CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"Did you have to stare at her like that"

Kharis heard a familiar voice echo in her mind.

"Who?"

She questioned the voice.

"That knight"

"Oh that"

Kharis let her thoughts wander back to the knight sent by Grisha.

"It's a habit I picked up during the war"

"It still comes in handy sometimes"

Kharis was too occupied with using her eyes to trace invisible lines on her palm to completely focus on the conversation.

"You probably scarred the poor thing with your death glare"

"Don't be so dramatic"

She rolled her eyes.

"Isn't supposed to be a knight, she will be just fine"

Kharis shifted her eyes from her palm and looked up at the sky. The clouds were a beautiful sight to behold especially when she had the chance to see them up close. She reached out her hand and imagined how touching them would feel.

It had been a very long time since she allowed herself to be so carefree. When Zarel suggested flying instead of just teleporting, she was a bit sceptical but she was glad she accepted his offer anyway. She would have missed a very unique feeling if she had refused, the feeling of being unbound by anything and just flying freely among the clouds.

"I'm jealous that you can do this any time you want"

"Do what?"

The voice echoed in her mind again.

"Fly"

Her answer was simple, however, it described everything she felt.

"It's nothing really special though"

"Easy for you to say"

Kharis rolled her eyes for the second time since their conversation began.

"May be I should have been born as a dragon instead"

"Dragons have their own problems too"

"Like what?"

She didn't even wait for a reply before speaking.

"All the basic problems of being mortal are lessened by a huge amount, you guys are literally born with a massive head start on everything, from long lifespans to freakishly strong bodies and natural talents in magic"

"Dragons don't even need food for sustenance since that purpose is easily achieved using natural energy"

"The world gave them so many advantages, to the point that it isn't really fair to the other races"

Kharis elaborated her claim, adding other facts that she knew to prove that she was indeed right.

"Alright, I get your point"

The voice stopped her before she could elaborate further.

"See, it's obvious that I'm right"

"There are other blessed races beyond this continent, like elves for example are blessed with both beauty and talents in magic, not to mention that they also have long lifespans"

"Not as long as dragons"

"True"

The voice had no choice but to agree since it was the truth.

"Dragons also have perfect human forms that could rival the beauty of elves"

"Also true"

The voice helplessly agreed again.

"From the stories you have told me about the other continents, dragons still seem to possess the most advantages"

Kharis refused to give up her claim and she honestly found engaging in such an easygoing conversation to be quite relaxing.

"I'm happy to see you so high spirited, I guess it was a good idea to suggest flying"

"I agree"

Kharis felt the cool scales against her back, the wind caressed her skin and brushed past her ear, creating a rather unique sound. She saw the strands of her hair floating in the air as they moved along with the wind.

"But is it really okay for you to be flying around like this"

Kharis was currently lying down on the back of a huge winged beast with black scales covering its body. This particular beast could never be considered ordinary by any means as it was a member of one of the most powerful races in existence, it was a dragon or to be more specific, the beast was Zarel in his dragon form.

"I have a spell or two that prevents any form of detection"

The source of the voice that invaded her mind was actually the massive dragon whose back she was on. Kharis had seen Zarel's dragon form many times before but never experienced flight in such a manner. There were a few spells that existed to stimulate something similar, however, it was more akin to levitation rather than flight, what they could create was nothing compared to what she was experiencing. Magic spells could never bring her so close to the skies or make her feel a sense of freedom.

"We should do this more often"

"We can, if that is what you want"

Kharis closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the wind. Even if it wouldn't last long, her mind was finally at peace.

"Do you think she would have seen it yet?"

Her eyes remained closed but her thoughts reminded her of her guardian knight.

"She should have since it has been quite a while already"

Zarel replied her almost immediately, perfectly dividing his attention between their conversation and maintaining his current speed.

"She may have found the amulet but she probably hasn't listened to the message I left behind"

Zarel had helped her imprint a message on the amulet so she could say her goodbyes and also explain what its uses were.

"I can't help but worry about her a little"

"She should be fine, the barrier in the amulet is set to automatically activate if her life is ever in danger"

Kharis was quick to pick up on the hint of pride in his voice.

"You seem very proud of the amulet"

"Of course, it's one of my sacred treasures after all so it's at least several grades higher than a normal magic item"

Zarel didn't even attempt to hide the pride laced in his words and she chose not to comment on it because she knew that his pride was well placed, the amulet was truly an incredible item.

"She may not have use for the amulet as of right now but the future is very uncertain at this point"

"I understand what you mean, the amount of dark magic present within the Empire will only lead to disaster"

Zarel stated his own opinion, he didn't care much about the people of the Empire but he worried about how it would affect Kharis. He didn't want her to needless blame herself for something she couldn't have prevented, she didn't need to feel any guilt over the actions of another.

"Dark magic always requires payment of some kind"

Kharis opened her eyes and stared at the sea of clouds around her.

"The fact that he is able to use dark magic to the point of enhancing the power of his knights without paying an equivalent price is enough cause for concern"

"I just hope that the scale of the disaster isn't too great"

The sorceress clearly had a hidden agenda behind her willingness to help Grisha and whatever it was, Kharis had no doubt in her mind that it was nothing good. She only hoped she could recover enough power to prevent innocents from falling prey to a disaster caused by the greed of their ruler.

"Aria should be safe with the amulet with her"

Kharis closed her eyes again.

"I'm a little tired so I'm going to close my eyes for a bit"

"Tell me when we arrive at black forest"

"I will"

Silence reigned between them for the rest of the journey.

...

"We're here"

Kharis slowly opened her eyes after hearing Zarel's voice resound in her mind.

She stood up and walked towards a point where she could see the sea of trees below. The trees were unlike any that existed on other parts of Demidera, they were one of the many things that made the black forest unique.

"It has been a while but the forest is still exactly the same"

Kharis mumbled to herself before stepping away and returning to her original spot.

The black forest was generally recognized as one of the most ancient places on Demidera. There were recounts of it in old poems and stories dating back at least a few thousand years and even then it was described as if it had always been present.

The massive forest covered around a quarter of the continent's total landmass and was a home to many unique creatures commonly known as magical beasts by natives of Demidera. Some of the beasts living within the forest were weak and docile while others were extremely aggressive not to mention their strength.

It was the presence of these beasts that caused the black forest to be marked as a danger zone. Presently, no sane person travelled beyond a certain point in the black forest regardless of how powerful or adventurous they were unless they were willing to give up their lives for the sake of venturing into the unknown. Things may have been different a very long time ago, when true powerhouses still existed on the continent but those times were long gone, Demidera was a lot weaker that it used to be.

The black forest was a very mysterious place, from its many mountain ranges to the odd trees and strange beasts, its existence was simply an enigma.

No one could really estimate how long it had existed or how it still remained standing even now.

Kharis and Zarel had already passed the point that marked the beginning of the danger zone. She had spent many months in this place and it was also where Zarel's dragon nest was located. She once braved the danger of the forest in order to find a way to remove her curse and that was how she met Zarel, those days seemed like yesterday in her eyes but it had already been nine years since the last time she saw the forest.

"Are we heading to the nest first?"

Kharis asked.

"I think that would be best"

Zarel spoke after a moment of thought.

"It has really been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Yes, it has"