「After the hooded man left. Heartemis, with the help of a maid and butler, took her father's body, sword, and the red sphere from the blood sacrifice.
They got out of the kingdom and headed into the forest. After a long walk, they traveled to a refuge zone where hundreds of escaped citizens gathered.
The citizens took notice of the maid, butler, and Heartemis approaching the zone. They also noticed the butler carrying the completely wrapped, life-sized figure.
It was quiet for a few moments before someone finally spoke.
"...Is... the King... dead...?"
The question made the three stop in their tracks. The main and butler had their heads down with pained expressions.
While Heartemis's face couldn't be seen well due to her long hair.
But then, little droplets of liquid were falling out of the covered face of Heartemis.
Only then could the people of the fallen kingdom realize the truth about what had happened and who the life-sized figure was.
Not a moment later, tears were going down the faces of the people. Soon tears were going down everyone's faces: adults, children, elderly, guards, maids, butlers, and the Princess.
***
One month had gone by since the death of the King.
The people of the fallen kingdom were adjusting to their life in the woods. Sometimes different types of beasts would emerge at specific periods. However, they were quickly disposed of by the remaining guards that trained in the sword.
Of course, due to the absence of a leader, the King's most loyal guard led the refugees with complete agreement from them.
It took a while, but in the end, Heartemis herself was able to recover partially from the death of her father. Even so, she wanted to do everything she could to destroy the man who brought the pain in the first place. Perhaps that is why she asked the leader of the refugees to teach her the ways of swords.
"You want to learn the sword?"
Heartemis nodded while looking at the leader, who she knew very well, with unwavering eyes. The leader, however, noticed Heartemis's intentions and gave her a sympathetic look.
"...Princess... I made a promise to your father, my King. And if you are thinking of doing what I think you will do... I will have to decline your request."
"..."
Heartemis didn't say anything. All she did was stare at the leader with the same eyes as before. The leader also continued to look into her eyes. How much time passed? It felt like a battle was currently taking place in both their eyes.
Finally, Heartemis was the one to stop the stare-down and walked past the leader.
Behind the leader was an armory of swords, all in different spahees and sizes.
Heartemis looked all over the armory before locking her eyes on a particular sword. She walked up to the sword and grabbed the hilt of the blade.
All the while, the leader was watching. "Princess..."
Heartemis struggled to lift the sword, even with both her arms on it. It was only then that the leader could see the length of the blade. No, it wasn't just the length. Everything about this sword was familiar to another sword. A sword that only the person he swore to protect could use.
At that moment, the leader saw something in Heartemis. Even when she was struggling, he could see that person inside her.
He let out a smile and spoke towards the struggling Heartemis.
"I have changed my mind."
Heartemis heard this and dropped the sword.
The leader continued speaking. "I will teach you the ways of the sword, passed down from your father. Princess Heartemis, are you ready?"
Heartemis nodded.
And so began the long and challenging teachings of the Way of the Sword.
Years passed. People were beginning to live regularly and generally in the woods. Homes were made, children played, and guards returned with food.
Somewhere in the forest, two individuals with different swords in hand were perfectly replicating the same movements. However, one had a much clearer and smoother swing, stab, parry, and footwork. And that person's sword had a long blade, similar to someone else's. No, it was that sword—the long sword of the King.
Those two individuals were the leader of the refugees and a grown-up Princess Heartemis.
The leader spoke, as well as stopping his sword.
"I think that is it for today."
"Huh? Already? Training keeps getting shorter and shorter."
Heartemis also stopped, and that was when her mature features were recognizable. Her hair was shorter than when she was a child, her eyes were darker, her facial features were more mature, and she was taller than the average man.
"That is due to your absurd talent."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Of course. Besides that. You are turning 19 tomorrow, aren't you?"
"I guess I am."
They sat down on a log and looked at the sky.
"To think that you were that small child seven years ago. And now you're superior in the sword than me."
"Superior? But I still have a lot to learn from you."
"That's right. But your talent has shown to surpass even the best of the best. So you'll learn, master, and enhance the remaining techniques I still haven't taught you."
At the end of those words, the leader stood up and walked toward the location of the people.
"Don't stay up for too long."
The leader left Heartemis alone.
Over the last seven years, Heartemis had mastered the Way of the Sword and gained power that she never thought was possible. Was she only able to obtain such power after her father's death? Or was this something that she always had inside her? It was a question she often thought about.
<--->
Suddenly, Heartemis heard a faint noise from deep inside the forest and tried to look deeper inside from where she was.
<--->
The noise resounded again but was slightly louder than the first one.
Heartemis, with curiosity, got up from her spot and headed toward the noise. She, of course, took her sword with her as she went in.
<--->
The deeper she went in, the louder the noise got. At this point, Heartemis had her sword unsheathed, ready to strike at any moment.
<------->
However, this time, the noise didn't just last for a second. Instead, it continued.
Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind came out of nowhere and hit Heartemis. Yet, she stood her ground with a calm expression. She took another step forward.
