In the morning, the small elderly lady pushed a cart taller than her own body towards Nakai and Wang Bao’s room, her aged hand tapped against the door lightly and Wang Bao answered, his hair a mess after a comfortable full night's rest. Seeing Wang Bao made the old lady smile widely before she pushed her way into the room. Wang Bao was a little surprised at the entrance and was almost pushed aside by a lady thrice his age and half his height. Wang Bao barely had time to close the door when the elderly lady started talking.

 

“I got rid of your clothing and bought you two thome new wonth, I altho made your breakfath.”

 

Nakai was lazing in bed with the sheet covering only what it needed to cover. He seemed unbothered by the fact that the old lady had thrown away a military uniform worth more than her land, while Wang Bao was heated over clothing he had stolen in the first place. The elderly woman took a small pile of clothes from the bottom tray of the cart and waddled over to Wang Bao, continuing to talk while she moved.

 

“I knew a man who looked thimilar to you. If I’m not mithaken that man thould be your Father. Which would altho mean you thould be wearing more tidy attire.”

 

Wang Bao froze as the elderly lady stared up at him, she firmly held the clothes against Wang Bao’s chest until he took them, then she made her way back to the cart. Wang Bao finally came back to his senses and was about to help her carry Nakai’s clothes since he knew how heavy they were, but the elderly lady was able to lift them with ease. When she got to Nakai, her voice was almost whining like a child.

 

“You promithed me you would take me to the palath the next time we met.”

 

Nakai took the clothing from the lady with tender hands and placed them on the bed before cupping the lady’s face in one hand, his voice sounded genuine when he replied.

 

“I will but I’m not headed to the palace this time.”

 

“You thaid that lath time.”

 

The elderly lady’s head looked like a grape when compared to such a large hand, and it confused Wang Bao to no end seeing the two people in front of him act like this. Without missing a beat, Nakai consoled the elderly lady.

 

“I swear, once I’m done with this task, I’ll come back and personally escort you to my palace and anywhere else you want to go. Okay?”

 

The elderly lady blushed as she couldn't stop grinning and agreed without hesitation. Wang Bao watched the scene before him with even more deep confusion. Finally after a few more sweet words aimed at Nakai, his guns were placed on the bed then the elderly lady left. Wang Bao couldn’t help but ask.

 

“How are you on such good terms with her?”

 

Nakai skipped around the question by asking his own.

 

“Aren’t you more concerned with how she knows who you are?”

 

Wang Bao paused before talking without confidence.

 

“My Father was well loved among the citizens. There was a time when he would stroll around random neighbourhoods and help whoever asked for it. It’s not too surprising for someone of her age to have some form of remembrance of what my Father looked like back then.”

 

There was a short silence before Nakai asked another question.

 

“Do you know why your brother ran away?”

 

Wang Bao felt a pain in his chest from the question and remained silent, Nakai didn’t push either and they both dressed themselves in silence. Wang Bao was dressed in a simple straight leg pant with a casual button shirt, the colours for both items were black and made his pale complexion appear more. The clothing was simple but was better than his mix of maid attire he had picked in a hurry. Nakai’s clothing was similar to his military uniform but better suited for day wear. His dark grey cargo pants and black shirt were baggy enough to hide the majority of his muscles, making him seem younger. After dressing, Wang Bao dug into his egg toast without shame while Nakai checked his pocket in his pants because he felt a small weight that shouldn’t be in new clothes. To his surprise he pulled out the small dagger he had taken from the dungeons in the palace, he had forgotten about the small weapon and tossed it to Wang Bao, the cold metal landed beside him on the large chair he was sitting on. Wang Bao didn’t bother to look since he was too hungry and asked.

 

“What is it?”

 

“A dagger. You stab people with it.”

 

Wang Bao quickly looked down then grabbed the small weapon.

 

“Why are you giving me this, aren’t you afraid I’ll stab you?”

 

Nakai sat down and picked his cutlery up, not giving Wang Bao any eye contact while he scoffed.

 

“As if you could.”

 

Wang Bao chuckled darkly before speaking with a full mouth. His fork pointed towards Nakai’s thigh.

 

“How’s your leg?”

 

. . . . . .

 

After their meal, the duo left the inn. They walked along the main street of the small town, small self-driving cars passed them while Wang Bao looked around. The town folk all seemed to be on good terms with Nakai while not knowing of Wang Bao’s existence. After the fifth person greeted Nakai with a warm hello, Wang Bao couldn’t stop himself from speaking up, his tone much more bitter than he realised.

 

“Why do these townsfolk know who you are? They even greet you as Prince Nakai. Don’t they know who their own Prince is?”

