There existed a small village in the middle of nowhere.
The Population of the small village was only fifty. The village was cut off from most of the world. People grew their own vegetables here and used the fruits from the nearby forest. They also had a source of water available.
Despite having all the things they needed to live comfortably, the village was slowly dying as people kept migrating to bigger cities. Throughout the years, the population of the village kept dwindling.
Despite all the troubles, there were still some people who just refused to leave their village, no matter what. These were the old people who kept the village running.
Unfortunately, all those old people were sitting on the ground, not daring to move. They didn't even know how it happened, but they were the prisoners of their own shadows that had come to life.
The Shadows were keeping these people hostages, pointing a shadow sword at them.
Half the shadows had gone to surround the village to make sure no one could get in or leave. The others kept an eye on the villagers.
This was the Village where Lira had brought Gabriel. Not only was this place the closest to the forest they were previously in, but it also had what they needed.
One of the old men in the village had a horse farm that had some really nice horses.
Lira could fly, but she was informed by Gabriel that he couldn't, so she brought him here to get him a horse. She couldn't just carry him inside the Royal City by air. Both of them were going to be caught, so they needed a horse.
"Select any horse you like. I don't think the people outside would mind."
There were seven horses inside the farm, and all of them looked great.
Gabriel observed the horses briefly before staring back at Lira. "I don't know how to ride a horse either. Even if I select, won't it be useless? You can just drop me near the Royal Capital. I'll walk from there."
Lira refused the suggestion without even thinking about it. "If the guards at the Royal Capital saw a Light Mage who was neither flying nor had a horse, they could get suspicious, which I don't want. It'll make things more difficult for you."
"And as far as horse riding is concerned, that's not hard. We have all the time in the world. I can teach you. You just select a horse that you want."
"If you say so." Gabriel selected a black horse that was closest to him. The horse had a long mane of hair along its upper back. It also looked to be the youngest here but not too young.
"It's the one then."
"Not a bad choice." Lira patted the head of the young horse before bringing him out.
For some reason, the horse was really tame. It was as if it was just following whatever she wanted, even without her having to command.
Gabriel observed the strange phenomenon and couldn't stop himself from asking. "Can you control horses?"
Lira shook her head. "It's just the horse can sense my aura since I'm connected to his shadow right now. I can't control the horse, but I can somewhat manipulate him through that connection. It doesn't work on humans though."
"I'll tell you more about it on the way." Lira left the barn.
The villagers were still sitting on the ground, worried for their lives.
Lira walked to those people. "I'm taking this horse. I hope none of you mind."
No one raised any objection in response.
"That's better. After today, you won't see me again. But there's one thing you should know. If any of you try to tell anyone about what happened here, I might have to return, and that won't be good for you."
The Leader of the village raised his head. "You have my word. We won't tell anyone. You can take the horse as long as you let us live."
"It's so good to talk to people who aren't stubborn." Lira flashed a beautiful smile in response. "See? No one had to die."
She placed three gold coins on the ground. "This should cover the cost of the horse and more."
Leaving the money for the horse, Lira climbed on the horse before reaching out her hand toward Gabriel. "Come up. Time to leave."
"I can climb on my own." Gabriel decided against taking her help for this small task. He climbed on the horse on his own and sat, leaving a little space between him and the young lady.
Lira noticed the gap between the two. It appeared as if Gabriel was still hesitating in trusting her completely.
"Are you looking to fall?" she asked. "I'm a fast rider. You'll fall if you don't hold onto me. Come closer and hold me firmly if you don't want to fall."
Gabriel let out a tired sigh before sliding closer to Lira. Their bodies stuck so closely to each other that not even an inch of gap was left between the two.
Since Gabriel had already sent his staff back to formation storage according to Lira's teaching previously, both his hands were free.
He wrapped his arms around the slim waist of Lira, holding her firmly.
The Horse started moving, and it was exactly as Lira had stated; the horse was really fast. If Gabriel wasn't holding onto her firmly, he could've fallen right at the start.
The villagers watched the two youngsters leave the town. The shadows that were keeping them hostage had also disappeared, turning into nothingness.
The leader of the Village, who had promised Lira that he wasn't going to tell anyone about their appearance, commanded a middle-aged man who stood behind him.
"Ron, take another horse and go to the Church of Light Branch in the closest town and tell them what happened here."
"What? Didn't you just promise them that you won't do it?" The middle-aged man asked in response.
"Those two were Dark Mages. We don't need to keep our promises to them. Do as I say! Tell the Holy Mages that two dark mages had appeared and also tell them the direction they went in. Those two need to be caught."
"But her promise? What if she comes back?"
"She won't. She will be dead by then. And even if she survives, she won't know we informed the Mages of Light. Just do as I said. Inform them so they can catch those two demons fast!" The Leader commanded.
"Fine. I'll do as you ask!" Ron ultimately agreed. He couldn't oppose the chief of the village.
However, just as he was about to go to the barn, his face turned pale. He raised his trembling hands toward the old chief.
No matter how much he tried to speak, no words came out of his lips.
The old chief noticed that all the other villagers were looking at him with the same gazes.
His face went still as he thought the worst. He slowly turned around, hoping he was wrong.
As soon as he turned around, he saw a Shadow Warrior standing behind him. He couldn't even blink before the shadow sword came swinging. The man's head flew into the air before falling to the ground with his body.
Throughout the day, painful screams echoed in the village as bodies kept piling on.
Lira had already traveled far away from the village when she slowed down. She gazed back toward the town.
"What happened? Why did you slow down?" Gabriel looked back as well, wondering what she was looking at.
"Nothing. Just amazed by the stupidity of some people who thought they can survive by breaking a promise. It's nothing we need to care for..."