The roads leading to Berinda were rockier than the ones leading to Polivia. Natalia couldn’t help comparing the two, especially since one had less landmass and had less financial power yet it seemed to be the only one with good facilities as compared to the one who boasted rich nature and resources. It was laughable. Worse of all, she couldn’t use magic so she had to bear with the uncomfortable trip up the mountain.“Cheese, are you doing alright?”The fairy’s yawn was more lethargic than usual. Cheese had to seal her magic to be able to make it through the anti-magic zone. They finally made it halfway up the mountain and took a break in the cave nearby. “I certainly regret this,” she grumbled, staring at the falling snow that began almost immediately after they entered the cave. Ever since she got magic, she had never traveled this slowly but this journey was forcing her past her comfort zone. It was annoying. “Master, we’ll have to make the rest of the journey up by foot. One of u
“Marvis, you’re…home.”“Yes, mother. I’m home.”Marvis used to speak well of his home and his parents yet their reunion was so awkward. Perhaps it was because they left on a sad note but he couldn’t look them in the eyes. His mother dropped what was in her hands and ran to embrace him. His father defeated their expectations by embracing him first, his mother joining from behind. “Why did you leave home like that? We were so scared that something horrible happened to you!”“Father, that’s enough. You’re embarrassing me in front of my friends. Father!”“I am so sorry, I didn’t know they were your friends. It wasn’t my intention to be so rude to our guests but our son hasn’t been home for months now and it has bothered us so much,” his mother said, pulling away. “Months? From the way he spoke, I guessed he hasn’t seen you in years,” Alana said, very confused. “No, I last saw my parents a few months ago after I left home without telling them. They were so worried that Sebastian secretl
Adelie…Adelie…Adelie…“Yes, my lord?”Your destiny…has changed. You have derailed from a glorious path and are now forging a path in darkness. Why have you chosen this path?“This path…is the only proper way forward. I will not lay my resentment to rest yet they shall not bother my life. This happiness within me is like an oasis in the desert. It feels like my heart has been craving it for a long time.”Happiness is not what you should desire! Power! Prosperity! Ascension!“What is all this without happiness, my lord?” Happiness is for mere mortals!“I…am a mortal, my lord.”Nevertheless…the mortal you call your sister is the reason why your path changed so much. You are destined to be enemies yet here she is, buttering you up to kill you. You must get rid of her before she kills you!“My lord, you know and see everything. Why would my sister want to kill me?”You are right that I can see everything and I know everything. However, there is one mortal I cannot see or know the depth of
"He's asking for too much!" Fredrich exclaims. Marvis nodded, holding Sebastian's shoulder to show he supported him. "Right now, we can only get an invitation through three people, His Majesty, Dame Violet and Count Selene. I doubt any one of them would be willing to give us one, especially with Natalia's foresight. The way it's going, we might have no other choice but to wait for her to come back," Marvis said. "There's nobody else we can ask?" Fredrich asks, frustrated. "How many people do we know can get through an anti-magic zone unperturbed?" Alana asks, hopelessness in her voice. Sebastian snaps his head up and looks at her. "There is one person.""Who?""Princess Temara.""I don't think…""The people of Polivia have little to no magic so they have lived their lives without magic. Technically, their whole kingdom is an anti-magic zone.""Even if she can go, how is she going to get an invite?" "For that, I'll just have to speak to her. Alana, could you stay behind to look af
"You are so…predictable, Lord Sebastian. I'm amazed to see it in reality. It's very fascinating.""I'm glad you're fascinated by this, your highness. Please, help us.""Unfortunately, I already gave my word to Lady Natalia that I will not be helping you. She also asked me to pass you something. Steward, go fetch the letter on my desk.""Yes, your highness!"Temara turned back to the men and smiled wryly when she saw their downcast expressions. They looked like the world was ending, or rather, their world. The steward returned and gave the letter to Sebastian. He opened it and read out loud. [If you're reading this letter, Bastian, that means you've come to Princess Temara for help. This also means you must've exhausted all available options, like the king, right? Have you lost your mind? Is your level of belief in me so low that you will put your pride aside to beg for scraps? Coming to Berinda won't do you any good. You all could die. I cannot die! You know this! Why do you insist o
"Argh, you're so stubborn! Why don't you just say yes?!""I'm…sorry…""Adelie! Don't be so stubborn and just agree! Why must you make yourself suffer so?? Your soul will dissipate if you continue to disagree!"She smiled, coughing. Even though it was her soul, it was riddled with holes and continuously leaking mana. Her hands were tied up to red pillars with golden snakes sneaking around them and her legs hung limply, most of it gone. He stood in front of her with a golden whip, the handle bearing a small golden snake. He looked like any other handsome man with a sharp nose and cheekbones, his pupils resembling that of a serpent. His hair and beard were long and white, opposing his youthful looking face. He wore a long red robe with golden snakes embroidered into it. "My…soul…cannot…dissipate.""But you cannot reincarnate properly if you die! All you have to do is say yes and I promise to put you back to your perfect form. Agree to absorb your sister's mana to ascend! It's so easy f
"Agent of Darkness? That's a new one. Is that what I'm secretly called around here?"Denitra didn't reply, pulling out a halberd made of Adamantine. Natalia scoffed, finding it funny. The princess donned a Mythril armour sharpened with several magical gems like Adamantine. Her face was still uncovered by the helmet she wore so she could only be identified by her voice. The only thing that annoyed Natalia was that she could not see her face. She looked over at her servants and they grabbed Minister Mori. "Your highness, if you point that thing at me, it would be seen as a threat to my life. Not only can I reciprocate, your kingdom will be held in violation of the treaty. You may not care much for my life but what about your kingdom?""Don't threaten me!""I am not. I am simply telling the truth. Isn't that right, Minister Mori?"He nodded, lowering his head. She turned to the princess and could tell she was feeling frustrated and torn. She was well acquainted with those feelings. So,
Once outside the boundary of Berinda, Natalia could finally breathe. She gave the illusion she was invincible inside the kingdom when it was just borrowed power. Only gods had the power to bend reality as many times as they wanted. The power she borrowed from Nataroth could only last thirty minutes at most but she used it well. Diversifying her knowledge bank and spying on every single royal family on the several continents she traded with eventually paid off. There were some things she was curious about. "Princess Denitra, I know you were in that cave. I am curious about that strange creature we encountered there. I want you to tell me more about it."The princess didn't respond, looking out of the window defiantly. Natalia traced her eyesight and slowly became annoyed when she saw the path down the mountain was smoother than the path up the mountain. It was vastly different from the way they came and instead of leading to the Empire, it was leading to another small kingdom. Natalia