Drip… Drip… An uncanny silence drowned the noise beneath a thick, dense fog. The moon shone brightly against the dark, starless sky, desperately fighting against the mists to reach the thickets of an elder Minstreli forest. Almost like if swallowed whole by nature, a large statue stood watch along the entrance to forgotten ruins. It had undoubtedly been a masterwork sculpture at one point, but the passage of time had completely destroyed its visage; moss and vines coiled and covered most of its existence, as if they desperately tried to consume it whole. One would have needed to know where to look to even notice there was a statue at the entrance of the large cavern - it could have been easily mistaken as yet another shrub. The faint noise of water hitting the ground though, managed to trickle out of the entrance.

Drip… Drip… Drip… the echoing sounds of droplets falling into a small puddle broke the silence reigning over a large room deep inside the cavern. Mist and shadows trickled and danced as the water droplets fell from the ceiling, following along their paths to the ground, twisting as if making way through the air. The ripples in the water formed ripples in the mist, slowly making the scenery feel as if the deserted cavern pulsed with abated breath, almost as if it was trying to come alive.

Ancient, runic sigils flooded the edges of the large room, running down the walls and flowing into the floor in twisting patterns. The river of runes coalesced into the center of the large cavern, climbing up five large pillars and seemingly covering their entire marble surface. The five pillars were placed in a star pattern, surrounding a large circular altar at the very center of the room. The marble slabs towered along the imposing height of the cavern, almost as if they carried the entire weight of its stone ceiling. Cracks and gashes covered all of them, evident traces of a fierce battle fought long ago.

A large stone statue rested at one of the steps going up to the altar. The figure was frozen in place, almost as if time had been completely set still while it ran up the steps. Its right arm held a large, thin blade behind it, whilst its left arm was extended over his body and towards the slab at the top of the altar, almost as if it tried to reach for something. For five years the statue had stayed still, light traces of moss and nature had started the conquest of yet another victim, slowly taking over some of the detailed ridges of the perfectly carved stone boots.

Drip… Drip… Crack… A breaking sound clashed against the droplets falling to the ground. The floor trembled slightly beneath the stone statue as a thin line cracked and ran across the arm holding the sword. Settled dust was shaken off the figure’s surface, mixing with the thick mist and sending the cavern into yet again another deafening silence. After what seemed like an eternity, a sudden flash of golden light enveloped the entire statue, filling the silent cavern with a blinding light and dispelling the fog at last.

“Huuff” The statue panted heavily as it came back to life, almost as if trying to catch up on 5 lost years of breathing. The stone cracked and fell into the ground like a shell, finally liberating the captive figure. The blue haired mercenary was finally back.

Kenzo’s memory was jumbled, mixed details flashed through his head as he felt a strong numbness. There was little he remembered, for he had spent his entire time as a statue with one goal in mind. Little by little, trickling mana like watching paint dry, the Bellan swordsman had spent every ounce of his concentration gathering enough mana within Masamune. After what seemed like an eternity, he was finally able to dispel the petrification cast on him. Taking his hand to his head, Kenzo continued breathing with difficulty as he tried to calm himself down. It was almost as if he’d woken up from a bad dream. Except – this hadn’t been a dream at all.

Blocking the rushing stream of memories from his mind, a single thought prevailed, waking him up from his lethargy. ”Rania… he muttered in a slight breath. Adjusting his vision to the darkness, his aquamarine eyes were drawn immediately towards the top of the flight of stairs; his heart skipped a beat as he noticed the statue at the top of the altar. Petrified just as he’d been, a petite figure was frozen almost as if she’d been in midair – strands of the statue’s hair fluttered and flowed gracefully, the folds of its clothing fluttered almost like if it was alive.

Memories finally started clicking together in the warrior’s mind, trickling back in order. A memory of Rania casting a powerful light magic spell materialized, cut shut before fading into darkness. Relieved at seeing her in one piece, literally, the merc made his way towards the top of the altar. A tender smile formed on his lips as he carefully touched the statue with his golden sword. Coursing mana through the blade, Kenzo finally nullified her petrification. Grabbing her carefully, he placed his arm around her, helping her as she regained consciousness. Her signature golden scepter disintegrated into dust as color began coming back to her visage.

A wave of relief washed over Kenzo as he felt the worst to have passed. Against all odds, both of them had apparently managed to come out of their ordeal unscathed.

“Time to wake up sleeping beauty.” The man flashed a cheeky smile at the girl.

Time to wake up, sleeping beauty.

