What is love?

Chapter 18

    After what happened, Luke had to keep it all a secret as the two of them couldn’t know. He waited as the days passed for the time when Dimitri finally arrived, so he could discuss what was going on. Through the time, Dimitri stayed at the Capital and finally ,after a week, set out for his old home. This was something that would be hard for him to deal with, but he knew he had to do it and by his side, Denis stood to help him through his past.

    Once Dimitri and Denis finished eating their breakfast, Dimitri took a quick bath in the lake, trying to clean himself off. Before he left, he didn’t get a chance to bathe because he was in such a rush to leave that place, so he could leave what happened behind him. The water was cold, but it was refreshing. It was such a nice camp out, with all the trees and the small lake with all the birds singing. Just gazing at the beauty of the scenery, he felt calm and ready for what was up next. He grew nerves, but knowing that this man named Denis was here to help him.

    Finally, after they got cleaned up and were ready to head out, they began to ride towards the Hidden Valley. They didn’t rush themselves as they knew that it was a long ride and even after they arrived, they may depart once more. Everything that had been going on had been crazy and unknown, to the point that they couldn’t imagine what was up next. After a few hours of non-stop riding, Denis mentioned a little town on the way to the Valley that they could stop and get something to eat. As they arrived at the town, they noticed something almost straight away that didn’t seem right. There was no sound, not even footsteps within the town. It was completely dead as if no one was ever even there. When they got to the gate, they noticed a note on the wall in bold letters that said, “This town as well as all towns near the Hell Gateways have been evacuated. If you are seeing this, please come to the Capital immediately. God Bless this home and the others abandoned.”

    The two of them look at each other, puzzled and not sure what to make of it.

    “Do you know anything about this? Or even what this could be?” Dimitri was bewildered by what was going on, as Denis tried to think.

    Denis looked at Dimitri, uncertain of what the situation was and said, “I have no clue. I was never told of such things, although I haven’t had the chance to be told anything. I do remember seeing soldiers, Royal and Entity, getting prepared as if there was an attack going to happen.”

    “Hold on, how would you not see that as suspicious or even think something was wrong?” Dimitri started to get annoyed by the lack of information.

    “I couldn’t just go and investigate. I was busy protecting the princess. And right after, I wanted to come help you with whatever you needed.” Denis tried to calm Dimitri down as the questions built up.

    “I’m sorry. I understand, I just hoped you knew at least something. We should just look around in case someone is still here before we leave.” Dimitri gave a calm smile of reassurance before heading into the town.

    As they walked around, trying to see if there was anyone left, they saw nothing but left behind food and other stuff as if they were rushed to the evacuation. Just seeing the sight of lost people in an abandoned home gave Dimitri a sick and upset feeling. Just being there for a few minutes, Dimitri had to leave before he couldn't take it anymore. Once Denis got a few things that could aid their journey, they then rode out once again to try to make it to the Hidden Valley before dark. As they were riding, they were quiet and uncertain of what to see to each other. Denis was left in the dark about Dimitri’s past and was not sure of what he was to expect and Dimitri knew he needed to tell him.

    “Do you want to know of my past,” Dimitri kept his head forward with a serious voice.

    Denis, with a bit of surprise by Dimitri’s willingness to share then replied, “I’d love to.”