RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT, HE ONLY NEEDED TO DO ONE THING.

“Open the gates! Open the gates!” Jacque yelled.

A man on the top of the wall spotted them. The man was unsure what to do first.

Since he knew Jacque and saw his armor from a distance, he signaled to the man below. It was a signal that someone was about to enter their kingdom. And that they must prepare for a possible attack.

“Jacque is coming back! Open the gates. Prepare your weapons. Something is following him!”

A dozen men ran and waited at the open gate with their weapons in their hands. They saw the woman enter, followed by Jacque and another man. They close the gates.

“What’s behind us?” Jacque asked the man who spotted them.

He was still holding her hand.

Raven stood between them to separate them.

“What? What do you mean what’s behind you?” asked the man. He is now confused.

“You don’t know what’s following you? Then why did you run and yell like hell is about to get you?” a younger man asked.

“Because…” he breathed out. “The lady asked me to.”

The men stared at each other before looking at the two strangers. Raven and Aia stood in a shadowed corner as if they hadn’t run for a few minutes.

“Who are they?” one man whispered to the other. But because it was so quiet, everyone heard the whisper.

“The question should be… did he follow a lady’s command?” answered the other man. “He is a lady’s man. But Jacque is no gentleman.”

Jacque realized how sudden his arrival was. He was not able to think of how he would introduce the two. The confused man walked near the strangers and studied them.

“Hand me some light.”

A younger man gave him a fire lit on a stick. As the man held the light towards the two strangers, he became wary with his steps. The sun had set, and the corner where Aia and Raven were standing was quite dark.

It is common knowledge that monsters and evil-doers lurk not only in their land. The worst kinds are outside their gates. Those from the Kingdom of Knaves are easier to distinguish. They are either those who were condemned or those who were still doing unlawful things. Some are notorious. And most of them accepted their bad reputation. However, they believe those living outside their kingdom are the dangerous ones. They may seem young, innocent, or decent. But it would always surprise anyone that such humans can kill, steal, or lie and not feel any remorse about it.

When the light was enough to see the strangers, everyone stared. They were in awe.

Jacque needed to protect them. He did not know why, but he felt they were powerless. Or that they are in danger.

“No shadows,” said the man who held the light.

The men gasped. And they all looked at the ground.

It is true. There are no shadows cast in any direction where the two stand. So they step back. They knew what it meant.

No shadows mean they are looking at something immortal.

“Are you a monster?” the man dared to asked Aia.

“I prefer not to answer.”

“Why?” the man asked again.

“It is better for you not to know.”

Raven flinched as he looked at the goddess sideways. He could not believe she would not offer any truthful answer. But Raven remembered that the Departure of Deities dictates that their kind should no longer be visible to any human. And now that they are giving away their identity due to their lack of shadows, it could only lead to one thing.

He must prepare to kill all of these humans.