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The carriage jerked violently once again, causing the sole passenger to get squished amidst the mountain of cargo. Shuri cursed her poor luck silently before crawling around the precarious stack of wooden crates. It did not help that she was still reeling from the rude awakening after an unpleasant dream.

"I-Is something wrong?" Shuri asked the carriage driver through an opening in the carriage's frontal walls. This was her first time hitchhiking, and it wasn't a pleasant experience at all! As a princess, she grew up in a protective environment where the assigned carriages were chock-full of comfort, safety and protective enchantments - it was all-encompassing such that the passenger barely recognised any movement. One must note that this was the case with even the most basic of carriages available at the Palace since Shuri wasn't favoured enough to use anything better. Transitioning to her current mode of transport, where the whole world seemed to shake as the carriage moved forward, Shuri was suddenly missing her old life.

"Sorry 'bout that, miss," the man responded respectfully. "The main road's a bit crowded given the whole debacle at the Capital. Thought about taking a shortcut."

Shuri had paid the man upfront with half of her savings to hitch this ride. This amount was unregistered with the company the man ran the caravan under, thus the money would go directly into his pockets. This was why the man spoke so reverently to her.

Due to the "Terrorist Attack" that took place in the Capital, a mass exodus of people started to take place. Those swarming away from the Capital were mostly those that came there temporarily: businesses and representatives, event-goers, visitors and tourists. The Capital's security didn't bother hindering this outflow as the culprit behind the attack was eliminated. Furthermore, the Capital was always looking for any excuse to reduce its population.

This was perfect for Shuri as she found an abundance of choices for her prospective ride towards freedom. She eliminated all the big players such as the national-level businesses and escort processions for clans (not that she could get in with them anyway since their kind rarely obliged a hanger-on).

After careful evaluation, she settled on this man whose name she did not ask, who worked or did not work for a company she cared not to know, and who had or did not have a family that she didn't wish to find out about. She did not tell him about herself either as she did not want the man to remember her - names give form to a person. If someone doesn't attach a name to an individual, they will gradually forget or overwrite the individual's existence in their memory. She submitted a substantial amount of money for his silence and discretion, which he accepted readily and maintained religiously.

"I thought we were going Northwards?" Shuri inquired upon noticing the rising sun beating down through the gap.

"My sources say that the paths through the Rasmus March have suddenly become safer. This is a lesser-known trail that will connect us to the March highway. It passes through a forest, so please brace yourself, miss," the man answered.

"Is this safe?"

"It's perfectly safe. I've taken this route many times," the man said casually with a wave of his palm.

Shuri hummed in acceptance, though the scepticism did not leave her face. The man appeared confident... maybe too confident. It was attitudes like this that got one killed back at the Palace. It was always the eunuch that believed his backing to be unshakeable that lost his head first; it was the palace maid who earned the passing favour of His Highness but thought it permanent that found her face melting soon after.

An eerie sense of foreboding pervaded her thoughts as the surrounding treeline grew taller and closer. She instinctively reached for her pendant and rubbed it anxiously.

It wasn't often that Shuri dreamed of her mother. Those memories were vivid just like everything else she experienced in her life, but they were unpleasant, to say the least. She tried her hardest to suppress them, but once in a while, something would sneak its way through her fortress of a mind. Whenever it did, something bad always followed.

____

Marie closed her eyes and inhaled the energising air as a light mist hung over the undulating ocean water. The sun peaked over the horizon, which was just plain water as far as the eye could see. She and her Master had been travelling for three whole days without stopping. The journey was pleasant and fairly uneventful which may have been a result of her Master's machinations... or not.

She turned her head and observed her Master, who was mimicking her with his eyes closed but facing Southward. She approached him and asked, "How much longer do you anticipate this journey will take?"

"We're almost there," he answered, to which Marie scoffed derisively.

"That's what you said yesterday, and the day before!" She complained.

Krish revealed a sly smile and said, "These instances of true suspense are so rare for us, why not enjoy it for a little bit longer?"

Marie shot out her tongue cheekily and punched her Master on his bicep.

"Ow!" Krish yelped with a flinch. "What was that for?"

"Oh please! As if that hurt you," Marie muttered as she massaged her aching fist.

