When Méah recognized the person, she felt the same chills crept throughout her veins. The look on the person's face reminded her of every single thing that she and her family had went through. How could she ever forget those scariest nightmares that happened in her life? Méah suddenly felt the flaming desire of revenge and justice. Now that she won't have to look for this person anymore, it was time for her to ask for the compensation in exchange for the lives of her parents. She will make sure that the pending promises that she had sworn to herself will be accomplished this time. However, it won't be easy for her to just show up in front of this person and do the thing that she longed for. Everyone was fully equipped and ready for battle. If she would recklessly act now, she would surely get killed first before laying the finger on her target. Méah needed a smart strategy. She decided to follow them by taking the hills and mountains a
After a few minutes of going down the hill under the night sky, Méah finally arrived on the area where the tents have gathered. But first, she hid behind the small thicket near one of the tents. She was figuring out the shifts of the guards. She waited there for almost half an hour until the guards began to leave their posts for the shift. When no one was there already, she walked towards her target tent in a hurry. Or else she might get caught once the replacement guards will come to take over the posts. Lurking in the dark shadows of the night, with careful steps, she held the dagger close to her chest. She was now near behind the biggest tent where her target was in. However, she was hindered by the shadows that she saw reflecting on the ground in front of her. She assumed it was coming from the guards who were watching the entrance of the tent. Thanks to the fire somewhere near these guards or she'll have no idea where exactly their
Méah couldnt stop herself from panicking hard. She had wiped off the traces of blood on her face using the portion of black fabric of the uniform. But even though there was no way for her to be recognized with the uniform and the head armour together with the sword, she was still anxious as she was filled with negative thoughts at the same time. Good thing that the uniforms were paired with cloak so her long hair was perfectly hidden under it. And so, she just stood straight right at the entrance of the tent and held her head high to make herself even more convincing. Although deep inside, Méah's emotions were stirred, making her feel like she will puke right now on her post. Méah remained frozen like a statue until the person passed by in front of her. She was thankful that the man didn't look at her. However, when he was about to enter the tent, he suddenly stopped on his way and looked back at her. "Why are you guarding here
"My lady! Something happened to the Nuandian Troop!" A man entered the hall, chasing his breath. The clothes that he's wearing showed he's one of the soldiers. Purple Smoke just nodded lightly as if she didn't care about what she heard. Her face bore the uninterested look and didn't even take her eyes off her admiration on her long, glossy, black nails. "Forgive me, my lady. But I think someone has known our plans." The man lowered his head upon saying his opinion. But actually, the reason why he said this was because he noticed Purple Smoke wasn't worried about it. He was trying to provoke her to take action at what happened with the Nuandian Troop. However, he was afraid to say it boldly and offend her. Purple Smoke inhaled deeply, shifting her attention to the man in front of her. "And where did you got the guts to say this to me? Are you trying to say that I am not taking the situation seriously?" Purple Smoke eyed th
"Is there any thing you need?" Purple Smoke suddenly said, breaking the silence that filled the whole place. Doctor Bai was startled for a bit. He didn't realize he had been staring at the door where Tarah and King Marcellus got out. He turned to look at Purple Smoke who was now giving him a warning look. Seeing her expression, his strength melted. She looked like he's going to kill him with her piercing eyes. This made Doctor Bai back off. He wouldn't like it if he ended up annoying her especially now that she's in a bad mood. Or else his soul would end up inside one of the beads. Maybe it wasn't the right time to ask for his freedom. For sure, it would only make his situation worse. Even though he only have a prick of chance that Purple Smoke would agree to let him go, he would rather give it a chance than to be stuck here and suffer under her rule. He didn't want to be used against his own fellowmen. And most of all, he didn't want to
As Tarah advanced closer to her destination, the paths that she was taking was also getting darker–not only darker but at the same time it also became narrower. The path was in between two towering cliffs that looked like a deep crack, dividing the mountain into halves if seen from afar. As Tarah walked on this path, she was feeling unearthly nips crawling on her skin, making the tiny hairs on it stood up straight. The gentle brush of cold air seeped through the loose cloak that she was wearing, making it appear like a cloth canopy filled with air. The aroma of the sea breeze mixed with the serenity of the night sent crisp chills throughout her airways once it entered her nares. After a few minutes, Tarah arrived in front of magnificent stone gate. She pushed it carefully, opening it just enough for her small figure to fit through and then locked it before leaving. Tarah was now heading toward the next door about ten yards away from the gat
