Mission of Ash

Thia was in a room surrounded by six people. She recognized some of them, while she had only heard the names of the others in stories. If someone told her she would one day meet such legendary figures, she wouldn't believe it. Right beside her was Thena. The silver-haired girl had also been invited to the meeting. Thena was wearing a blue gown, and her long silver hair had been braided. She also applied light makeup, making her look even more beautiful. Thia couldn't help but be jealous.

Beside Thia was Mystos, the mysterious pillar. A man she knew little to nothing about, except for the fact that he had brought her to the capital a few days ago. After Mystos was Dante, Hana's father, and the Alpha of the Wilde family. The dark-skinned man always gave Thia the creeps anytime their eyes locked. This was the first time she was meeting him, and she couldn't see any resemblance between Hana and her father. They didn't look alike, not even a bit. "Maybe she looks like her mother," Thia reasoned.

Sitting opposite these three was General Kyle, the commander of Eru's army, and Hazel, the god sword she fought back at HappyLand.

Then there was the Queen. Sitting at the tip of the table was Queen Artemisia Erushia, the Phoenix Queen.

The Queen's gaze met Thia's. "We have much to discuss, Thia. Things that concern you, your purpose, and the fate of Eru."

"You may proceed, General Kyle," the queen said, turning to the general.

"Yes, Your Majesty. As we all know, the war in Wize seems to be going in King Jai's favor. His forces have taken the stronghold in Sworis, which makes it difficult for us to move forward. The only option we have now is Bintan," the general explained.

"Bintan? The only neutral province left?" Mystos asked.

"Yes. It seems the Sulten is still proving to be stubborn after all this while. Lady Melisse is currently there, and she's optimistic we can take the city in the coming weeks," General Kyle said.

"Coming weeks? Does she already have an army in place?" Dante, one of the pillars, asked.

"No, Lord Wilde."

"Then how does she plan on achieving that without an army?"

"Apparently, one of his sons is fed up with his inaction and has approached Lady Melisse. They would be using his army instead, but he needs time to do that without his father suspecting anything."

"Oh, that's great. So, we can assume Bintan is ours?"

"Yes, and with its resources and strategic location, we will be able to avoid Sworis. Although the journey would be longer and more tiring for our forces, we have an advantage." General Kyle explained

"Which is?" Dante asked.

"The Sulten of Bintan had made a deal with Pestilence of the underworld. They had created various routes in the desert for Bintan to receive food, while the Sulten pays with Magic Crystals."

"Bintan has five mines, two of those are tier-one mines where major crystals can be mined. It's safe to say that he would be able to afford Pestilence's services for a long time," General Kyle said.

"So, if we take Bintan, it would be a great advantage for us. We'll have secured a great amount of resources and also a supply line for our men."

"It's a great plan, but don't you think King Jai realizes this too?"

"Yes, and that's why with the help of our new ally, Lord Faruk, and the Sultan of Hadia, we'll be launching a strike to take Amresh. That should keep King Jai busy, and with the crisis in Omi, he'll receive little to no help."

"Ah, yes, the assassination attempts," Dante said.

"I heard you fought valiantly, Lady Thia," Dante asked Thia.

"I did my best to survive," Thia replied.

"I'm sure you did. An entire unit didn't make it out, but you and your friends did. Despite the fact you were all still kids," Dante commented.

"Lord Dante," the Queen said in a cautious tone.

"No, my queen, let him say his mind," Thia said

"Lord Wilde, you wish to know why Rex and everyone in his team died. Well, it's because they were weak and incompetent," Thia said.

"It was a miracle your sister survived. She did try to kill me after all, and the last time I checked, those who have made such attempts always found themselves on the wrong side of my scythe" Thia hissed and materialized Iku for a second.

The room pulsed with a cold, oppressive aura that sent shivers down the spines of even the most seasoned warriors. Dante, however, surprised her, most people would have been afraid, but the people in the room were not ordinary people. 

Instead of feeling fear, Dante smiled at Thia's attempt to scare him and finally spoke.

"No need to get hostile, my lady. I was just commending your resilience and persistence," he said.

"I don't need your flattery, Lord Wilde," Thia retorted, her voice laced with ice.

"You may continue, General Kyle," the Queen interjected, subtly calming the tension.

"Yes, Your Majesty. There is only one problem with taking Bintan," General Kyle began.

"What is it?" Hazel inquired.

"There seems to be a young boy with a very powerful curse among Lord Bintan's guard."

A collective gasp filled the room. "A young boy? Who is this boy?" Mystos demanded.

"We don't know yet, but with the information we have, Lady Melisse suspects he might be the son of King Ken," General Kyle revealed.

Eyes widened in shock. No one had heard anything about the boy since the coup in Wize four months ago. His potential survival could be a game-changer in the war.

"What makes you think so?" Hazel questioned.

"According to reports," General Kyle continued, "he was captured by slavers who found him wandering naked in the desert a few nights after the coup. Though there were rumors King Jai captured him, there's no confirmation of his death."

"If Jai captured him, he wouldn't be alive," Hazel stated firmly. "There has to be another explanation."

The Queen's gaze flickered towards Thia. "Lady Melisse mentioned the 'Night of the Fallen Sun' in Wize, didn't she?" She asked

General Kyle confirmed with a nod. "The same night King Jai supposedly captured and killed the Queen. It was said that an entire caravan was wiped out when the sun fell. No one truly knows what happened," 

Thia thought back to what Plutonia said when she was at her domain. She was to find Ashell and Ares. When she asked Iku about it, the fiend had explained that Ares and Ashell were the curses belonging to the siblings of Plutonia and so they shared something in common. Iku told her that Gor's curse was Ares and he had not found the one who summoned Ashell. The only tip the fiend gave her was that they were all summoned on the same night. For Gor, when he was fighting for his life at jut. Thia, at the demonic cultist's mansion and the prince of Wize, the same night when his uncle captured him.

"If the prince somehow survived that night..." Thia said

"It might explain the boy's existence," the Queen finished. "We need confirmation."

"Won't the lord of Amresh be able to confirm if he was the prince or not?" Hazel asked

"Not if the curse affected his appearance," Thia said and everyone turned to her

"If the boy is the prince, no one there would suspect him if the curse changed his appearance". 

"Like it did to us," Thia thought.

A tense silence descended upon the room. The implications were clear.

"If this boy is the true heir," the Queen declared, her voice ringing with authority, "we need him on our side. That's why I called upon you, Thia and Thena."

Thia felt a knot tighten in her stomach. "Us, My Lady?"

"Yes," the Queen continued, her eyes locking with Thia's I want you to go to Wize and meet this boy. I want you to confirm his identity and also make a deal with him".

"But my lady, if this boy is really the prince, how will she make a deal with him when she's just a soldier" General Kyle asked.

"This is where your future comes in Thia. As part of your destiny, you will take a place at the royal court of Eru. I want to adopt you as my daughter."

A stunned silence blanketed the room. Thia's mind reeled. Adoption by the Queen? Princess of Eru? This was a turn of events she could never have imagined.

The Queen's gaze softened. "You are a vital part of this war, Thia. As Princess, you will have the authority to approach the prince and negotiate an alliance."

Thia looked around the room, her gaze flitting between the faces etched with anticipation and doubt. This mission was daunting, but the fate of Eru, and most importantly, her own fate, rested on her shoulders.