SOUTHERN COAST, IOLITE

Lucia stretched to spread her wings, removing the curtain of the tent to meet the dawn of the day. Outside her room, Hilda was waiting there patiently. “Princess, you were in a hurry to your quarters last night. Were you perhaps worn out from battle?”

She gave a small chuckle in reply. “Me, worn out? Don’t joke around, Hilda.”

Hilda raised her eyebrow slightly. The princess clearly had dark shadows around her eyes, but she decided to ignore them for now.

“On the bodies of the demon generals that were slain yesterday, we found these rings. After a close inspection, it seemed that these rings could allow us to bypass the barriers.” Hilda said, presenting three identical rings.

Lucia showed a small smile. Her problems aside, this was a step forward to finally reclaiming the Island of Fetters. The war was well worth it. She needed information. Spies that can infiltrate the island. But there were only three rings available.

When Lucia reached out her hands to touch the rings, Hilda noticed the gloves on her hands. It was uncommon for the princess to wear these. Out of curiosity, she asked, “Princess, is there a reason for the gloves?”

Lucia’s facial expressions hardened, trying not to stutter, “No particular reason. The weather is chilly today. What about the rings? Are we able to replicate it?”

Hilda answered, “I’m not sure. We may be able to consult Lady Gloria.”

Upon hearing her name, Lucia took a deep breath. Gloria, her elder sister, caused a fair number of political issues a few decades back. The elders and advisors opposed Gloria holding the title ‘Princess’ due to her quirky personality and her absolute faith in machines and science.

After a long pause, she gazed upon the sky, as if she was searching for an answer, “Gloria, huh… She is the best in the kingdom.”

Lucia’s face softened. “Send one of the rings for Gloria and prepare a spy team to infiltrate the Island of Fetters.”

Hilda nodded. Now, there were only two rings left at their disposal. With Gloria, these crystal rings could perhaps be mass-produced, but it’s uncertain when that would be. If the spy team failed, which she hoped that they didn’t, they would have one more ring safely hidden in the country. Usually, the princess would go and investigate on her own, but in this case, she can’t.

Lucia felt the pain in her hand throbbing harder. It was almost unbearable. She needed to end this conversation quickly.

Lucia’s brows furrowed. “Spies, huh? If only we have more rings at our disposal, that would open a lot of possibilities.”

She picked up the ring, admiring it. The crystal resembled an opal, but up close, it was made of different minerals of varying ratios, cleverly pieced together. No doubt, it’s the work of a master.

The pain spiked in her fingers, followed by the strange whisper in her ear. “Go into the barrier. You will find strength there.”

Despite her agony, Lucia suppressed her feelings of surprise in front of Hilda. She nearly dropped the ring. The curse. The curse was stronger than before. Her pain grew to her palm. How long more could she resist before succumbing to its power?

She must be careful.

“I will lay out my plans in a knowledge pod,” Lucia concluded. Hilda bowed slightly, holding up a small pod, small enough to fit the size of a palm. It resembled the pod of a poppy seed but was transparent on the inside. Her eyes glowed dim yellow for a moment as she transferred her plans into it, pulling away from it after a few minutes.

Together with the seed pod, the princess passed a small glowing stone hesitantly to her servant, “I might be away for a while. Hopefully, I’ll be back in a day or two. If there’s any change in the movement of the demons, you’re in charge. Contact me in case of emergencies.”

“Will you not be around?”

“I need to meet my father.”

Hilda dipped her head in a deep, respectful bow, her right hand pressed over her heart. "Affirmative," she replied, her voice low and steady. The Princess's eagerness to return home raised a twinge of suspicion in Hilda. The Princess tried to conceal her unease, but Hilda had learned to read her well. The fact that the Princess had been reluctant to return to the capital in the past was cause for concern. It was one thing to go once, and another to go twice, but three times suggested that something was amiss.

