Kamala was sitting on a chair, alone in a corner of the living room, a cup of coffee in her hands.


    Orion waved at her after walking out of the portal. The girls were on the side of the portal, with Amelia showing how good her mood was.


    ''Already?''


    Kamala was confused that they came back so fast.


    "I can guess what you''re thinking. Time works differently on the other side."


    Orion took out the hourglass. Sand was flowing steadily.


    She got intrigued by what Orion took out of his pocket.


    She stood up from her chair, and came next to Orion, looking at the hourglass.


    "This is an impressive work. It is really beautiful. The sand comes from this desert right?"


    "Most likely. I received it not long ago from a merchant. It is now precious to me."


    Without noticing, Kamala''s hair and some parts of her body touched Orion.


    Orion didn''t say anything, because this was not on purpose. Surprisingly enough, even Amelia had no reaction about this situation.


    ''Orion''s not the type to care about this kind of appeal. Even I know that she''s not trying to seduce him.''


    She shrugged internally.


    Karteira was next to Amelia, thinking about things completely unrelated.


    ''I want to train. If not, I''m going to fall asleep.''


    She placed a hand on her mouth and began to yawn quietly.


    Fatigue was slowing getting to them, even though it wasn''t that late.


    Before long, Kamala moved away, satisfied after seeing the beauty of the hourglass'' carvings.


    Orion placed it back in his pocket, and asked.


    "How much time were we away?"


    Kamala looked at her coffee, and answered.


    "Less than ten minutes, I would say?"


    Orion brought a hand to his chin.


    ''We were on the other side for seven or eight hours. Which means that time flows by a minute here when an hour pass inside.''


    ''If it''s like that, wouldn''t the magic storage be completely depleted when we return?''


    He thought about it, but realized that it was completely different.


    ''No, it works differently doesn''t it?''


    ''When I''m not inside, that space should stop working, and freeze completely until I enter it again.''


    ''Let''s just hope it works like this, or else, Amelia''s hard work would have been for nothing.''


    He looked at Kamala, and asked another question.


    "While time passed in minutes here, it was in hours on the other side. We are tired right now, so could you possibly tell us were we should go to rest? There is an inn in this city right?"


    Kamala was shocked to hear about the difference of time between the two places. Even in her troubled emotion, she looked at Timothy.


    "I have a great place for you, so let Timothy give you the details."


    Timothy approached Orion.


    The two men discussed about the general direction of the inn, and how much it was.


    "Thank you."


    Orion turned around, and walked near Amelia and Karteira.


    He looked at Karteira.


    "Better hide your tail now."


    She nodded, her tail slowly returning to being invisible.


    He placed a hand on the frozen portal, making it close on itself, leaving no trace of its existence.


    He walked all over the living room, cleaning the mess he previously created.


    The couches were placed where they were before, the table that was pushed away returned to its rightful place, the chairs with it. He picked up the books that fell from the bookshelf, and returned the two books he borrowed earlier.


    ''I made this mess by accident. It would leave a really bad impression if I just left it like that.''


    It was really easy for him. He had strength, and he was fast.


    While the girls were waiting for him near the front door, he was finishing tidying the place.


    Lastly, he moved the chair that Kamala was sitting on before, and placed the cup of coffee on the table.


    "You shouldn''t drink in such a lonely place. Instead of a corner, you should be where the sun shines. Seeing the scenery outside the window is more relaxing than staring at the wall."


    He said what he thought, and walked out the front door, not even waiting for a response from her.


    The girls followed right after him.


    Kamala watched all of this, not knowing what to say or what to think.


    ''He''s the first one to say something like this to me. I should be ''where the sun shines''.''


    At that moment, Kamala realized. Orion was a kind person, outside of his plan for vengeance.


    In this world, there was only despair waiting for anyone if the Apostles kept having control over the factions.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    If there was a ''sun'' capable of illuminating the darkest places, it would be Orion.


    ''I made up my mind, I''ll be fully supporting him. A world without strife, without oppression, and without the need to cower in fear for our future.''


    ''I want to see that!''


    As she watched his back being engulfed by the outside light, her determination strengthened.


