Chapter 21: The end of imprisonment

It's been one year since I was locked up at Scarlet Detention Center. I've spent the last two years learning more about magion. Today is also the day I'm getting released.

"I've gotten quite used to this white room," I said, looking around for the last time.

Click.

The door opened, and a beautiful girl entered. She had light blonde hair, almost white, and her skin looked flawless and smooth.

"Em... Emily, is that you?" I exclaimed. Although I knew it was her, I couldn't believe my eyes.

How did she become even more beautiful since the last time I saw her?

"It's been a year... my king," she said in a gentle tone with a warm smile.

"Yes, you've become more beautiful, Emily," I said as I stood up from the ground.

"You too, my king," she said, smiling.

"What do you mean... shouldn't it be handsome?" I asked.

"No... What she said was right," a voice said.

A girl with blonde hair, darker than Emily's but just as beautiful, entered.

"Emily, who is that?" I asked, staring at the girl.

"You don't have to stare so intensely. I know I'm beautiful," the girl said in a mocking tone while giggling.

Where have I heard that before?

"Wait! Lily?" I exclaimed, my tone louder than I intended.

"Yep... the one and only. But Silvey... I can't believe you forgot me," she pouted.

"No... It's just that I didn't recognize you because of your hair," I said, trying to comfort her.

"Just kidding," she giggled.

She was still the same, although she looked different due to her longer hair.

"Silvey... did you read my message?" she asked, staring at me intensely, raising her brow.

"Yes," I answered.

"Then get ready. I'll be waiting for you outside," she said with a big smile before turning and walking out.

"Emily, what is going on?" I asked, looking toward her.

"I also have no idea. She just followed me and said she would take you somewhere," she said calmly, her eyes shifting toward the open books on the ground.

At least twenty books were scattered across the floor. Emily walked past me toward them.

"Magion Studies, Principles of Magion, Types of Magion..." Emily mumbled as she picked up the books.

"My king, why are you studying magion?" she asked as she continued picking up the books.

"Well... you see... I'm thinking of joining Magia," I replied, averting my gaze.

"What!?" she exclaimed, dropping a book as her eyes widened and she took a step back.

"But... why?" she asked hesitantly, a hint of sadness in her voice.

I walked toward her and helped pick up the books.

"There's something I need to figure out, and to do that, I need to join Magia," I answered calmly.

"Then what about Scarlet Academy? Will you just drop out?" she asked with concern.

"Yes. Even if I went back, I would need to repeat a year to be able to graduate," I said, continuing to stack the books on top of each other next to me.

"Then I will also join Magia," she replied, staring at me with a hopeful expression.

"Emily... you don't have to follow me. This is your last year at Scarlet Academy, right?"

After picking up all the books, I sat on the bed, crossing my legs.

"Yes... but when will I be able to see you again? Magia is far from here," she replied, placing the books in her hands on the ground.

Magia was located in Eclipsys, which was pretty far from Drayula. It would take at least half a year to arrive there by carriage and half that time if we went through the checkpoints using teleportation magic.

"I know... I don't want you to waste your talent just to follow me," I said, crossing my arms.

"Still... what if something happens to you? I swore that I would be by your side and protect you," she said, grabbing a chair and sitting in front of me.

"I'll be fine... I am much stronger than you think," I said confidently, smiling to reassure her.

"Emily... I order you, use [Ei] on me. See for yourself how strong the one you serve has become," I said, my voice steady and firm, my tone serious.

"Yes, my king," she answered, slightly bowing her head with her hand on her chest.

She then used [Ei] on me.

I saw her expression change from calm to surprised as her eyes scanned through my status.

"My king, I have seen for myself," she said, her calm demeanor returning.

"But... what is an Ancient? And how did you become one? Is that even part of our evolution line?" she asked, bombarding me with questions.

"Wait, calm down, Emily... I don't know either. That's why I'm joining Magia," I answered.

"So that's the reason," she said, deep in thought.

"My king, since I've used [Ei] on you, please use it on me too," she insisted.

"Okay," I replied.

I had wanted to use [Ei] when she first became my knight, but I thought it would be rude to suddenly ask. It would basically be like asking to see her without clothes. Showing your status to someone was like revealing your whole existence to them.

"I'll use [Ei] no—"

"Please wait! I didn't remove my magion layer!" she quickly shouted.

I had learned about this in one of the books. To cover your status, you can use a percentage of your magion to block anyone from seeing certain information. The higher the amount of magion used, the less the person trying to see your information will be able to see. It was also possible to entirely hide your status. This layer was very thin, making it difficult to sense.

She then removed the layer, and I was able to use [Ei].

Race: Vampire

Age: 16

Magion Amount: 18,000

Threat Level: Mid

Skills: [Ice Darts]; [Three's Vision];[Ice Arts]

[Icicle Frost]

Emily had grown strong; she had almost reached my magion amount. I was happy to have such a strong ally on my side.

"Emily, I see you've been training this past year," I said, acknowledging her effort.

"Yes, thank you," she replied with a bright smile.

I had noticed this a while ago, but Emily didn't hide her emotions like she did in the past.

"My king... please stay safe when you go to Magia," she said as she clenched her skirt.

"Yes... you too. And if you think your life's in danger, don't hesitate to ask for help," I replied.

"Silvey! Are you finished yet? What's taking you so long?" Lily yelled from outside the room.

"Yes! Coming!" I answered loudly.

"Let's go, Emily," I added.

"Yes... but what about the books?" she asked.

"Leave them. The guard will take care of that."

I picked up the strange white book, which I named Book of the Ancients, as well as the necklace and vial, and placed them in the bag lying on the bed. I took the bag and left the room.

Before I fully stepped out, I turned to look at the room one last time. The white room—it was the same as when I first arrived here. Completely white and empty, not a speck of dust... This place would forever stay in my mind. I proceeded to walk out the door.

Click.

The door closed, but this time, I wasn't inside the room—I was the one shutting it.

I wonder what happened in the time I was locked up.