Ori was still in shock from the situation. It must be said that it was not an ordinary day. While watching the procession parade, he had encountered a strange man who turned out to have blown up a barracks. Ori tried to pursue him before being knocked out by the explosion of a portal. He then woke up in the royal palace and attended an audience with the king, Matriarch Lola, Champion Drakus, and a hybrid animagi. Quite a surprising day; he would have to tell Hana about it! She must be so worried.

Ori was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed he had just interrupted a discussion among his fellow audience members. They were walking down a palace corridor, accompanied by a young girl, apparently the king's granddaughter named Flore, and followed by a guard. Night was falling, and the moons reflected their light on Flore's bluish cape. She, at the front of the group, had stopped in the glow of a stained glass window. In fact, everyone had stopped and was looking at Ori a few steps behind. Flore smiled at him and asked,

"Who is Hana? Is she with you at the orphanage?"

Ori, embarrassed to have interrupted everyone (or perhaps for thinking so much about Hana), blushed and lowered his head, hoping his long hair would hide his rosy cheeks.

"Yes, she's a friend. Sorry, did I interrupt you? What were you saying?"

They waited for Ori to join them before continuing to walk. Ylva, with a smirk, put her arm around Ori's shoulders.

"It's nothing, don't worry. We were just discussing that we might not agree with the king's decision. As for me, I got permission to go after that man and stop him, even if it requires the use of force."

General Kuwanger raised surprised eyebrows.

"And when did you get that permission exactly?"

"During the audience, Mother communicated her concerns to me. We have other ways of communicating than speaking. It saves us from opening our mouths to say nonsense... like provoking our own leader, for example."

Nochi raised his hand.

"Ah! I think they're talking about me. Sorry, but it was too tempting. And I was frustrated by the other fugitive. I don't like being left unsatisfied."

Ylva shook her head, visibly exasperated.

"More misplaced male pride..."

"You know, pride is a human trait," Kuwanger replied. "You're proud to be a Valkyrie, to protect your 'mother' at the risk of your life..."

"Of course! I dedicate my life to the queen mother. I'm ready to die for her."

"Well, not everyone is capable of that. So keep being proud. But let our poor brainless comrade be proud of his big muscles. Anyway, it won't be very useful to him."

Ori noticed a hint of sadness in the general's gaze. But the group then took a spiral staircase, and the general, leading with Flore, lowered his head and moved forward. Once at the bottom of the stairs, they entered a small room with walls filled with shelves and wardrobes. Some were empty, others filled with personal belongings and clothes, and others with uniforms. Before any questions, Flore explained,

"These are the employees' changing rooms. We'll exit through a back door to avoid being seen."

"Good idea," said Kuwanger. "But before we go out, we should decide on our next steps."

"What do you mean?" asked Ozan.

"Well, Ylva seems determined to go hunt down our man. As for me, I'm retired, so I have nothing better to do..."

Nochi cut in, "I'm not letting him get away either. I have a brawl to finish with him."

"Thanks for cutting me off for the third time today, small head, but yes. That's the point I wanted to address. I don't know about you, Ozan, or even Ori, but we might as well join forces to search for him, even if I'm not thrilled about traveling with a village idiot."

"Wait, are you talking about me?" Nochi approached a few inches from the general.

"Oh, it looks like he understood. He might even be able to go to school."

The two men were face to face, almost glued together. And a large sword quickly descended into the small gap that separated them. Ylva had drawn her sword and now waited for any movement.

"General Kuwanger, if you want us to ally, you should avoid provoking your comrades. Especially since you're a general. Act like one. Not like a child. Even our young friends are more mature than you."

"You're right," he said, stepping back a few steps. "But I only have this rank because I couldn't refuse the promotion. Don't call me general. Especially if we're going to travel together, just call me Kuwa. It's simpler."

"Fine," said Ylva. "So, where do we start?"

Nochi seemed to have calmed down and sat in a corner of the room, arms crossed. He was so broad that he took up the space of two lockers, displacing the hanging items. Ozan stepped forward, head lowered.

"Well, we should already figure out where to go. Since the portal he took exploded, we won't know where to go. Unless they managed to retrieve an intact piece of panel from the explosion?"

He turned to Flore but didn't seem entirely convinced. She shook her head.

"No... the entire area around the portal was burned by the explosion, and I have no idea where that portal led."

Ori, who, as usual, had discreetly hidden in a corner, raised his hand.

"Um, I know... I saw it before the portal exploded."

A smile brightened Kuwa's face.

"Ah, finally some good news! So, what's our heading?"

"Before I tell you, I'd like you to promise me something..."

