Narrator's Pov

Lucius received a news that a Saintess from Arcanum, the only daughter of the elder was in the palace.

"what is she doing here in the palace?" tanong niya sa isang kawal na nagreport sa kanya.

"Pinadala siya dito ni Elder Shan para tulungan ang Hari sa pagcultivate ng kapangyarihan niya."

Lucius find it suspicious. He never saw and didn't even know that Elder Shan has a daughter.

"Knight L...." nag-aalanganin na sabi ng kawal.

"what? Is there another thing you want to tell me?"

"ahmm...T-the King granted the Crystaline Hall to the saintess as sign of gratitude. Dahil hanggang ngayon wala pa rin ang Reyna, wala ng iba na makakatulong sa Hari kundi ang Saintess ng mga sorcerers."

Lucius gritted his teeth at humigpit ang hawak niya sa nililinisan niyang double-blade scythe.

Tumayo siya ng marahas at iniwan ang kawal.

He needs to talk to the King.

"I've been serving you and your people through out my life." Lucius said nang walang ano-ano.

Napahinto ang Hari pero hindi nagsalita at hinintay ang sunod na sasabihin ni Lucius.

"your majesty, you died once. But I never thought to leave this place. I never had any delusions or wishes to do in this life. I only want to protect the people and serve here in the palace. But Genevieve is more important than everyone else." Lucius said while trying not to raise his voice.

"you know that she's willing to trade her life, to risk everything to officially claim the Crystaline Hall! She already decided to settle her life here! Right. The saintess did a heavy favor to you to give the Hall to her."

Hindi na nag-isip pa si Lucius nang tinutok niya ang kanyang weapon sa Hari. The King just look at him without emotions.

"Why do you need to give that Crystaline Hall to other person when there is other available Halls for you to give. are you afraid that you may take Genevieve as the Queen because they have the same face? Do you already develop even a tiny feeling for her? I want an honest answer, your majesty."

The King seriously look at him.

"in this world. The most difficult thing to do, is to be honest." The King shorly answered.

Binaba ni Lucius ng kanyang sandata.

"I'm willing to go against you and break the seal as your Knight if something happened to Genevieve under your control."

Genevieve's Pov

Lucius help me to relief myself by accompanying me a walk to tour in this palace.

Habang naglalakad ay bigla siyang nagtanong. Isang tanong na hindi ko alam kung ano ang isasagot.

"Have you already fall to the King? Genevieve?"

Napahinto ako sa paglalakad kaya nahinto rin siya. I tried to look for an answer on myself but I know that I already know it. pero alam ko sa sarili kong mali iyon. I want to answer him honestly but myself is telling me to just forget it and just keep it myself. dahil alam ko naman na hindir rin naman ako mabibigyan ng pag-asa kaya bakit ko pa sasabihin sa iba? It's better na ako lang ang may alam.

Natawa ng mahina si Lucius.

"you don't need to answer."

Nagpatuloy kami sa paglalakad nang biglang may tumalon sa gilid at halos daganan ako.

"Luna!" sigaw ko.

I'm so happy so see her again. Akala ko bumalik siya sa cage niya.

"nandito ka!" masayang sigaw ko at halos maglaglagan na ang mga balahibo niya sa higpit ng pagkakayakap ko.

Mabilis ko naman siyang binitawan agad.

"Lucius! She's my beast. I named her Luna."

Luna bowed at Lucius. Habang si Lucius ay tulala pa rin.

"pleasure to meet you again, Knight L." saad ni Luna.

"again? So you already know each other?" tanong ko pero hindi nila ako pinansin.

"didn't know you're still alive. until now, you still didn't transform into a human body. What's really happened to you after the last cold war?" tanong ni Lucius kay Luna.

"The King imprisoned me in the cave. But after the whole Izacaetopia collapse and the Queen died, I never think to escape. Because the whole Izacaetopia is in chaos, new generations of humans is hunting us down. And my energy is weak that time, if it's not becase the piece of core energy the Queen gave me, I won't live until now."

"sandali sandali! Anong pinag-uusapan niyo?"

They look at each other and laughed like I am a joke infront of them.

Napatangin ako sa malayo at biglang nahagip ng mga mata ko ang postura ng hari na nakatingin sa amin na walang emosyon. Lucius saw how uneasy I am kaya niyaya niya kami sa Wisdom repository Hall.

"follow me. I'll tell everything that happen in the past."

Dito sa first floor ng wisdom repository hall ay puro mga libro. Dito ko unang nakita ng malapitan ang hari.

Tumaas kami sa second floor. There's nothing here but an empty space and an open balcony. Mula dito ay kitang-kitang ang ganda ng buong paligid ng palasyo. sa mga naglalakihan na fortress kabilang na doon ang Crysaline Hall.

Luna saw the changes in my mood.

"I heard what happened, my lady."

"we're not here to talk about that." Lucius said.

Magkaharap kami ni Lucius na nakaupo sa isang wooden chairs and sa gitna namin ay isang cofee table. While sa gilid ko ay nakaupo si Fox Luna while I am caressing her furs.

"I am the only descendant of the former Knight. He's my father. I am still a child back then while he's serving the King. That era is in turmoil. Because the Izaceatopia where divided into six Kingdoms. That means there are six Kings that are ruling each kingdom. There are constant wars that took many innocent lives. And all because of greediness and their desire to widen their territories. The two kingdom was fall under the control of King Evander, the father of the Queen. And the two Kingdom supported King Dion Magnius."

"So you mean, the Queen's father is the enemy of King Dion? Ang complicated naman pala ang lovestory nila."

