Resistance (1)

Arms crossed, eyes narrowed, and chest puffed up, Yllana could almost breathe out fire from her nostrils as she looks at the grinning Lucien in front of her. "When are you going to remove this ring on my finger?"

Yllana held up her left hand where Lucien placed a silver ring. The ring's blue gem was giving off a faint glow that is noticeable even under the leather glove. With just one look, anyone would easily realize that it is a ring.

"I may have said that I like you, but I never said that I have set my eyes on you as my future husband," Lucien's grin vanished. He sighed and looked at the ground. "You have to take this off before the elders push you to be my husband."

"It is a protection ring," He walked over to her and raised her hand in front of his face. Since he was still a few inches taller than her, she had to raise her hand a little higher. "Darion is still out there and might come looking for you. This is connected to the moon staff's power. It will give you some protection at least until I can come and help you. You can't summon Larika if you are weak or unconscious. And Azimuth can't always stay by your side too."

"Is that so…" she took back her hand and eyed the shining blue gem at the center. "That reminds me, we found some weapons left by Larika's people in the cave," She summoned the sword and staff she hid in her space ring.

"Lightning Sword for the Holy Rank, you can only use this when you reach the Holy rank. Heavenly lightning and lightning showers are basically the techniques you can summon from it. But if you will be able to combine it with your berserker, then that would be more powerful." He pointed at the silver sword with a symbol of lightning on its hilt. Next, he took a closer look at the staff. There is a symbol of a silver phoenix within the black crystal ball.

"You can have that one. I don't need a magical weapon that tried to harm me." Yllana pointed at the staff, a smirk was on her face. She could still remember when she visited the thunder phoenix in her core. That time, it launched an attack on her.

Swooosh!

Silver smoke puffed out of the staff and directly landed on Lucien's chest. Yllana saw the thunder phoenix's wings embracing Lucien. After a few seconds, the thunder phoenix's body enlarged, and its feathers turned into flesh. Silver hair, black eyes, and honey-colored skin…of a man.

Yllana gaped at the scene before her. To say that she was shocked would be an understatement now. She was at a loss for words as she continued to watch the man, as tall as Lucien, embrace him like a long-lost lover. "Only a strong man as you deserve someone as beautiful as me…" His voice as soft as silk. He even rolled out his tongue as he pronounced the word strong and beautiful. His eyes formed crescents glimmered like it had stars on it.

"Now, he's yours…truly yours." Yllana took the lightning sword from the table and was about to leave the room when she heard Lucien mentioned 'bone crusher' without any hesitation in his voice.

She turned around in an instant. "What are you doing?!"

"Dirty lowlife," She could smell the killing intent on his aura. In his eyes, she could see a thin red line glowing. Is that…is that a demon's eye?

Crack…crack…

The thunder phoenix's hands bent backward. With its shriek, Yllana snapped back to her senses and held Lucien's hand. "Stop it."

Lucien's eye reverted back to normal. He hid his face in his free hand and held tightly Yllana's in the other. "Phoenix stew? Or roasted phoenix on a stick?"

"Let's just leave him there. I'll try to find another cave to lock him up,"

The thunder phoenix's eyes turned into slits. "You are just High-Saint ranked dual-class! You do not deserve someone great as the thunder phoenix, you filthy half-blood!"

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Another shout from the phoenix shook the doors and windows. Two powerful forces rammed into each other within that small meeting room. Then the next moment, Yllana was looking at the two men with their hands meeting in a punch. One had his eyes wide open and a tear almost forming at the corner and the other was dark and gloomy like a storm has started within. The phoenix successfully blocked Lucien's blow with his broken hand.

"It's you who do not deserve her," There was an underlying coldness in Lucien's voice.

Feeling dejected and defeated, the thunder phoenix stepped back and scorned at Yllana. He turned into smoke the same way he went out of the staff.

The room fell into silence.

'Master, don't worry. He's blind for not seeing how great you are. I'm still here for you.'

"Blue…" Yllana didn't know that she called Blue out loud and Lucien heard her. "Stop trying to console me, I've known for some time now."

