Queen Kohra

"So, you're leaving?" Lesker prodded, looking at her. She smiled and her appearance changed before their eyes. Her hair became a long flowing white and her eyes a stormy blue shade. Her skin turned pale and shimmered under the sun, showing it was covered with scales. She was also tall, giving an imposing feeling.

"I'm leaving to protect my home. I cannot continue your journey with you" she replied. She turned to look at Ilan hesitantly.

"Will you...will you come with me?"

Ilan, whose gaze was downcast the whole time, turned to look at her in surprise.

"I know you harbor some kind of feelings for Lesker and you're willing to return to your home after a long time. However, if I don't return with a mate this time, the line of the royal siren would die off. If I went without you, it would take me a thousand years to return but if you went with me, we would only take two months" she said in a soft pleading tone.

All three males were surprised. Saw, because he hadn't seen his queen beg for anything from anyone before and he had served her for a very long time. Ilan didn't have the time to consider before a sharpp refusal came from above them. Bruon and Aiyla had returned.

"I was always suspicious of you. What do you want?"

"A mate"

"What kind of beast are you?"

"A celestial beast. I lost my original mate around a million years ago and I found two people who possess similar energy to his. Lesker and Ilan are those people. Lesker is bonded to someone already which leaves me with Ilan. I must return with him"

"You're going to take him?!"

"Yes"

"You dare?!" Aiyla was almost spitting fire a this point. Quella simply smiled.

"I'll see you guys in two months" she calmly said and disappeared, taking Ilan and Saw with her. Aiyla shrieked loudly but none of the three could find any traces of her. It took a long time to calm her down and by the time they returned to the inn, the two moons were already makig their appearance in the sky.

"What do we do now?" Lesker asked Bruon, his expression filled with worry. Even the usually unshaken Bruon had deep frown lines.

"We proceed with the original plan. This time we would make no stop until we get to our home town. Once we get to see the mage supreme, we would take a teleportation circle to the capital and visit Duke Seigher for an explanation. A celestial stands at the peak of this world so it's not going to be easy to find one"

"I agree" Lesker said, sighing deeply. He looked at the knocked out Aiyla and sighed again. How did such a simple journey turn so messed up?

__________

Yuli, the poor boy who didn't know what was going on after two of their members went missing, just stayed silent. Sometimes, it was better not to say anything than to talk at all.

The guards at the gate stopped the cart and asked for identification. Seeing Aiyla's golden badge, they let them in and continued their daily task. The cart headed first for the Adventurer's Guild. Aiyla asked them to stay in while she went to present her report. She didn't stay long and came out after two hours.

The next place she stopped at was the Hunter's Association. She got down and Bruon took control of the cart. Aiyla waited for the cart to go out of sight before entering the Hunter's Association building and reporting the details of Ilan's mission. She reported Ilan missing and launched a barrage of complaints.

By the time she returned to her home, which the three males had already settled in, the Hunter's Association was burning with a metaphorical flame. Having released some of her rage, she was mildly appeased and gentle for the rest of the day.

Bruon sent a request to the Mage Association to see a Mage Supreme with immediate urgency and went into seclusion. He had severe injuries and couldn't even transform into his original form. He was stuck in human form for lower magi consumption. The dragon musk flower was intended to help heal his injuries. The excess energy inside the flower was very compatible for his internal injuries.

The house Aiyla and Bruon lived in was a huge manor. The rooms were filled with servants, orphans from Ilan and Aiyla's old orphanage and orphans the two S-Class adventurers picked up. The guest room Lesker and Yuli were given were high priority, furnished with the most exqusite resources. Yuli was handed to the housekeeper to take care of and at the same time, registered in an academy.

He was quite terrified to be seperated from Lesker and threw a huge tantrum. Lesker spent the night pacifying and comforting him, promising him various things. Lesker didn't know what his memory hid but he wouldn't abandon the child.

It was only when dawn broke that he fell into a fitful sleep.