《GAMBIT》 1 01| Discovery The wind greets concrete and nature, yet the people are blessed to feel it. Its giddy currents flow through woodland canopies, unaware of how its song soothes those who can hear. People always thought of the wind as so free, chaotic even, yet it too has its path even if there are infinite possible destinations. It has air with passion, a drive that powers onward, wherein every direction is an option. Rome, an evangelical and splendid city. Its deep history shall always remain eternal, never to be forgotten. The empire which is now nothing but a mere city which was ruled for more than a century. Men usually called this period, "The Era of Seven Bad Kings." 1968, and the advents of war have been finally sealed by its own faith. Benito Mussolini''s yearn for the Roman Empire to rise once more has been devoured by the Allied Forces for more than a decade now. Peace and tranquility were left in these fertile soil, except for miniature movements and coalitions. On one of Rome''s barren streets, lies nothing except for a desolate house. The spirit of the house had rescued itself by sleeping in the walls, by retreating into the welcoming wood away from the dust. It stayed there with the memories of its birth, of the hugs and laughter that once were its colors and music, for that is the way of spirits. So though the floors were bare and the paint was in need of loving care, though the furniture lay still without the warmth of its family, it stood all the same, strong beneath the flakes and dirt of years. Today, the ninth symphony of the house shall commence. Let the history of its residents and former past echo unto its walls, for this, will be the last time the house shall remain deeply rooted to its alma mater. From the squeaky gates, made out of nothing but pure rust, comes a crimson red Chevrolet Impala, a car famous during its era. The driver ceased the car''s operation and parked in front of the rustic gates. The leaves which hung above barren trees, slowly danced down upon the car''s shed, while an old man, wearing such tuxedo and monocle, stepped unto the grains of sand and gravel. Sir Dexter S. Lucre, a famous billionaire and auctioneer. His eyes see nothing but wealth and fortune, while his cane supported his broken ankle. Today comes to the evaluation of the abandoned house, which would soon become part of Sir Dexter''s industry. Together with a few more men, Sir Dexter continued his saunter to the porch of the house. His eyes were mesmerized by the house''s structure. Indeed he imagined, how big his industry would grow after renovating an old worn-out house. Tons of money, dozens of fortune, the antiques will serve nothing but trees of wealth. With heavy force, his men pushed down the dilapidated wooden doors, as the dust dispersed out to the new world. A world, wherein technology is necessary, a world wherein employees are being replaced with machines. Having an old age of 78, Sir Dexter gave a cough, due to the dust''s irritating particles entering his nostrils. His men sauntered in, mesmerizing at the fine artistry the house has to offer. "Alright men, you know what to do. Search for anything valuable." Sir Dexter Lucre instructed with a hoarse throat. His loyal men responded in a blitz. They ransacked every room, every corridor, and hallway. Even the bathroom has been scoured, as so as the dusty attic. Sir Dexter on the other hand, stayed on the ground floor, looking at himself through a translucent and shattered mirror. He gave a pleasant smile while fixing his bowtie in front of the shattered mirror. His heart on the other hand, yearned for more wealth, revenue, and income. Becoming the richest man in the world despite already being a billionaire is one of Sir Dexter''s profound dreams. "Sir, you may want to take a look at this." One of his men, rushed down the staircase with a large box on his pale hands. Sweat drooled down this man''s face, while his heart on the other hand, gasped for fine oxygen. "A box? What do you want me to do with that box?" Sir Dexter uttered with a sarcastic tone while adjusting the lenses of his monocle. "Gli Scacchi" Sir Dexter uttered with an intriguing voice, as he carefully reads the label of the box. "Right sir? This box is worth more than five hundred Euros, imagine how rich you can be." "I am very aware of that sonny. This is truly a remarkable find, your salary for this month will be increased by four hundred Euros." Sir Dexter appraised. He gave the man a pat on the shoulder as he gently grabs the box from him. Truly astounding and captivating, this wooden box is. "Gli Scacchi" a term used by hundreds of generals. In English, it means Chess. However, this wooden box contains a chessboard like no other, an antique chessboard used during the times of Emperors and Empress. It truly is remarkable to see one during these kinds of eras. On the other hand, the man felt pleased with Sir Dexter''s praise. His body couldn''t resist the urge to beam with excitement after such historical discovery. The quality of the pieces is still unknown, for it has recently debuted in the modern era. 2 02| Auction The dawn of a new day has once commenced in the city of Rome. The golden flower''s petals bloomed brightly across the azure sky, ever-extending its galore to the land of the living. Its blinding light served as an invitation to a new warm beginning. Quartz Vermillion, a man with a mere age of twenty-four. His eyes are as brilliant as the sun, and his hair is darker than the arrival of dusk. Remarkably, he is a curious and gentle young man with a hobby of reading history books. His knowledge about the history of his land is profound and genuine. From the Crusades and the religious war to the rise of Benito Mussolini, ask him anything about Rome, and he''ll be glad to respond. Quartz Vermillion got his attributes from his father, Cypress Q. Vermillion. He is a well-respected gentleman who is fond of collecting antiques. His eyes match the pupils of his son, while his hair is much lighter than his. Surprisingly, even with the age of sixty-three, his father is still in a decent condition. "Quartz! Quartz!" His father called from the outskirts of his room. During this time, Quartz would most likely be reading another history book at his bed. "I will be attending the Auction today in the central plaza. Is there anything you''d want from the market or perhaps from the auction itself?" Cypress queried. His voice seeped inside the room, through the keyhole of the white wooden door. "Anything will probably do." Quartz replied as he flips the page of the book he is currently reading. "Alright then, your breakfast is downstairs. Do not exchange your health for that mere book you are reading. Remember, history is a figment of the past, it cannot return, it can only be remembered." "And only through the power of knowledge shall our history prevail. Do not fear father, I will eat my breakfast." Quartz reassured. His eyes couldn''t take one glimpse of anything besides his book. The blood of men that flows through history astounds his sanity. Cypress however, isn''t quite fond of reading books. He is mostly known as a collector in the city of Rome. A collector who desires for nothing except for antiques, valuable jewelry, or maybe even stones and pebbles. Just like what the father has uttered to his son, today another auction shall occur. Of course, an auction is the best place to hunt down antiques and possible worn-out heirlooms. Aside from collecting, Cypress is fond of trading his antiques with other collectors he has met before. On the central plaza, lies one of Rome''s greatest auditoriums during this century. It may have the looks of an old-fashioned theater house, but at least its seats can deliver comfort to more than a hundred men and women alike. Dazzling lights, fancy boards, and captivating entertainment, has contributed to the attention-grabbing factor of the auditorium. It has dragged customers and civilians alike, and of course, one of them is no other than Cypress. Seated on row three, column six, Cypress glanced over the crowd arriving at their respective chairs. He waited patiently for the pinnacle of the auction to strike. This auditorium may have a noisy aroma, but it is worth the exchange for many goodies and heirlooms. The clock struck ten, and the bell has finally rung. One of Rome''s famous auctioneer has made a debut on the marble stage of the auditorium. Sir Dexter, the same man who bought the abandoned house, and the same man who finds the wooden box as an astounding core for fortune and wealth. "Good morning citizens of Rome, I am Sir Dexter Lucre, today I bring you three valuable antiques found on one of Rome''s long-abandoned houses." Sir Dexter greeted the crowd with a hoarse voice. Cypress became upset after hearing about the news. "Three antiques only? What happened to the regular amount of ten antiques per weak?!" Cypress complained on his mind with a slight amount of sarcasm. This is truly a race, but a man like Cypress isn''t greedy at all. From the weekly three antiques per day, now he has to minimize it to one, so that other customers can also have a fair share. Cypress wasn''t the only one who was frustrated, but as well as the whole crowd, wherein most of them were greedy. The only hope of claiming these antiques is through a high bet. "The Auction shall now commence! For the first item of the morning, I give you an old and rustic chandelier. Oh-ho, this isn''t just any chandelier for it dates back to the early 18th century. The candles can be replaced with light bulbs, all it needs is a little scrub and you''ll be all set! Alright people, throw me some prices!" Sir Dexter, even with a hoarse throat, he uttered with encouragement in order to grab everyone''s attention. "10,000 Euros!" "10,000 Euros, anything higher than that?" Sir Dexter questioned. "I''ll pay 20,000 euros!" "20,000 Euros, will anyone raise the price?" "50,000 Euros!" "50,00 Euros, who could utter a higher price?!" The auditorium was silent for a moment with people staring at each other. Clearly, Cypress wasn''t interested in the chandelier for he has dozens of them back in the attic of his house. Another one will only take-up more storage space. "Sold! Sold for 50,000 Euros to the lady with a victorian hat." Sir Dexter whacked the hammer unto the wooden pad, as he proclaims the final price. Only two items remain, and everyone is starting to get pressured by not only the time, but also by the limited amount of antiques. "We shall now proceed to the second item! Behold, feast your eyes on this wooden music box crafted from the early eighteenth century. So far, it is still proficient to use despite its worn-out body." Sir Dexter encouraged as the melody of the music box played. Soothing and gentle, the melody is, it was able to touch everyone''s heart. "I''ll pay 500 Euros!" "500 Euros, anyone going higher than 500?" "800 Euros!" "800 Euros, is there anyone who is willing to compete with the given price?" "Me! I''ll definitely pay a total of 2,000 Euros!" "2,000! That is such a high price, will anyone be willing to exceed the given price?" "3,000 Euros!" "Anyone going higher than 3,000?" Sir Dexter questioned. The auditorium filled in with silence once more. Going above the given price is too much for their pockets to bear. Once again, Cypress wasn''t interested in the music box. He stayed loyal to the music box his wife offered to him before dying on a hospital bed. It was due to a tragic event that Cypress tried to forget, and by hearing the melody of the music box from the auction, his memories he had with his wife came flashing back to him. "Alright sold! Sold to the man wearing a yellow scarf." Sir Dexter whacked the wooden hammer once more, proclaiming the final price. "As for the final antique... this one will surely turn tranquility into conflict. Feast your eyes on one of the Earth''s oldest chess set. Yes, this was used during the golden eras, and even up till now, it is still in good condition. The pieces may have scars and dust, but this can be easily undone with the use of paint and wax. Alright people, throw me some prices!" Sir Dexter encouraged, as he opens the auction for the last item. During these kinds of times, everyone''s greed starts to show off, as they battle with wealth and fortune. "10, 000 euros!" "10,000 euros! Anyone willing to go higher than the given price?" "I''ll pay 30,000 Euros!" "Woah, that price sure is high! Will anyone be willing to exceed that price?" For another moment, everybody was lulled. They looked upon each other, wondering who would dare to compete against the price. Meanwhile on Sir Dexter''s mind, the ten-second countdown begins to tick. Once it hits zero, the chess set would be finally sold to the man with a red bowtie. "Anyone?" Sir Dexter questioned one last time, as his hammer slowly descends to the wooden pad. "I''ll pay 50,000 Euros!" Cypress raised his hand while beaming with full exuberance. Sweat drooled down, wishing that no one would dare to compete. "50,000 Euros, will anyone compete with that price?" Sir Dexter questioned with eyes glancing on the crowd. The timer has ticked one last time, until its ninth symphony has been played. "Alright then! Sold to Mr.Cypress." Sir Dexter proclaimed, as he whacks the hammer unto the wooden pad. A collector like Cypress is known by countless auctioneers, and of one of those is no other than Sir Dexter Lucre. For almost a decade, Cypress has attended countless auctions hosted by the billionaire himself. Just by hearing the proclamation, Cypress''s heart erupted with euphoria and ecstasy. His body couldn''t resist the urge to have a touch and a full glimpse of the said chess set. He can''t wait to tell his beloved son about the news... 3 03| Chess Quartz Vermillion, a man of knowledge and skill despite being an unemployed middle-aged man. He is also a compassionate person who somehow has no desire on applying for a job yet. Aside from his bookworm nature, Quartz is also fond of playing the Piccolo. A fine woodwind instrument with half the size of an ordinary flute. This instrument was given by his father when he had the age of eight. His father always told him, that the Piccolo he loves to play, belongs to his deceased mother. The young man only has limited information about his deceased mother. Her body was taken by death due to a rare genetic disease. Quartz, however, was only two months old during that time. Quartz''s only reference to his mother is through pictures and descriptions told by his father. Once the blanket of twilight has arrived, with the gargantuan moon ever glowing, Quartz would step outside his balcony, with eyes glancing on the night sky. Solemnly, he would play the Piccolo and join nature''s orchestra. "Whenever you feel alone, scared, or even troubled, just look to the stars and play a song. Your mother will always be there to hear your melody, and she will listen to you with her dearest heart." This was his father''s instruction, which sparked Quartz''s likeness to the Piccolo his father gave. Every night, the young man would play a song, hoping that his mother would listen to the melody. He believes that no matter what, his mother will always be beside him, hugging him tightly through the storm. Some neighbors would even stay awake just to hear the young man''s masterpiece, truly remarkable and truly fervent. On rare occasions, tears would trickle down Quartz''s eyes, as his song yearns for his mother''s loss. Three hours have passed, and his father arrives at his abode with the notable chess set on his grasp. He couldn''t wait to surprise his son with the gift he bought. His intellect could grow profoundly with the boardgame his father bought. Proud and delighted his father is, to see that his son has already eaten his breakfast. Just from the door, he could hear the melody of the Piccolo, gushing to his heart. Just like every other normal day, Quartz is practicing his instrument again. Steadily, Cypress knocks on Quartz''s door, while holding the wooden box on his hand. "Come in." The young man pauses his practice for a while, and responds to his father''s knock. "Ah, practicing your flute aren''t ya my boy? Before I left, I have promised you a gift, and here I have it now on my grasp." Cypress utters with an exuberant tone as he sits beside his son on the plain white bed. "A gift? What kind of gift father?" Quartz places the flute beside him as his mind grows curious about the wooden box his father was holding. "Ah! A game which suites men like you. A game of triumph and victory, a game for kings and queens. This my boy is Chess." Cypress exclaims and places the box on the young man''s lap. Quartz''s eyes gaze over the dusty wooden box, but he didn''t seem interested in the game. "Father, you do know that I am not fond of playing boardgames right?" "Of course, you are my son, I know everything about you, but this game will surely stimulate your intellect. You are a man who is interested in wars and sieges which happened back in the golden eras of our city. Now, you can recreate those wars and sieges with this game." "Father, I don''t even have an opponent." "The best opponent is always yourself. In that way, you can become a Grand Chess player in no time. I am busy, so my time to challenge you may only be limited." Cypress utters then pats the young man''s shoulders with ecstasy and encouragement. Quartz however is still not interested in the game. As long as its a board game, it is considered as lackluster to him and Chess is no exception. He smiles back at his father for he didn''t want to hurt his feelings. Suddenly, a knock from the house doors interrupts the both of them. The knock is rambunctious and boisterous, as if someone is eager to enter the house. "I''ll open the door." Quartz volunteers to open the door, stands up from his bed, and places the Chess Set on the wooden desk beside his rustic closet. He dashes down the stairs, with a curious mind. He wonders who could be knocking on the doors of his house? And why would they knock in the first place? The father on the other hand smiles with bliss as he stares at the portrait of his wife. The knocking on the door continues rambunctiously, causing a buzzing annoyance on Quartz''s sanity as he walks down the stairs as fast as he could. "Oh... It''s you." He opens the squeaky door with an expressionless face only to be greeted by one of his neighbors, Alice Violet. She has crimson eyes, ebony hair, and a fair skin tone. She is a high-spirited young woman with a very rambunctious nature despite being a professional when it comes to Chemistry and Biology. Alice and Quartz are friends since the day she has moved to their neighborhood, they are indeed polar opposites which constructs a good dynamic. Quartz may feel annoyed or cranky at times when Alice''s rambunctious attitude exceeds his threshold. Conflict may sometimes arise between them, but forgiveness will always be there to stitch things up back to the way they were. "Have you heard? There''s a student movement just outside the village." Alice Violet utters while gasping for air. "I know. It''s all over the newspaper, and if you''re planning to ask me to come and attend the movement, I''m not going." Quartz utters and slowly closes the door at the same time. "Of course not, unless you don''t know the meaning of ''Student'' movement." Just before the door shuts, Alice places her foot in between, serving as a lump. "Oh Alice, have you delivered the letters I''ve sent to your father?" Cypress interrupts after seeing the young woman from the door. "Yes, Mr.Cypress, my father is happy to receive them. In fact, he actually asked me to give you this response letter." Alice replies with a stunning smile then hands out the letter to Quartz''s father. "Ah! Finally, I''ve been waiting for a week just to receive your father''s response letter. Oh, and do you mind if you stay a bit longer?" Cypress''s body burst forth with nothing but ecstasy after grabbing the letter from Alice''s grasp. "A bit longer, what for father?" Quartz tilts to his father, then queries. "Since you are a novice when it comes to Chess, I was wondering... maybe Alice could teach you some tips up her sleeves," Cypress suggests. "What?! I am not in need of any help. I am certain that I can learn the game by myself just like how I self-thought myself to play the Piccolo." Quartz complains with a frown on his face. "I''ll be glad to teach your son, Mr. Cypress!" Alice interrupts with a blissful smile as she enters their house. Quartz wasn''t happy with his father''s decision, it was his first time to disagree with his father''s idea. The young man had no choice though, but to follow his father''s instruction. All the time he has saved for reading history books will now be wasted on a board game tutorial. "I am not a profound Chess player, but my father thought me how to play." Inside Quartz''s bedroom is where both played a simple game of Chess. Quartz is in fact, an amateur on this game. The only thing he could do is to entertain his mind while listening to Alice''s boring lectures and tutorials. "This is the pawn, a chess piece of the smallest size and value. A pawn moves one square forward along its file if unobstructed, or two on the first move, or perhaps one square diagonally forward when making a capture. The rook is a piece in the game of chess resembling a castle. Formerly the piece was called the tower, marquess, rector, and comes. The term castle is however considered informal, incorrect, or old-fashioned. Each player starts the game with two rooks, one on each of the corner squares on their own side of the board. It moves in a horizontal and vertical direction. The knight is a piece in the game of chess, representing a knight. It is normally represented by a horse''s head and neck. Each player starts with two knights, which begin on the row closest to the player, between the rooks and bishops. It moves and captures in an L-shape direction. The bishop is a piece in the game of chess. Each player begins the game with two bishops. One starts between the king''s knight and the king, the other between the queen''s knight and the queen. It moves and captures in a diagonal direction. The Queen, it is the strongest piece out of all the pawns and officials. It can move diagonally, horizontally, or even vertically. And lastly the King. It is the most important piece of the game. Once the king has been trapped by the foe''s officials, then checkmate is proclaimed. Once the pawn reaches the other end of the board, it can transform into anything it wishes to be. In Chess, even the tiniest of men can become the bravest of souls. All it needs is the courage to overcome anything which dares to oppose it during its journey to the other side. Let''s play one game shall we?" Alice Violet explains and illustrates every basic instruction for beginners like Quartz. "I''m sorry, but I am not fond of this game, nor did I understand anything at all." Quartz rolls his eyes and utters with a sarcastic tone. "How disappointing. Bookworms like you should have profound understanding skills, unless... the bookworm I''m talking to is lazy." Alice giggles and teases as she sets up the board. With a little persuasion, Quartz has finally accepted her challenge with no intentions of winning or whatsoever. A simple game, without the use of a Chess Clock. Both of them are in control over the two colors, black and white. Quartz shall represent the white, while Alice shall represent the black. In Chess, it is a rule for the white to move first. The game continues for more than ten minutes already, and it seems that Quartz is heading to a tight place. Due to the exchange in the center, White is in a difficult situation. Black has a comfortable situation against the isolated pawn. White places his rook on the c8 tile, the usual in this situation, waiting for the opponent to make a move with his queen. Was this the right move? White thinks for a moment. He then realizes he would need to move the rook to the b5 tile for when he would need to revert back to the Carlsbad structure. After another exchange, Quartz''s place is a lot more difficult, and his opponent''s more comfortable. Black moves Rook to c4 This move is the usual counter in situations like this and Alice expects Quartz to move his queen in response. Had she made the right move? Black moves his pawn from f4 to f5 Quartz bites his lip. He should have moved the rook to B1 instead, but he''d lose a chance to move his knight into a more protective position. [Note: This is all randomly made up, so it is not necessary to actually record their notations on a chessboard.] "Hmm, checkmate!" Alice declares with joy. "Of course you won. I didn''t know what I was doing anyway." Quartz rolls his eyes once more then stares at either his books or his Piccolo. "That game wasn''t too bad. Did you know that the game we played has the Carlsbad structure involved? Structures and openings helps in developing officials and pieces. Anyways, I''ll be going to the bathroom first. Set up the board, let''s play for one last time." Alice stands up from the mattress and heads out of the room. Being Quartz''s only friend, she is quite fond of visiting him and thus knows every room in his house. As Alice takes her bathroom break, Quartz tries to set up the board according to how his friend has done it before the first match commenced. "Ok Quartz, its just one more game. You can do this right? The lackluster will end any moment now." Quartz utters with encouragement while trying to keep himself calm over the boredom aroma circulating the room. Quartz is finally fed up from waiting for Alice in the bathroom. He decides to move a pawn forward and that''s when unexpected things start to happen. "What the?!" Quartz''s mind is in sudden shock after seeing the black side respond. After moving his pawn from c2 to c4, black responds with the King''s Indian defense mechanism. No one is there, but how could someone move the piece suddenly? He rubs his eyes and responds by moving his knight, and once more the black responds without anyone playing with him unless that "anyone" is a ghost. Things start to become more paranormal when the white pieces respond at their own. Both black and white played together without the assistance of any human at all. Could this be the effect of two proficient ghost battling against each other? Or is it something entirely different? Quartz has no choice but to glance at the lifeless siege... 4 04| Whereabouts Pawns charges forth, Rooks bashes through the battlefield, and the Knights start to gallop. Quartz is left with a terrorized expression by such paranormal occasion. As a history enthusiast, he continues to glance at the lifeless siege. It reminds him of the wars and conflicts which once shook his motherland. Deep inside, his curiosity about the strange occurrence accumulated. Due to his curiosity, the young man flinches and hesitates to tell his father about this. He waits patiently for Alice to return, while imagining the lifeless siege as a war fought between Christians and Muslims, or perhaps in other terms, Crusades. "What the?!" Quartz suddenly questions himself with a voice flowing like water oscillation. The transcendental Chess Set then hurdles his senses. The clashing of swords, the galloping of horses, and the screams of fear and war itself shrouds his ear. The sound of blood spilling through scars, and the abrupt noise of crumbling towers added a pinch of drama to the incomprehensible orchestra circulating throughout his ears. The young man starts to feel nauseous and squeamish pain flowing through his vessels as the operetta of war and terror clashes forth upon his eardrums. Circumstances start to intensify as a blinding light burst upon his pupils. Quartz suddenly takes on a pale look, as if he''d been painted with white-wash and even his lips are barely there. Then with one step backward he puckers like a puppet suddenly released from their strings. His body then falls unto the Chess Set, causing an abrupt interruption to the game. Every piece ceased to work, as if a ghost has proclaimed a checkmate over the other. Silence and lull swathes Quartz''s mind. His senses disperses into thin air like a fog evaporating from sight. Time somehow becomes different, for whatever seems fast now seems stagnant. Silence continues to disseminate, and its duration prevailed unknown. His senses, however, commences with a brittle mood. "Ouch..." Quartz''s consciousness slaps his face resulting in an unbearable headache. His pupils twitches and his nostrils scents an odd aroma. The young man found himself leaning across a wall in an unfamiliar and foul place. He tilts his head above, and sees the light seeping in through an arc-shaped window. He turns his head to the left and sees sturdy yet rustic iron bars. Quartz takes a glance at his bare hands and sees heavy handcuffs attached to it. His body looks filthy, as if he was dragged on oozing mud and silt. "Where am I?" The young man wonders with a jagged throat. His head feels somewhat nauseous yet it withers away from time to time. Quartz takes a peek on the outskirts of the room he is in. He sees identical ones, with bars as thick as his. That''s when he realized he was somehow sent to a prison cell. This prison cell, however, seems unrealistic and utopian. It looks like a prison from the early 14th or 15th century, the intervals of kings and queens. Quartz begins to panic for the last time he checked, he never did anything wrong nor did he ever intend to do something against his motherland''s amendments. He then peeks unto the window, and sees nothing but buzzing public noises, jagged brick roads, and an immense amount of footsteps. Quartz concludes that the prison is somewhat a sewer converted into a detainment area. Quartz''s mind couldn''t resist the urge to throw out questions to his fellow inmates. The surroundings bewilders him for he isn''t familiar with the era and period. "What happened to humanity''s proficient findings on modern technology?" He thought to himself. "Did the wheels of time revolve backward, to an era when kings and queens roamed the land?" He adds unto his curious mind. "Not from around here aren''t ya? From which city or town do you belong to?" One of his inmates with a very long beard and prestigious eyes surveys him while leaning across the cell walls. "I''m from Rome, and can you tell me where I am?" Quartz questions with a bewildered voice. Despite having handcuffs his hand clenches unto the iron bars, trying earnestly to escape. "Rome? Where in the world is that? Quit it, you''ll never escape this prison. No matter how much you spend your effort on that bloody bars, you''ll never make it out alive, not to mention the king''s brave knights." "What do you mean by knights and kings? Where exactly am I?" Quartz questions with a fast-paced heart. His sanity intensifies, a sanity filled with nothing but unanswered questions. 5 05| Bravehear The young man''s mind is still a surging perplexity. His face wears a puzzled expression, and his gentle characteristic turns into a panicking one. He darts through the window, searching for at least a significant clue to his sudden awakening. Quartz yelps for help, but no one seems to answer his distress call. "Impossible..." Quartz thought with awe to himself. He heard the noises of galloping horses, bartenders buzzing out prices, and sees tens of thousands of feet wearing old fashioned shoes. "Hey, what year is it?" The young man clenches his fists to the iron bars once again. He continues to ask his inmate about the period, but the inmate''s reaction was immense. He thought of the young man as a dull and crazy person with a memory disorder, but little does the inmate know that he''s not from their world. "It''s the nine hundredth year. Have you been hibernating?" The inmate teases sarcastically. He gives the young man a suspicious look, and his eyes try to observe Quartz''s pupils. "Please be more specific. What do you mean by nine hundredth year? Do you know Jesus Christ?" Quartz tries to use his profound history skills. By simply asking the inmate if he knows who Jesus Christ is, the young man could figure the era he''s in. Before Christ or Anno Domini which means the year of our lord? "Who in the bloody hell is that?" The inmate queries with squinted eyes, showing a very unfamiliar expression. "You speak English? So is this England? Or perhaps Britain?" Quartz surveys again in hopes to figure out his current locale. As a history enthusiast, he is fond of using the co?rdinate system. "England? Britain? Never heard of those before. If you''re not from around here, welcome to the Pureheart kingdom." The inmate greets, yet with a sarcastic tone. "Pureheart? Now that''s a new one on me." The young man utters softly without asking further more questions. He then sits on the corner of the cell, trying to control the anxious sensation. "It''s just a dream... you''re going to wake up soon, come on Quartz, wake up." He encourages himself to the point he tries to slam his face harshly unto the brick wall. Once gentleness turns into panic, Quartz tends to do things without thinking. As he mourns for his painful headache, the abrupt squeaking of rustic gates suddenly catches his attention. The sensation of footsteps and the clashing of metals creaks unto his ears. "Who are you? And where did you come from?" The voice of a middle-aged woman utters to him. She has blonde hair which twinkles brilliantly, her eyes are painted with the color of cerulean seas, while her skin complexion is fair and decent. The middle-aged woman wears a very engaging armor. Quartz''s attention is then grabbed not because of her beauty but because of her very unreasonable taste of old-fashioned clothing. "My name is Quartz Vermillion, and I''m from Rome. I want to know where I am, and how I got here." The young man introduces while keeping eye contact with the woman''s eyes. "Rome? I''ve never heard of such place before. Where in the sixty-four cities or towns of Sacchi do you belong to?" The woman with black lustered armor questions with suspicion towards the young man. "Sacchi? Impossible... I''ve heard of that name before, but I couldn''t remember where. How did I even get here?" Quartz questions to himself. He grates his hair, as the intensity and tension of confusion surpasses his limits. "You were found in the middle of a siege laying unconscious unto lush grass. You should be thankful that I was able to get you out of there. My name is Jupiter Braveheart, I am the daughter of the king and queen of the Pureheart kingdom. Does this weapon belong to you?" Finally, the woman''s name debutes. Jupiter Braveheart, it reminds Quartz about a king from the European countries. Upon Jupiter''s grasp is no other than Quartz''s Piccolo. She seems curious about the weapon, but in return Quartz''s mind is baffled. If he is not mistaken, flutes such as the Piccolo are created during these kinds of eras. "That is not a weapon, it''s an instrument. Can you please tell me how I was sent here? And what do you mean by siege?" Quartz questions further. "I am sorry, but I can no longer entertain those questions. You are a prisoner of our kingdom. Do not worry, you will be fed three times a day, and the food here is luscious. Dare to escape, and you will face me and my family''s army. Trust me, you do not want to get yourself involved with the current situations of Sacchi. I will be going now. I''ll keep this weapon, in case you plan to use it against the will of my father and my ancestors." Jupiter greets and left the young man with a mind filled with curiosity. Although as she walks away from Quartz, Jupiter begins to wonder why a young man like him knows nothing about Sacchi and its sixty-four cities or towns. "Sacchi? Is that your country''s name?" Quartz consults the inmate one last time. The inmate responds with a vicious nod for his annoyed spirit surpasses his limits Quartz still has a plethora of unanswered questions, and the more he seeks for an answer, the more questions appear. There is still a lot to learn about this new world. 