Nurous figures dressed in fur-lined armour stood on top of the walls, peering down at them like the others.
The leader's beast roared, its voice thundering across the surroundings and reaching the sky as though announcing their arrival.
In the next mont, the thick gates were pulled open.
The leader stepped through first. Orion and Aurora followed, and the rest of the group followed behind.
In the sky, the giant flying magical beasts dove over the walls and into the fortress directly.
As the gate sealed shut, Orion and Aurora took in their surroundings.
They crossed a small bridge with tall, spiky tallic walls on either side, then passed through another gate. On the other side, two rows of soldiers stood waiting on either side of the entrance.
"We will walk from here," the group leader said as he dismounted the beast he had been riding.
The other soldiers behind them did the sa.
Orion and Aurora nodded and dismounted as well.
The waiting soldiers stepped forward, taking hold of the beasts and leading them away in a different direction. The soldiers who had returned with them also departed.
"Follow ," the leader said, gesturing for Orion and Aurora to follow him.
They walked behind him, passing three patrol sections that appeared to be checkpoints before arriving at the residential area.
In front of them was a city, filled with nurous houses built from smooth stone, ranging from two-story buildings to single-story ones. The hos and buildings stood on a grassy plain. Compared to the snowy environnt outside, there was little snow here, and thriving gardens and vegetation lined each house and road.
A paved road led the way through the grassy plain.
Countless individuals of various races moved in and out of the buildings, going about their daily activities.
To avoid drawing too much attention, Orion transford the Morphic Puppet to conceal itself under his clothing. Aurora, however, unsummoned her sceptre. Despite their efforts, they still caught a few glances as they moved forward.
Even so magical beasts observed them curiously.
Soon, they arrived at the gate of a large manor. Compared to the other buildings and smaller manors they had passed, this one was far more impressive, signifying that a person of high status lived here.
The guards nodded and opened the gates, granting them entry.
As they stepped into the compound, they noticed that apart from the guards stationed at the entrance, the manor seed empty. They quickly arrived at a garden and saw small birds flying in the sky, while other creatures on the ground paused and looked at them curiously.
In the distance, a woman sat on a comfortable wooden chair, her silver cornrow braids poured down her back. Opposite her sat a fair-skinned man dressed in fur-lined armour, similar to that worn by the soldiers they had seen earlier.
However, a red cloth was attached to his armoured right shoulder, hinting at so significance. Standing behind him was a light blue-skinned woman with her black hair tied in a ponytail and a slender tail, almost whip-like, extending behind her. She wore attire similar to the others but had a purple cloth on her right shoulder, distinct from the man's red cloth.
Orion glanced at the shoulder of the man leading them-he also had a small red piece of cloth similar to the seated man's. He had previously overlooked it, assuming it was rely an identifier, but now it seed to carry more aning.
In the centre of the group was a table set with a glass kettle, a tray of tea cups, and an assortnt of fruits in a glass bowl.
It appeared they were discussing over tea.
At that mont, the discussion stopped and they turned to look in their direction.
Orion finally got a clearer view of the woman. She was dark-skinned and wore an eye patch over her right eye, while her other eye glead with a silvery hue, matching her hair. Faint scars lined the skin near the edge of the eye patch. She wore a beautifully styled dress, blending silver and black colour, and sat with her legs crossed, scrutinizing both Orion and Aurora.
The instant her gaze landed on them, Aurora halted in her tracks and imdiately grabbed Orion's right hand, causing him to stop as well.
Orion turned his attention to Aurora, frowning, and asked, "What is it?" He knew Aurora wouldn't react this way without reason, and he was curious about what she had uncovered.
"She's dangerous," Aurora muttered, her teeth clenched tightly.
Orion stiffened at her words, feeling Aurora's shivering grip on his hand.
This was the first ti he had sensed her react this way before an unfamiliar individual.
Maybe...
Orion swallowed, realizing that the silver-haired woman might be the goddess they had planned to et. In their current state, they were completely defenceless before her.
As if arriving at the sa conclusion, Aurora swiftly summoned her sceptre, ready to call out her spawns.
The man leading them halted and turned to look behind him. "What are you doing? Show respect to the Priestess and put away your artefacts quickly. Don't cause any problems," he said, his voice tinged with irritation and anger at seeing Orion and Aurora in a battle-ready stance, their gazes fixed on the woman in the distance.
He couldn't believe they would dare to attack the Priestess in her own ho. He wondered if he had made a mistake by bringing them directly inside, rather than making them wait
outside.
Priestess! Orion and Aurora blinked, realizing they had mistaken the woman for a goddess. Still, they remained doubtful about her true identity, especially Aurora.
After all, no ordinary Priestess should have such a frightening aura to make her react in such a way and hesitate to approach. Her energy might have been sealed, but her physique and intuition were not.
The expressions of the woman and those beside her morphed into astonishnt as if they were taken aback by the sudden and dramatic turn of events.
"Didn't you hear when I said..." the man growled, drawing his sword from its sheath. The blade, about 73 cm(29 inches) long, had nurous cracked lines stretching across it like interlocked segented blades holding it together.
"...those who bring whatever feuds they have from the outside world here will be severely punished..." Just as the man approached them, ready to finish his words, a crisp, clear feminine voice resonated from behind.
"Stop!"
The man halted in his tracks. Sheathing his blade, he withdrew and turned around, pulling his fierce gaze away from Orion and Aurora to face the woman.
"Arch-Knight Jareth, I inford you that the new arrivals this ti would be special, so it's obvious they wouldn't react the sa way as the others upon eting for the first ti," the woman spoke, her soft voice dissolving the tension that had filled the air monts earlier.
"Everyone can leave. I will speak with them privately," she added, waving her dainty hand dismissively at Jareth and the two individuals before her.
The man seated before her stood up, bowing alongside the blue-skinned, tailed woman. After straightening, they both turned and left.
They cast glances at Orion and Aurora as they passed, walking out of the garden.
Jareth shot them a quick, disdainful look before snorting and exiting the garden.
Now, the only ones left in the garden were the mysterious Priestess, Orion, and Aurora.
"Why don't you co and have a seat so we can talk? I'm sure you have many questions, and I will do my best to answer them all," the Priestess said, smiling lightly as she looked at Orion and Aurora, who were still standing in place.
After a few monts, Orion and Aurora exchanged glances and nodded. They steeled themselves and approached the Priestess.
"I'll get the workers to bring an extra seat," the Priestess said apologetically, attempting to clap her hands to call a worker. However, Aurora responded, "There's no need to waste that much ti. We can get a chair ourselves."
The Priestess raised an eyebrow at Aurora's words. However, before she could respond, sothing astonishing happened right before her eyes.
Seizing the opportunity to demonstrate so of her skills and make the mysterious Priestess think twice before doing anything foolish, Aurora swiftly used her sceptre to create a chair similar to the one before them, out of thin air.
The ball of energy at the head of the sceptre shone brightly for a mont before returning to normal. Creating the chair was a simple effort that didn't deplete her reserves, so there was no
expenditure of energy.
Looking at the calm woman, whose expression twisted into complete shock and awe, her mouth gaping wide open, Aurora knew she had sent the right ssage.
The Priestess's gaze lingered on the foggy staff, narrowing on the ball of energy, before
refocusing on Aurora.
"You can still utilize your energy freely?" she asked, her voice filled with a mix of surprise and
curiosity.
Without responding, Aurora took her seat on the chair she had created.
...
I fell sick again!
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