Deep within the Alf Kingdom Forest, various High Elves lived within it. The place where Rishena and Celdia's descendants live. Those who are queens who live in the era of heroes. Become an idol and holy figure for the Elves who live in that place, or even worldwide.
It is regarded by those who lived to witness the age of heroes. Queen Celdia was one of those who joined the story of the Dungeon of Oratoria.
It is a story about the mercenary king, Albert Waldstein, and his group fighting the black dragon that has been terrorizing the world since its existence about a thousand years ago.
A fierce resistance from humans and other humanoid races to fight the monsters at that time oppressed and destroyed various other races in the world.
The Age of Darkness was when cataclysm headed many races for destruction. Many were extinct and forgotten by history. And far more races were nearly wiped out by the dragon's fury and its minions.
Not only the dragon, but two other creatures: Behemoth and Leviathan, also make land and sea a chaotic place.
And it is where the High Elves live in peace, Far from various threats from the outside world because of their isolationism as a race that upholds their dignity and pride.
"O, my Elf brothers and sisters. This sacred forest has protected us from the harm and destruction of the gods and goddesses who spread their influence only for their pleasure, sacrificing the souls and sweat of those they call their children only for their satisfaction. This forest had protected them from its savage pleasures. Let's say a prayer to the forest that has lived since the days of these heroes to continue to protect us!" Shouted an elf dressed like a religious leader holding up a golden scepter while raising his hand in the air.
He was surrounded by his congregation, wearing white robes. They knelt before the sacred tree, where the priest gave his sermon.
Their hands were clenched as the prayers kept coming out of their mouths.
Some want safety, fertility, survival, and the various worldly problems they experience.
Not far from that place was a noble's compound, and a particular child was watching the lecture from afar, with himself as an Elf. The girl could hear the speech well.
"What are you looking at, Riveria?" Asked a man who calls the child Riveria.
She is Riveria, the noble daughter of a High Elf. She had Jade-colored hair with a pair of eyes almost identical in color to his own.
"Just watching lectures, father," Riveria said to her father, who resembled his daughter.
The older man was named Larfal Ljos Alf, a leader of the sacred forest where they lived and the father of Riveria Ljos Alf.
"Hoh, I'm glad you're willing to listen to what they have to say. What's more, gods are just people who come down to earth for their pleasure. We Elves build our own community from their corruption. I'm proud of you, my daughter. Now how are your studies?" asked his father calmly and calculatingly.
Riveria wanted to reply to her father's first statement, but she refused and decided to answer her father's second question. "I have studied the history of our race. I have memorized various kinds of literature that the teacher gave me. I am also in the final stages of my first spell."
Larfal smiled, hearing his daughter's words. "Good job. I've also added you a new tutor on elven philosophy and various magic applications with Fae."
Riveria had just lowered her body calmly like royalty. "My thanks to you, father."
"Good." Then the smile disappeared and was replaced with a severe expression. "You should be able to master all measurements of magic that will be taught to you. After all you will be my successor thereafter. Don't let me down, Riveria."
Larfal immediately walked back to the palace. Leaving Riveria still bowing respectfully towards her father.
Riveria looked back at the praying crowd when her father was out of sight. There the little girl saw many of them praying, and she saw some that did not seem to disturb the sect.
The girl was smart enough to see why some people chose to stay away from joining them because the sect was only present when his father was in power.
Riveria, who felt that her people were dominated by arrogance and their blessing in using magic, could see why the sect was developing so fast. She, who grew up in the castle, felt otherwise.
The green-haired girl felt that the world was not like the father and sect she described. The young girl understands that many immoral things can happen in the outside world, and not all of them are compassionate, but she can see the same social phenomena around her.
Despite their ego and arrogance, elves are a race that loves Fae and their race. They also harbored hatred towards their race and other elves.
"I want to see who's behind these trees." She spoke so slowly that no one could hear him.
"Princess Riveria." Then a female voice called out to her, and when Riveria turned towards the source of the vote, she smiled gently at the speaker.
"Your teacher is waiting." Riveria's personal chamberlain, who was none other than Aina Tulle. She was a collateral relative of Riveria and her father. Being said, Aina had features that she and Larfal shared.
"Alright, Aina." Riveria immediately met the teacher in question while Aina followed behind him.
"You look happy, my lady." Said Aina, who smiled, seeing RIveria's beaming face.
"I'm just excited to learn magic, that's all." Riveria smiled at her maid.
"Then I have nothing to worry about." Reply Aina.
They arrived at the practice room. Standing in the middle of the room, an elf with a luxurious robe alongside staff in the elf's hand. He was a man with a slightly shorter stature than his father, and also, he was an elf who was hundreds of years old, which could be seen from his former length.
"Lady Riveria, you are on time as usual." Respect the person with a slight bow.
"You always come early too, Mr Forgar." replied Riveria politely.
"How can you not. Teaching the heir of this sacred forest is an honor for me," he said flatly.
"Then let's start the training." Forgar continued kindly.
