After leaving the prison, I have journeyed my way towards the north to meet with the giants. Judge Leo has informed the giants of my arrival, and they should be waiting for me to arrive. Upon traveling to the north, I was met with harsh beasts that tried to kill me. I used these opportunities to hone my skills so I can be prepared to fight against my mother's murderers. My mother is a strong woman and she won't be defeated that easily. That is why I have to be strong enough to face one of them, or worse case scenario, two at the same time.
It took me three weeks to go to the outskirts of the north. Powerful monsters reside there. Everywhere I go, I am always met with battle against a horde of enemies. Sometimes, I am met with humans that are living on the outskirts. Bounty Hunters, we call them. They hunt for money and they work only for money. It doesn't matter what job they take. They will work to death just for money.
So far, I only encountered a few bounty hunters. None of them lived to tell the tale of the encounter against me. All died in my hands. The more I fight, the more it is easier for me to control my power. I'm not yet used to it though. Every after use of my newly acquired dark magic, I ran out of strength immediately, making me fall into a deep coma that lasted for three to five days, making this journey longer than expected. That is why I only use my powers if my life is truly in danger. So far, thanks to my countless battles against powerful beasts of the outskirts, I am getting stronger everyday just by fighting.
It took me a total of two months to get out of the outskirts, entering deep into the wilderness. See, surrounding every kingdom is a city. A city is being surrounded by the outskirts, which is a border of the kingdom. When you get out of the outskirts, you are entering what we call the wilderness. Why is it called the wilderness? Because the area is too far from civilization to be ruled. Those who enters the wilderness never came back, that is what my mother used to tell me when I was a kid. Only those who are powerful enough to survive in the wilderness live to tell the tale. Every beast that you have not seen in the outskirts resides deep in the wilderness. There is one monster that I should watch out for however, and if ever I encounter one, I should run away from it. The Black Dragon. The most powerful beasts that have existed in this world. Only two people survived against the Black Dragon's fierce attack, but even they barely survived.
Legends has it that the Black Dragon used to be a human, a ruler of a forgotten kingdom. But because the ruler practiced forbidden spells, instead of acquiring dark magic, he acquired something worse. Thus, he transformed into a Black Dragon. The Black Dragon can travel anywhere. It is the only creature that has been living for thousands of years, yet is still considered a threat to the whole world. I don't think the whole world can survive if the Black Dragon decides to attack. I bet half of the planet would be obliterated to dust when the beast comes.
Right now, it is winter. The Black Dragon is in its current deep coma. But I won't take this opportunity for granted. It is better to leave the wilderness and quickly enter the other side of the wilderness, where the giants reside.
The more I ventured deep in the wilderness, the more I encountered weird and strong monsters that I have never seen in my life. It was hard to kill them. I admit, it's a challenge. But I kept fighting. I kept swinging my fists, my legs, my sword, and my magic against the beasts of the wilderness. In the middle of the fight, my sword broke. So I had to use my hands and legs to fight. Then my wrist broke from how hard the skin of the beast I was fighting off. But each encounter of death, the memory of the shadow from the void staring at me, emerges, giving me power. Amplifying myself with dark magic gave me the boost and strength I need to kill whoever is in front of me.
The more I used it however, the more I gave into the coma. And what used to be three to five days of sleep, became a week or two. But I didn't care. I fought and fought every monster, until I became a monster myself. Every death encounter, the shadow from the void would stare at me, giving me power to kill the enemy in front of me. And every time I kill, I can't stop thinking about the faces of my mother's murderers. Alexis, Cecilia, Nashia, Vivian… Those monsters… Those murderers.. I'll kill them. Every single one of them. And I would make sure to give them a slow and painful death. Even their loved ones! I will make sure they suffer because of their stupid decision of betraying my mother!
I snapped. Completely. The whole forest burned to dust. Green flames spread around the wilderness, devouring every living or non living thing until nothing is left behind. What was once a green scenario, has become a hell. My anger got the best of me. Then, the whole world became black once more.
After waking up from a coma, I resumed my journey until I reached the outside of the wilderness. As I was about to step foot, the ground shook, making me stumble down the ground, hitting my ass first to the dirt.
"What the heck?" I asked myself, looking around for the source of the earthquake. When suddenly, the ground beneath me blew up. A giant hand appeared beneath me, holding my petite body tight so that I couldn't move myself from its grip. I tried to clutch on to that dark magic, but to no avail. I am still exhausted from overusing my powers. And too tired from all the battles. "Let me go!" I roared, trying my best to free myself from its grip.
A giant appeared in front of me. The giant's eyes stared at me hard. "Who are you?" He asked me.
"Why should I tell…" Suddenly, I remembered something. A giant? "Wait! It is I! Ashe, the daughter of Queen Ashe, ruler of the kingdom of Borne!" I declared. The giant's eyes widened and he carefully dropped me on the ground. He called his other fellow giants and soon, I was surrounded by numerous big bodies staring at me like I'm a rare object that they just saw for the first time.
"The daughter of Queen Ashe.. Young Ashe?" One of the giants spoke.
I nodded my head. "Yes, that is me. I supposed that Judge Leo told you of my arrival, has he not?" I asked boldly. My mother is strong. So I should be strong as well.
The giant who asked me nodded his head. "Yes. But why did it take so long? We thought you had died, young Ashe."
"It's a long story." I just said.
