Thalia and the rest of the members of the Order of Sunbound sat together in a large room with a meeting table in the centre with multiple chairs around it.
At the head of the table was the sanctuary master, Caladorn Grimspire, but everyone called him sanctuary master or master for short.
And as the leader of this small outpost of the Sunbound and a healer himself, he always carried himself with dignity and tried as much as possible to be a good example to the others.
A few hours ago, he received word from the headquarters to share with those with him at this post.
....
"I called you here for a simple reason."
The master began, his eyes roaming the faces of all those under him. From the sentinels, flameweavers to the daywatchers, everyone had a serious expression on as they waited for him to continue.
"Central has given the permission to anyone who wishes to venture into the inheritance ground."
"What?!|
Multiple exclamations of surprise rang out through the meeting room. They just like everyone on Veloria were avid fans of exploring, and inheritance grounds were the ultimate form of fulfilling that desire.
And while there were others permanently around across the globe, their dangers were many times higher than the 'once-in-a-while' inheritance grounds.
Thalia had a bright smile on her face that wouldn't subside. Her joy stemmed from the fact that she could accompany James in exploring the grounds.
She may be a healer but that didn't mean those were all the spells she knew. She and the other healers were also trained in the arts of fighting, just not as much as the Solar Sentinels.
"Absolutely. Though, there are somethings must understand."
His voice calmed down the rising emotions as he looked everyone in the eyes.
"Once you decide to partake in the exploration, you're on your own."
For a moment, complete silence settled among them before they realized what he meant.
"Exactly."
As if reading their thoughts, he affirmed.
"So we can't identify ourselves as members of the Sunbound if we choose to go and anything that happens to us will be entirely on us."
The master nodded.
It was a reasonable price as anything they found in there would be entirely their own. They may be members of the Sunbound, but that didn't mean they were strictly forced to live in a certain way.
If any of the members wanted, they could leave the Sunbound anytime they wanted, but the issue was that being part of the order had tremendous benefits no one wanted to leave.
"That's understandable. The order doesn't restrict our movements or decide what we do with our lives so far as we do our jobs."
A sentinel chipped in receiving nods of agreement.
After all, what would be the point of a faction that existed to act as guardians and protectors of Veloria if it restricted its members in certain areas?
"Anyone who wishes to join in on the exploration must turn in their robes and badge. They can be reclaimed once you return, alive that is."
The sonorous chuckle spread through the silent room as they chatted.
Since the core of the message was already delivered, the master stood up and left the others to make their own plans.
...…..
Thalia walked the small hallway with Zarek right behind him. In their discussion with their peers, Thalia had expressed her decision to go exploring, however, she chose to go with James, the stranger currently staying in the sanctuary.
No one really found that strange as Thalia had been the one to stay close to him. It was only natural they'd grow close.
Besides, the man looked to have a perpetual frown on his face and an aura that made it difficult to approach him.
Zarek was the only one who knew her choice wasn't based solely on wanting to help the stranger. He went as far as proposing he come along with them but her response to that was.
"That's for James to decide."
The response unnerved him. He had no desire to leave those two alone.
'There's no way I'm going to allow that bastard to touch Thalia.'
Even if he doesn't come with them, they couldn't stop him from moving in the same direction, now can they?
A small imperceptible smirk emerged on his face, looking like some creep that just crawled out of a dark pit.
"I'll be returning to my room now. See you later, Zarek."
Thalia spoke without looking at Zarek and walked away dumbfounding him. He had assumed they would have some kind of talk with that man, James.
But from Thalia's words, she had no intention of doing that.
"What about speaking with James for me to tag along?"
He called out to her prompting Thalia to stop. And without looking back she replied, "That's something you'll have to do yourself."
She then continued on her way, leaving Zarek alone in the hallway.
His expression morphed into an unsightly frown as he stared at Thalia's figure departing with lustful eyes.
The desire in his eyes could not be hidden anymore. He felt threatened by the presence of James and that began to manifest his ugly side he kept hidden.
He had once upon a time believed he had all the time in the world to slowly charm Thalia until she fell madly in love with him.
But James was running everything.
"Tch. That fucking bastard better watch his back."
With gritted teeth and hateful eyes, he stormed away.
....
"Ha… I thought he would never leave my side."
Thalia released a sigh of relief once she was in the comfort of her own room with the door tightly locked.
Once she settled on the bed with her eyes on the ceiling, her mind wandered back to what she experienced today, plastering a silly smile on her face.
Like a young maiden experiencing love for the first time, she was giddy from the overwhelming emotions.
"Spending more time with him will definitely bring us closer. Maybe then, he will eventually become comfortable enough to share things about himself."
"You don't say…"
A husky and heavy voice replied to her mumbling. She yelled in surprise and fear as she jumped out of her bed and looked around.
"James…?"
She looked over to her window where James sat in a relaxing manner with his eyes looking out as if lost in thought.
He had returned from the village not long ago after managing to get whatever he needed for his exploration.
That was when she spotted Thalia returning to her room with that one fella they called Zarek. He didn't want to remember that man's name as he found him unpleasant.
Much was his surprise when he caught his unsightly expression the moment Thalia expressed her desire to return to her room.
He didn't have to be a genius to know what was in that man's head. His last comment even made the situation worse, but he chose to pay no heed to it.
After all, Zarek hadn't done anything yet.
'That doesn't mean I'll show him mercy either. Never again will I ignore the obvious signs.'
"How did you get in here?"
James turned his head and looked at her with a dumbfounded look.
"Did you just ask that question?"
Thalia was momentarily confused then her eyes shifted to the window and she realized her blunder.
"Oh… Sorry about that"
She felt slightly embarrassed herself.
"Mm"
After a moment of silence, she returned to sit on her bed before asking another question.
"I plan on going to the inheritance grounds as well, is it okay to come with you?"
Her hands fidgeted as she awaited his response. She wanted to believe she mattered to him enough to take her along. After all, he was the only reason she was going.
James smiled as he looked at the woman sitting innocently with her fidgety gestures.
Suddenly, he disappeared from his sitting place on the window and appeared on the bed with Thalia right underneath him with both hands held above her head.
Surprised by his action, she yelped as her eyes looked into his golden ones.
*Badamp* *Badamp*
She swallowed as her heart raced in anticipation. She could even feel her lower region quiver in excitement.
James took in the mesmerizing sight knowing full well how the woman reacted to him. It filled him with a sense of pride he hadn't felt before.
'It's a strange feeling, but welcomed.'
Then, James moved his head closer to her face before whispering, "It's going to be very dangerous, you know?"
"I know and I still want to follow you."
She wanted to show him her resolve as she returned the gaze with fierceness burning within.
Naturally, James wasn't just referring to the dangers of the inheritance grounds itself, but also the presence of his enemies who would most certainly come after him to finish the job.
'They're not going to stop me regardless.'
Yet he didn't mention any of that to Thalia. His words should have made it clear enough.
"We'll see about that…"
He muttered and then lowered his head in for a kiss to which Thalia reciprocated with enthusiasm.