Chapter 5: 1.5: The Return Trip

Not every day do you accidentally stumble into and destroy an illegal slave trade ring. It’s a strangely empowering feeling. Often found to be similar to a heavy dose of serotonin. But that was the least of Reiki’s concerns at this very moment.

‘These clothes are so itchy. Why do I have to wear these?’ 

‘I didn’t mind what you were wearing previously, that unique style you were wearing, but it looked burnt as if it was worn in battle, so the next best thing was this royal attire.’

Reiki started to pull at the collar of his shirt and proceeded to unbutton where it was uncomfortably tight around his neck. It felt like someone had put a vice around his neck and then tightened it. The girl beside him shifted a little in her seat. She was dressed in a knee-length, pink dress with a few rose designs, that one could easily dismiss as a skirt, and a single-shouldered white blouse under a fuchsia jacket. He had been told the symbol on the jacket was a royal brooch. Her thin headband wore the same design. It was also revealed to be her family insignia.  

‘It’s a tight fit, and maybe not my style. Is there anything else I could try on? Besides, you know that I explained one of the reasons why it was burnt.’

‘Ugh, please be more grateful when offered nice clothing next time.’ She uttered under her breath, hoping he wouldn’t hear her. ‘...Anyway, I’ll make sure to find you somewhere useful to shop. On one condition; you’ll have to wait until we get back to my father’s kingdom if you need to loan out any money.’

‘What you have on is what was available in the storage at the back.’ 

The male adventurer from earlier had told him about the wares in the box on the back of the carriage. 

‘Well, it’s still scratchy and feels too royal to my liking, but that’s fine with me if I have to deal with it for the time being. Still can’t believe you’re the daughter of the King.’

As he messed with the neatly stitched clothing against his neck, the lining finally stretched and shifted a little and eventually gave way for him to breathe a bit more clearly. Letting out a small breath of air, he finally got most of the annoying itch to stop. Thinking back to earlier, he still couldn’t believe what he had become a part of. He decided to go over how he came to this point in his new life.

 

< # # # >

 

Just a day earlier, a heavy bang of metal on metal echoed in the street as a set of heavy doors swung shut. The soft thuds of wheels on pebbles faded into the background mixed with the ambient sounds of Hibel. The two adventurers had stayed around after the girl heavily requested for them to stay. 

‘Well, that’s him sent off. I’m surprised the boy managed to fight off the level nine Shadow Elementist.’

The group of adventurers soon disbanded soon after the last person from the now abandoned warehouse had been chucked into a barred carriage. The protection spells imbued into the surfaces were designed to keep them from escaping, but there was still a chance of it happening. 

‘It’s interesting, is it not? He even knew a way to extend the lifespan of someone with Blue Skin Syndrome when I first met him.’

‘It’s a little odd he knows what an Apprentice Medician can do. But I guess you’re right, Princess. Why don’t you head back to your father in Froesé? I’m pretty sure he’s worried about your disappearance.’

‘Please don’t suck up to me just because I’m royalty.’ She let out a long sigh. ‘I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for that boy. I’d rather wait for him to wake up before returning. I still need to thank him for saving everyone who was in there with the two of us, not just myself.’ She added, a slight spring in her step as she turned and continued walking.

‘She’s as stubborn as always. At least she has for a good reason this time.’ The female adventurer shook her head, letting her lips spread into a gentle smile before following after her. 

After sending off the crooks who controlled the illegal activity, they had opted to find the cosiest place to rest the boy in. It only took them ten minutes to find themselves situated in the cosiest inn with the least residents that they could find; the “Muscovy Marauder”.

‘Thanks for letting us stay here, Mrs Breubel!’ 

‘You're welcome, my dear! After the repair work from that wildfire last month, your father's resourcefulness needed the debt to be repaid and this seemed like the best option.’ 

The matured girl, now in a smarter but scraggy outfit usually for kids who pretended to be adventurers, could feel her ears burn and her cheeks glow at the gesture.

‘You sure you don’t want me to pay with my allowance?’