"This is not how you should treat your Master," Krish complained. "You should be more respectful."

"Would you like me to bow every time I address you and cover my mouth when talking to you as well?" Marie goaded. "Why don't I get down on all fours and prostrate myself upon your feet while I'm at it?"

Krish snorted and ruffled his Disciple's hair. He then trained his gaze on the Southern horizon and narrowed his eyes.

"It's time," he declared.

"Time for what?" Marie shot back confusedly.

"Time for us to disembark," Krish answered while picking up his walking stick and fastening his bag.

"I don't see anything, though," Marie commented as she swivelled her head. "Should I go inform the Captain to alter our direction?"

"That won't be necessary," Krish responded and waved his hand dismissively. "We can just walk the rest of the way."

Marie burst out with a hearty laugh that quickly dissipated upon noticing her Master's serious expression.

"I'm sorry, I think my ears aren't working correctly. I believe I heard you say that we'll 'walk' the rest of the way there?" Marie reiterated with sarcasm oozing in her voice.

Krish pulled his lips in and nodded nonchalantly.

"Walk?" Marie repeated with a higher pitch and pointed out of the boat and towards the Vast Blue Expanse.

With a click of his tongue and an exhausted shake of his head, Krish walked forward. With one fell swoop, he leapt over the railing and went overboard.

"Master!" Marie rushed forward and leaned over the railing. She expected to hear a splash and find her Master waddling in the water. How could one expect someone to swim with one lame leg?

Instead, she was graced with the incredible sight of her Master standing atop the rolling water surface.

"Come on, now," Krish called while gesturing for Marie to follow him.

"How do you expect me to do that?" Marie screamed exasperatedly.

"It's easy! You just have to use the Movement Art I taught you," her Master instructed.

Marie wore a sceptical expression before following her Master over the railing. The moment her feet contacted the water's surface she started to perform the Movement Art. However, her feet just kept sinking, and sinking, and sinking.

""*cough* *sputter* Master!" Marie screeched between breaths as she tried to catch her breath. She quickly stopped controlling her mana and proceeded to float. Once she stabilised herself, she noticed her Master's shoulders jittering as he tried to suppress his laughter.

Marie narrowed her eyes and looked towards her Master's feet. They weren't even touching the water's surface - he was flying a centimetre above it!

"MASTER!"

Krish could no longer hold his laughter - he was literally in tears.

Marie growled and closed her eyes. She relaxed her breath and started to circulate her mana towards her feet. A spell circle materialised below each of her soles following which she halted her strokes to keep afloat. In doing so, she did not sink. She stepped forward like moving up a flight of stairs and rose incrementally with each step until she was standing perfectly atop the water, its surface warped like a cloth with a weight placed on it. She shot her Master a challenging glare and smirked.

Krish choked on his laugh and looked on in incredulity as his Disciple walked past him and onwards, letting out a grumpy snort as she passed him by.

"How are you doing that? What spell is this?" Krish fired inquisitively while hobbling behind his Disciple.

"I'm just following your 'precious' Movement Art, Master," Marie answered with a sardonic snap. "Can't believe I fell for that one..."

With an impressed smile, Krish walked up to his Disciple's side and continued the trek Southwards. The walk went on for five hours, at which point Marie's mana reserves nearly ran dry and Krish took over, levitating her above the water and carrying her with him as he moved.

"You could have done this from the beginning?!" Marie groaned with an offended look.

"And miss an opportunity for some casual tomfoolery?" Krish scoffed. "I don't think so."

"By the way, how did you do that earlier?" Krish inquired again. "It didn't look like any method I've seen before."

"It's a mixture of artificially increasing the contact surface area and manipulating the surface tension," Marie responded with a sneer. "I don't think you'll get it so just give up, old man."

Right at that moment, Krish halted in place and moved his gaze around as though he were searching for something. His eyes finally snapped in place on a seemingly blank location. He reached into his bag and retrieved an aged marble plate with symbols etched on them. He brought the plate towards the location his eyes stagnated on.

Like a puzzle piece meeting its mate, the plate slotted into place into thin air before the horizon rippled and dissipated.

As the translucent, almost glass-like membrane melted, Marie was shocked by a scary sight.