynn? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course!" she said, enjoying the view of the empty desert on top of the hill while Shadow nickered softly.

"Back at the village, before I met your mother, I thought I saw someone watching us from the far distance," Kiera said, keeping her eyes in front of her. "At first, I thought it was a mirage, but could it have been your mother?"

Elynn hummed. "I don't think so. She usually uses the Waygates to travel to some places instantly. The gates cannot be used for quite a while after, so my people only use them on rare occasions and as brief as possible."

"Maybe it was a mirage then," Kiera mumbled, unable to stop thinking about Neru's words.

"I'm sorry about my mother, and I'm sorry for keeping it from you all this time," Elynn said.

Kiera turned her head and upper body to look behind her, smiling. "Hey, I told you it's okay. I understand. But now that I know you're a princess, should I call you Your Grace?" she giggled at the end.

"Oh, ha-ha." Elynn smiled, "Obviously not, I don't really care much about all of that. Besides, I don't want to rule anyway. I don't want to become like my mother."

"That's fair," Kiera replied, petting Ghost's neck, "Not for me either. I like adventures. My mother, though, always dreamt of becoming a queen. Hopefully, this treasure will give us both what we need."

"Yeah, hopefully." Elynn looked down, realising again she and Kiera would have to part one day, giving her the same feeling she had back at the fire outside of Jiron two days ago.

"We should be getting close," Kiera said, looking at the mountains to the far right. They travelled for a few hours, trudging the hot sand until the sun stood high in the sky, therefore making it the hottest part of the day. And the two friends felt it, even Shadow and Ghost, walking with their heads lowered. Kiera sighed, sweating profusely. "Ghost is getting tired. Let's walk the rest of the way." She hopped off and reached into Ghost's saddlebag to grab her leather canteen.

"Good idea," Elynn said, doing the same. They filled a wooden bowl with water and let the horses drink from it.

"There you go, buddy. You like that?" Kiera smiled, lowering her mask to breathe a bit better. While holding the bowl for her horse, she turned to Elynn. "You see anything yet?"

"Nuh-uh!" Elynn answered, "Nothing but stupid sand and desert cocks."

"Desert, what now?" Kiera laughed.

"You know, the big stone pinnacles you see everywhere." Elynn tried her best to remain serious.

"Ah, is that how you call them?" Kiera chuckled, noticing some in the distance, precisely what Elynn just mentioned. "You know what? You're right. They do look like that."

They then both broke into laughter. "Desert cocks. You are something else, Elynn." Kiera said.

"Hold on," Elynn said, squinting in the distance.

"What?" Kiera asked, confused.

"Is that a tower in the distance?" she pointed behind Kiera. Kiera looked and shielded her eyes from the sun, noticing a hazy tower top sticking above the distant hills. She quickly darted her head towards Elynn. "That might be it!" Upon that realisation, she noticed Ghost was done and promptly put the bowl and canteen back in the saddlebag and held onto his reins. "You think you can run for a little longer? We're almost there."

Ghost replied with a nicker and a stamp with his hoof. "That's my boy!" Kiera said as she climbed on top of him. "Come on, Elynn! Hurry!"

Elynn could barely keep up with her. She wasn't even on her horse yet. "Yes, yes! Wait up!"

Kiera already commanded Ghost into a gallop. "First person there gets to choose their half of the treasure first!" and dusted off.

Race to the Treasure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc7-oJ2LXkY

"Hey, that's not fair, you cunt!" Elynn yelled, closing the saddlebag and climbing on Shadow. "Come on, boy, we can't let her win! Hyah!" and off she went chasing her friend. Staying clear from Kiera's dust cloud, she raised her butt to mimic Shadow's movement as he dashed through the sand with incredible speed, already gaining on Kiera.

Kiera looked behind her, shouting, "Can't keep up?"