It was a quiet morning. The warm, golden rays of sunshine flashed through the gigantic windows of the eastern part of the fortress. New hope has come. However, this doesn't apply to those who have been deprived of it–those who have their tomorrows tied to dead end. King Marcellus and his two remaining men were brought to the hall by Doctor Bai after spending the whole night in the dark dungeon of the fortress filled with filth. Except King Marcellus, these two was shaking in fear of what's to come. A king never shivers even when facing death. He would be glad to die with them and for the people. But... He's not going to die on a foreign land especially on the enemy's hands. He had thought it through the night. Though if granted, he will never be the same again. This time, it would be a battle from within. Suddenly, the door opened and Purple Smoke was poised to enter with her chin held high. If someone hasn't seen her
Ferlah just arrived back at the Beggar's Town. The moment that stepped a foot on this place caused a stir on the unforgettable nightmares that she had went through. Seeing this place again was like she's seeing a colorless world. Even though the streets were so busy and bustling, she couldn't feel its spirit. Beggars aligned on the sidewalks with their hungry and shaking hands asking for alms. The worst was they didn't even get to have what they asked but ended up getting a far more different thing–being loathed by the majority and being pitifully beaten to death. For Ferlah, this place was not only named Beggar's Town just because it resembles the majority of the people living on it, but because it was a place of suffering where all kinds of bad and illegal things could be found. Life here was colorless. The rich keeps getting rich and the poor were stuck to being poor. Luckily, there were not too many children in
The golden rays of the sun broke out through the thick, dark clouds that were slowly dissipating away. The sun sat above the golden capped mountains in the west, about a few minutes before it would rest from a long day of work. The bright light vanished and the small crystal ball fell on Keir's chest. Then it slowly disappeared as soon as it touched his skin. Kalen was greeted by the silence of the world. The thick fog was cleared and the sky was full of hope. But for him, it wasn't the same sky anymore. It was the sky of new life and new beginnings. He looked around and everyone was lying on the ground. There was no trace of Purple Smoke. But he recognised Méah's figure lying ahead of him for half a mile away by her clothes and armour. However, as much as he wanted to check on them, he would have to chose his brother first who was lying right next to him. But judging on Keir's injuries, Kalen decided not to touch him. The arro
"Useless!" Purple Smoke screamed in both fury and disappointment. She hated it when someone fails her and had a long history on it. To her anger, struck Méah with her palm on the chest. Méah flew a few yards away from where she stood. But she didn't complain. For Purple Smoke was her master and the only one who has the authority to do anything to her. She rolled on the ground for a couple times and spat out black blood. She was on knees but her face was still blank and didn't show any hint of pain. Purple Smoke faced Keir and the princess's body. Her vision quickly darkened. "Love. This is what love bring to people. What a pity. They're even willing to die because of it." She grinned. While she was feeling the moment of victory, she heard a swooshing blade coming from behind her. She quickly avoided it and saw Kalen. "Oh, another silly boy. But I like you already. You're braver than your brother." "I w
After they ran away and the battlefield was almost emptied, Purple Smoke was furious when she saw Méah kneeling on the ground, frozen like a statue. She couldn't believe a simple trick could affect Méah. "Come, my dear." Purple Smoke walked in front of Méah. She bent down and held Méah's chin up. Black and purple veins appeared on her neck down to her arms. Then all of it crawled into Méah's chin down to her neck, spreading towards her back. Her injuries were healed and the arrows were burnt into ashes. Méah stood up straight. "Avenge yourself. Kill them all. Kill." Purple Smoke whispered to her ears. "But first, I want you to do something." Then, Méah suddenly disappeared in Purple Smoke's eyes. She was now off to do what she's told to do. Purple Smoke burst into a boisterous laughter. But she eventually stopped when a loud blow of horn was caught in her ears. Among all the four kingdoms, only one would use horn
