Dark clouds were gathering up high in the sky as Ren and Zelig faced off against each other. Ren smiled slightly while Zelig's face returned to its regular, nonchalant expression, yet deep inside his violet eyes, he was still reeling from the shock he had just received.
"I thought you would come; by your personality, you would not want to miss the occasion!" A third, booming voice arrived as Aerthus also appeared beside Ren. "Girl… you are like someone who woke up in a slaughterhouse after a night out…." He shook his head, watching the bloodied body of Ren.
"Hehe, at least it is not my blood~" She giggled, still watching Zelig, who was now facing two people on the same level as him.
"You really think you can kill me even if you two gang up on me?" He asked, taking a deep breath, holding his hands together behind his back.
"Maybe. Maybe not." Aerthus shook his head. "Look, Zelig, It is not me who is obsessed with this rivalry… look where it led in the end." He lamented with an honest sigh.
"By the way…." Ren said as she stepped forward with a smile. "You are still missing a king for your kingdom, no?"
"And?" Zelig asked as he looked into her eyes, trying to see what she was getting on.
"And I am your blood, no? If I remember correctly, once I was told I should not be subjected to my mother's crimes or something like that? Or do I remember incorrectly?" she asked, tilting her head, looking like someone who was in deep thought, "I assume, now that I showcased my powers in front of my ancestor, I should be seen as more than capable of taking on the role of Queen, leading the Naulin's Kingdom! Or did I think wrongly?" As she was asking it, her expression was that of a hurt little child, looking at her grandparent, asking why she did not get any sweets from him. "Gramps, I'm a good girl and strong too! You just saw it! Your line was trying to get me married into your family back then too! I think I could be a very, very good princess, you know! Or a Queen and govern that Kingdom of yours! You would be proud of me!" she said, with sparkling, innocent eyes, holding her hands together as she looked up at Zelig's twitching face. "Pretty please!"
"Stop mocking me… child…" he said, gritting his teeth, grinding them together so strongly they almost broke into pieces.
"Eh?!" Ren yelped with surprise. "I'm not mocking you, gramps!" she sniffled, looking as if she was deeply hurt by Zelig's words. "I remember being reinstated into the family bloodline when Sentios came with that arranged marriage proposition! It was my late great-grandfather who himself did so personally…." She explained as she looked down at the gory remains below them. "We could hold a ritual or something and summon his spirit to ask for confirmation! He left us so young, oh the tragedy!" She lamented with a sad voice. "Or you could just go back to the Kingdom and check the documents." She giggled at the end. "I am eligible for the seat." She then added, not breaking eye contact, flashing a wide, friendly smile, "Prepare a welcoming committee, my dear ancestor… because soon I'll be coming home!"
Deep inside, Zelig was fuming but remained somewhat calm on the outside, finally just snorting, looking at Aerthus, who said nothing, only shrugging his shoulders as he was also unaware Ren would play a card like this. Ultimately, Zelig left before Ren could say anything else before she could further raise his blood pressure, as he accomplished nothing by coming here. He could not retrieve Rudrick nor eliminate Ren, even learning she reached the same height in power as he had… It was the worst day of his life so far.
"Are you serious?" Aerthus asked after Zelig left. Ren just nodded, still watching the eastern horizon.
"I am. That family of mine needs a good reform. I want to see for myself if they are worth saving or not."
"And if they are not?"
"They can go down with Zelig." She sighed, finally blinking her eyes and turning around, flying down towards her disciples.
…
….
…..
It was a day later when Frode met with Zelig, and he never saw the legendary figure in the history of the Kingdom of Ten this frustrated and deeply lost in his thoughts.
"What happened… Your Majesty?" Frode asked, addressing him as the alliance's leader instead of as Heaven's Gate's leader.
"I got played. By one of my own…." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, squinting heavily. "I don't really know if I am angry or proud. Maybe both, but maybe I am just maddeningly furious." He groaned in the end, telling him what really went down.
"We can't let that happen! That would be outrageous! For one, she was born and raised in the Empire! Then she is in their Sect! Now she wants to be Queen? After killing our people?! Her own great-grandfather?!"
"Who turned traitor… in the public eyes, she killed one of the most wanted and dangerous persons…."
"Who cares about what the public thinks? They know nothing!" Frode scoffed, walking up and down the room. "Your Majesty… you are not thinking about making her… Queen… are you?"
"I did… I went through some scenarios where I could try brainwashing her and lure her to our side. It would be a worthy endeavor." he replied with a faint smile. "Only I don't think I would succeed with that… and since you mentioned the public knows nothing, I've got a new idea."
