Chapter 9 - Save the Prince

Pheia ran hurriedly inside the forest, not minding the twigs that left blood in her exposed skin, like the arms and thighs.

She grab her knife tightly as she imagined all possible scenarios of the Prince today. Maybe he was eaten by a pack of wolves, a pack of hyenas, or even bitten by some poisonous animals.

Maybe he was now paralyzed and is just waiting to be eaten alive by the beast, or worst, he was now a piece of fleshless bones scattered on the earth's grass floor.

She might prefer seeing him paralyzed than just bones, at least she could watch him die... No! No! I am not an assassin anymore that enjoys killing. I am now Pheia, a virtuous young lady, who is generous, helpful, and a lively person. Besides, the prince helps me earlier so I just have to return the favor. But is it him who has paid the favor? So we're quits and even now. So why should I help him? I should have let him die. But my mother will be unhappy seeing me like that. So, on behalf of my mother, I will help the Prince. Yes, that's it.

As she continues to contemplate the reason why she suddenly run towards the forest to save again the Prince, she reached the clearing and saw an unexpected scene. The various beast was nowhere in sight. Not even a worm at the area nor the Prince. Where is he?

She searched the perimeter and all possible areas for hideouts but there was not even a prince. She followed the traces on the ground with the Prince's footprints but to no avail.

Where the hell is he? Is he now eaten alive?

She searched for more than half an hour. Worried and tired, she sat at the tree trunk and look up at the sky.

Where does the Prince go? Is he now dead? Eaten alive?

Even though he possesses magic, it doesn't mean that the beast will not attack them, especially sensing its weak state.

According to the old woman that Pheia met earlier, the prince cast a fourth of his allex plus his already injured self means he really is so weak now.

Pheia closed her eyes and feel her surroundings. She has to find him, or else how will she explain this to her mother? She will scold her. That is really what's going to happen.

She balanced her emotion and focus on the environment and nature's voices. She calmed and breathed in and out steadily. Enhancing her senses and roaming her aura around the area.

Using her aura, it is easier for her to sense quite 30 meters of her surroundings whether horizontally or vertically. Not leaving a single space.

When she was still in her original self, she can use her aura whenever she wanted. She can use it for a kilometer wide of a circumference. She doesn't need to focus as it was innate in her being. But now in Pheia's body, she needs to use the concentration she has to activate it.

A couple of minutes later, she senses a shallow breathing not less than 25 meters away at 1 o'clock which means at the northeast area from where she is.

It was breathing slowly as if not breathing at all. Pheia open her eyes and walked towards the area. When she reached it, she focus again to locate at where is its exact location. As her aura tells her, it was somewhat at a high place. What Pheia sees were just trees and no mountains or hills so most probably he is on one of these surrounding tree's branches.

She glanced up and enhanced her vision's aura. And there sitting- leaning to the tree's trunk, and somewhat sleeping posture of a man with silver-like hair. He might be in his deep sleep because he doesn't sense Pheia's presence.

Pheia sighed thankfully because he is safe, although, dying. But it's better than being dead at least. Now, the question is, since he's probably sleeping due to his weak state, how is Pheia going to go up in there, considering she's not so light at all. And how is she going to bring him here when in fact it's nearly 30 meters high. She couldn't climb but can she call him? However, if she will call him, it will create some disturbances in the area. And who knows, the beast was just around watching.

On the other hand, he's sleeping, he can't hear her unless he has heightened hearing. So what should she do then?

Frustrated as she already is, she still calms herself because she can go nowhere just by being frustrated. It will lead to nothing.

She breathes in and breathes out. Ensuring her calmness, she decided to think of a plan. It's getting dark now, she needs to move fast, or else, instead of saving him, she can be the one in danger.

Pheia searched for something that can be used and found some vines that are sturdy enough for Pheia's weight and cut two of them using her knife. One for her to use to climb up and down while the other one is for the Prince to go down.

She tied the one string of the vine unto her body tightly while the other one clings on her shoulders. She whipped the other end connected to her body's vine and targeted the branch near the Prince's branch. As she always practiced her target and aim these days, she was somewhat considered 30% of her previous ability when she was still in her old body which can be tantamount to an average target shooter so the aim is successful. The end of the vines was double-looped unto the branch tightly as she inserted a sharp stone in it to cling unto the branch like a lizard in a ceiling.

Then afterward she test its toughness and readied herself to climb, she stretch her bones first and began her dangerous climb, with no protective gears. As she reached the middle part, she heard some minute movements on the other end of the forest, and voices as followed.

"Henry, where can we find that bastard Prince now? If the boss will find out that we'd lost the Prince for a week now, I don't know what will happen to us." Man number 1 said.

"You don't have to be worried, Victor. With that Prince's injuries. Hah. Just a miracle can save him. Maybe he is now dead and was eaten by monsters and beast until he is now just a useless bone." Man who is Henry chuckled. With the sky now illuminating the darkness of the night, Pheia couldn't decipher much the expressions of the two people but by analyzing the talks they have they might be talking about this Prince over here.

She glance in the Prince's direction and found out that he is awake and was also listening to the man's talks. Pheia, out of the darkness, saw a glint of hatred in his eyes, a murderous intent mixed with blood lust. He was ready to jump and pounced to the two people but Pheia motioned her free hand to stop him and shakes her head implying to say no.

The moment Pheia stopped him, Pheia shivered from his death glares. It is the same eyes she has when she is revenging her parent's death but something was different in his look, he was determined to kill but also determined to stay alive. When Pheia was an assassin back then, she always fought with determination, the same blood lust but she never had any hopes of life. She kills and was also ready to be killed. Although her skills before are very proficient, considered as a master but out of the million people in that world, there are always people who are better than you. That's why in every assassination she did, she fought face to face, trying to kill those people who has also some goons with them that are also a master, and thus, she was ready to be killed. But unfortunately, she wasn't killed during those days but end up being killed by some immature tactics.

Pheia climbed back up with hidden movements from the two folks and reached the branch near the Prince. She sighed and put her hands on his shoulder and whispered, "You have no chance to live if you fight now. Just let them first and take revenge when you are healed."

The death glares that he is shooting towards Pheia dissipates a little and when she sees that he understands, Pheia lowered her hands back at her side and waited for those two people to leave. They stayed at the branch of the tree until only silhouettes of those people are seen.

"We have to go, Prince, we have to go back to my house. It's very dangerous in here and I can't guarantee you, your safety." Pheia said to him and he quietly sneered and said, "I don't need your help." And turn his face around in the other direction. "Just leave me alone."

"Look, Prince. I, too, doesn't want to help you. But I remember my mother. She'll be worried if you aren't there, and you know the situation we're in. My mother couldn't search for you around there because, of course, you're from a different and, let me state, a warring enemy of our kingdom. And mother will be restless if you've got killed. She'll blame herself that you died and she'll be very sad with that." Just knowing that the characters she'd made in the novel got injured in front of her eyes, she really did cry for that.

Tsk. Do you know Prince that you are her fave character?