Chapter 5

Divine intervention

Sleep was all it took for me to be fully recovered the next day. I spent my morning sitting in my usual chair in the library, reading the latest book that Moca had brought. He does a splendid job of bringing many new and exciting books that I had never seen before, from history books to old fairy tales, children's books, diaries, and even magical books that I especially enjoyed.

There was a time when he brought over a love diary. I couldn’t read through most of it, because the journal embarrassed me so much that I locked the diary with a lock, never to be open again.

Moca didn’t just bring one, but multiple-rated R ones that I even created a special section in the library for them and put a red tag on it to remind me it's a bit too rated M for me.

It seems I have seen a couple of books missing with the red tags, but they always come back clean and undamaged. I wonder who is borrowing such dangerous books. So far, I wasn’t able to find out who the culprit was.

Today was a day off from school, so I didn’t really need to go out. Instead, I enjoyed most of my day reading and lounging around doing nothing. I even changed into my dragon form and hopped inside the treasure room to cool off my mind.

The soft, clinking sound of multiple coins fell over each other as I swam around. My snout was breathing out smoke, peeking out from the mounds of gold. I did my best to stop myself from overeating gold, but that unsatisfactory hunger still pulled in the back of my mind.

Once a week, I would indulge in five to ten gold pieces to stop the hunger from growing. I knew that this unsatisfactory hunger would drive me insane if I wasn’t careful. Plus, my mind becomes muddled if I don’t eat gold, and the longest I could go without was three days at max. Any longer and it would be like that day where I made a terrible mess of myself on Earth.

Such thought made my body shudder, how could a dragon-like me fear so much? I’m not an all-powerful being, but a dragon that could change into a human or was I a human that could change into a dragon? Never mind, it's too complicated.

With a puff, I blew out smoke from my mouth. This was one time that I wished I hadn’t run away from Elcro, but leaving the city was a lot harder on me. I couldn’t change into my dragon form as much as I wanted, nor would I be able to call on my power. Plus, Elcro could probably help me out on why I had been cursed into changing into a human form, though being human isn’t so bad.

My wings opened up, and the gold fell like rain, creating a delightful sound of tinkling. I did it a couple more times till I was satisfied. Yep, I don’t ever get too tired of this sound at all.

“Young mistress!” Coco burst in through the door, startling me out of the mounds of gold. A small tidal wave of gold started to fall down, heading straight towards Coco. Coco braced herself and jumped up high into a perfect arch. She landed on top of the gold as if nothing just happened.

My hand slowly clapped, impressed by her feat. I know that only Coco, Tart, and Moca were the only ones to freely come in and out of this room, but still, it’s not often that they did. “Y-Yes?”

“Young Mistress, you need to quickly come with me. The Divine Races have arrived.” Coco gracefully bowed, but I could tell that she was not happy with the sudden intrusion.

“Where are they?” I shifted into my human form, jumping out of the mounds of gold.

“They are waiting in the guest lounge.”

“Is it Elcro?”

“Elcro? I wouldn’t know. They didn’t tell me their names.”

“They?” Was there more?

“Yes, a group of them have come to speak with you.”

We quickly made our way towards where the Divine race was situated. The moment I opened the door, the whole room felt like it glowed more brilliant than before. In total, they were three Divines in the room. One was definitely Elcro; the other was an elderly gentleman with a short cut beard, silver hair, beady eyes, stunningly handsome, and a kingly aura around him, sitting down on a chair next to the window. The one next to him was wearing all black with black hair and gave off a very intimidating and scary aura. All of them had a pair of fluffy wings as part of their ears, all they needed now was angel wings, and the whole set would be complete.

“Hello,” I calmly voiced outwards, catching their attention. They were too dazzling, making me want to squint my eyes and look away.

“Myrin.” Elcro gave out a cry of pleasure when he saw my face.

That strange name again...

“Elcro. I surprised that you are here, and my name is Berry.” I corrected him.

