The King's Beloved

"Amazing," Rania couldn't help herself and uttered those words as she continued to gaze at Elliot and the Griffin. Then, in her mind, she thought, "This … it's the same as back then, when I first met him. I was conflicted if I should show kindness to an enemy race, the same race that conquered our planet but … when I saw him - even with his mask on - I felt ... that I could trust him. Weird but, yes, that's exactly how I felt ... for someone I barely know. Is this magic, too?"

Elliot, on the other hand, was enjoying his time cuddling the Griffin. He let out a brief, but gentle smile towards the Griffin as he healed its wounds. And the Griffin caressed Elliot's cheeks with the smooth side of its beak.

"Kuuuuu …," The Griffin gave a satisfied expression after Elliot finished healing its wounds.

"Next time, you should learn how to receive some help, before throwing a fit," Elliot smirked and patted the head of the Griffin.

The Griffin nodded as if it understood him.

"I think it's time that we go to the temple now," Ducis interrupted them.

The others nodded in agreement. Luna and Ducis flew towards the other end of the creek real quick. Elliot carried Rania and jumped over the creak in just one leap. The Griffin followed them and energetically jumped back and forth like an excited dog, stopping every once in a while to be patted by Elliot.

And so, they continued walking along the bluish stone pathway until it led them to a temple that looked like an ancient Greek temple, covered with large branches and vines all over it. The team climbed the marble steps unto the front door of the temple only to find that it was closed. Strange letters and symbols could be seen on the door as well.

"Luna, do you think you can make out what it says?" Rania asked the fairy.

Luna drew nearer the door and stared at the weird letters. "Hmmm … this is different than the one before. But I can make out a few, let's see …". She crossed her arms and pressed her chin as she thought. "This may take a while. The languages used are all jumbled up! It's like a whole puzzle in itself. There's one language here, then another there, and another there?" she commented as she pointed her fingers in different directions.

"I see, this would take a while indeed"

"That's fine, I think," Elliot agreed.

"No, it is not," Ducis shook his head. "A hundred days - that is all the time we have to venture through the twelve doors. It may seem long now, but you never know what other things we'll encounter on the remaining doors. We already spent more than a week from that hundred and we have ten more to go after we finish this one".

"I thought time didn't run here?" Elliot asked.

"It does. Only in Anguis Solum is time still and unmoving. But if you enter the different realms, time flows again, well, except for my realm, Abyss of Nox, since I'm the Guardian of Time and Space. But for the other realms, time continues, since they are governed by the other Guardians".

"That's a problem," Elliot pondered over it.

"Speaking of other Guardians, I wonder where is the Guardian of this realm?" Rania asked.

'Probably inside," Elliot shrugged his shoulders. "Hey midget, how long will it take you to figure that out?"

"Hey! I'm no longer a midget! And don't call me like that stupid dragon does!"

"But you're still smaller than me".

"I'm not small! It's you that's just too tall! And if that's your basis, you should be calling Rania a midget, too since she's also smaller compared to you".

"Rania's not small. She's near my height," Elliot responded as he gestured his left hand below his chin and the other on his lower chest, comparing the heights of Rania and Luna against his.

Rania sighed seeing Luna was about to be enraged. 'Another argument again'. She pushed Elliot's back far away from Luna. And when they're about a few meters away, she shouted, "Go ahead, Luna! Figure it out, we'll be here so we don't disturb you!"

Ducis sighed as well. "Still carefree, huh?"

And so, Luna continued deciphering the words engraved on the door. Luna and Elliot thought they may need another key to opening it and asked Ducis. But Ducis only shrugged his shoulders as he could not give any more information to them.

A few moments later, Luna's eyes lit up.

"I got it!" Luna shouted in joy.

Rania, Elliot and Ducis who were discussing immediately went to her.

'"Great job, Luna!" Rania praised her and they clapped their hands.

"So what did it say?"

Luna went smug again. "Turns out, I just needed to omit the unneeded words and make out the real message! Oh! And some letters and symbols can be pressed, too".

Then Luna demonstrated how she did it. She indeed pressed on some of the letters scattered about through the whole door. There were a few at the very top where she had to fly to reach them. Then some in the middle, and a couple at the lower part of the door. Once done, Luna cleaned her hands and presented it to them.

Unfortunately, Rania and Elliot couldn't read ancient language.

"Oh jeez," Luna smiled wryly. "Fine, the glorious me will read it to you." She stretched out her hands and pointed at the words as she read them. "Here's what it says -"

"But where there are prophecies, they will cease;

Where there are tongues, they will be stilled;

Where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

But when perfection comes,

The imperfect disappears".