"I was wrong… I was wrong." Alaric continued mumbling to himself, the phreinian aura penetrated the deepest and most fragile of his memories and of his heart.

"Alaric!" Freyja slammed the door open and finally, he found the rune master sitting on his bed. "Where have you been? Are you alright?" Freyja was slightly relieved seeing he wasn"t injured. "Listen, a phreinian is possessing the king and—" Alaric silenced Freyja by putting a finger on her lips.

"What"s the matter?" She asked in a soft voice. Alaric responded by lifting her chin up. "Freyja," Alaric spoke in a strangely calm but venomous tone, "Do you know what it means that you followed me here?"

"What? I don"t understand, what do you mean?" She asked, grabbing his shoulders. "Alaric, there"s got to be a problem! Don"t tell me that phreinian did something to you!?" She could feel a familiar sinister aura surrounding Alaric. She was about to summon Aria when Alaric knocked her down. His strong arms holding her hands above her head, pinning her on the bed. At this point, it"s clear that something is horribly wrong with the rune master.

"Who do you think you are!?" He shouted angrily, squeezing her wrists tighter. "You can"t escape me now." Alaric kept on mumbling, many of his words inaudible. Freyja pushed him and kicked his groin, immediately loosening his grip. Freyja had enough. Although she didn"t want to hurt him, Freyja had to do something about him and fast.

"ASTRID!" She called out, and the raging guardian came out of her medallion. He materialized in his human form, immediately knocking Alaric away with his bare fists.

"Lenfiare, are you alright? You should have called me out sooner!" Astrid said, inspecting his master for injuries. "There"s phreinian aura around Alaric." She explained, "Alaric, I"m sorry…" She apologized before continuing her order, "Astrid, knock him out!"

As ordered, Astrid immediately ran after Alaric, attacking him with great speed. The rune master, however, is not to be underestimated. He may not be able to defeat Astrid, but he was skillful enough to escape Freyja"s guardian. As he fled, Astrid focused and read his aura, confirming his suspicions. There is indeed something controlling Alaric. Just as when Freyja was about to continue her pursuit, she fell on one knee, vision spinning. Using three guardians all at once took a heavy toll on her still untrained body. In a few seconds, Astrid disappeared. "Darn…" She cursed, before losing consciousness.

"Kirin?" Freya woke up hearing Kirin"s voice. "How long was I out?" She asked. "Around five minutes. What happened?"

Freyja took a deep breath before breaking the news. "It was Alaric. He attacked me. But I think Alaric is under the influence of that phreinian. We have to save him before that b.a.s.t.a.r.d offers Alaric as a catalyst to the summoning spell!" Kirin sighed. But before anything, he had to let her know that the execution will be held in a few hours. "I just figured you"d want to know. So, what are you going to do?"

Conflicted whether to save the prince or not, Freyja closed her eyes and inevitably recalled how she ran from Celestia when she was five years old. She just can"t help but see the same in the prince of Haia. "You do want to help him, don"t you? You want to take responsibility for letting him out? You feel responsible for not doing anything even with the "divine celestial power" inside you?" Kirin said with full certainty, with a c.o.c.ky smirk. Freyja was taken aback. And then she chuckled. "I got it right, didn"t I? You"re so easy to read Freyja." He ruffled the girl"s head, before whispering to her ears. "…so, shall we save him? Save Alaric? Save Haia?"

"Aren"t you gonna say it"s a stupid reason?"

"It is."

"Oh."

"Who the h.e.l.l cares." Kirin grabbed her hand. "So, where to?"

Freyja slapped her cheeks and took a deep breath. "Alright, let"s go rescue them!"

~ o 0 o ~

The sun has just set, ceremonial fires lit. Prince Saike stood in the middle of the plaza, limbs chained to an iron pole, surrounded by red-robed soldiers. The public, forced to witness the execution of their crown prince, desperately held back tears of sympathy, in fear of meeting the same fate. The prince, finally coming into terms with the inevitable, closed his eyes and envisioned the once peaceful, green, and colorful Haia he briefly witnessed as a child. The soldiers untied the prince and forced him to kneel, positioning his neck on a stone platform. The executioner, holding a b.a.s.t.a.r.d sword positioned himself, trembling hands, but resigned to his duty to cut off the young man"s neck.

"MAY YOU FORGIVE US, YOUR HIGHNESS." The executioner tearfully apologized before swinging his sword down to chop the prince head off.

"I pray the someday, Haia will be peaceful and prosperous again" were the princes" last words… or so he thought.

The ceremonial fires, the torches, all died out, a strong gust blew them off in an instant. The illuminating crystals shattered, leaving everyone in momentary darkness.

"Wait, I am…" The prince felt something grab his body, so fast and so strong. He opened his eyes, feeling strong winds against his face. Looking up, he saw a familiar face, lit by moonlight. The young lady who saved him from the dungeon. She"s carrying him in her arms as if he"s a feather, flying high up in the sky. "I told you not to give up, didn"t I?" Freyja said.

"You are that girl…" He looked down and gaped at the height. "Hold on tight or you"ll fall!" Freyja reminded, squeezing him. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her.

"You"re… you have wings. What are you?"

"Save your questions later, prince Saike, and listen to your knight in shining armor." Sensing enemies on her trail, she ordered Avice to fly faster.

"As you wish, Lenfi!" Saike heard yet another voice, and then their flight gained speed and alt.i.tude. Freyja"s aura wings grew bigger, fluttering, as if it had a mind on its own. In a few moments, Freyja felt their pursuers" presence disappear. And finally, a few more minutes, and they safely landed in the middle of a vast forest, into a small wooden hut.

Freyja gasped for breath. She called Avice back into the medallion, before knocking on the door. From inside the hut, a few people ran out to greet the prince. "Your highness!" They bowed before him, with wide smiles of relief and hope on their faces.

"Prince Saike, these people believe in you. They will shelter you here so until we come back for you, don"t leave this place. Protect your people." Freyja said, gently pushing the prince to them.

"But what about my father?"

"I know what you"re saying. But from here on, it is not just a problem of your country. You see, my own kingdom has serious business with your father… no, with the one possessing your father. I"ll take care of him."

"WHO ARE YOU!?" The prince tried to chase after Freyja, but the people stopped him. "You mustn"t, prince."

"Just call me a mysterious knight in shining armor!" Freyja laughed, but immediately changed expressions again. "Prince Saike, your job, above all else is to protect these people, keep that in mind. Be strong, and LIVE. For their sake." She looked into his eyes with her piercing golden orbs, rendering the prince speechless. With those words, she summoned Avice once more and fled back to the castle to face the King.

The people of Haia, and the Prince Saike stared at the girl with white aura wings on her back, flying towards the castle. He held his chest, his heart thumping. Finally, with a resolute smile on the prince"s face, he turned to his people and a.s.sured them with his warm yet strong words.

"We will fight. We can do it!"

~ o 0 o ~