Healers are busy attending to the wounded. Blood is splattered all over Raftel, disrupting the fragrant smell used to surround the place. There's nothing but blood and death.

Rouge looked around, there's nothing but pain and cries surrounding this place. It feels like it's ripping her heart apart. Her eyes turned sadder the moment her eyes landed on the High Queen of Vaelon - lifeless, surrounded by screams from her mate as well as her son.

Days pass by, Raftel's atmosphere is getting heavier. All of them are grieving, angry, and tired. Rouge spends her time helping others as much as she can.

"Zoro?" She called out to the green-haired High Prince. It hasn't been a week since his mother passed away. What she received from him is a curt nod before his eyes stared at nothing in particular.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"It's not your fault. You don't have to be sorry." Zoro's usually quiet but his silence today is different. It's understandable why. He just lost a loved one and if that's not enough, he has to witness how his father's suffering.

Rouge wants to say that it will be alright, but she's not even sure if it will. If it does, when? She opened her mouth to say something again but heard the shouts of their people.

They can sense presence coming from the direction where the Human Realm is.

"To your positions!" The Warrior Commanders are quick to take commands. Raftelians have no choice but to fight back despite being outnumbered. Where they lack in quantity, they make it up for quality, however, their enemies have trump cards of their own.

Sakazuki's magical prowess far surpasses what they expected. He melted everything to the ground, killing indiscriminately, even killing Daerenians. Teach's devouring everyone near him.

With just the two of them, they managed to kill several Raftelians. Humans, on the other hand, killed those who were injured, taking advantage of a split-second distraction.

This is no longer a war. This is a bloodbath. A slaughter.

She could no longer take any of this. She must act now.

"Rouge..." A familiar voice called out to her. It is her mother. "You need to come and see this." She dragged her towards the small crowd of people, ignoring her protests that she must be in the frontline. When her mother stopped, her eyes landed on the small crowd. Just like everyone else, all of them are weary due to the attack a few days ago. "Their magic has been poisoned."

"What? How is that possible?" Rouge's eyes landed on the Daerenian's neck and she sees it, black veins surrounding her neck, down to the creature's shoulder. "Mother, this is - " She swallowed her words when she saw the same black veins on her mother's skin. Unlike others, this is worse because the black veins are surrounding the edges of her eyes.

"It appears that the only ones affected are creatures from the Three Magical Kingdoms. I didn't see it from the Beasts."

Rouge's mind cannot think of any spell that could have affected powerful creatures such as her mother. Not only her mother but several of her people are exhibiting the same behavior.

With a simple will, she asked Alamir to show himself. 'What is that spell? How do we cure it?' She spoke to him mentally. None can see Alamir who is standing next to Rouge, looking at her people.

Alamir's eyes turned sad. 'Do you remember the day the third seer of Raftel spoke to you?'

Yes, Rouge can still remember that day.

'No. If we leave now - ' She stopped her words as soon as she heard screams from her people. Several of them are screaming in pain while the veins are crawling all over their body - as if a poison spreading and killing them inside.

Their screams were swallowed by the shouts of the rally coming from the beasts to prepare for incoming attacks. Not only must they fight with an army three times their number, but they also have to fight with several of their kind who chose to side with Sakazuki and Teach.

'If you hesitate now, all of your people will die. Only a few of you are not affected.'

"Rauscher..." Rouge stopped her conversation with Alamir to look at her father. He never calls her this name, not with the tone he used just now. "Come with me." He commands and she followed him along with her mother.

"Father..."

"Listen... You must follow the third seer's words." Rouge is beyond shocked upon hearing what her father just said. "She told us. She showed us what the future will look like if you don't follow it." Just like her mother, her father's eyes are filled with black veins. It was all over his body.

"Leave now? How can you ask that of me? Teach and Sakazuki are not yet done in attacking Raftel! Anytime now and they will come back to destroy it!" She exclaimed.

