Enlightenment

Emi's eyes were empty. She felt an immense void inside her heart, and now that she gained the people's attention, she couldn't say anything. She didn't even try to retort to the words of accusation spoken nor she tried to clarify it.

Would it be the same if she ever mentioned that she is the Dragon Princess? Wasn't she sealed away because of their own fear of her in the first place? She somehow felt conflicted when she remembered the reasons to be sealed and missing out on those thousands of years.

Noticing her silence, an intense aura was felt, similar to her magic earlier. However, this time it wasn't coming from her. Their stomachs clenched from fear, his aura was enough to intimidate all of them.

Emi weakly pulls her face to look up, meeting his cold purple eyes. They were glued to her, but she knew his mind wandered with malicious intent. Emi contemplates what to say to him. Who was she to comment on his emotions when she doesn't even know him much or why he cared so deeply about her?

Emi holds her head, she couldn't bare the pain from the plague curse anymore. It sickened her mind and body, draining her energy to stay conscious. Her vision slowly becomes blurry, she tries to shake her head a few times before falling, laying on Lucius's hand.

"Emi!" Lucius called out her name. Panicked as her condition was worsening over time. With her face, even more, paler as if a living corpse, her cherry lips were now losing their color too. She was breathing irregularly with her chest going up and down.

"Cole... Death... Lucius..." She said feebly.

"Hang in there, Emi!" Cole encouraged her. It was the last thing she heard before her eyes slowly closes.

Cole huffs in anger. He clenched his fist and scowl at the people standing around them with faces baring disgust, and doubt. They steadily backed away from them, fearing the unknown strangers from out of town.

"You all are outsiders. We don't want t-trouble, so just get out!" Someone shouted, and the town's people's voices began to build up, opposing their presence in the town.

"Yeah, get out!"

"We don't need you three here!"

"You only bring problems!"

"Go away!"

"Get out!" They continuously shoo them away, then began to pick up stones from the ground and throw it at them. Cole and Lucius both were hit by it a few times.

"Take that monster away from here!" Lucius's eyes sliced to the voice and a black shockwave, powerfully pushed all of them, falling to the ground. They all yelped as their body becomes weak.

"He's also a dark mage! Look?! He even took our energy!" Lucius's inability to bear his anger worsened the situation, adding oil to the fire.

"Are you kidding me?!" Cole shouted with rage, with a death stare. He pulled himself up since he was also affected by Lucius's shockwave, but Cole wasn't mad at him. He, himself was in fury because of them too. When he was about to continue to lash out, a voice suddenly cuts in.

"Dim-witted humans." A high-pitched voice was heard, a female voice, degrading the people. They were taken aback by the insult and looked in the direction from where the voice came.

Standing tall, with her hands on her hip, a lady was not happy with the remarks that she just heard, spewed by the lowly ignorant, and arrogant human beings around her.

She was a fair young lady with long wavy and voluminous layered mint green hair reaching her thigh in length, her bangs were parted in the middle and pulled neatly behind her ears. Perfecting her beauty, her eyes were the color of beige pearls, shining from the reflections of the sun.

She had a royal blue jacket paired with a hidden flare pleated dress knee length underneath it, looking noble, and formal. Her black leggings covered her whole leg with a pair of laced bow high-heeled black boots.

"Huh?! What did you say?!" A woman shouted, dissatisfied by her slur. While she was irritated, some were bewitched by her beauty, mostly men.

The young lady remained calm, under the protests of the people. Scanning her surrounding across the crowd with distasteful eyes.

"You humans really are as were portrayed." She shakes her head slightly, which made them turn silent.

"If you want to blame anyone, it would be anyone but her." She put forward the fact.

"Why shouldn't we? She is a dark magic mage! We all know only they will bring this kind of disaster!" They try to counter her statement.

"By estimation, logically thinking, this town is only around 500 population, and from her magic alone, she could easily wipe all of you from existence, so why would she trouble herself to give you such a curse only for her to absorb it once again and made herself suffers? It is highly irrational and doesn't benefit her at all in any way." She reasoned with them and they finally quieted down, silence covered them with a small murmur.

"That's what I thought." She sighs in disbelief at their own stupidity in reading the situation. To accuse their savior is the most outrageous thing for them to do, and probably the last option for them to think of.

"Then... Why would she do it?" A lady looked at Emi who was laying on top of Lucius's hand.

"Why would she save us? Why would a dark mage save us?" She asked continuously.

It is reasonable that dark magic users are seen as disgrace and parasites in society since most of them are the cause of conflicts and troubles to occur regardless of any kingdom or anywhere. As time goes by, people's mindsets have changed in the same way as in the past. Darkness is always bad and light is always good.

"Because she is the Dragon Princess." The young lady stated, which made them dumbstruck. She just uttered something preposterous and ridiculous.

"That's impossible! The Dragon Princess is long gone from this world!" An old man exclaimed.

"Yeah!" People agreed with him.

"Are you sure it's not one of those imposters again?" Someone asked.

For a long time, there are people who have claimed themselves as the Dragon Princess or at least the reincarnations or descendants of the Dragon Princess, so it is easy to have doubts that this time was no different from before.

"Wait, wasn't there a rumor that they saw the Dragon Princess at the South-West Border? Is she the one mentioned?" They began discussing among themselves, but still having second thoughts.

"The Dragon Princess does not exist anymore! She's only a legend or probably a myth only! Only made-up stories!" A man speculated. Skeptical was heard within his tone of words. It seems existed people believed that she was only a mere story made from the people's fantasy of the past.

They gasp slightly.

"I get that you don't believe she is the Dragon Princess, but rejecting the Dragon Princess's existence itself is a crime, don't you think so? You might get arrested you know." An old lady beside the man reminded him. He gulped, fearing the consequences of his words after being made aware.

How could she be regarded as a mere story only, if her name was charted down in history? Even a law was made under her name and she was mentioned repetitively in history classes.

"So have the Dragon Princess really returned?" They looked at Emi once again, she is the main topic at this moment, and only she can provide the answer to their questions, clearing their doubts and confusions.

However, she wasn't in the perfect condition to give them the truth they needed. The young lady step by step walks toward Lucius.

"The one who is as white as the first falling snow for beauty; majestic, and cold. Look out for her angelic wings for they hold the truth of the world. Carried by the melody whereas sides with her is a shape-shifter in anything it was told. Alas, listen well, not to trouble her, for she is cursed to be the smallest as a palm hold. Heed our words, not to displease her, not to anger her, for she returns thousands fold."

She read out the same rhyme of phrases she had heard since she was a little girl. She is positive that every one of them has heard of it while growing up, the stories of the Dragon Princess and her adventures.

"As white as snow, angelic wings, a shape-shifter, dark magic, and a miniature curse." She stopped beside Lucius and looked down at Emi who had arched brows, struggling from her excruciating pain.

"I would be blind if I can't see how the description fits her so well." She exclaimed. People began to murmur once again, she hopes that it will somehow enlighten their clouded perception.

"You're the true Dragon Princess, aren't you?" She asked Emi quietly with confidence in her eyes.

She knows Emi wasn't able to answer her but her judgment was never in the wrong, presented before them, is the almighty, and cherished Dragon Princess, The Ruthless One.

She has returned.