Regaining her spirits, Aerin took up her spoon and resumed eating. Surprisingly, she was the first to finish, drawing disbelieving glances from Neria, Lorian, and even Theo.
Choosing to hide her face beneath a blanket, she shielded herself from their surprised expressions. Theo finished next, followed by Lorian, and finally, Neria.
Once the meal was over, Theo stored the dishes and utensils back into his golden vault. "It seems both the rain and fire have stopped," he announced.
At his words, Aerin lifted the blanket from her face and peered toward the cave's entrance. The rain had indeed stopped; the night sky now twinkled with stars, and the moon loomed overhead.
"Let's go outside," Aerin suggested, folding her blanket and storing it away.
They emerged from the cave, their eyes widening at the spectacle before them.
"This is insane," Aerin murmured, astonished.
"I should apologize for this, but we had no other choice," Theo responded with a hint of regret.
They saw that the fire had indeed extinguished, but at a grim cost. The entire forest had been consumed by the flames. The landscape appeared eerily dark, charred remains that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Just then, the sound of approaching carriages reached their ears.
"We need to hide," Aerin urged. She grabbed Neria by the hand and dashed back into the cave, Theo and Lorian followed closely.
Inside, they waited for the carriages to pass. Theo risked to take a peek outside. In the distance, he saw several carriages had halted near the burnt region, and elven soldiers were scouring the area.
Turning to the princess, Theo reported, "It's your men."
"They are not my men," Aerin retorted, annoyance flowed in her voice.
Theo furrowed his brows, puzzled about what he had done wrong, but Lorian offered a knowing smile, as if understanding the meaning behind her statement.
Emerging from their hideout, they approached the royal guards. Aerin spotted Haldir among them. "Sorry, Your Highness, we are late," he saluted.
"It's fine. Have arrangements been made to send all the children home?" Aerin inquired.
"Yes, Princess. We came as soon as Limen informed us of your location," Haldir replied.
"But where is he?" she asked, not seeing him among the group.
"He went to retrieve the carriages," Haldir informed her.
Aerin nodded, then beckoned the trio to join her in one of the carriages. As they settled in, Haldir took a separate carriage. Along with the other carriages and guards, they began their journey away from the scorched and haunting area of the forest.
Aerin seemed visibly happier, as did Lorian and Neria. Eyes twinkling with delight, Neria exclaimed, "Now we can finally go home and have sweets... Big brother, now you can also meet that beautiful sister who likes you so much."
Aerin's attention was piqued by her words. She shifted her gaze to Theo, who appeared to be unaffected by Neria’s question.
Lorian asked nervously, a hint of hesitance flickered in his tone, "What's that beautiful miss's name, brother?"
"Lilith," Theo answered calmly.
Unable to hide her curiosity, Aerin inquired, "Is she even prettier than Elara?"
She knew well that she and her sister were considered among the most beautiful in the Elven nation, second only to the princess of the Lighthaven Empire. So, she was curious, who was this Lilith that caused her allure to diminish in front of these two boys?
Seeing no one responding, Lorian took the responsibility to answer. "If I have to rate Princess Elara on a scale of 1 to 10, I would just rate her a 5... and I would rate you a 6, or maybe a 7. But for Miss Lilith, even 10 would not be enough." He explained as if he was imparting an ancient knowledge to his ignorant disciple.
Hearing his stinging words, Aerin felt her pride shattered. Now she understood why neither of the men before her had fallen for her charm; they both had met someone they deemed to be her superior in beauty. Although she didn't believe these two, even Neria seemed to be agreeing with her brother.
As she wanted to know how Theo knew this Lilith, Aerin turned to him and asked, "What's your relationship with her?"
Lifting his eyebrows ever so slightly, Theo responded, "Why do you want to know? It's none of your business."
Aerin's other hand clenched into a fist as she grumbled inwardly, ‘What does this man think of himself?’
But Lorian had some doubts he wanted to clear. It wasn't the best to approach a girl who was already taken by his brother. No matter how beautiful she was, there was a bro code he knew about that he couldn't break. So he seized the opportunity to probe further, "Is she your girlfriend, brother?"
"No," Theo shook his head, "She's just a childhood friend, nothing more." It was the same answer he'd given before, to Elana and he didn't think there was any better answer than this for now, since Lilith would be making more entrances in the future.
