Thus, they could end up going on with their lives like usual, not knowing there were battles around them.

  Such instances had already occurred countless times, like right now.

  The king, the generals, and the Divine Army knew some information; but not to the same extent as those who went outside it when such battles were raging.

  The outermost layer of the Auroras glimmered with a soft, silvery light which acted as a veil testing the intent of those who go inside.

  However, it often allowed individuals to enter even if they had bad intentions, unless they entered in groups or hordes.

  As a protection, the said layer also twisted the memories of visitors once they step outside Livingrings. These were turned into dreams, nightmares, and mirages – making it hard for outsiders to recall what exactly happened.

  Beyond the silvery veil, the second layer of the Auroras radiated a deep, azure blue – anyone with evil intent thrown into this would be in a very perilous situation.

  This second layer was infused with protective spells, capable of repelling dark magic and harmful intentions.

  Its surface rippled like water upon first contact, but had formidable defenses in its cryptic dimensions.

  For instance, it had labyrinth-like dimensions and seemingly unending oceans.

  Once outsiders die inside the second layer, they would automatically be casted out of the Auroras.

  The Divine Army often fought in the secondary layers (all layers aside from the first) in the unknown labyrinth-like or maze-like dimensions.

  These mazes and labyrinths had monsters in them and sometimes, there were also treasures.

  Most trainees for the Divine Army will go inside these at the age of 17.

  They fought with different levels of monsters until they got used to how things worked here.

  Some of those who ventured inside the second layer had also encountered some humans living inside, who never seemed to die even if the enemies tried to kill them.

  In some areas, it was like unending caves while in others, there seemed to be unending floors with twisting patterns.

  Most of those not used to these will be defeated immediately.

  Among the things inside it which would be grave if the intruders entered were those allotted for the guardians, like the Eliccan Tree Watcher which sapped the life of humans to nourish its young, the 10 Sin Confessing Chambers that had their own systems and purgatories, Seas of the Fallen, the Mind Extraction King, and more.

  As for the soldiers of Livingrings, they received the blessings of the guardians if they defeated the enemies themselves.

  Vaelros and General Hovereth reached one of the deepest floors by working together and bringing lots of magic potions with them.

  It was a popular rumor that they took bags of potions with them and were heavily laughed at by their fellow trainees back in the day.

  ‘With how complex the Aurora’s mechanisms are, it should have been able to stop intruders from coming in. But why have Raivenhailers' attacks become more often?’ General Vaelros thought.

  The people gathered around due to the commotion and were curious about what was happening, chattered and whispered to each other.

  “What’s going on?”

  “The Raivenhailers were already vanquished but there seems to be some problem still…”

  “How come the Prince and Princess were trapped?!”

  “Why are they not freed yet?”

  “Are the wizards not able to undo the spell?”

  The crowd was getting more anxious by the second.

  The other soldiers around managed the crowd and ensured there were no more attackers left.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Meanwhile, Vaelros had been glancing back and forth and looking for any clues in the residues of the Ravenhailers.

  ‘What if these wizards are truly hiding something from us? With their few numbers, it is better for the Divine Army to handle some of the fighting.

  We will be able to measure our enemies' strengths too.’ Once again, Vaelros looked directly into Dunesther’s eyes, and asked again, “Is there something we should know?”

  But Dunesther shook his head and said, “None yet, General.”

  ‘Yet?’ Vaelros blinked twice at the hint of those words.

  ‘Does this mean… They are trying to get things under control and would only inform us if they failed and finally needed our help?’

  Vaelros wanted to ask more, but it was clear the wizard had no intention of sharing more information at the moment.

  Likewise, King Thalorin gestured that he wanted a conversation with Dunesther since Jenna was busy examining the Ellysian Chains. Thus, Vaelros backed off respectfully.

  “Dunesther? Can we save my children now? I want to make sure they are out of danger,” King Thalorin Sealbearer said.