Riveria nodded then Aina immediately handed Riveria's staff into the hands of its owner.
With that, Riveria walked towards the center of the room, where her teacher took over.
"Alright, let's take a look at the spell you learned, my lady. Would you mind showing it to refresh my memory?" Forgar asked his student.
"With pleasure." Riveria then readied her wand and closed her eyes, concentrating her magical energy on each word and the mystical embodiment she was about to use.
"O air spirits who guide me."
The wand in Riveria's hand then shone, emitting a faint white light that emitted an aura of mana around it.
"The ruler of the world. The mover of the seasons. The destroyer and the bearer of blessings."
Wind with a solid but calm scale appeared around Riveria's body in every rhythm. The wind embraced him, producing a vortex in his wand.
"The incredible power of the sky. Rivelbum Fois!" Riveria brandished her wand, and with her magic power, the green-haired elf let out a stream of wind like a small tornado that slammed into the magic barrier in the sky, leaving a solid howl of wind that spread throughout the room.
When the ferocious wind subsided, Forgar walked over to Riveria and began his evaluation.
"Excellent magic, Lady Riveria. Though I must say that your pressure and control over your wind is lacking for tactical attacks," said Forgar softly.
"Sorry, teacher," Riveria said, feeling guilty.
"It's all right, princess. Come on, let me set an example." Forgar walked over and took Riveria's place in the center of the room.
"O air spirits who guide me." Forger's wand glowed the same color as Riveria's, only brighter than that of the elven aristocrats.
"The ruler of the world. The mover of the seasons. The destroyer and the bearer of blessings. The mighty power of the sky. Rivelbum Fois!"
The wind spear resembling a vortex reappeared, stabbed deep into the wall, and exploded, turning the wind dome that tore through its prey, ending up as a gust of wind as the magic effect wore off.
"The difference is the concentration on the energy source and the magic shadow you will project. The composition of the magic you use is precise, but your projection of this magic has difficulty understanding the nature of wind," Forgar repeated. He channeled his magical energy to form a ball of wind on his wand. He then made the orb float in front of him and sped slowly towards Riveria.
"Smooth but shaped. Has stress in every note." Riveria muttered while analyzing the ball in front of her.
The female student touched the ball of wind, using magical energy to study its structure further.
"It seems you have understood it. Then, can you practice it again?" Ask Forgar.
"Of course, my teacher." Riveria again readied her stance and was ready to chant once again.
"O spirit of air, guide me. The ruler of the world. The mover of the seasons. The destroyer and the bearer of blessings. The mighty power of the sky. Rivelbum Fois!"
This time, Riveria focused her magic crystallization. She was projecting the nature of wind, an invisible force capable of blowing and destroying anything in its path. The wind feature amplified Riveria's senses in her depiction of magic.
The wind can defeat the enemy of the princess.
Riveria created a vortex of wind from her staff, a thin spear that was barely visible; it was a vortex. The spear was like a needle piercing into the protective wall, destroying the protective effect of the wall until it cracked due to Riveria's magic.
This outburst of magic made the two people present in the room widen their eyes at the unstoppable shock in their heads.
The protective magic in this place is set at a minimum level. After all, this is low to a mid-level magic lesson. However, Riveria was able to break the shield with just short magic.
Forgar came back from his shocked state and praised Riveria. "That's remarkable, Miss Riveria."
"Thank you for the compliment, teacher." Riveria slightly bowed her head respectfully.
"Since you've mastered one magic in one week. I'm very impressed with it. You are indeed magic. Now, let's move on to higher-level magic." Said Forgar, taking a book from the bookshelf in the corner of the room.
"I would like it very much." Riveria smiled.
Then they started a magic lesson from scratch that noble elf needed: A healing magic. It was magic with above-average difficulty due to its relation to recovery and restoration. The two concepts are the same but also have different conclusions.
This kind of magic could be said to be a chant from Fae. Magic bestowed directly from them.
"Healing magic. A concept based on recovery and mystique in the form of Fae chorales. So, to perform this magic, I must cast magic energy that corresponds to... the Fae chant?" Asked Riveria, who was still holding the book in his hand.
"Yes, the song of Fae is said to be a melody that flows with nature, like the body of a living being," Forgar replied.
Riveria then imagined the concept in her head and decided to describe the actualization of the magic she learned.
Unbeknownst to the elf girl, time continued to pass in the room. She sometimes puts what she has learned under Forgar's guidance into practice. Riveria continued to practice it, and if it failed, she reread the book and saw her teacher channeling her magical energy into doing simple basic techniques about the magic she was learning.
The jade-haired girl kept trying and trying with a significant concentration in every step and calculation, which naturally reduced the magical energy in her mind. Now she felt dazed and could not stand up straight enough.
"Enough, Lady Riveria. You did your best." Said Forgar, who was holding the girl's body.
"I... Still can." Riveria replied with a body that looked like it was about to faint.
"You have made significant progress, Lady Riveria. Now let me take you to your room." Said Aina, who was also holding Riveria's body.
