Shadow Slave: The red Goddess of War and her dragon

Despite being among the strongest Saints -capable of clearing the distance in less than a heartbeat- they ran for nearly five minutes, neither one willing to end the little race too soon.

They kept overtaking each other yet never pulling too far ahead, unconsciously matching each other's pace.

And once they reached the Mirror Lake imitation there were still faint, childish smiles on their faces.

Kai rested his hands on his knees, panting slightly -even though he wasn't tired whatsoever.

Before them, the lake stretched out for dozens of meters, its still surface perfectly mirroring the moon above. The soft glow shimmered across the water.

"Looks beautiful," Kai said quietly, straightening to his full height.

Morgan shrugged, stepping up beside him -close enough that Kai couldn't help but notice. "Compared to the real thing, this is nothing but a pond. But I'm sure you know that already," she scoffed, casually pointing a finger toward the lake's depths. "They even tried adding a few aquatic Dormant Beasts, but after two of our staff got killed they scrapped that idea."

She glanced to the side for a moment before mumbling, "Actually… I don't think that's something you're supposed to know…"

Kai opened his mouth, then closed it again, pure confusion flashing across his face. Deciding it was best not to question it, he simply chose to pretend he hadn't heard a thing.

"Anyway," Morgan waved it off before leaning down, swatting at the grass to check for any moisture. Once satisfied she settled comfortably on the ground. "Sit down," she ordered, not leaving him a choice.

And surely, he did as she demanded, mirroring her gesture of swatting at the cut grass before settling down beside her. He sat close enough that the edge of her dress -which pooled around her- brushed lightly against him.

For a whole -painfully silent- minute, Kai gazed into the lake, admiring how the moonlight danced upon its surface, casting a soft, ghostly glow over their surroundings.

But deep inside, he was doing his best to calm the rapid beating of his heart caused by the closeness between them.

"Did you already think of what to do as an apology?" Morgan asked suddenly, breaking the silence. He could hear the slight tease and mock in her sharp voice.

Kai turned his head to the right, her profile -which was so close to him- immediately catching his gaze. He could clearly make out the sharp contours of her face, every single delicate detail standing out in the faint moonlight.

Her vermillion eyes were fixed on the lake, its surface reflecting the glow coming from the above. There was something in her expression -something strange and new- that Kai couldn't quite decipher.

Of course, he didn't allow himself to linger on her for too long though, not wanting to come over as weird.

Quickly averting his gaze, Kai focused on her question.

He had thought about it, no doubt.

But did he come up with anything even remotely good? Not a chance.

Laughing awkwardly, Kai rubbed the back of his neck. "The best I could come up with was visiting a bakery or a café..." he admitted, wincing internally.

Her mocking and amused laugh only deepened his growing shame. "Do I look like a regular woman to you, Kai?" she asked, her laughter fading a bit as her gaze shifted to meet his. Her vermillion eyes locked onto his emerald ones, nearly hypnotising him.

"You'll have to try harder than that," Morgan teased, clearly enjoying the way Kai was getting flustered.

But Kai wasn't embarrassed by her teasing. He was already starting to get used to it -more or less.

It was something entirely else.

'Did she just call me by my name?' he thought, getting caught off guard for a split second.

Somehow, it felt odd to him. The princess typically called him by some mocking nickname, or often didn't address him at all.

'Stop making a big deal out of nothing, Kai!' he scolded himself with a pang of his usual self-criticism.

Clearing his throat, Kai refocused on the conversation and the princess herself. "Any suggestions?" he asked awkwardly.

Expecting the princess to get mad at him, Kai braced himself for the sharp pressure that usually followed such a reaction.

But to his surprise it never came.

Instead of getting mad at him, Morgan rolled her eyes and snickered playfully. "I just told you to try harder, and now you ask me for help?" She pointed an accusing finger at him, her voice full of amusement. "For someone so easily flustered, you're surprisingly bold at times."

"I-" He tried to come up with a comeback when a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

Its tone was strangely excited... almost too excited…?

[Think of battle!]

It was Cassie's voice?!

'Don't tell me she's watching!' Kai's thoughts exploded into confusion and embarrassment. 'She saw and heard everything?!' He yelled mentally, feeling like he'd just been caught doing something far more scandalous than a casual walk with Morgan. The rush of heat in his face wasn't helping either.

The princess meanwhile simply watched him with a raised brow, clearly confused by his sudden flush. "You alright?" she asked, even though her voice lacked any real worry or concern.

[Just you wait Cassie…!] He shot back through the mystical link, making sure she noticed the disbelief he was feeling.

Kai took a deep breath, doing his best to regain composure and force the heat to disappear from his face. After a moment he turned his attention back to Morgan.

Ignoring her earlier question, Kai cleared his throat and spoke up, "Do you want to join me on my next mission?" He watched her face for any hint of reaction, but saw nothing, so he quickly added, "One that's more than just scouting or delivering messages like a letter-pigeon, of course."

For a brief moment there was no reaction at all. Just as Kai began to think he had messed up, Morgan's expression changed into an amused smile. The corners of her lips curved up in a way that made him feel slightly uneasy.

"Good job, you just secured yourself another chance with me," she chuckled, looking at him teasingly. "Though, one could assume you're just trying to get me to do your job."

Kai couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh, the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding finally escaping him.

The fact that her words were true only made him feel better.

"But you have to keep in mind that I have a tight schedule," Morgan said casually. "You'd better act swiftly while I'm still relatively free."

That was also not a lie.

Averting his gaze, Kai nodded, "I will."

Clearing his throat, Kai addressed another issue after a couple seconds. "How should I contact you, though? My Tether is in Ravenheart, so flying over to Bastion could take a while."

Morgan didn't answer for a moment, her brow furrowing in thought. Kai couldn't help but smile at the silly image.

"Well, for now, I could just give you my contact information in the Waking World," she said, shrugging casually before rising to her feet and marching toward the glistening lake.

Kai watched her closely as bright light particles danced around her wrist, shimmering and twisting out of thin air. Within seconds they manifested into an emerald bracelet -its shade similar to his own eyes- with a small and delicate leaf dangling from it.

Clutching the hem of her red dress in her gloved hands, Morgan lifted it around her ankles. With a careful step, she dipped her feet into the cold, shimmering water one by one, washing off any traces of dirt from her alabaster skin.

"My heels," she called out to Kai, not even bothering to glance back at him.

Kai stood up quietly while trying to avoid staring at her from behind for too long.

'I guess this little walk is coming to an end,' he thought regretfully while walking toward Morgan. His gaze was pointed away from her, almost as if she could sense his eyes if he stared at her. Which she in fact could.

"Are you going to walk through the grass in heels?" he asked, offering her the two shoes.

Without a word, the bracelet around her wrist shimmered, and a gentle gust of wind dried her wet feet. Within moments, she was back in her heels, standing an inch or two taller than Kai.

"I'm the princess of the Valor Clan," she said, raising a brow as she looked at him with confusion in her vermillion eyes. "You really think I don't have a Memory that lets me fly for a bit?"

Kai visibly face-palmed in shame. 'Think before you speak, Kai…' he silently scolded himself for the hundredth time.