Anger swelled inside Zachariel when he heard that Amelia was kidnapped. His indifferent expression suddenly changed.

He grabbed Luiz by his shirt's collar, "Damn it, Luiz. How the fuck did that happen?!", bellowing in front of the small guy.

Luiz was shocked to see Zachariel in an angered state apart from the usual indifference he would display to them.

`His eyes! They're so frightening to look at!`

"Tell me, you fucking bastard! Who took her? And why did they do it?!"

Zachariel's shout caught the attention of people nearby.

"I-I don't know! Sabrina and Amelia were together at the back when Sabrina suddenly realized Amelia was no longer by her side.", Luiz stuttered as he replied to Zachariel.

"We've already asked for help from the Imperium guards but they didn't find anything suspicious…"

"Bullshit! Of course, they wouldn't find anything suspicious because they're useless!"

Zachariel threw Luiz and rushed to a grook gathering point. Luiz went after him but he was too fast.

"Hey, doesn't that young boy look like the one displayed yesterday?"

"I didn't notice that, but yeah, you're absolutely right."

"They said something about kidnap or something. Are they referring to that girl he was with yesterday?"

"Hey, don't tell me she was kidnapped?"

"And by the royal family?"

Their discussion intensified and their imagination went wild.

"Hey, you over there! What are you talking all about?", an Imperium guard noticed them.

"Disperse! Let's disperse!"

The group dispersed but the guards followed them.

…

Zachariel arrived at the grook gathering point and rode one of the bigger ones. He set the destination to the northeast entrance and took off.

`I hope I'm not too late! Amelia, your brother's going to save you!`

Zachariel didn't want to fail on his promise of protecting her this time.

The grook felt his emotion and flew as fast as it could, reaching the entrance in less than a minute.

Zachariel hopped off and used shadow steps and wind walk to traverse through the area swiftly.

"Excuse me…"

He shoved off people everywhere he went, trying to catch a glimpse of Amelia's figure.

`Not here.`

He looked again.

`Not here!`

And looked again.

`Shit, they must've exited already!`

He ran outside.

`Please, still be here!`

His heart raced and a feeling of anxiety hit him hard. He went from places to places, asking people about Amelia.

Unfortunately, the people only shook their heads or shrug in ignorance. As the negative responses piled up, desperation grew in his heart.

`No, no, no. Please, this is not happening! This is not happening!`

He started to invade any kind of room he thought that Amelia was being held captive.

'Bang!'

He entered a room in a brothel where two people were having sexual intercourse.

They were flabbergasted to see Zachariel. The woman covered herself using the bedsheets.

"Hey, brat! What do you think you're doing here? Get the fuck out!"

`Tsk! She's not here either! Fuck!`

Zachariel left without saying a word.

"What the fuck was that all about?"

…

The people called out the Imperium guards because of his reckless behavior.

"Look, there he is! Catch him!"

Zachariel entered a seclusive alley and covered himself in darkness.

'Thud! Thud!'

The Imperium guards arrived.

"Look in the corners. He's here, I know it!", the leading guard ordered.

{Note: Leader guard not necessarily at captain-level}

"Sir, doesn't that boy look a little familiar?"

"What are you talking about, Irvet?"

"If I remember, he should be that little boy yesterday in the public broadcast!"

The leader caught wind of it and realized that what his subordinate said was true. A wide smirk formed in his eyes.

"Hey, all of you, listen! We're going to catch this little brat no matter what it costs!"

His subordinates were confused but they followed his orders.

"Come out, little brother. Big brother's here to talk to you. Come out now, don't be afraid!"

The leader poked his sword here and there.

Zachariel laid on the ground near where the leader was.

`Wanting to catch me and offer me to that fucking Emperor? Dream on!`

His anger worsened.

`Instead of looking for my missing sister, you're here catching a victim instead!`

His eyes suddenly turned into a shade of dark green. Oblivious to the unnatural phenomenon, Zachariel started his assault.

