---------------------------------

Once on the other side, he took the crystal on top of the table and stored it, closing the portal in the process.

The Drinking Bear looked the same, but there were no open windows. It seemed completely closed off. The corridor outside the room was empty and full of dust. No one had used or cleaned it for a long time.

Riou walked downstairs as he didn’t see anyone on the top floor. Everything was quiet.

“Syldis?!” shouted Riou, looking around. He pointed to the hall telling Attia and Bellica to go towards it, while he investigated the kitchen.

The stove fire was lit, a meal was burning above the fire inside a pot. The portion of food there was very small. He glanced at the storage room in the kitchen’s back and noticed it was running on very low on supplies.

“Master!” Bellica called from the hall.

Riou rushed to them, just to find the big woman on the floor, unconscious.

She was still breathing, but pale and with an unhealthy look. She had lost a lot of weight and was burning with fever.

He kneeled beside her, turned her face upwards and quickly noticed the strange black nodules on both sides of her neck.

“Cure” he said as her body glowed, the nodules quickly disappeared. “Heal,” he continued, the spell reduced her tension and pain expression, but she remained unconscious. She was debilitated and despite his spells, she didn’t seem completely out of danger.

“What is going on? This should have been enough to treat her…” he said, looking at her with more care. ‘Is she in such bad shape? Or…’

Riou extended his hand above her and slowly moved it from her head to the rest of her body.. As he passed over her stomach, he sensed a dark energy still clinging to her vitals. “Death magic… it’s not only a disease, it’s a curse.”

Riou concentrated. “Cleanse curse,” he casted on the big woman.

But still, he could feel the dark energy still there, sucking the life from her.

Riou moved his head around, stretching his neck and then his arms.

“Bring me some food and water” Attia rushed to the kitchen.

He once again put his hand above the woman’s stomach and poured magic in “Erase Death Magic.”

Bellica’s eyes widened. “I never saw you casting that one before master, what is this spell?”

Riou smiled as he began to verify Syldis once again. “That’s one of my new creations… it requires a bit more mana than a common spell, but as its name says, it can unroot and erase

death magic from the target.”

Syldis was finally free from the curse.

She began to wake up slowly as she recovered her strength.

“Syldis, what happened?” asked the young man, helping the big woman sit on the nearby chair.

The woman looked at Riou and squinted her eyes. “This voice and these eyes… it can’t be, is it really you my dear? You are all grown up, how long have I been sleeping?” the woman asked, looking closely to his face not quite believing how old he was.

He smiled and nodded “I’m back”

Syldis looked at him and smiled, a bit better but still struggling due her weak state. “By the elements, look at you. You became a handsome man in a blink of an eye” she said with a weak voice.

Attia came back and put the water and food on the table. “Purify,” said the blond warrior, to cleanse any disease or poison from it. That was a common practice in the village to avoid any surprises.

Syldis looked at the two with Riou. “And as always, you’re in good company… Are they really Lionesses?” she said looking at them with care. “When did the clans begin to teach magic to their warriors?” she asked the two lionesses beside the boy.

Riou shook his head. “That’s a long story. Drink and eat…” He helped her to a table and then sat down in front of her.

Syldis didn’t look much older than what he remembered. “How long has it been since you last saw me?” he asked, very curious by her reaction on seeing him.

The big woman emptied a mug full of water in a single gulp. “Let me see, a couple years at most… it was when the princess and Therese went after you.”

Riou smiled in surprise “Just a couple years?” He sighed in great relief and nodded to himself a few times. “So time really moves differently in that damn world, it has not been that long after all” a heavy weight was removed from his shoulders, he then looked at Syldis once again. “Please, tell me what happened while I was away”

“As you know, Longart has been locked down for who knows how long now… There is a massive shortage of food and water since last week, when Rodrick gave an ultimatum. Until the rebels turn themselves in, he would not allow any supply into the city.”

“Locked down? Rebels? And why is Rodrick calling the shots?” questioned Riou frowning, finding it way too strange.

“The plague, have you not heard of it? Allard has been plagued by disease and completely locked down for over a year now. The streets reek of death, nowhere is safe anymore. If the plague was not enough, now we are facing starvation because of that lord.”

“What happened to the king? How could he allow this?”

Syldis shook her head. “The king was also stricken by disease, followed by the queen shortly after. Priestesses from the temple of Brine came to try to save them. The last news we received was that they were not improving. So they were taken to the temple of Brine, but we don’t know if they are still alive since it's been a long time since we heard any news on them”

“Still, why is Rodrick in charge? Where is Bhalrom and the court mages?”

“Everyone blamed the first army and the court mages for bringing the disease from the battle with the orcs in Brigantium. It all started when they came back from that fight. The yellow banner imprisoned the knight captain and 2 court mages, they are still locked down, waiting for the king for a trial”

Syldis sighed before continuing, “Without the regents, the yellow banner assumed the city unopposed… even the prince went missing.” Syldis looked at Riou with sad eyes, knowing what he really wanted to know.

“I know you were fond of the princess… but this month they announced her marriage to Lord Rodrick. It is to happen on the next full moon.”

“What?!” Riou was even more confused. “And when will that be?” questioned Riou calming down.

“I think it will be at the beginning of the next month,” she replied.

Riou nodded and continued, “What has the North said about Allard’s situation?”

“Not much, King Thorwald is still fighting against Argos. After the attack last year, they declared war. He became even more infuriated when his granddaughters disappeared.”

“The Summer Festival Attack?”

“Yes, about a year or so ago, when some mages attacked the castle… the north blamed Argos for the attack and went after them.”

“I see… So Eileen and Elise were missing after it?”

Syldis nodded. “It wasn’t long ago that I heard the news that Princess Eileen was rescued and brought back to the Allardian castle, but no word on Elise surfaced yet.”

Riou nodded and pondered for a few moments “And how are the other cities faring?”

“Longart was closed before the plague could spread. That’s what brought the yellow banner so much prestige. They contained the plague and minimized the damage immediately. That’s how Rodrick gained most of his support from the nobles,” said the woman eating and drinking to regain her health.

