Even after getting to see her face so up close, numerous times, they couldn''t help but take their breath away.


    None of them were safe.


    But Chad was, by far, stronger as he resisted the natural allure that she gave off and roared at them to make haste and trotted along.


    All of them were now unloaded from the caravan as forcefully as they could get, almost got her stumbled as soon as she landed. She was able to keep up, and her heart jaunted as her eyes met the several red eyes found on the multi-legged beast in front of her, which she knew as the basilisk.


    The men in hideous robes rallied the beast as they got unchained from the caravan and started moving their way out of what seemed like the entrance of the ''Desolate Ravine'' in the area she was in.


    Nathalie now stood amongst the arid lands, and as she arched her neck, it was a towering wall of stones that reached both ends of her sight— as though she was in the middle of the trench from the canyon they were in.


    Nightfall came, and the sea of stars shone brightest from above. Indeed, a spectacular view, and would''ve enjoyed every single moment admiring it like she was a tourist in this vantage position, except that she wasn''t in a good situation, to begin.


    The cold breeze of the night blew past her every chance it got, buzzing her ears and waving her fringes from it.


    But then, she noticed the nudge from her back, and it was the man whom she got hauntingly familiar with, making her hard to gulp with a lump stuck on her throat. Taking a good look at his features,


    ''It really is him…'' While he had the platinum blond short hair when he was in a cafe, this man had a voluminous hair of chocolate billowing curls the same as his fringes, though tucked to the side of his ear.


    "You didn''t even act so modest upon looking at me with those eyes, eh?" A smirk came from his tad bit black matte lips with white ink lines drawn on them.  "Must this have been your first time seeing such a hunk?"


    ''Wow, what an arrogant jackass.'' Not wanting to admit what he so claimed, she rolled her eyes; when she did, it soured his look to a grim, pushing her forward to move along. ''What foul personality…''


    Jonathan and the twins noticed, but they turned a blind eye, as she hoped, but it wasn''t the same for the personal guard of hers.


    Keith was beyond livid, turning his head in her direction as to how he got treated despite someone grabbing a handful of his hair for being too stubborn.


    Her gaze screamed at him to go with the flow, and he only gnashed his teeth as he got dragged a bit.


    ''I even brought them to such dangers; I should''ve volunteered instead…''


    They''ve been walking for some time, and she couldn''t help but assess the situation, of both the place and the characters she was with at the moment.


    Nathalie and the rest had one robed man to escort them where they needed to go, and it happened hers was Chad.


    They held a blazing torch in their hands, casting a golden glow on their face with ample shadow that defined their aquiline nose and defined cheekbone.


    They took off their hoods, and they all share the same accents on their faces: long voluminous hair, with different shades of brown; profound white lines on their lips and underneath their eyes.


    ''Aside from their thick arched eyebrows, their skin would glow like butter,'' she thought as this was part of her description of distant tribes of men from this place.


    Several yards away had lit up— of what seemed the beacon for the entrance they needed to trek.


    From there, more of them awaited, and when they got close, her eyes gaped a little at how their outfits went.


    A few of them stood upright, and they wore a loose silk robe, too revealing as she may add.


    From the huge slit of the center showing their broad chest down to their chiseled abs seen in a distance. The fabric of the flared arm sleeves was so thin, her eyes took notice of their robust arms tucked side to side.


    Beneath the fabric found alloy armbands and greaves, that melded with the golden sash belt.


    ''One thing I''ve noticed that''s far different was their nomads no more…'' She squinted her eyes, looking at how prim and proper they were with such a rich culture they got. ''How much have they elevated when they were away?''


    Coming up close, they all went on their knees and then groveled before him.


    "We welcome your victorious return, My Lord."


    ''My Lord? So this man is definitely more than a noble, I''d say…  I''ll get to the bottom of this.''


    Soon, he raised his hand and beckoned them to move out of their way. When they got past them, he let out a deep chuckle that reverberated on the rocky cavern they trudged.


    "Ever so curious, are we?" He didn''t look in her direction, but she knew he was talking to her. But she never batted an eye, at least for now. "You''ll know soon enough when you get to meet our ''Goddess'' for your eyes to feast."


    The place was now narrow, but the array of torches hung on either side was enough to light up the craggy path ahead of them. Winds now howled deep but muffled than it was earlier.


    When it had been a while now, a sudden onset of pain surged through her soles. She had never walked this much throughout her life, but she had to keep up with them. However, she got a surge of adrenaline when a sudden light came at the end of the tunnel.


    With the last step, she shut her eyes, face averted away from the brilliance, and it took her quite some time to adjust herself.


    "It isn''t that bright," Chad muttered, tugging the shackle that was on her wrists. "Open your eyes and see for yourself."


    Soon as she did, never did she think that it would take her breath away the second time.