Charlotte led the children deep within the forest, away from the streets and residents, as she felt a chill in the air that caused goosebumps to break out on her skin.
Maria's sense of paranoia only got worse the more they journeyed into the forest. It didn't take long for Charlotte to pause.
"Welcome to the Sacred Grounds of Gaia," Charlotte solemnly announced as the children rested their young, innocent eyes on the gigantic tree that stood before them.
The wild branches of the tree were thick and robust, but it was the trunk that mainly caught the children's attention.
"A deer face?!" Maria unconsciously blurted out her thought as the tree's trunk indeed was carved to resemble the face
Sitting inside a grand room furnished with gold and the best materials the empire had to offer, the empress not that long ago had just come from visiting her son—the crown prince of this empire, who at this moment was in the middle of sword training.After hearing his instructor, a famous swordsman who served in the emperor’s elite squadron, sing praises about her son's skills and improvement, the empress was in a good mood as she made her way back to her quarters.The woman yet again was donned in an exquisite gown suited to her status. "So, tell me about the princess. Where did she manage to escape to?" Signaling for the other maids to leave, she nonchalantly beckoned her aid, Linda, to step forward."The young princess has decid
Inside the grand throne room, where the elf-lord sat on his throne, stood his trusted attendants and the two elves he sent to scout out the forest. "Report!" the elf-lord ordered. Speaking first with fright in her voice was the female elf."My lord, a large gathering of orcs, goblins, and trolls was spotted behind the Murky Mountains. Their numbers are at a thousand, maybe even more!" The name of this elf-girl was Calen, a trained warrior who showed great promise. Calen was known for her arrogance and hot-temper, but before the elf-lord, Calen had replaced her usual front with hostility and a sense of fear.Hands gripping the armrest of his chairs, the temperature in the elf-lord’s eyes dropped. "What did you say?"
The next day, despite the severe news, Maria had a good night of rest. Not to mention the room the elf-lord prepared was cozy and luxurious. The balcony offered a great view of the outside, allowing the peering sun to awaken Maria. Once she freshened up, Maria changed into a new set of clothes, a pink chiffon blouse with puffy sleeves and a white collar. On each side of her chest was a green leaf design surrounded by two large gold buttons.Paired with the top was a cute pair of dark blue shorts, gold lining the pockets and the hems. Pink buttons, surrounded by a gold border, decorated the front of the pants. Worn around the waist to help keep the pants in position was a dark red belt with gold straps and a pink ribbon tied in the middle.After securing her ha
After the children had their bellies filled from the delicious breakfast that was served, Luna took the group to her favorite hunting spot. A location deep in the forest, close to the Silvan Elves’ territory's border. The children could hear the sound of a rushing river nearby. A variety of beastly noises, most belonging to fleeing animals and insects, formed a chaotic orchestra of noises as the wind blew gently through the forest leaves.Amid Luna's tour, things took a turn south when Maria's reaction towards the princess aroused Richard's jealousy. Thanks to the princess’s stories of the many rare beasts she had caught, this awarded her smiles and praise from Maria.Which led us to our current situation, which somehow turned into a hu
Using the chance while the orc was distracted, Maria ran over to join her friends. "Ruby! Celestial Convergence!" The red jewel attached to Maria's thin gold bracelet on her wrist glowed before merging with Maria.Now transformed with Ruby, Maria felt more confident, summoning her dual crimson fans into her hands. The orc locked his eyes on the three children, rage fueling his ugly eyes. Opening his mouth, he spoke in a tongue that, to Maria's ears, sounded like pig language, angrily moving his mouth as salvia spit from his mouth."I hear footsteps in the forest!" Akihito warned the others, and seconds later, short green rough-skinned creatures with ugly features appeared. A total of three, each armed with either a spear or a slingshot."Oh great, more go
The group of children was stunned at how the orc managed to survive, especially when they noted how severely burned the orc's skin was. "You gotta hand it to orcs, their stubbornness knows no bounds," smirked Akihito, but this smile was wiped from his face when the orc managed to pull out some ominous looking black vial. Using the last ounce of his strength, the orc threw it on the ground, and a cloud of blue smoke covered the area. "Something is not right about this smoke! Try your best... not to.. inhale..." Akihito tried to warn the others, but it was in vain as he fell into darkness, unconscious. The others soon suffered the same fate as him. The orc smirked with victory even thou
When Maria regained the strength to open her eyes again, the musky odor insulted her nose. Her eyelashes fluttered as she cracked open her eyes and found herself in a dark, murky cave. The entrance was barred so that whoever was inside could not escape. Feeling a head resting on her lap, Maria saw a head full of silky silver hair and realized the princess was trapped inside with her."What happened? The last thing I remember is us fighting that orc, when suddenly he threw something down that caused me to blackout." Maria was mainly talking to herself, trying to put the missing pieces together."Whatever that orc threw, it caused all of us to blackout and allowed for you and me to get kidnapped," Luna spoke, raising her head from out of Maria's lap.
Off the river's shores that ran from the Murky Mountains, boats traveled along the northwest border of the Blue Spring Mountain Range. These boats carried a mixture of orcs, trolls, and goblins—all with the sole intent of taking over the territory of the Silvan Elves.Back inside the Murky Mountains, the yells of the noble lady finally died down, yet the person who had the unfortunate luck to share a cell with her, found herself scared witless by the deranged look the woman had plastered on her face. "I'll kill him! I'll rip him limb from limb! Hahaha!" It was evident that the girl was starting to become insane, murmuring these words to herself as she laughed to herself."Luna, since we still have access to our magic, how about we just bust ourselv