Mayuri was still standing on the balcony, gazing at the city lights at night. A cool breeze ruffled her hair, and the streets below were slowly emptying.
Kiyoshi stood beside her and looked out at the city as well.
"What a beautiful city…" — Mayuri whispered.
"I can show you around the city." — Kiyoshi offered.
Mayuri looked at him with a slight smile.
"At this hour?"
"It's at this hour that it looks the most beautiful."
Mayuri was silent for a moment, then turned toward the door.
"All right. Lead the way."
Kiyoshi smiled and opened the door leading off the balcony.
"We'll start with the main square. It's quiet there at this hour."
Mayuri followed him, and after a moment, they both stepped out onto the city streets.
Colorful lanterns glowed everywhere, and delicate streaks of magical energy floated between the buildings.
Mayuri looked around with curiosity.
"I didn't expect Taperis to look this good at night."
"And I haven't even shown you anything yet." — Kiyoshi replied.
Kiyoshi and Mayuri made their way through the narrow streets of Taperis toward the main market square.
Along the way, they passed stalls that were already closed, small shops, and tall buildings illuminated by magical lamps.
The closer they got to the market, the more people they saw — locals were strolling, chatting, and stopping at the night stalls.
Finally, they emerged onto a huge square.
In the center of the market stood a fountain surrounded by glowing crystals, and around it were numerous stalls selling food and magical items.
Mayuri paused for a moment and looked around.
"Wow… I didn't expect this."
Kiyoshi smiled.
"I told you. This is just the beginning."
As they walked through the main market, nearly every passerby bowed to Kiyoshi.
"Good evening, Prince!"
"Hello, Prince Kiyoshi!"
Mayuri looked at him with slight surprise.
"Prince…?"
Kiyoshi laughed nervously.
"Yeah, I guess the cat's out of the bag."
Mayuri narrowed her eyes.
"If you're Prince Taperis, then why did you become an adventurer in the capital?"
Kiyoshi grew serious.
"Because I wanted to see the world with my own eyes. I didn't want to spend my whole life cooped up in the palace and be treated like the future ruler."
"And your family?"
"They know that one day I'll have to go back. But until then… I want to decide for myself what kind of prince I want to be."
Mayuri smiled slightly.
"So you ran away from the palace to become an adventurer?"
"It sounds worse when you put it that way." — Kiyoshi replied, laughing.
Mayuri looked at Kiyoshi, then asked calmly:
"And where are your parents now?"
Kiyoshi grew serious for a moment and looked toward the palace towering over the city.
"My father is at the palace. He's handling matters of the kingdom. My mother…" — he paused for a moment. — "She's been living outside Taperis for several years now."
Mayuri noticed the sadness in his eyes.
"Did you have a fight?"
"No. She just had to leave one day."
"I see…" — Mayuri replied quietly.
Suddenly, Mayuri's stomach let out a loud rumble.
Mayuri immediately blushed and looked away.
Kiyoshi looked at her with amusement.
"Looks like someone's hungry."
"You didn't hear anything…" — Mayuri muttered, blushing even more.
Kiyoshi laughed softly.
"In that case, come on. I know the best stall in the whole market."
Kiyoshi led Mayuri through the crowd until they reached a small stall that was still open.
A pleasant aroma of roasted meat and fresh spices wafted from the fire pit.
"Two servings, please." said Kiyoshi.
The vendor looked at him and smiled.
"As you command, Your Highness!"
Mayuri sat down at a nearby table, and a moment later she was served a hot meal.
"It looks good…" — she said, and immediately began to eat.
Kiyoshi leaned against the table and laughed.
"Take your time, no one's going to take it away from you."
Mayuri looked at him with her mouth full.
"Hmm… I'm not so sure about that."
Kiyoshi was silent for a moment, then looked at Mayuri's hand.
"Actually… who are you really? And what are those strange rings?"
Mayuri looked at the ring, and her expression grew serious.
"My name is Mayuri Lilith. I am the daughter of the Lord of Darkness."
Kiyoshi recoiled from the table.
"The daughter… of the Lord of Darkness?!"
Mayuri nodded and pointed at the ring.
"And these rings aren't just decorations. They're called the Demon Arc. They embody the power of the gods themselves. Every member of Dragon's Pursuit received one just like this."
"Why?"
"We were drawn into a conflict between two gods: the Lord of Demons and the Goddess of Harmony. In the end, we sided with the Goddess of Harmony."
"Each Demon Arc has a different power… I can't say any more than that."
For a moment, Kiyoshi couldn't get a word out.
"So… these rings are the power of the gods?" — he finally asked.
"Yes." — Mayuri replied. — "And that's exactly why we have to be very careful about who we trust."
