CRISTON breathed out in disbelief, watching Liv’s back. “Look at her, breaking the rule she just made.”“Strela!” Liv kept calling as if she were hypnotized.“Jesus Christ! Liv, don’t wander off!” Jie was horrified when Liv suddenly disappeared as the voices around them grew louder. He ran after her, but to his surprise, the wall behind him suddenly moved, blocking his way back to the group.Jie stepped on a brittle skeleton that made a crack. The lights emitting from the runes on the wall were enough for him to see his extensive enclosure full of human skulls!“Goodness gracious! That startled me,” Jie mumbled.In the other part of the passage, Damien called. “Where the hell did you go?”There was no response. Aside from the harrowing sound of screaming, the iron wall had no gap from top to bottom. Damien silently cursed, as he could not find traces of Ethros and Liv.“I’ll look for Liv, Captain,” Criston suggested.“Let’s split, I’ll find Ethros.” Damien strengthened his grip on his
THE hissing sound echoed in Jie’s ears. He remembered the ordeal of fighting the Serpentis with Liv; there were just too many as they got closer to the exit. The warm sunlight outside could be seen, and Jie knew they could make it out alive even if it took them the whole day to figure the passage out. Serpentis was a snake-like monster of varying sizes. Its onyx-colored scales were made of spikes, and it had small wings but was not capable of flying, yet it helped boost its speed. “This is... your fault!” Jie’s voice stuttered. He could see the dark figure staring at him. He knew that creature had something to do with his magic. When he failed to summon his weapon to change, the Serpentis bit him, almost causing him to lose his right leg. “Ethros! Ethros! Hold on!” Liv’s panicking voice resonated in his ears. Jie tried to reach out to the dark figure, but it was silent. He realized that his companions could not see the creature. “Who… are you? A wraith?” he asked again. But i
A COZY breeze circulated the time-loop barrier. Unbeknownst to the outsiders, the forest inside had its own ecosystem that had thrived for two thousand years. “Is this heaven?” Jie muttered under his breath as he opened his eyes to the unfamiliar surroundings. He was leaning against the trunk of a large tree with purple leaves. The warm sunlight touched his face mixed with the cold mist. Did I die? He asked himself because he remembered being poisoned by the Serpentis near the labyrinth’s exit. He instantly gasped at the sight of a little girl's face staring down at him. She wore a light gray robe, carrying a brown satchel. “You’re awake!” the child exclaimed with a smile. “Who are you?” He sprang up. The searing pain in his right leg made him wince. He then assumed he was still alive. But why did it seem he was in paradise? “It’s been quite some time since I laid eyes on a human!” She pinched his cheek. “A real flesh indeed!” Giggles escaped the child's lips. She seemed delighte
JIE was horrified about the difference in the flow of time. “That is not funny!”“To give you consolation, the time loop resets every one hundred twenty days. That is if I don't starve and eat your spirit.” Hamriel said it casually.“How long have you been here?” He asked even though he had no idea what a reset meant.“I lost count. All I know is that I've been alive for nearly five thousand years.” The priestess shrugged.“Five thousand years! Holy cow!” Jie turned his attention back to the child near him. “How about you, weakling?”“Me? I'm ten years old!” She showed all her fingers.“Ten? Why are you so small for your age? You're even smaller than my sister!”“Oh, that. I stopped aging a few years ago. I just counted the years even after I died.” She stood up and strolled near the priestess. “What are we g
THE priestess stood up after chugging another glass of wine. She didn’t even give Jie ample time to prepare. Hamriel grabbed his arm, and together they disappeared.Jie’s eyes widened when he was suddenly located on a floating island with a gigantic tree at its center. He could see the ice castle at a distance and the crashing ocean waves below.“This will be our battlefield, Ethros. There’s no way of escaping. If you want to keep your life, then stay alive,” Hamriel smirked. She motioned her hand, and a golden spear sword appeared. “Its name is Frostbite. I hope your weapon will stand a chance at this.”“Glad you introduced your weapon. I haven’t named mine. I don’t think that’s necessary; I’ll defeat you no matter what.” Jie drew his bamboo sticks and posed for a fighting stance, preparing to defend.“Then I shall bestow the name Twinnus for your b
THE next morning, Hamriel was already on the Four Seasons Isle—the floating island battlefield—before Jie could open his eyes. He slept under the tree, and he survived the night because Weakling kept checking on him, bringing him food, and giving him proper clothing since the night had become freezing. Jie had never regretted his decision to refuse to return to the ice castle.“Good thing that you’re still alive.” Hamriel studied his horrible condition. “Why do you still refuse to stay inside the castle? It’ll offer the best comfort your body needs.”“No way! I’d rather stay here than be closer to you. Who knows what you’d do when I’m asleep?"Hamriel chuckled with his answers. “I can kill you anytime I want, Ethros. Do you think I don’t know that Weakling is helping you in secret? Poor child, so fascinated by a human like you.”“When I go out of this cursed place, I’ll take Weakling with me.” Jie suddenly decided this because the more he conversed with the child, the more he learned
