A few hours later, in the fading light of the afternoon, a rustle echoed from behind the bushes. Noah, who had been dozing, jerked awake. He scanned his surroundings immediately. Another rustle. He stood up slowly and moved to stand in front of Casey and Esme. "rustle...rustle." Several monsters known as Dire Wolves emerged from the thicket. "Grrrr." They glared at Casey, Noah, and Esme with savage hunger.
"Lady Cassandra, Esme... wake up," Noah whispered, drawing his sword.
Five wolves began to circle them, eyes locked on their prey. They growled incessantly, tensed and ready to spring. Casey's eyes snapped open, but before she could scream, Esme pulled her into a hug and covered her mouth. The wolves simply watched for a moment while Noah kept his sword leveled at the pack. Then, a much heavier sound came from the brush. "Groaaar!" A massive monster bear with glowing embers on its shoulders lumbered into the clearing.
Noah, Esme, and Casey turned pale as ghosts.
"This is bad... we can't run," Noah hissed.
"Stay calm, help is coming," Casey replied.
"Don't joke around, Lady Cassandra... we're in no position to fight this!" Esme whispered, terrified.
"Graaah!" One wolf lunged. Noah met it with a thrust, but the others swarmed him immediately. He swung his blade wildly to keep them back, but he was eventually overwhelmed. A wolf slammed into him, knocking him down. "Clang!" His sword slipped away, sliding toward Casey. She scrambled for it and held it out. As a wolf pounced from the side, Casey thrust the blade upward. It pierced the beast right through the mouth, and it fell dead in front of her.
Shocked by her first kill, Casey dropped the sword. Seeing her defenseless, another wolf leaped toward her. Casey raised her hands and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the end. But after a few seconds, she felt nothing. She opened her eyes to see the wolf hovering above her, its throat caught in a massive grip.
A giant of a man had choked the wolf from behind and tossed it aside. "whimper." Nearby, a handsome young man stood back-to-back with the bald giant, plunging a dagger into a wolf's mouth.
The bald man removed his fur mantle and wrapped it around Casey. He stood tall, and Casey wasn't surprised; these were the two men from her visions. The giant was a mountain of muscle, his torso protected by plate armor, with iron gauntlets and heavy boots. He reached down and snatched the wolf that was wrestling with Noah.
"Hey... protect the Princess," the giant growled at Noah.
"Yeah, you watch the girls," the handsome man added, his daggers ready.
"R-right!" Noah scrambled to his feet, grabbed his sword, and stood guard in front of Casey and Esme.
The handsome man, moving with the lethal grace of an assassin, glanced at the giant.
"Looks like they're safe. So, this is why we came into the forest—to meet them, Dustin?" Cyrill asked.
"Yes. Here it comes," Dustin replied, facing the massive bear.
Dustin stepped forward. "Graaaah!" The bear swung a claw, but Dustin caught it. The bear swung the other, and he caught that too. It was a pure contest of strength. Dustin tucked the bear's arms under his own and delivered a massive kick to its stomach. "Groaah!" The bear was sent reeling. Because Dustin still held its arms, it flipped and crashed to the ground. Dustin immediately pinned the beast and yanked its neck upward. "crack." The bear's neck snapped, and it went limp.
Dustin looked over. He saw Cyrill vanish just as a wolf lunged at him, only to reappear behind it. "whimper." Cyrill buried both daggers into the wolf's back, killing it instantly. The remaining wolves, seeing their pack slaughtered, turned and bolted. Cyrill sheathed his blades, while Dustin stood perfectly still.
Cyrill waved a hand in front of Dustin's sightless eyes. "Hey... you promised you'd explain everything. Come on, talk," Cyrill said impatiently.
Ignoring him, Dustin walked over to the group. Noah stood his ground, sword raised, looking wary.
"Your arm is wounded... come here," Dustin said.
He grabbed Noah's bloody arm and placed his palm over it. A brilliant green light flooded from his hand, and Noah's wound gradually vanished, leaving behind nothing but dust and dried blood. Noah stared in pure shock. After letting him go, the giant turned to Casey. He dropped to one knee and bowed low.
"Greetings, Your Highness, the Princess Consort," Dustin said, keeping his head down.
"Huh... P-princess Consort?" Casey stammered, completely stunned.
Noah and Esme stood there gaping, their jaws practically hitting the floor, frozen in silence. Seeing the three of them so lost, Cyrill stepped up and tapped Dustin on the shoulder.
"Hey, they're totally confused. Why don't you explain yourself first?" Cyrill said, sounding annoyed.
