Morning arrived, and they decided it was best to stay away from the capital, at least for now. They set off.
Ashia: "Are you okay, my princess?"
Vena: "I'm fine, Ashia. Thanks for asking."
Renzo: "I have no idea how you two can walk. It's been almost three days, and we have no idea where we are!"
Ashia: "Yeah, it is a bit strange. We haven't come across any signs of life for quite a while."
Vena: "Really? I've been enjoying you guys' company. It didn't occur to me. But now that you mentioned it."
Vena\Ashia\Renzo: "I'm so hungry."
Vena: "Who knew we wouldn't find any decent civilization by now? It's just a lot of mountainous landscapes!"
Renzo: "Hey, Ashia…could you carry me on your back? I'm dying here."
Ashia: "I most likely will not, you devil. Stay away from me!"
Suddenly, they heard a yell: "Help!"
Vena: "Wait, am I hallucinating or did I just hear—"
Renzo\Ashia: "People!"
The three quickly ran off in the direction from which they heard the cry for help.
Vena: "It's a girl! Ugh!? A beast?"
Ashia: "Outside of the capital, there really are monsters."
Vena: "Guys, we need to save her!"
Ashia: "Understood, Princess! Devil, let's go!"
Renzo: "Don't tell me what to do."
They leaped downwards towards the beast and stood before the girl.
Ashia: "Don't worry, we're here to help. Just stay behind us."
Victoria: "Please stay back! Don't hurt me!"
Renzo: "You've got sticks up your ears, lady! We're here to he—woah! Ayo, what's up with your ears?"
Ashia: "Renzo, what's wrong with you? Woaah! No, wait, you can't be—miss, may you be an Elvian? From the race of the Elves?"
The beast was about to attack when Vena shouted to the guys.
Beast: *Roars.*
Ashia\Renzo: "Would you be quiet!" They both turned around and double-punched the beast, sending it backwards.
Vena climbed down and ran to them.
Ashia: "Princess, why are you down here? It's unsafe."
Vena: "You two are being distracted! What's taking you so long?"
Renzo: "Vena! Vena! Look! She's an elf! Isn't that cool!"
Vena: "An elf? You mean—Eeek! You're from the race of the Elvians? You're so beautiful."
Ashia: "As much as this event excites us, we still have trouble ahead."
Renzo: "Oh yeah, right, that thing is still up."
Vena: "Well, take care of it already... Uh, guys?... What the hell is wrong with you two!?"
They stood drooling before the rushing beast.
Renzo: "Say, Ashia, is it me or does this thing look like food?"
Ashia: "Now that you mentioned it, it really does."
A devilish grin flashed across their faces as the beast came to a stop and noticed their aura. It started to shake before running off.
Ashia\Renzo: "Come back here!" They rushed after the beast.
Vena: "Save some for me, would ya! Hehehe."
Victoria: "Uh?"
Vena: "Oh, I'm sorry. Those two can be a little scary sometimes. You seemed uninjured, are you okay?"
Victoria: "Yes, I am. Thank you."
Vena: "That's great. My name's Vena, by the way. If you don't mind me asking, what brought you here? There's nothing around to at least assume."
Victoria: "I was heading to the Mountain Of the Almighty Dragon Queen as a ritual sacrifice to spare our people."
Vena: "Sacrifice?"
Victoria: "Soldiers of the Dragon Queen would come to our village and wreak havoc. That's until the village elders made a deal which involves a yearly sacrifice of our girls to them. Only then would they leave us alone. But it seems it is now my turn to bear that burden. Oh, I'm sorry, my name is Victoria."
They saw the two boys returning.
Vena: "Guys."
Renzo: "That was horrible. Why did you force me to eat that, Ashia?"
Ashia: "Don't go blaming me, you damn devil. It was your idea in the first place."
Renzo: "What? You liar! You practically had a knife at my neck!"
Ashia: "Huh!? You fiend!"
Vena: "Okay, okay, break it up."
Victoria: "If it's food you guys are searching for, I could take you back to my village. Just to say thanks for saving me."
Vena: "That'd be great!"
Renzo\Ashia: "She's an angel!"
The scene panned to the kingdom. All the clans were present as an Elder addressed the mass.
Elder: "Ladies and gentlemen of our Kingdom, it deeply saddens my heart to deliver this news to you all. But, last night we witnessed an attack upon us."
Ren: ("An attack?")
Elder: "In that attack, we fought against the intruders who were revealed to be those demihumans from the hidden plains. They snuck in and attacked. Unfortunately, our king died."
Ren: "What?"
