Chapter VII
Eliana was flung backward and fell deep into the thick, mountainous snow, making the snow fly up like dust. Calabras pursued her with a leisurely walk.
"Spacing out again? Come on, when will you be able to master it?" he protested.
Eliana tried to get out. She coughed up blood several times, then fell and lay weak. Her body began to emit white and blue smoke, indicating she had sustained fatal injuries.
"Are you... still thinking about him? Stop it, it's slowing you down. Besides, you're doing all this for him, aren't you? That's your motivation," Calabras encouraged her.
Eliana slowly got up and was immediately slammed by a large rock that appeared out of nowhere, hitting and crushing her. The white snow was stained red with blood.
"Kaizo gave you the foundation to grow stronger by accepting your destiny through his words, 'it's not your fault,' why don't you apply that!!! Eliana!" Calabras shouted. A large rock reappeared and headed straight for Eliana's face, which had just been 'repaired.'
Eliana felt a change within herself. She opened her eyes, realizing everything had stopped. In her heart, she felt she finally understood why she shouldn't oppose what had happened to her. Her brain grasped the reality, but her conscience rebelled. She didn't want to be controlled by the system, but for this one time, maybe it was time to submit. Maybe just for this once.
"Die," Eliana muttered.
The rock slammed into Eliana, but it simply shattered without any impact. The rock was dead.
Eliana was stunned and speechless, while a relieved Calabras finally applauded her. Calabras then pulled Eliana's arm and led her home. From his eyes, which were still empty, his gaze signaled Calabras's happiness at finally being able to relax until Vernizel returned.
Eliana said in her heart, "Kaizo, maybe my dream of being useful to you will come true. Hurry home, I can't wait to show you."
"Calm down, Eliana. Sooner or later Kaizo will surely return. The important thing is that I can relax," Calabras said gleefully.
"How did you hear that?" Eliana was confused.
"Nothing escapes my hearing, Eliana. Nothing," Calabras replied.
Eliana and Calabras returned to the city. They were warmly welcomed even before entering the gate. Calabras looked around as if he was interested in everything. Eliana found this funny, making her laugh, and she then said to Calabras, "If you want something, just take it. I'll pay."
Calabras nodded very quickly. His empty black eyes returned to normal, and he took off his mask. Anyone who saw Calabras's face was struck with admiration and awe—the perfect appearance of a man, both in physique and looks. His voice also changed, becoming softer, deeper, and rather charming. Calabras visited many shops to buy the food sold there. Although Eliana could pay, she was overwhelmed trying to keep up with the very fast Calabras.
Eliana lost track of Calabras, and accidentally ran into Kaizo. Both of them immediately fell silent, staring at each other with shyness. Fatih and the others just watched, wondering what would happen, while Iriana observed from a distance, trying to hold back her desire to hug her brother to maintain the secrecy of her identity.
"Kaizo, you... you're back. Are you ready for, us," Eliana was confused about what to say and couldn't just ask if Kaizo was done with his adventures and would marry her.
"Not yet, Eliana. I want to take them to see someone to learn how to use their power perfectly, but don't worry, I won't be long. A month at the latest, okay?" Kaizo stroked Eliana's head, who looked slightly disappointed.
"Aww~" all the citizens, Iriana, Fatih, Zen, Kirito, Bones, and even Yggdrasil, who was with Calabras, witnessed the romantic moment with a hint of envy.
Eliana quickly composed herself and asked normally, "Will the one who teaches you be the royal wine supplier who lives on the southern coast of Notton? I already know a lot about them and 'you guys'."
"What? You already know? Really?" Kaizo's face flushed, and he tried to deny it, but he knew Eliana already understood the situation. Eliana explained that she wasn't too worried about it. Instead, Eliana suggested that Kaizo should go and meet them both immediately. Kaizo and his friends said goodbye to continue their journey. From a distance, Eliana cheered, "Let's meet up later when you have time, Kaizo!" Eliana waved her hand, which Kaizo returned with a thumbs-up.
Meanwhile, Iriana remained in Notton to meet Eliana later.
The five of them finally arrived in the southern region of the kingdom, not far from the coast that directly faced Orion Island far on the horizon. They walked into a small village that was quite bustling with activity. People were passing by, crossing the roads and carrying carts. The noise from the market activity made this small village feel alive. The smell of grass and plants was everywhere, unlike the frozen and cold capital. This place was warm and green.
