Chapter 11: The Journey Begin (Arc: Gloria Kingdom Ends)

The next morning Elastor woke up in Zed's bed. He sat up and saw Zed sleeping on a chair at the end of the bed. Elastor whispered:

"Zed? Oh it hurts. That's right, the crow-headed guy and his son. I'm at the Dream workshop, did Zed save me?"

Elastor looked up at the bed and saw the tiny panther sleeping on his stomach. Elastor thought to himself:

"What the hell is that?"

Zed woke up, he saw that Elastor was also awake and said:

"Elastor, have you just woken up?"

Elastor replied:

"Yeah Zed. What's sleeping on my stomach?"

Zed looked at the panther and said:

"That's your Elemental Spirit. Last night the kid who controlled you summoned it and fought me."

Elastor replied:

"My Elemental Spirit? Really? I didn't even know I had it."

"It's up to you, I don't know."

The panther was also awake at this time, it looked more peaceful than last night. Elastor and the panther stared at each other and said nothing. Zed said

"Let's go downstairs and eat something."

Elastor replied:

"Okay."

Elastor put the panther on his shoulder and went downstairs with Zed. The duo went downstairs and met Eva and Julia. Eva said happily:

"Elastor, are you okay?"

Elastor replied:

"I'm fine, just a little headache."

Zed remembered that he had used the power of fear on Elastor last night, so he silently pretended not to know anything. Julia saw the panther on Elastor's shoulder and said:

"Ah, what is that panther lying on your shoulder?"

Elastor replied:

"Ah, Zed said this is my Elemental Spirit."

"I knew you would have an Elemental Spirit too. Did you name it?"

"I don't know yet, since I just met him for the first time."

Zed said:

"Name it The Lazy, it's just like you."

Elastor replied:

"Very good, you bastard."

Elastor patted the panther's head and said:

"I know what to name you. The Star, because I want you to be much brighter than Zed and because I want you to guide my future."

Zed replied:

"Too lengthy."

Suddenly The Star said:

"What? Why does it sound so stupid?"

Elastor replied:

"What?"

The Star continued:

"I want a cooler and stronger name, I beat Zed's wolf after all. My thunder is so strong that no one can stand it. I look so badass, everyone has to cover their eyes with my golden lightning and..."

Elastor withdrew The Star and said:

"Talkative."

Eva said:

"Elastor, who controlled you last night?"

Elastor replied:

"The crow-headed Knight and his son."

Eva said:

"It's the Reaper, the Horsemen of Plague. They already know the location of the Dream workshop and will probably send troops here."

Meanwhile Reaper is still taking care of Alata. He said angrily:

"Damn it, I don't know where the Elf is hiding."

Back at the Dream wokshop, everyone was sitting around the cashier counter. Eva said

"I have decided, no one will help me even the generals loyal to my father to regain the throne. The leaders are still thinking about whether to ally with Urizen. So I decision."

Eva opened the map of the four kingdoms of the Highland Continent and said:

"We will convince all the leaders to help me regain the throne."

Zed was surprised, he said:

"What the hell? Are you going to convince them? Are you crazy?"

Eva replied:

"No I'm very awake. For three hours last night I was thinking, planning and sitting thinking about the farthest things in the universe."

Everyone thought to themselves:

"Did she get enough sleep?"

Zed said:

"So what exactly is the plan?"

Eva replied:

"Okay, everyone knows that Urizen usurping the throne is a violation of royal law for the past 1000 years. It's an important law to choose the right successor. I have that reason to recommend the rulers, religion of the kingdom help me regain the kingdom ."

Zed said:

"Oh my god, don't you find that reason a bit imperative to ask someone to help you? Why help a princess who doesn't even know their name to regain the throne, when Urizen already makes offers that are persuasive and beneficial to all four of them. They won't care because each kingdom takes care of its own affairs."

Elastor replied:

"Actually the Old Pact had broken."

Zed said angrily:

"Don't interrupt my words Elastor!"

Eva said:

"Why do you always disagree and argue with my ideas?"

Zed replied:

"Because it probably won't go your way. Why do you always want to take the throne back from Urizen?"

"Because my father believed that I could become a great queen, the new future of the kingdom, and I promised him. And Urizen is a wicked man who took the throne by force and fear of the people. Maybe the reason he wanted to ally with the four kingdoms was to gain the more power."

"Has someone been looking for you in hopes that you are the future of the kingdom? Has there been a rebellion against Urizen? Even though you have decided to become stronger so you can defeat Urizen but you are not ready. The knowledge you learned about economics and politics to deal with this situation is no longer effective. You can give up the throne and live a normal life because someone is better than you already."

Eva angrily slapped Zed with her left hand, but he caught it. Zed joked:

"Hahaha, hell no."

Eva slapped Zed with her right hand. Zed said dejectedly:

"Of course."

Eva said angrily:

"This is my dream, my obligation. I've been preparing and ready for 20 years but losing it all in one day, I can't accept it. Zed, with or without you, I'm still going."

Eva said to Elastor and Julia:

"You can join this journey if you want."

Julia replied:

"I'll go, you can't go without me."

Elastor said:

"I'll go too."

Zed replied:

"Elastor? Really?"

Elastor said:

"It's time to go on an adventure and go back to my hometown."

Eva replied:

"So everyone has decided, what about you, Zed?"

Zed said coldly:

"Do I care?"

Zed angrily left the Dream workshop and went somewhere. Elastor said:

"Going to have another beer? Anyway I'll go home to prepare."

Elastor left the Dream workshop. Julia said

"Why is Zed so stubborn?"

