They were at a table in the Café they had entered, Yuri had ordered two cups of tea for herself and Kaizer.

"I've been meaning to ask, but why are you, a prince, running away?" Yuri asked, before sipping on her tea. 

"Because my stepmother has been trying to kill me. I wanted to ask something as well: Why did you observe me in Arkal? "

"It's an old habit, don't fret it. Also, I'm supposed to believe that you can't defend against Assassins?"

Kaizer gulped down his tea in one go and said, "I can defend against assassinations, but I can't retaliate against, much less eliminate my stepmother."

"Why not?" 

"It would weaken our nation against... you?" As Kaizer seemed to have come to a sudden realization, he looked into Yuri's eyes. 

She tilted her head slightly and smirked before she laughed for a bit. "Do you wish to be Emperor?" 

"Im the only one who can prevent that woman from taking over the country by puppeteering her son, he'll also soon be of age, meaning she'll up the effort in trying to kill me. I realistically have no choice in the matter." 

"I see. Ignoring the fact that you've been blabbering out state secrets straight to the ruler of an enemy nation, I think you're forgetting one thing." Yuri's gaze became deeper as she locked onto Kaizer's eyes with hers. 

"W-Which is?" Kaizer asked, entranced in Yuris eyes. 

"I have no need for a moment of weakness to destroy Goran. I've just been very lenient towards your nation since I became Empress." Yuri showed her literal fangs, and bore a wide, evil smile at Kaizer. 

Seeing Yuri's scary side directed at him for the first time, Kaizer froze for a second, snapping out of it, he said "What about the Internal Conflicts of your nation?" 

"Are there any signs of internal conflict? Before I unified Kirznah, Goran was able to defend against the small scale forces the scattered patches of demon leaders were able to muster, but have I ever attacked your empire since then? You do not know the military might of a unified demon army."

Kaizer was intimidated. He realized the complacent stupidity that was given to him and his nation through the false peace. "I have no words. You're absolutely right."

"But that does not mean I wish for a war, I myself have previously found myself in similar circumstances as you do now. And I know the weight of responsibility upon your shoulders, should your words be true." 

"I see. So you are not a warmonger."

"Of course not, do I look like one?" 

"You did, just a second ago."

Ignoring him, Yuri continued, "Furthermore, why are you trying to kill a dragon, when your nation needs you?" 

"I want to get truly strong, so that I can put an end to my stepmothers schemes. I'm hoping that a dragons heart can help me with that."

"How old are you, Kaizer?"

"23, but didn't you know that already?"

Yuri kept quiet, sipping on her tea. 

___

As the moon shone onto the streets of Urzen, Kaizer, with his white hair that seemed to be glowing under the moonlight stepped out of the soldiers garrison in the middle of town and started walking into the dark streets. If you were looking from above, you could see Yuri on the rooftops trailing him. 

As he was walking by an alley, a pair of hands emerged from its shadows and pulled him into it. 

Yuri jumped down to the streets and entered the ally, to find nothing there.

She turned around and ran into the direction of the towns southern wall. 

She ran quickly, not slowing down as she approached the solid stone wall. 

With a snap of her fingers, she vanished and reappeared beyond the wall, resuming her running.

She ended up in the hills that laid next to the plain on the western side of town. 

Yuri got on top of a hill only to see at its base, what looked like a boy trying to kill Kaizer with a large knife. They both looked to be about equal in raw strength. Yuri watched both of them struggle for a bit. As Kaizer noticed her, he shouted "Help me, will you!?" 

"Yes!" Yuri exclaimed while starting to run down the hill. 

Yuri ran into the young man with full force, throwing him off Kaizer. 

The boy rolled on the ground and as he got up, he stretched out his right hand and ordered "Kill them!" 

From the ground around Kaizer and Yuri rose seven rotting corpses. 

Kaizer said, "My God... are these the missing people?" 

Yuri answered his worries, "Seemingly. Looks like our culprit is a necromancer. Don't worry about them, we can't help them anymore."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Can you take care of them? I'll deal with the kid." 

"How do I kill them?" 

"Their heads!" Yuri said, as she jumped over the encirclement and ran after the Boy, immediately being followed by 3 of the corpses. 

Kaizer didn't hesitate, pulling his longsword and lunging at one of the Corpses. 

As Kaizer dealt out a horizontal strike, the corpse caught his blade with its hand, slashing out at him with the dagger it was holding. 

Kaizer blocked the strike with his wrist guard and pulled his sword back, vertically slashing it at the corpse that was approaching him from his Right. The corpses head and upper body were cleaved in half by Kaizer's sword. Dropping to the ground, all its organs, blood, pus and other bodily fluids spilled out. 

Focusing on the Corpse in front of him, he stabbed it with his sword, not giving it any time to react, he impaled its ribcage and threw it to the ground. With a swift strike, Kaizer decapitated it and spun around to avoid the incoming strikes of the two corpses that had crept up behind him. 

One with a mace and the other with a sword, Kaizer swiftly jumped at the one with the mace and dealt a strike to it. 

Although the strike was blocked he jumped to its side, his sword rotating around the mace and cleanly chopping off the corpses hands.

With no more weapon to defend itself, Kaizer cleanly separated its head from its body by the neck. 

The corpse dropped to the ground and stepping over it, the corpse with the sword pulled its hands up for a strike onto Kaizer's head. Kaizer blocked the attack and kicked the corpses stomach, sending it to fall on its back.

Kaizer did not give the corpse time to stand up and drove his blade through its eye and into its brain. 

He heard a scream coming from the other side of a hill and went to check on it. 

What he saw was Yuri on top of the boy that had attacked him earlier, surrounded by the three corpses that had followed her, decapitated cleanly. She was restraining his hands and binding them with a rope. She snapped her fingers and got off of him. 

Yuri looked at Kaizer, who was splattered with blood and flesh, being illuminated by the moon. She signaled him to come to her. 

As Kaizer stepped next to Yuri looking at the boy, he rolled him over and said, "I wouldn't have expected a kid to be the kidnapper."

"Anything can happen." Yuri stated. 

"That's true, I suppose. We should bring him to the town prison immediately."

"No." Yuri said, "I'm keeping this one."

"What are you saying? He's killed seven people, if not more!"

"That's why, I'm sure he has his reasons. He also has magical talent. It would be a waste to let him die or rot in prison." 

Yuri snapped her fingers, and with a cold breeze of air, her shadow wriggled, and from behind her, a shadow stepped forth.

"Aren."

"Yes, my lord?"

"Take this boy to Elizabeth. She knows what to do." 

"Yes, my lord."

Aren picked up the boy, and vanished into the shadows of the hills with him. 

"Miss Yuri, how will we explain this to the town's administration?" 

"We don't need to. Gather up the corpses." 

___

Morning come, Yuri and Kaizer delivered the administration the seven warriors body's within bodybags made of Burlap and the message that the culprit had been killed during their fight. The administration easily accepted Yuri's explanation as they trusted in Knights. 

Yuri and Kaizer left Urzen the same day, some coin richer, going towards the last town before the border.