“Five years ago?!” Luna questioned, bewildered.

Both wanted to ask more but Nathan cut their conversation short. “It’s not safe here anymore.” Nathan wanted to add that no matter how many enemies they kill, they just keep on coming but decided against, both already went through enough for one day. Not to mention how clueless they are of the real situation, Nathan thought. It’d be best to take things slowly according to Blackmount’s prince.

Nathan and his men led the way without saying anything, not wanting to risk their hideout getting discovered by the Evil Lord’s subjects who might be eavesdropping on them.

Gilbert stayed close to Luna, wary of Nathan and his men. He shook the guilt of suspecting Nathan knowing that he saved them both from death’s grip earlier, but with the situation they were in now, it was best to be wary of every single person they come across to. Nathan could be playing the hero and is already corrupted by darkness. Gilbert hated the idea and he hoped he could be proven wrong soon.

They walked and walked whilst watching each other’s back for enemy attack until they arrived in front of a wrecked mansion with overgrown weeds surrounding it. Gilbert guessed the mansion belonged to a proud noble. Most nobles love showing off their wealth and power, living in a huge and luxurious household happened to be one of them. This household in particular bore the symbol of Blackmount on the front door, a pair of battle axes with one crossed over the other. The symbol represented Blackmount, a kingdom expert in crafting weapons and armor. They supply the whole land with their invention and it is what made their economy thrive.

“Where are we?” Gilbert heard Luna whisper to Nathan. Blackmount’s prince still refused to answer and instead offered a reassuring smile. Gilbert couldn’t help but frown, nonetheless, he followed them inside.

Nathan ushered both Gilbert and Luna to hurry inside without making a sound while his men scanned the surroundings, making sure they weren’t followed. Nathan’s men are trained soldiers, it wouldn’t be a problem for them to detect any slight movement or noise. Wolves and skeletal knights are easy to distinguish, and both are not capable of being quiet despite having their own consciousness.

They aren’t that smart, Nathan assured himself after one last look around the perimeter before following Luna and Gilbert inside. Although the mansion was wrecked, it wasn’t their hideout.

Finally, Nathan explained. “This mansion belongs to a royal, the house of Dalton, our relative,” he said.

“Oh,” Gilbert muttered, realizing he was wrong about it belonging to a noble.

“Where are they now?” Luna asked.

“You’ll see, we have yet to enter our hideout,” Nathan answered, the playful twinkle in his eyes returning. Nathan is relieved that he and his men are finally inside the comforts of the mansion. He may have seemed brave when saving his two friends, but Nathan couldn’t deny that he was still human. He very much felt fear every time he left their hideout to hunt or collect resources.

After ascending the stairs facing opposite the entrance door they just came in, the two foreigners found themselves lost as they followed Nathan and his men through the various hallways. Gilbert didn't expect the mansion to be much bigger inside. As expected of royalty, he thought to himself.

Eventually, they stepped inside a room that seemed to belong to the head of the household, "We're here, Your Highness."

"A mirror?" Luna whispered under her breath once Nathan ushered both of them to the wide body-sized mirror at the corner of what's left of the room.

Much to both her and Gilbert's surprise, the mirror glowed the instant Nathan stepped in front of it. He grinned at them both and went inside first. Gilbert stared as Nathan's men followed suit, astonished. Luna's eyes, on the other hand, twinkled in excitement. She hurried off towards the passageway whilst Gilbert scurried after her.

“Wow,” Luna muttered and Gilbert couldn’t help but agree with her the moment he laid his eyes on the lively underground town.

The dome was filled with little wooden houses that were lined on both sides. At the center was a Dracaena Draco tree kept alive by soft glows of light that reminded Gilbert of fireflies. He came to learn that those were made out of magic from the abundant supply of nature. Its glow made the whole dome look magical.

“Welcome to our hideout for the past five years since the attack,” Nathan said proudly, showing a grin that reached his ears. It wasn’t much for Blackmount’s prince, but he was glad that his people weren’t completely eradicated. They are the remaining reminder of the kingdom of Blackmount.

“His Highness is back!”

