**Earlier that day**
Somewhere far away at a Sub-Kingdom of the Valley, a beautiful girl with a sheer drape over her head traveled with three of her subordinates. It was midday as the four stood on the hot sands, a few miles away from the Desert Kingdom, their hometown.
This girl walked barefoot in the sand with her three golden knights. She chimed and clinked as she walked, her long head drape fluttered like a dramatic cape behind her—sheer and exposing her silhouette as she wore little to nothing behind it. Her skin, still effortless, glowed that soft, rosy color. The armor—or what little she had—covered only the edges of the off-white cloth that barely covered her chest, shining rose gold.
The other three knights wore sheer capes with the logo of a golden rose at their center. All of them were clad in golden armor. All except another girl with purple and blonde braided hair, who was only armored on her breasts, waist, and boots. Following them was a big golden ring, and it was shaped like the sun as it floated silently behind them.
"Milady…" the girl uttered dreadfully. Holding a pair of brown leather gloves that she had taken off due to the burning heat, revealing her lavender, pointed nails.
"Milady… are we… are we almost…" She could barely finish her sentence.
"Love… why don't you ride the Sun Ring? That's why I brought it with us." The pretty girl with the drape over her head recommended as she casually walked barefoot on the burning sand. "Apologies. Our usual mode of transportation has gone missing, so we must make do with walking back to the Desert Kingdom. There is no one else among us who can teleport great distances."
Love instantly perked as the pretty girl said this, feeling bad instantly that she had to apologize at all. "NO! Milady Belle, please! Never, never ever apologize for something that was not your fault! Let alone apologize to me, of all people, I am unworthy of such gestures. And look at you, milady, you lead by example! If you can walk on the sand barefoot and withstand the heat, then I can walk on it too! This is nothing! I can do this… I can do this… I can do this…"
"My case is not a matter of bravado, Love, my mana simply regulates the heat and elevates me a few centimeters off the ground..." The draped and barefoot girl, Belle, said as she looked over her shoulder and raised her brows to Love who was swaying back and forth with eyes closed, looking like she was about to faint.
She was overheating and sweating profusely, tears formed in her eyes as she closed them and repeated that last line over and over delusionally like Belle had not even responded to her. "I can do this... I can do this..."
Belle let out a dismissive sigh and waved a hand. When she did, the Sun Ring behind them hovered flat behind Love, bumping the back of her knees and flopping her onto it. She passed out immediately as she laid back comfortably; the golden ring acting like a floating bed now.
"Speed, keep watch of your Vice Captain as she rests," Belle casually ordered the golden knight in the back without looking, her eyes focusing ahead to the Desert Kingdom they neared.
The knight, Speed, simply nodded and quickly made his way to Vice Captain Love on the Sun Ring, sleeping like a baby. As he did, he took his sheer cape and, with some magic, thickened the material so as to shade her from the sun.
He then took his helmet off with one hand and placed it on the Sun Ring as well. He whipped his head so as to shake the sweat off his face; his dirty blond hair fluttering as he did, splitting down the middle and onto his face afterward.
The other knight, also male, only wore a half helm that covered the bottom half of his face. His hair was long and black. tied up in a ponytail that draped all the way to his knees. He resembled a samurai in golden armor as he held on to the long sword on his hip all the while.
When she and her crew finally made it to the walls of the Desert Kingdom after their long journey back from the Valley, a guard at the Kingdom's South Gate shouted, "The Golden Rose Knights are here! Let them in!"
The large gate opened for them, creaking and groaning its heavy steel as city within welcomed them graciously.
As they walked into this smaller Kingdom, the sand merged with the metal grounds. Despite being a smaller Kingdom, Sub to the Valley, the Desert Kingdom was just as steampunk and advanced.
The Kingdom was bustling with life. Tall buildings and skyscrapers were in view as you looked up, as well as flying vehicles and airships that populated the skies. The city was an overall dark gray color with faint colorings of brimming, sheen copper. Though its colors were earth-tone, the barrier that surrounded the Kingdom was a temperature-regulating mana barrier made as a layer within the Zion Orb barrier. It made the whole place the same weather as the Valley and even emulated its skies. So even as the crew of four Golden Rose Knights came from harsh desert winds and the beating hot sun, when they entered the Desert, they were met with perfect, serene weather conditions.
When the knights entered, crowds of people welcomed them as they had been waiting for their arrival. Each one wanting even a mere glimpse of the mages whom they treated like sacred royalty here.
