It was a long journey for the two guardians, crossing the border of the Templar territories. They faced issues with the authorities, specifically because Alicia hails from Free Thought. Initially, they were not allowed to cross the border until they showed the guardian emblems with the symbol of the broken sword. This not only identified them as members of that order of mercenaries but also granted them access to move freely throughout the continent of Grishland under the protection of the guardian country, despite their origins.

As they crossed the boundary between the two countries, they made stops to sleep and eat in some of the small rural villages they encountered along the way. Trisary never stood out as a large nation; in fact, it is by far the smallest in terms of territory on the entire continent.

They took longer than expected due to issues with Alicia's motorcycle, but on the fifth dawn, they managed to reach the Behemoth Bridge, which leads to the capital.

The suspension bridge measures thirty kilometers in length and thirty meters in width, held up by long steel cables on various pillars, at a height of 100 meters above the blue ocean. It has a pedestrian walkway, crowded with people trying to enter the capital, Glory.

Countless motorized vehicles, caravans, wagons, people on horseback, and on foot. They form lines that stretch on both ends of the bridge, to the point where the queue extends an extra kilometer from the entrance to the dirt road, progressing slowly, reaching up to three hours of waiting to enter the city.

The fragrance of engines, exotic food, sweat, and salty water is the preferred scent on the bridge, accompanied by all the hustle and bustle, making it difficult to clearly distinguish the sounds. People from all over the continent seek refuge in a neutral country, completely out of the war of the four creeds; under the protection of the broken sword.

The entrance to the city is covered by a massive wall, reaching fifty meters in height, covering the entire perimeter of the capital, which is located on a peninsula, crossing cliffs, mountains, and rivers in an immeasurable measure that has stood for hundreds of years, since the foundation of the guardians.

The wall has walls of baked brick six meters thick, with watchtowers rising on them. It is nearly impenetrable and the last challenge to overcome during the rebellion of the princes.

One of the bloodiest battles in the history of this country occurred on this bridge, where many guardians died, possessing a great variety of powers. Upon reaching the base of the wall, they found themselves in the painful situation of confronting a behemoth, familiar to some sorcerer loyal to the nobility.

The bones of the titanic beast, which housed the size of two elephants, are now used as decorations on the wall; the ribs surround the walkway, and the skull is placed above the grand gate, surrounded by rows of soldiers armed with assault rifles with bayonets as their main weapons and melee weapons like swords or axes on their belts, while their bodies are protected with plate armor, designed to withstand bullets, very similar to the attire of the Free Thought nation.

Drake and Alice move in the center of the immense sea of people, each on their respective slow”moving mounts, overwhelmed by the scent of humanity and the incessant noise of the population, as if they were lost in a market during a sale. They stopped talking during the wait, unable to communicate properly due to all the noise.

During the long journey, Alicia bought supplies from some street vendors: chocolate bars, small bags of nuts, and some strips of dried meat, which she shared with her crimson”armored companion, absorbed in his own thoughts.

Drake turns his head towards the vast expanse of salty and foamy water, faintly greenish, where several fishing boats sail. In the immense blue sky, flooded with an ocean of white clouds, the fierce wind blows rapidly, heralding the arrival of majestic zeppelins. They cut through the dense fog like giant swords, propelled by hydrogen engines. The armored ships navigate the white ocean, rulers of the realms of the skies.

These are some of the ships, mainly used for warfare or transporting goods in three of the creeds and in the mercenary country, Trisary. It is technology developed by Free Thought, then copied and adapted by the other creeds, implementing their own flying vessels.

Drake smiles with excitement, like a child full of dreams, at the sight of such engineering creations. He dreams of one day being able to board one of those ships when he reaches the gold rank. Flying in the clouds, getting lost in the sky, as a consolation for his childhood dream of riding a dragon, something left behind in his tender years.

The waiting time comes to an end; it is the turn of the two guardians to stand in front of the immense iron gate, surrounded by guards and automatic turrets at the top, accompanied by soldiers with snipers, all with rifles ready, pointing at those positioned on the city entrance platform.

