The Princess And The Lord-Chapter 1377: The Last Wish

I remember that night the sky was painted red and the heat pierced my skin making my hands wet and clammy. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, a red and orange light struck right in front of me. The heat stung me so much that I couldn’t breathe and my whole body was covered in excruciating pain. My body was thrown to the ground, the funny thing is I didn’t realize it until I was rolling on the ground, a moment later I heard a panicked scream.

"STEPHAN!"

"Raise the Barrier!"

"Stephan, wake up - wake up!"

I woke up with excruciating pain on the right side of my body, I tried to open my eyes but my blurry vision slowly recovered although it was not clear enough, I wonder why?

"Mar..Marc..us"

"Good, you’re awake." Marcus felt relieved and opened the vial with one hand then with the other hand lifted my head from the ground and shoved the potion into my mouth, "This is the last health potion we have, drink it!"

I drank the entire potion before I could say anything. I actually wanted to tell him to keep the potion for himself, but I knew he wouldn’t listen, he was always stubborn like that.

The sound of the explosion hitting the barrier caused the entire ground to shake violently, then I saw many bodies scattered around me. These people were...they were the King’s Men. "We can hold out a little longer!" Reynal shouted.

"My chains can’t hold it any longer!" Dorrian groan heavily.

"Marcus, I will buy time for us!" Zargan jumped into the sky and swung his giant hammer at the Black Dragon.

Soon the impact between the evil dragon and Zargan’s Hammer spread like a shockwave and swept away everything nearby.

"I... can still fight!" I leaned on my sword as I struggled to pull my weak body off the ground.

Suddenly Marcus pressed his hand on my shoulder. "No, you can’t!"

"Marcus!" I stared at him defiantly.

"Look at yourself, Stephan!" Marcus shouted at me, "You can’t fight with this body, can you see?"

I just realized that my right hand was gone and my eyes were still bleeding, no wonder my right vision become blurry because it was covered in blood, but there was no reason not to fight beside my King.

"If I must die, I will die beside you, that is my oath as an Archknight...as your friend and as your brother," Stephan said stubbornly.

"I know...I know" worry and sadness paints Marcus’ face still he smiles at me but why do I have a bad premonition about this?

"Stephan listen to me..." he pressed both of my shoulders then stares deeply into my eyes, "Everything that happened was planned by someone..."

I widen my eyes in shock "What do you mean, you said it was fate"

The hold on my shoulders tightened "There’s a lot of things I didn’t tell you, to all of you" Marcus looked at me with obvious regret "I did it to protect Lory and Lucas, this is all I can do for them, to make sure they were safe...I’m sorry"

"Then you don’t have to apologize if it’s for them, I do everything for them!" I said resolvedly.

Marcus smiled faintly then shook his head "I’m not sorry for that, I’m sorry for asking you that..."

My heart tightened but I didn’t say a word then Marcus’s expression turned into despair "I want you to stay...."

I could hear my heart pounding, "What...do you mean?"

"That creature, Nazareth, he’s just a pawn, you must find out who released them from his cage, find out their plan, please!"

"NO! how do you know this?" I refused firmly.

This was the first time I refused his order, I knew it was inappropriate for an Archknight but I couldn’t imagine living while my King and friends sacrificed themselves.

I knew what would await me afterward would be endless regret until my death and I didn’t want a life like that, I’d rather die now in this place with the people I love.

"Stephan, please! I know this is too much to ask for... but please!" Marcus’ voice choked, he lowered his head sadly then he turned towards Nazareth who was of fighting with Zargan and the others.

’They don’t have much time’ At this point Marcus and Stephan were both thinking the same thing.

"A greater test awaits Lory and Lucas and I can’t be with them, and even though Fred, Fargo, Jay, and Clift will be with them but they won’t be ready for what’s to come...they need you"

"Then you stay, let me fight for you!" I shouted desperately almost begging.

"No, you’re not strong enough to weaken the black dragon, only I can...This is the last thing I can do for them, I will give them enough time to grow...to be stronger, " Marcus summoned the King’s sword, soon a silver sword appeared in his hand.

Even in the darkness the sword emitted a brilliant white light.

Marcus stood up then turned to me with a warm smile on his face, "Please protect them. Protect my children, Stephan, this is my last request to you not as a King, but as a Brother..."

Suddenly I was surrounded by the King’s Barrier, immediately it was dawned to me that Marcus lock me inside the barrier, I quickly got up on my shaking legs and punched the barrier incessantly with the rest of my strength but ofcourse it was futile and the last time I saw Marcus was his retreating back then Marcus take a long leaped into the sky.

"MARCUS, DON’T!" I screamed in fear, suddenly there was an explosion, soon fire and dust shot towards me. Even the King’s barrier could withstand it, the barrier was immediately destroyed and my body was thrown into the air.

I tried to grasp the air but it was all futile and everything became dark.

’Please fulfill my last request, Stephan’

"Stephan?"

"Mr. Knoxville...?"

"Mr. Knoxville...?"

"Excuse me, sir!"

Stephan jolted from his chair and then froze for few seconds before realizing he had fallen asleep at his desk. He stare blankly at the scattered documents and books on the table then remembered he was in the middle of reviewing historical records before he fell asleep.

Serena stood confusedly across the table with both hands holding a document, she tilted her head and then subconsciously asked "Are you crying?"

