The party of adventurers walked through the now lush and beautiful forest, full of pride and joy after their great victory.
The corruption that once infested the forest was gone completely, turning it into a land that brimmed with color, music and life.
For Amalia, this was more rewarding than any amount of gold.
She could feel the gratitude all around them, filling her heart with joy at knowing that, thanks to her, the entire forest could live again.
After a peaceful journey, the heroes finally reached the edge of the Whispering Forest.
Now, before them stretched the road to Emelka.
The road home.
Yugo could hardly contain his excitement.
He raced ahead of the group and took off down the dirt road, desperate to get home and see his father once more.
“Come on!” he shouted between laughs.
“Everyone’s waiting for us!
Last one there is a fat Pandawa!”
“That’s not gonna be me!” Percedal fired back before taking off behind him.
The two raced with all they had, competing with such intensity it seemed their lives were on the line.
Amalia smiled as she watched them run, a spark of tenderness in her eyes.
Eva, for her part, let out a sigh that was something between annoyance and resignation.
Before the Sadida could start forward to join the boys, Ruel approached her with a sly grin on his face.
“So…
you’re a princess, huh?” he asked.
“What brings you all the way out here, so far from home?
Must be something important, right?”
“Well, you see…” Amalia dropped her gaze, clearly uncomfortable with the question.
“It all started when…”
Before she could continue, Eva stepped in with a firm tone.
“I know exactly what you’re up to, and I’ll tell you right now you’re not getting a single Kama out of her.
I’ve dealt with enough conmen to see right through you, so don’t even try to pull off any of your tricks.
“Oh, please!” Ruel exclaimed without losing his smile.
“What kind of person do you think I am?
Begging for Kamas is beneath an Enutrof of my stature.
I’m just…
curious, that’s all.”
“Yeah right, you’re just curious…” Eva stared him down, and for just a second, her eyes flashed with an amber glow that made Ruel swallow hard.
Nothing gets past this Cra, he thought as he clenched his teeth with frustration.
Her powers are really beyond anything I’ve seen in her race.
That makes her a great ally… and a dangerous enemy.
“All right, all right.
I’ll come clean,” he admitted at last, raising his hands in feigned surrender.
“Yeah, I’m curious…
but I also thought that maybe, just maybe, the Sadida princess herself might give us a small reward for protecting her.
That’s not too much to ask, is it?
I’m sure a princess could easily afford helping an old man in need.
What do you say, Your Highness?”
Amalia lowered her gaze, clearly uncomfortable at this situation.
Why did I have to open my mouth?
she thought.
Now it’s going to be just like home.
Look at Amalia, the poor, helpless princess who needs our protection.
And I was stupid enough to think I could leave it all behind.
She didn’t know what to say or do as her mind went in circles.
Once again, her insecurities wrapped around her like thick fog.
I need to say something…
she thought as anxiety consumed her.
But… what?
Then, like the sun shining past dense clouds, she heard Yugo’s voice calling at her.
“What are you waiting for, Amalia?!
If you want to be a Fat Pandawa, be my guest!”
The warmth of his voice broke the spell.
Yugo didn’t even care whether she was a princess or a commoner.
He just wanted to run.
To play.
To laugh.
To be with her.
A smile bloomed across Amalia’s face as light returned to her eyes.
“Those are very interesting questions, good sir,” she playfully told Ruel.
“But I’m afraid I have a more pressing audience to attend to.
Don’t worry, I’ll leave you on the waiting list.
Byeeeeee!”
And, without giving him a chance to reply, she dashed off and left the old Enutrof stunned with surprise.
“That little rascal sure knows how to play the game…” Ruel muttered with a half smile.
“But, sooner or later I’ll get another chance.
For now, I’ll just let them have some fun.”
Eva watched her friend take off after Yugo and Percedal.
Seeing her so free and happy made every hardship they faced on their journey fully worth it.
Three youths raced down the Emelka road, laughing and racing each other like little kids.
Right now, they could afford to not even care about titles or responsibilities.
Only about who could be first.
While at first the race was matched, gradually Yugo began to dash ahead as he became even more motivated.
Percedal, who was still worn out from the last battle, started to fall behind as his breaths became harder.
But Amalia, who was the last to join and saw the gap widen, wasn’t about to quit.
A princess would never surrender just like that.
She immediately raised her hands and powerful roots burst from the earth, propelling her forward and easily passing Percedal.
Now, only Yugo was still ahead.
And the village gates were right before him.
Amalia raised her arms again, summoning vines to catch him right before he could reach the finish line.
But Yugo, who quickly saw the incoming attack, opened a portal and leaped through it, slipping right past her traps and landing right at the gates.
“I won!” he shouted triumphantly.
“Sorry, slowpokes.
You had no chance against the fastest man in the entire county!”
Amalia arrived seconds later, out of breath but still smiling, seemingly unfazed by the loss.
