"Thou is such daring, art thou sure this is what thee desire?" Questions a voice from out of the corner of darkness.
Another silhouette silently nods, bestowing their partner with an item.
"Of course, it is... for the sake of humanity. We can't have a monster lurking within these halls. When the time is right, I expect thee to fulfill thine role and save the kingdom from disaster," replies the taller shadow.
The first nods, before going their separate ways, filling the dark hallways with footsteps.
- A week later after the banquet -
Axel starts writing down his experiences in a little notebook first thing in the morning.
Day 1 of training.
"When I fell asleep that night, I was expecting the worst for the next day. However, surprisingly, it was more of a study session than a training routine. They went into grave detail about the stats and what they meant. Hp, Attack, Defense, and Speed were pretty straightforward. Hp, otherwise known as our overall health; simply put when it runs out, you’re dead. Attack maintains what’s associated with primarily your physical damage. Like kicks and punches and anything really physically damaging. Defense maintains your physical endurance; punches, kicks, anything pertaining to getting hurt. And lastly, Speed which determines how fast you are; pretty straightforward if you ask me."
"Mana, Magical Attack, and Magical Defense on the other hand, these were a bit more complicated. Mana is similar to Hp in the fact that they both had bars that signaled just how high or low you are in either. Mana is the fuel you use to cast and make magic. Remember to keep an eye on that bar, because if you drain it to zero, you'll be out in the open with your pants down. Magical Attack is similar to Attack, only, although unlike physical hits, these go through your normal Defence. It also maintains how powerful your spells and overall magic is. The same is said with Magical Defense, only that it's about how much your body can resist magical attacks."
"Next lesson was about enchanting spells, and OH MY was it long. Who knew enchanting a simple fire spell would take two mouthfuls before you can even cast it. The enchantment itself didn't need to be followed word by word, but you had to pray to God and describe what magic you were creating. Carnal said this was required as it was a sort of way to ask God for permission before he'll lend you his power. The only person who this rule didn't apply to was Blake. As he, and only he, had the (Chanting cast nullification) which allows him to skip the entire process of chanting and just summon his spell right away, talk about easy."
Day 2 of training.
"Man do I feel sore, it hurts just to write this, but I need to jot this down, or else I might forget something important. This was the day I was dreading the most. Today was just melee practice and sword practice, FOR 7 HOURS STRAIGHT!!! With only one lunch break, and two bathroom breaks. Like, I understand they have to get us to top shape and not to mention all the students had ridiculously high stats, meaning this 7-hour training was a lot less harsh on them, BUT ME!!! WHAT ABOUT ME!?!?!? Did they forget I have virtually no stats whatsoever!? I swear, while I was busting my ass off trying to complete a lap. All of my other classmates did like 20 laps within seconds!
"Don't even get me started on melee practice, or sword training… Carnal assigned us all with training partners and switched partners every 10 minutes. While everybody managed to push their limits with their training partner. I was getting the ever-living crap beaten out of me!! And nobody held back either!! Such demons!! I swear, when training was over and Sage came over to me with a towel to wipe off my sweat. She let out a natural yelp as she thought I was stung by a hundred bees. Thankfully, my one ability healed me right up so I was able to be ready for tomorrow."
Day 3 of training.
"Today, one of the students was finally able to cast magic. And it was Blake… again… who would’ve thought… He learned how to cast fire, and within a couple of minutes, he managed to cast an even more advanced ball of flame. Honestly, if this keeps up, he's going to catch up to Carnal in no time."
"Today was also the day where we were summoned to the throne room by the king's request. He had stated that he was preparing a few carriages for us as he wanted us to enter an easy dungeon and gain some experience. The only problem was, all of the carriages besides three were being used for the war. Meaning that only about half the class can go while the other half stay here in the meanwhile, we had until tomorrow to think about it."
Day 4 of training.
"Blake had learned multiple spells, ranging from fire to wind, and even learned a spell that wasn't offensive at all. He learned how to nullify poison and prevent frostbite, you can't be too safe now can you?”
Today was also the day where the students had to choose whether or not they wanted to go. I was automatically disqualified because I was the weakest out of the bunch and because it honestly wasn't safe for me. Even though it was an easy dungeon, I stood no chance against the monsters. Why? Because my stats were literally on par with babies, hell, some babies even have higher stats than me, that was how weak I was. Shockingly, Blake also volunteered to be disqualified from the expedition, his reason? Because he wanted to know more about the king and princess, and he honestly didn't need the help as much as the others did. However, because Blake chose not to go, Vanessa had to go because she was the second strongest student and without her, the students would be at a severe disadvantage. And since I wasn't going, Tom and George selected not to go as well."
