Elmira Sielstone: The Empress

Chapter Six

Are you sure, you don’t want me to transport you inside?” They arrive at the gates of the Academy, standing in front of the gray walls overlooking it’s high borders.

The King is hesitating to leave them yet, making sure that they don't need anything else.

“Yeah. I’ll take over from here. You can now prepare the other ingredients in the Palace. And...make sure that the wine is EXACTLY a hundred-year-old wine Pa. ” She said, emphasizing the 'exactly' as that is what exactly they needed. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Okay." He nodded. "Call me if you need anything else.”

“We will.” Elmira smiled and waved goodbye to the King who teleported them outside the Academy.

As soon as he left, The Queen appeared in Smith's mind as a dream. “Pa. Tell her, Alexis is already inside the forbidden forest, and... take care.” she disappeared after giving him her message.

“Your mother said-”

“I heard it. Loud and clear.” She smiled after cutting what her grandpa was trying to say and turned her attention back to the Academy’s high gray bricked walls and the wide blue gate that is as high as the walls.

“How can we get in there?”

‘We’ll teleport.” She answered without looking at him.

“I thought you can’t teleport right now, that’s why you let your Father teleport us here, right?”

“I can. But it’s his special Qarath, and this is his place, so might as well save my energy and use him for his own land, right? And...I know that you know exactly my condition right now, because you have my mirror. So let's don't pretend Pa.”

Smith didn’t even get surprised by what she had said. Ever since he had the hand mirror, he was constantly seeing her for what the mirror wanted to show him. But the very first time he had seen Elmira from there, he was so surprised that he even went to where Elmira was practicing.

“Why did you give that to me anyway? I was just curious.”

“So you can help me whenever I’m facing danger.” She looks towards him, smiling. “Just like the way you have helped me back then, whenever I get drowned in the ocean, or whenever I get hurt when I was still mastering my Qarath and this body to work as a team.”

"So that was intentional." He said, not even blinking and he's looking directly towards Elmira's eyes.

"Yes. And I pretended not to know." She grinned.

Elmira looked in every direction that she could reach, from the forest behind them, and to their other sides, making sure that no one’s around and observing them.

“Come on Pa. We need to get going.” She holds him on his wrist, and teleports them both inside the forbidden forest, where Alexis is not so patiently waiting for them, just beside the small gate of the forest that is almost not noticeable, as it was covered with vines.

“Pa.” Alexis hugged him as soon as he saw him. “I just heard a while ago that you came back. No one ever told me that you were already there when I came home last time.” He released him, and flashes a very genuine smile on his face showing how he really missed him so much. “I really missed you Pa. How’s Mama Red and your mission in Glith?”

Elmira crossed her arms, watching them having their happy reunion without being seen.

“It was great. And also your Mama Red, she’s doing great.”

“By the way. Mom told me that you’ll be with someone. Who are you with?” He looked around to look for the person. "I can't seem to find the person."

Smith raised his brows and looked around him, only to find nothing.

“Don’t tell him I’m with you. He doesn’t like me that much.” Elmira said in his mind that made him chuckle.

“I was actually with your father earlier, but he already left.” He said, quickly withdrawing his smile.

“I think you should move now. You can’t stay here for long. This forest isn’t called `forbidden’ for nothing Pa.” Elmira constantly talks to him through his mind as she doesn't want Alexis to hear her or even know her existence behind them.

“Come on Al. It’s dangerous in here, we must hurry.”

“Right Pa.” They start walking, and Smith's leading their way as he knows where to go, and as he can feel where the plants they're looking for are located.

“So what really happened there? I heard the Palace had been poisoned. Do you have any idea who’s behind it?” Alexis asked, full of curiosity.

"No." He shrugged. "And we haven’t talked about that yet. Curing the poisoned individuals is our priority now.”

They’re trailing a dense field, covered with fallen leaves of different trees surrounding the area, and walking towards the middle of the forest where they can find the first two ingredients that they needed to make the antidote of the poison circulating inside the Palace.

Elmira just stayed behind them, listening from their conversation while looking out for danger near them.

The forest is not quite relaxing as it should be for the sound of birds chirping in every direction or even the sound of rustling leaves and trees colliding with each other when the wind blows, because there’s always something inside the woods. Quiet describes danger inside the forbidden forest.

“About the ingredients for your antidote Pa. Did Mama Red give you the list?”

"Pa." Smith stops as Elmira calls his attention in his mind, as he's already ready to answer Alexis' question. He stopped even before something came out from his mouth.

"Tell him, it was MaRed. I can see someone in his head, manipulating him… I have already closed your mind so that person couldn't read you." She added.

Smith almost nodded, but he restrained himself to do so, so that Alexis couldn't know that they were with her.

“Yes. That’s her special Qarath, remember?” He answered.

“Answer all his questions with a lie, for now Pa.” Ever since they had arrived, Elmira already sensed that someone’s with Alexis, but she didn’t do anything as the person is not also doing anything yet. But as soon as they started taking the path to get inside the forest, the person had already started manipulating him.

