We began to disembark. I was the first one to move out, next was the mysterious woman, and lastly the Mage. We followed the light coming towards the grand staircase. This place is as intricate as the last place I visited. The walls and staircase are filled with symbols and figures. We climb, and climb, and climb up. There are so many... stairs, it’s like a maze inside.

** gasp **

There’s a Golem not far away and it’s looking directly at us.

** tick tick tick tick **

The metal gears rattled inside just like the first one we encountered. We all stopped for a moment. The Mage closed his mouth with her two hands and went behind me. This Mage! You should grab your staff and start shooting! Oh wait, she doesn’t have it anymore.

The mysterious woman walks forward ignoring the Golem standing there. The Golem looked away and returned to his patrol route, we trotted ourselves next to the mysterious woman. I and the Mage remained on guard, who knows when it will attack.

There’s a large door in front of us. She just stands there, it seems I have to open it. The Mage and I tried to open the two doors, but we failed. So I looked up to her and I thought she might do something. I could hear something approaching behind the door.

** don **

I heard some screeching of metal for a moment and the door opened sideways. That was awkward, we’ve been pushing and pulling the door for half an hour. I felt embarrassed, I hope the Mage doesn't look at me like an idiot in command.

I noticed something, why are we heading to an empty room? She just entered it and stood facing us. I’ll try to follow along. The door closes. Soon after, the room abruptly moved upward. I started to feel dizzy, my head hurts. I cling beside the handrail attached to the wall, so this is the purpose of it? Amazing.

After the long ride, we came out to a place that seemed to be the home of an aristocrat. The flooring is made out of black and white tile, The furniture here looks antique, and most of all it doesn’t have any windows. The place is awfully silent, all I can hear is our footsteps. She stands to the wall once again. The wall opened, gears started spinning like it's pulling a heavy object, ticking like a rubber band that is about to snap. The yellow light fades away.

A sudden gust of wind blows towards us. I raised my arms to my head to fight off the wind. I narrow my eyes as the flash of light shines brightly. The mysterious woman beside us didn’t even flinch, she proceeded to walk outside. It seems we’re partly below the ground of the Kingdom of Arcadia. There’s a stair that leads above. I walk slowly while holding the railing. I don't wanna fall now after getting out.

--

I finally made it out alive and in one piece!

I glance at the mysterious woman, she doesn’t want to take her eyes away from him. I check on the Mage behind me, she’s smiling and tears are coming out from her eyes, she really has the talent at crying.

“M-m-m-mo… Monster!”

“There’s a monster!”

“Run away everyone!”

I look back in front of us. We seem to be in a vast garden. Gardeners were running away from us, some didn’t manage to move, some raised their pitch fork. The woman near us peed on the ground and fainted.

The Mage hid behind me.

Several soldiers came out, they unsheath their swords after seeing us. Behind them are archers preparing their bow and arrow.

“State your name and answer why you trespass the Holy Garden of the Church of Gaia!”

The leader of the soldiers shouted those words at me. 5 meters away from us, we are partially surrounded. Some of the soldiers are shaking seeing the mysterious woman beside me. Most of the weapons are pointed against her.

“I’m princess Sora Alexandria, daughter of King Hiroshi Alexandria the 130th Ruler of the Kingdom of Arcadia. I’m commonly known as the Hero.”

The soldiers are puzzled from hearing those words and look at each other.

“She looks to be the missing daughter of the King.”

The soldier said it to the leader. Missing? I’m confused.

The leader looked back at me with doubt, checking me from head to toe.

“The details about you matched. Lay down your weapons, men.”

They sheathed their swords and the archers from behind turned down their aim but they remained on guard.

“Princess Sora, we apologize for our actions recently and the fact that we weren’t able to recognize you right away.”

The leader bowed his head in front of me, his subordinates followed.

“It’s alright… Recently you said I was the missing daughter of the King?”

“Yes, princess. You’ve been missing for over a month already.”

“A month?! But I feel like we’ve been staying there for less than two weeks already.”

I look at the Mage hiding behind me, she raises her shoulder - making an I don’t know gesture.

While I was worrying, I saw most of the soldiers glancing at the mysterious woman beside me.

“Order your men not to look at her.”

I said it to the leader of the soldiers. The soldier quickly turned away their gazes. She might get mad if they don’t stop looking at her.

“I apologize, princess. I’ll stop them next time.”

“It’s okay, we’ll worry about that later. Can you provide us a carriage enough for her to ride?”

The Church of Gaia is one of the powerhouse of the Kingdom of Arcadia, they could deny my request at any moment since I’m just a princess, but I’ll try my luck here.

“I’ll ask my superior. Please wait over there under the tree... We would love to bring you to the church for you to rest but...”

While scratching his left temple, he took a glance at the woman beside me. I quickly understood what he’s trying to say.

“I understand, we’ll wait for you over there, thank you.”

The leader bowed and went back along with his subordinates. The gardeners carried their co-workers who were unable to move back to their place. Two guards remained and escorted us towards the large tree. There’s a stone bench under the tree. It’s enough for three people but it’s not enough if the mysterious woman sat there.

