《The Six Stones of the Realm》


 Prologue

    In a repeating dream of a certain man, it always starts with a scene of turning gears, accompanied by the sounds of ticking clocks. Then it all shifted to a sunset. The only difference here is that the sounds were replaced by huge bells that chime along to the sounds of the ocean¡¯s waves. This man never understood what any of this meant, nor did he know the person who kept appearing in these strange dreams: a woman with long golden hair, eyes that were blue as sapphire, and a voice that sounded so calming. She seemed very familiar, and yet... the memory of having met her was never there.


    At the beginning of every appearance, she would say: "Ah, we meet again. It has been a long time..."


    But this time, things seemed to be different, despite the man''s confusion.


    "Unlike before, the chances of us meeting are much higher now. It makes me happy to talk to you again like this¡­" With a smile, the woman said.


    "I don''t know what you''re saying. I don''t even know who you¡ª"


    "Ah, that is unfortunate¡­" She interrupted. "You do not remember me. Despite how you were the one who said that you would not forget me¡­" Her last words echoed as she said these.


    Another change of scenery occurred. The man then found himself sitting on a floor made of glass with the same woman who stood beside him. Below the transparent floor were turning gears and the two hands of a clock slowly ticking.


    Eventually, everywhere else in sight turned into an empty void. His confusion had vanished... because sorrow had taken its place, a sorrowful feeling of having lost something, or perhaps someone.


    "Do not worry, I am sure that you will soon remember them bit by bit¡­" The woman said in a cheerful tone.


    The man closed his eyes and applied her words to his own understanding. Flashing images popped up in his mind as he began to see different people. Each of them were in different places, all of which seemed familiar... until the last person came into view. A gentle breeze blew as white rose petals danced over a cliffside, where a woman appeared to be standing. Her back was turned and covered with a white hooded cloak. It was as if she had jumped herself, flinching for reasons unknown. His presence, perhaps... so much so that she turned around and let off her hood. He finally saw her face. She was smiling at him with those emerald eyes of hers. Lots went on in his mind as he struggled to process all of it, so in the end, he opened his eyes.


    "Are you starting to slowly remember everything now? In any case, let us take this time to talk some more. I''ll tell you our story, of how we all first met a long, long time ago." She said as she looked down at him.


    He took a silent deep breath as he clutched onto his old pocket watch before soon having his eyes closed. Everything went silent. Then he opened them up once more. The first thing he saw was the ceiling of his room. He then turned his head around a bit and looked through the window.


    "Ah, it''s already morning... I should probably get going soon," he said as he got up from his bed and took out his pocket watch to check it.


    Every morning he wore dark attire and a hooded cloak to hide his head whenever he visited a certain abandoned house in the middle of a forest to read that one book on the bookshelves. He had already lost count of how many times he had visited the place just to read the same book for hours on end.


    He didn¡¯t know why this was his routine, or why tears always streamed down his face whenever he got to the end of the story. He doesn¡¯t know why he kept holding the book so tightly against his chest with a strong feeling of pain and regret.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    One night, he came home with the old book and a couple of white lilies. Putting his worries and fear aside, he decided to finally share the story with his one and only relative. His precious niece, who he took care of throughout the years.


    She was excited, despite how he warned her that the story was no fairy tale and how all of it was based on true events that happened in their past, a long, long time ago. Forgotten by many but remembered by few. Seeing how nothing seemed to change her mind, he then began telling her the story...


    <hr>


    "It all started in the world of Somiar. There were once two kingdoms living in harmony. The kingdom of Ivory Moon, the land of serenity, was inhabited by impressive mages and well-known knights, wielders of the elements of water, wind, and darkness. The kingdom of Helio Vermillion, on the other hand, had the greatest assassins and warriors, wielders of the elements of fire, earth, and light."


    "Setting their differences aside, the rulers of both kingdoms were able to keep the peace... until that day when they met a mysterious Sorceress. The one who gifted humankind with elemental powers by using one of the six stones of the realm. There were even rumors that said the stones were living, breathing objects. powerful, beautiful, and oftentimes cruel¡­


    "Control an entire army, bring the dead back to life, bend space and time to one¡¯s will, and even turn everything in sight into nothingness. With such power and knowledge, it opened the minds of the rulers. And hence, the Sorceress and the six stones were no longer free from jeopardy. One of the rulers sought out its powers for their dark and selfish desires, which led to one hunting the Sorceress down. But as the other ruler disagreed with their plans, the two wound up arguing, until it led the two kingdoms to war."


    "The Sorceress couldn¡¯t relay her disappointment in humanity enough, seeing what it had become. Before she disappeared, she cast a curse on the six stones, then hid five of them separately, but kept one with her for her own reasons. "


    "She continued co-existing in hiding for years during the ceaseless war. At midnight, on the highest floor of the clocktower, there she sat once more. Despite the fact that an assailant is on her tail, she smiles. But she already expected it, and she already knew who sent them to kill her. Before they plunged their dagger into her chest, without any regrets, and not even a light of sanity in her eyes left, her final words were: "Even if I am no longer living in this world, in this universe of Creation, no one can escape from their hands¡ª heed my words¡ª everyone¡¯s Fate is already set in stone!¡­""


    "With the Sorceress gone, mankind was stripped of their opportunity to seek out and abuse these six stones. Perhaps it would have been for the best that they remain elusive, but then this story would not have been written now, wouldn¡¯t it?"


    "No one would have known or remembered what truly happened in the past, but this being written proves that wrong in an instant¡­ Like a certain man never failed to tell himself:"


    Fate always has tricks up its sleeves to show off its cruel sense of humor¡­


    Fate¡­ How very funny.


    A scream of anger brought me back to my senses. All this time, I¡¯ve been standing my ground as my blade lodged itself into the lifeless body of my enemy. I took a cold, deep breath to calm myself down and regain my focus. I drew my sword out as enemies charged at me. Their faces, filled with rage, as they came running at me with pitchforks and big pikes.


    "Traitor! Traitor! Here comes the Bloody Traitor!" One of the many strings of words I heard the people of the village throwing at me, shouting at me, cursing at the top of their lungs as they charged forward with their weapons with murderous intent. They never fazed me as I struck them down, nevertheless. Their screams of pain, cries of momentary death followed. Blood spilled all over the scene, staining the cold, white, snowy battlegrounds.


    That''s right. This was the result of my past choices. The path that I wish I had never taken... but still did. The path that turned me to this so-called ¡®Bloody Traitor¡¯ of my homeland, but on the other hand, they knew me as General Alessio Amaryllis, the branded Head General of the king of Ivory Moon¡­


    While secretly being the Guardian of the Stone of Time¡­


    <hr>

 Chapter 1: Clock Tower鈥檚 Midnight Chimes

    <hr>


    <blockquote>


    On the highest floor of the clocktower there she sat once more, laughing one last time as death knocked on her door. She then gladly opened it and welcomed him with open arms. But the daughter wonders if she¡¯s satisfied with this. If this is the ending that she waited for.


    </blockquote>


    - Alessio Amaryllis


    <hr>


    When I was still living peacefully with my step-father and my step-brother... when I still had a place to call home... When I was still able to visit a friend and his daughter after my long day¡¯s work as a mercenary... Oh, how I miss those good old times and how I wish for things to stay the same. But it has been so long, too long, and now it¡¯s nothing more than just a wishful thought of mine. Now all I know is nothing else but to obey, fight, defend, and survive in this same bloody war, day-in and day-out. My hands only knew how to clutch on to a sharp weapon to strike, slashing it against every flesh and bone of my enemies that came in my way... as that is the only thing they''re good for


    Traitor! Traitor! You Bloody Traitor!


    The same words I keep hearing as my enemies charge towards me... their final words before being slain by my blade and falling to the ground like flies to a fire.


    There are still some who choose to run away or cower in their homes, and there are those who would look at me with a misplaced smile paired with a set of emotionless eyes as they open their arms wide at me, welcoming death itself. These... are the types that are the most difficult for me to handle, making me wonder if they''ve accepted what''s become of me... or just accepted that they cannot breathe the same air as me.


    But I suppose that it matters so little, especially in times like these¡­


    Despite what lots of people think of me, I am no one¡¯s hero, nor am I someone who always lives for blood and glory. I¡¯m just a Head General who does a passable job of being ordered around. It is expected that death is inevitable when it comes to wars. I had already lost count of how many allies I¡¯d fought beside me¡ª after a time, their names and faces had faded into the recesses of my hazy memory.


    But then a semblance of memory struck me... the Lady of the Lake.


    She was one of the very few people with a reputation that matched the Sorceress. I''d heard of the woman through rumored stories and snatches of tavern gossip. "I heard she was the Sorceress¡¯s daughter", one patron would say to another over a cup of ale. "I heard that they are both still living in that old clock tower in the hidden village, but the people there said that they only see the daughter who goes in and out of the accursed place."


    When I reported what I heard to the king, he then ordered me to find and protect her at all costs. Despite being tired from the previous battle, I never told him, nor had I shown any weakness, and so I obeyed his orders, but things never went as planned.


    The enemy found out about the Sorceress¡¯ and her daughter¡¯s whereabouts first and led an attack on the village. Once I arrived, the houses were already burning down, and some of the villagers were running away, but most of them were already burned corpses with their drops of blood streaming down like rivers.


    I gritted my teeth in anger and clutched onto my sword before closing my eyes and soon jumped down on a statue, crushing it with my landing. That certainly caught their attention. As I regained my stance, I could hear them slowly approaching me, armed with weapons and ready to strike on sight


    I then took a deep breath before opening my eyes, and in a couple of seconds, I struck them down in just one quick swoop, and soon had their bodies immediately falling on the ground.


    "It¡¯s the Bloody Traitor! Get him!" One of them, a female voice, ordered her men before heading quickly inside of the clock tower.


    She¡¯s going for them. I need to get there before anything else happens!


    But of course, things can never be that simple. Since when did "simple" associate itself with wars anyway? I sighed before taking a quick look around to see how many of them I needed to fight through. In one sequence, I impaled the ground with my sword. The golden-colored stone on my tie began to glow, while the area lit up with the same color.


    Tempus Bane.


    All my enemies around me slowed down. I struck them all down in less than a minute (as I¡¯ve counted), giving each a quick and painless death. The power of the Stone of Time truly is useful for situations like these, though I know only a couple of basic spells at the moment, such as that one.


    Before the effects wore off, I didn¡¯t waste a single second and quickly headed inside the clocktower, going straight to the top floor. I hoped that I wasn¡¯t too late.


    But Fate always had a trick up its sleeve to demonstrate its cruel sense of humor¡­


    When I arrived there, the Sorceress was already gone, and the culprit was now going for the daughter, the Lady of the Lake. The one who I was ordered to protect. I noticed that she was standing frozen in fear as the culprit pulled out a dagger. Without thinking of any plan, I acted quickly, and it took me exactly four seconds to close the gap and save her.


    One. The lady slowly closed her eyes as tears started streaming down her face.


    Two. The culprit charges forward, but I noticed that she dropped her dagger.


    Three. I quickly grabbed the lady by the shoulder and pulled her away from us as I charged in towards the culprit with a ball of fire in my other hand, ready to shoot.


    Four. But the culprit smiled and cast an Energy Blast that would hit us both.


    Moments after the explosion, a loud sound of shattered glass was heard, then came the midnight chimes. The whole room was covered in smoke as I could feel there was static energy in the air. I looked around to find the culprit, but all I saw was the pieces of glass on the floor along with the culprit''s dagger.


    I carefully picked it up and inspected it. It was not familiar to me at first glance. It appeared to be hand-made; its handle was made of metal and was covered in blue fabric. There is a small orb on the dagger¡¯s pommel that has a bird emblem inside of it that¡¯s familiar to me, which assures me that they were from the enemy kingdom, the kingdom of Helio Vermillion.


    It seems that they''re getting more desperate than ever. I considered this before slowly walking a few steps to the large shattered window and carefully looking down to see if anyone was there. But I didn''t see anyone. There¡¯s only the red cloak that the culprit was wearing earlier. I suddenly felt a sudden chill run down my spine before being pulled back into the room by someone.


    I quickly looked at that person and fortunately saw that it was her. She suddenly looked frightened as I was for a moment before we both sighed in relief.


    "You¡¯re not hurt, are you?" I asked.


    She was surprised at first, but then quickly shook her head in response.


    "That¡¯s good. I''m glad that you''re unharmed." I said before falling to my knees and noticing she was running beside me. I then grunted in pain as I felt the wound in my chest. When I slowly looked at my hand, it was covered with my blood. Of course, I was hit, and that was expected coming from a big-range attack like that.


    Seems like I''ve been too reckless again... I thought before looking at her.


    "You are very badly wounded. Please let me..." she said.


    "Don''t worry, this is nothing more than a scratch. I''ll be fine. I can assure you that. " I replied as I shook my head and began to slowly walk away. But she looked at me with disbelief before approaching me and suddenly stopping me in my tracks.


    She then forcefully but still carefully leaned me against the wall, and placed her hand on my wound. I soon felt a sense of relief as the pain slowly faded away, as if she was healing me. And not for long, my eyes started to close by themselves, despite how I didn''t want to. Well, it¡¯s not like I tried not to.


    "You should take a rest for now..." she said in a soft tone, but I shook my head.


    "No, not yet. I still have a job to do. I still have to make sure of your safety. "


    "I know that you are worried, but I can assure you that we will all be fine soon. I already had my two friends call for help in the nearest village. So you can rest assured, General Amaryllis of Ivory Moon."


    After hearing that, I was quickly surprised at what she just called me, making me ask her all of a sudden, "General? How did you know my position?"


    "Well, just like how I presume you found this place, I''ve heard certain stories about you as well." She responded as I felt her stop and suddenly heard the sounds of ripping clothes. To my gentle surprise, she actually tore off her clothes a bit.Stolen story; please report.


    "I heard that the people in your homeland call you the Bloody Traitor." she continued as I carefully sat up properly, no longer leaning on the walls. I then heard her footsteps coming from behind me, and felt that she was beginning to wrap the ripped fabric around my chest, covering my wound. "And I also heard how you one day mysteriously became the Head General serving Ivory Moon¡¯s King."


    I suddenly flinched a bit in pain when she began to tie it tightly.


    "Though, I must say, I¡¯m a bit surprised how you don¡¯t fear me, despite how I look and all of the rumors you might have heard about me and my actions."


    "Why would I be afraid of you?" She asked as I could feel her gentle hand on my back. "Please, tell me, why should I be afraid of someone who just saved my life earlier?"


    I became silent for a while before opening my eyes and looking at my bloodied hand. "I¡¯m no one¡¯s hero..." I responded in a cold tone.


    "And you are no monster either," she quickly added. "Not to me you are not..."


    I suddenly became quiet and looked away as I saw her suddenly standing up.


    "Stories can truly make you curious about things and people," she said as I heard her slowly walking away. "Some of them are true..." I then looked up at her, seeing how the silver moon creates a veil glowing around her body as she holds out her hand to me with a smile on her face. "... and some of them are not."


    After she said those words, I couldn¡¯t help but stare at her for a moment before taking her hand and carefully getting up. It was a strange feeling. I felt like this had already happened before, but at the same time, how could that be possible if this is the first time I¡¯ve been in this place and the first time I¡¯ve met her?


    Perhaps, I was just overthinking things again¡­


    <hr>


    After the incident that night, the hidden village turned into nothing more than a ghost town. It was like nothing happened, like the town never existed and was easily forgotten by most people in the world. Though new stories and rumors were being told in taverns, such as the story of the daughter accused of being the culprit for her own mother¡¯s death, or stories that they were both killed that night. Whatever they want to believe or spread at this point, it doesn¡¯t truly matter to me, and it seemed that it didn¡¯t matter to her either.


    Though it was strange, she didn''t seem to mourn for the loss of her mother or express sorrow that night. She was calm, but I was sure that I heard her asking herself once under her breath if that was the true ending that her mother wanted. But it seemed that none of us would be able to know the answer to that.


    She was quick to agree to go home with us to Ivory Moon, along with a couple of survivors from the burnt village. And of course, the king never expected that we''d be coming home with that many people, but he was happy, overjoyed even. He welcomed them with open arms and with such hospitality, like he always does, but after that¡ª once the king and I were alone¡ª he gave me one of those long sermons¡ª lecturing me like some sort of child, before letting me return to my quarters.


    But as expected, it didn¡¯t end there, as soon as I saw my step-brother, Garett Rowe, standing there with his arms crossed. He gave me the same long sermon¡ª or more of a speech¡ª as soon as I arrived back at my quarters. He knows that I wouldn''t just go places and be some damsel in shining armor, especially if he hasn''t met the woman himself. And so he assumed that it was the king¡¯s orders that were given to me, which was true, and as expected, he was not very happy with it.


    He was never fond of the king after all. Especially after knowing the truth, he stayed serving under the king¡¯s rule for quite some time now, and for reasons that I still haven¡¯t known or even asked him about even now.


    "I understand. It was an order from the king, and being the worry-wart person that you are, you had to go there immediately, despite being exhausted from the previous battle. But I just¡ª I don¡¯t¡ª Why¡ª Why didn¡¯t at least bring me along with you. We could have easily defeated them all together, and you wouldn¡¯t have ended up hurt like that! The Sorceress wouldn¡¯t have died! I could have given you your¡ª I could have given her revenge on a single platter!" Garett shouted at me.


    I looked exhausted to the point I could feel my eyebags going deep. I just feel exhausted. "None of us wanted it, though..."


    "What?" he said in a surprised tone, but still with a bit of anger in it.


    "I was sent there by the king to protect her. That was my main priority. But when I came, the infantry soldiers of Helio Vermillion were already there and had almost wiped out all of the people in the village. I fought them, of course, but I had to make it quick. She needed a protector, not a vengeful person. And I didn¡¯t bring you along with me, not only because it was urgent, but also because¡ª"


    "Because I don¡¯t know when to be either." He said as he suddenly interrupted me.


    The room was then filled with silence, as he looked at me like he was waiting for my answer¡ª say something¡ª anything, hoping that I would prove him wrong... But unfortunately, I didn¡¯t.


    "I don¡¯t need to hear this from you," he spat. "Ever since you met that man, the self-proclaimed King of Ivory Moon, you started to change! Even though you seem like a bloody killer in battle, the thought of vengeance never comes back to you ever again! And now you talk to me about kindness and protection?!..."


    "You followed me by your own volition, I never asked you nor did I tell you about my departure at that time. And I never said anything about kindness either." I said before sighing and standing up, then walking towards him. "A dog may obey their master¡¯s orders anytime, but once they hurt them unreasonably, even if they¡¯re tame, they can and will still bite..."


    The two of us exchanged burning glares at one another for a while.


    This is not going anywhere, and I¡¯m exhausted from dealing with this kind of thing right now. I sighed at the thought and turned around, slowly walking back to my bed and sitting down.


    "You and I have been together for so long. We fought side by side in every battle in our mercenary days, and I did think the same way you did. After knowing the truth, I thought of killing the king for what he did, for vengeance. But I kept on hesitating when I had the chance until... I decided to not do it anymore." I said before looking at the Stone of Time on top of the end table beside my bed.


    "In a different timeline, I would have probably killed him already after knowing the truth. In another, I wouldn''t be mad at him that much. Instead, I would try to understand him. But in this one, I¡¯m not entirely sure how this one will end for any of us..." I then grabbed the stone and clutched onto it tightly before looking at him.


    "You can still go home, Garett. It¡¯s been so long, too long even. And this is my punishment for the mistake that I made, it¡¯s mine alone to bear. " I said in a tired tone.


    And there came a moment of silence before a loud sound of someone punching the wall occurred that suddenly made me look at him.


    The wall was somewhat broken; it left a mark, but it wasn''t enough to leave a hole. I noticed that he was still glaring at me, but it seemed that his anger had lessened a bit from how it was earlier.


    "You¡¯re a damned fool." he snapped as he threw the sword down on the floor. "If it weren¡¯t for them, I would have left a long time ago." Those were the last words I heard from him before he stormed off the room.


    Well, this isn¡¯t the first time we''ve argued. He¡¯ll calm down after some time, so I¡¯m not that worried. Though it seemed that I got somewhat of an answer from him, Vengeance, because of what happened in the past... But even he seems to be hesitating on doing it, or perhaps he¡¯s just waiting for the perfect timing to do so... I shook my head at the thought, then stood up and picked up his sword on the floor, looking at my reflection in its blade.


    Soon I saw glimpses¡ª visions of blood on it a couple of times, before quickly throwing it on the floor and noticing my shaking hands before grasping my head. I then tried to slowly calm down.


    I am no one¡¯s hero, nor am I someone who¡¯s a bloodthirsty monster, and yet... why¡­


    <hr>


    "You¡¯re late..." were the first words I heard as I suddenly opened my eyes, seeing the bright sky before turning my head to look around my surroundings. I saw the open hallway that separates this place from the huge garden on the other side, Gardenia. With smooth flooring, rows of arches with flat roofs that are made of marble and filled with tangled vines and flowers, hanging like waterfalls. This was the Royal Training Grounds¡ª the king¡¯s personal training area, where I attempted to teach him fencing, and he even gave Garett and I permission to train here as well.


    But it made me wonder how I ended up here. I didn¡¯t recall falling asleep, or waking up, or walking here and started training with him.


    Seeing his arms crossed and a dissatisfied look, he said, "You were never late for our training like this before, so this is... a bit surprising to me."


    I blinked once, or twice, or even a couple of times before slowly getting up from the floor. I truly can¡¯t remember anything.


    "I apologize, but I don¡¯t even remember¡ª" I stopped as soon as he suddenly threw my sword, and by instinct I caught its grip with my hand. I then squinted my eyes as I looked at him, seeing that smirk on his face.


    "Your agility seems fine, but let¡¯s see if you still have it," he said as he charged towards me as I quickly blocked off his attack.


    "It was strange¡­ It almost felt like we just argued yesterday and you stormed off the room." I said as I parried and went on the offensive, but soon I noticed how his expression just suddenly dropped.


    "Oh, that..." he said before our blades met, and began to push against each other, trying to gain an upper hand. "No, it was yesterday¡ª of course it wasn¡¯t yesterday! That happened a year ago!" He shouted and pushed against my sword and swung once more, barely giving me time to dodge.


    He¡¯s much faster now than he was before. I thought before noticing he rushed at me with a hilt to the ribs, knocking me backward onto the floor.


    When I looked up, the tip of his blade was already inches away from my throat, as he gave me such a blank stare that haunts me. But soon I noticed how the light in his eyes returned as he sighed and put his sword away from me.


    "You¡¯re getting weaker every day, Al... But that¡¯s not the only thing that I¡¯ve noticed about you nowadays." He started walking away a bit, then took a deep breath while looking at the horizon. "I noticed that you keep having a hard time sleeping at night, or you¡¯re oversleeping during the day. And just like earlier, you start to forget things that just happened, but you can remember things that happened a year ago. It rarely happens, true, but it¡¯s still concerning me..."


    "Hmm, perhaps it¡¯s the disadvantages of having the Stone of Time..." I said as I looked at the golden stone embedded in my tie. "I heard that the Sorceress cast a curse on each of the stones before hiding each of them scattered around the world."


    "Huh, well, that¡¯s a pretty weird curse. But I suppose that¡¯s only fair since she did see how some people in humanity are greedy for power, and even caused a never-ending war." He said as he scratched the back of his messy tangerine hair before looking at me.


    "Ah, and that reminds me... I don¡¯t think I have asked you this before, but where did you get that stone anyway?" He asked, making me suddenly remove my hand from my stone as a hazy memory of a certain person started flooding back to my mind.


    My gaze then looked in a different direction for a moment. "It was a gift from an old friend of mine... from a very long time ago." I replied before soon carefully standing up, placing my sword back in its scabbard, and beginning to walk away. "We should better get going. We still have a lot of work to do today."


    <hr>

 Chapter 2: He鈥檚 the King鈥檚 Head General

    <hr>


    <blockquote>


    It does not matter what other people call you or what your title is. What you do know in the present and for the future, for others or yourself, that defines who or what you truly are.


    </blockquote>


    - Alessio Amaryllis


    <hr>


    Upon walking in the cold hallways with Garett, I soon stopped as I looked through one of the tall windows, and there I saw a glimpse of what was going on outside. The barricades that will be used for the next battle are currently under preparation. Several groups of knights, mages, and archers were all over the place, beginning preparations for today¡¯s battle, though I could guess from their actions that some of them seemed to be in a panic. They wonder if they''re just concerned about whether they''ll be able to live another day, if they''ll be able to return home and see their friends and family after another battle is over, or if they''re concerned about learning the truth about who killed their fellow messengers several days ago.


    They were all found burnt, so almost none of us were able to recognize them. From the report we received, a certain brutal General, who we presume is the culprit, is the one who''ll be leading the infantry soldiers from Helio Vermillion in today''s battle.


    From how they describe the person, he seems to be someone who''s been very familiar to Garett and I for a very long time. I could be wrong, but from the looks of his expression after hearing it, he wasn''t happy about it. Ever since our training earlier this morning, he still seemed troubled, silent, and constantly avoiding any eye contact.


    "You seem unsettled for quite some time now, Garett..." I said as he stood there in the middle of the hallway, not facing me. Still, I continued to say, "You know that you can tell me what¡¯s wrong¡­ It¡¯s better that way than keeping it all to yourself."


    After a moment of silence, he suddenly took a deep breath before nodding a bit, and finally faced me with a much calmer and relaxed expression now. But what came out of his mouth made me suspicious of him all of a sudden.


    "You know, Al, I could just run straight at the guy and plunge my axe deeply into his skull. Then I would just be killed right after for that stupid attempt. But... I know it''s not gonna be worth it, and would just be a waste of time for the both of us, right?"


    My eyes then squinted as I stared at him. I knew he wouldn''t do such a thing, but I could sense that he was planning something else entirely, and he was involving me in it. "Yes, you''re right. Even with the power of my stone, I won''t be able to be quick enough to stop you on your reckless plan if that happens." I said before crossing my arms. "But it seems there''s something else in your mind that involves me, isn''t there?"


    "Ha! I never thought that you could read minds, Al. But yes, you''re right about all of that. And it''s just a simple task really, and only you, who I know would be able to do it right." He responded with a smirk on his face as he walked closer to me.


    "Garett, I wouldn''t mind doing it, but if he has something to do with revenge¡ª"


    "Who says anything about revenge?" He said, quickly interrupting me as he crossed his arms. "I just wanted you to teach that guy a lesson or two to never mess with us... and also to never mess with the people here. And don''t say the king won''t agree to it. I highly doubt that he''s not angry with the person who killed all of his messengers. With how he''s treated everyone as his friends, how could he not be?"


    Unfortunately, I had to agree that he was right about some of what he said.


    The king did treat every knight, mages, even mere citizens in towns or anyone in his kingdom scopes; he treated them all as his "friends". Even those who are from the other kingdom who just got recruited, he would happily welcome them with open arms. And despite how he always seems to be happy, deep inside he''s probably already feeling anger and regret for so much loss.


    I suppose there''s no other choice, is there? I have no intention of killing the man, and it''s not enough for the lost lives he caused, but it''s probably¡ª and hopefully enough for Garett to not do anything reckless in the future. I thought before taking a deep breath before responding to him with, "... I''ll¡­ I¡¯ll see what I can do."


    "That''s the spirit!" he said as he suddenly patted me, much harder on the back this time, before sliding his arm around my neck and pulling me a bit closer to his side. "Now that part is settled, aren''t you going to meet up with the king this morning? Or more importantly... meet up with her before she leaves for their journey soon?"


    As he said those last words, I looked down at his hand where he was holding an anemone flower, before looking back at him with a smirk on his face which annoyed me, but I still kept my composure and slowly began to move his arm away from me.


    "I¡¯ve already told you multiple times that there''s nothing going on between Lady Lucerne and me¡­" I said before looking away in a different direction. "... And a woman such as herself deserves a better man, not someone like me, who''s got a bad reputation, let alone looks that bring fear to the land..."


    "And there you are again with your self-loathing." he said as he sighed and shook his head. "Have confidence in yourself for once in your life, Al! Sure, we heard that she had already turned down a lot of men before we met her, but those guys only came for her looks. But you? Despite what she heard about you... and despite your so-called ''scary appearance'', she didn''t hesitate on coming along with you that night, didn''t she?"


    I couldn''t deny that any of what he just said wasn''t true. But responsibilities always come first and will always occupy us no matter what, so there''s only little¡ª or there''s no time even for such things as having fun and looking for love for people like me. But then again, fate always has its tricks up its sleeves just for its cruel sense of humor.


    "Right, I think that''s enough time wasted. Now if you have nothing else important to say to me, and you¡¯re feeling fine now to fight, then I suggest that you better get yourself ready, get to your position like everyone else, and as planned. While I''ll be excusing myself now to report to the king that everything is ready." I said as I began walking away while holding that certain object in one hand.


    Garrett¡¯s shocked expression was the last thing I saw of him. But not long after, I heard him say, in a satisfied and happy tone, "Ooohhhh¡ª Alrighty then. It seems we''ll continue more of this talk tonight. And remember what I told you earlier!" before hearing his footsteps fade as he walks to the opposite direction of the hallway.


    It seems that he did notice it after all. Though I''m wondering now if listening to his advice was ever a good idea in the first place. I thought as I began staring at the white anemone flower that I was able to slip away from his hand earlier.


    The white anemone symbolizes protection, and perhaps that is the reason why he picks this flower specifically. Though, does he truly expect me to make such a bold move at a time like this?


    I shook my head before soon arriving in front of the two big doors of the king''s study room, and I hid my hand that was holding the flower on my back. And as I was about to knock on the door, I stopped as soon as I suddenly heard the familiar voice of a man, the king himself, saying, "... Are you truly sure that you¡¯ll be fine traveling? I could order the Head General to accompany you on your trip to make sure you''re safe."


    "No need, your Highness... I know that you are concerned for my safety, but I can assure you that I''m quite capable of protecting myself and others, and we will return as soon as we''ve accomplished our task," she replied in a calm and reassuring manner.


    It seems that there¡¯s nothing that would change her mind. Even if it¡¯s only a couple of days, and I know that she could protect herself, still I¡­ No, I need to put my worries aside, and trust her decisions... I put my thoughts to a halt, and finally knocked on the door.


    "Oh! Come in!" the king responded, before I opened the door and walked in.


    The king stood there in front of the window blocking the morning¡¯s sunlight, with his hands on his back and his usual smile on his face. Then there¡¯s the Lady of the Lake, known now as the Lady in Blue, who slightly turned her head to look at me as I bowed and greeted them both, "Good morning, Lady Lucerne... Your Highness."


    "My apologies if I''m interrupting something, but I must report to His Highness that the preparations and troops are primed for battle and now awaiting your orders."


    "Ah, right. Our enemy waits for no one after all," he said before he looked at her.


    "Of course, I understand¡­ But please, even when just observing, and even when he is with you, please, still try to keep yourself safe, Your Highness," she said as she bowed to him. He then nodded to her in response before he continued walking away.


    After watching him leave the room, I was about to follow him, but I took another look at the lady, and there I noticed that her smile was slowly fading while she was looking down at the small white box that she had in her hands. And, before long, my legs began to move on their own, without hesitation or second thoughts, making me walk towards her side to carefully put the white anemone flower behind her left ear, as I said to her, "May you have a safe journey. I¡­ No, we will all be waiting for your return."


    Her face flushed a bit as her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at me and touched the flower gently. She then began to smile again. And that was the last expression I saw from her before I soon left the room and followed the king, who¡ª as expected¡ª would look at me with a goofy grin because of what he just saw. I stared at him for a while before looking in a different direction and started walking away with him in silence. But it didn''t take long before he broke it when he finally spoke.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "You know, General. I knew you had feelings for Lady Lucerne, but I never imagined, let alone expected, that you could¡ª"


    "Finish that sentence..." I quickly interrupted him with a grim tone and gave him a sudden glare, "... and I won''t hesitate to end your bloodline here and now in this very hallway. I¡¯ll slice your head with my sword, then throw your body off into the nearby window. Any witnesses outside will be horrified..." But of course, I never meant that, and as expected from him, he chuckled it off awkwardly.


    "There you go again with your grim sense of humor. I was only kidding... on some parts of it. But it seems that you didn¡¯t deny it either way. So it must be true..."


    "Hmph. Whether I deny it or accept it as a fact, I know that it won¡¯t stop you from teasing me, and instead you¡¯ll be doing it more often." I said as I looked away from him. "I''ve served you long enough to know you that much at least, Your Highness."


    "Ah, I suppose that you¡¯re right about that," he said with a slight chuckle afterward. "And I must say, I am truly impressed by how you''re able to keep yourself determined and patient in serving a childish king like me. Any other hot-tempered man would have probably quit after a day or two, but you still stayed for years now, and despite knowing of the terrible tragedy that I caused as well¡­" he said, as his cheerful tone seemed to have died down a bit, and his head slightly lowered now.


    As soon as I sensed that the air had suddenly become heavy, I turned my head to look at him. Seeing that his eyes were focused on his brooch that had the Stone of Void embedded in it, the stone was glowing a bright purple. His hand fidgeted on it for a while, then stopped as his eyes shifted to me as soon as he noticed me watching him.


    "You¡¯re staring¡­ Are you perhaps worried that I might not be able to take it and cause another tragedy?" He asked as he looked at me with a smile on his face, despite the fact that I could tell he was nervous. "It is true that I''m not the one who will be facing the enemy in battle, and I will just be observing it, but still, I fear much more facing the truth from the man himself, and causing distractions later..."


    "I know and I''m aware of that. That''s why I already had it planned beforehand," I said as I handed him a pair of golden armlets fused with a source of magic. "You can wear these for now."


    He gave me a surprised look mixed with a bit of hesitation about whether to take it or not, but in the end, he decided to take it anyway. "I know these armlets¡­ They are used to keep the user''s powers and emotions stable. But if they won''t be able to hold it any longer, it''ll break and cause some damage to the person who gave it, or what I''ve heard at least..." he said as he locked them on his wrists.


    He stared at the armlets before looking back at me once again and asking, "Are you... truly sure about this? You might need these armlets more than I do."


    "Thank you for your concern, but I''ll be able to control my emotions and their power just fine now and even without them." I said before opening the big doors for him as he looked at me in disbelief for a moment before soon smiling again.


    "Alright, I''ll believe your word for it." he said before walking out to the rampart.


    As I followed him right after, I noticed that most of the archers were surprised to see their king walk out of the door. Perhaps they were still hoping for him to change his mind on watching today''s battle at the last second, but unfortunately for us, he didn''t.


    However, I told them before that I would take the blame if anything were to happen to him, and for the fact that I didn''t even try to convince him earlier, fully knowing it would just be a waste of time. Because, knowing him, he''s as stubborn as I am.


    "Right, this is it¡­ There¡¯s no going back on this decision." I said before I took a deep breath and turned to look at the king beside me and asked, "Are you ready?"


    His eyes were focused in the distance as he responded, "Ready as I¡¯ll ever be."


    And then we heard it. The loud sound of the horn was coming from afar. With their horses galloping and banners of their kingdom, the kingdom of Helio Vermillion, is being held high. There are also two Generals who came this time instead of one. Though only one of them was wearing a mask that covered their upper face, the other wasn¡¯t afraid to show their face. With that, I was able to recognize him as someone who is very familiar to me. From what they reported to me before, and seeing his face now, I am certain that he is that man, that General, the one who¡¯s called the Brutal Bear.


    The king then put his hood on while asking, "... Do you know him, General?"


    I nodded as I grabbed my bow and arrow. "General Haco. One of the most brutal Generals in Helio Vermillion. Any novice under him will either die from his very difficult training, or will survive, but barely. He¡¯s pretty greedy and so full of himself. I''m surprised that he still has a title despite the disobedience that he did."


    Though I wouldn''t be surprised to know if he truly was the one responsible for the massacre of our men. I thought, then I noticed he lowered his hand as if it had become numb.


    "I see," he said in a serious tone with his head lowered. "Then do what you must."


    I stared at him for a moment before looking at the opposing army that had just arrived.


    "Halt!" General Haco shouted loudly from afar.


    He then looked at us, more specifically, at the King. "King of Ivory Moon!" he yelled as he pointed his finger at him. "You know we¡¯re at war, and yet you kept on sending your messengers into our territory. In the Queen¡¯s territory! ... But I must say... He let out a chuckle and smirked. "It was truly enjoyable to kill off your idiotic men while it lasted, but now it¡¯s getting exhausting and annoying¡­"


    Some of our archers nearby began whispering to each other. "How could he?!" I overheard one of them talking to the other. "That man isn¡¯t human!" whispers another. And just like what Garett told me earlier, the king was truly affected by it. But it''s just now that his anger has become much more visible than before.


    His hands clenched into fists as the golden armlets he was wearing began to shake. He then said under his breath, "How sickening. I''ve heard enough, that''s enough. "


    "Your Highness, I think it''s best if you would¡ª" one of the nearby archers said, but the king raised his hand.


    "I''ll be fine," he said with his head lowered. "I want to see this until the end."


    The archer and I exchanged looks and nodded at each other. I looked back at the Brutal General who still hadn''t shut his mouth.


    Taking a deep breath, I nocked an arrow into my bow, maintained the draw, and began to aim it at my target, and not for long¡­


    "Not only that you¡¯re a coward, but you¡¯re also not that much different from¡ª"


    ¡­!


    I shot him, and he was already too late to dodge it. The arrow was shot directly at his hand and even went deep into his arm. It was quickly followed by his loud screeching of pain, with several curses that spouted out of his dirty, loud mouth. He then looked at me directly, gritted his teeth in anger, and soon raised his sword with his other hand and soon commanded,


    "That Bloody Traitor¡­! Warriors! Don¡¯t spare these hypocrites! Charge!"


    Then it began. Cavalry soldiers, along with their very injured general, galloped their way towards the castle, while everyone was already in position, and moving like clockwork under orders that we''d planned for days.


    "Hold," I ordered, looking down at the horde of soldiers below.


    I noticed the King was looking at me, making me turn in his direction. "For your poor sensitive ears, Your Highness, I may suggest that you cover them for now. My voice may make you deaf, especially considering how close you are to me right now..."


    He nodded quietly before moving back and covering his ears with his hands.


    I looked down below, and not long after, I pulled out my sword and raised it high in the air, casting Magic Adrenaline on all of my archers around me, causing their magic and dexterity to increase as I called out very loudly, "Fire!"


    All of the archers cast Arrow Rain at the same time as they let their arrows fly.


    Even if it was an attack with only one arrow from each of them, those arrows turned into ice and multiplied as they began raining down on the enemy. And then there were screams of pain¡ª ringing in all sorts of directions, along with the sounds of clashing swords and loud battle cries. While there were sounds of war going on in front of the portcullis, there was something that I noticed that was off-putting to me. That there was something that didn''t add up.


    I noticed that there was still a group of cavalry soldiers in line in the distance, but what drew my attention was a suspicious figure, a masked general that seemed to stare in my direction. He looked away as soon as I fully noticed him, and he looked at General Haco who retreated with his surviving men.


    The masked General then continued to stare at them once again before soon raising his hand, and the rest of his men behind him began to leave, leaving General Haco and his men behind.


    "Semaphore! Ask three thousand soldiers to drive them to the river bank!" I ordered, to which the king soon walked beside me giving me a confused expression on his face.


    The king looked in that direction as well, keeping quiet while still looking into the distance, and soon realized what was about to happen.


    As our soldiers stopped before reaching the dried up river bank, General Haco and his men stopped just right at the middle of it, and began to tell them mockingly to come at them and fight, while the masked General and his cavalry were already on the other side, keeping themselves quiet and only observing the idiocy and mockery of his so-called ¡®allies¡¯. Then the wooden dam opened, causing a huge flood of water to surge quickly into the river bank and wipe out General Haco along with his men.


    The masked General and his soldiers didn¡¯t faze him at all as they did nothing and soon left. I find it strange, but I let out a sigh of relief at our victory. Our men all around cheered, and the King chuckled.


    "You used your knowledge of the terrain of this kingdom to our advantage very well, General. Truly, you keep surprising me with these kinds of things."


    "If I didn''t, then I''m not good at my job, am I? " I said as I began rubbing my temple, feeling a sudden headache coming. "I didn''t expect that there would be another who came, but luckily, he didn''t seem to be interested in what Haco was planning, and just got dragged into his mess. But he was observant of us, so I suppose we''ll be changing our¡ª"


    I came to a halt and turned to face him as he rested his hand on my shoulder.


    "General Amaryllis, I believe that you¡¯ve done enough for today¡­ So why not celebrate tonight at the Grand Hall with the others, or return to your bedroom to take a long and needed rest? Either way, I just want you to take this out of your mind for tonight. We can talk more about the change of plans, strategies, and that mysterious general after tomorrow¡¯s morning meeting," he said, giving me a small smile.


    He then removed his hood as his eyes shifted away from me, and his tone became slightly awkward. "Does... Does that sound fine with you? I¡¯m not telling you this as an order, but I too am concerned for your well-being."


    I stared at him for a moment, surprised by what he just said before soon realizing, Ah, that¡¯s right... He¡¯s that type of King after all. Even for people as low as me, even as a stranger to him at the time... He truly hasn''t changed. I sighed in relief at the thought. "Alright, I¡¯ll take your word for it."

 Chapter 3: Ivory Moons King, Taro Naoko

    <hr>


    A king who stood there high and tall,


    Who¡¯ll bring peace to us all;


    Always hides behind these walls,


    Oh, how the mighty falls¡­


    - Alessio Amaryllis


    <hr>


    After that glorious victory against Helio Vermillion¡¯s Brutal Bear, General Haco, and even if we weren¡¯t able to know the identity of the Masked General and his motives, it was enough for the people here, the men who fought, and the king, to be happy that they got their justice for our fallen messengers from before. As well as Garett who, after the battle, had a stupidly big grin on his face once we met up.


    But unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t able to shut his blabbering mouth. He kept on praising me and even wouldn¡¯t stop bragging about me to the other men. But after I managed to escape from his sight, I only sighed in relief after hearing that Lady Lucerne left the kingdom safely along with the others during the battle.


    Luckily, everything that happened today went well for all of us¡­ I thought to myself before looking up at the beautiful night sky filled with stars.


    From the balcony where I was standing, I could see the stars twinkling and the majestic grace of the white-golden full moon above. I could also feel the gentle breeze that blew by. It was calming, just like that night when I first met him, before the shocking truth hit me¡­


    <hr>


    There were rumors running around in my village at that time, after the tragedy that happened in the nearby village where I used to visit, but I never believed them one bit. But I should have. I should have listened to them. I should have believed in them. But of course, it was already too late. I already took him to my step-father¡¯s house and took care of him in secrecy until he was fully recovered that night. I finally found out the shocking and painful truth that I wished I never knew... From there, I learned that it was my biggest mistake ever to have saved him.


    "My name is Taro Naoko. I am currently the king of Ivory Moon." He said, smiling at me with a calming tone, but hearing it from him-hearing the shocking truth, suddenly made me freeze in where I stood and in fear, and yet he continued, "I am very thankful for your kindness and hospitality for taking care of me these past few days, despite not knowing who I am or not knowing that I do not belong here."


    "N-No... You can¡¯t be... You can¡¯t be the king of Ivory Moon!" I shouted at him.


    But he stared at me in confusion. "How can I not be? Must I need to prove som¡ª"


    "Tell me, and I just want you to answer me honestly, or else you¡¯re not coming out of this room alive!" I said threateningly as I held tightly on to the grip of my sword, ready to pull it from its scabbard. He was just speechless, giving me a confused look.


    "Are you the one responsible for what happened in that village?" I asked him once more, trying to keep my composure as much as I was able to.


    His eyes then shifted away from me, "I-I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­ I don¡¯t remember anything about what happened that day. I don¡¯t¡ª"


    I can feel my blood boiling even more with this man. I interrupted him once again, grabbing him by the collar of his long-sleeved vest.


    "Don¡¯t give me this nonsense and just answer my question! Were you to blame for what happened in that village that day!? The one who caused that horrible tragedy?!" I asked him one last time, and in a very angry tone.


    But he continued to not say anything while looking at me with fear and confusion in his eyes. As the painful silence went on, my hands began to tremble as tears began to stream down from my eyes, until I finally decided to put him down gently on his feet. He just stood there as I slowly moved back, leaning against the wall, and placed my hand on my face, sighing frustratedly.


    What a shambles I''ve made of myself¡­


    The painful silence continued on for a little while before he soon began to speak once again. In such a pitiful and stuttering tone, he said, "I-I am truly sorry that I could not remember anything, but I will tell you as soon as I am able to remember it!"


    "What¡¯s the point?... You¡¯ll just be telling it to a dead man." I said quietly as I slowly looked back at him. "I¡¯m not entirely sure how your laws work in your kingdom, ¡®Your Highness¡¯, but in this kingdom, once they find out that you¡¯ve gotten involved with the enemy, no matter what reason, they¡¯ll either put you in exile or worse..." My red eyes glowed as I glared at him and continued in a much grimmer tone, "... They¡¯ll even kill you mercilessly right there where you stand."


    "... W-What?" His eyes widened in fear after the last part, with his hands beginning to tremble as his feet moved back until they hit the bed behind him.


    "What¡¯s with that look? You should have thought about that before stepping into this bloody land of a kingdom." I said as I crossed my arms, then looked away from him and sighed in an exhausted tone. "Why should I be wasting my time telling you any of this?  I should just leave while I still can, and pretend that I¡¯ve never ever met you."


    "I know... You''re right... And I completely understand." He said quietly before soon hearing a loud thud, which made me quickly look at him, and from there, I couldn''t believe what my two eyes were seeing at that moment, since he did what no nobleman would ever do in a million years or ever in their lives¡­


    The present king of Ivory Moon, Taro Naoko, was kneeling on the floor with his silver head bowed right before a low man, a stranger even, such as myself. And as he spoke once again, his voice wavered.


    "I am truly sorry for not being able to remember anything and for the terrible tragedy that I seemed to have caused in your village. I know that words alone would never be enough for what I had done, but I could not bear seeing your life become in ruins after you had just saved mine. I don''t know how else I could ever repay my debt to you except for this one offer I could give to you. And I''m begging you to please accept it¡­"


    "What is it?" I asked angrily, with my voice fraying at the edges. "What kind of offer is it that you could give me that I would just accept so willingly?"


    His head slowly raised as he looked at me in agony. "Come with me. Come with me and live in the kingdom of Ivory Moon. I would give you the highest rank in my army. Help me protect my people and perhaps we will be able to help you."


    They would be able to help me? What does that mean? What does it entail? I thought as I suddenly became silent for a moment, and didn''t know how or what to respond to that. Even if it was only for a few moments or a breath, the silence was soothing, and it was the most bittersweet of silences to my ears. The atmosphere in the room that was once heavy became light, making me slowly remember the words she told me that I used to believe a very long time ago.


    "Everyone deserves a second chance in life. And don''t judge someone until you''ve learned how to walk in their shoes and understand who they truly are... she told me that once." I said as I began to walk towards the end table beside the bed, and grabbed the picture frame on top of it. I continued, "I thought that I had already learned my lesson after that incident that day, and yet here you are, alive and well..."


    I then gently put down the picture frame before slowly looking at him and finally saying, "... and it seems that I''ll be making sure of that until my very last breath."


    His eyes widened in surprise as he suddenly looked at me, "A-Are you serious?"


    I began to walk away but stopped as I responded with, "Yes¡­ unfortunately."


    I was about to turn around to look at him when I suddenly felt his arms around me, embracing me from behind, "Thank you¡­ Thank you so much. and soon his grip on me slowly became tighter. "... And I promise you, I will repay my debt to you one day. No matter what the cost would be, no matter the price."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    <hr>


    Promises are always meant to be broken. And so I didn¡¯t believe those words that he told me that night. I thought those words were only superficial and didn''t mean anything. And yet, I wasn¡¯t able to keep it off my mind, and still thought about it while resting that early morning, when I began to pack up my things, when we were about to leave home, and even when my step-father caught us at that time. We were both surprised when he said calmly, "There''s a carriage outside that will be traveling soon outside of this kingdom. If you want a safe way to escape, that is."


    The two of us were silent for a moment before I asked, "How long did you know?"


    "What kind of owner would I be if I didn¡¯t know who was living in my own home?" He responded before approaching me as he continued with, "And now you¡¯re going to ask me if I¡¯m disappointed in you for your decision. Or why am I helping you and some stranger who doesn¡¯t belong in this land, and a wanted criminal even at that?"


    I kept myself silent for a moment, not knowing what to say. But not for long when the king suddenly walked in front of me, but he was facing him instead and said, "I would like to thank you for your suggestion for us to escape the kingdom safely, but I fear that you would be found out to be involved in this and would be severely punished for this. Please, if there¡¯s something that I could do to help or repay you for this¡­"


    His eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he soon nodded his head, then turned away to walk towards his big chest, opening it.


    "Well, I never expected a wanted criminal, or even a King such as yourself, to be this polite and down-to-earth kind of person towards a stranger like myself. But if you truly want to repay me, lad," he said as he grabbed something inside the big chest, then walked towards him and gave something to him.


    The king was confused as he looked at it before looking back at him. "... You¡¯ll understand once you see it for yourself. But not now, "he said as he patted his shoulder a couple of times before gently pushing him to the side to look at me.


    The two of us then stared at each other in silence for a solid three seconds before I looked away and felt him wrap his arms around me.


    Giving me one last and very tight hug as I soon placed my right arm around him to embrace him back as well. "I suppose this is farewell for now, my boy. Please, take care of yourself," he said.


    "Knowing me and the path I¡¯ve chosen now, I cannot entirely assure you of that, but I will try." I responded before quickly breaking the hug and opening the door. The king then put on his hood before walking out of the room, and as I followed and was about to close the door behind me, I could have sworn I heard him say, "Good luck, Al¡­ And my only wish is that you won¡¯t come to regret your decisions in life¡­"


    <hr>


    As we began our journey by riding along the carriage, I soon noticed the morning''s sun slowly rising on the horizon, feeling its light land upon my face and almost blinding me a bit. It feels like it''s been a while since I''ve been able to travel so peacefully like this. But even so, I was still cautious of my surroundings, let it be in villages or open areas such as this one. And especially, I had an important person with me at the moment that I needed to escort back to his kingdom safely. Speaking of that person¡­


    "Ngh¡­ Is it morning already?" I heard him ask as he slowly woke up.


    "Yes. It already is, sleeping beauty," I said without looking at him.


    "Sleeping beauty? Hmm?" He paused as he soon noticed that his head was still lying on my shoulder. He then quickly moved away and began apologizing a lot. "I''m terribly sorry for that! I didn''t know that I had already fallen asleep at that time! I''m t¡ª"


    "It''s alright." I said in a neutral tone. "And please, just keep your voice down. We may already be outside of the territory of the enemy kingdom, but that doesn''t mean that open areas such as this one are safe enough for you to do whatever you want."


    "Oh, right. Right. I''m sorry. I''ll try not to be that much of a burden for you..."


    Unfortunately, you already are. I thought, closing my eyes and leaning against the wooden wall of the carriage. "So, do you have any plans in mind once we get there?"


    There was a few seconds of silence before I heard him answering my previous question with another question and, in an unsure tone, "Hmm? A plan? For what exactly?" Then he soon realized what I meant, but his second response wasn¡¯t any better at all. "Oh! Right- Well- Once we arrive at my kingdom, we can just walk up to the two nearest guardsmen we can find, and let me talk to them."


    After hearing his full response, I already regretted having even asked him that question in the first place. "Talk to them." I repeated it in a sarcastic tone as I slowly sat up and looked at him with a blank expression on my face. "That is not a plan."


    "O-Of course it is! They would believe me if I said that everything was alright¡ª"


    "You¡¯re as clueless as ever, aren¡¯t you?" I said in a slightly serious tone this time as I suddenly interrupted him, which made him look surprised. "After the news about the tragedy that happened in that village spread, people have been searching all over for you. Not only your men, but unfortunately, so do the people from Helio Vermillion. If it were as easy as just talking things out, then we wouldn¡¯t be hiding away like this¡­"


    "I-I... You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry that I haven¡¯t thought about it thoroughly..." he said as his gaze looked away from me, then curled up to where he sat like some sort of child that just got scolded for doing something wrong. And seeing him like that somehow made me feel a bit guilty, but also made me wonder if this man is truly king.