The freedom she felt while running was greater than any victory.
When their eyes met, Yugo burst out laughing and she couldn’t help but join in.
“Come on, Amalia,” he said, still chuckling.
“My dad’s waiting!”
Before he could say another word, a small ball of feathers plunged toward him at breakneck speed.
Az, Yugo’s Tofu, had been the first to notice his return and now rushed to his master, flying around him as he chirped a cheerful song.
Yugo raised his arm for Az to perch and, with a tender smile, scratched his head.
“So glad to see you, Az!” Yugo exclaimed. Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
He then pulled out a small pouch of his pet’s favorite birdseed and opened it right in front of the Tofu.
“As a man of my word, here’s what I promised.
Enjoy!”
With a screech of joy, Az dove into his food and, before Yugo could even blink, pecked away frantically until it was all gone.
Once the bird was stuffed, it hopped a couple of times and settled on Yugo’s head, using his hat as if it were his nest.
After this delightful reunion, the group continued along the streets of Emelka.
As they walked through the town, they saw it had completely come back to life.
All the corrupted plants which infested it had vanished completelyand the once-petrified villagers now walked around as if they were waking from a bad dream.
Yugo greeted every person he passed with such energy that they answered cheers and shouts of gratitude.
Each step filled him with pride.
He’d just saved the entire town not once, but twice.
Now, he could proudly say he was a real hero.
Once they reached the central square, Yugo’s eyes filled with tears of joy at what he saw.
There, standing beside the tavern, was Alibert.
Alive, healthy and with a warm smile on his face.
Without wasting even a second, Yugo ran towards him and jumped into his arms.
“Dad!” he screamed with joy.
“You’re alive!”
Alibert wrapped him in a warm embrace, his own tears sliding down his cheeks as he shared this moment with his son.
“My boy…” he whispered, his voice breaking with emotion.
“You have no idea how proud I am.
And grateful…
for still being here.
For saving me.
I swear by the gods this will never happen again.
I’ll always be with you.
Always.
No matter what.”
As they embraced, they felt the entire world fade around them.
Right now, they were the happiest people on earth.
As the townsfolk gathered around the square and saw this tender moment, they began to clap with genuine joy and a few even discreetly wiped away a tear.
The scene was so pure, so loving, that it was impossible not to feel anything.
From a distance, Amalia watched in silence.
She couldn’t help thinking about her own home, her own family.
About the times when everyone had been happier.
Yugo doesn’t even understand how lucky he is…
she thought.
He has father who truly loves him and is always there for him.
That’s worth more than any crown or title.
As the embrace ended, a memory of a promise came back to Yugo’s mind.
One they’d both made before he left.
One where he would finally know a truth he had been waiting a long time.
He hesitated for a few seconds.
He knew it was a difficult subject for his father.
Alibert had always avoided talking about it, dodging his questions or quickly changing the subject.
But now everything had changed.
Right before he got petrified, he was about to tell him the full story.
He had to know the rest no matter what.
Yugo took a deep breath, gathered all the courage he could, and finally asked a question that would change his life forever.
“Dad…
now that you’re okay…
I need you to tell me the truth.
Tell me… about my real family.”
While Yugo, Percedal, and Amalia were racing toward the village, Evangelyne and Ruel walked down the road at their own pace.
Under normal circumstances, Eva would have been at Amalia’s side to make sure nothing was wrong.
But this time, she trusted the walk was short enough to be safe…
and there was something else that troubled her more.
Ruel.
Ever since he’d discovered the truth about her friend, something had completely changed in old Enutrof’s eyes.
That look full of greed as he spoke to Amalia especially concerned her, along with his demands for a reward.
Her experience had taught her that money could bring out the worst in people, and especially about those who had an almost pathological desire for it.
The uncomfortable silence between them stretched on and on until Ruel broke it with another uncomfortable question.
“So, if Amalia is the Sadida princess…
who exactly are you, miss?”
“Just her bodyguard.
Nothing more, nothing less,” Eva replied in a flat, concise tone.
After hearing her answer, Ruel knew something else was up.
A long life gave him plenty of experience at reading people, and he could tell this Cra had to be far more important than she tried to appear.
“Just a bodyguard?” he prodded with a half smile.
“You two are awfully close for that.
So close, in fact, that you were even willing to run away with her, leaving your kingdom behind…
or am I wrong?”
Eva opened her eyes in shock and, before she could think, she fired back.
“How do you know that?”
And the instant she said it, she knew.
She’d walked straight into a trap.
The old man allowed himself a small but triumphant chuckle.
“I figured as much.
A runaway princess and her loyal bodyguard.
Sounds like the start of a good story, doesn’t it?
Now tell me, Eva.
And I want an honest answer: why did you run?
There aren’t many things that would push a princess to abandon her kingdom and set off on adventures in far-off lands.”
