《When the night comes》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 The night had ventured deep into darkness enveloping everything in hazy twilight. The sky shallowed whole by towering trees. Bird''s screeches and screams grew louder with each hustle of wind. Howls and cries of the wolves haunted the jungle. Dim, cold and suffocating ground recked from noxious stretch of poisonous flowers. Clouds of mist hugged the midnight. Vines hanged through out the forest. Amidst the veil of darkness, the dimming glow of touches seemed to shine with radiance brighter than ever. Undaunted by the changing atmosphere, the five traveler remained unfazed. Echoes of their footsteps ringed throughout the forest. Elegant armory had swallowed the body of four traveler and gifted them with burden of weight. Their heavy arms restrained them. Thick plates of metal guarded their hearts. The metal helmet extended down their faces, leaving only a narrow slit to see through. Hindering their vision. A perfect examples of solider, only following the order. In the midst of the travelers, spotlight fell on a woman in her twenties. Light blonde strains of hair contrasted her rosy skin. The shallow dark circles gave the hint of tiredness to her hazel eyes. Her limbs shackled with heavy chain. A mark of her pain filled trials, struggles and captivity. Yet she stood tall, undefeated and stronger than ever. Burning with hope and passion, embracing her name ¡®Solis¡¯ to her heart. The contrast between the chain and her demeanor had made her compelling. Or maybe it was the silent resolve in her eyes. The knight halted. Solis exhaled a sigh. The Paladin at the forefront turned to look back, his piercing silver eyes fixed on Solis. The metal helmet concealed his muted red hair. The peculiar combination of muted red hair and silver eyes soothed his appearance. ¡°Lady Solis," said Liam. A gentle smile graced Solis''s face, causing the atmosphere to fall into slumber. "What a cruel fate we follow. Don''t we, sir Liam?" Solis uttered, a hint of a smile remaining on her face. Liam bit his lip and clenched his fist, yet his eyes remained unaltered. Even as frustration lingered, it remained contained within his heart. ¡°In the name of Anselma¡­¡±Liam trembled as he muttered. He grinded his teeth and swallowed his spit. After a deep breath, he declared, ¡°In the name of Anselma, you are hereby exiled.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. His words echoed and spread deep into the forest. The birds fell silent, and the wolf howls faded away. Only the sound of the rustling wind remained. Solis looked at Liam with a mixture of sorrow and understanding, the weight of his command hung heavy in air. Liam unshackled Solis and walked away. The remaining knights followed him. Gradually even their shadow faded away. The forest was engulfed into darkness. The smile on Solis crumbled into a lump of despair. The whispers of birds and the cries of wolves grew louder. ¡°Everything is mocking me now.¡± Solis fell to her knees. The heavy weight of her body, she could not carry it anymore. ¡®Everything is going according to plan. I just need to hold a bit longer.¡¯ Solis thought as she looked at the sky. ¡°Even the stars are far today. And the night has devore all this world.¡± Solis heart sunk deep in her stomach. ¡°Devoured? It''s more¡­¡­. like ugh¡­. I just can''t describe it. ¡± Solis followed the soft voice to lay her eyes on a man. He had messy obsidian black hair with glitter of white. A contrast to his creamy white skin. And eyes as blue as ocean. His powerful and soothing aura dominated the air. Solis knew exactly who he was. Twilight Sidus, the dragon of night. One know for his veilness and hated throughout the Anselma. Solis stood up and masked herself with a charming smile. ¡°Greetings.¡± Solis bowed. She was well aware that only this man could save her and the things she valued. Twilight pulled down his cloak and replied with a smile. ¡°Mind I ask why you are here?¡± voiced Solis. ¡°I heard you were exiled.¡± Solis face tensed up but her smile didn''t fade. ¡°And I can¡¯t have a human die here. You are a human aren¡¯t you?¡± Twilight raised his eyebrows. Solis nodded her head. ¡°So lea-¡± ¡°Please help me.¡± requested Solis. ¡°pff¡± Twilight held his laughter. Twilight¡¯s eyes enlarged and his pupils dilated. He pushed his hair back. A wide smile engraved in his face. ¡°Why should I?¡± Twilight¡¯s mellow voice screeched. Solis clenched her fist. Yet she was graceful as ever. ¡°Sil¡­silver light.¡± said Solis. Twilight¡¯s smile had disintegrated. His ocean blue eyes stared at Solis. ¡°Silver light, you say.¡± Solis felt chill down her spine. Twilight voice was calm. And still you could feel it break. Twilight''s aura had intensed. Solis could feel her skin being pierced. But she wasn''t afraid. She knew Twilight would not hurt her. She was sure of it. After all, she had the location of his sealed power. ¡°Interesting.¡± Twilight broke the silent. His eyes still fixed on Solis. ¡°Will you help us?¡± Solis questioned. Her smile had melted. Her face clouded from worries. ¡°A enemy''s enemy is a friend. Don''t you human have such saying.¡± Twilight mumbered. Solis breathe shorten, her ears peaked and shoulders tensed up. ¡®For the sake of Nova, for Anselma. I need to make him agree.¡¯ Solis heart fasten. She clenched her teeth. ¡°It might be your last chance to defeat Oskar Solstitial.¡± cried Solis. ¡°Last chance.¡± Twilight had a soft smile. ¡°Unlike you human, I have eternity to wait.¡± ¡°Are you willing to?¡± Solis glared at Twilight. She clenched her gown. Solis felt suffocated. The aura became hostile and soon subsided. ¡°No,¡­. I can''t.¡± Twilight soft voice had returned. ¡°I really can''t, can I? Ha.