"Be careful. There can be dangerous plants," The blonde said. The blunette stops midway and looks around.

"Don't scare me like that. I will trip," Valt said. "Also, you were the one who said that this is a shortcut," he added.

"It is. You have to be careful as it is not a permanent way. The danger is everywhere," Free said while Valt rolled his eyes. Free extended his hand for Valt to help. He grabbed Free's hand and climbed up the cliff.

"Phew, I am alive," Valt said, resting on the ground. It's been hours since they started their voyage to the Feuer kingdom. The Feuer kingdom is a few hours far from the Golden temple, but it has been too many hours than Valt thought.

"You two are lucky that one can use magic and one can fly," Valt said.

"I guess that Shu is the luckiest," Free said, glancing at the albino.

"You should be happy that you are competing with us when you don't know magic or something else," Shu said, encouraging Valt. Valt also wants to learn magic since he visited the magical temple. It will be helpful for him to cover distances. It's not like he does not try to persuade Free to teach him magic, but it took years to learn it.

"By the way, Why you don't use magic to teleport when you can?" Valt asked the blonde, who smiled at his question.

"Magic is not a play that we can use whenever we want. There are some rules for using it. Use it if it's necessary," Free answered.

"Still, it's cheating that you two are faster than me," Valt pouted and stood up. "Let's keep going," he said, and the three of them went on.

All of them were walking on their way when suddenly Shu stopped in the middle of the way.

"You hear that?" he said, looking alert.

"Hear what?" Valt asked, but Free abruptly put his finger on his mouth to make him quiet.

"Silent," Free said and dragged Valt behind a big tree. Valt was confused by the alert faces of the two males. So far, he could not hear anything.

"Can I know what is happening?" Valt whispered.

"Goblins," Free answered. Valt's eyes widened in surprise, and he looked around for the danger to emerge. He had heard that goblins are mischievous creatures found in dense forests. This mysterious animal is very wild and dangerous.

"I thought they are like fairies, aren't they?" Valt asked suspiciously.

"Kind of. They often have magical abilities similar to a fairy or demon, such as the ability to shapeshift. They have mischievous powers and are dangerous," Shu explained.

"And what do they eat?" Valt asked, knowing what would be the answer.

"Meat. Goblins eat any type of meat and will eat human flesh happily if they got it," Free answered.

Valt gulped. If anyhow they find them, they are going to die. Valt had his grip ready on his sword. If they got attacked, he would encounter. In mere seconds, Valt can hear the sound of bushes. Like someone is watching them from the bushes. He can feel their appearance. He hears some guttural voices coming from the bushes. Probably the noises of the goblins.

"Let's move forward. Be careful," Free stated. Shu and Valt nodded. Shu and Free started moving forward, and Valt waited behind for some moment.

Valt was moving forward when he stopped and doubted looking at the tree behind him.

"What's that?" He narrowed his eyes until he saw a shadow with devious eyes shining in the dark shadow.

"No," Valt whispered in horror and turned towards Shu and Free. "They are here!" Shu and Free flinched at Valt's yell and moved back.

That was the time when the goblin attacked Valt. Valt rapidly took out his sword and defended himself. In seconds, the other goblins were revealed from trees and bushes.

"Look around!" Free shouted. Shu spawned his battle axe and attacked one of the goblins. Free made a magic sphere and attacked them. There was an explosion caused by the attack.

"Get off!" Valt shouted and pushed the goblin back away from him. He didn't wait for any moment and attacked the goblin. The sword pierced through the body of the goblin, causing a wound.

"These goblins look violent and stupid. We can easily get rid of them," Free said. It was an advantage for them. More violent and stupid means easy to kill. However, there were too many goblins for them to kill, which was a drawback. Free made a shield around them, but he knows it will not last forever.

"We have got some time. You need to think fast, or we will be the prey," Free said.