Seeing two close people forcing her to rest, Riveria nodded her head slowly.
"Very well, I will report to Lord Larfal with this development. I will excuse myself." Forgar then walked out of the room.
"Come on, Lady Riveria, I'll take you to rest," Aina replied gently while guiding Riveria out of the room slowly.
Arriving at the bed, Aina took off Riveria's shoes and robes, leaving behind the noble clothes and formal trousers she was wearing. Riveria pulled her feet onto the bed and leaned her back against the bedroom wall.
"Here is the drink, my lady." Aina handed over the tray with a glass of water on it.
"Thank you." Riveria immediately drank the water entirely and put it back on the tray.
"Is there anything else I can do?" Aina said after she set aside the tray earlier.
"Aina, for some reason I want to visit that place again." Riveria said as she turned her gaze to the window.
Aina, who understood Riveria's words, could only lower her head. "I don't think lord Larfal will allow it, especially at a time when monsters are attacking our forest in increasing frequency in recent years."
Riveria could only dim her gaze as if she was missing something important from her. "Wait, when is my birthday, Aina?"
"Eh, if I'm not mistaken tomorrow. Could be."
"I'll ask for it tomorrow as my present for my 12th birthday." Riveria said with a smile on her face.
Aina, who saw Riveria's expression, could not help but smile in agreement. The maidservant of Riveria's daughter then spoke again. "I will accompany you as usual."
"Thank you, Aina," Riveria looked at her maid with a smile that made Aina herself slightly surprised.
"What is it?" asked the curious Riveria.
"No, it's just that I see her in you," Aina answered warmly.
"Ah, I am indeed her daughter. But I'm happy to be like her. Aina, please get me a pile of books on my study table." Riveria pointed in the direction she was referring to.
"Shouldn't you rest, Lady Riveria?"
"I just want to read light subject matter to cover my studies. Tomorrow I won't be able to study. Moreover, my father will make a surprise party as I expected." Riveria said that somehow she did not like the party.
"Understood, Lady Riveria." Aina then brought the book to the elf's side, sitting on the bed.
"Thank you." Riveria then picked up the top book and started reading it.
"You are indeed an ideal model for a princess." Praise Aina with a smile. Although, Riveria knew the meaning behind that smile.
"I just like reading books." Riveria replied with a slightly offended face.
Then Aina chuckled at the behavior of the woman and her relatives. "Then I'll make some tea."
"Thank you." With that, the elven noble's maid left.
Riveria then fixed her gaze on the book and did not take her eyes off any of its material. The girl read it carefully and was only awakened by the sound of a book that fell from her desk.
This sound caught the attention of Riveria, who was focused on reading the book in her hand. She, who was curious, decided to stand up and take it. When the jade-haired elf read the title, it made her frown.
"The Grand Spirit, by Cryska. Z and The Kaleidoscope." Read Riveria against the writing on the cover of an old book. Yet, she did not recognize the names in the book. She had already read many books, and still, she did not know these names in any other books.
"I don't remember this book in my book catalog." Riveria muttered while walking back to her bed.
The book is quite old, but uniquely there is not single dust on the paper, as if the original owner often opened it. This particular book immediately made Riveria grow even more suspicious of the book because the only people who had the key to her room were her, her father, and also Aina as her chamberlain.
Riveria narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the book in her hand, though in the end, curiosity overcame the elf to open it and read it.
"Grand Spirits are a classification of spirits that bind a special contract with the world. Making them protectors of everything that lives in them, each one of them has a special ability to ward off the calamities that the world is about to face. Calamities?" Riveria closed the question and continued reading.
"They are the various spirits upon which civilization and history depend. There are seven of them: Grand Saber, Grand Archer, Grand Lancer, Grand Berserker, Grand Assassin, Grand Rider, and finally Grand Caster."
Riveria turned the sheet over and blinked a few times. "Damaged?"
She muttered when she saw the faded sheet of paper, she turned the form over again, and it was still just as damaged and faded. Riveria let out a depressed sigh because of that.
Then, one page is shabby but still legible on the next sheet. Riveria immediately read what was written there.
"Grand Casters, a type of Great Spirit chosen by the world for their great magical abilities, besides; they are also spirits that are influential in magic transformation or the turning point of the concept of magic itself." murmured Riveria while not believing what she was reading.
As far as Riveria knew, changing the concept of magic was impossible, much less a turning point for magic itself. Remembering the nature of magic that integrates with nature is the same as bending nature itself to create magic that fits the context of the writing in the book.
It made Riveria's chest flutter, making her want to read more.
"The Grand Caster is a spirit possessing magic that is said to be on par with the world itself. Turning it into a spirit with the power to fight the entire world." This sentence made Riveria even more unable to believe what she was reading. The power to challenge the whole world alone. Unbelievable.
"Regardless of their magical power, Grand Casters are equipped with endless wisdom. This insight gives them the divination to see all possibilities in the future and present, perhaps even the past."
