I made my way down the halls, going to visit the greenhouse first since that's where Edea's sister rested but as I got closer to the greenhouse, I heard giggling and playful laughing. Turning around the corner to the greenhouse, I noticed Oria and Rosea playing with Therese and the giant wolf inside the greenhouse.
As I looked at Oria and Rosea, I noticed that Rosea was the only of the two that resembled Edea even in the slightest bit. Rosea had wavy light green hair with a few strands of red highlights with rose flowers growing on her head. Oria, on the other hand, had long, wavy brown hair styled into a long braid with vines covering her hair.
As I walked toward the greenhouse, I gently knocked on the glass door and smiled at them, noticing everyone look in my general direction. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything..."
The giant wolf saw me as an intruder and immediately got up to lunge at me. She immediately swiped her claws at me, but heard Therese's whistle.
"Stand down, Essu. He is not a threat. I'm sure he was brought here by Edea, not sure why...but he seems genuine.." Therese said, her gaze meeting mine.
Essu began to slowly back away, growling lowly and laid back down next to Therese. She kept a watchful eye on me, my being not leaving her sight.
"Mama seemed to know him when he arrived with Miss Lyna and Hero Kitty," Rosea said, watching me walk inside the greenhouse and stuck close to Therese.
"He did seem pretty close to Lyna and Briar..." Oria said, the more serious of the two.
"I hope I'm not intruding. I don't want to be a—" I began then evaded a few wooden shards flying toward me. I noticed Oria was the one shooting them, smirking at her and used my Crest of Blaze to burn the shards into ashes. "Well, I see we have a Warrior Princess on our hands.."
Oria glared at me, scoffing lightly. "What are your intentions with our mom, you male freak?!"
"I do intend to marry her, but—" I began once again.
"Wrong answer!" Oria yelled, getting up and launching a large root at me.
I closed my eyes and the Leo Zodiac Symbol shined on my shoulder, a lion head made from fire energy appearing in front of me and blocking the root. Oria ran toward me, scaling the root and leaped toward me.
"I will not allow you to ruin our kingdom again!" Oria bellowed, summoning her wooden sword and slashed down at me, but noticed she hit a Phantom.
"You're gonna have to be faster if you want to hit me," I chuckled as I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed. "You're still young and inexperienced so I don't expect you to land a hit on me.."
Oria growled lowly at me, dashing toward me and slicing her sword at me, but I used the sheathe of my blade to block her attack. She rapidly thrusted her blade at me, but I defended each strike and shifted my foot, manipulating the ground beneath her to make her slip and fall.
Therese covered her mouth, stifling a soft giggle. "Oria, are you okay?"
"It's not fair! How many abilities does he have?!" Oria whined loudly, crossing her arms with a cute pout on her face.
I chuckled softly at Oria, walking toward her then crouched down in front of her. "Allow me to introduce myself, little one..~ My name is Ryoma Miyazaki, Eternal Emperor of Eyica and Conquest, The Arrogant Warlord, The Man of 1000 Skills."
Oria looked at me with a pout, rolling her eyes. "Very impressive..."
I chuckled softly and looked at Therese and Rosea as well. "I'm here to marry your mother, I'll admit that. But I'm not going to be like her last husbands that only wanted her for superficial desires. I actually have a reason, but instead of taking her hand immediately, I wanted to get to know her family first..."
"Tch! We don't need a dad. We've survived long enough without one.." Oria scoffed, turning away from me with her cheeks puffed up.
Therese chuckled softly at Oria then used her vines to gently pull her back next to her. "I'm sorry about that, Lord Ryoma. If you didn't know, we've all had our experiences with men. The men who married Edea all neglected Rosea and Oria, it was a man who caused me to turn into this...and just over all we haven't had a good experience with them..."
"I understand, Therese," I said, standing up and smiling at her. "I do understand the entirety of Uthea's distrust in men, but I do know not all men are bad. There are a few good ones in Pyroc and Rivule. I'm hoping that I can show you all that I'm one of the few good ones also..."