  “Yes, of course, Your Majesty.

  I believe we must hurry and bring the Prince and Princess to the Flying Orb or it may be too late.

  There are magical anomalies and we are investigating.”

  Dunesther responded calmly, but he glanced at the skies for a few seconds, before calling his Celestial Drake.

  King Thalorin Sealbearer noticed and looked at Dunesther grimly.

  The King knew there must be something else going on. His eyes casted some shadows and he was about to say something, but turned around and mounted his drake instead.

  General Vaelros also noticed and glanced at the sky as well before looking at the Ellysian Chains once more.

  He understood the decision of the King.

  For now, the life of Nymeria and Orion was the priority.

  After the King mounted his Celestial Drake, Vaelros then turned around and got back to his soldiers.

  “Let’s go!” General Vaelros commanded in haste.

  “Yes Sir!” The soldiers responded in unison and prepared to fly again.

  The sound of their armors weighed heavily on the ground as they walked, making it shake a bit.

  As they mounted their Celestial Drakes, Dunesther and Jenna exchanged knowing glances, but remained silent.

  They realized that King Thalorin and General Vaelros had some doubts in their minds.

  General Hovereth and his troops on the other hand simply followed behind King Thalorin ready to respond to any ambush attacks.

  With everyone ready, Dunesther and Jenna did their role.

  “Oh, spell caster of the gods, grant us your mercy and carry the mark of the cursed with us!”

  With their fingers outstretched as if cradling an invisible sphere, the two Rune Masters chanted in unison while their hands were close to the cage.

  Magical energies swirled and slowly wrapped the Ellysian Chains with Nymeria and Orion inside.

  Then, the cage gradually grew smaller until it was like a cube the size of a child’s fingertip. The wizards made it small to make it easier to protect and transport while flying.

  The immense curses and spells were still inside, surrounding them. Thus, Princess Nymeria and Prince Orion still cannot be heard, moved freely, or given healing.

  The prince and princess inside were in a weakened state, and with their fragile health, the Ellysian Chains were easily seizing control over their bodies.

  They then took off to the Floating Orb.

  The Floating Orb was where high-ranking wizards dwell and had their research laboratories.

  Since the Floating Orb was the abode of wizards, only a select few humans were permitted to enter and only on special circumstances like today.

  After all, the Floating Orb was filled with unknown passageways since the Divine Archmages and wizards carry the secrets passed down for thousands of years on how to keep the magic in Livingrings intact.

  The Floating Orb was magically connected to the Magical Isles – a gargantuan building here in Faliamber, Livingrings’ capital. The Floating Orb gave sustenance to it; and let the wizards stay in the human world for a longer time.

  The Magical Isles was where most Rune Masters and apprentice wizards stay, plan negotiations, and study the kingdoms outside of Livingrings.

  Only those ranking from advanced to supreme wizards knew how to get inside without using the doors that accept or reject those that enter.

  Advance or supreme wizards were those who had expertise and had served the kingdom for at least 200 years, and had seen empires rise and fall around the human realm.

  As they flew to the Floating Orb, Dunesther whispered in a very low voice, afraid the king could hear them, “Jenna, I hope someone is there.”

  “At least we could bring the Prince and Princess there, so the spells’ effects could be minimized,” Jenna whispered back and glanced up at the Floating Orb.

  “But their lives are being sapped by these Ellysian Chains. If no one’s there…” Dunesther trailed in horror in his thoughts, as he saw the two children had begun to lose their muscle mass.

  Thankfully, they had temporarily lessened the size of the cube so King Thalorin and the others could not see what the children looked like now.

  “It’s best not to tell them at the moment. We can find a solution once there,” Jenna insisted, also getting nervous.

  *Second Layer of Aurora’s - vast and has formidable defenses and seemingly limitless dimensions

  *Floating Orb - where wizards were born and get their life to exist in the human world

  * Magical Isles - a huge building in Faliamber where wizards stay among humans.