Elcro frowned. “I have brought someone you know over with me this time.” He replied and motioned towards the elderly gentleman. “This is King Alberi of the Divine Race and his personal guard Olivo.”

I gave him a small but graceful bow. “It is nice to meet you, King Alberi.”

The king took a good look at me, staring as if he found something amusing. “We have been searching for you Myrin Drakel of the Drakel house.”

“I am sorry to say, but my name is Berry Drakel. Are you sure I am Myrin?”

The king looked confused at what I had stated. “I am sure you are Myrin for the Drakel house had only one daughter.”

“I see. Well, your highness, would you believe that I don’t remember who you are nor what you are talking about?”

“You have amnesia?” The king stated with concern. “Why wasn’t I told of this?”

“I didn’t know your highness.” Elcro quickly replied.

“No matter.” The king waved his hands, and then he gently folded it in front of his leg. Every movement that he made was graceful and kingly, making me feel quite small. “Myrin Drakel, or should I say Berry Drakel?”

“Berry would be better, your highness. It’s more comfortable.”

“So be it. There is no harm in changing one’s name, though I am glad that you still remember your last name. This in itself is proof that you are from one of the twelve major households: the house of Drakel.”

I thought it over. Was it really enough proof that I was Myrin Drakel just from a last name? I knew that commoners didn’t have a last name, and only the nobles did.

“Drakel is the family of the Ancient Dragon race that has watched and guarded the Legendary Weapons for hundreds of thousands of years. They aren’t many of your kind left. Honestly speaking, you are one of the rare few Dragons left. We of the Divine Kingdom have watched and protected your people since ancient times.”

“Wait, there are more dragons out there?” I blurted out my words.

The king smiled. “Yes, did you think that the legend of the six legendary beasts was all the dragons in existence? Where do you think a Black Dragon from the legend came from?”

“I don’t know. The only thing I remembered when I woke up twenty-seven years ago was my name. Everything else in my head was empty.”

King Alberi rubbed his chin, deeply thinking over what I had said. It seems it didn’t hit him until now that I really didn’t know much about the world. “All Legendary creatures are born from something. A Titan forms from the most evil, Orc that has been transformed from dark magic. A Black Gryphon from a nest of Gryphon’s race lives in seclusion in the south of the mountains. A hydra is born from multiple snakes that had been warped by evil. A Leviathan is a creature from the waters, spawned from a whale or a fish. Phoenix is born from the essence of dark fire found in the darkest place of the world. A black dragon is always born from the Drakel family line.”

The last part hit me--A black dragon born from the Drakel line. This was huge news that I didn’t expect to hear. “Why have you not destroyed the Drakel line?”

The king chuckled. “That would be unwise. You see, from a curse, there is always a blessing that follows with it. You, my child, are the blessing that this world has given to counter the six legendary monsters.”

“And what could I do when I’m just me? I’m not all-powerful; the last time I fought with the Black Gryphon, I almost died.”

With a nod of his head, the king spoke, “I heard from Elcro you fought with the Black Gryphon.

That is to be expected. You aren’t born to combat the six legendary monsters, but to be the dragon maiden that bears and powers, the legendary weapons. Every six thousand years, a new dragon maiden is born, harboring the power to summon the legendary weapons to give to the chosen heroes that will slay the mighty monsters. The trait of a dragon maiden is that her scales are the color of snow, her eyes are the color of emerald and sapphire.”

My lips twitched. “I see.”

“Your time has just started. Have you chosen a Beast-kin to wield the Legendary weapon?”

“No. I didn’t know that I had to find someone until now.”

“I understand. That is to be expected. Finding the Beast-kin who can fully utilize its power is the true hero. It might take years, decades, and even centuries to find the right one.”

It felt a bit strange that he didn’t hurry me along in finding the Beast-kin who could hold the legendary weapon. I would assume that they would kick up a fuss for me to find them, but they just seem to relax about the whole thing.

