Chapter 2: Memories

No! Her pride was all shattered. Was this some kind of punishment? Was this some kind of a joke? How could she even find her prince charming if she had a sword that her prince had too? Damn! Would they go fencing? Or a sword dance(1) instead?

Wah! Shut up! My pure mind!

While still in an extreme deprecation, her trembling eyes suddenly halted. She scanned the place for the second time around. It was indeed different. It felt more ancient.

"Dont tell me-"

INGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!

Before she could even think of another possibility, her head cracked with an ear-ripping ting resounded on her mind.

In a flash, she shut her eyes and covered her ears. She didn't even care about those sharp limestones slicing her lower part of her body.

" - Arghh!!!"

A dragging groan came as her eyes burst with tears taking all the excruciating pain! Her brain felt like being squished in a tiny bottle until it fits; finely mincing her brain cells like an ingredient for a hotdog.

It hurts!!!

She cried out. Her nose already soaked with her snot with her lips already bled under her gritting teeth.

Ting!

Then...

Silence...

A long peace hovered on the area.

Swoosh!

At instant, her eyes shuttered several times with her jaw dropped as though she saw something extremely unbelievable.

'What-...! What is this?!!'

Her body shuddered. She slowly faced her palms with her frozen eye, staring it for several seconds.

'Is this... t-the memory of this body?'

'T-then-!'

'I've been transmigrated?!!'

Indeed! But there was just a really small glitch on your transmigration, you turned into a guy. More probably... your soul got ended up into a guys body. Tee he!

An unknown memory of the young man continuously surged on her mind. Too much information in just a second! So that's why it was torturous!

Her body Uh the owner of this body was actually named Zhao Long, the Son of Mortal Dragon King, Nāga.

So it meant that he was a prince!!! And that 'he' was now technically was now a 'she'! That explained why she was in this extravagant robe and also that Baybayin name.

Now let's continue. King Nāga actually often called him Prince Ziro so it made all the servants knew him with that name! However, the hurtful truth was, this young prince became a cripple since birth!

What? Why? He didn't know. No one knew what the hell happened or just no one wanted to tell what really happened.

Her eyebrows twitched as she furrowed her forehead.

'Why? Is there anything wrong being a cripple?'

Yes! There is! And thousand there is! Long's bloodline was a dragon, one of the strongest races of this world! And it was in the first lineage of the bloodline, the closest to the Pure Blooded Dragons who were in the immortal realm!

Okay! We'll be specific! Let's start with this place!

This world was named as Ertheon and was actually divided into two realms: Mortal or the Lower realm, and the Immortal or the higher realm.

The mortal realm was just like normal continents with different countries, as for King Nāga, he ruled the country of Eleseiya; however immortal realms had empires which distinguished their blood. If you were a dragon then you could only live in the dragon empire!

As far as Long's memory could take, this Ertheon was governed by what so called Blood Lineage System. People were categorized according to their blood status. Pure blood, which means you have a complete and untarnished blood of your kind so you would have the right to live in the higher realm and be granted immortality.

First lineage this was Long's bloodline, the closest to the pure bloods. If you have this lineage, you would immediately be one of the royalties in the mortal realm and considered to be the strongest.

Next were second, third and fourth lineage every lineage were different according to their strength and to their ability to use the power of elements and summon Armaments!

'Elements?'

She was taken aback by these memories. It was so unbelievable, but it was neither fake nor made up! It was this body's memory. She had no choice but to believe it.

Yes! Elements! There are four major elements that one could use: Fire, Water, Earth and Wind. Pure blooded could actually master all major elements but in the history of Ertheon, there were only two pure blooded that succeeded.

That was because, although they had the ability to control it all, it would still depend on their inner force and their level of mental imagery they had.

The first lineage could take two to three elements, while the second could control two and the rest could only master one elemental or nothing at all!

'Then how about armaments?'

Oh. That was actually summoning the true blood ability. It was also gone by the name Sacred Blood Treasure. This could only be done by those on the second up to pure blooded lineage.

Summoning such armament would make the body three times stronger than its normal strength. Plus it increases all the elemental attributes the body used.

But all of that meant nothing to Zhao Long. Because he was a cripple! He was that person who couldn't use the strength of his blood lineage or even control any element. There were more like him but was in the fifth blood lineage and it was reasonable.

But for him, it was such a slapping face! So he just spent his younger days listening under the tutelage of his mentor about these matters and nothing at all.

Actually, he is the only child of King Nāga. He didn't even have the chance to see his mother, Queen Miro, as he only heard she died when giving birth to him. He was just living inside the palace in a carefree life until his father found out that he was a cripple.

By then, he was immediately sent out from the palace and let him live in the mountains of Ruzas, way from the north of Eleseiya. This was to seek help from the mountain witches, but no good, not even a single witch found what was wrong with the princes body.

However, his seven years stay in the forest wasn't peaceful at all. Assassins who knew his identity crawled and hovered every night in attempt to kill him. So that's why he had two guards, Paluti and Siwaliw, both second lineages from the bloodline of Angels.

And now, five days before he flopped in to age of fifteen yet he met another killing attempt. But this time, his two guards failed and unfortunately, lost him in the woods.

While in panic, Prince Ziro drifted for his life, only to found himself on the edge of the brink and before he could even retaliate, his body lost its balance tripping down towards the sharp edges limestones.

'And that was the time I ended up here!'

"Haa... What a pain."

She scratched her head then blew her breath expecting a small sweet voice of pure lass, but it was not. Instead, a deep voice still passing puberty, gently crawled out from her throat.

She suddenly flinched.

"...! I'm still not used to it."

