The Blade Of God-Chapter 63: The Gap Of The Unknown (Slash II)

"Do you really know the way?" It’s Milly who asks for the upmpth time, watching with yellow wary eyes at Co, who’s silently reads the map in his hands and slowly walks forward.

"About, yes." Co said curtly, eyeing the nervous man with his purple eyes, his orange hair sparkling under the heavy sun. "It appears as you do not believe in my skill set, Knight Mill."

"I-it’s not-well-!" Milly stutters out, nervously playing with his free hand, the other one clutching to his briefcases’ handle. "I mean, the Gods of all people made the Forest so not many people can leave, so to solve it is..."

"It’ll be hard." Co curtly said, eyeing his companion with annoyance. "But it can be done."

"You’re pretty confident for someone who’s never been in the forest before." Milly snaps back, rubbing his arm with his free hand. "Sorry if we’re not all genuis’ like you..."

Co sighs, looking up from his map to meet eyes with a surprised Milly. Co’s expression is plain, but the flicker in his purple eyes makes Milly nervous.

"You always find a way to make things seem so much scary then what they are." Co suddenly said, taking a catious step forward before he looks to his left, then right, and continues to carefully walk straight ahead. "Being careless can equate to ones doom, but being too scared leads you to the same grave, Milly."

"W-what are you trying to say?!" Milly said, watching as Co continues to walk ahead without sparing Milly another glance.

"You become incompetent the more you null on things, Milly." Co said. "That sacredness and wariness of yours will lead you to failure-." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Stop! I-I needn’t hear such bullshit!" Milly said, clutching his suitcase. "Everyone seems to not worry at all about danger! Acting with so much hope on a hopeless journey. You don’t see that the Gods are leading us to our demise? They want us dead, Co. They hate us."

"That may be true." Co said, staring emotionless at the map in his hands. "But having a lil’ hope won’t kill us."

"Yeah right!" Milly said, huffing while folding his arms and shutting his eyes, but not without opening his eyes to peak at Co, who silently leads them to a pathway with a tree in the middle, and two paths leading opposite ways. "You’re not one to fall into romantic fantasy. Has that girl gone to your brain and spoil your bright mind-?"

"Shaka has done no such thing." Co sharply snaps, flinching as Milly blinks at him, a surprised expression on his face. "...I’d appreciate you use the same respect you show me with her is all."

"R-right, yeah, sorry." Milly said, watching Co emotionlessly look forward, but he notices Co clutches the map in his hand. "Jeez, she’s just some female knights..."

Co turns his head to give Milly a look before he sighs, snapping his head forward to focus on the spilt pathway ahead. Co slowly looks to his left, then his right, focusing intensely on each direction carefully, silently scanning around him.

"What...are you doing?" Milly asked, watching as Co steps closely to the middle of the paths, yet never chooses neither direction.

"A opening ..." Co mumbles. "Or more like a magical rift?"

"A what?" Milly asked, irritably clutching his suitcase as he watches Co inspect the three pathways closely, from the leaves surrounded them, the small pits of grass and even dirt, before he freezes, looking at the three tree trunks guarding each path, slowly feeling the right trunk and then the left trunk.

"Dude, are you done groping the trees?" Milly snickers, rolling his eyes at Co. "I can tell you need to feel up a woman sooner than later-."

Co’s eyes slowly wander to the middle tree, his purple eyes slowly scanning the tree before he turns to Milly, his expression voided, yet there’s the slight upturn of his lip.

"I found the magical rift." Co said.

"The freaking what?" Milly said, annoyance laced in his voice. "What the hell is that?"

"Sometimes if a barrier or spell is around for a long time, a rift forms." Co said. "Even if there Gods, remember, the God of Death made this maze, and he barely comes up from his place in the Underworld. That means after some time, there’d be no up keeping on his part if he hasn’t strength the maze’s magic. A rift is bound to form--so in this case, a opening out the maze."

Co keeps his facial expression straight as he strikes a hand in the tree standing in the middle, not flinching as his hand goes through the tree. Milly screams, watching as Co pulls his hand out, wiggling his fingers as he stares at the quickly closing portal.

"So what were you saying about me not knowing the way?" Co asked, snuggly looking at a stuttering, red-faced Milly, who’s looking away, clutching his brief case as he avets his eyes.

"Whatever..." Milly mutters. "Just lead the damn way..."

Co shrugs, nodding his head as he first steps into the portal, Milly closely behind.

...

"Ah, leave it to Co to think of such things..." Jeremiah said, nodding his head and placing a hand on Co’s shoulder. "Amazing thinking, Knight Co."

Co nods, closing his eyes and bowing his head, ignoring a stiff faced Milly beside him, averting his eyes and clutching his brief case tightly in his pale hand.

"Wow! Co is so smart!" It’s Shaka who chirps in, hugging at tired Li-Li who’s slumped on her shoulder, trying to catch a short nap in before the group gathers themselves to move forward. "I always get so impressed by you, Co!"

Co opens his mouth, averts his eyes, and clears his throat, trying to avoid showcasing the upcoming blush invading his pale face.

"Well now that the last two knights are here," It’s Prince Miuoi speaks, smiling as he points up to the dust clouds constantly invading his vision, covering his dark purple hair with sand, "Why not we finally move through the second stage of the journey?"

"Right..." It’s Amur who speaks, slowly eyeing the vast dessert land around the group of knights. It’s hot, scorching with heat as the sun blazes on the knight’s skin as the dry wind touches their bare skin and sticks to their faces like glue. This new magical land is a complete contrast to the cool, blue skies of the Forest of Arcane; the lands red skies bleeds further and blends the yellow shadows of the sun in the distance, it’s shadows bleeding further into the mountains of sand dunes planted on the land like land mines.

"Where are we again?" Lia warily asked, standing close to Rel and holding his muscular arm. "Please tell me it isn’t as horrible as that stupid forest was."

"Well-." Jeremiah starts to say, but he snaps to attention, meeting eyes with a wide-eyed Zayn as a loud screech resounds in her direction, making Zayn turn her head, looking ahead as a gust of sand invades her vision, eventually clearing up to uncover a new, large shelled beast.

"I’m not sure how this will make you feel," Prince Mioui said, stepping back to look up at the best and ready his stance to fight, "but now we’re at the bridge between the Forest of Arcane and the Tower of God--the Gap Of Unknown."