ã€ŠThe Legend of Fanaura: Cursedã€‹


 PROLOGUE

    The girl could hear the grass rustle beneath her feet. She moved slowly, trying to maintain the distance, all without breaking eye contact with the vicious beast mere feet away from her.

    She cursed beneath her breath. ¡°Dangit, I knew I shouldn¡¯t have entered this dungeon alone...¡± She''d gotten overconfident. The enemy was way above her skill level, and both she and her opponent knew it. The beast snickering down at her, mocking her in her silent fear.

    A chill crept down her spine as the severity of the situation started to set in. She was at a big disadvantage here. One wrong move and it might prove to be her downfall. Her grip on her weapons tightened as her mind ran into overdrive, desperately looked for an opening - any opening - that would give her a fighting chance. Or flee, even if it seemed like the coward''s way out. Anything that could save her sorry life. She didn''t want to die - not here, not now.

    The beast, as if reading her thoughts, grinned ever more widely at her. The glint of sharp teeth from within its maw ignited some primal fear within her, and she had to force herself to try and calm her breathing. The entrance was nearby, but not near enough for her to make it before the beast caught up with her. She had to fight, at least distract it enough that it wouldn''t catch her before she could reach safety. Her hand slipped into her bag, drawing out her last healing potion. It was do or die.

    ''Hey, need some help there?''An unfamiliar voice echoed through her mind, and she startled, losing her grip on the red vial. It rolled through the grass, away from her.

    "Oh shoot!" she yelped, and her focus diverted from her opponent for a split second, but it was enough to prove fatal.

    The beast lunged towards her. She tried to back away, but in her haste, she stumbled and fell, looking at the beast, inches away from her, and automatically shut her eyes in fear. She raised her arms to cover her head, even though it was futile.

    Yet seconds passed, and no pain came.

    Then she heard the beast let out a pained yelp. Warily her eyes opened, peeking to the familiar sounds of battle before her. A tall man stood before her, locked in battle with the beast. He wielded a sword as long as his height, yet it didn''t seem to hinder him in the slightest. The girl watched in awe as the swordsman swung the obviously heavy sword around as if it were light as a feather. His movements were swift and precise, and it didn''t take long before the beast fell to the ground, motionless.

    ¡°You alright there, miss?¡± The man sheathed his sword across his back, before turning to her. Her eyes widened when she heard his voice. It was the same voice who had spoken into her mind, and the cause of her almost-fatal distraction.

    "You...!" she hissed.

    The man frowned at her in confusion.

    "You almost got me killed!" she bit out angrily.

    "Oh, I did?" he looked at her nonchalantly. "Yet if I didn''t step in, you would have died anyway."

    "NO!" she denied immediately. "I-I had it covered! You were the one who ruined my concentration, what with you suddenly speaking into my mind!"

    The man laughed and flashed her a charming grin. "I see what you mean. But I saved your life too. Will you forgive me, my sweet little pleb?"

    A blush filled her face at the sudden suaveness. "I guess so... Yes, thank you..." She pushed herself back up to her feet, brushing the remnant dirt off her. Then she paused. "Wait... what did you just call me?"Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    The man looked at her innocently. "A pleb?"

    Blood rushed to her head as he casually said the word again. "A ''PLEB''?!" she gaped at him furiously.

    He looked at her, grinning that same annoying grin. "Something wrong with that?"

    ''I''m really tempted to throw a rock into that smug face of his,''she mentally grumbled,''But he''s right. I am a ''pleb'', as he so nicely calls it. I''m still a complete beginner at this whole adventure thing. But that will change.''

    She shook her head, trying to dispel the boiling anger within her. ¡°Oh, nothing much. I am still a pleb, after all. Thank you so much for your help.," she bit out the words through gritted teeth; plastering her best smile on her face.

    He nodded, seemingly pleased at her response despite the strong sarcasm laced through her voice. The man then knelt down to examine the loots that had dropped from the defeated beast. "So, what are you doing here all alone?" he asked, brushing off the blood and dirt that caked some of the loot. "Did it escape your notice that this is not a dungeon you can solo at your current skill level? Or perhaps..." he looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze. "...You don''t have a death wish, do you?

    "Of course not! Nothing like that!" she protested vehemently. The girl tried to calm herself before she spoke again, in a more level tone. "...I just made a mistake, that''s all."

    Much to her chagrin, that only prompted the man to break out in thunderous laughter loud enough to raise the dead.

    "A mistake?! Good gracious, you almost got yourself killed, and you call that a simple mistake? You really are a pleb, aren''t you?" he gasped out in between breathes.

    That''s it. She''s had enough of this guy. "Fine, call me whatever you want! I don''t care anymore! Thanks for your help, I''ll be heading on my way now!" She turned around started to stomp towards the entrance.

    "Hey, wait up!" he dashed forward and grabbed her hand, and she jerked to a stop.

    She glared at him, shaking off the offending hand, but stopped and turned back towards him. "What do you want?!" she growled.

    He simply grinned in response and dangled a small bag before her face. She could glimpse the crystals and gold ores peeking out from the brim. "Not gonna grab your share of the loot?"

    A mental war waged within her, pride and need battling against each other, but in the end, the latter won out. She grabbed at the bag, only for him to pull it away at the last second, leaving her grasping at thin air. She turned her glare back onto him. Was he gonna give that to her or what? Or was he just taunting her again?

    As if he''d read her mind, he laughed again. "Not so fast, pleb - not so fast!"

    Her hand clenched into a fist, and she tamped down the urge to punch him in the face. Then again, considering the obvious difference between their skill levels, she''d probably break her hand rather than hurt him in any way.

    He continued to speak. "I''ll give you this - if you give me your name. Not your common name, but yourTrue Name."

    It was a big thing he was asking, and they both knew it. True Names were important and unique to the individual, and should only be given to the people you trust the most. With it, one could freely enter the person''s subconscious and send them telepathic messages from regardless of distance. With common names, the distance was limited to a few meters, give or take. But what made True Names truly dangerous was the sheer power they held over the individual. It was like a free pass into the other person''s mind. If the other was strong enough, they could even take over the weaker person''s body and mind and bend them to their will.

    It was not something she would ever give out freely - especially not to this rude, self-entitled snob!

    "I may be just a simple ''pleb''... but I''m not so foolish as to give out my True Name to anyone, particularly to someone I just met five minutes ago!" she declared, standing her ground.

    He let out a mirthful chuckle at her defiance. "Oh, really? Not even when that ''someone'' just saved your life?"

    She scowled - this was going nowhere. She didn''t bother to respond this time, spinning on her heel and making a beeline for the dungeon exit, when his voice suddenly barged into her subconscious yet again.

    ''The name''s Zeke - Zeke Valdez. Believe it or not, I''m just trying to help you, little pleb. Give me a call anytime if you need my help.''

    From the sound of it, she knew that was his True Name. Did he trust her that much? Or was he that confident of his own abilities? She spun around, only to realize that he was standing right behind her.''And I didn''t even hear him move...''

    He simply grinned at her, and plopped the small bag of loot onto her head, before dashing out ahead of her. "See ya around, little pleb!" He called out as he passed by her.

    She was too busy trying to catch the bag to do anything more than glare at him.

 Chapter 1- Taboo

    The girl stood on the hill beneath the setting sun, her platinum blonde hair waving slightly in the breeze. Her pink-tinted fuchsia gaze stared off into the distance at nothing in particular, as she let her mind drift like the clouds that dotted the horizon.

    ¡°Yuuu!!!¡±

    Her languid reverie was interrupted by the sound of the familiar voice calling out to her. She turned around - just in time to catch sight of the purple blur that barreled into her, arms outstretched.

    "Oof- hey there, Wenona!" Yurika grinned down at the petite girl, returning her hug. Good thing she was used to her friend''s enthusiastic greetings, else she would have probably fallen to the ground from the impact.

    The purple-haired girl - Wenona - leaned back and grinned. The girl released Yurika from her hug, her sapphire eyes sparkling.

    ¡°Wen, didn¡¯t expect you to return this fast. I thought you are going to Azurlite dungeon with  Taft and the others?¡±

    Wenona didn''t reply immediately, seemingly preoccupied with the grass near her feet. But Yurika knew her friend well enough to know that she was trying to avoid the question. Yurika looked at her friend in concern. "Wen, what''s wrong? Did something happen?"

    Wenona continued looking down for a moment, before she looked back up again. Though, the girl''s formerly cheerful expression had turned into a pout. "Well, let''s just say there was a change of plans. I''d... rather not talk about it."

    Only one thing - or rather, person - could bring down Wenona''s spirits that quickly. Yurika smiled sympathetically, "Oh, Moira strikes again?"

    "Yeah, nothing but the usual," the other girl huffed. "Throwing our plans into disarray just so she could do more ''charity work'' - at the expense of the rest of us!" The small girl threw her hands up in exasperation, her eyes suddenly blazing with fury. "It''s nice helping people and all, but not when it inconveniences everyone else! And she always claims all the credit in the end, while the rest of us end up being reduced to her little helpers!"

    Yurika looked at her friend, who was now stomping back and forth among the grassy hill, still ranting. It wasn''t often the petite girl got worked up, but when she did, she didn''t hold back. Moira was one of the older members that made up their group. They were a part of a family of sorts. Most of them had been war orphans originating from the northern coast who''d banded together - there was safety in numbers, after all. They had started taking in other people who had no prior relations, in an effort to build up their numbers. Yurika was one of them.

    The purple-haired girl cut off her rant when she realized her companion wasn''t actually listening. She folded her arms and glared at Yurika. "Yuuuu! Are you even listening to me? I''m being serious here!"

    Yurika held up her hands in a placating gesture. "I know you are, Wen! Have you forgotten? I''ve had my own share of problems with her, too." It was true - Moira was anything but cordial towards her. She seemed to hold some kind of grudge against her, snubbing her at times - and on one occasion, outright berating her before the others. When it was Moira''s turn to organize the dungeon teams, she would seem to forget to add Yurika into the mix til someone - usually Wenona - prompted her.

    It went without saying that she and Moira didn''t get along.

    "Ah, that''s true..." A thoughtful look crossed Wenona''s face. She plopped onto the grass, pulling Yurika down to sit alongside her. "It''s kind of strange how aggressively she''s acted towards you from the get-go. I mean, she usually tries her best to charm the new arrivals, you know?"

    "If I had to guess, it''s because she doesn''t like how Taft seems to pay attention to me sometimes." Taft was another fellow member. He was the friendly, older brother figure of their group, always willing to lend a helping hand whenever it was needed. He was also dating Moira.

    "Yeesh, talk about being over-possessive," Wenona muttered crossly. "And Taft was the one who found you, so isn''t it normal that he pays attention to how you''re doing at times?"

    Yurika sighed. "...I suppose so," she mumbled. She didn''t like to think about Moira''s dislike towards her. Most of the time, she ignored Moira''s hostility. It wasn''t like Yurika interacted with Moira more than necessary, anyway. It stung a bit, to be disliked over something so petty. Even so, she didn''t want to cause any trouble for the group, so if she had to bear with Moira''s attitude towards her, then so be it.

    She was grateful that they had taken her in despite the unusual circumstances in which they''d found her. Taft who had come across her stumbling among the alleys of Marina Harbor, half-conscious and delirious, wearing nothing but a simple white slip that''d been stained red with her own blood. He''d brought her back to the orphans'' shared lodgings, and they''d nursed her back to health. She didn''t know how she''d got into that alley, or why she''d been so badly hurt. Everything was a blur. There were certain vital details she remembered, like her common name and her True Name, but nothing else. Occasionally she would catch glimpses of a few blurry faces and figures in what seemed to be her memories, but those bits and pieces would slip away as quickly as they came

    When she''d recovered enough, she had started training. It was something she''d insisted on, wanting to repay them the kindness they had shown her. After the disappearance of the Goddess of Light, the world became a dangerous place. Formerly docile animals mutated and became aggressive, attacking their former masters. Spirits and hostile creatures, powered by magic, roamed every corner of the world. Attacks on human settlements were not uncommon, and people lived in constant fear, praying that the next day would not be their last. That was¡ª for those who did not choose to fight back, instead.

    To become a "warrior" was not to be taken lightly - these were people who faced death on a daily basis. Not many would choose to take up such an occupation of their own free will. However, it was also a highly lucrative line of work. For those who were struggling to make ends meet, it was the only way to survive. For that matter, the orphans belonged in this category.

    Naturally, it was far from easy. Most people had to train for months before they could even pick up the most basic of skills. With her memory loss, it made sense that she''d be even further behind. Yet, the moment she started training, all of that was blown away. She picked up on the skills and motions almost as if they were second nature. Sometimes, she''d find her body moving of its own accord, even before her mind caught up. It was as if her body remembered something that her mind had failed to recall. Within mere months, she''d reached the skill level of someone who had been training for years. Her extremely fast progress boggled her, and her fellow members as well. Occasionally, she''d catch them whispering to each other, wary gazes pointed in her direction. She tried not to think too much of it, trying to simply appreciate her quick progress for the blessing it wasRoyal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    "¡ªrika...! YURIKAAA!!!"

    She snapped back to attention at the sound of Wenona calling out her full name, Wen only did that when she really wanted to get her attention. She had gotten distracted by her own internal musings yet again. She flashed Wenona an apologetic smile, "Sorry about that. I was thinking about some stuff."

    Wenona raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but didn''t press. "...''kay. Now that you''ve come down from whatever cloud you''ve been floating on, maybe you could finally answer what I''ve been trying to ask," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Just why do you put up with Moira''s abhorrent attitude towards you? Like, seriously, you have more than enough reason to call her out. In fact, everyone''s pretty much waiting for you to do it."

    Yurika bit her lip lightly. "I just don''t want to stir up any trouble, particularly not with one of the more established members. She already dislikes me enough without me adding more fuel to the fire. Besides, it''s not like I''m going to put up with her behavior forever."

    A curious glint lit up Wenona''s eyes. "Oh?"

    "One day, when I''m strong enough, I''ll be sure to repay her oh-so-kind actions most graciously," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm on the last part.

    Wenona burst out laughing at that. "And here I thought you didn''t have a vengeful bone in your body!"

    Her laughter was contagious, soon Yurika found herself laughing as well. Their carefree laughter ringed out around them. Yurika''s smile grew, glad that her friend seemed to have cheered up.

    "So, how goes the training?" Wenona turned to look at the girl sat next to her. "Learnt any skills yet?"

    Yurika nodded eagerly, eyes sparkling. "Yeah! I''m almost done with the skills for both the Brawler and Priest classes."

    Wenona gazed at her in shock. "Geez, girl, that''s fast! And for both your main and sub-classes? It took me at least a year to pick up all the Elementalist skills. And let''s not talk about my sub-class." The shorter girl waved her hand dismissively, then pouted. "Are you sure you''re just a beginner?" she jested lightly, but there seemed to be something more than idle curiosity in her tone.

    "I think so..." Yurika trailed off unsurely. "At least, as far as I can remember. Then again, considering how little I can recall before meeting you all, that''s not saying much, is it?" Her pink eyes flickered down to her hands, and she clenched and unclenched them nervously as the fast pace of her training was brought up. "Am I... really progressing that quickly?"

    Wenona''s features softened slightly upon seeing her friend''s uneasiness. "Yeah, you are," she replied. "You managed to finish learning the skills of both your main and sub-classes within a mere three months, while most people take at least six months, if not more, to get all the skills of their main class down. Either you''re a genius, or..." she trailed off, not finishing the sentence.

    "Or...?" Yurika prompted.

    "Or... you''re a ''taboo''," Wenona uttered tonelessly, and so quietly that she could barely make out the words.

    A chill ran down Yurika''s spine, even though she didn''t quite understand what Wenona meant. "A t-taboo? What tab-" She was cut off when Wenona leapt up and slapped a hand over her mouth before she could say anything else. Her friend''s eyes seemed to be trembling with something - fear?

    "Don''t say it out loud," she hissed, still keeping her voice low. "They are called ''taboos'' for a reason. Don''t you remember-" she cut herself off. "Right, amnesia..." Wenona sighed, settling back onto the grass. "I''ll tell you about them, just this once. It''s something everyone - particularly adventurers like you and me - should be aware about."

    The purple-haired girl shifted nervously, whipping her gaze in every direction, before she spoke again. "A ''taboo'', also known as, a Fetuuina Fanaurra."

    "A fetu... fana.. what?" The blonde struggled to pronounce the strange words her friend had just uttered.

    "A Fetuunia Fanaurra," Wenona repeated softly, "Translated into the common language, it means ''the cursed reborn''. They are people who have already died once - but, through some twist of fate, rather than passing on, they are ''reborn'' back into the world of the living. Their reasons for being reborn can vary. It might be some unfinished business they had yet to attend to. Or perhaps they are still holding onto a grudge, so heavy and deep-seated, that the weight of their hate brings them back. And there are those who wish to return simply so that they can see their loved ones again."

    The girl paused to take a breath, before she continued. "No one knows where they come from, or how they came about. From appearance alone, they look the same as any other normal human. What sets them apart is the unnatural strength they possess within their very genes, allowing them to surpass the limits of the common human. Of course, it''s this same strength that makes them so feared." She let out a soft sigh. "...To be honest, it''s more of an urban legend. To date, no one has managed to prove the existence of the Fetuunia Fanaurra. Even so, pretty much everyone believes in it."

    "...Do you?" Yurika asked, "Believe in it, I mean?"

    Wenona blinked, then smiled wryly. "Well, legends have to come from somewhere, don''t they?"

    "I guess..." Yurika nodded hesitantly. "But still... I don''t think I''m stronger than any of you. Sure, I learnt fast, but in terms of strength... I''m still far behind you guys."

    Wenona looked at her friend in contemplation, before she spoke again. "Yeah. I don''t think you''re a taboo. My guess, is that you might have already learnt them before you lost your memories. So it was just a matter of remembering them again."

    "Yeah! That might be it." Yurika clapped her hands in agreement. "I still don''t remember anything, after all... Who knows what I''d been doing before then?"

    "Mmm..." Wenona hummed in agreement. "...In any case, it''s about time to head back. It''s almost dinnertime, and I''m famished!" Wenona got up to her feet, dusting off the skirt of her dress armor, and grinned. "Riddelle''s our chef for tonight, and you know how good her cooking is- ...Yu?"

    Yurika was sitting in the same spot, rosette eyes still focused on the horizon ahead. "Hey, Wen... Do you think they really exist? These... ''taboos''?"

    Still hung up on that, huh? The purple-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Look, I really don''t know about that, alright? It''s a story that dates back as far as the Tale of Creation itself, and we all know how old that thing is. But I''ll tell you one last thing, and then we''ll never speak of this again - agreed?"

    Yurika nodded in acquiesce, "Alright."

    "Well... I said that they look like any normal human, yes? So it''s near impossible to identify them. But, according to some, there is a way. All Fanaurra  carry an invisible tattoo somewhere on their body. When the Fanaurra  themselves realize their true identity, it will glow. Only then will they''ll regain all their past memories, and their unnatural strength, originally locked away, will be unleashed. Also, that tattoo..." Wenona trailed off ominously, "is said to be set over the location of the very blow that took away their past life."

    Yurika''s eyes widened. "Wait, so you mean that the Fau- Fanu- Fanaurra-" she stumbled over the word, "themselves aren''t aware of it in the first place?"

    "...Yeah. That''s what I heard. Well, that''s it. Let''s head back before it gets too late." The purple-haired girl turned away, looking back at Yurika over her shoulder. "C''mon, Yu."

    "Alright, I''m coming." Yurika got up to her feet, and walked over to join her friend. "Hm, I wonder what will Riddelle be cooking up today?"

    Wenona chuckled lightly, "Well, we''ll see."

 Chapter 2 - Azurlite Forest Dungeon

    When they arrived back at their shared lodgings, it was obvious that something was not right. Even from afar, they could hear crying and yelling from within. They both exchanged glances, before rushing towards the house and bursting through the door.

    The people inside turned at their arrival. Moira, upon seeing Yurika, pointed at her accusingly. "It''s all your fault!" she screamed through her tears, her hate-filled gaze directed at the blonde.

    Yurika froze in place, lost and confused at the sudden turn of events. Wenona stepped in front of Yurika in defense of her friend, glaring at the distraught girl. "Hey, what are you pointing fingers at Yurika for? We just got back."

    Zig stepped in-between them all, a tired look on his face. "Everyone, calm down." Despite how exhausted he looked, his voice was still stern and commanded authority, cutting through the tension before it could escalate further. "This is neither the time nor the place to start blaming people. That includes you, Moira."

    Moira''s arm dropped back to her side, her face twisted in grief. Even so, she still continued to glare at the blonde.

    Yurika finally found her voice. "What''s going on...?"

    A grim look crossed Zig''s face. "Taft went missing during our last dungeon run."

    "Wait, what?!" Wenona exclaimed. "But I thought you guys were just doing a run through the Azurlite Forest dungeon! And Taft knows the place like the back of his hand - how could he have gotten lost there?"

    At this, Moira looked uncomfortable. "Umm... things happened..."

    Wenona¡¯s sapphire eyes narrowed suspiciously in Moira''s direction. "What ''things''?"

    "D-do we have to discuss this here and now?!" Moira finally barked out. "Shouldn''t we be forming search parties for him or something along those lines?"

    "Everyone, please, calm down." A calm, gentle voice interjected. A girl stepped out from the crowd, her blue ponytail swishing behind her. "Moira, don''t you have Taft''s True Name? Try locating him via telepathy."

    "Riddelle..." Moira turned to the blue-haired girl, her face tinged with obvious despair. Upon hearing the other girl''s suggestion, she blanched, her hands gripping the cloth of her skirt almost to the point of tearing.

    "...Moira?" Zig touched the paling girl''s shoulder in concern. "You do have his True Name, don''t you?"

    "I... I don''t!" Moira confessed, tears streaming down her face. She shook her head, "I-I don''t know his True Name. He never gave it to me... Even though I gave him mine, he never..." she trailed off, and silence fell over the assembled group.

    "...Alright," Zig finally spoke. He clapped his hands, catching everyone''s attention. "We''ll be splitting up into several small parties so that we can cover more ground. Oh, and make sure there''s someone who knows the area around Azurlite in your group! We don''t want more people getting lost instead." Having said that, he moved around helping divide the people into groups, giving each of them a section of the woods to search.

    It was a while before he realized that he hadn''t seen Yurika for awhile. An uneasy feeling settled in his gut. He looked around, trying to spot Wenona. The girl was standing to the side, seemingly waiting for something - or someone. "Hey, Wenona, have you seen Yurika?"

    The uneasy feeling doubled when the purple-haired girl frowned in response. "She said she was heading up to her room to grab something, but it''s been a while since I''ve actually seen her..." Her sapphire eyes narrowed dangerously. "Hey, you don''t think she..." she didn''t finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Zig''s fist clenched around the map in his hand. "Oh, she damn well did." He tossed it to the ground in dismay. "DANGIT, YURIKA!"

    ---***---

    Dimly, the moonlight shone down from above, filtering through the dense trees and illuminating the area with an ethereal blue sheen. It was a beautiful sight, yet it felt eerie at the same time. There was the saying that the more beautiful, the more dangerous something was - and she felt that this was no more appropriate than right now.

    Yurika had ventured into Azurlite multiple times during the course of her training but never had she come to the area after the sun had set. It had always been dim, huge trees shading most of the area, blocking much light from shining through. But at night, it was a different story. Darkness seemed to have overtaken the whole area. There were areas, so devoid of light, that looking at them felt akin to staring into an abyss. She could barely see the way ahead. It was only thanks to the light of the moon and the various luminescent plant life that she could see where she was going.

    She knew it had been reckless of her, coming to the woods all on her own. It might just be the worst decision she had ever made in her short, remembered life. But after hearing Moira''s confession that she didn''t have Taft''s True Name, she just couldn''t wait anymore. She owed Taft too much to leave him lost within this woods. With each minute that passed, the chances of finding him safe and sound went down.

    She shivered again, wrapping her arms around herself to ward off the chill. The night air was colder than she''d thought, and briefly, she wondered if she should have put on more layers before leaving the house. But time was ticking. Her own discomfort took a backseat to Taft''s situation.

    She continued on determined steps, towards the place he usually trained in. It was close to Azurlite Grotto, the dungeon area, where the strongest monsters within the woods resided. He''d brought her there before, not long after she had started her own training. Chances were that the group had been there before they''d lost him. Perhaps she could pick up his trail from there. She could see the entrance of the Grotto looming ahead of her. In the low light, it looked grim and ominous. She felt her steps start to falter as she drew closer.

    She sucked in her breath and slapped her trembling hands onto her pale cheeks. "No, Yurika, focus!" she reprimanded herself. She tried to ignore how her trembling voice echoed throughout the woods around her. "You can do this. You know the way around. You''ve been in this area many times before. Just keep your guard up, and your eyes open."

    The more she spoke, the more her voice grew calmer and steadier. She let her now-still hands fall back to her side and stepped forward into the familiar clearing.

    It was then that she realized that she had no idea how to start looking for him. Once again, she regretted her impulsiveness. She had only brought her normal equipment and a few potions - nothing that could help her find Taft.

    Wait, she thought, as an idea occurred to her. Telepathy. She could try calling out to him via telepathy. If he was anywhere nearby, he would be able to hear her and reply.

    ''Taft! Can you hear me? If you can, please respond!''

    She repeated that thought as she walked around the clearing. But the only response she got was the chirping of nocturnal creatures and the rustling wind. She started moving outwards, circling around the area, calling out to him all the while.

    ''Taft, where are you? Everyone is worried about you!''

    She had no idea how long she continued to walk for - it could have been for minutes, or for hours. The darkness of the woods combined with her own anxiety made her lose track of time. She focused on looking around, searching for anything, anyone that could help her in her quest to find him. At the same time, she stayed alert, in case anything tried to ambush her.

    In fact, it was strange that she hadn''t met any monsters so far. The night usually made them more hostile, and stronger than their daytime counterparts. Perhaps she''d just gotten lucky so far, but it only seemed to add to the overall wrongness of the whole situation.

    ''Taft, please, answer m-!''

    Her next telepathic message was cut off when she rounded a tree and spotted a familiar figure in the distance. He was turned away from her, blocking her view of his face, but she recognized that silhouette. A gasp escaped her lips. "Taft!" she called out as she jogged towards him. "Taft... I''m so glad, I''ve found you!"

    Yet, Taft didn''t reply, or even react, as she moved closer towards him. "Taft...?" she called out, doubt entering her voice. Something was wrong. She reached out to grab his shoulder to turn him around, but before she made contact, the person turned towards her instead.

 Chapter 3 - Possessed

    "Yurika... you came." the man voice sounded strange. It was Taft, he sounded like Taft, but it wasn''t quite the same. His tone wasn''t how it usually was, and if she listened closely, she could hear another voice, layered beneath his own. An unfamiliar smile crawled onto his face, and she felt a shiver run down her spine.

    "Where are you going, Yurika?"

    When he said that, she realized that she had unconsciously stepped backwards. Her senses were screaming at her. Alarm bells were going off in her head, telling her that it''s not safe, this isn''t right, she should run-

    "Don''t go, Yurika. Come closer." The man''s dark ebony eyes gleamed under the moon - and now she was sure, this wasn''t Taft, this wasn''t the man who had saved her before. As he stepped closer, her hand flew to the weapons strapped on her hip, and she finally found her voice.

    "N-no, you''re n-not Taft," she shook her head as she drew her katars from their sheath. "W-who are you- no, what are you?!"

    "Oh, come now, don''t you recognize your savior?" Despite her drawing her weapon, ''Taft'' didn''t stop moving towards her. He let out a deep, throaty chuckle, and once again, Yurika could hear that other voice mingling with his own.

    ''Run...''

    A voice sounded within her mind. She recognized it immediately. It was Taft - the real Taft, not this... imitation before her.

    She grasped onto the stream of thought, and called back out to him. ''Taft, is that you? What''s going on?!''

    The movements of the man approaching her suddenly became jerky. He stopped in his tracks and held his head. "Tch... what a persistent man. Stop resisting and let me do my job!" He growled, seemingly towards himself.

    ''Y-Yurika... run, now...''

    Taft''s voice came again, stronger and clearer than before. She could hear the strain in his voice, as if he were pushing hard against something.

    ''B-but Taft, I can''t just l-leave you here!''

    Fear for herself and worry for her friend warred within her mind, as she tried to assess the situation she was in. Her instincts told her that her opponent was way above her skill level, but he had obviously gotten a hold of Taft somehow. She should flee, but¡ª

    "Why do you look so afraid, Yurika? It''s me, Taft..." The sound of this thing claiming to be Taft when the truth was already obvious to her made her blood boil.

    "No, you''re not Taft!" She yelled out. "You have his face and his body, but you... you are not him! What did you do to him?! How did you manage to-" she cut herself off as the answer came to her.

    Someone had taken control of Taft''s body. That meant that whoever this person was, they''d somehow known Taft''s True Name. Not even Moira had known. Who was this person? There was more to this than met the eye, she was sure, but now wasn''t the time to think about it, for the man had seemed to have regained full control, and was now moving at a steady pace towards her.

    She backed away, unsure of what to do. She couldn''t attack him, she didn''t want to hurt Taft. It was still his body, even if he wasn''t in control of it.

    "S-stop! Don''t you dare come any closer, or I''ll attack!" It was an empty threat, but she was hoping the other person wouldn''t realize that.

    The man stopped walking, and for a moment she thought she''d succeeded, but then he laughed out loud. "What are you waiting for, then? Attack me. Come on, I''m not even trying to defend myself here."

    When she didn''t make any movement to do so, he continued walking towards her. Before she realized it, he had her backed into a tree.

    He chuckled lowly at the fright on her face. "Now, now... don''t look so scared." The man was extremely close now, barely an arm''s reach away. She tried to slash at him with her katars, but he knocked her weapons out of her hands with barely a glance in their direction. He pinned her into place with his hands on her shoulders, and she started struggling in her panic.

    The wind was knocked out of her when he landed a punch in her gut, stunning her. "Don''t struggle, hm? Be a good girl for now. I just need to check... something..." he whispered lowly, tracing a finger along her jawline. "It''s not like I''m going to kill you... Well, not yet, at least." His finger trailed downwards, past her neck and towards the center of her chest.

    Her struggles restarted in fervor as fear gripped at her heart. She tried to kick him, but he easily avoided her frantic movements. A hand closed around her neck, threatening to cut off her flow of air. "Stop, struggling!" he growled, a promise of hurt in his tone. He smiled in satisfaction when she slumped down. His other hand went back down to her chest. With a swift tug, he ripped her armor away from her, leaving her top covered with nothing but her brassiere. Yurika let out a whimper, not even daring to let out a scream past the hand on her throat.

    "Well, let''s see what happens shall we?" As he spoke, he drew something out from the bag on his side. It was a crimson gem, as red as blood, glowing ominously in contrast to the blueish tint of everything else around them. Yurika found her eyes drawn to the gem. There was something about it, something that felt so...

    The man hummed in satisfaction, a pleased look crossing his face when he spotted a sigil etching itself onto her chest softly beaming. "My, my... it seems that my hunch was right, after all. I was right to follow this man when I''d spotted him holding onto this..." The man brought red gem up close to her face. "You should recognize this. This is Fetu La Rossa, better known as the Crimson Star. You do remember all this, don''t you, my... queen?"If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    He was speaking, but she could barely hear him. Everything else seemed to melt away as she was drawn into the glowing gem. All the sounds around her fell into a dull buzz. She could hear her blood pounding within her ears, her heart hammering in her chest. The constant thumping seemed to increase in crescendo, til it reached an almost-deafening level. She felt a burning heat growing on her chest - as if someone were pressing a red-hot iron onto her skin. She couldn''t help but let out a scream at the sheer pain of it all.

    "What the- NO! No, stop!" She could hear the man shout, before the whole area dissolved into bright light followed by  a loud explosive sound.

    ---***---

    "...ka. Heeey, Yurika. Wake up, sleepy head." She heard a familiar, gentle voice beside her, prodding her out of her sleepy haze. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and glared at the owner of the voice.

    "Wha... Oh come on, Taft, just five more minutes..." she grumbled, closing her eyes again. "We already trained so much yesterday. Can''t I just take one small, measly break?"

    Taft poked her forehead, not paying attention to her complaints. "Yurika, please, wake up. There''s something important that I have to talk to you about."

    She groaned, moving into a sitting position. "Fine, I''m up, I''m up! What is it?" She looked at Taft, anticipation and slight annoyance in her fuchsia gaze.

    The man looked uneasy about something, before he finally spoke. "I... I''m sorry, Yurika."

    Yurika tilted her head in confusion. "For what?"

    "For not being completely honest with you," he replied, his tone soft.

    "Wait, what do you mean by th-"

    He gently hushed her. "Shh, let me finish. I told you before, that when I found you in that alleyway, you had nothing on you but your dress, yes?" When Yurika nodded, he continued. "I lied," he confessed, guilt in his tone.

    Her eyes widened in shock. "Wait, so I had something else with me...?"

    Taft nodded. "Yes. There''s something I haven''t been telling you... Or, to be more exact, something that I''ve been keeping from you." He took something from his bag and placed it in her hand, closing her fingers around it. She looked down at it - it was a crimson gem, glowing softly, cold and smooth on her palm. She looked up to him again, her eyes swirling with uncertainty. "You were holding onto this when I found you. Even while you were unconscious, you held onto it so tightly, I had a hard time trying to pry it from your grasp. But I managed eventually."

    She looked down at the gem again. It seemed almost alive, energy pulsating and swirling within its depths as she stared down at it.

    "I... I was being greedy. I''d meant to sell it off to help contribute to our finances, but, in the end..." he trailed off. "In the end... I couldn''t do it. So I''ve been waiting for the right time to tell you, and to return this back to you."

    Yurika wanted to listen to what he was saying, she truly did, but her attention kept going back to the stone within her hand. Something about it seemed to capture her thoughts, blocking out the rest of the world...

    "Yurika!" Taft raised his voice, snapping her attention back to him. He gazed softly at her. "Yurika... Don''t forget who you are, no matter what."

    "Who... I am?" She repeated back, confused. "But I don''t know who I am... I don''t remember anything. I have amnesia, so how could I..."

    Taft shook his head, and pointed towards her chest. "Perhaps your mind has already forgotten that, but your heart will still remember it. Just... don''t forget that. Your heart."

    He stood up, and there seemed to be something final in his gaze, as he looked away from her to something in the distance that she couldn''t quite see. "I guess... it''s time. Please, tell Moira for me, that I''m sorry. I''m sorry that I couldn''t keep my promise to be with her forever. Tell her that I''m sorry, for everything."

    "W-wait- no, Taft, where are you going?"

    "It''s time, Yurika." He turned towards her, and the knowing smile on his face made her heart ache for some reason.

    "Time? Time for what?" she echoed, feeling dread pool in her stomach. She wasn''t entirely sure of what was going on, but she had a feeling that she shouldn''t let him go, else she''d never see him again.

    "Don''t forget who you are, Yurika," he repeated again, "And be strong, when the time comes. I''ll entrust the world, to you..." He patted her head once more, before stepping away from her. Before she could reach out to him, everything went dark.

    ---***---

    "NO, TAFT!" She jolted awake, screaming his name, her arm outstretched towards nothing above her. She blinked, feeling confused and disoriented, but eventually, the events of the past hours came back to her.

    She propped herself up, gasping, and looked around the clearing. She spotted his body slumped on the ground, not too far away from her. She scrambled towards him, ignoring the pain that still pulsated within her chest, and the cold air stinging her body.

    "No, no, no..." she whispered as she neared him. "Please, please..." Her empty prayer echoed throughout the clearing as she dragged herself up to him. But she knew, long even before she reached his body, that it was too late. Even so, she pushed herself til she managed to stand over his still form.

    "Taft..." her lips trembled as she muttered his name, over and over, like a broken record as she stared down at his body. Slowly, she knelt down and gathered him into her arms, sobbing. He felt cold and limp in her arms, and she wept even harder. He was dead. And she was the one who had most likely killed him.

    "He''s dead. And there''s nothing you can do about it." A tall man materialized from the bushes behind the trees.

    Yurika''s eyes widened when she saw who it was. "Zeke..."

    He threw his cloak over her. "Cover yourself up."

    Only then did she realize she''d been shivering. Gently, she placed Taft''s body back on the ground. Then she drew the cloak around her shoulders. She looked down at her chest, at the softly glowing tattoo that lay at the very center of it. Her mind went back to the conversation she''d had with Wenona that very afternoon.

    An invisible tattoo that glows. A Fetuuina Fanaurra, a cursed reborn. So she was...?

    "Yes," Zeke spoke, seemingly answering her unasked question. He moved towards his previous spot, picking up something from the ground.

    "You... knew?" The words left her mouth, before she could stop herself. Meanwhile, she fastened the cloak tighter around her so that it hid the tattoo from view.

    "Yes," the man nodded, "That''s why I''ve been keeping track of you. I''ll explain everything later. Now''s not the right time," his eyes flashed to the side. "Just stay quiet. Let me handle this."

    She wondered what he meant, but soon, the sounds reached her. People were moving towards them. She looked up towards the direction of the noises, and saw Zig and Wenona running towards them, Moira and the others not far behind.

    ''Hey, Zeke...''  she whispered into his mind, ''I... I killed him, didn''t I? I killed Taft...''

    He looked at her with a sad smile.''It''s not your fault, Yurika. Trust me on this,'' he replied gently. He came up to her and further closed her fingers around the gem in her hands. He met her eyes, stern determination burning within. ''Hold onto this with your life. And tell no one about what happened.''

    She could only nod mutely, as the approaching group converged onto them.

 Chapter 4 - A friend from the past

    The lake mirrored the sky above with the kind of blue that''s so bright that it felt unfit with the heavy mourning stench. Today was Taft¡¯s funeral and yet Yurika was sitting on the dock of Aynalago lake house. She closed her eyes; the soft breeze rippled the quiet lake surface. Alone without the distraction of the view, she could detect the scent of the moist summer air, fresh and comforting. She took a deep breath in and quietly counted up in her mind...

    1... 2... 3...

    At the count of three, she could feel the heaviness feeling in her heart building up towards her throat and she choked with her quiet sob. Quickly she gazed at the sky as if it would help her to stop the tears that already flowing down on her cheeks.

    You killed him...

    She gritted her teeth, tightened her clutched hand on her chest as she could felt the warm painful pulsating sensation from the burning tattoo.

    You and no one else. The taboo... the cursed one...

    She couldn¡¯t take it anymore, she screamed a silent cry, wailed quietly until her face paled of lack of air, then she curled like a baby on the dock, sobbing.

    ¡®Yurika... where are you?¡¯ Wenona''s voice suddenly entered her mind, ¡®Why are you not in Taft¡¯s funeral?¡¯

    Yurika scooted away to the darker and more hidden area of the lake house; she didn¡¯t want to be found.

    ¡®Everyone is looking for you, I know you are somewhere here, don¡¯t ignore me, Yuu?!¡¯

    The more Wenona telepath her the more she pulled herself deeper in the dark corner.

    Then there¡¯s a pause, Wenona stopped and only the rustle of wind and soft chirping summer bird filling the space.

    ¡°Is this how are you going to pay respect to Taft? The man saved your life twice for goodness sake!!¡± Wenona shouted angrily breaking the silence and scared away the birds.

    ¡°.... No, that¡¯s a lie made by Zeke¡­ I killed him..,¡± Yurika whispered to herself, and then she bit her shaking lips to subdue the breaking wave of sobs.

    ¡°Fine!! Do as you wish!¡±

    Wenona stomped away and Yurika curled in the dark corner, touching her redden aching cheek; a stamp, an insignia of Moira wrath and lament.

    ¡°You!! All of this because of you!! If only he didn¡¯t find you ... save you!! It should be you who died! Not Taft!¡±

    Yurika bit her lower lips, Moira¡¯s grieving image, her wail, her deep hatred eyes still imprinted on her mind. The slap that she got from her last night was painful but she knew it was nothing compared to the pain Moira had losing Taft.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°I can¡¯t come to your funeral... I am sorry, Taft. Seeing my face ... will only hurt Moira and I have hurt her more than enough,¡± Yurika whispered as if talking to Taft spirit, ¡° I am sorry...., let me pay my respect here.... saying goodbye to you at your favorite place.¡±

    Yurika sat there until the sun slowly setting, the darkness pulled in quietly and solemnly.

    ¡°How long are you planning to stay here?¡± Zeke''s voice broke the silence. Yurika had felt his presence since a long time ago but neither of them said anything until now.

    ¡°As long as I feel I need to be.¡±

    ¡®...Eireen¡¯ Zeke voice barged in her mind.

    ¡°Stop!! That name has died long ago!¡± Yurika stood rashly, making her body wobbled losing the balance and she could feel her body shifted toward the lake in a split second. Zeke swiftly saved her and pulled her into his embrace.

    ¡°... finally, you remembered,¡± he smiled brightly and held her closer. Flushed at their closeness Yurika pushed him away harshly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t-- I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±

    ¡°Eireen...¡±

    ¡°STOP! Don¡¯t ever call me with that name again! I am Yurika, no more no less. Just a simple country girl that wanted to be an adventurer.¡±

    ¡°...you are not a simple country girl, and you know that...¡± Zeke looked at her with a firm concerned look, ¡°how long do you think you can run away from your... past? not just your past, your future too... your fate.¡±

    Yurika went silent, her arms dropped and she absentmindedly put her hand over her chest, over the transparent tattoo.