JIE was so ecstatic that he was able to summon the fire for the first time. He did it repeatedly until he was out of strength. He was so focused on his newfound skill that he failed to notice that the shackle curse in his neck became fainter than usual. “Amazing! I didn’t know I was capable of this. I heard it was rare to wield the magic of different affinities.” Jie could not contain his excitement. If only his companions could see him right now, they’d surely be happy. Especially all the Ardhians who rooted in him. Jie silently swore that once he saved Nyssa, he’d return to Nirvana Metropolis to strengthen their defense against the empire. However, he was not even sure if he’d manage to survive the ordeal inside this time loop barrier. “Strengthen your fire manipulation techniques. It wouldn’t be easy, I know. But you need to give your best. The vast scale of the difference between your power and that of the priestess is immeasurable. Yours is just a speck.” “That’s comfortin
HAMRIEL was inside the library of the ice castle casually reading a book when Weakling entered holding a glass of water.It was almost midnight. “It's already late, Weakling. You should be sleeping by now. It'll strengthen your spirit.” Hamriel put down the book she was reading after the child gave her the glass. “I just came to see if you were fine.” Weakling smiled warmly. Hamriel drank the water and took the glass back to her table. “It is happening again. You know where to hide. It's the safest place inside this barrier.” “Why has it seemed you're saying goodbye, Priestess?” Weakling’s little face was worried. “I have seen Ethros’ improvements. I guess he's the one I'm waiting for.” Hamriel averted her gaze. “The one who'll free you from the curse?” Hamriel nodded. “Hopefully, I've been looking forward to this day for over two thousand years.” “But Priestess, what will happen to us?” Hamr
CRISTON’S dumbfounded expression turned into awe as a series of flickering blue lightning countered the attackers. It was not long until it was revealed that a platoon of military elves consisting mainly of mages was positioned in proximity of the border for defense.“Indeed, the military might of the Southern Hanum is state of the art. Look at that? In just a blink, the aggressors retreated. That’s the famous Starlight Regiment, stationed on the borders. Their sole task is to kill all enemies on sight.” Xylas shook his head as he chuckled, and he added, “General Ibri is surely ruthless. Rumors had been circulating that he secretly trained private elite armies of mages defying the order of the late queen.”“That’s why Advani remained untouched. General Ibri is the head of the war council after all. The Supreme General of Hanum. We’re lucky; even though they vetted on us, General Mord did everything so we could have easy access in this territory.” Criston stared at the magnificent view
ON THE rocky shore of West Advani, Pearlie crawled with her severely injured body while carrying Nyssa on her back, while Damien remained unconscious near them. The huge waves had helped them reach the island.The dawn was breaking, but the sounds of the night insects could be heard around, along with the turbulent splash of the waves and lightning piercing from the sky.“We are safe now.” Her tears kept falling from her eyes and turned into pearls as she recalled Tiedus’ heroic sacrifice for everyone to reach the shore of Advani.“Captain, wake up. We’re here,” Pearlie whispered through her dried throat. She felt her body was on fire.Pearlie fought hard not to lose consciousness, knowing they might meet their demise with the wild animals around if no one could rescue them. Fortunately, as her vision started to get blurred, she witnessed two gigantic birds—a falcon and a raven hovering above them.“It’s them!” said the man riding the giant falcon. It was Criston holding his golden gr
AS TZEITEL scurried to return to her villa to check on Izvern, she was not expecting to see his brother waiting on the entrance without his usual two guards. Agni seemed agitated.“Brother, what are you doing here? I thought you left since I haven’t seen you in the banquet hall.” She turned to her ladies-in-waiting behind her, headed by Marina. “Leave us. I need some time alone with my seventh brother.”“Yes, Princess.” Marina stepped back before she turned along with the other four maids.“What are you up to?” Agni stared at her eyes as if he saw through there the dangerous things she did.Tzeitel looked down. “What do you mean? Come in. So many prying eyes around.”“Do you think I will not notice how restless the imperial armies are around the estate? I sneaked to the nearest military camp; everyone seemed to be in chaos searching for something. I know how schem
