Hao. The Awakening of the Chosen (Finish)

Chapter 8.1

"Lukotico, Berto, Gonzalo, and Mafalda disembarked from the transporter several minutes late because the traffic in the sky had been impressive.Upon getting off the transporter, they saw that it was almost impossible to walk through those mud-filled fields, and they needed to hire one of the horses to carry the luggage, which was housed in the cabin opposite the taxi stand.Each of them rode their pet, and upon reaching the cabin, they encountered a rather unpleasant attendant who served them and offered the horse in a rude manner, although they eventually managed to buy it at a very good price. They loaded all their bags full of belongings and clothing onto the horse's back and set off.Upon arriving at the kingdom's main square, they could see that there weren't as many Samiz in that kingdom as in other kingdoms; there were too few people. However, that didn't matter to them as they remembered their task: to find the chosen one.Contrary to what Lukotico initially thought would be a boring day, it turned out to be intriguing because by mid-morning, he saw some high-ranking soldiers not riding horses but unicorns and pegasi. It was impressive to see those mythological creatures, twice the height of a person, not including their majestic wings, which were a sight of their own.Mafalda and Berto separated from the group, holding hands under the pretext that with so many people, they could get lost. They arrived at the market; this time, Berto was right as it was teeming with stalls. They decided to buy various fruits for the animals and themselves and had to go to the meat section.Mafalda thought it would be best to split up for a moment so she could go fetch the meat while Berto took care of the fruit. Lukotico had given them both some money.Berto noticed that the market was heavily guarded by quite a few security personnel, but he decided to continue shopping. After finishing the purchase, he went in search of Mafalda. That girl produced intense butterflies in his stomach; her personality attracted him because, like him, she was very outgoing and determined, knowing what she wanted and pursuing it obstinately. These qualities drew him to her, aside from her physique. Despite being a bit more robust than usual, her physique was enviable, and Berto knew it.When they reunited, they held hands again and decided it would be best to find Lukotico and Gonzalo when a captain approached them."Good morning, documentation please.""We've just arrived in this great kingdom from the Horn Kingdom, and we haven't had time to get our documents, excuse us.""Towards that direction are the offices where you can get your documents. Good luck and have a nice day.""Likewise."As they turned around, they saw a jet-black Pegasus, with the captain riding on its back. Suddenly, they heard a shop attendant shout, and then they saw a boy running out of the store with a bag of fruit.The captain went after him, and Berto looked at Mafalda, indicating that he should help her, and so he did. Berto dashed in the direction of the boy. Berto had so much adrenaline that he had no trouble keeping up with the Pegasus and even surpassed it in speed. When he caught up with the boy, Berto subdued him on the ground, waiting for the captain to arrive."Thank you, and well done. Um, what's your name?""Berto, pleased to meet you.""I'm Natalia, one of the captains of the Union Army.""Pleased to meet you. The Pegasus is beautiful, isn't it?""Indeed. She was found as a baby in the middle of the forest, disoriented, next to the corpse of her mother who died from mortal wounds inflicted by some animal. It was a horrific scene, one I'll never forget. But let's not talk about her; it makes me sentimental. What brings you to this kingdom, and why this one?""Forgive me if it sounds cheesy, but I feel like I had to step out of my comfort zone to find what I'm really looking for. And now that I'm here, I feel disoriented because I can't help but notice how beautiful you are. I hope to have the opportunity to get to know you better.""Well, what a pity for you. I also want to get to know you better."At that moment, Mafalda arrived loaded with several baskets of fruit and meat."Berto! Help me!""I'll be right back, Captain.""Call me Natalia."Berto approached Mafalda to help her; he grabbed one of the baskets she was carrying while Natalia approached to greet Mafalda."Good morning, we didn't get to greet earlier, but my name is Natalia, and what's yours?""My name is Mafalda.""Pleased to meet you.""I was telling your husband that this kingdom is very safe, and the Union Army will help with anything you need.""Thank you very much.""Well, I'm off to continue my watch. Goodbye, nice to meet you," said Berto with a mischievous smile.They both walked towards where Lukotico and Gonzalo were. It was easy to find them; to find the chosen one, Lukotico had summoned Giorgi and transformed him into a very adorable small dog, holding him in his hand while pretending to be blind with closed eyes. Gonzalo followed behind Lukotico, keeping an eye on the people in case something unusual happened.After searching fruitlessly for several minutes, Lukotico thought it was absurd to continue like this, so he immediately opened his eyes and looked around for Gonzalo, who was a few meters away from him, laughing as he observed him. Lukotico approached him."What? Just killing time?""That's right.""Where are your brother and Mafalda?""I haven't seen them around.""Well, I'm seeing them right now, and with the number of people around, there's not even a breath of space between them because they're so close.""How so?"Gonzalo turned around and saw his brother and Mafalda staring deeply into each other's eyes while their mouths were connected in a long and passionate kiss. When they finished, they separated, both exhausted. Looking towards where Lukotico and Gonzalo were, they found them with their mouths open, astonished."