“Wouldn’t it be better to find the one who could wield it now? So many Beast-kin will be dying if I don’t.”

The king shook his head. “There is no point in rushing. Without the right hero to hold the Legendary Weapon, it is just a foolish goal. Instead, they would be devoured by its power the moment they touch it without consent from you. Only a few of the Legendary Weapons act in such a barbaric manner.”

I felt a bit relieved. It was nice to know that certain Legendary Weapons weren’t dangerous to touch, but a couple of them were. The thought of almost messing up and handing it to random people without a thought could spell disaster, but it made me wonder how I could even find the one true hero in the beginning.

“So, how would I know if they can hold it?”

“You will be called.”

“Called?”

The King nodded. “It will all come in due time.”

What an ambiguous answer. The only time that the Legendary Weapon ever responded was for Phil himself, but I wasn’t sure if I should tell them about it. “Has there ever been a time where more than one Legendary Creature appeared?”

“Never. There's a saying that the Legendary Creatures knows when it is time for them to appear. The existence of magic moves when the world calls for it to create them. More than one of them can't be spawned at the same time.”

It answered the question that I wanted to know about the Black Gryphon, screaming out why I was out and about now. It must have mistaken me for being a Legendary Creature that’s supposed to come out once every six thousand years, but I think he forgot that my scale color is white.

“So if I understand correctly, the last Dragon maiden has died and passed on her abilities to me.”

The King nodded. “That would be your mother.”

The word mother stuck on my lips. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that, because I have never met her before. “What about my father?”

“That would be me,” spoke Olivo.

My head turned so quickly that I swear I thought I had a whiplash. The scary-looking man that reminds one of a Japanese Oni than a Divine made my head spin. The only similarity that we had was the odd eye color. How could I miss the odd eye color that we both shared?

“You’re my father? Can you turn into a dragon too?”

Olivo frowned. “No. I am a half Divine and half dragon. I have the bloodline of the Conrad families that has the bloodline of a dragon. I had been brought into the Drakel family and took on the Drakel name. Not everyone can turn into a dragon. It's rare for us to bear a true dragon, like yourself, that can change from one form to another. Only the head of each household can. To be paired with the Drakel family, one must have blue and green; without it, they wouldn’t be even allowed to marry.”

There was no fatherly feeling about him. Isn’t he supposed to be jumping in joy or something? Maybe he’s the type that doesn’t like children. That could be the answer. He felt completely like a stranger, rather than a father, so it was really difficult to believe that he was. He made it sound like it was some kind of business deal, that made me feel weird. The other two didn’t even flinch from his words and made it seem like a normal everyday thing.

“Um….Are you really, my father?”

“Yes.” Olivo didn’t say anything else and stood there quietly.

“I see.” Silenced followed after, making me uncomfortable. I didn’t know if I should jump up with joy and run to him or just stand here. I knew nothing of him from my memories anyway, so it’s best not to act out of character. To make the stifling air not unbearable, I started to ask different questions to change the subject. “Then how are the legendary creatures associated with the Ancient Civilizations. I thought they were made from them. It kind of contradicts what I know.”

The three were surprised that I spoke of the Ancient Civilizations and seem to be a bit uncomfortable.

“I thought you knew nothing.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m completely blank. I have been studying and learned from a couple of sources that the Ancient Civilizations had something to do with the Legendary Creatures. Is it true that the dragons and the rest are created from them?”

“Yes, they are the ones that started the cycle of the six. The ancient civilizations are best learned from the mouth of the Priestess herself.”

“It’s going to be slightly difficult to go to her.”

“Why would that be?”

“Um, I was cursed. I can’t completely change into a dragon every single time.”

“What do you mean?” The King gripped the side of the chair, looking grim when I told him this.

“I’m not sure. This could be a reason why I can’t remember much. I only can change once a week if I leave this city.”

