A sudden flash of black light blinded Elliot momentarily.
It may not have been as blinding as sunlight, but he squinted and blinked nonetheless at the sharp sting in his eyes.
Ilya's claim that they could escape a short distance seemed true, given their successful escape from Russell and the knights.
The only hiccup in their path was that they were still inside the temple.
"Where are we now?"
Elliot asked, inspecting their surroundings.
The room they found themselves in was one of the temple's chambers.
It appeared that its owner wasn't particularly tidy, as the desk and bookshelf were in disarray.
"This way."
Ilya directed Elliot in a different direction.
Following her voice, Elliot made his way to the bed, where Rose lay sound asleep, her long blonde hair spread across the pillows.
A distant memory flickers in Elliot's mind. A story his mother used to read to him when he was just a child.
It was about a princess who had fallen into a deep slumber for centuries due to a witch's curse.
Looking at Rose now, she resembles that very princess.
"Today's the day the emperor leaves the capital!"
Ilya declared, excitement gushing from her voice. Her voice cracked strangely, making it hard to discern whether it belonged to a girl or a boy.
"I'll awaken my dormant body in the mirror and extract my soul from Rose's."
Elliot gazed at Rose, who continued to sleep in silence, and then gently lifted her up.
"Alright… Let's get that soul out of here."
Ilya responded with an eerie laugh, gesturing as a cold wind envelops them, causing the figures of Elliot and Ilya, along with Rose, to vanish into thin air.
"Your Majesty, where is Rose?"
Kate suddenly asked urgently.
When Ilya and Elliot vanished, Kate turned to Russell, her curiosity burning, but before she could inquire about Rose's whereabouts, Russell was already sprinting away.
Kate, the high priestess, and the knights hurried after Russell as he raced through the temple's corridors.
Russell charged straight into Kate's chamber, expecting to find Rose there.
His frustration boiled over, and he let out a string of profanities as he reached the front door.
"Rose!"
Russell called out as he flung open Kate's door. He prayed that Rose would still be peacefully asleep on the bed, blissfully unaware of the turmoil unfolding around her.
However, when he entered, all he found was an empty bed.
Russell, momentarily losing his composure, clenched his teeth and issued commands to the knights.
"Call forth the troop. We ride to the Imperial Palace immediately! Elliot Proud and Ilya Titonsser have headed to the capital. Capture them the moment you locate them!"
At Russell's orders, the knights rushed out without fail.
Having set a plan into motion, he then turned to the still-bewildered high priestess.
"I will return to the Imperial Palace with the knights at once. Very few people are aware of what just occurred, so continue with your usual duties and send the candidates to the capital tomorrow."
"I understand, Your Majesty."
The high priestess replied, sensing that this was somehow linked to a recent nightmare brought about by Duke Elliot.
Russell glanced at Kate, who stood by his side, ready to speak.
"I will stay here as well, though I fear my assistance may be limited, Your Majesty."
Kate began, her voice tinged with concern as she voiced what troubled her the most.
"Your Majesty, in case the worst comes to pass..."
Kate's eyes shifted to Russell's hand, where he clutched a mirror.
Russell nodded, understanding her unspoken words.
He pivoted and addressed the group, determination etched on his face.
"We shall return to the Imperial Palace immediately and root out the traitors threatening our Empire."
Without waiting for their reaction, Russell mounted his horse and galloped away, leaving behind all formalities.
The high priestess muttered as she watched the emperor and the knights depart from the temple in haste.
"Kate, will the Tristan Empire turn into a sea of fire? Is there... nothing we can do?"
Kate took a moment to gather her thoughts and replied solemnly.
"There is little we can do. I can only hope that matters do not worsen as we wait."
Anxiety passed through Kate's deep blue eyes. She clasped her hands together in prayer, feeling a breeze rustle through her hair.
Kate opened her eyes and murmured a prophecy.
"Today... Today marks the day when roses bloomed."
Elliot gazed at the mountains stretching beyond his sight.
They were at the Imperial Palace’s mountain range, where annual hunting festivals kicked off each new year.
Lost in thought, he sauntered toward that very destination.
Upon reaching the mountain's entrance, he encountered knights standing guard.
They snapped to attention and saluted him.
"What brings you here, Commander-in-Chief?"
"I've got some business up in the mountains. Given that it's His Majesty's order, there's no need for a separate report."
Expecting all to be well after his retort, Elliot stepped forward, expecting them to willingly part ways.
As he moved to enter the mountain, the knights blocked his path with their swords, forming a barrier.
"Apologies, Commander-in-Chief. We too are following His Majesty's orders."
Another knight spoke as they blocked his path firmly.
"Alright. And what orders did His Majesty give you?"
"We were instructed to apprehend Duke Elliot Proud on sight."
The knight in question replied, his voice tinged with tension.
Elliot chuckled softly at the effort needed for him to conceal his emotion.
"Well then, I suppose I won't make a fuss about it either."
Elliot remarked as he reached out toward the nearest knight.
The knight hastily retreated, but his movements couldn't match Elliot's agile footwork.
A swift kick to the knight's thigh sent him stumbling backward.