6 06| Strategy The trees surround the caste like great armies defending their citadel. Their armored trunks reach out in the air protectively. This great expanse of green enhances the castles eerieness and beauty as its portcullis made out of hard iron guards the passage. Sentinels silently walked the walls with wide eyes. The circle towers have a spiraling staircase. The staircase made it awkward for invaders to fight upwards. The steps are also uneven so the defenders have an advantage. Great mighty pride trebuchets stands with legs on towers ready to unleash their hinged fury. The grey stone seems eerie in the night as it enhances its beauty with the radiant moon shining down guiding it by its face. The vault draws the attention as turrets take root and grew like trees. On the throne room of Pureheart''s grandest fortress lies no other than the king and his queen. Scattered upon the corners of the throne room were guards and officials wielding swords or perhaps daggers for the untrained ones. Darkness seals the noise, except for the commotion happening inside such benign fortress. "Your majesty, every day is another blood wasted. If we don''t react immediately, then Witherstone will soon occupy our motherland!" Admiral Brook complains sarcastically. He is one of the king''s officials, famous for his strategic mind during warfare. His white eloquent mustache brings terror to one''s eyes while his sword on the other hand is filled with the smudges of blood acquired from countless men. "My compadre, I am doing whatever I can to defend our motherland. Please bear in mind, I am aware of the threat succumbing Scacchi. We will still continue my father''s plan." Felix Braveheart, the king of the Pureheart Kingdom, utters with stress and pressure. His eyes are painted with blood, and his sword was forged under the finest flames. "My king, why do you still insist to do your father''s proposal? The former king is dead, you should make your own decisions for the sake of the kingdom and the whole motherland. My men have scoured ten territories, yet all of them died under the hands of the opposing enemy." Sir Efron, another high-ranking officer the king, then pledges his opinions towards his majesty. He is a serious and loyal gentleman of the royal family. Commotion rages upon the throne room. The clash of ideas and opinions forges a battle between the hierarchy of the kingdom. The sentinels, however, has no choice but to stand in their post while watching the king and his men fight for the perfect decision. As the commotion bewilders, the daughter of the king and queen enters the throne room and gathers everyone''s attention. "Father, the prisoner says he is of Rome. I have not heard of such a state before nor have I visited one. The man must be a liar, and probably one of Vladimir Witherstone''s pawn." Jupiter kneels down before his father as she pertains to the young man. "Impossible, if what you say is true, then why does the young man look exactly like us? He does not have the physique of beasts and varmints, nor does he even sound like one." The king doubts his daughter. "May I speak, your majesty?" An old and man comes forth with a long staff on his right hand. His beard is not of Earth for it reaches the pristine floors of the fortress. The man''s eyes speak of nothing but wisdom and knowledge, he is Balthasar Bluemagic, another yet odd official of the hierarchy. The king nods his head and permits the old man to speak. "If the current situation we are facing today is the absence and scarcity of men, may I suggest that we use prisoners as our soldiers? Any men with either good or bad traits can be converted into a wise soul." Balthasar Bluemagic pledges his opinion and slowly walks to the king. "Abuelo, you have my respect but the use of prisoners may cause internal conflict to our plans. It is uncertain to tell who among us is the sheep wearing a fake wool." The king disagrees in a respectful manner. He is not a man of arrogance but rather, a man of humility and kindness. "Your Majesty, if we lose the war then all your father''s hard work will wither away. If Vladimir''s men capture more states... this will be the end of our regime, or perhaps should I say, checkmate? The black sheep cannot hide himself for his attitude will always be different from the rest of us. If you don''t mind, I wish to speak to the abrupt prisoner who randomly appeared between a siege." Balthasar utters with a hoarse throat. "Your Majesty, what shall be your bidding? All of us submit to your command. The war will end soon, that''s if we don''t make another blunder." Sir Efron kneels before the king, with one of his hand placed upon his chest. With respect and loyalty, he utters with sincerity. The rest of the king''s officials including his daughter, kneels unto him, earnestly waiting for an answer. "As the current king of the kingdom, I vow to protect our people. Do what Balthasar bids, and bring the young man to him early in the morning. As for the lack of soldiers, I hereby proclaim to use the other prisoners. The faith of the kingdom and our motherland, falls under our hands. Vladimir, will soon meet his demise." Felix Braveheart declares openly amongst all of them. Some of his officials didn''t seem pleased with the king''s orders especially Admiral Brook. They have no choice but to follow his orders, for he is the king after all. 7 07| Balthasar The cold that seems mild at first now numbs his face and extremities. The residual heat he had absorbed in his cell is now gone, for it has been his buffer, but unwittingly the young man squanders it believing his jagged clothing is equal to the task of preserving his body heat. With each breath, more heat rises in puffs of white vapor, with each gust of the wind entering the arc-shaped window more heat dissipates into the abyss of twilight. The biting cold chills his fingers into clumsy numbness, the cold seeps into his toes and spread painfully throughout his feet as if it is his bare feet on a pristine icy whiteness rather than lush grass. His lips then turn into a more blueish hue and his teeth chatters like a pneumatic drill. Quartz couldn''t do anything but to bear the frost. It is a tremendous night for a young man who abruptly woke up on an unfamiliar locale. Minutes turn into hours, and the sleepless night finally disperses. Steadily, the shadows and silhouettes return to their abode as the sun''s galore twinkles fervently across the azure skies. The color of snow painted upon his face slowly deteriorates thanks to the light begotten by the sun. His blood flows with ease, and the tensions on his veins finally loosens. "Wake up." Jupiter''s sudden voice seeps through Quartz''s cell, causing Quartz to enter an unexpected shock. "Proceed to the public bathhouse immediately and cleanse yourself. Father does not want any filthy rags walking around his palace." Jupiter instructs with an authoritarian voice. She unlocks the bars, and finally set Quartz free momentarily. The other prisoners are in shock and a pinch of jealousy shrouds them because of the actions of the princess. "It would be more pleasing to me if you would answer my questions. I am in a crazed state, and the only thing I can do is to yearn for my father, my friend, and my home." Quartz utters with a drowsy tone. His eyes twitch, causing his sight to become blurry at times. "The answers you seek for is with the man you will meet today. Both of you have similarities and resemblances. Now go and clean up, I still have to talk with these other prisoners, they''ll be handy in case another siege commences." The young man didn''t dare to ask more questions for he knows that the princess wouldn''t answer him. He proceeds outside the prison walls only to be met with more bewildering sceneries. Old-fashioned people of the golden era, stables used as storage for barrels, and dozens of children walking upon the brick road, ever-fiddling with one another. Not even a single object belonging to his real era could be found. He lays low, trying to avoid eye contact with the crowd. Every single one of them looks at Quartz with a very unusual face. His clothing is extremely different from what the people are wearing. The kingdom is a maze of narrow winding streets, as complex as the heart. The streets are the veins, paved with ebony red stones, and the people are the blood. For men like Quartz, navigating is a breeze, as long as there are appropriate signages. Once Quartz has arrived at the bathhouse, his eyes immediately marvel unto the tall pillars, abstract monuments, and of course, pristine cerulean waters. He notices how filthy he looks after his own reflection portrayed him by glancing at the water. Quartz takes a step into the pool, the water is cold and frigid. Steadily his body shivers, following the movement of the water currents. With all his stamina, he tries to resist the frost, trying earnestly to clean off his filth. He cleans his apparel and dries it afterward. It is the only clothing that came with him upon his arrival on a world he isn''t familiar with. "What are you wearing?" Jupiter questions. Both of them met each other once more at the central plaza of the kingdom. "I am certain that the people of my era would ask the same question if you were the one sent into an era you''re quite unfamiliar with." The young man utters with an expressionless face. "Fine. Anyways, just follow my lead. Don''t negotiate with the people around you since I''m sure you haven''t met them before." Jupiter instructs. The two of them then ambles to one of the fortress''s tallest tower. The tower rose as a might oak upon the concrete knoll. It is the most sincere of greys, with a deep slate-blue gradient. Every brick of that tower had been placed by the worker''s hands forging a perfect cylinder. It rose as a strong stem of a plant, one from good rich soil. "Sir Balthasar Bluemagic, the prisoner is with me." Jupiter knocks unto the wooden door on the very tip of the tower. Her voice seeps through the keyhole, catching the attention of the strange old man. "Ah, sorry to keep you waiting. Good morning young gentleman, welcome to my abode." Balthasar opens the wooden doors, emitting a squeaky irritation. "My business here is done, proceed to the main fortress once you''re done here," Jupiter instructs. She walks down the staircase, leaving the young man and the peculiar old owner on the pinnacle of the tower. Quartz is left speechless and stagnant. His body flinches due to the old man''s peculiar look. The young man tries his best to avoid contact with his long beard. Quartz suspects Balthasar Bluemagic as a man with an age higher than a hundred... 8 08| Legend The young man enters Balthasar''s abode as the wooden floor screeches intensely. His eyes are blinded with awe yet his sanity beams with dozens of questions. Above the old man''s galore is a hanging chandelier filled with silky cobwebs. The candles burn luminously, ever-extending its warmest hue. On the sides of Balthasar''s abode are rows of cylinder-shaped bookshelf filled with parched novels and books. From the upper corner, a bird of prey dashes an inch away from the young man''s hair. It lands on Balthasar''s wooden yet bizarre-looking staff. "Deepest apology, this is Axis, and she''s not quite fond of having strangers around here," Balthasar utters with a hoarse throat as his barren hands tickles the owl''s chin. Axis is known to be Balthasar''s pet. Her wings are painted with the hues of winter, and her eyes are apparently gargantuan. She glances at Quartz with a peculiar look, just like a connoisseur evaluating a suspect. "She''s an owl," Quartz utters with a heavy breath. "You are indeed correct young man. Axis has been by my side for almost thirty years. She may be observant at times, but don''t worry she doesn''t bite." Balthasar alleviates. "So, you were found in the middle of a siege? How peculiar for the same scenario has happened to me eighty years ago?" Balthasar walks closer to Quartz. He stares unto his pupils, trying to observe his hidden soul. Quartz then flinches in response. "S... same scenario?" Quartz''s voice stutters as a small sweat plummets down his face "I am not of this world young man, for I too, am of Earth. I have not formally introduced myself haven''t I? My name is Balthasar Bluemagic, some may refer to me as a wizard while some may refer to me as a wise old man." "Earth?! Yes, so that means you know where Rome is right?" Quartz beams with relief and eagerness to return back to his homeland. "Of course, but I''d rather not pour any more details about our world into this one. Returning back to Rome is like finding a place which never exists. Both of us are sent here for a purpose, and every purpose has its rewards in the end." Balthasar mutters unto the young man''s ears. "What do you mean? I''m stuck here forever?! I am still uncertain of how I got here." Quartz exaggerates. "Believe me, both of us are searching for the same answer. Even a wise man like me can''t answer the mysteries behind my own past. It was all because of a Chess Board. Sli Gacchi. My father found it under the depths of the Mediterranean Sea during his expedition. I grew curious about the game, and did things which up to this day I regret doing. I myself, played with a ghost. A lifeless siege slowly harnessing my energy. When I woke up from such traumatic events, I found myself resting inside a glorious room. The king during that time, raised me as his own and thought me many things about their world which in return forged me into a wise old man today. I never told him, I wasn''t part of their world. I am sorry, but I do believe when the war is over, everything will return to normal." Balthasar utters with a solemnity. "War? What do you mean by that? If you are a human, then why do you look like a creature which exceeds the age of one hundred? Gli Sacchi, that name sounds familiar to me by the way." Quartz continues to spew out questions, with eagerness to know the answer behind them. "I believe the system of Sacchi is different from the system of Earth. Here, one hundred years is somewhat equivalent to one year on Earth. I calculated it through my hypothesis. Anyways, about the war. Let me explain to you, how everything started, how the power of one vanished because of mere ideals. Long ago, the people of Sacchi were united as one nation under one sovereign, under one king. This legend is so old, that even I couldn''t remember the name of the king. Now this king has a high reputation for being humble and compassionate to his people, and thus the government and the people were in perfect sync, forging a strong unity. One night, an angel in the form of a red hawk descended unto the King''s balcony carrying a blessing. The angel was astounded by the people''s unity, so she decided to give them a gift worth more than diamonds. The king was given a lustrous orb that exemplifies the power of one and as long as it glows, the people will always live in harmony. One night, the king fell ill, hence he decided to pass his leadership to his eldest son. When the eldest son becomes the new king, he will become in charge of everything, including the orb. However, the younger brother became jealous for he wanted the orb for his own will. This sparked a war between two parties, those who supported the elder brother and those who supported the younger brother. The unity of Sacchi crumbled, and order was destroyed. Both sides fought because of greed over the orb, so the angel decided to punish the people. In the midst of a siege, she descended gracefully and separated the orb into two. The orb of purity went to the elder brother and thus the Pureheart kingdom was born. The orb of Wither, went to the younger brother and thus the Witherheart kingdom was born. The angel however spared mercy to both sides, and gave an opportunity for unity to rise again. "Disturb not the harmony of these sacred land lest these two titans wreck destruction upon the world in which they clash. Though the Sacchi''s Great Guardian shall arise to quell the fighting alone its song will fail. Thus the land shall turn to dust. O, Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all treasures. Their unity combined tame the beast of chaos and restore the power of one." These are the words uttered by the angel herself. Months turned into years, and many kings misinterpreted the angel''s statement. Both sides tried to claim each other''s orb for the kingdom which combines both orbs rules the whole land under one leadership." Balthasar explains while reading an old parched velvet book. The young man is left with astonishment by the history of this land. Things started to seem clear, and his bewildered mind finally settles. What caught Quartz''s attention the most was the prophecy uttered by the angel, he couldn''t do anything but to think of it all over again. "Disturb not the harmony of these sacred land lest these two titans wreck destruction upon the world in which they clash. Though the Sacchi''s Great Guardian shall arise to quell the fighting alone its song will fail. Thus the land shall turn to dust. O, Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all treasures. Their unity combined tame the beast of chaos and restore the power of one" He utters to his mind. As a history enthusiast, he is quite fond of reading prophecies or folklore of the golden eras. Their key back to Earth still remains a mystery to uncover. 9 9|King "Before you proceed to the king, I want you to wear this," Balthasar instructs while holding what seems to be a medieval outfit forged out of leather. The young man, however, didn''t abide by the wise man. He isn''t used to wearing such medieval fashion during his current and real era. Back at his period, tuxedos and comfortable clothing are widespread. "You have no choice. You cannot spill any details about Earth, not even its apparel and products." Balthasar adds. He insists and encourages Quartz to wear the outfit even if it disagrees with the young man''s sense of fashion. With a little persuasion and influence, Balthasar is finally able to convince Quartz. However, he isn''t happy to wear the outfit. Long leather boots cover his legs, while the gloves serve as a protection for his hands. The chest plate is also made out of mere leather which only gave the young man a decent armor. Quartz looks at the mirror with an expressionless face, wanting to wear his old outfit again. Before Quartz left, he asks the wise man one more question. "How are you able to become wiser than a human being? How can a human being like you harness the power of sorcery and witchcraft?" "Young man, you have no idea what''s possible. Remember, this is their world, not ours. Run along now, for I will be here doing my respective task, and perhaps find the key to our return." Balthasar mutters unto the young man''s ear. The old man seems very suspicious yet Quartz thought to his mind, how can an old man be suspicious? Without another moment to lose, the young man proceeds to the main gates of the fortress. To his surprise, the guards let him through, as if the king knows about his arrival. As he enters the gate, Quartz''s eyes marvel upon the guards. Each of them has their own respective task. Some are archers, or perhaps in other terms, long-ranged men. They are in charge of shooting enemies from afar with the help of their keen eyes. Eyes which are probably sharper than those of an eagle. Aside from the archers, there are infantries patrolling the fortress. Their swords are quite shorter than those of a knight. Do not deceive them, however, for they can take down an ogre with a slash in the heart. Yes, according to the old man himself, there are creatures living in this world that are very unfamiliar to human beings. Aside from the infantries, there are trebuchets and a whole plethora of catapults. Each category works together in a delicate balance known as the power of one. The power of one refers to the power unity upholds. Alone men can do so little, but when there is unity, there is strength. This is the concept the people of Sacchi believe in. Unity can illuminate the whole world. Quartz proceeds with caution towards the majesty''s throne room. Unsure of his directions, he asks for assistance from guards standing still on their post. At first, he thought that the guards were nothing but statues. He was shocked however after hearing a response from a guard. The guard then leads him to the golden doors of the king''s throne. In fact, he could hear the princess and the king talking with each other. His heart starts to pound louder and his confidence hides at the bottom of his chambers. What seems to be thirty degrees Celsius, feels like nineteen degrees Celsius to him. The sensation of loudness shrouds his mind with sweat oozing down his face. In front of the door, he prepares to knock. Even the guard encourages him to do so yet anxiety pulls Quartz back. His body starts to tremble as he finally makes the first knock. Unexpectedly, the doors open right away. Two sentries opened the doors for him and now the young man is left with nothing except for everyone''s attention. The king, the queen, and the princess. All of them turned their heads at him. Quartz responds with the choking of saliva. He proceeds with a shaking body, trying to keep eye contact with the king and his royal family. "Young man, your name is Quartz Vermillion am I correct?" The king questions with his Spanish accent. The young man nods his head. He hesitates to speak and tries to be as cautious as possible. "I see the eyes of a coward. There is nothing to be afraid of." The queen reassures. Avery Evergreen, the queen of the Pureheart Kingdom. Her eyes are pristine gold, and her complexion is fair and decent. The queen''s statement however didn''t bring comfortability to the young man''s eyes. "Father, this is the young man I was talking about. He randomly appeared in the middle of a siege, just like what happened to Balthasar Bluemagic." Princess Jupiter adds. "The Piccolo, you said it is a kind of instrument. Tell me, where did you find such a rare instrument?" The king questions while holding the young man''s woodwind flute. Quartz didn''t know what to respond with for Balthasar''s instructions remain deeply rooted in his mind. He looks around his surroundings and sees a wide map of the country. "Young man, I am over here." The king gathers his attention once more. Quartz then tilts his head back to Felix but this time, he has made the perfect excuse. "I got it from a place far away. Somewhere in the northern reaches of the country." Quartz excuses with a trembling voice. The princess however wasn''t satisfied with his answer. "The northern reaches? That site belongs to the enemy. Father, I believe that this man is lying." The princess objects. Quartz perspires even harder than before. His hands are now filled with nothing but sweat. He waits patiently for a response from the king. "Well, if you want to keep it secret then it''s fine with me. You can have your ''instrument'' back." The king proclaims as he tosses the Piccolo to the young man''s hands. Quartz felt relief, but the princess seems to be infuriated at him for telling an obvious lie that her father couldn''t see. "Quartz Vermillion, starting from now on you will become one of my men." The king proclaims. His voice trembles and echoes throughout the room. "...Which means you will be working for the people of Pureheart. You will fight." Jupiter clarifies. For Quartz, he didn''t like the idea of the royal family. He doesn''t want to die with a mere age of twenty and above. Quartz has yet to accomplish back on Earth. "You cannot resist my orders for I am the king. Men are born to fight, and you are one of them. You can choose from my available options. Number 1, you will fight by my side and I shall set you free once the war is over. You will be free to travel wherever you want or do whatever you wish to do. Number 2, you can choose not to fight, but you will become a prisoner of the kingdom. The choice is yours. Most prisoners chose to fight, what will you do?" The king bargains. Quartz continues to remain silent, thinking about the king''s available options. Option two seems like a sealed fate but in both ways, he''ll soon meet his fate. Either die from malnourishment or die fighting. Both options have the grim waiting in the corner. "Balthasar Bluemagic explained everything. I expect you to be familiar with the orb of purity. I am only asking you to help me defeat the enemy. It may take years, but the results will be priceless." The king utters with encouragement. He then shows the young man his necklace which contains a small lustrous orb. Quartz is left speechless. He then starts to believe the wise man''s statements. The royal family waits for an answer, and finally, Quartz replies with a yes. Indeed death waits in both corners, but beyond those corners is his reputation. Either die as a coward or die as a brave man known by hundreds. Quartz''s decisions brought a smile to the king''s face. The destiny of Pureheart is his to defend. 10 10| Hex The outskirts of Sacchi, a place where carnage dwells within. This is no place for a coward fool. Only the bravest come to prove their strength yet none of them returned. The outskirts aren''t comparable to the deserts of Earth for they are polar opposites. The Sacchi outskirts experience nothing but snow filled with carnage and wrath. It is the type of snow that everyone dreads. It is a silent killer, freezing the hearts of men and women alike except for its dearest compadre, the Witherheart kingdom. The snow is the shield and the kingdom is the sword. Men of the Witherheart kingdom use the devastating hail as a protection. Due to the hail''s thickness, the kingdom of Witherheart is hard to find. Just like what princess Juniper uttered, the outskirts are in the northern reaches of Sacchi. The place where Purity''s opponents settle to gain power. It is certain to one''s eyes that Witherheart may seem stronger and more profound for their allies are not just men but also creatures and beings alike. The administrators of the Kingdom''s hierarchy have better intellectual skills when it comes to strategic planning. Above the hierarchy is the king and queen of the dreaded kingdom. The king''s sword is filled with nothing but the blood of the innocent families he has slaughtered. When there is war, no one is an exception, not even the little generations. If the king serves as the pillar of the kingdom, the queen is the cement. She supports the ambitions of her king even if the ambitions blind her husband. Vladimir Witherstone, a man no one wants to mess with. His skin is as pale as the snow, and his eyes are painted with a pristine blue pigment. Truly, the king speaks with a gentle tone but never deceive him for once patience runs out, gentleness turns into abrupt anger. Erica Forlorn, the queen and wife of the king. Her eyes and complexion match the king''s hues. Her hair however is darker than dusk. She is highly respected by the king and the hierarchy of the kingdom. Now these two belong to a specie similar to wolves and predators. They are not werewolves for they don''t transform, they are not vampires for they do not desire for blood. Both the king and queen belong to a specie called Hex. They look identical to humans as well except for the fact that their jaws are filled with the fangs of serpents. They do not have thirst for blood, for these species crave raw flesh just like wolves. Anything that has proteins are theirs for the taking. They do not transform into anything, making it harder to identify them especially with their mouths sealed. Hexes are also fond of eating fruits and vegetables. In fact, they are not sensitive to garlic but they prefer not to eat it. The proteins gained by consuming the flesh of another being are stored deep in their chasms. These proteins are converted into energy, which then replaces a worn-out body part or perhaps an organ. This is what makes the king and queen quite unstoppable for not even the piercing of hearts can knock them dead. Only in a matter of seconds can their bodies regenerate, making them similar to immortals but not quite. Without protein, they won''t have the energy to regrow worn-out parts. This is their only known weakness so far. One thing however stands out the most. Hexes have the unique ability to transfer proteins from one being to another. May it be another hex or another specie. Through their ability to transfer proteins, hexes can heal the organs of their neighbors and compadres alike. Although, their unique ability has a small price for salvation. Those who lend their energy fall weak. They can regain their energy however, by eating the flesh of creatures once more. The king and queen however, are selfish. They only lend their ability to each other, making them grow fiercer and stronger from time to time. Many have tried to slain the king and queen, yet all of them have fallen. The only way to defeat a hex is by imprisoning them for weeks without food. Gradually, their bodies weaken without protein causing their skins to slowly wither away. Hexes were known to be friendly and generous beings. They use their power to heal the sick and only feast on grubs and boars. However, the wrath of men changed the course of these creatures, turning them into foes. Men hunted and captured these creatures. They made them slaves and use them for their own will. However, anything that can be given can also be taken. From compassionate beings, the hexes became vengeful beings and promised themselves to never help a man again. They learned the will to survive through fighting. Now they feast on every creature, especially the bloodline of men. Hexes prefer to stay away from mankind. They traveled to the farthest reaches of these sacred land which lead them to the Sacchi outskirts. One of the brothers foretold by the legend is a hex adopted by the king. Therefore the bloodline of Hexes flows within the kingdom of Witherheart. They have proven that men cannot always reign superior over anything. There will always be something or someone beyond mankind''s compatibility. 11 11|Pawn The discussion between the young man and the royal family continued. Quartz is still in incredulity however, for he fears the future of his own fate. "No one is actually dead until the ripples they caused in this world fades away. You have made the right decision, for a real man puts others first before himself. For that, you have my respect." Proud of his decision, the king compliments the young man. Quartz feels pleased with Felix''s compliment but the fear of death which shrouds his mind continues to lurk. "The Pureheart defense mechanism includes four categories. The rooks are responsible for the handling of trebuchets and catapults. They fall under the control of Admiral Brook. A knight''s obligation is similar to those of a pawn. They ride on the backs of Hippogriffs and charge towards the enemy. Hippogriffs are winged creatures that have the front half of an eagle and the hind half of a horse. Their eyes are sharper than a regular falcon and their claws can pierce through a diamond''s coating. They can drag the foes and release them from the sky. Sir Efron is the pillar leader of the knights. The Sentinels are long-ranged bowman. They are the first to attack when a siege commences. With their pointed arrows, they can pierce through any heart belonging to any beast. They fall under the command of Madam Charlotte. And lastly, the pawns. They are known to be brave for even during the finest flame they continue to rise. Their swords are forged with steel and a slight amount of Gold. Each category works in a perfect sync called cooperation. No one can win a match with a mere amount of catapults and pawns. They work as one, in order to achieve victory. As for my father and mother, they have the duty to command the entire army." Princess Jupiter delineates while keeping eye contact with the confused young man. Eating a plate of complex knowledge will take a long time to digest. Still, some of the terms are somewhat familiar to him. A memory then comes right to him, the moment when he and Alice first played Chess. "About you? What is the duty of a princess?" Quartz questions with a rather sarcastic tone as if he was challenging her. The princess responds with a giggle. "I am the pillar leader of the pawns, which means you will be following my orders." She chuckles slightly as her tone slowly shifts into a serious one. Quartz is left with astonishment and regret for even asking a sarcastic question. Although, he wonders why he was placed under the pawn category. The king responded, "You have the characteristics of a Pawn and therefore you will be one. Do not underestimate a pawn by its duty, for there are times when a well-placed pawn is more powerful than a king. There will be no victory if the pawns refuse to play." Quartz was inspired by the king''s response. He left the excuses behind his back and accepted the king''s offer to appoint him as a pawn. Before leaving the throne room and the royal family, Quartz asks a peculiar question. "Who am I fighting against?" "The Witherstone kingdom. Most creatures there have the looks of humans. I should warn you young man, do not trust anyone you haven''t seen or met before. The enemy lurks in all forms. May it beauty, bravery, or even sympathy." Felix mutters. Quartz was left with fright and dismay, however, he vows to take the king''s warning seriously and properly... .... Sapphire gleams brightly only to meet the twilight blanket. The moon is rare and her tiddly children walk upon the path of darkness only to serve as the people''s luminosity. The streets are calm and quiet. The breeze oozes forth, bringing the sensation of comfortability to the whole region. Leaves dazzles unto the fertile soil, the grass mutters with the wind, and the sounds of nature''s orchestra started to play. As for Quartz, he is directed by a soldier to a bedroom on the east wing of the fortress. The east wing contains cabins and rooms for the soldiers to sleep in. The room contains one small yet decent bed to soothe the young man''s drowsiness. It has a small and outdated bathroom. There are no windows, only large gaps in the shape of arcs. There is no electricity so only the wind can settle his perspiration. Before he sleeps, he peaks out of his window, staring into the kingdom''s glory. The night becomes more subtle, as he plays his Piccolo, remembering his mother once more. Everyone below and near his room heard the music, it gave a sensation of tranquility and quietude. Once the Piccolo plays its final symphony, Quartz hopped back to his bed, ready to fall into a sleepy slumber. As he slowly enters the slumber, he thought of his family and friend. He wonders if his father knows that he''s missing or perhaps Alice has returned after that long bathroom break. Quartz shifts sleeping positions and faces the right this time. He wonders what would happen to his body if he was to die in the middle of an enraging siege. He read a lot of books pertaining to war, but this will be his first time to experience it personally. Minutes turn into hours, and finally, Quartz has fallen into a deep slumber while the wind comforted him throughout the night. ... Quartz wakes up in shock after the princess knocks unto his door. He first tilts his head to the gap, only to see the sun''s galore. "Wake up, its time for you to attend your first training session." Princess Jupiter utters through the keyhole. "Alright..." Quartz utters with a drowsy voice. He scratches his hair and gave a loud yawn. Early in the morning, the young man fixed his self. He splashes water in his face to disperse the shrouding drowsiness. He then wears the uncomfortable yet important outfit Balthasar Bluemagic gave. Without another moment to spare, he exits the room with full confidence and determination. Once more, Quartz is confused about his destination, lucky for him that the princess is able to catch up and show him where to go. "Campos de entrenamiento" This is where all training sessions and exercises are held. It is a field separated into four. Quartz marvels at the enormous field. Aside from this, it is his first time to see other remarkable creatures he hasn''t seen before. One of them is the hippogriffs which the knights ride upon. There are those which seem vicious, bearing sharp fangs. There are also friendly ones but with a pinch of rambunctious attitude such as the gnomes. Quartz watches the gnomes strolling around the field. He ponders and notices that some of them have different hat colors and sizes. Some are an inch taller than the other, while some are shorter. The princess giggles then replies "Gnomes, they seem friendly, don''t they? However, I suggest that you stay out of their way." "But they seem to be friendly." "Yes, you see there are three types of gnomes which you should know. The ones with a green hat are the friendly and kind gnomes. The ones with a red hat are mostly rambunctious ones who love to cause troubles. The ones with a blue hat, however, are sometimes rambunctious, and sometimes friendly." Jupiter adds. From their conversation, a gnome with a red hat beams into Quartz for no apparent reason. He kicks the young man''s leg only to gather his attention. "What was that for?!" Quartz enrages with an inclined tone. The gnome responds with a malicious scowl as it dashes away from the man. Jupiter giggles after seeing the incident. "I''ve warned you about the red ones didn''t I?" Jupiter recalls. The young man, however, is too frustrated to respond back but his storm calmed right away after a green gnome approaches him. The green gnome seems more adorable but shorter than the red ones. It offers him a dotted crimson flower. Quartz feels pleased as he kneels down to receive the flower. He gives a pat on the gnome''s head, only to show his gratitude. The princess explains that the flower the gnome gave was no other than a Tiger Lily. A flower found in the depths of the eastern reaches of Sacchi. The young man takes a sniff at the flower''s divine grace. The aroma is flattering, it could bring content and delight into one''s soul. The green gnome then leaves the young man and the princess. They are indeed warm-hearted creatures despite being timid in a public area. 12 12| Harold They continue their saunter to the Pawn''s side of the field. As they walk, the young man''s attention is gathered by what Sacchi''s nature has to offer. From sceneries to creatures alike, Sacchi is bountiful with things the human eye hasn''t seen yet. As they arrive at the Pawn''s side of the battlefield, Quartz is greeted with smiles of several types. There are men who greet him with a vicious scowl while there are also those who greet him with a pleasant and friendly smirk. Above all these smiles is no other than Kingston Pearl, a man with eyes belonging to a malicious predator. On his left eye is a scar bearing the memory of the man who slashed his eye. He greeted Quartz with a feisty glare upon his arrival. Quartz responds by swallowing his saliva gravely. As much as possible, he tries to keep eye contact with those who seem friendly. Once every pawn is present, the princess then bangs the gong, gathering each and everyone''s attention. As a response, the young man and the whole crowd tilt their head to the princess. "Greetings to everyone, today''s training session will commence shortly. I, Jupiter Braveheart, have some important announcements coming from my father. Due to the previous defeat in Enkephalos town, the king has ordered the four pillars to enhance the training sessions of each category, primarily, the Knights, and Pawns. Therefore, starting from this day onwards, everyone will be training for the whole day from seven in the morning to ten in the evening. As we all know, the enemy has taken numerous territories, leaving us in a zugzwang position. If the enemy persists to claim the remaining territories or worse, our territories, then my father''s orb may fall under their hands." Jupiter reads the king''s letter and announces with sincerity and conviction. Quartz then tilts his head to the side only to see bewildered men. They start gossip, pertaining to the king''s letter. "Silence!" The princess yells to the crowd, zipping the mouths of every pawn. "My father''s words are clear. Since he is the king, it is our obligation to follow his commands. Now, let the training session begin." The princess scolds the crowd for their gossips. She stood for her father''s commands and Quartz is left with an overwhelmed face because of the princess''s sudden outrage. As time continues to run, everyone proceeds to their normal routine. For Quartz, he just stares at his fellow pawns, observing their every movement. The pawn''s training is somewhat similar to fencing wherein the objective is to touch the opponent with the sword. From behind, someone taps his back and greets him with a pleasant smile. "Hello there, you''re new here aren''t you?" The man speaks with a somewhat British-like accent. "May I know who you are?" Quartz faces the man and questions him. "People call me Harold Heartstone, and you are?" "My name is Quartz Vermillion." "Oh, that''s a rather unique name actually. Anyways Mr. Quartz, would you please be my opponent?" Harold queries and points his blunt sword to Quartz. Harold Heartstone, a man with a mere age of twenty-five. His eyes are brown just like the color of wood and timbers. He also has a fair complexion and a rather unusual accent from the rest. "Um, I don''t have a sword." "It''s ok, I''ll just give you my spare sword. It can be yours if you want." Harold responds and tosses his other sword to Quartz. "R... Really?" Quartz stutters while looking at his reflection through the sword''s lustrous glow. "Of course mate, it''s all yours! Anyways, let''s get back to the topic." Harold replies. He then switches his posture to a fighting stance and taunts at the Quartz. "Wait, wait! I don''t know how to do this yet." Quartz complains and halts the match for a while. "Oh, it''s quite simple mate. All you have to do is to either disarm your opponent or by killing the opponent." "Killing?! Don''t you think that''s too absurd?" "I was just kidding. Anyways, either disarm me or let your sword touch my body." Harold giggles causing Quartz to sigh after hearing the truth. With everything set, Quartz officially accepts Harold''s match. The young man tries to base his stance according to how the great kings of the past do it. He came up with a stance that was somewhat similar to the knights of the crusades. Without wasting another second, Harold dashes towards Quartz. The young man dodges Harold by running to his direction, causing both of them to switch positions. Quartz kept a keen eye, watching Harold''s every movement. "You''re actually quite good at this aren''t ya?" Harold compliments. "Not quite actually. I am fond of reading history books, that''s how I know the common tactics when it comes to warfare." Quartz responds as they circle one another. In the background, Balthasar Bluemagic was there, carefully observing Quartz and Harold. He then smirks because of entertainment. "Books? Ah, they say knowledge is the best weapon of all. Let''s see if they are correct, come at me!" Harold taunts. For almost an hour, the three of them fought against each other. Their swords and strengths clashed unto one another. From their training, a new friendship was forged between Harold and Quartz. As time continues to roll, Kingston interrupts Harold and Quartz''s match. His face seems eager to challenge the young man. "What do you want Kingston?" Harold infuriates after being distracted. "You, I challenge you to a battle." Kingston ignores Harold and points his sword at Quartz. He then walks to him in a subtle pace. On the other hand, Quartz responds by swallowing his saliva gravely. He tries his best to face Kingston''s challenge with courage. "I accept your challenge," Quartz utters with confidence. He also responds by pointing his sword back to Kingston. "I''ve gotta warn you, the power of knowledge is strong in this one." Harold teases and warns Kingston. However, Kingston did not flinch. He continued to walk closer to Quartz with a malicious scowl. The challenge begins, and both of their swords start to clash unto each other. The irritating noise produced by the swords gathered everyone''s attention. As Kingston and Quartz fought, the crowd starts to fill up and circle them. Amongst the crowd is no other than the princess who seems very entertained by the ongoing match. Moments have passed, and Quartz is doing quite well on his second match. Kingston was getting pinned at the corner, giving Quartz an opportunity to strike. The crowd then begins to root for his name. Hope seems impossible for Kingston as his feet glides through the soil due to Quartz''s sword. The cheer got louder, but in the end, Kingston reigns supreme. Before being pinned, Kingston pinpoints Quartz''s weakness then strikes from there. The young man was left with immediate shock after Kingston''s sword points at his chest during the moment before victory. "War is not learned from books, it is learned from experience." Even in victory, Kingston smiles back at Quartz and lifts his body up. The young man''s perception of him suddenly changed. Even if he has the looks of an arrogant man, Kingston remains humble and shakes Quartz''s hand. Although, the crowd isn''t fully satisfied by the match. They left with disappointment and returned to their agendas. As for the princess, she smiles back at Quartz, complimenting him even in defeat. "Not bad for a novice." 