'I can't...remember?'
No. It wasn't that he couldn't remember. But rather the memories he had were foggy and fragmented. No matter how much he tried, he could only remember certain events rather than the flow of them.
And even those were fleeting.
'No...'
Leon rushed out the shower and tried to find something to write on. But then he remembered it wouldn't matter. Everything inside the nightmare would disappear when he was done.
He punched the wall in a fury. No matter what, it seemed he couldn't save his memories from being taken away.
After taking a while to calm, he knew he couldn't do anything till the nightmare was over.
Leon dressed in up in the clothes left by Aurelia as he kept contemplating his attribute.
'Does the spell know? Does it know I'm a transmigrator? Is that why I have this attribute?'
The only solace to this situation was the final line on the runes.
'Nothing is truly lost...'
A knock sounded on the door. Leon jolted up as he slowly made his way towards the door to open it. As he opened the door he saw the same girl with her green eyes. Aurelia.
"Hey."
Aurelia bowed slightly as she began speaking.
"Leon, you must be hungry. Come."
She led Leon through one of the corridors he wasn't familiar with. Leon tensed up thinking Aurelia had planned something bad.
She led him across another door which led outside. The sun shone on Leon as his eyes struggled to adjust to the change in brightness.
As he tried to block the sunlight with his palm, Leon finally saw where she had brought him.
There was a massive field in front of him, and on the field, were countless injured people, who looked like soldiers. All of them had injuries that were being tended to by other people.
The people looked like they would collapse at any moment as all of them moved in a slow and unconfident manner.
Leon observed the people as they all began to look up at him and Aurelia who were walking past them. Due to Keen Insight and the state of the soldiers, he could read most of their emotions.
Anger.
Sorrow.
Hatred.
Envy.
Despair.
His body shuddered as he continued to look at them.
'A war? Has the titan already come?'
"Apologies for the sore sight. These are all my soldiers. We have been in a sort of....civil war."
Leon narrowed his eyes as he went into thought.
These people were all injured, which means the war is ongoing. Aurelia is on one side of this as she is a princess. But who was she fighting? The King perhaps?
They began walking as Aurelia walked to one of the tents where they were serving all the soldiers food.
The soldiers lined up near the tent, and the person giving them food all paused as Aurelia approached them.
Aurelia went up to the woman serving food and smiled.
"Two portions please."
The woman froze, not able to comprehend the order given to her. She hesitated a moment then quickly stumbled as she took out two bowls and poured out the broth onto the two bowls.
She gently handed the two bowls to Aurelia who received them and thanked the woman with a smile.
She then gestured Leon to follow her as the two went away from the field and to a nearby protrusion on the ground that made a small hill.
The two climbed the hill. They were now a fair distance away from the soldiers, so much so that Leon could see the large building that held him.
The building was a majestic dome with many windows on it. Two tall rectangular buildings were connected to the central dome with narrow pathways.
They then reached the top of the hill as Aurelia sat down and extended her hand, handing a bowl to Leon.
Leon took the bowl and sat down beside her. But then quickly moved a little away from her.
"I know you are a cautious man Leon. Hence I hope this is alright for you."
Aurelia said as she began putting some of the broth into her mouth and smiled as she looked across the hill.
Leon followed her eyes and saw the sun kingdom in all its glory. It looked just like it had in his vision, but without the crimson red painting the streets.
He hesitated for a while but remembered all the soldiers on the field. She couldn't possibly have replicated that. Even if she did, their eyes definitely spoke the truth, their pain and their fury were all real.
He then took a bite as Aurelia looked at him and smiled a little.
"This is the Divine Sun Kingdom. All the people inhabiting it are all the children of the sun. They are protected by the Sun's Will which is in the walls of the kingdom."
Leon then turned to look at her as she began explaining. His body relaxed as he kept eating.
"The walls protect all the creatures trying to enter. They have protected them for centuries now. But the walls also prevent anyone from leaving the kingdom itself."
Aurelia then lowered her bowl as a small frown appeared on her face.
'They can't leave? No...But then the titan would...'
"If anyone from the kingdom were to leave the vicinity of the walls, they instantly lose all vitality and shrivel into a corpse."
Leon stopped eating as the sudden realization hit him. The people wouldn't just lose their kingdom. No.
The kingdom would be completely wiped out because of the titan.
Aurelia then saw his surprised reaction and chuckled.
"Don't worry Leon. They are not that desperate to leave, they have been living in prosperity for a long time now....Well, till now."
That was Leon became suspicious of Aurelia again. Since she had begun explaining everything, she had always seemed to mention the kingdom as though she wasn't a part of it.
A small thought crept up his mind.
She kept saying they.
Not we.
Wasn't she a princess? Why was she speaking as though the kingdom didn't belong to her?
Aurelia then shot her head up and looked at Leon. Her eyes shone as she grabbed Leon's hand.