'Dark Light! Shadow Steps!'

The Imperium guards were blinded.

"Fuck! Look for him!", the leader panicked.

'Whoosh!'

Before he could do anything, a hand touched his head.

He then heard someone whisper, "Reminesca Ivarhanis!"

{Don't bother looking for Google Translate. It's another language specific in this story.}

The leader's head pained to the point he passed out. Blood poured out of his head and his mouth gagged.

'Clang!'

The body fell on a metal pan.

"What's going on? Who's there?", an Imperium guard called out.

They all upped their guards, but Zachariel was too silent and quick for them to react to.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

"Shit! Spread out your mana essences! Feel him in this dark fucking alley!", one of the two remaining guards warned, but it was too late.

"Reminesca Ivrahanis."

One.

"No…"

The last guard fell. He was in disbelief that a kid like Zachariel held a mysterious power.

"Ah!", Zachariel knelt on the ground, vomiting blood.

His body was twitching all over and he succumbed to lightheadedness.

`I'm out of mana essence! I've overdone it!`

He breathed haggardly as if he was out of air, but his drowsiness only worsened.

"Amelia…", he muttered before passing out.

…

…

…

"Shit, get out! She's here!", a loud shout was heard followed by hurried footsteps.

Swords and something metal-like clashed.

'Cling! Cling!'

Suddenly, someone shrieked.

"Aaaahhhh! No, help meeee-kiyaaaaaaaa!!!"

Sounds of flesh being ruptured and severed resounded. One could imagine the horrors behind those noises.

Zachariel laid down on the cold stone floor on the same prison cell he woke up to a few dreams ago.

`Am I on those weird dreams again?`

His body felt heavy. The torches provided a faint illumination of the room he was in.

Zachariel stared at the floor for a while, reminiscing the events that transpired before he fell asleep.

`Amelia… she's gone. And my fault, out of all things.`

Sadness drowned his heart. He felt lost and could not think properly.

`Damn it… I'm still too weak, after all the things that happened in my body.`

Even though his body cultivated on its own, he didn't really know what was improved and how did it happen.

Did his muscles improve? Definitely, but how?

Did his mana cores improve? Definitely, but how?

With regards to his qi essence cultivation, he could only refer to the book he read before to guess in which stage he was in.

`I should be in the body nurturing stage.`

Yet he found it strange.

`It seems like it won't cultivate my organs for some reason. I guess I have to do it manually, huh?`

He struggled to get up.

`Zachariel, this is a ploy. A ploy for them to agitate me. Think this through. As long as Amelia is still here in this world, I can find her. And I will find her.`

"Where is he…"

The familiar words entered his ears.

`For now, let's deal with this.`

Zachariel leaned on the wall with his eyes closed, taking a few deep breaths.

"Where is he…"

'Shhhhh!'

The dark mist flowed over, carrying the howls of the wraiths. The torch's flames were put out, darkening the room.

"Rargh!"

'Boom!'

The ground and the ceiling trembled.

Zachariel rolled on the ground, thinking that the crazy woman had attacked him.

`Hmm? I thought she would attack me again.`

The room remained intact in his sight. He then remembered that there was another prisoner.

`Don't tell me she attacked that door in the other end?`

"Haferna, my love. I've missed you! Did you come to save me?", the voice carried a hint of relief.

"Nerval, do you think after all you have done, I would come here and save you? I'm here to kill you, you liar!", Haferna said with hatred.

Her voice was ghostly, echoing inside the prison.

Nerval gasped, "Haferna, it wasn't me! It was my father!", defending his innocence.

"Nerval, I trusted you once. Do you think I would trust you again?!"

"Yes! Because it wasn't me! I'm telling you the truth!", Nerval's voice cracked from begging.

"Shut up!"

Haferna's shout created a strong shockwave that cracked the wooden doors and stone walls.

