The entire place was like a separate dimension from before. The walls were all white with pillars that stood as tall as the clouds that were of gold. A magnificent palace that stood the wrath of time, that was what I was seeing before me. There were paintings all over the wall, depicting different noblemen and women; paintings of a battle with men and a dragon, and lastly, a painting that pictured a vine that reached the heavens. It was a surreal yet mysterious place.

 

“Where is this?” I questioned as we walked deeper into the palace. It was an endless road with no end in sight. The walls kept repeating as we reached the depths of the place before a ring came from the system, notifying me of an anomaly.

 

 

I was a bit stunned as the surroundings around us twisted, turning the light palace into a palace that would fit a demon king. At the center of the palace was a single large blue crystal where the silhouette of a creature that no one could imagine existed.

 

“This is the secret of the Fragaria Family and also the secret of the entire Kingdom…” Aurora’s voice echoed as we walked a bit towards the crystal before the silhouette inside the crystal became crisp clear.

 

It had large red scales that reflected the entire area. An aura of deep venomous hatred surrounded it as its scarlet eyes stared at us. The creature had long fangs that were sharper than a rare sword, sticky violet liquid painted its fangs as its long tail pointed in our direction. The size of the creature was monstrous that even the behemoths in my mind couldn’t contest its sizes.

 

“This…” I mumbled shocked before the man and the rest nodded as a manly voice echoed all around the place, followed by two figures descending down from the top.

 

“It’s the Serpent of Ash, the mythical creature that was once said to be able to destroy four kingdoms with its wrath. It took us ages to create this dimension where this vile creature would be sealed…”

 

After the voice vanished, the figure of an elderly man in the outfit of a sage appeared. He had this pressure with him that was suffocating to the heart. I couldn’t move at all as the elderly man smiled at me before the figure that was together with him, a red-haired lady rose her hand as the pressure vanished like it never existed in the first place. The red-haired lady was a beauty from her scarlet red eyes to her wineglass figure.

 

“We greet Your Majesty, Elijah, and Scarlet,” all of them including Aurora kneeled as the man looked at me and smiled. I was confused but quickly kneeled down as the man giggled before he shook his head and responded.

 

“There is no need to kneel, my fellow trustees. For the three of you have done a magnificent job of maintaining the kingdom’s state and wellbeing in the duration of my vanishment.”

 

In response, Aurora stood up and bowed down as she responded, “I do not qualify for such kindness from Your Majesty for it is mine and the Queenshelm’s job to keep the stability of the kingdom until your return.”

 

Almost like looking at a stubborn child, the man smiled wryly as he sighed before gesturing all of us to stand up as we followed his orders before he walked towards me together with the red-haired stared into my eyes almost like inspecting me. The red-haired girl had this mythical feel around her, almost like I was staring at a higher entity than myself.

 

“Are you perhaps a recognized parent by another Great Spirit?” the red-haired girl questioned as she stood in front of me with an unfazed look on her face. It was like she was peering into my soul which made me shiver as I looked at her and nodded without hesitation. There was no use in denying at all, especially if you think about how this person had eyes that felt piercing.

 

“I see. You are someone like me then, I believe the two of you have worked well on protecting the two of them, is that correct?” the man looked at Seele and Aurora who nodded without hesitating as the man looked at me surprised.

 

“Her partner is currently the only true descendant of the Fragaria which is why we have brought her here to talk about future plans,” Seele answered before the man nodded at the two of them as he smiled.

 

“There are no future plans at all, compared to Amaryllis and I back in our childhood days, this little lady over here is ten if not a hundred times powerful…” the man said as he placed his hand on my head and patted me which surprised me a bit as he looked at the three with a gentle smile on his face before continuing.

 

“Anyway, I believe the three of you are ready to finish this serpent off and free the kingdom from the dangers. Is that what I see?”

 

I was a bit taken aback as I was not told of such. It was like a birthday surprise except the surprise was not something to be joyful at all but rather a surprise filled with horror. I couldn’t help but look at Aurora and Seele with a face that was betrayed as the two smiled wryly.

 

“Yes, I believe that with the six of us including Ayumi, the serpent would have little to no chance at all surviving especially if Ayumi were to utilize her fullest potential,” Aurora answered as the man nodded before a large staff appeared on his hand.

 

The staff was crystal in color with a tint of red, it was about twice the height of him and fitted perfectly on his hand, as if responding to his call, the red-haired lady took out a crystal red sword that brought shivers onto my spine. It was like the sword was alive and stared at everything with thick bloodlust that could even kill someone from just pointing its bloodlust.

 

“It has been a long time since I battled, how about I explain to the little lady first over how this serpent fights and all the counters?” the man said before the three nodded as Aurora took out a starry night dagger from her waist pocket while Seele materialized a blue sword out of nowhere.

 

On the other side, the man who was Mana’s father shone bright red as thick red armor surrounded his body. The man had a large shield on his right hand and a red lance on his left hand that was both thick to the extent that even I don’t think I could hold it for a second without stumbling.

 

“To simplify things, once the serpent opens its mouth, run as fast as you could towards its back as it will petrify anything that its venoms will come into contact. It is also a disadvantage for the serpent when it opens its mouth as it cannot move, that is the only thing you need to know,” the man explained which confused me as a bell sounded inside my head.

 

I felt shivers on my spine as the man nodded at me before I hesitatingly decided to take out my pristine mana bow, praying inside my heart that the Stupid Goddess would at least help me in this situation.

 

Almost as if responding to my prayers, a new window popped up that scared me a bit.

 

 

Soon after, a white dress replaced my old dress. The dress had golden accents all around it as four different wings flapped from my back, bringing me up in the air as the pristine mana bow on my hand materialized into a sparkling white bow that was taller than my shoulders.

 

“Let’s start!” the man shouted as he slammed his staff on the ground before the large crystal at the center exploded into pieces, revealing the serpent at its fullest. The serpent stared at all of us with its scarlet red eyes, bloodlust covered the entire area as a loud roar exploded around the place.

 

“RAWAAAARARARARARA!”

 

It was then that the battle that would go down to history started. The Serpent Ash against the Six Towers… but that’s another story for next time.