《The Priestess's Vessel》


 Chapter 1: The Nightmare

    ¡°Red... the color red has always been so bothersome...¡±


    The priestess tried to control her breathing. Screams of people running away, monsters all around her devouring those who could not escape. There was red everywhere. The sky was red, the air, the corpses laying around her, and even her hands were covered in that disgusting color.


    ¡°Breathe... calm down... just breathe.¡±


    The air was heavy. The smell of death did not make things any better. She covered her ears and tried to block out all the noise around her. She closed her eyes to avoid the color she hated so much. She wanted to scream out but no sound would come out.


    ¡°How did this happen? How did things get so out of control? How could I let this happen?¡±


    Tears started to roll down her cheeks


    ¡°No, don¡¯t cry. This is not the time to be crying.¡±


    She looked up at the gate in front of her.


    ¡°The gate...¡± was all she could mutter as she dried her eyes and attempted to stand up.


    Her body felt heavy, and her limbs and bones begged her to stay down...but her mind and heart told her to get up. She had to get up. She lifted her upper body with her frail hands. She clenched her teeth as she felt a sudden pain on her side.


    ¡°Wait, why does it hurt so much?¡±


    She looked over and realized the stab wound on the right side of her torso.


    ¡°So, he got me huh? Ha ha...not bad.¡±


    She laughed weakly as she used her left hand and made a failed attempt to stop the bleeding. Using her right arm, she managed to sit up.


    ¡°Breathe...it¡¯s just a stab wound."


    She tried to convince herself that it wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    When did someone like him get so strong that he managed to stab her? He managed to stab the White Lotus Priestess. This was laughable in her mind. When it came to strength he had been nothing but a twig a few months ago. Did he hide his strength from her? Or could it be...? The priestess felt anger within her at the sudden realization,


    ¡°That fool...what has he done?¡±


    There was no time to go after him and cut his head off for his foolishness.


    ¡°I won¡¯t last long anyway...¡±


    The priestess finally managed to get up. She wavered as she tried to balance her body. She could feel the weakness coming from losing blood.


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    The priestess took a step forward...then a second...then a third. She felt a burning ache run through her body.


    ¡°Urgh!¡±


    She grunted as she used every ounce of energy she had left.


    She had to get to the gate before it was too late. She extended her right arm towards the gate...


    ¡°Haa...Haaa...Haaa¡±


    The priestess found herself struggling even more to breathe. Her eyes were growing dark and her sense of reality was fading.


    ¡°No, not yet...haaa...please...just a bit more...¡±


    She had muted all the noise around her. The sickly stench of blood made her nauseous but it had become manageable.


    ¡°Just a bit more...¡±


    She pushed herself closer and closer.


    Then, she heard a voice behind her. A voice full of despair and anguish called out her name,


    ¡°LYDIA!! DON¡¯T DO IT! LYDIA!!!¡±


    (Gasp) Agatha opened her eyes as she tried to catch her breath. That despicable and heart-wrenching dream again. She sat up on the bed and grabbed her chest. She felt as sweat fell down her brow.


    ¡°My lady! Are you all right?¡±


    Agatha turned her head to see a pair of worried gray eyes.


    Daliyah, her most trusted servant had come running after hearing her distress.


    Agatha looked at her for a few moments as hoarse breaths continued to escape her mouth.


    ¡°My lady? Was it that dream again?¡±


    Daliyah sat on the chair next to Agatha¡¯s bed and gently held her trembling hand.


    Daliyah looked straight into Agatha¡¯s eyes and with a warm smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right my lady. You¡¯re safe. It was just a nightmare.¡±


    Agatha squeezed Daliyah¡¯s hands as if to confirm she was truly there. After a few seconds, she managed to open her mouth and say a few trembling words.


    ¡°Daliyah...it was so real...there was so much red...I...¡±


    Agatha held her forehead with her free hand.


    ¡°Haa...haa...I...I thought...¡±


    Daliyah held Agatha¡¯s face in her hands and looked into her eyes.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t you, my lady. You are not her. You are here with me, in this room, away from all that madness. You are here.¡±


    Agatha looked at her and nodded.


    ¡°Here drink this water. I will make you some lavender tea so you can sleep,¡±


    Daliyah poured water from a jug into a cup and placed it on Agatha¡¯s hands.


    Agatha looked at the cup and turned towards Daliyah, giving her a thankful gaze. Daliyah smiled and walked out, leaving Agatha alone with only the silence and stillness as her companions.


    Agatha drank the water in a few shugs. She felt the coolness of the liquid running down her throat.


    ¡°Phew¡±


    She breathed out relieved as the water reminded her that this was her reality, not the one which appeared in her dream.


    ¡°At least, for now, this is my reality,¡±


    Agatha mumbled as the sudden thought came to her that the nightmare could come true if she didn¡¯t do things right.


    She looked down at her hand.


    ¡°There is no blood...not yet¡±


    She felt the right side of her torso to make sure there was no stab wound.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been stabbed and hopefully it stays that way.¡±


    They say you are not supposed to feel pain in your dreams, but if that was the case then why did she feel all that pain in her nightmare? Even worse, why did she feel the pain of someone who was not her? She smiled as she thought about this. Technically she was her but not her at the same time. ¡°I¡¯m just her vessel after all,¡± Agatha said as she got out of bed.


    She walked towards the window. The breeze made the curtains gently move towards her. Agatha always liked the feeling of the curtains embracing her in the middle of the night. She wondered why this was. It made her feel secure for some reason. She looked up at the night sky. It wasn¡¯t red, thankfully. Instead, she could see the bright stars shining without a care. The moon showed its full splendor. It looked down at Agatha, always willing to lend an ear for her worries. Agatha leaned her head against the window frame and closed her eyes. She could hear the crickets singing their lullaby to the world.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, not there. I am me, not her,¡±


    Agatha whispered these words to herself, but for how long would this be?


    ¡°My lady, I have your tea.¡±


    Daliyah¡¯s voice brought Agatha back from her thoughts. The smell of lavender filled the room; such a calming and serene smell.


    ¡°Thank you Daliyah,¡±


    Agatha turned as she closed her window.

 Chapter 2: The Wall

    The empire of Helios had seen better days in the past. Known for its wise kings and queens, as well as the wealth that surrounded the kingdom. Its most precious possession had once been the White Lotus Priestess. It is said she was a blessing provided by the heavens to the humane world. The priestess was recognized and appreciated for her purifying powers but everything changed when 150 years ago a cursed gate was opened. No one knows where the gate came from or who had summoned it but what is known is that it caused a catastrophe like no other known in human history. The gate was an open path for vicious monsters to flood the human realm. It had cost the lives of thousands, including the White Lotus Priestess who used her life force to seal it. Before her death, she made sure to protect a small portion of her soul so that she could be reborn and finish her job of destroying the gate in its entirety. It is known that the priestess will be reborn in a chosen ¡°vessel¡± who after the time is right, will give up her body to allow the priestess to come back and save humanity from destruction.


    This is where our story begins, or is it truly the beginning? I was there from what I perceived as the ¡°beginning¡± but that will be up to you to decide. The story of a young and frightened girl whose destiny had been marked from the day she was born. A story that has your typical monsters, warriors, fights between good and evil, and maybe a bit of romance. It may be something you have read in fantasy books but to me, this story is a testimony that even the smallest change can mark the difference between life and death.


    ***


    Aphillas, the empire¡¯s capital city was being greeted by a rainy night. Soldiers stayed vigilant on top of the city¡¯s walls. Anakin, captain of the division who was up for duty on the wall tonight, felt restless. His wife and young daughter were waiting for him at home. He always told his little girl that he would see her in the morning, but now he had his doubts. He looked around at his soldiers who, though very attentive to their surroundings, seemed to think about the same fear. Some of them prayed that no inconveniences would take place tonight. The rain was not their best friend, especially at night. Anakin heard the tinkling sounds the drops made against their metal armor. Tick¡­tick¡­tick¡­tick was heard in a gloomy symphony.


    A young soldier approached, bringing him back from his thoughts at home.


    ¡°Sir, do you think anything will happen tonight?¡±


    Anakin looked over at the young lad and let out a small sigh.


    ¡°I do not know. I hope things stay as they are. The last thing we need right now are monsters attacking the city.¡±


    Other than the rain, things were quiet. This was good of course, but too much quiet also meant bad news.


    ¡°Is something on your mind?¡±


    The young man looked down for a moment and bit his lip, unsure as if to express his concerns. He seemed to be just a bit over 18, inexperienced to battle and its monstrosities.


    ¡°What is your name boy?¡± Anakin asked in an attempt to make the young man feel more at ease.


    ¡°Cygnus, sir,¡± the soldier answered as he timidly looked up.


    He smiled at Cygnus.


    ¡°Well, Cygnus, what seems to be the problem?¡±


    Cygnus opened his mouth and closed it again. He looked around for a few moments, finally deciding to get closer, and whispered.


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    ¡°You see sir, I¡¯ve heard that the emperor¡¯s illness has worsened all of a sudden. I¡¯ve heard rumors that he has been cursed.¡±


    Anakin looked at Cygnus for a moment not knowing what to say. Cursed? The emperor?


    ¡°And where did you hear that exactly?¡± he asked raising his eyebrow.


    Cygnus looked around nervously.


    ¡°Among the recruits, sir. This is also something that has been talked about among the commoners. Most of us come from that type of background, so it wasn¡¯t rare to hear a few whispers here and there about the king¡¯s situation.¡±


    Anakin wondered how such rumors had spread to the commoners. How come he hadn¡¯t heard about this? Then again, he was not the type of person to care much about what people talked about on the streets. After such long night shifts, all he wanted was to go home, hug his wife and daughter, and sleep in his bed.


    ¡°I should probably inform the crown prince about this.¡±


    It was possible that the crown prince, Victor, already knew about these rumors. Still, Anakin wanted to report it just in case it helped the crown prince keep in mind just how much the rumors had spread. After all, these rumors had to do with the stability of the royal family and the empire. Though they seemed small and insignificant, Anakin knew just how much damage rumors could do to a person, and even more to an empire such as Helios. Though Emperor Edward was a good and wise king, there were still those who coveted his position and would start any type of fire to burn down his throne.


    He replied to the young soldier,


    ¡°I do not know where those rumors came from. I know even less whether they are true or not. Whatever the case may be, you must know Cygnus, that nothing changes the fact that we must protect the Emperor and his people. Remember this soldier, unless you have confirmed the story to be true with your own eyes and ears, don¡¯t get swallowed into the fire of others. You will only get burned.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯m sorry. I just couldn¡¯t help but worry about it,¡± Cygnus said as he looked into the darkness of the night.


    The rain wasn¡¯t ceasing any time soon. The storm was probably going to get stronger as the night proceeded. Cygnus couldn¡¯t help but think that a bigger storm was approaching. That storm was not bringing raindrops with it, but blood and death.


    Cygnus shook his head at this sudden thought,


    ¡°What am I thinking? Things will get better. After all, the day of Rebirth is approaching. Once the White Lotus Priestess returns, this nightmare will be over¡­¡±


    Cygnus''s eyes widened for a moment. The priestess¡­once she comes back things will be over¡­once she comes back¡­IF she comes back. Cygnus shivered at the possibility that the priestess might not return. Everything was in place though. The ¡°vessel¡± had been found years ago and was protected in a location that only the royal family and other few knew about. The day was approaching for the ¡°vessel¡± to give up herself to give way for the priestess to return.


    But what if things didn¡¯t work out?


    ¡°Soldier¡­?¡±


    What if even that was a lie?


    ¡°Soldier¡­¡±


    What if there was no ¡°vessel?¡± No one had seen her until now after all,


    ¡°Soldier!¡±


    Cygnus started to feel cold sweat running down his back.


    ¡°Cygnus!¡± Anakin called out as he placed both his hands on Cygnus¡¯ shoulders.


    Cygnus looked at him surprised for a moment and then realized he had spaced out.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, I was just¡­I¡­¡±


    Anakin looked into Cygnus¡¯ eyes.


    ¡°Look, I understand you are worried and scared. We all are. I also understand that you have a lot of questions. I do too. Still, the answers aren¡¯t always going to be given to us when we want them. Some answers take time. Sometimes it¡¯s better to never know what the answers are. I will tell you one thing; as long as you don¡¯t forget who are and what you are fighting for, then that is all that matters. We are soldiers Cygnus. We protect the people we love, the people we care about. We are given orders and we obey. It¡¯s that simple.¡±


    Cygnus was taken back for a moment by his words. He had seen Anakin from a distance before and did not know how to feel about having such a cold-looking man be his captain. He was surprised at how his words made him feel at ease.


    Cygnus straightened himself up, raised his right hand to his forehead, and confidently said,


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    Anakin nodded and gave a salute back to the young soldier.


    Suddenly¡­


    ¡°CAPTAIN!!! We have a three-headed snake coming!¡±

 Chapter 3: The Monster

    Anakin looked back as another soldier came running to report the sight of a monster approaching the city.


    ¡°A three-headed snake? Out of all things it had to be this one!¡±


    Anakin signaled his soldiers to prepare for battle.


    ¡°How far is it from the walls?¡± Anakin asked as he signaled Cygnus to follow him.


    The soldier who had reported the sighting, Erix, quickly replied,


    ¡°Sir! The snake is a few meters away!¡±


    Anakin looked back at Erix.


    ¡°A few meters?! And no one saw it before it got so close to us?!¡±


    ¡°Sir! The rain is falling strong tonight so it¡¯s very hard to distinguish what is what. My apologies!¡±


    ¡°This is why I hate the rain!¡±


    Anakin cursed under his breath. He signaled the soldiers to their positions as he walked to the destined location.


    ¡°You three! Go and make sure the wizard isn¡¯t out getting his cup of coffee! We can¡¯t take our chances on something going wrong with the barrier!¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    ¡°I need half of my archers to follow me! I want the other half to spread out on every part of the wall that has a pillar in case another monster appears! You guys get the longbows ready! The rest of you patrol the wall and make sure there aren¡¯t any more of its friends lurking around! Go! Go! Go! I don¡¯t want any remains to be left of that putrid animal!!¡±


    As they approached the location where the monster had been spotted, a deafening, screeching sound was heard and then...


    BOOM!!


    The floor trembled as the wall was hit with a ball of fire. Cygnus almost lost his balance but Anakin managed to grab him.


    ¡°Sir! What was that?!¡±


    Cygnus managed to stand as he tried to figure out what was happening.


    ¡°The last thing we needed tonight soldier¡­a monster that shoots balls of fire,¡±


    ¡°But¡­but why didn¡¯t the barrier stop the attack?¡±


    Erix tried to make out what was in front of them. He saw smoke and fire coming from the area of the wall that had been damaged.


    Anakin didn¡¯t say anything as he also wondered why the attack hadn¡¯t been stopped. Though the three-headed snake was powerful, it wasn¡¯t enough for its attack to break through the barrier.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good,¡±


    The three of them finally reached the place that had been damaged.


    Anakin¡¯s eyes grew wide open as he saw the corpses of his men lying around the aftermath of the explosion. The ball of fire had hit right at the top of the wall where most of the soldiers were located.


    ¡°You BEAST!¡±


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    Anakin yelled in his mind as he clenched his fists in anger.


    ¡°Sir! The wall¡­the barrier¡­we don¡¯t know what happened!¡±


    A soldier yelled while holding his arm, covered in blood.


    Anakin turned to get a glimpse of the monster which hid among the shadows of the night and the curtains of rain. Its glowing red eyes were full of menace and desire to kill whatever was in front of it. It¡¯s big. muscular lion-like body slowly approaching them. Its tail, full of spikes that are known to be poisoned and lethal. Its three heads hovering over the trees, each having a devilish smile, deciding where to attack next.


    BOOOM!! Another fireball exploded on the wall, making the place tremble once again.


    Anakin took action right away.


    ¡°Erix! Release the signal for reinforcements! I want everyone who can move and has enough strength left to carry the wounded to the infirmary! I need archers here and longbows! The rest of you get your swords ready and follow me to the gate! If the archers can¡¯t stop him, then it will be up to us! We need to hold on until whatever happened to the barrier is resolved! We will send this creature back to the hell it came from and make it wish it never opened its eyes in our realm!!¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!!¡±


    The soldiers started to run around like ants to their designated assignments. Some moved the wounded and the dead away from the battle zone, others readied their bows, arrows, and longbows. Not knowing if they would go back home tonight, the soldiers said their final farewells to their families in a silent prayer.


    Cygnus started to get himself ready to go with Anakin who, after realizing what he was up to, tried to stop him.


    ¡°No boy, you help carry the wounded,¡±


    ¡°With all due respect sir, I believe I should be down there with you!¡±


    Anakin shook his head.


    ¡°You are not experienced yet! I am not taking you down there to die a meaningless death!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not meaningless if I know I am fighting for something sir!¡±


    Anakin paused for a moment, looking for anything that would help him convince the boy to stay behind but found nothing.


    He chuckled and placed a hand on Cygnus¡¯ shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t die on me, boy. I still have to invite you to dinner at my house. My wife is quite the cook,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it sir!¡±


    Anakin got his sword ready and led the way to the possible doom of 50 of his men.


    ¡°Why wasn¡¯t the barrier up? I made sure to be there when the wizard put it up as the sun was going down!¡± Anakin wondered about this as he hurried to approach the gates.


    150 years ago, monsters had entered the human realm. Although the White Lotus Priestess had managed to seal the gate temporarily, she was unable to exterminate the monsters that had already crossed the gate. The royal family discovered that there were stones within the priestess¡¯ precious mountain, The Silver Summit, which held blessed energy. It is said that because the priestess constantly held the ceremony to bless the empire in that mountain, its inner stones gained her blessed energy over time. The royal family gathered a group of people, now holding the title of ¡°wizards,¡± who dedicated themselves to understanding how the blessed energy within the stones worked and how they could be used as protection against the monsters. One of the things they noticed was that devices could be built to transfer the blessed energy and transform it into solid matter. Such devices were used for barriers and some special-grade weapons. Of course, only a selected group of people were able to understand and use such devices.


    ¡°Some of them have even been crazy enough to¡­¡±


    Anakin cleared the thought from his mind.


    ¡°If something happened to the barrier, then that means that one of the key elements is missing,¡±


    These being the wizard, the device, or the stones.


    ¡°OPEN THE GATES!¡±


    Anakin could hear the screeching sound of the monster from the other side as it got closer and closer. He could hear the battle cries of his men on top of the wall as they tried their best to slow down the creature. The gates slowly opened. His heartbeat overshadowed the sound of the rain. His mind started to tell him to run away. As the glowing red eyes fell upon him, Anakin''s thoughts brought him back to his family. His beautiful wife had told him she would have his favorite meal ready when he returned. His daughter had asked him to take her to the coming festival and eat their favorite dessert.


    ¡°Oh Lucia, I hope that meal doesn¡¯t go cold¡­if so, you will have to go with Madeline to that festival in my place.¡±


    The gates parted as the monster opened one of its mouths ready to strike again.


    With all his might, Anakin yelled,


    ¡°ATTACK!!!!¡±


    Out they went...50 men, with families waiting for them within the city, shouting as the gates closed behind them.

 Chapter 4: The Emperor

    ¡°What is the commotion I hear?¡±


    Emperor Edward asked as he turned his head towards the door.


    ¡°I asked the servants while you were still sleeping. It seems like something happened to the wall¡¯s barrier,¡± Empress Isabella replied as she placed a wet piece of cloth on the emperor¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°The barrier? *cough cough* What about the barrier?¡±


    Edward tried to lift his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself dear. You had a rough night with this fever,¡±


    Isabella placed her hand on his shoulder, signaling him to lay back down.


    ¡°Whatever it is, I¡¯m sure Victor will bring us a report soon.¡±


    ¡°Victor¡­because of my illness he has so much to carry on his shoulders¡­¡±


    The Emperor stared up at his bed¡¯s canopy and stared at it. He closed his eyes briefly, thinking about how things had worsened in one year.


    ¡°*cough cough* Not only am I a useless emperor, but also a useless father."


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Victor is only doing his duty as the future emperor. He is well aware of the situation you¡¯re in. Plus, we didn¡¯t raise an incapable son now did we?¡±


    The Empress smiled as she tried to ease his worries.


    Edward gave his wife a tired smile. Just how much longer was he going to last in this condition? He thought about the dark marks that were spreading all over his body. One year ago he thought he had a common cold to deal with. He took the usual medication, expecting to be better in a week. Instead of getting better, he realized his fevers were more fierce. After a month, he noticed a dark mark on his chest. The doctors could not explain why this mark had appeared.


    Though none of them wanted to say the possibility, it was rather obvious that the emperor had been cursed. There was no other explanation, at least not a scientific one. Edward¡¯s condition had only worsened as time flew by. After a while, he noticed he was getting tired more easily and found it difficult to stand for too long. He then proceeded to have shortness of breath. He also found himself having constant nightmares, along with dangerously high fevers, that would keep him from getting proper rest. He constantly felt cold and would sometimes lose a sense of reality. There were even times he felt he was being watched as he slept. He would feel a penetrating and murderous gaze. The terrifying part was that he could not move nor scream during those moments.


    After one year, he was lying in bed, wondering if the gaze that haunted him was the gaze of the grim ripper mocking him until his time came. It had been a while since he had shown his face to the public. For the last 3 months, his empress and crown prince had been taking care of everything for him. He felt lucky in that aspect, having people he could trust and rely on. There was also ¡°him.¡± Yes, with ¡°him¡± the royal family and the people were protected¡­


    ¡°But who will protect him?¡±


    He muttered under his breath.


    ¡°What was that dear?¡±


    Isabella placed her hand on his forehead to check if the fever had subsided at least a little.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just a random thought *cough cough* oh, this cursed cough,¡±


    Isabella passed him a handkerchief so he could cover himself.


    *Knock knock*


    There was a subtle knock on the door.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Isabella stood from her chair.


    ¡°It is I, Victor.¡±


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    A low and husky voice responded from the other side of the door.


    ¡°*cough cough* Victor¡­come in.¡±


    Edward once again turned his head to the door.


    Through the curtains of his bed, Edward saw a tall figure opening the door and walking into the room. Each step he took was full of confidence and grace. Placing his right hand on his heart, the figure bowed down before the emperor.


    ¡°I greet the light of the empire,¡±


    The crown prince paid his respects with his face down.


    ¡°*cough* Victor¡­¡±


    Edward called out his name as he tried to lift his upper body so that he could see his son.


    ¡°Dear, you must lay down. Please stop forcing yourself,¡±


    Isabella encouraged him to lie back on the bed.


    Edward closed his eyes as he struggled to get up. He then felt a strong, yet gentle grip on his left shoulder.


    ¡°Father, please lay down. It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m right here,¡±


    Victor had swiftly moved to his father''s side.


    ¡°*cough cough*¡±


    Edward laid back down as his son gently helped him place his body back on the bed.


    As he opened his eyes, Edward saw the face of a young man. Black hair and white fair skin like his mother, the crown prince was always known for his fine features. Though he took after his mother¡¯s looks, the emperor saw his own eyes in the eyes of the young prince. Deep, determined, blue eyes looked at the emperor with gentleness and worry. Eyes the emperor knew could look like a serene lake in the middle of summer but could quickly turn into a strong storm when the situation asked for it.


