The Crown's Entrapment

[First night inside the Element forest…]

Making her way through the darkness, Xenia felt as if the dark stoned walls she were passing through never seemed to end. There was no other direction for her to take except for the straight path lit by torches, guiding her as if it was intentionally made to be that way.

Truly, it seemed as if she and Osman would have completely different experiences in regards to the Basilisk’s Territory. Wading through the heat, she wiped away a few sweat drops running down her face. She was getting thirstier the longer she spent time in that place, not to mention how her stomach was also already grumbling in protest.

After some time, she stopped for a bit of rest, and she was about to pick out one of the fruits from inside her sack when she suddenly sniffed out a luscious aroma coming from the distance. Walking further up, she ended up following the scent all the way to an unfortunate dead end.

‘I’m probably hallucinating from hunger already,’ she thought as she moved to grab something to eat, only to pause again when the stone walls before her suddenly moved to open in front of her.

Her eyes squinted at the bright lights that suddenly hit her eyes. She blinked her eyes to adjust to the brightness, only to frown as she stared at the extravagant place now on display before her.

Looking inside, the place looked as if it came from inside one of the many mansions in Cordon’s vicinity. There were so many familiar things in the decorations, and she could honestly see such a sight back in the castle.

‘Osman didn’t say anything about an underground palace in the Basilisk’s Territory…’ she mused as she curiously walked inside.

“Welcome, Human,” a woman greeted her, a wide smile on her even as her big yellow eyes were frighteningly staring at her. From the woman’s gaze alone, Xenia could tell that she wasn’t fully human.

“I am Saha, the guardian that has control over the fire element in this realm,” the newly-introduced Saha curtly introduced. “Come and follow me. You must be starving. I’ve already asked my servant to prepare some human food for you.”

Saha then turned around gesturing for Xenia to follow. Meanwhile, the princess could only gulp when she saw a snake’s tail coming out from Saha’s behind.

Thinking back, Osman was unable to give her many details about the Basilisk, having admitted that his encounter with her had been too short and easy. The admiral didn’t even meet the Basilisk in this humanoid form, having only heard her voice as they played hide and seek inside an active volcano. From there, Osman only had to endure the heat of his surroundings, all while doing his best in hiding.

Left with no other choice, Xenia simply followed Saha, knowing full well that there was no other way out for her except for her to negotiate with this woman. Walking silently, she was eventually led inside a huge dining hall, and Xenia almost drooled as she saw the huge feast being offered on the table.

“Sit, Human,” Saha instructed, and Xenia quietly obeyed as she sat by the other side of the long table. It was the one thing that Osman kept on reminding her about, which was never to offend any of the guardians for as long as she could.

“Eat…” Saha commanded.

Hearing the command, Xenia didn’t hesitate as she started eating. She was still human after all, and she needed to keep her energy up since she was sure that this guardian would toy with her after feeding her. According to Osman, only the Fairy Queen was kind-hearted enough to make his stay inside the forest better, the others simply made his life miserable through basic challenges or unreasonable requests.

By the time Xenia was almost full, the Basilisk laughed. The woman snapped her fingers, and a Raven suddenly appeared on the headrest of the chair right in the middle of the table. Xenia looked at the raven, a symbol of a circle with an open eye inside of it glowing on its forehead.

“I usually do not allow Cordon’s eyes to be present whenever I plan to make a bargain with a human in this trial, but I will make an exception for you since you’re interesting…” the Basilisk musingly nodded. “Among all the humans that have entered our realm, you are the most well-prepared this far. And very calm as well… Aren’t you afraid that I might’ve put poison in your food?”

Xenia looked straight into the Basilisk’s eyes and said, “I’m not. I’ve once heard that the guardians inside the Element Forest are very fair with all their actions. I’m also deeply honored for your generosity to offer me food, and I will never reject or interpret it as some sort of sly trickery to kill a weak human like me.”

Hearing Xenia’s answer, the Basilisk laughed, louder to the point that her voice resonated throughout every corner of the hall.

“Tell me your name, Human, so that I may properly address you,” Saha smiled, a slight grin adorning her face. “Knowing that something special is flowing inside within your veins, it will be improper if I fully called you Human when that’s clearly not the case…”

Xenia bit her inner cheek at what she just heard. She was currently before a powerful guardian appointed by the Almighty to protect the Element Forest, so she should’ve expected that they would know that she had angel blood in her body.

“I am Xenia, Princess of the Ebodian Kingdom, milady…” Xenia answered.

“Milady? You do know that I’m no lady,” Saha chuckled as she chortled. “Still, I don’t mind you calling me one, seeing as I’ve always loved having a human body.”

“Ah, pardon my impudence. I didn’t mean to disrespect you,” Xenia curtly bowed as she quickly apologized. “Please tell me how to properly address the powerful guardian of fire properly.”

“Hmm, Saha… Just call me Saha, Princess Xenia,” Saha pointed out with a smirk. “You know, you’re the first human to know my name.”

Xenia kept her head down in deference, not knowing when to properly look at the guardian.

“Lift your head up and look at me,” Saha commanded, and Xenia followed suit. “You have such beautiful eyes… I must say, out of all the humans that enter our realm, I’ve never encountered such vibrant and lively forest-colored eyes such as yours, Princess Xenia.”

“Thank you, Lady Saha,” Xenia genuinely answered.

“Knowing that, would you like to strike a deal with me, Princess Xenia?” Saha offered with a straightforward smile. “Give me your eyes, and I will let you pass my territory without a fuss.” The Basilisk then looked at the raven and added, “I’m sure the King of Cordon will still accept you without your eyes… If he truly loves you so…”

“And if I don’t agree?” Xenia asked, her eyes still firmly on Saha.

“Then you’ll have to try leaving my territory by passing through all my traps. But I must warn you: no human from Cordon has ever passed through my traps alive,” Saha shrugged, her tone contrasting her current actions.

“So how about you consider my offer? It would be a shame to see such beautiful eyes go to waste, after all. Why don’t you sleep on it? Maybe tomorrow, you’ll give me a different answer,” she offered with a coaxing smile.

Before Xenia could even respond, the world around her suddenly looked as if it was spinning around.

“W-what d-did you put on the food?” she helplessly murmured.

“Oh, it’s not poison, but it’s something to help you sleep so that you’ll be in good condition for my traps,” Saha genuinely replied. “After all, the guardians of this realm still have to judge you fairly…”

Saha’s subtle laughter was the last thing Xenia heard before she completely passed out, her constitution being too weak to fight off whatever it was the Basilisk put in her food.

“Sleep well, Princess,” Saha smiled. “We’ll have a bit of fun tomorrow, and I’m sure you’ll perform admirably. For both your audience and mine, I hope you make the right choice.”