The wind whistled past their ears, Ghost and Shadow's manes flowing with the breeze, trampling hooves. At that point, it was just the two friends racing through the desert. Elynn almost gained on Kiera, forcing Kiera to whip her reins. "Come on, Ghost! We can do this!"

Then, side by side, they rode together, alternating who was getting ahead, leaving a trail of dust behind them. This race felt terrific. Adrenaline surged through their veins, hearing their mounts' breath, hearts pounding out of their chest. They were climbing another dune by then, and when they reached the top, the ancient ruins were in view. It was a massive ancient city, sunken underneath the sand. A tall crumbling tower stuck out, standing crooked as if it was about to fall any moment. Countless partially sunken ruined houses and broken statues surrounded the tilted building, shrouded by heatwaves.

"This is it! We found it!" Kiera yelled, "Woo-hooooo!"

Elynn smiled, whipping her reins for a final sprint. The closer they approached the sunken city, the more transparent everything was as the mirages disappeared. They finally revealed something both Kiera and Elynn weren't prepared for. When Elynn saw it, she was overwhelmed by shock, unconsciously giving away her lead to Kiera, but she eventually saw it too, both forgetting about their race entirely and coming to a halt.

"Kiera..." Elynn muttered, looking at the ruins with wide eyes and a partially opened mouth. Rotting bodies as far as the eye could see, abandoned fabric tents scattered everywhere, and a foul stench creeping into the two girls' noses. Even when they were pretty far away from the corpses, they could smell it. It must have been hundreds. A straight path led into the ruined city, the only way not covered in bodies. As if something or someone walked through, destroying everything in its path. Kiera and Elynn remained silent for a while, unable to process what they saw. Even Shadow and Ghost began to behave anxiously.

"What in Ara's name happened here?" Elynn said while her stomach churned just because of the smell itself. Kiera pulled up her mask and pushed it close to her nose. "If you're having second thoughts, now is the time to say so."

"Are you joking? There is no way I'm turning back now." Elynn said, pulling up her mask as well. "Let's just go in and try to ignore the bodies."

Kiera took a deep breath, unhooking her bow from the saddle and grabbing an arrow from her belt quiver, holding them in the same hand while keeping a tight grip on the reins with her other. "Aye, but keep an eye out."

Elynn clicked her tongue, and Shadow started walking. Kiera followed her, approaching the corpse free path. The stench crept through their cloth mask, forcing soft coughs out of Kiera. She did her best not to look at the bodies but focus on the ruins ahead. The crumbled houses were made out of an orange stone, and some were possibly used by the people that lay dead here as they hosted improvised camps and living areas.

Kiera felt a sense of dread, almost as if all the souls of the dead were watching her. Ahead, she saw a big, circular open area, surrounded by more sandy ruins. The piles of bodies slowly dwindled as they reached the centre, greeted by an eerie silence and the echo of Ghost and Shadow's clopping hooves. They stood in the middle. Beneath the patches of sand, Kiera saw leftovers of a stone floor etched with strange glyphic markings. Meanwhile, Elynn turned around, looking everywhere with awe. "This place is massive."

Kiera unmounted and planted her booted feet into the sand. She crouched down and brushed some of the sand away to inspect the symbols with her fingers. They were a combination of dots and squiggling lines. "Elynn, come look. I've never seen these markings before."

Elynn came over and crouched next to Kiera, squinting at the symbols. "Looks like a tongue, but if it is, I've never heard of it. Not even the libraries back in Elvaeron mentioned it, and they keep track of the realm's past."

Kiera stood back up with a soft groan, looking around at the distant ruins surrounding the plaza. She then reached into her pouch and took out the black gem, holding it in front of her. "If you're the key, where do you even fit?"

Suddenly, the black gem lit up and began floating out of Kiera's hand, startling her and Elynn, too. "What is happening?" Elynn asked, taking a step back and watching the crystal turn into a tiny ball of light and float around in a circle around the two girls. Only then Kiera noticed the crystal lit up a circle on the floor around them as well. Her instinct told her to step out of it, but something made her stay. Something she couldn't describe. It was only when the ground shook that Kiera and Elynn jumped out of the circle and took their distance, watching the crystal get brighter and brighter. Almost too bright for the two friends' eyes.