“Of course, not all are happy with it. The rebels are resisting and are putting up a fight. Nobody knows who they are or where they hide, but they blame Rodrick for the plague, not Bhalrom or the court mages. They disrupted Rodrick’s attempts to cleanse the city with fire and regularly raided the guards supplies to help the population… I also heard they were trying to free the knight captain and the princess.”

Riou just nodded, getting a good picture of the situation.

“What happened to Max and Therese? Have you heard from them?” questioned the boy once again.

Syldis shook her head. “No, but knowing him, I’m sure Max is not far. I don’t know about Therese.”

The young man stood up. “We will leave the city by night. Do you want to come with me?”

Syldis shook her head. “This tavern is my life, I won’t leave it no matter what…” She looked down troubled, “Besides, the city is completely closed, there is no way out...” she raised her eyes at Riou with suspicion “How did you get in? There should be a lockdown, all gates were barricaded”

Riou just smiled. “Take care of yourself Syldis… I will stop by again very soon to see how you are doing ok?”

The big woman laughed “I can’t stop you anymore, can I? After all, you are a grown man now. I will be waiting for your return then.”

-------------------------------------

The streets were deserted, outside of the Drinking Bear Riou could see carriages overturned on the streets, blocking passages. Piles of wood and corpses were burned in plain view all around. Most of the houses had their doors barricaded from the outside.

With the city in disarray rats and insects roamed the streets freely, feeding on corpses that were waiting to be burned.

A dark smoke covered the sky from the constant fire from all over the city.

It was nothing like he remembered.

“Master?” said Attia, “This city is very strange… the houses and doors look new. And why are all the undead burning already?”

Riou shook his head “They are just dead… the people here became sick and died, so to prevent the disease from spreading they burned the bodies of the victims. There are no undeads here”

Attia nodded. Both of the girls looked around with curious eyes. They’ve never seen a city like that before. They were used only to broken stones and the undead. The new architecture and land was all too new to them.

Riou walked towards the cliff side that led to the castle by the end of the city. There, on the few houses that seemed to have people inside, some thugs were trying to break into it.

They all had big black nodules on their necks and looked very sick.

He didn’t bother them and just continued walking with his mask and hood on to protect him from any disease and especially the rotten smell that had taken over the city streets. The girls approached Riou after looking with curiosity at the thugs.

Both Attia and Bellica watched the strange people in awe. “Master!” said Bellica looking at the ugly man in surprise.

“They are not undead, if that’s what you are wondering” replied Riou while he kept walking, looking at the city.

“Oy, look at that! We have ourselves a few customers!” shouted one of the thugs, after noticing the group. They quickly stopped and began to move towards the young man and the women.

“Such fine ladies escorting a young noble… You wouldn’t mind if we play with them do you?” said the thug with rotten teeth, scratching the black marks on his neck.

Riou didn’t bother and kept going. He just wanted to take a look at the city before reaching the castle.

The girls looked at them confused, but since Riou was just ignoring them they mimicked him and followed him.

“Oy you cunts! I’m talking to you! I will gut you like a pig! Especially this fellow there. I bet he will scream nicely” threatened the thug pulling out a dagger and moving towards Riou.

However, before he gave another step or said anything else, he saw the world turning and spinning, suddenly hitting the ground not understanding what was happening.

The rest of his body fell down beside his view.

“How dare you unsheathe a weapon in my master’s presence” said Attia, looking at them in anger.

Riou looked at her. “Pay no mind to them. Let’s get going, I think I’ve seen enough.”

“Are you sure they are not undead, master?” questioned Bellica. “They smell and look like them… they just have a bit more meat on their bones”

“I didn’t want to say it, but I was thinking the same. To me they all looked like undead… should I kill them all master?” added Attia. The remaining thugs looking at the body of their friend, froze in place after when they heard her.

“Come on… leave those poor bastards alone. We are going up,” he replied once again.

The remaining thugs just silently watched the interaction, unable to move as their friend's head was still blinking and looking up at them from the ground.

---------------------------------------

“From now on, let no one see you. We are going up,” he said to Attia and Bellica as they reached the rocky cliff.

The whole group was already using the hood and the mask. And by pouring mana into them, they activated the stealth spell, making them even harder to spot.

Riou looked up, jumping and climbing so quickly that he seemed to fly towards the top of the wall in instants.

Attia and Bellica quickly jumped a few times using the massive wall as base. They also quickly reached the top a few moments after Riou.

The night was approaching, but it was still bright enough for someone to be roaming around the castle grounds. A regular person would have a hard time avoiding being detected in its corridors.

But for Riou’s party however, it was a trivial matter when their naturally high stealth skill was amplified by the enchanted items.

They moved like shadows inside the castle halls, making no sound and undetected. Despite all the guards on duty, they arrived in the Royal wing without giving any indication of their presence.

There were no guards by the princess’ room which was strange. Knowing Eileen she’d escape easily without being restrained.

Suspicious of the possibility of it being a trap, he leaned his head toward the closed door, he sent a mana wave inside and easily sensed just a single presence from within the room.

He checked the door. Unlocked. He became even more cautious.

He slowly opened the door to go inside, the two lionesses wanted to follow him inside but he put up his palm, indicating for them to wait.

A young woman with a dark golden hair was sitting on the bed, dressed in a gorgeous yellow dress, facing the window. She was very still.

Riou squinted his eyes and approached her slowly.

Despite the door moving and his open movements in the middle of the room, her attention remained at the window. The woman did not move or react toward him in any way.

Riou recognized the hair color, but her strange behavior puzzled him, so he spoke to her to try and get her attention, “Princess?”

No response.

He stood in front of the young woman and crouched to match her height.

He looked at her golden hair and green eyes that stared at the window. A rare beauty.

“Elise!” tried to get her attention, but there was no reaction.

Her eyes were cold, without any light. She seemed completely out of herself.

He touched her forehead with his hand. “What did they do to you…”

“Release.” he said, casting a spell on the norse princess.

Elise’s eyes returned to normal as she turned and looked deeply into the young man’s eyes beside her, as if awaking from a long and bad dream.