Leon was startled by this sudden attempt as he thought that she would throw him off the cliff.
"But you are the exception Leon!"
He froze as he heard her statement. She continued:
"Since you are an outsider, you are free to enter or leave any time you want."
As she said that, a sudden noise attracted his attention. Leon turned back towards the building as he heard the noise of a horn being blown.
The echo of the horn spread everywhere as he tensed up.
'No...The titan?'
Aurelia's grip on his palm tightened as she stood up prompting Leon to get up with her.
"I'm sorry Leon. It seems we are out of time. They have realized you are a threat and are coming after you."
Leon looked back at her. He immediately grabbed a piece of sharp rock he had managed to swipe off the ground earlier thinking she would kill him now.
But she simply let go of his hand and turned towards the slope of the hill where countless people were running toward them. Leon paused as he turned toward the group of people rushing for them.
There were countless guards in silver armor rushing toward them, and the person leading them was none other than the green haired woman.
'The inquisitor...'
Soon, the inquisitor stopped a couple meters away and spoke up.
"Princess. Please hand over that person right now."
She paused and pointed her sword upward.
"We know that he is an outsider."
Aurelia summoned a bow out of thin air, as it materialized with white sparks.
'A memory?'
She knocked an arrow on the bow and replied.
"I'm sorry teacher. But you have to trust me. He is the only way we can move forward in this kingdom."
The inquisitor gripped her sword as she frowned.
"You."
She paused for a while.
"I should have known. They were all right. You are just like your father."
"A traitor...."
The inquisitor spat out.
Aurelia's mouth gaped open as her brows furrowed. Her hands shook lightly but she gritted her teeth and shot the arrow into the sky.
The arrow shot up to the sky and exploded into a bright orange flame.
The inquisitor dashed toward Leon in an attempt to kill him but was soon met with Aurelia's blade.
As the two clashed with their blades a guard rushed at Leon with unnatural speed, almost as if he teleported.
He paused just a couple feet away from him and lunged at Leon with a sword.
Leon put Keen Insight into overdrive as he then read the guard's movement for a split second and dodged the blade just barely.
The guard lunged.
For a fraction of a heartbeat, Leon saw it â€" not the blade, but the intention. The shift in weight, the tightening shoulder.
He moved before the strike was fully born.
Steel kissed his cheek instead of splitting his skull.
The guard was unfazed by his sudden dodge, and simply moved to strike again.
But before the sword could meet Leon, a giant creature swooped in and threw the guard backwards.
The many other guards that were moving right behind trying to catch up were all met with a flying body as they all tumbled down the hill.
He looked at the bird with glorious white feathers and a large yellow beak. The bird was three times bigger than Leon. He realized this was the bird that fought the titan. Which meant...
'She...She's the one who'll fight the titan...'
Leon had hesitated for a moment with the revelation, but his arm was grabbed by a tight grip and thrown onto the bird. It was Aurelia who threw him onto to the bird.
Leon couldn't resist as her strength was crazy, he had felt as though his arm was shackled again.
Aurelia batted away another sword strike from the inquisitor as she jumped onto the bird. The bird took flight immediately and shot up into the air.
Aurelia then turned towards Leon.
"Please trust me, I will protect you."
She spoke as the bird continued to fly further and further away from the building. Leon had subconsciously closed his eyes due to the strong winds.
Leon opened his eyes as he gritted his teeth. He couldn't let things go out of control so he had to do something. And now was an opportunity.
"You promise?"
He asked looking at Aurelia, hoping she would answer.
Aurelia smiled as she opened her mouth to speak.
"I swear on my life I will protect you Leon."
Leon's mouth curled up slightly.
"I accept."
Suddenly, he felt a strange force envelop him. He could feel warmth creep up all over his body.
Oathbound had activated.
He knew Aurelia could sense it if he as a mundane could. But to his luck, she was busy fending off arrows that rained onto them from the dome.
The bird flew away into the bright blue sky as countless arrows kept firing at them.
Leon was confused. Why would they shoot their own princess even if she was trying to help a potential prisoner escape?
***
Aurelia's bird flew straight toward the giant wall. The bird flapped its wings as it picked up speed at a frightening rate.
Leon held onto dear life as the bird flew faster and faster.
Aurelia looked down at Leon and smiled.
"I'm so sorry for the bumpy ride Leon. But please hold on!"
Her voice was loud, and yet it was drowned out by the constant whistling of the wind.
He saw her face and noticed she looked scared. Her eyes were filled with fear and determination. Aurelia gripped onto the bird as she gritted her teeth.
Leon didn't breath. He stared at Aurelia -- waiting for her eyes to turn lifeless, or her body to turn into a dried parchment.
The white bird flew over the wall and crossed the giant stone bricks.
Nothing happened.
