“Will it be alright?” [Talindra]

Inside Nylian’s office, Talindra worriedly asked her husband who was working through some documents at his desk.

“It’ll be fine. It’s a simple mission and the soldiers I sent with her are all capable. They should be returning soon.” [Nylian]

Nylian said as he thought about the half-breed that had been sent on her first mission. Based on the results, she would be given other assignments. So, her first mission’s main objective was to evaluate how effective she would be in the field. Of course, since her role was to strengthen others using her ability, she would be kept at a relatively safe place. But, the greater her effectiveness, the greater her assignments would be and that would increase the risks proportionally.

Still, that couldn’t be helped. The half-breed had to be made use of for the greater good of Faywood. That was something that was decided by the seven clans four years ago.

“I feel like something bad is going to happen when she’s involved.” [Talindra]

“Relax, Talindra.” [Nylian]

Nylian stood up and gently embraced his uneasy wife. She smiled at his loving gesture and returned his hug. Feeling playful, she gently bit his ear, causing him to chuckle. Nylian returned the favor by licking Talindra’s ear once.

“Hya!” [Talindra]

She squealed delightfully and lightly tapped his chest in protest, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Nothing bad will happen.” [Nylian]

Nylian said in a firm tone to reassure Talindra and the two lovingly gazed at each other.

“My lord!” [Orist]

At that moment, Orist barged into the room without knocking, clearly shaken up. His abrupt entrance completely destroyed the fluffy atmosphere between the husband and wife.

“The soldiers have returned!” [Orist]

The loyal servant reported with a frantic expression.

Something bad did happen.

----------------------------------------

“And? How did it happen?” [Elenaril]

Elenaril, who was in a bad mood,  asked Nylian as they both sat down in his office. The report from the soldiers who returned was sent to each head of the seven clans. Everyone knew that the half-breed had been kidnapped by some unknown individual and that he managed to escape on a stolen horse.

“We don’t know. Whoever he was, he evaded detection and got close enough to grab the half-breed while my soldiers were busy fighting a pack of bears.” [Nylian]

“So we can assume that she’s been kidnapped for her power.” [Elenaril]

“Most likely.” [Nylian]

“Unfortunately, that doesn’t limit the range of possible culprits very much. Not when the half-breed revealed what she could do in public when Sanctuary Academy was attacked.” [Elenaril]

Elenaril sighed tiredly and rubbed between her eyebrows.

“Elenaril, the fact that she’s been captured means that she’s alive… And will be used by someone who’s at the very least, not on our side.” [Nylian]

“I know. That’s why you asked to talk to me as fast as possible. But, the other clan heads might not agree.” [Elenaril]

“They’ll understand. We need a swift decision as fast as possible. And not everyone is free enough to call up a meeting right away for a single half-breed.” [Nylian]

“Abasing her importance to calm your nerves?” [Elenaril]

Nylian took a deep breath and straightened his back. Elenaril understood that they were now getting into the heart of the matter and her gaze sharpened.

“What’s your estimate?” [Nylian]

“I don’t know. The shortest was a few days and the longest was a few centuries. I still don’t understand how it varies from each individual… But if she’s wearing the clothes that I ‘cursed’, then I can seal her powers.” [Elenaril]

“Then please do it.” [Nylian]

After Nylian decisively asked her, Elenaril’s golden eyes shone faintly and her long white hair fluttered about even though there was no wind in the room. Nylian knew that it was the signs of her power activating. So long as the half-breed wore the dress given to her, she couldn’t escape from the ‘curse’, no matter the distance.

“Done.” [Elenaril]

After a short while, Elenaril’s eyes stopped glowing and her hair stopped fluttering.

“I’ve sealed the half-breed’s power.” [Elenaril]

She reported thus in a cool voice.

The potential threat that the half-breed could bring to Faywood had now been neutralized for an undetermined amount of time. This wasn’t a solution, but an emergency measure in case she ever got kidnapped, or escaped.

Now, Nylian needed to find her before he ran out of time and figure out if she could still be of use.

----------------------------------------

Although it had taken a while, but Ava finally managed to shake off the elven soldiers that were chasing after her. They had all believed that she had been kidnapped by an unknown cloaked individual.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

But, that was just one of her shadow Puppet.

While they were busy facing the saber-toothed bears, Ava created a Shadow Puppet without being seen and had him take the reins while she laid limply on the horse’s back.

Under her command, the two galloped away. That was enough for the soldiers witnessing her escape to think that she had been knocked out and taken by a kidnapper.

Having mislead the elves into believing that she was being held captive against her will, Ava was enjoying her newfound freedom which…

“… Now what?” [Ava]

Basically meant that she needed to find a new place to stay.

The half-elf was alone in the forest with her trusty steed that she stole. The sun was starting to go down, dyeing the sky with a bright orange hue. The sounds of animals and insects bustling about could be heard as her horse slowly strode through the trees.

Suddenly, her body went rigid and a strange sensation took ahold of her. It was as if thick ropes tightly wrapped themselves around her. The next second, several parts of her white dress turned black. The cuffs, the collar as well as the area around her waist darkened completely like someone dripped ink on the dress. Jolts of intense pain assaulted Ava during the process that lasted about half a minute. She groaned and fell off her horse.

“Urgg…” [Ava]

While lying face down, Ava feebly raised her right hand and pointed upward.

“… I knew there was something wrong with the clothes… Not just their fashion sense…” [Ava]

The half-elf said in a muffled voice and her hand limply fell down.

The horse next to her snorted and shook its head.

----------------------------------------

A group of people were camping in a clearing of the dark forest that blocked even the faint light of the full moon. Several campfires lit the darkness as the men clad in full body armor huddled around the fire. The light was reflected off the steel and faintly illuminated the crest on their breast that represented the knightly order that they were a part of. Some of these men made sure to keep watch of their surroundings so that they could alert their comrades of any approaching danger.

