The morning after Helen left, Markus too was met with a transport. Its emblem was that of a woman's figure from the neck up on a golden background, indicating it was a transport belonging to the royal palace.
As Markus got in through the door, a vision shot through his brain.
He was in the transport. Sitting next to a white haired woman. Then an explosion hit the transport so hard it flipped on its side and scraped against the road.
Everyone inside, himself, the woman and a child were tossed around.
The windows which remained intact shattered on impact from something.
Someone dropped in.
The white haired woman shot a powerful wind attack but it was negated.
The one inside was wearing a modified combat suit which hid their face. The only thing clear was that it was a man who was very tall and powerful.
The man kicked the woman in the face, seemingly incapacitating her.
He then turned to Markus and wrapped his hand around his neck.
He jumped up through the shattered window and began to walk.
The woman from the transport tore through it and stretched her hand toward Markus but two more figured in modified combat suits which hid their faces intervened and knocked her out by beating and stomping on her.
Markus felt panic. Fear. Sorrow. Anger. Hatred.
Then his oxygen deprived brain blacked out.
The vision ended.
Markus flinched back and he struck the transport with a wind blast instinctually, moving the truck but doing no real damage.
Charlotte was startled at this.
"What's wrong with you—" she asked
Markus was breathing quickly and sweating. His blue eyes shinning in a strange cyan colour that felt ethereal and unnatural.
"We will be attacked— no…" he tried to recall
He refocused on the vision- he saw a glimpse of the emblem on the transport… two wings… the Windbourne emblem. It didn't match the crystal formation
"What is it?" She asked concerned and noticing his shining eyes.
"The past…? Or the future? What is this?" He thought but the vision was faded now completely.
"Did you have a vision?" Charlotte asked
"Yeah… it was a transport like this attacked… I was taken… I was small? Then the past… but I can't remember it…" he said as he tried to process everything
"You're safe now. A safety team of experts and one elite is escorting you. You have nothing to fear." She said
"Could an elite break through a transport like this?" He asked
"Not easily. It would require a substantial amount of effort. A master however… yes." She said
"So he was a master… damn it all. Nothing makes sense!" He thought, getting in the damned transport.
Inside a mature woman sat cross legged in a dress.
"Well this is quite a young man you're giving me Charlotte." The woman said
"Princess Trissilia!? I did not know your highness was inside—" Charlotte said as she bowed
Markus looked at the woman stunned.
"Is this him?" She asked, looking at Markus
"Yes— Markus bow!" Charlotte confirmed and commanded Markus.
Markus did as he was told.
"Let's leave then. I do not appreciate the heat in the region." She said, dismissing Charlotte and inviting Markus to take a seat.
The doors shut behind Charlotte.
"Hello, imperial vessel. I am here to escort you to the capital. My sister- well she insisted that you needed further protection. So here I am- a master, tending to the protection of a stage 2– no. Stage 3 now." She said with annoyance.
This woman had golden hair but green eyes like emeralds. Her skin tone was pale but her lips and nails red like blood. She was thin but held herself with poise and power. Her facial features sharp.
Markus sat down in silence.
"What was that about? Before you got in?" She asked
"… a vision of the past I think. Not exactly sure about anything beyond that." He said, not meeting her eye.
"Okay. We will reach the capital city within a few days. We will not be stopping at all. At the back of the transport there is a door leading to a bathroom." She said, glancing at the door.
"Okay…" he said, trying to look out the window but realising they were tinted both ways and could barely make out the surroundings.
Markus used the time to meditate and begin working on several things Charlotte mentioned.
He could now make a full body shell due to his increased rank which deepened his bond to the wind.
Interestingly, he could now reshape his shell into sword handles.
As for creating an elemental weapon, he could now create handles and forge blades faster. But he also tried to instantly create a sword.
After a few failures, he finally created his first blade from nothing. It's sharpness and durability was inferior to the others but alas- he could do it and it would only improve as time passed.
He then tried to create multiple constructs of wind and have them exist independently but he could only manage 4 independent constructs and one in his hand.
Overall, it seemed his todo list was not nearly as long or hard… but appearances can be deceiving.
"Uhm hey- your- highness? Was it? Do you know what whirlwind is?" Markus asked
"The spirit or the power?" She replied
"What- I don't know—" Markus answered
"Well- there's two things called whirlwind. There is 'Whirlwind', the white dragon contracted to house Windbourne. Then there is the power known as whirlwind. The latter— you probably don't know what latter means. The second one- is coming from the first one. The greater spirit, the dragon, is the incarnation of wind. But this incarnation developed its own power, known as whirlwind, which could be used by the world at large at a cost of more essence." She answered with detail.