*Boom!*
A resounding blast sounded as the carriage came to a screeching halt. Neria, Lorian, and Aerin were propelled forward, their bodies colliding. Aerin and Theo's heads knocked into each other as they both winced and rubbed the points of impact.
"What was that noise?" Aerin murmured, her voice filled with worry.
As they looked outside, they saw the carriage that had been riding in front of them was broken and scattered. The elven soldiers who were inside were all dead, and the carriage was crackling with thunder sparks and burning. It felt as if thunder had struck it.
But what was most concerning to them was the seven men standing in front of them. They were all wearing black cloaks, making it difficult to recognize their faces. On their chests were badges depicting a moon engulfed in shadows. The one who had caused this carnage had six purple rings glowing on his left hand, signifying he was an emperor-rank elemental warrior.
"Greetings, Princess... I'm Oliver. It's been a pleasure to meet you," came the warm voice of the apparent leader.
Aerin's eyes narrowed, "Why block our path? What do you want?"
"We merely need her," Oliver spoke with chilling calm, "And we'll be on our way."
"You can't have my sister," Lorian shot back, his voice flowed with a protective resolve.
Haldir and the others quickly assumed fighting stances as they disembarked from the carriage.
Oliver sighed, "I was hoping to keep this brief. Dispose of them," he commanded in a chilling tone.
At his command, the man at the very left stepped forward. Both his hands hovered in the air as he murmured, “Ice Lance.”
Six light-blue rings formed around his left wrist. Hundreds of icy lances materialized, hovering above him in the air. They glowed in the moonlight, and a chill air emanated from them, making it visible in the form of mist.
Seeing the icy lances, all the royal guards began casting their respective spells. However, like shooting bullets, the icy projectiles pierced the soldiers before they even had time to react. Blood splattered on the ground, and with a series of muffled thuds, their lifeless bodies crumbled to the earth.
Yet, there was one person still standing. It was commander Haldir, who had cast an earthen wall in front of him to shield himself. His right wrist glowed with five brown rings, signifying that he was a king-rank elemental warrior.
Aerin and her group felt frightened at the sudden turn of events. They had never expected the attackers to have several emperor-rank elemental warriors.
Theo pressed Neria's head into his chest, shielding her eyes from the gruesome sight. He had only witnessed such violence once before, thanks to Lilith, and although that had been far worse, he still felt slightly nauseous.
"Princess, run away!" Haldir shouted, summoning additional earthen walls to protect the carriage from the enemies.
Reluctant but knowing they were no match, the group disembarked hurriedly from the carriage. Theo cradled Neria in his arms, and she clung to him like a child as they dashed away. Behind them, the sound of ice shattering and impaling Haldir's earthen walls reached their ears.
Just when they had put a hundred meters between them and the battlefield, they heard a wall shatter and collapse, followed by Haldir's agonized groan, sealing his fate. They couldn't afford to mourn; they had to keep running.
However, as they continued their desperate flight, they found those seven men again, standing directly in their path. They had reappeared so quickly it made their previous escape seem futile.
"Why the hurry, Princess?" Oliver laughed.
"Are you not afraid that the royal family will chase you down?" Aerin retorted, her eyes blazing with fury.
Oliver's tone remained sweet, keeping the threat in his words. "Since you mentioned it... Someone from the royal family actually commissioned us to dispatch you. But we held back because the task was given to another group. However, I might have to reconsider if you keep intervening in our affairs."
Aerin's eyes narrowed. "Who was it?" she demanded.
"Now that you asked, I've remembered something else. I have another offer for you... It's about your mother..." His face shone with a cunning smile...
Her face darkened, and her eyes filled with complicated emotions at the mention of that sensitive topic. "What do you know about my mother?" she demanded.
"Hand over the girl, and I'll reveal who was behind your mother's death and commissioned our men to kill you," Oliver proposed with a sweet tone.
Theo's gaze shifted to Aerin, carefully gauging whether her loyalty would waver in this critical moment. Ever since her mother's death, one of her goals had been to become strong enough to find and annihilate her killers. Her only clue was that they hailed from the Human Nation.
But now, standing before her was a man claiming that someone from her own royal family might be the culprit, pulling strings from behind. Doubt engulfed her mind. Could he be lying? Yet, a gut feeling told her there was a good chance he might be telling the truth.
Moreover, Oliver's offer to trade Neria for identity of her mother's killer was tempting to her. She could finally exact her revenge and bring justice for her mother's death. But could she really do it? Could she exchange this crucial secret for Neria's freedom?
