Chapter 10: The King’s Request 

 

Willow continued: "I’m one of the people he used to mine for crystals. I resisted him, so he turned me into an ugly zombie!" 

 

As Willow said that Pierce looked at her with a sad expression.  

"There’s an entire village of us near the west side sector of Octina," Willow said. 

"And the voice of the mage was also similar to Seth’s voice. The reason for kicking novice mages out of the school probably has something to do with his plans. He’s afraid of us becoming strong enough to stop him," Pierce added to the conversation. 

 

The king quickly turned around and walked to the window with a face full of thought. Pierce, Willow, Selene and the guards were nervous about what he would say next. 

 

"I have also noticed a change in his behavior since the results of the election on who would become Octina’s first king. He hasn’t been the friend I once knew. Since you have proof and I can’t come up with no good excuse on why you wouldn’t tell the truth, I believe you," The King said. 

"We need all the help we can get. I suggest we warn the other kingdoms about this. Pierce and Willow are ready to find allies from nearby towns, and we should arrange meetings with The Kingdom of Rokland and Frostide," Selene suggested. 

"Sounds good. We need to keep these operations secret. We don’t want to lead the people to chaos. And if Seth finds out about this, he might strike earlier than expected. With Pierce and Willow on the job, we can manage to keep a low profile," The King said. 

"That’s what we also thought," Willow answered. 

"The question is, Pierce and Willow, are you up to this task? To visit the other towns and form alliances with them," The King asked. 

Pierce and Willow looked at each other with a confident smile and said: "Yes, we are!" 

"Alright then. I wish both of you the best of luck. I hope you will succeed and find more about each other," The King said. 

"I will stay here to help the king. It is my duty after all. I will miss you, brother! (Grabs Pierce for a tight hug)," Selene said. 

"Don’t worry, sis! I will be fine with Willow by my side," Pierce assured her. 

"Come on, Pierce! Let’s go already!" Willow yelled from the throne room door. 

Pierce catched up to her as Selene yelled: "I love you, bro!" 

"You too!" Pierce said back. 

Pierce and Willow were walking down the stone stairs when he said to her: "There’s something I need to do before we start our adventure" 

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Pierce and Willow were standing in front of Pierce’s home as they waited for someone t open the door. The door opened and Gerald was waiting behind it.  

"Son, where have you been? Where’s Selene? Is everything okay?" Gerald asked with genuine concern. 

"Everything is alright. Selene went back to work, and we came here to tell you what happened in forest," Pierce said.  

"We?" Lumi also came to the door in shock.  

 

Lumi and Gerald had a confused face when they saw Willow.  

 

"Who is she? Why is her skin green?" Lumi asked. 

"Don’t panic! She is Willow, my friend. We came to tell you about what’s really going on with Seth, and we are going to do," Pierce told his parents. 

 

After a long story about what happened and Seth’s real intentions, Pierce’s parents understood the situation. 

"So, Seth is planning to mind control us with crystals he has mined from a village. No wonder he has been acting so weird," Gerald said. 

"And The King asked you two to go on a guest to make allies?" Lumi asked. 

"That’s right. Remember not to tell anyone about this or he will find out," Willow said. 

"We are planning to leave today. I just need to pick up a few things from here," Pierce stated. 

As Pierce went pack up, Willow stood there with Pierce’s parents. She was kind of worried they were going to ask the question every parent would ask if their child would have even the smallest connection to the opposite gender. 

Then Gerald opened his mouth: "Are you his girlfriend?" 

There it came like Willow expected. She still turned red even though she was expecting it. 

"Um...we are just friends right now, but...maybe," Willow started to talk.

"Everything is packed up!" Pierce yelled as he walked down from upstairs. 

"It’s already pretty late. I recommend you stay here tonight. I recall Selene saying she had a night shift so there’s plenty of space for the two of you," Lumi said. 

"What do you think, Willow?" Pierce asked. 

"Um...Let’s stay here tonight and leave early tomorrow," Willow answered. 

"Sounds like a plan!" Pierce said.