Adriel held her close. They both slept peacefully. He was so exhausted from the events that his sleep came natural to him for the first time in months.
Adriel shifted in his sleep. He felt something wet on his face. He tried to open his eyes, but he was too tired.
He then felt his mouth open and his eyes darted open. He saw a familiar grey mass of goo shaped like a hand touching his face.
He stood up startled and wildly wiped it off as he tried to yell.
No noise emerged from him.
Didn't take him long to rest his eyes upon the white masked creature. He loomed over Adriel.
Adriel looked at him up and down surprised to see him. He turned to Zahira who was still asleep beside him.
He looked back at the mask creature, noticing a small drop of blood on the right side of his mask. He shook it off.
"Adriel," said the masked creature, "How does it feel? To have two extra hearts pulsing within you?"
Adriel looked at him in awe. He couldn't get over the constant flowing grey slime he was made of.
"Look, who are you?" asked Adriel.
"Don't worry about who I am. Answer the question. How does it feel to have two extra hearts pulsing within you, Adriel?" The creature's neck extended as the white mask was mere inches away from Adriel's own face.
Adriel stared into the empty mask, his voice cold and tired, "I feel nothing. The only one I pity eating is the man back at the capital. I help people. So it's ok… right?"
The creature pulled back its neck and walked to his side of the bed, "That's for you to decide Adriel. Is it ok? Are you really ok with killing and eating those who you deem bad? Who made you the arbiter of life and death Adriel?"
The creature's hand extended out. Adriel tried to pull away, but was unable to as the hand forced its way into his mouth.
He began to gag and shake as it slowly turned itself into a fluid, flowing into Adriel's mouth.
The creature was then gone. Adriel could move his body once again as he panted; wiping off the excess slime on his lips.
Zahira began to fuss in bed. She barely opened her eyes looking at him, "Who were you talking to Adriel?" she asked, confused.
Adriel looked down at her. He looked at her messy black silk hair. He could feel his heart race as he heard a whisper in his head, "Don't say anything."
Adriel laid down, cuddling with her once again, their naked bodies pressing together, "No one Zahira. Go back to sleep."
Zahira drifted off quickly. Adriel couldn't. His mind raced as he thought about the masked creature. Who was he? What did he want with him? Is he even real?
It was almost as if the creature could hear his thoughts, "All in due time Adriel. Remember, we are one."
Adriel without a sudden thought felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him. His vision fogged and he fell asleep.
He woke the next morning, his bed was empty. He noticed Zahira's clothes were gone and the door was open.
Resting on the wall was his sword. He had completely forgotten of his father's blade yet there it was. He must have dropped it during the fight against Ash when he was pinned to the wall.
He sits up. He got dressed, strapped his sword to his side, and left the room.
He walked around the castle, pretending he knew where he was going.
After several minutes of being lost he gave up. He found a maid who was repairing the little damage leftover in the castle.
"Hey um, so I'm lost." Adriel admits to the maid.
She nodded, "Yeah you have been walking down the same hallway for thirty minutes."
Adriel blushed, embarrassed, "Yeah well, where are the rest of my friends?"
"The knights? They went to the dining hall."
"Thank you," Adriel was about to begin walking before he stopped, "Right where is that again?"
The maid pointed down the hall, "Go down the hall, like you have been doing, but instead of turning around and walking back where you came from, take a left. Down the stairs. Then left down the hallway, past the throne room, and you'll see another big door; similar to the one of the throne room. It's the tiny one to the right of it."
"Ah ok, thank you" he smiled at her awkwardly and headed down.
He walked down the stairs, his footsteps echoing. Each step he took was rewarded with a loud clack of his boots colliding with the stone.
He took a left, waking past the throne room. He stopped once he saw a second set of grand doors. Next to it was a smaller door, slightly taller than He was.
He opened the door and was greeted with everyone eating.
They all turned around to stare at him. He could feel an awkward tension in the air.
He walked to the table and saw two spaces available. One next to Lykos, and another next to Zahira.
He sat down next to Zahira and Lykos groaned as Zahira began to laugh.
Adriel looked between them, confused.
"Told you he'd sit with me!" Zahira teased as she giggled at Lyko's dismay.
"Come one! Seriously? One night of dancing is all it took?" grumbled Lykos.
"What are you guys on about?" asked Adriel, confused.
"I told Lykos you'd sit with me. He didn't believe me!" said Zahira, sounding proud of her victory over Lykos.
"What? Why?" Adriel asked, his confusion only deepened.
"We went to wake you up and saw you and Zahira." huffed Iaceo. He was upset, but understood his sister was an adult just like he was.
"Oh uh," Adriel looked away awkwardly, "Sorry."
"Don't apologize Adriel! I don't regret a single moment." Zahira giggled, and tapped her finger on his nose.
"Right yeah…" he looked at their plates
They were all already empty.
"Are you hungry?" asked Zahira, "I could get you something."
"No, no it's fine we should probably get out of here."
The rest of the group nodded and stood up. They were all ready, not having much except their clothes and weapons. They walked out of the castle and saw Luarcus.
He smiled at them and waved at them, "Hello!" He yelled, "seems like you guys are heading out! Well I'm not sure how much this will help, but word is Horv has died. And dragons have awakened at the Irithal canyon."
"The hell you mean dragons have awakened?" asked Dania, "They died out years ago! All that was left was the dragon-kin."
Luarcus shrugged, "this is what my messenger told me"
"Wait wait. Forget the dragons! Horv is fucking dead?" asked Adriel, shocked.
"He was found in his home… half of him was found at his home." said Luarcus.
"Shit," said Adriel before turning to the rest, "what should we do? This dragon thing seems like a big lead on who Eldrim is. He awakened the fucking dragons!"
They all stood in silence thinking. They all collectively agreed to go Irithal. Going back to the capital due to Horv's death wouldn't help much.
They began their pilgrimage.
They walked through the village. The destruction they once had seen was now flourishing. Although it was not as bustling as it once was, it still had many people on the streets.
They walked down the somewhat busy road.
The villagers made room for them as they walked. A few of them thanked the knights for their noble efforts.
The knights were excited. They finished their own mission, but were unsure of how to feel about the murder of Horv.
They didn't know what to do. Ignore it? There wasn't much the knights could do anyways.
They kept walking.
They walked through the pains until they saw the edge of the forest. The sun was setting. They could see the village in the distance.
Past this forest laid the Irithal canyon.
The home of the dragon kin.
They had exiled themselves from the rest of the population, enjoying the more nomadic lifestyle.
Dragon-kin were directly related to dragons. It was believed most of them if not all dragons had been killed throughout the years. All but the strongest dragons.
The knights entered into the forest. The brush is thick but they head onwards. The many trees blocked the sunlight, and as night came the forest became pitch black.
Lykos produced a fire in his palm for some warmth and brush clearing, taking charge in leading them through the forest.
They all took careful steps as the noise of bugs ringed in their ears.
They made it to a clearing, a small patch of land that was free of trees.They began to set up the camp.
Lykos began to make the fire as Adriel went to grab some kindling to keep the flame going in their sleep.
He walked over to a pile of leaves.
His hand reached out and they rustled.
He quickly retracted it back as he gave it a working look.
The leaves rusted again.
And again.
And again.
Adriel could feel it. Something was watching them. Watching everything.