ENCHANTED: Guardian Series #1 {COMPLETED, UNDER REVISION}

CHAPTER 20: Dark Magi

CHAPTER TWENTY
A FRAGMENT

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ETHERION REALM

-Maya Village-
"That girl gave him a pouch with unnamed leaves. However, she promised that it contained magical properties. At first he was hesitant but he gave in and accepted the pouch, and in return, he gave her an unfinished carved wood of a leaf as well. How adorable, eh?"

While Kaira was pulverizing dark green leaves, she remembered Dahrleen's statement about his son and a girl in his past. She assumed that the girl was Miri herself, but she's starting to feel headaches trying to remember who and where she heard that story, aside from Dahrleen.
 
After living for nearly a month inside the palace walls, Kaira realized something different about the servants and the people they serve. The Princess Consort Dahrleen may seem like an innocent-looking doll, but she's a dangerous woman. She hid an immense aura by wrapping herself in cutesy charisma to charm her opponents.
 
Kaira felt that whenever Dahrleen smiled, giggled, or laughed, goosebumps were signaling her to leave. Not just that, Leal Hamilton was supposed to be a loyal man of the Royal Family of the Dark Guardians, but he had killing intent toward his masters.
 
Sigh.
 
"It's already night," she told herself, glancing at the dark skies. Kaira went out on her hunt when her ear heard musical instruments playing outside. It was vivid, but there was liveliness in each beat. The music led her to the center of the village. Unexpectedly, no one was there. Torches may be lit, but there is no sign of people. 'Could this be a joke?'
 
Whoosh.
 
Shiver...
 
"Everyone! Is someone here?" Kaira shouted with her hand cupping her mouth to make her voice louder. Still, none replied. Only a gust of wind passed her by, blowing the flames onto the torches. She started to worry and felt frightened at the moment she realized that she She started to worry and felt frightened at the moment she realized that she was alone. "Hello?!"
 
Her voice echoed, yet no one spoke. Only the crickets and the howling wind accompanied her through the silent night.
 
She tried walking around, calling different people. "Your Highness! Miri! Chief Conner!"
 
Again, there was no reply. Her heartbeat gradually raced as she sweated profusely. Whoever had this idea of messing with her will lose an arm or a leg, depending on Kaira's mood. Nevertheless, why would they pull a prank on her?
 
"Leonard! Where ARE YOU?!" she screamed out. She got so tired from shouting and pacing back and forth in the village that she eventually nearly got breathless. She breathes in and out to catch air before continuing. "MIRI! ANSWER ME, PLEASE!"
 
Whoosh.
 
"The Ered Princess, Lady Kaira Gabby..." A distorted voice called her in the midst of the fog. She gasped in shock, on her guard, wandering her eyes.
 
"Who's there?" Her fangs and claws showed up, growling low.
 
"It doesn't matter who I am," the voice replied, which made Kaira laugh.
 
"Don't toy with me! Who are you?"
 
"Calm down, princess. Rather than shouting, try to remember something you have forgotten."
 
A wind passed her, hitting her body so hard that she barely got on her feet.
 
"Forgotten about what?" she clarified, curious about what the voice meant. She stood up straight as she hid her fangs and sharp claws, only standing with pure will.
 
"Look back to what is near."
 
The Ered Princess' eyes widened as her pupils were shaking. Her mind went blank while she remained silent, trembling at the creeping voice in her head.
 
"Recall what you had feared."
 
"And..." 
 
The voice faintly disappeared, and Kaira was not able to hear the last phrases. The only thing she could do was fight her cloudy vision, which caused her to feel nervous.
 
"And?" she breathed as her heart felt like bursting out as it kept pounding faster and faster. Soon, her chest tightened, which prevented her from breathing properly.
 
"And..." The voice faded away as the fog cleared up, revealing an empty forest near the riverbank. The last phrase was planted in her head, yet her memories got mixed with dreams and realities so that she could not point out which was which. Fortunately, she snapped back to her senses when Chief Conner's voice bellowed amongst his people.
 
"Princess!" 
 
They shouted for Kaira's name, hoping that she'd answer. Before she could even state her location, Chief Conner saw her and immediately ran towards her. Kaira suddenly got confused about the events that occurred.  thinking about what had happened.
 
Huh?
 
