p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon stared silently at the woman he knew to be in the position of a queen. While his ears had registered the words coming out of her mouth, his brain vehemently rejected them. Stella's fingers, which had been gripping his arm, had loosened, likely frozen in shock and fear. Aisha, looking around, was bizarrely on the lookout for a hidden camera because no matter the era, she absolutely refused to accept that this could be considered normal in any universe or period. She would rather sacrifice herself than leave her friend alone with these brutes! As she searched for Stella with her eyes, Nabu took her hand and pulled her close, warning her without moving his mouth much. "Don't cause a scene, we're not leaving Stella here."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Your Majesty," A strange giggle was heard as the Queen waited with interest for Stella to speak. The dancer girls were looking at Stella with admiration, and hearing her speak excited them even more. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"What was this?/span As her heartbeat quickened, Stella took a step forward and tried to control her anger as she spoke, "I'm Stella, Princess of Solaria. I do not intend to disrespect you, but staying here is absolutely out of the question. I have a duty and a school waiting for me. I promise to send you any fabrics and jewelry you desire from Solaria once our mission is complete." Amentia frowned, scrutinizing the young girl./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Did you not consider this risk when you came here, blondie? In my kingdom, everyone knows how blonde beings are treated. Are you expecting me to believe that you came here without knowing this?" Stella tried to push aside the sense of betrayal she felt and focus on the situation at hand. Why hadn't anyone told her about this? She didn't expect the specialists to warn her, she knew them well enough to know they wouldn't give away even their sins to fairies, but what about Faragonda? Griselda? As Stella began to step back, she met Brandon's eyes and, for the first time in her life, looked at him as if asking for help. Brandon closed his eyes and cracked his neck, trying to calm himself and not act rashly. The stupid queen's sole aim was for her species to also consist of blonde DNA. But she couldn't understand that such a gene was impossible because she had no logic. Even thinking about the reason for wanting to keep Stella here was driving Brandon into a fit of rage, but he resisted and tried not to make things worse./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I didn't know, Your Majesty." Stella kept her voice at a moderate volume, trying not to show how much she was affected. Thankfully, only her hands were trembling and it didn't reflect in her voice. Brandon, on the other hand, didn't know how much longer he could hold himself back. The most baffling part was how surprised he was by his own anger and frustration, making him lose control. But instead of questioning why he felt what he did, he focused on keeping Stella safe right now. Ignoring the shocking realization of this truth was difficult enough, but recalling Stella's helpless and fearful gaze made him throw caution to the wind and step forward./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Your Majesty," Amentia grinned as she curiously eyed the handsome commander before her. "Stella is my fiancée. If the situation were not serious, I assure you we would not have come here without bringing you gifts." As Amentia began to walk towards them with a grunt, Stella felt her nerves stretch to the breaking point and, unable to contain her anger, let the light radiate from her eyes. Amentia screamed with excitement in response, while Stella clenched her teeth. She couldn't control it; her anger and helplessness were struggling to break free. Aisha pushed Nabu aside and came to Stella's side, holding her hands. "Stop, Stella, stop."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to explain to her friend that she was trying to hold back, but the moment she opened her mouth, she felt she might let out a scream. So instead of speaking, she clenched her teeth and tried to calm herself by focusing on Aisha's hands./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""This is an outright attack! Throw them in the dungeons! They've come to kill me, how dare you bring them before me without question?!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aisha turned in shock, trying to push away the hands that grabbed her while Nabu and Brandon had already taken down the guards heading towards them and were now targeting the creatures approaching the girls. Brandon kicked away a guard trying to chain Stella and wrapped the chain around the creature's neck, breaking it with a swift motion. As Stella clenched her fists, trying to suppress her light, the tears falling from her eyes revealed her fear. Brandon shielded Stella behind him, mercilessly taking down the creatures touching his sword, while Aisha reached her friend and wrapped her arms around her. The panic moment known as fairy shock was not unfamiliar to the girls; the worst part was it always occurred at the most inopportune times. And Aisha knew Stella was just scared./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Tell her to stop!" Nabu yelled as he fought with all his might, another creature collapsing at his feet, trying to stem the blood gushing from its severed throat. Brandon wasn't struggling as much as Nabu. The only challenge was seeing Stella's trembling attempt to suppress her light, and although he couldn't understand why she was struggling so much, Nabu's pressure on Stella irritated him. "She can't control it, you idiot, focus on the corpses in front of you!