Hello! Apologies for taking a long break. I took a vacation because of some health issue, but now I'll be updating regularly. Thanks for patiently waiting for an update. ^^
TZEITEL kept silent as the dragon procession from Ankhe to Kaitseri took place. Not long before the golden chariot landed on the island of rich Kaitserian soil in North Vatre, she had many companions, but as they slowly approached the Elsher Castle, Princess Tzeitel felt like it was a death march.“Princess…” the voice of her lady-in-waiting made her blink twice for being too preoccupied. She paused for a long time a few meters away from the castle.“I’m all right, Marina,” the princess dismissed her.She had been delaying her travel to Kaitseri, knowing it could be her death sentence since her betrothal to one of the heirs of the House Elsher.Tzeitel took a deep breath as she found the courage to step closer. She thought of Iridessa. Her comforting words were enough to toughen her up, as this union might obstruct her goal of obtaining the imperial throne.“The imperial princess has arrived!” a middle-aged man announced beside the gate. Based on the crest on his copper-colored unifor
THE princess awakened the following day with a subtle knock on her door. She stretched her hand and immediately got up.“Come in!”Marina got inside, holding a tray with a cup of tea. “Good morning, Princess! Here’s your favorite floral tea.”“Thank you, Marina. Please put it there. What’s for today?”Marina put the tray on the bedside table. Her eyes twinkled in enthusiasm. “Lord Cariux is waiting outside. He’s elated to be with you to venture into Elsher Estate.”Tzeitel scoffed. “Elated, my foot.”Marina was shocked to hear her utter those words. “Is something wrong?”“Nothing, Marina. I’ll be out in a while.”“Yes, Princess.” Marina excused herself.Cariux appeared in a good mood while waiting in the hall near Princess Tzeitel’s room. The princess smiled radiantly in return as she greeted him despite what she had witnessed last night. The last thing she’d do is let them know about her hidden agenda in the Elsher Estate.“Your beauty shines brightly today, Princess Tzeitel,” Cariux
“YOU’RE FIRED!” A thunderous roar echoed inside the room. Jie flinched as he clenched his jaw in silence. He somehow expected this to happen since he argued with the boss regarding his request for an increase in his salary. He had been working hard, and the company took advantage of it. Paying him less despite him working like a dog. Jie needed money. For his mother’s medication and his little sister’s schooling. If only his father hadn’t passed away, leaving them buried in debt. “Leave! I don’t want to see your face here. Ungrateful bastard!” The boss turned and sat back in his swivel chair. For a while, Jie stood frozen. Lost in his thoughts. What would happen to his life now? He had no savings. The only money he had in his wallet was a few hundred pesos, enough for three days. At twenty-five, he was far behind his peers. It didn’t matter, he’d always been in survival mode for as long as he could remember. “What are you waiting for? Get the hell out of here!” The old man glared
“BROTHER…” a childish voice murmured. She appeared to be a little girl with long, unruly golden hair. Sunburn had turned her face a crimson hue. “Brother, wake up! We are still alive!” She slowly tapped her brother’s cheek. She knew he was still alive because she checked his heartbeat a while ago. Scattered across a huge desert was a tiny oasis, where the young man lay. The girl continued to check on her brother. “Please, brother. You have to see what’s going on! There’s a miracle!” Optimism radiated from the young girl. Especially when her brother grunted. “Look at me! I’m perfectly well now. I can run!” The girl, although her brother could not see her, ran around the oasis and kept shouting. “I’m alive and well!” She was humming a happy song while playing around. “Brother, I dare you. Look at me!” She urged more. But her brother lay motionless. In her young mind, it was liberating to feel that, despite all the hardships they had been through, they managed to survive the arduou
JIE kept track in his head of how many hours they had walked. He estimated it lasted nearly eight hours, with a short break in between just to think about whether they made progress in choosing the right direction. “I think we’re lost.” He studied the surroundings. The vast desert seemed endless. But for some reason, he felt his strong vitality despite walking in the scorching heat. It was almost sundown. “We shouldn’t go back,” Nyssa murmured. “I heard that, kid. We should find the entrance to the village before it completely turns dark. Who knows what other deadly creatures are lurking here at night? I don’t want to be the fresh dinner of another giant scorpion.” Nyssa scowled. “Then let’s keep following the markers.” “Are you sure you’re not yet exhausted?” Jie wondered because, as a child, it would have been hard for her to follow him in this hostile environment. “Surprisingly, no. It has something to do with the orbs. It told you!” “Orbs. Here we go again.” Nyssa rolled he
“PUT me down, you piece of shit!” Jie struggled with the talon’s grasp. Despite knowing he’d die at any time, he still hoped to escape. The beast let out a growl. It appeared like a crossbreed of an eagle and a lion. It had a bird’s face with a lion’s body. “I taste bad! Put me down!” Jie was dripping in his sweats. He died once in the hands of those thugs, and now he’d die for the second time in the talon of this monster. What an irony, because in this strange world, he was still unlucky. Jie motioned his hand out of desperation, hoping to wield magic just like how he accidentally killed the giant scorpion. But no magic came out. Rather, he was squeezed out, almost making his eyes pop. Even in this life, I couldn't escape death. The harsh truth hit him. The creature holding him screeched suddenly as if it were in pain. Jie’s eyes started to blur. Death would probably greet him once again. At least, the feeling wasn’t new. Then there was a sudden spurt of a black liquid that sm
JIE had no idea how long he had been knocked out. He slowly opened his eyes; it was pitch black. It took him a moment to realize what was going on. “Holy shit!” He swore hard, realizing he was still inside this nightmare. He noticed that he wasn’t leaning on the wall beside the forbidden gate. He was near the vermilion orb, and his body was in a kneeling position. “What the hell happened to me?” He heightened his senses to prepare himself for another monster ambush. There was something wrong. Jie wondered if he had an ear injury because he couldn’t hear a thing—just a deafening silence. What kind of onslaught took place while he was unconscious? He couldn’t remember a single thing. Worse, he noticed that his eyes, nose, and ears were bleeding. He saw the blood after he wiped it off, and the orb slightly flickered one last time. “Darn!” His jaw tightened, ignoring his injuries. Jie got up, but when he was about to turn, something held his ankle. He almost kicked it, thinking it w
AS THEY ascended, the fireflies continued to trail after Nyssa, lighting the way for everyone. Some of the elderly people in the group could not climb any further. “How long will it take to reach the surface?” one middle-aged woman asked as she struggled to collect herself. Jie turned to her and answered, “It will take another two hours, all of you are lucky to be here. If you give up now, death will surely greet you.” He looked at everyone and made an announcement. “Those who complain will be left behind!” While several people in the crowd grumbled, no one spoke against him. The universe must have taken pity on them for what they had been through because everyone arrived on the surface without encountering a human-eating monster along the way. There were sighs of relief when they were finally a few meters away from the cave exit. Although two elderly had already passed out, Kali immediately tended to them. “I’ll help. My name is Tarian, I came from the family of apothecaries in