The three of them were in utter astonishment when they saw the enemies were swarming again. They had no idea where they came from but now they seemed stronger than those that they fought with earlier. King Astius shoulders dropped. At the other end, he saw the Deep Caves and everyone struggling to defend it. The enemies were about to break in. "What the hell! They're like locusts!" Keir cursed under his breath. Suddenly, they heard screams coming from behind them, the main gate from the city of Noartias. As they turned around, they saw the remaining of their soldiers, the war veterans and majority of Eastian soldiers who were assigned to defend the city. They were rushing to the battlefield, ready to give their life for the sake of the world. And then, they joined them to launch an attack on the battleground. Weapons clashed hard against each other. Some tasted flesh, blood and bones. Blood were splattered everywhere, leaving a crimsom
"Oh no! They're here! They're breaking in!" Queen Jainah cowered into the corner of the room in the royal underground where they were hiding. Princess Jiyanah sat down with her, arms snaked on one arm of her mother. King Ambrose wasn't there with them because he was out in the battlefield. Unlike Noartias, Eastias don't have any shelter like the Deep Caves but they have a vast underground shelter that they called as the Underground Shelter, enough to cater the whole kingdom's population. It has one entrance which can only be found in the secret chamber of the royal hall. The five exits extend in five directions away from the kingdom's borders. Four of it share the same distance while the other one was the longest which almost reaches the border's pf Noartias. King Zarduz was the first kingdom to surrender to Purple Smoke. Being named as the weakest, poor kingdom, King Zarduz chased the opportunity to get power, enough to purge a strong kingdom l
Ferlah brought King Astius to the Deep Caves. After that, she left back to the battlefield outside. More enemies were coming. They don't seem to decrease at all. The more of them die, the more of them come. Prince Zaeius and the mysterious woman in red were trying hard to defend the door of the shelter. General Kapono was defending the walls together with the rest of the soldiers since the enemies were trying to climb up through tall ladders. Seeing all of these, King Astius didn't think twice to carry out his responsibility. He climbed to where the archers were stationed on the walls. "Aim for the enemies! Kill them! Leave none of them alive!" He shouted. Upon seeing his presence, the soldiers' morale was boosted. Their spirits soared high and their hearts filled with hope. From afar, Ferlah could be seen battling alone. She couldn't risk to transform herself so that she won't get exhausted when it was time to go
When King Astius and the rest of the troops arrived at Noartias, they were flabbergasted by the army of the enemies flocking inside. Only a few of the war veterans were left standing, fighting bravely despite being outnumbered. King Astius was suddenly eaten by guilt. He blamed himself for not seeing the trap ahead of them which made him led the whole Noartian army into deception. The moment they stepped a foot inside the kingdom, the bloody clash began. The enemies looked like a swarm of locusts, attacking them in every possible way. There were clamours of death and courage as well as the shatters and clatters of weapons. Blood were spilled everywhere and the parched ground quenched its thirst through it. While King Astius was slaughtering the enemies, he suddenly remembered the prince. Fear struck him hard. He wished his son was safe in the royal underground as it was difficult to find. But judging from the prince's behaviour, he probably
"Méah!" With eyes closed, Prince Zaeius screamed in terror and sat up from his sleep without even knowing. He just had a horrible nightmare about Méah dying, covered in blood and vanishing into thin air. However, even though it was just a nightmare, he began to pray to himself that it would only remain as a nightmare. As his breathing slowly calmed down, the throbbing pain came raging from all over his body, starting to penetrate deeper into his senses. He let out a painful hiss with a twisted expression as he went weak and limp, slumping himself back into the soft mattress of his bed. An agonizing groan followed that made him shut his eyes in a tight manner. With this, it all came back to him. But despite after being rescued and seeing the woman he loved in that situation, the flashes of tortures that he had gone through in the hands of Purple smoke held a consistent spot in his memory. That no matter how hard he tried to set
The awaited dawn finally came. It was summer but the breeze, though it blew calm and gentle, felt like a touch of a blizzard's chill. Passing through the steep trails of well-tilled earth, forests, rivers and marshes, a couple of hundred thousand men set off from Noartias to the battlefield under the command of King Astius. This was the last number that he could bring with him. And not all of them were soldiers. Some were mere folks, men and women but brave and courageous, who voluntarily swore to protect their kingdom, their homes and their families. Every abled person in no particular age requirement were allowed to go to battle with them as long as they can walk at such distance and can ride on horses and fight with willingness. However, as he couldn't leave the kingdom and the people alone unguarded, he left this task to the war veterans of less than thirty thousand. Half of them guarded the kingdom with Kalen among them and Bek was told to stay with o