The four wake up before the sun rises, knowing they need to prepare for their detour as quickly as they possibly can. Hongjoong had Elya saddled in mere moments, climbing up into the saddle with a confidence he didn't think he'd ever have. Slowly, but surely, he knows he needs to come to terms with being the 'chosen one' of Aurora with powers unlike anything anyone had seen.

'Alright girl; let's get to it' Hongjoong mentally talks to the horse.

Lisa stretches out her front and back legs, and she knows she needs to prepare to run. By the looks of it, the quicker they all go toward their destination, the less time it will take. Hongjoong waited as Seonghwa and Jongho packed up the tents and San puts the fire out before becoming airborne, hovering above Hongjoong as he waits for the other two.

Seonghwa glances over at Hongjoong, smiling. "Seems like you and Elya are becoming very close now"

Hongjoong responds with a sleepy smile, and says, "you said she's only this close to other sorcerers like her owner, and now that I know I'm one, I guess she feels like she can trust me"

Seonghwa nods. "Yeah, that might be why"

No one utters another word for a long while after that as Seonghwa and Jongho climb up onto their horses.

"We'll need to get to where we need to as fast as we can. Maybe we'll be able to gather up some food items at the Town if we can, but if we can't we'll just have to keep going. If Carolyn is correct, then going through the Town is dangerous" Seonghwa says.

Jongho frowns. "Should we really be trusting the judgment of a complete stranger Seonghwa?"

Seonghwa goes to respond, but Hongjoong beats him to it. "She didn't give ff any negative vibes, and the animals didn't respond negatively to her presence. I have a good feeling that her judgement can be trusted"

Jongho's lips purse into a thin line, still not fully sure about this but willing to go along with it anyway. San fidgets anxiously, wanting to leave this place as quickly as possible. It's still a little dark, and he can hear Shade Wolves howling in the distance.

"Guys, we should probably get going. I can hear Shade Wolves coming this way" San warns.

Seonghwa nods, turning his horse and galloping off in a North-West direction. The others are quick to follow, and Hongjoong can see the wolf Lisa purposely trailing a little bit behind just in case any Shade Wolves get too close...

:::

The outskirts of the Town were a little less bustling, though Hongjoong could see the tents from a mile away due to how flat the land was between where they were situated and where the Town was. There were no buildings along the outskirts, but rather little quaint pop up shops that gave off homely and overall pleasant feelings.

Elya slowed to a walk, Hongjoong purposely lagging behind Jongho and Seonghwa to get a little bit of a look around. Seonghwa and Jongho had obviously been here multiple times before, but this was completely new scenery for Hongjoong. Of course, in the world he grew up in, they had markets like this every once in a while, but this felt different from his world.

Or, what he thought was his world.

Since finding out he wasn't exactly and ordinary human, he doesn't even know where he belongs. Sorcerers in Aurora weren't very looked well upon, and he didn't have much of a life back at home, so he was at a loss there.

His heart suddenly felt heavy with the thought, and he almost wants to sink into the saddle and never see the light of day again. Elya slowed to a stop on her own, feeling the heaviness surrounding Hongjoong like a thick cloud. Lisa had also stopped alongside Elya, glancing up at Hongjoong with worried eyes.

San was the first to notice Elya had stopped, and loops around in the air and lands in front of Elya.

"You okay?"

Hongjoong nods. "Yeah I'm fine. Elya just stopped for some weird reason and now she won't move"

Seonghwa and Jongho also stop their horses, Seonghwa glancing back at Hongjoong with his eyebrows furrowed. He slides off his horse and walks over.

"Are you sore at all? Do you want to walk, or stay on Elya?"

Hongjoong winces. "My butt is kind of sore, so yeah, I guess I would rather walk for a little while. Stretch my legs"

Seonghwa nods, raising his arms up to help Hongjoong off Elya. Elya neighs in response, nudging Hongjoong closer to the Elven prince when his feet landed on the ground. Hongjoong nearly smacked the top of his head against Seonghwa's chin, the prince chuckling softly.

Then, Seonghwa noticed something weird. The Prince leans away a little, trying to figure out what it was that piqued his interest. Then, he notices something odd with Hongjoong's ears.

"Uh, Joongie, your ears are pointed" San says before Seonghwa can even get the words out.

Hongjoong blinks once...twice...

"What?"

"Your ears are pointed. Not like an Elf, but more like a Pixie. It's just a little point" San waves his hands around. "It's probably nothing to worry about though"

"Nothing to worry about?" Hongjoong squeaked.

"Well, you're not going to die, that's for sure" Jongho rolls his eyes.

Hongjoong glares at Jongho. "That's not all that reassuring considering you might have already predicted my death by now"

Jongho doesn't respond to that, and Seonghwa turns to the Banshee with a hard look in his eyes.

"Do not tell me you've predicted Hongjoong's death"

Jongho hesitates, but after a while, he just shrugs and says, "I don't know whose death I've been predicting lately, but for now, it looks like it's my own"

San shakes his head. "Look, we can't be dwelling on these things right now. If one of us dies then that's that, but let's make sure it's not by Mikaelis' hand. So, can we please keep moving?"

Seonghwa breaths out a sigh, and nods. "Yes, let's keep moving"

Before completely puling away from Hongjoong, he places a kiss on the youngers forehead. Hongjoong feels his face heat up at the softness of the gesture, pouting a little when Seonghwa walks back to his horse. Elya nudges him again as if telling him to go over and walk with Seonghwa, to which Hongjoong responds with a glare at the horse before he wanders over and stands beside the prince.

The two end up walking a good while side by side, their hands occasionally brushing up against each other with Jongho and San trailing a little ways behind them, both of them on alert just in case something were to go wrong...