At the brink of dawn there was a commotion outside. People peeked outside their windows to catch a glimpse of what was happening.

Yugi went downstairs, after getting dressed and attending to his personal business, and had questioned his grandfather about what was going on.

"I'm not sure, hoho! It appears there's another traveller here."

Yugi jumped, he had an idea of who it would be.

He slipped his shoes on and opened the front door to the store, looking out at what happened.

Two people, both wearing cloaks. One Yugi could tell was Atemu, from the recognisable scar on his face and the sheath that held the gun. The other was obviously female, deep-toned hair curling down from under the black hood. She rode a horse of light-grey tones which had a beautiful mane, thin hairs that flowed like the sweetest silk.

She handed Atemu a small, intelligible object, Atemu nodded and took the rope attached to an article on the horse's neck. Atemu bowed politely and helped the girl off the animal,which Yugi noticed had a small cart with crates.

"What's going on here?" an old man from across the street asked, demanding an answer. Atemu spoke up, projecting his voice for all to hear,

"Do not fear, for she has brought over riches from the Capital for the citizens here!"

Atemu took the crates off the cart and opened them all up, Yugi counted 10 carts of different sizes.

As Yugi was aware, most people weren't aware of Atemu's return. He had tried his best to keep away his identity for whatever reason, and the only ones who were aware were Yugi himself, his family, friends, the doctor and Ushio. Which, considering how small the town was, was quite a few, however the number of unaware people was overwhelmingly high.

Atemu opened up some of the crates and showed the man, the man gasping in surprise at what he saw.

"That's..a lot of wine!!"

"We are aware of the Luna Banquet which is a tradition in your town." The girl spoke up, giving a polite bow to the man and raising her voice so the others could hear, "We have funds for the development of this area, wine, foods, weaponry for guards and medicine for the doctors here."

Everyone cheered in excitement, some people coming to check out the supplies.

"May we stay here for awhile? It took us long to retrieve such items." The girl asked the old man. The old man nodded happily,

"Yes! Yes, of course you can! Dere's an Inn nearby or.."

"Don't worry, I have a place." Atemu grinned. The man gave another mod of approval, turned around and started helping the towns occupants push the crates to the Head's establishment.

Atemu and the girl casually fistbumped eachother, watching the horde of people leave in peace.

"Told ya it'd work"

After the commotion was over, Yugi met up with Anzu, where he told her about what had happened the day before. Anzu seemed interested to know all about the goings on, and especially interested in the unknown, black-haired boy named Otogi. She said he sounded 'hot', a term which Yugi didn't understand in any other way other than the temperature. She laughed, pretending not to hear when he questioned it.

They both decided to go visit Yami, who Yugi knew was currently laying down in his room as Yugi could see him from his bedroom window. The boy was glad that he was going to see Yami. He was tasked with getting bread by his grandfather.

"Here's your bread, sweets." Yami's mother smiled. She told them to go upstairs to see Yami, and that Atemu was in his room getting things ready.

Anzu took Yugi's hand and walked him up the stairs. Yugi flushed deeply, he didn't know whether it was embarrassment or something else but he let go of her hand and he cooled down immediately.

"Yami?" Anzu opened the door quietly. A ray of light peeled through the crack in the door that widened with each push.

Yami's room was very clean. A desk with books and small, light grey drawers underneath. A set of pens were laid out all over the desk neat in its own messy way.

Yami himself was tucked up in bed. His quilt covered him up neatly, reaching up just above his mouth and only letting view of his peacefully closed eyes. He furrowed his brows and turned over, messing up the neat bedding as he changed positions. Yami grumbled under his breath.

"I feel kinda bad for 'im.." Anzu commented, gently brushing her fingers through his hair which laid flat rather than spiked like it usually was.

Yugi sighed, "Me.. Me too.."

"Let's go. I don't wan' na bother him."

Yugi nodded, being led out of the room by her.

"Why don't we check on Ate-" Anzu stopped midway after looking into his room from the slightly opened door. She pushed the door further open and exclaimed,

"What in the name of God are you doing?!"

Yugi peeked inside. Atemu had the window wide open and was helping someone into his room. The girl from that morning.

"Uh.. Nothing much, you?" Atemu turned around, still holding the girl, and awkwardly chuckled.

Anzu yelped, "That isn't nothing! You're smuggling a human into your room!!"

The girl used her spare hand to pull herself onto the window sill and roll onto his room.

She giggled, "Don't mind me! Pretend I'm not here, yeah?"

Anzu shuffled back.

Atemu had noticed Yugi peering out from behind her and beckoned him in, which he hesitantly agreed to doing.