    ¡°Eireen...,¡± carefully Zeke put his hand on her arm, ¡°It¡¯s time to go... don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    Yurika jolted to the heat his hand gave, she just realized how cold she must have been sitting all day outside in the last day of summer. She shook her head and softly pulled away.

    ¡°Stop calling me that, Eireen has passed away a long time ago... the girl that standing in front of you is Yurika. I had been reborn to be Yurika and I refused to be called other than that.¡± She said rigidly looking directly to Zeke¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°... fine, Yurika,¡± He gave in, ¡°but you know that won¡¯t change the fact ... about your fate.¡±

    Yurika sucked in a deep breath at the word of fate, ¡°...fate... hah¡± she chuckled sarcastically at the word. Then she took out something from her pocket and stared at it with deep irony. The red gem glinting under the moonlight; mocking, teasing her.

    ¡°...out of all the people She can pick, She ought to choose me?! Really.... me? A nobody... ¡±

    ¡°Yurika.¡±

    ¡°Do you know how much misery this thing has ever been giving me?!! Why .... why?! Even after I killed myself... it still followed me?!¡± Yurika screamed and raised her hand ready to throw the gem toward the lake.

    ¡°YURIKA!¡± Zeke quickly stopped her in time. Yurika looked at him, the desperation and pain filling up her eyes.

    ¡°I am sorry, Eireen... let me call you that for one last time. I am sorry, I am sorry that you had to face all those on your own, I am sorry, I wasn¡¯t there to protect you. I am sorry... for being so weak and unable to defend you,¡± he carefully put his arm around her shoulder, hugging her from behind, his voice full of regret and sorrow, ¡°Eireen...¡±

    Yurika tears fell down like a river once more, this time Taft wasn¡¯t the reason. Her past life flashing by in a rush. Suicide was never her choice, but she thought that was the best for her and for the kingdom¡­; for the world. To be reborn was not on her agenda, she thought she could finally be freed but here she was holding the same item that brought her misery. She knew she was cursed...

    ¡°A Fanaura....¡± she laughed ironically between her sobs, ¡°Aine.... you never going to let me go don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°... Yurika.¡±

    ¡°Leave me, for now, Zeke, I need some time alone...¡± Yurika pulled herself away from him.

    Zeke looked at her with concerned eyes.

    ¡°I won¡¯t do anything stupid, I promise,¡± she gave him a tight smile, as reassuring as she could manage, ¡°I had done that before and it is proven to be a failure. She will never let me go.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be far,¡± Zeke said finally, then he walked away from the place.

    ¡°Thank you... Zeke,¡± Yurika watched him go as his image slowly disappeared in the darkness of the night.

 Chapter 5 - Eireen Silver

    -**20 years ago, just 1 year before the Great War**-

    ¡°In the beginning, the God of all Creation Eiocha created the world. He chose the most brilliant, dazzling star and called it ¡®Isrant''. A beautiful name for a beautiful creation. On the first day of creation, The God started to gather the light and the dark and name them morning and night...¡±

    A girl with pink pigtails yawned at the corner of the class while listening to the old mentor. He has been retelling the same story over and over these past days. Her mind trailed off as the sound of Maemith summer bugs softly entered her ears, it¡¯s the start of summer and the warm weather made her sleepy somehow.

    ¡°¡­On the fourth day of creation, the God Eiocha decided to create humans, one of his creations among all other races he has created. Builderat  race who have a giant figure and power, the tallest and most muscular compared to other races, brash, but loyal and kind-hearted; reigned on the land of Hanabea. Nisse race has a beautiful elfish look, with their pointy ears, soft tan skin tone, quiet, polite and very intelligent; they reigned the secluded island of Niji. Then there¡¯s Beastia  race, born half humanoid half animals, their appearance is more colorful and that counts to their character, who tend to be similar to their animal affinity. They live on the land of Birdland¡­,¡± Professor Conroy soothing voice went like waves to her ears as her eyes started to go heavier.

    ¡°Calling upon the power of his Celestial World Key, he then brought forth his two younger twin sisters, Aine the goddess of Light, Love, and Life, and Calliea the goddess of Darkness, Death, and Destruction. He then split his key into two and entrusted each of the twins with one, within them, there''s power to keep the world balance itself, ¡± the old man continued.

    ¡°Sir... the war is coming isn¡¯t it?¡± Suddenly from the other corner of the room, a voice cut off the old mentor, it woke the girl out of her mentor lullabies. Conroy cleared his throat, taking his time on answering the very question that has been hanging in everyone¡¯s mind lately. They could feel the tension that has been rising these past months.

    ¡°Conroy sensei, if the war really coming, what should we do?¡± another worried student voice came breaking the quiet hum of woes.

    ¡°Everyone, please calm down, no need to worry, ¡° Conroy smiled wisely, ¡°our Goddesses are doing their best in keeping the world balance. We need to put our trust in them.¡±

    ¡°Don''t you think the atmosphere between them has been strangely tense lately?¡± A sarcastic voice came from a boy in the center of the class. The pink pigtailed hair girl shoots her gaze toward the source of the voice. A small boy, fair skinned, brown short haired with glasses hiding half of his seemed stoic face; He sat a little bit uncomfortable under the gaze of everyone in the class.

    ¡°We all know how the Goddesses been lately. So, my question is.... what will happen if they finally at each other throat, ¡° he continued, ¡°we all need to be ready for the worst, don¡¯t you think so, sir?¡±

    Conroy took a deep breath in, he knew the truth in the boy¡¯s words. It is known to many on how bad was the relationship between the two Goddesses these past years.

    ¡°Well ..., ¡° He started, but a rang of bell showed that the class was over stopped him, ¡°let¡¯s continue this discussion at our next meeting shall we?¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    The class dispersed quick leaving the brown haired boy with the pink pig-tailed girl, both sitting on their own chair; staring blankly at the far future that they were unsure would be as cheerful as the sun shining outside their class.

    --

    Sweat dripped to her eyes, it stung like tiny vipers mixed with all the gore of sprayed blood on her face; the blood that wasn¡¯t hers. Panting, shaking, she swiped the area with her cautious eyes; making sure no one would jump on her. Just a year ago she was sitting in a class, studying the history of the creation. Not long ago she held a book and practicing her brawler skill unto a wooden doll. But now, she stood on a battlefield wielding her Katar against real men, she killed for survival. It¡¯s to kill or to be killed; survival to the fittest. She rubbed roughly the blood that dripped from her open wound on her left temple. Her pink pigtails messed up, some tangled with blood; the blood of those she had killed; it started to dry out.

    The whirlwind of disorder and violence, blurred of colors and vicious motion which was all around her before; the stench of blood, iron and smoke filled the air of place, the cries of men, the thunder of steel striking steel, the chanting of magic , the sound of flying arrows and daggers slicing the air; has slowly subsided. It seemed her side of troops won today¡¯s battle. She blinked quickly to ease the piercing sting on her eyes,

    ¡°Is it over?¡± she mumbled unsure to break her battling stance.

    ¡°For now maybe,¡± a silvery voice barged to her ears from behind; jolted her. She quickly turned and tried to land a spinning heel kick at the young man.

    ¡°Woahh! I am not an enemy here! Calm down!¡± He quickly dodged.

    ¡°How would I know you are not the enemy!¡± She flung forward while delivering Supreme Strike  toward the man vitals point, but again he deflected every attack she made easily and without even breaking a sweat he hit her with Palm Shove. She toppled down; stunned for a few seconds.

    ¡°STAY DOWN!¡± the man warning her, ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill you.¡±

    Shaking and still petrified by the attack, she looked at the man; to be mesmerized by his look. Despite the messy golden hair and the bloodstained war outfit he wore, he was a really good looking man. His build was obviously shown he wasn¡¯t just a commoner that just got sent to the war because they need some number of pawns to fight the battle; like her.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you?!¡± she barked.

    ¡°Nice! I like that spirit! What¡¯s your name little one?¡±

    ¡°Why in the world you need to know my name, kill me already!¡±

    ¡°I told you already I am not the enemy, don¡¯t you recognize my crest?¡± He came closer and showed her the crest, they were from the same kingdom. The girl felt a rush of blood went straight to her face; ashamed.

    The man chuckled, ¡°now your face is as pink as your hair, how cute. Don¡¯t you recognize your king?¡±

    The girl gasped, she had heard that their new king was young, but never in her mind she would have guessed that he would be not much older than her. Jace Ursa succeeding the seat as the fifth king of the Ursa kingdom, after a fierce competition against his older brothers. He was a famous strategist master that managed to win many battles. Besides his amazing war skill, he also has known to be a king that gain a lot of respect from other kingdoms. His wide connection and skill to win people hearts followed by his undoubtedly suave look making him the most perfect man that wanted and adored by people of all ages and gender. Staggering, she quickly positions herself in a curtsy manner.

    ¡°Forgive me my liege, I am just a humble commoner, please forgive my ignorance; to actually dare to lay my hand over the king. It¡¯s a crime that deserves a death penalty.¡±

    Jace laughed and patted her shoulder gently, ¡°don¡¯t worry, you are doing what a soldier would do. It was my fault to surprise you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, my liege,¡± she bowed deeply in gratitude.

    ¡°Now... let¡¯s return to my question,¡± his blue eyes glinted with interest, ¡°what is your name?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Eireen, Eireen Silver,¡± she stated.

    Jace smiled brightly and offered his hand in which she accepted it with a confused face.

    ¡°Eireen Silver, from today onward you are selected to be one of my special troop that will fight side by side with our Goddess, The Goddess of Light Aine.¡±

 Chapter 6 - Aynalago Lake House

    -back to the present time-

    ¡°Are you leaving?¡± Wen¡¯s voice made Yurika paused her packing activity, she turned herself facing her best friend.

    ¡°I guess..., ¡± tucking her losing hair to the back of her ears, she smiled sadly.

    ¡°Why?¡± Wen said obviously discontented, ¡°because of Moira? How many times do I have told you?! Taft¡¯s death is not your fault!¡±

    ¡°Wen...¡± Yuri looked forlorn, ¡°It is not just because of that... there¡¯s... hmm, there¡¯s something I need to do too.¡±

    ¡°What things? Do you really need to leave?¡± Wenona shaky voice showed how much she tried her best to not cry.

    Yurika rushed to hug her. They both went quiet with the sadness lingered in the air.

    ¡°I am not going that far, you can still come and see me,¡± Yurika leaned back and smiled, ¡°I just-- I can¡¯t -- you know... stay here. It¡¯s just too much for me. I can¡¯t be in a place where his memories are at every corner of this building.¡±

    ¡°Okay, if you think that¡¯s best for you,¡° Wen broke the hug and nodded finally, ¡±Where are you going? Are you going alone? I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Yurika¡¯s eyes widen hearing what Wen said, quickly she shook her head, ¡°No! uhm I mean¡­ I think you should stay here, for now, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Wen stared Yuri curiously, ¡°What do you mean I don¡¯t need to worry?¡±

    ¡°I mean¡­ I am just going to move out to the lake house since Moira hated the place and no one using it. It is not like I am going far away or something,¡± Yuri quipped quickly.

    Wen¡¯s face became more curious, ¡°Wait the minute... what¡¯s going on here?¡±

    ¡°What? Nothing is going on. What do u mean?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me... Are you going to move out with Z?¡± Wen eyes sparkled with interest, ¡°is there something going on between you and Z?¡±

    ¡°Wha--What!! No no no! Seriously, don¡¯t get strange ideas Wen,¡± Yurika anxiously protested, ¡°Z is going to help me training that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah sure~~ by the look you guys been hanging out lately, also those secretive conversations you guys had...,¡± Wen raised her eyebrow teasingly, ¡°I didn¡¯t even know that you have this ¡®Savior Syndrome¡¯ Yuu?¡±

    ¡°Oh, My Gosh Wenona Alstair! I said nothing is going on, NOTHING!¡± Yurika exclaimed.

    ¡°Okay, okay calm down woah! Calling my full name,¡± Wen chuckled while raising her both hands up in defense; somewhat relieved, ¡°I guess there¡¯s really nothing going on between you two.¡±

    Then there¡¯s a pause, Wen eyes dropped to her toes and with her hands in her pockets she mumbled, ¡±to be honest I am glad if there¡¯s really nothing between you two.¡±

    Yurika tilted her head; confused, ¡°and here I thought you want something actually going on between me and Z?¡±

    ¡°Well... not really, we just knew the guy. Sure he was there to save you from the monster that killed Taft. The one that somehow manages to get away but...,¡± Wen paused, ¡°I don¡¯t know... he just sounds suspicious for a Builderat, maybe because he just doesn¡¯t act as brash as one? And I know it¡¯s normal to give your common name. But ...''Z¡¯? is that even normal? One letter name doesn¡¯t sound right.¡±

    Yurika¡¯s laughter exploded hearing her reasoning, ¡°Is that all??¡±

    ¡°Stop laughing!! I know that sounds silly, but my gut feeling always right. There¡¯s something fishy about that man,¡± Wenona protested and slapped Yuri¡¯s back.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Owie! Okay, I am not laughing, I am not laughing,¡± Yurika flinched at the burning sensation on her back, ¡°I understand he is a mysterious guy. But trust me Wen, he is the last person that will ever do harm on me.¡±

    Now it was Wenona turn who tilted her head curiously, ¡°and how are you so sure about that?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say, it¡¯s my gut telling me,¡± said Yuri confidently.

    Wen¡¯s lips were tight and straight; there was still some doubt clouding her face.

    ¡°Nah, I still don¡¯t trust him for some reason, Yuu. Just be careful okay,¡± she said.

    ¡°Wen....¡±

    ¡°Promise me at least? Promise me to be cautious and assertive around him,¡± pleaded the indigo, haired girl.

    Yurika scanned her best friend¡¯s serious face; the silence hung in the air like the moment had been suspended. She didn¡¯t know how to make her trust Zeke without telling the truth about her being a <em class="">Fanaura. It¡¯s the last thing she ever wants to do, she had lived a whole life being an outcast and loner when she was Eireen and she didn¡¯t want to experience it again. The fear of losing her best friend gripped tight in her heart to the point she felt her breathing started to go shallow.

    ¡°Yuu?¡± Wen touched her rigid shoulder worriedly, ¡°are you okay?¡±

    Yuika quickly nodding, agreeing to what she asked, ¡°I am okay, don''t worry. And Wen... I promise to be cautious around him.¡±

    ---

    Aynalago lake house stood quietly on the center of Marama north district, not many people passing the area or even stopped by to pay a visit despite its beauty. It has been abandoned many years ago. Some said that it was haunted because it¡¯s near the ancient battlefield, where thousands or more people of many races had died on the last Great War. Some people even said that sometimes you could still smell the stench of rotten iron lingering, mingling with the fresh air of the lake. But for Taft, the place was his safe haven; quiet, private, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. He had been renovating the house for almost three years despite Moira¡¯s objection, ever since he accidentally stumbled upon it. Only a few knew about it and Yurika was one of the rare people he trusts. He took her there sometimes either to help him doing the renovating or just for her brawler training.

    Under the blue sky with some spots of clouds dotting, the view was wondrous to behold, the trees that embracing the lake were in their carnival suits, gold and scarlet of the autumn days. They play about the earthy hues of the branch and trunk, proud flags in any sky. The air filled with hints of earthy aroma, the fragrance of comfort and home.

    The sound of clashing swords broke the peaceful air, a young woman held her sword even, a perfect undaunted horizon; always leveled with the nose, just like how she was taught to.

    ¡°Haaa...¡± Yurika yelled as she moved forward with her sword aimed at Zeke. Her opponent took two easy steps to his right dodging the attack, then swiftly parried her attack. The clashing sword made her staggering, almost falling back over the brute strength of the colliding swords. She quickly pulled herself together and readied herself for the upcoming attack. Sweat was all over her face and her throat felt dry. She coughed a few times trying to catch her ragged breath. Zeke stopped his advances and watched her carefully.

    She used to be and always been enjoying these kinds of training even before her awakening as a Fanaura, even Taft was overwhelmed by her enthusiasm. Those training days with Taft were hard and fun for her, but Zeke ¡®s training was on another level.

    ¡°Do you wish to stop now?¡± Zeke asked, giving her some time to catch her breath. She quickly shook her head; still unable to speak. She just wanted to get it done quickly, she must grasp the essence of sword mastery before moving on to the next one. Her arms felt numb of the heaviness of the huge sword on her hands, she could see on how shaky they were as she held it up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break,¡± decided Zeke suddenly. Yurika looked up with a protested look.

    ¡°Your face screamed like you are about to pass out already Yuu,¡± he said gently, ¡°forcing it out would not get you anywhere. Let¡¯s take a break then we could go to Fractured Hills dungeon If you''re interested?¡±

    Hearing that he would take her to the dungeon brighten up her pale face a bit, she dropped her body to the ground with a huge ¡®huft ¡®and laid flat on it with her sword beside her. Zeke sheathed his sword to his back and sat next to the girl. His eyes gazed the blue lake.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got to say I admire your eagerness in these training,¡± he chuckled, ¡°I guess some things do change.¡±

    Yurika took a random pebble and threw it playfully at Zeke,

    ¡°Ouch what is that for?¡± he complained.

    ¡°Nothing really changes, I still don¡¯t enjoy war or being the pawn for the Goddesses'' power conflict,¡± Yurika slowly sat up and gaze upon the horizon, ¡°just that¡­ instead of running away, I finally choose to stay and fight.¡±

    Zeke gazed her from the side, there¡¯s mixed emotion swirled around his eyes but it went unseen as fast as it came.

    ¡°I got to admit you learn way faster than before, I wonder if it¡¯s because you are a Fanaura. But then again a good teacher also has an important role,¡± Zeke grinned cheekily, ¡° pretty sure I am better than Jace.¡±

    Yurika took another pebble and threw it again at Zeke, which he dodged it easily.

    ¡°You wish!¡± she giggled but then let out a long sigh, ¡°then again¡­ I guess you are better than him.¡±

    Her face went grim and dark as memories from the past played out on her mind.

 Chapter 7 - A kiss (Eireen)

    <strong class="">-18 years ago, just at the second year of the great war-

    ¡°Dodge!¡± Jace shouted, alarming Eireen of the upcoming assault. It was a second too late for her to back away, she slipped and fell down while staring at the flying flame flung at her; ready to accept her death. Jace rushed to stand between her and the flames; shielding her.

    The sound of the fiery bullets hitting his body was deafening, combined by his groan of pain. He managed to conjure a shield right before they reached him but it only lessens the damage to 50 percent; he still got hurt pretty badly.

    ¡°Jace!¡± Amiera Llana, princes of Marama kingdom also Jace¡¯s fiance quickly chant Holy Light to heal his wound, while Lyall Ursa, Jace¡¯s older brother, and Dietra Stilla his wife were fending of <em class="">Arcdiu one of the magical Beast from Blazing City dungeon.

    ¡°I TOLD YOU TO DODGE!¡± yelled Jace between his grunts of pain.

    ¡°I am sorry, I am too slow,¡± quickly Eireen stuttering an apology. Her lips trembled between shocked and terrified.

    ¡°Tssk, we¡¯ll talk about this later, ¡° he stood up and flexed his body; ready to continue the battle, ¡°stand back, just-- don¡¯t do anything.¡±

    Amiera gazed at Eireen with her dark jade eyes and gave her a quick cold smile, ¡°you heard him, don¡¯t worry, we got this.¡±

    Eireen stayed back while contemplating on how much hell she would get later from Jace. She just couldn¡¯t understand why he even picked her to be in the special squad. A group of elites that he gathered to prepare for the final battle against Goddess Calliea¡¯s troops.

    It was still fresh in her memory the first day Jace introduced her to the team, all eyes were on her; evaluating, sizing her up. It was rare for him to actually pick someone from the commoners, most of the elites were from well¡­ elites. People who were born noble or at least had a high rank and skill in the military. So they were expecting something special from her, in which she has been failing to deliver.

    The fact Jace had been personally training her, didn¡¯t make her situation better either. Glares of envy and clicking of tongues followed her every move, some even snickered and mocked her when she made mistake by mistake. Under those pressured times, she quietly wished someone she could call a friend. Amiera was nice to her in the beginning until the rumors of Eireen being Jace¡¯s possible mistress reached her. She started to give her a cold shoulder, despite how much she tried to explain that there was nothing going on between her and Jace.

    -Snap!- a playful slap on the back of her head pulled her out from her reverie.

    ¡°Did you pay attention to the battle at least?¡± Jace looked at her; scrutinizing. They have finished dealing with <em class="">Arcdiu, the magical beast had run away and somehow they decided to not chase it.

    ¡°¡­. Err y-yes¡­,¡± Eireen stammered; guilty as charged.

    Jace made a face and gave out a long heavy sigh, ¡°What should I do with you? I told you to stay back, not to daydream!¡±

    ¡°I-I am sorry¡­. I¡­¡±

    Her words were cut off by his stern gaze, she gulped hard.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on her, Jace. It is her first time joining the group mission, ¡° Lyall mirthfully calming Jace down, ¡°though I don¡¯t really understand why you insisted on taking her with us from the first place.¡±

    Now Jace turned his attention toward Lyall; agitated by his words, ¡°I wanted her to learn! Tssk, nevermind, let¡¯s just wrap things here up. We are done for the day with a complete failure.¡±

    Amiera softly put her hand on his shoulder trying to calm him down, ¡°we still have time, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Jace brushed her hand away gently and gave her a subtle smile that barely reached his eyes, ¡°yeah you are right.¡±

    He then turned his attention back to Eireen, ¡°and you¡­ don¡¯t you even dare think you can get some rest tonight! I¡¯ll see you at the training ground as soon as possible, you hear me!¡±

    ¡°Yes, master Jace¡­¡±

    ---

    She stood in a defensive stance at the center of the ring in the secluded training ground, waiting for Jace. The place was his personal training ground that only a few allowed to use, not even his fiance allowed to be there without his presence. She had been standing there for more than an hour since they came back from the dungeon. The moon already high above her head, her back trickled with sweat, and her stomach protested with a rumble, yet she didn¡¯t dare to move. The cold night wind brushed her skin, it was piercing and stabbing every tired bone she had and she shivered. It was his way on punishing her, if she even dared to move an inch from the spot, he would notice and added more hours to her punishment.

    Her legs started to rattle, she bit her lips tried her best to hold on and not crumble to the ground. She started to taste blood when he finally showed up.

    ¡°At ease,¡± he ordered, in which replied by a relieved sigh from Eireen that quickly position herself in a more relaxed pose.

    He came closer and looked at her eyes directly, ¡°do you know your mistake?¡±

    ¡°Yes Master Jace!¡± she quickly answered.

    He clicked his tongue, ¡°tsk, I don¡¯t think you know. Either you are too slow or just plain stupid to keep repeating the same mistake over and over again.¡±

    Eireen looked remorseful, she didn¡¯t dare to raise her head and let her gaze lingers to her old shoes. She wished she could ask him to release her from the elite troop duty. It wasn¡¯t like she hasn¡¯t tried to do so, there were many occasions she struggled in bringing the topic up but in the end, she stopped. His wrath was a force to reckon and she still wished to keep her head intact to her neck.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    A whimsical nudge poked her forehead, ¡°What are you mopping about with that brain of yours?¡±

    ¡°N-nothing master Jace,¡± Eireen clumsily shook her head.

    ¡°How many times have I told you to just call me Jace when we are alone?¡± Jace gave her a smile that would make any girl blush at the sight of it.

    ¡°But¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°No, but! Call me by my name or I will add your punishment !¡± He playfully threatens her.

    This was one of those times that she got confused about how he could be so nice at the same time mean to her. Their private training together so far was onerous, but there¡¯s some random occasion where he was friendly and gentle to her. The thought about those gossips tiptoed into her mind, which she quickly brushed it off. There¡¯s no way he was interested in her in that way, he already has his beautiful Amiera. The princess, he had chosen himself to be his future wife when his father told him to pick a wife to support his reign.

    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Jace raised his brows; waiting.

    ¡°¡­ J-Ja-Jace,¡± awkwardly she tried to call his name.

    ¡°Again¡­¡±

    ¡°J-Jace¡­¡±

    His satisfied smile rose up, ¡°well that¡¯s a start. Now¡­ I am sure you are hungry.¡± He took out a pack of pepper and shrimp dumplings also a flask of herbal tea. He handed them to Eireen then walked towards the corner of the training ground.

    ¡°Come, sit with me. You should take a break and eat,¡± he patted on a patch of grass next to him, inviting her to sit, ¡±after that be prepared for some training. I am not going to let you rest till I see significant progress.¡±

    Eireen gulped hard, she knew if those words weren¡¯t just empty words.

    ---

    20 minutes later¡­

    They stood face to face in the middle of the ring; Jace took off his coat revealing his athletic build, which usually was the source of envy and adoration. As he flexed his muscle nonchalantly, the golden-haired king glanced at the girl with pink pigtails, who look so focused on preparing her defensive stance. He tried to find a glint of admiration from her eyes that he often received from many girls.

    But there was nothing in her eyes.

    He snorted; feeling annoyed.

    ¡°I am not going to hold back, be ready!¡± he warned her, pulling out his red source stone and gathered his fire mage essence aura.

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± she replied.

    It¡¯s pretty essential for people to have more than one job skill in this era of war, but not many who was as talented as Jace. At his relatively young age at the early of twenty, he managed to master 3 jobs; a brawler, a fire mage and a rouge. A source stone usually used to make people easily changed the skills they wanted to use. It carries the class¡¯ essence aura, so they didn¡¯t really need to carry too many weapons as their media to engage their skills.

    He started to conjure a fireball on his right hand, ¡°Try to avoid it as best as you can and I also want you to try your luck on landing a punch on me with your skill.¡±

    Eireen raised her eyebrows; unsure.

    ¡°If you manage to avoid it all and actually hit me, I¡¯ll reward you a week off,¡± he grinned when he saw the ambition started to set in her eyes, ¡°Good, I see you like that. However if you failed¡­..¡±

    Her face retorted, she knew that he would give her a grave punishment if she failed.

    ¡°¡­ you know what¡­ I¡¯ll decide your punishment later.¡±

    Eireen jaw dropped unconsciously. ¡®This is bad, I have a bad feeling about all this. Oh, Goddess please let me win.¡¯

    ¡°I¡¯ll start now,¡± Jace started to throw the fireball in his hand at her. She took a side step to the right easily and the fireball blew up not so far on her left.

    But it was just a start, Jace started to conjure more and more fireballs and threw them at her in a more faster pace. Soon enough Eireen was busy evading them, without a chance to launch an attack.

    A fireball passed too close to her left face, she could feel the heat caressing her cheek and burned a bit of her pink hair.

    She panicked and rolled to the right when she saw another incoming fireball coming toward her from the sky. It would have hit her if she didn¡¯t manage to jump backward at the last second.

    ¡°Come on now, I am waiting,¡± taunted Jace, ¡°or you are ready to accept your defeat and punishment?¡±

    He still stood on the same spot as before.

    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to reach me if u run that far away, ¡° Jace yawned, ¡°don¡¯t make me wait too long. I am getting bored here.¡±

    Eireen stood, her breathing was rough, her body was covered with dirt and she could smell her burnt hair; tickling her nose. Her eyes swept the area trying to find an opening while still doing her best to avoid his attack. She wanted that one week off more than anything.

    Jace was watching the girl as she was jumping, rolling, and sidestepping, trying to avoid all the attack that he threw at her. Her pink pigtails, flew around along with her every move. Making her looked like a butterfly; Pink Swallowtail; dancing under the rain of fire and ray of moonlight.

    ¡°Beautiful¡­¡± he absentminded whispered, which startled himself.

    ¡®What¡­ am I thinking¡­?¡¯ Quickly he brushed off the thought and refocused on sending more bullets of fire at the girl.

    But he couldn¡¯t help his eyes to be so fixated at her every move, her image slowly blurred with his memory about the first time when she caught his eyes at the battlefield a year ago. She was beautiful and yet fierce. Her skill was below average and yet she survived every enemy attack. Her will to survive and to stay alive actually made her able to overpowering the stronger opponents.

    That¡¯s when he decided to have her.

    ¡®Have her as a part of my elite troop of course. She is an unpolished gem after all. I want to make her shine with the right training,¡¯he reasoned himself.

    His mind trailed off and accidentally he conjured Fire Tornado at her instead of Fireball.

    He saw her body flew vertically for a few seconds before dropped and rolled a few meters away from him, then stop moving.

    Jace stood there shocked and didn¡¯t really knew what to react. The next thing he knew, his body automatically rushed toward her; panic.

    ¡°Eireeen! I am sorry, are you okay?¡± He quickly turned her body to check on her. The entire worst possible thing he could think of rush in his mind like a typhoon. For once in his life, he actually worried about someone.

    Suddenly a weak punch hit his jaw; it wasn¡¯t strong enough to actually hurt him but enough to give him a jolt.

    ¡°There I got you~~, ¡°Eireen weakly made a cheeky smile, ¡°please keep your promise?¡¯

    Jace was stunned for a few seconds, to realize that she somehow managed to avoid that attack and tricked him to come closer and be defenseless for once.

    His thunderous laugh roared, ¡°Who says that you can trick me?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t say I can¡¯t either, Master,¡± Eireen protested as she tried to sit back; feeling uncomfortable on their closeness.

    A few moments ago she realized something was off when he took longer in conjuring the fireball, so she took a few steps backward for preparation and when she saw it was Fire Tornado, she managed to back flipped the attack, but the strength of the wind that came from it made her lost her balance, pushed and sent her up, then next thing she knew she had rolled on the ground .

    It took her a few minutes to chase away her dizziness when she realized Jace already on top of her, rolled her to her back and cradled her with a concerned face. That¡¯s when she decided to take the chance to land a punch on him.

    ¡°What did you just say?¡± Jace held her body down, stopping her from sitting back. He could see a confused look on her eyes,

    ¡°Say that again and I will cancel your win,¡± He added with a serious tone.

    She gulped, didn¡¯t want to lose her one week off; unsure on what she about to say was the right thing to do or not she timidly said, ¡°Sorry¡­ err I mean¡­ J-Jace.¡±

    ¡°Smart girl, ¡° he smiled, ¡°repeat that once more.¡±

    ¡°J-Jace..¡±

    ¡°Again¡±

    ¡°Ja¡­¡± before she managed to finish her word, his lips were on hers.

    Her eyes widened, shocked and stunned for a few seconds before she started to push him away frantically but he was so much stronger than her.

    ¡°Jace Ursa! What are you doing?!¡± a cold voice broke his kiss.

    There stood near the entrance of the training ground a girl with long icy blue hair looked extremely furious; Amiera Llana.

 Chapter 8 - Home (Eireen)

    It was strange, being at home again after so long. Despite how long she¡¯d been away, she still remembered everything about the place; the pink chameleon lavender planted in the front yard, the soft tinkling of the wind chimes that reminded her of those peaceful summer afternoons. Eireen sighed and took a sip of sweet blue ginger ale her mom made for her. She glanced at the old, worn swings. Years ago, she had swung there, alone. She had been a strange child, quiet and private. Until she entered the Academy, that swing had been her only friend. Putting down the mug on the table on the porch, she made her way over to the abandoned swing, her roseate eyes taking in the peeled yellow coat and rough wooden seat. Her fingers tiptoed the tired swing¡¯s rope, carefully she took hold on it, twisting the tired swing¡¯s lone rope; round and round; till the poor weathered tether was taut with tension, the binds creaking with pleas for relief. She sat on the dried out seat; the wood complaining noisily under her weight, and had the frayed cord securely between her legs, did she finally release all the strain she had caused the worn, but deeply love elder swing. The girl closed her eyes, enjoying the almost floating sensation as the world blended together and spun around faster and faster.

    ¡°I will miss you,¡± she breathed tenderly holding the coarse rope close to her forehead, the frayed, severed threads playfully tickling her nose.

    ¡°I will remember you when all else has failed.¡±

    Suddenly, she felt overwhelmed with emotion and tears prickled at her eyes. Alarmed, she wiped at them.

    ¡°Eireen!¡± a melodic voice call her out from the porch, she turned her head to find her sweet loving mom stood there waving at her.

    ¡°Come now, lunch is ready.¡±

    She hesitated to reply to her, but she stood up nonetheless and making her way back to the house. Her mom watched her and smiled; the crow¡¯s feet around her eyes deepened as she smiled.

    They strolled to the kitchen without words shared; both with their own thoughts. Eireen sat on the stool, head slumped onto her hands watching her mother prepared her meal.

    Then she put her head on the table, her brows creased and face tensed.

    When her mom sat; with 2 bowls on her hand; she asked worriedly, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Do I really need to go back?¡± she muttered more to herself than to her mother. Today was her fourth day since she got back home. She must return to the palace in three days. Something she wished she could avoid, but to be a deserter could cause harm, not only to herself but also her mom and tainted her dad family name.

    Her mother hand softly caressing her rosy hair; comforting her.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong dear? Is there something troubling you?¡±

    Eireen sat up and gazed on her mom. Her mother was not overly old, but her body had aged passed her years, the occasional strand of her once red hair could still be seen through the lifeless grey mane that limply framed her aging tired face. Her forehead wrinkled by many peaks and trenches, but her beautiful dark ebony eyes cover all the flaws. Eireen hated to make her worry, her lips opened and closed, unsure on how to bring up the topic about the ¡®kiss¡¯. The heat started to grow in her cheeks as the memory of the kiss crawling out her mind.

    She decided to go home on her ¡®time off¡¯, a gift granted by Princess Amierra instead of his royal highness king Jace. That night Amierra dismissed her on the spot, she didn¡¯t request or even order an explanation on why her fianc¨¦ kissing a commoner. But if a stare could kill, the way she looked at her that night was enough for Eireen. She would lose her head on the spot if the one who kissed her not the king himself.

    ¡°Are you worrying about me?¡± Her mother caressed Eireen¡¯s right cheek.

    ¡°Of course I am, you know I will always do,¡± she frowned, ¡°really mom, why don¡¯t you just move to the capital with me? Living all alone in the outskirt of the border while the war is ongoing¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, are you forgetting that I was in the army a long time ago? Your mom is more than able to protect herself,¡± her mom cut her off and flicked Eireen¡¯s forehead with her index finger, ¡°beside¡­ I can¡¯t leave this place. Your dad made this house for us, to leave and let it be mugged or anything.¡±

    Rubbing her redden forehead, Eireen pouted, ¡°I know¡­, but I rather lose the house than you.¡±

    ¡°Eireen Silver, how could you say that!¡± Her mom raised from her seat with her hands on her sides. Her eyes flared up.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I am sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it that way, just that¡­¡±

    ¡°Besides I trust you to defend the country, being in the elite troop and actually march with the king himself,¡± Her mom''s eyes softened and proudness settled in her face, ¡°I believe in you.¡±

    Eireen¡¯s face went sour on the part ¡®elite troop¡¯, but she quickly covered it up with a grin, ¡°anyway¡­, I am hungry! Let¡¯s dig in!¡±

    Grace Silver watched her little girl as she chomped down the simple lunch she made, her brows gathered; making creased on her forehead deeper; her face looked slightly stiffen with worries, but she forced a smile and focused to her lunch. She thought that her baby wasn¡¯t ready to talk, so she didn¡¯t want to force her.

    ¡°So¡­, how is it?¡±

    Eireen diverted her attention from her bowl of mushroom and salmon with rice to her mom with her mouth full.

    ¡°How is it feel to be in the king¡¯s elite troops?,¡± her mom repeated her question, ¡°I heard that he even trained you personally.¡±

    That last sentence sent her spoonful of rice to the wrong part of her throat, and she coughed hard; choked by food could be funny but deathly nevertheless. Her mom quickly patted her back and gave her some water to recover.

    ¡°Are you alright? You should have eaten more slowly, the food won¡¯t go anywhere,¡± said Grace while continue rubbing her daughter back

    ¡°W-Who told you that?¡± croaked Eireen.

    ¡°Told me what?¡±

    ¡°The part that he trained me¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, that? Do you remember Naomhan? Naomhan Cuirc, the boy who got drafted the same day as you,¡± her mom explained.

    The image of a young man with his shoulders hunched together, dark eyes, dark skin, and wavy short Aegean hair played on Eireen mind. She thought he was as quiet and reserved as she was.

    ¡°He is the one who told you that?¡± Eireen begrudgingly commented, ¡°I didn¡¯t even think that he is the type who likes to gossip. That¡¯s a surprise.¡±

    ¡°He wasn¡¯t gossiping about you. Don¡¯t take it the wrong way,¡± Grace said, her ebony eyes pierced through Eireen and her lips tighten unhappily, ¡°I asked him when he went home last summer. Can you blame me for that? You never send me any news, not even a telepathic message, when I already gave you my True Name.¡±

    The guilt sat not only on her mind but also her chest, Eireen knew she should have at least contacted her mom once in a while. Her mom was the only one she had left in this world and she was her only daughter, they only have each other in this world. But... the girl really didn¡¯t know where to begin, confession about how her life in the military was out of the question. She didn¡¯t have the heart to tell her about how she had been treated, how lonely she was and how being chosen to be one of the king¡¯s elite troops didn¡¯t really making her life any easier.

    ¡°Urgh¡­ why are you so much like your dad,¡± Grace complained seeing Eireen quietness, ¡°keeping everything inside won¡¯t get you anywhere.¡±

    ¡°I am sorry¡­,¡± Eireen feeling contrite, as she put down her spoon her eyes dropped to her hands.

    ¡°Here it goes again¡­,¡± Grace raised her hand; she conceded and sighed.

    Silence settled in, seeped into their every pore, like a poison slowly paralyzing them from either speech or movement.

    ¡°For once, I wish¡­ you could be more like me,¡± Grace grumbled breaking the silence, but then she put her hands on top of Eireen hands warmly, ¡°you know that I will always love you right?¡±

    Eireen nodded softly, still didn¡¯t move her eyes away from her hand.

    Her mom smiled gently and cupped her daughter¡¯s face, ¡°I will always be here, ready to lend you my ears, sharing your burden. Please¡­ tell me what¡¯s going on? I know something had happened the moment you showed up four days ago.¡±

    Hearing her mom, Eireen heart sank. She finally dared to look at her mom¡¯s doting face, she could feel the heat on the corner of her eyes, threatening her with the tears that already ready to pour down anytime.

    ¡°¡­ what else did Naomhan tell you?¡± The rosy haired girl started, her voice was shaking with emotions.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me much, he just told me about you were busy with the king''s training,¡± Grace explained patiently, ¡°So something really happened?¡±

    ¡®I guess he didn¡¯t tell her about the rumor that has been going on,¡¯  thought Eireen, ¡®what would she said if I told her that the king had kissed me, his fianc¨¦ saw it and I was given a week off because of it?¡¯

    ¡°Eireen¡­ we do have a telepathic ability, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can read your mind, come on dear tell me what is going on?¡± Grace said half choked with sadness while softly wiped Eireen tears that had poured without she even realized it.

    ¡°Mom¡­ the king --¡±

    A sudden knock on their door surprised both of them. They looked at each other half confused half unprepared of the disturbance.

    ¡°Are we expecting someone?¡± Eireen asked with a hoarse voice. Her mom shook her head as she walked to the front door. She peeked the window to see a small group of a soldier stood up outside her door.

    ¡°Soldiers¡­?!¡±

    Her mother¡¯s word made Eireen alerted, she leaped off her chair and quickly grab her Katar that lies on the weapon cabinet near the living room.

    ¡°In the name of King Ursa the fifth, open the door! We have come to officially escort Eireen Silver to the Palace! ¡±

    Grace turned her head toward her daughter and her voice echoed in Eireen head, ''Were you deserting? Is that why you are home unannounced?''

    ''No! I am not a deserter, believe me, mom! I would never¡­ ''

    Eireen telepathy was cut off when her mom jumped to take her own Katar, ''I trust you, now go! I will protect you.''

    Eireen stood there conflicted and froze. The knock on the door got louder and louder, she looked at the door and looked at her mom.

    ''What are you doing?! GO NOW!'' Her mom screamed in Eireen head. The knocking on the door had changed to banging. She must make a decision and soon.

    ''No! I am sorry mom¡­ it is something that I must face myself,'' she said assuredly as she stepped in front of her mom and opened the door.

    ¡°I am Eireen Silver, please escort me back to the palace.¡±

 Chapter 9 - At The Kings Chamber (Eireen)

    The hills lay charcoal under the sallow moon, feeble rays struggled to shine through the broken layer of cloud. The moon looked pale and wan as if it shouldn¡¯t be up on a night like this. It rose unwillingly and hung like an ill specter. The dull light captured silhouettes of small groups of people galloping under the lazy moon, making their way toward the city palace. Eireen gazed upon the Palace gate as they were closing in, her mind flew to the moment she said goodbye to her mom.

    ***

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go if you don¡¯t want to!¡± Grace grabbing her daughter arm, stopping her from leaving the house. She didn¡¯t care if that would mean defying the King¡¯s order.

    Eireen put her hand on her mother¡¯s and smiled; comforting her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, mother. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll message you when I am in the city palace.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯ll be fine?! Just a couple minutes ago you were reluctant to go back,¡± Grace protested, her eyes glaring at the young soldiers who already entered their house, ¡°You don¡¯t have to go and I can make sure that won¡¯t happen, even if I need to give my life as the price!¡±

    The girl pulled her mother in a tight embrace, ¡°Don¡¯t say that, please¡­ I don¡¯t want to lose you. You are all I have left in this world.¡±

    ¡°¡­and you are all I have in this world too,¡± her mother replied and tighten their hug.

