Wise Words

The ninja and the yin and yang mage have started going down the street, not so long ago, and very soon, a beautiful house, or maybe even a smaller mansion was sticking out of the ordinary houses, piercing right into their eyes.

"This looks like the place..." Hayabusa started. "Perhaps Freya lives here? I mean, this place looks quite a bit like what they've described." He said shrugging but the girl was faster than him. While he was taking, she already walked to the door and knocked.

"Hello?! Is anybody there?" She asked as loudly as her soft voice could get. She looked cute while yelling into the unknown, or at least her guardian thought so. He just watched her, keeping some distance. She was always the one who could make him smile by doing the most common things. Just a smile of hers was enough.

He smiled remembering the times of the past. She has grown a lot in the ten years they know each other yet she still had the same glow in the eyes, the baby blue eyes that looked clearer than ever before.

He was snapped out of the trance by the door opening. Freya's trustworthy bodyguard opened. "Yes?" He asked. "Who are you?" His long brown ponytail was wiggling in the air as his head moved. He looked serious and not in the best mood.

The young girl quickly took a step back and pulled herself together trying to act mature. She cleared her throat and spoke: "Right. I'm Kagura, the third daughter of Onmyouji family, the owner of Semei umbrella. I wish to speak to Valkyrie Freya, if she lives here... I hope I didn't miss the address." She said. Although she tried sounding confidently, she was nervous.

The guy's eyes widened. "So you're the one? Well, pleasure to meet you." He said bowing slightly and walking closer to shake her hand. "My name is Zilong and I'll bring her, just give me a mome-" He started but was cut off by the valkyrie who appeared right behind him.

"I'm here. Please, come in. What's bringing you here?" She asked in a warm tone. It was first time an important person saw her without her armour. Usually, she'd wear it all the time but now, she was just wearing some casual clothes. Her hair was in a ponytail too. It was funny to see her blue ponytail shorter and smaller than her bodyguard's but nobody wanted to be rude and actually ask the question that was on their minds.

Kagura smiled. "Thank you, miss, but we're more like messengers here." She said not knowing where or how to start. She thought for a moment trying to start a sentence before continuing: "You know Hylos, right? Well, he sent us to call for your help. Um... To get some backup..."

Hayabusa now finally spoke. "What she's trying to say is that the princess Odette was kidnapped by that guy... L- Li-- La... um...." He spoke trying ti remember the name. Luckily for him, Freya just jumped in and helped him: "Lancelot?"

"Yes. Lancelot. So... He grabbed her and now Hylos and the friend of his set off after them asking us to call for you and-- Man... This is complicated." He said with a sigh.

Freya looked confused too. "Wait, how did Lancelot even get in? Why would he return? This is messed up. Are you sure it was Lancelot and not some other name?" She asked.

Hayabusa's expression was a bit unsure. He gazed up avoiding eye contqct hoping he didn't actually miss the name but Kagura was there to back him up. "Yes. I'm sure. Trust me, there is something big going on, I can feel it in my body. My sixth sense is never wrong." She said, looking dead serious.

"Very well. Zilong." She started, receiving the attention of her bodyguard. "Prepare our armours. Get it ready as soon as possible. It seems like our dear friend needs some backup." She said to the guy who nodded and ran inside in hurry preparing their fighting uniforms.

Freya then turned to the two newcomers. "Now please tell me everything you know, precisely." She said with a very serious expression on her face as the three were still talking on the doorstep.

Kagura started speaking: "This morning we went to visit Hylos because we has news about the fall of the Lunar Castle."

"What?! What the hell happened?!" Freya asked in shock. "How could we not notice anything? Are people in panic?! We need to go there." She said loudly.

The yin and yang mage placed a hand on her shoulder, holding her umbrella in other hand. "Calm down. We left too soon to know what happened but it was quiet. I doubt people noticed immediately but in a situation like this, we need to bring the royalty back. They've been kidnapped by your dear Lancelot and few his co-workers."

"And we have some serious doubts we know who's the head of their little organisation..." Freya added. She couldn't want for Kagura to stop talking so she simply cut into her speech, as usual but the girl wasn't getting angry. She just calmly nodded.

"Argus." The girl said, her big eyes watching the war angel gently. "And that's not all." She added. "He stole the Codex of Apocalypse.

"If that's true and confirmed... This situation might be far more serious then what we thought before." The valkyrie said with a sigh. "We need to move, now. I hope you two aren't too tired from the trip because we really have no time to waste."

