“I think it came from that direction!” Luna pointed into the forest.

Luna went to chase the voice, but before she could get too far, she was yanked back by her upper arm. “What do you think you’re doing?” Lyzal spoke harshly.

“What do you mean? Someone is in danger!”

“So? It could just be a trap for all you know.”

“Or it could be someone in danger.” Luna didn’t miss a beat in her retort.

“Somebody, help me!”

Luna yanked her arm free from Lyzal’s grasp and ran toward the call. Lyzal, forced to follow, chased Luna down. Feeling as if he had no choice, Saros followed the two ladies into the forest. Luna was running through the bush and past the trees. Lyzal was calling more urgently from behind her than before, but she ignored Lyzal’s call. Running as fast as she could, suddenly a pair of arms grabbed her from behind, clamping her mouth shut. Both bodies skid to a stop. Luna struggled at first until the voice behind her told her to calm down. Looking over her shoulder, she saw it was Saros. Lyzal was standing next to the two of them on high alert.

“Something’s not right here,” Saros whispered as he removed his hand from Luna’s mouth.

Lyzal silently nodded, agreeing with Saros. Confused, Luna went to speak until she realized that she could see her breath. Stiffening, she suddenly noticed the drop in temperature, and that it was suddenly darker. Looking past the trees, she could see the sun was still high in the sky. The hair on the back of her neck began to stand up, as if she felt she was being watched. A little late, but Luna now agreed that there was something very wrong with the surrounding area.

“Oh, Meraki, please bless me with your light.” The stranger’s voice called out.

The voice was close by. Luna ripped herself from Saros’s grip and ran to them. Lyzal was quick to stop Luna, but from where they were at they could see a male traveler on his knees, crying. Luna kicked Lyzal as hard as she could on her shin, making her loosen her grip. Tearing away, Luna ran to the man’s side.

“What’s wrong?” Luna ran to the man.

This time Lyzal grabbed Luna by her robe, yanking her so that they were face to face. “That actually hurt, you little-”

Spotting movement from the corner of her eye, Lyzal looked past Luna, who now looked behind her. There were three pitch-black shadows shaped like dog creatures with red eyes, slowly approaching, growling while baring their fangs that only blended in with their overall shape.

“Are they maiaaks?” Luna whispered.

“I’ve never seen a dog like that,” Lyzal whispered back.

Lyzal pushed Luna back towards the man, taking slow, calm steps forward to put distance between herself and the humans. Saros stepped in as a second shield between Lyzal and the humans. One dog lunged at Lyzal. Lyzal got ready to put it in a headlock, but it dove into her shadow. Before she could react, it had jumped out of the ground right in front of Luna and the man. Yelping, Luna instinctively waved her hand in the air. As the dog came down, it crashed into the light barrier, turning into evaporating black smoke. The other two dogs, still hiding in the treeline, growled even louder, catching everyone’s attention. The dark figures retreated further into the forest until their glowing red eyes vanished, and they could no longer hear the growls. They all stared slightly confused and relieved of the situation until Lyzal snapped her attention to the man.

“Alright, human, what in the world did you-”

“Maiaak!” the man shouted as he quickly hid behind Luna.

Lyzal stopped in her tracks, glaring at him.

“Don’t worry.” Luna reassured. “She–they are both bonded to me. They won’t hurt you.” Luna glared back at Lyzal.

Lyzal’s wings visibly twitched in annoyance.

“They are both bonded to you?” The man double-checked. Luna simply nodded. “Thank Meraki, for she has sent a talented Liora to light my passage.”

“Yes, praise Meraki.” Luna held both of his hands in hers.

Saros tilted his head, curious about how the man praised a supposed Goddess for his timely luck. By this point, Lyzal had her arms folded with an unamused look.

“If you don’t mind my asking, where were you headed?” Luna asked.

“Lumevale. But those dogs have been hunting me for days that I got turned around, and now I fear I don’t know which way to go.”

Luna perked up at the mention of the village. “We’re also headed to Lumevale! Perhaps we can travel together? It would be safer.”

“If you will accept me on your travels-”

“Of course!”