    ¡°So please¡­ don¡¯t worry and let me answer the king¡¯s order,¡± Eireen whispered and leaned back to look at her mother¡¯s sad face, ¡°I promise you everything will be okay.¡±

    Grace unwillingly agreed and finally letting her go, ¡°¡­keep your promise. Message me the moment you¡¯ve arrived in the city palace. I know it only took a half day to get there so I will be waiting.¡±

    ¡°I promise.¡±

    ¡°One minute late, and I will go to the palace myself to drag you out!¡± Her mom scowled.

    Eireen couldn¡¯t help herself to giggle, her mom always been a red-hot headed woman, it amazing how her dad managed to ¡®tame¡¯ her. She pulled her in another tight hug and kissed both of her mom''s cheeks, ¡°you know that¡¯s not a good move, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± her mom stated, obviously being stubborn.

    ¡°I am going now,¡± her eyes started to sting again as she said her goodbye. Somehow she felt like it would be her last time in seeing her mother, she tried to shake the feeling away and gave her mom the longest hug she could before she left the premises.

    ***

    ¡°The King will see you in his chamber,¡± the young captain voice snapped her back to the present time; they have arrived.

    ¡°¡­ but it¡¯s almost midnight,¡± Eireen said as she jumped off her mount, the great Azzax. One of the fastest mount the kingdom has. Its coat could change colors depends on the season, their heads marked with brown or black patches that form an ¡®X¡¯ over their noses, a short mane on the neck and a pair of long black spiraling horns made them not only good for war but also great for fast transport.

    ¡°The king said he will wait no matter how late it is,¡± responded the man, ¡°I will escort you to his chamber now. Please follow me.¡±

    ¡®His chamber¡­ at this time of the hour? What does the king want?¡¯ a dread feeling started to clamber in Eireen mind as she traipsed behind the captain.

    The moment she arrived in front of the magnificent door; the king¡¯s chamber, her heart twisted and sunk, her slender fingers pressed into the skin of her forearms. Her whole body shook, bones rattling in the constant fear of the future that may loom before her. Heart pounding so hard against her ribcage as her pulse pressed outward, jerking the veins within.

    The young captain announced her presence and opened the door for her, after hearing the king¡¯s permission to enter.

    The king¡¯s bedchamber¡¯s d¨¦cor was truly fit for a king. Its furniture was opulent and over-elaborated with gliding. In the center was a monumental canopy of golden-threaded drapes, which protected the ruler from cold. The top of the bed was adorned with four bouquets of white Ostruka bird¡¯s feather, a luxury product reserved only for the royalties. The very fine brocade d¨¦cor of gold and silver on a jade wall as a complementary of few majestic paintings that the king¡¯s had hand-picked himself.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Eireen walked in cautiously, her eyes swept around wishing for someone else presence besides the king. That wishes perished when she saw only the young golden-haired ruler was there, she turned her head toward the captain, pleading with her eyes for him to stay but that was proven futile. The man bowed down and left the room after Jace Ursa dismissed him with a simple wave.

    ¡°Come closer,¡± he ordered. She did as ordered, walked to the front of his bed and bowed respectfully.

    ¡°I have been waiting for you,¡± he said as he rose up from the bed, his black satin robe decorated with gold thread hung clumsily on his sensual chiseled body. His bare skin peeked through the half-opened robe, giving her the chance to see how smooth it was.

    Eireen flushed and quickly drop her gaze to the ground, ¡°I am sorry my liege If you don¡¯t mind to apprise me the reason why I am called to you in such an urgent matter.¡±

    The king chuckling lowly and started to round around her like a Shabeel; a cat-like beast; cornering his prey. He then ran a finger across her neck lightly; leaving goose bumps trails to the surface that he touched.

    ¡°Master please...,¡± the pink pigtailed girl begged quietly with her eyes closed; the dread feeling she had before had accumulated to the point she could taste it in the tip of her tongue, ¡°address me with your demands. I am worried that the longer I stay the higher chance Princess Amierra would ¡­¡±

    "Would what?¡± he growled, cutting her sentence.

    Eireen bit her shaken lips didn¡¯t dare to continue her sentence.

    He then grabbed her, shoved her against the wall and caged her with his strong hands, she yelped in shock. Her eyes sealed in fear; too scared to imagine what would become to her.

    ¡°Who would have known that a girl like you¡­, ¡° the king¡¯s voice was so close to her ears, his warm breath was all over her face.

    ¡°Look at me!¡± he ordered.

    Eireen carefully opened her eyes, her coral eyes looked glassy and filled with fear. She never looked him in the eyes before, it was not polite to do so as a commoner.

    ¡°I said look at me,¡± he hissed when Eireen eyes weren¡¯t on him, he put his index finger on her left cheek and pushed it to face him. He gazed deeply at her deer like eyes.

    She didn¡¯t dare to look away from him with his hand holding firmly on her chin. Her face was crimson with their closeness.

    ¡°Master Jace, please¡­ ¡± she whimpered and put her hands on his chest to put a distance between them, hoping that he would realize that their position was improper, especially for a guy that already has a fianc¨¦.

    His piercing blue eyes drunk on her beautiful frightened face, they seemed dreamy almost intoxicated by it. A smile rose upon his lips as his face came near to hers; hovering closely. His hand softly caressed her right cheeks followed by his finger that lightly traced her chin.

    ¡°I - I think I love you, Eireen Silver,¡± he murmured, mumbling to himself, ¡°to realize that all this time¡­ All I was longing for was ¡­¡±

    Eireen gasped hearing his sudden confession. Of all the reason she could think of on why he kissed her that night, never in her mind, she could expect to hear that it was because of love.

    His eye fixated at her lips, his thick lashes fluttered and he lowered himself aiming to her lips.

    Realizing what he was about to do, spontaneously Eireen put her hand over her lips.

    ¡°No!¡± she squeaked weakly and with all her might she pushed him away.

    Jace astounded by her rejection but that quickly replaced by rage,

    ¡°What do you mean by no?! Woman, I choose you over all the princesses, here you dare to say no!¡±

    Eireen shook her head in fear, her face ashen seeing his rage, but she stood her ground and keeping their distance.

    ¡°Are you worrying about Amierra?¡± Jace''s face softens a bit, ¡°She knew that is all just business, we both need to be together to strengthen each other position, just for the sake of power.¡±

    Eireen couldn¡¯t help to feel sorry for the princess. She had seen how the princess¡¯ eyes gazed on the king, her rare warm smile that always available for him, and the way she treated him was a distinct proof that Amiera Llana loves this golden-haired man. Everyone could see it; only a blind man who couldn¡¯t; that it was beyond business for her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her, I know you have some feeling too for me,¡± He smiled confidently, ¡°my marriage with her is impossible to abrogate, but the rule never stops any king to take the second wife.¡±

    ¡®The second wife? ¡­ does he mean that he wanted me to be his second wife?¡¯  a nausea feeling hit her on the idea of being his wife.

    ¡°Come to me with confidence, Eireen Silver. I will announce our engagement the first thing in the morning,¡± Jace opened his arms wide; expecting her to run to his embrace in joy.

    But to his surprise, Eireen kneeled down with her forehead touching the ground.

    ¡°My liege¡­ you know I, Eireen Silver, your humble servant is in debt to your kindness, ¡° her voice trembled; knowing on what her answer next would bring her, ¡°I would die for you in the battlefield without a second thought.¡±

    ''Mom¡­ I have arrived at the Palace. I am fine, the king was just too excited in informing my promotion in the army. Don¡¯t worry¡­ I am fine.'' She quickly sent a telepathic message to her mom in the hope she won¡¯t realize what might happen to her only child; at least not in any near future.

    Jace''s face went dark, his opened arms slowly dropped and his hands clenched tightly. He knew what would be her answer.

    ¡°¡­but to be honored as your second wife¡­ I-I must humbly ask for your forgiveness, that I have to decline such honor, as I am unworthy of it.¡±

    His clenched hands gripped so tight that blood started to seep out. Her rejection was like a humiliation slap right into his face.

    ¡®You will regret this, Eireen... I promise you that you will regret this!¡¯

 Chapter 10 - Fractured Hills

    -Present time-

    Fractured hills Dungeon, one of the dungeons that suddenly rose up from the ground on the last days of the Great War. The dungeon stood between 2 hills at the southern of Marama District area. It has four flying square towers with purple-ish pointy roofs, twenty floors level high and surrounded by lush trees and bushes. It was one of the favorite dungeons for most new adventurers. It provided decent experience and loot that consist of silver ores which lay on the walls of the dungeon or sometimes attached on the fur of Lou; a small type of bear like a beast around four and a half feet tall. They were easy to identify with their round big eyes and cuddly brown fur, as innocent as they may seem they were as deadly as any other beasts in their gang-raid attack style. Besides Lou, there were also Sheebals, giant cats like beasts that have expensive golden fur and crystal fangs. They rarely appeared but when they do, it was best to run away for your life than facing it, for their claw and teeth could shred any armor lower than golden armor. Only those that have the skills and better armor would try their luck in gaining the rare golden fur coat and crystals teeth of a Sheebal.

    All of those dungeons were sealed with shining portals and small pedestals stood by; it has a slot where you need to provide an emblem that was catered by Adventure Guild. Every eligible young adventurer had to go through a series of tests to get the emblem. The emblem itself has the capability of grading the owner skill and power, the higher the ability and strength the owner has the higher chance for more dungeons to be available to explore. There were also some rumors saying that somewhere inside those dungeons lay hidden areas with legendary treasures, though after more than sixteen years no one had ever been able to prove the existence of the legendary treasures.

    Yurika stood in front of the portal with Zeke standing behind her, waiting for her to enter. She rose her hand to place her emblem to the slot on the pedestal when suddenly she stopped.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zeke peeked curiously.

    She turned her body facing him with a quizzical look. Zeke tilted his head waiting for her to shoot her question.

    ¡°Thinking about it, this emblem, isn¡¯t it supposed to keep the owner safe from entering wrong dungeons?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Zeke''s tone was flat, ¡°why?¡±

    ¡°So¡­ how did that happen?¡± she looked at her emblem, starting to turn it up and down.

    ¡°What do you mean? What did happen?¡± Confused at her action, the man walked next to her trying to see what she was doing.

    ¡°You know, that time when we first met,¡± Yurika returned her attention to him, ¡°don¡¯t tell me you already forgotten that.¡±

    It took Zeke a couple of minutes before finally he chuckled and nodded; it was like a couple of months ago when he found her entering Fractured Hills.

    ¡°At that time I wasn¡¯t strong enough, but how did the portal allow me to enter?¡± she started to poke her emblem curiously, ¡°don¡¯t you find that strange?¡±

    Zeke took a deep breath and put his hand over hers, to stop the girl from poking at her adventurer emblem any further, ¡°you will break it for sure if you keep doing that.¡±

    ¡°¡­ don¡¯t tell me it actually read me as a <em class="">Fanaura?¡± she gasped.

    ¡° Maybe.¡±

    ¡°Now I wonder how did the adventure guild create this tool,¡± Yurika started to poke around her emblem once more, ¡°Oh! Oh! That brings me to another question...¡±

    Zeke''s eyes were gazing at her with a strange peer; there seemed something in his mind.

    ¡°Okay, are we going to stand here all day and questioning everything or are we going to enter the dungeon?¡± He cut her random wave of questions, ¡°I don¡¯t have all day you know?¡±

    ¡°Aww okay, let¡¯s go then!¡± she sounded unsatisfied, but she decided to stuff all of her questions in the back of her mind.

    Yurika then placed the upside down arrowhead shaped insignia - which has embossed pattern code and Adventure Guild sign crafted on it- to the slot of the pedestal. A soft blue light started to radiate from the embossed pattern. The light was moving, tracing on the pattern and by the time it completed the portal in front of the dungeon started to swirl in bright colors. The girl turned her head toward the swordsman before taking a step into the twirling light, as it swallowed her and send her into the dungeon.

    ---

    ¡°Are you that sure if the one who you were saving back then was me, as in Eireen?¡± Yurika started her questioning session again while they were gathering their loot. They were on the fifth floor of the dungeon.

    ¡°I mean¡­ How could you just give out your True Name to some stranger like that? I don¡¯t even remember my life as Yurika before Taft found me at that time, moreover as Eireen.¡±

    Zeke grunted loudly hearing her question, all through their dungeon run just now she has been throwing questions at him randomly. Sometimes it was just a question that wasn¡¯t even directed to him, more of her rambling to herself. All of those trails of thoughts and questions made her less focused. More than enough he got to warn or save her from getting hit by the beasts. They were pretty lucky there wasn¡¯t any Sheebal on all of the five floors they had been through. Seeing on how indistinct was Yurika, the garnet haired man decided to stop their excursion.

    ¡°You and your questions, can¡¯t they wait or watch the situation? Don¡¯t you realize how hard it is to keep you safe while keeping myself alive on this whole run?!¡±

    Yurika face flushed with guilt, ¡°Sorry¡­ I just have ¡­ uhm.¡±

    Zeke watched her stammering, her guilty face and how she said sorry kind of reminded him of her past life. He couldn¡¯t stay mad at that kind of face, not back then when she was Eireen and most likely not now. He always couldn¡¯t help to helplessly succumb at her charms and forgave her easily.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    He flicked his finger on her nose, hard enough to make her winced in surprise, ¡°Focus!¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­,¡± Yurika automatically rubbed her reddened nose.

    ¡°Save your questions until we are out of this dungeon,¡± he gave her a comforting smile, ¡°I promise I will try to answer them if I can.¡±

    Yurika smiled and nodded, she then bent down to take care of the rest of the loot. Zeke was going to join her but suddenly he stood still, his gaze looked far and vacant. His brows gathered in the middle of his forehead and dark cloud started to hang on his crimson eyes.

    ¡°Yuu we need to leave this dungeon fast,¡± his grim voice made Yurika wary. She rushed to finish up and followed him toward the dungeon exit.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Was the first thing she asked when they were out.

    Zeke glanced at her for a few seconds before diverted his gaze toward a random direction, he wasn¡¯t sure if mentioning his name would be a good idea.

    ¡°Jace¡­¡± he finally murmured, ¡°he called me to return to the palace just now¡±

    By the mention of his name, Yurika face went pale, ¡°J-Jace?? He is still a-liv¡ªer I mean around? Even the palace? I thought Ursa kingdom had succumbed and that¡¯s why Adventure Guild took charge of everything?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he is and also some of the elites. The palace¡­,¡± his garnet eyes darken, he averted his eyes to the horizon and left his sentence hanging.

    ¡°Well I am still alive, ain¡¯t I? Why did you never question that before?¡±

    Yurika gasped, ¡°Yeah, I never really think about that before, It just seems so natural for me to see you. It was like just yesterday I bid you goodbye when you were dispatched to the frontline, but now thinking about it... it¡¯s been like seventeen years ago since I last see you. Why are you not growing a day older ?¡±

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s true that you are different. You aren¡¯t the same girl like the one I know before,¡± he snickered trying to lighten the air

    ¡°Hey what is that supposed to mean!¡± Yurika objected.

    ¡°For one she wasn¡¯t as chatty, impulsive, and na?ve like you,¡± his face looked wistful the moment of her name flew out of his lips and a yearning smile rose upon his face, ¡°Eireen¡­ she is spe¡ª¡°

    ¡°That¡¯s because I am Yurika,¡± the girl cut him, she was miffed on how he mentions that name; her own name in the past, ¡°having her memories, doesn¡¯t mean I am her. I might have her memories fragments of life but this is Yurika¡¯s life, not hers.¡±

    He shrugged realizing her hostility, ¡°anyways¡­ no one realized that we are given  eternal youth gift until around five years after the Great War ended.¡±

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s her doing?¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°The Goddess, Aine¡­¡± she muttered, ¡°she must have been the one who did that to you guys, just like how she made me as a <em class="">Fanaura.¡±

    ¡°Who knows,¡± Zeke rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, ¡°but given the fact she had ordered us to find the one who would inherent Fetuu La Rossa at the last days of the Great War, might giving her the reason to do so.¡±

    ¡°So, Amiera, Lyall, Marc¡­, all of them still alive and have the same gift ?¡± She started to mention the names of those in the elites troops one by one which answered with a quick nod by Zeke.

    ¡°But we lost Dietra in our final battle¡­,¡± Zeke informed before she even mentioning her name, ¡°Lyall¡­ he is not the same man he used to be anymore since the day we lost her.¡±

    Lyall Ursa in Eireen¡¯s memories fragments was a guy who always laughs at everything. He was actually much stronger and talented than Jace but he refused to join the bloody competition over the seat of the king and decided to support Jace his younger brother. For him the king position was such a hassle and stressful, he rather wishes to live his life in a more relaxed way and far from all the responsibility a king must carry. He helped Jace with his meticulous plans and strategies in the struggle of winning the king¡¯s seat.

    Yurika saw in Eireen¡¯s memories that she hardly saw him angry, he always has this relaxing and calming air around him. Even Jace couldn¡¯t stay mad long enough at his older brother no matter what. Dietra, Lyall''s wife was a really young girl, at the age of fourteen years old she was sent as a peace offering from Stilla kingdom. The small kingdom lost the battle against Ursa kingdom and as a sign of submission and loyalty, they gave Dietra their first daughter to be wedded by one of the princes. Even though she was young she was quite mature and it didn¡¯t take long for everyone to admire her diligence and hard work.

    Lyall at that time was at the age eighteen years old. His first thought that marrying her was a burden, but after a year of marriage he finally able to see how special she was and fall madly in love to her. It was almost impossible to see Dietra without Lyall around. Yurika couldn¡¯t imagine how heartbreaking it was for Lyall to lose her.

    ¡°Anyway save all your questions for later. Jace wanted to see me now, for some reason he questioning me about you,¡± Zeke broke her walk in memory lane. He then stepped away from her, took out a teleport scroll; a rare and expensive magic item that has the ability to beam the owner to a certain place within seconds in a limited distance. It would require more than just a couple of jumps for Zeke to reach Ursa Palace from where he stood. But that scroll definitely helped to lessen the time spent for the journey.

    He started to read the chanting spell on the teleport scroll when a tug on his cape cut his chant, he turned around and saw an ashen face grappling for air.

    ¡°He knows?¡± Yurika breathy voice filled with fear and panic.

    He quickly grabbed her shoulder trying to calm her down, ¡°No, I don¡¯t think he knows about you as Eireen, calm down Yuu!¡±

    ¡°You said a few of the elites are still alive, is that including h-hi-him?!¡± the girl¡¯s face was almost as white as her hair, her teeth chattered in fear, ¡°He is the one who possessed Taft, right?! I should have known..., only that man who has the ability to steal Taft¡¯s True Name.¡±

    She clawed his front armor like a freaked cat, trembling and shaking at her memories, ¡°he knows, Zeke! He knows! He is the one who brought the stone to me!¡±

    Zeke devastated seeing her state, if Jace frightens her, the other man was in another level. He never really knew what he has done to her in the past but he suspected that the man might have something to do with Eireen¡¯s death. There were regret and anger flaring in his eyes.

    ¡°Shhusshh calms down, Yurika¡­.,¡± he hugged her, ¡°He had lost his memory because of your awakening causing Fetuu La Rossa explosion. He got pushed out from Taft mind pretty violently and lost all the recollection while he was inside Taft¡¯s mind.¡±

    ¡°A-are you s-sure?¡± Her chattering teeth slowly ebbed, her wary eyes bored straight at his garnet eyes looking for certainty.

    ¡°Yes¡­ I am 100% sure,¡± Zeke ensured her. He took a step back while rubbing her arms softly. The man then leaned back and examined her face, ¡°Are you okay now, Yuu?¡±

    Yurika nodded weakly then her body slowly sliding down toward the ground, her weak legs had failed her. Zeke tried to hold her up but she shook her head; asking him to let her sat on the ground.

    ¡°You should go. You know how Jace doesn¡¯t like to wait.¡± Her voice was raspy and her face looked drained.

    Zeke contemplating on leaving her, ¡°I better take you to Wen first. I can¡¯t leave you in this kind of state.¡±

    ¡°NO!¡± She stopped him immediately, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, don¡¯t worry. I just need a little rest.¡±

    ¡°Yuu,¡° he fretted.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want Wen to see me in this state. She will be worry and I don¡¯t want her to ask any questions,¡± she firmly shook her head, "I¡¯ll be fine, promise!¡±

    He sighed in defeat, he knew that her request was final and nothing could change it, she was as stubborn as she was before.

    ¡°Fine¡­ I¡¯ll see you later at the lake house. I should be back by midnight,¡± he moved away from her and started his teleporting chant.

    ¡°Zeke, please hide my identity from everyone? Promise me that.¡± Her voice entered his mind just a few seconds before he finished chanting.

    He smiled reassuringly and mouthed ¡®I Promise¡¯ at her at the last second before everything became blurry and his body dashes toward the teleport tunnel.

 Chapter 11 - The Ice Coffee Latte (Eireen)

    ¡°Did you hear?¡± the curly hair guy whispered to an older dark skin man.

    ¡°What? What happened?¡± the older man came closer curiously.

    ¡°She got demoted from the elite group,¡± the curly guy said with his wide opened eyes, ¡°I thought she is his golden egg or something¡­¡±

    ¡°Who are you talking about, Fred?¡± asked the older man still confused.

    ¡°Eireen Silver, you know, the girl that everyone called as King Jace¡¯s favorite,¡± Fred exhaled long, ¡°I guess she is not anymore.¡±

    ¡°What really? Well, she isn¡¯t that talented or anything to start with, everyone knew that already,¡± the older man shrugged, ¡±I thought she was his comfort girl or something.¡±

    ¡°Comfort girl?? What do you mean Josh?¡± Fred looked more curious.

    ¡°HA HA! you don¡¯t know what¡¯s a comfort girl? You sure are a kid,¡± Josh brayed, ¡°Comfort girl job is to comfort a guy ¡¯need¡¯ if you know what I mean.¡±

    Fred''s face turned blazing red, ¡°seriously?? Wow, I would never know. She doesn¡¯t look like a prosti- -Ouch!¡±

    His words were cut off when Fred kicked his shin the moment Eireen walked pass them.

    The rosy haired girl nodded and gave her best smile to them while she kept on walking toward her room. She got to clean her personnel room and moved to the lower rank barrack. She knew what rumor that has been going on ever since her demotion. It wasn¡¯t something new for her to be the source of gossips and Eireen already decided to act dumb and ignore all of them.

    Eireen opened her room¡¯s door, her eyes brushed carefully on every corner of the room. She couldn¡¯t help to have a little attachment to the room, after all, she has been living there for almost two years. The room for elites wasn¡¯t as luxurious as most people expected. It was just a small space with a small single bed, looking like a snowdrift, so white and feathery. One window curtained with a square starched white cotton cloth with tiny yellow flower embroidery in the corner, they were so small that you need to come closer to be able to see them. The girl did the embroidery herself when she had some day off last year. A tiny wash-stand with an old-copper bowl and a pitcher of white and blue stoneware was next to the window with an old fashioned mirror that has aged bronze frame on the wall. There was also a small splint-bottomed chair in front of a small wooden table in the middle of the room. In one corner, there were some cleats that had been nailed to the wall and some of her clothes hanging from them. It¡¯s not a room for a queen but she loved the place, her own personal space. The one only thing she''s going to miss when she moved to the barrack.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    She carefully took her clothes and folding them one by one, they weren¡¯t that many to start with so she wouldn''t need a big bag to carry. She sighed softly while putting in her small trinkets and belonging to a small pouch and sat on her bed one last time. She closed her eyes, taking all the atmosphere for one last time.

    She expected the king would punish her severely, banishing her from the palace or something. She even thought all the worst possibilities that she would get when she rejected his proposal. He could have forced her to marry him by the king¡¯s order. For Jace to not impose his demand on her using his authority was quite a wonder for her; but also a gift in its own way.

    ¡°I am fine this way, everything will be okay, ¡° she mumbled to herself, ¡°just return to where I belong; a commoner¡±

    A quiet knock startled her, she opened her eyes and saw a boy; younger by a couple of years from her maybe around sixteen to seventeen years old; standing in front of the door. The boy was a perfect combination of coffee hues; his hair and eyes were the color of dark roasted beans but his skin was all latte. He had that shy look about him; hidden under his glasses; the kind of shy look teens often get when they¡¯ve grown too much too fast like they weren¡¯t really sure about being a man just yet. He was skinny, but the way his clothes hung gave away the muscle beneath.

    For a few seconds, both of them froze in a staring battle, neither started any conversation. Until finally the boy looked away with a blush on his pointy ears; a Nisse, a race that lives on the island of <em class="">Niji at the east of Ursa kingdom.

    The boy cleared his throat awkwardly.

    ¡°Am I in the right room?¡± He muttered.

    Eireen suddenly realized that this boy might be the one Lyall and Dietra talked about, the one they had been trying to recruit.

    ¡®So he is the one who¡¯s going to take my spot¡­ So young.¡¯

    Eireen stood up from the bed and quickly collected all her belongings and walked toward the door with an apologetic look.

    ¡°Sorry, I am sure you are in the right room, I was just going to leave. It was mine before, but anyway it is yours now.¡±

    The boy nodded and moved away from the door to let her through. There was something familiar about him that made Eireen wonder.

    ¡®I feel like I have at least seen him somewhere¡­ Should I ask? Is that a good idea?¡¯

    A few steps away from the door, the rosy-haired girl stopped and turned around, stalled the boy from closing the door on her.

    ¡°Do I know you? I feel like I have seen you somewhere,¡± Eireen asked curiously.

    The boy stared at her for a couple of seconds before finally shook his head.

    ¡°Really? I am sure I have seen you from somewhere¡­,¡± she rubbed her back head, trying to dig to her memory.

    ¡°I think you might be a mistaken miss,¡± he chided and looked a bit annoyed, ¡°now will you excuse me? I need to unpack and prepare. I hate to be late.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, sorry¡­ A-anyway, I am Eireen Silver. Welcome aboard,¡± she gave her hand out for a shake. The boy glanced at the hand and glanced back to the girl.

    ¡°Marc, Marc Albeques, now if you excuse me.¡± He finally answered; ignoring her stretched out hand, turned away, and closed the door on her face.

    ¡°Ouff,¡± Eireen shivered and dropped her hand awkwardly, as she walked away the girl muttered, ¡°So cold, brrr.¡±

    That night Jace gathered everyone to introduce Marc as his new selected member of the elites. He talked about his talent and why he deserved to be in his team; in other words, his new favorite. Marc himself wasn''t really looking that excited to be the center of the attention, he slipped away not long after the feast started.

 Chapter 12 - The Burning Sun (Eireen)

    Eireen¡¯s demotion sent her to the position of a hostler, one of the lowest rank of job a person could have. She had to clean and take care of the mounts in the stables, but her life was never been so peaceful without Jace¡¯s special attention on her. He probably already forgot about her and she was more than happy to be forgotten.

    On her first day on the barn, the first thing that hit her first was the smell. As she lugged open the unwieldy, cinnamon-painted door adorned with its tired hinges that creak sorrowful, a puff of the sweet, musty odor assaulted her nose at her first slow breath. Then she detected the undertones; the stuffy musk of animal fur and the stank of old dried out dung and droppings. Soon after the smell, her eyes compensate for the dim pallor of light, and she began to make out the shapes of dusty frames of the wooden stalls and poles, and the heavy bosom of the loft that hangs from the ceiling. Her pinkish eyes glanced around the old stable and noticed the beautiful creatures. There were six of them. Each one unique in their own way. But her excitement didn¡¯t get the same amount of responses. Each pair of their beady eyes glared at her cautiously, some even started making agitated snorts. Eireen took another step in and finally her eyes caught it. A beast. It was much bigger than the others. The biggest Hoiho that she had ever seen. The beast snarled at her and its beady eyes focused solemnly on her. It shook its neck; making the long mane flipped over to the other side. The creature didn¡¯t look friendly at all. It swished its tail around as she carefully approached it. She was too curious. By the time she was close enough, the beast suddenly reared up. Enraged. The large hooves approaching the wooden doors which separated them. She stepped back just in time for the impact on the doors. The beast snarled again and faced her straight on with its head lowered ready to attack. It groaned and its giant hooves stomping the ground menacingly. Eireen petrified. The ominous beady eyes have calcified her. When suddenly¡­

    ''Hey! Need help there?'' a man voice infiltrated her mind, broke the beast spellbind and made her drop the bucket of water she had prepared to do her duty. The sound of the rolling bucket echoed in the room and everything moved as if it was slowed down.

    The animal saw the opening and it reared again. This time the doors could not hold. They flew across the little corridor; kicking up dust. The rosy haired girl made clumsy- rushed- steps to the back and she slipped; fall first on her buttocks. She has no chance to complain about the aching on her back as the beast approached her, slowly and deliberately threatening her. She inched backward as best as she could to keep her distance. The beast shook its huge head and reared once more. Standing on its hind legs ready to stomp the girl to death. Eireen closed her eyes tight and put both her arms over her head hopelessly.

    Without a warning, someone rushed from the side to grab the reign of the beast. The man then made clicking sounds in the attempt of appeasing the giant Hoiho.

    ¡°Woo¡­ woo, calm down boy, it¡¯s me¡­,¡± said the red-haired guy while pulling and nudging the reign gently but with firm control.

    He kept on whispering comforting words to the beast while patting it softly. After a while, it started to make nickering sounds and rubbed its head lovingly toward the man.

    ¡°There we go¡­ good boy,¡± he rubbed its huge head and giving it a soft kiss, before finally turned his attention toward the girl that was still on the floor; watching his interaction with the mount.

    ¡°Are you okay there, miss?¡±

    ¡°I-I am okay¡­ thank you,¡± she said while staring at her savior in awe.

    The man appearance caught her attention. He was very tall and muscular more than any common man. His face was clean with dark short burning hair, his skin like sunset sky and his gazed was blunt and edgy.

    ¡°Are you a Builderat?¡± Eireen asked. She has heard about the race who lives at the land to the far northeast of Ursa Kingdom. The Land of the Giants that¡¯s how they called Haeban kingdom. The people who lived there were taller than any human, born with a strong physical affinity and muscular body. Their famous red garnet eyes were as fierce as their blunt and brash character. It was her first time on seeing a Builderat this close.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Aye! you have very good eyes miss, may I know what gives in?¡± the man chortled; obviously teasing.

    Then he offered his hand to help her. Eireen accepted the hand and stood up. She brushed the dust on her aching back before bowed down to the man to show her gratitude once more.

    ¡°I am sorry,¡± said the man with an apologetic grin plastered on his face.

    ¡°For?¡±

    The man then patted the beast next to him, that now nickered and whined like a docile pet, ¡°he usually sweet and cuddly, I guess new place made him nervous.¡±

    ¡°Sweet and cuddly?¡± Eireen drew in her breath sharply, ¡°being nervous really could change some peopl- -animal I mean. Anyway¡­ is he yours?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he then glared at the giant Hoiho, ¡°Xanth apologize! You should feel bad for daunting this lovely lady.¡±

    The mount snorted and moved his huge head up and down as if he was doing what the Builderat told him to do, then his muzzle went closer toward the rosy-haired girl. Eireen backed away in reflex, but the man caught her arm,

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Xanth just wants to nuzzle you,¡± he led her hand toward the beast and placed it on its head, ¡°see¡­ isn¡¯t he sweet?¡±

    Eireen stared the beast while nervously patted its forehead. He was beautiful, glossy as silk. A flowing mane that unfurls and whips as the wind calls it and its muscles that roll underneath the supple coat hangs majestically on the frame.

    ¡°So, you said he is nervous, are you by chance one of the new drafters?¡± asked the girl who started to enjoy the feeling of patting Xanth, the giant Hoiho.

    ¡°Yep, just came in yesterday, Z is the name; at your service,¡± he made a bowing gesture.

    ¡°Z? that¡¯s a unique name for a common name, did you choose that yourself?¡± Eireen asked.

    ¡°Aye, it¡¯s simple and easy to remember. Battlefield doesn¡¯t require long stretched name, they need strong men,¡± he said confidently, ¡°and I am here to provide that.¡±

    Eireen quickly liked the guy and she knew right away that it wouldn¡¯t take long for them to be best friends.

    -At the end of the third year of the great war-

    The silvery flakes drifted down, glittering in the bright light of the setting moon. The sun was rising and the thick blanket of snow was now visible. The walnut brown trees swayed in the cold winter wind. Icicles on the trees dropped with a smash. The weather was frosty and the snow was glittering. Like white sequins laying all over the floor. The ghostly wind broke the peaceful sound of silence. The snow was damp, every step felt like walking in the mud. It was dawn. The horizon was candy red. The sun shone a dandelion yellow along with strokes of carrot orange.

    Eireen watched each footfall sink into the crystalline snow as she made her way to the barn. Smoke breathed out from her mouth. She tightened her winter coat. Her hands that carried a big pail of water felt numb. She stopped. The barn wasn¡¯t that far away, but with all the slush and freezing weather everything has become further, heavier, and harder. She put down the pail and blowing her frozen fingers. Shivering at the brush of winter breeze, she rubbed her hands together then softly patted her cheeks to warm up. As she bent down to reach the pail handle, a distance loud commotion from the Kingdom''s gate reached to her ear. She rose her gaze toward it curiously. Her head tilted attempting to get the words out of faint noise. Worries started to coil in her mind.

    ¡®Did Cailea¡¯s army manage to breach here?¡¯

    She looked around her, trying to find someone that might know what¡¯s going on. Seeing no one in her perimeter, she decided to trudge to the gate herself. The moment she arrived, a big crowd of people already gathered in front of the gate.

    ¡°Something is coming!¡±

    ¡°Is it Cailea¡¯s troops?!¡±

    ¡°Did the guard has informed the king?

    She could hear the murmur of those people around her, so she decided to see it by herself. She quickly went to the guard tower. Climbing up as fast as she could. Reaching the top, she saw through the sunrise that was illuminating the horizon. Over the color of the sun which pouring across the skyline, a glowing up ahead too low and too white to be the sunrise and she lifted her eyed to meet it. A figure approached descended from the sky, not human but human form. It was not reflecting the morning light, but emitting it, actually glowing from within. His skin was glittery white almost metallic and he was tall. His hair was dark as the night and his eyes were glowing blue that flickered and sparked. He flew low with his huge dark wings and finally landed in front of their defensive fort gate.

    Then he spoke, deep and deafening, ¡°Fear not. I am Lugos one of Goddess Aine loyal Zanj, here to bring you good news. Open the gate!¡±

 Chapter 13 - The News

    -Present time-

    A soft knock on her bedroom door woke her up. It was past midnight when Zeke came back to their cabin. Slowly and reluctantly, she uncovered her face. The girl blinked, closed her eyes and blinked again. The soft glow from the oil lamp penetrated and blinded her. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Yurika then wobbly stood up, walked to the door and opened it. There she saw him leaning to the wall. Waiting for her to fully awake patiently.

    ¡°Welcome back,¡± she said in her husky sleepy voice.

    The man just nodded, his face looked pensive. There¡¯s something on his mind.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Yurika, listen well, don¡¯t be panic,¡± Zeke carefully delivering his words, but his tone made her alerted.

    ¡°I promise you no matter what happens, I will be by your side,¡± he paused, his eyes gazed deeply at those round fuschia eyes, ¡°Jace¡­ He wanted to see you in person.¡±

    Yurika felt like someone just hit her with a bucket full of ice cold water. All her sleepiness flew off the roof and she could felt the creeping panic and fear rose up to her chest.

    ¡°W-why?¡± Terror-stricken, she tried to find an answer on his garnet eyes.

    ¡°That I don¡¯t kn--.¡±

    ¡°NO! No!¡± She shouted and shook her head violently.

    ¡°Yuu?!¡± Zeke looked at her; surprised at her reaction

    ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t know?!¡± Her voice rose as she backed away from him, ¡°He would never care of a random orphan if you didn¡¯t even bring it up!"

    ¡°Yuu, calm down. Listen to me,¡± he reached out his hand toward her.

    Slap!

    Zeke stunned. It was the first time she''d ever been so angry at him.

    ¡°DON¡¯T!¡° she glared at him, ¡°don¡¯t touch me!¡±

    Words left Zeke. He stared at her fuchsia eyes. He wanted to say something but his lips failed him. His mind empty. There was absolute stillness. Not a sound could be heard either close at hand or in the far off distance. Even their own breath seemed to die as soon as it left their mouth. It was as if the world were encased in a cocoon, a bubble, and there was no way out.

    ¡°S-sorry,¡± he finally said. He wanted to explain himself. But once more he was at a loss of words. It was true. If he didn¡¯t say anything about her in front of Jace, he wouldn¡¯t ever know; wouldn¡¯t have been curious about her either.

    There was another silence linger. It wasn¡¯t as heavy as the previous one. Yurika watched how guilt seemed to engulf her best friend. Someone she cared so much. Someone that her previous life always looked up to. Her big brother even though not by blood. And her heart softened, she also knew despite the fact he had shared about her to the one person she wished he never to -when he could have at least tried to not- that it was unavoidable. Jace would demand him to report everything back.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Yurika or Eireen?¡± she asked, breaking the silence.

    Zeke rose his eyes and met hers.

    ¡°Who he wanted to see?¡±

    ¡°Yurika,¡± he finally answered, ¡°Jace, he wanted to see Yurika, not Eireen and no he didn¡¯t know you were Eireen --¡±

    He started to explain but Yurika put her hand up stopping him.

    ¡°When are we going?¡±

    ¡°Soon, in a couple of hours. I need to rest a little bit, ¡° he replied, ¡°all those teleporting back and forth required a lot of my magic energy. But I should be fine in two hours or so.

    ¡®Magic energy,¡¯ something tug her heart, ¡®strange¡­ I thought a Builderat doesn¡¯t have magic quirk because they are not born with magic energy. Did he learn that? Is magic energy possible to study?¡¯

    She stared him once more with her brows slightly raised.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    She shook her head and decided to tuck the question behind her mind, ¡°nothing, I will go prepare.¡±

    ¡°Yuu,¡± Zeke called her, pausing her in the spot. She turned her head and waited.

    ¡°Is this mean¡­ you¡¯ve forgiven me?¡±

    She gazed at the man for a few seconds, ¡°No, not yet.¡±

    And she went back to her room.

    ---

    -The Goddess Messenger- (Eireen)

    Eireen scrambled down from the guard post as fast she could, by the time she reached the ground she saw Jace along with his elite troop marched down from the palace breaking the crowds that already gathered in front of the gate into two. He quickly ordered the guard to open the gate as he jumped off from his mount. The moment the Zanj entered, the king kneeled down in front of him, which quickly followed by the people.

    ¡°I am Jace Ursa, The king of Ursa, ready to serve our Goddess Aine.¡±

    ¡°Rise up, Jace Ursa. Our Goddess respect your loyalties and dedication,¡± the Zanj touch the young king with his magnificent wings, ¡°and that¡¯s why She wanted me to deliver you good news.¡±

    Jace stood up and bowed down, ¡°I am grateful that our Goddess noticed our blood and tears. Oh, great Zanj, why don¡¯t we step into my humble home and let us serve you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. I am here just to deliver our Goddess messages,¡± said the dark-haired ethereal beings, ¡°now hear me out Jace Ursa, son of Ridwald Ursa the fifth king of Ursa kingdom!¡±

    The excitement wired the air, anxious, curious and frenzy emotion mixed in one. They could feel it in every fiber of their body. The buzz, the rush of adrenaline. Coursing through their veins. The anticipation was real. They wondered what kind of good news the Zanj would bring and would that mean the war would end any day soon.

    ¡°My good and loyal servant of Queen Aine, our Goddess of light and love, Jace Ursa hear this out, this is the message given by our Queen. She will descent to your palace on the seventh day of the coming second full moon. She wanted you to gather every clan leaders and kings that swore their loyalty to her.¡±

    Everyone on the crowd started to murmur, quiet questions buzzing around like wildfire about what would happen, why did the Goddess want everyone to gather on that day.

    ¡°Silence!!¡± Lugos'' voice booming over the crowd which effectively silenced everyone ¡°Hear this out! On the seventh day of the coming second full moon, our Goddess will choose a warrior. To that one person, the Goddess will grant the legendary gem. The gem and the person will lead us to victory. So gather all the strongest men and women. Be prepared to end this war with the winning in our side.¡±

    There was a deafening silence for a few seconds then a cacophony of applause and cheering, whooping, hollering, clapping, stamping of feet, palpable excitement buzzed through the charged air, grew like a blazing light of lightning fast and infectious. Everyone shaking hands, patting one another on the back, hug each other, spontaneous outpouring of emotion.

    ¡®Finally¡­ the war will end.¡¯ Eireen thought to herself excitedly.

 Chapter 14 - Scry Treeoaks (Eireen)

    As spring came, the white blanket slowly melted away, a female red-winged blackbird hopped on the newly defrosted grass, her deep brown legs matching the soil below. She has feathers the colors of every tree, of every wisp of wood that promised life to come. There was something in the way she moves, a joy, as she relished the season change. Eireen watched it excitedly, there was infectious joy brought by the bird also the fact that the big day was going to come in a few more days. The day where Goddess Aine would descend to select her chosen warrior; to lead them to victory; to end the war.

    The palace ground never been this busy and crowded. The gathering of six kingdoms; Ursa, TreeOaks, Marama, Bridland, Haeban and Niji Kingdom. Stilla and Arriosa already succumbed under Ursa long before the war. So was Lenimore, that has become one with Bridland. Each kingdom sent out their best warriors and a group of royal guards to protect their nobles at the same time. Jace made sure that the palace was prepared to its best. He demanded the servants to have each tower, turrets, stone steps, massive oak doors, steeply twisting spiral staircases, rooms and the great hall spotless clean. Rich tapestries of emerald green and gold hung on the wall with each of the clans¡¯ crests flags. He also has the guards to work extra hard and careful to stop any possible chance of spies in this big event.

