2nd issue

She spoke with a slight accent, but as if nothing had happened, she stood up and paced around a bit to stretch. Her nakedness was covered by her magnificent lavender hair and remnants of cobwebs. The tip of her lizard tail twitched with annoyance. She was small and looked fragile, with thin arms and legs.

Dan was slowly coming to his senses. In any case, as a potential ruler, he had to figure out what was going on before making any conclusions. Especially in a land where fairies, elves, almas, dwarves, gikls, dragons, and other beings still roamed, there might well be some unknown races—like her.

“Who... who are you?” he dared to ask, still sitting on the floor.

The girl stopped. Her eyes widened in shock.

“You! You dare ask me that?! How could you…!”

She stumbled over her words, puffed out her cheeks, then jumped up onto a rock, completely unashamed, and shouted across the hall:

“I am the ruler of the northwestern lands and seas, the high priestess of the Kingdom of Carr, Queen of the Lake Dragons! The Great Azure Dragon!”

The girl fell silent, staring tensely and stubbornly above Dan’s head. The young man felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over him.

“The Kingdom of Carr was overtaken by rebels two centuries ago... Now we have a union of principalities under the protection of the head of Madar. It’s called Yanai,” he said quietly.

“What?!” the girl exclaimed, outraged. She stared at him for another half-minute, then sat down on the stone and lowered her head.

“Huh,” was all Dan could say. Most likely, this girl was some sort of strange cave fairy. Maybe she'd been in some kind of magical slumber and had lost track of time.

The young man stood up and carefully approached her. The girl didn’t move. She seemed deep in thought. Dan reached out a hand, considering whether to touch the small horn on her head, trying to figure out what kind of creature she was—but the girl suddenly lifted her head.

“So… you’re not my servant?” she asked abruptly.

“Uh… no,” Dan replied calmly now.

“Then how long have I been asleep?” the girl wondered aloud.

A fuzzy green barachi fluttered over, flashing a toothy white grin.

“Oh! What’s that?” she poked it with her finger.

“Ti-ti-ti!” the barachi protested, shaking its tiny body. Its fur bristled.

“Ah, they’re creatures from other lands. People use them as messengers, but this one’s my friend. I call him Green Ball of Fur.”

“Green Ball of Fur?” the girl repeated thoughtfully, bringing a finger to her lips. “We didn’t have such creatures in my time… So that means I’m no longer the high priestess of King Isard?”

Dan strained his memory, trying to recall that historical name, but he only knew the history of his principality up to chapter five. Maybe the fairy meant some forgotten or ancient ruler.

“Looks like it,” was all he could say.

“HURRAAAAY!” the girl shrieked and began jumping around. The barachi spun joyfully around her, not understanding the reason for the excitement, but happily sharing in it nonetheless.

"I'm so sick of all these ceremonies and traditions! And that greedy King Isard!" she complained. "I'll never be a priestess again, how boring. All those mountains of gold—I’m so tired of counting every coin for reports."

"Uh... so you worked as a treasurer? An accountant... basically. You remember the old kings?" the boy asked. "How old are you?"

"Hehe, what?" The girl's face turned indignant. "How rude! We dragons live for thousands of years. When I first came to this land, humans didn’t even exist. Elves lived along the ocean shores, nomadic Alms in the forests, and dwarves in the mountains. I descended along the mountain rivers after the water withdrew. I've been around since the Azure Lakes first began to fill."

The girl stared sadly into the distance, fingers interlocked as if lost in memories. But Dan still couldn't believe this fragile creature was a dragon. Dragons were huge, powerful, and dangerous—not sad and delicate.

"Well, either way, I have to go now."

"Shu-shu?" chirped Barachi, tilting its fuzzy head.

"What? You're leaving?" the girl perked up. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Well, that’s a matter for magical beings," Dan said as he turned to leave. But she ran in front of him and blocked his path.

"What do you mean? Aren’t you supposed to accompany me and shout to the world that my power has awakened?!" she exclaimed, flinging her arms wide in outrage.

"Um, Lady Fairy, I don’t know how long you’ve been asleep, but times have changed. I’m from the ruling family of these lands, and serving little girls isn’t exactly on my list of duties."

Dan, hesitating just a moment, dared to touch her tiny horn. It was smooth and hard. The girl’s eyes sparkled, her tail twitched sharply, and her face flushed. She looked like she might explode from rage. Her tail slapped Dan’s hand.

"Fairy?!" she shouted. "Who are you calling a fairy?!"

Then she seemed to grasp something.

"You don’t believe me, do you?"

Dan smiled. He folded his arms and confidently said:

"Of course not. Dragons left these lands long ago. And those that remained? They raid the outer provinces. My father, along with the king and other nobles, is about to lead a campaign to wipe them out."

"What?" Her eyes went wide again. "What do you mean? People used to worship dragons!"

"Well, now we worship the One and fight dragons—because they burn our fields and slaughter our livestock."

