Sophy, as beautiful as she was, didn't care much about her appearance. She avoided jewelry and fancy dresses, often seen riding a horse through the city with her face sometimes covered in dust.
Her father, the ruler of the land, was infuriated by her behavior. He demanded she present herself more formally in public to maintain his dignity.
Despite her reckless nature and living in her own world, Sophy understood her boundaries and how to protect her father's reputation. She wore the mask of royalty he imposed on her.
Philip, the chancellor at the family palace, diligently briefed her on the ceremony's protocol to ensure she behaved appropriately.
"Lady Sophy, I believe I have told you everything you need to know... Your father expects you to be as elegant and brilliant as you should... Follow my instructions precisely," he instructed.
Annoyed and eager to end the lesson, Sophy replied, "Fine... Tell him not to worry and leave me alone for now... will ya!."
Philip bowed slightly, "As you wish, my lady," and walked away.
Sophy sighed in frustration, "Ahh… my head is burning... This stupid celebration won't pass without driving me mad."
Philip paused and added, "I almost forgot... Your mother, Lady Margaret, has summoned you to the southern palace in four days... She was displeased with the dresses presented to her and decided to choose one herself... and same for you."
Sophy groaned, "Oh no, not again... I hate this... She never likes anything to begin with"
"It's your mother's orders... You know she will be furious if you don't go," Philip advised. "The golden chariot is at your disposal, and a guard unit will escort you... Don't forget."
Just then, August, the youngest of Victor, entered the room and approached Philip directly.
"Philip, is my new armor ready?" he asked eagerly.
Philip smiled at August, "Not yet, but it will be ready before the ceremony," he reassured him as they walked towards the door.
"You promised me that last time," August said, disappointed.
"No, I told you it would be ready before the ceremony, and I will keep my promise," Philip responded firmly.
As Philip and August left, Sophy directed her gaze towards her falcon near the window.
"I wish I could just fly away from all this," she sighed, placing her head on the table.
Back at Vika's hideout, the sentimental farewell moment was about to end. Vika released both Nosil and Aya, then stood up, wiping her tears away with her hands.
"It's time… you better get going," Vika said in a sad tone. Aya and Nosil gathered themselves and prepared to set out.
They walked side by side to the place where the men had prepared the stallion, which was waiting for them.
"Here they are… took you long enough," one man declared.
After reaching the stallion, it took them a bit of time to say goodbye to everyone. Nosil mounted the stallion first, and then Aya got on behind him.
"This is it… we are going now… thank you again for everything you have done for us… we will make sure to visit," Nosil addressed everyone present.
Nosil gently touched the stallion's neck to urge it to move, while Aya, feeling nervous about being so close to Nosil, shifted back a bit to create some space.
As the stallion began advancing, Vika shouted, "Give them hell, Nosil…" and added in a low voice, "…RAM."
Nosil waved to her, signaling "leave it to me."
"Eclipse… we depend on you… take us to the Kylians," Nosil whispered into the stallion's ear.
With a gentle touch of his hands, Eclipse began speeding up, little by little, until he was running so fast that Aya could no longer keep up. She feared falling.
Nosil was enjoying the speed, laughing from the bottom of his heart, unaware of Aya's struggle behind him.
After safely descending the mountain, Eclipse moved even faster across the open fields, running freely like an arrow.
Aya swayed up and down in the back, struggling to hold on. She shouted for Nosil to slow down, but he was too lost in the thrill to hear her.
Desperate, she clung to Nosil's back, wrapping her arms around his chest. The sensation of her chest pressing against his back was strange and distracting, making her feel anxious and confused.
Nosil, overwhelmed with joy from the stallion's speed, paid no attention to her plight. The situation continued for some time, with Aya growing more distressed by the minute.
"Stop... stop it... please," she screamed, but Nosil, misunderstanding, asked, "What do you mean... don't tell me you're afraid?"
"Just stop for a moment," she insisted, her voice edged with desperation.
Nosil, confused, tried to reason with her. "We'll stop after a while... Remember, we have to get to Kylian... It's far away..." But before he could finish, Aya bit him forcefully on the shoulder.
The pain made Nosil scream, and he immediately halted the stallion. As soon as the horse stopped, Aya jumped off, breathing heavily, trying to calm herself down.
