The world righted in Nao-Zai's vision after a minute of being compressed in a series of hazy blobs of light. His feet touched grass—something he didn't know to be in the gods' Imperial city. Beside him, An-Ri flicked her hair behind one shoulder, her purple eyes flashing against the risen sun.

"An-Ri," Nao-Zai stepped closer. "Where are we? What did Kai-Se do?"

The spirit looked at him from head to toe. "You seem to be alright even through that jump," she said, bearing resemblance to Kai-Se's tendency to give unwarranted observations. Then, she jerked her chin towards somewhere behind him. "Get your men out of here and travel back to Xuijae. Warn the Emperor about Kai-Se's condition and Dansarun's probable invasion."

Nao-Zai knitted his eyebrows. "That's it?"

An-Ri leveled her gaze at him. "What?"

"Where are we?" he asked again. The trees swaying with the cool morning breeze did sound familiar. Somewhere...

"We're in Central Shencai. This is where Kai instructed me to drop everyone off," the spirit tapped the tip of her sandals against the tip of the grass blades. She began hovering inches from the ground once more.

He shook his head. "Sorry. Everyone?"

A chorus of voices rang behind Nao-Zai and he turned to find Wen-Shao and the rest of the servants and soldiers waving at him from a flimsy shack in the middle of the thick forest. All of them were dressed in beige layers tucked over dark trousers much like what the servants wore in the Imperial City. Thank the gods they were able to keep their weapons along with some provisions too.

"You did all this in that short while?" he turned back to An-Ri who had a sour expression on her face.

The spirit rolled her eyes. "I'm an ancestral fox spirit from Shaoryeong. Figure it out."

Again, that stark semblance to Kai-Se's sarcasm. Nao-Zai resisted the urge to copy the spirit's gesture to her face. "What will happen to Kai-Se?" he said, his gut twisting with dread at all the brutal images flashing in his head. "Why did he get us out of there?"

An-Ri narrowed her eyes. "Focus on getting back to Xuijae," she said. "If Kai wouldn't be able to diffuse this here, it's going to be bloody. It might as well be the end of the Minzareong dynasty. Go home, soldier. Perhaps we'll see more of each other on the battlefield."

Before Nao-Zai could find the proper response for that, An-Ri shimmered until she burst into a flash of bright light. The only noise around them after that were the sounds of leaves rustling and fabric brushing against fabric.

Nao-Zai clenched his fists. It seemed unfair that Kai-Se thought he's being heroic by doing this. He was expecting everyone to run back to Dangrao bearing the news that their crown prince was going to be used as a bargaining chip to get the human empire to surrender to Dansarun. Was this how they did to Shencai as well? That's just dirty.

Kai-Se was clearly the most important piece in the gods' scheme and he just isolated everyone who could help him in that huge and lonely place. Nao-Zai clicked his tongue. Unlike their companions, the servants and the rest of the soldiers under his command for this mission, he was still in his armor. That's better—useful, even—for what he's about to do.

Central Shencai, huh? He only needed to travel for a few days and he'd reach the border between Shencai and Dansarun. There's no way he'd leave Kai-Se on his own. Even An-Ri would be no match for a multitude of gods in the Imperial City alone. Sure, Nao-Zai was a mere human with a sword but still...he didn't like having Kai-Se risk his life for the empire when Nao-Zai should be risking his for the prince's.

Forget the wage and the prestige. It didn't even matter if Nao-Zai would most likely die if not from the gods' wrath but maybe from Shencai's merciless creatures. He has to save Kai-Se. The prince had been through so much and it seemed unfair he had to go through this ordeal just because he wished to be away from the royal life for a brief moment.

No one should be penalized for following their passion.

Nao-Zai turned to the crowd behind him. Those stacking crates after crates of provisions paused upon sensing his attention. The soldiers pressed their heels together as customary. "Wen-Shao," he called and the familiar soldier from the rear guard stepped forward with a salute. "Hurry to Xuijae without me. Inform the Emperor about the developments in Dansarun. Prepare for war. They're going to hold the prince hostage and force Xuijae's hand in relinquishing control. Make sure it doesn't get to that."

Wen-Shao bobbed his head as another idea popped into Nao-Zai's head. "Chase down any delegation from Dansarun," Nao-Zai said. "They mustn't reach Dangrao at all costs."

Wen-Shao pursed his lips. His dark hair had been let loose from its strict bun and instead tied low against his nape. "What about you?" his right-hand man asked.

Nao-Zai craned his head to the sky in the direction of Urkaze. "I'm going back," he said. "I'll get Kai-Se out."

Wen-Shao gave Nao-Zai one last salute, pressing a closed fist to his chest and tucking his legs closer. "Heaven's blessings."

"Heaven's blessings," Nao-Zai answered with a nod of his own. He jerked his chin towards the vague direction of Dangrao. "Go."

He watched the soldier stalk back to his comrades and relay the same information. They have a new assignment now. Each of them has the decision to follow what they were ordered or do everything they could to call the mission off. For Nao-Zai, it looked like he was about to do something thoughtless and reckless, despite all the lengths Kai-Se went through to get him out of the way.

Then again, what choice did Nao-Zai have? What choice did any of them have?

Kai-Se has to come home. He has to go to the root of his circumstance in order to curb the path of freedom he so wished for. And he couldn't do that if he's held hostage or if he has already passed through the afterlife after being killed off by the gods.

Moreover, Nao-Zai shouldn't let the only place Kai-Se has for a home be razed to the ground just like that. No. Nao-Zai gritted his teeth, wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his sword, and trudged forward.

Back to the Imperial City of the gods.