Cursed Queen: Battle Against Gods

Four Elements

"Why are you acting like this anyway?" I asked, confused.

Just a moment ago, he was ignoring me. And then he'll suddenly appear in front of me, acting all jealous. I can't understand him. I never liked it when people mess with me and he's doing exactly what I hate.

"Why, you ask? Flare, you're driving me crazy..." he answered. His voice was raspy and his expression was unfathomable.

I intently stared at him. "You say I'm a goddess and that I'm a divine being but...am I really?"

"What do you mean?"

"Treat me like one," I said with authority.

Honestly, I don't mind being treated as a normal being. But Karis seems to see me as his subordinate or something, not as a 'divine being'. For some reason, I find it annoying. I want him to treat me like one.

I have always felt inferior but this time around, I want to be a little greedy. Even if it's just for him. A queen should be given whatever she wants, right? And I want him to give himself to me. His loyalty and everything he has. This is the first time I have ever felt this way and that's all I can think about right now.

Maybe I'm drunk. We drank a lot, after all. I don't think I'll be able to talk this way if I wasn't. But I don't regret saying it out loud. I might find it embarrassing when I sober up but for now, I'll make the most out of it.

He sighed and went down on one knee. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

I smirked as I enjoyed the view. He doesn't seem like the type to bow down to anyone, no matter who they are. But seeing him bow down before me is an incredibly amazing sight to see.

I bent down and held his chin up. He looked helpless as if the big and strong deer has shrunken to the size of a helpless prey. All of this seems amusing to me. Ha, what was that alcohol? It seems to have turned me into a...different creature.

"Your Majesty, you need to rest now. We're leaving early tomorrow..." he drawled.

Hm...

Right. I'm already tired so I think it will also be better if I rest now. I immediately lied down and tried to sleep. Since Karis promised to treat me like a queen, I don't think he'll sleep beside me. As I drifted to sleep, I saw him prepare to sleep on the floor.

The next morning, I woke up with a bad headache. Karis immediately gave me an herbal medicine to treat it. He's treating me with utmost care that it almost gave me the creeps.

"We have already prepared the things that you would need on your journey. Please have a safe trip, Your Majesty," Alwina said and bowed her head.

I smiled and did the same. "Take care while we're gone. I'm leaving the camp in your command."

"Goodbye, Your Majesty! Take care on your journey!"

I said goodbye to them with a smile on my face. Karis helped me climb up to Koryu's back. He seems to be a fire dragon. Cyrus climbed up to my shoulder and rested there. I patted his head and told Koryu to take off.

When Koryu started to flap his wings, Karis held my waist to make sure that I won't fall. I looked back at him to see his expression but he was only serious.

"Hey, about what I said last night..." I trailed off.

I saw his jaw clenching and his brows furrowed. He seems agitated and it's making me want to tease him. Oh, how the tables have turned. I drunkenly released the beast within me. Now, I can only think of asserting dominance.

"What about it, Your Majesty?" he asked, hostility was visible on his handsome face.

I might have been oblivious to these things before but it's not like I know nothing about it. Countless times, I have used it against my enemies. I just didn't spare some time to think about it. But now...

"Flare, don't let yourself be indulged to those feelings or you will fall deeper. The curse has been activated and those feelings are created by it. Please wake up..."

It was Bythos. After hearing what he said, it felt like something in my mind snapped. Like any string just snapped in two and it's giving me a massive migraine. I'm starting to get dizzy and it's likely that I will likely pass out.

"Your Majesty! Are you okay? What's wrong?"

I couldn't see his face because everything I see is blurry. All I can hear was his worried voice calling my name before I lost consciousness.

When I opened my eyes, we are already on the ground and Karis is pacing back and forth. There was a wet piece of cloth on my forehead so I removed it and got up. Karis noticed me so he immediately approached me and stopped me from getting up.

"Please continue to rest, you don't seem well yet. Your face is pale and you're feverish," he said softly as he placed the wet cloth on my forehead again.

I stared at his face, waiting to feel those kinds of things again. But it seems like they are gone now. I have to thank Bythos. I'm sure that Karis had a hard time because of how I acted, but I am also confused.

"Okay..." I replied.

He smiled and sat beside me. "How do you feel? Does anything else hurt?"

I shook my head. "Karis..."

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry for acting that way. I don't know what got to me to do such things to you..."

His face turned red but he quickly calmed down. "No, no. It's fine. I think you're right. In fact, I would like to continue treating you that way."

"Well, now that I'm back to normal...I don't think I'd still want that kind of treatment from you. You don't have to force yourself anymore."

He pursed his lips and looked away. "Oh, okay."

I looked around the surroundings. It seems like we are already near the foot of the mountain and I'm lying on Koryu's foot. Cryus is watching me from my side. They are looking at me and I can see that they are all worried.

"I heard Bythos's voice from my head. He said something about a curse being activated," I said.

Karis looked at me with furrowed brows. "Are you sure? What else did he say?"

"He told me not to get myself indulged with strange feelings. I think it was related to the curse."

"What curse? Did he tell you more about it?"