¡± Despair overtook Twilight. A despair so beautiful, you could call it night. ¡°A human willing to help me get my light, huh. Doesn''t sound half bad. In exchange, I provide my assistant to you.¡± said Twilight. ¡°Do we have deal?¡± Solis hurriedly asked. Twilight''s reply was a graceful smile. Chapter 2 In the heart of the woods, a small hut exists. That is my home. And I was standing in it''s garden. Tall trees surrounded me. The purple sky had devoured the sun. In the end, I decided to help Solis. Two days had passed since then. I waved my hand in air. A silver wand appeared It was crafted to represent a dragon. Black undertone seperated the wand''s scale. I closed my eyes. ¡°Beauty of night, Stars a guide.¡± I mumbled in quite voice. Surrounding trees shrank and their bark turned white. The moons and stars became clearer. Their shine had brighten. Shrunken trees gained a soft glow. A glow white in colour with a hint of pale yellow and cold blue. It looked like the moon. I opened my eyes and stored my wand away. ¡°A beautiful performance.¡± Soft voiced called me out. The softness perfectly hid the coldness. I turned to look back. There stood a human. Light blonde hair with cunning hazel eyes. Her scent left a distaste in my mouth. A scent without the hint of magic. Was she unable to perform any? Her arms, legs and neck had blue marks. Scars decorated her face and body alike. A woman I cannot trust. ¡°Lady Solis, What are you doing here?¡± I smiled as gently as I could. ¡°Should you not be resting?¡± ¡°I was resting. But suddenly light came from the window. I was curious. And now I am here.¡± responded solis. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I turned to face the trees, ¡°I don''t have fancy touches here. Without light, the nights in the jungle gets pretty scary.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Solis came to my side. ¡°You use poetry to cast the magic. It''s quite unique from what I know.¡± I remained quiet. I looked at Solis. She continued to stare at the trees. The more I look at her, the more this odd sensation grows inside me. Like I have seen her before. A feeling she is not what she seems. ¡°Anselma must be celebrating your exile right now.¡± I spoke the first thing that came to my mind. Solis finally looked at me. She didn''t wear her usual deceiving smile. ¡°Celebrations don''t happen in Anselma¡­¡­. Not filled with joy and happiness any way.¡± Solis''s eyes had darken. ¡°Except for the times when crown prince Nova returns.¡± ¡°Crown prince Nova?¡± I question. ¡°My fiancee¡­¡­¡­ and accomplish in this war against Oskar¡±, replied Solis. ¡°He is going to return soon.¡± ¡°Is he the one who send you here?¡± ¡°Oskar exiled me, and I planned to ask for your help.¡± Solis replied with a firm voice. ¡°This might be our only chance.¡± She stood there quietly. The Anselma I knew, the Anselma she loved, couldn''t have existed without happiness. I thought it would ¡­¡­never disappear. I get it now, what you meant that day. Eternity, huh. ¡°You might have convinced me to join you. But how do you plan on contacting the crown prince of yours? Especially since he is absent from your kingdom¡±, asked I. ¡°It would have been easier if he was in another kingdom¡±, said Solis with a discouraged look. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You can''t just enter or leave Anselma. Actually it is impossible unless you are a associate of ¡®The Grand Merchant and Information Society¡¯ or a high class noble.¡± ¡°You said the Crown Prince was absent.¡± I stare her down. ¡°Yes till the day I was exiled. But the last letter I got from him stated his return. I received the letter a week ago.¡± What a complicated thing I have entangled myself into. ¡°What are we going to do then?¡± ¡°We need to go to Valhalla. That''s our only hope.¡± Solis had a glim glow on her hazel eyes. ¡°Valhalla?¡± The kingdom of temples. The holy empire, Valhalla. ¡°Why there? Why Valhalla?¡± Solis had a soft smile on her face. ¡±The headquarters of The Grand Merchant and Information Society, Aspene is situated there. And the leader Andri also lives there.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Their leader is the previous head of Morana, The Silver Frost Of Winter.¡± My ears pricked up. My heart sank to depth of my stomach. The uncomfortable sensation grew deep inside my stomach. Morana. The name I wish to forget. The name that is proof of my failures. ¡°He is also great great grandfather to crown prince Nova. He will surely help us.¡± Solis carried resolve on her voice. ¡°The problem is¡­.¡± ¡°Problem.¡± I questioned. ¡°The problem is we need to be unnoticeable as possible. Oskar must be keeping his eyes and ears sharp.¡± Solis said. ¡° With the way you are talking I suppose you have a solution. That likely involves me.¡± I glare at her eyes. ¡°Spell¡¯s Blizzard is going to start.¡± ¡°Spell¡¯s Blizzard?¡± ¡°A magic competition.¡± A confuse look covers my face. ¡°A competition hosted by Aspene. The winner is honoured with a wish under Aspene.¡± ¡°Which can be an audience with Lord Andri.¡± A soft smile decorates Solis''s face. ¡°I will have to take part in it.¡± I stroke my chin. ¡°It will not be easy.¡± Solis has a serious expression. ¡°This is a national event in Valhalla. A once in a year opportunity. And international participator are allowed. That also means.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Valhalla''s people will try to win at any cost. At least for their pride.¡± Solis adds. Her completion has gone cold. ¡°You know a great deal about Valhalla.¡± I point out. Solis looks at me in a daze. ¡°I am originally a priest from Valhalla.¡± A priest. With no smell of magic. I share Solis''s confuse look. ¡°How did you enter Anselma then?¡± Her hazel eyes still holding up the confusion. ¡°I met prince Nova in Valhalla. We fell in love.