"If you stay here with us to win this war, then be prepared for all people of the Three Magical Kingdoms to die as soon as the war is over." Rouge's mother spoke. "You must take our people to the Valley of Xavaria. I know that you know how to open that world."

"All of Raftel's High Kings and High Queens are aware of the prophecy. We've known about it a long time ago and we all agreed to follow it should we deem it necessary."

"Aside from us, no one else knows about it. And that must stay the way it is until it is time for our people to come back." Tears won't stop falling from her eyes while looking at her parents. They're sending her away because of a prophecy that they do not know if it will happen. They're sending her away to the safety of the Valley while they remain here, fighting for their lives.

"My dear daughter, you must go now. Alamir will show you the way."

"What? How do you - " When Rouge looked at her parents, she can see that none of them is lying. They knew about Alamir's existence.

"Use this spellbook." Her father gave her a booklet and upon looking at the small object, she saw ancient writing of Raftel on the cover. "I've placed the marks on our people who you will bring with you. You can summon them as soon as you open that portal."

She can only clench the small book in her hands, shivering in pain at the sudden turn of events. "And you're not one of them, are you?" When her parents smiled at her, she knows what the answer is. "I don't understand why all of these must happen! Why?!"

No matter how much she screams for an answer, she knows that none of them has it.

"If you hesitate now, everyone will die eventually."

"What about Raftel?"

"We will be fine." Her mother assured. No assurance will take the pain in Rouge's heart. It's not in her nature to run away and her parents know. "There's no time. Teach is devouring everyone's magic."

She can only sob in despair, but she still nodded. There's no choice.

"Rouge..." Her father called out before she left towards the temple of Sacred Midnight. "We love you..." One last time, she ran towards her parents to hug them before doing what she must do.

"I wish we could live longer to see our grandchildren." The High King muttered to his mate before deciding to face a battle against the traitors of Raftel.

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

Rouge found herself alone in front of the Temple of Sacred Midnight. There are six stones in the middle with each of the Kingdom's insignia engraved on it.

'You are not running away, Your Highness.' Alamir said when he saw Rouge staring at the book in her hands. Hesitation evident in her eyes, probably asking herself if she is doing the right thing. 'You are healing your people in the Valley and to wait for them.'

"Them? I do not even know who you are talking about." There's a tone of spite in her voice. Yes, she is spiteful. How can she not? Her people are dying and all she will do is to run away from the war. How many dragons have been slaughtered? How many creatures have their blood spilled on the ground? She cannot count them.

'You will know them, soon. The evils are rising and Raftel must be prepared to counter them. This is just the beginning.'

Rouge may not want to admit it, but she can feel it too.

With a sigh, she stepped in the middle of the stones, casting a spell from the book. The temple shook with every word she utters. No, not just the temple, but the entirety of Raftel is shaking. It took everyone by surprise. All of the people on the battlefield looked around in hopes of finding the source of the shaking ground, but they found none.

What they found is a golden and silver speck of dust surrounding everyone and to everyone's surprise, the specks turned into a storm, engulfing almost all of the creatures.

No one can see what is happening around them. All they see are clouds of dust.

Teach tried to use his powers to consume the glowing dust surrounding him but he found that he cannot. Whoever is casting this spell must be a powerful being.

Rouge's eyes are still closed, concentrating on completing the spell.

'I will not leave without a fight.' She mentally told herself as soon as she finished the mantra and found herself along with her people in an unknown magical place.

All of them are shocked to see themselves summoned to a different place. All eyes are on Rouge, questions lingering there that has yet to be answered. She will answer them, she has no choice. But first, she must send their enemies away from Raftel.

The cloud of dust still lingers in Raftel. Muttering another Mantra, she sent the golden dust towards the humans, summoning them out of Raftel. Because of their number, Rouge cannot summon all of them out, but lowering the number of people on the battlefield should give Raftelians a chance for a counterattack. The silver dust was sent towards Teach and Sakazuki. Rouge knows that this will not be enough to defeat them, but it will at least lend the Raftelians time.