“So, you’re stating that you can change into your dragon form anytime you're living here.”

“Yes.” I hope this stopped them from wanting me to move away from here like Elcro did. I actually like it here.

“This is a lot more difficult than I thought.”

“Would you, by any chance, know who cursed me?”

“That would be your sister’s mother.”

This made me remember the curse that I remember reading: The curse of the unwanted dragon that gave me a child’s body. I dislike turning into a small child, luckily so far I’m not in my child form.

“Your aunt is a powerful witch.” The King said with a low tone of voice. “Our kind doesn’t have many witches, their power corrupts our pure souls, and your aunt took that path.”

“Why did she curse me?”

The King was silent. “Your aunt was known to be the most powerful spell caster in the entirety of the Divine race. She got mad at your mother for something trivial and tried to kill her. She cast her spell out of spite towards her, but instead it landed onto you. They fought, and eventually, your aunt won, killing her. She then tried to steal her power, but your mother’s power has all been transferred onto you before she could do that. Before your mother was about to die, she cast her magic upon you and teleported you somewhere else. I guess this place is the last magic that your mother has left you behind, though I suspect that the curse warped a bit of your mother’s magic.”

I felt a bit sad about not meeting my mother, who had died for me. What surprised me next was the angry feeling that I had against my aunt, who had done something evil.

“What happened to my aunt?”

“She escaped. We still haven't found her.”

“So, there is no way to break this curse on me?”

“Except the caster themselves, it's too powerful of a magic to break it. I fear that if anyone else tries to break it, the curse could kill you.”

I thought it over about what the King had said. “What was the trivial reason that my aunt killed my mother?”

“She stated that it was all for love.”

“Um…love?” I look towards my supposed father. He didn’t answer, but the King did.

“Yes, love. A primitive instinct that we don’t use often. It is rare for a Divine to feel love.”

I frowned. What is with this complicated family situation? I've got a cold father, a crazy aunt, and a king that doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to save the world. It seems like all of them didn’t seem to believe in love at all. Now, we need the demon lord to walk in here to complete the crazy set of people.

A knock could be heard.

Coco opened up the door, and Phil was standing in front of the door.

I take it back. I shouldn’t have thought such a thought ever!

Phil walked in and stopped when he saw all of us in the room. I was glad that he wasn’t wearing the Legendary Laurel Sword on his waist, the sword had escaped last night and secretly made its way to his room. I ran around the whole castle, trying to find that damnable sword, and when I did, it was with Phil.

He was cleaning the sword as if nothing was wrong. When I tried to summon it back, Laurel just wouldn’t listen. So, I gave up. There was still a faint trace of the Legendary sword somewhere on his body, almost like it disappeared into a different space.

“This is?” Phil glanced from one to another.

“The one that’s sitting down is the King of Divine Race. The guy in all black is my father, Olivo, and the other one is Elcro.”

Phil's eyes became wide from the sudden introduction. He gave the King a graceful bow and stood back up straight. “My name is Phil Zemrick.”

“Ah, yes. The Zemrick family. Your grandfather must have been Hon Zemrick, correct?”

“Do you know my grandfather?”

The King chuckled. “Your grandfather had served me for five years before making a name for himself with the humans. Given the Duke's title for his powers and even married off his son to the elven princess to create a tighter connection with the elven kin. Your grandfather was part of our people. One of the twelve major houses: the House of Leaves. They would still welcome you into their family if you were to come back with us.”

“I would think about it.”

“To see such a powerful magic user as yourself would be a good addition to the family.”

This was my first time hearing about Duke Hon’s and Phil’s history. I didn’t know that he was part royalty and even possibly had a tiny bit of the Divine race blood flowing. They weren’t many things that I knew about Phil, except that he hated the elves with passion, and his family line was considered a high standard. “How is your mother and father doing?”

“They have passed away.”

“I see.” The King's voice sounded a bit tight.

“And your grandfather.”

