CHAPTER 53

UNDER THE starless and moonless sky, the crimson color of flame covered the sky and balls of flame mercilessly rained down on the desolate valley, burning everything on the ground. From monsters to dead trees and any visible vegetation. Maybe if there was no moonrite stone present, Sollel's flame might've burned the humans too. Unfortunately, moonrite stone was her weakness, but fortunately, she had her cloak to absorb half of its effect.

But her strength was still limited and being suppressed by the stone.

As the sea of flames covered the ground, Hakken left Sollel's side and in a heartbeat, his war blades slashed General Kar who was surprised at the hunter's speed. Kar didn't remember the hunter whom he beat into pulp in the Valley of Bones to survive after his attacks, more so to see him fight fiercely. Kar felt like he was fighting a different man. The killing intent was palpable, the hunter's war blades were so fierce that it made Kar staggered back.

The hunter was so fast that Kar was having a hard time keeping up with his speed. His war hammer could smash and crush anyone, but its weight was its disadvantage in battle. Its weight limits his speed. Even using its ability, the condensed air sucking the hunter close so he could smash him to pulp, the hunter didn't even struggle to break free from his arcane weapon's ability.

The hunter lets the condenser air pulled him and just when Kar was about to deliver a mighty blow from his war hammer, his eyes widened, and he staggered back when he saw the hunter flipped his body mid-air and used his war blades to slash him on the front, wounding Kar and making him bleed!

Kar was not expecting such fighting prowess that it left him speechless. All he could remembering was beating this hunter and how weak he was— the reason why he underestimated him.

And now standing in front of the wounded General, Hakken rested the back of his war blades on his shoulder and smirked as he said, "payback for what you did to me in the Valley of Bones."

Wounded but tenacious, Kar gripped his war hammer and he attacked. But the Hunter was fast. Dodging his war hammer was an easy feat to the hunter, as if he knew the weakness of his weapon.

Gritting his teeth, Kar cussed and bombarded the hunter with formidable smashes. Kar was not going to admit defeat. The man was but a hunter. He should be no match for him.

At the moment that Hakken and Kar was fighting, the Adral warriors were focused on killing the monsters while the kingdom's mighty sorcerer and sorceress were hopelessly attacking the Mistress of Flame. But all their attacks were meaningless to the queen. It was like a child play was Warlord Hakkeran put it back when everyone was imprisoned near the Shivering Valley.

The sorcerer and sorceress were feeling the frustration seeing how the Mistress of Flame was repelling their attacks effortlessly, like swatting a bug. Even with the moonrite stone in their hands, they saw the Mistress of Flame yawned as if they were boring her.

"I apologized," the Mistress of Flame's voice was melodious, like a soft and caring caress. "I haven't had a good night's sleep." The queen flicked her wrist and the small monsters that was about to attack was burnt with no carcass left. "I miss my bed." She said longingly before she summoned another ball of flames and let it rain down on the sorcerer and sorceress.

The flame may not be as fierce as they remembered, maybe because of the moonrite stone's effect on her— if it was affecting her at all— they managed to survive the queen's attack with only bruises and small burnt.

Sollel sighed, seeing how weak her attacks were. "I'm so weak."

The sorcerer and sorcerers who heard it, their eyes bulged in disbelief, and they were all thinking the same thing.

That was weak?!

"I'll fight her." A baritone and firm voice from behind the sorcerer and sorceress.

Somehow, the Kingdom of Treterra's sorcerers felt safe seeing that it was warlord Hakkeran with his war blades. They believed that if there was someone who could fight the Mistress of Flame toe to toe, it was the warlord and the General.

The sorcerers immediately stepped back and let the warlord took over. Their attacks were now focused on the monsters surrounding them, helping the Adral warriors in purging them. But from time to time, they would glance at the Mistress of Flame and Warlord Hakkeran and they were left in awe seeing the fight between the two.

The warlord was fierce in close combat, not afraid of the flame and the Mistress of Flame was insanely fast casting flame attacks and another. Unlike Flame sorcerers who sometimes needed time to summon a strong flame attack, the Mistress of Flame was a different being. Her attacks were fast, fierce, and deadly. One wrong move and they all knew the warlord would get burned.

But their view gradually changed as the fight continued and the two— the Mistress of Flame and the warlord disappeared in their line of sight and into the darkness. They could still see the flame explosion, but that was it.

And it was not only the sorcerers and sorceress who saw the fight, from the corner of General Kar's eyes, he saw how fierce the battle was between the Mistress of Flame and the warlord. He wanted to lend a hand, but the hunter was not letting him. He was at a disadvantage himself. Hard as it may to swallow, but he was losing.

