Level Up Legacy

Monsters roamed the dark forest, groaning in pain and seeking their next prey. Branches moved and infected the nearby trees with famine, making them shrivel and lose their vitality. Skeletons mottled the grassland, which had turned pale and yellow.

Golden mana engulfed the dark forest, pushing back the creeping death from the trees. The swamps of black tar and the monsters inside disappeared as the mana destroyed their bodies of nothingness. Arthur flew over the howling monsters as he looked everywhere for the rescue team.

Again, no traces could be found of them. The elves and Diana had vanished into thin air no matter how hard Arthur looked for them. He combed through the Dark Forest in a matter of minutes but still found nothing. No matter how much deeper he went, he found no traces of life.

A few hours after beginning his search, Arthur returned to the camp with a worried face. He was walking back toward the camp to find more information about the Dark Prince or whatever kidnapped the rescue team and Diana. At that time, an astral being descended from the sky in front of him.

"Did you find them?" Tiara asked with concern. Arthur shook his head, hoping that the elf would provide him with some insight. She jumped down from the astral being and came forward. "I had a meeting with my mother about the Dark Prince."

"And? Is it him?" asked Arthur with a frown.

"My mother confirmed that it looks like him, but she couldn't be sure. In order to make sure that it's him, she decided to find more clues about him inside the sealed workshop."

"A workshop? Is it where he conducted his experiments?" asked Arthur with surprise, and Tiara nodded. "There is no point in wasting any more time looking through the Dark Forest. They are clearly gone, but if we can find something inside the workshop that leads us to them…"

"Let's go," Tiara agreed with a nod before she unsummoned her monster. "You can teleport us there, right?"

Arthur didn't answer and waved his hand, creating a portal out of thin air. The two of them walked into the portal and felt the compressed spatial fabric twist their insides. They came out of the other end to find themselves atop the giant tree of Janea.

"Lead the way, princess," Arthur said as he shielded his eyes from the glaring sun.

Tiara nodded and began walking toward the sealed chambers. It was a different section of the royal palace, sealed away from view.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Halt!" two guards blocked their path. "Only the queen is allowed through these walls! Please return!"

"You dare turn me away, your princess?" Tiara said with offense, feeling embarrassed that they showed her no respect in front of Arthur.

"We apologize, princess, but these are the queen's commands. Please return, or we will have to apprehend you," the guard said before the two of them raised their spears. "Leave now!"

"Apprehend me?" Arthur asked with a smile. "Can I knock them out, princess?" he said while turning toward Tiara and pointing at the two of them.

"Just don't hurt them," Tiara said with a sigh. Arthur nodded as he took a step forward, letting his spiritual energy overflow from his body. His presence became thicker, almost unbearable, as the crushing pressure slammed into the guards.

The two guards lost their consciousness and fell to the ground. Arthur waved his hand again, using a rune to cushion their fall. Tiara looked at him in stunned silence as he turned toward her with a grin. "I think we can go inside now."

Tiara nodded, and the two of them walked inside. The sealed chambers were dark as the tree trunk seemed to have lost any life it once had. Branches spiraled out of the walls, blocking the way with poisonous thorns.

Arthur raised a finger as they walked through the corridors that had long since been forgotten, moving any vines out of the way with telekinesis. There was a trail of flowers on the ground, which they judged to be a side effect of the queen walking through the sealed chambers.

"Did you ever meet him?" Arthur asked as the two of them cut through the corridors. His worried mind would take him to dark places if he didn't distract himself with some conversation.

"My uncle?" Tiara asked with a hesitant voice as she followed after him. "My last encounter with him… wasn't that pleasant. Let's just say he knew that my mother had a weak spot for me and tried to exploit it."

"Did he kidnap you?" asked Arthur with surprise. Tiara didn't answer but nodded to confirm it. "That must be a shitty uncle. But what did he ask as a ransom?"

"The Crown of Janea controls all forests, animals, and elves inside the kingdom. Even if the crown got stolen and worn by the culprit, the elves would still need to listen to them."

"Do the elves swear their loyalty to the crown, not the queen?" Arthur was intrigued as he turned toward Tiara. "That sounds very… dangerous."

"Elves worship Yggdrasil, the Mother Tree. The crown was created from Yggdrasil, so the elves worship it and see those who wear it as chosen by the tree. This is a secret, though, that the rest of the kingdoms don't understand."

"It does sound dangerous if the other kingdoms learned that they could conquer Janea just by stealing the crown," Arthur said with a nod of understanding. "And what happened at that time? Did your mother give him the crown?"

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"My mother was a queen before she was a mother, but… she couldn't sacrifice her daughter for the sake of the kingdom," Tiara said with a sigh as she seemed uncomfortable remembering that past.

"You don't need to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable," Arthur said as he looked at her with pity. "I'm curious about what happened after she gave him the crown, but I understand if you can't tell me."

"Since he appeared again, you need to understand who you will be fighting," Tiara said with a sigh. "The crown rejected my uncle and cursed him with a lifetime of pain. His body turned to wood as he fell to his demise, never to be seen again."