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aisha echoed Brandon's sentiment with anger, "She's scared!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Nabu and Brandon simultaneously stopped and looked at Aisha, while Brandon's gaze shifted to the trembling, tear-streaked Stella. Dropping his sword, he walked towards her, his heart pounding, though it had nothing to do with fear or panic. Pushing Aisha aside and wrapping Stella in his arms, the water fairy was about to say something but held back as she noticed Stella calming down. Brandon's embrace provided Stella with the warmth and security she needed to calm down. As the tears stopped and her body ceased glowing, they were oblivious to the numerous creatures surrounding them, ready to take them. As Brandon held Stella tighter, the sense of rightness and comfort from the closeness scared him rather than discomforting him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Capture them!" Amentia's command rang out, and suddenly, Stella was torn from Brandon's arms. He snarled and advanced towards them, but his arms were also barely restrained by five creatures. The last thing he saw before a heavy blow to his head were Stella's worried eyes looking at him./p
hr style="margin: 0.875em auto 1.2525em; border-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; width: 359.234px; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; font-size: 15.12px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Wake up already, man!" Nabu's urgent shaking finally roused Brandon, easing the serious concern that had been growing inside him. "About time, damn it. You scared the crap out of me."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon frowned and, despite his pounding headache, immediately got to his feet. "Yeah, stand up fast and then make sure you fall right back down hard." Ignoring Nabu's sarcastic remark, Brandon quickly scanned his surroundings. His vision was blurry, and his ears were ringing with strange noises. Closing his eyes, he reached for one of the emergency pills at his waist, popped it into his mouth, and swallowed. Nabu had already done the same, and it was the only reason he was still alert. After a few minutes of leaning silently against the wall, Brandon decided he was steady enough, opened his eyes, and looked at Nabu and their surroundings. They were in a dark dungeon, lit only by candlelight. The girls were not with them. Cursing, Brandon closed his eyes./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Where are they?" Nabu shook his head and stood up, joining his friend. "Aisha is in the cell next to us, but they took Stella somewhere else. I don't know where."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He cursed in a voice that was almost like a roar and slammed his fist hard into the dungeon wall, leaning his forehead against it as he began to catch his breath, then angrily ran his hands through his hair, looking around, breathless. The image of Stella's trembling body in his arms flashed in his mind, making him want to rip the iron bars apart and, if necessary, cut through everyone to find her. Nabu grabbed Brandon's shoulders, glaring at him, "Calm down. We need to get out of here immediately. The others haven't approached the kingdom yet, and even if they did, they wouldn't be able to get inside. Waiting for them is pointless." Nodding, Brandon shrugged off Nabu's hands and approached the iron bars to examine them. They had been trained for situations like this, but they had nothing on them now—not a cutting tool nor anything to generate heat to help loosen the bars. "Brandon." Brandon nodded, indicating he was listening, but instead of looking at Nabu, he continued examining the bars. Neither he nor Nabu was thin enough to slip through them. Brandon, being bigger and more muscular than Nabu, dismissed the idea entirely and started checking if the bars could be loosened./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Are you calm?" Nabu asked./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon finished his inspection and slowly turned to Nabu, his face as hard and expressionless as stone. "What is it?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Nabu swallowed. A voice inside him said this didn't need to be mentioned right now, but it also said they needed Brandon's anger somehow. "Speak, Nabu. What is it?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Stella..." Nabu shook his head and swallowed again, while Brandon, already feeling his blood boil, stepped closer, fixing him with a stare. "Speak!" Nabu exhaled deeply, shaking his head. "I think Amentia took Stella for her husband. I'm not sure; I just heard something."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"For a moment, Brandon just stared at Nabu. What his friend said didn't fully register, but it began to kindle a growing unease. That stupid queen wanted Stella to be with her husband just so their children would be blonde and fair-skinned or at least carry some of that DNA. As he was about to punch the wall again, a faint, fragile voice interrupted his thoughts./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Stella? Where are you, Stella?!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Nabu passed by Brandon and tried to see Aisha through the bars. The obvious relief on his face was fortunately missed by Aisha. "Aisha?" He called out. The young girl jumped, trying to locate the source of the voice while tears streamed down her face. "Is Stella with you? Is she sleeping? Please, say yes!" Nabu, once again bearing the curse of delivering bad news, closed his eyes, feeling the fleeting relief vanish. "She's not with us."