Day 5 of training.
"The expedition crew departed at noon. Right after they left, we started to train again. Without Vanessa around, I was fearing for the worst. Blake would honestly have had nothing to stop him from attacking me. But to my surprise, he didn't, even when the guards weren't looking, he didn't do anything, not even so much as a glare. In fact, he honestly appeared happy. Was it because he danced with the princess? He's looked happy ever since. Who knows, I'll just have to have my guard up in case he does plan to attack me. After our grueling training, finally some good news came out of it. On the weekends, we weren't going to train, hooray!! I can't wait for Saturday to come!!"
Axel closes his notebook as Sage comes with his daily tea and breakfast.
"Congratulations on surviving your training session master!" she says with a smile. Saturday has arrived, so he has today and tomorrow all to himself.
With high spirits, he greets Sage and devours his food. Without wasting a single second, he tells her he'll be gone for a while and wanders the hallways. Unlike Blake who's usually followed by two other guards, Axel is free to roam the palace. This is more or less a benefit to Axel, since he's never an attention seeker, or wants to be known. All the people who walk past Axel never greet him, even though he's considered a hero, pretty much everyone knows by now that he's borderline useless.
He ventures and discovers many rooms he has never seen before. Such as the dining hall, the private library, and a flower garden with a huge elder tree in the middle, overseeing the whole garden like some sort of guardian. Entranced by its beauty, Axel comes outside and shields his face from the sun.
The weather is perfect to say the least, clear blue skies with a few sprinkled clouds here and there. As he walks towards the center, he breathes in his astonishment from all the beautiful and colorful flowers surrounding him. The fresh air fills his lungs with a sweet fragrance, and as he slowly exhales, a smile rises on his lips.
Never had he been in a garden this grand or elegant before. He lived in the urban side of the city where the skies were polluted with God knows what, the air constantly smelled like a cesspool, and there was hardly any life out of the pure grey city.
Taking shade under the elder tree, he sprawls out into the soft grass. With the brushing of the breeze and rustling leaves, he closes his eyes and breathes in the tranquility.
And without even realizing it, he drifts off into the realm of dreams.
- Afternoon -
"Well, looks like someone has already beaten me here," a voice whispers through the wind.
Axel's snot bubble pops as he jolts up. He lifts himself off the ground and rubs his eyes to get rid of all the sand.
"Who’s…?" Axel questions the figure before him.
"My name is Veronica, I am Everglend's princess."
Although his eyes were a bit blurry, he naturally jumps as he realizes it was indeed the princess. He stumbles back and smacks himself against the tree, he falls to the ground while clutching his head in agony.
Veronica lets out a tiny giggle by his actions.
"Haha, I see thou art clumsy," she points out.
"What gave that away?" asks Axel, while still in pain.
She arches down and offers her hand."There's nothing wrong with being a little clumsy at times.”
If it wasn't for Vanessa, who pretty much indirectly trained him for this moment, he might have fallen in love upon witnessing her angelic eyes.
"Thanks for the help." Axel matches her smile and takes her hand.
.
"Don't mention it," her words escape her tongue like a gentle melody...
The dress she wears isn't at all big or spongy like how princesses are depicted in kid's fairy tales. Rather it’s thin and simple, which in her case is extremely attractive as you're given enough to imagine her figure, it makes Axel think of the phrase "less is more".
"You're Axel correct?" asks Veronica, he's kinda surprised she heard his name.
"How'd you know?" he retorts.
Her eyes shift quite a bit as she doesn't seem to know what to say.
"You're the infamous black sheep, art th– are you not?"
Her words cut deep into Axel's soul, she probably didn't mean it as a rude thing, but she's right. He'd been ostracized from the class, with the exception of three, and he's the weakest out of all of them. And on top of that, he's a demon… He isn't of the same flesh and blood as the others, he's of the same race as the enemy.
Maybe that's why God didn't give him any special power and op stats, because he's a wolf hiding in sheep's clothing.
"Oh sorry! I didn't mean it as anything rude, that's just what the nobles call you," she elaborates in a fit of panic.
Axel lets out a light smile and shakes his head. "No harm taken, that's just how life is sometimes.”
Veronica's shoulders slump, before she lets out a sympathetic smile, believing that he's just saying that to cope, but upon taking a closer glance at him. Her eyes widen in shock, Axel was being honest as he grins while gazing at the flowers, he doesn't seem to have any traces of sorrow or jealousy in his eyes.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Her grin broadens, leaning over to him with an innocent expression.
