"I can't blame him. He might've overreacted, but he still has a point," Mia said.
The group walked steadily along the kingdom's roads.
"I know," Kaia replied sadly.
"I still see the problem fixed with an apology," Lex suggested.
"Are you sure?" Kaia asked.
"We can be there when you do it, but don't expect much," Mia added.
The group came upon four golden statues of knights. They stood proud, crafted by experienced hands. Kaia noticed the axe one statue held; it felt familiar. She looked at Lex and saw the resemblance to his own weapon—the same curve, the same patterns on the blade and hilt.
She looked back at the statues. "Who are they?" she asked.
"You don't know them?" Mia and Lex asked in unison.
Kaia shook her head. Mia sighed.
"Heroes," Lex answered. "They saved the kingdom from the first Holocaust."
The fire spirit woke from its sleep, exiting Lex's body. The flaming phoenix flared with energy and landed on Lex's arm.
"Rested well, my friend?" Lex asked. The spirit nodded.
Lex looked back at the statues. The spirit followed his gaze until it landed on the axe-bearer. The phoenix jumped from his arm and stood on the ground, bowing low before the statue. Kaia watched with a faint, confused smile.
The spirit's bow lasted a long time. Kaia peeked into its thoughts:
"Master, your friend… remains."
"To raise a hero, my task… remains."
"Heroes gone, memories… remain."
"Your son in run… remains."
Kaia stepped forward, curious, the statue stood with no armor but a long old scarf. She looked at the plaque. It read: "Ishan Xallorph. Unleashed the flames of hell upon the strongest of demons. This memory forever shall remain."
"Woah," Mia whispered. "Kin and Ishan are relatives? I'll have to ask him myself."
Kaia walked around the statues. Next was a tall, hooded man with a sword, wearing a mask. "Aizn Steel. Shredded through the armies of the devil. This memory forever shall remain."
Kaia froze when she saw the giant knight from before. He was leaning on his sheathed sword, looking up at the third statue with respect beneath his helmet. He noticed Kaia but said nothing.
The statue held a longsword in one hand while the other hand fixing his hair, the clothes luxurious. She leaned in to read the plate: "Tarian Azmord. The master of light and all weapons, the proud face of all nobels. This memory forever shall remain."
She walked to the last one—the only one in full plate armor. He held a spear and stood perfectly straight. The plate read: "Hayzin Zaland. Leader of the army since the first Holocaust. Under his eyes, may the knights of the kingdom forever remain."
A woman's loud, posh laugh cut through Kaia's thoughts. For a moment, Kaia wished the woman would be silenced forever, before the laughter suddenly turned into terrified screams for help. Kaia looked back to see the woman captured in the claws of a large, winged monster flying away. It's black bat-like wings cast a shadow scaring the bravest of men.
While Lex reached for his axe and Mia pulled her arrows, a giant sword flew like a bullet, impaling the monster's heart. Its claws released the woman, and she began to fall from a great height. From a corner, Lia appeared. She leaped to an impossible height, caught the woman, and landed on the ground unscathed.
The monster fell after them. The giant knight pulled his sword from the beast and, as the creature shrieked at him, he stepped on its head, crushing it completely.
The group's jaws dropped. While their hands was moving on instinct, the problem had already been solved. Even the fire spirit, which had launched a beam of fire at the monster, missed because the sword had reached it first.
Lia set the woman down and walked back to her place, sitting on a bench facing her father's statue. She took a deep breath and looked up at Mia, whose mouth was still hanging open.
"You'd better hide that bag," Lia said, not recognizing her. "Thieves here are not a few."
"G… good point," Mia replied.
Kaia nudged her. "Come on, Mia. We don't want any trouble."
Lia sighed. "It's not a problem. As long as Xallorph is innocent, I have no reason to hurt you or your friend there." She ignored Mia and watched Lex, who was chatting with the knight until a salesman interrupted him.
Taking the opportunity, Lia noted, "You don't really look like part of the tribe."