"They can be killed, but they are so many. If we anyhow kill many of the goblins, maybe the others will run away?" Valt suggested.

"As I thought, an idea of direct attack," Shu commented.

"So what plan do you have against more than fifty goblins?" Valt said.

Shu ran his vision throughout the forest to find a way. He closed his eyes for some minutes to concentrate. 'It's near,' he heard the voices and tried to identify each of them.

"There's a waterfall nearby," He said. "We have to be fast, and we have to separate them in the way. Goblins generally attack in hordes. Their weakness is that they are individually weak and cowardly. We can't fight all of them now, so let's separate. We all will meet near the waterfall," Shu said.

"Separating is not a likable idea, but if we separate them, it will be easy for us to get rid of these animals," Free said.

"No problem in trying," Valt said as the two males nodded.

"When I say run, then run fast as you can. Don't get caught or something else," Free said. The goblins were coming towards them. They were protected with the magical shield. They need to be fast. Free waited for some moment and then rapidly removed the protection.

"Run!" he commanded as the three of them separated their ways. All three of them ran in their respective ways, then the goblins also followed them and split into paths. Valt took out his sword and attacked the goblins. On the other side, Shu threw flames toward the goblins. Many of them died there.

"The waterfall is near," Shu thought and kept running. It wasn't far away, and Valt could hear the waterfall. He saw the light coming from the end of the forest as he dashed faster. "Hey!" he waved his hand to Free and Shu, who were attacking the goblins.

"Side away. I am gonna end this," Shu said. He raised his axe in the air and swung it. By the blazing flames of the axe, every goblin turned into ashes in seconds. He unspawned the axe and headed towards the two males.

"Nice job. Let's get out of here before any other creature attacks us," Free said. Valt and Shu followed him with an alert expression. After hours, they finally escaped from the forest.

"Finally! We got out of the woods," Valt said with a tired look.

"More than that, we didn't find any danger on the way," Shu added. "But where is the Feuer Kingdom?" he asked.

Free smirked at stopped. "Look to your right," he said. Shu and Valt broke their gaze, and their eyes widened in amazement. They saw a big castle, made up of different stones and bricks of gold can be seen too. It was a few kilometers far from the place they were at.

"Is that the castle?!" Valt was awed.

"Yes. We have to go through the city to go there," Free answered.

"Will they help us find the Shizukesu Kingdom?" Shu asked, glancing at the blonde.

"It all depends on whether they know the Shizukesu kingdom or not. Whatever it is, we're not going to leave this place empty-handed. They must have known something or the other," Free said.

"Let's go then!" Valt said as he moved towards it.

"It's not there, Valt," Free said. Valt nervously smiled as Shu sighed. They continued walking until they reached the market of the kingdom. Everyone was busy working.

'Bigger than Shizukesu,' Valt thought inside his mind. He was excited. He always wants to go across the seas. He had noticed like and unlike terms between the outer world and the Shizukesu kingdom. As far as is seen, Shizukesu Kingdom does trade with only a few Kingdoms. Besides, Valt had no idea that the outside world was also waging war like the kingdom of Shizukesu. Due to the dread sea being near, the Shizukesu kingdom had to keep fighting the war. He thought that there was peace in the outside world. Though here, things were even worse. Demons, corruption, the battle to be the most powerful. That's not what he expects, at least. However, he always has a soft spot for innocent people. He likes socializing, and whenever he talks to people or sees them happy, he never wants their happiness to end.

Noticing the market of Feuer suddenly reminds him of Shizukesu. Valt felt someone near his legs as he looked down. He saw a little kid and knelt. "Hey!" he ruffles the kid's hair. The kid gave him a red flower that was like a burning flame. "Aw, Thank you," he smiled at the kid and waved him bye.

"You get along well with children," Shu said.

"I like socializing, so maybe that's the reason?" Valt said and shrugged.

"By the way, the flower you got is only found here in Feuer," Free said.

