Chapter 5: Rainy Day.

  Calm descended upon the combatants after the battle. The king, still confused and somewhat disbelieving, nervously placed a hand on his forehead.

  King:

  The king looked at Harpya, whose eyes were heavy and fixed on the ground, and approached, placing a hand on his shoulder.

  King:

  The king smiled, trying to comfort Harpya.

  The smell of blood mingled with mud, and Harpya replied to the king: "They are preparing for something bigger."

  King:Before Harpya could respond, a scream echoed from the forest.

  Harpya quickly drew his sword and rushed to save the soldier who was being beaten by a cultist who was hiding.

  Cultist:

  Harpya appears and the gleam of his sword seems to startle the cultist.

  Cultist:

  Harpya lunges forward and cuts off the cultist's fingers, immobilizing him and asking whom they serve.

  Before Harpya could respond, a scream echoed from the forest.

  Harpya quickly drew his sword and rushed to save the soldier who was being beaten by a cultist who was hiding.

  Cultist:

  Harpya appears and the gleam of his sword seems to startle the cultist.

  Cultist:

  Harpya lunges forward and cuts off the cultist's fingers, immobilizing him and asking whom they serve.

  Cultist:

  Harpya:

  The Cultist just laughed and tried to advance, Harpya used a wind technique and shattered him, thus avoiding using his sword, since he didn't have complete mastery over it.

  Nyx:

  Harpya, panting: -Yes, I'm just tired.

  Harpya says they urgently need relics, Nyx asks why, and Harpya replies that the cultists' weapons contain arcane, a metal used to make relics, and that they are arming themselves for something bigger.

  Nyx informs the king that he will extend his stay in the village.

  Dawn breaks, clouds slowly gather in the sky, and the king asks the relatives of those who disappeared to come and identify the bodies.

  The king, noticing Harpya's state, says that Nyx had already told him everything he needed to know. Then, the king gives Harpya a symbol representing the king and sends him back to the castle. He says he will stay a little longer in the village and wait for the situation to calm down.

  Harpya hesitates at first, but realizes the king was right and says he will leave at noon.

  He looks at the people crying for their loved ones; the sound of their weeping echoes through the place, like a spiritual war.

  Harpya goes to a waterfall and takes a bath, his intention was to calm down and stop thinking about possibilities and remain inactive, just waiting for the conflict to escalate further.

  At noon, Harpya sets off on his horse, asking Cerberus to stay with the group for full support. The dog barks in agreement, and Harpya goes to his destination.

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  On the way, Harpya was planning something, something very risky, but something he needed to do at the moment to save Volny.

  He thought about returning to Vein and collecting as many pieces as possible to try to make relics or something similar, so that they could have a real chance of destroying the enemy.

  He thought about who the Advent child could be, he thought about Isz who was unconscious and didn't know if his friend could return, he thought about Ida and that if he didn't confess his feelings for her, another man from the kingdom would marry her and Harpya might probably die upon returning to Vein, since the land was devastated by creatures and many of them were not the same ones he had faced in the past.

  It was a mixture of fear, hope, and despair, but Harpya looks at the golden sword and sees that it holds great power that cannot be wasted at the moment.

  In the castle, Ida was in Isz's room holding his hand and tried to cut an apple and feed it to him, but as she brought it closer, a lightning bolt struck her hand.

  It wasn't anything strong, but it left a message that Isz needed to be alone.

  She leaves the room and thinks about how much he and Harpya suffered in Vein, to the point that both were broken, both physically and mentally.

  She remembers the ball years ago and has a faint glimpse of Isz and two other children who were talking to him.

  Ida:She felt as though she were a useless princess, believing her plans to help the poor and integrate the inland towns with the capital would be too difficult, and that if she didn't act, the inhabitants would be left without important resources.

  With a distant gaze overlooking the kingdom, she thought of the creature and was frightened, fearing that what happened in Vein might be happening there.

  She picked up an old necklace with a ring that had belonged to her mother and looked at the sky.

  Ida:

  With tears in her eyes, she fell to her knees in the room. A maid saw her and helped her up, asking if she was alright. Ida replied that she was, she just missed her father. The maid said that the king would stay there a little longer and didn't know when he would return; it seemed the situation was worse than imagined.

  Ida becomes worried and leaves her room, spending the whole day thinking about her father and Harpya, who could get hurt or something worse could happen.

  Harpya arrived in the kingdom at night, a heavy rain falling across the entire country. With his thoughts more solidified, Harpya vowed to himself that he would no longer waste his time, as the next day could be his last.

  Harpya tried to enter through the main gate, but was stopped, even after showing the king's symbol. He then went around and entered through the window of his and Isz's room.

  In the room, Harpya leaned his sword against the wall and looked at his friend.

  Harpya:The heavy rain splashed against the window, and the sound of the raindrops mingled with the thunder. For some reason, it was a very rainy day; it seemed like the whole city would flood.

  A maid saw that Harpya had returned and greeted him. Harpya explained the situation to her, and the maid went to sleep, saying that at dawn she would inform the other employees that only he had returned; the military already knew that the king would be staying a little longer.

  Harpya, looking out the window, reflected on his plan and the risks, and went to the princess's room.

  He knocked on the door.

  Ida:

  Harpya slowly opened the door.

  Harpya:Ida couldn't hold back her tears and ran to hug Harpya.

  Harpya

  Ida wiped away her tears and said everything was fine, then asked how the mission went.

  Harpya explained what had happened and expressed reluctance to leave the soldiers unprepared in Volny.

  Harpya looked out the window and spoke of his fears and insecurities. Ida responded by hugging his wet cloak and vest, saying she was happy that Harpya shared so much with her and that she would do everything to help him.

  Harpya:

  Harpya clenched his fists and quickly told the princess to step away, saying he was very wet and in uniform.

  Ida said it was no problem, that she liked being hugged by Harpya, she liked his smell, his touch, and his warmth.

  Harpya turns to her and kisses her on the mouth. Ida tries to pull away, but soon lets herself be carried away by her emotions.

  Harpya kisses Ida's neck and slowly begins to remove her shirt. She tries to stop him, but lets it happen.

  Ida:

  Ida said shyly as she watched Harpya take off his clothes.

  Harpya:

  Harpya then kisses Ida again and begins to caress her entire body. Ida, letting out small whispers and moans, tries to contain herself.

  Harpya:

  Ida:

  Harpya opens Ida's legs and with gentle movements they kiss and have sex in her room.

  As dawn breaks, Harpya looks at Ida's face and says he's going back to his room. He takes his hand and kisses it, handing him the necklace with the ring that belonged to his mother.

  Ida: "Take it, it's yours now. I want you to keep it for protection."

  Harpya thinks for a moment and accepts.

  Ida:

  Harpya kisses Ida and leaves for his room.

  On the way, he meets a maid who asks what he was doing there. Harpya pretends he went to get water. The maid says the kitchen is the other way and that this is the princess's room. She asks why he's wearing the same clothes since he's been back for a while.

  Harpya thanks her and says he likes being in wet clothes.

  The day dawns and the rain continues, calm, but not as intense as the night before.