"Really?" Kaia asked, peering into Lia's mind to check.
"Indeed," Lia answered.
"She's really weird," Lia thought as Kaia spied on her mind. "It's rare to see someone from the abandoned tribe fluent in the kingdom's language, and most of them are cold and avoid strangers."
"So what are you exactly to him? Friends?" Lia asked with a soft smile. Kaia could feel her genuine curiosity.
"Not really," Kaia answered. Mia looked at her in confusion.
"Is that true? Then why do you follow someone you know nothing about?" Lia asked.
"An artifact, a strong one to say the least. We just need to follow him to—" Kaia answered, but Mia grabbed her arm, pulling her away before she ruined everything.
"Well, well, sorry to bother you, Miss Knight. We should go now!" she said. Lia tilted her head as Mia's voice felt familiar.
"Are you stupid?!" Mia whispered angrily after a few steps. "You can't just tell them where we're going. Kin will kill us if he finds out."
"But the cat said he's innocent," Kaia answered.
"Ugh, forget it. Just don't be too honest next time," Mia replied, frustrated.
"I said no," Lex repeated.
"Two thousand, final offer," the salesman insisted.
The knight watched them in silence. Mia took a deep breath, sharpening her voice to sound elegant. "What is happening here?"
"Who are you?" the salesman asked.
"That is my guard, and I want him to follow," Kaia replied.
The salesman rubbed his hands with a sly smile. "Ah, excuse my ignorance, beautiful lady. I am a salesman interested in giving my customers winning deals, but your guard here is being a bit stubborn over his rusty, old axe." He was secretly planning to resell the legendary weapon for many times that price.
"Hm… what is your offer?" Kaia asked.
Lex tried to interfere, but Kaia calmed him telepathically, telling him to trust her.
The salesman's eyes shone. "Two thousand. It will buy a well-made weapon and an excellent set of armor for your guard."
"That's far too cheap!" Kaia refused.
"What?!" The salesman was utterly confused.
"My guard's axe is an heirloom. If you want me to 'win,' you must afford to compensate the family as well," Kaia replied.
"That's not true! It's—" The salesman protested, stopping himself before he got caught.
"What? Are you saying I'm lying?" Kaia asked.
"Five… five thousand. I'm sure that will make his family happy," the salesman offered, pretending he knew nothing about the axe's true value. He figured painting copper to look like gold wouldn't take long. "I just need a day to prepare the payment."
"Sorry," Kaia said. "I don't trade in copper."
The man's face tensed. "What?" Drops of sweat clustered on his forehead. "I am offering gold, young lady," he continued nervously.
"Do you expect me to believe you have that much gold when your inner pockets are hand-stitched?" she asked in a quiet whisper, loud enough only for him to hear. "I have some very good informants who can make anyone look guilty. If you bother us again, expect a visit soon. Everyone knows what happens to those faking gold inside the kingdom."
The man turned around, but Kaia's voice echoed in his head: Slowly. He walked away with nervous, stiff steps.
"Woah, what did you do to that poor man?" Mia asked.
"Nothing," Kaia replied. "Let's move. Night is falling soon."
The group walked past Lia, planning to find a place to stay.
"Shelby?!" Lia suddenly exclaimed, recognizing Mia from years ago.
"Faster," Mia hissed.
The group picked up their pace, expecting a chase, but luckily, she didn't follow. Lia decided chasing strangers over a mere doubt was a waste of time.
As night fell, the group found an inn. The place was comfortable, with tidy beds and good food. To Mia's relief, she didn't have to spend much from her heavy bag. Kaia stared at Mia for a while until Mia looked back. Lex was already asleep.
"What is it?" Mia asked.
"Who is Shelby?"
Mia sighed. "Just a fake name I use when gambling. It's no big deal."
"You must have done a lot for your name to be that famous," Kaia replied.
"Heh,Well, I think it's because…" Mia chuckled, pulling a poker card from her sleeve. "I never lose."
Kaia paused. "You mean you always cheat?"
Mia rolled her eyes.