Therese nodded, one of her vines extending out to rub my cheek. "I can tell you are. You hold a certain light in you that I can't explain but I know it's there..."
I nodded, smiling at her then closed my eyes. "Thank you, Therese..."
After all of the excitement had calmed down, I decided to sit down with everyone and looked around the greenhouse. There were multiple gardens with fruit, vegetables, and other trees where she could connect with to get nutrients like all network of trees in the outside.
"So...Edea told me your story. Is it tough living like this? I mean, you seem to be ingrained into the ground now," I wondered, watching as Rosea and Oria played in her hair.
Therese opened her eyes to look at me with a melancholic smile. "It is rather... challenging. I no longer live my life as a human but as a plant based Nature Beast. I need constant care and attention, and I feel like I am burdening everyone from time to time with my constant need for water and fresh soil..."
"No, Aunt Therese, you aren't a burden! We love taking care of you," Rosea said, hugging Therese's arm.
"Yeah, and you're still just as beautiful as you were back then! We don't see you as a burden at all," Oria agreed, looking up at Therese.
Therese looked at the two and smiled sweetly at them, using her vines to rub their heads. "Thank you, my Delicate Flowers..~ I'm glad you don't think I'm a burden..."
I watched them and smiled at the three, lowering my head to think of ways I could help them. Suddenly, a thought clicked to me and I looked up at Therese. "I may know a way to help you out..."
Therese looked over at me, tilting her head slightly. "You do? How will you do that?"
I made two Zodiac Sigils appear in my hands, Capricorn and Aquarius, then summoned two spirits using the sigils. The spirits flew toward Therese and hovered around her. The Capricorn spirit made sure to keep up the agriculture of the greenhouse while the Aquarius spirit made sure to give her water via rain periodically.
"Since I'm also a Reincarnation of Ascea, I do have access to the Zodiacs as well, and I believe that these two are the most useful in this aspect," I said, smiling at Therese and made the sigils disappear.
Rosea and Oria couldn't help but to watch the spirits work with a bit of awe, the two Zodiacs making sure the Greenhouse was in its most livable condition. Therese smiled at the two spirits as well, closing her eyes as she felt drops of rain falling upon her head.
She let out a soft, content sigh as the rain began giving her the water she needed. "Ahhh..~ This feels so nice. Thank you, Lord Ryoma..~"
"Of course...~ I'm happy that I could be of help to you..." I chuckled softly, smiling sweetly at Therese.
As I watched the Capricorn and Aquarius spirits do their work, a calmness settled over the greenhouse. Therese seemed to relax, closing her eyes and letting the soft drizzle wash over her. Oria and Rosea stood on either side of her, each with their own reaction—Oria looked more skeptical than anything, while Rosea's face glowed with curiosity.
I smiled at them both, then looked down at Therese, who was clearly taking in the nourishment she needed. "How are you feeling now, Therese?" I asked gently.
She gave a soft sigh, her lips curving into a faint smile. "Much better, thank you, Ryoma. You've done more for me in one afternoon than… well, than most have done in a lifetime."
Rosea tilted her head up at me, her eyes wide and bright. "Do you… do this often, Mister Ryoma? Take care of people like Aunt Therese?"
I chuckled softly and nodded. "In a way, yes. It's not always like this, but I take pride in helping where I can. It's what being an Emperor means to me."
She grinned, her excitement growing. "Does that mean you can do this for other plants too? Make them come alive like Aunt Therese?"
"Well, in a sense, yes," I replied, amused at her fascination. "But it depends on the plant. Your aunt is special, you know."
Oria, however, crossed her arms and scoffed, looking at me with a narrowed gaze. "You think doing a few tricks with spirits means you understand us? You can't just waltz in here and make everyone love you, you know."