A familiar voice tickled her consciousness, gently willing her to return to life.

Rania, who had been asleep for a long time, stirred at the sound of Kenzo’s words, but it took her a moment to fully return. Her body felt heavy, limbs aching from years of dormancy. When her legs gave away, she reached out for the next best thing to hold on to and, much to her delight, found herself in the arms of her favourite blue-haired mercenary.

He’s alive.

“Kenzo,-" she spoke his name gently with a sigh, and relief washed over her at the sight of him. She had no idea what had happened, but this wasn’t the first time these two had found themselves in trouble during one of the many adventures they had been on together, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

“I feel dizzy, but I’m alright. How about you?” Her brows furrowed, and she slightly pushed him back to inspect him fully. He wore his usual cheeky grin and all his bones seemed to be intact, which was enough for her. After reassuring herself that he was indeed fine and didn’t need her to heal him, she took in her surroundings for the first time

They were somewhere in Minstrel, that much she remembered. Here, a large cavern, nestled into the side of a mountain, lay forgotten and hidden beneath layers of overgrowing vines and moss. There were several rooms inside this cavern, most but not all of them marked by magical runes that she had yet to make sense of. Broken pillars and shattered walls revealed that this place had once been a battleground, but what exactly had occurred here – and when – remained a mystery.

Kenzo was armed. Rania, however, wasn’t.

At this, the cleric couldn’t help but make a sour face. Turning towards her companion, she gave him a look full of questions, gesturing towards the strange cavern they were in. “I think something went wrong with our last mission,” she said, voice laced with concern. “Are you sure you feel alright?” Between the two of them, Kenzo did the heavy duty work. He wasn’t much of a wizard, so all the physical fighting and going in full force was his job. Rania, in return, served more as his guardian and protector, making sure that none of the damage he took was permanent.

A talented sorceress with an affinity towards light and healing, Rania was confident that she could cure most injuries with ease, but when she tried to summon some of her powers to search Kenzo for hidden wounds, only a small glimmer of magic came out. At this she paused, confused, and looked up to him. “Ah, sorry. I’ll just try again–,” she apologised, almost embarrassed at her little mess up, but when Rania tried one more time she again couldn’t fully summon her spells. Her face fell, and mild panic now laced her voice.

“Kenzo, I think something’s wrong with me..”

Kenzo furrowed a worried brow as he saw the lithe girl's legs giving away as she tried to stand up. Gently cathing and holding her slender frame, the man quickly inspected Rania for any signs of bruises, broken bones or worse. He would have been clearly outmatched at administering first aid by the master herself, but he was confident he’d pick up a thing or two during their adventures. However, Kenzo’s worries were cut short as he heard the young mage call for his name.

The warrior had grown accustomed to the sound of her voice through their travels, she had become a special part of his life before he knew it. As such, his ears perked up unconsciously like a puppy as she commented on her state. Finally confirming she was okay, Kenzo released a sigh of relief. Tension flowed out of his body, making his expression more relaxed as he looked at her with a soft smile.

“I’m fine. I’m just glad to see you’re still in one piece…” The man took a small pause before he flashed a mischievous smirk, allowing her to inspect him completely. ”I wasn’t sure the glue would work when a piece of your stone statue broke by accident~” Kenzo teased, feigning anguish with a raised hand to his forehead.

As Rania took a second to inspect the cavern, Kenzo followed suit, allowing memories to trickle back into his mind. As he examined the runes covering entirely the huge marble pillar to his right, he was reminded of the reason they were there. Minstreli was far from Port Hargeon, not that the fact was particularly striking or uncommon. Kenzo and Rania had been traveling the world for a while now, following clues that would lead them to uncover the truth that Alisa had sent them to seek. As he traced a large gash on the pillar with his finger though, he was once again reminded of how lucky they’d been this time.

”Yeah… that was honestly closer than I’d care to ever repeat.” Kenzo replied at Rania’s question as he slowly shifted his attention towards her. A slight grimace of displeasure was quickly replaced by the merc’s usual, self-proclaimed, witty banter. ”Imagine how devastating it would’ve been if I hadn’t summoned that sword in time. I mean.... you looked like a goddess descending from heaven. I didn’t even have time to think of a cooler pose! I would have been stuck for eternity just going up some stairs.” Kenzo chuckled as he lowered his body towards a torn pile of metal, fur and leather by the ground. ”But yeah, in all seriousness, I’m completely fine. Seems like my armor took most of the damage for me… Not like it’ll ever do much more” He lift the tattered remains of his heavy armor before releasing them back to the ground, laying them to rest for good.