People who clearly adored their prince swarmed over Nathan to greet him to which the prince reciprocated, however, he reminded them to keep quiet. Wolves could easily detect their hideout and force them to slavery until their death. That was something the crown prince would not tolerate.

Gilbert felt a tug on his sleeves. He turned and saw a kid, his big round eyes staring curiously up at him. “Who are you?” he asked, grabbing the others’ attention, including those who were swarming around Nathan.

Gilbert crouched down to pat the kid on the head whilst displaying a smile. “We’re friends,” answered Gilbert. He and Luna were then led by Nathan towards a spacious room that he claimed was his private quarters. Nathan ushered them to sit down on his makeshift sofa; a long wooden chair covered in sheep’s wool for comfort.

“Welcome once again to Blackmount. Her Majesty, Queen Fey, had warned me beforehand of a hero journeying to reclaim the sword.”

“What? When?” Luna queried, unable to hide her surprise.

“Yesterday,” Nathan replied. “A messenger delivered a letter with a seal bearing the symbol of Sunny Drop.”

Letting out a sound of triumph, Nathan passed the letter to Luna’s waiting hand. The girl immediately opened the piece of paper and skimmed its contents. Gilbert looked over her shoulder to be able to read.

It said that Queen Fey asked the other kingdoms to welcome the blessed daughter and the hero in her vision as well as provide whatever help they could give. Beneath the message was an image of a flower, one that Gilbert managed to recognize.

“Strelitzia?” he muttered in confusion. He had seen plenty of them growing in Queen Fey’s palace, specifically in the royal garden.

“Pretty isn’t it?” He heard Nathan say. “They symbolize freedom, in case you’re wondering. A symbol that the Queen created for anyone who is willing to fight back.”

Gilbert nudged Luna to ask her if she knew of this to which the girl replied with a slight nod. “Because of my vision of darkness stirring from its slumber, one that came before the vision of the hero, Her Majesty, Queen Fey worked with other kingdoms in secret for preparation.”

“However…” Luna trailed off as she hanged her head in melancholy. Gilbert frowned in concern but didn’t want to push her to continue. Nathan took over and continued.

“It was too late. The Lord of the dead’s followers grew stronger each day thanks to their Lord’s near awakening.” The atmosphere was heavy and depressing that Gilbert felt like he would suffocate. In spite of that, Nathan was not yet finished.

“Every Kingdom—”

“And Queendom,” chimed Luna to which Nathan nodded in acknowledgment, followed by a chuckle.

“—Had been relentlessly attacked by an army of the undead as a form of threat. By the time we caught wind of their plan to slowly conquer the united lands, Blackmount was already defeated.”

Nathan could still hear the horrified screams ringing in his ears like it was yesterday. He remembered the metallic smell of blood mixed with burnt flesh that almost made him vomit as he fought for his people with his life. Even now, the wounds he got from the fight remained as scars to remind him of the unfortunate battle where they emerged defeated five years ago.

Blackmount is the main provider of weaponry across the united lands. To conquer the united lands, they needed to cut off the supply of weapons and make it their own. For this reason, Blackmount was the first kingdom they wanted to take over completely. But it was a given that the people refused to cooperate with the dark legion. Thus, incurred his wrath.

The people of Blackmount became helpless in the face of darkness. They fought for their right but with the Lord of the dead’s rising, they were too strong for them to take alone. With the fact that the soldiers of Blackmount were outnumbered, defeat fell upon them. Be that as it may, Blackmount still refused to back down. In consequence, Nathan watched as the palace got infiltrated and his parents killed in front of him. That was the final warning, Nathan still remembered how death lingered heavily across the whole kingdom.

He wanted to fight but he knew it would be futile as he watched the scene before him unfold. The army of skeletal knights and enormous wolves with razor-sharp teeth mercilessly attacked his people: men, women, and children.

“Somebody, please help my mama!” a young boy cried in anguish. Nathan saw him cradling his dead mother in his tiny arms, blood staining his cheeks. Nathan ran in an attempt to save the boy but to the prince’s horror, the young boy coughed up blood as a sword pierced into his body, and he lay motionless next to his mother.