 

Nakai greeted a produce seller while listening to Wang Bao squabble. The man quickly handed over a bag of fresh fruit and a bottle of freshly made juice. Like everyone else the man didn’t acknowledge Wang Bao, who was standing right beside Nakai. After taking a large gulp of the purple juice, Nakai answered back lazily.

 

“Like I said before, this isn’t my first time in Man Country. I can’t answer why no one knows who you are though, that’s your own problem.”

 

“Let’s hurry up and leave, we should leave Man Country as soon as possible.”

 

Wang Bao was feeling bitter over the fact that an outsider was receiving more love from the citizens compared to their own Prince, but he knew it was better if nobody recognised him. If his Mother caught wind of where he was then it would mean the end of his life. Nakai simply rolled his eyes before talking.

 

“Fine, there is a freight line that runs through this town. There isn’t any form of security as it’s self driven. We can ride the line to T city on the border of Man Country.”

 

This was the first time Wang Bao had heard of this city and he followed behind Nakai, taking in more of the sights as they walked, he also wondered if there was anything else he didn’t know about his own country. Along their walk Wang Bao noticed how the people in the town were smaller than the people born in the royal city but their smiles seemed more genuine, their houses were also made of wood while Wang Bao had only seen houses made from stone and metal. Seeing his own people live a life he was unfamiliar with felt both refreshing and strange, he couldn’t help but think out loud.

 

“I’ve lived in this country my whole life but a total stranger is more familiar with this land. I wonder if Lei was ever as naive as me.”

 

Nakai mumbled under his breath without Wang Bao noticing.

 

“Maybe your naivety is what kept you alive.”

 

By the time Nakai had led them to the railway, the sun had reached its peak. The warmth was becoming too much and Wang Bao wiped his sweaty forehead. Wang Bao was too used to spending time inside and felt uncomfortable with only a little exposure to the sun. Nakai on the other hand seemed fine even though his clothing was heavier and darker. While pointing at the train tracks behind them, Nakai spoke clearly.

 

“The line doesn’t stop so we’ll need to jump it. You should run first since you're slower.”

 

Wang Bao felt like he couldn’t catch a break as he saw the line come around a bend a far distance away. He clutched his bag tightly before he moved his legs into a light jog, he could hear the train nearing his back and he picked up speed. Wang Bao’s legs burned even though he had only been running for a short amount of time. Nakai was practically fast walking behind Wang Bao while he tried to pick up speed. The front of the line passed by with high speed followed by the first carriage. Wang Bao felt his face drip with sweat and he pushed his body to run faster, finally he saw a gap between two carriages for him to jump onto close in. Without thinking he leaped sideways, Wang Bao clung to the metal rail jutting out and lifted his aching legs. 

 

Nakai jumped next and held onto the top of the train while sliding the cargo door open. Unfortunately Wang Bao’s hands were slippery from sweat, making holding both the rail and bag near impossible. Nakai shouted over the loud wind whipping past their ears.

 

“Hurry and get in.”

 

“My hands are slipping.”

 

Wang Bao’s voice wasn’t as loud as Nakai’s as he struggled to fix his grip, his feet had also lost their balance and suddenly slipped off of the small area he had been standing on. Wang Bao shouted out of fear but before his hands dropped him to his death, Nakai reached out, wrapping one arm around Wang Bao’s waist and jumping into the cargo container. 

 

It took a couple seconds for Wang Bao to react as he tried to catch his breath, his head rested on Nakai until he felt the Giant move. Wang Bao quickly slid off and thanked him quietly before checking over his own body, thankful that his money filled bag was still intact. Nakai silently stood up and closed the door. The carriage was put into darkness because of the lack of windows and it took a while for Wang Bao’s eyes to adjust. In the darkness he could make out where the large cargo containers were and sat down, leaning back against the hard cargo. Nakai did the same against the wall of the container. There was silence between them for a long while before Nakai spoke up, his low voice reverberating around the steel carriage.

 

“The line will run for three days with one stop tomorrow in T city. We can leave and buy supplies then come back before it runs again.”

 

Silence met Nakai’s words, when Wang Bao replied his voice held a little judgement.

 

“How do you know my brother?”

 

“It’s better if you hear from him when the two of you meet.”

 

Wang Bao felt the dagger in his pocket and had the urge to stab Nakai. He felt frustrated whenever he thought about how Wang Lei had lied to him. The cause of death of his Father, the war between Giant’s and his disappearance had all been a lie. Wang Bao didn’t want to know if there were more lies to add to the list. Nakai rested his head back before speaking again.

 

“You should know that Wang Lei wanted to bring you, whenever we met he wouldn’t shut up about you. It was quite annoying actually.”