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Damn it." Aisha's knees buckled as she collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Normally the wildest and coldest fairy of the group, Aisha knew well the impression she made on people, even if her friends didn't think so. But when it came to her friends, the little girl inside her awoke, and all her fears took over her body. Stella knew Nabu and Aisha from their childhoods. Even though both knew each other well, neither Nabu nor Aisha ever mentioned it. Stella was the only one who shared this information. Now, besides Brandon, Aisha wasn't the only one struggling to breathe. Nabu was also tormented by the thought of the harm that could come to his childhood friend, feeling he might lose his mind, yet his hands were tied and he couldn't do anything to help./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aisha's sobs echoed through the dungeon, while Nabu tried to calm her and Brandon worked on separating the iron bars. Nabu glanced at his friend, realizing the heavy burden of being the only one with a clear head, then closed his eyes and sank to the floor, leaning his head against the wall. No matter what, regardless of how he treated Stella or what he said, Brandon always wanted to make sure she was safe and well. To Brandon, knowing she was safe and pulling her down from her high perch was more appealing. But he had never made a move. Every time, his focus was on ensuring she was okay. Taking a step back, he looked at the bars he had managed to pry apart slightly. Nabu got up and joined him, looking at the bars in astonishment./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon might not have understood much of what was happening inside him, but he knew he wanted to reach Stella in time and make anyone who dared touch her pay. Nabu, trying to help this time, pulled with all his might alongside Brandon, but just then, the guards' light appeared. Nabu and Brandon moved away from the widened bars and crouched down./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""The morons are awake."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Nabu bit his tongue, suppressing the curse that came to his tongue. Instead, he hoped Aisha would fake-sleep to keep anyone from bothering her. "I hope your queen realizes she won't get away with this. We are not just anyone. How can you keep us here when there's a threat right outside your door?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Shut up, wizard," the guard snarled, leaning down and grinning at Nabu. "Your turn will come."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aisha sprang to her feet and shouted at them so loudly it hurt her throat. "If anything happens to Stella, not even your queen, no power in this universe will save you! Do you hear me?!" The creatures exchanged glances for a few seconds before bursting into laughter and mocking Aisha. Nabu silently cursed Aisha for speaking up while Brandon sat beside him as if nothing was wrong—silent and dangerously calm./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""After your friend is a feast for our king, she will be brought to all our tables, but don't worry, you can join if you want," one of the creatures jeered. Brandon stood up slowly and approached the bars they had managed to widen slightly. Nabu looked at him in panic, fearing that the bars were not yet wide enough for an escape. As Nabu also stood up, Brandon whistled to draw the attention of the two creatures. They glared at him, while Aisha, unaware of what was happening in the adjacent cell, spoke again. The creatures started moving toward Brandon./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Please don't hurt her," Aisha's voice trembled, and Nabu felt a pang of sorrow. But right now, he felt that the real problem was Brandon. Focusing on him, he braced himself. "Shut up." The creature who spoke turned to Aisha with a disgusting grin. "Hurt isn't the right word. Pleasure is."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon reached through the slightly widened bars and grabbed the speaking creature by the horn, yanking its head through the bars so that only its head was inside the cell. He pulled and squeezed one horn with all his might, breaking it, causing the creature to roar in pain. Unbothered, Brandon moved to the other horn while the creature's companion aimed to strike Brandon, but Aisha used her Morfix to pin him to the wall. "Shut up, or I'll place this horn inside you as an extra bone."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The creature, struggling between breathing and the searing pain, fell silent. Nabu reached for the creature's belt and managed to retrieve the keys. "Open the door."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The wizard quickly followed Brandon's command. As soon as the door was opened, he hurried to Aisha's cell, checking her over to ensure she was unharmed before unlocking her door and pulling her into a tight hug. "Are you okay?" Aisha, unable to stop her cheeks from reddening, nodded and slowly distanced herself from Nabu. She approached the pinned creature and, with as much calm as she could muster, began questioning him about Stella's whereabouts. Nabu, meanwhile, moved toward the creature Brandon was holding. Just as he got close, Brandon made a swift move, breaking the creature's neck and causing it to slump at his feet. The pinned creature stared in shock and fear at its fallen comrade, while Brandon not so gently pushed Aisha aside and faced the creature./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Where is she?