-HER-

The next couple moments were a complete blur as I broke off into a run. Since Nico was holding my hand, at first, I had to tug him behind me, but as soon as he realised that those troops were after me, he was the one leading the way.

My heart was pounding in my chest, resonating with the loud gongs of the shrine's bell. I could hear the troops chasing us not too far behind us. I didn't know what was happening around me at that moment. The only thing that mattered was how much the distance remained between the troops and me.

I didn't know where I was going, and neither did Nico seem to have the same idea, but we were going somewhere, running down the town's crowded streets, shoving people away until he took a turn and we entered a narrow alley. From there, he continued to lead me somewhere. My main focus was on the troops, so for the moment, I didn't care where he was taking me.

I just wanted to get away from the troops as soon as possible; otherwise, Vittoria would have my head on a silver platter. Not that seeing me with Nico would make her particularly pleased but still, it was better than being caught by the troops and dragged to the town authorities, who would then check the records and find out that I don't exist.

Even worse, if they find out that I should be dead.

It felt like we were running for a while, but it didn't matter. I wanted to get as far away as possible from those troops, this town, everything in my life, and start fresh.

I knew that it wasn't possible, but at the moment, the adrenaline rushing through me, the air combing through my hair as I ran, the feeling of being led somewhere— away from all the chaos in this world made me feel that I was free and going somewhere new for the first time where I could begin again.

It was an incredible feeling— an excitement you felt while looking forward to something you've always wanted. However, it didn't last forever.

We must have been running for a while because soon, my lungs threatened to give up, and pain shot through my legs. Nico was a fast runner— he had that unnatural speed and the long legs to cover more distance, unlike me. It was taking me extra effort to keep up with him. We kept running until I noticed we were out in the woods. We had managed to leave the troops behind us, but I was still feeling uneasy.

We stopped for a while, catching on our breaths. I was frantically looking around to ensure they weren't hiding in the shadows of the woods, preparing to leap out and catch us when we let our guards down. All this while, I felt his eyes on me, studying me pensively.

"What was that?" He asked after a while.

"I tried to scam the wrong person," I answered, collapsing on the ground and taking deeper breaths, urging my lungs to return to normal. I noticed we were at this clearing in the woods where the sky was somewhat visible through the tree covers. But around us, the woods were thick and dense.

"You mean those stones?" He asked, sitting beside me and pulling out that small bag from his pocket.

"Yeah, they're all fake," I breathed as my breathing slowly returned to normal. I closed my eyes and focused on my breaths for a while, ensuring everything in my body was alright. Beside me, I heard him fiddle with the stones.

Silence descended between us. For some reason, the woods remained silent as well. Not a single bird could be heard anywhere. It felt abnormal. There was this stillness in the air as if it refused to flow in this direction. Everything around us was holding its breaths, waiting for a predator to catch its prey.

With my eyes closed, I tried to absorb the energies in the air to ensure we weren't in danger when I felt something. At first, it felt incredibly unnatural.

A feeling of power washed over me as if some archaic, mighty and regal beast was around me. Its presence could trigger many emotions in a being until they all culminate together in chaos and come to stillness— just like when you mix all the rainbow colours only to get the colour white.

I felt overpowered by it at first until the chaos evaporated, and there was only one thing— stillness. My stillness corresponded to that of the woods until it felt as if I was nothing by myself but a part of the woods.

In that ephemeral moment, I felt like a tree, standing there along the woods, holding my breath and awaiting that majestic creature to come out of the dense shadows and subjugate all the mortals.

But who was that creature? Was it some animal watching us from the shadows? Or was it some forest entity, a forgotten goddess, or a cursed soul haunting these woods?

I searched for it, turning into my inner eyes and ears until I found it— him.

My eyes snapped open, and I looked at him.

How could it be him?

He was sitting beside me, staring at something in his hand. His face was pensive, and his eyes looked darker than normal. Quietly, I sat up to see what had caught his attention.

There was a red gem in his palm. I felt captive by its mystical beauty as soon as I looked at it. I couldn't help but stare at it, feeling more and more drawn toward it while feeling a wave of unfamiliar energy wash over me.

"Where did you get this?" He asked, snapping me out of the trance. I straightened up and studied the stone for a moment longer, trying not to get carried away by its beauty. I hadn't seen something like that before. I lifted my hand and gently touched the gem. Instantly, my fingers were covered with a burning yet nippy feeling.

"I... I don't remember," I lied. Vittoria must have put it in my bag — as far as I could think about it. But why would she do it? It didn't look like an ordinary gem.

"You don't remember?" Nico said, turning to me. Grimness shrouded his face.

"No," I lied. "I don't even know what that gem is,"

"This..." he stared, holding it up at the sky until it started to absorb sunlight and glow like a piece of burning lava, "...is one of the most powerful and rarest gems ever to exist. It's called Varimoreite,"

"How do you know about it?" I asked. He stayed silent, lost in his thoughts, tracing his fingers around it as if trying to memorise its details.

"I... just know," He muttered more to himself.

"How rare is it exactly?" I asked.

"Very, only another of its kind is known to exist,"

"Where?"

"Alexandros of Cromeria is said to own one engraved on his throne," He answered darkly.

"You mean that mutt king?" I joked. His head snapped towards me with lightning speed, startling me.

"You don't sound too pleased about him," he commented. I shrugged.

"Why would anyone be pleased with him?" I questioned.

"You must think like that because you're a Somirean,"

"I don't have to be a Somirean to hate a tyrant who torments people for fun. Have you ever heard how he treats his people? Their taxes are through the roof! His warlords destroyed countless republic tribes, killing innocents and kidnapping women! He sounds like the most terrible person to me. No wonder he's maidenliness. I hope he dies soon and alone," I confessed.

Meanwhile, he studied me quietly. He gazed at me with an unnatural intensity. A myriad of emotions simmered in his eyes. He almost looked wounded.

"What happened?" I asked, "You don't sound pleased to hear my opinions on that brute,"

"No... I was just wondering how you could say so much about him even if you know nothing about him personally,"

"I don't need to know him personally to say such things, Nico. He's a king, and kings should be judged by actions rather than their words or personal beliefs. A king might say that he's peace-loving but throw in some political greed, and he'd be ready to shed blood. He might say that he loves his people, but when it comes to the women and the weak, he's willing to overlook their well-being to please the elites, noblemen and those bloody men of religion... you know what I am saying? I don't need to meet him to know that he's a terrible person. Whatever he's done so far speaks for itself," I explained.

"What about me?" He asked all of a sudden.

"Huh?" I was stunned, not understanding what he meant.

"What do you think about me?" He asked.

_