An approving silence settled. They all seemed quite intrigued by Ori's request and stared at him with round eyes, which made him uneasy. Only Flore didn't seem so surprised. She smiled at him, tilting her head, and that reassured Ori in his decision.

"Take me with you! I may be young, but I'm resourceful. I won't be a burden. This man... I felt like I knew him... I want to ask him. And it's a chance to travel and discover something other than the same district of Potalu all my life."

Ozan looked up at the sky, relieved.

"Oh, thank God, yes! I was afraid I'd have to endure the journey with only old people quarreling all the time. Because, yes, in case you forgot, I'm the only one who managed to catch your man. So yes, I'm coming with you. Thanks for asking!"

Kuwa and Ori burst into laughter together.

"Well, this promises an interesting journey," the general said. "I'm all for it. It doesn't bother me to have you with us."

"Don't rush, general," Ylva intervened before leaning toward Ozan and Ori. "You know, it could be dangerous. The man we're chasing destroyed a barracks, injured soldiers, and blew up a portal. I don't think it's a good idea for you to come with us. I wouldn't want to have to explain to your parents that you were injured under my watch."

A long awkward silence ensued. Ori could see that the others didn't quite know what to say, so he spoke up.

"Ylva... I live in an orphanage... you know... the only parent I have is an old grumbling woman, so it's not a big deal. It bothers me a bit to leave Hana alone to handle the little ones, but I really want to leave this place..."

Ylva, realizing she had said something silly, now had her hands on her mouth, as if afraid of saying something else embarrassing. Then she regained her composure.

"I'm really sorry, little sister. You know, I can put in a word with the Matriarch so that you can join us. We're like a big family."

"I'm still convinced you're not my sister, but if I join your family, can I come on the hunt for the bad guy?"

Kuwa stepped forward.

"Ori, Valkyries are winged warrior women; you can't join them. Especially since they're not the friendliest towards men."

"Well, if you weren't useless..." Ylva replied before Kuwa continued.

"But as for following us, as I said, I'm all for it. You seem to know about runes and portals, so it will be useful to us (and if you know our heading, we don't really have a choice)."

Ylva was now frowning, and Ori noticed that her wings followed the movement.

"No, it's out of the question! I won't let two children be injured under my protection!"

"Well, that's perfect then," Nochi intervened. "You'll take care of babysitting, so they won't be at risk, and you'll let the men do the dirty work. The plan is perfect."

Ylva gave him a dark look that spoke volumes about her ability to make a man suffer in a few seconds. Ori seized the opportunity and gave Ylva his best smile, as he used to do with Granma before asking her for something.

"Come on... pretty please... sis..."

The last word was due to Ylva, who sighed and raised her head to the sky.

"Fine... it's okay."

"Well played, man!" Ozan said to Ori, giving him a little elbow nudge.

Flore, still silent since the beginning of the conversation, had a small smirk as she looked at Ori, which unsettled him. She had something strange, thought Ori, almost mystical. As if she could read through him like an open book. Kuwa resumed:

"So, what's our destination?"

Everyone seemed to hang on Ori's words, hoping for an answer that would make their task easier...

"Isse. I don't know exactly where, but the portal he took was heading towards Isse, the ice desert."

Kuwa scratched his head, looking pensive.

"Isse... that's quite a distance. Especially since we'll have to take a boat now, since the other portals are disturbed."

Ylva added, "And there's no guarantee he'll still be there when we arrive. He might have taken that portal randomly and is already trying to come back here."

"By chasing him, we passed by ten portals," Ozan replied. "I think if it were random, he would have taken those."

Nochi chimed in, "Anyway, we don't have any other leads. The question is, who here has a boat on hand? Because I don't."

"I do!" Ozan raised his hand. "Well, not me me, but my uncle and aunt live in a magus village north of the wild lands by the sea. They make a living from fishing, so I suppose they have a boat."

"That sounds good," Kuwa said, looking out the window. "Night is falling. We should all go to sleep and prepare for the long journey ahead. Everyone agreed." Ylva, Ozan, here. Kuwa handed them a handful of silver coins. "To pay for a night at the inn. Ori, I think you should go back to the orphanage. They must be worried about you."

Indeed, Ori had "disappeared" since late morning. He could already see Granma yelling at him when he arrived. But well, she was still endearing, that old crank. And besides, she raised him, so he should at least let her know about the journey (even if Ori doubted she would let him leave so easily).

"And you, small head, figure it out. I won't pay anything to a Raï fighter."

Flore intervened before Nochi could get angry again.

"Well, I think it's settled for everyone." She turned to the guard behind her. "Take them to their inn and accompany Ori to the orphanage, please. And I give you permission for tomorrow." "Thank you, Your Majesty."

She waved her hand to bid farewell to the group and left.