CHAPTER 54

SOLLEL WAS still feeling weak that she was thankful that Hakken could easily take care of the monsters they encountered while looking for Grath and Zassia. But something still worries Sollel, and that was Hakken's silence. He had been silent since he woke up, and every time she would open a conversation, after a one or two answers, their conversation always ends in silence.

And Sollel hated that.

"Do you have a problem with me, Hakken?" Sollel straightforwardly asked Hakken.

Hakken, who was in front of Sollel, continued walking as he answered. "No, my lady."

Sollel almost rolled her eyes, but she didn't press Hakken to answer. She let him be. Instead, she focused on feeling Zassia's flame essence, so they could find them fast and also narrowing her radar on Hakkeran to know the enemy's movement. As long as she knew where Hakkeran was, they could easily maneuver so they wouldn't cross path with them again.

And finally, after a few hours of looking for Grath, and Zassia, Sollel and Hakken found the two battling with a transparent looking ant-bug.

Sollel didn't need to lend a hand, seeing how Zassia and Grath were dominating the battle. Instead of helping the two, Sollel observe Zassia and Grath's growth in terms of their flame essence and how they wield them, and she couldn't help clapping her hands after the battle and the two won.

"Teacher!"

"Your Highness!"

Zassia was beaming with happiness when she saw her queen. While Grath felt relieved that he didn't need to put up with Zassia's constant worrying if the queen was okay or not.

"I'm impressed." Sollel smiled at the two. "You've improved a lot."

To hear the queen's compliment, the two was beaming, but seeing Hakken being so serious in the corner, it dampened Grath and Zassia's mood. The two knew that something clearly happened to see a sudden shift in Hakken's attitude.

He looked so happy yesterday, Zassia thought before she neared her highness and asked in a low voice. "Did something happen to Lord Hakken?"

The queen just shrugged and answered in a loud voice that Hakken could surely hear. "I don't know, Zassia. He had been like that since this morning. I kept asking if he had a problem with me, but he kept saying he had none which is a lie because I could tell when he's sulking."

Grath, and Zassia looked at Hakken and even the two could tell that Lord Hakken was sulking— seriously sulking.

"Let's just go," said Sollel when Hakken didn't speak.

She was not going to sweeten him so he would stop sulking because she knew it was not her fault. Coddling Hakken would be fun, she was sure of that, but she would not tolerate such attitude.

Maybe Hakken was really pissed because every monster that blocked their path was all brutally killed by him. Grath, and Zassia didn't even need to lend a hand, Hakken took care of them all as if he was managing his anger through lashing out on the monsters.

Sollel was not complaining, it made their journey faster and safer.

At the time when night fell, Sollel used her blood flame corrosion again to create a circle shape flame to keep them safe from monsters. As it weakened here, in the middle of the night, Sollel's started dozing off. Her head kept bobbling, but she was forcing her eyes to stay open, fighting off her drowsiness.

Her head bobbled countless times before someone caught it and then let her head lean on a firm shoulder before a strong arm wrapped around her waist to pull her close. Sollel knew it was Hakken. Zassia and Grath would never dare touch her so intimately like this.

"You're not sulking anymore...?" Sollel asked in a sleepy voice.

"I'm not sulking." Hakken denied. "I was just thinking."

"You look like you're sulking to me."

"I'm not," Hakken kept denying. "Why would I?"

"Hmm, I don't know..." Sollel drawls as her eyes continued to close, "maybe because you saw Hakkeran kissed me?" It was the only valid explanation to Sollel. "Why are you jealous anyway? It's not like he's taking me away from you. I mean, even if he kissed me a hundred times, you still shouldn't be jealous and you know it..."

Hakken had no answer to that and just watch his lady fell asleep on his shoulder.

It was not just jealousy, really. It was the trust she had given to Hakkeran that was making him angry. It took him a lot of time to have a conversation with her. A lot of effort to make her smile and laugh. A lot of diligence to earn her trust.

But Hakkeran... How long does she know him? He heard their conversation. He heard the trust in her voice, how dependent she was. Was it because of the Solaris she mentioned? Was that because of that thing that she trusted Hakkeran so much more than she trusts him?

It was maddening, but as his lady said earlier, it was not like Hakkeran was taking his lady away from him. He knew it was not like that, but he still couldn't stop feeling jealousy... Feeling selfish and greedy.

Here he thought that he already left every negative attitude he had behind so he could walk amongst humans without losing his wit, but here he was, still feeling them. Was it because his beloved queen was involved? Because it was his Krahika?

By her words, Hakken felt like she knew something. He felt the changes in her treatment and demeanor towards him after they entered the Valley of Bones. But what does she know? Hakken asked himself. And if she did know something, just how much does she actually know?

