YULLI was out of breath when he finally found the commander. Alleki was standing near the entrance of the battleground. It appeared that the training had just finished.The commander immediately glared at him when he materialized in his sight.Yulli didn’t mind. His scolding was nothing compared to the bad news he brought.“Where the hell have you been? Why did you skip your training today? You deliberately disobeyed my order! What do you take me for?” Alleki’s face was red.“I’m sorry about that, but I have bad news, Commander,” he said, still trying to catch his breath. He took a shortcut to be back here as quickly as possible, and his mana was nearly drained.“You’re just creating an alibi for skipping your training,” Alleki said with unconcealed disappointment. “If we are defeated in this game with Axum again, I will blame you for not cooperating,” he added.&n

EREVAN laughed like a maniac as Malaika screamed her lungs out. It seemed he had an immense pleasure seeing how she suffered. “Show me your power, princess. Or die!” Erevan swung his dagger again and targeted her heart for the second time. Malaika was too tired to scream this time. Her throat swelled for wailing nonstop. At this moment, she knew that she would draw her last breath anytime now. Memories have come like a flash since she was a child. She saw how her father loved her when she still had her gift. The gentle pat of the Commander every time she did something horrible that would bring her father to shame. Alleki always stood beside her every time she failed, telling her it was all right to mess up as long as she would rise again and come back stronger. And then there was Yulli, who always brightened her day with just one smile. My life ends here. I’m sorry. She clearly visualized the smiling faces of her friends, who always made her feel she belonged to the circle despite

  THE storm finally abated, but Malaika was nearly freezing. She tried to make a fire, but everything was still dripping wet. Although until now, she was still wondering where all these waters came from. No matter how she pondered about it, her memories were still hazy.“Darn!” She repeatedly cursed in frustration. “I told you to prepare for a hunt. There are lots of snow leopards around this area, preying on elks. Get the snow leopard fur to keep you warm and kill an elk to fill your stomach.” Xoxo lectured her as it was glued to her shoulder. “I’m already chilling here, and I’m getting frostbite. Can’t you see that I might bleed to death once I step outside?” She tried to be rational since she didn’t even have her slippers on. The sharp diamonds that mixed in thick snow would cut her feet! “Since when you became this coward, princess? Do yo

    MALAIKA spent the night with the couple, and at last, she had finally got a chance to fill her stomach. Frode helped her out to dry the leopard’s skin. He also cut a portion of his fur cloak to make a temporary cover for her feet. She was thankful for their generosity, especially now that she felt warm. Frode had excavated the ground to put on the leopard’s carcass. And he also gave his passing prayer to the dead animal. Everyone settled into the deeper part of the burrow to hide the smoke coming from the fire they created. “I guess we’re safe here tonight,” Frode reassured them. “However, this is not a safe place for you, dear—because this is Axum,” Helga said in the midst of their dinner as she focused on Malaika. She held a stick of roasted elk. “I know,” Malaika breathed out. She took another bite of the meat, and it tasted delicious. Just now, she realized how she was starving. She offered a small piece for Xoxo

 SETI remained alert as much as possible. She could see the barriers slowly disintegrating from the checkpoint. It wasn’t noticeable before, but the mana surrounding the place tells otherwise. The reason she still pursued to move forward than going back. They couldn’t waste more time since they only had a few days, and they must not return empty-handed.She pondered if she had made a mistake earlier. It was her fault they got captured. But one thing she was certain of, these guards were not as bad as she imagined. Maybe they would give them a fair trial once they brought them for further investigation. If not, they would find another way to escape. As long as they were still breathing, anything could happen. Seti had to remain positive.Meanwhile, Attisha unintentionally shifted to a large red mushroom that made the guards flabbergasted. But she quickly turned back to her original self after a few minutes. Maybe she was trying some ways to esca