IT CAME as a shock to Jie to watch all his companions pay their respects to the female elf meditating under the moon’s light below the altar. The crest of the royal family, which was an intricate pattern of a silver dragon, gleamed steadily.“Wait, Grandma? Is that your true form? But how?” No words could ever describe how perplexed he was. Realizing that Izora was a princess was so mind-blowing. Not just any princess, but the sole surviving royalty of Hanum!“All of you may raise your heads.” The princess's voice was soothing in Jie’s ears. She met his gaze afterward. “Yes, brat. I was forced to take that child form when my mother was murdered. I am Princess Baharini, and I will reclaim Hanum from the empire!”Jie felt a shiver down his spine when the princess declared it. Although it wouldn’t be easy, he admired her tenacity.“Wait, you being the princess of Hanum…” He stopped midsentence, trying to grasp the idea, “Then that makes you the holder of the Agua! Isn’t it?” Jie’s eyes w
THE delegates from the two kingdoms gathered in the Winter Palace of Firth. The security was tight because the aristocrats and royals present in the Avancie were the lifeblood of the Learaf archipelago.King Malik, who had just been crowned after his elder brother’s demise, spearheaded the long processions of royals on the thick blue carpet going to the palace. Behind him were the representatives of all seven houses of Vatre.“Why can I see only six flags here? Who dares not attend the Avancie, knowing it’s the most important event of the Imperium?” King Malik whispered to General Drax beside him.“The House of Vaughn unfortunately cannot attend. I confirmed that an unknown plague hit their estate. It could be contagious, Your Majesty. It’s better to take extra precautions.” The general thought was that the king would not notice because there were a lot of delegates. But his keen eyes did not miss a thing.“House of Vaughn...” King Malik muttered. He heaved a deep sigh afterward. “Wel
“KAFLE, we need to return to the palace!” Princess Baharini clasped her crystal flute tightly. He was looking at the vast sea, going in the direction of Firth. But the thick fog hindered her elf's sight. Kafle refused to look back. “We can't do that, Princess. Your mother had meticulously planned this for your safety.”“How can we cross that fleet? We'll be slaughtered like they hunt a whale in the sea!”“I am strong enough to get us through. We'll get to Mora unscathed.” Kafle sounded confident. He knew his power was at its strongest when he was in touch with the water. And with the surrounding ocean, he could weaponize it.“No, I can't let them harm my mother!” She gazed around. “I can't believe they put down thousands of our warriors securing Firth! My sense of smell is so strong that I know the blood of our kind has been spilled on this water.”“And that's one of the reasons why you need to survive, Princess. Firth is surrounded, and who knows what type of sorcery they did to eli
DESPITE everyone doing their usual activity in Firth, unaware of the catastrophe that was about to happen, Kafle and the princess had told some Hanumese elves to start evacuating as soon as possible as they scurried to return to the Winter Palace. Unfortunately, only a few obeyed while the others looked at them weirdly, especially since their peasant clothing could easily be identified as one because most of them had not seen the princess in person. “Everyone is calm around the city. We can’t even be sure now if our armored soldiers are real.” The princess started to panic again. They were taking the southern path so they could sneak in at the back of the palace.“Kafle, I think we should make a quick evacuation plan without alerting the forces of the empire. I can't think that our kind will cease to exist if we don't do something!” Princess Baharini suddenly paused as they got closer to the southern walls. Kafle nodded. “Let’s do what you think is right. We're already here, I’ll b
KAFLE returned to the queen’s chamber and found the princess sobbing as she tightly hugged her mother. “Mother, don't leave me this way!”“Forgive me for wanting to reunite with your father and brother too soon, leaving you here alone to carry all the burden of this decision.” Queen Zotza’s tears kept cascading down her cheeks.“Mother, no. Please… I can't do this without you.”The queen gazed at Kafle from a distance. “He will take good care of you.”“No!” Princess Baharini strengthened her embrace. “Why does this have to happen?”“We cannot escape fate. This is bound to happen so that another era will be born.” Queen Zotza had a hard time catching her breath. The poison was slowly taking her heart, and even though she could stop it using the power of the Agua, she chose not to do it—for the sole reason she’d take with her in death.“Fate? You call this fate? I’ve always admired your brilliant strategies, Mother. That is why Hanum is standing strong against our enemies. But how come
THE eastern gate of Mora was filled with imperial soldiers, inspecting the elf merchants. Kafle and the princess had witnessed the marks on every elf roaming the region.“They have cursed our kind. What can I do to free them?” the princess asked. They were near the entrance, trying to find a way to get in.“Nothing. They must have chosen to live under the curse of impeding shackles.” Kafle focused on an elderly elf with a cold expression driving a wagon. However, the elderly elf suddenly attacked the imperial soldiers.Princess Baharini, in Izora’s form, attempted to help the elderly elf, but Kafle was quick to hold her small arm.“Hold yourself, Izora. That elderly elf is done for.” Kafle clenched his jaw.The princess did not even blink when she saw the elderly elf turn into ash, as the imperial soldiers simultaneously used their fire magic to attack the helpless old elf.“Let’s take advantage of this distraction.” Kafle was swift to move. Dragging the princess, he gathered the wate
WHEN Kafle finished reiterating his experiences in the past, it seemed that the moon lamented with them because the sky suddenly darkened as if brewing a storm. “I can't believe the Hanum weather changes this quickly,” Hisila said, looking up at the glass opening above Izora, who was now in her original form as Princess Baharini.Jie kept his mouth shut as he was wonderstruck, gazing at the ethereal face of the Hanumese princess and the calming aura she brought into the room. He had many questions, but he'd ask them when they reached Advani.Kafle stood up. “Good, it's a sign for us to get out. The imperial soldiers could not withstand the heavy blizzard once the storm unleashed its wrath.”“I agree with Kafle’s suggestion, me and my sisters can easily eliminate imperial soldiers in these weather conditions,” Bucca seconded. Princess Baharini glanced at Kafle. “Let’s do that. But first, come here. Maybe I can do something about the Impeding Shackle, we need everyone's full might now
“YOU’RE awake at last!” Jie’s face beamed. They hid in a large trunk of a tree with small red fruits. “Please, put me down,” the young elf requested. “Sure!” Jie gently assisted the child as his feet touched the ground. “I don’t think you should be on your feet.” “I can walk,” the young elf said coldly. “What's your name, little one? Why would a child like you roam in this enemy territory?” Hisila asked. “She's right, it's too dangerous,” Pearlie muttered. The elf glared at the two girls. “I'm sure I'm older than your human age. I came here to scout, and another mission I can’t disclose. The imperial squad leader caught me and my companions, and he went on a killing spree. I'm the only survivor.” He clenched his fists. “Dreakiel is our home.” Everyone exchanged glances. The little elf was too young to participate in a war. “Where's your family, kid?” Damien asked. “All dead. Murdered during the invasion.” “Then, where should we take you? With your injuries