    "The coachmen are kind enough to let us hitchhike the ride despite what they know about us. They said that they wouldn¡¯t be taking us until your kingdom¡¯s territory, but they''d be dropping us somewhere in a village at least. And from there, we''ll travel by foot," I said as I pulled out my map and laid it down widely on the wooden floor. I then noticed that he slowly shifted his head to look at it.


    "It¡¯s quite farther than I thought it¡¯d be..." he said under his breath before he suddenly looked at me. "B-But I¡¯m not complaining if we¡¯ll be walking by foot! Honest!"


    "We¡¯ll be taking rest from time to time as well, of course. Much preferred in a village, but if there is none when night falls, then we¡¯ll be camping outside, despite how it¡¯s a very risky idea." I said before grabbing a piece of loaf bread from my pack and handing it out to him. "Do you even know how to defend yourself?"


    "No, unfortunately I don''t." he responded as he shook his head before noticing the bread I''m handing out to him. He was hesitant to take it at first, but soon his shaking hands took it slowly and said with a slight smile on his face, "But thank you for this¡­ And I know that I shouldn''t rely on you for my protection, so I''ll try to stay away from danger as much as I can." before he began to eat it slowly.


    He doesn''t seem to be a picky eater, That''s good. But still... I thought before crossing my arms and saying, "I''m disappointed¡­ And here I thought that you were true to your words. So, making me your Head General was nothing more than a fraud?"


    He suddenly choked a bit from hearing that. "Wait a minute¡ª No, no, no¡ª Of course not!"


    "Then why are you saying that you shouldn''t rely on me for your protection? Is it because you''re afraid that I''ll get hurt? That I won''t be able to make it out alive in the battle?" I kept on asking as he kept himself quiet with his gaze looking away from me.


    And from that look alone, I soon realized the answers to my own questions. But I truly wished¡ª and prayed to the goddess above¡ª that he would prove me wrong about it but unfortunately he didn''t. He continued to be silent, avoiding eye contact with me.


    "Ah, I see now." I said. "Though I must say, I do find it strange how attached you are to your men, like they are some sort of your friends. When at the end of the day, you know that you''ll just end up losing them to fight for your cause."


    "I know. I am fully aware of that," he said, looking at me. "But you are different."


    "No, I''m not." I responded to him quickly with a straight face. "We''ve only met seven hours ago, and you say that like you''ve known me for a long time already. Like you''ve already put your trust in a stranger like me just because I saved your life."


    "Well, I was nothing more than a stranger to you when you found me that day, and yet you saved me," he said, a relieved smile on his face. "You could have just left me there to die, but instead you took me back with you and took care of me until I recovered. You could have just killed me right there, or run away last night when you found out the truth. But you didn''t.¡­ And so, yes, I do truly trust you."


    After hearing everything he had to say, I kept myself silent for quite some time, with my mind being filled with thoughts. This man¡­ is probably the most naive person I¡¯ve ever met throughout my life so far. To trust me that easily just because of saving his life once¡ª just because of that one big mistake that I made- It all sounds so foolish and unbelievable, but he said it with sincere eyes and tone, meaning he meant it, unfortunately. But the possibility of him having some sort of involvement, or was the one who was truly responsible for what happened in that village still lingers in my mind as well¡­ So I don¡¯t¡ª


    "Hey¡­" I heard him say, which snapped me back to reality. "Are you alright?"


    I shook my head and said, "I¡¯m fine. I just drifted to my deep thoughts again¡­"


    "A-Ah, I see... But wait¡ª you don¡¯t need to think much about it all right now! I understand if you don¡¯t trust me at the moment, especially with what just happened last night¡­" he said as he looked away from me once more before he continued, "So, it¡¯s fine. Take as much time as you need to process the things in your mind, alright?"


    I stared at him for a few more seconds. "There¡¯s truly nothing stopping you from saying things from your heart, is there?" I said before sighing in terrible defeat with my hand burying my face. "Alright. Fine¡­ But don¡¯t expect me to be that good to you. There are still going to be those times that I may still act rude and harsh towards you."


    He quickly nodded. "I¡¯ll keep that in mind¡ª And oh! I almost forgot to ask you about your name! You haven¡¯t told me yet, and I don¡¯t want to call you with any¡ª"


    "It¡¯s Alessio." I suddenly said, interrupting him. "My name is Alessio Amaryllis."


    "Alessio Amaryllis. I like it." He smiled as he held out his hand to me. "I hope that we will be able to get to know each other more as we will be working side by side from now on. And perhaps I''ll be able to earn your trust and friendship in the future as well?"


    I looked at his hand before looking back at his face, and scoffed a little before I closed my eyes. "Hmph. I must warn you though, that I¡¯m a very stubborn man as well. So it might take you a very long time to earn my trust, or perhaps none of us would even be able to see that day come true. But I would still like to see you try¡­" I said as I opened my eyes to look at him and finally took his hand. "Your Highness¡­"


    <hr><hr>

 Chapter 4: Living in Acceptance and Lies

    <hr>


    <blockquote>


    Would you rather live in a life where you feel happy and content, but the people you know lie and keep things from you all the time, or live in a life of sorrow but knowing the bitter truth?


    </blockquote>


    - Garett Rowe


    <hr>


    Tick tock tick tock... Tick tock tick tock... When I awoke, I could hear the grandfather clock making a loud noise. Upon opening my eyes, I saw the ceiling of my room. I turned to the windows to see the rays of the sun blinding me. Ah, it''s morning already... How long had I been sleeping this time? I considered this before rising from my bed and brushing some strands of my long black hair away from my face. I then stood up and soon went on with my daily routine: exercising a little, taking a warm bath, and getting properly dressed, along with making sure I had the Stone of Time with me.


    "Hmm... That''s strange." I said before checking the time on the grandfather clock in my room. "I was expecting to hear Garrett running in the hallways by now like he always does every morning, but it''s unnaturally quiet right now. Not that I''m complaining, but... it just feels off." I then quickly turned to look at the door as I heard the knocking a couple of times. I slowly began walking towards the door, still suspicious of who it would be at this time of day.


    And as I was about to place my shaking hand on the doorknob, my other hand grabbed it, regaining my composure once again as I took a deep breath before finally opening the door to be greeted by him, fortunately.


    "Oh¡ª Good morning, Al! What took you so long? And where did you suddenly disappear last night? I only turned around for a moment and you were already gone. And there I thought you finally learned how to have fun for once. But I suppose not¡­"


    Shaking my head and closing the door behind me, I said, "You know it yourself that I never liked being the center of attention, and you never kept your mouth shut, so what were you expecting me to do?" looking at him with a disappointed expression.


    "Right, right. And here I thought that this morning couldn¡¯t get any worse." Garett cleared his throat, then scratched the back of his head and looked away from me. If you''re wondering why I was late this morning, it''s because I came across the King earlier and he invited the two of us to have breakfast with him together. Which is to say, if you''re not okay with it, I could just go over to him and tell him we''re declining..."


    Without any second thoughts, I began walking away and said, "Let¡¯s go then."


    "W-Wait¡ª Where exactly? H-Hey!" Garett said in a surprised tone before quickly following behind me. "A-Are you¡­ You¡¯re not planning to accept the invite, are you?"


    "What about it?" I responded without looking at him. "Despite how long you¡¯ve been fighting for him, I know that you are still not comfortable being around him. So, I¡¯m not going to force you to come with me if you truly don¡¯t want to. And you don¡¯t need to worry much about me, I am capable of defending myself against him just fine."


    "I know that you¡¯re strong enough to protect yourself since you¡¯re usually the cautious one between us, but still, it is quite surprising to me that you¡¯re willing to take this obvious risk. And it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust your decisions, Al, but I just don¡¯t think that this is a good idea at all..." he said before we both went silent as we continued walking. But then I heard him sigh and say, "You know what, if you really insist on going, I''ll come with you. Besides, it¡¯s rude to turn down a king¡¯s offer¡­"


    I turned to look at him for a moment to look at his expression before looking back down the path. You truly don¡¯t need to force yourself if you don¡¯t want to. It¡¯s written all over your face. These were the words I wanted to say to him but I left it as a thought instead. I didn¡¯t want him to go back on his words just now, especially at this right moment.


    "Good morning, Your Highness." I greeted the king with a bow as soon as I saw him, which made Garett do the same immediately as soon as he noticed.


    "Good morning, General. And to you as well, sir Garett." The King said with a smile, looking at me before looking at Garett, who remained silent.


    "Ah, yes. Sir Garett has told me about your invitation this morning. It was a bit surprising for someone like us to be invited out of the blue, but regardless, we both came to an agreement in the end to take the invite. And, we both thank you as well."


    "Ah, that¡¯s good. Now, if you don''t mind me asking, As he kept his smile, he slowly raised both of his arms, showing that the pair of the magical golden armlets that I gave him yesterday were still locked on his wrists.


    "Why didn¡¯t you tell me yesterday that I could not remove these magical golden armlets on my own? Did you do that on purpose?"


    "Oh, right. My apologies for that, Your Highness. I may have forgotten to tell you that part about the armlets." I lied while having a neutral expression on my face. "You know how the Stone of Time can make me forget things sometimes. But it did help you very much in having your powers and emotions controlled yesterday, did it not?"


    "Well, it did, and I am very thankful for that. But you do know that I don¡¯t need to wear these the whole time. So, if you would please, remove these from my wrists?" He asked once more, but this time, in a bit of a desperate and worried tone.


    Garett then looked at me, confused. But I just crossed my arms and shook my head before giving my response. "Unfortunately for you, even I cannot remove them."


    His expression quickly changed to a very devastated one as he fell to his knees, and it almost sounded like he was about to cry when he said, "Why would you do this to me? I assumed we were friends. You¡¯re so mean, Alessio¡­ And it¡¯s only just morning¡­"


    "Well, this is embarrassing to see." Garett commented before scratching the back of his head. "But be honest with me at least, can you truly not remove those armlets?"


    I shook my head. "Lady Lucerne was the one who gave them to me a few days ago, and asked me a small favor to give them to him before the battle. She also told me that she cast a Curse of Binding on them, so none of us would be able to remove it except for her, or some mage that knows how to undo the curse." I looked back at the sulking king.


    "But I have a strong feeling that those mages went with her as well on their mission. So, there¡¯s truly no other choice but to wait for their return after a couple of days. But¡­ if you truly want to remove them, there is one other solution I could think of that we could do¡­" I said before looking at Garett and asking, "Do you have your axe?"


    The king quickly lifted his head to look at me with the same horrified expression that Garett had at the moment he heard my question.


    Silence then filled the hallways for a solid five seconds before the king suddenly stood up and began waving his hand in panic as he spoke saying, in a staggering tone, "N-Nevermind what I just said earlier¡ª I can just wait for them to return in a couple of days¡ª So, Y-You don¡¯t need to go that far!"


    But I kept my silence with a serious look on my face before holding my hand out to Garett, waiting for him to hand me out his weapon despite how I was aware that he wasn¡¯t going to do it. The king then quickly looked at him and suddenly began begging at him as well, which made him startled and uncomfortable just by the look on his face.


    "I-I know that you may not like me for any reason that you may have, but please tell me that he¡¯s joking!" The King said before Garett slowly looked at me.


    "Al, I know that you have such a grim kind of sense of humor, but it is making me comfortable as well. So, if you wouldn¡¯t mind?" Garett said in a bit of an uneasy tone before seconds later slowly taking back my hand. Perhaps I was taking it too far this time.


    "I was just joking with you two." I said in a reassuring tone, but my neutral expression hasn¡¯t changed a bit. "My apologies if I startled you both. Was it too much?"


    "Too much?" Garett repeated in a bit of a surprised tone before his expression changed and his tone changed to a bit of a furious one as he approached me. "A-Al! I wasn¡¯t able to tell if you were truly joking at that time or if you were serious! What if¡ª"


    "No, you wouldn¡¯t." I quickly responded and interrupted him. "I know and trust you well enough that you wouldn¡¯t let your own hatred towards him get the better of you, and despite how you may act towards him most of the time... Am I wrong?"


    "Y-You¡ª" was the only word that came out of Garett¡¯s mouth before he grunted in defeat and looked away from me. I was expecting he was going to deny that, but I suppose I was wrong about that, or perhaps he wasn''t able to think of a quick rebuttal.


    "A-Ah, right, it was just one of your grim jokes... Though I don¡¯t understand how I didn¡¯t catch up on that one. I thought that I was already used to it at this point, but I suppose I was wrong." he said with a slight tired chuckle as he slowly moved away from Garett. "But if that is your way of biting back against my teasing towards you most of the time, then I deserve that¡­ Though, if I may ask, may you perhaps lessen it, even¡ª" If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "No." I said before approaching him. "Not unless you would lessen your teasing."


    "I cannot promise you that, unfortunately. You¡¯re so fun being teased at afterall."


    "Then continue to suffer as I¡¯m not going to stop with the grim jokes either."


    Despite believing that what I just said wasn¡¯t funny, the king somehow laughed, but I noticed how Garett seemed to be annoyed or impatient the longer we stood here.


    Clearing my throat, I then tried changing the subject. "Anyhow, we should probably get going now. Standing here any longer wouldn¡¯t fill up our hunger afterall."


    "Oh! You are right. The maids and butler probably served our breakfast already by now." he said with a smile as he clapped his hands once before beginning to walk away. "And oh, you two don¡¯t need to worry about my mother joining us this morning. She... she never truly joins me in any of the daily feasts anyway.


    Ah, so she¡¯s drinking again... It is no longer new information to me, though perhaps it is his reason for inviting us for once. To accompany him and lessen his feelings of loneliness, especially since Lady Lucerne is not here to be by his side for the couple of days to come. I thought as I kept myself quiet and looked outside through the windows to keep my mind distracted for quite some time as the three of us continued walking.


    <hr>


    Arriving soon at our unexpected destination, I soon realized that the king was taking us to a different place than I expected. He soon led us to the open hallway that separates the Royal Training Grounds, which were on the right, and the large royal garden known as Gardenia. The garden was filled with different kinds of flowers that bloomed gloriously, symmetrically cut hedges; the gentle and relaxing breeze that blew by, and the white gazebo in the center. And from there, I saw the maids and butlers waiting before soon noticing the king¡¯s presence and bowing down along with their synchronized greetings, "Good morning, Your Highness."


    "Good morning to you all as well. And my apologies for my tardiness, and for this unexpected preparation at such short notice." The King said apologetically.


    "Oh¡ª It¡¯s no problem at all, Your Highness. You weren¡¯t gone for that long, and we were able to prepare and cook just in time." the brown-haired maid said in a reassuring tone. "May you enjoy it along with your two new companies for today¡¯s breakfast."


    "Of course. And thank you again, Lady Elora. You may all take your leave now. I can take things from here." He clapped his hands once as they bowed to him one more time before leaving in a straight line. He then pulled his own chair as he looked at Garett and me with a smile, "Oh, please, do take a seat. Make yourself at home."


    Garett then looked at me as I looked back at him before we both pulled out our own seats and sat down. Looking at the meals served on the table feels overwhelming. Not as much as I see sometimes in the Great Hall, but perhaps the fact that we are having a meal with someone from the nobility does seem off like what Garett said earlier. But¡­


    "Is there something wrong?" the king suddenly asked, which made me look at him. "Would it be better if we used the same utensils as what they used in the Grand Hall? I could order one of the maids to fetch some for the both of you if you¡¯re not co¡ª"


    "No, no need. Your Highness. Thank you for the food." I said quickly before putting each and every different kind of fine food on my plate and beginning to eat.


    "Yeah, thanks¡­" Garrett said angrily before starting to eat as well.


    Why do I have a strong feeling that this will end badly? I thought as my gaze turned to look at Garett for a while. Was it better if I had tried to convince him to not come with us in the first place? But that would make him misunderstand the situation, making him think that I don''t trust him, and things would probably end up worse in the future.


    "You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re staring, Al¡­ Is there something on my face?" Garett asked.


    I blinked once before shaking my head. "Nothing. You¡¯re just such a messy eater."


    "H-Hey! This is my first time being in this kind of situation. I¡¯m still not used to this kind of stuff¡­" He scoffed before quickly grabbing the handkerchief, wiping it on his mouth as he looked away. "... And the food was cooked by her, so I couldn¡¯t help it."


    "It¡¯s fine, Al. You both don¡¯t need to be too formal here. Like I said, you can do however you want here. I am not that strict when it comes to manners." The King said this with a smile before sipping tea from his cup. "And oh¡ª Did you sleep well last night?"


    "Ah, yes. I did. Thank you¡­ I also remembered last night how we first met." I responded before looking at my reflection in the tea in my cup. "How time flies by¡­"


    "I agree with you. Despite how we both may have started on the wrong foot, I¡¯m glad that we are able to get along now after a long time of working together, trying to understand each other slowly... along with the times of your attempts to murder me whenever you have the chance¡­" he said with a smile and a casual tone.


    "You were aware and acted calm for a while, but when I had already left the room or was out of your sight, I knew that you were panicking right after. Am I wrong?"


    "I¡­ I suppose I cannot deny that one." he said with such a childish chuckle.


    And just seeing him like that, a smile then formed on my face for the first time.


    "W-Wait! Hold on! Al? Are you actually smiling for once?!" Garett said in a surprised tone as the king suddenly looked at me as well, but I shook my head and drank some tea from my cup immediately. "Don¡¯t go hiding it now just because you¡¯re embarrassed! And how come you can smile when it comes to him but not when it comes to me?"


    "Oh? I thought he was more comfortable expressing his true emotions when it comes to those who are close to him." The King said in a surprised tone.


    Garett looked back at him as he crossed his arms. "Well, unfortunately that wasn¡¯t the case at all. I would understand if he wasn¡¯t able to do so during the first few months he stayed with us because of what he had just been through, but even when we were both old enough and were working together as mercenaries, not even once had I ever seen him smile or even laugh at my jokes¡­ And I couldn¡¯t understand why or how or what I should even do just to see him be genuinely happy for once."


    "Well, if you want me to be brutally honest with you¡­" Placing my cup down on the table, I slowly looked at him and said, "Your jokes weren¡¯t even that funny at all."


    Garett gasped. "E-Excuse me?! All of the jokes I¡¯ve told were laughed at by others, but not by you? And I even tried making grim jokes once, and it still didn''t work on you!"


    "Could you blame me for being such a straight-faced person most of the time?"


    And after that response from me, I heard the king laugh right after, which made Garett annoyed even more and suddenly looked at him as he looked back at him.


    "Oh, please, don¡¯t mind me!" he said in a reassuring tone while waving his hands around. "It¡¯s just that... despite how you two may seem to argue a lot, I could see that your brotherly relationship is stronger than I expected to see it up this close."


    Garett looked surprised and seemed to have calmed down a bit for now. But I have a high feeling that he will snap at any moment now if the king¡¯s tongue slips up.


    "Well, of course we are¡­ We¡¯ve been through a lot of things after all," he said.


    The king¡¯s smile then widened, "Ah, that¡¯s good then. If that day comes, it seems that we¡¯re not going to have that many issues in the future. Well, you were not that problematic to begin with anyway," he said, before looking down at his cup of tea for a while.


    "What exactly do you mean?" Garett asked in a slightly demanding tone as he suddenly stopped taking another bite. "What are you planning on doing with Al?"


    "Garett, please, keep your voice down." I said before continuing eating.


    "Well, it¡¯s not that much to be honest, and it was just a suggestion I gave to Lady Lucerne one time¡­" He responded by placing his cup gently down on the table before looking at me with a bigger smile on his face. But the way he looked at me this time suddenly made me a little eerie about what he was about to say next.


    "... If anything were to happen to me one day, and Lady Lucerne would take the throne, I suggested that our dear General Alessio would be great if he''d be the Grand Duke to rule by her side one day."


    After hearing that last part¡ª an unexpected response I never thought I would be hearing from him¡ª I ended up choking mildly in surprise for a short moment, but it was enough to get Garrett worried. I then quickly tried reassuring him, "I-I¡¯m fine¡ª I¡¯m fine, Garett... I just need some water," and carefully took a glass of water and drank it.


    The king slightly tilted his head as he asked, "Oh? Were you truly surprised by that? I thought you already knew that by now. You do have the Stone of Time afterall."


    "H-Hey! Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s way too early to be thinking about things like that? I mean, I could agree that him being with Lady Lucerne is not a far thought¡ª but if he does become the Grand Duke, then who would take his place as the Head General?"


    "Well, you would do great as the next Head General, don¡¯t you think?" he said.


    Garrett blinked twice in surprise and confusion from hearing that next response.


    "W-What¡ª Me? A Head General? No¡ª No, I don''t think that would be possible for me to be¡­" Garett looked away for a few seconds before shaking his head, then looked back at him again with an annoyed expression this time. "How come you''re telling us this in the first place? Are you just messing with us right now? Is this your purpose for inviting us over to your little tea party? Do you think this is funny?!"


    "You must have misunderstood. All of the things that I said are just speculation; they''re not set in stone, and a lot of things could change in the future. But still, I do believe that you have the potential to become more than what you are now. General Alessio told me¡ª"


    "And what do you know about him? What do you know about me? We are nothing more than pawns to you, aren''t we?! So stop pretending that you actually give a damn!"


    "Garett, that''s enough!" I snapped as I slammed the glass cup against the table, almost breaking it. Then there was a moment of heavy silence that filled the air as I was breathing heavily, but not for long when I heard Garett stand up from his seat.


    "I''m sorry. I''m sorry for raising my voice, and for ruining this morning for the two of you." He said as he placed the handkerchief on the table a bit aggressively. "I don''t know what you see in him, and how you''re able to look him in the eye, despite knowing fully what he''s capable of and what he has done in the past, but if you''re willing to continue living in lies and acceptance, then I suppose there''s no point in stopping you."


    I didn¡¯t say a word, and instead I lowered my head as I heard him begin walking away, but stopped when he said those words under his breath.


    "I just hope that you don''t live to regret your choice¡­ Al."


    <hr><hr>

 Chapter 5: Decisions that We Make

    <hr>


    <blockquote>


    Every decision we make in life creates regret, so walk the path where it¡¯ll be much better for you, where you think that it would create much less regrets than others.


    </blockquote>


    - Alessio Amaryllis


    <hr>


    After that morning''s argument with Garett, I was never able to talk to him¡ª or see him that much for the past few days that passed. Whenever I saw him, he quickly avoided me, not even batting an eye, not even giving me a chance to explain things. But after a while, I came to a halt. I thought that perhaps it would be better if I gave him some time to calm down and think for himself, while I should do the same for the time being. I trained the new recruits, planned a couple of new strategies, and even tried to help some citizens in the nearby villages. Despite everything, at the end of the day, that one question remains in my mind... Is it truly the right choice to make?


    "It feels like anything I would do would make no difference, and the result would still be the same." I said before sighing, then slowly raising the Stone of Time high, pointing it against the light of my room. I still don¡¯t believe that I could rely on it to find the solutions to my everyday problems. Well, I didn¡¯t try using it way too much to begin with anyway.


    And fully knowing how many possibilities there are in every choice and action that I or anyone else would do, that would lead to little or huge changes in the future, is already a pain in the head just by imagining it. "Such a small stone but with such a big purpose, and is enough to change one¡¯s life forever."


    Hearing the knock on my door, I quickly looked and hid the stone, "Come in."


    Upon opening the door, a familiar yet unexpected person showed up and soon walked into the room. A tall man with pale skin, messy purple hair, and purple eyes.


    "I hope that I¡¯m not interrupting you, General Amaryllis," he said with a bow.


    "No, Sir Klein, not all." I responded as I stood up from my bed. "What is it?"


    "There is... something that I would like to report to you in private," he says as he closes the door behind him. "If I am wrong, then please correct me. But I don¡¯t believe that you¡¯ve recruited any new troops in the past few days. If you did, you would have told us during our meetings like you usually do. So, I and many others were confused to see new faces arriving earlier, and they were... aggressive towards those who were from this kingdom, despite how they were welcoming them with such hospitality."


    "That is very suspicious. But unfortunately, even if I say that I didn¡¯t recruit them, they¡¯re already here. The people in this kingdom are too trustworthy when it comes to newcomers. It''s as simple as claiming they were recruited by me. They will easily believe them and let them in. So, if I suddenly dismissed them right on the spot, the others would disagree with the decision and would perhaps even cause some mistrust between us. " I crossed my arms and shook my head. "... How many are they?"


    "There''s... a lot of them. Enough to start an ambush from within when we least expect it, and what I fear will happen next. I¡¯ve tried to warn them about it, but most of them wouldn¡¯t believe me, saying that I¡¯m overreacting." He responded before sighing. "Well, complaints aside, what should we do now, General?"


    "I will notify the king as soon as possible. But knowing him, he would probably¡ª"


    "The king? Right now? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to¡ª No, you have the very right to know what¡¯s going on." He said before looking away for a moment before looking back at me once more. "My apologies for not telling you this sooner. We¡­ We thought that we would be able to handle the situation by ourselves without coming to you and asking for your help, but the king¡ª he hasn¡¯t left his room for several hours now. And there¡¯s this strong negative and cold aura that we were able to sense outside of his room. The servants were terrified, and his mother, she wouldn¡¯t even bat an eye."


    I became silent for a moment. How could I let this happen? I thought before my eyes widened in fear as a memory flashed in my mind. A memory that I don¡¯t remember happening before. An incident where the king lost control of his stone¡¯s powers while attempting to tell me the truth, but I lost control of my anger and almost killed him in the process. And as soon as that quick memory ended, I suddenly stumbled back a little while breathing heavily and feeling the sweat drip down my horrified face.


    How¡ª Why¡ª This has never happened before, so why am I seeing it now? What does it mean? I thought as I looked at my shaking hands before looking at the worried man.


    "G-General? Are you alright? If you¡¯re not feeling well, you don¡¯t need to force¡ª"


    "I-I¡¯ll be fine." I quickly responded in a reassuring tone as I stood up. "I¡¯m fine... However, I should be the one apologizing for not being able to prevent something like that from happening in the first place. How very careless of me to forget about it¡­"


    Putting the Stone of Time back in my tie, I gave him my last command, "I¡¯ll do what I can to help the king for now. While I¡¯m gone, I need you and the others to take more precautions in your surroundings, especially with the suspicious newcomers. And whatever happens, don''t come after me¡ªdon''t let anyone, not even the former queen, enter the room after I do...Do you understand, Sir Klein?"


    Klein looked hesitant at first, but soon he nodded determinedly, "Yes, General!"


    The two of us then left the room and went our separate ways without wasting another second. But the nerve-wracking feeling hasn¡¯t left me, and the thought of having no certain plan of what to do once I arrived there wasn¡¯t helping either.


    Something like that has never happened before. Well, Lady Lucerne was always around for him to keep him in check. But since she left and hasn¡¯t returned yet, the only other person who knows about his stone and his situation is me, and yet I failed to keep an eye on him. I should have known that something like this was about to happen, especially after what happened during that morning meal with Garett.


    "Garett¡­" I said as I suddenly stopped in my tracks, looking back at the hallway. For a moment, I thought of visiting him¡ª talking to him one last time¡­ but soon I shook my head and continued walking. Is this choice of mine just another big mistake?


    <hr>


    As soon as I arrived, I felt the quick yet shivering breeze that passed through me, and I saw how such pure darkness almost engulfed the whole room. Some of the things that I was able to recognize through the darkness were broken glass that was scattered in front of the windows that were now covered by the thick darkness, and some were near the bed that seemed to be almost broken. It looked like a hurricane had come here.


    Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t able to see where the king was, and searching for him in the dark without any source of light would be difficult. I could use my fire magic, but it might startle him once he sees me. And so, I quickly began looking at one of the nearby tables in the hallways, and fortunately found unlit candles in a candelabrum. Grabbing it and lighting up the candles, I took a deep breath, then began to slowly walk into the king¡¯s room. The door was shut forcefully behind me as I entered, and soon I was quickly consumed by the thick darkness. Truly, there was no going back.


    I can¡¯t honestly imagine how Lady Lucerne is able to keep handling this kind of situation with him and all by herself every time. It is impressive, but very much more concerning. I thought before looking at the imaginary path of darkness ahead of me and began walking around, looking for the missing king.


    I tried calling out his name a couple of times, but there was no response other than my own voice and my own footsteps resounding throughout the room. The broken glass and any other broken furniture that I saw earlier before I entered were all nowhere to be found.


    After walking for several minutes now, I soon realized that the room, or the void now, had become bigger than it was before, and perhaps I had been walking in circles. I almost wanted to stop to take a rest and think before I might lose my mind, but I soon noticed the Stone of Time in my tie began to glow all of a sudden. I was hesitant to touch it at first, but I was desperate at this point in looking for an answer to find him. And so when I touched it, another unfamiliar but short memory came to my mind.


    The memory showed me the king. He seemed to be happy as he was giving me a golden pocket watch as a gift. And just like the memory from earlier, that occurrence has never happened before, at least not yet, I believe. However, it could be a sign of what I needed to find in order to find him.


    Though I must say, even though it was only a short memory, that was enough to give me another headache. The drawback of this stone is that it is not as dangerous as his, but I stopped and just shook my head before beginning to walk once more.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I¡¯m not entirely sure if it is even possible to find something as small as a golden pocket watch in what seemed to be an endless void of a room, and I would just end up wasting my time even more looking for an item that doesn¡¯t exist. And yet... I soon found something glowing in a shade of orange on the floor, and picked it up.


    "Hmm? Is this perhaps the golden pocket watch from that memory? But it doesn¡¯t seem to be working at the moment." I said before noticing the hour hand began turning as I tried moving the pocket watch around, as if it was pointing somewhere else like a compass. Even if it may seem like a far-fetched idea, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try it out.


    Just wait a little longer, Taro. I¡¯ll find you soon enough. I thought as I continued walking once more, using the pocket watch for navigation to look for the king.


    <hr>


    After walking for only a couple of minutes, it wasn¡¯t that long when the once resounding of my footsteps was slowly being surpassed by the sound of someone¡¯s familiar weeping. And as the weeping became louder and louder, a cold breeze blew by, almost putting the fire out on the candles on the candelabrum. But it didn¡¯t concern me that much, not until... I finally found him and the state he was in and was speechless.


    There he was. The king of Ivory Moon, Taro Naoko, curled up and sat in the middle of the void-like darkness. His hands were holding on to his head, and he was in shades of unnatural purple with red veins showing visibly under his skin, and the armlets that were still locked into his wrists were shaking violently.


    I could sense from where I stood the strong energy and the negative aura all around him, making me hesitate on approaching him, so I tried calling out to him first, in hopes that he would snap out of it, "Your Highness? Taro?... Taro, Can you hear me?"


    Soon he slowly lifted his head and looked at me with his eyes widened in fear and tears streaming down his face. He stared at me for quite some time before, as if it seemed that he wasn¡¯t able to recognize me at first. "W-Who are you?!... S-Stay away from me!" he shouted as he suddenly stretched out his hand, unleashing a strong force that pushed me furiously back and caused me to cough up blood a bit from the pain.


    That was a huge blow. Not the worst one I''ve dealt with, but this would have been avoided in the first place if I had been there for him sooner. I thought, wiping off the blood from my chin and standing my ground.


    "It''s me, Alessio! I¡¯m here to help you, Your Highness!"


    "A-Alessio?... Help me?" he repeated. "Help me with what exactly? I¡¯m perfectly fine¡ª" he paused as his eyes widened. "W-Wait¡ª N-No! You can¡¯t be him! He¡¯s already dead! I¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯ve already killed him... It was my fault that he died! "His blood is in my hands," he said, looking down at his trembling hands before returning his gaze to me. "Whoever you are, you shouldn¡¯t be here¡ª I don¡¯t want to hurt you. I don''t want to lose you either. Not again¡ª Never again! Leave immediately!... That¡¯s an order!"


    As he said those last words in a demanding tone, a strong force pinned me down against the floor as my vision of him turned pitch black. Then there was only silence.  I could barely feel any part of my body except for my hands, which were still holding tightly on to the candelabrum and the pocket watch, but I was blinded by the darkness for a while until... I was able to feel someone¡¯s hand touching me on my cheek, making me slowly look up, only to see a familiar yet haunting face that I never thought of seeing again. Tears began streaming down my face as I gritted my teeth in regret.


    "I should have known that one day... you would come to haunt me too¡­"


    I tried to look away from the blonde man, my old friend, but the strong force firmly made me look at him and his neutral face as he asked, "What are you doing right now, Alessio?... Have you perhaps finally decided to stay here forever with us?"


    I opened my mouth but no words came out of it, and so I kept myself silent.


    "You are as reckless as before. No one asked you to take revenge." he said.


    "I know." I quickly responded.


    "You know, and yet there were times where you tried to kill the king yourself after he told you the truth of what happened in that tragedy..." were the words that came out of his mouth before his appearance changed to a horrifying sight of how I presumed he died that day.


    He continued, "You shouldn¡¯t have hesitated on ending him."


    My eyes widened in fear as my body suddenly flinched. "W-What¡ª No¡ª  I-I¡ª"


    "With the power of the stone that I gave you that day, you could still make things right. You could have ended everyone¡¯s suffering once and for all. But it was your choice to cower away. It was your decision that resulted in far more human sacrifices than you could ever imagine... Don¡¯t you want us to forgive you, for leaving us behind that day?"


    I kept myself silent, lowering my head on the floor as I didn¡¯t know how to answer him. He is right¡­ I¡¯ve made so many mistakes in my life, so many choices that could have perhaps led to a better future, not only for me but for everyone else as well, and yet... These were the thoughts that began flooding my mind as I slowly felt my energy being drained and felt freezing cold before my whole body became completely numb¡­


    ¡­


    There was only silence and emptiness. I thought everything had ended, but¡­


    "Alessio? Hey! What are you doing in a place like this? You¡¯re so silly. Get up." But a familiar woman¡¯s voice said, but I wasn¡¯t able to move. I then felt her warm hands on me, slowly and carefully helping me sit up.


    "C¡¯mon. Look at me, Al. Please? Just for me."


    Slowly, I tried lifting my head to look at her, and finally saw her face. She then smiles brightly and places both of her warm hands on both sides of my cheeks. Tears began streaming down my face once more, "Endellion¡­ It¡¯s been a long time."


    "I suppose you¡¯re right. It seems that time flies by so quickly. But I never thought that I would be seeing you in this poor state." She said as she gently wiped away my tears. "Usually I was the crying baby between us two. Do you still remember that, Al?"


    I nodded a bit. "Yeah, I actually do. That was a very long time ago though¡­"


    After looking away from her, there was a short moment of cold silence before she soon asked me, "Do you think I¡¯m disappointed in you for what you had done before?"


    "How could you not be?" I responded immediately.


    "I failed to protect you that night after I promised to our father that I would. I wasn''t there for a very close friend of mine when the tragedy occurred. I wasn¡¯t there for the king to prevent any of this from happening. All of the choices that I¡¯ve made have led to more mistakes... nothing but mistakes.


    As soon as I finished my sentence, her warmth spread even more as she suddenly embraced me tightly in her arms. It all felt so real. She felt so real. It¡¯s as if she wasn¡¯t just an illusion, and she was truly here with me.


    In a comforting tone, she then said, "We both know that there are some things that we truly can¡¯t prevent from happening, and some of the decisions we make would lead us to unexpected events, but even so, the past choices that you''ve made shouldn''t stop the person you''ve become now¡­ You¡¯ve fought for the people and for what you think is right. You''ve stayed determined through and through again. So, why stop now, especially when you''ve made it this far¡­"


    "You truly haven''t changed at all, El. Even when we were kids back then, you w¡ª"


    "I always believe that everyone can change if you give them the chance and time to try. I know. But isn¡¯t that the very reason why you didn¡¯t kill the King, even if you had every perfect opportunity to do so?... You''ve given him a chance to change, and tried to see in his perspective the tragedy that happened that day, and then in the end, you finally understood him..." she said as she slowly broke the hug and looked at me with a smile.


    As I slowly lifted my hand and placed it on her cheek, her body began to slowly break into glass pieces. "This all felt too real. I can''t afford to let you go, not again¡­"


    "Just¡­ Remember this. Remember how brave and strong you are. You¡¯re the most strong-willed person I know. Don¡¯t give up. Promise me, you won¡¯t give up, Al¡­"


    Despite how I never liked making promises, I still said to her, "I promise you, El."


    She finally breaks along with the black space around me. Without wasting more time, I stood up and began running. I ran and ran, and as I passed through the illusions of everyone that I¡¯ve loved and lost, they quickly broke into glass pieces until I was finally free from the delusion of the inner void, the Chains of Duress. I was finally able to see my body, the two objects, the candelabrum and the pocket watch that I was still holding, and the king himself, who looked surprised and terrified to see me return.


    "H-How are you¡ªthat''s impossible¡ªhow are you able to get out?" He exclaimed.


    I stared at him for a moment before slowly approaching him, which made him unsettled even more. He started shaking his head quickly while moving further away from me as he said in a frightening tone, "N-No! Stay away from me! I don¡¯t want to hurt you even more than I already did! So please, just leave me alone¡ª Leave me be! I-I can¡¯t control this... I don¡¯t want you..." as the Stone of Void that he had begun glowing brighter, so did the Stone of Time that was attached to my tie.


    As soon as I stopped at the right gap between us, I kneeled down in front of him, placed the candelabrum and the pocket watch on the floor by my side, and then held out my hand as I said in a calm and reassuring tone, "Taro... Please, even just this once, I need you to trust me and give me your hand... I can assure you¡ª I promise you that everything and everyone will be fine after this."


    He became silent as he stared at me. He was hesitant for a moment before slowly reaching out his shaking, cold hand towards me. I then gently grabbed it and placed my other hand on top of it. Not long after, the darkness all around us started to fade away, along with the strong energy that comes from the Stone of Void. I could also hear his loud breathing soon becoming stable, even though he seemed to be crying still.


    This nightmare had come to an end. But I still need to keep him safe... I faintly thought before slowly feeling numb and falling to the side of the floor.


    I didn''t think what I did, a spell¡ª or some unknown power of the stone¡ª would work or cost me that much energy. But regardless, the king is safe now, and I''m very thankful for that, though I don''t think he would say the same after seeing the state I am in now. I opened my tired eyes a little wider, and I could still see his worried¡ª or more panicked¡ª expression, but I couldn''t feel him shaking me or understand what he was saying to me right now.


    As much as I wanted to say something, my mouth wouldn''t move, and despite how I still wanted to keep my eyes open a little longer, they slowly began to close and my ears began to ring. I''m tired. I feel so tired. But I don''t want things to end just yet¡­


    <hr>

 Chapter 6: Rachelle, The Lady in Blue

    <hr>


    <blockquote>


    Beautiful, kind, caring and true,


    A lot of things, she always knew;


    Like a graceful swan, she soon flew,


    Oh Rachelle, the Lady in Blue.


    </blockquote>


    - Alessio Amaryllis


    <hr>


    Drip drop plopped. Drip drop plopped the repeating sound of water dripping that I soon was able to hear and recognize before the stream of the flowing river. Upon opening my eyes, I noticed there were stalactites high above the cave¡¯s ceiling, and wrapping around them were roots with what seemed to be different colored souls of the deceased. Which made me wonder, How did I know what those were? Does it mean that I¡¯ve already died just by doing another reckless action? Because of trying to save the King?... But why do I seem to be too calm about all of this? Looking to my right, I noticed the white lilies that had been placed all around the boat in which I was lying, as well as the beautiful, clear blue river that reflected the lights that the souls had been coming from above.


    "Ah, you are finally awake..." I heard a familiar woman say as she began to walk to my side. She was wearing a blue robe with a shade of purple at the bottom and tiny white stars on it as well.


    There was her hood over her head, but I was still able to recognize some of her golden-colored hair, and her glowing blue eyes were a bit visible to me from where I was lying. She looked very familiar to me, and yet why couldn¡¯t I¡­


    "I honestly did not expect to have a visitor this early today..." she said as she slowly kneeled down at my side. "... Especially if it is someone like you whose soul has not entirely left the world just yet. Well, this is not the first time this kind of meeting has ever happened, but events like this one are very rare to occur, and unfortunately for the both of us, I do not have the exact answer as to how this keeps happening. Not yet at least¡­"


    I couldn''t help but stare at her in silence for a few moments because, as much as I wanted to sit up and get a better position to talk to her, only my eyes and mouth were under my control, and the rest of my body was glued to this deathbed. "My apologies, but it¡¯s hard for me to believe the fact that I haven¡¯t passed away yet when it¡¯s coming from the Grim Reaper herself, and seeing the souls of the deceased hanging above, and not being able to move my body right now..."


    She sighed before suddenly standing up and turning away from me. "Hmph. If you were already dead, you would not be talking to me right now, and your soul would be up there as well. You are fortunate enough that you are here with me instead. If it were other Grim Reapers, they would have not hesitated to take your soul..." She then became silent for a moment before continuing with, "Hmm. Perhaps that was too much information."


    There¡¯s¡­ other Grim Reapers? If so, then she¡¯s the very Director of them all. Everything that¡¯s going on right now and everything I¡¯ve heard from her still seems beyond belief, but there is no other choice but to believe her at this point. I thought before coming to a realization and asked, "Have you seen my younger sister? Endellion¡­ Were you¡ª"


    "No." She quickly responded without looking at me. "It¡¯s too complicated to say."


    "W-What?... What do you mean by that?" I asked, but she went silent for a while.


    "... You have heard way too much," She murmured before turning to look at me once again, but this time, instead of just kneeling down beside me, she surprisingly approached me very closely. Too closely even. Her chest was against mine, her cold hands were placed on my cheeks as her face was very close to mine, and there was nothing I could do to keep her away from me. But looking closely at her face, I could clearly see her beautiful blue eyes. It¡¯s almost¡ª no, it¡¯s truly very similar to hers. And I know that it is wrong to assume, but¡­ Could she truly be who I think she is?


    "If you decide to stay here any longer, you will never be able to return, but... we both know that is not what we want." Because that¡¯s not where your story ends." she said as she gently placed her forehead against mine as my eyes slowly closed.


    "I don¡¯t know why, nor do I understand why it seems that I don¡¯t want to leave just yet at the last second, that I would regret this later on¡­ Tell me, will I be able to remember all of this?... Will I be able to remember you? Or will you¡­" I asked in a low voice, but she gently hushed me instead, as I could feel her tears falling against my face.


    "Maybe this time¡­ you¡¯ll have a better chance." She said this in a nostalgic tone before I soon felt her leaning closely until her soft and gentle lips met mine. It was warm, slow, and lasting, despite her tears continuing to rain down on me. Somehow, I didn¡¯t want it to end. I wanted to open my eyes to look at her one last time, but my entire body, even my eyes and mouth, slowly became senseless. Light began to flash in my eyes as my ears began to ring, but before losing consciousness once again, I could have sworn I heard, "... Please, don¡¯t forget me but... it would be better if you did¡­"


    <hr>


    Upon waking up slowly from the murmurs I could barely hear somewhere nearby, my sight was a blur before I was able to recognize the white ceiling of the room. What just happened? Where am I? Who brought me here? I thought as I tried feeling my hands a bit that were hidden underneath layers upon layers of covers, then my gaze turned to look at the person who I soon felt lying on the lower part of my bedside, only to be surprised to see ¡®her¡¯ there. With her eyes closed, her arms and head lying on the bed, she was singing so beautifully and yet seemed to be in such a melancholic and very familiar tone.


    It seems that she arrived here safely after all. That¡¯s good. I quietly sighed in relief before very carefully sitting up. As I stared at her for a few seconds, only then did I notice the unwilted or the new Anemone flower behind her ear, just like where I placed it one last time before our departure. I smiled a bit only to look away immediately to hide my flushing red face as soon as that memory played in my mind all of a sudden.


    At least five hours. Why couldn¡¯t this Stone of Time just give me and my mind a break, even for five hours at least¡ª Wait¡ª Is it even with me right now? I thought before quickly holding my head and grunting in pain, to which she suddenly woke up and looked at me.


    "Oh! You are finally awake!" she said as she quickly approached me. "Please, do not force yourself. You still have not fully recovered from what you did last time."


    "Last time¡­ the only thing I could remember was the king, he¡ª Where is he?"


    "Do not worry too much, he is fine now..." She responded in a reassuring tone, but soon her gaze slowly looked away from me as she frowned and continued, "I¡­ I am truly sorry that I wasn¡¯t able to tell you about looking after the king, especially at times when he¡¯s alone. It was careless of me to think that the armlets were enough to keep his powers¡ª the stone¡¯s powers and his emotions stable while I was away, but as I feared, things escalated to a disaster... And you¡­ You almost lost your life by saving him¡ª"


    Immediately interrupting her, I grabbed her hand as I said, "Please, don¡¯t blame yourself for what happened. You did what you could to prevent it happening before you left, but me, I have known about the king¡¯s condition for years now as you do, but¡­ I wasn¡¯t there for him until I heard things got worse. It was my fault for neglecting my responsibilities, and it was my own recklessness that almost got me killed that day¡­"


    She was surprised but soon placed her other hand on mine. And as soon as she opened her mouth to say something to me, the door suddenly opened wide and loudly, which made us both quickly look to see the king. He seemed to be very worried at first and was about to run to us, but quickly he just froze where he stood. He stared at us as we stared back at him for a short yet embarrassing moment of silence that filled the room before he chuckled in an awkward tone and scratched the back of his head.


    "Oh, I¡­ I¡¯m probably interrupting you two right now. I¡¯ll just visit later on¡­" he said as he was about to slowly walk backwards, planning on quickly leaving or escaping.


    But as soon as I realized what he meant by that, the little misunderstanding, I immediately let go of her hands, got off of my bed, and despite how I had just recovered, I didn''t waste another second on chasing after him in the hallways while shouting, "H-Hey! Don¡¯t get the wrong idea! We were just talking! Taro! Come back here! Taro!"


    <hr>


    Several minutes later, after explaining to the king about the misunderstanding, getting a hit from me in the head, and regaining my composure right after, the three of us stayed in the room, talked, and had our breakfast that the maids served to us later on. Looking at my reflection in my tea cup, it reminded me of the last breakfast that I had with the King and Garett, and how that turned out in the end. I¡¯m not worried that it would end the same with this one, but I haven''t been able to talk to Garett since that terrible morning, and because of the incident with the king, it¡¯s been way too long now.


    "Are you in deep thoughts again, Al?" The king asked with a smile, his hand against his cheek. "She told you earlier to not overthink things for now, remember?"


    "I remember. But it sounds like that you would want to get hit in the head again."


    "No more, please. I¡¯ve learned my lesson already..." he said in a whimpering tone while rubbing his head before looking at her. Quickly changing the topic, he then asked her, "How was your mission, Lady Lucerne? Did everything... Did everything go well?"The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    She nodded happily. "Mhm. Fortunately, the people were very cooperative and helpful, so it didn¡¯t take us that much time to do what we had to. But even so¡­" Her gaze turned away from us. Even though I was only gone for a week, I couldn''t help but think about and worry about the people I''d left behind, especially you two.


    The king and I suddenly became quiet in our seats, like children being scolded.


    It seems that we¡¯ll be moving on to that certain topic now. I thought as I heard her sighed before gently placing her tea cup down then said, "For now, we should move on to the more important topic at hand." and soon looked at the King before she began.


    "When I healed you back to recovery and checked your stone and your power¡¯s stability, I never expected to sense that much negative energy coming from you before, and not at such short notice. And I knew, since the armlets seemed to have broken only recently... Please, tell me, how were you able to bottle up that much negative emotion for just a couple of days? Was it caused by the last battle? Was there¡ª"


    "No! I-I¡­! It wasn¡¯t¡­ It wasn¡¯t only because of that. There was something else." The king paused, then looked at me for a short moment before looking down at the table. "A couple of days before it was triggered, I invited Alessio and his stepbrother, Sir Garett, to have breakfast with me one morning. Despite how I was very aware that he doesn¡¯t like me for what I did in the past, I thought I would be able to get along with him by doing that, but¡­ It only made him and Alessio more estranged. I¡¯m sorry."


    Lady Lucerne became quiet and looked at me, but I looked away from her.


    "Hmm¡­ Sir Garett Rowe." she said, placing her hand on her chin. "We talked a couple of times before, and I noticed how he always had that smile on his face. But I could sense the dangerous¡ª and ever growing hatred inside of him slowly, especially if I ¡®accidentally¡¯ mentioned you to him, or brought up the past... specifically the tragedy. "She then looked at the king and placed her hand on top of his. "I do understand what you were trying to do there, Taro¡­ It truly sounds like a wonderful idea, but you need to accept that there will be times when our plans will not go as well as we hoped for."


    He slowly nodded. "Yes, you¡¯re right, Lady Lucerne. I¡¯ve come to realize that after some time of thinking. And some other kind of realization as well, while I was reminded of the past¡­" He paused, looking at me while smiling.


    "It seems that it will take me several years to gain Sir Garett¡¯s trust since he is as difficult and stubborn as Alessio was before."


    I stared at him for five seconds of silence. Despite keeping himself smiling, he began sweating in uneasiness the more he waited for my response to that. As if he was expecting me to get mad at him again, but instead I sighed and responded calmly, "Hmph. Good luck with that. He¡¯s more stubborn than I am than you think."


    "O-Oh? Is that so?" His words were staggering. "I-I¡¯ll keep that in mind then."


    She nodded. "That is good. I am glad that you have understood it. And speaking of¡­ General Amaryllis?" She then turned to look at me. "... If you do not mind me asking¡ª well, I never doubt what powers you uphold, but it did surprise me how you were able to do what you just did to save the king from before. How were you able to do it?"


    I stared at them in silence for a short moment before clearing my throat.


    "Ah, right. I¡­ I honestly don¡¯t know that I was able to do something like that." I paused as I looked at my hand. "When the king accidentally entrapped me in the Chains of Duress, an inner void of delusions, I thought I was going to fail on my duty, doubt my past choices, and die there with regret." But she¡­ someone suddenly appeared. She gave me light, warmth, and enough strength and power to stand back up and break free from it. I had no thoughts or plans on how to save the king right after¡ª I just acted on instinct. Giving him my hand, I told him that everything would be alright in the end, and from there¡ª I¡¯m not entirely sure what I did, but it miraculously worked, and he finally calmed down... I know this isn¡¯t the kind of response you were expecting¡ª"


    "No. Do not worry. I understand¡­" She said while having her hand on her chin once again before looking at me. "But please ,do keep in mind this time, if it happens and I am not around again, do not come into contact with Taro, who has the Stone of Void, while having the Stone of Time with you. The delusions caused by his stone were only supposed to inflict on him, but because you had your stone as well, it affected you too, and was able to make delusions from different timelines for the both of you."


    And as I opened my mouth and was about to apologize, she quickly raised her hand, signaling for me to halt in my tracks. "You do not need to apologize for it. You did not know about it at first. As for what or how you are able to save him that time, unfortunately for us, I do not know the answer to that either. I do not believe that I had read about it from the book that my mother had left for me about the six stones of the realm, or heard about it from the mages who have the element of Light¡ª or Fire even¡­"


    If it wasn¡¯t the power from the Stone of Time or from my element of Fire, then what could it be? It seemed interesting enough to find out more about it, but¡­ I paused on that thought before telling her in a reassuring tone, "I see... and it¡¯s alright, Lady Lucerne. I understand. You don¡¯t have to force yourself if you truly don¡¯t know about it. Even if we may not know the answer for now, perhaps we may find it one day from somewhere or from someone else. We¡¯re not the only ones who have the stones of the realm afterall¡­"


    Though, thinking about it, it is such a frightening thought. Still not knowing who has the other three stones, there¡¯s a high possibility that the enemy has them all.


    "It would be better if we did know about it early, but I suppose you are right." The King said before soon looking at the door upon hearing a knock from it. "Oh? Come in!"