"The public? What are they even good for?"
"How the hell did you manage to keep your throne…?" Zelig murmured, his headache growing stronger with every syllable Frode let out from between his lips. "Call up all the kings, including Kaipan. We are going to hold a meeting."
"Yes!" He nodded immediately, hurrying towards the door, but he almost missed the doorknob as he heard Zelig's following words.
"Also, send an invitation to Ren of the Immortal Wonders Sect. She is also invited to participate."
"Your Majesty?!" He looked back with a blank expression.
"Just do it." Zelig waved his hand, almost throwing him out with a gust of wind, staying alone in his room. "Some say it is best to keep your enemies the closest… okay, let me see how you want to play this, girl… maybe you are going to be more interesting than my old friend, huh?" he shook his head, rocking with his chair back and forth.
…
….
…..
"Master, you really surprised everyone!" Ariana chuckled, serving breakfast with freshly brewed coffee in the morning as Ren was coming out from the bathroom of their home in the Sect. She was only wearing a towel and wiping her still-wet hair.
"It was a sudden idea!" she replied honestly, rubbing the water out of her ears.
"What?! I thought you planned it!" Ariana gawked at her, almost spilling the coffee she was pouring out for her.
"Nope! I only thought about it when I saw Zelig arrive and he started talking! His attitude and tone pissed me off, so I thought about screwing with his mind! The same way he likes to parade himself before others! If his ego is filled with being the King of Kings, I will also become a King of Kings and screw with him! I mean, Queen of Kings? But that would mean having an old man harem? Brr…”
"Master… this could be really dangerous!"
"Hehe, maybe!" She sat down, took a biscuit, and dunked it into her coffee before biting into it. "But you are going to accompany me, no?"
"Of course!" Ariana answered immediately with a serious face. "To hell and back if must!"
"Woah, Woah, Ariana, I'm not here to make a master-disciple suicide pact!" Ren laughed. "Take it as a… hm… as a fun trip! We are going to tour the Kingdom and see how it goes! Maybe we will break them up completely in the process!" Then, a knocking came from their front door, and Ariana looked at Ren with a twitching mouth.
"Master, you should wear something besides the towel."
"Nah, I don't care, let her in!" she said, munching on her breakfast with an unbothered expression as Ariana let in the visitor, who was Kitten.
"T-thank you." she nodded at Ariana as she came inside and finally stood before Ren, wanting to say something, trying to find the words, but Ren just smiled.
"He is here, yes?"
"Yes. Master is meeting with his brother and your Sect Head right now. Probably he will be imprisoned for a long time…" Kitten sighed. "He sent me here to say thank you. What you gave us before saved his life when you killed Rudrick. He… wants you to know he won't say no if you ever decide to take that life back as it is under your control now."
"He is quick to put his head back into a slave collar, huh? Is it because of conditioning?" Ren asked, tilting her head as Kitten just smiled wryly.
"Nah, no matter! If he is willing, then all the better! I'll need a guide anyway, so I'll speak with Sect Head!"
"Oh!" Ariana's eyes lit up, hearing her. "He should know a lot about the Naulin's Kingdom!"
"Yep~" Ren grinned. "You too, Kitten. Get ready, as I'll take you two with me on tour~."
"Tour?" She asked, not really understanding anything.
"You'll see~" Ren winked at her, putting her cup down with a satisfied smile.
…
….
…..
"Your Master is a wild woman!" Kaipan laughed, looking at her granddaughter. "And damn, she could stand up to Zelig? Hahaha! Now I am at complete ease, and I think your father also laughs in the afterlife, knowing you are in good hands with a Master like her!"
"Yeah, she can be a bit mad at times!" Lulu replied with a big sigh while Yanda, standing beside him, only nodded in agreement.
"You must be my soon-to-be son-in-law, hm?" Kaipan turned towards Yanda with a smile.
"Yes," he answered, cupping his hands. "I am from the Rorik Kingdom."
"A prince, in fact." Lulu grabbed onto his arms with a grin.
"Oh? The son of Isvar, yes? Mmm…" Kaipan said while crossing his arms.
"Grandpa?" Lulu tilted her head, knowing he was thinking about something, becoming uncertain as he may see his position as an obstacle now.
"Hm? Oh, nothing; I was thinking of giving the Qun Kingdom to you as a wedding gift."
"Excuse me?" Both of them asked at the same time.
"The Qun Kingdom is nothing but a province under our rule. It is a front; the royal family there is nothing more than one of our retainers. They have zero real power; they listen to our commands. Always had. Since their formation, the small kingdoms amongst the river were nothing more than puppet states. Only on the Empire's side, they hold the leash loosely! On this riverside, we had our hands up their asses, like a true puppeteer would."