Regaining her spirits, Aerin took up her spoon and resumed eating. Surprisingly, she was the first to finish, drawing disbelieving glances from Neria, Lorian, and even Theo.
Choosing to hide her face beneath a blanket, she shielded herself from their surprised expressions. Theo finished next, followed by Lorian, and finally, Neria.
Once the meal was over, Theo stored the dishes and utensils back into his golden vault. "It seems both the rain and fire have stopped," he announced.
At his words, Aerin lifted the blanket from her face and peered toward the cave's entrance. The rain had indeed stopped; the night sky now twinkled with stars, and the moon loomed overhead.
"Let's go outside," Aerin suggested, folding her blanket and storing it away.
They emerged from the cave, their eyes widening at the spectacle before them.
"This is insane," Aerin murmured, astonished.
"I should apologize for this, but we had no other choice," Theo responded with a hint of regret.
They saw that the fire had indeed extinguished, but at a grim cost. The entire forest had been consumed by the flames. The landscape appeared eerily dark, charred remains that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Just then, the sound of approaching carriages reached their ears.
"We need to hide," Aerin urged. She grabbed Neria by the hand and dashed back into the cave, Theo and Lorian followed closely.
Inside, they waited for the carriages to pass. Theo risked to take a peek outside. In the distance, he saw several carriages had halted near the burnt region, and elven soldiers were scouring the area.
Turning to the princess, Theo reported, "It's your men."
"They are not my men," Aerin retorted, annoyance flowed in her voice.
Theo furrowed his brows, puzzled about what he had done wrong, but Lorian offered a knowing smile, as if understanding the meaning behind her statement.
Emerging from their hideout, they approached the royal guards. Aerin spotted Haldir among them. "Sorry, Your Highness, we are late," he saluted.
"It's fine. Have arrangements been made to send all the children home?" Aerin inquired.
"Yes, Princess. We came as soon as Limen informed us of your location," Haldir replied.
"But where is he?" she asked, not seeing him among the group.
"He went to retrieve the carriages," Haldir informed her.
Aerin nodded, then beckoned the trio to join her in one of the carriages. As they settled in, Haldir took a separate carriage. Along with the other carriages and guards, they began their journey away from the scorched and haunting area of the forest.
Aerin seemed visibly happier, as did Lorian and Neria. Eyes twinkling with delight, Neria exclaimed, "Now we can finally go home and have sweets... Big brother, now you can also meet that beautiful sister who likes you so much."
Aerin's attention was piqued by her words. She shifted her gaze to Theo, who appeared to be unaffected by Neria’s question.
Lorian asked nervously, a hint of hesitance flickered in his tone, "What's that beautiful miss's name, brother?"
"Lilith," Theo answered calmly.
Unable to hide her curiosity, Aerin inquired, "Is she even prettier than Elara?"
She knew well that she and her sister were considered among the most beautiful in the Elven nation, second only to the princess of the Lighthaven Empire. So, she was curious, who was this Lilith that caused her allure to diminish in front of these two boys?
Seeing no one responding, Lorian took the responsibility to answer. "If I have to rate Princess Elara on a scale of 1 to 10, I would just rate her a 5... and I would rate you a 6, or maybe a 7. But for Miss Lilith, even 10 would not be enough." He explained as if he was imparting an ancient knowledge to his ignorant disciple.
Hearing his stinging words, Aerin felt her pride shattered. Now she understood why neither of the men before her had fallen for her charm; they both had met someone they deemed to be her superior in beauty. Although she didn't believe these two, even Neria seemed to be agreeing with her brother.
As she wanted to know how Theo knew this Lilith, Aerin turned to him and asked, "What's your relationship with her?"
Lifting his eyebrows ever so slightly, Theo responded, "Why do you want to know? It's none of your business."
Aerin's other hand clenched into a fist as she grumbled inwardly, ‘What does this man think of himself?’
But Lorian had some doubts he wanted to clear. It wasn't the best to approach a girl who was already taken by his brother. No matter how beautiful she was, there was a bro code he knew about that he couldn't break. So he seized the opportunity to probe further, "Is she your girlfriend, brother?"
"No," Theo shook his head, "She's just a childhood friend, nothing more." It was the same answer he'd given before, to Elana and he didn't think there was any better answer than this for now, since Lilith would be making more entrances in the future.
