The sound of clashing blades sparked the silence as two young men engaged in a duel. En tightened his grip on his short sword, swaying it left and right in an attempt to break Marius' defense. Marius smiled, evading every try of his opponent's attacks.
En stopped his attack midway as his opponent quickly walked to the left side. Another steel sound filled the atmosphere as En protected himself from Marius' counterattack.
Marius smiled again, his hand rapidly curling around En's wrist. En peeked on the corner of his eyes, spotting his cousin's hand before setting his gaze back at him.
"I guess this is the end of our duel," said Marius, confidence flowing in his tone.
En raised a brow. He then removed his wrist from Marius' grasp before his cousin could disarm him. Marius succeeded in keeping his balance, but before he could concentrate on the duel again, En grabbed his wrist.
The blade fell on the short dark blue grass as soon as En forced his cousin to drop his weapon. Marius gazed at his short sword on the ground and then at En.
"It's not good to sing victory so early," said En with a proud smile.
"You're right." Marius grabbed his blade. "I should've disarmed you and then shove my victory on your face. I was so close, it's a bit frustrating."
A quick chuckle escaped En's lips before he noticed Miria and Kraden approach their area.
"What happened there, Marius?" wondered Miria as soon as she reached them. "Your victory looked certain for a second there."
Marius scratched his head. "I was distracted and En got me."
"Is that so?" Miria tilted her head.
Marius looked sideways and replied with a nod. En guessed his cousin was embarrassed to have lost like this. It wasn't the first time Marius lost a duel because of wanting to show off before taking down his opponent.
"That was a close duel; I wasn't sure who would win," said Kraden. "You two have definitely improved. I was surprised on how you're still so skillful, Marius, despite not training anymore."
"Who said I don't train anymore?" Marius frowned.
Kraden let out a quick chuckle. "No one. Since you've been focusing on your career, I assumed you had stopped training."
"I still train a few times a week," said Marius. "I have to be in shape or En and Miria will surpass me."
A smile spread across Kraden's face. "I'm glad to hear you still have an interest in martial arts."
Marius smiled at him. Gazing at his cousin, En wondered when his cousin started losing interest in being someone like Kraden and focused on being a journalist.
"You did very well, Your Highness." Kraden folded his arms. "If you concentrate on the battle next week, it'll be an easy win."
"It'll be an easy win even if I don't use my sword," said En. "My Blue Flames are enough."
Kraden frowned. "That will kill him."
"That's the plan." En played with his blade. "He has to pay for what he has done. I don't know why we're wasting time training if I can bring him down just by using my ability."
En still wondered what that man was planning to set the day of the challenge on the following week. Two days had passed since he heard his aunt's and uncle's report. Even though not much time had passed, his patience was over the roof and he couldn't wait to finally release his anger. The pointless training Kraden had decided to give him wasn't helping much to distract him.
"Marius, Miria," called Kraden, "can you give us privacy for a moment? I would like to talk to my nephew."
Miria nodded. "Sure. I'll take this opportunity to prepare lunch. Big brother, will you help?"
"Yeah," said Marius. "Like this, I'll upgrade my cooking skills; living alone isn't easy."
The duo walked away with Miria teasing her brother by telling him to find a partner to live with him or return home if he wanted to have delicious homemade food. Marius laughed at his sister's suggestions as he opened the door and disappeared together with her into the house.
Kraden patted En's shoulder and showed him a place to have a seat. Not far from them, En saw the only bench in the garden. He quickly made himself comfortable and observed his surroundings in silence. The residence's garden wasn't so large and only a small number of plants beautified part of it.
"So what is it?" asked En, breaking the brief silence.
"I was hoping the little stroll you had with Regina, a few days ago, would bring you back to your senses," replied Kraden, his tone concerned. "I see that your feelings are still controlling you."
En relaxed his back against the wooden bench, realizing that he was about to be reminded about the reason behind his challenge again. But no matter what Kraden or Regina would say, the intent to avenge his parents was still strong.
Ever since he could remember, that man only tortured him mentally whenever he had the opportunity. There was no way he would fight against Belinsk until he won or his opponent forfeited. That man had to pay for his sins and death was the rightful punishment.
"I understand how you feel." Kraden caressed En's dark head. "I would certainly think of revenge if I were in your shoes, too. But the feelings of vengeance can be our ruin instead of being our strength."
En didn't say anything, allowing the silence to fall for a brief moment.