¡± ¡°What about your parents?¡± I ask. ¡°I was born a orphan.¡± Quite atmosphere clouded the area. Following that Solis left. Fireflies had been sparkling and glittering. The night is gett ing colder and dimmer. Going to Valhalla. I need to cast a defensive spell around my house. I can''t have it recked. Chapter 3 Location: In the heart of Anselma, Cor dei. Time: The morning following Solis''s exile. In a room filled with documents and tables, a man with sparkling red hair is focused in his documents. White robe adorned his pettie body. The man struggled to keep his pink gentle eyes open. ¡°I am getting drowsy.¡± Yet the man didn''t drop his pen. The knock on the door finally made him drop his pen. With a mellow voice, he commanded the man outside, ¡°come in.¡± ¡°Greetings to the almighty saint, the seeker of future, Lord Oskar.¡± The muted red hair man had his head bowed. His clothes matched his piercing silver eyes. ¡°Please raise your head, lord Liam.¡± To Liam, even Oskar''s request sounded like an order. ¡°I take you have your reports.¡± Liam hated his gentle voice. ¡°Lady Solis has been escorted to the woods.¡± Liam said. ¡°It must have been hard for you. Especially since she cleared your allegations of being cursed.¡± Oskar let out a sigh. He continued to check the documents. ¡°It is my duty as the captain of holy knight.¡± Liam heart sank deep with his words. ¡°My Lord how is Anabelle doing?¡± Oskar looked up. The piercing eye fixed on Oskar. ¡°Worried about your fiance?¡± Liam didn''t reply to that. ¡°Don''t worry I won''t let the princess of our kingdom die.¡± Liam wanted to let out a laugh at Oskar''s words. ¡° I will be taking my leave now.¡± Liam said. ¡°Liam.¡± Oskar''s voice stopped him. His back still turned. ¡°I heard that you have a new sibling. You should be careful.¡± ¡°The rightful heir to the Belle house is that kid. I am mere adopted child.¡± Liam maintained his cool. He left the room. ¡°l might have offended him¡±, said Oskar. ¡°I need someone to keep their eyes in him.¡± There was no one beside Oskar in the room. Yet it felt like he was talking with someone. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°You get what I am trying to say, don''t you?¡± No one answered Oskar. Only the wind kept singing and the tree''s kept dancing. After few seconds, a soft smile greeted Oskar''s face. Maybe one could even say Oskar has gone mad from years of living. Oskar''s pink eyes again shifted towards the documents.
Liam had a gut wrenching feeling of something being off. Prince Aster went on isolation. And princess Anabelle health had worsen. It was odd, very very odd. Especially since they loved Solis more than their brother. Even couple days before Solis''s exile, they were adamant in proving her innocent. Even though Prince Nova is returning today and they are nowhere to be seen. ¡°Lord Liam.¡± A familiar voice called out. Liam knew exactly who it was. A girl stood infront of him. Dressed in fluffy clothes and hair tied in pig tails. She was adorable. But Liam knew better. Despite her appearance, she is a very good archer. And also one of his childhood bully. Liam wasn''t well received due to his blind eyes suddenly turning white. He regained his sight and place in Belle¡¯s family. Even though he lost his sight due to carelessness of Belle''s family''s caretaker. And this lady never failed to make his life miserable. As the queen of the party and a Marquis daughter, everybody would follow her. Liam certainly was also a son of Marquis. But he was adopted. And to top it all with his white cursed eyes. Belle house couldn''t care less. And now Solis proclaimed he is a blessed individual. People especially her couldn''t stop showering him with compliments. ¡°Lady Mariette. How can I help you?¡± Liam had a graceful smile on his face. ¡°Oh I just wanted to greet you. You look so pretty today too.¡± Once Mariette had called him a toad in mud. But he must forget that. For he is a noble. ¡°You look stunning too.¡± Liam said. His heart was bitter. ¡°Is lady Anabelle doing well.¡± Marinette said as if she cared. ¡°I am currently going to Prince Aster to ask about her.¡± ¡°Oh, am I keeping you here?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Liam clenched his fist. He wanted it to be over. He couldn''t stand her. The mere sight of her disgusted him. ¡°Even still you have an appointment. Let us meet again.¡± She went back running. Liam couldn''t keep staring at that odd creature. He really needs to talk to Aster.
Time present. I watched as Solis pulled out a heavy suitcase. I provided her with the suitcase and clothes inside. ¡°It must be heavy. You are strong.¡± I said. Solis''s eyes suddenly shifted towards me. I saw fire in her hazel eyes. She was shooting draggers from her eyes, fire draggers. ¡°Oh, it is heavy, I wish someone could help me.¡± Was she talking about me? Solis stare intensed. She is indeed talking about me. I move towards Solis. I touch her suitcase and it disappears. Solis looks confused. ¡°Was it magic?¡± ¡°Dimensional storage.¡± Solis glared at me. She might kill me today. ¡°Let''s go.¡± I try to diverse her attention. ¡°Don''t you need to lock the door?¡± Solis asks. ¡°There is nothing valuable in there.¡± I said. ¡°And sometimes someone might seek a place.¡± ¡°You seem experienced.¡± ¡°Well because it happened before. A few of them were humans. Humans so lost that even their greedy nature disappeared.¡± I said. Solis looks awestruck. ¡°Do you remember all of them?¡± ¡°A 16 year old girl. She was also exiled.¡± She loved her parents. ¡°Where is she now?¡± ¡°She died. When she went to meet her parents on 18 birthday, her parents told her off. She was declared a witch.