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"Are we even supposed to do this..?"
"Shush! We're just taking a peek," Nika assured a nervous Tokonatsu as they sneaked down the hallway to their parents' room. Nika claimed the privilege to go through Chiharu's drawers while Tokonatsu stood guard to make sure their mom wouldn't find out what they were up to.
Kakitsubata Chiharu, who was now Aoi Chiharu, was a great baker - that everyone knew, but what they didn't know was that she was also adept in alchemy. Truth to be told, there weren't many instances that required that skill, saved for those times when Valt would come back after a particularly hard battle with his skin blistering from missing scales.
But the twins knew their mom's greatest alchemical creation far outclassed healing potions.
"Tokonatsu, come here, I've found it!" Nika exclaimed in a hushed tone.
Peering into Chiharu's drawer, the twins soon found it: the last piece of Hamingja's Gold - a combined product of human alchemy and Rusalka magic, as small as a baby tooth, vibrating violently. Curious, Nika tried to grab it, but it scorched her hand.
"Ouch! It's even hotter than the oven!"
"Really? Shouldn't it be cool?" Tokonatsu brushed his fingers over the tiny object before retracting with a swallowed yell, "It is hot! But I read through mom's notes, the charms made from Hamingja's Gold is supposed to have a calming effect. It usually stays cool to ease the wearer's worries."
"But what if it's not anything usual?" Nika asked.
"Then..." Tokonatsu frowned, recalling what he'd read, "Then the situation they're in is worse then what a calm mind can handle. This..." he gulped, "Is a distress signal."
Alarms blared in their heads. Shu and Valt were in big trouble.
(A few days ago)
The clouds were below them as Blitz glided on the high winds with her blue-tinted wings spread wide. The sun was starting to descend, draping the sky a beautiful hue of pink and orange.
"Valt, I think it's about time to find a camping spot," Shu told the Rusalka child, who was holding the reins.
"Aww... Already?" Valt whined but complied anyway. Ever since joining him on his quests, Shu had become his navigator, steering his flight in the right direction and making sure he ate and slept on time.
With a swift tug of the reins, Blitz closed her wings and started diving down through the clouds at breakneck speed. Shu gritted his teeth and held on tight as adrenaline rushed to his brain and his eyes were temporarily blinded. He could never get used to Valt's weird way of descending a pegasus despite his undoubted skills on horseback, and his only lifeline was the seatbelts Valt had agreed to install on the saddle a few months ago. At the very least, there would be no risk of either of them being left in the sky after a dive - or a flip, if Valt ever felt like it.
"Hup!" Valt pulled the reins again, and Blitz reopened her wings, this time gliding above a lush forest full of unfamiliar trees.
"We're officially out of Bekai's boundaries," Shu announced, "This far South, even Zac wouldn't be able to help if you run into trouble. Are you sure about following that rumor?" he added in worry. If that scenario was to happen, it wouldn't be the first time.
"Why not?" Valt turned his head around to stare at his partner in confusion, "It sounds like a great adventure, and we can get to meet some new friends there, you know? Remember the last time there's a rumor of a mysterious dark castle around?"
"Yeah, it turned out to be Bel's house, and the kid was great help in resolving both the Sol's and the Commission's problems," Shu nodded in understanding.
"Besides, you're with me now. What's there to worry?"
And Valt flashed him the brightest smile that vanquished all his doubts. In the approaching twilight, it was as if a star had landed, right before his eyes. Pink dusted his cheeks. The Rusalki had always been known for their ethereal beauty and charming voice, but logically, none of that was in play here. Valt's helm was obscuring part of his face, and his Rusalka charm would only activate whenever he got emotional, yet he couldn't help but get lost into those soft brown eyes and that smile so kind and fall in love with his childhood friend over and over again.
Shu smiled softly in return. Everything was going to be okay, because they've got each other's back.
They found a good clearing to land near the end of the forest and offloaded their luggage from the pegasus, who immediately stretched her wings and back in an almost cat-like manner before idly helping herself to the local grass. Shu proceeded to go through their supplies when a pair of arms from behind wrapped around his torso in a loose hug. He paused.
"Shu, can we have your Napolitan today?" came Valt's voice like a little child, "It's been so long..."
"We just had that two days ago," Shu chuckled, "But I suppose we have enough ingredients for that."
"Awesome! I can't wait!" the Rusalka child cheered, rubbing his cheek against his hair in one tight squeeze before letting go to build a fire with a bounce in his steps. Shu trailed his movements with fondness before resuming his task, now with a goal in mind. He had stopped asking if Valt would want any other dish altogether. No matter how many exotic, fancier dishes he might try, his craving for Shu's spaghetti Napolitan would never change, seconded only by his mom's bread. In the end, they both were just the same, finding comfort in familiar things.
Shu set up the stove and instructed Valt to prepare the ingredients, for despite how helpless he was with the stove, Valt could actually do well with practically anything else in making a meal, especially when concerning a knife. Even now, Shu failed to comprehend why Valt and stoves couldn't get along.
Soon, a savory aroma filled the space. Valt himself was seconds away from devouring the dish steaming hot straight from the pan but managed to hold back, lest he got scolded by his partner again. When the sun finally disappeared below the skyline and the shadows of the trees were only kept away by the crackling campfire, the two companions sat down side by side to enjoy dinner after a long day of travel, letting nonsensical chatters fill the space until Valt finished eating his five servings and started to nod off on Shu's shoulder.
