Arkalia

Chapter 7 - The Fallen Knight

"Seize those thieves!" He ordered as guards came running towards them. The duo exchanged a look before Jae pulled Lilia along with him and jumped into the ocean. She screamed hysterically as they hit the water. The guards ran over to the edge but they didn't surface.

Under the dark murky water, Jae reached over next to him to find Lilia, but she wasn't there. He started to panic, he looked around underwater but he couldn't see anything beyond his hands. He dove above the water, panting for air. He tried looking around but she wasn't anywhere to be seen.

A storm was coming when the lightning had sounded, just for a second, Jae saw a glimpse of Lilia's hand reaching out before the waves had come crashing down. He knew he wouldn't be any help if he had died in the storm so he swam back to shore, promising he'd find her.

On the other hand, Lilia woke up on the beach, she was dripping wet and the Sun shone brightly at her. She looked around her surroundings, she didn't recognize them. Suddenly, she heard a voice saying, "Hey, are you alright?"

There stood before her was a boy and he looked around the same age as her, he had hazelnut brown hair and light brown eyes, he knelt beside her and helped her up.

"I saw you collapsed on the beach, I was coming over to check on you. Are you okay?" He asked worriedly. Lilia smiled before she replied, "Yea, sorry for worrying you."

"It's fine. I'm Sol Ventus. What's your name?" He asked and stuck out his hand. She looked down at it before hesitantly answering, "I'm... uh..."

He laughed softly before putting down his hand and shrugged, "I get it, you just met me and don't know me. You don't have to tell me your name, but I am curious, how did you end up on the beach?"

"Well, I got separated from my friend. We were finding pieces for the Yurazaki sword." She covered her mouth and stared wide-eyed at Sol.

"Oh my god, I wasn't supposed to.. agh. Please, don't tell anyone! I'm afraid someone might come after us or something dangerous might happen!" She begged.

"I won't. I actually just came from Justicia Palidino, well I was a citizen before I got kicked out of there. Do you wanna just head to town with me? I'll tell you all about me if you want." He pointed to a nearby town with vibrant green trees.

"Why were you kicked out of there?" Lilia asked as they started walking to the nearby town. He sheepishly rubbed his neck, "I wanted adventure, but being a knight in Justicia Palidino was to serve the Queen until you die which just wasn't a good fit for me." He shrugged.

"Which kingdom are we in now? Are we near Justicia Palidino?" Lilia asked curiously. She needed to know how far drifted away from Jae.

"Hmm, we're currently in the East Gethina Jewelia. The land of healers. I'm meeting a couple of old friends, do you want to come? I mean I can be your guide if you'd like." He bowed before laughing.

Lilia giggles at his joke before answering, "Sure. Why not? It's not like I have nothing to lose."

They walk through the forest to the Ameliorate Village. "No way, you're from another realm? Those from the folklore? Well, then I guess my next adventure or 'duty' as a knight is to protect you and support your mission." He kneeled on one knee and bowed.

"Oh my god, stop embarrassing me!" She blushed and she hit his shoulder jokingly. He laughed and got up. He led her into a tavern where two girls sat. A pink-haired girl talking with an excited faery.

"Hey guys, I'm free from the duty of a knight! I can travel anywhere I want to now!" He cheerfully waved and sat down in front of them.

The pink-haired girl seemed excited for him to come back, her cheeks were red until she saw sopping wet and sandy Lilia sit down next to him with a shy smile.

The pink-haired girl immediately judged her, her face was in disgust and jealousy. "Who's this?" She asked with a glare at Lilia. Lilia looked down, her hair covering her face.

"This is Lilia, I found her on the beach earlier. I was thinking of asking a favor from you guys, could you guys lend your bathrooms for her to wash up?" He smiled innocently, hoping they would say yes.

"Oh, my spells! A new friend of yours is a friend of ours! My name is Arin Marina! Nice to meet you, Lilia!" The faery girl cheerfully said. Arin nudged the pink-haired girl still with a smile at Lilia.

The pink-haired rolled her eyes before sticking out her hand, "I'm Roxanne Daniels or Roxy. You can call me that I guess." She smiled. Lilia felt happy, she didn't have many friends on Earth. This made her smile widely.

Arin dragged Lilia to her house, it was white with some fairy lights hanging on her porch. She pushed Lilia to the shower and she went to her closet to pick an outfit for her.

After a warm bath, Lilia walked out in a towel and she changed into the outfit Arin had picked out for her.

(outfit reference)

"I've sent your clothes to wash, they should be done by tomorrow." Roxanne came up from the basement and dusted her hands off.

"Anyways, why were you even with Sol in the first place?" Roxanne asked as they all sat down on the couch. Lilia decided to trust them since they were close friends of Sol.

"That's spelltacular! I didn't know there was another realm from ours!" Arin excitedly squeaked.

"You cannot tell anyone! This is an important mission and some dangerous people might kidnap me!" Lilia warned.

"There's a thing if you're from the East Gethina Jewelia. If you promise to cross your heart, that's a promise you will never tell. Once you tell, you will instantly die of a heart attack." Roxanne whispers.

"I've seen people die from it before. And we both will make the pact to show you can have our trust." Arin smiled at Roxanne before they both used their finger and dress an X above their hearts.

Lilia was happy with her newfound friends. But her mind still wandered about Jae and how worried he must be. She hoped they would find each other again in another strange coincidence.

~ To Be Continued ~

A/N: Now there are more people than Jae! Ooh, I'm getting excited! Stay tuned for the next chapter!

What happened to Jae? Will Lilia and Jae be able to see each other again? Or will they never meet again? Stay tuned to find out!

Follow me on Instagram @chloe.cwrites for sneak peeks and updates! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy this story!