Eight years had passed since Draven first met Taliah Valdegrim and, although many things had changed during that time, some remained exactly the same.
"Draven, are you done yet?"
Kali’s voice came from the floor below.
"Yes!"
He replied while adjusting the strap of a small travel bag.
He looked around his room one last time, which no longer looked like a child’s room.
The toys had disappeared years ago.
Now there were books, maps, training weapons, and several objects that Zenash had given him over time.
Too many, in Draven’s opinion.
In one corner there was a real sword, on the table rested several documents, and on his wrist he still wore the storage bracelet that Zenash had given him.
Draven checked that he had everything, then left the room, went downstairs, and found Kali waiting at the entrance.
His mother looked him up and down.
"Is that all?"
"That’s right."
"Got clothes?"
"Yes."
"Money?"
"That too."
"Food?"
"Of course."
"Weapons?"
Draven raised an eyebrow.
"Mom."
"Just asking."
"Don’t worry, I’ve got everything."
Kali seemed to think of something else.
"Underwear?"
Draven closed his eyes.
"I’ve got that too."
"Good."
Kevar was leaning by the door.
"I told you he already had everything."
Kali looked at him.
"And I told you I don’t trust two men packing for a trip on their own."
Draven looked at his father, and Kevar shrugged.
"Over the years I learned it’s easier not to argue."
Draven nodded slowly.
"Yeah, I noticed."
Kali narrowed her eyes.
"Did you two say something?"
"No, nothing."
They both answered at the same time, so Kali looked satisfied.
Draven stepped outside, and a carriage was waiting in front of the house—elegant, far more than Draven needed for a trip.
He also recognized perfectly the emblem engraved on one of the doors, which belonged to the Valdegrims, and next to the vehicle waited Taliah.
Taliah was very different from the girl Draven had met.
Her golden-blond hair was tied back, and she wore bangs that fell over her forehead.
She still had those intense violet eyes, and her posture was firm.
She carried a sword at her waist and travel clothes that, though simple by her family’s standards, were still far too expensive for most people in the town.
When she saw him come out, Taliah walked straight toward him.
"You’re late."
Draven looked up at the sky.
"It’s seven in the morning."
"I told you I wanted to leave earlier."
"And I told you no."
"We could’ve left at six."
"That’s still way too early."
Taliah looked at Draven’s bag.
"Is that all?"
Draven stared at her.
"I just had a similar conversation."
"With your mom?"
"Exactly."
Taliah took the bag.
"I’m going to check it."
Draven pulled it out of her hands.
"No, thanks."
"Why not?"
"Because I’m not a kid anymore for you to worry about that."
"That doesn’t mean you packed properly."
Draven looked at her in silence, but Taliah held his gaze, and suddenly Kali came out behind him.
"Taliah."
"Yes?"
"Make sure he eats properly."
Draven turned.
"Mom."
Taliah nodded seriously.
"I will."
"And that he sleeps well."
"Yes."
"And don’t let him do anything too dangerous."
Draven raised both hands.
"Can you stop talking like I’m not right here?"
Taliah ignored the protest.
"I’ll keep an eye on him."
Kevar came out of the house.
"Also remember that Draven can take care of himself."
Kali and Taliah looked at him, at which Kevar fell silent, but then looked at Draven.
"I tried to help."
"Thanks."
Taliah crossed her arms.
"I just want to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid."
Draven pointed at his sword.
"We’re going to hunt a legendary creature."
"Exactly."
Taliah said it as if that proved her point.
Draven let out a sigh, because that had also gotten worse over the years.
Taliah had always been competitive, but later she had become protective—more like way too protective of him.
It didn’t help that Zenash did something similar, though in a different way, and Yruza simply had the habit of hitting him whenever she thought he was doing something idiotic.
The three of them had known each other for years, but that didn’t mean they got along.
Draven preferred not to get involved when they argued, and experience had taught him there was no right answer.
He climbed into the carriage while Taliah said goodbye to Kevar and Kali before getting in behind him.
The vehicle started moving, and Draven watched the town through the window.
He had lived there for eleven years, and part of him felt something strange about leaving for a considerable time, but he also knew he couldn’t keep waiting any longer.
The time had come to move forward.
Over the last eight years he had trained every single day.
Combat, magic, endurance, mana control, reading, history, geography, and everything that could be useful to him.
His ability related to bonds had also grown quite a bit.
Every bond obtained had contributed something like mana, endurance, and control.
Other times, small physical improvements that weren’t easy to notice until after several months.
That had allowed Draven to partially compensate for what at first seemed like rather mediocre talent, but only partially.
Draven was not a prodigy.
