Everything hurt.

No matter which limb Vlad decided to move, pain spiked in every muscle like a thousand needles poking at his skin. It was impossible to fall asleep anymore, and opening his eyes was the only thing he could think of that wouldn't make the pain flare up.

It was like he was on his deathbed all over again, and that thought made him sit up with a jolt.

He instantly regretted it as an immediate hiss escaped his mouth, and he tried to ease the pain with his hand, only to be stopped by the bandages wrapped around him. It was too tight for him to move much, but not enough to be completely immobile.

Vlad looked down at his body, but couldn't see much. It was dark, and he could only spot his outline within a… tent?

He looked up, and fabric moved under a light wind while mellow light seeped through holes. A shiver ran down his spine and he moved the sheet away before standing up. He buckled, and couldn't stop himself from groaning, but he still pulled through the pain and aimed for the seam on the other side.

Once he was out, he found torches illuminating a camp filled to the brim with the same tents as the one behind him. Cold air washed over him, and he quickly returned inside the tent.

He tried to find anything remotely close to the clothes Lumera had given him and used his good hand to feel his way around. He eventually touched something that made him perk up. Giving it a light pat, the rustle of belts assaulted his ears and Vlad gave himself an approving nod.

After grabbing the clothes he found, he haphazardly put them on, and left the tent once more, this time somewhat free from the cold. He looked around and found a small road leading outside the camp.

While he should have told somebody he was leaving, he just wanted to take a deep breath free from the smoke and fire. He had had enough of it for a full lifetime already.

Step by step, the camp disappeared further behind him. Only when the light of the torches was visible behind the horizon did he feel he was far enough away. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he looked up into the clear sky, illuminated by the moon, a question came to his mind.

What am I doing?

A simple one, and yet it had a complicated answer.

His gaze lowered to his body, rigged and tired. The hands holding a sword for the past couple of weeks now had blisters and were stained with grime. Idle spots free from the bandages revealed burned skin. It was going to be a mark he would bear forever.

Under his wrapped left hand, a blue light pierced the white fabric and a frown formed on his face.

"You're here—"

The moment his words came out, he fell into a coughing fit while the blue knight appeared next to him. His expression didn't betray any emotion. It was as passive as it could have been.

"Yes," Sigurd answered curtly.

Once Vlad suppressed his coughs, he didn't say anything back. There was this hidden tension between them. The crossed arms on Sigurd, and the glare Vlad gave him didn't help to alleviate it.

"You should be resting," the knight remarked with a nudge of his head. "Not wandering out here."

"I am resting," Vlad affirmed. "It's just somewhere I hoped I wouldn't have any company."

"You should have left my ring behind, then."

"And you know what would have happened if I did leave it behind." The click of Vlad's tongue was louder in the silent night than he would have liked. "Look, I don't want to talk to anyone right now."

"Am I allowed to be your silent company then?"

Vlad sighed. "Not like I have much of a choice."

Only a wordless hum escaped Sigurd's lips and he followed Vlad's gaze down the road. The slight wind brushed off against the grass, forming wave after wave in a mesmerizing pattern. Leaves fell from trees, coating the ground in all kinds of colors, yet the beauty of the sight was lost to Vlad.

A sudden snarl formed on his face and his left hand balled up into a fist. "This is stupid."

Caught off guard, Sigurd eventually raised an eyebrow. "What is?"

Vlad's gaze snapped towards him. "I thought you'd be quiet."

"It's difficult to remain such," the knight remarked. "Especially after hearing you utter such words."

"I choose my words carefully. When I say 'stupid', then there's something wrong."

"Then by all means," Sigurd prompted with a hand motion, "go ahead. You can let it all out here."

Vlad pensively looked back at the scenery before he let out a groan. "It isn't something I should be saying out loud. Especially not when you're around."

Sigurd hummed before crossing his arms. "I did say some things are best left not said, but that isn't an option sometimes. What ails you, Vladimir?"

Of all things to happen, he didn't expect Vlad to glare. "You're not going to like it."

Sigurd narrowed his eyes. "And how could you be so sure?"

"I just know," Vlad affirmed. "Working with people tends to help you understand them better. It gets too easy to read them altogether, especially when you crack somebody's facade."

"So you're proclaiming you have a read on me already?"

"It's…" Vlad paused before taking a deep breath. "I would go as far as to say yes."

"Very well, then let's test it and see if you're right," Sigurd frowned, "by telling me what you think I won't like."