    People from all around the country came, excited to see the Goddess herself also the chance of seeing the chosen one first hand. Some people started to guess who would be the one, each has their own candidate to be and even started to make a bet on who would be the chosen one. Of course, the highest bet was on Jace Ursa, the young king.

    Eireen duty for today was to feed and wash the mounts at one of the nobles stables. It was different compared when she was still in the elite troops. Before all she did was going to the battlefield, dungeons run, the council of war; where she barely said anything and just stood watching; and of course training with Jace; which she didn¡¯t miss much. Today she went super early to the stable overflowing with positive energy. The energy she got while watching the red-winged blackbird, the fresh air of spring and excitement of the big day.

    The water was cold, she shivered a bit while filling a bucket, carefully she carried the bucket toward Midnight Unicorn''s stable door. She whispered as soft sing-song to the beautiful black mare and got her nickered happily. Eireen opened the stable door and slipped in with her bucket of cold water and quickly closed the door. She kept on humming a happy tune while she started her routine to wash the mare. When suddenly she heard a rustle somewhere near the pile of hays behind the mare. She stopped her activity and anxiously move towards the noise direction, her left hand grabbed the rake that lay on the side of the wall and prepared for anything that might jump on her.

    As she came closer to the spot, she saw a man was curling on the pile of hays. His long wavy gradient blue-purple hair fell covering half of his face, his creamy skin cheeks tinted with rose color, and his steady breathing showed that he wasn¡¯t dead. Some strong liquor scent hit Eireen¡¯s nose as she got closer that she couldn¡¯t help to scrunch her nose; this man must have been really drunk to fell asleep in a stable. Eireen contemplating on waking him up or not. His outfit obviously showed that he was one of the nobles. He might not like the idea to be found drunk and sleeping in a barn by some random commoner. After thinking about it she decided to quietly leave the stable after she finished her work. She tiptoed carefully, returned to her work and started washing the unicorn at a faster pace.

    She was so focused on doing her job. She didn¡¯t realize that the man has awakened and watched her with interest. His amber eyes gazing her; evaluating. His lips quivered a loop side grin and his finger tapped on them thoughtfully.

    ---

    ¡°Great job, for inviting your cousin Amiera,¡± Jace pat her shoulder with a satisfied smile. They were having their morning breakfast.

    ¡°With such a long war we need all the help we could get. We need his strength also resources,¡± he added.

    ¡°Inviting him to such a huge banquet is easy. He is always interested in alcohol and pretty girls. And I doubt he would miss the chance on seeing the Goddess up and personal,¡± Amiera said solemnly, ¡°to actually interest him to be a part of the elites to fight the battle ¡­ that¡¯s a different story. Besides, to be honest, it has been years since I saw him. I don¡¯t know how much has he changed. ¡±

    ¡°Is he that impartial over the whole situation?¡± Jace surprised, ¡°I mean, If our side loses, he would have to face lots of trouble too.¡±

    Amiera shrugged, ¡°He is the laziest man I ever know. He has everything in his hand from a young age; talent, power, skill, looks, and richness. He is not interested in lifting his finger more over to actually battling.¡±

    ¡°There should be something that we can offer him? Something that he really wanted,¡± Jace pondered.

    ¡°What that could be?¡± a honeyed voice suddenly entering the room, ¡°what¡¯s this? Are you two talking about me behind my back?¡±

    ¡°Scry!¡± Amiera smiled gently as soon as she saw him and approached her cousin, ¡°Did you have a nice sleep?¡±Stolen novel; please report.

    The man with blue-purple gradient long wavy hair smiled back and pull her to his embrace, ¡°My my you have grown so much my dear cousin. I should have asked your hand in marriage if I knew you would be this beautiful.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying, you know I am betrothed to Jace already,¡± Amiera broke the hug and laughed shyly.

    Scry turned his attention towards Jace and he bowed down, ¡°oh good morning, my liege, forgive my ignorance. I am just blinded by this beautiful cousin of mine¡±

    ¡°Good morning, Scry TreeOaks,¡± Jace nodded sourly. Scry obviously ignoring his presence when he was supposed to pay him respect first then saying his to Amiera, ¡° are you joining us for breakfast?¡±

    ¡°That would be my pleasure, ¡°Scry as he sauntered towards the dining table.

    The moment he slid into his chair, he was served with an enormous platter of food. Mushroom soup, bitter greens with tomatoes the size of peas, rare roast beef slices as thick as a book, huge platter of fowl stuffed with savory fruit and nuts, ocean creatures drizzled in sauce, cheese that melts on your tongue served with sweet blue grapes. The servers, all young people dressed in white tunics move wordlessly to and from the table, keeping the platters and glasses full.

    ¡°So, what are you guys talking about behind my back?¡± he asked as soon as he sat down, even before he took a bite of the food that has been served.

    Amiera flushed and looked at Jace waiting for his response.

    Jace gave out his business smile calmly, ¡°well I¡¯ll be straight to the point then. We need you to help us win this battle, will you lend us your strength?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, as you have heard from Amiera. I am pretty much a peace lover. War and fighting not something I would like to participate in. I am not that religious to actually interested in marching out for our Goddess,¡± his loop side grin rose up, ¡°besides, pretty sure you expect more than just my battling skill.¡±

    Jace cleared his throat, uncomfortable on how straight forward Scry was, ¡°¡­ that¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°So¡­,¡± Scry raised his brows teasingly, ¡°what do you need? You said you going to be straight to the point, but it seems there¡¯s more than just that.¡±

    ¡°Scry?!¡± Amiera protested

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Scry tilted his head, acting innocent, ¡°he is your future husband, right? We just have an open conversation between brothers.¡±

    ¡°But --,¡± Amiera started again but before she finished her sentence Jace raised his hand stopping her.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll be honest. The long war we have been dealing with, have drained most of our resources. We have high hopes with the Goddess plan in choosing her warrior, but¡­,¡± Jace took a deep breath in, ¡°we got to admit we need gold and resources.¡±

    ¡°So, besides my body, you wanted my country richness too, my liege?¡± Scry jeered, ¡°isn¡¯t that a little bit greedy?¡±

    ¡°Scry that¡¯s not the right way to talk to your king!¡± Amiera barked, ¡°Besides, isn¡¯t that a common sense, to serve your kingdom?¡±

    ¡°Tut tut tut my sweet little cousin, I am from Treeoaks kingdom, even though my kingdom has agreed on alliancing with Ursa, that doesn¡¯t make him as my king,¡± He calmly interjected at the same time he glanced teasingly at the Jace, ¡°isn¡¯t that true my liege?¡±

    Jace felt the slow fire creeping up to his face but he pulled out a stiff smile in response, ¡°It is true. Which is why I am offering a trade with you.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, a trade?¡± Scry plucked a grape and rolled it around his fingers for a few times playfully, then when he stopped, his eyes were imposing directly to Jace¡¯s, ¡°What kind of possible trade that would be a benefit for me and also my country? I wonder ¡­¡±

    Jace gulped a bit, it was rare for him to actually felt threatened by something, someone or anything, but this man, there was something malicious about him, his pretty look definitely hide the true darkness inside.

    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Jace finally asked.

    ¡°What do you think I should ask for a trade?¡± a sinister smile plastered on Scry face.

    ¡°Let me hear it first and I will decide afterward,¡± Jace put his hand together in front of his chin, there¡¯s cautious air slowly rising.

    Scry moved his attention toward his plate, slicing his roast beef leisurely and put the pieces in his mouth, ¡°hmm, this is really high-quality beef, I wonder how could you have them in the ¡®drained¡¯ resources situation?¡±

    He took a few more bite, ignoring how red Jace¡¯s face was.

    ¡°They are from the royal warehouse, prepared specifically for the coming event,¡± Jace said through a gritted teeth. He didn¡¯t like on how Scry put an irony on how the royalties still could have their luxuries even in the time of perils.

    ¡°Oh I see now, ¡° Scry chuckled, ¡°I wonder if your citizen knew how well is their young king being fed when it was not for them?¡±

    Jace stood up rashly, ¡°Scry TreeOaks, mind your manner! I might be not your king, but I could still have your head for your irreverence!¡±

    ¡°Calm down my liege, I wasn¡¯t trying to be impolite, forgive me if I sound like one,¡± Scry put up his hand in a defensive pose, he smiled apologetically, ¡°I am saying this, wasn''t because I don¡¯t agree with you. On the contrary, I understand the importance of all this and I am willing to lend a hand.¡±

    Amiera touched Jace stiffed arms, trying to soothe him down. Jace just pulled his arm away in an annoyed huff.

    ¡°...of course with a price,¡± added Scry with a wide grin.

    Jace body shook with anger. He felt toyed like a helpless string doll, never been in his life he felt so insulted. His need, his kingdom need, his people, also the importance of winning the battle made him push down his pride to the lowest.

    ¡°Name your price and I will provide everything you need.¡±

    ¡°Everything?¡± Scry eyebrows rose up with interest, ¡°are you sure my liege?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Everything but my life and the kingdom,¡± said Jace agitated.

    ¡°My liege!?¡± Amiera tried to warn him, but again Jace just brushed her away.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry I am not interested in taking the country. It¡¯s too much of a hassle,¡± Scry said waving his hand as if he was driving away from an annoying fly, ¡°it won¡¯t be that much honestly. I just want you to give me something of your possession.¡±

    ¡°A land? An artifact?¡±

    ¡°No, I have more than enough of those,¡± Scry responded nonchalantly, he paused a bit before continuing, ¡°I want you to give me someone. A girl.¡±

    ¡°A girl? That¡¯s easy! I can provide you with any girl you want!¡± Jace loosens up a bit, ¡°I can even give you more than just one.¡±

    ¡®¡­ and here I thought he would demand a high price for his help¡¯ Jace thought relieved.

    ¡°Not just any girl. One particular and very special girl,¡± Scry added eerily. His loop grin smile rose up as his amber eyes gleamed wickedly.

 Chapter 15 - The Forgotten Kingdom

    It was a long journey and it could be longer if they didn¡¯t use the teleport scroll. A ride on a mount from Marama to Ursa could take them four days and three nights just to reach the border. With the scroll, it¡¯s only around one day and a half. It could be faster but Zeke needed to take a couple of stops and rest. The whole teleporting drained his magic energy more than once. To use the teleporting scroll one needs to have an amount of magic energy just to carry one person and he must carry the two of them. Yurika would love to offer hers if only she knew how to use the scroll, the distance the scroll would allow them and the stops that they need to go. But then again she was still mad at him, they haven¡¯t been talking much so far, and it has been a day trip.

    A red, orange and yellow ball of rage roared upward eating its way through the wooded pyramid at its base. Plumes of grey were buffeted into the night sky, carried aimlessly by the chill Novrem wind. The second last month of the year. Eyes reflected the flickering fire. While the crackling and the woody fragrance of smoke tingle the ears and the noses. This was their seventh stop of the day. It¡¯s getting late so they both decided to settle a camp and rest. They would need to do a few more jumps tomorrow and should arrive at the border of Ursa by afternoon.

    Her eyes glanced at the sleeping man. His long elongated body sprawled near the bonfire. The cold fall air didn¡¯t seem to bother him at all. He directly fell asleep the moment they finished their camp. Teleporting must have exhausted him a lot. Yurika pulled out her bag and took out a loaf of bread. She was glad she had decided to pack that along.

    ¡®Should I wake him up?¡¯ She glanced up the red-headed guy once more. His face was now facing her. His thick brows gathered on his forehead.

    ¡®Scowling while sleeping? I wonder if he had a bad dream.¡¯

    Yurika pinched her bread and started eating the pieces. The forest was dark and foreboding, but there was peace in its sullen ambiance. Her eyes flickered over the thick, dark trunks of the trees that rose steadily into the sky. Its branches interlocking with its neighbors like giant¡¯s arms linked together protecting their home. She put down her bread and breathed in the scent of the forest. She has lost her appetite. Agreeing on the meeting didn¡¯t mean she had her heart prepared. She only figured that it would be more suspicious if she decided to not. Rising up suspicion from the young king was the last thing she wanted.

    The wind ruffled up the trees. A leaf fell, not knowing that this was its last dance. Its last chance to play in the air. She shivered. Part of her thinking that¡¯s how her fate would be. That tonight could be her last time to savor tranquility. Tightening her coat, she tried her best to shake off the ever-growing grim that coiled and grew like the deathly Euphor Lauu. The thorny shrub was evil all the way through, as its sap would irritate and toxic to skin.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this,¡± Zeke''s voice startled her from her reverie.

    Turning her attention toward the man, her eyes questioned his statement.

    ¡°Are you that angry? How could you eat by yourselves?!¡± Zeke sat up and pointed at the barely touched loaf of bread next to her.

    She took the bread and offered it to him, ¡°you can have it. I¡¯ve lost my appetite.¡±

    He took the bread with his eyes on her, ¡°are you okay, Yuu?¡±

    The girl stared at him as if he had asked her the funniest question ever.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°Should I be?¡±

    Zeke took a bite of the bread and didn¡¯t answer. His eyes stared at the fire in front of him. He always wanted to ask her on what had happened between her and Jace, also Scry. What made Eireen decide to take her life. He wished to know and understand what was really going on when he wasn¡¯t around. What made her so frightened. He knew a little bit when Eireen telepath him a couple of times a long time ago, before his almost dead experience at the front-line. He woke up to the news of her death; the death of the chosen heroin.

    ¡°What did actually happen back then?¡± he braved himself to ask the question. His garnet eyes glanced at the girl.

    ¡°What have they done to you?¡± He pushed forward, ¡°Tell me Yuu, so I could understand the baseline of your fear.¡±

    ¡°Do you need to know everything to be on my side?¡± her voice rose up, ¡°I am not scared of them. I-I¡¯m just avoiding them. The lesser I am in their perimeter, the lesser chance of them knowing who I was.¡±

    ¡°You know I would still be on your side no matter what.¡±

    ¡°Would you?¡± There was doubt leaking from her fuschia eyes.

    ¡°What do you mean would I?!¡± Zeke stood up; flared because of her doubt, ¡°I will take your side no matter what! Because I lo¡ª¡°

    He gulped the last sentence down. This was not how he planned to admit his feeling for her. Not in this situation or way. He wanted a better and maybe romantic setting for that.

    The girl brows slightly rose up, ¡°because of ¡­?¡±

    ¡°Because I will always look after you. Back then when you were Eireen and now,¡± he diverted his garnet eyes to somewhere random, anywhere but her eyes.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what a best friend does?¡± he added.

    Another brash autumn gust disturbed the air. Falling leaves tumbled from the interlocking branches above. The silence tiptoed between them, poisonous in its nothingness, cruelly underscoring how vapid their conversation had become.

    ¡°I¡­ I should rest up. Tomorrow is a long day,¡± Yurika said finally. She tightened her cloak and curled up on a flat surface of a stone near the bonfire, ¡°you should rest up too. There¡¯re still a couple more stops you need to make before we reach the castle. I don¡¯t want to waste more time. The sooner the meeting is done the sooner too he would stop being curious of me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay up for a bit more,¡± Zeke answered. He knew that the girl refused to continue their discussion. He decided to not pursue any further.

    ¡°Maybe, I will tell you all about it someday, Zeke, ¡° she muttered, ¡°but not tonight.¡±

    ¡°I understand¡­¡± he mumbled back.

    ¡°Goodnight Zeke.¡±

    ¡°Goodnight.¡±

    ---

    They left early just right before the sunrise touched the sky. After a few more jumps they finally reached the border of Ursa land. Zeke decided to rent two mounts from a nearby village. He said he was still too exhausted to do one last jump. So they ride toward the castle and reached the gate right before sundown.

    The fortress of Ursa was a fine castle, built with a panorama of the surrounding land. From the towers once stood watchers, quiver, and arrow ready to fly. Steadfast walls were built for defense, past the iron gates that trapped would-be intruders, lives of servitude were eked, safe from battle-ax and ballista alike. This castle stood to inspire awe in realm run on deference to royalty, to title and social status. From cloister rooms, lands parcels were given to lords for promised service.

    Yurika¡¯s eyes befall the grandeur of the weather-beaten stone. The once smooth rock was pitted and scarred, how soon the present became the past and the importance becomes irrelevant. She turned her head to the breeze and stood near flowers barely weeks old. Walls stand mute, water awaits the call of the wind to ruffle and move as a molten glass of deepest green. Gravity has mastered this place, grey stone rose from the land unapologetic and bold to defy entrance and protect what has been entrusted to their care. Below the uneven patches of grass were arrowheads of old, hilts of the broken swords and amour that failed to protect.

    Her eyes stared at the broken fortress gate, gaped open like a hungry giant. It had been sturdy when it was made. It was solid cedar wood and held together with great iron nails. But it had not been varnished for many years so the rot had set in and the hinges and nails had become rusted. Fear and dread coursed through her as she put her first step entering the premises, but at the same time, the rush of d¨¦j¨¤ vu and yearning feeling spiraling inside of her. This was the Palace of Ursa, the lost kingdom. Inside awaited the forgotten young king. One of the people her fate decided to tangle.

 Chapter 16 - The Forgotten King

    Yurika cautiously walked passed the fortress gate, her ankles being tickled by the tendrils of weeds that had broken through the cobbles. The dark stone walls bathed in a stream of silver light that spilled through the clouded sky. The place was eerie. An uneasy breeze blew down, grazing her back neck and grasped her with it chilly touch. She shivered. Her mind told her to just run back; away from the place; but her body dragged her to the center of the palace courtyard. Standing in the middle of the broken courtyard, she closed her eyes trying to remember how was it before, the mirth, the joy of the people waiting for the big day. The day when the Goddess promised a way to win the battle, promised the one true warrior that would lead them to the victory. She was one of them who expecting with high hope. But all those slowly muted by the voices of old, the clash of metal on metal, the pounding of Hoihos¡¯ hooves, the cry of battle and the death itself. She stood where knights stood, saw what the kings, royalties, and peasants saw. The once majestic fortress now nothing but a shambles.

    ¡°What¡­ happened here?¡± she murmured as she automatically held Zeke sleeves, there¡¯s confusion in her voice.

    ¡°We lost the battle,¡± Zeke answered. His tone was flat like she had asked the kind of question that didn¡¯t require an answer.

    ¡°I know that, but this place I thought-- since you said Jace and everyone still live here--,¡± she was speechless, ¡°Zeke, what happened after I die?¡±

    ¡°Do you think this place would still be bustling and thriving after we lost the battle?¡± He looked at her as if she has asked him the dumbest question ever, ¡°It was chaos. There were countless deaths. Soldiers, knights, our elites, even the innocent citizens.¡±

    His eyes were glassy and his breathing was heavy, he took his time before continuing, ¡°The kingdom alliances broke the moment your death announced. At the same time, Goddess Caillea sent a huge wave of attack. As if she knew your death and the turmoil situation that set in beforehand. Everyone in their right mind ran with their life and the next thing we knew, there was nothing left but ruins and piles and piles of dead bodies scattered all over the place. More than you could imagine.¡±

    Yurika tightened her grips, lost in despair and grief. She thought her death would allow a better candidate to come along. That the Goddess would descend once more and give that ancient legendary stone to the better, more eligible and willing warrior. When her past life memories came back, she realized that she was wrong. But being where she was now. Standing in the middle of the palace ruins, finally, for the first time, she understood the true severity mistake of her decision.

    ¡°Only six of the elites survived. Well, five, I wasn¡¯t even one before,¡± He rubbed the back of his neck, ¡°with the broken alliance pact, people fled and this place abandoned. All hope lost but Jace refused to leave the palace, he still stubbornly held the Goddess last promise that there will be a newborn hero. The chosen one to claim Fetu La Rossa the legendary stone once more. The one who would save the world, the one who will bring back the Goddesses and finally bring back the glory of Ursa kingdom.¡±

    Yurika automatically moved her hand toward the secret pouch in the back of her waist belt, as if making sure that the thing was still there, ¡°but how did it fell in my hand?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t really know, one day sixteen years ago it suddenly vanished from Jace¡¯s treasure chamber. It really caused panic. But only us six here, so in the end, we got into conclusion that the hero has finally born,¡± Zeke took a quick glance at Yurika before continuing, ¡° and since that day we were searching for the hero, the one who will wield the true power of Fetu La Rossa.¡±

    ¡°So the six of you stayed here?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Jace, Amiera as his wife of course she stays, then Lyall Jace¡¯s brother, also the quiet mysterious Marc Albeques; I couldn¡¯t understand that brat he hardly says a word; then there¡¯s Scry. He comes and goes as he pleases. I don¡¯t really know why he even stays when he could have returned to his own kingdom,¡° Zeke put one of his hand inside his pocket, rubbed his not so itchy nose then shrugged, ¡°and me.¡±

    Hearing Scry name mentioned the dread and fear feeling came back faster than the lightning, she unconsciously moved closer towards Zeke.

    ¡°Is he here now?¡± she whispered, while her eyes roamed the deserted palace square frantically.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°I don--,¡° Zeke¡¯s words were cut with a loud sound of someone cleared his throat from behind. Both of them turned their body, surprised by the unexpected guest.

    ''W-who is that?'' Yurika telepathed Zeke, her eyes glancing at him warily, ''Sc-Scry, or J-Jace or..? Did he heard everything we have been talking about?''

    Zeke didn¡¯t respond directly. He squinted to get a good look at the person who stood next to one of the pillars not far from where they stood. His face was covered by the shadow of an old tree; one of those trees that became the silent witness of Ursa Palace doom.

    ¡°Why are you two standing in the middle of nowhere and chitty chatty like a couple of teen girls, who likes to gossips!?¡± The man finally stepped out from the shadow and revealed himself.

    ¡°Lyall, is that you?¡± asked Zeke in a louder voice; he sounded relieved in a way.

    ''Relax, it just Lyall. I doubt he heard anything. In the last battle at the end of the Great War, he got serious injuries and became half deaf,'' Zeke telepath her back.

    As the man walked closer, Yurika saw him for the first time after almost two decades and saw how much he has changed. He would have been white if it weren¡¯t for all the freckles. There were so many his face was brown with small pale spaces here and there, like the tips of grass struggling to show through the golden-brown leaves of fall. His hair was a perfect mop of red, it would have been lion-like had he not been so skinny; his clothes covered his almost skeletal shoulders. She took in his face for as long as she dared look, no-one¡¯s cheekbones should stick out so far. Lyall Ursa Jace¡¯s older brother had never been looked as good as his younger brother. He used to joke around on how he had given up all of his parents¡¯ good genes and saved all of it to give it to Jace, but he wasn¡¯t that unsightly too. Now she somehow understood what did Zeke mean by he wasn¡¯t the same man anymore since he lost Dietra. His face had no trace of life other than not being blue. It was like he was breathing without really being alive.

    ¡°Is this the girl that has occupied your time lately, Z?¡± his voice was croaky. Yurika could smell the foul scent from him; the combination of someone who hasn¡¯t taken a bath in days and a strong fume of alcohol. He looked at Yurika curiously.

    ¡°So young. How old are you? Fifteen? Sixteen?¡± his turquoise eyes scrutinized her from top to bottom, ¡°too young. What are you thinking of Z?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zeke asked back; confused by his question.

    ¡°Well, too young to be your bride of course,¡± Lyall hoarse laugh crackling like thunder clapping then it followed by some coughing fit.

    Zeke made a face and softly patted the man back, ¡°you really need to slow down your drinking, it¡¯s killing you.¡±

    It¡¯s funny on how much time has changed, the bold line between nobles and commoners that used to be so clear now has somehow smudged; blurred. It would be a suicide act before for commoners to actually lay a hand on nobbles without their permission like what Zeke just did to Lyall, but seeing on how comfortable Zeke acted she guessed things had changed for sure.

    Lyall brushed away Zeke''s hand lightly and smiled smugly, ¡°It¡¯s a good plan isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°What? To die because of alcohol?¡± Zeke raised his brows.

    ¡°Well, why not? Worth it to try right I am not asking for this eternal youth life,¡± Lyall shrugged, ¡°¡­. Not without Dietra.¡±

    Zeke didn¡¯t reply, he just patted the man once more, this time with a sympathetic look.

    ¡°Anyway, you should go in. Jace has been waiting for you,¡± Lyall tilted his head toward the throne room area.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go,¡± Zeke nodded at Yurika; asking her to follow him.

    The three of them walked in a beeline, all quiet with their own thoughts. As they arrived in front of the huge door; the seemed only door that had human touch on it; Zeke knocked on the door and announced their arrival. Then Zeke slowly pushed it open, revealing the throne room.

    There used to be some tremendous braziers at the bottom of each of the eight obsidian columns. They light up the lower levers of the throne hall and coat everything in an orange glimmer, but Yurika only saw three of them left. The glass of the windows in the slanted ceiling smudged with some darkens soot while the grey wood floor of the majestic hall blackened by dust and dirt. An old and ragged teal rug ran down from the throne and ripped halfway, it used to encircle the entire hall while forked banners with gilded tapestries; those too had gone missing from their posts.

    The throne hall was a complete wreck. Black, withered vines clung to the stones in desperation, and several windows were broken and covered in filth and grime. Yurika set her eyes towards the throne seat, where a golden-haired man with his piercing blue eyes sat. His attire was somewhat more modest than two decades ago. His usual clean shaved face was invaded by a little bit of facial hair but it actually made him looked matured. His demeanor still held his charisma as a leader even in this kind of devastating state. He still shined his pride as a king.

    Then he finally noticed their presence, he took his time evaluating the girl that stood beside Zeke. Her blonde wavy hair draped down softly coiling along the ends, against her black woolen cloaks the girl¡¯s hair was almost white, absolutely shining in the autumn light. When she moved her head it swung with her like a liquid, her dolly fuschia eyes and her soft pink lips gave her some warmth, complementing her pale face. As his gaze met with hers an unreadable little smile rose up on his face.

 Chapter 17 - His Depature (Eireen)

    He saw the shock registered on her face. A small smile played on his lips as he patted her shoulder to comfort her.

    ¡°Why now?¡± Eireen face paled hearing the news he brought, ¡°the Goddess'' event just in two more days. H-how could they send you to the front line?!¡±

    The early morning sun was already well risen and the spring grass shone like it had its own gentle glow from within. She was doing her usual duty at the stables when Z showed up and told her that he had been assigned to the front line and would leave in a couple of hours.

    ¡°Well, an order is an order,¡± he shrugged with the same aloof smile.

    ¡°I know,¡± she sighed defeated.

    Z glanced at the pink haired girl, her emotion was not easily hidden on her innocent face. Her fear and worries were evident in the crease of her lovely brow and down-curve of her full lips.

    ¡°How long has it been?¡± he asked curiously.

    ¡°Hmm? For?¡±

    ¡°Since you are assigned to go to the battlefield?¡±

    The question actually stroke a reality in her, the last time she was on a battlefield was before her demotion. She didn¡¯t realize it until Zeke asked her the question, she enjoyed her peaceful life inside the fortress, and never question the reason why she was never sent to the war.

    Her inability to answer his question was enough as the answer for him. He had heard the rumors that have been going on ever since he arrived in the compound and even though he didn¡¯t actually believe it; especially after knowing her in person. But he couldn¡¯t help to notice how she had been treated secretly by the higher officer. It seemed like she¡¯s living in an invisible golden cage that she didn¡¯t even realize it herself. Her duty was never been overbearing, the higher officer hardly gave her task that might endanger her life and how they treated her as if they have been tasked to watch on her every move.

    ¡®Is she truly the king¡¯s comfort woman?¡¯ he thought to himself but then he quickly shook the thought off. He couldn¡¯t see someone as innocent as her to actually be a comfort girl. Those nasty rumors must have been coming from jealous people.

    ¡°Anyway, I better get going, I just came to say my goodbye,¡± Zeke finally said breaking the stillness.

    ¡°Yeah, okay,¡± she stammered as if someone just shook her awake from her daydreaming, ¡°be safe and please come back alive?¡±

    ¡°I will. I promise you that,¡± He bared his wide grin, ¡°I always keep my promise remember?¡¯

    ¡°I know,¡± she tried to reply his grin with a positive smile, but deep down they both know that in the battlefield there was no such thing as a guarantee. Your life would always be at stake at every second at every blink of an eye and you would never know when would it be the time to accept your fate.

    Both of them went quiet again and didn¡¯t move from their spot even though they had said their goodbye to each other; solemnly thought of the situation; neither ready to actually say goodbyes.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Zeke glanced her once more. Eireen had a kind of understated beauty, perhaps it was because she was so disarmingly unaware of her prettiness. Her peach beige skin was completely flawless, her pink hair framing her beautiful mesmerizing deep rosy eyes. She was all about simplicity, helping those around her to breath in a relaxing atmosphere, her air always making people be happy with what they have. When she smiled and laughed he couldn¡¯t help but to smile along too; he quietly admits that he has fallen for her. Zeke noticed his feeling for her for quite some time already, though he wasn¡¯t really sure that it¡¯s okay to make a move on her. He treasured their relationship as best friends more than anything. To actually tried to take a step further to be more, felt like a big risk that he wasn¡¯t ready to take.

    Zeke inhaled sharp. He was anxious about being sent to the frontline, not about his own life but more about her. Who would took care and protected her from those men who tried to proof the bad rumors that have been spreading about her? There were quite a few men that he has taught some lessons when he heard what they said and planned to do with her; all those dark intentions. Even though he has no doubt at her ability to protect herself, still she could be so ignorant and clueless at times.

    The awkward silence between them was really heavy, even the weather outside the stable started to go gloom. The air was chilly, the scent of rain hung in the air as the sky grew darker and the blue sky was overtaken by the grayness. Roll of thunder growled threateningly and it didn¡¯t take long until the first drop of rain splattered the roof of the stable.

    They stood side by side in silence. She wished she knew what to say to him. It was his first time to be sent to the front-line and everyone knew the chance of coming back was almost zero.

    ¡¯be safe¡­ come back alive¡­ I wish those words are easily done as they are easily said.¡¯

    Eireen glanced at him, his eyes were glistening with determination. He was the second closest person she has. He was always there for her, even when he was deployed to the battlefield he would always come back with his roaring laugh. She knew things that he has done for her, protecting her, defending her quietly behind her back and she couldn¡¯t be more grateful for his presence. He watched over her like a hawk and took care of her like what a brother would do. The idea of him leaving and thinking that this could be her last time to see his wide grin killed her.

    ¡°¡­ Z¡ª¡° ¡°Eiree¡­¡±

    Both of them called each other at the same time and stopped at the same time.

    ¡°Okay you first,¡± he scratched his head clumsily.

    Eireen shook her head and smiled sheepishly, ¡°no, you should go first.¡±

    He gazed at her, his brow gathered in a crease as if he was thinking hard. Eireen stared back at him curiously; waiting for him to speak up his mind.

    ''Zeke--- Zeke Valdez, I trust you to have my true name,'' he said in a telepath. Eireen face went to bright pink realizing what he just did.

    ¡°Ee-eh--?! What?!! but I am not your lov¡ª,¡° she stammered.

    A light chop on her head stopped her words.

    ¡°Who said you are?!¡± he refuted with an obvious blush on his tan skin, ¡°That is not something that only can be shared between lovers, best friends are allowed too you know! Are you my best friend or not?¡±

    ¡°¡­yes I am,¡± Eireen replied listlessly while rubbing her stinging head.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine to not give me yours. I am giving it just in case you wanted to reach me somehow,¡± he explained.

    ¡°Besides... it''s not like you could actually overpower me and took control of my mind,¡± he teasingly added.

    Eireen hit him playfully on his shoulder as a reply, but he caught it even before it actually touched him. He held her hand and gazed deeply at her eyes.

    ''I am worried to leave you alone. Promise me to telepath me every day? Could you promise me that?'' Zeke words rang on her head severely once more. Her eyes couldn¡¯t look away from his. She was breathless in the intensity of his gaze.

    ¡°Promise me Eireen!¡± He repeated, this time with his voice. The severity of the words was still the same as if he could see what kind of future may hold for her.

    Speechless ¨C all she could do was just nodding as her promise for him.

 Chapter 18 - Tribute (Eireen)

    Time slowed as if Eireen¡¯s brain needed to freeze the moment, a keepsake, a memory to remember on him. She stood staring at the rain outside the stable, the wind moving -blowing relentlessly- as if telling her that his journey would be harsh. It was only a few minutes ago Zeke left her, but she couldn¡¯t help to have the aching feeling as if he wouldn¡¯t return.

    ¡°Who is he?¡± Jace voice startled her and she dropped her rake. She turned quickly to see the man stood with his back slumped on the back wall of the stable.

    ¡®How long has he been there? Wait, was he there when I am talking with Zeke?¡¯

    Jace had his arms crossed on his chest, his lips pursed and his finger tapped impatiently waiting for her answer.

    ¡°I am sorry, but don¡¯t understand your question, master Jace,¡± she finally answered him, unaware of the saltiness of his tone.

    ¡°That guy, the one you been flirting with,¡± he growled low and moving toward her like a tiger against his cornered prey.

    ¡°Flirting?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be an idiot, you know exactly who I mean,¡± he grabbed her arm roughly, ¡°the swordsman, the ugly Builderat.¡±

    Eireen winced at the pain on her arms, ¡°Z ? I am not flirting with him, he is my best friend that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Best friend? BAH!¡± Jace spat bitterly as he ran his other free hand through his hair and stared at her with a stare that could have frozen the lava of an active mountain.

    He snarled and added, ¡°sure keep on lying Eireen. Do you think I am blind?!¡±

    Eireen bit her lips down, trying her best to not squeal, his hand on her arm was like an eagle claw seized its prey. She could imagine the bruise that her arm will gain later on.

    ¡°I have been watching you all this whole year, giving you time and waiting for you to come to your senses,¡± his low growl slowly rising to a scream, ¡°and what do I find? You are giggling with another man.¡±

    Eireen yelped when he jerked her toward the wall harshly. Her back hit the wall with a loud thump. She didn¡¯t even have the chance to stand up back properly when he slammed his hand on the wall just a mere inches away from her face.

    His smoldering stare held onto the girl that had frozen in front of him. He could feel his thought all gnarl together as the temptation to hurt her poisoned his bloodstream. He knew when he saw her eyes started brimming with tears that he should relent, that a decent person would show forgiveness. But the scene he just saw, the words he has heard about her and the Builderat, added with how he was cornered by Scry made him almost lost it.

    ¡°You¡¯re an ungrateful woman. Did you even realize how lucky you could be if you just say yes?¡± he hissed under his gritted teeth.

    Eireen clamped her quivering mouth tight as his fist pounded once more to the wall.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you just see that you belong to me?¡± His husky voice slurred between suppressed anger and strange excitement as his bleeding knuckle clumsily brushing her right cheek. Eireen squeezed her eyes in fear of what he might do next.

    ¡°Now let me ask you once more and don¡¯t you dare to lie to me,¡± he whispered near her ear, his tone promising her more pain to come if she didn¡¯t give him the answer he wanted to hear, ¡°Who is he?¡±

    ¡°¡­-- a fr--iend,¡± she stuttered with her trembling lips, ¡°I¡ªI am not ly-lying my liege, p--p-please don¡¯t hurt me.¡±

    Jace scowled but he finally took a step back releasing her from his arms cage. He then started to pace around her. He regretted his promise to Scry, a promise he made under his influence. He wished he could take it back but that would mean losing the support he needed and also it would hurt his pride.

    ¡®There should be a way around this. She is mine!¡®

    Jace stopped his pacing and gazed deeply to her eyes, ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you but with one condition only, be mine! ¡°

    Eireen didn¡¯t answer. Her mind screamed to just agree on what he demanded, but despite her logic, her body reacted first and instead of saying yes she bowed deeply.

    His face became mottled crimson, his eyes popped, his tree trunk neck strained, and his next words were spat out with ferocity ¡°Do you hate it that much to be my wife?!! You are that willing to die in the battlefield than being mine and be spoiled!?!¡±

    Eireen didn¡¯t change her position, she still bowed deeply even though her body trembling with fear of the next blow of pain he might deliver to her.

    ¡°Fine! If that¡¯s what you want!¡± Jace grabbed the rake and slammed it to the wall.  A loud crack vibrated the place as it broke into two, splintering everywhere. His action scared Eireen to her core and caused the innocent mounts to stamp nervously inside their stable.

    ¡°Hear this out Eireen Silver, this is an order given to you by your king;¡± he declared with his official thundering voice, ¡°and if you dare to say no or run away, I will have your head hanging on the gate.¡±

    ¡®Oh No! This time  he will use his power to make me marry him.''

    ¡°Since your wish is to serve your country, your kingdom, and your Goddess, I shall grant your wish. I order you to give your life as trade over financial and power support from Prince Scry Treeoaks of Treeoaks kingdom.¡±

    Blood was drained from her face, her already weak and trembling body lost the strength and her legs failed her.  She faltered on the floor.

    ¡°You will be given to him as a tribute in a week from now. From this day onward you are his belongings. Prepare yourself and serve your kingdom as if your life is on the line.¡±

    ¡®A tribute?! Mom, what should I do now? I have become a slave for trade.¡¯

    Jace stood there waiting for her answer. He expected that she would change her mind and agreed on his proposal. To be his second wife was a better option than being a tribute. Any woman in their right mind would choose the right and better choice.

    ¡®Now... what would you do Eireen?¡¯ His lips twitched. He was so sure he would win this time. The girl would finally be his. He would think of other ways to gain support from Scry. The prince likes women. Jace was sure that he could give a better replacement, not just one or two. Even if Scry wanted more than a dozen girl he didn¡¯t really mind. As long Eireen would relent and agreed to be his, he would give the world if he must.

    Slowly she moved. Unsteadily she positioned herself in a kneeling position. Her forehead touched the ground.

    Jace''s lips quivered a smile.

    ¡°T-thank you for your benevolence my liege,¡± she whispered. Her voice was broken and he could see how her body shaking, ¡°If my life can be useful to support the Kingdom as a tribute. I-I will a-accept your order and serve the kingdom to the last breath I have.¡±

    The smile that was growing on his face crumbled. Burning rage hissed through all his body like deathly poison, screeching a demanded release in the form of unwanted violence. His knuckles lost their colors from clenching his fists too hard and he gritted his teeth in an effort to remain silent. His face was red with suppressed rage. He took a step back, without saying a word he turned his heels and left the place.

 Chapter 19 - Intruder

    The man who sat on the throne was a charm for sure. He has the right twinkle in his eyes and summer air all around him. But there was something in the way he looked at her. His calculated glare while he''s studying her face; observing her. The unreadable smile that rose up on his face as their eyes met, made Yurika felt uncomfortable.

    ¡°Z!¡± he called out and jumped off from the throne gleefully, but his eyes stayed on the girl. There¡¯s something strangely familiar about her that he couldn¡¯t really pinpoint; her whole appearance wasn¡¯t that special but for some reason, he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her.

    ¡°Finally you are here, ¡° he opened his arms and slapped his arms in a friendly gesture, ¡°¡­ and I believe this is Yurika?¡±

    Yurika didn¡¯t answer him. She unconsciously took a step closer toward Zeke as if she could hide behind him. Seeing her reaction Jace raised his brow.

    ¡°Yes this is Yurika,¡± Zeke quickly prompted to pull Jace attention back to him, ¡°my girlfriend.¡±

    ¡®Girlfriend?!¡¯ Yurika protest screamed in his mind.

    ¡®Sorry, just bear with me and follow through, please?¡¯ He responded back with a subtle gesture.

    ¡°She isn¡¯t that good with a stranger. So I guess she is worry on why do you want to meet her,¡± Zeke continued.

    Jace chuckled as a response, ¡°now, now, you know that I don¡¯t like liars, right Z?¡±

    Yurika gulped at Jace tone. She could sense that he somehow suspected something.

    ¡°You can¡¯t claim something that isn¡¯t yours,¡± Jace''s eyes lingered on hers, the same smile still played on his face, ¡°don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    She regretted her own honest reaction. She couldn¡¯t fully blame on Zeke on it. If she wasn¡¯t being angry at him and walled him out all the time before they arrived, they could have prepared her more.

    ¡° I -I was just surprised. I didn¡¯t know he will tell anyone about us being a couple,¡± she stuttered trying to fix the situation, ¡°we are still newly dating.¡±

    Jace frowned but then he brayed as if the whole act didn¡¯t convince him at all.

    ¡°Oh, now that¡¯s interesting. Do you even know how old is this man?¡± he said teasingly, ¡°he could be your dad already.¡±

    ¡°I know, but love has nothing to do with ages,¡± she retorted.

    Again Jace laughed out loud in delight. He walked up to her and closing up his distance. An amused smile lingered on his face but his eyes said something else. There was something dangerous lurked on the way he gazed her; deep straight in her eyes.

    ¡°So¡­. Does that mean you know our secret?¡± his brows went up curiously.

    ¡°S-se-secret?¡± She stammered unsure what was the best way to respond that.

    ¡°You must have known of the fact we can¡¯t get older physically, ¡° Jace asked, ¡°look at your so-called boyfriend he didn¡¯t even look past 25 years old, and you said that you knew that he could be your father?¡±

    Yurika gasped, she turned her head toward Zeke asking his help.

    ¡°She knew. I told her already,¡± Zeke took a step between Jace and Yurika, ¡°forgive me my liege, but I told her everything.¡±

    ¡°Everything? I see¡­,¡± Jace sounded vexed. He then turned his back away from them and strolled toward his throne, but halfway he stopped.

