The Meeting with the Apex Princess

The trio woke the next morning at sunrise, ready for any challenges that the Abyss might have for them. As they ate, Ryu looked up at Chihiro. "Chihiro, when you were captured, what happened? You haven't mentioned a thing of it since we got back." Chihiro looked up at Ryu in slight confusion. "Um," Chihiro started. "I... actually don't remember." Ryu's brows furrowed in a mix of confusion and concern. "You don't remember? Not even a bit?" Chihiro shook his head. "It's all blank. All I remember was seeing you in the mountains, and then standing in front of you in the Throne Room. Everything in between is a blur." Makoto looked at Ryu and Chihiro, concerned. 'He forgot everything? The Abyss King must have something to do with this...'
"Well," Ryu said. "If you do end up remembering something, tell me right away." Chihiro nodded with a slight smile. "No worries, I'll tell you." As they finished eating, Makoto kept thinking about it. 'The Abyss King must've done something to him, but what? And if there's a way to reverse it, how?' Then, they heard a knock on their room door. It was one of their fellow Paladins. "Dragon, Seeker, Chosen," he said. "Master would like to see you." Ryu nodded. "We will be there shortly." And so, the trio went to the Apex Throne Room to see the Apex Master.

"Yamamoto," the Apex Master said as he stood from his chair. "Yes, Master," Ryu bowed as he spoke. "The Apex King and Queen have called the three of you, along with me, to go to the Palace and meet the Princess, Iduna Adria." Ryu and Chihiro's eyes became wide from hearing this. "H-Her Highness wishes to meet us?" Ryu said, surprised. "Um," Makoto started. "Who's the Apex Princess?" Ryu and Chihiro turned to look at him, their expressions a mix of confusion and shock. "You don't know who the Apex royal family are?!" Chihiro said in a voice that was almost a shout, but not quite. The Apex Master smiled slightly and said "Do not worry, Seeker. The Chosen has only been in Eldoria for a little over a week."
Then, someone came into the room and said in a familiar voice "Bene, bene, what timing! Her Highness the Principissa summoned me as well." The trio turned and saw Shiro standing in the doorway. "Shiro?" Makoto said in disbelief. "That's right, Makoto, unus et solus!"

The Apex Master looked at Shiro for a moment, as if saying something through eye contact, and then said "Well, the Princess is waiting, so we should be going now." Ryu and Chihiro turned and nodded to the Apex Master's words. Makoto nodded as well, and they set off to the Apex Palace.

Only several hours had passes when the group reached the Apex Palace. The sight was nothing short of breathtaking. It was tall and wide, made of pure marble with silver accents. The gates, engraved with gold, stood tall despite the centuries since the Palace's initial creation. As the gates opened, a drawbridge was lowered for the group.
When they entered, Makoto saw a girl standing at the top of the staircase that he seemed to recognize. She looked about fourteen, and had long flowing golden hair. Her eyes were like a pair of Lapis Lazuli, and her dress was as pure as the marble that held the Palace up. Just then, Makoto began to feel his face get hot. The girl's face lit up when she saw the Apex Master. "Grandfather~!" She said happily as she hurried down the steps to give him a hug. "Did the Chosen One come as well?" She asked, looking at the four. The Apex Master nodded and said "Yes," as he gestured towards Makoto. He looked at her and tried to hide his red cheeks. "Hello, Chosen One," she said with a smile. "Hi, um, Princess Iduna," Makoto replied, slightly flustered. "Let's go to the garden to talk," Iduna said as she took Makoto's hand and led him to the garden.

As they entered the garden, the scent of flowers seemed to change the atmosphere from regal to friendly in an instant. "So, Makoto, is it?" Iduna said as she sat down at a small table next to a fountain. "I want to ask you some questions about your time in Eldoria. What have you seen so far?" Makoto cleared his throat and thought for a moment. "Well, I met Ryu and Chihiro, who brought me to the Apex Tower; we also went to the Forest and met Arthenraed, an Elf, who we helped bring peace to the Forest." Makoto stopped for a moment. "Uh, wait, ignore the Elf thing." Iduna, rather than showing displeasure, giggled. "Heh, no worries, I don't have any grudges against Elves. In fact, I hope that when all this is over, we can form a peace treaty so the wars can stop," she said with a smile. Makoto smiled sheepishly and looked away. "Well, that's good." Makoto looked back at Iduna and continued. "After the Forest, we went to the Snowmantle Mountains and met Lupin. He's been up there his whole life, he told me, leading the wolves. And..."
Makoto's voice trailed off as he looked down at the water in the fountain. Iduna leaned in a bit and asked quietly "...Yes?" Makoto shook his head quickly, as if shaking himself out of his thoughts. "Uh, sorry. I was just lost in thought," he said. "Um, Chihiro got captured by the Abyss King, but we got him back, though he doesn't remember what happened in the Abyss Tower." Iduna leaned back and tapped her chin. "Could you tell me what the Abyss King looked like?" Makoto thought for a moment, then spoke. "Well, he was tall, had dark hair and red eyes, and wielded a large sword." Iduna's brows furrowed slightly and her gaze met the ground as she nodded. Then, she looked up at Makoto, her expression contemplative yet assured and said "I think he may have been a fake." "A fake?" Makoto repeated.
"Yes," Iduna said. "Sometimes, in war strategy, the warrior who looks like the King will go out to distract the enemy so that the real King can attack from behind. It's sly, but I wouldn't put it past the Abyss King." As Makoto thought this theory over, it started to seem more and more possible.

