"I greet the lord Bhuka."
The elven queen’s voice rang through the towering heart of Aetherthorn, deep and commanding, resonating with the quiet authority of the forest itself.
Her tone was calm, but beneath it lingered a guarded edge, as if she was weighing every word.
Before her, a tiny green punto hopped repeatedly on Auren’s head like an overexcited puppy, completely at odds with the queen’s restrained deanor.
"I am afraid," the queen began, her gaze fixed on the small creature, "if you join them, there is a good chance you might flatten the kingdom entirely. I hear that place has been corrupted. It might not sit well with your taste, my Lord."
The punto suddenly leapt from Auren’s head to the thick, moss-covered root of the Grand Velzar Tree, its erald eyes gleaming.
"Do you think I don’t know that?" it chirped, almost amused.
"Do not worry. We Primordials don’t usually ddle in mortal affairs... unless, of course, it disrupts our peace or our fun."
Its tiny body quivered with excitent.
"I simply want a front-row seat for the battle that’s about to happen. And," it added with a mischievous grin,
"There is soone I’ve been aning to et. He happens to be in Austerra Castle at this very mont."
Auren’s brows drew together.
’Could it be...? Just like the elven queen, this enigmatic Bonbon might have omniscient sight...’ he thought, his gaze following the punto’s movents.
The little creature puffed its chest out.
"Also, my na isn’t ’Lord’ anymore. Too boring. Can’t you see it?"
It lifted one tiny foot and gestured toward the shimring space above its head. A small Divine Fra hovered there, glowing faintly, its letters crisp and deliberate:
*
Na: Bonbon
Level: 5
Type: Magical Punto
*
Among the elders of Velka Dar, Rhiki muttered under his breath,
"Do you an... we should call you that na, my Lord?"
The punto pivoted toward Auren and jabbed a claw in his direction.
"This human nad Bonbon, and I liked it. So I changed it to that!"
Snap.
Austaire blinked.
’Is that even possible—to change a Divine Fra?’
Her thought mirrored the silent question in the eyes of the elves as well.
’I have never heard of such a thing... perhaps it is because he is a Primordial,’ the queen mused privately.
"What!? Bonbon!? That sounds ridiculous, my Lord!" Rhiki blurted, unable to restrain his thoughts.
Several elves shifted uncomfortably, their faces tight with disapproval at the undignified na. So began to speak—only to freeze as Rhiki’s body stiffened.
THUD.
He hit the polished wooden floor hard, pinned by a crushing weight that seed to drag the air down with him. The pressure deepened with every heartbeat, the boards creaking under the invisible force.
"Did I ask for your opinion, elf?"
Bonbon’s voice was stripped of cheer. It rolled through the chamber with the sharp, cold weight of a hamr. The gravity pressing on Rhiki intensified, flattening him further.
Seeing one of her finest warriors on the verge of being pulped, the elven queen stepped forward swiftly.
"Please, forgive him, my Lord—"
Bonbon turned a glacial stare toward the towering Velzar Tree, and her voice faltered.
"I an... please forgive him, Lord Bonbon," she corrected smoothly, keeping her tone steady. "He simply is not used to addressing you by such a na."
"Then get used to it," Bonbon said flatly.
In the next breath, it spun back to Auren, its mood flipping like a switch, eyes alight once more.
"Hey, red kid! Are you ready to go now?"
Auren rose to his feet. "Actually, I have one more thing to do back ho... if you don’t mind."
"No biggie. Just make it quick. I will et you in your house."
With a flick of its claw, Bonbon tore open a portal before them, swirling with an ominous dark void. The edges rippled as if reality itself was struggling to hold it in place, pulling at the air with a faint but constant sucking force.
Before stepping through, Bonbon turned to the queen.
"I’ll pay a visit to the crazy stupid fool and the old hag later. Got a ssage for them?"
The queen’s voice faltered for a fraction of a second.
"I... please tell them to treat Auren kindly and—"
"Not that," Bonbon interrupted, tilting its head as if expecting sothing more.
"Don’t you have a more... intimate ssage for him?"
The queen’s wooden lips tightened. inside the ancient bark, she was quicly reminded of her past and she imdiately took a deep breath to calm herself.
"it’s fine my Lord. I have nothing to say to that fool." Her voice trembled, not from fear but from restrained fury, tinged with bitter jealousy.
"But you can tell the other, Lord," she added with sharp precision, "that the Dark Fate has already been within the kingdom for so ti."
"Okay! I’ll tell that crazy stupid fool to shove off, and the old hag that the Dood Fate is here!"
"It’s Dark Fate, my Lord."
"Whatever."
Bonbon then hopped toward Auren.
"Now hurry to your cave! We still have so places to go after."
