True King's Ecstasy

Velian soared through the clouds, his body surrounded by a shimmering blue aura. Below him, the verdant forests and winding rivers stretched out like a tapestry. He looked down at his companions, Juno and Aiko, who were holding onto his waist tightly.

"It was certainly hard to leave them after all this time," Juno muttered while Velian carried her in his right-hand side while using his Levitation skill.

Aiko was on the other side with her whole body glued to Velian. She was afraid of heights, but it was her brother that carried her so she didn't really feel threatened.

"Well, that's just how it is, I can't leave Remi to die knowing full well that, this threat is something she can't deal with all alone," Velian answered her question and looked at the bottle, that she was tightly holding.

"Hmm~ why do you think this black matter reacts like this? It's floating in the middle of the bottle," Velian was confused because it happened after a few minutes of them leaving the kingdom.

He questioned Luna about it, but even she didn't have any answers.

"No idea, but don't worry, I won't leave this bottle, since this is important, I will protect it with my life," Juno said while tightly holding the bottle to make sure that it won't fall, and Velian just smiled hearing her words.

"To me, your life is worth more than this bottle, so if it's a life-threatening situation, you can let it go,"

Aiko and Juno couldn't even imagine how he could utter those embarrassing words with a straight face, but while they were thinking they suddenly heard Velian's words.

"Hold me tight, we are going to land,"

He lowered himself down and landed gracefully on a patch of grass near the edge of the forest. The group dismounted, stretching their legs and taking in their surroundings. The air was crisp and cool, the leaves rustling in the breeze.

"Okay, guys," Velian said, looking at Juno and Aiko.

"We're going to have to walk from here. Remi is staying in the noble lands, and we need to be discreet, I don't want many people finding out about my flying skills."

They nodded, and the group began their journey through the forest. The trees grew light and thin as they went further in, the sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled shadows on the ground.

As they walked, Juno spoke up.

"So, Velian, how did you learn how to levitate like that? It's so cool!"

Velian smiled.

"It's a skill I picked up during my travels. It takes a lot of concentration and focus, but it's worth it."

Aiko piped up. "Do you think I could learn how to do it?"

Velian ruffled her hair.

"Maybe someday. You're still young, Aiko. You have plenty of time to learn new skills, and after getting my blessing you would be able to learn."

Then he remembered Daphnia, who is trying the same thing because of how impressed she was with his levitation skill.

The group continued, the sun slowly setting behind the trees. They emerged from the forest and saw the noble lands in the distance, the sprawling estate surrounded by high walls.

As they approached, they saw Remi standing at the gate with a group of soldiers, her long silver hair blowing in the wind. She smiled as she saw them, waving them over.

"Your Highness, Juno, Aiko! It's so good to see you!" she exclaimed, embracing each of them in turn.

But then only she realised how wrong it is to hit Velian, unlike when they were friends, so she quickly took the distance and bowed her head showing how sorry she is, but Vekianbjust smiled at her

"We're here to help," Velian said, his voice serious.

"What can we do?"

Remi's expression grew grave.

"The war has escalated. The enemy is getting stronger, and we need all the help we can get. We'll need to strategize and plan our next moves carefully."

The group nodded, ready to do whatever it took to support their friend and win the war.

"Brother, look," While they were greeting and getting ready to enter the land, Aiko suddenly pointed at the bottle Juno was holding.

"Juno, give it to me, I will hold it," Seeing how hard it was trying to escape from the bottle, Velian knew something was wrong.

As his eyes scanned the bottle, he couldn't help but notice how the once freely moving object was now tightly affixed to one side, as if it had been ensnared by an unseen force. It was a stark contrast to its previous position, where it had sat placidly in the middle of the bottle. He couldn't help but wonder what could have caused such a drastic change in its behaviour.

"Remi, what's in that direction?" Velian decided to ask since it might be helpful for him, and just like he expected he got the answer he needed.

"Hmm~ that's the direction, where borders are situated, we retreated from that direction," Remi answered him, and Velian easily guessed what caused this abnormal reaction of this black matter.

"Andriya! She's close," Velian mumbled and decided to capture her. He wanted to know where this black matter originated from.

Velian, Aiko, and Juno arrived at the new noble land, surrounded by a throng of people eagerly awaiting the arrival of their new king. The atmosphere was electric, with the sound of greetings and cheers echoing through the air.

As the night descended, Velian was approached by one of the noblemen who owned land in this new territory. The nobleman, whose position was a viscount, invited Velian to his estate to discuss what Remi had witnessed on the battlefield where they had retreated from.

"Are we going to include him in the meeting?" Remi questioned since she didn't want external parties interfering, but hearing Velian's words she knew it was a mistake to consider her benefactor as an outsider.

Velian was curious, and so he accepted the invitation. Accompanied by Aiko and Juno, he made his way to Viscount's estate, a sprawling mansion with marble columns and a large, ornate fountain in the centre of the courtyard.

As they sat down in Viscount's study, Velian could sense the tension in the air. REMI was clearly troubled, her brow furrowed and fingers tapping nervously on the armrest of his chair.

"Tell me everything, you witnessed Remi, I want to know everything," Hearing Velian's question, she started explaining everything to the group with her eyes showing this was no laughing matter for any of them.