The hunter accompanying the Mistress of Flame was too skilled to be crushed by his war hammer. It was as if the hunter knew every move he made and every weakness of his attacks.

General Kar was sure that he was at a disadvantage, but when the Mistress of Flame and warlord Hakkeran disappeared into the night while still fighting, the hunter immediately noticed and backed away, then he started sprinting towards the direction where the two disappeared.

"Come back here!" General Kar used the ability of his war hammer to pull the hunter back, but the hunter was fast on his feet.

Kar ran after the hunter, but before he could follow, the pesky monsters, hundreds or so blocked his path and some were chasing the hunter.

Cussing at his inability to assist warlord Hakkeran who now had to fight two opponents because he let the hunter escape, Kar felt devastated. But his devastation had to be controlled. He still had some sorcerer and sorceress to protect from monsters.

On the other hand, Gabin, who was commanding the Adral warriors sighed when he saw his excellency disappeared with the Mistress of Flame and left him again to clean his mess. He was certain that his lordship did it so the queen could escape since the cloak the queen was wearing had a limit of how much moonrite stone effect it could absorb. It was after all just an enchanted clothing to protect the queen for a time being, not forever. I just wished that his excellency will be back in one piece. Since it looked like he angered the queen. I will not even be shocked if he returned burnt.

Gabin sighed. I should ready the medicine just in case.

♕ ♕ ♕

IN AN UNKNOWN part of the desolate valley, away from everyone sight, Sollel and Hakkeran stopped attacking each other and just stood on the opposite side, facing one another. The two shared an intense gaze until someone panting appeared from the darkness.

It was Hakken.

And standing there, seeing the two men in front of her, Sollel started laughing as if someone just drop a joke and she was having the time of her life. And all the two men could do was stare at Sollel, confused, and just waited for her to sober up.

It took Sollel a full minute to stop laughing before she could face Hakken and Hakkeran again with a serious face. "So," her eyebrow raised at the two, "what are we going to do with you two?"

Hearing that question, it was as if Hakken and Hakkeran realized their situation and the two looked at each other while Sollel was just watching the two.

"Both descendants of Sappher," Sollel said, "both not carrying their arcane weapon. As far as I know, even the lowest rank warrior had one. So, what happened to you two?"

No one answered, then Hakkeran turned around and said, "I should go back."

But before Hakkeran could take one step to go back, the thousand crawling Peripatus that was chasing Hakken finally caught up and if Hakkeran was not agile and didn't leap back immediately, he would have lost one of his legs. And as he leaps back, flame erupted from the ground, courtesy of the queen, and then the three went running in the same direction.

Sollel was in the center, Hakken was on Sollel's left while Hakkeran was on her right.

The crawling monsters were too many that all they could do was run while looking for a place to hide, but when they didn't find any, Sollel abruptly stop.

"My lady!" Hakken exclaimed, seeing Sollel stopped to face the monsters after pulling one of his war blades that was strapped on his back. "Come on!"

"My queen!" Hakkeran became instantly worried seeing how pissed Sollel looked. "Let's go!"

"Shut up! I'm done running!" Sollel hissed and with gritted teeth, she cut her palm with Hakken's sword that immediately melted at the contact with her blood. And as her lava-like blood dripped down, she called her blood of flame. "Heed my call and burn fiercely. Use thy blood to sustain its life. Corrosion!"

Sollel's blood drop on the ground and a flame erupted on the spot, then the same flame crawled on the ground, making a circle around them. Hakken had seen it before, his lady always used her crawling flame to defend herself and her allies and caged her foes, but the flame now was different. Even its color was different. It was deep red. The color of blood. It was only two feet high, but the monsters trying to pass the flame couldn't reach the center of the circle with its life intact.

Every monster that passed the flame started dying slowly, as if touching the flame corrodes their life. Before the monsters could reach the center where they were standing, the monsters were already dead. Not even a carcass was left behind.

Indeed, a life corrosion. Slow death, but lethal.

It was the first time Hakken and Hakkeran saw it and they immediately felt the chill in their bones. The beings blessed by the deities were really not to be trifled with.

However, their awe was replaced by worry when the queen grabbed Hakken's another sword and cut her palm again. Instead of closing her wound with her flame, she made another cut and let her blood drip to the ground.

Hakken immediately grabbed Sollel's wrist to check her wounds. "My lady, close your wounds now."

Hakkeran who was just as worried as Hakken just stared at his queen. Not moving an inch. Unlike Hakken who immediately went to Sollel, Hakkeran was not a soft man. He knew his queen will be okay. Even worried, Hakkeran believed in his queen. He believed in her strength and supremacy. He was after all the man who left his beloved queen in the Shivering Valley alone, only leaving a map to fend for herself so he could carry out his plan.

