There had been a troublesome situation in Dreamweaver Port because of the pirates, making seafaring more dangerous than what it should be. Needless to say, there wasn't enough people to deal with making the waters safer again. Dreamweaver was in dire need of warriors and supplies and had sent a word to Archosaur, pleading for help. As soon as they got the message, a merchant caravan departed the grand city, heading to Dreamweaver Port. And with them, a couple of warriors began their travel as well, some of them just for just a sole purpose of protecting the caravan, and some were aiming to go to voyage and deal with pirates.
Of course, Mirskyn and Rhynx went with the caravan, fighting off any monsters they would encounter on their journey.
There was quite a distance from Archosaur to Dreamweaver Port. Their travel was long, but they tried to move as fast as possible. Luckily, they weren't bothered too much by monsters or Wraiths on their way. That was, until they reached Swamp of the Wraiths. It was such a hostile, watery and unnerving place with bad visibility. Many fiends and undead warriors roamed in these inconsolable lands. If that wasn't enough, sometimes you could spot green spheres eerily floating in the air, as they probably were some lingering dead souls, which caused even more anxiety to anyone who was traveling through. When crossing the swamp, it was wise to go as a group. Who knows how many lonely travelers had disappeared into the murky waters, never to be seen again.
With the help of Mirskyn and Rhynx and many other skilled warriors, however, their caravan managed to get through Swamp of the Wraiths with relatively low damage. As they left the dangerous and moist land, entering then Forest of Haze, the whole caravan could sigh in relief. The worst part of the journey was now over. Also, they started to get closer to Dreamweaver Port, they only had to get through the forest. But, as they had passed Village of the Lost, soon Mirskyn and Rhynx departed from the group, heading to north instead as the rest of the caravan continued their way to Dreamweaver Port.
The Nightshade and the Tideborn rarely had time to relax. And so, when they had entered Forest of Haze, Mirskyn had decided to travel to Sanctuary, since they weren't far away from it. He just wanted to spend a night or couple with his beloved one and Sanctuary was such a beautiful place, it was perfect. That was where their path was leading to.
The paved road reached only part of the way to Sanctuary. After a hill it took a mildly steep descend down, only to disappear. But it didn't hinder the travel at all, because between cliffs was a narrow path waiting for travelers, leading a way to Sanctuary. The cliffs were bare and bland, the road slithering through them. Few barren trees were also sprinkled along the way. This part of the path was pretty ugly, at least when you expected something pretty for a place called Sanctuary. However, when managing to get past this narrow road, a stunningly beautiful sight would greet travelers. This was Peach Blossom Grove. Pink and white petals dominated the scene, and anyone could find a tranquil feeling in their soul among these blossoms. Walking through the flourishing trees would wash away worries and make wonder if this was the last place in the world that hasn't been tainted by war.
It was the time of nightfall when the two men reached Peach Blossom Grove. It was almost like entering this magical place had cured the soreness in their feet and was soothing their souls. From somewhere ahead of them cheerful noises of a crowd could be heard, accompanied by festive music. They had arrived to a plane of serenity, where, even though a little while, everything was well in the world.
Side by side the men walked across Peach Blossom Grove, their path leading them to beautiful Sanctuary. Through a narrow way, guarded by nothing but walls, they came in the village, getting greeted by some sort of festival. Neither of the men knew what the people here were exactly celebrating, but did that matter? You don't always need a reason to be joyful and have a good time.
Whole Sanctuary seemed to radiate positive energy in form of this celebration. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, laughing and dancing, spending time with their loved ones. The scent of a good food was lingering in the air. All around the village red paper lanterns were illuminating the festival with their warm light. In the river that divided the place in two, some koi fishes were swimming, as if they wanted to be part of the event as well. It was such a wonderful night for everyone.
Mirskyn and Rhynx participated in this festival as well, throwing away their responsibilities and the duties on battlefield. For once, they would be just two ordinary men having a relaxing evening. Especially Rhynx enjoyed the festival; he was a night owl and everything was more exciting for him at night. Mirskyn mostly stayed rather composed, having peaceful strolls around Sanctuary with his beloved Tideborn, tasting few foods every now and then. He was a bystander and enjoyed watching for others to have fun, that was enough for him.
Eventually the two men slipped away into the night at some point, heading to a bridge that led to Fragrant Hills. The path to the bridge was short and they reached it in no time. It was wooden, had railings and roof, from which few red paper lanterns were hanging, shedding some light to nightly wanderers. The warm glow was kind of romantic, actually. Perfect. Mirskyn and Rhynx walked on the bridge until they reached the central part of it, then both of them started to lean on the railing, side by side, shifting their gazes into the water below where a reflection of a full moon was painted.
Only few moments passed by when Rhynx decided that he wanted to be closer to the Nightshade. With a swift movement, he entwined his arm around Mirskyn's waist and pulled him next to him. Mirskyn was a bit surprised by this trick, but allowed it to happen, and even a smile appeared on his face. He leaned his head against the Tideborn's shoulder and let out a content sigh. And for a while, they didn't speak anything. Being close like this was all they needed in that moment.
The night on the bridge was calm and silent. Even though the voices of the festival could be heard in the distance, those minutes on the bridge felt like that the men were in their completely own world now. Rare were the moments when they could be just like this, close to each other, worries faded away. Just the two of them, in peace. Mirskyn wrapped his arm around Rhynx's body, not wanting to let him go. The men embraced each other, holding each other so tightly, almost like that this moment of love would end if they stopped doing it. And they didn't want that to happen.
They were like complete opposites, Rhynx in his black clothes, perfect for an assassin, and Mirskyn in his white ones. But even though they seemed different, their hearts were beating as one. In that moment, as if because of some speechless connection between them, they looked each other, their gazes meeting, both of them getting lost in each other's eyes. And just like that, their lips met, and they shared soft and passionate kisses.
And when their lips finally departed, their eyes met once again. From both men's eyes softness could be found, accompanied with deep love.
“I love you”, Mirskyn spoke with a tender voice, barely stronger than a whisper.
“I love you too”, Rhynx replied gently, not breaking the eye contact.
They kissed each other one more time, engaging in a tight hug. When they parted again, they continued to lean on against the bridge's railing, staring at the beautiful reflection of a moon in the water. However, it didn't take long before Rhynx flexibly jumped on the railing, then leaping to the body of water below, changing into his Tide Form in mid-air. A loud splash could be heard when he disappeared below the surface for a few seconds, then appearing again. Mirskyn just smiled, staring at his beloved one and how he was swimming. Well, Rhynx hadn't had chances to swim for a while, so this was probably a good opportunity to do so.
Mirskyn kept following his beloved one with his gaze, how he dived and rose to the surface again and again. He couldn't help but grin, for he was lucky that he had this handsome Tideborn in his life. He loved him more than anything.
And he hoped that Rhynx felt the same.
