Kai took the western road instead of riding straight back to the capital.
He told himself it was a tactical choice.
Eevy had all the necessary intelligence to handle the inner circle, and the politicians would finally listen to her now.
Millenia would wait for him because the succubus always waited patiently for her prizes.
The real reason for his detour was far simpler.
He just needed three days when nobody wanted anything from him, and space to breathe outside the shadow of the corrupt city before the second stage starts.
The first two days were fine.
He camped in the quiet woods, ate poorly roasted game, and ran through his new skills to understand his growing limits.
He tested the Blood Puppetry Fragment on a stray dog outside a small roadside village.
The skill required him to touch the target with his blood to establish the connection. He pricked his thumb with a hunting knife, smeared a single drop on a scrap of bread, and tossed it to the animal.
