The sun draws a golden line along the horizon. The morning breeze filled their lungs as they prepared themselves for an unexpected journey. Since the queen didn't want them to return to the castle, Vivar suggested hiding in their secret tunnel just a few distance from the palace.Nemiah was still confused why the queen wanted to protect her, but she decided to go with them. Another thing that bothers them is their new companion — the strange white horse. It keeps on following Namir wherever it goes, making the tiger roar irritatedly."I guess it'll be fine if we let the horse come with us. The more the merrier?" Nemiah smiled as she walked towards it. She gently rubbed its neck and it seemed to like it. It even licked her face, making her giggle. "How do you want us to call you?" Nemiah asked, still playing her hands on its mane. "Name it anything you want." Caius muttered while fixing the saddle on his buckskin horse. He sighed when he finally got finished and he turned to Nemiah who
Five feet down, Nemiah could see the faint light coming from the torches. Her feet were starting to strain but she continued to descend. When she reached the edge of the ladder, Vivar helped her. “Welcome to our hideout, Milady,” he greeted.Nemiah turned around to have a wider perspective of the place. “A tunnel?” She asked. Disappointed. The tunnel looks just like the ordinary — molded bricks and a narrow dusty pavement that leads somewhere she doesn’t feel excited about. “We are not yet there,” Vivar mused, seeing Nemiah’s displeased reaction. He took one torch and headed forward. “Please be careful, there might be snakes or spiders on the way.” He warned her with a smile. Nemiah became anxious so she grabbed the back of his cloak. Vivar grinned knowing that the young lady was fidgeting behind him. “How about Caius?” Nemiah asked after a few minutes of walking. She thought that the prince would follow but it’s already been half an hour.“You miss him already?” Vivar teased her.
Amaris was just lurking behind the pillar when Dubheasa's spy reported what it just heard in the cave. He already knew that Nemiah was the girl in the prophecy but he didn’t have the urge to tell the queen about it. He felt like he had to protect Nemiah instead. So he went to follow the crow to stop it. Gili, who was also eavesdropping on the conversation, went to follow Amaris. He was worried that Amaris would capture Nemiah and bring her to the queen. He tagged along as Amaris flew from tree to tree, vigilantly following the crow. Meanwhile, Amaris found out that he was being tracked so he made a trap to capture whoever was following him. The wind blew in his direction. A sharp smell of wet grass wafts into his nostrils. He instantly recognized who it was — Gili. He wondered why he was following him. He suddenly gets a hunch that the queen ordered him to track Nemiah as well. “I know you’re there. Show yourself, Gili.” He called behind the broad trunk.Gili took a deep breath. He
Everything was pitch dark. But I could smell something roasted that made my stomach growl. Is it beef? Chicken? Whatever. It’s making me hungry. I tried to move my hands but was tied with something scraping my skin. I just remembered I was with Amaris before I lost my consciousness. I began to panic when I realized there was a jet-black cloth covering my face. That's why my vision was shady. I shook my head to remove it. As soon as it fell, Amaris’ face was already in front of me. I laid back in surprise. The chair where I was tied swayed back. I almost crashed with it. Gladly Amaris was able to stop it from falling. I wished I had just landed and crashed on the floor because his face was so close to mine now, making me nervous for no reason.“You snore so loud for a small lady,” he commented. His smile was hard to comprehend and somewhat insulting to me. He put back the chair into place and stood straight, looking down at me.“Are you planning to kill me here?” I asked him fearfully.
Caius and Amaris turned to me with a blazing glare. “We’re not!” They both exclaimed. I almost jumped in surprise at their sudden howl. Gili came closer with his arms crossed and examined their faces. I could see the irritation written in their eyes as Gili alternately looked at them.“Stop it, Gili. You look stupid,” Amaris annoyingly told him.“Hmmm... Nemiah is right. You look exactly alike,” he nodded.“We are not!” They yelled at him.“Why did you bring these people here?” Amaris growled at Gili. “I’m the one who’s supposed to ask you here? Why did you take my fiance?” Caius asked, raising his left brow.My eyes widened at that question. I stared confusedly at Caius, who didn’t seem to notice me. He was looking directly at Amaris, who chuckled at that question.“Now you’re claiming her as your fiance after treating her coldly?” Amaris talked back to him.“It’s not of your business, dude. Now give her back to me,” Caius tried to reach out my hand, but Amaris pulled me closer to hi
As soon as I heard what Dubheasa said to her shadow soldiers, I thought of stopping Caius from following me. When I turned to ride on Namir, I bumped into a large clay pot, and it broke loudly on the ground. “Who's there?” I heard Dubheasa’s voice inside. I was startled when the bricks blasted before me. And just like that, I met Dubheasa eye to eye. My heart almost shrunk in fear seeing her blazing eyes. She was a beautiful young woman, but her eyes were red as blood, and black veins covered her entire face. Her straight hair was white as snow and so long that it touched the floor. What scared me most was the dark shadows that looked like a distorted body of a human.I was confused when she stepped back like she was scared of something. I could see her hands shaking, and her face was troubled as she looked at me. “Get her!” She commanded the soldiers of dark shadows.I got on Namir at once, and we ran away as fast as we could. I looked back to see if the shadows were close, but they
“You can stay here as long as you want. It’s dangerous outside this cave.” Kuu woke me from my deep thoughts. I sighed heavily and ducked to pat his head.“Look. I won’t be staying here for long. I still need to do something; we will leave in a bit,” I told him. His brows furrowed to that message. “Why? You might get caught out there,” he fretted.“Someone is waiting for me. I promised to meet him,” I honestly responded. He gazed at me for a moment, sighed laboriously, and crossed his arms.“Who?” He raised his brows. “The prince,” I replied.“Oh. The jerk,” Kuu rolled his eyes.I burst into waves of laughter as soon as I heard him call Caius a ‘jerk.’ “Why do you call him that?” I tried to suppress my laugh. “Because he is.” He strongly stated.“I don’t like him too,” I whispered to him.“Then don’t go,” he asked, beseeching.I sighed and gave him a sincere smile. “There are things that we need to do. And I need his help to stop the witch queen from sabotaging the village anymore.