    An unfamiliar maid soon came into the room. Throughout my years serving this kingdom, I never once saw someone like her before. I was only able to recognize her conspicuous long rosy-colored hair, but I wasn¡¯t able to clearly see her face as she immediately bowed down and said, "... My apologies if I am interrupting something, but Queen Guinevere has asked me to tell you to meet her in the library right now¡­"


    The king then blinked twice in surprise and confusion after hearing that.


    "O-Oh? My mother is looking for me? That¡¯s new. But alright, I¡¯ll be there soon."


    As he stood up and said those words, the maid had her head lowered during that time before giving another bow, "Of course, Your Highness," and soon left the room.


    The king stared at the door before giving a quiet sigh, then looked at the two of us with a smile, saying, "It seems that I am needed elsewhere for now, even if I don¡¯t want to leave just yet. Lady Lucerne, General Amaryllis, I¡¯ll leave you two be for the meantime."


    "Right, of course. Take care of yourself, your Highness." I said as I nodded at him.


    The king gave us one nod and a smile on his face before soon leaving the room, as only the two of us, Lady Lucerne and I, stayed with the heavy silence in the air. I was suddenly at a loss of words on what to say to her, for reasons I wasn¡¯t entirely sure of, when earlier our conversations seemed to go smoothly, well, somewhat smoothly for most of their parts.


    But looking at her now, with the sunlight that reflects off her golden long hair and blue sapphire eyes, she somehow reminds me of someone, but why can¡¯t I¡­


    "General Amaryllis? Alessio?" I soon heard her say as I noticed her waving her hand in front of my face. "You seemed to be spacing out¡­ Is there something wrong?"


    I shook my head. "It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just glad that you all arrived safely, my Lady."


    She is truly beautiful, it¡¯s mesmerizing, and that is something I cannot deny. A lot of men thought she had already told her the same thing before, but she immediately rejected their marriage proposals. But it¡¯s not like I have a plan to do such a silly thing in the future. Furthermore, if she did choose to be with me one day, she would be seen as the wife of a beast. I didn¡¯t want that for her either... No, I don¡¯t deserve to be with someone like her.


    "Hmm?" I soon felt her gentle hand on my palm, surprising me a bit.


    "Alessio¡­" she began, which made me quickly look at her and see her flushed red face. "I had thought about things while you were unconscious for a couple of days¡­ I know how you may not like making promises, and it would be selfish of me to be asking you this¡ª foolish of me even to think that it is possible to be kept, but..." As she slowly moved her hand away from mine, I saw the Stone of Time in the palm of my hand before looking back at her once again as she continued, "... May you stay as the guardian of this stone?... Despite knowing the risk and what it might cost you one day."


    I stared at her for a short moment before looking back at the Stone of Time in my hand and asking, "What if... I no longer wanted to be the owner of the stone anymore?"


    "Well, I will keep the Stone of Time with me, along with the Stone of Space that I already have." she said, pointing to the blue stone that was embedded in the upper chest part of her dress.


    "As dangerous as it may be, I truly do not mind. I had already expected the risks of it all¡­ Afterall, as the daughter of the once Great Sorceress, who created the six stones of the realm, it is my responsibility now as well¡­" she then looked down at the table. "... But of course, whatever may be your decision in the end, I would respect it."


    I began to stare down at the stone in my hand and think about it thoroughly, The Stone of Time... The only reason I had this in the first place was because of a certain friend of mine in the past who gave this to me as a gift... It is a gift. Despite my complaints about its shortcomings, which stem from the curse the Sorceress cast on it previously, I continue to use it to aid in the defense of the people in this kingdom and to remember where I came from to get this far in life... As I made my final decision, I clenched my hand into a fist before looking at her to see her surprised face. She then looked back at me.


    "It¡¯s true that I may have made countless mistakes in my life already, but if you are giving me a choice to change my fate forever, then I would rather choose not to change anything. Only then, perhaps, making this mistake of a decision of mine would let you have a choice to change yours." I responded as I placed the Stone of Time back on my tie. "If it will lessen the burden of the duty that was set for you, and if it is my fate to be the owner of this stone, then I will continue to be so until the end."


    After giving my proper response, she stared at me in silence for quite some time. I then looked away after a while, thinking that perhaps it wasn¡¯t the answer she was expecting from me, but in an unexpected glimpse of time, I heard her chair suddenly fall backwards as she stood up, ran towards me, and felt her warm embrace.


    W-What? Why would she¡­ I sat there frozen in my seat. I was unable to think straight about what just happened, but soon after I heard her sigh in relief and say, "It seems that¡­ mother was right on her prediction of us meeting afterall¡­ You truly are such a stubborn man. But even so, that¡¯s what I¡­" She chose not to finish her sentence as she then slowly broke the hug, and looked at me with a smile on her face.


    "If that is your final decision, like I said earlier, I would respect that¡­ And I suppose that would mean as well that you would keep your promise of staying as the guardian of the Stone of Time¡­ as well as sharing each other¡¯s secrets and burdens from now on... Am I wrong?"


    I shook my head. "Despite not knowing fully what the future may hold for all of us, for you, that¡¯s certainly a promise that I will try my best to keep and not to break."


    "I¡¯m glad to hear that. And I suppose I should do the same for you, and keep my part of the promise." She said it with a comforting smile, but the last part confused me. And as I was about to ask her about it, she suddenly began walking away but soon stopped as she seemed to remember something.


    Without looking at me, she said in a low voice which froze me where I stood, "... But please, Alessio, as much as you care more for those people around you, do not forget about caring for yourself too, alright?"


    I was silent for a few seconds, but I gave her a hesitant nod and watched her soon leave the room. For a moment there, after hearing her say those last sentences, it sounded right, yet it felt so wrong. Even if I told her my choice, and she told me that she would respect my decision, twice, those last words she told me seemed to indicate that she wished that I would have chosen a different path instead, but I didn¡¯t.


    Or perhaps I could just be overthinking it. I could be wrong about it, but it seemed that she does truly care for me.


    It seemed that even until now, I still couldn¡¯t read you after all¡­ Rachelle¡­


    <hr><hr>

 Chapter 7: Evenings Burning Surprise

    <hr>


    <blockquote>


    A man who you have been seeing smiling, and laughing most of the time is the one who secretly holds grudges the most, and knows the harsher, and more painful truth than you will ever know.


    </blockquote>


    - Garett Rowe


    <hr>


    It was a calm and lovely night. With only a few clouds appearing, the crescent moon and the stars that shine high above were visible. It would have been a lovely night to walk in a field under the glow of the moonlight or sleep in a warm bed and begin dreaming of wonderful things. But instead, I and many others, including Lady Lucerne and King Taro himself, were all wide awake, cautious, and prepared with our own weapons in our hands, with our minds and souls ready for what was about to happen tonight. Looking at the hands on my pocket watch, I knew it wouldn''t be long before the big impending battle erupted.


    I soon closed my pocket watch and looked at the spy who was pinned down on the floor by some of my men who caught him earlier for the attempted assassination.


    "This will be the last time I¡¯m asking you this. Who sent you all here?" I asked.


    The spy let out a weak laugh before smirking.


    "And did you truly expect that I would answer to a Bloody Traitor such as yourself? Unlike you, our loyalty to Her Highness cannot be swayed that easily. Her wish is the wish of her people, and it is the noblest of them all. "


    He coughed a bit between his sentences. "You couldn¡¯t hope to understand, because you left everything behind. Truly, you¡¯re nothing more than a¡ª"


    Before he was able to finish his sentence, Klein quickly threw a small needle into the man¡¯s neck, immediately making him unconscious. It appeared that the needle contained anesthetic, but it is quite impressive how quickly it affected him after just one shot.


    "It seems that we won¡¯t be getting any good answers from this one. Take him to the dungeon." I ordered, and my two men quickly took the spy away with them. "I never thought that they would be that obsessed with the Queen or her ambitions that much."


    "Neither do I. But, like you, I''m skeptical that she was the one who summoned them all. It is an impressive plan to ambush from the inside, but attacking at night time¡ª when their enemies are much stronger, that seems too risky." Klein said.


    "Well, you know how the people of Helio Vermillion can be at desperate times. Such a thing as risk no longer exists in their minds, and as long as they will be able to do whatever it takes to win in every battle they fight in, that¡¯s what matters to them in the end¡­" My gaze quickly turned as my ears flinched, hearing the slight sound of breaking clay tiles from the roofs and seeing shadows jumping away in the night sky.


    And so it began. I sighed, then looked at Klein. "You know what you had to do¡­"


    He quietly nodded at me before he nocked an arrow with blue flames on the tip of it into his bow, maintained the draw, and began to aim it at the night sky before letting the arrow fly. Soon after, walls of water began to rise high until the whole castle was fully caged by it, locking everyone here inside, including our enemies.


    Risky as it may be, it was Queen Guinevere''s orders, and not mine. Anything and everything that will happen tonight will only stay in this place, and no words must come out.


    "I never thought that the former Queen would even help us with this, or at least, I hope that she wasn¡¯t drunk when she gave you those orders." Klein chuckled as he grabbed another arrow from his quiver. "With the Queen, and the advantage we have tonight¡ª or most of our comrades at least, I highly doubt that we¡¯ll be defeated easily."


    "I wouldn¡¯t be too cocky. If they get to the king first, then it¡¯s over for us." I said.


    "If they could get to him first. But you wouldn¡¯t let that happen now, would you?"


    Slowly drawing my sword, I looked at the enemies who soon arrived at the scene, no longer wearing the same attire as my men, revealing to themselves that they were men of Helio Vermillion. "Hmph. Of course not. Though I would like to see them try..."


    Our cold hands gripped our gelid swords. Their eyes blazed at me and they began to surge forward, screaming loudly in anger, before soon after our blades began clashing a couple of times. The loud sounds of our weapons clanging and clangorous were echoing and becoming louder in all sorts of directions as the battlefield down below the arch hallway shortly began. There''s now static in the air as a hail of arrows whizzed and fizzed into the night sky before hitting their targets, followed by loud screeches as their blood splattered on the cold, once-clean ground and floors.


    I need to head to the library now. I¡¯m not sure how long the king can keep himself hidden there or if he¡¯s already been found by the enemy. I thought as I began to walk down the bloodied hallway where I saw corpses at every corner, except for one who was still somewhat alive and grabbed my leg, stopping me for a moment. After letting out a weak chuckle, he then said, "Y-You¡­ You¡¯re already... too late to save him now¡­"


    I stared at the dying man, noticing the left sclera in his eye was black. There were visible purple and black-colored veins as well underneath the skin of his hand that soon slowly let go of my leg as he drew his final breath and his eyes lost their light. I just realized that I hadn''t noticed the state of his body sooner. Perhaps this is what Lady Lucerne told me before about one¡¯s hatred: if bottled up inside for too long, it could one day take control, or worse, it could even kill you.


    But this man, he couldn¡¯t be referring to who I think he is, is he?¡­ Shaking my head at the thought, I continued walking away and headed to my next destination. But there was that lingering and eerie feeling that something worse was about to occur soon, and what I was trying to avoid would come crashing down on me tonight.


    <hr>


    The cold hallways were calm; the furniture, the paintings, even the small objects such as the white lilies in their small vases remained untouched, and the carpets had not been stained by anyone¡¯s blood, or not yet at least. After all, the battle has only just begun, and the loud noise from the ongoing battle outside is echoing and ringing in my ears, making me more cautious than ever. Even with such a small suspicion, a small action¡­


    ¡­!


    ¡­ it was enough for me to be prepared for any battle.


    I immediately drew my sword out and deflected and avoided the sudden crystal feathers that were thrown at me for a short while, until a woman walked out of the darkness.


    Revealing herself to be the maid in disguise with the previously conspicuous long rosy-colored hair. When I first saw her face, I noticed the small feathers on each side of her cheeks and shoulders, as well as the teal-colored and very feminine eyes that glowed a little in the dark. In her hand, she waved a couple of new crystal feathers like daggers as she said, "... It seems that he was right about you. So be cautious indeed... Truly, a huge problem if he wants the plan to be successful tonight."


    "And I must say, I never thought that the people of your kind, or the leader of the Invincible Wing Tribe herself, would bow down to such a kingdom like Helio Vermillion."


    She suddenly broke one of the crystal feathers as her teal eyes narrowed at me.


    "Hmph. These are big words coming from someone who ran away from their problems and served the very ruler who took everything from them. Humans like you truly disgust me."


    "Oh? Then you¡¯re no different from me afterall." I said with a straight face, which irritated her even more, and she responded by throwing her crystal feathers at me.


    I was able to deflect them soon after, but she began rushing towards me with her sharp claws. It screeched loudly as they ran against the blade of my sword, with her burning gaze and gritting teeth almost close to my face. Before she made her next move, I immediately kicked her in the stomach, set fire to the blade of my sword and cast Blazing Wave at her while she was still in midair.


    Cruel as it may be, the things that they will do to you will be merciless. I never underestimated my enemy in battle, and of course, I always knew that things were not going to be that easy.


    Despite the large fire already on the floor, a strong gust of wind appeared, quickly extinguishing it and forcing me to move back a little from where I was standing. The Avian woman was taken aback, and she turned to face the tall Avian man with long turquoise-colored hair, a beard, and eyes who had appeared beside her.


    In a surprised and a bit disappointed tone, she then shouted at him, "K-Kareem? What are you doing here?! I already told you that I could handle this myself! You weren''t required to come get me at an a¡ª"


    Not even letting her finish her sentence, he swiftly grabbed the large bow from his back and fired a crystal arrow at me. This time, I wasn¡¯t able to dodge it. Though it flew inches away from my cheek, the wind that came along with it still left a small cut.


    As he was about to fire another arrow, he stopped as he seemed to realize something. Slowly lowered his bow as he looked at the woman and asked, in such a surprisingly calm tone, "You were not hurt or burned anywhere, were you, Adira?"


    "W-What no¡ª of course not¡­" She responded, dusting off her clothes as she stood up, then looked at me as the Avian man did as well. And as they were both about to make their next move, as I did the same, unexpectedly, a wave of sharp and quick ice suddenly emerged from the floor, immediately freezing their legs and soon creating tall and very thick walls of ice between us. The once cold hallway became icy cold¡­A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Well... I never thought that you could attract enemies so easily, " said a familiar old woman while hearing her footsteps getting louder as she came closer. I could already smell the reek of alcohol from her, it was strong. She was drunk, again¡­


    I gave a quiet sigh before turning to face her. "Yes. Thank you, Queen Guinevere."


    She gave me a stern look before slowly looking at the huge wall of ice that she made, then suddenly taking a long drink from her wine bottle.


    Seriously, drinking again? Even at a time as terrible as this? That''s what I would have said if she hadn''t been here, so I left it as a thought for the time being and kept quiet. Though I was surprised to hear her say it to the Queen, "Your Highness, please, this is not the time for that..."


    "L-Lady Lucerne?" I said in shock as she soon walked into view with a worried expression on her face. "I¡­ I thought you were with the King right now in the library."


    She shook her head. "I was with the King, but Her Highness asked me to meet her. Then we heard the battle had begun from the outside. And the twin Avians came¡­"


    "But both of them cowered away after knowing what we ladies are capable of!" the Queen continued on her behalf, and in a sassy and boastful tone even. "We thought that they already knew where my son was, but it seems they ran on to you instead¡­"


    The Lady then looked at me and asked, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"


    "I-It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just a scratch. Don¡¯t worry." I said in a reassuring tone.


    But despite my response, she gently placed her hand on my cheek, on where the small cut is specifically. I felt a tiny bit of sting before feeling it was quickly healed. As she removed her hand, she then smiled at me a bit and said, "There¡­ much better..."


    "I-I¡­" After blinking twice, I looked away quickly. "T-Thank you, Lady Lucerne¡­"


    "Are you two done yet?" the Queen asked in a sassy tone once more, now with her arms crossed while still holding her bottle of wine. "I already understand now why my son wants you two to be together, and one day rule this kingdom¡­ but now is not the right time either to be talking about things like that. Don¡¯t you two think?..."


    Not waiting for any response from us, and not seeming to be out of anger, she suddenly hit her empty bottle of wine against the table nearby, then looked at me, "Lady Lucerne and I can take care of the twins by ourselves. And it is best that you head to my son now. Though, I fear that someone else is waiting out there for you¡­"


    Someone else? Did something happen to the King again? Was she referring to... I thought as I unintentionally stared at her for a moment, which made her annoyed.


    "What?... Are you underestimating me because I¡¯m drunk?! I¡¯m too old to fight?!"


    "N-no, ma''am¡ª I mean, No, of course not, Your Highness." I said.


    "Then get your bum going and stop wasting more time!" she shouted loudly.


    I nodded at her then immediately bowed, "Of course, Your Highness," before I began to run. Though, in a glimpse of Lady Lucerne¡¯s eyes meeting mine, I whispered to her, "Please, be careful..." as she nodded and responded with, "Be careful as well, Al..."


    <hr>


    After several minutes of taking the long way to get to the library, where the King was said to be hiding, I soon arrived at the place quietly. It was dark; the lights from the candelabra and torches around the walls were unlit, with only the source of light coming from the window outside. Carefully and quietly, I began to walk around with my hand gripped tightly onto my sword and my eyes sharp to look for anything suspicious or for sudden attacks. After all, it¡¯s highly doubtful if the King is still the only one here.


    There¡¯s this incredibly strong yet negative aura somewhere, coming from someone... It¡¯s not the same as when the King lost control of the Stone of Void. This one is different, it¡¯s new¡ª and yet still familiar to me. Could it be¡ª My train of thought was interrupted when I felt a powerful force pull me down and drag me behind one of the tables.


    When I turned around to look at the person, he suddenly shut my mouth with his hand and hushed me.  He then looked left and right before asking me in a whisper, "I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re here now, but I need to ask if... were you alone when you came here?"


    I quietly nodded to him, and he let out a sigh of relief. "Ah, that¡¯s good¡­" He then removed his hand from my mouth as he lowered his head, "Despite how I may need others'' help instead of yours, it would be foolish of me if I didn¡¯t come to you first when it comes to this kind of situation, and especially... with that certain person even."


    "I¡¯m glad that you are unharmed. But who are you referring to?" I asked.


    His lips came to a thin line as he kept himself quiet. Instead of hearing his response, both of our eyes widened in surprise and fear. Hearing someone else¡¯s¡ª a familiar man¡¯s voice began calling my name over and over again, as if he was looking for me, yet it was haunting, "Alessio¡­ Hey, Alessio¡­ Are you here now as well, Alessio?..."


    "G-Garett? What is he doing here?" I asked myself as I was about to slowly stand up to see him myself, until the King suddenly grabbed my arm, making me look at him and seeing him with a worried expression on his face before shaking his head quickly.


    "No¡ª Please, don¡¯t go. It¡¯s not him¡ª Garett, He¡¯s¡ª He¡¯s not himself right now!"


    As I was about to say something, immediately our ears twitched from the loud screeching sound of something sharp being scratched around the walls. "Oh? Why are you hesitating right now, Alessio?... Are you truly going to believe him more than me?"


    Once the loud and painful sound stopped, he seemed to have stopped walking for a moment as well, only to suddenly cast huge bodies of fire from the upper walkway. It quickly spread, and as it gave out a much brighter light in this dim library, from there I finally saw him.


    He, Garett, was sitting on the upper walkway''s railings, waiting for me. Even though he was wearing a mask that covered half his face, I was still able to recognize him. He was now also wearing that velvet uniform with the Helio Vermillion emblem on it. And the incredibly strong and negative aura that I sensed earlier was all coming from him. I was surprised to see him the way he is now, but at the same time I wasn¡¯t. I wasn¡¯t fazed that much by him since it felt like this wasn¡¯t the first time this happened before. This unfortunate event was truly bound to happen, but still there¡¯s this lingering feeling of fear of something that I may not be aware of.


    As I squinted my eyes, gripped tightly on my sword, and watched him soon slowly stand up and take out his halberd from his back, he said in a very serious tone, "I have no intention of getting you involved in this, Alessio¡­ It would be much easier for all of us if you just put down that sword of yours and surrender yourself, and the King¡­"


    I took a deep breath before responding with, "Unfortunately, I can''t do that. Not with the King''s life on the line," as the King hid behind me with his hand grabbing tightly on my arm, making Garett¡¯s face look more displeased than ever.


    He then sighed and removed his mask as he tried to keep his composure for a moment before he tried to convince me by saying, "Alessio, we can both leave this place unscathed. If you just try to listen to me for once and surrender yourself, then we can all go back home together. Queen Minerva Anemone isn''t going to execute you or humiliate you in front of her people. They promised me that they''d keep you safe. And if they ever back down on their word, then I will do whatever it takes to make sure that you''ll be safe, brother..." as he holds out his free hand to me.


    "Minerva¡­" I heard the King whisper to himself under his breath, making me look back at him as I could feel his grip on me slightly tighten.


    Though he avoided eye contact with me, I could tell he was hesitant to tell me that he would respect my decision, whatever it was, even if it meant surrendering myself and him to the enemy. Or perhaps he just doesn¡¯t want to get involved in this, so instead he chose to keep himself quiet for now.


    "Your Highness, if you¡¯re listening..." I whispered to him. "... I am very highly aware of how strong Garett is, and with that negative unknown power he has right now, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to defeat him, but it would be enough time for you to escape from here. Once the fight between us starts, I¡¯m going to need you to run as fast as you can, don¡¯t look back, and don¡¯t come back for me no matter what. Do you understand?"


    He still remained silent, but his grip softened until he slowly let me go.


    I then sighed in relief and looked back at Garett, giving him the response, "I''m sorry, Garrett. But I can''t go back with you¡­ I''ve already made my decision that I''m going to stay here and defend this kingdom, the King, and even his people. I can''t leave them all behind, not because I was ordered to¡ª or even threatened by him or anyone else. This decision was made on my own volition, and I''m going to stand by my word¡­"


    His hand flinched a little before taking it back and chuckling a little. "Of course, what was I thinking?" he said as he gripped tightly on his halberd, igniting flames on its blade but with a strange black and purple aura that surrounded it. "If I can''t truly convince you, then I suppose we¡¯re doing this the hard way. C¡¯mere and let me stick this into your thick, stubborn skull!" he shouted the last words in a threatening tone. He then suddenly jumped from the railings and towards me with his halberd, but I was able to quickly push the King away from me and block the attack.


    The two of us began clashing our flaming weapons at one another. Every hit he does against my sword gets stronger each time, making me barely block most of them and avoid them as much as I possibly could. Even if I had used the power of my stone to increase my flow of time, neither of us could land any hits on each other. I then even tried to reason with him as we continued on.


    "I-Is there truly no way for me to convince you to step down? Your men are being defeated one by one, your plan is already falling apart!" But he wouldn¡¯t listen.


    "Using words and reason in a battle? Ha! You¡¯re getting soft, Alessio!" he said as he went for another swing with his halberd at me, but I was able to dodge it just in time.


    "You and I know how we people of Helio Vermillion are when it comes to these things. Strength against strength. Use words and you¡¯ll wind up dead!" He yelled as he attempted to slam his weapon into me, but instead destroyed the floor.


    Even with every missed attack he does, it slowly increases his strength and temper. Just one misstep and I''ll be sent off flying or worse... But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the only one that is empowering him right now. I thought as I immediately hid behind one of the bookshelves once I had the chance to get away from him. I leaned against the bookshelf as my breathing was already heavy and my heart was beating uncontrollably fast. I know that resting or hiding right now is not ideal, but I wasn¡¯t sure of what I was supposed to do.


    "Is this who you are now, Alessio? A coward?!" He yelled, his voice gradually changing to a frightening tone. "I¡¯ve never thought that letting you stay here would make you like this. If I knew sooner, I would have taken you with me and left, even by force even if I have to!"


    As he shouted those words, I noticed that the books behind me began to fall as he slowly pushed the bookshelf behind me, making me immediately leave my spot before it completely fell loudly on the floor and caused a thick fog of dust for a short moment. And it wasn''t until Garett rushed towards me with his flaming halberd and was able to pin me down on the floor that I realized I had let my guard down. With his foot on my chestplate and the blade of his halberd against my sword.


    I held tightly to both the grip and the blade of my sword, sweating and struggling to hold off his hot halberd from my neck.


    Seeing his face closely now, his teeth were gritting in anger, but what surprised me was noticing the sclera of his eyes as they slowly began to be consumed little by little by something black. And looking from both sides of his cheeks, there were purple and black veins that began to increase and crawl as well. It''s as I feared would happen to him. He was slowly being consumed by... Odium¡­ It was Hatred¡­ Pure Hatred...


    <hr>

 Chapter 8: Never Wanting to Let You Go

    <hr>


    <blockquote>


    Some things or some people in your life would disappear one day, and will never come back. But if that object is found again, you would keep it with you from now on so it will never be lost again. If that person comes back for you, then you would not want them to let go again.


    </blockquote>


    ¨C Alessio Amaryllis


    <hr>


    I still remember it clearly. It was fifteen years ago when the incident that happened that night happened in our old small village. We were young and naive about what was happening, until we saw it with our very own eyes. We were told to run. But I should have thought about protecting her more than I could, only to realize it when it was too late. I was too careless and too weak that I couldn''t even protect her from harm... I failed her. I abandoned her. And when I was given the opportunity to start living with a new family, to be with another friend, or to be with another sibling, I simply pushed him away. Most of the time, I was cold to him. Even though he may have always been there to comfort me and protect me from harm¡¯s way. Even though he irritated me from time to time, I was never there for him, just as I was never there for her.


    And once again, I never realized any of it, not until things grew into the worst of situations. Similarly to what is currently happening¡­


    Garett, my long-time friend and stepbrother, is slowly being consumed by hatred that he has harbored in himself for far too long. As he pinned me down on the floor with his halberd against my sword. There was nothing else that I was able to do at the moment, and the only words that came out of my mouth were: "I¡¯m so sorry, Garett¡­"


    I could see his eyes widen in surprise and confusion as his grip loosened.


    I soon continued, despite still struggling a bit. "... I¡¯m sorry that I wasn¡¯t a good brother to you¡­ throughout the long time we¡¯ve been together... For not thinking about what you¡¯ve been through, for not being there by your side when you were troubled, for thinking that you¡¯d be just fine without me or that you''d be over with it after a couple of days. It was selfish of me¡ª it was foolish of me even¡ª to not realize it sooner, not until things got worse. You may not believe me, but I am genuinely sorry¡­"


    His hand began to tremble as he held onto the halberd. I could see the spark in his eyes returning. "I..." I... Y-You..." but it quickly faded as he raised his halberd above his head and yelled, "You Bloody Traitor!"


    Hearing those words, I thought it was the end, the last hope¡ª the chance to get him back was finally lost. I immediately closed my eyes, gripping my sword even tighter than ever on my sword¡¯s grip and blade. I waited for the blade that would soon end me. However, it didn¡¯t come. It didn¡¯t land on me. Instead, I heard a loud clanking sound as his axe fell on the floor, along with his short shriek as a strong blow was dealt to him somehow that made him move further away from me.


    Not long after, I then heard footsteps coming closer to me, and I was a bit surprised once I heard his familiar voice saying, "How long are you going to lie down there on the cold floor? Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯ve given up now at this point, have you?"


    I sighed in a very tired tone, "... And here I thought that you''d already left."


    "Well, I would have if I could. But as I was about to, I realized that the doors were locked from the outside, and there was no point in hiding now, so I thought of helping you out¡­" I opened my eyes slowly and looked up, and there I saw the King looking down upon me with a comforting smile, lending his hand out to me.


    "Come now, it¡¯s not over yet¡­" he said with a bright smile.


    I stared at his hand for a short moment before taking it and helping me get back up. And as soon as I was back on my feet, the two of us then looked at Garett who was holding tightly onto his head as the black and purple negative aura around him grew bigger than how it was earlier. His breathing became heavy, and the tone of his voice became monstrous as he whispered and shouted the last line, "Kill¡­ Kill¡­ Kill him!!!"


    Immediately, I threw my sword at the King, grabbed Garett¡¯s axe from the floor, and used it to block and deflect the spinning rings of sharp black spires towards us. The rocks he sent flying were strong, making me feel that the axe might break instead if I continued on just blocking and deflecting them for a while. But some of the birds that flew past us returned and were about to strike the King who stood just behind me, but¡­


    "Cataclysm!" he shouted as my sword, which he held tightly, was surrounded by a black aura. As he swung it against the attack, the rocks immediately disintegrated. Seeing what had just happened, we were both surprised. However, for a moment, his expression quickly shifted to excitement with a huge smile on his face. "It worked¡­ It actually worked!" I suddenly pushed him down along with me to avoid the incoming attacks before he could do or say anything else.


    "I¡¯m proud that my lectures seemed to pay off and you¡¯ve learned a new spell using your stone, but now is not the time to be distracted about things like that." I said.  I cast Halt on Garett before he could make his next move, making him stay where he stood while I watched him closely.


    "We only have a minute to think of a plan before the spell fades off¡­ "I truly don''t want to hurt him, but there has to be a way to get him to relinquish control¡ª to snap him back to reality, or hopefully make him unconscious¡ª I¡¯m willing to do anything just to get that odium out of him!"


    The King was silent for a bit before whispering to my ear about an idea he had in mind. I was a bit surprised that he was able to come up with a plan like that for once. It¡¯s not the best and would certainly lead to a disaster, but if it was done right, it¡¯s possible. Without looking at him, I then asked, "That¡¯s a bit of a risky plan, but it could work¡­ Though, are you sure you can do your part?"


    "I-I¡­ I can do it. If I was able to cast that spell earlier, I can do it again now."


    "Hng¡­ You¡¯re hesitating... If you can¡¯t do it, then your plan won''t work at all."


    "I could just cast any other spell if I can¡¯t keep up with his attacks. Simple!"


    "Now that¡¯s just recklessness and could get you killed immediately!" I shouted before soon noticing that Garett began to move a bit, implying that the spell was about to wear off. I then threw the axe on the floor and grabbed a dagger from its scabbard. "But I suppose the sooner I¡¯m able to get close to him, the sooner he will stop casting those spinning sharp rocks."


    "And the sooner I will be able to make my next move, the sooner everything will be over." he said as he drew out my sword, emitting the black aura once more. "Ready?"


    Gripping tightly on my dagger, "... As I¡¯ll ever be," the spell disappeared and Garett recovered his movement once again, immediately casting Spinning Thorns, or  that¡¯s what I believe it¡¯s called, towards us, but the King¡ª Taro and I began to ambush him.


    As he swings and breaks the Spinning Thorns, I try to avoid them as much as I can until I am able to get close enough to Garett. In this very quick moment, I was still able to notice that both of the sclera in his eyes were already black, and the expression on his face was satisfied? He¡ª or the Odium that¡¯s within him¡ª seemed to be ready, smiling devilishly from ear to ear, expecting that I would stab Garett with the dagger.


    I threw the dagger past his shoulder, much to everyone''s surprise. His dark orange eyes then followed the dagger as expected. And from there, I quickly grabbed him by the collar of his cape, and his eyes glared at me.


    He wasn¡¯t able to do anything as I used all my strength to headbutt him with my hard, stubborn head. As stupid as that part of the plan may be, it worked well.


    With the remaining energy in my body, I immediately caught Garrett who ended up being unconscious from that headbutt and had both our heads bleeding. Well, that was expected for how strong that hit was, and I was glad that the negative aura from him was gone. However, what surprised me was the looming shadow in front of us that I soon noticed.


    When I slowly turned my head to look at the strange figure standing there, I realized it wasn''t normal, and all of the negative energy from earlier was now emanating from it.


    It was the Odium itself, in its own physical form... But how¡­?


    Its body was shaped like a human. It was purely black and had only a pair of sharp red eyes and a mouth. And somehow, the dagger that I threw was sticking out of its chest. It was silent but tilted its head a bit while staring at us before pulling the dagger out of its chest and dropping it on the floor. I couldn¡¯t help but sit there frozen, holding Garett tightly and close to me, not realizing sooner that its target was... him.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Kill¡­ Kill¡­ Kill him!!!" it said before it suddenly rushed towards Taro, but¡­


    "Taro!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as I immediately looked at him. And suddenly, a gust of wind blew in our direction, making me lose sight of him for a moment. Then there was silence... The crackling sound of a burning fire from the upper walkway disappeared, and there was no scream or shriek of pain coming from him.


    Instead, when I was able to look at him again, he was fortunately safe. The creature stopped on its tracks inches away from him, and on its chest now was an arrow that shone with a white and green aura. It slowly looked at the arrow on its chest before letting out a short yet loud shriek before it immediately precipitated into black mist.


    Taro and I stared at each other, breathing heavily before he said, "Well, that was a horrifying experience, but it¡¯s all over now... right?" then soon smiled at me in relief. As I slowly smiled back at him, it didn¡¯t last long when my eyes widened a bit in shock as footsteps began echoing, and a woman¡¯s voice began speaking, "I¡¯m glad that I was able to stop that thing from getting to you, Your Highness, but it would have been better if I was here sooner to prevent the rest of the unfortunate events¡­"


    Not long after, she soon revealed herself and stood beside Taro, which made him startle a little. He then looked up to see her, and quickly he became calm but confused or bewildered as he looked at me and asked, "Are¡­ Are you seeing this right now?"


    My eyes squinted at him, but when I looked at her, I couldn''t help but freeze, this time with tears streaming down my face and my mouth slightly open in confusion and disbelief of what my eyes were seeing right now.


    "N-No¡­ H-How¡­ What makes this possible? How are you standing there? "


    There she was standing tall, looking at me with her emerald green eyes and smiling brightly as if nothing had happened from that incident fifteen years ago.


    No wounds, not even a single scratch on her. And even her appearance changed drastically. She was no longer that little girl I used to play with, and more similar to how I saw her when I was trapped in the Chains of Duress before. But that was only an illusion caused by the Stone of Void, right?...  So, how is she here now?


    "Alessio¡­" she began. "Do you still¡­ Do you still remember what I told you?"


    "W-What?..." I said, confused. "A-Are you referring to the promise from before?"


    She smiled ever brighter. "Ah, so you do remember. That¡¯s good. I thought you¡ª"


    "B-but how..." I interrupted, laying Garrett down nearby and slowly rising from the floor. "Tell me right now, how can I be sure you''re not just a figment of his stone¡ª or a spy, or an imposter of my long-dead sister?"


    "Alessio¡­" Taro muttered under his breath as he gave me a worried look.


    It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t want to believe any of this, but I just wanted to make sure¡­


    The lady¡¯s smile slowly faded to a thin line as she suddenly became silent for a little while. When she opened her mouth, she suddenly began... singing? It was in a melancholic tone, but it wasn¡¯t that long before I realized what she was singing, which brought my eyes to tears even more. It was our sweet lullaby¡­


    As she continued on, I didn¡¯t notice the green stone embedded on the upper part of her chest in her dress that began glowing in a green hue, or even mine that glowed in a gold hue. I didn¡¯t even realize the pain of my wounds and how our wounds began to heal. Not even how everything in my surroundings began to fix themselves as if nothing happened. None of those things mattered. Nothing else mattered at the moment, as all of my senses focused only on her and her alone.


    My sight of my surroundings changed from the dim library to a green, lush meadow with flowers under a clear blue sky in daylight, similar to¡ª or that exact place.  The place where we used to play when we were once naive children. And there she was, standing a distance away. She continued singing with her arms open, beckoning anyone to come close, and yet here I was, keeping on hesitating if I could do so.


    Was it the guilt of not being able to protect her fifteen years ago? Will I just continue standing here, wasting more of my precious little time with her, with me still denying this bittersweet truth?


    "Endellion¡­" After a few painful seconds of struggling to comprehend that the woman who''s standing right in front of me is truly my long-dead sister, my mind finally took it in. I didn¡¯t waste another second, I rushed to her¡ª finally embracing her tightly, feeling her familiar warmth from long ago.


    She wasn''t just a photograph I''d kept in my pocket watch for so long, she wasn''t just an illusion caused by some stone or my past memories. She was real, and she was finally here with me.


    Fortunately, after all these years, at least one treasure returned to me¡­


    "I¡¯ve missed you so much, El. And I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m so sorry." I said.


    She¡¯s quiet. Her hands began to gently stroke my back and my hair for a while before pushing me away and looking me in the eyes. She was smiling as she wiped away both of our tears. "No, I should be the one apologizing to you, Alessio. I¡­ I was already here in this kingdom several days ago, and yet I couldn¡¯t bring myself to see you¡­" she said as she lowered her head. "I was only able to warn you about the suspicious people who came here and what was happening to the king, but it wasn¡¯t enough, I should have¡ª"


    "Wait¡ª I remember you now!" Taro said as he pointed his finger at her. "You were that lady who came into my chambers and tried to help me calm down!"


    She nodded at him. "Yes, you¡¯re correct! That was me, Your Highness. But after I left to tell Alessio about what was happening to you, I had to quickly change my appearance since... well, it was one of his conditions if I wanted us to be reunited..."


    "His?  So it wasn''t Mine¡ªI mean, Queen Minerva¡ªwho sent you here?" he asked.


    She tilted her head a bit. "Minerva?... No, she had no idea about this ambush."


    "A-Ah, I see¡­ So, someone else planned it." he said, nodding a bit. "That¡¯s good."


    I was silent for a moment as I stared at her. The joy of finally seeing her faded into fear and suspicion as I realized something and asked her, "Endellion... are you serving the kingdom of Helio Vermillion?"


    As those words came out of my mouth, the room was filled with silence once more, and her expression changed to a worried one. She seemed to be having a difficult time as she soon responded with, "Unfortunately, yes. It appears that I am on the wrong side of history. And I would choose to stay here with you instead if I could, but I can¡¯t¡­"


    "W-What? Why?... What¡¯s stopping you from staying here? Who¡¯s threatening you for switching sides?" I asked in a bit of a demanding tone, as I was about to approach her, but she suddenly moved back away from me, perhaps out of fear. I noticed how her gaze was now looking in a different direction and how her arms were holding on to herself tightly. She looks frightened by something, or suddenly thinking of someone she fears.


    "You¡­ You have your reason for running away. Whether it''s an accident or not, you let yourself be free from that place... Despite how I may be here with you now, I¡¯m still trapped out there. Even here, my life, and even my mind, is theirs to pull... If I do things that would displease them, they could easily take me away in an instant." She responded before slowly looking at me. "... That¡¯s why Garett thought of trying so hard to convince you to come back, even if it may have led to a forceful way. I also thought of trying to convince you as well, but I already know what your choice will be... And I know that you will not be happy being taken away from here. And so, I kept my silence."


    After hearing all that, I kept my head lowered as I clenched both my fists and gritted my teeth in anger. I could feel my mind and my heart being split into two.


    When I was finally able to see you again, when I thought that we could finally be reunited, I thought that we could be happy and safe together like we were once before, but unfortunately, fate has pulled up its strings just to separate us once again for their cruel sense of humor. I thought as I became silent. She wasn¡¯t wrong. Despite it being the truth,  I still could not accept it. I could not accept the fact that she would be my enemy, that her blood might be spilled by my own two hands one day.


    Perhaps that might even be the true reason why they both want me to come back home with them, to prevent losing more of those who are important to me. But if I go join them, then wouldn¡¯t it still be the same? I might be able to protect them, but I won¡¯t be able to do the same with the people here anymore once I choose to leave.


    "There must be something we can do to help you too..." Taro said.


    "I know that you are a kind and caring type of person, and I wish I could express my gratitude to you for saving my older brother from getting executed and for taking care of him until now. But in my case, with only little or no freedom at all to be able to do things, and not wanting you to get involved much, I¡¯m on my own on this."


    "I don¡¯t want to fight you, Endellion¡ª No¡ª We both know that I can never fight you! Fighting against Garett tonight was already difficult for me, and that should be enough. Fighting against you on the battlefield would be like repeating the painful past once more. And I''m not going to let that happen again¡ª I can''t afford to lose you again... Not again!"


    "And you won¡¯t, Al," she said as she suddenly grabbed my hand with two of hers, making me look at them before looking at her face, seeing those eyes full of hope and determination as she continued, "You will not lose me again, and I will not lose you as well... We¡¯ll both find another way to get through this, to finally end this war, for us to be reunited again with no walls between us anymore. We both just need a little more¡ª"


    Time¡­


    The loud sound of the doors suddenly slamming open wide was carried by a strong wind. But as I immediately turned around to look at her, she was no longer there by my side, and instead, I found her in one of the big open windows.


    "El! Wait! Don¡¯t¡ª Don¡¯t go!" I shouted as I shook my head and tried reaching my hand to her, but as she turned around to look at me for a moment, I only saw a tearful smile on her face and heard the words, "Until we meet again, brother¡­ Knowing you are safe and happy here, it is enough for me to wait a little longer for you once more¡­" And with that, she soon jumped off from the window. A beautiful sight of a white bird flying off in the night sky with the walls of water from the start of the battle has already vanished, leaving a trail of white petals dancing in the air. It was all finally over¡­


    Only Taro and I were left standing and watching the white bird fly into the distance as the room was filled with the gentle breeze and the white petals it brought.


    And the only thing I could think at that time, and wish I could have said to her, Endellion... Please be safe... as I slowly moved my hand to touch the Stone of Time in my tie and closed my eyes for a while. Despite how I never wanted to let her go, I still did. Because if you hold a bird too tightly, it will only die, and I only wanted what¡¯s best for her, so I let her go. As long as I know that she¡¯s safe as well, I know that we will see each other again...


    <hr>

 Chapter 9: Kindness from Her, Forgiveness from Him

    <hr>


    <blockquote>


    A little bit of kindness cannot hurt anyone, but being too kind can lead you to your demise if you¡¯re not careful enough. And forgiving someone doesn¡¯t mean that you forget what they did, but it would lessen the heavy feeling in your chest that you kept with you for so long¡­


    </blockquote>


    - Taro Naoko


    <hr>


    Last night felt like it was a long night. With all of what happened, an ambush, that strange creature, seeing Endellion again, I hardly believed all of that happened in just a single night. I thought it was never going to end... but it did. Though a part of me wished it didn''t... The red and green Avians had escaped that night, but Garett was sent to the dungeon until further notice. Along with the other survivors, the clerics, and Lady Lucerne, they were in the infirmary, treating the wounded, while Lady Guinevere went to her chambers to rest. However, King Taro and I, however, found ourselves somewhere watching the sunrise from the horizon, being thankful for another day of peace.


    The events of that night were still fresh in my head. I still can¡¯t believe it. There were still things I wanted to tell her, questions that I wanted answered, and even if I stopped or turned back time, I shouldn¡¯t use it for my own selfish reasons, not even if it¡¯s something personal.


    "Hey, Al?" Taro began, without looking at me. "Are you still worried about her?"


    "... How could I not be?" I responded with my eyes closed. "You heard it yourself, didn¡¯t you? Her life is obviously in someone else¡¯s control. She said she wasn¡¯t allowed to tell us everything she knew. And even if it¡¯s for my sake. Even if it¡¯s only brief, I wish our reunion wouldn¡¯t be so bittersweet."


    "Yeah¡­ you know, it¡¯s obvious that your siblings. You¡¯re both selfless." Taro said in a joking tone, but frowned soon after. "I just wish I could do the same for you and my people¡­" he muttered the last bit with regret.


    When the sun finally rose, Taro stretched his arms.


    "Last night was truly something, huh..." he yawned, but he looked at me seriously. "But now I¡¯m curious... Even though you know about the ambush,  how come you don¡¯t even know about your sister being alive or Garett becoming what he was last night?"


    I exhaled a long sigh. "I didn''t use my stone to discover the ambush. It was already obvious that it would happen. Having new recruits without knowledge tells me that. As for Garett, that was something I should have seen coming¡ª After what Lady Lucerne told us, it should have been obvious, but I still turned a blind eye to it, unfortunately. And as for El¡­" I paused, remembering her when I opened my eyes and stared up at the ceiling of the room. "... I was only lost for words."


    "Hmm. I see, I see. But you said before as well that you sometimes get headaches from sudden memories flashing in your mind, did you not?... Did nothing show up to you before the ambush happened last night? Anything at all?..."


    He then suddenly paused after a realization hit him. "N-Nevermind about that, I just realized that if that happened, then you would have lost your focus and been at a much greater disadvantage for battle last night."


    I rubbed my face gently a bit before my red gaze looked at him.


    "You sure are chatty today... Not something unusual coming from you, but I envy your optimism in certain situations. How come you don¡¯t feel exhausted, especially after all that?  You¡¯re still as active as ever."


    "I¡ª I don¡¯t know actually. Maybe I''m not the one who just had a bittersweet family reunion?" he said in a sarcastic tone and with a huge smile on his face.


    "Do you know why I keep on smiling?" I can see Taro¡¯s wide grin as he beamed, looking at the distance. "It¡¯s because even if conflict arises, one should still see the positive things in life."


    "I may be a coward, but I was able to cast offensive spells¡ª the thought that I can now fight alongside my people. I have trusted allies like you that I can casually joke around with. You even called me by my first name! How could I not be happy?!"


    Ah, it¡¯s because of that¡­  His words were right, but I don¡¯t know whether to be happy about that or be more concerned about him in the future. Is he really that happy to hear me call him by his first name? I thought before clearing my throat, "... Your amazement at such little things, and even for petty people like me, is truly... a bit concerning." and soon stood slowly off the floor.


    "Regardless, I would suggest you take a rest or eat something soon. Unlike me, who¡¯s already used to this, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll last long later on if you choose to stay here any longer doing nothing."


    "Hmm? Where are you going?" he asked. "Are you¡­ planning to visit him now?"


    I nodded. "I was already planning to visit him soon for some personal reason, so you do not need to interrogate him for answers about last night."


    He chuckled. "Of course, of course. But you¡¯re just gonna leave this thing here?"


    I looked at him, and there I saw him holding out my sword to me. Without giving him any response, I immediately grabbed my sword, but as I pulled it up, he still held tightly to it, causing him to be pulled up as well from the floor and soon stand up properly.


    "Thank you for that, Al. I truly appreciate it." He said, still not letting it go.


    I stared at his hand for a short moment, still not letting go of my sword¡¯s grip despite my hand holding on to his as well, I looked back at him, "I do highly appreciate the personalized golden pocket watch that you gave me, and if you want, I could have someone make a customized sword for you once I''m out of the kingdom."


    He blinked twice before looking at me. "Wait, what¡ª no, I don''t think so..."


    "Taro, we¡¯ve been training in swordsmanship together for years now. And from what I¡¯ve seen, you proved yourself to be capable of handling a sword of your own¡­" I said before pointing my finger at him. "Though, your stance still needs a bit of work, and you still need to keep your focus when in battle, and don¡¯t get distracted."


    "H-Hey! And here I thought you were complimenting me! What suddenly happened to that?! C¡¯mon, Al! Stop teasing me!" He shouted as he pouted so childishly.


    But soon after, the two of us chuckled as he finally let go of my sword. After putting it on its sheath, he finally followed. "Well, if you truly think I¡¯m capable of having one, then I suppose that I cannot refuse that¡­ But if my mother finds out about it and ends up scolding me, remember that your name is what I¡¯ll spout out first."


    "Ha! You can only try¡­" As I began to walk towards the door, I smirked. Then upon opening it I looked back at him one more time, "Are you coming¡­ Taro?"


    With a huge smile, he soon began walking towards me, "Of course! I¡¯m coming!"


    <hr>


    Taro and I went our separate ways, and we expressed our short partings before doing so. My smile slowly faded as I took a deep and cold breath and soon headed down to the underground dungeons. Despite how there may be lights coming from the torches in the walls, the walls and the ceilings of the hallways that were made of large black stones, and the cold atmosphere they give, it looks and feels intimidating. I rarely visit this place, but not for that reason. There weren''t that many people who were captured for a reason. Most of our enemies retreat, or end up dying in battle, or for the reason that the King himself never liked the idea of keeping prisoners for too long.


    He is truly way too kind. But even so, there¡¯s still that lingering feeling of fear that it might one day kill him. I thought before soon arriving at the prisoner¡¯s door, and was soon noticed by the two knights standing guard, who immediately greeted me with, "G-General Amaryllis! Good morning! And are you here to visit  Garret Rowe today?"


    I nodded to them. "Yes, and you both shouldn¡¯t worry too much. I can handle things from here if any problems were to occur. So take a break for now."


    The two of them exchanged looks before turning to me with a smile and nodding, giving me the keys to his prison room. "Thank you so much, General Amaryllis! You are truly too kind!" they said in sync before finally leaving their positions, looking happy even, and leaving me to open the door to Garret¡¯s room.


    Upon entering the room, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it looked and felt much warmer compared to the hallway outside. From the light cream-colored walls, ceilings and brown tiling flooring, to the furniture like the large bookshelf, small wooden table with a tray of breakfast served in it, a wooden desk and chair, and how neat the bed he¡¯s sitting in, before he soon stood up, looking at me surprised, "Alessio! You¡¯re here! You¡¯re¡­"


    He suddenly paused as his gaze looked away and grabbed his left arm tightly. "You¡¯re still here¡­ to visit me, and see me in this poor state...  I''m at a loss for words."


    Without letting him finish, I suddenly ran to him, embracing him tightly, and the first words that came out of my mouth were, "I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m just glad to see that you¡¯re fine now. And I¡¯m sorry, Garett. I¡¯m so sorry for everything¡­" Holding tightly onto his cape, I continued, "... For not being there for you when you needed me the most; for letting you suffer alone for so long; for not thinking about your feelings more often. I should¡ª"If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Suddenly, coming to a halt as Garett hit me hard on the head, making me groan in pain a bit and move away from him.


    W-What? Why did he suddenly hit me on the head?  I thought as I looked at him once more, kneading his hand that he had just used to hit me just now. Did it hurt him too?


    "Wow... you really do have a stubborn head, Al?"... No wonder you were able to knock me out last night." He said this before looking me dead in the eyes.


    "Listen, if you''re going to properly apologize to me¡ª and name everything you can blame yourself for¡ª at least apologize for hitting your own head on mine last night!... I know that you keep on saying before "to use your head", but I never thought that you were going to do it literally!..."


    As I kept my silence, his face was flushed red in annoyance. It was close to mine and his breathing was heavy after he was finally done giving me one of his lectures, like he used to do to me before.


    It seems he¡¯s back to his old self after all. I thought as he then sat back down in his seat, placing his hand on his face.


    "Despite how reckless of a plan that you two made last night, it fortunately worked, and I would thank you both for that but¡­ I know that you came here for an explanation on my part¡­" he continued.


    "... A few days after the disastrous morning the three of us had¡ª and of course it was caused by yours truly¡ª I was trying to calm down and think about things. But it was from those days when I noticed that there was something going on with me... I didn¡¯t want you to worry, but I wasn¡¯t able to find you either. Instead, I found her. She was disguised as Klein, but her eyes gave it away. I was in doubt at first, knowing that she already¡­ or perhaps that¡¯s what we thought at least..."


    Garett then started pouring tea into each of our cups.


    "She took me to her Companion in Black, who she said could help me with my¡­ case. He was a man with long silver hair and had a right emerald-chartreuse visible eye. She said he works as an informant, but disguised as a traveling woodcarver."


    Her Companion in Black? I thought as I stared at him as he took a sip from his tea before he continued on, "Believe me, I didn¡¯t trust the guy either at that time, but I was desperate¡­ Everything seemed to go smoothly after a while... well, until she sensed that you were in trouble. She was hesitant at first, but I told her to not worry about me and to go after you. And so when she finally left, that''s when things started to go wrong¡­"


    He immediately paused all of a sudden as he pointed his finger at me, "Oi! Before you suddenly doubt her again like last night, at least let me finish my story, alright?"


    "W-What? But I didn¡¯t¡ª" I suddenly stopped in my tracks as I remembered how I doubted her last night when we first met. Clearing my throat, I then continued instead with, "Perhaps I did doubt her at first during that time, letting my cautiousness get the better of me, and I must admit¡­ that was a huge mistake on my part."


