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“Dialogue”

‘Thoughts’

-Author notes-

Chapter 25: Dreams and a possible goal

He stood up from his bed and walked to the window. The view was breathtaking. The entire capital could be seen from here as this was the second tallest tower in the Emperor Palace.

A soft knock was heard, and the door to his room opened up.

An attractive brunette girl with long braided hair and an elegant maid dress came inside. “Oh?...you are awake already…what a rare occurrence,” she scoffed.

“You are being a bit too harsh…that only happens when I drink too much.” He rebuked the rude girl.

“That is almost every day…but never mind that.” Her expression changed to a more serious one. “The Emperor has requested your presence.”

“Yes…I thought he would. It seems like our short vacation is over.” The man sighed, already expecting this would happen.

He left the maid behind to care for his room and made his way through a series of wide corridors and stairs with ease and haste.

Soldiers and servants would stop to look at him as he walked by and salute him with the utmost respect.

He opened a pair of heavy-looking golden doors and entered the throne room.

“Ah, the Hero is finally here. We can commence our meeting,” the Emperor spoke with a warm smile on his face. His words still carried authority despite his advanced age.

The Emperor left his throne and walked to a large rectangular table that had been placed on one side and his council followed him.

He sat down last but spoke first, earning some looks of disapproval. “Is this about the Elmeria Kingdom?” he asked.

The Emperor didn’t seem to mind his lack of decor. “You are well informed, my Hero.”

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He hated that title, but could not say it to the old man's face. For all the citizens of the Empire, the position of the Hero was the highest possible honor given by the Emperor.

“As you may have heard already, the Elmeria Kingdom is under heavy attack by the demon army. They have sent many requests for assistance so I have finally decided to lend them a hand. It would do us no good if one of the human kingdoms were to fall into the hands of those beasts!”

He was sure that the only reason the Emperor was choosing to help now was because the Elmeria King had grown desperate enough to bend to his demands.

He knew the old man well enough…he would not be sending help for anything in return.

“So, My Emperor. When do I depart?”

The old man appeared satisfied with his words. “I will grant you a dozen of my Golden Guards to go with you. As well as one thousand infantry to accompany you north. They shall be ready and waiting for you at the entrance of the palace in two hours. You will depart as soon as possible. Time is of the essence.”

“It will be as you said. I will also be taking my loyal companions.”

“Of course, I would not expect any less. I would have called them here too if they had agreed to stay in the palace.”

“They are not used to this much formality and luxury. I hope my Emperor takes no offense. They feel more comfortable at the local tavern.”

“No matter,” the Emperor brushed it off. “But one last thing…Before returning from Elmeria, make sure to bring with you the third Princess. The King and I have made an agreement for her to be fostered here in the Empire.”

He wanted to call out the old man but instead, he just nodded. “Very well.”

‘Wait…is that the reason for agreeing to help them?’ Zephyr thought with disgust. He could only observe this event unfold from the point of view of this 'Hero' but had no control at all.

He saw the Emperor's mouth move again but could not hear any more words…he was awakening.

His eyes were hit by sunlight as soon as he opened them. “I’m back…”

Of course, he hadn’t gone anywhere, but at the same time, it felt like he did.

The dreams were becoming more real…and much more strange. He no longer felt like a simple observer.

He also knew things that he should not know. As soon as that maid entered the room, he already knew her name as well as the fact that they had met fifteen years prior to that day when her village was attacked by a large group of savage beasts. He had saved her that day, but her family had perished in the attack. She had no talent for fighting, but she still wanted to follow him and serve as his personal assistant.

‘How can I know all those things? Where does that information come from? It was never mentioned in the dreams.’

Part of him understood that…these were not just dreams. There was some connection between him and this…Hero from the dreams.

“The Rakan Empire.” He had never heard of that place before.

He did know about the three old human Kingdoms. Elmeria, Zloria, and Varian. After their downfall, the remaining human settlements were named after those old kingdoms.

‘Did it not take part in the Ancient War? Could it still exist up to this day?’ He considered it.

From the previous conversations, he knew that this Empire was south of the Old Elmeria Kingdom. That would place it further south than any map he had ever seen.

“Perhaps…” He wanted to be realistic. The odds of any human having survived south of the Wall for all this time should be…zero.

But since he already had the intention of traveling to that desolate place…this at least gave him a sense of hope and direction.