When the Master said that his new bodyguard would work closely for him, they never expected it to be that close. Everyone noticed how El never left their master’s side since his employment and it got worse when they returned from Rouwen.

  Rumors arose because of their master’s confusing behavior. Some specuted about Karel to be their master’s paramour and the others, especially ones who found Kani’s beauty enchanting, nearly bawled their eyes at the thought of it. The others refuted such cims, telling how would the man be his lover and bodyguard at the same time? The master provided all his needs just to be his? Total absurdity!

  The women found that idea romantic though and the absurdity of rumors just became worse.

  Karel also possessed an outndish beauty, some of the women remarked while giggling. Those golden strands shone under the sun and the crimson orbs gleamed like rubies when light reflected on them. His stature and charisma rivaled Kani’s, who by their standards, could be considered an epitome of androgynous beauty.

  “He’s definitely not ordinary,” they whispered among themselves.

  “I often find him staring outside and looking at us though.”

  “I noticed that too.”

  “Did you also notice how he moves with grace? Like a prince?”

  “They stood beside each other like a match,” the women dreamily sighed.

  “If they are lovers, I won’t even compin,” another also remarked.

  “There is work to be done and here you are all sitting and what? Gossiping about the master?”

  Upon hearing the Head Maid’s annoyed booming voice, the servants scampered to do their tasks.

  The servants spent the following weeks preparing for their master’s departure for his yearly travels again while Karel observed the ongoing preparations from the guest room.

  The day before they departed for Weissdel, he noticed a messenger handing a sealed envelope to Cashile discreetly and the leader of the bodyguards also came over thereafter, discussing a few things about their arrangements.

  Karel harrumphed and also packed his things. Since most of his belongings were currently stored in his space, he only put the necessities in the luggage to avoid suspicion. After all, it’s only Kani who knew about his identity.

  After his preparation, he knocked on Kani’s room and found the merchant also preparing his things.

  “You have servants to do this for you.”

  “I’d prefer to do these things by myself.”

  He kept quiet for a little while as he observed.

  “Are you going to say something?”

  “I actually have a suggestion.”

  Kani perked up. “And that is?”

  “I should never leave your side.”

  The brunet froze on his position, stopping his movements. He fiddled with the folded clothes. “Aren’t you doing that already?”

  When the other man said nothing, Kani looked up to reprimand him. Instead, the blond’s expression surprised him. No one looked at him like that, as if scolding him for not listening.

  “Ramayans’ instincts always catch me off guard,” he remarked and sat down on the edge of the bed instead. “What is it now?”

  “You required my protection. Isn’t that why you asked me to be your bodyguard?”

  Kani peeked at him through the hair shadowing his eyes and spoke sternly, “How do you want to do this then?”

  Karel towered before him and repeated the same words: “I must never leave your side.”

  Kani huffed. “Fine. Stick to me until you get tired of me.”

  I won’t, Kani.

  The caravan safely arrived in Weissdel from Norn and they boarded the cargo ship to Shimhazril. Like he promised, Karel never left Kani’s side and he could tell how the others exchanged looks.

  As they spent their first night of voyage in the cabin, Karel stayed awake and watched.

  Past midnight, he heard steps coming towards them and peeked an eye open. One among the bodyguards approached them warily, seemingly looking for something.

  “Is there anything you need?” Karel’s low voice rang out in the cabin and the man shrieked.

  “No… no! Nothing!” he replied and stepped back.

  Karel eyed the others squirming in their positions while faking their sleep.

  How pretentious.

  He looked over at Kani near him, still sound asleep.

  Maybe it was the right thing after all.

  They arrived earlier than they thought and everyone unloaded the cargo from the ship as Karel and Kani went to the inspector ahead.

  “There are new protocols,” the inspector said, skimming through the documents. “Only a person can accompany you beyond this point and the remaining people will have to remain here until your return.”

  “They are my helpers in moving my goods.”

  “I apologize. I’m merely following orders.”

  He received the papers back and tucked it inside his case. “Why the sudden change of protocols though?”

  “They are hunting down the brigands.”

  “Brigands?”

  “The government limited the access to outsiders entering to narrow down their targets. This will be implemented until they are arrested.”

  Kani sighed in defeat. “I understand. I hope they will arrest them then.”

  His group talked about the arrangement they needed to change and what Cashile would do ter on if they couldn’t return on time.

