It was the longest five hours of Princess Antilla's life. The whole time, negative thoughts kept plaguing her.
What if she was too late?
What if Aslot already tracked him down?
What if… she lost yet another family member?
The Royal Relic can sense those with high water affinities. If Axel got in the range of detection, Aslot would definitely come for him.
Anger flashed in Antilla's eyes. Aslot had already taken a lot from her. She couldn't lose Axel too.
Having Royal Relic and the Entity's power, Aslot is extremely strong right now. The whole Relic Wielder Division couldn't do anything to him. So, Antilla's fears were not unfounded.
'He's with Kyrin. He can protect him. The Black Ops is a strong division. They can handle themselves.' That's what she kept repeating to herself.
Though everything is happening because of Kyrin's recklessness, it is still a fact that she is capable. And very powerful. If anyone can protect Axel from Aslot, it would be Kyrin.
"We're almost there, Princess."
Antilla started upon hearing that. 'Is it finally time?!'
She quickly looked at the screen, and sure enough, tiny dots were visible on it, signifying the members of the Relic Wielder division.
Suddenly, an entirely different kind of thoughts began to Antilla's head. She was going to meet Axel, her only family!
Does he already know who she is? What is she going to say to him? Would he accept her? Would he forgive her for leaving him? And most importantly, why did he come here?
A different kind of nervousness enveloped her, making her tap her feet continuously.
Having known his history, Antilla knew that Axel has had a difficult past. It is clear that he wouldn't accept her readily. The scene of familial affection she's fantasizing might just remain fantasy forever.
'I'll have to gain his trust.'
Antilla just decided she's just going to be patient and do her utmost.
In return, she will be happy if he just… smiles and calls her aunt. That would be enough. No, it would be enough just if he forgives her, leaves this dangerous kingdom and lives a happy life.
…
"So you're saying that Chris Martina is actually an Alias?" Asked Sylthia.
"That's right. The cheeky bastard has been faking his looks, age, name, everything." Replied Kyrin in annoyance.
"And Axel Hunt is the person that the members of Kraken are looking for?"
"That's right."
Sylthia shook her head. "Why???"
Why would the members of Kraken look for Axel, a boy from the outer world.
"That's what I want to know!" Kyrin yelled. "One of us knows, but is too much of a traitorous bitch to tell us!" she said, glaring at Akiko.
"How many years did I spend taking care of you? And you throw that all away for a 13 year old brat you met a year ago."
In response, Akiko just looked away with a defiant face.
Kyrin gritted her teeth, also turning away. "How much more time?"
Currently, the Black Ops division was hard on the move, tracking down Axel. They were currently standing on a magical construct which was flying through Sylthia's magic and Estris's acceleration.
"Just how far did he end up going? How much more time?" Asked Kyrin.
"12 hours." Answered Wilis, who was controlling a compass that was tracking Axel through his blood.
Kyrin cursed out in frustration. "Why did it only work later?!"
They had tried tracking Axel earlier but it hadn't worked. Somehow, none of the tracking methods available to them seemed to work on Axel. So, they had no choice but to wander around, trying to find any of the other members. But then, out of the blue, the blood detection compass started working. So for the last 6 hours, they had been traveling in Axel's direction.
"He's untraceable." Said Akiko. She had been awfully quiet this whole time, focused solely on saving Axel. "If you can track his blood then that must mean h-he has bled."
It was only then did Kyrin notice Akiko's condition. She was trying to be composed, but her body was shaking ever so slightly, and there was blood on her lips from having bitten them so much.
Seeing her like that reminded Kyrin of the time she had lost her parents. 'He's that important to you, huh?' She thought with some bitterness. Kyrin really hoped that the brat was alright. Because if not…
?!
At this moment, Kyrin suddenly turned to look back, her eyes narrowing. "Someone's coming. Fast."
Sylthia and Willis also sensed it.
"It's too fast. It must be a ship."
"Activate Defensive spells."
"Go down, airborne battle would be disadvantageous."
Zn————
They didn't have to wait long. Soon, a blue streamlined ship appeared in front of them, blowing wind everywhere. At first, they were confused, but when they saw the Royal crest on the ship—
"What the hell?"
They were even more confused.
Before the ship had even landed, a person appeared in front of them. "Where is he?!"
"!!??" x5
"Y-Your Highness?!"
"Princess?"
"And the General too?!"
"What are you doing here?"
Antilla released her power. "I don't have time for this. Axel Hunt! Where IS HE?!"
Everyone except Akiko was obviously discombobulated. The Royal Princess herself comes down to such a dangerous zone, along with the General, and what's the first thing she asks? Where is Axel Hunt.
Everyone exchanged glances, wondering how to explain.
"Princess, he's not with us."
"What… What is that supposed to mean?"
Kyrin sighed as she explained the situation.
"So… he's currently unguarded?!" Antilla seemed to lose all strength.
"Princess!" Kyrin quickly helped her stabilize to avoid falling. "It… It happened too suddenly. How was I supposed to know that those so-called peaceful creatures would attack him out of the blue? And it was a whole group too. Killing or attacking them might have caused another space ripple. He had teleported before I could do anything!"
