Later in the day, the King gathered the Queen, Prince Kael, Princess Thalia, Captain Zane, and the rest of the Black Squad in the meeting room. Nizara was notably absent. The King began, "I believe I know who the men are that stole my book. It might be The Cult of the Forgotten Ones. They worship Demon Lord Xanteria as their god, and their goal is to resurrect him. The book they stole contains extensive information about Xanteria and the resurrection process."
He continued, "This cult is a dangerous mix of Demons, Devils, Vampires, and more. They even have humans known as Beast Tamers, who tame beasts like wolves and snakes. These Beast Tamers can infuse with their beasts, becoming stronger and significantly increasing their magical energy." The King paused, then said, "I initially wanted to cancel the mission to escort Second Princess Thalia to Arcadia Kingdom. However, I believe it is better to escort her quietly rather than confine her in the Kingdom because of one incident."
Suddenly, the door opened, and Nizara, still not fully healed, joined the meeting. Struggling to stand, he declared, "I'll go with them."
The King frowned, shaking his head. "Nizara, you're not fully healed. I cannot allow this."
But Nizara persisted, "I might be the target of the Cult. My presence could be crucial. Please, let me go."
Seeing the determination in Nizara's eyes, the King reluctantly nodded. "Very well. You may accompany them."
After the meeting, the Black Squad was busy preparing to depart. Kael approached Nizara and said, "Take care of my little sister."
Nizara nodded, replying, "Leave it to me."
The King then came up to Nizara, his expression serious. "I found out from Kael that you're dating his sister. Make sure to take care of her during this trip."
Nizara met the King's gaze and swore, "I will protect your daughter, even if it costs me my life." The King nodded, satisfied.
The Black Squad then headed towards Arcadia Kingdom. Captain Zane commanded, "Open the doors!" The gatekeepers swung the doors open, and they set off. Inside the fancy carriage, Princess Thalia and Nizara sat together. Nizara, still injured from his previous battle, had bandages on his head and arms. He commented, "These bandages might block my view if I have to fight, but for now, I'll have to deal with it."
Thalia laughed cutely and said, "You look very cool right now, Nizara."
Nizara blushed a little and asked, "Why do you like me so much, Princess?"
She smiled warmly. "It's because of your fierce yet adorable smile, your looks, your beautiful grey eyes, and obviously your white hair."
Nizara, grinning, started to act regal. "Of course, women would fall for my looks."
Thalia playfully kicked him. "Don't get too confident."
Nizara apologized, "Sorry, I got a bit carried away."
Suddenly, the carriage stopped. Nizara immediately went outside and asked Captain Zane, "Why did we stop?"
Captain Zane pointed to a large boulder blocking their route. "The path is blocked. We need to move it."
After a brief discussion, Captain Zane decided, "I'll slash the boulder into pieces, and then Selene will use Zephyr Aether to move them." He instructed everyone to step back. With absolute confidence and power, Captain Zane slashed the boulder, shattering it into pieces.
Selene stepped forward and chanted, "Whirling winds, heed my call and unleash your might! Tempest's wrath, awaken—WIND RAZOR!" The pieces of the boulder were swept away by the powerful winds, clearing the path.
Nizara was amazed by the display of magic and excitedly asked Selene, "Can you teach me that move?"
Selene, a bit shy, nodded. "I'll teach you when we get to the Arcadia Kingdom."
Captain Zane then addressed everyone, "Alright, get ready to move. We're continuing towards Arcadia Kingdom."
As they traveled through the night, Nizara eventually fell asleep in the carriage, his head resting on Thalia's lap. She carefully caressed his hair, blushing before laughing softly. "You look so cute when you're sleeping," she whispered.
Hours later, they arrived at a small village. Nizara woke up and groggily asked, "Are we at Arcadia Kingdom?"
Thalia chuckled, "Not yet. We're stopping at an inn for the night."
Entering the inn, they were greeted by an elf receptionist. Nizara exclaimed in shock, "There are elves in this world too?"