  Cashile hummed. “We can send the goods to the Eastern States through this route and return to Astadvran using the same route.”

  “It’s a long journey.”

  Cashile nodded. “But, it will take a longer time if we accompany you here in Shimhazril.”

  “That’s also true.” Kani hummed thoughtfully. “We can distribute the goods then. Deliver the others to the Eastern States while Karel and I will do the rest here in Shimhazril. Then, wait for us in Weissdel. If we haven‘t returned within the timeframe we indicated, return to Norn. You know what to do.”

  “Yes, I understand, Master.”

  “I will see you by then.”

  They parted ways at the port city of Dahar. Kani and Karel stayed for a day to prepare for their journey to the deserts towards the capital city of the Shirazi Kingdom.

  Karel secured their goods and Kani noticed how deft his hands were. “You are good at this.”

  “I have to learn it despite my status. An extra skill.”

  “You’re not pampered as I initially thought you’d be.”

  Karel chuckled. “Don’t judge a book by its cover, Kani.”

  No calluses or scars appeared on the blond’s hands but if he’s not a Ramayan, a lot of it would have littered them.

  “You’re in a trance again.”

  His eyes slightly twitched. “I’m not.”

  “Preoccupied, then.”

  Kani turned around to also load his things onto the beast’s back.

  “Leave that to me. Inspect the other things instead. We’re going soon, right?”

  “As soon as we could.”

  “Tell me about Shimhazril.”

  Kani peeked at him then looked forward. They’re already a few miles away from the port city, going in further towards the deserts.

  The Shimhazril Desert, known as the rgest desert in all of Trojka, composed of desert areas both arid and semi-arid, grassnds and tree savannas scattered along the way and tropical rainforests in the southeast. The four existing kingdoms divided the nds among themselves and coexisted harmoniously for thousands of years.

  The desert dwellers also revered The Heavenly One who founded the Enaryus Religion and the rgest, main temple, known as the Great Temple of Ena, stood at the four borders of the kingdoms. Devotees from all over Grantierra did pilgrimage every two years to the said religious site.

  “I don’t think I’m going to like it here.”

  “I don’t really believe in the said religion, knowing how they pushed Astadvran to a corner under the guise of being unfaithful to their god. Besides, my kin worshiped the Goddess Keoki more than anything else and until my death, I won’t change my belief.”

  The blond nodded. “Goddess Keoki, the seventh seat of the Twelve Heavenly Pilrs, the one who taught agriculture and the caretaker of flora and fauna.”

  Kani smiled while looking at the distance. “How knowledgeable. And here I thought you don’t believe in such beings.”

  Karel turned silent at the off-handed comment and it reminded him of the Ramayan Civil War. He saw a Heavenly Winged up close before and their presence shook him to the core. They might be divine beings but others had cimed they could be ruthless if they willed it to be.

  The Archwinged, composed of the Twelve Heavenly Pilrs, rarely left the Heavens due to the absence of the Originals1Originals, also known as the Prvotni, are the three major gods serving the Heavenly Emperor and the superiors of the Heavenly Pilrs. Two of them disappeared alongside the Heavenly Emperor during the Great Immortal War and only the youngest among them remained in the Heavens.. Meaning, the Archknights2Archknights are the 15 knights belonging to the Heavenly Order and only answer to the calls of the Heavenly Pilrs and the Prvotni. were sent to monitor the situation in Ramaya then.

  “Karel?”

  “Yes?”

  “Are you alright? You suddenly turned quiet.”

  He tightened the hold on the reins. “I just remembered something. What are we talking about again?”

  “The Heavenly Winged.”

  “Yes. Kritios is what they call the worship of the original gods and Enaryus for the religion which ter on emerged.”

  Kani nodded. “We don’t have enough written records since the Cataclysmic Flood3The Cataclysm, more known as the Cataclysmic Flood, is an unprecedented great flood which swept the whole of Trojka after The Great Immortal War. happened. Many have said, the Goddess Neith, known for her control over waters, the seas and storms included, flooded Trojka because she wept for someone. Some assumed it was her lover, some said it was a dear friend, it may have been the Heavenly Emperor too. We actually don’t know.”

  “How tragic.”

  “Indeed. They said gods should control their emotions or else who knows what might happen to us here in the mortal realm.”

