Ravissant

Chapter 6

Praesens - The Present

Neonella woke up panting. She was woken up by the same dream that has been keeping her for almost a decade. It still felt like yesterday since they lost Olethea in the Old World.

They left her in the hands of Gilgamesh, out with the mundanes.

She sat on her bed and buried her face in the palm of her hands.

It has been 8 years since they left Olethea in the Old World. A lot of things have happened since after.

Monsters have roamed the lands of Omnia once again. And it was because of the rift that they made in time when her friends, Milos and Olethea entered the Old World without the King and Queen’s permission.

On their second time to enter the Mundane world, the powers that they used were not enough to keep the balance between the magic in their world and the magic on the other side. If they did, the portal wouldn’t have closed, regardless of how long they spend their time in the Old World.

But Olethea was sick that day, and it was enough to create the imbalance that caused the rift in their world.

Not only did they leave Olethea in the mundane world. They have also caused the chains of the monsters in Omnia to break, causing them to escape and bring turmoil to the Kingdom.

One monster was so strong that it managed to escape the kingdom and enter the Old World - Gilgamesh.

The day that they managed to get back to Omnia, the monsters had already escaped in the land, causing mayhem in the kingdom.

Good thing that the army was strong enough to keep the smaller monsters at bay. However, the stronger ones managed to escape, including Gilgamesh, which remains to be inside the mundane world.

As their punishment, Milos and Neonella were taken and were the very first two Elvin daughters who were forced into the Elvin army. Although several daughters have been part of the army, it has always been a choice. Theirs was a punishment, a punishment that she knew she deserved.

Milos and Neo trained as soldiers for three years. After the tiring and challenging time as neophytes, they finally finished training and were sent to missions defending the kingdom and hunting down the rest of the monsters. Monsters that escaped because of their carelessness.

Most of the people in the kingdom hated them. They brought chaos to their perfect existence. They celebrated secretly while they were training in the arm, undergoing training and other physical and mental challenges that Neonella initially thought was their punishment.

To make it worse, Milos hated her ever since. After the turmoil at the Edge of the World where the Golden Door stands, Milos shouted at her, blaming her for what happened to them, to Olethea.

“This is all your fault! You let go of her hand,” Neo remembered Milos shouting at her.

“I should’ve taken her hands instead of yours! It’s your fault Olethea’s gone now!” Milos continued shouting.

She had a lot to say but Fortem, his brother, already pulled her away from the door. Neonella was brought to the castle while his brother went back outside to protect the kingdom.

Although no life was taken during the battle, it had caused chaos to the kingdom. It destroyed crops, homes. And once again, fear was brought to the lives of the magical people.

Neo got up and washed her face. She tied her long hair in a bun and changed into her army uniform.

She remembered the first time that she and Milos were brought to join the Elvin army. She was so scared. Even the soldiers hated them. They were the two daughters that destroyed the peace in Omnia.

What made it worse was no one paid interest in rescuing or at least knowing what happened to Olethea. Everyone thought that it was the girl’s fault in the first place.

Olethea’s family moved far from the main town in sorrow. They were devastated by her loss.

Neo stood up in front of the mirror, now wearing her Elvin army armor and uniform.

It has been eight Elf years since she entered the army. And it has been 5 years since she started hunting, fighting, and capturing the monsters that escaped due to their mistake.

She was now one of the leaders of the Elvin army. The people of Omnia had already forgotten about the mistakes that she made in the past. They were all drowned by the glories and victories that she gave Omnia.

In her first year as an official member of the Elvin army, she managed to catch Fenriz, the wolf-monster son of the god Loki. She managed to do it by herself when she was separated from her group while hunting down monsters in the far flung forests of Omnia.

It was not by luck. She managed to capture the monster with her magic and her skills.

When she entered the army, she didn’t know anything about fighting. She was never a believer in violence.

Milos, on the other hand, was the known fighter. She may be a daughter of the Elvin clan but she was fascinated with weapons and fighting ever since. Her being part of the Elvin army was a celebration for her father Cassius.

While Neo’s parents constantly worry about her safety, begging the King and Queen to forgive her and allow her to leave the army, Cassius was very pleased to see her daughter as part of the kingdom's guards.

On their first time fighting on the training grounds, Neo and Milos were given wooden swords to fight each other.

It was very easy for Milos to wield one. She didn’t show mercy and began hitting Neonella with hard blows.

At first, Neonella was left with nothing to do but try to avoid Milos’s attacks. But when Milos hit her face causing her to fall, something ignited inside her. She felt waking up from a dream and surprisingly defeated Milos with her unbelievable skills with the sword.

The bow and arrow, two weapons that she had never held before succumbed and followed her every move. She was surprisingly an expert in fighting and weapons, emerging as the top Elf among all the other elves that entered the army during the same time she was listed. She was even better than the earlier soldiers, ahead of her year.

Milos got even madder at her, jealous, but civil. They belonged to two different groups and rarely saw each other after being released from training. But whenever Milos would see her, she could feel the madness and hate in her eyes whenever she looked at her. She hated her as if they never were friends at all.

During the time that she single-handedly defeated and captured Fenriz, Milos caused her troop to lose some of its members while fighting with Midgard, another son of Loki, the serpent.

Milos despised Neonella for all the glories that she received, while she remained to be hated by the people in the kingdom.

Neonella captured Midgard too and managed to bring it back to sleep. She managed to do this alone, during the first year of being a part of the Elvin army.

She easily climbed up the ranks of the army, which is now led by her brother Fortem. Milos earned her ranks too but was far from the soldier Neonella was.

Neonalla gave a last look in the mirror before grabbing her bow and arrow. She placed it on her back and took the sword beneath her pillow. She secured the sword on her hips and left the room.

It was the Spring Solstice.

The people of Omnia celebrated after the army successfully captured and locked all the monsters that escaped eight years ago. All but one monster. Gilgamesh.

After the feast, representatives of the Elvin army will fight for their chance to enter the Old World to capture and bring Gilgamesh back.

Neonella would never miss the world for that chance.

She didn’t manage to eat and join the festivities. She was focused on her goal to be given the chance to enter the Old World again.

Neonella needs to enter the Old World to catch and defeat Gilgamesh. It was the reason why they lost Olethea. It was the reason that she lost Milos too. She would have her revenge no matter what.

Going back to the Old World also gives her the chance to try and find Olethea. She needed to know what happened to her. If she is somehow still alive in the Old World, it was her chance to redeem herself and finally bring her back home.

As expected, Milos will also be fighting for a spot to enter the Old World too. Neonella knew that she would be doing this not only for Gilgamesh or to prove herself to the arm. She’ll try to find and rescue Olethea there too.

Neonella hoped that this could be her chance to finally reconnect and fix her relationship with Milos. Milos was the only friend she had left. When she gets Olethea back, she is sure that she will get Milos back too.

The sound of the gong rang in the kingdom of Omnia. It was the mark of the beginning of the contest.

Neonalla took a deep breath and braced herself.

No one is stopping her from coming back to the Old World.