Elliot seized the opportunity, snatching the knight's sword from his weakened grasp and without hesitation, slicing through the knight's torso.
"Ugh!"
The wounded knight cried out, collapsing before he could rise or staunch the bleeding. Elliot's skillful swordplay left the knight breathless in an instant.
He turned away before the knight's body fully crumpled lifelessly onto the cold ground.
"This... this traitor!"
The remaining guard shouted, his shoulders trembling. With a fervent cry, he brandished his sword and charged at Elliot.
Observing the knight's approach, Elliot sneered.
"Your bravery seems to have swelled in response to fear."
The knight swung his sword with clumsy, lumbering movements, and his frightened eyes betrayed his unease.
Without hesitation, Elliot swung his own sword at the knight, who had unwittingly displayed himself as prey.
"Ahh!"
The knight toppled to the ground with a scream, his blood staining Elliot's boots.
Emotionlessly, Elliot flicked the blood from his sword and proceeded into the mountain, leaving the fallen guards in his wake.
"Surely that cave... it must be this way..."
Elliot muttered to himself as he retraced his mental map.
"It's so quiet."
The rustling of leaves in the wind created the only audible sound.
It felt as though he were alone in a deserted world.
Elliot trod the quiet mountain path, each footstep resounding loudly on the dirt road.
Just a short while ahead, he spotted two figures not too far off.
Pausing briefly, he closed the distance.
The pair consisted of a man and a woman.
The woman wore a heavy winter dress and struggled to walk due to an apparent leg injury.
Elliot couldn't help but chuckle at the scene.
"She's quite stubborn."
His gaze shifted to the man leading the way, who paid no mind to the woman following him. While he might seem indifferent at first glance, it was clear that as the man moved forward, he cleared obstacles like overhanging branches that might trip her up.
Thanks to his assistance, the woman moved without stumbling, yet she seemed oblivious to it.
Elliot, who walked alongside them, suddenly snapped to attention as they approached a cave.
"Here it is."
Lowering his gaze from the cave entrance, he glanced back at the couple, but they had already vanished.
"Why hold onto the past...?"
Elliot whispered to himself, then trailed off as he entered the cave without finishing his thought.
Navigating the darkness without a torch, his steps remained unwavering, as if he could see perfectly in the absence of light.
It was as if an unseen force guided him, allowing him to navigate the rocky terrain effortlessly.
Soon, he reached the end of the cave, where a faint light beckoned.
The place before him was exactly as he remembered it from the hunting festival.
The cave was spacious and lofty, and at its end lay a sword, still rusted and weathered by time.
Without hesitation, Elliot approached the sword and reached out.
However, before his hand could make contact, the sword recoiled.
"Are you implying that only those of the royal bloodline can touch you?"
Elliot muttered, his hand tingling.
Trying again, he reached out once more, and the sword resisted, but stubbornly, Elliot clung on, his determination unwavering.
"Ugh!!!"
The pain intensified.
His sleeves tore, and the exposed skin on his arms began to peel as if burned.
"Can't you recognize the bloodline of your creator in this world?"
Elliot gritted his teeth against the agony.
The situation had reached a critical juncture. He was failing. The thought alone drove him mercilessly to the brink of madness.
With a primal roar, Elliot fought through the pain and grasped the hilt of the holy sword.
As soon as he held it, the force that had rejected him dissipated as if it had never existed.
His arms felt numb, and he couldn't even be sure if he held the sword correctly.
"Ha, alright… There's no turning back now. The glory that belongs to the Prouds... I'll reclaim this continent."
Elliot shrugged his shoulders.
His arm followed suit, effortlessly extracting the holy sword from the floor.
With unsteady steps, he turned around, the sword dragging across the ground with a chilling screech.
Rose awoke to a gentle hand tickling her cheek.
Confusion clouded her thoughts as she sleepily tried to recall the moments before her slumber.
Hmm… I remember collapsing after the high priestess gave me the tiara… But where am I now? It feels like I'm lying on the floor.
She had indeed fainted in the temple, yet she didn't wake up in her bed.
This realization jolted her awake, snapping her to full awareness as if an icy splash of water had been dumped on her head.
Slowly, she opened her eyes.
Her suspicions were confirmed; she was lying on the white marble floor.
"This is the Imperial Palace..."
Rose muttered in a trance.
It was the grand banquet hall within Tristan's Imperial Palace.
As she raised her upper body and scanned her surroundings, her shock intensified.
"Aaaaah!"
Rose couldn't contain her horror, despite her desperate attempt to stifle her scream.
The opulent banquet hall of the Imperial Palace was now a gruesome scene.
Maids and servants from the Imperial Palace lay scattered about, blood staining the once pristine floor.
"How... What is happening... Brother?!"
Tears welled up in Rose's eyes as she looked around, her gaze darting between the horrific sights.
Determined to find some answers, she pushed herself to stand.
"Where do you think you're going?"
A voice interrupted her.
Rose froze at the sound, her blood running cold.
Slowly, she turned her head toward the source of the voice.
"Ilya Titonsser...!"
Fear ran rampant through her blood. Rose trembled and stuttered.
There she stood.
Ilya Titonsser, alive and well, stood eerily not far from her, wearing a chilling smile.