Way of the Knights

***

"Oh? You guys want to venture out?" 

Inside Raven's house, him and his team were seated, silently enjoying warm cups of tea and the gentle hums of wind. As their conversation went on, the topic eventually got into the point of the rest wanting to venture outside of the Kingdom's walls.

"That's shouldn't be a problem, after all there's little to no people here that could give you guys any pressure to advance. And since war is over, I think Uncle would approve of it." Raven said after taking a sip of his tea.

"It's not about whether the King would approve of it or not." Paul shook his head and continued: "It's more about…you know…"

"Huh?" Raven raised his brow in confusion. He then saw their eyes staring at him with certain seriousness, causing him to be reminded of somethings. An idea dawned upon him, causing him to finally understand what they wanted. "Ahhh! I get it now. You guys want to step into Hero Realm as well."

No one spoke as Raven was laughing, making the atmosphere turn a little bit awkward. Nevertheless, Raven didn't pay attention to it since he could vaguely know what they were thinking.

The war was a large eye-opener for them. No one in the Kingdom would dare to call them weak but in that war, their roles were very minimal. In the end, if it weren't for Raven, they might not have the chance to be here, alive and enjoying a warm cup of tea. 

Raven was aware that his team didn't slack off on their training, however their progress became slower due to other responsibilities that they have to hold. And now that the war is over, they now have the ability to get rid of those responsibilities and seek opportunities for themselves. 

All of them are aware that Raven was immensely strong. Even people who have higher cultivation that him can't be his enemies, much less those who are at the same level. And now that Raven stood even higher than them, of course it gave them immense pressure.

They didn't want Raven to leave them behind. 

"Why the long faces?" Raven jeered, "Geez, I was only gone for a few odd years and you guys are treating me like a stranger. You know that you can ask me for anything right?"

The faces of his team lit up, all of them felt like a burden was released from their shoulders. Paul scratched his head and said:

"Well, you really couldn't blame us dude." He groaned, "I mean, look at you. It's like your a different person! There's something in you that I can't put a finger on."

His face them turned solemn as he continued: "Plus, during the war I…"

Paul couldn't even finish his sentence as a sense of helplessness appeared on his heart. He then felt Ellen's hand clasping his, causing him to relax for a bit. Even then, the near-death experience he had was something that he couldn't easily brush off.

Raven didn't say anything. Instead he took out a piece of a jade board on his spatial ring and injected it with his Chaos Force. 

Everyone was stunned as the saw an image appear on the jade board. 

No one here was a stranger about the land surrounding the Final Haven Kingdom, after all they all have seen the Skynet Array before, but what Raven revealed to them is something else entirely.

"Is this…" Mark trailed off as his eyes shone with light, "The map of the whole world?"

"Yes." Raven nodded, "This is the map of the whole Grand Ancestral Plane."

All of them inhaled sharply as they looked at the map with burning gazes. They then spotted several things marked on the map. They didn't even asked him where he got this map since they're used to his surprises by now.

"Wait! This is where our Kingdom is?" Ellen asked as she pointed on the marking that appears like the flag. Raven nodded to her causing Ellen to sigh. "It's so small, and it's closer to the west. I didn't know that."

"Where did you go during your journey then?" Anne asked curiously. 

"Here, here, here and here." Raven pointed at the places that he went during his excursion. 

"You covered so much ground." Luna commented, "I'm guessing you visited a lot of Lairs too." 

"How did you know?" Raven faked a shocked expression, earning him a pinch from her. He smiled and pinched her cheeks gently. "Don't worry, I was careful on the way. See? Aren't I safe and sound?"

Raven then placed on a serious expression and said: 

"During my adventure, I went to several places. I have few places in mind that I can recommend you to go. But let me tell me warn you about a few things first." 

Everyone then listened to him since they knew that Raven's warnings are serious. 

"A lot of things changed before and after the war. Although this map is very recent, there are chances that some things are changing even as we speak. Remember to never let your guard down once you're out there. One careless mistake and you guys will die. You hear me?"

The team nodded as they listened to him. 

"Before you leave, make sure that you stock up on resources. You'll never know, you might need somethings that you never used before. The world out there is extremely unforgiving. You might even find yourselves witnessing Tier 7 and above beasts roaming around. If you're outmatched, run. Don't hesitate. As long as there is life, there is a chance. Seeking pressure to accelerate growth is one but courting death is another."

"It is highly unnecessary for you guys to fight every beast that you see. Even if you spend all of your time fleeing, so long as you arrive at the place I give you, you will eventually reach Hero Realm. Be careful and survive, understand?"

And just like before everyone nodded and took his advice to their hearts. Once he was done warning them, he then started pointing them out a certain directions in the map. 

Paul's destination is at the Sunken Ivory Palace. Ellen's would be at the Sun Temple. 

Anne was to head northwest, at a place called Fallen Star Valley. Mark is headed southwest where the Eternal Storm Ridge is located. 

If Raven really wanted to, he could just ask the Old Consciousness to transfer them to these locations through teleportation. However, for the sake of tempering them, he chose not to. 

At the end, the four decided to make preparations as early as possible, leaving Raven and Luna, who's feeling displeased since Raven hadn't given her any directions at all. 

***

"Avi…" Luna endearingly called out to him, causing Raven's heart to tremble. "Where should I go."

Raven smiled wryly as he looked at her, he then pinched her cheeks and said: "I'm still thinking about it."

"Liar. You have something in mind, you just don't want to tell me." Luna snorted as she crossed her arms in front of her. 

Raven wanted to say something but looking at Luna's expression, he knew that he was busted. She was right after all. 

Luna sighed and lowered her gaze. Her heart felt troubled, she then said something that has been bothering her ever since Raven returned. 

"Why are you avoiding me?"

Those words caused Raven's heart to tremble. His gaze locked onto her instantly, he wanted to say something to retort that but what he saw almost broke him. 

Luna was sad. She wasn't crying or anything, her heart just felt incredibly lonely and her face showed a forlorn expression. Raven wasn't aware that Luna would notice his weird actions but he really wasn't trying to avoid her at all. 

He had other reasons…

"I-I think I should leave…" Luna didn't like the situation at all. She was afraid, to her it seems like Raven had fallen out of love. She couldn't bear it and she didn't want to hear him say it so she might as well just leave. 

But before she could even reach the door, she felt a strong pull on her hands. 

She wanted to say something but she was shocked to see Raven's burning gaze bearing at her. 

Luna was momentarily in a daze. She felt small under his gaze. She couldn't understand it, but at the same time, the emotions that Raven showed in his eyes were causing her heartbeat to hasten. 

"I…" Raven stuttered, he wanted to explain many things but something else entirely was bothering him. He couldn't say anything at all. All he could hope for is for Luna to feel the burning feeling inside his chest. 

The feeling nearly drove him mad. In his muddle-headedness, he pulled Luna into a long and passionate kiss. 

Luna felt electrified, she could feel her stomach lurching. She was nervous but at the same time, she losing her grip into reality due to his kisses. 

She could feel his warm and greedy hands roaming around her body, causing her to lose strength on her legs. At some point, she just realized that Raven was already carrying her and her legs were already wrapped around his waist. 

Lost in the feeling of their bodies pressed together and their emotions taking control, both of them couldn't even remember when they arrived at the bedroom. 

And as Luna felt Raven's warm hands inside her clothes, she finally understood why he was 'avoiding' her. She couldn't help but feel that he was being so silly. 

Didn't he know that there is no one else that she would give herself to other than him? 

And though she will never admit it, she too was longing for him. 

Now that she understood what he meant, and now that they were already at this point, no one could get in the way of their union anymore.

*Ahem*