I shook my head. "His voice disappeared immediately. That was when I lost consciousness."

"We need to go back and talk to Alwina about this. This is an important matter. As soon as you feel better, we are going back to the camp."

"Do no turn back. There is nothing you can do about the curse. Right now, all you have to do is train yourself so that you can control your powers. Prioritize it or you'll end up destroying this whole world."

"Karis..." I called.

"What is it? Do you need something?"

"He told me not to turn back and proceed to train myself."

He looked like he was extremely enraged. "Why? We need to do something about that curse of yours! I don't think I'll be able to go on without doing something about your condition."

"I know but he told me to prioritize it or I'll end up destroying this world..."

He stiffened and when he recovered from what I just said, he pulled me in for a hug. He slowly caressed my back. I was anxious earlier because I suddenly learned that a curse was placed upon me. And I don't even know what it is or how I got it. But now that I know that Karis is here with me, I felt relieved. I don't think he would abandon me so it made me feel better.

"Don't worry, I'll help you find a way to get rid of that curse," he whispered.

I nodded and returned his hug slowly. Maybe I should be more open regarding my feelings so that he can understand me better while I can learn how to control it. That should work out for both of us. Especially since we will be staying with each other for months.

These past few days, I have felt a lot of unknown and strange feelings. Since I'm not used to them, they felt like explosions within me and it was hard for me to control them. Bythos told me not to indulge myself in them so I have to immediately learn how to control them.

"Let's continue our journey now..." I said.

He nodded and helped me climb up again. Now that I have gotten rid of those nasty thoughts, I was finally able to appreciate the scenery from above. It was really pretty, especially because of the snowflakes slowly falling from the sky.

I held my hand out and a few snowflakes fell in it. I stared at it but the wind blew it off. As I watched it fly away, I saw the tip of the mountain. It's still far away and it's getting colder every minute.

"Koryu, you can start emitting heat from your body now!" Karis shouted.

What...?

Koryu slowed down as he growled and his body started to emit heat. His body was hot enough to allow us to live through the cold. Wow. To think that a fire dragon can not only breathe fire but can also emit heat from its body. I think it's amazing.

"Koryu is the king of the dragons," Karis said.

"Really? How can the king of dragons be tamed by a...human?" I asked hesitantly.

He chuckled at my question like it's something silly. "The Zodiacs are not humans. We were animals that were turned into humans after Bythos chose us as his servants. We all had our respective kings before him but he was everyone's Almighty God. Therefore, our kings offered us to him. When he gave us a portion of his power, we gained a tremendous amount of power. Because of that, our kings gave their thrones up to us."

Tremendous power? They don't seem like they have such power right now. Matteo's pack was confident that they can handle Sheena. And Karis was sure that Bren wouldn't be able to win against him and Albion. If so, then where is the tremendous power that he is talking about?

"I know what you're thinking, Flare. Our power has greatly diminished since Bythos disappeared. And now that we have a new ruler, we can get it back. The problem is, we can't get it back unless you learn how to use your power. What can we do if our goddess can't use her power?" He smirked at me.

Huh. So he's going to continue teasing me now that I am back to my old self. Tsk. I should have known. Now, I can say that Karis is a cunning man. That's just how I see him. But I know that he is loyal to me even though he likes to make fun of me.

"I get it. Now teach me how to manipulate the four elements," I said and tried to use my authority again, hoping that it will still work. I think I really need to understand how magic works in this world.

He smiled. "Very well. You see, I can only manipulate the water element since I am the Pisces Zodiac. I am also the strongest of the twelve," he said.

His confidence was brimming but I can see in his eyes that he's hoping that I would agree. If I say no, he would probably get hurt again. Well, I can say that he's strong but since I didn't see how his fight with Drake went...I'm not sure.

"You were the former leader of the twelve. That means you're...strong. Am I right?" I asked hesitantly.

He smirked. "Yes, that's right. Anyway, I'll teach you how to use the water element now. Close your eyes and clasp your hands together."

"Okay," I said and did what he told me.

"Manipulation of the water element requires deep concentration. Get rid of your mundane thoughts. Do not think of anything else. Visualize a pool of water in your mind and do not let a ripple form in it. As soon as you feel something different, open your hands and try to form a certain shape out of water," he whispered in my ear.

Just like he said, I didn't think of anything else. I visualized a pool of water in my mind and focused on it. At first, droplets of water kept falling but after some time, it calmed down. It was really quiet and I could feel something boiling within me. As I opened my eyes, I tried to imagine a ball of water like what Karis told me to.

"Open your eyes now," he said.

As I opened my eyes, I saw a floating ball of water in my hand. It was perfectly circular.

"That's good for your first time. Now try to make it move. Use your mind. Don't think of anything else, just make it move. You can try to do it in any way."

I lifted my right hand and placed it on the back of the circle. I imagined an impact being created between it and my hand. When I did, the ball of water burst flying and it seems like it landed on the mountain.

Karis chuckled. "As expected of my goddess. You instantly learned how to do it. Normal people would usually fail a few times during their first time."

I glared at him. "My what? Excuse me?"

He only smirked. "Now, now. Don't get angry. You should just smile. You look prettier when you smile."

