Chapter 1234 Reaching Rose’s Dream
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"Is something bothering you, young lady?"
A handsome butler asked the young princess Rose, as she glanced across the window of her room within the refined palace of the Queendom's castle.
"Oh, no… I was just wondering how it would be if I could go out… I haven't gone out of the castle all this time.
"Go out? To see the miserable poor people outside?"
Her butler raised an eyebrow, without being able to understand her words.
"No, I… Never mind."
"Here are your sweets, milady. There's an exquisite variety today as well. I hope you can enjoy them to your heart's content."
"Thank you…"
Rose sighed, looking through the window a last time before glancing at her sweets.
This morning she woke up feeling strange, as if she had gone through a terrible nightmare.
In that nightmare, she was never born in this luxury, and instead was a poor girl that lived fighting against the world for survival.
Stealing, starving, and suffering.
Yet, even amidst this darkness, there was a light, friends.
This light, even amidst a darkness so painful, was something she had never experienced before in this life of luxury.
"I wonder what that dream meant…" She sighed, sipping some tea and eating a shortcake of strawberries. Yet… it barely tasted like anything, this dull taste and flavor was something she couldn't get off her tongue. "Has the food always tastes this bad? I remember… that someone once feed me something so tasty…"
"Someone? But milady, you've never left the castle for your own safety." Sighed the butler.
"I… never did?" Wondered Rose. "But I am sure that I…!"
"Milady, are you sure you're feeling alright?" The butler's sharp red eyes glanced at her.
"I… I am fine, yes." Rose nodded.
She had been living a life of luxury just as that girl in her dreams ever wanted, yet… there were so many restrictions, so many rules, so many hardships as well. Her mother was always sick and she couldn't visit her, and her father was always busy maintaining the city, so she hasn't spoken with him for months.
Her aunt was suspicious, always seemingly plotting to make her life a tiny bit more horrible every day. And she… was completely powerless, incapable of doing anything than close herself in her room and watch the world from her window while eating expensive food.
Anybody out there might find her life as a bliss, but for her… it was an endless loop of meaninglessness, and slowly, it was making her go insane. Her heart felt empty, and she desired so much to be that girl in her dreams, to have friends that loved and cared for her, and to go on adventures with them.
"(You don't know how lucky you were…)" She thought, talking to that girl within her dreams.
BAAM!
"Huh?"
CLASH!
"W-What's going on?!" Rose suddenly panicked, as she heard coming from the outside of her room a whole ruckus.
"Uuaagggh! Stop him!"
"He's too strong…!"
"Who the heck is this damn kid wearing rags?!"
"Uuuaagggghhhh!"
"D-Don't let him get into the princess room!"
"STOP HIM!!!"
The guards protecting Rose's room panicked, as she suddenly heard them screaming and fighting against a "kid in rags".
"Albert, what's happening?!" Rose panicked.
"I-I don't know but please stand behind me, Princess!" Albert said, his eyes suddenly glowing bright red as he summoned a black grimoire from his shadows.
BAAAAAM!
And the perpetrator finally entered the room, breaking it open with a quick. It was a kid around his 10 years of age, a young and slightly handsome merman boy. His entire body was covered in rags but also colorful crystals, which grew out of his body like corals, creating a natural armor.
"ROSE! Where are you, ROSE?!"
Rose's eyes opened wide, she suddenly felt something, as if she had seen that boy before. Was he the one in her dreams that the poor girl loved so dearly? Her best friend…
"Y-You're Coral?" Rose wondered.
"Rose! You're here… Stop dreaming already! This is all fake, wake up!" The boy said.
However, the Butler was not going to let him get any closer. ｂ𝚎ｄｎ𝚘ｖ𝚎𝚕．𝚘𝚛𝚐
"Y-You ruffian! I won't let you get to our princess!"
The Butler, Albert, quickly summoned his magic, dangerous dark magic quickly brought forwards gigantic tentacles made of shadows, directing them towards the boy.
"[Abyssal Shadow Tentacles]! Seal his movements!"
Albert roared as his magic obeyed his commands.
"RAAAH!"
However, Coral charged forward fearlessly, a bright light emerged from his entire body, beginning to purify the shadows and darkness coming from the suspicious butler's dark magic, he still struggled to fight them all, but ultimately made his way towards the butler, punching him in the face!
"Get away from her!!!"
BAAAAM!
"Uuuaagggh…!"
The butler was thrown away like a ragdoll by the boy's furious punch, rolling over the floor and coughing blood in the process.
"W-What?! Who are you?! Albert…" Rose panicked, looking at the boy.
Deep down within her heart, she knew there was something in this boy, and his words… Was this truly a dream? Was her entire life a dream, an illusion?
"P-Princess, please run away…!" Albert muttered, slowly trying to crawl towards Coral and Rose.
"Rose, don't listen to him! He's the Deep One! He has your heart trapped in an endless dream! This world… it is not OUR world!" Coral said. "Rose, please… You have to wake up. We are all worried!"
Coral touched Rose's hands, as they began to shine. A bright, pink light reached her eyes and then her very heart, her chest began shining brightly.
"T-This light… What is going on?!" Rose felt surprised, but within her very heart, the truth slowly began reaching her. "This is a dream?! But I… Then my dream earlier, was it actually the real world?!"
"Yes! Now let's go-"
"I won't let you take the princess away…!"
However, the hand of Albert grabbed Coral's leg, as darkness started seeping through his body, infecting him with a deadly curse!
"Uuuaagggh!"
"Albert?! Stop! Leave him be!"
Rose tried to stop Albert, but his entire body began shapeshifting, growing more and more monstrous, as his limbs became tentacles, and his face resembled that of an octopus.
"PRINCESS… YOU'RE MINE! MINE!"
"Y-You're not Albert…!"
"He's the Deep One! Careful!"
Coral quickly held Rose with his arms, carrying her like a princess and leaping away just in time before a gigantic tentacle reached the two, slamming over the wooden floor and shattering it into pieces!
CLAAAASH!
"You shall not WAKE UP!" The former butler roared. "I WON'T LET YOU!!!"
Coral gritted his teeth, resisting the pain of his cursed leg, and keeping Rose behind him.
"Rose, stay behind me… Don't let his darkness touch you!" Coral said, as the light given to him by Benladra began to shine brightly once more, a veil of life and light protected him, healing the curse affecting his leg and creating a frightening aura to the monster in front of him.
"Y-YOUUUU…! GIVE BACK THE PRINCESS!" The former butler leaped forwards, unleashing a barrage of attacks using his multiple tentacles!
"I WON'T!" Roared Coral, as his fists were suddenly covered in shiny, crystal-like corals, reinforcing them, and transforming them into gigantic fists. "Rose doesn't belong to YOU, Deep One! She doesn't belong to ANYBODY!"
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLAAASH!
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