Her face turned dejected. What could she do about this matter? Nothing at all but accept!

'I... I still can't believe this. Is this a magical country? Well...whatever I should be grateful for giving me another life.'

But she was a cripple! That's her huge problem! And she must not be on that level forever. She must find a way to protect herself on her own.

For now, those who wanted to kill her might already thought Ziro was already dead and this would give peace for some time.

Cold glint carved her eyes.

'Just wait until I become stronger. I'll definitely slit your throat until only blood gushes your eyes.'

She gritted her teeth because of her anger. Well, it was not actually hers, but from the owner of this body. His hate from those who looked down upon him surged on to her heart, and she fully embraced it for it was mutual.

It was actually the same feeling she felt from her father. Those scoffing glares from her stepfather she abhorred. Those thirst for vengeance, crawled and lingered around her chest.

'For now I must know why I became a cripple and find a way on how to control elements'

"Your Highness!!!"

Her eyes in a deep thought suddenly lightened when she heard a voice coming from above. Through her new memories, at an instant, she knew who it was.

'Siwaliw!'

She suddenly tensed her abdomen and

"I'm here!!!"

Her deep voice suddenly came out. It was dark but alluring. She might even fall for that raspy voice.

'...my voice.'

SWOOSH!!

In a swift breeze, a bulky guy around mid-twenties gently landed beside her, without creating any thuds like a dead leaf gracefully glided towards the ground.

There... in front of the young girl... er... young man... stood a guy in a white robe with his long silver hair beating through the breeze.

'Woah. What a charming guy!'

She immediately rubbed her lips when she realized she was drooling over the guys figure! But her eyes gosh! Her manly eyes under her butch eyebrows it was actually glued on to the guys chest! Clearly, those eyes wanted to devour it.

'I've never thought. ancient guys were this hot!'

"Your-... er... Highness"

******

At last Siwaliw's tremendously racing heart began its course on being dormant.

But execration never left his chest as his mind constantly blaming himself for dropping his guard when incomparably strong assassins blazed over their shack attempting to kill the prince.

After all that time, his full attention was completely poured on to Paluti beating his wings towards the arriving king. Even for that, he felt glad, pondering the pitiful prince Ziro will have the chance to see his father even for a brief moment.

But never in his prospect will he fail to protect 'him' before the abductors.

Glancing in a brief moment, he felt slightly relieved when he saw 'prince' Ziro's complexion quite good. Thank goodness, he found 'him' or else he wouldn't forgive himself even it costs his life.

However, just now, he was taken aback by the manner of gazing the young 'prince' threw towards him. On his eyes, his highness was just now drooling over his look, not to be over confident though.

'No! How dare I… think ill of my master!'

He was a loyal servant and he would never do anything that would hurt his highness. For almost fifteen years, he drowned his entire time protecting and guiding the prince, even when they were still inside the Eleseiya, he was already taking care of the prince. To which, he'd already grasped every emotions and every meaning in each tiny details of prince's movements.

"Uh... Your highness... are you unharm?"

Siwaliw knelt one of his knees and gently cupped his hand bowing upon the young prince.

"...I deserve to be killed for not protecting you."

The 'prince' suddenly blinked and seemed to be pulled out from 'his' thoughts.

"No! I'm absolutely fine! Don't worry. Just- Ouch!"

The timid young 'prince' immediately floundered a bit but halted for a sudden. 'His' lips clamped together when 'his' shoulder voluptuously twitched, revealing a milky pallid skin hurdling about 'his' pronounced collar bone.

Siwaliw flinched. Not because his highness was crunched by sudden pain, but instead of how the young 'man' screamed just now. It was so feminine.

All this time he was really confident, he already knew all about His Highness, yet, that enormous confidence was immediately melted by Ziro's sudden vulnerability.

His face slightly beamed reddish streak followed by his choking slug of his saliva his apple slowly bobbed with his dragging gulp.

This time, he couldn't help but slightly rolled his eyes on to the 'prince's soft bared skin that had lost its barrier just a moment ago.

His pupils suddenly dilated with a quiver of both of his eyelids.

Oh-hooo Ahem!

"It... hurts."

With a jolt of Ziro's body, Siwaliw was instantly expunged from his cloudland. His Highness was hurt but he didn't care for a second. What was he thinking?

Inner turmoil bagged inside his mind, expounding questions was he pervert or something?

'The hell, I really need to recuperate.'

Siwaliw swiftly leap towards the groaning young 'man' and quickly grabbed 'his' shoulder, circled the other below 'his' body before his highness could even react.

******

'Eh?'

Ziro blinked several times as she couldn't comprehend how this sudden development would come.

Was she being bridal carried by a guy from another world?

A glittering excitement suddenly pumped through her veins as her anticipation on what comes next heated up.

"Pardon me, Your Highness. But please hold tight."

A gush of warm breath tickled Ziro's smooth face which made her legs shuddered.

But, once realized, Ziro blinked twice.

'What?'

At that instant, her loyal servant arched his body forward and, a regal snow dove wings blossomed upon his back. Bristly feathers followed up as it danced towards the ground.

SWIIISH!!!

"WAAAHH! I'm gonna die!!!"

Inevitably, her eyes went to tears when with a speed of wind, her servant resolutely burst into to the sky.

Screaming on top of her lungs, she tightly circled her arms around her servants neck and punched her face on his shoulder. If any fujoshi/fundashi (2) would see this, they would definitely have an avalanche of nosebleeds.

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

(1) A dance performed by men holding the hilt on right hand while then left grasping the tip of his neighbor's sword.

(2) Rotten girl/boy