"A dragon… does the emblem of house Windbourne happen to be a pair of wings?" He asked
"It does. It wouldn't happen to have something to do with the vision you had, would it?" She asked
"It… does. In the vision I was in a transport like this. I was taken and on the way out I saw an emblem… a pair of wings." He said honestly
"So this vision- is more of a vague memory then. Interesting." She said, refusing to elaborate
Eventually, they crossed into the central territory. Between the two territories, red flags with the crimson phoenix were replaced by golden flags with the head figure of the monarch. The central region was her undisputed dominion. Although the other regions were technically her domain, she did not control them in the way she controlled this region. The other dominions were ruled by proxy- using the dukes of the four noble houses to rule the four regions. In truth the dukes were meant to pass on her will to the tens millions upon hundreds millions of people in each of their regions and that was how she reigned over the entire continent.
But nothing ever goes as planned.
Be that as it may, Markus was now in the central region. The air felt… colder. It felt potent and regal. The effect of the authority of the ruler.
Whilst the crimson region, located in the south west, was warm and filled with strength, the central region did not share its heat but instead had its own climate.
A few more hours and they were in the capital. A massive multilayered city with zones. The zones started in the centre like circles and increased in number as you moved outwardly. Therefore the centre of the city, where the royal palace was, was considered zone 1. The outer edges from which Markus had just entered were considered zone 10.
"Hey kid, today you will meet my sister. You seem alright and I appreciate you did not bother me. I like you. But my sister is not as easily won over. You will bow to her from a distance. You will kneel before her when you are close. You must refer to her as her majesty- not highness. And one more thing. Don't look her in the eyes. That is all." She said with an urging tone.
"Thank you… your highness." Markus said, thrown off by the last remark on not looking the Queen in the eyes.
After another hour or so, being escorted to the centre of the city and before the royal palace, Markus stood before a absolutely massive golden structure. It towered so high its shade was cast for miles at dusk and dawn.
The palace doubled over as the official government building, the royal residence and the executive place of justice.
When they arrived, another two individuals, a man and woman met the transport.
Markus recognised the man as Enrique Ballion… but he seemed to be several fold more serious. The woman however, was a new face. A white haired woman… a Windbourne.
"Greetings your highness, her majesty just finished a meeting, she will see you now." They both said in synchronisation.
"Very well. Jessica, this is our… candidate. Markus Windwave. You may become acquainted over these upcoming months." She said, leading the way.
Markus followed and the two figures, masters, followed from behind Markus.
They headed long halls which were busy until they entered. As they walked through, people began to stare. They all gave a slight bow to the passing group.
Eventually, they turned and through a set of doors, a desolate hallway led them to another corridor. Their steps echoed.
Eventually they turned and through a secret passage walked into another corridor which led to a massive 20 metre tall golden door, manned by two elite guards wearing brilliant golden armour.
They saluted the princess and opened the door to a very large hall. Down the middle of a hall there was a golden carpet which led all the way down and up stairs… then on the stairs there was a beautiful golden throne. On the throne sat a tall and majestic middle aged woman with golden hair and eyes. Her gaze pierced through Markus' soul and made him begin to shake and sweat.
Beside the woman, a younger woman stood… she shared a lot of her features but her eyes were emerald green like the princess' eyes.
As they all approached, the masters dropped to a knee.
Markus was only a moment slower and followed their greeting.
"We greet your majesty!" They all said in unison.
"We meet at last, Markus Windwave. You look far better than last time." She said with a smiling gaze.
Another memory fragment shot through his brain.
An explosion. He was in a lab- tied upright with several tubes stuck in him. The man in the modified combat suit was there… only this time he was being crushed… his skull was under the foot of a woman wearing nothing but a simple noble garment.
Her eyes were golden, her hair the same colour… then as she crushed his skull, crystals bloomed at her feet and followed the trail of blood.
"Hello boy. In exchange for saving you, your life now belongs to me. Serve me, Elizabeth Crystallia, well, imperial vessel." She said with a cold smiling gaze tainted with drips of blood.
The same gaze… the same name…
'I awoke my powers in a lab and was corrupted by their experiments… she saved me… my life… belongs to her then?' He thought inwardly, his brain overflowing with information.
It would seem that Markus' memories were returning one way or another.