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"His tone was furious, but the creature smirked, realizing Brandon needed something from him. "You'll need to be more specific." Brandon swiftly punched the creature in the face and grabbed its chin, forcing it to look directly at him. "Where is she?" Blood began to trickle from the creature's mouth, and Aisha felt her stomach churn at the sight. Oddly, neither Nabu nor Brandon seemed disturbed. The creature glared at Brandon, but as Brandon began to lose patience, he pulled the creature from the wall and pinned it under his knee, pressing his knee into its stomach to cut off its breath. Holding the creature by the nape, he tapped its carotid artery with his finger twice. "I can search this entire castle, no problem. Spilling blood has never been an issue for me. But unless you have something more valuable than your life, you'd better give me a reason not to burst the artery under my finger."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aisha watched Brandon in shock. She couldn't believe her eyes or ears. Brandon had always made Stella's life a living hell, treating her worse than anyone else. Despite knowing that the specialists respected him and that they would treat the fairies better if he commanded them to, Brandon never bothered. Instead, he acted in ways that fueled their hatred. Aisha's hatred for them wasn't unfounded, and the remaining fairies either behaved neutrally or with pure loathing. The person standing before her now was a leader, a commander of the specialists, who had never lifted a finger for anyone else. Sometimes Aisha wondered if Brandon fought just to relieve his stress./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Although she didn't know the reason, she had never been able to understand his attitude towards Stella. Sometimes she thought that he valued her, but then he would say or do something that someone who didn't feel pure hatred could never do, and he would draw a line through the value in his mind. As for Stella, she was a complete mess in this regard, Aisha knew. Stella valued this man. But Stella's character valued respect more than feelings. And Brandon was definitely a disrespectful person. Now, however, it was Brandon who was much more furious and out of control over Stella's situation than Aisha. He had already killed one creature and was sparing the other only because of his own interest./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""They are preparing her. In the room, they need to prepare before presenting her to the king."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aisha felt her stomach turn. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Presenting?/span He was talking as if discussing an object, and although this was a situation that happened quite often to a woman, it still drove Aisha crazy. Was it because they were women, or if Sky came here, would he receive the same treatment just because he was blonde? Aisha looked back at Brandon, trying to figure out what to do, when Brandon approached the creature closely and asked in a clear voice, "Where is the room?" and upon receiving the answer, he pressed his finger with all his might into the creature's vein and finally snapped its neck completely. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"His signature move/span, thought Aisha. Brandon always aimed for the head./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon stood up and looked at the two pairs of eyes staring at him in shock. Without feeling the need to give them an explanation or an order, he took the weapons from the creatures, using them as a way to overcome the obstacles in front of him until he found his own sword. Aisha and Nabu, thinking to follow him, ran after him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Brandon," Aisha's call was not enough to stop Brandon, but he nodded slightly to show he was listening. "I don't have much strength left. This place is absorbing my power, probably due to the darkness and the underground environment." Brandon frowned, stopping to look at her, as if trying to understand why she was telling him this. "So?" Aisha rolled her eyes at the soulless man in front of her. She wasn't expecting a different reaction, but this was just the beginning of the point she was trying to make. Although Nabu was standing right next to her, looking at her with concern, Aisha was too preoccupied with thinking about Stella to be aware of what was happening around her at the moment./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Stella is probably in the same condition as I am, maybe even worse," Brandon tightly closed his eyes, thinking that he was really struggling not to lose his mind. As his hands found his hair, he could feel his anger growing more and more intense. While Aisha and Nabu stood there, he walked towards the wall, pressing his hands against it and waited for a while to calm himself. Seeing his friend's tension, Nabu frowned; this was a way of breathing that never brought anything good. Trying to clear his mind a bit, he turned to Aisha to get more details. As Aisha was looking at Brandon with strange glances, trying to understand what was going on, he asked, "What do you want to say?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aisha sighed and gave Nabu a look, "I'm afraid she might not be able to resist."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon felt a shiver run down his spine. As his gaze found Aisha, he hissed through his teeth. "Spread out, we are looking for a room with a red door. Whoever finds Stella, bring her here; they won't think to look for us ın the dungeons."