  Karel turned silent at that. Somehow, the said story piqued his interest. He mentally took note to look for it in Ramaya ter on, hoping that the few old books that survived the test of time would help him.

  “Trojka is vast, I could tell as much. Are there any more stories?”

  Kani chuckled. “I’ll try my best to tell you what I know then.”

  They arrived in the capital city of Shirazi Kingdom after three days of continuous traveling.

  Karel felt awed at the desert beasts they borrowed in the port town. Aside from the camels, said beasts became a means of transportation after being domesticated. They carried bulky goods around the desert without any problem and were preferred traveling companions by most travelers.

  Karel wanted to study them but the empire already had far more advanced transportation.

  For a pet then? Someone would definitely find them interesting.

  As he mulled over the matter, they passed by the inspection gates and Kani led them to the store.

  “After dropping this at our branch store, we should change our clothing. With the current situation, we’ll be here in Shimhazril for a few months and we must blend in.”

  Karel looked down on himself and the thought of being nearly naked somehow annoyed him. “I still need to cover up a little. I’m not used to their… garments.”

  Kani chuckled. “A little shy, aren’t you?”

  “I’m more used to military uniforms.” He pointed at himself. “Covered all over except for my face.”

  “And Ramaya has a cold climate, hence, it’s not an issue having several yers of clothing.”

  “There’s also that. Besides, we can control our body temperatures to adapt.”

  “How convenient,” Kani muttered.

  They went back to the guest room near the back of the store after sorting out the goods and Kani gave Karel the Shimhazrilian clothing. The blond nearly choked seeing how sheer the inner garments were. He seemed fine with the chaleco and outer clothes but this sheer thing? The thought of wearing it somewhat annoyed him.

  “Are you fine wearing this kind of clothing?” he incredulously asked the brunet, slightly crumpling the hem of the clothes.

  Kani then turned towards him. A tight shirt hugged his lithe figure and wore loose-ended pants.

  Karel cleared his throat and looked away. “This is too much for me.”

  The brunet smiled at him and snatched the clothes away. He tossed it to the side and rummaged through his suitcase instead. He bought clothes beforehand and some turned out loose for him. With Karel’s figure a bit bulkier than his, it would definitely fit him.

  It’s a good thing I brought them, he thought with a smile on his face.

  When Kani found the clothes to give to the other man, Karel had already stripped down to his undergarments and wore a tight undershirt. Kani also noticed the tight band on his neck but asked nothing about the conspicuous choker neckce on his person despite his curiosity and gave him the clothes.

  Karel then turned around and finally stripped off the tight upper garment of his and Kani blushed at the sight of his well-toned back muscles. In his panic, he turned around again, chest heaved at the sight of the other man’s figure.

  Kani fiddled with the ornaments to be attached to his clothes and thought about how he interacted with men before.

  Most of the people working under him consisted of males, and only a few females tending to the other matters. He had seen a lot of them half-naked, flexing their muscles during work and he never reacted like this.

  How come when it came to Karel, he always flushed like a maiden who saw a handsome man for the first time?

  A handsome man?

  He won’t admit aloud—Karel, for him, exuded the gentleman aura and his subtle touches electrified him for reasons he wished not to know. Even his taller, reliable figure assured him every time.

  “This will do. Are you ready now?”

  He jolted on his position and slightly peeked at Karel. He wore a tight turtleneck sleeveless shirt, discarded the choker and wore the same loose pants.

  “Do you need help?”

  Kani snapped out of his stupor and clutched more onto the ornaments in his hands. Karel helped him wear the belts and other dangling ornaments on his person and even offered to braid his hair for him to move conveniently.

  “Give me that ribbon. I’ll weave it to your hair.”

  Kani wordlessly gave him the ribbon and after braiding his hair, Karel put on the ornaments to hide his elven ears. He pulled the hooded cloak from the side and let it fall atop the brunet’s shoulders.

  As they finished dressing themselves up, loud shouts erupted from the streets, causing the nearby beasts to howl in distress at the sudden commotion.

  Kani went to the nearby gates while Karel calmed the beasts down. They heard thereafter, just when the knights ran by, “Catch that man! He’s one of the brigands!”

  The two men looked at each other, hoping to never encounter these people.

  “Are there more notable myths or legends you’ve known? Like what you’ve told me on our way to Shirazi.”

