Maya lurched forward, past Joshua, to overlook Mikhael. She placed both hands on his arm as he fell back into the softness of the bed, locking eyes with the boy as she tried to hide a subtle frown behind a few stray strands of her golden hair. "You are far from pathetic, Mikhael. If anything, today has shown us that you carry potential far outweighing your peers. You are immune to demonization, I'm sure of it. You are just as I am. A void creation," Maya explained, clasping Mikhael's arm tightly. "You must care for yourself though, or this gift you've been given will consume you. It will become demonization, and your soul will become void. As you are now.." Maya paused and looked towards Ezekial, worry ever present in her composure. "As you are now, you may lose the only thing that keeps you from losing your humanity. You may lose you emotions. You need to keep who you are, lest you lose the very motivation that keeps you alive this very moment."

"What is this nonsense of void creations lady Maya??" Joshua blurted out, placing one hand on her shoulder, "How can you know so much? Did the.. Tear creature relay such information to you, only to send his dog for your head??" Maya turned to Joshua for a moment, but fell silent, lost for an answer. "Explain!" Maya stood up and spun to face Joshua, looking down on him from her slight height advantage.

"It is-" Maya caught herself, stopping mid-sentence. "It is.."

"Maya, you do not have to speak of such manners," Ezekial said softly, working his way around the bed frame to her side.

Mikhael closed his eyes, chuckling suddenly, "So you say I'm not even human? I figured I was always a little soulless, but to have it be actually true... what a cruel joke. I wonder if that means my own past is a lie..."

Despite having said that, he didn't truly worry about it. He always lived on thinking his parents abandoned him, and even now, that fact would still remain true, human or not.

Although Maya said so like it was a simple task, he had no idea of what it meant to retain 'himself', to prevent being consumed by this Voided soul. He didn't know who or what he was as a personality, those questions feeling like distant starts to him, concepts only seen and admired but not truly understood. He had always thought such existential thing were irrelevant as long as he can serve his Queen and the people of Kale, but it appears there is a different purpose for him now.

That single-minded goal drove him thus far. Mikhael assumed his life would end like any other, to be lost and forgotten like snowflakes in the wind. Perhaps his strong ambition would lead him to be graced with a moment of heroism? He would rise through the ranks and attain a high ranking position in the order, recognized for his vigilance and skill. Occasionally the twisted arcana outside the borders would swell and bloom, producing a creature of pure darkness, as though to remind the last inhabitants of this cold world that they are never truly safe. When Kale would be plagued by this monster -- this Daemon, he would not hesitate to volunteer to face it. Like countless other similarly entrusted knights before him, he would not return from his journey, succumbing to the wounds aftermath the battle. He would be alone and clinging onto bygone ideals until his very last breath, a quick death and the mere chance his people can survive another day the only reward for his victory. A bittersweet ending for a grim man. Not many could say with honesty that happy endings existed in this world anymore, but he figured that was as close to one as anyone could ever get. To even imagine a fate beyond felt almost unreal.

Growling at the outburst from Joshua, Mikhael frowned in annoyance, "Where has all your discipline and manners gone, Joshua? Even a mere peasant knows not to speak like that to a lady, our Queen nonetheless, let alone a trained knight. Didn't she say she was one of these... 'void creations'? Then of course she would know about such a topic." still unsure how he felt about also not being entirely human, "There is something more here that she may not be telling us, perhaps, but if what she says is true so far, I think we have more pressing issues at hand than a few minor details. Whatever created the Tear in the Sky and our Queen are not allies, as evident by the attack today." cold eyes pointing at Joshua, "So we should worry about that, instead of turning upon each other."

The young man sighed, taking a breath to settle himself.
Mikhael looked to Maya, "Enough of the past. What is it you plan to do now, dear Queen?"

...

Maya nodded and slapped Joshua's hand off of her shoulder. The knight scowled at his fellow knights and crossed his arms, distancing himself from the conversation entirely. Answers he was promised turned out to be yet another deception. 'answers my ass' Joshua thought.

