The Night Of The Feast

 They all sat in a circle around the wooden table. 

Lady Pamela's chamber was brightly lit with golden lamps and was spacious enough to accommodate more than a dozen people. The walls had several paintings of a little boy and a tall buff man, which could've most probably been Lady Pamela's own family. There were two female maids who served the food and beverages. Five plates for the five of them each contained a piece of smoked chicken sausage, two bowls of pig stew, and lemonade to wash it all down. Just the sight of the feast killed the hunger of the soldiers—except for Yin, who hadn't felt hungry or thirsty since rebirth. However, he didn't want to make a scene, so he feasted along with the rest of his squad. 

Neil lifted his chicken sausage and eyed to his right, and Vegas was sitting next to him. Before she picked it up, Neil swooped in and grabbed her sausage, and he devoured it with both his hands like a grizzly bear. 

"Spicy revenge, V!" He mocked Vegas. 

However, because of the chicken bun incident, she could not argue with him. 

"Eeh!" She bottled up her rage and reacted like an irritated cat. 

Out of nowhere, a new sausage appeared on her plate. She slightly tilted her head to the right. It was Yin, and his plate was empty. 

Vegas was delighted, and so she forced a smile out of her system, and it looked eerie. 

"Just eat." Yin said, and Vegas burned her fake smile and continued to feast. 

Colt had already finished his food and was sipping the sweet lemonade. He wasn't able to stop for even a second. His tongue licked the escaped droplets from his lips. 

Lars sat close to Colt and ate slowly as he glanced around the place. 

For some reason, there were two pigeons just flapping around the place, and they had two cages for them in the corner near the window. There was one big room next to the kitchen, and it belonged to Lady Pamela. 

Neil was done with the sausages and picked up the bowl of pig stew; it was visibly hot. But he didn't care; he lifted it up above his open mouth and flushed it down his throat. He perfectly caught most of the stream, but some fell on his shirt and ruined it. 

"Mmmh!" The rich flavor made him moan. 

Lars was disgusted at his clumsiness. 

As everyone was about to finish the feast, Lady Pamela walked out of her room and politely greeted everyone. 

"How was the food?" She asked with a contagious smile. 

"Never had anything like this before." Neil informed first. 

"I'd die for food like this every night." Vegas confessed with an embarrassed look on her face. 

"It's great, my lady," Said Colt. 

"Delightful." Yin concluded the review. 

"And you, little one, Are you liking the food?" She aimed at Lars. 

He was still eating, his messy blond hair brushing the stew every time he bowed down to slurp it. 

"Amazing!" He remarked, his golden eyes sparkling. 

"Very well then." 

After everyone got done eating, they sought warmth, and luckily Lady Pamela's chamber had everything they needed, so they circled themselves near the fireplace, where the logs were freshly put, and the heat that it was emitting relaxed their bodies and minds. 

Yin walked over to Lady Pamela. 

"How has Rovestone treated you all so far?" She asked first. 

"So far, so good." He replied. 

"Not really!" Vegas yelled from the back. 

"The gate guards shot a bow at him." She revealed. 

"Oh, dear god." She whispered in disbelief. 

"I don't blame them. Our appearance would've made any guard attack." Yin calmed the situation before it could escalate. 

"Are you not hur…" Lady Pamela stopped before she could finish her sentence, as she recalled a fact. 

"Wait a minute. I almost forgot. You're Yin Kang. The God-man." 

"So you know?" Yin asked. 

"My dear, Do you remember the day when a kid jumped at you from the crowd to kill you? It was my word. I told one of my soldiers to have you executed because I thought you were a clown. But you actually didn't die, nor were you a clown. Instead, you levitated." She revealed it casually and chuckled at the irony of the outcome. 

Everyone looked at each other in utter disbelief. 

"What the fuck?" Vegas exhaled softly. 

But Yin nodded in approval of her blatant honesty. That explained why she was the leader of Rovestone. 

"I adore your fierce nature, my lady." 

"So do I, King." She admitted.

… 

The night was cold and silent; everyone was settling down. Yin and Lady Pamela were still standing by the fireplace, gazing at the burning logs.