Belle, who was the most esteemed by the people, daintily waved a pretty hand to all the residents as they passed by; even gently holding onto the hands of some children who reached out and walked along with her. Speed and the other masked knight followed closely behind stoically, not interacting with any of the residents—their sole duty was being Belle's guards.
"You two can afford to relax," she uttered calmly to them, looking back with a serene smile meant for the children. "The situation we've come back to is dire, but if the children can smile, so can you."
They both grunted nervously, unsure if their Captain was giving them orders.
"Sometimes, the people merely wish to see their strongest smile during uneasy times. It gives them comfort and reassurance," she paused, realizing she was becoming a bit too somber. "Just a suggestion. Don't look at this as an order."
Vice Captain Love, at this time, had arose from her slumber, hopping off the Sun Ring and immediately heeded her Captain's words, smiling and being pleasant with the people and children around them. Leading by example.
It was then, the other two did the same at last without further hesitancy.
Only a few Guilds per main Kingdom got stationed to a Sub-Kingdom for renowned protection or for certain extended missions. Fewer get the right to govern them. The Golden Rose Knights didn't just live here, they basically owned the Desert Kingdom. Put under jurisdiction from the Arcane King of the Valley himself shortly after Captain Belle rose through the ranks and quickly made the Golden Rose Knights the number 1 Guild in all the Valley.
However, the uneasiness Belle had mentioned was another reason they had to rush over here. It was why they were all on edge. And regardless of that, she wanted to display peace to the citizens. That in itself was just as, if not more, important than the situation at hand.
They continued this way until they finally reached the main castle of the Desert.
***
The three Golden Rose subordinates kneeled as Belle stood at the center of the golden throne room, speaking to the Queen now.
"What's the ETA of its arrival?" Belle asked, talking to her as if she were equal to the Queen—which she had treated her as such.
"About thirty minutes. And it wreaked havoc on a subdistrict forty-two kilometers away in the northeast yesterday just by passing by it. It's slow, but it's been traveling in this direction since then." The Queen responded, collecting herself. "I don't think our barrier will last if it's heading here and it attacks us…"
"Do you know where it hailed from? It seems it's attracted to high mana-emitting cities, hence why it's direct path here to this Kingdom," Captain Belle asked again, more stern this time.
"I am unsure. A beast like this has not appeared in quite some time." The Queen said.
Belle didn't say anything for a few seconds, pondering to herself as she remained before her.
When she finally spoke, it was a game plan, "I will cover the North and station each of my three subordinates here at an entrance; the rest will guard the citizens within the city with Head Guard Rok at their center. Worst case scenario, if it breaches the barriers, he should be able to protect you until we regroup. I would normally have 1st Vice Captain Lance and 3rd Vice Captain Viper with him, but I have them dealing with something in the Valley..." Belle paused once more, letting the Queen digest what she just said.
"Are you okay with this decision?" She asked finally.
"Aye. I confirm this not only as your Queen but as your equal. We are in your debt. Whatever you need from us, please let us know." The Queen, submissive even to her, respected her wholeheartedly.
"It is settled then. Speed to the West, Metal to the South, Love to the East," Captain Belle ordered.
Her three subordinates saluted in unison. "Yes, Captain." And without further question, they were off in a flash.
***
Twenty minutes passed by. The four—Captain Belle, Love, Speed, and Metal—were stationed outside at each gate while the other Golden Rose Knights were stationed within the Desert's walls, ready for whatever was coming. With her head drape fluttering with the desert wind, Belle walked elegantly as the mana from her bare feet creased the sand below her ever so gently. Her jewelry clinked and chimed each time she moved; the sound of the wind and her were the only things that could be heard throughout the whole desert on this Northside.
Twenty-five minutes.
Nothing out of the ordinary. No additional sounds, no shifting in the sand. Just her and the heat of the desert.
Thirty minutes. Still nothing.
But then…
The desert itself shook. At each of the gates, the other three were stationed. Every one of them lost their balance—except Belle. Speed from the West gate phoned in through the earpiece they all wore.
"Captain… it showed up… my side," he said, yelling over the other end with a static voice.
"Heading?" Belle asked calmly.
No response, only static left on the reception.
"Speed, report."
Still no response.
Then another call-in, this time from Metal, the knight with the half mask, "Captain—it—South…"
Another bad reception from his end.
Regardless, she had already assessed the situation and knew exactly where it was heading. She hopped in the air and floated, rising at an intense speed upward. The emission of her aura alone was enough to let her fly without needing to use any of her mana or cast any spells. Once she was high enough to look over the walls of the Desert Kingdom, the Sun Ring from earlier flew in from within the city and met her in the air. She grabbed it as it passed by at sonic speeds, blasting through the air, and taking her toward the East gate.
