"Ruins, relics of the war against the demons. Built by the Guardians to seal powerful artifacts that could change the tide of the war. This was done mainly to prevent them from getting demonized. So I have been told." Zero narrated the tale. 

Leah listened to the story, only to burst out in laughter. 

"Are you a  five year old? Believing in fantasies like this, I can't believe you are looking for the Ruins because of such a reason." 

Kevin joined in on the laughter as well. 

"That's the first correct thing you’ve said so far, princess. " 

"Guys, I am not the only one looking for it." Zero's cheeks flushed in red. 

"I got the information that the king has passed an order that no one should be allowed near it. It has been placed under watch ever since." 

"Now that you mention it, it is bizarre that the king is going out of his way to prevent anyone from entering the ruin.  Especially when the trials for the guardians are so close."

"There is more. The man in the alley told me the two princes are going in to find the relic before the trials. That's why I say we look into this and get to it before they do." Zero said.

"Both of you wait. What does all this have to do with me?" Leah asked. 

"You are joining us right?" 

"Why would I?" 

"Were you not enquiring about the Ruins?" Kevin questioned.  

"I- well yes, I was," Leah replied. 

"Then it's settled. Since all three of us will be heading there, we should go together."  

Letting out a sigh, Leah agreed to their proposal. 

The three of them sat up all night planning for the journey. 

During their planning, the door opened, and Kevin was startled seeing as he was sitting in front of the door. 

"You boys are still here!" 

"Umm... Martha, we can explain." 

"No need for your explanations!! Now both of you go to your rooms." 

"Yes, ma'am," Both of them chorused and made their way upstairs to their rooms. Zero turned around and waved Leah goodnight before he disappeared from Leah's view.

"Did they trouble you, my dear?"  

"Eh... not really."  

"Gosh! What am I going to do with those two." 

"Miss Martha, how do you know Zero and Kevin?" 

"Oh, that's an odd thing to ask." 

"It seems like you see those two as your sons and they too behave that way." 

Martha burst out with laughter."You are right, sometimes even I wish that they were my children, but that is not the case. Zero and Kevin are not my children but they are no less than that either." 

Leah was now confused "Why is that?" 

"Well, it's quite a long story but now is not the time to tell it. I expect that you need to be up early tomorrow." 

Martha tucked Leah in and left the room wishing her goodnight. 

"What was that? Why did she avoid the question? Maybe I should have asked more about it..." Leah thought as she dozed off into the night. 

******

In the wake of dawn, all of them exited the inn. The chill morning breeze howled through the empty streets as the inn was located on the outskirts and very close to the city walls. 

The three of them were geared up and ready to depart. Zero wore a piece of light breastplate armor with the gauntlets and boots over his usual linen clothes. The same would go for Kevin, but his was heavier and more protective than Zero's. Even Leah wore her armor and cloak which were now squeaky-clean due to Martha's efforts.

"So, are we going to walk there or what?" Leah asked.

"Just wait, our ride will be here any moment," Zero replied as he looked towards the empty road expectantly, waiting for something to appear. 

A while later, the sound of horses galloping echoed through the streets as the coach came into their view. The coach was very worn out, it looked as if it had not been maintained even once after it was made. 

"Uhhh... what is this? Don't tell me we are traveling in this dump. It looks like it would collapse with a single touch." Leah looked towards them, expecting a no for the answer.

Zero nodded reluctantly, Leah’s expression showed she was now unsure of the decision she had made. 

"Madam!"  A voice called out from behind. It was the coachwoman, surprisingly it was a woman who drove the coach. "Madam, don't be afraid. My coach may look frail, but it is not. My coach can bring you to your destination safe and sound, I can guarantee that." the coach woman said.

The coachwoman's voice was calming and very familiar to Leah, but she couldn't figure out why. Even though the coachwoman had put on a veil that covered her entire face, she got down and opened the coach door, welcoming Leah while assuring her safety once again. Leah climbed into the coach while Zero and Kevin followed her inside, sitting opposite to her. 