¡± The atmosphere fell. ¡°An injured man who wouldn''t shut up about finding treasure in this world, a soulless child and a old woman who was finding her dead son. She spent her last days on this place.¡± Few humans who I beloved¡­. Remembering those days make me nostalgic. And now I am leaving this place. But it will still be same. A home where I can be. Forever. Chapter 4 [100 copper coin =1 silver coin 1000 silver coin =1 gold coin A single bottle of water cost 5 copper coin.] The sun was beaming hot. It could burn a whole mountain as if now. Gladly there were no mountains here. I am not exaggerating. Valhalla is a kingdom surrounded by the seas. Its capital lied in a port. I miss my cool forest. And my expression didn''t fail to carry my feelings. How do I know that? Solis is looking at me with a disappointed look. She still held a poker face but her eyes spoke another word. As I continued to walk, I felt a push behind my back. Maybe the sun wasn''t the reason for the heat. It was the crowd. Yes the crowd of people that crawled like ants. The scent of sweat and salty sea lingered in the air. But that wasn''t all that hid in their smell. The smell of magic dominated the air. Yet still Solis didn''t possessed any. It was lively, busting with chatter and magic vehicles. I felt another push, a powerful push. My body tried to balance the sudden force. Stumbling I crashed into Solis back. Her long blue hair stinged my skin. Yes blue. In order to hide our identity, we had dyed our hair. Thanks to Solis unimaginable knowledge about plants, her hair transformed into blue colour while mine completely black. ¡°How good could Spell¡¯s blizzard be?¡± I mumbled under my breath. ¡°Members of mage tower participated once.¡± Solis replied. ¡°Must be fierce.¡± I commented. ¡°You don''t look that shocked.¡± Well I can easily out power them. They haven''t lived as long as me. But I didn''t tell that. ¡°The competition is not a fighting competition. It is appearance competition.¡± Solis easily navigated through the crowd. ¡°Ah. Did they lose?¡± I question. ¡°They did.¡± Magical towers mage are all about efficiency. Once they even developed a wand less magic. Wand, oh,¡± I need to buy a wand.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°A wand? What about your dragon wand.¡± We had reached a quiet alley. Children had been playing there. Solis had stopped. Her body had relaxed. The air had soften. ¡°Well it''s a dragon wand which is only carried by a dragon.¡± The different races in this world had different symbol for their weapon. A human for example had a inclusion of a crown in their weapon and for a dragon, a dragon. This made it easier to distinguish the races of a being. Especially since most liked to hide their special features. Talk about humans influence. ¡°You are right.¡± Solis looked like she had a ah moment. ¡°Do you know any blacksmith?¡± ¡°I do. Actually it is near from here.¡± Solis looked around. Her pupils shifting between various signs.
Rosemary. That''s what the sign said. It was written in a cursive font with white ink, contrast to the black background. Solis opened the brown wood door. The sound of the bell ringed quietly. Unlike its name, there were no smell of fresh rosemary rather the smell of hot metal fragmented the air. A strong taste of metal dominated my mouth. The burning furnace in another room had added flames to the already hot day. My skin felt like it would dry any moment. I respect all the blacksmith in the world. A reception in the center of the room looked cramped between the shelves after selves displaying weapons. Some weapons had crown, some had leaves, some specifically outlined with black metals but none had a dragon. ¡°Can we see some wands?¡± Solis questioned the receptionist. ¡°For?¡± ¡°This man.¡± ¡°Sure follow me.¡± The wand were cased in selves. The wand''s ranged from gold, purple, silver, maroon, green. The choices were endless. But one specially grabbed my attention. Bluish silver in colour. The wand extended from a end into four seperated lines which again met at a narrowed point. It was like the trees bark. In the middle a purple crown symbol had been placed. It was stunning. The receptionist saw my gaze fixed on the ward. ¡°You have an excellent eye .¡± The receptionist voiced. ¡°This wand is made of a white wood.¡± ¡°White wood¡­¡­.. the one that only grows in elven kingdoms?¡± I question. A single piece of white wood was as rare as a painite. ¡°You are a knowledgeable fellow.¡± The receptionist let out a soft laugh, fitting of her appearance. ¡°I want to confirm it.¡± The receptionist narrowed her eyes. Her smile didn''t fade. ¡°Sure.¡± She took out the wand. As I touched it, it had a hint of nature magic. A true gem. ¡°What is its price?¡± ¡°2500 gold coins.¡± ¡°1000¡± I state my price. My eyes still fixed on the wand. ¡°You can''t be serious. It might be fake.¡± Solis finally decided to talk. ¡°2200¡± the receptionist reasoned. ¡°The wands magic has greatly reduced you know. ¡°1200.¡± ¡°Sir, even with reduced magic, it is matter of great value. 2000 at best.¡± ¡°Come on now, we both know it''s value. 1500.¡± ¡°Sir try to understand our situation. We need to run the business too.¡± The receptionist still held her smile. She was a experienced negotiator. ¡°Well then I should leave. After a year it''s value is surely to decrease.¡± I place the wand on the desk. ¡°Someone will surely buy it.¡±The receptionist still held her resolve.¡± I raised my eyebrows. ¡°Are you sure. For a normal person, it will be of same value as a fake.¡± ¡°1800.¡± The receptionist stated. ¡°We have a deal.¡± I was quite happy. ¡°I will pack it for you.¡± The receptionist said. I grabbed the money from the pouch. ¡°Are you foreigners?¡± The receptionist questioned. ¡°Ah yes.¡± Solis had answer her. ¡°We are here for Spell''s blizzard.