Francesca and Vlad met every day in that wood and there they trained together, trying to overcome all their limits. As long as they continued to train intensely, they would surely have achieved stellar results.

At first, the young Princess had kept her identity a secret, fearing to scare her new friend. But, after finally seeing her face, Vlad had done nothing but laugh and shrug.

"The Princess? Pffff, and did you think you frightened me? All these recommendations about not frightening me and impressing me ... I imagined that at least a devil would emerge from under that mask!

"Aren't you ... scared?" Francesca had asked, her voice trembling and astonished.

"Scared? Why should I be scared? A hero doesn't have to fear neither King nor Emperors, because he alone is the master of his life and the world!"

And Francesca felt relieved after this answer, but she also thought that Vlad was still too naive and ignorant. Only later did she realize that Vlad's words were much heavier than she had imagined and that she was beginning to take an interest in that boaster.

That Archer's talent was probably the most incredible thing she had ever seen in her entire life.

Once Francesca had asked her father what were the limits of a warrior before he reached the First Phase. Well, Vlad was absolutely above all these limits, and by far!

With the excuse of training with him to become as strong as possible and prepare for the entrance test of the Royal Academy, the young Princess had spent two years almost always by his side.

They met in the woods every morning, had lunch together and trained until late afternoon. Every day Francesca listened - obviously pretending disinterest - to the young man's extravagances. Vlad had already stated that not only would he become stronger than Aure and Cesar, but he would also conquer the whole continent someday. He would subdue all populations and unite Goblins and Humans.

Francesca laughed and laughed, without believing him much. But if at first she had taken his words as nonsense of his immaturity, she had slowly begun to accept them. She didn't even know how it happened: yet, one day she realized she believed in Vlad, she really believed that he would make it!

And so, between a workout and a daydream, Vlad and Francesca fell in love.

Three years had passed since their first meeting and the two kids had grown up. Both were now close to taking the admission test for the Royal Academy. Their dreams were still a long way from being realized, but they had worked hard every day to take at least one step forward and, step by step, they had come a long way along their path. One next to the other.

Vlad watched Francesca continue slashing at the trees, decapitating the branches one by one, with enviable precision. Meanwhile, he darted between the trunks bare-chested, his scarlet hair dancing in the air. A series of arrows left the bow at a surprising speed. It was impossible to discern the exact moment when they released the rope, but they immediately buried themselves inside the logs around him.

The boy kept increasing his speed, trying to overcome all his limits.

At one point Francesca stopped and sat down on the lawn, breathing deeply. Her mood was bad, an austere air hovered around her face and fatigue was making itself felt more than usual.

Vlad noticed that the girl had stopped training and approached her, also sitting on the lawn and hugging her tenderly. But Francesca did not return his embrace, she remained inert, with her head elsewhere; there was no trace of her usual vivacity in any corner of her dull eyes. The Half Goblin had known since that morning that something was wrong.

"Vlad," said Francesca, burying her face in the hollow between his shoulder and collarbone.

Vlad tightened his grip on Francesca's shoulders, suddenly feeling a lump in his throat.

The birds had stopped singing and there was an eerie silence. A light drizzle enveloped them, lightly wetting their clothes. The silence went on for several minutes, while they were immersed in the most absolute stillness, broken sporadically by the thunder or lightning.

Francesca raised her face, framed by wet hair.

"I don't know if you've heard of the latest conflicts between the Clan of the Holy Eagle and the Sect of the Worthy ..." her words were no more than a whisper, as she tried to ward off all the tears. She had promised herself that she would be strong, that she wouldn't cry. For once, she had promised herself, she would be a princess.

Vlad nodded slowly, intimidated to the point of not even opening his mouth to answer.

The great hero Vlad was now silent, motionless. He felt as if the dearest thing in the world was about to be ripped from under his nose.