    By inadvertently speaking with honesty, Orion managed to bring Kamala fully to his side.


    The girls closed the door behind them, leaving Kamala to deal with her raging desires to change the world.


    ~


    "That''s the place, isn''t it?"


    Karteira looked at a big panel in front of a building, saying ''Welcome to the Flying Fish.''


    The building looked bigger than most of the houses around, which confirmed that it was an inn. On the side, there was a restaurant that seemed to belong to the inn too.


    It was painted blue, most likely to resemble the sea, and there was a big fish portrayed above the double doors.


    "He said that we had to look for a large building named the Flying Fish near the port. I''d say we found it."


    Orion said, observing the foldable sign.


    "What are waiting for then? I''m getting tired, so let''s go in already."


    Amelia walked in front of Orion, and entered the building. He followed a moment later with Karteira.


    "Welcome!"


    Two women at the reception spoke at the same time, greeting the people that entered.


    ''Seems like there is only us in the building.''


    He looked at the ladies. They both had black hair, similar to Orion. They had the same long hair stopping slightly below their shoulders.


    ''Twins.''


    He immediately recognized the similarities between them. If there was something distinguishing them from one another, it was the side of their bangs.


    They all arrived at the front desk, the receptionists still showing their professional smile.


    "Are you here to stay the night?"


    "Or are you looking to enjoy some time in our restaurant?"


    They asked in turn.


    Karteira looked at Orion.


    ''Can we?''


    He read her mind like it was nothing.


    "We are going to stay the night."


    Deception appeared on Karteira''s face.


    "Is that it?"


    The left lady asked.


    "Are we able to have dinner in the restaurant too?"


    "Of course!"


    The right girl exclaimed, to Karteira''s joy.


    The left receptionist showed him a paper with the price of the rooms, while the second waited for him to finish.


    Once he was done, she caught his attention.


    "Now, let me explain how our restaurant works."


    She opened the wooden plank that was meant to stop people from walking behind the desk other then them, and walked toward a door on the right side that led to the restaurant.


    "Please follow me."


    She made a respectful gesture with her hand, and opened the door.


    The three followed, leaving the left receptionist alone at the desk.


    "Our restaurant is different in that you can eat as much food as you want. It is called a buffet. You can take whatever you customer fancy, and pay a fixed price before leaving."


    For Karteira, lover of food, this place was paradise.


    Orion nodded, glad that this wouldn''t cost him a lot, while Amelia was preparing herself to take notes on the food that they were going to eat later.


    They had the money. A lot of money, thanks to Orion selling all those preys when he was in Auro. He was never a big spender, and had accumulated quite a fortune by himself.


    To compare, he could buy five of the biggest and luxurious house in Triazils this instant.


    ''Now that we are able to protect our belongings, I will be able to relax a bit.''


    He listened to the receptionist explain what would be on the menu, where to sit depending on their mood, and where to move their emptied plate.


    ''Since coming here, I''m only seeing polite and respectful humans. Are my views slowly shifting?''


    She was extremely professional, to the point where he became impressed.


    ''I''ll just think that it is only because this is Kamala''s city. I won''t doubt her words.''


    Orion decided to trust in Kamala. This lead to Kamala earning his trust and support, something that was not so hard to obtain in the end, if you showed sincerity and respect.


    "And this is were you need to go with you receipt. Once this is done, we hope that you will enjoy your rest in your rooms."


    She opened the door back into the reception hall, and she returned next to her sister.


    "I wanted to ask, but there''s nobody inside?"


    Amelia asked to the receptionist.


    "That''s most likely because of the mess outside the city. The citizens are only coming back into their houses aren''t they?"


    Karteira answered her before the receptionist could.


    "What you said is the exact reason."


    The lady on the left talked with smile.


    "I apologize if it is a strange question, but did you stay inside this building during the conflict?"


    Orion asked carefully.


    "We both are the managers of this fine inn. We trusted the words of Lord Kamala, so we simply waited for it to end."


    The lady on the right answered with the same smile.


    ''People here really trust Kamala.''


    "I see. Thank you very much for showing us around earlier. I believed this would be the work of someone else, but it was well-explained. You two seem to love working in this place."


