A soft and gentle water stream reflected the blurred image of the dense trees inside the thick rainforest.

The chirping of birds and squeaking of animals harmonized with the sound of the river flowing over its pebbles and large stones.

Alva's eyes fluttered, her consciousness slowly returning as she was awakened by nature's symphony.

Her hands weakly grabbed at the pebbles, reaching and extending as if searching for something.

"M-Master... Master!?"

As her snow-fox ears caught the soft flickering of branches being burned, she scanned around... and saw Lidien, his clothes still torn and stained, already grilling a fresh fish stuck into the ground near a small, crackling fire.

"You're awake... come."

Alva hardly raised herself up before looking down at her body; light pinkish traces of blood were scattered all over her clothes.

Her leather armor now had holes showing her white skin with a thin snow-white fur that was too hard to notice.

Remembering what happened after she jumped off the cliff, as her instinct only commanded her to save Lidien no matter the cost... and the sight of Lidien, alive and tending the fire, made her smile. He was alive.

She walked towards him, her eyes continuously sweeping the thick forest for any hidden threat.

"How was your rest?" said Lidien, blowing away the heat from the grilled fish.

Alva took a seat on a large stone and stared at Lidien's chest... now fully healed, with only the small hole from the blade that pierced his heart remaining.

Lidien noticed her eyes then faintly smiled; the scene was too familiar... except now, it was not the past Lidien's suicidal act, but him hinting at Xyon to stab him in the heart.

'I just hope Xyon can remember to send the letter to the Old Man.'

It wasn't only his dozens of plans to attack the Dark Wolf Clan that had a back-up plan; even his escape plan was flexible.

He knew Xyon like the back of his hand. Their Master-Servant relationship rooted from his sister... Nyomi, but between them? There was none... and only guilt and needs binding their trust.

Now that Lidien was dead in their eyes... he could only hope that the guilt he planted in Xyon would let him deliver the letter to the Old Man of the Knowledge Spire.

The only thing that Lidien regretted was that he didn't expect it would be Azer to be the one that was sent after him and the relic.

Though Lily couldn't join him, Lidien knew... nothing would happen badly to her, as he knew that Lady Rose would protect her... and the moment that they waited till he finished the Ritual reviving Lily, cemented their stance.

They could let Lidien die as the Blessed of Death, but not let Lily die with him.

It would not only remove two powerhouses of the Blood Rose Clan, it would also remove the chance of making Lily their guardian, weakening their roots in the Savage Expanse.

Alva once again glanced at her body, a fresh wave of self-consciousness hitting her as she confirmed the state of her damaged clothes.

Grumble!

A loud grumble from her stomach announced her hunger, compounding her embarrassment. With fiery red cheeks, she gulped.

"Let's eat, Alva... we need to regain our strength before leaving this... safe place, for now."

Alva nodded, glancing at Lidien with her shy eyes a stark contrast to how she could massacre hundreds of soldiers.

"Y-yes Master..."

As she reached for a fish stuck on the ground, her hand was met with Lidien's handing her the food.

"I'm just like you, Alva... a former holder of my title, now gone like a bubble... from now on, don't call me Master. My name is enough."

Alva reluctantly took the food from his hand before glancing at Lidien's beaming face.

"Partner?"

Though she didn't know the word, Alva could feel what he meant by it... an equal relationship that both of them could benefit from after their life-and-death experience, strengthening their bond and trust.

"P-partner..."

A smile planted on both of their faces, an emotion that Lidien didn't know existed... in both his past life and current, this was the first time he felt open to someone he could trust his life with.

Smiles and gentle laughter immediately replaced their exhausted and broken selves, as if the fight with the Dark Wolf Clan and the betrayal of the Blood Rose Clan hadn't happened.

"Mas--L-Lidien, what are we going to do now? I don't know this part of the forest..."

Alva, though she was a Princess of the Snow Fox Clan, hadn't experienced traveling and scouting, for she was only called when the fight had already started during invasions...

Though she knew the map of the Savage Expanse, the actual, tangled reality of the rainforest was a world away from the clean lines on any map.

Lidien faintly smiled. He looked at the river where it was coming from, and was sure it was flowing away from the Dark Wolf Clan Territory... but to where the river would go? He needed to know where North and South were.

Though it was hard to tell where the sunrise came from because when he first woke up, it was already at its peak... now, he could only wait till the sun set.

"We camp here for tonight. I just hope this place is not the same as the Bone Orchards..."

Alva nodded, agreeing with him, for in the time she had stayed with Lidien, she knew... his decisions and calls had a deeper meaning to them, that something that looked shallow on the surface had delicate plans behind.

And his win against the Dark Wolf Clan with thousands of soldiers was proof of it, making Lidien suitable to be the leader in their partnership.

"Then... I'll prepare for our camp, so you can find and gather our food with ease."

Lidien nodded and smiled towards her, now... he could truly say that Alva looked at him as an equal.

'I should focus my plans for the survival of both of us, and she will be for our daily lives, that way... we could truly divide our responsibilities.'

He gave her a final, reassuring nod before turning to venture deeper into the foliage and pebbles along the riverbank.

As he walked for some time and ensured that Alva wouldn't hear him, he whispered.

"Old man, what's the status of the Rift?"

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