"Why are you the way you are?" her sudden words strike him, leaving him slightly baffled.
Urrrgh!!! Deja vu!!! Axel grabs his head and spins it around like a madman.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry about the misunderstanding. What I was trying to refer towards your nature, you're so calm about the situation you're in. I know if I was in your situation, I would be panicking right about now. Would you mind telling me why?"
She sits down with her back against the tree. Axel is honestly astonished by the sight, seeing a person sit on grass isn't shocking, but the fact that she's a princess. It's another story entirely, from what he knows of medieval history class. It's considered improper for any class of royalty to be visibly looked down upon. This is why most people have to bend a knee before greeting royalty, and yet there she is before Axel.
Then before someone spots him, he takes a seat across from her.
"I honestly don't know what's so wrong about that? I'm not quitting on my role to save this kingdom, but I've just accepted the fact that I'll be the weakest. After all, someone has to do it to make the others look good," he explains.
The princess is caught off guard by his comment, almost like she couldn't understand where he's coming from, but then, she begins to abruptly giggle.
"Thou’st a very funny way of seeing the world! I'm glad to see you're still in high spirits," she remarks with a brighter tone than before.
Her adorable grin makes Axel smile too. However, moments later, his eyelids start to feel heavy. With the breeze crashing over him and hearing the gentle sound of nature. The drowsy feeling gnawing at him grows increasingly harder to resist.
"I must thank you, Axel… I haven't laughed like that in a while. My days have been vastly dull because of the constant politics and etiquette it takes to become a princess. You have my gratitude, Axel, for brightening up my day~!" she says with a jovial smile.
"It's my pleasure… princ––ess," Axel is more becoming sluggish with his body looking droopy. The princess laughs again before patting her lap.
"Here, think of it as a reward for making me laugh," she said, signaling him to lay down.
Axel snaps out of his sleepy state with a shake of his head, until his fatigue hits him right back like a sledgehammer. Seeing him trying to put up some resistance makes Veronica snicker.
"My-my, you're a strange boy Axel. I've never been refused before, by a guy no less. And you're getting special treatment today. You're sooo mean, Axel~. After all~ the courage it took for me to say all those words, you're just going to refuse me?" She begins to put up an act of a teenage girl getting rejected by their crush. And before he knows it, tears begin to well up within her eyes as she forces out a sniffle.
"Ok-ok!!" Yells Axel as he rushes down and puts his head on her lap.
His head sinks down as he could feel the plumpness of her thighs. No word can better describe this other than heaven itself. Veronica snickers upon seeing Axel smile innocently like a baby. She gently strokes his hair, making him tingle with joy upon her soft touch.
"You can sleep on my lap Axel, I'll be here… Protecting you…"
She caresses his hair a bit more, before his eyes ultimately close on him, with all the energy he has in his body disappearing.
"You're such an odd boy Axel… I would like to know more about you~… " she whispers to him, leaving him to only nod in response as he drifts in and out of consciousness.
A lullaby rolls off her lips, however, to Axel it sounds like a distant hum. This proves to be the final nail as her angelic voice puts Axel to sleep.
And as the two are taking shade in the garden, a shadow observes them from inside the palace…
- The next day, morning -
Axel is writing down his thoughts of yesterday, Sage opens the door and comes with the food cart.
"The food is ready, master~!" she says with a happy trot.
Axel had to tell her countless times to just call him by his actual name, but Sage ended up refusing. It was a losing battle in the end so Axel just gave up and let her call him whatever she wanted. Though one thing he noticed is that whenever she would call him master, her smile would broaden afterwards.
"Ahh, thank you for the food, Sage. I'll be there in just a sec, mind if you could serve me a plate?" asks Axel as he still writes down in his notebook.
"Your word is my command~" she responds with an elegant curtsy.
Once she's done serving, Axel closes his notebook and leaves it on his bed as he moves to their dining table. Sage sits down as well, she has already become used to eating with him. The two of them eat quietly, enjoying each other's company as the awkwardness from their first encounter is all but a distant memory. Sage taught Axel how to use the several utensils properly and she would no longer be as shy as the first time they ate together.
However, the abrupt knocking of the door prompts Sage to immediately stand up.
"Coming!" she answers as she opens the door.
Another maid enters the room. And unlike Sage, her black hair was pulled into a bun showing her deep brown eyes. The faint wrinkles present on her face immediately contrasted the youth of the maid welcoming her in.
"Sir, Axel. Her grace has requested for you to meet her within her chamber as soon as possible," states the maid, “privately.”
Axel and Sage both instinctively glance at each other, before he turns back to the lady's maid and nods.