Kaia kept staring. "And what does that girl have to do with you?" She asked.
"Listin this was five whole years ago! I didn't think people can remember for that long," she protested.
"But also" she continued "Let's just say I taught her to never rely on luck," Mia said with a proud laugh.
After this conversation, They slept, and the night passed in a blink. As dawn broke, the group put on their old clothes and hid their new ones in the money bag—except for Lex, as the armor was too heavy for Mia to carry along with the gold.
They walked through the quiet roads. Mia led the way to the north gate, passing the four statues once more. Kaia noticed a small shadow by Xallorph's statue. She stepped closer to investigate; it was Fay.
"What?" Fay croaked.
"We're leaving," Kaia answered. Fay flew up to her shoulder. "At least you like me. Maybe you can help me talk to Kin."
"Your fault," Fay replied.
"I know," Kaia said, following the others.
They reached the gate and looked around, but Kin was nowhere to be seen. A cold wind blew from the north. The group decided to wait. Fay flew up to get a better view while the others sat in silence. Kaia reflected on what happened at the restaurant, admitting it was her fault for being too invasive. Mia played with her cards, and Lex kept watch.
Suddenly, Kaia saw a large shadow looming behind Mia. "Watch out!" she screamed, casting an energy blast at the figure.
Mia jumped back, and as Kaia prepared another attack, Lex grabbed her wrist.
"Stop, it's him," he said.
Kaia looked back as Mia burst out laughing. Kin was there, wrapped in heavy winter clothes and a thick scarf, looking like a giant bear. He looked at Mia with slight annoyance, pulled out a trapper hat, and plopped it on her head.
Mia touched it in confusion. "Oh... thanks," she said. She looked at Kaia and Lex, who were both on the verge of laughter.
"What?!" she exclaimed, feeling the top of the hat only to find long, bunny-like ears. Her face turned blood red as she looked at Kin with rage. "How dare you?! I'm not a child!"
She started hitting him, but his thick coats absorbed every blow. Kin looked confused and a bit disappointed that she didn't like the gift.
---
The next night, the group had long since exited the kingdom. Hayzin's manor was a complete mess. Lia sat crying silently in her room, a red bruise marking her cheek. She listened to the sound of furniture being shattered and thrown around by Hayzin, who was in a blind rage.
"Stop exaggerating things." The cat stared at Hayzin in disappointment.
"Shut up! That was the closest I got to ending that bastard, and instead of helping, you sent us to ancient ruins for demons that were never there!" Hayzin shouted.
"It seems the information I received was wrong. You have a point. But I heard it directly from his mouth. Either his own information was incorrect, or I'm afraid he is aware." The cat licked its arm.
"That doesn't explain why you stopped her! I don't care how many memories you dug out of his head to prove he's innocent. He shamed the knights, and he shall be punished," Hayzin replied.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but he was right," the cat looked up at him with a smirk " Hayzin, you are delusional."
A wooden table lunged toward the cat. It didn't flinch; the table missed narrowly, leaving the cat looking frustrated with Hayzin. It looked back to see a woman in a white hood crushed under the table Hayzin had thrown. The cat rolled its eyes and headed upstairs, standing behind the wall where Lia was leaning.
"Lia." The voice resonated within her mind.
"Leave, Silva," Lia replied. "Just leave me alone."
"I won't leave you with that monster in human skin."
"He's not—" Lia started, but the voice cut her off.
"Isn't he? All he cares about are the fantasies of the great, immortal knights he's built up in his head. Once someone broke that illusion, he began chasing him like an idiot."
Lia didn't reply.
"He's not fighting for justice, Lia. He fights for himself."
"What do you want?" Lia asked, covering her ears.
"Justice."
Lia paused.
"I am a great dreamer, capable of doing the impossible within a human's consciousness. I can dig through memories. I can catch lies. I can change people. If you are looking to spread true justice, there is no one better than me to help you."
Lia didn't reply.
"And the first step, is to leave those who use justice as an excuse."
Lia opened the door.