"Really?" Valt asked and looked at the flower.

"Yes. The flower represents the blazing flames. Feuer means Fire. The people of Feuer worship the God of Fire. There's a long story behind it," Free explained.

"And what's that?" Valt asked.

"Millions of years ago, Feuer was not a kingdom. Instead, it was a barren place. It is said that once a young man came here and performed a miracle that made Feuer a living place," Free said. "However, once the hostile army attacked Feuer and the whole state was about to burn, that same young man protected Feuer from the flames. People considered that young man as God. Even today, people worship the same young man," he explained.

"Does that mean the man was god?" Valt asked.

"Maybe? People consider him as God," Free replied.

Amid all this talk, Shu was silent. It was no different, but something else was running through his mind. It sounds a bit familiar to him since he's heard of the Feuer kingdom. He was most suspicious of the royal family there. He doesn't know anything about the royal family, but why did he feel he was related to them?

"Shu?" Shu got snapped out of his thought when he realized the blunette was staring at him.

"Yeah?" he questioningly gazed at Valt.

"You were silent for a while. What do you think of Feuer kingdom?" he asked.

"Well, I am wondering about the royal family," he said. "Hope they can help us," he said and broke his gaze. Valt suspiciously raised his eyebrows at the different behavior of the albino but let his thought slip away.

The three males stopped at the gate of the palace. There was a logo of a firebird. "What's that?" Valt asked, looking at the logo.

"I guess that's the logo of the Kingdom," Shu replied. The door opened, and they entered the palace.

"Please wait here," a guard said as Free gave him a tight nod.

The guard entered the hall where the royal people were discussing. "Sorry for the break-in, King, but someone has come to meet you." the guard bowed. The king raised his eyebrow. There was a dead silence inside the room.

"Someone?" he said with a questioning tone.

"It's three people saying they want to talk to you," the guard replied.

"Let them in," the king ordered as the guard nodded. The guard went to the three males and asked them to come in.

They entered the hall, and their sight fell on the king. Valt could not see clearly, but he could see his white hair and pale skin. He moved forward and stopped at a distance where he could observe him. He saw his heterochromatic eyes.

"Young men. What are you here for?" he asked in a deep voice. Before Valt or Shu can say, Free bowed down and answered,

"My majesty, we are here for a favor,"

"What favor?" he asked.

"Meet Prince Valt. He is the crown prince of the Shizukesu Kingdom," Free said, introducing Valt. The king's eyes turned to Valt as he stared at him.

"Nice to meet you. I want your help so that I can go back to Shizukesu. Shizukesu is attacked by demons," everyone there looked at Valt with wide eyes, even the king. Valt flinched at the sudden action, doubting if he said something wrong.

"Demons?" the king raised his eyebrow.

"Y-yes," Valt stuttered.

The king stood up from his throne and stepped close to Valt. "Do you know what you are talking about?" Valt gave him a confused look. Meanwhile, Free can feel the danger. There was something wrong with the king, but stopping the king didn't seem like a good idea.

"Excuse me? I did not get you," Valt questioningly looked at the king. The king passed Valt and stopped in his way.

"For some months, many demons attacked different kingdoms. No one knows where these creatures come from. Their population is large. So much so that together they can destroy a whole kingdom," the king turned, glancing at Valt. "As far as I know, Isn't Shizukesu near the dread sea?" Valt nodded in response. "Prince Valt, are you somehow related to the demons?"

The trio looked at the king with shock and confusion. Valt felt suspicious about the king. "What do you mean?!" Valt raised his voice.

"How can I believe you are not with the demons? The world is in danger. I can't believe you," the king said. "Also, I am the king here, Prince Valt," he smirked. He was getting on Valt's nerves. Valt took a deep breath, controlling his anguish.

"You better listen to us first, King," Everyone's attention goes to Shu, who walked towards the king. "I don't like people who have so much ego," he smirked, "Like you."

