Sucking in the frigid air through his slightly flared nostrils, Cain took a moment to appreciate the solemn blanket of silence that settled over the surrounding area like a fog.

’Indeed. A lone journey is always the best.’

The moment the thought was birthed in his mind, he quickly reminded himself that he was not alone, even though it did feel like it.

He smiled wryly and glanced down at his shadow.

It had been a week since the "battle at the Wall".

Not a lot of things had happened in Valestorm and City Z since then. He had taken some times to review the reports from the battle from Vincent, Jenny and Blaze, as well as sort a few other things out before returning to Redscale Island.

Now that he was here, he was determined to devote quite some time and a decent chunk of his resources to creating what he had dubbed a stable {Spatial Bridge} between Redscale Island and the main continent for the {Blood-Curse Bats} and the {Willow Direwolves}.

Undertaking such a huge task would require a large amount of resources, especially when he considered the potential implications.

In the end, it was all for the sake of his end goal, which was to explore the rest of the continent and determine just how much of humanity and whatnot had survived and was still thriving.

He muttered something to himself and began walking forward.

The sound of the fertile forest soil crunching under his feet was the subtle backdrop of his arrival.

Now that everyone else was on board, his plans were going to be much smoother.

He continued his walk through the forest, heading deeper and deeper, occasionally taking a few short breaks in-between his long hike.

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.

His expression now a rather strange and uncomfortable one, he pursed his lips and stared down at his shadow again.

"This... Do you really plan on staying down there the whole time?"

Unexpectedly, or rather, just as Cain had expected, a soft voice with a strangely magnetic pull came from the darkness of his own shadow,

"Of course. I don’t really like being in the Sun too much."

Cain’s brows trembled,

"But there’s no Sun out here!"

There was silence for a moment.

He could imagine her, surrounded by rolling pillars of shadows and darkness, shrugging her shoulders with a slight smile on her red lips.

"It doesn’t matter, does it? Besides, I’m not putting any burdens on you, am I?"

Cain sighed and continued his walk,

"It still feels a bit strange." He mumbled.

What he got in response was a slight chuckle,

"I’ve been doing this for a while now. Do you mean you haven’t noticed up until now?"

Cain froze and his face went pale.

"That..."

A soft chuckle swam into his ears again, almost bewitching him on the spot,

"I’m just kidding."

Cain sighed and shook his head.

He wondered when he had noticed it, but he had come to realize recently that his desires and emotions had become rather volatile, sometimes even explosive if he didn’t manage them well.

This was particularly so for his desires...

He couldn’t help but think back to Susan and that fateful night.

Her soft delicate body. Her tender flesh.

The feeling of his hands roaming and caressing every crevice and moistness...

"There’s a strange look on your face, Cain." He heard Evangeline’s voice once again.

Snapping out of it, Cain didn’t say anything and continued down a slope.

"A lot has changed since the last time I was here."

The shadows around him sank in on themselves and trembled, as though excitedly awaiting the coming of their master.

The invincible weight around his neck lifted, Cain let out a sigh and turned to his side.

Leaning on the trunk of a gnarled tree Evangeline was like a beautiful winter flower.

Skin like porcelain, lips and eyes as red as those unforgettable crimson nights.

As tempting as poison. As charming as a thorny rose.

A strange look appeared in his eyes, but he killed it immediately.

Stretching her hands, Evangeline let out a yawn as she beckoned to him,

"Let’s rest a bit."

Cain said nothing as he naturally obliged.

He walked up and leaned against the stomp of the same tree.

Sitting there for a few moments, he let the chilly wind slowly wash over him.

The air was still damp with the moisture carried by the heavy fog, which did nothing to alleviate the chill within the treacherous forest. Luckily, night was still a long ways to go. They were not in danger of freezing over any time soon.

"It has been a long time, huh." Cain muttered.

Evangeline turned to him, a curious look in her eyes,

"I’ve been meaning to ask you something for some time now..."

Cain turned to her, a bit curious himself.

Ever as elusive as a shadow, it was rare for him to be able to sit down and engage the frightening Queen of Shadows in conversation. If she was not lurking in some distant shadow, or he was not stranded in another world, rarely did they ever do anything together.

A strange feeling wrapped around him.

’It definitely is strange.’

"What are you curious about?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"Have you had sex with Susan yet?"

The color that had slowly began to return to his face drained out even faster than last time.

Staring intently at his face, Evangeline’s brows furrowed, 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Judging from your expression, I’d say that is a no? That is rather slow, isn’t it?"

Cain stammered, trying to say something, but the words refused to get out. Eventually, he sighed dejectedly,

"Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?"

Unknown to Cain, a mischievous look flashed in her eyes.

"I’m just a bit curious, is all. I’ve heard that there have been a lot of new couples forming up recently. I was wondering if you belonged to one of them."

"It... It’s not like that."

Evangeline raised a brow, "Really?"

Cain shook his head and rose to his feet,

"You really are a strange girl."

Evangeline chuckled as she rose to her feet as well.