Same World, Same Princess, Different Path [WMMAP]

Chapter 16 - The Hunting Season Part.2

Harrison Alpinus: 19 y/o

Lucius Rustichel: 19 y/o

Asterias Castillo : 19 y/o

Robel Rustichel : 16 y/o

Carsein de Rass : 16 y/o

Hibert Samona : 15 y/o

Elphinny Alpinus : 14 y/o

Calliope Rustichel : 12 y/o

"It's just exhausting." The three consecutive days of the first event had begun and Athanasia had quickly found herself in the forest, going deeper and deeper into its darkest recesses. She knew where she was going because she had tested the terrain the day before. But after hours of walking and walking, her body was finally feeling the fatigue and she wiped her sweaty forehead from the effort. "I can stop here. What I've hunted is enough for today." Whenever a participant caught a prey, they used a teleportation stone lent especially for the hunting season. By putting it in contact with the beast, it would appear in the public square and in a place where its hunter's name was written. It was impossible to steal someone else's prey, since the guards guarded the place carefully.

And Athanasia had caught a bear. And yes, a bear was already very valuable. She had managed to get it by using her sword that she kept preciously hanging on her waist. She also had a bow with her. Athanasia was not very talented with it, but Carsein had insisted during their last training sessions that she should know more or less how to hold it in her hand and aim correctly. And it was with this instrument that she managed to hunt smaller wild animals like a fox whose fur could be used later. Then she went backwards, not finding anything to hunt. It was already the end of the day and the sun was already starting to set, giving an orange color to the sky.

She then started to walk back, looking around several times to make sure that no danger was lurking. And after about twenty minutes, she finally heard the sound of people talking. She was then reassured and with a little more hurried step, she went to where the sounds were coming from before stopping abruptly.

"What the-" She felt something pounding in her head as she leaned urgently against a tree. A headache surged violently as she massaged her temples, folding her lips in pain. "Why now?" This pain was strangely familiar, as if she had already experienced this kind of incident. It was the same sensation as when she was in that carriage with Lucas. It was the same sensation as when she had... her visions?
As she closed her eyes, she felt herself rambling and soon she saw a familiar scenario happening before her eyes.

"You are looking at your dear, loving father Jeanette, Anastacius de Alger Obelia. And the one who is about to take back his title of emperor."

Athanasia frowned. 'Again? Why the same vision?' She sighed inwardly while watching Anastacius do his monologue until something definitely shocked her. Something was not right. She watched the scene more closely from her place as a spectator and noticed that some things had changed a lot. Jeanette didn't look like she did in her other vision. She was even paler and looked extremely tired. And her eyes...

Athanasia's eyes widened in shock. Jeanette's eyes had never looked so... empty? Not an ounce of panic in her eyes, not even a trace of shock, quite the opposite of the last time she had tried everything to defend Claude. But there was no movement on her part. On the other hand, Athanasia quickly noticed that she was crying, tears beaded from her rimmed eyes and collapsed on the floor in total silence.

'What's going on? And why the change-' She squinted as she saw Claude on the floor, but unlike the last time he had ended up unconscious, this one seemed more or less awake. And he seemed to be looking in a direction that Jeanette's eyes followed. But it wasn't Anastacius. It was her.