Dan's Reckoning (The Return of the Queen)

"We put a lot of effort preparing this for you." Ris held out the cake, "Make a wish". I closed my eyes. Rik, please come home. I opened my eyes and blew out the candles. Everyone gave me a round of applause. I'm not really the type to celebrate birthdays, but Mike and Ris insisted on having a fun night. We were at the great hall in the military academy. My father, the commander, gave us permission to use the hall for the party. Everyone looked happy, even the commander was there. Mike and Ris must have spent so much time planning it. It's been three years since Rik disappeared, but I still couldn't accept the fact that she's not coming back. I couldn't explain it but I feel it, somehow I know she's alive somewhere. I visited the grave they made for her every day. I witnessed the flowers wither every day. I also visited the orphanage often. I wanted to check on everyone while Rik's not back and Mike's too depressed to show up. Ris had been helping Mike with his grief. She was patient with him. She put up with his "tantrums". Although she never admitted it, I knew she was suffering too. Her best friend went missing. She must have thought one of us needed to be tough and she somehow chose herself to shoulder the task. I admired her for that.

The past years have been relaxed. A lot of monsters still showed up but they were all low-level ones. That's what's making me anxious. It's like the calm before the storm. I feel like something terrible is about to happen. The party went on until past midnight. Then, everybody went to bed. My eyes were tired but my mind was alert. I tried hard to fall asleep and eventually dreamt of Rik. Suddenly, I was woken up by the sound of the alarm. The sound filled every corner of the city. It was a highest level emergency. I got out of bed and put on my uniform. All the soldiers assembled on the field. Portals have opened up simultaneously in the capital, some just outside the city and the rest in the villages in the outskirts. The teams were given their designations and we headed off. Our team was sent to the village with the largest portal. The portal was the size of a three-storey building. I knew it. The ominous feeling that's been making me anxious. Coincidentally, the portal appeared in that village - where the catastrophe happened years ago. I could feel the hairs at the back of my neck rising. Everyone looked as worried as me. I saw Mike among the soldiers in the defense unit. I watched him help set up the cannons and artillery. I glanced at the medical unit and saw Ris preparing her kit. The atmosphere in the area was gloomy, it was giving me chills. What kind of monster would appear? Will we be able to take care of it?

We waited for hours but nothing happened. Until finally, something stepped out. A demon, and another, and another. One by one they stepped out of the portal. The soldiers gasped in horror. Demons of different forms stood in front of us. They were wearing armors and had weapons of their own. They all looked strong, high-level demons. They stood there like they're waiting for orders. They stood glaring at us, baring their fangs, and trying to kill us with intimidation. A few soldiers stepped back and the monsters smirked. Then they parted in the middle, creating a path. A woman stepped out of the portal. She was dressed in golden armor. Tree roots spurted from the ground as she walked. She seemed familiar. Her movements were surprisingly graceful, her light brown hair swaying in the breeze. I stared at her face until recognition hit me. No way! This can't be happening! Rik.