The sound of small droplets gently dripping into the container of water echoed every ti Lidien squeezed the cloth over himself.
Alva stood outside the carriage bedroom, watching Lidien’s silhouette on the curtain as he wiped himself with the cloth.
"No need to stay here, Alva. I can do it myself."
Alva bowed, yet she didn’t take a step away from her position. He had not explicitly commanded her to leave, and her duty... or perhaps a deeper, unspoken concern... rooted her to the spot.
Lidien could only sigh in resignation and hurried to finish his bath, scrubbing away the last of the foul stench that ca out after his arduous ditation through the whole night.
As he finished everything, Lidien wiped himself dry and then dressed in the reserved new clothes...
A finely tailored suit of dark cloth and silver thread, dedicated for a Prince. As the fabric settled on his shoulders, he felt the weight of the role settling with it.
Lidien took a step out, while Alva bowed before proceeding inside the bedroom to remove the water container and the used clothes and towel that Lidien had used.
As everything was settled, Lidien got out of the carriage... and t the morning light with a childlike smile.
As his eyes scanned around, he t a soldier’s gaze and gestured him to co with a finger.
"Call Mad Dog."
The soldier imdiately saluted, before running to the large tent at the center of the encampnt.
After a few minutes of standing waiting for Mad Dog, he decided to walk around with Alva... and watch the slaves and the wagons being guarded by hundreds of soldiers.
"Everyone..."
Lidien’s voice wasn’t loud... wasn’t soft either... it was just enough to be audible until the back row of the hundreds of slaves.
"Do you want to be free?"
No one replied, but their dead eyes flickered for a mont.
"I... can set you free."
Lidien commanded the soldiers to remove their chains latched to their necks and limbs. All were surprised... even Mad Dog, who arrived just now, couldn’t believe his eyes.
Their initial plan, to use the slaves as additional soldiers to attack the Dark Wolf Clan, was gone, just like that, disrupting his planned-out commands.
Mad Dog could only grip his hands, yet he still smiled... thinking the child before him wasn’t fit to lead, for his abrupt decisions without taking advice from his people.
"Mad Dog... let the soldiers feed the free n... for this will be the feast for them as a new part of our Blood Rose Clan."
Mad Dog sighed, and commanded one of his lieutenants to hunt for so beasts, while Lidien pointed at one of the wagons.
"And also, get the wine out of the wagons and let the soldiers enjoy it for today... tell them not to think of tomorrow, for we do not know the outco of the battle."
Then Lidien faced Alva, before glancing at the wagons, his eyes squinting.
"Also, tell the soldiers to take only the wine, because the contents of one wagon could let a hundred of us live for a week in this area."
As he finished his commands and everything, Lidien walked back again to his carriage... and the people happily did their dedicated jobs for the whole day.
Surprised that their Prince let them use one of the wagon’s precious alcohols just to maintain their morale high.
Lidien ate the prepared al for him inside the carriage, and after his last command he did not get out of it.
Making the people think that the young prince, the Heart Eater, was being considerate to his people.
It was the first ti Lidien saw the people in the Savage Expanse were genuinely happy, a normal happiness he never experienced from his past life till the present.
Because he knew that after this happiness, there cos sadness that no one hopes for... and tomorrow would be the ti he would know which of his dozens of plans he should take.
In the end, winning against the Dark Wolf Clan was never a hundred percent.
Without much to do, Lidien asked Alva to call for Xyon and just commanded them both to stay inside the Carriage and guard it as he would ditate.
Also stating that, no matter what happened in the evening, even if a giant rock fell toward them, they should not disturb him or leave the carriage,
but solely protect him.
Lidien watched them both bow before he went inside the room, closing the curtain before sitting on the bed.
"Old man... do you have a ditation thod to build a Coreflux?" Lidien whispered, just enough to vibrate the words in his head.
Then, after a few minutes, he was left with dissatisfaction from the Monarch’s reply.
’Are you insulting ? A Monarch of Blood, just one step from becoming a True Celestial, has a ditation for a re technique of a Mortal?’
Lidien sighed and shook his head... Now unsure if he should curse the Monarch or just stay quiet and not argue with how foolish the old man thought.
Yet, he chose the latter.
For it would bring a peace of mind, much better helping him absorb Elental Essences the way Azer did.
’Since my Sparkline can now hold and release Elental Essence, I hope it will not explode again... not just my finger, but all parts of my body.’
Lidien then focused all his senses inwards, as he invented his own mantra dedicated to at least sohow help his mind will it... Absorbing Elental Essence towards his Lower Abdon.
Ti passed, and minutes turned to hours of not moving, just greedily breathing.
An Elental Essence ford much faster than the last ti... Its gaseous state Elental Essences ford into a Liquid State.
And, as he willed his Liquefied state Elental Essence in his Sparkline, he could feel its viscousness, but it didn’t hinder his blood.
As he heard the small tweet of a bird, Lidien knew it was already morning... and decided to stop his ditation after moving all his Elental Essence towards his lower abdon, forming a Liquid State Coreflux.
Then...
He stood and cracked his neck before stepping out of the bedroom.
There... he saw Xyon and Alva biting their lips, their eyes bloodshot. Alva had now transford into her Beast Form, staring outside of the carriage window.
"What happened?"
Xyon bowed, while Alva bit her own lip before saying.
"The slaves, along with the wagons... escaped."
Reviews
All reviews (0)