"As mentioned, I've spoken with several knights, Ezekial and Joshua included. They will be escorting you across the continent, while I stay here and maintain Kale in all of its glory," Maya explained curtly, "You will be searching for an answer that I simply do not have right now, Mikhael." Joshua shifted uncomfortably and huffed at Maya's words. He'd known about this plan for a while now, but he wasn't happy with it. "The most important thing, is that you are not in Kale when Rajaka returns. There is nothing I can do for you here, and allowing you as much time as possible to grow-"

"You need not explain yourself further, m'lady," Ezekial cut in, looking to Mikhael with a faint smile beneath his metal mask. The fully armored vanguard nodded and placed a hand on Maya's shoulder. "Maya has entrusted your safety to us, and we know where we must take you. I urge you to trust her decision, as I have done so myself so many times in the past."

Mikhael frowned in confusion at the command, "Not being in Kale when he returns...? But didn't Rajaka say he was going to come back to finish what he started? You'll be here like a bunch of sitting geese." looking at Maya incredulously, as though he was working out something in his mind about the situation, "I can't just abandon you all to such a fate, not when I have the only power to stop him." eyes pointing down, remembering their helpless defense prior, "I apologize, but I cannot follow such a plan. I will make way back to Kale by the eve of the year, learning all I possibly can in that time. If I have failed in become strong enough, I will die fighting alongside all of my people. I will have it no other way."

Mikhael didn't wait for a response to his defiance, having set his mind already. He glanced to Joshua and Ezekiel as he leaned on the bed, scooping his legs from underneath the covers.

"That would mean we have no time to waste, brothers. We have a lot of--" wobbling slightly, catching himself on the from of the wooden bed-frame, "Work to do." he sighed embarrassed, but continued regardless, nodding his head to the door, "Sitting here in this room all day won't do anything. Inform me the rest of the details of this journey as we walk."

...

Maya Bit her lip and stepped back from Mikhael as he pushed himself out of bed, mulling over his dedication to return. Would a year really be enough time for him to learn more about his unique traits? Or would his body fall prey to the already ever-present darkness within? Ezekial nodded and moved to Mikhael's side to help him off the bed. Joshua did the same, with far less enthusiasm. Maya nodded a little later, and headed for the door. But as the Queen was about to reach for the handle, a series of knocks sounded from the other side. She paused, and opened the door to reveal Lillian standing before her, with Lucas and Henry waiting at the foot of the porch's stairs several steps behind her.

"Maya, the Caravan is prepped as you've ordered," Lillian barked, clearly just as unhappy with the outcome as Joshua. She, however, was not above making her angst painfully obvious. "Is the brat ready?" Maya narrowed her eyes and turned to Mikhael with a coaxing smile.

"Ah, perhaps there won't be as much of a wait as I thought.." She mumbled shyly.

Maya explained the details to Mikhael as the group had made their way across Kale in record time, stomping past the curious citizens as a single unit, with Ezekial at Mikhaels side to keep him length-wise. He couldn't let the young man fall after all. Lillian led Henry, Lucas, Joshua, Ezekial, Maya and Mikhael to a large wooden cart, covered with a hay-strewn roof, and pulled by a pair of horses, free of the dastardly corruption that turned so many of their kind into dread steeds. Kale had very few horses to spare, as breeding had become an unpredictable gauntlet. Babies would fall prey to corruption faster than fully grown horses, and those that survived their infancy would struggle to maintain purity. The two horses drawing the Caravan however, were the strongest that Kale's stables had to offer, named Killion and Raltz by the Queen herself. Nobody questioned the two peculiar names, but they made the Queen very happy. It didn't matter, they were just names after all.

"We're prepped for three weeks of travel, the supplies will only keep us fed for that long. Bread, Water, and non-perishables. We can set out whenever you're ready," Lillian announced, hopping aboard the opened back-side of the caravan. The cart itself was almost as large as a small house, leaving room for the six soldiers to sleep peacefully on the open road. The four massive wooden tires were built to withstand quite a bit of punishment, but there was no telling how well it would do out on the open road. They were destined to enter no-mans-land. Hell on earth. "There's no rush, of course!" Lillian howled from inside, sounding just as annoyed with the entire ordeal as before.

"Right," Ezekial mocked under his breath, patting Mikhael's shoulder gently. The six knights had quite a journey ahead of them, but no destination in sight. Maya looked onto the Caravan as the soldiers stepped into its back entrance one by one, leaving her, Mikhael, and Ezekial behind.

"Alas, it is much heavier when the reality lays before us, is it not?" Maya whispered, holding back a whimper.