13 13| Ocarina The arrival of dusk commences, producing an orange hue throughout the horizon. During this time, everyone is given an opportunity to rest or perhaps even eat their dinner if they wish to. Although, dusk is the only advent of the training session''s night shift. "You''ve got to try this," Harold suggests as he hands out a plate of roasted meat to the young man. The meat, however, doesn''t look like meat coming from pigs or cows. "And from which creature does this meat belong to?" Quartz questions while staring at the campfire alongside with a few other men. "Trust me, Piglin meat tastes delicious." Harold encourages as he takes a nibble on his dinner. Unfamiliar with the creature, Quartz decides to ask more details about the food. The food does look delicious, but Quartz would rather eat food coming from creatures he is familiar with. Perhaps a boar could satisfy his belly. "Piglins are creatures that look similar to ogres and trolls except for the fact they''re much smaller than them. They have large tusks growing out from their jaws. They can walk like a man, and can fight like one too, but they prefer to use an axe instead of a sword." Harold describes the creature as a pig who walks and fights like a man. Quartz then stares at his food, thinking if he should eat it or not. Harold on the other hand continues to persuade the young man to at least take a bite from the meat. With enough persuasion, Quartz finally decides to take a nibble. Once the meat touches his tongue, he felt an explosion of savory. For him, Piglin meat tastes somewhat like boars but with an extra pinch of salty flavorings. "See, Piglins tastes delicious right?" he queries to Quartz, then queries him about the food. The young man, on the other hand, responds with ecstasy as he craves for more Piglin meat. His mouth bursts with a flavor his tongue hasn''t taste before. After eating dinner, the young man starts to stare at the campfire, thinking about his father. The question still remains in his head, does his father know his son is missing? With the arrival of the cold wind, the fire serves Harold and Quartz with tenderness and warmth throughout their resting period. A question then pops up in Harold''s head, and decides to ask it to the young man. "Why did you join the army?" Harold queries with a subtle pace with his eyes staring-fervently unto the flames of the campfire. Quartz responds, "Well, the king promised me freedom once the war is over. Perhaps I can finally return to the place I truly belong to. About you? Why did you join the army?" "My father and mother were killed by the hands of the enemy. I want to avenge them, so I decided to fight by the king''s side." Harold replies with a solemn voice. He continues to watch the flame glow and cherishes the memories he made with his family. "My father used to tell me, the spirits of those who die are lifted to the stars. They stare down at us, especially during our darkest hour." Quartz tilts his head to the stars, thinking about his mother. As he stares at the stars, something peculiar catches his attention. A bird glimmering with light dashes throughout the night sky. "Hey did you see that?" Quartz stands up and searches for the bird. "See what?" "The bird, there was a glowing bird. It was this big!" Quartz exclaims, trying hard to describe the bird he saw. However, his descriptions are hard to comprehend for Harold. As he explains sincerely, the bird dashes above his head again, catching the young man''s attention once more. Surprisingly, Harold wasn''t able to see the bird. Without another moment to lose, Quartz decides to look for the bird which flew to the nearby forest. Harold was left with confusion after seeing the young man leave for some peculiar reason. "Um, ok?" Harold mutters sarcastically, watching Quartz dash to the forest. As Quartz steps on the entrance of the forest, he is once again greeted by the bird. Slowly, the light disperses to show the bird''s true color. Quartz was left with awe. Primarily, the bird has a red lustrous pigment with a tail painted with the hues of a rainbow. The bird''s beauty alone attracts Quartz. The bird starts to chirp, then dashes further into the depths of the forest. "Hey wait!" The young man starts to dash through the forest, trying to keep up with the bird''s beauty. For every step, fireflies start to disperse from the lush grass. They spread their light, making the forest seem vibrant and colorful. Quartz continues to chase the bird, wherein he encounters a whole lot of creatures his eyes hasn''t seen before. Some of these creatures look cute, while the others have a malicious trait. "Wait up!" Quartz calls again. The bird, however, didn''t dare to stop. The young man decides to stop for a while in order to grasp some air. He looks at his surroundings, questioning his location. A spark of hope starts to flicker as the bird clings to a nearby tree, staring down at the exhausted young man. It starts to chirp a melody of harmony, bringing a serene feeling to Quartz''s heart. "What are you?" Quartz glances at the bird, and starts to question it. The bird, however, didn''t seem to respond for it continued to sing its melody. Out of nowhere, Quartz hears an unusual tune. He then gazes to a patch of flowers only to see a young woman about the same age as him. The woman is playing an ocarina, somehow similar to the flute. She dances around the flowers while playing her ocarina. Above her butterflies of several colors. She has violet hair, purple eyes, and a complexion similar to his. Quartz continues to stare at the young woman. The music is softening, it brings delight to his heart. It gives the sensation of peace and tranquility throughout the night sky. "Excuse me!" Quartz decides to go closer to the woman. His abrupt voice suddenly caused disruption on the melody. "Ah?!" The woman reacts after seeing Quartz dashing towards her. She quickly runs away from Quartz, assuming that he''s about to harm her. "Wait! Don''t go yet." Quartz begs as he tries to chase the young woman. The young woman didn''t listen to him, however, and decides to run as far away as possible. The young man gradually got tired and decides to give up for he believes this won''t be the last time they''ll see each other. He has high hopes to meet the woman she saw tonight. As for the bird, it smiled then left the tree, returning to wherever its nest is. Now, Quartz is left with a bewildered mind as he tries to find his way back to the camp. 14 14| Wisp Quartz could feel the darkness drawing closer to him and pressing down, suffocating him slowly as he steps carefully through the thick maze of the forest. The densely packed trees loom high above, but remains still despite the icy breeze that continues to flow around him. The silvery moonlight is slow to a trickle by the full branches, and Quartz needs to squint, only to see a path of gloom and uncertainty ahead. "Wh... Where am I?" He utters to his mind. For every step, the haze gets thicker to the point it irritates the young man''s eyes. As much as possible, Quartz tries to walk in a subtle pace with sweat flowing off his pale face. His left hand then clenches the sword, preparing to slash any foe who would dare to attack him. However, Quartz is uncertain of the beasts which dwell in a forest he hasn''t been through. Suddenly, from his left, the young man hears a high-pitched howl, scaring the life out of him. His body starts to shivers, and his hand puts out his sword. The howl intensifies, and Quartz starts to hear footsteps circling him. The footsteps fiddle around with Quartz''s auditory perception. His mind couldn''t keep up with the pace. "Whoever you are, show yourself! I am not afraid to fight." His voice stutters, then echoes throughout the woodland. "Tell me, do you bleed?" A strange deep voice echoes to the young man''s ears. His confidence and bravery are chained into the depths of his mind. ''Where are you? Show yourself!" Quartz demands and tries to detect whoever is trying to talk to him. However, things start to intensify when red glaring eyes appear out of nowhere. He could also hear what appears to be hyenas, trying to sniff and growl at him from afar. "I smell the flesh of a man." Another voice utters from behind. The haze then starts to clear, only to reveal a pack of hyenas with large horns swiveling around him. The hyenas, however, aren''t those of Earth. They look much fiercer and their jaws are way sharper. They have horns on the sides of their ear, and for some reason, they can speak the language of men. The hyenas look similar to one another, except for the hyena in front of the young man. It has longer horns and sharper jaws, its pigment of dusk stands out from the rest of the pack. "I am Wulfric Frost, the alpha of my clan. Your blood, satisfies my cravings." The alpha introduces with an intimidating voice. It continues to walk closer with a rather subtle pace. With its sharp eyes, it watches the young man''s every movement. Escape is only a figment of his imagination for he is surrounded by Wulfric''s clan. Fighting will only make things worse, for he does not stand a chance against a horde of devil looking hyenas. Quartz tries to remain calm, thinking of another way out. It looks like only the alpha is blocking his front. Perhaps by slashing its leg he would be given a chance to escape. However, Quartz is also aware that if the alpha is injured then the whole pack will start to chase him. A leap of faith, Quartz swallows his saliva gravely and dashes towards Wulfric with sword pointed on its leg. Meanwhile, the alpha responds with a growl, then starts to dash at Quartz. The young man dashes underneath the alpha and injures one of his legs. He learned that technique from Kingston. From there, Quartz runs as fast as he could and as expected, the hyenas start to chase him. "Get him!" The alpha commands. Its wound isn''t severe, for only a drop of blood was able to drip. "Come on! Come on!" Quartz utters with panic. Even with exhaustion, he forces his leg to exceed the compatibility of his own speed. He then thought of an idea to outmaneuver the whole pack. From an intersection, he throws his sword to the right but he runs to the left. His plan worked for the sword''s sound was able to attract the hyenas causing them to turn right. In the middle of nowhere, Quartz halts for a while in order to gasp for air. He sits on a dilapidated wood, trying to calm himself after such traumatic events. From the pitch-black eerie of the forest, comes a spark of hope. A wisp of red flames appears out of nowhere, dragging the young man''s attention. More wisps start to appear out of nowhere, serving as a path of light through the forest. Due to its charm, Quartz decides to stand up and follow the wisps. His ears could hear the sounds of spirit which seems to have an extremely high-pitched tone. With the help of the wisps, Quartz is able to return to the camp unharmed. He snaps out of the charm, and looks back at the forest. To his surprise, the wisps are all gone, including their voices. He then tilts to the front and sees the princess looking at him with a ferocious glare. 15 15| Duel "Quartz Vermillion, you have disobeyed my commandments. The last time I checked, no one is allowed to leave the camp premises." Princess Jupiter facepalms, then sighs. Lucky for him, he wasn''t scolded. "I''m sorry, there was this bird who somehow was able to attract me to follow it," Quartz explains with sincerity, however, the princess isn''t buying his excuses just like that. "You seem exhausted? Where have you been? And who is this bird, you are talking about?" Jupiter lifts one of her eyebrows then further questions the young man about his disappearance. "A pack of hyenas tried to slaughter me. I also heard that their alpha is no other than Wulfric Frost." Quartz explains. "I doubt. No one is able to escape from Wulfric and his clan. He is one of the enemy''s four pillars. Of course, if Pureheart has pillar leaders, Witherstone also has one. Wulfric and his clans belong to a specie known as Werehyenas. They are similar to the werewolves except for the fact they can transform into hyenas whenever they want to. May it be morning or evening. Werehyenas are also faster than Werewolves, escaping is impossible." "But outsmarting them is possible." Quartz counters the princess''s statements but she seized to believe until two other pawns returned from the forest with Quartz''s sword. "Your majesty, the young man is telling the truth. His sword has a bloodstain belonging to a werewolf." The pawn explains. He then shows the evidence to the princess, and tries his best to prove Quartz innocent. "Astounding. You killed a werehyena?" Jupiter questions while observing the bloodstain. "No. I only wounded Wulfric''s leg in order to escape." "Hmph. If that''s the case, then you''re a brave man after all. Still, I have to prove my hypothesis. I challenge you to a duel, right now." In order to avoid further punishments, the young man gladly accepts the challenge. Both of them went out of the tent and proceeded to the battlefield. For the night, it will be the two of them with no one else watching. "Let''s make this a quick duel shall we? The goal is to pin your opponent. Here''s your sword." Jupiter instructs then tosses the sword to the Quartz. "..." Quartz is left with an expressionless face. Being aware that she''s a woman, Quartz is uncertain about whether to hurt her or not. Without another moment to lose, the match finally commences. Both sides run into each other with full force. At first, Quart is quite hesitant since he has never hurt a woman before. "Pinned you!" Jupiter proclaims. "That wasn''t fair. You''re a woman." "One more duel. There is no need to be a gentleman. Come at me!" Jupiter taunts. Quartz runs with maximum velocity after hearing the princess''s taunt. For some reason, both of them are having fun dueling against each other. The night gets older, and countless duels occur between the princess and the young man. Both seized to give up after getting pinned, therefore they challenge each other again and again. Over the distance, is Balthasar Bluemagic, watching for entertainment again. He then tilts his head to a nearby tree and sees the bird Quartz saw moments ago. The bird seems to be watching the match as well. "Disturb not the harmony of these sacred land lest these two titans wreck destruction upon the world in which they clash. Though the Sacchi''s Great Guardian shall arise to quell the fighting alone its song will fail. Thus the land shall turn to dust. O, Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all treasures. Their unity combined tame the beast of chaos and restore the power of one ... Now, it begins." Balthasar Bluemagic mutters and dictates the prophecy. He tilts his head back to the princess and the young man and continues to watch from his spot. "I think I have enough from this duel of ours. It is past ten, therefore you can finally return to your room." The princess sits and gasps for air on the grass. Just like what the princess said, Quartz finally returns to his room and prepares himself for his slumber. Before entering his slumber, he stares out to his window, and gazes at the stars. He wishes to see the girl she saw back at the woodlands. Quartz then takes out his Piccolo and starts to play a soothing melody for all men and creatures alike. Without noticing the red bird dashes through the night sky, glancing at the young man and his Piccolo. 16 16| Vladimir Black clouds sprawl across the sky, billowing in from the west. A stillness falls over the street, and in the silence comes a low crackle of thunder, rolling across rooftops to the pattering of tiny raindrops. For a moment, everything stops. Even the wind holds its breath. A streak of hot silver splits the sky, and the downpour begins. Inside the walls of the Witherstone Kingdom, is no other than Vladimir, the leader of the hexes. He has a pale complexion with eyes belonging to the pigment of blood. Beside him, is his wife. Erica Forlorn. She also has a fair complexion, but with eyes belonging to the cerulean seas. And what could be better than listening to the melody of an organ as the downpour enrages outside? Both are Pluviophiles who adore the darkness and the rain combined. Their shadows start to flicker while listening to the music due to the crashing thunders. And from there comes a disruption of the melody, when a Werehyena bangs through the doors. With a ferocious and brutal face, it walks towards the king and queen. On its leg, is the scar caused by Quartz''s sword. "Your majesty." Abruptly, the werehyena transforms into a middle-aged man with ebony hair and pupils. Instead of fingernails and teeth, claws and jaws are present. In front of the king and queen, Wulfric Frost kneels and bows down. "And what do you wish to say before our presence this time?" Erica''s eyebrows raise, then she questions with a tone that slowly inclines. "A young man has pierced my leg. The first of any specie to inflict damage unto me." Wulfric Frost explains, continuing to kneel down before them. "And what specie does this... "Man" belong to?" The king queries yet with an expressionless face. "I am uncertain of his specie. However, he looks similar to men belonging to the opposing kingdom." Wulfric Frost responds in a respectful manner. The king then leans forward and shows the orb to Wulfric Frost. The orb''s ebony pigment is somehow similar to the room''s dark atmosphere. It shines lustrously, just like the orb of purity. "Do you expect the young man to obtain this orb? Hmm?" Vladimir questions sarcastically. "Of course not your majesty. No specie can match your power." Wulfric appraises the king in an exaggerated manner. "Then why do you seem to be scared of this young man?" Erica questions with suspicion towards Wulfric. "My queen, you have mistaken my demeanor. My only business here is to tell what my eyes have seen." Wulfric disagrees with the queen but in a respectful behavior. "Do not fear, we will claim that orb, and the whole land will fall unto my grasp." Vladimir chuckles maliciously as the silhouette of a beast from behind the throne makes an appearance before Wulfric''s eyes. Its pupils are those of a blood moon, its scales have the pigment of crimson red, and its wings are cunning. Even if the beast is meters away from Wulfric, he could already sense the fiery flames burning within its chambers. "What shall be our next step your majesty? I, and the other pillars shall abide by your decisions." Wulfric tilts his head to the floor. Even he is scared of the fiery beast. "I am bored. Why not start a siege shall we? Prepare the battalion, for tomorrow-" Vladimir pauses for a moment and chuckles hysterically. "The town of Waeldestone will be ours." Vladimir continues. From above the chandeliers, a griffin comes to existence and transforms into a man. He then dashes down before the king and queen. His hair is silver and his eyes are colorless. On the left, a puff of smoke drifts across the room, then turns into a woman with teal hair and pupils. And lastly, on the right. A man with a twilight cloak and a reaper on his hand walks forth in a subtle pace. He has the fangs of a vampire, yet isn''t considered as one. No one has seen his hair before for this man loves to wear his hood. These three alongside with Wulfric Frost are no other than the four pillars of the Witherstone Kingdom. Morgan Storm, a woman who can transform into smog and gas. Charles Gunner, the man who can turn himself to a stone griffin whenever he pleases. And the strongest out of all of them, Morduk Dragoncult. A fierce man with the power to harness magic and sorcery. And of course, if Pureheart as a wizard, Balthasar Bluemagic, then Witherstone has a witch, Thalia Blackmage. Riding on her broomstick, she enters the throne room with a vicious laughter. Just like the king and queen she has a pale complexion. Her hair and pupils are black, with fingernails longer than knives. The pillar leaders, the witch, and the king and queen make up the Witherstone Administration. For others, they are knowns as the Shadow Monarchs. 17 17| For Pureheart! The sun rises in the east, spreading its ever-glowing hues of orange. From the serenity of the kingdom, comes the abrupt sounds of trumpets and horns, awakening each and every man inside the fortress. One of these men is no other than Quartz Vermillion. After hearing the roaring trumpets, Quartz lifts his upper torso, then breathes at a fast pace. Outside his room, he could hear the footsteps of sentinels and soldiers running across the halls. The young man is left with confusion so he decides to step outside. "Mate?! You woke up late?" As Quartz watches the running soldiers, he comes across Harold Heartstone who appears to have an anxious look. "Wh... What''s going on?" The young man questions with a stuttering voice. "Haven''t you heard? Another siege has begun in one of Sacchi''s town. Waeldestone, its located in the western reaches. Hurry up, I''ll wait for you downstairs." Harold explains rapidly then continues to run. As for the young man, his body starts to tremble in fear. He walks back to his room then shuts the door. With an unsettled mind, he runs in circles, thinking of what he should do. "Come Quartz, you''ve got this." He motivates himself with encouragement and inspiration yet a part of him is pulling his confidence down. "Think on the brighter side? At least when die you''ll get a chance to teleport back to Earth right?" He teases himself. Minutes later, sweat starts to trickle down his body. "No! I must fight. I have made a deal with the king, and therefore I will do my part!" He counters his other side and rushes to the bathroom. With determination and enthusiasm, he forces his body to act immediately. Once Quartz reaches the gates of the kingdom, his eyes admired the intimidating structure of the king''s army. Archers, at the back, followed by the Knights, and Trebuchets then the pawns. As expected, the four pillars, are in front of the army, ready to take charge while riding their horses. He then tilts his head to the right, only to see the king and queen. To his surprise, Felix and Avery will be fighting with them. "Ah, I thought you were a scapegoat who plans to hide in his room while a siege rages." Felix looks back and sees the uncomfortable and anxious young man. "Your majesty, shouldn''t you be in the throne room?" Quartz queries. "What is a king, if all he does is run and hide? A true king fights with his people and not by merely supporting them." Felix pats the young man''s shoulder. He then comforts his anxiety with an exuberant smile. "Your Majesty, I think it is time to head to Waeldestone." On Quartz''s left, Balthasar Bluemagic comes forth with his staff and owl while riding a brown horse. The boy remained speechless after seeing that even in old age, men have the courage to fight. "Shall we, my dear?" Felix looks to Avery then questions her with a mellifluous smile. "The army is yours to command. I will be fighting alongside you." Avery responds in a sweet tone. Without another moment to lose, the king and his horse steps unto an inclined boulder. He then lifts his sword to the air as everyone looks unto him. "For Pureheart!" The horse starts to gallop with the king yelling with determination. "For Pureheart!" What the king dictates, the army follows. They yell in one voice, leaving all the fear and uncertainties behind. Archers, Pawns, and Rooks start to dash to the destination. On the other hand, knights and their hippogriffs takes it to the sky. The king''s necklace starts to glow inside a lustrous veil as a fine-looking bird covered with flames appear out of nowhere. The Phoenix, a bird that could only be summoned by the king himself. Its eyes are sharper than any beast, and its speed exceeds the velocity of a bullet train. Of course, Pureheart has its own allies as well. Stone Golems, are beasts with a jagged body made out of stones, hence their names. When it comes to defense, these creatures triumph because of their firm body. They attack by throwing large boulders to the opposing team. They only have one weakness, and that is by piercing their heart. One reason behind this is because their chests have small gaps which leaves their heat unprotected. Even the shortest arrow can knock them dead. Still, only a skilled Archer can pinpoint their chest. The gaps are too small for any regular or amateur archer to hit. Pureheart is also allied with Centaurs. They are a hybrid of a horse and a man. Some of these Centaurs are archers, while others are infantries and swordsmen. They have horns, longer than a bull which gives them an opportunity to dash through their foes and piercing them with their horns. Now? Only one thing remains, and that is for the siege to commence. 18 18| Confron Waeldestone Town, one of the very first towns built in Sacchi. Just like Pureheart, its brick roads are also mazes of narrow winding streets wherein one can get lost if the signages are not read properly. houses and structures are mostly built of bricks while those who are below the middle class live in houses built out of wood and timbers. Of course, every town has its own specialty when it comes to crafts and culture. In this town, the smithing and forging of weapons is their primary source of income. The weapons made in Waeldestone such as swords and daggers are then sent to the kingdom in order to be used by soldiers and other knights. The people of Waeldestone are always filled with ecstasy, except for this day. Upon arrival, Quartz could only hear the sounds of fear and terror. His eyes could see civilians who perished from the fire caused by the opposing kingdom. Even the younglings and elderly lost their breath from the filthy works of Witherstone. The young man pities the town, and promises to avenge them. The king and his army continue to move towards the east of the town. To their surprise, the opposing team outnumbers them when it comes to soldiers. Just by seeing all those bloody creatures and pale-looking monsters, Quartz is immediately intimidated. He even thought of surrendering but he made a promise to avenge the town''s people. "So... th- this is the enemy." With fear, the young man''s voice stutters after seeing the enemy aligned in a rectangular structure at the opposite side. "Mate, the pale ones over there are the hexes. Don''t waste your bloody hell efforts on them. Their bodies will only regenerate in a matter of seconds. Those fat belly creatures with brown skins are the ogres. And the thinner ones are the trolls. Their only difference is that trolls are thinner and attack by the use of their rambunctious fists while ogres attack with their bats filled with blunt and sharp objects which could pierce anyone''s skin." Harold informs, introducing the opposing side by pointing each species with his sword. "I don''t want to become their dinner. Those ogres and trolls are way taller than us." "I know right? Plus an ogre''s fat protects them from anyone who dares to pierce their bodies with swords and daggers." "Is... Is there any way for me to defeat them?" The young man queried again. A droplet of sweat turns into a stream as the two kings advance to each other. "Strike the eye or head. Puncture their brain, and they''ll drop dead." Riding his horse, Kingston goes closer to the two of them and interrupts. "And who''s the tall pale guy over there?" Quartz queries, pointing his sword to the king of the opposing kingdom. "Him? That''s no other than Vladimir Witherheart. The king of the hexes. Before a siege begins, the two kings usually confront each other between the two armies." Harold responds. With their horses, the kings move towards the center of the battlefield. They keep strong eye contact, as if both of them are glaring into each other''s souls. "You''re late. We''ve devoured the whole town." Vladimir starts to the conversation. "And as King, I will avenge the people," Felix says in a confident voice. "Your politics bore me. Your demeanor is as those of a pouty child. Once I win, I will bathe the town with your blood." Vladimir insults. His fists clench his sword. He couldn''t wait for the siege to begin. He then laughs in a vicious manner and jumps off his horse. From there, he pierces his sword to the ground which causes the whole land to shake. As for Vladimir''s army, they look comfortable as if they know what is happening. For Quartz, however, he is left with confusion about all these gobbledygook. The ground continues to shake until the land cracks. A beam of blinding light then seeps out of the cracks as the ground continues to tremble. For a moment, the ground stops to shake, and that''s when a hideous beast makes a debut to the battlefield. From the ground, a serpent with dark scales emerges. It has hideous jaws, yellow bloody eyes, and a craving for blood. However, this serpent isn''t like other serpents at all for it is taller than the Empire State Building. If Felix has a Phoenix, Vladimir has a serpent. These are the two creatures only exclusive to the kings. "I''m pretty sure birds are one of a snake''s prey," Quartz says in a sarcastic way. However, inside his sanity is an anxiety. His body trembles and sweats heavily while keeping minimal eye contact with the beast. "That''s why we lose. So far, we haven''t found any of its weaknesses yet." Kingston says in a frightened manner despite his cunning looks. "That serpent has a big appetite alright. If I were you, I''d stay out of the serpent''s way and focus on the trolls instead." Harold adds and keeps minimal eye contact with the serpent too. From the center of the battlefield, the two kings stare at each other as so as the Phoenix and the Serpent. "Let the siege commence!" The two kings lift their swords to the sky, proclaiming the advent of another bloody war... 19 19| Begin Hearing those words, the two armies start to dart then clash unto each other. Knights attack from the sky with their hippogriffs dragging the foes to the air and dropping them afterward. The archers stay on the edges, shooting arrows to pierce the brains of ogres and trolls. Catapults and Trebuchet launch burning metallic spheres towards the enemies. Pawns like Quartz run with their bare feet, slaughtering those who come across their paths. As for the pillars leaders, with might and courage, they try their best to help the Phoenix take down the serpent which killed thousands of men and children. The king and queen also have their respective tasks, and that is to help their army to defeat Vladimir''s men. From the hillside, Balthasar Bluemagic can be seen attacking the foes in a peculiar manner. If the others use brute force, Balthasar uses sorcery. However, he is aware he isn''t only the one who could use sorcery. A witch''s laughter suddenly enters Balthasar''s ears. He then reacts quickly and looks to the sky only to see Thalia Blackmagic heading towards him. Witchcraft and Wizardry, who would triumph? "It''s been a long time Thalia!" Balthasar greets and points his staff to the witch. It then emits a blue thunder heading towards Thalia. However, it was immediately countered after Thalia''s broomstick emits a red thunder. The two thunders collide, causing the witch and the wise old man to blast off from each other. Returning to the battlefield, the Phoenix and the Serpent start to assault one another. The Phoenix spews out a crimson flare and sends it towards the foe although after the attack settled, the serpent can be seen, not having any scars or scratches on it. \u003cBwargh!\u003e The snake starts to yell as it dives deep into the Earth''s crust. Who knows where it could appear next. "Yes!" Quartz beams with ecstasy after slaying an opponent''s arm from behind. However, the opponent looks behind and stares at the young man. His arm starts to regenerate, giving Quartz an incredibly frightened look. "You''re a hex." Slowly, the young man steps back but the hex continues to advance with his dagger pointing towards Quartz. Knowing, that the hex can regenerate their limbs, Quartz still decides to chop off the hex''s leg to buy him some time to run as the leg regenerates. On the other corner of the battlefield, Vladimir could be seen, slaying the heads of Pureheart''s men in one slash of the sword. He does not even fear the hippogriffs dashing to him. The stone golems start to attack by throwing large boulders to the heads of ogres and trolls. Centaurs, also help out in the battlefield by lancing the bodies of the foes with either their horns or swords. "Ah! Run!" Harold shouts after frustrating a large ogre which begins to chase him. He tries to alert Quartz who appears to be in front of their path. Quartz tilts his head and his mind reacts swiftly. If he remembers correctly, striking the head is the best opportunity but the ogre is too tall for Quartz to reach its head. He then decides to dash to Harold''s direction and aims for the legs instead. In that way, he does not only outmaneuver the ogre but prohibits it from running. After losing balance, the ogre drops to the ground, giving Harold the opportunity to slaughter its head. A perfect illustration of teamwork. From the soil, the serpent rises once more, tossing all the nearby men including its own allies. Behind, the princess tries to cut off the tail but it only gathered the serpent''s attention. \u003cBwargh!