As the sun dip into the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and rose. Knights hurried back and forth between the castle storage room and the waiting wagon, as they loaded heavy boxes for the impending expedition.
Arya observed every box, meticulously checking and measuring everything they needed for the raid. His brow furrowed in concentration as he ensured that nothing was forgotten. He noticed one knight who seemed to be struggling to carry a particularly heavy box.
Approaching the man, Arya asked, "Is that the last box?"
"Yes, sir!" the knight answered, grunting with exertion.
Without hesitation, Arya instinctively helped him lift the box. He almost stumbled in surprise at the sheer weight of it. "Oof- this one's quite heavy," he remarked, his muscles straining.
"Need help, brother?"
Aldi, his older brother, approached the two, and Arya couldn't be more grateful for his offer. With Aldi's assistance, they managed to settle the last box securely into thewagon.
After they finished, Arya and Aldi looked at each other, a silent understanding passing between them. They embraced in a tight hug, a rare display of affection between the two brothers.
"Stay safe, brother," Aldi said, his voice filled with genuine concern.
"Hah!" Arya scoffed in amusement, a playful grin spreading across his face. Both knew that Arya was one of the strongest hunters in the world, a seasoned warrior who had faced countless dangers and always emerged victorious. It had been proven time and time again that he always came back in one piece, no matter how hard or how long the raid was.
Before they boarded, everyone stood in a horizontal line, their hands clasped together in a gesture of unity and solidarity. An old woman, her face etched with wisdom and experience, moved along the line, casting a prayer of protection and blessing on each of them. She sprinkled coconut water on their faces, before pressing grains of rice onto their foreheads.
"Safe raid, Your Highness," she said, her voice raspy but filled with warmth.
Arya smiled and kissed the old woman's hand, a sign of respect and gratitude. "Thanks, Nan," he said, his voice sincere.
##
The sky had grown dark, the stars twinkling like diamonds scattered across the sky. The time on Arya's pocket watch showed that it was already 2 AM. He decided to call a halt to their journey, allowing the team to have a quick rest and replenish their energy before continuing on.
"Meal time!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the stillness of the night. A chorus of quiet cheers erupted from the weary travelers, and some sighed in relief, grateful for the opportunity to rest and refuel.
Everyone helped each other unpack their supplies, setting up a makeshift camp and preparing a simple meal. Some had gone to collect firewood, while others tended to the horses.
One of the men was about to close the wagon when he noticed that one of the boxes had been opened. Frowning, he approached the box and examined it closely. He noticed that the box seemed like it had been opened with force, the wood splintered and cracked.
He gathered back to his team, "Hey, where's Arya?"
"Nature call!" one of the men replied, gesturing vaguely towards the nearby woods.
The man crouched down next to another member of the team, his expression serious. "Something's off," he whispered.
At that statement, the other man snapped his head around, his eyebrows scrunching in confusion, demanding an explanation. The first man led his friend back to the wagon and showed him the opened box, pointing out the signs of forced entry.
##
Arya groaned in relief, finally able to relieve himself after holding it in for hours. It was even worse as he was riding the horse the whole time, the jostling making his bladder feel like it was about to burst.
As he pulled back up his pants, he heard a loud giggle coming from the nearby bushes. His head instantly snapped up, his hand instinctively reaching for the sword at his hip.
"Mara?!"
He gasped loudly, his eyes widening in disbelief when they landed on Mara's form. But most importantly, the first thing he noticed was the weird, almost manic smile that Mara had on her face.
Her eyes gleaming red, staring down at his pants making him froze in fear. Then his sister suddenly fled away. No, she literally flew, her feet leaving the ground as she soared into the air with unnatural speed
"MARA!"
The team on the fire camp heard his shout, all collectively stood up in alert, their hands reaching for their weapons. They saw their leader running back to them in a hurry, his face pale and his eyes wide with fear.
"IT GOT MY SISTER! CATCH HER!"
Everyone immediately scattered, running in different directions and screaming Mara's name into the night. The peaceful campsite was instantly transformed into a scene of chaos and frantic searching.
Everyone scattered around in panic, their voices echoing through the forest.
"MARA!!!"
But Arya was more worried about her sister's safety. He couldn't shake the image of that strange, unsettling smile from his mind.
'How the hell did she get here?!' he thought, his mind racing. He felt a surge of guilt and incompetence, a gnawing feeling that he had been careless. Not only had his sister managed to somehow sneak along with them, but now some bad spirit seemed to have decided to cause trouble for the whole team, who was supposed to be resting.