    He nodded in silence. "Now where was I? Oh yeah, after she left, that¡¯s when the strange guy injected something into me. Whatever it was, it caused me to lose control of both my mind and body. I could barely remember anything else that happened after that, and just found myself here with the headache that you caused, but saved me nonetheless¡­ Before she entirely left the kingdom, she actually visited me. And she couldn¡¯t help but cry and kept on apologizing. She said as well that she knew about the ambush, but didn¡¯t know that her companion was planning to do that to me."


    I kept quiet, staring at my tea before soon asking, "She said to me last night, when we met, that there are those people who have their life and mind on their hands. Could that companion of hers perhaps be one of them?"


    Surprisingly, he shook his head silently. "Unfortunately, and as strange as it may sound, the guy seems to be just following orders as well as she does. He even had some sort of very strange relationship with her¡­" he whispered the last lines before clearing his throat. "My best guesses are  the Queen herself, and her Masked General from before¡­"


    "The Masked General¡­" I repeated under my breath. Then, all of a sudden, it happened again. But this time, three quick new memories suddenly flashed into my mind. A scene from the past¡ª but my friend¡¯s face was blurred out. Another was a scene of what seemed to be coming from the future¡ª the companion of my sister, Endellion, as he was telling me something. And lastly, was a scene of the masked man standing before me, with flames and a destroyed home all around us. What¡ª What did any of those mean?


    "Al? Alessio?! Hey, come back to me, Al!" I soon heard Garett shout at me as I slowly came back to my senses and looked at him. "Are you alright? You just suddenly looked pale and sweating bullets. And then there''s your right hand... it¡¯s been shaking for a while¡­"


    I blinked twice before looking down at my shaking hand that was still holding the tea cup that I had not drank yet. Using my left hand to hold it, and soon it stopped from shaking as I responded with, "I¡¯ll be fine¡­ I¡¯m fine." and drank the tea in one gulp.


    He stared at me for a while before sighing in an annoyed tone, and scratching the back of his head, "S-Seriously, Al, your Time stone truly has some serious drawbacks¡­ And I¡¯m truly concerned about what worse things it could do to you one day when we least expect it. But of course¡­" He paused as he closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "... I¡¯ve already known that convincing you would just be futile. And the least thing I could do is keep an eye on you, because I already knew as well that you would probably ignore its worst possible drawbacks, or forget about taking care of yourself."


    "Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t. I¡¯ve already learned my lesson from last time..." I said.


    "Uh, huh. And I¡¯m a flying orange gorilla¡­" he said in a very sarcastic tone before putting both of his hands on both of my shoulders, tightly even, but still I couldn¡¯t look him in the eyes. He then sighed before saying, "You can tell me that you¡¯re fine, but I know that you¡¯re not. You can tell me that you can still keep going, and I know that you can, but I don¡¯t believe that you could. And as much as you want to seek the answers to all of your questions, whether it be about the stones or about your sister¡¯s whereabouts, at least do me a favor, just this once¡ª listen to me!¡­ and don¡¯t go out there recklessly."


    The two of us stared at each other in a short moment of silence, before I slowly nodded my head a couple of times, then placed down my cup on the table gently and asked him, "From those last couple of lines of yours, I suppose you already know where I¡¯m planning to head soon, and for what possible reasons¡­ But you know as well that I still wouldn¡¯t be able to find him that easily without you telling me¡ª or asking you for his location now, would you?... Not unless you¡¯re planning to stop me from going."


    "Even if I won¡¯t tell you where he is, you will still leave to find him yourself. And like I¡¯ve said earlier, if I can¡¯t even convince you to leave this kingdom or to give away your stone, then it¡¯s pretty much futile as well as convincing you now to not go there. What¡¯s more, I¡¯m highly aware that I¡¯m in no good position to leave this dungeon to stop you, despite how kind your "friend", the King himself, may be¡­"


    He looked away from me for a moment. "He¡­ he already proved himself enough in how much he truly cares for you, despite the huge tragedy he caused in the past."


    "Garett¡­" I said, slowly about to place my hand on his shoulder but halted.


    "It¡¯s true that I was jealous of the way you interacted with him. Seeing how you seemed to be more calm and happy being around him. And despite how you still know and remember what he did, you no longer see him the same way I do¡ª the same way everyone from home sees him. Every day, their own bottled hatred grows stronger. Just like what happened to me¡­ and you already know how that ended¡­" He stares at his hand for a while before clenching it into a fist and shaking his head, then suddenly stands up from his bed and finally looks at me.


    "That''s not my cup of tea, and it''s not what you came here for. But if you truly want that badly to get answers from that very strange Traveling Woodcarver¡ª Informant man¡ª or whatever people want to call him nowadays, he has a small cabin in the middle of the Emerald Forest. It¡¯s his primary home afterall, and I believe you can catch up to him if you leave by early tomorrow morning. But!..."


    He then suddenly points his finger at me, "... repetitive and annoying as I may always sound to you, always remember what I just told you earlier, alright, Al?"


    "Hmm¡­ Tomorrow morning. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to be that much of a problem. But I must say, I do fear, not only for my sake and my journey, but for the people who I will be leaving behind here. Even if it¡¯s only for a couple of days. Still, I couldn¡¯t just..." I paused before shaking my head. "No¡ª No, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m being a worry-wart even on such little things, again. My apologies for that¡­ I¡¯m still¡ª Well, that part of me is still a work in progress until now¡­ "I hope that makes sense."


    He scratches the back of his head again before chuckling awkwardly, "Weeell, you''re not the only one who needs to work on changing something about yourself. So yeah, you¡¯re fine, or better than where I¡¯m starting off at." He then looked down at the untouched food before sitting back once again on his bed, saying, "Oh right, we shouldn¡¯t keep the food waiting for too long, though some of it is probably already cold by now for how long we¡¯ve been talking and just drinking tea. But wasting them would just get Sienna mad at me even more than she already is."


    "Sienna?" I repeated it, to which he was startled upon hearing it and suddenly stopped what he was doing. "Are you referring to Lady Elora from the Grand Hall?"


    "I¡ª W-Wait¡ª How did you know?!" He shouted in surprise before soon clearing his throat and looking away from me with crossed arms. "Y-Yeah, it¡¯s her. I¡­ Well, she told me about her first name, along with her disappointment in what I did last night when she visited me earlier to bring me food¡­ Aaand when I accidentally called her by that name of hers, she suddenly slapped me in the face and immediately left the room."


    I blinked twice before I couldn¡¯t help but laugh, which, of course, made him feel embarrassed and annoyed even more and made him ask, "H-Hey! What¡¯s so funny?"


    "O-Oh, right¡ª My apologies, it¡¯s just that¡ª Are you sure you¡¯re still the same Garett who gave me that Anemone flower before, and told me to make a move on the woman I like?" I asked before finally catching my breath. "Easier said than done, huh?"


    "I-I¡ª You¡ª" were the only words he could utter before succumbing to his own defeat. "A-Alright, you got me there¡­ And it was only funny when I was the one teasing you, but I suppose I deserve that too. Well, if it means I could see you smile and hear you laugh like that more often like how you used to¡­ It¡¯s been¡­ so long afterall."


    I sighed in a slightly tired tone as I nodded a bit. "Yeah, you¡¯re right¡­ It¡¯s been so long¡ª Too long even, ever since this on-going bloody war truly changed our lives, but that doesn''t mean that we shouldn¡¯t try to make something better out of it from time to time, don¡¯t you think?" I said as I raised my glass of fruit juice to him.


    He soon smirked and chuckled at me, "Now that¡¯s more like it, Al! Cheers to us!" He then said triumphantly before we clinked each other''s glasses before drinking.


    The two of us then continued talking¡ª catching up for the times we had missed from the couple of days that we never talked, for a couple more hours, and alongside eating our breakfast of course. It was then around noon when I had to take my leave, to report to the King, take some plenty of rest or do a little bit more of work. We then  expressed our short parting to each other before soon leaving him in his dungeon room.


    And for once, all our worries and negative thoughts faded away for a while now¡­


    <hr>

 Chapter 10: Wandering with the King

    <hr>


    <blockquote>


    Going on a journey alone is calm, but it is a lonely one. But having a friend with you, it can lead you to interesting paths in life. Discover more things in the way, get to know more about them, and perhaps get to know more about yourself as well.


    </blockquote>


    - Taro Naoko


    <hr>


    After the happy resolution with my friend, Garett, I finally reported to Taro about his explanation for the ambush and the information about the Mysterious Woodcarver. I then requested his permission to go on the sole mission to get more information from the strange man the following day. And surprisingly... he immediately granted it to me with no hesitation. I was thankful, but still in doubt about it all at first. It was very unusual for him to just suddenly allow me to take on a risky mission without him worrying, stopping me, or babbling some excuse for me not to go. It then made me think of the possibility that he might have followed me secretly. But regardless of it happening, I didn¡¯t mind that much as I continued to work the rest of my day.


    Right. I almost forgot that I needed to learn to trust him more and doubt him less¡­


    Time then flew by so quickly that I ended up forgetting that it was already the following day. I guess I got distracted by the preparations. I was now standing at the entrance of the bailey with my sword in its scabbard hanging on my side. I was also wearing a long, brown cloak with a hood over my head. At first glance, people can mistake me for being a fugitive. I decided to leave a letter for Garret outside his prison cell earlier as well.


    Despite how he already knew about my departure, he was still behind bars after all, and I much preferred to leave without anyone seeing me off... or so I thought.


    "Seems that you are leaving early today, General," I heard her say, and that made me stop my tracks, slowly turning around to face her. It¡¯s rude to ignore a lady after all. "Though, I must say, this is... truly a bit surprising for me, and the first time that you would choose to leave without saying goodbye to any of us¡­"


    It was Lady Lucerne. I kept myself quiet as I let her continue. She had a worried look on her face and asked, "Is there... truly no way for me to change your mind on leaving?" I was hesitant to answer as I looked away for a bit before taking a glance.


    Unknowingly, my legs and feet started to move on their own as I gently held  her hand and gave her a sincere smile when I apologized, "My apologies, Lady Lucerne, but those are the orders from the King¡­ And I must do this alone. However, you should not worry too much, I¡¯ll return as soon as possible after gathering the intel we need. I¡¯ll be safe and I will keep in mind what you said before. "


    "I will trust your word on it, General. But please, take these with you as well. " She said as she started to smile a little. She then gave me a small crossbow along with a small long brown box, and inside of it were a couple of small arrows made of ice.


    The crossbow is small enough to hide away easily, and the ice arrows seem to be made of magic since, even in this heat, they don¡¯t seem to melt at all.  Upon closer inspection, there¡¯s a needle inside each of the arrows. Overall, this could be useful when you¡¯re going to shoot someone through the head in just one shot.


    Though I find it a bit strange for someone like her to have these with her since she doesn¡¯t use these kinds of weapons but instead often uses her tomes and staff¡­ But of course, who am I to judge? I thought before bowing and said, "Thank you, lady Lucerne¡­ I am truly grateful for this kind gift from you."


    "Of course. You are very much welcome, General." She replied, as she continued to give that sincere smile.


    After putting the crossbow and the small box away, I got on to my horse, looking at the balcony of the king¡¯s chambers. However, no one was up there. I expected Taro to see me off, but given it¡¯s still early dawn, he would probably be asleep.


    Though perhaps I should have left a letter for him too, as I did with Garett¡­ Hmm?... My train of thoughts suddenly came to a halt as soon as I noticed how Lady Lucerne placed her hand on mine, which made me look at her for a moment. Our eyes met as I could feel my heart beating fast as she gave my hand a squeeze.


    I could see from her eyes, she didn¡¯t want to let me go, she didn¡¯t want me to leave... And somewhere deep down in my heart, I would have wished for the same selfish thing. In a different timeline, I would probably have done it¡ª or I would have told her something differently, but alas, I can¡¯t.


    "I¡­ I supposed I should be going now..." I began as I saw her nod slowly after she sighed under her breath.


    "Yes¡ª Right¡ª I know¡­ And I am truly sorry for trying to hold you back here, and wasting more of your time¡­ I was just¡­" she paused as he bit her lower lip, and slowly took back her hand. After a few seconds of silence, she slowly shook her head before looking up at me once more and said, "If you¡­ arrived at your destination safely, Please¡­ remember to be careful with your choice of words when talking to him."


    Hearing her say those words immediately brought chills down my spine as I suddenly remembered what Garett had said about how strange and dangerous a man I was going to meet once I arrived at the place. It did take me aback and made me hesitate a bit, but he couldn¡¯t be that worse, could he? Garett could just be exaggerating when he told me about it¡­ But her eyes, full of worry, seemed to tell me otherwise.


    "A-Ah, I see." I said in a reassuring tone as I nodded. "I will keep that all in mind."


    She was silent as she stared at me for a short moment before we both looked at the portcullis that began to slowly lift itself up. In a loud voice, the gatekeeper from above then soon after called out to me, reminding me that I should take my leave now and that I shouldn¡¯t waste any more time. One last time, Lady Lucerne and I exchanged glances. No more words came out from either of us as I began to ride off into the distance, finally leaving the kingdom of Ivory Moon without looking back¡­


    <hr>


    The sun slowly began to rise on the horizon as it beautifully unwrapped the hues of the sky above me. As I head to the east, I can feel a bit of warmth from the golden rays of sunlight, blinding me slightly as I hold on too tightly to the reins. I could see flocks of birds flying by in the distance as the cold, gentle breeze began to blow. This journey was peaceful and relaxing. It was completely new to me. Something I¡¯ve never known I could experience despite my many travels.


    For so long, I thought that my eyes could only see gruesome battles¡ª very long ones, burning houses, rivers of blood staining the unsoiled ground, along with decaying bodies. Those were nothing like this¡ª not as beautiful or captivating as nature. And my hands¡­ I assumed they would always tremble and be stained in bloody red because they only know how to use something sharp like a sword against others, such as enemies. I''ve been fighting in this war for so long, too long, that I''ve forgotten I once had a life outside of battle... but still¡­


    "Huh? What the¡ª Hold!" When I noticed a crowd of men forming on the path, I immediately pulled the reins of my steed, preventing it from proceeding any further. Looking at the situation closely, it seemed that the men were burglars, threatening a poor old woman and a crying little girl. And I know that I could just go around them, turn a blind eye to the situation as it¡¯s not my business, but instead¡­


    "Oi! "What do you think you''re looking at, freak?" exclaimed the leader of the burglars, pointing his finger at me, but none of it bothered me.


    After all, I''ve been called far worse than that. He and his thugs just stood there watching me get off my horse and slowly approach him. And without any warning and no sudden urge of rage, I suddenly delivered a powerful fist against his cheek, causing him to fly away and even lose a tooth.


    I still believe that I¡¯m no one¡¯s hero, but I¡¯m no bloody monster either¡­


    "Huh¡­ I never thought that these hands could punch that well as well." I said to myself as I looked at the knuckles of my hand before slowly looking at the goons, who seemed shaken up at what had just happened to their boss. "... Though, now that makes me wonder how much my feet can kick you all to sleep in less than a minute..."


    They all gritted their teeth in anger as they soon began to circle around me with their swords in hand. I stared at the two who were in front of me as I took a deep breath and cracked my knuckles before they all charged at the same time. Then, before the two men at the front were able to reach their blades at me, I immediately grabbed both of them by their wrists, jumped and kicked the man who tried to come from behind, and kicked the next one as I landed on the ground. Their screams of pain and sounds of breaking bones were quickly followed as I twisted the wrists of the two men I was still holding on to before throwing them both on the ground at the same time.


    And they all still keep coming. I wasted no time and continued to block and attack them all with only my hands and feet. Even though I¡¯m able to dodge their attacks, one was able to stab me on the shoulder. Still, that does nothing. I immediately took out the blade and hit his wrist, making him lose the hilt of his sword, then hit him on the chest and quickly followed it on the side of his neck to finally knock him off.


    As I prepared myself for the others, I heard a galloping horse coming in my direction. There I saw the horse knocking out the remaining two men who were just standing on their feet. What surprised me the most was the man on the horse. He was wearing a brown cloak with a hood above his head; underneath was a white tunic with long and puffy sleeves, black pants, and a pair of long brown boots. As he approached, his hand was extended to me.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    I was hesitating at first, but at the second, he was already in front of me, and no matter how surprised I was to see him at that moment, I immediately grabbed it and he lifted me up to sit on the back. In a happy tone, he then said, "My apologies for my tardiness, but I¡¯m here now!... Let¡¯s go to the house of the woodcarver together!"


    "Are you crazy?! Why did you come after me¡ª Do you want to die?!" I shouted.


    "Heh¡­ I just came here for you. Now hold on tight, Al!" he said to me before we both looked at the old woman and the little girl, who were both already in my steed. "And you two follow us immediately, alright?... And never look back and slow down kid."


    The little girl nodded, and soon we both left immediately.


    Though there were some of the goons who tried to chase us, we never got that far and ended up giving up on them. And despite all of my questions about how he, Taro, was able to catch up with me and get out of the kingdom without alarming the people there¡ªespecially her mother and Lady Lucerne¡ªI kept my silence for the time being, until we could arrive at the nearest village where the old woman and the girl could be left safely and without worry.


    <hr>


    Arriving at the nearest village we could find, we stumbled upon a crowd making us get off of our steed. And as soon as Taro and I had both our feet on the ground, the old woman walked up to Taro, grabbed his hand, and shook it vigorously. "Thank you! Thank you so much!... Both of you! For saving us from those horrible men in red¡­" she said in such a joyous tone as tears started piling up in her eyes. "T-They always come to our little village to steal, and sometimes even kill the people here if we don¡¯t comply with their demands¡­ W-We all began to flee from our small and poor village to bigger ones to be safe and have a new life, but still¡­"


    Taro then took a quick glance in my direction before looking back at her. "Oh, I see¡­ And you don¡¯t need to thank us ma¡¯am. And we just did what we could to help people like you¡­" he said to her in a reassuring tone.


    "... I-I¡¯m sure that my men¡ª I mean¡ª the King of Ivory Moon would send his men to come here soon and protect your village from those men. Or even better, if they would be able to help to flourish the place¡­"


    The old woman began to smile a little. "T-That truly sounds like a lovely idea, young lad¡­" She then looked down at the ground and shook her head slowly. "... B-But even if help comes one day, I don¡¯t believe that it will make it¡­ The men in red have been looking for more new villages and lands to conquer for several days now..."


    The men in red¡­ Is the kingdom of Helio Vermillion truly that desperate nowadays?


    As the two of them continued talking, I soon noticed the little girl who was clinging to the side of my cloak. I blinked twice in confusion before soon kneeling down on one knee in front of her. "What is it, little girl? Do you need something?"


    Surprisingly, she gave me the reins of my steed. I looked at it for a moment before looking back at her. She had her head lowered while holding tightly on her clothes. "I¡¯m sorry for¡­ trying to steal your horse while you were fighting off the bad guys earlier¡­" she said. "I-I thought maybe I could use it to take us away to a different village¡­ to have a new life¡­ But grandma told me that it was bad¡­ And if we left you, no one would help us again because we took your help for granted¡­ I¡¯m so sorry, sir¡­"


    I gently placed my hand on her head, rubbed her messy and ashy hair before noticing the star clip on the side. I then carefully removed it and placed it properly in her hair. "It¡¯s alright... And don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not mad at you¡­ Honestly, I¡¯m actually surprised and glad that you still came here with enough courage to tell me the truth, despite knowing that what you did was wrong. That¡¯s not something everyone can do..."


    The little girl¡¯s eyes widened before tears began streaming down her face.


    Did I just make a little girl cry in public?! I thought in a panic, but suddenly the girl ran to me and embraced me. She was still crying, of course, but it was a bit of a relief to me that I didn¡¯t make her cry on purpose. And honestly, it reminds me of my younger sister, Endellion, when we were younger, like this little girl. She was a crybaby¡­


    "Come now, we should better get going¡­" the old woman said to the little girl.


    The little girl soon breaks the hug and wipes away her tears immediately. She then smiled with such determination and confidence as she said, "Mark my words, sir red eyes¡­ I will grow up to be a great fighter like you one day!... I-I promise you that!"


    Taro and the old woman laughed under their breath, but I believed in her words.


    "Oh? Alright, then..." I said as I soon carefully stood up and crossed my arms with a smile. "Well, I suppose I¡¯ll meet you in the kingdom of Ivory Moon, after perhaps a couple of years or so? That is, if you¡¯ll still be able to recognize me after that long¡­"


    "I-I believe that I can do it. Not unless you¡¯re the one who can¡¯t remember me¡­" she said. "But oh, right. I haven¡¯t told you my name, haven¡¯t I?... It¡¯s Neeja¡­ Nee¡ªja!"


    "Alright, I got it, Nee¡ªja. And you can just call me by the nickname you gave me¡­ I¡¯m fine with it, for now at least." I said before looking at the old woman then back at the little girl, Neeja. "Well, I suppose until the day we meet again, may you two be safe, and may you always be there by your guardian¡¯s side and help her with things..."


    She gave me a quick nod before sprinting to the old lady''s side. The two of them then began walking away as Taro and I bid them farewell before he soon  looked at me slowly with a goofy grin and said, "You know, Al¡­ I never thought that you were that good with kids. I do wonder now¡­ if one day you and Lady Lucerne would have a chil¡ª"


    "Don¡¯t tell me you already forgot that you still owe me an explanation¡­ did you?"


    Taro slowly puts down his hand as he chuckles in a very, very awkward tone.


    "Oh, right¡­ I almost fully forgot about that one¡­" he said as he scratched the back of his messy white head as his gaze looked away from me for a short moment. "Hmm, how about we leave the town for now to catch up on lost time, then I¡¯ll tell you my explanation on the third night, when we¡¯re almost there at our destination... Deal?"


    I stared at him for only a very short moment before sighing in defeat.


    "I won¡¯t argue with you¡­" I said before I began walking to my steed.


    "O-Oh? Is that a yes?... H-Hey! Where are you suddenly going?... Al?... Al!"


    <hr>


    There were no other problems we encountered during our journey ahead after that. I didn¡¯t have that many issues with Taro either, since this wasn¡¯t the first time we went on a journey together after all. Just like before, when we first met, though I lessened the coldness and rudeness towards him now, he¡¯s not a picky eater nor did he have problems sleeping anywhere. Sadly, that part of him that is easily distracted by everything he sees in every shop we visit, in every town we pass through, no matter how simple it is, is still there. Just like when we went to a blacksmith earlier, he tried to carry a giant knife-like sword that was displayed there, but ended up causing a big ruckus that I had to pay for and apologize for on his behalf.


    Regardless of how very disappointed I was with him at that time, after a day or two that passed, we were able to get further than I anticipated. Arriving at the huge forest area that¡¯s connected to the Emerald Forest, where the house of the Mysterious Woodcarver is.


    And, while we won''t have to worry about thieves and bandits bothering us tonight because the towns are so far away, the forests are the home, or used to be the home, of the half-humans and half-animals, or Erankos, as I believe they''re called. Though I don¡¯t believe they¡¯re like actual wild animals who would fight us for no reason, it is better to be extra cautious after all.


    "You¡¯re¡­ "You''ve been honing your sword for a while now, Al," he said hesitantly. "You¡¯re still not mad at me for the mess I caused last time... are you?"


    I keep my silence with my eyes on my sword, continuing to hon it. Loudly.


    "A-Alright, I suppose... I do deserve that silent treatment from you¡­ And I also believe that I still owe you an explanation for my sudden, and reckless plan to follow you here. Though I don¡¯t think that you would like it any better, here it goes¡­"


    He then took a deep and long breath before he began his very long explanation in an unexpectedly quick way. "I switched places with Sir Klein, then he used the same mask your sister wore used to disguise as him last time but this time he used it to disguise as me then I made letters to both Lady Lucerne and my mother just in case they found out about the reckless plan we did in less than a minute and I released Garett to help me escape too!" And after he finally finished explaining with no literal pausing, he ended up sweating a lot and was breathing heavily.


    There were still some questions I had in mind, despite understanding what he did, and listening to it somehow stopped what I was doing, and finally looked at him. But the only words that came out of that time were: "... But why did you do it though?"


    He looked surprised by my question at first, looking at me before looking down.


    "Well¡­ I suppose there was a part of me that says that I want to be free for once... as free as a bird that is able to fly away to anywhere they want, and not just be stuck in the cage forever..." He then looked at the night sky as he reached his hand out.


    "And I don¡¯t believe I have told you this before, have I?... The day before I was crowned King at the age of sixteen, my mother, who wasn¡¯t drunk at that time, told me that I could have anything I wanted. May it be fame, fortune... power, but never could I ever have friends¡ª or even just a friend like you, and love, like any couples do¡­"


    He chuckled a bit before slowly looking down at the ground once more. "But realizing and seeing how truly fortunate I am, and how many other people suffer with a much more terrible life than mine, I couldn¡¯t help but feel... selfish... I have everything that I need every day, too much even, and I could have given them away to help those who call out for them. But... I wasn¡¯t able to do anything or not enough¡­"


    I stared at him in silence before looking down at his reflection on the sword of my blade, and the first words that came out of my mouth were: "You''re not her, Taro." He then looked at me immediately with a surprised expression before I continued with, "Despite everything that has happened¡ª and the heavy burden they put you through, you haven''t given up on your kingdom and your people. You haven''t given up on me. And you''ve done more than you could, and what they could. Isn''t that enough?"


    He didn¡¯t respond. He suddenly went silent for a while. And the next thing I heard from him was... sobbing? And to my utter surprise, when I finally looked at him once again, he immediately greeted me with a warm embrace. My eyes and mouth widened, not knowing what to do¡ª or how to react to any of these moments at all.


    "H-Hey! Taro¡ª my sword is still here¡ª you might get yourself stabbed with it!"


    "T-Thank you, Alessio¡­" he said as his hug became tighter. "Thank you¡­"


    I became silent. Still not knowing what to do, I ended up sighing quietly. Closing my eyes and gently patting him on the back, "You¡¯re welcome, Taro¡­ My friend¡­"


    Truly, sometimes I don¡¯t know what to do with him. But I must say, he did somewhat make this journey a little bit more interesting and worthwhile for the both of us¡­


    <hr>

 Chpater 11: House of the Woodcarver

    <hr>


    <blockquote>


    There was once a saying that curiosity kills the cat. And from the situation we got ourselves into, I believe now that it is very much true¡­ We seek information, whether it be out of curiosity or other personal reasons, it leads us to this place, it leads us to him. But instead of seeking answers, it almost seems that we''ll be seeking Death himself¡­


    </blockquote>


    - Alessio Amaryllis


    <hr>


    For the first time, I never thought that I would feel so much at ease while sleeping in the forest that night. I don¡¯t know why it was comfortable, too comfortable even. It¡¯s as if I was lying on a bed that¡¯s as soft as the clouds throughout those several hours of sleep. But as great as it may sound, it was truly strange as well thinking about it. And so, when I finally opened my eyes again, unfortunately, my hunch was right. I found myself in someone¡¯s bedroom, and was comfortably lying on an actual bed. Looking around a bit, I noticed the wooden textures, furniture, and the walls all around reminded me of the ones back in my quarters, which I could easily mistake for the one I was currently in.


    Am I still dreaming?¡­ No, I believe this is all real. But¡­ Where¡¯s Taro? What is this place? Who took us here? These were all the current questions I had in mind as I could barely feel my hands and the rest of my body for a short moment, which made it difficult for me to get up, and I needed to hold on to the bed frame just to sit up in bed.


    "W-What happened to me? Why does my body feel so difficult to control?" I asked myself as my gaze began to move around the room finding an object to hold on to. But looking at the floor, I saw boots and put them on. Soon after, I noticed my sword in its scabbard beside the wooden end table, grabbed it, and put it on my side. Then I immediately remembered to check my pockets for my stone and pocket watch, and fortunately the two items were still there. I sighed in relief, put my stone back on my tie, and slowly and carefully stood up, holding on to the walls as I made my way out of the bedroom and into the dark, and quiet hallway. Or I thought it was quiet¡­


    As I carefully walked around to look for Taro, I soon heard a faint voice. A man¡¯s voice, more specifically. He was singing in a whisper, but with sorrowful words¡­


    "? The choice that you had to make


    And the path that I chose to take,


    As we play along under the hands of Fate,


    Still waiting, patiently, for this cycle to break ?¡±


    Seconds later, he suddenly stopped, but we soon heard footsteps and a man¡¯s voice saying, "Ah, your friend is finally awake... Let me check up on him." The man, who I assume is the woodcarver himself, soon opens up a door and shows up by the hallway. My eyes widened in surprise as soon as I finally saw what he looked like. He was wearing all-black and long clothing, had long silver hair and a green-chartreuse visible eye, just like how Garett had described him to me. He doesn¡¯t look like a woodcarver at all, but more of a necromancer¡ª a Grim Reaper even. He was smiling widely then chuckled to himself before asking, "Oh, Good morning... How are you feeling today?"


    I stood still in silence as my mind processed what had just happened. This woodcarver is an awfully familiar man. Even though he may be very welcoming, he did take us here last night unexpectedly and did something to my body to make me feel like this. I can sense a strong power coming from him as well, which makes me feel much more uncertain about all of this. We truly need to be careful when talking to this man.


    Despite not giving him any response, he still had that smile on his face when he tilted his head a bit. "You¡¯re not that much of a talker, are you? Well, no matter. Your friend is here, just wandering around the shop while waiting for you to wake up. Come now¡­" He said as he turned around while gesturing to me to follow him into that room.


    I was hesitant at first, but I didn¡¯t have much choice but to slowly follow him there. Upon entering the room, I saw how big the shop was and was filled with wooden shelves that contained small wooden carved sculptures of people, flowers, trees¡­ strange bears, and other animals. There are also wooden frames for paintings, carved necklaces, and jewelry boxes. But what caught my attention the most was the structure of a woman with a rose and a man with a scythe. I squinted my eyes in suspicion as I stared at it. The scythe looks very realistic, too realistic, especially the part of its blade.


    "It truly looks beautiful, doesn¡¯t it?" the woodcarver said suddenly, as he stood behind me. I jumped a bit in surprise before quickly turning around and moving further back as he laughed at my reaction. "Surprise? It¡¯s my best work just yet. And don¡¯t worry that much, that¡¯s not based on real people, unlike everything else that I made¡­"


    Unlike everything else? I thought before quickly turning my head to look at Taro as he called me, seeing him casually checking the items. Of course, how could I suddenly forget about that? He always checks every shop that he sees or anything that interests him.


    "Hey, Al! Look at this! It''s a wooden carved bear that¡¯s clearly like a bee with a stinger and everything. And Oh! It even has two horns of a goat! How fascinating!" Taro said so excitedly. "Oooh!~ There¡¯s even a rabbit, a bee, a goat, and a bear doing a¡ª"


    "Can you please lower your voice? This isn¡¯t the right time to be distracted by small little things. Remember, w¡ª" I quickly paused as I heard the bell on the door ring.


    The woodcarver walked away as I quickly dragged Taro with me to hide behind one of the wooden bookshelves. He was surprised and was about to say something, but I quickly shut him up by putting an apple in his mouth. I then peered around the corner to see who had entered the shop. He had brown hair underneath his black and purple witch hat, a brown mustache, and was wearing round glasses and mostly black clothing. I could sense a huge amount of power coming from him as well.


    As the woodcarver turned to face him with open arms and a smile, he greeted the man. "Ah, Lewis. It¡¯s been a long time, dear old friend. Welcome to my shop and abode!"


    "Of course, of course. It would be truly unfortunate if I didn¡¯t. I wouldn¡¯t be able to get the items that I requested from you." The customer, Lewis, said. "But it would have been a waste of time and magic to get here if you didn¡¯t have them right now.


    The woodcarver then chuckled. "Heh, and after all these years, you truly haven¡¯t changed. That''s one thing for sure."


    "And you¡¯re still¡­" Lewis paused as he grabbed and looked at one of the wood-carved pieces from the shelf. It looked like a fairy with a mustache? It appears to be very similar to his current appearance. "... Well, you¡¯re still you¡­ And that¡¯s why we still have this little ongoing business just between two old friends unlike any other."


    "I agree. Truly, unlike any other¡­" The woodcarver responded with a smile and a slight nod. "And of course, you know very well that I¡¯ve always prepared everything you need on just a single platter... So let me get them for you." he said as he began looking at the shelves behind the counter. He then started humming while he began gathering the requested items, while his customer¡¯s eyes were looking around the place.


    "You know, Ordell, I must say..." Lewis continued to walk around. "... Your "shop" truly looks messy... And here I thought I was the most disorganized of the three of us back then. But looking at it now, you''re the most trashy person I''ve ever seen."


    Are these two truly friends?... But I suppose that¡¯s expected from two shady people.


    "Say¡­ I heard our old friend, the Sorceress, was killed a year ago. Truly, what a pity¡­ what a waste of such potential, just for her to lose her way in the end¡­" Lewis said monotonously before turning to face him, "... But of course, despite what she did to you in the past, you already had moved on from it, haven¡¯t you?"


    The Sorceress? Do they know something about Rachelle¡¯s mother?... Well, I know that she has such a big reputation and all, but those two seemed to have known her even before she was known to the public. I thought as I continued to stay silent and listen in. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The woodcarver gently puts down a full brown carrier on the counter before he responds with, "Does it matter at this point? Like I''ve said before, she made her choice. She sealed her own fate in stone... So, whatever happens to her is no longer my concern."


    Lewis stared at him in silence. "Yeah! Not to be rude, but she kind of deserves it... Killing her own husband as well? I wonder if I can do that..." He whispered the last lines before slowly shaking his head. He then grabbed some sort of horns from a goat and placed them on the counter before taking the brown carrier... Then he immediately turned around and looked directly at me, which startled me a little.


    Did he spot me? I thought, but he didn¡¯t say anything.


    Instead, he slowly turned his head to the woodcarver and said, in a cheerful tone, "Anyways, thank you for these items. This would be enough for what I¡¯m working on."


    "Anytime, old friend." he said, slowly waving his hand as he watched him finally take his leave. "And if you need another burial for someone, either another student of yours, or perhaps an enemy you would like to keep silent, you know where to find me¡­"


    After watching Lewis leave for a short moment, I moved back into the hidden shelves carefully and as quietly as I could, then looked at Taro when he suddenly placed his hand on my shoulder and asked in a whisper, "Is he gone? Is the coast finally clear?"


    I sighed in relief before responding, "Y-Yeah, he finally left..." Or so I thought.


    "Oh, right. I almost forgot to tell you, Ordell¡­" Lewis said in a sinister tone as he suddenly appeared, standing behind us. "I found two little eavesdropping pests!~"


    And before Taro and I could get away from him, he immediately waved his hand. Suddenly, a strong force was preventing us from moving. He then waved his hand once more and quickly threw us both in front of the counter, then fell on the floor. When I slowly opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the woodcarver, Ordell''s snickering face while looking down at us. And seeing his face like that irritated me a little more.


    "Thank you for that, Lewis. I¡¯ll take care of things from here." he said.


    Seconds later, the bell rang, and the footsteps of Lewis faded away as he finally left the shop for sure. When he was no longer in sight, Ordell began walking away from us., "I¡¯m very much aware that you two are no threat, but of course, if you have nothing to do here either but to waste time, then I may suggest that you both leave soon."


    "You¡¯re a Grim Reaper, aren¡¯t you?" I said as I quickly got up from the floor.


    Upon hearing that, he suddenly stopped on his tracks.


    It seemed that it had caught his attention... I thought before helping Taro get up from the floor. He then asked me, "He''s... a Grim Reaper? Do you know him, Alessio?"


    I was hesitant to answer him for a moment, as Ordell slowly glanced at me.


    "Not entirely¡­ But I could swear I¡¯ve seen him a couple of times in the same village where I used to visit a friend of mine and his daughter. And if he was just a normal human, he wouldn¡¯t have survived that tragedy before¡­" I responded.


    Ordell suddenly became quiet for a little while before he suddenly started to laugh quietly, then loudly. When he finally calmed down, he then said, "Hmm... Ah, yes. Yes! I remember now. That was that one village from Helio Vermillion that the King of Ivory Moon accidentally destroyed all by himself. That was the second one after the Queen, his own mother, did the first one out of anger against the other former ruler. It was a very, very long time ago. Still..." He sighed before he continued, "... I suppose that is to be expected. They are no different from the people of Helio Vermillion afterall..."


    I looked at Taro and noticed him clenching his fist as he looked away.


    "Anyways, congratulations! You are very much correct about that, my dear Head General. I am one of the very rare Grim Reapers that exists in the overworld of Somiar." Ordell said, clapping his hand once. "And my apologies to my dear old friend, Lewis, for throwing you both earlier. He truly doesn¡¯t like people who eavesdrop on other people¡¯s conversations, and fortunately, he could have done worse if he wasn¡¯t in a hurry today."


    I don¡¯t know how to be thankful for that when the fact that you took us last night and you intoxicated me as well. I sighed at the thought as I shook my head. "Right, but listen, we came here because we needed information from you. How much do you charge for¡ª"


    "I don''t want any money from the kingdoms," he said, quickly cutting me off.


    "You know that we''re from the kingdom?" Taro asked in a surprised tone.


    "Seeing your reaction and when I mentioned what you did and what your mother did, just gave it all away," Ordell said as he waved his hand and continued walking away.


    "And hearing you call the so-called Bloody Traitor of the other kingdom by his name, as well as the way you two interacted last night, piqued my interest even more. Of course, that doesn''t mean you''ll get the information you need for free; even that old friend of mine knows I do things fairly around here." He sat back down in his chair with both of his arms on the counter and his eyes staring at us. "Finally, as previously stated, the amount of items or information I''m willing to give you and speak with you will be determined by the type of item you''re willing to give me¡­ Sounds very simple, right?"


    "Objects that may interest you?" I asked myself before hearing him snicker.


    Why did Garett or Rachelle never tell us about this? And without knowing much about this strange person, how would we possibly know what would interest him and what would not? I thought before looking at Taro as he asked him, "... Must both of us pay?"


    "Since you two are together, then no, just one of you," Ordell quickly responded.


    "Well then, how about we give you this?" Taro asked as he pulled out a blue amulet. Ordell''s eyes widened in surprise before he returned to his earlier expression.


    "Wait¡ª Isn''t that your family heirloom? You can''t give that away for some information," I said as I snatched it from Taro''s grasp.


    "H-Hey! Calm down, Al. It''s just an ordinary old amulet. Mother said it''s fine to just give it away since she doesn''t have any use for it." he said, shrugging.


    I squinted my eyes as I stared at Taro before looking back at Ordell.


    The expression on his face hadn¡¯t changed, but his fingers were tapping on the counter like he was waiting for our decision. I looked at the blue amulet one last time before saying, "We¡¯ll give you this blue amulet... in exchange for the information we need, or how much can you give us."


    He stared at the blue amulet in my hand for a moment before saying, "Hmm... Deal!" and quickly grabbed it from my hand in the blink of an eye. He then slightly sat back on his chair, swinging the blue amulet in his hand while staring at it for a little while. "Hmm... Yes. I believe that this would be enough for a mountain of details." he said to himself before looking back at us. "So¡­ what information do you seek?"


    I kept myself quiet and looked at Taro. I didn¡¯t want to say anything reckless, but I noticed how the expression on his face changed to a serious one. He cleared his throat and grabbed something from his pockets before he finally spoke, asking him, "Since you seem to know something even from a long time ago about that specific village that my¡ª that Queen Guinevere destroyed once, then would you mind telling us how much you know about this girl in the picture?" He immediately pulls up a circular silver locket that has a name written on top of it and has a picture of a familiar girl inside, causing me to quickly realize that the girl in the picture he was referring to was¡­


    Endellion? I thought as my eyes widened in surprise. I soon noticed how Ordell reacted the same way. Perhaps he didn''t expect that to happen either.


    "While you had your focus on Alessio earlier, I thought of using that chance to quietly and carefully investigate behind your counter and take this. Now, mind telling us what you know?" Taro said with a bit of a smirk on his face. "While we¡¯re on it, could you tell us about the Great Sorceress and the six stones of the realm as well?"


    Ordell suddenly became silent but soon started laughing quietly and became louder and louder despite nothing even remotely funny in what Taro said earlier. He then slowly started to stop and said, "Forgive me, my dear, but I suppose I can no longer hide it..." he said to himself before looking directly at me. "If you still haven¡¯t figured it out or if your dear step-brother who visited here hasn''t told you yet, that is correct, I was the one who brought your dear sister back to life fifteen years ago¡­"


    I silently stood there in complete shock after hearing the truth from him. That did answer one of my questions, but it only filled my mind with even more questions. What is his relationship with Endellion?...How¡ª And why did he bring her back to life?


    "Well, seeing your face, it''s easy to tell that you have many more questions to ask, it seems. Well, the amulet was enough for a mountain of information, so I will tell you all," he said as he waved his hand, and suddenly a strong wind in the room pushed two chairs behind us. "I must warn you that this will be quite long, so do take a seat."


    Taro and I exchanged glances before sitting down in the chair as we were told.


    He then gives me the silver locket and, looking closely at it, there''s no doubt it¡¯s Endellion. The same one who I met and talked to during the night of the ambush.


    I kept myself silent as I stared at the photo of her as Taro spoke, "I never thought that Grim Reapers would be able to bring back the dead in a way that they would be able to do so much, like look more human and even be able to grow up¡­ How did you do it?"


    I looked back at Ordell as I heard a sudden rhythmic tapping on the counter, before he soon responded, "It''s difficult to explain¡­ At first, I suppose I was only curious about life and humans. Despite how I myself was a human as well back then..." He sighs as he walks to his seat, sits down, and crosses his legs on top of the counter. He then grabs a small notebook from the pocket of his coat. "Well, I do hope you both have enough time and capacity in your minds to get all of this information in there¡­"


    <hr>

 Chapter 12: One Long-Lasting Story and One Night

    <hr>


    Stories are like bright lights. They can illuminate new information, make you see and learn new things and ideas you¡¯ve never known before, but they will blind you as well when it comes to Time, as they will not let you know how long you have been listening to the stories.


    - Alessio Amaryllis


    <hr>


    "Once upon a time, I found myself in a burning village with only corpses left behind. I didn''t find anything interesting until I found the corpse of a little girl that was slightly warm. Out of curiosity, I took her to my old abandoned abode. I started trying to do what seemed to be impossible at first. But¡ª With enough sweat, blood, and one certain Soul Stone that I found in the Emerald Forest, I was able to make it successful..." He began flipping the page of the small notebook a couple of times, back and forth, making me think that whatever he was saying wasn¡¯t even written there in the first place.


    And upon hearing the first parts of his story reminds me of what happened before; the fact that I failed to save her and abandoned her, which made me regret it for a very long time. However, upon hearing the rest of what he said, those feelings of regret suddenly turned to a mix of disgust and anger.


    Do you think she¡¯s just a guinea pig for you to use for your scrutiny? These are the words I would have asked him right now, but remembering that I should be careful with my words when talking to this man. I kept my composure as much as I could, clenching my fists tightly, and left it all as a thought for now as I took a deep sigh. Not seeing sooner that he was staring at me with a devious smile on his face before he continued.


    "And as years passed, the little girl then started to grow up as any normal human would. But! There was a teensy-weensy problem... And that was the fact that her mind could not store that many memories. She ended up forgetting most of the things from time to time, and if she put it all into her soul, then it would start breaking, and all that hard work and time would have been in vain. Fortunately, a certain someone owed me a favor from before, and coincidentally, she had the Mind Stone, one of the six stones of the realm¡­ And despite how much I cared for her, I did what I had to do for her sake¡­"


    His smile slowly faded to a thin line before he continued in a melancholic tone and stopped flipping the notebook. "I had no choice but to give her away to that certain person with the Mind Stone. She promised me that she would bring her memories back and look after her in my place. I still do visit her often in the kingdom, but there''s always that lingering feeling that..." He paused for a brief moment before waving his hand away, his smile quickly returning. "Hmm¡­ Never mind that last part. I¡¯ve always had trust issues with those kinds of noble people anyway."


    He sounded upset when he mentioned that he''d be giving her away to someone. It sounded so sincere, but it could just have been an act. I thought to myself before noticing his smile turned to a suspicious grin, which made me feel a lot more uneasy.


    "Now that the story part is done, you would probably be thinking that I treated your dear younger sister as nothing more than an object throughout those years she was with me. But to be much more sincere with you, I never¡ª not even once¡ª had I thought of Endellion as an object. It¡¯s the exact opposite actually¡­" He paused as he quickly opened his other hand, revealing the silver locket that hung from his fingertips.


    W-What the¡ª H-How did he¡ª Seeing the silver locket was with him now, I immediately looked at my hands and the silver locket was no longer there. That¡¯s impossible! How did he immediately get the locket from me without any of us noticing it?!


    "I¡¯d always treated her with special care and love every time we were together, which one day made me feel something¡­ something I never imagined feeling while no longer being human, but I did¡ª and it was all because of her¡­" he said as he grabbed both of his arms and yearned. "Aaahh~ My heart skips beating just by being by her side¡­"


    "What¡ª W-What do you mean by that?!" I asked him in a bit of an urgent tone.


    He doesn¡¯t mean what I think he means, right? He doesn¡¯t have that kind of relationship with her, right?! I''ve continuously become more worried the more I think about this, and the more seconds he¡¯s not answering my question.


    "Hmm?... Well, I¡¯ll leave that to your imagination~" he responded cheerfully, as I started to lose my patience with him even more and my fists were clenched tighter than ever. I truly wanted to punch him in the face right now, but of course... I need to remain calm, I need to remember our objectives of why we went here... And still remain patient.


    "I''m¡­ I¡¯m letting that slide for now," I said before I cleared my throat. "Anyways, about that certain person who you gave her to... Could you tell us more about her?"


    "Oh? I thought it was already obvious. Did you not tell him?... Your Highness?" he asked, his smirk back, noticing his visible eye was fixed on Taro. And when I looked at him, I quickly noticed how his serious expression turned to a more concerned look, sweat began to drip on his face, his fists were tightly closed and placed on top of his lap.


    Ordell then let out a short chuckle. "How truly unfortunate... And here I thought that you said before that you were already comfortable telling your dear¡ª your one and only trusted friend, Alessio, everything! But it seems that even until now you still¡ª"


    "Shut up. Just..." Taro snapped as he looked at him with such a threatening look before soon taking a deep breath. "It¡¯s true that Alessio is my friend, and it¡¯s true that there are certain things I couldn¡¯t tell him. But those certain things are some problems that I have are mine to deal with¡ª especially when it comes to Minerva. She¡¯s my own problem to deal with in the future. But¡­" he paused as he finally looked at me. "If he truly insists on knowing, then I wouldn¡¯t refuse to tell him and let him help me. Despite the fact that I am aware of how much he has already done for me and that he may have more unresolved issues than I do. I just wish and hope I could do more to help him too."


    Placing my hand on his shoulder, I smiled at him and said, "Thank you, Taro¡­"


    He then smiled back at me before we both turned to look back at Ordell.


    "Ah¡­Is that all?" he asked himself as he turned his head, looking everywhere while touching himself. He then chuckled once again before looking back at Taro as he slowly clapped his hands. "Still nothing happened? That¡¯s good... And here I thought that I was no longer going to exist today because of another "accident" caused by the very guardian of the Void, but it seems that you¡¯re slowly having it under control¡­ Congratulations to you, Your Highness. I¡¯m truly impressed by how far you¡¯ve become."


    Taro let out a short sigh. "I know that you¡¯re giving us information like we asked, and you¡¯re getting some information from us as well in your¡ª very strange way of doing it, but I would much prefer if you try not to provoke me like that again. Please¡­"


    "Of course, of course. My apologies, Your Highness¡­" he said, nodding his head before looking at me. "... And as for you, my dear guardian of Time..." he paused, slowly tilting his head to the side. "Do you truly want to know something about your stone?"


    But before I could even open my mouth to respond, he had already spoken.


    "But of course you do! What else would be the reason you both came here? However, I truly hope that you both use this information wisely and do not end up with the same fate as the ones before you. After all, you keep saying or thinking these words to yourself: "Fate always has tricks up its sleeves to show off its cruel sense of humor."" his visible eye then narrowed at me. "... Am I wrong, Head General Alessio Amaryllis?"


    I suddenly became quiet as a chill ran down my spine.


    What¡­ What happened just now? What is this strange feeling that makes me think that this has repeated sometime before? But that¡¯s impossible! I don¡¯t remember this scene happening before, or saying those lines to anyone. Not even to him! I never even properly met him until now! Not unless... I halted my train of thoughts as I looked back at him. His fingers tapping on his desk in the tone of a ticking clock.


    "With the Mind Stone, she can control an entire army, but it could break her own mind or someone else¡¯s mind entirely. The Soul Stone can bring deceased people back to life, but she could lose her own." His gaze slowly turned to Taro once more. "And you already know how the Void Stone works, though the little accident that he made was just the tip of the iceberg. If pushed a bit farther, you might have turned everything in sight into pure nothingness, and you would have lost what it is to become¡­ human¡­"This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Taro looks slightly concerned once more, his hand holding tightly on his stone.


    "As for the Power Stone¡­ Well, I¡¯ll leave that for you two to know at the end of this long¡ª and yet interesting conversation. I¡¯m more immersed in what the Space and Time Stones can do together..." In the blink of an eye, he suddenly appeared right before me and got me to almost fall back from my seat, but he prevented it from happening as he held tightly onto the head of my chair. He still has this smile on his face while his visible eye glows slightly, which made me much more uncomfortable.


    "Regardless of how you died previously, whether on this timeline or another, you are still alive, well, and sane... You are truly very fortunate, Alessio. But just like her... Oh, my dear sweet El¡­ you two are very clueless about what you can do with what you have."


    I kept myself quiet as he pulled back my chair while moving back. He then turns around and waves his hand. "It is true that you can rewrite this universe¡¯s history to some extent with only using the powers of both the Space and Time Stones. But if you truly want to fully rewrite everything that is in this little tragic tale of ours..." He tilted his head as he looked at us. And what he said next just froze us in place with surprise mixed with fear expressions on our faces, and we could not believe it with our own ears. "... To make that wish come true, you¡¯re going to need all six of the stones of the realm."


    The entire room was filled with only silence after that. All this time, everything we¡¯ve heard from him, we''ve done nothing but just accept it as being true with little doubt. Some of the information was new to us. Some answered our questions, but some created more. It made me realize as well that¡­ These six stones are truly both a blessing and a curse. And I¡¯m not only referring to the curses that each stone has. If they were not revealed to the rulers by the Sorceress herself, then perhaps one of them wouldn¡¯t have been so greedy to spend power on getting the stones for his selfish desires. They wouldn¡¯t have argued, and this long-bloody war wouldn¡¯t have started in the first place.


    "Oh? What¡¯s with those surprised expressions on your faces?" he asked as he tilted his head. "Don¡¯t tell me that Lady Lucerne hasn''t told you two anything till now?"


    "N-No! Stop! Lady Lucerne probably has her own reasons for not telling us just yet." Taro said as he suddenly stood from his seat while placing his hand on his chest. "W-We all have our own reasons for not telling everything to each other openly and not immediately. Even you¡ª despite being an informant, you would''ve known how it feel¡ª"


    "Being an informant and being very close to my dear little Endellion, of course I know how it feels to hide a lot of certain things from her." He quickly interrupted him with a slow shake of his head. "And I¡¯m very much aware of that feeling of how very difficult it can be, especially how curious she can be at times. But the fact that your long-time adversary, the Queen of Helio Vermillion, already knew what the six stones could do together, while the two of you only found out about it now, despite being friends with the Sorceress''s daughter, baffles me. Now¡­ I wonder why that is the case¡­"


    Taro bit his lower lip as his eyes peered at him. "It makes me wonder as well as to how you seemed to know that much about the Queen¡­ Do you perhaps know what s¡ª"


    "And what makes you think I would tell you two any of that?" he said, smirking.


