From what Celestine had explained earlier, it's pretty clear that Serafine had grown stronger. How on Earth are we supposed to defeat her now?

"She's not the only one who gets stronger. I may not be able to stop her, but I know five young girls who could." Celestine smiled.

"You're not saying it's me and my friends, right?" I asked hoping that it's not what I think it is.

"Who else would it be? You girls have been preparing your whole life for this." she said.

"But I... I was the one who set Serafine free. It was all my fault." I stated.

"Because of that, I could finally use my magic. Besides, she'll find a way to escape with or without you. So it was no one's fault." she smiled.

"But how can my friends and I defeat her? We could barely even get close to her." I stated.

"Don't worry. I have some tricks under my sleeve." she chuckled.

"What tricks?" I asked.

"Well, you'll know it when the time comes. For now, let's prepare for the war." she said and snapped her fingers.

Everything around us starts to change and disappear. In a few seconds, we are standing right inside of my room. Well, half of it apparently. Nothing had changed after Serafine threw me in that door.

"So, let's go to the castle!" Celestine said cheerfully.

She reminds me of Elianor. How can she be so calm and happy when she's about to face her own evil twin sister?

"Where's Serafine?" I asked.

"She's probably meeting up with her husband." she chuckled.

"What?" I asked surprisingly.

"You know about Ethaletha right? The reason why they're suddenly attacking Laricienne is because their king is Serafine's husband. She casted a spell on him to make him stronger and become immortal. So, after they received news that I'm gone, they planned to attack Laricienne and release Serafine." she explained.

Well, things are getting weirder and weirder. Like, a million years old witch has an immortal king as a husband?

"Don't worry about them. They're most probably enjoying their time of victory. For now..." Celestine stated.

"Why can't you just snap your fingers and bring us to the castle?" I asked.

"Oh, and frighten everybody who saw us?" she answered sarcastically and continued, "Magic is a wonderful thing, but caution must be taken in using it. If you use it for every single thing you do, it'll change you. Like how Serafine had become. Blinded by powers. Always remember to not use your power for your self needs. Instead, use it to help others and change the world to a better place."

I nodded in agreement.

"And... We can only transport in the Magic land..." she laughed.

Just when I thought that she could be serious for a moment there. I still couldn't believe that this childish lady is our queen.

I followed her into the magical forest while she hummed a melodious tune and lit up the area as she walked by. It looks like 'The Magical Forest of Laricienne' came back to life and regained its magical powers.

As much as I enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the forest, I couldn't help but worry of what happened to my friends. I really hope that they are okay.

-----

Niel's POV

After several hours, almost all of the people had gathered in front of the castle. I was standing in front of the tall castle doors, waiting for everyone to arrive.

"Niel! All of them are here. We can start moving now." Jack informed me.

"Ethaletha's armies are nowhere nearby. We should leave as fast as possible before they know about the plan." Sir Ayser stated.

"Okay, let's go now." I said. I raised my sword in the air and start to lead the way.

I could hear people whispering and chattering on where we are heading to.

The safe place.

It is an underground place, spacious enough to fit thousands of people. Equipped with necessities, it was once a place where our ancestors lived. No one except my father and I knew about it. We kept it hidden in case of emergencies like this.

We walked into a thick forest for several hours before reaching the entrance of the safe place.

Hidden behind a short waterfall, is a cave which leads hundreds of steps down. The cave is blocked by a large indestructible boulder. Only one key could open it. The crown.

I held my crown towards the boulder. Light shines through it and the boulder starts to move to the right, creating enough space for two large men to enter.

"I couldn't believe my eyes... For years, this ancient place had been abandoned without any trace. But the royal family hid it and protected it. I hope that it could protect the people as well." Sir Ayser said as he lights up a fire on a wooden torch.

"Lariciennes! This place is very old. So please be careful." I stated, leading the way.

Sir Ayser used his torch to light up the other torches which is on the wall. I could see a clear view of the staircase which is spiralling down the tower-like structure.

I walked carefully down the staircase and reached the ground in about thirty minutes.

Behind me, the people are slowly coming down one by one in an orderly fashion. The knights helped them carry their stuffs and making sure they reached the ground safely.

I looked around and saw several spacious rooms and a large area enough to fit everyone. The rooms are filled with weapons, cutleries, and other stuffs.

"Your highness, please sit here while the knights help the people." a tall, bulky man said as he placed a golden chair right in front of me.

"It's not the time for me to sit here and do nothing." I stated and walked towards the people who needed help.

Suddenly, two men with the royal knights' uniform stopped me.

"We are truly sorry your highness, but it is Sir Raymond's commands for us to keep you here from doing anything." one of them stated.

"I shall help my people. You and Sir Raymond have no rights to stop me from being a king I should be!" I whisper-shouted at them and proceed to help the people.

The knights followed me almost everywhere I go. There's certainly no chance to escape from them.

"Your highness!" Tiffany called.

"What are we going to do now? May I know what is your plan?" she asked.

Jack, followed by Elianor, Roselle and Susanna came nearby.

"Niel?" Jack called.

I looked at the two knights who are standing quite close behind me. Luckily, all five of them understood my sign. Susanna and Roselle walked towards the knights and acted as if someone really needs their help.

They were pulled away and soon after disappeared from our sight.

"Sorry, guys... Sir Raymond informed every knight to watch an eye on me. It's hard to escape and continue with the plan." I stated.

"What is your plan exactly?" Elianor asked.

"I think that Serafine would be preparing her own army. The highest chance is that she's plotting with our current enemy. Ethaletha. They'll stop at nothing to find us and when they do, we'll be done for. So, we need to stop them before they reached anywhere near here. That's the knights' duty. But, it's not enough. That's why we need to help them. We'll face Serafine while the others fight Ethaletha's army." I explained.

"How can you be so sure that Ethaletha would attack us?" Tiffany asked.

"We are currently on a crisis and had evacuated the kingdom. What better time to attack us than now? Even if they don't know about Serafine, they'll most probably take this chance to attack us." I explained.

"So, how are we going to get out of here? The knights had lined up all the way up to the door and they're staring at us." Jack stated.

"I think there's a way to escape." Susanna whom appeared behind me stated.

-----

Hi, I hope that you're not bored with this story. Maybe you would think that it's confusing, but don't worry. Further in the chapters, there will be more explanation and also more change of point of views.

Hope you'll continue reading...