Lyzal and Saros glanced at each other. Standing up, Luna nodded to both of them. Saros took that as a sign to lead the way back to the path. Luna encouraged the man to follow as Lyzal walked behind them.

“I am Serahm, and I can’t thank you enough for saving me, Liora.”

“I am Liora Luna. And please, it was my pleasure just as much as it was my duty. No need to thank me.”

Serahm beamed brightly. “Liora Luna, what are you doing walking with two maiaaks?”

Luna’s smile strained. “I am taking them to Athanasia for the Solarch.” It wasn’t a complete lie, at least.

“That’s quite a road you have. Athanasia is a long way away from Lumevale.”

“I know. But I have been told that the road ahead is blessed. And through these actions, I can prove myself to Meraki.”

“If they do not, at the very least, make you an Auren after your success, I will rally all that I can to change their minds.”

Luna could feel her face heat up as she blushed. “Thank you, Serahm. But if I am not made an Auren, I am sure there will be a justifiable reason for it.”

Luna and Serahm continued to exchange information as Lyzal and Saros silently listened in on their conversation. They had found out that Serahm was the baker of Lumevale and that he had a wife. Serahm was born and raised as a follower of the Elysian faith, and continued to practice it every day. Although Luna thoroughly enjoyed Serahm’s presence, she couldn’t help but think he talked a bit much. But still, she hoped that Lumevale would give her the same feeling of comfort that Serahm was giving her.

By the second night, after making sure Serahm was asleep, Luna pulled Saros into the forest. They had walked until they got to a small, quiet river. Lyzal followed the two up in the trees. Saros stared at the moon’s reflection in the river. As Luna stood behind him, he could sense her hesitation. Still, he waited patiently for her to speak.

“I need to bond you.”

Raising his eyebrow, Saros turned to face Luna with his head tilted. “Are you asking?” He could feel Luna stiffen and her pulse quicken. “Because, as far as I can tell, I could just… poof, and leave you with that very heavy bag and, well, humiliation.”

“I can do it without asking.” Luna shot back.

“And how long do you think that’ll hold?”

His words settled like weight between them. Hyperaware, Luna swore she could feel Lyzal’s eyes burning into her soul from a distance. She could feel her pulse hammered harder. Holding Lyzal alone had been a miracle. Holding two maiaaks at once? Even she had to wonder if she could really do it.

Luna closed her eyes, her fist clenching as she let out a shaky sigh. “Yes.” She spoke after a moment’s debate. “I am asking.”

A smile slowly played upon Saros’s lips. He calmly approached her, folding one hand behind his back, and another gently outstretched, patiently waiting. It took Luna a second, but she quickly realized he wasn’t waiting for her to bond him, but was asking for something in return for letting her bond him. And judging by his stance, it had to be more blood. Luna pulled her wrist to her chest, weary of the decision. It wasn’t necessarily the bite that she was scared of. It surprisingly didn’t hurt that much. No, it was that she was indulging a maiaak… again. She could let Saros go, but then how would she convince Lyzal to carry the bag? And worse, what was she going to say to Serahm about the missing maiaak? Feeling her chest tighten, she took a step back. Looking into Saros’s face, he didn’t seem angry or shocked. Instead, he held his calm, patient, understanding look. That only made Luna feel even more hesitant. Reluctantly, she took a step forward and slowly put her wrist into his hand.

Making it back to camp, Luna found herself to be even more tired than before. She wanted to blame the bonding ritual, but she knew deep down it was because he had taken more blood from her. But because of it, Luna didn’t have as hard a time going to sleep for the rest of the night.

Continuing their journey the next day, Luna believed they should make it to Lumevale by nightfall. While enjoying Serahm’s company, Luna couldn’t believe how smoothly things were going. At least overall. The Elyssar was right. The path to Athanasia was indeed blessed. After hours upon hours of walking, they had finally gotten to a tall, wooden fence that was spiked at the top and had looked to be at least ten feet tall. Excited, Serahm eagerly invited Luna to follow as he did a light jog to the gate.

Lyzal stepped beside Luna, who stared at the wall in awe. “I thought you said this was a village.”

“That’s what it said on the map,” Luna mindlessly replied.