”How are you fee-“ the man cut his words short as he noticed the puny flash of magic coming out of Rania’s hands. Kenzo raised a curious brow, equally as confused as the girl. He could notice the traces of nervousness slowly showing on her face at her failure. However, he didn’t reply anything at her apology, allowing her space to regain her bearings. Yeah, it must have definitely been that she was a bit rusty, clearly after five years spent as a statue one would naturally forget a thing or two about casting their lifelong magic. She just needed to take a deep breathe, count to three and try aga-aaaaaand nope.

Nervousness was turned into mild panic, and Kenzo could notice it in her voice. A slight knot formed at the pit of his stomach as an unpleasant, familiar thought crossed his mind. Shaking his head, the warrior tried to dismiss the idea. There was no way Rania’s sudden lack of magical powers was even remotely related to the sealing of his own magic by a demon all those years ago, right?

Deciding to focus on her for the time being, Kenzo approached Rania and gently grabbed one of her arms. Swiftly checking her wrist with his fingers for her pulse, he tried to calm her as best as he could. ”Wait.. Rania. Don’t worry. I’m sure you’re just drained after such a long time. I’ve seen this happen countless times to mages when they drain off their magic, you only need to rest.” Kenzo pressed the back of his hand against her forehead, hoping he’d find her temperature the tiniest bit above normal, clear evidence that his words might just be true. Yet, nothing. Even if he’d tried his best to sound convincing, he couldn’t help but battle against doubt too.

For now though, he was sure of one thing. They needed to find help.

Her expression brightened a little at Kenzo’s teasing, and she appreciated the mercenary for attempting to make her feel better. This wasn’t anything to lose sleep over yet, but Rania was wary by nature and the circumstances they found themselves in were different from anything they had been through before. The two were wise to do a proper investigation before jumping to any conclusions. Her eyes followed his hands and landed on his broken armour.

“I suppose it was worth the jewels that you spent on it,” she said quietly and shrugged it off with a smile. Kenzo had liked that one, if she remembered correctly, but neither of them specialised in fixing weapons or armor, which is why both, her scepter and his garb, would have to be replaced with new items.

Unfortunately, Rania didn’t take nearly as well to losing her magical powers and even as Kenzo continued to try and cheer her up, her smile only faltered. “I appreciate that, and I hope you’re right.” He had placed his hand against her forehead to check for a fever, and although the gesture came from a place of affection, she didn’t think it was so simple and gently removed his hand.

“Just be mindful that I can’t be of much help to you like this, so don’t do anything too rash.” Her fingers still wrapped around his, she gave him a quick squeeze before letting go and carefully stepping down the stairs. Rania was interested in the ruins, but the stone skin that had kept them enclosed for however long had also caught her curiosity. Overall, they were in a pretty good condition – not at all what one would expect from an ordeal such as this, but her mind was too blurry to connect the dots or find any missing pieces.

“Either way, I think it might be a good idea to return to the guild and speak to Alisa.” Rania suggested and kneeled down by the edge of the room, inspecting one of the many runes that were found here. Something irritated her, but she couldn’t quite place it. After a while, she turned to look up at him and then the rest of the room.

“Was this place so…overgrown with flora when we first came here?” Uncertainty laced her words, and as her emerald eyes scanned the cavern, she couldn’t help but feel as though some time had passed between their battle and now – a lot of time. Rania didn’t think there was any magic that could simply stop time (and ageing) for two normal human beings, so the possibility of years having passed didn’t even occur to her.

Kenzo lowered his hand with slight dejection as Rania motioned him to do so, understanding that whatever she was going through had affected her more than he’d thought at first. Her somber smile struck a chord inside the mercenary, rendering him unsure as to what to do. He wanted to be of use to her, if to no one else in his selfishness. Others could have seen it as silly, but being faced with such a sense of powerlessness always left a bad taste in his mouth.

As Rania squeezed his hand, he gave her an empathetic smile. He was reminded once again of who he was dealing with; ever since their first encounter he found out how brave she was. Filled with resolve, Kenzo understood the best he could do was to be by her side as they figured something out. Setting his worries aside, he decided it was best to focus on their current situation for now.

“Hoh, I’ll have you remember who you’re speaking with. Some people would kill to have me as their bodyguard~ I’ve seen it.”. Kenzo puffed his chest with confidence as he flourished his hand down the stairs with a slight bow, motioning for Rania to move ahead.

