10 Blackspire Town

The frigid and strong gust of wind continuously slaps Selene's face as Kaden, in his wolf form, picks up his speed while crossing the crooked paths of Aldes Mountain. And she can see nothing but blurs of white. Selene is riding on his back to cross the border and reach the nearby town of Blackspire, where there will be available transport that will take them to the capital. She nervously tightens her grip on his fur in fear of being thrown off the cliff because of the strong draft of wind. Although feeling apprehensive because of the danger it poses, there was no other choice but to put up with their current situation. Besides, Selene is the one who suggested that they visit the capital for her to do her research. She hopes to get some valuable books like some guides on practicing magic. If grandfather Kenshin tells the truth that people like her had an immense mana pool, practicing magic will be a worthwhile endeavor for her in the future. 

Luckily, Kaden agreed with her plan. There seems to be a festival that will take place for seven days, and it will be the most favorable time to go inside the capital unnoticed. Selene has a good idea of its reason, but she will not interfere in his personal life as per their contract. That's why she decided to shut her mouth. Kaden says it usually takes two to three days to travel from their village to Blackspire. However, he proposed that she ride with him in his wolf form to shorten the time. While considering his massive size, it will not be difficult for him to carry a small child like her. They had to leave early in the morning to avoid detection, and Kaden said they would reach their destination by nightfall. And it looks like it's the truth. However, Selene's hands grow stiff and numb because of the extreme cold. She never thought it would be this difficult, but she decided to shut her mouth and not utter a single word of complaint. 

They also had to make sure that they would go back as fast as possible because it was too dangerous to leave the village for a long time. While in Kaden's absence, grandfather Kenshin promised that he would not take a single step out of the house and take care of Khalil in their stead. He had been busy looking for a flower that he would use as an ingredient for Khalil's medicine. However, despite his repeated attempts, he cannot get his hands on it. Selene thinks it must be a rare flower that is difficult to obtain because of how anxiously Kaden behaves whenever they have conversations about it. 

Unexpectedly, Kaden stops in his tracks, and Selene almost loses her grip because of the abrupt momentum. When she looks over her surroundings, she gapes dumbfounded at the view before her eyes. 

"Why did you stop?" Selene murmurs while not taking off her eyes from the sparkling waterfall in front of her.

Selene shifts back her attention to Kaden, who gives him a sideways glance. She took that cue to go down. She turns around to him and shifts her focus to the scenery before her.  Selene watches enthralled as the cascade of shimmering water from a tall and steep cliff stretches to the river below. At the same time, the adjacent lowlands are submerged in layers of snow. She's already tempted to go to the edge of the water.

"Let's take a short rest. We also need to refill our waterskin," Kaden announces, appearing by her side in his human form. He held out his hand in front of her, and Selene stared at it in confusion.

"The path here is slippery. You have to hold my hand, or else you will fall and break your neck. Or do you want me to carry you?" Kaden asks almost too kindly. 

Selene had to swallow the laugh that nearly erupted from her lips. Since they had their decent talk a few days ago, there has been an apparent change in his behavior. Although she can still feel some distance and caution from him, Kaden acts gentler and more thoughtful towards her than in their first meeting. However, she doesn't like the nagging sensation at the back of her mind that tells her she is treated like he would to a child. Selene wants to wave it off as him being a gentleman.

Selene places her hand in his palm, and he carefully guides her to the embankment. She had to tighten her grip a few times in order not to fall, just as Kaden warned. Selene's just thankful that he doesn't mind being held, considering his previous reaction when Selene hugged him. Once they reach the bank, she takes the waterskin from her sack and fills it with water. The water is frigid and crystal, clear that she can see her face distinctly. After refilling their waterskin, Selene let her eyes roam freely to savor the beautiful scenery. The mist thickened, but she spotted sprouts of violet-colored flowers across the other side.

"This place is gorgeous." 

"This is called Fairling Waterfalls. The frigid water comes from the melted iceberg from above. On rare occasions when the sun rises, and its light hits the water, the view becomes even more stunning."

"Do you always go here?"

Kaden nodded. "When I want to be alone." Selene stops short because of his words. Did he just actually share an intimate fact about him? Strangely enough, she feels honored by it. 

Selene looks at him cheerfully. "I think I understand. When I want to be alone, I would certainly want to spend my time there."

Unexpectedly, Kaden stares back at her longer than necessary, and his intense gaze bores right through her. At that moment, Selene couldn't understand what he was thinking.  Kaden looks away from her as if waking up from a trance. And the same chilling aura from the atmosphere emanates from his body. He is back to his usual cold and distant self. 

"Anyway, people rarely go here because they believe this is an enchanted place where the fair-folks reside. Usually, people who dared to cross this water end up being swallowed with their body unable to return to the surface." 

A chill runs down her spine, and Selene feels an alarming hair-raising episode. "What did you just say?" He is not talking about the same thing she had in mind, right? If it's fair-folk, is it similar mythical beings in the form of the spirits who lives deep inside the forest and kidnap humans for fun? Selene nervously looks in the water's direction, but she can barely see anything because of the thick mist. Why did he have to ruin the mood by saying something scary? Selene doesn't know if she just imagines it, but she can almost hear voices laughing. She shook her head in an attempt to shake off her fear. 

