Mila groaned, feeling her chest a bit heavy as she opened her eyes to see that she was in what looked to be a small cabin bedroom made of nothing but wood. Seeing herself in a bed, she forced herself up on the bed, but stumbled and was about to fall onto her face with the wooden floor at her feet. Waiting for the impact, she then felt the same warm arms wrap around her. Unsure of how long it had been since she had last been in those warm arms that she missed so much.

"You are in so much trouble." She looked up in front of her to see ZH looking down at her with his mask still on like it was usually. His hair was tied back with his cloak on as if he had just returned from somewhere. Knowing that he was likely angry inside since she had done a lot of things while he was gone. Even though she could not see his full face, she knew for some reason that he was angry with her and for what she did without his presence there.

"W-When did you get here?" Mila was carried back to the bed where she still had no clue about where she was currently at. Being set down, he had the blankets covering her small body that looked like it could be scarred by a little fall. Mila noticed that she was wearing her nightgown, but figured ZH didn't change her.

"Tell me, why did you decide to use that method? Rather... why did you use the spell that is forbidden to use?" ZH looked to Mile while pulling a chair out to sit out near the bed.

"I knew that I wouldn't be able to make it in time to save my father since I was locked in a room that is still much stronger than my mana. I couldn't just let him die like that. On top of that, Leo is my dear brother who raised me as well." Mila didn't want to make ZH mad, but she loved her two most beloved families who took care of her. She had doubted them in the past, but this time she had no intentions of letting them out of her life.

"Why did you resort to using your soul to reach them though?! You could've died if Tim wasn't there to stabilize your soul with your body!" ZH angrily knew that Mila was going to try to avoid telling him the truth about using the forbidden spell, but he didn't want her to die and leave him alone after what they had been through for the last few years. After all, he chose her from the very beginning. 'What does this girl think that she is doing?! Does she not value her life so much that she would risk it all the time for everyone else?! Has she ever thought about how others would think about it if she just kept doing that?!' Felt as though Mila was not thinking about how others would feel if she were to disappear one day with no single trace or word left about her.

"ZH, I've already lost one person." Mila grabbed onto ZH's hand that rested on her bedside, not knowing that she would start feeling emotional. "Do you think I can stand to lose another?" Mila at this point broke down, allowing the tears to pour out this time. Her mask lay on the bedside table where a single butterfly had flown and landed without either of the two sensing it.

ZH had forgotten that she still cared about Ambrose, the other person who stood by her side which was still him. 'I want to tell you so much that you haven't lost anyone. You are not alone in this world. If you were alone, then I would take you away from all the loneliness just to make you happy in the end by my side.' He held her by the cheek, making her look at him while wiping her tears away. "Mila, I am-"

"You're finally awake." The door to the room opened up with Sara entering in with a tray of food that she made in a hurry once she knew that Mila had woken up. "Here, have some." Sara placed the tray onto the bed, knowing that her young lady would still be weak from barely having anything to eat for the last few days that she had been unconscious. Once Sara had left, Mila felt that she was forgetting about something. Her mind then clicked to the thought of ZH about to tell her something before Sara came in to give her food to eat.

"ZH, what did you want to tell me?" Mila asked, hoping that it wasn't rude of her to forget about their previous conversation.

"...nothing." ZH decided to help feed Mila, thinking about telling her another time when the moment was perfect.

"You don't need to." She sniffled making sure that no snot would get in the way. 'I don't want ZH to get his clothes dirty.' Feeling a bit embarrassed that she was eating in front of him, hoping that she would not look ugly while eating.

"It's been too long since I last saw you and spent time with you. Are you going to push me away again?" ZH asked, looking at Mila with a look as though a puppy was about to be abandoned.

Mila huffed, looking to see how it was hard to push him away. "Alright, fine." Eating from the spoon with the taste of the simple and easy digestive soup that could fill her empty stomach. Mila couldn't help but feel happy that ZH was with her at this moment. "Where are we?" She then decided to ask after finishing most of her food on the tray.

"I brought you and your comrades to my cabin which lies along the end of Mireraweth kingdom's territory." ZH did not think that Mila was done eating yet. Feeling as though she needed to eat more of her food on the meal tray.

"Why do you have a cabin near the end of Mireraweth kingdom?" Mila could see that he was not intending to stop feeding her the rest of the food on the tray until she finished every last thing on it. 'This guy.'