¡± The receptionist eyes widen. ¡°Spell¡¯s blizzard?¡± She paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Have you not gone to register yet?¡± Solis and I nod our heads. ¡°That explains it.¡± The receptionist had finished packing the wand. She haded me the wand. ¡°Well how do I put it?¡± She rubbed the back of her head. ¡°It¡­¡­Spell¡¯s blizzard has been cancelled this year.¡± Solis and I didn''t believe our ears. ¡°Cancelled.¡± Solis sated. The receptionist nodded her head. Chapter 5 ¡°Cancelled.¡± Solis stated. The receptionist nodded her head. ¡°Why?¡± My voice screeched as I question her. ¡°Well, Aspene is currently short handed.¡± The receptionist responded. ¡°Short handed?¡± Solis muttered with a soft voice. ¡°That should not happen. Aspene stops taking mission two weeks before Spell¡¯s blizzard.¡± The receptionist ears pricked by Solis''s insight, she responded, ¡° that would certainly be the case but they can not decline Lord Andri now.¡± ¡°A request from Lord Andri.¡± I was dazed. Why would someone halt their own profit, especially Morana? ¡°Yes Lord Andri. Normally Lord Andri hates when something is delaed but¡­¡± The receptionist looks around. ¡°They say Lord Andri¡¯s a precious artifact has been stolen. He has gathered most skilled people to get it back.¡± ¡°Which artifact?¡± Who could be so daring to steal it? I could not bring myself to ask the last question. ¡°That''s the point, nobody knows.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Both Solis and I look at her with a flabbergasted face. ¡°Nobody knows?¡± Solis questioned, for once her face carried other emotion than a smile. ¡°Umhu. Only those assigned with the mission have any idea.¡± The receptionist had started to clean the selves. ¡°And I was so excited to see Rosemary¡¯s performance.¡± The receptionist adds. ¡°Who are the select few?¡± Solis bowed closer and questioned The receptionist looks around and gets closer to the table, ¡°Members of Aspene including Rosemary and the member of the temples.¡± Both Solis and the receptionist backed down. ¡°What will we do now?¡± I question Solis. ¡°What can we do besides waiting for it to reopen. ¡± Solis was calm rather she made an effort to look calm. I looked around to think of something. My Brian isn''t working.
I was alone in my inn room. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. In the end, I could not think of anything. But I did end up buying a dagger. After we left the Rosemary''s, Solis and I seperated. Solis said she had errand to complete. ¡°Bright with the light.¡± With my word my wand started to glow. I was currently checking my new wand by performing some basic magic. To think Spell¡¯s blizzard had cancelled. I get up from the bed and look outside the window. A tall house stood before the window. The narrow road looked small. The houses were cramped together. Like a string dolls, people were dancing. Grey sky lit dimly by sinking sun. A disgusting sight. Humans still disgusted me, no matter how hard I try to act kindly towards them. ¡°At least the air smells sweet.¡± I mumbled looking at the window. Every human possesses a scent depending on the strength of their magic. They could hide it¡­. But I am a dragon. I have enhanced scent. A mere human can''t possibly hide their strength. There are two possible cases. One Solis doesn''t have magic. And for a priest I doubt it. Two she isn''t a human. Talking about Solis, she was entering the building. Besides her stood a man in brown plain clothes. He had pink hair with violet eyes. They were headed here. ¡°knock.¡± I opened the door. There stood Solis and pink hair man. ¡°Twilight, I want to introduce you to someone.¡± Solis spoke in a monotone. ¡°This is Alexis. Alexis, this is twilight.¡± Alexis had a bright smile. A contrasting appearance to Solis''s dull facade. ¡°It is an honor to meet you.¡± Alexis had a voice that would screech if he spoke loudly. ¡°He is a priest in the temple. We are friends.¡± Solis said almost interrupting him. Alexis had a flowery sweet smell. A high priest. Could Solis had shared similar status. A possible case. She did meet a prince. Disgusting even among humans. At least I have an awful experience with them, priests. I tried my best to hide the disgust in my eyes. I smiled softly as I could. ¡°The pleasure is mine.¡± ¡°He is a part of Lord Andri''s team.¡± Solis liked to talk for him. Then couldn''t we ask him to portray our message. Solis looked at me. ¡°He hasn''t met Lord Andri. A butler carries Lord Andri''s message to them.¡± Solis continued. ¡°He agreed to introduce to his team.¡± ¡°Well we do need some help.¡± Alexis stated calmly. During our conversation, we had entered the room and sat on the chair. ¡°Help?¡± I questioned. ¡°The thing is the artifact that has been stolen is a cursed artifact.¡± Alexis muscles tensed, his magical aura felt a bit poised. Almost like he is scared. ¡°To be more specific, Curse of dark moon.¡± Alexis said as calmly as he could. Solis and my face tensed up. Curse of dark moon. A curse that allows a person to gain emerse magical power. The catch only a person who practiced magical arts for 500 years or more can wield it. The item with this curse emits a very strong magical aura. And the fact that they can''t find it. Alexis continued, ¡°And most importantly not a hint of the artifact¡¯s magical aura can be felt.¡± Hiding a aura takes a lot of a person. Someone with emerse magic control is wielding it. ¡°The artifact is also an enhancer in itself. An A grade artifact.¡± This situation worsen with each of Alexis¡¯s words. ¡°They could probably destroy this country any moment.¡± Solis stroked her chin. ¡°Is that the reason the artifact hasn''t been revealed to the public?¡± I questioned. Alexis had a fake bright smile on his face. ¡°Why tell us?