    Edward noticed a certain weariness in those blue eyes.


    ¡°*cough* Victor¡­have you not been sleeping well?¡±


    The emperor felt a sense of worry as he looked at his firstborn.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright father. An emergency happened last night so I¡¯ve been up for a while,¡±


    Victor forced himself to smile.


    It had been a long night. Not only had he finished going over documents late, but an incident at the wall kept him up longer than he planned.


    ¡°Not only was the wall damaged¡­but lives were also lost¡­all because of the barrier¡­¡±


    Victor tried to focus and overcome the fatigue.


    ¡°Victor, what exactly happened?¡±


    Isabella looked at her son¡¯s eyes. Though Victor was almost perfect at keeping his demeanor intact, he still could not fool his mother who could perceive his restlessness.


    ¡°Last night, a three-headed snake attacked the wall. Not only did it cost damage but lives were also lost¡­¡±


    Victor paused for a moment as he thought about the soldiers who did not make it back to their families.


    ¡°*cough* No, but how? *cough* what about the barrier?!¡±


    Edward grabbed Victor¡¯s arm.


    ¡°The barrier¡­was not up¡­¡±


    Victor avoided eye contact as he knew how serious this matter was.


    ¡°Why was the barrier not up? What was the wizard doing? That¡¯s his duty every day before the sun goes down!¡±


    The empress had only been told that something had happened at the wall. She usually tried to keep her composure but with this turn of events, it was hard to not show her unsettling expression.


    ¡°The wizard¡­was found dead by some soldiers on the night of the attack,¡±


    Victor''s eyes turned dark.


    ¡°*cough* dead?! *cough* what¡­*cough* who?*cough*¡±


    Edward struggled to speak as he thought through what was happening.


    ¡°This needs to be *cough* investigated *cough* immediately *wheeze* *cough*¡±


    Edward¡¯s eyes were full of anguish and fury.


    It was obvious that someone was plotting to harm the empire now that things were so uncertain. The emperor was cursed, the day of Rebirth was approaching, and now the city of Aphillas was vulnerable because of the attack from the night before.


    The emperor knew the people were now full of fear.


    ¡°If only¡­if only my body was well¡­¡±


    Edward grunted and felt frustration at his current weakness.


    ¡°I need to go there. I need to go see the injured soldiers..¡±


    Edward once again forced himself to get up.


    ¡°Edward, don¡¯t force yourself. Please, we need to stay calm,¡±


    Isabella plead him with her eyes.


    ¡°I can¡¯t just lay down here and do nothing. My people need me. I¡¯m the emperor. I need to be there for them. I need to *cough* know what¡¯s going on¡­¡±


    Edward fell back on the bed as all his strength left his body.


    ¡°Father, look at me¡­¡±


    Victor held his father¡¯s hand.


    At the tender age of 21, Victor already possessed the presence of a ruler. He was known throughout the empire as a devoted successor. Yet, at this moment, he was only a son who wanted nothing more than to put his father¡¯s mind at ease.


    Victor had always seen his father as a strong and prideful man. Someone who showed no weakness and had determination in every decision he made. Now, the man he had seen as unstoppable, was laying down before him. He was fragile and tired. Even now, as he held his hand, Victor worried that if he pressed it too hard it would break.


    Despite all this, the man before him was still his father. He was still strong within and had a heart for the people. He was still the man he loved and respected.


    ¡°And someone out there is trying to hurt you and my family¡­¡±


    Victor¡¯s eyes showed a small storm as he thought this.


    ¡°Father, I want you to listen to me very carefully. There are things going on that will put the fate of, not just the empire, but the rest of the world at risk¡­¡±


    Edward turned to see the storm forming in his son¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Based on your tone¡­I can assume that you have a plan for all of this¡­¡±


    Edward''s expression changed as the same storm started to form in his own eyes.


    Victor smiled at his father.


    ¡°But of course I do. If I didn¡¯t, then I wouldn¡¯t be able to be called your son,¡±


    Victor stood up and looked towards the door.


    ¡°You can come in now!¡±


    The crown prince gave the command to the person on the other side of the door. Through the curtains, Edward saw another shadow approach him.


    ¡°Long live the light of the empire,¡±


    The shadow kneeled before his ruler.

 Chapter 5: Willingness

    ¡°Where am I?¡±


    The young girl mumbled as she looked around the prairie.


    The gentle breeze danced with her brown hair, gently moving it to the side. She observed the flowers as they peacefully bathed in the sun. Their sweet aroma filled her nostrils. It was peaceful and quiet, a place she didn¡¯t want to leave. She noticed her feet were bare and smiled.


    ¡°The grass feels nice,¡±


    She walked around as she enjoyed her surroundings.


    She spread her arms, closed her eyes, and lifted her face to the sky. She giggled as she spun around to a melody that could only be found in her heart. A melody from long ago. Where was this melody from? She didn¡¯t know and it didn¡¯t matter right now.


    Round and round she spun, until she became dizzy and tried to balance herself.


    ¡°Lydia¡­¡±


    A whisper called out.


    The young girl looked around. Did she hear that right? Was it her imagination?


    ¡°Lydia¡­¡±


    She turned her face towards the direction the whisper came from.


    The young girl hesitated for a moment. She felt the urge to go towards the voice but something within her forced her to follow it.


    ¡°Lydia¡­hurry¡±


    The voice sounded clearer now.


    She didn¡¯t realize it at first but now her legs were running, desperate to reach the voice.


    ¡°Where am I going? Who is calling?¡± she said as she got further from the prairie.


    Her legs finally stopped as she reached a small pond. She struggled to catch her breath as she had run quite a distance. She noticed it had grown darker. The sun wasn¡¯t out anymore but a starry night sky. She thought it was the middle of the day a few moments ago but it seems she was wrong.


    Suddenly, she saw a small light in the middle of the pond. As she focused her gaze, she managed to make out a small lotus bud being surrounded by the light.


    ¡°Beautiful¡­.¡± was all she could mumble as she stared in a daze.


    ¡°Are you willing?¡± she heard a voice ask.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked as she snapped back from her admiration towards the bud.


    ¡°Are you willing?¡± the voice asked again.


    The voice sounded like it came from a woman. It was interrogative, a bit demanding, but sweet. Still, it bothered the girl that whoever this was, they were not showing themselves.


    ¡°Willing to what? Who are you?¡± the girl tried to find whoever the voice was coming from.


    ¡°Don''t you mean, who are YOU ?¡± the voice replied.


    ¡°But you called me! What do you mean who am I?¡± the young girl said a bit frustrated.


    ¡°Did I call YOU though? If you don¡¯t know who you are¡­then I guess you¡¯re still not willing¡­¡± the voice replied.


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    Though the young girl couldn¡¯t see the person, something told her that if she was in front of her, the girl would see her shaking her head in disappointment.


    ¡°Come out! How can you interrogate me when you don¡¯t even show yourself?!¡± the girl demanded.


    ¡°You already know who I am. Right now though, you don¡¯t know who you are, thus you are less likely to realize who I am¡­¡± the voice started to sound as if it was fading away.


    ¡°Wait! Who are you?!¡± the girl yelled at nothing.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to wake up¡­¡± the voice whispered once again.


    ¡°Wake up¡­!¡±


    Agatha slowly opened her eyes. She rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath. As her vision cleared, she no longer saw the prairie nor the pond with the lotus bud.


    ¡°A dream huh?¡± she thought as she tried to focus herself and fight against the urge to fall asleep once again.


    She looked around her dark room. Her curtains were down so she usually didn¡¯t know if the sun had risen when she woke up. Daliyah was normally her sign that the day had begun, This time though, even though Daliyah had not arrived to open the curtains, Agatha heard unfamiliar voices and the sound of a lot of movement coming from outside.


    ¡°I guess the sun has risen¡­¡±


    Agatha scratched her head and stretched.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to get out of bed today¡­¡±


    She lazily removed the blankets and pushed herself out of bed. She struggled as her uncoordinated body walked towards the curtains. She kept rubbing her eyes and yawn. She felt tired as if she had run like in her dream. It always bothered her how realistic dreams were, to the point of sometimes confusing what her reality was.


    She managed to make out a long piece of cloth and walked towards it. She grabbed it and moved it to the side but was shocked to only see darkness.


    ¡°What?¡±


    She moved it side to side but got the same results. She looked at the blank scenery in front of her.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Am I still dreaming?¡±


    As Agatha started to panic, she heard the door to her room open.


    ¡°Oh, my lady, you¡¯re up already?¡± Daliyah asked, surprised to see Agatha active so early in the morning.


    Daliyah knew Agatha had a hard time sleeping at night because of her nightmares, so it was always a struggle to get her out of bed during the day. Not only that but she was, understandably, grumpy in the mornings.


    ¡°Daliyah¡­¡± Agatha called out her name with an expression full of confusion and disorientation.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, my lady?¡±


    Daliyah walked over as she asked this and placed the candle she was holding on the nightstand.


    ¡°What are you doing there? Is something wrong with the tapestry?¡± Daliyah asked as she approached the window and opened the curtains.


    Sunlight brightened the room and revealed Agatha¡¯s puzzled expression.


    ¡°What¡­? But¡­Daliyah¡­since when is the window there¡­?¡±


    Agatha looked back and forth between the tapestry that was hanging on the wall and the fully opened curtains.


    Daliyah looked at Agatha for a few moments and after realizing what was happening, she let out a laugh.


    ¡°Hahahahaha, my lady¡­haha, with all due respect, did you confuse the tapestry with the curtains?¡± Daliyah covered her mouth to try to contain her laughter but knew it was impossible.


    Agatha then understood what she had done because she wasn¡¯t fully awake yet. She blushed and looked away.


    ¡°You have to admit they look kind of similar¡­¡± she said as she smiled a bit at her own silly mistake.


    ¡°Yes of course, if that is what my lady believes then that is what it shall be.¡±


    Daliyah managed to catch her breath after having a good laugh and began to make the bed. Agath observed her for a few moments. This wasn¡¯t a dream, it was reality. Daliyah¡¯s laugh had confirmed it.


    ¡°My dreams aren¡¯t usually so delightful¡­¡±


    She moved toward the window and looked outside. The sky was bright blue, the birds were flying and singing, and the flowers were happily receiving their first bit of sunlight for the day. Everything was the same. Just like always, life around Agatha was moving its normal course.


    ¡°Just like yesterday, the flowers are blooming and will continue to bloom. Even after they die in winter, they manage to come back when spring returns. The flowers are reborn after a cold and dark season. The flowers return¡­but after today¡­I¡­¡±


    Agatha brushed away the thought before it managed to completely take over her mind. This is something she had mastered over the years, to not let ¡°unnecessary¡± thoughts take over and make her question the fate she was blessed with.


    ¡°Come on everyone! Let¡¯s get a move on! We don¡¯t want to waste time!¡± the shout of who seemed to be a commander brought Agatha back from her thoughts.


    She looked down through the glass of her window, keeping enough distance to keep those outside from seeing her. There were horses, carts for supplies, a carriage that she imagined was for her, and soldiers moving around getting things ready for her departure. She wondered what the hurry was. She was scheduled to leave 3 months from now, but a week ago she was informed she would be leaving as soon as the troops that would escort her arrived. Even though she wanted to ask why she had to leave ahead of time, she knew she would not receive an answer. Other than a respectful smile, people didn¡¯t usually give her the answers she was seeking.


    ¡°You! Move your tiny excuse of legs and get that carriage ready!¡± the commander shouted once again.


    ¡°So loud¡­¡± Agatha murmured as she looked at the commander with a bit of annoyance.


    ¡°My lady, we have to¡­start getting you ready¡­¡±


    Daliyah¡¯s shook a bit when she said these words with hesitation. Agatha turned to look at the young girl. Their eyes met and Agatha could see Daliyah¡¯s fight to keep her tears back. Daliyah forced a smile, but Agatha could see the pain behind it. Agatha smiled at her and reached out to hold her hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Daliyah¡­everything is going to be okay¡­¡± she whispered as she used her free hand to caress Daliyah¡¯s head as a form of reassurance and comfort.


    ¡°Yes, everything will be okay¡­but are you okay?¡± Daliyah asked as a tear rolled down her cheek.


    Agatha looked at her for a few seconds. The voices of the soldiers were nonexistent for a brief moment. The only thing Agatha could hear was the mysterious voice from her dream.


    ¡°Are you willing?¡±


    Agatha closed her eyes for a moment.


    ¡°Are you willing?¡±


    She once again did what had learned to do well and shut the voice down.


    ¡°Such unnecessary thoughts.¡±


    Agatha opened her eyes once again and smiled.


    ¡°Everything is going to be okay. Help me get ready.¡±


    Daliyah looked down for a moment as her grip on Agatha¡¯s hand hardened. She looked back up and opened her mouth to say something but closed it again when she saw Agatha¡¯s blank eyes.


    ¡°...yes my lady¡± were the only words that managed to come out of her mouth.

 Chapter 6: The Masked Soldier

    ¡°Come on everyone! Let¡¯s get a move on! We don¡¯t want to waste time!¡± the commander shouted at one of his soldiers.


    The commander, along with 100 of his men, had arrived late last night and had woken up before sunrise. It had been a tiring journey since the rain had fallen without mercy the last few nights.


    ¡°Tch, was it so hard to give us a month at least to prepare for this?¡± he mumbled under his breath.


    All the commander remembered was being ordered to put together 100 of his men and set out in 3 days. He had at least been informed what his special mission was: to retrieve the ¡°vessel¡± from her hideout and bring her back to the capital as quickly and stealthily as possible.


    He barely had time to ask the most obvious questions: Why did the retrieve have to be done 3 months in advance? Why the short notice? Only 100 men? What if they encountered monsters on the way? etc, etc. He had many more questions going through his head as he walked through the dense forests, open valleys, and rocky mountains. Two questions in particular stood out to him though:


    Where exactly was the ¡°vessel?¡±


    ¡°And why did only that man know the location?¡± his eyes followed a tall figure as he thought this.


    The man was just over 6 feet tall, and although he had the physique of someone who had fought many battles, he seemed to be quite young. What stood out the most though, was his mask. The mask was made out of metal. The mask had feathers of what the commander guessed were from some type of falcon. Most of the man¡¯s face was covered, except for the area around his eyes.


    ¡°Can he even breathe with that thing on?¡±


    The commander observed as the man effortlessly carried two full sacks on each of his shoulders. He was strong, that was much was evident, but it was still strange how he was the guide given to him to reach the ¡°vessel.¡± It was a known fact that only those in the royal family plus other few knew where the ¡°vessel¡± was located. When the commander was given the order by the crown prince¡¯s right-hand man, Arthur, to retrieve the ¡°vessel,¡± he remembered expressing what little he could when it came to his concerns regarding the mission.


    ¡°Wait! But I still do not even know where she is! When will I be given a map? I at least have to know where I¡¯m going!


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry commander,¡± Arthur looked back at him as he smiled, ¡°We have the perfect guide for you.¡±


    When the commander was told he would be given a guide, this person was not what he imagined. He had imaged a wizard, an astronomer even, or anything along the lines. The man was a quiet person, not that the commander expected him to talk much with that mask on. He was surprised when he heard him say a few words. Of course, he had not talked directly to the commander but to his ¡°interpreter¡± who voiced in human language what the man said in whispers.


    ¡°Arcane!¡± the commander heard someone call out the man¡¯s name.


    ¡°Speak of the devil,¡± the commander thought as the ¡°interpreter¡± approached the man.


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    The young man approached with sacks of supplies and walked alongside, who the commander had figured out a while ago, the mysterious man whose name was Arcane. Unlike Acane, the young man did not have his face covered and was more¡­approachable.


    ¡°Quite the strange pair, those two¡­¡± the commander thought as he took a bite of an apple he had found in one of the baskets.


    The young man felt a strong gaze on his back.


    ¡°Hmmm, I see the commander is quite interested in you huh?¡± the young man said as he smiled and looked at Arcane.


    ¡°Let him be Myer, anyone would be vigilant with someone like me in their group,¡± Arcane responded as he placed the sacks on one of the carts.


    ¡°He could make it less obvious though. Good thing you¡¯re not a foe. If you were¡­you would know exactly who to look out for,¡± Myer pointed out as he also put his sacks down.


    Arcane turned his face and looked at the commander directly. When the commander saw those intimidating, hazel-colored eyes fall upon him, he looked away and walked somewhere else.


    ¡°Seems like you scared him off,¡± Myer said as he looked at the commander¡¯s back.


    ¡°You know that wasn¡¯t my intention,¡± Arcane grabbed a piece of cloth that was in his pocket and dried the sweat off his neck.


    Arcane then walked over to a tree to use its shade as protection from the sun¡¯s warmth. even though it was early, the heat was already taking over.


    ¡°And you know you would even make a monster cry with that mask on. Seriously, at least try not to glare at people. This is why no one approached you during the whole trip ¡± Myer said as he followed him and began his usual lecture.


    Arcane took a deep breath as he knew what was coming. Myer was his closest friend, which meant that, unlike the general population, he had no strings on his tongue to give Arcane a piece of his mind.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything though,¡± Arcane replied as he sat down and placed his head against the tree trunk.


    ¡°Arcane, you glare at people like you want to slit their throats,¡± Myer said bluntly as he sat beside Arcane.


    ¡°Then why did you approach me back then?¡±


    ¡°I trust my skill of course. If you had tried to truly kill me, I would have avoided your attack and run away.¡±


    Myer closed his eyes as he felt a small cool breeze.


    ¡°Seriously Arcane, because of you people are referring to me as an interpreter of some unknown language. Why in the world won¡¯t you say things louder for once?¡±


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t with this mask. It¡¯s easier for me to whisper. Plus, you have proven to be rather useful when it comes to being my voice. I might as well use my resources.


    Myers lifted his head and looked at Arcane. He opened his mouth to say something but just chuckled and accommodated himself again.


    ¡°You are unbelievable,¡± he said as he playfully punched Arcane on the side.


    Arcane smiled under his mask. He didn¡¯t think people needed to hear his voice. Unless it was someone he felt close to or valued, he didn¡¯t bother trying to let his voice be known.


    ¡°Plus, the voice of a shadow is not meant to be brought to the light.¡±


    ¡°Come on everyone! Let¡¯s get a move on! We don¡¯t want to waste time!¡±


    Arcane looked over at the commander as he was, once again, shouting orders to his men.


    ¡°Jeez, I get the urgency but he would at least make his voice sound more pleasant,¡± Myer expressed in annoyance.


    Arcane got up and was about to walk over to continue helping with the preparations when he caught a glimpse of a figure approaching the window at the top of one of the towers. As the figure got close to the window and stopped, Arcane realized it was a young woman. She was observing the movement taking place below her. It was only for a few seconds though, since she quickly turned around and disappeared once again.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is something up there?¡± Myer asked as he followed Arcane¡¯s gaze towards the window.


    ¡°A woman¡­¡± Arcane said softly.


    ¡°A woman? Do you think it was her?¡± Myer asked as he also tried to see her but she was no longer there.


    ¡°Who knows¡­¡±


    Arcane looked behind him at the top of the tree. He nodded, and Myer saw as a few leaves fell from the tree they had just been sitting under.


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter whether that was her or not. Our mission doesn¡¯t change.¡± Myer started to walk towards the carts as he said this.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Arcane looked up at the window one more time. He wondered if that girl was the ¡°vessel,¡± or just a regular servant. He didn¡¯t know why he would importance on knowing what the ¡°vessel¡± looked like at this point or even in the future. He was here for one reason and one reason only¡­


    To fulfill his mission.

 Chapter 7: Uncertainty

    *Splash*


    Agatha felt the warm water fall on her body. Even though she was unhappy about being up so early, she did not mind the idea of a warm bath. The mix of steam and the smell of lavender filled the room. Agatha has always found lavender to be such a fulfilling smell. Not only was the flower effortlessly majestic in her eyes, but the scent had helped to calm her nerves many times in the past. She held a bit of the water with her two hands and looked at the reflection in front of her. Though the image wasn¡¯t perfect, she could tell it was her face. That was her in the reflection, but was this reflection real or fake? Did this reflection show the real person or just the ¡°vessel?¡±


    *Splash*


    Daliyah poured a bit more water on Agatha¡¯s hair. Agatha didn¡¯t even flinch as she kept on looking at her now distorted reflection.


    ¡°My lady, it¡¯s time to get you dried up.¡±


    Agatha slowly turned and looked at Daliyah. It seemed like she was trying to find something in Daliyah¡¯s eyes but gave up after a few moments. She nodded as she got up and stepped out of the tub. Daliyah gently dried Agatha¡¯s body with a towel and helped her put on her bathrobe.


    As they walked into the bedroom, Daliyah served some lavender tea with a small breakfast. Toasted bread, scrambled eggs with spinach, and boiled potatoes.


    ¡°My lady, please eat while I get your dress ready.¡±


    Agatha smelled the tea and savored the aroma. She took a sip and looked out toward the window. She could still hear the people outside as they were finishing preparations. She began to eat her breakfast.


    When Agatha was done eating, Daliyah helped her get into her dress. it was a simple yet pleasing dress. The dress was made out of linen and blue colored. The blue gently faded to white as it reached the end of the flowy sleeves and the parts that reached her ankles. It was comfortable enough to make the journey they were about to embark on.


    Daliyah helped her put her boots on. They were not too heavy but seemed firm enough to travel through the mountains.


    ¡°Not that I mind the boots, but they seem to be more for someone who will be walking most of the journey and not be in a carriage,¡±


    ¡°You never know my lady. Anything can happen in the mountains. There may be moments when you will need to run,¡± Daliyah said as she finished tying the laces.


    ¡°Run?¡± Agatha asked as she tilted her head.


    Daliyah smiled as she stood up.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a precaution, my lady.¡±


    Daliyah signaled Agatha that it was time to brush her hair. Though Agatha wanted to ask more questions, she bit her tongue, walked towards her mirror, and sat in front of it. Daliyah grabbed the hairbrush and gently untangled Agatha¡¯s long hair.


    After a few seconds, Agatha found herself struggling to keep her eyes open as she felt the strokes of the brush against her scalp.


    Her eyes slowly gave up and closed.


    Daliyah noticed Agatha¡¯s calm expression and smiled.


    ¡°There is still time¡­¡± she thought as she proceeded to brush Agatha¡¯s hair even though it was already untangled.


    Daliyah left Agatha¡¯s hair loose so that it would dry on its own. Agatha had never liked extravagant hairstyles anyway. She had described them as a hassle and did not see the need for them.


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    (¡°Where would I go looking all nice anyway? The garden? Who would I show it to? The old man in charge of this place?¡±)


    Daliyah felt saddened as she remembered Agatha¡¯s expression that day. Even though she laughed it off, Agatha had wondered what it would be like to go to those balls and festivals she read about in books. She would read and dream about them near her window. Her eyes had nothing but longing. She was stuck in these cold and dark premises, surrounded by walls made of dark stone.