They turned right, passing through the residential area. During the day, hardly any doors were open because everyone had gathered to work. They turned right again, then went straight until they reached a path towards the outskirts of the village. At the end of the road stood a quite large bar, but it was still closed, clearly because the sun was still shining brightly. Who would get drunk on a hot afternoon?
Kaizo and the others stopped, and Kaizo said, "This is probably as far as I can take the four of you. I can't use power beyond my limits. I will train in my own way. If he refuses to let you in, call him 'my little bunny'." Kaizo then turned around and disappeared into the crowd. Fatih nodded, as if he understood Kaizo didn't want to deal with whoever was inside, for whatever reason, but that was his choice.
"Oh my god, he left again!" Bones complained.
"Come on, we have to train too," Fatih invited everyone to head towards the bar.
Zen knocked on the door gently. He knocked several times; there was no answer. Finally, Kirito remembered Kaizo's words. He held Zen's shoulder and said, "Use that name."
"What!? Are you serious? That lowers my aura!" Zen was annoyed.
"If you don't want to, I'll do it. Ahem," Fatih stepped forward.
Fatih knocked on the door and said, "Open the door, my little bunny~" His voice was melodious and soft. Zen, Kirito, and Bones almost felt sick listening to it. Fortunately, someone inside responded with an excited female voice.
"Just open it, it's not locked."
Hearing this, Zen immediately brightened up. He was the first to step forward and open the door.
They saw a woman the same age as Fatih sitting with her chin resting on her hand, looking at them with a sweet smile. Her eyes were rose red, she wore dark clothes, and her black hair was cut exactly like Kaizo's.
"Wow, no Kaizo, it seems. Did Kaizo tell you to use that name?" the woman looked at them gently.
She then stood up and walked toward Zen. Her gaze was deep and consuming. "Alright, let me introduce myself. I'm Stefania. I once had a last name that I've forgotten. Now you can call me Stefania Dantarona," she said.
"Dantarona? Isn't that—" Zen was puzzled.
"Kaizo's name, right? Hehe, that's his family name. He told me to use that name," Stefania replied.
Fatih then said, "We came here to learn something from you. We want to be able to master the limit-breaking technique, which will be very useful in fighting Orion."
Stefania replied, "I see. Can you please close and lock the door? Please, sit down first."
Stefania walked toward the stairs. She went up to the second floor to do something, while Zen immediately closed and locked the entrance door.
Stefania came down carrying someone else, a girl who looked like a kunoichi. Her hair was short and slightly brownish, her eyes were dark yellow, and she looked very energetic.
"Alright, this is my best friend. Her name is Haruka Tanaka,"
Haruka looked at all of them with a pouting face.
"Haruka Tanaka is her real name, but here she changed Tanaka to Dantarona. That was also Kaizo's wish," Stefania explained.
"What is your actual relationship with Kaizo?" Zen asked.
"Hmm, what is it? If you call us girlfriends, no. We haven't met or been in touch for three years. If mistresses, definitely not. We were there before Queen Eliana, so maybe you could consider us his first story," Stefania's answer made Zen, Bones, and Kirito gape.
Fatih immediately asked, "Does Eliana know about this?"
"Her Majesty is terrifying. Kaizo never told her anything about us, but somehow she knows and understands our story, as Kaizo's concubines," Haruka answered.
"Damn Kaizo, how can he have concubines? Share one, woy!" Zen protested.
Meanwhile, Fatih nodded in understanding.
"With your beautiful face, you must have a girlfriend, right?" Stefania asked Zen. The question immediately hit Zen's mental state, and he lay weak on Kirito's lap.
"That hurts, but the fact is he hasn't even held hands with any woman yet," Kirito explained.
"Aww, poor thing~"
"Alright then. Come with us upstairs. It's a bit cramped here, isn't it?" Stefania said.
They went upstairs to a very large room with many chambers, and in the middle, there was a wide banquet table.
Stefania then used her telekinesis ability to arrange the room to suit their discussion. A soft carpet unrolled, and the table and chairs moved by themselves to the corner of the room.
Haruka invited them to sit on the carpet. They sat in a semi-circle facing the window.
"Has any of you ever awakened that power?" Stefania asked.
Bones raised his hand. "I have, once," he said.
"What did you feel at that time that made you use it?" Stefania asked Bones.
"I was thrown far away and was dying. At that moment, I felt useless, but I was sure I could rise up to protect my friends. Then boom, I flew and won," Bones answered.
Everyone was silent, trying to understand Bones's story.
