For the second time, Keylan read the letter again carefully. No matter how many times he reread it, the contents remained unchanged. The tense look on his face didn't change. Then, he tried to bring the letter close to the candle on the table. Miraculously, the letter in his hand didn't burn even though the fire had licked the sheet of paper.
The Elvian army unit uses special paper that cannot be burned or torn. The point was to avoid sending fake messages between military divisions, which would result in misinformation. If the message you get couldn't be burned or torn up, it was certain that it was real. In addition, the sender of messages knowingly provokes misinformation would be severely punished. For this reason, Prince Keylan didn't believe anyone would dare to joke around by sending fake messages.
To clear his doubts once more, he took his Viglet wand from his desk drawer and pointed it at the letter.
"Faravious!" said the man softly.
The small piece of undamaged paper was now burnt to the ground by the blue flames that appeared after chanting the incantation. The paper wasn't incorruptible. Only a spell mastered by a few people could burn it until nothing remains. Thus, Prince Keylan believed that the contents of the letter were genuine.
His face grew pale, and all his energy seemed sucked out until he could not support his body. He almost fell if only the young man carrying the message didn't catch his superior's body. The man slowly helped Keylan sit on the sofa in the middle of the room.
"What should we do, Your Highness?" asked the man worriedly.
Keylan, who looked shaken, was initially unaware of the words of the young man beside him. After gaining complete control over consciousness, he turned to the messenger.
"Quick, ring the red code over the village! I want a battalion ready to move into Arnest City in fifteen minutes. Then order the officers to come here," Keylan muttered in a low voice.
"Yes, Sir!" the young man stood up straight while saluting, placing his right hand on his left chest while bowing. After that, he immediately ran out of the corridor at full speed.
The sound of footsteps slowly disappeared, indicating that the young man carrying the message was far from Keylan's room. The Third Prince of the West Elvian Empire sat down listlessly as he lowered his head and held his head.
He still clearly remembered telling Anggi about the location of the Spirit Crystal when he was in the Viar City library. It was simply to help the mixed girl to achieve her dream. Besides information about the location, Keylan knew nothing about Spirit Crystals. He didn't know how to get it, its original form, or its effects. He never knew anything other than that. The royal family members were only told about the original history and location of the spirit crystals, nothing more.
He never thought that telling Anggi about the existence of the spirit crystal would result in the death of hundreds of his people and awaken an ancient mythical monster. However, he didn't want to blame Anggi. The man hoped this was all just a mistake.
"Is this all my fault?" he said to himself.
***
From a darkness-filled subconscious, my ears caught a faint voice calling my name. Though, I think this dark place was my final resting place. But the voices were calling out louder as if this soul was being sucked in by their firm faith.
As I open my eyes, I see billions of stars spread across the night sky and the thick leaves of the Hanarusa trees. I needed to blink my eyelids repeatedly to brighten my blurry vision. Then, I found a familiar face I had not seen for a long time. At first, I didn't believe in his existence. But I couldn't mistake my own friend who has unique characteristics.
"Kak Indra?" I said softly when I saw his distinctive bald patch. I tried to raise my upper body, but suddenly, pain spread from my spine to my entire body. I immediately groaned in pain.
"Don't get up yet! Your body is still weak!" the man insisted.
Even though we haven't seen each other in almost half a year, his firm voice hasn't lost one bit. Right now, he looked more manly than I knew with his elegant knight armor.
Ah, suddenly I remember! Earlier, Dimas and I were fighting a giant owl monster. We both managed to give it a pretty deep cut in his eye. After that, the monster went out of control and managed to break through the dungeon's ceiling. I didn't know where it ran. I didn't pay attention. Because at the same time, the entire room suddenly collapsed.
I should have been crushed to death by the rocks and rubble at the bottom of the room. But why am I safe now and on the ground? Was it Brother Indra who saved me from there?
A second later, I remembered one important thing.
"Dimas! Where's Dimas?" I screamed as I tried to get up once again. But again, the pain all over my body stopped me. "Ouch!"
"Idiot! I told you to just lie down. You still want to live, don't you!?" shouted Indra in a loud voice that boomed in my eardrums. "Relax! Dimas is right next to you. You can see for yourself!"
I threw a glance, following the direction of the burly man's forefinger. About five meters to my left, Dimas was leaning against the roots of the Giant Hanarusa tree. His face looked like he was in pain. His hands and body were wrapped in bandages. I could also see Shella wrapping a bandage on Dimas' shoulder. Also, the figure of Erik who was standing next to him.
"Yo, long time no see! It looks like you're still as stupid as I remember!" exclaimed Erik, who was also dressed in a typical royal military uniform. Even though he has been in this world for almost a year, his Javanese local accent has not disappeared.
"What brings you guys here?" I asked Erik and Indra.
"Don't even think about it! What's more important is to restore your energy first. We will leave here as soon as you can stand alone."
I couldn't help but follow his order because that was the most logical thing to do for now. My whole body ached as if every joint could fall apart at any time. Luckily, I was still intact, not missing a single finger. It was amazing to escape from under the rubble completely unscathed. If it only hurts like this, I think my body will be able to move within the next half hour.
I glanced at Dimas. His wound didn't look bad, only a few abrasions. It seemed he could also stand up on his own in minutes.
During the break, I asked what made Indra and Erik pursue us to Elvian territory. I also didn't forget to thank him for warning us through his letter. Otherwise, I might have been caught by the Knights of Lurivia. One ridiculous prejudice popped up in my head. Namely, the two of them had come to arrest me themselves.
But I quickly let it slide because I was sure they weren't the type of people who would sell their friends. Moreover, they had previously warned me to run away and saved me from the ruins. So, I threw that crazy idea away.
When I asked about this, Indra told me he and Erik had decided to leave the knighthood and join us on our journey. So they were slipping away when the Elite Knights unit arrived in Glafelden. Again, I was touched by his action. I felt grateful to have a fellow who cared so much.
But there was something that bothered me a little. For some reason, when telling the stories, Indra always looked in the same direction, namely the direction of Arnest City. But I felt something strange. I could see a bright red glow over the city sky. Something I didn't find when I spent the night there yesterday. Were they having a festival?
"Hey Anggi!" called Indra, who had not taken his eyes off the city. But now he glanced at me. "Do you know anything about that giant bird monster?"
In an instant, a feeling of horror immediately took over my mind.