After settling in, Nizara went straight to his room and fell asleep, exhausted from the journey. The next morning, he felt something unusual. Turning over, he saw Thalia sleeping beside him, her arms wrapped around his waist. Confused and alarmed, Nizara thought, What is going on? Did she drug me to do something? He gently woke Thalia. As soon as she opened her eyes, she hugged him tightly. "Thanks for that, Nizara," she said, before running out of the room.
Panicking, Nizara wondered if his worst fears had come true. Did she really do something while I was asleep? he thought, his mind racing.
Later that morning, Nizara went outside for a walk when he witnessed a little girl being kidnapped by a group of masked bandits. Without hesitation, he took off after them, muttering, "It's a disgrace to commit such a crime in broad daylight." He pursued them through the village, finally catching up as they stopped their horses at a gloomy, rusty, and old warehouse in the middle of the forest. The bandits began to celebrate, boasting about kidnapping their fifth child that week. One of them suggested going to the local bar to have fun with some elves.
Nizara thought, The Village of Elarindor is home to elves who allowed humans to live among them after the Great First War between the Five Kingdoms and Demon Lord Xanteria's troops, the Zhulms. Their homeland, Sylvathorn, became a battlefield and was destroyed, forcing the elves to flee to Elarindor. However, Elarindor itself was destroyed during the Second and Third Great Wars between demons and humans. It's been at peace for 250 years, but letting humans live alongside them was not the best decision, in my opinion.
Determined, Nizara activated his Swiftstride technique and quickly attacked the two men, catching them off guard. With swift precision, he slashed their heads off. However, just as he finished, a metal pole struck him from behind, knocking him out instantly.
Nizara slowly regained consciousness, groaning, "What the hell happened?" He realized his head was still bleeding and felt a wave of dizziness. "I need to beat those scumbags' asses," he muttered, but then noticed three guys staring at him. One had the metal pole, another wielded a long katana.
Panting slightly, Nizara laughed weakly. "This might be the end for me," he said.
The three men laughed back. "Of course it is," one of them sneered. "You shouldn't have messed with the wrong guys." One of the men grinned maliciously. "Let's play a game, a very fun game," he said. "The rules are simple: you make decisions."
Nizara, glancing at the five little elf girls who looked at him with concern, smiled reassuringly. "Everything will be fine," he promised them.
"Do you really think everything is okay?" the man mocked. "Let's start the game, then. What's your name, boy?"
Nizara scowled. "Do you really need my name for your stupid little game?"
The man remained calm. "It's essential to say your name before we start."
Frustrated, Nizara snapped, "It's Nizara. Is that enough?"
The man smirked. "Nizara, huh? Seems like a nice name." He suddenly grabbed one of the girls by her hair and dragged her towards him. "You have to choose," he said. "Get beaten up by the metal pole, or save yourself and let the girl get touched."
Nizara tried to lunge at them but remembered he was tied up. With a deadly look in his eyes, he spat at them, "You sick bastards. I'll definitely kill you!"
The guy smirked. "You've got five seconds to answer, by the way."
Nizara clenched his teeth in anger, struggling to make the decision. The guy began counting down slowly. "Four seconds left. If you don't choose in time, you both get the punishment."
In his head, Nizara cursed. Shit, at this point, we'll both end up getting a punishment.
The guy continued to count down. "Three seconds left."
Nizara glanced at the girl, who was crying. The sight triggered something in him, and he yelled, "I choose myself! Beat me up!"
The guy sighed in disappointment. "Come on, can't you at least let me have some fun, Nizara?"
Nizara gave him a death stare, which made the guy flinch. "Okay, beat him up, guys!"
The two men picked up their metal rods and began beating Nizara. He coughed up blood and writhed in constant pain until the beatings stopped.
"Now, let's get back to our game," the guy said with a twisted smile.
However, Nizara, feeling the intensity of his magic power rising, started to glow brightly. "You're dead now!" he roared.
The man, taken aback, exclaimed, "What the hell is happening?"
Suddenly, a massive surge of lightning struck the room, causing an explosion. As the smoke cleared, Nizara stood in front of the men, his right arm crackling with lightning. "You guys made me mad," he said. "That voice told me about this move. ThunderBlade Version 2. But since I am too weak to control its power, but it let me borrow its power now."
The guy, trembling in fear, muttered, "Is this his real power?"
