Mission

"Welcome to my Kingdom," says the princess as she appears from behind the large castle doors. The blue lightning streak highlight in her midnight hair catches my attention. I feel like I've seen her before.

"I see we have more guests. Do not fret, we have enough room in the castle to house more partners. However, as the princess of the Sakura Kingdom, I have the duty to know who I am letting into the castle," she says as she stares into my eyes. Everyone, aside from me and Elisabeth, shudder. She has the presence of a monarch as she stands towered above us. This commanding presence reminds me of someone.

Elisabeth steps forward. The princess loosens her sight on the others, easing their tenseness. "My name is Elisabeth Faith. Leader of the Illuminati."

"What!? The Illuminati!?" asks Erika as she places her hand on her sword.

Unlike Erika, the princess does not look fazed by Elisabeth's sudden revelation. Erika unsheathes her sword and attacks Elisabeth, but the princess calmly says, "Erika, if you take one step further, I cannot ensure your safety."

Erika stops her attack just as she reaches Elisabeth's neck. Her sword is a golden claymore. "Excalibur," says Niklaus. Excalibur, the legendary sword that can cut through wood and steel like butter. It is said Excalibur is the strongest legendary sword in existence. However, despite having this legendary sword pointed at her neck, Elisabeth stands unfazed. In fact, if Erika finished her attack, her head would be the one rolling instead of Elisabeth's.

"How kind of you princess," says Elizabeth, glaring at Erika, "to save the life of this ignorant girl."

Erika makes a tactical retreat. "I apologise, Your Highness," she says, as she takes heavy breaths.

"You were reckless, Erika. As commander of the Valkyrie Knights, you ought to be ashamed of yourself," says the princess ruthlessly.

"My apologies, Princess Rai."

"Don't apologise. Rather, repent for your ignorance and become a stronger warrior."

"Yes…"

Elisabeth claps her hands. "Bravo!!" she says. "What a spectacle. The bond between the princess and her brave knight. It's dazzling."

"Why thank you," replies the princess sarcastically. "I believe the bond between myself, and my subjects should remain firm. If my soldiers do not believe in my authority, then I have failed as a princess."

"Indeed, you would not want that happening, would you? Being a leader myself, I understand."

"Yes, being a leader, I do not lead my soldiers to murder innocents and spread flawed ideals. However, we each have our own beliefs, correct?"

"That is indeed so. We each have our own beliefs. And you are right, I failed as a leader when I allowed myself to be defeated by my future self. However, you are plenty flawed yourself, Your Highness."

"And what do you mean by that?" asks the princess.

"It's not my place to say. Right, P-R-I-N-C-E-S-S?"

"What do you know?" she mutters, frightened.

"What was that?" asks Elisabeth provocatively.

Rai remains silent for a moment, before smiling. "Yes, you are right. I am quite flawed. I nearly forgot my father's words."

"And what would that be?" asks Elisabeth.

"Accept your elder's words of wisdom. And seeing as you are an ancient fossil, your words hold more wisdom than any other elder, right?"

"Indeed," she says, annoyed, "you should take my thousand years of wisdom to heart. And not just mine, but your father's wisdom as well. See, us 'elders' are quite old, so, there is no knowing of when we might just die of old age. Unlike the other races, you humans have short lifespans. Treasure each day like it's your last because it just might be your last."

Those words seemed to hit harder than any insult the princess could dish out. She looks horrified. Elisabeth purposely stepped on a landmine. Did she read the princess' memories?

"How do you...?"

"That is enough!!" screams Erika, getting in between Elisabeth and the princess. "If you cannot conduct yourselves in a civilised manner, then..."

"Erika," says the princess gripping her hand, "They are our guests, and it is my fault for fuelling the argument." She faces Elisabeth and bows, "I have been a horrendous host. I humbly apologise and hope you find it in your heart to forgive this ignorant me."

As we stand there, fazed by the happenings, Elisabeth bends on her knees - despite being shorter than the princess - and raises the princess' head. "You should not act so weak before your subjects. Be strong."

The princess fights hard to stop the tears from bursting out. She wins the battle against her emotions and smiles. "Thank you, Lady Elisabeth," she says.

Without any physical damage dealt to anyone, a battle between two strong-willed individuals has ended. Despite Elisabeth winning the verbal exchange, she picked her opponent up and made her stronger. She truly is amazing when she doesn't act like an annoyance. Everyone is led into the castle by the princess, to a large room, with many couches and chairs. The maids bring tea for everyone.

"Well, we are behind schedule, but I believe Seanan should be arriving soon," says the princess.

"Seanan," says Niklaus. "I have not seen him in a while. If I remember correctly, he was tasked with investigating Trist's disappearance."

"Yes, I heard about Trist. It's a sad thing, really. I was planning to strengthen our ties with the Borneheimer Kingdom through Trist. Unfortunately, Judge Borneheimer was not someone who wanted to befriend the other Kingdoms. My father, the king, refused my proposal for as long as Judge's tyrannical monarchy reigned. I am glad to see his son is nothing like him."

