2

Town Of Aquarine 

A few minutes danced by like dutiful servants of royalty, watching as Luna finally arrived at the closest town. One of the many under Lunar Province’s gaze.

She stopped a few feet away from the entrance, the wooden arc welcoming her, and reached for her pocket.

Withdrawing a golden pouch, her fingers swayed across the pile of pearls, closing it right after.

“Pocket change, I see.” She sighed, walking through the entrance. “No matter, I just want to go back to my room.”

The busy crowds and stalls froze in awe, bewildered by her visit, shaking up the streets as if it were a snowstorm.

This town, Aquarine, was infamous for being half full of vendors and markets, with the stalls and stands occupying the outer layers.

Many of the citizens bowed as she passed by, the kids squealing with admiration, making way for her instantly.

Silly people of mine, Luna thought, nodding her head in denial ever so slightly. They’re always doing unnecessary gestures.

After another bit of glancing between the countless stands and stalls, all alluring with tangy and sweet colors, her eyes stopped by an ice cream booth.

“Y-your majesty, what brings you to Aquarine—I mean, here?” The owner stuttered, her hands frozen in shock.

From a pile of rags and cloaks on the side to the curtains behind, leading to what appeared to be her hut, the stand was struggling.

“Hello, dear citizen, your ice cream caught my attention.” She whispered as she stared at the dozen flavours on display.

She summoned a gold bar from her palm, sliding it on the counter as she grabbed a black cloak, putting it on to avoid further attention.

“What an honor, what may I serve you?” She cheered, pushing away the golden bar, gathering her courage. “Don’t worry, you can have that for free.”

Luna didn’t bother giving it another glance, only shrugging her shoulders lightly, as she directed her sight to the corner.

“Okay,” Her finger pointed to it, her lips holding back her cravings. “Do you mind telling me about that flavor?”

“A brand new addition,” She clapped her hands together, taking one last glance at the gold bar before walking over to the side. “A flavour inspired by the Kijomi clan, Horchata.”

“I’d like that one, please.” Stepping to the side, she nodded in approval, the attention on her slowly diminishing as she put on the hood.

“Of course,” The lady’s eyes glimmered with excitement as if she were her first customer. “Let me get it right away.”

She slid open the transparent glass, grabbing the scooper and a waffle cone, layered with a chocolate fudge on the tip.

“But you do know the Kijomi clan is extinct, right?” Luna murmured, resting the heavy pouch on the counter.

“Actually,” She spoke as she put two scoops onto the cone, smiling nervously. “I met the last Kijomi a few days ago on my way back from Remrin city.”

The claim left Luna speechless, allowing the cold breeze to dance around her.

Then, she broke out of her gaze, gently grabbing hold of the ice cream cone.

“Wait, really?” She asked, hiding her eagerness with curiosity. “What’s their eye color? Hair? Mana? Details, please.”

Each question soared at her like a rapid snowball, leaving the lady thinking for a second.

“Violet, dark, and very strong.” She rested her finger below her chin. “I’d say they were around your age, your majesty.”

“I see.” She took a bite out of her ice cream, taking a second to herself before continuing. “Thank you for the information and ice cream.”

“No, thank you.” The lady bowed, sliding two small cups of caramel and honey on the side. “It’s been an honor to serve you.”

“That, keep it all,” She pointed to the gold bar on the other side, giving her a gentle smile. “It’s an order.”

The lady shook her head back and forth, waving her hands dismissively.

But Luna only replied with silence, her eyes blinking in denial.

“But your majesty.”

A little girl ran from behind the curtain, her expression brimming with excitement.

“Mommy, is that really her?” She shouted in disbelief, stopping right next to her mother. “And what’s with all that gold?”

Luna lowered herself slightly, her pale eyes delicately meeting hers.

“It’s a little present from me, spend it well.”

The girl’s eyes widened until they glistened more than the frost around, her tiny hands clenching onto her jacket in excitement.

“It really is—the queen. H-hello, y-your majesty!” She bowed quickly, her arms swinging.

“Hello to you, too.” Luna lightly bowed in return, already taking a step back. “Well, I’m afraid I must get going.”

As she took a soft bite of the cone, savoring the flavor, the people around the nearby stalls began to shift and move around strangely.

Alright, I’ll have to find out about this Kijomi, Luna thought, stopping by the edge of the stall. I must get to the castle now.

A man’s voice cracked through the crowds behind.

“Raiders!”

The raider struck with no hesitation, the rim of his weapon slamming into his back, sending him falling onto the snow.