“Same.”

The King’s eyes showed emotions. “My condolences.”

“Thank you.”

Silence followed after making the whole room drop another temperature lower. Why were just these four standing in silence, making the whole room cold and heavy to breathe? I guess having the King of the Divine Race, my father, and the future Demon Lord all in the same room brings out the worst in all of them at the same time. One could say this was the worst matchup in the history of politics and family all in one.

“Berry. I’ll be leaving Elcro here with you.” The king replied.

“So, you’re not going to force me to go?”

“I see no point in taking you. Instead, we will be moving over some of our people here.”

More Divines in this city? My head started to spin. This would definitely create some kind of upheaval to have so many angelic beings in one place. They far outclassed an elf by a long shot. It's already quite a ruckus when an elf walks around the street. Phil is a prime example of that. Girls would flock him like a bird, but then again, he rivals in looks with the Divines standing here that it's not much of a surprise anymore.

What is with this world with the spectacularly handsome and beautiful beings. I sighed, giving in to the thought of not overthinking about it.

“Where exactly would they be living?” I carefully asked.

“In this castle, of course. You are our priority.”

My cheeks twitched. He just pushed all these people here without asking if they are allowed to stay or not.

“This castle is not simple. No one can walk in without my permission or Coco’s.”

“Interesting, this place is definitely a safe haven for you to live, though having our kind watch over this place will ensure your survival.”

I don’t think the king gets it that I don’t want anyone to protect me and keep me couped up in this castle. This whole castle was already filled with fifty types of different humanoid monsters, maids, and butlers. So it really wasn’t necessary. Before I could speak my outburst, the king got up and started to walk towards the door.

“I will be sending more in the next couple of weeks. Your father will be leading them here. I know you might be interested in having a familiar figure with you to help speed up the process of remembering your past,” replied the king

All of us went towards the front gates. I couldn’t help but sigh so many times that Coco was staring at me worriedly. An elegant carriage that looks like it came out of one fairy tale was standing, waiting for the king.

“We shall meet again.” The king entered, following after my father, who looked back once and went in. Only Elcro stayed behind as we watched them leave.

I swear it felt like a tornado had touched down and created havoc, before leaving. My head and heart were in a turmoil that made me feel like the fight with the Black Gryhpon’s children was nothing. This was a whole different scale of stress that I wished never happened.

I pulled out a single piece of gold, popped it into my mouth, and waited for it to melt into liquid. The sweet nectar of it was dissolved entirely in seconds, leaving me feeling more relaxed. Stress is the number one killer of my health, and I’m getting a full dose.

“So…..was that really your father?” Phil’s words cut through my turbulent mind. I gave him the most dead expression that could answer his question without speaking a word. “I take that as a no.”

“Well, I think he is, but it's not that simple.”

“How so?”

“I really don’t know where to begin.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself, my lady,” Elcro replied brashly, giving Phil a disdainful look. “The house of Leaves is just a dying house, and you, my lady, don’t have to associate yourself with them.”

What the heck with this sudden hostility? I turned my head towards him, confused. “That’s a bit too much, don’t you think?” I couldn’t help but give Elcro a funny expression.

“Hardly. Even though the house of Leaves is considered one of the twelve major noble families, they are in a rapid decline. Their last successor had died off from war, and their daughter was married off to another family. The head of the house is but an old man with a couple more years left to live. They have no relatives that can take up the name of the Leaves. Plus this man here won’t be qualified, even if the king said that he should join, without passing the trials of every Leaves household must go through to become a true Leaves, he won’t be considered a Leaves.”

“What is your problem?” Phil hissed. “Did I do something to you?” He stepped up, squaring face-to-face with Elcro.

“Yes, you smell strongly of dark magic, enough to taint this very ground.

