The next morning, Ciel wasn't anywhere to be seen. Taro, was obviously busy so he couldn't be bothered. Taku and Kou were roaming around.
"Where could he even be?"
"Maybe he ran away. Who knows?"
"Please, he wouldn't. He's not like you."
"Didn't he run away from his own clan at the age of twelve?" He did. Kou didn't have a response for that.
"He might just be training really."
"Alright then, you check the training grounds and I'll check the yards." The two brothers split up. Kou, ran to the training grounds in the mansion. While Taku was headed to the yards.
Inside the mansion, Taro and Ciel were talking by the stairs. Taro was headed to the clan hall, but Ciel had to talk to him.
"Mr. Taro, I think I should give my father a visit. Send your good graces as well maybe?"
"You're not gonna stop there, are you? That's good. What's your plan?"
"I have two locations memorised. Well, barely memorised, really. I don't know where to look for except for that one mountain and the Twilight Forest. But I'll tell my old man about the news and also tell him to prepare for a war."
Taro sighs. "Another war already. Go on then. Take Taku or Kou with you."
"I'll take Kou. But why?" Kou interrupted them. "Yeah, dad, why?"
"To symbolise a true alliance. Everard ought to see I mean business this time around."
"I guess that makes sense."
"We're going on a trip to the West Dominion!" Ciel yelled and latched onto Kou's shoulders.
Taro, headed upstairs and silently said "Be careful, you two." while walking up. As the two left the mansion, they saw Taku.
"Oh, great, you found him. And you are carrying him on your shoulders..."
"Don't be jealous just because you don't have this kind of bond with your brother."
"Don't be crazy. I'd never be jealous. Where were you anyway?"
"Talking to your dad."
"Why?"
"We're leaving the clan."
"Wait, what? Both of you?"
"Yeah, we're headed to the West Dominion."
"To Voldrald? Why?"
Ciel got off Kou's shoulders. "I have to inform my old man about a few things that happened here."
"Let me guess. Kou is there to symbolise an official alliance between two clans?"
Ciel smirked. "You're smart." Taku thought about it for a few seconds. "When will you be leaving?"
"Probably today, the sooner the better." Taku didn't respond. But then Kou hurried.
"I should pack my stuff then!" Ciel held him by the back of his neck, grabbing his shirt. "Not so quick. Taking so much stuff would be a waste of time and we'd probably be victims of thieves. We need long-lasting food and two bottles of water at worst."
"Are you for real?! It'll take us three weeks! That's not enough!"
"Two weeks if you know a short-cut. Look, Kou, if you wanna get robbed, then fine."
"We fought against a living bomb guy, what's a few thieves?"
"The mountains are the playground for the thieves, we'd be attacking them at their own yard."
Kou, sighs and begrudgingly accepts his fate. "Meat should be fine, since you're a natural freezer." Ciel said, to Kou.
Kou and Ciel moved quickly. They would have to leave soon. Kou, ran inside the mansion to tell his mother, Kaida. Ciel, was just looking for a place to buy some snacks. He yelled to Kou before he got inside to bring Frostfins.
Kou, ran upstairs. Passing the closed door of the clan hall, towards the bedroom door of his parents. Taku, slowly followed behind, towards the clan hall.
He got in front of the bedroom door then started to try and build up his courage. He was panting, not because he was tired, but because he was nervous. He swallowed hard then knocked on the door. After hearing his mother's gentle voice yell "Come in!", he opens the door and steps inside.
Kaida, lying on the bed with a book in her hand, smiles at Kou and invites him inside. "What's my little baby doing? What is it, Kou?"
Kou, nervously approaches his mother in her bed and sits next to her. His mother, having pale blue hair and black eyes. Kou taps his hands, thinking of ways to explain his mother that her son is taking his leave in a dangerous mission.
Kaida ruffles with Kou's hair. "Did you have something to tell me, Kou? You seem... nervous. Come on, tell me." Kou was surprised that his mother easily took notice of his nervous behavior.
"Actually, mom, I did have something to tell you. This... this might sound ridiculous..."
"Just tell me already, I'm your mother."
"Mom, the thing is... I'm leaving. Leaving the clan, I mean."
"What? Stop joking around."
"I'm serious mom. And I won't let you stop me, I'm sorry." Kou gets up, with enough courage. He feels relieved to have got it out of his chest.