\u003eThe snake cries and glares to the princess gasping for air. For a moment, the two look at each other, not minding the siege taking place. It is like time has paused for a while. Steadily, Jupiter steps back while keeping eye contact with the beast. Without hesitation, the serpent opens its mouth causing Jupiter to smell its foul breath. The breath of dead men. The Serpent''s saliva then drools off, as its mouth craves for the princess. Jupiter loses balance and drops to the ground. She then closes her eyes and covers herself with her bare hands. When all hope seems lost, a stone golem sacrificed itself by going to the serpent''s mouth in order to give the princess a chance to run. On the northern reaches of the battlefield, the Pillars of Witherstone can be seen. Morgan Storm suffocates her foes by transforming into a smog. Wulfric Frost brings malice to his opponents by piercing their hearts with his claws. As for Dragoncult, with the use of his reaper, he slaughters the neck of every enemy. And lastly, Charles Gunner. The man who can transform into a griffin. He fights by choking sentinels with its long and slippery tongue. Sometimes, he would kill them with the use of his horns or daggers. The fight enrages for more than an hour and Quartz is doing quite well in his first match. With Harold by his side, they slay down ogres and trolls and keep out of the hexes sights. Although, the past repeats itself and Felix is left with no choice but to retreat with his men. Once again, the serpent finished one half of the army and the young man is lucky not to belong to that one half. Night falls, and Pureheart surrenders due to the lack of soldiers. The mission has come to a blunder, and Waeldestone has fallen to the opposing kingdom, leaving Pureheart in a Zugzwang position. "Wait, we surrendered?" Quartz queries in shock after seeing the king and his white flag flapping across the battlefield. "Yeah, tell me how it goes with a pack of bloody monsters who can regenerate their bodies, a large serpent, and obese trolls," Kingston replies in a sarcastic manner. "You have a point." Quartz agrees and tilts his head back to Vladimir one last time before leaving. He hasn''t avenged the town, but surely one day he will. "The serpent must have a weakness, but what and where?" While walking back to the camp, the young man''s mind remains unrest. He thought of the enemies he saw today and tried to study the strategies they used in hopes of countering it in future sieges. "Father, Vladimir has taken another town." Jupiter''s horse gallops to the side of his father''s horse. She then speaks in a nervous and uncomfortable manner. "I am very aware of that. Fear not, perhaps one day we''ll win a siege." "Perhaps?! Father, if Vladimir''s sovereignty reaches the whole of Sacchi then Pureheart will meet its faith. We should''ve not surrendered, we could''ve outmaneuvered them." Jupiter responds with frustration and gallops her horse, surpassing the king and the remaining army. "She''s just like you when we were young." Felix looks to his queen with a smile. "Of course, she loves her motherland just like how you love Sacchi too. Don''t worry, we''ll win next time." The queen smiles sweetly back to his king. Both the princess, king, queen, and the young man are eager to defeat the opponent, but with a ferocious serpent, their goal seems like a figment of their imagination only. The question is, what is the key to ending the long-enraging war between the two kingdoms? Perhaps by looking at another angle will change the course of history? 20 20| Virgo Amidst the pale moonlight, back at the kingdom of Pureheart is where the young man decides to rest. On a tall shabby tree, he leans his head unto the timber and gazes to the night stars. With the tranquil wind passing by, he decides to play his Piccolo just like every night. The melody coming from his Piccolo has attracted a whole bunch of creatures, and one of these is no other than firefly-like. However, these fireflies bear an orange hue. "Hello there." Quartz greets with a smile as he tickles the fireflies'' chin. As a respectful gesture, the firefly drifts across the young man''s head, emitting dust, sparkling in a white hue. From behind the shabby tree, the princess then interrupts, "Those are fairies." "Oh, fine evening isn''t it?" Quartz tilts his head to the princess, watching her sitting down beside him and leaning her head unto the tree. Due to this unexpected visit, Quartz was left with an uncomfortable mood. "You could say that." Jupiter murmurs with a frown on her face. "You fear the loss of Sacchi, don''t you?" Quartz questions and looks to her face. "Fear? I dread it. Imagine, a world ruled by unworthy men. Peace will only be a figment of our imagination. I''ve told my father for many years not to surrender yet he still ceases to follow my opinions. To be honest, I think he is a scapegoat. Although he has a point, a man cannot defeat an army by himself but I do believe he can outsmart it. Even a pack of wolves can be outsmarted by a rat." The princess continues to mumble with a rather lower tone than usual. "I beg your pardon, but I think your father is right. We are not like the rat, nor are we intended to be. Sometimes, it is not always about winning, it is about how you fought." The two then stare above unto the twilight cloak, glancing to the beauty of the twinkling stars. The aroma of silence surrounds the night, with all the little creatures playing beside the shabby tree. From quietude, comes the abrupt disturbance for Quartz has seen the bird once more. The same red bird who attracted him days ago. "What are you looking at?" The princess questions, gazing her eyes to the young man''s peculiar looks. "Um, I''ll be back." Quartz stands from the ground and looks to the sky. He then sees the bird and decides to chase it again. Watching him run away, the princess gives out a slight chuckle. To the woodlands once more, is where the young man heads to. He follows the glimmering word for his curiosity wasn''t satisfied the first time he saw the bird. "Please slow down!" Quartz instructs. His head becomes confused by watching his footsteps and the bird. As the night gets deeper, they went further to the forest. With the sword on his left, Quartz slashes to tall grass and vines which blocks his view of the eloquent bird. Once more, the bird clings to the tree, glancing at the young man. Finally, Quartz halts his run and cools down his burning lungs. He drops to the grass, gasping for oxygen. The music of the night commences, and his ears start to hear a familiar melody coming from a familiar instrument. He then decides to stand and follow wherever the music is trying to lead him. He ends up at a patch of flowers wherein he sees the same girl who''ve captured his heart. Just like the other night, the girl is playing with her ocarina with the butterflies drifting across her bodacious hair. Just by listening to the girl''s melody, the young man is tempted to play his ocarina in hopes that this time, she won''t run away. The girl is then left with shock after hearing another tune yet an eloquent one indeed. She stops for a moment, and tilts her head to her back only to be caught by Quartz''s attention. In the midst of the flowers beneath their feet, with the fireflies spreading their warmest hue and the graceful wind flowing through their hearts, the two of them glance into each other''s eyes. The girl smiles back and plays with her ocarina to match the rhythm of Quartz''s Piccolo. Once in perfect sync, their music has brought serenity to the night and touches the hearts of every creature who hears it. The young man decides to make the first move, her queries to the young woman, "May I know your name?" The woman halts for a while, thinking if he should trust the man he has just met. After a moment of thinking, she then responds, "Virgo." "Virgo? That''s quite a unique name actually. Virgo...?" A minute or so, the woman then changes her expression into a look which seems to be avoiding the shedding of tears. It was as if Quartz''s question has brought back a fainted memory. "No, just Virgo." She murmurs, looking down to the soil. The serenity is then interrupted by Jupiter''s loud call, "Quartz? Quartz?" She seems to be looking for the young man somewhere near the patch of flowers. Due to this interruption, Virgo was startled causing her to run deeper into the woods, but before that, the young man holds her hand and queries, "Will I see you again?" "As long as the flowers bear its internal beauty, you will find me here." Virgo smirks and replies then continues to jolt to the depths of the woodland. "There you are! Have I not told you to keep out of this forest?" The princess scolds after seeing the young man staring at the direction Virgo ran to. He then snaps out, and faces the princess, "Um right, about that..." "Anyways, Balthasar Bluemagic asked me to find you." The princess sighs. With an exuberant spirit, the princess and the young man return to the kingdom. However, he first takes a look at the tree, only to see the bird gone once more. As they return, Quartz could not do anything but to imagine Virgo''s image in his mind. Little does the young man know that the bird has just flown to another tree. Watching him return, the bird smiles with ecstasy and flies back to wherever its nest is. While returning, it chirps with a beautiful voice belonging to a maiden as a tail of warm colors follow its back. 21 EPISODE 21| Amateur Late in the evening with the moon above the horizons of the kingdom, Quartz''s appearance has been requested by Balthasar Bluemagic. "Balthasar Bluemagic, I have brought Quartz with me." The princess calls from the outskirts of the tower while knocking to the parched door. Balthasar answers the call and opens the door which emits a squeaky noise. With Axis, clinging on his staff, Balthasar welcomes the two of them to enter his abode. "Fine evening isn''t it?" With a hoarse throat, Balthasar greets the two of them. He then instructs the princess and the young man to take a seat in front of an old yet decent table. "Abuelo, why have you called us in such a late night?" The princess queries. Balthasar responds with a smile as he places a box on the table and takes a seat, parallel to where they are facing. "I am sure, you are familiar with this game?" Balthasar assumes, displaying familiar pieces to the young man. "Ch-Chess?" The young man replies in a stuttering manner after seeing a chess set similar to the Sli Gacchi. "That is correct, and you are here for I have challenged you to a simple game of Chess." Patting Quartz''s soldiers, the wise man praises his reply as he continues to set up the board. "Balthasar is a tough opponent," Jupiter warns and decides to help Balthasar in setting up the pieces. "You''ve played Chess before?" Quartz tilts his head to the princess and queries. "Of course. In fact, Balthasar is the man who introduced the game to me when I was young. After being interested, I''ve decided to ask him to teach me about this game." Jupiter responds, remembering her first memories with the board game. The simple chess match begins. Quartz has gained control over the black pieces, while the white pieces belong to the white. The princess on the other hand will serve as a spectator and perhaps play along with the use of her mind. Balthasar has the first move. He starts the game with the common Queen''s Gambit mechanism by moving the queen''s pawn two tiles upwards. Clearly, Quartz is uncertain about Balthasar''s techniques for this is his second time playing the game. He responds with a casual move, placing the king''s pawn, two tiles ahead. Seeing the Quartz''s move, the princess notices he''s leading the white into zugzwang. She tilts her head to Balthasar''s side to see his response. The game continues for more than a minute and Balthasar decides to sacrifice his pawn. For the young man, he thought the wise man''s move was a blunder. Gladly, Quartz takes down the pawn, but in the princess and Balthasar''s perspective, the young man has accepted the queen''s gambit which would soon cause further damage to the black''s side if the upcoming situations are not handled properly. The clock reaches midnight, and the game continues. However, Quartz is already in a tight spot. With only a rook, bishop, and some pawns, the young man offers a resignment. "You are giving up too quickly," Balthasar responds and declines the offer. "I am an amateur when it comes to this game. Clearly, my tactics do not match the tactics of a wise man." "Tactics is knowing what to do when there is something to do. Strategy is knowing what to do when there is nothing to do." Balthasar leans to the young man, and murmurs to his ears. "If a man believes in miracles, he can sometimes perform them, even if he is in a tight situation. King''s Knight to b6 will force my Rook to A8, leading the game into a better ending. Life is like a game of Chess, to win you have to make a move. Knowing which move to make comes with in-sight and knowledge and by learning the lessons that are accumulated along the way, we become each of every piece of the game called life." Balthasar inspires, in hopes to lift the young man''s confidence. Hearing the exact same words that Balthasar told her when she was an amateur chess player like Quartz, Jupiter Braveheart smirks. "You did not challenge me to play Chess didn''t you?" Quartz questions with his left eyebrow raised. "Seeing you fight during the siege has proven yourself as a man of courage. I wanted to see if that was true for a courageous man does not give up, no matter how fierce the storm is." "B... but, why test me in a game of Chess?" Quartz continues to query. "For in the idea of Chess and the development of the chess mind, we have the picture of the intellectual struggle of mankind," Balthasar replies with the exact words he told the princess during the time the princess has queried the same question. The night becomes deeper, and Balthasar has made the decision to end the match in order for the young man and the princess to rest. Leaving the tower, Quartz has learned a powerful and inspiring lesson from the wise old man. After hearing his words, Quartz has pledged to himself to take Balthasar''s words sincerely in order to use it in the upcoming sieges. A courageous man can perform miracles, that''s if he believes in himself. Only a matter time is left, before another siege is declared. 21 21| Amateur Late in the evening with the moon above the horizons of the kingdom, Quartz''s appearance has been requested by Balthasar Bluemagic. "Balthasar Bluemagic, I have brought Quartz with me." The princess calls from the outskirts of the tower while knocking to the parched door. Balthasar answers the call and opens the door which emits a squeaky noise. With Axis, clinging on his staff, Balthasar welcomes the two of them to enter his abode. "Fine evening isn''t it?" With a hoarse throat, Balthasar greets the two of them. He then instructs the princess and the young man to take a seat in front of an old yet decent table. "Abuelo, why have you called us in such a late night?" The princess queries. Balthasar responds with a smile as he places a box on the table and takes a seat, parallel to where they are facing. "I am sure, you are familiar with this game?" Balthasar assumes, displaying familiar pieces to the young man. "Ch-Chess?" The young man replies in a stuttering manner after seeing a chess set similar to the Sli Gacchi. "That is correct, and you are here for I have challenged you to a simple game of Chess." Patting Quartz''s shoulders, the wise man praises his reply as he continues to set up the board. "Balthasar is a tough opponent, he has defeated me many times, and I have not won a single match against him." Jupiter alerts, preparing Quartz for what is to come between their match. "You''ve played Chess before?" Hearing the words of the princess, Quartz questions her, willing to know if she has played a bored game that both of their worlds have. "Of course. In fact, Balthasar is the man who introduced the game to me when I was young. After being interested, I''ve decided to ask him to teach me about this game." Jupiter replies in an exuberant manner, remembering her cherrished memories during the times she was an amateur with the game. The simple chess match begins. Quartz has gained control over the black pieces, while the white pieces belong to Balthasar. The princess on the other hand will serve as a spectator and perhaps, she''ll play along, guessing which moves both of them will be doing. Balthasar makes the first move. He starts the game with the common Queen''s Gambit mechanism by moving the queen''s pawn two tiles forwards. Clearly, Quartz is uncertain about Balthasar''s techniques for this is his second time playing the game. He responds with a casual move, placing the king''s pawn, two tiles ahead. Seeing Quartz''s move, the princess notices he''s leading the white into zugzwang. She tilts her head to Balthasar''s side to see his response. For the princess, she is quite fond of Balthasar''s techniques and strategies, although she has lost countless of times. The game continues for more than a minute and Balthasar decides to sacrifice his pawn. For the young man, his mind couldn''t burst with joy, perhaps the wise old man has made a blunder. Little does the young man know, Balthasar''s moves are just like a doctor''s scalpel, accurate and precise. Gladly, Quartz takes down the pawn, but in the princess and Balthasar''s perspective, the young man has accepted the queen''s gambit which would soon cause further damage to the black''s side if the upcoming situations are not handled properly. The clock reaches midnight, and the game continues. However, Quartz is already in a tight spot. His king has been pinned to the left corner, with only a mere amount of pawns and two officials, a rook and a knight. It is his turn to move, however his mind is too pressured my the tension, and therefore he offers a resignation. "You are giving up too quickly," Balthasar let''s out a soft sigh, rejecting the man''s resignation. "What am I, compared to you? I am nothing but an amateur. However you? You are a man of tactics." "Tactics is knowing what to do when there is something to do. Strategy is knowing what to do when there is nothing to do." Balthasar leans over the table, murmuring to Quartz''s ear. "If a man believes in miracles, then he can sometimes perform them, that''s if, he has the confidence to do so. It is not about the move, but the thought behind it. Rook to b6, will leave my knight in a tight spot." Balthasar teaches, displaying the moves Quartz could''ve done in order to change the ending of the game. "Life is like a game of Chess, to win you have to make a move. Knowing which move to make comes with in-sight and knowledge and by learning the lessons that are accumulated along the way, we become each of every piece of the game called life." Balthasar inspires, teaching the young man a very important lesson. Hearing the exact same words that Balthasar told her when she was an amateur chess player like Quartz, Jupiter Braveheart smirks. "You did not challenge me to play Chess didn''t you?" Quartz questions with his left eyebrow raised. "Quartz Vermillion, seeing ou battle in your first siege is impressive to me. Never have I seen a courageous man take down a troll with his friend. I wanted to test my hypothesis through a game, for even during the fiercest storm, a brave man will not give up." "B... but, why test me in a game of Chess?" Quartz continues to query. "For in the idea of Chess and the development of the chess mind, we have the picture of the intellectual struggle of mankind," Balthasar replies with the exact words he told the princess during the time the princess has queried the same question. The night becomes deeper, and Balthasar has made the decision to let the princess and the young man rest. Even if failure and resignation however, Balthasar still has high hopes for him, a diamond in the rough. With the stars shining brightly, Balthasar looks out to the window with his dearest owl. Together, they watch the stars, burning fervently across the sky, the light between darkness. "Oh Axis, it''s been a long night, let''s take a rest." Balthasar greets sweetly, rubbing the chin of his owl. 22 22| Storm The storm comes as the opera of the skies, the winds determined to sing out the trees and grasses as their percussion. Even the downpour comes in an orchestrated rhythm, appearing as the master of the scene yet arriving on an unheard cue. The jagged thunders rip the clouds as they clash upon the flakes of snow and soil. Such a flattering evening, for the kingdom of Witherstone. The organ of the castle begins to tune. It is the hymn of the night for the king and queen of the kingdom dreaded by those who oppose it. However even with the rain soothing the hearts of those who dwell in it, Morgan Storm bears a news that even the king and queen could not bear. As a puff of ebony smoke with a smell of charcoal and granite, Morgan whizzes across the halls, and into the room of the king and queen. Amongst the four pillars, she is the most active for whenever conflict arises within the kingdom she is the first to respond. "Come in." Vladimir instructs with intoned voice. His ears listen to the music of the organ with his hands fiddling with the hair of his wife. The doors of the room open, as the puff of smoke whizzes around. She emits an echoing voice, bouncing unto the walls of the king''s room. She then settles in front of the king as her physical form. A woman of beauty. "My king." She gestures, kneeling and bowing down with respect. "What is your purpose here?" Erice, the queen, queries. "A herd of cyclops have spotted-" "Don''t." The king pauses, inhaling deply. He then continues, "... Don''t say the name." "Of course your majesty, forgive me. According to the cyclops the person you''ve been looking for has been spotted near the opposing kingdom." "So, Pureheart? Such a shame." Vladimir murmurs in a pitiful yet sarcastic manner. "That scapegoat was meant to be the strongest out of all of us." The queen adds. Suddenly, the beautiful rhythm of the night is disrupted by the breath of the beast hiding behind the throne. With a glare on its eyes, the winged-beast walks out of its haven, the king''s throne. It then speaks with a deep and loud voice which echoes throughout the room, "The power of one, will fall to Pureheart, bring the traitor and slay the heart." "Slay the heart? What do you mean by this?" The king tilts to the winged-beast, questioning its words. "Slaughter the scapegoat, and the prophecy will never be fulfilled. Alone... its song will fail, and thus the land shall turn to dust." The beast murmurs unto the ears of the king. "I cannot do that-" "Are you a coward?! If you want Sacchi to fall under your grasp then you must pay a small price." The winged-beast abruptly interrupts with an aggressive voice. "There are other ways of claiming Sacchi." The king adds, keeping his tone down. "And how do you intend to finish a war which never ends? As long as there is Pureheart, the power of the orb won''t fall unto you. But, if you make the right sacrifice, then the prophecy told for ages shall never happen, and Pureheart will soon meet its demise. Your ancestors and forefathers have worked with blood and sweat, finish... finish, what they have started." It murmurs, persuading to convince the king. The king lets off a soft sigh as he exhales deeply. The moment of quietude returns with everyone inside the room looking unto the eyes of the king, waiting for the final decision. Even a cunning king has a heart soft as feather, however the question lies, who or what makes Vladimir''s heart soft? Who is the winged-beast, and what is his pertaining to? "Give me a day to decide. For now, continue operations and capture the next city." The king instructs. Hearing his words, the beast becomes angry yet seizes to show it before the king. It then decides to return behind the throne without saying or uttering another word. "As you wish, your majesty. Do not fear, Sacchi will be yours." Morgan gestures with a bow for a final time as she turns into a puff of smoke and exits the room. With that being said, the king is left with a troubled and bewildered mind despite his cunning looks. For now, Pureheart must prepare for the upcoming sieges. With the downpour weakening, the king and queen has made a decision to sleep in order to restore their energy for what is to come. The music of the organ stops, and the rhythm of the night is played by nature and its glorious children. The scapegoat and the winged-beast however, still remains a mystery. Only time will reveal the answers to the question. 23 023| Bitter-Swee Quartz wakes up early in the morning, wherein the sun is still resolutely below the horizon and the streets are as dark as some old-school black and white movie. He lifts his upper torso, stretching his hands as far as it could reach. He then tilts to his arc-shaped window to watch the beginning of a new day. With maximum velocity, Quartz prepares for an adventure he has planned alone while the others lurking inside the castle are still asleep. If he remembers correctly, Virgo will be in the patch of flowers once more, playing with her ocarina. With his sword and leather armor, he now proceeds to the forest. His feet, as much as possible, they try to emit the slightest of the slightest sound in order not to awake the other men especially the king, queen and the princess from their slumber. In one of the kingdom''s barn, he rents a white stallion which was proclaimed as one of the fastest horse in the kingdom by the farmer guarding the barn. Since, the young man is from Earth, he is quite familiar and used to riding stallions especially during festivals in their country. Humans also us stallions as transportation for both people and objects. Without another moment to lose, the young man takes off with the white stallion and heads towards the direction wherein the sun is rising. He has the determination to seek the peculiar woman that has attracted his attention despite the princess ordering him not to go to the forest of Pureheart due to the vast amount of creatures lurking there. While there are those who are kind, there are also those who are born in the dark, preying on the weak. Aside from being a vast forest, it serves as a passage way to three cities. Uno, the city of ice. Primarily because it rests upon the pinnacle of one of Sacchi''s tallest mountain. Dos, the city of fire. It sits beside a fissure volcano that has not erupted for more than three years. And lastly, Tres, the city of thunder. Frightening the city is, for it is hit by thunderstorms very often. The dark clouds add a pinch of gloom to the city. However for now, the young man has no plans or whatsoever of visiting these three strange cities. Yet. Reaching the deepest parts of the forest, the young man halts his stallion for a moment after hearing the familiar melody. His heart listens to the melody, leading him to the same patch of flowers. As expected, Virgo could be seen, playing with her ocarina and skipping around the blossoms like a young girl with the butterflies drifting above her hair. Her attention was then caught after seeing Quartz. She stops playing for a moment and gestures the young man with a delighted smile. "H... hi." His voice emits his words in a trembling manner in order to greet the young woman. A drop of sweat falls off his face as he walks closer in an unusual way. Seeing Virgo makes the young man timid. "Are... you alone?" The woman queries. "Y... yes." He replies. Hearing his words, Virgo smiles and grabs the young man''s hand. She brings Quartz to a nearby tree with fine leaves bearing a galore of fruits. The color of its bark is brown, without a single scratch or mark, symbolizing that the tree is still young. "Try it." Upon reaching the tree in the middle of the patch of flowers, Virgo climbs and grabs a fruit for Quartz. The fruit has a red color, however, its size is as small as a penny. It somewhat looks like a berry. "Wh... what is this?" He queries, observing the fruit in the palm of his hand. "An Elppa berry." "Elppa berry? Hmm..." Without a moment to waste, the young man gobbles the whole berry in his mouth. Inside his mouth, Quartz could sense a somewhat bitter taste, however, the longer it stays in his mouth, the more sweeter it becomes. "How does it taste like?" She surveys. "It tastes bitter at first, but now it tastes sweet. It''s... bitter-sweet." Quartz smiles, responding with ecstasy. "Elppa berries, they are my favorite. It tells us that a bitter start can have a sweet ending. However, some Elppa berries prove different. Sometimes, it tells us that a sweet start can have a bitter ending." Upon the lush grass Virgo begins to sit, leaning her head to the bark of the tree. "So from, what city do you belong too?" Quartz sits and leans his head to the bark as he asks a question to the princess. "Me? My city is dead." Hearing the question, her smile turns out into a frown. "I despise the war between the two kingdoms. It has crushed the hopes and dreams of the future generation." She adds, uttering her words in a soft manner. "It is fine, at least Pureheart is doing its best in order to stop Witherheart from expanding its wrath throughout the whole of Sacchi." "Pureheart? Witherheart? They''re also the same. They fight with greed for the orbs while the rest of Sacchi suffers from plagues, drought and destruction. And what do these kingdoms do after the sieges they''ve brought upon? Nothing. They feast inside their castles, laughing and fiddling with each other while the towns cry and mourn... Wait a minute, you''re a soldier of the king aren''t you?!" She suspects, suddenly standing and enraging at the young man. He was left speechless, thinking of a reply. Should he lie to the young woman or tell the truth about his true title as a pawn of the king? He wonders deeply in his mind how the princess would react after hearing the truth. Luckily, an unexpected event occurs, grabbing both of their attention. From above, a bird dashes down the tree, hitting its wings on branches and twigs... 24 024| Falcon The bird lands between Quartz and Virgo. Seeing the bird, they ponder on its looks. It has eyes of a bird of prey, a hunter. It has wings of the sharpest kind, giving it an easy time to glide. Its claws are the finest, bringing terror to a prey''s eye. Primarily, the bird is coated with a brown color. "It''s injured." Virgo responds right away, kneeling down to pick up the injured bird. On its left abdomen, a large wound could be found with a wooden arrow piercing through it. With pain, the bird mourns, after being lifted by Virgo. "Get me the Egnaro berries in my bag. It will help the bird recover quicker." Virgo instructs, pointing her finger to her bag found in the patch of flowers. Quartz responds in a rapid pace and follows what the young woman instructs. "Which one? The yellow or-" "The orange ones." She interrupts. As the young man gathers the berries, Virgo tilts her head to him to see if he was looking at her. She then tilts back to the bird and aids it as fast as possible before the young man finds out. With a gentle tap on the bird''s wound, the woman''s hand glows in a green veil, sending off a fuzzy feeling to the bird. Within a matter of seconds, the bird was healed and the wound disappeared. "Here are the ber... What happened to the wound?!" Upon giving the berries to Virgo, Quartz was left stunned after seeing the bird all healed up with arrow on the grass. She looks to Virgo, and seemingly she has the looks of a drowsy and tired person. "Just feed the berries to the bird." Inhaling and exhaling deeply, Virgo instructs, not answering the young man''s questions or whatsoever. With Quartz feeding the berries to the bird, Virgo does her different agendas and picks a plethora of a Elppa berries from the tree. Just like a hungry child, she eats the fruits in a rambunctious and desperate manner. "There... There..." After being fed, the bird stays on the lap of the young man. He pats its wings, massaging it like a mother massing the back of a newlyborn baby. "The bird. It''s a falcon. They''re speed is beyond any winged-creature that roams the land of Sacchi. It is a rare scenario to see an arrow hit a bird of swiftness. Perhaps the doers are skilled archers." Virgo suspects. "Skilled archers? Are there any kind of species that are masters when it comes to archery?" He queries. From the distance, a chattering voice interrupts both of them. They have the voice of an unruly and sluggish person. Apparently, the voice seems to be going closer to Virgo and Quartz, raising the suspicion that they''re heading to the Elppa tree. "...Piglins." Virgo murmurs. Trying to impress Virgo, with bravery the man tilts his head to the back of the tree. From there, he sees two fat and obesse creatures. On ther hideous jaws are tusks. Their heads have the look of a boar and their clothings are merely made out of leather. One of them has an axe while the other has a bow. They seem to be looking for they falcon that they have taken down. "Don''t mess with them. They''re not called Piglins for nothing." Virgo pulls the young man, forcing him to hide behind the tree with her. "Perhaps you have a point, however, I believe they can be outsmarted." Quartz technically concurrs. He then jumps out, showing himself and grabbing the attention of the two Piglins. "Filthy boars. The falcon you are looking for is with me. If you want it, then you have to get through me." He bargains, insulting the looks of the obesse creatures. "Who in the bloody hell is this ding-dong?" The piglin with an axe insults, laughing hysterically. "Oi mate. Give us the falcon or we''ll give ya a bloody match." The piglin with the bow warns glaring with seriousness to the young man. On the other hand, Virgo takes care of the bird, while watching Quartz against the two piglins. With maximum velocity, Quartz jolts around the field with the piglin with an axe trying to chase him. On the other hand the skilled archer prepares, stretching his bow and placing the arrow. With keen eyes, the Piglin tries to keep up with the swiftness of the man. For him, it was like shooting an ant, squirming around the field. During the perfect moment, Quartz halts, giving the Piglin an opportunity to launch the bow. However, his friend with an axe interrupts and goes in front of the young man with his axe ready to slaughter Quartz. Sadly it ended up with the arrow piercing the heart of the Piglin. For Quartz, the Piglin was a shield of fats. "Oh god." The other Piglin starts to worry, seeing that he has killed his own friend. He decides to run away, leaving his dead friend on the patch of flowers. Lucky the young man is, for he has outsmarted the two Piglins without the need of fighting. He then returns to the tree and leans his head on it. He grasps for air, in order to cool down his burning lungs and perspiration. "You have a brave heart." She chuckles. Seeing the young man, the falcon glides, staying on top with its claws hooked to the man''s shoulder. "Hi there. Seems like you''re feeling better now?" Quartz smiles, fiddling with the falcon''s chin. In response, the falcon smiles back and lets out its cry. "Virgo, it''s been a pleasure meeting you, but I am afraid I have to return." Quartz snaps back to reality, realizing his training session in the camp today. "You may go, as long as you tell no one about me." "You have my word." He smiles, then walks further from the tree. The falcon interrupts, and glides back to the man''s shoulder, shocking both Quartz and Virgo. "Looks like the falcon wants to come with you." Virgo giggles while assuming. "To express my deepest gratitude, I swear to protect you." The falcon begins to speak, leaving the man stunned. "I almost forgot to say, Falcons can speak the language of men." Virgo explains. Hearing the falcon speak, Quartz also wish that the falcons of Earth could speak like humans as well. "You have saved me from the grasps of the two Piglins who''ve attacked me. Due to this, I, Endeavor, vow to protect you from any danger." The falcon introduces, gesturing with respect by bowing down to the young man. "Endeavor? Such a unique and genuine name." Quartz compliments, fiddling with the chin of the falcon. "So Master? What shall be your first bidding? With all my might, I shall do it." Endeavor bows, selling his life to Quartz for free. "Master? Please, call me Quartz." "Quartz it is! My adventure with you, begins today." Endeavor beams with exuberance. Meanwhile, sitting on the grass while leaning on the bark of the Elppa tree, is Virgo, chuckling softly while watching the young man bond with his Falcon. With everything set, the young man and his new pet return to the kingdom. Only time will tell what dangers and problems Quartz and Endeavor will encounter together. 