Where is he taking this to?
Aefia thought to herself while taking her fingers off her head, crossing her arms in front of her while holding a questioned gaze. "I don't think you have the right to declare it?" Her eyes fell to Lewis.
"There is a reason why the Imperial family is joining too. And a member in particular, not any trusted body from court." She spoke with a voice filled with authority. Apparently, ever since she got two captain rings, she knew she was above the rest of the houses. She just needed to stay like that until the hunting competition ended so automatically, the competition would end and Aefia would win. However, some people are just facing problems mentally, who won't get off your back until you force them to.
He stared with a surprised face back at her. "Yes. Would you like to get treated first?"
"I am fine the way I am."
"I don't think you are. Based on how the duke beat you up before, you must be in a lot of pain."
"No. It is not a problem."
"Actually wait. He did he beat her up again?" Lewis asked while furrowing his brows.
"Tying her to a chair and hit her head without allowing her to move right or left to deflect the hit." Kazimir calmly explained. "But I won't say that it wasn't her fault either. She didn't speak."
"She's always been like that. You can't blame her or force her to do things." Her brother spoke while pinching the bridge between his eyes.
"Wait! Prince! He was the one who suggested it! He is blaming me for it now!" The duke suddenly shouted, jolting to his knees. "I swear I wouldn't have done it if he hadn't said it! He said he would like to form an alliance with me and together we will climb the ranks! He promised to help me to the top rank! He said he doesn't need the prince and he is willing to do anything to put me in the first rank!"
"But you did steal from her house. Did you forget about that?... Duke?"
Aefia clicked her tongue. "Just end this already. I suggest Kazimir be let go of. He is a foreign delegation who should be treated as a guest. Not falsely accused of." She pointed her finger to the duke next. "He needs to be imprisoned for treason. That is for sure."
Lewis nodded at the knights who took the old man away. He looked at Aefia who started to walk towards the south. "Where are you going?"
"I need to drink some water." She answered while fleeing the scene. The truth is, she needed to clear her head before the final battle happened. And she needed to alert Cassandra about a few things. "For once... I rather perform at the arena then at a place like this. However, I won't oppose it if he wants to do it at that charred place. I had embedded it with my magic."
As she walked while rubbing her aching temple, a Mides teammate came with two glasses and a bottle. Which Aefia took without an ounce of hesitation. She reached out towards a branch and hoped onto it, climbing onto it, ready to leap onto another one.
"Aefia! What do you think you are doing?!" Lewis shouted while trailing her.
"Catching a bird. Why?" She asked while turning around, sitting on the branch.
"You just took tequila like that?!"
"That was tequila?" She asked with a lazy tilt of her head. She leaned against the tree, staring down at him with a question or two. "I saw it was clear and thought that was water."
"Do you not feel a single thing?! You just took alcohol!"
"What am I supposed to feel?"
"I don't know? Burning?!" He shouted while glaring up at her with a a strict elder sibling's look. "Just get down from there!"
But she didn't obey. Instead, she folded her arms and looked at him through the corner of her eye. "So answer me this. How do you know about how it taste? You are only an year-and-a-half older than me." She narrowed her eyes.
Kazimir let out a boosting laugh while turning towards their direction. "True though. But exactly how does the princess know how to drink it?"
"I don't know? I have the Wolf Element." She shrugged.
"Ah! A strong mental power. Sorry. My bad." He smiled while turning around. Walking towards his tent.
In the meantime, she ignored all of Lewis' scolding. Scanning the entire forest for any signs of what exactly happens every three o'clock that always caused chaos. If it were a ghost, she would be able to send it away. But if it were a human, she could see it clearly. By now, the ducal house was being cleared up.
From different directions, the forest started to clear. Shrinking it down to the narrow navy-blue territory at the north east, cornering the green area at the north and the ducal house from the north west. She looked amazed, that this was going to happen from the time of the territory selecting. Aefia was one of the first to select an area, followed by the two of them.
What astonished her the most was, one of the yellow teams were roaming around freely with something at their hand. They were walking towards the place that she was. More specifically, Lewis was.
So I see... The Imperial family was always the target. After the Imperial family is wiped out, that greedy duke will become the Empire. Right?
Or maybe I just need to rest my political brain for once. She let out a yawn.
Then suddenly, somehow int familiar caught her eyes. As she looked closer, something strange caused her eyes to shrink into mere dots. Her heart was pounding too loud at her ears as she leaned forward to look closer. The world suddenly silencing as she observed.
Green. No, yellow. No wait! What is that?!
She clenched the branch she was in with even more strength, a moment of home-sickness taking over her mind. Her world became black and white except for the person walking.
She watched as he dissapeared against the treeline. Her instincts flared and she immediately got down of the branch. She forgot to warn Lewis about a single thing and started to sprint towards the direction the boy was going. Her steps didn't slow a single second as she breathed heavily.
No no no no! When did this happen?! Why did this happen?! Why is it happening?!
She ran faster, shutting her eyes until she was where she last saw him. The sound of her boots crunching against the dried leaves echoing as she skidded to a stop. Yellow uniform.
She slowly neared the figure. He was leaning against the tree, eating a sandwich. At his early teens with pitch back hair and souless black eyes.
Does that sound familiar anyone?
Suddenly, she let her disguise drop. Her black eyes returning as she stepped forward while holding her breathe. The name feeling strange in her tongue as her shadow fell over him. He was mid-bite from chomping down at his food, when he lifted his gaze.
As his eyes dragged towards her face, his grip on his food dropped and he got on his feet.