"Princess! Oh my goodness! Where have you been?" he cried as the villagers followed him. According to the Chief, they heard a scream, got alarmed, and immediately ran to Kaira's room. When they found out that she was nowhere to be seen, they quickly dispatched a party to search for her. Alas, Kaira was not seen for hours.
 
When their hope started to dry out, they heard another screaming voice. That was Kaira.
 
They checked her physical state, and she's neither wounded nor hurt—she's only spacing out.
 
"Quickly, His Highness' looking for you," Chief Conner gently grabbed Kaira's wrist, noticing that she's not in herself.
 
She could only nod while trying to digest the course of events.
 
Rushing back to the village, Leonard was waiting outside his hut. His arms were folded, and his face looks angry. He motioned his thumb, pointing in the direction of the hut, to indicate that they'd be having a talk inside.
 
Kaira pressed her lips. She hasn't processed her emotions yet. And now she must face a raging Young Prince. She entered the hut before Leonard—this tense atmosphere made the chief and his villagers feel worried.
 
"Where have you been?" a prickly voice shot into Kaira's ear.
 
'I see... So it was you.' A faint smirk appeared on her face, scoffing as she faced Leonard head-on. "Where? Even I don't know."
 
"Answer me properly!" Leonard demanded with his voice partially raised.
 
Kaira was irritated by the way Leonard spoke to her. She had enough of people demanding her well-behaved reply and ladylike actions. Finally, she roared while showing her fangs. "I told you, I don't KNOW!
 
Leonard took a step back, grabbing something from his left waist. Cautiously correcting his fighting stance, he asked Kaira again. But this time, he was calmer. "What happened then?
 
"White!" she sneered. "Then there was a voice!" she added with a growl.
 
'White what? And whose voice?' Leonard was simply amused by how Kaira responded. There's only one person in his mind who could do such a thing to Kaira. He merely shrugged his shoulders, dropping his fighting stance. "Be honored." 
 
Whatever object he hides on his waist, it could be something to put Kaira under control. Leonard brushed his hair as he left the hut, requesting words. "Oh, Meet me at a cliff where the moon is visible."
 
Kaira nodded as the tension between them subsided. She was somehow confused about why Leonard would ask her that. 'Traditionally... At the end of the courtship period between two potential lovers, they will—'
 
Knock.
 
Knock.
 
Her concluding thoughts were cut short when she heard the wood make a noise as if it were being pecked by a bird. She instantly went out to confirm the area, her guard up. Only to find out that it was only Miri acting all suspicious. If Kaira was not familiar with this young-looking villager, she would have her arrested.
 
"Miri, what are you doing?" Kaira arched a brow, teasing Miri with an interrogating tone. As she expected, Miri flinched by surprise, nervously turning her head to Kaira. Her lips moved to the side with a strained smile as her skin released sweat.
 
"Kaira... hehe," she chuckled while putting her hands behind her back. It was already obvious that she was hiding something.
 
"Are you playing?" Kaira folded her arms, playfully leaning against a post.
 
"Please don't get mad!" she clasped her hands as if she were begging to spare her. Now that her hands were revealed, Kaira quickly took what Miri was holding. It was a necklace with an unfinished carved wood leaf.
 
Sniff.
 
Sniff.
 
Huh...
 
'Both of the Young Princes smells are here?' She placed it closer to her nose. 'Is it a coincidence? Moreover... Why is there a trace of dark magic?' 
 
Kaira slowly turned her head to Miri, tightening her grip on the wood as she transferred some of her energy. Before she could even break the carved wood, she felt an electric shock poke her skin. Kaira hissed, accidentally letting the necklace slip her fingers.
 
Groan.
 
"Ahh..." she groaned in a slight pain. Kaira then glared at Miri as she picked up her necklace. "Miri, explain."
 
Miri's lips were pressed, averting her gaze from the flaring eyes of Kaira. "Mmm... I don't know when it started," was her honest answer, adding a short hum to recall her previous activities. "I think there was a wildfire and I was not even aware of what happened."
 
'That was the same day when I was attacked,' Kaira said, keeping a neutral face so Miri would not be angry.
 
"I entered this narrow cave to get an herbal medicine I read about in a book," Miri pressed her index finger on her forehead. "Then... I touched a rock that I believe was a purple one," she partly explained. In her statement, Kaira groaned.
 
"And why haven't you told anyone about this sooner?" Kaira pinched her nose bridge, imagining the worst-case scenarios when the dark magic completely contaminates Miri.
 
