Road to Ruisea

❆ ❆ XII. CHIRO ❆ ❆

"Hurry hurry!" Jae rushes as they enter into Chiro's home. "Grab what you need and let's get out of here. There's probably been an alert issued to the kingdom by now."

"For the missing Princess?"

"Probably not. That'd cause pandemonium and also, as we know, they clearly don't want anybody to recognize her as a Princess."

"Right. So then what for—"

"Rogue magician? Mad thief? Any number of names could be ours by now, but I'm not sticking around long enough to find out and be tossed into the castle slammer. So hurry!"

"Gotcha," and so Chiro hurries, grabbing a bag and throwing his things inside.

A warm blanket. A book of spells he'd left on the bed. The chalk Kumari had bought him. His favorite mug. A banana bunch. His hair brush — with some red hairs still on it. An ink pen. A photograph of him with...

"That your girlfriend?" Jae asks, looking over his shoulder.

Chiro snorts, "My sister. Back in Qiluca."

"Ohhh," and Chiro's surprised to see Jae's soften. "Maybe we'll see her on the way."

"Maybe," Chiro smiles. "She's a little clingy. Cried so much when I left to come here."

"Won't she be glad you're leaving, huh? If that's everything, then let's go!"

Chiro nods, and Jae grabs his wrist and pulls him back into the streets.

"Where to now?" Chiro asks. "The castle, right?"

"You know it," and they run.

"But won't they recognize us? How will we stay hidden?"

"We'll be invisible!"

"Ehhh?" Chiro's expression is stricken with concern. "How... Oh. My spell."

Jae winks, "Yeha."

"I've never tried it for more than one person. Or anybody other than me. For long periods of time. While moving."

"And?"

"I don't think I can do it."

"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

"Um... Truuue..."

That's enough for Jae to pull Chiro along with more force, the latter of whom yelps.

"Now!" Jae hisses as they reach the steps.

Chiro looks up at the top and immediately starts sweating. There are Knights crawling everywhere, the entire castle grounds now surrounded with added security.

"Here goes everything," he gulps, and begins. "Ik... Uo... Yu... Re..."

And Jae whistles as the fire begins to dance around Chiro. With the coat he's wearing — he took that from his home too — it's warm enough for the spell to work. He hopes the guards don't notice the light coming from the bottom of the steps, but then again, there's still enough sun out that they may not notice...

Jae's face goes from impressed to frightened when the light starts dancing onto his skin, too. He lets out a strangled noise, and Chiro shushes him.

"We'll be invisible," he whispers. "Not silent."

"It burns," Jae whimpers, and Chiro sees tears welling up in the other boy's eyes.

"It's the price of magic," is all Chiro can offer in response. "I'm sorry."

Chiro drops the bag at the bottom of the steps, to return for later, and now it's his turn to drag a pained Jae up the steps, past the guards, slipping through as if there was truly nobody there at all.