Should he assume that she remembered him? But wasn't that too much of an assumption on his part? He was but a warrior when they fought, and she fought a lot of warriors after his defeat. To assume that she remembers me... Wouldn't that make me presumptuous?

Hakken could only sigh and kissed his lady on her temple. You are indeed my queen. The perfect façade I made for you is falling apart because of you too. What am I going to do with myself? He knew very well that his lady had been betrayed and what she abhors was lies and treachery, but he had been lying to her... For the sake of the plan he prepared.

♕ ♕ ♕

GABIN WAS WORRIED. His excellency had been silent since he came back from 'fighting' the Mistress of Flame. Everyone thinks that he was silent because the queen got away, but Gabin knew his lordship better than anyone. When he's this silent, it means he was cooking up something.

So when the group continued advancing, looking for the traces of the Mistress of Flame, Gabin walked beside his excellency and spoke in a low voice.

"Was it worth it, Your Excellency?"

Instead of answering Gabin, Hakkeran just stared at the bracelet on his wrist. And when Gabin thought his excellency would remain silent, he spoke.

"She... trusts me, Gabin."

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Gabin was trying to understand his lordship. "You planned all this, Your Excellency. From your rebirth, to who will sire you so you can infiltrate the empire's nobility rank, why you choose the second prince as your father, why you never showed to the public your arcane weapon, why you defeated and conquered countless of small kingdoms for the empire, why of all places, you choose the ruins of Yther's kingdom under the Infernal Empire to established Adral when the emperor asked you what you wanted for a reward when you defeated the Kingdom of Luthrene for the empire. Everything you did, everything you gave and took is for this day to come. Why are you feeling melancholy now, Your Excellency?"

"Because I'm not by her side, Gabin. That's what makes me lonely." Hakkeran confessed while staring at the item on his wrist.

"There is a reason why you're not." Gabin answered. "You choose this, Your Excellency. You planned this. You have a role to play, and I suggest you play it well, so when the time comes that the queen asks for the truth and your honesty, you will be able to tell her your exploits proudly. As your trusted aide, I want nothing more than your happiness and to serve the whole you, Your Excellency, so let's not dally and do our jobs properly. You want to be with the Queen? Then let's continue with our plan. I received a message earlier; everything is now ready in the Infernal Empire. Time to make your final move, your Excellency."

Hakkeran took a deep breath and buried all the loneliness he was feeling. "You're right, the faster we finished this. The fast I can be with my queen."

Gabin nodded and smiled seeing the determination on his excellency's face. Just like his lordship, he wanted this to be over. Seeing his excellency in pain and suffering for so many lifetimes, Gabin wanted nothing more than to see his lordship whole and happy.

♕ ♕ ♕

"CIRA, ARE you sure we're in the right direction?" Xeke asked because he's been following Cira for a few days now and they still haven't arrived at their destination. "Are you sure you remember?"

Cira was just standing there. Xeke was worried so he teleported to her front only to see her crying silently like a child.

"Why are you crying?"

As if Xeke's question triggered something, Cira started wailing. "I can't remember, okay?! I think we're on the wrong path, I mean, right, but I don't know anymore! We'd been looking for days! I'm tired, Xeke! I'm tired!"

Xeke took a deep breath and patted Cira's head affectionately. "There, there... stop crying. I'll try if I can find the right way."

Cira immediately grabbed Xeke's hand to stop him from leaving. "Don't leave me here!"

Xeke handed Cira one of his ten daggers, "Stay here, rest and hold this. Wait for me. I will immediately teleport back to you once I found the right way."

Cira pouted. "You're not going to leave me behind?"

"How could I?" Xeke smiled and Cira find it charming. "I still have to work hard to earn your affection."

Cira glared at Xeke. "My affection is for my queen only! She's the most important."

Xeke chuckled. "I know, I know. I don't mind being the second most important in your life."

"Not feasible. The second most important to me is myself."

"Then the third?"

Cira looked away, "I guess I'm okay with that."

Xeke smiled affectionately at Cira, and he did the unthinkable before he disappeared.

He stole a kiss from Cira's lips, leaving Cira frozen in shock for a whole minute before she shouted.

"I'm going to kill you, Xeke!"

Cira didn't know how far Xeke was, but she swore, he heard the bastard laughing at her threat, as if she will not do it. But she will— oh, she will! Her bow and arrow was ready for that theft!

♕ ♕ ♕

FEELING HER own flame essence, she imbued on her Solaris, Sollel could feel that the kingdom's army will not find them anytime soon. And she was thankful that she was seeing less and less bug monsters on their path and the land were starting to change.

From dry to wet and muddy.

"We're now entering the territory of the aquatic beast." Zassia informed everyone.

"I don't see any bugs anymore," Grath voiced out his relief.

"They're scared to come here," it was Hakken who answered. "These aquatic beasts are more dangerous that they are."

