I let out an exasperated sigh as the first rays of sunlight pierced my eyes. Today was the day I left. And it would be with me in such a miserable state. The last seven hours could have been better spent doing literally anything. But no. There was always that small part of me that hoped I would fall asleep, but alas, here I lay.

"You're late," Athas said as I engaged in the dangerous business of walking out of my front door. He was sitting on the one wooden chair left on the porch. "Sleep late?"

"None," I said, noticing the dark bags under his eyes. "And it seems like you didn't get any either,"

"In all fairness, you only sprung this up on me two days ago. I still can't believe this is happening. I've never been away from home—ever."

"You and me both."

He jumped up from the chair as I took several steps past him.

"I see you chose not to wear the new armor." A blue piece of brigandine armor riveted with yellow lilies was strapped around his chest.

"Apparently I wasn't deemed worthy enough to obtain such an extravagant piece." I tugged at the hooded black cloak hanging around my neck.

"But, you then I have to ask why you aren't even wearing proper winter attire?" Athas asked, questioning my clothing choice.

I wore my standard black robes, which were loose and light, allowing for the maximum comfort and mobility. In addition, I also wore a brand new hooded cloak. It used to belong to dad many moons ago, however, he never wore, and only remembered its existence after house cleaning, and handed it down to me, allowing it to see the light of day for once.

Neither of these were articles of clothing would keep me particularly warm though. Especially as it would only get colder as we traveled up north and as time passed. My solution: [Legerdemain].

Captain Tharkun yammered away, reiterating safety protocols, the journey ahead, and whatnot. Only one person from the travelling portion of the garrison asked about the existence of Athas and I. After a quick answer, no one else questioned us being there. Now, whether this was because they didn't care or if they just trusted Tharkun's words, I didn't know. Nor did it matter. After the speech was over, it left us with some time to idle around. I dragged Athas with me and introduced ourselves to some of the remaining members before leaving him there to integrate better.

"What's Osetia like Branne?" I asked, walking up behind him beneath a small tarp. He was crouched over some crates and held a long piece of parchment in his hand. He shot repeated glances at it and the crates every other second.

"Wait and see," he grumbled.

"Someone isn't in a great mood." Syn appeared next to me.

"Looks like someone slept well."

"I don't sleep. I enter a trance. One that's similar to sleeping, but not the same."

"That's just a technicality."

"Perhaps."

I stood beside Branne. "What's wrong?"

"The inventory list and my actual stock don't match up," he said.

"Uh-oh." I took a look at the parchment in his hand and grimaced. The missing ingredients were all ones that I had... borrowed. "Aren't you missing a crate? I remember us packing everything into four, not three."

"They miscalculated, causing me to combine that fourth one with the other three."

"Probably just miscounted."

"No."

I shrugged and sat down. I lay my head on the wooden table and closed my eyes, just for a brief second.

THUD.

A load noise rattled my brain. My head flew straight up as I fell onto the floor, but I picked myself back upright after.

The head of Branne's wooden cane rested on top of the table.

"The diplomat has arrived, signaling our time to leave," he said.

I shook my head and rubbed my eyes. "Damn, how long was I out for?"

"An hour or so."

"Huh? Really? Felt much, much longer." I brushed my hand through my hair and tidied it up a bit before walking back outside.

Twenty soldiers of the garrison would be up front in the lead and had already started to exit through the gate. There were about six carts with double the amount of horses lined up. Behind them was a plain carriage covered in subtle, yet no doubt expensive, decorations. I only caught a glimpse inside as the door closed, but the seats inside look cushioned beyond belief. The rear of the carriage had the final ten soldiers, including Athas, marching behind. I waited with Branne and entered the last cart.

"I was afraid I would have to walk alongside them," I said as I took a seat opposite to Branne. Three crates alongside a mishmash of other miscellaneous objects were pressed up against the front, spreading into the middle.

"Nothing wrong with a bit of walking," Vice Captain Cyrne said as he walked up with a clipboard in hand.

"In this weather and uniform? No thanks," said the female figure right behind him.

"Excited?" Cyrne asked, looking at me.

"A little."

"So this one is Aleister," the woman said.

"That is indeed my name."

"This is my Lieutenant, Arie," Cyrne said. He pulled himself up onto the cart and sat next to me.

She followed right behind him and sat next to Branne. "Hello."

I extended my hand. "It's my pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." She shook it. Her grip caused my hand to fall slightly numb.

"Back here to make sure we don't get up to any shady business?" Branne asked.

"The strength between you two combined couldn't do much more than harm a fly," Arie said.

"Not true," I said.

She tilted her head and stared at the hand I was shaking in the air.

"I am capable of all sorts of magical tricks which you might not believe," I corrected.

"Cyrne has told me all about how you read his palm and fate with some cards. Consider me interested as well," Arie said, arching her body forward. "Although, you can dream on with the one gold per card nonsense."

I raised both of my hands. "Unfortunately, that is the baseline for my rate." This was not true. But, with Cyrne sitting right next to me, I couldn't suddenly charge less for the same service.

The horse attached to our cart finally moved. The seat bumped me up, off the seat for a split second, but after a few moments, it calmed down. I looked out the back. The buildings of the village moved away and shrank in size as the front of the gates came into view. I was both excited and nervous. The actual process of leaving was so rushed, but I the idea had been in my mind for years. The fact it was happening was simply—surreal.

The sun began to set. Each second of the trip so far boring to an unreal degree. After reading Arie's palm, I turned my attention to a set of books Branne packed up. Each word would not stick and escaped my mind, making the last twelve hours somehow both short and excruciatingly long. I blamed it on getting essentially no sleep.

We made camp at clearing next to a river. The surrounding area was open and only sparsely covered in trees. Not the most protected of locations, but that wasn't too much of a concern. Especially since I had not even noticed even a hint of any signs of life of any person, animal, or beasts.

I broke away from the main group and walked down the river. I didn't plan on practicing any magic tonight, for I was too tired. Instead, I used the walk to relax and tire myself out a bit. This also provided me with a constant excuse for what I was doing. I returned to camp. The tent I was supposed to sleep in was with Branne. But there was no way I could fall asleep with his excessive snoring. Instead, I slept in the cart, using my cloak as a pillow.

The following week was just as uneventful. Nothing happened. Seriously. It was almost impressive, in a way. No attacks by bandits or some creature I've never seen or heard of before. No sightings of dragons flying high above. No interesting group of travellers. Just cold weather and a paved dirt road and grass and the leaves falling off trees.

Finally, we stopped at the town of Kebury. Looking at my map of the Lillium Empire, we were actually almost halfway to Osetia, with no apparent roadblocks. Which made me question why this was supposedly a three week-long trip.