Eva sighed, frustrated.
This old man was going to keep digging until he squeezed out every Kama he could.
If he kept this up, they’d have no choice but to run away again.
She took a deep breath and, after taking a moment to compose herself, responded with her signature dry sarcasm.
“It’s a long and complicated story that we’ll tell you some other time.
So far, you haven’t given us any good reason to trust you.
And believe me, I can read people just as well.
And what I see is greedy old man who wants to take advantage of us.”
“You’re not entirely wrong,” he replied with a short laugh.
Suddenly, his cheerful tone shifted to something far more serious.
“I’m a greedy old man, yes.
But there’s something that worries me far more than gold.
And when they come, I want to be ready.
Are we clear?”
Eva nodded, her voice also becoming serious.
“If that’s what concerns you, you have nothing to fear.
Our mission here is already done and we’re leaving tomorrow morning.
You and your town will be safe.”
“Fair enough,” Ruel murmured, though a hint of disappointment crept into his voice.
“It’s a shame you’re leaving so soon.
Yugo admires you both very much.
You know that, right?
If he finds out you’re going…
he’ll do everything he can to convince you to take him along.
For him…
it would be a dream come true.”
Ruel’s words caught Evangelyne off guard.
He’s trying to trick me again, she thought, relying on an instinct that rarely failed her.
But this time, she detected no lies or tricks in his tone.
She’d seen on rare occasions that he genuinely cared about young Yugo.
And that, despite everything, she found that admirable.
“I’m sure he’d love to come with us,” she replied at last.
“But I doubt his father would allow it.
He lives in a happy home, surrounded by people who love him.
That, in the end, is a gift from the gods that’s not worth giving up.”
Her voice grew softer and became tinged with a melancholy she rarely showed.
“That kind of luck…
isn’t something we’ve all been blessed to have.”
“Wise words, young lady.
Wise words,” Ruel said with a wistful smile.
“I only want the best for the son of my best friend.
But I know Yugo…
and I know his adventurous spirit won’t be easily contained.
I just hope he sees things that way before he does something he’ll regret.”
Eva started to relax as the tension she’d felt around him gradually dissolved.
Event though he looked like an old trickster, she could see that, deep down, he was a good man.
And that was something she respected.
They’d nearly reached the entrance to Emelka when Eva’s eyes suddenly shined with a golden light.
She stopped dead in her tracks as a terrifying vision entered her mind.
A monster was approaching.
Her senses sharpened.
She turned her head back…
and she saw it.
A pillar of smoke rose in the distance, black as soot and growing taller by the second.
She quickly realized it was moving, approaching them like an unstoppable tide.
The visions had come true faster than she expected.
A calamity was about to arrive.
Ruel noticed the change in her.
He approached, concerned by the trembling that now shook the young woman’s shoulders.
“You all right, young lady?
What’s going on?”
“Something’s coming,” Eva replied, her voice tight with fear.
“Something terrible.
We have to warn the others before it’s too late!”
“Easy, Eva.
Breathe,” Ruel told her, placing his hands on the young Cra’s shoulders.
“Tell me clearly.
What are we dealing with?”
She raised her arm and pointed toward the horizon.
“It’s there.”
Ruel squinted and followed the direction of her finger.
At first he saw only the smoke, but soon he made out a dark shape in the sky.
A chill ran through his bones.
It was still far off…
but it was closing in.
Fast.
“Don’t just stand there!” Eva shouted, her pulse racing as she grabbed Ruel’s arm.
“We need to go, now!”
“Wait, please!” he replied.
“I need to know what we’re dealing with so I can make the right call.”
“Do what you want, but I have someone to protect,” she answered, the urgency in her eyes impossible to miss.
“Don’t do anything stupid.
All right?”
Without waiting for an answer, the young Cra turned around and raced toward the village.
As she ran, she couldn’t stop thinking about one specific thing she saw in her visions.
Two blue eyes staring from the darkness.
Eyes belonging to a terrible enemy.
Ruel, on the other hand, decided to stay.
Someone has to find out what’s coming, he thought.
He hurried up a nearby hill, looking for a wider view of what was coming.
Suddenly, within the grey clouds, a mechanical sound echoed across the fields.
A sound like a great clock.
Tick…
Tock…
Tick…
Tock…
And then, after a few minutes of waiting, he saw it.
A colossal flying fortress broke through the clouds, covering the land with its shadow.
Its hull was made of iron plates, spinning gears, and pipes belching thick smoke.
At its top loomed a clock tower which surveyed the entire landscape below and emitted that sound over and over.
Ruel’s eyes went wide open and the color drained from his face.
He’d fought Shushus and beasts from distant continents…
but he’d never seen anything like this.
Eva was right, he thought.
This is no ordinary threat.
If we don’t stop this, Emelka will be doomed.