“Yes of course. I remembered her inventing some medicine when I was little. But what did you do in Glith Pa? I was just curious about what special mission they have given you for you to get outside Harzenia”

Smith stopped and so did he. Smith was just looking towards their way in front of him and didn’t answer him, hesitating to answer him.

“Well, now that you’re back, I assume you’re already done with your mission. So perhaps, you can already tell me. And I am already grown up. I think I can now understand your reason.”

Smith faced him and looked directly in his eyes, trying to read him and his expressions, but he failed. He doesn't have any Qarath that can read minds.

“I’ll let you know soon Al. For now, let’s focus on getting the ingredients that we need. We’re almost there.”

He started walking again but Alexis didn’t even move a little from where he was.

“Why can’t you just tell it now?” Smith looked back at him, straight-faced, controlling himself not to sound irritated as he is now.

“Because it’s not that important.” He sighed, in a little frustration. “We just had to help Gliths to invent their medicines for their incurable diseases. It took more than thirteen years to finally provide them with the best medicine. That’s all.” He nearly shouted out of annoyance but he controlled his emotions in front of him even when lying.

“You should’ve known how to counter someone’s manipulation Alexis.” Elmira mutured, still watching them in front of her, unheard. “I have given you the best and most special Qarath that everyone’s wishing for. You possess it, but look at you. You didn’t even make use of it.” She sighed, even shaking her head in disappointment. “Now you’re being manipulated. How pitiful of you.”

“Just leave him alone Pa. He’s just wasting our time. Come on.” Smith sighed and started walking again towards the center of the Forest where they could find the first Ingredient they were looking for which is the Middlemist Red.

They arrived at the center where a huge Tree with purple leaves is planted. It is a small open-space in the forest where there's only that tree in the middle and is surrounded by small plants underneath the tree.

“Havhiah Purpureum. The last of its kind.” Smith said as he’s sightseeing the beauty of the Huge tree in front of them.

“At least here In Harzenia. There’s a lot of it in Emerald, but this is the tallest.” Elmira said through his mind, being mesmerized by the beauty it gives. “It was named after the two moons Havh and Viah for its moon-shaped leaves.”

“I’ve never heard about that.” Smith said, still looking up, to see its beauty.

“Who are you talking to Pa?” Alexis suddenly showed up beside them and was looking towards Smith, wondering who he was talking to without anyone beside him.

Smith looked at him, narrowing his eyes a bit as a sign of surprise, for they left him there near the entrance of the forest unattended as he didn’t follow them.

"I thought you're not coming."

"Why wouldn't I Pa? I promised Mom to accompany you here. And…” He stopped and is hesitating to continue. “Sorry for what I have done earlier…” He quietly whispered. “I couldn’t control her. By the way, is the Middlemist Red Flower you're looking for?" He said, swiftly changing the topic.

“Her. Do you perhaps want to say something? Who’s controlling who Al?” His grandfather couldn’t just drop the subject that Alexis had started as curiosity could’t let him go. He had started the topic, so might as well hear the whole story from him.

“Rebecca. My girlfriend. You’ll meet her some other time Pa. For now, let’s get the most important thing done.” He said, seriously.

Alexis walks across the plants under the tree, looking for what they were here for.

"I think Middlemist Red hasn't bloomed for decades. How could we obtain that Pa?" He stopped just beside the plants of the Middlemist Red.

"And you're also looking for Kadupul Flower which only blooms once at midnight. Are we going to stay here overnight?"

Elmira's just observing him touching the plants beside him, being serious on getting things done the fastest way. “Now, that’s the person I’ve been looking for inside you, Alexis.” Elmira grinned.

"He's already fine Pa. He's not under someone's manipulation now."

Smith observed his actions before he was convinced that Alexis is already in his normal self, far from what he had shown moments ago.

"Where not staying overnight Al. I just need to get closer to the flower's roots and stems, and I can already make them bloom instantly with my Qarath." He proudly said.

Smith moved closer to the plants and kneeled down to get a better view of them.

“I wonder why they stopped blooming when their roots and stems are this healthy.” Smith indirectly asked Elmira because he knew that she had the answer for his question.

“They didn’t stop from blooming. The flowers were just always eaten by Gemus, and I'm sure you know them. Middlemist Red gives them energy to stay in the land longer, and this tree in the middle gives another kind of energy to the plants surrounding it, that’s why you haven’t seen them bloom for decades.” She stopped, Observing their surroundings, as she had felt something just nearby. She feels the continuous usage of teleportation, and the continuous opening of some portals.

“ Go get a sample leaf and let's leave the place Pa. This is the time Gemus will be here to get a flower. Minutes from now, the flower will already bloom. I completely forgot. They must not see us here.” She said, fastly as she could.

As soon as Elmira warned Smith, he picked up fresh leaves of the plant and grabbed Alexis without saying anything. Elmira held them both on their wrist and teleported them away from the place, though no one had felt her grip as she's still in her invisibility.