"I apologise for my father's actions. Once we retake the Borneheimer Kingdom, I will rebuild Trist, and build friendly relations with the other Kingdoms."

"I look forward to that day," says the princess. "Now, if I may, I would like to ask you a question, Niklaus."

"Of course."

"Since you arrived here, why has that girl been clinging to your arm?"

Doll stares at the princess. She tightens her grip on Niklaus and asks, "Romantic rival?"

Niklaus forces a laugh.

Rai clears her throat and says, "W-Well, I think I understand now. Anyway, back to business." The tension in the room thickens. Rai remains silent, which makes the anticipation unbearable. "My Kingdom is under attack at the moment."

"Under attack? By whom?" asks Niklaus.

"It's a creature of myth. One thought to reside in the oceans of the unexplored continent. A creature who guards the gate to Netherworld. We are under siege by the Sea Serpent, Leviathan."

"Leviathan?" I ask her. "I feel as though I heard that name somewhere."

"It is a demon born from the deep body of the ocean. It has teeth like razor blades and skin as hard as a dragon's. When Leviathan is near, rain will start to pour even in arid climates. Rumours state that Leviathan is a mindless catastrophe who enjoys feasting on human meat.

"But who's to say Leviathan is the cause of these attacks?" asks Elisabeth.

"The creature was said to be a silver-grey sea serpent. One larger than a sea dragon. According to eye-witness reports, the creature's eyes glowed crimson as it appeared from behind a sudden storm of mist. They also claim to have heard the screams of their lost ones. These descriptions fit with rumours of Leviathan."

"So, you want us to slay Leviathan?" asks Niklaus.

"No, I want you to convince Leviathan to help us."

"Help us?" he asks, confused.

"Yes. As you all know, Grand Order HQ was attacked. The attacker's identity is not known. However, this mysterious person has declared war on the other kingdoms on the Aldrik Continent. His message was, 'In one year, I shall descend with my army and blood will paint the Aldrik Continent red. Ignorant humans, surrender within this year to avoid tragedy. If not, I prefer you do not resist, for it shall be a futile attempt; however, if you do resist, know that you shall not survive long. What shall you do, I wonder?' The leader of the Heilder Kingdom did not take his threat seriously and is going to war with him."

"The Heilder Kingdom is going to war with the Borneheimer Kingdom!?" shouts Niklaus. "What about the residents?" Rai equips a grim expression. Niklaus' shattered heart shows in his dejected expression. "No," he says in denial. He gets up and runs to the door.

"Niklaus where are you going?" asks Rai.

"Where else would I be going? I am the hero and a king, if I cannot protect my people, then what can I do!?"

"Niklaus, stop right there," I say. "I understand your desire to save the citizens of the Borneheimer Kingdom; however, your going there will change nothing."

"He's right," says Elisabeth.

"What do you mean?" asks Niklaus.

"This mystery person," says Elisabeth, "is going to completely dominate the war."

"What!? How do you know this?" asks Rai.

"My magic is called Memory Magic. After spending one thousand years developing my magic, I created a spell that allows me to read a person's future memories."

"So, you can predict the future?"

"Yes, it's much easier than it sounds."

"Can you tell who this mystery person is?"

"Unfortunately, not. I have never seen the person before. And he appears to be quite a powerful magician to block my Future Memory spell."

"How about someone's death?"

The atmosphere in the room grows dark. Everyone, anxious as to what Elisabeth has to say.

Elisabeth takes a sip of the tea brought to her. "Yes, I can..."

"Then..."

"However, I will not predict a person's death."

"Why?" asks the princess, disappointed.

She looks at me and continues, "If I see someone dear to me die, I don't think I could stand it."

"But if you know..."

"I am powerful; however, there are beasts in the other realms that make my power look pretty. The future is set in stone. If I mess with the Laws of Fate, powers beyond your understanding will have my head in an instant."

"The Laws of Fate? What is...?"

"Don't ask. There are some things you should not involve yourself in."

"What if we found this person's identity without relying on Elisabeth?" I ask.

"And how would we do that?" asks Ivy.

I walk to Selina and grab Jinx, "We have Leagard's best spy, remember."

"Right, I completely forgot about Jinx." Elisabeth's words cause depression to befall Jinx. "Jinx," she says, "I want you to find out the identity of the mystery man. Don't let me down. I believe in you."

Jinx's little weasel eyes brighten up, and she shouts, "Kyuun!!" as she runs off.

"How long do you think it will take before she returns?" asks Rai.

"Three months," replies Elizabeth.

"I see. Then we have to hurry. Niklaus, Elisabeth, Haruki, and Ivy, as the temporary leader, I order you four to locate and engage Leviathan. If he cannot be reasoned with... eliminate him."

"Roger."