    ¡°You know¡­, Marc has this interesting theory about you and her. Isn¡¯t that true Marc?¡± Jace said with his back still facing Zeke and Yurika.

    Yurika and Zeke finally realized the boy presence. Yurika eyes swept through the room and saw him stood lazily with his back on one of the pillar. His hands both hidden in pants pockets, the same glasses hanging on his now more matured face. Yurika remembered their first meeting; on how boyish was his look back then, but he had grown up in his early years in the elite group. She hardly saw him back then as Eireen. They had passed each other once in a while in the palace and only greeted each other with a nod. Well, she did get some training from him after the election. But she never really paid much attention to how much he has grown up. The everlasting youth gift started at the right time for him. His tousled dark brown hair was thick and lustrous. His face was stronger and more defined with sharp jaw covered with little stubble and angular cheekbones. His dark roasted coffee eyes were mesmerizing and deep; a nice pairing with his latte skin. His loose black silk shirt hardly able to hide his lean body and his expression was serious as always but not unkind.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    He didn¡¯t quickly respond Jace. He took off his glasses, calmly cleaned the lenses before he finally nodded

    ¡°You see, he thinks that you have found the one we search for,¡± Jace turned his body and pointed at Zeke, ¡°and I think for some unknown reason you want to keep her for yourself.¡±

    Jace took a quick glance at her and smiled meaningfully.

    Yurika body tensed. She didn¡¯t even dare to glance at Zeke. Her body temperature going down fast as panic started to flare up.

    ¡°The chosen one, the promised hero that Goddess of Life promised us. The one that will bring world balance back," He made a dramatic pause and stared directly at Yurika. ¡°the one that will wield the true power of Fetu La Rossa, the crimson star of hope.¡±

    She could feel her secret pocket started to heat up. The red gem reacted to her emotion.

    ''Calm down. This doesn¡¯t mean he knew I was Eireen, calm down. Control it, don¡¯t let it exploded like last time, calm down Yurika.¡¯ She chanted the words over and over in her head.

    Jace walked back toward her but he stopped when Zeke stepped in between them.

    ¡°Z, move aside now, that¡¯s an order!¡±Jace steely glared at Zeke. Marc watched them. He looked worried but didn¡¯t dare to say anything. Lyall just ignorantly sat in one of the stairs near the throne and playing with his fruit knife.

    Zeke stood his ground unmoving. His body towering Jace in an intimidating way, ¡°No. ¡°

    Jace took a step back and preparing his attack, ¡°are you disobeying your king?! MOVE ASIDE I SAID!¡±

    Zeke said nothing. His head bowed in an apologetic way but he still stood between Jace and Yurika, he didn¡¯t even on his defensive position.

    ¡°You dare to disobey me over this little wench!¡± Jace shouted angrily as he lunged at Zeke. He had charged his fist with a flame to deliver freezing fire fist, one of his best skills that would stun anything that in front of him.

    Zeke body flew back like a punching bag the moment Jace''s palm touched his abdomen. His back hit one of the broken pillars with a loud crack. Zeke made a painful grunt and for a few seconds he didn¡¯t move, but then he staggering back up.

    ¡°Z!!¡± Yurika screamed at him.

    Jace was preparing to launch another attack when Yurika rushed to stand in front of Zeke.

    ¡°What are you doing!! He is one of you right!¡± She yelled at Jace and took out her Katar, readying herself to defend Zeke and herself. She could feel how rigid was her whole body, how shaken were her fists, and the heat from the stone intensify to the point it was painfully burning her.

    Jace stopped and looked at her. His eyes widen in shock seeing her stance.

    ¡°That position?!¡° He muttered, ¡°impossible! That can¡¯t be! Who are yo¡ª¡°

    But before he managed to finish his line, a loud boom from the Palace Court Yard shaken the place. The door to the throne room hurled open and Amiera rushed in.

    ¡°We got an intruder!!¡± She shouted.

    ¡°What do you mean with intruder?!¡± Jace attention changed to her, while Lyall and Marc run toward Amiera.

    ¡°How strong is the person? Strong enough to¡ª,¡± Lyall asked with a jittery smirk, ¡°kill me?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, we were ambushed. Scry is the one dealing with the person,¡± Amiera explained, ¡°he told me to deliver the news to you guys.¡±

    Lyall cooing excitedly, ¡°sweet~ strong one! let me join the fun!¡± And he ran out of the room like a happy kid.

    ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Marc asked concerned to see some blood on Amiera face.

    ¡°Nah, just some scratches. I¡¯ll be fine, ¡°she shook her head and patted Marc head, ¡°don¡¯t worry.¡±

    He blushed and pushed Amiera hand away, ¡°stop that, I am not a kid anymore.¡±

    ¡°Marc stay behind, don¡¯t let these two leave your sight!¡± Jace ordered him grimly, ¡°we still have unfinished business.¡±

    Jace took one last look at Yurika. His eyes filled with mixed unreadable feelings, then he dashed off to the courtyard.

    Right after Jace left, Yurika released the tension air that she has been holding on in a large huff. She ran toward Zeke and shakingly checked on the tall man who still stood near the pillar.

    ¡°Z, are you okay?¡±

    The tall man grunted a bit before slumped down, ¡°I am fine, don¡¯t worry¡±

    He then gave her a wide grin mixed with a wince of pain when he playfully slapped his bruised abdomen.

    ¡°Can you stand up?¡± Yurika worriedly inspected him and offered her hand to help him. The blow was pretty rough and she knew how strong Jace was. Even though she didn¡¯t doubt Zeke strength, still to just received the blow without even defending himself was stupid and dangerous. No common man would have survived that kind of blow.

    Zeke smiled giddily. Her concern and worries for him made him happy. Even though he would have some trouble sleeping with both of his back and abdomen bruised for the coming days, he didn¡¯t regret taking the hit. Standing up with a deep grunt, he checked his back making sure it wasn¡¯t broken.

    ¡°Yep, I am all good!¡± He tapped his chest proudly with a grin when he was sure that nothing was broken. Yurika, on the other hand, scowled at him.

    ¡°You are not an immortal you know! Unable to age doesn¡¯t mean you are unable to die!¡± She snapped at him, ¡°don¡¯t you dare to make me worry like that, ever again!.¡±

    Zeke chuckled a bit and patted her head as the response. The loud noises of clatter, clanged of swords, explosion combined with shouting were penetrating the room, seemed they really were in some kind of trouble dealing with the intruder.

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting. I wonder who is the intruder,¡± Zeke pondered, then he glanced at the boy who was also looked anxious, glancing at the throne''s door.

    ¡°Maybe we should go out and help?¡± Marc muttered unsurely.

    But suddenly a thunderous blast hit the throne door room and sent it flying. A rush of wind gust barged in and a figure stood in front of the gap where the door used to be.

 Chapter 20 - I am The Chosen One

    The bright light from outside of the throne room illuminating the place, hiding the person who stood in front of the gaping door. Marc reacted the quickest, he started to chant Replication Magic Missiles and aimed at the person. Yurika managed to get a glimpse of the person''s silhouette. She felt like she had seen that posture somewhere.

    ¡®Yurika close your eyes now!¡¯

    A gasp escaped Yurika lips the moment the voice entered her mind. She quickly reacted to the instruction and shut her eyes.

    ¡°Dazzling Burst!¡± The person shouted while throwing a couple of objects toward Marc and Zeke. Marc hasn¡¯t finished chanting his skill when the objects exploded and filled the whole room with bright lights.

    ¡°My eyes!!¡± Zeke screamed almost at the same time with Marc grunted in pain because of the invading light. The sparks had seared their retinas and blinded them for a few seconds.

    Yurika felt her hand was grabbed and dragged by someone. The person pulled her in a rush. Yurika kept her eyes closed while letting herself to be lead on. They were half running half walking at a fast pace. With closed eyes, it was harder to stop herself from bumping and stumbling to random objects. The person then decided to stop all of a sudden.

    ¡®Open your eyes already. We need to move faster!¡¯

    "Wen?"

    Yurika carefully opened her eyes. It took her a few seconds before her eyes getting used of the darkness surrounding them. The shadow started to take shapes that she could understand. She saw her best friend peering around cautiously. Wen had pulled her to a secluded corner. Looking around her surrounding Yurika tried to guess where they were. If she recalled Eireen''s memory right, they should be standing at the west of the Palace courtyard.

    ¡°Wen, Why ar--?¡± asked Yurika. The purple haired girl leaped and covered Yurika''s lips. Her blue eyes glared at her.

    ¡®Shusssh! They could hear us! I don¡¯t really have time to explain. We really need to go to my mount, before they find us.¡¯

    ¡®Sorry,'' Yurika said using her telepathic, ¡®Where did you hide it? Do you remember?¡¯

    ¡®¡­ not really, but it should be somewhere around here,¡¯ grumbled Wenona, ¡®It¡¯s better if I could use light magic to see in this darkness. But that would mean giving out our position to them.¡¯

    ¡®Do you remember any specific landmark of the place?¡¯

    Wen pouted and her brow gathered in a scowl. She was trying to remember any special sign she might have seen before.

    ¡®I think I saw a bird painting on the ground or something like that.¡¯

    ¡®Blackbird barrack. It¡¯s at the south of the Palace Court Yard. We got to turn around and go back there,¡¯ Yurika said.  She pointed out the direction. It was Eireen''s old barrack. Wenona gazed at her best friend curiously.

    ¡®You seemed to know this place well, Yuu. ¡¯

    Yurika gulped hard, ¡®Ehm, Z told me a bit about this place. Speaking of which I should telepath him. We left him behind, we should have take hi¡ª¡®

    ¡®No! I told you already I don¡¯t trust him! There¡¯s something odd about him Yuu. I can¡¯t explain, but please trust me on this.¡¯

    ¡®Odd about him¡¯ the words tickle Yurika¡¯s strange feeling toward his ability with magic and teleport scroll. But she still wanted to believe in him. There should be some explanation behind his new found power. She would ask about it later, but for now, she decided to trust Wenona.

    ¡®Okay, I won¡¯t message him or response to any of his telepathy. Let¡¯s go this way,¡¯ She grabbed Wenona¡¯s hand and carefully lead her toward the south of the Palace courtyard. They stopped a few times and hid on Wenona¡¯s gesture. Her ability to sense Jace¡¯s and the others'' presence was flawless as if she was a walking life detector. After walking for around twenty-five minutes they reached Blackbird barrack safely.

    ¡®There! Come on let¡¯s go!¡¯ Wen jumped gleefully and pointed at something hidden near the corner of the destroyed building. Yurika tried to figure out what was that strange shaped thing. It''s floating low and bobbing softly whenever the wind blew. Her brain trying to dig out her memory of a floating mount; nothing came to her mind. As they moved closer the thing slowly revealed. When they finally close enough, Yurika¡¯s jaw fell in shock. It was a giant kite.

    Usually, a mount is a living being, like Hoiho or the great Azzax or the famous Nagantaka bird. The giant golden feathered bird is a rare mount and wanted by many, but it has been more than a decade since its disappearance. There was also another common mount, like the one Zeke and she had rented for ten silver each per day. The Grev¡¯y Zee is one of the most common mounts. It runs in medium speed and has the ability to carry medium weight. It has a short mane, pointy ears, four short legs, and the leaf colored fur. Its tame and timid character made it impossible to be a war mount, but its ability to return home by its own is what made it good enough for rented mounts.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    But what Yurika saw in front of her right now was nothing like she could imagine.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?!¡±

    ¡°My beloved mount,¡± Wenona grinned proudly, ¡°I created it.¡±

    Yurika eyes widen in awe, ¡°You created it?! How??¡±

    Wenona didn¡¯t answer her right away. Instead, she whipped her head toward the north side of where they were standing. She hissed angrily and quickly climbed up the mount.

    ¡°Come Yuu, we don¡¯t have much time. They know we are here,¡± she said while offering her hand to Yurika. Yurika accepted and climbed up the kite.

    The moment she sat on its smooth surface, it started to levitate at high speed and almost made her lose balance. Wen caught her in time before she toppled backward, falling from the magical mount.

    ¡°Hold on tight, we need to get out of this place fast,¡± said Wen; sounded half panic and half determined.

    The cold air hit her eyes, for a few seconds she was blind, then they cleared just as fast. The moon escaped the cloud''s embrace and revealed the palace ground below. Yurika watched her best friend with her blue eyes focused on controlling the kite they were on, flying in high speed, zig zag-ing pillars, and ledges. The cold air rushed past as they accelerated faster and faster.

    ¡°Wen, why are you here?¡± Yurika finally asked the question once more.

    ¡°Saving you of course,¡± she answered matter factly.

    ¡°Saving me? Eh??¡±

    ¡°Gezz Yuuu, stop asking questions! Don¡¯t you see I am busy?¡± her desperate annoyed voice went high pitched because of a few flying fireballs flew too close to them, Yurika whirled her head to the back and saw the group that chasing them. Jace was chanting more fireballs to hurl at them. Lyall, Marc, and Amierra were running behind the golden-haired man. Zeke was falling behind but he was also on tail pursuing them.

    ¡±Wait, I don¡¯t see--,¡± Yurika muttered and her eyes cautiously swept the area for the blue-purple gradient haired man, but before she finished her line the man suddenly materialized right in front of them and sprang in high speed at Wenona. She didn¡¯t have the chance to dodge, the man was on top of her with his Poisonous Bagh Nakh pressed on her neck. Yurika yelped a little too late, she didn¡¯t have the chance to warn Wenona about Scry.

    ¡°I knew it! Just some childish play,¡± he leered his sinister smile, ¡°so now my little rodent, what trick and trap you have left in store? You got us in so much work and trouble before, I should punish you really h- AARGH!¡±

    But before he finished his words, the kite they were on started to spin like a tornado hit it. It declined down so fast to the ground. Scry lost his balance and almost lost his chance of grabbing the end of the kite. He struggled to stay on the falling kite and shouted angry words at Wenona who held Yurika¡¯s arm in time before she fell out from the kite.

    ¡°Tricks? Oh, Sir, I have so much more than you could think of,¡° Wenona snickered with gleaming eyes, ¡°hold on tight, Yuu!¡±

    With that word her blue eyes sparkled, the kite started to stabilize and took where it was left off. Scry slowly pulled himself up. But before he managed to get fully unto the kite, the kite started to shake off to left and right in high speed and this time he lost his grip for good and fell backward out of the kite.

    ¡°YOU crazy woman, I am going to make you pay for this!¡± Scry''s screaming angrily as he fell unto the ground below. Luckily it wasn''t a far drop. The kite then picked back the speed and levitated higher.

    Wenona chuckled in victory, ¡°sure come and get me if you ca-- WOAH!¡±

    Her victorious glee was cut off by some magic missiles that dashing closely to the kite. They almost hit the kite if Wenona didn¡¯t see them at the last second.

    ¡°That¡¯s dangerous! They really want to kill us!¡± She screamed while doing her best to control the kite in avoiding the scattered flying missiles. Then suddenly from the sky, they heard a loud noise of screeching Tolu birds. Yurika looked up to see the black feathered three eyes birds were gathering like a huge black cloud. Their beady eyes glinted hungrily at the girls on the kite. This must have been Amierra''s doing, she had summoned the birds.

    ¡°Wen, we need to--, ¡° Yurika words were cut off when the bird one by one swopped down and with their sharp bent beak tore the kites part by part. The kite lost its ability to stay on the air and soon dove really fast toward the ground.

    ¡°No, My baby!!¡± Wen exclaimed, ¡°We are going down!! Hold on tight YUUU!!¡±

    Wen quickly regained her focus and composure. She chanted something that sounds like a foreign language to Yurika ears.

    ¡°ka whakakitea te moenga!¡± Wen said while raising her hand towards the ground, and suddenly a huge mattress appeared in front of them and caught them in time, saving them from splattering unto the ground. The mattress cushioned their fall and protected them from any possible injuries.

    They bounced around a bit before finally stopped. Wenona quickly rose up from it and ready to jump off the mattress when dizziness stopped her movement.

    ¡°ugh I feel sick,¡± Wen muttered under her breath, her face was slowly losing its color, her hand touched her neck and felt a little sting there.

    Yurika quickly checked on her best friend and saw there was a small purple-ish wound on her neck. She immediately knew that Scry¡¯s Bagh Nakh was the cause. Wen was poisoned and no one else has the cure but the owner of the weapon.

    ¡°Let¡¯s g-go we ne-need to ke-keep m-moving,¡± Wen forced herself to stand up, but her legs failed her. She fell back to the mattress and started to shiver all over her body.

    ¡°Urgh, th-this is b-bad. Go, Yuu don¡¯t wo-worry about me,¡± she curled up in a ball like a cold kitten, ¡°ru-run, sa-save yourself.¡±

    "I can''t do that! Wen, Wen?!" Yurika tried to pull her up. but Wenona has lost all her strength. Her body felt numb and cold.

    ¡°I sho-should have ta-taken Riddele advi-vice of s-studying a little bit of Priest class ability,¡± Wenona deliriously mumbled while her shivering lips started to go blue and her aqua eyes slowly became empty.

    ''No! I am going to lose Wen if I don''t do anything! But what?! I don¡¯t have the cure?!''

    Yurika was panic. She couldn''t leave Wen there to die, even after she told her to run. Then a decision flickered on her eyes. She gritted her teeth and quickly chanted,

    ¡°Purify!¡±

    She knew the skill wouldn¡¯t be enough against Scry¡¯s poison, but it would delay the deadly effect to buy her some time. Enough time for her to get the cure from the one man who she wished to avoid the most.

    Yurika looked up and saw the group quickly closing in, but she had made her decision. She couldn¡¯t think of another way to save Wenona¡¯s life. She carefully took out Fetuu La Rossa from her secret pocket. She glanced at the glimmering taunting red stone for one last time. Closing her hand over it, she then took a deep breath. Preparing her heart and mind for what she was about to do.

    Raising her hand high in front of her past friends and foes and with a puffed up chest, she gazed directly into each and everyone''s eyes. Her expression was sovereign and determined.

    ¡°I am Yurika an orphan and a nobody but Fetuu La Rossa has chosen me, please hear my plea!¡±

 Chapter 21 - My Slave (Eireen)

    - At The Goddes Election day- (Early morning)

    Eireen glanced at her appearance in front of the large mirror, while a few of the maids were busy preparing her for the big day. Today was the promised day where the Goddess of Life would descend and choose her hero. Eireen had to learn to stay quiet and let the maids do their job in the past two days. It was a new experience for her. She closed her eyes when one of the maids started to put some makeup on her face and let her mind drifting.

    Two days ago right after the king declared her duty to be a tribute as a support trade from Prince Scry Treeoaks, a group of guards came to her barrack and started to gather up all of her things. They then escorted her to the noble mansion where Jace usually entertained and offered his hospitality to the kingdom royal guests. She was taken in front of everyone without any official announcement, causing an uproar of gossips. On her way of leaving the premises, she could hear people whispering negatively about why she was moved to the noble ground.

    ¡°I bet the king wanted her to serve the noble, with the huge coming event.¡±

    ¡°Tsk, too bad, I thought I can have my ways with her when that Z guy is out of the way¡±

    ¡°¡­ I still can¡¯t believe someone like her, is a comfort girl, she was so nice to me.¡±

    ¡°Shush don¡¯t gossip! Don¡¯t you know she has strong backup?! That¡¯s why she never been sent to the battlefield, one wrong word you might lose your head.¡±

    She had heard those kinds of talk about her ever since day one when she was sent to the barrack after her demotion. At first, she went all feisty and tried to straighten the gossip. That she wasn¡¯t a prostitute or Jace''s mistress like the rumor that had somehow spread like a wildfire, but in the end, she ceased. The more she tried to clear her name the more the rumor went bigger. It was like adding more fuel to the fire. She chose to turn deaf on them, ignorance was her best shield. She closed her ears and heart, refused to get close to anyone. Until Zeke came to the picture. He trusted her and became her first friend after a long time.

    The walk to the noble¡¯s ground passed quickly as she was walking with an empty mind. The room that was prepared for her was icy blue with beautiful paintings hanged on the walls. Two large windows facing directly to the center garden with a beautiful spring. It''s peaceful and yet ignorant. Its beauty was a sad contrast of what¡¯s happening outside the palace ground. Out there in the battlefield, it was almost impossible for even a single flower to stand proudly without being trampled down by mounts'' hooves or human''s feet. Defiled by blood while became the silent witness of cries for survival and scream of death.

    She carefully stepped inside the room that was furnished from top to bottom with new looking furniture. While the guards were busy moving her small amount of items to the room, she took her time to notice the details of the room. The ceiling was high above her. Intricate carvings of her kingdoms insignia were engraved in some of the wooded areas of the room. She saw beautiful shelves made from pink ivory wood mounted on the walls. They were filled with some books and decorations. The room was uncomfortably large, the floor was well-polished concrete, and the bed on the center of the room probably would fit for a dozen of children. As she came close toward it, she reverently rubbed her fingers along the silken mattress, pressed her index finger to the cool velvet pillows. The comforter was thick and irresistibly soft, like a billowing cloud. There was a huge wardrobe made of pink ivory wood on the other side of the bed; too big for her scarce of garments; lastly, she saw a beautiful study table near one of the windows.

    The room was a perfect fit for any noble. But she wasn¡¯t a noble, she¡®s a tribute in another word a slave. To have this luxury as a tribute was pretty strange, but she didn¡¯t really want to ask any questions about it. If her master thought she should be placed there then so be it. Besides, it wouldn''t change the fact that her future already concluded. Dark and cold like the room in its tranquility.

    A soft nudge on her arm woke her up from her reverie and pulled her back to the present time. Apparently, her makeup and hair had been done. The only thing left was her clothing. She was temporarily warped up in cloth as they worked on her hair and face. The maids had chosen a silk white dress for her, it was decorated with beautiful tiny prismatic gems on the edges of each layer, the layers didn¡¯t seem too extravagant to the point it was too heavy for her to handle, and it still able to flatter her figure.

    The maids started to undo her cloth when suddenly her chamber door sprang open. A man with amber eyes leisurely walked in. It was as if there was nothing wrong for a guy to just barged into a maiden room while she was half naked with nothing on her but a simple white cloth.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Eireen automatically yelped and do her best to cover herself, while the maids were strangely removing themselves while giggling and chattering in a soft tone.

    ¡°Leave us, ¡° his velvety voice ordered the maids with a mesmerizing smile. They quickly obeyed the man and in no time Eireen was left alone with him. She mouthed a silent protest to one of the maids that accidentally met her gaze, but the maid just gave her an envy stare before leaving the premises.

    The man ambled towards her with a teasing smile while she stumbled around trying to cover herself.

    ¡°What are you doing? Stop right there!¡± She put up one of her arms in front of her when her back hit the wall. Her other hand was busy trying to pull up the white cloth to cover herself as best as she could.

    ¡°Why should I stop?¡± The man leered, making larger steps toward her and stopped right in front of her. His amber eyes appraising the girl from top to bottom with a mocking smile decorating his dashing face. Then suddenly he took her raising hand and gave it a quick kiss. Eireen made a squeaky surprised noise and quickly pulled out her hand away from him as fast as she could. The man saw the opening and in one wide step invading her personal space. Caging her with his arms and leaning closer in front of her face. His soft breathing brushing her cheeks and eyes. She blushed.

    ¡°What¡¯re you being embarrassed for? Blushing over your new master? Hello, my cute slave,¡° he seductively whispered while making their proximity closer. Just a few more inches and they would have been in hugging position. His warm skin radiated and she could smell a combination of sandalwood and cider.

    ¡°¡­ your slave?¡± she mumbled; dazed and confused.

    ¡°Oh! I forgot to introduce myself, don¡¯t I? Forgive my rudeness,¡± he chuckled to see how red the girl was, ¡°Scry Treeoaks at your service.¡±

    Eireen gasped hearing the name and for the first time, she looked at the man properly. His blue-purple gradient wavy hair, his creamy skin, and it finally struck her memories. She had seen this man. It was that day where she saw a drunken noble sleeping in one of the stables. She finally realizes who the man in front of her was.

    ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you remembered,¡± he snickered, ¡°looking up close you are not so bad for a commoner. Now I somehow know why he has a special interest in you.¡±

    Scry softly tracing his finger upon her blushing cheeks slowly going down to her jaws and stopped at her chin. He then lifted her face up gently.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to see the face he made when I told him I wanted you as a trade for his request of support,¡± his amber eyes gleamed with excitement and he chuckled, ¡°and I knew from that moment that the rumor may have been true. You are someone who has taken a hold of him. Either that his secret or even worse¡­ His heart.¡±

    He then released her from his arm cage and gazed her like a beast cornering its prey, ¡°So, do you know what I would I do with my slaves?¡±

    Eireen shook her head weakly while biting her inner lips hard. All the possible worst things that could be her destiny played on her mind. Those that were impossible for her to put words on because of the horrifying truth. The man could do absolutely everything he wanted. Her throat felt dry all of a sudden. Her breathing started to feel heavy as fear struck her.

    ¡°Shush, my dear, why are you so pale?¡± The man leaned close again with a teasing smile, ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you.¡±

    His index finger returned to brush lightly on her cheeks, slowly tracing down her naked neck and shoulder. Eireen felt revolted by his action but she didn¡¯t dare to make any sound of disgust as he touched her. She¡¯s his slave. Everyone knew what was a slave meant. She has lost all of her rights as a human being. She couldn¡¯t say no to any of her master demands. Not even if he wanted her to jump off the cliff and die. Her body got tenser and tenser the closer his finger ran toward her half covered breast. She sucked her breath hard, stared at the wall behind the man, tried her best to keep her mind empty, and her body stiffened like a dead log. But suddenly he stopped his indecent act and started to snicker. Then his snickers changed to chuckles and next thing she knew he burst out laughing. His raucous guffaw filling the silent room like a wave.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this. His comfort girl is a virgin?¡± He said while doubling with laughter, ¡°I wonder if it is because there is something wrong with his manhood.¡±

    ¡°I am not his comfort girl,¡± she timidly retorted, ¡°those rumors¡­ they are all not true.¡±

    ¡°Oh..., ¡° Scry raised an eyebrow. He stopped laughing, ¡°that¡¯s interesting.¡±

    He once again caged her with his arms and his face hovering closely. His amber eyes teasingly inspected her as a smirk painted on his lip.

    ¡°So¡­ what are you to him? Could you please tell me, my dear slave?¡± His soft voice tickled her ear.

    ¡°S-subordinate.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I doubt that. You are certainly more than that. Do you know what is the reason I picked you when I could have chosen much prettier women out there?¡±

    ¡°No¡­,¡± she muttered.

    ¡°Game. All of this is for a good game my dear," the man gestured to his surrounding; including to her. A malicious smile decorated his suave face, "I love playing games. Especially those that would make him mad and go crazy. And you, my dear slave, are my plaything, my toy, and my tool to pull a string on him. The great king of Ursa, Jace Ursa.¡±

    Scry then murmured to her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will take good care of you. I won''t break my new toy any time soon. Unless it bore me out.¡±

    "Let''s have a lot of fun together," he added then licked her right ear. Eiren flinched the moment his tongue caressing her.

    Then just like the way he came, he suddenly left. The man just broke his arms cage and lazily walked back toward the door. A few steps away from the door he stopped and turned his body one last time. His amber eyes glinted a dark desire and a wicked smile plastered on his beautiful face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me bored, Eireen Silver.¡±

 Chapter 22 - Fetuu La Rossa (Eireen)

    The throne room of Ursa''s kingdom was decorated for the big occasion. Crowded with lords and ladies, heroes and heroines from six kingdoms, redolent with the scents of perfume, glittering with soft warm spring sunlight that came from the vast windows on the wall. The dull rumble of talks filled the room at her entrance, judging eyes, sinister whispers, men and women jostling for the best place to take a good look at her -a tribute that for some reason shamelessly dressed as a noble- or maybe they were just trying to get the best view spot to see the Goddess.

    She didn¡¯t know that a slave was allowed to have what she was having so far. She had heard how bad usually a slave been treated. News about runaway slaves that got captured and tortured to death was the one she has heard the most.  She had all the luxury a noble could have ¨Cbeside her freedom-. Having a room in the noble regency, dressing up with beautiful dresses and jewelry, having her own maids, even got invited to the big event and sat among the nobles. Was all of that for the sake of the game Prince Scry had talked about? What was he planning on? What kind of man was Prince Scry? All of those questions ran on her mind as she strutted toward her seat.

    Keeping her chin up, she walked as gracefully as she could. Her eyes then met her master gaze. There was a satisfied grin plastered on his face as his amber eyes evaluated her look from his seat. The sinister smile that was on his face a few hours ago had gone without a trace. He looked so noble, so delicately handsome and serene.

    While striding toward her seating -next to Scry-, her gaze landed ahead to the throne seat. Where the golden-haired man sat, smiling regally in his navy and gold getup. The attire fitted against his taut body, and beneath the drape of his regal cloak, she saw a glimpsed of his loyal Katar at his side. His unruly golden hair tied away from his face. She gulped a bit when his eyes cast on her. There were admiration, jealousy, and longing mixed on those piercing blue eyes. She carefully avoided his eyes as she''s approaching her seat. Eireen paused in front of the king and bowed down in respect.

    "My beautiful tribute!" Exclaimed Scry, as he stood up from his royal chair and walked toward her.  He ignored all the rule manner and leaned close to Eireen.

    ¡°Look at our golden boy,¡± Scry whispered to her, ¡°wonder how he will react if I do this¡­¡±

    Scry then took her hand and kissed it, a soft but prolonged one. A victory chuckle escaped his lips the moment he glanced at the king and saw how red was his face.

    "Let''s go to our seat," he added on as he grabbed the girl''s hand and lead her to their seat. His eyes glowed with joy and a lopsided smile plastered on his lips. Jace''s piercing blue eyes darken while watching the scene.

    But Scry moment of bliss was cut off by  Lugos the Goddess¡¯ zanj arrival. His angelic and sovereign form hushed the room. As he strode in, his black majestic wing glittered like a star, everyone was awed by his grandiose.

    Standing in the middle of the throne room, he opened his wings gracefully and with his bellowing voice, he announced the Goddess arrival.

    ¡°All hail to our Goddess of Life Aiena!¡±

    Everyone in the room bowed down, dropped to their knees with heads touching the ground.

    The room was quickly filled in with mist, slowly it gathered in the middle of the throne room. Through the gathering mist came the form of a bleary white figure. A mesmerizing light came from inside the mist almost blinding everyone in the room. As the light easing of a majestic figure emerged. The Goddess was glowing in her magnificent beauty. She had a long white gown on and her wavy blonde hair was shining to the point it created some kind of silvery halo floating around her. The mist slowly dispersed, revealing her otherworldly beauty, her skin was almost transparent glowing, her silver eyes were deep and sublime, and her divinity was unparalleled, no one dared to raise up, instead, all fell flat to the floor.

    ''Raise up my children, let me see your faces,'' her ethereal voice spoke to their mind, ''for there¡¯s not much time left, let''s choose the warrior to lead us to victory for once and for all. Let¡¯s bring an end for this long war now. For you have suffered enough, therefore today to the chosen hero I shall bestow my blessing.''

    Gradually people started to raise their head excitedly, the soft murmurs were starting to fill the room. Faces full of hope to be selected as the hero was on each of the candidates.

    The Goddess then held up her right hand in front of her. As she opened her clenching hand a beautiful bright prismatic light was pulsing from her fingertips. All eyes were on it as it flickering; changing colors. Startling band of colors illuminated the room. The people stared at the Goddess in awe, gasped at how majestic it was. Then slowly a Navette shaped red gem emerged from the Goddess'' palm. It swirled gently and beautifully.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ''This is Fetuu La Rossa, the red crimson of hope. A legendary stone that was bestowed to me by my brother the God Eichoa before he went to his slumber,'' the Goddess'' voice echoing as her eyes sweeping the room, ''it only can be wielded by the chosen one, no one else.''

    The air of excitement sparked, as the crowds gazing at the sparkling stone. The uncontained astonishment grew stronger at every second. No one could sit still, some of the crowds that sat at the back started to move around trying to get a better view on the gem. The murmur started to grow louder and louder. They were talking to each other, guessing on who would be the chosen one and the candidates even started to brag that they would be the one.

    ¡°Silence!!¡± Lugo''s thundering voice silenced the growing noise.

    The Goddess Aine smiled gently, ''The one who will pick the chosen one isn¡¯t me. Fetuu La Rossa has its own soul. It will be the one who decided its own master.''

    Eireen stood not too far away from the center of the room. She could see the Goddess clearly. Her rosy eyes were on the gem, like everyone else. Her heart thumping so loud as the Goddess held her hand higher. The gem started to swirl faster and faster while gradually flying higher above the Goddess. Its beautiful light filling the room. It got brighter and brighter until suddenly an explosion of light overflowed the place. It was the kind of brightness that sears into your retinas making you close them for fear of going blind. The kind of glow that rivaling the sun itself. All they saw was white but after a few moments, they recovered their sight. The gem was not above the Goddess anymore.

    The crowd started to get loud as they looked around their surrounding trying to find where that gem went to. Then suddenly,

    ¡°There! It¡¯s in front of that girl!¡±

    All eyes went to the direction of the voice pointed to. Fetuu La Rossa was flying low in front of the girl who sat among the nobles. Her face paled and her lips were trembling as her rosy eyes stared at the red gem in horror.

    Eireen''s heart was in her throat as she stared at the swirling beautiful gem.

    ¡®It¡¯s must have been a joke. It has to be.¡¯

    ¡°The Chosen One is among us!¡± someone announces, and the crowd cheers.

    ¡®No!¡¯ she silently protested, ¡®no, you are wrong! It couldn¡¯t be me. The gem picked the wrong person. It has to be¡¯

    They have the wrong girl, she wanted to scream those words. She is Eireen Silver. She is just a commoner, who was trying to survive in this war era, doing her duty as the loyal citizen of Ursa kingdom. She is just eighteen years old. She¡¯s not even that talented in anything in particular.

    ¡®I am not your chosen one!¡¯

    The Goddess smiled majestically, ''come forth my child, for I see the future glory in your hand.''

    ¡®Me? A hero? What is the Goddess saying?¡¯

    ¡°Come! The Goddess has summoned you!¡± Lugo''s authoritative voice commanded her. Eiren sluggishly obeyed and moved toward to where the Goddess stood. The red gem followed behind her as if it was alive.

    ¡®This a mistake. Yes it must be, I am a nobody, I am not even that good with my skills, let alone to lead people to war?! This is a mistake! A big, big mistake!¡¯

    Her mind was a mess as she bowed down in front of the Goddess. Her trembling lips trying to gather words. She must tell Aine that all of this just a big mistake. The gem should have chosen someone much stronger than her. Someone who has the charisma to lead. Someone like¡­ Jace.

    ''It¡¯s not a mistake my child, you are the chosen one and no one else but you that would able to draw the true power of Fetuu La Rossa.'' The Goddess spoke as if she could read what¡¯s going on inside Eireen head.

    ¡°But¡­ I ¡­¡±

    The Goddess shook her head and smiled comfortingly, ¡°In time you will understand why it picked you."

    Then Goddess Aine laid her hands on the girl''s shoulders and pulled the girl to her embrace. No words came from her for the first five seconds. The crowds including Eireen gasped at the intimate gesture.

    ''Thank you, my child...'' said the Goddess as she broke the hug and carefully spun her facing Fetuu La Rossa, ''Now it''s time to face your fate.''

    The gem was floating and swirling beautifully. Eireen stared at it. Her mind was empty as the legendary stone flew closer and closer to her. It lightly touched her skin right on top of her chest. Heat started to spread all over her body the moment the gem settled itself into her. The room once again was filled with bright light. As the light subsided the crowd saw that the legendary stone has attached itself to the girl. They were one now.

    ''Remember this my child, for you to be able to unlock the true power of Fetuu La Rossa, you must master all classes basic skills. The true knowledge of the universe will be revealed to you the moment you managed to do so,'' The Goddess voice once more echoed.

    By then everyone realized that the Goddess and her zanj Lagos were nowhere to be seen. All eyes were cast on Eireen, it was quiet one second and then the cheers erupted like an auditory volcano. The shouts of joy echoing around rising up to a crescendo. While the girl -the one who was chosen- was standing in the middle of the cacophony: confused and shaken.

    "Please forgive me...," a startling whisper came to Eireen ears between the clamor. Despite the noise all around her, the voice was as clear as a bell as if it came from someone stood next to her. She turned around trying to find the owner of the voice. But no one in her perimeter was close enough to confide her.

    Meanwhile, on the noble seating, Scry had an ominous triumphant smile rose up on his face.

 chapter 23 - Lucia

    Yurika stood steadfastly with her arm raised high, she has no time to be wary; to think about herself. She must save Wenona life. If that required her to be known as the chosen one, it was a fine price she''s willing to pay. She had prepared herself to accept her role, but the thought of being in the same place with those people from her past, to maybe work together with them, and to link her life once more with them was not something she anticipated. She naively thought that she could stay detached, far away from her past life. She should have known if that''s impossible; especially with Zeke as her mentor. She should have known better that sooner or later the past would catch up on her.

    Her chaser started to gather around her.  Their eyes cautiously and suspiciously glaring at the girl. Yurika caught a glimpse of Zeke in the back.

    ''No! What are you doing??!''  Zeke protest echoed in her mind. His face paled by her announcement. But Yurika decided to tap him out, her determination gaze was her answer for him.

    "How would we know that you are the true wielder?" Amiera said grimly, "and not some mere thief who got lucky on hearing the true price of that gem."

    "No, is not some petty little thief we should worry about, Fetuu La Rossa would be just a simple red stone in the hand of nobody," Marc said, "a fake legendary stone is what I concern more."

    "Oh wow, our wonder boy talks more than 5 words, " Scry jeered; which got a short annoyed glared from Marc; "won''t that be interesting? For a little petty thief claiming as the chosen one with a fake Legendary stone?"

    Scry chuckled eerily before continued, "So are you that daring my little thief?"

    Yurika tensed when that amber eyes scrutinizing her with the same playful smile. She clenched her hand harder and gritted her teeth. There''s no time, she couldn''t stand and be investigated while Wenona''s life ticking slower and slower.

    "Sh-she was brought by Z. We s-should ask h-him," Lyall came wheezing and puffing heavily, "geez why you a-re guys ru-running so fast? I can''t keep up."

    "Nah, you are just old," teased Scry.

    "Oh shut up!" Lyall threw a random punch at Scry which was easy to avoid. "I can still beat you in a duel you know."

    "Z, explain yourself!" Jace''s angry voice blared. It silenced the silly bickering between Lyall and Scry. The golden-haired man had been very quiet even though he was the first that arrived at the scene.

    Zeke came skittishly from the back and quickly kneeled in front of Jace, "Forgive me my liege. It is true, she is the one Fetuu La Rossa chose. She is the one we have been searching for. I am guilty of trying to keep it from you.¡±

    That was the breaking point of Jace¡¯s short patience. He reached his hand out, grabbed Zeke in his collar and flew a punch in his face. As his punch made contact, Zeke fell to the ground releasing a deep grunt of pain, as if he has prepared for it. Blood seeped out from his nose and torn lips.

    ¡°You need to learn your place. Do you think you could just flat out lied to me and be unscathed? Lying to your king,¡± Jace growled, ¡°how dare you!¡±

    His face filled with bitter rage. His hand reached for Zeke once more, but suddenly a fireball lunged at him. It almost struck his face, but he managed to evade it in the nick of time.

    ¡°STOP!¡± Yurika shouted, her voice was a little bit shaky but her face was audacious, ¡°It was me who asked him to not tell anyone! Stop harassing someone who doesn''t even defend themselves! ¡±

    She positioned herself for battle, her fuschia eyes glowed in strange colors and she felt a surge of energy starting from her fingers tip to her whole body. Her logic screamed on how crazy it was to challenge Jace and how that would eventually mean challenging the whole pack. But she has no time for this nonsense, she needed the antidote for Wenona and seeing how Zeke let Jace bully him just made her angrier, she had enough.

    ¡°This cretin woman! Chosen one or not, you need to learn your lesson on how to behave in front of a king!¡± Jace leapt at her with his Katar ready. No one seemed to even think to stop him. They just stood there and watched.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    Strangely to Yurika, his movement was slow, slow enough for her to sidestep his attack smoothly. As she spun her body facing Jace¡¯s back, the surge of energy got stronger. The red gem in her clutch started to glow brighter and dematerialize into a light. The light then gathered on both of her hand, shaping in the form of a Katar; glimmering and jaunting in an astral-like colour.

    Jace wasn¡¯t prepared to have his attack evaded. It took him a couple of seconds to realize that his prey wasn¡¯t in front of him anymore. He spun his body and was going to deliver a strike but to his surprise, her glowing Katar was already on his throat. He froze as he knew that he has lost the fight.

    ¡°You are not my king!¡± she said vindictively, ¡°look around you, you barely have a kingdom left and soon you would have nothing left but your selfish pride!¡±

    Jace¡¯s face went seething red, his body shook in rage and his eyes glared at her but he said nothing in return.

    ¡°Get your hand off him!¡± Amiera barked and shot an arrow at Yurika, but before it reached her, Zeke huge sword had deflected it. He then stood back to back against Yurika and shot a warning look at Amiera.

    The air was so brittle it could snap in anytime, no one made any sound, no one moved. Yurika could felt the dreading feeling started to crawl on her skin.

    Suddenly an explosive laugh combined with clapping sound breaking the tension. Everyone whipped their head toward the source of voice; surprised to see there was a shadow rested on one of the ruined barracks walls not far from their spot.

