Moonlit Reflections (Ryuu)

The bears were faster than I anticipated, yet not as quick as I had hoped. Before we had even completed half of our journey, the babu had already finished their meal.

I understood why Princess Yeli had given us bears instead of horses for this terrain. The bears were quite adept at navigating slopes and climbing over obstacles, which were plentiful on our path.

We continued to ride our bears calmly until the moonlight illuminated the hill. Soon after, the night came alive with movement. As we made our way through the flat terrain of the forest, we could hear the sound of many horses approaching from the north.

I couldn't tell how many there were, but the sounds they made indicated that they were hostile. It would have been unwise to engage them at that moment, so we had to be inconspicuous.

On our side of the road, there were wide pits that were shallow enough for even bears to crawl into. Without hesitation, we agreed that this was the best course of action and quickly took cover in the pits.

We waited quietly as the enemy horsemen passed by. There were nearly fifty of them, riding with great haste. We remained hidden until they were out of sight before resuming our journey to ensure our safety.

Babu spoke confidently from atop his bear, assuring us that we were safe. "Don't worry," he said. "Those enemy soldiers are too distracted to look back."

At that moment, a flaming arrow whizzed past Babu. "It grazed," Babu said.

It seemed that Babu had spoken too soon. When the enemy horsemen spotted us, they began to ride toward us. We urged our bears to move faster, hoping to reach the harbor before they caught us.

Given our situation, it was only a matter of time before they caught up. We didn't know what kind of trouble fighting them would bring, and even if we defeated them, reinforcements would surely arrive soon. None of us were familiar with the roads of the fourth kingdom.

We were certain that we wouldn't make it to the harbor if we continued on our current path. Fortunately, Rose had a plan. She suggested that we divert their attention. We got off our bears and hid in the bushes before the enemy spotted us. While they chased after our fleeing bears, we snuck through the bushes and reached the harbor in no time.

Rose's plan was brilliant. Not only did she save us from danger, but she also helped us reach the harbor quickly. I found myself growing more attracted to her each day. She was as beautiful as she was intelligent and kind.

Pushing these thoughts aside for now, Babu, Rose, and I boarded the ship we needed to get to the dragon lineage.

The ship was not very big, but it would do the job. As soon as we boarded the ship, we sailed out to sea. While the ship was moving with the wind, we were watching the surroundings in silence.

As the moon rose above us, its light reflected off the sea and illuminated everything around us. Rose was watching the scene in awe as I turned to talk to her.

I considered telling her about the letter, but when Rose saw me standing next to her, she seemed to have something on her mind. I decided to listen without interrupting.

"Ryuu," she said. "I want to thank you. Because of you, I found out who ordered the death of my parents."

"I understand how you feel," I replied. "You want revenge like anyone else would. But it's not always a good thing."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"When I killed Miron, I thought it would bring me peace and happiness. But I was wrong." I said.

"You were wrong?"

"Yes. In a way, I've been doing exactly what he wanted all along. Creating chaos and becoming someone I'm not."

"Don't say that," she said. "You're nothing like Miron. In fact, you're quite different from most people I know."

"Is that so?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes. What you've accomplished here is something most people could never do. You defeated three epics and Miron, yet you still manage to control yourself and keep trying."

"Thank you for saying that, Rose. It means a lot to me. But what I'm trying to say is that revenge isn't always what we want. Don't waste all your time on it."

"You may be right," she said. "But for everyone's sake, we need to end the Fourth's reign."

"I know," I replied. "Let me handle this. But not for revenge, for justice."

Rose didn't object to my response. Instead, she shared another piece of information that had come to her mind.

"You know what?" she said. "Paladinry isn't really a lineage. I only learned that when I first joined. But because the people there had served a common purpose and fought together for so long, they became more than just a community. They began to call themselves a lineage of paladins."

"At first, I didn't understand it either," she continued. "But then I realized that it's not all about blood ties. If your purpose is common and your intentions are the same, you become more than just a team. Like us."

I looked into Rose's eyes and joked to lighten the mood. "We're not a team. We're a family, even if we don't all look alike."

Rose laughed at my comment and seemed to enjoy our conversation. With the moon shining overhead, I could see the twinkle in her eyes more clearly. What was this feeling inside me?

I wanted to be honest with Rose about the letter, but before I could say anything, Babu suddenly appeared between us. "Shttt," he said. "Let me see what you two travelers are talking about."

"Shouldn't you be at the helm?" I asked.

"Well, yeah," he replied. "But…"

Rose yawned slightly. "I'm going to retire to my cabin," she said. "Good night to you."

Apparently, the letter thing was supposed to wait till later.

After Rose, Babu and I continued talking, but soon Babu fell asleep too. Unlike the other two, I wasn't sleepy. I was more lost in thought than sleep.

Throughout the night, I kept watch and steered the ship toward the dragon lineage. We had to hurry and arrive before the morning light. Because it was a race against time.