¡± Alexis eyes had darken. ¡°Because you guys can help us.¡± Alexis started to play with his medium length curled pink hair. I stared at Alexis. ¡°Am I wrong, Mister Twilight?¡± Alexis violet eyes looked relaxed. His voice wasn''t as high pitched as before. ¡°You have strong senses, don''t you?¡± Alexis had a soft smile with bubbly face. How did he¡­.. No now that I focus. ¡°Is it your eyes?¡± Alexis tilted his head in confusion but I wasn''t mistaken his eyes did have a soft aura surrounding it. ¡°We will help.¡± Solis hastily replied. ¡°Really I am so glad.¡± Alexis clapped his hand with a bursting smile. I remained quiet. This is going to be really fun. Chapter 6 Everybody before me had a soft smile yet the atmosphere was heavy. If I didn''t have so strong sense of smell even I wouldn''t be able to distinguish it. Truly a merchant and information guild. I felt a tap on my shoulders. Alexis stood there. A energetic smile. ¡°Mr twilight, I am grateful you came here.¡± Everybody started staring at Alexis. Wishper after wishper questioned his presence. Solis stood beside me. She looked even more eloquent with her shining blue hairs. ¡°The pleasure is mine.¡± I said. Alexis grabbed my hands and guided me to another room. Solis followed behind. A dim lit the room. Little to no sunlight entered through the window, making it colder than outside. In a roundtable, 4 people were sitting. ¡°Look who decided to bless us with their presence.¡± The words guided the attention of all four people towards us. ¡°Aren''t you quite early? We could have waited another 30 mins no.¡± The same man spoke. He had a blue hair with braided front strands. And a pair of eye of same colour. Even his uniform was blue. ¡°I apologize for my late arrival Duke Melish.¡± Alexis had a gentle aura around him. Melish stares at him for a while before turning his face. He had a whatever face as he rested his head in his hand. ¡°Manners Melish.¡± An elf spoke this time. Her back straight. A polite face. ¡°Iva I don''t want to.¡± Melish whined. Iva let out a small sigh. She had long light blue hair with a deep green eyes. Iva was wearing a beautiful white dressed with beautiful flower embroidery of black thread. A beautiful lace at her chest gave the dress a shirt like feeling. ¡°Ignore him, Alexis. He is just like that.¡± A lady with a short purple hair braided like Melish¡¯s hair and red eyes said. ¡°Looks like you bought some guests.¡± Relaxed on her chair, she had her legs crossed. A book on her hand covering her face. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Lady Mila, these are the people I told you about.¡± Everybody''s attention was shifted to us. Mila raised the book to reveal her lips. She had a smirk. ¡°Are you sure they will be able to help us?¡± The quiet observer finally spoke. He had a curly mint hair and sharp black eyes. He wore a pair of glasses. A sword tied around his waist, arms crossed. Alexis was hesitant. ¡°You shouldn''t doubt Alexis skill, Lord Archie.¡± Melish replied. ¡°Especially since your knight haven''t been able to do much.¡± ¡°He is right you know.¡± Mila leaned forward still crossing legs. ¡°You are our kings personal Knight.¡± Archi removed his glass and put in on the table. ¡°I will try putting my trust on them. Especially since everyone is so full of hope.¡± ¡°Now now.¡± Iva clapped her hands. ¡°We should introduce ourselves to our guests Iva had a soft smile. ¡°I will start. I am Iva, Head of Rosemary.¡± ¡°Melish, Duke of Valhalla.¡± ¡°I am Mila, Vice commander of Aspene.¡± ¡°Archie, Personal Knight of his imperial highness.¡± I bow my head, ¡°I am Twilight Sidus. It''s an honor to meet you.¡± Solis followed soon after but she was interpreted by Mia, ¡°Solis, The Crown Princess of Anselma.¡± Melish finally straighten up. Giving few glances to Solis, he spoke, ¡±You are right. It is indeed Solis.¡± Solis let out a sigh. ¡°Have you been well Duke Melish and Lady Mia.¡± Melish gave Solis a hug. ¡°I heard you were exiled. The day I received the news I asked the Anselma to let me in immediately but those bastards.¡± Iva slammed her heads, ¡°Melish language.¡± But she was ignored. ¡°The day I would have met the Prince Nova, I was gonna kill him. How dare he try to hurt you. You are like sister to me and Mia.¡± Mila had a soft smile while Solis tried to explain the situation to Melish. Their conversation dazed the remaining four of us. Actually three of us. Alexis looked liked he had heard them converse millions of time. ¡°Umhun.¡± Iva let out a cough attracting the attention of all the people in the room. ¡°We are running out of time.¡± Iva mentions her gaze shifting to me. ¡°Even my elf''s gaze couldn''t track it, you are human.¡± Human, it was first time someone had called me that. I wonder how their reaction will be like if I reveal my identity. Will they tremble in fear or perhaps try to fight me? Whatever it be, it would certainly be amusing but right now I should refrain from that. ¡°Well I doubt I can explain it.¡± I say. Pleasing an elf is harder than conquering the moon. At least when I am not a dragon. Iva had her hands placed on her chin. After a brief silent she speaks, ¡°let''s guide them to the room.¡± We stood before a large door crafted from gold and silver. At least ten guards positioned around the door. A huge dragon had been embroidered on the door. Petals and petals danced around the dragon. It was beautiful but sadly the same couldn''t be said for the heart acing smell that melted the air. I try to blend in with others, hiding my distress behind a veil of smile. Inside the room, artifacts were stored inside the glass. However a purple glass showcase was empty. The closer I went, the poisonous smell increased. ¡°The place where the artifact was stolen from.