To Aclaria

Rose-colored liquid pooled below a young man who was filled with scars. He held a sword almost his size, as he stood in front of a tower of corpses.

A small stuffed toy in the shape of a bear fell in front of him. Slowly it absorbed the blood, until half of it was tinged red.

The young man—too young to look like an adult, but too filled with battle scars to be considered a child—looked upwards as the grey sky began to pour, diluting the pool of blood that was below him.

Slowly he backed away, only to be met with another tower of carcasses.

"Your job is not yet done." Said a voice that resonated in his mind. "Kill, Siegren."

---

Siegren sat down, waking up from yet another dream. He spared a glance to the girl; she was still sleeping soundly, cooped to his cloak.

Siegren tightened his armor around his body and picked up his greatsword. As he gave one last look to Lumi, he sauntered his way out of the woods.

On the horizon, the dawn slowly rose to welcome the day ahead. Siegren's grey eyes stared at the distance, pinkish and red hues in the distant sky reminiscent of the diluted blood from his dream.

"It looks like we're here."

Siegren turned to his side, realizing Lumi has followed him.

Lumi walked towards the edge of the cliff as she watched the sunrise unfold. She had woken up the moment Siegren picked his sword, where she followed him a distance away, leading her to the edge of the cliff with him.

"The border."

**

Guards that oversaw the border that separated the Estelan and Aclarian territory gathered as they heard the orders.

"Do you really think it's an abduction?" Said the younger guard newly instilled on the post as he drank from his water canteen.

"What? You mean the terrorist abducting a priestess?" Answered the older guard.

"Yes, Sir." The younger guard answered. "It's weird. Why would a terrorist abduct a priestess?"

"That terrorist also killed many clerics, you know. Temple got destroyed." One of the guards said. "You don't know this since you're still young, tsk."

"Well, they don't pay us to think." The old guard answered in the defense of the young guard who asked a question. "You must be new to this post, huh?"

"Yes, Sir." The young guard answered.

The old guard then stared at the border that separated the two territories.

"Well, you have to get used to getting orders that are equally understandable and unreasonable. Our job is to comply, and their job is to enforce, young lad. Not our concern to question the people above us."

"Now, get back to your posts!"

The younger guard then nodded and reluctantly returned to his station.

Knights of the kingdom along with templars are also in here to capture the terrorist and rescue the priestess. Words were heard about the clerics dying from a terror attack—but it didn't make sense.

Why would a terrorist target a temple, and not the castle?

Is there anything to gain from it?

Before the young guard could even think further, two cloaked individuals ambled their way into the open which all of them took notice of. The guards grew vigilant, remembering the descriptions they were given.

'A man with black hair and a blond priestess'

"Halt!"

The knights nodded to each other as they approached the two.

"Pull your hood down."

The knight frowned. "I said, pull your hood down."

The young guard looked around him. The guards began to unsheathe their swords. He copied them and unsheathed his own sword.

He remembered the training he was given.

But a young guard has only seen so much.

As the man pulled his hood down, his broadsword slashed the two knights who were just asking him a question.

--

The guards attacked Siegren in hoards. The guards were less skilled, but the knights were more proficient.

Siegren evaded the attacks as he slashed them one by one.

A knight then charged from behind, prompting Lumi to use her divine power. The knight then fell down and convulsed, head going blank.

Lumi's hood was still pulled down, her face unknown to those who were hunting her down.

It did not take a while before the guards and the knights were wiped out.

Lumi and Siegren walked out of the border that afternoon.

The priestess' blue eyes darted to a young guard who had a bloodied stomach.

"Priestess…" He murmured before he closed his eyes.

Lumi stared at the young guard one last time, before choosing to follow Siegren, whose frame had blocked the sun from her sight.

--

It was easy to reach Aclarian territory. Unlike Estela, Aclaria is a country that has laxer security; it was also much smaller as compared to Estela. The destination was short because they traveled by carriage.

After Siegren pillaged the corpses for scraps, they rode one of the merchant carriages that took them back to the main road. Along the ride, Lumi didn't dare to look at Siegren—her eyes were fixated on the place that she was leaving behind.

Like Estela, the kingdom of Aclaria is enclosed in a circular fortress, wherein towns lied at the base, the middlemost part where the capital rests, and the highest peak was the castle itself.

Siegren and Lumi arrived at the outskirts of Aclaria that late afternoon. The markets were thriving with people and creatures that Lumi have never seen before. Wares, fresh fruit, magical items—all were being brandished in the carts and stalls that were being bargained by people of all walks of life.

The majority of those who thrived in the market were adventurers wearing cheap armor, lizard-like creatures, and men and women with animal ears and tails. There were also human and demihuman children running around and going to food stalls selling kebabs.

Since they were still on the outskirts, it was filled with entities of several kinds: from Aclarian citizens to travelers, adventurers, and equally suspicious people with their own clandestine businesses.

Lumi has never been to Aclaria before, nor to any town other than Estela and her home country, Hescurg. She lifted her gaze to Siegren who went to the side of the aisle near the alleys that lead to the slums. She followed him, and as she reached his side, Siegren parted his lips to speak.

"They're going to reach this place soon," he said. "Lead me to the numen at dawn."