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Nabu opened his mouth to stop him, but Brandon quickly walked away without saying anything more. As Nabu and Aisha looked at each other, they realized the unease of working together after so many years. "For Stella," Nabu nodded at Aisha's murmur, and without saying anything further, they began walking in the opposite direction of Brandon./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Your Majesty," A strange giggle was heard as the Queen waited with interest for Stella to speak. The dancer girls were looking at Stella with admiration, and hearing her speak excited them even more. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"What was this?/span As her heartbeat quickened, Stella took a step forward and tried to control her anger as she spoke, "I'm Stella, Princess of Solaria. I do not intend to disrespect you, but staying here is absolutely out of the question. I have a duty and a school waiting for me. I promise to send you any fabrics and jewelry you desire from Solaria once our mission is complete." Amentia frowned, scrutinizing the young girl./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Did you not consider this risk when you came here, blondie? In my kingdom, everyone knows how blonde beings are treated. Are you expecting me to believe that you came here without knowing this?" Stella tried to push aside the sense of betrayal she felt and focus on the situation at hand. Why hadn't anyone told her about this? She didn't expect the specialists to warn her, she knew them well enough to know they wouldn't give away even their sins to fairies, but what about Faragonda? Griselda? As Stella began to step back, she met Brandon's eyes and, for the first time in her life, looked at him as if asking for help. Brandon closed his eyes and cracked his neck, trying to calm himself and not act rashly. The stupid queen's sole aim was for her species to also consist of blonde DNA. But she couldn't understand that such a gene was impossible because she had no logic. Even thinking about the reason for wanting to keep Stella here was driving Brandon into a fit of rage, but he resisted and tried not to make things worse./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I didn't know, Your Majesty." Stella kept her voice at a moderate volume, trying not to show how much she was affected. Thankfully, only her hands were trembling and it didn't reflect in her voice. Brandon, on the other hand, didn't know how much longer he could hold himself back. The most baffling part was how surprised he was by his own anger and frustration, making him lose control. But instead of questioning why he felt what he did, he focused on keeping Stella safe right now. Ignoring the shocking realization of this truth was difficult enough, but recalling Stella's helpless and fearful gaze made him throw caution to the wind and step forward./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Your Majesty," Amentia grinned as she curiously eyed the handsome commander before her. "Stella is my fiancée. If the situation were not serious, I assure you we would not have come here without bringing you gifts." As Amentia began to walk towards them with a grunt, Stella felt her nerves stretch to the breaking point and, unable to contain her anger, let the light radiate from her eyes. Amentia screamed with excitement in response, while Stella clenched her teeth. She couldn't control it; her anger and helplessness were struggling to break free. Aisha pushed Nabu aside and came to Stella's side, holding her hands. "Stop, Stella, stop."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to explain to her friend that she was trying to hold back, but the moment she opened her mouth, she felt she might let out a scream. So instead of speaking, she clenched her teeth and tried to calm herself by focusing on Aisha's hands./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""This is an outright attack! Throw them in the dungeons! They've come to kill me, how dare you bring them before me without question?!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aisha turned in shock, trying to push away the hands that grabbed her while Nabu and Brandon had already taken down the guards heading towards them and were now targeting the creatures approaching the girls. Brandon kicked away a guard trying to chain Stella and wrapped the chain around the creature's neck, breaking it with a swift motion. As Stella clenched her fists, trying to suppress her light, the tears falling from her eyes revealed her fear. Brandon shielded Stella behind him, mercilessly taking down the creatures touching his sword, while Aisha reached her friend and wrapped her arms around her. The panic moment known as fairy shock was not unfamiliar to the girls; the worst part was it always occurred at the most inopportune times. And Aisha knew Stella was just scared./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Tell her to stop!" Nabu yelled as he fought with all his might, another creature collapsing at his feet, trying to stem the blood gushing from its severed throat. Brandon wasn't struggling as much as Nabu. The only challenge was seeing Stella's trembling attempt to suppress her light, and although he couldn't understand why she was struggling so much, Nabu's pressure on Stella irritated him. "She can't control it, you idiot, focus on the corpses in front of you!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aisha echoed Brandon's sentiment with anger, "She's scared!