I met her gaze and smiled, keeping my voice calm. "I wouldn't dream of it, Oria. I'm not here to 'make' anyone do anything. I just want you to see me for who I really am."
She stared back, her resolve not softening. I could tell she was a warrior at heart—a fierce defender of her family and kingdom, unwilling to trust just any man who crossed their path.
To break the tension, I reached out and pulled a small, vibrant flower from the spirit of Capricorn's vines, holding it out to Rosea.
"A little gift for you," I said, smiling as she took it with a shy laugh. "The spirits wanted you to have it."
She looked down at the flower with a glow in her eyes, her fingers tracing its petals. "Thank you, Mister Ryoma."
Oria rolled her eyes but watched me closely, her distrust still lingering. "I don't know what you're really here for," she muttered, glancing away, "but if you do anything to hurt my mom or Aunt Therese…"
Her words hung in the air like a blade. I nodded, understanding the depth of her protectiveness. "I get it, Oria. And I'd say the same thing if I were in your shoes."
Therese watched us, her eyes flickering between us with quiet amusement, but she was clearly growing tired. I could see the weight of the day settling over her, the strain of maintaining her form within the greenhouse evident.
I looked down at her gently. "You should rest, Therese. The spirits will stay and help with anything you need."
She gave a grateful nod, her voice soft. "Thank you, Ryoma…"
Rosea took her aunt's hand, smiling up at me. "Maybe he's alright, Oria. I mean, it's not like we've ever met an Emperor before…"
Oria huffed but didn't argue, though her eyes stayed fixed on me, clearly sizing me up.
As I turned to leave, I glanced back at them, seeing how close they were, and a sense of warmth settled over me. "I'll be back soon to check on you all," I promised. "I mean it—I'm here for all of you."
With that, I made my way back down the greenhouse path, feeling Rosea's curiosity, Oria's guardedness, and Therese's quiet gratitude lingering in the air behind me.
As I walked down the halls, I heard a few cries of danger outside and stopped walking and noticed the royal guards running into the castle scared. One of the guards cried out as she was grabbed by a blue vine and dragged back outside.
"Rita!" The other guards yelled then groaned as she was grabbed and snatched by a vine as well.
I grunted and ran immediately after the guards, hurrying outside and noticed a large Beast hovering above the city. The beast was a giant mouth with three eyes, with three eyeballs floating around it as well. A man stood atop of the beast, using his vines and bell plants to release toxic gasses around the city.
"Nya! What the heck is happening?!" Briar hissed, trying to get every woman and child to safety away from the mist that was being spread around.
"Briar! We have to go! We can't stay in this mist forever and that beast is taking out all of the guards!" Lyna exclaimed, looking up at the beast in the sky, trying to figure out what it was.
"We have to help our people, Lynya! We can't just leave them here to suffer!" Briar replied, turning around and noticed a sharp root flying toward her.
Briar meowed loudly, getting into a blocking stance then her ears flicked and she noticed the root getting cut in a split second. Her eyes widened as she noticed me, a bright smile playing on her face.
"Lord Ryoma!" Lyna called out, a smile of relief curling on her lips.
"Are you two okay?" I asked, looking back at Lyna and Briar with a hint of concern in my eyes.
Briar nodded quickly, smiling at me. Before she could speak the mist began to make her light headed, causing her to feel wobbly. Lyna caught Briar, holding her up and looking at her with a bit of worry.
"Take her inside the palace. I'll handle things from here and save the kid kidnapped women," I said, summoning my sword and shifting it into its Willbreaker Forme then transformed into my Emperor's Form.
Lyna nodded, hurrying back to the castle with Briar to get her out of the mist. "Good luck!"
I whistled for Nebula, hearing her neigh and gallop toward me at high speeds. I hopped onto her back, snapping her leash and pointing at the beast in the sky. Nebula whinnied and transformed into her Alicorn Form, flapping her wings and taking flight into the air.