As her consciousness returned, she raised her hand to touch him, not sure if she was still sleeping or not.

But the damage on her mind was too great, the long exposure to that spell took its toll on her body and she fainted.

“Attia, Bellica, come in. We are leaving.”

He pulled out the portal crystal that he took from the drinking bear room and activated it once again, on the other side he could see the small lake and some houses that were already built.

With the crystal in his hand, he waited for the two lionesses to go first, before he stepped through it with Elise in his arms.

“Arthas!” shouted Riou merely a second before Arthas came to him.

“Take her to the healers, she will need to rest for a while.”

Arthas promptly nodded and carried the young lady to one of the houses that were already set.

Riou looked around and noticed that many of the houses were already built. The villagers worked very fast since all of them could use magic.

They were able to quickly replicate their old village at its peak with all the comforts that they were already used to.

Even a massive wall was being erected using the stones from the mountain range far away. With their magic, they cut the stones with ease and quickly brought them to construct a thick and high wall around the new village. They were replicating it just like on the other world, for the same danger level as the spirit world.

Riou didn’t bother with it. It was better to be prepared than not.

He looked into the distance, towards Allard and then to the other side where Thanes was located. Wondering where Eileen and Max could be at a time like this.

Arthas returned after a short while “Master, everything is set. Your house was the first made. Allow me to show it to you,” said the lion, pointing towards the dirt road they created. There were many houses there already. But behind them all, in a farther away and more secluded area, was a much larger house, 3 times bigger as the other ones.

It had a big hall, a kitchen to the back with a table with a few chairs. To its right side, a big room with its own bathroom and to the other, a space was divided into 3 smaller rooms and another bathroom.

“Arthas… You really were paying attention” said Riou impressed.

“How could I not, Master? You spoke often of how you missed a proper house… I did nothing more than my obligation,” replied the lion with satisfaction .

Attia and Bellica waited outside, guarding the entrance.

That place was an improved version of his old house in the spirit world. The runes were already installed and the sewer system was already in place as well.

The bathroom was very luxurious and similar to the ones of his own world.

A shower and a bathtub, neatly made with proper metal and stones to withstand the heated water. It was a perfect suite and had a closed bathroom for more privacy.

Most of the houses were built in that manner as well. Riou made sure everyone received the same comforts as him.

Even his bed and furniture were already set, a big bed and in the center of the main room. On the other side of his house there were three smaller rooms with single beds near another common bathroom.

“For whom are these 3 rooms on this other side?” questioned Riou, looking at them.

“These? Attia and Bellica complained a lot while in the other village that they didn’t require a house, as they should stay with you. They said it would allow them to guard you better this way. So we provided them with a room for each. And we still had enough space for a spare one. Master always mentioned good houses should have a guest room after all.”

“So this was their doing?” said Riou, turning and trying to look at them at the entrance. “I don’t want anyone without a house, please, build them their own place”

“As you wish, master,” added Arthas.

Attia and Bellica sighed in defeat as they heard the conversation.

“Thank you, Arthas… this was a very nice gift,” He said, smiling and looking at the house once again.

“It was my pleasure. Let me know if you need anything else” replied the lion, turning and beginning to leave.

“Arthas… let no one bother me for a while. Tell the girls outside to go help with the village, I will call if I need anything… for now, I need some privacy.”

The lion bowed. “As you command, master.”

As everyone left, the sun was already setting. The darkness began to take over the village that was still busy settling in.

Mage lights began to automatically appear in the house’s corners to light it up. He waved at them, turning some of them off.

He closed the door and windows and moved to the hall of his house.

“Noctis Aardwing, can you hear me?” spoke amidst the darkness, sitting down in a chair in his main room.

From the shadows the figure of Lord Brahm appeared with a smile. “The spirit world did you good… You are much more powerful than before” said the lord, approaching while looking around the place.

“What an amazing structure… very cleverly built” he said, looking with curiosity.

Riou nodded. “How long have you been aware of the council and the death god of Argos?” he asked calmly, as it was something he had been thinking for a long time.

“Since its very beginning.” said the lord.

“Are you involved with them in any way? They said their leader can use the black fire as well,” questioned Riou.

The dragon was impressed. “I’m not the only black dragon that ever existed. Nor is the black flame necessarily related to one. And as you already know, mine is a bit more special than just a black flame” The dragon walked around and went towards the bathroom.

“You also know I don’t involve myself. I don’t take sides, most of the time at least.”

He looked with curiosity at the toilet. “I’ve seen an image of this once…”

He waved near the rune on the wall above it and water flushed the toilet. “Fascinating! So this is how it works”

“Won’t you take sides even when a death god threatens to take over the world?” continued Riou.

Brahm was now looking at the shower. “Take over the world? Not the whole world… just the human world. And there has always been someone trying that. Before this age’s Death god it was the Blood Emperor, before him was the Lich, and even before him the King of Kings and so on… they all were self-proclaimed conquerors. Some succeeded, some failed… empires came and went, but all in all, it doesn’t really matter to me.”

Riou smiled. He was now remembering how the dragon was. “You heard me from the spirit world didn’t you? When I called you for help”

“I can hear all those that call my name in the shadows”

“Then why didn't you come to help me?”

Brahm turned to him “I didn’t feel like going to that empty place” he replied nonchalantly.

Riou laughed, “You son of a bitch. You could have helped me there and you just chose not to?”

“Why would I? It would be a hassle for me to go there” Brahm waved to the rune and turned the shower on, the water was warm as he touched it with his hand. “What do you call this invention? I need something like this in my place…” said the dragon.

Riou was still processing the fact that the dragon, on a whim, let him lose so much time in that place.

Riou sighed and calmed down, there was no point in arguing about it with him “It’s a shower. I can give you one later… Can you at least tell me what happened after I was cast into that world?”

The dragon returned to the hall where Riou was. “You destroyed most of the arena by using my flames. All your friends survived, but they vanished afterwards, once again hiding from the council’s eyes and ears. All I know is that they are not in the North anymore, as they were seen a couple months ago on the road to Allard.”

Riou nodded, “How did Elise get captured?”