"Mana." Atemu put his hand behind Yugi's back, "Here he is."

"You mean the-"

"Shh.."

Anzu had a look of confusion on her face, she walked into the room and sassily out her hands on her hips.

"Anzu, meet Mana." Atemu looked back to the girl and grinned, "Mana, meet Anzu."

"Haii!!" Mana gave a peace sign, she ran up to Anzu and bubbly bounced around her, "We should be besties! Oh! Are you his long-distance girlfriend? Are you, are you?"

"Wh.. What?! No!" Anzu panicked, approaching Yugi. Atemu calmed both girls down, telling Anzu that Mana was usually like this and that she should just ignore her.

Yugi looked at Atemu's room. There was a map spread out across the wall, a small bed, messy and disorganised desk and an unpacked bag with some of its contents all over the bed.

"Mana." Atemu grabbed her by the hood of her black cloak and playfully chopped her on the head, "I need to talk to you 'bout something."

"You're all serious all of a sudden! Wha-"

Atemu turned her around so she faced him and dragged her by the collar. He glared directly in her eyes and growled,

"Quieten down."

He pointed at the doorway, prompting everyone to turn and look at what he was serious over.

Yami sleepily stumbled over. He groaned, "Can you ple..ase..be quiet..I.."

His breathless voice seemed shaky and empty. Atemu's facial expression softened, he released Mana and walked quietly to his brother. He placed his hand on his shoulder and calmly walked him to his room, explaining how they'll be quieter from now on and how they were sorry for waking him up.

After a few moments of waiting, Atemu came back to his room. Atemu crossed his arms and lectured,

"Mana. You know he's on those dreadful pain meds right now, right?" he flashed her a serious expression, her just looking at the floor like a puppy being told off, "He needs rest so he can recover and you know how awful those things can make you."

"Yes.."

"Now be quiet before I put this between your eyes."

Atemu flipped the gun out of the sheath on his strap. Yugi jumped, he reached out and took Atemu's wrist.

Yugi looked up to him, "You..shouldn't threaten someone like that..!"

Mana insisted to Yugi that it was okay and normal for Atemu to do, as he was extremely protective of his brother (Yugi had found out they were actually twins from Mana's explanation, which explained why he was so close to his other).

The room was quiet for a long moment. Atemu jumped, silently urging Mana to hide behind him. Yugi and Anzu both wondered why, before they noticed a tall silhouette near the doorway.

"Sweetie? Wha-" His mother stopped dead in her tracks, looking into the eyes of Mana, who unsuccessfully hid away, "Oh my gosh!! You brought home a foreign girl?!! My son's finally gotten a girlf-"

"She's my travelling partner, the one I spoke with this morning?"

"Oh my! Even better! She's the one who brought all de stuff wi' her, right? That's amazing, thank-"

"Lower your voice, Yami is sleeping."

"Oh, sorry.." His mother looked behind her back before immediately taking Mana's hands and introducing herself.

"I'm his mother, people usually call me by ma name but you can just call me mother as well!"

"It's an honour!" Mana giggled, "Thank's, mother!!"

Atemu commented, "You're awfully hyper today, mother."

"Of course I am!" she stopped speaking at the sound of a bell from downstairs, "Oh, I have a customer."

She gave Mana a wink before leaving quickly, giving Atemu a moment of peace.

"Don't get too attached to her, Mana. You know we're gon'na have ta leave soon."

Anzu immediately grabbed Atemu's cloak. She asked, "You're going to leave again?! Why?!"

"Yami's getting worse.." Atemu muttered, Mana joined in,

"Now that we know there's another Blighted child, we need to get to the Capital before the guards try to nick 'im."

Anzu stared blankly, " 'Blighted child'..?"

The traveller quickly covered Mana's mouth, telling her to be quiet.

"She should know though?"

"No.. It's too dangerous. He could be executed."

Yugi stepped back, a shiver up his spine. Executed? Taken away? He didn't want that to happen at all and, knowing that they were referring to him, it made him anxious.

"Poor kid.." Mana's voice lowered. She pushed Atemu out of the way and looked Yugi in the eyes,"They're so dull..but so glassy.. I don't want these beautiful eyes to be slain."

Anzu stayed silent. Yugi could tell that she was processing what was going on and what they were talking about, even Yugi knew little of it and only knew that he had quote, unquote 'blight' - whatever that means.

" Maybe you two should leave for a bit.." Atemu took Yugi's hand and encouraged Anzu to stake it. Anzu took his hand and hesitantly left on command. She asked Yugi about what Atemu was talking about, but Yugi stayed quiet for the rest of the day.