25 025| Parro Returning to the camp with Endeavor clinging on his shoulder, he is greeted by the Kingston on the arcway of the entrace. Seeing Quartz, riding the horse, he halts him for a moment. "Where have you been mate? It''s already past eight. Luckily the princess isn''t here, or else you''ll be done for." Halting Quartz''s stallion, Kingston decides to ask Quartz''s sudden appearance on such a late time. "Had to run some errands." He replies, unmounting from his white stallion. Meanwhile, a scowl of malice, Endeavor stares to Kingston. It''s wings are raised, seemingly prepared to attack. "Oh, this is Endeavor by the way. He''s a falcon." Quartz introduces, playing with Endeavor''s chin. "Get out ya foul beast! I am Endeavor, and Quartz will not be left in vein." Endeavor starts to over react in its fighting posture, ready to glide and peck Kingston. Luckily, Quartz quickly calms his falcon, explaining Kingston is an ally rather than foe. "I''m watching you..." Endeavor leans its head forward, squinting his eyes and mumbling at Kingston. "Mate! You''ve finally arrived, what took you so long? Did you overlseep again?" Harold sees the young man, and decides to interrupt the conversation between him and Kingston. "He said he needed to run some errands." Kingston explains, letting off a soft sigh. "Oh my word, is that a bird ya got there?" Harold''s attention is then grabbed by Endeavor''s looks. "Yes. This is Endeavor. Endeavor, this is Harold. He''s also an ally." "An ally? Looks like a filthy scum to me..." With squinted eyes, Endeavor ponders at Harold''s apparel, observing his movement closely. "It''s like a parrot! It can talk!" Harold beams with full exeburance. "I beg your pardon?! I am not a parrot. I, myself, is a bird of prey." Endeavor corrects. "Well parrots do talk afterall. Hey, can Endeavor sing as well?" Kingston queries. "Oh... oh, perhaps it can do poetry!" Harold adds. "Listen here ya rambunctious scamps, I am a bird of prey and not just a random beast who sings and recites poems for children." With a frustrated tone, Endeavor starts to become slightly aggressive, glaring at the two of them with its keen eyes. "I''ve heard of talking parrots... I mean talking falcons before, but never have I met one personally. So, they truly exist." Uttering his words, Kingston decides to fiddle with the bird''s chin, however Endeavor responds by biting it. "Ach! What was that for?!" Angrily, Kingston queries the bird''s unruly manner. "I am not a toy to no one except for Quartz." "Relax Endeavor, they''re just playing with you." Quartz calms, massaging the bird''s nape. The three continued to talk to each other, and as they do, Endeavor learned to befriend them, lending its trust to Kingston and Harold. Although, Quartz''s new friend, or the self-proclaimed bird of prey still keeps a close eye on the both of them in case they plan to do something out of the blue such as betraying Quartz or hurting him which is most likely impossible to happen. Being devoted to the young man, it is a falcon''s duty to protect and serve him, and at times, it could be overprotective, even hurting those who are close to their masters. As falcons of their motherland Sacchi, they are willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their masters. From their conversation that lasted about an hour wherein by now, they must be training, the princess, Jupiter Braveheart arrives back at the camp, riding her brown Stallion. Seeing the three of them, she decides to unmount from her horse with the looks of a distressed person. "What are the three of you doing here? Shouldn''t you be training by now?" The princess questions. "And who are you?" Endeavor queries with suspicion, pondering on the looks of the princess. "Excuse me parrot, I am the princess of Pureheart therefore I have the upper authority in these grounds. You may protect Quartz from other dangers, but not from me." The princess talks back. "Why does everyone call me a parrot?!" Endeavor starts to complain. "Anyways, since the three of you are here, why don''t you help me?" The princess suggests. "Help you? What is this time? A hungry pack of ogres are trying to destroy Sacchi?" Kingston takes the suggestion as a joke, letting of a chuckle. "Not ogres, they''ve learned their lesson. It''s the spiders who are causing trouble in the east of Sacchi, at Carlsen Forest. I need the three of you to help me to take them down before they reproduce, crippling the food chain and ecosystem of the forest." The princess explains with seriousness. "Spiders? You call that trouble? They could be easily defeated by a slap of the newspaper." Quartz utters. "That''s what I thought at first, however I was proven wrong. The spiders that dwell within the forest of Carlsen are usually eight times the size of a regular spider. What''s worse is, most of them are venomous, spitting out their boiling hot poison to anyone who opposes them." Hearing Harold''s explanation, Quartz is left in a distressed manner, the same look of what the princess has. Little does he know, that the spiders of Sacchi are much superior than the Spiders of Earth. However, even with all the gruesome descriptions of the said species, Quartz, Harold, and Kingston concurred with Jupiter. 26 026| Spider The bare branches spiked into the sky - no sign of life to be found anywhere. Carlsen Forest is so dark they are barely able to see where they''re going. Even their stallions start to freak out. Without a siege or any training session occuring, pawns and other officials are allowed to use horses. Back in the forest, there are only small sounds of rustling bushes and the howl of the wind. They have no clue what lays in the dark forest, all they know is that it isn''t going to be a peaceful journey. The whole forest is silent, not a single soul to be heard. Above the barren trees, is a thick layer of fog, blocking the eyesights of the the four conquistadors. In a steady and cautious pace, their horse moves. Their colors are soaked with the sweat of the four conquistadors as they search far and wide for the enemy. The conquest continues for half an hour until the four of them reached a peculiar place. Their stallions are starting to step on mud, giving them a hard time to move. Above them, are what seems to be cobwebs, dangling like wires in branches and twigs. Even the self-proclaimed bird of prey is scared of such eerie. The four of them start to hear the noises of shadows, somewhat murmuring to their ears. They scour the area, only to see a large tree that stands out from the rest. This tree, is quite obese looking with its roots deeply rooted to the ground. The leaves have the pigment of dark green, and the bark is somewhat painted in a fainted color, gray. The princess makes the first move, and decides to unmount from her horse. With her left hand tightly gripped to her sword, she scours and surrounds the tree, searching for anything that would pique her curiosity. Walking around, she accidentally steps on mud, grabbing her attention. With a curious mind, Jupiter starts to kneel as she places a sample of the oozing mud to her the tip of her finger. She then smells it, giving a cough afterwards. The cough of the princess has attracted the attention of the dangling beasts above, spiders of Sacchi. "This is their venom." The princess murmurs, hearing the chuckles of spiders, slowly descending from above them through their cobwebs. The chuckles, have also attracted the attention of Kingston, Quartz, and Harold, causing them to look above. "Who has the bravery to interfere my home?" Atop the tree, a spider, much larger from the ones descending to them makes a leap down to the ground. Scaring the princess, bringing her guard down. "My children have not eaten for days, this is quite a feast for us." In a sarcastic manner, the queen of the spiders start to giggle. "It has been a long time since I''ve eaten a member of the royal family. Now, my stomach craves for more!" The queen continues to scare the bloody hell of the four of them. Escape is merely impossible for her children have completely surrounded the four conquistadors. "She ate the father of King Felix." Kingston murmurs to the ears of the young man. Hearing his words, Quartz remains speechless, rotating his eyes to the cluster, earnestly finding a way out of the situation. He then thinks for a minute if running is a decent choice. If he were to run, what would that make of him? A coward? A traitor? Clearly, Quartz does not want his reputation to decline therefore he has made the decision to stand firm and fight amidst the clutter of spiders. No longer having the compatibility to satisfy her stomach, the queen spews acid to the princess, nearly killing her. Luckily, only a droplet was able to touch the armor of Jupiter, causing the metal to corrode. "Sire, four is no match for a dozen." Endeavor warns, watching the clutter walking in a subtle pace closer to them. "I am aware of that Endeavor, but clearly there is no way out, and we would be drowing in a pool of acid if we were to fight back." "Actually, there is a way sire. The falcons have encountered a lot of situations similar to this. The best way is to take down the queen. Without the queen, her children remain stagnant for no one will be able to command them since the queen uses vibrations produced by its fangs in order to communicate with her children. Although, a slash of the sword won''t be quite easy in the abdomen, so I suggest that you head for the eye. With the queen blind, the four of you are given the opportunity to take her down." Endeavor suggests an opinion, bringing a spark of hope to Quartz. "Aim for the queen''s eye!" Quartz shouts, dashing to the queen, pointing his sword to the eye. However, with all her children, Quartz is quite aware taking down the eye won''t be a simple task either. Seeing the young man dash rapidly with his stallion, one of her children spews a bubble of boiling acid to him. Luckily, he was able to react quickly, jumping off the stallion right away. Although the young man was saved, the horse has turned into a pool of blood and mud, ready to be sipped by the fangs of the cluster. The princess and the other two then abides with the decision of the young man. Kingston and Harold first unmounts from their horse and with their swords, they aimed for the eye, not minding the other spiders nearby. The queen sends out a vibration, signaling her children on what to do. In a matter of seconds, her children started to attack, jolting towards the four of them, with their fangs ready to gobble the conquistadors as a whole. "I''ll be a diversion, go and slain the queen." Kingston yells, picking a twig from the ground and setting it on fire by scratching the twig on a nearby boulder. He then runs to the east, grabbing the attention of the queen''s children due to the lumuniosity of the flames. "Pathetic mortals!" The queen shouts and enrages, spewing her acid at the three of them, trying to turn them into oozing mud. "You''re demeanor is as those of a pouty child!" Endeavor starts to leap into action, pecking the head of the queen. As the queen focuses on the bird, the three are given an opportunity to take it down. "This would probably work!" Harold beams with confidence, throwing a small stone to the eye only to grab the attention of the queen. With one of her eight legs, the queen smashes Endeavor to the side of the tree as she returns her concentration to the three of them. "My bad." Seeing the princess and the young man staring at him, Harold utters with an embarrassed face. \u003cScah!\u003e The queen lets off her cry, jolting to the three of them. "Cut the legs!" The princess instructs. Seeing the Queen jolting to them, the conquistadors separate from each other. With courage, the princess slays down one of the queen''s legs. "Have you not learned?" The queen chuckles, showing her leg regenerating again. The queen then pounces at the princess, harnessing her venom in order for it to be spewed unto her. Harold and Quartz tried to set the princess free, however the spider spews cobwebs, wrapping them tightly to the point they could barely breath. With the two struggling from the cobwebs, the queen returns back to her agenda with the princess. "Tsk... Tsk... Tsk..." The queen murmurs, then moves her head closer to Jupiter''s ears. She continues, "Where have I seen such the same scenario? Ah, I remember. This is how your grandfather looked before he died... Now you will meet him in the heavens." After speaking her words, the queen chuckles hysterically, ready to spew out the acid. A moment before the incident, Endeavor comes to save the day, bringing an unexpected surprise to the eyes of the conquistadors. \u003cBwargh!\u003e The falcon shrieks and opens its beak. It spews out a beam of ice, freezing the queen. With the spider frozen, the princess quickly escapes from her grip and dashes to pick up her sword. She then slays the cobwebs, setting Quartz and Harold free. As for the falcon, it returns to the young man''s shoulder, smiling pleasantly at him. "Frosty parrot saved the day!" Harold teases. "I beg your pardon, without me the princess would not be able to save you." In a frustrated manner, the falcon utters, making the rest of them laugh. With pleasure, Quartz volunteered to slay the frozen spider. Piercing his sword gravely to the eye that connects to the brain. The queen has fallen, as so as the spiders trying to chase Kingston. He halts for a moment to gasp for oxygen then tilts back only to see the cluster not moving or whatsoever. "The queen is dead." Kingston murmurs in relief, dropping himself the grass in order to rest from all that running. With that being said, the four of them reunited once more with nothing but pure ecstasy. With the queen slayed, they finally return to the kingdom. As a reward for their participation, the princess has given the decision to let them rest back in camp while the rest stare at them with covetous eyes. As for the princess, she returned to the camp, bringing excellent news before the king and queen of Pureheart. The creatures of the forest shall not be left in vain for the food chain and ecosystem has been saved. 27 027| Colors Bathed in the light of the sun, the moon comes to the sky as a mother to sing a soft lullaby, to ease her children in a star-filled night. Alone, it is more beautiful than the stars surrounding her. On such a fine night, wherein the cold breeze flows throughout the land, the young man and his falcon escapes the fortress, in hopes to see Virgo once more. His foot kisses the ground, making the slightest of sounds. Cautious, Quartz is, checking every direction for sentinels and soldiers lurking within the walls, protecting the castle from any intruders during their night shift. Upon escaping, he quickly dashes to the nearby barn in order to borrow another stallion. With everything set, the stallion gallops, running to the direction of the moon with its silhouette following from behind. Meanwhile, Endeavor clings tightly to the young man''s shoulder, trying to withstand the drag of the wind produced by the stallion''s maximum velocity. "I''m... I''m having a headache." Endeavor says in a stuttering manner. It couldn''t keep up with the rate of the stallion. "We''re almost there Endeavor, just hang tightly." Quartz comforts, scratching the chin of his so-called frosty parrot by his friends. The moon reaches its pinnacle, signaling the other creatures its time to play and interact with one another. On the other hand, Quartz has reached his destination. To the patch of flowers is where he went, although stunned he is, not to hear the sound of Virgo''s melody whom he expected to be playing by now. The patch of flowers remains dull and lackluster without the beauty of Virgo''s melody. The silence, spooks him for he was not used to it. He double checks the flower field, searching for the maiden however found no presence at all. His mind was left with confusion. "Sire, I think it''s time to return. It''s getting quite late already." Endeavor suggests, descending to the man''s shoulder after scouring the skies for the girl with its keen eyes. Sadly, not even the bird of prey was able to find Virgo''s presence. Suddenly, from behind with bare hands, somebody covers Quartz''s eyes. "Boo!" "Virgo?!" In a surprised manner Quartz tilt to his back, seeing the maiden smiling in pure joy and happiness. "Surprise! You thought I was missing didn''t you?" She assumes, letting off a soft chuckle afterwards. "Where have you been?" "Follow me." Virgo instructs, and pulls out her ocarina from her pocket. She plays the melody that Quartz was longing to hear, she then jolts to the depths of the forest amidst the moonlight shining over them. "Can you keep up?" Virgo teases, running while playing with her ocarina. "Wait for me!" Quartz follows the maiden through the sound of her music. "Sire! This is a bad idea. We should be heading back by now. If the princess finds out about your disappearance, you''ll be a dead meat or worse, a cooked one by the princess''s hot anger." Endeavor warns yet Quartz ceases to listen to it. He continues to run to the forest in full exuberance, trying to catch up with Virgo''s pace. Behind him is his falcon, zooming through trees and vines in order to keep up with his owner. With the slash of the sword, Quartz cuts through the vines and bushes while the melody reaches its suspense. His mind is completely blank, not knowing where Virgo is trying to lead him. All his eyes see are branches and twigs scattered on the ground and above him is a fog thick as clouds. The trees did not bear any leaves and his feet ran on gravel rather than soil. With the maiden out of sight and her melody suddenly stopping, Quartz is put to a halt in the middle of nowhere. He calls out the name of the maiden, "Virgo! Virgo!" to the point all he could hear is his echo. "Shh!" Virgo surprises him from behind again, hushing his mouth. "Follow me." Virgo whispers, grabbing Quartz''s left hand and dragging him to an unfamiliar place. A lake lay silver in the bright light of the midnight moon, not a perfect ovoid like a looking glass of old, but irregular like an ink-splat on aging concrete. The rippled water runs right into the crevices, washing the soil from the rocks. Around the edges were pines, chaotic in their spacing but never more than a few feet without a tree. The only sound is the soft whispering of the trees and the flow of the gentle pristine water. "Where are we?" Quartz asks in awe. He flinches due to such beauty of the lake that neither Rome nor Earth could offer. "You''ll see." Virgo giggles, bringing him to a tree. The tree stands out from the rest, with the fireflies and fairies giving the tree a fervent glow. This is something that neither Rome or Earth has. The two of them sit on the bark of the tree, glancing at the pristine lake. The moon then comes to the very center of the lake, casting its white glow like a stage light. "Sire! I''ve finally found you." Endeavor interrupts the peaceful atmosphere, gliding to Quartz''s shoulders and clinging on it while gasping for oxygen. The bird''s sudden appearance has brought a soft chuckle to the maiden. "Where are we?" Endeavor questions as his eyes roam the surroundings of the lake. Another creature interrupts from the depths of the lake. It has the looks of a serpent with vicious eyes and cunning fangs. Its scales are painted in a gradient of lime and teal. It may be a ferocious but it is a friendly beast. Quite larger than an average serpent, this creature matches the size and width of the famous Kraken. Seeing the two of them resting upon a tree, the beast screeches disturbing the zephyr and letting off a powerful wind. "My precious feathers. I''ve spent hours on grooming them." The wind not only hits Virgo and Quartz''s hair but also the falcon''s. He utters his words in disappointment. The creature did not mind their arrival or presence, and instead beamed up to the atmosphere, shocking the eyes of Quartz and his falcon. Out of the ordinary, the serpent has the capability to fly, such as the dragons told in the folklore of China. It reaches the front of the moon in an S-shaped posture as it looks at the young man and the maiden. It then shrieks loudly, quite irritating to their ears but the product of it is what astounds them. From the blankness of the night sky comes the bounty of colors, squirming across the sky. Blue, Red, Orange and more, the colors piqued the man''s interest. The colors are somewhat similar to the northern lights. "Once the moon reaches its pinnacle in the lake, a beast known as the Aquila leaves its chambers momentarily. The beast holds the beauty of the seven colors of the rainbow. According to myths and legends, the Aquila is responsible for bringing colors to Sacchi, fading black and white. It is the artist, the painter, without it, the trees would be dull, the flowers would be lackluster, and the Sacchi we know today, will be colorless. Having such power, the Aquila is also known as the father of the rainbow, extending its seven colors across the sky after the settling of a storm. You are lucky, Aquilas are known to be timid when boasting off its powers, but perhaps it was willing to do so, and therefore filled the night sky with the seven colors of the rainbow." Virgo explains while staring at the said creature. Out of nowhere, the Aquila descends to the young man and stops in front of his face, sniffing him. Due to this, Quartz flinch while observing the beast pondering his looks. It was as though as time to stopped, for everything remained still and not even his falcon nor the maiden dared to interrupt. It then places its chin on the man''s palm, allowing it to scratch it. "It wants you to ride it." Virgo assumes, watching the friendly manner of the beast towards Quartz. "I''d rather be a roasted chicken than riding on that thing." Endeavor interrupts the still moment again, snapping Quartz''s eyes out of their flinched state. With a little hesitation, Quartz steps his feet on the back of the beast. He is in an uncomfortable state, as he clings his hand tightly while trembling to the Aquila''s scales. His frosty parrot also decided to join the ride, despite being afraid and scared of the monstrosity. In a sudden shock with maximum swiftness the Aquila blasts to the sky, wherein Quartz and his falcon nearly fell off. "I wasn''t prepared!" Quartz says in sarcastic manner, closing his eyes. "Open your eyes!" Virgo shouts, chuckling at the young man. She glances at the Aquila zooming through the skies in a very fast pace with Quartz riding on his back. Above, he could feel the wind touching his hair and skin. From a fast-pace, everything starts to seem calm and steady as the young man opens his eyes once more. "Amazing." He murmurs, only to find himself higher than the clouds. Beside him are the colors of the northern lights. He looks to the left, and his eyes became mesmerized by the gargantuan moon and her tiddly stars. For a moment or two, everything was serene and quiet except for his falcon. "Endeavor, I thought you were a bird of prey." "Yes I am! I was shocked, I never said I was scared. It is fine to me if I fall, I can fly anyways." Endeavor boasts, disagreeing with Quartz. The dragon descends back to the lake and dives deep into the depths, with Quartz and his falcon on its back. For about ten seconds, Quartz was able to take a glimpse on what lies beyond the depths, watching the fish and never-before seen water creatures playing around. In order to gasp for air once more, the Aquila rises from the water and brings Quartz and his parrot back to the tree. It then returns to its chambers, as the moon moves to the west. "See? Wasn''t it fun?" Virgo giggles. "Indeed. Have you rode on its back?" "Of course, many times already. Don''t worry, you''ll be used to the drag of the wind." "My feathers! They''re all soaked in water." Endeavor bumps to the conversation again, shaking the off its body. With the night fading away and the sun about to rise, Quartz has made the decision to return to his room in order to sleep for a few hours or so. At his bed, he couldn''t fall asleep due to the recent memories echoing on its mind. How he wishes to ride the father of the rainbow once more, and of course, his eagerness to see the girl remains the same. 28 028 A| Death Lurking in the depths of the volcano of Dos, famous for the city that lies above, is an army awakened once more. Vicious monsters of the dead, preying on the lives of the innocent. The undead brings terror to the eyes of many, even the humans of Earth fear them, however, they are only written in books, acted in plays, and watched in cinemas. This is not the case in Sacchi however, for the undead are real but vanished for more than a century, but now they rise once more, preparing to dread bodies of the civilians of Dos. It is true what they say, those who die remain dead forever, however, there are those who possess the power to awaken the dead with the reaper on their left and the spells they chant. Necromancers, skeletons, wherein no skins are present, are covered with robes of either violet and black. Stare at them, and you will see no pupils nor eyes, only dread and fright. Long ago, these species were haunted down by the kingdom of Pureheart due to their ill will, which is to create an army of the undead by the use of their powers. Now, they plan to rise amidst the ongoing war between the two kingdoms, but little do the Necromancers know that their regime will end before it even started. The news has reached the kingdom of Pureheart early in the morning, shocking the king. According to witnesses, the dead has been spotted, roaming within the walls of Dos. In response, the king prepares an army to defeat the doers before they claim their vengeance after their defeat a century ago. Surprisingly, Quartz and his falcon was one of those chosen ones. "I cannot afford another regime of necromancers to rise in the middle of an ongoing war with the opposing kingdom. My daughter, do what you must, give not the slightest opportunity for the necromancers to rise." Before the king, the daughter kneels, listening to the instructions of his father, the king of Pureheart. "I will spare no mercy to the necromancers, you have my word father, and before the sun sets the war shall be over." The princess promises. "But your majesty, if we are to use such an army, what about the other kingdom? They will win when it comes to the number of soldiers, and where is ours? Dead. Slaughtered by the hands of an issue that has just begun. I''d suggest we focus on Witherheart first before proceeding to the issue with the Necromancers. After all, they are merely forming a group." Brook, a pillar of the monarchy of Pureheart complains, somehow doubting the king''s instructions. "But Admiral, if I may, the king speaks wisely. If we are to focus on Witherheart, then the Necromancers will have an opportunity to rise, by then, they would be unstoppable. They are using the war as a diversion, confusing us." Sir Efron sides with the decision of the king. "My words are final. The war against the necromancers will only take a day. Sir Efron is right." The king calls out the final decision. In response to the king''s orders, the pillars and the army make their way to Dos, the city of fire. The army is much smaller than the army used in sieges. Most are infantries such as pawns while some are knights, riding on their hippogriffs. The use of trebuchets or other allies, are not needed for just like what the king said, this war will only take a day since they have recently risen. "The undead are real?" As they continue to saunter to the city, Quartz decided to ask his falcon about the enemy they''re about to face. He is scared to see the brain-craving monsters and the "grim reapers" that control them and at the same time, the young man is eager to learn more about them. "You see sire, long ago, about a century, when the two kingdoms were still united under one leadership, Sacchi faced a grave threat known as the Necromancers who apparently have the power to raise the dead back to live with their spells of enchantments and their long cunning scythes. Above the Necromancers is their leader, known as a sage. The sage holds such extreme power that even the living can fall under their spell." "A sage? They can both control the dead and the alive?" "Yes, sire. A sage looks similar to a necromancer. If you stare at a sage, you could fall under their spell and the next thing you know is that you''re following their ill will. Long ago, there was a sage named Ghetsis who rose within the ashes and flames of the volcano of Dos. He has the heart of greed, longing for the motherland to fall under his supremacy, thus he alongside with the necromancers has formed the most powerful alliance. Sooner or later, the dead rose from the ground, following the commands of Ghetsis. However, Ghetsis''s reign only remained momentarily for it has fallen quickly. Since Sacchi was united during the time, its foes were quite easy to defeat, and Ghetsis is no exception. Only in a matter of months did Ghetsis reign over a few states. It immediately collapsed due to Sacchi''s powerful army, ruled under one king. He is the same king who wields the orb given by the angel. Seeing his supremacy collapsed, with the necromancers being slaughtered to near extinction, Ghetsis made the decision to suicide. His final words were, "I cannot win this war with Sacchi united, but once its unity crumbles, I shall rise from the ashes and will be reborn. Only then will Sacchi be mine." He does not want anyone to take his life except for himself, however, some say now that he''s dead he could be brought back to life by a necromancer." Endeavor explains. "So... are you saying Ghetsis has risen once more? Since the necromancer has the ability to bring the dead to life, they could bring their dead leader back right?" "I believe you are correct. However, it is too early to assume if the sage has risen." Endeavor replies. After a two hour journey to through the woods, the pillars and its army has arrived at a hilltop wherein from there, they could scout the city. However, upon arrival, shocked they are to see the city burning under fire. They could hear the screams of civilians running for their lives. Only now did they realize their arrival was late for the necromancers has started the attack on the city already. Quartz was indeed terrified, seeing the undead attack the living. On the rooftops of houses and buildings, the necromancers could be seen, watching their creation (undead), bringing chaos to the eyes of many, not even the children were spared. "Lord Ghetsis, arise from the ashes, and restore your supremacy." In a synchronized voice, the necromancers chant while pointing their staffs directly to the sun. The ground then cracks, as lava spews out of the mantle. The whole city begins to shake, as a man similar to the image of a necromancer emerges. He holds a staff that differs from the rest of the necromancers. "I... I am reborn." Ghetsis murmurs, crushing his staff to the ground, causing more of the undead to emerge. The city has fallen into conflict, and now it is up to the army of Pureheart to defeat them before history repeats itself. 28 028| Magma The sunrise comes as if it had missed the sky and want nothing more than to warm up those blues to a radiant gold. Along with the rising sun, is the people of Sacchi, ready to start a new day. Back in the kingdom of Pureheart is Quartz, smiling with ecstasy and happiness after being given an opportunity to have a day off as proposed by the princess''s orders after his help back in Carlsen Forest. And what could be better than to spend the day back in the forest with the maiden he fell in love with? The question is, has the maiden fall in love with him as well? With his falcon and a stallion, they gallop back to the field of flowers. Quartz could already hear the maiden''s melody from afar, the usual in these kinds of mornings. Playing her ocarina, Virgo becomes shock, after hearing a familiar tone. She looks back, seeing the young man and his Piccolo, giving a smile to her face. She then continues to play with her ocarina, hopping and skipping around Quartz. Their music combined, forming a beautiful melody. Through this, Virgo has learned to trust the young man more often than before. "Are you free for the whole morning?" Virgo questions, placing back her ocarina to her pocket. "Why yes, I am." He replies happily. "Then why don''t you come with me to the city of Dos? It''s only five kilometres from where we are. Dos is one of the three capitals of Sacchi, and I''ve heard it sits on top of a volcano." Virgo delineates. "And what are you planning to do there?" "Oh it''s nothing big, but perhaps you could help me obtain a stone known as the Sapphire. It does not wield powers or whatsoever but according to the locals, the Sapphire is one of the rarest stones in Sacchi and I, myself, love to collect stones." Virgo asks a favor with a bit of timidity. Hearing her words, the young man gladly concurred and decided to help the maiden. The city of Dos lies in the direction, parallel to the sun. Riding a horse, the three of them proceed to the city in order to help the maiden acquire something valuable known as the Sapphire. A rare stone, Igneous to be exact. It was forged under the flames of the volcano of Dos. Brittle as gold, however, valuable as diamonds. No one can find the Sapphire except in the city of Dos. Upon arrival, Quartz''s eyes are in shock. The city has the looks of a medieval town wherein houses are made out of either wood or brick, roofs are covered in wheat, and chimneys are as tall as a refrigerator. The people look snobbish, the type of people Quartz wouldn''t want to talk to. There are also some creatures such as the famous Scavenger Piglins and hunters. There are also elves, creatures as tall as people but with long ears. For Quartz, Dos seems like a headquarter for lucre for everything his eyes could see was nothing but barters, trades, and some of them even seemed like criminals. The city is quite frightening indeed. "Just... don''t keep eye contact at them." Virgo murmurs, trying to comfort Quartz''s uncomfortable feeling. Even after hearing the words of the maiden, Quartz did not respond, only choking his saliva heavily. "Watch it!" A civilian scum with the looks of a drunk man, yells at them when the horse accidentally hits his leg. He then continues his walk, nearly causing an argument. "Are you sure this is the capital of Sacchi?" Quartz queries in a soft voice. "Well, that is what is written in books of old. I guess it has drastically changed since the unity''s downfall." The horse continues to gallop, trying to produce the slightest of sounds. After seeing a group of mad civilians throwing stones and bottles to a nearby tree, Quartz decides to halt the stallion for a moment to see what kind of commotion is going on. The people seem intense, angry, and infuriated as if a protest was happening. "Is there anything wrong?" Quartz queries to one of the civilians. "Magmorites, their here again." The civilian replies, and begins to throw rocks at the tree. Somehow curious about the creature, Quartz decides to tie the stallion with a lead in order not to be stolen by anyone while he and the maiden are gone. They circle the city, only to surpass the crowd of mad people. To the tree they went, only to see a stone man with small gaps on his body filled with boiling lava. He has the scent of granite and Lahar. The man is calmly reading his book, not minding the crowd throwing stones at him. The tree serves as his shield. "Hello there." The man tilts his head to Quartz and Virgo, seemingly peaceful and friendly. "Are you what they call you? A Magmorite?" Virgo questions. "Oh, yes I am. My name is Maximus by the way. Oh, don''t worry at the crowd, I''m used to it. You see, Magmorites have a high reputation for being wicked stone beings who wreck villages with the spew of a lava from our mouths. Not all of us are wicked however, just like me, my only purpose here was to read books and enjoy the remaining life I have. Magmorites only have a life span of twenty, and I''m already seventeen years old, living me with three years left. Sigh, I guess I have to find a new place to read my book." Maximus introduces. His smile suddenly turns into a frown afterward as he stands and slowly walks away from the city. Quartz quickly halts him, to ask another question. "Wait Maximus. Do you know where we could find the so-called Sapphire?" "Oh, you''re here to find the stone? Haha, since the two of you seem friendly, sure. I''ll gladly show you its location. Follow me." Maximus smiles, offering to lend a helping hand. "Are we to trust a stone man sire?" Endeavor whispers to his ear. "He seems friendly," Quartz responds, playing with the chin of his falcon. Maximus, the Magmorite, leads the two of them to a nearby mine. The mine is open to the public, that''s if, you could bear the smell and heat of the lava. The mines are a passageway to the depths of the volcano. For a Magmorite like Maximus, the heat of the mine is tolerable after all, their species are made of magma. For Quartz and Virgo however, the heat suffocates them slowly as they reach the deeper parts of the mines. Inside the mines, a galore of hot oozing mud could be seen, lava spewing out of nowhere like geysers, and stalactites randomly falling from the ceilings of the mine. This is a place where only the toughest could survive. "Over there!" Maximus points to a sapphire, hanging near a stalactite. The problem is, the stalactite is hanging above the lava. "Can you reach it for us?" Quartz pleads for he does not want to become a pile of burned bones when something terribly goes wrong. "Sorry mate, I''m too heavy and short." He excuses. "Sire, allow me to help." Endeavor volunteers. The falcon then glides to the stalactite and with its beak, it grabs the sapphire and returns back to the young man''s shoulder. Seeing the sapphire, her eyes sparkled and her hands could not wait but to get hold of it. Suddenly from the other entrance of the mines, the voice of two Piglins echoes throughout. They were asking something to the guard of the entrance. "Have you seen this girl in the portrait?" One of the Piglin queries. Quartz and Maximus did not pay attention, however, for Virgo, the echo seems like a nearby trouble. "Quartz we have to leave quickly." Virgo starts to panic inside, trying her best not to show it to the young man. Seconds pass, and Virgo starts to hear the footsteps of Piglins arriving closer to them. She bids and pleads to Maximus, whispering to his ears, "Speak none of this to the two Piglins, please." She then grabs Quartz''s hand and dashes back to the surface of Sacchi. "Um... ok then." Maximum replies, watching Virgo and Quartz run away. "Hey, you! You''re a Magmorite. Tell me, have you seen a gi-" "No... No, I haven''t. Actually, I''m all alone here, having my lava bath. Magmorites need a smooth skin as well." Maximus quickly interrupts, thinking of an excuse to fool the Piglins. Back with Virgo and