"Lady Pamela, I'm sure you're aware that I named this Realm." 

"Yes indeed. Meilands. The name of your lover from your Realm. How sweet is that?" 

"I want to unite everyone." He stated it passionately. 

"I'm sure they will be ready to listen to the true God." She said it firmly. 

"There is a great war coming up. And I can't win it on my own. Every little step is still a step, Lady Pamela. Tonight, I plan to begin from here. Will you lend me your army?" He requested it without hesitation. 

"But who will protect me and my town if I give you my men?" She raised a fair point. 

"This war. It is not for the Realm. It's mine. They're coming for me, not for the Realm." 

"Who are they?" 

"For all I know, they are not mortals." 

Lady Pamela took a deep breath as her heart rate heightened. 

"I may not be able to give you my army, but I will give you my strongest fighters. They will be of great assistance." She promised. 

Yin clutched her soft hand and kissed it once again. 

"I thank you deeply. I will never forget this." He swore as his eyes teared a little from her incredible kindness. 

"And I apologize for trying to kill you." 

"Trust me, I tried to do that too back in my Realm. It's alright." "

Hah!" She giggled and continued. 

"Now go get some sleep; even gods need rest, Yin." 

Her voice and touch reminded him of his beloved grandma. Nina. 

… 

The two pigeons were finally caged. 

Lady Pamela had the maids put down the soft mattresses for them to lay in the living room before she went to her room. 

"I'll go sleep in the forest on the backside. I saw it on our way." Colt informed. 

"Um… I'll go too then." Neilus volunteered. 

Yin nodded, and the two of them exited the chamber. 

There were five mattresses on the floor, two of which were unoccupied. Lars had already dozed off on one of the mattresses on the far right, near the fireplace, cuddling into himself like a kid. He is. Vegas unlatched her sheath, took off her black scarf, removed her pig-tailed hair, loosened her top's buttons, and laid on the mattress in the middle.

There was an empty mattress in between Lars and her, and Yin laid there. Vegas and Yin both stared at the ceiling. 

"Thank you for always standing up for me. I mean it." Yin said softly. 

"Standin' up for you? I only say what's real." She replied casually. 

And Yin smiled shut his eyes. 

…

The dark hall was back. 

"Yin King. The war is closer than we think it is." It was the glorious voice of Xil. 

"What does that mean?" 

"They are coming. I feel it." 

"What?" 

"I feel it in our blood." 

Yin remained speechless. 

"We must prepare. We must act faster." 

"SLAP!" 

Suddenly, Xil's voice faded, and Yin was brought back to the world by a slap to the face. It was still dead in the night. His face had someone's arm wrapped around it, and there was someone's leg on top of his body. 

He heard an irritating snoring in his ear to his left, but the smell of the skin gave it away. It was Vegas, deep in sleep, with her arm and leg wrapped around him. Yin desperately tried to release himself from the lock, but she was holding on tightly. 

Yin gave up and went back to sleep. 

… 

"It's nice out here, isn't it?" Neilus sat against a huge oak tree with his head resting on it. He was restless. 

"Yea…" Colt replied, half-conscious, like a drunk man. He slept on the damp bed of soil in front of Neil, holding onto his longsword like a kid would hold onto a cuddly toy. 

Even Neilus was tired from the journey, and his eyes were dying to close. 

… 

Out of nowhere, a shadowy figure zoomed past him. 

His eyes blinked a hundred times in fright and confusion. 

Panting, he searched everywhere. 

And as he turned to his right, he saw a hooded figure standing, covering the moonlight. It looked a bit tall and slender, and Neilus was drawn to it. His eyes were locked. He stood up and slowly marched towards it without creating a noise, and each step was being cautiously made. His blood galloped through his system, and his heart pumped faster than ever. His lips were dry, and he began sweating in fear. 

He was two steps away from touching it. 

But the shadowy figure turned before that. 

And it was not a shadowy figure at all. 

It was a girl. 

A girl with green hair and green eyes. 

Neil drowned himself in those eyes, crying at the beauty of them. 

It was the same girl he had seen in the market earlier that afternoon. 

"Colt! Look! Look!" He spun around to inform him, but when he was turned back again, 

She was gone again.