The silence was the only expression Riveria could show after reading the book. The ability to see the future, present, and past was something that only the gods were capable of, and any spirit could do the same. This fact was too wild even for someone like Riveria's own class. But Riveria also could not help the intense pounding in her chest. Perhaps it was a feeling that arose from the story told by the person Riveria loved the most.
Moreover, the magic power described in this book was beyond Riveria's understanding; as a person who loved magic, she made herself sparkle about the concept and type of magic mastered by the Grand Caster.
A potential that the spirit could unlock with extensive knowledge and magic that she dreamed of reaching. Then excitedly, Riveria turned to the next page and started reading it.
"The list of known Grand Caster candidates..." Riveria seemed speechless, her spirit immediately extinguished, replaced by annoyance and anger that pursed her lips.
"Whoever has something dearly, it is better to take care of it so that others do not suffer because of your imprudence," Riveria said sarcastically to whoever had the book. The elf girl just stared in annoyance at the list of candidates that the paper had damaged, and the writing faded.
"Books are best to be preserved, you savage!" Riveria hissed with venom in her tone.
Aina, who came back from making tea for Riveria, was slightly surprised to see the look on the princess's angry face. "What is it, my lady?"
"Eh. Um. I'm fine, just getting carried away in reading a book." Riveria said slightly awkwardly as she slowly slipped the old book among the others.
"Alright then. Here's the tea, Miss Riveria." Aina placed a cup of tea on Riveria's bedside table.
"Thank you very much, Aina," Riveria drank the hot tea slowly. "Your tea is the best."
"I am flattered by the compliment, Lady Riveria." Aina replied with a smile.
"Aina, what do you know about spirits?" Ask Riveria.
For a moment, Aina frowned. Thinking of an appropriate answer to Riveria's question. "As far as I know, spirits are creatures that are loved by the gods, they are also a race that helped us before the descent of the gods from Tenkai."
"I see. You know anything about Great Spirits apart from the Dungeon of Orotaria story?"
"My apologies. I don't know anything about that, my lady." Aina slightly lowered her head in apology.
"It's fine, Aina. I just satisfy my curiosity anyway." Riveria waved to her maid worries
"If I may ask, why do you ask such a thing all of a sudden?"
"No, it's nothing. I told you, I was just curious." Replied Riveria quickly.
But no one could lie that Riveria had a small yet elegant smile on her face, but the look in her eyes hinted that someone had caught the little feelings of the elven princess.
"Happy birthday, Princess Riveria!" Shouted the guests in the luxurious hall of the Alf Forest palace.
Hundred noble elves, including Riveria's father and his relatives, are in the room. Riveria herself wore a luxurious shoulderless dress for a party with various ornaments and jewelry in the style of high elves identical to the forest color.
Even if the noble elf wasn't comfortable in her dress, the party had to go on.
"Congratulations on your birthday, princess." Said a guest.
"May the blessings continue to come to you in the years to come, princess."
"May life be filled with ease and happiness."
"May you become a great elven mage someday."
Praises continued to be hurled at the young elves; feeling it necessary, Riveria decided to repay them with a friendly smile and a 'thank you.' to each of the guests.
Behind her smiling face, Riveria knew that they all had their intentions.
"Please cut the cake, princess." A servant said to Riveria.
"Of course." Riveria then took a knife and cut the cake slowly, and the cutting was accompanied by applause from the audience. Riveria could only sigh in her mind.
Then the maids immediately distributed the cake to all the guests at Riveria's birthday party. Riveria, who was watching the guests talking to each other, decided to move slightly away from the center of the room to avoid excessive glare.
The girl who is now birthday also saw her father talking to several relatives and some influential nobles in his kingdom. Riveria found the guests starting to set aside in the center of the room, signifying that the next event was about to begin.
A dance party.
This event made many noble children approach her, asking the princess to dance with them.
"With pleasure." Riveria chose to hold onto one of them and headed towards the dance.
The song started playing, signaling that the dance was about to begin. Riveria and her partner danced in the middle of the room with various other noble children. The girl saw the figure who became her dancing partner. He was the son of a noble who ruled the southeast region of the forest. Riveria herself just followed her dance moves, slightly ignoring the people's expressions before her; she tried to be professional as a princess.
She danced gracefully and elegantly, stunning everyone around her.
"Absolutely the perfect model of a princess." That's their view of Riveria.
When the dance was over, Riveria walked to her father.
"Ah, Riveria. What's wrong?" asked Larfal kindly.
"I. I want a present, father." Riveria said in a half-whisper.
"Well, it's been a while since your last present. What do you think you want?"
Riveria pulled herself up; she cleared her throat. "I want to visit Villa Alver."
This sudden request made Larfal frown in disapproval. "Monster attacks have increased in recent years. I can't let you go."
"Father, I don't mean to be disrespectful. But, I want to... Look at that place again." Riveria answered by lowering her head, accompanied by a trembling tone.
The statement made Larfal sigh and answer. "I will send guards to escort you with Aina. Don't stay in that place for too long."
