A rusty iron cup was filled with a hot green drink, with smoke still rising from it. Although Zayn didn't like the taste, it warmed his heart in the freezing weather. A light snow had begun to fall from the sky that morning. The snow hadn't settled on the ground yet, but the tree branches were starting to turn white from the snow.
In front of Zayn, the whole group was drinking the same drink. Some of them were chatting with their friends while holding their cups, while others started preparing their swords and shields. There were a few who hadn't even started clearing their sleeping places yet. Zayn was one of them.
As Zayn sat contemplating the group he had been a part of for the past two months, a tall man started walking towards him, with a silly smile on his face. He wore the same black sash as the rest of the group, but the sash oddly suited the man's appearance, as he had black hair and eyes as black as the sash.
The man stopped in front of Zayn, still with that silly smile on his face, and said, "Come on, aren't you excited, Zayn? There's not much left of this ridiculous mission. We're finally going home."
The news that came from the commander was that they had finally found the location of the wizard. Today was likely the last day of this operation, as they would finally launch the attack on the wizard.
"Yes… Finally," Zayn replied as he stood up to start removing his sleeping place.
Zayn's answer didn't satisfy the black-haired man, so he spoke again, "Well, you don't look excited, but I'm sure you're not making fun of me, are you? ...Aren't you, Zayn?"
Zayn didn't answer quickly this time. He had finally finished removing his sleeping place. He looked into the man's eyes, then took a sip from his metal cup. He then looked at the man who was now wide-eyed. He took one last sip of the drink before answering, "No, I'm not making fun of you."
"Well, that's reassuring, but you don't have to make me wait like that for you to answer, don't forget the age difference, kid," the black-haired man said.
As Zayn was preparing to respond with any answer to end the conversation with this strange man, another voice spoke loudly, "Everyone gather at the tent now." This was the voice of the group commander.
Zayn and the black-haired man were looking in the direction of the voice before the black-haired man spoke in a soft voice, "It's finally starting then." He then turned to Zayn and said, "Let's go, Zayn."
The black-haired man was now walking in front of Zayn towards the tent. Zayn noticed the man's hand was clenched around the hilt of his sword, which was at his waist.
Finally, Zayn and the black-haired man arrived at the tent. The group stood in a crescent shape, looking towards the three figures in the middle, with the tent behind them. These three were the only spellcasters in the group.
The first of the three was The Commander, who was in the middle, his name was Clive. He had an exaggeratedly pulled-to-the-right hairdo and strange gray eyes. He wore the same black sash as the rest of the group, but the only thing that distinguished his outfit was a red bandana with a bird symbol on it on his right arm.
The second of the three was the second-in-command named Damon. He was truly handsome, with brown hair and brown eyes, and a tall build, barely older than Zayn. His noble smile hardly left his face.
The final one was the strangest. Zayn had never heard her speak a word before; the only thing he knew was that her name was Layla, she was a blonde girl with blue eyes, her facial features were cold, as they did not express any kind of emotion.
Commander Clive finally spoke with a faint smile after the entire group had gathered. "Believe me when I say that I feel what you feel. You are tired of this task, I know. Yes, we have been walking tirelessly all this distance, and the cold and hunger have been our companions along this journey. Yes, I understand that everyone is eager to return home, and today I bring you good news."
Commander Clive was silent for a moment, then looked up at the sky and finally looked back at the group. "As you all know, we have finally located that heretic wizard. All that's left is to deliver justice. Not far from here lies the wizard's home, and today will be the day we bring that justice."
A few cheers of joy started coming out of the group, everyone had been waiting for this day, one of the people cheering was the black haired man who had accompanied Zayn.
The commander spoke again after the group fell silent, "But like any other mission, there must be a hero to ensure success. My dear friends, I am not forcing this on anyone, but you have the right to choose. One of you will be tasked with reconnaissance - this person will precede us to the exact location of the wizard to ensure that there are no fears or misfortunes that this wizard might bring upon us. The choice of this person will be up to you, so choose carefully."
Everyone fell silent upon hearing what Commander Clive had said. Zayn understood perfectly what he meant. The Commander was planning to put someone at the forefront of this attack. If the wizard had known about the group, he would have made some plans for defense. Instead of risking the entire group, the commander would risk one person.
Everyone started looking at each other. Today they were going to decide whether to risk the life of one of their colleagues or perhaps their friends they had spent the last two months with. The choice was difficult for everyone, but in the end, everyone's eyes fell on the same person. After all, no one wanted to risk someone they truly cared about. There was always that chatty man with the black hair and black eyes.
Zayn was the only one who didn't look towards the black-haired man; he was looking towards his shoes at the moment to avoid his companion's gaze.
Commander Clive spoke again, "Well then, it's done. Mr. Nahil of the Cold Heavens will be the one to go out ahead of us towards the enemy, but don't worry, my friend, the whole party will be behind you - you just have to locate any danger and head back towards us."
This was the first time Zayn had heard the black-haired man's name - Mr. Nahil of the Cold Heavens. 'Such a heavy name.' Zayn though.
Mr. Nahil spoke hesitantly, "Okay, but sir…" He then looked directly at the commander and paused before speaking, "Of course, sir."
Now, Mr. Nahil was looking down at the ground, maybe he wasn't going to come home as he thought, now there was a chance he might come back dead.
"I want to go too."
Everyone turned towards the speaker. They were looking at the same person; he was just a young man, maybe in his early twenties, and he had strange hair, maybe orange or bright red. But despite his strange hair, the most striking feature of his appearance was his eyes; the dark circles under his brown eyes were frighteningly thick, it was as if the person hadn't slept in ages, everyone was looking at Zayn.
Commander Clive opened his eyes wide and spoke, "Okay, I appreciate your courage, Zayn, but there's no reason for the two to go out..." The commander's words were interrupted by the blonde girl, Layla, who was beside him. She started speaking in a low voice in his ear. After a while, the commander shook his head and spoke again, "Okay, after thinking about it, two people going out would be safer than one person going out. Zayn and Mr. Nahil from the cold Heavens will precede us now towards the warlock's side, and we will be behind you."
After a while, Zayn and Mr. Nahil were walking towards the west. The snow had started to stick to the ground and turn it white.
Nahil, his voice distant and cold, said, "So Zayn, I know you don't talk much, but let me ask, why did you volunteer to come with me? It would be safer if you stayed behind with the rest of the group."
But Zayn did not turn towards his friend and continued walking and said, "I don't know."
Nahil looked towards Zayn, who was walking in front of him, and said, "Well, I guess I expected this, but it doesn't matter. What matters is that I will make sure to invite you to my house when we get back to the city."
Zayn froze, opened his eyes wide, and instinctively took out his sword. Moments before, there was nothing in front of Zayn, but now, in a single blink, there was a large palace in front of him - the palace was just a few steps away from Zayn and Nahil.
The palace appeared to be built of black stone, with strange statues covering every corner. The windows were broken, and no light came out. But the strangest thing about the palace was the gate, which began to open strangely.
"We have to go back now, Zayn. We'll be in danger," Nahil said in a shaky voice.
Zayn looked towards his friend and said, "Yes.. I think we should go back, let's go."
Zayn and Nahil started to move back a little and turned their backs towards the palace to escape, but after a moment, Zayn heard a voice. The voice was not from the palace; rather, Zayn heard the voice inside his head, "Come in."
Zayn blinked, and suddenly, he was inside the palace.