A stone pedestal rose from the ground inside the illuminated circle, bearing a stone dragon's head. The light dimmed when the pedestal was out, and the tremors seized. Kiera and Elynn stood still, not trusting the silence. Right when Elynn opened her mouth to say something, the ground beneath them began descending, almost sending them off balance.

"Oh fuck..." Kiera swore, looking up, watching herself and Elynn descend underground.

"Is this an elevator?" Elynn asked, looking around carefully as the mechanical sounds of cogwheels echoed more and more the deeper they descended.

"I think it is." Kiera answered, still not trusting this whole ordeal, "I hope the horses don't run off while we're down here."

"He didn't lie, Kiera." Elynn smiled. Compared to Kiera, her head was somewhere entirely different. All she cared about was the potential treasure. "This is so exciting!"

The Forgotten Past https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgUewSwIQIM

The air grew stale and cold, sending a chill down Kiera's spine. As the elevator went down, they suddenly gazed upon a massive underground chamber revealing itself. Waterfalls rushed out of rocky cavern walls into underground lakes. Giant humanoid statues adorned a long path towards a single ray of light coming out of the ceiling at the end of the chamber, and big stone pristine pillars scattered everywhere that supported the cavern ceiling. Elynn and Kiera were speechless, watching the room light up slowly by torches igniting one by one, bearing purple flames.

"You're seeing this as well, right?" Elynn asked, her lips parted in awe, and her voice reverberated at least twice in the distance.

The elevator almost reached the bottom. The air in the giant cavern gained a purple hue, reflecting into Kiera's amber eyes. Lost in the beauty ahead, the sounds of the rushing waters, the lake ripples reflecting against the walls and ceiling in indigo, the statues standing proudly along the stone path, Kiera nodded, noticing the light of the gem in her satchel shine through the leather.

"I have never seen anything like this before," Kiera mumbled.

"We're so close, Kiera..."

"Huh?" Kiera turned her head to Elynn, who looked at her puzzled. "What? I didn't say anything."

Then Kiera realised it was the gem whispering to her again.

"Bring us to the light."

The elevator stopped at the bottom of the chamber. Kiera didn't want to spook Elynn, so she ignored Neru's voice. "Nothing, you can almost hear whispers in this cave."

The pair ensued onwards on the path, approaching the towering statues. They all wore hoods and a cloak, enshrouding them entirely upon a closer look. A couple of hands with claws held a rose, but there were no facial features.

"Just finding this room alone is more valuable than any gold. These statues, they're Hinos, Elynn." Kiera said, looking up. Each side of the path had five statues leading up to the back, to the one ray of sunlight. "So many explorers and treasure hunters have been looking for eras to find more about them, but only a bare few actually found something." Kiera halted and turned to her friend. "Elynn, do you understand? We're-"

"...gazing upon the biggest discovery about the Hinos ever made. I know." Elynn finished Kiera's sentence, astonished by everything around her as well. "Let's see where this path leads, Kiera. We're about to write history."

Elynn continued on walking, quickening her pace. When Kiera wanted to follow her, something caught her attention in the corner of her eye. Against one of the statues sat a skeleton next to an old campfire. "Elynn, wait! Come here."

Elynn turned around. "What is it?"

Kiera carefully walked towards the skeleton, still wearing their old clothes. It was a ragged leather tunic, stained by age and blood, old leather boots, a straw hat, and a loose scarf around its neck. One of the bones of his legs seemed fractured. Elynn saw it too when she approached and noticed something Kiera didn't. "Look, there's a note in his hand."

Kiera crouched down and gently took the rolled-up note from the skeleton's cracking and stiff fingers and began reading it out loud.