“The girl didn’t leave Thanes. When most of the North army went to the south to fight. What remained couldn’t stop the council from taking her. They made their move a couple of months ago, right after your friends moved towards Allard.”

Riou analyzed the situation so far “They probably haven’t found Eileen yet then… Elrik and Hanna might still be alive in that temple, so the yellow knight is trying to rush a wedding to ensure his control over the kingdom.” Riou paused and pondered for a moment

“The council is using Rodrick to establish themselves in Allard, but why use Elise? Is there no other girl that could pass as Eileen?” added the young man.

The dragon looked outside the door to see the village. “That and to make the North even angrier… They don’t know where Elise was taken to, for all purposes, it’s Eileen in the castle. Everyone from Allard will think she is the real princess without any difficulty. And I doubt they will allow Thorwald and his son to return from the front lines alive. Marrying Elise he can trick Allard and then show her in the north. He’d control both kingdoms with one marriage”

The dragon then added, “The Norse now want to attack Argos, blaming them for all of the council’s actions and attacks in their capital… and that’s your friend’s fault that warned them of their existence and connection.”

Riou was surprised “How is the war?”

“Argos just wait for their attacks, slowly destroying the north and Beastmen army. Also, the north is far away from his supplies, they can’t sustain a long campaign. And the beastmen lack the ability to cooperate with anyone, they soon will turn against each other”

“Things are worse than I thought then”

“If that happens, won’t take long for Argos to win over them both” added the Lord, turning to look outside the window.

“What a strange village you have here… very interesting. The inhabitants are a rare breed as well. They have traits of the clans while retaining some affinity to magic. And I see you seized one of the still working pathways to the spirit world for yourself.”

Riou nodded “They are a tough bunch… Who knows how long they were lost in the spirit world. And over that time the races and traditions became a combination of the two. They are not like the beastmen and nothing like the Allardians as well… We can say that they are their own people now.”

Remembering someone he continued, “I met a dark elf on the other world… Garus from the order of Shilen, nice guy, I even tried to find him again but never found his order location. Do you know anything about it?”

“The dark elves and their orders… You’d never find them by normal means, They use spirit magic for everything, especially for hiding their beloved gateways to their orders” replied the dragon. “For thousands of years they hid deep beneath the ground.”

Riou stood up and walked to look outside with the dragon.

Brahm seemed to be thinking something. “Regarding the war in the south, will you intervene?” asked the lord.

Riou looked outside. The villagers were all happy setting the village and preparing a feast near the fire.

“Yeah… I can’t stand aside now that I know the story behind the Death God... what happened to that world, I can’t let it happen here.”

The dragon smirked “I understand your motivation, but I don’t think it’s that simple… still, you should do whatever you think is right for you”

There was a moment of silence as both became more serious. “I also know you can’t take me back to my original world.” said Riou.

The dragon nodded. “Even if you can survive in the traverse, you are still human, you’d be long dead before the passage opens again” replied the lord.

The young man sighed, already expecting something of the sort. After spending so much time in the spirit world, he realized that if it was that hard to travel between connected worlds… it would be almost impossible to return to his own.

“I shouldn’t invite you to the feast since you left me in that place… but you are already here and I had promised you good food a long time ago, so let me show you around to the village... and let’s get you that shower head. But next time I call, make sure to come, even if I’m in another world.”

“We will see about that… when the time comes” said the smiling dragon.

----------------------------------------------- Elise

Elise woke up with the bright sun bothering her eyes. She slowly looked around, everything in that room was strange and unknown to her, the walls, the furniture. She had no recollection of how she got there.

Suddenly her memory recollected itself.

She remembers having been taken to a dark place, some cellar or underground room. The smell of wet dirt and the sensation of humidity in the air was still fresh in her mind. The dark mages approached her there with a strange greenish crystal, very thin and small.

Through it they cast a spell... everything went blank after that. All she could remember were just glimpses of her sitting down in a castle room, spending her days without volition, as an ornamented doll on a shelf.

When her mind surfaced for brief moments, she couldn’t control her body nor scream for help.

The princess’ woman servants brought her dresses, bathed and fed her diligently. Time passed, but she couldn’t remember exactly how long she stayed like that.

Then an image of a man covered in dark clothes appeared in her mind, she remembers him after waking up from that nightmare.

Wearing a hood and with his face covered he came very close to her. The only thing she could see was his dark blue eyes looking closely at her. She remembered being fascinated by them as it was the first thing she saw as her mind and body were her own again.

She thought he said something, but that was the extent of her memories. Now she found herself back in control of herself in a strange place that despite its simplicity, it was extremely well made and comfortable.

The bed was sturdy and the blankets heavy. The materials on the walls of the room were different than any that she knew. She saw the yellow dress hanging on the table nearby.

She dressed herself and went to peek at the door. Fearful she might still be captive of the dark mages.

Elise sees an old woman cleaning a kitchen close by a table. The house wasn’t very big, but was very well made.

The old lady noticed Elise smiled. “You are awake. Are you hungry?”

Elise nodded approaching her while looking at the rest of the house, perfectly clear glasses in the windows, wooden doors and a beautifully made kitchen with strange accessories that she had never seen before.

She could see a corridor that led to another room on the other side of the room.

Elise would say she was in the house of a lord if it was just a bit bigger, but given the details and good materials it was made of, she thought it was certainly someone from the nobility that owned the place.

“Come, sit, I have some pasta and meat from the feast last night. I was already heating it since it’s almost noon.” said the old woman, praising someone she called her master.

“Where am I? How did I get here?” questioned Elise.

“You are in our village. The Master found you and brought you here for me to take a look at you. I’m afraid you were unconscious for the whole time and he was very concerned, I could hear his shouts when he arrived with you” replied the old woman.

Elise nodded understanding. “Who is this master? And do you know how he freed me? All I recall was in a castle…” quickly questioned the princess, approaching the table in the middle of the kitchen.

The elder shook her head a bit confused by so many questions. “All I knew was that master came with you to the village.”

“This is a beautiful house, your master must be very important.”