Lucia’s orchid-like wings spread open, illuminating in a faint green glow. Sometimes, it made Hilda slightly jealous of the beauty and brilliance she had. In a brief instant, Hilda felt a gust of wind pushing over her, noticing that the Princess started to disappear from the corner of her eyes.

Well, all would be great if she didn’t release that much fairy dust. “Now I have to clean this up,” she said regretfully.

As Hilda picked up the broom, she couldn't help but cast a suspicious glance towards the tent where Princess Lucia slept. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.

She silently entered the tent and surveyed the contents inside. The bedroll was neatly arranged, the table and chair in their proper places, and the Princess's box of belongings by the bed. Hilda raised her hand, focusing her magic on the small space of the tent. She recited the incantations, "Return to your previous position, three hours prior."

But as the spell took effect, Hilda's eyes widened in shock. The box remained untouched, but hundreds of books tumbled out from its depths, their titles relating to divine spells, incantations, and curses. One book lay open on the makeshift table at the center of the tent, its empty space beside it suggesting it was the Princess's seat. Hilda's hand trembled as she reached out to touch the book, a feeling of unease creeping up her spine.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

The book read, “Once a Creation was inflicted by the Desires of Andromeda, there will be a few consequences. The symptoms differ from person to person, but there was a common symptom. The burns of the Abyssal flames. Some people experience delusions, or even a surge of power to wipe off an island from the face of Axtral.”

FORNAX, IOLITE

After covering a certain distance from the battlefield, the throbbing pain in her right hand intensified. She quickly pulled her gloves out. The sudden searing pain from the Abyssal burn shot through her hand like a bolt of lightning. She pulled back her hand close to her chest, but it continued to throb and pulse with an intensity she had never felt before.

She took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. “Lord Horus, bless me with your radiant light,” she chanted. Lucia was never trained in the ways of the cleric, so it was the only spell she knew. A soft glow of radiant light shined upon her, but the flames danced as if mocking her for her insignificance.

Frustrated, she recited the spell louder, “Lord Horus, bless me with your radiant light.” Nothing happened. For the first time in a long time, Lucia felt helpless. She let out a small cry of desperation. A cry that could be heard by the winds only.

With the enemies retreating, she can focus on the cure for her curse. After wiping her tears, she picked up her heavy feeling and flew straight to the royal palace.

ISLAND OF FETTERS

Are you certain?

Those words coursed across the entire hall in the throne room. The lone demon general dared not disobey the man before him. He killed many to release them from the depths of the Abyss and instilled the essence of obeying in their core. Every day and night was nothing but war. Not that they were complaining, but they simply wished for more. To steal, charm the Creations, to see them helplessly plunge into the demise of their self-righteousness.

“My lackeys are certain. They saw a black miasma released from the right hand of the Princess,” the general demon replied. “They hid in the ribs of the fairy warriors after the war was over.”

A man with a light blue masquerade mask covered his eyes. The elf’s eyes were darker than the Abyss itself. His hands wore multiple topaz, ruby, and amethyst rings over his slender fingers. From the pointy ears and the large build, it could be an elf.

Upon hearing the demise of the princess, his lips curled up in a smile. After a century, the groundwork was finally complete. The curse he planted in the fairy princess finally blossomed. It didn’t work for the other siblings, but it was fine. He has plans for them.

“As for the infiltration in Antlia?”

Demons who managed to develop and turn into demon generals lose their emotional capacity in exchange for burning the Abyssal flame within them. To appear ruthless and stoic. From the eye sockets of their skull, one can see the radiant, dancing flames of the Abyss. It wasn’t hard to miss the twinkle in the general’s eye socket.

“The royal capital isn’t suspicious. All forgeries were done perfectly by Blind Bob. We have about a hundred changelings that are living within the village,” the general added on, “The organization he is under, Nevil Nook, is now asking for a raise in their ‘commissions’.”

