THE princess awakened the following day with a subtle knock on her door. She stretched her hand and immediately got up.“Come in!”Marina got inside, holding a tray with a cup of tea. “Good morning, Princess! Here’s your favorite floral tea.”“Thank you, Marina. Please put it there. What’s for today?”Marina put the tray on the bedside table. Her eyes twinkled in enthusiasm. “Lord Cariux is waiting outside. He’s elated to be with you to venture into Elsher Estate.”Tzeitel scoffed. “Elated, my foot.”Marina was shocked to hear her utter those words. “Is something wrong?”“Nothing, Marina. I’ll be out in a while.”“Yes, Princess.” Marina excused herself.Cariux appeared in a good mood while waiting in the hall near Princess Tzeitel’s room. The princess smiled radiantly in return as she greeted him despite what she had witnessed last night. The last thing she’d do is let them know about her hidden agenda in the Elsher Estate.“Your beauty shines brightly today, Princess Tzeitel,” Cariux
JIE quickly questioned the twins and inspected their injuries. “Where did they take the princess?”“Our brother is tracking her. We’ll wait for his signal,” Delaina said. She grimaced in pain as Hisila tended to her open wounds.“Tell me about these Visagus monsters.” Jie clenched his fists. There was a feeling of guilt inside him because his team was sidetracked from saving Cirdan and obtaining the Rahai Orb. However, blaming himself wouldn't help, as everything had already happened. All he needed to do was find a solution. He was torn because Nyssa also needed urgent care, or else she would perish for good.“A Visagus can morph into their victims' bodies and steal their identity and powers. You never heard of it, Ethros?” Pearlie was curious.“It’s new to me. The monsters on my island are far different.” He heaved a sigh. “What signal are we waiting for?”“A gold flare that only Delaina and I could see,” Deirdre said.“We’ll wait then,” Damien said, turning to Tiedus. “General Tiedu
AS SOON as the stranger grabbed Jie and materialized on the highest peak, leaving the twins behind, he felt a sense of relief. The first thing he saw was Princess Baharini, she was helplessly sitting on the ground, bound by a golden, intricate magic circle. “Princess!” Jie’s eyes widened. But just like her, the elf bound him in a magic circle, preventing him from moving.Jie tried to summon his hellfire but it appeared that his power was sealed, and he couldn’t do anything to help.“Brat…” The princess forced herself to break free, but all this led to futility. The female elf let out a sinister laugh that echoed around. “Stop resisting. Otherwise, it will quickly drain your magical core. Don't worry, I have no plan to kill you since fate has already decided the outcome of your destiny.”“I will never die!” Baharini looked at the female elf with disdain.“I am Vefretta, your kind call me a witch, but I’m immortal cast out in this realm. My prophecy had always been faultless. I brough
DAMIEN used all his remaining energy to the point of exhaustion in order to travel nonstop to Magelia. He vowed to safeguard Nyssa at all costs.“Captain, how long do you think we could return to Terra?” Hisila queried as they rested in an isolated cave to replenish their energy.“Would you like to return now, Lieutenant? It's beneficial to meet General Mord and report to him in person.” Damien smiled slightly and sighed afterward. “I'm not sure if we can return with the Luominen safely in this dire situation. We can’t even resort to air travel now that several dragons are hovering in the sky. I can’t sacrifice the lives of the Knights of Terra if I were to call for reinforcement.”“I'll stay with you. I will protect the Luominen with my life.” Hisila’s lips curled up. “Somehow I feel at ease knowing we have our mother orb now.”“I hope we'll get there on tim
PRINCESS Tzeitel was restless as soon as she returned to her room. She kept walking back and forth, thinking about the snow-haired elf trapped in the forbidden dungeon.“Who is he?” She mumbled. The question preoccupied her mind. Despite her reluctance to make a snap judgment, she inferred from the elf's hair color that he belonged to a Hanum royal family.I need to know who he is, she thought.Tzeitel sat on her bed. She only had a few days left before the wedding. If she wanted to help the elf escape, she must do it now. However, considering how tight the security in the Elsher Estatewas, it may be impossible for her to do it without compromising her identity. Worse, she couldn’t return to the imperial city alive.The next morning, Cariux picked her up again. He was waiting outside the villa holding a bouquet of fresh flowers.“For you,” Cariux said, smiling ear to ear, especially when he
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
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
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