The old woman brought her a plate with spaghetti pasta, sauce and pieces of well-seasoned meat. “Yes, he is indeed. The most important person in the whole world if you ask me. Hihi. If it weren’t for him we’d still be living in fear inside our tents, but now, me and my mate are able to be in such a nice place like this one. And it is all because of the master.”

The norse princess widened her eyes. “This is a commoner’s house?”

The elder smiled. “I don’t know who this commoner is, but I'm Hale, I specialized in healing and this is my house now” she nodded.

“Everyone here has a house like this one?”

“Yes, every house here is like this one, the master would not allow anything less than this.” She nodded at herself “Only the master’s house is a bit bigger and more secluded. He likes to be left alone sometimes, it’s understandable given his condition. But he’s a great man to withstand so much hardship on his own” said the elder woman, still nodding with a concerned and preoccupied expression in her eyes. She clearly cared for her master’s health.

Elise was shocked… If that was a commoner’s house, their master would be even richer than the Brahms.

“Eat before it gets cold” said the elder, taking a plate for herself joining Elise in the meal.

The norse princess tried the food using the fork. The taste took her on a sensory journey.

Never had she tasted something so good and so full of flavor.

“Did you make this? It’s the best dish I’ve ever had,” she continued while eating.

The old woman smiled. “Of course, everyone knows how to prepare it.”

“You must pay a fortune in taxes to live in a place like this and with such good food,” she said before taking the next bite.

“Taxes? What is that?” asked the puzzled elder woman.

“You know, coins or products, the price you pay to the lord for using his lands” said Elise, still eating.

“There is no such thing here… Master never demanded anything from us but to train hard and pull our own weight, doing our share of work in the village”

Elise finished the dish. “Your master seems awfully nice… What is his family name? From what house he is from?”

The elder shook her head not clearly understanding the question. “I told you, his House is the one a bit farther away over there” she pointed in the direction.

Elise sighed. “Can I meet this master?”

The old woman smiled. “Sure you can, but first you need to shower and put on proper clothing. I can’t let you meet the master like this,” said the woman, looking with a frown to the yellow dress she was wearing.

Elise looked at the elder like she said something weird. What could be more appropriate to meet a noble than a dress? But the elder was adamant about it and led the princess to the bathroom.

She showed her how to use the toilet and the shower.

Elise was perplexed by the bathroom and spent the next hour discovering the wonders of modern life, enjoying the heated water for a long time.

As she left the bathroom with a towel wrapped in her body to dry herself, she found the elder preparing something on top of the table.

The elder had prepared a set of clothes and a leather armor, as well as a steel sword.

Elise looked at the armor and the weapon. She recognized the high grade metal as she had seen it before in the North. It was the same used by Arbjorn’s.

The armor was outstanding and she could see signs of heavy enchantments on it. The blue runes shined inside the vest, as in the blade itself. Such equipment would be worth a fortune.

“What are these?!” Elise was in shock.

“This is the basic equipment. It’s the trainee grade equipment.” said the elder with a sorry tone. “I know these aren’t much and that you are a master's guest... but the rules can’t be broken. I can’t give you anything better than this. So please, bear with it for now” the old woman said in an apologetic tone.

Elise looked at it not believing her eyes.

“Please wear this so I can take you to master” Continued the Elder.

The princess laughed to herself. “If these are beginner’s equipment, I’d love to see the advanced ones.”

Elise changed clothes and equipped the armor. It was simple leather armor in a light brown shade, but she could feel her strength, agility and even stamina improving by a large margin, she felt well disposed and ready for anything.

The weapon was outstanding. She felt invincible holding it.

The sword alone was expensive enough by itself, but put together with enchanted armor, it was something that she had never heard before.

She couldn’t understand why that equipment was handed to her as proper clothing just so she could meet the master, it was all too much for her to understand.

“I already informed the Master that you have awoken” Said the old woman, adjusting the armor on the princess. “Now you look as you should. If you had a hood and a cape you’d make a fine scout!”

Elise didn’t understand the reference. “Scout? This equipment should be used by heroes in the frontlines!” exclaimed the princess excitedly.

The elder laughed. “You are a funny girl. Heroes using basic equipment… no, no, master would never allow it” She shook her head finding Elise’s remark a good joke. “Now let me take you to the master’s house” spoke the elder, leading her outside.

In the middle of the village was a small lake, all the houses were set at a good distance from it in a line with some good distance from each other. She could see a massive large wall in all directions very far away from the village center.

As they were walking, Elise saw several training grounds scattered around the village. Some with people in them.

One of them seemed to be used only by childrens and with them was an instructor.

“Even the children?” she questioned herself at the sight.

She continued observing the place and the houses and it was just as the elder had said, all houses were made of the same material and almost the same format.

She had never seen such sturdy structures. And what baffled her the most was that every house had its own bathroom, kitchen and clear glass windows.

The villagers there, if she could call them that. Looked like elite soldiers with armors and weapons at the ready, as if they could be attacked at any moment. Most of them, if not all of those soldiers used capes and hoods, but they looked nothing like a scout like Hale had mentioned. She noticed that the tougher and better equipped the villager looked, the color of his armor and cape changed. They seemed darker and from different colors.

The light brown training gear, just like she was wearing could only be seen on the children.

The color shades gradually became darker until a dark brown.

The ones wearing green had better armor and weapons and were training swordsmanship.

Another group wore blue colors and were training spellcasting in broad daylight in the middle of a training ground, watched by the children and everyone. She found it baffling they’d show their abilities like this in the open.

She saw a busy group going somewhere, they wore gray colors and seemed the best equipped so far, with some plating on their armor and more than one weapon to their belts.

And all of them looked at Elise as she walked by, not a single person missed the opportunity to look at her. They all seemed surprised and curious to see her.

It didn’t take long for her to arrive at a bigger house, at a distance, secluded from the others.

At its entrance, 2 beautiful young women wearing a black leather armor with plating on the chest, shoulders, forearms and shins… they stood at the door, guarding it.

Just by looking at them, Elise knew they were the top fighters of the village. The armor was made of black scales. The plating had a shiny steel color and their presence as a fighter was breathtaking.