“Please sit here.”

I offered the entire seat to her. I’ll just sit on the grass. After saying those words, the soldiers were baffled.

She sat on the stone bench, her eyes remained on the Demon King’s body. That body will start to melt if you keep looking at him like that... Unless she’s trying to win a staring contest.

“What is it, Hero-sama?”

The Mage sitting next to me got curious after seeing me giggled.

“Nothing… I’m just glad we made it out alive.”

She smiled in response.

Looking at the Mage’s appearance, her face is full of dirt and blood from the knight’s body remains, her gloves are worn out, and her robes are tattered.

I look at myself. I got wounds and scrapes all over my body, parts of my armor are lost or damaged, and I wonder what my face looks like right now.

“They’re here, princess.”

One of the guards said it to me. I looked at where he was gazing at. I saw the leader of the soldiers waving at me.

“My superior has prepared a covered wagon for you. Please come with us, we will escort you there.”

“Thank you, I will not forget your kindness towards me.”

While we were walking in the garden, he said his name to us. His name was Jack Wright, a Vice Captain tasked to protect the Holy Garden of Gaia. He apologized again for not stating his name earlier because he doubted that I’m the real princess. An honest person and a humble one, though he’s not the right man for the job.

After I went missing in action, Jack told me only three men managed to come out alive from the catacombs, that was a week ago. The King was devastated after hearing those words from the survivors.

Right now, a search party is being created to look out for me. It got delayed several times due to political strife after I went missing. Must be the Financial Advisor’s doing.

The border of the Holy Garden is surrounded by towering walls. Near the gate, our wagon is waiting for us.

--

In the far west of the globe, inside the coffee shop, there’s a man sitting in the corner of the room staring at the window.

“Here’s your coffee.”

“Ah.. Thank you very much.”

“... May I?”

“Sure.”

The man sitting in the corner nodded.

A man in butler outfit, grey hair, and a monocle in his right eye; pull a seat and sat in front of the man in the corner. At this time of the night, only the two of them remain in the coffee shop. At this hour, the people of this town are already asleep, the only one you could see outside are the guards patrolling the area.

He gazes at the two moons outside.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?”

The man wearing glasses in the corner said those words calmly.

“Indeed and it will always be beautiful...”

The butler agreed.

“Master once told me that the blue moon is barren while the white moon is actually a planet.”

He looked at his coffee and took a sip.

“Mmmm… How so? Even though your eyes could see far away.”

“It’s true that I could see the very edge of the world just by sitting here, so long as the sun could see it… But I couldn’t see what’s up there, I already tried it once.”

“Now that you mentioned it, I wonder what’s the current state of the Kingdom of Arcadia. It’s already midday on the other side right?”

The butler took a sip of his coffee and looked outside the window.

“Indeed. Let me check for a while.”

Magical circles started to appear in his eyes. His eyes randomly shifted several times searching for something.

The man in the corner’s vision changed.

He saw a neo-gothic castle, towering up to a thousand meter. He saw the town square - people there were lively chatting and trading with each other but he couldn’t hear their voices, just visions.

“What do you see?”

“Same as before, but this time the Kingdom of Arcadia is flying lower than before.”

“Those humans, they never stopped taking the remaining energy of the Kingdom. It was supposed to keep it flying for another two thousand years.”

The butler shook his head in disappointment as he said those words.

“I agree. A month ago, a leak came out from their researchers, they said it won’t last for another century.”

“Those neighboring nations would gladly take over the Kingdom after it falls to the ground.”

“... Looks like they are up to something again.”

The man in the corner’s eyes furrowed as he saw something peculiar in his vision on the other side of the world.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“I see two carriages and a covered wagon between them. And there are seventy military men walking alongside them.”

“What’s wrong about that? They might be another royal flaunting their wealth to the commoners.”

“No…”

The man in the corner shook his head. The magic circles on his eye made a zoom effect. He crossed his arms and focused.

“They went inside the palace grounds. There are no more than two hundred dark knights waiting in front of the carriages.”

“That really sounds peculiar. That never happened before.”

The butler took a sip and looked back to the window.

“Indeed, they wouldn’t dare to put a large number of dark knights in one place.”

The man in the corner’s brows went up, his mouth agape.

“Fr-Freya-sama…”

“?... Freya-sama? What’s wrong, Miros-dono.”

The butler tilted his head in confusion.

“Bell-sama!”

Miros abruptly stood up, hitting the table. Miros’ cup falls to the ground and breaks. The butler managed to catch his coffee but it eventually spilled to his chest down to his thighs.

“Anitos, Freya-sama is carrying Bell-sama’s lifeless body!”

Miros saw the entire revelation unravel in his vision.

“I-I don’t get it. Why… Anitos, come with me, I’ll pack my things and head there myself!”

Anitos nodded in agreement. The magical circles on Miros' eyes faded and he looked at Anitos.

“I’ll immediately prepare the necessary supplies for the trip.”

Said the butler.

There are several transport methods to get there - It would take eight months by riding a horse, three months by riding a dragon, and less than a month if they pass through the underworld.