Worried shouts and scurried footsteps began to consume Aquarine, convincing Luna to rest her ice cream cone on the side.

How did they get through my storm barrier? Luna groaned mildly, glancing at the mother as she pushed her daughter behind the counter.

“Quiet,” The raider swung his sword, moving its point across all the witnesses. “Nobody screams, nobody gets hurt, easy as that.”

“Stay quiet, Jaye.” The mother whispered, keeping a terrified glance at the three raiders.

“Hey, look, gold over there.” The raider’s gaze snapped towards the stall, allured by the shining bar of gold. “Isn’t it our lucky day?”

Walking over to the stand, his smile widened into a crooked grin.

“Stay calm, you two,” Luna whispered as she stepped forward without urgency, positioning herself to take all the attention herself. “Just do as they say.”

His arm slammed against the counter, his other reaching for the gold bar.

“A bar of gold far from the castle,” The raider examined the bar, his thick outfit stinking like a gallon of sweat. “What a rare sighting.”

Luna faked a cough, dragging her hands away from the ice cream cone.

“Hey, you, this yours?” He asked eagerly, tilting his head towards her.

“Do you want more?” Luna asked, extending her hand as if it bored her.

“Heck yeah, gimme it all.” He extended his hand as he rested the other back down.

“Here you go.” She slid another three gold bars from her cloak, hiding the mana’s glow beforehand, hiding a confident smirk.

“Jackpot, boys.” He cheered with a loud laugh, waving the three gold bars around, glancing between his two friends.

“We’re gonna be rich.” One of them added, jumping in victory.

All three raiders had a similar stench and jacket, all with frostbitten fingers.

“Okay, no hostages, just wreck the place.” He waved his hand dismissively, turning back to grab the fourth gold bar. “That should be enough to get the queen’s attention.”

Jaye watched as he walked away with it—the present the majesty herself gave to her.

She lunged forward, leaping out of her hiding spot, and pulled on the gold.

“Hey—give it back,” She deepened her stance, eyes narrowing. “It’s my present.”

The mother panicked, leaning forward in fear behind the counter, as Luna shot a sideways glare at the scene, her hand reaching for her ice cream cone.

Jaye dodged one of his punches, jumping to the side, but failed to evade the second. She fell hard into the snow, a sharp cry tearing from her throat as she rolled a few feet away.

“Beat it, kid.” He declared in annoyance, putting the cold bars in his friend's bag. “And that goes for all of you.”

The crowds began to grow closer, their expressions turning into anger, and some vendors even hopped out to help with crowbars and planks.

In nervous response, one of them pulled out a gun, the other reaching for a large item hidden in a rag, almost reaching half their height.

“Don’t come close, we’re warning you.” The raider waved his hand through the air, trying to hide his fear of the growing numbers.

Luna patted the mother’s hand, nodding her head before turning around, calming her down just a bit.

“I recommend you leave.” She pulled down her hoodie, holding her ice cream up to her hidden face. “I’m feeling rather tired.”

“Did I touch a nerve just now?” The leader also took out a gun, pointing it at her as if he was waiting to do it forever. “What are you going to do about it?”

“Leave, now.”

An eerie breath escaped, sending a shiver down all three raiders.

Even the dozens of people took a step back, all quaking between fear and hope.

His teeth ground in embarrassment as he tightened his grip on the trigger, emboldened by the murmurs around the open field.

“Change of plans—let’s have some fun, boys–”

The air fractured. The raider was torn from his footing and hurled backward, vanishing into the stall behind with a thunderous explosion, sending snow and debris everywhere.

As his Glock fell onto the snow, the crowd glanced at their majesty, realizing that she needed more space, and all scurried a few steps back.

The second raider stumbled back, disbelief consuming his face.

“What the–”

Luna moved once. The raider’s body skidded across the snow, carving a shallow trench across the space before coming to a halt.

As she drew back her leg, the third raider snarled, quickly bringing out his rifle in desperation.

“You bastard–”

Luna’s fist lunged toward the gun, snapping it in half, the other hand aiming for his chest.

In half a second, the blow dispersed across the surrounding air, whistling as he collapsed right where he stood.

Jaye chuckled in relief, using her trembling hands to support herself, slowly getting up from the dampened snow.

“D-don’t worry…the queen’s going to save us.” She breathed, clutching her injured arm as she sat back up.

But as her mother made her way over to her, the leader climbed out of the debris.

His eyes widened in terror, his legs quivering in shock.

“She’s the queen?!”

As the other raider got up too, he barked the order without a second thought. “Unwrap the weapon!”