The young knight tried to hold back a wry smile upon seeing the familiar faces. Never has he been so grateful to hear Lilith's grating tone, or the stony look from Lucas and the lanky and unreliable stature of Henry. He felt a calmness sink in at the sight. His steps then quickened down the stairs, but he quickly regretted this when Ezekiel held him to prevent him from falling, his ankle suddenly giving out with a lax in strength.

He sighed. Truly pathetic. He had taken quite the blow to his pride today, having lost so glaring to the yellow giant, but was this bout of arcane fatigue really prohibiting him so much? He supposed he didn't possess much of a tolerance since it had been years since he did anything of such nature, but he thought he had more willpower than this. Forcing through sleepless nights was nothing new, right? And didn't he relinquish his arm as fuel for the large torrent of magic. Was that not enough? Answering that question for him, a dark feeling surged from the back of his thoughts. He had paid a much larger price for the small victory. Mikhael tried purging the dark thoughts weighing in his mind, shaking himself, an attempt to strip away the weakness hanging like chains wrapped around his body. He held his head high as they walked across town towards the caravan, a stoic expression moving passed the alleyways. The people of Kale were counting on them, noticing the gaze of a few wide-eyed ragged children out of the corner of his eyes. He could tell an orphan when he saw one. Kale have very few to spare as it was, so he wouldn't dare let them think this expedition was for naught.

I can't fail... not again.

Mikhael looked at the Queen, his hand coming out for a split second, but recoiling upon feeling the public gaze.

He turned to one side, a foot placed upon the steps, trying to hide his missing arm with the silhouette with his body. "Please smile, dearest Queen..." he started, "You are precious and beautiful, so a smile suits you more." he looked directly at her now, cheeks turned a shade red at the embarrassing and trite words, "I have always admired that smile of yours. I will do whatever it takes to protect it..." his brow furrowed as he tried to form one, his cheeks twitching as though having great difficulty at doing the simple gesture, the corners of his lips pushed up to an awkward and seemingly painful expression.

It looked more like he had been punched in the groin more than making a smile.
"See? It doesn't suit me at all..." he chuckled, releasing his face from the vice.

"You have a very special gift. So promise me, no matter what happens. Keep smiling. For everyone... For me."

...

"I've no joy to feign Mikhael," Maya said in a stern tone, straightening her back with a heavy breath. She did smirk for the briefest of moments at Mikhael's poor attempt at smiling, but shook her head. "But I shall find respite in knowing you are on a road far clearer than mine. I will promise only this... Hope shall not leave us here in Kale, hope that you will return with a gift far beyond the shadow of my own." Maya grabbed Mikhael and pulled him in close. The embrace was short lived, but the Queen had held an honest love for Mikhael. No matter the rhyme or reason, and no matter his success, Mikhael would always be her son, and nothing less.

"Any damn time," Lillian urged from within the cart, peering at the Queen and Mikhael from inside. Maya lowered her arms and glared at Lillian, but lost all contempt for the girl with a calming sigh.

"They will keep you safe, and you shall do the same for them." Maya turned away from Mikhael, but stopped and faced him for one last moment. She looked at the boy's face, and glanced at his missing arm. "We are the same, Mikhael. But please... Change. Purge the darkness, or you may end up just as that golden giant. Power is not worth what those men and woman surrender."

Mikhael went silent when Maya suddenly embraced him. It was a bittersweet feeling. He felt a happiness at her soft touch, but something inside him stung upon realizing that he would not be seeing her smile for a long time. In the end, he remained completely still in her arms, eyes closing shut as though he was honing on the sensations. In honesty, he was trying simply hiding his disappointment. Perhaps his ideals did not match with reality? He had always been like this, to raise expectations too high that he can only ever be underwhelmed by actuality. Maybe the Queen was not truly what he was trying to protect. Then what? Or was it because he was disappointed at the truth. That's right. He knew deep inside he was incapable of making those he cared about smile. This only proved him right. Even the problems happening now, he felt were partly his own fault. Whatever the case, this bolstered his resolve for the journey. He needed to make up for his mistakes. He wanted to see her sweet smile again, the faint image of their first encounter lying within his distant memory. So he needed to become stronger, to battle against the danger looming over the town. For even if all of this had been a lie, he didn't care at all. Kale will always be his home. A blissful lie is better than the cruel truth, is it not?

He never had anything in life. He cannot lose this too.