"Shut up and teach me how to use the other elements," I said sharply.

"What's the rush?" he teased.

"Are you going to teach me or not? Wait. Do you even know what to teach me? You can only use the water element, right?"

He chuckled. "Who do you think you're talking to? Of course, I do. Anyways, you're a goddess so this should be a cinch. Normally, the fire element requires you to awaken your burning passion. But you can try to just visualize yourself walking into a huge flame. That's what Drake told me."

I swallowed hard. Walk into a huge flame? I mean, I will only be imagining it but is that even possible?

"Don't be scared, I'm here..." he said softly.

I heaved a heavy sigh and closed my eyes. I visualized a huge flame first. Damn, it looks so hot and scary. After that, I tried to imagine myself walking into it. As I was doing it, it felt real...like I was indeed burning. Because of that, I couldn't help but unleash a pained scream.

"Flare! Stop!"

But I didn't stop. Unless I do this, I won't be able to master the four elements which are probably fundamental in learning how to control the power of the gods. If I can't even stand this, how will I live up to their expectations? I need to do this in order to be someone who is worthy of being worshiped as a goddess.

The fire slowly disappeared and the next thing I know, I am in the middle of a ring of fire. There was a woman in front of me. She...looks like me but she was nothing but a figure that was made of fire.

I took my stance, ready to fight her. But she didn't move. Wait...why should I fight her? I heaved a heavy sigh and walked up to her. When we were close enough, I hugged her. I felt like I was being burned alive but I continued to embrace me. She's...the passion within me that I had buried. Now, I have to embrace her...

"Flare! Are you okay?"

When I opened my eyes, I could see fire coming out of my own two hands. I lifted it and tried to manipulate it with my mind. I pointed my hands on an open space at the mountain and tried to create explosions.

Karis clapped when he saw what I did. I chuckled and tried to manipulate the fire element on my right hand and the water element on my left. It took a lot of concentration but after some time, I was able to do it. Karis and Cyrus look so proud of me.

I chuckled. "Did you see that? I'm a fast learner!" I said enthusiastically.

When I realized how I acted, I cleared my throat and pretended to create different shapes using the two elements. Damn, that was embarrassing. How could I lose my composure and act like a child?! If I'm going to be a queen, I need to be more mature.

Karis chuckled and made me face me. "You know, it's not like you're not allowed to act like that just because you're a queen or a goddess. You can be like that when you're with me..." he said with utmost sincerity.

I pursed my lips and looked away. "Oh, I think it's time for lunch. Should we go down and eat?"

They agreed with me so we asked Koryu to land on the ground. There was a magical beast right where we landed. We were about to fight it but Koryu snatched it and swallowed it whole.

We were taken aback but we immediately started cooking our own food. It seems like Karis doesn't know how to cook so I just asked him to give me what I need. We finished quickly because there are tons of magical beasts in the area. It will get dangerous if we stay any longer.

"Do you want to learn how to manipulate the element of air now?" Karis asked when we have reached the right altitude.

"Yes. Is it okay?"

He nodded. "But...do you feel alright? Aren't you tired or something?"

"No. I'm fine. Go on."

"If you say so. Be one with the wind. We're at a high altitude and the wind from up here is nice. You should take advantage of it. Try to win its favor...and make it your own."

"What?" I asked, confused.

He smirked. "The wind doesn't obey everybody. It will only obey those who are worthy. Now, go on and try. Concentrate, Flare."

His words were unclear and I don't know what to do. But I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate. Be one with the wind, he says. But how? This is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. The 'air element' seems to be fickle.

I sighed and tried to focus again. The wind up here is strong so I tried to feel it. Make it my own, huh? So all I have to do is make it obey me. I used my mind to gather the wind in my hand. When I opened my eyes, they have gathered on my hand, as if they are being sucked onto it. I smiled and tried to manipulate it as I liked but Cyrus almost got blown away so I stopped.

"Sorry, I just got excited."

Karis tapped my back. "You did great. I'm proud of you..." he said with a smile.

"Thank you..."

Wow. It was the first time that someone told me that I did great. I rarely receive compliments. Being praised feels amazing. I couldn't help but smile upon hearing one.

"But what about the last element? You know, the earth one."

"Oh, that? I'll teach you later when we land. There is a place here that magical beasts can't reach so we will camp there."

I c****d my head to the side. "Really? There's such a place?"

He nodded. "This forest is filled with miasma, that's why magical beasts thrive here. But there is one place that's not. They are afraid of it because there are remnants of a fallen god there and it is keeping the beasts from coming there."

I was fascinated by what he just said. What does the place look like? Maybe it looks magical. Well, I hope it does. I smiled to myself and waited.

"Are you excited?" Karis teased when he saw my expression.

I glared at him. "You told me that I'm allowed to express myself if I'm with you! Stop teasing me!"

He chuckled and raised his hands as if he was surrendering. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry."

I rolled my eyes and continued to look around. I want this scenery to be etched in my mind. For some reason, I feel calm and at peace when I'm up here and I love it. Oh, how I wish I could just stay here forever.