"This is the Fourth Era, year 541, time, I don't fucking know. There is still light coming down from where I fell, so I know it is still daytime. I am fucked. The Reddan Exploration Guild are a bunch of idiots. Curse everyone who works there. I hope they all burn in the deepest depths of Mora's Domain. I was tasked with finding the Black Rose of Rysia. All of my clues led me here, into the farthest reaches of the Volarian desert. Up there, I thought my journey was fruitless. A waste of time. But then I fell down this fucking, forsaken hole and broke my leg. That is the bad news. The good news is, I found it. This is the very chamber the Hinos used to store their most valuable artefact. Even more, this was once their capital. I'm thirsty, fuck I'm so thirsty. My canister spilt when falling down here, wasting the only water I had left."

Kiera turned around the note, pacing a little bit while reading.

"I'm fairly certain I am going to die here. No one will ever find me unless there is another entrance somewhere. Even if there is, it's probably swallowed by the sand already. My Guild will just assume I died somewhere in the desert and give up on this project. Little do they know, this is the greatest discovery ever made. It's almost funny. To be honest, if I were to die anywhere, this place isn't too bad. It's cool here, and the silence is soothing. But it's so dark. I think I'm going to have a rest, and hopefully, I don't wake up. If someone by any chance finds me, bury me here, and I hope your fate is more fortunate than mine and that you can leave here to tell the tale. My story ends here. Leah, my darling, I love you.

Jacob

Adept Explorer

Fuck you, Reddan. May Mora smite you and everyone you love down with resentment."

Kiera sighed deeply, folding the paper. "Well, that was something...so we weren't the first ones to find this place."

"Poor man." Elynn furrowed her eyebrows, holding her hands on her hips. "He mentioned an explorer's guild. That's sad, knowing how close they were. If only he made it out, who knows what knowledge we would have today."

"You're right, but we can't dwell on that. We should probably honour his request and bury him." Kiera said, looking around her axis to look for suitable ground.

"Aye, we don't have a shovel, though," Elynn said.

"Our hands it is then. Come." Kiera said, starting to dig with her hands. Some time passed, and the man was finally buried. Kiera kept the letter and stuck it in her notebook. Kiera and Elynn washed their hands in the water of one of the lakes before continuing.

"I can't feel my hands," Kiera complained, walking the path towards the light with her friend, "Can't the ground here be the same as above the surface?"

"Right? I can't feel mine either." Elynn said, massaging the palms of her hands, "At least his spirit can finally be at peace now."

"It was worth it," Kiera smiled. They finally approached the end of the path, which led to an elevation, and a pedestal rested on top. A ray of sunlight shone right on top of it. Kiera slowly walked up the steps. "Thousands of years, this place had lain dormant. What would you say to uncover its secrets, Elynn?" Kiera turned to her at the end.

"Just do it already!" Elynn gleamed.

Suddenly, Kiera's satchel lit up like a beacon. She quickly opened it, and the gem floated towards the pedestal, circling it once before sitting on top of it. The two friends took a few steps back as the light intensified and then suddenly died, revealing a small black, furry creature in a sleeping position on the pedestal. Its big cat-like ears twitched, and it opened its glowy, indigo coloured eyes, looking upon Kiera and Elynn.

"Not the treasure I expected," Elynn said with wide eyes. Kiera didn't even respond.

The creature stood up. It was as tall as a sword, sleek with a cat tail, and bearing strange purple glowing markings running through the fur of its arms and legs. It had so many cat features, even a similar nose, but its body was shaped more like a monkey with tall ears.

"Finally...being trapped in this vessel dwindled our strength." the creature spoke with a high-pitched tone as if that of a child, yet mature sounding. It looked towards Kiera. "Kiera, you have our thanks. Without you, we would've never been able to return to our real form."

"You can talk?" Kiera asked with great interest, taking a step forward. Elynn was more concerned why the creature didn't thank her too.

