"You should sleep for now," said Clyde as soon as they settled inside the cave. The horses were taking a break outside and Clyde had just made a fire. Marika ignored his remark and remained to look outside the cave, her brows furrowed.
He looked up at her and realized Marika was too worried to be able to sleep. But nothing's gonna happen by just worrying. Clyde then made a make-shift bed for Marika. He tapped the space on the bed, signaling her to lay down.
"She'll be fine," he assured her.
"But the wizard looked strong..."
He shrugged. "He might turn out to be a coward. Judging by his attitude earlier, it is likely so."
She looked convinced and was making herself comfortable on the makeshift bed. After a while, Marika's breaths evened and her muscles relaxed. Clyde was sitting on a small log by the fire when he noticed she had fallen asleep. He quietly stood up and
Amidst the fierce snow storm, Alessia's bloody leather boots were buried in the thick snow at every step. Her open wounds were freezing just as much as she is despite her layers and layers of garments. Her teeth bared through the cold storm, determined to reach the palace and report her mission to His Majesty."Argh!" She grunted as the snowstorm in the meadows threw her to a nearby tree, rocking the birds and letting snow fall to her. How is all the misfortune suddenly dumping on her? She begrudgingly rose back to her feet after huffing a heavy amount of snow that fell on her. The visibility was nearing zero around her because of the raging storm nearby which made it more difficult for her to return, and having the dozen men that came with her when she started this mission, she felt the responsibility of completing this
Whilst tidying up Alessia's leather boots after her sprained ankle was bandaged, a young soldier around her age came up to her. He sat next to her on the wooden bench and nervously scratched the tip of his nose. His freckles showed as his curly ginger hair stood in the way of his doe emerald eyes."A-Alessia Roffa? Is that you? I mean, I know that's you but—"She cut him off, raising a brow at him. "What do you need?""Oh, uhm. . .I've heard you're off to a new mission soon," he dragged his words in nervousness, which only piqued Alessia's irritation more. See, she's not about socializing. She's more about s
Before the sun even reached her bed, Alessia was already up and about. She has already bought bread for the trip and is currently getting her stallion ready when the young Knight neared her."Top of the morning to you, Lady Alessia," he smiled and readied the saddle of his own stallion who was leashed to a nearby fence. She spared him a side-glance and nothing more, with no reason to give the jubilant man hope since he seems really adamant with this. The others also mounted their stallion and moments later, they were already back on course.Because of her frequenting the towns of Caelum, they easily found their way around and left the Kingdom. What's beyond the borders is where the real danger lies. Right o
The world around Alessia stopped. The flow of her time was interrupted by the shock that took its time sinking in as she felt the blood gushing from her abdomen. She was stone-shelled for a moment as her eyes just stared back at the perpetrator, wide-eyed and in disbelief. It had been years since she felt real pain. She had always considered her combat skills above average, but that was only on a human-scale. Because she was quite sure the perpetrator is no human, because his eyes glinted a shade of gold and his skin shone like scales.Her reflexes weren't good enough against him. She wasn't good enough.Against dragons.
One look at her face and Clyde already knew what this woman was gonna do. He shook his head and grabbed her arm before she could even take a step towards the ramp."Don't." She struggled escaping from his grip and he's not gonna lie, his arm muscles flexed hard because this woman is strong. But he appeared to not budge, because she appeared determined to interfere with the auction and catch unwanted attention. She's reckless, alright."Clyde," his name rolled over her tongue so smooth it resonated so well in his ears. Her voice sounds so sultry and seductive, like an enticing mermaid lulling him to go near her—or are those the ghastly sirens?