"Grandfather!" Lulu rolled her eyes, but she was laughing while Yanda twitched his mouth, finding the tone eerily familiar.
"This is perfect. I'll make you Queen of them, and when you marry my daughter Yanda, you can unite the two kingdoms." he clapped his hands, "It would be the perfect bridge as your Sect is situated between the two anyway!"
"Did you plan this from the start?" Lulu furrowed her brows.
"No." he shook his head, laughing. "I can not see the future, that my granddaughter is going to join a Sect that appeared from nowhere and marry a prince or whatnot… you are putting me on a pedestal now, girl!"
It was that moment when a messenger came in, delivering a message to Kaipan, and as he read it, his face turned deadly serious.
"What is it?" Lulu asked after he raised his head.
"An order from Zelig signed as the head of the Alliance." He murmured, giving it to them so they could read it.
"You are not going, are you? You know there is a pretty big chance you won't come back from it at all!" Lulu raised her voice after reading it.
"She is right, King Kaipan." Yanda echoed her sentiment. "Accepting this invitation is probably a death sentence."
"Probably." The King nodded. "But I am still the King. It is something I must do. I predicted something similar coming out of it when I announced we were leaving the alliance! I'll attend and make it into a reality!"
"I already told you we are going to protect you." lit up a communication crystal in Lulu's pocket. Ren's voice echoed from inside of it as Lulu hurriedly took it out. "We got the same invitation, so I'll also attend. Yanda, Lulu!"
"Yes, Master!" the duo replied at the same time.
"Go with King Kaipan and protect him from dangers."
"Yes!" both answered with a smile as the crystal quickly went dormant again.
"Well, grandpa!" Lulu giggled. "It seems you can relax for now; it won't be a one-way trip!"
"Still…" To her granddaughter's surprise, he walked up to her, rubbing her head gently. She had never before experienced something like this from him. "If everything falls apart, make sure you save yourself instead of my old bones…" he whispered, looking into her eyes before turning towards Yanda. "Same for you… protect her, not me."
"Don't worry." Yanda cupped his hands with a confident look in his eyes. "We were trained by the best. I can do both!"
Dark clouds were gathering up high in the sky as Ren and Zelig faced off against each other. Ren smiled slightly while Zelig's face returned to its regular, nonchalant expression, yet deep inside his violet eyes, he was still reeling from the shock he had just received.
"I thought you would come; by your personality, you would not want to miss the occasion!" A third, booming voice arrived as Aerthus also appeared beside Ren. "Girl… you are like someone who woke up in a slaughterhouse after a night out…." He shook his head, watching the bloodied body of Ren.
"Hehe, at least it is not my blood~" She giggled, still watching Zelig, who was now facing two people on the same level as him.
"You really think you can kill me even if you two gang up on me?" He asked, taking a deep breath, holding his hands together behind his back.
"Maybe. Maybe not." Aerthus shook his head. "Look, Zelig, It is not me who is obsessed with this rivalry… look where it led in the end." He lamented with an honest sigh.
"By the way…." Ren said as she stepped forward with a smile. "You are still missing a king for your kingdom, no?"
"And?" Zelig asked as he looked into her eyes, trying to see what she was getting on.
"And I am your blood, no? If I remember correctly, once I was told I should not be subjected to my mother's crimes or something like that? Or do I remember incorrectly?" she asked, tilting her head, looking like someone who was in deep thought, "I assume, now that I showcased my powers in front of my ancestor, I should be seen as more than capable of taking on the role of Queen, leading the Naulin's Kingdom! Or did I think wrongly?" As she was asking it, her expression was that of a hurt little child, looking at her grandparent, asking why she did not get any sweets from him. "Gramps, I'm a good girl and strong too! You just saw it! Your line was trying to get me married into your family back then too! I think I could be a very, very good princess, you know! Or a Queen and govern that Kingdom of yours! You would be proud of me!" she said, with sparkling, innocent eyes, holding her hands together as she looked up at Zelig's twitching face. "Pretty please!"
"Stop mocking me… child…" he said, gritting his teeth, grinding them together so strongly they almost broke into pieces.