    If only the walls were the only thing keeping her captive. This cursed place also had eyes that would watch over her every move. People whose duty was to keep her ¡°safe¡± within these walls. Artificial smiles that saw her as nothing but an object who held the true treasure they were waiting for. They filled her ears with sweet words that turned bitter the moment they entered Agatha¡¯s ears. After so long, she just blocked them out of her mind. If only it was just as easy to block those words out of her heart.


    Her only escape was to sit by the window in her room, open a book, and use her imagination as she looked out to the mountains. Daliyah would sometimes catch her reaching out into the distance. Who or what she was reaching out to was unknown to Daliyah.


    The breeze would sometimes blow through the young girl¡¯s hair and her face would be covered by the light of golden hour. It was at these moments that Daliyah would admire the young girl¡¯s simple but tragic beauty. A beauty that was unknown to the world. A beauty that waited quietly for her final moments.


    She was like a caged flower silently withering away.


    ¡°My lady, would it be alright if I did two small braids on your hair? One on each side? I can tie them together at the back.¡±


    ¡°That should be fine. You know you don¡¯t need to ask me. I trust you know what I¡¯m comfortable with.¡±


    Agatha kept her eyes closed and did not see Daliyah¡¯s conflicted expression.


    ¡°You trust me¡­¡±


    Daliyah paused for a moment and just looked at herself in the mirror. Agatha had her eyes closed without a worry in the world. Even though she was the most in danger, she had her eyes closed because Daliyah was there.


    ¡°My lady, you are too naive for your own good.¡±


    ¡°Daliyah, are you finished?¡±


    ¡°Ah, y-yes.¡±


    Agatha opened her eyes and grinned.


    ¡°I like it, thank you.¡±


    Agatha applied some scented oil on her neck and looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She gave a final approving nod and got up.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s time.¡±


    As she walked past Daliyah, she felt a small grab on the sleeve of her dress.


    ¡°My lady¡­umm¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter Daliyah?¡±


    Agatha saw hesitation in Daliyah¡¯s eyes. She seemed conflicted and could not find the right words to speak.


    ¡°I¡­my lady¡­I¡­¡±


    Daliyah looked down and bit her lip. Why was it so hard to say something so simple? it was but the mere truth. So why was it so hard to say it? After all these years¡­


    ¡°Daliyah?¡±


    Agatha held Daliyah¡¯s hand and gave her a gentle gaze.


    ¡°Ummm¡­if I may¡­w-we still have time so how about a small dance?¡±


    ¡°A dance?¡±


    ¡°Yes, like the ones you read in your books¡­or do you not want to¡­?¡±


    Agatha stared at Daliyah with a serious expression.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry! That is so out of line! Please forget I said anything!¡± Daliyah bowed as she tried to hide her embarrassed face.


    ¡°Ha..hahaha¡±


    Daliyah looked up to see Agatha laughing.


    ¡°What¡­what¡¯s so funny?¡± Daliyah asked with her face completely red.


    ¡°Oh dear Daliyah, was that what you were struggling so hard to say?¡±


    Agatha grabbed both of Daliyah¡¯s hands and started to spin around the room.


    ¡°You must know though that I am no expert, so please bear with me my dear maiden.¡±


    ¡°Oh my lady, now you are just teasing me,¡± Daliyah said as she chuckled.


    They spun and spun around the room. They laughed and complained as they stepped on each other¡¯s feet. They took turns spinning each other with one hand. They spun so much that after feeling dizzy, they fell to the floor and looked up at the rotating ceiling.


    Agatha laughed until her stomach hurt. She hadn¡¯t had a good laugh in such a long time. It was ironic to her that it was at this moment that her laugh had arrived. Agatha reached out with her hand to the ceiling and looked at her fingers.


    ¡°Daliyah, those are my fingers right?¡±


    Daliyah looked at her confused and looked at the fingers Agatha was referring to.


    ¡°Yes my lady, those are your fingers.¡±


    ¡°Are they truly my fingers though? Do they truly belong to me? Or are they someone else¡¯s?¡±


    Daliyah remained quiet. Those fingers did belong to Agatha, but for how long would they stay hers?


    ¡°And the heart I feel quickly beating in my chest¡­is it truly my heart? The laughter I just felt, was it truly my laughter?¡±


    Agatha placed her hand on her chest and felt her heartbeat. It was beating fast because of all the spinning she had done but was slowly calming down. She heard its melody.


    ¡°If your heart is beating, that means you¡¯re alive. My heart is beating so that must mean I¡¯m alive, but is it me who is alive or the one within me who waits to be awakened?¡±


    Agatha looked at Daliyah searching for answers. Daliyah looked back at her but said nothing. Of course, she remained quiet since not even Agatha herself had the answers to such things.


    ¡°Sorry about ruining the mood. Just ignore me. That¡¯s just my emotional side talking.¡±


    Daliyah opened her mouth to say something when¡­


    Knock, knock, knock


    ¡°My lady, it is time.¡±

 Chapter 8: The Beginning of a Storm

    ¡°Is everything ready commander?¡±


    The commander turned as he heard an elderly voice behind him. A man who was just over seventy years old approached while using his staff as support. Elwood, the elder who the emperor had assigned to protect the vessel from the outside world until the time was right. It was known throughout the empire that Elwood¡¯s family, the Whitlocks, had once worked closely with the White Lotus priestess and the royal family. They had served as advisers and teachers. After the White Lotus priestess¡¯ death, the Whitlocks swore to protect and raise the vessel once she appeared. It was they who had built this place deep in the mountains and advised the previous emperor, as well as the current one, to not make its location known.


    ¡°Elder Whitlock,¡± the commander made a small bow.


    ¡°No need for formalities commander. Both of us serve the same master after all.¡±


    Elwood smiled and signaled the commander to raise his head. The commander saw brown eyes that were full of age. They seemed a bit tired but serene. He wore simple gray and white garments. His white hair, which reached his shoulders, and his beard were the signatures that testified to the many years this man had lived waiting for the priestess to return.


    When the vessel was found and brought before the emperor, Elwood took action and brought the young girl to this isolated small fortress. Though it wasn¡¯t anything impressive, the commander could tell it was meant to have great natural defenses. Even if enemies tried to attack the place, they would have to either deal with the rocky mountains or the possibility of losing their lives because of a landslide. It seemed like rain was a constant visitor around this area, so the ground around it was not solid. Not only that but this fortress was well hidden from the outside world. Whoever had picked it had done it after much consideration. Still, it also seemed like the perfect place to hold someone as a prisoner, for it would be a death wish to anyone who tried to escape without knowing the area.


    ¡°We are ready to go Elder. We have packed enough supplies for the journey. I would like to thank you for attending to us last night.¡±


    ¡°It was nothing, commander. I¡¯m sure you had a long and tiring journey. I¡¯m sorry we could not offer much. As you can see, all of us here live humbly with what mother nature can offer us.¡±


    ¡°I still appreciate it.¡±


    Elwood looked around as the soldiers moved to their positions as the time to depart came closer. He stopped as something, or someone caught his attention. The commander followed Elwood¡¯s gaze. Under a tree were Arcane and Myer who were discussing amongst themselves.


    ¡°Elder Whitlock, is something the matter?¡±


    Elwood stood silent for a few moments as he observed the two young men.


    ¡°You have quite an interesting party with you.¡±


    Though he was speaking to the commander, Elwood¡¯s eyes did not leave Arcane.


    ¡°So you came after all man with the iron mask¡­¡±


    A few years ago Elwood had caught a glimpse of that mask. Hidden by the darkness of the night, a shadow had been snooping around the fortress. The only thing that betrayed him was the moonlight. It was a quick look, but Elwood was able to see his mask. He had gone to check the area for footprints or any evidence that gave him an idea of who that shadow was. He had found nothing. For many nights he had stayed up to try to catch that person but had no luck. He even wondered if it had been a hallucination from exhaustion.


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    ¡°Here you are right in front of me. It seems I was not crazy nor imagining things.¡±


    ¡°Who is that man with the mask?¡±


    ¡°His name is Arcane. He is the one who guided us here.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I was wondering how you had found this place commander. So you were provided a guide.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it seems like there is no map of this place, so I was provided with who seems to be one of the few people who know about his location by heart.¡±


    ¡°Is that what he was doing that night? Getting an idea on how to get here?¡±


    Elwood continued to stare. He saw as Myer walked away and left Arcane by himself. He looked up to the window of the tower the vessel was placed in. Elwood frowned for a second.


    ¡°Just who are you? Arcane¡­the royal family never mentioned your name to me.¡±


    The commander saw some uneasiness in Elwood¡¯s expression.


    ¡°So even the Elder doesn¡¯t know who Arcane is?¡±


    ¡°Elder, if it makes you feel any better, that man was assigned by the crown prince himself.¡±


    ¡°Is my worry that obvious commander?¡±


    ¡°My apologies sir.¡±


    Elwood sighed and turned towards the commander.


    ¡°No need to apologize. I am indeed a bit concerned that this man is in your party since you will be taking the vessel from the safety of this fortress back to the capital. The crown prince assigned him as your guide you say?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was the prince¡¯s right-hand man that brought this man to me.¡±


    ¡°Victor Ectorius, what are you up to this time?¡±


    The Ectorius family had sat on the throne for the last 300 years. It was them who expanded the power of Helios and turned it into an empire. The White Lotus priestess had been sent from the heavens to them as a blessing to the world. No one knew why this family had been chosen by the heavens. What people did know is that after the priestess had perished, the royal family had made it a law that their last name was to not be used until she was brought back. The emperor and empress of the time felt they failed the priestess and did not deserve to use their last name, which means ¡°defender,¡± as they were not able to protect her. As a way of redemption and devotion, they prohibit people from mentioning their last name. This was, of course, a shock to everyone since last names held great power in the empire.


    Elwood hadn¡¯t seen the emperor nor the rest of the royal family in the last ten years. He knew the crown prince had been rather talented since he was young. One could say he could level up to his father when he takes over the throne. One thing Elwodd did not like though, was how unpredictable Victor was. Elwood never knew what that child was thinking.


    ¡°Though he is not a child anymore.¡±


    No, the child he remembers was just over twenty now.


    ¡°His trust issues seem as vivid as ever though.¡±


    Elwood had an idea as to why Victor was being so secretive even with him. He shook his head as he remembered that sorrowful day. A day that had forever marked the royal family and the empire as a whole.


    ¡°I wonder how old that other child would be right now.¡±


    The old man looked up to the skies. It had been clear just a while ago but the clouds were starting to slowly cover the sky.


    ¡°It seems like it will be raining soon commander.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, we should depart soon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you wouldn¡¯t want to be caught in this storm.¡±


    Elwood looked back at Arcane who was now walking to stand next to the carriage the vessel would be traveling in.


    ¡°Though in my opinion, this storm is nothing compared to what is about to unfold.¡±


    The commander looked at Elwood. He wanted to ask what he meant but decided not to.


    ¡°Old people do nothing but speak riddles,¡± he thought.


    ¡°Well commander, it was nice meeting you.¡±


    Elwood turned and walked towards the entrance of the tower through which the vessel would come out. He passed the carriage where Arcane was standing. As he was walking by, he gave Arcane a side glance. The young soldier felt his gaze and gave him a quick look as well. It was not for long, but after looking into Arcane¡¯s eyes, Elwood understood. He smiled and bowed his head to Arcane who said nothing. and just nodded back at him.


    ¡°Emperor Edward and Victor Ectarius, you two are truly something.¡±


    Elwood stood by the entrance of the tower and waited. He saw as the clouds got darker and heard as the wind started to move the leaves in the trees.


    ¡°The storm¡­is about to begin.¡±


    ¡°Lady Agatha is now exiting!¡±


    All eyes turned as the doors opened and the vessel took a step outside.

 Chapter 9: First Interaction

    The soldiers held their breaths as they saw a figure walk out of the darkness of the tower. A small young girl appeared before their eyes, her face covered by a veiled hat. The veil fell to her waist. They could make out the outline of her head and upper body but nothing more was revealed. It was like looking at a faceless individual who had no identity. The young girl was guided by her servant who held her hand as she walked out. The girl didn¡¯t say anything and just stood there inspecting every one of the people present.


    ¡°My lady.¡±


    The girl turned her head after hearing Elwood calling out to her. She signaled her servant to walk her towards him. Once before him, she made a small curtsy to show respect to the Elder who had seen her grow up for over a decade. Elwood asked her to raise herself and held her hand.


    ¡°Take care of yourself out there child. May the heavens protect you in this journey. May you bloom into the flower you are meant to become. May you know who you are so that you will not easily fall when tough times come. May you reach the end of your destiny¡­¡±


    Elwood paused for a moment and leaned in closer so that only the girl would listen to his whisper.


    ¡°...and may you be the master of your destiny.¡±


    The girl squeezed Elwood¡¯s hand for a moment but said nothing.


    ¡°It is time. Daliyah, guide our lady to her carriage.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    As Daliyah walked by Elwood she heard him mumble


    ¡°Do not leave her side.¡±


    Daliyah just nodded and led the young girl to the carriage.


    The soldiers studied the young girl''s every step. She seemed to just be an average person. They didn¡¯t feel anything special or spiritual aura from her. They remember the stories they used to hear about the White Lotus priestess. It was said that wherever she went, her presence could easily be known. She would purify any place her foot stepped on.


    This girl though, could be your everyday commoner.


    ¡°She is just the vessel after all¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not the real priestess. Nothing but the package that is used for the real treasure.¡±


    ¡°Will the priestess come back through her? How do they even know she¡¯s the right person?¡±


    Though the young girl could not hear their thoughts, their gaze was enough for her to have an idea of what was going through their heads.


    ¡°They could at least try to hide some of their disappointment.¡±


    The girl tightened her grip on Daliyah¡¯s hand.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be reaching the carriage soon my lady. Just bear a bit longer.¡±


    The girl kept her eyes on the ground. She counted the steps she took as a way to ignore the judging looks of the soldiers.


    ¡°...20, 21, 22, 23, 24¡­¡±


    Two feet appeared in front of her. She raised her head and was taken back for a moment by what she saw. Standing before her was a man wearing what seemed to be a mask that covered his whole face. He was tall so she had to lift her head a bit.


    ¡°Are those¡­feathers or horns¡­?¡±


    The man didn¡¯t say anything and just stared straight ahead, almost like she was not even there in front of him.


    ¡°Even the weird one in the group ignores me huh?¡±


    She noticed she was in front of the carriage. The girl was about to place her foot on the step when a gush of wind partially opened the front of her veil.


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    ¡°My lady!¡±


    She was about to try to cover herself when a hand grabbed the veil before her. The hand quickly covered her face with the veil and held it in place until the wind calmed down. The girl saw that the man was now looking at her as he held the veil in place.


    ¡°He helped me¡­so¡­ he was aware of my existence?¡±


    The girl smiled for a moment. It was something ridiculous to be smiling about but, for some reason, it made her happy.


    Even though the man could not see her eyes, she made sure to look straight at his face. She smiled a smile he would probably never be aware of.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The man said nothing. He just looked at her. He couldn¡¯t see her face but the tone of her voice gave him the idea that she was smiling at him.


    ¡°I must be crazy. Why would she smile over something like this?¡±


    ¡°Ahem, Arcane.¡±


    The voice of his fellow soldier brought the masked man back from his thoughts. He nodded at the girl and stepped away so she could get in the carriage. The girl turned and with Daliyah¡¯s help, she got into the carriage.


    Arcane closed the door and signaled that the vessel was ready to go.


    ¡°Soldiers! Depart!¡±


    The commander gave the order and out the party went, back to the capital with the Priestess¡¯ vessel.


    ***


    The rain was falling as the party walked on the tricky mountain roads. Agatha could hear the raindrops mixed with the sound of soldier steps and the hooves of the horses.


    ¡°My lady, why don¡¯t you take your hat off? No one can see you in here.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear, I forgot I had it on.¡±


    Agatha took the veiled hat off and was finally able to breathe a bit better than before. It was unexpected for her to be asked to wear this veil as she was walking out of her room.


    ¡°Asked? Yeah right, more like ordered to wear it.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t asked why they wanted her to cover her face. She knew they wouldn¡¯t tell her the truth anyway. Luckily for her, Daliyah was there and after arguing a little, all she was able to get from them was that Elwood had been the one to give the order.


    Agatha remembers the words Elwood had said to her right before her departure


    (...and may you be the master of your destiny)


    Agatha gave a bitter smile as she replayed those words in her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s some way to joke around with me old man. After all, you¡¯re part of the reason I¡¯m stuck with this cursed fate.¡±


    ¡°My lady? What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Agatha caught herself having all those ¡°useless¡± thoughts again.


    ¡°It must be the rain.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing Daliyah. I¡¯m just¡­thinking.¡±


    ¡°Thinking about what?¡±


    ¡°Nothing important. Just random things. It feels strange to be out of that place. For some reason, I didn¡¯t think the mountains I saw every day from my window were real. Yet, here we are struggling to walk through them. It just feels surreal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s understandable. You didn¡¯t step out of that place for quite some time.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­13 years to be exact.¡±


    The carriage fell silent once again. 13 years isolated from the rest of the world. If Agatha didn¡¯t know any better she would think that she had committed a crime and those years in the fortress were her punishment. She started to think, if she did commit a crime she had not been told of then what would it be?


    ¡°Was my crime being born?¡±


    She started to feel a tightness in her heart.


    ¡°Goodness, this rain is making me too emotional.¡±


    ¡°My lady, would you like some sweets?¡±


    Daliyah took out a basket from under her seat. After she opened it, Agatha¡¯s eyes lit up as the smell of sweet pastries filled the carriage.


    ¡°Daliyah! Where did you get that?!¡±


    ¡°I made them early this morning. I asked one of the soldiers to place it here before we departed.¡±


    ¡°Daliyah, you are an angel!¡±


    Agatha grabbed a piece of strawberry shortcake and happily took a bite. She closed her eyes as she savored the cream melt in her mouth.


    ¡°This is amazing. I feel so happy now.¡±


    ¡°I knew you would appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just look at me eating. Grab some for yourself.¡±


    As they ate the treats, Agatha looked towards the door. She wondered if the masked soldier was walking beside it or if he had moved his position.


    ¡°Say Daliyah, the man that held my veil¡­what does he look like?¡±


    Daliyah held out her index finger as she asked for a moment since she was still chewing.


    ¡°Well¡­he¡¯s quite tall, and he¡¯s wearing a mask so I can¡¯t describe him.¡±


    ¡°A mask¡­what did the mask look like?¡±


    ¡°The mask seems to be made out of iron. It had a few feathers around the edges. It covered most of his face except for his eyes.¡±


    ¡°His eyes¡­what did his eyes look like?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, I didn¡¯t pay much attention.¡±


    Daliyah was about to take another bite but stopped herself.


    ¡°If I may ask my lady, why are you asking so much about this man?¡±


    ¡°No real reason. I just¡­wonder why he is wearing a mask like that. Isn¡¯t it suffocating? Can he breathe with that thing on?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s used to it by now if he is wearing it. Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Agatha looked up from her pastry to see Daliyah¡¯s face closer to hers.


    ¡°Have you fallen for this man my lady?¡±


    Agatha dropped the shortcake.


    ¡°What?! N-no! Oh, look at what you made me do!¡±


    She picked up the shortcake and blew on it.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never asked so much about anyone before my lady.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s because there was no one to ask about.¡±


    Agatha rolled her eyes and tried to see if her shortcake was still edible.


    ¡°Would I die if I ate it after it fell on the ground?¡±


    ¡°Whatever the case my lady, he does not seem like good news. He didn¡¯t even say anything when you thanked him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not an obligation for him to respond. What if he¡¯s mute? Plus, at least he helped me. I can assure you none of those other soldiers would have batted an eye.¡±


    ¡°I just wonder¡­¡±


    As Agatha finally decided to risk it and take another bite of her shortcake¡­


    ¡°WOLVES!!!¡±

 Chapter 10: Wolves

    ¡°Everyone get your weapons ready! Protect the carriage at all costs!¡±


    The soldiers formed a human barrier around the carriage and got their weapons ready. Those who held spears stood in an outer circle as the first line of defense. Those who only had swords stood behind them ready to strike when the time was right. Despite the heavy rain and dense forest, the soldiers could tell they were surrounded. Glowy green eyes glared at them from the shadows. They weren¡¯t moving...just staring.


    ¡°Why are we encountering wolves now of all times? We didn¡¯t run into any monsters on the way here. It¡¯s only been 3 hours since we left and we¡¯re already facing trouble.¡±


    The commander tried to make sense of things as he figured a plan out. The rain was falling hard, the forest was dense, and he had no idea where they were.


    ¡°This is not the same route we took before. Just what was that man thinking?¡±


    *flashback*


    Arcane and Myer approached the commander an hour after they had departed. Through Myer, Arcane informed the commander that another route needed to be taken to go back to the capital.


    ¡°And you¡¯re telling me this now?! Why do we have to take another route?¡±


    Arcane whispered in Myer¡¯s ear.


    ¡°It¡¯s for safety reasons. If there is a possibility that we were followed, then an ambush could be waiting for us. There is also the possibility that we could have attracted the attention of monsters on our way here. It¡¯s been over a decade since so many people walked through the path we took. Now that so many of us came that way, we would have to worry about traitors trying to take the vessel away and be attacked by monsters.¡±


    ¡°You expect me to believe all that nonsense boy?¡±


    The commander was starting to get annoyed. Even though they had been assigned by the crown prince, he could not bring himself to trust them one bit.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back the same way we came. I don¡¯t see any need for why we should take a different route.¡±


    ¡°Sir, we have to change course. If not, the safety of the vessel will be at stake.¡±


    ¡°Well, you two seem rather desperate to go a different way. For all I know, you could be taking us to an ambush right now.¡±


    Arcane glared at the commander.


    ¡°Easy commander, you don¡¯t want to say things you will regret.¡±


    Myer noticed the change in Arcane¡¯s demeanor and tried to calm the situation.


    ¡°What? Am I wrong? Or am I right?¡±


    The commander stopped and looked straight at Arcane.


    ¡°You know what I think masked man? You could be the traitor of the throne that has the crown prince so paranoid to the point of coming up with such a foolish plan to retrieve the vessel as we are doing now.¡±


    Arcane swiftly grabbed the commander by the neck and brought him close to his face. The commander felt as ice cold eyes pierced into his soul. Sweat fell down his back as he unsuccessfully tried to remove Arcane¡¯s grip.


    ¡°Let¡­go¡­¡±


    ¡°Arcane.¡±


    Myer approached the two men and tried to separate them. Arcane moved his face close to the commander¡¯s ear and gave him a shivering whisper.


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    ¡°Now listen to me, commander. Notice how I never asked for your name because I could care less about who you are or what you think of me.¡±


    Arcane¡¯s grip tightened as he lifted the commander off the ground.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°You can insult me behind my back all you want. You can doubt me all you want. I do not care. You are not the first or last person to do that. What you will not do is call me a traitor of the throne and much less¡­¡±


    Arcane¡¯s voice got deeper and sharper.


    ¡°...will you dare to insult the royal family in front of me. Your filthy mouth is not worthy to carry their names.¡±


    ¡°Arcane!¡±


    The masked soldier released the commander from his grip, who ended up falling on the muddy ground.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡±


    The commander held his neck and tried to take in deep breaths.