As Belle flew in to Love's location, she witnessed huge mountain-like humps protruding from the sands one after the other extended back to the South and West gates.
Below at the East Gate, Vice Captain Love was on the defensive, fending for herself as debris and sand covered the area she was in. The other two, she could only hope, were doing the same.
Belle, from the air, waited just before the large hump, in front of Love now. Stopping mid-air with the big Sun Ring in her right hand, she looked like an angel floating in the sky as the drape over her head fluttered and looked like wings behind her.
Just as expected, the thing was circling the Desert Kingdom as if it was measuring its size.
The front of the mountain moved inward, down into the sand, causing sandstorms as it dug itself into the dunes. The Desert Kingdom shook from behind the walls all the while. Citizens were losing their balance, and the Head Guard, Rok, cast his magic to help keep them all stable. He was a large man, looking as if he controlled the sand itself...
Then, from directly below, a gigantic circular mouth emerged from under the sand. The mouth itself was the size of a quarter of the Desert Kingdom. It bore endless rows of jagged teeth, each row rotating in opposite directions. The sand below it was getting eaten up and swallowed into the endless dark pit that was its center.
This was what they were waiting for. The objective: dispose of the Grade 0 Colossal Sand Dragon.
Grade 0 beasts were rare, and capable of folding Kingdoms in their wake. Beasts like this were on the extermination list, especially if it had come to them. They were a code red, and were the whole reason Belle and some of her crew had to rush back.
They all had the same magic ability: Disruption magic. Able to cause interference with all kinds of magecraft. If it wasn't already hard to kill due to its size, it became nearly impossible for almost any magic to take it down. The last one of these beasts appeared years ago, and now again today at the Desert.
The gigantic, gaping mouth shot up toward Belle. For something this big, its speeds were alarming. She flew up at equal speeds upward into the sky, and from the sides of the enormous beast, huge membranous wings arose violently out of the ground from the Southeast, just in between Metal and Love's station.
As the wings shot out, it was so enormous that you could stack another Desert Kingdom on top of it just to reach its height. Belle, witnessing this, continued to fly upward—acting as bait for the beast.
All Colossal Sand Dragons were blind and are hypersensitive to sensing mana aura, especially large amounts of it—mana that you could only typically find within a Kingdom itself. The Sand Dragons' diet included these highly condensed sources of mana… and in this case, the very core protection of any Kingdom—its Zion Orbs.
It followed her, flapping its colossal wings down. The left wing crashed onto the Desert Kingdom barrier, not causing collateral damage, but enough to cause a ripple that the residents saw from the inside—distorting the peaceful skies it emitted from within and alarming them as slight panic echoed from the citizens within.
As it pulled itself out of the sand, its giant dragon claws and legs emerged, causing sinkholes from the West, South, and East gates at the same time. All three of Belle's subordinates made a run toward more stable ground as she continued to fly upward. The beast chasing her vehemently, sensing the enormous amount of mana aura she purposefully emitted. It overshadowed, even, the Kingdom itself.
"If you can hear me, I want you to retreat into the Kingdom. Protecting the citizens is now priority number one." Belle said through the communicator in her ear, supercharging it with her mana to get any kind of signal through to her whole Guild.
There was no response for a few seconds as she continued to fly up at high speeds, waiting earnestly for any response at all. The winds and high pressure rushed past with each new height she attained. Then, from her earpiece…
The resonating echo of voices from her resolved subordinates sounded through simultaneously, "YES, CAPTAIN!"
Relief and a faint smile struck her, knowing they were all still alive. This was not only an order but an act of reassurance for her. She did not need to hold anything back now.
Both Belle and the Sand Dragon continued to fly upward, jetting higher and ever so higher into the sky. The beast's full body was so large that you could see it from miles and acres away—maybe even faintly from the Valley Kingdom. The closest view of it, perhaps, would be the garden of the Wolves Den…
They both flew so high that they were just barely above the troposphere and into the stratosphere. The beast followed her, twisting its long, gigantic body in all directions as it flew to heights it'd never reached before.
Belle stopped about half a mile away from it, still holding the Sun Ring in her right hand down the middle—her back faced upward into the stars in the distance behind her. The head drape she once wore had flown off due to the high speeds, revealing her long platinum white hair that hid underneath. It shone as bright, if not brighter than the rays, as it reflected light in a kaleidoscope of colors; like a crystal held up to the sun.