Finally, after what felt like almost half an hour of frantic searching, one of his men caught her. She was surprisingly calm in his arms and not fighting back.
"Has It left?" Arya quickly approached his sister, his heart pounding in his chest. But his movement halted when his sister suddenly stared at him again with that crazy, lovestruck-like gaze. It was the same unsettling expression he had seen earlier, and it sent a shiver down his spine.
"Hii handsomeee~" Mara purred, her voice dripping with a strange, unnatural sweetness.
Arya's face scrunched up in disgust, his whole body shivering from head to toe.
"E-eugh… cleanse her…" Arya waved his hand dismissively and walked away, leaving his sister to the hands of his trusted men. He couldn't bear to look at her.
The others began preparing an offering of all kinds of food they had in their storage, hoping to appease whatever spirit had taken hold of Mara.
Arya could hear Rain's howls and grunts of pain as the exorcist worked to drive out the malevolent entity. He sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair.
"Oh well. It was supposed to be a quick rest…" Arya muttered, his voice laced with exhaustion. He looked over to his men, who were working diligently to prepare the offering and cleanse Mara. "Hurry and eat up… we're already wasting our time here," he urge them.
"Yes, Sir!"
Arya approached Mara again after she had calmed down slightly, her eyes now looked lost. He sliced open a fresh coconut and poured the water all over Mara's head, the cool liquid cascading down her face and body.
Mara groaned in discomfort, her body shivering from the cold. But Arya ignored her protest as he began pressing grains of rice on her forehead.
Not long after the whole cleansing ritual was over, they began packing up again and started moving. The atmosphere was somber and subdued. Meanwhile Mara was rested in the wagon with the boxes, closely watched by two of Arya's most trusted men.
##
The next morning, the sun rose, casting a golden light over the forest. But for Mara, the day brought only doom. She was beyond saved from her brother's anger and scolding.
"You were too reckless! That was dangerous, you could've gotten kidnapped by them!" Arya roared, his voice echoing through the small space of the wagon.
Mara flinched again, closing her eyes in fear.
"Oh my God… how did you even got in there!? How did you follow us without covering yourself up properly?!" he continued, his voice rising in pitch.
"I'm well covered tho…" Mara mumbled, her voice barely audible.
"You know damn well I'm not talking about your clothes," Arya snapped, his eyes blazing with fury. He felt a sudden headache coming on, a throbbing pain behind his eyes. "Agh… fuck… you better explain yourself to your father. I'm not at fault for whatever happened to you, okay?!"
As if on cue, there was a soft knock on against the wooden cart.
"What," Arya barked, his voice sharp and impatient.
"Eh… Your Highness, it's Prabu" a voice said from behind the door.
Arya shrugged, his expression resigned. "Right on time," he muttered.
The man gave Arya the glowing orb before quickly leaving them alone.
Mara sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. She knew what was coming next.
And there goes another round two of scolding.
Actually, it was three rounds of scolding, cuz her oldest brother, Aldi, scolded her too, his voice even louder and more intimidating than Arya's. Even dad was still way softer than both of them.
And so, she explained to them, recounting the events of the previous day.
##
Yesterday,
Mara saw a bunch of people carrying boxes of supplies to the storage room in the castle. She had been wandering around aimlessly, trying to find a way to gather more information about this strange new world she had found herself in.
She approached one of the staff members, a young woman with a kind face.
"What are these?" Mara asked, trying to sound casual.
"These are foods and potions, Princess. For His Highness Arya's raid," the staff member replied, her voice respectful.
And that's when Mara got the idea to hide herself in a box. It seemed like a crazy plan, but she was desperate to get out of the castle and see what this "Gate" was all about. Surprisingly to her too, that her box was carried into the wagon as well, without anyone noticing her.
Everyone deadpanned at Mara's explanation, their faces a mixture of disbelief and exasperation.
"Are you dumb? Did cooping up in your room for a whole damn year rot your brain, Mara?" Aldi snapped, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Mara scratched her nape innocently, trying to suppress a smile. 'Well, at least I'm here now,' she thought, smirking inwardly.
"Do you think this is the right time to be happy?! You almost gave Dad a heart attack!" Arya exclaimed, his voice filled with frustration.
Mara quickly lowered her head, fingers fidgeting restlessly by her side. "Sorry… everyone…"
Her heartbeat hammered in her chest as cold sweat slipped down the back of her neck. This felt exactly like getting lectured on the first day of a job — except worse, because she couldn't just quit this "family."
