Sol

Asteria

RAMON

Elowen chuckles at that flirt of a Callisto. Ramon shoots him a warning look. He won't allow anyone near Elowen. But why does he bother, though? It's not like he could get her anyway. His brothers look Elowen up and down. He can't blame them; she is attractive. The oversized shirt ends just above her knees, her leg is bandaged up on her thigh, and her hair is ruffled. Somehow it makes her even more attractive; she looks like the fearless girl she is. How can one be so kind and compassionate but still fearless? She knows how to fight, which soothes Ramon's nerves. She's not a pro; her technique is basic and purely for survival, but it's something. Her skills with a bow are amazing, though. Ramon quickly stops his thoughts and looks at his brothers.

"The shadows are here," he says coolly.

"Alden is right; they really are preparing something," Vesper says.

"Akari help us all," Callisto sighs. They are four very different people and often have fights, but they have things that bind them. They all know now that those shadows aren't there without a reason. It's like a warning shot for them, most of all for him. Those shadows are there to warn that the sins know the weaknesses. They probably also need to measure up the terrain. Ramon looks down at Elowen, who is frowning.

"Can someone please explain all of this because I'm lost," she crosses her arms. Blake smirks at her, like he likes her temper. All of them are staring down at her. She just looks up frowning. Vesper smiles and breaks the silence.

"There's a lot to tell Elowen. Let's just tell the most important. We're the solar riders, and our job is to protect this world and its magic. Those shadows belong to the Tribe of Sin, they're a group of people who want to destabilize the magic in this world. They want the world to be chaos and to be the rulers of that chaos," Vesper nods at her to tell he is done with the most important part.

"So you're working with druids?" She asks.

"Yeah kinda, if you want, you can become one. I'll teach you everything I know, maybe even more," Callisto smirks. Ramon hits him in the ribs.

"Keep your manners moon guy," he hisses. Callisto chuckles.

"So territorial brother, please share. She isn't your property now, is she?" Blake looks at him challengingly.

"Are you almost done with that testosterone fight of yours so you can actually take care of the problem at hand? I'm also standing right here, you know," Elowen snaps. They all look a bit baffled at her.

"Yeah, well, I'll go to Alden. He needs to know this ASAP," Vesper says.

"I'll go check in with the druids, and Blake, you're coming with me," Callisto continues.

"I don't have much of a choice now, do I?" Blake shrugs before walking off behind the others who already left. Ramon is left standing with Elowen. She looks up at him.

"What are you gonna do now?" she asks.

"I guess I'll have to check on the protection stones. If they plan an attack, they'll start with getting rid of those," Elowen nods.

"I'll go with you; let me get changed." She doesn't let him answer before she walks upstairs. A couple of minutes later, she is dressed and ready. Ramon is sitting on Hades while waiting for her to be done tacking up. He never uses a saddle, just goes bareback. Elowen, on the other hand, has quite the gear. She has a western saddle and pad, of course; her bridle is one without a noseband, and she puts some boots on Athena. Even her hooves are protected. Her horse is probably more protected than she is. Elowen finally gets on. He sighs and walks to the forest. Why does she even want to come? She really is in danger out there. Luckily, she brought her bow that is strapped on her back with some arrows. They stop at every protection stone and do the same thing with every one of them. Ramon gets off, checks it with some small spell, and goes back on. After what must've been 2 hours, they stop at the lake to let the horses drink a bit. Ramon washes his face a bit in the cool water. It helps to clear his thoughts. Elowen is sitting on the shore; he feels her eyes burning in his back. He sits next to her.

"Alright, ask already, or you'll burn holes in my back from that staring," Ramon chuckles.

"Do you all have magic powers? Why did you call Callisto moon guy? Is it because of a mission with them that you got that scar? How many are there in that tribe of sin? Will they hurt me?" she is like a waterfall of questions. Ramon laughs.

"Alright, alright, calm down. I can't help if you keep asking without letting me time to actually answer what you ask," she chuckles; he continues then.

"We are all four a different kind of solar thing; Alden can explain it better than I can, but I'll try. I'm from the sun, Blake from the eclipse, Vesper from the stars, and Callisto from the moon. Our powers depend on which element we have, but we all have some basic magic that's the same for all of us. I have my powers from the sun, for example." Elowen nods.

"And the scar?"

"From a mission when I was little, I lost my mom there, and I got stuck in that world for 3 years or

something. We call that world Asteria," he looks down and sighs. Talking about that period is just as painful as living it. Elowen suddenly hugs him.

"I'm sorry; that must've been awful," Elowen talks quietly. He hugs her back. It's nice even though his mind is screaming that it's wrong.

"To answer your last questions, there are 7 main sins and many followers. Most of the followers are made by the sins. Nothing will hurt you, I promise. You got me to ensure that," he laughs a bit. Elowen pulls back while laughing.

"If I die, it's on you," she laughs. He just smiles at her. It's because of him that she is in danger. She doesn't seem to care about that. Elowen looks back at him.

"Why are you smiling like that?" she chuckles. He shrugs and looks back at the horses. He doesn't want something bad to happen to her. Gosh, he would never forgive himself if something bad happened. He starts thinking; maybe she would be safer if she left Moondale. He knows that he would miss her, but what if it's the only option?

"What are you worrying about now?" she looks a bit worried herself.

"Just that it's getting late, and we should get going." He gets up and walks to Hades. He knows her well enough to know that she doesn't believe that. Luckily for him, she nods and follows.