    ¡°¡­ what an interesting group of people ¡­,¡± the voice sarcastically said between her laugh. The shadow then took the form of a girl, she was fully eclipsed by the shade of the old wall. As she revealed herself, they could see that the girl didn¡¯t look much older than 14 years old, probably even younger. Even though she was laughing there''s no real joy came from her cold fox-like eyes. Her hair flowed down her back like black ink of a tilted piece of parchment. Her icy greyish eyes glanced at everyone on the scene and she sighed.

    ¡°¡­ arrghh headaches,¡± she groaned and tossed her hair to the back with an annoyed expression. Then suddenly she already stood between Jace and Yurika. They both were too surprised to react when the girl pushed them to a different direction. It was a light touch but enough to drive them away from each other for a couple of feet. Yurika¡¯s weapon dispersed out of its glow and returned to the former form; the red gem. Jace''s Katar had been taken by the mysterious girl without the owner even realizing it.

    Then the raven-haired girl moved in the speed of lightning disarming Zeke, Amiera, Marc, and Scry''s weapons. In the blink of an eye, the weapons had gathered near the girl''s feet. The raven-haired girl then put one foot on top of the weapons and smiled smugly.

    ¡°What! Who is this brat--!¡± Scry snarled when he realized his Bagh Nakh has gone, but before he finished his sentence the mysterious girl materialized in front of him and leapt at him. Unprepared of the sudden attack, Scry staggered back and fell on the ground. When he tried to get back up the girl forcefully pushed him down with her right foot and then sat on his chest. Her face leaned close and a malicious grin grew on her face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to call me a brat,¡± she hissed. The glow of her greyish silver tinted eyes was dark and threatening, ¡°unless you want to lose that disrespectful tongue of yours.¡±

    She then leapt back, walked casually toward the piles of weapon. She then stretched and yawned with a  bored face.

    ¡°Now let me introduce myself, my name is Lucia. Jace Ursa might have heard about me as Lughna, one of Aine loyal zanj, ¡° her voice rang in the air like a bell.

    ¡°Lughna?! Wait, Lughna Dannan the master of craftsman zanj?!¡± Jace shouted in disbelief, ¡°but the Lughna the people know is a man. How...?¡±

    Lucia pursed her pink lips, ¡°Thanks to our beloved Goddess. She had changed me to this form as a punishment; a curse.¡±

    She then took Scry''s weapon, playfully threw it to the air and caught it back a few times.

    ¡°Anyway this is not why I am here, I have so much explaining to do to you guys. But before that,¡± She glared at Scry once more, ¡°give me the antidote or I will make sure this sweet toy of yours will taste its own master blood.¡±

    ¡°What antidote?¡± Scry still tried to act tough. He was dusting the dust on his back nonchalantly.

    Lucia''s eyes went predatory, her body started to shake and her shadow changed shaped to a male figure.

    ¡°You know exactly what I mean Scry Threeoaks, the second son of Oryn Threeoaks, ¡± she growled with a deep rumbling man voice.

    ¡°Fine, fine, ¡°Scry quickly scrambling out a yellow vial from his pocket, ¡°I am doing this not because I am afraid of you or anything. You just sound desperate.¡±

    An almost angelic smile decorated Lucia¡¯s face. She skipped joyfully toward Scry and snatched the vial from him.

    ¡°No trickery please, thank you,¡± she said in the most cutest way, like any girl in her age would do. Then she skipped toward Wenona¡¯s body and pulled her up as if she was as light as a feather. Lucia then opens the vial and pour the liquid into her own mouth. When she has done, she put her lips onto Wenona¡¯s lips to transfer the antidote.

    ¡°There you go, my little princess. Get better soon, we have so many to talk about,¡± she whispered into Wenona¡¯s ear.

    She then put her body back to the mattress and glanced at everyone once more.

    ¡°Now let me redo my introduction, I am Lughna Dannan, the last of the Zanj. Hereby inviting all of you to my humble palace.¡±

 Chapter 24 - The Lost Tribe

    Waking up could be really harsh, especially if your dreams were better than reality. The saddest part of it was when you were left with this lonely feeling of detachment, left to explore the empty void of emotions, the only proof that you ever had the dream, to begin with.

    Slowly and reluctantly, Wenona uncovered her face. She awoke to soft sheets, and the morning light trickled through the blinds. She blinked, closed her eyes and blinked again, there were traces of wet tears on her cheeks. She had dreamed about her parents, closing her eyes again the girl tried to keep glimpses of the dream about her mother''s touch and her father''s warm hug.

    ¡°Fuah!¡± She scoffed, pushing the melancholy tug in her heart. She has no time to feel blue and she doubted her parents wanted her to drown herself in the deep of grieve anymore. She opened her eyes and hastily pushed herself up when a light headache stroke her, made her stop moving. For a few seconds, she¡¯s glancing around and finally realizing she wasn¡¯t in her own room.

    She had never seen a room with so much furniture and so many hues, compared to her room which usually just simple and soft pastel colour. These walls were a combination of pink and navy colour as if there were two people living it. Two sides of the wall were coloured in pink while the other two were navy blue, the furniture was divided into two different types too. On one side the furniture was rustic and dark while the others were filled with all girly stuff with all the frills and flowery embroidery. Even the bed she was on, the sheet has 2 colours divided exactly into half, with different coloured pillows.

    She tried to remember how she ended up in this strange bedroom. The memory slowly came back as she touched her bandaged neck. Her face quickly flared in red and she gritted her teeth in anger.

    ¡°Oh! Wen!! You are awake!!¡± a happy cry came from the room''s door. Yurika was standing at the open door with a basin filled with water in her hand. She put everything that was on her hand at the floor and leaped to the bed to give Wenona a hug.

    ¡°I am glad you are okay now,¡± Yurika tighten her hug and sobbed. She then put a little distance between them and inspected her best friend, ¡°you are okay now right? You have been in a high fever for almost three days and two nights.¡±

    Yurika checked on Wenona''s forehead and nod gratefully, ¡°no more fever. Are you up for some food? how are you feeling Wen?¡±

    ¡°I feel better. Just a slight headache but nothing else,¡± she smiled reassuringly, ¡°anyway¡­ where are we? This bedroom is so strange.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you are in Lucia''s bedroom,¡± Yurika sheepishly chuckled while glancing around the room, ¡°it¡¯s pretty eccentric.¡±

    ¡°Lucia?¡± Wenona tilted her head confused.

    ¡°Uhm it¡¯s a long story, but I will tell you all about it later,¡± Yurika held Wenona¡¯s hand eagerly, ¡°for now let¡¯s get you something to eat, shall we? How about that? are you up for some of Yurika¡¯s specials?¡±

    Wenona nodded and smiled, ¡°sure! I am famished!¡±

    ---

    ¡°a Zanj!¡± Wenona exclaimed, almost spurted out her drink, her eyes widen in interest and shock.

    ¡°That¡¯s what she err... he, argh I don¡¯t know how I supposed to address Lucia, with the gender mishap,¡± Yurika scratched her head awkwardly, ¡°but yeah Lucia said she is the last one.¡±

    Wenona was having breakfast that was made by Yurika. It was just a simple warm soup and bread, her first real meal after three days passing out in a high fever. When Yurika brought back the food to the room -because she insisted that Wenona was still too weak to go to the dining room- Wenona had to restrain herself to not jump at Yurika. Could you blame her? The smell of the food was too good and her stomach roared.

    ¡°But, I thought all of the Zanj already gone? Perished along with the disappearance of the Goddesses,¡± Wen said. She could feel the bubbly feeling of hope rising up to her chest.

    ¡°Well, Lucia hasn¡¯t explained anything yet. She asked us to wait and cool our head down while waiting for your recovery.¡±

    ¡°¡­ cool our head down?¡± Wenona brow knitted in one, ¡°what is that supposed to mean? Wait the minute, don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±

    Yurika pulled out a stiff forced smile, ¡°yea everyone is here.¡±

    ¡°E-EVERYONE!!??¡± Wenona almost threw the small table of food in front of her. She thought that the Zanj had saved her and Yurika from those people.

    Yurika nodded.

    ¡°Why?!! Aren¡¯t they the bad guys?? Why on hell did the Zanj invite the bad guys in!¡± she shrieked.

    ¡°Calm down Wen. Well, how do I put this, they are not technically the bad guys, ¡° Yurika took the table away from Wenona before she threw it for real while trying to calm her down, ¡°we were in some kind of argument. But they aren¡¯t that bad. Well, maybe one or two of them. But not bad as in evil uhm--"

    Biting her lower lips, Yurika tried to change the topic. She was afraid that  Wen might ask more details about them or worse she might jump off the bed and run out to confront Lucia. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    "Anyway, Wen, to be honest, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you, how on Isrant are you there from the first place?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, uhmm I - I followed you,¡± she muttered, all her agitation went dissipated quickly at Yurika question. Her head was down and her voice tone went quieter,¡± I told you already that I don¡¯t trust Z. When I found out you were not at the Lakehouse that morning and the place was left in the rush. the  first thing that came on my mind was he has kidnapped you or something.¡±

    ¡°You followed me? Using what? I am pretty sure your subclass isn''t a hunter. So I don''t think you have tracking skill,¡± Yurika tilted her head; confused, ¡°besides, we used teleport scroll, which hardly possible to be tracked using that skill.¡±

    ¡°No, urgh¡­, ¡°Wenona''s head went down deeper, she started to mumble quietly, ¡°I used Aether Sight .¡±

    More confusion rose in Yurika face, ¡°Aether Sight? Is there a class¡¯ skill with that name?¡±

    Wenona shook her head softly, ¡°not the class that you know of. I-I am sorry, Yuu. I actually have something that I have been keeping from you.¡±

    Yurika went quiet. The one who has been keeping secret wasn''t just Wenona. She also had her own secret that she hasn¡¯t shared to her.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not something to be sorry of. Everyone has their right to keep some stuff for themselves, ¡° Yurika comforted her, "even if you decided to not share the secret, it won''t change our relationship. I will still be your best friend Wen."

    Wenona went quiet, she weighing down in her mind on telling the secret or not. She knew she could trust Yurika, but for as long as she remembers she had always been reminded by her parents on how dangerous it could be if anyone knew her family secret. They had done their best in keeping the secret but in the end, there were some people who finally found out and grabbed them. Held them captive and forced her and her family to do their selfish demands. Her mind leaped back to the past before they joined the orphan group. It was still fresh in her memory how her sister and she managed to escape their last imprisonment with the cost of their parent''s life.

    She bit her quivered lips, the bitterness, the pain of losing her parents still stung painfully even though it has been five years since that day.

    ¡°Wen?¡±

    She looked up and stared at the platinum hair girl, she trusted her. Even with that cloud of mysteries aura that surrounded her, Wenona could feel in her guts that she was someone that could be trusted with her life secret; and her guts were never wrong.

    ¡°Yuu, I will tell you the secret. Promise me you will never speak about it to any other soul,¡± Wen gazed deep at the fuschia eyes.

    ¡°You don¡¯t really have to tell me, you know that I-¡°

    ¡°Promise me!¡± she firmly demanded.

    Yurika went silent. She observed Wen''s expression, trying to find any hesitancy in her but all she could find was an indisputable face. Yurika finally gave in and nodded, ¡°I promise you, it will be the secret that I will carry to my grave.¡±

    Wenona smiled gratefully. She then took a deep breath before she began, ¡°have you ever heard about the lost tribe?¡±

    ¡°Lost tribe?¡± Yurika brows rose up, she tried to dig her-- Eireen''s memory. She had heard about a small secluded tribe that lived in secret. It¡¯s said that the tribe has an amazing power that no one ever has. Jace at some point did talk about finding the tribe to recruit the people to the elite squad, but in the end, they failed in finding out their hideout. It was said that the tribe refused to be drag into the war of the Goddesses.

    ¡°Urgh, why am I so stupid to keep forgetting about your amnesia, of course, you wouldn¡¯t have known that,¡± Wen softly slap her forehead.

    ¡°Ehh, don¡¯t worry, I-, ¡° Yurika stopped herself in time before opening the fact that she actually already gained some of her memories, even though it was mostly about her past life instead of Yurika''s life before she met Taft and everyone, ¡°you can just explain it to me.¡±

    ¡°True. Anyway, the tribe was called Pononga a te Atua, or in short Pononga tribe, which mean Servant of the Goddess,¡± Wen paused. She glanced at Yurika trying to read her expression.

    ¡°Servant of the Goddess? So are they the same as Zanj?¡±

    Wen shook her head, ¡°No, a Zanj is basically Goddesses loyal warrior and soldier. They are ethereal being with spiritual power that was created by the Goddesses to serve them as their ministers and troops. In easy words, a Zanj is their angels. While Pononga tribe are human but they have a special talent that bestowed to them since they born.¡±

    ¡°Oh, wow!¡±

    ¡°Pononga tribe are the high priests and priestess of the goddesses. their sole propose is serving the Goddesses in Isrant. They took care of Goddesses¡¯ temple and ceremonies. Basically, a small community that serves both Godessess equally. Because of their excellent services, the Goddess decided to bestow them with a talent that even the zanj envy,¡° Wen inhaled deep and long, before continuing, ¡°but, when the Great War broke, they refused to take sides. Because they can¡¯t fight against their own family, friends and loved one. They choose to abandon their duty, run and live in secret.¡±

    ¡°A talent that even the Zanj envy? ¡° Asked Yurika.

    ¡°The hard part is that talent is like a double-edged sword. It is a blessing and a curse at the same time,¡± Wen''s brows knitted as she nervously tapping and rubbing her fingers on her thighs that were covered by her blanket, ¡°when people found out that the Pononga wasn¡¯t in the Goddesses protection anymore, they started to hunt them.¡±

    ¡°Why a curse? Hunt?! Why they hunt the Pononga?¡±

    Once more Wenona gazed at her dear friend, there are some thoughts swirling around her mind. She couldn¡¯t help to feel hesitated, her tongue felt as if it was petrified.

    Yurika realized how quiet Wenona has become, so she sat next to her, hugged her and softly patted her back.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t worry,¡± she whispered the comforting words in her ears, ¡°take your time. No need to force yourself. I''ll understand if you don''t want to continue.¡±

    Wenona returned her hug. They both said nothing for a couple of seconds before finally after a long heavy sigh Wen whispered in Yurika¡¯s ear, ¡°I am a Pononga.¡±

    Yurika said nothing, she already predicted that Wen was what she said she was, ever since Wenona started the talk about the lost tribe. Finding out her best friend''s secret, Yurika couldn''t help her desire to share her secret too. She was so close in telling Wen about who she was; what she was. The word of Fanaura was at the tip of her tongue, she bit her lower lips to hold it in.

    ¡°Yuu?¡±

    ¡°So, is that mean Riddelle too?¡± She quickly distracted herself while breaking the hug, "she is your sister right?¡±

    Wenona nodded, ¡°yeah we both are the last of the Pononga, as far as I know.¡±

    ¡°So what¡¯s the talent that causes the Pononga to be chased down?¡± asked Yurika curiously, ¡° does the skill has anything to do with that strange language you chanted back then when we fell from the kite?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it is,¡± she murmured, ¡°we Pononga born with a talent to be a co¡ª¡°

    ¡°A conjurer,¡± suddenly a voice completed her sentence before she did. Yurika and Wenona turned their head to the direction of the voice. There they saw a raven-haired little girl with her back reclined on the door. A mischievous grin plastered on her face and her eyes twinkled with genuine interest toward Wenona.

 Chapter 25 - Flair of a Pononga

    ¡°A conjurer,¡± Lucia repeated her words and there¡¯s some kind of giddiness on her expression, as she skipped toward where Wenona and Yurika sat, ¡°¡­ and here I thought that the Pononga already perish. You have no idea how happy I was when I found you.¡±

    ¡°W-who--?¡± Wen stammering, her face went white and her hand clenched tightly on her blanket.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry dear, you are safe here,¡± Lucia took Wen''s clenched hand, gently caressed it and softly landed a kiss there, ¡°I am Lucia, even though I look like this at the moment but I am no other than Lughna Dannan, the master of craftsman Zanj.¡±

    Wen pulled her hand away from the girl quickly. Her brow knitted and her eyes were sharp like dagger scrutinising the so-called Zanj.

    ¡°A Zanj? You don¡¯t look like one, I don¡¯t see¡­¡±

    ¡°My wings? Or the aethereal aura?¡± Lucia sighed and sat on the corner of the bed. Her face looked so annoyed and sad at the same time.

    "I am  a cursed Zanj," she chided, "that''s why you don''t see all that on me."

    ¡°What?¡± Wenona looked at the little girl in confusion, ¡°who dare to curse a Zanj?¡±

    Lucia tossed her long black hair to the back and gazed at Wenona with miffed eyes, ¡°Do you really need to ask that? Who else has the power to punish the Zanj? Anyway, let''s just talk more about The Pononga and their talent. I will tell you about my cursed-self later. I am sure Yurika wants to know more about you and your tribe.¡±

    Yurika who was quiet the whole time watching their interaction startled hearing her name mentioned, ¡°eh what-- oh yea, please explain more?¡±

    ¡°So, a conjurer, hum where should I start,¡± Lucia tapped her chin before she continues, ¡°okay do you know that our world has elements?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they are fire, air, water, and earth right?¡± Yurika answered.

    ¡°Yes, those four common known elements that mostly been manipulated by the magic classes. But actually, there is one more element that only the goddesses, Zanjs and Ponongas knew. It is called ¡®Aether or Ether¡¯,¡± the silver eyed girl started to explain.

    Yurika eyes glowed with curiosity, ¡°there¡¯s a fifth element?¡±

    ¡°Yep, but no one can see or manipulated it but the Goddesses themselves. Aether element is basically the spirit itself, where all living and non-living being created from and once they used their life span they will return to this element,¡± Lucia continued, ¡°and here where a Pononga come into the picture. Like Wenona said, they are a small tribe that was picked by the Goddesses themselves to be their servant, to take care of their temples, celebration, and ceremonies.¡±

    Wenona looked a little bit restless, she knew what kind of explanation would come next; the talent.

    ¡°And as a gift for their loyalties and servitudes, the Goddess allowed the Pononga to have a little taste of the Goddesses power, ¡° Lucia paused and glanced at Yurika. The girl looked so engrossed.

    ¡°A Pononga has the ability to see the fifth element, and can actually manipulate it a little bit. Which is why she could see my aether spirit aura and the nonexistent wings. The same skill that she used to locate you. With just a small item embedded with your aether signature, there is no place on Isrant that you could ever hide from her,¡± Lucia''s eyes glittered with excitement. Yurika gazed her best friend in awe.

    ¡°Not true! I am not tha¡ª,¡° Wen tried to protest.

    ¡°Yeah you need proper training to be that strong,¡± Lucia cut her with a chuckle, ¡°but the fact you managed to find Yurika shows that you have it in you all along.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t really get proper training. I have lost my parents at the age of ten and as long as I could remember my family always living in hiding and pretending of being normal. Trying to hide our legacy as Pononga, so my parent¡¯s never really taught me anything,¡± her blue eyes looked glassy at the mention of her parents.

    ¡°A self-taught?! And you actually combine it with your subclass. Creating a new kind of skills in which very useful in combat. Now I am very sure that you have an amazing talent,¡± Lucia eyes sparked with genuine joy, ¡°don¡¯t worry my dear. I will help you get that proper real training. I may be not a Pononga but at least I know what kind of training a Pononga must take.¡±

    ¡°You do?!¡± Wen exclaimed happily, ¡°that would be amazing!¡±

    ¡°Well, not for free of course,¡± the raven-haired girl giggled, ¡°in this world, nothing came without a price.¡±

    Wenona exuding joy quickly dissipated. Her face went gloom and her lips pouted, ¡°nevermind then. I¡¯ll be fine on my own.¡±

    Lucia chuckled seeing her reaction, ¡°be patient my dear. I am not looking for gold or silver. They are not what¡¯s on my mind for the price. I am more interested in a barter.¡±

    ¡°A barter?¡±

    ¡°We can discuss that later. Anyway, let¡¯s continue our explanation. The aether or ether in more common words is the source of the conjurer power to...,¡± Lucia paused dramatically. She put her arms on the side of the bed, glanced at Yurika teasingly. The look on Yurika''s face made her giggled. It was obvious that the Zanj managed to make a suspenseful climax of her sentence. Finally, with a bright smile, she continued, ¡°to create things out of thin air.¡±

    ¡°Amazing!!" Yurika clapped her hands together in excitement, "that¡¯s where the mattress came from!¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    She turned her attention toward Wenona, ¡°you can create everything? Like eeeeeverything?!¡±

    ¡°No! not everything!¡± Wenona quickly retorted, ¡°We Pononga are sworn to live in poverty and minimalism, the rule forbids us to use the skill for our own benefits. We also can¡¯t conjure living being.¡±

    ¡°Still it is an amazing power, don¡¯t you think?¡± Lucia smiled, ¡°it is truly a talent that envied by many, including us the Zanj.¡±

    ¡°No, this power-- this talent--. It¡¯s complicated for me," Wen voice broken by her grieve; her dream about her parent felt more vivid than before. She clenched her hand hard till it shook and then she said bitterly, ¡°it¡¯s what made me an orphan. Those greedy people- - I¡ªI¡¯ll never forgive them!¡°

    Lucia''s face looked foreboding. She brushed her hair agitatedly,  "... and there¡¯s that, even though conjurer class was an amazing class, the Pononga themselves were not a tribe that equipped for battle and violence. So even with that awesome power, they didn¡¯t really know how to actually use it to protect themselves. They only use it for their daily needs.¡±

    Lucia clicked her tongue, ¡° tsk, the minimalism ideology. The ideology that in the end backfiring and caused their own suffering.¡±

    ¡°We weren¡¯t suffering! At least before the Great War, we weren''t. My dad said, back then the Pononga have Zanj as their protector,¡± Wenona gazed expectantly at Lucia, ¡°when the great war ended, the Goddesses disappeared and so was the Zanj. People found out that we don''t have any protection from the Zanj, they started to hunt us like animals. They captured a lot of my tribe to be their slave. To create valuable things for them so they can be rich and famous. Refusing their order means torture and death.¡±

    Yurika face filled with sympathy hearing Wen¡¯s story. Eireen had her fair share of slave life, so even though she never really experience it as Yurika, she knew well enough how bad it was.

    ¡°Zanj''s protection huh?¡± Lucia''s voice sounded sour and bitter, ¡°we weren¡¯t protecting your kind because we wanted to. You said that Pononga¡¯s life was hard because you were hunted and treated as slaves, and what do you think us Zanj feel? We are supposedly a higher being than you human, but the Goddesses love your kind too much they actually bestowed you with the power to order us around. What is that make us?¡±

    Wenona looked at the obvious annoyance on Lucia''s face, she tilted her head; confused, ¡°but, I thought it was a win-win contract that was made base on trust and respect?¡±

    ¡°Based on trust and respect? Pweh, sure,¡± Lucia scoffed, ¡°it was decided by the Goddesses, and us the Zanj can¡¯t really say no to that. It¡¯s true the summoning required the Pononga to be acknowledged by the Zanj and I do know a few of my fellows who were more than willing to lend their power to protect your kind.¡±

    ¡°Wait the minute, summon?!¡± Yurika interrupted, looked more amazed than before, ¡°You can summon the Zanj?!¡±

    Wenona nodded, ¡°every Pononga at age 12 year old will go to this ceremony of adulthood to gain their first contract with the Zanj. Based on what my dad told me. It was not an easy task, we need to show the Zanj if we are worthy to wield their strength or not.¡±

    Wenona turned her attention back to Lucia, ¡°the task was always different, depends on the Zanj. They also have the power to decide on the task or test and if the Pononga managed to pass it or not. How is that not a fair deal?¡±

    Lucia shrugged but her face looked dark and grim, ¡°I guess, it depends on how you see it. For me, I am not that happy to have been forced to do bidding for human. Anyway, this is where the story of the cursed Zanj began.¡±

    She got up from the corner of the bed and strolled around the room, then stopped at her work table. She took a piece of round shape stone, rolled it around her hand absentmindedly, and without facing the girls she started her story, ¡°Lughna Dannan was one of Goddess Aine loyal Zanj, beside his skill in battle he was also blessed with the talent of craftsmanship. His creations were used by the Goddesses, the other Zanj, even humans.¡±

    She turned and threw the small stone at Yurika, ¡°that is one of the examples of his creations, I am sure you are quite familiar with it.¡±

    Yurika caught the stone and took a closer look at it, ¡°oh, a source stone, of course, we are familiar with it. It¡¯s is the stone that carries the essences of classes ability. One stone carries one type of class essences which help us to wield other class skill. Not strong enough and only one-time use but it¡¯s helpful when we face an unknown type enemy or monster. There are other levels of stones that can be used permanently, but they are rare and expensive. ¡±

    ¡®Jace has one for his fire mage class¡¯ she noted it to herself.

    ¡°Anyway, one day 20 years ago before the Great War, Lughna was sent to the Pononga adulthood ceremony to be one of the Zanj on that year that will offer his contract to protect one of the Pononga,¡± Lucia gazed to an empty space on the wall, her face somewhat nostalgic, ¡°his challenger was a late bloomer, a boy at the age of 18 years old. He was thin and sickly but more determined than anyone.¡±

    Lucia paused and a sad smile rose on her lips, ¡°Gentar Lustrous, that was his name.¡±

    ¡°So what happened? Did he manage to prove himself worthy of your power?¡± Wenona asked excitedly.

    Lucia didn¡¯t quickly answer her, her face looked gloomy.

    ¡°¡ªdid he f-failed?¡±

    ¡°Lughna killed him,¡± Lucia said in a flat tone.

    ¡°Wha-what!?¡± both Yurika and Wenona exclaimed in disbelief.

    The girl with dark hair chuckled a bit seeing their reaction, ¡°well, I guess that¡¯s when Aine decided to take his wings, cursed him with this new appearance,¡± she pointed at herself, ¡°and only allowed him to return to his normal body once a month.¡±

    She then spinning around the room like a tween girl that just had too much sweets, ¡°I don¡¯t really hate this look you know, though I do miss my old look especially when I wanted to craft. This body can¡¯t hold my craftsman hammer.¡±

    She stopped spinning and giggle at the two girls that looked like they had seen a ghost, ¡°anyway, that¡¯s all for today¡¯s history class.¡±

    ¡°Wait, did you really kill that boy? Gentar Lustrous I mean?? Why I never heard that story from my dad??!¡± queried Wenona. She just couldn¡¯t believe that a Zanj killed someone on Pononga adulthood ceremony and her dad never told her the story.

    Lucia gave her a mysterious smile and once more shrugged, ¡°maybe it slipped his mind, who knows¡­¡±

    ¡°No! don¡¯t give me that kind of answer! Answer me did you or did you not kill the boy?!¡± demanded Wen.

    ¡°Not today my dear, not today, you should get some more rest, after all, you have just woken up,¡± Lucia walked towards the door ignoring Wenona¡¯s demands and protests, but right before she stepped out she turned her eyes to Yurika, ¡°come, there¡¯s something I need to discuss with you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, now?¡± Yurika surprised.

    ¡°Yeah, I want to talk it out with you first before we do our official meeting later with the Ursas,¡± Lucia winked.

    ¡®¡­ and I am sure you find this really important, Eireen Silver¡¯ she added in her telepath to Yurika. Blood was drained from Yurika face at the mention of that name. She quickly stood up from the bed, walked toward the door in fast strode.

    ¡°Yes, okay, let¡¯s go, now. I will see you later Wen. Please have some more rest,¡± Yurika said in an almost strangled voice.

    ¡°That¡¯s good girl,¡± Lucia said with delight, ¡°have a good rest, my dear Wenona. We can talk later when you are better.¡±

    And without hesitation, she left the room with Yurika on her tail, despite Wenona protests.

    As they left the room, a silhouette who was hiding behind the door with a lopsided grin mumbled, ¡°A Pononga, who may have thought...¡±

    The shadow then eerily chuckle as it vanished into the dark.

 Chapter 26 - Revelation

    Time passed slowly. Yurika feeling every beat of her heart, pounding loudly like a drum on her ears as she walked behind Lucia. The Zanj was really quiet from the moment they left Wen¡¯s room. Her mind filled with tangled fear, worries, and what ifs. Lucia resided inside the famous Adventurer Guild. The place was like one huge labyrinth. She guessed that it was made like that in the purpose of hiding the real secret of the guild; that a Zanj ran it.

    Suddenly Lucia stopped and turned herself facing her. The sudden halt almost made Yurika bumped into her. Apparently, they have arrived at where Lucia wanted them to be.

    Gesturing to her right, Lucia pointed to the door she just opened. Warily Yurika entered the place with Lucia on her tail as she closed the door and walked toward a table in the centre of the room. The table was about five times of her long and three times of wide. The dark cherry wood was smooth and had the lustrous quality of well-waxed wood.

    ¡°Okay, before we start,¡± Lucia said as she smiled at Yurika, ¡°why don¡¯t you make yourself comfortable first?¡±

    The room was dimly lit with some wall sconces that hung on the pale-coloured walls like earrings. A thick velvet curtain hid the one and only long window on the wall. An antique couch stood near a woven rug in front of the brick fireplace, accompanied by a small table that filled with books and scrolls as sidekicks. On top of the gigantic table that settled behind the couch, there were more scrolls and books. A work lamp, a pair of glasses, ink jar and its ink feathers also could be seen on top of it. This was Lucia''s study room.

    ¡°Come now, don¡¯t be shy,¡± Lucia said as she moved to take a seat behind her worktable. She then made an annoyed grunt. Apparently, the table was a little too tall for her and covered half of her face. Jumping off the chair Lucia then pushed the chair closer to the couch.

    ¡°Note to myself, start making that d*mn stool!¡± she muttered with her brow knitted and her lip pursed annoyedly.

    Yurika couldn¡¯t help to find that the whole scene was cute and she chuckled a bit. Lucia glared at her.

    ¡°Is there something funny?¡±

    ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t mean--,¡± Yurika quickly apologized.

    Lucia waved her hand idly seemed to not amused. She sat back to her work chair, ¡°just sit already, we need to talk.¡±

    Yurika nodded and sunk to the couch. It has been days since she had an actual rest. The softness of the coach was embracing her comfortingly. She was sure that she would fell asleep in any second if she wasn¡¯t so tense about the fact that Lucia knew who she was in the past.

    ¡°So¡­,¡± Lucia rest her chin on her hand, ¡°you are really the Eireen Silver?¡±

    Yurika eyes went wide, ¡°What?! What do you mean? I thought you already knew?!¡±

    Lucia giggled, ¡°not really, I was just guessing. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so honest.¡±

    The girl¡¯s face went as white as her hair.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your secret save with me and no one will hear anything from this room. I made sure this room soundproof,¡± Lucia gave her a comforting smile

    Colours slowly came back to her face, but Yurika¡¯s eyes still cautiously staring at the raven girl.

    ¡°So, a real Fanaura eh? The second ever created. I can¡¯t believe that the queen actually trying to fix a mistake with another,¡± Lucia said thoughtfully, she tapped her lips with her finger, ¡°well, in your case it¡¯s not a mistake.¡±

    ¡°Second ever created?!¡± Yurika exclaimed.

    ¡°Ah, I guess I owe you some explanations,¡± Lucia scratches her head and grinned, ¡°In short the legend of a Fetuuina Fanaura was started long before the war of the Goddesses. It was actually the real cause of the Great War.¡±

    ¡°Real cause?!! I thought the war happened because the Goddesses had a major disagreement about how they governed the world? ¡±

    Lucia shook her head softly, ¡°I wish it was that simple. The Goddesses have been siblings for ages. Disagreements? They have tons of that, but they usually settled it quickly. What happened was simple at the same it wasn''t. It''s something no one could ever think of.¡±

    Yurika fixed her position. Curiosity had captured her attention. Her weariness has evaporated. The raven-haired Zanj glanced at her and smiled at her attentiveness.

    ¡°It was because of love.¡±

    ¡°LOVE?!¡± Yurika shouted in surprise and she quickly covered her mouth

    ¡°Do you mean, the Goddesses had war because of a man?! a male Zanj ? ¡± she added in a quieter voice.

    ¡°No, not a Zanj,¡± Lucia shook her head quickly. she then heavily exhaled, ¡°¡­ human, a Pononga.¡±

    She glanced once more at the blonde girl before continuing, ¡°Years before the Great War, there was a man, a Pononga who work under queen Calliea. He had managed to raise his rank to the person who actually could see the Queen and served her directly. The man was very charming and somehow made Queen Calliea fell in love to him.¡±

    Lucia jumped off from her chair and started to pace around the room, there¡¯s an air of discomfort on the way she trotted.

    ¡°The man was born with a weak body, everybody thought that he won¡¯t even reach his adult age or even do his adulthood ceremony to gain his contract with the Zanj. But it was proven wrong, he started late but he managed to gain his contract and chance to serve the Goddesses.¡±

    A deja vu tickled Yurika''s mind, ¡°wait, is the man¡­ don¡¯t tell me?! Is it Gentar Lustrous?¡±

    The silver eyes girl pulled up a sad grin, ¡°you are a smart girl.¡±

    ¡°Oh!! So you didn¡¯t kill him on that ceremony test! He managed to bind a contract with you.¡±

    Lucia shrugged nonchalantly, ¡°I never said I killed him that day.¡±

    ¡°¡­ the way u tell the story before, made it sound like you did,¡± Yurika muttered.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Anyway, let me continue with the story,¡± Lucia walked slowly to the window and poke around the curtain, ¡°Queen Cailea noticed his sickly nature and how his life would be short, after all, she was the Goddess of death. And for the first time in her life, she was really unhappy about the fact one day she needed to take the life of the man she loves.¡±

    Yurika suddenly felt sad, she never really knew the Goddesses before their disappearance. Even back then when she was Eireen. Eireen wasn''t that religious from the start. Most people despised Goddess Caillea because of her nature in bringing death and destruction. It was easier to love Goddess Aine more. She couldn¡¯t imagine how hard to be Caillea and how she might have felt when she found out she would be the one who must take the life of the only person she''d ever loved.

    ¡°So, Queen Caillea went to Queen Aine. Asking-- no..., begging her to do something about it. Because Queen Aine¡¯s life key was the only one that might save Gentar¡¯s life,¡± Lucia returned to her working chair, ¡°Aine rejected her request. No matter how many time Cailea begged her.¡±

    ¡°Why?! Isn¡¯t that should be easy?¡± protested Yurika.

    ¡°Because it against the rule,¡± the Zanj said flatly which made Yurika went quiet.

    ¡°So, why did you kill Gentar?¡± Yurika tilted her head in confusion after a short period of silence, ¡°wasn¡¯t his life already short enough?¡±

    Lucia took her time in answering her. She laid back on her chair and stared at the ceiling, ¡°because I accidentally found out that he was plotting on making Cailea steal the key for him. I knew for sure that Calliea would do it due to her love and desperation in keeping him alive.¡±

    Silence creped in the room, Yurika didn¡¯t know what to say after hearing that

    ¡°I-I¡¯ve tried to talk some senses to him, but nothing could change his mind,¡± Lucia sighed heavily, regret was painted all over her face, ¡°I... don''t really recall on what happened in our arguments, but next thing I know his body was lifeless in front of me with his blood all over me.¡±

    Lucia gritted her teeth, her face was paled with grief.

    ¡°That moment I had broken the contract bound. I was doomed to die along with him. I still could remember the pain I experienced when my wings slowly ripped away and the aether inside of me felt like it tried to break free from inside.¡±

    Yurika bit her lips, the image of the Zanj in her dying breath played on her mind. Lucia went quiet again, none of them said anything for quite some time.

    ¡°Aine came to save me, she took Gentar¡¯s Aether and plunged it back to the river of life. Something that she shouldn¡¯t have done,¡± finally Lucia broke the silence, ¡°I survived, but the Goddess of life had broken the rule and when Cailea found out that I killed the man she loves¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­ she wanted to punish you?¡± Yurika asked.

    ¡°Wanted to kill me more likely,¡± the raven-haired girl grinned sadly, ¡°that¡¯s when Aine decided to changed my appearance and told me to go hid in the realm of the human. I don¡¯t know much what happened after that because I have lost all my link with their realm.¡±

    ¡°The curse was meant to save your life,¡± said Yurika.

    Lucia made a face, she glared at Yurika with a look as if she was stupid, ¡°what kind of man who thinks that being a girl is a blessing? Especially a little girl with a flat chest. She could have turned me to a more sexier woman, but nooo, she chose a loli instead.¡±

    ¡°Ehh?!¡±

    Lucia laughed at Yurika¡¯s reaction

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind that, it was a joke. But yeah for me it felt like a curse. I can¡¯t really do much with this body," Lucia''s laugh trailed off as her eyes flickered to her hands,  "I only have my speed left that for some reason has doubled. I can¡¯t fly anymore. I don¡¯t have the full strength I used to have so I can¡¯t lift up my crafting hammer. Well, I can once a month, but only for a day. I don''t even know what am I; not a Zanj nor a human.¡±

    Yurika''s heart went for the Zanj but she didn''t know how to comfort her. They both once more settled in stillness.

    ¡°¡­ so is that mean Gentar is the first Fanaura?¡± Yurika murmured.

    ¡°Yes and no one knew who he is in his new body, not even the Goddesses.¡±

    ¡°How come?!¡±

    ¡°I think that was the reason it was a taboo. I don¡¯t know for sure but for some reason, the Goddesses has no ability to see the Aether of a Fanaura.¡±

    ¡°But Wen can see my aether?!" asked Yurika quizzically.

    ¡°I have no idea how the power work. So don¡¯t ask me on why Wen could see your Aether and not the Goddesses,¡± Lucia sounded a little bit irritated, ¡°anyway, just a few days before the news about your death, Aine suddenly showed up in my door and told me to find you.¡±

    ¡°My death? oh, you mean Eireen''s?" Yurika pointed at herself, " the Goddess told you to find me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and yes,¡± Lucia answered, ¡°Well more to find the real hero. She told me that soon the Goddesses will disappear and I need to find the one who will bring back the Goddesses and restore the world balance.¡±

    "Real hero?" Yurika mumbled; confused. She felt there was something that wasn''t right. Her mind rolled trying to connect the dot while Lucia continued with her explanation without realizing how Yurika¡¯s face started to grow darker.

    ¡°She explained that the disappearance will happen whether we like it or not. It was already written on the book of Fate. The only book that was left by the God Eiocha, before he went to his slumber,¡± Lucia finally laid her eyes back to the blonde, ¡±she explained that the disappearance would be caused by the destroyed key of life and death and only you the holder of Fetu La Rossa who has the ability to put them back and bring the Goddesses back.¡±

    ¡°Then why did she choose Eirren before and made a Fanaura out of me?¡± Yurika voice was hoarse. There¡¯s a strange of tug in her heart as if saying that she shouldn¡¯t have asked the question.

    Lucia went silence hearing her question. There¡¯s a battle in her mind and her expression. She wasn¡¯t sure if Yurika ready to hear the real truth. Biting her inner cheeks nervously, Lucia finally answered.

    ¡°Because only an awaken and chosen Fanaura has the ability to wield the true power of Fetuu La Rossa.¡±

    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?!¡± Yurika stood up from the couch. Her voice grew grim and fury rapidly rising from her voice, ¡°Eireen was a fake? She was chosen but she wasn''t the real hero? Or--wait... did she actually choose her to die so she could throw her soul... my soul back to the river of life and be the second Fanaura?!¡±

    Lucia¡¯s expression was unreadable. Yurika anger wasn¡¯t that surprising for her. Anyone would have the same reaction if they found out that their life was being played out by the higher divine. She couldn¡¯t help to feel sympathy.

    ¡°I am sorry to say that I have no answer for your question. It is something that you need to ask the goddess yourself,¡± the Zanj finally uttered, ¡°the only task that the queen gave me was to find the one who resonated with the fragments of Fetuu La Rossa she had given me."

    ¡°How could she do this to Eireen?! To me?!¡± Yurika yelled at the zanj; ignoring her explanation. Her fuschia eyes glow with ire. A vexing of the soul for what she felt was not human, it''s twisted and distorted. It burned so bad like fire lacing in her veins and creeping up to her spine. Her skin was a sore looking red and all she could feel was desire; desire to hate. Yurika was intoxicated with emotions, no one had the intention of ever feeling. The acidity of it was residing in her stomach waiting to be spat out in any possible form.

    The red gem in her pocket answered her need. It started to glow and blink rapidly. The heat exuding from the gem grew faster than greased lightning. The glow illuminating her whole body as her conscious begun to slip away.

    Lucia''s silver eyes widen and she gulped at the scene unveiled in front of her.

    ¡°Yu-yurika are you okay? Yurika come back to your senses, YURIKA!¡± Lucia tried to pull her back from her delirious state. Her hand reached out to grab Yurika¡¯s shoulders, to shake her off, to bring back her senses. But the moment her hand touched the girl, she flinched in surprise. The girl body was as hot as burning lava.

    Yurika body began to levitate. The blinking grew faster as her whole body glowed from within. Her eyes were hollow, there¡¯s nothing in them but pure rage. At first, she was just hovering there but soon after the ground started to rumble as if there was an army storming into battle underground. Then with one swift flick of Yurika¡¯s hand, the wall behind her with the door exploded into splinters.

