"Orion!" a loud cry sounded behind Orion. He turned his head around immediately to understand what was happening; however, his eyes widened at the scene before him.
Seth had activated his gift, creating a wave of molten lava from his hands and shooting it towards him. Orion didn't have the time to react as he saw the boiling molten lava arrive before him. But fortunately, before it could hit him, a wave of water appeared out of thin air, shooting upwards like a wall in front of Orion.
"BAANGG!"
"HISS!"
The molten magma collapsed once it came in contact with the water, causing a wave of thick white mist to spread outwards into the air in all four directions.
Instantly, the wall of water was destroyed, and Fifi arrived in front of Orion in the blink of an eye. She stared at Seth seriously, with a cold, expressionless glint in her eyes.
"What is the meaning of this, Warrior Seth?" Fifi asked, her words laced with an icy tone.
Seth, seeing that his attack had been blocked, gritted his teeth in anger before quickly regaining his composure upon hearing Fifi's voice. The rage and humiliation in his eyes quickly disappeared as he stared at the furious Fifi before shifting his attention to the rest of the eight warriors, who were all shaking their heads in dissatisfaction at his actions.
Seth immediately withdrew his attention, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. He refocused on Fifi's cold gaze, sighing deeply. "It seems that I might have let my emotions get the best of me," he said, shaking his head.
Shifting his attention towards Orion, who was behind Fifi, Seth apologised, "I'm sorry."
"I'm glad that Warrior Seth recognises his mistake. However, I still have no choice but to report this incident to the Village Chief once we return to the Village, just in case it happens again," Orion said, shifting his attention away from Seth towards Fifi.
The warriors nodded their heads seriously in understanding. Orion sighed in relief, seeing that none of them offered any resistance to orders. Walking back to their Orion's sky and climbing back up with Fifi and the other female warrior, Orion took note of Seth's abnormally calm figure.
He made a mental note to report this not only to the Village Chief but also to the rest of the key figures, just in case. Since Seth had already attacked him once, there was a chance that he might do so again, and Orion needed to ensure that Seth didn't get such a chance again.
As the Orion's skies continued to float forward, Orion couldn't hold back any longer and decided to ask a question that had been bothering him for a while.
"How long will it take before we arrive at the mountain?" Orion asked, turning his head to look at Fifi, who was standing beside him.
"We should arrive at the mountain by tomorrow morning. Don't worry about looking for it because you won't be able to see the mountains until we arrive in front of it," Fifi responded, as though she could already guess Orion's thoughts.
Orion nodded in understanding, now realising why he had never encountered any sight of the large surrounding mountains despite coming this far into the dead forest.
Regardless, he kept silent and continued to fix his gaze forward, pondering what had occurred in the Prismerian kingdom during his absence and hoping his partners were all okay.
…....….
Within the mountains
Primserian Kingdom
Beneath the imposing Prismerian Castle, where every criminal in the Primerian Kingdom faced either a sentence for a designated period or a lifetime imprisonment, the door of one particular cell slowly creaked open.
A figure in a violet, long dress with a daring slit above her waist, revealing elegant black lace panties, stepped inside, swiftly closing the reinforced crystal door behind her.
Her eyes swept across the dimly lit cell and landed on a woman with long, flowing red bangs.
The woman's arms were raised and chained to the thick stone wall behind her. She bore numerous scars from what appeared to be a one-sided brawl and was cloth in a knee-length, plain grey gown. Chains encumbered her legs, leaving her no choice but to kneel on the ragged, stony surface of the cell.
"Don't tell me you've already given up and died."
The woman slowly raised her head, allowing her long red bangs to part, revealing a wounded face that would have stunned any figure within the Prismerian Kingdom. After all, the battered and injured woman, who had been cruelly chained to the wall, now looked nothing less than a commoner who had endured brutal punishment. And she was none other than -
Former Queen Selene!
The trial that was supposed to be a glorious day, one where they would possess the unknown power to defeat the White Flame, had failed.
It marked the worst mistake of her life, not because they had been unable to obtain the mysterious power but because they had lost the only person capable of leading them out of this wretched mountain—Orion had died.
Although this news had shaken her to the core, almost crushing her heart, Orion was not just the catalyst for their escape from the mountain; he was also the key figure who would aid them in defeating the Gemheart Clan and contribute to stabilising the Prismerian Kingdom.
Despite her persistent efforts to prevent the war and even planning to use the Gemheart Clan's younger brother as a truce to halt hostilities, the following day shattered her expectations. She witnessed the Gemheart Clan launching an assault on the castle, mercilessly killing those who resisted and imprisoning all who surrendered.
It seemed as though they had all resigned to their fate, prepared to die but not without putting up a fight. Perhaps they believed the Queen had already regained her powers or that the foreigner was alive, and hiding somewhere within the Prismerian Kingdom.
Despite facing various forms of resistance, none of them appeared. The enemies, not underestimating their own intelligence, quickly grasped the reality that no one was going to thwart their advance.