“Maybe you didn’t read it right.”

Luna shot Lyzal a glare.

“The map could be outdated.” Saros tried to compromise.

Lyzal let out a snort. Serahm caught their attention by calling to them from the opening gate. Luna was the first to move, with the other two following close behind.

Stepping inside, “Maiaak! Call the Disenthrall!” a random townsperson called.

Two armored men in white and gold trim burst from a nearby building, hands on their sword hilts until they saw Luna’s Liora robes.

“Liora,” one asked cautiously, “is this maiaak with you?”

“Yes.” Luna said stiffly but steadily. “She is.”

“They both are,” Serahm added.

The two men looked from Serahm back to Luna. “That man is a maiaak?” They addressed Saros, who remained silent.

Luna nervously nodded. “But don’t worry, they are both bonded to me.”

The two men exchanged looks. “And what are you doing traveling with two maiaaks?”

“I am in service to the Solarch.” Luna answered. “These two were ordered to be delivered to Athanasia.”

Another shared look. “Why don’t you leave them with us?” The first one suggested. “We’ll take them.”

Luna began to internally panic. This was her opportunity to prove herself. And who knew how Lyzal would react? And Saros? He wasn’t supposed to be with them to begin with. Let alone actually go to Athanasia.

“Thank you for your kind offer, but it is my journey to take.”

“Listen, Liora,” He spat out her title; “We are just trying to help. Are you sure you can even handle-”

A low growl rumbled behind Luna. Both soldiers flinched.

“You see?” Luna said gently. “They’re calm with me. Without me, I don’t know how they’d react. I’d hate to put you in danger.”

The second Disenthrall cleared his throat. “Good luck on your journey, Liora.” and they both began to walk away.

Luna let out a sigh of relief.

Serahm insisted Luna to follow him to the inn and led the way.

“Those men are what protect you humans? Weak.” Lyzal spoke in a hushed tone.

Luna glared at Lyzal, but it had no real bite to it. “Do not disregard them. They fight in the name of Elysian. They have gone to great lengths to earn their position.”

Lyzal rolled her eyes, not that Luna could see.

Luna instructed Lyzal and Saros to wait outside the inn while Serahm got her situated. Serahm explained to Luna that he was going to head back to his bakery and to meet him there after she settled in and then left. Luna followed the innkeeper to her room. The room was small–a narrow bed, a wooden washstand with a shallow basin beneath a small polished-metal mirror, and a little table where an oil lamp flickered softly. Regardless, Luna was very pleased. She hadn’t slept on a bed for a few days now, and she could now write in her journal without being judged. And most importantly, she could clean up, even just a little.

Luna took the time to look in the mirror. Her light blonde hair was disheveled, and dirt spots covered her face. Giving her face a quick wash, she undid the bun part of her hair, and redid it to make it nice and neat. Then she ran her fingers through the back layer of her hair that stayed down. Looking more closely at her face, her blue eyes look exhausted. But how could she be surprised? This was her first real adventure. Pleased with the cleanup, she left the room.

Lyzal and Saros waited patiently in front of the inn as instructed. They watched Serahm leave the inn and walk further into the town. Completely ignoring their existence.

“He seems nice… to Luna.”

“Do you have to talk?” Lyzal sighed, preferring silence.

After a few more moments, Luna came back outside. “Did either of you see which way Serahm went? He said he wanted to meet with me.”

Saros pointed further into the town. Luna started, looking around as they passed by buildings. Luna looked at what all she could. Clothes, carpentry, and blacksmith’s goods were among the few. While walking, they passed by a stable, and Luna wondered how much it would cost to borrow a horse. Finally getting to the bakery, Luna, Lyzal, and Saros all walked in. Luna, and even the two maiaaks, inhaled deeply, taking in the sweet aroma. Luna couldn’t help but feel warm and fuzzy inside.

“Liora Luna! I hope you didn’t have too hard of a time finding me.”

“Not at all.” Luna perked up at Serahm’s greeting.

A woman came from the back, dusting off her hands, while her clothes were covered in flour. “Liora Luna, this is my wife, Elira.”