¡± Archie had worn his glasses. ¡°A encapsulating mystery, isn''t it?¡± Is he insulting the Knights? I look at Archie. ¡°Should you be saying that?¡± I asked. Archie had a smirk. ¡°I am just stating a fact.¡± A direct insult at Aspene. ¡°Mila should just join the royal knights.¡± Archie mumbled something. ¡°What was that?¡± I asked. Archie turned towards me. A light smile graced his face this time. It was just a smile but¡­ it was quiet scary. ¡°Nothing.¡± Chapter 7 ¡°So, can you do anything?¡± Asked Mila. She stood infront of me with a minty smile. Yet her aura told a different story. Beside Mila, Iva carried a worried look. Both waiting for my words. ¡°I could try tracing the aura of the artifact.¡± I said. ¡°Aura¡± ¡°Aura¡± Mila and Iva said together. ¡°Is there any?¡± Duke Melish said from behind me, still clinged by Solis¡¯s side. ¡°There is a glint smell in the air.¡± I said as I greeted Melish. ¡°You can smell that?¡± Archie mumbled. A enchanted expression decorated his face. ¡°Even if you can, how will you trace it. By now the aura must have mingled with other aura.¡± This time it was Alexis who spoke. Unlike the time we met at the inn, he refrained from speaking in a higher pitch. ¡°Well I just have to extract it.¡± I said looking confused. ¡°Extract it?¡± Everybody questioned at the same time. Even Solis looked flabbergasted. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Don''t say this like it is normal.¡± Melish ordered. He huffed and puffed yet this time Iva didn''t correct him. ¡°How?¡± Archie was amused. A childlike wonder glittered in his eyes. ¡°Have you never done that?¡± I questioned. Everybody looked at me with a hint of surprise. ¡°Never.¡± Iva answered on behalf of everyone. ¡°Then let me just show you? Currently I can only seperate it in a small area.¡± I said pulling out the wand I bought from the shop Rosemary. I closed my eyes. I visualized the aura surrounding me. Mingled colours surrounded me. The poisonous smell was coloured black. I concentrated on the black colour and tried to surpass all remaining colour. I started waving my wand and wishpered, ¡°Moonlit sky Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Bind us with your light.¡± A soft white light surrounded me as the poisonous smell deepen. The area surrounding me was filled with venomous stench. As I opened my eyes, Mila, Archie, Alexis, Solis and Melish stood foots away from me. And Iva was nowhere to be seen. Melish held his nose with a handkerchief. ¡°Remove it.¡± He ordered with a quivering voice and teary eyes. Mila looked as dignified as ever. Archie held a curious smile. Solis looked unbothered. Alexis had a gentle smile as ever. Now that I pay attention, the smell is quite frightening. ¡°It will most probably take a hour or two to cast the spell to remove it. By that time, it would go back to normal by itself.¡± A clear frown appeared on Melish face. ¡°Let''s just go outside.¡± Alexis suggested. Mila nodded her head, ¡°Yes we should do that.¡± Melish had already reached towards the door. Iva stood outside the room waiting for us. ¡°Close it. Don''t open it or let anyone go inside for a day or two.¡± Archie ordered the guards surrounding the room. A day or two¡­..but it will go back to normal in a hour or two. Well whatever that is none of my concerns. ¡°So you need to do that for a while.¡± Melish held a handkerchief near his mouth. ¡° The smell is going to cloud the city.¡± He mumbled as quietly as he could. Melish face had wrinkled. A crooked smile appeared on his face. He was deep in thought. ¡°I do but that spell can only reveal the aura around some area.¡± Everybody fell silent. ¡°What should we do now?¡± Solis questioned. ¡°Can you give me few days? I may be able develop or enhance the spell.¡± I said. ¡°How many?¡± Mila questioned while her sharp eyes pierced my soul. ¡°A week.¡± Everybody collectively sighed. ¡°It''s still better than nothing.¡± Iva said. She rubbed her temples and let out another sigh. ¡°Iva is right. We should give it a try.¡± Mila added. ¡°Until then you can stay in Melish''s palace.¡± Melish stared at Mila. While Mila simply ignored his glare. Melish could have declined Mila yet he didn''t say anything. Maybe it was because of Solis.
In heart of Anselma, Cor dei ¡°How is Prince Nova doing?¡± Oskar asked while looking at the documents. ¡°He is trying to visit Prince Aster.¡± Liam stood infront of Oskar. ¡°Prince Aster still refuses. Lord Oskar¡­.¡± Silent fogged the room. Words didn''t escaped Liam¡¯s mouth. Fresh breeze passed from the window behind Oskar. ¡°Lord Oskar¡­¡± Liam tried his best to bring words to his mouth. ¡°Prince Aster is fine. The next time I visit him I will try my best to persuade him again. I know you are friends with him but try to keep yourself calm. Are you forgetting your responsibility now Belle family has a new heir.¡± Liam bit his lips and cleanched his fist at Oskar''s word. Prince Aster was indeed acting weird but he also had responsibility to follow. Liam bowed his head. Liam had no choice, he was useless as if now and that pained his heart. Liam knew Oskar hated Prince Nova but he also knew the fact Prince Aster and Princess Anabelle were his only remaining descendent, even though he once tried to kill Princess Anabelle. Liam had to trust him. ¡°Leave.¡± Oskar ordered as his pink eyes glossed over the documents. Soon the click of the door reached his ears. The crows cries grew louder. ¡°Aster¡­¡± A soft smile graced Oskar''s face. His pink eyes bloomed with amusement. He stroked his chin and raised his head to face the door. ¡°What a pity, sir Liam.¡± Oskar tilted his head. ¡°Aster needs to remain inside for a while. I can''t give power to Nova.¡± Oskar kept his pen down. ¡°At least not yet.