En immersed himself in his thoughts, switching off from his surroundings. The identity of the girl he saw in his friends' neighborhood bothered him. Although he had never seen that girl before, there was something familiar about her.
He remembered gazing at her from the sky, from that view he thought he had seen Arisa. He wasn't sure if his feelings were dominating his mind and tricking him to see her where she wasn't. Even so, that girl reminded him of her as her scent was identical to Arisa's.
But then, that girl wasn't Arisa. It was another curious citizen walking by that street. He rubbed his forehead, not understanding what was going on with him.
What if it was actually her, he told himself. What would I have done then?
His knees trembled as he realized that he was still too weak when it came to her. When he first saw the girl, his heart wouldn't stop skipping. Even when he realized he had mistaken her, his heart wouldn't stop beating.
He took a deep breath, setting in his mind that he should be prepared when he finally meets her. He couldn't fail his kingdom again.
The sounds of birds flying by pulled him away from his thoughts. En looked up; over the orange painted sky, he saw a flock of birds floating around it. Noticing that the sky was darkening, En walked through the vast garden on his way to meet his father.
Throughout his little trip back to the castle's main building, all he saw were different kinds of plants decorating the green garden. A few dark and tall buildings filled the environment as he kept walking.
As colorful plants and flowers met his gaze, En suddenly stopped at the sight of a particular one.
Although the flower had its black petals organized beautifully, their wild shape decreased its beauty. En bent over to examine the plant. As he touched its delicate petals, he remembered the many times his grandmother would tell him a funny story about it.
"Oh, look what I've found here, Ennie!" a cheerful voice called him.
The eight-year-old En dropped his focus from his art book and gazed at his left side. Not far from his spot, a woman in a bright flowing dress was waving at him. En waved back at her with a smile.
"Come here, my grandson," she said.
En looked at his grandmother and then at his art book. "But grandmother, I'm drawing."
En showed her his book and pencil. His grandmother tilted her head, her short brownish-red hair moving along in response.
"I won't take a lot of your time, my dear," she said.
En gazed at her for several seconds. He sighed and closed his book, rushing towards his grandmother.
"What is it?" He gazed up at her and saw the small, stone-like purple features circling on her wrinkled forehead.
His grandmother's green eyes—which had shades of yellow on their contours—focused on him.
"Look." She pointed at the plants by her side.
En gazed at the colorful flowers, wondering what was so special about them. He stared back at her, waiting for an explanation.
His grandmother smiled at him. "Can you tell me which flower you found unattractive."
"Hm," said En, examining the plants in front of him. "This one."
He pointed at a black flower. His grandmother chuckled.
YOU ARE READING
The Challenge of the Masters
Fantasy♈ - Book II of the Astral Guardians Series - ♌ A princess who has the fate of the worlds in her hands. A prince who has to prove himself to his people. And mutual feelings that clash with their hearts. ♐♑♓ Arisa's dream has always been to live in a...