    ¡°Commander!¡±


    Some of the soldiers approached and took their swords out.


    ¡°Ugh, now you¡¯ve done it. I warned you to watch what you say, commander. Just because a dog doesn¡¯t bark does not mean he can¡¯t bite.¡±


    Myer stood between Arcane and the rest of the soldiers while he held both his hands out.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright everyone. No blood has been shed yet. It¡¯s all a misunderstanding.¡±


    Arcane bent down and with the same emotionless voice he whispered,


    ¡°You have two choices, commander, either follow the path I am instructing you to follow or¡­¡±


    Arcane looked in the other direction.


    ¡°...you and your men can die a useless and pathetic death.¡±


    Arcane held out his hand to the commander.


    ¡°So, which one will it be?¡±


    ¡°Tch¡±


    The commander looked around him as his men waited for his orders. Though he did not trust Arcane, it was true that they wouldn¡¯t be able to survive without his help. He gave him one final defiant look and grabbed his hand.


    ¡°Jeez, so much drama could have been avoided if you had just agreed from the beginning commander. I¡¯m glad we¡¯re all on the same page now.¡±


    Myer mockingly smiled and shook the commander¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Hmp¡±


    The commander composed himself and signaled the soldiers to lower their weapons.


    ¡°Commander, the lady asks if everything is alright since we suddenly stopped.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear, look at the lack of manners we men have. We even made the young lady worry.¡±


    Myer looked at Arcane who said nothing and turned to guide the rest of the way.


    ¡°Tell our lady that we were just a bit confused about which path to take but we have it all figured out now.¡±


    Myer sent the soldier away and sighed with relief that things didn¡¯t get too heated. Arcane was usually a calm and quiet person when surrounded by strangers, except when the royal family was involved.


    ¡°Such a loyal fellow.¡±


    Myer moved his brown wavy hair from his face and scratched his head.


    ¡°This rain just won¡¯t stop. Let¡¯s just hope it doesn¡¯t become a problem later.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep it moving! Follow the masked soldier!¡±


    *End of flashback*


    ¡°Grrrrrr¡±


    The commander and the soldiers heard different growls echoing around them. The soldiers held their breaths as neither they nor the wolves made a move. Things had been so peaceful until now, but it¡¯s possible things were too good to be true.


    The commander gave a bitter glare to Arcane who stood close to the carriage. Was this his plan all along? Were all those words just a way to force him to make the dangerous decision to follow him? Why did he look so calm¡­as if things were going according to his calculations?


    ¡°It¡¯s so hard to read a man who has a mask on!¡±


    The commander clenched his teeth. How many were there anyway? 5? 10? 20? 100?


    ¡°As it matters, in this weather and unfamiliar area, just one is enough trouble!¡±


    In the carriage, Agatha and Daliyah sat next to each other holding hands. Agatha took deep breaths as she looked at the shortcake she had dropped after being startled by the shout of the soldier outside. Things were quiet, except for the raindrops and the occasional growls.


    ¡°What do you think is happening outside? Why is everything so quiet?¡±


    She whispered worried that if she spoke too loud then wolves would hear her and everything would be over.


    ¡°I do not know. Don¡¯t worry my lady, as long as we stay inside the carriage we should be fine.¡±


    ¡°What if they attack the carriage though? Wouldn¡¯t we be trapped in here with nowhere to go?¡±


    ¡°The soldiers are surrounding the carriage. They won¡¯t allow anything to come near us.¡±


    ¡°Wait, he said wolves, I read that wolves are just big dogs. They should be easy to deal with right?¡±


    Daliyah shook her head


    ¡°My lady, people call them wolves because that¡¯s the closest comparison they could come up with. If it was your regular wolf then it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. These wolves though¡­are true nightmares. They were among the monsters that crossed through the gate.¡±


    At the mention of the gate, Agatha¡¯s hands started to tremble. Though she had never seen monsters before, she had been taught by Elwood back at the fortress the destruction and calamities they had caused. She knew there were different types of monsters that terrified anyone who saw them. Creatures of unknown origin that had crossed the gate and changed human history forever.


    ¡°But once the ritual is completed¡­then she will end this.¡±


    Agatha placed a hand over her heart.


    ¡°Once the ritual is completed¡­then I¡¯ll-¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re moving! Keep your positions!¡±


    Agatha heard another shout that told her that the wolves were making their move. She felt her heartbeat grow louder. She approached the curtain that covered the window and reached out to take a peek.


    ¡°My lady!¡±


    Daliyah whispered in a panicked voice.


    Agatha moved the curtain enough for her left eye to see outside. For a few moments, she held her breath. Finally, she could make out a creature walking out from the shadow of the trees. Her eyes widened as she covered her mouth and moved away from the window.


    ¡°My lady, are you alright?¡±


    Agatha barely managed to say a few words as she couldn¡¯t stop her lips from trembling,


    ¡°Th-those¡­tho-se¡­¡±


    ¡°...those are demons straight from hell!¡±

 Chapter 11: The Attack

    Elwood had taught Agatha about monsters over the years. She never knew why she had to know so much about them since she wasn¡¯t the real priestess to begin with. There was a possibility that Elwood wanted her to realize the suffering and horror the people were going through because of the monsters. This would lead her to understand the importance of her sacrifice. It was probably a way of making her more empathetic towards the strangers for whom she would one day give up her existence. Though Agatha felt a bit of sadness towards those suffering in the outside world, she still wondered why she had to empathize. It¡¯s not like she had a choice right? Sooner or later, whether she wanted to or not, the ritual would take place and she would cease to exist. This was an absolute fact. Her empathy towards others had no role to play in this.


    Agatha knew this and yet¡­


    She saw it. A monster walking out from the woods.


    She only caught a glimpse but it was enough to make her tremble. Those glowy green eyes¡­not just two of them though¡­How many did that creature have? 4? Or was it 6? The teeth she saw looked like knives ready to rip flesh apart. The rain made its red fur look like it was dripping blood. It had paws big enough to crush the head of a man in one go.


    Agatha recalled learning about these monsters. As Daliyah had said, even though people called them ¡°wolves¡± they were far from being like the animals humans were used to seeing.


    ¡°Of course, they wouldn¡¯t be regular wolves¡­how foolish¡±


    Agatha tried to sit up straight as she thought about how her mind had tried to be in denial a while ago. She was no longer behind the safety of the fortress. She was outside in the rain and surrounded by man-eating creatures.


    ¡°My lady, just sit tight.¡±


    Daliyah looked at Agatha with pleading eyes. It was not smart to make any reckless moves at this moment. Just what she was trying to accomplish by looking outside the window was a mystery to Agatha. It wasn¡¯t like she could do anything useful. She wrapped her hands around her body as she took deep breaths.


    ¡°One head¡­¡±


    Agatha mumbled under her head as she looked down.


    ¡°What was that, my lady?¡±


    ¡°The wolf¡­it only had one head¡­¡±


    ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°The more heads a wolf has, the more powerful it is. This one only had one head and yet¡­¡±


    ¡°...it almost made me freeze out of fear¡­¡±


    Agatha shut her eyes at the thought. Elwood had taught her that wolves had a hierarchy that was determined by the number of heads. Wolves could have between one to three heads. Just like regular wolves, these monsters usually moved in packs. Those with one head could be compared to the pawn of a chess game and were usually the greater number. Then came those who had two heads. Just like the one-headed wolves, they had four to six eyes in each head. Their fur was much thicker and instead of four legs, they had six. These were also bigger. The last category was the three-headed wolf¡­


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    ¡°OWOOOOOOOOO¡±


    ¡°Commander! A three-headed wolf is with them!¡±


    ¡°What?! No way! But¡­ it''s uncommon for an Alpha to be with the pack!!¡±


    Agatha¡¯s eyes widened. Even though the Alpha would be expected to always guide the pack, it was different for monsters. There were fewer Alphas than the other categories, but what kept them above the rest was their ability to telepathically control the pack and their human intelligence. Since the alphas were able to control their pack from long distances, it was rare for them to be present unless¡­


    ¡°Everyone stay put!¡±


    The three-headed wolf walked out from behind his minion. Standing at 10 feet tall in its two back paws, it looked down at the party as if he had found new toys to play with. He sensed the tension coming from the men and smiled. Its knife-like teeth dripped saliva and dirt. The Alpha displayed his sharp claws before the soldiers and mockingly seemed to chuckle. His three heads looked around, and upon seeing the carriage, all eighteen of his eyes widened and revealed an urge to kill.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t looking pretty.¡±


    Myer placed his body in front of the carriage as he held his sword. Not only were they surrounded by a pack of wolves, but their leader was there as well.


    ¡°Arcane¡­¡±


    He looked behind him at Arcane who was on the other side of the carriage. The masked soldier said nothing.


    One of the heads made eye contact with him. Arcane didn¡¯t look away and stood his ground. He glared back at the monster without blinking an eye. Noticing this, the monster turned all three of its heads towards him. Something about Arcane¡¯s gaze bothered it. No, it wasn¡¯t just bothersome but also¡­infuriating. Arcane was looking at it just like how it looked at its minions and humans¡­like a worthless cockroach.


    The monster growled as it had found an enemy that wasn¡¯t quivering at its presence.


    ¡°Is he seriously daring an Alpha to a fight right now? So much for making this a peaceful trip.¡±


    Myer sighed as he noticed what his friend was doing. Arcane was never one to show fear in front of an enemy. If someone glared at him he would glare back. If someone punched him, he would punch them back. If someone tried to kill him or those he had sworn to protect then¡­


    ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll take this as my daily workout. Yes, because walking through the mountains and a dense forest under the rain isn¡¯t exciting enough.¡±


    Myer smiled as he looked in front of him at the many eyes that were starting to emerge from the trees.


    The rain kept falling. The soldiers¡¯ heartbeats got louder and faster. Thunder could be heard around them. The growls of the wolves got more intense as they waited for their leader to give the signal. Time seemed to stop for a moment as both sides waited to see who would make the first move.


    The Alpha and Arcane kept eye contact, neither of them giving in to the other. They knew that one of them would end up on the ground, dead.


    Suddenly, a flash of lightning moved through the strike, and then¡­


    *Whoooosh*


    An arrow flew out of the depths of the forest striking the wolf that was next to the Alpha. The wolf fell dead, with an arrow right in his neck.


    *Whoooosh*


    *Whoooosh*


    Multiple arrows started to fly out of the forest and stroke one wolf after another, hitting them right at their core. The Alpha, being caught by surprise, did not perceive the arrow that suddenly pierced through one of his eyes.


    ¡°GRRRRRR!¡±


    The Alpha growled in pain and fury as he took the arrow out of his eye. Seeing their Alpha wounded and four of their pack dead, some of the wolves started to run toward the soldiers.


    ¡°ATTACK!!!¡±


    Arcane yelled as he dashed out with his sword and with one swing, cut off the head of a wolf. The soldiers stood for a few seconds trying to figure out what had just happened.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?! A scented invitation from your lover?!¡±


    Myer ran towards another wolf that was getting and just like Arcane, effortlessly cut off its head.


    ¡°Soldiers! Attack!¡±


    The commander was the first one to bring himself back from the shock and gave the order.


    ¡°Sir!¡±


    The soldiers in the outer circle ran out and started to fight the wolves that were getting too close to the carriage.


    ¡°OWWOOOOOOOO!¡±


    With a howl full of fury, the Alpha signaled the rest of his minions to attack. The wolves jumped from behind the trees and with their mouths fully open, started to take down one soldier after another.

 Chapter 12: Trust

    ¡°OWWOOOOOO!¡±


    Agatha covered her ears as she looked down at her feet. The sound of men fighting outside mixed with the growls and the tearing of flesh terrified her. Could this be one of her many nightmares? This felt too real though. She could hear some of them crying out in pain. She had seen the monster right in front of her.


    ¡°The wolf I saw was merely a pawn¡­he was just a pawn and yet¡­¡±


    Even though wolves were much stronger than humans, the thought of her being so shaken by the weakest of the pack made her feel so¡­


    ¡°Weak¡­I¡¯m so weak¡­¡±


    She thought for a moment about the men who were protecting her. Those men were giving up their lives for someone like her who did nothing but shiver and hide.


    ¡°This is just pathetic¡­I¡­is there nothing I can do?¡±


    She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Just what exactly was she supposed to do in this situation? Was it all right for her to just sit in the carriage and wait for things to be over? She looked at her hands which would not not stop trembling. If the White Lotus Priestess were in her position, she wouldn''t be trembling like a little mouse. She would be outside fighting side by side with the soldiers. Casualties would be very minimal.


    ¡°But she¡¯s not here¡­not right now¡­¡±


    ¡°AAAAH! HELP ME!!¡±


    Agatha hard as a soldier begged for aid. She shut her eyes again trying to not think about him being torn apart.


    ¡°LOOK OUT!¡±


    ¡°NO! GET AWAY FROM HIM!¡±


    ¡°THEY JUST KEEP COMING!¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T LET THEM NEAR THE CARRIAGE!!¡±


    The more Agatha tried to mute the louder they got.


    ¡°GRRRR!¡±


    ¡°DIE YOU DEMON!!¡±


    Agatha felt a warm touch on her trembling hands.


    ¡°My lady, it¡¯s alright. Everything is going to be just fine.¡±


    Agatha opened her eyes and slowly looked up. Daliyah Was looking at her with a calm smile. She looked composed, almost unbothered by what was happening outside.


    ¡°Daliyah, do¡­do you not hear what is happening¡­outside?¡±


    ¡°AAAAAH!¡±


    ¡°Yes my lady, I hear them.¡±


    Agatha looked at her with so many questions going through her head. The most important one being¡­


    ¡°How¡­how can you be so composed right now?¡±


    ¡°There is no reason to panic my lady.¡±


    Agatha¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°No reason¡­to panic? What¡­Daliyah¡­people are dying out there right now!¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are.¡±


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    ¡°And you¡¯re saying there is no reason to panic¡­?¡±


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re safe my lady, that is all that matters to me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Agatha felt as her question came out of her mouth as a soft whisper.


    ¡°Those men came here knowing full well about the cost. They have sworn to give up their lives for the greatest good¡­and you, my lady¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it Daliyah¡­¡±


    Daliyah tightened her grip on Agatha¡¯s hands.


    ¡°You are the greater good.¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Agatha moved her hands away from Daliyah and gave her a sharp look.


    ¡°You are sounding just like Elwood right now¡­stop it¡­¡±


    Agatha was used to hearing others talk to her in this manner, but hearing Daliyah saying these things felt different. Was it because Daliyah had never talked to her like this before? It didn¡¯t feel right. Something did not feel right. There were monsters outside of course, but something else felt off.


    Agatha hadn¡¯t noticed that Daliyah had moved to the window and was observing the situation outside. Her eyes were carefully inspecting the surroundings, and she didn¡¯t flinch at whatever she was witnessing.


    ¡°Daliyah¡­what are you doing? Get away from the window¡­what if the wolves see you?¡±


    As Agatha was reaching out to pull Daliyah back from the window, the young girl turned to look at her with a serious expression. Her gray eyes seemed to be trying to decide on whether to do what she was thinking of doing. She took one more look outside and then looked back at Agatha.


    ¡°My lady, you have to listen to me carefully.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±


    Agatha was taken back as Daliyah grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close enough to be face to face. She was serious and had a sense of urgency around her.


    ¡°Even though the circumstances are not how I would have preferred them, it is probably the only opportunity we will have.¡±


    ¡°Opportunity? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°We have to run.¡±


    ¡°Run? Run¡­where?¡±


    ¡°That is not important right now. When I open the door of this carriage, we will both make a run for it into the woods.¡±


    ¡°Wh-¡±


    ¡°Your shoes are good enough to run around this area.¡±


    ¡°Hold on¡±


    ¡°It may be difficult because of the rain but we should be able to make it.¡±


    ¡°Daliyah wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Just wait for my signal and don¡¯t look back.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Agatha pushed Daliyah back.


    ¡°You want us to run?! What?! Run where?!¡±


    ¡°My lady please!¡±


    ¡°There are monsters out there Daliyah! Not just any monsters, but Wolves! And they have their Alpha with them! Even if we make it, we don¡¯t even know the area!¡±


    ¡°My lady.¡±


    ¡°You are acting strange! I¡­It¡¯s too risky! I¡­I don¡¯t want to¡­¡±


    ¡°Agatha¡­¡±


    Agatha froze for a moment as she could not believe what she had just heard. Not only was Daliyah saying her name, but her tone was cold, indifferent, and authoritative.


    ¡°You do not have a choice in these situations. Know your place as the vessel.¡±


    Agatha felt dumbfounded. She felt as if her body had become numb. She looked at Daliyah for a few moments in disbelief. Her eyes grew dark as she heard those dreadful words from the person she had considered her closest friend. She wanted to cry but no tears would come out. She felt cold and just like back at the tower, she felt that drowning sensation and not being able to escape even if she wanted to.


    Daliyah avoided eye contact with her as she tried to keep her composure.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry my lady¡­but this¡­¡±


    ¡°*sigh* Please just trust me on this.¡±


    Agatha didn¡¯t say anything. She kept her face looking down and her eyes remained emotionless. Still. even though she looked like she would not move, Daliyah had seen her like this enough times to know that she would follow her anywhere and do anything she asked of her.


    ¡°In this state, she would throw herself in a lake of fire if I asked her to.¡±


    Nothing but a doll. A vessel.


    ¡°How low of me¡­¡±


    Daliyah took something from under her seat and tied it around her waist. She then placed a cloak around herself and Agatha. She kneeled to make sure that Agatha¡¯s shoes were well tied up. After checking, she remembered that Agatha¡¯s hair was loose.


    ¡°Right¡­that would get in the way.¡±


    ¡°My lady, please let me tie your hair.¡±


    Agatha turned without a word.


    *Thump*


    The carriage shook as a wolf fell against it¡­dead.


    ¡°THEY ARE GETTING TOO CLOSE!¡±


    Agatha did not seem to get startled by the shaking. She remained quiet and allowed Daliyah to do whatever she wanted. Daliyah worked quickly to tie up Agatha¡¯s hair and then moved on to her own. She pulled the hood of the cloaks over both their heads and checked outside one more time. After everything was ready, she grabbed the young girl¡¯s hand and opened the door of the carriage.


    Outside, the corpses of both men and wolves lay on the muddy ground. Puddles of water mixed with blood were seen everywhere. Some corpses were missing limbs, while others could barely be recognized as something that belonged to a human. The fight was still intense. Daliyah could tell that the men sent to protect the ¡°vessel¡± were probably among the best the empire had.


    ¡°It is to be expected, after all, they weren¡¯t escorting just anyone¡­¡±


    Daliyah felt as the hand she was holding started to once again tremble. She looked behind her and saw Agatha¡¯s expression. The young girl was covering her mouth with her free hand as tears were finally rolling down her cheeks. Her eyes were wide as she witnessed the horror in front of her.


    ¡°What is this? All those men¡­are they¡­oh Heavens¡­please wake me up from this!¡±


    Agatha felt her knees weakened and almost lost her balance.


    ¡°My lady! Please focus! Everyone is too busy right now to pay us any attention. Follow me.¡±


    Through her tears, Agatha stared at Daliyah.


    ¡°Who¡­who are you?¡±


    Agatha had so much to ask but knew there was no time. As Daliyah had said, she was just a vessel. A vessel doesn¡¯t ask questions. A vessel doesn¡¯t have a choice. A vessel was like an empty pot that was disposable once it had fulfilled its purpose.


    ¡°A vessel¡­¡±


    Agatha firmed her grip and closed her eyes once again. Daliyah took this as a cue and stepped out of the carriage. When both of their feet touched the ground¡­


    ¡°Now my lady!¡±

 Chapter 13: Dance under the rain

    Agatha finally opened her eyes and realized they were no longer on the battlefield. They were still running, but all she saw around her were trees and rain. She had subconsciously closed her eyes when they left the carriage, trying to avoid seeing the events around her. It truly was not the smartest thing to do in a life-or-death situation, but she was just so terrified.


    ¡°How were we able to leave so easily?¡±


    The young girl believed that they would get crushed by one of the wolves at the very least but somehow, they were fine.


    ¡°Daliyah¡­¡±


    Agatha felt the pain in her legs and knew she could not run further. She opened her mouth to tell Daliyah she could not run anymore but¡­


    (Agatha¡­You do not have a choice in these situations. Know your place as the vessel).


    The words that had come out of her friend came back to her. She bit her lower lip and held back. If she were the Daliyah she knew, she would have told her right away but the person in front of her had somehow become a stranger.


    Agatha felt her lungs burning and her heart beating faster and faster. She was wet from head to toe and felt cold. Her throat was hurting from her effort to regulate her breaths.


    ¡°How much longer are we going to run?¡±


    As she thought about this, Agatha didn¡¯t see the rock on the ground and like an answer to her prayers, she tripped and fell on the ground, finally coming to a stop.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°My lady! Are you all right?¡±


    Daliyah almost losing her balance finally looked behind her just to see her master on the ground. She kneeled to check on Agatha and noticed her struggle to breathe. The young girl looked exhausted and pale. Her lips trembled and locks of her hair covered her face. Her dress was now muddy with some parts of it ripped.


    ¡°Dresses are truly inconvenient in these situations¡­¡±


    Daliyah looked down at her dress which was in a similar condition.


    ¡°I probably look like a mess as well.¡±


    She gently grabbed Agatha¡¯s hands and checked them. They were a bit scratched but nothing too serious. She wiped the dirt from Agatha¡¯s hands and face. The young girl just looked at her without saying a word. Her eyes were blank. She opened her shaking lips but no words came out. Daliyah lowered her gaze for a moment.


    ¡°Your hands¡­don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just a scratch. Does it hurt anywhere else though?¡±


    Agatha just looked at her and said nothing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like seeing her like this but I had no choice.¡±


    Daliyah stood up and offered her hand.


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    ¡°Come, my lady, we must continue. We are still not far enough to have the luxury of resting for too long.¡±


    Agatha looked at the hand that was offering to help her get up. She studied it for a few seconds, uncertain of why that hand wanted to help her. She lifted her face and made eye contact with Daliyah.


    ¡°My lady, please, we don¡¯t have time for this.¡±


    Her voice sounded desperate. She furrowed her brow. It was hard to know if the battle was over yet. It was very likely that a wolf or a soldier could be after them this very minute. They had not managed to get too far because of the rain and because Agatha was not the quickest runner.


    ¡°Excuse me, my lady.¡±


    Daliyah reached out to grab Agatha by the arm to lift her to her feet when she stopped herself. In a matter of seconds, Daliyah reached under the right side of her cloak and spun her body. At that moment¡­


    *clang!*


    A figure had jumped out of the trees and with a blade in his hand, aimed at Daliyah¡¯s neck. She had managed to react last minute and with what seemed to be a dagger of her own, blocked the attack. The figure was still in midair. She held her feet in place and with all her force, she pushed him away. He managed to land on his two feet and quickly took a fighting stance. He pointed his blade at the two young women. Whoever this person was. He was not there to chat.