Soon after their discussion, Makoto and the others were taken to the guest room of the Palace. The room was around twice the size of their room in the Apex Tower, with four beds, one for each of them. 'The Apex Master is Iduna's Grandfather,' Makoto thought. Then Shiro, who had been standing by the window, strolled over to Makoto. "Bene, Makoto, I see the Principissa has had an impact on you~" he said with a wink. Makoto felt his cheeks redden again. "Wha- no, it's not like that at all," Makoto stuttered. Chihiro chuckled, and Ryu smiled at Makoto's embarrassment. "Seriously, it's not like that, you guys," Makoto said, starting to laugh a bit, himself. As the laughter began to settle in the guest room of the Palace, the quartet went to their beds for the night, with Shiro next to the window on the left side of the room.

That night, the quartet slept soundly as the moon hung in the sky, brighter than usual. Makoto, though asleep, sensed something in the room. 'What's that...?' he thought. At that moment, the clock tower struck midnight, sending a shiver down his spine. Suddenly, Makoto felt the air shift, almost as if someone entered the room without opening the door. Makoto tried to shake off the feeling of dread, but he knew something was happening.

                                                         He just didn't know what.

"Hello~? Wake up," an unfamiliar voice said. The voice seemed to come from a boy about his age. Makoto opened his eyes slowly, covering them from the light coming in from the window. Through blurry vision, he could see a figure with blonde hair sitting next to him looking over him. "Hello~" the voice said again. Just then, Makoto started to notice what was happening. He wasn't in the Palace anymore, instead, he appeared to be in a dark colored room with red accent and a bookshelf near the door that the bed he was in was facing. In an instant, his eyes widened in shock as he sat up quickly. "W-Who are you?" He asked, his voice shaking with uncertainty. "Where am I?"
"My room," the teen next to Makoto said. His wavy blonde locks fell just above his crimson red eyes. He wore a black suit, though it wasn't formal enough for it to be a funeral uniform. The jacket was open, showing a red tie tucked under a white dress shirt. Black gloves covered his hands. Despite his appearance, he smiled warmly at Makoto, and his posture was quite casual. "You must've been tired," the teen said. "Don't worry, I won't harm you," he said to Makoto with a smile. Slightly more calm now, Makoto asked again, "Where- Who are you?"
"My name is Naraku Yamimoto," he replied calmly. "And this is... my room." Makoto looked around the room and asked "But, um, what- er, your house," Makoto tried to find the words he wanted to ask, but couldn't. "My 'house'?" Naraku repeated and chuckled at these words. "No one's said that in years. No, this is my Tower, Makoto." Confused, Makoto looked at Naraku for a moment. "How do you know my name? And what do you mean, your 'Tower'?" Naraku chuckled again. "You'll see, Makoto, you'll see." Naraku stood up and gestured towards the door. "Let me show you around," he said, smiling warmly. "O-OK," Makoto said as he got up from the bed.

Naraku led Makoto through the winding staircases and long halls. Though it was dark, it was very different from the Abyss Tower. It felt much calmer, and the air was more breathable than the stuffy, tense feeling the Abyss Tower had. 'Maybe it's just Naraku?' Makoto thought, remembering the Abyss Tower. 'Either way, I don't want to have to go through that place again.'
As Naraku pushed open one of the doors in the hall, Makoto saw his expression change as they entered the room. It was full of crystal items, such as a vase that sat on top of a bookshelf on the left wall. Maps of Eldoria with travel routes were scattered across a large table in front of a large window. In the center of the table was a spherical bowl. It looked slightly like a fish bowl, but there was something about it that made it look different.
"Makoto," Naraku said quietly. "Yes?" Makoto answered. "Have you ever been to other worlds?" Naraku asked as he walked over to the bowl. "Um, yes," Makoto replied. "I'm not from Eldoria, so I guess you could say I've been to other worlds." Naraku turned his head slightly at this. "If it's not rude of me to ask," he said slowly. "May I know the name of this world, Makoto?"
Makoto stood in silence for a moment before speaking. "Uh, it's called Earth." "Earth, you say," Naraku said, running his fingers across the surface of the round bowl. "If it's alright with you, could you tell me about this 'Earth'?" Naraku asked as he turned around to face Makoto. "Well, if you want to know, I can tell you," Makoto said. Naraku tapped his chin, then said "Alright, I have time." And as the two spoke of Earth, the Abyss kept plotting against Makoto and his friends in a silent corner of Eldoria.