"What led this organization to do what it is that we do?" Rei asked curiously. He looked over at the coachman for several seconds, not truly expecting an answer. He considered the question somewhat dumb, something asked just to fill silence. But to his surprise, the coachman let out a quiet chuckle and gave the reins a gentle whip, urging the horses to a slightly quicker pace.
"What led us all to do the job we do, huh?" the coachman repeated, nodding once. "I'll answer that."
"According to the history books, the 'Red Dawn' was first formed by a man named 'Mr. Leon' in the year 3499 of the Flying Serpent. Or better said, nearly five thousand years ago. After founding the Red Dawn, he chose to walk the path of a ritualist instead of relying on seals or contracts. From what was recorded, he made two contracts with unknown beings, though their names and nature were never written down.
"But after discovering the power of ritualism, he—at least from what I can gather—never turned back. He stayed loyal to that path. Around three thousand years ago, the 'First Monarch' of Eclipse rose to power, known by the name of 'Moe'. He ruled for about thirty years before he was assassinated for the title.
"Then history becomes murky. The 'Second Monarch' was assassinated as well. The third never underwent the official ceremony to claim the throne, so their name was left out of all records. The first recognized 'Third Monarch' didn't emerge until over a thousand years later. The reason for the delay? The unofficial third monarch had formed a contract with a spirit of life, which kept them alive far longer than a normal lifespan."
The coachman paused and glanced around as a low rumble of thunder echoed through the snow-drenched forest. The snowflakes briefly turned into cold specks of rain, splashing against the side of the caravan before shifting back into light flurries.
"It appears we're close to entering the land of Via-Nyx."
'Via-Nyx? What is that? And he mentioned "the land of it"... so is it some kind of kingdom with vast territory? I'm confused...'
The coachman swallowed and continued, not wanting to draw things out or waste time.
"A lot happened between the rise of the official Third Monarch and where we are now. But to summarize, the Red Dawn eventually formed a formal partnership with that monarch. They signed a nine-hundred-year contract of mutual aid. The Kingdom of Snow would provide assistance to the Red Dawn when called upon, and in return, the Red Dawn would serve the kingdom during the night. That's the reason behind the elimination of that cursed village."
He glanced toward Rei as the caravan creaked along the icy path.
"We're currently headed for the land of Via-Nyx. More specifically, you and the two others will be exploring old ruins hidden deep in the jungle. This is a direct request from the leader of Red Dawn herself, so I would recommend completing it. Not that I doubt your chances. You three are known as the 'Demons of Red' after all."
The coachman laughed softly. Rei followed with a light chuckle of his own, not wanting to seem more suspicious than he already might appear.
'Red Dawn. Demons of Red. Some sort of long-standing treaty between the Kingdom of Snow and this Red Dawn group. A woman leads Red Dawn now. And that cursed village... was because of all this. There's still more missing, but I guess I asked the right question. I won't ask about these "ruins"—it might sound suspicious. Well, maybe it wouldn't... but I don't want to risk it.'
He continued laughing for a few moments before politely excusing himself and returning to the back of the caravan. Naomi and Zay were still asleep, their bodies curled into the layers of thick fur. Rei exhaled through his nose and quickly sat down again, reaching into his Arbiter: Vault and retrieving his journal.
He set a bottle of ink beside him, uncorked it, then dipped the end of his quill and began to write. His handwriting moved quickly across the pages as he recorded everything: the Red Dawn, the Monarchs, the 'Demons of Red', Via-Nyx, the jungle ruins—every detail. He even circled certain notes to mark them as personal thoughts and theories, annotating the margins with cautious questions and suspicions.
...
Rei checked the time once more, quietly noting it as 7:34 P.M. He jotted it down quickly before opening his Arbiter: Vault and placing his journal, quill, and ink bottle back inside. The moment he sealed it, the vault shimmered faintly and vanished from sight.
With a soft sigh, he glanced over at Zay and Naomi again. Unsurprisingly, they were both still passed out. He shook his head slightly and stepped toward Zay, crouching beside him. Pressing two fingers to his neck, he felt a pulse almost immediately and leaned back with a bit of relief.
'At least he's still alive.'
Rei sat down again and looked up at the wooden ceiling of the caravan. The wood beams were darkened and worn from time, creaking softly with the weight of snow above them. The caravan rolled to a gradual halt, wheels grinding lightly against soil and stone. Moments later, the familiar sound of the coachman's boots crunching against wet earth grew louder until the back door creaked open.
Rei turned his head to look outside. A thick jungle stretched before them, dense and steaming. Vines coiled tightly around gnarled trees, their roots lifting and breaking through ancient stone paths. Several structures lay half-sunken in the foliage. The buildings were made of large, timeworn stones cracked and faded with age. Veins of moss and deep fissures crossed through nearly every inch of their surface. Some remnants of former windows still lingered in the forms of jagged openings, but most were long gone—either crumbled or overtaken by nature.
The coachman nodded once at Rei, then climbed into the caravan. Without a word, he hoisted Zay over his shoulder and made his way toward one of the sturdier buildings nearby. It was a squat stone structure with four intact walls, covered in moss and shaded beneath tall trees. A wooden door, worn and split from exposure, held loosely in its frame.
Rei stood and gently lifted Naomi into his arms. Her weight was light, and her breathing steady. He followed the coachman into the building.
Inside, the air was thick with damp earth and age. The stone walls were rough and cold to the touch. In the far corner of the room were three beds made of wood, each covered with coarse wool blankets. A small wooden table sat nearby with a closed box beneath it. A softly glowing lamp rested on the tabletop, its light powered by aura injection. Near the opposite wall was a rectangular box made of marble, etched faintly with unfamiliar symbols.
Rei laid Naomi down on one of the three beds just as the coachman settled Zay into the one in the middle. The man walked toward the door and paused.
"There'll be a message from the leader herself in the morning regarding what you need to find within these old ruins," he said plainly. Without waiting for a response, he stepped outside. A moment later, Rei heard the horses neighing and the steady clatter of wheels rolling away into the distance.
The silence that followed was heavy and still.
Rei let out another sigh and dropped backward onto the third bed, staring at the ceiling of rough stone and tangled vines that poked in from gaps near the corners.
'So now we wait for a message... old ruins, unexplored jungle, some assignment from a woman I've never met leading a group I don't understand at all. apparently the three of us are part of this group, and I'm here pretending everything still makes sense. My life is just going amazingly well.'
He turned to his side and pulled off his black cloak, letting it fall to the ground beside the bed. His body felt heavier than usual, his thoughts beginning to blur around the edges.
"I really need some sleep... I'll worry about that message once I wake up," he muttered to himself, eyes already drifting closed as fatigue overtook him.
Within moments, Rei had slipped into sleep, the damp silence of the jungle-claimed stone building wrapping around him like a second blanket.