"Yes. During our journey to find you, we have learned your tongue. It was in our best interest to do so. The old Hinos Tongue went extinct long ago." Neru said.

"Hold on." Elynn said, "Why does this creature act as if they know you already?"

Kiera turned to her friend and sighed. "I have to tell you something. I-" suddenly, another unknown voice emerged behind them and interrupted Kiera.

"Excuse me?"

Startled by the voice, Kiera grabbed the handle of her knife in the back of her belt and partially took it out of the sheath, only to see a young, short-haired man in raven colour in a dark red studded leather sleeveless chest and a white, dusted tunic underneath.

"Who are you?" Elynn asked, grabbing her bow from around her chest.

"Greetings, I am Aldrin." the young man said, seemingly out of breath. "I wish we could have a more pleasant introduction, but I am afraid we are running out of time. We have to leave, now."

Kiera glanced at her elven friend, who was just as confused as she was. "What do you mean?"

Trampling around impatient, Aldrin groaned. "Please just don't ask questions, just trust me on this. Do I look like I am planning to rob two armed women with a literal god by their side? I mean, COME ON! We go now, or we all die."

Kiera pushed the blade back into the sheath and looked at Elynn. "We have no choice." she then turned her head to Neru. "You coming?"

"We do sense great danger above us," Neru said, nimbly jumping off the pedestal. "We should leave."

The ground trembled when the group turned back. A deep rumbling noise echoed throughout the chamber, dust falling from the rocky ceiling. Still having too many questions, Kiera grabbed Aldrin's shoulder and forced him to face her. Only then did she see how young he looked. Pale, oval-shaped head, blocky cheekbones, poorly shaven face with some leftover black hairs, and dark blue tired eyes. "What the fuck is going on?"

Aldrin sighed. "We have been trying to find you. You were followed by someone...powerful. We have been trying to stop you, but we are too late." he seemed to be growing more stressed word by word, "You brought him right where he wanted to be. But I have a friend up there with him now. I don't know what he does, he's not human. He says he is like the one following you. Now can we please go?" he pointed towards the exit, "I would like to live for a few more years at least if that's alright with you."

Kiera sighed. "Fine, let's go."

"This day is getting more interesting by the minute," Elynn muttered as she followed the group at a jogging pace. The tremors seemed to intensify when suddenly, an ear-deafening crack sent the ceiling crumbling and collapsing. Everyone was blown back against the ground by a shockwave, and a thick fog of dust inhibited everyone's vision.

Dazed and confused, Kiera saw glimpses of two silhouettes clashing with each other on top of the collapsed debris, causing even more destruction. Still, she couldn't hear it as her ears rang. She then heard a faint voice yelling her name. "Kiera!"

"Kiera! Get up!"

"Kiera!"

Finally, she came to her senses, hearing things more clearly. It was Aldrin stumbling towards her, completely covered in dust. He almost stumbled over some rocks before offering her his hand.

"Kiera, come on! We have to go now!"

"Where is Elynn?" Kiera said as she darted her head around, not seeing her, starting to panic.

"I don't know, but we have to go!"

Kiera angrily grabbed Aldrin by his collar. "I am not leaving without her!" and then slowly crawled up, just to be blown back by another shockwave by the two people fighting ahead. Aldrin pulled her back up. "She might have been caught underneath the rocks, Kiera."

"Over here!" Elynn's voice sounded like music to Kiera's ears. She pulled two horses by the reins, with Neru sitting on her shoulder, but none of them was Ghost. Aldrin and Kiera ran towards her. Elynn looked at Kiera, concerned. "Are you okay? I couldn't find Ghost anywhere, I'm sorry."

"I'm okay. He must have run off," Kiera muttered, coughing.

"We will come and look for him later. You can ride with me on Lagertha," Aldrin said, grabbing the reins of the light brown horse off of Elynn's hand and mounting her.