Quartz, Virgo controls the horse this time. The stallion gallops as far away from the city as possible. "What''s all the rush?" Quartz decides to query, confused about Virgo''s strange and peculiar actions. "Nothing much. Hold the Sapphire tightly. We have to proceed to the city of Uno next." Virgo responds in a worried manner, looking back to the city to see if someone or something is following them. She then speeds up the pace of the stallion, heading to the north they go. 29 029| Bargain The thundering of hooves split the silence as their stallion gallops through the bleak landscape. The wind wisps its mane into the air like flames; after all it is a flame colored chestnut. Its muscles ripple from under its pelt and powerful legs. They propel the Stallion forward and keep him going as he powers over the land. Due to its fast-pace, Endeavor has made the decision to fly above instead, rather than staying on the man''s shoulder, being blown by the wind. "Virgo, calm down. Where are we heading to?" Quartz allays, watching the sweat fall off Virgo''s face. "We are heading to the city of Uno, it rests on the pinnacle of Mount Zephyr. I lack the time to explain, so please bear with me and take care of the Sapphire." Virgo responds as she fastens the speed of the stallion, almost like a lightning bolt it ran. Throughout the journey, the young man remained silent, not questioning the maiden furthermore despite being curious by her abrupt actions. Surprisingly, even the maiden knows how to tame and handle a horse. They reach the city by the hour after lunch. Wreath in clouds of the coldest, is the tallest mountain of Sacchi, known as Mount Zephyr painted in phantom-white. Through the day, even the night, it snows wildly on the summit. The snow spares no mercy for it gambles the life and death of any travelers who pursues to climb it. Some, never returned from the mountain, and some had no chance against the tough drizzle of hail, therefore reaching the summit is phantasm, not for Quartz and Virgo however. As luck would have it, they were able to have a gamble against the storm and they succeeded. Being a falcon living in the north, where the toughest hail storms commence, Endeavor was able to keep itself warm through its thick and brown feathers. The two enter the large brick arc, symbolizing the entrance of the city of ice. "Did I ever mention that I love to collect stones?" Their saunter within the city continues. Virgo questions as she lowers the pace of the stallion. "Yes you did." "Well, I do love to trade them as well. This is why I''m here. I wish to trade the Sapphire for a Star ruby." "But isn''t the Sapphire a very valuable gem stone? Why do you wish it to trade it if it is very rare?" "Well, the truth is, I''ve got one already inside my bag. The Sapphire you are holding is my second one. I had a deal with an old man yesterday, and according to him, he was willing to give me a Star ruby for a Sapphire, so that''s why I asked you to help me." "All of this, hurried galloping and rush only for trading with an old man?!" Quartz replies back with sarcasm, sighing afterwards. "Sorry. I thought we would arrive late because of the tough hailstorms we just passed." She chuckles, saying an excuse and hiding the fact that the true reason why she was on a rush was because of the intervention of two Piglins back in the city of Dos. "Well, we could''ve at least bid our goodbyes properly to Maximus, he seems like a kind gentlemen, willing to help others despite the "others" hating him because of his species. I feel sorry for leaving him without even saying thank you for helping us show the way to the Sapphire you''ve been longing for." "Hee hee, I guess you have a point." Virgo smiles with an embarrassed face. The city of Uno is much comfortable than Dos. The people here are quite friendly, and not even the slightest commotions or troubles could be seen and her. The houses are made out of Spruce trees, since Spruce is the tree abundant in the mountain of Zephyr. The people here are famous for wearing thick jackets made from the fur of the animals living within the region. The roads of the city are made out of concrete, while some streets are made out of planks. Inside their wooden cottages are fire places that keep their bodies shrouded with heat as they sleep peacefully. Their fur helps them to stay warm throughout the whole day and night as they do their daily agendas. The two park the stallion in a nearby spruce tree, tying it tightly in order to avoid the horse from daring to escape. As a reward for all its hard work from running and galloping, Virgo fed the stallion with five pieces of Elppa berries. They then amble to one of the city''s most rigid streets, not even a stallion nor a cow could pass through. "Th... This place gives me the creeps." While clinging to the man''s shoulder, Endeavor lowers its head, speaking his words through stuttering because of consternation. It watches its surrounding with a cautious eyes, suspecting everybody in the street as a foe or a nominee for trouble. They enter a small map store, wherein the owner is the same person who''ve made a bargain with the maiden. Inside the shop, are maps of the finest, printed and layered out of ink, placed in rows and columns, above shelves and boxes. No customers are visible, except for the two of them. "Excuse me, I would like to meet Melchior Stronghold." Virgo talks to the young cashier lady, about six years younger than Quartz. As the two interrogate, Quartz''s eyes roam the shop to the point it reaches a fine looking sword. Forged under the finest flames, with seal of a dragon. Coated in the glorious color of gold, this sword is, very attention-grabbing to the young man''s eyes. His hands long to touch it, just at least by a second. However, he is not sure if the sword falls under the ownership of someone. "She said, he''s not here." Virgo tilts back to Quartz, snapping his attention from the lustrous sword. "Not here? Then where''s the person you''ve bargained with?" Quartz questions. "He went to the city of Tres in order to deal with some agendas with his brother, Gallius Stronghold. I guess we have to go there next." "Can''t we wait for him here?" The young man suggests. "Sorry, but we are uncertain on what time he''ll be arriving. It''s best if we head to him personally. The city is just below the mountain, to the direction of South we must head." Virgo contrasts. With a little persuasion, the young man concurs, sighing and agreeing with Virgo''s words. The two head back to the horse, when suddenly the unexpected happens. From a normal conversation happening between the town''s people, comes an attention-grabbing conversation... For the maiden at least. She overhears to Piglins, negotiating with another civilian. Talking about the same topic in the city of Dos, they are. She immediately enters a cautious state, grabbing the hand of the young man and making another excuse, "Let''s pass this way instead, it''s a short-cut." Quartz agrees, not knowing about Virgo''s sudden suspicious nature. The two return back to their stallion, wherein the maiden takes charge of it again. They now head to the third capital of Sacchi, the city of Tres, bearing only limited information about what dangers is about to come. Terrible... Terrible dangers. Once more, like before, the princess fastens the pace of the horse, looking back and forth, seeing if anyone was following from behind. 30 030| Tres It is off to the third capital of Sacchi, the city of Tres. A city famous for its severe thunderstorms. Despite all of this, it is also home to one of the most dreaded creature ever known to Sacchi. Powerful, cunning, the only words that fit the description of the creature. It rests on a tower within the city, and no civilian nor other beast would dare to disturb it. Some say, those who climb the tower, even with bravery and strength were unable to return back. They have been lost forever, turned into the beast''s artifacts and sculptures. The people of Tres are famous for their primary source of income, which is agriculture. The plain which the city sits on, gives the people a bounty of crops, fruits, berries, and many more. Quite peaceful and kind the people are to any visitors and travelers, they would even offer them free food and drinks to soothe their hunger and thirst from the journeys they have been too. Upon their arrival on the city, the maiden and the young man, alongside with his parrot, proceeds to the plaza of the city in order to query for directions. According to some locals, they have seen Melchior Stronghold, a famous man of their city. According to them, Melchior is one of the very first pawns who fought for the king and the kingdom. However, time has passed and his old age could not carry him anymore, leaving him with only one job left, and that is to make maps for travelers. Tres is his homeland, however, he prefers to work at Uno. "Melchior? Oh him, I saw him a few days ago but never saw him again. I think he said something about climbing the tower to save his brother Gallius." A local replies to their question. She then walks pass them, continuing her daily agendas. "The tower? Sire, if there is anything we should avoid, that is to climb the tower of maiden''s peak." Endeavor apprises. "What for Endeavor?" Quartz asks to his falcon. "The Tower of Maiden''s peak is home to a beast which goes by name of Sevii. It has terrorized the people of Tres for many years, even until this day. Sevii is a serpent with seven heads, capable of turning anyone into stone or concrete once they look at its heads. Slaying the heads of the serpent is worthless for it can regenerate its heads back. Perhaps Melchior was turned into stone too when he tried to save his brother Gallius." Virgo answers the man''s question, also assuming on what happened with Melchior Stronghold. "Although the snake may turn any foe into stone, there is a way to turn them back. However, if we are to save Melchior, we must first defeat the serpent. Once the serpent is defeated, I will be pouring a droplet of this kind of fluid unto Melchior''s head." The maiden explains furthermore, showing the young man a small vile containing a liquid in the color of blue. "Sire, this is completely a bad idea. I suggest that we just forget about the serpent and the old man." Endeavor contradicts the maiden''s proposal. "Come on Endeavor, it will be a fun journey to climb the tower." Quartz convinces, tickling the chin of his falcon. Hearing his words, Endeavor sighs instead. The cylindrical tower of maiden''s peak is located in the east of the city. The brick is the same as any other, until one takes a closer gaze. It has the hues of an earthen sunrise and as dappled as the light beneath a broad and well-clothed tree. They were able to arrive at the tower just in the nick of time, before the arrival of another thunderstorm. Inside the bricked tower are floors and walls of pure artistry. They speak of stories and tales about the feared serpent. Slowly, the maiden and the young man make their ascent to the pinnacle of the tower. As they do, Quartz''s eyes remain stuck on the wall, gazing on the illustrations and dialects of the seven-headed serpent. "I smell the flesh of a mortal." The voice of the serpent echoes, however, it is nowhere to be seen. On the pinnacle of the tower is a galore of statues which were once alive and moving. All of them have one thing in common, fear was present in their eyes. Quartz and Virgo starts to become cautious, as so as Endeavor. Although having the power to turn anyone into ice, Endeavor is no match for even he can be turned into stone once he looks at the serpent. Another sound emits, the sound of the serpent hissing. They can feel its presence, but cannot identify where it is. They search for the serpent by looking at the statues. They may not directly look into the eyes of the beast but they could look at its reflection. As the man looks on one of the statues he sees the serpent jolting towards him. He quickly closes his eyes. His body starts to tremble with fear for he could sense the serpent in front of me, tempting him to open his eyes. "Open your eyes." The serpent instructs, whispering to Quartz''s ears. "We could give you something that others cannot give. Open your eyes, and I will show you." The serpent tempts. "Quartz, don''t listen to the serpent!" Virgo interrupts, shouting at him from the other corner of the room. "Tsk... what could the maiden possibly give you? We, can give you gold, fortune, and money acquired from the travelers who interrupted our chambers. All you need to do, is to take a little peak." The serpent persists to tempt, whispering on his ears. "There is not enough money or wealth in this land that could satisfy one''s greed." Quartz counters, staying firm and avoiding to fall under the temptations of the serpent. "Power? We will give you the capability to harness our powers. Soon, your foes will turn to stone. You fight for the king don''t you? With our powers, the war could end right away for the next thing you''ll know, Vladimir Witherstone, alongside with his kingdom has turned into stone. Open your eyes, and you will possess our powers." The serpent tries another way to tempt the young man. Quartz thinks about the serpent''s words for a while. The sooner the war ends, the faster he could return back home with the help of Balthasar Bluemagic. "Quartz, the serpent has no power to pass what it holds to you. Whatever the serpent says is a lie." Virgo shouts again from the corner of the room, helping the young man avoid the temptations of the serpent. "The maiden has a point." Endeavor concurs, sitting on the shoulder of the young man while closing its small tiddly eyes. "If not power nor wealth then why not supremacy? Open your eyes, and we will teach you a spell that could make kingdoms and countries fall under the palm of your hands. Just a small glimpse is all we ask for, and the whole of Sacchi will be yours. It''s up to you on what king you could become. A good or bad one, it does not matter, open your eyes and the spell will be yours." The serpent tempts for the third time. "Being a king comes with a lot of responsibilities. Do not allow yourself to be tempted." Virgo counters once more from behind. "Persistent little brat!" The serpent''s voice echoes with frustration as it jolts towards the maiden instead. Virgo quickly closes her eyes, taking a peculiar object from her bag. A lustrous mirror, she points it towards the serpent. Seeing its own reflection, the serpent''s fate has been sealed, turning itself into stone. With the serpent defeated, Quartz and Endeavor safely opens their eyes with relief and comfort. His confrontation with the snake has made him perspire heavily. The now proceed to one last task and that is to free Melchior and his brother Gallius wherein luckily, Virgo is quite familiar with their apparel and looks. As for the other people who were turned into stone, sadly they couldn''t be saved for the potion was not enough. With their business in the city finished, the four of them return back to Uno in order for the trade between Melchior and Virgo to commence. Glad, the maiden is, to receive a Star Ruby from Melchior, and on the other hand, Melchior was glad to receive the Sapphire. "To express our deepest gratitude for saving me and my brother, I would like to give you my sword young man." Melchior offers, showing the same sword Quartz saw a few hours ago inside his shop. The sword with the dragon seal. "Him and I were once pawns of the king, now, our bodies are too old and tired to fight. You may have his sword, and use it for good use." Gallius bids. "This sword is unlike any sword at all, for it is unbreakable. It symbolizes the unity, the power of one. The handle is the king, and the blade of the sword is the people. With the handle and the blade separated from each other, the sword would seem useless wouldn''t it? You cannot fight with merely a handle of a sword as so as king can''t fight alone." Melchior utters. "If only the people of both kingdoms could reunite, Sacchi''s peace would return and the chaos would stop. That is my dream after all." Virgo adds. Hearing their words, a brilliant idea comes to the young man''s hand that he wishes to advice to the king. Unity, perhaps this is the key to stop the war that took place for nearly a century and even now, is continuing to perish the land. Witherstone and Pureheart combined into one. 31 031| Plan After a long day with Virgo, he returns to the kingdom of Pureheart with the sword of Melchior Stronghold. A symbol of unity, the sword is, and according to the old man himself, no one could shatter the sword with the dragon seal. He also wishes to speak with the king, suggesting a plan that could end the long-term war between the two kingdoms. He represents himself in front of King Felix, bowing first before proposing a suggestion. Gladly, the king allows Quartz to say whatever he wishes to say but only for a minute or two since the king is also quite busy today. "Your majesty, I know a way on how to end the war for good." "What do you propose then? And by the way, where did you get that sword of yours?" The king notices Quartz''s new sword. He questions about it for it piques his interest. "Melchior, an old pawn of the kingdom gave it to me. His words has also given me an inspiration to end the war without the need of spilling anymore blood. We could unite the two kingdoms together. There is no need to fight. Without fighting, Sacchi would live in peace and tranquility. There will no longer be death." "Melchior? Oh I know him, he fought by my father''s side but I never got the chance to meet him personally. What you say is true. Unity could stop the war, that''s if, both kingdoms agree." "Agree?" "I concur, unity will end the war for good, but for Vladimir, not... not so much. You know the king of Witherheart, he wants Sacchi to fall under the palm of his hands thus he persists to fight, conquering towns and states. As king, it is my duty to stop him." "But your majesty, win or lose the product is all the same. No matter which kingdom wins in a siege, the town would be left under destruction, and the people would suffer in the end." The king remains silent for a while, thinking about Quartz''s words. Both has a point. You cannot unite two kingdoms if the other disagrees, and no matter which side wins the product remains the same, the product is always destruction and chaos. "You are a wise man, and your thoughts are more clever than mine. Hearing your proposal has given a hard time for me to come up with a decision. I have tried to commence many treaties yet the opposing kingdom disagreed. I have offered my peace many times, yet it was rejected countless of times. You are dismissed for now while I think of a decision." After proposing his plan, Quartz leaves the king''s room, hoping that the king would find a way to make the people of Witherheart agree. As long as there is no unity between the two kingdoms, war will always preveil to the point it becomes endless. "Cheer up sire, the king is also busy handling other things and decisions, not just yours." Endeavor comforts. "It''s not like I''m disappointed or anything. Virgo has a point, Melchior and Gallius has one too. Without unity, this war would never end I believe." Quartz replies, massaging the head of his falcon which sits on top of his shoulder. As he walks around the halls of the fortress, he comes across the princess of the kingdom. "So, you tried to convince father to unite the kingdoms didn''t you?" The princess decides to walks by the man''s side. "Yes, how did you know?" "I did a little eavesdropping, hehe. You''re not the first man to suggest unity. Even my father suggested it to his father, however, no matter how willing Pureheart is to reunite with Witherheart, the opposing kingdom would not agree. The kings of Witherheart, from the first until now, King Vladmir, are greedy to claim the land for their ill will so, they persist to claim our orb." Jupiter responds to his question. She then sighs afterward. The day becomes older, and the arrival of dusk begins. The young man''s mind remains troubled and uncomfortable as he thinks of a way to reunite the two kingdoms wherein both agrees. Only then, will Sacchi''s peace return, and order will be restored. On his room, he stares to his window, remembering his father and friend again. He sheds a small tear, as he wishes to return to his home, Earth. For now, he has an obligation to fight until a way could be found to reunite the two kingdoms together. He also thought about many things while staring at his window, such as the words Balthasar Bluemagic told him back during the time when he played chess. He wonders if a human like him misses his family as well. For now, the fight continues, and more sieges are about to be declared. 32 032|Wedgehurs The trumpets of war blare over the fortress, alerting every personnel and soldier. Inside the walls of the fortress is a soldier with merely an age of seventeen. He jolts around the corridors, screaming loudly, "Another siege has begun! Another siege has begun!" One of the men who''ve heard his cry is no other than Quartz Vermillion. He lifts his upper torso after being awakened all of a sudden. Hearing the news about a new siege, he starts to prepare himself again. This time, his falcon Endeavor will be there to aid him throughout the battle. The trumpets have sounded for nearly a minute, and Quartz could already hear the sounds of metal, clashing unto the floor. Sentinels and pawns are in a rush, while the young man is still in his room, preparing for another bloody war. As fast as he could, he immediately suits up, wearing his iron chest plate, boots, and of course, a helmet to protect his cranium from arrows. "Hag¨¢moslo!" The falcon shrieks with determination, gliding to the man''s shoulder. Endeavor is completely prepared for anyone who dares attack his master Quartz. Just like the first siege Quartz attended, the army of Pureheart marches onwards, to a city in the Far East known as Wedgehurst. Shocked Quartz is, to see the number of pawns, the gliding knights with their hippogriffs, the large trebuchets and catapults, and of course, he dearly misses the allies of Pureheart. The Stone Golem, preparing to throw their boulders and rocks to those who oppose to them. There are Centaurs with their sharp horns, prepared to pierce the bodies of many. Surprisingly, Pureheart also has additional allies aside from the famous Golem and Centaurs. Rising from the eastern side of the army are roots coming from trees that were brought to life by the wise old man, Balthasar Bluemagic. With the wave of his staff, all the trees fall under his command. The trees, uprooted themselves, and started to walk with the rest of the army. With their roots, they can strangle their opponents like an Anaconda or the infamous vicious Boa. Although despite this, they have a common weakness, and that is fire. In the west of the army comes an unexpected surprise. The Elves have joined, willing to fight with the king and kingdom. In their stallions they ride. Their spears are made out of copper and silver as so as their armory. Never underestimate these species, for they are great fighters. "Surprised?" The king halts his stallion beside the young man who is astounded by the additional army. "Likely." He responds, gazing over the army. "I''ve thought of your words back in the castle. Although Pureheart and Witherheart may not unite, we could always create an alliance with other species. The Elves, they''re skilled fighters, even my father is proud of them. We will be fighting alongside with them for the common good of Sacchi." Felix Braveheart says. He then pats the shoulder of the man. The King, the queen, as usual they stay behind the army while the four pillars stay in front. During the right moment, the king shouts, "For Pureheart!" and extends his sword to the skies above. The army salutes, following the order of their king. Like lightning bolts, they dash, wishing they wouldn''t be late for another siege. Wedgehurst, a city near the Eastern Sea of Sacchi, famous for its abundant resources of minerals. Perhaps Vladimir has made the decision to vanquish and conquer the city in order to loot the locale for future purposes such as funds for armory and things similar to this. Wedgehurst has always been a peaceful town, a place where the people cooperate with one another. This time however, that peace is disrupted, and the product? Chaos. Upon their arrival at the city, they couldn''t see any presence of citizens and children. They have already been slaughtered by the enemy, too late, the kingdom is once more. The army of Pureheart proceeds to the beach, wherein there the army of Witherheart glances at their eyes, making ferocious eye contacts. "Sire, they''ve sided with the Piglins.??? Endeavor whispers, looking at the army of the opposing kingdom. If they have the elves, Vladimir has the Piglins, vicious pig warriors they are. The slash of their axes will end you for good. Trolls and Ogres, the usual allies were also spotted within the army. Hexes, the primary sentinels have brought an intimidation to Pureheart, even the Elves are aware of such stupendous power the Hexes bear. Amidst the two armies, the two kings of the kingdom proceeded to one another, moving closer in a slow pace. In the right distance, they unmount from their horse in order to speak with each other again. "Late again." Vladimir chuckles softly, letting off a deep sigh afterwards. "Traffic in the gorge, there was a stampede so we couldn''t cross right away. Oh Vladimir, you never seem to stop don''t you? Fight here, fight there, conquer here, and conquer there¡­ Are all of these necessary? Or are you that desperate for my orb?" "Our fathers fought. And now we will continue their legacy until this very hour!" Starting with a low tone, his voice inclines as he stabs his sword unto the ground. The king of Pureheart counters, summoning the Phoenix. From the ground, comes the vicious serpent, taller than the empire state building. It emerges like a seed, sprouting to full glory. With such a beast, Pureheart is up for another trouble. The two kings return to their side, extending their swords to the sky. With a synchronized voice, the two kings shout, "Let the siege begin!" Hearing those words, the kingdoms charge, jolting like bolts from a thunderous night. The serpent attacks the phoenix and the phoenix does the same. The armies clash, wreaking destruction throughout. This is what Quartz fears, he know realizes that Virgo has a point. Win or lose, it does not matter; the product left behind is always destruction. It is as if the two armies are children fighting for marbles. With the help of Kinston and Harold, Quartz slays down a lot of ogres and trolls. With their spears, the Elves pierce the hearts and bodies of Piglins. The trees, strangle the archers and other members while the Pillars of both, fought against each other. On the other hand, the golems throw their stones with brute strength; the Centaurs helped the Elves deal with the Piglins. And as for the hexes? No one had the courage to fight them, and if they were to fight, death would only be their result for the power these creatures bear is out of the ordinary. Near the north of the battlefield, Balthasar Bluemagic could be seen fighting with no other than his vicious rival, the witch, Thalia Blackmage. With the power of a staff and broom they emit various spells and enchantments at each other. Siding with the hippogriffs is the trusty Endeavor, spewing out ice towards the foes, completely freezing them a whole. Titian-red blood spurts out of the wounds of the fallen. Those who could rise and continue to fight, pummel and pound their defences under a beamless sky. Due to the fight between the phoenix and serpent, the sky turns to darkness, and the sun was completely blocked with a smog of black. The smell of granite floods to their nose, but they did not mind it. A maelstrom of arrows from Witherheart whiz through the benzene-black sky. The trees respond quickly, forging shields out of their roots to protect the army. The effluvium of death is all around them. The battlefield has been baptized by blood and the bitter, mordant perfume of corpses emanated from it. On the other hand, Quartz has led himself to trouble. He fights, slashing the foes to the point he and the king of Witherheart formed eye contact to each other. They both gaze like crows with their swords pointed to each other. From the distance, the princess becomes worried and anxious seeing Quartz in desperate need of assistance. "A pawn is no match for a king." Vladimir utters, slowly walking forward. "Quartz! Do not engage." The princess shouts from the distance, but the sounds of the clashing of swords were louder, giving the young man a harder time to hear the words of the princess. Jupiter decides to run as fast as possible to help the young man against the king of the Witherheart, the leader of the Hexes. "Tell me. Who are you?" "Quartz Vermillion." He responds, seemingly scared of the king. His falcon is far from him, busy fighting from the other corner with Harold and Kingston. The king and the young man are completely isolated from the rest. Only a galore of corpse and blood surround them. "You have my respect, Quartz. Out of all the men of your kingdom you have the courage to face me with your eyes. However, by your looks, I still see that you''re frightened. This will be your ninth symphony!" The king intimidates and charges onwards with his sword pointed at the chest of the young man. Desperate for assistance he is, for he has flinched before Witherheart''s king. On the left, the princess tries to push Quartz, however she was too late by an inch. Shocked she is, wanting to mourn and weep. She sobs to into his chest unceasingly, hands clutching at his armor. In silence she holds him, rocking him slowly as her tears soak his chest. A tiny lapse let him pull away, blinking lashes heavy with tears, she howls of misery worsening. The pain, she feels it. The bitterness of her tears, she tastes it. "Pluck the vibrating strings; since fate has struck the strong man, everyone else weep with me." Vladimir says sarcastically, he then continues, still sarcastic, "Long live the king." No, Quartz never died. The father of the princess did. A moment before agony struck, Felix was the one to make the sacrifice move, blocking the front of the young man, letting the sword piece through his chest. Quartz is in shock after seeing the king sacrifice himself for a pawn like him. "Check." Vladimir utters, pointing his sword to the princess who persistently clings to the dead body of her father. From the side, is the angry young man who tried to slash Vladimir''s arm. The king tilts behind and says, "Have you not learned?" as his arm regrows. "I know. I was merely a diversion." The young man replies, grasping for air desperately. Hearing his words, Vladimir tilts back to the princess, seeing her run away with the orb of the dead king. Vladimir becomes ferocious, success was in front of him, and now it runs away. He tilts back to the young man, however, he has escaped already from the sight of Witherheart''s king, further angering Vladimir. The princess blows the horn, emitting the sounds of surrender as she continues to run with tears trickling down her face. She murmurs to herself, "It should''ve been me." Wishing that his father had never sacrificed himself. The queen becomes melancholy, seeing the daughter run to her with the orb. She knows for sure that her husband is dead. Seconds after the horn has been blown, the kingdom of Pureheart leaves the scene. With the help of some Elves, they carry the dead body of King Felix Braveheart. The phoenix returns to the orb held by the princess, and on the other hand, the Wedgehurst falls under Witherheart. Jupiter is a princess who is willing to fight until the end, but knowing that her father has died right in front of her eyes is too much to bear, thus giving her the decision to surrender. On their way back to the kingdom, it starts to rain. The downpour, it blends with the tears of the kingdom as they mourn for the unexpected death of the king. Every emotion except for sadness remained absent¡­ 33 033| River [The previous chapter has been rewritten. Please read if necessary in order to avoid confusion on what is to happen in the following chapters!] Pureheart mourns. The joy which is always present in the smiles of every individual has withered into sadness, their souls corrupted. This is not the time for festivities nor smiles and ecstasies for it is during these kinds of times when they suffer a great loss, a leader. A queen. Since the advent of the kingdom never once has a queen died because of wars and sieges. It is due to old age or perhaps sickness which takes the life of a queen away. Avery will be written in history, never to be forgotten by the people of today, always to be remembered by the people of tomorrow. She is the first queen to sacrifice herself with courage and bravery for the sake of a mere pawn. Quartz even wonders why the queen would do such a thing in the first place. Back at the fortress, wherein the corridors remain quiet, the princess mourns for her mother''s name. The father wraps her with solaces, as much as possible, but even a king like him has shed a tear for his wife. Although being brave, Felix was scared of one thing, and that is to lose his wife, family, or worse, his kingdom. In her bedroom, wherein she tries to sleep in order to forget whatever is troubling her mind, her father enters with a gift on his grasps. He walks to his daughter, shaking her softly. Jupiter opens her eyes, and is surprised to see the face of his father. She smiles, and leans her upper torso to the end of the bed. "You might want to have this." His father says, giving an object covered with brown fabric to the hands of the daughter. "Wh¡­ What is this?" She stutters, opening the fabric slowly. Upon seeing the object, Jupiter''s eyes flinch. An array of tears drops to the sword of the queen. However, this is not the sword the queen used during the battle for Wedgehurst. This sword as sentimental value and no gold nor silver can replace it. Invaluable, the sword is. "This is the sword I''ve gifted to your mother during her eighteenth birthday. It was so special to her, that she didn''t dare to use it during wars and sieges. She treats this sword like you, wherein even a single scratch on it could infuriate her. I figured it would be best if you keep it. You may use it as well, whenever you want to." Felix explains in a voice which matches with the current atmosphere of the kingdom, sad and gloomy. He then kisses the forehead of his daughter and leaves the room in order to give her a moment of peace. In the doors, the king sighs and prepares himself for the funeral of the queen. He remembers her image for one final time. "I will avenge you mother." In her bedroom, Jupiter says softly as if her mother is beside her. She clenches the handle of the sword tightly, thinking about the opposing kingdom. She vows vengeance for claiming the life of her mother. "With your sword, I will finish the war. Witherheart will be crippled, and checkmate shall be proclaimed." She says viciously, nearly throwing the candle sitting on the desk beside her bed. The following day has arrived. As usual, the skies remain dark, the clouds are thick. The soft drizzle blends with the tears of the kingdom. No one can be found within the walls of the kingdom. Everyone, from children to adults, even to creatures alike, they are in the shores of a river with pristine water. No helmets are worn, no swords, no armory. The people wear their casual attires, even the king, the princess, the pillars and the young man. In a small wooden boat is where the body of the queen is. Wrapped with the finest wool of the kingdom she is. On her boat are flowers, especially her favorite, Tiger Lilies. Aside from these are candles, extending its orange hues. The gong is banged, and the funeral begins. The king extends the bow, placing the arrow on it. With the help of Admiral Brook, one of the pillars of the kingdom, the arrow is set on fire. The boat is drifted through the river as the king sets it aflame with the arrow. As the boat moves, the fire burns brightly. It matches the hues of the candles and lanterns. The gong is hit again, another signal for the people. From their hands, they release their lanterns, letting it drift across the skies. Their lanterns have brought colors to the thick clouds of black and white. The queen''s both will soon sink into the depths of the rivers, and there, her body will be of the soil, used as an opportunity for trees and young plants to sprout. Due to her death, the ties between the two kingdoms intensify, making situations worse and tougher. 