Ah, Young Heir. How was the journey through the poisonous valley? No? You weren't prepared for what was in store? Ah… 'Tis a pity mi'lord. But nevertheless, would you like to rest at the bonfire first? I have always found it much more reliving after a long journey gone awry or when I simply wish for a bit o' rest.

Oh? You wish to know where you should've gone? Mi'lord… I had hoped you had gone the path that you wished. But… However did you end up here in the first place? Oh? You simply wandered through the a opened door which turned out to be a wall when you turned around? Young Heir, you are sorely misinformed if you didn't know that all the Bonfires were connected… Ah… I see… So your "Beloved Herald" failed to inform you. Though I too would forget such an important thought when meeting the one she so desperately desired to meet.

But perish the thought that she may one day be of no use to you. And that you may commit an unspeakable crime. But again. Perish that thought, Mi'lord.

Kneel before the bonfire and think of a memory of the place you wish to visit. And the Bonfire shall grant thee thy wish and transport you to the place of your memories. But tread careful young Heir, for you may lose something in the process of doing so. So I recommend doing this only as a last resort.

But before you go, Young Heir. Do you wish to continue to hear the story? Oh! You do? Many blessings upon you, Mi'lord.

Now… Where did I leave off…

The Night was long…

(The Dark Forest)

To say the least. If anything the sky seemed to have been swallowed whole by the darkness. For naught a shred of glorious moonlight had graced the dark blessed ground below. And Zullie was in much need of that comforting moonlight. Her mage light, though dutiful and bright, revealed where she was to her foes and required her to continue to evade the many hunters. She wished for something or someone to hamper or scare away her pursuers.

Zullie ran up a steep hill only to trip on a hidden tree root and fall down the rest of the hill. As she tumbled down, Zullie curled up into a ball in order to hopefully not become more hurt than she already was. But hoping for such trivial thoughts would not get her through the night. If anything Zullie must push on against all odds and survive. But with the sounds cresting the top of the hill, she had no other choice but to keep moving forward.

(The Town)

Alva was in a dilemma. He was in one situation that he couldn't deny was an impossible feat to accept or even attempt to complete. His sister was in dire need of...

Cake...

Of all things she could want. The young Saint wanted to be spoiled by her older brother and tasked him with the impossible job of finding the best tasting cake in the village and the neighboring city. And when he came back she promised to have a surprise for him.

Alva sighed. He was going to have to find one of the most fragile sweets possible. And had to deliver the thing in the state he bought it in. What a dilemma… and all for the benefit of not getting a slice later on when his sister attempted to dislocate her jaw in order to eat the entire thing by herself. She had a very bad weakness to the luxurious sweet bread and would often fast many meals in order to save up money for a single slice when she was not recognized as a saint. But even now to this point, Serrata would skip most meals in order to force her brother to buy her cake as a sort of reward for lasting that long. Much to his worry for her health.

But Alva needed to get some things done with over at the city anyway so he decided to kill two hypothetical birds with one hypothetical stone. He glanced over at the semi-large bag of gold his sister had forced upon him and the very large and slightly bloody bag of yesterday's hunt. Hopefully what he had in mind wouldn't take up much money after Serrata's cake. Hopefully.

That being said, Alva put on his travelling cloak picked up the large sack of slightly fresh meat and the semi-large bag of gold and left his small but humble village. Alva entered the woods just outside of what used to be his and Serrata's home, looking around and taking a deep breath of the fresh air and headed down the trail towards the city.

(Dark Forest)

Zullie was in a dilemma now, she was stuck at the bottom of the hill with no way to go other than up or further into the woods. She looked about and hoped that her pursuers had given up. But then she heard the clanking of metal against metal and decided that the woods would probably be better.

Then she felt a certain kind of pressure on the back of her leg and fell to her knee, looking behind her, she could see the murderous grin of a hunter as he pocketed the sling he used to temporarily stun her leg. Of course, the throbbing pain and the possible forming of a very large bruise would be the least of her worries if the hunter had called out to his friends. But her sudden realization on what he was fumbling with his belt brought even more fear in her heart than what she had expected.

Zullie struggled to get up, but her leg refused to listen to her and when it did it did not function very well. She felt tears welling up in her eyes as she forced her eyes shut and muttered an incantation and held her mace up in the air. She felt joyous relief sweep over her and the pain and the throbbing disappeared. She didn't make it obvious, of course, as she pretended to struggle to stand up and flee from her soon-to-be assailant.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here, such a pretty lady alone in these deep dark woods. Would you like a helping hand or two? Hehehehe~" the hunter said, his eyes and body betraying his true intentions of what "helping hand" was going to be.

Zullie continued to pretend to struggle, as she cycled through many possible and painful spells and hexes that her master had taught her. Then she remembered the single piercing arrow that her master had told her would be most useful in situations such as these. Gathering her thoughts and emotions and purging them from her mind, Zullie silently muttered words upon words that shaped the spell she so desired turning her thoughts and emotions into the fuel that would propel the spell into form and power. Turning her body to face the man, she then thrust her staff out and from the blackened twisted shape of her staff leapt a blazing blue arrow. It travelled with great speed and haste towards her attacker and pierced his body, entering it and directly attacking his soul.

