RHEIN'S POINT OF VIEW
"Let me go! If you don't release me right now, I'll stab you with my thorns! I'll roast you alive!"
I could clearly see the fear in their yellow eyes.
"Sssss~ Forgive us, miss. We were only following orders. Sssss~" one of them hissed.
I wasn't surprised that I could understand them—it was natural for an ofrismnarillaza to comprehend animals.
I stopped struggling, even as their coils tightened around me. Curling my fists, I forced myself to stay calm.
Following orders? That was exactly what the man in black had said earlier. This is getting irritating. Who on earth is giving these commands?
"Tell me—who's behind this?" I asked sharply.
"The master—"
"I am, Rhein."
The deore mnarillaza suddenly appeared right in front of me. As before, she wore a black cloak, but this time her pracien was with her—the same crow I'd seen peeking through my bedroom window back when I was still in the human world.
Forelody's question from yesterday echoed in my mind, one I never got to answer: Am I afraid of her?
I looked at her intently. A mixture of fear and unease crawled back into my system. Yes, I am afraid—but this won't do me any good.
I had no idea how, but my mnarill instinctively reached into her conscience. Bit by bit, the fear melted away when I realized her intentions aren't malicious.
This was the second time I'd used this ability. It wasn't mentioned in the knowledge Grandfather Lembo had given me about the powers of an ofris mnarillaza, nor in any other mnarillaza type. It seemed he had forgotten to include this, just as he had left out information about the deore mnarillaza.
"What exactly do you want from me?" I asked in an even tone. "Why not just say it? You've appeared to me several times now, yet you've never explained. What do you want? What do you need from me? I know you're not after my life—but then why?!"
Silence.
I wasn't sure if it was her magic, but my eyelids suddenly grew heavy, and sleep began to overtake me.
"Welcome to Mnarra, Rhein."
DYLAN'S POINT OF VIEW
Just a moment ago, I was enjoying the teasing between those two—but now, things have taken a complete turn. Events really do change in the blink of an eye.
As I hid myself behind a nearby tree, I watched them. Like Tyler, who was resting on my shoulder, I felt my stomach drop when the deore mnarillaza appeared. Even though Rhein seemed calmer now, I couldn't shake off my unease.
Damn it! Of all the times for her to show up, why now—when I'm the only one guarding the princess?
I couldn't hear what they were talking about; we were too far away. And we had to make sure we weren't noticed.
"Aren't you going to help her?"
I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. I didn't know what to do anymore. I was torn between choices.
"I want to save her, but I can't take the risk. It'll only make her more determined to find out the truth. If that happens, the trial will fail," I explained. Her sister was taking forever to show up.
And speaking of her older sister—she appeared right beside me, wearing her usual white long-sleeved, button-down shirt, black fitted pants, and white sneakers. She was grinning ear to ear, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder.
"Rhein—"
"I've finished all the paperwork Father asked for, so I've got good news. She just needs to pass the preparatory class, and she'll officially enter the academy," she announced in a rush. She was speaking so fast, I almost couldn't follow.
"Well, that is good news from you but…" I smiled for a second, only to frown again. "…I have bad news."
RONA'S POINT OF VIEW
I glared at Dylan after seeing what's happening to Rhein.
"Why didn't you tell me right away? Did you really want to hear my good news before saving my sister?" I snapped, my voice sharp with anger.
He frowned but didn't respond.
"You didn't even let him speak earlier, Rona. Blame yourself, Princess. You were too eager to share your news," Natre scolded me.
I could only shake my head. My eyes shifted to Rhein, and with my mnarill, I made her lose consciousness. I had to—otherwise she'd be more confused once she saw me.
"Let's go."
I grabbed Dylan's arm, and we teleported to appear right behind the deore mnarillaza. Immediately, I conjured a light sword and pressed it against her neck while Dylan simply stood by, immobilizing the snakes coiled around Rhein with just his gaze.
"Oh, you're here too, my niece." Even without seeing her face, I knew she was smirking.
"Why are you doing this? What are you planning?" I demanded, forcing my voice to sound braver than I felt in her presence.
"Helping? I only want to help one of my nieces."
"I'm warning you," I said, my tone laced with threat. "The palace has an agreement with your clan. The moment you harm anyone, you'll be erased from all of Mnarra."
She stayed silent, and my brows furrowed in confusion. "Why aren't you—"
"Thank you," she interrupted before vanishing with her snake followers.
My light sword dissolved in my hand. Her words echoed in my head. Why was she thanking me?
"Hey, Princess Rona."
I looked up to see Dylan carrying Rhein in his arms.
"What are we going to do next?" he asked.
My gaze shifted toward a tree just beyond the pit, where Rhein's pracien was hiding. Its beady eyes widened when it realized I had spotted it.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
"We have to tell her the truth."
RHEIN'S POINT OF VIEW
When I woke up, the first thing I heard was the sound of a door opening. A girl, about my age, stepped in.
"Good morning," she greeted flatly, placing a tray of food beside me. "Here. Eat first."
Her voice sent a strange chill down my spine, but my attention quickly shifted to my surroundings. Everything in the room was violet.
"Weird, right? The owner of this house is weird," she said, pulling my gaze back at her. "Your pracien is outside talking to Owlice."
"How did we get here?" was the first question out of my mouth.
I closed my eyes, trying to recall what happened. The last thing I remembered was speaking with the deore mnarillaza. Then… drowsiness... darkness. That must've been her doing.
That old woman.
"I was wandering through the forest yesterday when I found you," she explained. "Your pracien was screaming, but I couldn't understand it. None of my powers allow me to talk to animals—except my own pracien. You were unconscious at the bottom of a pit. I made a huge bubble and carried you here."
I smiled faintly. "Thank you. I'm Rhein Gomez, an ofris mnarillaza. The pracien you're talking about is Forelody. We just came from the human world yesterday, on our way to MnarilltesAleid to study."
"I'm Allie Frost. A mixed-type mnarillaza—I have both aias and aiashomnarills. My parents were of different types. Well, you can just call me an aias-aiashomnarillaza. I was abandoned as a child, so the Great Crescent Master took me in and raised me," she said casually. "Oh, right—this is his house. As you can see, everything is violet. He's a resce mnarillaza. Stupid old man—his color choice is painful to the eyes. Even his clothes are pure violet."
"You're calling me 'stupid' again, Allie."
An elderly man with pure white hair entered the room, smiling. As she'd said, his shirt, pants, and slippers were all the same vivid violet. "You're even saying it in front of our guest?"
He turned to me with a warm smile. "Good morning, young lady."
"Good morning to you as well, Sir."
"I'm sure this child has already introduced me. I'm the Chieftain of Abracadabra Town—the place you're in right now."