"You… why did you bring him here in the first place?! He's only 13!" Antilla exclaimed.
"Thir-Thirteen?!" Sylthia involuntarily asked out of surprise, but was ignored by everyone.
Kyrin's eyes narrowed. If the Princess knew he was thirteen. And for some reason, he has enough importance that the princess is coming here on her own.
"I was only taking him to the shallows. You have seen enough to know he's qualified. How was I supposed to know about the Turbulence? And… Who is he?" Asked Kyrin in exasperation.
Blue magic radiated from the princess and everyone felt like needles were prickling their skin. No one had ever seen the Princess so angry.
"""He has to be found. As soon as possible!""" She told Kyrin.
Kyrin looked at the Princess in surprise. First Kraken, and then the Princess. Who the fuck… is this bastard Axel?
"Princess, we're currently tracking him." Answered Willis, sensing the volatile situation. "We can bring him to you as soon as we find him, or you can join us," he said, showing her the compass.
Willis was lifted from the ground and taken into the ship, the Princess flying after him. "You aren't going there without me!" Yelled Kyrin, ordering everyone to move.
As they travel, the Princess was briefed on the entire situation. But her anxiousness had increased, having to use advanced mind arts in order to stay calm and think. Because there was nothing she could do while panicking.
"How much more time?" She asked.
"3 hours, Princess." Replied the General.
"Can we go faster?"
"This is the limit, Princess."
Being a high ranking sub-relic, the Royal Vessel could fly at quite high speeds. Though, there was a limit to how fast you can move in this place where the space is weak, so it would still take some time for them to reach Axel.
Antilla tapped her foot impatiently. There was a nervous energy in the air, as everyone kept throwing glances at the princess who seemed volcanic right now.
'Ask her.' At this moment, Kyrin gave Sylthia a look, telling her to ask about Axel through mental communication. The princess was currently extremely angry with Kyrin. If Kyrin asks herself, there's no way the Princess would answer.
Sylthia hesitated for a while before looking at the Princess. "Your Highness, if I may ask, who is Axel Hunt? And… why are the kingdom and Kraken both looking for him with such desperation?"
Antilla, too fraught with worry, was just going to ignore that question. But something caught her attention that she definitely couldn't ignore.
Her head turned sharply to look at Sylthia. "What… did you just say?" She asked, wondering if she had heard it wrong.
Sylthia was startled. "I.. I just asked, why you—"
"No! About Kraken! What do you mean they're looking for him?!"
"She meant what she said. The Kraken is after Axel, too. The sixth executive asked for him. Seventh and Eight were sent after him." said Kyrin. "So, it would be really appreciated if we knew why."
"Why…" The ship shook as Antillia's emotions surged. "WHY does this keep getting worse?!" So… the Kraken… already knew? Since when?
This complicates things. A LOT. The enemy already knows Axel's identity. The Heir to Atlantis. So now...
'They'll come after him like starving sharks.'
Axel was the Heir to the Atlantian Throne, the son of the Eldest Princess. The Organisation would want him eliminated at all costs.
Antilla now knew the reason why Axel was here. He was here, because he needed protection from the Kraken. Antilla shuddered to think what would have happened if Seventh and Eighth had got to him before he arrived here.
But, if the enemy already knows… it seems there is no point hiding it from the allies now, is it? It's not like there would be any change to the situation even if the Kraken knew they knew.
Antilla held out her hand, and a picture of a handsome man was projected from her bracelet. "This is Tristan Hunt. He's Axel's father."
Everyone was confused. "Well, I do see the resemblance, but I've never seen the man himself," Kyrin commented.
"He's quite handsome." Judged Estris.
"I don't see the resemblance." muttered Sylthia, who hadn't seen Axel's real face.
But... they couldn't understand why the Princess was showing the picture of a good-looking dude to them. It wouldn't explain why both sides were after him.
The projected picture changed, and now it showed a beautiful woman having a high resemblance with Antillla. "Atlana Regius Ignis. My sister and the Crown Princess of Atlantis."
"This is... Axel's mother."
!!!!!!!!?????? x4
That explained everything. Only, they hadn't imagined it in their wildest dreams.
"What?!" (Sylthia)
"By the sea gods..." (Willis)
"That... makes sense." (Estris)
"Well... Fuck me." Kyrin murmured, too shocked to filter her language. Because it was the moment she realized. She was going to be fucked.
Crown Prince. That brat. It means that she had brought the Crown Prince down here at the age of 13. It means she had blackmailed the Crown Prince into joining her dangerous division. It means that due to her, the Crown Prince was left alone in the depths of the Trench.
"Are… are you sure it's him?" Asked Kyrin, still unable to believe it. How could that brat be the Crown Prince?! It's so unlucky! Granted, he has the talent, mentality, skills, and attitude befitting a monarch, but… isn't he from the outer world? The place where the Princess only visited once, for around a year or so? And shouldn't it be a coincidence that the timeline of also matches with Axel's age?
'Fuck,,,'
So, it was actually quite plausible.
....
A.N.: Powerstones, for today and tomorrow.
Next: Arrival on the Scene
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18 chapters