Dustin raised his head, looking at Casey with an expressionless face. Suddenly, he turned toward Cyrill, shifted his position to kneel before him, and bowed again.
"Forgive me, Your Highness, the Prince Consort. I will explain everything once we have reached our destination and everyone is gathered together," Dustin said.
Now it was Cyrill's turn to freeze. His jaw dropped and his mind went blank, as if he'd been struck by lightning. Not even in his wildest dreams had he been called a Prince. If he was being called a Prince Consort, it meant he was destined to marry a Queen. In the same way, Casey being called a Princess Consort meant she was destined to marry a King. Casey, Noah, and Esme all turned to look at Cyrill, who stood like a statue, mouth hanging open without a sound.
"A-alright... could you please stand up and take us somewhere safe?" Casey asked, trying to stay calm despite her racing heart.
"A King and two Queens are preparing to head to the Central Continent. We will meet them at Castletown. We are leaving for Castletown immediately to wait for their arrival. They will recognize you, for all of this has been ordained by the gods," Dustin answered.
"Wait... what? Castletown? Hey, you know exactly what the situation is there, don't you?" Cyrill asked, suddenly snapping back to reality at the mention of the city. "Besides, the journey from here to there is incredibly dangerous. There's a wedding at the monastery, every lord and noble is gathered right here... the risk is too high."
"The King and the two Queens... from the south... please, tell me everything. I've seen them in my visions," Casey added.
"Very well, I will explain. First, my name is Dustin. I come from beyond the wall, and I am a descendant of a race of giants that no longer exists in this world," Dustin began.
Dustin laid everything out. He was a hermit, and though he was blind, he saw everything through visions granted to him by the gods. Since receiving these visions a year ago, he had slipped past the wall and traveled across Libelia, exploring many places to fulfill his duty: securing the three consorts for the coming King and the two Queens who would rule.
He stated flatly that in the future, Casey would marry the King, while Cyrill would marry one of the two Queens, before they all went to war in the North when the wall is finally breached by the Legion of Darkness. Their goal was Castletown because the King and Queens from the south intended to take the city and make it the heart of their new kingdom, replacing the Vanadias Empire.
As Dustin finished his explanation, the looks on Casey and Cyrill's faces changed completely. Instinctively, they glanced at each other before looking back at Dustin, who was nearly as tall as them even while kneeling.
"So... that's how it is," Casey whispered.
"Hey... wait a second... you mentioned my sister Isabel was in the south. Is she coming here with this King and the two Queens?" Cyrill asked.
"Exactly, Your Highness. She will arrive with them and the Saint she is currently protecting," Dustin replied.
"I see... and please, stop calling me Your Highness. It's weird," Cyrill muttered.
"But there's one King and two Queens... if I marry the King and he marries one Queen, isn't there one person missing?" Casey asked, pointing at Cyrill.
"The final candidate is already in Castletown. The gods have already sent two others there to meet her," Dustin replied.
"Okay... this is all really strange... but for some reason, I believe you. I actually... I once had a dream about a beautiful girl with black hair and blue eyes. She carried two massive axes and was incredibly powerful... but it was just a dream," Cyrill said, thinking out loud and looking confused.
Dustin and Casey, who both understood exactly who Cyrill was describing, immediately turned to stare at him. Noticing their gaze, Cyrill flinched.
"Hey... why are you guys looking at me like that?" Cyrill asked, bewildered.
"We need to move immediately," Dustin said, standing up.
"Alright, let's go," Casey replied.
"Hey, why is everyone ignoring me?" Cyrill muttered.
"We'll head south toward the Southern Territories, Seriyan, and from there, we'll cut through to the center," Dustin explained.
"Fine by me," Casey said.
"Fine... whatever," Cyrill added, sounding annoyed.
Dustin turned around and lowered his massive frame, gesturing for Casey to climb onto his back. She crawled up and held on tight. With that, the group set off into the deep forest. Cyrill walked beside Dustin, still lost in thought, occasionally glancing at the giant's blind eyes. Behind them, Noah and Esme followed closely, their eyes glued to Casey. From the back, she looked like a small monkey clinging to a massive bear.
"Hey, Esme, is that Dustin guy really blind? His eyes are completely white," Noah whispered.
"I don't know, but it's weird how he walks so normally. I mean, he doesn't bump into anything. He steps perfectly, avoiding every obstacle in his path. It's strange," Esme replied.
"Exactly. I was actually worried when the Princess climbed onto his back," Noah said.
"Wait... Princess? Does that mean we're serving future royalty now? Talk about a promotion," Esme said, turning to look at Noah.
"Something like that," Noah replied, his eyes never leaving Casey.