Since the sky was clear and the canopy was big enough to provide necessary shelter, they had decided against a tent and instead rolled out their sleeping bags under the starry sky. Valt dozed off almost immediately, probably worn out from steering his steed. Shu took the first watch.
When they were still in Bekai, they had allowed themselves to let their guards down. After all, it was their turf, filled with their people - be it admirers or fellow members of the Commission, they all knew better than to startle two of the strongest figures in Bekai, both armed with lethal weapons and great reflexes. However, this was a foreign land, miles away from home, where they couldn't count on any timely backup had things turned south. They barely knew this forest and its inhabitants, nor did they know any rules to play by. Until the next morning when they could reach the closest town, it was best to stay vigilant. With that in mind, even Valt seemed to be more mindful despite having flown off to the world of dreams. His sleeping posture was more guarded - tucked neatly into the sleeping bag instead of sprawling out like usual.
The forest at night, in a sense, was not unlike those back at home, vibrated with alluring songs of nocturnals coming out to play, inviting unsuspecting guests right into a dark trap filled to the brim with mystic creatures. Their campfire kept those shadows at bay, but only barely. Shu sighed as he gazed at the stars behind the branches, twinkling with all their shining glory but so far away that their light barely reached. In such a vast space, melancholy slithered in his veins fast. Tenderly, he found himself caressing silky blue locks, the action once again proven effective in soothing his nerves.
Despite his boisterous nature, Shu always found his presence having a calming effect, comparing it to a lake of still water. And perhaps that wasn't too far from the truth, because every successful prevention of yet another war seemed to stem from the Rusalka's intervention.
Unconsciously, Valt leaned into his touch. Shu smiled.
Now you make me feel bad for having to wake you up for your watch.
He could already feel Spriggan's and Valkyrie's teasing laughter.
A suspicious rustle in the bushes jostled him. Shu retracted his hand and tightened his grip on the heavy weapon, his hair standing on ends. Someone was watching them - a lot of them.
"Who's there!?" he called out, but his voice was swallowed by the trees. The bushes rustled again. He narrowed his eyes at the source of the sound. It could be just a raccoon, but he had a nagging feeling that whatever was lying in wait was much worse than a mere trash thief. No, he was sure it was several men, and at least one of them was an awakened. Keeping his gaze fixed on the direction of possible assailants, Shu shifted his position from sitting to kneeling with his back to Valt as his free hand tried to shake his partner awake.
Something heavy hit the ground to his right, too close for comfort. Still keeping his face forward, he tried to catch sight of the mysterious object as he shook his partner harder, feeling impatient. This is an emergency, come on!
It wasn't a bomb, thank goodness, but then the branches above him stirred, and an armored man with a blade dropped down aiming right at the seemingly defenseless Valt before being thrown face-first to the ground. Valkyrie wouldn't let any harm come to her beloved master, not in a million years.
The sudden movement snapped him out of sleep. Drowsily, Valt sat up. "What's the matter?" died on the tip of his tongue to the sound of metal clashing. Once a peaceful night was broken by a mysterious group of armed men, who were being fended off by Shu and Spriggan. Realizing the weight of the situation, Valt clambered up on his feet and drew his sword.
"Where did these guys come from!?" he asked instead.
"I don't know, but they have been spying on us," Shu answered between huffs. He skillfully span his battleaxe and pushed his opponents back as more and more kept coming. He took a glance at Valt.
Can you see anything?
There are two awakened. I'll handle them.
I'll count on you, then.
Shu nodded. No word was needed to be said as they easily fell into a familiar rhythm. Swing, hit, step, strike, repeat. Valt was nimble as his sword was light, a stark contrast to Shu's steady steps and bulky weapon. They fought in sync, covering each other's blind spots and stood their ground even when overwhelmed by the sheer number of their opponents.
As Valt moved back for Shu to advance, he felt something hard bouncing off the scales on his neck, but the thought didn't linger as he shifted to offense. The waves of enemies were thinning. They were so close to going back to their good night's sleep.
So close, yet so far. The projectile was shot again. This time, Shu noticed.
"Valt!!" he moved, an arm outstretched to push his partner out of the way, but neither came in time. A dart hit Valt in a spot where he had lost a scale, the imbedded drug quickly spreading in his system. Valt gritted his teeth and yanked the dart out. His legs were already shaking and he felt his sword slipping out of his hand, but he simply tightened his grip and resumed the fight as if nothing happened.
A third dart was shot. Shu managed to dodge, but then he received a nasty hit on the head and tripped. Valt couldn't hold for long against the anesthetic, leaving his back wide open. Black spots danced in his vision.
Blitz was nowhere to be seen. The pegasus had blindly flown off amidst the chaos.
It was only a matter of time before he, too, was knocked unconscious.
~
Shu woke up feeling like a mess. The back of his head hurt from the nasty hit he received last night - was it even last night? How long had he been out for? He recalled being hit with another dart soon after but nothing else before walking up dizzy with his hands bound.
He was lying on a soft bed, his head cushioned by a fluffy pillow that felt like heaven after days of camping out, but it only spiked the alarms in him. If his guts were right - and it was rarely wrong - then it was likely that those people had taken them hostage.
He blinked the ache away as he sat up. The room had a window, but it was tightly closed and completely blinded, letting in no light. He inspected the door next. It seemed to be blocked from the outside. The handle wouldn't budge. He tried willing Spriggan to cut through the lock but the spirit failed to respond. Something was binding him, chains akin to Lui's Nightmare Spiral sealing the spirit in place.
"Hey, Valt-"