¡± Oskar mumbled. Oskar stood up from his seat, he turned to the window as his pink eyes gazed outside. Oskar leaned towards the window as his soft voice quoted, ¡°A weapon is only powerful with a right wielder.¡± Wind flew his sparkling red hair. Oskar smile slowly faded as he closed his eyes. ¡°But what happens when the wielder can''t reach the weapon?¡± questioned Oskar. Chapter 8 The flowers started dancing as soft wind blew past me. The insects had been muttering while the birds sang. The sun shone bright as gold. I clicked my pen once, twice, thrice. I tapped my feets. Finally giving in to my frustration, I scrambled another piece of paper. How many times have I done this again? I don''t remember. I glanced at my pocket watch silver in colour. ¡°It''s already noon.¡± That makes 6 hours already. ¡°Huuuh.¡± I sighed. Still nothing. I looked up to view the picturesque scenery of a garden in Melish house. Past two days I have spent my time here trying to figure out ways to develop the spell. Yesterday I tried to explain theories after theories of magic to Melish and Solis but it resulted in failure. After a while they gave up on helping me. From today I am on my own. I tried various technique but it always came out as a failure. ¡°Excuse me, Lord Twilight.¡± I looked back at the maid. ¡°You have a visitor. Shall I escort him here?¡± Alexis maybe. I nodded my head. ¡°Please do so.¡± The maid soon left leaving me alone with breeze of wind. I piled the books on the side of table which till recently was lying around everywhere. I heard a gentle footsteps coming towards me only to stop few steps before the hut. I raised my head. There stood a man with curly mint hair with a sharp black pair of eyes. He wore his usual glasses and a stoic expression. This time he wore the royal knight¡¯s uniform. ¡°Lord Archie.¡± A gentle smile appeared on his face. I hurried position myself to bow. ¡°Greeti-¡± ¡°You don''t need to do that.¡± Archie sat down on the roundtable seats. During the discussion at Aspene, Mila had warned me about Archie. ¡°He seems impressed by you. You should be careful. He gets over the top when he is excited about something.¡± That were the exact words of Mila. ¡°Are you going to keep standing?¡± Archie picked up a book, skimmed through the pages. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I sat infront of him. I had a urge to question his presence here but I choose not to. ¡°That''s how you extract the aura.¡± He read the notes scribbled throughout the pages. ¡°Confining every other aura with magic except the one you want.¡± ¡°You get it.¡± ¡°Hmmmp but isn''t it a¡­.bit worse method.¡± My ears pricked up. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well the loss of magic must be immense.¡± ¡°It is.¡± I sighed. ¡°If only I could prevent it.¡± ¡°Why don''t you just control the magic within the aura instead using magic from surrounding?¡± Archie asked tilting his head. ¡°Huh.¡± Was he mocking me now? No. He has that excited sparkling eyes. A genuine question. It was a genuine question. Did he confuse me as a fighter? But I did the magic infront of them using a wand. ¡°Lord Archie, I am a magician.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°I was taught to manipulate the magic in nature. I never learned to control the magic within something.¡± ¡°Right Magician can''t manipulate the magic within something, at least they are not taught to.¡± Archie tapped his fingers on table. ¡°But I thought you would be different.¡± I looked at Archie, he had placed his glasses on the table. ¡°What do you mean? ¡° I asked. ¡°Well¡­ aren''t you a dragon?¡± My ears pricked up. I narrowed my eyes. A bitter taste overwhelmed my mouth as I felt my throat drying. I gulped my saliva as quietly as possible as my muscles tensed. How does he know that? The moment I had left my house I had concealed my aura. ¡°What are you saying? Are you accusing me of being dragon?¡± I glared at him. Using my reflexes to advantage I tried to disguise my worries with signs of anger. ¡°You are saying I am mistaken.¡± Archie removed his glasses and placed it above the table and closed his eyes. He took a moment to think. ¡°But that is not possible. You have every sign of one. No.¡± I felt his piercing gaze on my skin, it made my skin crawl and wrinkle. ¡°You have the most important sign of being a dragon.¡± Archie voice was smooth without any trace of doubt. He believed in his reason almost like he knew plenty about dragons. And that was the reason I knew his next words. ¡°A dragon is strong enough to conceal it''s identity. But magic is beautiful enough to never abandon them.¡± He quoted the words that I had despised most in the world. A popular saying within humans. A saying that had close ties with me. ¡°My grandfather hated dragons you see.¡± I waved my hands and a white wood wand engraved with a crown appeared in my hand. I jumped back creating distance between us. ¡°Winds melt away.¡± I commanded as gush of winds flew towards him. Archie smirked and snapped his fingers cutting the wind. I clenched my wand. I positioned myself to make casting spells easier. I knew I don''t have to be wary .I knew he wouldn''t attack, If he would, he wouldn''t be sitting idly. But I couldn''t help it. I wanted to kill him. I gulped my saliva. What if¡­¡­.what if I will regret it later? What if- ¡°I will not attack you. You know it too, don''t you sir Twilight? Shouldn''t we try to cooperate?¡± Archie picked up his glasses and stared to clean it with ends of his cape. ¡°It will be more disadvantage to you. I will merely die. But you¡­¡± Archie black eyes shone as it stared me in my eyes. ¡°Unlike other fighter, I also know how to manipulate the magic in the nature. So you could say I can leave plenty of scars. Not to mention all those people who will come crawling to fight against you.¡±