Sollel sighed heavily after what she heard. "The reason why I hate water so much. Something is always lurking in their depths. I don't even understand why Aenwyn loved spending her time underwater."

"Maybe the same reason why you like being surrounded with flame and burning monsters?"

Sollel stared blankly at Hakken. "Are you taking Aenwyn's side now?"

"Not at all." Hakken answered suavely and earnestly. "You're the queen I'm in love with. I would never take anyone's side other than yours, my lady."

"You better not, Hakken. Or I will burn you alive."

"As I said, all yours, my lady."

Zassia, who could hear the two bickering behind her, smiled, while Grath only shook his head while staying vigilant on their surroundings.

"We're approaching the marshland." Zassia informed everyone again when she saw the body of water up ahead.

The water was dirty, very suspicious and Sollel think there were some monsters beneath it, so she was reluctant to continue.

If only I can summon my flame wings, I could fly and reach Hallowed Valley in no time, Sollel thought, but she was still weak to summon her wings. Her blood flame now would not be able to sustain it. But Gatria is on the other side... I have to conquer this marshland.

"After this marshland, I think there's still a wide long river."

Sollel nearly groaned at what she heard, but she kept her dislike of marshland and river to herself. Stream, pool, and tub, she could handle, because they were shallow, but the body of water that they had to cross now was the type of water she strongly dislikes.

"Can't we build a raft to cross the marshland?" Sollel asked. She didn't really want to dip even one of her foot in the marshland. "Who knows what kind of monster is in there. There could be a man-eating fish, or something similar."

"Not man-eating fish, teacher, but bloodsucking and poisonous fish."

Sollel smiled wryly at Zassia. "Good to know, little Zassia."

Zassia smiled happily, not sensing the sarcasm on Sollel's voice.

"Grath, let's make a raft." Said Hakken seeing the displeasure on Sollel's face as she looked at the marshland. "It'll be safer if we have one. I already have a rope here; we only need plank and some other kinds of woods."

Grath nodded and immediately went looking for woods or any material that could be used to build a raft. Hakken did the same. Meanwhile, Zassia was telling Sollel what kind of monster inhabitant could possibly live in the marshland, much to Sollel's displeasure, but she had no other choice than to accept Zassia's knowledge.

"How did you know about these monsters?" Sollel asked, trying to change the topic.

"I have a weak flame essence before," Zassia snorted at herself, "no, more like, I have no flame essence and I was so weak. I can't be like my grandma or my mother, so I focused on the things I can do which was to study and read. I became a scholar in the empire, until..." Zassia drawls and didn't continue.

"Until what, Zassia?" Sollel pressed for answer. She wanted to know what happened to her.

"Until General Adri of the empire called for me," Zassia gripped the staff she was carrying. "It was weeks after a rumor about the Mistress of Flame spread. He asked me to accompany him to my village. I agreed because I thought he meant no harm." Zassia looked down at her feet as tears fell from her eyes. "But when we arrived, he and his soldiers started slaughtering the people in my village, saying that we were all helping the Mistress of Flame to hide since we worship her. I— I begged him to spare us, but he only laughed and accused us of a lot of things." Zassia's hands trembled. "It was me who guided him to my village— it was my fault..."

Sollel was too stunned to comment, hearing Zassia's story and seeing her student cry.

"Grandma fought hard so I could escape," Zassia wiped her tears, stopping herself from sobbing. "She gave me her precious staff," Zassia raised the staff in her hand and a tear fell from her eyes again, "but even though my whole village fought valiantly, they were no match for the empire's general, soldiers and sorcerers. It was thanks to Adral warriors that I escaped. Their commander, Commander Gabin, was the one who picked me up and rode his horse to take me away. He promised to keep the surviving villager safe when he left me in Ashmire. He also gave me money and told me to go to my grandfather for the time being. That's when I met teacher in the forest...

Zassia bit her lower lip, "I have no news about my grandma. I'm worried, but I know I can't go back. I have to trust Commander Gabin's promise. My grandma and all the people in my village would be very happy and proud of me if she found out that I'm serving our queen. That's why I have to be strong, so I won't disappoint you, my teacher, and my grandma."

Sollel's heart ached for Zassia. Violence against their own people! How inhumane could they be?!

"After we save Gatria, we'll avenge your villagers, Zassia. I promise you that." Zassia has already grown on Sollel and seeing her student cry because of humans, Sollel hatred on humans grew even more.

Zassia sniffed while drying her tears. "Thank you, teacher."

Sollel patted Zassia's head and she smiled. "Cheer up now. I'm sure the Adral warriors saved your surviving villagers." Adral Warriors ... Hakkeran Adral. Sollel looked at Hakken who was now making a raft with Grath. Looks like I have a lot to thank Hakkeran for.



CECELIB | C.C.