Taking her time to inspect the room, the man followed Rania’s movements with curious eyes. Channeling mana through his right eye, the world immediately became available to him. His eye flickered with a faint blueish flame-like appearance, allowing him to see everything that surrounded them in near-complete detail. As the girl mentioned the idea of going back to the guild, Kenzo simply nodded in agreement.

”I’ve found the path that leads to the exit.” He mentioned, going down the stairs as he pointed towards one of the several arched stone doors surrounding the room.

Waiting for a second to let Rania follow, he pondered a bit at her question. It was a hard thing to answer after all, the stalactites in the ceiling would have grown awfully slow for him to know for certain. If memory served him right, their growth rate was something like 0.13 mm. a year, so the fact they’d grown 0.65 mm. during the time they were turned into stone was completely lost on him. However, the overgrown flora of the place was a whole other story.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Kenzo tilted his head slightly as he paid attention to the general state of the room. He knew they’d fought against an enemy before getting turned into stone statues, but his memory was too fuzzy to remember much else. ”I guess you’ve got a point… I don’t recall the room being this lush when we arrived.” His instincts told him the girl was onto something, but the conclusion they suggested was too preposterous to even entertain. For now, they needed information.

”I think it’d be for the best if we left this place, let’s find a settlement where we can gather more information.” He concluded as he took a step towards the door he’d pointed at before. There were too many things they didn’t know at the moment, chief among them how long they’d spent at the cavern. However, judging from the state their supplies in his pocket dimension ring were in, the situation didn’t paint too encouraging. He decided not to tell Rania for now, but he immediately understood they’d need to secure food and water soon.

Thankfully, he remembered they had spent the night in a village not too far from the cavern when they first arrived. Making it there would be the first order of business.

Rania watched as Kenzo’s expression shifted and failed to hide the obvious flicker of disappointment. It hit her deeper than she wanted to admit, and the young sorceress once again came to understand just how much she cared for the blue-haired mercenary with the brazen personality. Rania wanted to reassure him, but the words got caught in her throat, and her thoughts were still a mess. The priestess knew herself and understood the magic that she had governed over for many years well – she could feel the difference in power clearly, but decided not to further elaborate on it. She couldn’t explain the storm inside of herself without dragging him into it, and that’s the last thing she wanted.

When Kenzo gestured for her to walk down the stairs she reached for his wrist and placed a kiss to the palm of his hand before nuzzling her cheek into it. “I know,” the woman gave him a smile. “And I couldn’t ask for a better person to protect me.” Kenzo had a sensitive heart and little stunts like this usually did the trick with him. She then proceeded down the stairs and began inspecting the room.

The mercenary was better equipped for this task, having retained most of his gear and even modifications during the time that they were locked away in stone. Rania on the other hand had a good head on her shoulders and once her mind cleared up a bit she actually began recognizing some of the runes she spotted – they were indeed related to time magic. She found this surprising, considering that this type of power was not wielded by just anybody, and for them to have run into an enemy with magic just as this could very well explain the predicament they had ended up in.

When Kenzo pointed out the exit she perked up and gave him a nod. “Good, let’s get out of here then.” She couldn’t sense any danger right now – and no doubt he would’ve said something if that were the case – but Rania didn’t like this place and she felt as though they’d spent more than enough time in here already. The woman headed for the exit, which led them through a long, dark corridor before they finally found the entrance of the cave. The area outside lay in ruins, overgrown by foreign flora, with no remarkable landmarks to point to this location.

If they had stayed here any longer, she wondered if the guild would have been able to track them down.

The crisp air felt good against her skin, and she breathed in the evening breeze with a deep sigh. Night had fallen and the moon was shining brightly, so they could see very well despite the darkness of the surrounding woods. It was cold, much colder than she remembered and Rania suddenly realised that she wasn’t dressed for the occasion. Another cold gust swept over her and goosebumps ran alongside her skin. Rania stayed rooted in place, crossing her arms tightly and rubbing warmth into her bare skin. “Weird,” she muttered quietly to herself. “Wasn’t it still summer when we got here?”

Late summer, perhaps, but that was a long time ago. Autumn had since settled in.

The warrior’s spirits were lifted by the simple gesture of the petite paladin. He was a simple man after all, and she had him completely figured out by now. As per the true nature of the room, Kenzo had a theory brewing on his mind. He tried to focus on the memories of their fight before getting frozen, the only thing he remembered was the two Pegasi fought against a single opponent. As per their identity though, he had no luck. His fuzzy memory wasn’t helpful, but he had a couple of guesses taking the forefront.

