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2024-10-29 19:42:56Newly clothed trees stood tall in a wintery landscape. The dim light from the Waxing crescent brightened up the snow, reflecting some parts of the perfect white. This icy serenade was a stunning beauty, far away from the bustling cities, crowded markets, and dangerous roads. It was an isolated place. Not even a single road led up to it.
In the distance, behind dense evergreen woods stood the North Grove Estate. A mansion so guarded, one might think the king lived there. Yet, the woman who stared right at its bright windows knew otherwise. She let the ice crackle underfoot as she walked closer to the estate. Although she wore thin clothing, she barely felt the cold. The only steady pilot flame was the rage that burned inside.
The assassins stationed at the trees, not far from the entrance, sensed it. That anger. They immediately signaled the rest of the human guards to take up defensive positions.
- “Intruder spotted. Squad 1 guard the gate. Squad 2, be ready for backup. Squad 3, with me.”
Over a dozen assassins vanished in thin air. The rest of the guards knew exactly where they were headed. To fight the intruder head-on. All they had to do was wait.
A minute went by. Nothing.
Another minute passed. No one was coming.
The silence was nerve-racking. By now, everyone was aware of the great threat that was approaching. If it were easy prey, the third squad would have disposed of it already. So, the guards stationed at the gate clung to their weapons and waited for the intruder to emerge. Then, the snow crackling could be heard from the distance. It was getting closer and closer. Their eyes focused forward.
But, before the battle even began, the second squad of assassins hiding in the branches, already toppled to the ground like empty sacks of grain.
One by one, they dropped dead, their bodies digging deep in the snow. Soon, massive pools of blood reached the insoles of the guards’ boots. The men and women standing by the gate couldn’t help but tremble in fear. They couldn’t see what was happening. But, they knew all too well, this was something they couldn’t handle.
Then, the woman walked in. She held her head high. Her face was unreadable. Her eyes empty.
- “Please…please…don’t.”
The male guard begged for mercy when she closed the distance between them. The man suddenly felt like a child, again. Shaking profusely, as if the entire air around his body was strangling him. The panic switched off his brain, leaving his lower body useless. But, the woman had no intention of letting him go. She just raised her hand, and before she made another move, the female guard barged in.
- “Lady, Nakamura! Hagmar is inside. I will show you the way. We just took a guild quest. I’m sure you know what that’s like. The guild sending you places you know nothing about. We had no clue what we were getting ourselves into. We had no idea we would be fighting you. It was just good money. That’s it. We will abandon the quest. Please, let us live.”
The female guard breamed with home. Her bright blue eyes carefully masking her fear. Kana took a step forward, her palm wrapping around the doorknob. Then she turned around and nodded. The girl exhaled in relief and quickly regained her composure. Not letting that brief moment of happiness cloud her judgment.
- “Follow me.”
The massive entry door swung open, providing Kana with direct access to the great hall. Hundreds of guards swooped in. But, the moment they noticed the female guard giving them the “no-go” signal, they immediately jumped back. When the light illuminated her facial features, the rest of the adventurers just watched in dismay. She was horrified. They had no idea who that intruder really was. But, if she is capable of petrifying their raid leader, then she was a force to be reckoned with. Kana walked through the hall with ease, with the adventurers staring at every step she takes.
- “She must be an Emerald.”
- “No way!”
- “Wow! This is my first time seeing one.”
- “What do you think happened to the assassins outside?”
- “Don’t wanna know.”
- “Yeah…I bet.”
The adventurers kept mumbling, while the female guard bit her lips in fear, hoping that their actions wouldn’t anger Kana any further. Her heart beating out of sync with a chaotic and unsteady rhythm. But the sorceress never made another move.
- “We are here.”
There was a small door up ahead. A spacious room of pastels awaited them on the other end. The heat of the fireplace burned bright, warming Kana’s body from head to toe. An elf sat on a comfortable sofa, enjoying the cozy atmosphere. When Kana made her way inside, the female guard, took a couple of steps back, closed the door, and ran towards the hall at full speed.
