“I’m telling you, every little weasel townsman was in on this!” Kyra exclaimed, hitting the hard surface with her first. She hissed at the pain before cursing at the wall. Or what she thought was the wall.

“How can you be so sure of that?” Gabriel answered, optimism seeping through his words.

"Oh, c’mon, you oblivious prince. Those fuckers were more than eager to push us towards the inn. Their grins were practically splitting their faces." Kyra explained.

“Maybe because it’s the best inn in town. Maybe it was hijacked by the receptionist, and the real owners are locked down somewhere.” Gabriel pushed back.

“Hello! Is someone there?!” A soft, feminine voice called out.

“You see!” The prince exclaimed, pointing in a random direction that both he and Kyra could not see.

Kyra rolled her eyes before focusing her hearing on the voice. The green-eyed girl could hear steady breathing and the sound of gulping (most likely from thirst).

“Who are you?” Kyra's voice echoed, seeing no harm in asking the question.

“Mimosa.” The girl replied. “Who are you?” She then asked.

“I’m Gabriel St. Wraith, and she’s Kyra von Stein.” Gabriel rushed to answer before Kyra did. He figures she was going to throw the poor girl some fake names, and that wasn’t good.

Kyra, on the other hand, wanted to kick the prince to death. She didn’t want the history books, knowing she fell for a stupid trick like this. However, another thing that irritated the young girl was just how well Gabriel was starting to know her.

“Great to meet you, Gabriel and Kyra!” Mimosa replied, sounding far more upbeat and chipper. “Do you guys need some light? I can provide you with some.”

“Oh, yes, please.” Gabriel replied, eager to see you once again.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Kyra had gotten sort of fond of the dark, but a little light wouldn’t hurt. Heeled footsteps echoed, as did a large, purplish pink light that encompassed the entire space. Kyra could finally see what position she was in and was happy that she and Gabrie fell far apart from each other.

The girl loved her space, after all.

As the large, shadowy figure drew closer, Gabriel and Kyra got ready. A young woman of average height, with bright pink hair pulled into a low bun, walked around the corner.

The woman had a large antique lamp with a long handle in her hand, emitting purplish pink flames. Kyra studied her outfit, impressed by how pretty it was.

The woman was wearing a long white dress with two long slits going down the sides. A pale pink belt wrapped itself around her waist, with various different items hanging from it. She also wore various pearl and diamond jewellery, adorning her wrist and neck. The young woman had a massive pastel pink bow headband sitting pretty on her head.

"Oh, no need to be on guard. I’ve also been imprisoned here; I just don’t know how long.” The woman spoke, adding a giggle at the end.

The woman came closer and sat in front of the two.

It was only then that they noticed just how pretty she looked. She had cat-like pink eyes with white, diamond-shaped pupils. Her skin was a dark brown colour, with white lines going down her chin and across her cheeks.

“I’m Mimosa Samba, an upper-second-class mage.” She introduced herself. A kind smile sprawled across her face. Gabriel sat forward, far more at ease with the woman than Kyra was.

"Well, you know who we are,” he started. “I’m a prince from—”

"You are from the Aerion Kingdom. I guessed it by the name you provided, and you do match the image I’ve seen in you.” Mimosa replied. Her eyes then travelled to Kyra. “You must be the swordsman Munich’s child.” She added. “Not much is known about you and your family, other than the service you have provided for King Aycius.” Mimosa concluded.

“That’s for the best.” Kyra bleekly replied. “There aren't any fun things to learn about the von Stein household.”

Mimosa gave her a thoughtful nod, understanding where the emerald-eyed girl was coming from.

“Well, since you know about us, well, we must be famous in Longforn!” Gabriel gleamed.

Mimosa dropped her smile and looked at the prince long and hard. Her lips then wobbled, and she went into full-blown laughter. It echoed across the dark cave, bounced off the walls, and vibrated against Kyra’s head.

“That’s funny, hilarious even,” she began. “If it weren’t for me travelling, I would have never heard of you. What happens in Alderon stays in Alderon.” She added. “Most people don’t care for the least developed realm, nor do they care for the people that lay within it. That’s not my opinion, however. I was happy with most things there.” The pink-haired fir rambled.

Gabriel and Kyra looked at each other, then back at Mimosa.

“That’s not nice.” Gabriel voiced it, slightly hurt. Kyra, on the other hand, shrugged. She was going to be the most important person ever by the end of her travels.

“Anyways, Mimasa,” Kyra started.

“Mimosa.” The pink-eyed girl corrected.

“Yeah, um. Do you have any idea how to get out of here?” The short-haired girl asked.

"Well, I tried to use magic, but the system has stated that the cave neutralises all mana. So that was clearly useless. Our best game is to wait till those doors open, and we’re collected to fulfil our purpose.” Mimosa explained.

“What door?” Kyra inquired.

Mimosa pointed the lamp towards her back and turned her body that way. The purplish pink flame illuminated the large circular black gate, and Kyra’s eyes widened slightly.

It was huge. Around twenty feet tall. It certainly dwarfed them.

“Great, just how long do you think we’ll be waiting?” Kyra muttered. She sank back into the wall and covered her mouth with the fur cloak. “I’m sleeping. Wake me up if something worthwhile happens.” She said it in a monotonous way.

“Will do!” Mimosa and Gabriel replied.