Mikhael stepped onto the steps at her last words, eyes pointed to the dark sky, to the tear, "Only time will truly tell..." he muttered, "What I am on the inside, a human or monster."

Glancing back one last time before disappearing into the hay enclosure, "But no matter what. I will win."

...

Mikhael glanced at his companions with a blank stare, quickly moving to the perch where the horses were being led at the front. He sat in the passenger seat, not even looking at who was driving. He leaned back against the wooden frame with a long sigh, eyes pointed to the jagged black horizon. All he said was a short, 'I'll keep watch of our flank', before going silent, scooting himself to edge and hanging his legs off the side. An excuse to not be disturbed would work best if he could be driving the cart, but without a second arm, steering the horses would be nearly impossible. So he settled for the next best thing. He hoped whoever it was beside him would leave him alone. He wanted some time to think.

Maya stared at Mikhael as he wandered into the cart and disappeared from sight. She was unsteady, but not because of his departure, or the dangers that threatened his life on the road ahead. No, there was a twisted possibility that clawed at the back of the Queen's mind, wherein Mikhael might have became that which he sought to destroy. If there were to come to pass, there was no telling where that would put Kale, or humanity itself, for that matter. Maya narrowed her eyes and turned back to the city, heading towards her castle and dismissing every pointless thought that plagued her. She had a duty to uphold, and nothing would stop her from leading her people in the months to come.

Unfortunately for Mikhael, the knight who'd taken helm was none other than Lillian. She paid him a disdainful glare as he sat at her side as he moved as far away from her as he could without falling off of the cart. The woman shook her head and yanked on the tassels that guided Killion and Raltz. In mere moments, the two horses neighed obediently and trotted fourth, pulling the cart at a steady pace. The giant wheels clicked into motion and the hay rustled above the cart's inhabitants, but everything held together fine. Noisy, but without error.

"You don't know where we're actually going yet, do you?" Lillian blurted, not expecting a response from the young knight.

Normally he'd take an offense to her tone and shoot back a snarky retort, but Mikhael barely moved. He only glanced at her after a long delay afterwards, as though it took a moment for her words to reach him, the red eyes clouded in receding thoughts.

"It seems everyone here has an idea except me..." he muttered absently, "What lies at the end of this path..." his sentence more of a metaphorical statement than any sort of reply. He quickly turned his head back at Kale as the familiar outline sank deeper and deeper into the horizon. His mood seemed oddly melancholy at this sight, emotive in a way that no one has ever seen of him prior. An odd vulnerability occupied the young man, his body hunched against the back of the bench as though he had no real strength left. Mikhael remained in this pitiful state until a sudden bump in the road caused the cart to jerk forward, nearly falling off because he was still in the habit of reactively using an arm that didn't exist.

Catching the wooden frame just in time, he pulled himself back onto his seat with a grunt, scowling at himself.

"Jeez. Drive more carefully, would you? What would we do if you drove the cart into a ditch in no-man's land? We'd be a fresh buffet for the hordes of dark beasts." he grumbled in the usual grouchy tone. It was as though the fall snapped him back to his old self, turning an irritated gaze at her, "And what will it take for you to tell me, huh? Will I have to beg on my hands and knees?" raising the nub of his once-arm, sneering jokingly, "Would you really make a cripple do that?"

...

Lillian narrowed her eyes and jerked Killion back on to the loosely laid path leading west. "It's not a secret. We don't really know where we're going, either- Well, I don't, anyways. I have no doubt that Joshua or Ezekial probably have an idea, though. Hell if they'd share anything if Maya refuted the idea," Lillian hissed quietly, assuring that nobody in the cart could hear her. She glanced at Mikhael's stump and cringed at the thought of losing a limb. "How'd you lose your arm.. Exactly? Queen wouldn't tell me shit, and I wasn't exactly around for whatever the hell happened after that big lumox toppled Lucas like a toy."

"I heard that," Lucas groaned from the frame leading back inside of the cart, "We're less than ten feet away from you two. The horses only make so much noise."

"Tell me I'm wrong, then!" Lillian barked, shooting Lucas the briefest of glances. Lucas glared at her through his pointed face plate, but didn't back away.

"What did happen, Mikhael?" Lucas asked, prodding the shoulder of his missing arm with an armored finger.

