Arad walked up the stairs when Merlin called him, he saw Mira sitting on the edge of the bed with her shoulder bandaged.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
"I'm fine," Mira smiled, lifting her arm, "The wound itself isn't that bad,"
Arad sighed in relief, sitting beside her and looking at Merlin, "You sure all the poison is out of her body?"
"Of course, she only needs to rest so her wound can heal. Otherwise, she's as healthy as a horse," Merlin smiled, pulling a bottle of ink and some parchments. "I will get the spell ready, You two wait there," She started writing.
Mira looked at Arad, "The monsters, they didn't show up this time,"
Arad nodded, "I could sense them," He looked out the window, "They were lured to the edge of the forest by some large monsters."
"At the end of the day, they are animals and beasts," Merlin stared at Arad, "Even if you can speak with them and give orders, that doesn't mean that can't be easily manipulated."
"They were prepared this time since it's the second time they tried to kidnap you." Arad smiled, "But don't worry, there won't be a third time,"
"You're here to protect me?" Mira smiled, resting her head on his shoulder.
"That's a part of it, but there aren't any more kidnappers," He patted her head.
"What do you mean?" Mira stared at his face.
"They were a bunch of bandits taking that kind of job, I flew to their camp and burned it to the ground. I made sure nothing was left but a giant gaping hole," Arad opened his palm and a stream of gold coins started falling, "They had a lot of money, feel free to use it as you like."
Mira shook her head, "No need! I don't need all that money," She closed Arad's palm, "I only wanted to know why did they want me?"
Arad crossed his arms, "Well, I probed one of their minds and learned one thing," He stared at her, "Their client is a kid with a lot of money, the only kid I know of that has a lot of money and could want you is that vampire brat."
"Vampire brat?" Merlin stared at them, "You mean Chuzuke? He's back?"
"Not sure, but I think it's him." Arad sighed, staring at the wall. "I will hang him in the sun like a rag till he burns to ash,"
"Vampires usually plan everything beforehand," Merlin stared at him, "You're only chance of winning is attacking first,"
Arad nodded, "Yeah, he's a thread to be left out in the world," Arad stood, "The magic is flowing around that parchment. Is it ready?"
Merlin nodded with a smile, "It is. I need you to keep this on you. You can eat it, it won't matter. And I will draw the receiving end on Mira's stomach,"
"On my stomach?" Mira stared at her.
"A magic circle around the womb to act as a transfer gate of magic. That way Arad's magic can make its way to the egg without harming your body." Merlin smiled, "But if you feel a bit adventurous, you can try to pull some of his mana to yourself and use it,"
"But she doesn't have spells to cast," Arad stared at Merlin, "Won't the extra mana harm her?"
Merlin stared at them, "You're right, the best she could do is randomly release your magic. In this case, it's the void,"
"I guess, I have to keep her close, right?" Arad looked at Merlin's face and then at Mira, "It's not like I don't want to take her with me, but won't the trip exhaust a pregnant woman?"
Merlin shook her face, "Since the egg mostly needs mana, Mira's body won't face any exhaustion, not at this stage at least. She would be fine. But I suggest you keep yourself in check since you're the one feeding the egg."
Merlin gave the parchment to Arad and then approached Mira with a quill. "Lie down and show me your stomach, It won't take long for me to write the circle."
***
After that, Arad didn't waste any time and went down to check the spell's range. It was as he expected, he could link with the spell as long as Mira remained in his domain. And that is the range that he can teleport to with a void step. That range is now four kilometers in every direction.
****
Several days later and after an uneventful trip.
"Run!" A man screamed, rushing across the dead of the night. His eyes darted left and right, looking for escape.
"Come on! Man," A white-haired man walked behind him, bored with his hands in his pockets. "I'm only asking you to tell me which tavern I can find them in,"
The man stared back, "Get away from me! Monster!" He cried, seeing the man's blue eyes glowing in the dead night.
Thud! The man hit something as he ran away and fell back.
"Come on!" The white-haired man said, staring down at him.
"Gojo! Don't play with him. If he doesn't want to speak, I can always open his maid with magic." A blond elf mage approached, pointing his palm at the man, and a small crystal orb floated forward.
Gojo looked back, "But, Vars. You aren't going to find more than I can do. We have to get him to speak."
Vars stared at the man, "How about we torture him a bit? Rip his nails one after the other, then heal him to do it again."
The man's face paled.
"That's nasty, isn't it?" Gojo stared at Vars, "We gotta find another way. It isn't fun."
"I know it's a bit savage, but he isn't leaving us with any choice." Vars sighed, "We have to know which tavern it is,"
Gojo blinked twice, "Ah! Sorry, you misunderstood me." He laughed, scratching his head, "I mean that we already used that torture method before. Can we change it? Like dropping him in a bug-filled hole or slowly cooking him alive?"
Vars sighed, "My the elder trees, I always forget how unhinged you can get. We need a clean method that doesn't leave lasting damage. Beside the mental one." Vars looked away as he said the last sentence, "That's the point, after all,"
Gojo glared at the man's face with a smile, his eyes burning with disturbing magic, glowing under the moonlight like dying stars. "How about you speak before I get more bored,"
Gojo slowly lifted his hand, and waves of magic rushed from his fingertips and eyes, piercing the man's mind.
The man shivered, seeing Gojo rip him to shreds, hair by hair, bone by bone, each time freezing his wounds so he wouldn't bleed out, and slowly munching on his flesh. Death was a mercy.
The man jolted, the life fading from his eyes as he looked down. "The East, The Weeping Window."
Vars stared at Gojo and the man, "What did you do to him? He lost all the will to live in the blink of an eye."
Gojo smiled, "I showed him an image of what I'm going to do to him. Humans are easily frightened." He stood up and flicked his finger, "Go, we have no need for you,"
***
Gojo and Vars walked back to the city, taking their time. They have been gathering information and working nonstop for days, and they both agreed to slack at every possible moment.
"Now, all we need to do is get the information from Baldomor, and we're set," Vars smiled, taking a deep breath, "The elder tree blesses us this day,"
"Elder tree you say," Gojo sighed, "I wonder about that," He looked at the moon, "If I was to choose something to worship, it would be something massive and majestic, something out of reach."
Vars stared at him, "You told me once that if I were to force you to learn about the elder tree, you would freeze it,"
Gojo smiled, "A god that can be killed isn't a god, but a fake." He flicked his finger, "A true god needs to be omnipotent, powerful, and majestic."
"People place their beliefs in what gives them peace of mind or grant them power." Vars waved his hand, and a gust of wind rushed out, "The elder tree grants me some of its magic, and I merely make an offering to her. Water mostly, and that's a cheap price to pay for spells."
***
When they approached the capital's massive gate, Gojo stopped, staring inside with a large smile, "He's here," He mumbled.
"He?" Vars stared at him, quickly blinking as he figured it out, "Do you mean Arad? What brought him here?"
"This is about to get fun," Gojo smiled, taking the first step into the city. The moment his foot touched the ground, the whole city fell silent. Everyone stared at the stars, wondering what is that strange feeling they got.
Arad who stayed in the weeping window looked at the door, "This feeling,"
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