Chapter 1
20 Years Later.
Early Morning at the Edge of a Mountain Range
A group of elves walked along a black concrete road at the edge of a mountain range in the southwest. Two of them were riding horses, indicating their higher status in the group. Two other elves held the horses on leashes, each guiding a horse along the road.
Among them was a man in a green Boy Scout outfit, who served as their guide for exploring the new land. He carried a bulging bag on his back. To the right, a man in white armor, with green clothing underneath, guarded one of the riders.
A girl who appeared to have just turned eighteen followed the guard at the back. She wore the same armor as the guard in front of her. With a green cloak over a white robe, she had brown hair and blue eyes, and her slightly rounded face added to her charm. Her long ears revealed her elven heritage, and her curvy figure was accentuated by her noticeable chest.
"How long is this trip going to be, Uncle Jing?" the girl, riding on the right side where the guard was focused, asked the man on the left, who was also on horseback.
"I don't know. I think it'll take about a week or so to arrive by horse, Leia," Uncle Jing replied uncertainly. He appeared to be in his thirties and wore the same type of clothing as Leia.
They had not fully explored the new land formed through the Great Merge and planned to establish a diplomatic treaty with the dwarves. For this purpose, they sent the princess of the Kingdom of Garden as their representative.
"What?! A whole week? How am I supposed to eat with this meager food supply?" Leia pointed at the bag attached to the side of the horses.
"Oh, stop complaining. Your mother asked me to bring you along because you were lazing around at home, just sleeping and eating in your bedroom," Jing teased, recalling his sister's words—the queen of the Kingdom of Garden and Leia's mother, Queen Lena Gentlewind.
"Uncle, stop! There are people around; you're ruining my perfect image," Leia said, blushing with embarrassment.
"What perfect image? Are you serious? Have you forgotten the time you threw up on your mother's dress during your first birthday?" Jing reminisced, recalling Leia's baby days.
"I remember that time! The crowd laughed hysterically when they saw your mother's white dress turn into a puke bucket," added Delton Starlily, the male guard beside Leia, who had served the royal family for many years.
"That was when I was just a baby! I couldn't control myself back then. What did you expect?" she replied, trying to sound cool while her ears turned red.
"Okay, but what about the time you were seven and slipped in your dress while dancing? You cried in front of the audience, and everyone called you a snotty princess," Jing continued, eager to add more.
"Oh, I remember that! I was with you, Leia. You said you'd make all the guys on the dance floor fall in love with your beauty. But it seems they weren't the only ones who fell for it! Hahaha!" Maya Willstone, the female guard and one of Leia's friends, chimed in, recalling the moment.
"That was when I was a kid! I didn't know what I was doing," Leia protested, her cheeks now flushed with embarrassment.
The group began to laugh and chuckle at Jing's teasing. However, he didn't stop there. "What about the time you snuck out of the palace when you were sixteen just to eat some cookies?"
Two years ago, Leia had gone to a local bakery and ordered so many chocolate cookies that she could have fed the entire community.
"Uncle, stop!" she pleaded.
"You were caught eating a ton of cookies, and your belly was starting to swell up," Jing continued, relentless.
"Uncle, please, enough!" Leia's face burned bright red with humiliation.
"People started calling you the 'Piggy Princess' after that incident," Jing smirked.
"Uncle, I said no more!" She covered her face in embarrassment, feeling her cheeks glow with heat.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop," Jing said, finally relenting. He didn't want the trip to become awkward for Leia.
The group couldn't stop laughing during the quarrel between the niece and her uncle. After all the shenanigans, they quickly took a short break by the side of the road.
The group sat down on some rocks, and their guide, James Wind, began passing around the food supply, carefully rationing their meal. After they had eaten their fill, James suddenly felt the urge to pee. He stood up and gestured to the others that he needed to step away.
"I need to take a piss; I'll be right back," he called to the group, pointing toward the distant bushes. He started walking away from them.
"Be careful; there might be something dangerous out there," Dalton warned him, mindful of the potential threats in this unfamiliar land.
James shrugged off the warning and continued on his way.
While he was relieving himself behind the bushes, he noticed something rustling nearby. His heart began to race, and he immediately froze, hesitating to check what was causing the movement. Suddenly, a baby brown bear jumped out from the bushes.
Seeing the cute baby bear, James, unfamiliar with this earthly creature, approached it without hesitation. He reached down to pet the baby bear on its head, finding its fur incredibly soft and addictive to touch. As he continued to pet it, the baby bear responded by playfully biting his hand.
the group sat down on some rocks. The guide, James Wind, passed the food supply around the group, rationing their food.
After eating their fill, James suddenly feels like he needs to pee. He quickly stood up and gestured to the other group that he needed to pee.
"I need to take a piss, I'll be right back." He called to the others and pointed at the distant bushes. He started walking away from the group.
"Be careful, there might be something dangerous out there," Dalton called out to him, warning him of a possible danger. This land came from a different world, exposing the group to an unknown danger.
He just waved it off and quickly went on his way, away from the group.
While he was pissing in the bushes, something shook a bush nearby. His heart started to race, and he stood frozen in place, not wanting to check what was making this movement.
A baby brown bear suddenly jumped out of the bushes. He looks and sees the cute baby bear. Unfamiliar with this earthly creature, he approaches the baby bear without any worries.
He pets the baby bear on the head; its fur was soft to touch, making it addictive for James, and he continued petting the baby. The baby bear responded by biting his hand softly.
"Oh, what a cute fella. Where is mommy, little guy?" James was charmed by the baby bear's cuteness and kept on playing with it.
But he didn't notice the movement of the bushes beside him and kept petting the baby bear.
Suddenly, a huge bear got out of the bushes, face-to-face with him. James froze in his position, looking directly into the bear's eyes, playing with the baby bear.
The bear growled at him, its teeth bared as if it might attack.
"Oh... I see this is your cub. I'll just be on my way," he said, gesturing toward the baby bear. Maintaining eye contact with the adult bear, he slowly stood up and began to back away.
He left the baby bear and slowly walked backward, one leg at a time. When he was a certain distance away, he quickly ran off.
The mother bear was upset by his actions, making a gut-wrenching sound as she chased after him. "I'M DEAD! I'M DEAD! I'M DEAD! I'M DEAD! I'M" DEAD!"