...

..

.

"Painful silence"

Don't just stand there... say something!

I should start the conversation?

"Cough, Cough! T-thanks... I heard that you-"

"From what my father told me, you are that little boy... how old are you?"

Well more or less than 2.13 trillion years, but I think I can't tell you that.

"I think 16-years-old, your Highness!"

She looks towards the exit for a moment.

"I will ask you something else and I want you to be honest with me." she sais looking deep into my eyes

...

6 Royal Guards approached us and stopped at the sign of the princess.

"What connection do you have with the one who brings death?"

"I don't know what you mean, Princess."

"Let me ask you once again. What connection do you have with the one who brings death?"

"N-no, no connection!"

She stands up and holds the fan in front of her mouth, walks two steps towards the exit of the Pavilion and turns her head slightly toward me. She closes her fan, leaving the sad face in sight.

"I thought that I could keep you by my side and show to elvish people that not all humans are inferior creatures, but you have shown me the opposite. Take him!"

"What are you doing? Why do you imprisoning me?"

"My father's orders. I tried to help you but I can't help an inferior creature."

She leaves without looking back.

This is not good, the elves from all the manga I've read before were a proud race. If I lose face to the ones that still believe in me, I will be executed.

System, I need a way out of this!

...

System???

The guards put on some big handcuffs, which are made of hard steel and they pull me to prison under the castle.

System? Your master needs you!

I remember that the update was done, but I don't know what happened afterward.

We go on another route to the cell that was destined for me, avoiding the crowded castle and the eyes of the curious. We get to the basement and I'm guided by the guards and go on some hallways that lead to other hallways and so on ... just like a maze. Behind us we hear the walls moving and colliding, it is dark and only the iron torches caught by the walls from 10 by 10 meters illuminate the path.

Meanwhile, in the throne room Sir Daren, Elder Reluvethel, Elder Delsaran, and Elder Rhalyf were discussing with the king what to do with the prisoner.

They look through the magic globe that Sir Daren, the Royal Adviser has placed it on a specially made red pillow sitting on a stand in front of elders.

"There is nothing to argue about, we should execute him. No human has ever walked on this castle, he might inform the enemies about how is this place guarded and risk your safety, Your Majesty!" says Reluvethel

"Are you insinuating that there is a breach In our defense, Elder Reluvethel?" said the GuardMaster who was always on the left side of the throne when important matters occurred

"Yes, that's what I think."

"How dare you, we are guarding his Majesty from the beginning of time and no one has ever passed through our defense since then." said GuardMaster revolted

The king stood with his eyes closed on the throne and listened without saying anything.

"Please stop! You are in the presence of the king." said Daren who stays by the right side of the throne

"The doors are opening"

A guard esters the door and says:

"Your Majesty, the Princess Saphielle Naeyra is here!"

She enters the Throne Room in her pink dress. When Daren notices, he asks some guards to bring Princess's sofa.

A sofa of two meters long and one meter wide, made from carved wood and lined with the finest materials, was settled by the guards by the right side of the throne.

All people there bowed to her while she walks towards the sofa.

"Did he say anything regarding that matter, my daughter?" looking at her

"He lied to me about his age then he said the truth saying "I don't know what you mean" and then lied when he said that he has no connection with the one that brings death."

"He may have an indirect connection, one that he is not aware of." said Rhalyf looking at the image of Haro that lies on the straw in a dark, damp cell

He might be innocent and I said to him those words...

Thinking of...

"I thought that I could keep you by my side and show to elvish people that not all humans are inferior creatures, but you have shown me the opposite. Take him!!" thinking of the past

And...

"I tried to help you but I can't help an inferior creature."

"You all saw what happened with that village. No one would have survived in such circumstances. The village was almost destroyed when we decided to open a portal, and after 3 hours when we managed to open it ... all the houses, the bodies, and even the snow had disappeared.

In the place where we supposed to find that young child, we found a grown-up one, alive." said Elder Delsaran

"This one might be innocent, but we cannot risk the safety of the elves. We have to get rid of him." Elder Rhalyf

"I wouldn't take him in in the first place if it wasn't for my daughter." said King Theodas looking at her

She gets up from the couch upset.

"Would you kill an innocent just like that? How can we call ourselves mighty elves if we murder an innocent soul? This means that we are not better than humans." she says

"Enough! I've made my decision." says the king rising his right arm

All the people stared at him waiting for his decision.

"Tomorrow, when the sun rises we will throw the prisoner through the Gate of Heaven. That's all for now. You may go!" He gets up and leaves

"Why didn't you say anything? From what I saw you get along well with Haro." sais the princess looking at Daren

"The king said that I got too close to Haro and I better keep my silence than be on his side, guided by my own feelings. It was an order so I had no other choice." he responds

Soon, all of them leave the Throne Room.

The night came and surrounded the castle, the gigantic statues and the pieces of land on which the elves live, in a sea of stars. The approximate length of each piece of land is from 500 to 1200 meters and each has a watchtower that illuminates the sky like the lights of a car illuminate the road in the night.

In the vicinity of the castle, an eagle squad that patrols (elves who domesticated some huge vultures or "little birds" and trained with them) are often caught by the lights of the watchtowers after nightfall.

Not long after the patrol finished its job, the sun started to rise.

From far, the sunlight was spreading on each piece of land, on each building and statue, making their shadows visible on the surrounding white clouds that sometimes could be found in a higher altitude than usual.

At the ground floor of the castle, in the courtroom (a room smaller than the throne room but quite roomy, having about three hundred people on both sides, in the middle of the room being the Gate of Heaven which is a stone round door on the floor with many teeth in the form of a semi-moon that are joined together and opens at those sentenced to death who are thrown from 8000 meters altitude where the castle is situated, and in front of the gate in the judge chair is the king) people gathered to be witnesses at the first trial kept after a few decades.

"The doors are opening"

Two guards are opening the door while the other four are guiding me.

I've already lost my parents... two times. What now? I'm going to lose my life for the second time also?

Most of them look at me with contempt and hate like I was the one who murdered their whole race 500 years ago.

When we arrive at my final destination, at a half-meter from the Gate of Heaven people started enjoying, like they were at a cinema and I was the movie.

I don't see the princess here, neither Daren.. I've lost my only chance to get out of this mess.

"Your Majesty, why did I get arrested? I did nothing wrong!"

"Whispers"

"I, Theodas Neremyn, Second in my name, Bringer of justice and Rightful ruler over the Kingdom Elerinelo, I declare that the prisoner Haro of the human kingdom is found guilty because he made a secret pact with the evil bringing disaster over a human village and caused several thousand souls to suffer because of the winter caused by the evil all over the world."

"Fly him!"

"Let him fly! Open the door!" said the elves

"Please let me live, I swear I have nothing to do with this! My parents were also there, why would I kill my own parents?..." I say

The king makes a sign.

They don't even listen to what I say.

An elf dressed in a cloak approached from behind and said a few words in a language never heard of until now. My body felt very light and after a moment I did not touch the ground anymore.

I was standing over the Heaven Gate, which is closed, but the semi-moon shaped teeth started to open. A strong breeze of fresh and cold air made its way inside giving me the emotions I forgot to have.

"Do you have anything to say before you leave?" asks the king

"Yes, Your Majesty! I think I have."

"The chamber became silent for a moment"

"What is it?"