"I'll be there as soon as possible," he responds, before shifting his gaze to Sage.
"I'll return as soon as I can Sage.” Before following the maid out from his room, Axel gives Sage a reassuring smile.
Her mouth opens to speak, however, she didn’t know what to say. Biting down on the impulse, she closes her mouth before rubbing her wrists.
"O-Ok," is the only word she can think to utter.
Axel can only respond with one last smile to comfort her, then gently clicks the door shut.
- A few minutes later -
With the lady's maid opening the door for him, Axel enters the princess's chambers. A pungent fragrance washes over him as he unconsciously gazes around the room.
His eyes widen upon the size of the room. Complete with a royal aesthetic befitting that of a princess. With a grand, elegant bed emphasizing the room; the row of magnificent windows bring the whole chamber to life, while bestowing a view of the garden. A vanity rests on one of the corners, alongside an entire wardrobe set. And lastly, a white table sits before the bed, at the very center of the room.
Veronica sits before the window, peering over her shoulder to the opening door. A smile splits across her face as she notices a familiar set of black hair.
"My apologies, were you busy?" she asks before taking and offering Axel a seat at the small table.
"I was just eating breakfast, but I was about done anyway.” He puts her worries at ease while sitting across from her. "Anyways, was there a reason for my calling, princess?"
She simply shakes her and glances over to the red wine bottle on the table.
"I just wanted to chat, Blake and the others are busy with the nobles. And since you were free I thought perhaps you wouldn’t mind it if we talked over a couple of drinks?” she questions while taking hold of the bottle.
Axel lets out an awkward chuckle, trying to hide the fact that it was another unconscious low blow from her. What she said was true, since they were considered heroes.
Everyone wants to talk to the students since they were from a different world, with the exception of Axel, of course.
"Sure we can talk, but I can't drink wine… since I'm a minor," states Axel which makes the princess giggle.
"C'mon~ don't be such a downer. What's wrong with a li’l bit of wine? C’mon! Live a little!"," she insists as she serves Axel a glass of wine without his consent.
He instantly flinches, trying to find any excuse to bail him out of it, "but it's illegal at my age! I really shouldn't be drinking it."
Veronica continues to pour him a glass, before her eyes land on him.
"It's not~ in my kingdom… Relax, this one is especially soft on the alcohol… You're gonna like it, I promise."
He sighs again, the one excuse he has is thrown out the window, he reluctantly accepts her offer and takes the glass.
Veronica raises hers before stating, "it's much funner drinking wine when you're with someone, don't you agree, Axel?"
Axel starts to sweat as he raises his glass to cheer while averting his gaze. They both cheer and proceed to drink, and from out of the corner of his eye, Axel spots a tiny bottle hidden below her bed.
The shattering of glass pierces his ears as his eyes recoil back to the princess. He forgets to breathe as he witnesses the princess turn ghostly pale. Her eyes bulge, turning lifeless, as she grabs at her throat. Only a wheeze manages to escape her as her eyes begin to roll into the back of her head.
"Veronica!!" Axel screams before leaping over the table! Just short of reach, she slams onto the hard floor!
As he rushes to Veronica's aid, the creaking of the door causes Axel's heart to sink. He turns around to find Blake with his two knights, staring right back at him in shock. His back shivers as his heart starts to beat loudly, this was the worst time for anyone to enter . . .
A smile creeps around Blake's lips before he puts up a facade, pointing towards Axel.
"CAPTURE HIM!!"
"No wait!" Before Axel has the chance to speak, the two knights tackle him and pin him to the ground!
Blake hurries past the room and kneels down to Veronica.
"…She's been poisoned… " he states with a hand on her pulse.
The knights shoot furious glares at Axel as they hoist him up, dragging him out of the room!
"No wait!! I didn't do it!! Check under the bed!!"
A knight smacks him! "Shut the fuck up, you traitor!!"
As Blake starts to cast his magic to remove the poison, a smile raises on his lips as Axel gets dragged out of the room.
- The throne room -
The king slams his fist against the armrest with all his might!
"HOW DARE THEE!!" the veins on his neck pop! His screams vibrate the throne room as the knights shove Axel down to the ground, forcing him to his knees.
"It wasn't me king!! I swear on God!! It wasn't me!!! Check the princess's bed!!! I was framed!" Axel pleads to the king as the chains around his hands bite into his flesh.
Blake stood beside the angered king, along with a few nobles and knights that surround Axel. Blake gestures to a knight to come forth, he presents himself before the king, kneeling down and reporting his findings.