"Yeah, and we have even more trouble," Elynn said, looking in the distance to see a group of horse riders approaching them with bows.

"Right, let's go then!" Kiera hasted, grabbing Aldrin's hand as he helped her on the back of Lagertha.

"Hold tight! Hyah!" Aldrin whipped the reins and dusted off, with Elynn following him on Shadow, trying to escape the pursuers.

Escaping the Henchmen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwXHKdrRJFc

"Oo, exciting!" Neru giggled, watching the horse riders come closer.

"Kiera, I suggest you keep them at bay with your bow! We can lose them in the canyons ahead!" Aldrin yelled, "I hope you're a good shot with that thing!"

"Psh, are you kidding?" Kiera replied, grabbing her bow from her chest and turning herself to sit backwards on the horse, all while on the move. "I hope you're a good shot with that thing," she mocked him, taking an arrow from her quiver and nocking it into the bow. She wasn't even using her hands to keep herself balanced on the horse. "Just keep her steady!"

The pursuers surrounded the group, leaving a big cloud of dust behind them. They, too, began shooting arrows at the group, shouting in local Volarian. Kiera drew the string of her bow as an arrow whizzed past her and released it, sending an arrow straight into a rider's chest, forcing him to fall off. At the same time, the horse aimlessly ran away from the chase. At that point, adrenaline surged through Kiera's veins. All of her senses enhanced as she nocked another arrow into her bow. Too many projectiles flew by. One of them was sure to hit. "This isn't going to work. Bring me closer to one of these people!"

"What?!" Aldrin exclaimed.

"I said, bring me closer to one of them!" Kiera repeated herself angrily.

"Aye, I heard you! But are you mad?!"

"I think so!" Kiera yelled, sending another arrow towards one of the riders, but it missed by only an inch. She then grabbed the knife from her belt and steadied herself as Aldrin began riding closer to one of the pursuers.

"Keep it steady!" Kiera shouted. "Steady!" she repeated, honing onto the rider as they approached. They wanted to fire an arrow, but when Aldrin rode close enough, she grabbed the rider's bow before he could release it and pulled as hard as she could. "Excuse me! I need to lend your horse!" He was stronger, though, and pulled back so hard he nearly threw her off. Noticing the man's foot was out the stirrup, Kiera jammed her foot in it and climbed around him, grabbing him by the neck and jamming her knife into his chest, and again, and again, and again until he stopped moving. She threw his lifeless body off and immediately grabbed the horse's reins, stabilising it. She then had her own horse, too. They then entered the canyon, dodged more trees, and the sand slowly turned into grass.

Meanwhile, Elynn returned fire with her bow too. "Can't you do something, Neru?" she asked, Shadow panted in full gallop. The little creature clung to her back, watching arrows whizz by. "Usually we can, but we need to go somewhere else to unlock our powers!" Neru said.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Elynn raised her voice, firing an arrow and sending it straight into a rider's neck, eliminating another one.

"You need to bring us to the Guardian Temple, which will lead you to the Black Rose," Neru said calmly amongst all this chaos. Then, Elynn overlooked one of the riders approaching her from the front as he grasped her shoulders, trying to pull her off. Elynn wrestled back, forcing Shadow having to do his best to remain balanced as he wobbled.

"Get.." Elynn growled, sending her fist into the man's cheek, "..off!" Neru noticed Elynn's struggle and jumped off her onto the man's back instead, sending their teeth into his neck. He winced in pain and desperately grabbed to his back, only for Neru to jump back to Elynn. "Shoot him!" Neru yelled. They didn't have to tell her twice as she already nocked an arrow before plunging it into his heart, almost killing him instantly. "Hey, good job!" Elynn smirked, holding the reins with one hand to steady Shadow and her bow in the other.

If they thought it couldn't get any worse, these chasers suddenly rode into the canyon with chariots carrying archers. Aldrin noticed it, riding beside a small river by then. "Oh, for fuck sake, are you serious? Kiera! We got more company!"