- “Ah…” – the elf moaned. “I knew you’d come back for me. It was only a matter of time.”
- “You crossed the line.”
- “But, now you know…Thanks to me, you can see it clearly.”
- “Why did you get them involved? You know they can’t defeat me.”
- “Everything I’ve done, I did it for you. Nora’s guild will always get in your way. They outnumber all the other guilds three to one. Now, you got the chance to shrink their numbers. Convenient. Wouldn’t you say?”
- “These guards. They are new. Why?”
Hagmar smiled. His eyes fell gently on Kana’s gorgeous features. He couldn’t help but close the gap between them. Those eyes of hers were his medication. Her voice brought him a quiet peace. At that moment, flashbacks from their fight awakened his lustful demeanor. Her touch triggered his primitive drive. He took a glass of wine and handed it to the sorceress. When she reached for the glass, their fingers intertwined.
- “You have to forgive my transgressions. Everything was just a mere façade.”
- “Is that so?”
- “Yes. Even the prison.”
- “I don’t believe you.”
Seeing that the woman had no intention of taking a sip, Hagmar drank from both cups and placed the empty glasses on the nearby table. Then, he reached for her and took her by the hand.
- “Never!” – his eyes unwavering. “I will never poison you. I will never try to kill you. Kana, I would burn the world for you. I would take down kingdoms just to be with you. You see, my love, in the thousand years I’ve lived, I’ve never met anyone like you. Someone driven to go to the extreme to achieve the impossible. Even against all odds, your power, drive, and that fierceness of yours never faltered. To be honest, I don’t know what you woke up inside of me. But, the moment I laid eyes on you, I just knew it. You are the one. The one thing that has always been missing. Let me help you!”
- “Why did you do it, then?”
- “I had to tell you. The moment they perfected the new formula, I had to put you someplace else. Somewhere only my eyes and ears could reach. There was no other way to let you in on their plans. That formula will kill you. I can’t let that happen. But, my options were limited. The kingdom is watching. They are always watching.”
- “Not anymore.”
- “Yes. Well…for now. Here, it’s just you and me. Like it was always meant to be. Come with me, Kana. I will make sure you get what you want. I will help you achieve everything you’ve longed for all these years. A long time ago, I did offer you my help. You declined. I think now, you can finally see the truth.”
Kana took a good look at Hagmar. She observed every feature. Every gesture. He was telling the truth. He really came to the prison to tell her about Nora’s latest creation. That devastating poison that even Aiko had trouble removing.
Soon the room became silent.
A couple of moments later, the sorceress left the mansion. The estate that was once packed with guards was now quieter than a graveyard. Those stationed at the gates abandoned the building with haste. Even though they never saw the elf they were supposed to protect, they knew exactly what happened to him. The light from his skin was gone. His elven body became a dry vessel; his water had moved on. Hagmar met his end. But, not the one he longed to have. Instead, his corpse laid on the floor all alone in that empty room. No matter what he said, he obviously couldn’t change her mind. Kana’s goals were centered elsewhere.
As she was walking away from the mansion, she lifted her hands and created a small ball of magic. The blood she drained from Hagmar’s body now merged with that magical essence. It danced in her palms. In it, she could see a clear image. It was the prince and his royal guards inside one of the chambers in the palace. He held an ancient rune in his hands. This simple, yet alluring rock radiated powerful magical energy. Ancient letters were imprinted on its surface. Words the sorceress couldn’t read. But, the moment she laid eyes on that rock, the prince felt her presence. He turned around and faced her. Despite Kana not being physically there, the two met eyes, staring into each other’s souls. Their malice was so thick it could be cut with a knife.
- “Your majesty? What’s wrong?”
- “Anything we can help you with, your highness?”
- “It’s nothing.”
The elf snapped his fingers, and the ball of magic got sucked into a powerful vortex, vanishing before Kana’s eyes. His actions seemed to perk up Kana. Her lips formed a smile.
- “The Core. You found it.”
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