The portal to Apricon.

04

For my mental health, I continued to believe that it was a dream and that I would soon wake up. I also agreed to return to the Apricon Barracks.

"Oh, excuse me, we didn't ask your name," Annalis exclaimed.

"Milenka.

"What a strange name!" Nero sneered along with the white-haired one, and Krohonan's snake bit his arm.

"I think it's a name..." exotic.

Does my name seem strange to you? She looks like an ostrich.

"Is this really real?" I asked again.

"Yes, you call us: myths or legends; we recognize humans as Demons.

"How cute," I made my sarcasm known

"Don't take it people, we are the only ones left after the battle against humans in the Middle Ages, there are fewer and fewer species left.

"That is why the kind welcome," said Nero.

"Locking me up and being guarded by a horrible cyclops?"

"Don't call him that!" Annalis scolds me. You can hurt their feelings.

"Typical of humans," Krohonan scoffed.

"What did you mean by that?" I turned to face him.

"It's typical for you humans to judge everything by their appearance, those make you more despicable.

I wanted to contradict him, but I had no argument. He was right and for some reason that bothered me.

"This is all new to you," Annalis defended me. It's normal that you were shocked, I'm sorry about the dungeon.

"It could have been worse," encouraged the boy whose name I still don't know.

"Command you with the minotaurs

Nero's words made the colors of my face go down.

"He's lying!" Annalis laughed nervously. The labyrinth of Minos is used only with those we sentence to death.

"Ah, I'm glad. That reassures me a lot.

I think they don't recognize the sarcasm for the white-haired boy and Annalis smile contentedly.

"How did you get here?" she asked.

"I was hiking with some friends, I found a lake that in my world they considered dangerous. A horse pushed me into the lake.

"Was the lake white?" he asked.

"Completely

The men looked at each other, their eyes wide as if in amazement... or scared.

"How strange," she murmured thoughtfully. The hippocampal lakes closed centuries ago, when they became extinct

"Hippocampuses?" Does that really exist?

Annalis fixed her gaze on me and the man with 2 six-tails crossed his arms, resisting laughter.

"But the one I saw was a normal horse, with four legs. That hippocampi do not have a fishtail?

"In water," explained Annalis, "if they rise to the surface their appearance changes

Krohonan jumped into the conversation:

What doesn't make sense is, why did he do it? Why, you're a filthy human?

"HEY!"

"You stink," he held his nose.

"The last time the hippocampi appeared was in the Middle War," said the white-haired man.

"Apricon has been at peace since the sirens disappeared.

Oh, by the way, there are mermaids.

"Yes... aaam... Ana is nervous about that—Krohonan is seen nervous for the first time.

He pushed Nero away, clearly asking him to speak to him.

"It is... It was revealed that the attack on the surrounding town was caused by a... Yes... D... Na

Why did they seem to be afraid of Annalis?

She blinked.

He got up from his chair very calmly and if it weren't for the white-haired one getting in the way in time, his sharp wings would have pierced me.

From one moment to the next Annalis spread its wings and the feathers were expelled like bullets.

"AND WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME?!"

Nero hid behind Krohonan.

"Ho-Today

"When did you know?!"

Krohonan stepped aside, exposing Nero.

"U-one week-week.

It was just a blink, blink only once and that was enough for Annalis to take Nero to the top of the dome and drop him into the waterfall.

The white-haired one turned to me, giving me a bit of context.

After the Middle War they were one of the creatures who held the most grudges and because of their thirst for revenge they wanted to turn many peoples against them.

"Those who were not on their side made war on them, for years, our ancestors tried to defend us from them.

"Is that why you're here?" Krohonan asks. To help us fight the mermaids? We're dead!

Annalis landed, she looked a little calmer; He examined me from head to foot, but there was something in his eyes that alarmed me.

"Or maybe safe," he concluded hopefully.