The guardians halt their advance in front of a group of soldiers, and the one who seems to be the leader approaches calmly with an assault rifle resting on his shoulder, clad in light armor. He lifts the helmet visor, revealing the face of an older man with tanned skin, some wrinkles, and a thick beard dyed with white. What sets him apart from all the sentinels is that his left leg is a mechanical implant matching the armor. Alicia avoids looking at that mechanical limb at all times, focusing on the eyes of the man, whose face is solemn.

“Drake Réquiem and Alicia Wilson... ha, ha, ha... you two brats have grown like weeds, and like weeds, you always come back. Your friend Lance came before you... that skinny guy with the black mask. I was surprised to see him alone, as you always go everywhere together “He says tiredly, laughing and falling into a slight coughing fit, perhaps due to age or the consequences of tobacco. The smell of alcohol is evident in his breath, enough to intoxicate anyone just by smelling it.

“It's a pleasure to see you, Sergeant Cabrera. I have to pay a fee to the clan in addition to looking for that idiot Lance to get him to pay me what he owes. “Says Drake nonchalantly”, we had some mishaps, so he went ahead.

The guardian lets out a light laugh at the comment, and then looks up, finding, on both corners of the large iron gate, two banners of the Night Wolves: the face of a wolf baring its fangs, representing the symbol of the clan to which Drake, Alice, and Lance belong.

The young guardian loves her clan, having spent the best years of her life as a member of it. Her brother, Alexander Wilson, fights on the war front on the side of Free Thought, against the empire. Both took separate paths, not avoiding the possibility of sending each other letters over the years, hoping to see each other again someday, making the promise to survive in their respective lines.

“Alicia, you already know the process for this. “Says the sergeant”, i have to read their minds, in case they might be extremists from the four creeds, possessors of some transformation or illusory abilities. But this time, my son Tony will do it; he has been transferred to the wall and is learning the job. He has mental powers like me... so I request your kind cooperation and not to resist.

From the crowd of sentinels, one soldier walks towards the group of wolves, standing next to the old sergeant. As he removes his helmet, he reveals himself as a younger version of his father; tan skin from sun to sun training. He has short, well”combed brown hair that reaches the nape of his neck. His face is bitter and stoic, as if he would prefer to be anywhere else but here. Locking eyes with the new visitors, the young man's expression darkens even more.

The two guardians remove their helmets, with Drake doing it as if his helmet were common: undoing a chin strap and taking it off with both hands, exposing his face by tilting his head. He does it this way because there are many people waiting behind him, and he prefers to avoid trouble in case someone gets startled.

“Well, let's finish this quickly, please. “Tony takes a cigarette from his tactical belt, puts it in his mouth, and lights it with a lighter. After a deep puff, almost finishing it; he stabilizes his thoughts and relaxes his nerves, awakening his senses. He stares at the duo directly in the eyes for a short, silent moment”: Okay, go ahead, you're clean.

“That was quite easy, barely felt a thing. “Drake remarks, somewhat surprised that nothing strange happened.

“Not everything has to be terrifying and strange, little one. Sometimes things can be simple. “Alicia intervenes, patting Drake on the back.

“Simple? “Tony says”, damn, woman. Being in someone's mind for a mere five seconds is like an eternity in the nine hells. It makes me aware of all kinds of disgusting things that... “The soldier vents his annoyance about the guardians in a tone that edges on becoming a scream, stopping to take a deep breath”. Okay, it's not worth it. But I won't be able to sleep well if I don't get some revenge. Drake, you better go to a brothel; you look like a stallion in mating season. As for you, Alicia, you better find the parts for your motorcycle soon; it's not easy to get parts, and you'll have to overcome your dense relationship with horses at some point.

“Oh, for the love of the traveler, that's inappropriate! “Drake exclaims, clearly uncomfortable with Tony's comments, which are not far from the truth.

“Relax, little one. We've been told worse things. “Alicia acts indifferent, not giving importance to the speech.

Tony turns around, accompanied by his father who shakes his head and apologizes with a short bow before leaving; both disappearing into the group of sentinels, who take it as a signal and open the iron door for the guardians through a pulley system, pulling with chains, producing a heavy metallic sound.

As they are about to cross the threshold, the attention of the crimson guardian is caught by a sign attached to the entrance, where a short, meaningful inscription welcomes visitors.