34 034| Music Due to the queen''s death the young man couldn''t cope up with the current situations of the kingdom. He tries to walk with his falcon through the corridors of the fortress and all he hears are either silence or arguments happening in the throne room of the king. It has become chaotic, for the king and the pillars debate their opinions. Some suggest declaring a final war using all what is left of the kingdom. Resources, men, use it all for the glory. Others decline, disagreeing with such an absurd opinion. Some say to extend training periods while others are willing to negotiate with other creatures and beings, uniting Pureheart with different allies will help increase the opportunity for winning. As Quartz passes through the door of the king''s throne, he feels the sensation of stress shrouding him. He did not want to listen furthermore on what they are discussing, thus he figured to have a moment of calmness and peace of mind. He returns to the forest, while riding his stallion. As usual, they head to the direction where the sun rises in order to meet Virgo. Upon arriving at the flower field, he sees the maiden playing with her ocarina while leaning her body unto the Elppa Berry Tree. She sees the young man looking unusual this time. She isn''t used to seeing a frown on the man''s face thus she decides to stop for a moment in order to understand what''s wrong. She questions him, "What happened?" The man replies, "The queen of the kingdom is dead." "No wonder why I saw lanterns at the sky a moment ago." The maiden adds. The young man sits beside the maiden, leaning his body to the Elppa Berry Tree as well. Apparently stressed he is, dearly wanting "these" to end in order to return to his home, Earth. "She sacrificed herself for me. I don''t understand why." Quartz says, very flustered. He thinks deeply for an answer, yet nothing comes up. He wonders what the queen has seen in him that made her have the decision to sacrifice herself. After all, what is the worth of a pawn? It merely fights with a sword, nothing special nothing amazing compared to the knights and rooks. They are usually the ones to be sacrificed first. In Chess, this is known as a gambit. "Sometimes a sacrifice is best needed during the toughest times in order to succeed. A queen, although being royal does not match the capabilities of a pawn like you. A pawn can become many things, a knight or even a rook when promoted by the king whereas the queen does not." The maiden cheers, wrapping the young man with solaces, trying to comfort his stressful mind. "Sometimes victory is born out of the ashes of sacrifice. The queen knew that all along." The maiden adds. Even if the young man was able to hear the words of the maiden, he remained upset, with his mind still troubled and disappointed. He dearly wishes to return to Earth, wondering why he was sent here in the first place aside from battling. He queries to himself, silently unto his mind "Why me? Out of all the people out there are chessboard chose me? Coincidence, I think not." He misses his father and his friend. All these sieges, quests, and expeditions have only made him stressed and tired. He wants to read peacefully, with no one to disturb him. The more troubled he looks, the more concerned the maiden becomes to the point she has figured out an idea. She starts to play a melody, a melody which can lift one''s spirit with the use of her ocarina. Through this she tries to return the young man''s smile. Despite all of these efforts, Quartz''s mind remains troubled. "Music usually brings content to my heart. It cheers me every time I feel scared or lonely. It is artistry that comes in the form of the wind. It enters the heart, then travels through the soul, and changes the whole world. It bears something that the other forms of artistry could not possibly give. Happiness and beauty." The maiden stops playing her ocarina for a moment and speaks to the young man. Hearing her words, the man gives a soft chuckle. He decides to remove the piccolo from his pocket in order to play a melody which could ease his worries and stresses. Seeing the young man play with his piccolo, the maiden joins in the fun, playing with her ocarina. Together, their music synchronizes, forming beauty. His gloom withers, and the longer they play the lesser troubles appear on the man''s mind. Their music combined, brings serenity and tranquility to the pastures of flowers with the zephyr blowing softly and steadily. Over a tree, far from where they are, the red bird watches over them, looking delighted to hear the song. It chirps, and glides through the sky once more, returning to wherever its nest is. 35 035| Aler It begins as a whispering in the air that slowly swirls into a monstrous nightmare. The rain follows the direction of the wind, hitting the flakes of snow. The sky turns into one of those black and white films in the early 1900s, while the gleaming disc of the move fades away. Back at Witherheart, a kingdom in the North lies the king and queen who are filled with ecstasy after the death of Pureheart''s queen. The kingdom rejoiced and its music played by the musicians spreads through towns and streets. Even during a stormy night like this is not an excuse for the people not to celebrate. After all, the people here are Pluviophiles. As the citizens celebrate with jubilation, the royal family plans their next steps. At the throne room of the king, the four pillars represent themselves. As usual, they kneel before their honors, before the commencement of another meeting. Most territories of Sacchi has been captured by them, leaving Pureheart is a big disadvantage. Throughout the whole evening, the monarchs discussed their next city or town to invade. There are many choices in which they can choose from such as Magnolia in the west, or Rutherfordium in the south. Rutherfordium is also the closest city from Pureheart. Everything seems to be in proper order. The four pillars are much more cooperative rather than the pillars of Pureheart. Every opinion counts for all of them are open-minded. There may be arguments at times but not as heated as the ones Pureheart encounters. From their meeting, however, a troll interrupts, knocking violently on the door. The king, even though irked by the blare, commands the guards to open and see whoever it is knocking. "Sire, it is one of our spies." The Sentinel reports. "Let him in." Vladimir allows, curious about what this spy has to say. The spy is no other than a troll. They can camouflage themselves in swamps or perhaps in grasslands because of their green skin. Usually, their hair and follicles are green, making people mistaken them at times as landmasses. Towards the king, the troll walks lousily. Its obese weight and tall body makes the room tremble. "I have found the one you are looking for." The troll reports while bowing before the king. Hearing the words of the troll, the foul beast hiding behind the throne awakens, taking a glimpse from what lies in front. "Where?" The beast asks. "Near Pureheart." The troll responds. "This news brings a smile to my face. Vladimir, you know what you must do. Capture the one and you will win this war for good." The beast mumbles unto the king''s ears. "I am aware of that." In annoyance, the king says back towards the beast. "There is a problem, however. Not alone, the traitor is." "Not alone?!" The king infuriates all of a sudden, nearly tossing his sword leaning on the side of his throne. "My king, please calm down." The queen comforts, rubbing the chin of her king. "Who dares mingle with the traitor of our kingdom?! This is unacceptable. If the other side learns about the power that traitor bears, we will be defeated!" The king yells in rage. His rage quickens his blood, flowing rapidly through his vessels. "What is your bidding then?" Morduk of the four pillars asks. For a moment the king thinks of a decision. "You know what you must do but you are afraid to do it. You are king for all mighty''s sake! You should not be afraid." The beast persuades, encouraging the king to come up with a decision. The king sighs and bids, "Return the traitor to my grasps, this is my commandment to the four of you. Whoever the traitor is with, I want you to search for him or her. I want his or her blood spilled on the floor." "If this is your commandment, then we will abide, your majesty." In a synchronized voice, the four pillars concurs with the king, eager to fulfill his demands as they bow down in a respectful manner. "That is the Vladimir I know. A cunning man, with no mercy for anyone else except for his kingdom. Continue to this, and I will assure you, the whole of Sacchi will fall under the palm of your hands. You have my respect, and I for one salute to you, my king." The beast mumbles respectfully unto the king''s ears. A lightning bolt crashes from the sky and hits the winter nightmare of Witherheart, causing the crows of black and the surrounding creatures to flee from it. Just like the thunders of the night the king is, infuriated to both the traitor and the friend. This is one of the very few nights in which the king''s anger exceeds his own boiling point. 36 036| Slain There has been a disruption in the fabric of order in the southern reaches of Sacchi thus a squadron is assigned to stop the chaos from spreading. It happened early in the morning when a spy returned to the kingdom in order to report to the king about testimonies coming from witnesses and victims who were able to surpass the conflict. A pack of hyena is on the hunt, brutally murdering anyone who dares to come across their path. It is said they''re location is in the Valley of Veils, a place known for its foulness. Not a single patch of green can be found, only bones of creatures and animals. Oozing mud, brown filthy soil, and murky water. It is referred as a graveyard by some. After hearing about this conflict the king decided to make urgent responses. The four pillars alongside with a few men have been sent to investigate this further in hopes of stopping the conflict before it becomes a grave issue. Hyenas, why would they be there in the first place? What kind of agendas do they have this time? The four pillars travel through forests and links only to reach the Valley of Veils. It is said anyone who comes to the valley could die because of such a foul redolence that shrouds this place. It is home to many microscopic creatures, wherein some may start plagues once they enter a wound or bruise of a creature. These however, are also useful for the breaking down dead bodies. Their obligation is to turn bones into flakes of dust, giving nutrients to the floras. It is the key element to the birth of plant life. Upon arrival, the foulness of the place touches their nose. At first glance, it seems tranquil and quiet. Nothing is in sight except for bones of old, animal scraps, and boiling mud. "My god. It has been years since I''ve smelled this aroma." Admiral Brook exclaims while covering his nose. "I''m assuming you''ve missed this place." Ms.Charlotte teases as she lets off a soft chuckle. "Sigh, let us finish this task. Once we''re done we can leave this place." Efron interrupts their conversation and steps inwards, going further to the valley. The three pillars on the other hand follow from behind with the escort of two skilled Elite Officers. They scour the whole valley, rummaging around like ants to find the said hyenas. Despite all of these however, not a single one was found and they were on the verge of giving up for good. That is until something peculiar happens in front of their eyes. From the skies, the thick fogs come in, giving them nearly zero-visibility. The violet fills in with silence and the only thing they could hear is their echoes. Because of the fog, the four couldn''t identify each other''s location thus leaving them with no choice but to rely on their senses. Their hearts throbbed, pounding louder than usual. They bite their lips as they cling their fists to their swords. "Ah!" A shriek blares in the distance, raising the awareness of the four pillars. They continue to walk in the midst of the fog and was immediately put to a halt after seeing the body of an Elite troop. He was murdered viciously with claw marks running from the head to the torso of the body. Another shriek blares in the distance and moments later the body of the second Elite troop was found dead as well. The four pillars were frightened, their bodies shiver violently. From there, the howls of hyenas take over. They could all sense something approaching them. A herd of malicious creatures who dwells somewhere in the fog. "The Pillars of Pureheart is here." A deep voice echoes. "I crave for them." Another voice, a feminine one, echoes as well. Slowly, the fog starts to disperse only revealing the locations of the four pillars surrounded by the herd of hyenas. Their face enters a shock expression as they dismount from their horse to fight with courage and bravery. "You have been outnumbered. What could a group of four possibly do to us?" A hyena mocks confidently, making the other hyenas chuckle and grin hysterically. Slowly the move forth, further putting tension and pressure to the pillars. "Enough!" A superior voice echoes, catching the attention of the hyenas. It approaches from behind. The other hyenas move aside to make way for the alpha, one of Witherheart''s pillar leaders, Wulfric Frost. "I have been waiting for the four of you. Using travelers as bait, victims as lure. Now tell me, where is the young man? The one with the parrot." Wulfric growls, finishing his words with a question. "Quartz?! What do you want with him?" The princess asks back, pointing her mother''s sword to the alpha. "You got it all wrong. I have to likeness to the young man madame, the king of Witherheart has. Answer my question or your bodies will be part of this valley." "I won''t answer unless you answer mine first. What does the king want with Quartz?" "That is none of your business." "And Quartz is none of yours too." "Don''t test my patience you filthy scum! After them!" Wulfric''s patience runs dry. He makes the decision to attack the four pillars, commanding his herd to fight. The pillars fought back, trying to outmatch the enemy. Hyenas are known to be fast, therefore slaying one will be hard, that''s if, you''ve mastered the art of archery. Charlotte is a woman whose arrow never miss. Speed is not an exception. With her bow and arrow, she pierces the eye of the hyenas one by one. Meanwhile, Efron fights with a sword. His eyes are sharper than those of an eagle. His moves are precise, and just like Charlotte, he never misses. They''re not called the Pillar Leaders for nothing. Each has a specialty when it comes to handling weaponry. As for Brook, he is at his best when using a revolver. His bullets are like arrows but more painful when struck to the mind of the enemy. He usually targets the head, for once the brain is damaged the body fails to salute. As for the princess, she is fond of using spears. She usually trains how to handle one with her mother but that all changed after her mother''s death. She wanted to try something new, using her mother''s sword instead of her iron spear. When it comes to fighting, strategies exceed quantity for a group can always be outsmarted. Team work is present as they fight. They help, coordinating and cooperating with one another. One by one they slay the hyena until only one was left, Wulfric Frost, the alpha of his herd. "You''re alone now, leave this place immediately and we shall spare you. Dare to attack, and we shall too. One Pillar is no match against four." Jupiter warns, pointing her sword towards the hyena. Wulfric then emits sounds of a scared puppy as it slowly steps back. "Pfft." Admiral Brook giggles softly and pulls the trigger of his revolver. It travels through the sky and into the head of the alpha. The bullet damages the brain, and slowly the body begins to fail as Wulfric drops dead. The other pillars were in shock of his sudden actions. "Why ya''ll looking at me? He deserved that. Anyway, I''m starving, let''s head back." Admiral Brook says as he mounts to his stallion. With the conflict done, they return to the kingdom of Pureheart. It took them roughly two hours to return. Upon their arrival, they were only greeted by a surprise. The news has spread quickly to Witherheart and the kingdom chooses to retaliate thus declaring another siege. The king told them about this. Stressed they are for they have just stopped conflict from the south, now alongside with an army and the king they must head eastward once more. Like they say, once a conflict closes another one opens! The strange thing however, is that the young man was nowhere to be found. The princess tried to knock on his room in order to alert him about the siege but she was met with terrible news. After hearing not a single response from her violent knocks, Jupiter made the decision to break down the doors. At first, she was worried and concerned for Quartz, especially when the enemy is ought to capture him. Upon entering, Quartz and his falcon could not be seen anywhere, making the princess wonder if he was captured by an enemy. Where could the young man be in the first place? Was he truly captured by an enemy, or is there something suspicious happening around? 37 037| Excuses As the two kingdoms fall under another dreaded siege, the young man can be found lurking within the flower patches with Virgo once more. Little does he know his friends Harold and Kingston are off to battle alongside with the princess. He is unaware of the argument he will be dealing with once he returns to the kingdom and once the princess finds out about his sudden disappearance. Leaning on the tree, Quartz decides to ask the maiden a question, "Virgo. I''ve been wondering. From what species do you belong to? You have the looks of a common woman from Pureheart but much paler in terms of complexion." "I''m sorry but my secrets are mine to keep." replies, the maiden. "I-I just don''t understand why you''re trying to keep it a secret." "You see, sometimes when one learns the truth, he or she might be frightened by it." "Then, I will accept the truth no matter what it is. Please tell me." The young man begs earnestly. "I''m sorry but by the way I see, you are not ready nor are you suppose to know my secrets. They are not called secrets just for nothing you know." Virgo says, chuckling softly afterwards. "Sigh, fine. You can keep them as a secret if you wish to." "Sire! Sire!" The bird calls from above, gliding down to the young man''s shoulder. "Endeavor? What is it this time? I see no necessary reasons for you to shriek loudly like that." teases, the young man. "Well, it is the nature of a bird of prey to shriek loudly. Anyway, I bring you important news. The Kingdom of Pureheart has come in conflict with the Kingdom of Witherheart once more." The falcon reports. "Good grief! I have to return right away." exclaims, the young man has he wears a surprised look on his face. "The bad news is, they have left already. Which means you are to be scolded by the king, or worse, the maddening princess." Hearing the words of his companion, Quartz breathes heavily, worried for what is to come once the whole kingdom knows about his sudden disappearance. He stands from the ground, circling the tree. Due to his worry, he walks like a man who has forgotten how to. "If I were you, I''d accept the punishment instead. In that way, you will feel more peaceful rather than walking around in circles and plotting a scheme or an excuse. You can''t use me as an excuse too, remember your promise?" watching Quartz walk around in circles, the maiden giggles as she lends some advises. "I''m dead. I''m gonna be a dead meat if the princess finds out about this. I need an excuse. A well and profound excuse that the monarchs of Pureheart will believe me." says, Quartz, still under panic. "Hmm, I can help you create an excuse if you would like." "That would be an offer that I am willing to accept Virgo." "Great! Why don''t you tell the king that you participated in the siege but they didn''t see you." Virgo suggests. "Not quite." counters, Endeavor. He adds, "The kingdom usually counts the number of men participating before setting off to the battlefield. That is the reason why we''re usually late when arriving to a siege." "If that is the case then why don''t say that your mother died so you had to attend her funeral. That seems reasonable right?" Virgo suggests again. "Well, about that." says, the young man suspiciously after remembering he is not of Sacchi but rather of Earth. He makes an excuse for Virgo not to know his true reason why he is here, "I was born without a family so I was raised by the kingdom." "That is entirely false-" Quartz immediately cuts Endeavor''s words by pinching its mouth tightly before telling the whole truth to the woman he is very attracted to. "Such a pity, we both have the same pasts. About an excuse that one of your friend died instead?" "Quartz is lonely with merely three friends. Both of his friends are in the siege and the last one is you." counters, the talkative parrot. "Seriously Endeavor? Whose side are you on?" sighs, the young man. "Not much of a talker like me? No wonder why you have three friends. If that is the case then why not tell them you were busy fighting a monster! Or a necromancer." "We all know that is unrealistic. Based on how weak Quartz is when it comes to battling, I believe he won''t stand a chance against a necromancer. Not even a single second after the commencement of the match." Endeavor teases again. "We all know that ain''t true! I''ve taken down a plethora of trolls." "With pure luck." Endeavor teases again, forming an argument between it and him. "Sigh, I no longer have any ideas. Just go and tell the truth, that will be better." "If I tell the truth then I would be punished!" "It is better to accept the punishment for your wrong deeds rather than sleeping with guilt behind your back. Trust me, I was once a liar but now I have realized that by telling the truth, your life will be in ease." the maiden quotes. With enough persuasion, the young man finally concurs with the decision of the maiden. He know returns to the kingdom to tell truth, that''s if, they''ve already arrived from the siege. A part of him was scared as he thought of other excuses but then he remembered the words of the maiden. He dearly hopes that whatever the punishment is, it would only be a simple and not a grave one. 38 038| Argumen He wears a worried look on his face as he walks like a delicate glass through the halls of the fortress. Like a thief who tries his or her best not to be caught or seen, Quartz Vermillion does the same. His perspiration is immense, and the once red velvet carpets are now cloaked with his very own sweat, giving the carpets a darker color. It was obvious the king and the other members of the kingdom has returned, and now he fears the judgement of the princess once she hears about this. The fear thoughts looped around in my mind until there was no room for anything else. The "loop" played like this. "If I don''t tell the truth, then I''m up for a graver punishment. If I tell the truth, my promise to Virgo would be crippled. Although she clearly said not add her name in my statements, I wonder how I can think of a reasonable excuse? After all, it was Virgo who proposed that I should tell the truth but without getting her involved." As he continues to walk, he talks to his mind persistently, thinking of the most reasonable excuse with a blend of truth to it. From there, the most unexpected scenario happened. He and the princess has locked into each other''s eyes after crossing paths. The pleasant smile of Jupiter quickly shifted into an infuriated one. He gesture the young man with a scowl, a terrible, terrible scowl that not even the courageous could stand a minute with the princess''s looks on her face. "Why you traitor?! Give me a reason, where were you during the siege?" Jupiter pins Quartz to the corner with her mother''s sword. She uttered her words with a ferocious voice. "You got a new sword?" "This is my mother''s sword. Don''t try to change the topic. Where were you?!" Jupiter moves the sword closer to Quartz''s neck, pinning both him and his falcon. "Good god." Endeavor swears. "About that. I was not here during that time since I was busy practicing my piccolo in a flower field." "You exchanged the lives of thousands for that instrument of yours?! This is outlandish. Who were you with?" "What do you mean?" He starts to perspire heavily as he thinks of an excuse to leave Virgo out of this mess. "You think I have not noticed all these time?! Every night I would see you riding a stallion, traveling to the forest and by the way things are, I suspect you''re meeting with someone." "Why would I be doing such a thing? Of course I''m not. If I were, then I should''ve told you long ago." "Just make su-" "Princess Virgo! Princess Virgo!" A sentinel calls from behind. He runs in swiftness as he gasps earnestly for oxygen. He halts in front of them, interrupting the arising heated argument between Quartz and Jupiter. "Another siege has been declared in the city of Villamore. Your presence has been requested by the king." "Sigh. We''re not done here! Once this siege is over, our interrogation shall continue." says, the princess as she places back her sword on its sheath. Alongside the sentinel, she leaves Quartz and Endeavor as they proceed to the king''s throne room. "Villamore city?! Isn''t that the closest city to where Virgo is?" Quartz begins to panic. "You''re right sire." "Then we must defend the city. Come on Endeavor we better prepare." says, the young man with determination as he jolts to his room. *** The cavalry marches to the city with the knights soaring across the sky. As usual, the allies of Pureheart have reunited to forge a stonger alliance in hopes of defeating Witherheart for good. According to Kingston and Harold, they have lost the previous siege once more and countless lives were slaugthered. What Quartz fears is Virgo''s safety since the city is merely a kilometre from the flower field. In the city they were greeted once more by the poisonous smirks of their rival. The sounds of the enemies'' trumpets blare over the distance, bringing terror and intimidation to the opposing kingdom. After the confrontation of the two kings, they lift extend their swords to the air, unleashing the powerful creatures they bear. From the crust comes the serpent of might, from the sky comes the fiery phoenix. Each are desperate for the blood of their enemy to be spilled. After years of fighting, they long for the battlefield to be bathe by the blood of their enemies. The siege begins. Both sides advances, the signal of another bloody war. Morgan Storm of Witherheart, makes the first approach, suffocating the elves with its granite smoke. Morduk Dragoncult follows, reaping the necks of sentinels with his scythe. The beast who has the power to become both a griffin and a man, drags his enemies to the sky and drops them afterwards. This is no other than the work of Charles Gunner. For Thalia Blackmage and Balthasar Bluemagic, they fought with sorcery. Witchcraft against wizardry, who would triumph? Balthasar starts with the simple lightning strike spell, sending a thunder bolt to the foe. Thalia laughs hysterically and quickly dodges the attack. Her broom spews out a spell which has the ability to turn anyone into ice. It was quickly countered with Balthasar''s fiery spell. West of the battlefield, the war rages to the extreme. Surrounded with pools of blood, the four pillars of Pureheart fought of the hexes with all their might despite their bodies reforming again. As for the kings, they fought respectively, and helping those allies who are in need of assistance. Bad luck comes across Quartz. His frosty parrot is busy handling the enemies from the sky. As for Kingston and Quartz, they were too far and busy with their own agendas. One on one, Quartz comes across Morduk Dragoncult. "Pity." murmurs, Morduk. "In my world you''re nothing but fiction." teases, Quartz. "Sadly, you''re in my world!" His voice intensifies as he tosses the the scythe to Quartz. With Harold''s sword, it tries to counter the scythe being manipulated by Morduk''s mind. The sword breaks in half, and Quartz quickly kneels before the scythe cuts his neck. He grabs Melchior''s sword from his left sheath to use it insteas as his breathing intensifies. The man was flabbergasted by Morduk''s scythe. It upholds legendary might that could slice down the weaponry of any foes. Slowly he stood up, glaring at Morduk as he wipes of the bitter sweat covering his eyes. His face was filled with filth, but he disregarded it. With bravery, he stands on his fighting stance, taunting at the pillar. As for Morduk, he extends his hand, calling upon the return of his scythe which now seems more like a boomerang. Quartz tries dodge as fast as he could but he lacked a second. The edge of the scythe pierced the side of his abdomen gravely. He fell to the ground, nauseous and lethargic. "Never mess with a magician, young man." mocks, Morduk as he lets off a soft laughter. Quartz still had the chance to stand but Morduk spared no opportunity and instead kicked him down the hill. His body rolled to the stream, and just like a boat it floated still. As for Morduk, a man who has fought and killed many strong men. A man who has the capacity to take down a whole army by his own will, he strikes Quartz once more with his scythe just to make sure he would die for good. 39 039| Help As everybody fights in the battlefield, Quartz''s body drifts through a stream. Color drains from his face, as white as a slice of bread, white as a ghost, white as a sheet, rigid, rooted to the spot, hands clenched, incapacitated with nothing but the urge for his consciousness to slap him back to reality. There is an absence of sound and his head feels heavy. With eyes closed, he wears an expressionless face, moving constantly through the stream, with buoyancy serving as his pillow. And from the silence around him, he awakens, feeling the pain from the side of his abdomen. The blood oozes out of his wound, blending with the innocent water now coated with a crimson red pigment. He calls for help yet no one seems to answer his plead. "Q-quartz?!" As luck has it, Virgo spots Quartz floating through the steam. Seeing his frail body, she felt sympathetic for a moment. She wears a surprised and concerned emotion for him, even dropping her basket of berries and unfurling her hood due to shock. She decides to help the young man, leaping from the side and jumping unto the stream. The current intensifies, making it almost impossible to for the maiden to see the young man. The water prohibits them to be pulled together thus they are pushed apart. No matter how tough the waves and currents are, Virgo persists to stand firm, swimming closer to Quartz. The water forges conflict, even intensifying the waves to the point it makes the maiden sink at times. Although despite this. she exerts all her effort to reach Quartz. After enough tries to take hold of his shirt, Virgo finally succeeds and pulls the man ashore. She leans his upper torso to the bark of the tree. As for the young man, he lets out a cough, spitting all the water out of his mouth. His eyes are wide-open, but his wound is still soars and is severe. His heart throbs every now and his breathing is much deeper than usual. "What happened to you?" Virgo queries, very worried for the young man. "There was a siege and I came across Morduk. He slashed my lower abdomen." "Mo-Morduk?" She flinches for a moment after hearing a name. A distant memory, kept in the chambers of her sanity has awakened and recalled itself to her mind. The maiden''s hand starts to tremble the further the distant memory plays on her head. "Speak nothing of this. Do you promise?" queries, Virgo sincerely. "About what?" Virgo responds with ignorance and instead places the palm of her hand to Quartz''s wound. The blood of the young man flows to her hand as she gently closes her eyes. She then presses the wound, making quartz feel a terrible amount of pain. Her hand is cloaked with a golden veil leaving the young man in awe. And slowly, his wound heals and his scars disappears. In exchange to this, the maiden became ill, nauseous as she falls to his lap, unconscious and lethargic. It is as if she sacrificed her energy for the young man, only for his wounds to be healed. "Virgo? What happened?" says, Quartz, flabbergasted with what just happened. Like a corpse, her body remains frail and pale. Although despite this, there was still a pulse from her heart, Quartz sensed it, knowing she is still alive. He decides to make the maiden rest by leaning her unto the same bark the maiden leaned him unto. He then leaves the site for a moment, gathering fruits and berries. Upon arriving back from his expedition to find something to eat, it is at that same moment when Virgo''s eyes start to blink. Out of nowhere, she is awakened, still lethargic and sleepy however. Quartz was relieved to see her eyes, he quickly rushed to him with his basket of fruits. As for the basket, he made it out of twigs and bamboo sticks lying randomly on the fertile soil. "Virgo? What happened to you? You were suddenly unconscious." "I will be honest. I have the power to heal people, but in return, I sacrifice my own energy. In simple terms, I passed most of my energy to you. This was my first time to do such a thing, to use the power of my forefathers. Perhaps you have done something good that has left a stain in my heart, giving me no hesitation to help you." answers, the maiden as she grabs the basket, eating the berries and fruits as if she was desperate from them. " I see. Go ahead and eat, you must be starving." Quartz says, chuckling after seeing how desperate Virgo is. Due to being desperate to restore her energy, Virgo rambunctiously eats like a pig, letting all of the juice spill from the berries, sliding down to her arms. After eating for a moment, she halts for a while, remembering Quartz. "You can have some too if you''d like." offers, Virgo, moving the basket closer to him. "Nah, I am fine. You can have the berries." replies, Quartz with a smile as he pushes the basket back to her. Virgo responds too with a pleasant smile as she continues to eat. It is because of luck the young man was saved. If it wasn''t for the maiden, who knows what would''ve happened to him? Perhaps he would be dead by now, eaten by scavengers like crows and vultures as the corpse flows through the stream. 