"Your majesty, we have thoroughly inspected the princess's room, and found nothing suspicious. However, as we went to search in Axel's room, we undercovered this," the knight takes out the exact same bottle Axel spotted below Veronica's bed.
"What!?" Axel's heart plummets to his gut, he starts to sweat as his breathing becomes heavy. The nobles and knights look at him, disgusted. His heartbeat becomes louder by the second as his eyes slump toward the ground, speechless.
Somebody had planned for this to happen… it was too much of a coincidence for it to happen naturally… his eyes slowly go to the one person he can think of.
There he is . . . smirking from ear to ear with his sadistic eyes. Blake is the one behind the strings, he played Axel like a damn fiddle, and now, he has him where he wants him to be, under the mercy of his fingertips…
Axel deteriorates as his head sinks ever lower. With his body shaking, his heart bleeds with betrayment… The understanding that the princess must have been in on this stabs into his soul. He couldn't help but feel as if his heart is breaking down. Why? He ponders to himself, why would she do this?
"What doth thou have to say for thine self?" questions an irritated king. Axel’s hands tremble as the king’s stares almost burst with anger. The nobles stumble back as the king becomes scarier than death itself. Axel is backed up against the corner, it's a losing battle no matter what he does. All he can do is pray and hope that his words get through to the king.
"I am innocent, your majesty . . . I swear upon God and my life that I am not the one who poisoned your daughter . . I was set up . . By the one person who hates my guts," Axel shifts his gaze over to Blake, and all of a sudden, all eyes are on him. Even the king has his eyes on him.
"What doth thou have to say for thine self, Blake," the king asks.
Although the many eyes do little to faze him. He faints innocence as he slowly strolls over to the king, gathering as much attention as possible.
"Shifting the blame onto others Axel? How pathetic of you . . .But then again . . . That's what demons do," he says, smiling wryly.
Axel's heart pops as his body begins to shut down; his secret had been exposed. Blake smirks as he watches his plans fall into place...
All the knights unsheathe their swords and aim at Axel!
"He's a demon!?"
"Kill him!!!"
"How could this be!?!”
"Ahhhhhhhh!!!"
"What are you knights doing? Kill him!!"
"I knew he wasn't a hero."
All the nobles start talking and shift their eyes onto Axel with fury, their stares sink like daggers onto his back. The king's face lowers, his hands shake uncontrollably before he clenches them tightly and stands up furiously!
"HOW DARE THEE HIDE AMONG US DEMON!! I'LL GIVE THEE THE DEATH PENALTY!!!" The king erupts, silencing the whole room!
As the shadows become louder, Axel is staring at the ground, hopelessly. . .
He's on the verge of crying as he realizes his end is nearing...
There's nothing else he can do, his death has now become inevitable… He never thought his life would end this way…
The doors to the throne room suddenly, harshly open, revealing Tom and George running with a platoon of guards behind them!
"Your majesty!! Please reconsider!!" yells George.
"Axel is not the enemy!!" shouts Tom.
They fight and struggle, but in the end, the sheer amount of knights in the room overpower them, and they are pinned against the ground…
Axel's eyes begin to shrink as an ache builds within his stomach. His lungs burn as they hyperventilate upon seeing them. And tear well within his eyes as the thought crosses his mind, Why did they have to come at a moment like this...
From out of the corner of his vision, he catches Blake smiling devilishly, a cold sweat runs down his spine as he realizes this was all part of his plan . . this was a trap...
He doesn't just want Axel killed, he wants to take away what is most precious to him… his family…
"Get out of here guys!!" Axel’s voice breaks as his hands thrash against his chains.
However, it proves futile as many more guards rush over and slam him to the ground!! Tears start rolling down his cheek as he bites his lip out in frustration!
The king glares at the two intruders with the devil's eyes.
"Art thou siding with this demon?" He asks, challenging their bravery.
"Axel is no demon!! He's a kind-hearted boy who would do no harm to the princess!!" Tom shouts in response.
"The only demon here is Blake!! He's the one behind this!!" adds George.
They both don't back down despite having their heads slammed into the ground. They both stare right back into the king's eyes with tears and anger. The whole room fills with tension, so much so that the nobles remain quiet by the magnitude.
"Very well then…" The king gives the cold shoulder while starting to walk away… "Those who support the enemy will be killed… off with their heads…"
Axel's heart bursts upon hearing those words, and with all the might he has, he gives one final attempt to break free!
"Please, your majesty!! Please reconsid-"
"Shut the fuck up!" yells a knight as he slams his fist into the back of Axel’s head, knocking him unconscious...
The last thing he hears are the disappearing pleas of his two friends…