REDEMPTION

34. COLLECTING INFORMATION.

Two weeks had gone by. Achlysa had stayed in her room for most of the part. She did not attended her parents’ burial ceremony with her brother’s. She did not want to arouse suspicions from this around her. Plus she just found out that there was a possibility she might not be related to the guys she thought were her brothers.

At the moment she sat on her windowsill with the book Claus had left her. With a spell she had memorized, she could easily read the book. The spelled allowed a voice to read the contents of the book for her in her mind. So only she could know the contents of the book. The man known as Holmen had come to look for her earlier to check if she needed anything and he wondered why she was reading an empty book.

Achlysa did not understand what he meant and had inquired about it. Only by his answer did she realize that only she had access to the book and only she could read it. Achlysa had passed him the book which immediately sealed itself upon contact. But, when she picked it up, the book opened as if nothing had happened. Holmen had soon left. And she, with nothing else to do, had gone back to reading.

She found information about the Other realm. Information that she needed if she was going to find the half of her abilities. The Other realm had six kingdoms. Five were registered while one was ignored and totally cut off from the rest. And to make sure it’s inhabitants did not crossover, a wall was built to keep them outside.

The first kingdom was called Handredell. This was the kingdom of the Angel race. It had a matrilineal monarchy. And it was the only kingdom with such a system among the five. Their current Queen was Queen Screencha Sloran. Her kingdom flourished due to their advances techniques in trade as well as medicine. Their military was also powerful and no one dared to go against them with no good reason.

The first kingdom was Droganol. The land of the beast men race and currently where Achlysa was. In terms of military power, Droganol was better than Handredell. It’s King and ruler was King Nalam Brovolle. And his kingdom made it through their daily lives due to their blessed lands that produced abundant harvests every season without fail. Their enchantments and physical strength gave them the advantage in growth. However, parts of the kingdom, especially in the outskirts were not included in the growth like the capital was.

This meant that poverty and hunger were not uncommon in the outskirts. And most of the beast men did not consider themselves as members of their nation, however, they also did not have the courage and strength to go against their motherland.

The third kingdom, Underworld, was the home to demon race. They were under the rule of Demon Lord Mafilso Dragonar. And from his name, one could easily pick up that he was a dragon born. One of the most powerful tribes among the demon races. They excelled in dark arts and their medicine practices were most valued by all the kingdoms.

They could cure all poisoned victims if they made it on time or prolong the victims life if they had been poisoned by the Deathsnare. Their food and entertainment was worldly renown. All that had visited the kingdom came back satisfied and their minds blown. For a kingdom of demon races, they were one lively bunch.

The fourth kingdom belonged to the Faes. They had a clan leader and no king or queen. They were never interested in the power struggles the other kingdoms had. All the cared about was their freedom. They all had responsibilities too so none of them slacked off. They were responsible as the gate keepers of the Other realmers. They made sure no human crossed over as well as kept tables on who left and who returned to the Other realm.

They were also known for their ability to collect intel and their skill in assassination. This meant that even though they secluded themselves from the rest, the other kingdoms still needed them for their efficient network system. They lived in the Life forest and their clan leader was Balbador Dravis, husband to Clary.

The fifth kingdom was famous for its beautiful women, splendid sceneries and advanced transportation system. They were the inventors and engineers of this realm. They developed blacksmithing, architecture and construction of electronic lighting systems.

And if they wanted, they would have also been ahead in military power but they decided against that since their kingdom was once almost erased due to this discovery. They were also well versed with literature and composition of music. King Andrich Flinch was the proud ruler of the Elves and time fairies(the last of their kind). His kingdom was called Glatronssa.

The last kingdom was only mentioned. It’s details had little to go on. Kingdom Dark Blood, which had a monarchy system has long lost their ruler. No one had claimed the throne since then and they were all ousted because they belonged to a race everyone hated… triggers.

The sound of her stomach demanding food echoed in the room. Achlysa was so immersed in the book that she did not realize that it was now evening. The sun was about to set. She closed the book and sent it to a dimension she had created. Her hand searched for something to her left. Not long after, she held a decorated stick. It was a present from Bendra.

They had not spoken since that day. He only came to give her the stick when he saw how hard she struggled to move around the house. Achlysa later heard from Holmen that Bendra had made the stick himself. It was fed with his magical powers so that it could not break easily. It was light and it matched her hair. It was decorated in a blue phoenix that was soaring around it. And on close inspection, one could also see a small centaur at the top.

Bendra had placed it there on purpose. It was his emblem as the Crown Prince and whoever wanted to harm her would have to go through his wrath. He hoped that this would also make it easier for her when she set out on her journey. Since that day, he had decided not to rush things. He was going to assist her whenever he could and let time tell where their relationship would head to.

Achlysa had long decided she would wait as well. Right now, she needed to find out who she really was before entrusting her life to someone else. They both individually agreed to help the other while doing their own digging. They also hoped no one would find out who they were just yet.

She stood up from the windowsill and headed to the door. Bendra and Holmen had showed her to the restaurant they usually ate at. They had told the owner to serve her whenever she came and leave it on his tab. When the owner heard this, he was delighted but still asked who she was to them. They had left the impression that she was a mate of either the two. And did not reveal any further.

The young maiden around them had become disheartened and soon after, rumors of Achlysa being their mistress soon spread. Neither she nor Bendra did anything to stop the rumors. Shawn had wanted to stop the rumors from spreading any further but Bendra stopped him.

Achlysa arrived and ate her usual meal. Spicy foods. She then left. Walking slowly while listening to the noise in the streets. She was happy living this way and made a mental note to pay Bendra back later. While she walked, she noticed that she was being followed. Her attackers had blended in with the crowd but she could pick them out from their evil intentions.

She turned and walked right into a dark alley. Two men broke away from the crowd and soon followed her. A man soon followed after them. The alley led to a dead end and Achlysa waited for whoever they were. Soon a voice rang in the darkness. She immediately recognized it.

“You just made my work easier.”

The man who had brought Shawn and Ralph to Bendra was the one who spoke. He approached her slowly with his hands behind his back. He was glad that his persistent tracking had finally paid off. He wanted to kill her while she sat at her window this morning but Holmen came to check up on more so often that he missed his chance. This time he was not going to waste this opportunity.

“You know what to do.” He said coldly before leaving.

He had not gone far when he heard the sound of something heavy fall on the ground. The sound of a stick echoed. He turned around only to find his two goons on the floor. He did not know how, but they were not breathing.

“Is that all you got?”