But, more importantly, they had to do their best to ensure the safety of the person accompanying them. It was especially hard since that person didn’t exactly do his best to keep out of danger.

“Did anyone see our fearless leader?” [Knight]

“Hey, you shouldn’t talk like that. Our fearless leader will cut your head off.” [Knight]

“Ah, that’s true. I never once did beat him in a sparring match. I’ll definitely die if he fights me for real. ” [Knight]

Two knights were joking around as they sat near the campfire.

“Seriously! He should just join the knight order and officially lead us.” [Knight]

“Doesn’t matter if it’s official or not. He can order us if need be and we’ve already pledged our loyalty to him. But, I will be jealous if that handsome guy with silky brown hair gets himself a bunch of women.” [Knight]

“Too late for you. All the noble ladies of marriageable age are already chasing after him every day.” [Knight]

“Enough, you two.” [knight]

Because they were lacking manners, a comrade of theirs barged in on their conversation and warned them.

“You’re lacking respect towards royalty.” [Knight]

“Isn’t it fine just this much? The prince’s no stranger and he doesn’t get angry over a bit of joking.” [Knight]

“Right. He often joins us knights for training and has real talent with the sword. He’s practically one of us.” [Knight]

“Even so, don’t forget that prince Dreck is next in line for the throne and if anything happens to him on this training exercise, you can forfeit your honor and your life.” [Knight]

“It’s fine. This exercise’s nothing serious. It’s just to get us used to long distance travels.” [Knight]

“Yeah, and we’re heading back right now. Besides, honestly, Prince Dreck can take care of himself. I mean, he’s killed vicious beasts before without breaking that cool expression of his.” [Knight]

Seeing how his two comrades’ lighthearted attitude didn’t change despite his warnings, the knight sighed tiredly before looking around him.

“That may be true, but I’d feel better if we weren’t so close to the elves’ forest.” [Knight]

While the knights were staying put, Prince Dreck had left to take a small walk. Although he was asked to bring some escorts with him, he refused and managed to get his way because of his skills in swordsmanship that few could rival.

Also, it wasn’t just swordsmanship. Dreck was always talented in anything he did. Whether it’d be in literature or arithmetic, politics or etiquette, he excelled in all fields. It was to the point that he was known as a perfect prince and great expectations were placed on his shoulders.

Because Dreck found everything easy, he didn’t see how special what he achieved was. Of course, he planned on being a good ruler when it was his time to wear the crown, but his life lacked stimulus. That was why he often joined the knights in their training. Combat was an excellent way for him to get the adrenaline rush that he needed.

Otherwise, life would be too boring.

“… I think I’ve walked far enough.” [Dreck]

The first prince murmured as he looked back at where he came from. Because of how dark the forest was, he was walking around while placing his hands on the trees and remembering them to trace a path in his head. By doing so, he could navigate through the sea of trees despite the lack of any light.

Just as Dreck was thinking of going back before he worried the knights too much, he faintly heard a sound. It was different from the rustling of leaves or the calls of birds and other animals.

It was the voice of a person.

“… A woman?” [Dreck]

The voice was faint and weak, but he definitely heard it. Moreover, it sounded like a girl’s crying, or hysteric voice.

“Someone’s here? It’s not one of the knights.” [Dreck]

Dreck, who planned on going back, decided to follow the sound of the voice. He pushed his way through the forest and relied on his memory to determine where the voice came from. Eventually, he reached an open-spaced where a lake could be found. The black sky filled with glittering stars was no longer obstructed by the natural dome of branches and leaves. It was a beautiful sight, but Dreck wasn't looking at nature’s beauty. He was staring at the source of the voice with wide eyes.

There, under the silver light of the full moon, was a girl bathing in the lake. Her back was turned to him, so Dreck couldn’t see her face, which was covered by her hands, but he was mesmerized nonetheless. The lower half of her body was submerged, but he had a clear view of her upper half. Long black hair that reached the girl’s waist was soaked and flowed down her front. As such, her slender back was fully shown as well as her soft and flawless fair skin that was wet with droplets of water. The curves from her tight waist to her round hips showed her femininity and added a sense of sensuality to the picture.

But, more than anything, Dreck found the sight of the girl to be purely beautiful. He had stopped moving and only stared, breathless. He didn’t even bother to hide or think about the fact that he was peeping. Still, in his stunned state, the first prince finally noticed one important physical trait, which was her ears.

They were long and pointy, just like those of an elf.

At that moment, the girl turned her head and looked over her shoulder. She gazed straight at him and he saw her eyes of different color. As the white and dark brown orbs stared at him in shock, Dreck’s mind became blank. It was like some invisible force shot through his chest. Time seemed to have stopped while he lost himself in those eyes and was wholly captivated for what seemed like an eternity. However, one way or another, he snapped out of it after only a few seconds. Once Dreck managed to unfreeze, he automatically ran away.

The first prince, who bravely fought vicious beasts many times, turned around and escaped as fast as possible as if fleeing for his life.

“(What…?)” [Dreck]

Once he was far enough from the lake, Dreck stopped running and focused on catching his breath as well as calming his heart. He slightly leaned forward and took deep, shaky breaths. One hand clutched his chest while the other covered his mouth. He could clearly feel his own heartbeats that were loudly ringing in his ears. His body’s temperature was high and he had the indescribable urge to move about.

“What is wrong with me…?” [Dreck]

He had the indescribable urge to go see that girl again despite having just run away from her like she was some sort of terrifying monster.

“Who was that…?” [Dreck]

The first prince’s murmur dissipated in the cold wind of the forest.