What the heck?! I was surprised that Elcro could feel the heavy dark magical energy that all Demon Lords seem to give off. I didn’t notice it as much until I was next to an Earth Demon Lord. Not only that, who the heck is he to have the balls to step up to Phil, the future Demon Lord. With one snap of his fingers, I wouldn’t be surprised that his head would topple over if Phil wanted too.

“How did a monster like you even exist next to our pure lady.”

“Be careful of what you say.” Phil hissed.

“I am cautious of what I say, and I mean every word of it. You should leave.”

“No. I think you don’t understand the situation here at all. It would be wiser for someone who is…how should I put it…a rude bastard like you to leave.”

“I am from the household of Rafflegasia. The second-highest household in all of the Divine Race and her personal guardian.”

“I don’t care about any Divine noble household. An asshole like you doesn’t deserve any respect.

Let’s go, Berry.”

Phil grabbed my hand, tugging me through the gate. I wanted to know how he was able to figure out the heavy dark magical air that no normal person or being could sense. I knew that Phil had excellent control over his magic, but so far, the only two people in this world who had somehow sensed Phil’s potential was Elcro and the King. The king didn’t seem bothered by Phil, while Elcro did. Why was that?

“Wait.” I pulled apart from him.

“Berry?”

I cleared my throat. “How can you tell?” I asked Elcro, searching his face for an answer.

Elcro gave me a gentle smile. “Like I stated. I am from the household of the Rafflegaisa, we are known for our ability to check one’s hidden potential. The king only has the basic ability to sense strong people, but the Rafflegasia can see more. This demon in front of me is a bane to this world.” He pointed towards Phil. “It would be better that you die here and now to let this world be more at peace.”

This meant he could see people’s stats or skills. I knew that there doesn’t seem to be many who can do what Elcro could do.

With a drawing of swords, Elcro advanced forward.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Phil’s words were deadly and concise.

“Begone demon for you is not needed here.” With a hiss, he jumped forward, and their swords locked in place.

Phil had summoned the Legendary Laurel sword in front of him. Both metals against metal clashed upon each other, but the most surprising thing about it was that Phil’s sword was slowly cutting through Elcro’s sword.

“This is not possible!” Elcro shouted out in complete dismay.

“What isn’t? That I am more powerful than you or that this sword is going to cut off your head now!”

“How could you have the Legendary Sword of Laurel? This is preposterous!” The sword that was being chopped up in half finally broke. A large metal piece flew across open space and embedded itself into the ground. Elcro stare in complete disbelief.

“Now, with this done. Leave.” Phil kept the blade at the tip of Elcro’s throat.

“So, it's true,” Elcro growled under his breath. “The dragon slayer of darkness is born anew.” He spat.

“Huh?” I couldn’t help but catch Elcro’s words. Dragonslayer of Darkness? What did he know about all this, or was the Legendary Sword not supposed to fall into Phil’s hands? Then again, I wasn’t the one that ‘gave’ him the sword, making it a lot more complicated.

“How could an elf-like you hold the sword that only humans can hold? The better question is, why are you needed now? You elves don’t live past two thousand years, compared to the Divine that lives five thousand years it's too early.”

“Well, for starters, I’ll be using it to slay you if you keep being rude. Plus, I am half-human.”

Elcro frowned when he heard that he was half. “So that explains why Laurel listens to you, but still.” He turned his head towards me as the blood dripped down his neck. He didn’t look at the small cut. “Why did you pick him?”

“I didn’t.” I flatly denied. “The sword chose him.”

With a grim expression, he glanced towards Phil. “This is an ill omen.” The cold and angry air around Elcro was gone, but instead, worry seemed to replace him. The combative nature that Elcro had was no more, but even still, Phil didn’t put away his sword.

“I can’t take any more of this today.” I sighed. My stomach was growling, telling me to feed now. “Coco, can you tell Tart to get all of us something to eat?”

“Yes, young mistress. I will get it done.” Coco, who has been quietly watching the whole ordeal before her, quickly left to get the food ready.

