"Wait, who are you?"
Ling doesn't put his guards upon this man. He seemed to be on their side but still, he can't find himself trusting this stranger so easily. However hard he tries to remember, his highness couldn't recall him. Is he an old acquaintance? One of his father's brothers? Or maybe a cousin? Ling is having difficulties in memorizing people's faces so he couldn't tell if it's the first time he sees him or not."For real? You really are asking me that?" The man can't believe what he's hearing. It's like a sign with the written word "disappointment" is attached to his forehead. He's literally torn between getting offended and getting sad.
"Yes. I am quite serious. I don't know you." Ling tilted his head, looking like he's gotten confused. "Have we met before?"
His highness silently thinks, "Am I supposed to know him? And our people seem to have massive respect for him."Speaking of their people, the earth elementals all bowed down towards him
Yang gasps as he rises from the bed. He's still catching his breath but his eyes are already searching for someone. Just now, he was sleeping soundly, and when he woke up, his angelic face got replaced with anxiousness."Your highness...?" He uttered underneath his breath as his eyes wander around.He finds himself inside the crown prince's residential hall but the crown prince himself is nowhere to be found. He found someone else instead. He sees Aloisa sitting next to his bed, calmly sipping a cup of tea.Everything that happened before he passed out came rushing to his mind. There was chaos, hope is nowhere to be seen, and his highness has fallen into desperation."Don't worry about your master. Ling is fine." Aloisa put her cup on the nearby nightstand. "He's discussing some matters with his father and the Earth Deity.""The Earth Deity is-" Yang stopped midway. His headache got
A punch landed on Prince Ling's face which made him lose his balance and fall on the hard floor. He never tried to dodge nor block it. He accepted that punch because he thinks he deserves it. In fact, a punch is insufficient. He should be tortured and have his bines broken.Prince Jin, on the other hand, is gasping for air. His rage and resentment against his cousin are incomparable. He didn't hold back. He punched him as hard as he could. He wants to kill him right at this moment but he doesn't want to be like him - a murderer and honor degrader.Prince Ling and Prince Jin stand before the throne of his majesty the Earth Immortal together with the Earth Deity's presence. The main residential hall is still looking like a mess. Even so, it didn't bother them to meet here. Their presence is more important than the damage that the Fire Kingdom made to their properties.And no one ever remembered her majesty who's being cluelessly shut off on their bedroom. The queen,
He's after the throne. There's no doubt about it. Jin is after the throne so he wants to get rid of me." Prince Ling throws himself on one corner of his residential hall.He closes his eyes, wanting to let them rest for a minute or two. However, when he closes his eyes, instead of seeing a pitch-black void, he sees the last scenes of the battlefield. So much has happened in just a short time. He feels exhausted, drained, and disheartened at some point. He feels like sleeping all day today but how could he sleep soundly when the thoughts in his head keep on bothering him?His lashes slightly tremble as he slowly opens his eyes once more. His gaze meets the huge circular window that's situated in the eastern direction. He sees the sun rises again like usual. Warm rays touch the cold darkness, enlightening everything it reaches. Indeed, time stops for no one. After all that happened the sun will still shine as if the bloodbath in the land of life never happened.Th
Prince Jin silently sits on a branch of a tree, leaning on the trunk. His eyes are fixed in the rising sun's direction but he wasn't complimenting its beauty. He's silently thinking, trying to sink everything inside his head, and weighing things over. He never knew his cousin, Ling, can do incantations that originate from evil energy.What he knows is that the crown prince can't fly and that he has these strange metamorphic skills. Sure, shapeshifters can take any form of a living thing, except another's human form. When they're born, their human form goes with their real form. They can only have one human form and can't copy another's face. However, that one time when they were still kids, he clearly saw a part of Ling's real form. And it's definitely not like that of a floral fairy but more like of an amphibian or something similar to that. He's quite certain that it's Ling's true form too. He can simply feel it - a presence that doesn't conceal its overflowing energy.Since
Prince Ling silently stares at the fragile little flower in his hand. His mother would most probably scold him again for picking her beloved flowers in her garden in the courtyard. But he won't get reprimanded if she won't capture him on the act, right?Speaking of his mother, he didn't get the chance to see her majesty again since they left to go to the northern lands. And even if they see each other again, he doesn't know what to say. She should have heard the news and must be devastated and disappointed with her son now. But before he leaves again, he must meet the queen no matter what.Ling lets out a sigh which made the little flower on his hand sway a little. Now that he thinks about it, he also doesn't know why he suddenly felt the urge to pluck the flower and bring it with him. There are flowers that are more beautiful and unique than this but it simply draws his attention.A weak smile appears on his highness' lips without him noticing. For some reason, t
Holding the frozen flower in her hand, Aloisa doesn't seem to be bothered by the cold. In fact, the uneasiness that weighs in her mind bothers her more. Nonetheless, it doesn't matter if she's uneasy or not. It's only a matter of time for her to face the queen of the waters, and there's no turning back now. There's nothing else she can do except try to gather as much courage as she can at this very moment.She tightly closes her eyes and took a deep breath. Subconsciously, her grip on the little block of ice tightens as if it was Ling himself she's holding on. Is she being too soft now? Why does it feel like the responsibilities she carries on her shoulder and the shallow relationship she had with Ling start to tear her apart? Or was it her sense of justice that's getting on the way for her to comply with the queen's orders? Of course, that must be it! There's no way she'll be bothered by whatever there is that awaits Ling... or at least that'
They are just one more step away from the Western borderline. Ling and his loyal attendant, Yang stand before the western gates. The guards already opened up the gates for them, patiently waiting for them to leave. Once they step out, there's no turning back... unless Ling succeeds in his mission: To find an enchanted white fruit or to capture a rare creature in a form of a white dragon."Are you sure you're coming with me?" Prince Ling turns around to face his loyal attendant behind him. "The road I am going to take isn't going to be easy."They haven't been given the privilege to have a horse carriage or even just a horse. They also have to carry their stuff on their own as they walk towards unfamiliar places. That alone is a hard and quite tiring thing for Yang. Not to mention that they have limited resources now. They could only hope that they won't cross paths with thieves. Or else, they might die of starvation."Your highness..." Looking like he had enough,
Tap tap tapThe hurried footsteps of the destined high priestess seem to be so loud in the mids of the lonely hall. She wears a serious expression on her face which is very unusual for she is always seen as a cheerful lady. She didn't wake up on the wrong side of the bed nor initially have a bad morning. In fact, she was in a pretty good mood until she learned something."Your majesty." She called out to the Fire Immortal.His majesty is sitting on his throne with a small tea table in front of him. His left arm supports his head that's bearing a solemn expression on his well-chiseled face. On the top of the table rests a chessboard with its pieces already did several moves. This warlord rarely takes out this board game for this is a present from an old friend whom he values. He only plays it alone in times when the kingdom is against a formidable opponent.For a moment, Eva wondered, why is he bringing it out? Their opponent is just the Earth Kingdom which is q