Meera watched the prince bring down his second Druvis since their battle with the poor Lumneraxes, who would've happily carried about their business if Meera's hunting part hadn't gone in and destroyed their herd for no reason. Well, they did get some level out of it, even if Meera got no skills from it. That still stung.

She had let Manazhar fight the next two Druvis while she sulked. She was trying to find the source of the Raw Essence, but it was hard to tell. One moment, it felt like they were heading towards it, and the next, it felt like they were moving away from it. She needed to level up quickly, so she could increase her Essence attribute and figure these things out more efficiently.

"I couldn't help but notice that you've mostly been quiet, My Lady," Leenai said, as she came to walk beside her.

"Hmm?" Meera looked her way as she was pulled away from her concentration. "Oh, it's nothing. I've just been thinking about these Druvises. If His Highness has been coming here to train a lot, then wouldn't the Druvis just vanish one day?"

The healer nodded. "You've a good point, but you see the thing is, we've been coming here for years and never, not once, have we felt that their numbers are on the decline."

"It's the opposite, in fact," Manazhar added. "It's like some force rejuvenates life back into the jungle once we leave."

"Let's not forget that once we leave, the door remains locked for a few days until the jungle is ready to let us back in," Leenai finished.

Meera frowned. "That's odd. Why would it do that?"

"We think it's the portal recharging itself," Manazhar said. "I've asked some of the professors at the University to come look at it, but unfortunately, they are equally perplexed. For all the professors who worked on this portal door have moved on from this world to the next."

"What happens if you don't leave?" Meera asked. "Or what if you leave the jungle on foot, instead of the door?"

Manazhar and Leenai glanced at each other and then shrugged, as one.

"We don't know, my lady," the prince replied. "We've never done that."

"Well, something to think about. Anyways, shall we continue on? I still wish to kill some more Druvis."

Again, they looked at one another, uncertainty clear on their faces. It was Leenai who spoke up this time.

"Reverent Lady, as much as we respect your wishes, I believe it is time we head back now. The sun has dipped quite low, and we need to get back to the door before night falls, or we'll be in some trouble."

"What do you mean?" Meera asked, frowning. "Does the door close when night falls?"

"No, it's nothing like that, but the jungle becomes an inhospitable place at night," Leenai replied. "We are plunged into darkness, and a Druvis jungle is no place to be at night. We'll be robbed of our senses, and the stronger druvis come out at night. Far stronger druvis."

Meera perked up at that. She fought so hard to keep her face level and not smile, which was a struggle to hide from her face.

"How can that be?" She asked.

"We don't know, Reverent Lady," Manazhar said. "It's like in any regular jungle, where the real predators come out to hunt, so it is true for Rawaki jungle. If we head back now, we'll have plenty of time to fight any Druvis that we encounter along the way. Given the amount we've killed, we should be able to come back in a few days."

"Oh, so the portal door's reopening depends on how many animals you've killed," Meera asked. "That's very strange."

"Shall we?" Leenai said, pulling out the orb that would signal their way home.

"You know what, you guys go ahead," Meera said. "I would like to stay and hunt the predators, as it were."

"But, my lady, that is not advisable," Manazhar said. "And I cannot in good conscience leave you here alone to fight the druvises by yourself. If something were to happen to you, I would never be able to show face to father or even the people of my realm."

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"It's okay, Your Highness. Just say that I couldn't get to the door in time, or that we were rushing to the door at night, and I got separated from you, and you encountered a powerful beast, so you had to run for your lives. Besides, if worst comes to worst and I cannot take the Druvis on, then I'll just fly myself out of here. Which way was the capital from here? The South?"

Leenai nodded when the prince said nothing.

"I implore you once more, my lady," Manazhar finally said. "Please rethink your decision. The last time I tried to stay here overnight, it damn near cost me my life."

"That's why I'm not asking you to risk your life," Meera said. "You go on home and pretend you never saw me, and I'll see you in the palace tomorrow morning."

Manazhar looked at Leenai, while she shook her head. "No, no, no! You remember what happened last night. Mana—Your Highness, no."

The prince took a step towards Leenai. "Walk with me, a moment."

