It took Greraver and Dielh twelve hours to finish their work. All those gigantic trees now turned into neatly arranged pieces of logs. Both lay down on the grass, resting to relieve fatigue. The sun had risen and was right above their heads.“I’m hungry,” Dielh said.“Don’t eat me, Gre,” Dielh replied lazily.“Stop taunting me. Since I met Zesa, I feel more in control.”“Is that true?!” Teraus’ voice surprised them.Greraver and Dielh sat down immediately when Teraus arrived. The old man stood in front of them. His cold face showed firmness.“Your skills still need to be tested. Do not rest on your laurels, Prince. Starting today, you will eat and sleep a little.”“Are you training us or torturing us? When I was a warrior of the Vain Dominion empire, they didn’t do such heavy things.” Dielh protested Teraus.“That’s why your empire isn’t as strong as it used to be. Today, they respected the Vain Dominion kingdom for its wealth. Your strength is no longer an army or a war strategy. Zul
Greraver looked annoyed at Dielh was sitting under a shady tree. His friend was enjoying a delicious meal. Since morning, Teraus had not allowed him to touch any food. His stomach was getting hungry.Silvia and Dielh seemed to be mocking Greraver. Princess Teraus served Dielh a delicious meal in front of Greraver. It was the third time he had seen Dielh eat this morning. Just as Greraver was feeling his stomach growl from hunger, Teraus came.The man brought a moose. He threw the moose onto a large stone in the backyard. The deer just died. Blood was pouring from its neck, and wounds were on its stomach. The deer’s eyes widened. Maybe the moose was shocked before dying in a spear.Seeing the view in front of him, the smell of blood and venison made Greraver’s hunger grow. His hands clenched, and his face hardened. He tried to restrain himself and keep the wendigo inside him from appearing.“This is your last test, Prince,” Teraus said. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. His sh
“Excellent, Prince. You’ve reached the limits of controlling your inner wendigo. We haven’t reached our training goal, but you should return to the Vain Dominion kingdom soon.” Teraus looked proudly at Greraver.“Naturally, I want to see my enemies die immediately!” Greraver said.His eyes flashed with ambition. Blood and sweat-stained his handsome face. He clenched his fists to hold back the anger inside him.Before being trained by Teraus, anger would make a wendigo come and overwhelm Greraver easily. Greraver was more assertive and could control himself. Dielh looked at Greraver with furrowed brows.“Are we strong enough to face Zulniex? We don’t know the power behind him.”Teraus looked at Dielh. “Confidence is the beginning of victory. You have to determine for yourself who your opponent is. Then you can determine what kind of strategy to deal with it.”“When are we leaving?” asked Greraver.“Clean yourself up and go. The power of the astral diamond can help you. Diamond is a wea
The faces of the palace's official supporter, King Zulniex, looked radiant and excited. They welcomed Zulniex's wish to give the title of the crown prince to concubine Sandrina's son."Reconsider that decision, my lord. That big decision will affect many big things in our kingdom," a man with white hair and an old face spoke."I've considered everything. I made this decision for the good of the Vain Dominion Kingdom." Zulniex answered confidently.The atmosphere in the royal courtroom was quiet. Everyone was tensed to hear Zulniex's decision. The decision was not against anyone but as if a call to war.In the courtroom, some distinguished royal officials had been in the reign of the King of Destian. They were old commanders, generals, and advisers. General Vigolous belonged to King Destian's loyal vassals. They forced him to follow Zulniex's wishes for his family's safety, who were being held captive."If you give Prince Reagan as crown prince, Queen Venes will automatically relinquis
“You all may go. You, Vigolous, and Hulton stay here. I want to talk to you both.” King Zulniex ordered.Vigolous’s face suddenly clouded. Talking to King Zulniex in a closed room has always been about cheating and conspiracy. None knew what the King was currently planning in his head.Everyone left the palace courtroom. Hulton remained in his seat. He was the confidant of king Zulniex. In all the conspiracies carried out by the King, Hulton has been a loyal supporter.Hulton glanced scornfully at Vigolous. The brave war general of the Vain Dominion Kingdom. General Vigolous’s strong and dignified appearance would be in vain when he obeys the King’s ridiculous orders.Vigolous always stood on the side of truth and had to agree to support the evil plans of the King to keep his children and wife alive.“Vigolous, Hulton said, is true. If there is no clarity about Prince Greraver’s whereabouts, then we can’t decide anything. Then I ask you to announce that Prince Greraver went on a rampa
Queen Venes sat on the chair, and general Vigolous stood and stared frozen at the Queen.“Sit down, Vigolous. Why did the King send you here?”“The King has ordered the funeral service for Prince Greraver. Forgive me, Queen. I have tried to refuse and asked King Zulniex to wait. However, I am helpless.”To Vigolous’ surprise, the Queen appeared to remain calm. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a few moments.“Do what Zulniex orders.”Vigolous glared and glared at the Queen even more. He was worried his ears had misheard the Queen’s order.“Pardon me, Queen. Is…”“Do it, Vigolous. You don’t have the strength to go against the King. Better to protect yourself. Soon, this kingdom will get a true protector.”“What do you mean, Queen?”“You will find out later. Now just run all the orders of King Zulniex. Gods will not allow evil to rule our kingdom. His help is so close now.”Vigolous didn’t understand everything Queen Venes said. But he believed that the Queen knew what was
