Kingdom of Heildin, Heaven’s Castle East Wing: 936, March 16th, Friday, 9:00 PM.
After the meeting with the king and his daughters, Bloodhound was offered a place to stay for the night—Arwen rejected the help from the knights to everyone’s shock, but king Date cordially accepted his decision and didn’t press on the matter.
Claire walked through the illuminated stone hallways in the middle of the evening, admiring the iron torches and decorations on the wall. The silvery light of the moon highlighted the azure curtains that decorated the interior—waving gently with the cool breeze of the night.
Reaching the door to her room, Claire was intercepted by one of the king’s daughters before she could retire for the night.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you...” said Euthemia, the young blonde-haired princess. “May I speak to you for just a moment?” she smiled shyly.
Not wanting to seem rude, the lieutenant ignored her fatigue and accepted the princess’ offer. “Of course, my lady.” she bowed. “Is it about the meeting?”
“No, not really.” she stood with her hands clasped in front of her. “It’s about... well, how do I say this?” Euthemia rubbed her cheek with her hand, furrowing her brows with a nervous smile. “Have you thought about... joining my father’s army?”
It took Claire a quick second to realize what she was talking about, recoiling slightly backwards at her suggestion. “Sorry, but I am a member of Cerberus.” she offered a polite answer. “My job is to see the extermination of the specters, no matter the cost.”
“Yes, that’s why you should join him!” the blonde girl jumped with excitement, bumping her fists like an enthusiastic kid at the arcade. “I heard you are really talented and implement some sort of special gear to fight!” the eager princess continued. “Besides, you’ll be fighting alongside gladean knights. Isn’t that a dream come through?”
Claire found herself lost for words at her claims, feeling somewhat trapped by the offer of the king’s daughter—the frown in her face accentuating the discomfort she felt at the time.
“Your boss doesn’t seem to care even a bit about the power the knights possess,” the girl pouted as she continued. “With father and his knights at the front, the threat of the specters will be gone in less than a year!” she emphasized with a beaming smile.
“I...” The lieutenant was unable to keep up with the girl’s enthusiasm—even she couldn’t deny the princess’ claims however. The implementation of gladean knights would not only bring hope for the future, but it might just realize the dream of restoring her old life with her father.
Euthemia smiled even more at the lieutenant’s puzzled face. “You know what I say is true, even if Cerberus has proved itself reliable with its new leadership... what is a human to an army of gladean knights?” The girl giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. “Please, lieutenant... I’m asking you to fight for your home.” her pleading smile looked straight into Claire’s amber eyes—her hands clasped together as she stood mere inches away. “You have the strength to protect it now.”
Claire closed her eyes briefly and let out a quick huff, her stoic expression meeting the princess’ eyes. “I am a proud member of Cerberus; my place is with the company and my team.” she stated without a single stutter—standing proudly in front of the girl. “Whatever the future holds, I will face it with them.”
Euthemia’s smile was abruptly turned into a sad frown—disappointed by the lieutenant’s response. She stepped back with her head low, forcing herself to smile ones more. “I see... thank you for your time, lieutenant.” saying her goodbyes, the princess left the area through the hallway—leaving Claire at the door.
Kingdom of Heildin, Euthemia’s Room: 936, March 16th, Friday, 9:00 PM.
“That bitch!” Euthemia slammed her fist against her desk—breaking the wooden structure in half. “Who do these people think they are? First that idiot spawn rejects my letter... and now this stupid village girl thinks herself superior to me!?” she gritted her teeth with a shaking fist. “I’ll tell father about this... I will enjoy transforming her into my pet!”
A snarky laugh from her open window caught the young girl’s attention as she cursed to the stars. Turning to face the infuriating and familiar voice, Euthemia crossed her arms with an intense glare towards the unwelcomed guest.
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“Would’ve been funny if you choked her to death on the spot,” Loki claimed jokingly. “If it were me... I wouldn’t let a human treat me like that.” he grinned smugly.
Euthemia huffed with anger still boiling inside her. “Father favors you... he wouldn’t bat an eye even if you murdered an entire country.” she picked a book from her desk and hurled it towards the knight—hitting his arm. “Now get out of here, I’m going to sleep.”
“Already?” Loki raised an eyebrow, keeping his smug expression. “You are going to miss the fun,” he directed his expectant gaze outside. “King told me about a little specter marching our way from the north...” the knight cracked a laugh with excitement. “Who knows, this Sebastian might just give me a challenge.”