They walked a few paces until they were out of earshot, or should've been if Meera didn't have advanced hearing. And there was no way, she was not going to hear what they were about to say.

"My love," Manazhar began, and Meera's eyes widened.

Now, isn't this a scandal.

"No," Leenai cut him off. "You don't get to that again. You promised me." Her voice shook, as if she were on the verge of tears. "You promised me that never again, we would do something as stupid as staying here overnight. You damn near lost your life. I had to drag you back, half-dead. Your father nearly—"

"Yes, I know, but it'll be different this time," Manazhar promised. "We'll stay close to the door, and there is something I must confirm for myself."

That intrigued Meera the most. What did the prince need to confirm, and did it have something to do with Meera? She had a strong feeling it did.

"Close to the door, and if she wants to throw her life away, by venturing deep into the jungle at night, then we're leaving, consequences be damned," Leenai said. "Promise me that."

"But how can we just leave her here?" The prince countered. "Look at her level, she's hardly strong enough to take on the day monsters, let alone the ones that come out at night."

"I don't care about some Reverent Lady," Leenai damn near shouted, making the prince shush her and calm her down.

"Lower your voice, please," the prince pleaded. "She'll hear us."

"I don't care. I care about you, and I cannot watch you in that condition again. You're to be the next God King. You cannot walk headlong into danger in a place like this, where no one is coming to save us. So, promise, we will stay close to the door or…or… I'll walk off into the jungle by myself without a light."

"I'm sorry, w-what?" Manazhar stammered. "You—"

"Promise me, Manazhar, or you will lose me forever."

Meera saw the prince deflate.

"Fine, I promise you that we will stay close to the door," he said.

Leenai moved past him without another word and walked with gusto, leaving the prince to hurry after her. Meera wondered how the healer would present their deal to her. She was almost amused at the prince's condition. No matter how much power or position he held, in the end, he was just a boyfriend chasing after his angry girlfriend.

"Reverent Lady, the prince has decided that it will be best that we stay close to the door, in case the worst happens." There was a finality in her tone that she would broach no further argument.

Meera shrugged. "Sure, seems reasonable. I just wanted to see how strong these beasts could get. Lead the way, Leenai." Then she leaned in. "By the way, it was nice to see you strong-arm your man like that."

The healer blanched, and all the confidence vanished. "You heard us…I-I didn't mean any—"

Meera placed a finger on her lips and winked at her. "It'll be our secret."

Manazhar finally arrived. "Reverent Lady, with all due respect—"

"It's fine, Your Highness. I understand, let's head back to the door. After all, you both are just worried about my safety."

***

By the time they arrived at the door, the sun had set. The last vestiges of its light painted the sky orange, while Mirithia shone brightly in the sky, blocking out most of the stars. The two druvis that they had killed were still there, though it looked like various smaller creatures had feasted upon them.

Leenai paled when she saw the dead Kyldars. "T-They've come out already."

Manazhar's hand went to his sword. "Be ready, Reverent Lady. The monsters that you wanted to see are going to be upon us soon."

Meera's hand went to her chakram, but she drew it away. She was going to do this with her skills so that she could gain more levels. After all, that was the whole point of doing this.

"My Lady, we cannot open the door until they're all dead," the prince said. "We cannot risk letting these things loose in the palace. They'll cause such mayhem and kill many unarmed civilians."

"What were their levels?" Meera asked.

But he never got a chance to answer, as there was a strange chittering sound that filled the clearing. It started with one creature and then multiplied quickly. It was like the cricketing of crickets but worse, so much worse. Meera wanted to rip out her Gem of Echoes.

Leenai covered her ears and fell to one knee. Meera did not doubt that if she hadn't fought with dragons and experienced their roars that froze their enemies, she would be like Leenai too. Manazhar stood resolute, a hand on his sword and a hateful expression on his face.

"Come on, you pricks. I've been waiting to get even."

The shrubbery started shaking all around them, and then the creatures jumped out at them. Even Meera was taken aback by their appearance, but their levels brought out a vicious smile.

[Zhythar – Level 503]

Finally, something worth fighting.

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