"If it wasn't for his carelessness that day," continued Kraden, "your father would still be here. He had an advantage during that battle and he would have certainly won. But he let his feelings blind him and lost his life."
If En didn't know the truth about what happened in that battle, he would definitely be surprised that his father lowered his guard and allowed emotions to get the better of him. After all, his father always taught him not to let weak feelings control him and his father always looked as if he had mastered that.
But he understood that moment of weakness. No one would remain calm after finding out their beloved wife was murdered and the murderer was standing right in front of them.
"We still have five days, so I'm hoping by then, your feelings might have calmed down a little," said Kraden. "It would be devastating to lose you, too in such a short time. Maybe we can do something else instead of training. I think it's not helping much in calming you."
En agreed with him in silence, still not believing that his aunt and uncle thought he would need to train to defeat Belinsk.
"Maybe we can do something as a family," said Kraden thoughtfully.
En gazed at him. "That wouldn't be bad."
"Yeah," teased Kraden. "Who knows, these activities with the family might bring back your senses."
En looked away as he let out quiet laughter. He understood Kraden's intentions, but still, En didn't know if he would be able to fight to reclaim his throne only.
The sound of relaxing music pushed away En from his thoughts. When he looked by his side, he saw Kraden grab his phone.
"I have to answer this." Kraden stood up and then looked at En. "We didn't talk much, but I hope your feelings change and you only focus on the throne."
A small smile formed across En's face. "We'll see."
The relaxing sound kept filling the silence as Kraden gazed at En for a few seconds. He then exhaled and answered the phone as he walked away from the area.
En watched his uncle walk away until he disappeared behind the residence's door. En sighed, gazing at the sky as his shoulders relaxed. No single cloud could be seen in the deep blue sky. If he was in mainland Eteria, En was sure he would spot Celestia floating somewhere in the atmosphere.
Thinking of that country, a sense of missing it. No. A sense of missing someone flowed in his veins. Despite the last events that happened between them having been terrible, En wished he could see her one last time before he faced his fate on the challenge.
As he thought about Arisa, he remembered Mei. He remembered her wise words that encouraged him to tell Arisa his feelings or he would regret it forever.
After everything that happened, En knew Arisa would reject him and he would understand her choice. After all, he hadn't been a friendly person lately. Still, he wanted to tell Arisa his feelings and apologize before facing Belinsk.
He rubbed his forehead. If he only knew where she was, he would certainly fly to the location. By now, she could be in another world looking for an Element if she hadn't found it yet.
A playful growl pushed away his thoughts. When he gazed by his left side, not far from his spot, he saw Leon focusing on some colorful plants as if he was looking for a prey. As he wondered where the family's pet was hidden all this time, realization sparked in his mind.
Virgo.
En remembered the message Luana delivered the day they crossed paths at the amusement park in the Yue Kingdom. The elf had asked Luana to tell him not to be shy to call her if he needed any help, that she was always watching. He could still feel the chills on his neck as he remembered those last words.
He examined his surroundings, wondering where Virgo could be hidden. Although he didn't feel comfortable asking for her help, she was the only option that could know Arisa's whereabouts. After all, she had told him she would continue to hunt Arisa and her companions.
Seeing nothing abnormal in the garden, En exhaled. He would have to pass through the awkwardness of talking alone as he called her. He hoped no member of his family would show up until Virgo finally appeared. He couldn't imagine what they would think if they caught him talking alone.
"You said you're always watching," he said, his voice emotionless, "and not to be afraid to call you when I need your help. Well, I never thought I would reach this point again, but here I am. I need your help."
En gazed around, looking for a creepy plant creature to pop up. He wondered what kind of puppet she would use this time. As several seconds passed and there was no sign of the elf, En shook his head. Virgo either lied to him or wanted to make him look like an idiot before she showed up.
"Guess this means I've been tricked." En rubbed his lap as he slowly stood up.
A sweet giggle filled the air. "You're no fun. I was hoping for you to desperately call me."
"Why would I?" En had back his seat. "I know when to give up when someone isn't interested."
En examined his surroundings again. But found nothing strange wandering in the area.
"Such a straightforward child. No wonder I have trouble to mess with you," said Virgo in the background.
A few seconds later, En felt something land on his shoulder. When he gazed at it, he spotted a small bird-like creature with small green leaves replacing feathers and colorful flowers beautifying the creature. As he had a closer look at it, En saw that the creature didn't have a beak. instead, it had a feline-like mouth and large green eyes.