Kiyoshi looked at her ring, then at his own hands.
"Now I understand why you're so eager to get to Aurelios as soon as possible."
Kiyoshi stood up from the table.
"Tomorrow we'll open the portal to Aurelios."
Mayuri smiled slightly.
"Thank you, Prince."
Kiyoshi smiled as well.
However, they didn't notice that Lya was standing behind a nearby building, watching them from her hiding spot for quite some time.
She crossed her arms over her chest and puffed out her cheeks.
"And he didn't want to go with me… Hmph…" she muttered under her breath.
She glanced once more at Kiyoshi and Mayuri, then turned away with a displeased expression.
Kiyoshi sat back down and began eating with Mayuri.
Meanwhile, Valdor opened his eyes and looked around. He was no longer under a tree in the palace garden, but in a room he didn't recognize.
"Where am I…?" — he whispered.
Arwen was sitting in an armchair. As soon as she noticed that Valdor had woken up, she walked over to him.
"Valdor, are you okay?"
"Yes…" — he replied, sitting up. He looked around the room. — "Where am I?"
"You lost consciousness when you and Kael returned to Aurelios."
"I see… I managed to…"
"I know. Kael told us everything…" — said Arwen. — "Luna told you to rest."
Kael, Noah, and Luna were sitting under the gazebo in the garden.
Kael, Noah, and Luna were sitting under the gazebo in the garden.
"Luna, do you know where Mayuri is?" Kael asked.
"Yes… I found her. She's currently in Taperis."
"We should go get her." — Noah said.
"There's no need. The King of Taperis has contacted Aurelios. Tomorrow they'll open a portal leading to Aurelios."
Kael looked at Luna with curiosity.
"So Mayuri will come here on her own?"
"Yes." — Luna replied.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the distant, ice-bound lands of the Empire, there was a small military outpost.
Several dozen tents surrounded the camp, and soldiers patrolled the area, preparing for another night. In the center of the outpost stood the largest tent, in front of which armed guards stood watch.
Inside was the Queen of the Empire — a mighty warrior who wore heavy armor instead of a royal gown. She was standing by a map when Lyria suddenly ran into the tent.
"My scouts report that the demons are advancing toward the northwest." — said Lyria. — "They're overrunning every village along the way!"
Hilda looked at the map.
"Their advance won't stop anytime soon."
After a moment, she furrowed her brow.
"Huh… even after their demon leader disappeared, they can still mobilize their armies."
"Maybe… he's not as dead as we thought."
Hilda looked up.
"Who's leading this attack?"
"They call him… Hogsworth." — Lyria replied. — "The Slayer of Mankind."
Hilda smiled slightly.
"Good. Then let's put an end to his merry conquests!"
Lyria looked at her in disbelief.
"Commander Hilda… given our small numbers, it's too dangerous to confront them."
"Our outpost is just an obstacle. They'll break through it easily!"
"Shouldn't we leave this place and regroup with the main army?"
"No. We can't let them advance any further. It puts our people at risk!"
"Lord Patrick is sending reinforcements."
"We just have to hold out long enough and pray they arrive in time."
Lyria clenched her fists.
"But, Commander… we don't stand a chance. What if we lose the outpost before they get here?"
Hilda smiled mysteriously.
"Don't worry, my dear Lyrio. I have a backup plan. A blizzard is coming soon. That's our key to turning the tide of the war."
"A blizzard!? Commander, I don't see how that helps us! On the contrary — our army could starve to death or even freeze to death!"
Hilda chuckled and headed toward the exit.
"You still have a lot to learn."
She stepped outside the outpost and stood before the assembled soldiers. Everyone fell silent immediately.
Hilda raised her voice.
"We are born of the frost! Since the dawn of time, we have called the snowy biomes our home, and the biting cold has been our way of life!"
The soldiers raised their spears.
"While our oppressors are born of fire! They will crumble when the frost comes!"
One of the soldiers shouted:
"For the Empire!"
The others immediately responded:
"FOR THE EMPIRE!"
Hilda raised her sword high.
"Stare them down as you drive your weapons into their bodies! Let every demon remember that this winter land does not belong to them!"
"DEATH TO THE DEMONS!" — the soldiers roared.
"DEATH TO THE DEMONS!" — Lyria repeated, raising her spear.
The soldiers formed a tight formation in front of the outpost. Their shields clashed together, forming a mighty wall, and their spears pointed toward the horizon.
Suddenly, one of the scouts ran out of the forest.
"Commander, Hilda!"
"What's happened?"
"They're already here!"
Hilda looked into the distance.
Hundreds of dark figures appeared on the horizon.