Aurelia simply smiled, as the bird then dropped into the forest right next to it.
They landed on the ground as Aurelia jumped down and Leon just fell from the bird, gasping for air.
Leon struggled to stand up as he noticed the amount of trees around him. They were outside the walls right now.
He widened his eyes as he shot his head towards Aurelia.
She seemed to be fine. She was smiling while petting her pet bird. She didn't seem to lose her vitality and shrivel into a corpse.
She turned back to Leon and laughed loudly. The laughter felt like a melody as it rang out through the dense forest.
"We actually made it out Leon!"
she said as her green eyes were filled with joy.
"But...you said that--"
Leon was cut off by Aurelia as she walked closer to him.
"I am actually a half breed."
She then stopped in front of him as she showed an apologetic smile.
"I would love to explain but maybe we should find shelter first?"
Leon froze and then slowly nodded.
He was out of the kingdom, he was safe.
Or that's what he told himself to keep calm. The nightmare was yet to be over.
***
They travelled through the woods for a couple hours — circling the giant wall closely.
The woods felt eerie as the forest had covered the sky entirely. Each tree was tall and shot up into the sky. It was almost half the length of the wall, or maybe a quarter — he couldn't tell its height from down there.
The leaves and branches of the tree covered the sky like a blanket, only letting small rays of sunshine shoot through the leaves.
It was as though a world beyond the forest didn't exist. He continued walking behind Aurelia as she kept quiet the entire time. The bird silently followed behind them.
He had too many questions, but kept quiet as safety was the first concern. He had thought of running away from her but knew she was far too strong.
The two eventually found a cave nearby and settled in as the huge bird carried a pile of dried sticks they could use for a fire eventually.
Aurelia sat down as she began preparing the fire. The sun was setting outside, and it would be dark soon.
Leon sat down in front of her as a warm flame radiated from the dried stick pile in front of him.
He saw Aurelia sit down, her expression not showing even a hint of fatigue.
"So, do you want to explain what's going on?"
Leon asked in a casual tone.
Aurelia looked up and smiled.
"I'm sorry Leon. Yes, I will explain. I think I should start from the beginning for you to understand."
She opened a bag made of leather and took out a few pieces of meat, and placed it on the flame for it to cook.
"My father...The King had actually met the first outsider before I was born."
She said as her face looked expressionless.
"He fell in love with her as they lived inside the castle happily. They had a daughter and named her Aurelia."
A small smile bloomed on her face as she said her name.
Leon now understood why she could exit the walls. She was not a pure blooded citizen of the kingdom. She was the daughter of an outsider, which meant that she could leave at any time.
"Then why are you still here?"
Leon asked suddenly. It was so sudden that even he was shocked as to why he blurted out that question. But his curiosity gnawed at him.
"Because my father loved this kingdom. He loved its people. So even I, no matter what they think of me or what they do to me...it is my responsibility as the princess of flame to protect the kingdom."
"Loved?"
He hinted at the use of her words.
"The King died a year ago."
Leon froze as he heard those words. He looked at her with a frown on his face as Aurelia's smile disappeared from her face.
"A few years after the child was born. The queen left the kingdom and returned a year later. Except she did not have any good news."
The fire crackled as sparks of flame flew up into the air in the silence of the cave.
"She said that she had a duty to fulfill...that she would have to change this world."
Leon's eyes twitched as he heard her words.
'Does that really justify leaving her daughter?'
"She said goodbye and left the kingdom for good this time. Years passed and she never returned. My father grew sick of everything day by day. He even stopped talking to me at one point."
She sighed and dropped her head.
"He then spent months trying to find a way to leave the walls. He even tried to destroy them with the divine flame once, but was stopped by his friends. But eventually, he tried to get out again, and well."
She remained silent for a while before continuing.
"He ended up dead."
Leon looked down at the flame.
"I'm sorry." he said in a low voice.
Aurelia smiled and nodded sideways.
"Don't be. It wasn't your fault anyways. It was honestly nobody's fault."
She paused for a while before saying
"I'm sure my mother had a very important reason too."
Her voice cracked slightly before finishing that sentence.
Leon frowned.
She may have said it like she had already been past it, but he could clearly sense the deep sorrow in her eyes.
Her smile grew brighter and she continued.
"So that is why you are so important!"
Leon perked up, raising an eyebrow.
"With you as an outsider, and me as a half-breed, we can find some way to help the kingdom folk to get out of the walls. I'm sure of it!"
She took the cooked meet from the fire and placed it on a pile of leaves she made into a plate and handed it to Leon.
"That way, no one will have to suffer anymore. No one else will have to die."
Leon took the meet and bit into it.
"But, why would they suffer if they just stayed inside the walls?"
Aurelia's smile slowly faded away.
"Because if they do...
She met his eyes.
"Everyone will die."
***