She didn’t feel such might even when meeting with Therese, the famous Lioness.

The elder Hale stopped. “This is it,” said the old woman, bowing and going back to her house.

Elise thanked her and proceeded to enter the house cautiously, looking at both of the well-armed guards at the door that made way for her to pass.

The house was very similar to the elder’s, just much bigger and with a couple more rooms.

From the door she could see a big man with brown hair and beard like a mane. He used an armor similar to the guards at the door.

Beside him was a younger and shorter man with just a black leather armor and a dark blue cloth.

She thought she had seen his face before though, but could not recollect where.

Both looked at the princess at the door as she approached.

Looking at the elegant tall man, Elise bowed. “I’m grateful for rescuing me. I don’t know what your intentions were, but I’m grateful nonetheless.”

The two looked at each other in silence.

Elise found it strange and continued, “You must be an important lord to be able to afford such an astonishing village, not to mention the armors and weapons… I’m Elise Thorwald, princess of the north. Do you care to tell me your name, master of these lands?” inquired Elise looking and bowing at the tall man. She was clearly forcing elegance and good manners that did not come naturally to her.

The man looked at the younger one beside him briefly. “You are mistaken… I’m not the master.”

“You are not?” asked Elise immediately, standing straight up and going back to her usual manners.

She looked at the young man trying to understand if he was the master, but he didn’t look like a lord.

“Hello Elise, long time no see,” said the young man with a smile.

The princess squinted her eyes and approached him slowly. The messy hair, the dark blue eyes… “Who are you? Have we met before?” she questioned suspiciously.

She looked more closely and by seeing the dark blue eyes she was now certain that he was the one who saved her. “You! You were the one at the castle…” Her eyes widened in surprise… “But that was not the first time we met. Where did I see you before?” she questioned herself trying to remember. He was indeed familiar looking.

“The tournament, before the attack on Thanes…” said the young man, smirking slightly, showing his amusement.

Elise shook her head. “You were not there. I would have remembered…”

Riou showed her the ring on his right hand.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “No way, you can’t be… you are much older! And besides that, he died that day.” she said, trying to make sense of it.

“Was there a body?” questioned the young man, pulling his dagger for her to see as well.

She squinted her eyes and moved back. “Is it really you? But… how? you look so different, you are much more…ahm, taller now” said Elise, a bit embarrassed.

“It’s a very long story,” replied Riou. “So, do you remember anything? What happened to you?”

Elise shook her head looking at him. “Just pieces and blank spots…” she said, still wrapping her head around the fact that the man before her was the same commoner boy from over a year ago.

“Don’t worry, you are safe now… Arthas, tell the builders to make another house for her. She will stay with us until the situation in Allard is taken care of, is that fine with you Elise?” Riou looked at Elise, waiting for her confirmation.

The princess nodded in agreement.

“Help her out if she needs anything.” Riou moved to the table. “It’s past noon now. The scouts must be in place already,” he said preparing to leave.

“As you wish, master,” said the tall man very politely.

Riou was really the master the elder spoke so highly of. Elise didn’t understand why he had said he was a commoner at that time back in Thanes. If anyone knew this village the boy would have been praised and respected like Lord Brahm himself.

‘Perhaps he wanted to keep this powerhouse of a village a secret? Maybe it was to test Eileen to see if she was really willing to marry him for him… Or Maybe Eileen was aware of all this all along! That’s why she was so comfortable with the situation. That sneaky girl, playing dumb all that time, Lord Brahm too, for sure he knew all about this place… so it was all a play!’ thought Elise, putting her brain to work.

A crystal was put on top of the table by Riou, and suddenly a magical circle appeared a few steps from the crystal. Trees and grass could be seen on its other side.

Elise looked astonished by the display of magic. She had never seen such a thing before. ‘This must be what they call a portal’

Riou crossed it and moments after the two guards from the entrance followed after him in a hurry.

After they passed the portal remained open.

Arthas gently showed her outside “We will begin to build a house for you. Meanwhile, is there anything else that you require?” questioned the Lion politely, she was being treated as an important guest.

“Is this really trainee equipment? Do you really give better ones to people that advance in this village training methods?” questioned Elise, looking at the lion’s armor and weapon more closely. It was clearly far superior to what she was currently wearing.

“Yes, that’s how our training levels work… the children are taught the essentials and after a certain age they can begin the Basic training, if they pass they can start melee and stealth specialization with the green cloaks. After that is a spellcasting battle with the blue cloaks. Then they move into a survival and assassination specialist with the gray cloaks… as you train you are taught and prepared to use the better equipment” said Arthas, intrigued by the question.

“And the black color?” questioned Elise looking at the lion equipment.

“The black color is given to those who are able to complete the master's challenge.”

Elise looked at him wanting to know what it was.

“It consists in withstanding a fight with Master for a short time” said nonchalantly the tall man as if it was a normal thing.

“That can’t be right…” Said Elise thinking out loud.

She shook her head putting her thoughts together once again, ‘one step at a time’ she focused on the first level of training.

“Can anyone join the training? Can I keep the equipment I earn?”

Arthas smiled “Of course, the master's guest can do as she pleases in here.”

“Then I’d like to take the tests!”

------------------------------------ Longart Outskirts

“Build an advanced post here. Cover it well so it’s not easily spotted, use the concealment spell. We will use this place as a quick access point to our village and the city. Tier 1 security protocol, same as when we dealt with the shape shifters… You know the drill” said Riou to the gray and blue scouts there. He left the portal crystal with them as they began to construct the hideout.

They were not far from the walls of Longart and were well concealed by the trees. Riou turned towards one of the ones in a gray cloak.

“Did you find the temple?”

“Yes master, it’s straight in this direction, to the north at the big lake there,” she replied.

Riou nodded and went in the indicated direction at a very fast pace.

He seemed to be flying close to the ground, effortlessly going at a great speed barely touching the ground from time to time.

His bodyguards followed as they could, their speed was tremendous as well and they quickly covered the distance to the lake.

There was no need to use the cloak hood and mask anymore, but it had become a habit for all of them.