Edea caught news of the distraught in the kingdom, hurrying to the greenhouse to check on Rosea, Oria, and Therese. "Is everyone here okay? Where's Ryoma?"
"I don't know, but I saw him run out of the castle in a hurry. We don't know what's going on, but—" Therese began, noticing Lyna dragging Briar into the greenhouse and gasped.
Edea looked back, noticing Lyna and Briar and her eyes widened. "Lyna? Briar? What the heck is going on? Why is Briar out cold?"
"Lady Edea, we're under attack! Some unknown beast is spreading mist across the city and poisoning everyone and kidnapping them! I don't know what it is, but it was scary!" Lyna reported, her breathing heavy as she dragged Briar a long distance.
"Lord Ryoma is currently dealing with the issue now. It doesn't seem to be affecting men, just us women and the children," Lyna added, looking at Edea with worry.
Edea nodded at Lyna then stepped aside to allow her to take Briar to Essu so she could heal her. "Alright. Therese, keep watch of my kids and Lyna and Briar! I'm going to go help Ryoma!"
Therese nodded, watching Edea rush out of the greenhouse and down the halls. She kept Rosea and Oria close, wrapping her soft plant-like arms around them. "Don't worry, little bloomers...your mother will come back safe and Ryoma will make sure of it..."
"I hope so..." Oria said softly, glancing back at Lyna and Briar. "But if Briar couldn't win..."
"Don't worry, Edea has the Goddess of Nature on her side as well as the Nature Dragon. She will be okay," Therese assured, smiling at the two with a reassuring and confident smile.
Oria and Rosea nodded at Therese, hugging her tightly. They worried for Edea more than they were concerned about me, their minds hoping that Edea returned safely.
The giant beast continued to kidnap the women with the most energy reseves, dropping them into its mouth and using their bodies to continue fueling himself. One of the eyes noticed me and Nebula, its attention now set on me and let out a monstrous laugh. One of the floating eyes launched an ocular blast at us, but Nebula acted quickly, using her horn to shoot a beam of destruction to collide with the blast.
I jumped off Nebula's back, throwing my sword at the man standing on the top of the beast. The man used one of his vines to deflect my sword, but I warped toward my blade, catching it and slashing down at him.
The man grunted as he was forced to block my slash. 'Tch...! Alastor told me to be weary of this guy...he's actually really strong, even while holding back!'
The man pushed me away from him, but I awakened my Crest of Waves, blasting the man with a powerful pulse of water, knowing he was the one controlling the beast. The man groaned as he was hit with pulse of water, falling off his beast, but the beast flew after him and caught him on its head again.
"Nebula!" I called out, hearing her neigh and swoop down to catch me on her back. "It's him controlli the the beast. The Beast is like a Dependant Puppet, it needs his orders to effectively use its Abilities. Keep it focused on you."
Nebula nodded and began flying around the Beast, keeping its attention on her and the floating eyes tried to take her down with occular blasts, but she was too fast for the blasts to keep up with. Nebula whinnied and flew even high into the sky, causing the Beast to follow her.
"Hold it, Bizarre Eye! You can't focus on that horse! We have to gain enough power to take down the Gaia Tree to awaken Therris!" The man groaned as he held on for dear life as he noticed we were approaching a sky island.
I hopped off Nebula's back, using my wind manipulation to propel myself toward then man, landing a slash upon his torso and sent him crashing onto the sky island. I propelled myself once again and landed on the island with him, an arrogant smirk playing on my face.
I watched as the man stood up, twirling my sword in a circle. "It's just us up here, so now I don't feel as bad when I lose control! If you genuinely believe you can use your power to abduct women and use them for your schemes, you're highly mistaken. Prepare yourself as this may be your final resting place."
The man grunted softly, summoning three more floating eyeballs around him and braced himself for battle. 'Just my luck... having to battle Ryoma alone. I need to escape. I won't be able to beat him alone...'