Free

Perses watched Machia's back tread solemnly towards the inner walls. He didn't fully grasp the implications, choosing only to find solace inside his own head.

However, this was taken from him as a tall figure approached and loomed over him. The shadow coating the battlefield was dismissed, signalling its end, returning the sun's light to the domain.

Perses saw her smile before anything else as it drew in his gaze. Her long, jade-green hair stood out even amongst the grassy plains. Her figure was athletically toned to an outstanding extent. Her posture was both casual and stout as she assessed her surroundings before turning back to Perses.

"I guess I should introduce myself, ahh so embarrassing."

With an excited expression, she turned around in preparation. Her jovial antics were welcoming but strange, considering the heavy turmoil that had taken place only moments prior. Spinning back, she coughed and straightened her stance but was unable to fix the grin smeared on her face. 

"I'm your sister, my name is Amelia."

Perses had expected such a reveal yet still found himself bewildered. He did not have a family. He was Blessed.

"Sister? You mean as a fellow Blessed."

Amelia shook her head with a grin. 

"You'd think so, right, but no, we're real, actual, legitimate siblings. Haha"

Unable to contain her joy, she leapt at Perses, wrapping her arms around him with a laugh. Perses was deeply uncomfortable. In his entire life, he'd never been touched like this. But Amelia shared none of this concern as she only tightened her embrace around his reluctant figure.

Doing his best to escape her shameless grasp, he asked, "How does that even make sense, I don't get it?" 

She sneered down at him, still refusing to release him from her clutches. "Well, we have the same parents, duh."

This made Perses blink in surprise, even surrendering to her grasp in the process. Perses tried to think it through despite the awkward place his head was in. 

'Did Machia lie about that too? I didn't even consider having parents. Then what does that mean for the devil girl are we siblings too.'

Perses contemplated this, aware she could hear his thoughts. But she remained strangely silent. For once, Amelia acknowledged his concern and gently released him from her embrace. 

"I don't know what you've been through whilst I've been gone. I, it's all my fault."

The girl appeared to be on the verge of tears as she looked down, but her smile rose again as she looked back up at Perses longingly. 

"We have a whole journey to talk about this with each other, we can talk about our entire lives. But for now, let's put some distance between us and the kingdom. Pretty please"

Perses wrinkled his brow. He was uncertain whether he really wanted to leave. He could still make out Machia's figure in the far distance in all his lonesome. Noticing Perse's concern, her face twitched, and she nervously fidgeted. 

"I know you don't even know me or anything and that you might not want to leave. But my friend told me to escape as soon as possible. This place is gonna be really dangerous soon, and I really trust this friend...so."

"Danger? What about Machia? Is he in danger?"

Hearing Perse's concern, the girl sighed as her antics were placed on hold. She stared at the distant castle with a cold, indifferent expression. 

"You can't help him, you know. He was twisted before, but now I don't even recognise him. But one thing he is, is smart. He'll figure out whatever his problem is on his own. But right now, Perses, he's dangerous."

Turning to look at Perse's reluctant, conflicted gaze caused Amelia to frown. An expression that didn't suit her joyful demeanour. Perses avoided her gaze, choosing to stare idly at the castle's still-distant visage.

"We can talk about it as we walk. Will you, come with me?"

Despite her pleading eyes, no other force was involved in her question. She fully intended to let him choose. An act that Perses greatly appreciated. Finally, he tore his gaze away from the sharp spire of the castle, keen to forget the building entirely. With an embarrassed sigh, he announced, "Okay, I think I'll trust you. I think I'm okay with leaving."

Finally, recognising the source of his conflict, she shared a knowing nod with Perses as she turned to walk, providing him with his own space. "I'm sure you'll meet him again, but I want you to do what's best for you right now." With a laugh, she stopped, then gestured for Perses to follow her.

One last glance was cast towards the kingdom and its grand walls before Perses took a reminiscent, cautious step towards the light. 

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The kingdom was merely a blurry, distant visage. Perses couldn't help but turn back and look every so often. But the cruelty of his time there and the things he didn't understand drove him to maintain his pace alongside Amelia. 

He'd never considered it before, but running had always been an option. Besides him, an awkward Amelia looked towards him and away with a conflicted expression, causing Perses to raise his brow at her. Noticing his attention, she pouted and looked away a second time.

"What?"

Hearing his voice, she glanced at him keenly. "You never told me your name, not that I mind calling you brother."

"My name is Perses. I'm sorry, but I can't be sure that you're telling the truth. Can you tell me where it is we're going?"

Satisfied and unimpeded by Perse's retort, she returned her gaze back to the grassy hills. They appeared to stretch forever, nothing but an assortment of flat grass stretched for miles. 

"Perses, we're going to go pick up my friend. I left her behind. Did you know she's a Blessed, too?

Disbelief stretched across Perse's head as he twisted his head towards her. 

"How is that possible? Machia tried to pretend it was only us two originally. It's hard to imagine there being a fourth, who is it, and when did they awaken?"

A flattered smirk warped Amelia's face, excited to have gained his full attention. "Well, you can always just ask her yourself."

Perses stared sceptically, "Uhh, so which is it, do you not know or are you just lying? Didn't you say she was your friend?"

Amelia looked away from him with a bold indifference. She gazed towards the never-ending grassy plains blessed by the bright, orange evening sun. Eventually, she weakly whispered, "Uh, about that..."

Perses sighed for a second time and freed her from his judgeful gaze. Amelia was like the opposite of Machia. No matter how long he had spent besides Machia, his twisted tendencies had eluded him. But this brash girl was the opposite. Her thoughts could not be hidden, and her feelings seemed to simply overwhelm her.

'I think I get it, she's just an idiot.'

'Right? But, a strong idiot. Why the hell are you trusting her so easily? You were asleep because of that Machia guy, so I suppose you didn't see what I did?"

The devil girl finally raised her voice inside his mind. Perses processed her words, but before he could find a meaningful response, Amelia turned towards him with a burning excitement. The devil girl's warning only heightened his fears as he backed away a little instinctively. "Say this is taking too long... can't I just carry you?"

"Carry, how would you even-"

She appeared behind him. He failed to notice any movement at all before he was hoisted into a princess carry in a mere instant. Perses stared at the ground with shock. Right now, he should have been immensely heavy. His strength whilst the devil girl was inside his head directly correlated to his weight. Yet he was embarrassingly hauled into the air in a single effortless motion. 

The king had been unbearably strained just lifting Perses into the air using his magic. Yet she appeared to be entirely unhindered. Through an even stranger turn of events, she began to move. Slowly, she accelerated as her strides became larger and faster. A panicked shout erupted from his mouth.

Enticed by the shock that encompassed his features. Amelia looked down at him smugly. Before he could voice his fright, his voice was drowned out by the whistling of the air pressure. As he looked up at her arrogant grin, a thought crossed his mind.

'Why am I leaving with such a dangerous person?'