<----!>
The noise sounded frightened somehow, after Heartemis took one step. Then another powerful force of the wind came. But it is the same for this one. Heartemis wasn't affected at all. She continued to get closer. The winds kept on coming with every step she took. But she withstood all of them.
Until she finally saw what was causing such a strange noise.
A giant tree with branches spiraling to make a hole inside the tree. Inside the hole was an orb radiating a teal aura.
Heartemis rushed at the orb with her sword just as she was about to swing at it.
A voice came out of the orb, causing Heartemis to stop and question her ears.
'Who spoke just now?'
The same voice resounded again. There was no mistaking it. That voice came from the orb.
After confirming who the voice belongs to, Heartemis only become warier.
"Who are you?"
Heartemis swung her sword at the orb, stopping it millimeters from the orb.
"I said, who the hell are you?"
"Storm Essence?"
Heartemis only had a puzzled face.
Heartemis put her sword down and looked at the orb with the same face.
"So what? Is it essential for me and people to know about what you are?"
Heartemis's head perked up, seemingly interested in what the orb said.
"Wait, wait, wait, what do you mean the power of Storm?"
Heartemis nodded.
The next moment, the orb's teal aura grew and headed inside Heartemis's body. At first, Heartemis hesitated for the aura to get near her, but when a pleasant feeling like the cool breeze of the wind entered her body, she relaxed and allowed the aura to enter. After a few seconds, the aura the orb made was inside Heartemis.
Heartemis held up her sword and focused with her eyes closed. She could sense the new power inside her going through her bloodstream; the power was adjusting to her body. Then, once she knew the power was now comfortable, she released some of it onto her sword.
Her long sword was glowing a teal color and releasing and gathering the wind nearby.
The wind inside Heartemis's sword rang out as if it were alive. Heartemis faced the forest and positioned herself in a stance. The next second she took a step forward, followed by a single swing of her sword upward.
The power inside the sword was released into a strong, sharp slash of wind when the sword was swung. The wind cut down the trees, shocking Heartemis and even the orb responsible for such power.
Heartemis looked at her sword, with some of the wind still inside, with an astonished expression as well as eyes that looked like she had found something she had desired for so long.\
Then a memory suddenly went past her head.
-Oh! By the way, kid. If you ever feel you want to kill me. I'll be here for about 10 years or so.-
She gritted her teeth at the awful memory.
Then she thought of something else. Did she finally obtain the power to get her revenge? Could she finally kill the ones who hurt her people? Could she finally kill the man who ended her father's life?
Heartemis was going to ignore the orb until she thought of a theory.
~Wait. Could this 'thing', have also given those people the same abilities...?
Heartemis suddenly pointed her sword at the orb with threatening eyes.
"Did you give this power to anyone else besides me?"
"Answer the question!" Heartemis moved the blade closer to the orb.
"To who?"
"Try your best."
<... Okay... the most notable one was another human like yourself. He had blond hair, a righteous heart, blah, blah, blah. That kind of person.>
"When was this encounter?"
"Eh?"
The response dumbfounded Heartemis.
"W-Was that your most recent encounter?"
Heartemis sensed that the orb wasn't lying and sheath her sword back.
~140 years. Now that I think about it, I don't think there was one of them that had the power of the wind.
Heartemis didn't say anything and responded by walking away.
***
Another year went by.
Heartemis had mastered and improved all the techniques the leader taught her. She improved it with the help of her new power. The leader, of course, was suspicious of the power Heartemis suddenly had.
She took the leader to the orb to prove her power of safety. He was bewildered about the phenomenon of a ball talking and even gave him the power of the wind. With his new power, he was able to surpass his limit.
Eventually, all the remaining guards got their hands on the power and trained themselves to their new limit.
Finally, a plan to take back their kingdom sparked among them.
***
Months passed with the leader, guards, and Heartemis creating a plan to take back what was theirs.
Then the day to depart from the people came.
The people of the fallen kingdom were watching the remaining guards, leader, and Heartemis leaving them to fight for their homes. They had many complicated emotions going through their heads.
They knew of their new power but still couldn't help wondering if it was enough to fight against those monstrous mysterious beings with many powerful beings.
Then a voice from the people was heard.
"Come back..."
Heartemis took notice of this voice. Many other voices followed the first.
"Don't you dare lose this time!"
"Take back our land!"
"Kill those sons of bitches!"
The shout of encouragement continued. The ones going into battle were looking back at their people with a sense of justice and a need to protect.
That feeling was especially enveloping Heartemis's whole body. She knew that this could... no. It was their last chance at hope. And she didn't want to make it the last. And so they left.
It took hours to reach their home while running non-stop.
They were on a hilltop when they arrived. So they had a good view of their home. However, the sight they saw was not pleasant.
Homes and buildings were either up in flames, destroyed in many places, or completely eradicated from their spot. And the royal palace was no exception.
The leader, guards, and Heartemis oversaw all of this. There were many emotions dwelling inside them. Anger, sadness, and fear were what they were feeling the most.
Then the leader opened his mouth.
"Now."」