‘Dearie, if it's what you'd prefer to do, I'll take you up on that next time your in town! Oh! If you need anything, just flow some mana into the small ball in your designated room. It’s usually right by the door and either my husband, myself or one of my assistants will head up to help you out.’

The older woman smiled warmly, her face grinning widely from ear to ear. The adventurer who had been behind the young girl stepped forward, bringing the unconscious boy into view of their current hostess.

‘Is it possible to set up a private room for this young guy? He unintentionally helped us take down someone of high importance who has been eluding our team for year's.’

‘Oh my! He looks hurt! I'll make sure he gets the best room for the next three days! I hear he's pulled off such an incredible feat, but I just can’t believe it’s true.’

As the owner briskly stepped around the tables, the adventurer barely got through the swarm of chairs as they were pushed aside just ahead of her. She was struggling to maintain her balance whilst carrying him, when a gentle gust of wind blew the rest of the chairs just enough to allow her to bee-line for the stairs. She turned around at the bottom to see a bespeckled guy waving his hand nonchalantly in a circle motion. 

His flat, stylised black hair contrasted with his pale hazel-coloured eyes. His emotionless face looked almost robotic, but a slight curl on one side of his lips broke the illusion.

‘Thank you, Damon.’

‘Don’t mention it, Sofya.’

As the trio headed up the stairs, Damon turned back to his table and continued talking with one of the off-duty assistants. The owner, Aurella Breubel, just tutted and shook her head side to side at the two of them. 

Upstairs, the boy, Reiki, had been placed in the room with the comfiest bed the place could offer, due to his condition. He couldn’t remember much of what the two girls, the young princess and the older adventurer, had told him. The story went a little hazy from here. Almost like they were trying to keep their comments private. Twenty to twenty-four hours later, around the time he had woken up, he found himself in a room he didn’t recognise at all. To make things easier, he was glad to be the only one in the room. 

‘Where am I? And why am I in a bed almost as comfy as home?’ 

As soon as he’d stepped out of the bed, he completely ignored the creaking floor when he put any weight on it. Almost like it was designed to say “Look, I'm up now” to the other residents. Just as he was rubbing the itchy dryness out of his eyes, some gentle yet quick and assertive thumping came from beyond his bedroom door. The thumping of their feet stopped as they stood outside the room. 

He could hear some voices just beyond, but he couldn’t make out the words being spoken. Just beyond the door, the adventurer and the girl were quietly having a heated discussion. Luckily, he couldn’t hear what they were conversing about, as his thoughts changed to focusing on the clothes on the chair near the bed. There was a surprise in the room for him, which was a small en-suite to wash himself in.

‘This isn’t right, what if his behaviour changes?’

‘Then I’m ready to accept it. When we were on that horridly designed cage cart, he treated me like I wasn’t of any nobility... despite the fact that all my cloths were mud-ridden and just started tearing to shreds.’ 

‘But you’ve got to know that he’ll probably treat you differently. Some people have changed their behaviour after learning that they’re talking to royalty.’

‘I don’t care, I’m just grateful he got me out of that horrible mess of a slave centre... I just want to thank him for what he did then be on my way.’

‘You might not be able to, p– Aerys.’

She stuttered with her words just then, as he’d opened the door, interrupting their conversation. Before opening the door, he had been focused on the smell and texture of the new clothing he’d been given, along with a rather worn bag almost like a travel suitcase with the scratches on the corners and edges in the leather. He was awake enough to figure out she was a princess, but he was too tired yet refreshed to care about exposing her. He decided to just be himself, his online self, and ignore her status. 

‘...So your name is Eris?’

‘No, it’s Aerys. Slight difference.’ 

‘I’ll ask how to spell it later. How long was I out?’ 

‘Would be nice if I knew how to spell her name.’ 

‘A day or two, but nothing changed much. I’ve changed my usual routines slightly just so I could wait for you to wake up.’

‘She said it would be rude to leave a saviour behind who fell unconscious after a battle. We’re just glad you’re okay.’

The adventurer finally interrupted the conversation, eager to move on. 