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Nabu and Brandon simultaneously stopped and looked at Aisha, while Brandon's gaze shifted to the trembling, tear-streaked Stella. Dropping his sword, he walked towards her, his heart pounding, though it had nothing to do with fear or panic. Pushing Aisha aside and wrapping Stella in his arms, the water fairy was about to say something but held back as she noticed Stella calming down. Brandon's embrace provided Stella with the warmth and security she needed to calm down. As the tears stopped and her body ceased glowing, they were oblivious to the numerous creatures surrounding them, ready to take them. As Brandon held Stella tighter, the sense of rightness and comfort from the closeness scared him rather than discomforting him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Capture them!" Amentia's command rang out, and suddenly, Stella was torn from Brandon's arms. He snarled and advanced towards them, but his arms were also barely restrained by five creatures. The last thing he saw before a heavy blow to his head were Stella's worried eyes looking at him./p
hr style="margin: 0.875em auto 1.2525em; border-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; width: 359.234px; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; font-size: 15.12px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Wake up already, man!" Nabu's urgent shaking finally roused Brandon, easing the serious concern that had been growing inside him. "About time, damn it. You scared the crap out of me."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon frowned and, despite his pounding headache, immediately got to his feet. "Yeah, stand up fast and then make sure you fall right back down hard." Ignoring Nabu's sarcastic remark, Brandon quickly scanned his surroundings. His vision was blurry, and his ears were ringing with strange noises. Closing his eyes, he reached for one of the emergency pills at his waist, popped it into his mouth, and swallowed. Nabu had already done the same, and it was the only reason he was still alert. After a few minutes of leaning silently against the wall, Brandon decided he was steady enough, opened his eyes, and looked at Nabu and their surroundings. They were in a dark dungeon, lit only by candlelight. The girls were not with them. Cursing, Brandon closed his eyes./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Where are they?" Nabu shook his head and stood up, joining his friend. "Aisha is in the cell next to us, but they took Stella somewhere else. I don't know where."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He cursed in a voice that was almost like a roar and slammed his fist hard into the dungeon wall, leaning his forehead against it as he began to catch his breath, then angrily ran his hands through his hair, looking around, breathless. The image of Stella's trembling body in his arms flashed in his mind, making him want to rip the iron bars apart and, if necessary, cut through everyone to find her. Nabu grabbed Brandon's shoulders, glaring at him, "Calm down. We need to get out of here immediately. The others haven't approached the kingdom yet, and even if they did, they wouldn't be able to get inside. Waiting for them is pointless." Nodding, Brandon shrugged off Nabu's hands and approached the iron bars to examine them. They had been trained for situations like this, but they had nothing on them now—not a cutting tool nor anything to generate heat to help loosen the bars. "Brandon." Brandon nodded, indicating he was listening, but instead of looking at Nabu, he continued examining the bars. Neither he nor Nabu was thin enough to slip through them. Brandon, being bigger and more muscular than Nabu, dismissed the idea entirely and started checking if the bars could be loosened./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Are you calm?" Nabu asked./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon finished his inspection and slowly turned to Nabu, his face as hard and expressionless as stone. "What is it?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Nabu swallowed. A voice inside him said this didn't need to be mentioned right now, but it also said they needed Brandon's anger somehow. "Speak, Nabu. What is it?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Stella..." Nabu shook his head and swallowed again, while Brandon, already feeling his blood boil, stepped closer, fixing him with a stare. "Speak!" Nabu exhaled deeply, shaking his head. "I think Amentia took Stella for her husband. I'm not sure; I just heard something."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"For a moment, Brandon just stared at Nabu. What his friend said didn't fully register, but it began to kindle a growing unease. That stupid queen wanted Stella to be with her husband just so their children would be blonde and fair-skinned or at least carry some of that DNA. As he was about to punch the wall again, a faint, fragile voice interrupted his thoughts./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Stella? Where are you, Stella?!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Nabu passed by Brandon and tried to see Aisha through the bars. The obvious relief on his face was fortunately missed by Aisha. "Aisha?" He called out. The young girl jumped, trying to locate the source of the voice while tears streamed down her face. "Is Stella with you? Is she sleeping? Please, say yes!" Nabu, once again bearing the curse of delivering bad news, closed his eyes, feeling the fleeting relief vanish. "She's not with us."