"Aegis? Is that you?" He asked with wide eyes.
Before Aefia could say anything, a smile popped onto her face. She swayed a little.
"So it is you... Isn't it?" She asked, her words catching her throat as she clutched her forehead. "What are you doing... Here?"
It was Aefia's biological brother. Two years younger than her, more related to her than the one who was seven years younger than her. They shared the same biological parents, but one was hidden at an orphanage.
"You still remember me?"
"Why did you suddenly dissapear... Aegis?" He asked while taking a step towards her. "And why are you bleeding? Why did your hair change?"
"I don't know..." She spoke, hanging her head low. "I don't know a single thing..."
Her brother called her Aegis because it meant shield. Because his sister was the one keeping him away from the cruel reality that she suffered it was a long story not worth explaining right now. But she most importantly, she didn't have the energy to.
"Aefia! You can't just–huh?" Lewis suddenly came to halt, watching the situation from a distance. He shut his mouth and hid behind a tree, catching the boy's features as a familiar thing. He looked exactly like his sister did when she came to the palace for the first time.
"How have you been doing sister?" The boy asked while lifting a finger to reach her forehead. She swayed another time, then suddenly fell to her knees. Her face was shadowed with blood and her hair.
"I am..." She spoke while he fell to his knees in front of her. She lunged forward to wrap her arms around his neck while burying her face at his neck.
"I am sorry! I am sorry I left you without a word! I am so sorry! I am not a good sister!" She cried out while clunching his coat at her fingertips. "I am sorry I left you alone to suffer there! I should have said a thing about this! I didn't know I would be pulled into this!"
"Aegis?" He asked with a thin voice. He hugged her back, shocked at how her sister has emotions he didn't know existed in her before. "Are you... Crying?"
"Yes I am! Isn't it strange that I am suddenly so weak?! I am sorry! I couldn't protect you!" She shouted at herself while her shoulder shook.
"Why are you apologizing? You should be proud you are more human now than before." He spoke while patting her back. "And I happened to learn ways to survive because of you. So you don't need to worry about me."
"You are thirteen you idiot!" She shifted while pulling back. Slamming her hand onto his shoulders while wiping her eyes and face. The blood from her forehead almost wiped clean, but it left a reddish hue behind. "I promised to not leave you alone without a support until you turned eighteen." She laughed to herself while standing up.
"Well you learnt to be independent by the eight year." He spoke while using his own sleeve to wipe her face properly.
Suddenly, her expression changed and she looked at him with an indifferent expression. "But why are you in this world?" She asked while dropping her smile and happiness.
"I was curious about something. I snuck into her room and found the picture of a leaflet on a digital camera." He spoke while dusting her shoulders and standing her up. This is was one reason Aefia always loved her biological brother. He was someone Aefia would die to keep alive. He was also the reason she had to take up a position at her uncle's dirty killing business to support him.
He was six when Aefia first met her brother, and she immediately wanted to work on providing him a better life. Every success she ever had, was shared with him and he would always cheer her on with whatever she did.
"Aefia..."
"Hmm?"
"Did you want to participate in the competition to support me and my education?" He asked while tilting his head. He was head shorter than her.
She thought for a moment. "It has been a year since that has happened. But yes."
"You are quite stupid. You know that?" He giggled along with her.
"Don't say that... You are younger than me." She added while running her finger against his hair. "Hasn't it been lonely since you came here?"
"Is has... Because I was searching for you for six months straight." He added. "Did you know that one week in this world is the same as one day on Earth?"
"Wait... Really?"
"Yes. I was astonished as well."
Aefia wanted to ask him how much he knew. But she bit her tongue and smiled at him. "What else do you know?"
"I also know that Nada had been here too." He mumbled while picking up his sandwich from the ground, but he didn't eat it anymore. "I honestly don't know how to express this... However, I have long since realized you are the reason I am anything at all. Like who I am, I learnt it from you."
She patted his shoulders, forgetting the entire world existed. "I too have felt less lonely since realizing you were here."
"And how long has that been?"
"I am not sure. Ten minutes?"
The conversation flowed between them longer and longer. Until the sense of time was long long. Lewis decided to leave them alone mid-way, smiling hurtfully to himself while walking towards his tent.
Whatever. She is her sister too.
They were pulled into a conversation she couldn't quite tell where it would end. But she really liked how it felt.
Then suddenly, an explosion went out somewhere near the East where the Viscount's tent was. Both of them realized they were in the middle of hunting competition, the reality snapped back into them as she clenched her sword at her side, scanning the area around them.
"Oh shit!" She clamped her hand onto her forehead, snapping her disguise back on while stepping towards the treeline to take a closer look at the other side.
Beside her, her brother held onto his team's sword and looked forward as well. His eyes widening as he saw rising fire that was starting to swallow the trees they were looking through.
Aefia immediately grabbed his arm and ran towards the other side before the fire could trap them at the other side. They managed to make it through before the treeline behind them was completely engulfed from edge to edge.
She let out a sigh of relief and fell on her knees, trying to catch her breathe. "What the heck is going on...?"
Her ears suddenly caught the sound of the distinct three o'clock ringing of the bell. She looked towards her brother and pulled him towards her, engulfing his body with her own body as she blocked an arrow reaching them.
Her crimson eyes tracking the movements of the wielder through the bushes.
"Stay here!" She shouted while sprinting forward with her sword held straight out.
But what she failed to realize, was that he had an explosive set right beneath her foot. Not only that...
But her feet crushed glass.