"But that is not important. You are here is what's important." One of the giants said. "Now come! We have informed the king. He is waiting for you."
The giants led me to an underground passage with huge hallways that fits their gigantic figures. In the end of the hallway, a huge door stood tall. The door opened by itself, revealing a very enormous chamber that almost looked like an arena for gladiators to fight. In the center of the arena, a small figure was standing. But despite his small physique, he was giving off an enormous aura that made the giants kneel before him. I was the only one standing, so I decided to kneel down as well. Is he… the king of the giants? But why does he look like a human instead?
"My majesty, the daughter of Queen Ashe has finally arrived." One of the giants spoke. The king turned his body in my direction, looking at me with his golden eyes. He has blonde hair that droops down his shoulders. A golden skin that seems to reflect the sunlight from above. But despite his petite look, I could feel it… His gigantic aura resides from him.
"Welcome, princess Ashe. To the Giants Den." The king said with an authority behind his voice, making me even bow more.
"Thanks for this… welcome." I said while trying to hold my ground. Despite the heavy air weighing me down, I stood up. The image of my mother appeared on me, making the king flinch for a second. "I am Princess Ashe, daughter of Queen Ashe. I have come here to have my vengeance against my mother's murderers and…" I stopped, thinking of the right words before I spoke. "And to rebuild my kingdom."
The giants were surprised at my declaration. Murmurs filled the Giants Den. The king stomped his foot, making the ground beneath his foot crack.
"Vengeance? Rebuild your kingdom? Are you sure you are prepared for that?" The king's glare made the air even more heavy. The pressure was so intense that my body almost gave up on me. But I stood still, remembering my mother's strong will when faced against strong enemies like the king.
"Are you making fun of me, king of giants?" I asked, my voice growling. The king finally stopped pressuring me, and he replaced his serious expression with a smile.
"Just like your mother… Bold as ever!" The king said with a laugh. "My brothers and sisters! Let's make a feast to celebrate the return of the princess of Borne!" The giants roared in unison. "Princess Ashe, I know you are tired from the journey. Rest, eat, drink, and tomorrow we shall get down to business." The king replied.
After a long journey, I have finally arrived in the giant's territory. They made a feast for my return. We ate and drank for a long night. After the feast, they showed me my quarters where I will be resting until I leave the place.
Night went by, replacing the moon with the sun. After a good rest, I was escorted to the Giants Den, where the king of the Giants was waiting for me.
"How was your rest, princess?" The king asked.
"I had a great time resting, your majesty. Thank you for your hospitality." I replied with a bow to show my respect.
"Please relax. I am your mother's friend. So you are also my friend." He said. "I was fighting with her in the war… She was strong as heck." He added, making me surprised with the sudden words. "Your mother was strong. But unfortunately, you can never trust anyone." The king added again, but his last words have bitterness.
"I am still confused as to why you are telling me that." I said.
"I want you to be strong enough to fight just like your mother. You had a great act yesterday, but when I looked into your core, you can't even control that monster inside you." The king stood up. He walked in front of me so fast that I didn't even have the time to blink. Then he placed his palm on my abdomen to check my mana core. "Your mana core is… Sealed." The king said, making me confused.
"What do you mean sealed? How come I can use magic then?" I asked in confusion.
"It is not you that is using magic. It is the monster inside you using it." The king replied. Suddenly, this monster reminded me of the shadow from the void that I kept staring at whenever I am encountering death. "The monster inside you lets you use its power. But because your mana core is sealed, you are getting exhausted easily every time you use its powers, am I right?"
I nodded. "Yes. Is there a way to unseal it?"
"Sealing your mana core right now is dangerous. You have to control that monster inside you or else when we open your mana core, that monster will consume you." The king said.
"How do I control it?"
"That is up to you. I don't know how to give you an answer because I have never experienced it before." The king replied. "But my giants will gladly help you whenever your life is in danger. You have six months. Six months to tame that monster and to open your mana core. Within those six months, we will train you at the same time so it will be pretty busy."
"Six months… I don't know if that is enough time, but I'll do my best." I said with determination displayed on my face. The king chuckled.
"Good. Try staying alive throughout six months. What your mother has gone through, you will experience it as well." The king declared.
My mother is strong. She didn't become strong because of her experience in battles only, but because she went through training. She never told me what kind though and every time someone asked her, she would ignore them or give her chills sometimes.
The king wasn't lying. First week of training almost made me die. Of course, to make the day worse, I had to go face to face with the monster inside me, trying to tame it. No matter what I do, I just can't seem to control it.
But I am determined. Six months is a little time. Within these months, I have to tame the monster even if it means death to me and open my mana core. If I don't… Then how can I kill those monsters and rebuild my kingdom?
For the restoration of the kingdom of Borne… And to avenge my mother… I shall train to death.
And six months have gone by.
The fresh sunlight hits my face. Before leaving, I turned around and thanked the giants for helping me train. They have become like a family to me. Friends to me.
"Thanks for everything, king Gian." I said.
"You are ready, princess Ashe. And before you leave, take this." The king handed me what looked like a small whistle. "Whenever you find yourself in trouble, blow this whistle. We will be there at your side." King Gian said.
I clutched the small whistle and placed it inside of my pocket. "Thank you. I will surely give you a call whenever I'm in danger."
I turned around and left, entering the borders of Mineva.