Nosil watched her from the horse, bewildered by her behavior.
After a while, Aya started to walk forward. Nosil, still amazed, called out, "You're kidding, right?"
"Why go through all that trouble to get a horse if you're going to walk?".
"This is a lot to take... Riding in the back at that speed is crazy... I told you repeatedly to slow down, but you didn't listen," she replied, frustration clear in her voice.
"Fine, mount up... we'll take it easy, right, Eclipse?" Nosil said, patting the stallion's neck.
Aya climbed back onto the horse behind Nosil, and the stallion marched gently through the endless green fields towards Kylian.
In the underworld, among the shadows, Maya watched over her beloved children as they moved to their next destination. As the angelic light penetrated from far above, her all-seeing eyes focused on Vika, a woman who had helped her children immensely but had also exerted an unwelcome influence on them—something Maya would not tolerate.
After her gang members left to tend to their own preoccupations, Vika remained, watching from the top of the mountain in the hope of seeing Nosil and Aya on their way. Her face was a mess of regrets and sadness as she looked at the sky, praying for their safety.
Vika eventually moved, turning to walk towards the hideout, unaware of the eyes watching her from the shadows, or the plot Maya was preparing for her, and the inevitable fate that awaited her.
The journey from Iris to Kylian didn't take Aya and Nosil long, thanks to having the horse. They unobtrusively crossed the borders in only three days and were near Lenine City in just two more days.
On their way, they found an old, worn hut and decided to stay there for the night.
"Traveling is tough... I'm so tired," Nosil complained. "If it wasn't for Eclipse, I don't know if I would have made it here...Thanks, buddy."
Aya was busy checking the hut. She found some tools and some firewood but decided not to start a fire.
"Not exactly what I hoped for, but this will do," Aya said after finding a worn-out bed.
Nosil gathered some water and fodder grass for the stallion and left him outside to rest. He then entered the hut, where Aya had already made a place for herself to sleep.
"Already sleeping, cat?" Nosil didn't like it, but Aya had made her point clearly. "You should get some rest too... tomorrow will be busy inside the city."
Nosil looked around for anything he could use to sleep on but found nothing. He moved to a corner, sat down, and leaned against the wall. "Okay... have a good night."
The calm of the night was broken only by the movement of mice around the hut, but fatigue soon took both Nosil and Aya into a deep sleep.
Sunrise came, and the birds made it official—a new day was waiting for Nosil and Aya. And only a few more days remained until the celebration in Lenine began.
Nosil and Aya awoke to the sound of the stallion's heavy breathing, greeting the new day. They stepped outside and washed their faces with the water Nosil had fetched the previous evening.
After checking on the stallion and ensuring he had enough food and water, they decided to leave him at the hut to sneak into the city unnoticed.
"Stay here, Eclipse… we'll be back soon," Nosil murmured to the stallion, pressing his forehead against the horse's. "Wait for us… buddy."
As the moment ended, Aya and Nosil headed towards the city. With Aya's powers, sneaking in was child's play, but their objective was going to be a tough one. In a matter of seconds, Aya transported Nosil inside the city, then moved herself, both landing on a rooftop of a building next to a market.
"Now that I see how big the city is… I doubt one day will be enough… don't you agree?" Nosil asked Aya with concern.
"True… this will take longer than expected… let's split up," Aya suggested.
"That's not a bad strategy, but… I have a bad feeling... We should stick together for the time being," Nosil refused the suggestion.
Looking around at the bustling city made him anxious. It was massive and heavily populated, and he wasn't confident in his skills to handle everything alone.
Aya, however, seemed more concerned about the heavy security, with many warriors deployed to secure the upcoming celebration.
"We have no choice… we won't finish in time unless we split... And remember, we left Eclipse alone at the hut... The sooner we're done, the sooner you can go back to him," Aya explained, knowing that mentioning the stallion would make Nosil more willing to cooperate.
"Yeah, true… alright, let's get this done quickly," Nosil finally agreed.
"I'll go this way… you, that way... We'll meet at that gate... Got it?"
"Got it," Nosil replied.
Aya prepared to go in the direction she had chosen, but then looked back and said, "Stay out of trouble." Then she jumped.
Nosil sighed, then murmured, "It's not like I want trouble… trouble likes me."
He checked the horizon, jumped to the street, and began walking.