Stephan reflexively touched the corner of his eye, then realized the tip of his finger was wet. Stephan quickly turn his head around and wiped his eyes with his thumb. "No, maybe because I slept too much," he brushed it off as if nothing had happened.

"Oh, of course," Serena didn’t dare to ask further, she quickly changed the subject "Oh I found something interesting from Mr. Reynald Remienstein’s document, he is one of your Archknight friends right?" she handed the document over.

"He is my brother," Stephan said as he accepted the document.

"Oh..." Serena noticed a hint of sadness in Stephan’s eyes then realized Stephan was the only survivor of Harland’s first army that responded to the Nazareth attack when the entire city of Heriond was attacked.

Serena didn’t dare say she understood what Stephan was going through but from Stephan’s right prosthetic hand, she could only guess how much he had been through.

Stephan sat with his legs crossed and opened a document containing a translation of an ancient document. However, it was not Serena’s writing but his best friend Reynald Reimstein’s writing.

He wasn’t that surprised since Reynald enjoyed investigating old documents as a hobby. A boring hobby of course and he remembered it and Zargan often teased him about it but Reynald being Reynald just laughed while commenting ’Hey, we never know someone might need it’

Stephan chuckled to himself, who would have thought he was right, and now he thanked him form the deepest of his heart.

"Mr. Reimstein found an old scroll during his excavation in the old ruins of Themer, it said that the people there used to worship an Azure dragon called Evereth," Serena said.

"Hm...I can see that" Stephan mumbled as he read the document carefully then he looked at Serena "But why do you find interesting about this?"

Serena’s expression turned serious, "Because it is said that Evereth is most often seen in the northern region called Uborgh, but some of that location has changed a lot, well it makes sense considering thousands of years have passed but what interests me is that the city of Black Hill happens to be in that area and after I investigated further guess where Evereth usually nests?"

Stephan brows creased together meanwhile, Serena continued "The place where it nests is called Mount Fahrier. Guess what the name of the mountain is now..."

Stephan’s face turned tense as he held his breath while forcing the words out of his tongue, "Mount Fehrer".

"Yes," Serena’s face was as tense as Stephan’s. The room fell silent and the atmosphere around them turned tense as they revealed the unexpected news.

Stephan put down the document then immersed in his thoughts after a while he massaged his forehead and sighed. "So what’s the meaning of this?"

Serena jogged to her desk then took out her 12-inch tablet and showed it to Stephan, "Do you know how I was exiled from Dolza just because of an article?"

"Yes," Stephan looked at her with questioning look.

"While investigating the origin of Nazareth I found the connection between Nazareth with the descendants of Lucient, this is based on the old scroll from someone that testified it because the mercy of his King he sealed the Black Dragon"

"How do you know the king he mention is Lucient?" Stephan asked.

"Look here" Serena pointed to the word on his tablet "I translated it as King but the original word is actually ’Sirus after that I looked up the meaning of this words then I stumble to and old stone tablet that believed written by Lucient descendant. From there I knew Sirus in Ethion language meaning as ’One who is blessed with light so who able speak Ethon language fluently and who is in the world known to be blessed by power of light?" Serena’s brows shot up.

Stephan was taken aback "Lucient" he muttered.

"Ding - Dong, you’re right!" Serena grin then impatiently turned the document paper that she had handed to Stephan and showed it to Stephan "In your friend’s document it is mentioned that Everett himself is a person who is far from humans, he thought it was natural because he was the first kind of human, although Evereth rarely bothered humans, humans worshiped him like a god and often gave offerings and for a long time humans and Evereth could be said to live peacefully together until one day The Azure Dragon suddenly became angry and slaughtered all the humans he met and in just a week humanity was almost completely wiped out until one day Evereth’s cruelty was stopped by a group of young men with extraordinary powers and their leader was a man with bluish hair like moonlight and amethyst eyes... how many people do you think fit this description?"

Stephan take a sharp breath "They talk about Lucient and the Archknights"

"Isn’t that obvious" Serena gave him a look.

Stephan was silent while thinking then his eyebrows furrowed "Still it didn’t change the fact of the hostility between Nazareth and Lucient that lead to Dark Age War"

"I know, but after reading the document from Mr. Rammstein document, I wonder how exactly the relationship between Evereth and King Lucient is. The word ’Mercy’ meaning Lucient’s descendant at that time could have killed Evereth but he didn’t, if you’re Evereth wouldn’t you appreciate it? Then I’m also confused by the difference in power between Evereth and Nazareth, I mean Evereth could be subdued by King Lucient and the previous Archknights without any major casualties, at least according to this writing but Nazareth...well." Serena did not continue her sentence, afraid of offending Stephan.

But Stephan didn’t evem look at her as if he didn’t hear her "Assuming Nazareth and Evereth are the same Dragon, then yes the difference in their power is astounding, but how? If he was sealed in Mount Fehrer his power should have been weakened not stronger, but if it different Dragon...my gusts told me it was unlikely" Stephan look conflicted.

Serena shrugs "And what made Evereth so angry and how did the Azure dragon become a Balck Dragon also, how did his name change?"

"Rather than that, could it be that Nazareth’s surge in strength was caused by the mark of the seed of life in his heart?" Stephan’s face contorted into a mask of conspiracy and trouble.

Serena scartach her head in frustration "I could give you more but all my research was conficated by Dolza goverments"

Stephan tapped his fingers on the table in monotone sounds after a while he looked at Serena "Then we should retrieved it"