"You an my house?"
"Cave, house, castle, whatever. Once you’re ready, we gonna’ start our adventure! Aren’t you excited?!"
"I am. I just have to say goodbye to a couple of friends."
"Go make it quick!"
Bonbon paused mid-bounce, its glowing eyes flicking toward Austaire as if sizing her up, then, without another word, dove into its portal and vanished.
Auren exhaled slowly, tension leaving his shoulders.
’It’s gone... again. And that portal...’
The image of being sucked into such a place clawed at the back of his mind. He rembered the unnatural bending of his body, like his bones were being twisted into impossible shapes, while his mind spun endlessly in a whirl of vertigo.
The sensation had been both hypnotic and nauseating.
’He really is a Primordial Beast... no wonder he acts like a god.’
Austaire had her own thoughts swirling.
’Not the right ti... I’ll ask him later.’
The queen, now reassured, nodded solemnly.
"Very well. Since Lord Bonbon will accompany you, I can rest easier. Just be sure to avoid bringing unnecessary trouble to our sacred lands."
"Rest assured, Queen Mother," Auren said with a respectful nod.
"Thank you, Queen Mother," Austaire echoed, bowing gracefully.
After hearing a final round of instructions and reminders, the two humans departed Aetherthorn, their departure shadowed by the cautious eyes of the elves.
Back at his modest ho, Auren moved briskly, sliding items into his storage ring. His hands worked with practiced precision, checking each item twice.
Austaire stood nearby, watching.
Her eyes widened when she noticed the gleaming silver ring on his hand.
"Is that... a storage ring?"
Auren glanced at it briefly. "
Yup. Don’t you have one? I am pretty sure you royals have this."
"I did," she said quietly. "But it was destroyed during one of the assassination attempts against ."
"Too bad. I don’t have a spare."
"It’s fine. I don’t carry much anyway," she said. All she had were the clothes on her back and the golden sword at her waist.
Thanks to Auren’s hospitality, she had been able to wash away the gri of travel and fighting, and with a flicker of magic, her garnts had dried in monts, the faint scent of fresh linen clinging to her.
"Are you really going?" Jeis’s voice cut through the quiet, firm yet heavy with worry.
She stood frad in the doorway, shadows pooling at her feet, while Jaira lingered beside her, wearing the sa troubled expression.
"Unfortunately, yes, Master,"
Auren answered, pausing as he slipped a glowing yellow potion into his storage ring. Its light briefly painted his fingers gold.
"Otherwise, I won’t sleep at night knowing my family is suffering for standing up," he added with his hands moving nonstop.
His storage ring, once limited, now held nearly triple its forr capacity thanks to runic enhancents he had learned from the elves’ books.
Crafting one from scratch was still beyond him, but at least he understood the theory—though the materials remained elusive.
"I can’t just let my father rot in that cursed prison. Not to ntion... I have a personal business to settle in Austerra. There is a certain King I need to find."
Jeis and Jaira exchanged glances, their expressions heavy. Despite his youth, Auren carried himself with the resolve of soone far older, his determination hardened like steel.
’Humans... they grow too quickly’, Jeis thought.
Soon, his preparations were complete. As Auren stepped outside, Jaira’s voice followed him.
"Do you need help, Auren?" Her tone was warm, but behind it lay a readiness for battle.
He shook his head with a small smile. "Thank you, Jaira, I appreciate it, but this fight is for humans. I won’t drag elves into it. If we succeed, I promise to return with gifts for both you and master."
"That’s a promise?"
"That’s a promise."
Jaira hugged him, the gesture lingering with unspoken care.
Jeis joined, wrapping her arms around both of them like a family brought together by fate rather than blood. The embrace was firm, full of quiet strength and shared history.
Austaire, watching from a short distance, blinked away a sting in her eyes.
’I miss my family...’
Her thoughts darkened.
Only she remained of the once-mighty Katana household. The rest had been taken—captured or killed—by the king’s n.
"I don’t usually trust other humans," Jeis said, her gaze shifting to Austaire,
"but please, take care of him. He might be unpredictable and reckless sotis, but he always have the skills to back his words." she said with a gentle smile towards Auren.
"The rest of the elves may not say it, but Jaira and I... we’re Auren’s family too. If you need help, you can always co to us." she added.
Austaire nodded.
"Thank you. I’ll rember that, and I promise to repay your kindness to ."
A faint hum rippled through the air. Behind them, a portal tore open, spilling dim light into the clearing.
Out hopped Bonbon, its bright sparkling eyes darting between the two humans.
"Are you kids ready?" it asked, voice as casual as if they were heading to a picnic.
"Aye aye captain!" Auren answered.
Reviews
All reviews (0)