Mikhael was a little surprised she didn't yell back at him, making a face as he laid back. She was serious this time, wasn't she? Well, more serious than she normally was. The question of his missing limb caused something to stir inside of him, the young man flinching visibly somewhat, as if the mere mention of it hurt him physically. Having a hard object poking the vulnerable spot didn't help exactly either. "It's still quite... fresh." he said, pushing the hand away to show his disapproval.

The black haired knight took a deep breath, trying to control the emotions that were both his own and something foreign. His eyes focused on the moment, glaring first at Lilith then at the dull sky, the darkness looming inside trying to pull him back to that which he feared seeing again.

"Ah... Where to begin..." he said with a grim laugh, though his expression was anything but a smile, "I suppose I always feared this day would come... my arcana is unnatural and powerful. The first time I awoke my gift of magic, I was under immense stress and it took utter control of me... As though another entity had been born from my emotions... I was consumed by such intense feelings and was turned into this... monster..." his words trailing off on the thought, "I figured it was the onset of demonization settling root within me, so I avoided using it ever since. But in my battle against Rajaka, I was pushed to the limit and that same magic arose in response to my desperation once again. I defied the power and it threatened to destroy me from within. But I didn't care. As long as I kept my humanity. All that changed when I watched Queen Maya at the mercy of Rajaka, because I wasn't strong enough, because I was too weak..." he glanced down with a deep scowl, "I couldn't bear the thought of losing her, so I... gave in." as he spoke, Mikhael was grasping his palm with his fingers, unconsciously scratching something, "In exchange, however, my arcana ate away my arm, as if a price for lending me so much power... Or was it because I tried to resist? Without the Queen's healing, I probably wouldn't have even survived the repercussion of the magic. So I owe my life to her even more than I did already. But..."

He blinked suddenly, seeming intent on changing the subject, tilting his head and speaking back to Lucas, "By the way, I'm rather impressed. For once, I thought that silly title of yours wasn't just for show when you stood against that raging maniac. And look on the bright side. Maybe now without my primary arm, you'll finally be able to beat me in a sword fight." giving the big man a sly grin, "Maybe."

It had always been hard victories, but he liked messing with Lucas.

Lillian stared at the road ahead of her intently, pulling the horses away from the edge whenever she needed to while listening to Mikhael. Lucas glanced at the both of them, shifting his eyes occasionally to see if any of what Mikhael was saying would jostle his sister's unwavering composure. Lucas huffed and turned away from Mikhael when he jabbed playfully at the knight. "Please, the last thing I'm concerned with is the difference in our abilities. That golden giant toppled us both, all the same. I'm more concerned with the origins of our Queen's healing magic, and your ability to suppress this apparent case of demonization within your body. If you are in control now, then this does not match the demonization that we've been taught of... But Maya's understanding of how any of it works seems to be limited as well, otherwise she wouldn't send us out into the wild."

"I prefer this," Lillian said softly. She took her eyes off the road for a split second and glared up at the tear in the sky. "I prefer being on a road to something, rather than hiding behind a wall of lies. Even if Mikhael's Arcana is fated to kill him, even if our world is doomed, it feels right to be outside of Maya's dark walls for once." Lillian glanced at Mikhael again for the briefest of moments before turning her gaze back to the sky. "At any rate, I'm not exactly excited about dragging Maya's weapon around like an errand girl. If what you're telling us is true, what's to say that you'll be able to keep the darkness in your heart under control?" Lucas was silent as Lillian spoke, but felt an uncomfortable chill crawl down his spine when she brought the topic of friendly fire up. "Maya didn't even offer to come with us in place of her royal guard. Isn't it dangerous to carry a sword around without its sheath?"

"I think this is a good chance of pace... I wonder what we will learn out here. New magic? I wonder of all those tales of witches living in lost coves and haunted never-ending forests." looking at both Lucas and Lilith, "All I'm concerned is what'll happen once our supply of food runs out. I don't know any purifying rituals in case we need to hunt."

Mikhael snorted at her new name for him, shaking his head with a grin of disbelief. Did she not understand that he only allowed the magic to consume him because he thought the Queen was more valuable than his own ideals? But he never did have a knack for conveying his feelings transparently.