    ¡°My lady, please stay behind me.¡±


    Daliyah stood in front of Agatha who was still sitting on the ground. She firmly held her blade and placed it in front of herself.


    ¡°Who is this person? I couldn¡¯t feel his presence at all. I know it¡¯s raining but still¡­¡±


    Daliyah gave the person in front of her a threatening look.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who he is. It¡¯s obvious he was aiming to kill me. That means that there is a high possibility that he is after my lady.¡±


    The man took a step forward. Daliyah stood her ground and didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Not bad. You didn¡¯t recklessly go for the attack even though I moved first. You¡¯re a cautious one aren¡¯t you.¡±


    The man had a deep, nonchalant voice. Looking at him more closely, Daliyah noticed he had a cloth mask that covered his face from the nose down. His blue eyes gave such an intense gaze that Daliyah thought he was reading her deepest thoughts. They sent a chill down her spine. She had felt gazes like that before.


    ¡°Those are the eyes of someone who isn¡¯t afraid to kill or be killed.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Daliyah kept her composure and tried to buy herself time to think of a way to get away.


    ¡°If I was on my own it would be a bit easier, but with my lady behind me¡­things will be trickier.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you attacked me but know that we don¡¯t want any trouble, sir. I would like to ask that you let us through.¡±


    The man smiled taking another step.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that. You see, that girl behind you is too important to lose. I don¡¯t even understand how you and she got out here without me noticing until it was a bit late.¡±


    His smile faded.


    ¡°It seems like you are not just a normal servant now, are you? You ask me who I am, but I am sure the young lady behind you would like to know the same thing about the one standing in front of her holding that dagger.¡±


    ¡°This jerk!¡±


    Daliyah clenched her teeth. This man was not just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, but he was also trying to get into Agatha¡¯s head. He could see that Agatha was in a vulnerable position, especially after the shock she received from Daliyah¡¯s change in behavior and the witnessing of people getting slaughtered in front of her.


    ¡°I¡¯m just here to return the vessel to the carriage. Don¡¯t make this so difficult for either of us.¡±


    ¡°You say you are here to take her back. Does that mean you have other plans for me?¡±


    ¡°Oh forgive me for forgetting you for a second there. Now that you mention it yes, I do indeed have other plans for you if you refuse to give up¡­¡±


    He lifted his blade and pointed right at Daliyah¡¯s head.


    ¡°I plan to cut that head of yours and leave your body to the wild animals to feast upon. I can¡¯t risk taking you back with me based on the little trick you just pulled.¡±


    Daliyah could tell he was being serious. Still, based on what was saying, he was working with the empire. At least that¡¯s what he was succeeding in showing.


    ¡°Whether he is with the empire or not, I can¡¯t trust him. Why is he hiding among the shadows? Why did it seem like the other soldiers were not aware of him even being here? Are there more around here?¡±


    ¡°I see you have a lot of questions little maiden. Too bad I do not have time to answer them. So choose, give up, and leave by yourself, or risk meeting your end under this annoying rain.¡±


    Daliyah looked back for a second at Agatha. She was frozen in place, processing what was happening.


    ¡°*Sigh* I don¡¯t have much of a choice now do I, my lady? Not with the state you¡¯re in right now.¡±


    Daliyah looked back at her opponent.


    ¡°It¡¯s funny for me that you think I will be the one who will meet my end here.¡±


    She removed her cloak and threw it to the side.


    ¡°I should show you some level of respect and also give you the option to leave ¡®little sir.¡¯¡±


    Daliyah gently removed her dress from her waist down. Underneath her dress, she revealed a whole other outfit made up of black pants and leather pockets. The man noticed the belt that held her daggers. Daliyah reached with her left hand for her second dagger and held it firmly.


    ¡°Well sir, shall we begin our dance?¡±

 Chapter 14: Sapphire Warriors

    *Crack* *Rumble*


    Thunder and lighting were heard across the sky as Daliyah tried to stand her ground against the stranger in front of her.


    *Swoosh*


    *Clank! Clank!*


    He charged forward and brought down his sword on her. Daliyah held out both of her daggers and was forced to slightly bend her knees because of the blow.


    ¡°Ugh¡±


    She grunted as she held the man back with all her strength.


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­strong¡­¡±


    Daliyah took a quick step back, making the man move with her. In that second, she quickly used all her force to push his sword to the side. As the sword lost contact with her daggers, Daliyah swiftly turned, ready to back-kick the menace before her. The man swiftly moved away and saw a glimpse of a small blade coming out of the back of Daliyah¡¯s shoe. He gave her a small smirk as he touched his cheek which would have at least received a scar had he not avoided the attack.


    ¡°Not bad, but will that be enough?¡±


    The man got ready to attack once again.


    ¡°The difference in our strength is obvious. I can¡¯t let him have a direct blow or else I will be finished.¡±


    ¡°We are wasting time here. A monster could appear at any moment.¡±


    The man was growing more impatient.


    ¡°We? You are the one who attacked us and is refusing to let us go. How about you move aside and play fetch somewhere else?¡±


    Daliyah pointed her dagger at the man. She was now feeling annoyed because he was right, they were wasting time.


    ¡°I could care less if you want to go to hell itself if you were taking some random person with you. The one you are running away with is the vessel though, so I can¡¯t just let you by. There is no way you are not smart enough to know this.¡±


    The man raised his voice by the minute. He seemed irritated by the fact he had to explain himself.


    ¡°Just why would I trust what you are saying? You say you are working for the crown but why would I believe you?¡±


    ¡°Am I seriously being questioned by the woman who used the monster attack as a diversion to sneak away with the vessel?¡±


    The man glanced over at Agatha who was still sitting on the ground.


    ¡°Although seeing that she didn¡¯t even put up a fight to come along, it could mean that this was planned out by you both.¡±


    Daliyah frowned at the man.


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    ¡°She has nothing to do with this.¡±


    The man raised his eyebrow.


    ¡°Oh really? Young Lady!¡±


    The man called out to Agatha who slowly raised her head. She looked at him as if he was part of the background. In her eyes, he wasn¡¯t even there. Neither of them were.


    ¡°Tch, what¡¯s with the look?¡±


    He lowered his sword as he gave the young girl a disappointed look.


    ¡°I was wondering if you had planned this with your servant but your eyes and the state you are in tells me something else. You look like nothing more than a broken puppet to me.¡±


    ¡°How dare you?!¡±


    Daliyah shouted at the man as she felt her anger starting to boil from within.


    ¡°Am I wrong? Look at her. Those are the eyes of someone who does not know the meaning of being alive.¡±


    The rain started to subside a bit. Gentle raindrops fell around them. Agatha stared at the man silently. She then opened her mouth and spoke just loud enough for him to hear her.


    ¡°You¡¯re angry¡­Why?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Why are you angry at me? Why does it matter whether I¡¯m a puppet or not? Am I supposed to be anything else?¡±


    The man said nothing at this. He hadn¡¯t expected Agatha to say anything. The young girl placed her hand against a tree trunk and used it as support to stand. She felt her legs tremble as she slowly stood. She felt some pain in her knees. She might have hurt herself when she fell. She didn¡¯t want to bother with that at the moment though.


    ¡°Tell me, sir, you¡¯re part of the Sapphire Warriors aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes twitched a bit. He was taken aback by the young girl¡¯s remark.


    ¡°The Sapphire Warriors?¡±


    Daliyah was also surprised at Agatha¡¯s words. More importantly, she was surprised that Agatha had brought herself back together so quickly. It usually took way longer for her to speak clearly after entering a ¡°phase.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    The man raised his sword, but this time, he pointed at Agatha.


    ¡°Your sword seems to be made of special material. You can control just how much spiritual energy comes out of it. Since you were fighting Daliyah, you did your best to hold back as much spiritual energy as possible to not hurt her too badly.¡±


    ¡°This jerk was holding back? It¡¯s good to know but a bit offensive.¡±


    Daliyah gave the man a side-eye which he felt but ignored.


    ¡°Are you able to see spiritual energy?¡±


    The man sounded more intrigued than shocked now. Agatha seemed more knowledgeable than he expected.


    ¡°Yes, although I am just a vessel, I possess some of the abilities the White Lotus Priestess possessed. One of them, of course, is being able to see spiritual energy.¡±


    ¡°Hmp. I see.¡±


    ¡°I also thought about it for a bit, but seeing how strong you are, you could have brought me back to the carriage if you had wanted to. Despite you saying time was being wasted, your real goal was not to bring me back but to buy time. You were wasting time for Daliyah but buying it for yourself.¡±


    The man stood there in silence.


    ¡°Based on the fact you are not responding, I will take that as a ¡®Yes, you are right.¡¯¡±


    Agatha looked at Daliyah for a few moments and then looked back at the man.


    ¡°May I make another guess sir?¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡±


    ¡°We are waiting for someone, aren¡¯t we? The real person who will take me to the capital. This was all a setup was it not?¡±


    ¡°A setup?¡±


    Daliyah thought about it for a moment. Looking back at it, Agatha¡¯s words made sense. The fact that the trip was being done 3 months prior, the monsters attacking, and now a Sapphire Warrior in front of them¡­


    Suddenly, Daliyah moved closer to Agatha and herself between the young girl and the tree she was using as support. She held her daggers in front of her as she saw two more figures approaching. One of them clapping


    *Clap, clap, clap*


    ¡°Well, well, well. It seems like you guys were having a party without us.¡±


    Myer approached them with a big smile on his bloody and muddy face.


    ¡°Nerian, you seem to be out of breath. Did you encounter a difficulty?¡±


    Myer chuckled as he looked at Daliyah who kept her guard up.


    ¡°Stop playing around Myer.¡±


    The strange man who answered to the name ¡°Nerian¡± snapped back at Myer.


    ¡°No one told me the servant girl would be able to put up a fight.¡±


    Nerian glared at Daliyah who gave him the same look back.


    ¡°Hey, although I want to think I know everything I truly don¡¯t. It was quite the shock for all of us for the sudden disappearance of the vessel and her servant.¡±


    Myer approached Daliyah and Agatha. He stood a few feet away from them and smiled.


    ¡°So, mind explaining to me why you were running away with the vessel¡­servant girl?¡±


    Though Myer was smiling, his eyes and tone of voice turned cold. He wanted an explanation and a good one at that, which Daliyah knew she didn¡¯t have. At least not for them. Not for the Sapphire Warriors¡­the strongest and most loyal warriors who served the crown.


    Daliyah gulped as she tried to figure out what to do.


    ¡°There is no need to be so tense ladies. You have nothing to worry about. I don¡¯t bite. I can only say that about myself though, not the one behind you.¡±


    Daliyah and Agatha both turned to see a tall dark figure standing right behind the tree trunk. Agatha saw as strong, hazel eyes looked down at her through the holes in his mask.


    ¡°The masked soldier¡­¡±

 Chapter 15: Loyalty

    ¡°When did he¡­?¡±


    Daliyah¡¯s eyes widened as she saw the masked soldier behind Agatha. She remembered seeing his silhouette next to the man named ¡°Myer¡± as they had approached a few moments ago but missed the moment he disappeared. Now he was right behind them, shooting daggers through his eyes.


    ¡°As you can see little maid, you are outnumbered¡±


    Daliyah slowly returned her gaze towards Myer. She thought about how naive and foolish she had been at thinking for even a moment this plan of hers would have worked. The moment they had taken a different route she should have figured things were not going to be as smoothly as she had calculated for the last few months. She looked around, trying to come up with a solution to the present situation.


    ¡°You¡¯re stubborn, aren¡¯t you? Trying to find a way to escape even now.¡±


    Daliyah said nothing as she glared at the man in front of her.


    ¡°I admit, I respect your boldness and stubbornness. I don''t know about your intelligence, but hey, we can¡¯t have too many things at once now can we?¡±


    Myer chuckled as he saw Daliyah¡¯s eyes trying to pierce a hole through his forehead.


    ¡°You sure you want to waste your time glaring at me like that?¡±


    Daliyah turned her head once again. This time, her eyes widened as she saw the masked soldier holding a small knife against Agatha¡¯s neck.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    The masked soldier remained silent as he used his other hand to point his sword at Daliyah.


    ¡°Drop your weapons.¡±


    The chilly whisper coming from within the mask rang through Daliyah¡¯s ears. She looked at Agatha who had not uttered a single word despite having a blade pressing against her flesh.


    ¡°Get away from her!¡±


    Daliyah clenched her teeth as she felt desperation and anger running through her body. The masked soldier, feeling unmoved by Daliyah¡¯s threatening glare, pressed the blade even harder against Agatha¡¯s skin. Agatha¡¯s eyes widened as she felt the blade very close to cutting her. She knew he was not pressing hard enough to pierce her skin, but with a little more force¡­


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Agatha heard Daliyah¡¯s fearful voice. She saw as the young woman took a deep breath and slowly opened her hands. Her two daggers fell softly on the grass. She then raised her hands and begged.


    ¡°Please¡­don¡¯t hurt her.¡±


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    ¡°Hurt her? She deserves more than a cut for pulling such a stunt and running away from her duty.¡±


    Myer crossed his arms as he said this.


    ¡°No! She had nothing to do with this!¡±


    Daliyah, still with her hands raised, realized the position Agatha was in. The Sapphire Warriors were the most loyal soldiers the Crown had. They were known for their merciless punishments towards those who betrayed the empire and at this moment¡­ that is exactly how they saw her and Agatha.


    ¡°If you want to blame someone you can blame me!¡±


    ¡°And why would we believe you? As far as we know, she is your master and you are her servant. Why else would you help her escape if not because she ordered you to?¡±


    Nerian asked as he rolled his eyes.


    ¡°I can swear on my life that she knew nothing of this! If you want to punish someone for treason you can punish me!¡±


    Nerian and Myer looked at Daliyah, still not believing her. Daliyah ignored them as she realized that pleading with them was a waste of time. The one she truly had to be pleading with was,


    ¡°Their leader.¡±


    She slowly kneeled while facing the masked soldier.


    ¡°I beg you, please don¡¯t hurt her.¡±


    ¡°Why are you begging me now?¡±


    ¡°Because those two are under your command and I do nothing begging the dogs when I should be begging their master.¡±


    ¡°Did¡­did she just call us dogs¡­?¡±


    Nerian asked as he looked at Myer.


    ¡°Did she? I heard ¡®dog.¡¯ I think she was referring to you.¡±


    Myer said as he nonchalantly smiled.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Nerian raised his voice as he grabbed Myer¡¯s collar.


    ¡°Enough.¡±


    Myer and Nerian stood up straight and regained their composure. Just as Daliyah had thought, the man before her was the one in charge. One word from him was enough to make such strong fighters obey. One word from him, and Agatha would¡­


    ¡°What makes you think begging me for her life will work? Seeing you being so committed to preserve her life makes this all the more questionable. Us Sapphire Warriors don¡¯t tolerate treason.¡±


    ¡°She is the vessel for crying out loud! She is the last person who would ever betray the Empire! You talk about not tolerating treason and yet you are the one holding a blade against her neck! What bigger treason is there than the one you are committing now?!¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, the little maid has guts.¡±


    Myer looked towards the ground for a moment trying to keep his comments to himself. He then felt a pat on his shoulder from Nerian, making him look up.


    ¡°...and she is full of surprises.¡±


    Daliyah was no longer holding her head up. She had placed her forehead on the ground as she begged the masked soldier.


    ¡°Please¡­I know I don¡¯t deserve it¡­but please¡­believe me¡­¡±


    Her voice trembled as the silence surrounded her. Pride? Dignity? None of this mattered to her at the moment. She had put Agatha in this position. She was aware that her wish had driven her to do something so reckless and put the life of the person she cared for the most at risk.


    ¡°All this for one selfish wish¡­one selfish dream¡­¡±


    ¡°Little maid, you are aware that if we let her go, it means all the blame falls on you.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then that means that all punishment and consequence will be suffered by you alone.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And you are willing to just accept it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Daliyah did not respond. Instead, she slowly lifted her head and looked straight into Agatha¡¯s eyes. Her eyes were a little teary as she tried to hold her emotions back. Agatha tried to figure out the pained eyes that were piercing her soul. She was still processing what had happened. It was obvious that Daliyah had deceived her by hiding who she truly was, and yet she was trying to protect her. Why?


    ¡°Daliyah¡­who are you?¡±


    Agatha wanted to cry. None of this was making sense. Daliyah, the monsters, the Sapphire Warriors¡­him. She could feel her back pressing against the man¡¯s chest as he kept her close. She felt overpowered as his tall figure surpassed her. She unconsciously reached to the hand that was holding the knife threatening her life. His hand was big and firm. They were strong enough to break her neck without the need for a weapon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    The man whispered into Agatha¡¯s ear as he felt her hand touch his. Agatha quickly lowered her hand and breathed nervously. The man returned his attention to Daliyah.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say I decide to believe you and don¡¯t kill the vessel. What will you have me do with you?¡±


    This time, the pain and fear instantly left Daliyah¡¯s eyes. All that was left was determination.


    ¡°You can have my life.¡±

 Chapter 16: You鈥檙e so Cruel

    The rain ceased to fall. The world fell still as the young woman made such a declaration. Who would have thought that someone so loyal was living within these mountains? Loyalty had become a lost value in a world where the enemies were, not only monsters, but humans themselves.


    ¡°That is quite the statement to make, little maid. Do you hold your life with such little regard?¡±


    Myer crossed his arms as he looked at the woman who was still kneeling, begging for the life of her master. But why? What could the person chosen as a simple vessel have possibly given this woman in exchange for her loyalty?


    ¡°It is because I value my life that I am offering it in exchange. If that is what it takes for you to believe that my lady is innocent, then so be it.¡±


    The young girl looked at Myer without a single drop of fear in her gray eyes. She was being serious. Myer smiled at this.


    ¡°What a shame¡­she would have been useful to have on our side¡­¡±


    Myer sighed at the thought of the loss that was about to occur. After all, no matter how loyal she was, it was to the wrong cause. Her loyalty was putting humanity at risk.


    ¡°There is no way that he will tolerate it.¡±


    Myer looked over at Arcane, wondering what he was thinking about. For as long as he had known him, Myer knew that Arcane was a ¡°black or white¡± type of man. He did not care about the person¡¯s reasons for why they did what they did. A betrayal to the crown was a betrayal. Nothing more, nothing less.


    ¡°Still, I should ask out of formality.¡±


    ¡°Arcane, what will you have us do?¡±


    Daliyah turned once again to face the masked soldier. Agatha looked at Daliyah and felt her breath getting caught in her throat. She wanted to say something but no words were coming out. They were deciding the fate of someone she cared about right in front of her!


    ¡°Why am I just standing here? Why won¡¯t my words come out? I have to do something. I have to say something. I have to-¡±


    ¡°Kill her.¡±


    Agatha felt her heart stop for a second. Her eyes widened as she felt cold sweat running down her face. With such a cold and indifferent voice, the man behind her had just decided the fate of the young woman kneeling before them.


    ¡°Wait, won¡¯t you at least ask for an explanation?! I¡¯m sure we can talk about this! Why are you just deciding that on your own?! Why do you say that with no hesitation? What kind of monster are you?!¡±


    Agatha rapidly inhaled and exhaled as she thought about all of this. Yet, none of her thoughts were making it past her mind. None of her thoughts were being heard.


    ¡°As you wish.¡±


    Myer took out his sword and slowly walked toward Daliyah who was kneeling obediently.


    ¡°Wait, no, wait!¡±


    Agatha felt her mouth opening and closing. Only small sounds were made. None enough to be understood.


    Myer got closer to Daliyah. He cleaned his sword from all the stains of monster blood from the battle they had fought earlier. It was the least he could do for such a loyal person. Take her life with a clean sword. Clean from any other impurity. Myer finally reached Daliyah and stood behind her.


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    ¡°Do you have any last words?¡±


    ¡°What is this? Are you pitying me right now?¡±


    Daliyah smiled as she turned a bit to get a glance of her executor.


    ¡° I pity no one. It ''s respect.¡±


    ¡°Hmp, you didn¡¯t seem like the type to know what that word meant.¡±


    ¡°Will your last words really be insulting me? What an honor.¡±


    ¡°Why do you stand behind me? Will you feel bad for me if you see my face before you kill me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t flatter yourself, little maid. I follow orders and execute whoever needs to be executed. But like I said, you¡¯ve earned my respect. Which is why I don¡¯t want to be the last person you see before you die.¡±


    Daliyah turned her gaze towards Agatha. She could tell the young woman wanted to say something but was unable to. Who could blame her? For someone who had been locked away in the mountains and who¡¯s life had been decided for her, all of this was enough to make her crumble. Daliyah smiled at her as best she could. At least, she would become one less thing for Agatha to worry about.


    ¡°My lady¡­¡±


    Daliyah tried her best to control her trembling voice and the tears that were starting to build up in her eyes. There was no going back anymore. She had decided she would not regret this.


    ¡°¡­.I¡¯m ¡­sorry I couldn¡¯t take you to¡­see the vast ocean you longed to enjoy so much¡­¡±


    Daliyah took a deep breath as a small memory from the past came to her mind.


    *flashback*


    ¡°Look Daliyah! A shooting star! We have to make a wish!¡±


    The little girl, barely 10, pointed excitedly at the vast starry night. She closed her eyes and held her hands together.


    ¡°My lady, I didn¡¯t know you believed in such things?¡±


    Daliyah inwardly rolled her eyes as she thought about how childish her little mistress was. After all, wishes only came true in fairy tales. Agatha opened her eyes and looked at her close companion.


    ¡°But of course I do. It¡¯s one of the few things I can believe in without anyone forcing me to do otherwise.¡±


    Daliyah pressed her lips as she suddenly felt bad for the young girl.


    ¡°What did you wish for my lady?¡±


    Agatha¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement as she smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m technically not supposed to tell anyone, but no harm will come from telling you.¡±


    She looked around to make sure no one else was listening, even though they were the only ones in her room. She approached Daliyah¡¯s ear and whispered,


    ¡°I want to go see the ocean one day, with you Daliyah.¡±


    Daliyah¡¯s eyes widened as she heard this. That¡¯s what she wished for? Why didn¡¯t she wish to be freed from the fate that had fallen on her? Why didn¡¯t she wish to be free from this place? Why¡­was a mere servant like her included in such a wish?


    *end of flashback*


    Daliyah chuckled as she thought about this memory. She had not dared to ask Agatha all those questions. She had, however, made an oath that day. To make her wish come true no matter what. She had made an oath and yet¡­


    ¡°Please forgive this unreliable and selfish servant. And I hope¡­that even if it¡¯s for a minute¡­I hope that you experience true happiness one day¡­¡±


    Tears started to roll down Agatha¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°No my lady, don¡¯t cry for someone like me.¡±


    Daliyah closed her eyes as she lifted her head, ready to accept her death. She took a deep breath, savoring the taste of being alive for the last time.


    Myer slowly raised his sword, ready to make a clean and painless cut. Afterall, this is all he could do for her. Kill her in the quickest way possible so she wouldn''t have to suffer.


    Myer swung his sword when¡­


    ¡°MYER, STOPPP!!¡±


    Myer suddenly had to come to a halt as Nerian¡¯s voice reached his ears. He looked down in surprise as he saw Agatha¡¯s body covering Daliyah.