40 040| Truth! Another morning has arrived for Sacchi. Although mornings are usually happy and pleasing, this one is quite unusual especially for Pureheart. After another loss, the kingdom is forced to retreat with assigned squadrons to search for survivors around the forest, through the babbling brooks and nearby locales which are possible locations where soldiers may have went after escaping the deadly match. Aside from this, the king of Witherheart, Vladimir Witherstone has decided to do the same thing as well but with the intention to do the opposite thing. Rather than helping the survivors, he plans to kill in order to end them for good. Alongside him is a few grunts who will be escorting and protecting the king. On a tree in which it lies beside a stream, Quartz and Virgo wakes up to full glory. They stretch their arms high and wide, greeting the bountiful beauty of nature. From above is Endeavor who spots the young man. He immediately returns to the princess who was earnest to look for him. "I found Quartz!" reports, the falcon with keen eyes. "Then lead us straight right to him!" The princess instructs, galloping her horse in full power. The four pillars have decided to separate in hopes to find survivors faster than expected. Hearing the news, the princess was relieved. She kept her eyes on the ground and up, watching wherever the falcon is trying to lead him.'' Upon arrival at the stream in which she sees the young man with the maiden, her anger for him arose to the limits as Endeavor descends to the shoulders of the princess. Her blood boils hotter than lava, and her muscles becomes stiff. A part of her wanted to kill the young man after realizing this is where Quartz has been all along. Amidst their playful conversation, Jupiter interrupts, pointing the sword on the man''s neck. "Traitor!" Jupiter shouts ferociously as the maiden retreats behind the tree. "Jupiter?!" "You swore to protect the kingdom of Pureheart but this is where you have been all along? No wonder why you were absent in the previous siege, you were out here, meeting with a civilian?!" "No, you do not understand. After the battle in which I was injured, I called for helped and she came." "I despise your words. You had been lying to me all along. You are a wolf in a sheep''s clothing, my father should''ve kept you in prison, the place where you truly belong. Every night, you leave and this is where you head to?! You come late every session only to meet with a woman whom you had fallen for? What''s worse, my mother sacrificed herself just for you and this is how you repay her?! You were absent in one of the sieges because of this none-sense and yet you think I shall spare you mercy? You are an embarrassment to Pureheart and I, the princess sentence you to prison once we return to the kingdom! You shall come with me and explain before my father." The princess reprimanded. He remained speechless, thinking of his previous actions. The princess was indeed right, and once in for all he admitted. As for the maiden, Jupiter did not mind. She focused on Quartz whom she dearly trusted over the years, perhaps even growing an interest towards him. That all changed however after she knew the truth. "I ap-" "You apologize? My mother whom she spilled her blood for you live, do you think that is worth an apology for your absurdity? I trusted you for a long time but I guess I was wrong. You should be grateful I am to sentence you to prison rather than death. It is written in the books and amendments, a soul is in exchange for a soul. You don''t deserve my mother''s sacrifice!" Tears start to fall off her eyes as her anger turns into deep grief. "Indeed Quartz has done wrong deeds against the rules of your kingdom but that does not mean he deserves to be imprisoned. Despite all of our meetings together, he would always excuse himself to fight in a siege. There was only an incident in which he was not alerted about a siege. A punishment is deserving, but imprisonment is too much." the maiden tries to fight back for him. "Silence peasant, I am the princess and my orders are final. You will return to the kingdom and face imprisonment for the rest of your lives. I had enough of this. I will be the one to finish the war. One last siege to end the kingdom of Witherheart." "Your majesty. You cannot do this. Terrible chaos is to erupt." warns, Virgo. "I care not about the adversaries of war. I, Jupiter Braveheart will end this for good so that the future generations may live in tranquility. One last match against the opposing kingdom. My mother spilled her blood for the kingdom and not for Quartz. He is not worthy of it! It only happens Quartz is part of the kingdom." angers, the princess. "Please your majesty. Think about the de-" The galloping horses from the west interrupts all of them, including Virgo''s words. Shocked, the maiden becomes upon seeing him moving closer towards them. Angered, the princess becomes on the other hand. 41 041| Truth: the Second Part! From the other side comes terrible danger as the king of Witherheart debuts in front of them. Shocked, Virgo is to see the man and immediately hides behind the tree while taking small glimpses at him. As for the princess of Pureheart, her anger raged like wild-fire, seeing the man who killed her mother. On the other hand, Quartz stood up, willing to fight alongside the princess just to protect the maiden. Both took out their swords and wore a fighting stance. "Stay, the king is mine to fight." demands Jupiter as she pushes Quartz back to the ground violently. "You cannot defeat him alone Jupiter, Vladimir is a Hex." "Neither can you!" Jupiter shouts back. With the maiden hiding behind the tree, trying to make the slightest of sounds as possible is no other than Endeavor, the second in the defense in case Jupiter''s plan goes terribly wrong. Quartz has always commanded to keep the maiden safe from any trouble since the day it became the young man''s pet. "The princess of Pureheart? What an unexpected surprise?" says, Vladimir as she chuckles hysterically, taking out his sword as well. "Your blood will be exchanged for all the lives you had killed. You are a murderer, a blood-thirsty wrenched-" "Sounds more like a vampire to me. Hehe, what can a princess like you do to me?" Vladimir interrupts. Meanwhile, Virgo, the maiden tries to encourage Quartz to stay low to the ground and leave this situation to the problem. She wears hysteria in her face, begging desperately for Quartz not fight. "Please, Quartz, do not do this." she pleads, clinging to his hand tightly. "Jupiter cannot-" "And she is right, neither can you. The king of Witherheart has murdered many towns at his own, and you expect to defeat him? This is not fantasy, there are no cheats, no upgrades, nothing at all. Whoever is stronger than the other, that is the victor, that is the system Sacchi has." desperate, the maiden is, even spilling tears for Quartz. The princess, Jupiter Braveheart is quick to pry the edged cutlass from the king''s fingers and whips around to clash steel. She holds the sword of her mother even, a perfect, undaunted horizon; always leveled with the nose, just as her father, the king had taught her. She has stalled Vladimir''s strike, but watches a wretched, stained grin split the king''s lips as her blade shivers under the brutality of his compelling strength. "Weapons do not belong in the hands of women," he throatily croons, pressing closer to her face. The blade flashes as he brings it over his head and hums a low, swift tune when he brings it down. Nearly getting stabbed by Vladimir, Quartz arose and clashes his sword unto the the other. He then pushes Jupiter to further from the king for safety. "I will be in charge of this." says, the young man with confidence. Meanwhile, Virgo''s heart pounds loudly as a droplet of tear turns into a stream. In sorrows she admits, she has fallen in love with the young man over time to the point she cannot withstand Quartz from leaving her sight. Deep in her sanity, she knows what to do but a part of her lacks the confidence to commence it. "Should I?" wonders, Virgo, thinking in her mind deeply. A downpour of tears falls from her eyes, seeing Quartz and the king fighting until their blood has been spilled to the gentle soil. The longer she thinks of the decision, the more agitated she becomes as she worries for the man he met back in the patch of flowers. As for the princess, she flinched after the actions of the young man. In the grass she watches the fight, her anger and resentment all gone for a moment. From the battle between a courageous pawn and a king of the black kingdom, a melody of serenity interrupts, calming the incandescent heat lingering inside the two of them... 42 042| Truth: The Third and Final Par The melody plays soothingly to everyone''s ears, even the great king of Witherheart was impressed by it. After hearing the melody, the king knows for a fact, someone he has been longing for is here. From the tree, despite the efforts of Endeavor to avoid her from doing so, Virgo walks out and reveals herself. She glances to the king intensely as her music reaches a suspense. She expresses her hatred in the form of notes, the artistry of every musician. Quartz tried to stop the maiden from walking closer to the king however she stops her music for a moment and responds with, "For you, I sacrifice Sacchi. Chaos is to come, and you cannot stop it alone." She continues to play her music then tilts to the king, "I am tired of running. Play time is over and now I return to your hands... father." Virgo was no other than the traitor of the kingdom who ran away. It flabbergasted both the princess and the young man for they knew not of such unexpected reveal. And so, the maiden knelt to the ground sobbing and crying as extends her hand before his father, the king, Vladimir. "Years of hiding in the shadows and only now did you reveal yourself. My little one, this man has crippled you by so many ways. He is a delusion." mumbled the king as he knelt down and patted the hair of his daughter. "What is he talking about Virgo?!" asked, Quartz. She tilts her head to him and replies, "I- I am a hex. I can heal people because that is what we used to do. Our species were once compassionate creatures who loved the land. We offered our sympathy to yours but you repaid us with chaos. Fear grasped unto your shoulders thus we became your tormentors. We were hunted, struck down, and now... we are a few. My father wanted to control Sacchi to show how powerful we hexes are. Combine the two orbs, and the motherland will fall to him. I despised both my father and mother for I know they are wrong so I left the kingdom with a price possession passed down from generation to generation of our species, this ocarina. Once I play the "melody" to my father, it would grant him powers that could end your kingdom and thus... the land will turn to dust. I ask for your forgiveness for even I, lied to you. I should''ve told you the truth, and I regretted asking you to keep me as a secret during the first time we met each other in the field of flowers. I did despise the war between the two kingdom and even dreamed for all of it to end one day. Though, it ended as a failure and instead of finding peace for the next generation, I ended up falling in love with you through the adventures we had together. And now, that I revealed the truth to you, I sacrifice myself to my father so you can live on and continue my utmost dream, a Sacchi for the future generation." She looks to her father and addresses him, "Now that I promise to return to the kingdom, the only thing I beg is for you to spare his life. I shall play the ocarina, and there you will be the king you always wanted to be." Quartz was left speechless as Virgo stood up and grabbed the hand of his father. His father tells her, "Your decision is wise, and the young man will be spared. Come on, your mother is waiting." And so, Virgo mounts to the back of his father''s stallion, looking back at Quartz for one final moment. She says her final words to Quartz with a single tear flowing from her eyes, "War will always be the advent of another. There is no key unless both are united just like how all things should be. I hope to see you again one day, and if we do, I will be happy." Quartz was still speechless as the king left the scene. As for the princess, her anger returned, and just like what she has uttered, Quartz Vermillion is to be imprisoned. Is there any hope for him and her? After all, not all stories have a happy ending. 43 043| Imprisonmen Jupiter''s proposition to life-sentence Quartz to prison has been approved by the king. Knowing about the betrayal, Felix sighed. He couldn''t believe what the princess told him, Quartz was no other than a wolf in a sheep''s clothing. As for Endeavor, he became more of a king''s pet, after all, prisoners are not allowed to have pets. The young man was placed inside the very same cell he was placed into before. He remembered the bloody iron bars and the arc he first took a peak unto upon his "sudden" arrival to a world he is not quite familiar with. Inside his cell, he mourned for his father and his friend. He wishes nothing but to see them. He is flustered, wondering if they know about what had happened to them or if Alice is finally finished with his bathroom break. He was also disappointed with his actions, wishing he had never met the maiden in the first place. On his sanity, he imagined the beautiful city of Rome, his birthplace, his motherland. As time went by, Quartz became bored and therefore he made the decision to play his piccolo instead while looking out at the arc. It was night time, while he played the piccolo. Like every other night, he dearly imagines his mother with him. A flow of tears fall from his eyes as he feel''s her mother''s presence nearby. It is as if she is clinging to him tightly. He feels his mother holding his shoulders, massaging it after all the stress the young man had been through. Hanging above a tree, staring down to the arc Quartz is looking at is no other than the red glimmering bird who crooned with sadness and gloom as it flies off, wondering the far-reaches of Sacchi once more. Through paying attention to his piccolo he has forgotten the words of Virgo, the maiden whom he had fallen in love with. As much as possible, he tried to forget her image. Suddenly, the princess arrived. She bangs the iron bars, grabbing the young man''s attention. Quartz stops playing his soothing melody for a moment as he tilted his face towards the princess who was somehow sad and gloomy-looking. "I came to apologize for my rant some time ago. I-I was angered because of how- never mind. It''s best if I don''t speak about that incident with the king. I also wanted to tell you that the king has approved my idea." "Idea? What kind?" "We''re going all out." "All out?! What do you mean all out?!" "All of our men, troops, soldiers, this is our final stand, a final siege. We will be marching to their kingdom and there we shall end Witherheart for good and claim what must be claimed." Shocked, Quartz rushes and clings unto the iron-bars tightly. "What kind of gobbledygook is this?! Are you fooling around? Puerheart lost countless of times against them and you expect to win? This plan of yours is treason, you''re all going to perish." "And how do you know that?!" her voice intensified as she wiped off the droplet of tear from her eyes. She adds, "I''m tired of the opposing kingdom. They are Sacchi''s tormentors and I will do what must be done in order to take them down! For my mother, for my kingdom. This is the real duty of a princess. I am devoted to my people and soon, I shall be queen." "I''m warning you. This will end into chaos. Once you lost, it''s game over for Pureheart. Had not the previous sieges thought you something?! This is not what your mother would''ve wanted." "How do you know what my mother wanted? She is no longer here. The decision is final and if you disagree so be it. There is nothing you can do, it has been declared and tomorrow we shall be setting off to the opposing kingdom with our allies and compadres for our final stand. You''re not part of the army anymore, why bother?" "Because it is not only Pureheart who will be affected but the whole of Sacchi. Imagine famine, greed, and superiority of people who are not meant to take the rightful throne in the first place. You''re right. Why bother? I''m a prisoner." The argument heats up between them but the princess disagreed to prolong it and thus she made the decision to leave the prison instead. As for Quartz, he returned to his agenda, playing with his piccolo once more. 44 044| Ceremony! Night has fallen fast upon the land. No more than an hour ago the sky was painted with hues of red, orange and pink, but all that colors had faded leaving only a matt black canvas with no stars to be looked upon. It is the type of night that reaches into Witherheart''s bones, as if his heart is a door left wide open to the icy wind, slamming only to open again. Amidst the pale moonlight, the people gather to the throne room, wearing black robes to hide their identity and faces. They shroud the whole room. Before the king and queen, sitting upon their throne, the four pillars enter and kneels before them. Above, the chandeliers burn fervently, as the night grew deeper. What was once a beautiful day for birds to fly and sing is now a dreaded night for travelers and adventurers alike. The beast that always rests behind the throne, reveals its head and whispers to the king, "Now, you will have what you''ve always dreamed for, Sacchi is yours, once in for all." The words of the beast made the king smirk. From that moment, the trumpets are blown as the doors of the room are opened widely, giving way to the apprehended maiden, the princess of Witherstone, Virgo. With eyes of sorrows, she proceeds forth, walking down the aisle with the violet gown. Above her head is a tiara. Princesses are always known to be free to do whatever they want, or so they thought. On the hands of the princess, were cuffs, tightly strapped. They can be moved, three inches away from each other, only for the purpose of playing the ocarina. As she walks, Virgo was downhearted and only through the image of the young man she had fallen in love with will her happiness be restored. However, that image is only limited to her imagination. As the princess continues to walk, the organ starts to play as the people served as the choir. They begin to sing songs and praises for the royal family. Upon the arrival of the maiden in front of her mother and father who turned out to be the king and queen, the organ music reaches a suspense as the choir hits the highest note. "Welcome back, my daughter." The queen greets as her daughter slowly kneels down. The rest of the people covered in black robes, followed afterward. After her little gesture in which she did it out of force, Virgo stands and takes out the ocarina from her pocket. "Good. Be an obedient daughter and give the powers your father deserves. You little rascal. You''ve been running from your kingdom. Do you not know the power we bear? We are limitless. There were only two ways of earning Sacchi. It is either you would be slaughtered or give the powers your ocarina possesses to the king. It looks like you have made the right decision." The beast scolds. "I don''t even know who you are." Virgo mocks the beast. "Heh, such a pouty daughter. Now, let the ceremony reach its crescendo." says, the beast as the organ stops playing and the choir kept their mouth shut. As for the four pillars, they stood up from the ground and moved aside. The moment is now, as the rumbling thunder hits the snow outside the room. With his scepter, the king taps the ground three times, giving the hint to his daughter that the time has finally arrived. "I hope you know what you''re doing, father. Mother. Your actions make the comfortable disturbed and the disturbed comfortable." mumbles, the princess as she slowly moves the ocarina from her hand to her mouth. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 45 045| Betrayal She took out her ocarina, and amidst the crowd who was watching her, she began to play the song. Like what they used to say, music is the rhythm of the soul, but for a king who forced his daughter to play for the sake of his ill will, the music is more of a passage way of despair. The first note has been played, and slowly, the pitch rises. Like a roller coaster, the pitch declines after reaching its pinnacle in a swift manner. Virgo played the song out of force; therefore, she showed no emotion at all except for sorrows and tears. The grief surges with every expelled breath, always reaching higher peaks, never sufficiently soothed by her long intakes of the damp cold air. Tears began to spill from her helpless eyes onto the newly stoned flooring. In her song, a message was given, the emptiness in her heart, the numbness pounding her brain. All her other emotions were drained out existence as her ocarina accidentally slips out of her hand, pausing the melody for a moment. In sorrows she kneels as she picks the ocarina up and started to play the song once more. Soon, the song reaches its crescendo, and the scepter of the king glowed in a white color. Its vibrant white hue blinded everyone in the room, alongside the four pillars of the kingdom. Soon, there was a visible flowing orange hue from the ocarina to the scepter. The king was pleased as the powers flowed to him. It brings joy and ecstasy to him and from that point the beast behind the throne shrieks loudly. It slowly steps out of its hiding spot, revealing its hideous looks. The winged-beast is no other than a dragon. Its flaming power can burn a whole army in one spew, although, there was something quite peculiar about the actions of the dragon. Out of nowhere, it spewed flames to the throne, burning both the king and queen. Virgo was gobsmacked as the dragon transformed into an elderly man. Vladimir and his wife, the ocarina''s music was no other than their ninth symphony. Everybody inside the room is aghast as they rush out of the scene, panicking in despair as the elder chuckles hysterically. Soon, the elder takes hold of the king''s scepter and through the power of the scepter did he became younger. Morduk of the pillar quickly grabs hold unto the maiden''s shoulder and protected her while facing his scythe to the man who looks similar to the king who perished. "Such a pity. It seems to me time is quite fast and now the people has forgotten who I am. Don''t you remember in the books of old? The tales of our kingdom? Only through the power of that ocarina can I reign king once more as my old body grows younger. I am King Darian, I once fought with my brother but now that he is dead, his kingdom will wither away and the orb shall be mine. Such is the power of our kingdom, capable of withering many towns. It is time to end the war for good, join me and together, Sacchi will be ours!" Darian tried to persuade them but by the looks and faces of the four pillars, they did not seem to be willing to join the king who started the kingdom. "You are the past, Vladimir was the rightful king and now that you have slaughtered him and his wife, you shall perish because of your actions." Morgan makes the first move, transforming herself into a puff of smoke and trying to suffocate the king. With the swoosh of his scepter the king turns Morgan into a puddle of black oozing mud. "Sacrilegious." Charles Gunner mocks as he turns into a griffin and rebels against Darian. With the swivel of his scepter, Charles was turns into a real griffin who is now abiotic and has no capability of transforming himself back into a man. Like a statue, he is frozen solid. "Do you not comprehend? I am your king!" yells, Darian. He looks to Morduk and says, "Do you wish to have your faith sealed just like your fellow friends over here?" Morduk slowly tilts his head to Virgo, who was crying in fear. He murmurs softly to her, "Set him free and end the war." Soon a portals appears right beneath the maiden and was sent somewhere else with her ocarina. And there, Morduk tries to fight the king with his scythe but fails to do so as the scepter pierces his chest completely. "You made the wrong decision. I don''t need the shadow monarchs in my side for I am all of you. Now there is one thing left to do and that is to end the war." Darian murmurs. He removes the scepter piercing Morduk''s chest and beheads him next. He then chuckles hysterically. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 46 046| The Beginning Just in the gates of the kingdom, the whole army of Pureheart has assembled alongside its allies, the elves, the enchanted trees, the golems, and more. In front of them, the king, the princess, and the four pillars lead the way as the sun arose in the east, a symbol of a new day. The orange hues of the sun are said to be good luck for the kingdom of Pureheart. It enlightens their panic-stricken spirit for what is to come. The king, loud and clear he declared to everyone, "Today marks the final day of this dreaded war! This will be its end, its downfall and the next generations after this shall soon live in eternal happiness, knowing they are safe from the tormentors of our motherland. With the sword on my left, and the shield on my right, I uphold both the people of this kingdom and the people who risked their lives for the sake of their duty. Now in our horses, hippogriffs, sided by our allies who were once our foes, we shall follow the eastern sun and head forth to Undella City, the center of our motherland. With courage and honor, nothing will stop us. And so, as king, I proudly declare... For Pureheart!" The rest of the battalion yelled with pride, "For Pureheart!" as they charged forth and followed the direction of the rising sun. Meanwhile in Witherheart, the army was assembled by the fallen king, King Darian who shocked the living daylights of the kingdom. Despite this, a king is a king, and if they were to disobey, their fates would be sealed. Darian holds the scepter of the once king, King Vladimir. He now possesses the powers of the melody. Like Felix, he declares out loud to his army of trolls, hexes, allies, and Piglins, "Pureheart is yesterday''s message. A clapped-out, distracted regime whose failings undoubtedly presage with the need for a different dream. This is our chance to claim what is rightfully ours. For years, I had been hiding in the veils of the shadows that lurks behind the king who was never meant to be. Now, that my brother has been dead for more than three hundred years, I shall claim Sacchi for no one will be able to stop us! The orb shall be ours for the taking, and everyone who dares to oppose us will fall and crumble. Let this be written in books and novels, soon not only Sacchi will know our name but the whole world and I, King Darian, shall rule over the seas, the skies, and the land below. Now, we seal our enemy''s fate!" hearing his words, the army was inspired as they followed the parallel direction of the rising sun. Both kingdoms gave their best, leaving not a single sentinel behind. This is the fight to determine whose kingdom does Sacchi really belong to. Knights, archers, rooks, the final siege has just begun. Back in the kingdom of Pureheart, down in the chambers of prison was the poor young man, staring out to the window while playing his piccolo. Boredom succumbs to his sanity as he endured the life of being a prisoner. Even if he had warned the princess about the war, she did not listen; therefore, now he fears this war would only be the advent to other upcoming conflicts. Rebellions will rise in a matter of days, famine, greed, commotion, it will be wide-spread once this war finishes and the only way to avoid everything is to unite the people of both Pureheart and Witherheart. Still, it does seem impossible for what can a plain prisoner like him every do? Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 47 047| Planning Playing with his Piccolo, staring out to the wide open arc, Quartz Vermillion is suddenly disturbed when someone knocks at the iron bars of his cell. At first he ceased to mind whoever is knocking, disrupting his peace of mind. That was when he was irked past his threshold when he decided to pay attention to the knocker. To his surprise, it was no other than the maiden who was knocking. Quartz was also surprised to see the maiden wearing a beautiful gown of elegance, making her look like a queen. Although she may seem like a queen to the young man''s eyes, Virgo was somehow downhearted. "Virgo?!" says, Quartz, shell-shocked by her sudden appearance. Virgo leans her body unto the bars and extends her hand to Quartz. The moment Quartz holds her hand, Virgo starts to cry until there is nothing left for her eyes to bear. From a single droplet to a stream of tears packed with grief and depression, Virgo''s hand trembles. "My father, mother, they''ve been killed." solemnly, she says the truth to Quartz. "What happened to them?!" "King Darian, the adopted son of the first king of Sacchi. For all these years, he was dwelling inside the body of a dragon, a rare sub-species of a hex- still considered as a hex though, that allows a person to transform itself into a dragon. I was shocked, he murdered the shadow monarchs and father was nothing but a toy to his eyes. Now, I''m scared. Both kingdoms are about to clash for one final time and with King Darian leading the other kingdom? Pureheart does not stand against him. There must be a way, something, a solution perhaps. Darian waited for this moment, the moment when his brother, the rightful heir would pass away." "Then we must stop the war at once." "At once? Where''s Endeavor by the way?" "He came with the princess. Anyway, back to the topic, I think I know a way to end this." "What? Don''t tell me you''re going to fight too? I won''t allow this." "Of course not. Remember what Melchior said? If there is unity, it can end all wars. What if we try to unite the people of both kingdoms?" "And how are you going to do that? Stand between the siege and say some big speech? Quartz, Darian has a great reputation for influencing people to the point whatever lie they told them turns into a belief stained in their hearts. Some speech won''t serve as a soap to remove that stain away." "Sometimes, we do not need a speech to convince everyone." says, the young man while showing the maiden his piccolo." "M-music?!" "Yes. The purpose of music is to comfort the disturbed. It is the key to anyone''s heart just like what it did to us when we first met." Hearing his words, a smile was brought to the face of the maiden. Now, they have one last challenge to face, escaping the prison. The maiden tried her best to get Quartz out, even using her tiara as some sort of knife to cut the metal but that did not turn out as planned. The bars are too thick for anything to cut through it, except for one. From the arc, comes the same red bird with a rainbow tail. It smirks at both the young man and the maiden. With its long beak it breaks down the iron bars by pecking. It then leaves through the arc once more. Quartz and Virgo were gobsmacked by what happened. Wondering why "the" bird would help them all of a sudden. "That was unexpected." says, Virgo. "I know that bird. I was chasing that bird when suddenly it led me to you." "Coincidence or destiny?" chuckles, Virgo in a sarcastic manner. "Let''s find out soon." replies, Quartz as he escapes his cell and dashes with Virgo to the nearest barn to borrow some stallions. As for the other prisoners, they were covetous after seeing that one of them has escaped the prison. With only a few remaining time left? What would be Quartz''s actions? Is he to play the piccolo in front of the siege or was the term "music" a secret message that only Virgo could comprehend? The answer is to come. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 48 48| The Beginning The armies of both kingdoms had finally arrived in the center of the entire country of Sacchi. This is their final moment, their final stand against each other in hopes of claiming the country for the sake of themselves. The battlefield was loaded, more than a million men is about to lose their lives, fighting for the sake of the belief, "With your help, the next generation will be safe." The four pillars of Pureheart, the king, and the princess, shell-shocked they are after seeing a new king, new allies, and not a single member of the shadow monarchs can be found. Some people realized the face of the king for they have seen his illustration in books and carved paintings. They couldn''t believe their eyes, even the princess and her father was gobsmacked, they know a lot about the king''s power, and they are very aware it exceeds theirs. "Pureheart, your time has come. I know some or perhaps even most of you may remember me. I, King Darian, will take my place as the one and only king of Sacchi. With me, the power and the supremacy of our motherland shall grow endlessly as we drive forth to a better regime with the other kingdoms and countries bowing on their knees!" "You should be dead by now. You fight for domination, we fight for the sake of the future generations. Our youths, they live in famine, poverty, because of this dreaded war. Our people, they pray tirelessly for this war to end for good. I am aware of your capabilities. A hex, a dragon, but as the current king of Pureheart, your brother fights alongside us." Felix confronts Darian. "We will see then." chuckle, Darian as he walks straight back to his side of the "board". On the other hand, Felix does the same and returned to his side in which he is greeted by the concerned look of his daughter. "Father, he is too powerful. I can''t lose you too." "Don''t worry, my daughter. The victors of war are not determined by strength but by skill." touching the cheeks of Jupiter, Felix comforts her. There is a moment of silence amongst all as everyone stares at each other. The weather flashes to the scene as the moon rises above, bringing darkness across the land. Thunders crash, lightnings roll, and the war has just begun with the cries of the two kingdoms buzzing through the sky as they come forth to each other with confidence. There, after clashing upon each other, the slithering sounds of thousands of swords being unsheathed were frightening. It was carnage, it was everywhere. The storm was somehow peculiar and little do they know, that above a tree was the red lustrous bird, watching the battle in disappointment, even shedding a tear. Once that tear fell to the ground, the serpent of Witherheart emerged while the Phoenix of Pureheart drifted. The storm was only getting far worse than expected. The sky is carrion-black. Poppy-red blood drizzles from their wounds. The trolls are clunking axes and crashing war hammers against their shields. Arrows are zipping and hissing through the air. Some of Pureheart''s men are sobbing and snivelling with fear. Swords are ringing against each other. A legion of trolls and hexes, alongside the other creatures attacks the centre of Pureheart''s defense lines. The septic smell of death hangs over the battlefield. It is a battle of head-clasping horror. The acrid taste of blood rises up in their mouths. The spear tips wielded by the elves glints like wicked hoar frost, but the screams of the enemy were bowel-loosening. The battlefield is more of a theatre of death filled with keening and caterwauling sounds as the sodden land became oily with ichor. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 49 049| Eruption!* Blood spills everywhere. The four pillars sought to kill their enemies and defend their allies but all turned out as a failure when the beast erupts. The serpent, like a kid who buzzes in a conversation talked between two adults, it emerges from the ground, slaughtering half of Pureheart''s army in one blow. Seeing everyone fight until the death, the red bird hiding in one of the trees became furious. It shrieked loudly, though not enough to match the sounds of terrors, wars, and screams. Upon its shriek, everything starts to shift. Amidst the war, the phoenix suddenly exploded in the sky. The orange hue on the sky was immense, making the war paused for a minute or two. The king, Felix of Pureheart was gobsmacked. He couldn''t comprehend how the phoenix exploded all of a sudden with only the feathers as its remains. The phoenix''s unexpected death caused the skies to turn red, painted in the color of the phoenix''s blood. The rain, it turned to blood and it trickled down the bodies of the sentinels. The battlefield, it turned into a desert, very dry, desolate and barren. This was all because of this mysterious bird that even know hides its identity. It was furious at the people. When the final mento had been added to the coke inside of it, it exploded with anger, with no control over it. After that slight pause, Pureheart was running out of hope with the lack of self-esteem. The king''s grandest pet has died in front of their very eyes and now they depend on the skills of their warriors but against a large serpent, squirming and wrecking everything in its path? How will Pureheart deal with this? Meanwhile, the princess is at the left of the battlefield, fighting a horde of trolls. Trained by her parents, one by one she cuts their heads off with the blade of her mother''s sword. On the right of the battlefield, the great wizard of Pureheart deals with a galore of Piglins, electrocuting them one by one with his spells. "You''re not match against me!" the fueling wrath of King Darian was spewed unto the elves of Pureheart wherein with his scepter he banged it to the ground, causing roots to emerge and tangling up the elves until the die of suffocation. The stone golems, once hit with the spell of the scepter, turns them into stone as so as the enchanted trees. This are only some of the powers that ocarina holds. The two kingdoms care not of what is happening around them. The bloody rain, the desolate sand they stand in, no one cares as long as the product of this fight is for the sake of the future or so they thought. Then the catapults flashed to the scene. Boiling hot metallic balls are thrown to the sky, descending to the opposing kingdom. Pureheart countered with trebuchets, throwing arrows of flames and clashing them unto the trolls and piglins. On the center, the serpent comes to bother, wrecking eighty percent of Pureheart''s trebuchets. On the far east of the "board", the four pillars stood firm against the retaliating hexes. Their bodies regenerated despite the efforts of the pillars, making them perspire heavily. Then comes the king of Pureheart, helping the pillars while his daughter fights in the other corner. While the war continues to emerge, someone from afar interrupts. This brought a smile to the red bird who was watching from the trees. Riding their stallions, Quartz and Virgo arrived. Seeing his master, Endeavor was pleased as it dashes down to the young man''s shoulders. Everyone from both sides were awed to see the latecomers that for a moment they all stared at him. "Sire!" uttered, the frosty parrot in surprise. "Nice to see you Endeavor, the last time I checked you were a royal pet." "Well, I can agree with that." says, Endeavor in a sarcastic manner. Meanwhile, seeing Quartz and Virgo arrive has fueled up Darian''s anger. He shouted out loud, "The princess of the kingdom, a traitor who know plans to defeat me with her lover and his parrot." Those sarcastic words made the kingdom of Witherheart laugh... "What could they even do? They are powerless, they bear no weapons nor swords. Is this what you call a warrior?" King Darian spoke again, making his whole kingdom laugh. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 50 050| Eruption! "What are you doing here?!" the princess approached Quartz. Her face was angered by his decision to arrive. "Saving Sacchi for the future generation, like what you, your father, and the queen wants. Sometimes, war is not the answer." Quartz replied back. The princess then leaves him, walking back to the battlefield as the war continues to enrage. No one really cares about their arrival, nor do the kings of their respective kingdom care at all. A minor interruption was able to gather a whole crowd however. In front of the eyes of Quartz and Virgo, a lot of men are being slaughtered while the red bird watches over the tree. Another tear falls of its eyes, landing on the ground of the once battlefield blossoming with flowers aplenty, now a desert of destruction and chaos. The sadness of the red bird is its albatross. It lays like dirty snow over every other emotion, greying its spirit, tainting all that could bring it joy and relief. Above, the bloody rain trickles unto the skin of the maiden and the young man. This was not normal for this was Sacchi''s first time to experience this kind of moment. The clouds were still painted in a red color. The more blood that drops to the floor, the darker the red pigment of the clouds become. Technically, since Quartz and Virgo interrupted the battle, it was safe to assume that they''re part of it as well. From behind Virgo, a troll comes by in which luckily Quartz saw. With the swing of his sword given by Melchior, he cuts the legs and disables the foe. He then pokes the brain, ensuring death to the beast that tried to attack Virgo. "Are you alright?" Quartz queries. "Y-yes. I think it was a bad decision to do this. I- I can''t let you fight against Darian, he is too powerful. My energy is low; therefore, I may not heal you." Virgo grabs hold of Quartz''s collar and forces him to stay by her side. "No one would listen-" "For all of them have the same cry, the cry of war but if you were to change things and sound another cry, then that would gather their attention right?" Virgo hunches. "Perhaps you have a point but what?" "Look." Virgo responds by pointing at Quartz''s piccolo. An idea snapped in their mind, a brilliant and excellent one. A piccolo and an ocarina? It was quite unusual for one to use music as a weapon in battling but hey? Wars can be fought with books and pens as so as melody and artistry. Amidst the war that continues to puncture anyone''s soul, the maiden and the young man plays and subtle yet soothing melody. The music soars through the air like an eagle on an up-draft, taking with it the very souls of the fighting men. They ascend together in a magical flight to the heavens, a breathtaking melody of instrumental exuberance. Then after the crescendo they dive back down, giddy, their breath stolen from their bodies, until all that was left was the silence there was at the beginning. It was a shared journey that held them spellbound in rapt silence. The people enjoyed the music. It brought a somewhat short-term of happiness and those who heard it were filled with ecstasy. The king, the princess, and the other officials however, thought of this an absurd act for who would play a tranquil song in the middle of a chaotic war? Then, the people looked to them, finally paying their attention for what the maiden and the young man had to say. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free