While Rania figured out the magical nature of the runes covering the room, Kenzo’s mind was elsewhere. He couldn’t be certain, but examining their supplies on his pocket dimension ring told him that some time had passed since they first arrived. Years as a mercenary had exposed him to a large range of requests, some of them involving beast hunting. Heck, he’d even participated in an experiment back in Crocus involving the creation of artificial monsters; Homonculi. It was during this time that he first encountered a gorgon, experiencing firsthand their stone gaze. Though it was still just a theory, it would have to suffice for the moment. As per how long they’d been frozen though, this was something they needed to find.

As the two of them made their way out of the cavern system, Kenzo could notice the temperature dropping noticeably. He took a quick glance at Rania, watching her shivering frame as she tried to warm herself with her bare hands. An affectionate smile crossed his face at the futile attempts of the light mage; she had always struggled with the cold, and yet she constantly forgot to pack thicker clothes when they traveled. Slowing his pace lightly to allow her to get ahead, the warrior materialized his thick fur coat from his pocket dimension. Placing it over her back from behind, he made sure to adjust it, amused by how big it looked on her size. Satisfied, Kenzo lowered his face next to her ear before speaking almost in a whisper.

”And here I remember you saying you didn’t want to carry a coat. Seems like Minstreli nights are colder than you remember.”

The man teased Rania with a light chuckle before straightening up and hastening his pace to match her again. Placing both hands at the back of his head, Kenzo looked at the sky before finally speaking his mind. ”It seems we were frozen as statues for a while. I wonder what day it is? Do you think that-”

Kenzo cut himself short as his words left his mouth. The man’s ears instantly perked up as he heard a faint sound to their left. Adrenaline rushed his body, trained from countless experiences. Somebody walked towards them, crushing a twig with their feet. This was a good sign; at the very least whoever approached them wasn’t particularly skilled. Instantly putting himself in front of Rania, he extended his arm towards her without looking, silently alerting her to the strangers’ presence. As a couple of hooded men came into view, Kenzo stood motionless, scanning their surroundings with his left eye’s ability, ready to spring into action.

”Aaah, it seems like the signs were right. Strangers do wander the woods once again.”

”And yet they wander once again, the signs are never wrong.”

The two pale men spoke in riddles as their gleaming eyes locked onto the Blue Pegasus members, causing a chill to run down Kenzo’s spine. There was an uncanny aura coming from them, but the blue-haired mercenary couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

”What brings the two lost souls so deep into the woods? This is no place for a night of strolling. Who might you be?”

In the stillness of the night Rania felt the cold creep onto her. The air was laced with frost and each breeze was more icy than before, when suddenly warmth spread over her shoulders – a coat, fluffy, heavy and much too large for herself. The mercenary scolded her gently and she turned slightly to see him there and when their eyes met Rania smiled, a flicker of gratitude across her lips, as the cold chill around them faded just a little. “I will remember it next time,” she promised and continued walking ahead.

Rania’s mind was still occupied with the mysterious cave, her sudden lack of magical power and exactly how much time had passed since the two Blue Pegasus members had come to Minstreli when Kenzo, who was walking next to her at this point, suddenly came to a halt. The mercenary moved to put himself between her and somebody and that immediately put the girl on edge. He extended his arm towards her, signalling her not to step forward, and she quietly followed his instruction. Instead, Rania took a careful peek at whoever had come out of the woods.

”Aaah, it seems like the signs were right. Strangers do wander the woods once again.”

At this, Rania swallowed and furrowed her brows. Two shadows had slipped from the trees – men whose faces were hidden by large, dark hoods. A few more whispers reached her ears and she decided that she didn’t like the sound of their voices at all. They were high, creepy and crackling, their tongues curling each word in such a strange manner that it simply felt wrong and inhumane. Rania hesitated for a long time before finally stepping closer and putting her hand on Kenzo's raised arm to lower it. It didn’t make sense, as every fibre of her being fought the urge to step closer, but she didn’t resist any longer, despite the chill running down her spine.

“I’m a merchant from Fiore,” she lied perfectly. “He’s my travel guardian, but we got separated from our caravan and it seems that we’ve gotten lost.”

Merchants travelling in caravans alongside hired sellswords to protect their goods were extremely common anywhere in the world, and it would explain why Kenzo carried a weapon, but Rania didn’t. “We’re looking for a place to stay the night, perhaps you could help us?” At this point Rania had stepped in front of Kenzo to somehow make the large, blue-haired man look less threatening, and offered the two strangers her best smile.

