Chased?!

Another boring day, with Theia being large geographically made them travel for weeks to arrive at another kingdom. It would have been better if they had horses as their ride.

Throughout their trip, Emi mostly spends her time sleeping, she will only awake at certain times, especially eating, bathing, and so on.

That evening they finally can see an eyes view of the junctional border, the path leading to Vermillion Empyrean or Strymir Empire.

"We need to wake her." Lucius said.

"Huh. Fun to be her. All she did was sleep, while we were walking tirelessly. My leg is almost giving up on me." Cole complained.

"She's preserving her energy." Lucius defended Emi.

He didn't mind her sleeping but it does make him anxious, to see her in such a routine.

"She had all those thousands of years to preserve it." Cole ridicule.

"I'm trying to control and manage them because of those sleep." Emi suddenly interrupted, stretching her body.

Cole was surprised to see her awake.

"I can hear you, you know? That long slumber made my powers all jumbled together, it will take time before I can use them properly again." Emi explained.

She massaged her own body from all the muscle pains.

"Powers? Do you mean you had more than the dark magic?" Cole asked, astounded.

"Yeah. I had some nature magic and a few more but mostly curses." Emi responded.

It caught Lucius's attention, and Cole was also surprised. Not many can master more than one type of magic. It is doable but takes time, and mostly the type of magic they learned are similar to each other. For example, if someone is a water magic user, they can learn ice magic too.

But hers? Dark magic and nature... Couldn't see the similarities.

"Curses?" Lucius looked at her.

"Greater power comes with a greater price. It is what I must pay." Emi asserted. Her eyes were full of determination.

"With what is it that you must pay?" Lucius asked.

Emi's eyes fixed on him, she knows he was worried. Even her Father reacted the same way, and she will respond the same way too.

"Classified." She declared.

"I understood..." Slowly he said. Cole eyed both of them.

He was still suspicious of Emi and Lucius, their speech pattern was quite the same. A coincidence?

"Here." Lucius handed out a white block of thin wood. She took it and saw a beautiful white snow crest on the piece of rectangular and thin wood. On it was written;

Adventurer Badge

Name : Emilia Verendus

Region : Apricity Celestine

Rank : B

Guild : None

"Adventurer Badge?" Emi read out the largest word.

Rank B only? She guessed it better that way, that people don't know her true powers. Keep a low profile.

"Wow, you've prepared it already? That was fast." He praised.

"Where did you get Apricity Celestine's adventurer badge? That's pretty rare, given they are pretty strict." Cole was impressed.

"A thief." Lucius responded shortly.

"So you stole from a thief which makes yourself a thief too." Cole snorted. Lucius frowns.

"Emi, this is an adventurer badge, an identity card from which region you belong." Lucius explained to her, and she nodded.

"Well, I guess it's fine since Mirifical Enthral doesn't have one." Cole mentioned.

She never saw such a badge before, even in the past. New rules have been applied it seems.

"Apricity Celestine? Never heard of it." It was the first time she heard of the region's name.

Given it had a snow crest, it surely somewhere within a region that mostly snows. It might cover her identity, Emi was grateful for Lucius's thoughtfulness to prepare one for her, he's very efficient.

"Ah. You've been away for so long. There were lots of changes that happened. Even the establishment of empire and kingdom has increased." Cole clarified.

"Given that you were sealed 3000 years before, there are about 12 different empires and the kingdom has been added. Most are smaller kingdoms but there are prominent ones that I want to mention such as the Ethereal Niteo, Vermillion Empyrean, Apricity Celestine, and Anima Parea." He explained.

"Anima Parea? Aurielle did mention that before." Emi remembered.

"Right, Anima Parea is one of the most harmonious kingdoms given they establish a kingdom where it is open for all the residents in other countries to live. So many types of people live there together in unity." Cole continues.

"I think you are familiar with Mer Blueth?" Cole asked her.

"Ohh, I know Mer Blueth. Aqua the Water Dragon governs the merfolks and fishmens there. Though I've not reached Mer Blueth yet, I've met Aqua herself before in the past." Emi confirmed.

"Yes, Aqua the Water Dragon, well she got married to Tundra the Ice Dragon and so Apricity Celestine was established with both of them as their guardian of Apricity Celestine and Mer Blueth." Cole told her.

"Aqua got married?!" Emi was shocked.

"Well… She did, but not anymore." Cole was a bit anxious to continue saying.

"Oh? What happen?" She asked, Emi was puzzled.

"She's not in this world anymore." Lucius cleared up which made her turn quiet.

"And so was Tundra. Both of them already passed away a few hundred years ago." Cole elucidate. Emi ponders on the information.

"That's sad. My condolences. How did they die? I'm pretty sure they were still young back then when I first met them." Emi was confused.

Just like her Father, Aqua and Tundra are dragons, they have a lifespan of thousands of years compared to humans.

"Killed." Lucius revealed. Emi's eyes widen, she didn't expect that answer at all.

