New World - A New Beginning

I waited momentarily before continuing, glancing back towards Diana. The girl was utterly stunned, her horrified expression imprinting itself on her face. Part of me wanted to tell her to leave, but I knew that wasn't the best course of action.

Diana was the future leader of Imania. The meeting between the king of the Faros and the Princess of humanity was vital to forging a friendly relationship. I uttered no words of comfort to the girl, turning my attention back to Typhon.

"I believe a being of tremendous power is about to devastate the surface. If the Faros are seen aiding in its demise, I'm sure you will be allowed to at least settle on the mainland," I explained calmly.

Typhon said nothing, considering the possible outcomes.

"What being are you referring to?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," I responded casually. Lying had become a second-nature ability to me, its utility unmatched in the cruel world of Earth.

"You expect me to reveal my people based on a hunch of yours?" growled Typhon, anger beginning to flood his already red eyes.

I remained composed, understanding the minotaur's frustration.

"Two armies are about to clash one final time up above," I said, "the outcome of that battle will decide whether or not the beast appears."

"Which side must come out on top for the beast to appear?"

"The army of Dragons and Humans," I replied immediately, lying once again.

It was clear that the Faros, were they to intervene, would only aid the side that would benefit them the most. Honesty would only lead to our downfall in this situation, and even if it wasn't morally correct to lie to an entire nation as the representative of your own, survival was the priority.

Diana snapped out of her state of shock, letting out a small sound that reminded both negotiators of her presence.

"And who is that?" asked Typhon, wanting to identify every human that had stumbled into his territory.

I remained silent, forcing Diana to step forward and introduce herself.

"I-I am Diana Imania, royal princess of Eloria."

"The Princess of the humans?" muttered Typhon, leaning forward in his throne, "tell me, Princess, would you be willing to allow us to settle on the surface?"

Ah, rough question, I thought as I watched Diana frantically think up an answer. Not only was she learning for the first time that intelligent monsters existed, but she also had to respond to a question that could shape the future of Auroria as a whole.

I recognized how difficult the question was, but I refused to intervene. Helping those around me would only lead to them leaning on me for support, something I wanted to avoid.

"With time, I believe it would be possible," announced Diana finally, letting out a long sigh of relief alongside her words.

"I see," said Typhon, his brows furrowing with concentration as he thought about his next course of action. "I believe I've come to a decision, then."

--

I exited the cave alongside Diana. As soon as we came into contact with the warm rays of dawn, Diana collapsed onto her knees.

"What the hell?!" she exclaimed in a panic, "monsters can speak?!"

I looked at the back of my palm, the royal mark shimmering slightly for some unknown reason.

"I've been searching for them for quite a while now. Something tells me their territory is constantly shifting underground. If we were to return to this cave in a few hours, we might find it completely empty or simply filled with savage monsters once again."

"Are you sure you want their help?" asked Diana, slightly worried at the plan I had put forth.

"I have no idea what their military strength is, but we need all the help we can get. The Dwarven army has received numerous reinforcements from both Thorria and the Feis during these past few months. We stand no chance against them."

"Do you trust them?"

"If their desire to live above ground is real, then I believe they will help us."

Diana was still extremely skeptical of my calm demeanor and the entire situation at large but decided to ignore her doubts and move forward.

"What was all that about by the way? A beast of tremendous power?" she asked, wanting to dig deeper into my words.

"Imagination," I responded bluntly, my answer shocking the girl.

"You seriously just negotiated with a nation of monsters with your imagination," muttered Diana, not believing her own words.

The Elder Wyvern's awakening had to be kept a secret. Whether it be from the Princess of Imania or the Dragon Princess herself, Selena had warned me about the consequences of utilizing the power of the beast.

If I were to expose the thoughts that were circulating around in my head, the three girls were sure to defy me. There was no need for pointless resistance, and the best way to avoid that was to simply play around with ignorance.

"How will the Faros know when the attack begins?" asked Diana, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"They'll probably feel it. They're connected with the Earth, after all. Either way, I'll be staying here to make sure they don't go back on their word."

"You're staying with the Faros?!"

"It'll only be a few days. Learning more about them should also be a top priority for us now."

"You plan to observe them?"

"Yeah. Let Asthia know about the situation for me, will you?" I said, turning around swiftly and entering the cave once more. Diana didn't try to stop me, simply watching me submerge myself in the darkness once again in silence.

RENA VYE'S POV:

The charred wasteland stood before me, the consequences of another battle plaguing the once lush lands of Auroria. Six months after our first defeat at the hands of the Imanian forces, we had managed to push back their armies and enter Imanian territory.

We were no longer on the defensive.

Lio and I had underestimated the true power of Jean. I realized now that she had been holding back in our previous encounters long before the war, and it was clear now that her power was beyond what we had imagined it to be.

That being said, she was unable to fight cooperatively. She relied solely on herself and nobody else, a trait that hindered her ability when facing a duo that knew each other's moves before they were performed.

"Sister, I believe we should rest. The troops are barely holding on," said a voice behind me. I turned around, facing my younger brother.

"Two days, Lio. After that, we continue our advance. The Imanian forces are shattered."

"Understood."

My eyes watched the buff Fei disappear into the crowd of soldiers, the information of a small period of rest sending a wave of relief and joy across the ranks. I turned back, seeing small huts on the horizon.

It wouldn't be long until we reached Eloria.