Francesca inhaled deeply: "Auras and other bigwigs of Orma have begun to criticize my father. There is a tension never seen before within Orma. My personal guards have told me that sooner or later it might even come to a civil war, in case the relations are not healed. I think it is an exaggeration, but I fear that one day the Goblins will not be as united as before ... "

Francesca's words left Vlad slightly confused.

"When I become the strongest on the continent, I will be the one to unify-"

Francesca suddenly shook her head, staring into his eyes: "No Vlad, I can't wait, I can't believe you. If you don't succeed, if you fail to keep the promises of a child who has never left Orma, the whole capital would risk ending. in pieces!"

The princess of Orma broke away from him and stood up.

"There is no one who can stand up to me!" Vlad retorted, wounded in pride.

"You're not even in the First Phase! How can you claim the right to say such a thing, not to think about all the families, men, women and children that are involved! Ours are just silly kids' games!"

Francesca stamped her feet on the ground, furious. He had hoped things could get better, but that was an argument that would have to be addressed sooner or later.

"I can't count on you! I can't count on my father, who keeps telling everyone that everything is fine! Orma is heading to a crisis. Without the support of the Sect of the Worthy, how will we be able to fight wars in the future ?! I decided to take on the responsibilities I've been running away from for too many years. "

In Francesca's eyes appeared a resolution never seen before except in training. But this time there was something more. Her eyes possessed a strange dignity.

The dignity of a true Princess, Vlad thought.

"We have to get close and fight together, I can't allow Orma to be divided", now Francesca's tone was less furious and more solemn, "so I officially declared that I will marry Comodo to bring an unprecedented union within the walls of the capital. This way,the Clan of the Sacred Eagle and Sect of the Worthy will be united again for the next few centuries! "

Vlad's hair trembled even in the now incessant rain. A scarlet Aura enveloped the boy's body.

Francesca was disconcerted. For a person who had yet to reach the First Phase, summoning his Aura was a feat worthy of praise even from an Immortal. But admiration was overwhelmed by the feeling of anger and fury that now surrounded Vlad. It looked like he was about to explode.

Francesca was already ready to calmly answer Vlad's umpteenth crazy statement, like: "I'll challenge Comodo to the death for your hand, as true heroes do!", "Only death can separate me from you!" , "Nobody can get in the way of a hero and nobody can get between you and me. A hero knows no defeat, only victories!"

He felt it within himself, these were the young man's words. As silly at times, she couldn't help but admire his energic personality, his endless and non-stop training. She knew she would have to reject him with all her might, fight to keep Vlad from committing follies. Maybe, even if she didn't want to admit it, she was hoping that, somehow, Vlad could convince her that she had made a mistake. He hoped that he would take her away, that he would kidnap her and force all of Orma to unify, like it or not.

Still, things did not go that way.

Vlad remained silent, got up, turned on his heels and took five steps in the opposite direction.

After he stopped, he uttered some cruel, terrible words, words that Francesca would carry etched in his mind forever, until the day of his death: "My love for you is so strong that it could allow me to bend even the sun itself, to make its rays venerate only you in the whole universe. If before I wanted to become a hero for myself, then I wanted to be only for you. I became stronger looking at you, who were much weaker. A hero is able to feel the greatest love among loves. But I am no longer a hero, because if love can allow me to move the sun for you, if I have no reason to love, then I can also chain myself to a common life, without strength and in constant precariousness. So much your love has given me and so much it takes away from me, so that today I am no longer a hero and never will be, until the day when you can give me the same love that would have allowed me. to bend fate to your will. "

If Francesca had given her heart, even just a piece, to Vlad's dream ... He had spent everything to dream his future first, theirs later. But Francesca had abandoned him, she had denied him the confidence he would need to move the sun and all the stars in the firmament.

If Francesca had managed to love him to the end, Vlad would have been invincible. Still, she had chosen to indulge in the coils of fear, terror and paranoia.

Love overcomes everything, but only if we give in to it.

Vlad left behind only a few scarlet tears and Francesca, motionless in the incessant rain. It was the first time he had left her. It would also be the last.