    And that was the last thing we saw of his face before the entire room went black as the flames from the candles were quickly extinguished, the windows and doors were abruptly shut off, and both Taro and my bodies were forcefully laid against the floor. But it seemed that it wasn¡¯t just a normal gravity force that kept us from moving; instead it was like he pulled and forced our very souls to the floor. And with the drug from when I woke up this morning still in effect, there wasn¡¯t much that I could do at the moment, but I felt a bit of regret and very much annoyed at myself for not expecting something like this to happen sooner. Ordell¡¯s footsteps then echoed around the room as he began walking away and talking once again, after letting out a short chuckle.


    "And here I thought that you were that cautious of a person, as they say, and how you always claimed to be. But seeing both of your states now, it seems that a lot of my expectations were left unsatisfied. How unfortunate... Truly, it¡¯s unfortunate things have to end this way." He said as a shrill sound came after, as if he grabbed something sharp from nearby before he began walking once again. "Well, if you think that I will not get rid of you just because you are the dear older brother of my dear sweet little El, just as you are following orders from your King... I am just following orders from the Queen."


    "You don¡¯t say¡­" I said, struggling at the moment. I then sensed the power coming from Taro¡¯s stone and tried to slowly turn my head to look at him, thinking worriedly about him, only to be surprised a bit to see him winking at me with a small smile on his face and carefully moving his hand to hold mine. He is assuring me that he has a plan in mind and I just need to trust him once again. I blinked at him as confirmation before my gaze tried to look up to see where Ordell was standing.


    "Ngh¡­ I suppose you are right about that. It¡¯s truly unlucky of us to be in this kind of situation, and not even my Stone of Time would be of any help. But aren¡¯t you worried that Endellion would find out and will never forgive you for doing this?" I said.


    I heard him chuckling. "Oh? Is that your best effort to persuade me to change my mind, or are those your final words before you die?... Hmm. Honestly, it doesn¡¯t matter at this point," he said before seemingly raising his weapon above his head. "I will make sure that no word about what happened here today will come out of this house¡­. Farewell!"


    And before he could land his blade on my neck, Taro quickly casted, "Aperium!"


    His grip on my hand tightened as we all began falling into the never-ending giant black hole, or the void itself, once it immediately opened right beneath us. Despite how everything around us was just black space as we descended, we were still able to see each other as clearly as day, and even saw Ordell¡¯s surprised expression for a short moment before he immediately tried to dash towards us with his giant scythe. The same scythe from the wood-carved reaper in his shop earlier.


    But in an immediate response, we both moved further away from him, avoiding his attack. Without a word, Taro then raised his left hand, casting the black chains with a purple aura to clamp on Ordell¡¯s legs and arms, making him let go of his scythe and let it float around. Then, soon after, a surge of black energy visibly flowed through his whole body. He shook and gritted his teeth in pain before soon falling into his knees as the two of us landed on the floor of the shop that became visible once again.


    Both the windows and the doors of the shop were opened once again, and the wood-carved items were scattered all around. Some were destroyed, and some were still in one piece. I then noticed the blade of the large scythe was pinned on the floor beside Taro before he picked it up and began walking towards Ordell, who still remained silent with his head lowered, and the chains were still clamped on him and on the floor.


    "Well, I must say I didn¡¯t expect that it was surprisingly quick and easy, although a little bit disappointing as well. For someone who claims to know a lot about the six stones, I was afraid that my plan in mind wouldn¡¯t have worked since I believed that you would have seen that coming, but it seemed that you didn¡¯t. That¡¯s fortunate for us, and truly unfortunate for you¡­" Taro said, soon leaning the large scythe¡¯s blade inches away from Ordell¡¯s neck. "Oh right¡­ I almost forgot. I don¡¯t believe that I have thank you yet for giving us that much information. Well, I would have, but remembering what you did to my friend¡¯s step-brother before, and that attempt to kill us you did just now, I believe that I changed my mind and my patience with you has truly run out by now¡­"


    Ordell snickered silently before slowly lifting his head to look at him.


    "Go ahead then, Your Highness." he said, confidently. "Go ahead and finally finish me off once and for all! Besides, if you were able to kill an entire village before, then killing another person wouldn¡¯t be any different now, would it? Come now¡­ Just do it!"


    Is this man trying to get us all to the point of nonexistence?! I thought before looking at Taro. I couldn¡¯t sense any negative aura from him for now, but his hands began shaking as sweat began dripping from his face. And as I was about to walk towards him out of worry, surprisingly, he didn¡¯t give him what he wanted and slowly moved the scythe away from his neck. His hands were still held tightly on its handle, but soon after, it was covered fully in black before it turned to nothing more than ash. The black chains on him disappeared as well, and soon he began walking away. Not saying a word and not even batting an eye on me as he soon left the place.


    I sighed in relief at the fact that he seemed to still be more in control of his stone¡¯s powers than before and was about to follow him, finally leaving this horrible place, but soon stopped when I heard Ordell stand up and begin speaking once again.


    "Every stone in the realm has its drawbacks, and there''s nothing you can do to get rid of them. I know it all too well since I had a certain friend once who was the owner, who I gave the same warning I''m about to tell you now." He said, as I slowly turned around to face him, seeing him holding a wooden cane as he tapped it on the floor in a pattern like the sound of a ticking clock just like earlier. "With such great power, you''ll end up forgetting what you were fighting for in the first place¡­ You can sacrifice everything and everyone since you cannot understand how important they are until you reach the end, when you finally realize that you can no longer get them back."


    As soon as he finished his warning, the tapping sound stopped, and in the blink of an eye, he suddenly appeared right in front of me. I wasn''t able to move away from him, nor was I able to say anything. "It''s been nice meeting you, Alessio. I see now why dear Endellion cares for you so much¡­ And it truly would be a shame if something happened to you so soon..." He said as he gently wiped off the blood from the cut on my cheek that I didn¡¯t notice before. It stung a bit, but the wound faded away quickly.


    "So, keep yourself alive as long as you can, won''t you?"


    Those were the last words that I heard from him, and seeing him wave goodbye with a smile on his face was the last sight I saw of him before he quickly tapped his finger gently on my forehead. My sight immediately became blurry as my body began to fall backwards. My body was fully numb when it hit the floor. My eyes were finally closed and my ears were no longer able to hear any sound. And soon there was nothing.


    <hr>

 Chapter 13: Preparing for the Worst

    <hr>


    No matter how much you may want to forget the scenes that would give you fear, sometimes it¡¯s better to remember them, as they may have been a warning of what¡¯s about to come¡­


    - Alessio Amaryllis


    <hr>


    At times like these, I¡¯ve already lost count of how many times I''ve ended up falling asleep, whether by my own choice or by force, and started dreaming of nightmares and dreams that I would forget in the morning as soon as I woke up. But this was one of those very rare occasions when everything felt as real as ever, and I knew I''d remember everything when I woke up, no matter how much I didn''t want to. Very much similar to what is happening to me right now. It wasn¡¯t that long before I felt the lifelike feelings of weakness and pain throughout my whole body. Then there was also a feeling of coldness despite the warmth coming from my surroundings. When I slowly opened my eyes, everything was a blur, but soon, the first thing I saw was a wall of fire all around the burning corpses, with pools of blood scattered everywhere on the soft ground alongside their strong stench, the smoke, and fallen debris coming from the homes¡­


    What¡­ What is this place? What happened here? I thought, as I was immobile.


    Seeing these horrific scenes just reminded me of the tragedy that happened before. My breath has become heavy as I slowly look beyond, seeing a familiar person standing there but not facing me. He had blonde hair, and in his flowing cape was the emblem of the kingdom of Helio Vermillion. In his grasp was his very bloodied sword. He was silent for quite some time, and there were no words that came out of my mouth. But when slowly and finally turned in my direction, I wasn¡¯t able to catch a glimpse of his face as he suddenly attacked me like a rushing wind. And soon after¡­


    There was only dead silence as I felt no pain, no other feeling. Nothing¡­ until¡­


    <hr>


    I finally woke up with both of my eyes open wide and sitting up in my bed all of a sudden. I was breathing heavily, my face was pale with cold sweat and almost wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, but all I could do at that short moment was stare at nothingness as questions kept on filling my mind. What was that nightmare? Why did it all feel so real? Was that supposed to be a warning for the incoming future? Who was that person who was about to kill me?... And why¡ª Just why does he seem so familiar to me?!


    "You almost DIED!" were the loud words that I heard were shouted by someone nearby and were somehow able to get me back to my senses immediately. But it seemed that the argument didn¡¯t stop there. As soon after, that same voice, I believe that is Queen Guinevere, continued shouting. "Despite the recent ambush that happened a few days ago, you continued neglecting your duty as King and even had the boldness to leave your kingdom to an imposter just for the sake of a journey! You could have just stayed and let Alessio do your job for you on getting the information. But it seems that even he is not fit for that job being a protector, just like how you¡¯re not fit to be a ruler."


    W-What¡¯s going on? She couldn¡¯t be arguing with¡­ I halted my thoughts as I got off from my bed and immediately left the room. I then carefully began walking down the cold hallways but immediately stopped once I heard Taro begin to speak this time.


    "You can¡¯t say that about Alessio." Taro said. "And whether or not he¡¯s not fit to be my Head General¡­ that¡¯s none of your business. He saved my life that day and even protected me countless times¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be standing here now if it weren''t for him."


    I then heard a short sound of her footsteps before she responded to him with, "Even until now, you still haven''t understood it?... He wasn¡¯t even supposed to be here in the first place. He wasn¡¯t supposed to leave his old life and his family behind. He wasn¡¯t supposed to be fighting in this long and bloody war if it weren¡¯t for you, Taro!"


    That was enough! I could no longer just stand by here anymore! I thought. "HEY!"


    I walked out of my hiding and stood in front of Taro while facing his displeased mother. "I don¡¯t care who you are to him, but you don¡¯t get to talk to Taro like that!"


    She crosses her arms as she glances at me. "Oh? I never once thought that you would be that disrespectful to suddenly intervene in our argument, General Amaryllis."


    "Oh¡ª my sincerest apologies, Your Highness. But I cannot just sit back and let you ridicule my King, and my friend like that." I said as I crossed my arms as well. "And even to go as far as using me and my past for your presumptuous accusations against him."


    Her gaze looked away from me as she noticed the butlers and maids that began gathering around the hallway we¡¯re in and were whispering to each other. When she looked back at me, it looked like either she wanted this little talk of ours to be taken somewhere private instead or she just wanted to end this for the three of us and be back on our merry way. But of course, we both know who started this loud argument in the first place, and I¡¯m not letting it end just yet. Not when I still have some words for her.


    "Presumptuous accusations? All I ever said earlier was the truth, and nothing but the truth. As harsh as it may sound for him and to take it all in," she said. "From the first day you stepped foot in this place, I could already tell from your expression at that time that you never wanted to come here if it weren¡¯t for him, because of what he did."


    "And you are right about that. I came here because of him. But despite how I had high suspicions that he was the one responsible for the tragedy that happened in that village, I still gave him a second chance to prove to me that what he did that day wasn¡¯t his intention... He promised me that he would tell me what happened with sincere honesty once he remembered it all, and he did. He told me that he and his people would be able to help me, and they were able to do so¡­" I said, looking at Taro, then at the butlers and maids that were around, before finally looking back at her once more. "And lastly, he proved to me that he always gave everything he had and more. He showed that he cares more about his kingdom and his people than anyone, and more than you!"


    And with that, her eyes widened and she took a step back as the murmurs of the servants around us became louder than earlier. She then gritted her teeth in anger and raised her hand as if she was about to slap me. But immediately, her arm was quickly grabbed by a pale hand, making everyone, even me, look at the person and see sir Klein.


    "And what do you think you¡¯re doing, Your Highness?" Klein asked, wearing a serious expression on his face. "I believe that it is very clear to all of us here that you are not drunk and you are doing this on your own volition and uncontrolled emotions... Must I remind you that you stepped down from your throne a long time ago. King Taro is now the ruler, and Head General Amaryllis is his to discipline and punish. Not yours."


    She became silent, staring at Klein for a short moment before she scoffed as he finally let her go and began walking away. He then gave a short glance at the servants around us before they all soon left to do their duties and looked back at me and Taro.


    "I am truly sorry if you two still had to deal with such problems this morning, especially after you both just returned last night with the help of Lady Lucerne, and despite explaining to the Queen about what happened as calmly as we could," he said, shaking his head. "In any case, how are you two feeling right now? Are you¡­ alright?"


    I nodded before looking at Taro and immediately caught him as he suddenly fell.


    "M-My apologies if you both have to see me like this. Ha... Truly, such a weakling King I am." he said as I could feel his grip on my shoulders tightened. "Well, that¡¯s unfortunate¡­ It seems that I need to recuperate like Lady Lucerne for a couple of days. For the meantime, while I will take a rest, sir Klein will explain to you what happened."


    "W-What do you mean? Taro? Taro!" I shouted in a panic as soon as I felt his grip on me loosen and noticed his eyes closed as he fell unconscious.


    Gritting my teeth and not wasting another second, I immediately carried him in my arms and rushed towards the underground Hailstone Room with Klein. I was not bothered by the people who were watching and saw us pass by, and wasn¡¯t fazed by the cold that greeted us as soon as we arrived and entered the room. All that time, my mind was only filled with worry about him. Even when I was able to finally place him down gently on top of the magical glazed block of ice, and his breathing immediately became normal once again, I couldn¡¯t help but question myself,  "Just what happened that day?"A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "Huh, that¡¯s strange..." Klein said, waking me back to reality and looking at him. "I''m not suspicious of you, but I thought only a few of us knew about this location¡­ Or perhaps Lady Lucerne has trusted you enough to tell you about this place before?"


    I thought I saw him like this in another timeline... That''s what I would have said, but I just nodded, looked away and left it at that. "Yeah, she told me about this place before, just in case something like this happened to him¡­" I lied. I couldn¡¯t tell him about the powers of my stone, despite how he¡¯s one of those people that I could trust.


    Klein was silent for a while before I soon heard his footsteps. "In anger, when Garett and I got caught by Queen Guinevere in our little act, she immediately ordered Lady Lucerne to find your location and return you both to the kingdom. I accompanied her. She then created a portal leading to the place, and the first thing we found was you unconscious on the ground, and the King was fighting against the silver-haired man," he said, as I felt a thick coat being put on my back before walking away once again.


    "Despite how the King was winning the battle, of course, Lady Lucerne and I both had to stop them. And before we returned through the portal Lady Lucerne had created, the silver-haired man gave him a letter from someone you might be familiar with, he claimed. His Highness took it, and as he rested on his bed earlier, he read the letter¡­" Klein paused as I heard the sound of crumpling paper. "He¡­ He wasn¡¯t happy about it."


    As I turned around to look at him, he was already giving me the letter on hand before his gaze looked away from me. "Well, he told me that I could tell you about what happened when you were unconscious and not to tell you about what this letter contains¡­ But he didn¡¯t say anything about not giving this to you to read it yourself."


    I stared at the letter on his hand before taking it and began reading it myself:


    "If you were able to receive this message, then it seems that my comrade hasn¡¯t warned you enough¡­ So let me make this simple and quick for you, Your Highness¡­


    After three days and two nights have passed, once the bright moon is full, one of the biggest villages in your kingdom and its people will be in ruins by my own blade. But if you claim that you care so much for your people and don¡¯t want more of their blood to be spilled, or end up like how we did to your messengers last time, then send your Head General Amaryllis in the village alone. If you fail to comply after your time runs out, I would not hesitate to continue doing so until every village is wiped out in less than a month... Now, you wouldn¡¯t want that to happen, would you?


    This is not a warning, this is just simply the truth. Tick Tock, Your Highness¡­


    Make your final choice."


    After finally finishing reading it, I couldn¡¯t help but stare at it for a couple of more seconds in disbelief before putting it down and looking at Taro. Remembering the dream earlier, and after what just happened in the house of the woodcarver, I don¡¯t think that it would be best to tell him of my reckless choice and what I¡¯m about to do.


    I just hope that you will forgive me for this, Taro¡­ I thought, clenching the letter tightly in my hand before taking a deep breath and looking back at Klein. "Sir Klein, I need you to gather everyone in the camp. We will have a very important meeting today."


    <hr>


    "... You¡¯re gonna WHAT?!" were the first words that Garett immediately shouted in both surprise and anger as soon as I finished my explanation to him and the rest of my men. Not letting me speak any further, he then quickly grabbed me by the collar and lifted me up from the ground, which caused the other men with us to panic. "Al, I know how reckless of a man you are, but never in a million years have I ever thought that you would be this crazy to be¡ª You even said it yourself earlier that it¡¯s an obvious trap, that you might die out there!...  So why on Somiar would you go there on your own?!"


    "Sir Garett, please calm down." Klein said, which made Garett glance at him.


    "Calm down? Calm down?! How am I supposed to calm down when this man is willing to throw himself into the depths of danger like that?!" He yelled at him before looking back at me once more. "After what we talked about before you left, did those¡ª"


    "Of course I remember everything you told me at that time you were in the cell, but I wouldn¡¯t just stand by here and do nothing!" I immediately interrupted him. "It¡¯s very clear that they want me, Garett. They''re after me, and they''re willing to kill more people than they already have if you, the King, or anyone else stops me. And I know this is not going to stop the long and bloody war entirely, but if it means that those ruffians cease killing more civilians for a long time¡ª for enough time for you all, then so be it!"


    The entire tent was filled with silence after that. Our eyes met ablaze as I could feel his grip on my collar tightening, but his hand began shaking and his head lowered. Soon, slowly and carefully, he let me stand back down on the floor and proposed a different plan which made me a bit surprised, but was something I¡¯ve already expected.


    "Damn, you¡¯re such a pain in the bum until now¡­ Fine! Fine¡­ If you¡¯re truly not going to let any of us stop you from going, then let me go with you instead." Garett said, taking back his hand from my collar and looking at me. "I highly doubt that the sender of that letter will be going alone anyways. Heck¡ª High chances are they would have brought an entire army there just to kill you or capture you alive. And Haco¡ª He would probably be there for that gruesome strike you did to him last time. So, please, Alessio!"


    I stared at him for a few seconds before looking at the rest of the men around us. They continued to be silent and had mixed expressions on their faces. I then took a deep breath before giving them my last command, "During those three days and two nights, I will be needing you all to evacuate the citizens of the nearest and biggest village that¡¯s located near the Emerald Forest to this kingdom. After doing so, keep the defenses up on this place, and don¡¯t tell the King anything about this. Then on the third night, when the full moon is up, Sir Garett and I will be left alone there to fight them¡­"


    Before anyone, or even Garett, was about to say anything, I immediately raised my hand to halt them from doing so. "Lastly, if unfortunate events occur¡ª if I won¡¯t be able to return with Sir Garett back to the kingdom, then he¡¯ll be taking my place as the Head General unless Queen Guinevere or the King says otherwise. Is that understood?"


    They still seemed hesitant for a second, despite how this was the second time I told them the plan, before they all nodded and said loudly and in sync, "Yes General!"


    After looking at all of them one last time, I began to walk away, finally leaving the camp and immediately followed by Garett. I could hear him yelling and calling to me, but I chose to ignore them, not facing him, and kept walking. Only then I felt his hand suddenly grabbing my shoulder tightly, stopping me in my tracks and looking at him, quickly greeting me with a hard punch on my cheek that almost fell against the nearest wall, but it was enough to soon wake me up back to reality and notice him.


    I know that I deserved it, but I must say, that hurts a lot. I thought as I held my jaw before looking at him again as he asked, "Are you awake now or do you need another?"


    I shook my head. "No, I believe that was enough to wake me up¡­ Thank you."


    Garett then let out an exhausted sigh with his eyes closed before slowly sitting down on the floor while leaning against the wall. "You do know that watching you die is not the reason why I wanted to come along with you. And I know that protecting you would mean that I would put myself in danger, and you would be protecting me as well. Who knows, maybe we''ll both die or get caught by them! But you already said it like you alrea¡ª" He suddenly paused as he stared at me sitting down on the ground across from him and soon realized it. "You¡­ You foresaw what happened there already, didn¡¯t you?"


    I nodded my head twice before lowering my head. "There were¡­ hints about it already given to me by my stone before that little incident with Taro happened. And adding up the lifelike nightmare this morning and the letter given to him by the Mysterious Woodcarver, I¡¯m no longer afraid of heading there¡­ supposedly alone. I expected it. But still, I¡¯m more afraid that I might end up losing you and the others, and meeting whoever it is that I¡¯ll be meeting on that battlefield. Because right now, even I myself cannot tell if things will change or still stay and end the same way in the future."


    "Well, I suppose that¡¯s to be expected with how many possibilities there are out there¡­ That¡¯s understandable," he said, scratching the back of his head. "But is there truly no timeline¡ª or at least one timeline¡ª in which we would not die or be captured by the enemy? Where will we be able to return back here in this kingdom together?"


    "I truly wish and hope that I could tell you with such confidence and sincerity if there was at least one that I foresaw before, but unfortunately for us there was none. It seems that this is one of those situations where we can¡¯t escape our unfortunate fate¡­"


    Fate¡­ How I truly despise your cruel sense of humor even more as Time passes by.


    "And what about the King?... What do you think will happen if he finds out about us¡ª or you even¡ª if you end up being captured, or worse, killed? Don¡¯t you think that he might end up causing another tragedy like what he did in that village before or worse? And Lady Lucerne¡­ You know how important you are to them both, don¡¯t you?"


    "But am I truly that important in their lives?" I asked, slowly looking at him. "Or is that another one of your attempts to try to convince me to change my mind again."


    Garett suddenly went silent. We stared eye to eye before he scoffed and looked away in defeat. I then took a deep sigh before slowly standing up from the floor.


    "Either way, I believe that it¡¯s still better to prepare ourselves for the next three days for the evacuation and for the battle. And even if it¡¯s such a small or non-existent chance that it¡¯ll be our victory in the end, it¡¯s not bad to still have some little hope for it, right?" I said, reaching out my hand to him. "Isn¡¯t that what you were trying to do?"


    He stared at my hand for a short moment before looking at me with a slightly confident smile as he finally took it and let me help him lift him up from the floor.


    "Truly, sometimes I cannot understand what goes on in your mind, Al. But yeah, you¡¯re right. That''s what I was going for, and I totally wasn¡¯t trying to convince you to change your mind at all earlier." he said, following an awkward chuckle, and soon began dragging me away with him. "A-Anyways, I believe that Sienna has the right stuff for that slightly swollen cheek I caused you with that punch earlier. I''m sorry about that..."


    "It¡¯s fine." I said. "I believe that there¡¯s more worse things to come for me soon¡­"


    <hr>

 Chapter 14: An Old Friends Betrayal

    <hr>


    It hurts when you can never get your friend back after you lose them to death. There won''t be another chance to make amends with them. Having been betrayed by them, you may have another chance to make things right or make it worse that you are already dead to them.


    - Alessio Amaryllis


    <hr>


    "Come in..." Queen Guinevere said before I slowly opened the doors to her room, walked in, and bowed to her, despite what happened three days ago. She was facing the huge window and seemed to be watching the sun setting down from the horizon. "It is quite surprising how you would come to me after what occurred between us a few days ago, but I suppose I should let that slide for now¡­ And what matters right here and now is the plan that we both agreed upon," she said, waving her glass filled with wine. Fortunately, she doesn¡¯t seem to be drunk at the moment and doesn''t want to slap me either, but her tone of voice is still the same nonchalant as before. Her gaze then looked at me as she asked, "Have all of the people in that village been fully evacuated here?"


    I nodded to her. "Fortunately, for both of us, yes. And all of the knights were able to return early as well, so they would be able to take a couple of hours of rest for themselves, and no one else would be there in the village except for sir Garett and I, and our enemies tonight¡­ And I suppose what happens here right now is just between us?"


    "Of course. As promised and as we talked about before, I will make sure His Highness, King Taro, will not be able to leave this kingdom tonight, even if he is able to find out about what happened to you later on. Even if it may seem cruel to be doing so, he needs to understand... Though it does make me wonder," she said before turning to face me. "Are you entirely sure you will not regret this decision of yours in the future?"


    "Does it matter at this point?" I said with a straight face. "What happens to me tonight, whether I die or get captured by them, it¡¯s not important¡­ As long as this kingdom, its people and its ruler are safe, then there¡¯s nothing for me to regret about."


    "Is that so?" she said, raising a brow. "Then let me ask you a better question¡­"


    She places her wine glass on top of the nearby table before she begins walking around with her gaze still focused on me. Only when she stopped did she ask me this new question, "It would just be a pity for me to see them like that, but would you not care how they would react to your sudden disappearance if they were ever to find out?"


    I suddenly became silent with my one hand clutching my onto my sword tightly.


    "Well, the way you stand up for the King before, and your interactions with him throughout the years you have served him, despite the attempts you made to kill him in the first several months you came here before, you two seemed to have such a strong bond which no other ruler and general ever had before," she said, walking back to the table and wiping her finger on the lips of the wine glass. "And that lady¡­ Are you that blind to see how much she cared for you as well? Is it worth it to leave them all behind?"


    From the tone of her voice, it seemed as if she was drawing from her past and her experiences. I suppose that¡¯s one thing, but... I took a deep breath before finally giving her my final response. "I am no one¡¯s hero, nor am I a monster, Your Highness. But because I care for this kingdom and its people, and how much I truly loved the two of them, that much is the reason why I do what I must and not be afraid to risk my life for them all."


    The Queen¡¯s eyes widened in fear, slowly moving back, and with her shaking hand, she accidentally pushed the wine glass off the table, immediately breaking it as it fell on the floor. I noticed the tears that slowly formed in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks before gritting her teeth in anger and covering her face with her right hand, while her left was holding on tightly to the table¡¯s edge. After taking a few deep breaths to calm down, but still avoiding eye contact with me, she then said, in the most calm tone she was able to manage, "I believe that was enough talk for today, don¡¯t you think? If there¡¯s nothing else for you to report, you can take your leave now¡­ Just please go¡­"


    "Yes, Your Highness." I said, giving her my last and final bow before finally taking my leave. And as I closed the door behind me, I could have sworn I heard her cry louder.


    <hr>


    As the cold and third evening finally came upon us, we found ourselves in an empty tavern in an almost completely abandoned village, where Garett and I began playing the waiting game with our weapons prepared and a bit of food on the side as well. I could hear the ticking sound of the grandfather clock nearby, and every tick it makes, increases the uneasiness and lingering feeling that I have. However, Garett¡¯s distraction of sipping tea loudly and intentionally seems to have broken me away from those deep thoughts¡­ But after staring at him for a few seconds, it made me ask him a question¡­


    "After all these years we¡¯ve been together, here I thought I knew you that much, but to be honest with you, I have never seen you drink tea before. Why is that?" I asked.


    "Oh? So you noticed that just now?" He said, placing the teacup down just to pour more tea on it. "Well, I very rarely drink tea, and I only do this on occasions like this one... Now that I think about it, have I or my father ever told you that my mother was a water element kitsune and my grandmother was an ice and fire element kitsune? A literal one of a kind as well!" he said with a smirk before grabbing his fully filled teacup. "But I suppose that¡¯s a story to be told for another time¡­ Because for now¡­"


    And so the long fight began... After immediately pausing, he drank his tea in one gulp. Then, once he turned around, he opened his mouth once again, but fire came out instead. Quickly burning and revealing the invisible men who were behind him and mine as I immediately ducked down. The tavern¡¯s walls were already on fire, and the men were already dead on the floor as I stood up and looked at Garett, who chuckled loudly and seemed to be satisfied and became excited at what he just did just now.


    "Wooh! Now that¡¯s more like it! Man, it¡¯s been quite so long since I ever did that! Ha! Ha!" Garett said with a smirk and pulled his axe from behind. "... Are you ready, Al?"


    I pulled my sword from its sheath and took a deep breath, "Ready as I¡¯ll ever be."


    Without further ado, the two of us began fending off the adversaries who were invading the tavern''s entrance and stairs leading to the second story. At the same time that they all raced at us, Garett blocked the blades of their weapons, and I quickly attacked them from underneath. And as soon as some of them started to drop like flies, more continued coming, but we didn''t let it bother us; we carried on. Filling the burning tavern with bodies that began piling up as the place began to collapse on itself.


    "Remember how we were just mercenaries and we fought together like this? Those are such good memories and good times!" Garett exclaimed before kicking one of them in the stomach so hard that they flew and hit some of them on the entrance before it was blocked by the fallen debris. "But it''s getting too hot here, so let''s take this fight outside!" He then grabbed one of our opponents on the floor and threw it out the window. We then ran and jumped out from there only to be met with the two new foes.


    "Well, well... Look who decided to finally show up! Took you all long enough, I thought you two decided to cower away." said none other than General Haco himself. And standing beside him was the Masked General from before who didn¡¯t help him that much during their attack on the kingdom. But seeing him now in person and up close, even if I don¡¯t show it, the uneasiness and lingering feelings suddenly came back to me.


    "Well, I was about to say the same thing about you, Brutal Bear. But I must say, I¡¯m quite surprised that you¡¯re still as cocky as ever, even after you almost fully lost that arm of yours last time." Garett said, clenching tightly onto his axe. "My dear brother, Al, may have done it brutally last time, but if you let me do it, I¡¯m sure I can make it as quick and painless for you. Free of charge and in addition to removing your ear as well!"


    "Why you little¡ª" Haco immediately stopped from his tracks as soon as the other General raised his hand in silence and glanced at him before looking at me directly.


    I gripped my sword tightly as he carefully put his hand on the grip, unaware of the glow that my stone was starting to give off under my crimson cloak. Then, in a split second, he quickly dashed over to me brandishing his sword. I was just in time to react and block it before being pushed back and farther away from Garett. And he kept going after that. While I was already attempting to prevent his sword''s blade from touching my neck, I could still feel him exerting further energy to press it against mine.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Garett called out my name as he was ready to come toward us, but Haco''s sudden attack stopped him in his tracks and they started fighting. As the Masked General continued, I turned to face him and cast Tempus Bane in my head. I then gave him the hardest push I could muster before turning around and moving backwards. And as soon as I looked at him again, despite the spell''s ability to slow him down, he had already regained his balance and started racing for me, and I felt compelled to fight back as quickly as I could. We moved from place to place in such quick succession while our sword¡¯s blades constantly clashed multiple times, and for the duration of the battle none of us were able to cut the other. And his fighting style¡­ Why is it so familiar to me?


    We struck each other''s swords hard till we finally backed away from each other, and to stop ourselves from going any farther, we stabbed our swords into the ground. He next raises his blade toward me, stands across from me in the distance, and casts Magic Adrenaline on himself before casting Elemental Bane on me. I soon realized that I was no longer able to use my fire elemental spells and had to rely on my stone¡¯s powers.


    However, in order to cast the spell Elemental Bane, he needs the... I paused in the middle of a thought and squinted my eyes until I saw the recognizable, brilliant purple stone on his white tie. Another realization strikes me as it happens, but this one sends shivers down my spine and through my skin. That¡¯s impossible¡­ N-No! He couldn¡¯t be¡­


    My hands began to shake as I started to sweat profusely more before he rushed straight towards me. He was meant to be stopped in his tracks when I cast Halt on him, but I soon found that he was still capable of walking slowly. I was at a serious disadvantage at this point because I couldn''t even use my fire elemental spells and, unlike my enemy, I had not even fully mastered the powers of my stone until now.


    What should I do? I thought as I began to walk back, keeping my gaze fixed on him. However, as soon as his foot touched the ground again, the earth trembled briefly, giving him the opportunity to attack me by making me lose my balance and focus on him. Although I attempted to avoid his blow in midair, his blade slashed into my shoulder, causing me to cry out briefly in pain before falling onto the ground. Before I could manage to stand up, vines sprouted from the ground and immediately entangled both of my hands and feet. I then struggled as hard as I could but eventually stopped as soon as I felt the cold blade of his sword next to my neck. And as I tried to look up at him, I felt it make a small cut before he slowly raised his sword above his head. But¡­


    Is he... Is he hesitating right now? W-Why? As I focused my gaze on him, I noticed that, despite his mask, I could still see his recognizable purple eyes, which increased my certainty that he was the person I was thinking of earlier. However, remembering the past and the tragedy that once occurred in that village causes me to have doubts about the current situation. Though, I won''t be able to know the truth about his identity until I remove that mask of his myself. But am I truly ready to learn the truth of who he is?


    As soon as he was about to land his blade on me, he abruptly stopped and looked to the side, only to be greeted by Haco, who had been thrown at him. Garett then dashed to my side, kneeled down, and began burning the vines that had entangled me.


    He then assisted me in standing up and asked, "You okay, Al?... How did you get beat up this easily?" But he noticed my injured arm right away. "What¡ª Al! Your arm!"


    I instantly shook my head and said to him in a reassuring tone, "Don''t worry, I''ll be fine. But we need to focus more on defeating them." before looking back at the two.


    As the Masked General shoved Haco aside and stood up, Garett flexed his neck and cast Magic Adrenaline on the two of us. Before we swung at him, I quickly cast Tempus Bane on him. Garett quickly counters the Masked General''s pushes and blocks against my attacks, and I do the same when the enemy begins blocking Garett¡¯s attack. The cycle of striking each other back and forth continues after a while. This seemed to enrage the masked man, who thrust his sword to the ground at the first opportunity possible, scattering sharp rocks everywhere and striking Garett. I, on the other hand, was able to climb on one of them, jump, and attack the enemy.


    Only then when he finally stopped and moved away from me after he drew his sword from the ground.  The sharp rocks were still everywhere, but they stopped increasing. I then noticed that Garett was on the ground, unconscious before seeing the blood dripping from the Masked General¡¯s shoulder and a small amount from his back, but despite this, he stood up straight and removed his white cape as if he were not in pain. In that brief moment, I believed I had a fighting chance against him. But that was where I went completely wrong. When his stone began to glow purple, he dashed towards me with his attacks, and that''s when he went all out.


    He used the element fire on his sword in one slash, and I was able to avoid it, but what followed was unexpected. He started summoning large walls of rocks from behind me to keep me from moving backwards, though I was able to use it as a wall for a brief moment to avoid his blade and the ice shard summons from above us.


    However, I already knew my energy and luck was running out.


    I can''t keep up with his pacing and attacks any longer!... If he keeps doing this, it won''t be long before I¡ª No¡ª My thoughts come to a halt as he is finally able to pin me down on the ground after causing me to lose my balance yet again.


    His sword stabbed into my shoulder, where he had previously left a wound, as he kneeled down with one foot on my chest. He began pushing it deeper into my wound and even began freezing my blood inside my body, causing me to scream in pain. My entire arm became numb from the freezing cold within a matter of seconds, and my breathing became unsteady. In a desperate attempt to end the pain, I clutched my sword tightly and struck it against the side of his head, where some of his golden mask was damaged. He finally removed his mask, making a noise as he moved away from me.


    When the freezing finally stopped, I still attempted to remove the sword''s blade from my wounded and frozen shoulder with my free hand before gently attempting to stand up. He eventually began to speak when I turned to face him, and I stood there immediately frozen to the spot as his instantly recognizable voice established who he truly was. But even then, I had my doubts. I was uncertain about a lot of things or what was happening right then, or I was just keeping my mind and heart closed to the truth, not wanting to accept it just yet, even though it was already there right in front of me.


    "After all these years of waiting and hoping for the day I would finally reunite with you, things have to end this way, old friend," he muttered, caressing his bloodied head before turning to face me. "Truly, Fate can be so cruel at times, don¡¯t you agree?"


    I stepped back from him a bit, my hands shaking. I had a lot of questions in my thoughts, however, I didn¡¯t know where to start.


    "All these years, I thought and believed I had lost you too¡­ But seeing you here right now with my very own eyes makes me still doubt things, and makes me question how you are still alive to this day." I said as those were the only words that came out of my mouth.


    He stared at me with those purple eyes of his for a short moment before he answered me with, "Honestly, I pondered that exact question myself before," and then started to circle the area. "I asked why I was the only one who survived that day, why not my daughter and the other people," he paused before turning to face me again and continued, "Why didn''t you rescue us when we needed you the most?"


    I bit my lower lip as I clenched my numb, frozen arm and then hesitantly replied to him. "Even though you gave me a gift, the very stone that could help me predict Time itself¡ª it was foolish of me not to use it for your sake and for others¡­ When I arrived in the village that day, it was already too late. Despite my best efforts, calling out your names repeatedly, I was unable to find you or your daughter anywhere¡­ I¡ª I''m so sorry, Valerio¡­ I truly wished I could have done more for you as you did for me before."


    He suddenly fell silent for a brief period of time, before turning to face me once more after taking a quick glance around at the blazing homes and buildings, the bodies of his soldiers, and the unconscious Haco and Garett on the ground. "That''s acceptable, I suppose¡­ But there''s still that question I had, which kept me from forgiving you right away and may have contributed to my loss of composure when you finally showed up."


    Sweat was still streaming down my face, and the situation was getting worse for both of us. I know that delaying the inevitable won''t help, and that what I''m going to say to him will only make matters worse. But I still said it after taking a gulp in fear. "It''s about how I unintentionally saved the King of Ivory Moon when I couldn''t find you at that time, isn''t it? That''s how I earned the title and reputation of the Bloody Traitor, and that''s why you went ahead and tried to kill me when you first saw the opportunity."


    "You saved him?" he repeated in a monotone voice, clenching his sword tightly.


    "It was out of pity, and I didn¡¯t know that he was the King when I first saw him¡ª"


    "Then why didn¡¯t you kill him when you had the chance? When you finally knew who he was and the tragedy he caused..." He abruptly cut me off. "You were so close, you had all the time you could have done it, but why didn¡¯t you do anything, Alessio?!"


    I kept myself silent as he stared right at me, soon realizing the answer himself.


    "Ah, I see now. No wonder Garett and Endellion had a very hard time persuading you to return to the kingdom during the ambush I held last time," He remarked, staring down at the ground. "At first, I thought that the King tricked you or worse, threatened you to stay with him, that''s why they both failed miserably¡­ But now that I realize it, I truly wish that wasn''t the true reason why you were so weak during our battle earlier¡­"


    "Things don''t have to end this way, Valerio," I remarked, shaking my head and clinging tenaciously to my frozen arm, starting to slowly melt my frozen blood once I was able to use my fire element once more. "I truly don¡¯t want to fight you¡­" I added.


    "Well, that''s unfortunate. I don''t want to fight you either, Al. But if this is the path you choose for yourself..." he paused, clutching his sword tightly and igniting flames on its blade before pointing it at me. "Then I won''t hold back on you once more."


    <hr>

 Chapter 15: Reaching out to You

    <hr>


    <blockquote>


    The purpose of reaching out in the dark is to draw someone into the light, but what if they ended up bringing you along with them? Who would then save you? Don¡¯t you think that it was just a never-ending loop that drew more people into the darkness from the first place?


    </blockquote>


    - Valerio Kono


    <hr>


    As the night sky began to be obscured by heavy clouds, the atmosphere in the area grew more tense than ever, escalating the flames all around us as well as the fury of my former friend¡ª now my enemy¡ª who was growing furious with me. He stood there with a bloody, blazing sword in his right hand, and his tie was adorned with a glowing purple stone that matched his fierce purple gaze. Unmistakably reassuring me that the only options left are blades, powers, and spells, and that talking things out or using words would no longer be a choice. Why?... Just how did things come to this?... Valerio?


    My grip on my blade was tight, but it couldn''t stop shaking. As time passed, sweat began to drip from my forehead, and I was at a loss for what to do. But shortly, I felt a powerful and increasing aura originating from the Stone of Time buried underneath my red cloak. As I was ready to check it myself, its power suddenly surged through my entire body, as every emotion¡ª every pain¡ª and every hesitation that I felt during that moment faded away, and my mind eventually went completely blank. This was the first time this happened, but somehow, I didn¡¯t even struggle to fight back to it.


    "I truly hope you''ve stopped holding yourself back by now, Al... It would be quite unfortunate if that''s the sole reason you die tonight!" He charged straight towards me with those last words. It was as powerful as his first strike when we first began fighting, but this time I was able to stop it while standing completely immobile and on my feet. His surprised gaze then met mine, and before he could react or do anything more, I was able to teleport fast behind him and deliver a heavy hit against his back with the hilt of my sword, causing him to collapse to the ground and create a brief but powerful quake.


    When the dust settled, I noticed he wasn''t on the ground anymore. Instead, he appeared from behind and was about to strike again when my sword blocked him, causing him to struggle. He then used his free hand to cast an Earth spell, but as soon as I noticed the ground cracking, I stepped back to avoid the sharp rocks. But without wasting any more time or not letting me land on the ground even, he had those rocks immediately thrown at me. With such an attack, it could have already killed me, but¡­


    "Is that all you got?" I asked monotonously as he swiftly looked at me, shocked and furious to see me standing far on his left side. "I thought you said you weren''t going to hold back on me, so what are you waiting for?... Isn¡¯t this what you wanted?... So, what''s suddenly preventing you from giving your all now, Head General Valerio Kono?"


    "It¡¯s not like you to suddenly be cocky when the fact you¡¯re almost losing to me earlier¡­" He then abruptly stopped and gazed at me for a second before comprehending what had happened and answering in a more calmer tone, "Ah, I see it now... Though I must say that''s such a really bland strategy of carelessly letting your Stone of Time control you instead to erase any emotions and hesitation¡­ How pathetic of you, Alessio."


    His comments, however, had no effect on me. Instead, I answered by casting a spell in my mind, "Replay", as my sword was surrounded by a gold aura and speeding towards him. Back and forth. Back and forth, I kept on striking him while the spell was still active, and unfortunately for him, he couldn''t evade or deflect most of my blows. However, he was able to deflect my last strike and push me further away from him.


    Slowly and carefully he stood up, plunged his sword on the ground and looked at me with such loathing. "Is that what you are now? Nothing more than a puppet to your stone and to that murderer of a King? Wake up and look at the monster you¡¯ve become!"


    "... Am I truly the monster here?" I asked, approaching him slowly. "How are you any different from me, Tyrant Head General, when you allow your emotions¡ª your fury and hatred¡ª your Stone of Power¡ª control you most of the time during our battle here?" I clutched the handle of my sword fiercely, igniting flames on its blade mixed with a gold-colored aura. "TELL ME!" I yelled as I unleashed a massive strike on him before panting heavily and soon staring at the ground with my hand on my head.


    What is happening to me? I only need to defeat him, not kill him! Why did I even¡ª


    My train of thinking abruptly came to a halt as my vision began to see things and my head began to ache slightly, prompting me to throw down my sword and close my eyes. When I turned to look at him, I found him in a different state, so I opened them again. He appeared younger, but he was terrified and badly wounded as he was surrounded by flames and burning debris. After seeing him like that, I was taken aback by the unexpected scenario I found myself in. V-Valerio? ... W-What happened to you?¡­


    I lifted my hand and was about to help him when I realized, No¡ª No, no, no, no! Not again!... This is just another illusion created by the Stone of Time! This isn¡¯t the time¡ª


    "I''ve... I''ve lost everything, Al..." Valerio muttered in a weak and broken tone that brought me out of my thoughts. "... The village, the people here, my home, and even my daughter¡ª even she wasn''t spared by him..." he hesitated before carefully reaching out his hand to me. "... But we could change all of this, couldn''t we? With the stone I gave you and the one that I have left, we could still save them all¡­ if we worked together¡­"


    I held my arm tightly as I stared at him. "Valerio, I¡­ I don¡¯t know about this¡­"


    Come on, Alessio. This isn¡¯t truly him. This is just an illusion. Why are you feeling so uneasy?... Wake up! Get a grip on yourself¡ª You¡¯re in the middle of a battle with¡­ My train of thinking was once more derailed when I noticed a person''s silhouette approaching Valerio from behind while carrying a blade. I grabbed him by the shoulder, pulled him aside, and took the stab without pausing to think it over. Unsure of how it was possible that I was experiencing such severe and real pain, but I briefly recognized Taro''s face as I glanced at the assailant before blinking and seeing Valerio in his place. Soon making me realize that I was back to reality, and I was indeed stabbed by him on the side.


    "W-What?... H-How?" were the only words I could speak of before coughing up blood and feeling him sink his blade a little further while his free arm wrapped around me and pushed me closer to him. I couldn''t move as my breathing became heavy, and I could feel my energy draining swiftly, but he gripped my red cape tightly and laid down his closed eyes softly on my shoulder while murmuring something under his breath.


    "Well, It seems that you¡¯re back now¡­ That¡¯s good¡­ Though, I must say, it¡¯s quite unfortunate how I need to wake you up like this, since you¡¯ve used the Stone¡¯s powers too much and for quite some time now you began seeing illusions of the past¡­" he said as I closed my eyes as I could feel him holding me firmly, preventing me from falling to the ground and letting out a sigh. "¡­ If you still truly felt that way, if you still cared so much about our past together, why did you choose to keep on fighting back against me¡ª risking your entire mind and life even¡ª instead of just letting me take you back home, Alessio?... Aren¡¯t you¡­ Aren¡¯t you already tired of all of this bloody war?"If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "I am..." I muttered. "...I am terribly tired of everything, Valerio¡­ But I still pondered and tried to make things happen, however wishful and selfish it may be, to reconcile the past and the now in peace. I suppose you''re right about me being foolish."


    "Well, we are foolish in our ways whenever we answer our desperate calls, but even so..." he said, tightening his grip on me even more. Not doing much to relieve the pain he caused me or the fact that he is still draining my energy until now. "Alessio, I¡­"


    I could feel his hands on my back shaking as he came to a halt. Despite swiftly experiencing numbness across my entire body, I was able to sense the force originating from his stone suddenly growing. Not long after, that power erupted from him, sending me flying away from him, tumbling down on the ground, and even striking my head on the rock, but it wasn''t enough to put me unconscious. I yearned to wake from this nightmare, to flee from this painful reality. But when I gently opened my eyes, it was a bit of a blur before I saw him slowly approaching me with the bloody sword on his grip, and with both of his purple eyes and stone glowing strongly from the distance.


    "Valerio¡­ please, this isn¡¯t you¡­" were the only words that I was able to mutter.


    But he stayed silent as he eventually stood before me, and gazed down with his face emotionless. That nightmare¡ª that once-foreseen future¡ª is now about to come true and will soon draw the curtains for me. I closed my eyes as he lifted his sword above his head, expecting a fast and painless release, but instead what I heard was¡­


    "Y-You¡­" Valerio said annoyingly. "What are you doing here all of a sudden?!"


    I pushed my eyes to open fast and looked up, my eyes widening with amazement as I saw her standing there, facing him and blocking his strike for me. "E-Endellion?¡­"


    "Please¡ª Step away!" she said, struggling a bit as she kept on holding the block against his attack. "I''m sorry, Valerio... But I can''t let you hurt him any further¡­"


    He gritted his teeth in rage and annoyance before she shoved him away from us. But he wasted no time and charged at her, shouting, "What is it, Endellion?!" before going for another strike, which she just blocked once more. "Are you really this weak to fight back against me?!... Even fully knowing your brother''s life is already in danger?!"


    "Things don''t have to end like this!" she exclaimed. "There¡¯s always another way to resolve this¡ª" Her words were cut short when he suddenly slammed his head on her.


    "Didn''t you come here to protect him?... Then fight!" he insisted, raising ice shards and hurling them at her, which she blocked with her sword but some almost struck me, and it was enough for her to get distracted and immediately look at me.


    "A-Alessio...!" she stammered very worriedly before returning her gaze at him and blocking his strike once more.


    "Eyes on the battle, Endellion! I didn''t train you all these years to be a wimp!"


    Their battle goes on. And unfortunately, as much as I wanted to stop them, or at least help Endellion, there was nothing I could do at that time. I was very tired, couldn¡¯t move my body that much anymore, and relying on my Stone¡¯s powers once again would be a very terrible idea. And so I lie there, watching. As he continues to charge towards her, she continues to block and deflect his attacks, which frustrates him even more.


    "Battle me¡ª" one of his attacks was deflected, "Defeat me¡ª" another was averted, "Fight me if you wish to defend the people who are very important to you!"


    Soon, her grip on her sword tightened and not for long, sharp black rocks appeared from the ground. One of them hits Valerio¡¯s hand and makes him lose his grip on his sword, but the rest were scattered all around the place before some began forming as walls that entrapped or protected the two of us inside.


    It was dark, and only from the cyan-colored glowing veins on the rocks themselves were able to give off little bits of light. But it was enough for me to see her standing there with shaking arms and legs, terrified of what she just did. I tried to reach out my hand to her with what remained of my energy. "El¡­ Endellion¡­ Endellion!..."


    "A-Alessio!" she exclaimed as she ran towards me. "Don''t worry, Al. Y-You will be fine... I''m here now, I-I can heal your wounds... I could..." she abruptly stopped talking and shook her head before gently placing my head on top of her lap. Beginning to heal my wounds, especially the one on my side, but tears began to fall down her cheeks.


    I couldn''t feel the searing pain, warmth, or comfort that her healings provided. I couldn''t keep my eyes open for long, or move much of the rest of my body... I was exhausted. Simply exhausted. Considerably still, I didn''t want her to abandon her in this manner, especially when he is still out there and could cause her even more harm.


    "I''m sorry for being so incompetent, Alessio; this wasn''t supposed to happen to you..." she began. "I knew about their plans that night, and I could have stopped them right there if I hadn''t been hesitating in the first place. If I wasn¡¯t so weak and scared¡­"


    "Don¡¯t be¡­ You don¡¯t have to apologize for that." I said weakly. "I was aware of this from happening as well, and it was my choice to¡­ head to this place from the start. I knew that there was a high chance that I wouldn¡¯t be able to¡­ return back to the kingdom tonight, or would be able to see you again¡­ But I couldn¡¯t afford for more innocent blood to spill either when I fully know that their reason for doing so is because they¡¯re after me¡­ Though, I just wished¡­ that you didn¡¯t have to see me like this, El¡­"


    "W-what? Are you expecting to see me on your deathbed instead?!" she asked in a bit of a demanding tone, as more tears from her eyes streamed down on my body.


    "I''m sorry if I worded that incorrectly... my mind isn''t in the best condition right now. And perhaps making this decision would be another mistake but¡­" shakingly, I grabbed the Stone of Time underneath my red cape and placed it on top of her hand.


    "W-Wait¡ª This is your Stone! W-Why would you be giving this to me instead?"


    "Please, try to understand that I truly don¡¯t want to give you more burden with having my Stone of Time with you, especially knowing how powerful of a drawback it gives, and it is not my intention for doing so, but I couldn¡¯t afford it being in the hands of anyone else either. Especially him¡­" I said, slowly opening my eyes to see her once more. "All I want for you is to be happy and safe. So use it as you see fit, to keep going¡­ to keep living¡­ and to keep on surviving¡­ from Fate¡¯s hands and this cruel world."


    Her eyes widened in surprise before looking down at the gold-colored stone in her hand. "Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t worry about me... Just remember our lullaby as you close your eyes, and as the tears on your cheek soon fade away, know that I will be here ''til the sunrise..." She paused, feeling her tears begin to drip on my face, and gently closed my eyes shut while her left hand clenched tightly on mine. "... Please, my dear brother, do not be afraid... Because this is not our final goodbye¡­ So hold my hand tight one more time, but please do not cry for me... ''cause I''ll always be here, right by your side. And no matter how long the nights may seem to be, know that there will always be dawn¡­"


    "... And remembering that I''ll always come home... ''Cause with you is truly where I belong..." I finished her lines for her, squeezing her hand with the last of my energy before both of my eyes soon closed by themselves. I''m not certain what will occur to me as my body completely goes numb, or what will happen to her and the people I left behind in the kingdom of Ivory Moon. But the only thoughts I could muster before succumbing to the deep darkness of the unconsciousness or sweet death were a couple of words I wish I could tell them, remembering their faces and  their names...


    Garett¡­ Taro¡­ Rachelle¡­


    Please, forgive me for leaving you all behind¡­


    Endellion¡­ Please, stay safe always¡­


    It¡¯s so cold¡­ Everything is just so cold¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­¡­


    "Oh? You have returned here once again?... Have you come to stay this time?"


    <hr>

 Chapter 16: Endellions Promise

    <hr>


    <blockquote>


    Sometimes making promises isn¡¯t enough. They are only words that you spoke to that person, but bringing those words to reality by one¡¯s action, then you are keeping them.