"What? By whom?" Emi wanted to know the details more.

Killed by who? Two infamous dragons were both killed, that's rather concerning and suspicious.

"No one knows, they just found dead after that." Cole shrugged his shoulder. Emi didn't have any questions afterward.

"Now that I think about it… 3000 years? That is a very big number, I slept for too long." Emi stated, followed by a long silence after that. Cole looks at her from the corner of his eye.

"Aren't you sad your friends died?" Cole asked.

"Sad, why would I? I only met them once, during their meeting which my father brought me along. Aqua was pretty shy while Tundra was cold as ice. I'm more surprised that they got married that's all." She smiles a little before it completely disappears.

"Besides, I've seen more deaths before, hundreds, thousands, countless... So it is considered natural for me now." Emi regarded.

Cole looked at her cold expression, something stirs inside him. He remembered the stories he was told about her, and he thought to himself; how can an innocent, sweet and childish girl… Be that merciless…

It made him feel that he needed to be more cautious with her, after all, another nickname that was bestowed on her was; The Ruthless One.

"Cole is rather knowledgeable in this matter. Did you receive higher education in history or something? Or did you guys allow anyone to study without prejudice anymore? I'm mainly mentioning this because there were biases towards the lower class society in the past." Emi babbled.

"Nah, there are still prejudice even after thousand of years and I did receive higher education in history." Cole answered. Emi nodded in understanding.

"Apricity Celestine, Mer Blueth, then Ethereal Niteo." Emi tries to remember the names.

"That belonged to the Pendragon." Lucius put forward.

"Pendragon?! The Light King's descendants?" Emi was astonished.

"Correct." Lucius said.

"So they finally made their own kingdom." Emi was uneasy to hear that fact.

She doesn't know how to respond to that matter. How will or did her Father respond when hearing that news?

She hoped everything was okay. Emi was a bit anxious, worried that she ever encountered the Pendragons in the near future. Surely it will stir conflicts.

After all... It was her Father, The Dark King who killed the Light Dragon, the Pendragon's godfather, their guardian dragon.

Emi shakes her head, so as not to overthink herself.

"Oh, there was another one. Vermillion Empyrean, right?" Emi asked. Cole's face was distraught.

"What with that face?" Emi chuckles. Clearly showing dislike toward the name mentioned.

"He despises them." Lucius said to her.

"Hoo? Why?" Emi asked, interested to know the reasoning behind his hate.

"We had issues." He responded.

"Was it something bad? But seems like you belong there." Emi guessed.

Cole gulped, he was a bit surprised.

"Looks like it's true." Emi giggles, the first reaction always tells. Her knowledge of psychology still works for everyone.

"Done. We're done. No more questions." They finally reached the gate of the border.

The guard was wearing mostly reddish tone color armor with a rose crest on its chest.

"Halt." A guard ordered to which they stopped.

"Identification." He requested and the three of them handed it to him.

Emi noticed that people kept looking at her, some were even whispering. She pulled softly on Lucius's cloak, to which he lowered his body beside her.

"Are they looking at me?" Emi asked whispering.

The people's reaction made her feel uneasy. Her social anxiety never fades, it was implemented in her since she was a child. Plus, without Atlas, she felt even more insecure.

"It's okay." Lucius assured her. She holds tight onto his cloak, not letting go.

She doesn't like to be put in such a situation.

"Sir, I need you to show me your face." The guard asserted to Lucius.

"There was no need before. Why is it required now?" Cole asked, questioning.

"The King's order. We're looking for some people." The guard clarified. Lucius looks at Emi for a moment before sighing.

"Fine." Emi was anticipating seeing Lucius's full face, he was always fully covered so he is the biggest mystery for her.

He pulled his mask down and pulled the hood to his back. Standing beside her was a tall young man with white hair and his charming purple eyes to complete it. It was Emi's turn to be captivated by his features, a very handsome young man to be honest.

"Emi!" Her head rings. She shakes her head, surprised by the sudden flashes of a person calling her.

"What was that?" She looked at Lucius again, this time their eyes met. But her expression was in confusion.

"Oh, both of you are siblings." The guard uttered. They were dumbfounded.

"Pfffttt!" Cole trying to hold his laughter.

"Apricity Celestine. I guess that explains the snow-white complexion. Although it's rare to see one at a such young age." The guard smiles as he looks at Emi and Lucius's adventurer badge. Then, he lowered his body to talk with Emi.

"Was it cold there?" He asked with a friendly smile.

Death growls defensively while Lucius's expression shows everything, the suppressed madness was shown on his face and Emi had his grips tightened on Lucius's cloak.

Cole laughs and puts his hand on the guard's shoulder.

"You better back away. Both of them bite." Cole warned him.

The guard was getting anxious and his friends laughed at him, He quickly cleared his throat.

"You may go." They went past him.

"Bye, bye." She smile and quietly waved at him, so he waves back but the other two were still glaring at him.

They stops at the side of the tall wall for a moment, Lucius was trying to pull his mask and hood again. Emi looked at Lucius attentively while circling him several times, barefooted.