    He gently smiled, catching the heart of the two woman by surprise.


    Orion is tall, well-built, gentle, and slightly distant. His gaze is fierce, yet no one can look away. He isn''t scary, not intimidating.


    "T-Thank you very much!"


    The sisters bowed together, confused as to why they reacted like this. They had many years of work behind them, and they saw a lot of different individuals.


    They straightened, and began to introduce themselves. The one on the right began, followed by her sister on the left.


    "My name is Chelsea."


    "And mine is Kelsea."


    They both showed a mirrored movement. They placed a hand on their chest, and very slightly bent their head downward.


    "Are you going to stay the night in our inn?"


    Kelsea asked, bringing a large book, registering the customer that stayed previously and are currently staying.


    ''That''s a port city for you. Look at the size of this book. Many travelers or merchants seems to stay in here. That shows how great this place is.''


    "Of course. Thank you for having us."


    He nodded in appreciation.


    "Well then, please write your names there, and the number of days you wish to stay. After that, we will ask you to pay the rooms'' fee."


    Amelia crouched, and looked inside Orion''s bag. She took out a worn out wallet, and gave it to him.


    "Here, you need it right?"


    He took the wallet, and placed it on the front desk while he wrote his name.


    "Do I write yours too?"


    They both nodded. He wrote Amelia and Karteira''s names on the registry, and took the wallet, and opened it.


    "How much would that be?"


    The sisters stared at the inside of the wallet with shock. There was so much money in it. They looked at each other, discussing in with their gaze only.


    ''Who is that man? Not only is he stunning, but he is also rich?''


    ''I am like you, I have no idea. But we have to avoid offending him. He might even be related to Lord Kamala in some ways.''


    They nodded to each other.


    "Do you want one room, or two separate ones?"


    "Separate please."


    He felt relief in his mind. Finally, he was able to keep Amelia far away from his bed. While he thought that, someone was pouting behind him.


    "You know how it is Amelia. Don''t be too harsh on him."


    With a forced smile, Karteira placed her hand on Amelia''s shoulder.


    "Then, this would be-"


    Orion paid the price requested. Kelsea turned around and opened a drawer. She took out two keys and placed them on the desk.


    "Those are your room keys. Room 101 for you sir, and room 102 for you ladies."


    "Thank you very much."


    Orion took both keys, and handed the key with ''102'' to Amelia.


    "If you ever need something, feel free to come to us. We will shortly deal with whatever you ask of us."


    "We pride ourselves in making your stay as agreeable as possible."


    They bowed, and showed them the stairs.


    Orion smiled, and followed by Amelia and Karteira, walked upstairs after picking his bag.


    Room 101 was right at the entrance of the first floor. Room 102 was opposite to his.


    He opened the door, and was welcomed by a two bed space that was bigger than the rooms he stayed in the previous inns.


    ''That''s the difference between humans and beastmen I guess.''


    That felt wrong to him, because the hospitality was good too in the beastmen inns. They simply hadn''t the right to have anything fancy like this.


    He place his bag near the bed furthest from the door, and sat on it. He bounced a few times on the bed.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    "Orion, we''re going to eat. Are you joining us?"


    "Of course. I''m coming in a second."


    He stood up from the bed, and took out the hourglass from his pocket. He placed it on the drawer next to the bed, and looked at the bracelet on his left wrist.


    ''48%. I''ll replenish it when it will drop lower than 20%.''


    He grabbed the room key, and stepped outside, locking the door behind him.


    With both girls walking hurriedly in front of him, Orion moved with a sweet smile on his face.


    They entered the restaurant, now having customers inside that returned to the inn.


    The food was great, and Karteira ate enough to make a normal human full for two days.


    Orion paid for their dinner, and they all returned to their rooms, with nothing major happening.


    He took note of everything that he read from the two books in Kamala''s house, while Amelia wrote what happened today in detail in her notebook.


    Karteira was already sleeping soundly at that point.


    The fatigue caught Orion and Amelia at the same time, and they both turned their light''s off, signaling the end of another eventful day as they drifted into the dream world.