    </blockquote>


    - Endellion Amaryllis


    <hr>


    "Have you lost your mind?" Valerio asked monotonously, but I didn''t even look at him. Instead, as the walls of sharp black rocks that I had summoned earlier began to return beneath the bloody ground, I continued to heal my older brother''s wounds, who was severely injured and unconscious. "Endellion, you may hate me for what I did to him, and I may have lost control¡ª letting my anger get the best of me, especially after hearing the response he tried to give me earlier, but please try to understand that killing him off was truly not my intention there," he continued.


    Liar¡­ I thought to myself as I wiped the blood from my older brother''s bleeding head. "And what about the ambush? And killing messengers who were simply carrying out their king''s orders? Were those also the result of anger and losing control?" I asked, slowly raising my head to finally look at him. "Would you try to kill me if I kept disobeying your orders just because I''m doing what I think is right?... Would you give me a painful death like you did to them if he''s not around?"


    "... I''m not afraid of him or what he would do to me, but let''s not test the waters here. Who knows what will happen to you in the next few minutes if you keep that little act of yours up..." said the Tyrant Head General, his face solemn.


    Regardless of how I might want to reply back, I choose to believe the words he just said, not the one before that, as I remain silent for the time being. We both turned our heads as soon as we heard the horses galloping and saw the men in red in the distance. I wouldn''t be surprised if they''re the same camp guards who obeyed his previous orders to keep an eye on me¡ªor "lock her up when necessary," as he put it. Just so I wouldn''t interfere with his "reunion" with my older brother... and because I overheard their plans last night as well, which is understandable.


    "Hmm. It appears that the twins chose to flee as well once you were far enough down fast for my men to reach you... Strange for the two of them to be helping you, and it makes me wonder where their true loyalty lies..." He said, turning to face me as I squinted my eyes at him before looking at his arriving men.


    "Head General¡ª Sir! We gathered everyone and went as soon as we could¡ª"


    He abruptly raised his hand. "There''s no need for further explanations; I''d already expected something like that to happen. For the time being..." he slowly looked at me, or more specifically at my unconscious brother in my arms, before raising his hand, pointing at him, and giving his orders. "Carry that unconscious man over to the carriage right now. We¡¯re taking him with us back to the kingdom."


    They all yelled "Yes, sir!" before quickly circling and separating us.


    "N-No!... A-Alessio!" Despite how strongly I shouted at them¡ª refusing to let my older brother go and how firmly I was holding him, it wasn¡¯t enough. They were able to separate him from me and two of the men were able to hold me down. I struggled as hard as I could until Valerio came over and knelt down at my level.


    His cold, serious eyes met mine and he slowly reached out to touch me, but he withdrew it, stood up, and began to walk away with his men as they carried my older brother to one of their carriages. I was able to stand up and run after them right immediately, but his next comment completely halted me in my tracks, deepening my feelings of great regret, and forcing me to face the painful truth and reality that I had never known before or that I had been trying to escape.


    "Honestly, I was expecting that you would have stopped hesitating at that moment when his life was already on the line or when they were already taking him away from you, but I suppose you''re just as weak as you were when we first got you. After all these years, it''s disappointing how you''ve become like this, El¡­"


    In the end, I reluctantly choose to remain silent. In spite of how desperately I wanted to argue with him right now and shout in his face that he was mistaken, I was unable to speak. I was helpless to do anything but watch them take him away while biting my bottom lip and standing there with only questions in my head.


    Why... Why didn''t I act and prevent them from taking him away from me? Was I still afraid of him? ... Even if my brother''s life is on the line, why would I be too hesitant or too weak to perform further action against him?... Why do I act this way? I thought as the melancholy sky began to cry and I looked down at my useless, bloodied palms, one of which held the weakly glowing Stone of Time. After a brief moment of staring at it, a memory, one of his memories, flashed through my mind.


    And the first thing I saw was¡­ my younger self''s body? I or she was on the ground, lifeless and immobile. And I soon realized that I was seeing it all through the eyes of my older brother, Alessio, who was shaking my lifeless corpse before seeing our father''s friend take him away from the horrific scene. I could feel him scream at the top of his lungs, his struggle to break free, and his helplessness and grief at the fact that there was nothing he could do to prevent my death from happening right in front of his eyes, and his unwillingness to leave me behind.


    Everything at the scene turned white, and my ears started to ring, before I could do much of anything or respond. Then I found myself back where I belonged. A harsher, sad aura eventually took the place of the warm ambiance as the fires in this now fully burned-down village were extinguished. Given that I already knew what my older brother went through in that particular past of ours through the Time and Soul stones that I and my brother share, this simply made me feel worse and made me realize something. Another unpleasant truth that I haven''t deemed.


    Since we hadn''t seen each other in fifteen years, all I knew was that he still assumed I was dead and was probably blaming himself for it, when in reality, it was my choice to shield him from the strike that caused my demise. It was neither expected nor intended by any of us. However, because we were both selfless siblings, one of us had to take the fall. Nonetheless, even after unlocking my past memories, I never gave it much thought¡ª or even the slightest realization¡ª that he had been carrying that guilt and grief for all these years. It was truly selfish of me to believe that reuniting with him with a smile or relief, as if nothing had happened would lessen the burdens he holds. And not arriving in time to protect him from the Head General, or even taking him away from me, how could I even¡­


    "I''m sorry, Alessio... I''m so sorry..." were the only words that came out of my mouth as I was only able to keep my composure for a fraction of a second before losing it. I immediately grabbed both of my arms and screamed to the ground. "All this time, I had no idea you were in so much pain... I was living in bliss, with no care in the world even if I had to keep you waiting¡ª and believing in the darkness that I had already left for so long... It was indeed foolish and very selfish of me¡­ I¡­"


    My sentiments were interrupted when I noticed someone appear beside me, quickly sheltering me from the rain with something large and warm. Looking up, I noticed a large cyan wing, and when I turned to face the person, I noticed it was¡­


    Kareem? I wondered out loud, surprised and confused. "... W-What are you¡ª"


    "Don''t worry about me... Are you okay, El? Did he hurt you?" he asked calmly but concernedly. In response, I silently shook my head before he sighed in relief and gently wiped away my tears with his left hand. "I''m truly relieved you''re safe¡­"


    "I am... but my brother isn''t," I said, returning my gaze to the ground. "They took him away from me, Kareem... And there was nothing I could do to stop them."


    "So, that was your brother, huh... I noticed," Adira said as I noticed her walking past Kareem, arms crossed and gaze fixed on the distance. "But even if we could catch up to them by leaving right away, I doubt the three of us could handle fighting off that many men, let alone that Head General..." She then turned to face me. "We¡¯re fortunate enough to help you escape from the camp earlier unscatched, and we were able to leave soon after, but when that Head General is involved, even if we work together, none of us would be able to stand a chance¡­ Just like him."


    "I know." I said. "And I''m aware that I can''t rely on you two in every situation."


    "And, as I''ve said before, you can rely on us as much as you need to; it''s not an issue at all; but, of course, that''s not the same as us wanting to help you of our own volition, El..." she paused as her gaze shifted away from me. "But if you mean that you''re worried and don''t want us to get hurt, please, don''t blame yourself for whatever has happened to us... We all should know by this point that there are certain things that are truly inevitable. That¡¯s how every life works," she continued.


    "Adira, please..." Kareem said quickly before returning my gaze and assisting me in slowly and carefully rising from the ground. "... Perhaps it''s best if we take refuge somewhere safe for the time being, then we can figure out what to do next."


    "... And I believe I would be able to help you three with that¡­ I have a plan."


    <hr>


    After I had treated Garett''s wounds and learned about his plan, the twin Avians, Kareem and Adira, left after assuring me that they would keep an eye on my older brother in case those men or the Tyrant Head General himself did him any harm. Soon after, we began the first phase of the plan. Garett and I returned to the kingdom of Ivory Moon without drawing any attention to ourselves. Upon entering the hallways, it was dark and cold, with only the light from the candelabras on the side tables, it couldn¡¯t provide enough heat to warm up our still slightly wet bodies and clothes from the heavy rain outside. I was still shivering a bit from the cold, but that wasn¡¯t the only thing that concerned me during that harsh moment.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "Crimeney¡­ I still can¡¯t believe that it was him. And he almost managed to kill Alessio, then took him away but didn¡¯t take me?" Garett complained under his breath before looking at me. "Hey, are you alright? I could warm you up with my¡ª"


    I immediately shook my head. "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine¡­ I¡¯m fine. Thank you."


    "I heard a part of what you said earlier... about how you blame yourself for not caring enough about Al''s feelings, for not being there for him as soon as you could... And to be honest with you, El, he was like that before as well... a lot of times even! But¡ª" he suddenly paused as we both came to a halt. "¡ªThat doesn''t mean he dwells on his mistakes; instead, he keeps moving forward and tries his hardest not to repeat them¡ª even to make amends for that person... And he sure was able to make up for it for me. Heh..." His smile faded to a thin line as he looked down at the floor for a little while, before returning his gaze to mine and clearing his throat.


    "I know it''s strange for me to say things like this, but what I was trying to say is..." He smiled and gently placed his hand on my shoulder. "Even if mistakes were made or things happened that you wish you could have prevented, it''s all in the past; what you¡ª what we do now counts¡­ We will get through all of this hardship together and we will get him back to us safely¡­ So don''t give up hope, alright, El?"


    He spoke those things while I was a little teary-eyed, but I also started to smile and nodded to him silently. Steps were then heard, breaking the silence, followed by the voice of a familiar person saying, "You''re right, that sounds really weird coming from you, sir Garett," before we quickly turned around and were surprised¡ª Garett was too surprised, in fact, so that he almost jumped and screamed¡ª to see it was King Taro himself holding a couple of clothes in his arm.


    "Oh dear goddess¡ª don¡¯t sneak on us like that!" Garett protested quietly.


    "Well, I could tell you two the same thing for coming here stealthily in the middle of the night..." Taro said before looking at me. "However, I believe that it¡¯s best if we shall continue this talk in my chambers instead. Afterall, I too did just sneak out of my room when I wasn¡¯t allowed to leave¡­ So, shall we all get going?"


    We were given some spare clothing to change into after our wet ones when we got to the king''s chamber, which wasn''t how Garett and I expected the whole plan would have gone, and after we were through, we were invited to sit down on the blue couch in front of the lit-up fireplace to keep ourselves warm. The king''s generosity was something I had already expected, but I found it odd that he appeared to have predicted our arrival since he had spare clothing waiting for us.


    As I sat on the blue couch next to Garett, my eyes shifted to the room, observing how it appeared to have returned to its original form after he appeared to have previously lost control of his stone''s powers. As he began to pour tea into each of our cups, I turned to face him and noticed that both of his wrists were bandaged. Additionally, I noticed that his eyes were tired from previous weeping. He didn''t seem to be able to take it lightly when Alessio left abruptly earlier. However, I couldn''t help but ask, "May I have a look at your wrists, Your Highness?" as I slowly extended my hands to him after he placed down the teapot on the table.


    He seemed hesitant at first as he looked at my hands, but soon handed them to me. I then started to gently treat his minor yet significant wounds after taking off the bandages. But after a little moment of doing so, a short memory suddenly came to mind. It was a quick but painful memory of how he wound with injuries from earlier room-escape attempts and how he grieved while also feeling guilt and bitterness at Alessio''s departure without informing him. It hurts. It hurts so much¡­


    When we eventually came back to reality, we were both shocked and started breathing heavily from what had just happened. By the time I stopped mending, his wrist wounds were completely healed, but our looks were still frightened.


    "I¡­ I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t think that something like that would happen." I said.


    He looked at his wrists and responded with, "It''s fine...  I didn''t expect it either, but thank you for healing my wounds. I... I got them from trying to get out of here earlier, but they¡ª my own men who followed my mother''s orders¡ª stopped me every time¡­ I thought I could stop him from leaving, but there was nothing I could do to even get out of here." His gaze then turned back to me as he asked, "And since the two of you returned here without him, may I ask where he is now?"


    Garett and I looked at each other before I looked back at Taro and told him my answer, "He''s still alive, but barely... Even though I was able to heal all of his external wounds after stopping his battle against the Tyrant Head General, he still became unconscious right after. Unfortunately, we weren''t able to stop them from taking him away and they''re now returning to the kingdom of Helio Vermillion with him," I paused, my gaze shifting away from him. "The Queen knows nothing about their plans, or the fact that they''ll be returning home with the Bloody Traitor of their own kingdom¡­ And if she finds out, they will all be punished accordingly, but I''m worried about what she''ll do with Alessio right after... I-I could try to convince her as much as I could, but we all still came here, thinking that maybe you could¡ª"


    "Help you?" Taro interrupted me before his expressionless eyes shifted to the floor. "I would be happy to help, or do anything at this point just to get Alessio back here safely, but I''m not entirely sure how I of all people would be of any help in this situation¡­ You know it yourself that my attempts, those letters of trying to persuade the Queen for a negotiation for the war to finally end, were all burned to ashes by that Tyrant Head General. Just like what I told earlier, I wasn¡¯t capable of even leaving this place, and from the tone of your voice just now, you don''t sound that confident that your plan of persuading the Queen would work. So please¡­ tell me, how can you assure me that everything we¡¯ll be doing won¡¯t be in vain¡­ El?"


    I gripped my nightgown firmly and went very silent. Fear intensified as I wasn''t sure how to answer his question, but as soon as I closed my eyes, I felt the warm aura and powers emanating from the Time and Soul stones that were hidden inside in each pocket of my nightgown. A Soul Synchronicity occurred. Each of the little recollections that were immediately communicated with me in my mind were actual sentiments that Alessio, the owner of the Stone of Time, had for Taro. At first it was harsh, cold, and bitter, but with time they all became warm and sweet.


    Not only did I understand how Alessio perceived him, but I also realized that, along with me, he was one of the main factors in his positive change, as well as why he learnt to keep trying and never give up, in line with what Garett had earlier told me.  Soon opening my eyes, I finally gave him my proper answer to his question.


    "Your Highness," I started. "Have you ever noticed or considered the reason for Alessio''s positive change over the years he has served you and your kingdom?"


    His eyes were suddenly bright with interest, "Hmm?... What do you mean?"


    "Well, weren''t you the one who promised him you''d help him? And from what I''ve seen through his eyes, it seemed like you did a great job on it..." I smiled, glancing down at the Stone of Time  and Soul that I soon grabbed from my pockets.


    "Regardless of how he was on the verge of giving up everything, even though he was constantly a cynical and stubborn type of person, you were able to lift him back up again. You never gave up on him, and were able to change him for the better even. And I believe he was able to do the same for you as well, did you not notice?..." I turned to face him once again. "Fate may always be harsh at times, but that doesn''t mean we should just stand around and do nothing while it mocks us, right?... So what''s stopping us from trying now when we all made it this far right?"


    His eyes widened briefly with hope before shifting away from me. "That may all be true... but Queen Minerva is a different case than how Alessio was." He soon stood up and began walking back and forth. "Even though we were good friends when we were young, I¡­ I still don''t believe that my words would be able to get¡ª"


    "Oh, please! If you can make sense of that stubborn man''s head better than I can, there''s not much difference going through the Queen''s frozen heart!" Garett piped up sharply. "Well, she might be a little more difficult, but if you say you were her friend before, there''s still a chance to make things right! Passing up such a huge opportunity would be a mistake you''d regret later on, and who knows, maybe this is the answer we''ve been looking for to finally end this war. Just think about it."


    Finally stopping, Taro closed his eyes, placed a hand on his chin. After a brief moment of thought and silence, he turned back to face us and responded, "Alright, I suppose we could try to give this one a chance¡­ But if I may ask, since I don''t think that I will be able to leave this place due to that little escapade I did, do you have a plan where I would be able to help you without leaving the kingdom at all?"


    "Well, I do. And it''s actually quite simple," I said as I walked closer to him. "You just need to rewrite the letter of negotiation, but this time I''ll give it to Queen Minerva myself, along with a lot of convincing. Though I was thinking if you could make a personal letter of your own¡ª and it''s not a requirement, but it could help melt her frozen heart too. It was¡­ something I''ve learned about her accidentally..."


    "Oh, I see..." He paused, a slightly flushed red face on his face, before clearing his throat and returning my gaze. "...R-Regardless, I''ll try to write those two letters first thing in the early morning before you two return to the kingdom of Helio Vermillion; I could also ask Lady Lucerne to make a portal somewhere near there tomorrow to speed things up, but for now, I believe it''s best if we all rest for the night; The events today have been¡­ physically and mentally exhausting for us all."


    "Ha. You can say that again." Garett remarked before soon standing up and stretching his arms upwards. "And I suppose it¡¯s all clear that the plan is for all of us to meet up here again tomorrow morning, right Your Highness?... Or just Taro?"


    "Taro is fine. And try not to get caught tomorrow, alright?" he said, smiling.


    As he waved his hand, Garett remarked, "Sure, and try not to push yourself too hard either, Taro." He continued, "Good night you two." and soon left the room.


    Taro''s smile slowly faded as the room became silent with only the crackling of the fireplace could be heard, then he cast a worried look in my direction.


    I fixed my gaze on them for a moment before catching sight of the Stone of Void, which had started to shine in a black and purple shade on top of his white ribbon. But as I made a slow attempt to approach him, he suddenly grabbed my arm, which caused me to flinch slightly out of panic. He then closed his eyes and shook his head before turning to face me once again and finally letting my arm go.


    "Don''t worry about me¡­ I''ll be fine," he said, pausing to turn his head away from me and clench his fist against his arm. "I will be fine¡­ And no matter how long it takes, weeks or months, I will try my best to wait for the response, or better yet, if you would be able to return here with him, and Queen Minerva as well... But of course, I will try my best not to bottle up my emotions again like before, so the same tragedy won''t repeat once more. That is something I can assure you, Lady El."


    His Stone of Void was acting up once again right now, and it was just as quick as before. Even though it is no longer glowing, I could still feel its powers growing. However, from the sound of his voice and the expression in his eyes, it was clear that he meant what he just said... I gave him a nod. I said, "I will remember that," and then raised my hand, pulled him closer to me by controlling his soul which made him surprised briefly, then warped my arms around him. Embracing him tightly.


    Despite the fact that his body was slightly cold, he remained silent and did not react during that brief moment. Instead, he wrapped his arms around me, resting his face on my shoulder, and his hands holding tightly on the back of my nightgown. We were both unaware of how the three stones with us began to light up, but as tears began to fall from his eyes, his body gently warmed up in front of mine, I wasn¡¯t able to hold it any longer and began crying as well. However, I still calmly told him, "He will be fine. He will return safely, and I will do everything in my power to make that happen¡­ That''s a promise¡­. That''s my promise to you."


    <hr>

 Chapter 17: Your Eyes can Speak

    <hr>


    <blockquote>


    To understand the other''s thoughts or sentiments toward you, or another person, or to know if they are truly genuine with their words, one does not require a powerful stone or magic... Sometimes, all you need to do is look into their eyes and determine the answer for yourself¡­


    </blockquote>


    ¨C Endellion Amaryllis


    <hr>


    There was a warm sensation all around me, and I could barely hear shouting, but the voice and words, like the source of such warmth, were hazy to me until I slowly opened my eyes and saw the ground... I could see a flash of orange dazzling light from the corners of my eyes, and when I turned to look around, all I saw was... was sheer terrible devastation... And yet, I wasn''t frightened, but rather confused at which one was this¡­


    Whose recollections are these? Which past scenario was playing out in front of me right now? As I sat on the ground, I questioned them all in my head. The fires all around, burning the wreckage and bodies, might be a memory from every moment that war has been going on, but soon... my head starts to hurt. I closed my eyes and grasped my head hard. The words that had been a haze to me earlier began to become clear, but as I gently opened my eyes again, my vision then became hazy though I was still able to determine that there were two men there¡­


    One of the men was standing with a sword in his hand, and the other was kneeling on the ground¡­ Soon, I slowly realized what was going on and¡­


    "El¡­ Endellion¡­ Endellion!..."


    ¡­!


    ¡­ With sweat all over my face while breathing heavily¡­ I finally woke up.


    ... What¡­ What was all of that just now?... Everything seemed very real... yet it was all a nightmare, right?... I looked at my trembling hands before closing my eyes, and took a deep breath. It was all just a nightmare¡­ it never happened¡­ Hmm?...


    The room caught my attention as soon as I opened my eyes. I soon recalled what had happened that night''s stay when I realized that the theme''s usage of blue, gold, and silver was consistent throughout the room. I turned to look to my side, but there was no sign of the room¡¯s owner, Taro, beside me. But at his desk and chair, though, there I noticed him drifting asleep. I''m certain that last night, I told him that if he won''t let me sleep on the sofa, we could share the bed together, but with an embarrassed face, he insisted on offering his bed to me while he sleeps on the couch, making me feel ashamed, but I wasn¡¯t able to refuse his offering either.


    However, he is not now sleeping on the sofa or in bed, unless he did something as I assume he had¡­ I immediately moved carefully and quietly to the side of his desk after spotting the two envelopes that were neatly closed next to his closed arms, and seeing them was enough to bring a smile of joy and relief on my face.


    "It appears that there''s nothing to worry about after all¡­ That¡¯s good¡­" I said to myself before realizing that he slowly awakened which surprised me. "Oh! Good morning, Your Highness... I hope I didn''t wake you up. M-My very sincere apologies if I did..." I apologized as I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "... I-I was just... I was just double-checking the two letters you seemed to finish last night."


    "Hmm?... Oh, Lady El¡­ Good morning¡­" he said in a calm tone as he looked at me and blinked a couple of times. "Wait¡­ Is it morning already? What time is it?"


    "Well¡­" I looked at the grandfather clock in the room before slowly turning my head to look back at him, "It¡¯s¡­ eight o¡¯clock in the morning, Your Highness¡­"


    "Ah, it¡¯s only eight o¡¯clock in the morning?..." he repeated before lying his head back down on his desk with a small yawn and his eyes closed. Then carelessly waved his hand around he said, "... Then there¡¯s more time to sleep, it¡¯s still early¡­"


    I was confused, but I didn¡¯t say or do anything about it. Instead, I waited for exactly five seconds before he suddenly sat straight back up with eyes wide open as the realization hit him. "Wait¡ª I-It¡¯s already eight o¡¯clock?! I-I overslept again?!"


    "Is it a bad thing? Should I have woken you sooner? I-I¡¯m so sorry¡ª I didn¡ª"


    "W-What¡ª N-No¡ª You didn¡¯t need to apologize for anything at all! I-I was just¡­" he sighed and stood up from his seat, his eyes focused on his messy desk. "I¡­ wasn¡¯t able to sleep last night¡­ And so instead of forcing myself to sleep, I tried to use my time to write the letters¡­ Again and again¡­ I rewrote both letters until I was able to be satisfied with the finished ones right here..." He said, looking at the two envelopes, moving them closer to my side at the desk before looking at me.


    I stared down at the two letters under his hand before my eyes looked back up at him as he asked, "Do you¡­ Do you believe this plan will work out just fine?..."


    "Are you still doubting your own work of words?... I don¡¯t think Minerva w¡ª"


    "What if she doesn¡¯t like what I wrote? W-What if she still refuses the peace negotiation?" he began to walk back and forth. "What if her anger towards me¡ª for that unwanted tragedy still weighs more until this very day? What if she already¡ª"


    "Taro!" I exclaimed loudly to shake him out of it before grasping both sides of his cheeks to make him halt in his tracks and stare directly at me.


    "This plan will work... I will make sure that Minerva will be convinced, and Alessio will come back here safely¡­ Just please¡­" I then slowly put down my hands, not breaking eye contact. "Even just this once, please¡­ Trust me with this choice¡­"


    He stared at me for a good moment of silence before taking a deep breath and began to smile a little. "Alright¡­ I¡¯ll trust you and your words, Lady Endellion..."


    "Thank you, Your Highness¡­" I said, smiling at him before sighing in relief and looking at the door as Taro did the same. Noticing the beautiful blonde woman with blue eyes and dress slowly opening the door before soon entering the room.


    "Good morning, Your Highness¡­ Lady Endellion¡­" she said, bowing. "I truly hope that I was not interrupting something important, but I am here to inform you that the maids have prepared the lady¡¯s clothing, along with food and drinks to take for their trip with sir Garett back to the kingdom of Helio Vermillion today¡­"


    "Oh! That¡¯s good. Thank you, Lady Lucerne¡­ And oh¡ª right! You two haven¡¯t properly met yet, have you?" Taro said, moving to my side and clearing his throat. "Endellion, this is Lady Rachelle Lucerne, my lady-in-waiting and a good friend¡­ And Lady Lucerne, this is Endellion Amaryllis, the younger sister of Alessio, and the one who helped us last time when there was an ambush here at the castle¡­"


    "... Alessio¡¯s younger sister?" she repeated, tilting her head on the side for a moment before smiling back at me. "...A-Ah, it¡¯s nice to finally meet you, m¡¯lady¡­"


    "N-No need for such formalities¡ª Please¡ª You can just call me Endellion..." I said awkwardly, waving my hands around. "... But it¡¯s nice to finally meet you too¡­"If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    We then both looked at Taro as we heard him chuckling and said with a very playful smile, "I truly believe¡­ you two will get along just about right in the future."


    Looking back at her, she looked back at me before soon smiling at me.


    "I believe so too¡­ Now¡­" she said before I noticed her hand holding out to me. "I also believe that it¡¯s time for you to get prepared before your departure with sir Garett. And his highness¡­" she paused, looking back at him as I did the same.


    Taro blinked twice in confusion for a few seconds before realizing what she meant, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "R-Right! You¡¯re right¡ª I should get prepared now as well! Duties aren¡¯t going to work themselves afterall."


    Lady Lucerne then bowed one last time before we soon left the room for Taro to get prepared. And as I took one last glance at him, I noticed how his sad eyes were focused on me but a small smile slowly formed on his face as he said,


    "I wish you good luck on your journey and mission to persuade the Queen¡­"


    <hr>


    An hour has passed after my talk with Taro, and Lady Lucerne was so nice that she helped me with my preparations for the journey that soon to come, and currently brushing my long ebony hair. Even though I said that I could do some of the things myself, she insisted and I wasn¡¯t able to refuse. Well, I was never really the type of person to refuse an offer of help from someone with good intentions at mind¡­


    "You have such long lovely hair, Lady Endellion¡­ it¡¯s so soft and silky¡­"


    "T-Thank you, Lady Rachelle¡­" I said, blushing from her compliment. "But I do believe that you look more lovely than I, Lady Rachelle¡­ And I¡¯m not just referring to the outside, but to the inside as well. Perhaps even, could be one of the reasons why he¡ª" suddenly pausing, my smile slowly faded as I looked down at my hand where the Stone of Time I held. "... I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ Forget about that last part¡­"


    "Hmm?... What are you apologizing for?" she asked, somehow not stopping from what she was currently doing. "I do not blame you for what you think you lack for it not to happen, nor must you blame yourself for it either¡­ Even when a lot of us here had that feeling of what could have been, even when he already knew what could happen to him, none of us were able to prevent any of it from happening¡­"


    "I know. But even so¡ª I¡ª" Pausing, I looked at the mirror to see my own reflection before looking away, "I¡­ I just don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve done enough for him¡­"


    There was a short moment of silence before I felt her gentle hands placed on my shoulders. She leaned a bit closer, asking, "... And how do you measure enough?"


    I was surprised to hear the question, but I wasn¡¯t able to come up with an answer for it, making another moment of silence before she asked, or rephrased the first question differently now. "Why would you think that Alessio sees your efforts that were not enough for him?... That you did not do your best for him?"


    Hearing the rephrased question, I knew that I shouldn¡¯t stay silent like this forever. Realizing that this is perhaps the only chance where I would be able to speak out freely to someone who would understand me, before going back home, I then took a deep breath, then finally responded with, "Because I know that Alessio would do anything that he can to find me, if he knew that I was still alive. While there¡¯s me¡ª despite knowing he was still out there¡ª knowing of what he¡¯s being called as the Bloody Traitor¡ª and I had the power and some people I know that could help me get to him¡ª still, there was nothing that I did to reach out to him¡­"


    Holding tightly onto the Stone of Time, I slowly opened up my eyes. "I just wish I was able to do more for him, knowing he would do the same for me. But I was afraid¡­ of the consequences of my actions rather than being there for him."


    Silence filled the room once more before soon hearing her unexpectedly saying in a gentle tone, "Well¡­ Now I believe it more that you are truly his sister."


    Looking back up to see her face, there I noticed her smile and felt her gentle hands wiped away my tears that began to fall. "... Alessio¡­ Throughout the years he was with us here, he was thinking like that most of the time from what I noticed and from what I heard from sir Garett. He blames himself for not being able to do enough for what happened to you in the past, for what happened to his friend¡­"


    Closing her eyes, she sighed. "... That was something we were not able to clear away from him entirely, but it lessened bit by bit after time after I told him¡­" Upon her pausing, my eyes widened a bit in surprise for her gentle kiss on my forehead then looking back at me with a smile. "For us here, always remember that you did everything you could. And even if it may not be enough for you because you may see it as a failure, for us, we believe it is enough¡­ That you are enough¡­"


    After hearing those words, my eyes widened once more as tears streamed down my cheek once more, but it was not out of sadness but for joy and relief, as a smile formed in my face and without knowing it, the Stone of Soul that I was holding and the Stone of Time inside my other pocket began to glow slightly.


    ¡­ You are enough¡­ I am enough¡­ Oh how those words I¡¯ve been longing and hoping to hear from someone, from anyone, and now it finally came true, it was heard. And those words bring such warmness in my heart and peacefulness in my mind¡­ "I" thought as I stared at her beautiful sapphire-colored eyes that¡¯s filled with so much warmth and hope, soon my arms wrapped around her, embracing her tightly, and burying my face on her shoulder.


    She seemed surprised at first, but her arms wrapped around me as tight, and even patted my back gently.


    Even if it was just after a short moment and a couple of sentences that were spoken out, I finally understand it now. I finally was able to hear it and see it with my own eyes now for how he was able to stay sane and filled with determination and hope to keep going, even in a world such as this where cruel Fate would throw anything in his way, where old friends would turn against him. As long as he has someone like them, and someone like her is always by his side throughout his time living here, he will live a fine life. And I¡¯m very thankful that he met such wonderful people¡­ I¡¯m very thankful to have finally met them too, and felt the same warmth.


    "Thank you¡­" I said under my breath. "... Thank you so much, Rachelle¡­"


    She smiled at me, wiping away my tears with her gentle hands once more.


    "You do not need to thank me for this, but I am very glad to be of help to you too, Endellion¡­ Even for something as simple as this." she said before standing up properly, looking at the grandfather clock in the room. She seemed to stare at it for a short moment before sighing then looked at me. "Sir Garett is probably waiting¡­"


    "O-Oh! You¡¯re right! We should probably get going now before anyone else notices me¡­" I said, quickly standing up and picking up the two letters on the desk.


    I then placed my white hood over my head before we left the room, and we soon began walking down the hallway while being at her right side. In that way, any of the servants that were walking by wouldn¡¯t be able to notice or recognize me. I sighed silently in relief, but soon my eyes couldn¡¯t help but look around at this to keep my mind distracted. Looking at it now in morning¡¯s daylight, it truly looked and felt different from the one back at Helio Vermillion, and had a much more calm and comforting aura to them as well. I wish I could stay here a little longer¡­ Hmm?


    Looking back at her as we continued walking, I only now noticed how her sapphire-colored eyes were slightly looking at the floor, but I soon sensed a strong emotion from her that I wasn¡¯t entirely sure at first. As the Stone of Soul began to glow a little more, I soon realized it and the first words that came out from me were, "You¡­ You seem to truly feel that way about my older brother, don¡¯t you?"


    She suddenly almost stopped from walking upon hearing what I just said. But we somehow continued on, as her surprised expression quickly faded away.


    "Well, I suppose you can say that," she said after a brief moment of shock. "Is it¡­ is it that obvious?... Do you think he already knows that I¡­ N-Nevermind it¡­"


    I blinked twice in confusion and was surprised as to how and why I suddenly said that to her, but it seemed that it caught her off guard and almost said what I believed she was going to say. But even without the need to tell that to me directly now, I was able to already sense that she truly has that kind of feelings toward him.


    "...Your eyes tell me a lot of things, Lady Lucerne¡­ I could tell that you''re worried about him, but you still have hope that he will come back here safely. And perhaps¡­ hear the answer for yourself one day..." I said, smiling before bowing down to her. "Thank you for being interested in my older brother, Lady Lucerne. I truly believe that you two would make a wonderful couple when the time comes¡­"


    She wasn¡¯t able to hide her shocked expression this time, but she still smiled.


    "O-Oh my¡­ I-I¡­ Y-You.. Well, thank you so much as well, Lady Amaryllis¡­" she said, her face flushing red a bit but she still kept a sincere smile on her face.


    "You two seem to get along well. I¡¯m sure that Al would be happy with this¡­" Garett said, approaching us. "...And as much as I don¡¯t want to disrupt your lovely conversations, Endellion¡ª I mean, Lady Amaryllis and I should get going soon¡­"


    "Ah, of course. Of course¡­ My apologies for keeping you both longer here..." she said before lifting her hand and soon a blue portal formed in front of her. She then looked at us.  "This portal will send you to the nearest village in the kingdom of Helio Vermillion¡­ I hope that your journey will be a safe one, and good luck¡­"


    "Heh, we¡¯ll be back before you know it." Garett said with a confident smirk, looking at me then tapping me on the shoulder before soon entering the portal.


    I then took a deep breath and looked at her, and Taro who walked beside Lady Rachelle, seeing them waved at me as I smiled at them and said, "Thank you so much for everything¡­ We¡¯ll be back¡­" before soon entering the portal as well.


    Upon arriving at the other side of the portal, a bright ray from the sun greeted me before I was able to see one of the closest villages in the kingdom of Helio Vermillion. And it wasn¡¯t only familiar for me, but it was very much as well for Garett it seemed as I noticed the expression on his face. His eyes widened for a moment in surprise before slowly taking a deep breath, closing his eyes and said,


    "It¡¯s been a very long time since I left here with him, but¡­ I¡¯m finally home."


    <hr>

 Chapter 18: Town that once His Home

    <hr>


    For those visitors who would come to see my once Home, they will see it as a wonderful place of warmth, strength and passion. They are deceived by looks and riches. But for us who once lived and stayed in that place we used to call Home, to be visiting it again, all we see and are reminded of are always broken things and only broken things that were left as is¡­ Caused by selfishness and one¡¯s own desires that were left unpunished and were never bat an eye¡­


    ¨C Garett Rowe


    <hr>


    I was surprised at what I heard from Garett as soon as we arrived at the village. He seemed to be staring at nothingness for a while before sighing and began walking. Quickly, I then followed right behind him, and close enough to not get lost through the incoming crowd. Despite returning to this place he called home, he seemed tense.


    "So, this is the village you and Alessio used to live in?... It looks more lively than what I heard of before. Well, I suppose I could say to any other villages we¡¯ll be visiting¡­" I said, my eyes looking around as we were walking around town only to stop when I immediately noticed him suddenly stopping as well. "... Hmm?"


    He turned at me. "You¡­ You never left the kingdom¡¯s castle before, huh?"


    I blinked twice in confusion at first before immediately shaking my head.


    "I see¡­" he said. "So you never knew what it was like outside of those walls?"


    "No, not really¡­ Both Queen Minerva and the Head General, Valerio never allowed me to leave without their permission¡­" I responded, my head lowered before looking back at him as I heard him suddenly laughing in a low tone before it became loud then soon calmed down. "What¡­ What was so funny about it, Garett?"


    Without looking at me, he took a deep breath before letting out a deep yet frustrated sigh. "They¡­ They truly leave you in the dark for that long, huh?... Of course they did. What else was I expecting from people like them at this point?!¡­"


    I narrowed my eyes a bit for a moment, and was hesitant to ask him at first but I still did, "What do you mean by that? Is¡­ Is there something I need to know?"


    Unexpectedly, he became silent. I thought he was going to get mad at me for asking about it, but he instead began walking once again as I followed behind him. Only after a bit while walking, did I soon hear him sigh deeply and responded with,


    "In times like these, where war and battles never seem to end, people¡¯s safety and protection doesn¡¯t last long, or for some of us living here long enough, we begin thinking it may never even exist at all, and are nothing more than naive wishful thinking. Even in villages like these that are protected by the kingdom¡¯s walls, there was never a time where we ever felt safe, and instead, we felt fear¡­ So much of it¡­ And even the young ones were able to feel such things whenever they saw those familiar men keep coming back to their house every now and then¡­ Knowing they would hurt them and their parents, or worse, but for reasons they will never understand¡­" Garett said in a serious and low tone, his head lowered.


    I was surprised and quite in disbelief of what I was hearing. But I kept myself quiet and wondered, If this has been happening for so long, why hasn''t Queen Minerva done anything about it?... before looking at him, hearing him speak again...


    "Those men who trained for so long and were meant to protect this kingdom and its people, under the orders of their rulers, would obey, fight, and supposedly protect their own people without that much hesitation. And yet¡­ because of their own selfish desires, may it be out of greed, malice¡­ or lust¡­ They truly think they could just do whatever they want to these innocent and poor people, because their superiors or the ruler doesn¡¯t punish them for it¡­ And it truly sickens me so much."


    And from that short moment, I was able to sense it again. I was able to sense the growing hatred from him once more like before. But this time, it seems that he¡¯s trying his best not to let it get worse and get into his head. But even so¡­ I¡­


    "Garett, I¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ If I only knew I would perhaps try convincing her to¡­"


    "You don¡¯t need to apologize for it, El. You didn¡¯t know. And even if you knew, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that easy to talk to the Queen about it, even if you¡¯re that close to her. But¡­" he paused, looking back at me. "¡­If you were to choose to become the Queen of this kingdom one day, I could only hope that you would perhaps change things for the better. But if you choose not to, it¡¯s alright too. I don¡¯t want to force you to become someone you¡¯re not, or to let you carry that kind of heavy burden if you never wanted it in the first place¡­ Whatever your choice may be, Alessio and I will respect and support you for it, and even help you live a better life than before."


    Garett soon slowly smiled, placing his hand on my head,  "That¡¯s a promise¡­"


    Becoming the Queen of this kingdom? To be able to change things here for the better? I suppose that would be a great idea to happen one day in the future. But for now, I will do whatever I can, just as I am to help others, and importantly my family as well. A smile slowly formed in my face as I stared at him, "Thank you, Garett..."


    "... Garett?... Is that really you?..." a man¡¯s voice spoke out while a clang sound of a sword dropping on the ground suddenly made us look at him at the same time.


    Garett¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as he hesitantly said, "... F-Father?"


    And before anything else happened, Garett soon found himself being in the embrace of the man as he rushed at him with open arms. He seemed to be still surprised by all of what was happening, but a crying could be heard from the man as the embrace became tighter. "You¡­ You have no idea how much I was worried..."


    Garett soon returned the embrace to his father, closing his eyes while trying to stop himself from crying, "I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry for getting you worried. But I¡¯m home now, father¡­ I¡¯m here now¡­" but as they broke the hug, a small smile on his face as he wiped the tears that formed on his eyes before they looked at me.


    His father was silent, his eyes widened in surprise and almost with fear as well, which is understandable. "Oh my goddess!¡­ A-Are you who I believe you are?"


    "H-Hello Mr. Rowe¡­ Do you still remember me?" I said, waving my hand a bit with an awkward smile on my face. "I know that this may all seem unbelievable but if it¡¯s alright by you two, can we perhaps¡­ talk more about this somewhere else?"


    He blinked a couple of times in confusion at first before nodding, and soon we began walking to their old home. Upon arriving at the place though, I noticed how Mr. Rowe was looking around before closing the door behind us then sighing.


    "I hope that none of those men saw us. I truly don¡¯t want to deal with them right now." he said before looking back at us, smiling a bit. "That¡¯s nothing to worry about for now you two. Please, take a seat while I¡¯ll prepare something for you two."


    We watched him head to the kitchen as Garett soon sat down on his seat, his head lowered, his eyes staring at the wooden table for a while before he looked at me as I sat down on the chair next to him with my hand on his shoulder.


    "I¡¯m fine, El¡­" he said. "It¡¯s just¡­ It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been here¡­"Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    He then lifted his head, looking at the wooden decorations and all sorts of weapons displayed above the fireplace and walls.


    "I could still remember it clearly, when my father came home one night with a young boy in his arms. He told me that he¡¯s going to be my younger brother from now on, and I should protect him, I should train him, I should treat him like we were truly brothers by blood¡­ And well, it was difficult in the first few weeks with him. He refused to talk to me, and sometimes I could see him crying at night. I didn¡¯t know why until my father told me about what truly happened that night¡­"


    He soon looked back at me before he continued, "Even when we became closer from being friends to actual brothers at that time, I still feel like in his heart, it still aches for your loss even when he tries his best not to show it to me as much as he could. But I was still able to tell, and began to care about you too, despite not knowing you personally or at least on the same level as he does with you." He then sighed and lowered his head.


    "I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry if I may seem to bring up painful memories. But despite how there were good memories I had of this place with my family, there were a lot as well that were truly the worst ones too. Even before Alessio came into our life at that time. And I can¡¯t forget them even if I wanted to."


    Hmm¡­ I may have a feeling of what it could be, and it could have something to do with the men or the "knights" of this kingdom? But I don¡¯t want to ask to confirm it or bring up more bad and unwanted memories as it is. I do feel like he¡¯s going to blow up any moment now if that were to be brought up or if they ever arrived here later¡­


    "I-It¡¯s alright, Garett. I should be thanking you all to be honest." I said, smiling a bit. "Because of your kindness, patience, love and care for him, he became the man he is now. A strong and courageous warrior he may be at times, but he still knows how to be humble and show kindness to the ones in need¡­ Just like you."


    "I-I¡­" he paused, clearing his throat. "Thank you, El. Well, there¡¯s also the recklessness, but I truly can¡¯t say the same for his stubbornness and self-loathing."


    "And you think being reckless is a good trait to have and be proud of?" Mr. Rowe said, serving cups of tea and a plate of bread on the table. "If you have Lady Luck¡¯s blessings or you¡¯re always in her favor, then I suppose it¡¯s fine and you¡¯ll live another day. But some aren¡¯t that lucky and would just die embarrassingly y¡¯ know."


    "Heh¡­ But what¡¯s the use of having Lady Luck¡¯s blessings if it would only save yourself, and not someone or anyone else, right?" Garett said before staring down at his cup and silence filled the room until he spoke again. "You probably already know it by now. The Tyrant General¡¯s plan, and what happened to¡­ him¡­"


    Mr. Rowe sat down on the chair across us, sighing and rubbing his temples.


    "When¡­ I saw their men come back recently, I was a bit surprised at how quick they were, but only a few of them remained from the last time they left. I couldn¡¯t care less of what happened to them, and was more surprised when I saw they had a captive¡­ It was your brother, Alessio... I was in doubt of it all when I saw him there in one of their carriages¡­" he said, looking at his reflection on his tea cup. "I then began to get worried about what happened to you since I know you were always there for him, but you weren¡¯t there. And from that moment on, I thought of the worst scenarios¡­" he then looked at Garett. "But thank the goddess, you¡¯re here, still alive and well¡­ but I wasn¡¯t expecting someone familiar to be¡­"


    "It¡¯s a long and complicated story, Father. And the strange man who did bring her back to life wasn¡¯t even from the other kingdom, or from this kingdom. But the man seemed to be working for Queen Minerva¡­ or what I¡¯ve heard at least." Garett said before looking at me. "I¡¯m¡­ sorry if I haven¡¯t told you about that yet until now."


    Before I was able to say anything else, Mr. Rowe immediately stood up from his seat with wide eyes as he asked, "Is he¡­ known as the Travelling Wood Carver?"


    "Y-Yes. That¡¯s his occupation." I said. "But to me he is my companion in¡ª"


    "My lass, my dear Endellion¡ª you should never trust that man at all!" Mr. Rowe suddenly shouted while pointing his finger at me. "That man¡­ whatever he is, he¡¯s not just any of us normal human beings or even an Eranko. He isn¡¯t just one of those dark warlocks or one of those cult people¡ª No one knows whose side he¡¯s even on! He could betray anyone in a heartbeat if he finds them no longer useful!"


    "He brought me back to life, Mr. Rowe!" I shouted back, staring at his orange eyes. "He¡¯s the reason why I¡¯m still standing here, being able to see and talk to you. He gave me a second chance in life, to be able to see and save my older brother¡­ to be with him once again¡­ And it may be true that I may not know my companion in black as much as I believed I do, I may not know what is going on his head most of the time, and I know that you are just concerned for me¡ª not wanting to lose me again like before, but please¡­" I gently held both of his hands. "... Have trust in me and my choices¡­ Just like how you put your trust in Alessio¡¯s choice and the King..."


    He blinked twice in surprise at how I seemed to know about that, before looking at Garett, and after seeing him look away from him, he then looked back at me and sighed. "Fine. I¡­ I suppose you are old enough to make your own choices in life, and I should respect them. But¡ª that still doesn¡¯t mean that I will trust that man, you understand, lass?... Just¡­" he places his hands on my shoulder, looking at my eyes with pleading eyes, before he continues, "Always be cautious and careful¡­"


    I stared at him for a short moment before nodding and smiled at him a bit to reassure him. "Of course¡­ I will be more cautious and always be careful, uncle¡­"


    "Ah, that¡¯s good to hear, Endellion¡­ I¡¯m glad that you¡ª Wait, what did you just call me?" He said in realization and surprise before noticing Garett approaches him. "Did you just call me¡­ uncle?... It¡¯s been a long time since you called me that."


    "Father, please don¡¯t cry..." Garrett said, patting his hand on his father¡¯s shoulder before looking at me. "I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry if you had to see him being like this."


    "It¡¯s no worries at all, Garett¡­ I understand." I responded, smiling awkwardly.


    "Right, right¡­ You¡¯re right, son." Mr. Rowe said, wiping away the tears that formed in his eyes before smiling a bit. "An old man myself is too old to be crying and needs to get it together. I need to keep it strong for the three of you afterall¡­"


    "Hey, we¡¯re not kids anymore either. We¡¯re old enough to defend ourselves and defend each other¡­" Garett crossed his arms before looking away. "Sure, there¡¯s some instances where we can¡¯t predict what will happen to the other or to ourselves, but you need to think more of defending and taking care of yourself too."


    "Alright, I know that I said that I was already too old, but I¡¯m not that old, Garett!" Mr. Rowe suddenly grabbed the sword while still in its scabbard that was by the fireplace. "I am still strong enough to wield any weapon, so I can assure you both that I can still defend myself, and will kick anyone out of my home who dares to bring harm to me¡ª or to any of my children when they are around my sight!"


    Garett sighed, shaking his lowered head. "Don¡¯t get too cranky, old man¡­"


    "Oi! Now who are you calling a cranky old man, rebel lad?!" Mr. Rowe said, attempting to hit Garett with the sword¡¯s scabbard, but quickly failed as Garett was able to get a grab on it before it even hit his head or even touched his hair. He seemed a bit surprised by it before noticing Garett glared back at him. I became worried that things would end up badly, but soon the two just began¡­ laughing?


    But then again, looking at the scene unfolding in front of me right now, seeing them being happy and laughing like that, even after everything they went through the years they¡¯ve lived here in this town, and reuniting once more after the years they¡¯ve been apart¡­ it feels nice and warm, and this home is still a place he could return to¡­ I¡¯m sure Alessio will think and feel the same if he were here to see this¡­ Oh, Alessio¡­


    My smile faded slowly before looking down at the Stone of Time in my hand before clenching it, sighing quietly before looking back at them as Garett looked back at me, scratching the back of his head. "...S-Sorry if you seemed worried or confused about all of this, El. This is¡­ this is just how we both are at times. Trust me, Alessio was confused as you are when he first came here and saw us like that."


    He then soon slowly looked away from me after seeming to be remembering something, or someone. "Right¡­ Alessio¡­" he then looked back at his father. "I¡¯m very glad to have talked with you again, but we¡ª El and I¡­ should get going soon."


    "Garett¡­" I said, holding my hands together as I looked at him. "You¡­ you don¡¯t need to force yourself to go back to the kingdom with me right now. You can stay here and be with your father for as long as you need to. It seems to have been a long time since you two have been apart afterall. And please¡­" I smiled a bit, trying to reassure them. "Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll be fine. And I¡¯ll make sure to accomplish the plan we all started yesterday¡­ to save Alessio, give the letters to the Queen, and be fully convinced to end this long and bloody war once and for all."


    "Endellion¡­" Garett said before slowly approaching me and placing his hand on my shoulder. "Thank you for giving me this time, but know as well that I will be there to follow after you. Remember that you¡¯re not here to fight it alone, alright?"


    I nodded at him with a much bigger smile before wrapping my arms around him. "I believe that I should be the one thanking you... For not giving up on me, and making me see and realize things I was being blindfolded to for a long time now¡­"


    "I¡¯m actually glad that I was able to be that much of help to you, El¡­" he said, gently rubbing my hair with his large and warm hand, his head lowered. "No one¡ª and I mean literally no one¡ª should be left in the dark when it comes to the truth of things. Even if it may be unbelievable at first, it¡¯s much better to be aware of such coming from the actual people themselves, than continue living in a life that is being fed with nothing but beautiful words and lies from those who are¡ª or will be planning to take advantage of us sooner or later. Or continue to do so until now."


    "Believe him when he says all of that, lass¡­" Mr. Rowe added as I soon broke the hug and looked at him. "And believe when I say this to you, if any of those men tries to even get a single strand of hair from you, I won¡¯t hesitate to come there¡ª"


    "Let¡¯s try to not give her more problems here, father¡­ Though if it was me, I would have probably done it with the same amount of brutality, but more sneakily than you, old man." Garett said with a slight chuckle before looking back at me with a slight smile. "Alright, alright. Enough of us joking around here. As you said earlier, you have to get going now, right?... Don¡¯t let us or our joking around stop you now."


    I nodded to him with a smile one more time before I was about to take my leave when suddenly I felt his hand grabbing to my arm gently, making me quickly look back at him. There was only silence between us as he gave me this look of sadness and worry, feeling his grip on me tightened for a short moment, it¡¯s as if he still didn¡¯t want to let me go out of hesitation and worry. But not for long, he closed his eyes and slowly loosened his grip on me, finally letting me go.


    Continuing on walking towards the door, I stopped in front of it and opened it before looking back at them one last time, seeing them side by side with his father¡¯s hand on his shoulder. With a smile, I said, "No matter how long it might take us, we¡¯ll both be sure to be back home..." and soon closed the door as I left¡­

 Chapter 19: Her Heart She Listens

    <hr>


    Beautiful Stone in my chest,


    Emotions are always expressed;


    A bird who soon left the nest,


    Greeted by a royal test.


    - Endellion Amaryllis


    <hr>


    As I passed the giant gates, seeing the quiet and tired nods of the knights, only now did I notice that the air around carried a heaviness upon it. Only when I arrived at the kingdom itself did I feel it in the wind''s touch on my face, and can see it in the way the leaves on the trees droop and shiver. The birds around sing a sorrowful song, as if their very souls are weeping. But I don''t know what it is that weighs us all down, or what awaits me as soon as I soon enter the Queen¡¯s throne room. All I know is that a certain weight has been added to my shoulders. And I must carry this burden with grace and dignity, as a proper lady-in-waiting of the Queen must.


    Relax, Endellion¡­ Calm yourself. This is just going to be like one of those meetings with her. It couldn¡¯t be that worse today, right?... Right? I thought to myself quietly, but as I began to walk in the hallways, the feeling of uneasiness became heavier and contradicted that thought, like something terrible is about to happen.


    Then, it wasn¡¯t for long when I could feel my heart sink as soon as I realized that the heavy feeling earlier was right, when I began to hear loud yells of that very familiar voice from that Brutal Bear, Haco, through the doors of the throne room.