“He ran in babbling like a frightened bird,” Elira teased. “You’d think a shadow dog chased him all the way here.”

Serahm grumbled while rubbing the back of his neck; “Well, it did.”

Luna could feel herself blush. “I only did what was right.”

“No need to be modest. You saved my life. Oh! I’ve prepared a basket for you. Elira.”

Elira promptly went to the back and came out with a basket. Removing the cloth that covered the contents, a mix of mixed grain bread, honey bread, and some berry turnovers were revealed. Saros peaked over Luna’s shoulder to get a better look. Lyzal, on the other hand, stood near the door, impatiently waiting, as if she had somewhere better to be.

“Thank you so much.” Luna gladly accepted the basket of bread.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

Luna, curious, tilted her head. Serahm had left to go to the back. But not too much longer, he came back out with a small bundled up cloth in his hand. He handed it to Luna who gently took it. Uncovering the item, it was a steel item that was in the shape of a sun, with a small, light-green opal stone in the middle shaped as a full moon. It was the Elysian symbol.

“I can’t take this!” Luna almost shrieked while trying to hand the pendant back.

“Please, I insist.” Serahm refused to take the Elysian pendant. “It’ll help you on your travels. Besides saving me, it’ll comfort me to know that you too will now be safe on your travels as well.”

Luna could feel her stomach twist. Clenching the pendant, she gave a small nod. “Thank you very much. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

Serahm and Elira both smiled brightly. Waving to the couple, Luna and the two maiaaks went back to the inn.

Once again, the maiaaks were instructed to stay outside, which neither of them opposed. In the room, Luna wrote in her journal for a little while and then turned off the oil lamp. She tried to sleep, but too many thoughts were keeping her up. Eventually she gave up and tip–toed out of the inn. Once outside, she didn’t see Lyzal or Saros. She quietly called out to them. Saros poked his head out from behind the inn, calling to Luna. Luna walked behind the inn, but still didn’t see Lyzal.

“Where’s-”

Saros pointed up in the trees that were just outside the wooden walls.

“She really likes being in the trees.” Luna commented.

“Probably in her nature. After all, not all v’lurs like trees.”

“They don’t?”

“Oh, of course not. V’lurs are in all sorts of different territories. Even deserts. Those especially don’t like trees.”

“We could meet a desert v’lur?!” Luna was shocked, but tried to control her voice since they were right outside the inn.

Saros chuckled. “Less likely, but not impossible. You see, v’lurs are more known to be animalistic and stay in packs. But there are a few, usually one or two per pack, that go exploring. So, seeing a v’lur like Lyzal is a rare sighting indeed.”

Luna couldn’t help but wonder if that’s why the Solarch wanted her.

“Tell me about Meraki.” Saros interrupted Luna’s thoughts.

“Well, you know she’s the Goddess of the Elysian faith and the Goddess of creation, life, and order. She’s believed to have tan skin with long, beautiful white hair, and her eyes are the color of the world. She’s-”

“You’ve seen her?”

“Well… no. That’s just our belief. She lives in the Astral above. No mortal has seen her. Except maybe the Solarch in his visions.”

“The Solarch?”

“Oh, Solarch Oridus is the Elysian leader. He’s the reason I’m taking Lyzal to Athanasia.”

“I see.” Saros spoke quietly. “And the Disenthrall? They seemed to-”

“Yes. They are knights deployed by the Solarch. They enforce Meraki’s will. I hope to see personnel from the Sword of Meraki division one day.” Luna softly smiled. Then, getting embarrassed, “What about you? Do you follow a faith?”

“No. I follow my King.”

“King? Maiaaks have structure?”

Saros revealed his fangs with a sharp smile. “More than you know.”

Luna felt a shiver down her spine.

“Ah, it’s about to rain,” Saros changed the topic while looking up at the night sky.

Luna didn’t smell any moisture in the air, and there were no clouds to indicate otherwise. But she wasn’t sure if she should question Saros.

Standing up, Luna straightened out her outfit. “I think I’m going to try to get some sleep again.”

Saros nodded and Luna left.

“Why do you entertain her?” Lyzal asked from the trees after Luna was out of earshot.

“Because it entertains me.”