"If you're going to be so persistent, then I might as well do," Vlad mirrored the frown, but his was much deeper. "Because I shouldn't be here."

Sigurd's eyes shot up, however, his arms remained crossed. "Explain."

"I should be out there, looking for a way to find my daughter," Vlad pressed. "She didn't die, Sigurd. She literally disappeared, didn't leave a body behind, nothing. Within a blink of an eye, she was gone and if something like a resurrection is possible, it wouldn't be out of the question to think she was transported somewhere."

He raised his gaze at the moon. "Lumera told me travel between realms should be possible, and while Elyos is locked, something can be done to unlock it. What if my daughter is out there, facing the same problems I'm facing now while I'm here fighting a war that has nothing to do with me?"

He swiped with his good hand and his body turned back to Sigurd. "I should care less about what happens here and strive to become the good father I was supposed to be. By looking for ways to find that key to open Elyos up."

A sudden mirthless chuckle escaped his lips. "But isn't that hypocritical of me when I—instead of that—agree to become Alear's caretaker and only make her into a test dummy while joining this damned war?!"

Vlad gritted his teeth before shouting, "What I'm doing is nothing more than turning my back towards my last and only child while condemning Alear to a life of lies!"

He took a step closer to Sigurd. "You told me I should hold on to hope, but that hope basically amounts to nothing if I don't take the initiative. I want to meet my daughter so badly, to tell her I made many mistakes and ask her to forgive me."

Vlad's vision started to blur before a stray tear ran down his cheek. "And now I feel it in my bones she's out there, somewhere. I can't waste my time here! I have to get to her as soon as possible! No matter how many bonds I have to break!"

He let out a nasty cough that vibrated throughout his entire body. Whatever mucus came out was sucked back in with a loud snort before Vlad wiped his face. He straightened his posture, and looked deadset into Sigurd's eyes. "And there you have it."

Vlad pointed at him. "That scowl on your face tells me a lot more than you'd think."

He was right, Sigurd's scowl was deep. It was difficult for him to prove Vlad wrong. The grip on the knight's clothes tightened, wrinkling his coat before he jolted his head away with a click of his tongue. The ring on Vlad's finger grew looser with each passing second, as if it would fall on its own with just the right breeze despite the bandages.

"What are you expecting me to say?" Sigurd remarked coldly, his eyes closed. "That you should be ashamed for uttering such disgraceful words? That I should leave you to die, following a path that is impossible to tread alone?"

His body shook, his ghostly image suddenly flaring up in the night. "And to even say you'd discard the bonds we've forged—that disappoints me the most. Everything you said makes me… angry."

"But…" Sigurd opened his eyes and his intense aura began dying out, "I can't fault you."

Vlad jolted in place. "What?"

"I am still angry, but the more I think about it, it all starts to make sense. A devoted father would do anything for their loved ones, even if it meant turning the entire world against them. Until now, we were nothing more than good acquaintances at best. No wonder you felt differently about referring to people as friends."

Sigurd raised his arm and made a show of flexing his fingers. "When we transformed, I felt that gap between us, that you didn't want to fully let me in. I didn't understand why at first, but now? I think I do."

He shook his head. "But coming to that mutual understanding would take far more than just a few metaphorical pats on the back."

Then, out of sheer determination, Sigurd's ring tightened itself around Vlad's finger, almost choking it before a small glimpse of a smile broke through Sigurd's face. "Then again, would a true friend just throw you to the wayside after you poured your heart out like this? Because I would find that hard to believe if that was the case."

Vlad could only stand still as a statue in the silence that followed. He eventually faced palmed before a snort escaped his lips. "How can you be so naive? I've quite literally told you to fuck off, and you still think this old fart is redeemable?"

"I would have not deemed you worthy of my ring if I thought as much, no?"

"No way in hell you predicted this kind of outburst," Vlad stated with a scoff, but the edge in his voice slowly disappeared. "You'd be pulling my leg if you said yes."

"Indeed, I'd be lying," Sigurd let his arm fall limp. "But even though you think this path you've chosen is not the right one, you may still be surprised."

Vlad's eyes narrowed. "And how so? If you're just trying to make me feel better, then I would rather you stay silent."

Sigurd shook his head. "No, I mean it with the best intentions. The place you're looking for is in Lythos Castle. That's where the gate to travel between realms is."