The night after the announcement, King Zulniex visited Queen Venes in her bedroom. The Queen, who was getting ready to sleep in the light nightgown she was wearing, was slightly surprised by the arrival of the King.“You always look beautiful. No wonder Destian didn’t even have a concubine during his marriage to you,” praised King Zulniex.“He is a loyal man. For Destian, our marriage is not only a bond but also love,” answered Queen Venes with a stern gaze full of hatred.“Ha ha ha! Extreme kindness sometimes probably harms you. I proved that Destian was dead.”“And you’re the killer!”“Don’t accuse me of that, Queen Venes. Even though I have repeatedly admitted that I was the killer of Destian, you can’t find any evidence.”“You are an animal!”King Zulniex smiled with satisfaction as he walked around Queen Venes. She stood frozen. He observed the Queen, who looked attractive despite not being young.“It’s been more than twenty years since Destian’s death. You still can’t forget him
“Today, the Vain Dominion Kingdom will be blessed again.” King Zulniex started his speech.Everyone present in the palace ballroom sat down in their seats. No one dared to make a little sound. This was an important and tense moment. Some of them glanced at queen Venes. They wanted to see the Queen’s expression on the total end of King Destian’s reign.Queen Venes sat majestically on her throne. She didn’t look sad or agitated at all. Everyone thought the Queen of Venes must have resigned herself to her situation. Prince Greraver’s death had spelled the end of the Queen’s reign.“The Vain Dominion Kingdom is still in a state of mourning over the passing of Prince Greraver. However, we must not sink into that grief. After all, the Vain Dominion Kingdom and all its people must return to normal lives.” King Zulniex continued his speech.“So, we cannot leave the candidate’s position for an heir to the throne vacant. Thus, today I will appoint my son from concubine Sandrina to replace Princ
“I will accompany you!” said Silvia.“You mean by becoming a fire phoenix?” asked Dielh.“I can become an ordinary phoenix too, Dielh. Flames appeared when I fought. Other than that, I’m still an ordinary phoenix.”“That’s not an excellent idea, Silvia. The king of the Heaven will see you, if you stay in the sky for too long. They will hunt you.”“If Greraver can make the sacrifice of a lifetime, then for once I would like to sacrifice myself for your kingdom. For the sake of the people who want to live in peace. I’m not making an offer. Come on! We must leave quickly.”Then Silvia stepped towards the exit. Dielh and Greraver exchanged glances. The two nodded in unison and followed Silvia’s lead. So did Sid Fortaine.Arriving outside the cave, Silvia transformed herself into a Phoenix. It looked different from the fire phoenix they had ever seen. This time Silvia became a phoenix with excellent rainbow colors.She bent down to allow Greraver, Dielh, and Sid Fortaine to climb onto her
“Zulniex’s troops are not ordinary troops. The power of the Vain Dominion won’t be able to deal with it.”Sid Fortaine spoke while looking at Greraver. Amidst the darkness, Greraver’s body glowed golden. The light was centered on the golden mark on the back of his neck. He looked brave, dignified, and strong.“Only with your inner power you can defeat Zulniex. You can allow the Wendigo within you to merge forever and become the king of all the wendigos in the world. You will control all these monsters on your hands. They will follow your orders and help your troops win the battle.”Greraver looked down. Thousands of Wendigos fell silent with their mouths gaping and watering. It was the same creature form that had been controlling Greraver all along. He was unafraid to look at them, even though they all looked disgusting.“Other options?” asked Greraver.“You can leave the rock you stand on. Then the curse and the wendigo soul will leave your body. You don’t need to reach second or thi
“Whose voice is it?” asked Greraver.“Alice!” Sid Fortaine said as he ran.Greraver, Dielh, and Silvia followed behind him. They ran towards where the sound came from. It’s in another room. Sid Fortaine’s mansion tended to be empty, so the slightest movement could cause an echo.Her scream was as well. It must have made the entire wall vibrate. Likewise, with their footsteps when running. In a few seconds, they arrived at a room. It was a spacious and neat bedroom.They saw a woman sitting on the bed. The woman looked pale and frightened. He looked at the four people standing at the door.“Alice!” Sid Fortaine rushed at the woman.“Dad! What happened? I… I… why did I change?”“Ah, Alice…” Sid Fortaine hugged the woman.She was a young girl the same age as Greraver. She looked so nervous and confused as Sid Fortaine hugged him in a terrible cry. Sid Fortaine’s body trembled as he held back the emotions in his heart.After suppressing the tears, Sid Fortaine sat on the same level as Ali