Great. Fantastic. Getting scolded like a teenager when I'm mentally a grown adult.
She kept her eyes on the floor. Not because she was afraid, but because looking them in the eye right now would just make the humiliation worse. Being scolded at her age? By people she barely knew? It was ridiculous.
Yet their tone wasn't mocking or dismissive. They genuinely cared.
These people were technically her family, but to her, they were still strangers.
Mara's jaw clenched. She stayed quiet, shoulders tense, forcing out the only response she could manage.
"…It won't happen again."
"It's stupid and dangerous," Aldi snarled again. He was clearly getting more annoyed by the second.
It's okay, Mara. Don't snap. Don't argue. Just play along.
"Mara… it's not that Father was trying to hold you back," he said gently. "If you want to go out — anywhere — just tell me first. Or your brother. Or at least someone who knows you."
Mara swallowed hard and nodded. Her throat tightened, but she kept her expression neutral. She wasn't going to cry.
A warm hand rested on the back of her head, fingers gently smoothing down her hair. Slow, and unfamiliar, yet comforting.
"Don't do that again, alright?" Arya said softly, his voice filled with a mix of relief and affection.
{Congratulation}
Mara froze.
Her head snapped up like someone pulled her by an invisible string. A glowing parchment floated in front of her face, shimmering with ethereal, magical look-at-me energy — absolutely unapologetic about appearing out of nowhere.
Arya, who saw her sudden reaction, was surprised as well. "What? Did you see or hear something?" he asked, his brow furrowed in concern.
Her brain short-circuited.
... Congratulation?
... for what? For getting scolded on the first day of transmigration?
She internally screamed.
I-Is this supposed to be an achievement or personal attack?!
The parchment continued floating, proud of itself, like it had accomplished something amazing.
Aldi and Father, who were still on the call, got intrigued as well, their expressions curious.
"Eh?" Mara blinked in bewildered, her mind racing. It seemed that her brothers could not see or hear it. The voice coming from the strange parchment talked again, its voice echoing in her head, resonating with a power that sent shivers down her spine.
[Prodigy Mara Tarayesha, you have been chosen by the Orbit of Venus]
"Have you been chosen, Mara?" Aldi asked, his voice surprisingly calm.
Mara's eyes widened and she looked at Aldi, her mind racing. How did he know? Was this a common occurrence in this world?
"Is it true, Mara?" Arya grabbed her shoulder, his grip firm, demanding an explanation.
Mara nodded slowly, her gaze fixed on the glowing parchment. It seemed like this was a normal thing now, if Aldi even knew about it.
Everyone then fell silent, the atmosphere in the room thick with anticipation. Her two brothers looked at their father, who was now wearing a dark expression, as if he was upset or worried.
Arya looked back at Mara, his voice hesitant. "W-well… what's your orbit and stars?"
Orbit? Stars? Mara had no idea what they were talking about. This whole "chosen one" thing was completely new to her.
She looked at the parchment again, scanning the information.
"It has one star and I'm a…" She squinted at the word, tilting her head slightly as if that would help.
"…Venus? What does that even mean?"
And then suddenly everyone sighed in relief, their tense expressions melting away.
"Pfft—"
Mara raised an eyebrow at Aldi, who was struggling to contain his laughter. "What's so funny?" she asked, her voice laced with annoyance.
"Ah, well… there's nothing to worry about," Aldi said, trying to compose himself. But his eyes twinkling with amusement.
Arya, however, didn't even try to hide it.
"BHAHAHAHHAHAAAA"
"IT MEANS YOU'RE USELESS!" He doubled over, one hand holding and wiggling on Mara's shoulder.
Mara's jaw tightened. Her eyes narrowed into slits, and she clicked her tongue in annoyance before shoving Arya's hand away.
"Don't," she snapped.
Arya only laughed harder, nearly wheezing from amusement. He was clearly mocking her.
Mara glared at him, her cheeks burning—not from embarrassment, but from pure irritation. She turned toward her father, hoping he'd at least tell them to stop.
But her father's shoulders were shaking, the sound of a muffled chuckle slipping out.
"Dad…" she called, voice tight and sharp.
The laughter died in the room. Her father coughed, straightened, and quickly composed himself.
"Arya. Aldi," he said sternly, calling both of her older brothers by name. "That's enough."
The two brothers straightened like soldiers caught off guard.
And just like that, another hour-long scolding session began—one that Mara listened to in smug, silent satisfaction, arms folded and chin slightly raised.