Seeing the scene unfold before their eyes, the Beasts almost rejoiced upon seeing half of the Humans' numbers are gone. They do not know what happened, but it will be used at their advantage.

However, their joys instantly disappeared as soon as they realized that none of the Otherworldly from the Three Magical Kingdoms are around. Only a number of them.

The High Kings and High Queens all knew what was going on but they remained silent. All of them agreed never to tell anyone about the prophecy, not even their offsprings.

Using the confusion from their enemies, the High Kings and High Queens issued orders to their people to launch a counterattack.

It was another bloodbath against Humans, Halfborns, and their kind. Teach found himself surrounded by the High King of Beogia and Ipraecia along with their High Queens.

Sakazuki, on the other hand, is surrounded by the High King of Vaelon and Whitebeard. Soon, another two joined - the Rareborn Princess' parents.

Sakazuki is not worried about the three Royalties. Vaelon's High King was weakened after he lost his mate and the other two have magic poisons ruining their veins at this moment. What he's worried about Whitebeard. He's one of the most formidable warriors of Raftel, his powers are only second to that of a High King.

With their numbers reduced to half, they stand no chance in winning this war, Sakazuki is aware of this.

"Curse your daughter!" He shouted at the High King and High Queen of Huidel and Verid. "I should have killed her what I had the chance."

"You won't be killing her Sakazuki. She's in a place you will never set foot to."

"Hmph! That may be the case for now, but not forever. I know she opened the portal to the Valley of Xavaria. She won't be able to hide forever in that place!" Sakazuki sent a fist of lava towards his opponents but was countered by Whitebeard's bisento.

With Whitebeard leading the charge, the other Royalties also followed suit, launching their attacks against Sakazuki. The High King of Vaelon's eyes turned murderous at the sight of the person who killed his mate. If he will die, he will make sure to take this man along with him.

Their battle was intense. Sakazuki is struggling against the Four of them, but he's not going to run away without killing at least the two of them. With that in mind, he sent a spell towards Rauscher's parents that rendered them unable to move. This was his chance to send another attack that inevitably claimed their lives.

"SAKAZUKI!" Whitebeard shouted, sending another powerful attack using his bisento. Along with him, the High King of Vaelon transformed into his demi-human form, claws ready to rip him apart.

Sakazuki is at a disadvantage, however, it does not mean that he will let himself be killed.

In the last second, he chose not to defend himself against Whitebeard's attack, receiving it head-on in favor of launching his fist towards the approaching High King of Vaelon.

Everything happened so fast. Sakazuki's right shoulder was almost ripped apart by Whitebeard's attack while his left hand formed into a lava fist, wounding the High King of Vaelon's stomach.

"AAAHHH!" It was a scream from the Dragon King, taking the attack head-on.

"NO!" Whitebeard shouted but it was too late. Sakazuki's fist pierced through the High King's stomach. He expected that he will die by then, but no. The High King's claws delivered a wound equal to what he received before opening his mouth to spit fire directly to Sakazuki.

"FATHER!" Zoro's voice resonated on the battlefield as soon as he saw his father's state. Before he could do anything to save his father, Sakazuki's fist slammed his father to the ground, worsening the wound he received.

Whitebeard raised his bisento to claim Sakazuki's life but the latter dodged it - barely.

"Teach! FALL BACK!" Sakazuki shouted.

Teach was busy fighting with four Royalties. He is injured like Sakazuki, blood flowing freely from the wounds inflicted by his opponents who are terribly wounded.

"I guess we have no choice." He grinned at the Royalties of Raftel before releasing his power, engulfing his Black Army with his dark magic.

"Traitors!" Zoro shouted, running after them, but Whitebeard grabbed his arm, refusing to let him go.

"ZEHAHAHA!" He laughed loudly and before he disappeared, he sent attacks towards his previous opponents, catching them off guard.

