"Where's my son? Why isn't he back yet?"

The clothes Iuliān brought from a store he forced open, fell gently to the grass.

"Phraselm you senseless sard! Where is Lady Geiyra?" He exclaimed to the passed-out lord.

He pressed the temple of his head, closed his eyes, and with a closed fist, he tried to calm down.

As a matter of fact, he just couldn't calm down. He is trembling and furious at the sight that only Phraselm is here and not with Lady Geiyra.

He tried to contain his emotion so he went around in circles in front of Phraselm mumbling about and throwing punches in the air.

"How could she leave you?"

It's not like he so badly wants to punch Lady Geiyra — heavens no, but he's just annoyed as it is that she's gone.

"Why!"

"She could've left for a moment right?... Right! I'll just wait." He said and sat beside Lord Phraselm.

"Right, she'll be back," he murmured convincing himself she'll come back. "Surely."

Clouds have passed, the sun continues to move, the people in the town got busier and busier, and Lady Geiyra is still not back.

The sun's scorching heat gets unbearable as the shadow of the tree they are in couldn't shade them any longer.

He looked at Lord Phraselm sweating in his unconscious body, and in his fading hope, he said, "Are you dying?" almost nonchalantly.

In an ever so deep sigh, a reliance he never thought he'd have from Lord Phraselm when he's usually the one that relies on him, he could wait no longer for Lady Geiyra.

Iulian cannot lose both.

So he stood and his deteriorating strength still allowed him to lift his body up to his back.

With hopes that somehow a farmer riding a farm horse with a wagon will pass by and help him carry Lord Phraselm to the temple, Iulian gets out of the forest and walked to the town a few hundred more steps ahead.

"I mean, I already carried you to the end of the forest, how hard can this be?" he said comforting himself not really considering he already lost some strength and the sun is going to take more of it from him.

This time, he didn't want to sneak his way in but went for the main entry to Dolor Town. But he's not near the entrance just yet. Both their sweat drips on his body. His legs never stopped trembling and his hands never stopped holding Phraselm around the knees.

He didn't want to stop because if he did, he'd never want to get up again and they'd be left alone in this open grassland with no one to ask for help.

It is still unsure how Iulian managed to keep his limbs functioning when clearly his lack of water and sleep would've made him want to go back to the forest to find a better canopy to find shade and just lay rest. It is rather too late for him to go back.

"Wake up cousin," he softly said in between his heavy and controlled breathing. He would count how many inhales and exhales he does just to keep his mind busy for god knows how many times he already thought of putting this man down to the ground.

"'coz I don't think I can stay awake myself," he continued.

Quite honestly, Iulian had options for what to do in the situation. He could go back to the town by himself and ask for help instead of carrying him all this way, or just take a Magistri with him.

All that would mean leaving his cousin alone. That's something he didn't even want to think of.

"Wake up cousin," he whispered once more before he tripped on his own foot.

Like a wobbling stick, he finally fell to the ground. Good thing it was grass he fell into. He closed his eyes feeling every bit of suffocation and physical distress.

He grunted as he felt the weight of Lord Phraselm pinning him helplessly. He's like in a stampede with no way of getting himself out except it's just one person.

He opened his eyes as he starts to panic and wanted to move Phraselm. He could feel his own heart pounding as his chest is pinned against the ground. The weight in his back, the sound of his losing breath, and the beating of his heart happening all at the same time was a fluster turned to a terrible fright.

Then there he saw an old signage still a few meters away that says "Dolor Town"

They were already so close. If only somebody could see them.

That signage gave him a bit of hope. So he collected himself once more and used his arms to lift his left shoulder to tilt his body. He had no luck the first time he did it.

As he counted one for inhale and two for exhale, he successfully moved his own body from face down to face up moving his cousin out of his back.

He closed his eyes as the rays of the sun struck directly at him. It's blinding and comforting at the same time.

He glanced at Lord Phraselm and said, "Damn you" and hit his chest.

"Where's my son? Why isn't he back yet?" Sir Herelph Nemago blurted after finding out he's not been home for a day now.

"Why are you asking me? That's your son," Serliu answered as he flipped a page on the book he is pretending to read.

"You must have forgotten he is with your son,... brother," he said unamusingly to the person who is sitting at his very own desk, "Get out of there," he added.

"My son follows your son and not the other way around,... brother," he replied with an obvious mock in his tone, "And yes, I will get out of your desk, milord."

"Shut it." Sir Herelph said as he ends their bickering.

This is no time for bickering, Sir Herelph thought to himself. His son has not been home for a day and that would mean he is still in Kilruin. He's not so happy with that.

He sighed and looked over to his window to check who was riding the horse that just got inside their manor gate. It wasn't Lord Phraselm

"He shouldn't be seen in Kilruin Town today, or maybe even yesterday." he sighed not sure what to make up with this matter.

"Well, you're the one who sent the letter. That'll be on you whatever happens to them now," His brother Serliu presumed, knowing the letter he sent never really had good connotations to some except their small town, "by the way brother, I am not here to answer your question about your precious heir. I am here because I have something that might interest you," Serliu opened his hands and showed him what seemed to be an old and carved metallic relic.

"Where did you find that?" the sir asked.

"It's not a matter of where, brother. It's a matter of what..." he paused as he tried to induce curiosity in his brother. He's trying to sell a good prospect after all, "... this is what they call the Great Heart of Queen Vanameryth, the first and last Queen of Acaire. The most valuable item my broker has at the moment." he added with such confidence.

But Serliu must have forgotten what kind of person his brother is. His righteousness as a knight continued as he became Lord of Little West.

"Serliu, it's a stolen relic. It may be of great value but you cannot sell it in the market,"

"That's why my broker and I like to call ourselves, the black market... Listen to me, our town will become a hot place if we sell valuable items to them. Just give us a place in the market you will build if you ever get approved for border extension from the King, and we will be as discreet as we can be."

"This is not the time for pitching Serliu, I have yet to find my son."

Meanwhile, Lady Geiyra is walking barefoot in the same forest they wanted out of before with Lord Phraselm and Iulian. The sole of the boots she was wearing was nowhere to be found so she decided to remove both her boots and just walk on her delicate feet that's never been on the naked ground until now.

A foolish thing to do but to her, staying away from them is the best decision she could think of. That at least for herself. Selfish act for a selfish lady.

The moment she remembered her town had a fishing sanctuary for the people of Kilruin. Her vision for an escape, not as a burden for others but a burden she'll carry herself, sparked clearly.

She's determined to flee Takeif by sailing wherever the current leads her to be.

It's a long walk and probably a long sail. Don't know for sure that she'll survive empty-handed but it's now or never, she thought to herself.