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Damn it." Aisha's knees buckled as she collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Normally the wildest and coldest fairy of the group, Aisha knew well the impression she made on people, even if her friends didn't think so. But when it came to her friends, the little girl inside her awoke, and all her fears took over her body. Stella knew Nabu and Aisha from their childhoods. Even though both knew each other well, neither Nabu nor Aisha ever mentioned it. Stella was the only one who shared this information. Now, besides Brandon, Aisha wasn't the only one struggling to breathe. Nabu was also tormented by the thought of the harm that could come to his childhood friend, feeling he might lose his mind, yet his hands were tied and he couldn't do anything to help./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aisha's sobs echoed through the dungeon, while Nabu tried to calm her and Brandon worked on separating the iron bars. Nabu glanced at his friend, realizing the heavy burden of being the only one with a clear head, then closed his eyes and sank to the floor, leaning his head against the wall. No matter what, regardless of how he treated Stella or what he said, Brandon always wanted to make sure she was safe and well. To Brandon, knowing she was safe and pulling her down from her high perch was more appealing. But he had never made a move. Every time, his focus was on ensuring she was okay. Taking a step back, he looked at the bars he had managed to pry apart slightly. Nabu got up and joined him, looking at the bars in astonishment./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon might not have understood much of what was happening inside him, but he knew he wanted to reach Stella in time and make anyone who dared touch her pay. Nabu, trying to help this time, pulled with all his might alongside Brandon, but just then, the guards' light appeared. Nabu and Brandon moved away from the widened bars and crouched down./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""The morons are awake."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Nabu bit his tongue, suppressing the curse that came to his tongue. Instead, he hoped Aisha would fake-sleep to keep anyone from bothering her. "I hope your queen realizes she won't get away with this. We are not just anyone. How can you keep us here when there's a threat right outside your door?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Shut up, wizard," the guard snarled, leaning down and grinning at Nabu. "Your turn will come."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aisha sprang to her feet and shouted at them so loudly it hurt her throat. "If anything happens to Stella, not even your queen, no power in this universe will save you! Do you hear me?!" The creatures exchanged glances for a few seconds before bursting into laughter and mocking Aisha. Nabu silently cursed Aisha for speaking up while Brandon sat beside him as if nothing was wrong—silent and dangerously calm./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""After your friend is a feast for our king, she will be brought to all our tables, but don't worry, you can join if you want," one of the creatures jeered. Brandon stood up slowly and approached the bars they had managed to widen slightly. Nabu looked at him in panic, fearing that the bars were not yet wide enough for an escape. As Nabu also stood up, Brandon whistled to draw the attention of the two creatures. They glared at him, while Aisha, unaware of what was happening in the adjacent cell, spoke again. The creatures started moving toward Brandon./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Please don't hurt her," Aisha's voice trembled, and Nabu felt a pang of sorrow. But right now, he felt that the real problem was Brandon. Focusing on him, he braced himself. "Shut up." The creature who spoke turned to Aisha with a disgusting grin. "Hurt isn't the right word. Pleasure is."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon reached through the slightly widened bars and grabbed the speaking creature by the horn, yanking its head through the bars so that only its head was inside the cell. He pulled and squeezed one horn with all his might, breaking it, causing the creature to roar in pain. Unbothered, Brandon moved to the other horn while the creature's companion aimed to strike Brandon, but Aisha used her Morfix to pin him to the wall. "Shut up, or I'll place this horn inside you as an extra bone."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The creature, struggling between breathing and the searing pain, fell silent. Nabu reached for the creature's belt and managed to retrieve the keys. "Open the door."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The wizard quickly followed Brandon's command. As soon as the door was opened, he hurried to Aisha's cell, checking her over to ensure she was unharmed before unlocking her door and pulling her into a tight hug. "Are you okay?" Aisha, unable to stop her cheeks from reddening, nodded and slowly distanced herself from Nabu. She approached the pinned creature and, with as much calm as she could muster, began questioning him about Stella's whereabouts. Nabu, meanwhile, moved toward the creature Brandon was holding. Just as he got close, Brandon made a swift move, breaking the creature's neck and causing it to slump at his feet. The pinned creature stared in shock and fear at its fallen comrade, while Brandon not so gently pushed Aisha aside and faced the creature./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Where is she?