Now they were the bigger threat, as their arrows would be more accurate. Kiera rode towards Elynn, dodging another bunch of whizzing arrows.

"Of course, you already have your own horse already!" Elynn smiled.

"You saw those chariots?" Kiera asked. They had been galloping for so long the horses were getting tired, slowing down and giving the chariots an easier time to catch up.

"Aye! Shadow is getting tired. We have to take care of them now!" Elynn replied, firing another arrow at the chasers.

"Leave that to Aldrin and me. You protect Neru!" Kiera said, unsheathing her dagger.

"You're gonna have to tell me why you already knew its name after this!" Elynn reached into her saddlebag and handed Kiera a black vial.

"I will!" Kiera replied, veering away back towards Aldrin. "Focus on taking out those chariots! Their aim is going to be a lot better than these other cunts!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Aldrin replied, unsheathing his sword, the blade glistened in the sun.

"Don't call me that, asshole!" Kiera yelled, slowing down her horse to get closer to the carts. She looked at the vial in her hand. "Finally, we have a use for you, buddy." she then lobbed it towards the chariot. As it broke, it exploded, sending everything in that vicinity into the air, including the cart carrying the archers.

"Wooooohoooo yeah!" Kiera cheered, "That was amazing!"

But it wasn't over. At least three more chariots surrounded the group as the river got wider and wider. But when Kiera wanted to ride to the next, she saw purple smoke rush overhead. She followed it with her eyes, only to see it collect in front of everyone and turn into a person. Kiera wanted to shout, but he had already sent his arms forward and sent a massive shock wave, sending everyone, including her, off their horse. Kiera crashed into the grass right on the edge of the river. For a moment, she couldn't breathe, only hearing the cries of pain of the horses. When she wasn't winded anymore, four strong hands grabbed her by her shoulders and collar, dragging her further and throwing her against the ground again.

"Get off of me!" Elynn screamed, fighting back before getting punched in the face. Kiera watched Aldrin being dragged towards her by the pursuers as well. She crawled up onto her knees, watching around only to see them surrounded by way too many. Some even kept their bow drawn. Kiera, Elynn, and Aldrin then sat next to each other in a line on their knees. One of the chasers led Shadow away by his reins, angering Elynn. "Don't you fucking touch him!" only to receive a kick of a boot to her face. "Quiet!"

A man emerged from behind the surrounding crowd in a cloth cloak and hood, wearing leather armour underneath and a mask hiding everything but his dark brown eyes. "You tsuk's are hard to catch."

He paced over to the side with a puffed up chest, keeping a hand on the hilt on his sheathed scimitar sword. "I want you to meet someone."

The crowd split in two, revealing an ominous figure standing in front of the sun, casting a long shadow that loomed over the trio. He slowly walked forward, having a tall posture, fully robed and wore a golden mask. His black robes enshrouded his entire body. The sun's rays bounced on the steel pauldrons that protected his shoulders, and his red tabard with a black rose painted on it kept everything neatly tied together. Purple smoke oozed out of the mask's eyeholes. His mask, however, had burn marks on it, and the ends of his robe were torn.

"Where is the Guardian?" his metallic voice rasped through the mouth holes of the mask.

Behind Elynn peeked Neru, ears flat and eyebrows furrowed.

"Neru, no.." Elynn whispered, but they didn't listen and showed themselves walking on all fours. The mysterious figure took a deep breath. "I have waited centuries for this moment. Come here."

Neru stared blankly at him as if they were hypnotised and walked over, climbing up on their shoulder. He kept his gaze upon Aldrin, Kiera, and Elynn.

"My name is Hahvulon Lei-Xeirseus. And I want you to know that now that I am in possession of the Guardian, the time of humanity has passed. My people will rise again, soon. And we will rain fire and destruction upon your cities, and eradicate your people from the face of this realm."

He turned to the bandit leader. "Do with them as you please."