"Sir, we have arrived," Helain announced, opening the carriage door.
Ren stirred slightly, still half-asleep, his head leaning against Zayden’s shoulder. The first rays of dawn slipped through the carriage window, catching the dark blue strands of Zayden’s hair, which appeared light brown.
The General didn’t move through the trip, letting Ren rest, though his sharp eyes scanned the surroundings as the carriage slowed.
The knights outside were exhausted, their breath fogging in the cold air, but Zayden’s focus never wavered.
Ren shifted slightly, pulling himself away. Zayden’s hand brushed lightly against Ren’s as he adjusted his coat, careful not to disturb him, not knowing the man had already awoken.
The simple contact sent a faint warmth through the General, though he didn’t dwell on it.
He turned, finding Ren looking at him, eyes wide.
"When did you wake up?"
He asked, unwilling to make things awkward after their conversation last night. When he asked about his parents’ death, Ren fell silent—more than his usual self.
Then, he replied faintly, "A monster killed them."
He couldn’t understand which monster Ren referred to, because they had countless faces. And those he knew were most of the time humans—like those in Hianshu.
"Stay still," Zayden murmured, more to himself than to Ren, his tone low and controlled.
The carriage finally stopped, the wheels crunching over the snow-filled ground. Zayden pushed the door open and stepped outside, glancing back at Eiran, then at Ren with a brief, unreadable expression.
Ren remained seated, curling slightly his fingers into a fist.
Last night’s conversation had stirred something he had kept hidden at the back of his memory, trying to erase it. But when the conversation had shifted toward his life, he couldn’t help but answer Zayden. He didn’t know what possessed him. After all, usually, he would simply tell him it was none of his concern.
Maybe it’s because I have been spending too much time with him. Right?
He nodded, trying to assure himself that everything was alright. That nothing was wrong.
Eiran groaned, slowly opening his eyes.
"We’re here?" he asked, stretching his arms while straightening himself and sitting properly.
"You can rest for a little longer," Ren said, pulling the blanket over him, but the boy shook his head. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
"Where’s Dad? He said I could go and welcome them."
Ren pointed outside, although his chest tightened. If Zayden announced Eiran as his son, then he would be safer.
"Of course," Ren nodded.
The boy excitedly opened the carriage door, rushing outside, his feet diving into the pile of snow.
"Young Master? Why are you here?" Helain asked. She had been assigned to guard the area around the carriage in case Hianshu tried anything.
Helain sighed, closing her eyes, hand on her forehead. "Young Master, there might be—" When she opened her eyes, Eiran was already gone.
"Y-Young Master!" She rushed to catch him, but the child ran unexpectedly fast.
"Am I growing old?!" she groaned.
"Dad!" Eiran exclaimed, waving at Zayden from a distance.
"Eiran!" Zayden turned, surprised. "Why are you here?"
"I apologize, he ran so fast!" Panting, Helain placed her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.
"It is alright..." The General knew Eiran couldn’t be stopped easily if he wanted to come.
The boy ran up behind him, eyes wide as he looked at the massive barrier.
"Oh... this." Zayden sighed. "This is the barrier between Revhara and Hianshu."
"Then how will the High Priests come?"
Zayden chuckled. "We will open a portal."
"But how did they send a letter then?"
"...they also used a portal."
"Then why can’t they open it by themselves?"
Zayden inhaled deeply. Answering this child’s questions was never this exhausting.
"Because we are the ones who made the barrier. Now stand behind me and keep quiet. My knights need to concentrate."
Eiran nodded, tilting his head slightly as he stood behind Zayden, watching carefully what the knights were doing.
They closed their eyes, whispering words Eiran couldn’t understand. Colors of light flickered from their hands, striking the barrier. A large circle formed, intricate patterns spreading across it.
This continued for several minutes, until Zayden also struck the circle, and a red glow pulsed around it. Slowly, a door-like frame began to form. On the other side, a group of people dressed in white cloaks appeared, each with different hair colors and skin tones.
"Welcome to Revhara," Zayden stepped closer, the light from his hand fading.
The crowd crossed the barrier, bowing to the imperial General.
"It is a pleasure meeting you... Imperial General Zayden. I am Henry Alford," a green-haired man said, his golden gaze flickering upward.
"Nice to meet you," Zayden said, his voice distant. "We have prepared two carriages for the journey to the capital."
"I have heard it is far from your territory," one of the High Priests said, his gaze shifting from left and right. "This place is beautiful!" He exclaimed, a bright smile on his face.
"Forgive my disciple. He is still young," Henry glared at him, causing the young man to flinch. "Do not embarrass us, Mikael."
Mikael swallowed hard, lowering his head instantly.
"I-I apologize, Your Holiness."
From behind, a brown-haired young woman smiled at Mikael, shaking her head as if telling him not to be upset.
"It is alright. I do not mind," Zayden shrugged. He could already sense that this man, Henry, held the most power in the group. "Let’s head to the carriages."
Eiran followed behind closely, catching Henry’s eye. His gaze lingered on the child.
"Is that... your son?"
Zayden turned, instinctively wrapping a protective arm around the child.
"He resembles..." Henry hesitated before exhaling deeply. "Two of my friends."
"Oh? What happened to them?"
Although Henry had no intention of answering, a faint smile touched his lips as they stopped before the carriages.
Zayden followed Henry’s gaze, spotting the woman standing in front of his carriage.
"I thought I saw someone in there—"
With quick steps, Zayden placed his hand against the window protectively. As if he didn’t already have enough rivals, he couldn’t afford curious eyes falling on Ren.
"These are your carriages," Zayden said, pointing to the two white ones adorned with red, curling patterns.
"Oh. So this one is yours," Loti murmured, narrowing her eyes as though trying to register what she had just seen. She couldn’t convince herself that she was mistaken.
The General gave a brief nod, "We should head to the capital quickly, to arrive by the due date mentioned in your letter."
Loti forced a smile and nodded once.
"Everyone, get inside," Henry commanded. The others obeyed. "We will see each other again," he added, bowing before entering his carriage, with Loti following behind.
"I apologize, Sir," she said with another bow once seated.
"Dad, are they the ones who did that to the dragons?—"
Zayden covered Eiran’s mouth quickly, picking him up. He rushed inside his carriage, taking Ren by surprise.
"W-What happened?!... Is everything alright?" Ren asked.