Cana looked skeptical when Erus landed on the grassland. The grass hit by the black dust from Erus' wings instantly turned brownish. She scanned their surroundings, seeing only trees and grass. It looked like they were inside a forest.
After tucking in his wings, Erus erased the binding spell on their bodies. He noticed how Cana's eyes roamed around.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
Cana looked at him. "Ha? Yeah." Then, she went back to what she was doing.
Erus just shook his head, thinking Cana might be following some safety protocol because the way she scanned the place was like she was finding a nesting beast. She looked around, up, and down too.
"Let's go," he said.
"Where?"
"Just follow me."
Cana did as he said, but instead of tailing behind him, she walked side by side with him. He was not annoyed; her height did not stop her from keeping up with his pace, something most women—even the vice captain of their team—could not do.
After walking for some minutes, they were out of the forest. From a distance, they saw a house built of stone. It was a simple house from the outside, and they were heading toward it.
"Is this your house?" Cana asked.
"No," Erus answered. "Just wait here," he added before disappearing without warning.
Cana stared at the place where Erus had been standing. She blinked rapidly. Her eyes went wide upon realizing he had really disappeared.
Did he just abandon her?
"Where the fuck did he go?" She said through gritted teeth, like someone had fooled her in gambling and she'd lost a bet she was supposed to win. Her brows knitted. Her gaze was intense when Erus appeared again in front of her.
"Oh! The hell with that look?" Erus was startled by how Cana was throwing daggers with her eyes. His body even arched back.
He had left her for just a minute, but he came back to find her ready to lunge at her prey.
"What happened to you? Where have you gone?" Cana asked like a machine gun.
Erus wanted to scratch his head harder when he realized what actually happened.
"Relax. I went inside and got some comfortable clothes for you." He handed her the clothes, which were wrapped in another fabric. "These were Mom's clothes when she was your age. She told me to give them to you."
Then, he pulled them back, remembering he had dimensional storage.
"You'll learn it soon if you have an affinity for it," Erus told Cana. He saw her mouth hang open as he tossed the bundle into his dimensional storage, letting it vanish into thin air. "Let's get going. We need to get a carriage to the city before it gets dark."
Cana wanted to whine but kept her mouth shut. She lightly scratched her neck with her index finger. There was nothing she could do. She wasn't familiar with this place or the life here. Her only choice was to go with the flow and make sure Erus didn't abandon her.
After a long walk, they were back inside the forest. Erus stopped and grabbed Cana by her wrist. Cana looked at him, confused, especially when he scanned the area.
Cana's mind went into survival mode, and she imitated what Erus was doing.
"Hey, close your eyes," Erus told Cana.
Instead of doing it, Cana did the opposite. She stopped and stared at him for a few seconds. Then her eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped.
In movies, when a guy asked a girl to close her eyes, he meant to kiss her. Right now, they were alone in the forest and Erus was holding her wrist. There were also plenty of trees where he could pin her.
"I—," Cana was about to retort.
"We're going to teleport," Erus said seriously, seeing the dilemma playing out in her expression.
Ah, teleport, Cana repeated in her mind. It was lucky Erus interrupted her, or she would have had a much deeper shame to resent.
She immediately closed her eyes when Erus tilted her chin up to close her mouth.
As soon as Cana's eyes shut, Erus teleported. She didn't feel a thing from his magic and kept her eyes closed even after they reached their destination.
"Once we are out of this forest, we must never use the heirloom's power. No one should know our connection to a witch's power," Erus said in a low voice.
Cana's right eye peeked open.
"We are here. You can open your eyes."
Cana did, but she furrowed her brows. She could still see trees everywhere.
"We teleported and we're... still inside the mountain? You're making fun of me."
Erus rolled his eyes, even though he wasn't used to making such an expression. Instead of answering, he turned her around to see the road just a few meters ahead.
"About the heirloom I told you—you heard it right."
"Yeah, loud and clear. But why?" Cana looked at Erus, but he didn't answer. She saw only his tired eyes. "Tch. Got it," she said instead. "Don't worry, I'm a disciplined and obedient child," she added when his expression didn't change. "Are you hungry?"
Erus hesitantly shook his head. "No."
Cana had no idea that Erus was starting to feel the burden of dragging someone else into his messy life. He was wondering if it would have been better to stay on the island forever. He was known as a cold, tough curse-bearer, but now he feared for someone else's life.
"Really? Because your eyes are clearly telling me you're not okay."
"I'm... Hey! Watch where you're touching..."
Erus hadn't stopped Cana's hands from reaching his chest. He was so used to her obsession with his body that he assumed she was flirting, but she only reached for the spot above his heart.
"Are you blaming yourself for bringing me? Or are you scared of something else?"
"No—no. It's not like that, Cana," he stammered.
How had she predicted exactly what he felt? Was it because they were bound? Or was he that transparent to her?
"Honestly, it's odd, but I can feel when you're down or hyped. So please stop pretending you're fine when you're not. If you're thinking those people who treated you badly will do the same to me—stop. I didn't cross paths with you to take on heavy dramas. I'm not throwing our lives away for that. Okay?"
Erus stopped thinking and just listened. Again, she seemed like a different person.
"Erus?"
"Are you the fairy godmother my mom never mentioned?" Instead of matching her dramatic tone, he threw a sarcastic joke.
Surprisingly, Cana grinned.
"If you want me that way, then I'll be that strict, overprotective fairy godmother Uruja never told you about."