"So, you've met her." Yllana just noticed that Lucien was looking at her chest intently. She covered her chest with her hand and…

Slap!

"Get out," A deep shade of red spread across her face as she motioned for the door.

When he went out, Azimuth quickly appeared before Lucien. "Master, shall we use a potion for the mistress?"

Lucien's brow raised, when his gaze landed on the label on the small bottle, he hid his red face in his hand. "Don't show that to me ever again,"

Azimuth eyed the picture on the bottle - a shadow of a man and a woman hugging. Is there something wrong with using it? He only wanted to help, is it so wrong? "Aren't you after the mistress' life force too just like the emperor, master? He did use something like this against the empress. B-"

Lucien grabbed Azimuth's collar and stared menacingly at his eyes. Azimuth's cold mask instantly felt like it was boiling under Lucien's hold. His master is…angry?

"Don't talk…just… don't," When he let go of his subordinate, he added, "And go punish yourself with twenty lashes for trying to tarnish my eyes."

Azimuth could still feel the stinging pain from last time's mistake. And his master is adding another twenty lashes? Why can't the world be kind even just this time? He was just trying to help.

~~~~~~~~~~

Fourteen observed the soldiers from a small hill. The South Kingdom's barracks are located at a small hillside beside the Southern Kingdom.

"Is something wrong?" Larika asked.

Yllana asked them to take a look at the conditions of the barracks while Lucien assisted her in making preparations for the new council.

"Azimuth said that they couldn't find Darion's half-blood army." She pointed out at one of the soldiers. "Look at that guy. Frail arms and sloppy, soldiers like him will not last if there will be a battle against the demons. I don't think that this army was made to fight. Some are still in the Common ranks. What do you think was he planning?"

"I have no idea," Larika curiously peeked at Fourteen. Back in the floating isles, this girl was like a country bumpkin with a ray of sunshine over her head. But now as she watches her from the side, she could see her sharp eyes watching the soldiers. "You were a soldier before, aren't you?" Although this girl looks like the same age as Yllana, there was a different look in her eyes. It wasn't that of a normal girl who had been brought up in a forest.

"We were called nameless soldiers, Your Highness." Fourteen grinned at her. She took the stray strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. "There are no records of our births since our parents were chosen to give birth to us. That's why we are numbered by order of when we came into this world. But we escaped while training."

"Then...you," Larika bit her lip. Something inside her was hurting. So she clutched her chest and took a deep breath. "You don't have a birthday."

Fourteen laughed. "Yes...yes, Your Highness. We don't have birthdays. We just celebrate altogether ever since we were adopted by the Desonians. It felt more special that way."

"And you can just call me Larika from now on. I already stepped down from my position."

"Do you want to go meet the soldiers then...Larika?"

~~~~~~~~~~

Yllana sat cross-legged on her bed with her eyes closed. She entered her core and saw the Blue's teary eyes.

"Master! Did that bad phoenix hurt my beautiful master? Once I can come out, I'm going to rip all his feathers out and cook him in a pot!" She clutched to Yllana's robes. She was a few inches smaller than Yllana so it looked like she was Yllana's little sister clinging onto her.

"So you can lend me your techniques as well?" Yllana had a corner of her lips.

Blue blinked several times before remembering when she had summoned a technique."Moonlight glare?" Blue made a weak smile. "You needed help, master. But I can only use it just twice for now. When you become stronger, I can use it up to five times if you have full strength."

"You advance in rank too when I do, right?" Yllana rubbed her chin. The red lines at the corner of her eyes gleamed.

"Yes, master."

"I'll consolidate the last fight's life forces here first. Wake me up if anyone comes into the room."

Blue agreed and quietly watched her cultivate in front of the mage pool. Their journey for the next rank would still be long as she looks at the almost-empty pool in front of Yllana.

Blue looked at her own reflection. She raised her hair to peek at her right ear. There she saw that her right earring's blue gem faded. A crack also formed at the side of the earring. One wrong move and it might just fall off her ear. She placed her hair back down to hide it. Then she looked at Yllana. "It will all be worth it, right master?"