Zachariel covered his ears, `What a destructive bellow!`

Nerval gritted his teeth, enduring the pain head-on.

"Haferna, listen to me…"

She ferociously swiped her long claws in the walls.

"You won't fool me again, Nerval! This time, I will kill you, and I will kill you all!"

"Raaaargghhh!"

"Grrrrrr!"

The wraiths roared simultaneously with her.

"Rahura gol das Abysno Fahida!"

The dark mist flowed vigorously towards Nerval. A panicked expression was plastered on his face.

`Shit, I'm about to die!`

A thought was passed through Zachariel.

`I can hear Nerval's thoughts?`

Amidst his stupor, Nerval's face dazed in a fraction of a second before the chains were destroyed and freed himself.

Zachariel noticed something else.

`Hmm? Those eyes. His eyes became green out of nowhere! Does Nerval and this crazy woman utilize the same power?`

Nerval lifted his right hand, pointing at the wall on the side, incantating, 'Darhesdava Ivarhanis!'

The wall boomed. Chunks of it flew for a few meters, crushing and killing those who were unlucky outside.

The people screamed in panic.

`Time to get out!`, Nerval thought.

He jumped out of his cell and was stupefied to see how high he was after jumping once.

`Wha-what the hell? Wasn't my highest vertical jump only a meter or so?`

'Thud!'

He difficultly landed back on the ground.

`Wait! I've been in the dark for too long! How come my eyes aren't hurt when exposed to sunlight!`

He turned around and saw a shocked expression on Haferna's face.

`Shit, to think I have the inheritance of a mystic arturist! Father didn't tell me anything about this!`

"Ha-Haferna, I can explain…", he stuttered.

"Explain? You told me you wouldn't expose my true identity! You told me you were just a simple knight from a kingdom! But now, what is this?!"

"Haferna, I didn't know at first-!"

"Shut up! You can speak the ancient xeno language! And you can even incantate and cast mystic arts! Nerval, you are really a man of deception and lies! I will never forgive you! I will never listen to you!"

She swore while facing the bright blue sky.

"Darhestofiya!"

Wisps of dark-green smoke flew out from the dark mist, emanating an aura of death and dread. It whooshed as they travel in the air towards the ground.

They then formed into humanoid figures, with a somewhat distinguishable physical characteristic.

Their heads first formed, then their upper body, then either a cloud of smoke down below or their lower half.

Some of them carried weapons made in the dark mist, while others were bare-handed. Once all of them gathered, they chanted, "Ordaheva Fel Huentafelia!", charging at Nerval with impeccable speed.

`She's not listening to me! I need to do something about this!`

The ground suddenly shook. Nerval heard the neighing and galloping of horses behind him.

"You damn witch! How dare you harm my beloved son?", a voice filled with rage shouted at Haferna.

Hundreds of silver and golden armored soldiers carrying weapons and shields followed. Some of them rode horses while the others ran.

Nerval turned around and saw them, "Fa-father!", he shouted.

The group went past Nerval.

King Naredar unsheathed his large sword and pointed towards Haferna, "Soldiers, charge!", commanding them.

"Yaaahhhh!!!"

The soldiers and wraiths charged against each other, bracing themselves for the clash.

'Cling clang!'

"Grrr!!"

"Die you damn ghosts!"

"Abominations! I will cleanse this land by purging your existence!"

Blood was spilled.

Weapons were cracked.

Limbs were severed.

The scenery became a nightmare for those who were inexperienced to see it.

`What is going on?`, Zachariel asked himself. It was his first time seeing people fight in large numbers.

The young boy stood there in a daze, his heart racing in fear that he might be the next one dying.

Nerval, on the other hand, was angered and sad at the same time.

"Father, stop it! I need you to stop it!", he cried out loud but his father didn't notice his pleas.

One guard tapped him on his shoulder, "Your Prince, you need to get out of here, fast! And now-!"

A wraith swung their mace and squashed the soldier's head to a pulp.