The masked man paused a while, then chuckled, placing his hand under his chin. “Pull back all the troops. In the meantime, purchase the necessary weapons from the Lax Rover.”

Silence followed slowly after, the confused general asked hesitantly, “Pull back?”

There was no reason to pull back when the Princess retreated. Without the commander, the royal army was merely headless chickens running about. With the successful infiltration in Antlia and at least a hundred thousand troops in the demon army, waiting for their chance to indulge in the flesh of Creations. They could even take over the entire continent of Iolite if given the command. The retreat wasn’t the best option. Not when they were at an advantage.

The rings on his finger gleamed with joy as the room blew a gust of chilly wind. “I see you have doubts, general?” The elf descended the dark throne, making his way to the demon. “After all we went through?” His voice was crisp and icy cold. The demon general felt the flames within him dim as the elf stood at his side.

With a flick of his wrist, the elf summoned the dagger from the demon’s pocket using the telekinesis spell. The blade glinted in the dim light as it hovered in the air. The demon watched from across the room, its eyes flickering with a mixture of fear and admiration. Something was mesmerizing about the grace and fluidity of his movements, the way he toyed with the dagger with ease.

He said, “Unless you have the audacity to attempt the impossible - conquering Iolite in a mere five days. Go ahead, amuse me with your futile challenge.”

A chill went down the demon’s spine. “Five days?” He felt himself stammering. If there was another moment he felt fear, it was in front of the Demon king itself, “We couldn’t even go fight Fornax after a century.”

He lightly tapped the dagger on the demon’s skull head, playing with it, almost. “I was just toying around with them. We merely needed to wait for King Albireo to weaken.”

The general held in his frustration and anger behind that stoic face. He had not fought in the war to hear this phrase. “For this game of yours, millions of demons have perished,” the general inquired.

“Before the princess, king Albireo was unstoppable. If a proper war was waged, we would have lost in a decade, you fool. You call this a war?” the masked man scoffed. “Demons spawn at any moment, but fairies, dwarves, and even elves don’t have such a great birth rate.” The masked men chuckled.

“Time is on my side,” the elf said, admiring the flames that burned at the center of his torso. Slowly, the dagger from his skull made its way down to his chest, carving deep into his flesh. The general didn’t flinch, taking in the pain. But he felt small in comparison.

“The Princess?” The general inquired.

“The Princess is no match for me,” Krystol sneered, his arrogance palpable.

The general, confused, asked, "She will be dead before she meets you."

Krystol's smirk widened, "She will be my pawn, obedient to the curse."

“By the way, General, insubordination is nasty,” he gave a brief pause, “Do you remember why you are here, yet the other demon generals perished?”

The demon stopped thinking, looking down at the ground. Yes, he knew. He even warned the three fools against going out of the barriers of the Fetter islands. The princess was one to be feared. Her magic was an abomination to them, and her sword skills were also near too perfect. As soon as they see that the Princess was absent from the field, their hunger overtook them. They underestimated the servants of the Princess and died.

“They didn’t listen, general,” he said, glaring. “And because they didn’t listen, we lost one of our many advantages against the Iolite. I now must make slight adjustments to our plans.” The dagger escaped his spell, penetrating deep into the stone floor and creating a melon-sized crate right in front of the demon’s knees.

“Obey me.”

The general looked at the dagger, and his breath started to thin out, forcing him to breathe harder. His hand reached out towards the dagger. Should he fight for his life now? If he wins, he doesn’t have to wait for this elf to win the war. A century was long enough.

Another five days wouldn’t hurt.

The elf before him was either a genius or a madman, one whom he obeyed for a century. Regardless, he had nothing to lose other than time. The demon general pulled out the dagger from the crate, holding it close to his chest.

“As you wish, lord Krystol.”

Krystol did not need a general that quivered in fear after a minor threat. After dismissing him, he stepped out of the throne room to get a breath of air filled with miasma.

When the Iolite falls, next would be the Gods.