Having witnessed the scene, a look of resentfulness swept across Nathan’s face. He felt himself shaking in anger, and keeping it within him proved to be difficult. The blazing fire in him wanted to break loose and lash out, but what good would it do? It was painful like he was swallowing lava, but Nathan kept his anger to himself and finally gave in.

Day and night they worked under the unwavering gazes of the Evil Lord’s subjects. It took him a while, but Nathan finally managed to let a few of what’s left of his people begin working on their hiding place. It’d be better to leave, but they were monitored around the clock. It took months of sneaking away when the enemies weren't looking but the risk was worth it. Finally, they could make themselves disappear.

Nathan made one last headcount for the number of skeletal knights and wolves that guarded them. Nathan and his trained men needed to attack them when they least expected it to make up for their numbers before finally heading to their hideout. It was still unclear to Nathan how fast their backup would arrive so the quicker they are, the better.

Eventually, the time came for the attack. Nathan could still remember how he fought desperately to overpower the enemies and secure the safety of his people. It all went well in the end, but he hoped their stay underground won't be too long. Although the head of the Dalton household had limited magical ability, he still managed to create the passageway that led to the underground town. If ever the mirror gets discovered, it can easily be destroyed and the enemy won't know where they are. But for how long will they need to hide?

That was why when the letter from Queen Fey arrived, a spark of hope that he thought was lost was rekindled. Seeing Gilbert arrive has calmed his distress over their situation.

Seeing Wyvern's heir, one might not believe he was predestined to beat the Lord of the dead, but Nathan knew better than to doubt the vision of the blessed daughter and the Queen of Sunny Drop.

"To think that we weren't aware of the situation, my sincerest apology Your Highness." Luna bit her lip in frustration. To think that they had suffered while she slumbered peacefully under the protection of her sister and her people.

Nathan dismissed her apology with a smile, "Don't be. You were relentlessly attacked as well, no?"

Traveling became less popular as people worried about their safety outside the walls of their country. It was understandable that people were preoccupied with their own lives to notice another kingdom getting dominated by the enemy.

"But to think someone like me who's supposed to be king was left in the dark for so long. Just how long have they toyed with us?" Gilbert grinded his teeth, his anger resurfacing. Sero had tricked him all these years, and he was gullible enough to fall for it, resulting in the death of his family and his crown snatched.

"Never again," the prince said resolutely, earning a light pat on the back by Luna and a mellow smile from Nathan.

"I've heard that they started conquering the Kingdom of Gold, so I ask you, what do you plan to do to stop this?"

Gilbert took a quick glance from Luna who nodded at him. "The crystal in your possession, we need it."

"That's a problem," Nathan sighed. Upon seeing the two stiffen, he let out a laugh, "I do want to help, but the blue crystal of hope is in the royal palace."

"How is that a problem?" Luna asked.

"After the stunt we pulled off before, a more powerful opponent was sent here for the lookout. I'm sure it's making the palace its own."

Heavy silence took over as they mulled over how unfortunate their situation had become.

In his disappointment, Gilbert's hand lightly brushed his satchel that contained the crystal of hope, and suddenly he felt his spirits lifted. He looked down and remembered the crystal, and he smiled as a way to thank it.

"We'll figure a way out. We need that if we want a chance at winning against the darkness." Gilbert stood up abruptly, surprising the poor girl beside him. He strode towards Nathan with his hand outstretched.

"Will you help us?"

Nathan gripped his hand in agreement, "For our freedom." Gilbert nodded in approval and asked, "How do we get there?"

Luna was still worried when she moved to where the two men were standing. She wanted to close her eyes and forcefully see a vision of what would happen, but when she was about to do it, she felt something warm covering her hand that was trembling without her knowledge.

Gilbert guided her hand to his satchel where the orange crystal of hope lies hidden. "We'll be fine," he whispered near her ear as if aware of her fear.

She felt her qualms dissipate as hope took over. Luna smiled at Gilbert, and she leaned closer to him as they discussed how to sneak into the royal place, her hand still in his hold.