Even though he and Black Army are disappearing into the black hole, Humans are still fighting against the Raftelians.

Many of them took the chances to kill those who are injured. An army general sneaked past the creatures he past by in favor of waving his swords against the nearest Royalty to him. It was the High King and High Queen of Beogia.

With Teach's last attack, the felt their energy being sucked as well as their wounds refusing to heal. They are in no condition to remain standing and at this time, they failed to notice the swords directed at them.

"NOO!" This shout came from the High Prince of Beogia who witnessed the scene unfolding before his eyes.

Along with his shout came a loud battle cry from the humans to attack all Otherworldly in sight. Kidd's shout was swallowed by the battle cry and that's when it happened - the swords pierced through his parents' bodies.

It all happened in an instant that his body refuses to move due to the shock. But as soon as he could, he dashed forward and instantly claimed the man's life. He does not have time to wallow in sadness as more humans approached him, pointing their weapons against him.

Not just at him, but all Royalties of Raftel are being targeted. The humans want them dead. No matter how many humans they beat, more of them are coming against them, desperate to claim their lives.

"Brace yourselves!" Came the shout of Raftelians, preparing for the Humans' attacks. Everything is in a mess, every second passes means countless deaths.

Whitebeard was quick to launch attacks against the Humans, sending several of them flying as soon as they walked into his range. His powerful attack served as the Raftelians' anchor in this battle, serving as the signal to continue fighting.

And fight they did.

Despite the weariness and injuries, all of them continued fighting. This continued for hours before the Humans deemed the battle to be a lost cause. They cannot win against them. What they are doing will just send them and their remaining men to their deaths.

"RETREAT!" Humans signaled a retreat. It wasn't long before the signal echoed that the Humans started to back away.

"Kill them!" Kidd shouted at his people. His anger is driving him into madness. These humans dared to harm his parents!

Most of beasts listened to Kidd's command. They deemed it necessary to kill these Humans who sided with the traitors. While most of the humans are retreating, there are still several that are stuck in the middle of the battlefield. This is when the beasts slaughtered them.

Whitebeard can see the cycle going. The beasts will chase the retreating army of humans and in return, the humans may do the same thing should their leaders decide to turn back and finish the war.

"STOP!" He shouted at every Raftelians, voice resonating.

"Why must we stop?! We have to kill them - "

"Look around you, Your Highness! Is that supposed to be your priority now?" This woke Kidd up. His eyes surveyed the battlefield, almost devoid of Humans. What's left is the dead bodies of their people along with the bodies of the Humans that have been killed during the clashes.

And right beside him are his parents - breathing heavily.

"Kidd, l-listen, my son..." His father's voice is shaking, weak hands reaching out to the High Prince. "L-Lead our people well. W-We won't be w-with you any longer. L-Lead them well."

"No! NO!" Kidd kneeled in front of his father, holding his blood-stained hand.

"D-Don't let hatred consume y-you..." His mother whispered to him before she closed her eyes.

"We're going ahead, son. We've d-done what we must d-do..." And that was the last thing he said before the High King followed the High Queen into the land of the dead.

Kidd's screams echoed in Raftel. Not just his, but as well as Zoro's and Marco's. All High Kings and High Queens are dead.

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

"I know you all have questions why I summoned you in this place. But please... J-Just..." Rouge's voice broke while tears are falling from her eyes. The battle is over and the aftermath is what's breaking her heart right now. "Just let me be..."

She ran away to be alone. The place is beautiful, full of remnants of the history that Xavaria left for the Otherworldly of Three Magical Kingdoms. There are more things they can explore but Rouge cannot find it in herself to think of other things. Her heart is still grieving at the loss of her parents, deaths of her people as well as the deaths of the other High Kings and High Queens.

It was too much to take.

No one can understand how much pain she is going through right now. The feeling of uselessness is creeping into her mind as she cries herself into stupor.