    ¡°What¡­? How did she?¡±


    He looked over at Arcane who was still standing by the tree.


    ¡°Did she free herself? That¡¯s not possible¡­¡±


    Myer stood there confused for a moment. Nerian walked over to them.


    ¡°Hey! Are you out of your mind?! Who jumps in front of a swinging sword like that?!¡±


    He could not believe the foolishness of the one known as the chosen vessel. Did she not know that if she died, then humanity would be doomed? How could she risk her life like this?


    ¡°My lady?¡±


    Daliyah was also astonished, for instead of feeling a cold blade cutting through her neck, she felt a warm, trembling body embracing her.


    ¡°My lady¡­have you gone mad?¡±


    Daliyah moved Agatha¡¯s body away from her and grabbed her by the shoulders. Agatha raised her eyes which were full of tears.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who has gone mad, Daliyah. How can you be so cruel and say goodbye to me like this?¡±


    Daliyah was speechless. She did not expect someone who had been trembling in fear a few moments ago to use her own body to protect her. Agatha wiped her tears and stood up. She put herself between Daliyah and Myer.


    ¡°I will not¡­let you kill her.¡±

 Chapter 17: What will it be?

    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    After finally putting two and two together and realizing what was happening, Myer gave the young girl a questioning look. It seemed that she had somehow managed to set herself free from Arcane¡¯s hold and was now in front of him. The young girl stood defiantly between him, his sword, and Daliyah.


    ¡°I said¡­I won¡¯t let you kill her.¡±


    Agatha did her best to control her trembling voice. The man in front of her was tall and strong. A small and fragile girl like her would not stand a chance. Yet, here she was giving him orders.


    ¡°Pfft, you won¡¯t let me kill her? And just how are you going to stop me from doing so?¡±


    Myer found this rather funny. He could easily cut her in half if he wanted to.


    ¡°This is getting annoying¡­How in the world did she manage to get away from Arcane?¡±


    Myer looked over to where Arcane was standing. The masked soldier had not moved from his spot, and only observed them.


    ¡°That guy¡­¡±


    Myer turned his attention back to Agatha and pointed his sword at her.


    ¡°Move, or I will move you myself.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Nerian grabbed Myer¡¯s shoulder to stop him.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter Nerian?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean what¡¯s the matter? You do know who you are pointing your sword to right?¡±


    ¡°Of course I know, what¡¯s your point?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Although the girl in front of them looked like an average person, she was still the chosen vessel. The whole purpose of them being here was to get her and escort her safely back to the capital in time to prepare for the ritual. Things had gotten messy though. Everything was going according to the plan, but none expected Daliyah to do what she did. If there was one thing Arcane and Myer hated was someone or something interfering with their calculations. Nerian knew that though Myer looked calm, he was annoyed and angry because of all the distractions Daliyah had caused. Killing her was the easiest and quickest way to not only bring punishment but also a bit of compensation for obstructing the plan.


    Now, the vessel they had come to ¡°quietly and smoothly¡± escort, was standing before them making things difficult¡­again.


    ¡°My point is, you can¡¯t be pointing your sword at her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just politely asking her to move. If she does not move, I will cut her.¡±


    ¡°Myer, this isn¡¯t the time to be joking.¡±


    ¡°Who said I was joking?¡±


    Myer moved Nerian¡¯s hand from his shoulder and stepped towards Agatha.


    ¡°Litle girl, I asked you to move.¡±


    Agatha shook her head and opened her arms to cover as much of Daliyah as possible.


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    Nerian nervously tried to calm the fumes.


    ¡°I will not move. It is you who should be putting your sword away.¡±


    ¡°Okay, she is asking for a death sentence now.¡±


    Nerian rubbed his temples in frustration. He saw Arcane standing by the tree and gave him a ¡°Are you not gonna do anything?¡± look. Arcane did not seem to take interest in what was happening. Or rather, he seemed to be lost in thought. Then again, it was hard to tell with the mask on.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t move I will give you another cut aside from the one you already have.¡±


    Agatha tilted her head in confusion. She then felt a stinging pain in her neck. She touched the front of her neck and felt something wet. She looked at her hand and realized she was bleeding.


    ¡°My lady? Are you hurt?¡±


    Agatha said nothing as she stared at what seemed to be her blood.


    ¡°Why am I bleeding? When did I get hurt?¡±


    Then it hit her. She remembered that the masked soldier held a blade against her neck to threaten Daliyah. When she saw Myer getting ready to execute her, Agatha felt a rush of adrenaline and without thinking, ran towards them to protect Daliyah.


    ¡°I probably cut myself with the sudden movement.¡±


    Still, the blade could have caused greater harm since she had run without any type of caution. This could only mean that¡­


    ¡°He moved the blade away before it caused more damage.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be bleeding if you had just stayed where you were. So show me you learn from your mistakes and move.¡±


    Myer gave Agatha an impatient look and placed his sword against her chest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡±


    Daliyah started to stand up to fight, but Agatha signaled her to stop.


    ¡°I am not bleeding because I moved. I¡¯m bleeding because he had a blade against my neck to threaten my servant. If he had not used such a cheap trick, my neck would be without harm.¡±


    ¡°Did she just say¡­cheap trick?¡±


    Nerian¡¯s jaw dropped. Never in his life had he heard anyone call Arcane¡¯s strategies a ¡°cheap trick.¡±


    Agatha was not done talking though.


    ¡°The same applies to you, Mr. Warrior. If you were to put your sword away and listen to what I have to say then there would be no need for me to acquire another injury now is there?¡±


    ¡°What kind of logic is that?¡±


    Myer chuckled in disbelief.


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s not completely wrong there.¡±


    Nerian agreed under his breath. Myer gave him a dirty look.


    *cough* ¡°I mean, you don¡¯t have to hold the sword so close to her.¡±


    ¡°That is enough from you both.¡±


    A chilling voice made both Myer and Nerian stop their argument. Arcane approached them with an imposing aura. He signaled Myer to put his sword away. Myer immediately obeyed. Arcane stood in front of Agatha and looked at her intensely. Agatha felt her breath getting stuck in her throat for a moment. The man in front of her was powerful indeed. She could see the spiritual energy that surrounded him.


    ¡°How is it possible for a simple human to have so much spiritual energy and keep it under control?¡±


    Arcane crossed his arms and bent down a bit to be at Agatha¡¯s eye level. Agatha was taken back for a moment and took a step back.


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    Agatha looked at him confused.


    ¡°You said you had something to say. I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I wasn¡¯t talking to you.¡±


    Agatha still remembered how he had heartlessly ordered Daliyah to get killed without a second thought. This man was dangerous. She would avoid talking to him if she could but¡­


    ¡°I¡­I know that Daliyah made a mistake. I know that you see her as a traitor, but you can¡¯t kill her.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because she was only trying to give me a chance to live a life I know I will never have. She says I had nothing to do with it, but the truth is that I do.¡±


    ¡°My lady! What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°It is I who talked to her about my wishes and desires. It was I who talked to her about wanting to see the ocean. It is I who talked to her about dreams that I know will never come true. Since that is the case, it was I who drove her to do what she did.¡±


    ¡°My lady, are you insane?!¡±


    ¡°Silence Daliyah! I¡¯m your master, thus I¡¯m the one who needs to be held accountable!¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    Arcane thought about the young girl¡¯s words for a moment.


    ¡°Where are you going with this?¡±


    Agatha took a deep breath.


    ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is that since I am also at fault I should also be punished with death.¡±


    ¡°So you suggest we kill you knowing we are unable to?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Even though I deserve death, you can¡¯t kill me.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with her? We can kill her and keep you alive?¡±


    ¡°I told you. She is my servant. Not only is she my servant but my closest and dearest friend. If you kill her, I will kill myself even if you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°My lady¡­¡±


    ¡°Is she serious?¡±


    Daliyah, Myer, and Nerian¡¯s eyes widened at Agatha¡¯s proclamation.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±


    Agatha took a step forward and got close to the soldier¡¯s face. She could see his hazel eyes looking at her coldly.


    ¡°I would.¡±


    ¡°You would risk the lives of hundreds of thousands of people for one person?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This one person is my only reason to live. If she dies, I have nothing to lose. I know none of those hundreds of thousands of people so I could care less what happens to them. They have no problem with using my life for their benefit so don¡¯t make it seem like I¡¯m the only selfish one here.¡±


    Arcane could not believe what he was hearing. As far as he knew, being the chosen vessel was a blessing to whoever held the title. The woman in front of him, however, was talking about it like it was a curse.


    Having nothing more to lose, Agatha crossed her arms and stood her ground.


    ¡°Now, if I take my life and you don¡¯t go back with me to the capital, it means you have failed at your mission. I believe failing the crown is worse than death to any of you. So, what will it be?¡±

 Chapter 18: Agreement

    There was a moment of silence between both parties. Myer, Nerian, and Daliyah silently waited to see what their masters¡¯ next move would be. Daliyah prepared herself to move Agatha out of the way and defend her with her life if the masked soldier decided to harm her in any way. Arcane straightened himself and looked down at Agatha. Though her body was trembling and he could tell she was struggling to keep herself from crying, she still looked back at him with defiance and determination. He closed his eyes for a moment to think.


    ¡°*Sigh* This is exactly why I don¡¯t like my plans being changed by¡­outsiders¡­what a bothersome vessel this is¡­if people¡¯s lives weren¡¯t in her hands, I would¡­¡±


    He opened his eyes. His attention was directed at the blood that was running down her neck.


    ¡°Ah, right, she got hurt by my blade¡­I guess that settles it then.¡±


    Arcane reached to his side. Agatha got tense at his movement and prepared herself for whatever he was reaching for.


    ¡°Bring it on¡­if you think I was joking I wasn¡¯t. I am not backing down you piece of-¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Agatha looked at what Arcane was handing to her. It was a bandage he had taken out of his side pocket.


    ¡°What is that for?¡±


    ¡°For your neck, what else?¡±


    Agatha touched her neck again. She looked at the man confused. Was he going to force her to go with them? Would they bind her in a way she wouldn¡¯t be able to take her life and then kill Daliyah? Was he acting ¡°nice¡± so she would lower her guard?


    ¡°No need to look at me like that. I won¡¯t kill you nor your servant.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes grew wide, especially Agatha¡¯s.


    ¡°Wait, Arcane, are you serious? You will just let them go?¡±


    without looking back at his companion, Arcane answered calmly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not ¡®letting them go,¡¯ as in they can leave. We are still taking the vessel back with us. We just won¡¯t kill her servant.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not?¡±


    Nerian looked at Myer who was just as confused as he was.


    ¡°But Arcane-¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough Myer.¡±


    Myer stopped talking when he realized Arcane was getting irritated.


    ¡°I know you two disagree but, as the vessel said, she¡¯s this woman¡¯s master and the reason she acted the way she did. Which is why¡­¡±


    Arcane pointed at Agatha¡¯s neck.


    ¡°We could say that she has already received punishment for their actions. Her for dreaming so much and her servant for thinking she can change her master¡¯s fate.¡±


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    ¡°He didn¡¯t have to put it that way.¡±


    Agatha and Daliyah frowned as they heard Arcane¡¯s words. Neither of them said anything for fear he would change his mind.


    ¡°We move out after you clean the wound and bandage it.¡±


    Arcane turned his back to Agatha and signaled Myer and Nerian to follow him to talk at a small distance away. Agatha stared at the soldier¡¯s back for a few moments. This man was indeed cold and ruthless. He had ¡°forgiven¡± their lives but Agatha knew it wasn¡¯t out of the goodness of his heart.


    ¡°It¡¯s because he can¡¯t risk failing his mission.¡±


    Agatha felt as her legs finally gave out. She slowly fell to her knees.


    ¡°My lady!¡±


    Daliyah quickly moved to her side and supported her. Agatha took a couple of deep breaths. She hugged herself and felt her eyes tear up.


    ¡°My lady¡­I¡¯m so sorry¡­ I-¡±


    ¡°Ha, you never cease to amaze me Daliyah.¡±


    Daliyah looked at her master¡¯s face, and even though had tears rolling down, she still had a warm, teasing smile directed at her.


    ¡°Seriously, since when do you know how to fight? Had I known I would have asked you to teach me. Did you see the size of those monsters? It was terrifying, and these warriors are¡­something else.¡±


    ¡°My lady¡­¡±


    Agatha placed her hand on her forehead. She felt a throbbing pain in her head starting.


    ¡°And then you come and offer you life just like that for someone like me. For someone who is going to die and cease to exist anyway in 3 months. What kind of logic is that?¡±


    ¡°My lady¡­please stop.¡±


    Daliyah placed Agatha¡¯s head on her chest and hugged her tightly.


    ¡°You can cry, my lady. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll cover you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already crying.¡±


    ¡°I meant freely. You can allow yourself to be scared. I am here for you.¡±


    ¡°*sob* Are you though? I thought I knew you. Out of all the unknowns in my life, I thought you were the only mystery I had already solved *sob* Who are you Daliyah? Will you truly not leave me?¡±


    Daliyah felt a tear roll down her cheek.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for hiding so much from you my lady. I will tell you everything.¡±


    Agatha tried to wipe her tears and looked at Daliyah.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you have a choice. There is no way those three won¡¯t want to know who you are *sob*¡±


    ¡°I know. But even if they didn¡¯t ask me to reveal anything, I would still tell you. Know this though.¡±


    Daliyah reached out and held both of Agatha¡¯s hands in her own.


    ¡°Nothing I have done has been to harm you. Not once have I thought about betraying you. My love and care for you have always been genuine. Other than my true identity and abilities, everything I have talked to you about and my gestures towards you have been real. I know I don¡¯t deserve for you to believe me, but I shamelessly ask you to please¡­trust me on this.¡±


    Daliyah closed her eyes as she felt more tears rolling down. Agatha looked as a small breeze made some of Daliyah¡¯s hair cover her face. Agatha reached out and tucked her friend¡¯s hair behind her ear. She then placed her hand on her cheek and smiled warmly.


    ¡°You already proved enough for me. Why do you think I did what I did?¡±


    ¡°My lady¡­thank you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough crying now. Our new companions are already upset at us. We don¡¯t want them to think we are crybabies now do we?¡±


    ¡°Hmp, who cares what they think of us, my lady? It¡¯s not like we like them ourselves. So the feeling is mutual.¡±


    ¡°*Chuckle* Why you¡­¡±


    Agatha playfully patted Daliyah¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Also, no need to call me ¡®my lady¡¯ anymore. You can just call me by my name.¡±


    ¡°What? Oh no, I could never. A servant like me is not worthy.¡±


    ¡°Oh please Daliyah, you know I¡¯m just a ¡®lady¡¯ by name only. No one truly sees me as nobility.¡±


    ¡°To me, you are the greatest of nobles.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Then I order you to call me by my name. It feels weird for my dearest friend to address me the way you do.¡±


    ¡°Your ¡®dearest friend?¡¯¡±


    Agatha nodded and smiled. Daliyah felt tears building up again.


    ¡°Wait don¡¯t cry again. You¡¯ll make me cry if you do.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, I¡¯m just happy that¡¯s all.¡±


    Daliyah wiped her eyes. She then realized she hadn¡¯t tended to Agatha¡¯s neck yet.


    ¡°Oh, let me take care of your wound. Now where is that bag?¡±


    ¡°If you mean the one you brought with you, it¡¯s laying over there. You kind of dropped it after the jumping hare attacked us.¡±


    ¡°The jumping who?¡±


    Daliyah looked at Agatha wondering what she was talking about. Agatha then signaled her with her eyes towards Nerian. Daliyah covered her smile and went over to get the bag. While waiting for Daliyah, Agatha looked over at the Sapphire Warriors who had been observing them and talking among themselves. The one they called Myer seemed to be the most against the decision the one they called Arcane had made. Nerian just seemed to get both sides to agree.


    ¡°Arcane¡­the masked soldier¡­a Sapphire Warrior with so much spiritual energy¡­what else are you hiding behind those hazel eyes of yours.¡±


    Agatha thought back at how cold those eyes had looked at her a few moments ago and felt a shiver down her spine. Arcane felt her gaze on him and turned. Taken back by the sudden eye contact, Agatha quickly turned her head towards Daliyah¡¯s direction.


    ¡°The less I interact with that man the better.¡±


    She remembered how she thought he was a kind person when he helped her with her veil the day they met.


    ¡°How foolish of me. As far as I know¡­no one in the outside world is kind.¡±


    Lost in thought, Agatha was brought back by Daliyah¡¯s sudden alarmed voice.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Agatha saw Daliyah holding a stance ready to attack someone. Daliyah turned her head and saw two curious, green eyes looking right at her.


    ¡°Huh?¡±

 Chapter 19: Those Innocent Eyes

    A young woman, maybe a few years younger than Agatha, was bending down while curiously looking into her eyes.


    ¡°Hey! I asked you a question!¡±


    Daliyah approached the girl and was ready to push her away, but Agatha signaled her to stop. Agatha noticed the warriors observing from the distance, not moving at all.


    ¡°Do they know her?¡±


    Even though she and the Sapphire Warriors had a rocky start, she knew that if this girl were dangerous or a stranger, they would have reacted the same way Daliyah had or worse. Agatha sat still and allowed the young girl to ¡°study¡± her,


    ¡°Or whatever it is she is doing.¡±


    The young girl pointed at Agatha¡¯s neck with a concerned expression. She then tapped at her neck,


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    She made a small sound as if asking what had happened to Agatha¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Oh, this? Well¡­¡±


    Agatha looked over at the warriors. The young girl followed her gaze and saw them in the distance. Her eyes now looked upset. She looked back at Agatha and started to make signs with her hands. Agatha was confused and did not know what to say.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    The young girl stopped and looked down. She seemed apologetic. Agatha looked at her for a few moments and realized it was as she suspected.


    ¡°She can¡¯t speak.¡±


    Agatha had heard that there were people in the outside world who could not speak, hear, see, or none of the three. In her case, she could see and hear, but could not speak.


    ¡°Does she feel bad because I can¡¯t understand what she is saying?¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    The young girl looked up as she heard Agatha trying to get her attention. Her innocent gaze pulled a string on Agatha¡¯s heart immediately. She seemed like the type of person one would trust without a second thought. The type you would not expect to ever hurt you.


    ¡°And those are also the most dangerous¡­¡±


    Agatha hesitated as this thought came to her mind. In just a few hours, many things had changed for her. Her closest friend turned out to be a possible deadly assassin. The ones she thought were ¡°normal¡± soldiers turned out to be some of the strongest warriors in the empire. She had been forced to leave the fortress three months in advance without being given a reason as to why. People around her seemed to have secret agendas and she was just in the midst of it all.


    ¡°This is giving me a headache¡­¡±


    The young girl tapped Agatha on the shoulder. She showed her a small blanket she had been holding.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­?¡±


    Daliyah took the blanket from the young girl.


    ¡°My lad-¡±


    Agatha gave Daliyah a look to remind her of their earlier agreement.


    ¡°...Agatha, isn¡¯t this the blanket we brought with us? The one we left behind in the carriage.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, it is.¡±


    Agatha looked back at the girl who just smiled.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°How did you get that? That place was filled with...¡±


    ¡°I see the wolves have all been exterminated.¡±


    Arcane approached them with Nerian and Myer close behind. The young girl stood up and made a small bow.


    ¡°Zakiah, report.¡±


    Zakiah¡¯s smile faded and she quickly started to tell Arcane what she had seen. Although she was speaking with signs, her companions listened closely and nodded. Agatha was fascinated by this. She did not think people could communicate using their hands. Yes, people wrote to each other, but to have a whole conversation like this was impressive.


    ¡°And the fact they can understand her¡­¡±


    While lost in thought, Agatha felt Daliyah inspecting her injury and cleaning it. She then applied ointment, and neatly wrapped a bandage around it.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You must be cold after running under the rain like that. Use this.¡±


    Daliyah gently wrapped the blanket around Agatha.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold Daliyah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m alright. This is nothing for me. You, on the other hand, could easily catch a cold.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that deli- *achoo*¡±


    ¡°You were saying?¡±


    ¡°*Sniff* I¡¯m not sick. The wind might have carried some dust along or something.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, whatever you say.¡±


    ¡°Are you two done chatting?¡±


    Daliyah rolled her eyes after hearing Myer¡¯s voice.


    ¡°My apologies, you all seemed intrigued by your conversation, thus we did not think it would be a problem to have our own.¡±


    ¡°Daliyah¡­¡±


    Agatha held her friend back from further arguing with Myer. It was obvious they both had similar personalities. Neither was the type to stay quiet if instigated by the other.


    ¡°Well, for someone who was about to be executed by my hand a few moments ago, you have quite a sharp tongue.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Myer, that¡¯s enough.¡±


    Arcane, not wanting any more unnecessary problems, started to step in as well but Zakiah got ahead of him. She stood in front of Myer and stared defiantly. Their height difference was rather big, but for some reason, the one to first take a step back was Myer. Zakiah began to signal Myer a few words.


    ¡°What do you mean why did I try to kill her? Arcane ordered me to.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame this on me, I just follow the law.¡±


    Zakiah looked over at Nerian and also said a few things to him.


    ¡°Wait, why are you blaming me? I didn¡¯t just stand there, I tried to stop them. Plus, Arcane is the one who hurt the vessel and Myer is the one who threatened to kill her.¡±


    Arcane and Myer turned angrily towards Nerian who quickly looked the other way.  Daliyah and Agatha stood quietly as they were witnesses to the scene before them.


    ¡°*scoff* Is she their boss or something? I thought the masked soldier was their leader.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s it¡­¡±


    Agatha could not put her finger on it, but based on their spiritual energy, Zakiah had a lower level than Arcane and Myer. Also, Myer and Nerian followed Arcane¡¯s orders without a thought. He had also asked the young girl to give her report. Yet, they were all acting like scolded puppies in front of her.


    Zakiah ignored the three men and turned her attention back to Agatha and Daliyah. She signaled Agatha¡¯s hand. She seemed to want to do something with it.


    ¡°My hand?¡±


    Zakiah nodded. Agatha extended her hand. Zakiah started to write on her palm with her finger.


    ¡°(I¡¯m sorry for how they have treated you. These men know no manners. My name is Zakiah, but you can call me Zaki my lady.)¡±


    ¡°Zaki? Is that your nickname?¡±


    Zakiah nodded.


    ¡°Are you also a Sapphire Warrior?¡±


    ¡°(Yes, my lady. Although I may not seem like it.)¡±


    Agatha noticed a shy smile appear on Zaki¡¯s face as she blushed a bit. It was true. She had a sweet, almost child-like appearance. She did not look threatening at all.


    ¡°But those are usually the most lethal.¡±


    Agatha whispered under her breath as she said this. Zaki tilted her head innocently and asked if she had said something with her eyes.


    ¡°*clears throat* It¡¯s nothing. Nice to meet you. Umm, thank you for the blanket, I was getting cold.¡±


    ¡°(I thought you would need it. I¡¯m glad I retrieved it.¡±


    ¡°How were you able to get it anyway? That place was a battlefield last I remember.¡±


    Daliyah looked at Zaki suspiciously. She didn¡¯t trust any of them.


