It only took about 10-15 minutes for them to reach the edge of Pixie Place, and at that point the sun had began to rise. The ride was surprisingly smooth, however Hongjoong feared that the smooth ride wouldn't last that long. San flew just above them, keeping a lookout for enemies as they crossed the border. It was dusty and barren, a complete contrast to the lush landscape of Pixie Place.

"Here, wear this" Jongho said as he steered his horse closer to Hongjoong.

Jongho handed a thin cloth over to the human, Hongjoong looking at Jongho in confusion.

"It's too keep the dust out of your nose and mouth. It's thin, but Yunho enchanted them to keep the dust out" Jongho explained.

"Oh, okay" Hongjoong ties the cloth around his neck, lifting it up so it covers his mouth and nose.

Jongho smiles, looking ahead but keeping close to Hongjoong.

"So...are there any other Banshees like you hanging around?" Hongjoong asks.

"Ah, no. At least, not outside of the Outer Shade" Jongho glances down, "I was raised by Yunho my whole life. He found me as a baby in the Inner Shade. I have no idea what happened to my parents, but they're either dead or something else happened"

"So, your kind is evil?" Hongjoong asks, and then quickly adds, "you don't have to answer that though if I offended you"

"No, it's okay. Well, Banshees aren't as evil as the other creatures lurking in the Outer Shade, but other people like to use us for a powers" Jongho sighs.

"Well, Banshees are sort of a...legend back in my world. I don't personally believe in them, but they're basically a woman dressed in a bloodied white dress and their scream warns of your death...or something like that" Hongjoong explains.

"That's not far off from what I can do, but I can do much more than that. My scream can create soundwaves that can push enemies away, and even kill them and make their ears bleed, but I can also predict death as well" Jongho nods.

Hongjoong smiles under the cloth, "that's cool"

Jongho giggles, and for the rest of the way up until they stopped to set up camp, Jongho and Hongjoong stuck close together. When it started to get dark, Hongjoong could feel the cold seeping through his clothes, and he began to shiver. Jongho noticed this and called out to Seonghwa, "hey, we should probably set up camp here!"

Seonghwa glances back, and nods in agreement, so they all stop. Seonghwa hope off his horse which has the tent and blankets in the pouches on the sides of the horse.

"Alright, so we're gonna have to take it in turns to keep lookout" Seonghwa instructed as he lied the tent out, "and to also keep the fire burning at all times. We can't let the Shades to come and kill us. San, could you help me set the tent up?"

San nods, flying down to the ground to help the elven prince to set up the tent.

"Shades?" Hongjoong muttered.

"Animals created from dark magic. The dangerous ones are the wolves, cats and bears" Jongho shuddered, "and I'm not referring to the tamed cats"

Hongjoong went to say something, but was cut off by Seonghwa saying his name, "Hongjoong, you'll take the first watch with me, if that's okay with you?"

"Uh, yeah, that's completely fine with me" Hongjoong nods with a tiny smile.

Now that he knew what those Shades were, he honestly didn't think that he'd sleep at all, and as night fell, this became all too apparent as various howls and low growls were heard from every direction.

"Don't worry, they won't come near a lit up area" Seonghwa smiled reassuringly.

"But what if the fire goes out? What if we somehow forget to tend to it? What if those Shade thingies come in and suddenly blow it out? What if-" "Hongjoong, calm down, please. You're starting to make me anxious" Seonghwa chuckled, though there was an air of seriousness in his tone.

Hongjoong closed his mouth, suddenly realising that he probably wasn't the only scared one out of the two. Perhaps the Prince wasn't so much as scared, rather he was just worried. Seonghwa looked lot in his thoughts, a frown settling on his features as the older stared into the fire.

"What are you thinking about?" Hongjoong asks.

"The last time...the last time I saw the Shades was when Aurora was almost overrun with them. It was only a couple hundred years ago, but it nearly destroyed us all. The fairies were nearly wiped out, the Pixies home was destroyed and took years to rebuild, and even Aurorialis was destroyed" Seonghwa sighed, "it wasn't long after my mother had died that it happened, and I had to quickly learn to shut out the sadness and grief I felt and trade it for rage for battle. I hate the feeling it gives me, but it's what I default to when I fight. They say that pain is strength, and I instead channel that sadness and grief into strength so I can fight with a clear head rather than wildly throw my sword around"

Hongjoong just nods, staring into the fire. Suddenly, the creepy noises didn't bother him so much as he slowly began to fall asleep, lying his head on Seonghwa's shoulder. The Prince smiles, allowing Hongjoong to doze off into a peaceful sleep...

But it wasn't as peaceful as Hongjoong had hoped...

OwO