"Thank you very much, father." Riveria beamed.
"Good, but before that. Let's get acquainted with the various nobles from the north." said Larfal.
"Northern nobles. Aren't they isolationists?" Riveria was slightly taken aback by her father's statement.
"Indeed a few months ago they decided to open up after I decided to come directly to their place. Since then I started to open diplomatic lines with them, to the point where I dared to invite them to your birthday." Larfal was still staring straight ahead, in the direction Riveria's eyes followed.
There, Riveria saw the elves who looked normal from their clothes. However, the gazes and auras that radiated from them were an atmosphere of their own. Riveria gulped as she fixed her eye on the guests in question.
"Now you have to learn diplomacy, starting with them." Larfal walks in front of his daughter. After talking for a while, the people whose father spoke began to set their sights on the young princess.
Riveria closed her eyes, preparing herself to speak to them. "As per your request, father."
"Huh…" Riveria sighed on the chair in her room, with Aina gently massaging her shoulders. The elven princess did not look like a graceful girl but like a girl who had not slept for days.
"You have worked hard." Aina continued to massage Riveria's shoulders with more force; the shoulders that felt tight and tense started to feel loose.
"Thank you, Aina." Riveria was finally able to compose herself.
"Just pretend it's nothing. You should also go to the villa, right?"
"Yes. I haven't been there in years." Riveria directed her gaze to the window. The girl seemed to be missing something.
Aina just stared at Riveria and did not say a word seeing her woman's condition, although she also felt sorry for Riveria's gaze that was always like that.
"You'd better get changed to go to the Villa." Suggest Aina.
"That's a good idea. Will you help me?"
"Of course."
Riveria and the group of guards, and Aina walked down the path in the sacred forest. Passing several villages, making the residents welcome them. But the journey must continue. They are forced to leave the villages immediately.
The sun that stood tall in the sky slowly began to lean towards the west; when the group arrived at their destination villa.
Even though it looks secluded and there are no signs of life around it, the villa seems well-maintained with an immaculate garden.
It was not surprising to know that the villa was cleaned several times every few months by the direct order of king Larfal.
"Finally, I set foot here again, mother." Riveria said as she cast her gaze towards the villa.
It was a villa that resembled a castle, white as a jewel, spacious enough to be called a proper castle. It has a style of luxury and serenity from a combination of shady trees, hiding part of the castle in its shadows.
"Then we will clean the villa, Lady Riveria," Aina asked with several butlers and maids behind her.
"Yes, please. You soldiers, please guard according to your posts."
"As you wish, Lady Riveria." With that, they all left Riveria alone.
The high elf girl walked through the garden, stepping towards the pond in the middle of a beautiful and sustainable place. The twelve-year-old girl crouched by the pond, watching various fish of multiple colors swim back and forth in the clear pond.
"Mom, what's the name of that type of fish?"
"The name of the fish is Luna fish, because of its sacred and graceful color which symbolizes the moon."
"Moon. Then mother is my moon."
Riveria stood up, walking towards the flower garden with various beauties. A scent carried by the wind wafted into the high elf's nose, a smell she had not inhaled in a long time.
"Mother, here are flowers for you!"
"Ah, you are really very sweet, my daughter. Here, mama made a flower crown."
Riveria stepped in and plucked various flowers there; she chose them carefully along with the amount she didn't add carelessly.
The elf with jade-colored hair arrived somewhere in the corner of the garden, which contained a rectangular object covered in the grass on top. When Riveria raised her head, she could only bite her lip, suppressing the growing pain in her chest.
"Riveria, I will always love you."
"I'm home, Mother," Riveria said very softly to the tombstone, a tombstone bearing her mother's name.
Alinicia Ljos Alf is a loving mother and wise queen of Alf's Royal Forest.
Riveria placed the flower in front of her tombstone and slowly drew herself closer to the object. Gently, Riveria embraced the tombstone with her heart; she did not let go. There were no more perfect princesses, no more knowledgeable genius elves. No more elves revered as daughters of the descendants of the legendary queen Celdia; there was just an ordinary little girl crying over her mother's grave.
"It's getting late, my lord. Shall I send additional troops for extraction?" The troop commander asked king Larfal in front of him.
"Let her stay there a little longer. I understand how much she misses her mother. It's all that bastard Evilus fault." Larfal gritted his teeth hard, making a snapping sound heard by the commander.
The king regained his composure after taking a deep breath and stabilizing his emotions. "Even so, I would like you to increase the number of troops to accompany my daughter there."
"As your command, my lord."
Far away at the outpost at the end of the forest, dozens of knights stood guard with full vigilance, watching out for the night and the dangers within.
"I don't know why it's colder today than usual." muttered one of them.
"Yeah, as if something bad was going to happen." While they were talking, the sky was covered with clouds, making the night pitch black without the moon shining.
From that darkness came calamity.
"Wait, what's that?" asked one of the soldiers when he saw a robed man approaching them.
"Newcomer. Then don't let him in."