"My, so that's all I am to you, huh? Just a weapon. A tool for the Queen? After all these years of we've spent together, even after I declared my intention to save our people..." looking off to the side, his smile suddenly replaced by a blank look, "And here I thought you were one of the very few who believed in my humanity." he then turned and gave her a stern glare, "To lose myself... if I have to make that sacrifice in order to protect the whole, is that really such a bad thing? Am I just the same as the beasts in the wild to you? I don't think any of them would place the lives of anyone else before themselves. But if the question whether I can control these dark compulsions really concerns you so much..." with a loud click, Mikhael dropped his silvered blade at her side, "Here."

He kicked his feet up on the rest, "There are many more of you than me. Not to mention the two in the royal guard. If I do lose control of myself at any point, I'm sure it'll be easy..." pulling hood of his cloak over his head, "To kill me."

...

"I was surprised, to say the least," Lillian huffed irritably, "but you can't erase a history of stoic disrespect with a stupid feat of heroics." Lucas jabbed at the back of Lillian's neck with two fingers and shook his head. She ignored him and set her eyes back on the road. But the sound of steel against her wooden seat pulled her gaze. She looked at the sword with a worried expression, and then at Mikhael. Her eyes narrowed angrily and she pulled at the horses to keep them en route. "I've slayed monsters before. Give me a reason, and I won't hesitate if you find yourself at the receiving end of my blade, or yours, likewise," she said sternly. Lucas shook his head and wandered back into the cart in response to his sister's stubborn reaction. Lillian sighed and pulled the horses to bank left down a particularly ill-treated pathway. After an uncomfortable silence, Lillian spoke again, her tone sullen and soft.

"We're headed for a city known as Maple," She croaked, "Maya spoke little of its origins, but it's a ways away. She's confident that we'll be able to find something there, assuming we can even find it at all." Lillian glanced at the horizon as the rocky uneven landscape began to flatten. Grooves in the stone, and the silhouettes of trees were softly highlighted by the moon's glow for miles. The direction they'd chosen had been leading them out of a terribly dangerous environment after all. Some of the trees were even sprouting leaves, albeit sparingly and with strange discoloration. "We weren't supposed to tell you, Maya made that clear. We're only ordered to keep you safe. You're our- Maya's precious cargo, rather." Lillian pulled one of her arms back and picked up Mikhael's sword by its handle. She raised it back towards him and nudged his shoulder with its hilt. "I see you as a tool for the Queen, but I will not treat you the way she does. And if it comes down to it, I will not need your sword to kill you."

Mikhael anticipated for the ride to remain silent for quite some time, as it usually happened when the two argued before, both parties breaking off in a huff and requiring time to settle their prideful egos. There was never a proper apology or anything to smooth bumps over, things just went back to 'normal' after a time, Mikhael acting as if it never happened. But it was Lilith who surprised him again, speaking first in a softer voice, confronting their social hurdle directly. She changed a lot during this time. But he can't say he didn't act out differently either. Too much has happened in just this single day for anyone to cope with, let alone those who were barely past the age of adolescence. They weren't even knights until a few hours ago.

The young knight grunted upon being prodded, the soles of his boots clattering against the wood as he dropped them without warning, turning to Lilith and glancing down at the sword from underneath the hood. The crimson orbs stared at the weapon for a while, as though he was figuring out something in his head, the color wavering like pools disturbed by heavy droplets.

"Thought you said you didn't have a clue where we're going? Although, I guess we're both at fault for hiding things from each other." pulling out a thin dagger from a hidden slot in the leather of his boots, "You'd really think I'd disarm and be helpless if we got attacked?" wiggling the metal with a sly smile, "I'm not the type to sit back and let someone do my work. Nor can I allow you lot take all of the glory either." frowning suddenly, "I'm grateful you can trust me enough to bear arms, but I cannot tolerate you speaking like that to our Queen." returning the sword to his side, "Or about my character for that matter. I'm a free man, not a 'tool'. I follow her because I want to. Not because I am forced to."

As Mikhael said this, he stepped down the perch and moved a few paces towards the edge of the rocky path, appearing to want to drop the topic judging by his abrupt shift in focus. He had a hand placed on his chin, his gaze filled with inquiry as though he noticed the changed environment for the first time.

"Maple, you said? What a strange name..." He narrowed his eyes and picked at one, reaching out to one on the tip of a nearby branch with a light hop.

...