    "What do you mean we shouldn¡¯t kill them yet?!" he shouted at someone, but that person seemed to have whispered their response to him, before he soon shouted once more. "Keeping them alive is all just a waste of time! We should just end their misery so there won''t be any other problems we¡¯ll be having in the future!"


    He seemed to be that desperate to want us dead. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he was the one who came up with the title of the ¡®Bloody Traitor¡¯ in the first place... I sighed at the thought. It seems that I will be directly involved in whatever it is that is about to unfold with the people inside of that room. I then took a deep breath, braced myself for what was about to come next and opened the door¡­


    "And look who finally showed up!" Haco said out loud as he looked at me with his arms wide open. "What took you so long to get back here? But I must say, you¡¯re lucky enough that the Queen isn¡¯t here yet, and we could discuss certain¡­ things..."


    Looking around the throne room without moving where I stood, I could only see Haco, and Head General Valerio were there. And unfortunately, he was telling the truth that the Queen wasn¡¯t present at the moment. This is not going to be good.


    I took a deep breath, then forced a small smile, and waved my hand slightly. I greeted, "G-Good morning to you two, General Haco and Head General Valerio¡­"


    The two just quietly stared at me with both having different expressions on their faces. Haco, who was looking at me with disbelief, and Head General Valerio with his usual stern, and cold expression. Not long after, I noticed him soon slowly making his way towards me. As soon as he stopped at my right side, he placed his hand on my shoulder, leaned down a bit and whispered something in my ear¡­


    And upon hearing what he whispered, I was frozen from where I stood¡­


    "...You¡¯ve already done enough things to make a lot of matters worse¡­ So if you don¡¯t want any of it to happen to you or to him... Then keep your mouth shut¡­ Understood?" were the last words he told me before soon leaving the throne room.


    Even after hearing the doors closing quite loudly behind me, my breathing was a little heavy now as I was still silently standing still, holding tightly on both of my hands while keeping my head lowered. Was he truly serious about what he told me just now of what he will do to us, or was he just trying to scare me with threats?


    "Awww! What¡¯s wrong, little lady?" Haco said, standing now in front of me. "I may disagree with most of the choices he¡¯s been making most of the time, but it seems that whatever he told you to shut up is something that¡¯s working right now."


    "You two¡­ won¡¯t be able to get away with any of it..." I said under my breath before lifting my head to look at him. "The Queen will know what you¡¯ve all done!"


    "The Queen?" he repeated with a prideful smirk on his face. "Her powers are just truly weak¡ª too weak even¡ª to make any kind of good decisions for this kingdom at all! And I very highly doubt that she¡¯s even that strong¡ª or would even dare to lift a finger to punish me or the Head General himself¡­ So¡­ Endellion¡­"


    "Come closer or if you dare touch me, and I won¡¯t hesitate to fight you back!"


    He laughed out loud. "Oh? Fight me back?" he said mockingly and crossed his arms. "You¡¯re the same as your dear older brother... A coward! Someone who joins the other side¡ª to the enemy¡¯s side¡ª to find temporary peace and happiness, even if it costs your pride, and will be painted as a traitor to your own kingdom¡­ And that was one of the reasons why you haven¡¯t come back here, wasn¡¯t it, Endellion?"


    He soon stepped forward. "And you know what happens to traitors¡­ Right?"


    As he slowly began approaching me, I began to slowly walk back until I heard the doors behind me suddenly opened wide. Noticing a lot of knights who began to walk past me at both of my sides before I soon accidentally fell back into someone¡¯s arms. Looking up and clearing a bit of my blurry vision, my gaze soon met¡­ hers.


    "Are you alright, El?" she asked in a calm tone. "You seemed very frightened."


    I blinked twice in surprise as to see her to be able to catch me in time, before soon carefully standing back up properly. "I-I¡¯m sorry if you had to see that."


    "Accidents happen at times¡­ You do not need to apologize for it." she said.


    I sighed in relief before looking at the direction she was looking. Seeing now the knights who are now standing on both sides of the room, while there are also some of those who are kneeling on their knees with their arms tied on their backs. I then looked back at her as she looked back at me, quickly reminding me what I was supposed to be doing at that moment.


    With a small smile, I said with a proper bow, "Greetings to Her Highness."


    "Greetings to Her Highness." The rest of the people in the room followed.


    "Her Highness¡­ G-Greetings to Her Highness." Haco said, stuttering a bit.


    "You said my powers are too weak¡­ to make any decision." she quickly said.


    As I turned my head to look at Haco, he immediately shook his head multiple times. "No no no¡ª No, Your Highness. I never said that¡ª I¡­ I didn¡¯t know that you would come here today... But please, for the sake of the kingdom¡¯s reputation¡ª"Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "For the sake of the kingdom¡¯s reputation?" she repeated in a calm manner, raising an eyebrow. "I heard that you were accusing Lady Endellion of colluding with the enemy kingdom just now... Or have you already forgotten about that too?"


    "I-I was talking nonsense! Nonsense¡­" Haco said, keeping his head lowered.


    She became silent, but her cold and serious gaze seemed to have continued staring down at him. And as soon as I noticed how the cyan stone attached in her necklace was glowing a bit brighter, I already knew what she was doing and tried not to think or have anything in my mind, even if I wasn¡¯t the one she¡¯s targeting.


    "I would be more forgiving and let this little incident slip this time¡­" she paused then sighed as her gaze became more serious and cold as she looked at Haco. "...But you ran your mouth on us, which is worse, so this¡ª" she raised her hand slowly before quickly lowering it, causing General Haco to fall violently on one knee against the floor. "¡ªis for your defiance against me... This¡ª" she did it again, much faster this time, causing him to fall on his other knee as well, coughing blood from the pain. "¡ªis for the impulsive killing of messengers and the ambush that you led... And finally¡ª" she raised her hand high this time, making him float in mid-air for a moment, "¡ªis for the assaults you and your men conducted on my people behind my back over the years!" before slamming him down one last time.


    He was shaking as he slowly tried to lift himself up. "Y-Your Highness¡­ Mercy¡­ Please, I may have led the first reckless attack, but the ambush and recent attack on the village¡ª I-I was just¡­ I was just following the orders of Head General Valerio! He was the one who fought against the Bloody Traitor and almost killed the guy until Lady Endellion came to stop the fight! Please, you have to believe me!"


    The Queen¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as the room suddenly got colder than before, and clenched both of her hands behind her back then took a deep breath.


    "... Head General Valerio?" she repeated. "Ah, I see now¡­ So that is his true reason for not showing up early today, the very reason why a lot of my men have gone missing for three weeks now, and even went so far as to use the leader and the people of the Invincible Wing Tribe for such recklessness. And Endellion..." She slowly turned her head to face me. "...From your eyes alone, I could easily tell that there is something else that they were doing that I am not aware of... Am I wrong?"


    I kept my head lowered as I continued being silent. I already know and aware of what would happen in any of the choices that I¡¯ll be making right now, if I told her the truth about what Valerio did to Alessio and bringing him here, he would be mad at me or worse, but even I don¡¯t say it out loud, she may have to use her stone to forcefully get it somewhere from my mind instead, and both will get mad at me.


    She continued staring down at me as the silence went on for a bit while before I soon heard her sighing in a tired tone and said, "If you are afraid to speak up because of getting punished by the Head General or by anyone else later, you do not need to worry about it, I will make sure they are going to be punished instead¡­ But if there is truly nothing else of worthy to be noted of their more misbehavior¡ª"


    "Head General Valerio threatened to kill me and the Bloody Traitor¡ª my older brother Alessio¡ª earlier if I told you anything of what I heard earlier this morning!!!"


    After shouting those words out loud and as quickly as I was able to, silence filled the room, but so was the coldness and aggressive wind began to slowly form around her as I could sense her powers were increasing. We all noticed as well that windows¡¯ panes made slow cracking sounds from the wind¡¯s strong impact before I looked back at her again as she asked, in the calmest tone she was able to manage, "Endellion¡­ Could you¡­ kindly repeat that in a slow and proper manner this time?"


    My hands. They were cold and shaking out of fear for a short moment before I clenched them together, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath to calm myself. Remember what she taught you, Endellion. Calm yourself. Collect and organize your thoughts before opening your mouth. I thought with my head lowered, and my face staring down at the floor. I took another deep breath, slowly opened my eyes.


    "It is true¡­ of what General Haco said about Head General Valerio¡¯s actions¡­ He did lead the ambush and the recent attack on one of the villages of the enemy kingdom, and it was for the reason of trying to kill my older brother, the Bloody Traitor¡­ Alessio¡­" I lowered my head even more as I continued. "And I know that I shouldn¡¯t have left the kingdom without your permission or your command, and I instead should have told you about their plans when I overheard about it before they left, just like what happened earlier this morning¡ª but out of worries as to what would happen to my older brother, I had to take my leave as quickly as I was able to. I suppose I tried to do the same thing again earlier, my sincere apologies¡­"


    There was a short moment of silence once again before hearing the echoing sounds of her footsteps could be heard all around, the wind around us had slowly calmed down, and not long after¡­ I felt her gentle hand on the back of my head.


    "Lift up your head now and look at me¡­" I heard her saying before I opened my eyes and slowly lifted my head to look at her. Seeing her now serious yet calm expression on her face. "Even until now. Even after all the several years I¡¯ve trained, taught, and disciplined you, I suppose I cannot truly stop you from following your heart, especially when it comes to¡­ family matters such as that." she said as she shook her head slowly before sighing. "I will forgive you for your recklessness this time¡­ And I hope now that you¡¯ve learned your lesson, you would tell me any such matters that involve disobedience, or plans that are being made behind my back."


    She then turned her head to look at General Haco who was still kneeling on the floor, still badly injured. "And remember to not let anyone else threaten you to be silent about what you heard, or what you¡¯ve seen that is truly unforgivable, or such actions that are breaking the laws of this kingdom¡­ Do you understand, El?"


    I lowered my head as I responded, "Yes, Your Highness¡­ I¡­ I understand."


    "Good¡­ As for the captured Bloody Traitor..." her gaze met with the two guardsmen who were standing by the doors. "Tell them to bring him to one of our guest rooms. And any questions, doubts, or disobedience the other men may have or will do upon seeing it happening, bring them to me, especially Head General Valerio Kono, and I will be very, very glad to answer them all... Is that understood?"


    "Yes, Your Highness!" the two guardsmen said in synchronization, and with not even a bit of hesitation in their tone before leaving the room quickly.


    "Now, if there¡¯s nothing else that is at most or worthy of importance to be discussed here, excluding General Haco and his men, the rest of you may take your leave now¡­" she said as she began to slowly make her way back to her throne and sat down with her hand on her chin. "... As for anything else that will be heard or will happen in this throne room after you take your leave here, they will all strictly only stay here, and will be none of your business or concerns to be worried about."


    Upon hearing the last sentences she said, I stopped and turned around to look at her only to be greeted by the doors closing in front of me. I know that it was not our business, and we shouldn¡¯t care that they, even Head General Valerio, will be punished by her personally, But did I truly do the right thing earlier? Hmm?


    "Thank you¡­ for doing what you did earlier. For speaking out¡­" one of the knights said as he placed his hand on my shoulder. "...A lot of us are afraid to speak out to anyone or even to the Queen herself¡ª about how General Haco has been treating us throughout the years. His very unfair punishments, his very strict and pure brutality of training he all put us through¡­ we barely survived or even lived¡­"


    My eyes widened as I listened, and once I turned my head to look at them, I could see it in their eyes, both the feeling of relief and sorrow, tears they¡¯re trying to stop from falling. It¡¯s truly heartbreaking and almost brought me to tears as well.


    "Thanks to you, he finally received his punishment¡­ Even if it wouldn¡¯t bring back the friends, family, and the other innocent lives we¡¯ve lost because of him, we¡¯re sure that their souls will be at peace now..." the knight added, tightening his grip on my shoulder for a short moment before letting go.


    "My apologies if a knight like me, and the rest of us would be showing weakness in front of you, Lady El. But I think we shouldn¡¯t waste any more time¡­ who knows what will happen to him..."


    "Hmm... If I¡¯m right about the man you¡¯re referring to, do you perhaps know which of the guest rooms he was taken to?...And if it¡¯s not a bother, could you take me there?" I asked, and the knight nodded his head to me quickly in response.


    "It¡¯s no bother to help you at all, Lady El. And it¡¯s the least thing we could do for you after what you just did for the rest of us here. Though¡­" he paused before looking at the other knights with him. "If there¡¯s some of you here who are in need to go back to your positions on guard or your training, then you are free to go back. But please do stay quiet about what we just witnessed today, and if you ever walked past the Head General on your way back, try to not make eye contact..."


    The rest or most of the knights, with determined looks on their faces, nodded their heads quietly before we soon went our separate ways in the hallway. With the same knight from earlier who is now leading the way, and a couple of them who are now walking beside me, as if they were protecting me.


    "You seemed to have quite the leadership skills..." I said, smiling a little, hoping to lessen the heavy ambiance. "...Are you planning to be a General one day?"


    The knight hesitated for a little minute before responding with, "I appreciate you for the praise, Lady El... Despite how I may not think that I have such talents or that I even deserve such a high position, yet... A lot of us agreed that, if we were fortunate enough to have or be in that position¡ª believe it or not¡ª we would much prefer working and fighting harder for this kingdom and for its ruler, if you were the one who would be on the throne, if that day ever comes¡­ But for now at least..."


    He soon came to a stop while standing next to a door, where he grabbed and turned the doorknob then carefully opened the door of the room. "...Let us help you with any problems you might encounter in the future. It¡¯s¡­ the least we can do."


    As he stepped to the side, I soon carefully walked into the room and looked around. Seeing the white walls and brown tiled floorings that shines, and reflects the sunlight that were coming through from the two wide opened windows. A fireplace and long wooden table on the right side of the room, then soon looking at the left side, there I see a small brown table with a vase of white roses, and the giant bed where I found him lying, sleeping peacefully, making me sighed in relief.


    "Thank you so much for bringing me here to see him." I said, smiling at them. "And even if you may think that what you just did wasn¡¯t enough, for me it is, and I¡¯m very thankful for that. I truly appreciate and value everything you¡¯ve done for me so far¡­ You may take your leave now, and thank you, once again, sir Knight¡­"


    The Knight was surprised and seemed to want to say something more, but instead smiled a little before bowing down, "Thank you, m¡¯lady¡­ And please, do not hesitate to call us if you need help or if you are in trouble. We can assure you that we won¡¯t hesitate to come to assist and even protect you as soon as possible."


    They shortly left and shut the doors behind them after I gave them a head nod in return. Before turning to face the unconscious man in the bed, my smile gradually disappeared. I approached him quietly and sat down by his bedside while holding his cold hand tenderly. My eyes started to water once again as I struggled to hold back the tears, and refrain from thinking too much about the worst-case possibilities of what would happen to him if he still wouldn¡¯t wake up, or what the others, or the tyrant Head General, Valerio, would do to him if I ever left his side.


    "If you could hear me, it¡¯s me, Endellion... I¡¯m here now, Alessio." I said, gently caressing his head gently with my other hand. "...And I won''t stop now, not when we already made it this far, and not until I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re truly back to us¡­" I added, soon closing my eyes and lying down my head on the bed from exhaustion.


    "Just please¡­ stay strong, and wait for a little longer for me, won¡¯t you, Al?"


    <hr>

 Chapter 20: Everything You Left Behind

    <hr>


    The past is something one must look back to, to reflect on one¡¯s mistakes and to change for the better in the future. But we shouldn¡¯t let it shackle us with weight in moving forward¡­


    - Endellion Amaryllis


    <hr>


    Slowly opening my eyes, I found myself in a cold and dark, yet familiar place. The beautiful blue river nearby, the dark-blue colored grass and walls of the cave, and lastly the different colored souls hanging on the ceiling, being held by roots. I was able to recognize this place. I remembered how I ended up in this place when I was young, but I wasn¡¯t able to stay and talk with the lady that much since I was taken back so soon. But wait¡ª why am I here now? Was I killed during my sleep? What¡ª


    "Oh? You are here again?" a familiar woman¡¯s voice asked, making me turn to look at her. Placing her hand under her chin, and tilting her head, "Hmm¡­ I do not remember that something happened to you to cause you to end up here so soon¡­"


    "It¡¯s you¡­" I said, a bit surprised. "Wait¡ª you don¡¯t know why I am here too?" I then looked around in worry and panic. "No no no. I need to go back! Who knows what they would do to Alessio¡ª And I¡¯ve still yet to give the letters to Minerva¡ª it¡¯s the only way for the war¡ª" I then suddenly came to a halt as soon as I felt her gentle hand on my shoulder. I looked at her, and let out a sigh to calm down.


    Her sapphire-colored eyes stare at me. "Unfortunately, there are times when I do not know the reason as to both why and how one would be transported here¡­ Especially if one is not known to have been guided here by a Grim Reaper or has no cause of death." She then continued to stare at me in silence, as if she seemed to be in deep thought before soon shaking her head, "Anyhow, are you calmed down?"


    I nodded a bit before sitting back down on the grass. "Yes. I¡¯m sorry for that."


    "And what are you apologizing for, my dear?" she asked, sitting down beside me. "Why must you apologize when it is normal for people to be feeling different emotions when they are met in a strange situation like this all of a sudden?..." She then looked up at the ceiling, closing her eyes. "Confused, sad, panicked. A mix of all of those emotions perhaps? There were even people who get angry upon waking up, and start to blabber quickly such questions towards the first person they see¡­"


    She chuckled before following with a sigh. "Ah, yes¡­ How strange for me to think of how human beings can still be interesting even in the tiniest of things¡­"


    "... Weren¡¯t you a human before you became the person you are now?"


    After asking that question, it was followed by a moment of silence between us, making me worried that I may have crossed the line with that one. But before I could take back what I said, I noticed her soon lowering her head as she responded in a low voice, "It is true that I, too, was a human once¡­ But because of my own desperation to fix my big mistake, it led me to be in this role for a long time now..."


    I looked worried at her before looking away for a short moment, clenching on my hands. But soon, I looked back at her as she asked, "How about you?... If you were in my shoes, would you be desperate as well to do whatever it takes?"


    I blinked twice in confusion. "I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry? But I don¡¯t think I can follow?"


    "How much do you wish to get your older brother back?" she asked, looking back at me. "Will you be willing to break the countless laws of the realm and time itself, the rules of life and death, step on anything and anyone in your way, all for such a selfish wish of wanting to keep one person who is very dear to you¡­ alive?"


    My eyes widened in surprise before soon looking down, not knowing what to answer at the moment as silence befalls between us once again. She then sighed.


    "Anyone can be desperate depending on the situation they are in. Especially when it comes to their loved ones being involved. Or because of the power they are lacking and desire for..." she said, standing up as her eyes were seemingly staring at the distance before looking back at me. "You, unfortunately, are no exception for such desperate feelings. Because you, too, are human¡­ However, I do not see you would go as far as the others when it comes to that kind of situation in the future."


    "What kind of situation in the future?" I asked. "Can you¡­ tell me about it?"


    Her gaze stares at me before closing her eyes and crossing her arms. "Well, I truly cannot tell you everything in full detail, as the future changes depending on everyone¡¯s actions, which I will tell you as soon as now, such actions of others that you have no control over, and truly cannot change no matter how hard you try¡­"


    "I see¡­ But does that mean I cannot change Minerva¡¯s mind? Even if I were to give her the letters from Taro?" I asked in a worried tone. "There must be a way."


    "Minerva¡­" she repeated under her breath. "She is the one with the Stone of Mind, is she not? And if so, convincing her would be needed more than just giving her the letters, even with persuasive words at that¡­ For she follows her mind more often than her frozen heart, which makes her quick to turn down things or words most of the time if you would not be able to make sense to her as soon as possible."


    I blinked twice in slight amazement. "Wow. You truly seem to know a lot more about Minerva than I do¡­" I said before raising an eyebrow. "Did Minerva a¡ª"


    "Focus on the topic at hand, my dear," she said, quickly cutting me off but with a smile on her face for some odd reason. "Hmm. I suppose we can use the role of your older brother as an example for now, for you to easily understand it¡­" A gold-colored soul then appeared, floating on her hand, her gaze staring at it longingly. "Just like how a Head General like himself plans with his men before his battle, he must find all the information that he can about his enemies. Know where his enemies are weak against for it to be easier for them to win in the battle..."


    She then looked back at me as the soul floated above. "And it is true that you are not a fighter, and I am not expecting or telling you to fight her, but the point that I am getting across to you is¡­" Pausing, she spread her arms at me, making me look at her confused. "...You need to get to know her more to be able to convince her fully. You need to know the true reason as to why she became the person she is now, perhaps then, you¡¯ll be able to understand and be able to melt her cold heart."


    "Ah, I see. I need to get to know her more." I said, placing my hand under my chin with my eyes closed. "Well, She does seem to know more about me and almost everyone else because of the current stone that she has¡­ But I never once tried to know more about her that deeply before¡­ Hmm? What¡­ what is going on with the stones?" I opened my eyes, feeling a power surging from the two stones that I had.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    She tilted her head, though her expression didn¡¯t show any hint of surprise or confusion. "You¡­ You have the Stones of Soul and Time with you? In this place?"


    "What? Is that a bad thing? Should I be worried about what will happen soon if this keeps up?" I asked, now holding the two stones that were glowing. "And yet, I¡­" Closing my eyes, I felt the mix of warmth and coldness from them as I held them against my chest, not noticing how they began to slowly glow brighter until¡­


    "Endellion what are you doing¡ª" she suddenly paused with her eyes widened in surprise and fear as she quickly moved back once the big different colored crystals suddenly sprouted from the ground everywhere. "...W-What is this power?"


    Finally opening my eyes upon hearing her faint question, I looked around in amazement to see the crystals all around us. Out of curiosity, I gently placed my hand on one of the crystals, soon changing my reflection in every single one of them to different memories of the past and the present. But it wasn¡¯t only mine but also his, or that''s what I thought at least. "Is this the power of both of the stones?"


    My eyes then continued to watch some of the memories projected through the crystals around us. The happy, the joyful times, and even the saddest times. But it did make me wonder, "I thought that only the Stone of Mind would be able to keep memories of people¡­ hmm? What is this memory? I don¡¯t remember this¡­?"


    "Ordell, was it? Well, I appreciate your help with clearing out my father¡ª" the Queen, Minerva cleared her throat. "I mean, the former king of this kingdom, from quite a long time ago. But¡­ I never expected that you''d be visiting us again sooner¡­"


    She then placed her tea cup on the table in front of them before placing her hands under her chin. Her cold and serious gaze stared at Ordell who was sitting across her. "But if you want me to repay you by giving the lady her memories back, I need her to be here with us. What she has is the Stone of Soul, one of the Six Stones of the Realm. The General and I would be able to train her on how to use her powers and keep her from harm¡¯s way. Though, you will still be able to visit her from time to time."


    Ordell let out a chuckle. "You don¡¯t need to coat your words with sweet lies, your Majesty. I am very much aware that you wanted to take that stone from her. But of course¡­ you were never the type that would hurt someone just for the sake of getting what you want, unlike your father¡ª Oh I mean the former king... If you truly promise to keep your word, then I¡¯ll accept it. Just please¡­ keep her safe at all times."


    After that reflection of a memory disappeared, I sat there dumbfounded. I was somewhat able to remember it now as it was the time I ended up crying when the news was given to me. I remember how I felt so heartbroken at first, and their words of reassurance weren''t enough for me to believe them until he began to visit me again a week after that day. But why am I remembering this? Why am I seeing this now? Did I take it to heart for so long? Have I not really trusted them until now?


    I then closed my eyes and lifted my head. "I suppose if I were to try to understand them, I should¡ª I need not let my fear get the better of me like this. So I would be able to ask them properly, I would be able to hear them out, and from there, perhaps we could build a true bond with genuine trust." Opening my eyes, I soon began to smile a bit, "Perhaps then, all of us could finally let go of the past that has weighed us for a long time now, and be able to move forward together¡­"


    Carefully standing up, "I think I know now what to do. Thank you¡ª" I paused as I turned to look at her, my smile soon faded as I saw her kneeling on the ground in front of one crystal, her hand touching it as she seemingly quietly continued to cry. I was hesitant to approach her. Not knowing what she saw through the crystal, I had a strong feeling that it wasn¡¯t something she wanted to remember again¡­


    "When I believed serenity will last forever¡­ Doom has come all of a sudden¡­" she mumbled under her breath, her head lowered as her tears continued to pour. "I remembered how everyone and everything in the land was stained in crimson blood." As she continued to speak, the crystals around us began to slowly break bit by bit.


    "It is easier to look back at the past if it is as painful as if it wouldn¡¯t shackle you back and trap you once again with its weight." she continued before finally slowly looking up at me with tears still in her eyes, but now with a hopeful smile. "But perhaps, this time, I could only hope that you and the rest of the guardians of the stones of the realm would be able to turn the tides of Fate in your favor for the better."


    I stared at her for a short moment before looking down at her hand which I soon noticed was holding out to me. Hesitantly holding it in the end, "I hope so too."


    And with that, the crystals and everything around us shattered like glass as the strange dream finally came to an end and soon slowly awoke me back to reality.


    <hr>


    "Huh, I fell asleep here?¡­" I mumbled under my breath upon seeing the ceiling as I woke up. Not remembering what I was dreaming just now, or how or who was the one who brought me to the sofa earlier. I then turned my head to look at Alessio who was still asleep on his bed before noticing the door was closed quietly. Sitting up and rubbing my eyes, my curiosity to know who it was made me follow them. But not after checking whether the two stones were still with me, and if he wasn¡¯t in an even more injured state than he already was. He¡¯s still breathing¡­ T-That¡¯s good...


    After sighing in relief and quietly opening the door, I looked on both sides of the hallway before leaving the room and headed to the left. It wasn¡¯t that long when I noticed bits of blood stains on the carpet. Despite the carpet being red, the stains were still somewhat visible. It quickly began to fill my mind with questions and worries. My older brother and I weren¡¯t hurt when I woke up a moment ago. And there seemed to be no signs of a fight that happened in the room, so what happened¡ª


    My train of thought suddenly came to a halt as my eyes quickly closed shut, and placed my hands on my head as it suddenly began to hurt. Did¡­ Did I use the powers of the two stones earlier and I end up forgetting about it? I then opened my eyes and looked around the hallway. Or could it be because she¡¯s somewhere nearby and could hear my thoughts right now? But if that was the case, she would be talking to me right now or scolding me for being awake and out at this kind of very late hour.


    I then shook my head a bit. "I think I should head back to my bedroom soon before she truly finds out about this and finds out more of what she shouldn¡¯t be knowing. But at the same time¡­" I looked down at the blood stains on the carpet before looking back at the dark hallway once again. The urge of wanting to know the truth made me walk a little more until suddenly my legs began to weaken. My eyes widened in surprise, my hand reached out as I fell to the floor. But then¡­


    "Now what are you doing out here on a night like this?" His familiar voice was followed by his gentle grip on me before my body would even hit the floor. My eyes widened in surprise before he carefully lifted me back up and then carried me in his arms, and with the light from the moon outside that shone through the window I was able to see his smile. "My¡­ letting your curiosity get the better of you again?"


    I blinked twice in surprise upon seeing him and being in his arms at the moment before looking away and hearing him chuckling followed by his known teasing smile. "You truly do love to wander where you shouldn''t. Well, I suppose at least you didn''t get hurt, but what were you even doing all the way over here?" He then tilted his head and he soon noticed the blood stains on the carpet. "I see now."


    I could feel the sudden change of tone in his voice and the aura around him. I could feel his grip on me tightened a bit before he turned us around and began walking in the other direction. With a smile, he said, "They truly need to clean their halls more..." However, I was able to tell the grim tone behind those words of his. He then let out a sigh. "I wonder if you''ll continue to wander off by yourself and get in these kinds of situations. Do I need to ask the Queen or the Tyrant Head General to place a guard by your room and assign them to watch over you? What''s going to happen one of these days when you come across something beyond your reach?"


    "I know that you still worry for my safety, but I can defend myself. I¡¯m no longer a child." I responded. "But how else can I know more about what¡¯s going on here and be able to help if I would just sit and do nothing out of fear and worry?"


    "El, your safety, your overall well-being means everything to me. It''s not that I doubt your abilities to even defend yourself, but more of... I can''t stand to bear the thought of you getting badly hurt because you want to know more about the truth¡­" he said as his worried gaze met mine before I looked away once again.


    "Would you even answer me honestly if I were to ask about it? Or would you continue keeping me in the dark like how the Queen and the Head General always do?" I asked as he suddenly came to a halt followed by silence befell between us for a short moment. Making me nervous around him for once until he spoke again.


    "My darling, I truly do want to give you everything you want. That much you should already know. But... There are those things that even I can''t tell you. What''s best for both of us is for you to not know or get involved in too much. There are just truly some things you should keep oblivious to¡­ Afterall, things that are as sweet, and delicate of a soul like yours shouldn''t be forced to bear the burdens of."


    Upon opening the door to my bedroom, he gently placed me down on my bed before asking, "This is perhaps the first time that you were questioning things like that, did something happen while I was gone that made you this curious, dear?"


    "Well, to be honest, I¡¯m not entirely sure myself on how to answer that¡­" I placed my hand on my forehead followed by a tired sigh. "I found myself falling asleep in the guest room where my older brother currently is, not remembering the dream I had before waking up or who brought me on the sofa, then I could have sworn I saw someone leave that room. But I wasn¡¯t entirely sure who it was..."


    "And it''s because of that you left the room in search of answers? You''re truly going to be the death of me one day..." he said with a light chuckle, sitting down beside me and giving me a glass of what seemingly was normal drinkable water, "Drink a little of this for now and try not to think too deeply about all this tonight."


    I stared at my reflection in the water before drinking it, he lowered his head with a smile before he continued to say, "...I would suggest you to not worry too much. I promise you that one day you''ll know the truth. But I implore you... Do not search for it yourself. Let me give you the answers when the time is right¡­"


    It wasn¡¯t that long before he would then grab the glass from my hand and helping me lie down on my bed. My eyes began to feel heavy as my sight slowly but surely became blurry. Moments later, the feeling of his cold arms and his kiss on my forehead quickly faded, and my eyes finally came to a full shut. My ears were only able to hear his gentle humming of a familiar lullaby that he always sang to me before I fell asleep until I finally heard nothing and my mind finally went blank¡­


    "When the time is right, and the day finally comes. Hopefully, I won''t regret it¡­"


    <hr>

 Chapter 20.5: Even After Everything

    <hr>


    Even the most innocent ones. Even for the ones who were just doing what they could to live every single day of their lives, the safety and protection that they wished with such burning hope¡ª would one day be extinguished by one single darkness that¡¯s darker than the Void.


    - Valerio Kono


    <hr>


    Weapons of iron and steel cannot be made overnight. It¡¯s like what I was told, no matter the cost, just do things right. Do not question what they will be used for, may they be used to fight in the war, just keep quiet and keep on making more. That was my job afterall. It¡¯s what I had to do to keep myself and my daughter living every single day. Inside I scream, while she continues to play. Hoping¡ª and I would even pray. That everyone that I hold dear¡ª everything that makes this village my home, would all stay.


    ¡°Is everything alright, Valerio?¡± he asked. ¡°I just noticed that you suddenly had gone quiet and have been staring in the distance for a while now. Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nothing. I was just so tired from my work that I almost forgot what it feels like to relax for once.¡± I responded, taking a deep breath. ¡°How about you?¡­ Alessio?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just the usual,¡± he responded. ¡°But to be honest, I do begin to get bored and exhausted doing the same mercenary work as well. Makes me wonder what it would feel like to be working in a different job that doesn¡¯t involve your hands getting dirty¡­¡±


    I stared at him for a short moment before saying, ¡°Well, I was about to offer you to work as a blacksmith in my shop instead but when you say it that way¡­¡±


    ¡°W-What?! Of course, I would be fine working as a blacksmith if you would offer it to me, but you know what I meant by what I said!¡± he shouted a bit then looked away.


    I let out a chuckle from seeing his reaction. ¡°Of course, I know what you meant. I just thought of messing with you a bit, Al¡­ You don¡¯t need to feel so embarrassed.¡±


    He sighed before looking at me, ¡°Aren¡¯t we both too old for jokes like this? Or it could just be that your jokes are too old, or overall just very terrible for me to laugh at.¡±


    ¡°Ouch. Oh, Alessio, how could you wound me like this? After my best attempt of just trying to lighten up the mood for us from your very, very sour look?¡± I said, slowly smirking before we both laughed while getting hit by him on the shoulder a little hard.


    That smile on his face. That playful laughter from him. The peaceful atmosphere all around us, how I wished that this would all stay. How I hoped that nothing would ever change between us. Nothing would change in this peaceful village. In the lives of these villagers and their children, and the life of my daughter, the one who I wanted to continue to watch grow, live in happiness and bliss. Not knowing of the harsh reality¡­


    But how it came crashing down once that day came. Once she said those words¡­ ¡°Father, I will just be selling these flowers now before the new visitors come, alright? I promise I¡¯ll be careful and come back soon.¡± and soon she ran off¡­


    If I didn¡¯t agree to her leaving on her own, would she have been saved? Would it never happen in the first place? If only I knew that she had one of the stones with her at that time, I would have already stopped her. If only I knew that it was what triggered the whole catastrophe to happen that day. If only I was fast enough, then maybe she¡­


    She wouldn¡¯t have been found lying on the ground with the debris and the other corpses. Unmoving, and was stained in red. I couldn¡¯t help but just stand there, mourning in my head, before soon looking at the floating tyrant with a sword tightly in hand, shouting at the top of my lungs, ¡°... YOU will pay for everything you¡¯ve done!¡± before giving it my all on fighting him off all on my own¡­ But none of it was enough¡­


    Even with all of those skills, strategies, and powers from the two stones that I had at that time, the hatred and anger that I had, none of those were enough to defeat him. After I was finally left lying on the ground, I thought and believed that it was already the end of me. Despite how I still had the determination to end him. My body and energy were already failing me, my mind was already in shambles. Making me hear voices due to the drawbacks of one of the stones for using it for too long.


    Is this how I will end? After losing everything I¡¯ll be losing my mind as well? I began to crawl on the ground while gritting my teeth in anger. I refuse... I refuse to die when it¡¯s not my time yet! I refuse to let things end this way without making him pay for what he did¡­ One way or another¡­ Sooner or later¡­ For everything¡­ For everyone¡­ For my daughter¡­


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty! We found a survivor here!¡± one of the guards shouted as they began to carry me carefully back to the carriage. While I could only keep my eyes open a little longer, I was able to see the Queen¡¯s gentle and worried face. Feeling her gentle warm hands on my cheek, but I could barely hear what she said before I soon lost consciousness¡­


    <hr>


    After some time, I found myself lying in a comfortable bed, in a majestic room, and hearing murmurs from the nurses who were surrounding the Queen. When she finally noticed that I was awake, she quickly approached me, kneeling on the floor just beside my bed. ¡°You¡¯re finally awake. Thank goodness that we were able to still save one,¡± she said, her hands on my cheek, her face lowered as if she was trying not to cry. After taking a deep breath, she looked at me again, ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ How are you feeling now?¡±


    I could only look at her with blank eyes before responding in a monotone voice, ¡°Numb¡­ Everything just feels numb right now.¡± and looked down at my bandaged arms and hands, ¡°Am I¡­ truly the only survivor that was found out there? And no one else?¡±


    She became quiet before shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... But unfortunately, yes.¡±


    Clenching my fists, I soon gritted my teeth in anger as tears streamed down my cheek, ¡°That bastard of a king! This is all HIS fault! Everyone is dead now because of HIM!¡± I just kept on shouting and immediately threw the vase with flowers on the wall, making her lower her head and cover it with her hands as the nurses tried to stop me.


    ¡°HE destroyed everything that was in his wake, HE took it from MY daughter and showed her no mercy! HE showed no mercy to anyone!¡± After finally letting out those final yells, I fell onto my knees on the bed. Tears continued streaming down my cheeks with my head lowered and my hands still clenched. ¡°He took her away from me¡­¡±


    Silence then filled the room. She looked down at me with pity, before she finally spoke in a low tone, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for everything that has happened. And for your loss. I didn¡¯t know that it would end up that way. I didn¡¯t expect that he was that kind of¡ª¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know? You didn¡¯t expect it?!¡± I sternly said as I looked at her. ¡°What was going through your head when you thought of the idea of having a little meeting with the enemy kingdom¡¯s ruler in my village¡ª in my peaceful home¡ª would bring?!¡±


    ¡°I wanted PEACE! I wanted to finally end this never-ending war once and for all!¡± she shouted back. ¡°Please believe me, I never wanted any of that tragedy to happen!¡±


    Breathing heavily, I could see the eyes of the nurses staring at me with worry while some of the knights were looking at me sternly, ready to attack just in case. I then sighed, ¡°Tell me, what would believing in your words would do? It wouldn¡¯t bring back what I¡¯ve lost. It wouldn¡¯t bring justice to what happened to those innocent villagers¡­ Especially not when you still seemed to be in doubt of what that King did to them.¡±


    Her eyes widened in fear and shock. ¡°W-What?... H-How do you know that I¡­¡± I was silent, trying to keep my composure, and instead, pulled out and showed a cyan stone to her, making her more surprised and dumbfounded upon seeing it. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That couldn¡¯t be one of the six stones of the realm, is it? How¡­ How did you get that?¡±


    I continued being silent and when she noticed it, she hesitantly touched it and immediately her eyes widened as the stone glowed. Tears started streaming down her cheeks as she let it go and moved back. The nurses surround her out of worry as the knights approach me but stop in their tracks and look at her once she commands, ¡°Stop at once. Don¡¯t hurt him. He hasn¡¯t done anything wrong. It was my choice that got¡­¡±


    After she took a deep breath, she stood up properly as she looked at me. Her eyes still had some tears left but still, she spoke, ¡°I see now where your anger and hatred was stemming from. And I see now that you were telling the truth of what has happened¡­ Despite how much I want to wish and hope that it wasn¡¯t the case.¡± Her tone and the aura around her changed drastically now. ¡°You said that you want me to bring him to justice for what he did, have you not?... Then let me help you. While you help me too.¡±


    <hr>


    Ever since I agreed to it, the Stone of Mind was with the Queen, and she was never the same again. While I was never the same again as well. It¡¯s as if all of my human positive emotions died along with that village, along with my daughter. The people around me now know me as this strict, brutal Head General of Helio Vermillion, not knowing what I was back then¡­ other than myself, the Queen, and a certain old friend of mine, who I never expected to see one day on the other side of the battle of this never-ending war¡­


    Who I never once expected to be fighting against with, and almost ending his life because of a misplaced anger and hatred. He, who I thought would be by my side once he knew of the truth as well, didn''t expect that he would change drastically as well. Making me almost hate to expect anything else good from him and other people now. How I tried so badly to deny everything I heard from him during that last battle we had.


    ¡°It''s about how I unintentionally saved the King of Ivory Moon when I couldn''t find you at that time¡­ isn''t it?¡± I recalled then another, ¡°...I am tired of everything, Valerio¡­ But I still pondered and tried to make things happen, however wishful and selfish it may be, to reconcile the past and the now in peace. I suppose you''re right about me being foolish.¡±


    I don¡¯t¡ª I just truly can¡¯t understand how you could look at that man and think of protecting him. After already knowing what happened¡­ I thought as I tried to keep my composure, opening the door to the room where he was currently resting, and seeing his sister, Endellion sleeping on the sofa nearby. Walking towards the side of his bed, I looked down at him before looking at Endellion. With this chance that I currently have, I could have just easily taken the stones, even if I would have to receive my punishment. But¡­


    Instead of pulling the sword from my scabbard on my side, I carefully placed the blanket on him and silently let out a sigh. Staring down at him as the purple stone on my tie began to glow until I quickly grabbed a hold of it. Not too tightly, but I could feel it hurting my hand as it continued acting up, making my hand bleed a bit but I kept a serious look at him before soon taking my leave. It seems that even after everything that I know now, even after how I believed that I had no humanity left in me after so long, and how desperate I was to get them, somehow at that moment¡­ I still couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it.


    Is it because I am afraid of the consequences? Is it because I am afraid of her and his wrath for my disobedience and betrayal if I were to do it? Is it because I do care about them?  I stopped walking in the hallway as I looked at my bloodied hand and the purple stone that finally stopped glowing but was now stained in my blood. Or am I just waiting for a much better opportunity? Just waiting¡­ for things to get out of hand soon because of this?


    <hr>

 Chapter 21: Valerio, the Queens General

    <hr>


    A village, a daughter, a friend you lost,


    Love, Joy, Empathy, all of them you tossed;


    For a happy ending, you tried to sought,


    You still paid the price no matter the cost.


    ¨C Valerio Kono


    <hr>


    As I continued to walk alone down the long, desolate hallway, my mind raced with a lot of questions and thoughts. The purple stone in my hand, now stained with my blood, serves as a grim reminder of the choices I''ve made and the path I''ve taken. Still, I can''t help but feel a sense of uncertainty, and doubts about my situation. Am I truly waiting for a better opportunity, or is there something or a certain someone holding me back? If I already severed my ties from my past, why would they all matter to me until now?


    Rubbing my forehead for a short moment, with all of those thoughts running in my head, I then soon took a deep breath and stood straight. Trying to gain my composure once again, opening my eyes, I looked around me one more time before I decided to knock on the door in front of me before finally entering the room. It was dark with only the fireplace giving light, and there she was. Majestically sitting on her single red couch, with her serious and cold gaze looking through the window with crossed legs, while having a glass of wine in her hand which she whirls around casually.


    "Your hand is bleeding¡­" she said without looking at me, though I could see her blank expression in her reflection on the window. "...Were you trying to stop your stone from getting in your head? To perhaps not force you to make another huge mistake like you did for the past two weeks now behind my back?" she asked as her tone shifted in a slight serious tone and her grip on her glass tightened shortly, before drinking her wine.


    "Was it truly necessary to ask such an obvious question when you already know the answer?" I asked in a monotone voice, closing the door behind me. "Or perhaps¡­ that was your best ¡®attempt¡¯ to show like you do care about what was happening to me?"


    She lets out a tired sigh, finally turning her head to look at me. "Are you doubting me now?" Placing her glass on the tableside, she then stood up then slowly approached me. "...Like everything else you had been thinking about yourself for a long while now?"


    After staring down at her directly into her eyes for a short moment, instead of saying anything as a rebuttal or a response that would cause another fight, I chose to look away. Letting her grab my wounded hand and let her heal it with her healing magic.


    "You know it yourself that you could have used the stone¡¯s power to heal your wound, and yet here you are. Letting your superior do it for you¡­" she said as I scoffed.


    "And I never asked you to heal it." I replied. "Her Majesty knows that she could have just let it bleed, or just waited for my stone to let it heal for me. And yet she still chose to stand up from your comfortable seat and made your way to me just to do this..." I raised an eyebrow as I looked down at her. "Which makes me wonder if Her Majesty is just doing this out of desperation to prove a point of her claim of caring for her people¡­"


    Her stern glance met mine as she threw my now healed hand. "How ungrateful¡­"


    As she walked away, now heading back to her seat, I looked down at my hand and sighed. "Her Majesty knows it herself that she cannot tell me not to doubt myself, to let go of the past, when she is also in doubt of her own thoughts and past¡­ Am I wrong?"


    "No. You are right¡­ But I do not find it necessary for you to point it out," she paused, sitting back in her seat. "Especially when that is not the reason why I called you here tonight, and I am not in a great spirit to be in another long argument with you¡­"


    I nodded my head a bit, "Right¡­ My apologies for that." I then responded before soon sitting on the sofa across from her. "So¡­ what shall this discussion be about then?"


    Out of the blue, I immediately closed my eyes as quick memories of what I did for the past few weeks suddenly flashed in my mind, and caused my head to hurt a lot. "You are still aware of your own past actions, are you not?" she asked, pouring the bottle of wine on my glass. "I know that any punishment that I would be giving you at this point would just be a slap on the wrist for you, when I believe the pain it would cause would be numb to you. Instead¡­ I would be letting him give it to you once he arrives tomorrow."


    I groaned a bit and shook my head, "Can I not ask for you to give my punishment instead? No matter how harsh it may be, I don¡¯t think my stone would make me feel as numb from the pain. Or just don¡¯t let me have it with me at all¡ª Just¡­ not from him."


    "So¡­ you are still afraid of him? After all these years that has passed." she asked, raising an eyebrow at me with her hand placed under her chin. "You truly should have thought about that before you gave her those threats, twice. You know it yourself that even if I were not to give that information to him, he will know about it one way or an¡ª"


    "I KNOW THAT!" I shouted suddenly before looking down, panting heavily. "I¡¯m very much aware of that¡­ I¡¯m aware of the consequences of all of my actions and yet¡­"


    "And yet you still did what you did, as if you never feared such consequences that would follow right after," she added. "Perhaps you truly never truly feared me, despite being your superior. But you fear him because of what he has that supposedly belongs to you¡­" She tilted her head a bit as she asked, "You still would know of such a feeling of wanting to keep someone dear protected, do you not? Or have you already forgotten it?"


    I scoffed, removing my hand from my head as my gaze looked at her. "No, I haven¡¯t forgotten about it. And it¡¯s fortunate for me that I can still act more human than you had ever been for the past several years now¡­" I responded as her gaze became more stern and her hands clenched tightly onto her dress. The room slowly became colder than how it was a moment ago, the sudden breeze almost putting out the fire from the fireplace.


    She then soon let out a sigh, seemingly trying to keep her composure the best she could attempt to do. "I suppose¡­ it would be that much of a


    hypocrite of me to deny that my harsh words of truth were never provoking towards you," she said. "But as I stated earlier, I am not in a very great spirit to be in another long argument with you. So, I would much prefer it if you were not to attempt to further continue in such a path..."


    I stared at her in silence for several seconds before finally nodding my head a bit and responding, "As you wish, your Majesty¡­ And my sincere apologies for my behavior just now as well." then grabbed the glass of cold wine on the table in front of me as she turned her head away from me. Taking a sip from it as my gaze never left her. Afterall, our very strange relationship between Ruler and Head General has always been like this.


    Stating obvious ¡®truths¡¯ about one another that would escalate to an argument, at times there were slappings involved from her side, but nevertheless, I didn¡¯t mind any of it at all. I didn¡¯t mind the pain she would inflict on me. I didn¡¯t mind the short or long arguments we had from time to time that one of us would have started. And strangely enough, my wife and I weren¡¯t even like this back when she was still alive. I wonder why.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    I soon noticed her head turned to look at me, "Are you perhaps questioning now as to why I still keep you around despite your false loyalty to me?" she asked, pouring wine into her empty glass and then taking a sip from it. As she raised it in my head level, her gaze looking at me through the glass and the wine inside of it, she asked, "Or are you perhaps wondering as to why you seemed to have been more different than how you were before the tragedy happened?... Before you met me in person for the first time¡­"


    "Your Majesty, we both know that most people change as years pass by. Whether for the best of what they can be¡­ and even for the worse towards others who they will come across at one point or another." I responded, placing the glass of wine back on the table then crossed my arms. "And sometimes, at some point in life, we start to look back and question as to how or why we became the people we are now and did those things¡­"


    "So, why did you send those threats to her, Valerio?" she asked, closing her eyes. "Was it worth doing so to keep her silent about the truth of what you and your men did? What was the worth of killing several messengers who were only doing their jobs?"


    "No, I don¡¯t believe it wasn¡¯t¡­ But just in case you forgot, Your Majesty, we are still in the middle of a war here." I said, in a bit stern tone now. "Wouldn¡¯t you be very wary as I am¡ª or even have at least suspicions towards the people from our enemy¡¯s kingdom just suddenly show up here one day?... My men and I only did what we had to."


    "Is that so?" She placed her cheek against her hand with her elbow placed on the armchair of her sofa. "Well, if that truly was the case, and you truly believed that you all were doing the right thing, then was it necessary to hide such a truth from me?... Or is there something else you are trying to hide from me?... My oh so dear Head General."


    I placed my hand on my chin as I stared at her. Soon realizing something, "Ah, I see now¡­" I crossed my arms, stood up from my seat, and began walking towards her. "You could have just used the power of your stone to get the answer yourself, I mean, no one is stopping you afterall. Not even someone like me. But¡­ it seems that you are satisfied with it, or¡­ it¡¯s not the answer that the stone¡¯s power could give you easily."


    I then placed my hand on her cheek, gently making her turn her head to look at me. "My dear Majesty, we both know that you have forgotten what it is like to follow your own heart. Though, I know I could not entirely blame you for shutting it off after that tragedy that fell upon that old village but using your mind and the power of the stone that you have would be enough to give you the answers you want and need..."


    "I am very much aware of that¡­'''' She places her hand on the back of mine, "But if the price to be able to feel one again is to steal someone else¡¯s power, let alone another life, then I would choose not to, and rather find another solution to it." she responded, before carefully removing it from her cheek, standing up then began walking away. Not turning even once to look at me as she continues with, "You may still not believe me for caring for my people, and I cannot force you to do so, but she¡­ Endellion is important to me more than you think, and more than how I could show it through my actions."


    She then stopped, lowering her head a bit. "I cannot describe why or how. But¡ª"


    "I understand...'''' I immediately responded, "If that truly is what you want, then I will try my best to keep myself in check when being around her from now on. But¡­ if I may say one thing, Your Majesty¡­" My tone became much more stern as I continued, "If I were to find out that she will be betraying us, I swear, I truly won¡¯t hesitate to strike¡­"


    There was a silence in the room for a short moment before she let out a sigh and asked, "You sound so confident about that now than how you were earlier, are you truly no longer afraid of the consequences coming from him if he were to find out?" She then turned her head to look at me, "As for me, I would not mind if you were to punish her if that were to happen, but I cannot allow you to do that without telling me first, and with concrete evidence to support such a claim about her. And if you were to disobey me once again¡­" As she was now walking towards me, she then continued with a much colder and stern tone, "I would not hesitate to punish you myself, very severely. Understood?"


    After looking away for a second, I sighed and looked back at her. "I understand, Your Majesty. I will be keeping it in mind.'''' I responded, bowing down before she turned away from me once again, and finally leaving the room. My eyes now staring at the door where she left, after a while of standing in silence, I mumbled under my breath with my hand on my chin then closing my eyes. "Concrete evidence about her betrayal... Hmm¡­ I believe it would be enough if she were to show it herself¡­ Unintentionally it may be¡­"


    Looking at the clock and noticing it being late at night, I then walked away and left the room. Walking in the empty hallways, I placed my stone back to my tie properly. It glowed a little as I quickly felt its power surging through me once again, making me sighed in relief before carefully opening the door of the guest room where Alessio is currently resting in. Grabbing the candelabra from the top of the end table by the door, and lighting the candles up with fire magic, I began to look around a bit and found that Endellion was no longer in the room. Did she wake up earlier and left? Did she notice¡ª


    "The first attempt wasn¡¯t enough that you¡¯d be taking seconds now, General?"


    Immediately turning around, I found Kareem who was just standing behind me.


    "What are you doing here?" I asked. "Are you some sort of night owl Avian now?"


    He crossed his arms. "Was that supposed to be an insult towards me or my kind?" He then sighed, "Regardless, I was supposed to be asking you that question when you already came here earlier, only to stop yourself. So, what¡¯s the point of going here now?"


