The night was quiet in Crystalden Village.
Most of the people were asleep.
The streets were empty, and the only sound came from the soft wind moving through the trees.
Inside the palace Lady Selena had given her, Alexandra slowly opened her eyes.
She stared at the ceiling.
For several minutes, she did not move.
Then she sat up.
Her mind had already made a decision.
She was leaving.
Alexandra had stayed in Crystalden for some time. The people had been kind to her. Lady Selena had trusted her and given her a place to stay.
But Alexandra could not stay any longer.
Her heart was still filled with anger.
Her thoughts always returned to one person.
Maximus.
"I have to find him," she whispered.
"He will pay for what he did."
She stood up and looked around the room.
For a moment, she thought about waking Lady Selena.
But she quickly changed her mind.
"No."
"I can't let her stop me."
Alexandra knew that Selena had started caring about her.
The people of the village had too.
That was exactly why she had to leave quietly.
She did not want anyone following her.
She did not want anyone getting hurt because of her.
Alexandra walked to a small table and picked up a sheet of paper.
She sat down and began to write.
When she finished, she read the letter one more time.
It was simple.
She thanked Selena for everything.
She thanked her for the food, the shelter, the kindness, and the trust.
But she also left one final warning.
She had created something before leaving.
Something to protect Crystalden.
It was not very powerful.
Only C-Rank.
But Alexandra knew its true danger was not its rank.
If anyone managed to defeat it...
Things would become very bad for the person who did.
She placed the letter on the table.
Then she stood.
"At least this way..."
"They won't be completely alone."
Alexandra walked toward the door.
She opened it slowly.
Not a single person woke up.
She stepped outside.
The cold night air touched her face.
She looked back at the palace one last time.
"Goodbye."
Then she disappeared into the darkness.
---
The following morning...
Lady Selena woke up.
She expected to see Alexandra.
But Alexandra was nowhere to be found.
A maid entered the room.
"Lady Selena?"
Selena looked up.
"Where is Alex?"
The maid shook her head.
"I don't know."
They searched the palace.
They searched the gardens.
They searched the village.
Nothing.
Then Selena found the letter.
She opened it.
As she read, her expression slowly changed.
Alexandra had left.
Selena looked toward the open window.
"You really left without saying goodbye..."
She sighed.
Then she noticed something strange.
A powerful presence could be felt outside the village.
Selena rushed outside.
There, standing at the edge of Crystalden, was a strange creature Alexandra had created.
It looked terrifying.
But it did not attack.
It simply stood there.
Protecting the village.
Selena stared at it.
"So this is what she left behind..."
She looked back at the letter.
Alexandra had kept her promise.
She had left something behind to protect them.
---
Meanwhile...
Alexandra was already far away.
She walked through a large forest.
She had been travelling for hours.
Her goal was simple.
Find Maximus.
She did not care how long it took.
She would find him.
But then she noticed something.
A village appeared ahead.
Alexandra stopped.
She looked at the road.
There were two paths.
The main road would take several days.
The smaller road went straight through the village.
It was a shortcut.
Alexandra smiled slightly.
"That will save me time."
She entered the village.
At first, everything seemed normal.
People were moving around.
Merchants were selling food.
Children were playing.
But then Alexandra noticed something.
Everyone was avoiding one part of the road.
She looked ahead.
A man was standing in the middle of the street.
He was huge.
Very huge.
He looked almost like a small giant.
His body was covered with strong armor.
A large weapon rested on his shoulder.
People stayed far away from him.
Alexandra continued walking.
She did not care who he was.
As she approached, the warrior slowly turned his head.
Their eyes met.
Alexandra stopped.
The warrior looked down at her.
Because of his size, Alexandra suddenly felt very small.
But she did not feel afraid.
She simply looked back at him.
For several seconds...
Neither moved.
The warrior finally spoke.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Alexandra answered calmly.
"I'm going somewhere."
The warrior raised an eyebrow.
"I need to pass through this village to reach my destination faster."
"No."
Alexandra blinked.
"No?"
The warrior stepped forward.
His heavy foot struck the ground.
"Nobody passes through this village."
"Not warriors."
"Not demons."
"Not gods."
"Nobody."
Alexandra looked at him carefully.
"You seem very confident."
"I am."
The warrior smiled.
"Turn around."
Alexandra remained where she was.
"I don't think I will."
The smile disappeared from the warrior's face.
The village became strangely quiet.
People stopped talking.
Everyone knew what was about to happen.
The warrior slowly removed his weapon from his shoulder.
It was larger than Alexandra's entire body.
He placed it on the ground.
BOOM!
The ground shook.
Alexandra looked down at the weapon.
Then back at him.
"Are you threatening me?"
"No."
The warrior's eyes became sharp.
"I'm warning you."
Alexandra smiled.
"Then I suppose we're going to have a problem."
The warrior took another step.
Alexandra did not move.
They stood face-to-face.
Neither wanted to back down.
The wind moved between them.
The people watched from a distance.
Nobody dared to speak.
Then the warrior suddenly felt something strange.
The girl standing before him...
She did not look afraid.
Not even a little.
He had seen powerful warriors tremble when standing before him.
Yet this young woman was looking directly into his eyes.
The warrior smiled.
"You're either very brave..."
"Or very foolish."
Alexandra's smile disappeared.
"And you..."
She looked him up and down.
"...talk too much."
The warrior laughed.
For the first time, he looked genuinely interested.
"What's your name?"
Alexandra stared at him.
"Why?"
"Because anyone who stands in my way usually gives me a name before they leave."
Alexandra's eyes became cold.
"I'm not leaving."
The warrior picked up his weapon.
"Then show me."
Alexandra slowly raised her hand.
The air around her changed.
The warrior's smile vanished.
For the first time...
He understood.
He had not stopped an ordinary traveller.
He had stopped something far more dangerous.
And Alexandra...
Had just found someone who might finally give her the fight she had been looking for.
To be continued...