"You stand there, leave or we'll have to force you!" He said in a high tone as he prepared to draw his sword.
The figure remained silent, inviting the irritation of the guard. "Then we will resort to violence."
When they exited the forest, the soldiers' necks were cut by the robed person in front of them who was suddenly in their midst.
"Start the attack." Said the figure in a tone that resembled a man.
With a single command from the robed man, hundreds of monsters of various shapes and types appeared; what stood out from these monsters were their eyes, a pair of red eyes smoldering with hatred, devouring everything they would kill with their teeth and claws.
"Release the beast."
Their roars shot through the air, cutting the barrier between them, making it a deafening scream of the high elves in the forest.
It's just that the terror felt by all the elves in the forest is not conveyed by various places in remote areas, such as the villa that the crown princess now occupies.
Riveria, who was reading a book in her lighted room, was startled from her stupor. She immediately looked at the window.
"What is it, Lady Riveria?" Aina asked.
"It's nothing. It's just, I felt something that made me feel trembling." Riveria answered frankly.
"So am I, there's something out there that scares me. A feeling similar to bullying." Aina narrowed her eyes as her hands immediately clenched tightly.
Riveria then decided to end her study session; she walked toward the bed with a slightly worried face. "I think I'd better rest."
"Then I'll prepare some sleepwear." Aina immediately moved from her position.
Not far from the palace, the knights on guard also felt it. A terrifying sensation split all over their bodies, not knowing anything about what was happening in the castle or at the various vital locations in their sacred forest.
All they knew was silence, and the sky darkened with overcast, deaf to all the commotion going on elsewhere.
"I think it's too quiet." said one of their veterans.
He quickly drew his sword, drawing the attention of the troops standing guard in his place.
"What's the matter, sir?" Ask one of them.
"Monsters."
"What? I don't think that's possible, considering how tight the border guards are?" He asked again in disbelief.
"Believe me. You three come with me." The commander ordered his men. They just obeyed him. Three people followed them and the rest.
The four of them walked through the forest, only silence enveloped them and what made the situation even worse was the absence of the various sounds of the forest night beasts, causing tension to arise between them.
Then the commander stopped; he lay stiff. His gaze darted forward, not moving at all.
"Commander. What are you-" One of the soldiers fell silent when he reached his side, seeing what his superior saw. He saw dozens of red balls crossing the dark forest. The red light that became the eyes of the various monsters was silent, watching the four soldiers with bloodlust.
"Go and warn the princess. Go!" shouted the commander and the monsters who called and charged toward them.
One of them ran with all his might, carrying orders from his commander.
He ran until he reached the Villa area; ignoring the strange looks of his comrades, the soldier shouted as loudly as he could.
"Monster! Evacuate the princess, immediately!"
With the sound of a monster rebounding after his scream, the soldiers immediately formed a defensive line, while several others rushed to the villa in desperation.
Then they opened the door where Riveria's room was, causing the two people occupying the space to turn their faces towards the panting warrior.
"What's the matter, soldier?" Riveria asked with narrowed eyes.
"Monsters. We're being attacked by monsters!"
His shout made the two women freeze in shock, unable to believe the soldier's words.
"Monster, but that-" Before Aina could finish her sentence, an inhuman scream rang out, shaking their bedroom window. When Riveria averted her gaze, she saw dozens of monsters fiercely tearing the armor and shields of the elven army with ease.
"Impossible; this shouldn't have happened." Riveria muttered with tears slowly starting to fall from between her eyes. The massacre in front of the young princess made her heart tremble. Perhaps she had gone through many obstacles in her life during her time as royalty and crown princess through persistent talking and learning, though that changed with her mother's death.
Riveria then felt what it was like to lose in her life, the unstoppable pain in her heart, to learn and become the princess her mother wanted her to be.
And now, her people died for her, and she was powerless to do anything.
"Come on, my lady!" Aina pulled Riveria out of the room, running with all her might down the hall. Riveria could only hear the screams of her troops valiantly fighting the monsters. They seemed happy with fighting for their princess, something Riveria regretted while biting her lip.
Then from the window, a bat figure enters the villa, emitting an ultrasonic sound that buzzes those in its path.
"Haaa!" The soldier forced himself to swing his sword at the bat, making his ultrasonic screams stop. "We will keep the creature here. Princess and Aina, you can go."
They quickly left, leaving the knights to fight the bats. When Riveria and Aina reached the part of the greenhouse through the castle's back door, Aina looked for something on the floor that made Riveria ask.
"What is it, Aina?"
"I was looking for an emergency evacuation route. Ah, found." Aina then walked to the stone chest with the royal family ornament in the center. Aina, the sister of a noble family, channeled her magical energy so that the chest glowed, opening it to an underground passage.
"Come here, my lady." Aina stretched out her hand.
Before Riveria grabbed Aina's hand, there were footsteps and chuckles, laughter that contained madness and evil.
"Looks like the elf princess went with her loyal dog." He giggled incoherently until finally, the two elves could see his figure.