    Lucia froze, her brain unable to make sense of the input from her feet and eyes. Fear and panic then set in. She must leave, get out of the place but at the same time, she can¡¯t. She can¡¯t leave Yurika. She rushed to try grab hold of her once more but with another flick of Yurika¡¯s wrist, Lucia was sent flying into some bookcases. She fell down to the ground at the same time more books fell down on top of her. She yelped at the sharp pain, blood trickled from her forehead. For the first time in her life, she was dumbfounded. She must do something, say something to stop the chosen one from destroying the place, the planet. But her tongue was tied as her eyes watched in horror and Yurika just kept making her own exits from the building.

 Chapter 27 - Live for me!

    Lucia ran following the girl as she was making her own path out from the building. From the new exit she had made, Lucia could see the rumbling was a tornado towering up to the sky with flecks of fire within. This was surely an unnatural and nature replied in kind with the creaking of trees and sudden darkness in the sky. By now this has attracted everyone¡¯s attention.

    Darkness

    Shadow

    All alone again

    Mom¡­

    I tried¡­ I have tried to be strong¡­

    I am sorry¡­

    I am sorry¡­

    Yurika opened her eyes to darkness, as it engulfed her, slowly embracing, nullifying all of her senses. There was a part of her that actually welcomed the blackness. In it, the whole world could have blown away but she didn¡¯t feel like she needed to care anymore. She could still faintly smell the earth as if it¡¯s wiped clean as if all the plant life was gone. Everything else has dissolved like it was never there at all, like the universe hasn¡¯t even begun, or perhaps it never was. In the darkness, she couldn¡¯t get a sense that anything was important at all ¨C life, death, pain. She was fine with anything that could help her forget the painful truth of how the Goddess really had made fun of her ¨CEireen- fleeting life.

    The others could also see the hollowness in her eyes, as she motioned the fire tornado to cause destruction and left nothing but scorched earth behind its path. Lucia, Zeke, Jace, Lyal Wenona, Amierra and Scry have all rushed outside to see the horrors unfolding. They knew they must subdue her. With Jace leading the unprepared, they rushed towards Yurika before more destruction unfolds.

    ¡°Yurika...,¡± A soft almost lulling voice came to her ears. Yurika turned around trying to find the voice. She felt like she knew the owner of it. But in complete pitch black of course there was nothing she could see.

    ¡°Anyone there?¡±

    ¡°¡­ I am always here,¡± answered the voice.

    Once more Yurika tried to find the source of the voice. This time she started to see the soft silvery mist on her right. She took a few steps closer while trying to adjust her eyes to the new light against the blackness behind her. A silhouette emerged inside the mist. It was crouching in a fetal position as if it was sleeping.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Yurika asked, her eyes were probing the profile inside the mist.

    ¡°You know who am I,¡± said the voice, as it slowly raised her head. The mist then receded and finally, Yurika knew who was the person hiding behind the mist.

    ¡°Eireen¡­,¡± she said. Her lips trembled to mention the name. As much as she tried to hold it in, the beads of water started falling down one after another without a sign of stopping.

    ¡°Why are you crying?¡± asked Eireen, as her hands reached out towards Yurika cheeks. Softly brushing the tears away.

    ¡°I- I don¡¯t know,¡± Yurika answered between her sobs. She felt like a mess, there¡¯s a mix of everything in one. And she couldn¡¯t actually pinpoint her feeling or even understand it.

    Eireen rose from her fetal position and gave her a hug, ¡°it¡¯s okay, I understand what are you feeling right now.¡±

    ¡°You do?¡±

    The pink-haired girl nodded and smiled gracefully, ¡°thank you¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank you? Why are you thanking me?¡±

    ¡°For being angry for me, for taking my side,¡± Eireen looked deeply at Yurika eyes, ¡°but most importantly, for living a better life than me.¡±

    Yurika felt another gush of tears rushed through her eyes, ¡°It¡¯s unfair, what the Goddess did to you!¡±

    ¡°Maybe¡­,¡± Eireen whipped Yurika¡¯s tears once more and took a step away from her, ¡°but, not everything was the Goddess fault. I also had my part in taking the wrong choices.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°Wrong choices?¡±

    Eireen gave a sad smile as an answer.

    ¡°Like¡­ killing yourself?" Yurika burst out the question that had been hanging on her mind ever since she got Eireen¡¯s fragment of recollections, ¡°Why did you kill yourself?¡±

    ¡°Did I?¡± Eireen asked back.

    ¡°What do you mean? I thought that¡¯s what your memory had shown me?¡±

    Eireen eyes flickered down, avoiding Yurika¡¯s gaze, ¡°I haven¡¯t shown you everything. I will when you are ready.¡±

    ¡°I am ready,¡± Yurika said persistently. Her headstrongness made Eireen chuckled.

    ¡°It is not you who will decide that,¡± Eireen brushed her hands on Yurika arms softly, ¡°for now you need to go back.¡±

    ¡°Go back?¡±

    ¡°Yes to your mission t--¡±

    ¡°No! I am done with the Goddess¡¯ game! She¡¯s not going to use me, not after what she did to you!¡± Yurika¡¯s anger came back like a rush of tide wave.

    A loud explosion caused by Wenona knocked Yurika out of the air to the ground and followed by a flurry of projectiles from Marc. They flew at her in an attempt to stop her from getting back to her feet. Before they could reach their mark Yurika flicked her wrist once more and from the ground rose up a shield wall of fire vaporizing the projectiles coming at her. Jace and Zeke came around the flanks in an attempt to grapple her while she was distracted by the projectiles. But their timing was off by mere seconds as the flames returned to the ground Yurika was able to see both of them in time. She grabbed Zeke and threw him into Jace. With all the chaos from ripping wind and tornado, Lucia was helping anyone in the immediate area from being harmed. Luckily the tornado hasn¡¯t reached major structures yet,

    ¡°Not even for your friends?¡± Eireen waved at the darkness in front of her and a view emerged.

    There Yurika saw the destruction that was happening around her. She also saw Wenona, Zeke, and Lucia who looked very troubled and seemed to shout muted words at her. She even saw Jace, Amierra, Marc, Lyall, and Scry. Some of them were trying to help the innocents people to take refuges while the other was trying to subdue her. To stop her from bringing the world calamity. But nothing seemed to manage to budge her.

    ¡°Wen, Zeke¡­,¡± Yurika muttered their names.

    ¡°You are different, you live a different life than me,¡± Eireen said, ¡°I was alone. I have no one before. No one to protect, no one to love, no one to give me support.¡±

    ¡°But, you have your mother and also Zeke?!¡±

    A single drop of tear fell down on Eireen¡¯s face, her face was sorrowful, ¡°I have nobody, not even my mom.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?! Not even your mom? What happened to her?¡±

    Eireen just shook her head as an answer, ¡°in time you will find out. Now you need to decide will you go back or not? Will you take on the mission or not?¡±

    Yurika turned her head towards the scene in front of her once more like she was watching herself from a distance. Tiny glimpses occurring through the smoke she could see.

    The streets darkened by the sky and dust ripping through the streets, in the distance an ominous fiery tornado, Lyal tried to rush her with a blow from the hilt of his sword. Yurika swiftly dodges to the left and summons a gush of air to throw him into the strewn street full of debris. Amierra feeling helpless she didn¡¯t have time to summon any of her beast friends, rushed in to with her bow drawn sending off an arrow with the knowledge Yurika would just easily evade this. But just as fast as her arrow was sent off so was her being sent flying back.

    Another explosion happened just behind Yurika throwing her to the ground yet again. With this Jace and Zeke managed to grab her before she could react. But just as soon as they grabbed her, they had released her in a split second as it was unknown to them that her rage was reflected in her skin temperature. In their recoil, Yurika waved her hand and in a single gust threw them to the side.

    ¡°Live a better life than me Yuu, for my sake. Change the world, show the Goddesses that we won¡¯t lose against what they call as fate,¡± Eireen whispered in Yurika ears as she embraced her  from behind, ¡°live for me.¡±

    The darkness then came back and overwhelm her once more. Eireen''s presence was no more. She was left all alone. Yurika closed her eyes and let it consumed her.

    ¡°Yu-Yurika!¡± someone voice came to her ears and conscious. It was barely clear at first but it grew stronger by seconds. The voice was competing against the angry wind and shaken ground.

    ¡°Yurika! Don¡¯t let your anger consume you!¡± It was Lucia¡¯s voice

    ¡°Listen to me! Aine, she has a message for the chosen one. She told me to deliver this message to you, ¡° Lucia stood in anguish screaming her lung out trying to grab Yurika¡¯s last strand of cognition, ¡°I am sorry, for choosing you. I am sorry that your path won¡¯t be easy. I am sorry my child, but only to you, to your heart, I could trust the world.¡±

    "Just... don''t forget that. Your heart."

    Taft¡¯s voice echoed in Yurika¡¯s mind, ¡°¡­be strong when the time comes. I''ll entrust the world, to you"

    ¡°Ta-Taft¡­,¡± Yurika murmured, her face scrunched in pain, ¡°Wen¡­, Ze-e¡­¡±

    Lucia stood by next to Wenona and Zeke. They watched her cautiously. Nobody made a move. They were waiting for her. They have tried everything but nothing has been working so far.

    ¡°Yurika! You can control it!¡± This time it was Wen¡¯s voice who tried to reach her out, ¡°I trust you! Don¡¯t lose, don¡¯t let it consumed you.¡±

    Yurika made more painful grunts and moans as the light blinking more rapidly, faster and almost garish. Everyone in the scene covered their eyes and prepared a magic shield to whatever may hit them. The light was so bright and blinding, they could only put their last hope on her. For her to beat the rage, for her to control the stone''s power. Then the light started dimmed to the point where it was nothing more. Lucia opened her eyes slowly followed by Wenona and the others. They saw Yurika¡¯s body slumped on the ground between the rubbles of whatever was standing before. The tornado has stopped and so was the earthquake. They were gone as fast as they were coming.

    ¡°Yuu? Yuu!!¡± Wenona rushed toward her best friend. She didn¡¯t care about what danger might still be lurking.

    Wen pulled Yurika weak body into her hug, ¡°Yuu, are you okay?¡±

    The girl in question was heaving with her eyes half closed, ¡°I ¨C I am okay¡­ I- I am s-so--,¡± before she finally lost her conscious.

 Chapter 28 - A Gaffe (Eireen)

    ¡°GET UP!¡± Jace¡¯s shouted at the girl who was keeling over not too far away from him. Having no response from the girl, he stomped his way to her and pulled her arm up, ¡°I say get up! Don¡¯t pretend like a weakling.¡±

    Her breathing was short and her face was pale. She tried to pull herself together and stood unsteadily. Ever since Eireen was announced as the Chosen one, Jace had put her in special training to learn all types of classes and skill. Her peaceful life has changed to nonstop training day and night.

    ¡°Give her a break, please? I have announced my wedding with the heroine of the realm. Her big day is in a couple of weeks and I don¡¯t want any delays,¡± Scry said lazily while plucking grapes into his mouth, ¡°I don¡¯t want her to look like a rag. What would people say? I have an image to maintain you know.¡±

    Jace glared at the amber-eyed man, ¡°What marriage?! I¡¯ve never agreed or gave any permission for any.¡±

    Scry didn¡¯t respond, instead, he took a fruit knife and an apple. As he started to peel it casually, he replied, ¡°Why would I need to ask your permission? Isn¡¯t she already mine from the first place?¡±

    Jace let go his grip from Eireen, ¡°five-minute break, you need to practice mage skill after this.¡±

    The girl¡¯s legs failed her and she dropped to the ground while trying to catch her breath. Jace stomped making his way toward Scry.

    ¡°She isn¡¯t yours!¡± Jace exclaimed intimidatingly while standing in front of the amber-eyed man.

    ¡°Since when she isn¡¯t mine? Are you trying to nullify our agreement?¡± Scry¡¯s eyes were challenging the young king, ¡°my, my, I guess having the heroine of the realm does the trick to boost someone¡¯s confidence.¡±

    Jace gritted his teeth, riled by the taunt. He wanted to actually abolish the agreement he had before with this guy, but to do so it would harm the relationship between Ursa kingdom with not only the Treeoaks Kingdom but also Marama kingdom as its sister kingdom. He can¡¯t do that without thinking on the risk his kingdom would take. Especially not with the coming final battle was just around the corner. Having the Heroine of the realm as his citizen might have given him some benefits, more kingdoms decided to join forces with the Ursa, but having Treeoaks as one of his supporters was a major advantage, not only for the war itself but also for the kingdom to thrive.

    ¡°No, the agreement is still valid,¡± he answered, his tone clearly shown on how vexed he was, ¡°she is still¡­ yours.¡±

    ¡°Good!¡± Scry¡¯s clapped hand joyfully, ¡°So no complains about me making her as my wife then?¡±

    Jace¡¯s clenched his hands hard before finally succumbed with his head down, ¡°no¡­¡±

    ¡°Sweet, glad finally we get along better. For a minute there I was afraid that you have something else in your mind,¡± Scry¡¯s eyebrow raised teasingly.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Oh I don¡¯t know,¡± he shrugged biting the apple in his hand, ¡°because who doesn¡¯t want to have the Heroine of the realm as a wife?¡¯

    ¡°What are you implicating?¡± snarled Jace

    ¡°I am not trying to imply anything,¡± Scry shrugged once more. He stood up and stretched, ¡°anyway I am taking my fianc¨¦ out for a breather. You have tortured her enough these past days. So let me have some fun time with her too.¡±

    With that said Scry leaped towards where Eireen was. He then swiftly grabbed and carried her out of the training ground. Jace didn¡¯t expect his action and was late to react before he managed to stop him they were already gone.

    ¡°SCRY!¡± He screamed angrily.

    ---

    He bolted out the training ground, chuckling at Jace raged scream.

    ¡°Hold tight, don¡¯t blame me if you fall,¡± he said to the pink pigtailed girl that was in his arms as he quickened his pace to an all-out sprint. Eireen automatically circled her arms on his neck and her face close to his chest.

    And he ran, like eagles soaring across indigo skies, his long purple-ish locks whipped back and forth behind him like a fiery tale as he flung himself over rocks, tree trunks, passing through people and jump around avoiding any obstacle. He did it with the slightest of effort, barely breaking a sweat and not panting in the least. He ran as if he wasn¡¯t carrying anything on his arms, a wide grin was plastered on his face.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    He had been running for quite a while before finally stopped, Eireen removed up her head that was leaning on his chest, she blushed because of their closeness.

    Scry suddenly let go his hold on her and dropped her off roughly, ¡°You stink! Go get some shower.¡±

    Her bottom hit the ground pretty hard and her face flushed with embarrassment. She looked around to find that they were in the woods near the palace. There was a small lake not far from where they were standing.

    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± he nonchalantly asked while placing himself under one of the trees facing the lake, ¡°go get undressed and clean yourself.¡±

    The lake lay silver in the bright light of the noon sun, flat as any mirror. It lay without a ripple in the silver-blue water as if time itself had been frozen. Around the edges were pines, chaotic in their spacing but never more than a few feet without a tree. Looking through the waters of the lake was like peering through the perfect glass, unsmudged. The stone at the bottom were as many hues of brown and grey as there are on a painter¡¯s wheel, likely more. The water near the points she stood had a current, it was where the glacial meltwater entered from the mountain peak that stood still white capped far behind of the palace; behind of her.

    Eireen tilted her head, glanced warily at the man that looked very comfortable leaning on one of the tree bark, his amber eyes were staring at her leisurely. The idea of having a swim in the calm water was really tempting. She forgot how long has it been for her to actually had the luxury to clean herself. Her days were filled with practice, practice and practice. Returned to her bedroom just to fall flat on the bed, sometimes she barely had the strength to drag herself to the bed and ended up curling up on the rug on the floor, to be woken up and dragged back to the training ground by Jace at the first streak of dawn light. But to actually took a dip in that lake while the so-called her future husband watching kind of put her in an uncomfortable spot.

    ¡°What are you waiting for? Do you need some help to undress?¡± His velvety voice was so close to her ears that it made her startled. He has stood behind her back in mere seconds, she didn¡¯t even hear his steps.

    ¡°No!¡± she quipped, quickly put a distance between them, ¡°I just need to find a place¡­¡±

    Scry chuckled and shrugged, ¡°you are one funny girl, acting like a virgin.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?! I am a virgin,¡± she exclaimed angrily.

    Scry looked at her oddly as if she was telling him a bad joke, then he suddenly burst out laughing, ¡°yeah sure¡­¡±

    Eireen face flushed red, feeling insulted because of his skeptic tone.

    ¡°That¡¯s sure intriguing,¡± he leered and closing their distance, Eireen stepped back but stopped by the cold sting on her feet as she was at the edge of the lake.

    ¡°Maybe, I should actually savor the true taste of virgin heroine, now?¡± He grabbed her shirt and pulled her closer, Eireen quickly put her hands on his chest and pushed him away which resulted in a rip on her shirt. It wasn¡¯t a large tear but enough to show a glimpse of the glinting red gem on her chest. Scry¡¯s eyes quickly dropped to the mesmerizing gem, like a hunter saw an opening of his prey; a hint of desire and darkness splashed on his beautiful amber eyes.

    ¡°You are a very interesting girl you know, first you got special attention from our young king, ¡° he said with a low menacing voice, his eyes still eyeing the gem on her chest like a hungry wolf, ¡°next the Goddess herself picked you out of the hundreds of people who were so much stronger than you.¡±

    Uncomfortable by the way he looked at her, she quickly covered the tore and moved away from the spot, but Scry grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. He held her in a stronghold of his arms and no matter how much she tried to break free, he would tighten his arms making her felt like he was squishing her to death.

    ¡°¡­ so what makes you more eligible than all those people to be the chosen one?¡± he whispered surly on her ears, ¡°do you think you''re worthy of that legendary gem? You of all people?¡±

    His words stabbing her heart hard, the heart that already full of doubt on herself. When the Goddess pick her, she wasn¡¯t overjoyed by the slightest and the fact on how her training still progressing ever so slowly without any hint of any magical power making her doubted herself even more. She stopped struggling and went quiet. Scry realized the changing and smiled eerily. He then undid his snake-like embrace a bit, enough for him to see the gloom expression on the pink haired girl.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s obvious that even a Goddess can make an error,¡± he whispered once more in her ears, ¡°that¡¯s what you are¡­ a mistake.¡±

    Another stab on her wounded heart made her eyes glistened with the upcoming tears, ¡°¡­ am I?¡±

    This time Scry totally undid his embrace and walked away. And as if he hasn¡¯t done enough damage after a few stepped away from her, he turned his heels and stared down at the broken girl and said, ¡°all you need to do...find a way to fix the Goddess'' mistake."

    Her teary eyes looked empty as if it was hypnotized, ¡°F-Fixing the mistake?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it for now,¡± Scry said, his amber eyes darken mysteriously and his lips formed a half-moon grin, ¡°in time you will know what to do to fix the gaffe. Anyway, I¡¯ll give you the space you want, for now. I am not sure how long till Jace track you down and pull you back to the hell training. You should use the time to take a dip in the lake. I am sure you will feel so much better after a quick bath.¡±

    Then he walked away, leaving Eireen stood facing the lake, her pink eyes stared at the horizon emptily, with tears streaming down her face.

    ¡°A gaffe? am I? The final battle is coming closer, people have their hope on me. What should I do?¡± she mumbled to herself.

 Chapter 29 - Nightmares (Eireen)

    Men screamed in pain clutching their grievous wounds as bows twang sending snakes of deaths into the never-ending army. The castle walls stood high defiantly in the face of such ferocious siege weapon. The siege towers lumbered on slowly at snail pace.

    ¡°Fire!¡± The captain ordered suddenly as catapults unleashed wave of death destroying siege weapons and burning men alike. The sun was high and burning on them furiously. Catapults, arrows, and magic skills such as firebolt, wind arrow, also burning meteor fired from both sides furiously trying to gain the advantage. Rams battered at the gate as oil ran down with feet men ran in anguish as they were burnt from the magma substance; screamed until they rested into nothingness.

    Eireen stood in the middle of the chaos, the wounded and dead lay thickly over the wintry ground, garish scarlet over the blackened land. They surrounded her, all over, all around, scattered in every direction possible. And all she could do was straining her sore, sore eyes - the very ones that cried and bled, and shied. The gem in her chest was nothing but a mere decoration. There''s nothing she could do; helpless, hopeless, lonely. Then suddenly she heard a scream, likely a child, the primal most raw communication. The purest way one soul can ask another for help. Eireen whipped her head toward the source of the voice.

    Not far from her right she saw a frightened little girl cornered by a beast. The creature was huge and grotesque with matted hair and huge twisting horns protruding upward into the blazing sky. It stood on it¡¯s knotted haunches and stooped as its wrinkled face stared at the little girl. The girl¡¯s eyes met hers, locked her with a desperate plea for help. But no matter she tried to move her legs they refused to budge.

    ¡°Help please, I don¡¯t want to die,¡± the little girl begged Eireen for her life, tears streaming from her fuchsia eyes, ¡°Hero, the chosen one, please help me¡­¡±

    Eireen tried again and again to pull her legs, to make it move; anything just anything so she could run to the little girl to shield her for whatever harm may come to her, but her feet felt like it was planted rooted to the ground on where she was standing. She glanced down trying to see what made her unable to move. What she saw made her gasped in horror, underneath her lay pile and pile of dead bodies, their hands clawing, gripping, clinging desperately onto her feet and legs, their eyes opened, angry, dead and still. Their mouths moved in the synchronized way, ¡°It¡¯s all your fault! You are not the chosen one, you are a mistake! Look what have you done! You are not the chosen one!¡±

    Her own scream startled Eireen out of her abysmal nightmare. Her cheeks were wet and her body was bathed in cold sweat. The sheets were twisted around her limbs, she must have been trashing in her sleep. Her heart pounded against her chest, she trembled. The room was entirely dark, she must have forgotten to light up the lamps. The remnants of her nightmare still clung to her mind, haunting her. She had been having these kinds of nightmares for days, even weeks, ever since the day the Goddess announces her as the chosen one and it has gotten worst after that trip to the lake with Scry.

    A sudden cold wind licked her neck and crept under her clothes, spreading across her skin like the lacy tide on a frigid winter beach. Her already trembling body shivered harder as she turned her attention toward the source of wind. The door to her bedroom was opened and someone was standing in front of it, the light from outside made her unable to guess who was it.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± she asked. A heavy silence settled over them, thicker than the uneasy tension in the atmosphere. The silhouette shifted uncomfortably on his feet,

    ¡°A-are you okay?¡± the person finally spoke up. The voice sounded young, those quiet almost timid soft voice. Eireen wasn¡¯t sure but she thought she had heard that voice before.

    ¡°I heard screaming,¡± he took a few steps into her room, ¡°and-- your room door wasn¡¯t locked. So, are you okay?¡±

    Eireen finally realized who¡¯s the person, ¡°Marc¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­,¡± he stopped not far from her bed, again looked gawky and uncertain, ¡°I was just doing some patrolling in the area¡­¡±

    In the dark Eireen looked at the boy, he has been one of her teachers these past days, he didn¡¯t seem to show much care or affection beside her progress in learning the mage skill. He was quite practical and efficient, to see him worrying about her was quite a surprise for her.

    ¡°Silver?¡± he called out, he always called her by her family name, something about his eastern upbringing. Eireen blinked and nodded like an idiot before she realized that he probably won¡¯t able to see it in the darkness.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Yeah, I am okay,¡± she finally croaked, ¡°just a nightmare¡­¡±

    ¡°I see, well I guess I am glad you are not hurt or anything,¡± he mumbled to himself and shifted his legs, turned toward the door, but he stopped again with his back facing her.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll bid you goodnight then,¡± he added, ¡°get some rest, you need the strength for tomorrow training.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­,¡± Eireen eyes flickered down, for some reason she felt colder than before. Marc has always been practical, mission-oriented and somewhat cold. It was already rare enough for him to actually checked on her well-being. When not even Scry her own so-called fianc¨¦ who slept next door made the effort. He probably not in his room, as usual, jumping from one bed to another, from one embrace to another. It¡¯s funny on knowing how her future marriage life would be, far before it actually happened. Scry already pointed out that she was a mere tool for him to play his string over Jace and the fact she was the chosen one didn¡¯t really change on how he treated her; not like she wished some affection from him. Usually she would try to telepath Zeke when she needed someone to comfort her, especially when she had her nightmares, but lately, she kept failing on reaching him. After he was sent away to the frontline, she barely could contact him and after she was selected as the chosen hero, he disappeared and no matter how many time she tried to telepath him nothing seemed worked. She couldn¡¯t help to fear for the worst might have fallen on him. She did try to contact her mom once, but her mom was someone who picked up her distress signal in the simplest tone change. So she decided to not do that anymore. She didn''t want to make her worry.

    Something warm started trailing down her cheeks, it felt like stings crawling down her face. Then the tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down her face. She didn¡¯t want to cry, she wasn¡¯t expecting it either, but she felt very lonely and she couldn¡¯t stop herself, not even the knowledge of someone that barely able to be called as a friend was with her. She felt the muscles of her chin tremble like a small child, there was static in her head once more, the side effect of her constant fear, constant stress she had been living with. She heard her own sounds, like a distressed child, raw from the inside. Brick by brick, her walls came tumbling down, she just broke down. She sobbed into her hands and the tears dripped between her fingers, raining down onto her duvet as she pulled her legs and cuddled them with her forehead resting on her knees. Her breathing was ragged, gasping and her whole body shaking. Then, suddenly, she felt something warm on her shoulder, patting and rubbing her carefully, pulled her out from her hollowness. A soft light came from Marc''s left hand. It gently illuminating the room. He had conjured simple ray magic. The glow was soothing and calming.

    Marc had laid his other hand lightly on her shoulder, and instead of flinching on the touch she welcomed and was soothed by his action. His eyes showed an awkward concern but his usual cold face was gentle. He didn¡¯t say anything much but leaving his hand on her back until she calmed down.

    ¡°Thank you¡­,¡± Eireen croaked, her voice rasped because of all the crying. Marc just nodded formally.

    ¡°Are you okay now, Silver?¡±

    ¡°¡­ I guess.¡±

    Marc stood there watching her, he had pulled his hand away but he stayed.

    ¡°Do you need anything?¡±

    Eireen shook her head dubiously and ended up nodded instead. She opened her mouth and closed it a few times without saying anything. She had an argument in her head on whether she should openly request it to him or not.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Marc saw her expression and knew that she had something in her mind, ¡°If you are feeling better and don¡¯t really need anything, I guess I could leave you now?¡¯

    Eireen finally nodded, ¡°I am fine, thanks. You should go if you need.¡±

    Marc gave her one last concerned look before he finally turned his heels, ¡°goodnight then. Sleep well, Silver.¡±

    But he didn¡¯t manage to go far when he felt a tug on his sleeves, he looked back and saw Eireen shaking hand was holding his corner right sleeve. He glanced at the girl who looked down but refused to let go of her grip.

    ¡°Stay? Please? Just till I fall asleep?¡± her voice was so quiet, he barely managed to get the full sentences of her words.

    He stood there uncertain on what to response on her request. The silence lay on Eireen¡¯s skin like a poison. It seeped into her blood and paralyzed her brain, her pupils became dilated and the tremor in her hands became stronger. She didn¡¯t dare to look up and find his awkward face. Unable to contain the uneasy atmosphere she let go of her grip from his sleeve.

    ¡°I am sorry, don¡¯t mind it¡­¡± she said flushed by her own action.

    Marc stood there quiet and still almost like a living statue. When finally he moved, he walked to a nearby chair and pulled it near the window.

    ¡°I guess¡­ I don¡¯t mind to stay around for a bit,¡± he said without looking at her and sat on the chair, ¡°I will leave the bedroom door open too, I don¡¯t want anyone to misunderstand. Especially because you are the fianc¨¦ of Prince Scry Treeoaks¡­¡±

    Eireen was dumbfounded to see that he actually granted her impulsive plea, he made her think that he wasn¡¯t as cold as she thought he would be.

    ¡°Thank you¡­,¡± Eireen finally smiled for the first time, she hasn¡¯t been able to smile sincerely since the day Zeke told him about his assignment to the frontline.

    ¡°Uhm¡­ don¡¯t worry about it. Just go to sleep, you will need all the strength for tomorrow,¡± Marc said matter-factly.

    ¡°Ugh yeah¡­,¡± her smile slowly disappeared, remembered about the hell training she still had to face in the morning, ¡°well goodnight¡­ Marc.¡±

    ¡°Goodnight¡­¡±

 Chapter 30 - Collaboration?!

    Everything was blurry. For a second, she didn¡¯t know who or where she was. She didn¡¯t know how she got in that bed, or how she got in those clothes. Then, everything was processed. She was in her room. The thing above her was the ceiling. The thing on top of her was the duvet. The thing underneath her was the pillow and mattress. She could see everything clearly now within seconds of realizing she was unconscious for Goddess knew how long.

    "Yurika! Are you okay?" Wen''s teary face came to her view, then everything that had happened, everything that she had done, the destruction and all started to come back to her.

    "Oh, my Goddess! What have I done?! Is everyone alright?!" She almost jumped out from her bed if  Wen didn''t stop her.

    ¡°Are you awake now?¡± Lucia voice poked her, made her noticed her presence. Yurika turned her eyes to meet Lucia¡¯s.

    ¡°How are you feeling? Are you hurt anywhere?"

    "Is that even matter? I don''t really care if I am hurt! What concerned me  more is the fact I might have hurt someone or kil--"

    "Of course it matters! You made me worried so much Yuu!" Wen''s screamed at her, "I thought we have lost you completely. I don''t know what''s going on. All I know you have some crazy power that somehow made you lost control. I don''t know what to do, to save you or to stop you no matter what is the cost."

    Yurika''s head dropped, didn''t dare to look at her best friend''s worried and angry face. Yurika tried to move her body around, ¡°...I think I am fine. A little bit sluggish but not hurt. Sorry that I made you worry Wen.¡±

    "Sorry just won''t cut it! I- "

    "Okay, you need to cool down Wen. Yurika needs her rest and being angry at her won''t help that," Lucia calmly stopped her nag, "you should take care that wound of yours too."

    Lucia grabbed her arm and started to escort her toward to door.

    "I am fine! It''s just some scratches and bruises," Wen retorted as she tried to free her arm away from Lucia''s hold, but to her surprise, Lucia has a strength no normal little girl would ever have. Lucia ignored her protest, dragged and pushed her out from the room.

    "Sorry I need to talk  privately with Yurika, so please be a good girl, and do as I say?" Lucia said as she winked at her wittily.

    "No. wait!" Wen''s objection was useless the moment the door was closed in front of her face.

    "Argh, I hate that Zanj!" She stomped her feet and walked away.

    ***

    "Now, we can talk peacefully, "said Lucia, she took a seat next to  Yurika, "I am glad you are not hurt, You¡¯ve been unconscious for 3 hours, I was started to worry.¡±

    ¡°3 hours? It felt much longer than that,¡± Yurika muttered, "Lucia, did I hurt anyone or worst... kil--"

    "Casualties are unavoidable and as much I wish I could just say that it wasn''t your fault, you know that''s not possible," she straightly cut her sentences.

    Yurika gulped hard and looked down, "Sorry..."

    "Stop saying sorry! Sorry won''t bring back the dead!" For the first time, Lucia raised her voice at the girl, "sorry won''t fix the past. It might mend the pain a bit but it won''t do more than that! So instead of saying  sorry, do something, make a change!"

    Yurika lips quivered, she almost said the word again but she stopped it. She bit her lips and held the sob that started to build up. Crying wouldn''t help either. She had lost control of the power and hurt innocent people. It was her fault that she let her anger consumed her and control her.

    Lucia''s face softened as she watched the grim and pain on Yurika face.

    "You are the master of  Fetuu La Rossa, it''s time for you to learn to control its power. Control it, don''t let it control you. Most importantly, do what you are fated to do. Bring the world balance back before it''s too late. That''s the only way you redeemed yourself."

    Yurika raised her head and gazed at the raven-haired girl. Her eyes filled with mixed emotions but she decided to say nothing.

    ¡°Anyway, I will let you rest for now,¡± Lucia stood up from the chair she was sitting on, ¡°tomorrow we should have a meeting with the Ursa team and I will deliver to everyone about the Goddess mission for all of you.¡±

    ¡°For all of us?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we have the full team now. So it¡¯s time to embark to the real mission to save this world.¡±

    ¡°What?! Wait a minute, full team? Are you saying¡­?!¡± Yurika eyes widen in shock.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°Yeah, you will need their strength to save the world as the chosen hero.¡± Lucia said calmly, ¡°that¡¯s one of the reasons they are given the blessing of eternal youth.¡±

    Yurika stared at Lucia as if she¡¯d just produced a monster out of her pocket. Her brain desperately trying to connect the dots, her eyes looked like it¡¯s going to pop out for the sockets and her mouth gasped the word ¡®No¡¯ while her head shook helplessly.

    ---

    She could see how her hands were trembling, a little blurry by the water on her eyes as she put her hand towards the door.  She knew she couldn¡¯t run from her fate. The world was in the dire state ever since the war between two Goddesses. The battle between humans, Nisse, Builderat, and Beastia -a half beast and half human race- as the main supporter of Aine the Goddess of Life against Mimocry -a mysterious race that said has the ability of shape shifting-, Zwelich -humans that practice dark magic and worship Goddes Cailea- also magical beasts had turned the world upside down. When the two Goddesses disappeared suddenly, it did put the war on halt. But it didn¡¯t mean their life back to normal. Losing their leaders didn¡¯t really mean they sum back their previous peaceful era. Brigands, thieves, famine, and monsters roamed the lands, the climate changes, disasters happened all around the world and everyone knew that their world without their Goddesses had turned to time ticking bomb that could explode in anytime whether they were ready or not.

    Back then when Zeke found her in the Azurlite, she didn¡¯t really know how should she fulfill the unfinished fate that she had run away from her previous life, and neither did Zeke. So they decided to start from the basics; like back then when she was Eireen; that was to understand all the essences of each class and mastered them. She didn¡¯t know how in the world she would save the world by doing so. And when Lucia finally shed some light for her real task in saving the world. That they need to bring back the Goddesses and the world balance, she didn¡¯t really have any complaints. This time around she knew running away won¡¯t solve the problem. But the fact she needed to work on it with them, the people of her past, put her in the spot where for once more she wished to run away and bestowed the duty to someone else.

    She stared at the door for the longest time, her body felt hot and sweat started trickling down her neck and back. An invisible hand clasped over her mouth; an equally ghostly hypodermic of adrenaline pierces her heart, unloading in an instant. She felt her ribs heaving as if bound by ropes, straining to inflate her lungs. Her head was a carousel of fears spinning out of control, each pushing her mind into blackness. She wanted to run; she wished to.

    ¡°¡­ri-ka, Yurika?¡±

    She could hear someone calling her name but it felt far away like she was no longer in the body that lies paralyzed in front of the meeting room door. The paralyzing hurt spread through her body like icy, liquid metal, she clenched her jaws tightly trying to stifle the growing scream that crept fast inside her chest. Her feet trembled, her legs twitched, fighting the impulse to just whirl around and sprint down the corridor; away from the door, the room.

    ¡°Yurika!!¡± a couple of hands was on her shoulders; shook her stiff strained body, trying to pull her out from her panic trance.

    ¡°I-I can¡¯t do this¡­,¡± her voice sounded like a strangled dying mouse, her eyes darted everywhere; as if trying to find an opening to run away from the spot she was on.

    ¡°Yes you can,¡± Lucia said sternly, ¡°you have to, the fate of the world rests on your shoulder!¡±

    There were flashbacks rushing in her mind, dark memories, the sarcastic remarks, judging eyes, voices, and screams; dying screams; accelerating inside her head. She wanted them to slow down so she could breathe but they wouldn¡¯t. Her breathing came in gasps, the place started to spin and she squatted on the floor, trying to get some kind of grip to make everything slow to something her body can cope. She felt so sick.

    ¡°You are not Eireen anymore remember that you are Yurika, no one in that room knew that you were her, but me and Z. And we will keep it that way. I don¡¯t know what had happened between you and them back then but you are not the same person anymore. There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of.¡±

    She could hear Lucia voice came and went like distance waves,

    ¡°Breathe Yurika, breathe!¡±

    Lucia held both of Yurika clenched cold hands trying to send some warm to comfort, ¡°Yurika look at me, focus on me. I will be there with you, you are not alone. I will stand by your side. You are not alone.¡±

    The humming on her ears and the erratic beating of her heart slowly calmed down.

    As her frantic breathing slowly became steady, her darting eyes were finally found an anchor on Lucia¡¯s silver eyes. The very eyes that promising her safety, support and comfort.

    ¡°It¡¯s all right. Everything will be fine, it will be okay,¡± Lucia soothing voice still hummed on her ears.

    Yurika pulled herself away from the Zanj carefully. They went quiet, both with their own thoughts.

    ¡°I am sorry,¡± Lucia finally broke the silence, ¡°I will postpone the meeting then. I am not going to force you. I have no idea how bad it was for you until I saw just now.¡±

    ¡°Y-you w-will ?¡± Yurika stumbling her words, her voice rasped and dry.

    ¡°I guess¡­,¡± Lucia looked at her sympathetically, ¡°but¡­¡±

    Lucia didn¡¯t continue her words, but it was enough for Yurika. She knew where her words heading, she couldn¡¯t postpone it much longer, the time ticking fast, the end of the world won¡¯t wait for anyone; not even for the chosen heroine and her paranoia.

    Yurika pulled herself up unsteadily but she finally stood up. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breathes and exhaled them in a few loud huffs.

    ¡°N-no needs to postpone, I-I can do this¡­,¡± she finally said as she turned her face looking at the raven-haired girl who was staring at her in a concerned look.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    Yurika shook her head fast, ¡°I will never be sure¡­ but I won¡¯t let it stop me.¡±

    Lucia gazed at the blonde, a few minutes ago she was on the floor ready to pass out because of the traumatizing past and now she stood with a new determination on her pale face. A tiny bud of admiration started to grow in her heart. Maybe just maybe¡­. She could trust humans again. She hated human because of what Gentar did, turning the world upside down. But this time maybe the world could be saved by one.

    ¡°Besides,¡± Yurika''s voice broke her mind train, ¡°I am different now, Eireen might have been always lonely but not Yurika. I have Z and Wenona on my side, there are also Ziggy, Ridelle and ¡­ you.¡±

    A tiny smile rose up on Yurika¡¯s face, it actually started to give some subtle colour on her almost colourless face. Lucia smiled back in response.

    ¡°Yes, you have me,¡± she answered, nodding in assurance.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Yurika''s smile grew wider. She then took a few more deep breaths  and gave a soft pat on her cheeks, ¡°okay let¡¯s do this.¡±

    With one last glance at the fuschia eyes girl, Lucia finally opened the door towards the meeting room where seven people sat in scattered seats waiting for them.

 Chapter 31 - Interval

    After an endless session of pacing the navy-blue carpeted floor, Wenona finally sat herself down on one of the dark oak chairs that were behind a long table in the middle of the room. Patience has never been her best virtue, she was given a written message by Lucia to come to the meeting room. Stating that she has important news to be delivered. Wenona¡¯s curiosity about Yurika and her power made her came earlier than what she was supposed to. So now she has to wait and she hates it. The ancient mullioned windows cast checkerboard of brilliant noon sunlight onto the carpeted floor, sitting on the edge of the chair, she placed her hand on her knees with the intention to stop them from bouncing every five seconds. Her eyes fell on the door for the tenth time.

    ¡°Where is she¡­,¡± grumbled Wenona impatiently.

    There was a kind of waiting that feels like gentle onshore breezes kissing the salty stone. It wasn¡¯t warm but there was a sense of calm, of nature, of things expected. Then there was the kind that felt like the head of a mace was loose in her guts and her head had taken a beating with a hefty plank of wood. That was the one Wenona felt right now. She glared so hard at the door, her mind was almost sure that she could conjure that petite girl with raven hair out of thin air.

    She then decided to stare at the blank chiffon yellow wall in front of her. She felt the tension and anxiety build up in her as she stared blankly. Her mind was full with all kind of possible scenarios to what, who and how did Yurika had that dangerous power, to begin with. Suddenly her train of mind snapped off by sounds of people talking and approaching the room. She straightened her sitting and stared at the door again expectantly.

    As the door pushed open, Wenona stood up almost too quick, sending a sharp searing pain along her ankle as she painfully bumped her knee on the long oak table in front of her. She quietly cursed the table while rubbing her knee; she could expect some bruises later on.

    ¡°Oh, what do we have here? Our little witch?¡± a sarcastic tone of voice entered Wenona''s ears, made her jerked her attention from her knee toward the door. There she saw Z, 3 people she vaguely remembered and one that she would never forget. The man with purple gradation hair, amber eyes with a mocking smile stood casually in front of the door.

    ¡°You!¡± Wenona sprang with bubbling anger, ready for a fight.

    ¡°Wen!¡± Z quickly stops her and stood between Scry and her.

    ¡°Move it Z!¡± Wenona shouted at the bulky guy, she tried to push him away with no avail, ¡°if I must hurt you for you to understand, I would! Get out of my way!¡±

    ¡°Yeah Z, move away, let the little witch play with me,¡± Scry taunted Wen even more.

    ¡°Shut up Scry! You are not making the situation better!¡± Z barked at Scry.

    Scry batted his eyes teasingly, "maybe I would if you ask nicely."

    ¡°Oh, fight fight!¡± Lyall cheered, which he quickly stopped when Z glared a warning at him. Lyall then shrugged as if he wanted to say that he hasn¡¯t done anything wrong.