Desperation consumed him. The raider lunged, yanking the girl against his chest as cold steel pressed against her cheek.

The woman surged forward before stopping behind Luna’s raised hand, her hands soaring to her mouth as her voice broke.

“M-my daughter, please save her.”

The girl kicked helplessly, glancing around her surroundings as she clawed at the raider’s arm.

“L-let me go!”

The second raider took the rag off, revealing a giant ray with many wires and buttons, glaring at her with a wide grin.

Luna didn’t move. She only returned glances between the girl and the weapon.

Softly, she raised her ice cream and took a large bite.

Amongst the confused gaze of the two raiders, the girl smiled, taking a breather.

“Whatever you’re planning, it’s not gonna work.” The leader laughed, slowly moving closer to his teammate, dragging Jaye with her. “The ray was given to us by the Crimson Blood, so give yourself up!”

Luna’s eyes narrowed, her blank expression steadying into a frown.

Again with that damned organization, Luna’s fangs flickered for a second. Now, I’m in a rush.

The crowd backed up more, trusting in their majesty to be satisfied with the space, and simultaneously worried about the glowing ray device.

“Don’t tell me I have to hurt this girl to get an answer out of you?”

Halfway to his teammates, he stopped at the sight of another gold bar.

Luna waved it up and down ever so slightly, lifting a side of her cloak, and out came seven more, all scattering across the snow.

“I’ll give you all the gold you want—if you let her go and leave us alone.”

She dropped the other bar too, swapping her ice cream into the other hand, and lifting the other side, and out came another three, all glistening under the silent sunlight.

The two raiders looked at eachother as if discussing the offer, then, back at the queen as she took off her hood.

“Though it’s tempting,” He spoke, dragging the girl with him as he approached her. “We know that capturing the queen is far more valuable.”

Luna raised her hands in defeat, slowly crouching down to the pile of gold bars, placing her palm on the one in front.

“Well, I tried.” She whispered, sliding it towards the raider’s foot.

“What do you mean–”

He screamed in pain, his echoes stirring across the vast horizons.

Jaye bit into him, her teeth pierced his hand like butter, spewing out blood.

And with no delay, she clashed his hand with hers, shifting her weight to the side and disarming him.

Powder snow swirled around the confrontation, accompanying the shrieking sounds that raced towards him.

All besides his head was encased in ice, frozen like a statue.

The other raider, dragging his friend’s unconscious body, stopped and raced towards the ray, charging it up.

Jaye ran towards Luna, jumping with excitement as the mother took a sigh of relief, walking over to them.

“You really thought this child wasn’t a paradigm,” Luna sighed, stroking Jaye’s proud hair. “Didn’t you?”

The frozen leader cried, snot running from his nose as he glanced at the approaching crowd, all with darkened eyes and nerve-wracking smiles.

“Wait, I’m sorry!” His tone grew sharper—his fear pleading for forgiveness. “Please don’t kill me–”

“Shut up when I’m talking to you.” She commanded, tenderly pushing Jaye into her mother’s open arms. “All my dear citizens are paradigms, strong ones who can eat you filthy humans, if they wanted to.”

Luna didn’t pay him a sliver of attention. She only looked at the hugging mother and daughter with relief, the beautiful warmth softening her smile.

After another moment of content relief, she stood back up, glaring at the other raider.

Her hand reached for the frozen one next to her, snapping off one of his fingers.

His agonized cries ran away in all directions, pressuring his teammate to a choice.

“I’ll make you pay.”

The raider leaned towards the button, ready to fire, until he caught sight of his friend’s desperate nod, making him realize he’d get caught in the blast too.

“You'd better be grateful for my mercy,” Luna spoke with a dull glare, resting her hand on the frozen leader, breaking him free from the ice.

More paradigms leaked from behind the other raider, scaring him deeper into the open space with his weapon.

The numb leader stumbled a few feet until falling onto the weapons tip, slumping into slumber.

“Take your leave,” She finished eating her cone, unmoved by Jaye’s lower hug. “Now.”

In rising panic, he dragged his other teammate onto the large weapon, pushing them and the weapon away.

Watching them vanish into the distant tundra, she took off her cloak, shaking her lengthy hair from side to side.

The mother picked up the gold bars and rested them on the counter behind Luna, watching as the crowd helped pick up the scattered debris.

Though I hate to admit it, Luna shut her eyes, remaining still in the middle of cheers and praise. I found this one walk useful. The information I got about the Kijomi and Crimson Blood is just what I needed.