“I forgot that the world is so beautiful. The colors that I thought would forever die. It’s all just dark and gray.”Those were the words Sid Fortaine said when he first opened his eyes. Silvia smiled at the old man. It turned out that her memory of the black grape treatment was correct.Dielh’s gaze shifted to Silvia. He admired the girl even more. Silvia’s strength, knowledge, intelligence, and courage. It was the perfect combination of the girl Dielh had dreamed of. He was determined to stay with Silvia after Greraver ascended the throne to become king.Greraver approached Sid Fortaine. He looked closely at the man’s eyes. Feeling himself being stared at by Greraver, Sid Fortaine immediately knelt down. Then he crossed his right hand over his left chest. He bowed respectfully.“King Destian! Thank you for what you did to me. You brought back my lost world. I haven’t seen the world in too long. I even remember your face in another form.”“You mean?” asked Greraver.“The last time I
“This fruit makes me feel hot. I… I feel burnt!” Sid Fortaine was getting restless.His face was red, and his hands moved slightly to untie his clothes. Then a thin blue smoke appeared from Sid Fortaine’s eyes. The man sat down to calm himself.He thought what he felt was due to the effect of the fruit. Sid Fortaine hoped that the fruit’s reaction in his body would end soon. Because his body temperature was increasing, he tried to keep himself from screaming.Restraining his screams only tormented him, and he sounded growling. Greraver gets to look worried because of Sid Fortaine’s reaction.“Do something! We can’t let him die!” Greraver walked quickly over to support Sid Fortaine’s body.“Aaarrghhhh!!! Help me, I can’t take it anymore!” Sid Fortaine growled.The man floundered on the floor, enduring the pain and heat in his body. While Silvia stood, looking at the chaos in front of her. Greraver tried to support Sid Fortaine’s body.He took Sid Fortaine’s temperature by touching his
“You must help prince Greraver rise to his second-level power. He needed it to take back the kingdom of Vain Dominion. Instead, we will wake up your daughter from her deep sleep. And you will get your eyes back.” Silvia explained.“Can I trust you guys? I can trust Destian. He is a symbol of justice and wisdom. You two, I don’t know you at all.”Silvia and Dielh looked at each other. The people Sid Fortaine meant were, of course, Silvia and Dielh. They were both foreign and utterly invisible to the white witch man.The man could still recognize Greraver by the gold mark on his neck even though he recognized him as Destian. That man was clearly a loyal follower or at least a supporter of King Destian.Then Silvia nodded at Dielh and reached out a hand. She invited Dielh to introduce himself to Sid Fortaine. Dielh understood Silvia’s code, and he started to speak.“I am Dielh, son of the Vain Dominion kingdom’s war general, General Vigolous.”“Oh, so you are that guy? The man who is rum
“Snow?” Silvia muttered.“How can the snowy plains exist in this place?” asked Dielh.After the three reached the upper limit of the abyss, they fell silent in awe of what they saw. A puzzling surprise. At first, they thought they would arrive in hot, dry, sandy plains. The guess was because of the valley they had just crossed.Silvia looked back. She wanted to compare the valley they were walking through. She couldn’t see anything there anymore. The valley they had just passed around and fought there had disappeared.“The valley is gone. Look, in front of us and behind us is a sea of snow,” Silvia said.Greraver and Dielh turned their heads together. Silvia was right. The valley was gone. They were in the middle of a sea of snow. They were like three black ants trapped in the middle of a vast expanse of snow.“How could it be? It’s like a trap,” said Greraver.Hearing Greraver’s words, Silvia and Dielh immediately became alert. The three of them stood alert and pressed their backs ag
“I didn’t think about meeting the seventh heaven king. He is such a cruel person. He didn’t leave a single phoenix alive. Adult and little phoenix all were brutally slaughtered. Their screams of acceptance of death still ring clear in my ears today.” Silvia finished her sentence and stood up.Her heart trembled whenever she remembered the day she lost her clan and family. She prepared to climb up the valley wall and continue on their way. Dielh and Greraver watched as Silvia’s back started to move away. They were sure that the girl must be holding back her tears. Silvia didn’t want Greraver or Dielh to see her cry.She was a fire phoenix girl. Teraus also trained her to become a knight girl. Greraver’s and Dielh’s views of Silvia changed significantly. Silvia was no longer the sweet girl who was good at cooking. She was a fearless fighter and survivalist.Greraver felt both pity and anger at Silvia’s story.“Silvia! Until when are you going to hide? Today you have shown your fire Phoe
“I am not a child of Teraus. He has saved me from death,” Silvia replied.“Are you from this world or from another world? I have never seen such a beautiful fire Pheonix.” Praised Dielh.“Of course I come from this world. Hundreds of years ago, my people had their own plains to live on. Safe and peaceful life. That place was a lush green valley. Lots of fruits and flowers. The fish swam happily in the water. Then something happened.”Dielh and Greraver saw Silvia blush. She held back tears at the memory of that sadness. A fire phoenix as mighty as Silvia certainly didn’t want to appear weak from crying. Her quivering lips and distant eyes explained all of Silvia’s feelings.“The King of the seventh heaven wants us to be their army. Phoenix is actually a gentle bird. We have colorful fur and don’t like to fight. For us, the most important thing is beauty and speed. The arrival of the King of the seventh heaven has turned us all into fire phoenix.”“You don’t fight him?” asked Dielh.“T