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The day of the war arrived, and Pedro Henrique went into hiding. He made sure his friends knew it's okay to do so when he returned, but they didn't believe him until he gave them their own weapons from the armory. He couldn't leave without telling them that he'd come back in the future. They believed him.Pedro took out some money left by his parents and handed it over for an inn room.He bought some food to tide him over. After a while, people began to arrive at the inn with supplies. The people brought in food from other farms around the area and brought a few things with them that Pedro wanted to borrow. It didn't take long for Pedro's friends to get suspicious. When he was asked if he needed anything else, he just said he had a friend who owed him something.They didn't ask any more questions until the night before they left. Pedro was getting ready to sleep, when his friends came bursting through his door. "What's the matter? We thought you were leaving with us."His friends looked worried. Pedro felt guilty that they hadn't been told before he left. He tried to reassure them, "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine, I have friends to protect me…"They didn't look convinced. He explained that he needed to go visit them one last time, but they weren't convinced and insisted that they could go with him. Pedro agreed after convincing himself he didn't need backup.He rode on top of the horse with his two friends, and they quickly reached the farm Pedro's family owned. His brothers were all there waiting for them, except his mother, who wasn't feeling well."Is everything alright, brother? Did something happen between us and you? You aren't going alone now, right?" The oldest twin, Rodolfo, asked. Pedro shook his head no, "It's nothing like that, don't worry. My mother got really sick yesterday, and I decided I don't want her to travel anymore than necessary. She can stay here, and someone will take care of her. I'm not planning to be gone for very long anyways. Just a couple days."Rodolfo didn't seem happy with this, but he kept his comments to himself until Pedro was safely inside his house. Pedro then started telling them his story. He explained how he had become friends with Rodolfo and how he met his friend Josefina, a maid in the family. Josefina loved working with the family's horses and was always willing to help.She was also a mage, and as a mage, she could see magic in the sky above whenever there was rain. It was clear she was destined to marry Pedro's father. They became engaged, but Pedro had to leave immediately because of his father. The twins offered to give Pedro a safe way to travel between planets. Once he reached another planet where his family lived, they promised to meet him at their new location after Pedro had finished settling into his new life.When Pedro woke up in a bed that was too big for him, the first thing he thought of was how nice it was not to wake up alone anymore. As he looked out the window, he noticed a woman sitting outside in the courtyard. She seemed to be in her mid-30s and was beautiful, even with messy hair and dirty clothes. Pedro wondered why a lady would be out in the middle of nowhere, and then decided not to question it. When he asked the servant to bring him something to eat, he was greeted with a strange question."Who is she?"Pedro asked, not expecting her to say anything. But the servant answered honestly."Our mistress, your Highness," the servant replied respectfully. She bowed and walked away, leaving Pedro with more questions than answers."Your Highness?! What am I doing calling this guy by his title?! How long have I been unconscious!?"He stood up and brushed off some dirt from his clothes. As he put on his shirt, a young woman appeared behind him. He turned around slowly and saw a woman of similar age to the servant standing there with tears flowing down her face.Her eyes were puffy and red, like she had cried much harder than Pedro did."You've only been sleeping for ten minutes, Sir. Are you hungry? If you want, I can prepare some food for you." Her voice was so soft, Pedro almost wasn't able to hear her. He nodded, and waited as she led him towards a nearby table. While she was preparing his meal, Pedro studied her features. She looked like a human, yet there were many differences among her. There were freckles across her nose, and dark, almost black hair framing her face. When she sat the plate in front of him, he realized he was staring. "Would you like me to wait outside while you eat?" Her question caught him off guard. "Um, no it's alright. I can finish it. Thank you.""My name is Elena. What's yours?""Uh, my name is Pedro." The two ate together quietly as Pedro watched her closely. He found that she was incredibly pretty. When he asked her what happened to her face, her cheeks flushed red."Oh! That happened when I was a kid. I accidentally fell onto a rock that landed on my eye. No one knows about it because I don't let anyone see."She seemed ashamed, almost regretting saying those words. When they finally parted ways, Pedro found himself walking in the same direction. When he approached the house where the master bedroom was supposed to be, he saw Elena standing next to the door, talking to someone he assumed to be his father."Your Highness?" He called out, startling the two of them."Hello, Pedro. Have you come to collect your belongings from your room?" Pedro nodded, and she smiled at him. "Then I will accompany you to it. Please follow me."Pedro followed Elena to the second floor of the manor. In his room, he saw the things his father left in there. The sword was there, along with his clothes and other items from home. On the dresser, he saw a small box wrapped neatly. When Elena knocked on the doorframe, he looked up. "Do you need any assistance unpacking?" "Nope, thanks Elena." She nodded and walked out of the room. Pedro placed his things in his chest of drawers and laid on the bed. When Elena opened the door again, she held a tray with a glass of water, three pillows, and a blanket in her arms. She smiled softly and set the tray aside before placing the blanket next to him. Then, she sat on the edge of the bed with his pillow and cup of water. "Would you like to talk?" Pedro was quiet for a while, thinking about whether he should tell her who he was. "No.""Okay. Do you mind me asking why you chose to go through this path?"Pedro paused once more before answering. "My family was murdered last year and I don't know where my sister went. If I don't find her soon, I won't be able to forgive myself. And if I fail...it won't be the death penalty that will send me off to an early grave. It will be my own hand." Pedro knew he probably wasn't being completely honest. He knew he had to give up part of his truth at least somewhat, since he couldn't reveal the true reason why he was heading to Jupiter in the first place.But he didn't want her to think that he was weak and useless, which was true of him anyway.So, when she asked where he had gotten a weapon, he simply responded that he'd acquired it from an adventurer he had run into.He also mentioned that he was planning to steal something from the local merchant when they arrived. He also said that he might be able to use the swords to fight his way out.That was the truth as much as his intentions were to escape the village. He figured that, with a sword in his hands, he wouldn't have to worry about being found out.After Elena left, he took a quick shower and changed back into his traveling clothes.The journey from the village was relatively easy to complete. It was about forty five minutes away from the village.He spent most of that time thinking about the past. His thoughts drifted to a girl named Feliciana. Even though he had never seen her face or heard her name, her presence made him feel a sense of familiarity. He had never felt this way towards anyone before.

He continued riding for quite a bit after that. He tried his best to avoid towns. He avoided the villages entirely, choosing instead to travel the road alone, occasionally stopping at places like Lecce or Marjilis to buy food.Pedro had lost count of the days he had traveled. He didn't even want to start counting because he knew that he would never stop. He just wanted to get to where he wanted to be as soon as possible, which usually involved a lot of walking.And of course, running away from pursuers.A few days passed, and Pedro was still following the road. He wasn't sure exactly where he was going. It felt like it was a lot closer now, but he had no idea how far he actually had left to go.He stopped briefly when he heard a loud scream coming from the distance. He quickly dismounted, trying to decide what direction it came from."This is bad" He said to himself. "If I don't figure out where I am in the near future, I'll have to turn back."Pedro was about to continue to walk forward when he felt like something was watching him.He quickly pulled his knife out of its holster and looked around, waiting for something to jump out at him."There's no one there, Pedro."He told himself, calming down slightly. "I guess that whoever yelled out is gone now."