"What are you doing?" He asked her.

"We look pretty same. But… Have we met before?" Emi asked him as she tilted her head.

"What made you ask that question?" Lucius asked again. Cole was interested to listen on her response.

"I don't know, but it feels like I've met you somewhere." Emi stated.

"It's just your imagination." Lucius everted his eyes and looked around the surrounding.

"Maybe or perhaps I've seen someone similar to you in the past." Emi returned to sit on Death's back and went on their way.

Cole sighed, it wasn't the answer he hoped for.

"You're already starting to get famous." Cole regarded as he saw people looking at them.

"I'm already famous since thousands of years ago." Emi chuckles.

"Hahaha. True." Cole agrees.

The border was pretty massive and long, with markets and small shops open. There are civilians who stayed and live at the border far from the main capital, so it is quite lively with people.

"Do you think they sell shoes or clothing?" Emi's were scanning the place.

Peaceful, and filled with children's laughter too. The soft bustling sound of the seller and the undeciphered murmur of people around.

"Why don't we stop for a moment so you can look around?" Cole suggested.

"Sure." Emi was down with that idea.

Can't have the trip goes on like this with her making people turn their heads to her for being barefooted.

Maybe she should find a cloak too and cover herself like Lucius. It would have been easier if Dawn has prepared for her a cloak and not too many dresses. Emi sighs, Dawn's over-excitement is understandable.

"Since I know Lucius will follow you around, so he will help you with the money." Cole said sarcastically.

"Of course." Lucius declared proudly.

"Oi. I'm making fun of you." Cole was in disbelief, shaking his head.

"Let's go!" They already left, walking away far from him.

"Gosh, what's wrong with both of them." Cole crossed his arm.

"Ashen Adventurer." Someone called out from his back. Cole turned his head to see a familiar face.

"Oh, shoot." He was getting anxious.

"Wah. When was the last time I went for a stroll in a town?" Emi exclaimed.

"You never went to one?" Lucius asked.

"No. It's not like that. I've visited lots of places with my Father before. Father always let me taste all types of cuisine, so I kinda miss it." Emi explained.

"We can taste the foods from now on too. I hope you don't mind even if it's not with your Father." Lucius said to her.

"I would be happy to go with you guys. After I found Father, I'm sure I can do it again with him." Emi was hopeful.

"I know you will find him." He said.

"I know I will!" She was determined. Lucius's eyes had slight sadness.

"Looks like, we reached the last shop." Lucius stated. None really manage to attract her attention.

"Hmm. I think we need to go to a bigger place. Maybe the main capital city." Emi muttered.

"Let's go eat then." Lucius suggested. Emi nodded in agreement. They went to a nearby fountain.

"You stay here. I'll buy some food." Lucius said.

"Okay." Emi agreed. She sat on the long bench beside the fountain while watching Lucius head towards a food stall.

Death shapeshifted into a snake back, wrapping around her neck.

"Are you the Dragon Princess?" A child asked as she looked at her; black hair and blue eyes, wearing a long brownish dress, her hair was tied neatly with a black bow.

"Uhh… Why did you ask?" She asked hesitantly. Then, she pointed at Death.

"Mom always says the Dragon Princess was very white and she had a black snake." The girl explained, and it made her chuckle.

"Hushhh. Don't tell anyone." She hushes and looks around.

"I am the Dragon Princess." She winked at the girl. Her eyes were sparkling, excited.

"Really?!" She came close and sat beside her.

"But Mom said Dragon Princess was gone a long time ago." She said.

"Yeah. I was sleeping and just woke up a few days ago. I didn't know I was sleeping for a very long time." She said.

"How's that possible?" The little girl was curious.

"I got sealed by the wizards, so only people from outside can free me." Emi explained.

"Whoa. The wizards must be strong, but the ones that wake Dragon Princess must be even stronger!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah. He is strong." Emi smiles and her eyes soften. Suddenly a commotion was heard. It attracted both of their attention.

"Stop!" It was the mens in reddish armor. They were chasing someone.

"Cole?" Emi was bewildered.

"Run! Hahaha!" He shouted while laughing.

"Let's go." Suddenly Lucius appeared and they began to run.

"Bye! Bye! Dragon Princess!" She shouted. It caught the civilian's attention.

"Ooppss." She closes her mouth.

"Hahaha! No worries! Bye!" She waves at her.

Lucius noticed Emi was moving a bit slow and remembered she was barefooted. He swiftly lifted her off her feet in bridal style, which took her by surprise.

"Ah! Lucius I can walk by myself" She was frustrated.

"You're barefooted." He said.

"I mean I can let Death carry me." She tried to reason with him.

"Shut up and hold tight." He ordered. She was stunned by his word, exhilarated oddly enough.

"Umm. Okay" He pulled her even closer to his face which made her blush, she wraps her arms around him, then he jumps over the houses and shops. They need to escape, to Strymir Empire!