"Lythos?" Vlad exclaimed before his breath hitched. "But that place is surrounded by—"

"Gradlon, filled to the brim with Fell Dragons and Sombron himself," Sigurd finished for him, and Vlad clicked his tongue.

"Fuck."

"So the only path you can take is through them, but there's more to it than that. To unlock that gate, you need all twelve Emblem Rings' power to break the seal." Sigurd's face grew concerned. "The only issue is… if you were to cross that gate, the chances of you coming back are slim to none. The seal would eventually repair itself."

"A one-way trip," Vlad remarked, his gaze glued to the ground. He eventually grabbed his face, wrinkling the skin, and a groan escaped his lips. "Of course, it couldn't be just a simple bridge. It has to crumble on my way out."

His arm grew limp before taking a deep breath. He turned around and slowly began returning to the camp without saying anything.

"Going back to bed?" Sigurd said as he followed Vlad.

"No, I need something to drink."

The knight perked up. "That reminds me, Ethelwulf left you a bottle in the tent."

Vlad snapped back to him before huffing. "You should have told me that sooner. I wouldn't have been as snappy."

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

The constant bumps and the loud creaking of wheels that Vlad heard made it extremely difficult to sleep during the march. He tried to muffle everything with a scrappy pillow that scratched every part of his face, but it just wasn't good enough.

He sat up and grabbed the bottle he was given before pouring himself a cup of wine and downing it in one go. It made him shiver from the taste.

"Yeah, this is pretty bad," he exclaimed.

He turned his head and was met by an unamused Sigurd with crossed arms. "Did you really have to fake your coma?"

Vlad poured himself more. "You know I'm not in a condition to march."

"They would have made you rest anyway," Sigurd pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you seriously think they would force you?"

"No," Vlad curtly answered, taking a small sip. "I just wasn't in the mood to have the constant attention. Those common fawning questions are something I want to avoid right now. I've had my share of those already."

His eyes glided towards Sigurd. "You weren't helping."

The knight sighed. "No wonder you think you're insufferable to be around. It's because you are."

"Again, not the first time I've heard that either," Vlad remarked. He swirled the wine in his glass, giving it a contemplating look. "But I have my reasons for us to be alone like this. We need to talk."

Sigurd hummed. "I thought we'd already discussed it during the night."

"Yes, yes, we did have a heartfelt conversation that spiraled into me telling you to…," Vlad paused before shaking his head. "Whatever, that's not important now. We need to clarify what you can do."

"You were briefed on what an Emblem Ring does already," Sigurd said. "We don't need a rehearsal."

The flat look Vlad gave made him look away. "I… might have omitted a few points, but those weren't important at that moment."

"Right," Vlad drawled. "And the fact I can—with your help—turn into a super soldier that can fly as easily as walk, level a dragon of all things, and coincidentally suck the life out of me isn't important?"

"That…" Sigurd let out a groan. "Look, as Emblems, there are a few things we need to make sure aren't taken lightly. The Divine Dragon's prayer may not be as powerful as the Fell Dragon's invocation, but with time, it can become as strong if not even stronger. Without proper guidance, we can easily get dangerous."

"Proper guidance?" Vlad asked incrudelosly. "I feel like this is way more important than immediately listing the benefits the ring gives."

He narrowed his eyes. "That kind of backwards logic is very irresponsible."

"Because most of this isn't even a concern to you. Or at least at first," Sigurd explained. "As the bond between the bearer and the Emblem grows, so does the ring's power, to the point it allows such a transformation."

"...huh," Vlad exclaimed while touching his chin. "Alright, but then where does the 'dangerous' part fall into all of this?"

Sigurd's lips puckered before he crossed his arms. "I do not know if this is the time for that conversation yet."

"No, this is exactly the time," Vlad pressed. "I need to know what cards I've been given, so I can use them as best as I can."

Not a word came out of Sigurd's lips at first. He hesitantly tapped his fingers against his arms before a defeated sigh escaped his lips.

"Very well." He extended his arm out before an image of several small wooden logs appeared on his palm. "Think of this as yourself at the moment."

A small blue wisp ignited the smallest branch inside the stack. "Whenever we transform, we always try to ignite this part of your body. It's the fuel that keeps it alive.

The stack began catching more, becoming a hand-sized campfire. "With each transformation, it gets easier, and coincidentally gives more fuel as well. Not only will it last longer, but it also gets more powerful."