"What I'm saying is do not let your guard down. No matter how beautiful something is, there's always a hidden horror beneath the surface that will always take advantage of you in your moment of weakness." Kaden said matter-of-factly. Selene's shoulder slumps in defeat. This is the first time she has met someone as overly pessimistic as he does. And Selene doesn't like the feeling of completing a kindred spirit, or maybe he is just worse than her? And what's with his roundabout way of warnings? 

"I understand. I will keep everything you said in mind." Selene enunciated heavily. She can barely hold her irritation. 

"While we are on the topic, Blackspire town is the home of the unsavory group of people. It would be best if you stay vigilant at all times. When we reach the town, we will pretend to be siblings, that's why we act your age. You know what I mean, right?"

"I understand, big brother," Selene replies sarcastically. Kaden chuckles and gently brushes the top of her head. However, she angrily brushes away his hands and walks away from a laughing Kaden.  That night they safely arrived in Blackspire Town, feeling drained. They headed directly towards Iron Snowdrop Inn, where they would spend the night.

BLACKSPIRE Town has a murky and bleak atmosphere. Selene's first impression was when she stepped foot inside the town entrance. The place is dilapidated from the murky wooden rooftops, dark and faded walls, broken roads, and stricken-looking citizens. They can barely make ends meet. And just as Kaden said, there seem to be various types of individuals who reside in this place. From burly men who carry heavy weapons in their hands and stroll around like they own the place to malnourish young workers dressed lightly for the extreme cold weather while lifting heavy sacks of food and boxes to the wagon. Some ragged young girls litter the streets, asking for a small change. They wore worn-out coats with holes and stains that could barely protect them from getting sick.

And there is that type of person who likes to abuse their power. No matter what world she lives in, scumbags like him will never disappear from her sight. A middle-aged man who looks like a wealthy merchant by the way he is dressed takes out a whip from his belt and starts to cruelly whip a young boy in the middle of the street. Selene freezes in her tracks, and her body becomes numb with a sudden outburst of anger. People like him should be taught a lesson. Selene stepped in their direction when she felt a firm grip on her wrist.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kaden asks threateningly.

  Selene silently pointed in the direction of the boy. His body is crumpled to the ground as he quietly accepts the painful lashes even when his skin is soaked with welts and blood. And the people who are supposed to do something going on in their own business like nothing is happening.

"Don't even think about doing anything. He is a slave, and his master is giving him his punishment."

Selene caught sight of the young boy's feet strapped with shackles. She can't believe that she had to be transported to a world with a class system. When Selene attended her history class, this was the kind of topic that always made her blood boil with anger. She turns towards Kaden and glares at him.  "Is it normal here? To beat the life out of someone as a form of punishment?!" she asks, her voice shaking with fury. She clenches her hand hard; it feels like she drew some blood.

Kaden only nodded, his face plainly telling her to let it go and not do anything. Selene felt all the blood rushes to her head, and her heart pounded erratically. She's having difficulty breathing. She can't believe she is now living in this kind of world and that she has to save it.  Selene couldn't stop herself from yelling. "Are you out of your freaking mind?! That man is bat-shit crazy! Someone needs to stop him, or else the boy will die!"

Kaden looked at him gravely, and his voice sounded harsh and cruel to her ears. "Then, so be it. That is the fate of a slave." Selene gasps harshly, and she feels her heart twist painfully. She can't believe he just said that without batting an eye. There will be a long and hard road ahead of them, especially if they will never see eye to eye with many things.

"Let go of me! If you do not do anything, then I will!" Selene struggles to get out of his grip, but he only tightens his hold on her. Although she has become strong, she's still no match for Kaden when he uses his full strength. Kaden lifted her over his shoulder like a sack of grain without leaving her a chance to escape. Selene retaliates by punching his back with all her power. Still, he casually walks the streets without feeling anything from her punches. Her voice is already hoarse from her screams, but he remains deaf to her protest.   

Selene can feel tears running down her face. She'd never felt so helpless in her life. She knew that it would be dangerous just to step in and protect the boy, but Selene couldn't bear seeing someone being treated like that. She lives her whole life protecting and helping those kinds of people. It would be cruel of her just to turn a blind eye. But how can she get away from their steely grasp of Kaden? While being carried upside down, Selene's gaze clashes with the young man's as he remains on the ground. His face is thoroughly bathed with his blood, and his eyes look empty, so her chest burns with pain. The scumbag will not stop beating the poor kid anytime soon. His other servants keep their heads down as their master continues his cruelty. 

Selene's gaze turns towards the beautiful black mare with piercing dark eyes at his side. "If his horse can just kick him and stomp on his hand until he can't hold his whip," Selene murmurs angrily.

"Stop saying nonsense," Kaden replies to her last-ditch attempt at voicing her anger even though she knows it's useless.

However, as if hearing her plea, Selene listened to a loud whinnying, and she watched as the scumbag's horse kicked his owner's back and sent him flying to the other side of the road. The street is suddenly overwhelmed by sounds of gasps and yells from the onlookers.  The servants tried to rein the horse, but they couldn't hold out against its strength. The mount runs in the direction of his owner and starts to stomp on his hands mercilessly. Everything turns into chaos as everyone gathers and tries to save the old man from being disabled. They completely forgot about the poor boy who got beaten half to death.

"What in god's name did you do?" Kaden whispers harshly. Selene doesn't know what to say. It's not like she did anything. Without waiting for her reply, Kaden speeded down the street as if the police pursued them. At the same time, Selene was left confused by his unreasonable anger directed toward her. Did he believe that she did it? It's not like she became a horse whisperer or something.