"This is Maya Village, a medical village. If they find out that I carry a trace of dark magic, even a small portion of it, they'll exile me!" Her fingers twiddled and her lips were starting to tremble.
 
Kaira was saddened. She knew that feeling more than anyone else.
 
"I thought about removing it, but... It is useless." She nearly whispered her words, sniffing in her silent sob.
 
Sigh.
 
"I'll try to get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, I should be going," Kaira informed her, checking the skies to catch a glimpse of the moon. Miri nodded as she stared above, wondering what the Ered Princess was staring at.
 
'Ahh... How pretty and big it is. Does the moon in the Humania Realm look like this as well? ' they simultaneously thought.
 
"Then, goodbye and good luck!" Miri smiled even if she was scared deep inside. Kaira returned a nod, taking her leave with Miri's necklace on her hand.
 
Under the shining moonlight and the white flowers beside the bushes and trees, there are fireflies moving around. It was such a beautiful sight that Kaira enjoyed walking along a path that leads to a cliff.
 
At the edge of the cliff, Leonard was already there, sitting while he admired the bright moon. "The moon looks big," he said as Kaira joined him. There's a huge gap between them, and neither of them wanted to move closer. They simply watched the moon and the stars that surround it.
 
"Young Prince Leonard, what is the reason why you accepted my father's proposal?" Finally, she let out a question that she always wanted to ask.
 
"I was curious."
 
"..."
 
A few seconds later, Kaira blurted out, "What?"" she was truly surprised by his simple answer. "Is that all?" She reaffirmed his answer. However, Leonard was serious about his 'curiosity'.
 
"Mmm... I had a sixth sense, and it told me that something felt odd," he kicked his feet that were hanging, brushing the strands of his hair that stuck on his face.
 
"Hah...Unbelievable." Kaira had a strained grin, hiding her face under her palm. "Young Prince Leonard, you are completely unreadable."
 
Sigh.
 
"Leo, Just call me with that."
 
"Leo?" Kaira's eyes were filled with doubt. "Shouldn't you save that for your future wife?" She cupped her chin, then soon shifted to a more comfortable sitting position. Her left leg was raised, while the other remained touching the ground. She also placed her elbow on her left knee, staring at a distance.
 
"And you don't see yourself as my future wife?" That was not even a question for Kaira to answer, but she responded with a casual tone.
 
"Yes," she said with a silent chuckle.
 
Mmm...
 
"This night, say that you love me," Leonard looked at her, determined to hear her reply. Kaira stared back, waiting for another statement. "If you do not, I will let you go."
 
'That's it? She closed her eyes as the wind whispered in her ear.' She felt her heart beating calmly and heard what it truly wanted. Once she opened her eyes, her lips curled into a soft smile. "I apologize, Leo, for not having a romantic feeling for you."
 
"No need to apologize. I also feel none." Somehow, a thorn in his chest was plucked out. He was indeed relieved to hear her honest statement, but he couldn't help but worry for her.
 
"Hah, I can already imagine my father," she hugged herself, shivering at the thought of the image of her father lifting a bamboo stick.
 
"Just bite him," he said as a joke. However, Kaira took that so seriously that she licked her lower lip, wondering what her father's blood tasted like.
 
'What a scary woman!' Leonard shivered, his nerves jolting.
 
Brr...
 
The night was calm as the youngsters slept in with their blankets. Miri, on the other hand, was staring at a piece of paper. She placed it on a table with a vintage book sitting on it with an open page. Miri slid herself into her blanket, resting her head on a soft pillow. Before her eyes closed, she recited a literary piece.
 

A fragment of the heart,
Since birth, they have had a part.
What they dreamed of was real.
What she feels will be the deal.
 

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Author's Note
 
Season One of Guardians Series #1: Enchanted has ended, and the author will take a break from publishing future chapters.
 
"I will continue writing drafts, but I don't think I can publish them since I can already guess the hectic schedule of this new academic calendar. I hope for the best of my sanity."
 
Sighs.
 
Then again, the author paid her thanks to those who will read this until "Chapter Twenty: A Fragment"!
 
-SagittarianJoy-
( August 11, 2023 )

Revision date: August 27, 2023

Edit: Season Two of Guardians Series #1: Enchanted shall be posted after a few weeks or so, depending on my schedule. As I enter Senior High School, I thought about joining the school newspaper. So, I'm wishing myself luck!

Thank you for reading!!