Green. It was one of the most beautiful colors ever to exist in this world. It was the color of the trees, the leaves, the grass, the fruits, the moss, the shrubs, and the flowers. It was a color that represents life. It is peaceful and refreshing, vibrant and lively. It was a beautiful color that the elves wore proudly to represent their heritage and their identity. They are creatures of nature, children of the forest, and guardians of the earth but now... why is everything bathed in red?

Miya watched with a heavy heart as the once verdant woods became ablaze in a crimson inferno that mercilessly swallowed everything in its path. Her breath hitched in her throat as her brethren bathed in their own blood as they lay dead or dying under the demons' cruel blades. Everywhere she looked, red was the only color present. It's as if this hideous color swallowed everything good in the world only to replace it with nothing but carnage and hell. There was only cruelty and suffering in every direction. No matter how many arrows she released, no matter how many demons she struck down, more and more poured in before devouring the people she worked so hard to protect.

Miya was snapped from her thoughts when she saw massive boulders being hurled from beyond the wall. They instantly decimate every structure they collide against leaving nothing but ruins. She winced as another large projectile was propelled towards the castle taking out the tower beside the one she's currently on. The edifice crashed down brick by brick as the projectile decimated its foundations. If things were a little bit different, she could have been dead by now, thankfully those contraptions cannot accurately shoot no matter their firepower. Or was it merely a stroke of luck that kept her alive? Regardless of the unseen forces at play, Miya simply thanked her goddess for sparing her life even for a moment. The debris even caught some demons off guard which made her rejoice a little but it was nothing compared to the lives they have taken.

She kept a tight hold on her bow as she made her way to the lower parts of the castle to help the elves who were injured or trying to retreat. She released a blessed arrow that zoomed through the night sky before multiplying by the hundreds and raining down on the demons entering through the broken gates. It was a temporary cover to let her people enter the palace and evacuate through the underground tunnels hidden within the castle depts that will lead them somewhere near the outskirts of Moniyan.

Estes was the one leading the evacuation and healing everyone he could find while she and Karina create some diversion for them to escape. The castle is already in ruins. The battle is nearly over. Most of their soldiers have been killed or are being killed but none of them surrendered. They died fighting for their people and fighting for the future that they can once they return here and reclaim their home. Hopefully, she can make enough time for her people to safely escape, but even that seems to be asking for too much.

"Hyaa!" she squealed as she slipped on something very slippery on the floor. She fell down hard but luckily she wasn't severely injured. She groaned as she opened her eyes only to see an elf staring blankly at her with dead eyes. She nearly released a loud scream but luckily she was able to stop herself in time to avoid capturing the attention of some demons.

She propelled herself with her hands to stand up immediately. She nearly vomited as the strong metallic scent of blood made her stomach churn. In front of her stretched a mass of bodies both of demons and elves making her gag. It seems that she slipped on this elf's blood and now some of it is even on her clothes and hands. Her fingers shook as she stared at the blood of her brethren dripping from her palms like a cruel joke from fate.

RED!

RED!

RED!

Why is everything bathing in red?! It was as if some deranged person took an unending bucket of red paint and sprayed it carelessly around the world, turning its beauty into a macabre painting that is both unholy and repulsive. Why has this hideous color ever grazed their peaceful realm? Why?

It is ugly. It is hateful! It is repulsive. One glance in this ugly color is enough to make her puke. She despised red.

"Hmm, I've always loved red. It is such a beautiful color. It is both glorious and spectacular. Especially since it's the favorite color of my queen. She always wore red perfectly, don't you think so too Sorca?" she heard a sinister voice say casually to what is presumably their companion.

"Certainly my lord. But I do suggest that we make our way carefully inside the palace. There may still be some stray archers lurking in the shadows. So I suggest that we move stealthily." Miya's blood suddenly ran cold as she identified the people casually talking while passing through the bailey. It was none other than Dyrroth, the demon prince, and the demon general, Sorca.

Miya is currently hiding behind a pillar after regaining her composure and she made sure to thoroughly conceal her presence by using some Lunar magic to make her blend well with her surroundings. In this angle, she has a clear shot of both the targets and with the perfect timing, she can expertly assassinate the two.

"A very sensible course of action but since I have already vanquished our enemies, then I get the right to walk through it like the conqueror that I am. Nevertheless, I will still take some precautions. Kill every capable fighter that you can find and capture those who cannot fight. I must fulfill my end of the bargain by providing Alice with some livestock. Hopefully, she'll leave Ruby alone afterward."

The two demons casually conversed, with the prince mostly giving orders about what to do. A plan began brewing in her mind as she calculated the factors at play: the wind, the angle, the position of the target, her vantage point, and the power of her bow. Her simple arrows couldn't hope to kill Dyrroth in a single strike but if she further synthesized it and imbued some sort of poison or blood curse on it, then perhaps it can take down the prince once and for all. She only needs some sort of distraction to give her enough time to prepare the arrow. And it seems that the goddess heard her prayers as a group of gigantic forest guardians emerged to attack the prince and his legion.

"I thought you already blew these shits to pieces, why are they still standing?!" roared the prince as he prepared to fight the wooden giants.

"My apologies, my lord. I will see to it that they are immediately dealt with before you can even imagine a certain blondie's butt." said the demoness as they fought the guardians side by side.

"Too late, I'm already thinking about it now." replied the demon smugly as he began unleashing waves after waves of dark energy that easily destroyed the wooden flesh of the guardians which, thankfully for the elf, regenerates easily.

They are probably the last surviving forest guardians fighting to protect the Moonshire and if they perish here then, their kind would forever cease to exist, and yet... They are fighting with all the ferocity they have to protect everything else in the Moonlit forest. This selfless display of heroism touched something in her heart that a sudden blaze of emotions began to ignite within her chest.