"The Queen grow up in the kingdom of Thundervale where her own home. But she escape because she knows that her father will not spare her after she found out that her mother died because of her father. Her life in their palace is not peaceful. King Dion and the Queen are mates so it's not questionable why they met each other and fall inlove. The Queen stab her own father to save the lives of many people. After that, she did a mistake that cause the whole Izacetopia collapse."

"what is it to cause in that too much catastrophe?"

This time si Luna ang nagsalita.

"in that era thousands year ago, every dead human being, when they died they'll become a tree if they did a bad deeds in their life. While if you died with a good deeds, you'll be reincarnated into birds that symbolizes that you've been freed. Her father became a tree. But that tree bore a fruit. And it's a curse to eat the fruit of the tree of dead peoples. The Queen is connected to the King, if she die, the King will also suffer the consequences. But she still ate the fruit that makes them both die. The whole Izaceatopia rebooted and all the livining ordinary person and animals died. The cursed sorceres and mythical beast is the only one who remain alive. The Queen became a tree and the King became free as bird."

"that means, you are a mythical beast and Lucius is from the bloodline of sorceres?"

Lucius nodded.

"My birth mother only have the ¼ blood of a sorcerer. My father hide me in Citadel. I grow up there until the wars. That time, before my father died, he gave his last word to the King to take me into the palace and let me stay there until i grow up to be able to serve the King and continue the duty of my father. But it happened so fast that days after their victory, the whole Izacaetopia shaken. My mother also predict that it will happened, that's why she transferred me the only blood of sorcerers she have in her. I didn't carry that much of her bloodline that's why the blood I have is not enough to make me alive."

"paano kayo nagkakilala ni Luna?" tanong ko.

"before the catastrophe and the wars, we have known each other because Luna was once the beast of the Queen." lucius said.

Napatingin ako kay Luna na nasa tabi ko.

"Lucius is still a child back then but he save me from the rage of the King. The king find out that I am conspiring with the enemy that cause of the Queen's injury. The King chase me while I run my life everywhere. Hanggang sa napadpad ako sa isang lugar. I was running out of breathe that time. My energy is diminishing because I was hit by the strong power of the King. That time, the king is too powerful that a mythical beast like me will be compared as an ant infront of him. Lucius found me lying in the forest almost out of breath. He didn't even hesitate to come near me. I tried to scare him para hindi niya ako lapitan dahil baka madamay siya. If he wasn't there, the heavy attack from the king might already killed me if he didn't saw that there is child beside me. The King is an upright man and he won't let innocent to be involves in our fight."

"woah. Too much information in this day." namamanghag reaction ko.

"and because of that. It gave me a minutes to by time before the Queen catch up. The Queen is still weak because of what I did. The Queen almost vent her anger to the King because she think that the King is planning to attack even with the prescence of an innocent child playing my furs. I felt guilty because the Queen still trust me and let me live. She knows that my energy is already draining, that's why she suck out a piece of her core energy and transferred it to me. Her core energy is her source to live and her source to her power. The King tried to stop her but he failed. After the Queen passed out, I surrender myself and let the King imprisoned me in the cave where you saw me."

"oh..that's explained why the King looks slighty angry when he saw you and hesitant to make me take you as my beast."

Nagsalita ulit si Lucius.

"After the catastrophe, the Elders summoned me in the palace to obey the last word of my father even the King is not around. The palace is in chaos but the good thing is no one wants to take the throne."

"why?"

"Because of the prophecy that another catastrophe will happen. The only thing to do to avoid that is to revive the King and Queen."

Tumango tango ako habang namamangha sa mga information na nalaman ko.

Ilang minuto ang katahimikan ay nagsalita ako.

"I just realize that no matter where I go, it is still hard to live." I said.

"woah!" napatayo ako sa balcony at sinalo ang ilang mga naglalaglag na snow.

"It's snowing!" I exclaimed.

Ang tahimik ng buong paligid na tila ba walang gulo ang nangyayari. Sumakto ito sa weather ngayon.

Tahimik kaming lahat habang ako ay nilalaro ang mga nahuhulog na snow. They just let me have my time.

"my lady, I remember someone told me a phrase." Luna said in the middle of the silence between us.

Lumapit siya sa tabi ko while I busied myself enjoying the snow.

"if we can't change our destiny---"

"then makes the present days happy." Pagtutuloy ko sa sinasabi niya nang hindi siya nilingon at nagpatuloy sa pagsalo ng mga snow.

Napansin kong biglang natahimik ang paligid at parang may tension kaya nagtatakang napatingin ako sa kanila.

"bakit?" tanong ko.

Para silang nastarstruck.

"saan mo nalaman yun, my lady?"

"yung alin?"

"ah! Yung phrase ba. That's my motto in life. I always encounter danger in my ways, I might die anytime. So why not enjoy the life while I am still breathing? Right?"

"but Luna and I will always be your back up. We're still here, don't think about death if you still have us to protect you." Lucius seriously said.

Muli akong humarap sa snow at pinatong ang kamay sa rails ng balcony.

I sighed.

"Oo nga pala. I forget that I am not alone anymore. That there are people who cares for me. Dati wala akong pakialam kung mamamatay ako sa padalos-dalos na desisyon ko. I'm not afraid of offending anyone, I don't have to follow any rules or any etiquettes. Because I am myself. I have my own rules." I secretly wipes the tears in my eyes.

Nakatalikod ako sa kanila. Lucius is still sitting in the wooden chairs while Luna is just behind me.