At this they seemed convinced and oddly satisfied. “Very well,” they responded in unison. “Follow us then.”

She could tell that Kenzo wasn’t happy with this idea at all, but she simply gave him a shrug and a look that said ‘I’m not sleeping outside tonight!’ before hurrying after the two men. The couple was led through the dense woods for roughly half an hour before they reached what appeared to be a small settlement. An eerie aura was draped over the village. Faded symbols painted in red and black marked each one of the doors, while strange-looking dolls hung from leafless trees, swaying ominously in the wind.

Rusty lanterns cast a dim glow onto the town’s empty streets and thick fog curled around the houses. The homes looked ancient, weather-beaten and uninhabited. Some of them had broken windows and as much as Rania was tempted to throw a ball of light into one of them, she held herself back. Regret surged through her at the sight of this, but unwilling to abandon the idea of a warm bed, she continued to walk after the two cloaked figures.

Much to Rania’s relief there were more signs of life once they had headed deeper into the settlements. A few of the houses had their lights on, and the two of them were brought to one house in particular. It was in a similarly shabby state and she hesitated before entering. “The town’s guest house,” one of the men explained. “You may rest here.” Rania didn’t speak, only bowed to express gratitude, and quickly ushered Kenzo inside. The Paladin closed the door and drew all the curtains close before using her magic to create a source of light for the two of them.

Surprisingly, the state of the house wasn’t all that bad on the inside. Rundown for sure, but doable for the night. She sat down on the bed, sighed deeply and searched Kenzo’s face with a look of concern on her own.

“I’m not sure why I made us come here,” she admitted quietly.

Truth be told, Rania knew that most of her magical power was gone–depleted over the course of time. It was her first time hearing of a case like this, as magic didn’t simply disappear. It could be nullified temporarily, but more often than not these types of abilities were used on spells and in the middle of battle. She didn’t know if someone’s entire pool of magic could be nullified to the point of exhaustion, but then again there were many things Rania didn’t know. Once they returned to Fiore she would visit Era Town and start doing some research on this topic in one of the libraries there.

In the meantime Kenzo had followed suit and taken a seat next to her. She was certain that during their walk through the village the mercenary had spotted many things that Rania herself had overlooked and if he didn’t speak up now, there was no need to pay it any heed. Ideally, the two of them would enjoy a quiet night on their terms and depart this eerie place during the early morning hours without problems.

The healer was pulled out of her thoughts when Kenzo’s hand touched her face and he leaned into her, comforting her with kind words. At that, Rania couldn’t help but smile. The mercenary had always been good company, and she was glad to have met him. It’s been some time since the two of them had started accompanying each other on missions and travels and their relationship had developed into something closer and more intimate since then. If she had to describe what she had with Kenzo in more simple terms, it would be ‘found family’. With both her parents long gone, and no further relatives to speak of, Kenzo and Blue Pegasus were all that Rania had – and for that, the woman felt deeply grateful.

Rania pushed a long strand of black hair out of her face and leaned into the kiss. As she placed her hand back onto the bed her fingers accidentally brushed against Masamune, Kenzo’s sword, when a terrible thought crossed her mind.

Kenzo had nullifying abilities.

Not magic of his own, so to speak, but a sword with abilities that could, in theory, be the cause for her condition. She had seen him wield Masamune in battle countless times, and it seemed that the swords' main purpose was to slice through incoming spells. Rania had never seen Kenzo actually go beyond that, and overall the idea was ridiculous and stupid. There was no way he’d ever do that to her and even if – how would that do him any good? The mercenary benefitted more than anyone else from Rania’s healing magic. The woman quietly cursed herself for even having that thought and quickly dismissed it. Clearly the circumstances of their current situation were messing with their head and she needed to get a grip.

If Rania seemed distracted by her thoughts, it was only for a moment. The woman slid her arms around his neck and herself into his lap and placed another kiss on his lips. “I actually quite like this coat of yours,” she responded with a smirk. That wasn’t necessarily an exaggeration either – Rania did prefer Kenzo’s fluffy coat over her own and she purposefully 'forgot' packing her stuff because she knew he’d give her his.

“You do realise that if somebody attacks us tonight, you’re going to have to fight them naked.”

The thought of this made her laugh, although she did end up side-eyeing the door to make sure everything was locked. Outside the wind was rattling the windows, but Rania’s light magic cast a warm glow on the two of them, not only tinting the cabin’s interior in a cosy golden light, but providing warmth to the two travellers who, at this time, were still blissfully unaware of the fate that awaited them.