He couldn’t cast advanced spells with ease, nor did he possess a monstrous mana reserve, nor did he have Taliah’s natural talent with the sword.
He also didn’t have the demonic capabilities of Zenash or Yruza.
He had improved because he trained every day and because his blessing helped him.
That was all, and precisely for that reason he had made that decision.
Taliah looked at him from the opposite seat.
"You’re overthinking again."
Draven turned his gaze toward her.
"You’ve been telling me that since we were ten."
"Because you keep doing it."
"I’m going over the plan."
"It’s not complicated."
"We’re going to enter Fernus, request authorization from the royal family, travel to a dangerous zone, and kill a legendary creature."
Taliah nodded.
"Exactly."
Draven looked at her.
"That’s complicated."
"Only if something goes wrong."
"Something always goes wrong."
Taliah smiled slightly.
"Then we’ll deal with it."
Draven rested his head against the backrest.
The reason for this whole trip was in Aster and, more precisely, in the capital, because that’s where the magic academy was.
The place where some of the most talented young people in the kingdom gathered, and it was also one of the most important points in the entire original story.
Draven needed to get in, not just because he could study magic, but because a large part of the future events began there, and that meant opportunities to grow stronger.
The problem was admission.
Draven could take the normal exams, but he knew his capabilities.
He might pass, maybe, but passing didn’t guarantee entry, since that academy offered alternative methods that were worth more than simply passing a normal exam.
One of them consisted of presenting an outstanding achievement.
An important feat could allow a candidate to enter without relying completely on the usual tests.
Draven had researched for months what he could do.
One was defeating a recognized knight in a duel, but Draven discarded it, since it would be too difficult for him to find one who would agree to fight him seriously.
Another was discovering a new type of spell, but that could take years.
The next was recovering a lost historical artifact, but the ones Draven knew about were in zones worse than the current objective.
And so it was that, as a last option, he chose to hunt an officially registered legendary creature.
Draven remembered several creatures of that type, some of which were impossible, like one that lived in the territory of the Kingdom of Konia and would require months of travel.
Another only appeared during a specific magical phenomenon that would occur in two years.
There was one he could probably defeat together with Taliah, but finding it was extremely difficult even with his knowledge of the game.
Then he remembered another.
A legendary creature whose location was relatively stable, which was a dangerous optional enemy, but possible, and above all if he went accompanied by Taliah.
In the original video game, Eliot Valdegrim was one of the strongest characters and, depending on the route, could end up facing the God of Destruction directly.
Taliah seemed to have inherited that same potential, since Draven had already confirmed it over the years.
She was ridiculously talented.
Draven could face many normal fighters, but Taliah could beat him far too easily when she fought seriously.
That’s why he had chosen her, and also because he knew she would accept.
"Do you still think we can defeat it?"
Draven asked, and Taliah answered without hesitation.
"Without a doubt."
"You haven’t even seen it."
"You said you know its abilities."
"That doesn’t mean it’s going to be exactly the same."
That was another problem, and it was that Draven no longer trusted his memories blindly.
He knew how that creature fought in the video game, but he had also learned that some things could be different.
"That’s why we’ll go prepared."
Taliah replied, and Draven nodded.
"I see."
The real inconvenience wasn’t the creature, but where it lived, which was in Fernus, the demon kingdom.
The specific zone where it was located was under the direct jurisdiction of the crown, and entering without authorization could cause problems.
So hunting a legendary creature without permission could be even worse.
Under normal conditions they would have to submit documents, wait, talk to officials, justify the objective, wait again, and maybe weeks.
Draven had no intention of doing that, since he knew directly the person who could skip the entire process.
Taliah looked at him.
"Do we really need to talk to her?"
Draven smiled.
"Of course we do."
Taliah frowned slightly.
"I don’t like it."
"I already know that."
"We can request the authorization the normal way."
"And lose weeks."
"It might be worth it."
Draven raised an eyebrow.
"Taliah."
She crossed her arms.
"I’m just saying there are other options."
"Zenash is the heir to the throne."
"I know."
"And my fiancée."
Taliah’s expression worsened slightly.
"I know that too."
Draven noticed the change.
’Here we go.’
"Don’t make that face."
"What face?"
"The one you’re making right now."
"I’m not making any face."
"Sure."
Taliah looked out the window, and Draven decided not to continue.
Zenash had met Taliah years earlier, and the first encounter had been awkward, the second had been worse, but afterward they had learned to tolerate each other, up to a point.
Yruza normally stayed in the middle trying to keep either of them from doing something stupid.
Draven had survived years of meetings between them, so one more visit shouldn’t kill him... probably.