DESPITE the current predicament of the Elsher Estate losing their precious captive, the marriage alliance between Cariux and the third princess still pushed through. The noble feast was held a day before the wedding, and several members of the imperial family had come to Kaitseri, including King Malik.Princess Tzeitel pretended to warmly welcome her family. Her two older sisters came to her just to assert their dominance since, just like her, they were married off to the powerful families to support the empire.“I can’t believe our youngest legitimate sister is getting married now,” Princess Gweyr giggled. She was the first princess. She came along with their second sister, Princess Eletha.They were in the receiving hall, and all the ladies from aristocratic families had gathered there, and some of them showcased their music skills. The festive sounds reverberated around.Eletha playfully touched Tzeitel’s hair. &ld
SURV Elsher gathered all the members of the family in the private hall of his residence to discuss their current dilemma. His old face was fuming in anger and scolding everyone.“Father, calm down!” Lord Filus tried to pacify the Elsher patriarch. “It already happened. An ordinary person could not even set foot in this estate, let alone abduct our source of healing power.”“What are you trying to say, Filus? If you were not so lax around here, this would not have happened!” Surv pointed his finger to his eldest son. “If that creature managed to return to Hanum, how would we answer to the empire?”“We control a military might in the North, we have the strongest armies. Who would dare to provoke us? I heard the intruder used an advanced technique of portal magic. Only Iridessa is capable of doing it.” Lord Filus sounded calm.Surv gritted his teeth. “A mere rebel dared to trespa
TZEITEL observed the three of the Elsher siblings gathered in the courtyard of the main house, drinking in celebration for the upcoming wedding, which would be held in two days. Using her portal magic, she could hear their conversation from a distance. Hidden on the roof of her villa, she prepared to return to the forbidden dungeon.“How’s the feeling of tying the knot, little brother? I heard Grandfather punished you the other day for having a tryst with your lover. How brave you are to disobey our elders while you're with the third imperial princess!” Fenton laughed as he teased Cariux. He raised his wine glass and clicked it to Halix’s glass.Halix chuckled upon hearing the words of their oldest brother. “I can’t believe you’re this immature, brother. You're carrying this duty, a task specifically given to you. You can’t mess this up.”Cariux chugged his wine. “Am I not fulfilling my du
TIEDUS reinforced the water bubble while Pearlie tended to Damien, who was still unconscious. They were traveling southward, holding out not to use their last resort to swim, as it could easily lead to their demise. “Captain Winward will kill us if he finds out we left the lieutenant to die,” Pearlie’s body trembled, remembering Hisila’s sacrifice. “The dead will remain dead. Why would we drown ourselves in regret? It’s useless! This is war, Princess. Thousands of lives will be the collateral. And now we have no choice but to cross the Lightning Sea. Maybe it’ll be our turn to die next.”“I know,” Pearlie gazed down. “Perhaps I’m too young to understand these things.”“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you reach Advani safely.” Tiedus strengthened his resolve, knowing the very low probability of survival. Crossing the Lightning Sea was a suicide.The water bubble came to a halt for a moment as they witnessed the sudden change of turbulent rift in the water from a distance. The roar of thu
BAHARINI quickly checked Hisila’s pulse, praying that she could feel even a faint throb, but there was none. It was difficult for her to accept that the lieutenant had already passed away. Silently, she blamed herself for her immaturity; had she heeded Kafle's advice to avoid wasting time in the pit, she might have avoided capture. This tragedy may not have fallen on Hisila if they had followed their plan.“She’s gone,” Baharini’s voice cracked. “It's my fault.”Kafle did not say a word. He looked around to check if he could find Damien and the others, but they weren't there. “We need to keep going,” Kafle said as his face was void of expression. Baharini turned to wipe her tears. She gazed down at Ethros, who seemed frozen on the ground. “Can we give her a proper send-off?” The princess suggested. “I'm afraid we don't have time. Our enemies are approaching. I can't risk your life.” Kafle had to make a hard choice, knowing time was of the essence.Jie finally came to his senses. H
ISLAND OF ASTRAEAIRIDESSA kept pointing to the island of Kaitseri on the map as she conversed with her deputy chief inside the war room. They had just finished discussing war strategies with other officials a while ago since the grand fleet of the Empire initiated an attack on the West Astraean shore.“Aren’t you worried we might lose this main base?” Nacht mused. He crossed his arms as he studied the cold expression of the liberalist chief.“You’re not helping, Nacht.” Iridessa heaved a sigh.“Take it easy, Chief. We’ll find a way to save your adoptive daughter.” Nacht teased her again.Iridessa rolled his eyes. “Tzeitel can fend on her own. I’m just waiting for her report.”“Her wedding is approaching. With the Elshers keeping her hostage, how can we guarantee her safety?”Iridessa scoffed. “Worry about your kids, Nacht. If you are not too foo