Kingdom of Heildin, Heaven’s Castle Yeon’s Room: 936, March 16th, Friday, 10:00 PM.
Sitting on the side of the bed, Yeon took her phone from the desk and scrolled through her contacts—stopping at one in specific: ‘Don’t Answer.’ she pressed the call button and waited for a response, almost regretting her decision immediately after hearing the voice on the other side.
“I knew you couldn’t be without me,” Sovereign’s playful voice spoke through the phone. “Don’t tell me you are feeling lonely.”
“Just called to make sure things are running smoothly at Cerberus,” Yeon ignored his mischievous tone. “Any news?”
“Eh, a few specter hordes near our borders.” the relaxed CEO replied with little concern. “Nothing Xun and Aria couldn’t handle with a little back up.”
“How’s your health?” she asked, a glimpse of genuine concern filled her voice. “No playful responses, I want to know how you are doing.” she snapped at him before he could even answer.
Sovereign’s soft sigh leaked through the speakers, offering a serious response. “It’s not too bad at the moment... I’ll be fine, Ki-Joon.”
“What about your medicine? I replenished your bottle before leaving.”
“It won’t do much at this stage,” the man confessed. “How’s Claire doing?”
“...She seemed a little upset after the meeting,” Yeon reluctantly moved on to the new subject. “I heard her talking to Euthemia just an hour ago, the princess sounded quite interested in our precious ace.”
“I have no doubts about it,” the proud and confident CEO replied. “Make sure she meets Eutychia next, that’ll take another piece off the board.”
“I need to get ready for the night...” Yeon hesitated in hanging the call—holding her phone to her ear. “Take care of yourself, Sovereign.” her troubled voice pleaded to the silver-haired man.
“I haven’t been wrong yet, you know.” Even though she was unable to see him, Yeon could tell he was smiling on the other side of the call—delighted by her show of concern towards him. “I’m not starting tonight.”
Yeon lied on her bed—looking at the ceiling. “I promised your mother to take care of you,” she reminded him with a clam voice—regaining her composure. “don’t make me look like a liar now.”
Sovereign laughed through the phone. “Of course not... thanks for always being there, Ki-Joon.” Rustling sounds leaked through the call—having nowhere to send her, Sovereign took Lucy to his home and gave her a place to live.
“Don’t speak to me like you are done with your job,” regaining her commanding spirit, Yeon retorted at the CEOs melancholic voice. “Go take care of Lucy, she should be sleeping at this hour... I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” she cut the call immediately, leaving Sovereign with his phone in hand.
Far South of the Deadlands, Heildin’s breached border: 936, March 16th, Friday, 10:00 PM.
A large horde of specters gathered around a tall figure inspecting the fissure in the wall, his sleeveless flowing vest and messy light brown hair swaying with the freezing wind of the Deadlands. His face was filled with frustration and guilt—his azure eyes focused on the other side of the border. What used to be a peaceful green field was turned into the hellish landscape that is the Deadlands, long lines of burned trees standing in the scorched earth covered the region—the red fog expanding further into the outside.
“Gladea...” the wistful man looked at the crimson sky—clenching his fist as the demons approached him. He moved his gaze back forward, closing his eyes and inhaling softly through his nose—placing his right fist in his left open palm.
The specters grew tired of waiting for Ninigi to make a move—charging ferociously with their ravenous screams. The first creature slashed at the knight with its large claws, aiming for the center. However, its attack completely missed the target as Ninigi skillfully stepped out of the way.
Guiding his hand with his eyes still shut, the gladean knight struck at the demons’ ribs with two of his fingers—cracking the specter’s sturdy exoskeleton into small shards. The horde’s onslaught against the knight was restless, but Ninigi’s swift movements avoided the demon’s claws and fangs with little to no effort—like a slow dance in the middle of the night.
With every charge of the specters, Ninigi responded with one of his own—swiftly dispatching the beasts with piercing strikes of his fingers, his hand guided solely by his instincts. One by one, the demons hit the floor as they foolishly swung their arms in an attempt to land a hit on the knight.
It didn’t take long for Ninigi to clean the area full of specters, opening his eyes and letting out the air he inhaled before the fight—ending his meditation. “I will fight...” he said to himself, steeling his resolve. “I owe you all that much.”
END OF CHAPTER