"I will leave." Dia stood up, and Arthur nodded in understanding. A rune appeared on his hand as he stood up as well. With a frown, Dia backed away warily. "What is this?" 

"I'm not going to hurt you," Arthur said gently. "This will allow you to teleport away from here and avoid unnecessary troubles." 

"You didn't tell me what this is." Dia scowled like a threatened kitten. Arthur laughed lightly and touched the table with his rune. The table disappeared and appeared behind Dia, who turned around in shock. 

"This is the first time I showed anyone this," Arthur admitted. 

"Are you trying to convince me to stay?" Dia asked with a cautious expression. "Otherwise, why show me?" 

"I always hid this power because I didn't want the world to know. I feared for my life, but this world is already after my life. Besides, you can't tell a soul about anything related to me. That's an Order." 

His power worked and bound to her core. Dia looked at the rune, that appeared again, with less caution this time. 

"Why are you risking your relationship with Solomon just to free me?" She asked, not urging him to send her away. Arthur paused. 

"I promised that I would release you one day, and I'm delivering my promise." 

"You also said that I could kill you."

"That would be foolish. One day, I will release you without being asked." Arthur walked over. "Before that, I still have one Order before releasing you." 

"What would it be?" Dia asked, frowning heavily. 

"Order you to not participate in this war," Arthur said, without actually ordering her. "That's to make sure that you won't interfere directly with my plans." 

"You just want me to leave this place to sit still like before." Dia was baffled. "That's not different from locking me away underground." 

"I gave you this power without receiving anything in return. You don't expect me to allow you to destroy my plans? Find a place to live until the war is over; I'll destroy the bond myself at that time." 

"..." Dia glared at him hatefully before sighing. "Are you okay with this?" 

"Are you not?" 

"You are willing to throw away my powers that you worked hard to obtain. Even if you are powerful on your own, I­..."

"Princess Dia." Arthur interrupted with a smile. "Talking in roundabout ways isn't like you." However, the Princess stayed silent. "Do you want to follow me?" 

"Yes." She said after a moment, her face resolute. Arthur looked at her silently. He knew that she had something more to say. "In return, give me Alva." 

"You think I have that sort of capability?" Arthur sat back in his chair. He placed his chin under his arm as he allowed it to rest on the table. 

"I think you have more than just that," Dia said, her fists clenched. "I saw it when the sky split. That was no act of humans, but of gods." 

"I'm not a god, Princess Dia," Arthur wanted to raise both hands, but he realized he only had one. Gesture failed. "If you want some god to help you, I advise finding the nearest temple and start praying." 

"Vessels," Dia said the word slowly. "Nothing is called as such other than the incarnations of gods." 

"You mean... there are other vessels?" Arthur frowned. Dia nodded slowly. 

"Offer me Alva, and I will follow you. I'll help you find the other vessels if that's what you want." Dia seemed to realize that he was interested in the other vessels. 

"You know that by staying by my side, you'll be fighting against Alva." 

"But in the end, I'll rule it. It's better than sitting in a godforsaken place and wait for the war to end."

"Alright, you have yourself a deal. I'll give you Alva, but you will follow me forever."

"As long as I can choose for myself," Dia added.

"As long as it doesn't interfere with my plans." Arthur nodded. The two looked at each other, and Arthur offered to shake her hand. Dia looked at it before shaking it. "To the beginning of a mutual beneficence." Arthur smiled. 

***

Their carriage took them west, directly toward the royal court. Arthur was unfamiliar with Solomon's kingdom, and he didn't have anyone to ask. 

"Why are you suddenly sitting next to him?" Gala asked Dia, who was sitting obediently next to Arthur. "Did you have a change of heart after he beat up your father?" 

"Now that she mentions it, I didn't know you hated him that much!" Arthur said with fake awe. "If I have known, I would have fought your father to win your heart!" 

"That's not it!" Dia snapped. "I do hate him, but I don't want him beaten." 

"That explains your current actions perfectly," Gala said sarcastically. However, Dia didn't explain further. "She's following you now?" 

"We have a deal." 

"I have competition!" Gala gave a frustrated sigh. "If you keep making deals left and right, you won't have time for me later!" 

Arthur wanted to say that she sounded like a jealous wife, but he felt the presence of someone above. He looked upward and smiled. 

"We have company." 

*** 

The Knight of Honesty rode against the wind, as fast as lightning and just as destructive. The carriages behind him carried the Princess that would topple the balance of the war but the man named Lorius by everyone who witnessed his feats. 

'Whether he's a Seika or a Lorius, King Solomon would decide,' appearances deceived the Knight of Honesty, the King once told him. That's why he made sure that whatever decision there was regarding people, he followed the King's judgment.

Drowning in his thoughts, the Knight of Honesty noticed the presence above them a tad too late. He looked at the sky and saw the group of Skywalkers appear with the legendary monster, the griffin.

"Protect the carriages!" The Knight of Honesty roared as he threw up his hands to construct a barrier of water. However, the griffin broke the barrier quickly with its claws before diving toward the carriages.

'Damn it, how did they hide their presence until now?' The Knight wondered, but he was too late. The giant griffin dived from the sky like a hurricane and crushed the carriages. 'It's alright. They wouldn't die from this. We can still...' 

"They're gone?" The Knight muttered in a daze as he looked at the broken carriage beneath the griffin. "But how, they were just..." 

The griffin didn't give him time to think and roared in anger. Wind blades cut across the land as the Knight of Honesty looked helplessly around. He became the scapegoat of the monster's wrath. 

***

"Whew," Gala whistled as she looked at the griffin from a distance. "You know we could've handled that monster, right?"

"Maybe." Arthur suddenly had a thought; it seems people in this world were weaker than Earth? Did it come from the fact that the world was less developed, or was there another reason for that? 

"You truly have weird powers," Dia muttered as she felt the space close behind them. "This power can win any war." 

"There are limits." Arthur corrected. "I'm sure Solomon has an artifact against this, too." 

"Bummer." Gala pouted. "We could've robbed Solomon's palace using this ability." 

"Are witches supposed to be this reckless?" 

"They're this greedy, heh," Gala said with pride as Dia shook her head. "Shouldn't we lend a hand? They would be pretty pissed if we just kept watching." Gala suggested. 

"Hm," Arthur pondered and turned to Dia. "I have yet to see you fight. You don't expect to be a flying carriage, do you?" 

"Just sit back and let me show these ants what real strength is." Dia spread her wings and soared toward the sky, leaving a trail of ice behind her. 

She stood in the sky and spread her arms. An ice phoenix appeared behind her and let out a loud screech. Suddenly, hundreds of flamed ice spears appeared in the sky. 

"How do ice and flames work together exactly?" Arthur held his chin. "I always thought they would be so contradicting. Even now, it seems that her main attacks are ice-oriented." 

"That's because she got the ice from her mother," Gala answered with a smile. "I'm sure she feels proud of that power. Give her time to explore her limits." 

"And those flames?" Arthur asked, referring to the flames on the ice spears. 

"They shall burn everything within the ice. The Princess never used flames before, but it seems she wants you to be awed." Gala smiled as the rain of spears descended. 

The griffin gave an angry howl as the spears tore through his skin. The flames exploded from within the spears and burned his skin as the ice froze it. The combination was destructive, giving the griffin no chance to heal or escape. 

The spears targeted the Skywalkers as the soldiers stood there in awe of The Daughter of Ice and Fire. The Knight of Honesty cried tears of joy as he launched an attack of his own. 

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