When she opened the portal, she saw the glimpse of the whole prophecy, of the reason why she must do what she did today. She did not see all the details but what she saw was another war, bigger than it is. Even though these actions of hers make sense, it does not mean she likes it - no, she will never do. This pain will forever be etched in her memories until her dying breathe.

It took Rouge two weeks in isolation before she finally earned the courage to talk to her people who are in the Valley of Xavaria. She is glad to see that the black veins on their bodies are slowly decreasing. The dense magic surrounding this place is healing everyone here.

As soon as they saw her, they immediately bowed in respect.

"You do not have to do that. We are no longer in Raftel." She said. "Apologies for taking so long but if there's anything you'd like to ask me, I will answer them."

"Alamir told us everything we need to know, Your Highness." One of them spoke. His voice almost made Rouge cry. It's soft, as if he understands the situation. Not just her, but everyone here is looking at Rouge, smiling reassuringly.

"The war is not over. We will go back to Raftel when the right time comes." Rouge said with determination.

'The prophecy does not only involve Daerenians.' Alamir spoke, standing beside Rouge. 'You must wonder why they can see me here.'

"Yes. The last time I check, you cannot show yourself to others." Alamir only smiled at Rouge.

'The Valley of Xavaria is a spirit world, Your Highness. I do not know how Princess Xavaria did it, but she turned this into a dimension. That is why no one can find it.'

"That makes sense." She said. "You said that the prophecy does not only involve Daerenians. What do you mean?"

'Look here...' Alamir pointed at the altars. 'I told you they will come... I am referring to the these.'

Rouge cannot believe what she's seeing. At first, she was confused what Alamir was talking about but the more she thinks about it, the more she everything makes sense.

"When will they come?"

'That is a question I cannot answer, Your Highness. Time will only tell.'

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

Months passed by since the war errupted. Raftel is still recovering from the loss of the Three Magical Kingdoms as well as all High Kings and High Queens.

In the months that passed by, many Humans dared to launch attacks against them, but the remaining Raftelians strengthened their barriers, preventing Humans from advancing further.

Months turned to years and Raftel started to spread their barriers further. The once rejuvenated forest turned dark along with the bloodbath caused by the war. The battlefield where many lives were lost has now turned into the Dark Forest, serving as a reminder to all Raftelians of the loss and pain.

Their hatred against the Humans is extended towards the creatures who carry Humans' blood in their veins - Halfborns. It was the same with the Humans. They enslaved countless Halfborns, killing them as an entertainment. This went on for years until Halfborns became extinct.

The attacks from humans became lesser in years passing by. Decades passed, the stories of the war turned into nothing but legends, often being used by old folks to scare children during bedtime stories. From legends, it became myths before it became a fictional story derived from the books of the past.

Raftel's peace returned along with the changes. Whitebeard became a Peacekeeper of Raftel, being granted with a seat of power only second to that of the High Princes.

The peace was soon disrupted when they heard of a Kingdom claiming the area around the Dark Forest. Raftelians are wary that another war will come, but to their surprise, there was none.

The name of the Kingdom is Cresta.

"Your Higness, where are you going?" One of the servants of the palace asked the Prince.

"To the Dark Forest." He grins at him before running away, ignoring the pleas of the man. His smile is as bright as the sun, a carefree person living the most out of his life while the servants as well as his parents are sighing at the antics the crowned prince are doing every single day.

It's been 50 years since Cresta was built. They slowly rose to prominence out of nowhere, surprising the neighboring Kingdoms. Many tried to attack the Kingdom, but no one had lived the tell the tale. The tales of their battle prowess are spread across the Kingdoms.

The King is a magnanimous man, loved by his people and so as his family. Their only son, the current crowned prince is a carefree individual, dreaming of adventure everyday.

Despite the strict rules of not allowing explorations to the Dark Forest, the crowned prince never listened. He always finds himself venturing deeper into the woods, amazed by the place.