"Zilong!! Are you ready already?!" She yelled gazing back towards the inside of her lovely home.

A male voice replied: "Yes miss." He walked up to the blue haired girl and handed her her armour while his own golden armour was shining almost as brightly as Freya's sword. He was also carrying a spear, probably his own weapon and had dragon prints on few places on his armour. He was he dragon knight after all.

***

The white swan was locked up inside of the dark room with a boy and a girl she has never seen before. The two didn't hesitate to untie her and ask her what's going on. Flickering flame of the torch was warming up the mood in the cold of the underground.

"Seems that guy really has a thing for princesses." Alucard joked, still holding Miya and watching the newcomer curiously. "I didn't think I'd actually ever meet you in person although for so long time I've been seeking for the book that was in your ownership. "You know, when I first met Lancelot, he looked like a fool that could be easily pushed around but from what I see now..." he started.

"He is no more than the crazy one who doesn't know what he wants. I still don't understand what games is he playing." He said. To fulfill his comment, the elf princess added seriously: "This is all messed up..." She was a bit cold. She didn't have very warm clothes and she has been stuck in that room for quite a while now. Her skin was pale and reminded of snow, gentle yet cold.

Odette sighed. "He is just confused... At least I hope so... Agh! One moment, he says he loves me, he says he wants to take me with him! And the other moment, he just throws me away like this? Into the cold... hard... desperate dungeon. This is not the man I know." She cried out.

Miya sighed. "I feel you. All the men are the same..." Alucard frowned. "And I--??" Before he could finish his question, the girl just continued speaking. "They are all cowards that can't express what they feel. The best they can do is to push you around or, some rare ones are skilled enough to try showing off their skills around you. The rare ones are those who actually tell you how much you mean to them, straight into your face..." She said.

The other girl thought, she felt her words opening a drawer in her heart and pulling out a memory of the moment. Hylos and she stood face to face when he bravely told her how he felt.

Miya's long silver hair was gently brushed by Alucard as she spoke once again. "Rare are those who would risk all they have for you, for your safety and wellbeing. I know it's hard to realise when you're a princess everybody took such a good care about for whole your life but that's why I'm telling you that. I might be a princess too but the culture of my kingdom is incomparable to yours, the royalty is here to serve others, not the other way around."

The centaur that was from now on, constantly in Odette's mind was charging forwards led by Natalia enormously fast. His determination was so big that the wind helped him along his way, giving him a light push from behind. Just like he was on her mind, the image of her was the only one in his brain, the one pushing him forwards.

Her eyes widened. The beauty of the words she said touched her and really made her wonder what's right and what's wrong. Her heart started aching and the light danced in her eyes. Maybe she was indeed wrong all this time. "How old are you to speak like this? You left my mind questioning all my decisions of the past."

The silver haired girl chuckled. "I'm fifteen." She said with a smile. At that, both Alucard and Odette jumped slightly, but the demon hunter seemed even more shocked than the Swan Princess. His expression looked like he had seen a ghost and he literally dropped her from his embrace.

"What?! I'm twenty five." He said, terror shown in his eyes. "What kind of witchery is this? You both look and act at least few years older. Please don't mess around with the information like this..."

The girl in white sleeping dress laughed. "Well, I don't see somebody as excited about a girl's age that often. What made you react like this?" She asked. "I mean, yea, she is four years younger than me and I am shocked but you look like she suddenly became a demon and is about to kill you. Did she?"

"Wha-- no! I don't look like that!" He started trying to collect himself up and defend.Before he could say anything else, Odette said something that'd make both him and the girl he was holding until a moment before blush.

"Or maybe you're worried about your age difference for another reason~" She said in a teasing tone. For a moment, everybody forgot they were in dark smelly cellar.

***

The plan was unraveling perfectly for Argus. The fallen angel has set everything up for the grand finale, the Codex of Apocalypse was in his hands and being set by him on the ancient altar of moon, ready to receive its strength through a media who could canalise the power received to unseal the fallen wings made of black feathers once more and return Argus his original strength.

All they had to do was wait. That night, the sacrifice of the highest rank of the moon elf priest would be made to perform the ritual and announce his final victory, once and for all.

The room was cold. Estes was barely alive, skin pale like the colour of moon he was supposed to represent. He was the king, supposed to be the most powerful one amongst the moon elves yet he was powerless against the might of the wingless fallen angel.