Chapter 37

Eva Lemuria

I wake up with my head feeling like it will split in half from a horrible headache. I don't think I have ever had a hangover this bad before. When I try to bring my hand up to massage my temples I find that my hands are chained together behind my back. I begin to panic and try to stand, but I am chained to the floor of the room with nothing, but my underwear. My vision finally clears and I realize that I am in a room with only a door and enchantments and I begin to panic because I’ve been imprisoned again. Is it the dragons? Where am I? How did I get here? I then remember the events of last night and that I was with Mira and then everything blank. I know that this room isn't a dragon prison, but it's still strong enough to hold back my mana. I try to pull on the chains holding me with all my strength and it feels like my hands will be ripped off, but I don't care. I don't want to be imprisoned again. I don't want to be chained down. It hurts, but I want to be free even if I lose my hands. The door opens and Mira walks in with nothing, but underwear the same as me. She looks at me and then drops the food she was holding and pushes me down.

“Get off! Let me go! I won't be chained again! Who are you? Why?! Why? Why?”

“Princess calm down please. Shhh. It’s all right. I won't harm you. I just have to keep you here until ordered otherwise. Princess please listen to me.” Mira

I feel my heart beating faster and faster. I keep thrashing trying to free myself from these chains, but nothing I do works and I can tell Mira is using mana to strengthen herself as she holds me down. I feel scared and feel tears running down my face. I stop moving and Mira slowly gets up, but I just push myself into the corner of the room and face away from her. I don't want to feel scared anymore.

“Princess, I am a part of the shadow guards. We were given an order that if we found you we were to capture you unharmed and wait for others so we can bring you home. I just didn't expect you to have changed so much. I was one of the hidden guards that would protect you before you were sent to the academy. Princess to tell you the truth I wasn't even sure if it was you until I was given your name and I saw your magic. They told us your current appearance and that you've become very aggressive, but I didn't expect this is why. Princess, what happened while you were away?” Mira

“Just let me go! You see what I am now. Do you really believe I can return like this? Let me go! Unchain me!”

Mira just looks at me sadly before she picks up the spilled food and leaves the room. As soon as she leaves I try to break free again, but I can't muster any strength anymore. I look and see a spot on my arm and realize that Mira must have drugged me when she was holding me down earlier. I feel more tears spill from my eyes and I can't seem to calm down. After being freed I never realized how much I fear being imprisoned. After a while, Mira came back with food in one hand and a big bird cage with Munin inside. I can tell its Munin because it's a black lightning bolt bouncing around inside the cage. She sets the cage and the food down and then comes to me with a spoon filled with food. It's clear she wants to feed me, but I refuse food that could be drugged. She watches me, but when she gets no reaction she grabs my chin and forces the spoon into my mouth before I could react and I accidentally swallowed the food. She holds my chin and runs her finger across the scales on my jaw.

“Why did you do that last night? I assume I was already drugged, so why?”

“Princess I am sure you don't realize, but you're a unique beauty. I admit that I also had a few drinks while working at the bar and the second I realized who you were I hastily drugged you. When I brought you back here and saw your drunk look I couldn't stop myself, but I stopped after I took off your shirt and you passed out.” Mira

“So you saw what a monster I am and decided to chain me up in a windowless room.”

“No! I would have kept going if I hadn't remembered that you're a princess and also you had passed out. I don't care whether you're a girl or if you had scales.” Mira

“Then go chain up a dragon instead of this monster! I would have returned home when I felt like it. My Father promised me I can stay away until I am ready. What changed?”

“I don't know the details Princess, but we only know that the message was passed around to capture you alive and safely bring you home. It was only said that you've become incredibly strong and that you'd refuse to come along. I hope you don't hate me for this Princess, but it's important that you go home it seems. I also wished I had the chance to do things better, but I made the hasty decision and captured you last night because in this city I don't know when I would see you again.” Mira

I don't respond and just glare at Mira as she continues to feed me. I allow her to only because I know right now she could easily force me to because of the drugs and chains. When she's done she leaves the room and I see that Munin has finally calmed down and is looking at me with concern. I just gently smile at her to calm her down since I can't rub her head like I usually do.

I don't know why Father has ordered my capture now. He should have received my letter explaining everything to him. Even worse is that he allowed these kinds of methods to be used when he knows whats really happened to me. I guess my only option now is to hope that a chance comes for me to get free. While thinking of escape methods I hear something outside the room and then theres some shaking. All of a sudden the door bursts open and Mira runs in with my bag and clothes I was wearing before. She sets it on the ground and then runs out then back in with my weapons.