 

Wang Bao didn’t respond after that and Nakai didn’t speak either, they rode the line until the stop that Nakai had talked about in complete silence. As soon as they felt the train slow to a stop,they quickly exited the carriage before the workers could come over and exited the factory station. T city was the smallest city in Man country, responsible for crafting new technology. Nakai looked around the empty station as they walked down and whispered to Wang Bao.

 

“We should move quickly, although the further we are from the Palace the safer we are. You’ve been missing for four days now and it wouldn’t be surprising for a notice to be put out across the country.”

 

“I doubt Mother would send out a notice about me. She most likely doesn’t know I’m gone anyway.”

 

Nakai was walking along the empty tracks before looking back at Wang Bao, Nakai could see his gaze was complicated but he didn’t say anything. They quickly walked along the tracks until they came across a gate that led to the city streets. The atmosphere was the complete opposite from the small town they had passed through yesterday, and it wasn’t uncommon for people to shout profanities at Nakai. The news of the war between the two countries had stirred up many people but Wang Bao didn’t think people would react in this way. Nakai looked unbothered as he carried on walking down the busy street. Wang Bao couldn’t take much more after a young man shouted across the street, he looked at Nakai and asked.

 

“Why don’t you say something?”

 

Wang Bao couldn’t understand someone as powerful as Nakai sitting back and taking the abuse thrown at him, if they were in the royal city these citizens would be arrested. Nakai only shrugged his shoulders in response before they arrived at a farmer’s market. They stopped at the gates where people were coming and going. Nakai pointed at Wang Bao’s bag holding his money.

 

“Take your money and buy some food. Buy as much as you can carry then walk to the end of the market, you’ll see a park. I’ll meet you there.”

 

Fear instantly fell on Wang Bao’s face when he heard they would split up.

 

“Why aren’t you coming with me?”

 

“You saw how everyone has treated me here, if I try to buy groceries here we will garner unwanted attention. Hurry.”

 

Nakai walked away without giving Wang Bao time to refute. Despite his fear, Wang Bao knew this was for the better and clutched his bag tightly. Wang Bao felt he was experiencing many firsts as he strolled past the busy vendors. Their shouts all merged into a jumble of noise scaring him at first, but he quickly grew used to the loud noise. First on Wang Bao’s list was meat. He walked for a while around the crowded stalls before coming across a vendor selling preserved foods, meat included. The containers were filled with different beasts and birds all soaking in a brine or oil while others were dried or smoked. Wang Bao looked at the wide variety before buying one of each. The vendor was happy to make such a large sale and happily gave Wang Bao a discount as well as a bottle of his homemade sauce.

 

After the quick purchase, the cloth bag holding the meat sat heavily on Wang Bao’s shoulder as he carried on shopping. Wang Bao wasn’t well versed with cooking, but he was set on finding foods that would age well since he didn’t know where their journey would take them. The next spot to catch Wang Bao’s eye was a vendor selling various root vegetables. There were so many colours and varieties Wang Bao had never seen before that he didn’t know what to pick. The vendor of the stool could see Wang Bao’s struggle, he was a man similar in age to Wang Bao, a friendly smile sitting on his face while he asked.

 

“Anything in particular you want, sir? If you’re after a certain flavour I can help you choose what’s best suited.”

 

Wang Bao scratched his head before admitting his lack of know-how.

 

“Hehe, I actually don’t know much when it comes to this sort of stuff. I only know I need things that will last a long time and a lot of it.”

 

The man nodded his head as he started filling a small produce bag for Wang Bao, asking as he worked.

 

“You're headed on a trip alone?”

 

“Uh, no. I’m with.. a... friend.”

 

Wang Bao didn’t know how to label Nakai and paused for a second, he hoped the vendor didn’t notice and waited patiently while more produce was added. The man weighed the bag before saying the price followed by another question.

 

“$22. 45. Where are you headed? Not many people pass through this city to get to where they’re going.”

 

The question felt a little off to Wang Bao and he struggled to come up with an answer. The man noticed this and held the bag out. When Wang Bao tried to take the bag the vendor didn’t let go and his heart jumped a little. All of a sudden the vendor started talking in a quiet voice.

 

“My Dad couldn’t find work here since he was more of a literary man, he preferred books and writing to factory and farm work. The old King hired him close to twenty years ago. I remember one year he visited my Dad during the holidays to thank him for his hard work. It was so long ago yet I still remember his face.”

 

The vendor tightened his grip briefly before letting go. Wang Bao tried to hide his anxiety as he handed over the money but it was pushed back into his chest.

 

“Pay me back by telling my Dad to come back home once you return to the palace.”

 

“O-Of course.”

 

Wang Bao gave a light bow before scurrying back to the crowd; His heart was racing as he pushed his way towards the far end of the market. Once he felt he was far enough, Wang Bao stepped to a less crowded area and caught his breath. Even though people were staring at him with judging expressions, Wang Bao whispered to himself while crouching down.

