Hao. The Awakening of the Chosen (Finish)

Chapter 8.3

The couple approached Lukotico and Gonzalo, but they noticed that both were holding hands. It was already official, thought Lukotico. The affection both felt could be seen in the eyes of the couple. Gonzalo, visibly affected with teary eyes as if on the verge of crying, was the first to speak."Is there something you want to tell me?""This wasn't supposed to happen this way, but since we're here, the truth is yes, little brother. As you might have noticed over the past few days, Mafalda and I have been acting strangely. The reason is that we've committed to being together as far as love guides us. I hope this doesn't pose any inconvenience for you, Lukotico.""Not at all. Passion combined with love is powerful, and if you know how to channel it correctly, you can significantly increase your strength. But for that, you must train hard," replied Lukotico."We will, my lord.""Please don't call me that. I'm just a humble servant of my mission; I don't deserve such formalities.""What do we do first?" asked Mafalda, a bit lost as it was her first quest."Berto and Gonzalo will search the streets together, while you and I will look for shelter.""Perfect, let's go," responded all three.As planned, the group split into two again, leaving the sibling couple with the difficult task of searching for the chosen one in those domains.The first pair, composed of the siblings, decided that since they had already been to the market before, there was no need to return. Thus, they preferred to go to the fair, which was currently taking place on the outskirts of the kingdom.Upon arriving at the fair, they saw demarcated zones, each marked for different kingdoms. It was an international fair of realms, a kind that only took place every 500 lunar cycles, making it a miracle to be there. They explored stall by stall until they reached a jousting tournament where a knight from the Horned Kingdom was facing another from the Volcanic Kingdom. The latter was riding a white horse while his opponent was on an impressively large brown boar.Both opponents bowed before Emperor Ferro in the royal box, followed by the royal salute. The knights clashed their shields as a sign of respect, and the joust began.Meanwhile, a minstrel named Luis was telling jokes next to Berto."What do you call a knight who always loses in medieval jousts? Sir Rendered!""I have another one. Why can't knights play chess? Because they always move the horse."Gonzalo started laughing, while Berto remained serious until the last joke."What does a knight do when he loses a tournament? He 'launches' into drinking."Berto grabbed Gonzalo's arm and asked him to move away because it wasn't safe to be so close to the fence. At that moment, one of the knights from the Volcanic Kingdom fell towards the fence, precisely where the siblings had been seconds before."Close call," said Gonzalo."Let's get out of here," demanded Berto."Let's go find Lukotico; hopefully, they've already found a place to rest. I'm very tired; the journey has been exhausting. I don't know how you managed to get some rest in the taxi.""You know I can sleep anywhere, anyhow; it's a skill, to be honest," concluded Berto.The sibling pair separated from the group of people and began their search for the other couple, hoping to rest and eat something in the first establishment they found. They weren't picky about that; when you're hungry, food is always just food.