The beating hot sun made me want to crawl back into the castle and sit under a shade. Standing any longer made me feel a bit toasted and sweaty.

“Let’s go.” I turned around to enter.

“You’re letting him in?” Phil cried out in displeasure. “This bastard?”

I sighed. “Look, right now, My brain is overloaded. I’m hungry, and this bastard will still follow me around even if I say no.”

“You could still kick him out of this castle.”

“I could, but that would be impolite to my guest. I need answers, Phil. I don’t want to go around chasing him for months again. This is the best time to use this to our advantage.”

Phil didn’t say anything, and he understood exactly what I was talking about. Elcro gave Phil a smirk that was on the borderline of a smile and happiness. He put away Laurel and frowned at what I had just said.

Both of them followed behind me as we made our way towards the dining room. The double doors were opened up by Moca and a couple of butlers. They bowed when we entered through.

“Are they monsters?” Elcro voiced out his opinion in surprise when he saw Moca and the rest.

“Yes, but please don’t say it like that to my friends. They are shapeshifters, and they are more human than monsters.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend. It’s just very unusual to see such high-level monsters being able to change into a human, but to see so many in one place….it’s quite formidable.”

“Really? I don’t think so.” Maybe I got used to their presence that it didn’t affect me, but lately, visitors who did come by did seem to be a lot more wary around them.

We sat down. The plates, silverware, and napkins were already out on the table to be used. I sat on my usual spot at the edge, while the other two sat across from each other. They were glaring at one another, giving off sparks.

“So then, why are you really here, Elcro?” I spoke.

“What do you mean? The king had decreed for me to stay and protect you. I was given the task to find you and bring you home.”

I stare at him. He gave a fluid speech that made sense, but I got the feeling they were more. Maybe one could say it was my womanly instincts?

Elcro gave me a gentle but kind smile, almost fatherly. “I don’t have any other motive, Berry. I have told you like last time, I am here to protect you. I see you as my own daughter. I had watched over you since you were little.”

“I have another father…” I whispered under my breath. People from my biological to non-biological keep appearing out of thin air. At this rate, I might even have more brothers and sisters somewhere. Having no family except my adopted grandmother back on earth was a lot already. Suddenly being tossed into having a large family in this world was a bit too much for me. I think I have enough, thank you very much.

“Um…if you don’t mind asking. How old are you?”

“One thousand thirty-seven years old.” Elcro didn’t seem to be embarrassed about his age and instead seemed proud of it.

My cheeks twitched when I heard such an age. He’s way past being a grandfather, the best word would be an ancient, though his whole face and body didn’t seem to change of a twenty-one-year-old. It was just too weird. The youthfulness of these people is quite astounding.

From beautiful shape-shifting monsters to drop-dead gorgeous Divine and Elves of both genders, one could say this world is paradise, but in my opinion, this place could be a devil’s trap for all I know.

“We live longer. Your father is three thousand forty-two years old and your mother.”

“Over Six thousand,” I replied.

“No, she died when she was five thousand nine hundred seventy-three years old.”

Wow….my supposed biological mother is over five thousand. I don’t know if I should be any more surprised. I did remember hearing that the dragon maiden will live up to six thousand years in age.

“Do I have any siblings? I do remember hearing that I was the only daughter.”

“No. You were the only child.”

“I see.” I was glad that I didn’t have any more biological brothers or sisters, too many things were going on, and having new relatives was a spinning headache.

Moca opened the door, and Tart came in, pushing in the cart. I could smell something really delicious coming from the cart. Tart stopped and started to take out the food.

“Young miss, today for late lunch we have roasted chicken with garlic bread. Sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes with green beans and salad.”

“Thank you, Tart.” I happily replied.

Moca served each of us a delicious plate, and I started to chow down with vigorous hunger. Using my brain too much has caused me to use up all my calories because I didn’t care how I looked right now while I was eating.

“I am curious, though. Is it normal for a Divine to be so….emotionless?”

