Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 99: Princess of the Brilliant Drake Empire

Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 99: Princess of the Brilliant Drake Empire

"Mother!"

A cheerful, lively voice of a child called out for her mother. The child ran with, practically leaping across the halls, smiling so brightly that the attendants and guards around her could not hide their doting expressions.

Her silver hair was tied into one long braid, and her wide emerald eyes sparkled with innocence.

This was when Celestina was six years old. Her childish eyes looked around in excitement. Then she ran into the garden; her attendants and guards kept pace, but the picture of the child running with all her might made their lips curl up in a warm smile.

"Celestina! How many times have I told you not to run like that? You're a princess of the Empire." A soft melodious voice full of love came from the woman sitting near a table.

She had shiny, luscious black hair in a side ponytail and a pair of deep emerald eyes similar to Celestina's. Her face was mature and enchanting, with rosy cheeks and a regal look in her light blue summer dress.

The Empress of the Brilliant Drake Empire, Anastasia Dragnar, looked at her daughter with sweet love contrary to the scolding tone in her voice. As her daughter came closer, she held a book in her hands.

Celestina's eyes shined even more as she smiled widely. She ran straight to her mother's side with a look of pleading. "Can we read it?"

"Of course!" Anastasia lovingly rubbed her daughter's head, to which Celestina responded by closing her eyes with a hum.

"Mother's hands are warm." Celestina grabbed her mother's hand to rub her cheeks with a grin. She didn't know why, but her mother's hand made her feel warm and happy.

"Fufu. We won't have time to read if you keep playing around." Anastasia chuckled as she teasingly waved the book around with her other hand at the young, baby-faced Celestina.

"NO!" Celestina puckered her lips, giving a stubborn and unwilling gaze at her mother. She quickly let go and sat on a chair next to her mother.

"What is it this time?"

"The book I have is called 'The Boy with the Scabbard'. It's a story of a boy born with a scabbard by his hip."

"Eh? That's weird! How can that happen?" Celestina giggled as her eyes filled with wonder. What kind of person is born with a scabbard?

"Let's read and find out."

Under the soft, gentle beams of the two suns and the slight breeze that tickled their hair, Anastasia and Celestina read together. Anastasia narrated the story with a mesmerizing voice, drawing Celestina into the book.

This peaceful scene continued on for about an hour. The mother and daughter laughed and gasped at the chapters of the book. They were having a great time together.

"The hour is up. You need to go to your lessons." Anastasia closed the book with a bookmark. They were about halfway through.

"Awww. Can we stay a little longer?" Celestina pouted with a begging look.

"If you're late, you'll be scolded by your father." Anastasia brought up her husband, the current emperor, causing Celestina to stiffen and straighten up.

"I'll be going!" Celestina went out in fright. The gardens were silent except for the sound of Anastasia's laughter.

Celestina loved her mother and the reading times they shared. Every time it would be exciting as her mother narrated the book with various voices and emotions.

For all the exhausting lessons and strenuous training she had to endure from a young age as a member of the royal family, this brief respite with her mother was her little heaven.

Her free time was spent reading books with her mother or alone in her room. She was excited to share what she read with her mother, who listened attentively to her words.

However, nothing lasts forever.

Celestina woke up to horrible news that her mother had failed to advance to the Marshal Exalt realm, despite her Grade Seven Exolsia core.

Failure to advance into a brand new realm had severe repercussions that could lead to a drastic decline in health, even instant death. The process to advance into a Marshal Exalt from a Knight Exalt was one of the riskiest.

Celestina remembered seeing her mother, weak and skinny to bones. Anastasia's healthy black hair had turned into a dull white, and her emerald eyes were shut tight.

This was when she was ten years old.

"Mother...." Celestina bent over the bed and grabbed her weak mother's arm. But no matter how much she tried to rouse her, Anastasia would not wake up. Tears dripped down Celestina's face as she shook her mother's arm to little avail.

"Celestina." A man dressed in ceremonial royal clothes with golden shoulders knelt and held her shoulder.

He had golden eyes and silver hair that shone like moonlight. A handsome face with hawk-like eyes and a square chin. The emperor of the Brilliant Drake Empire, Julius Evergrant Dragnar.

"Father...." Celestina could barely speak, with the tears choking her up.

"She's forcing herself too much. Even I can't do this far in 'Ein Awaken'!" Oscar was reminded of when he had undergone Draven's training and felt his master's overpowering Reis tear through his body. Something similar must be happening to her.

However, instead of her silver Ein showing signs of slowing down, it continued to burn like a fiery star.

One side was utterly baked in silver Ein while the other was coated in dark Ein. Neither side was giving in.

Doyle's eyes expressed his shock as he felt the immense Ein behind this attack. He was not privy to 'Ein Awaken' and was not a Knight Exalt to discover it naturally, so he was confused.

'Where on earth is she drawing this Ein from?' He poured more to stop this crazed girl.

Celestina sensed Doyle's Ein getting stronger. Her body bled more that fizzled like smoke off her skin.

Her emerald eyes shined like jewels as she gave off one final cry. Her Ein suddenly swelled up to incredible levels that her skin was tearing and bones were breaking. The tip of her 'Radiant Lance' had an immense concentration of Ein that was continually fed more.

"What?!" Doyle was aghast.

"AH!" Celestina roared, pouring everything into her rapier and lance.

A large explosion occurred. The silver and dark Eins were in flux as they rotated around like a vortex. A loud deafening sound blew away the air as the ground became a pond of rubble.

Oscar could not see anything through the explosion, and the loud noise knocked out his hearing. But he saw a shadow coming out of the fierce vortex of Ein. With the last of his strength, he leaped out and grabbed it.

In his arms was Celestina, but her current state made Oscar wince and curse his weakness.

There were lines of blood coming out of her orifices, mainly from her unfocused, unconscious rolled-over white eyes. She had broken her arm but still held the rapier tightly.

He could not sense a hint of Ein within her and felt her vitality fading.

Everyone else hurried over but paled at her condition.

"Anyone has a Heal Elixir? Or did we use them all up?" Oscar asked.

George took out his since he had never used it. Oscar took it and poured the content into Celestina's mouth. It worked to cure some of the various wounds on her body but did not rouse her awake.

The 'Ein Awaken' had severely damaged her mind. It would take a while to recover.

"We need to leave."

"Where can we go?"

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?"

A loud hysterical shout shook Oscar and the others to their core. The storm of Ein had settled down to reveal Doyle; his hand was bleeding from a large gaping hole on it.

"That bitch!" Doyle moved forward. "I didn't expect her to have this sort of trump card. But it looks like that was it."

Oscar stood up with his buckler and took up a defensive stance. "Bastard."

"I'll take care of you first. Then I'll torture that girl for as long as possible before turning her into a shrunken head!" He screamed crazily. His Ein exploded out, making Oscar and the others kneel down, unable to fight back.

They squirmed and struggled but could only look at Doyle with a hint of despair.

Doyle began to laugh crazily. His victory was near.

"Who did you say you were going to torture?" A rough and powerful voice interrupted Doyle's moment of pleasure.

"Who?!" Doyle brandished his weapons and turned to the voice; his eyes widened in disbelief.

Oscar also turned and was also in disbelief. There was a man.

This man looked middle-aged with a short beard and shaggy purple hair. But his eyes contained a destructive might that could swallow all of existence.

His face was burly, and his shoulders broad. He carried a single broadsword on his back.

The more shocking fact was this single man stood in the great divide between the second and third islands. He was flying without care.

"A Marshal Exalt...."