He was a man in a plain white mask with a pair of holes in his eyes.
"Miss Riveria, you'd better get ahead of me." Aina whispered.
"It's no use, there are already a lot of monsters waiting there. Or maybe not, but I like surprises." The man replied as he continued to walk closer.
"Why are you doing this?" Riveria asked, with anger she was trying to suppress behind her calm expression.
"I don't know, but I got orders to search. Uh, what's the name. Ah yes, the spirit that lives in the forest here. It just so happens that this place is guarded by High Elves so I have nothing else. no choice but to barge in." He said with a slight movement of his head and shrugged his shoulders.
"There are no spirits here let alone living in the sacred forest, it's impossible." Aina objected.
"For ordinary spirits maybe. But what I am chasing now is a big fish, I heard he has also been here for a long time, I don't know how long. Uh, the spirit type is Great. No, is that so."
"Grand Spirit," Riveria muttered under her breath, accompanied by her eyes wide open in surprise.
"There he is. Thank you young lady. Well, since I have to look for him, I must leave immediately."
For a moment, the two elves calmed down a bit until the person spoke again.
"But since you guys happen to be here, I guess I have the hands to smudge the blood of two virgins." He laughed, which gave off a terrifying aura around him.
"Princess!" Aina quickly stood between the princess and the masked person.
"You think you can beat me? People who can beat top-class adventurers, okay. Keep me entertained." Then that person drew a black dagger that was snaking its shape.
"Wind and death," he continued until Aina started to cast her spell.
"Too slow." With a single blink of an eye, that person was already in front of Aina, strangling her, causing the female elf to feel the pain that made her want to scream, but Aina could not because the person was suffocating.
"Princess... Run." She said slowly.
Riveria was frozen and unable to move, she wanted to cast her spell to help Aina, but it was impossible for Riveria. The girl panicked with the horror in front of her. She could no longer turn around and run, much less cast a spell. But Riveria steeled her heart; she stood firmly in front of that person.
"Heh, you didn't run. You brave girl, I applaud your prowess. I think I'll have fun with you." The man threw Aina so that the elf's body crashed into the wall, destroying the wall.
The man strode towards Riveria, who was breaking out in cold sweat as he stared at the hole in the man's empty mask.
"I'll start first." The man picked up a ceramic pot and threw it at Riveria with an inhuman speed.
Riveria barely dodged the flying object. The pot shattered, damaging it with debris blocking the escape route.
"Your reflexes are good. But we're far from over." The man jumped into the air, landing on his feet where Riveria was standing.
Produces a vibration that throws Riveria over to the other side of the greenhouse. The man did not stop there; he walked straight toward Riveria with a chuckle accompanying his steps.
Riveria then pointed her hand towards
"O spirit of the wind."
"Too long!" That person kicked the large pot beside him and shot toward Riveria; the flower pot shattered into pieces that flew in all directions. Riveria immediately dashed aside, wishing she could dodge his attack. It saved the elf girl from a large chunk of the remains of the pot, only a tiny piece of which could injure her legs and arms.
Riveria struggled to stand, with her hands starting to bleed. The girl immediately started looking for another way when she saw someone walking toward her.
"Why are you doing this to us?!" Riveria shouted while continuing to walk with a limp.
"Why. I think it's because I like it." The man walked closer to Riveria at a faster pace.
"Sto-" Riveria was blown away by the man's slap in front of her instantly. It caused Riveria to collide her head hard on the ground.
Riveria winced in pain as she tried to stand up again. "Why?"
"I told you, are you deaf or something. I think you should be disciplined." The man laughed, then appeared in front of Riveria, grabbing her hair to lift the girl into the air, slapping her so hard that her cheeks bled.
Satisfied, the man continued to slap Riveria and even hit him on the less vital parts of the body to avoid a mortal wound that could have killed the elf girl.
The excited-looking man lost his smile even more; he kept hitting and slapping Riveria until he stopped with an expressionless face.
"Why don't you cry, why don't you give up. Why?! Are you broken?"
"I won't give up... I'll be like this as long as I'm still breathing," Riveria said breathlessly, and her head started to bleed.
"Oh, boring." The man tossed Riveria like trash. "A little girl who continues to struggle after being injured is boring."
Riveria tried again to stand up, ignoring the words that came out of the madman's mouth.
"I guess I'll just end it." The man took back his dagger, and in an instant, he raised the blade right in front of Riveria, dropping it into the Elf princess' chest.
Riveria just stood still, her eyes wide open as if she could not believe that with the reality before her, the fact that her life was at stake.
Time seemed to slow down for Riveria; the sword with no barrier continued to shoot towards her chest. The girl's gaze turned lifeless, losing all hope in her soul. she then said in her heart, a word spoken with regret.
"I'm sorry mother."
When the knife stabbed into her chest, a sparkling white light appeared between them. The light lit up the villa like a star, creating a shock energy wave that made all the attacking monsters stop. They were terrified. The figure of a beast known as a monster bound to bleed fell silent against the power that appeared in Genkai.