"So this is what times have become! Dragons would never stoop to such things!" the girl said indignantly.

Silence fell. Dan forced a knowing smile—the kind people wear when reminded just how much times have changed.

"In any case, I must go there to clarify this situation!" she declared.

"Even if, somehow, you are a dragon, that’s not possible. If people see a dragon nearby, they'll attack. With weapons," Dan said, stepping out of the cave tunnel. Barachi squeaked and followed him.

"Hey, wait!" a hesitant voice called after them.

But Dan didn’t stop. Even without a sword, he had made up his mind to follow his father. Now, he needed to get a proper blade and armor from the armory.

Climbing out of the chasm, he quickly reached the forest that bordered the tomb grounds. The girl didn’t really concern him. She was just another magical creature, and humans had neither the powers nor much in common with such beings.

The sun was setting. He had to hurry before his mother and sister realized where he’d gone. Barachi swirled around him and whimpered. Dan turned—and saw a small, skinny figure.

The girl stood barefoot on the earth, uncertainly scanning the surroundings. In her hands, she clutched the hilt of the Zhadan sword. When she spotted the boy, her face lit up. Dan hesitated. Was it really safe to leave her here alone, without clothes, horns and tail exposed, her body only partly covered by cobwebs? What would a knight do?

"Hey, you!" she called out. "Servant!"

"My name’s Dan... How did you even get through the chasm inside the cave? I thought maybe you shouldn’t leave your bed after so many years. Wouldn’t it be better to go back to sleep in there?"

Her face twisted with arrogance.

“I can levitate using invisible wings. I only slept because of the magic of the Zhadan sword. It was used to seal me.
Well, that’s typical for fairies. Looks like the sword’s magic has worn off over the years—it’s useless now. You should throw it away.”

“No way!” she snapped. “I’m definitely not a fairy. The sword holds ancient magic and can be revived. Don’t you understand anything, human? Didn’t you study your lessons properly?”

The mention of lessons hit Dan like a slap. It was true—school had always been difficult for him, unlike his brother, who could memorize everything quickly and barely needed to study. Just flipping through the pages once was enough for him to grasp the core of any subject.

“Alright, fine. Looks like you have nowhere else to go anyway… If fairies once lived here, they’ve long since gone south.”

This time, the girl didn’t protest being called a fairy. Frowning, she peered into the dense thickets of trees. She thought she saw someone there.

“In any case, here,” — Ruslan threw his hooded cloak over her shoulders. — “So, what are you going to do with the sword hilt?”
The boy grimaced. Seeing the shattered hope of an ancient magical sword that only obeyed its true owner was now just sad.

“You’re so ignorant!” the girl puffed out her cheeks. “This sword belongs to a hero. It will awaken in the hands of a brave warrior and give him the power to destroy the Renegades and resist their influence.”

The Renegades were demons who fed on the bodies and souls of all beings who refused to obey their savage laws of violence. Possessing dark magic, the Renegades captured settlements and devoured everyone inside. They were merciless and emotionless.

“Yeah? Then how did it end up in our cave?” the boy asked skeptically.

“The previous owner failed to fulfill a promise, for which I swore vengeance on his entire bloodline. He deceived me and sealed me with the sword. And now you've broken the curse and released me. Though I didn’t expect so many years to pass...”
“Hm, what kind of promise?” Dan scratched his head.
“He was supposed to marry me,” the girl smiled, revealing fangs, “but unfortunately, he was in love with another.”
She took a few steps forward and glanced again toward the thickets.

Dan didn’t even know what to say. He was already promised a bride, who was soon to arrive at the palace. He’d only seen her portrait and knew nothing of her personality or character.

“I think that’s silly. If he rejected you, you could’ve just found another groom,” he shrugged, heading down the path. “Let’s go. We need to get through the forest and reach our castle by nightfall.”

“Nothing is sillier, but also nothing is more important than love!” the girl declared. “My vow of loyalty still stands! So, while I’m at it, I’ll find Zhadan’s descendants and erase them from the face of the earth!”

She clenched her fists. Dan flinched. Magical folk turning into enemies was the last thing he needed…

“Actually… Zhadan was my ancestor,” he said sheepishly.

“Eh?” The girl froze.

“Looks like you’re supposed to kill me right now,” the boy grinned.
The so-called fairy frowned.
“Oh, really now!”
But her stomach growled traitorously. The girl was starving—after all, she hadn’t eaten in two centuries.
“Dragons always keep their word,” she said proudly, “but vengeance isn’t an honorable goal to place above all else. First, I must deal with the dragons and find the sword’s new rightful owner. Most likely, these wars with humans began because it was lost.”

Dan smirked.

“You could’ve just said you’re hungry and can’t think straight,” he said, laughing, and continued down the path. Barachi flew after him, leaving behind a faint green glow.
“Hey!” the ‘fairy’ shouted, running after them.

Meanwhile, deep in the thickets, a black silhouette flickered silently.

(To be continued)