    "And that is none of your concern to know..." I said, my gaze was focused on him as my hand placed the candelabra back to where it was earlier.  "Or are you perhaps that worried about the lady who doesn¡¯t feel the same for you and is in love with another¡­"


    His gaze became stern, staring at me and walking towards me a bit. "You can say all of that now. But one day, you¡¯ll know what it feels like to be stolen by someone else¡­"


    "Stolen by someone else?" I repeated before scoffing, my hands clenching tightly. "All throughout my life, I have had everything and everyone stolen away from me. By death or by someone else¡¯s hands. Desperate I may be, a monster I am being seen by people¡ª probably I am! But why would I even care at this point?!" I snapped loudly right at his face, almost punching him, before moving away and then taking a deep breath, regaining my composure. "Why am I even trying to talk to you? When it¡¯s just wasting my time, and I have somewhere else I need to be in to check on someone right now¡­"


    Closing the door behind me, and walking past him, he spoke once again which made me stop in my tracks but didn¡¯t turn to look at him, "Is that all you are now? Do you truly think there¡¯s no other hope for you or your life to change for the better in the future?" As he noticed my silence, he let out a sigh. "You are already so close, and yet so far¡­ You could have let things be, but you let your own desires and hatred blind you¡­"


    "Ha¡­ And since when have you begun talking and sounding like she does? Has she been rubbing on you too much? I do wonder¡­" I said before lowering my head and crossing my arms. "Well, I cannot deny or say that you are wrong on some parts of what you have said. But it is easier said than done to let go of things, to not be consumed and be blinded by desires and hatred. When it¡¯s been so long now¡­" Placing my hand on the purple stone on my tie, I hold on to it, "Makes you wonder if you are any different without the very object that makes you think, and do things you never thought you could do¡­"


    My grip then lightened as I felt his hand on my shoulder as he said, "You know, as long as you are still living, you can still change. You can still ask for help from the people around you. You can ask Endellion, or even the Queen to perhaps help ease your min¡ª"


    "That¡¯s enough." Interrupting him, I quickly swatted his hand off my shoulder as the purple stone began to glow again. "That¡¯s enough. You already made your attempt to make your point across which failed and wasted enough of my time¡­ Leave me be now."


    As I began walking away, he didn¡¯t say anything back, and I no longer bothered to look at him. But I know that he still watched me leave with that serious gaze. Just what was he thinking at that time? Was he truly expecting me to believe all of it that easily? For everything I had done throughout my life, during my stay here, how can I be someone who could be redeemed? How could I be forgiven when I cannot even learn to forgive myself let alone others? When I cannot even forgive him¡­ When he didn¡¯t do anything wrong to me, when he didn¡¯t mean to not be there for us, and just¡­ he made a huge mistake he didn¡¯t realize sooner until he knew he could no longer take it back?


    Sighing at the long deep thoughts of mine, I soon arrived in front of the door at Endellion¡¯s room and stopped upon almost touching the doorknob as soon as I heard a familiar voice, humming from the other side of the door. It seems that she wasn¡¯t lying earlier when she said that he truly is here now. How truly wonderful¡­ Putting aside my sarcastic thoughts for now, I still carefully turned the doorknob, then slightly opened the door and peeked through it. Soon seeing Ordell sitting on the bedside reading a book in hand as Endellion lies there in the bed, asleep. Such a sight soon reminded me of¡­


    "Father, are the bedtime stories you always tell me true?" she asked. "If they are, then I want to be a mage one day too! I want to travel all over the world and meet new people who may become my friends one day¡­ But what do you think, Father? Will you allow me to be a mage when I grow older? Will you allow me to protect you?"


    As the old memories began flashing right before my widened, and surprised eyes, despite how painful it was for me to remember them, I didn¡¯t move an inch¡­ And yet¡­ I was supposed to be the one who protected you, who was supposed to save you from¡­


    "I want to go to the beautiful hills of flowers¡­ I want to take you there with me."


    I was supposed to be the one who would take you everywhere you wanted to¡­


    "Are you alright, my dear Father? Why do you still want to stay here?... To that man, and to her¡ª to the Queen, why to them do you continue to revere? If you already know, their words are all and always severe." Her haunting voice continued speaking and echoing in my mind, as it was almost¡­ she¡¯s truly here right now, as I felt her hand on my shoulder. "Do you hate me now?... Because from you, I''m no longer near."


    Gritting my teeth, and scratching my nails against the door as my head lowered, I tried my best to not let my tears stream down my cheek but soon failed terribly. I tried my best not to shout right now, stopping both my hands to grab anything object nearby me to throw and break them. The last thing I need is for anyone else to see me like this¡­


    Just wait for me, my dear sweet daughter. I thought, panting heavily for a short moment before soon standing up straight and then taking a deep breath. I then removed my hand from the door and began to walk away. Good things¡­ come to those who wait¡­


    <hr>

 Chapter 22: Companion Dressed in Black

    <hr>


    I was a white rose that wilted once upon a time, but was found and brought back to life by a certain person¡­ And now I owe my life to him¡­ I became his favorite. I became the treasure that he kept so dearly. I became his delicate white rose, as he became my protector, my companion dressed in black that I adore¡­


    - Endellion Amaryllis


    <hr>


    [ Endellion''s POV ]


    The faint sound of chirping birds can be heard slowly emerging from the void of nothingness, and I soon feel a cold hand holding mine. Slowly, I opened my eyes to reality, to see the ceiling of my room, and soon heard the faint but familiar humming of a man¡¯s gentle voice. I slowly turned my head to see if it was him. My companion, who¡¯s always dressed in black with long silver hair, a green-chartreuse visible eye, and that smile that he always wears. He was sitting at my bedside as I heard him chuckling before I felt his gentle hand on my cheek and greeted me with, "Good morning, my dear, Endellion. Did you have a wonderful sleep tonight?"


    "And good morning to you too, Ordell," I said, getting up from my bed and moving my long yet messy black hair off of my face to reveal a bright smile. "And yes, I had a good sleep last night. However, I am much more surprised but glad that you came to visit me, despite being this early¡ª but I don¡¯t mind it at all, honestly!"


    He then placed his other hand on the other side of my cheek, making me look directly at him. The two of us stared at each other for a moment before suddenly feeling my cheeks squished playfully with both of his hands. "But of course, I had to visit you this early! I missed so much after all. And despite how your hot-headed General was the one who asked me to come here for his usual sermon, oh¡ª Meeting I mean, I would always choose to visit you first, my dear, El."


    I blinked twice in confusion. "You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re not afraid that you¡¯ll get in trouble for this?... What if he punishes you severely for not coming to him early?"


    "And why would I be afraid of him, hmm? It¡¯s actually the other way around, my dear¡­ But let¡¯s not try to summon him here just yet¡­" He said this with a wink before soon standing up and facing the end table beside my bed.


    I suppose I worry too much about everything nowadays¡­ I thought before soon noticing the tray of biscuits and two tea cups filled with newly brewed tea. He then grabbed one and blew it a couple of times to cool off before giving it to me.


    "Oh! Thank you!" I said, cheerfully as I carefully took the teacup and stared at it for now. "And I do miss these kinds of moments with you as well. I mean, I do miss you every time you¡¯re not visiting after so long. B-But of course, I understand that you¡¯re busy with other things too!... Traveling and getting information from places to places is not an easy job afterall. So I can¡¯t just be selfish and¡­" I came to a halt when I felt his pale, cold hand on my shoulder.


    "Yes, I do apologize for those times that I wasn¡¯t able to visit you. Some other things started to occupy me from time to time. But even so..." he paused, which made me look at him and, surprisingly, seeing his face so close to mine made my face flush a bit. "There was never a time when I never thought about you, my El¡­"


    As he slowly leaned his face much closer to mine, I closed my eyes and was waiting for it¡­ until we heard that familiar man''s voice that fully destroyed the moment. "Well, well¡­ I''m not surprised to see you here, of all places, Ordell."


    Immediately, we looked at the man who was standing by the doorway to see it was none other than Head General Valerio, who had his usual stern look on his face and had his arms crossed. To be honest, nothing is different from his everyday looks and poses, and this seemed to be the second time this week he did this. He continued, "I didn''t ask you to come to the kingdom early for this and you know it."


    But Ordell''s face hasn''t changed a bit. However, I could sense that he was annoyed at him for suddenly barging into the scene. Regardless of how he felt, he carefully rose from my bed and bowed to him, "Of course, of course. My apologies, The Oh So Magnificent General Valerio¡­" he said, exaggerating the last parts. "... But you know very well that I could not stop myself from visiting her first whenever I arrived here¡­ However, since you just ruined my wonderful morning, yet again, I suppose that we should get going with our agenda for today then... Shall we?"


    Valerio stared at him for a while before letting out a tired sigh and turning away from us. "Meet us in the library soon. Double time." were his final words, exaggerated seriously the last words before slamming the door shut behind him.


    "Tsk Tsk. He''s still as serious and pushy as ever," Ordell said, shaking his head before turning to look at me. "Hmm?... What¡¯s wrong, my dear? Did he upset you?"


    "N-No, but he''s probably still upset with me for what happened last time¡­" I responded, curling up and sitting in my bed. "I was aware of what they did to those messengers before, I was aware of their plan of the ambush that night, and I found out what he planned and did to my older brother. Of course, as expected, he wasn¡¯t very happy about any of that at all. He then tried to threaten to kill me, twice too¡ª But I couldn¡¯t just stand there and watch him hurt my family any further¡­ That¡¯s¡­"


    I soon paused, not noticing that he had sat down in front of me until I felt a gentle kiss on my forehead, which made me quickly look at him, seeing his sincere and comforting smile at me. "Do not worry about it too much. I''ll talk to him about it during my terrible (and very boring) usual meeting. And after that, I''ll meet you at the ballroom, like we always do, alright?" He said with a smile and a boop on my nose. "But please do always remember, my dear, do not skip your meeting with Her Highness out of excitement or for my sake. We don¡¯t want you to get punished too."


    "Of course, of course... I promise that I won''t skip Her Majesty just out of excitement or just for you. Even if I wanted to¡­" I mumbled the last part under my breath. "And I don¡¯t believe that there was a time that I ever did such a thing, so there¡¯s nothing for you to worry about. Well, except for the part that Head General Valerio might blow another fuse again if you don¡¯t get moving now... You do remember what happened the last time you became late after a while, don¡¯t you?"


    "Ah, yes. That¡­ I remember it very much, dear. But that won¡¯t happen again... Maybe¡­" he chuckled as he soon stood up and stroked my hair gently. "I can assure you, my dear, it won''t be long," he said before beginning to walk towards the door.


    He gave me a look one more time, then soon left, which made me stare at the door for a while before I got off of my bed and stretched my arms a bit.


    "Right¡­ I suppose I should get this day started too. Afterall, I don¡¯t want Queen Minerva to wait for me that long and get mad at me for that reason too¡­" I then looked down, holding tightly onto my nightgown. "And perhaps then, I would be able to ask her for help for Alessio, to be able to convince her, and finally be able to give her the two letters. I just need to stay strong¡­ and stay determined, right?"


    <hr>


    [ Ordell''s POV ]


    Ah, my dear Endellion. You¡¯re still as naive and kind as ever. And despite how it seems that you have forgotten some of what we talked about last night as expected of what I did, you were still able to remember what happened to Valerio and me before? Hmm¡­ It seems your mind and memories seem to be working in different and interesting ways again¡­ I should probably talk to the Queen about this matter later tonight¡­


    I sighed at the thought as I stood outside her door for a short while with a smile on my face before slowly it faded to a thin line. As much as I wanted to talk to her a little more, stay by her side a little more, just another small amount of time, my legs and feet began to walk away and my hand let go of the door.


    Right, right¡­ I shouldn¡¯t waste my time any further when the hot-headed General is waiting for me in the library, unfortunately¡­ I waved my hand before my gaze soon began to look around in the hallways as I was heading to my destination.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Nothing much seemed to have changed since my last visit here, except for the new paintings of portraits, and newly fresh red roses in each of the vases. How ironic¡­ The Queen was never fond of the color red since it reminded her so much of what she did that night. It was the same night when he called me to get rid of some corpse and told me to keep my mouth shut about what happened. Ever since then, they¡¯ve been calling me here to help them with their plan, but honestly, I truly couldn''t care less about the differences between our definitions of ¡®plans¡¯. I just want to visit my dear, white rose.


    "Good morning, Head General Valerio. Did I keep you waiting for too long?" I asked, opening the door without knocking then began to walk inside. Seeing him sitting in a chair with his arms crossed, and the same stern usual look on his face from earlier.


    "You always come here late since you prioritize her too much," Valerio replied.


    "Can a little visit hurt anyone?... And before we start our agenda for today..." I paused, carefully closing the door behind me before slowly approaching him.


    "I heard that you''re upset with my dear, El. Did she do something wrong that perhaps bothered you? Or are you just letting your anger out on her? And even dare to threaten her¡ª twice¡ª because of your own incompetence to keep your plans as quiet as possible?¡± He stared at me in the eyes before letting out a quiet grunt and looking away.


    "She didn¡¯t entirely ruin our plan... But I would much prefer it if she still didn¡¯t know and kept her mouth shut about it as well..." he responded and soon¡­ I couldn''t help but laugh. Which of course, made him even more upset, and glared at me quickly.


    "And what''s suddenly so funny?" he asked in the calmest tone he could manage.


    I finally stopped and caught my breath for a moment before soon responding, "You''re blaming my dear¡ª and sweet El for the reason that you got punished by the Queen?... Have you already forgotten she has the Mind Stone that you gave to her? Of course, she already knew what you''ve been up to, she just hasn''t been saying or doing anything for a while since she was curious as to the reason why you''ve been doing it. And El gave her the answer and became the confirmation she was looking for. Now as for the plan..." I paused before grabbing a book from the shelves. "As you said, it wasn¡¯t entirely ruined at all¡­  Instead, it even made things easier for us and our goal."


    "How? How is this any good news for us at all?!" he raised his voice.


    "You''re not seeing the bigger picture here, Valerio," I said, sitting down on a chair across from him, then began flipping the pages of the book. "If Endellion will be successful in changing her mind and melting her frozen heart, then the wedding bells will chime so joyously, and it isn''t that much of a bad thing... Not only will there finally be some peace in both kingdoms, but you''ll be able to gain trust with your enemies as well. And I know you have certain problems with the King, and your dear old friend, Alessio, may still be useful for us... but that''s not what you''re worried about, isn''t it?"


    "..." he refused to answer as kept himself quiet, with his gaze looking away.


    "I know that you foolishly fell in love with the Queen, that¡¯s why you¡¯re against the idea of the whole peace treaty... It¡¯s written all over your face you know... Though, you should have known by now that every forbidden love always ends very terribly."


    "And how is it any different from the two of them? Or for a better example, you and your relationship with Endellion¡­ Hypocrite." he added, glaring at me with crossed arms. "Weren¡¯t you the one who told me that you¡¯ll be the one who¡¯ll take her life once her time is up? Don¡¯t you think that will be more of a tragic ending for the both of you?"


    I closed my eyes as I slowly closed the book after hearing him ask that.


    "That¡¯s true, and you are right. That is something that I cannot and won¡¯t deny¡­ Every mortal¡¯s life is not infinite, it always has an end. They will all die one day, will all leave you behind, and you have no choice but to just accept it¡­ But we both know that you and I cannot accept it that easily, that¡¯s why we¡¯re finding ways to keep our loved ones alive, for as long as we want, for as long as we can... and for no matter the price."


    "Then¡­ you wouldn¡¯t mind it as I do if any sacrifices needed to be made here, just to make such a selfish wish come true?" he asked, his cold gaze meeting mine.


    With my mouth in a thin line, I placed the closed book on the table, stood up from my seat, and walked closer to him. "Everything will have sacrifices for this plan of ours to work as intended, that¡¯s unavoidable. But it doesn¡¯t mean¡­" as quickly as I paused, I immediately kicked one of the back legs of his chair¡ª surprising him¡ª and quickly grabbed him by the collar of his clothes to keep him from falling back, staring him very closely and coldly in the eyes. "...That I would allow you to sacrifice my dear white rose, Endellion, for such a selfish and desperate wish of yours, Valerio Kono."


    "You¡­ You already know that Endellion has Alessio¡¯s stone¡ª the stone of Time itself, one of the most powerful stones of the six. With that, we have the upper hand¡ª"


    "And you¡¯re going to threaten her again, just for that? Are you truly that desperate that you¡¯re going as far to do horrible things to her when I¡¯m not around, again? Just for the sake of two powerful stones?" I asked in the most calm tone I could manage, quickly interrupting him, gripping tighter on the collar of his clothes for a short moment before soon loosening a bit. I then closed my eyes and took a deep breath.


    "Or is it perhaps¡­ Am I misunderstanding our little situation here?"


    Slowly and carefully, I pulled him up but let his chair fall off against the floor, making a loud sound that could be heard clearly as the room suddenly fell silent after my sudden action. "I will just assume that it was all because of the drawback of your stone that was talking to me just now, and it wasn¡¯t entirely you. My sincere apologies."


    After finally letting him go, he moved away from me a bit. His eyes glared at me before he scoffed. "You can¡¯t tell me that I¡¯m the only one who is that desperate here, Ordell¡­ We both know that you would also take things too far as I do¡­ Willing to sacrifice the world and everyone else to keep one important person in your life alive."


    "Perhaps so¡­ Perhaps you¡¯re right about that as well. But I must admit that I do believe that your desperate and selfish wish for a better future, and for a better world is not for the sake of only one person, unlike mine¡­ And perhaps it¡¯s one of the reasons why I want to help you with your plan in the first place¡­" I said, before soon slowly making my way towards the door. "And it may be true that we will be seen as the villains in their lives for having such selfish motives, but it¡¯s better than being the blind, ignorant, ¡®flawless¡¯ heroes that the people love to praise so, so much¡­ don¡¯t you agree?"


    He sighed as he pulled back his seat and sat down. "I believe that we could talk more about the next course of action at another time¡­ You may now take your leave."


    "Good, good¡­ I was getting exhausted already with the grim topics we talked about afterall. But fortunately, I still have enough energy to dance with my dear, El..."


    I chuckled upon the door but took a quick glance at him, turning my head and smirking, "I do truly hope that you still remember what I told you about threatening or harming her again, Valerio¡­ I won¡¯t hesitate to strike twice next time¡­"


    There was only silence upon closing the door behind me, letting out a deep yet silent and tired sigh while looking down at the floor. I¡¯m not usually concerned about the drawbacks of the stones when it comes to the other holders of the stones, but for her, and especially that tyrant, is something that I need to keep an eye on until I¡¯m able to take her back, and away from him and this kingdom entirely¡­ for her own safety¡­


    After some time, I began walking away, heading to the ballroom where I usually¡ª and will be meeting her soon. Thinking that perhaps once I saw her again, those bitter thoughts and talk I had with the Head General would disappear soon enough. But what I ended up seeing, once I almost got to her, was something that I least expected to see. I kept myself quiet, watching them interact, how he interacted with her for the moment.


    She seemed happy, too innocent to see what his true intentions were for her or to be able to see how he looked at her how I could see every time he did. It boils my blood. And of course, once he noticed me, those glances he gave me, just made it much worse. But he knows that¡ª He¡¯s very much aware of that even. And it also got his blood boiling as well, just for the fact that I was now in the same room as him, or just seeing my face.


    "Ordell!" she shouted, running to me with the brightest smile. "You¡¯re here now!"


    Seeing her in a new light green dress, and that headband with flower accessories on her head. The way she twirled to show me the full look, I couldn¡¯t help but smile and feel mesmerized by her. "Did the Queen help you with that?... How beautiful you are!"


    She nodded. "Thank you. It took me a little while to think that you were already here before me earlier¡­ And don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t wait for a long time here, and Kareem was there for me to talk with me for a little while." She said, smiling and pointing at him.


    "I see¡­" I responded with a smile while keeping my gaze on her instead of looking at him. There was no need to afterall. "I¡¯m¡­ very glad that he accompanied you¡­ while I wasn¡¯t here yet." Clearing my throat, I then reached my hand out to her. "Regardless¡­ I am here now, m¡¯lady. I hope that our usual dance with me would suffice as an apology?"


    "Oh come on, Ordell. You know you don¡¯t need to apologize to me when it comes to tardiness and such." She said, taking my hand as we soon got ourselves into our dancing positions. "And I don¡¯t think you need to ask me every time when we are going to dance, you should already know by now that my answer would always be a "Yes"."


    I blinked twice in surprise at her answer before letting out a soft chuckle.


    "Oh, my sweet dear, El. You sure always know how to surprise me. But perhaps you¡¯re right, I shouldn¡¯t waste any more seconds than I already did, and let my actions do the speaking more now." I said, smiling at her before our legs began to move, and soon we began to dance. The piano was played, and our steps and pacing were in tune as we both enjoyed such a sweet moment together, after the bitterness the other people gave earlier. The same other people who are now watching us dance, and feeling their own bitterness and jealousy for something they cannot hope to achieve with the ones who they wanted.


    Oh, how I wish that this wouldn¡¯t stop. How I wish this moment would never end. That I would be able to stay by her side, like how she would stay on mine. No worries, no problems that we need to deal with, no expectations to fulfill, just blissful moments like this one. A miracle that may be¡ª A long journey may even be for such wishful thinking to happen one day. Such a very selfish thought could be in the eyes of others, but I truly couldn¡¯t care less. How are they any different from me for thinking the same thing¡­


    Oh my dear El, if you only know how much I truly care and love you. How much I would sacrifice for the future we both could have. But of course, how could you see it?


    <hr>

 Chapter 23: Her Mind She Follows

    <hr>


    Mirror Mirror on my hand,


    Who''s the strongest in the land?


    Appear to me I demand,


    Please do help me understand¡­


    - Minerva Anemone


    <hr>


    "Minerva¡­" A familiar voice I heard calling out to me as I slowly opened my eyes, but saw no one next to me. My hand gently touches the empty space on my bed, longing for someone that I never had, and I do not believe I will ever have. It truly is foolish afterall. How can I wish¡ª let alone hope for someone like him to be with me, when he is facing the same current problem I have now¡­ or has already found another. Sighing and clearing my morning thoughts, I carefully got up to begin my daily routine.


    I believe Ordell has already arrived earlier today, and soon he will be having the usual meeting with the Head General in the library. While Endellion and I would be having a meeting ourselves¡­ I thought, brushing my hair while looking at myself in the mirror. Which makes me wonder a bit of which of the two certain topics she has in mind will she try to start with our talk later. I was able to tell that she wanted to say more about one of those two topics last time at the throne room. But she knew it was¡ª


    "Queen Minerva?" A familiar voice spoke followed by a knock. "May I come in?"


    "Yes. You may enter now, Lady Endellion." I responded, putting the hairbrush down. The door creaked open, followed by  her light footsteps and  reflection seen in the mirror as she closed the door. She had a huge smile that she obviously tried to suppress, but regardless, I greeted her, "Good morning, Lady Endellion. You seem¡­ very happy today."


    "Oh. Yes! I am. Well, you see¡­ Ordell was already in my room in the morning¡ª"


    "I am aware. And the Head General is very angry about that fact I can assume." I responded, "Do not be too surprised as to how I already know. With how many times and years that scenario has already repeated, it is not that difficult to see the pattern."


    "You¡¯re right. I supposed you already had memorized how all of us would act, and react in certain situations by now with how¡­ repetitive we can be." She chuckled a bit.


    "Life has always been like that, do you not agree?" I said, finally turning to look at her. "As long as we are still living, we all do a routine upon waking up in the new dawn. Doing the same things everyday, perhaps even making the same mistakes as well, unknowingly." My gaze then looked away. "But that is how life is, and how people are"


    "Then¡­ does that mean that you don¡¯t believe in second chances?" she asked.


    "And what made you suddenly ask that?" I responded as I looked back at her before soon realizing where she was coming from, "Ah, I see now. But my dear lady Endellion, you did see what I did that day in the throne room, did you not? I did not punish them that severely where they can no longer learn from their mistakes, no matter how much those mistakes of theirs weigh." I responded, now standing in front of her with my arms behind me. "Would you not consider that as giving second chances?"


    Endellion shook her head. "No, your Majesty. I am not saying that what you did for them, and even for my older brother (to which I am very thankful for the help he is getting instead of a severe punishment) wasn¡¯t giving them second chances to redeem themselves. But I just don¡¯t understand¡­ how could you not give the same chance to¡ª"


    "Endellion." I quickly said, she flinched on where she stood. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath to calm down. "Please¡­ let us not continue on that topic."


    She blinked twice in surprise. But instead of folding in like she usually does, somehow she looked determined, which surprised me a bit. "Minerva, throughout my time here, you¡¯ve already known me that much. But I am nowhere close to knowing enough about you. And I want to know you, to understand you¡­ I want to trust you too."


    I stared down at her in disbelief before sighing and shaking my head, "It is too early for us to be having this kind of conversation, El¡­" I then turned to face the door and began to walk there, "... We could at least continue it after having our breakfast?"


    "Well, as long as you¡¯re not planning to dodge the question later." she said.


    "I can very much assure you. I am a woman of my word." I opened the door and began walking out of the room as she followed after, "Aferall, I had a feeling that you were going to bring up that topic sooner or later. But not expecting it had to be in a very terrible time such as this¡­" I suddenly stopped momentarily, seeing multiple men from down below, training themselves before soon continuing to walk, avoiding their gazes.


    "They¡¯re¡­ still somewhat patient to stay, and I suppose hopeful enough to think they have a chance?" she stated, looking down through the window before looking back at me. "But we both know that they don¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t love you. They¡¯re just here for¡ª"


    "Does it matter?" I said. "No one truly marries someone for the sake of true love."


    "And you still truly believe that?" She quickly said. "Yes, they are the type who would marry you for the sake of the throne, the name, and fame, but it doesn¡¯t mean that there isn¡¯t someone out there who would be different and would truly love you..."


    I shook my head. "You have been reading too many fairy tales again, have you not? At least tell me that you had studied as well without being under my supervision."


    "Oh¡­ Of course, I still do. But I¡¯m not hearing any denial." She paused, placing her hand on her chin. "Though wouldn¡¯t it be fair to say that because of how you¡¯ve been dealing with this war for so long that you¡¯ve been thinking nothing else but that."


    "You are correct, the war has been going on for quite some time now, as you perhaps already know. And it has taken more from me than I can even count, let alone even measure with a tangible scale. But if I were to ask you instead, would you still take the time to go out and search for that one¡­ what you claim to be, a person who would love you for you?" I asked curiously, stopping in my tracks to look at her as she smiled.


    "I don¡¯t need to look miles away for the one when they were right in front of me to notice." She replied. "And sure, there are the other¡¯s perceptions and rumors of him, but I wouldn¡¯t let it be my viewpoint immediately. I would still try to get to know him myself, giving him the chance to prove them wrong. Give him the chance to prove that he is genuine with his feelings for me. And maybe¡­ we could finally stop the war too."


    She then carefully reached her hand out to me as I quickly looked away, "Tell me. Isn¡¯t that what you were trying to do when you invited him to meet up in that village all those years ago? You wanted this long and exhausting war to end, just like he did."Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "And that meeting only led to a tragedy." I snapped. "It was all a just a trap to¡ª"


    "You wouldn¡¯t know the entire picture of what truly happened that day until you try to hear him out with his perspective of the story as well¡­" She responded, clenching her hand against her chest.


    "And I know that you wouldn¡¯t believe me if I were the one to tell you based only on my first impression of meeting him, since I wasn¡¯t there when it happened. And I don¡¯t know him that much, but my older brother, Alessio, does. And I¡¯m sure that he has no reason to lie about his experience working under him for years."


    There was a moment of silence between us before soon I took a deep breath.


    "And what do you expect would happen... once I finally heard his perspective, or perhaps see things from his point of view?" I asked, slowly facing her once more, "Is there truly a chance that I might change my mind and come to a different conclusion?"


    "I believe it would give you more insight¡­ I am not asking or demanding you to forgive him right away or anything. I¡¯m just saying that you should at least try¡­"


    I silently stared at her with a stern look before my expression softened. A sigh left my lips as I looked away from her once more. While she waited with anticipation, I closed my eyes and stayed silent for a moment longer, thinking of the very idea for now.


    ¡°¡­ After we have breakfast.¡± I said, looking at her once more. Seeing hope in her expression and her hands now clasped together in front of her, I added, ¡°I am making no promises that I would change my mind. But I will at least¡­ listen to his perspective."


    "Then I can safely assume¡­ that once I¡¯ll give you his two letters, you wouldn¡¯t just burn them right after you¡¯re alone, right?" She asked as I raised an eyebrow.


    "You have two letters from him?" I questioned, my voice with a hint of surprise in it, before crossing my arms. "And¡­ just how did you manage to get them here safely?"


    "A friend helped me get in and talked to him personally. He was very worried that Alessio never came back after his fight with Valerio." She responded, looking down for a moment. "And since he knew I was going back here on the next day, he asked me to give them to you. To prevent any more messengers from being burnt by Valerio¡¯s men again, and well¡­ so they would finally get to you after all these years he¡¯s been trying to do¡­"


    My eyes widened a bit upon hearing what she just said. How have his letters never reached me? All these years¡­ he has been sending me those letters and I never knew of it? I can feel my heart suddenly pound. And I can only wonder why it is doing so¡­ is it because of anger at the fact of Valerio¡¯s men burning my messengers? Or is it¡­ something else? ¡­ No, no¡­ I cannot let myself think of such things, let alone to entertain that thought.


    I quickly composed myself, now looking at her silently for a while. "Then¡­ give them to me after the breakfast is over." I said, now turning away to continue walking towards the dining room, "And pray that my men, and especially Head General Valerio, would not find those letters if they happen to stumble upon us and search you¡­"


    Walking down the hallways in silence, my eyes facing forward with a stern and unmoving expression, with my arms behind me. But deep down, I can feel my heart continue to pound, and I don¡¯t know why. It feels¡­ I do not know what it feels like. I then soon noticed Endellion soon caught up with me and began walking beside me, but her expression is slightly different from before. Like a mixture of worry and hope¡­ and I cannot decide which one she is feeling more of currently. But she soon smiled at me.


    "I¡¯m glad¡­ that I was able to convince you of that," She said, "And I suppose that means that my persuading skills are improving, right? From all of what you taught me."


    "You are getting better. Yes..." I responded, still staring at the path in front of us. "But you have another lesson to learn today..."


    She then raised an eyebrow at me before I finally looked at her with the same stern expression. "And that is to never expect an outcome that is in your favor." I stated. "You are only going to be disappointed¡­ for it may not happen the way you want it to be. No matter how hard you try or plan..."


    "Oh¡­ But I am very aware of those, your Majesty." She said, "That¡¯s what I was thinking of during my time when returning here before. Despite how I tried to reassure him about the same worries before I left¡­ I expected it and was afraid of how you would handle the entire idea, and so I prepared myself and my answers earlier this morning."


    I then was about to respond back but decided not to. The mere thought of her preparing herself to answer my potential questions and counterarguments in the event that I refuse the discussion came up in my head. I almost chuckled at the thought, but I was able to hold back and maintain my stoic expression as I shook my head. "I should have seen that coming from you¡­ As expected from my most trusted lady in waiting."


    I then stopped walking in front of the two doors of the dining room, looking back at her as she also stopped where she stood, turning to face me. I continued to stare at her with silence filling the area before I spoke once more, "But you must not be too confident, as this still only shows that you still need more experience in the matter¡­"


    "Which is why¡­" I then suddenly reached my hand out to her, gesturing my open palm towards her. Her eyes then widened upon noticing it before slowly placing both of her hands on mine. And now gripping them within my own, I then stepped closer to her, as our height was only a head¡¯s difference. "¡­You should never, ever get your hopes up to something that has a high possibility of being shattered as a result¡­"


    I stared at her in silence once more, but my stern expression had softened a bit. "And¡­ do not make me repeat that lesson¡­" I slowly let go of one of her hands, pulling away a bit from her. "¡­Now, we have breakfast to attend to, Lady Endellion. Shall we?"


    She seemed to have been at a loss for words before snapping back from it. She just nodded and allowed me to let go of her hand so we both could enter the dining room together. And as soon as we both entered, her usual bright smile returned as she spoke the words that I knew she would say, "Of course, your Majesty¡­"


    Seeing the others seated, we both walked over to our seats. The usual silence filled the area as we sat still and waited for the food to arrive. And when it finally did, the same usual activity of eating food in silence resumed. Not even one word has been said by any of us as we all focused on eating in silence. But I knew full well that the same usual silence would be ruined at some point¡­ sooner or later, by someone else.


    And soon, I was right when one of my advisors was coughing slightly, as if to try to get my attention. Without even looking at him, I spoke. "You may speak. Say what is it that you want to inform me of." He then cleared his throat briefly before speaking.


    "It¡¯s about our current supplies¡­" He began. "¡­It appears that they¡¯re starting to run low, specifically on food and medical supplies. And because of the Head General¡¯s¡­ very reckless plan last time because of some grudge, most of our men are too exhausted to fight. And those suitors¡­ are getting more impatient and aggressive every day."


    I gripped the fork in my hand tighter upon hearing the news, and almost did not want to continue eating because breakfast was quickly starting to not be pleasant to my taste now. "¡­I see¡­ Well then, how long will these supplies last before we run out?"


    "I would say only a week or two at most, your Majesty¡­" The advisor responded. "But in my recommendation, I believe it''s best to call for a ceasefire, and perhaps try to negotiate a truce in the meantime instead. No matter what the Head General may say to disagree with it all, we cannot keep going like this or else this entire kingdom will fall."


    Silence fell as I soon finished my food and slowly placed down the utensils on the table. I then took deep breaths to calm myself down before speaking once more, "¡­ And how many others share your recommendation?"


    The advisor then looked left and right, seeing the others in the table were looking at me, as if they all knew this was the moment that the peace talk would be brought up. He then responded, "All of us, your Majesty. All of us share the same views and concerns. And the only one who doesn¡¯t¡­"


    "¡­would be the Head General Valerio himself." I continued, crossing my arms. "I am aware of it already that if he were informed of such a plan from any of you, he would be in pure disbelief, or worse, be in the fit of rage to the point he may do harm¡­" I looked at the rest of them. "Rest assured, I will be discussing this topic with him, to see if I am able to change his mind, or he will be forced to follow my orders in the end."


    The others fell silent until one of the advisors spoke. "Oh, I believe no amount of discussion will be able to convince him, your Majesty¡­" He said, "Knowing the kind of man he is, his pride, stubbornness, and long grudge against the enemy kingdom would always make him refuse any order that involves the thought of a ceasefire or even an armistice¡­ let alone a truce. Not to mention the fact that he had the guts to go out of his way to do something so reckless without your knowledge several times already..."


    All the other advisors all nodded their heads in agreement. One of them even dared to add, "At this point, the only reason his head is still attached to his shoulders is only because you¡¯re still around and that you still see some use of him."


    The look on my face slowly turned sour on each word they said as I continued to silently listen to them, but I still remained calm as I responded back, ¡°I am very well aware of his¡­ personality and what he had been doing behind my back. Which is why I believe that it is time that it is only right for him to finally realize, and learn when there are some things he has no say in¡­ and remind him of who''s in charge here."


    And as soon as I said those words, I then slowly rose from my seat and looked at all of them once more. "But for now, I shall do as I said. I will be discussing the next course of action with him first¡­ alone." I added, while the others just stared at me, before the advisor who recommended the truce spoke once more. ¡°And if it turns out he won¡¯t listen or agree to your command, your Majesty? What will you do to him then?"


    Silence fell in the room before I opened my mouth to respond. "¡­ You will all just have to wait and find out." I responded. Then turning around I left as Endellion stood up and followed after me, "Continue on with your duties. You all are dismissed."


    The others just continued to stare and watch us leave before they all bowed and said in unison, "Yes, your Majesty¡­" The last thing I could hear is the sound of chairs scraping against the floor and people beginning to leave the dining room as well. And even when I was finally out of that room, it was still difficult for me to remain calm.


    "Are you¡­ going to be alright talking to Valerio on your own about that topic?"


    When she asked that, I turned around just to see her worried expression. My eyes softened for a moment as I responded, "Do not worry too much¡­ I will be fine. This is not the first time, and will not be the last time when I need to deal with situations like this." Noticing how that response didn''t convince her, I then tried to change the topic, "Ah, I remembered that you have that dance you will be having with Ordell. Why not let me help you pick your dress before I attend my next meeting with Adira and the others."


    She then blinked twice before seemingly snapped back to reality as she realized what I had said. "Oh, right! My dance with Ordell!" She responded, scratching her head as she smiled sheepishly, "I suppose I didn''t even think of what dress to wear yet¡­"


    "Well then, we have no time to lose I suppose¡­" I said, taking her hand in mine before we began making our way towards her bedroom, "Come now. Let us go and see what dresses you have in your wardrobe. Maybe we can find something good for you."


    We slowly walked through the corridors as I continued to hold her hand. Seeing her not replying to me but only silently walking by my side, I then spoke up, "Do not worry over my meeting with Valerio¡­ You have seen first-hand how he will react to other''s opinions over his during my councils. He will be no different this time as well¡­" I tried to reassure her. "I just need to remind him of his place, and hope that he will heed the call of reason instead of irrationality for once."


    She only nodded at my words, but soon fell silent once more, her expression seeming a bit lost in deep thoughts. I then furrowed my eyebrows at her expression and just squeezed her hand a bit, letting her know, and reassure her, that I am right beside her, and I was not planning to go anywhere. That seemed to snap her out of her little world in her head, and turned back to look at me.


    And without a word, she just smiled at me in return as she lightly squeezed back. Silence then fell as we continued to walk until we soon arrived in front of her room. When we arrived, we let go of each other¡¯s hand. I opened the door for her, allowing her to enter first before stepping in after her and closing the door behind us.


    <hr>


    <hr>

 Chapter 24: Owner of the Lonely Frozen Heart

    <hr>


    <blockquote>


    For a lonely heart that has been frozen cold for a long time, is it still possible for such to be thawed by the warmness from a long and forgotten promise of reunion made by us two? And once it became vulnerable once more, would it be prepared to take that risk once again?


    </blockquote>


    - Minerva Anemone


    <hr>


    In the large ballroom, we could hear the piano was playing, and among the crowds there I stood to watch the dance of the two. It was not anything new to me, since this has been a usual thing the two of them do whenever they meet up again. The same dance, same music playing, and their usual carefree smiles in their faces as if nothing just happened earlier that were making them either feel worried or angry. I¡¯ve seen this way too many times now, I could have stopped and do something else that was worthy of my time instead, and yet, I was always drawn into watching them, and watching her.


    Though, a part of me sometimes wonders how can a simple and such usual dance make one as happy as her. Must one be with a certain person, a certain partner perhaps, to be able to feel such feeling. Must there be a specific song and place to make it more fitting even. Such strange requirements for such simple yet strong feeling of happiness.


    "Happiness¡­ such a strong feeling that I haven¡¯t felt for a very long time now." Turning away from them, I walk away. "And I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be feeling it anytime soon."


    After all, what is the use of having such feeling in such a dire situation like this? How can one even feel such an emotion, being in this position of mine? How would he be still¡­ Stopping in my tracks and halting my train of thoughts, I then looked down at the two letters on my hands. Staring at them almost longingly as I remember the old memories I had with that certain person. That one day before they stopped visiting here anymore.


    <hr>


    "I don¡¯t understand, why are you telling me this?" The young boy asked. "We would still be seeing each other again on my next visit, right? So why are you telling me about sending you letters?¡­" he began to think with his hand on his chin. "Oh! I know! Is this our secret way to talk to each other now without our parents knowing? That¡¯s really¡ª"


    "Taro¡­" I said under my breath, my eyes were focused on the papers and quill that were on my study desk. Taking a deep breath, I continued, "I don¡¯t think that you and your mother would be visiting again next time. This will be the last time when we¡¯ll be talking to each other like this. Where we can see each other like this¡­ I¡¯m so sorry."


    There was a moment of silence between us. His eyes were widened in surprise, his mouth was in a frown, but his hand slowly tried to reach out to me until I felt it be placed on my shoulder. "You don¡¯t have to be sorry for anything, Minerva. I know that it isn¡¯t your fault that mother and I¡­ we won¡¯t be welcomed in your kingdom anymore."


    "I know¡­" I responded in a quiet tone. "I know that your mother was just trying her best to talk and convince my father to end this war. To bring back the peace to both kingdoms. But as time passes on, both of their patience would become thinner until one of them finally¡­ snaps. And that was what just happened to him in that room just now."


    "I see¡­" his voice sounds defeated as he took back his hand and silence follows.


    Gritting my teeth in anger, I tried to hold in the tears in my eyes from falling. "I hate this¡­" I said, clenching my fists tightly against my study desk. "I hate this feeling! Why must things end this way?! When I finally wasn¡¯t lonely for once, when I finally have someone to call my friend, only then when you will be taken away from me! Why?" Slamming my hand on the study desk, my tears began to stream down my cheeks, my breath heavy. Then I heard sniffling. And turning to face him, there he was crying too.


    "Minerva¡­ You actually see me as your friend?" he asked. "You truly meant it?"


    "Of course I do, you dolt!" I responded in a shout, though it wasn¡¯t my intention to be that loud. "You¡¯re the only kid here who visits me, who talks and plays with me. And even if I may act cold and harsh towards you at times, you still decided to stay, and keep that happy smile on your face. When others would probably have left already¡­"


    He sniffed once more, wiping the tears off his eyes with his sleeve. "Well, you¡¯re the only who was able to tolerate my energized self, too. Other kids would probably be too annoyed at me that they might do worse than just leaving me behind." he said, putting up a cheerful smile. "So I¡¯m truly thankful that you are my friend too, Minerva."


    Seeing that smile, slowly, I smiled back at him for a moment, "I am glad to hear that¡­ It¡¯s very reassuring." and soon frowned again, looking down. "But it is still sad that this will be the last time when we will be seeing and talking to each other like this."


    He blinked twice and frowning as well. "Oh, you¡¯re right¡­" But it seemed that it wasn¡¯t enough to truly make him sad for long, as he placed his hand on his chin and began to think. "What if we run away together so we can be free to do what we want?"


    My eyes widened at his suggestion before responding, "Taro, your suggestion¡­ is a very terrible idea. We aren¡¯t doing that." And before he said anything else to further to convince me otherwise, I quickly gave him a glare that made him rethink things again.


    "Then what if we make a promise?" he said, making me slowly look back at him to hear him out. "Let¡¯s make a promise to one another, that once we became the rulers of our kingdoms, let¡¯s write a letter to meet up again somewhere¡­ Would that be fine?"


    I stared at him before letting out a scoff, "That sounds like a childish dream to have and hoping it¡¯ll come true one day. And yet¡­ I find no good reason to oppose the idea at all." Walking closer to him, I slowly smiled, "No matter how long before that day comes, I will be waiting. And I will be sure to remember and keep that promise of ours."


    <hr>


    Our supposedly promise of reunion, only led to a tragic disaster¡­ A part of me wonders at times whether that maybe it was not the right time to meet up that day, or was it a sign that our reunion was never truly meant to be. I thought, my gaze still staring at the two letters on my hands. Hearing the crackling of the flames from the fireplace that gives light to the dark bedroom of mine, making me turn to look and approach it but stopped as well.


    "Then I can safely assume¡­ that once I¡¯ll give you his two letters, you wouldn¡¯t just burn them right after you¡¯re alone, correct?" Her words echoed in my head for a moment, making me grip on the letters a bit tightly now. "There are the other¡¯s perceptions and rumors of him, but I wouldn¡¯t let it be my viewpoint immediately. I would still try to get to know him myself, giving him the chance to prove them wrong. Give him the chance to prove that he is genuine with his feelings for me. And maybe¡­ we could finally stop the war too."


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    But not every love can conquer all, Endellion. And it has never been that easy for any of us. My eyes narrowed at the thought before turning away from the fireplace and sat down on my bed. Letting out a tired sigh, and lied back down, my grip slowly loosening.


    "Conflicted already, are we, your Majesty?" Ordell said, sitting there on the single couch with his gaze focused on the book in his hand. "My recommendation for you? It¡¯s much easier to be able to make a decision of the heart without that stone with you¡­"


    Closing my eyes, I responded, "How long has it been¡­ since she gave me these?"


    "I would say about two weeks by now." He said, closing the book on his hand, and setting it onto the table beside the couch. He then crossed one leg over the other with a curious smile on his face. "Honestly, your Majesty, I wouldn¡¯t be recommending it if you weren¡¯t taking so long, and there aren¡¯t those people who are waiting for your answers."


    "Unfortunately, I suppose you are right about that¡­ I truly had completely lost track of time with how things had been nowadays." I said, carefully getting up from my bed and walked to my study desk. Grabbing the letter opener, I began cutting open one of the mail. "Speaking of time, in his current condition, just how close is he to death?"


    Ordell¡¯s smile faded, and he let out a small sigh. "He''s been very close to it for a while now. He''s been getting weaker and weaker as the day passes. It''s clear he won''t be able to keep going like this for much longer. Though, I must say it''s astounding he was able to make it this far in his current condition. But I''m afraid his life force is reaching its limit." His eyes then narrowed, looking at me. "So, what is your next move now?"


    I have suddenly grown silent, with my eyes skimming through the letter on my hand before letting out a sigh. "I believe¡­ I must help him to come back to this realm."


    "Oh? And what¡¯s your reason for helping him?" he asked, lying his hand on his hand with his elbow being on the couch¡¯s arm. "To validate the letters being true, and sincere? To get him to give up the stone that he has? Or¡­ it¡¯s something else entirely?"


    "What? A ruler helping her people like she normally does is strange to you now all of a sudden?¡­ But if you want a more direct answer from me¡­" I said, looking back down at the letter. "I just¡­ I do not want for her to deal with another loss of a family."


    "Ah, I see now¡­ You¡¯re becoming softer now than how you were before." he said and chuckling after. "And here I thought that you were just walking on eggshells to not displease me by making her sad. Intentional it may be or not. But I guess I was wrong."


    "I fear more of the future than fearing you¡­" Carefully placing the letter back on the study desk, I looked back at him. "Ever since the day when you said it yourself that one death¡ª just one¡ª would change the entire lives, and the future of everyone in this realm. And I do not believe that he is part of that list of potentials. So, it would only be fair to keep him alive when it is not yet his time, is it not right, Grim Reaper Ordell?"


    Ordell became quiet for a short moment, his fingers tapping on the couch''s arm. He then let out a small hum, and crossed his arms before his lips curled up into a small smile. "Alright... You can try to save him. As long as you promise me something first."


    "Fine. As long as it is something that is reasonable, I find no problem with it."


    "You¡¯ll be needing Endellion¡¯s Soul Stone to be able to make it successful, I want you to promise me to give it back to her right after." he said, before suddenly pointing his index finger upwards, his tone became more serious with his chartreuse-green eye looking directly at me. "Also, another thing before I forget to inform you, and it may not be related to it, but¡­ do not be surprised, or even be mad at your Head General for what he may do during the process. For it is necessary to keep the balance. The price to pay."


    My eyes widened for a short moment upon the soon realization of his last words before returning to normal, "I see. A life for a life. But don¡¯t you think that it would¡­"


    "Don¡¯t tell me that you are suddenly concern for any of those bastards now?" he said. "Just kidding. I know, and understand, that it may be ¡®too much¡¯ to kill all of them just to bring one¡¯s life back. But we both know that those messengers doesn¡¯t deserve to be killed either, since those weren¡¯t your orders. And even if it¡¯s not them who did it, still better to had him take his hatred and anger on them instead than your own men."


    Closing my eyes, I tried my best to not imagine how gruesome it would end up. "I suppose that¡¯s one way to get rid of all of them, and that was your reason to let them stay this long. But how can you be certain that he would return to normal after that?"


    A smile then slowly formed on his lips. "Oh, don¡¯t worry about that part. I will be there to keep an eye on him, and make sure to get him back to him senses, just for him to not look for more. While you focus more on getting Alessio back to life. Then talk to him, get your answers, but no matter what, do not let him out of the room just yet¡­"


    My eyes narrowed a bit, staring at him before he continued, "Not unless you all want to vomit at the horrible sight and strong smell, at least let me clean up the mess."


    After letting out an exhausted sigh to calm myself, and trying not imagine any of those dreadful scenario, I responded, "We would rather not and never planned to do so in the first place. Especially, when he himself would know that he won¡¯t be healthy enough, both physically and mentally, to even walk out of the room even if he tries."


    Smirking, his eyes returned to their old calm expression. "Very well. Then I guess we have a deal. Good luck to you." He said, calmly and politely. "You''ll be needing it."


    Turning around, I only could hear his footsteps as he left before the sound of the closing of the doors of my room. Finally, the peace and quiet has returned, but my mind does not seem to have calmed down, not one bit. Even when he was finally gone. Even when the conversation was finally over. Different topics of thoughts continued to fill and run in my mind, until my gaze looks back at the opened letter and gently taking it. I then sat down on my seat, my elbow placed against the study desk, and my cheek lying against my hand. My eyes began reading the letter again, but thoroughly this time.


    Dear Queen Minerva Anemone,


    If you receive this letter, then I can safely assume that lady Endellion was able to give it to you. May you not put your anger and blame on her for doing it on my behalf, and I hope that you may put your doubts that I used schemes to convince her. To be truthfully, she was the one who convinced me to try to write to you again, and gave me the assurance that you would be able to receive and read it upon her return to your kingdom. I know that it may be difficult to believe me after what happened.


    I hope that you may at least try to hear me out for this, to hear my truth of what has happened that day when we were supposed to meet on that village, before you turn down my proposal for the peace treaty that is on the other envelope with this letter.


    Ever since we were never been welcomed in your kingdom anymore, not being able to visit, see, and talk to you anymore, things has been¡­ not that well at home. Mother has been drinking to forget her problems, and almost forget that she even has a son. It was lonely. Despite, there were people helping me learn and train me to become the next ruler of the kingdom, without realizing that I was bottling up all of my negative emotions for years until that day came. When we were supposed to meet up.


    Arriving to the place early, something was wrong. There was the sudden and strong desire to take something, along with the bottled up feelings, suddenly breaking the glass that was holding it for years¡­ It made me lost control. It made me took the Stone of Void from a child, then deaths of the people and the destruction of the entire place was followed after. Only when I fainted from exhaustion did I finally stopped. I then only regained my memories upon waking up at someone else¡¯s house. Meeting the man who saved my life, Alessio Amaryllis, but it didn¡¯t take him long to piece the puzzle together to find out the truth of what has happened, and became mad at me.


    Though I did not blamed him for that. And I do not blame you if you feel the same towards me for so many years now, and perhaps now wanting to hear my side of the story, even if it were never my intention to hurt any of your people and destroy their homes. I know that I cannot change the past of what I did, and so I tried helping him instead, with whatever I can. And I want to help you too. I want to fulfill our promise.


    Please, if you let me, give me a second chance to make this right by you. I do not want to continue this war that our parents has started any longer than it already is. For both the sake of our people, and for ourselves. Please, reconsider my proposal to you.


    - King Taro Naoko


    After reading the letter, my hands lingered on the ink of sentences on the paper. My eyes stared at it for a long while before letting out a sigh and leaning on my seat. A part of me wants to believe that his written words were being sincere, but another part of me says otherwise. Though, one thing is certain, and that is that I have to make a choice, and give them, and to him my final answer. The sooner that we¡¯ll be able to talk about this, the sooner that it¡¯ll be over, whether it be in a good or a terrible outcome.


    Putting the letter on the side, I picked up a paper and my quill to began writing my response, or at least a draft of it. To which became more of them than I thought there would be, and more time were spent on making them. My grip on the quill loosen a bit, my eyes were fluttering a couple of times. I then turned my head to look at the grandfather clock to check at the time. Realizing that it was already very late at night.


    "It¡¯s much easier to be able to make a decision of the heart without that stone with you¡­" Ordell¡¯s earlier words echoed in mind for a short moment, making me look down at the cyan stone that was attached to my golden necklace, my hand touching it gently. "Have I been too reliant on it ever since I had it? Ever since he gave it to me¡­ Did it give me only his painful truth that made me having difficulty to see others¡¯ painful truths?"


    My hand continued touching the stone, and almost attempted to try to get it off but stopped. Instead, it began to remove the necklace itself from the back of my neck with my other hand as I was getting ready to take my rest for the night. Even if it seemed unlikely that I would be able to sleep comfortably tonight with all of these lingering thoughts that are still on my mind. The feeling of being unsatisfied with my answers from the drafts that I had made, the anxiety of whether I would be able to bring Endellion¡¯s older brother back to life, and the questions that I wish to ask him if it were successful. The thought of whether I should tell them the truth about their family¡­


    May tomorrow¡¯s day come where things would end up with a good outcome for us¡­


    <hr>