“Someone snitched on this hideout. It seems like the criminals only look out for each other as long as they're from the same country. Take your things and run away. This drug will counteract the weakening drug I gave you. Please forgive me and don't blame the shadow guards for this. We all truly care about the little princess we all had to chase around the castle years ago.” Mira

She injects another needle into my arm and I can feel it quickly taking effect. After that, she unlocked my shackles and then handed me my clothes. I was tempted to just kill her, but I just couldn't hurt her. I wasn't sure if this was a weakness or just mercy from me, but it pissed me off. I put on all my clothes and then opened Munin's cage and she instantly shot into my chest and kept rubbing herself on me so I rub her head before moving her to my shoulder. I hide my right arm and then grab my halberd before following Mira out the door. I look around and see a hole in the wall and several ordinary looking humans fighting dwarves. I guess there were multiple shadow guards hidden through out this capital. I look further out and see several dwarves standing on roof tops. They're all the criminals I saw in the bar last night and I even see the bar owner with them.

I immediately release all my mana pressure to the very max and watch as the entire area looks as if it's become night. Everyone stops and looks at me with different expressions. The shadow guards all have scared looks like their children caught doing something bad and the dwarves have looks of fear and confusion. The criminals have looks that seem like they expected this. I form a destruction edge on my halberd and threw it at the rooftops first. Some of the older criminals jump away but most are caught up in the destruction and then the buildings collapsing. I then threw a destruction edge towards the battle between the dwarves and shadow guards. The shadow guards look shocked and then run away. The dwarves are still confused and before they could calm down their chances to run is already gone and most are blown away with the buildings.

“Princess before you leave I want to tell you something I found out for you. Your halberd was named Consuming Behemoth. It was the prototype for a weapon that can destroy enchantments, but the dwarves didn't want something like that to exist so they denied making it a standard weapon and punished the creator so it wouldn't leak, but the creator didn't want his best creation to disappear so he sold it to a random merchant and it has been passed around till it ended up with you. I don't know the specifics, but it can easily pass through enchantments that aren't made specifically to counter it.” Mira

As I am about to walk away from the flames and destruction an injured Mira comes to tell me about my halberd. She is holding her arm and seems to have fought right at the front. She has an incredibly sad look in her eyes and it pisses me off by looking at it. If you're so sad about what you did then don't do it in the first place. I form a large destruction edge that begins to even warp the space around it a little and then I aim right for the city entrance that leads towards Lemuria. I slash down with my halberd and my destruction edge shoots forward cutting through buildings and everything and everyone inside them. Now, theres a giant clear line leading straight out of the city and I begin to walk out. After a couple of steps, I look back and see that the shadow guards are still standing around so I glare at them and they come out of their daze from my pressure. I turn around and begin walking towards the exit again while ignoring everything else around me. There are screams and cries, but this entire city can be considered my enemy now.

“Princess I interrogated that captain you captured yesterday and it seems like theres already an army that can be attacking Lemuria any day now. It seems they hid it very well and they're actually preparing to send another army soon too as reinforcements. They say they're attacking now because the Anerris Kingdom is attacking from the other side. It seems like the entire Lemuria Kingdom will become a battlefield.” Mira

It doesn't make sense because we haven't had bad relations with either of these kingdoms. Now they're both attacking at the same time for no reason. I don't know why when both kingdoms have good land and no known problems. This situation is incredibly fishy and I need to go home to help with the war effort. These armies are going to be ready to fight another army, but they won't expect a monster like me to show up.

While walking through the destruction I created we were attacked multiple times by city guards, but they were all easily killed. I also noticed that some of the shadow guards had at some point disappeared to probably try and blend back into the city to continue spying. We soon reach the city gate and notice that most guards have finally learned and are running away now. I was actually expecting a hard fight, but the strongest warriors have probably gone with the armies to attack already, which is more of a reason to leave as quickly as possible.

Finally, we made it through the gate with no one else mustering up the courage to try and stop us. Everyone just looked at us with fear and kept their distance. I just kept walking until we were a good distance away from the city and there were no merchants or traveled around. I turn around to look at the shadow guards and see that at least half had separated at some point to try and hide within the city. They all look at me with respect and no fear or disgust. The only one different is Mira, who looks at me with sadness and what I think is longing. I do not say anything except look at Munin on my shoulder and then I shift. I fly straight up and towards the direction of the Lemuria Kingdom.