The moon is at its peak and the village is sound asleep, but Alessia's thoughts remained screaming in her head. Her mind replayed the fight that occurred earlier and how she didn't even grow suspicious of Clyde. He went up against a dozen men, some of which doubled his size, but still defeated them and left the battle without a single wound.Isn't he just a merchant?She scoffed. How had she not thought of him like this before? The shreds of evidence were right in front of her. His golden blood, him referring to the Dragons as his comrades, his mesmerizing hazel eyes—an eye color rare for low-class merchants—and his presence. The way he carried himself and the air around him oozed anything but indigency. He threw those bodies
Under the illumination of the night sky, a random passerby would never have thought that the two people beside a lake sitting side by side are threatening each other's lives. It'd be the last thought that would come to mind, but oddly enough, it was what was exactly happening."Hmm," Alessia calmly nodded, not even batting an eye. She had noticed the change in Clyde's face earlier after exiting his room and kept it in mind ever since. She knew this was gonna come one way or another, which is why she came prepared. "Don't you think I also deserve a chance to probe you on my last moments?"He snickered and muttered, his voice low and threatening. "Your newly found knowledge won't help you survive tonight, darling."
The raiders' flag was dyed black with a white triangle as the background of the gray skull at the center. They were planted on top of the armored nuclear cannons, a destructive vehicle that has been torturing them under fire for a while now. If those weapons continue for a few more hours, then the entire village will be wiped out with no survivors."Duck!" Alessia yelled at the family she was escorting upon spotting a cannon aimed their way. They were bombarded with a swarm of bullets which luckily didn't hit anybody. Once the rain of bullets ended, she first stood up behind the stack of hay and roamed her eyes around. The coast was clear so she ushered the family to the horse stables far enough from where the raiders came from and helped them ride on horses to gallop away from the village. She could overhear a
"You should sleep for now," said Clyde as soon as they settled inside the cave. The horses were taking a break outside and Clyde had just made a fire. Marika ignored his remark and remained to look outside the cave, her brows furrowed.He looked up at her and realized Marika was too worried to be able to sleep. But nothing's gonna happen by just worrying. Clyde then made a make-shift bed for Marika. He tapped the space on the bed, signaling her to lay down."She'll be fine," he assured her."But the wizard looked strong..."He shrugged. "He might turn out to be a coward. Judging by his attitude earlier, it is likely so."She looked convinced and was making herself comfortable on the makeshift bed. After a while, Marika's breaths evened and her muscles relaxed. Clyde was sitting on a small log by the fire when he noticed she had fallen asleep. He quietly stood up and
Giorgio couldn't pick up the right words to say. He couldn't believe it himself. They grabbed the wrong girl?! Why didn't she say so for their entire travel? Was it intentional?! Then it was that guy's fault for mistaking their names! He is in disbelief. His eyes darted almost everywhere to avoid Ragna's glare.Ragna is a part-man, part-ogre towering over them. He's almost half as tall as these canopy trees in the rainforest. His enormous wolf fangs don't help lessen the intimidation too. As well as that frighteningly big club. It even has faint bloodstains on it.Giorgio is bewildered. Poppy's life is in danger, just like that! One mistake cost him her life."L-Let me make up for it," he stuttered. "Another c-chance...I will redeem myself, just give me another chance."Ragna intently stared at him. Giorgio couldn't maintain their eye contact because of the irking fear that's spreading all over his body. Ragna muttered, "We
Alessia knew the sun was out. She could feel it from the wagon's thin cover. There were two men inside with her, and judging by the sound they make, they're also heavily armed. There're also two outside maneuvering the vehicle. She could sense their every movement and hear their every breath.This wasn't planned at all.But she knew what Clyde was thinking when he switched up their names. These guys are Carthal's underlings. They are under his command. And one of his orders is to probably take Marika, who they mistook as her. She assumes they're headed to wherever Carthal is now, and take her to him. The only question that she doesn't have a concrete answer to is...why her?They planned to use Marika. So why suddenly her? Because she's more capable of saving herself once they learn where he is? Or did he lie? Did he want to use her after all and his compassion for Marika was genuine? Or...does he trust Marika more? Because tha