Eva replied:

"I don't know, but we'll still go to the kingdoms without Zed."

Then Eva and Julia packed up for tomorrow's journey. That night Zed was thrown in the mud again from a tavern for drinking without money. The tavern boss said angrily:

"Get the hell out of here drunkard."

Zed angrily threw mud at him and replied:

"Yeah, I'm out of here."

Zed went home alone after another drunkenness. This time, it was still the words of reproach and defamation of Zed like every time he came home from drinking:

"Another drunken night, you idiot."

"Why do you live here, Zed, making fun of everyone?"

"No wonder no one wants to get close to him. Getting caught up in him is even more troublesome."

Those words haunted Zed's head, it touched both his parents, his honor and the will of a man, but Zed didn't care. He still walked on that street no matter what people around him said about him. Tiny The Knight appeared on Zed's shoulder, it said:

"What are you thinking, master? You are strange today."

Zed replied:

"Nothing The Knight. I've always been fine and always will be."

"You know you'll see him again when you're with Eva."

"I know, that's why I don't want to go back there."

"You have to face it, find yourself. Wizard Laura said so."

"Face it? Haven't I already failed?"

"No, you've never faced it."

The Knight disappeared leaving Zed to wonder:

"I never dared to face it?"

Zed returned to the Dream workshop and entered the house. He went up to the bedroom and secretly opened the bedroom door to see Eva and Julia sleeping, they had already finished packing so they could go tomorrow. Zed gently closed the door and went down to the bathroom. Eva opened her eyes, she thought to herself:

"Zed?"

Zed washed off the mud and looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't realize how pathetic he was. Zed took a small knife and cut his dark curly hair short and styled his hair into a spiky hairstyle. He also did not forget to let a small hair cover his left eye. Then he shaved off his beard and wiped his face. Now Zed looked in the mirror and saw that he looked younger than before. Then Zed went up to the locked room across from the bedroom. In the room, there were tables and chairs, the furniture was covered with dust. Zed sat on the chair and whispered:

"Maybe it's true, I'm not the same anymore."

Zed opened a chest and took out an old armor with the sun emblem of Gloria kingdom on the chest, he said:

"Old but not out of date."

As for Elastor, he had prepared food and water for the journey. Elastor took out an Elves light armor. He thought to himself:

"You killed my parents Halazar. I will join this journey to kill you."

As for Julia, she slept while thinking:

"Eva has forgiven me, I will go on a journey to repay her and then I will be strong enough to defeat the Reaper."

Eva couldn't sleep because she was worried about Zed:

"Even though Zed has made up his mind, I still hope he changes his mind. But what if he really changes his mind? Probably not."

Eva slowly fell asleep. The next morning, Eva and Julia woke up and carried their luggage downstairs, Zed was not there. Eva said:

"Where did he go? I wanted to say goodbye."

Julia replied:

"Strange, he did come home last night."

Eva and Julia go out to the Dream workshop. Suddenly they heard shouting in the market place:

"Stop that bandit, he stole my horses."

It was Zed, he was wearing the armor from last night and was riding with three other horses to Eva and Julia. Zed stopped at Eva and Julia and said:

"Get on your horse now."

Eva replied:

'Where did you get the horse?'

Zed dismounted and said:

"I borrowed it from a few acquaintances."

In the distance, a group of people with long staffs were rushing towards the Dream workshop. Eva and Julia hurriedly got on the horse and Zed put their luggage on the horse. He closed the Dream workshop and said:

"Don't worry I'll be back."

Zed got on his horse and drove out of the city with the others. At the city gate, Zed summoned The Knight to defeat the soldiers there and they sped out of the city. Next they will go to Elastor's house. Eva said cheerfully:

"Zed, are you going too? What changed your mind?"

Zed replied coldly:

"I just don't want to lose Elastor's Elf wine."

Eva thought to herself:

"So he's still an idiot and doesn't care."

They rode into the woods to the Elastor house. They were there a moment later, and Elastor was carrying a bag of food and water to the front door. The other three came to Elastor's door, and Zed said:

"Let's go Elastor and where's my Elf wine."

Elastor threw a bottle of Elf wine to Zed and replied:

"You're welcome."

Elastor put food and drink on the horse and then on the horse. Then Elastor said:

"Which kingdom are we going to first?"

Eva replied:

"Sandx Kingdom."

Elastor said:

"Then in the Northwest. Follow me, I'll lead to the magical border there."

Then the team rode after Elastor. On the way, Julia said:

"Hey what should we name our team?"

Zed replied:

"Name the team? I'm not very interested."

Eva said:

"What about Team Crusadia?"

Zed replied:

'Crusadia? What does it mean?"

Eva said:

"Crusadia means experimenting and having a great adventure."

Zed replied:

"Whatever, what about you Elastor?"

Elastor said:

"Crusadia, I don't really care about team names either."

Zed replied:

"Why did we name the team that?"

Julia said:

"For a more adventurous spirit and to show we're a team."

Eva replied:

"Okay then, Crusadia team."

They went on and reached the magical border of all the kingdoms, because the Old Pact was gone, so it was easier to get in and out between the kingdoms. The desert of Sandx kingdom was in front, Zed said:

"Race to see who gets there first."

Zed spurred his horse forward. Eva followed him and said:

"Hey don't cheat."

Elastor followed her and said:

"Good job Zed, I won't lose."

Julia went to the end and said:

"Wait for me."

They crossed the magical border and entered the Sandx kingdom. Meanwhile Alata brought his assassins with him and silently watched the Crusadia team. He said:

"I will find and kill you Elastor."

Crusadia team's journey through the three kingdoms began.