‘Wait, I was in a battle? Why would I engage in something like that? I just remember feeling rage... and moving really fast.’

After realising where they were, the three of them headed downstairs to get some morning delicacies. Upon arrival, there were a few sweet and savoury assortments, but the most popular dish mainly looked like an oaty cereal which he soon learned was sourced and delivered from a small farm village a bit further south. With some bread on the side, they each ate in silence. 

‘I wonder if I can recreate that ability from the other day. What was it again? Oh right, that superpower; Telepathy.’

A brief holographic window popped up with a message as he attempted to use the ability. To his surprise, this was a warning window.

 

[ABILITY WARNING]

[ This ability was previously activated during a Life Event ]

[ The user does not have the required level to activate it ]

 

[ Do you wish to use 4 stat points to unlock and activate (Telepathy - Level 1)? ]

[ Y/ N ]

 

He scratched behind his head as he slowly ate his food, wondering how to see how many of these “stat points” were actually available. Obviously there were more than four, but he didn’t know how many. He was also vaguely familiar with this type of stat system, but to use four of the points to activate it... weirdly felt right to him. 

‘If this was an actual game, it would force the player to think wisely with their choice.’

As he finished up his food, he took note that neither of the two ladies in front of him could see what he was seeing. Instead of tapping the “Y” button in the window, he attempted to use his mind... to no avail.

‘I think I get how this all works, but I still have yet to view that window I saw earlier with my stats on it.’ 

A soft tickly buzzing, almost like an irresistible itch, slowly built up just behind his right ear as they stepped out of the door. The young girl promising to visit again someday as he was guided to a building with an odd shape that closely resembled a sword cutting through a circle wearing a pirate hat. Just as the tingling sensation got to the point of it feeling sore, he scratched at it. He stopped in his tracks when more than just his previous profile window popped up.

‘Woah. That was... unexpected.’

He kept as strong a poker face as he could whilst he looked at his player stats. The window covering his cereal didn’t change as his hand and wrist passed through it. It quickly blurred out as another window appeared before his eyes again.

 

[ONE-TIME NOTICE]

[ You have opened up your Player Statistics window for the first time! ]This window will not appear again ]

[ you be awarded 1 INT stat each time you find/open a new window once a day ]

[ Award: 1 INT Stat Point ] 

 

‘Tch... Only one stat point for accessing it the first time, but having more than four to unlock an ability? Man, this sucks. Well, at least it’s not like those tropes I’ve heard about back on Earth.’

He hoped that someday, he’d be able to close the windows that appeared without touching or gesturing towards them. Unfocusing from his ability screens, he brushes his ear again and finding it closes the pop-up of his stats window. Along with the warning screen.

‘So, kid. Young Aerys and I are heading out for a while. Would you like to join us?’

‘Don’t call me that! ...But yeah, come with us if there’s nothing else for you to do.’

‘...You know, I might actually take you up on that.’

‘Sweet! See you outside in five minutes! C’mon, Sofya, let’s go!’

The two of them left Reiki alone for a few minutes, giving him time to finish his breakfast. He left after thanking the Inn-Keeper, who was glad to see him on his feet so quickly, who subsequently waved him off. Outside, the girl and the woman were waiting for him, abruptly stopping their discussion once again as he made an appearance.

‘Ahh, that was quick! I swear there was way more food on your plate for you to finish it that quickly!’

‘Wasn’t much left to eat. I was starving!’ 

‘Let’s get going then! Onward to the shops of food!’ 

Aerys skipped across the courtyard, just ahead of Reiki and Sofya. During the tour of Hibel, the three of them met up with the male adventurer he’d met when he got dragged back to the place he’d been held captive in. Shuddering, he shook his head to release the anxiety from that debacle and focused on the present. 

It didn’t take long to learn that the woman with her apparel was highly regarded amongst the citizens. After a brief and simpler version of twenty-questions, He learnt that Sofya’s full name was Sofya Pyrrins and was currently a Water Mage. The male adventurer Markus Braunfel, despite his appearance with his beefy biceps, was an Air Elementalist. The two different professions they had were vital to how strong their affinity was with their element. 