"Eh?!" Ren yelped with surprise. "I'm not mocking you, gramps!" she sniffled, looking as if she was deeply hurt by Zelig's words. "I remember being reinstated into the family bloodline when Sentios came with that arranged marriage proposition! It was my late great-grandfather who himself did so personally…." She explained as she looked down at the gory remains below them. "We could hold a ritual or something and summon his spirit to ask for confirmation! He left us so young, oh the tragedy!" She lamented with a sad voice. "Or you could just go back to the Kingdom and check the documents." She giggled at the end. "I am eligible for the seat." She then added, not breaking eye contact, flashing a wide, friendly smile, "Prepare a welcoming committee, my dear ancestor… because soon I'll be coming home!"
Deep inside, Zelig was fuming but remained somewhat calm on the outside, finally just snorting, looking at Aerthus, who said nothing, only shrugging his shoulders as he was also unaware Ren would play a card like this. Ultimately, Zelig left before Ren could say anything else before she could further raise his blood pressure, as he accomplished nothing by coming here. He could not retrieve Rudrick nor eliminate Ren, even learning she reached the same height in power as he had… It was the worst day of his life so far.
"Are you serious?" Aerthus asked after Zelig left. Ren just nodded, still watching the eastern horizon.
"I am. That family of mine needs a good reform. I want to see for myself if they are worth saving or not."
"And if they are not?"
"They can go down with Zelig." She sighed, finally blinking her eyes and turning around, flying down towards her disciples.
…
….
…..
It was a day later when Frode met with Zelig, and he never saw the legendary figure in the history of the Kingdom of Ten this frustrated and deeply lost in his thoughts.
"What happened… Your Majesty?" Frode asked, addressing him as the alliance's leader instead of as Heaven's Gate's leader.
"I got played. By one of my own…." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, squinting heavily. "I don't really know if I am angry or proud. Maybe both, but maybe I am just maddeningly furious." He groaned in the end, telling him what really went down.
"We can't let that happen! That would be outrageous! For one, she was born and raised in the Empire! Then she is in their Sect! Now she wants to be Queen? After killing our people?! Her own great-grandfather?!"
"Who turned traitor… in the public eyes, she killed one of the most wanted and dangerous persons…."
"Who cares about what the public thinks? They know nothing!" Frode scoffed, walking up and down the room. "Your Majesty… you are not thinking about making her… Queen… are you?"
"I did… I went through some scenarios where I could try brainwashing her and lure her to our side. It would be a worthy endeavor." he replied with a faint smile. "Only I don't think I would succeed with that… and since you mentioned the public knows nothing, I've got a new idea."
"The public? What are they even good for?"
"How the hell did you manage to keep your throne…?" Zelig murmured, his headache growing stronger with every syllable Frode let out from between his lips. "Call up all the kings, including Kaipan. We are going to hold a meeting."
"Yes!" He nodded immediately, hurrying towards the door, but he almost missed the doorknob as he heard Zelig's following words.
"Also, send an invitation to Ren of the Immortal Wonders Sect. She is also invited to participate."
"Your Majesty?!" He looked back with a blank expression.
"Just do it." Zelig waved his hand, almost throwing him out with a gust of wind, staying alone in his room. "Some say it is best to keep your enemies the closest… okay, let me see how you want to play this, girl… maybe you are going to be more interesting than my old friend, huh?" he shook his head, rocking with his chair back and forth.
…
….
…..
"Master, you really surprised everyone!" Ariana chuckled, serving breakfast with freshly brewed coffee in the morning as Ren was coming out from the bathroom of their home in the Sect. She was only wearing a towel and wiping her still-wet hair.
"It was a sudden idea!" she replied honestly, rubbing the water out of her ears.
"What?! I thought you planned it!" Ariana gawked at her, almost spilling the coffee she was pouring out for her.
"Nope! I only thought about it when I saw Zelig arrive and he started talking! His attitude and tone pissed me off, so I thought about screwing with his mind! The same way he likes to parade himself before others! If his ego is filled with being the King of Kings, I will also become a King of Kings and screw with him! I mean, Queen of Kings? But that would mean having an old man harem? Brr…”
"Master… this could be really dangerous!"
"Hehe, maybe!" She sat down, took a biscuit, and dunked it into her coffee before biting into it. "But you are going to accompany me, no?"
"Of course!" Ariana answered immediately with a serious face. "To hell and back if must!"
"Woah, Woah, Ariana, I'm not here to make a master-disciple suicide pact!" Ren laughed. "Take it as a… hm… as a fun trip! We are going to tour the Kingdom and see how it goes! Maybe we will break them up completely in the process!" Then, a knocking came from their front door, and Ariana looked at Ren with a twitching mouth.
"Master, you should wear something besides the towel."
"Nah, I don't care, let her in!" she said, munching on her breakfast with an unbothered expression as Ariana let in the visitor, who was Kitten.