Riou, Attia and Bellica arrived at the lake and could see the massive temple near its farter edge. The resemblance to the temples they have seen in the old cities could not be a coincidence.

He pointed to Bellica requesting 2 steel metal coins..

Riou enchanted them with the spells he used to cure Syldis, he also added Bestowal: Water Attribute on it.

He walked towards the temple and entered through the front door, watched by the priestess that threw glances and looks of concern and suspicion towards him.

They were not expecting any visitors nor allowed them to enter the temple as they pleased like he was doing.

An old woman with short hair approached them as she noticed strangers walking unannounced inside the temple. “Who are you? And who gave you permission to enter this temple?” said the angry priestess.

“The king and queen of Allard are here?” questioned the young man.

“You must know this temple is sacred! Begone, we are not accepting any visitors, we have much to do, please leave” said the priestess.

“So they are not dead yet?” said the young man in black.

The priestess didn’t like the comment, but Riou noticed it to be true.

“I’ve come to cure them. I was searching the world and found these blessed coins at a forgotten temple of Brine on the old ruins to the far south. It is said to cure all illnesses” said the boy showing her the metal coins with a glowing drawing of Brine holding a fruit and a dagger with strange runes inscribed in it.

The priestess looked suspiciously at the young man, but the image and the strong glowing blue light seemed too divine to not be true. Despite her suspicions of his claims, only Brine herself would be able to create such artifacts.

“Why are you giving these precious artifacts away? You must know we have nothing in this temple to pay for them” said the priestess awed by the artifacts but still showing suspicion towards the young man.

“I’m an old friend of king Elrik, I was once engaged to his daughter… Maybe knowing that will ease your mind” said Riou, still showing the medals to the priestess wanting her to take them.

The priestess was surprised “We heard that the princess had found a suitor… but it was said that he died in the attack on Thanes, valiantly defending her and the Norse King’s life” said the woman.

Attia and Bellica looked at each other confused.

“Not dead, just sent away by a dark mage’s spell… Because I was sent far away so that I could find these artifacts. Please, show me to the room where the king is, I will explain how to use them immediately” said Riou with a smile with the medals in hand.

The priestess turned around and rushed towards the inner quarters. After a few minutes they arrived at a special room with engravings of a woman holding a water jar in its door’s pillars.

Inside, there were two beds with a white transparent sheet surrounding each of the beds, the veil was attached to the ceiling involving the beds. Beneath them, was the king and queen of Allard.

Both were barely holding onto their lives, breathing with difficulty, they were thin and full of the black nodules all over their bodies. Beside them, several younger priestesses were chanting healing spells, and by the tired looks on them, they had been doing so for a very long time.

‘They are in worse shape than I expected…’ thought Riou as he approached “Quickly bring that water and mugs here” he commanded the priestess, that promptly complied.

“Put 1 coin inside the water” he said when she placed the jar before him. As the coin sank in the jar, the water briefly glowed with a blue soothing light, Riou poured the water into two mugs. “Give them the water, make them drink it.”

With difficulty, the skinny and sick monarchs were made to drink and swallow the water. It was hard to know if they were conscious or not at that point. They barely moved, their eyes were closed the whole time.

But as the water touched their lips, both of them seemed to breathe in deeply and with ease, they swallowed the water and their condition seemed to instantly improve.

The black spots that already covered their whole necks and parts of their torso, began to disappear, it looked like they were never there. Their expression eased and relaxed.

“Bring them food. Something easy to swallow and rich in nutrients… They need to regain their strength” said the young man, the priestess was amazed and quickly complied.

He looked at the tired young priestesses “You can relax now… please go, I wish to be alone with them.” the priestess nodded in surprise by the quick improvement on the monarchs. They all left as commanded.

With them gone, Riou approached them both beneath the veil and touched queen Hanna’s legs from above the sheet and the blanket covering her. He felt nothing but skin and bone. She was extremely debilitated, even after curing them he still feared she’d not survive.

“Full Regeneration” he said, pouring a healing spell on her. That would certainly ensure a constant healing for an extended period of time, sufficient to ensure it would help her body to absorb and use the nutrients to repair itself more quickly.

He then did the same for king Elrik.

Feeling the touch on his leg and the instantaneous improvement on his condition, the king opened his eyes with difficulty.

He looked at the young man near him, straight at his eyes. The dark clothed man approached the king so he could see him better.

King Elrik smiled faintly and shifted his eyes to the bed beside him. He could see that his wife’s markings were gone. She seemed to be breathing and resting, no longer in pain.

The bones on his face were showing, the fat on his cheeks were almost completely gone but Riou could see the smile forming on it.

He couldn’t tell if it was sheer resolve or the priestess spells that kept them alive for so long. They both were far beyond their limit at this point.

Looking at the king, Riou could guess what he was thinking.

“The queen is safe now… you both are cured” Riou said as lonely tears began to form in the monarch’s eyes. He tried to speak but couldn’t move his lips, no sound came out his mouth.

He was just too weak.

“Recover your strength Elrik… then go get your throne back. Don’t worry about Eileen, I will find and protect her” said Riou, nodding and leaving the king to his thoughts.

The priestess rushed back with a paste made of grains and milk to feed the sick monarchs.

“Head Priestess… now that you know it works, please prepare yourself. I will send help to you and escort your priestesses to Allard. Use the artifacts to cure Longart citizens before it’s too late... and please, until then, don’t mention today’s events to anyone. Especially that the monarch's are cured. Not until they can retake their castle. Do you understand?”

The head priestess nodded. “With Brine’s blessing we will take care of it. No one will know, you have my word… and thank you for the artifacts and all the help! We will be ready when your men arrive.”

“It won’t be long, we need to act fast. Be prepared”

“Thank you my lord... not many would willingly and selflessly give these artifacts away to help the less fortunates. I don’t know how to thank you”

Riou smiled “Make good use of them with Longart citizens, that would be more than enough for me”

The priestess nodded with a smile.”We will put it to good use, thank you my lord!”

After that Riou departed from the temple, having left the enchanted coins to the head priestess.

It would take a while for the king and queen to get back to full health, meanwhile, Riou had work to do.