(-_-)

"Sometimes, you just need more than one place to stay at times." ZH fed her again. "You should know the most out of everyone else who knows me." Saying after she swallowed the food since it seemed as though she could choke on it if he said it too soon.

Finishing up, Mila smiled seeing how ZH was always there at the most crucial part of her life. "How do you always end up finding me?" She now wondered how he could always find her so easily. 'It makes it seem as though I don't hide better. Makes me rather worried that I am not doing a good job with hiding my traces.'

"That's another secret." ZH figured that she would ask him, but he did not want to tell her so soon about their connection. 'Sorry Mila, but I cannot tell you anything about this connection between you and me yet.' Knowing that it wasn't fair for her, but he did not want her to try and tell him to end it. He did not wish to lose her so soon.

"Mmm... secrets after secrets! Why can't you ever tell me one of them?!" Mila huffed, looking away and seeing how ZH held a bit of guilt in his eyes for keeping such secrets. "Hey, when you are ready then you can tell me." Mila sighed, seeing how he could put on such a face. 'You're just lucky that I am nice to you. Too nice to be exact.' Wanting to just slap herself with the thought of trying to be a little harsher on ZH. "In return for the secret, carry me." Mila held her hands out, turning her head away in shyness for such a childish request.

ZH went ahead carrying Mila as they left the room, he did not feel any need to be shy since he wanted to show the world that she belonged to him. Mila on the other hand had been curious about where they specifically were.

'I wonder how everyone is right now. Even father and Leo who may have reached the Maedda kingdom by now.' Mila started to think about the possibility of her father and Leo making it to the Maedda kingdom with the same thought of them being caught all at once. Hoping that Aiken did not toss them into his kingdom's prison in any way with the thought that they could be spies sent by the Mireraweth kingdom.

"Mila, you should be resting." Tim rushed over, seeing how she looked far better than before. Still, with the concern thoughts that lingered on in his head since she had given everyone a scare when she collapsed all of a sudden. "You don't feel sick or dizzy?" Going ahead, he started to check her mana and soul to see if both were stabilized with her body with good compatibility between them all.

"Nope, I'm okay!" Mila smiled, seeing how worried everyone was for her once again. "Thank you for taking care of me!" Looking at them all, their faces already gave away that they did not want the same thing to happen again. "Don't worry. I'm that weak. After all, I cannot leave any of you behind." Turning to look out the window, Mila saw that it was raining during this time of day.

"It's been raining for the past two days when you were unconscious," ZH mentioned Mila keeping her gaze looking to the window.

"I didn't think that it would be raining. Seems a bit strange, but it's good that we found you." Mila smiled, to him seeing ZH was still the same. 'Although, it makes it seem as though the gods are trying to help me out. No one can be able to trace me, my family, and friends during this type of weather.'

[Mama!!!! Let me out!!!! I want to see papa!!!!] Kate was yelling, making Mila wince to the pain in her head to hear Kate shout out so strongly to get out and see ZH.

"Are you alright?" ZH saw Mila wince just at that moment, worriedly looking to see that it looked rather painful to bear.

"Kate..." Mila sighed with a little fox appearing out onto the wooden floor below them.

[Papa!!!!] Mila still didn't know that ZH could understand beasts of hers. Kate couldn't help but wagged her few tails behind her so excitedly with a great amount of joy in every action of hers.

"It's been a long time since I last saw Kate." ZH placed Mila down on the couch nearby. Kate went ahead, hopping into his arms while he petted her soft head.

"She always wants to see you." Mila laid back flat onto the couch, laying her hand onto her forehead. Tim and Thelma decided to have more herbs and medicine made for the journey. Emmett wanted Sara to rest since she was, after all, pregnant.

"Why does she always want to see me?" ZH already knew why, but he wanted to hear it from Mila.

"She thinks of me, and you are her mama and papa." Mila decided to just tell him since she was tired of being told all the time by Kate.

"Oh, then does it mean that she's our first child?"

Mila was just staring at ZH making herself feel annoyed that she told him something that he could use against her. "Whatever." She turned away to lay on her side, but then heard footsteps approach from behind her.

"Do you not care?" She saw his hand land flat beside her head. Turning to look up and see his face was so close to hers. "Would it mean that something is waiting for us in the future?" ZH questioned, looking down at Mila.

It felt like the time there just paused for them both. Mila didn't know why, but she didn't stop ZH from moving closer to her.