Chapter 4 Prince of all Monsters

"You should not compare the human world with ours, Princess," Miren said softly. "We were unfortunate enough that our enemies once tore open a path to a realm that brought these monsters into our world. Yet they are still living beings, struggling to survive as all things do... but the human world is pure evil."

Talking about the fae kingdom brought sadness to Miren’s little heart, and she fought to hide her tears from Lyriel. Though she was only a pixie, scarcely taller than a bird, she had lived far longer than Lyriel and had witnessed the war between the fae kingdom and the dark fae, who had been corrupted by the evil from the human world. She had lost so many of her pixie friends and family to either death or the darkness—a scar that is so hard to forget.

"...the darkness that hovers over that realm is beyond our imagination, Princess. It is a cage for high-ranking demons—the kind even we cannot fight against."

"So... does that mean the humans are also trapped just like us? If so, why is Father so afraid of them?"

"His Majesty isn't afraid of ordinary humans, Princess. He is afraid of the Watchers."

"Who exactly are the Watchers?" Lyriel's curiosity intensified. She had heard several mentions of the Watchers, but now that she thought about it, she didn't actually know who they were or why the King feared them. This had to be more than them simply being powerful sorcerers.

As Miren was about to explain what she knew, a loud, deafening roar resounded throughout the entire kingdom, followed by a tremendous BANG! that shook the ground.

They both hastily looked toward the forest and gasped in fear at what they saw. They had been so absorbed in their conversation that they had failed to notice that the moon had turned blood-red and that countless monsters were racing toward the kingdom. They came in multitudes.

"What sort of creature is that?!" Lyriel exclaimed, pointing at the monster causing the chaos. She had never seen anything like it before.

"That's... that's a dragon!"

"I've never seen such a creature before," Lyriel said in panic as the giant beast struck the barrier protecting the kingdom with its massive head and horns. "Where did it come from?"

"From the human world, Princess!" Miren cried. "He is the prince of all monsters. We must hide immediately!"

"The human world? How is that possible?" Lyriel questioned further, but little Miren was too frightened to answer.

She knew how powerful it was, and its appearance after more than a century could only mean one thing—they were in for another terrifying war. Wherever the dragon tread, death followed.

"We must hide, Princess... we must leave now!"

"Don't be afraid. No monster can pass through the barrier. The kingdom is safe," Lyriel assured her, but Miren refused to listen.

"No! This dragon can destroy the barrier. He will kill us all!"

As Miren desperately tried to persuade the princess, the dragon spread its wings and rose into the sky. It surveyed the entire barrier with its glowing emerald eyes before suddenly opening its mouth and breathing fire.

Its flames engulfed the barrier, and Lyriel could see the damage it was causing. With each passing second, numerous cracks spread across it under the dragon’s relentless assault. It was a powerful seal, impenetrable to any magical being, but under the dragon’s force and persistence, the barrier that had protected the kingdom of Eloria for more than a century finally exploded and shattered into thin air like broken glass.

A deafening, eerie silence swept across the kingdom as the citizens stood frozen in disbelief at what they had just witnessed. It was a nightmare they had long dreaded... a nightmare from which they might never awaken.

The dragon roared again, louder than before, and that was a signal for the monsters to invaded the kingdom—evil creatures of different sizes and forms. Some came by land, others by air. Indeed, what Miren had said was true. The dragon was the prince—the ruler of monsters.

"RUN! RUN!" Lyriel screamed as she saw the monsters approaching.

She ran into her chambers with Miren and shut the balcony doors, but the windows were made of glass, and the flying monsters would surely shatter them on impact.

"Where will we hide?" she asked in panic.

"I... I don't know," Miren cried. "Most parts of the castle are made of glass and crystal."

"No! No... the library—the sealed library. We'll hide there... and bring the others with us," Lyriel suggested, and they both ran toward the door.

Before Lyriel could touch the doorknob, a large monster crashed through the glass window and flew straight toward her.

It seized her in its claws and attempted to carry her away, but Lyriel resisted with her magic. She was actually about to overpower it if it hadn't suddenly leaped and swiped her away with its long, massive tail.

Lyriel crashed onto the floor.

Pain exploded through her body. She could almost feel her bones cracking and no longer had the strength to fight.

The monster took advantage of her weakness and seized her in its claws once more. It flew out through the balcony, but Lyriel managed to grab hold of the railings, clinging to them for dear life.

Her screams filled the air with terror, but her little pixie, Miren, had no power to help. She clung to the wall, trembling with fear.

Lyriel could feel her fingers slipping and knew her strength would not hold for much longer. She was so weak that blood began to trickle from her nose.

Why did she feel so helpless? So helpless that she could not even use her magic properly. Was it the impact of the fall that had weakened her so much?

"Call my brother, Miren! Call Prince Lucien!"

Those were the last words Lyriel spoke before succumbing to the monster's grip.

Was this the end?

Would she finally be eaten by monsters and die just like her ancestors?

The thought of death felt strange to her. It felt unreal.

Yet here she was—in the grip of death.

She had no idea where the monster was taking her, but from her position she could see her kingdom descending into chaos. She could see the blinding flashes of fae magic destroying monsters and attempting to restore the barrier.

She was certain her kingdom would survive despite the multitude of monsters swarming in and abducting its citizens.

Her kingdom would survive—and that thought was enough to bring a faint smile to her pale face.

The monster suddenly decelerated, and before Lyriel could comprehend what was happening, it released its grip, and she fell roughly into the forest like a log of wood. The tall trees softened her fall, but at a terrible cost. A large branch struck her left wing, slashing it deeply.

Lyriel screamed in agony before crashing onto the ground.

She clutched her bleeding wing, wailing in pain. It was almost unbearable. She could only hope that Miren would reach her brother in time and that he would come looking for her.

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