“W-Who are you? W-Why are you h-here?” I asked tremblingly. My body shook in fear as I tried to step away from him.“My name is Nikolas, and you are the precious Nemiah, right?” He talked casually. Seeing his pale skin, topaz eyes, and unusual fangs, he’s probably a vampire. I’ve always seen them in movies, but I couldn’t believe I would encounter one in this world. He was creepy in every way, especially how he looked at me.“W-What do you want from me?” I stuttered. He only gave me a freaking grin and stepped closer to me. I stepped back but ended up stuck with the wall behind me. He reached out his hand and touched my face with his ice-cold fingers. I wanted to push him away but couldn’t move my body. My breathing was shallow, and it was like I would collapse anytime now.“Dubheasa didn’t tell me you were this beautiful,” he whispered as his hands traveled down to my lips. I tilted my head to the side to get rid of his hands. I saw the sunlight on the ladder coming from the open p
The crescent moon shone brightly on the open window of my room. The night sky looked so peaceful and Caius was standing there, watching the spectacular view. But seeing Caius's dropped shoulders, I knew his thoughts were clouded tonight. "Can't you choose to stay?" He asked in a melancholic tone, still has his back on me.I bit my lower. I can't. Well I don't know how I'm gonna get back to my real world but once my mission here is done, I'll probably be gone in this place. And I don't really belong here. I have a family in my real world who are waiting and might be worrying about me by now."I'm sorry, Caius. I can't." I gasped, almost sounding like a whisper.He took a deep breath, loud enough for me to understand that he wasn't happy about my response. He slowly turned around, trying to make a smile. "Maybe the place you really belong to is so beautiful and peaceful that you don't want to stay here." He muttered."Well…" I paused for a moment to look at his sullen eyes. "It's not t
"You're dazzling, honey!" Queen Morrigan clasped her hands in awe as she looked at me from head to toe. The dress perfectly fit me like the sewist seemed to know the exact measurements of my body, though nobody came to take measures.I turned around as I stared blankly at the mirror. The queen helped me a lot with all the undergarments. Though it looked so lavish, the weight of the fabrics were a bit uncomfortable. She also fixed my curly hair with golden pins. The messy bun perfectly matched the shape of my face. It looked elegant in a simple way. I didn't know the queen had such a talent for this. I thought it's her maids that style her all the time. "Let me put some tint on your face. You're looking a little pale. Are you sure you're already feeling better?" She took my hand and guided me to the couch to let me sit. "Yes, your highness." I forced a smile to convince her.She stared at me for a moment before. Then she sighed giving me a simper. "Can you stop calling me like that?