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"His tone was furious, but the creature smirked, realizing Brandon needed something from him. "You'll need to be more specific." Brandon swiftly punched the creature in the face and grabbed its chin, forcing it to look directly at him. "Where is she?" Blood began to trickle from the creature's mouth, and Aisha felt her stomach churn at the sight. Oddly, neither Nabu nor Brandon seemed disturbed. The creature glared at Brandon, but as Brandon began to lose patience, he pulled the creature from the wall and pinned it under his knee, pressing his knee into its stomach to cut off its breath. Holding the creature by the nape, he tapped its carotid artery with his finger twice. "I can search this entire castle, no problem. Spilling blood has never been an issue for me. But unless you have something more valuable than your life, you'd better give me a reason not to burst the artery under my finger."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aisha watched Brandon in shock. She couldn't believe her eyes or ears. Brandon had always made Stella's life a living hell, treating her worse than anyone else. Despite knowing that the specialists respected him and that they would treat the fairies better if he commanded them to, Brandon never bothered. Instead, he acted in ways that fueled their hatred. Aisha's hatred for them wasn't unfounded, and the remaining fairies either behaved neutrally or with pure loathing. The person standing before her now was a leader, a commander of the specialists, who had never lifted a finger for anyone else. Sometimes Aisha wondered if Brandon fought just to relieve his stress./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Although she didn't know the reason, she had never been able to understand his attitude towards Stella. Sometimes she thought that he valued her, but then he would say or do something that someone who didn't feel pure hatred could never do, and he would draw a line through the value in his mind. As for Stella, she was a complete mess in this regard, Aisha knew. Stella valued this man. But Stella's character valued respect more than feelings. And Brandon was definitely a disrespectful person. Now, however, it was Brandon who was much more furious and out of control over Stella's situation than Aisha. He had already killed one creature and was sparing the other only because of his own interest./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""They are preparing her. In the room, they need to prepare before presenting her to the king."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aisha felt her stomach turn. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Presenting?/span He was talking as if discussing an object, and although this was a situation that happened quite often to a woman, it still drove Aisha crazy. Was it because they were women, or if Sky came here, would he receive the same treatment just because he was blonde? Aisha looked back at Brandon, trying to figure out what to do, when Brandon approached the creature closely and asked in a clear voice, "Where is the room?" and upon receiving the answer, he pressed his finger with all his might into the creature's vein and finally snapped its neck completely. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"His signature move/span, thought Aisha. Brandon always aimed for the head./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon stood up and looked at the two pairs of eyes staring at him in shock. Without feeling the need to give them an explanation or an order, he took the weapons from the creatures, using them as a way to overcome the obstacles in front of him until he found his own sword. Aisha and Nabu, thinking to follow him, ran after him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Brandon," Aisha's call was not enough to stop Brandon, but he nodded slightly to show he was listening. "I don't have much strength left. This place is absorbing my power, probably due to the darkness and the underground environment." Brandon frowned, stopping to look at her, as if trying to understand why she was telling him this. "So?" Aisha rolled her eyes at the soulless man in front of her. She wasn't expecting a different reaction, but this was just the beginning of the point she was trying to make. Although Nabu was standing right next to her, looking at her with concern, Aisha was too preoccupied with thinking about Stella to be aware of what was happening around her at the moment./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Stella is probably in the same condition as I am, maybe even worse," Brandon tightly closed his eyes, thinking that he was really struggling not to lose his mind. As his hands found his hair, he could feel his anger growing more and more intense. While Aisha and Nabu stood there, he walked towards the wall, pressing his hands against it and waited for a while to calm himself. Seeing his friend's tension, Nabu frowned; this was a way of breathing that never brought anything good. Trying to clear his mind a bit, he turned to Aisha to get more details. As Aisha was looking at Brandon with strange glances, trying to understand what was going on, he asked, "What do you want to say?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aisha sighed and gave Nabu a look, "I'm afraid she might not be able to resist."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon felt a shiver run down his spine. As his gaze found Aisha, he hissed through his teeth. "Spread out, we are looking for a room with a red door. Whoever finds Stella, bring her here; they won't think to look for us ın the dungeons."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Nabu opened his mouth to stop him, but Brandon quickly walked away without saying anything more. As Nabu and Aisha looked at each other, they realized the unease of working together after so many years. "For Stella," Nabu nodded at Aisha's murmur, and without saying anything further, they began walking in the opposite direction of Brandon./p