Elder: "Vena has been captured, her bodyguards are nowhere to be found, and the throne is empty. This is a day of great mourning, but the throne shall not remain vacant. At least until our queen is found. Shira, the son of the king's cousin, possesses royal blood. Until the queen is found, if she's alive, he will be the one sitting on the throne. We, the elders and the other great clans of our nation, have already declared him by a massive vote in which all participants gave consent. So, for the time being, your king, Shira!"
Shira: "It hurts my heart to even accept this role. My wife and my father-in-law, along with two of my dearest friends, are not here. I had no intention of being crowned king before you all. But until my queen is found, I'll take on this role and do what our former king has been doing – steering this kingdom in the right direction. I promise, from the depths of my heart as your king, I will do my best to ensure this kingdom doesn't fall."
The crowd had faith in him, but Ren was suspicious.
After that gathering, Ren walked up to the elders and the new King.
Elder: "Kurosaki Ren."
Ren: "I need to know something. Why wasn't I invited to take part in this? My clan was not involved. Care to let me know why?"
Shira: "That's easy, Uncle Ren."
Ren: "Shira."
Shira: "You're under suspicion. The night the King died, you were not by his side. Did you fail to carry out this duty, or was it you who conspired this treason?"
Ren: "What did you say? Watch your tongue, boy!"
Elder: "Ren, that is no way to talk to your newly crowned king."
Shira: "It's okay. I understand. Uncle, I apologize for my assumptions. My wife is missing, so I know you understand why I acted like that."
Ren: "You should know, Shira, Vena was like a daughter to me. My son is also missing, and my king is dead. All of this happened when you showed up. I know you understand why I'm acting like this."
Shira: "Ugh? Right, I totally understand. Uncle Ren, I hereby disband your clan's role as royal guardian. Take the time to rest, and we will find your son and the queen."
Ren: "Shira, you have a face that could even deceive the gods. If I find out even an inch that you had something to do with this, then you'll see my wrath."
Elder: "Ren! Do not talk to your king like that!"
Ren: "My king is dead." He walked off.
Shira: ("You'll be a problem, Ren Kurosaki.")
The scene panned to Renzo and Ashia feasting.
Victoria: "They look like humans, but they eat like animals."
Vena: "That was delicious."
Victoria: "You're already finished?!"
Victoria's Mom: "I thank you for saving my daughter, but now that she's back here, the wrath of the Dragon Queen will fall onto us."
Elvian: "Our lowly race will surely be finished."
Vena: "It shall not! Lift your heads and cling onto faith. Your village will not be finished. No curse shall fall onto you, for I shall seek the audience of the Dragon Queen in your name."
Victoria: "What? That's madness, Vena. What are you talking about? No one who's ever gone there came back alive!"
Renzo: "I just have one question: Is the dragon queen really a dragon?"
Victoria: "So we've heard."
Renzo: "Hehehe." *Grins.*
Ashia: "Ew."
Renzo: "Alright, you cool-looking Elvians, listen up! This girl right here, her name is Vena, and she's our master. We're gonna pay the Dragon Queen a visit and destroy that damn curse. In return, Vena takes control of this entire village."
Elvians: "What!?"
Elvian Elder: "Defeating the Dragon Queen is impossible. If you really think you can pull off such a task, then go ahead."
Renzo: "Hey, you doubting me, old man?"
Vena: "Easy there, Renzo. Look, I'll give you my word. We'll stop this from happening."
Ashia: "Once she's giving her word, there's no going back. You'll just have to see for yourself."
Vena: "Hm! Okay, guys, let's go see the Dragon Queen."
Ashia\Renzo: "Right!"
The scene panned to the Cursed Mountain where the three arrived.
Ashia: "It's foggy."
Renzo: "So cool!"
Ashia: "What is cool about this, you idiot!?"
Vena: "Look."
Renzo: "What are they?"
Ashia: "They look like the creatures in books."
Vena: "Demons."
Demons: "What do we have here? Oh, are you our sacrifices?"
Vena: "I seek an audience with the Dragon Queen. My name is Vena, and I mean no harm."
Demons: "What does a flat-chested girl want with the Dragon Queen? Scram, ugly."
Vena: "........Kill him."
Ashia\Renzo: "Of course." They both pointed a finger in the demon's direction. A huge beam of water and fire blasted from Ashia and Renzo's fingers, completely destroying all the demons and wiping away the mountain top.
Renzo: "What the?"
Ashia: "That's odd. I barely used any of my Kai. How did so much power come out?"
When a being makes contact with those from the spiritual realm, they can form a contract which, in return, blesses them with extraordinary powers. The Kurosaki Clan, from which Renzo hails, has formed a contract with the Spirit Akimaru.
And the Takumi clan, that of Ashia, has formed a contract with the spirit Hashimaru.
Beyond the border of the capital, their power tends to increase.
