The sun was slowly setting when Lusian and the heroes made their way through the forest near the Duchy.
The scouts' reports spoke of lesser creatures, but even they could pose a danger.
Herbivorous beasts did not hunt humans, but a stampede would be enough to wipe out a village.
And the predators were even worse.
To them, a human was nothing more than food.
"We can't let them reach the settlements," Emily said, adjusting her light staff as she watched the trees rustling in the distance. "If they reach the villages before we can evacuate the people..."
She did not finish the sentence.
There was no need.
Lusian nodded.
They had been doing the same thing for days.
Advance.
Evacuate.
Fight.
Continue.
The world was changing far too quickly.
Mana, once scarce in many regions, now floated through the air like an invisible mist. Plants were growing in strange ways, and creatures that had never left the forests were appearing closer and closer to human settlements.
Then the trees shook.
A huge buffalo-like creature burst through the bushes.
Alejandro reacted first.
"I'll handle it!"
He leapt toward it and unleashed a fire-wreathed slash.
The blow struck it head-on.
But the sword barely managed to pierce its hide.
Alejandro's eyes widened.
"What...?"
The creature roared and charged.
Alejandro barely had time to dodge.
A hand grabbed him from behind and hurled him out of the creature's path.
"You idiot!" one of the priests shouted.
The creature continued forward.
The other beasts reacted at the same time.
Lusian pulled on the reins.
Thunder took a step backward.
Emily lost her balance when another creature passed too close.
Lusian extended an arm and caught her before she fell.
"Are you all right?"
Emily nodded quickly.
"Yes."
A surge of electricity coursed through Thunder's body.
The nearest creature recoiled.
Then the others began scattering among the trees.
Kara looked at Alejandro.
"Can you tell me what the hell you were trying to do?"
"At least now they're moving away from the village."
Lusian watched him from Thunder.
He said nothing.
In truth, a small part of him had hoped the creature would crush him.
After all, Alejandro seemed determined to get himself killed.
But whatever.
If a hero died, the gods could choose another.
Not his problem.
When they returned to camp, Lusian had barely dismounted when he heard a voice.
"Happy birthday, my lord!"
Adela approached with a huge smile.
Lusian blinked.
"What?"
"Your birthday!"
Adela looked genuinely surprised that he had forgotten the date.
Lusian looked up at the sky.
He had spent so much time thinking about monsters, survival, politics, and how to avoid dying that he had not even remembered what day it was.
"Oh..."
Adela smiled.
"I knew it."
Lusian let out a small laugh.
"Thank you, Adela."
Emily, who had just arrived behind them, froze.
She had completely forgotten the date.
Her face flushed.
"Happy birthday... Lusian."
He looked at her.
"Thank you."
Emily smiled shyly.
But for the rest of the afternoon, she could not stop thinking about it.
That night, Lusian was inside his tent when he heard footsteps.
The entrance opened.
Emily appeared.
"Emily?"
She nodded.
"Can I come in?"
"Of course."
She entered and closed the flap behind her.
For a few seconds, neither of them said anything.
Lusian watched her.
Emily seemed nervous.
Much more nervous than usual.
"Is something wrong?"
"No."
"Then..."
Emily took a deep breath.
"I just wanted to see you."
Lusian fell silent.
Emily lowered her gaze.
"I've been thinking a lot these past few days."
Lusian stopped smiling.
Emily took a step toward him.
"About everything that's happened."
Another step.
"About you."
Lusian felt something shift inside him.
"Emily..."
She moved closer again.
This time, she did not answer.
She simply raised a hand and placed it against his chest.
His heart was beating faster than usual.
"I don't know what will happen tomorrow," she whispered. "Or what awaits us when all of this is over."
Lusian remained motionless.
"But tonight..."
Emily lifted her eyes to his.
"I want to be with you."
Lusian felt all his usual thoughts beginning to fall into disarray.
The game.
The heroes.
The future Demon Queen.
The possibility that Emily might one day become his enemy.
All of it still existed.
But his mind went blank.
His heart began beating faster and faster.
Emily moved a little closer.
Lusian closed his eyes.
And when he opened them again, Emily was standing right in front of him.
She said nothing.
She simply kissed him.
It was different from their previous kisses.
Outside, the camp continued with its activities.
Inside that small tent, the world seemed to have stopped.
That night, Lusian stopped thinking about the world he knew.
And Emily stopped thinking about the heroine she would one day have to become.
For a few hours, there were no gods.
There were no heroes.
There was no future.
There were only the two of them.
And when morning came, neither of them would ever look at their relationship the same way again.
Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away, the Douglas Duchy was fighting to survive.
The walls of Norvind were burning.