 

“Why are people recognizing me?”

 

After finally being recognised by his own people, Wang Bao quickly realised it was best when he was seen as a simple citizen. After taking a few more deep breaths, Wang Bao felt a little better but still on edge. I better get back to Nakai. The last food Wang Bao bought was a 5kg bag of mixed rice and two large bottles of water before exiting the market. His shoulders hurt from the heavy bags, his whole body was covered in sweat from both anxiety and the heavy load. Once he had covered a distance from the market he felt a relapse of anxiety. He couldn’t see Nakai anywhere in the park and he felt like more people were beginning to stare at him. Wang Bao felt his eyes water as he tried to breathe properly but it was proving difficult. He suddenly noticed a few men beginning to make their way over to him when Nakai tapped his sore shoulders, the Giant’s voice quiet but confused when asking. 

 

“What are you doing?”

 

Wang Bao almost dropped to the ground at the sound of Nakai’s voice from fear and he crouched down, finally able to breathe. Nakai looked around and noticed the people staring at them before he picked the bags up from the ground. 

 

“Let’s go somewhere quieter, there are too many people.”

 

After his minor freakout, Wang Bao’s body felt a little weak and his legs trembled as he walked. Once they reached a secluded area of the park, Nakai handed a small container of warm food to Wang Bao, talking while Wang Bao ate.

 

“There’s a small street that caters to different species here, I got a couple supplies while you were at the market. Eat quickly then we’ll leave.”

 

Nakai spoke as he loaded the food into a large backpack made for Giant’s. Wang Bao was grateful he didn’t need to carry the heavy load as well as for the warm meal. After mixing his barbecued meat with the pickled cabbage and rice, Wang Bao informed Nakai about the young man from the market. The news was concerning for Nakai and he asked quickly

 

“Did he look familiar?”

 

“No, I only knew a small number of people that worked for the King personally, but he didn’t seem familiar. I think it’s odd though. He said my Father personally visited his Father during the holidays. I almost can’t believe it”

 

“Why?”

 

Wang Bao paused his eating because of Nakai’s question but didn’t know how to answer.

 

“I-I can’t explain it but it’s odd and doesn’t make sense.”

 

Wang Bao was almost finished eating when the group of men Wang Bao had seen earlier walked over to them. The area Nakai had chosen to sit was empty of people when they arrived, with one look at the men he knew the group weren’t approaching them to ask for directions. Nakai quickly checked the time and saw they had 15 minutes to get back to the station without being noticed. Putting his bag on his back, Nakai stood up quickly.

 

“Get up Wang Bao, we’re leaving.”

 

The men were still a few tens of feet away when they saw Wang Bao stand up. Nakai let Wang Bao walk ahead while he stayed back a few steps, with their backs facing the group of men Wang Bao felt it left them in a vulnerable position but he was wrong.

 

As the head of the pack sprinted towards them, Nakai twisted on one heel, his long leg flew through the air and landed on the thug's chest, knocking the air out of him while also breaking a few ribs. Two of the four men close behind their leader instantly pulled guns out of their waist bands and aimed them at Wang Bao and Nakai. The man pointing his gun at Wang Bao didn’t show any signs of fear as he spoke.

 

“Hand over the bag of money and the chain around your neck. We won’t shoot if you cooperate.”

 

Wang Bao didn’t want to hand over anything. His chain was useless out of the palace but it was holding the key to his precious drawer and couldn’t bear to part with it. Nakai had counted 2 minutes passing since the scuffle had started, meaning they had only 13 minutes left. Knowing how much Wang Bao sucked at moving fast, he reacted for the two of them. The four men threatening them stepped forward impatiently in time for Nakai to reach up into his shirt, a band holding his guns hugged his waist firmly. The men held no chance as Nakai shot at their legs. The screams of the four men echoed around the park and Nakai didn’t waste any more bullets, placing his gun back instead. Wang Bao had simply blinked and the next thing he knew the four men threatening them were on the ground in agony.

 

“Wh-What happened?”

 

“We have to go.”

 

Nakai rushed Wang Bao towards the closest exit, leaving the screaming men behind. By the time they were back on the streets, Wang Bao was running in order to keep pace with Nakai’s long strides. They both ignored the rude words thrown towards them, even when a city guard approached them.

 

“Excuse me, Stop right there.”

 

The city guard was dressed in a black uniform Wang Bao didn’t recognise and the man called out behind them again, but neither Wang Bao or Nakai stopped. The guard shouted more while closing in behind them until a passer-by tripped Wang Bao. His body landed on the ground heavily before he felt his wrist be jerked back. The guard was red faced as he glared at Wang Bao.

 

“Caught you.”