"You've got to be kidding me, Kou. It's all Ciel's fault, isn't it? You're admiring him. You want to be just like him, right? I won't let you live a reckless life like him, Kou. Ciel didn't have a mother by his side, or a proper father to raise him. But you do!"
"This is serious, mom! I'm nineteen, for gods' sakes! You know I'm not an immature child anymore, I'm not leaving just because I admire Ciel! I'm leaving for the world's and our clan's sake."
"You're gonna throw away your life for the clan's sake? That's what you're gonna tell yourself?!"
"Mom, a world-wide war is approaching. And you want me to sit here and do nothing?!"
"YES, YES IF THAT IS WHAT SHALL TAKE TO KEEP YOU SAFE!"
"WELL I WON'T LET YOU TIE MY HANDS LIKE THIS ANYMORE!"
Kou runs out of the room and shuts the door close. Kaida, is left speechless, sitting on the bed, after Kou's outburst. She starts crying...
Taku, stops Kou on the way down. "You didn't have to be so rude."
"This is none of your business, favorite child."
"Oh gods, are we back to this again?"
Kou, ignores his older brother and rushes down stairs after grabbing a few cooked Frostfins from the kitchen oven that are placed on sticks. He gets downstairs and starts looking for Ciel.
Ciel, who's sitting on a tree with blue fruits on it. He keeps eating the fruits.
"Kou, you should have a taste! These frostberries are incredible!"
"Aren't we supposed to be leaving, Ciel?"
"Yeah, you're right." He jumps down the tree and walks up to Kou.
"Oh, you got the Frostfins!"
"So what will we be taking with ourselves?"
"A bag of food and bottles of water that'll last at least three days. And also weapons."
"I can create weapons."
"Yes, you can create weapons that are freezing cold and will eventually break. Are there really no enchanted weapons in this clan?"
"I guess there is. We'd have to go to the military barracks."
And so they walked their way to the military barracks. They were busy, since the recent chaos. There were people sleeping outside in blankets, as well as full shelters recently built around the barracks. Some made out of wood, while the others quickly built with ice.
They barged their way in. There were people sleeping around the inside as well, there were barely any soldiers. Except for the ones training or sleeping. There were also barely any weapons left on the shelves. Ciel, walked to the small cabinet, where soldiers were sleeping. Kou had no other option but to follow.
Ciel, knocked on the door of the cabinet. "Hello there. Any enchanted weapons left?"
The soldiers wake up, one of them rubs his eyes and responds. "No. Definitely not..." He sees the heir next to Ciel.
"Definitely are, Prince! There are only a few left. Rest have been used." The soldier gets up. I'll show you the ones we have.
He takes the two out of the barracks into the storage room. In the storage room, there are only seven weapons left. One spear, a long sword, two short swords, two daggers and a war hammer. Each weapon has runic-seals etched into them in different places.
"These are all the remaining enchanted weapons, sir. I'm sorry there aren't many variations."
"So what will you take, Ciel?"
Ciel takes a look around the room. He grabs the short swords, but puts them down right after. He walks up to the long sword and takes it into his hands. The long sword has runic seals attached to it's hilt, and also seals painted up it's blade.
"Normally, I'd take the warhammer. But since this is not a normal situation, I'd want something that can both defend me and is easy to carry around." He turns to the soldier. "I've noticed that are multiple runic seals in this sword. What are they for?"
The soldier responds. "Well, to my knowledge sir, the one on the hilt makes it so the blade can return to it's owner, it's a manual seal. I've no idea what the rest do."
"Wait, you said it returns to me? How? Does it just fly around like Mjölnir?"
"I didn't test it, sir."
They take their leave, and Ciel straps the sword to his hip. Kou, mockingly: "Does it fly around like Mjölnir? Idiot. What kind of question is that?"
"What are you talking about? That was a perfectly reasonable question!"
"So will we be taking the horses?"
"Take the horses, sure. Then we'd have to worry about their food and water. Plus, we're not going to war."
"Are you kidding me?! We're gonna walk all that way?!"
"Yes. We'll grab some food then leave." So they did. Ciel, made Kou buy Frostfins, chicken meat and also vegetables like potatoes.
At the gates of the clan, they see Taku.
"So, you two are leaving now. How long will you be gone?"
"Probably like two weeks. Three at worst, maybe four." Ciel, said calmly.
"Why do you care, so suddenly?" Kou looked Taku dead in the eye.
"I always cared. Now good bye."
"Good riddance, to you at least."