*Boom!*
A resounding blast sounded as the carriage came to a screeching halt. Neria, Lorian, and Aerin were propelled forward, their bodies colliding. Aerin and Theo's heads knocked into each other as they both winced and rubbed the points of impact.
"What was that noise?" Aerin murmured, her voice filled with worry.
As they looked outside, they saw the carriage that had been riding in front of them was broken and scattered. The elven soldiers who were inside were all dead, and the carriage was crackling with thunder sparks and burning. It felt as if thunder had struck it.
But what was most concerning to them was the seven men standing in front of them. They were all wearing black cloaks, making it difficult to recognize their faces. On their chests were badges depicting a moon engulfed in shadows. The one who had caused this carnage had six purple rings glowing on his left hand, signifying he was an emperor-rank elemental warrior.
"Greetings, Princess... I'm Oliver. It's been a pleasure to meet you," came the warm voice of the apparent leader.
Aerin's eyes narrowed, "Why block our path? What do you want?"
"We merely need her," Oliver spoke with chilling calm, "And we'll be on our way."
"You can't have my sister," Lorian shot back, his voice flowed with a protective resolve.
Haldir and the others quickly assumed fighting stances as they disembarked from the carriage.
Oliver sighed, "I was hoping to keep this brief. Dispose of them," he commanded in a chilling tone.
At his command, the man at the very left stepped forward. Both his hands hovered in the air as he murmured, “Ice Lance.”
Six light-blue rings formed around his left wrist. Hundreds of icy lances materialized, hovering above him in the air. They glowed in the moonlight, and a chill air emanated from them, making it visible in the form of mist.
Seeing the icy lances, all the royal guards began casting their respective spells. However, like shooting bullets, the icy projectiles pierced the soldiers before they even had time to react. Blood splattered on the ground, and with a series of muffled thuds, their lifeless bodies crumbled to the earth.
Yet, there was one person still standing. It was commander Haldir, who had cast an earthen wall in front of him to shield himself. His right wrist glowed with five brown rings, signifying that he was a king-rank elemental warrior.
Aerin and her group felt frightened at the sudden turn of events. They had never expected the attackers to have several emperor-rank elemental warriors.
Theo pressed Neria's head into his chest, shielding her eyes from the gruesome sight. He had only witnessed such violence once before, thanks to Lilith, and although that had been far worse, he still felt slightly nauseous.
"Princess, run away!" Haldir shouted, summoning additional earthen walls to protect the carriage from the enemies.
Reluctant but knowing they were no match, the group disembarked hurriedly from the carriage. Theo cradled Neria in his arms, and she clung to him like a child as they dashed away. Behind them, the sound of ice shattering and impaling Haldir's earthen walls reached their ears.
Just when they had put a hundred meters between them and the battlefield, they heard a wall shatter and collapse, followed by Haldir's agonized groan, sealing his fate. They couldn't afford to mourn; they had to keep running.
However, as they continued their desperate flight, they found those seven men again, standing directly in their path. They had reappeared so quickly it made their previous escape seem futile.
"Why the hurry, Princess?" Oliver laughed.
"Are you not afraid that the royal family will chase you down?" Aerin retorted, her eyes blazing with fury.
Oliver's tone remained sweet, keeping the threat in his words. "Since you mentioned it... Someone from the royal family actually commissioned us to dispatch you. But we held back because the task was given to another group. However, I might have to reconsider if you keep intervening in our affairs."
Aerin's eyes narrowed. "Who was it?" she demanded.
"Now that you asked, I've remembered something else. I have another offer for you... It's about your mother..." His face shone with a cunning smile...
Her face darkened, and her eyes filled with complicated emotions at the mention of that sensitive topic. "What do you know about my mother?" she demanded.
"Hand over the girl, and I'll reveal who was behind your mother's death and commissioned our men to kill you," Oliver proposed with a sweet tone.
Theo's gaze shifted to Aerin, carefully gauging whether her loyalty would waver in this critical moment. Ever since her mother's death, one of her goals had been to become strong enough to find and annihilate her killers. Her only clue was that they hailed from the Human Nation.
But now, standing before her was a man claiming that someone from her own royal family might be the culprit, pulling strings from behind. Doubt engulfed her mind. Could he be lying? Yet, a gut feeling told her there was a good chance he might be telling the truth.
Moreover, Oliver's offer to trade Neria for identity of her mother's killer was tempting to her. She could finally exact her revenge and bring justice for her mother's death. But could she really do it? Could she exchange this crucial secret for Neria's freedom?