"Aha, I understand. It's the same as me. At that time, I was trying to protect Kaizo from someone who eventually separated us from him. That was really sad~" Stefania recounted.
"Hey, why are you telling that story again? Stop it, it makes it hard for me to forget," Haruka rubbed Stefania's back.
"Okay, so here's the thing: the limit-breaking ability is a power that will give you extra strength and speed, and provide an additional power that will support your own power. After I awakened it once, I found that it can be trained, and I can awaken it anytime now, like this—!"
A burst of purple smoke filled the room. Light particles flickered, and Stefania's body glowed bright purple. Everyone was mesmerized by the sight. Stefania then deactivated her power and said, "If you want this power, listen and obey me, okay~"
Zen immediately replied without hesitation, "Ready, Ma'am!"
Fatih, Bones, and Kirito followed suit, agreeing.
The training began.
Fatih, Kirito, Bones, and Zen wore uniform T-shirts, lined up like soldiers. Stefania walked in front of them, explaining that to awaken the limit-breaking power, besides needing determination and courage, it also requires understanding. In every creature's body, there are two powers: mana in the abdomen and energy in the chest. Mana is blue, and energy is red. Each power has different consumption amounts of mana and energy, but since they now possess sacred weapons, the amount of mana and energy expenditure has been greatly reduced, making it more efficient. The additional power that will appear in a person when activating limit-breaking can be trained by continuously focusing energy and mana on the body part that feels the most when using their power normally. Based on their confessions, the training was divided: two people for Stefania, and two for Haruka. Bones, who focused on hand strength, and Fatih, who focused on back muscles, would be handled by Stefania, while Kirito, who focused on brain speed, and Zen, who relied on his legs, would be handled by Haruka.
Day and night, they trained: lifting weights, running tens of kilometers, dodging thousands of sharp weapons, climbing up and descending cliffs, breaking large rocks, sparring, and fighting strong monsters without using any power at all. At night, they only slept around midnight because from dusk until closing time, they helped Stefania and Haruka at their bar.
Meanwhile, on the western edge of Notton, facing the vast ocean from the peak of a cliff, Kaizo stood still, gazing at the night sky. The moon shone softly on the dark Taiga forest. Kaizo then turned and said, "It took you a long time to get here, Eliana."
Eliana arrived with her body covered in a wide black robe to leave the palace secretly.
"At least I'm here, Kaizo."
Eliana took off her robe, displaying a figure far different from the Eliana he knew. Her hair was tied back, and she wore clothes that highlighted her beautiful figure. Eliana walked closer.
"Did you meet them?"
"Stefania and Haruka? According to your order, I've been there."
"How is it now?"
"They are training. The battle is this weekend, then I'll come home."
"Come home now, Kaizo."
"Why?"
"That's enough. Let's live peacefully together."
"There is no peace as long as people still commit evil, Eliana."
"But I'm afraid something will happen to you."
"You don't trust me anymore?"
"It's not like that. I'm just afraid—"
"Fear means lack of trust. Now I'm disappointed in you, Eliana."
"No, it's not like that. I trust you very much."
"Trust without proof is a lie. PROVE IT!"
"Just do it—"
Eliana hugged Kaizo and closed her eyes. Kaizo was silent and returned the hug. That night they spent sharing trust, sharing happiness, sharing feelings, sharing love.
The moonlight displayed the silhouettes of two flower stems. For whatever type of flower, one was wilting, and the other was supporting the wilting one. Their voices were muffled by the roaring night waves, along with the very strong sea breeze flowing through the grass and leaves. A bee that was out at night saw a sunflower blooming facing the moon. The bee approached and performed pollination. It then flew away, and the falling remnants brought forth life, providing nutrition for other creatures, growing new plants, or simply being collected by other small insects.
New flowers grow, meet new bees, and the cycle repeats.
Eliana slowly immersed her body into the hot spring pool. Her body twitched, feeling the temperature change. Eliana closed her eyes and allowed her body to rest. That morning was peaceful in a private inn; only she and Calabras were there.
Eliana submerged herself, calming her mind and eliminating the anxiety raging in her heart.
Eliana returned to the water's surface, seeing Calabras asleep across from her, enjoying the hot water.
"Calabras, am I wrong?" Eliana spoke to the sleeping Calabras, not expecting an answer, but Calabras's voice sounded from behind her consciousness.
"Ask yourself. I have no right to judge. I only take what should be taken," Calabras's voice echoed with no clear origin.
