The Crown's Entrapment

[Fifth day inside the Element Forest…]

Xenia slowly opened her eyes, only to squint and blink at the sun's rays hitting her face. She groaned hard as she tried to move up. Everything in her body was aching. And her head was throbbing in pain as she forced herself to sit back up.

Before she passed out, the last thing she remembered was the feeling of Darius's emotions calling out to her. He was so anxious, worried, and burning in so much fury that she could tell that he was on the verge of going on a killing spree. It was probably because he witnessed her struggling in the water.

She sighed, relieved that everything was fine now and that he listened to her when she told him not to do any drastic moves. Forcing her body up, her stomach grumbled. It must've been a long while since she passed out.

She could still remember it all… How that blinding white light came from her body to save her. She felt like she was able to float on her own at the time as if her angel blood was taking over her instincts.

"How long did I pass out?" she whispered as she gathered herself. She was currently on the higher ground atop a cliff. There was no water anymore, nor were there any signs of destruction in her surroundings after being hit by those huge waves. Her body felt so hot, but she was cold and shivering.

Still, despite her discomfort, Xenia couldn't help but let out a bright smile at her situation. She could feel something different within her, and again, she was aware of how it was all caused by the angel blood in her veins. It was like it was adjusting to her body… The feelings she were having were way too weird to describe, but they weren't that alarming.

"Finally," she murmured to herself as she started walking down the hill.

She was still human though, and she was really starving for once. Picking up the available herbal leaves, she acknowledged her situation and started chewing on them despite the bitter taste they left in her mouth. There was no room for her to be picky, and she quickly drank from a nearby spring as soon as she saw one.

Looking around, she didn't put her guard down in the slightest, knowing that she might soon face another trial at any time. She recalled how Osman described how ruthless and merciless that merman was.

But something felt weird… Even her surroundings felt weird. It was as if she was being put in one place after another. Where she had woken up looked so different from the place where she had initially passed out.

Another sigh came out from her lips. Walking further north, she followed the guidance of the wind, gathering some useful items along the way that could help her on her journey. Fashioning yet another improvised weapon, she made sure that she had everything that she lost from the rapids before moving forward.

"I'm nailing this jungle survival thing too much," she chuckled to herself as she tried to keep herself occupied while waiting for the next storm that this merman would throw at her.

Spotting a rabbit, she quickly captured it and prepared it for a roast. She also found a good resting spot away from the scorching heat of the sun in the form of a big tree.

Sitting down, she rested her back against the tree trunk before then starting a fire to roast her rabbit. She was grateful that the merman at least gave her some downtime so that she could eat decently in good weather.

"I feel dizzy and sleepy," she murmured as soon as she finished eating, making sure that she had fed herself well enough. Her eyelids felt heavy as she looked around. Everything seemed peaceful enough, so she thought that she could take a quick nap to recover a bit more energy.

Before she slept, she chanted a spell to give herself enough protection that would also wake her up in case there would be danger coming near her. As soon as she was done, her body gave in as she closed her eyes.

********

Meanwhile, at Polo's palace, Devas arrived uninvited with a frown as he stared at the unconscious Princess lying on the bed in one of Polo's spare rooms.

"What is this?! How could you be this cruel? A thousand dreams? Seriously?!" Devas complained with a dark expression. "You know well that it'll be impossible to survive that! Are you that ruthless not to let anyone who enters here come out alive?" It was madness. Polo had never used that kind of trial before, so why would this brute merman use it now?

"I've been longing to use this trial for a long time now, but I just can't seem to find anyone fit enough for it until this Princess came along," Polo nonchalantly explained himself as he drank his wine. "I do wonder if she will survive the deadliest trial I've ever created. She's a hybrid, so it's only expected that I should give her something worse compared to the other humans who had entered our realm."

"Still…"

"Why are you even here, Devas? If you're so worried, then why don't you enter her dream and lend her some help?" Polo suggested with a wry smile "I'll let you do it, but I won't be responsible for you if anything happened to you while you're in there."

Devas could only click his tongue in annoyance. It wasn't advisable to meddle in each other's trial since it could cost them their lives. None of them could go against each other. It was forbidden. The only solution for them, whenever they had an argument, was to talk to Polo and give him an offer he couldn't refuse. Unlike Saha, however, Polo didn't care much about trading in lifespan.

"What do you want?" Devas curiously asked. He would be willing to negotiate so long as it would lessen Princess Xenia's suffering inside the thousand dreams. He was genuine in his offer to the Princess, and he was really growing fond of her.

"My my my… You're really into her?" Polo ridiculed.

"Tsk! Just tell me what you want so I can lessen her suffering!" Devas annoyingly hissed.

Polo maliciously looked at another symbol-bearing raven perched near the Princess's bedroom.

A cunning smile formed on his lips as he said, "Are you watching this, oh mighty king of Cordon? Looks like my fellow guardian here was really smitten badly by your mate's charm."

He smirked as he asked, "Do you think I should let him advance? But that would be unfair to you, right? So I have a better idea that would be deemed fair enough for the two of you to possibly accept…"