Chapter 138: The Wanderer’s Respite

The afternoon sun bathed the pebbled road in its warm light. Two dusty travelers hiding behind decrepit, tattered cloaks could be seen walking with a calm, steady pace. They were already half a day away from the city that just a day ago meant the literal hell for them. 

"Where are we going, Drake?" The feminine figure asked his partner. The fiery red tinges of her beautiful, long hair could be seen peeking out under the cover of her baggy hood. Despite the hell, her life must have been, hopeful sparks shined in her eyes as she looked at the male figure to her left.

The other one turned towards the woman. Even though his face was hiding behind the shadowy cover, his voice betrayed him. The calm, love, and affection were clearly visible in his tone as he addressed the scarlet haired woman. He gently grabbed and caressed the unruly tinge of hair that refused to stay hidden as he spoke.

"Don't worry, Scarlet, we're not going back to father. Not unless we are ready to pay him back for what he had done. We still need to head towards the capital, I have a few contacts there. We will settle in for a few days, before we decide on our next course of action, together."

"But why couldn't we stay in that city then? Why did we leave? Is there a reason?" She asked with confusion in her voice. 

"Do you really have to ask, sister? You were forced to live in that place for years. You need some change. Besides…" He responded with a concerned tone. However, before he could finish, the woman interrupted him.

"You don't have to worry about me! I'm much stronger than you think! As long as I have you with me brother, I can take over the world if needed! Don't forget, I survived for 10 years in that place."

Grabbing her chin, she thought back to last night. The people that his brother was with, the other blonde girl… That strange, masked boy and his partner… That elderly woman...

"Brother, who were the people you were with last night? They were such an odd group of people. An old lady, a mysterious masked pair of a woman and boy. And that other blonde girl. Did they come to rescue her? How did you meet them?"

Luckily the hood hid the embarrassment on his face thinking back to how that boy, Aiden beat him effortlessly. Coughing loudly to calm his voice, he responded to the question after a while.

"Well… Let's just say I met them by chance… Yeah." He started. He could feel the piercing glare of his sister even if he couldn't see her eyes. Ignoring it, he cleared his throat and continued.

"They did come to rescue that blonde-haired girl. Since we were basically going to the same place with the same objectives, we decided to group up. I have to say, they are really capable people. That boy… Is incredibly strong. And the two adults with them are very powerful casters as well. I have no idea how or what type of magic they used to get us out, but to be honest I don't really care. I got you back, and that's what matters!"

As he said that, he gently patted the back of her hooded head, showing his true feelings on the matter. 

A few moments of silence ensued as Scarlet just hummed, enjoying his brother's feelings. He was her everything, the only reason she could stay strong and push forward even during the worst of times. 

However, soon another question came to her. Opening her eyes, she voiced her thoughts in a troubled tone.

"Also, who was that other elderly couple they came back with? They seemed to suffer quite a lot…"

"I don't know. The plan was to get you and the girl, Lily, and get out of there. After that, I would use the royal seal to command the city guards to raid the place and shut it down for good. I have no idea who they were and why did they go for them." He answered.

"Do you trust them? Will we work with them to get our brothers back? I had this weird, unexplainable feeling from that mysterious masked woman. I'm not sure what it was… like if we had met before, I think? There was this vague sense of familiarity from her presence. I can't really explain…" She continued with her bombardment of questions. After years of silent mutterings in the shadows and her prayers, she couldn't stop herself from voicing her thoughts.

Drake went silent for a while, thinking, lamenting about the questions. He also had no idea what to do, the group seemed friendly and good-natured, but he also felt this faint sense of familiarity from that woman. He couldn't explain it, as he could see nothing from her besides her vague figure. 

After nearly a minute of silence when the only sound was their soft footsteps as they paved the road ahead, he finally spoke up.

"I'm gonna be honest sis. We need them. I don't know if we could fully trust them, but they did come to rescue their own. They are definitely a capable bunch. With them, we have a much higher chance to get our family back together. As for that masked woman…��� He went silent for a moment thinking about her. "...I also had this feeling. I'm not sure why, but she also has two of the royal artifacts in her possession. She had one on herself, and from what they told me, they gave the amulet to the blonde-haired girl. In fact, that's how she found the place."

A loud gasp could be heard as he revealed the information to her sister. In a shocked tone, she loudly exclaimed.

"WHAT?! H-HOW?!"

"I don't know. I had no time to ask any questions about it either. I'm not sure who she is…" he spoke thoughtfully thinking about that strange woman.

"Do you think that… she… she could be…" A dangerous thought surfaced in Scarlet's mind, but she was unable to properly phrase it. 

Smiling under the hood, Drake finished what they both were thinking about.

"If she could be a member of the family? Perhaps, a distant relative? I don't know… Maybe?"

These thoughts were dangerous, the implications, if they were turned out to be true, were too huge for them to even process. 

Even so, Scarlet shook her head. Forcing herself and her trembling, faltering mind, she stuttered her real thoughts.

"N-no… I d-don't think she is a distant relative. B-b-brother… What if s-she, s-she, is Mo-"

"NO! DO NOT FINISH THAT THOUGHT!" Drake interrupted her loudly. Tightly clenching his fists, he turned towards the sky, sighing deeply to calm his raging heart. 

Moments passed, turning into minutes as they continued walking on the empty road. Eventually, Drake sighed once more and looked at her sister. Grabbing her hand, he gently spoke.

"Sorry about that. I just… No, I can't accept that thought."

She responded by gripping his hand. Still facing the empty road ahead, she spoke with a hushed, whispering tone, as if afraid that someone could hear them.

"I know. But we can't rule out that possibility. You said it yourself, she had multiple family heirlooms. Who else could she be then?"

Drake didn't respond, he silently followed the road. His hand however was tightly clenching, intermixing with her sisters. They walked silently hand-in-hand towards their destination. 

Several minutes of silence has passed like this. Scarlet didn't want to continue the topic, and Drake couldn't voice his thoughts on the matter. He knew that she was right, he already had this thought back then. That woman was familiar with them, knew who he was at first glance, and could easily control the artifact's powers. However, these weren't enough, they needed more clues, something more conclusive, something that could prove or deny this dangerous conjecture without a doubt.

---

The evening sun cast long shadows on the ground. The slanting rays of the setting sun gave a warm orange tinge to the sky by the time they arrived at a lonely, lit roadside inn at the side of the road. This place was called the 'The Wanderer's Respite', a place to rest for the night for the travelers on the road. 

It was situated roughly halfway between the two big cities, Higrove and the capital city, Elsaid. While you could get to visit a few smaller settlements between the two, the main road only had this one place for the traveling merchants, wandering adventurers, or to the lost soul, who found themselves under the eerie night sky.

As the brother and sister duo approached the timber and brick building with the dark red tile roof, the soothing sound of a piano reached their ears along with a low hubbub. Soon an enticing, mouth-watering smell perked their noses, causing an increase in their pace. 

Entering through the thick, wooden door they are met with the wrinkle of a bell. The silent mutters halted for a moment as the adventurers ' taking their evening meals glanced at the newcomers. Ignoring the inquiring eyes plastered on them, they hurried towards the polished oak countertop, taking their seats on two stools. 

Maybe it was because they were tired and hungry, but as they sat down, they failed to notice the scruffy person sitting by his lonesome in the far-right corner holding a large ceramic mug in his hands. He had a large and ugly scar running through his face, all the way to his right eye. His gaze followed the two youngsters as they took their seats. A small, barely visible smug smile crept on his unkempt face. 

"Finally found you, young prince…" he muttered to himself.