Level Up: Voidwalker

When Atlas heard Neryssa's words, he stepped in front of Amethyst and refused, ''You will not be separating us,'' he said defiantly. ''I will not do anything to her; she's safe with me.''

Biric stepped forward, but the older woman spoke in a concerned tone, ''Swear the Mother Goddess that you will not harm or touch her without permission?''

Atlas looked at the woman and said in a determined voice, ''I swear to the Mother Goddess that I will never harm Amethyst Flameheart and would do anything to help her.''

Neryssa's face softened, ''Maybe you ain't as bad as the Trúleysingi Reformers make you out to be.''

''Trúleysingi?'' Amethyst questioned as she held onto Atlas's arm.

"Non-believers of the Ragnarok Prophecy," Biric explained. "They are foolish people who ignore all the warning signs around them."

After that, Neryssa led them to the spare bedroom while she spoke, ''Wars are happening all over Astoria. The Winterfrost Dwarves have been raiding some of the border villages, stealing every bit of food they can get their grubby mitts on.''

Atlas chuckled while Amethyst giggled, which sounded like music to him. The older woman led them up a flight of stairs only to arrive at a room on the first floor, ''Here, children, you two can sleep in here,'' she said with a warm smile. ''No hanky panky now, we don't want any baby chick running around the place.''

When the Phoenix girl heard this, she squeaked before rushing into the room while Neryssa laughed, ''I miss being that young. I was your age when I met Biric, who came here with his father before he retired.''

''You've been together that long?'' Atlas curiously asked.

Neryssa: ''Yes, love,'' she answered. ''In the Frostmark Kingdom, relationships are sacred, as they give birth to the next generation who care for those that came before.''

The older woman looked down the stairs, ''Well, that's how it's meant to go, Valsonr, but it seems things will get chaotic with your arrival.''

Atlas nodded before entering the room to find one big bed and a simple table next to a window with a good view over the village. He soon found Amethyst looking out the window as she played with her purple ponytail.

He approached her while taking out a blanket from Wildwood City and wrapped it around the girl, who jumped in fright, causing Atlas to chuckle before she hit his arm, ''You scared me! You mustn't sneak up on someone when they're not paying attention.''

''Oh shut up,'' Atlas said while holding up the blanket. ''I didn't intentionally do it; I was just trying to make sure you were warm.''

After speaking, Atlas pulled out some food he found in the city and started preparing. Amethyst was staring at him with a small smile, but he wasn't paying attention as he tried to assemble a sandwich.

Twenty minutes later, he just ate some meat sliced into thin slices while eating chunks of bread. Atlas had some pastry-looking food that he offered to Amethyst, who happily took it before she started nibbling it like a mouse.

This made Atlas laugh before he asked, ''So, where's the best place we can go to level up? Preferably near a city or these dungeon things.''

Amethyst's eyebrows rose as she commented, ''What? That's common knowledge, idiot; how can you not know this?''

''I lost all my memories during the escape from Ironclad Pass,'' he said, not wanting to reveal the truth just yet. ''I woke up covered in blood and a bad headache until a surviving guard gave me a health potion to recover.''

''What happened to the guard? You were alone when you attacked the bandits,'' she questioned.

Atlas nodded, ''He died from a snake bite; I traveled through the wailing woods for nearly three days until I stumbled upon the bandit camp.''

''You survived?'' Amethyst exclaimed.

''Yes? I nearly died because some goblins ambushed me and turned me into a pin cushion. At the same time, this happened; I kept getting attacked by Icefang Wolves, Snow Widows, and Changelings who tried to eat me,'' Atlas explained while sighing. ''Then I ran into a Woolhorn, which I lured into the bandit camp to get the drop on them.''

''You've had quite the adventure,'' Amethyst commented while looking down. ''I'm glad you were there, though, or I would still be a slave a few more days, and I would have had a collar put on me.''

Atlas nodded before going over to her and grabbing her hand, 'It's really soft.' he thought when their skin connected.

He shook his head and said, ''I'm glad I was there too.''

Just as Atlas finished speaking, she put her head on his shoulder, ''To answer your question, there are many places to level up. Some forests are dangerous as monsters ranked E or above can be dangerous, but from C onward, they would butcher us before we stepped foot in a forest.''

''Makes sense,'' he said. ''I guess we must pick places on the way to your homeland to earn experience. But I do want to join the Adventurers Guild.''

Amethyst smiled, ''We can do that in the next town as the guild doesn't set up in villages.''