For once Miya began having some hope in her heart. Maybe... Just maybe she can pull this off and save her home once and for all.

Miya began mustering up all her strength and focusing all her prayers and enchantments on her bow to produce an extremely powerful arrow. She called forth all the spirits of the forest, chanting their names and asking for their help to bless her arrow. Moonlight began gathering in her palm and taking a solid form. Colors began swirling around it as the spirits responded to her sincere prayers and sought to help with her endeavor.

"My, my, what could this pitiful little elf possibly be doing?" asked a sinister feminine voice coming from the shadows. Miya glared at the hybrid while preventing her arrow from wavering.

"Assassinating the prince I presume. But of course, such weak tactics couldn't possibly work. I'm afraid that this is where it ends for you little miss perfect. Mmhh, a friend of mine would surely be happy if I bring your head as a gift. Or maybe I should just knock you out for us to torture you in the Abyss. I wonder what our little princess has in store for a dishrag like you." Selena giggled as her shadowy snake began slithering around her body.

Miya was suddenly put in an impossible dilemma. The blessed arrow in her hold is halfway complete however if she doesn't act quickly then this elf might just stay true to her words of taking her as a slave. It's either her fate or the fate of her people. She gritted her teeth in annoyance. If she's going to die then she's going to die fighting.

Miya was about to use the halfway complete arrow when a familiar voice suddenly broke the tense atmosphere.

"Selena, we have a lot of catching up to do." said Karina as she stepped in front of Miya protectively. Her double-bladed glaives were set in a defensive position rather than her typical offensive style which perhaps implies her undying love for her sister but not at the cost of her duty to her people.

"Indeed we do... Sister." Selena mused mischievously as she unleashed her Demonic form. It seems that the corrupted dark elf won't be showing kindness, unlike her sister.

🌹

"Martis, if I may ask, if it's not too sensitive of a topic, how did you become king? Did you have to fight off some monsters and dragons? Did you pull a legendary sword from an enchanted stone? I heard that happens a lot in royal selections." Ruby suddenly asked as she watched Martis put on the adornments for his royal speech. They just returned from their little date and now this little lady saw it fit to bother him since she doesn't have anything else to do.

"It was no such thing. I was not the youngest nor the oldest but I was the one labeled as the black sheep. Initially, I did not want to be the king nor the leader of any tribe at all. What I wanted to do is to live freely however I want to, unbound by any duties or rules. I was reckless and acting purely out of whim and want."

"That does sound kind of you. So how did you turn out to be such a great and responsible person after your rebellious stage?"

"I wanted an adventure so I ignored my father's castigations since I'm not really next in line but my five older brothers. I trained myself hard day and night to be strong and powerful before challenging the hidden three thousand worlds."

"Oh, I've heard Lady Shura mention it before but what is the three thousand worlds exactly?"

"It's a bit complex and even though my tribe has been aware of its existence for thousands of years no one really understands what it is but I do believe that they are other planes of existence where other beings dwell. So far we have confirmed three thousand worlds but there could be more and anyone who can clear and conquer each world is eligible to be the Ashura God. I have conquered it but it came with great sacrifice and multiple defeats but in the end, I was able to ascend to Godhood because of it."

"So this 'three thousand hidden worlds' is basically like a dungeon from legends. Is that a sufficient comparison?"

"To put it plainly yes but perhaps it is a structure that connects to different worlds. But other than godhood, I also acquired a relic called Get Katar. It allows me to cut the distance between any point of reference. Hence how we freed Terizla from his prison. Anyway, some scholars theorized that the three thousand worlds may be different dimensions or doors that connect to other worlds or even places that only gods can reach. It's too enigmatic so I wouldn't dwell on it any longer."

"So after clearing it what did you do?"

"I returned to my people of course. I was so proud of my achievement and yet I was only met with disappointment. My brothers have caused a civil war that divided our people into several factions. Shura, who is a spiritual leader, stayed neutral even though our brothers have urged her to pick a side to strengthen their campaigns. Those bastards were very greedy. They enjoyed lavishing in the gold of the treasury, the treasury of the people, and left the masses to starve and be humiliated. Two of them already died in the power struggle and I had to kill the four others to restore the honor of our tribe. With no one else eligible to ascend the throne, I was forced to take the crown and lead the people. An occupation I ran away from only to end up having it by default. It was a very cruel joke from fate but one I must abide by because the people chose me. And soon enough I choose to lead the people."

"I see. So your fate was sealed from the beginning. The only difference is the details." Ruby mumbled as she remembered a conversation she had with Fenrir.

"Perhaps, but I have no regrets. It may not have been the future I have dreamed of but it is a life I've come to like. If one of my brothers had lived to take this position then our kingdom wouldn't be standing here." Martis said as he fixed his sash.

"Then I'm glad that you ended up on this path. If it weren't for such circumstances I wouldn't have met you." mused Ruby in realization. Martis couldn't help himself as he blushed due to how sincere and adorable this girl is. She's too fucking pure for this world, he thought.

"Your majesty an envoy has arrived." announced a servant interrupting their conversation.

"I will be there in a moment." Martis replied before turning to Ruby.

"You should go to your room and have your attendants help you with your appearance."

"Okay, I'll just meet you after all the formalities are done. See ya!" Ruby waved as she stood and left. Martis heaved a sigh as his heart finally calmed down. Romantic excitements have been running wild inside his body as he simply spoke to Ruby. He wanted to punch himself for being so shallow.

"Why the fuck do you have to be so cute all the time?" he muttered.

"Your majesty?"

"It's nothing. Please lead the way."