The next morning, at the palace courtyard, the three were preparing their stallions. Clyde had a dark black stallion, Marika had a golden brown one, while Alessia was given a black horse with slightly lighter patches. From a distance, they seemed to fit with their horses' colors. The Luna neared them, with the Alpha, and personally gave them cloaks.She handed the last one to Alessia as she smiled genuinely. "I thank the Gods for letting us meet, Alessia. It was nice. You helped me a lot more than you know.""Mhmm," Alessia nodded and took a step closer to whisper. "Take care of yourself here...and I know I'm not the ideal person you should take an advice from, but look at his way sometimes, because he almost never looks away from you."Annika knew who she was pertaining to, which is why a blush crept up to her cheeks. It was the man whose hands are clasped in his back behind her, watching them depart from afar. She could feel his i
Even after being taken into the palace to recover, Marika didn't stop apologizing. She kept mumbling apologies and expressed her regret for running away. It was Clyde who accepted her apologies and consoled her, also taking her to a room inside."Hush...It's alright. It's alright. It's not your fault..." He continued to console her even when the palace physician was already treating her wounds.Alessia didn't assist Marika to the room. She left when Clyde lifted her and went straight inside, not even noticing Alessia's disappearance. She grumpily threw the pebble down the cliff where her feet dangled. She was sitting at the edge of the cliff where the palace stands. Beyond the vivacious garden was a cliff, to her surprise.Her frown never disappeared the whole day and her grudge for Marika just multiplied tenfold. And she didn't even bother going back to the palace to sleep. As an assassin, missing a nigh
"Master, they have been reported to arrive at the Supreme Alpha's palace," muttered a male in some fine tunic, bowing his head in front of another man sitting languidly with half of his body hidden by the darkness of the place. But even from the messenger's position, his presence can still agitate someone from a distance.The shadowed man chuckled humorlessly."How about that fairy?"His messenger ducked his head and parted his shaking lips. "S-She got away, Master...""Tsk," he scoffed. "Amateurs. Couldn't even restrain a mere forest fairy."The messenger displayed obvious hesitation to speak, before inhaling deeply. "I-I was informed that the fairy suddenly lashed out and escaped... They doubted that she was only a forest fairy because she emitted both properties of fire and water, M-Master.""Now, now, that's interesting..." The 'Master' emerged from the shadows a
Clyde calmly placed his glass down and spared Alessia a glance before she completely left the hall. His gaze soon fell on Regulus, who was already staring intently at him. He discreetly smiled."You've barely changed," was his first remark after they had their privacy. "You're still hotheaded. I told you to work on that, didn't I?""Let me remind you, brother, you're not my mentor. Never was." Regulus's jaw clenched as he picked a grape and chewed aggressively."Hmmm . . . Our mentor died, so I'm taking his place.""You can't take his place. He's irreplaceable, you should know that. Wasn't he your father?" That hit a nerve. The amusement disappeared from Clyde's face as his eyes sharpened on Regulus."He died . . . because of you." His reply was calm, cold, and lethal. He doesn't see Regulus as the Supreme Alpha, just a regular outcast favored by his father like before. "If only you watched your mouth, none of this would've happen
The Supreme Alpha's commanding voice boomed in all four corners of the room. He has stormy gray hair and equally stormy eyes. His regal red mantle rested comfortably on his broad shoulder, and his golden-threaded tunic hugged his well-framed body perfectly. His eyes were as sharp as his jawline. Alessia couldn't find any fault in his physical appearance at all. He was godly."Have you had your meal yet, Clyde?"Clyde chuckled and shook his head. "I haven't. I was waiting for someone to eat with me until I found out she fell fast asleep," he replied, sparing Alessia a glance."Oh." The Supreme Alpha's gaze followed Clyde's and met hers. She awkwardly curtsied and avoided his gaze. "Is she your wife?""No." Clyde was quick to deny it as if he hated the very idea of it. "We've formed an alliance with each other and will part ways after our mission."He introduced her as his
"What are you trying to say?" He frowned and stopped cleaning the blood on her waist. "Should I throw you out, then? Or leave you here 'til you die and rot?"Alessia sighed. "I'm just gonna be a burden. This will take me a long time to heal, so you should just carry on with your mission."She was spouting nonsense. That much she knew. He's her target, she can't let him go loose. But something different is going on with her today. It was so unlike her."Are you telling me to leave you here? The only company I have? That's an enticing offer, but no thank you," he said, nonchalance dripping in every word. He continued cleaning her with his slightly damp cloth, unbothered by her earlier remarks.Alessia rolled her eyes. "I'm being selfless for once, Clyde. Don't waste this opportunity. I don't want to see you still in here when the sun rises—"Her heart skipped a beat and th