    ¡°We are not here to fight,¡± Amiera calmly talked to Wenona, ¡°so put down your weapon and wait for Lucia like we have been asked for.¡±

    Then the green-eyed girl turned her attention towards Scry, ¡°you to dear cousin, stop taunting her and please sit down.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    ¡°Oh you know I love you my sweet cousin, but, I don¡¯t really take orders from you,¡± he tilted his head innocently.

    Amiera''s face flushed, angry and ashamed at the same time. She turned her attention towards Jace with expectation. But the golden hair man ignored her. It''s not just her, ever since that incident with the blonde girl he has been very quiet and distance from everyone. There''re moments that she couldn¡¯t find him everywhere around the area of the wing that Lucia had provided them to stay. He did come back but when she asked him where had he been, he shot up an angry bark saying that wasn¡¯t her business.

    ¡°Jace! Do something!¡± she called him out annoyed.

    Jace just gazed at her with an irritated look, but then glared at Scry, ¡°Stop it, we are a guest here. Mind your manners, Scry!¡±

    Scry turned his attention away from Wenona and gazed at Jace for a few moments. The look on his face was unreadable, but then he smirked.

    ¡°It is pure bliss to see how you tried to order me around my liege. You don''t really have a kingdom to actually act like a king or even as my superior," he sneered, "but..., since  I am bored so I guess I don''t mind to let you do as you wish for now. Sure my liege I will  back down if she does the same.¡±

    Jace glared at Scry but didn''t say anything in return. He then went back to his ''gazing into an empty void'' mode and ignored everyone in the scene.

    ¡°Wen, calm down. We are invited here by Lucia too, so please¡­,¡± Zeke once again tried to persuade Wenona,

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stay away if he does the same. I don¡¯t trust him, or any of you, ¡° Wenona finally decided to back down but her eyes locked at Scry with her arms folded in guard. There was no softness in that gaze. It was a look that conveyed a bubbling hatred.

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, I didn¡¯t do this for you. I don¡¯t trust you Z from the start and nothing has changed,¡± Wenona responded coldly, ¡°just that Yurika trusted you so much, I did this for her.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Yurika,¡± Zeke''s face turned a little bit gloom on the mention of her name, ¡°have you seen her? How is she? I was expecting to see her here, but ¡­¡±

    Wenona shook her head thoughtfully, ¡°¡­ to be honest no. Last time I saw her, it was yesterday. She was conscious and fine. You should have worried about me more after that poison your friend kindly gave me. I nearly died because of it.¡±

    She put an extra caustic tone on her last sentence.

    ¡°Sorry about that, I can¡¯t really say he didn¡¯t mean it but I am sorry if for some reason you got dragged into this situation,¡± Zeke said apologetically, ¡°I hope you are better now?¡±

    ¡°I am better of course, not thanks to you or him,¡± Wen said adversely, ¡°quit the good boy act will you Z. I am not as gullible as Yurika, my guts telling me you have something up in your sleeves. I trust my guts more than you!¡±

    Zeke''s face got gloomier with every word Wenona threw on him, without saying anything in response he turned his heels and walked away from Wenona. Grabbing Scry by his arms on the process, ignoring his protest and dragging him toward the farthest seat away from Wenona sight.

    And so the game of waiting started again, this time Wenona wasn¡¯t alone but her companions were more of enemies rather than friends. It made her more anxious than the previous, she felt like a lamb in a den of hungry wolves. Her eyes flitting from Z to the redhead on her left, three chairs away. He looked like a walking skeleton, looked bored and sleepy than dangerous. Then her gaze dropped to the golden-haired man that apparently chose to sit down on the center chair that usually used by leaders. His eyes seemed empty as if his mind has wandered off somewhere else, but the sense of authority still beamed on his face. Seeing on how he ordered that purple haired man Wenona concluded that he was the leader of the pack. Then her eyes wandered to the beautiful girl with icy blue hair that sat next to the guy. She looked very exotic with her tan skin and green eyes, beautiful but cold at the same time. Thinking about it Wen remembered there were supposed 5 people that entered the room. Her head whirled trying to find the person, her heart raced worried that he would jump on her when she was unprepared. Then she saw him, the brown-haired man with glasses on his young face stood near the window, leaning his back on the wall. He looked serious and his coffee eyes were gazing straight at her. The intensity of the stare made her sucked her breath in surprise. She was ready to bark an angry protest on the man when suddenly the meeting room door opened wide. All eyes went toward the door, there they saw Lucia with Yurika tailing behind her entering the room.

 Chapter 32 - The Meeting (part 1)

    Following behind Lucia, Yurika timidly took a quick glance around the room with her nervous eyes. All the bravery she had before when she was trying to safe Wenona¡¯s life has decided to disappear the moment her adrenaline boost gone. As her eyes roaming to the room, she saw Marc who leaned near the windows, Zeke who sat on the farthest chair on the back of the room with Scry. Yurika could feel fear started to crawl back but Lucia presence calmed her down a bit. Then she moved her eyes towards the seats closer to the door. People who sat there turned their head in interest at their arrival. She saw Amierra who watched her like a hawk next to the golden-haired man. Then her eyes stumbled at the blue eyes who were staring her like she was some kind of rare animal. Jace¡¯s eyes were walking from her line of hair to her feet and backed up again. His gaze made her wished that Lucia was bigger or taller than her just so she could hide behind her back.

    She quickly diverted her gaze away from the man. She could still felt his eyes following her but she pretended to not care about it. Lyall who as usual playing with his pocket knife sat tree chairs away from--, she gasped to see her best friend who was waving at her in one of the chairs.

    ¡°Why Wen¡¯s here?!¡± She quipped quietly at Lucia in panic, ¡°Is she supposed to be here?¡±

    ¡°Go take a seat,¡± ordered Lucia; ignoring her question.

    Yurika wanted to protest, but in the end, decided to not. She walked toward the seat next to Wenona.

    ¡°Yuu! Are you feeling better? ¡± Wen quickly hug her best friend with delight, ¡°sorry for being angry at you yesterday. But I was worry, really-really worried. ¡°

    Yurika returned her hug and shrugged, ¡°you have every right to scold me. Sorry for making you worry Wen.¡±

    Wenona¡¯s blue eyes went glassy and her face looked apologetic, ¡°Yuu, I-I¡ª¡°

    ¡°Eii, don¡¯t say make that kind of face please,¡± Yurika pinched her right cheek playfully and her eyes accidentally glanced at Scry, who was watching their interaction with an unreadable face; her eyes dashed off as soon as their eyes met.

    ¡°Ouch not my cheek,¡± Wen slapped Yurika¡¯s hand lightly. The slap made Yurika realized that she had pinched her friend a little bit too long. She let Wen¡¯s cheek go with a silly sheepish smile, her lips whispered sorry.

    ¡°By the way, why are you here?¡± Yurika asked.

    Yurika couldn¡¯t imagine the reason why her best friend needed to be in that meeting too. The idea of Wenona might join her journey seemed like a delightful idea for her. But what kind of excuse would Lucia give to the other party? She wouldn¡¯t have planned on opening her secret as a Pononga, would she? It¡¯s true no one exactly knew what¡¯s the nature of a Pononga as detailed as Wen and Lucia. But do they really need a Pononga from the first place?

    ¡°I was invited by Lucia, she said she has something to tell me,¡± Wen grumbled while rubbing her cheek, ¡°who knows that I will be placed in the room full of Crocottas, thankfully you and Lucia came on the right time if you came much later... who knows.¡±

    Yurika giggled hearing that Wen decided to compare the Ursa elites as Crocottas. They are large, dog-like, carnivores that have a distinct almost ghouly voice and hunt in a pack. Their slick earthy hue fur and stealthy movement made them almost the perfect predator at night. The fact that they are hermaphrodites made their population grew dangerously fast. Thankfully they only live inside of Safa¡¯Nest Dungeon in Beastie region.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Lucia cleared her throat, ¡°Can I have your attention now please?¡±

    Yurika whipped her head toward the Zanj. So was everyone in the room, all eyes were focused on Lucia.

    ¡°Thank you for coming and sorry for being late,¡± She started with her authoritative voice, ¡°so I will start the meeting, before that I need to remind you guys that this is not something you can argue about, the decision and the quest are final. I will deliver the Goddess¡¯ message and her words are our commands.¡±

    Lucia stared everyone¡¯s eyes, waiting to hear any protest which no one did. She then took a deep breath before continued.

    ¡°I will start by telling you the background story of how did the Great War happened,¡± she saw Lyall moved his lips trying to say something but she quickly cut him off, ¡°the real reason not the famous rumors.¡±

    That was enough to stop him from making any smart remarks.

    ¡°So, it was started 20 years ago just before the Great War happened...¡±

    Lucia told them the whole story about how the Great War started, the same as what she had told Yurika before the meeting. Of course, she deliberately hiding the information about the Fanaura, her past life as Eireen and Wenona¡¯s true legacy as a Pononga.

    ¡°Now, as the only Zanj left alive and the only one who has been granted the authority to find and enthrone the hero of the world. The one that was chosen by Fetuu La Rossa to wield its true power and bring back our Goddesses and our world balance, ¡° Lucia paused and gaze on everyone''s eyes in the room, ¡°I hereby announced Yurika as the Heroine of the Realm.¡±

    Yurika couldn¡¯t help to fear what kind of reaction would Wen gave hearing the fact that she was the chosen one. Carefully she glanced at the purple haired girl next to her, she saw that Wen¡¯s face fell faster than an apple drop. In that instant, her mouth hung with lips slightly parted and her eyes were as wide as they could stretch. There¡¯s no real word came out from her parted lips. Yurika didn¡¯t dare to look her in the eyes, there¡¯s fear that started to trickle in her heart, she knew back then how many people looked at her in envy and doubts. Not many would look at her as the hope and in adoration. And the last thing she wished to see on Wen¡¯s eyes were those same doubts and envy. But it was shattered as Wen started to make halted squeals while grabbed Yurika arm and shook her to left and right in unattended excitement.

    ¡°Oh dear Goddess, I knew it!! I already knew it from the beginning! You are special!¡± she said gleefully.

    Her excitement was quickly killed by Jace¡¯s annoyed grunt, ¡°do you think being the chosen one is like winning a jackpot in a casino?¡±

    ¡°I am not saying that! I know being the chosen one is a tough job!¡± Wen quickly retorted fiercely.

    ¡°With that said!¡± Lucia¡¯s stern voice broke the argument, dragging everyone attention back to her, ¡°as everyone had seen the demonstration yesterday, Yurika is still immature and lack of self-discipline. She might own the power of the universe but without proper training and knowledge, her power will backfire to not only herself, us and moreover to our world.¡±

    Yurika¡¯s head dropped in guilt. The guilt sat not only on her chest but also inside her brain. What she had done she could never un-do. The guilt for the lost innocent lives would always be a stain in her life, an ugly scar.

    ¡°What kind of training and knowledge she needs to have?¡± Jace finally spoke out.

    Lucia¡¯s silver eyes landed on the golden-haired man and smiled, ¡°she needs to understand the essences of every class ability. That¡¯s for a start, which I believe Z had started it before bringing her to you.¡±

    ¡°Is that true?¡± Marc asked Zeke. This time everyone attention went to the big guy with red hair. Zeke awkwardly shrugged as the answer.

    ¡°That won¡¯t work!¡± Jace¡¯s fist slammed the oak table. Pulling back everyone attention to him. His face was a mix of anger and guilt.

    ¡°Yurika is not Eireen Silver,¡± said Lucia calmly, ¡°you have seen the power demonstration she did more than once now.¡±

    ¡°I am not saying she is Eireen!¡± Jace gritted his teeth annoyedly. He didn¡¯t like how the Zanj saw right through his mind.

    ¡°Who is Eireen?¡± Wen¡¯s clear voice broke the tension. Yurika¡¯s body went tensed on the question, she didn¡¯t like how the conversation went toward her past life. Her hands gripped her skirt hard trying to keep her emotions stayed under the radar.

    ¡°The first heroine of the realm,¡± answered Lucia, ¡°the one who died before managed to finish her duty.¡±

 Chapter 33 - The Meeting (Part 2)

    ¡°She died?!! What happened?!" exclaimed Wen, "oh wait, I think I have heard her story from my dad! It was the reason why the war was won by Cailea''s side, though after that both of the goddesses disappeared along with all the Zanjs.¡±

    Lucia coughed purposely, so Wen would notice her.

    ¡°Oh yeah, all of them disappeared but one,¡± said Wen toneless, as if she just realized her presence, ¡°anyway, so turnip man, you make it sound like you actually knew this Eireen Silver. Didn''t she die a long time ago? Pretty sure you aren¡¯t over 21 years old at the moment. If you did know her, isn¡¯t that mean you are around five or six years old at least? That if I predicted your age correctly.¡±

    ¡°Turnip?!!¡± Jace¡¯s eyes widen, then squinted as he glared at Wen, ¡°who are you calling turnip?!¡±

    ¡°You, of course. I don¡¯t know anyone names but Z, Lucia and Yuu. Your hair is yellow like turnip skin so I decided to call you that,¡° Wen shrugged as she answered, ¡°and to be honest, it is that obvious that I am not a fan of any of you. So--,¡±

    ¡°Wen!¡± Yurika warned Wenona and shook her head fast, worried what Jace might do to her friend.

    Jace stood up harshly from his seat, his face was red and his jaw clenched hard.

    Sudden loud laughter came from Lyall, he had leaned back in his chair and was laughing uproariously.

    ¡°Oh my goddess, that¡¯s so funny. So if he is a turnip because of his yellow hair, then what am I? Tomato or carrot? I guess that would make Marc a potato, Scry an eggplant and Amierra lettuce,¡± he said between his fit of guffaw. Lyall¡¯s laugh was more like a burst water main arching into the brilliant summer sky soaking everyone around him with unrestrained gales.

    ¡°Shut up Lyall!¡± Jace said with his arms folded in front of his chest, eyebrows arched.

    ¡°Oh come on, it is funny! Calling us as a group of veggies, especially when we are actually in a vegetative state. Maybe we should change our elite army code name to Vegetable instead of the Ursa,¡± Lyall laughed so hard that tears started to peep on the corner of his eyes.

    ¡°I said shut up!¡± Jace said, trying his best to keep a straight-face.

    A giggle came from Amierra, she had done her best to stop herself from laughing. Her poker straight mouth twitched upwards and she was giggling. It was proven infectious as Marc, Zeke, even Scry started to make a soft snorting noise before they finally had to stop themselves when Jace glared on them.

    ¡°The Ursa?!¡± Wenona gasped hearing the name.

    ¡°Okay calm down everyone,¡° Lucia''s voice once more broke the air, ¡°I guess I should have introduced you to each other before giving out the Goddess¡¯ order.¡±

    She turned her attention toward Wen and started to point out the people inside the room. Started from Lyall.

    ¡°This is Lyall Ursa the third prince of Ursa kingdom, that person next to Z is Scry Treeoaks the second prince of TreeOaks kingdom from Oryn Treeoaks lineage, then the man leaning on the window is Marc Albeques or Jhaartael Adris the crown prince of Nisse kingdom. But he rather to be known as Marc.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Marc rose up from his spot with raised eyebrows. Yurika eyes widen hearing that Marc was also noble blooded. All this time Eireen¡¯s memory didn¡¯t show that she had known about him being a prince, a crown prince too.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised. I have been keeping tab on you guys since a long time,¡± said Lucia, as she knew the question that has rose up on everyone''s mind, ¡°then this beautiful girl with long hair is Amierra Llama the youngest princes of Marama kingdom and last but not least this man is Jace Ursa the youngest and last king of Ursa Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Ursa kingdom¡­, The Ursa ¡­, Oh my goddess,¡± Wen gasped.

    Jace made an obvious proud face, ¡°now you know who are you dealing with. Mind your mann¡ª¡°

    ¡°You guys are so old!!¡± Wen exclaimed, ¡°but wait¡­ why don¡¯t you look like one?¡±

    Lyall made another snorting noise, ¡°you are funny, little one.¡±

    ¡°Stop encouraging her Lyall!¡± Jace¡¯s sternly glared at his brother. Lyal snickered and shrugged.

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story Wen. To make it simple they are blessed with eternal youth by the Goddess,¡± Lucia added as she brushed her hair annoyedly. She then clapped her hands, ¡°please let me continue. This young girl is Wenona Alstair a friend, no¡ªbest friend of Yurika. She is a talented Crafter Mage and with this chance, I also wanted to request her help to accompany us in our journey to bring back the Goddesses and world balance.¡±

    ¡°A Crafter Mage? I never heard that class before,¡± Marc spoke up.

    ¡°A crafter mage is a new class with the ability to infuse objects with elemental magic, creating bombs and traps with high damage in mere seconds. I am sure her strength will be a great help to us,¡± Lucia explained, ¡°her special and uncommon ability would be a good support to our party. She is also the one that knew Yurika the most. I am sure Yurika would feel much more comfortable with her presence.¡±

    Yurika turned her head toward Wen; pleading.

    ¡°Of course I will accompany Yurika,¡± she answered without a second thought, ¡°but why she must go with a bunch of strangers from the first place?"

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she Z¡¯s girlfriend?¡± Lyall piped out.

    This time Wen turned her head towards Yurika; surprised; ¡°girlfriend?!¡±

    Yurika made a small quick shaking with her head gesture, ¡°I¡¯ll explain later, ¡° she added in a whispering tone.

    Jace watched her reaction. His face was unreadable.

    ¡°She needs to go with the Ursa because they are the one the Goddess chose to accompany her journey. That¡¯s one of the reasons why they have the youth blessing,¡± explained Lucia.

    Wen looked thoughtful but then she nodded, ¡°Okay, just don¡¯t ask me to be nice to them. I don¡¯t mind to work together but don¡¯t expect me to be friendly.¡±

    ¡°So that settled. Now let me gave you the order from the Queen Aine. Since The Star Keys were destroyed and the pieces were fell to Isrant, the first order would be to go search for clues and found their pieces all around the world.¡±

    Then she turned her attention toward Jace, ¡° Jace Ursa you will be the leader of our group and I¡¯ll be your adviser. But one thing you need to know, Jace¡­¡±

    Jace¡¯s blue eyes looked straight into the Zanj¡¯s eyes; waiting.

    ¡°You will have no power over the chosen one, she isn¡¯t one of your subordinates. She has an equal position as you are. So please respect her and her friend opinions and thoughts.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± a protest came from Amierra, ¡°Jace¡¯s always respected everyone¡¯s opinion and treats everyone equally.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I heard back then when Eireen Silver was the chosen one,¡± Lucia retorted calmly.

    Hearing the name almost everyone¡¯s face in the room went sour and gloom.

    ¡°Do you understand Jace Ursa?¡±

    Jace didn¡¯t respond at first but he finally nodded.

    ¡°Can I have your words for that?¡±

    Jace stood up from his chair and bowed to the Zanj, ¡°You can have my word, I Jace Ursa who pledged to serve Goddess Aine will keep my word.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Lucia nodded, ¡°now for the first journey, we will go to Marama main district. I got reports about monster and beasts that suddenly lately became more ferocious. We need to do some investigations there.¡±

    ¡°Marama?!¡± Wen and Yurika said almost at the same time. They looked at each other worriedly.

 Chapter 34 - Meadow (Eireen)

    "Follow me," Marc said to the girl who looked so pale gripping at her staff. Her pinkish hair matted with sweat. Her eyes were unsteady and her breathing was ragged. She didn''t move to his order, so Marc stood there waiting. Eireen didn''t know how long he had been waiting for her to slowly recover. When she finally rose her head, she saw how his dark chocolate eyes were watching her.

    "Can you move now, Silver?" he asked tonelessly, but his eyes were gentle. Eireen nodded and started to move her legs to follow him.

    "Where are we going?" asked Eireen, panting. They had walked for more than an hour. The ground was smooth under their shoes, the light of the sun filtered by tree foliage on each side of the trail they had been through. Marc didn''t answer her question. He silently moving forward, but from time to time he glanced at the girl behind him. Making sure she wasn''t left behind. It was in the first week of Augst, and one of those summers when the temperature never really became unbearably hot. The forest path was wide and civilized. But all of that started to change after another twenty minutes of hiking. The path started to twist, snaking around the ancient trees. The roots criss-crossed, gnarled and uneven. The trail rose in steep and uneven rocky steps. The sky vanishes almost completely, only a few fragments of blue remain-like scattered pieces of an impossible puzzle. The air was rich with the fragrance of leaves and loam. Outside was the noon daylight, the powerful rays of early summer, but inside the forest everything was cool and the colors have the softness of that time just before twilight. The only movement was the occasional birds, startling in trees or a squirrel dashing up to a nearby trunk.

    "How far are we going? I must return before my next session with Master Lyall," asked Eireen once more, puffing. The hiking was starting to take a toll on her. Marc stopped and without turning his head he offered his hand to her.

    "Don''t worry about it," he said finally after two hours of silent hike. Eireen stopped and stared at the boy, confused.

    "What do you mean?" She glanced at his hand, "I will be in a lot of trouble if master Jace find out I skipped a training ses--"

    Her words were cut off by a bird who suddenly perched on a nearby branch. It was so close, she was sure that she could reach it if she just put her arm up. The bird on the branch moved its head from side to side curiously. Eireen could see its glossy black eyes staring at her, its body was no bigger than an apple, and it has elongated tail feathers and wings. Its short beak was curved and strong like a wolf claw. Then it started to sing, beautiful high notes filling the air. Eireen''s eyes were so engrossed by it. After singing for a while, it spread its wings and in a flurry of blue, it ascended to the treetops and out of view.

    Eireen sighed, "she is beautiful," her right-hand absent-mindedly went to her chest, to where the legendary stone perched, "and free."

    "It is," said Marc, a soft smile lingered on his face as his eyes stared at the sky as if he could still see the bird. Once more Eireen stared at the boy, it was her first time to see him smiling. The boy cleared his throat uncomfortably when he realized her stare.

    "Let''s move," he offered his hand again, "just another thirty minutes hike."

    Eireen glanced at his hand, it took her a minute before she finally placed her hand carefully on his. The moment their hand touched a subtle blush submerged on Marc''s ears. He cleared his throat once more and started to tread the steps with urgency. It almost felt like he was dragging her. Eireen tried her best to keep up.

    "Could you please slow down?" she begged between her hitched breath after around twenty minutes tramping. Marc stopped and turned his face.

    "S-sorry," he stammered and let go of his hand the moment he saw the girl condition. Dirt and dust were all over her, there were also some scrapes and scratches on her legs and arms.

    Eireen peered at his guilty face and she couldn''t help a chuckle escaped her lips.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    "It''s okay," she finally said, "I just hope the place you wanted me to go will be worth it. Since I will need to face some penalties for skipping the training when I return later."

    "We are here," he said pointed forward. Her rosy eyes followed the direction he pointed. The path in front of them was a silk scarf over green hills; it undulated with the earth, leading into the horizon of land meeting sky. It could have been woven for thousands of years, perhaps in a place where time is truly forever, a place of eternal serenity. It promised that each footfall would be cushioned by the lush of soft velvety grass. The meadow was a glorious expanse of grass and meadow flowers, grass rustling gently in the breeze. There was a narrow brook flowing through it. Tall water-mint with pale lilac flowers, like dozens of tiny bells, were growing at the edge of it. In awe, Eireen''s feet moved by themselves -almost running- toward the shallow basin that was surrounded by the tallest of pine trees. Her eyes glowed in excitement as they were guzzling down the beauty of nature. She turned around and saw little pink butterflies lazily flitting around the lush grass and dipping their tiny feet into a clear, bubbling brook. The sky was deep blue with cloud scattered, bouncing across the heavens like dancing sheep. With a sigh, she stared upwards as the sunlight basking her face in its yellow rays of glory.

    "This is beautiful," she sighed gratefully as she turned her attention to the younger man that already placed himself on top of a large rock in the middle of the meadow. Marc tilted his head toward a space next to him, as if signalling her to come and join him.

    Eireen pulled herself up and sat beside him, that''s when she saw it. In the distance, amid the green of the forest was a reflective white strip. A force of nature, both beautiful and brutal. Tranquil from a distance but it would be deafening up close. The waterfall looked like a silent white stream cascading over the rocky outcrops. It took her breath away, it was simply a magnificent sight. They both sat quietly mesmerized by the view.

    The sound of running water in the brook has hypnotic quality as music. Both Eireen and Marc were comfortable in their silence. Taking in all the fresh air in and expelling it slowly.

    "Thank you," Eireen whispered. Marc just responded with a tiny cough and they returned to their quiet mind retreat.

    "Sometimes, a good break is needed," said Marc softly, he turned his head toward the girl on his side, "this is my secret spot, but I don''t really mind sharing it with you."

    Eireen whipped her head and face the boy. It was something she never expected from him. Their relationship so far stopped at the point a trainer and trainee. Though she must admit after that incident where he found her crying after her nightmare a few weeks ago, he has been nicer to her in his own ways.

    A gentle smile rose in Eireen lips as tears slowly trickled on her cheeks. She felt his sincere gesture. She wasn''t as alone as she thought to be. Someone actually cared for her. Marc''s eye widened seeing the tears. His mouth gaped in panic.

    "A-are you worried about the punishment? Don''t worry, I- I have told Lyall that you have extra training hours with me. H-he is more than happy to be released from duty."

    Eireen shook her head. She giggled seeing him panic. As much she wanted to stop the tears, they were unstoppable.

    "These are happy tears, thank you Marc. For being my friend."

    Marc just gulped and nodded. He quickly diverted his eyes back towards the curtain of white water.

    They stayed there without saying anything to each other anymore until the sun almost down. As they made their way back to the palace compound, suddenly Eireen stopped. Her face went dark. Marc who was walking behind her realized the change.

    ''Eireen...'' her mother voice rang in her head. It was a month ago when she decided to gave her true name to her mother. It took her some time to finally gave in. She hadn''t given her true name to her mother because she didn''t like her to worry about her. But... in the end, she got to admit she needed her mother. The ability to communicate regardless of distance had become invaluable.

    ''Mom?! I am here,'' she replied. But no matter how many time Eireen sending her message, her mom didn''t respond or say anything back anymore. A dread feeling crept down her spine like a careful spider leaving a trail of silk. She felt her feet on her skin, descending until she was almost frozen to the spot. Her stomach was full of lead; her mind was worryingly empty as an ominous feeling filled her heart.

    "Are you okay, Silver?" A small tap on her shoulder jolted her. Marc eyeing her worriedly.

    "We should return now. I have an awful feeling," said Eireen as she quickened her pace to an all-out sprint. She wheezed as her burning lungs gasped for air. Her legs felt numb and unsteady, painfully sore. Her throat felt dry, more than once she went tumbling down because of the uneven path. The warm humidity of the forest made her felt sticky and suffocated. Her clothes and hair, slick with perspiration, clung to her skin. Sweat rolled down her skin in thick, salty beads. She was vaguely aware of the sting on her scraped knees and elbows. But she didn''t care, the only thing in her mind was her mother.

 Chapter 35 - Promises

    "MOM!" Yurika shouted, her back went straight; up like a bolt in pitch darkness. Her heart beat fast and there was a buzzing in her brain. A cold sweat washed over her face and chest, her dream ended abruptly, as she was shaken back to reality. Her muscles felt weak, just like she actually ran down the hills in her dream. She let out an exasperated sigh, groaning as she put her head on her hands.

    "I will never get used to the way she shows me her past," she mumbled to herself.

    A stir on the bed made her remember that she wasn''t alone. She glanced toward the girl next to her. Wen rubbed her sleepy eyes as she drowsily rose up from the bed.

    "Are you okay, Yuu?" She asked between her yawned, "nightmares?"

    "Don''t worry about it, Wen. You should go back to sleep."

    Wen didn''t say anything back to her and Yurika could feel the glare she gave even in the dark. Wen then whispered a light magic chant and in mere seconds, the room was bright with a soft warm glow of firefly-like glitter. They sliced through the dark atmosphere with sugary light, softly buzzed through the blackened air, illuminating the room.

    Yurika could feel the anxiety that was in her chest because of the dream slowly dissipated as her eyes were mesmerized by the calming light show.

    "How did you do that?" she asked as she tried to touch one of the tiny glow orbs that floated near her. It exploded into fragments of light the moment her finger touched it, like a soap bubble.

    "It''s so beautiful, Wen. I don''t know that there''s light magic like this."

    "Because there isn''t any," Wen answered proudly.

    "Oh, so this is one of your Pononga skill?"

    "A yes and a no," she started to explain, "it''s a combination of my conjuring skill and the light magic. It is actually the first skill that I created. My first time on infusing magic into my Pononga skill."

    A wide grin grew on Yurika''s face while her eyes glowing with admiration at her best friend.

    "I think you are a genius, Wen!" Yurika said excitedly, "seriously, based on Lucia story no one in your tribe had ever thought on doing what u did. You amazed me!"

    Wen coughed hard at her friend exclamation, "I am not that amazing. This skill isn''t very useful, especially not for quests or defending yourself. I accidentally created it, because... I just need something to coop up with my grief."

    Yurika quickly pulled her friend into her embrace, "I am sorry about your parents."

    "It''s okay. It has been more than five years," Wen patted her friend back, but then she pushed Yurika away a bit, "hey, I was the one who supposed to comfort you not the other way around."

    Yurika chuckled at her complain, "well, you already did with this beautiful light show."

    Wen''s blue eyes gazed upon Yurika, scrutinizing her, "you know, I heard you."

    "Heard me?"

    "Yeah, you were screaming ''Mom'' before. Does your memory start to come back?"

    Yurika gulped hard at the question. In one way it was a memory indeed, but it wasn''t really hers. It was Eireen''s. Her own memory as Yurika hasn''t really come back to her. She had wondered why her own memories haven''t returned to her. Was it because Eireen''s memory was flowing in her brain like an unstoppable broken dam?

    Her fuschia eyes dropped to her pocket, where the gem rested.

    "Sometimes I can''t help it to think that you are too mysterious, Yuu," Wen exhaled a long sigh, "Do you not trust me?"

    "No, is not like that Wen," Yurika quickly shook her head, "I trust you. You are my best friend."

    "I don''t feel like you do. Especially after Z appeared," Wen looked annoyed, "all of the sudden your world evolved around him. He was also the first one who knew that you are the chosen one, wasn''t he?"Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Yurika went silent. She didn''t know how to explain to Wen that for her with Eireen''s memory, Zeke felt like her anchor. Someone that she trusted fully without a question needed. Even though lately she started to wonder if she could really trust him or not. Some of his actions made her questions herself if she really knew him. It has been more than a decade since Eireen''s dead. People changed and Zeke might have changed too.

    "See, you can''t answer that," Wen sighed hard once more then she put her hands on Yurika''s shoulders and gazed deeply into her eyes, "anyway, is not like I am saying this because I am jealous or anything. But Yuu, I have been living my whole life learning that people''s aether can define a personality and intention. I tend to guess correctly if someone is up to no good, that''s how I and Riddele survived all alone all this time. I learned that in a hard way."

    Wen paused and exhaled long once more as she tried to put away the same grief that seemed would haunt her for the rest of her life.

    "Also, when I said I don''t trust Z, I didn''t say it just because I am angry because he has stolen my best friend. There is something about him that I feel very uncomfortable with. I can''t really say what it was, the only thing I am sure of was that he is not what he appears to be," she continued.

    Yurika took a deep breathe in. Despite her own doubt over Zeke, she still valued Zeke as someone important in Eireen''s life. That alone was more than enough for her to give him the benefit of her trust. But she couldn''t ignore Wen''s warning either. Eireen might be a major part of her life now, but Wen was there even before she knew Eireen ever existed. Wenona was one of her first friends when she opened her eyes and have zero understanding of who she was beside her own name.

    "I understand your worry, Wen--"

    "I don''t think you do," Wen cut Yurika''s sentence, her blue eyes pierced through Yurika''s, "I can''t blame you. He did save you back then in Azurlite."

    "No, that''s not the reason I trust him," Yurika protested, but then she went quiet. To explain why she trusted Zeke means she got to tell Wen everything. Yurika wasn''t sure if Wen would be ready to hear about it. Yurika bit her inner cheeks, confused on what to say next.

    "Then what?" Wen asked impatiently.

    Yurika shook her head, sadness pouring out from her eyes as she couldn''t explain herself.

    "I am sorry, I can''t explain it. I--"

    "You know what, I don''t want to know," Wen raised her hands; feeling upset, "We should sleep now. We need to focus on our journey tomorrow."

    Wen then slammed her body down to the bed and turned her back on Yurika.

    "Wen..."

    "Don''t Wen me, you are the one who didn''t trust me enough."

    "Is not true, I trust you," begged Yurika as she tried to touch Wen''s arm. Wen slapped Yurika''s hand away.

    Yurika stared at her best friend''s back. Her eyes became glazed with a glassy layer of tears. As she blinked, they dripped from her eyelids and slid down her cheeks.

    "I am sorry, I can''t tell you just yet. I am holding a secret that I am not sure I am ready to share with you. It is not because I don''t trust you, Wen. It just that... I need time. I will tell you when I am ready." Yurika whispered her thought to Wen''s mind. The purple-haired girl stirred and turned her body toward Yurika.

    "Fine, I will wait until you are ready," she sighed; defeated, "but promise me, that you will explain it to me someday."

    "Thank you and I will."

    "Anyway, can I borrow your legendary gem?" Wen asked suddenly, as she sat back, "don''t worry I just need it for a few minutes."

    Yurika took out Fetuu La Rossa from her pocket and gave it to Wenona. Wen stared at it for a couple of seconds before closing both her hands on it. She then muttered a chant that Yurika failed to understand. A soft glow of blue and red light spill through Wen''s clasped hand. The moment she opened her clutch the light disappeared and Yurika saw a necklace with Fettuu La Rossa as the pendant.

    Wenona then softly put on the necklace around Yurika''s neck, "I don''t really feel comfortable seeing you keeping a Legendary stone in a waist pocket. You can be super clumsy at times, what happened if we need your power and you dropped it by accident?"

    "I am not that clumsy!" Yurika retorted, but then she smiled as she admiring the necklace, "thank you Wen."

    With her fingers, Wen traced the necklace chain while muttered a strange language once more, "There with that enchantment no one could steal the necklace from you, unless... they kill you. Which I hope that never happened."

    "Enchantment?" Yurika gasped, "I don''t know that you could enchant too? I thought your Pononga skill was all about conjuring and your mage subclass is all about elemental magic? Do you have another subclass that you haven''t told me?"

    Wenona giggled at her questions, "No, I only practicing elemental magic and Pononga''s. It isn''t really an enchantment, Yuu."

    "Then, what is it?"

    "I can''t tell you now. I will tell you when you told me your deepest secret," Wenona''s winked and stuck out her tongue, "just to be fair."

    "Ahh... aw okay," Yurika ceased as her head slumped in disappointment. She couldn''t argue. If Wen willing to wait for her, she should be able to do the same thing for her.

    "Anyway, it''s late. We really should rest. The trip to Marama would take us around four days and three night. I am worried about everyone," Wen said as she put down her head on the pillow and pulling up the blanket close toward her face."

    "Have you sent some message to Riddele? You have her True Name right?" Asked Yurika as she lay down on the bed.

    "I did, she said nothing strange so far. Maybe because our place is up at north? But I told her to keep an eye and ears, just in case something turns up."

    "Yeah, I hope we make it in time," mumbled Yurika as her eyes slowly closed and her breathing became soft and steady.  The sleep pooled on their eyelids and the wind outside swooped up, over the heights, rushed and rustled through the tough Snow mountain grasses, and gradually ebbed away through the crags of silence.

 Epilogue

    Just a couple hours ago the blackness was absolute, but now the mist was visible silvery. Against the backdrop of trees were silhouetted, still as an oil painting and darker than the ravens. The sky started to glow like a summer peach and the colors of the foliage return to green as the air wamed up. It was the perfect dawn, one to savor. Under this radiant beauty Yurika could see the leftover of destruction she had made.

    The once green lands were mixed with ash and charcoal. The morning air was mingled with the smell of burnt and smoke. There were some destroyed buildings, tumbled down trees, and rubble all around. Her mind played out the incident once more, the deaths, the injured, and those who lost not only their belongings also their beloveds. The Adventure guild stood in Ursa land as the new capital of Ursa. No king in charge, Lucia was the head of the guild that managed the people of Ursa ever since the kingdom downfall.

    Her lavender eyes consumed her surroundings. One second passed, two seconds, on the third one her guilt eaten and pestered her. A fire burned in her mind and throat. Remorse hit her like a sledgehammer. She knew what she had done and she must work hard to repent it.

    "What are you musing about?" Lucia called her out. Yurika was in front of her mount, a Camelous -a flightless giant bird that has high running speed and huge sharp claws-. Like everyone else in the team, Yurika was setting up her mount and her traveling bag. Wen had gone to her Camelous while complaining quietly, saying that her mount would run faster than the birds. Yurika turned her head toward the Zanj. Her glassy eyes have answered for her.

    "Stop regretting things that already happened," Lucia said as she was checking her mount saddle, "I can''t stop you from feeling what you want to feel. Just don''t let it eat you up, it won''t do you any good. Instead, use it as your reason to master the legendary stone. The sooner you master it the lesser chance of disaster like this happened again."

    Lucia tightened her mount saddle belt and climbed on it, as she sat on her mount she turned her head to the girl. Her silver foxy eyes were gentle.

    "Trust me, I know exactly how you feel," a bitter smile rose on her pink lips. Yurika realized what the Zanj meant. She quickly brushed out her eyes from the emerging tears.

    "I will, I promise I will master this gem, bring back the Goddesses, and world balance," her fuchsia eyes were full with new determination, "not for the sake of the mission or the Goddesses, but for those innocent victims, for the people I love and for myself."

    Lucia nodded and smiled.

    "Is everyone ready? We should depart now if we want to reach Marama as plan," Jace''s voice blared. Yurika quickly checked up her gears, saddle and her bag one more time before finally climbed on her mount.

    "All set," Marc said while fixing his glasses. Amierra nodded at Jace as a sign.

    "Fuah...," a loud yawn came from Lyall as he rubbed his eyes lazily, "sure, sure let''s get going."Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Scry on the other hand was hugging and kissing a few girls. The girls were giggling and chuckling at his affection.

    "Now ladies if you excuse me, I hope you don''t miss me too much."

    "Scry, get on your mount already," Z grumbled at the Casanova. Scry glared at him for a few seconds before he finally left the girls and climbed on his mount.

    "I don''t know what those girls see on that snake," Wen sneered as she moved with her mount to stand next to Yurika. Her voice was loud enough for Scry to hear it. His amber eyes glanced at Wen while a mocking smile creeped out on his lips.

    "Do you want to know?" He taunted Wen, "I would gladly show you the real beauty of a ''snake'' "

    "No, thank you. Keep your poison to yourself or those crazy girls," mocked Wen back.

    "Enough!" Jace barked, "we don''t have time for your bickering. Wenona Alstairs, I had promised to treat you equally. But I am still the leader of this party and I expect you to respect that. That goes to you too Scry."

    Scry just shrugged as if he was innocent.

    "Urghhh! I hate that turnip as much as that snake," Wen muttered under her breath, but then she made a loud annoyed grunt and a forced nod to give a sign that she was ready.

    Jace''s blue eyes then moved toward Yurika. He didn''t say anything and just stared at her for a long couple minutes with an unreadable emotion. Before he finally spoke out, "ready?"

    Yurika quickly nodded, "yes."

    "Okay, Let''s move out!" ordered Jace and he kicked a start. His Camelous leaped and everyone followed behind him.

    "Wen..., " Yurika said while riding near her friend, her face looked concerned, "are you sure you still want to be in this group? You don''t need to force yourself just for me. You know you are not obli--"

    "Shut up Yuu! When I say I am going means I am going!" Wenona snarled at her, but then her face softened, "sorry, just those two making me angry. I am doing this not just for you. I have my own goal too on this journey. Don''t worry, I am not doing this by force. Besides, I need to return to Marama too. If what Lucia said is true, I will need all the power I can have to keep everyone safe. Even if that required me to work with the people I hate."

    Then Wenona''s Camelous  speed up and run ahead

    Yurika went quiet, there was admiration and gratefulness in her eyes as she stared at her friend''s back. Her hand reached toward her pendant. Her right hand clenched it close, her determination went stronger and she pushed forward to match out the others.

    The air that morning was crisp and cool. Then the first flakes began to fall. The white rain glittering as it fell soundlessly, taking their time before they reached their destined places. Jace''s and everyone galloping toward Marama while the first snow fell like colorless confetti that sending them away to their journey.

    ***

    "Eireen, look it''s snowing, come!!" Grace pulled young Eireen toward the garden. They played under the soft swirling white, not caring that it was cold, they danced and twirled. When the snow stopped, they both lay down on the soft bed of frost; giggling.

    "Do you know what will come after snow?" her mom asked her.

    "I don''t know mommy, what is it?"

    "Spring!" her mom shouted as she cuddled Eireen, "Spring, means hope. No matter how harsh and cold life can be, there will always be new hope. Never give up and believe, spring will come eventually."

    Tears fell down on her rosy cheeks, stinging like an ice snake. She quickly wiped it and she hugged her little girl tighter.

    "From now on, just us. But that''s okay. We will be okay," she whispered.

    "How about daddy?" Eireen looked at her mother with her round innocent eyes.

    "Daddy is in heaven, watching us from above. He sends snow as his goodbye and promises that we will see him again someday."

    "Oh...," Eireen glanced up the sky for a few seconds, then with an angelic smile she waved her tiny hands at the sky, "thank you, daddy, see you soon!"

    Grace smiled and pulled her daughter closer and tighter.