He sauntered towards the line of guards posted in front of the wall. Behind them loomed the pure white height of the wall. Even if he'd managed to break through that with his magic, it would incapacitate him for the next two years or worse, end his life altogether. So, they had to stick to this stealthy plan.

The air beside him was empty, void of the warmth he had come to attribute to that specific space. Nao-Zai had stayed behind, waiting for the line of carts meant to deliver supplies inside the walls. That's why Chi-Sae had stressed today's importance.

Kai-Se cleared his throat and approached the guard nearest the locked gates. Unlike the red or blue colors Xuijae guards usually wore, this set wore green. Fai Clan lackeys. No doubt about it.

"Excuse me," Kai-Se raised a hand, keeping the upcoming carts of produce and other supplies like ink and textile in his periphery. "Do you want to hear a story?"

The guard didn't reply, his eyes staying trained unseeing towards the far distance. "Go away," he said. "Before I put his spear through you for obstruction of duty."

Kai-Se didn't bother hiding his wince. He used to be the reason those threats were being said. Now that he's on the other side of the spectrum, he realized it didn't feel particularly enciting or encouraging .Even through that short interaction, he already developed an inexplicable hate towards the Fai Clan. "It's just one story," Kai-Se said, lacing a little magc into his voice. "Have you heard of how the dove managed to outwit the lion when it comes to finding food? Bet you didn't."

That's probably why he was able to gather crowds, no matter how small, back then, and why people seemed so eager to listen to his stories no matter what he said. And of course, it didn't work on Amatesu because she had enough to suppress all mortal magic from affecting her. So...everything Kai-Se was until now, he owed it to the spirits—the ones who made him.

This was just him paying them back for that.

Before the guards could say anything, he launched into the story. Detail by detail, he went through the whole thing without leaving a stone unturned. He reached through my borrowed memories and flushed it out his mouth. It's about a silly story about a fox getting sweetened preserves from a jar that talks.

It could be about An-Ri and she would be murdering him in his sleep when she realized he had just divulged such a tale to strangers she could snap like a twig. Would she even grow up to be that An-Ri he knew or would she become a different spirit altogether?

Kai-Se left it to the heavens to consider. From his periphery, he watched a man dart past the carts, slipping nearer and nearer the gate as fast as his feet could carry him. Now, as more magic laced into Kai-Se's tone, the line of guards on the left side of the wall had now joined him, fanning out in a hazy circle to listen to his stories. A little more and Nao-Zai would be through.

The nearest ones from the right side, the ones adjacent to the gate had started noticing the commotion. The moment they leave their post to tell their comrades off, Kai-Se would have them in his clutches. He made a show of flexing his fingers to manipulate the bandage Nao-Zai had tied around his scratched hand to take the form of the fox. The green-clad guards from the wall's right side stepped into the radius of his influence. They're trapped.

Soon, they were forced to listen to the blandest story about a bird walking on two feet and eating the nuts on the ground. At this point, he wasn't aiming to tell a story with a lesson or something like that crap. He was just filling up their time, just so they wouldn't see a man slip past the unguarded gate and for it to lock on its own from the inside.

When the sound of metal clanging and grunts rang in muffled protests from the other side of the wall, Kai-Se raised his voice and his magic along with it. He told stories until sweat beaded on the side of his face due to the strain of using this much magic after barely getting it back. How was Nao-Zai? Could he still fight in this state?

He glanced at the sky. He didn't remember the sun going that high and hot. Was it afternoon already? How long had he been here? Half an hour. That's how long Nao-Zai needed Kai-Se to last. Half an hour.

It felt like forever though. Nao-Zai has been gone for an eternity.

Something inside him snapped, throwing him off-balance. His wrists scratched against the ground as they caught his weight. More stinging wrapped around his hands. The magic has passed. The guards now looked at each other in confusion. Then, they turned to Kai-Se. "Who are you?" one of them asked. The leader? Maybe. Whatever. Didn't matter.

Kai-Se attempted to produce something coherent, but his mind hitched and his throat hurt. He staggered up and smiled at the hostile looks and the spearheads pointing at him. "I'm a piper," he said. "I hope you enjoyed my stories."

The smartest of the bunch widened his eyes. "A spy!" he exclaimed, jolting the rest of them into more distrust. "He's a spy sent by the Noryeong Clan!"

His mother's clan? What about the Tarakure Clan? Or had they really split into different factions? Was that why his mother turned tail from Hankuure? "I'm not," Kai-Se raised his arms and stepped back. He needed as much distance from them if he's going to run. "I really am a piper. I have to thank you for listening to my tales. I'm planning to tell the same set once I reach Yomaura."