The man staggered once, then made a single motion towards Zullie. Then fell, the light in his eyes fading out as his soul departed from his body.

Zullie was shaken, but not to the extent that one would expect from a person who had just killed their first man. If anything, Zulle was ecstatic that she had just taken the first step onto bringing vengeance on the men who had unjustly slain her master.

Turning her body to face the dark woods once more, Zullie ran. Putting as much distance between her and her pursuers.

Her fleeing form not being spotted in the night blessed woods.

(Smithy)

Alva stared at the cake he now carried in his hands. Then at the Blacksmith who regarded Alva with a smile. The two continued to look at one and the other, silently talking to each other as fellows who don't use words often do. Then Alva sighed loudly and left, only to get a reassuring grunt from the Blacksmith and a ever so helpful thumbs up. Alva narrowed his eyes at the blacksmith in annoyance and left the shop.

The cake wasn't the cheapest but it was the best in the city and the combined funds from the dead deer that he had brought had gone much into Serrata's cake fund. Sadly he didn't have enough left over gold to even commission the items he wanted from the Blacksmith. But he was assured that the Blacksmith would have what he wanted the next time he visited and even offered to trade with the Poor Hunter in order to pay off what he could not afford. That was a nice gesture but Alva preferred to pay his debts in gold at least so that he didn't feel like he was cheating the man out of some profit.

Though in retrospect, Mi'lord. The Blacksmith had already deducted a hefty amount from the final price of the items that Alva had wanted. After all, his dear saintly sister had healed the Blacksmith's eyes and cured his wife of her great illness, without the ever protecting and sometimes bothersome presence of Alva. But Serrata wouldn't tell Alva that. No, she would keep that a surprise indeed.

(Crossroads)

It took Alva two whole days to figure out a path that had the least problems and the lowest possible chance of him ever harming the fragile sweet bread. It was a fickle beast to be assured as the slightest provocation would result in the sweet bread to attempt to dash itself against the walls of its confinement and spread its confectionary guts all over the container, leaving Alva to face his sister's wrath when he presented this holy yet decimated sacrifice to her.

Walking down the forest road, onto which he met and saw many kinds of travellers, but none of which had caught his eye. Not even the woman in all black, to which Alva had to assure himself WAS a woman since her dress was loose and didn't hug all the right curves that Alva was used to. Not to mention it was covered in dirt and tears which also didn't help to boost her physical image as she also kept her face hidden underneath a large hat with a strange pointy bit at the top.

Alva's village wasn't the wealthiest place in the land but it did have its fair share of good tailors and cloth spinners to make sure at least the workers and peasants looked presentable. And even more so now that Serrata was a Saint.

He continued down the road for awhile, taking brief breaks in between to rest himself and to make sure that the cake hadn't somehow murdered itself in the trip. This took Alva another day to make it to the village, because cakes are evil manifestations of confectionary hell sent to haunt and torment Alva at every single turn. His cloak was covered in tears and all sorts of wears as he had to often throw his body at the danger to the cake, not himself but the cake of all things.

The cake though, that evil little sweet bread covered in all sorts of sugary goodness that tempted his benevolent and sometimes very violent younger sister to desire above all things, was fine. Throughout the trip it had barely budged one centimeter, but Alva swore up and down that it moved to much to the right or to the left and would very lightly try to tip the container in the right direction to center it. Though his actions would be irrelevant and quite possibly detrimental to his health.

Now, at this point Mi'liege. Alva and Zullie are no where near each other, but rather so far apart that they could be considered to have been linked by fate by those who believe in such things.

(Misty Woods, Inner Dark Forest)

Zullie stared blankly into the sky, it's sun blessed rays gracing the treetops of the forbidden and desolate forest. The tree trunks surrounding her tall and foreboding, yet to her gave comfort and safety. For in this forest did the mist rise deep and soak high into the air. It's almost impenetrable depths offering sanctuary to those in search of a place to rest, or a place to hide.

Zullie looked around and sighed, for she was not a divine. She couldn't tell when the next foe would come from and she wouldn't stop to say why. But she knew they will one day get her and then it would be pain filled and emotionally ruining on both levels. Zullie needed to be strong, she needed to be better than these humans that haunted her. She didn't need friendship or love, nothing that would get her emotionally attached to anything that seeked to harm her.

Instead she would make them fear her. After all, Zullie had all the time in the world.

Ah! It seems this chapter has come to a close Heir. I do hope you would come by and indulge in this oldman once more. Afterall… Your story is the greatest of them all… Heh.

A/N: Hello my Fellow Sunbros and Sunsters! It is I with a new chapter.

So some new info for y'all. Apparently only one person, thank you person who voted, actually voted on what kind of weapon that Alva would use in this story. And here I thought I could trust y'all to be active in this story… Apparently not… BUT Thank you to the person who voted once again!