"How old are you, anyway?" Leornars asked, his voice cutting through the stunned silence that had fallen over Stacian and the elf princess.
Stacian, ever calm, replied, "I'm roughly three hundred and seventeen years of age." Leornars simply nodded, showing no surprise, and walked towards the carriage, stepping inside.
"Out, you mongrel! Even if you helped us, this is an insult to our traditions!" one of the elven guards bellowed.
Leornars poked his head out, a cold glint in his eye. "Huh? Are you constipated or what? It's a place to sit, and I'll sit. If you've got a problem, come and remove me."
The princess, her expression serious, approached the guard. "Listen, you have no chance of victory against him," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I possess the divine eye, and I saw everything... he's the prophecied boy, the liberator of injustice, the White Plague."
The guard's eyes widened in shock, his sword clattering to the ground.
"Are you getting in, or should I just go ahead and you'll walk?" Leornars called out, impatience lacing his tone.
The guard gritted his teeth, his gaze fixed on Leornars. "That brat is nothing like the prophecy," he muttered, picking up his sword.
Inside the carriage, Stacian and the princess chatted idly. Leornars, bored with the scenery, suddenly leaped out of the carriage with a soft thud, landing on the roof. The guards, startled, immediately drew their weapons, mistaking the sound for an attack.
"For peace-loving elves, you bunch are weird," Leornars remarked, looking down at them.
"Says the prophecied brat!" the guard shouted back.
Leornars's face went pale. He descended from the carriage roof, landing directly in front of the guard. The guard twitched, a shiver running down his spine as Leornars's eyes glowed crimson.
"You know, I've always wondered what this 'Prophecy' and 'White Plague' are about?" Leornars's voice was low, dangerous. "You'd better start talking."
"It's... it's just an old story passed down through generations," the guard stammered, his eyes darting nervously. "It's said that a man who will come from another world to this one will be the liberator of injustice and discrimination. He shall unite the nations of the demi-human species into one. He shall lead with absolute authority over all species as he liberates them from humanity's slavery."
"Hmmmm... a liberator? That doesn't sound like me at all," Leornars mused, the red glow in his eyes fading. "Probably the prophecy was talking about someone else... saving people doesn't seem like me."
They continued their journey through the forest, eventually reaching the wilderness. That night, they made camp. Leornars, true to form, didn't partake in their food, instead venturing off to eat his own dried meat and fruits.
"Those two are so much alike," the elf princess commented, watching Leornars from afar.
"Huh?" the guard exclaimed, confused.
"Both have that cold and icy expression, both are uninterested in human affairs, and both have trust issues," the elf princess explained.
"True, I thought I was the only one who noticed that," the guard agreed, nodding.
The next morning, the elven group awoke to find Leornars meticulously cleaning his undead's armor, while Stacian sat calmly beside him.
"Morning," Stacian greeted the elf princess as she approached.
"Good morning to you too," the elf princess replied, then turned to Leornars, about to offer her own greeting.
"No," Leornars said instantly, cutting her off before she could utter another word.
The guards roused themselves, and the journey resumed.
"By the way, where are you two going?" the elf princess asked Leornars, who turned to Stacian.
"The Theocracy of Lurtra," Stacian answered.
The elf princess's face lit up with excitement. "We are headed there as well!" she exclaimed.
Leornars frowned and sighed deeply. "This will be a long journey," he grumbled.
"But we've already been on the same journey since yesterday," the princess pointed out, a hint of confusion in her voice.
"Because I thought you'd leave by dawn," Leornars said, his tone bored.
"At least pretend you're happy," she urged.
There isn't a molecule of excitement I have with you around, Leornars thought, gazing up at the sky.
They traveled for another full day, eventually reaching within a few miles of the Theocracy of Lurtra. In the distance, they could see a fort bearing the Lurtra emblem.
Upon their arrival at the fort's entrance, Lurtra guards emerged, confronting them. The elven princess's group consisted of roughly nine guards, with Leornars and Stacian as the two additional travelers.
"Get out of the carriage now!" one of the Lurtra guards shouted.
"WHAT?! SHOW RESPECT TO OUR PRINCESS!!!" an elven guard retorted, his voice booming.
"Don't make a fuss over it, Lirtal," the princess said calmly, stepping out of her carriage. The Lurtra guards' gazes lingered on her for a moment before they turned their attention to the two figures still inside the carriage.
"Can't you hear?!" the guard yelled.
"Don't raise your voice to me," Leornars said coldly, exiting the carriage and beginning to walk towards the fort entrance. He then turned, noticing the guard staring at Stacian, who was still inside the carriage.
"Let's go, Stacian," he said.
"Yes, my lord," she replied, stepping out of the carriage. As she was almost beside Leornars, the Lurtra guard suddenly grabbed her wing, pulling her back.
"No, no, noooooooooo, you're staying with me tonight," the guard leered. In a blink of an eye, Leornars had rammed his dagger into the guard's throat.
"Don't touch what doesn't belong to you," Leornars said, taking Stacian's hand. The other Lurtra guards immediately drew their weapons.
"Bellian, awaken," Leornars said coldly. From his shadow, Bellian rose, clad in black armor, his sword in hand. Bellian moved with terrifying speed, slaughtering the remaining guards. Without a backward glance, Leornars and Stacian walked into the kingdom of Lurtra.
The elven princess, stunned by the carnage, stood amidst the corpses. "No," she whispered, her voice filled with disbelief. "I doubt he's the prophecied hero."
Leornars and Stacian calmly entered the Theocracy of Lurtra.
In the audience chamber of the Theocracy of Lurtra, a delegate from Durmount addressed the officials.
"The King of Durmount has instructed you to capture the boy and imprison him," the delegate announced, a smirk playing on his lips. "Send him to the Kingdom of Durmount; he's our property."