An Elementalist was someone who was naturally born with their element of magic but had to train to use their talent. A Mage, on the other hand, had to learn a new element from scratch and had the choice to get a promotion to a High Mage or stay as a Mage but with a different coloured tag on their identification card. Reiki found this interesting and wanted to learn more, but held back those thoughts during the conversations. 

It was only an hour or so, before Aerys turned to him with an inquisitive look adorning her face.

‘Hey, you never told us your name.’

‘Well, I’ve only learnt your first name, so I’ll need to learn yours too. Which I have to say is a really cool name!’ 

‘Why thanks! I’ve also met some other people who’ve tried to compliment me on my name or my appearance, yet your comment actually feels genuine and not forced. After all–’

‘Why should it be? Mine... Uh...’

‘...Hmm?’

‘In that case, let me introduce myself. I-I’m James Bourde.’

Stuttering his introduction, he kept a relatively straight face as Sofya and Markus glared at him. It felt like two beams of ice were trying to shoot through his face and freeze his body. He quietly activated his telepathic ability gently and focused on Sofya, who he assumed reacted first when he started his introduction.

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[You don’t seem so sure of that, Young Reiki. What are you hiding?]

He felt their glares again after the not-so-long mind-reading of his. In his defense, he just avoided looking at them, but kept his gaze almost completely locked on to Aerys’ eyes. He decided to give in a little, but trying his best to hide that shy side of himself.

‘I-I’m not really hiding anything, but I am a little behind with the times.’ 

The lie was obvious for his age, but he hoped the stats he’d looked at earlier were He didn’t so much as see but sensed the two adventurers shift uncomfortably. His comment had easily shaken them up. Like he’d struck a nerve they didn’t expect him to hit. Looking at him, they wondered how he had read them so easily. Luckily, Aerys didn’t read the room clearly enough to notice. It was either that, or she simply doesn’t care about the situation as much as the adventurers did. 

‘Oh? James? That’s… not very original. There was a guy from a few months back with your surname, but he never mentioned a family member called James who looked so young.’

‘I’m seventeen.’

‘Gwehh! You’re seventeen?! You look way younger than that!’ 

She grabbed him by the wrist and jogged as she dragged him to the closest store she knew of with a clear enough reflection. The click-clacking of her shoes on the large pebbles that made up the roads helped him to catch his footing and keep up with her antics. As they came up to a closed bakery, he stared at his reflection. He was glad he remembered his age from his stats window. It was a blessing in disguise.

He poked at his cheek until the two adventurers caught up to them. His cheek felt sky smooth, almost like that of clothes made from very soft cotton. 

‘See? You definitely look younger than seventeen!’

‘Yeah, I guess you're right. I haven’t seen how I’ve looked since I lost my family. I’m kinda all alone by myself now.’

‘Well that can’t do at all!’

After this, the situation around Reiki’s false name was briefly diverted. The reason for the diversion was Aerys needed some food, with mention of words that surprised him. Those mostly being “sugars” and “carbohydrates”, or “carbs” for short. It turns out that to Reiki, there is some level of medical knowledge in this world, unlike most others he knew about from manga and light novels. Aerys appeared to have the first symptoms of diabetes, but he decided not to make that observation verbal. 

‘At least they’ve recognised some conditions aren’t curable or treatable. This is a much closer similarity to what I remember from England.’

It didn’t take long to find a small roadside café to wait at as Markus went off to meet someone. After they got seated, Aerys pulled out what looked like a small, neatly cut, rectangular scrap of old paper with some odd symbols on it, he couldn’t help but be curious. It had three three-quarter circles, a dashed line through two of them, and a single line up the right-hand side with a fancy-shaped triangle pointing towards the other side. She placed it on the back of her arm, which instantly made it glow.

‘I take it back, this is nothing like how diabetes is monitored... How did they even figure this out?’ 

‘...’

‘Wait a second...’