Anyone will be afraid of adventuring in the Dark Forest, but not him. Where there is adventure is where his heart is. Beside, there is something in this Dark Forest that is calling out to him.

As if he is being led here by fate.

Everyday he wonders why he is feeling this way, but the more he explores the place, the more that he feels that it makes sense.

Most of the time, he is being surrounded by wild bears, other times, there is a pack of lions. At one point during his adventures, he has to fight against a pack of wolves and has to go home bruised. The injuries never stopped him from venturing further.

The Dark Forest was his playground since he was a child. And right now that he is into adulthood, the more he feels the need to go deeper.

It is not just the adventure that he seeks when he comes here, this place is also his solace away from the responsibilities of being the Crowned Prince of Cresta.

Being the only heir to the throne, he does not have a choice but to inherit the throne. He doesn't hate it, but it does not mean he loves it. Yes, he loves his people but he wants to explore the world, be free. No matter how much he desires it, he cannot. For his responsibilities must come first.

And one of those responsibilities is marriage. It is his responsibility to get married and produce heirs to the throne.

Many kingdoms desired to be Queen of Cresta. After all, the Crowned Prince is a very famous figure on the battlefield. He led their small army against their enemies and came out victorious in the end. Countless battles and he remains undefeated. This is no easy feat.

Twenty-Eight is past marrying age for Royalties but the Crowned Prince remained unmarried, refusing marriage proposals from different kingdoms. He does not have the desire to be married to any of those nobles. What he feels is nothing but a sense of dread if he ever marries them. It will doom him and the other.

There is no point. Hence, here he is, finding himself alone in the Dark Forest.

Russles around him made him open his eyes. He willed himself to stand, hand at his sword while waiting for anything that will come at his way. The animals in the Dark Forest knew who he is and they stayed clear off his path.

Another rustle resonated, this time from his back. With a lightning speed, he drew his sword and pointed it at the figure from his back.

He is surprised to see a person wearing a cloak, covering his entire body. His sword's only inches away from the person's head.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" He asks.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?" He was surprised to hear the voice and more so when the figure removed the cloth and reveals the most beautiful woman he has ever seen in his life.

As soon as they eyes met, the Crown Prince's heart quickened, feeling excited. The excitement is unlike anything he felt before. Not even his battles in their wars can compare to what he is feeling right now.

She is a goddess sent by the gods above - this is how he felts. Her eyes are so bright, so full of life that he wishes he can stare at forever.

Both remained silent as if they are satisfied with staring at each other. That moment immediately dispersed as the Crown Prince heart shouts from the Palace's servants, looking for him.

"Your people are here. You must go now." The woman said before covering her face again, leaving him.

"Wait!" Before she could get away, he was quick to grab her arm and the simple touch sent shivers to the Crown Prince's body. It was surreal. "What is your name?" He asks, almost pleaded.

"Shouldn't you tell me your name first?" Her smile is bright that it reinvigorated the Crown Prince's life.

"Oh, apologies for the rudeness. My name is Roger. Will you give me the honor of telling me yours?" His hand is still grabbing her arm, preventing her from leaving.

"My name is Rouge."

"Will I meet you here again?"

Rouge smiled before answering. "Maybe..." Then she left.

Roger feels like he is walking in a dreamland. It's a feeling he cannot explain. It's a mixture of happiness, excitement... And he cannot wait to meet her again...

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

AN: Here's my update... Damn, I've been busy since Monday. So many meetings and ughhh... It was kind of hell because I usually write stories during my free time at work, but did not manage to do so.
Thanks for all the comments yall! Really, you are making me so happy that you love it. I know how my writing is not the best out there, and I'm glad you love it still. Makes me wanna cry, lol.

Anyways... I decided to create a Haikyuu SocMed au! I figured it would be easier to do it rather than writing a story. I'm busy writing two long ass stories as it is. I don't have time for another one or else I would have to delay updates.

Here's my Twitter: Alexandra17meg