Lillian grunted and stabbed the tip of Mikhael's sword into the wooden doorway that separated their two seats. The more Mikhael spoke of his undying allegiance to Maya, the more Lillian's face tightened. She turned her head forward and began to tune Mikhael out, focusing on the rythmic beats of Killion's hooves instead. The path was no longer covered in rough stone when they passed the extent of Kale's badlands. What was once a chorus of irritating clicks, turned to one of soft percussion. Lillian looked lost in rapid thought as Mikhael went on about his pride. She didn't want to hear it. It became harder to drown him out with the sounds of travel, though. So much so that she'd resorted to daydreaming. When Mikhael commented on Maple itself, she sneered at him kissed her teeth. There was nothing more she had to say to him. Not then.

The increase in plant life was no coincidence at all. Though the toxic air made it difficult for anything to thrive in the wild, ecosystems that ingrained themselves in the earth prior to the tear were not uprooted so easily. Like every other living thing, the great forests were resilient, and refused to leave their home, planted firmly in the soil that bore them, no matter how tainted or fiendish it became. That is how the forests stood to this day. But the natural topiary of nature's own creation was no longer lush and flooded with beauty. The thickness of greenery was replaced by a crimson array of leaves and jagged wood. Lillian looked upon the horizon with worry, arriving at the forest's edge as the moon hung highest in the sky. Midnight greeted them with a wall of danger and mystery that they were given no warning of. It was one of many forests that Maya shared through text and speech, but even so, it was unfamiliar through the corruption that tore it from what textbooks described. It was now nothing more than the crimson woods.

Lillian yanked the cart to a stop less than a kilometer away from the forests edge, shaking everyone who slept in the back with an abrupt quake. Killion and Raltz neighed comfortably as the sudden jolt, and pulled the cart off its path. There were several decrepit trees scattered along the moist landscape, but they paled in comparison to the behemoth that stood in their way. Lillian nodded and stood from her perch. "Here's as good a place as any," she mumbled, turning into the cabin behind her to wake any who slept. But what she saw was far less depressing than what she expected. Instead of lethargic bodies neatly tucked into the hanging wooden boards meant for sleeping, she only saw Henry attempting to rest near the back corner of the cart. Lucas and Ezekial were seated to her left, using a small barrel to host a chess game, and Joshua was reading with his feet hanging off the back of their cart. "No concern for our stopping?" Lillian blurted. Joshua merely turned a page further into his novel and shook his head, Henry was fast asleep, and the two men playing chess were too absorbed in their game to acknowledge her inquiry. "Lucas!" she spat, grabbing the top of her brother's helmet from behind. "Why are you still wearing that thing?"

"It helps me think," Lucas said calmly, moving his Queen to take one of Ezekials pawns. "And I like the way it feels. Why are we stopped?" Lillian sighed and stomped her way over to the wooden board next to Henry, and hopped onto it in a hurry. The boards were lined up on either side of the cart, with supplies stored below them, and soft hay lined along their length. They were meant for sleeping, but until now, nobody seemed all that tired. "I suppose that means we're not getting an answer.."

Mikhael glanced back at Lilith when she left to enter the cart, shaking his head with a long sigh. He really tried his best this time to get her to understand his point, but it looks like they'll always clash heads, even in a place and time like this. Something about her stubbornness bothered him greatly. Will this company really have what it takes to stay together for such a treacherous journey if they couldn't even see eye-to-eye about such simple things? Maybe if he was any better at talking to people, he'd be able to get why she was so mad at him? Well, no use in mulling over what could have been now. They were in strange and dangerous lands and he didn't have any intention of sitting around all night.

He gave everyone a half-look, standing up from his spot with a yawn.
"She's probably tired from steering all this way... and having to deal with me. Let her rest."

He gazed at the bundle of hay before turning his head to the side towards the woods, "I'll be taking first watch. I've slept and waited long enough as it stands."

The young knight didn't exactly wait for any reply, immediately climbing over the bench and moving towards one of the trees. A bad feeling settling in his gut as he looked over the pale-lit horizon. The dying forest seemed like a nest of thorns in the silhouette projected by the moon. He moved to climb the massive wooden sprout, but remembered he couldn't do it the normal way anymore. And he was too prideful to take his sword, so he couldn't even climb through cutting foot holds into the side either. He made a snarl as he was forced to walk even further towards a small hill a few dozen meters away from everyone. His eyes scanned relentlessly. It was too quiet since they've left the borders of Kale. They were carrying so much food, not to forget the fact that they were no powerful army. The beasts would've surely made an attempt to attack by now.

So why haven't they?

...