That was when he registered what had been bugging him during the kidnapping; she kept looking sleepy because she was likely a type-one diabetic. His eyes opened wildly at the thought of someone knowing this level of medical knowledge. Then his eyes slowly started to drift and look around the area they were in during the conversation. Occasionally flicking back to the paper magically sticking roughly where her tricep was. 

‘Hey, Aerys...’

‘Y-Yeah?’ 

The sudden comment surprised her from focusing on the paper’s glow that had just started receding. 

‘What’s that you’ve got on your arm?’

‘Oh, this? It’s to measure something in my body my Royal Medician was taught about. After all, as a princess, I need to keep my health in check and these Medi-Sigil patches help to monitor that.’

‘A royal medi– You’re a princess?!’

He didn’t yell it out loud, but being seated in a small road-side café, it did make a few heads on the tables on either side of them turn. As luck would have it, none of them got up to meet her. This was a little odd to Reiki and he didn’t know how to deal with such a situation. After their drinks and snacks arrived, they continued the conversation. 

‘Eheh, please don’t do that.’

‘Do what?’ 

‘What do you mean do wha– …You knew, didn’t you?’ 

‘Well, it doesn’t take an idiot to figure it out when an adventurer standing outside your bedroom door called you “pear-iss”.’

‘Touché, James.’ 

‘Heheh. If you prefer the way I’ve been treating you, just say and I’ll continue doing it. After all, I bet that royalty doesn’t get many people who’d happily just chat casually with them.’

‘I agree. It’s so much easier to converse normally without someone tripping over their words on what to say to respect you. Shame the greedy or ignorant types prefer the grovelling if you ask me. Such poor behaviour.’ 

Sofya had been quiet during the entire conversation, but a small smile tugged at the sides of her lips whenever she looked at the two of them prattling along with each other. Unbeknownst to the two of them, Reiki had his telepathy on search mode since Markus had shot off. 

During the conversation, his ability could only reach within roughly the area of his line of sight and he had to focus on individuals passing by to read the thoughts in their heads. The conversation lasted about thirty minutes, maybe twenty, before his eyes briefly snapped sharply a few times to a thick bush nearby. During the next lull in the conversation, he focused his telepathy on the bush, hoping to glean something from the mind he felt.

[...hat was close. I hope she didn’t detect me. Why is he pointing? He can’t have detected me, my skills are immacula– … why is he coming this way?]

In the time, that he’d been reading the observer’s thoughts, he’d spoken quietly to Sofya. As luck would have it, or lack thereof, she couldn’t detect the person in the bush nearby. He’d informed her that he’d felt something odd about the bush. Nor did he explain how or why he felt that way. When he got up, he made sure to disable his telepathy and focused on the direction he felt it coming from. 

Just as he neared the bush, he sat down on a bench beside it and the princess promptly made her way over after the adventurer paid for the meal. The person in the bush pretended to ignore him as if he didn’t know they were there. But that changed when a hand reached in and dragged the person out.  

‘Well, looks like you were right, James. There was someone here.’ 

Sofya had managed to sneak around and yank the person from the bush from just under his collar. 

‘Excuse me, but could you please put me down?’

‘Oh sure, after you explain why you’ve been following us.’

‘I was tasked by the Guild to see if she was indeed the princess who was kidnapped almost a week ago, nothing more, nothing less. Now please put me down!’

Dropping him to the floor, he looked a little older than Reiki himself, but he didn’t look like someone used to battles or offence. He closed his eyes and took a little bit of pity for the boy. Before he could run, Reiki decided to ask him a question.

‘Hey buddy, how old are you?’

‘I’m sixteen. Uh, sir.’

‘Sir? Oh, he must think I’m an adventurer too.’

‘Well, in that case, I’m seventeen and...’ 

Leaning in, he stage-whispered just loud enough for only him and Sofya to hear: ‘I’m not actually an adventurer... Yet, I’m the one who saved the princess, so why don’t you go and report that she’s safe?’

The boy's eyes flew open wide. He immediately relaxed and after apologising for hiding, he greeted Aerys with a respected yet casual manner, then he shot off to get the head of the nearby Guild. 

