POV:IsaacVon and Vok were loud enough that I didn"t even need to look back to know that they were following close behind.
On the contrary, the bigger hound was staying by my side, quietly watching over the woods, and the similarity of such animal to the Templar on my side did not pa.s.s unnoticed by me.
Sigh, I"m surrounded by beasts, well, better than treacherous snakes right?
I"m still somewhat shocked from the fact that I am, now, truly unable to go back to the church and that, somehow, the t.i.tles, the deeds, all I did to build my reputation so no one would get suspicious of me and find out that I"m a man went downhill so quickly; years and years of hard work destroyed in a single day.
Part of me was still wishful, hopeful that I would be able to go back there, but the other part… was relieved, light, finally free.
So that"s why, when we arrive at Edovine, the first thing I do in this elven-human city is to buy men"s clothes; I"m done for life wearing skirts and boots with high-heels for sure.
As I"m choosing I think, with a mischievous smile on my face, that I could warp my old clothes and give them as present to Thilgon… or even Leonel so he could force him to wear it, that would be fun to watch.
I chuckle. Both options seem quite interesting… and the clueless Thilgon would discover how Leonel"s eyes always deepen when he wears a skirt, probably because of him showing his legs around hehe.
In the end I settle for a green s.h.i.+rt with knots and crisscrossed strings on the sleeves and necktie, black pants; oh glory!; and boots, normal men boots. Since it was still chilly this time of the year in such up north parts of the continent I bought a long cape with a hood too just in case.
We walk around a little to find a safe place to stay, thinking that an inn should better than a hidden place this time; since we already saw how that worked out for us right?; but as we walked around on the paved stoned streets I could not take away my eyes from this city.
I had visited many places in my life, some good, some terrible… but none like this.
Edovine had elven and human traces all over it. It could be truly said that it receives any kind well, as long as they paid the bill, that is. Such a rich city, full of people looking for elven goods while elves brought souvenirs to resell for the humans, it was a charming place perfect for those looking for unique things; so it wasn"t a surprise that such place had even cultivators roaming about, dressed in those long sleeve clothes that rustled with the wind, truly celestial figures walking among mortals.
Beyond all that were the super-high buildings with big windows on them, almost like towers growing among normal stone and wooden buildings, but they were there for a reason; to accommodate an even more intriguing device, the floating s.h.i.+ps.
Without rivers close by the city counted on huge ox creatures to care things far, from heavy to numerous, and the s.h.i.+ps were for those who could not wait and could afford a faster way around.
How much did those cost? I could not even imagine how many Wind Stones it would have to have, h.e.l.l, I didn"t even know how it works, never having seen one this close, not even at the church; though I bet we had some flying around from the prestigious Sisters of mine to use…
Funny how, at first, I thought that me, a s.h.i.+ning Templar, and three hounds would stand out in this city… but I guess this is one of the only places where we would blend in easily.
Things go smooth, and craving for a hot bath as I was, I quickly decide on where to stay for the night, pay in advance, eat on the room and soak in warm clear water, happy that this place even has special rooms to accommodate animal and magical creatures, things made to receive the many cultivators that come here, and the traders who had magical creatures as bodyguards.
Finally taking a bath and managing to calm down I stare at the wall in front of me, a blank expression in my face.
…What was I to do now? I had no place to return to, no name to keep, no source of money, nothing… I could not make lenient use of this power otherwise the church would easily find me, so, in the end, what was left for me to do?
The life of Isa was gone… only Isaac was left now, but who was he? A no-one, a human, a weakling, someone who knew nothing about life and how to make a living.
I sigh.
I haven"t realized until now how dependent I had become of the church… more than afraid of being found out, I was afraid of losing my life; but I guess that happened anyway in some sort of way in the end did it not?
I close my eyes, take a deep breath, give two good slaps on my cheeks and smile.
Yes, smile, because another part of me was happy, of being alive, of breaking free, of finally wearing pants. I could be however I wanted to be, Isa could not, but Isaac… he could conquer the world if he wanted too.
Being able to choose whatever I wanted�� is one of the scariest yet most delightful things that has ever happened to me.
With higher spirits I leave the bathtub and go to my room to rest for the night, body and soul cleaned from worries… at least for now.
Plus… I wasn"t alone.
I open the door and see him cleaning his sword, sitting on a wooden chair, always so diligent and stiff, always aware for our sake.
I stop at the door, watching him for a while as he uses a stone to sharpen the blade, cleaning it with a rag, and finally sheathing it to the side, raising its eyes to look at me.
He stands once I start to move closer, already aware from the way I moved that I was up to something, the door closing behind me with a small click as I raise my hands to his helmet and simply look him in the eyes for a while, staring at those white globes covered by the shadow of the helmet.
My elf, my dark elf, my Templar, my Nacon, n.o.body else"s.
I narrow my eyes at the thought, feeling a hot sensation grown inside me and burn hot, wanting some kind of release.
And I was up to having it.