Calabras got out of the pool and immediately went back to the room. Eliana rubbed her hair with her hands, trying to clean it. Then she got out of the pool, wrapped a towel around herself, and returned to the room. She saw Calabras reading a book, a novel titled 'Indomenistan: Even Until the End of Time.' Eliana ignored him, took off the towel, put on her pajamas, and immediately lay down on her futon (a Japanese-style bed).
Eliana and Calabras finally arrived at the village on the southern tip of Notton, immediately visiting Stefania and Haruka's bar. Eliana ran towards the door and knocked. "Stefania!~ Open the door, please," she said enthusiastically. Haruka opened the door, a little surprised to see Calabras, but then allowed Eliana to enter. She took Eliana and Calabras upstairs. Eliana saw Stefania sitting cross-legged on the carpet surrounded by Fatih, Bones, Zen, and Kirito, who were putting their full clothes back on, getting ready to leave.
"What are you doing?" Eliana asked.
"We just finished training. Now we're leaving straight for Orion Island. Has Kaizo arrived?" Fatih said.
"Kaizo? Isn't he here? Is he out?" Eliana replied.
"We haven't seen any sign of Kaizo since a week ago," Bones answered.
"Shouldn't he have met Stefania and Haruka? He said he was here," Eliana asked.
"No, we haven't met him even since three years ago," Haruka said.
"He did come here, Eliana, but he left before we could meet Stefania or Haruka," Kirito explained.
"What?! Kaizo, no way, he—" Eliana panicked.
"I kidnapped him~" Maria appeared from behind, having just climbed the stairs.
Everyone was immediately shocked to witness the arrival of one of the world kings among them.
"What did you say!?" Fatih shouted.
"Give me back my Kaizo!!" Eliana immediately ran towards Maria to attack her, but she was stopped by Calabras.
Maria then explained, "Not kidnapping him, honestly. I wanted to meet him, but when I met him, he looked pathetic. He tried to hit me but immediately collapsed, weak and exhausted. I don't know what he had just done, so now I'm keeping him deep underground on Orion Island, so deep that no one there will notice." Maria explained.
Eliana was able to calm down again. Then Fatih said, "Then why did you come here?"
"I want to inform you that Orion will leave Earth tomorrow and destroy it if no one fights him because he has successfully obtained everything he wanted from this planet," Maria explained.
"I suggest you move quickly, but be careful because I and the other world kings will block you before you can meet Orion, hahaha, see you!" Maria added before finally disappearing.
Fatih thanked Stefania and Haruka before finally leading the others out. He said, "Now we have two targets: save Kaizo and kill Orion. None of us will back down. Let's go!!!!!"
"LET'S GO!" the others replied with passion.
Eliana watched from a distance. A smile appeared on her face as she saw the beauty of their friendship, unlike her, who had only been close to Kaizo and Fatih until now. Stefania tapped Eliana's clothes and said, "Excuse me for being presumptuous, Your Majesty, but if you need a friend, we are ready to be your friends."
"It's not that we're trying to climb the social ladder, don't get the wrong idea!" Haruka shouted from the doorway.
Calabras approached Eliana and said, "Fatih, what do you think is so great about that man?" Calabras asked Eliana.
"Eh~? His leadership and wisdom?" Eliana answered with hesitation.
"His courage," Calabras said. "The strongest soul ever, and also one of the purest. He has absolutely no fear, not even a little bit. He also always considers everyone he meets to be a good person. It sounds naive, but that's what makes him great: good prejudice and an unshakable heart. I hope you can emulate him, Eliana." Calabras walked into the bar and ordered a room for the night.
Eliana remained silent, thinking about Calabras's words. Stefania, who also heard everything, then asked, "That big man, who is he?"
Eliana snapped back to attention and replied, "Oh, him. Hehe, he can be considered my bodyguard for the time being. His name is Calabras, a friend of Kaizo's teacher."
"Kaizo's teacher? You know her too? The beautiful woman who stole Kaizo from us?"
"It turns out you don't know yet. Her form is according to a person's perception, meaning it will be different for everyone. To me, she's like a strange, very strong man, but now she's gone and has told the very strong Calabras to temporarily replace her," Eliana explained.
"I see," Stefania nodded.
Stefania and Eliana went back inside. Today would be the beginning of the great war that they would watch from afar.
Meanwhile, someone landed in front of the bar. Stefania and Haruka immediately noticed the presence, as did Calabras and Eliana. They all went out, and that was it.
Vernizel had arrived.