‘Well, James. That looked like you said something to spur him into doing the right thing and reporting it.’ 

‘Eh, I just knew it would calm him down and excite him enough to do the right thing. Besides, I’m pretty sure Aerys preferred the way he spoke. The respected, but casual approach.’ 

‘...You’re very insightful.’ 

‘...’

At that, he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. She just chortled and punched him gently in the shoulder, earning a laugh from him in return. A green spark flew unknowingly from his shoulder to the two of them but Aerys, who was behind them, spotted it. Her head tilted in curiosity after seeing the spark flitter across into his neck, before waving it off with a grin and a warm rosiness in her cheeks.

The day continued with people greeting Aerys mostly the way she preferred to be spoken to. It seemed to him like her request to relax or chat normally is a big thing all the citizens enjoy when she’s visiting. Some even prayed that she’d be saved after getting news that she’d been kidnapped. 

< # # # >

 

‘Whew! That was eventful. Looks like we’ve got another...  hour or so, maybe?’

‘An hour until what, exactly?’ 

‘You’ll see!’ 

She winked then strode off. The wind blew her hair around as the sun started setting. The rays streaked past the peak of the mountain to the west as the shadow of the terrain slowly draws across the city. They didn’t have time for sleep tonight. Unbeknownst to Reiki and Sofya, the boy who’d gone to the guild had met Aerys during one of her shop visits and had later requested that a Royal Carriage be delivered to the inn they were staying at for the following noon. 

Upon returning to the inn, Mrs Breubel greeted them for one final stay. Reiki was worn out from all the walking, but he was glad to learn some of the history of the world. Despite being an atheist, he wondered if he could pull off that trick that kid did from that manga series involving a smartphone to speak to the Gods. Yet his thoughts still raced with excitement from being in a brand new world.

‘I can’t wait for what the world brings my way.’

The rest of the night went by slowly. After saying goodnight to Aerys and Sofya just an hour earlier, he began his first well-rested night since, well, ever. His bed back home, in his sister’s house, was cramped and felt badly made. The beds in this world, despite being what looked like centuries older than his did, were even comfier than he could imagine. Maybe it was because he had spent a day getting his energy back, or because he had such an eventful past few days. 

One thing was for sure, he was glad his abilities were like light switches; they could be mentally turned on or off without any hassle at all. So as he slept, he didn’t accidentally read minds, or run around super fast. By the morning, he knew he would be well rested. The last thing he thought of before drifting off completely, was how his sister was coping with him not being on their Earth anymore. 

< # # # >

 

The following morning, Aerys and Reiki both hung out in what she liked to call the “lower-hub”, which was previously part of a lower ring a few centuries earlier. The monsters that attacked had nothing to gain by attacking, yet some residents still spent their time in the area to help protect their city when it needed the help. The two teenagers were sat in the middle of the square from from the day before, just down the road from the Muscovy Marauder Inn.

‘So Froesé is where you were born and raised, spent the rest of your days, then got kidnapped?’

‘Odd way to describe it, but yeah, pretty much.’

The two of them were sitting on a long bench by the cobbled road that separated them from the open square, where the market from the previous day had been. The luck that they had to be found and rescued during the day of a farmer’s market left the odds high, but not impossibly high. It was probably the only miracle Reiki was going to have upon his arrival, but he didn’t know that. He was also glad he was allowed to use his online alias for the time being.

‘Hey James, look over there!’

‘Look ove– WHAA?!’

The moment after he had turned to look, the sight of a four-armed, four-legged, and four-eyed creature pulling a carriage immediately blew his mind. She had managed to capture his shock, giggling warmly at his reaction. During their discussion whilst sitting there, he had told her that there are lots of things that will surprise him since he lost his family. It dulled the atmosphere a little, but she took a second before waving a hand to forget about it.

The creature had a matted sheen to its skin; the mix of a dark turquoise shifted into a soft yet dark green, which was most vibrant around the base of the small spine blades that lead from the top of the tail to the back of its head. It was a creature that he was fascinated by. It was like an alien horse but carried a stronger feeling of sentience. 