"Your puppets keep being creepier every day," he said, his gaze still stuck on the creature.
Virgo shook her wings. "How unmannered. This is the puppet I'm most proud of; it's the most beautiful thing I have created so far."
"Really?" En looked away. "It's true when they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
Remembering the many times he saw Virgo's puppets, only a small number of moments he found some of them cute. Most of them had a creepy appearance that would scare anyone that crossed paths with them.
"I see you have decided to fight for what's yours," said Virgo, landing on En's lap, "papa Reiji and mama Yueli would be so proud. I can't wait to see what happens in that battle."
En gazed at her, realizing how excited she sounded. He guessed she knew about his revenge and couldn't wait to see how everything turned out.
"Yeah," said En, shifting a bit from his seat. "But before that, I would like to know how the mission is going."
Virgo twitched her head. "Oh. Why the sudden interest? I thought you were no longer interested in it."
"I'm just wondering," said En. "That's all."
As Virgo gazed at him suspiciously, En didn't display any emotions. He didn't want her to read right through him or entertain her with his reaction.
"We're waiting for them to find the gem, so the mission is on hold for now," she finally said. "Although I would have enjoyed taking down the enemy and bringing the princess' head to you as a birthday present."
En didn't show any reaction as he heard that. He kept his gaze trapped on the plant bird-like creature.
"Why would you allow the enemy to find what concerns us?" he asked, his voice emotionless. "Isn't it easier to kill the threat?"
He curled his fingers as he asked that last question. Even though, deep inside he hoped Arisa would succeed in her quest alive, he didn't want to show Virgo how Arisa still mattered to him.
"It would be easier, indeed," said Virgo. "But on our last meeting, we came up with this new strategy. Let the enemy find and unseal the Element and steal it from them. This way, we won't have to worry about losing our powers in the future. With the Elements in our hands, it'll be impossible for our princess and a future Aries Guardian to destroy us."
En raised a brow, finding that strategy reasonable.
"Besides," added Virgo, "the princess might come back to us to retrieve the stolen Elements. When that happens, we can finish her off once and for all. Isn't it a marvelous plan?"
En didn't say anything, hoping that Arisa's team would succeed in their mission and not fall into his colleagues' trap.
"But, how will we know where they are and if they found the Element?" he asked.
Virgo giggled. "Silly Leo, how do you think I'm able to watch everything?"
"I don't know?" En shrugged. "You're a creepy being who stalks beings that catch your interest. I always thought you placed a puppet to follow your target."
Virgo gasped and placed her leaf-infested wing on her chest as if she was hurt.
"To think we were being good friends," said Virgo. "Your words wound me, Your Highness."
En looked away from the fake act Virgo was performing.
"But you're right," she said, her tone sweet. "I use one of my babies to follow my target and then take over them to make contact.
"But this time I didn't want to risk that since there's an Earth Guardian in the princess' team, so he can detect my presence even with the smallest creature I send to follow them. Although he still needs some time to develop that ability, I thought it was better not to risk."
En's brows rose, surprised by that revelation.
"So I came up with plan B and planted a seed under the skin of the fish girl," continued Virgo, her tone excited. "With that seed, I can track them with no problem."
En raised a brow. "That's a really disturbing ability. Does it even work?"
"Of course." Virgo giggled. "The plants available in their surroundings will be attracted to the seed in her and will allow me to take a peek at the scene she's currently in."
En couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with Virgo's ability.
"Are you sure that works?" wondered En.
Virgo shook her head. "Silly Leo, how can you doubt my powers?"
"Sometimes our abilities can be tricky," he said.
Virgo narrowed her eyes. En hoped she would bite the bait and tell him where Arisa was as he didn't want to ask her directly. For sure, she would torture him before granting his wish.
"Then you can confirm it yourself," said Virgo. "I'll tell you where she is and you'll go there yourself. This is what you wanted, isn't it?"
Silence fell for a moment as En gazed at her. He wondered if he had let something in him slip; he couldn't believe she saw right through him.
"If you wanted to know her location, you should have just asked me," said Virgo, her voice sweet. "Your Royal Challenge will be soon and I'm guessing you want to say goodbye to your beloved. I wouldn't deny such a touching request."
En remained silent.
"Alright, I'll grant your wish," said Virgo, flipping her wings. "I'll tell you where our princess is."
En's gaze focused on the plant bird-like creature flying left and right. He waited for Virgo's revelation, wondering what world Arisa was currently exploring.