When the two attacked the demons, their power destroyed the gate from before, awakening the Dragon Queen.
Vena: "You guys need to cause a bit more damage. I'm not satisfied."
Ashia: "Calm down, Princess. Remember, we're here to see the Dragon Queen. These are just specks in our way."
Renzo: "The fog is green! So cool!"
The ground started to rumble when a huge dragon popped up from the green mist.
Dragon: "Who dares to interrupt my slumber!"
Ashia: "A dragon!"
Renzo: "So cool."
Vena: "Hhm. It is I, Vena. I humbly ask to speak with the Dragon Queen."
Dragon: "Huh? A human? You want to speak with me?"
Ashia: "It's her."
Vena: "I want to know why. Why are you preying on those innocent Elvians? They only have the broken plains for themselves. Please, there must be another way to let them live in peace."
Dragon: "Elvians? I have no clue what you're talking about. I haven't attacked or done anything to anyone for a long time."
Ashia: "Which means those indecencies were committed by the demons and not her."
Vena: "Oh, so it wasn't you. I'm glad to know!"
Dragon: "Though I might not attack them, I might attack you for waking me from my slumber!"
Ashia: "Princess!"
Vena: "No, stay back." She walked closer.
Dragon: "You dare approach me? The Dragon Queen!" She was about to attack.
Vena inhaled and exhaled and stared at the dragon. She was frozen in her tracks, staring into Vena's eyes.
Dragon: "What's this? I can't move! What? Is it magic? No…I'm not sensing any from her, so what is this overwhelming feeling to yield? I have no intentions of harming her. What's happening?"
Vena put both arms to her. The dragon subconsciously placed its head in her hands.
Vena: "I truly am sorry for destroying your home and waking you. It was not my intention to. Please forgive us for this. If you like, I could make the Elvians offer you some amazing food."
Dragon: ("I want to serve her, why? I want her as my master, but why? She's so weak and feeble, I could break her, but yet, I want to protect her.") "Who are you really?"
Vena: "Uh? I am Princess Vena from the Kingdom of Gants."
Ashia: "She just tamed a dragon."
Renzo: "She did, didn't she?"
Dragon: "Princess? I shall not harm you. I...I want to follow you...please form a pact with me. As the Dragon Queen, I shall heed your request." ("I want to protect her.")
Vena: "A pact? I don't know how to do that."
Dragon: "Let me, give me your consent, and I shall."
Vena: "Um...sure?"
Dragon: "Okay! Ingris!" A magical circle appeared beneath them, and a pact ritual commenced. ("Uh…80-20 percent command over me? Hm, that's way more than I initially expected. She has no power, but still…") It is complete, master."
Renzo\Ashia: "Master?"
Ashia: "Wow, you actually got a dragon, princess."
Renzo: "Not bad, but if she's coming along with us, that form is quite scary-looking. Not that it matters to me, you look so cool!"
Dragon: "Oh right." She then took a human form. "Would this be better, master?"
Vena: "A woman? You're so beautiful! Right, guys?" She turned around to see them staring.
Arrows pointing at The Dragon Queen's chest indicating her breasts, then pointed at Vena.
Vena walked up to the boys and tugged them.
Ashia\Renzo: "What is it, princess? Huh?"
She slammed their heads together.
"TWUAK!"
Vena: "There, now I'm satisfied. Welcome aboard, um…Dragon Queen."
Dragon: "With a pact being formed, you are now in charge of giving me a name."
Vena: "A name?...let's see…um…uh…how about Akemi?"
Dragon: "Akemi?"
Vena: "It came to mind. It means Bright and beautiful. And that's what I saw when you took this form."
Akemi: "Akemi? I love it, that's what I'll be called from now on."
Ashia: "Akemi, welcome."
Renzo: "I don't know, I kind of liked it better when she was a Terrifying Dragon."
Vena: "We should head back to the village."
Scene flipped to the plains, where the Elvians looked at the now group of four with absolute shock. Their mouths fell to the ground.
Vena: "So now you know, Akemi wasn't the one doing all that terrible stuff."
Akemi: "As my master said, I had nothing to do with your unfortunate experiences."
Elvian Elder: "Master!?"
Victoria: "You guys actually did it!"
Vena: "Vicki!" She ran to hug her.
Akemi: "Renzo, are these my master's slaves or servants?"
Renzo: "Servants would be a nice way to call it, but knowing Vena, I think something more than that."
Elvian Elder: "I can't believe it. Not only did you defeat the demons, but you conquered the Dragon Queen."
Renzo: "Uh, Vena?"
Vena: "Huh?"
Ashia: "They're kneeling."
Scene panned to The coronation of Shira, as everyone in the kingdom was also kneeling.
End of Chapter.