On each side, pines showed off their deeply green needles, a frosty film covering their cusps together with the fair powder all around the scape. Driving through the path towards the sky-grazing mountain in the horizon, their pace increased incomparably to when the man’s horse misbehaved.

  Clinging to his new beast, he steadily watched over the group, however, he couldn’t help but momentarily stray off to the right with his eyes.

  Despite needing to focus on the carriage and its goods, he glanced at the person veiled by the cloak. The man had come to their group only a few days ago, yet his appearance brought about discomfort unutterably.

  He could virtually feel and hear the silence sprawling through the space as his companions wouldn’t speak out in the slightest. So, lightly pulling his right arm, the man started to sway off the straight path, getting closer to the strange man.

  “Hey,” he whispered out suddenly, quickly getting his reaction. Turning in the hooded cloak of his, the purple eyes glistened out between the murky paleness. “I haven’t heard you speak out since we introduced ourselves three days ago, everything alright?”

  Listening to the question for a moment, Lutiel briskly turned ahead, making sure the carriage wouldn’t stop right in front of them. Still, pondering on the matter silently, he heard a spry sigh come from the left, prompting him to part his lips.

  “Yeah, why do you ask now all of a sudden?” He spoke back, making the fair face of the man turn at him yet again, the brows somewhat risen. Though, quickly falling back in a relaxed expression, Remen simply shrugged his shoulders.

  “Dunno, it’s boring, I guess? Nobody is speaking up because you’re here, as if they have anything to hide,” he uttered, this time churning the eyebrows of Lutiel. Glancing at the demon for a few breaths, he finally gazed back at the road bitten by winter.

  “Aren’t you the same? You waited three whole days before speaking up to me,” he said, once again making him shrug his shoulders.

  “The quiet atmosphere must be taking a toll on me. I can’t stand it anymore, you know? Yet here I am, stuck in the back to guard fuck all whilst seeing nothing ahead,” he complained, breathing deeply whilst tossing the tongue out.

  However, hearing him speak out, Lutiel could only shake his head a little before gaining Remen’s attention right away.

  “What? Don’t tell me you also aren’t bored to death?” The man asked, his face ghastly after realizing. With an opened mouth, he didn’t watch the road in the slightest way.

  “Why should I be bored? I’m getting to see more of the world around me,” he spoke back, only for the guy to snort soundly, breathing disgracefully at the statement.

  “Ugh, please don’t, I don’t think there was anything worse you could have said,” Remen spoke away, the furrowed eyebrows slowly abating below his dissatisfaction.

  ‘He’s not wrong, I guess. I would rather watch them use magic more often,’ Lutiel mused, only to fall back into the silence sprawling along them and beyond. Though it didn’t last long, the auburn-hair of the man fluttering after turning to the cloak one more time.

  “Where did you even come from? I don’t mean our continent, of course. What part of Aseun are you travelling from?” The man wondered, asking whilst sparsely watching over the road.

  However, Lutiel didn’t speak out at first, changing his pace as they turned on the path to the right. He parted his lips only after going forward yet again.

  “Helasta,” the man spoke tersely, swiftly hearing a sharp whistle come out of him. Moving his head at him, he saw the faint glint stuck in his eyes as he asked again.

  “Which territory? Zyponia’s or the unlorded lands? He inquired readily, repeatedly looking into Lutiel. And, the man had no objections to answer right away.

  “Zyponia’s,” he muttered, quickly rubbing through Runi’s mane to ease his nickers.

  “Why have you left then? There is no better place than Helasta to live in. Why would you choose to go away?” He asked with a raised eyebrow, unable to comprehend his reasoning.

  “Personal matters,” Lutiel said calmly, swiftly making Remen fall back with the staggered expression.

  “Ahh, I see. Chasing after a girl, is it?” Though, he couldn’t help asking again, smiling brightly before winking at him lightly.

  Letting the question sink in him for a while, Lutiel kept silent whilst his gaze bombarded him, awaiting the answers. “Haa, more or less,” he muttered after a sigh, a jolly laughter engulfing his ears from the side.

  “Hahaha, I knew it! It’s always girls that make men lose their heads. Though, if I were to say, you must have landed a pearl or something. All the pretty girls were left back home,” the man kept talking, albeit somewhat to a deaf ear.

  Rather than listening in on his prattle, Lutiel squinted his ears, turning to the right before gazing through the woods. Yet, seeing nothing but snow, he eventually turned back to the chatty demon.

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  “Damn! Shut it already, Remen!” Finally, one of the male riders at the front shouted away, dousing the auburn hairs with airs of discomfort. Turning awry at the tongue assaulting specifically him, he swiftly furrowed his eyebrows.

  “Huh? What was that, you bastard? I can speak whenever I want,” Remen increased his tone, swiftly reaching the front of their caravan.

  “You were so quiet the whole trip and now you’re blabbering like a damn crow,” the same, deep voice as before came back to them, only igniting the demon further.

  “Do you want me to go over there and teach you a lesson? You should be lucky I’m back here this ti-,” he said through gritted teeth, only to stop suddenly as the horses neighed away, stopping briskly in their tracks together with their carriage.