The beast closed in as she took the Sun Ring and held it in front of her. It reconfigured, clanging its golden mechanical parts intricately as it transformed into a large golden bow, infusing with her mana.
The cold air and high pressure gave her goosebumps that rippled throughout her perfect, exposed body. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, calming herself as the beast still vehemently raged toward her. A golden light formed like a string on her bow-shaped Sun Ring. She reeled it back as far as she could, concentrating all her mana into one spot.
The impeding Sand Dragon roared loudly. Belle, closing her eyes for a short moment, whispered to herself as if sending a prayer for the beast, "Stars be your witness. If there is a place for your soul after this, may the Keeper accept it. For here in this world, there is no longer a place for you. Begone. And may your ashes find rest in the ethers."
Her eyes opened gracefully, her deep blue eyes reflecting the world. She chanted and it was the essence of solemnity,
"Holy Magic: Heavenly Arrow's Judgment."
With the Sun Ring fully charged, she let go of the golden light she had reeled back. At first, it was a flicker, and then a huge blast followed afterward.
FEEUUUUM!!!
The blast condensed into a thin beam that shot right into the Sand Dragon's mouth. It was so strong that the beast began to blow up from the inside out, causing a rippled set of explosions that coursed throughout its whole body.
Her golden arrow shot past the beast and sparked like a firework over the Desert Kingdom. The clouds that surrounded them opened up the sky with Belle at its center.
The beast contorted as it continued to explode from multiple areas, falling slowly from the sky as it did. By the time it fell back down to whence it came, and the Desert was in sight of it, the beast was already fading—bit by bit into the ether, following Belle's words.
Its fallen debris looked like shooting stars during the day amidst the golden firework as it passed over the Desert Kingdom and away onto desert pastures. The crumbled pieces of the Colossal Sand Dragon disintegrated completely, leaving no trace of the beast's existence. Left only as future lore for stories to come.
As she descended from the sky, many people below fell to their knees and bowed. Many even held out prayers to her, thanking her for saving them—tears of gratefulness in their eyes. She was their savior, and they worshiped her like she was a god even more so now than they already had. The sun shone just over her, radiating rays of light that touched her skin and onto the people of the Desert Kingdom, blessing each one of them with her existence alone.
Today, Belle's rank officially changed from S rank to SS rank by default. Next to the Arcane King, she was the second-strongest mage in the Valley Kingdom, singlehandedly extinguishing a Grade 0 beast that a group of S rank mages would have struggled to accomplish.
The rest of the day consisted of the Desert Kingdom celebrating her achievement. They held a banquet for her that lasted until the next day.
**Present**
Belle had woken from her esteemed quarters which were the highest point in all the Desert Kingdom. Entirely nude and without even a single cloth on her skin, she looked out her massive balcony into the distance—where the Valley Kingdom was. And she had plans to return after just arriving yesterday.
Her comm was buzzing with updates from some of her crew who remained there. She paid it no mind. The only thought in her head was of a single, simple phrase. And a certain person in mind all the while.
Find me… her mind echoed.
***
**The Wolves Den**
Greed:
I woke up late this morning. It was about 0715, but I didn't get up until fifteen minutes later.
I slept naked on the bed with Ophelia, who was the same way under my tatted arm and her slender hand on my chest. Under the bed sheets, Star was there too, as she had woken me up with her head under the covers—the only movement there, aided by the sounds of lips pressing on skin... or extended body part...
I didn't know how long she had been there prior, but after some moments, I held her horns down as she let me finish. She took it, swallowed, then curled up into a ball under the sheets, going right back to sleep.
I lay there for a bit before pushing Ophelia off me and got dressed. A few minutes later, Ophelia had gotten up to use my master bathroom, saying nothing as she yawned and lazily sashayed in.
It was almost 0800 when I left the room. Without saying a word, I proceeded out the door, leaving the two girls behind. Another normal day, it had seemed.
I continued my usual routine, though I was a bit behind this morning, and made my way to the front entrance to go train—even though it would be by myself at this point. But once I got there, I saw both Ryo and Havoc looking through the windows of the front entrance.
"There a problem here?" I said to them both, adjusting my wrist wrap.
"There just might actually…" Ryo said hesitantly, pointing out the window through the curtain.
There was a small rectangular eye hole in both the double doors of the entrance. I opened one of them and saw a group of mages that I would rather have gone and died than be forced to meet again. But here they were...
"Open up! This is the W.M.A.!"