Another guard threw his head back. "Good luck on that one," he said. "The Yomaura clan wouldn't even let you step foot at the base of the mountain. They've got a foot in this door too and it's closing. Really, really fast. The Fai Clan will establish a new dynasty soon."

He leveled his spear at Kai-Se. Such an act would have been considered an act of treason had his father stayed in power. Now, Kai-Se must stare at it with enough fear to last him a lifetime. "I don't believe you're a piper," he said as his fellow guards imitated him. "Get him!"

Kai-Se's heart leaped into his throat as he pointed to the ground and changed the magic holding it up. Instantly, it turned into slippery sludge. "The Witch Prince," one of them whispered. Was that what they're calling Kai-Se now? Wow. Word sure traveled fast. "It's the Witch Prince!"

Those three words seemed to have blazed a trail in the guards. A curse flew off Kai-Se's lips as he turned and started running. It didn't matter if he revealed who he was. He needed to get out of here, spirits be damned. He didn't survive all of that in Shaoryeong just to get skewered like a bug in the mortal realm.

Had Nao-Zai managed to get the clan out? Which clan was it, even? Which one was Chi-Sae serving? So many questions crowded in his mind just like the crowd of merchants and villagers coming up in the village ahead. Screams and frantic hooves colored the afternoon sky at the sight of what's behind him.

Soldiers. Tons of them. Armed.

He turned a corner and almost collided with a tree. Wait...what?

Grass tickled his ankles. When he whirled to the direction he came from, nothing but a flowery meadow greeted him. The guards...where were they? How did Kai-Se ended up here? Something registered in his ears. He rounded the tree, keeping his hands on the rough bark. A bubbling stream ran by his feet, colorful fish darting in and out of the water as the current took them elsewhere.

Further up north, a silhouette of a mountain hid behind a veil of low-lying clouds, muddling its supposed-to-be vibrant green face. He knitted his eyebrows. What's going on?

Something splashed in the water. He turned to find the same crane landing into the stream with a mighty slap of its pronged feet. The dream. He was inside his dream even when he was sure he hadn't fallen asleep. Not yet. He was supposed to be running away from soldiers. The crane made a squawking sound, earning Kai-Se's attention once again. This was the point where the dream always ended.

But not this time.

Today, the crane opened its beak as it tucked its wings into itself. Light flooded Kai-Se's eyes and within seconds, a man replaced the crane's spot. Familiar face. Familiar eyes. Smile. It was kind. It's...

The man started taking a step towards him, his bare feet sloshing against the current. A hand reached out, urging Kai-Se to take it. To forget the world behind him and escape. He studied the man, at how his chiseled jaw sharpened most of his features, his intelligent but gentle gaze stirred something inside Kai-Se, and his long, golden hair swished with the breeze.

Take my hand, a foreign voice said. It rang from the wind, the sun, the grass. Everywhere. Still, the crane-turned-man wasn't moving his lips. So who...?

Come and run away with me, the voice continued. You won't be sad, scared, or lonely here. You have me now.

It didn't occur to Kai-Se until now that while the voice was foreign, it was also distantly familiar, like a tune he had heard over and over as a child and forgot when he was older. Now, it was brought back to his senses, he concluded he did know it.

He just didn't know where.

Kai-Se started reaching for the man's hand when a force yanked him backwards, away from the stream. "What are you doing, Kai?" Nao-Zai's voice snapped in his head. When he turned to where it came from, he was back in the village, inside an unfamiliar alley. This wasn't the one they agreed to meet up. How did Nao-Zai find him? Oh, the bond. Duh. "We have to go."

A strangled "H-huh?" bled out of his lips before the roofs exploded with a number of soldiers clad in green. Nao-Zai cursed and spun him around. A tight hand wrapped around Kai-Se's and a strong yank jerked him to start taking off down the narrowing alley.

"What happened to the clans?" he asked despite the gasps and pants arising from his labored lungs. "Did you get them out?"

Nao-Zai jerked Kai-Se towards him, spinning to narrowly avoid a spear thrown their way. Without any warning, he pulled Kai-Se into the nearest bend and came across a tight space between two huge manors. Both seemed to have belonged to noblemen or wealthy merchants. It was wide enough for one person to squeeze through but not for two. Now, Kai-Se was squashed against Nao-Zai, their faces inches apart, their ragged breaths mingling with each other.

"We'll talk about it," Nao-Zai whispered. "When we get out of here."

It was a when and not an if. Kai-Se wished he had the same confidence and certainty Nao-Zai had. They wouldn't be in this particular situation then.

Kai-Se closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against Nao-Zai's chest, waiting for the storm of footsteps and metal to fade in the area. They weren't going to end any time soon.