"Have you heard of the banquet, Yugi?" Yami had asked from his place at the window the next day. Yugi didn't have an answer for that, only hearing of it during the commotion that had happened a day prior.

"Woah." Yami looked shocked, "It's a festival happening soon! For celebrating the God's kind harvests, or somethin'."

Yugi had asked if Yami believed in a god, shaking his head when asked the same thing.

"Not that I'm against de believers."

The boy gave a nod to agree. Quietly, he pulled himself closer to the sill that lay underneath the skylight and looked out to the hazy sky.

Yugi's hair blew in the soft breeze, brushing against his cheek and flowing out like elegant, silk curtains. The distant view were covered up by the lowering clouds, fireplaces in houses generated smoke that rose up and faded away. He used to think that the chimneys of the homes made the clouds in the sky, but he now knew that it wasn't true and that clouds were all thanks to nature, along with many other things.

He jumped. Silently, Yugi looked out to try and see the borders that separated the town from the forests. Someone was there. Yugi could feel the presence of many people, walking around outside the rock walls and scouting out the area.

He didn't know how or why.

The looming sense of dread filled his feeble chest, he wanted to run out there to see who it was.

"Yug'?" Yami called out, his fingers stretched out as he reached for him.

Yugi, with a serious expression, looked to Yami, "Hm?"

"You good?"

Yugi nodded. He felt the throbbing of his eye again. Worried something would happen he suddenly closed the skylight's hatch and slipped on a coat - one too large for him-and ran out.

The streets were cold and empty,apart from the occasional adult with thick planks of wood or buckets of grey paints. He hid behind the walls of another building, avoiding the eyesight of the adults that walked by.

He didn't know what was compelling him to do this.

Or why.

Yugi pulled his light-toned fringe away, only leaving the middle section as it didn't obscure his view. Stealthily, he kept his back to the border's wall and snuck past, successfully not being seen.

Long shadows all looked directly at him, eyes almost glowing in the dark.

Yugi was right. Intruders.

He looked them directly in the eyes and didn't move. He couldn't move his body, it was frozen in place like a puppet without a puppeteer.

"Hey. Stop!"

A familiar voice called, racing past the entrance to the town and soon was shielding Yugi with their body.

Long, black cloak that blurred into the background.

"And what do you think you're doing here?! This is not where your duties should be!!"

"We have been sent by Queen Cynthia on command to find the traitor."

The longest shadow grinned, approaching closer. The shadow pulled out a gun and aimed it for the person in front's head, declaring that they'd shoot if he didn't move away.

Atemu, who stood in front of Yugi, also took out his gun from the sheath and held it out to the shadow.

"That 'traitor' isn't here. She's in the West. "

He pulled down the cogs and pushed something into the back, his long finger wrapping around the trigger before pressing down and shooting. The first bullet missed, breaking a hole into a nearby tree, but the second one hit on target. It drove straight through the shadow and into another that stood behind, both collapsing to the ground and leaving behind a deep grey mess.

"You were gon'na attack during the banquet, weren't you?"

The rest of the shadows, Yugi counted 5, nodded, backing up with weapons at the ready. One ran up towards Atemu, long blade in his hands, and swang. The man ducked to dodge it and luckily Yugi was too short to be hit by the swing.

Atemu sighed, "You shouldn't do that."

He covered Yugi's eyes. Yugi listened to the loud banging one last time before being allowed to see again.

"I'm gon'na take the bodies to the head." Atemu smiled, "Thanks for finding 'em, but dat was way too risky. If I wasn't armed they'd 'ave shot us."

Yugi nodded and explained how he didn't do it willingly, and how it was simply an impulse.

"Don't worry. I know."

He took one of the shadows, which Yugi couldn't see due to the greys blending together, and dragged him onto his back. Someone peeked out through the entrance doors and asked Atemu if they were gone, to which he nodded.

Yugi was led home and curled up in his bed, where he read Atemu's book for the entire night without getting to the end. He read each page carefully, trying to learn as much as he could from the walls of text given to him.

The next day, everyone in the town was shocked to hear that Capital Guards were planning on attacking the place for someone who wasn't even in the area. Everyone talked about it the next day, each huddling together in bunches as they gossiped while preparing for the banquet.

Yugi held Atemu's book close to his chest and listened, standing close to Anzu and Yami and not answering their questions.

"That 'traitor' sounds scary!" Anzu giggled, not seeming scared at all.,

Little did they know, the 'traitor' was standing right besides them all along.

The girl cloaked in black smiled.