"I thank you for allowing me to escort you to your destination," The coach woman said with a bow and proceeded for the departure.

It didn't take long for them to start moving, and in no time they had even crossed the city walls. 

The atmosphere in the coach was getting awkward since no one spoke. Fearing the tension would only grow, Leah took the opportunity to ask both of them a few questions.

"Both of you said you were from the outlands, correct? So how did you end up in the capital, it’s miles away from the outlands?" 

"On foot! How else, princess?" 

"Kevin! I have told you many times, will you stop calling me princess?" 

Kevin failed to suppress a small smirk. 

"Now what was that smirk about?" 

"Nothing." 

Leah stiffened and it was clear from her expression that she was becoming agitated. 

"Alright you two settle down. As for your question, my mother used to tell me a lot of stories of the Guardians as a kid and I wanted to become a hero just like the stories. So I set out to become one, and Kevin just followed me..." 

"You liar!!" Kevin interrupted.

"I still remember the day that you begged me to join your journey because your mom won't allow you to go if I was not coming with you. You should thank me. Otherwise, you would have never left the village." 

"Hey! I was going to tell her that." 

"No, you were not." 

One thing led to another and the pair began to argue. Amidst all this chaos, Leah burst out with laughter and both of them were confused.

 "Ha... I never thought you both could argue. I thought you guys were perfect, but now you seem more like brothers. You guys are human after all." 

The two of them also started to laugh. The awkwardness in the atmosphere was replaced with laughter. After laughing over the situation, Leah spoke again.

"Hey, I wanted to ask you guys, how do you know Martha? She seems to see you two like her sons but when I asked her, she avoided it. Do you know why?" 

Hearing Leah's question, the smiles on their faces were quickly replaced by gloomy expressions.

"If it's something you can't say, it's fine. I was just curious, that's all," Leah said, backing off. 

Neither of them replied, they only seemed to have drowned in a well full of sadness. 

After a while, Zero replied. "It is not our place to tell, but since you already asked Martha, I guess we can tell you our part of the incident. But you must never mention this to Martha, okay? " 

Leah nodded in confirmation. Zero and Kevin glanced at each other and finally decided to tell her. 

"It happened on our way to the capital from the outlands, in the Black Forest. While moving through the forest, we heard a cry for help. We quickly bolted towards their direction but we were too late by the time we reached them. The path was covered with blood, the corpses of both men and demons were sc-scattered a-around..." Zero choked up, his face and palms sweating as if he was there now.  

"Zero, what happened? Are you alright?"

"I knew this would happen if you started telling her. Uhh... fine I will continue that," Kevin replied.

Leah looked confused. "But what happened to him?" 

"He will be fine, now do you want to hear the rest of it or not?" 

"Y-yes," Leah said hesitantly. 

"It was a massacre, that's the only word I can use to describe it. The one who got attacked was a dwarf merchant with some adventurers as his escort." 

"Don't tell me that was Martha's-" Leah gasped in shock. 

"Yes, he was Martha's son and he was barely conscious. Despite being untrained, he fought with the beast." 

A moment of silence passed. 

"In his final moments, he asked us to do him a favor and give a message to his mother with his pendant. It took us a week or so to reach the capital. We gave  Martha his message. She was in tears when she heard it and I thought she would blame us for not saving him, but instead she thanked us for bringing her the pendant and completing her son's final request. She even let us stay at the inn as a thank you but it didn't feel right, so we helped Martha out with the chores and several odd jobs for letting us stay there." 

The coach was silent after. Tremendous guilt overwhelmed Leah, for reminding them of a horrific incident.

"I a-" before she could finish, the coach had come to a halt.The coach woman opened the door, greeting them warmly.

"We have reached your destination. I hope you enjoyed the ride." 

"I guess it's about time, Zero. Get a hold of yourself, we have reached the Ruins," Kevin said as he dragged Zero out of the coach. 

After getting off, the coach drove away from the way they came. Leah took a moment to observe her surroundings and she realized where she was.

"W-wait, why are we in the Black forest!!!"