  “What the hell was that for!?” He exclaimed briskly, having skidded through the snow before almost grazing the vehicle’s rear wheels.

  “Shh!” Suddenly, the very person at the front brought his finger out, firmly placing it between his lips before shushing each of the people gathered. Unlike before, Remen didn’t break out into a grim expression. Instead, he listened keenly to the orders, falling silent before trying to hear the quietude.

  ‘What’s happening?’ Lutiel thought, nippily scouring through the group before settling at the trees. ‘It’s the same feeling I had moments ago,’ he wondered, only for his eyebrows to sour as Pofrei spoke away.

  “Nevermind, let’s move forward. Sorry, it’s my fault,” he excused himself, only for the group to sigh away in relief.

  “Fuu, it’s a shame. I wanted to fight some bandits. There wasn’t any action for a while now,” Remen muttered loudly, once more bringing replies to himself.

  “Can you just shut it already? Don’t jinx us,” This time, a girl spoke up, both Lutiel and the demon unable to see her because of the carriage.

  Still, whilst they started to bicker away, their voices drowned out to the sole human in the group. Still gazing at the tall pines with a festered mien as they kept moving forward once again, he couldn’t help but bite his teeth a bit harsher.

  “Hey! What are you doing, newcomer?” Remen spoke suddenly, watching Lutiel lean forward before running up together with Runi, right to where Pofrei and the others looked at him somewhat disgruntled.

  “Why are you breaking the position?” Pofrei briskly asked away, however, the man didn’t speak yet. Only as he kept the speed beside him did he finally part his lips.

  “I think there’s something following us, it’s lurking between the trees,” he spoke lightly, however, all those behind still heard him, quickly letting loose of their displeased miens before putting on solemn ones.

  “I checked a moment ago, there can’t be,” the leader said, however, Lutiel’s face didn’t calm in the slightest. Gazing into his grayish eyes for a while, he finally made the demon speak again.

  “Like I said, I didn’t feel anything. Go back into your position and keep at bay. If you can actually see something, shout it then,” he said, leaving the man to sigh internally before intentionally slowing down.

  Once again, he moved behind Remen, catching his speed before staying that way as they went through the path.

  “What was that about? What did you feel?” The demon inquired briskly, making Lutiel’s eyes gaze directly into him for a few breaths.

  “I don’t know,” he said, slowly turning towards the carriage. Yet, until Remen could speak out again, he quickly parted his lips once more. “I just felt some beast staring me down, that’s all,” he said, making the one on the left simmer down.

  Closing his already parted lips, Remen glanced curiously at the trees beyond the fresh member of their party. However, as soon as his white irises settled around the pines, they shivered incessantly, quickly turning to the carriage whilst parting his lips.

  “Pofrei! Stop! It’s a Varain!” He screamed through the space, albeit, his voice was promptly drowned, dissipating away from the vehement crash filling out the space. A cloud of snow raised itself whilst tens of trees shot out towards them.

  However, before any of them could penetrate through the team, a thin, bluish veil bounced the wood off, all whilst a whistle briskly washed the snow away.

  “Fuck! Why in the world is it here!?” Cagmin suddenly raised his voice, having completely stopped his horse before coming off it.

  ‘What the hell is that?’ Meanwhile, Lutiel couldn’t help but open his eyes wider after staring at the monstrosity up ahead.

  This creature, it wasn’t from these lands, he mused internally, his sight quivering the more he dabbled in his mind. Still, gritting his jaw, Lutiel swiftly calmed himself, making sure to play his role with the demons next to him.

  Creasing his eyebrows down, he took on a serious stance, quickly caressing Runi to ease him. Albeit, even if he forced himself, watching the creature brought about shivers to his skin.

  Stood just a few tens of meters from the startled Pofrei, the creature lingered on four lanky legs, almost as thin as the young pines around the forest. Mostly covered in ashy skin, few black strands loitered around the flesh, the majority kept around the face and chest.

  Its snout as long as that of a wolf, the creature remained composed, watching through the group with its widened eyes, searching around with the elongated torso. And, having caught onto Lutiel’s shadows, the mouth swiftly wrinkled before the yellow teeth reverberated in the eyes of the people gathered.

  All of the horses quickly released their distress, trying to back away despite their masters not allowing them to do so, eventually making the leader exclaim. “Get off your horses! We have to fight it,” he said, promptly arousing vexed tongues.

  “What are you saying, Pofrei?! It diffuses any of our attacks,” Haness quickly got onto the conversation, jumping off her mount whilst steadily keeping watch of the monster ahead. As if preparing itself to charge, the creature lowered both of its arms to the ground, the four legs already digging through the snow below.

  “Just do as I say, we have no other option. It must have felt the strength coming from the artifact, you know that already,” he said, not turning even slightly to the side, making sure to keep the monster in his eyes. The man’s eyes couldn’t rest for the slightest moment as he didn’t blink, getting ready whilst raising the gem-embedded staff in his hands.

  “Tch,” the girl clicked her tongue, promptly arranging the others with her eyes. “Remen, you take care of the horses, make sure they don’t run too far away. Kanthier, you come stay in front of the carriage,” regardless, she voiced out, watching the rest rush towards her and the leader.