After twelve hours of walking, the horse-drawn carriage arrived in front of the Dzkarda military barracks in the area of Doli in the evening. The entire army formed a perfect circle around the crown prince, rising tall to greet him. A general in red and gold approached the horse-drawn vehicle and opened the door. As his eyes met the form of King Michael's son, he bowed respectfully with his hands on his breast. The man then backed away, his head still bowed.
A voice burst out as his boots hit the earth. The venerable figure of the Drzkarda Kingdom is present. The prince's bulky figure is bound by a scarlet robe with gold embroidery running the length of the material. A shirt of the same color was hidden within his robes, and a pin with the dragon insignia was pinned to his chest—invisible because it was hidden by the cloak. And then, he donned a wool cap with the dragon symbol in the middle.
The king's third son, Prince Mattias Latkov.
"Welcome, Your Majesty."
Merapi erupted in applause as a general spoke aloud. The voice reverberated to the hamlet, greeting the first Prince to lead them in the land. Then they all stomped their fists up to the heavens in unison, and an orange light shot up into the sky. Then it went off, bursting into gorgeous and joyous fireworks.
Mattias smiled as he watched one by one as people screamed joyously while shooting flames from their hands towards the heavens. Mattias then raised his eyes to the sky, where the embers from his warriors' fires had formed fireworks in the sky. The laughter and joy that filled the place scared him nervous to death.
"Mattias Prince."
Mattias shifted his gaze to Erick Dormoof, the Merapi commander at Doli. He noticed Mattias' black glove, then looked at him and nodded.
Mattias' smile faded, replaced with anxiety and trepidation. He'd never worn his father's clothes before. Plus, the entire town of Merapi was watching him, expecting something from Mattias. Mattias shrugged. Fedyor was supposed to be by his side, accompanying him and encouraging him. "You got this, My Prince...." When Mattias was terrified, the old guy would always say that term.
Mattias examined his hands, which were covered in black gloves, before raising his eyes to the sky. Mattias tried to concentrate his concentration on creating the fire. And sure enough, an orange light appeared over his gloved palm not long after. The orange light curled up into a brilliant ball and continued to glow until the master let it go.
Matthias grins. He swore that these gloves allowed his energies to flow freely. Mattias flashed the light towards the sky without thinking about it. Then everyone started screaming. The light burst into the sky, creating a fireworks display that engulfed the sky above the military barracks. The light was strong, casting a bright glow on the folks below.
"I... I can!" Mattias let out an internal scream before looking down at his gloves. "It's because of this item."
"CHEER FOR THE PRINCE!"
As Erick's voice boomed, Mattias looked up. And everyone applauded. His voice boomed as if to demonstrate that they were the most powerful.
Mattias smiled and looked around the place. "I appreciate it. So much. Thank you."
After that, Erick and the prince proceeded to the largest and most spectacular tent there, which had been built particularly for Mattias. There was plenty of food and drink already. The Merapi is fed not only in the prince's tent but also in some of the other tents. They held a tremendous party that night, commemorating Mattias' attendance as well as the first time they received direct guidance from the royal family.
Mattias gorged himself inside the tent, joking with some of the Dzkarda officers stationed there and several Doli officials who had been invited to dinner. All of them approached Mattias with inquiries and prayers. They hoped and prayed that Mattias would feel at ease in Doli and enjoy leading the Merapi army.
Several Doli people were also present, primarily to mop up spilled food and beverages. To entertain the soldiers, many comfort ladies were brought in from Doli. Several soldiers dragged the comfort women out of the barracks and into the corner. Until daybreak, a few hours before the party officially ended.
Mattias was already sleeping in his room in the tent, which had been made the most luxurious and big for him. In less than two days, several tents were merged and erected in this manner. The prince gripped his stomach, which was bloated from too much alcohol, and his head, which was a little dizzy.
Mattias cursed the person who knocked on the door when he heard a knock.
"Go! I'm tired!" Without getting out of bed, Mattias said.
"It's me, Erick, Your Majesty." The voice of the general was heard. "Your Majesty, I have something to communicate to you. Concerning Doli."
Mattias sighed and stood up, pulling open the door to meet Erick, the elderly gentleman. "What happened?"
"This place is home to someone's Last Rain tribe."
●●●●●
"This can't be... this can't be..."
"I'm just a regular person..."
"The water did not come from my body..."
Dysabella proceeded to huddle up by her bed, her shivering body embracing her knees. Those were the words she kept repeating. Last night's events are still plaguing her. The beating continued, the vibrations followed her, and the impact was still felt. She witnessed barren woodlands being decimated by the thundering waves.
Dysabella reflected on the previous night's events. For the first time, she felt a different kind of fear as his hands were bound by the two Merapi's hold and she realized she was about to be slain. A huge fear, perhaps the largest in her life. Dysabella then felt something about to break out of her body, but she had no idea what it was. Her eyes went blue, and a blue light blasted out of her body not long after.
The water then smashes upwards, sending the three Merapis flyings, before crashing onto the forest and smashing it like a tsunami.
"Open it, Dyna!"
"Dysa?"
"Dysabella, please!"
"What happened to you, sweetheart?"
Jonathan and Amely started hammering on their daughter's door when Dysabella lingered in the room from the time they awoke this morning till now. Outside, they could faintly hear Dysabella's cries and repeated sentences.
"Let me open!"
Amely shrugged. "Quick! I'm worried he'll be OK."
Jonathan took a step back and slammed his body on the brown door as hard as he could. Jonathan tried again and again, but the door would not open, until finally, out of frustration and fear, he broke the door open and caused a racket. Jonathan and Amely entered the room right away.
"Dysabella—"
Jonathan and Amely came to a halt when they noticed something weird, something they had never seen before. A translucent, slightly lighted wall sliced across the room, separating Jonathan and Amely from their kid, while Dysabella hid near the bed with her back to them.
"What is this?" Amely clung to her husband's arm, terrified and perplexed.
Jonathan's heart pumped faster. He was perplexed but attempted to remain composed. Jonathan moved his index finger to touch the transparent wall that separated them from Dysabella with shaky hands.
"This is... water...."
As his palm touched the glass wall, Jonathan shook his head in bewilderment. The texture is watery and wet. A few drops of water ran over his arm after he retracted his forefinger. Jonathan double-checked by touching the wall. Jonathan recognized his touch generated ripples like calm water and something was touched when his index finger breached the wall.
Jonathan sent Amely a calm profit signal. Jonathan pushed his arm in slowly, starting with his index finger. Continue to press him until his body has truly passed over the barrier. Some of his garments, as well as his hair, became wet and clammy. With Dysabella, he now has no limits.
While Amely waited, Jonathan walked up to the single youngster who was crying and muttered something Jonathan didn't understand. "Dysabella... honey, it's Baba..."
Dysabella gently raised her head and turned to face him. "Baba...."
Jonathan and Amely were taken aback. Dysabella's lovely blue eyes sparkled up and gave off a dazzlingly beautiful blue light as she twisted her face.