“Beware traveler... for here, dragons nest”

That phrase was created from an event in the rebellion of the princes, bringing back memories for Drake, taking him back to the days when his father told stories of heroes and battles, with dragons being his favorites.

Dragons were last seen more than twenty years ago when the behemoth was killed. The rebel guardian army was besieging the wall for several days, but no assault was effective. The rebellion, which had lasted so long, was about to be crushed in a war of attrition until out of nowhere, a legion of up to 100 dragons appeared in the sky, attacking the wall recklessly.

The dragon invasion decimated the wall's strength, knocking down the iron gates. At that moment, the real siege began under the war chants of the rebels, whose morale soared, savoring an efficient and effective upcoming victory.

Just as they appeared, the dragons disappeared forever, disappearing into the clouds as if they had never existed. It seemed that their only job was to break the city's defense, and once accomplished, there was nothing more for them.

Reports described the creatures as flying lizards of small sizes, much smaller than the titanic race of dragons that could reach a height of 50 meters, at least the known ones. These dragons, on the other hand, were twice the size of an adult horse, surpassing their relatives, the wyverns. Some believed they could be a swarm of dragon infants that, for some reason, supported the rebels.

There were no corpses to collect to confirm what happened. If any dragon was shot down, it fell into the ocean, and the remains were never recovered. There is no evidence, purely eyewitness; leading to the theory that they could have been aerial frigates, enveloped in some illusory magic or wyverns mutated by some dark ritual, generated by the crystals in the hands of some wizards.

Drake's father, who was a rebel guardian, did not make it to the capital after being injured in a past battle, so he could never confirm anything to his son. Even in current times, the event is still debated.

Crimson guardian and gunslinger guardian pass through the iron door, on a cobblestone floor, heading towards the vast capital, marveling at the magnificent architecture. Most houses are white, made of bricks, enjoying electric light and a drainage system.

The city's shape is like a mountain, and to progress in it, you have to climb a slope. It is full of stairs and hiding places, with the higher areas being the upper class, leading to the platinum palace. On the sides of the peninsula, there are rural areas with farms owned by ranchers.

The only legal way to enter the capital is through the behemoth bridge. Fishing is only allowed up to a certain limit around the peninsula, as beyond the established perimeter, there have been sightings of krakens and other creatures from the sea abysses; monsters that would be the last things a guardian would accept, even for all the gold in the world.

The guardians dismount their mounts, parking them at the entrance of a grocery store. In the same place, there is a water trough that, for a fee, offered water to refresh the horse. Drake, noticing how overheated his horse is, decides not to wait until they reach the farm and, for a gold coin, gets some time at the trough. After all, they have been traveling the roads and crossing the bridge for several hours without any rest.

While the foal refreshes; Drake and Alice fill their water canteens, and then both sit on a bench side by side, intending to devour what remains of the strips of dried meat. The sun is at its zenith, marking midday.

“So, hyper”hormonal? “Alicia asks with a teasing smile.

“Idiot. “Drake scoffs, crossing his arms in a displeased expression, although he would be a great liar if he said he didn't want to go to a brothel for a whole night after everything that happened”. I really can't believe the sergeant allows

“Ignore him, he was just teasing you... by the way, are you going home? “Alicia asks.

“Yeah... “Drake affirms, letting out a deep yawn”. I live nearby, and taking a stroll with the horse through the streets would be relaxing. Could you do me a favor? Can you go pay my fee for me? I have a lot of work to do on the estate.

In Drake's eyes, a plea shines, almost as if he would rather shoot himself than go to the clan headquarters due to a mix of tiredness, laziness, and a malicious desire to claim his money from Lance, driven by a deliberate obsession that has bothered him throughout the journey, bordering on criminal.

“Sure, little one... that's what friends are for. “Alicia gladly accepts, giving the guardian a tap on the chest. His face is marked by a huge illuminated smile upon receiving that response. However, not everything in life is pleasant, without completely disregarding the pain”. But I wanted to ask you something.

Her voice becomes worryingly nervous, becoming even more alarming when she tilts her head, looking around to make sure no one is watching them.

“What's going on?

