Welcome to My World

Chapter 38 Meanwhile in Xadia...

Viren was angry. Very, very angry. And somewhat hungry. He had interrogated the elves for 48 hours straight and the only thing he learned is that he was apparently a *beep*. Of course, Risha was the one who said that. She was, after all, the one with the sharp tongue. Then his spell had succeeded and everyone save for Runaan shut up, slumped over, and hung limply. About time.

He sighed, locking the door with a bang that drowned out Runaan's shouts.. Walking out, Gren waved cheerfully. "Hello there, Lord Viren! How's your day going?"

Viren sighed again, finding himself pulling up a chair. "Awful, really. I must find out what those elves know if I am to save the kingdoms."

Gren nodded thoughtfully. "Mhm. How have you tried asking?"

Viren looked guilty. "Uh... Death threats and bribery, I suppose."

Gren nodded again. "Then really, it's quite understandable. They felt threatened or hurt, so they refused to answer. Talk to them politely, and maybe they'll respond likewise?"

Hah? This wasn't a bad idea. "Oh? Is that so?"

Gren smiled, a ray of pure and innocent sunshine. "Of course! It always works for me."

Of course it did. Viren found himself smiling in return. "Well, thank you for your advice. I must go now."

Gren nodded understandingly, waving goodbye.

As Viren walked up the stairs, he found himself smiling for the first time in months.

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Opeli was stressed. Not only had both princes disappeared, but so had Commander Gren. She was sure Viren had something to do with it. She clenched her fists. That murdering, lying, thieving, no-good little elf.

They'd get the princes back. Of course they would. Right?

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Queen Aanya was having a hard time. Shadowy beings had struck without warning, killing and injuring several of her people. Then, they had vanished into thin air.

It was impossible! But was Xadia really declaring war against them? This seemed like Dark Magic to Aanya. ((To you smart beans who figured out that the assassins were the shadow warriors, do not fear. All will be explained.))

Was it possible that the High Mage Viren was responsible for all this? He did seem pretty upset when she refused to wage war against Xadia. She just didn't want to make the same mistakes as her mothers.

"Was this all my fault, then?" She whispered to herself. One of the guards behind her, Captain Tarin, coughed. "You said something, Your Highness?"

Aanya quickly shook her head. "No, Captain." She noticed that his companion seemed tired. "You have been working for quite some time now. Why don't you take a break?"

The younger guard looked like he could gladly accept that, but Tarin shook his head. "No, Your Highness. It is our duty to you as the queen to protect you."

She just smiled. "Yes, but I'll only be in the library. As your queen, I order you to take a break."

Captain Tarin looked surprised, but pleased. "As you wish, Queen Aanya." He said with a smile. They walked out, and she heard the younger guard laugh with delight.

Aanya didn't share the mood. She flipped open some books, trying to find information on the shadow warriors. After a few hours, she sighed with frustration. "Is there nothing?" She muttered angrily. Just then, her book fell to the floor, its pages flying open to an illustration of a shadow warrior.

She gasped, picking it up.

She read aloud from the book in a soft tone. "Hmmm... Legend has it that sighting of these fearsome warriors would lead to the fulfilment of the Prophecy of the Fallen, or the Prophecy of the Dark Mage. They are created by using the weapons of a killer combined with Dark Magic- Dark Magic?!?!" She gasped.

SO it was not Xadia! It was Lord Viren, after all!

But as soon as she was about to send a message to the other kingdoms, a hard weight smashed into the back of her head, and Aanya crumpled to the floor. Too late for her.

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Lujanne had cast illusions all over the Moon Nexus, transforming it into Lunaris, the small town of humans who were unusually close to the Moon Arcanum. Of course, they were all illusions.

She cast a sorrowful glance at the Nexus. If humans found out what it was, they'd all perish for sure. Then she turned away. Casting another illusion spell for herself, she transformed into a young female human. Just in time, because the gates she'd hastily set up broke open.

The illusion humans stopped dead.

A man stepped forward, clutching a pink ribbon. "Where is my daught-" he stopped short upon seeing a town of humans. "But... Where's the elf?"

Lujanne stepped forward. "Why, sir, there are no elves here. What are you talking about?"

He looked confused. "Then- but- my daughter, have you seen her?"

Lujanne realized who this must be. Another illusion formed at the back of the crowd, and Ellis and Ava rode forward. "Dad? Is that yo you?"

The man immediately strode forward to greet her, and Lujanne turned away. She'd bought herself some time, but how long would it last?