  “The Heavenly Pilrs, yes?” Kani hummed. “During the Great Immortal War 80,000 years ago, the immortals fought against the Heavenly Winged.”

  “I’ve also heard of this from word of mouth.”

  “You might have, knowing the Ramayans led us to war.”

  He nodded.

  “That war nearly tore the continent of Ramaya apart, like what they’ve said to us, and the Ramayan Prince had to unite us to fight the common enemy.”

  “Interesting. Any other points that stood out?”

  “They said the First Ramayan Prince, the only son of the Ramayan Queen Raise4Raise, pronounced as /rai/-/se/, was the first Ramayan Queen. She's considered as a unique entity in Trojka and had sealed herself in the Raise Ridge during the Great Immortal War., fought in the lead with two great men who could rival the Heavenly Winged, accompanied by a fallen divine familiar of the Heavens and the great dragon overseeing the Herensuge Canyons.”

  Karel smiled to himself. “I love stories like these.”

  Kani smiled in return. “The others said it was a legend, but some insisted that it definitely happened.”

  “Then?”

  “They fought tooth and nail against each other—Immortals against the Heavenly Winged. It took three Crusades5Crusade is the term coined by the Mienshi referring to the war of the Heavenly Winged, the Mienshi by extension, against the immortals. until the Heavenly Winged retreated for good and the Mienshi6Mienshi, also known as the race of the Lesser Winged, was founded by the Heavenly One. All of them are mortals who ascended to godhood. was established alongside the emergence of Enaryus Religion thereafter.”

  “And the reason why they fought?”

  He shook his head. “We don’t know.”

  Karel hummed. “What if it was connected to that person the Goddess Neith wept for?”

  “Oh! Now that you’ve mentioned it, the Cataclysmic Flood happened after all that.”

  “What?”

  “Yes! After the Heavenly Winged retreated, something happened in Ramaya and the Ramayan Prince retreated elsewhere, leaving his position to his descendants.” He hummed thoughtfully. “I don’t remember the exact years after that… but yes, just a few years, not at least twenty, I suppose? Then, the Cataclysmic Flood happened without precedence.”

  “The descendants part… I remember the rulers after Queen Raise descended from the Sins7 Sins, also known as the Cardinal Sins, were the seven Ramayans born from the First Ramayan Prince's overwhelming power. They took over Ramaya after the Great Immortal War and re-established the Kingdom of Ramaya..”

  “Sins…” He leaned back while muttering the name to himself. “I mean, you should have known this since it’s connected to Ramaya.”

  Karel sighed. “Our records were also caught up in the deluge. Besides, not all verbal history spoke of truth and it could become somehow distorted because of misinformation too. We only knew our family tree at least, but still we don’t know whose child is this and that, vice versa. We couldn’t track them all down.”

  Kani nodded. “I believe so, knowing the vast history of the Ramayans. They’re the oldest beings here aside from the dragons after all.

  “My kin and the other immortals emerged ter on when the Heavenly Emperor deemed the southern nds of Ramaya empty and pced us there.”

  “That’s interesting.”

  “True. It makes me wonder why the Heavenly Emperor suddenly vanished before the Great Immortal War happened. If he was still here, do you think he could have stopped the war?”

  Karel looked at the distance. “Perhaps.”

  He shrugged. “That’s right. We don’t know. He might also have sparked the same war because,” he gestured, “just because.”

  “I like your theories about this story though.”

  Kani ughed. “Really? It’s my first time telling someone these stories since my mother passed away.”

  Silence.

  Kani then awkwardly cleared his throat. “I loved those stories when I was a child and brought them with me in my adulthood. It reminded me that the world is wide and a lot of things happen around us even without us knowing.”

  “Now that you’ve said it, that might be the reason why you decided to be a merchant?”

  Kani looked at him in disbelief. “How…”

  “Did I hit it right?”

  “I actually wanted to travel around but I cked money to do so.” He gestured with his arms open then a bright smile painted his face. “Then I was offered an education about merchanting by my paternal family and my efforts resulted in this.”

  “And because of your success, you get to travel around.”

  He ughed again.

  Unknowingly, the melodious ughter began to take root in Karel’s mind.

  Kani looked at him, a giddy expression on his face. “And I get to meet you too, another traveler desiring to see what Trojka has to offer.”

  Karel grinned before turning to him. “I’m in your capable hands, Kani.”

  He proudly announced, “I won’t disappoint you!”