I still haven't talked to Aries since they figured out I'll be leaving this place soon. He walked out as soon as I confirmed to them that what the elders said was true. Caius was also speechless about it. He wanted to talk to me but I refused. I wanted to take a break first. I'm overwhelmed with this situation. And now, the elders held a ball to celebrate my arrival. I'm already flustered with agitation due to my mission. And I'm dead worried about Aries. How am I going to explain everything to him? Now I regret not telling him the truth right away.*Knock*KnockI was awakened from my misery when I heard soft knocks on the door. I was currently in an extravagant room prepared by the elders for me. The entire room was as big as our townhouse in my real world. Every piece of furniture has a touch of gold, making me feel suffocated with the luxury around me. This doesn't help elevating the pressure strangling me now."Do you need help, Nemiah?" Queen Morrigan called from the other side o
"What's wrong?" Dubheasa wondered why her soldiers came back to the shore looking frustrated."The houses are empty." One of the soldiers reported."What do you mean empty? Where will the people who live there go?" She snapped. "W-We searched each house but no one we're there. They left all their belongings but no one was found." The other shadow uttered in a trembling voice."What?! There's no way they've already escaped. How would they know?" The veins on her forehead showed how much she was enraged at the moment. Unconvinced, she sprinted to the village and checked some of the houses herself. She got more furious each time she wrecked the door and no one was inside. She tried to contemplate what could have happened. "Amaris. That ungrateful idiot!" She growled. She couldn't think of any other reason for the people to know about her conquest. Only Amaris knew she was going to attack the village tonight."Find them in every corner of this island and kill them! They have no other pla
The sky was dark and thunderstorms roared synchronizing with the heavy gushing of the rain. It was supposed to be a glorious day for Dubheasa but the weather doesn't seem to cooperate with her plans. She slouched on her throne while distressingly pressing her temples with her fingers. She was waiting for an alternate plan to destroy the village."My queen. The rain still hasn't stopped. Should we wait for it to cease before we proceed with the plan?" One of her soldiers came in to report. Dubheasa threw a sharp glance at him, making his body tremble in fear. He decided to bow his head to avoid the eye contact."Hasn't Jack come back yet?" She asked in a cold voice. Little did she know, the man she's waiting for has already turned into ashes."N-Not yet, your highness." The servant stuttered in fear."What could have happened to that old man? I just asked him to spy on Amaris and they both haven't returned yet." She straightened her back and took a deep breath. "I have a bad feeling ab
(While Nemiah and her allies were stuck in the mansion..)Druji was feeling dizzy, keeping her eyes on her mother as she walked back and forth near the entrance of the cave. The anxiousness was written all over the queen's face as she took glances at the entrance, hoping the people she's waiting to return would show up anytime now."Mother, you've been like that for an hour already. Please calm down. Maybe they couldn't return yet due to the incessant pouring of the rain." Druji stood from her seat and stopped her mother from wandering around."I just can't help it. It's almost dark and there's still no news from them." The queen fretted, her hands were trembling as she clasped and unclasped them."Your highness. Aries is with them so don't have to worry. They're probably on their way now. Let's just wait here." Gili sighed as he watched the pouring rain outside. He knew that Dubheasa and her armies might be on their way now to destroy the village. He's also wondering why they haven't
"Let's get inside, Nemiah. Everyone is waiting for you." Caius took my hand, about to lead me back to the portal."Hang on. How about the queen and the kids? I thought we're going to save the people too?" Aries pondered."The guy who welcomed us said that they're already inside. I haven't checked, though." I informed him. I began to wonder how they took the people and convinced them to come. I'm really curious about that place.Aries's forehead creased as soon as he heard me. He seemed faltered. I know he's also wondering how they're already inside. The rain almost stopped. Dubheasa probably has released her army to proceed with her evil plan. Just as I thought about it, the trees and nearby bushes rustled clamorously. "Let's get inside, Nemiah. I think Dubheasa's troops are already searching for us." Caius carefully looked around, tracing any shadows of the enemies."Aries. Come on!" I called him, who was also checking around."What did you just call him?" Caius's face dazed as he l
"What are you doing!" I was finally able to get my energy back. I pushed him as hard as I could. He started to faint and fell on his knees. He spewed some black pearls like that of what Druji has vomited when I touched her. It vanished in the air as soon as it touched the ground.I dashed to approach him and gently rubbed his back. "Are you feeling alright now?" I fretted.He raised his head and wiped his mouth with the back of his hands. Grinning at me, he said, "More than alright." Then his eyes lowered on my lips, making the blood rush throughout my body. I could feel my face burning so I quickly stepped away from him."Pervert," I grumbled to myself as I touched my lips with my shaking fingers. "Why did you do that? You could have just touched me." I complained. Amaris chuckled as he got up and dusted off his pants. "Because I want to remove the curse that way. It worked perfectly though.""I shouldn't have stepped out for you.""But you did. Why did you?" He teased me, gliding s
“What is this place?” I jumped off the horse to get a better look at the breathtaking view of the paradise we were currently in. I heard everyone gasp in awe as they entered the portal. We were on concrete pavement and it was leading to a stunning white palace ahead. It was three times bigger and extravagant than that of Queen Morrigan's palace. Looking from afar, everything was painted in white and the windows seemed to be made of dazzling gold. What kind of people are living here? Or are they even people? This place is terrifically marvelous. I badly wanted to ask the horses since they're the one who brought us here. But it won't make sense since I don't understand them. I wonder if Namir could do that for me. I wandered my eyes around. There are thousands of white roses along the path. It looks exactly like what we have in Kuu's cave. Did those roses come from here? I could also hear the calming sound of a gushing falls somewhere. I wonder how this kind of bewildering place exists