"T-thank you." she nodded at Ariana as she came inside and finally stood before Ren, wanting to say something, trying to find the words, but Ren just smiled.
"He is here, yes?"
"Yes. Master is meeting with his brother and your Sect Head right now. Probably he will be imprisoned for a long time…" Kitten sighed. "He sent me here to say thank you. What you gave us before saved his life when you killed Rudrick. He… wants you to know he won't say no if you ever decide to take that life back as it is under your control now."
"He is quick to put his head back into a slave collar, huh? Is it because of conditioning?" Ren asked, tilting her head as Kitten just smiled wryly.
"Nah, no matter! If he is willing, then all the better! I'll need a guide anyway, so I'll speak with Sect Head!"
"Oh!" Ariana's eyes lit up, hearing her. "He should know a lot about the Naulin's Kingdom!"
"Yep~" Ren grinned. "You too, Kitten. Get ready, as I'll take you two with me on tour~."
"Tour?" She asked, not really understanding anything.
"You'll see~" Ren winked at her, putting her cup down with a satisfied smile.
…
….
…..
"Your Master is a wild woman!" Kaipan laughed, looking at her granddaughter. "And damn, she could stand up to Zelig? Hahaha! Now I am at complete ease, and I think your father also laughs in the afterlife, knowing you are in good hands with a Master like her!"
"Yeah, she can be a bit mad at times!" Lulu replied with a big sigh while Yanda, standing beside him, only nodded in agreement.
"You must be my soon-to-be son-in-law, hm?" Kaipan turned towards Yanda with a smile.
"Yes," he answered, cupping his hands. "I am from the Rorik Kingdom."
"A prince, in fact." Lulu grabbed onto his arms with a grin.
"Oh? The son of Isvar, yes? Mmm…" Kaipan said while crossing his arms.
"Grandpa?" Lulu tilted her head, knowing he was thinking about something, becoming uncertain as he may see his position as an obstacle now.
"Hm? Oh, nothing; I was thinking of giving the Qun Kingdom to you as a wedding gift."
"Excuse me?" Both of them asked at the same time.
"The Qun Kingdom is nothing but a province under our rule. It is a front; the royal family there is nothing more than one of our retainers. They have zero real power; they listen to our commands. Always had. Since their formation, the small kingdoms amongst the river were nothing more than puppet states. Only on the Empire's side, they hold the leash loosely! On this riverside, we had our hands up their asses, like a true puppeteer would."
"Grandfather!" Lulu rolled her eyes, but she was laughing while Yanda twitched his mouth, finding the tone eerily familiar.
"This is perfect. I'll make you Queen of them, and when you marry my daughter Yanda, you can unite the two kingdoms." he clapped his hands, "It would be the perfect bridge as your Sect is situated between the two anyway!"
"Did you plan this from the start?" Lulu furrowed her brows.
"No." he shook his head, laughing. "I can not see the future, that my granddaughter is going to join a Sect that appeared from nowhere and marry a prince or whatnot… you are putting me on a pedestal now, girl!"
It was that moment when a messenger came in, delivering a message to Kaipan, and as he read it, his face turned deadly serious.
"What is it?" Lulu asked after he raised his head.
"An order from Zelig signed as the head of the Alliance." He murmured, giving it to them so they could read it.
"You are not going, are you? You know there is a pretty big chance you won't come back from it at all!" Lulu raised her voice after reading it.
"She is right, King Kaipan." Yanda echoed her sentiment. "Accepting this invitation is probably a death sentence."
"Probably." The King nodded. "But I am still the King. It is something I must do. I predicted something similar coming out of it when I announced we were leaving the alliance! I'll attend and make it into a reality!"
"I already told you we are going to protect you." lit up a communication crystal in Lulu's pocket. Ren's voice echoed from inside of it as Lulu hurriedly took it out. "We got the same invitation, so I'll also attend. Yanda, Lulu!"
"Yes, Master!" the duo replied at the same time.
"Go with King Kaipan and protect him from dangers."
"Yes!" both answered with a smile as the crystal quickly went dormant again.
"Well, grandpa!" Lulu giggled. "It seems you can relax for now; it won't be a one-way trip!"
"Still…" To her granddaughter's surprise, he walked up to her, rubbing her head gently. She had never before experienced something like this from him. "If everything falls apart, make sure you save yourself instead of my old bones…" he whispered, looking into her eyes before turning towards Yanda. "Same for you… protect her, not me."
"Don't worry." Yanda cupped his hands with a confident look in his eyes. "We were trained by the best. I can do both!"