Everyone in court stands up in anger. But instead of worrying, Shu doesn't care. He will stick to the plan. They will not return empty-handed.

"And who are you?" the king questioned.

"It's about if you gonna help us. Otherwise, we know much more than you about the demons. You need us and in return, give us the route of Shizukesu," Shu said as he extended his hand. "Deal?"

The king was silent for some moment. He threw a stare at the other two males who were smirking at him.

He turned his gaze to the albino, who raised his brow for an answer. "Well," he passed away Shu and moved to his throne. "remember the name, King Phi." He sat on his throne as the trio bowed.

"My pleasure. Allow us to leave," Shu said, "Also, the name is Shu." he finished as they left the court. Phi rested his head on his hand, staring at the albino who didn't turn back.

'Shu,' he thought, staring at the albino who disappeared soon from his sight.

After leaving the palace, Shu last time turned around and glanced at the gate. Seriousness took over his face as he started feeling more suspicious about the Feuer Kingdom. The Feuer kingdom is more like a mystery to him. Something keeps happening. The feeling of being attached to the royal family keeps growing inside him. The demons are also related, which tells that it's serious. Shu wants to know the secret.

"Shu," the albino turned back, cutting off his thoughts. He saw Valt smiling at him as he extended his hand to Shu's shoulder. "Thanks for helping before. We escaped because of you,"

Shu questioningly stayed there and gazed at Free, who smiled and nodded at him. Shu smiled too and turned back to the bluenette. "No need to thank, it was obvious. The king had something on his mind," Shu said.

"Well," Valt lowered his gaze a thought for a second, "Why the king accused me? I mean, why a human will help demons anyway?" he questioned. Free closed his eyes and thought for a few minutes when the realization hit him.

"Ah, maybe it can be because of that," he whispered.

"Because of what?" Shu questioned.

Free signed them to follow him. They got to a peaceful place where there was no one. Free made a map on the ground.

"We all know pretty much about the dread sea, but there was no dread seen more than a century ago," Free said.

"No dread sea?" Valt questioningly stared at Free, who gave him a nod.

"However, there was another place known as Underworld." Free continued, "Whenever someone does a crime against a kingdom or if kings want to punish someone, they send them to the underworld. More than a prison, it was like a living hell. It's a place that lacks natural resources which were necessary for humans. The people protested that it's unfair to give someone so rough punishment, but their voices were suppressed."

"It's totally like dread sea though," Valt said.

"It was exactly the dread sea until one day some dark magic user was thrown there," Free's eyes darkened.

'Dark magic!?' Valt and Shu's eyes widened in wonder. They thought it was only in myths.

"No use of dark magic. It's a law between magicians, and whoever used it is said to be cursed. Using dark magic is out of the law. It is dangerous, but people try to learn it and trap themselves. Dark magicians made that place more mighty than any kingdom. There was no other choice, so many magicians came together and separated the underworld from the real world for everyone's protection. At first, it was supposed that everyone died in the underworld, but soon it came to know that they became more powerful than before. The underworld is the home of demons. It is ruled by humans who want their revenge for being trapped there." Free explained. "For some unknown reason, some few years back, the underworld connected to the world we live in. No one knows where the entrance is, but it is suspected that the demons attacked from the underworld. That's why the king doubted you. He must think that you are connected with them."

Now Valt understands why the king was doubting him. It wasn't something planned. But on the other hand, he felt unfair to the people in the underworld. He couldn't deny that he is a peace seeker and wants justice for everyone, but they were also humans. He believed that everyone should give a second chance. However, now it is dangerous as they are mixed with demons. It is too late.

"But who is their leader?" Shu interrupted the silence between the three of them.

"No clue about that, but probably a human," Free replied.

"Is there any way of going there?" Valt asked as Free nodded.

"Well, it can be done," Free said as he let out a loud sigh. Valt understood that the way was not good.

"Dark magic,"

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:)

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