    ¡°I asked her to stay put and report to me when everything was finished.¡±


    Arcane explained plainly.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®finished?¡¯ Is everyone¡­?¡±


    Agatha thought the worst and wondered if he meant until everyone was dead.


    ¡°There were other Sapphire Warriors close by. They kept their presence hidden using spiritual stones. The plan was that once the attack started, we would quickly take you out of the carriage and they would take care of the wolves while we took a different route to the capital.¡±


    ¡°Or at least, that¡¯s what was supposed to happen.¡±


    Myer gave Daliyah a dirty look. Daliyah ignored him and continued to listen.


    ¡°Of course, when we realized you two were gone, I had to send Nerian ahead to stop you while I gave my soldiers a report of the situation. They were to still follow the original plan. Exterminate the wolves, and take care of the soldiers who were injured. They will then take a different route, not to the capital, but to hide away until further orders are delivered.¡±


    ¡°Wait, hold on, so you knew those wolves would attack us and yet you allowed us to take that route?¡±


    ¡°No, I made sure that we took that route.¡±


    Agatha looked at Arcane in disbelief. Was he insane?


    ¡°I knew something was wrong. The soldiers had no problem coming up here because they were guided through the right route which had little to no monsters. Yet, it had not been long before we had left that we got attacked. That¡¯s what messed up my plan as well.¡±


    Daliyah said this as the pieces were coming together.


    ¡°Oh please, enlighten us on what that plan might have been.¡±


    Myer questioned Daliyah with a mixture of sarcasm and irritation.


    ¡°To quietly take my lady away under the cover of the night. Simple as that. Or at least it would have been simple if you hadn¡¯t decided to throw us into some suicidal trap.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean trap? We were not trapping you. It¡¯s called being strategic.¡±


    Nerian stepped in to clear their name.


    ¡°Well, that ¡®strategy¡¯ could have killed us all.¡±


    ¡°And here I thought I was the only one questioning your abilities.¡±


    ¡°YOU¡­¡±


    ¡°ENOUGH! ALL OF YOU!¡±

 Chapter 20: A small Grin

    Everyone turned to Agatha, who was surprised at how she had raised her own voice. She had not been given time to think through what had happened, and hearing everyone arguing only irritated her even more.


    ¡°*clears throat* Look, I could care less about what any of your plans are at the moment. I am cold, hungry, and with a pounding headache. I was so close to eating a strawberry shortcake before the attack, which trust me, was the only joy I was going to experience for the day but that cake was most likely smashed into pieces just like my sanity at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Pfftt¡±


    Nerian tried to cover his mouth to contain his laughter. Zaki hit his stomach with her elbow to keep him in check.


    ¡°Oof, sorry.¡±


    Agatha continued.


    ¡°Thus, if it is not too much trouble for you gentlemen¡­¡±


    She looked at Zaki who gave her a small smile.


    ¡°...and ladies, I would like to find a place to rest and eat. We can have our nice, bonding chat afterward.¡±


    She walked towards Arcane and gave him a demanding look.


    ¡°Does that sound like a straightforward plan you would be willing to follow, sir?¡±


    Arcane said nothing and turned his back to Agatha.


    ¡°Just so you know, my lady, there aren¡¯t any villages around nor cities. We will have to hunt for food and sleep under the stars. I hope that is of no convenience to you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, and just how is that any way to keep her safe-¡±


    Daliyah started to protest but Agatha stopped her.


    ¡°You make it sound like I would have a choice either way. I¡¯m sure that regardless of the circumstances, that was your plan to begin with. I may not look like it, but I can adapt fairly quickly. Your only job is to escort me safely to the capital I assume. Whether I am comfortable or not is my concern alone, so there is no need for the sarcasm.¡±


    A small grin appeared behind Arcane¡¯s mask, hidden away and only known to him.


    ¡°Very well. Zaki, is the carriage functional at all?¡±


    Zaki shook her head in disappointment. She once again started to sign what she saw.


    ¡°(The fight was chaotic. The carriage was one of the first things that was destroyed after you and Myer left).¡±


    ¡°It makes sense since we weren¡¯t protecting it anymore.¡±


    Myer gave Daliyah a side eye which she returned.


    ¡°(I was only able to get our lady the blanket put away in her luggage. It was the only rescuable item. All her clothes, food, and utilities are gone).¡±


    ¡°Well great! So we will have to go back to being hunters and gatherers.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Although Nerian was used to surviving in the wild as a soldier, he had hoped they wouldn¡¯t have to go through the trouble of hunting for food this once.


    ¡°Did my division go the way they were supposed to?¡±


    ¡°(Yes, after exterminating the last of the wolves, they gathered the wounded and headed west).¡±


    ¡°Good, then we will head east. Nerian, Zaki!¡±


    ¡°Sir!¡±


    ¡°(Sir)¡±


    ¡°You two move ahead and make sure there are no¡­disturbances on the way. We will follow close behind. If you see anything out of the ordinary, report it to me. Go!¡±


    In the blink of an eye, Zaki and Nerian were gone. Agatha was only able to figure out the direction they took by the small traces of leaves falling off some trees.


    ¡°So fast¡­¡±


    ¡°Let us also head out. Daliyah, is it?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t mind sticking close to your mistress. I will walk in the front and Myer will keep watch in the back.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess I should also watch my back.¡±


    ¡°Hmp, I¡¯m not such a lowly coward.¡±


    ¡°You almost killed me from behind.¡±


    ¡°I told you I was being thoughtful.¡±


    ¡°Enough you two.¡±


    Arcane could not believe he had someone so similar to Myer in the group. It was already enough to have one, yet here was another. Myer was a skillful soldier, as well as wise and strategic when the time was right. He was usually good at keeping his sarcasm and strong personality hidden when strangers were around, but for some reason, it was hard for him to do it in front of Daliyah.


    ¡°Does she irritate him that much? Because she was able to get away with what she did? No, that¡¯s too shallow of a reason¡­¡±


    ¡°Daliyah, no matter how dislikable he may seem, I do not believe he will go against his master¡¯s orders and hurt you.¡±


    Agatha held Daliyah back and reasoned with her. If they were to travel together, they had to bear each other at least, and have a bit of ¡°trust.¡±


    ¡°Trust is an understatement though. I don¡¯t even trust myself anymore.¡±


    Agatha smiled at Myer.


    ¡°Myer, is it? Am I wrong to make this assumption? That you would not stab us in the back as long as you are not ordered to? After all, that would make your master look bad.¡±


    ¡°He is not my master. He¡¯s my commander. And yes, you are  right.¡±


    ¡°Partially that is.¡±


    ¡°My apologies. Now that it is all settled, shall we get going, commander? I have no problems with the setup. Not that I have much of a say in this.¡±


    Although Arcane had his back facing her, he could feel Agatha giving him a sarcastic smile.


    ¡°Someone is becoming rather cheeky.¡±


    Arcane started to move forward as he thought of this.


    ***


    *Growling stomach*


    Agatha held her stomach as she felt her hunger growing stronger. She had been trying to keep the sound hidden, but the roaring animal within her did not want silence.


    ¡°I want food¡­¡±


    They had been walking for about three hours now, only stopping here and there for her to rest. She had never walked so much in her entire life. She was glad Daliyah had made her wear these boots.


    ¡°I can barely feel my legs anymore. How are they so calm?¡±


    While she was fighting to steady her breathing, the other three did not seem to have a problem.


    ¡°Agatha, are you alright? Do you need another break?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Seriously? We took a break 15 minutes ago. At this pace, we won¡¯t make it far by nightfall.¡±


    Myer could not believe they were moving so slowly. If it were only Arcane and him, they would be almost at the bottom of the mountain by now.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking you. I don¡¯t know if you have any common sense in that head of yours, but unlike us, she is not used to all this movement. Her stamina is not well-built. She is not the most active person out there, so it makes sense for her to barely manage this much.¡±


    ¡°Geez, Daliyah, no need to help me that much.¡±


    Agatha was thankful for her friend standing up for her, but for some reason, it also felt like an insult.


    ¡°She says ¡®this much¡¯ like we are taking a morning stroll around the garden.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, you are right. I should not expect her to be able to handle this much. You, on the other hand, have quite the stamina built up. Like you¡¯ve had training for years like the rest of us. I am even more curious about you now.¡±


    Daliyah glared back at Myer who in return gave her a cold smile.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Before she could give a response, Zaki appeared out of nowhere in front of Arcane.


    ¡°Zaki, is something the matter? Are there monsters up ahead?¡±


    Zaki shook her head excitedly.


    ¡°(No sir. But! There is a good area up ahead with a river. It should be a good place for the lady to rest. Nerian is inspecting the area to make sure it¡¯s safe enough to spend the night. We can also fish something for dinner).¡±


    ¡°I see. Good work.¡±


    Zaki nodded happily at the approval.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what she said, but it seems to be good news wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±


    ¡°Yes, let us hope so my lad- I mean¡­sorry, I¡¯m still getting used to it.¡±


    ¡°*chuckle* It¡¯s alright.¡±


    ¡°Zaki and Nerian have found a river up ahead. We can rest there, get food, and hopefully spend the night.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank goodness!¡±


    Agatha sighed in relief.


    ¡°Let us go on then.¡±

 Chapter 21: True Identity

    The river was a bit muddy, and its currents were strong because of the rain. However, the afternoon sky was now completely clear, as if the storm had not happened. The sound of the river was rather calming. The breeze gently moved the grass and trees. It was a tranquil scenery, one Agatha had only seen in paintings and picture books. Agatha noticed where the river met the land on their side. She thought about how it seemed shallow and safe enough for her to approach and touch with her hand without worrying about drowning or getting swept by the current,


    ¡°Since I can¡¯t swim.¡±


    As she decided in her head to take a closer look¡­


    ¡°Can you swim?¡±


    A husky, deep voice spoke to her from behind. She looked over her shoulder to an Arcane who looked at her doubtfully.


    ¡°Um, no, why? Are we crossing the river? I thought we would be resting on this side.¡±


    ¡°No, we are not crossing.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you ask if I can swim?¡±


    ¡°Because it seemed like you wanted to approach the banks of the river.¡±


    ¡°I do, why? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°It would be best if you didn¡¯t if you can¡¯t swim. A storm just went by, and as you can see, not only is the water rather¡­ questionable looking, but the currents are unpredictable right now. Though it may seem shallow and safe, it can be dangerous for someone who can¡¯t swim if you go in too far without thinking and get swept off your feet.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    A sad and disappointed expression appeared on the young woman¡¯s face.


    ¡°What were you planning to do by getting close to it?¡±


    ¡°Just touch the water.¡±


    ¡°Have you never seen a river before?¡±


    ¡°Not in person no.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Agatha! Come over to the fire so you can warm yourself!¡±


    Daliyah called out while pointing at the fire she and Zaki had made. Agatha waved at her and nodded. She then turned to Arcane, making her expression indifferent, and asked,


    ¡°Is there anything else commander?¡±


    ¡°...No.¡±


    ¡°Well then, if you will excuse me.¡±


    Agatha turned before Arcane could say anything else and hurriedly walked away. It wasn¡¯t like he had much to say anyway. It was obvious she did not like him much, and she had many reasons for that. He had given the order for her friend to be executed and had deceived her in a way. Even though it was all his duty and a way of protecting her, she did not seem to be thankful at all.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Oh well, I am not here to be liked by her or to receive her thank you. My only job is to protect her and keep her alive.¡±


    Agatha¡¯s words suddenly came back to him.


    ¡°They have no problem with using my life for their benefit so don¡¯t make it seem like I¡¯m the only selfish one here.¡±


    He had never thought about it this way. As far as he knew, her death was for the greater good, and yet when she said those words, there were so many emotions in her eyes. Anger, resentment, sadness, and desperation. Her death¡­the one he was escorting her to.


    ¡°Rejoice everyone!! We will be having rabbit for dinner!¡±


    Nerian¡¯s overjoyed voice brought Arcane back from his thoughts. He chuckled a bit and walked towards the fire as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see that goofy grin on your face after almost breaking down like a baby because you couldn¡¯t catch anything.¡±


    Myer, with another rabbit in his hand, teased Nerian who had been very close to giving up on catching anything.


    ¡°Seriously, what would people think if they saw a legendary Sapphire Warrior struggling to catch a single rabbit.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? These things are agile and hard to catch. Plus, you were also with me and struggled to catch the one you have as well.¡±


    ¡°Did he now?¡±


    Daliyah gave Myer a mocking look.


    ¡°Yes, you should have seen him. He struggled to catch that one rabbit for a whole hour. I told him he could just catch another, but this man is as stubborn as a mule. He was determined to catch that specific one.¡±


    ¡°Nerian.¡±


    ¡°The amount of times he cursed under his breath was insane.¡±


    ¡°Nerian! If you don¡¯t want to take the place of my rabbit over the fire, zip your mouth.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll shut up now.¡±


    Zaki laughed as she signaled them to hand her their hunt. Agatha observed as Zaki, fully concentrated, took out a knife and without flinching, skinned the rabbit and prepared it.


    ¡°Ugh, I feel sick¡­¡±


    Agatha covered her mouth as she witnessed this. Zaki looked up at her and sweetly smiled, proud of her skills. Agatha nervously smiled back.


    ¡°Yep, the innocent looking at the most terrifying.¡±


    While the rabbits were roasting over the fire, the group sat quietly for a few minutes, each wondering who would be the first to speak. After a while, Myer was the first to speak.


    ¡°Well, I am sure that we could be doing something more productive that does not involve looking at each other¡¯s attractive faces. For example, telling the group their true identity and intentions. Daliyah, you don¡¯t mind me calling you by your first name, do you? Why don¡¯t you go first.¡±


    ¡°I do mind. Also, why me?¡±


    ¡°Ladies first.¡±


    ¡°I am not the only woman here.¡±


    She looked at Zaki as she said this.


    ¡°Zaki is with us. She can give her input when it¡¯s our turn.¡±


    Nerian expressed this in a defensive tone. Zaki placed her hand on his and assured him she was alright.


    ¡°I agree with Myer and Nerian. Four of us are with the Sapphire Warriors which the vessel has confirmed. You, on the other hand, kept your identity hidden from your mistress, so it is only fair-¡±


    ¡°Friend.¡±


    Agatha interrupted Arcane before he could finish.


    ¡°She is no longer my servant, but my friend. Only nobles and those of the royal bloodline have servants, and I am far from being either. Of course, before you say anything about it, I ended our master and servant relationship after you decided to spare our lives. This means your decision is still valid, am I right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I will take that as a yes. Thus, I would appreciate it if all of you stopped seeing or addressing Daliyah as a servant. With this being said, Daliyah¡­¡±


    Agatha gave Daliyah a small smile as she spoke to her.


    ¡°I would appreciate it if you go first as well. I am also curious about who you truly are. You don¡¯t have to share your deepest secrets or things you don¡¯t feel comfortable with. Just enough to show them you are not a danger like you have shown me. Please¡­¡±


    Daliyah hesitated for a few moments. She looked around at everyone who was waiting for her to speak. She finally opened her mouth.


    ¡°All of you know who the Whitlock family is right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is known throughout the empire that they were chosen by the White Lotus Priestess to work closely by her side. After her death, they were given the job to protect the vessel when she appeared.¡±


    Nerian proudly said this as he remembered his history classes from childhood and during his training days.


    ¡°Yes, which is why when Agatha was found, what remained of the family moved to live in the fortress they had built in the mountains. As you may know, the current head and Elder of the family is Elwood Whitlock.¡±


    Agatha lowered her gaze as she heard his name. Daliyah went silent when she saw this and once again hesitated.


    ¡°What does the Whitlock family have to do with you?¡±


    Myer asked impatiently, not seeing the connection.


    ¡°You see, Elder Elwood Whitlock¡­is my grandfather.

 Chapter 22: The Successor of the Whitlocks

    The Whitlocks are a family known for their undying loyalty to the White Lotus Priestess, which some have described as a sick obsession. It is said that the priestess chose them for their sense of responsibility, justice, and discipline. The Whitlocks reached high noble status for their service to the priestess and, therefore, their service to the crown. The Whitlocks spent all their fortune on plans to ensure the vessel was protected, ensuring the return of the priestess. Elwodd Whitlock was known as the current head of the family.


    ¡°Elder Elwood Whitlock¡­is my grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Come again? Elwood Whitlock as in the head of the Whitlock family?¡±


    Nerian stared in surprise at the sudden confession but he was not alone. Even Agatha, who had been with Daliyah for so long, had her eyes wide open when she heard what she had said.


    ¡°Yes, the only one with that name.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. As far as the palace was informed, Elwood only had one son who disappeared without a trace. That¡¯s why he is still the head of the Whitlocks despite having a descendant.¡±


    Arcane looked at Daliyah suspiciously. Myers nodded in agreement and also questioned Daliyah¡¯s statement.


    ¡°Also, aren¡¯t the Whitlocks known for their unique white hair? Now I know I can distinguish colors and you ma¡¯am¡­¡±


    He pointed at her,


    ¡°Have one of the reddest hair colors I have ever laid my eyes upon.¡±


    Daliyah took a strand of her long, red hair and smiled.


    ¡°You are both correct. The information the palace was given is true. Keegan Whitlock, the only known successor of the Whitlock family after Elwood indeed disappeared without a trace 15 years ago. What the palace was not informed of was that he had a daughter with a woman he met at the bottom of the mountain. That woman is the reason yours truly has this hair color. It appears my mother¡¯s genes were quite strong.¡±


    ¡°Why did Elwood keep such information hidden?¡±


    Arcane asked this trying to puzzle together the information that Daliyah was giving him. A new successor being born to an influential family such as the Whitlocks was of great importance. The crown had to be aware of who their allies were, including those of coming generations. Hiding and preventing a new successor from swearing their loyalty to the crown could be seen as a sign of treason.


    ¡°Who knows? It is always hard to know what that old man is thinking. I can say that one of his reasons could be because he is ashamed.¡±


    ¡°(Ashamed of what?)¡±


    Daliyah looked at Zaki confused at what she was trying to ask. Zaki looked at Nerian who nodded.


    ¡°Zaki is asking what he would be ashamed of.¡±


    ¡°Ha, well, not only did his son marry an outsider against his father¡¯s will. He also ran away like a coward because he couldn¡¯t handle the death of his wife, leaving Elwood with the misery of having a half-blooded woman as his only true successor.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Daliyah went silent as she closed her hands into fists. A quiet hint of resentment and anger could be seen reflected in her eyes.


    ¡°Daliyah¡­¡±


    Agatha placed her hand on her friend¡¯s fists. Daliyah turned to her and smiled.


    ¡°My apologies. It¡¯s not a topic one could talk about during afternoon tea.¡±


    Everyone fell silent for a moment. It was clear that the Whitlocks had some internal conflict which had been kept from the outside world.


    ¡°Daliyah, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, what do you mean by ¡®half-blooded?¡¯¡±


    Arcane broke the silence as this had caught his curiosity.


    ¡°Well, to make sure that the bloodline that serves the priestess stays pure, the Whitlocks did their best to not marry outside the family. This is most strictly applied to those who are on the succession line.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s disgusting¡­Ow!¡±


    Zaki pinched Nerian¡¯s thigh as he said what he was thinking out loud.


    ¡°I agree. It is rather disturbing. I guess that¡¯s the one thing my father did right in my opinion. He met my mother at a nearby village during one of the days he was scheduled to go down the mountain on patrol. It¡¯s all history from there. They fell in love, married behind Elwood¡¯s back, and had me. I have been told my mother died after giving birth to me. Complications they say, though I was never given the specifics. My father lost his mind, and finally, after 5 years he left without a word.¡±


    ¡°Since your father is nowhere to be found, then would you say he can be considered to be deceased?¡±


    Myer asked this with a serious and cold tone. Agatha shot him a glare for his lack of delicacy on the matter.


    ¡°How can you ask her something like that? He was her fa-¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is correct. That man left 15 years ago. He is dead to me and the rest of the world.¡±


    ¡°Daliyah¡­¡±


    ¡°Keegan Whitlock is dead, thus whether the old man likes it or not, whether he reports it to the palace or not, whether he wants to accept my existence or not, I am the rightful successor to the Whitlock family.¡±


    ¡°Is that why Elwood placed you by the vessel¡¯s side?¡±


    Arcane once again asked.


    ¡°That is correct. Even though he was not happy that my hair was like my mother¡¯s and that I was a woman, he allowed his optimistic side to come out one day and had the idea of placing me as Agatha¡¯s closest maid. He trained me like he trained his son. He made sure I knew how to fight. He trained me day and night. From reading and writing to fighting and killing. Anything that came in handy to protect the one through which the White Lotus Priestess would return.¡±


    ¡°Did that training include learning how to use blessed stones? Like the wizards?¡±


    This time it was Nerian who asked the question. He had been curious how Daliyah and Agatha had managed to leave among the chaos earlier that day. He and Zaki had both been closely watching over the carriage from a distance in case something happened. And something indeed happened. They had both disappeared without anyone seeing them. The only explanation for this was if some sort of blessed energy had been used. Daliyah had no blessed energy within her like the rest of them did. This only left the option of her being able to use blessed stones.


    ¡°That is correct. Though I would not call myself a wizard in that matter. I can only use blessed stones for so much. My ability is very limited in that matter. The old man was not very happy about that either but then again, very few things make him happy so there is no harm in this not being part of that list.¡±


    ¡°Who would have thought a simple maid would be so capable? Though, you struggled quite a bit while fighting Nerian back there. Are you sure you were consistent in your training?¡±


    Myer smiled sarcastically. Daliyah took a deep breath and smiled back at him.


    ¡°Yes, my incompetent self struggled to keep up with a mighty Sapphire Warrior. Someone who has blessed energy running through their body. Still¡­¡±


    Daliyah took out one of her daggers and pointed at Myer who felt a bit of enthusiasm as he looked into the fiery eyes of the young woman.


    ¡°Slicing a man who possesses no blessed energy or whose blessed energy is for whatever reason blocked, is a piece of cake. After all, no amount of blessed energy takes away your humanity. All it takes is cutting the right spot and you will no longer exist on this earth.¡±


    ¡°Geez, you two are so intense. Enough to start a fire. If I had known, I wouldn¡¯t have asked Zaki to bother doing it herself.¡±


    Nerian said this as he chewed on his food and witnessed the scene before him.


    ¡°I think that is enough for now.¡±


    Arcane interrupted before things got out of hand. He turned to Agatha who looked back at him with sleepy eyes.


    ¡°It is getting late. Sleep would be good for all of us. We will take turns keeping watch. Myer and I will be up first. Nerian and Zaki will take the second watch.¡±


    ¡°Sir!¡±


    ¡°(Yes, sir)¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Get some rest. It has been a long day.¡±


    Agatha only nodded at Arcane and did her best to get comfortable. She never thought she would have the grass as her bed and a starry night as her ceiling. Once again, she had learned so much so fast. She turned to Daliyah who was also making herself comfortable as she sat against the tree, close to Agatha. She wanted to ask her so many things but her eyes were too heavy. The fire made soft, crackling noises which became Agatha¡¯s lullaby as she closed her eyes.