"I'm fine," Sollel patted Hakken's cheek softly as if to calm him down. "My blood needs to continue dripping to sustain my blood flame on the ground. I don't use this because it weakens me, but desperate times call for desperate measure." Seeing her wound closing again, being healed by her blood flame, Sollel asked Hakken for a knife or something to cut her palm again.

"No!" Hakken hissed at Sollel.

On the other hand, Hakkeran provided the knife and handed it to Sollel.

Hakken glared at Hakkeran. "You...!"

"She asked for it," Hakkeran said in a matter-of-fact voice, as if anything Sollel asked, even how dangerous and life threatening it was, he would give. "I'm certain Her Highness would not do anything stupid that would risk her life in the process."

"Even so!" Hakken snapped. "Her safety is our priority!"

"But she's safe." Hakkeran even motioned his hand at Sollel. "Isn't she?"

Sollel was feeling a little weak because of her blood continuously dripping from her wound, but she still laughed at the two. And hearing Sollel's melodious laugh, the two stopped bickering and Hakkeran asked.

"You're okay... right?" He was worried, but it seems like he didn't know how to show it.

Sollel nodded and accepted the knife Hakkeran provided for her. "I need more knife. This puny metal could not withstand my blood flame."

Hakkeran nodded and from his ring, a pile of knife appeared on the ground.

Hakken frowned at Hakkeran and asked in annoyance. "Really?"

Hakkeran shrugged. "It's handy when I want to kill someone."

Hakken looked unimpressed, but Sollel was chuckling seeing the two arguing.

"I'll be fine," Sollel told Hakken before she sat on the ground and immediately, Hakken sat in the space in front of her while the warlord sat a meter away.

"Are you certain, my lady?" Hakken asked in a whisper, "you said this weakens you. You have to stop if you can't endure it anymore. If we have to run, I'll carry you."

Sollel chuckled at Hakken and playfully flicked his nose. "Silly. It's not like I don't want to literally run, I just hate running away from my enemies. I was taught to always fight head on. And I like burning monsters. It's fun."

"But you're hurt..."

"I said I'm fine," Sollel rested her forehead on Hakken's shoulder. "Don't worry about me."

Hakken didn't say anything and just caressed his lady's hair. Meanwhile, Sollel turned her head and rested the side of her head on Hakken's shoulder while her eyes were on Hakkeran. He was looking at them and Sollel could see the pain he was trying to control. And when Hakkeran saw her looking at him, he looked away.

Seeing that, Sollel pulled away from Hakken and sat straight. And from time to time, she would cut her palm to make her blood continue to drip and sustain her blood flame corrosion. And as time passed, Sollel started to weaken, and drowsiness gradually fell on her. She fought it until the monsters finally realized they couldn't pass her flame and started avoiding the flame and went passed them.

Sollel didn't know how long she fell asleep, when she woke up, the sun was finally peeking on the sky, but it was still slightly dark. Hakken was now sitting beside her, holding her hand, and sleeping in an upright position. Sollel didn't even know Hakken could sleep like that.

Meanwhile, Hakkeran was still awake, and his war blades were in front of him, ready to kill any monster that would come near them.

Sollel smiled at how serious Hakkeran.

"Did you sleep?" Sollel asked.

Hakkeran shook his head.

"Are you okay?" Sollel asked again.

Hakkeran face his queen and stared at her. I'm jealous, Hakkeran wanted to say those words, but stopped himself. The queen was better off without him. His purpose was to be his queen's guard in the shadow, and in the shadow he will remain.

Sollel raised her hand and open her palm at Hakkeran. "Give me your hand."

Hakkeran listened and place his hand on his queen's palm. And what the queen did afterwards surprise him.

His queen imbued her essence on the Solaris on his wrists and smiled before she said, "I have a feeling that you will leave once the sun is out and return to your group. With my essence with you, I will feel where you are, and we could avoid bumping into each other."

Hakkeran looked down at his wrist before looking at his queen. "How long will it last?"

"Enough that we won't cross path again in this valley. As long as you're with the enemies, I will know where they are."

Hakkeran took a deep breath and he stood up. With a determination on his gait, he crossed the distance between them and while standing in front of her, he leaned down, carefully cupped her face as if she was delicate and guided her face to look up at him. And before Sollel could ask what he was up to, his lips pressed on Sollel's.

Tender. Sweet. And quick.

Hakkeran pulled away a breath later then he smiled tenderly and said, "wish me luck, my Krahika."

Sollel was too stunned to speak and react that she could only watch as the warlord left and disappeared from her sight.

CECELIB | C.C.