And so began the new quest of the three newly chosen Avallons. With the number of them quickly filling up, Cithara's mind began to be filled with questions about her service.

"Do they still need me?" she sighed. She knew that if they didn't, she would be heading for her journey to find her father.

"Cithara!" she heard Wil call from a distance. "We still have to finish our journey."

"Oh! Okay," she replied with a fake smile that she used to hide her uneasiness.

"Don't worry," said Wil, "After all of this, I promise that I will help you to find your father."

A smile crept towards her face. Wil was a soon-to-be emperor. Through his help, she thought that she could find her father at a quicker pace.

"Now, where could we find the individuals that are likely to be an Avallon?" Wil asked.

"What if I go east, Sefira goes south, Wil goes west, and Marivielle goes north?" Cithara suggested.

"Great idea!" Sefira beamed.

"So it's a new journey, I guess," said Wil.

"Wait, are we going to walk away from each other? For how long?" Marivielle asked, seeming to be concerned about the peril along the way.

"Don't worry, we'll... we'll just go back at the end of the day," Cithara replied. "All of us should find one person that we think will be right for the job."

"Why? Are you scared?" Sefira teased. "Are you regretting that you were chosen?"

"N- No, I'm not," replied the worried Marivielle, trying to play it safe.

"We should probably go now before dark," said Cithara.

They all did what was told. On their way, they encountered several creatures that might just be fitted to join them.

Cithara went eastbound. Though scared of what Alastair told her, she knew that she should still do her job for the sake of her father.

While walking towards the eastern market, she met a familiar face heading towards her by coincidence.

"Clevor!" she called.

"Cithara!"

"What are you doing here?" Cithara asked curiously.

"Lady Aja told me to send these invitations to you and the other Avallons," Clevor replied, giving invitations to Cithara.

"What are these for?"

"Well, it is for her coronation as Hara tomorrow night," Clevor answered.

"Oh! That's good to know!" she beamed.

"Be sure to come because I'll serve you my special cuisine," Clevor lilted.

"I promise I will come, Lio," Cithara replied.

"I... I'll head back to Liberia now. I'm... I'm not supposed to be here anyway," Clevor spoke. Yet, before he could even take a step away from the ground where he was standing, Cithara caught his attention once again.

"Lio," she called. "Promise me that you'll be alright."

"Of course," the knight replied before disappearing from Cithara's sight.

Towards the southern side came Sefira, who was heading towards a riverside with its other side leading to Derilla.

"Why do I have to be here? I can't believe I agreed to this?" she murmured. "What? Do I need to cross that river?"

As she was busy groaning and murmuring about what was going on, her gaze turned toward the scene of three individuals trying to cross the river from the other side.

"Derilla, such a nice place," she grinned. "I know that one by one, that kingdom will be ruled over by the Mithrian Emperor."

"It's just so sad to think that this world is made for the brave and the weak don't survive that much," she added.

"Are we going to cross the river?" the only boy in the group asked.

"We have no choice. If we head back, we will be like them, but if we head straight, we might probably be safe," the tallest one answered. "I don't want to waste our friend's sacrifice!"

Seeing the three creatures suffering to cross without any boat, Sefira thought of helping them.

"Need any help?!" she shouted.

"Yes, please," the other woman spoke.

Sefira, with the survival skills that she learned throughout her 'servant' life, began to build a raft made of sticks and tree branches as fast as she could. She paddled across the river and fetched the three.

As soon as they reached the other side, questions began to fly right inside their minds.

"Where will go now?"

"Should I still cross the river?"

Suddenly, Sefira had a plan. The others might just have one creature with them when they go back to the castle, but she had three. "How would you three want to join me in my adventure?"

Meanwhile, towards the north, which was heading towards the north, came Marivielle, getting back towards the ship. The eight Mithrian survivors were inside it, treating the vessel as their new home before they went back to Mithrin to continue their plans. She stepped inside, trying to look if that mortal came back once more.

"Who are you?" asked the one standing beside the railings.

"Let her pass," the woman who talked to Wil earlier answered, "She's one of us."

"Has anyone around here seen a crystal-gem?" she asked.

"You mean something that looks like that necklace of yours?" the woman asked.

"Yes!" Marivielle responded, "Have you seen the half of this?"

"No," the woman replied. "Why?"

"Nothing," she replied. "I just... I just lost it."

"Do you... Do you want to join us for lunch?" the woman asked.

"Oh, yes, please! I badly needed to eat something," Marivielle replied.

The lady escorted her towards the dining area just at the center of the uppermost deck.

"Fish?" she asked.

"Oh! You don't eat fish? I'm afraid we don't have meat since we are here in Everdaile. The elves only eat fruits and vegetables," the lady stated.

"It's okay. I love vegetables, but I don't eat fish," Marivielle replied.

After indulging in the wonderful lunch that she needed after being caught by those Nivannon pirates, she knew what she had to do.

"I should probably go back to the castle," she spoke, completely forgetting about her mission.

Back towards the castle came Wil, who met up with Elron. "Perhaps you are wondering why I called you here in the prisoners' cells, You're Highness. It is because I might have a suggestion for you," Elron spoke.

Elron showed Wil the prisoners they had caught who he thought would be having a change of heart after being released and joining the Avallons.

"Now this creature is a mortal that we caught yesterday morning. When I first saw him, I saw greatness in him that still needs to be dug up from his mind," he stated as he showed Wil the last prisoner of his choice. "On the downside, he's a little bit naughty."

"I guess he's better than the others. I'll pick him," Wil replied. "I can feel what you felt about him, too."

"I sure hope he'll cooperate," he added.

Glossary

⚔️ Hara
- Liberian word: Queen

⚔️ Lio
- Elven word: Brother