His eyes grew somber. "While we try to mitigate the side effects, by either warning the bearer or directly controlling the flame, at some point, there won't be any fuel to burn."

The campfire suddenly flared up, becoming a pyre, but it quickly died out. All that was left was charred logs among an ash pile. "That's when the bearer starts to degenerate, and it is a slow and painful process. Once it's over, the bearer dies, and the Emblem Ring becomes dormant until it is awakened again.

He retracted his palm and took a deep breath in the silence. Vlad's eyes were glued to the ground, he had his hand on his chin while humming in the process. He took a sip of the wine before giving himself a nod.

"Then that means we have to train," he said, taking Sigurd by surprise.

"What do you mean by—," he stopped when it dawned on him, and his face morphed into a slight snarl. "No, Vladimir, absolutely not!"

"But do we even have a choice!?" he snapped back, but then coughed into his hand. "No, sorry. We had enough arguing already. Sigurd, if we ever assault Gradlon, you know as well as I do that anything that can give us the upper hand is crucial."

He waved his hand in the direction of the burned settlement. "We fought a whelp, and I almost died. Would have died, if it hadn't been for Lumera. Who knows how many we're going to fight in the future, but one thing is for sure. We need to prepare ourselves, no matter how little we like it."

Sigurd clicked his tongue. "You know this is reckless."

Vlad nodded. "I do, but I'll grow stubborn if that's what it takes to see my daughter again. Besides, if degeneration is what I think it is, I already battled that… sickness oncealready."

"You did? Then you know how dangerous it truly is."

"I know, and I did die to it," Vlad's voice was solemn, but his eyes suddenly flared up with resolve. "But I'm not going to let it win a second time. I have a reason to stay alive, and that's all I'm going to need."

Sigurd wanted to persuade Vlad, but his words would probably end up working against him instead. A defeated sigh escaped his lips without saying anything, internally admitting Vlad had a way with words he couldn't match.

Not now, at least.

As silence permeated their enclosed space inside the caravan, Vlad grabbed the wine bottle to pour himself once more, but only a drop fell inside the glass. He let out a groan and stood up from his spot before peeking through a small hole inside the fabric. The sun was beginning to set, but it was still too early to start a camp.

He sat back down with a plop before leaning his head on his hand. "So… got any hobbies?"

The sudden question made Sigurd raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"You know, stuff you like to do? Something like that?"

"I… what brought this up?

Vlad facepalmed. "Look, I'm terrible when it comes to small talk, but you said something along the lines of 'bonds increase the power of the ring', so I'm trying my best here."

The knight couldn't suppress a snort. "That's not how it works. It's a little more intricate than just that."

"...alright," Vlad exclaimed before sipping on the last drop of wine. "Then what about—"

"Corrupted!" a sudden shout interrupted him, and his head whipped in the voice's direction. Loud dull footsteps echoed in his ears and he found another hole to peek through. Several red-and-dark dots roamed in the distant valley, charging straight towards them.

Looking down at the sword in his sheath, he took a deep breath. "You think I can fight like this?"

A hum escaped Sigurd's lips. "Stretch for me, will you?"

Vlad's upper lip twitched, but he decided to indulge him. With a round of squats, pull-ups, and sit-ups, a few pops from Vlad's bones with jolts of pain made him jerk with each crack, but it wasn't anything unbearable. In fact, he was rather surprised he could move at all after suffering such bad burns across his body.

Sigurd eventually nodded. "Not ideal, but it should be enough to deal with a few Corrupted."

"Good, because I can already hear the racket people are making," Vlad remarked before putting on his old brigandine and clothes. Once everything was in a tight fit, he picked up his sword and mounted it on his back.

He eyed Sigurd. "How about trying out that transformation now? See what it can do, and how far we can take it?"

"Fine," he relented. "But when I say we undo it, it'll be immediate, got it?"

"You have my word." Vlad grabbed the fabric they were under, but before he pulled it away, he said, "and… thank you, Sigurd."

While a little surprised, the knight smiled at him. "No need, Vladimir."

AN: I'm back from my break!

After loafing around for who knows how long, it's finally time to get back on tracks. With this chapter up, the regular bi-weekly upload schedule is coming back as well. How long will I able to keep this up is anyone's guess, but I'll try my best.

As for other stuff, I'd like to thank Cavik for proofreading this chapter. His involvement always makes sure the chapters are a whole lot cleaner. I can't thank him enough.

Anyway, thank you for reading today's chapter.

God's speed.