8 Episode 8

Suddenly the lone figure spoke, its voice deep, resonant, and other worldly. "Welcome to the Dimensional Storage Room." Just hearing the figure's voice proves that he was not a human, not at all. "I see you have stumbled upon it by accident, little girl."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Scarlet stammered. She felt like a child in the middle of stealing an extra cookie from the jar, but then the house maid saw her and now she's being interrogated for it. "Who are you?" She stammered again.

The lone figure answered. "Oh, I apologize for my rudeness. It's been so long since someone visited this place." He bowed slightly, then continued. "Hello, little girl. I am Nanock, the overseer of this place."

Scarlet swallowed. "It's nice to meet you, Nanock. And I didn't mean to intrude... I was just curious."

The figure chuckled. His laugh was deep, deeper than the dark abyss, and it echoed across the dimension.

"Curiosity is a powerful motivator, little one, one that has brought many to this room." He said. "But be warned, this room holds many secrets, and not all of them are pleasant. It is best to tread carefully, child, for your sake."

Scarlet's lips thinned into a straight line at those warnings. "Right. I'll keep that in mind."

With those ominous words, the figure turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Scarlet alone in the room once more.

"Okay..." Well, that went better than she expected. She thought the cloaked figure was going to kick her out the moment he saw her, but she was wrong. Instead, she felt more like a hotel guest than an intruder, which was weird. Now she started to wonder what this place was, exactly?

Scarlet took a deep breath and looked around.

She tapped her fingers on her lower lip. "Hmm. Where should I start?"

Scarlet began to explore around the room, taking a closer look at the objects on the shelves. As she examined each item, she could sense the energy emanating from them, and she realized that they were more than just ordinary objects. They were infused with magic, and each had its own unique story to tell.

Suddenly, Scarlet stopped exploring when she came across an ornate, jewel-encrusted dagger that caught her eye. The jewel was red, and it was beautiful, but there was something strange about it that she couldn't quite put her finger on. She picked it up, and as she did, she felt a surge of power coursing through her veins.

Scarlet knew that this dagger was no ordinary weapon. It was enchanted, and it held a secret that she was suddenly itching to uncover. She examined it closely, trying to find any clues to its origin or purpose.

As she studied the dagger, Scarlet noticed a small inscription etched into the hilt. It was in an ancient language that she couldn't read and it clearly held the key to unlocking the dagger's secrets.

She needs to find a way to translate it, but she didn't know where to begin. She thought about asking the cloaked figure for help, but she didn't know where he went, and she didn't want to risk bothering him further.

Suddenly, an idea came to her. Nobody knew about it, but Scarlet had the ability to appraise weapons using her magical energy. 

And so, Scarlet closed her eyes and focused her will to command her magic, tapping into the energy that was inside her. This was the first time she ever used her magic intentionally, and she can't explain the feeling that it was giving her. Using her magic felt... familiar. Like it wasn't the first time she ever used it.

The process of calling upon her magic was so smooth that it felt weirder the more she poured magic into the dagger. Suddenly, the inscription on the hilt began to glow. And to her amazement, the words began to translate themselves in her mind, and Scarlet felt a rush of excitement as she uncovered the dagger's incantation.

"Alteeo Araendo..." 

As Scarlet spoke the activation words, the dagger hummed with power and glowed a strong red light.

"Incredible," she murmured.

Swinging the dagger carelessly, Scarlet realized she had no idea how to use it. Without understanding the consequences, the dagger accidently tore through space and time, creating a small hole that opened up beneath her feet.

Scarlet screamed as she fell through the hole, tumbling through the void and toward an unknown destination.

After landing on her backside, Scarlet groaned and cursed herself for getting into trouble once again. Looking around, she noticed that she was in an unfamiliar and strange cave system. The walls were lined with glowing ores that shone like street lamps in a range of different colors, casting an ethereal glow across everything in sight.

"Where the hell did you bring me?" She scolded the dagger resting in her hand. Bringing her to this place must have exhausted its magic because it wasn't glowing now.

As she examined her surroundings, Scarlet noticed a glass altar at the center of the cave.

"Huh... What do we have here?" She murmured.

The altar was similar to the one she had awoken on, but this one was bathed in an artificial light emanating from the white ores above the cave's ceiling.

Approaching the altar, Scarlet saw a man lying on top of it, a devastatingly beautiful man with long, raven-black hair, a perfectly shaped nose, and thin pink lips. She took her time studying the man's face. She has never seen a man so devilishly handsome before.

Scarlet was curious what color his eyes were, but unfortunately, he was asleep. The man was bound in chains on his wrists anyway, including his ankles, and neck. He wasn't going anywhere soon. The man was also draped in a long, majestic crimson robe. It looked too expensive for a sleeping corpse, but Scarlet left that thought behind and continued to study his face.

Scarlet wondered if he was a prisoner in this strange place. The man looked incredibly young, perhaps in his mid-twenties, and his face was both manly and beautiful at the same time.

Scarlet reached out to touch his pulse to see if he was still alive. As her fingers brushed against his skin, she was surprised by the sudden burst of lights that erupted from his body. Scarlet covered her eyes from the blinding light and the walls of the cave shook as a massive tremor rippled through the cave for half a minute. When the light vanished, Scarlet looked at the man again. He was still sleeping, but there were no chains holding him down anymore.

***

Eigeel shifted his attention from the pile of paperwork on his desk to his twin sister, who entered his study with a dark expression on her face. He had just returned after informing the members of the Scarlet Order to prepare for a royal meeting. He then called for Katerina to escort his sister to his office, that's why she was there, scowling at him.

Dismissing his sister's foul mood, Eigeel returned his gaze to the paper in his hand and gestured for her to take a seat in front of his desk.

Eireen harrumphed and glanced at her brother's desk, which was meticulously organized by Katerina, no doubt. She was the most reliable one in the castle's seven elite combat maids.

"You summoned me?" Eireen asked with an icy tone before taking her seat.

Eigeel cleared his throat, ignoring his sister's mood. "Yesterday, the western border reported that the centaur brothers are getting restless with the dark months approaching. The Aragon forces are preparing to attack Donatel in two days."

"Are you referring to Marcemus and Teofolos?" Eireen asked, sounding both surprised and worried. "Did you inform Sil about this?"

"Yes," Eigeel replied with a nod. "I went to her domain to inform her of the queen's request to meet with us, including the movement of the Aragon forces."

"And? What did she say?" Eireen asked, her unease growing.

Knowing her brother, he wouldn't mention this if something wasn't wrong.

"She said she's dealing with an urgent matter within her pack and can't attend to it right now."

"I knew it!" Eireen stood up. "She can't brush this away with that lousy excuse. Now that her majesty is awake, she has to do her job."

Eigeel quietly observed his sister walking back and forth in front of him.

"If you can't convince her, I'll personally bring her here myself."

"No," Eigeel said firmly, gesturing for Eireen to calm down and take a seat. "I have already accepted her explanation."

"Why?" Eireen's expression turned sour.

"I understand your concern, Eireen," Eigeel said calmly, holding up a hand to placate his agitated sister. "But Sil has her own responsibilities to attend to. We can't force her to come here if she has other pressing matters to deal with."

"But this is important!" Eireen insisted, her voice rising in frustration. "Her majesty will-"

"I know, and I see your point, Eireen. But we have to trust Sil to handle her own affairs. She has been a reliable comrade to us in the past, so let's give her this chance and let her go." Eigeel replied, his tone firm but gentle. "We should focus on preparing for the Aragon attack instead. We need to make sure our defenses are strong enough to repel their forces."