It made Erus chuckle. "The hell," was all he could say. But truthfully? Cana's words struck his heart.
"You're welcome." Cana smiled sweetly, but Erus brushed it off her face by simply running his palm over her face.
"Let's go." Erus pulled Cana by the hand when he heard a carriage coming from a distance. They stepped out of the forest.
Two carriages were approaching, both for passengers. Erus was hopeful they still had space for the two of them. They stood beside the road, Erus signaling for a hitch, but the first carriage's henchmen ignored them. They were older, and their faces were filled with horror when they saw Erus.
"Solari!" Someone from the second carriage called out. It was one of the henchmen, a teenage boy. He was waving at Erus. "Get in. This might be the last carriage going to the city," he said. "I suppose you're going there?"
The other henchman seemed surprised and terrified to see Erus. If not for Cid, he would not have let Erus ride. His reputation as a curse-bearer was widespread in the kingdom.
"Yes. Thanks, Cid," Erus replied. He gently pulled Cana toward the back of the carriage. He lifted her to get in first, since the steps were too high for her.
Cana looked like a teenage girl being lifted by a doting father.
Erus followed her, guiding her on where to sit. He chose the very back where he could easily jump out in case of an emergency. Migrating beasts often attacked carriages. Cana sat beside him.
Once seated, Cana noticed how pale the other passengers were. The elders avoided looking in their direction. The younger ones and the women looked, but horror was visible on their faces. When she turned to Erus, he was looking back at the trail behind the carriage.
So, this is what he meant. It hurt Cana. This kind of treatment was not something deserved by someone who just wanted to live a normal life.
Cana was also curious about the name the boy had called Erus, but she could ask him later.
The road was bumpy; there was no cement or asphalt here. Just soil and rocks. Plus, the seat had no foam—just flattened hardwood. This was the reality of Cana's new world.
Cana felt Erus's arm move behind her. He pulled her closer, guiding her to lean against him. That way, she wouldn't keep bumping her back against the wooden side rail or hitting her head against the hoops supporting the carriage's cover. Cana did not resist, but she was flustered by Erus's sudden act. They were not alone, and these people were total strangers—nothing like Uruja.
The other passengers exchanged confused, curious looks when they saw how Erus treated a woman who was unfamiliar to them. He seemed a total stranger to them. They stared, trying to discern if he was merely imitating the real curse-bearer to mess with them. But when Erus looked at them, they were all glued to their seats, locking their eyes on the road ahead. His aura alone was enough to tell them exactly who he was.
Only the creaking of wood and the bumping over slumps and rocks broke the silence and awkwardness inside the carriage.
It was unsettling for Erus, feeling Cana's body brushing against him, but he had to endure it. If he didn't, he'd only end up nursing her injuries after this trip was over. Even the fragrance clinging to her still had the same effect on him, pulling at senses he didn't want to acknowledge.
When was he going to get used to these strange sensations?
As the sun set, the breeze turned biting and cold, as if the carriage had air conditioning installed. The road ahead grew heavy with mist, blurring the line between the path and the shadows. The ride was taking longer, and Erus had not mentioned it would take a day before they arrived at the city gates.
While Cana was busy staring at the road ahead, she felt eyes crawling on her skin. When she looked to see who it was, she found the other passengers watching her. There was curiosity in their eyes, but no hostility. A toddler even smiled when their eyes met. Cana smiled back, remembering her youngest sister, Lella. They might be the same age. Lella was four years old, and Cana found herself missing the sweetness of her little sister's giggles when they played.
Cana tried her best to control herself and not cry. She had to accept her reality now. She was no longer a part of her old world.
To their surprise, the young girl jumped from her seat and tried to run to Cana. Cana reacted abruptly, catching the girl's body just in time so she wouldn't roll onto the floor. But the impact nearly sent Cana tumbling instead. It was only thanks to Erus's fast reflexes—his arm snaring her body—that she stayed upright.
The passengers were terrified when Erus moved; they were frozen once again. The parents were even more struck by fear, the mother unable to speak as she clutched her infant. When Cana tried to put the child back in her seat, the girl clung to her neck.
Erus was just as shocked and confused as the others. He had been busy watching the road behind the carriage when he sensed Cana's abrupt movement. He had no idea why she had ended up with a child who looked like she wouldn't let go of Cana no matter what.
Should he scare the kid?
But seeing how Cana was hugging her, he immediately brushed the idea aside. Instead, he reached out and lifted them both—Cana still clutching the child—and set them back down onto the seat.
The girl giggled when they landed. She even clapped her hands, as if what they had just done was some kind of game.
Erus could not believe the kid.
He had returned to his previous position as Cana's protector, but with one difference: he was now watching how she interacted with the child. Cana seemed used to dealing with children.
"She's cute," Cana said in a low voice to Erus. She was smiling.
"Lovely," the girl said, clasping her hands onto both of Cana's cheeks. Her eyes were twinkling as if she were scooping up her favorite doll.
"Oh, thank you," Cana replied with a giggle.
"What's your name?" the girl asked Cana.
"I'm Cana."
"I'm Dul-u."
"Dulu," Cana repeated.
"It's Dul-u," Erus corrected. It was a moment too late before he realized what he had done.
"Right!" The girl said, clapping for Erus.
"Oh, my bad." Cana laughed, and the girl followed suit.
The carriage was suddenly filled with Cana and Dul-u's laughter, easing the tension that had gripped the small space. Even Erus found it amusing.