Nizara, laughing maniacally, declared, "Of course! And it's your end!" With one powerful swing, he decapitated the man with the katana. He turned to the other two. "Who's next?"
As the remaining men began to beg for mercy, Nizara's expression softened.
"Actually, never mind. I'll just finish you guys off."
In one swift move, he slashed them both with his ThunderBlade V2, sending their bodies flying. As he panted heavily, feeling the weight of his actions, Nizara thought, This power is too much for me to handle. I need to control it better. He freed the elf girls, who thanked him profusely. He replied, "Don't worry, just get back to your families."
Nizara staggered back to the inn, his clothes torn and stained with blood, his body battered and bruised. Every step was a struggle, but he forced himself forward, ignoring the stares and gasps of the villagers he passed. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions—anger, guilt, pain, and a crushing sense of failure.
As he pushed open the inn's door, the warm light and the murmured conversations inside abruptly ceased. The room fell silent as every eye turned to him. The innkeeper's face paled, and a few patrons stood up, ready to offer help or demand an explanation.
But Nizara couldn't face any of them. He couldn't speak, couldn't explain. All he could think about was the blood on his hands and the faces of the men he'd killed. He kept his eyes down, avoiding their concerned and horrified gazes, and headed straight for the staircase.
Thalia, seeing him enter, rushed forward, her expression a mix of worry and fear. "Nizara, what happened?" she called out, her voice trembling.
He didn't respond. He couldn't. Instead, he quickened his pace, stumbling up the stairs. His breath came in ragged gasps, and he felt the walls closing in on him. Reaching his room, he fumbled with the key, his bloodied hands shaking uncontrollably.
Thalia was right behind him, her voice urgent and pleading. "Nizara, please, talk to me!"
Ignoring her, he finally managed to unlock the door, slipping inside and slamming it shut behind him. He leaned against the door, his heart pounding in his chest, his mind racing. The muffled sounds of Thalia's knocking and her worried calls reached him, but he couldn't bring himself to answer.
Sliding down to the floor, he buried his face in his hands, the weight of his actions crashing down on him. He felt trapped, isolated by his own guilt and horror. For now, all he could do was shut himself away from the world, trying to find a way to cope with the monster he feared he had become.
Thalia stood outside Nizara's room for a moment, her heart aching at the sight of his bruised and bloodied face. She couldn't just leave him like that. Gathering her resolve, she gently knocked on the door and entered, finding Nizara sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands.
"Nizara," she said softly, walking over to him. He didn't look up, but she could see the torment in his eyes. "Nizara, please, talk to me."
He finally lifted his gaze, and the pain and guilt in his expression made her heart break. "I killed them, Thalia," he whispered, his voice shaking. "I killed three people. I became a murderer."
Thalia knelt beside him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You did what you had to do to save those girls. You didn't have a choice."
"But that doesn't change what I've done," Nizara replied, his voice filled with anguish. "I took lives. I saw the fear in their eyes, the desperation... I became the monster I swore to fight against."
Thalia's eyes welled up with tears as she gently took his hand. "Nizara, you are not a monster. You are a protector, a hero. Those men, they were evil. They would have continued to hurt and kill innocent people. You stopped them. You saved those girls. If you hadn't done what you did, more lives would have been lost."
Nizara shook his head, his tears mingling with the blood on his face. "I still feel their blood on my hands. I hear their screams in my head. How can I ever be the same after this?"
Thalia moved closer, wrapping her arms around him in a tender embrace. "You won't be the same, Nizara. But you don't have to carry this burden alone. We're here for you. I'm here for you. And those girls, they'll remember you as the one who saved them. You gave them a chance to live, to have a future."
Nizara buried his face in her shoulder, his sobs wracking his body. Thalia held him tighter, her own tears falling freely. "You're not alone, Nizara. You'll never be alone. We'll get through this together. We'll find a way to heal. Just don't shut me out. Let me be here for you."
For a long time, they stayed like that, Thalia's presence a soothing balm to Nizara's tormented soul. She knew it would take time, that the road to healing would be long and difficult, but she was determined to stand by him every step of the way. Together, they would face the darkness and find their way back to the light.
*To Be Continued…*