 Chapter 23: Terrified

    ¡°Sacrifice! Sacrifice! Sacrifice!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Distant cries were heard at a distance. Cries full of eagerness and urgency. Men, women, and children screaming in one mind and heart.


    ¡°Sacrifice her! Kill her!¡±


    ¡°Sacrifice? Kill her? Who¡­?¡± Agatha slowly opened her eyes. She could see hundreds of thousands of people below, raising their voices in a symphony.


    ¡°Where¡­?¡± She looked around not knowing where she was. The sky had a red color mixed with dark mist. There was smoke and fire in the surrounding areas.


    ¡°What the¡­?¡± She tried to move but realized that she couldn¡¯t. Her hands and feet were strongly bound with chains against what seemed to be a pillar of stone. She looked down and saw ceremonial markings on the ground. She was wearing a lavish white gown with golden designs of a lotus. She felt something heavy on her head but could not figure out what it was.


    ¡°Why am I tied up? What is this? Someone! Please help me!¡± Agatha started to yell at the top of her lungs, asking someone in the crowd to help her. A sudden silence fell. The people stopped their shouting and just stared at her.


    ¡°Please! Help me! Untie me! Monsters are coming! Can¡¯t you all hear them?! We have to leave! Release me!¡± Agatha struggled as she tried to loosen herself. She fought and fought. She pulled and pulled. Sweat started to fall down her brow. She felt pain in her arms, wrists, and ankles as the metal started to pierce through her skin.


    ¡°Why are you just standing there?! Can¡¯t any of you hear me?!¡± She started to get angry because no one in the crowd was moving. She then noticed something she had missed.


    ¡°Their eyes¡­their ears¡­they have neither¡­¡± Agatha felt terror as she saw people who could not see or hear her.


    ¡°Where am I?! Why am I here?! Daliyah! Daliyah where are you?!¡± She looked around desperately for the familiar face that had always been there for her but she was nowhere to be found. She looked up to the blood-stained sky, tears falling down her cheeks. She wasn¡¯t ready. She thought she was when she left the fortress but the fear was consuming. She started to tremble and let cries full of horror come out of her mouth.


    ¡°Please!! Not yet! I¡¯m not ready yet!!! I don¡¯t want to die! Not like this!!!¡± She continued to struggle. She wanted to be free. She wanted to run away but these chains were too heavy. They were suffocating her. The more she fought, the more she could feel her energy draining.


    ¡°Ancient scrolls speak her name. Written in blood and flames.¡± Agatha looked up as she heard a familiar voice in front of her.


    ¡°Elder Elwood¡­¡± she whispered as the man who had kept her away, hidden from the world, appeared. He slowly walked towards her, holding a small dagger. Its handle was made with delicacy. It had precious stones on it. Its blade reflected Agatha¡¯s pained expression as she faced who seemed to be her executioner.


    ¡°Elder¡­please¡± she begged as more tears flowed.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°White petals stained with time. Whispers of the divine.¡± He ignored her plead and continued to approach until he was in front of her. He looked down at her coldly and raised the dagger.¡±


    ¡°The White Lotus walks again!¡± He proclaimed as he brought down the dagger with full force aiming at her heart.


    ¡°NOOOOO!!!¡±


    ¡°Agatha!¡±


    ¡°*GASP*¡± Agatha opened her eyes abruptly. Her hand was up as if she had been trying to reach for something or someone. Daliyah was holding it as she looked at her worried.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You¡¯re okay. I¡¯m here.¡± Daliyah spoke to her softly and gently. She seemed to have experienced another nightmare. She noticed the others looking at each other confused at what was happening. For all they knew, Agatha had quickly fallen asleep. A few hours later, she started to grunt and talk in her sleep. She had been sweating a lot and seemed to have a hard time breathing. Daliyah had tried to wake her up over and over but had not succeeded. Agatha then began to scream like a mad woman while keeping her eyes closed. She had finally woken up but¡­


    ¡°Something doesn¡¯t feel right.¡± Arcane stood a few inches away. Even though Agatha had woken up, she still looked terrified. She did not seem to be ¡°here¡± but somewhere else.


    The young girl noticed Daliyah holding her hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!!¡± She snatched her hand away and hastily stood up. She held her hands against her chest and looked around. It was like she was looking at strangers.


    ¡°Stay away from me! All of you! Don¡¯t you dare approach me!¡± The young woman started to run to the river.¡±


    ¡°Agatha!!¡± Daliyah and the rest started to run after her. Agatha ran with all her might and finally reached the banks of the river. She felt the water wetting her dress as she walked in.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!!¡± Arcane yelled as he realized what she was trying to do.


    ¡°Agatha! Stop, listen to me!¡± Daliyah started to plea, trying to get her attention. Agatha turned around, her cheeks wet from tears. Her body was trembling and her eyes were shaking.


    ¡°Are you out of your mind?! Get out of there this instant!¡± Myer barked as he could not believe what was happening. This woman had lost all her senses out of nowhere. Just how bad was her nightmare for her to react like this?


    ¡°Shut up!! All of you!! I don¡¯t know who you are or what you want from me, but I would rather end my own life than for it to be taken by your hands!!¡± She accusingly pointed at each of them as she slowly retreated.


    ¡°Has she lost it? She said she doesn¡¯t know who we are.¡± Nerian scratched his head as he heard those words.


    ¡°(Whatever it is, we have to do something! If she keeps walking deeper, she could drown!)¡± Zaki desperately tugged at Arcane¡¯s shirt, worried about the worst taking place.


    ¡°Agatha, please listen to me. Do you not who I am? I understand them, but me? Look at me! Daliyah started to slowly approach.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!!¡± Agatha took a step back which made Daliyah stop.


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t move. But listen! You have to get out of the water. It¡¯s dangerous. You can¡¯t swim, so please, let¡¯s talk out here.¡±


    ¡°No, if I get out you will hurt me.¡± Agatha covered her ears with her hands and shut her eyes.


    ¡°I would never hurt you! It¡¯s me, Daliyah! I¡¯m your friend remember? Come on, please.¡± Daliyah talked as gently as she could, extending out her hand for Agatha to hold.


    ¡°Daliyah?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, it¡¯s me.¡± Daliyah gave her a warm smile.


    ¡°Daliyah¡­I called you. I searched for you. But you weren¡¯t there! I¡­I couldn¡¯t find you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here. I¡¯m sorry. It won¡¯t happen again. I will always be there when you call me, so please, come back.¡±


    Agatha felt her breathing relax a bit as she nodded. She had finally come to her senses.


    ¡°Why am I in the river?¡± She saw Daliyah at the banks holding out her hand for her. Behind her were Nerian, Zaki, Myer, and Arcane.


    ¡°Dali-¡± As she was about to call out, she felt her foot slip on a rock.


    ¡°AH! *splash*¡± Agatha fell and started to get swept away by the current.


    ¡°Agatha!!!¡± Just as Daliyah was about to jump in, she felt someone pass her and in a second, another splash was heard. She shook her head and was about to jump in as well.


    ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t jump in!¡± Myer grabbed Agatha and started to drag her out of the water.


    ¡°Let go of me! I have to save her!¡± She was about to punch him but he grabbed both of her wrists.


    ¡°You will only make things harder than they should be! I¡¯m sure you can swim, but the only light we have right now is from our dear friend the moon. Plus, he already went after her.¡±


    ¡°He?¡± Daliyah noticed that one of them was missing. Zaki approached her and touched her arm to assure her. Daliyah noticed she was holding a mask in her hand.

 Chapter 24: A Familiar Voice

    Agatha closed her eyes as she felt the current take her away. She had tried to keep her head above but it had been useless. She was at the mercy of the waters crushing her underneath. ¡°Terror,¡± was all she felt as she moved her arms and legs while shaking her head. She did her best to hold her breath but then felt some water enter her nostrils. She used one hand to hold her nose, while the other still struggled to grasp something¡­ or someone. But who would come for her? The current had swept her. It was dark outside, and even darker underwater. She felt her lungs burning up. Her body was telling her it needed air and begged her to let go. Her brain, however, told her to hold on. If she let go she would die.


    ¡°Die¡­¡± But wasn¡¯t she going to die in a few months anyway? What difference did it make if she died now?


    ¡°The prophecy¡­¡± That¡¯s right. If she died now, and the ritual wasn¡¯t completed, then the White Lotus Priestess wouldn¡¯t return and the gate would open itself again.


    ¡°That cursed gate!!¡± The only reason the priestess was even needed was for the destruction of that gate. Why didn¡¯t she just destroy it when she had the chance? Why did she not do things properly when she was alive? Why did she decide she would come back through a vessel? Why at the cost of someone?


    ¡°Why at the cost of me?¡± All these questions flooded Agatha¡¯s mind as she fought with every bit of strength to hold her breath. She started to feel lightheaded and felt herself close to giving up. If she died, it would end her constant nightmares and suffering. Still, if she died, would anyone mourn her passing? Would anyone genuinely care? It was rather bittersweet to think that death was the answer to her yearned freedom but the thought of dying without accomplishing anything or seeing the world was truly disappointing.


    ¡°Agatha!!!¡± She suddenly remembered hearing Daliyah¡¯s cry as she disappeared under the current. Knowing her, she was probably very worried. Hopefully, she hadn¡¯t decided to jump into the water.


    ¡°Daliyah¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Agatha felt the last bit of her strength abandoning her. She heard ringing in her ears as her consciousness started to drift. Her body¡¯s command was winning the debate. She was ready to let go.


    ¡°*Whisper* Don¡¯t you dare let go.¡± She suddenly heard a whisper somewhere far within her head.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°*Whisper* You can¡¯t die yet. Your time is yet to come. Use that power that has been bestowed to you.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­?¡± The whisper became clearer. The commanding voice of a woman. A familiar voice but from where?


    ¡°What power¡­?¡± Despite the chaos and fear consuming her, Agatha did her best to listen to that voice.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°*Whisper* You know what to do. Just calm your mind and remember!¡±


    ¡°Hmp, easier said than done.¡± Despite her burning lungs and weakened state, Agatha focused on calming her mind. She did not know what power the voice was talking about, after all, she was nothing but a vessel, and yet, she told her mind to remember. Maybe it was her head playing tricks on her before death and it would be foolish to listen to this voice, but there had been many fools in those stories she had read who held on to what one would call hope.


    Suddenly, a faint memory came to her. Her arms and hands, which had been struggling a few moments ago in desperation started to gently and swiftly make circular movements she had never done before. Was it muscle memory? Did she read it somewhere? She did not know, but she felt something within her emerge. Her body was no longer yearning for air. There was an inner peace within her. Her body gracefully moved along with her arms despite the force of the current. It was as if something had formed around her that kept all the chaos outside. Then, as if on instinct, she made a sign with her hands and felt like a fire on her palms. Fire? But she was underwater. Did it matter at this point? If this was her mind playing tricks with her then so be it. The heat in her palms grew and grew.


    ¡°*Whisper* Do it now!¡± Without opening her eyes, Agatha immediately lifted both her hands towards the heavens. She left as a huge amount of energy left her body. Just like that, Agatha felt her last bit of strength leaving her. She slightly opened her eyes, feeling the discomfort of the water entering her sockets. In the distance, she was able to distinguish what seemed to be a flash of light. It was a rather beautiful sight. She smiled as she felt her body slowly descending.


    ¡°Is this what people mean when they say they see the light before entering the afterlife?¡±


    With this thought, she closed her eyes once again. It appears like her mind had truly played with her. How cruel it was to think that even her head would give her false hope for the future. Then again, had she not learned years ago that the word ¡°hope¡± had long ago stopped applying to her? She extended her arm one last time towards the light, welcoming whatever fate it brought.


    Suddenly. she felt something strong take hold of her hand and pulling her. She felt an arm wrap around her body. She no longer felt herself falling to the depths of the river. On the contrary, it appeared like she was going up.


    ¡°Who?¡± She barely had the strength to question what was happening. Was it the angel of death coming to claim her soul?


    After a few moments, she felt her head above the water. Her mouth opened and closed greedily taking in air. She took one deep breath after another as her lungs felt a bit of pain they were willing to bear as the air started to fill them once again. She felt herself cough uncontrollably as she opened her eyes and looked around. Realizing she was still in the river and that someone was helping to keep her above, she wrapped her arms around her savior. She felt the terror she had felt before and started to tremble.


    ¡°You¡¯re alright. Just hold on to me. The current is still strong.¡± Agatha¡¯s eyes widened as she heard a familiar voice. That husky, cold, and authoritative voice that she had started to resent hours before, now sounded gentle and comforting. She looked up and was surprised to see the face of a man under the moonlight.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Despite not having the mask on, there was no way she could confuse the voice of the masked soldier.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let go. I¡¯ll get you out of here.¡± Ignoring her shock, Arcane started to skillfully swim towards the shore. Agatha felt tears flowing down her cheeks as she realized she was truly alive. She could hear Arcane trying to control his breathing as he did his best to fight against the current. Agatha felt a sense of guilt. He had told her to stay away from the water and yet she¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she weakly whispered. Arcane, still looking ahead didn¡¯t say anything for a few seconds. Normally he would be angry at someone pulling such a dangerous stunt. Not only had she risked her life, but had caused him to take a risk as well. Although it was his duty to protect her, it was still an unnecessary risk. He knew deep down, that it had been foolish of her, and yet he recalled how horrified she looked as she went into the river and started at them, saying she wanted to take her own life. Despite saying she wanted to die, here she was holding on to him for dear life. Not only that, but she was apologizing. His head told him that apologizing wasn¡¯t even close to enough, but in his heart, something bothered him. Seeing her so weak, tearful, and regretful made his chest hurt. He didn¡¯t know why or what to say to her except¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. What matters is that you are alive.¡±


    Agatha felt more tears swell up in her eyes.


    ¡°What matters is that you are alive.¡±


    Those words tugged at her chest. She wasn¡¯t sure if he truly meant this, but those words, even if they came from a stranger, made her feel joy and relief.


    ¡°Yes¡­thank you.¡±

 Chapter 25: The Beam of Light

    ¡°Agatha¡­!¡± A voice could be heard in the distance. Agatha felt herself struggle to open her eyes.


    ¡°Agatha¡­! Can you hear me¡­?!¡±


    ¡°Daliyah¡­?¡±


    ¡°You know, if she¡¯s dead, yelling won¡¯t bring her back to life.¡±


    ¡°I can figure out who that is¡­¡± Agatha thought to herself as she heard Myer¡¯s indifferent tone.


    ¡°If you are not going to be helpful then stop being a nuisance!¡± Daliyah gave him a nasty glare and pushed him away.


    ¡°A nuisance? I¡¯m not the one sounding like a wild animal right now.¡± Myer rolled his eyes as he covered his ears, annoyed at Daliyah¡¯s yelling.


    ¡°You-!¡±


    ¡°(That¡¯s enough you two! Our priority right now is to make sure she¡¯s alright!)¡±


    ¡°Zaki is right. Arguing won¡¯t fix anything.¡± Nerian checked Agatha¡¯s wrist to feel her pulse.


    ¡°Thankfully she¡¯s alive. Can you imagine what would have happened if she had drowned? We would all have been doomed. All of us would be on our knees praying and waiting for our unavoidable deaths!¡±


    ¡°(Jeez Nerian, so much for lightening the mood.)¡±


    ¡°But of course. It is my specialty.¡±


    ¡°Can all of you please be quiet?¡± Arcane gave them a serious look as he pushed his hair back. Daliyah was still surprised by the fact that a real person''s face had been behind that mask. A man with brown, curly hair, and olive skin. He looked quite young as well. Not younger than her, but not much older either. The fire¡¯s reddish color reflected in his serious eyes. The shadows of its flames dancing on his face made his demeanor more threatening than before. Daliyah felt shivers down her spine.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Agatha slowly opened her eyes. She felt a piercing headache as she tried to protect her sight from the fire¡¯s light.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± She directed her attention to the cold, yet soft, deep voice that was talking to her. As her vision cleared, she noticed two hazel-colored eyes looking down at her. They seemed to be searching for injuries or for any signs she may have of discomfort.


    ¡°Well¡­I¡¯m not dead¡­¡± She gave Arcane a small smile to confirm she was fine.


    ¡°Agatha¡­¡± Daliyah approached her and helped her to sit up. She then hugged her tightly and let her tears run down.


    ¡°What were you thinking? Why did you go into the river? Why¡­?¡±


    Agatha hugged Daliyah back. She stroke her back gently as a way of comfort.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Daliyah, I-¡± Suddenly, Agatha felt pain in her chest. She pushed Daliyah as the pain became more and more unbearable.


    ¡°Hey¡­!¡± Arcane reached out but Agatha signaled him to also stay away. She took deep breaths in an attempt to control the pain. Then, without warning, she felt herself throwing up. She noticed, by the light of the fire, that it was not regular vomit but¡­


    ¡°Blood!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s throwing up blood!¡± Nerian looked at her with concern. She said she was fine, and now she had blood coming out of her mouth.


    ¡°(Nerian, go get some water so she can wash herself. Hurry!¡±


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Zaki took out a piece of cloth. She approached a terrified Agatha who, when she turned to look at her, seemed to be asking her if she knew what was wrong. Zaki kneeled beside her and gently wiped the blood from her mouth.


    ¡°I got some water!¡±


    ¡°Here, let me.¡± Daliyah nodded at Nerian as she thanked him for the water.


    ¡°Daliyah¡­¡± Agatha looked at her with teary eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, we can talk once you feel better. Use this water to rinse your mouth.¡± Agatha thanked her and slowly rinsed her mouth. She felt disgusted at the taste the blood was leaving in her mouth. She quickly spit the water out. Zaki once again used the cloth to help her clean herself up.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Zaki gave her a gentle nod.


    ¡°Are you feeling pain anywhere else?¡± Arcane asked her. His expression showed a mixture of confusion and curiosity about the situation. Agatha shook her head.


    ¡°Are you sure? Because you said you were fine and five seconds later, boom, we became witnesses to you throwing up your intestines.¡± Myer crossed his arms as he looked at her with doubt.


    ¡°I just feel very weak. My head hurts. I don¡¯t think I will be able to stand on my own for a while. And¡­I feel cold.¡± Daliyah touched her hand.


    ¡°Not only are you feeling cold, you are cold. Even your face looks pale.¡±


    Agatha touched her cheek and felt her cold skin. She wondered what was happening to her. Was it because of the nightmare? She would usually feel unwell after having one, but not the way she was feeling now.


    ¡°What were you feeling before you threw up blood?¡± Arcane asked.


    ¡°Well¡­I felt immense pain in my chest. I¡¯ve never felt that way before. It was like the inside of my heart was being torn out. I¡­feel like something has left me.¡±


    ¡°Like something has left you?¡± Nerian asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to describe it.¡±


    ¡°(Do you think it has to do with that light?)¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, the light,¡± Arcane nodded as he remembered what he had witnessed earlier.


    ¡°Light? What light?¡± Agatha asked as she looked at them.


    ¡°How do you think Arcane found you? With the moonlight? Out of the question. There was this huge beam of light that came out of the water from where you were. It was like some powerful force had shot it right up. We all saw it. Arcane was trying to find you in the water when it suddenly appeared. He then swam towards it and that was where you were,¡± Myers explained as he summarized the events that had taken place.


    Agatha felt her eyes widened. A beam of light that signaled them where she was? But how? Or a better question was, from where? She then thought about what Myer had said. She turned to Arcane.


    ¡°Wait, why did you jump into the water if you didn¡¯t know where I was? And also¡­¡± Her eyes widened even more.


    ¡°Where is your mask?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what concerns you right now?¡± Arcane asked as he looked for his mask, realizing he had not put it back on. Zaki walked over to him holding it.


    ¡°You will put it back on?¡± Agatha found herself asking as the young man started to place it over his face. Arcane stopped for a second and raised his eyebrow, wondering why it would matter to her whether he had his mask on or not.


    ¡°Yes, why? Does it scare you?¡±


    ¡°Um, no, I mean¡­¡± Agatha could not find the words to explain herself because even she didn¡¯t know why she had asked such a thing. It was none of her business what he did or did not do.


    ¡°Maybe she will miss your handsome face,¡± Nerien said while chuckling.


    ¡°No!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous,¡± both Agatha and Arcane said at the same time.


    ¡°Ahem, anyway, so that light guided you to where I was. Do you know where it came from?¡± Agatha asked as she tried to get things back on track.


    ¡°We were hoping you would answer that for us,¡± Nerian expressed, showing none of them had any idea.


    Agatha closed her eyes for a moment, thinking back to when she was in the water. She remembered the currents pushing and pulling her underwater and her struggle to hold her breath while her lungs burned, longing for air. She wrapped arms around her body as she felt the fear engulf her once again. Her head started to pound again as fragments came back to her one by one.


    ¡°Take it easy, you don¡¯t need to tell us now. You¡¯ve had a tough night.¡± Daliyah noticed Agatha¡¯s distress and held her hand to comfort her. Agatha shook her head.


    ¡°A voice¡­I remember a voice talking to me¡­¡±


    ¡°A voice? What did it say?¡± Arcane asked.


    ¡° ¡® Don¡¯t you dare let go.  You can¡¯t die yet. Your time is yet to come. Use that power that has been bestowed to you.¡¯ ¡±


    ¡°Power? What power was it talking about?¡± Daliyah asked as she didn¡¯t remember any records of Agatha ever using power of her own. After all, she was just a vessel.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It said ¡®You know what to do. Just calm your mind and remember!¡¯ ¡± Agatha opened her eyes after the memory became more vivid. So it had not been a dream nor had it been her mind playing with her before death. She had heard that voice very clearly.


    ¡°What happened after that?¡± Myer asked now giving her his full attention.


    ¡°My body just moved on its own. It¡¯s like a memory from the distant past came back to me. I just moved my body like I was doing some strange dance or formation. It was like I was in a safe space after because I no longer felt the currents hitting me. I felt at peace. My mind was no longer focused on drowning but on what I was doing. I felt some kind of energy bottling up, ready to be released. Then, I remember doing some sort of sign with my hands. That¡¯s when I felt some sort of heat building up. The voice then told me ¡®Do it!¡¯ and¡­¡±


    ¡°And? Then what?¡± Nerian asked, sitting down like a child listening to the most amazing fairytale.


    ¡°Um, then I lifted my hands and felt that heat being released above me. My eyes were closed the whole time though. After that, I felt weak and started to drown once again. I remember a light, but I thought that was just death welcoming me with open arms. And¡­that is when I felt someone pull me out of the water,¡± Agatha looked at Arcane as she said this. He had his mask on once again, so she couldn¡¯t see what expression he was making anymore.


    ¡°So in summary, the one who made the beam of light appear, was you.¡± Myer held his chin as he thought about this.


    ¡°But how is that possible? She has never been able to do that before.¡± Daliyah stood up as she also tried to process what was happening. For as long as she had known Agatha, she had only been able to perceive spiritual energy but was never able to use it. That was for the priestess to do when she came back. The priestess¡­if that were the case then¡­


    ¡°What if the one who did it was not Agatha¡­but the White Lotus Priestess herself?¡±