Drake asks, ending the tranquility in his being, clearly intrigued and at the same time annoyed by his friend's sudden change. Alicia takes a deep breath, followed by a sigh, calming her nerves. It's a delicate matter she's about to unearth, but necessary given the special condition of the crimson guardian.

“Have you been eating well? “Alicia asks seriously.

The question gives way to silence between the guardians; they can only hear the hustle and bustle of the streets. However, it doesn't seem to matter to either of them, whose gazes meet like a duel of swords. The sepulchral silence is broken by a laugh from Drake, relieved, as it turns out to be a question belonging to such an everyday nature, or so it seems.

“Haha! Sure, just oatmeal cookies, some chicken, and the occasional deer I find dazed, “ Drake speaks with a falsely carefree attitude”. Honestly, I don't see the reason for...

 

“Drake, you know what I'm talking about! “Alicia interrupts, shattering that armor of lies in which Drake has hidden”. That's why the chimera almost killed you! “The blue eyes of the girl hold strong concern for her companion, on the verge of becoming teary.

The guardian's shout breaks down that wall of false security in Drake, who almost convinces himself that nothing bad was happening. The young man's crimson gaze mixes fear and astonishment, reflexively tilting his head, noticing some pedestrians looking at them strangely.

“I trusted myself and was reckless, “Drake responds, decisively, in a darkened face matching his words”. It has nothing to do with that incident. I've been able to handle it...”

“You have to pay the compensation! “Alicia exclaims authoritatively, as if emphasizing something obvious”. As long as you don't eat, you won't be able to use your true power. I know it's difficult, but...

“You don't know anything! “Now it's Drake who erupts in an angry scream”. No one knows...

He adds in a whisper, turning his gaze to a clearly distressed face, carrying a burden too heavy for him. In the tightly closed fists, some crimson thorns begin to grow on the gauntlets, reflecting that ominous feeling.

Alicia startles at her friend's erratic reaction, realizing that the number of onlookers is increasing. Therefore, she takes Drake's hand and they run away from the place, almost dragging the crimson warrior, who confusedly asks where they are going, but no words come out of the guardian, whose gaze is fixed forward. After a few minutes of aimless running, they stop in the secluded corners of a distant alley where no one can interrupt them.

Ensuring that no one has followed them, Alicia leans against the wall, letting out a sigh of relief with her hand on her chest, releasing the hand of the confused guardian, who hasn't stopped looking at her. Drake is expectant and even remorseful for how he shouted, thinking that he has committed a clear lack of respect, having been carried away by his impulses.

The girl puts her hands on either side of her head, tilting it to calm down, and once composure is regained, devoid of any sign of fear, she approaches her companion.

“You have to calm down, “She says in a soft voice, like silk, raising her right hand to Drake's face, touching his cheek. This surprises the guardian, leaving him speechless and turning his face red”. Control your emotions... control it... you are its master, its power is yours... it's your power, breathe.

She speaks in a soothing comfort that enters the guardian, who follows the request and indeed regains composure.

“Alicia, I... “Drake can't find words to apologize, and in that time, the girl takes the initiative.

“I can't fully understand what you're going through, “She adds, staring into the crimson eyes of the warrior”. But you're not alone; you have me and Lance. Remember that we're going to take care of you. Regardless of what you've done or what you may do, we'll never stop loving you, and we'll support you.

The guardian opens her heart like a bleeding wound, completely empathetic. Just as it happened when they were children, Alicia was always there to lend a hand completely selflessly, protecting him from everything, even from himself.

“Alice... “Drake whispers, warmth accumulating in his chest, something he rarely felt.

Suddenly, the girl's left hand rests on Drake's head, ruffling his black hair abruptly, as if striking a match, causing the warrior's face to wrinkle in annoyance, and then those caresses on his face turn into two gentle pats on his cheek.

“Of course, if you do something stupid and go down the wrong path, I'll personally beat some sense into you, little one. “Alicia says, regaining her radiant smile, humming a harmonious laughter under her breath, acting like a child who has committed a prank.

“I have no doubt... “Drake affirms, finally feeling after a long time that everything will be fine.

With a resolution to that problem, the two guardians resume their mounts and take separate paths, promising to meet again later at the Maiden's estate.