‘That’s a Vaikyren. They’re a horse-like species that used to live in the far north until two Demon families took over their territory for a battle over power. It’s so small now, that the two families had to agree to look after them as part of a truce. Since that truce was created about a hundred years ago, it has allowed them to avoid extinction and they’re a part of a small group called the “Endangerment Trust” and they’ve been reintroduced to other regions to bring their numbers back up.’

‘I wasn’t expecting such a historical reply, but thanks for the backstory. Are they usually friendly with normal horses?’ He replied, a brief flash of annoyance flung across his face.

‘Yes and no, but we can cover that another time.’ She replied, waving a hand nonchalantly to move from the topic.

Staring at the creature again, he wondered why it felt weirdly perfect as a creature similar to a horse. Then again, this was a new world to him, so he reminded himself that he would be in for a lot of surprises over the coming few weeks. Reiki noticed that there was 

‘Come on, let’s get going. Let’s go visit my step-cousin in the Upper Sanctum.’

And with that, she dragged him off by her hand. Sofya muttered under her breath to herself before following suit. The two teenagers and the adventurer both made their way into a normal, horse-drawn carriage and travelled through the city streets. On their way, they passed through a gate to what she just called the “Upper Sanctum”. The walls between the regions, or Sanctums, were much lower than the wall that surrounded the cityscape, yet they did have enough height to consider it a boundary. He was amazed at the size of the city and hoped to see more, but Aerys stuck up the conversation again. Luckily, the walls of the taxi-like carriage seemed good at blocking out most sound to him.

‘You’ll need to answer to the King of my home city when we get back.’ She stated, her eyes losing their glow as she stared out of the window. ‘Being away from home is a bit unnerving, it was such a pain in the a– Oh, we’re two streets away!’ She added, her gaze glowing once again.

‘Before that happens, I’d like to let you know a little something.’ He replied nervously, scratching the back of his neck once again. 

Her head shifted so she could glance curiously at him. He looked at Sofya and despite her skyme, or her scornful glance sideways at him, she quickly nodded to let him continue. 

‘Oh? What is it?’ Her curiosity peeked, causing her to turn and face him directly.

‘It’s not James Bourde... It’s...’

His hesitation caught the young girl's interest, but she played it off as if she didn’t really care. However, she did wonder what it was.

‘So his name isn’t James? I wonder what it is. I wonder if it’s going to be worse or better than his current one.’

After a minute of waiting patiently, the carriage started to slow down as they approached a large open path between two very ornate columns on either side of a copper-coloured double-gate. A blue circle glowed on the gate near a strange lock, vanishing just before the gates slowly opened by themselves. Before they had made it entirely onto the private land, he steeled his resolve.

‘M-my... My name is Reiki. Reiki Honoka.’ 

‘... That’s actually much cooler than that previous one.’ She replied after a short pause. ‘It was a bit of a boring name if you ask me, but it was a general one.’

They stopped discussing names, or anything for that matter. He felt a weight on his shoulders vanish a little after revealing his true name. The carriage drew up to the front of the large building, causing him to take a peek out of his window. Luckily for Reiki, he was on the side facing the building, which was awe-inspiring and he wondered if it was a mansion. 

Luckily, they didn’t spend much time there. She just wanted to drop by and say hello, which ended up taking about fifteen minutes, then left after she asked one of the butlers to send off a message to her father. He’d played along long enough with hiding the fact that he knew she was a princess until she casually dropped it during a conversation with an “it’s not like we’re princesses or anything”.

Needless to say, she was surprised when Reiki continued to treat her the same once they were back on the road. After a change in clothes, they swapped over to a Vaikyren-drawn Royal Carriage and started the trip to Froesé. Needless to say, it was a long journey back to her home city. Yet something felt slightly off to Sofya once they picked up Markus, who’d been out to buy some food and collect some wares for the ride.

She couldn’t put a finger on it, but something just felt off about their co-driver.

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