The Crown's Entrapment

As soon as Polo and Saha left, Xenia continued with her training with Helena and Devas.

"I can't wait to watch the finals and see you soar for that crown, Xenia," Devas excitedly commented as he watched her call upon her wings, the new limbs coming out from her back with a practiced flick. Doing so was still a struggle for her, what with her still being unable to do it without wriggling, wincing, or crying out in pain, but at least she was able to do it consciously now.

Helena had already taught her the technique of how to properly call her wings, and that was exactly what the Princess was now doing right now. It was the only thing left for her to do since she didn't want to scare the Cordonians watching her by looking awkward and weird with her new limbs.  She would have to maneuver her wings properly should she need them for the finals.

Speaking of the finals, they would undoubtedly be very bloody. After all, that was when the Cordonians or any of the other creatures participating would be allowed the full use of their powers, whatever they might be.

There would be no rules of engagement, only that they see who would be the last female contender still standing to wear the crown. That was, of course, unless they yielded, to which they would then they would be disqualified.

"Will you be able to watch it?" Xenia curiously asked as she paused for a while, walking up to where Helena and Devas were currently sitting.

"Of course, we can. They can watch us from here, so why won't they allow us to watch you once you get out of here in one piece?" Devas scoffed. "We can simply use those animals with the runes on them for our purposes… It's a magic spell that we can easily perform, and I can't wait to see how you kick those werewolves' asses from a bird's eye view."

Helena chuckled and teased, "Or maybe you just can't wait to see some sexy ladies wearing their armor? Or maybe you'll just wait for them to get naked once they shift back and forth between their forms?"

Devas's face twisted as he quickly defended himself. "What do you take me for, Helena!"

Xenia laughed with Helena as Devas's face reddened in embarrassment. A beautiful fairy then arrived to serve them some tea. "Lord Devas, here's one of your favorite snacks," the fairy offered with her sweetest smile.

"Oh, thank you," Devas thanked the serving fairy. Grabbing the snack, he then offered some of it to Xenia, the latter of which quickly shook her head as she noticed how the fairy's face fell once the man offered everything to her without even tasting them first.

So when the fairy who was obviously making her presence known to Devas left, Xenia voiced out her observation. "She obviously likes you, you know," she pointed out. "These cookies are made specifically for you."

"But I don't like her," Devas casually replied.

Xenia blinked in disbelief. "Why do you like humans when there are prettier and more beautiful fairies here?" she asked with a frown. "That's not to mention the mermaids as well."

"Well, humans are more enticing," Devas shrugged. "And besides, the Almighty favors humans above all. They were created in the Almighty's likeness and form, and overall, they're just more attractive."

Sighing, Xenia didn't bother to escalate the discussion into a debate. Devas was entitled to his own opinion, after all, and she really didn't want to waste time on pointless stuff like this.

A few moments passed, and Xenia was finally ready to leave the forest. She still had to pass Helena's trial, but that was already a foregone conclusion anyway.

"I'm really grateful for what the two of you had done for me," Xenia gratefully thanked, hoping that her sincerity would reach the two of them. "If you two ever need anything from me, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. I'll do everything in my power to try and help."

"Is that so?" Devas teasingly remarked. "Hmm… Can you help me get out of this realm every once in a while then? I feel so bored being stuck in here!"

"You're not stuck here, Devas. You have a choice to leave," Helena chuckled, making Xenia frown. That information seemed different from what Osman had told her.

"I thought you would all die if you were to leave this realm?" Xenia questioned. "That was what Osman told me that you told him, Fairy Queen."

"Well, that's still the truth. We'll die, but we won't die instantly," Devas corrected. "We'll become ordinary human beings with a short lifespan, then we'll just die of natural causes." A realization then washed over him as he looked at Helena in disbelief. "Wait… You mean you lied to that pirate?"

"Osman and I aren't meant for each other," Helena explained herself. "I saw his future in the Lake of Life…"

"But the Lake of Life isn't even accurate when it comes to the future, Helena," Devas murmured. "It's only accurate whenever it views the past that has already happened."

"I know, but I won't compromise on the matter, Devas," Helena firmly replied. "I saw Osman having a great future in the outside world. He's someone who's born to do greater things without me. He still has a purpose to fulfill."

Xenia blinked at the two guardians before she suddenly asked, "Can I also view the past of a certain person on the lake?"

It suddenly came to her that she might be able to see the past and discover the truth about the death of Darius's father. Darius and the rest were still looking for the Princess with the gift to see the past, but she might've just gotten the opportunity to witness the past through that lake just like how Devas showed her some of the other contenders for the crown going through the past trials.

Helena and Devas looked at each other as they visibly mulled over her question. Devas gulped as he began. "I can only facilitate the use of that lake since it was a part of my trial as a guardian," he explained. "Polo let me use it then. But for personal use… I'm not so sure that he'll give permission to use it to just anyone, especially to an intruder. That would be forbidden."

"Polo is the one guarding the Lake of Life, Xenia, so he holds authority over its use," Helena apologetically sighed. "As much as we would like to give you that chance, we, unfortunately, cannot help you with it."

"Can I possibly talk to Lord Polo and ask him about this then?" Xenia further inquired.

Just from hearing her question, she could see the doubts on both Devas's and Helena's faces as they pondered their response. Xenia's shoulders dropped as she took their silence as a no. Meeting the merman today, as well as witnessing how the latter had interacted with the others already gave her an answer to her question. Polo was the strictest of the guardians, so there was no way that he would probably allow her to have a view of the past.

"Hmm, how about you try and ask him?" Devas suddenly suggested. "There's no harm in trying, so how about I bring you to him so that you can talk to him about it?"

Xenia raise her head, her eyes wide as she looked at Devas. "Really?"

The guardian simply nodded, and Xenia couldn't help but become hopeful about finding out the truth about the past. Hopefully, she would witness something that could help her husband along his quest to find out the truth.