The Pristine in Fortress

03

Napabuntog hininga ako habang nakatayo sa labas ng selda niya. He declined my offer and he wanted to participate on his execution. Gusto kong intindihin siya dahil marahil ay pagod na siya. Kitang-kita naman sa katawan niya kung ano ang mga pinagdaanan niya. The tortures here are unimaginable, pero kagaya nga ng sinabi ko. I will save him no matter what.

I glanced at him before I walked away, and it hurts to see him in that state. Sinamahan ulit ako sa kasama kong soldier at this time, dinala niya ako sa office ng General rito. I requested for an emergency visit and of course, dahil isa akong royalty, pumayag naman kaagad. Before i was able to access his office, I had to show my magic license to verify my information. Syempre nakapasok naman ako kasi hindi naman peke ang lisensyang dala ko, ang ticket lang naman.

I went inside the office, and I was surprised to see a young man, writing something on a paper. His hair had white highlights, but his hair's color is ash gray. Nang mapansin niyang pumasok ako, tumigil sa sa pagsulat and he then looked at me. I must admit, his looks are out of this world. His gray eyes looked fierce, and he seemed like he was assessing me. He gave me a smile after staring at me for half a minute at tumayo siya. He took his cap, held his chest with his fist, and bowed down at me.

"Welcome, Your Highness," he greeted me with a soothing and warm voice, as if hindi siya ang panimuno sa mga torture na nangyayari rito. Isinuot niya ulit ang cap and I sat down on a chair in front of his table. Umupo na rin siya at inilayo ang papel na sinusulutan niya, maybe to give me all the attention. "Are you enjoying Regulon as of the moment?" he asked.

"Kararating ko lang. Although I planned to rest today, gusto kong may kasama akong Pristine para bantayan ako at ang mansion na tinitirhan ko," sagot ko. He gave me a slight nod and took a gold folder on his drawer. He took five papers at iniharap niya sa akin ito. There I saw five prisoners who were as strong as me or maybe weaker, but their magic content is no joke.

"I recommend one of these prisoners. Malalaki ang kaso nila pero kontrolado pa rin namin sila kung sakaling may plano silang saktan ka. I assure you that choosing one of them will be a good choice," he said.

"I already chose one though," I replied, and he gave me a warm fake smile. "I want Azner Lancaster," I added, and his smile faded. "It's either aalis ako ng walang kasama ngayon o aalis ako na kasama siya, and I swear my brother won't like it kung malalaman niyang wala akong kasama," palusot ko. Everyone knows how strong my brother is. He is stronger than me and my parents. Sabi nga ng iba, siya ang pinakabatang nakakuha ng high rank sa lisensya.  I'm not sure about the ranking system but that's what I usually hear.

"Prisoner 0660 is scheduled for execution tomorrow, Your Highness. Having him as your Pristine is-"

"I want him," pilit ko and he cleared his throat. He took the papers and took his pen. He took another folder and took Azner's information sheet. He stared at it for a while bago niya ipinakita sa akin.

"Treason," he said. "His case is one of the biggest scandals in the whole world. Having him as your Pristine will not benefit your reputation, Your Highness. There might be a chance na may magbabalak na attakehin kayo," he added. "He did not only eliminate his family, but he also eliminated the whole Blackwood which was one of the prominent cities in Regulon. You were there when it happened," he added again.

"You're right," I paused as I smiled. "I was there when it happened. Then let me tell you this, the magic plague wasn't his fault," I continued, and he frowned.

"He killed almost 8,000 people with hundreds of poisoned by the plague, most of them died. That includes the Queen of Virtius, your mother," he replied, and my smile faded.