On the way back to the advanced post, Attia looked at her master. “What is ‘a suitor’ and what does ‘engaged’ means master?”

Riou thought for a moment. The concept was a bit different for the beastman and the village’s custom given their circumstances in the spirit world. Especially because there wasn’t a good ratio of male to female, so they didn’t continue such things there.

He understood the confusion of the two. “You know when a beastman decides to take a mate? Here in Allard that is called marriage, so when you are to be married to someone in the near future, it is said that you are engaged to this person. That you are that person’s suitor and will become its mate after this marriage happens.”

Bellica nodded. “So, master is engaged to this Eileen? When is she going to become your mate? Are you engaged to the other blond you saved as well?”

“No… in Allard you can only be engaged to and marry one person” explained Riou.

Attia and Bellica frowned, looking at each other quite confused. Bellica whispered to Attia, “I don’t like this Eileen… Wanting our master all to herself? She has no consideration for the other females. He should be allowed to have as many mates as he desires.”

The blond warrior nodded vehemently in agreement. “I can understand why she’d want him only for herself, but still, it’s not fair to the other females, not fair at all”

--------------------------------------------- Somewhere Inside Longart

In a big cellar beneath a noble’s house, many people were gathered. Most of them were remnants of the First Army, soldiers that refused to follow the new acting regent and believed the knight captain’s innocence.

They were all living in the cellar as they could, sheltered by the lord of the house, a prestigious family in Allard known to be loyal to King Elrik.

The son of this family had joined the rebel forces and was one of the principal leaders in the fight.

He was a young noble that had studied in the academy of magic as well as swordsmanship with the best teachers. He had the Allardian physique, black short hair and an elegant bearing. And like most nobles, he was a handsome man in his 23 years.

He was talking to a young beautiful woman that didn’t seem eager to listen to him.

“Eileen… it’s been over a year now, you have to let go” said the noble.

“You just don't understand,” replied the princess, clearly not wanting to explain herself.

“What don’t I understand? That he was killed?”

“He is not dead” said Eileen bluntly.

The noble frowned. “Even if he is alive, you said so yourself, he is trapped in another world or whatever that means. He will never be able to come back… so isn’t that the same thing?” The noble approached the princess from the front so she would stop walking away.

“You heard that they are trying to marry Elise to Rodrick, telling everyone that she is you… the whole population will recognize him as king if he does and then he even will hold off the north if something happens to Thorwald. We must announce that you are not in the castle.” he paused for a moment.

“They will come for me if we do that and we all would be in danger”

“Then we should marry before that happens and announce it, this way we can depose Rodrick’s claim as acting regent and end all this suffering in the city at once! Everybody here knows that this is the best course of action… Think about all the people that are suffering. If we do this, everyone will be free again” he said trying to convince the princess.

“I appreciate your concern Francis. I know you have the country’s best interest in mind but I can’t risk being exposed and…” Eileen paused for a moment, thinking in her next words. “You don’t know him. He will return, I’m certain of it” said Eileen with resolve.

Francis shook his head. “You will really hold on to that? Hoping that he’d magically appear and fix everything? He is gone Eileen, and even if he was able to come back, what could one boy do? He is just one person! He couldn’t possibly fix this situation!”

Francis was angry at that point. “You are delusional and making everyone pay a high price for your whim… You could end this tomorrow. Thousands of people are suffering, and it is you that is keeping them in torment. Your people Eileen. The king and queen are dying and your brother vanished. The knight captain is in prison. There is no one left but us… and If Rodrick marries Elise we are done for”

Eileen looked down, she knew if Riou was there everything would be different… but she also couldn’t deny that the noble had a point as well, time to save the city was running out quickly and maybe he would not be back in time to help her...

He sighed, addressing her more calmly. “I know you must have liked him and that he was a dear friend, but it’s time to let go… We can end this suffering and reclaim the kingdom, I’m sure he’d understand if he was here. Just the two of us, together we can fix everything. I hope you come to your senses before it’s too late. The country can’t take it much longer, and this city has even less time than that.”

Before the princess could answer a shout was heard.

“Attention!” shouted a female voice from the main cellar room.

Eileen and Francis rushed to her as everyone else did the same. It was Ursula.

“We received news, Elise disappeared from the castle,” said Ursula while everyone looked surprised. “No one saw or knew anything, she just vanished from her room… Seems like we have more supporters than we thought. Their plan to marry her to Roderick and pass her off as Eileen has completely failed now, someone has bought us a bit more time to act.”

Eileen was very surprised and happy, Francis was just very surprised by the news.

“We now can focus on freeing the prisoners, our spy in the castle can provide us passage for us to infiltrate the prison and rescue them. I need a group of our best close quarter fighters for this mission. We need to act fast.”

Eileen promptly presented herself, followed by Francis.

Two more first army veterans stepped up as well.

“I’d prefer you stayed Eileen, but you are one of the best fighters” She turned to the others “Please protect her at all costs.” said Ursula.

------------------------------------------ Shadow council castle

The shadows gathered once again. The seat where Arstos used to be, was now vacant.

“The norse princess has vanished” spoke Tessai.

“How did that happen? Was it the rebels?” questioned another shadow.

“No… none of the guards or our agents have heard anything about it. She just vanished from her room” Tessai continued.

“First Thanes, now this… You sure are losing your touch Tessai” said another shadow.

“I told you many times, when I left Thanes everything was under control… I don’t know what Arstos did there to end up dead and let them escape. But it doesn’t matter, I have a contingency plan. Princess Eileen will be captured and used as I had planned” said Tessai.

“I hope you succeed Tessai, for your own good.”

“I will just have to adjust, but everything will go as planned,” assured Tessai.

The master shadow seemed restless “What about the item? We still have yet to discover what it is and who holds it!”

The shadows went silent for a moment until one spoke “The likelihood is that the Magus has it and used it to kill Arstos.”

“And where is that mage now?”

“We don’t know master, he is good and know how to elude our agents”

“Find him! You better not disappoint again, we have to find that item!” the master shadow finally spoke to all of them before disappearing.