Luxanna's eyes remained lost a moment on the sight of the palm of her open hands placed upon her lap , her train of thoughts places away from the cozy inn room they had just paid for , away from the faint buzzing murmurs of patrons below in the main room ; the sovereign's head had remained in the desert and facing the Void spawn. She was trapped underneath the sizzling sun , ears filled with inhuman screeches and clicks , unable to act.

" ...Miss Crownguard! " Annabelle's voice breached through Lux's terrible reverie , the young lady was standing near the older woman's bed with worried eyes and her hands fidgeting with one another nervously. " You seemed out of yourself… Would you like to have a bath before you depart? "

Her very mission and reason for her presence upon these lands had slipped from her mind and had been overshadowed by thoughts she had no time dwelling over once more , a proof that her mind was a frustrating thing. She had also sworn to be there for the young woman and she had done nothing of the sort since her return , Luxanna had a little laugh to herself that almost sounded like a sob.

A bath would be quite comforting. And it would get rid of the sand in her hair.

Were the sovereign not pressed by matters of time and urgency perhaps she would have allowed herself to rest among the cool and perfumed water with her eyes closed and not a worry in her heart , forgetting the amount of troubles that followed in her wake as her lady - in - waiting gentle hands weaved a comb through blonde - white strands and untangled them. Yet she didn't know whether or not this silence that reigned master was comfortable or simply tense with unspoken burdens , if they both had nothing to say or if they had too much on their chest.

The monarch soon found herself unable to bear not doing anything despite Annabelle's protests towards needing a well earned rest and decided to wander outside for a hasty walk , just the time to clear her head and , if she was in luck , get a few answers to her inquires about the emperor ; the young lady tightly following in her shadow. The two nobles decided not to ask anyone around the main place leading up to the palace and therefore opted for a bustling marketplace. Lux felt at ease in the sea of individuals that knew absolutely nothing of her although most inhabitant were willing to discuss of trivial topics with her such as their travel route to the port city of Nashramae those friendly and open attitudes closed themselves , grew distant if not disturbed , at the simple mention of their current ruler and quickly excused themselves in order to put an end to the conversation. Each attempt turned into a failure , not one mouth dared to give any sort of detail about the one that led them.

" I think we should leave. " Luxanna's words almost inaudible from the roar of the lively market , her observant glance still fixated upon the merchant that almost stumbled away from them. " We won't gain anything by staying there but people's suspicion. "

" Excuse me. "

It was a trembling and aged voice yet who carried an undeniable elegance and a demand to be heard reaching the sovereign's ears from behind. A small woman with pepper gray hair kept into a long and tight braid tucked away in her hood was walking towards the two nobles , an empty wicker basket hanging at her right arm. Although her appearance gave off a certain frailty , the youthfulness glimmering in her two amber eyes resembling two little suns was captivating. She politely smiled to the two women , a nod offered as greeting.

" I couldn't help but overhear you were interested in knowing more about our little empire as it is now. I'm but an old woman that maybe has not much time left to spare on earth but I think I could help you both. "

Lux stifled an overly content sigh and instead smiled in return.

" We would love to. "

The old woman's estate resembled its owner with its lightly cracked walls where various trinkets loosely hung on lone nails alongside dried herbs tied to strings. A welcoming and serene atmosphere filled the room with the faint scent of incense. She had apologized for bringing them in when her home was in such an untidy state but had stated that "she was not quite so young anymore and standing in the sun tired her out."

" My name is Nehir but most people nowadays know me as Ri so I sort of settled with the name. I'm sure you've made a long trip from where you came from… Ah , don't worry! I don't have any interest in learning what's your business in our great city nor where it is you come from , this is none of my business after all. "

" Thank you , Nehir. My name is Lux and this is Annabelle. All we are looking for is to know more about the current emperor but no one has dared to even mention his name. Did something happen in this city that its inhabitants are not willing to speak of again? A war? "

Nehir's glance lost itself on a point in the room and her smile grew shallow.

" There was a war. Against the monsters that breached through our reality. But it tore our people apart and none of the heroes that sacrificed themselves to fight these beasts remain… That's what we thought until one returned after years of silence but he wasn't quite himself anymore. He massacred all who stood in his path along the previous emperor , people started to rise against this ; they called him a monster , a carmine reaper. All those that dared to were never seen again. "

Luxanna almost jumped in her seat.

" But are you not risking yourself by telling us all of this? If everyone else has refused to speak to us it surely means that this threat still looms! I… "

The old woman chortled. It was a benign sound that rolled easily off the aged woman's chest.

" When you are this old you don't fear death anymore , it's become an old friend and it's awaiting me. But you two are still lively , promise you will fend for yourself no matter what. "

" I promise. "

The sky had begun to catch an orange hue when they left Nehir , night was about to fall and the heat to decrease , it was better not remain outside for too long. The old woman had told us everything she was aware of and had learned throughout the years but apologized for the few questions she could not answer because her memory was beginning to fade.

He is a monster. Those words kept repeating themselves in her head like an omen. A monster , the poor bandit had called the emperor with such a name too. His people feared him ever since his return , he had murdered the previous emperor. What happened to him as he fought the Void?

" I will meet the emperor tomorrow. "

" Are you certain it's a good idea? "

Luxanna released a faint sigh , the fatigue she had been pushing away all day finally weighting down on her shoulders. She wished to return to the inn as soon as possible.

" I have no other choice , or else it would all be for naught. "