“You’re talking about your father.”

“Yes…you and the king seem to have a wide range of emotions, but even still, the king only showed a few ranges of emotions. Most of his expression was either slightly happy or dead.”

“That is a natural expression of a Divine. When one gets older, we become more distant with our emotions. The younger we are, the more vibrant our emotions, though your mother was a different story.”

“What was my mother like?”

“She had a warm heart, a charming smile, and was colorful. Every day her laughter would pick up the souls of the weary soldiers and even the elderly. No one could say that she didn’t bring color to one’s life.”

His words made me wonder what my mom was like when she was alive. Even though I have a colorful imagination in my mind, it still wasn’t enough to bring out her true personality. I could tell that the look on Elcro face was filled with love. Something that you don’t see very often. His eyes were distant and foggy, but the smile quickly disappeared.

“Though her sister killed her out of spite.”

“I thought the king stated that it was out of love.”

“It was. Out of love for your father. You can say both sisters loved the same man.”

Wow….my father is seriously some kind of lady killer. I mean to have two in the palm of his hands. Now it made me wonder if the so-called father had some kind of fling with her. That’s the only answer that I had for something like this. There was quite a bit of drama from my past life that I used to watch. This was one of those possible stories.

“Did my father love my mother?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then how about her sister.”

“That one is a bit difficult to answer.”

“So you're saying this whole time she did it out of jealousy and spite.”

“There is that possibility, but your father hadn’t said anything.”

“He’s quite a player, isn’t he.” I know the words that came out of my mouth were harsh, but I felt the truth.

“I wouldn’t say that. He is a very honorable man and had served the king with great utmost valor.”

“Though it seems like he has trouble with women.”

Elcro didn’t say anything more about it and stayed silent. We continued eating, not saying anything more. I enjoyed the temporary peace that we had.

“Berry!” A distance voice was getting louder and louder, echoing in the castle. The thundering footsteps finally appeared in front of us. Don was breathlessly tired from the rush.

“Tart?” I asked. I could tell something was seriously wrong.

“We got in trouble!”

“Such as?”

“The Dragon Kingdom is making their move! All three major generals and their armies are heading towards this city!”

“What?!” I stood up in alarm. What the heck are the three human generals doing coming here for? “How far away?”

“In three days, the first batch of armies will arrive, then the second will come a week later, and finally, the third will arrive in under three weeks.”

“What is going on? Why so many?!”

“People are saying that the Black Gryphon is here in our city. They’re getting ready for a counter-attack to chase the Black Gryphon away!”

I swore in my head. I should’ve known the children of the Black Gryphon would bring trouble, and if they made their way inside the city walls, that means that there is a chance that the Black Gryphon himself had made it in. This was genuinely troubling. Fighting against the whole Dragon Kingdom itself was nearly impossible with the amount of forces that we have.

“Black Gryphon? How is that possible?”

I quickly fessed up. “I met the Black Gryphon’s children yesterday.”

“What? Why didn’t you say anything?” Phil shouted, dumbstruck at my outburst.

“Look, I didn’t have time, and too many things have been going on these past couple days. I don’t know about you, but I was attacked by them and suddenly had a visitation from the Divine King, now the possible invasion of the Dragon Kingdom. Yea, that’s quite a lot on my plate here.”

“I’m sorry, but who are the Black Gryphon's children?”

“Crow and Raven.”

“Wait, those two? I didn’t expect them to be the ones. They were quiet this whole time.”

“Why did they come here?”

“To kill me.”

Phil swore. “How did they get in?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t figured out that part yet.”

“This is bad. Really bad.” Phil got up, “I’ll get the rest ready to be on standby. Stay here, Berry.” He left before he ate all his food.

“This is quite a predicament, don’t you think?”

“No. This is a never-ending nightmare.” I sighed and slouched back onto the chair, feeling defeated. One too many things to deal with, and I am already tired.