Not only them.
The gods of Tenkai and Genkai felt it, an eternal vibration that ran through their realm.
The spirits living in remote corners of the world awakened from their gaps, releasing their spirit auras as if they were responding to an energy call.
Then deep in the middle of nowhere, a towering black dragon figure opened its eyes from its deep sleep for hundreds of years, it raised its head to the sky, and this was the first time he felt such a strange feeling after a while. Thousand years ago.
The fear of death.
The light had disappeared at the villa, leaving two people standing with their eyes closed as the white light blinded them.
Riveria was the first to open her eyes, and that's when she was surprised. She saw a pair of golden eyes staring at her; he had a tall figure with amazon black skin, long white hair that touched the floor, and the man was wearing clothes that Riveria had never seen before. She wears clothes like a noble mage with ten gold rings on each of his fingers.
He was not a human; that is what Riveria could tell from him.
"Who the fuck are you?!" Shriek the mand with a mask behind him.
The white-haired figure turned his body towards the man who asked with a severe and piercing gaze. The wizard pointed his hand at the man, casting magic that gave him such a powerful thrust that the mage pushed the man out of the greenhouse.
"I'm late, sorry." Said the man who still had his back to Riveria. The elven princess still didn't answer or move, shocked at the man's appearance before her.
"But I'll fix it." The ring in that person's hand emitted a golden light, and with a wave of the hand towards Riveria, all the wounds the elf had sustained instantly vanished from her body.
Riveria gasped, now that all of her knowledge of magic and logic was destroyed instantly by the man's spell. "Healing magic. What's more, there's no chanting."
Riveria looked at the man in admiration, then she saw the person in front of her smiling and walking towards the fallen madman.
Riveria, who was now able to stand up following the disabled man, in the process of following him, Riveria saw Aina, who was not injured at all.
"Area healing magic. Who-" Before Riveria could continue her words, she heard a scream from outside.
"You! Who the fuck are you. You can throw me away, a level 5, and you also make my toys stop with their slaughter, how dare you!" shouted the madman with pain evident in his tone.
That unbelievable statement made Riveria quicken her pace, until in front of her, she saw that the monsters were silent or could even be said to be afraid of something. The two men were facing each other with the masked man holding his head, shaking violently.
"I just did what I had to do, protecting them was one of my obligations. I've seen enough of this, and now I'm going to end it." The man answered calmly.
"You!" The masked figure lunged at his foe, and he slashed his dagger swiftly, trying to cut through the mage.
"Watch out!" However, that scream was immediately answered by the man's attack stopping; not only his attack, but his entire body stopped in the air.
"I hope the elves can forgive you."
"What the fuck are you talking about?!"
The magician's ring shone again, creating a pillar of light that devoured the masked man's body. There were no sounds of screams of pain, only silence and painless death.
The lights went out, leaving the empty room where the madman was.
"You are no one's slaves." That person looked at the monster that was retreating in fright.
"He's talking to a monster?" Riveria muttered in disbelief, and once again, the man performed a miracle.
One of the ten rings shone again, producing an invisible vibration in the air, turning the monsters' red eyes white, their ferocity and bloodlust dissipating with a single step.
"Now go back to where you came from, it's not safe here for you." With that, the monsters left, leaving them with all the monsters attacking the city.
"Princess Riveria." Aina's dull voice sounded from behind Riveria.
"Aina, you should rest." Riveria held her maid's body slowly.
"We have to get out of here, Miss."
"But." Riveria returned her gaze to the man. Nervousness and a glimmer of admiration welled up in her heart. Riveria now witnessed someone capable of casting spells without chant, making monsters obey his will, and defeating level 5 adventurers with a single attack.
Only one figure now crossed Riveria's head, a spirit class that stood above all other spirits, the figure of a mage with boundless wisdom.
"You. Who are you?" Riveria shouted at the man.
The sky initially covered with clouds has now returned to reveal the moon, illuminating the dark place with faint light from the sky. It was there that Riveria could see the whole figure of the man's face.
Riveria is a child who generally felt her cheeks heat up and widen at the sight of her savior.
The man walked up to the princess and her maid; the way he walked was firm and dignified, indicating his status to Riveria as a majestic and benevolent person.
Even though Riveria did not know the man, she felt comfortable with his gaze and presence. Warm and loving, like a star that illuminates a new twilight.
"Greetings, I am spirit named Grand Caster. You can call me Caster."
They faced each other with locked eyes, a bright smile forming on Solomon's face, a smile that made Riveria fall silent.
And this time, the girl was sure that now that she was saved, the spirit had committed her race. Not a mere spirit, he was the Grand Caster.
"Riveria. Riveria Ljos Alf." Said Riveria, still clouded with wonder.
Caster's smile grew softer and broader, shining like seeing his long-lost friend.
It is there that legends of spirits and elven princesses meet, the meeting place for their new adventures that await in the future.
Thanks for reading.
Next update: A Will of Protect (FSN X Highschool DxD)
Last Edited : 04-06-2022