Nerval did not expect it and fell to the ground as a result.

"Darhes!", the wraith spoke, lifting its mace in an attempt to kill Nerval.

"No!", King Naredar shoved the wraith away with his greatsword and slashed at it to push it farther away.

"Father!"

"Son, are you okay?", King Naredar lent his hand to him. Nerval reached out to it and stood up.

The two men then hugged each other. King Naredar shed a tear, thinking his son would've died if he hadn't arrived on time.

They parted and Nerval said something to his father.

"Father, you have to stop this! Please, I want you to listen to me for once!"

"Nerval, you're the one who should listen to me! Look at what that witch has done to us!", King Naredar extended both his hands.

"She has killed our people! Our servants! Our animals! Thrashed on our grasses, cut our trees! Intruded our sacred places and destroyed the homes of many!", he shouted.

"You want me to forgive someone like that?"

Nerval didn't have anything to retort back. He gritted his teeth and lowered his face, fists tightly clenched.

"Huh? Watch out!", his father warned.

'Clang!'

Nerval was swept down back to the ground.

"You pest, get out of my way!", Haferna shouted, still surrounded by the dark mist while floating in the air.

She and King Naredar were currently at a stalemate.

"A witch like you dares to hurt my son? Die!", King Naredar forced himself and pushed her back.

The great sword was then swung at Haferna, whom retaliated with her long claws.

'Cling cling! Clang clang!'

The two clashed in the center of the battlefield, producing sparks now and then. Their bodies moved swiftly and agilely, not slower than the other.

Should a wraith or a soldier get in their way, they would either kill them or shove them back.

'Tsang! Clong!'

Their wounds piled up till they bled like hell. Still, the rage in their eyes didn't waver.

"I will kill you, and then your son! And then I will display your disgusting innards to the public!", Haferna proclaimed.

"You damn witch! You're the one who's going to die today!"

King Naredar thrusted his great sword towards Haferna.

Haferna swung both of her long claws towards King Naredar.

In the midst of their attacks, a figure suddenly slipped in the middle and received both of the attacks.

'Clak!'

The figure's stomach was pierced by King Naredar's greatsword, while his back was swiped by Haferna's long claws.

It was so deep that one could see the muscles and bones within.

"Uhugh!", the figure groaned, vomiting a huge amount of blood.

King Naredar's countenance fell.

"No! Nerval!"

He gasped seeing himself thrust his sword on his own son. His body quivered and sweated, disbelief present in his eyes.

"Father…", Nerval fell to the ground.

"Wha… What did I do?", King Naredar's voice lowered and stuttered, still stuck on the same pose.

Nerval looked up and saw a shocked Haferna, also in disbelief at what just happened.

"Why… why did you do that? Why did you take it?! Why are you so stupid?!"

Haferna asked nervously.

"Because… I love you… gragh! Always had… always… will…"

Those were Nerval's last words before his eyes closed.

Nobody knew whether he was dead or alive but after considering the wounds he obtained, he was surely dead.

Haferna held her head, "No… this can't be… It's impossible! He's a liar, he's a liar!", shaking it and forcing herself to believe that Nerval was still lying to her.

She knelt on the ground with her face close to him, "Nerval… you're not lying, aren't you? Wake up! Answer me!", holding his head with her shaking hands.

Unfortunately, Nerval didn't answer.

King Naredar had also knelt on the ground, weeping over the tragedy he committed.

"My son… what have I done… what have I done…"

He clenched his fists while holding the tears that poured out. King Naredar looked at Haferna, "You, it's because of you that he's dead! I will kill you! I will kill you!"

He stood up, hands shaking while holding the great sword.

"I will avenge my son today, and you bitch will die!"

"Shut up, you old bastard! You're the one who killed your own son! Die!", Haferna stood back up and bared her long claws.

King Naredar charged again, giving all of his strength to land the final strike against the witch.

"Die!"