Atlas nodded before he yawned and bounced on the bed, ''I will get some sleep. Do you want to join me?''

He watched as her face went bright red, causing him to laugh, ''Not like that, you dirty-minded girl; I meant just sharing the bed so we can keep warm because it's chilly in here.''

Amethyst got embarrassed again but nodded her head. The two of them climbed under the covers and got comfortable as the wind outside picked up, causing the window to rattle due to the intensity of it.

Atlas watched it as a calming sound; while doing that, he felt the Phoenix girl cuddle up to him as she spoke, ''I hope you don't mind me doing this; I'm really cold.''

''It's not an issue, my pigeon girl; I like it when you're close,'' he replied with an honest smile.

Once Atlas finished speaking, he felt a pinch on his side, causing him to yelp in pain as Amethyst giggled, ''Stop calling me that elf boy.''

He chuckled while tightening his hug to the purple-haired girl, who made an adorable noise as she got comfortable. Soon enough, the two were fast asleep as the weather outside got worse.

***

[Artemis Olympaea's POV]

When the golden chains ensnared Artemis, she immediately knew who was responsible. She turned her gaze toward Anastasia, renowned for her holy magic, a stark contrast to her spiteful personality.

She fought against the chains but couldn't break free. The older woman approached with a smug expression, leaning forward to whisper into Artemis's ear. "You will never become queen; I will ensure the prophecy is unfulfilled. You will never meet the damned Daimonas that Pythia foretold," she said with spite. "Everything belongs to me and my daughters now.

Even your foolish brother was deceived by his honor."

After Queen Anastasia spoke, she ordered her guards to take Artemis to the palace dungeons. There, she struggled against the men but soon gave up as memories of stories her Yia-Yia told her when she was a little girl.

She remembered the prophecy foretold the rise of an Olympaeanian Princess who would awaken the legendary Argonaut class, destined to be led by a figure named Atelos. This leader was prophesied to wage war against the corrupt nobles and evil queen.

Some people didn't believe it and regarded it as a legend. Still, It was foretold that he and the princess would lead to a Great War to restore the rightful queen to the throne by disposing of her family and uniting with the princess, bringing everlasting peace to the kingdom.

Artemis never believed in this legend until her awakening, when she got the famous class, which sent shockwaves through Aridonia. This revelation shocked her as she believed the story to be a children's tale of courage and famous battles that would unfold.

One story stood out to Artemis: the Battle of Undying Tears, in which Atelos was foretold to lead the Olympaeanian loyalists who rallied to the princess's banner; in the tale, Pythia, the oracle, foretold that the fiercest fighters on Valoria, the Saharaelian Desert warriors, would support him.

She was astonished whenever she heard of their formidable fighting prowess, especially their ability to slaughter the renowned Immortals, regarded as the finest soldiers ever deployed by the Achaemenidians.

Still, they stood in the shadow of the Desert Warriors, who thrived in the Blue Dune Desert to the south. Entering the place is deadly and has claimed billions of lives since its creation thousands of years ago.

While thinking to herself, she was dragged through the palace before the guard commander clamped a collar on her so she couldn't use her mana. She was thrown into a cell and left alone until the queen appeared.

Anastasia smugly smiled while speaking with a voice full of venom, ''You will be sold to slavers, dear Artemis. They've agreed to take you far away from the kingdom to live the remainder of your life in misery.''

She sat up, staring into her mother's green eyes and smiling, ''I will return, and when I do, myself and Atelos will be leading an army of the Desert Warriors and loyalists that will cover the kingdom in the blood of traitors,'' her brown eyes gleamed with malice. ''And when that time comes, you will die, Mother; I will slide my blade into your heart and watch as the life leaves your body.''

Artemis stood up before saying one more thing to the shocked woman, ''You treacherous malákas, you will die for this.''

Anastasia stiffened but ignored her and turned toward the guards. ''Take this foul-mouthed girl to Port Aspurii; the slavers are already waiting there.''

Following this, time passed by slowly as Artemis was taken to the slavers and transported north as they were heading toward the Thalassia Empire, where she was to be sold to the nobles for a high price due to being a pure princess.

She thought the slavers were going to harm her, but that never happened, and they were surprisingly professional. Artemis looked around and saw hundreds of people trapped in cages, but explosions caught her attention.

Hours passed, and she heard the slavers returning to the ship. They pushed five people down the stairs. When the last person appeared, her eyes widened in shock.

'Atelos!'

***

[Daimonas- Demon/Devil]

[Yia-Yia - Grandmother]

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