Journey In A Fantasy World
The real criminal

The night finally came. We were asked to come to the Great Hall. Queen Hudie was already sitting around waiting. In front of him was a large silver box, emitting a soft light, looking beautiful.

Behind us are the Door Guards, they have already perfected the Heirloom Key Opener formation, preparing to wait for Queen Hudie to give instructions to activate that formation to open the box.

All around us, we gathered our hostel friends. We haven't had time to talk to Sue, Tomu and the others.

When we were called to gather at the Great Hall immediately, my friends were already there, their faces flat, eyes staring blankly, their skin pale. They didn't even look at us at all.

Rui whispered to me to approach the friends, but Neo shook his head and asked us to stand where we had been prepared.

"Why are our friends like that, Neo?" Rui whispered in Neo's ear.

Neo shrugged, "I don't know, Rui. Maybe they're tired from the long journey."

We did not chat anymore, paying attention to the current situation. Queen Hudie raised her hand. He didn't speak a word. But the Doorkeepers knew immediately what their queen ordered.

They were floating in the center of the Hall, forming a large circle. The queen placed the soft luminous box in the middle of the formation to be formed.

Win stared at Neo sharply, the young man was startled, immediately throwing the heirloom key into the middle of the formation. Win caught.

The formation began to take shape, surrounding the treasure box and these five gatekeepers. We were made to exclaim in amazement at the beauty of the formation.

"Neo, how much longer do you think we'll be home?" Rui whispered again.

"No idea, Rui. Why are you so chatty? Better shut up and don't ask too many questions." Neo grumbled in annoyance.

Rui snorted, she shifted and moved position to be next to me. I chuckled, they did not stop fighting even though they were going back home.

But I felt, the process of opening this portal was too smooth, nothing happened until an hour later. There is no evil person barging into the academy and intending to steal this crystal from us.

It's not that I'm not grateful that our return process is going well, but it just feels awkward. This crystal is a precious treasure that has been hidden for thousands of years.

News if this heirloom will soon be issued has certainly spread throughout the world. Does it make sense that no one is tempted to have it?

"The criminals were finished off outside the academy's gates, Jian. The queen sent out hundreds of thousands of the strongest soldiers of Pubu City to protect the academy tightly. That's why our formation runs this surf." Neo explained, he knows what I'm thinking, so answered without needing to be asked.

I nodded in understanding, it was not included in our plan. Zhu and Zhi did indeed order fifty thousand troops of the Cursed Village to escort our departure, and spread that army to all important points outside of the academy.

But it seems like Queen Hudie is also giving more protective measures than Zhu and Zhi did.

I held my breath. The box let out a brighter light after an hour of formation was activated. The Doorkeeper raised his hand forward, taking out a plate called the Protective Plate.

Zhu once told us that the plates were given to five doormen scattered throughout the Forest of Curious Spirits. He had a Protective Plate named Su, Zhi named Hu, belonged to Win named Yi, belonged to Yets named Wu and belonged to Bim named Qi.

Those Protective Plates were the key to the formation they were currently forming. The formation is done to insert the key into the hole under the box. And take out the Heirloom Crystal from inside.

If one plate was missing, or one Door Guard person did not join the formation, then there would be no possibility of succeeding.

I stared at Queen Hudie's face which looked very enthusiastic. It only took thirty seconds until the box was perfectly open.

Neo took out his magic wand, his facial expression serious. I also took out my magic wand, also took out Piu Piu. Rui followed me, taking out her magic wand and magical beast.

We are getting ready here, to protect the Door Guards who will create a barrier around the Heirloom Crystal in case anyone intends to steal it in the middle of the formation that is being formed.

Three.

Two.

One.

Prangs!!

The formation broke right after the box opened. Zhu brandished his hand towards the outgoing crystal, preventing it from appearing there.

We all cried out in pleasure. The crystal finally came out, Win moved about to take the crystal from his box.

A Pubu City Warrior barged in, "The enemy is finished off, Your Majesty!"

Simultaneously with Queen Hudie who suddenly threw her staff exactly into the middle of the shattered formation.

The Door Guards were thrown in all directions, Neo immediately jumped to protect anyone who might be affected by the attack.

Win bounces upward, depriving the crystal of near-misses to Queen Hudie.

But here alone, someone is waiting with his hands on, only needing to expend a little energy to destroy everything and snatch the wand.

The Door Guards stood up again, putting their bodies in front of Win who was refining the formas alone.

"Queen, what do you mean?" Zhu asked with roaring breath, "You finished off my fifty thousand innocent troops? Why?"

We do not believe that the Queen intended to steal the crystal from us.

"Stop the Doorkeepers!" The queen shouted loudly, she raised both her hands, thousands of butterflies flying towards us.

Also our friends, they took out their magic wand. Run towards us. The Doorkeepers are already engaged in a fight to defeat our friends and the thousands of black butterflies.

"Neo, how should we?" Rui asked worriedly, she stared at the chaos in front of her.

"Otherwise? We have to fight!" Neo jumped gallantly, his magic wand floating in the air, Neo spread out his hands, the wand broke into hundreds of pieces. Fly in all directions, dropping hundreds of black butterflies.

I stared at him unblinkingly, Neo's strength increased so rapidly.

"Jian, who are we on? Why did Queen Hudie attack the formation that the Door Guards were activating?" Rui held my arm tightly.

I looked at her firmly, "Queen Hudie who attacked first, Rui. He also killed our entire army. Even though he was our master, he was intent on blocking our way home. You must know which side we're supposed to be on."

I jumped first, pointing my wand at anyone who intended to harm the Door Guards. To refer it to anyone under the control of Queen Hudie the traitor.

HYAK!!

BOOM!

Sue bounced into the air, Yets attacked her with high-level magic, protecting me who was protecting Win.

I looked at Sue with a pushy look, "Sue ...."

"Your friends in the academy seem to have been poisoned, Jian. They were used as puppets to protect Hudie's life. It seems like Hudie has been carrying out this conspiracy from a long time. Don't be merciful to anyone who dares to hurt you, even if it's not their will, they can still kill you at any time." The Yets told me that, I nodded firmly.

Rui had also started attacking since then. His dog spouted fire, Rui threw the fire in all directions. As someone pointed the cane in front of him, his dog also acted to protect his master.

I wiped away the tears, looked at the friends I knew who were now brutally attacking anyone, not like a human being anymore.

"Neo, I have a way." I approached Neo who was standing not far from me.

"What way?" Neo flicked his wand to the floor, sending the floor smashed into pieces, the pieces flying, all fours in all directions.

"Our friends are poisoned, they're like uncontrollable dolls. We need to sneak into Queen Hudie's room and find an antidote. The most important thing now was to resuscitate these hundreds of magic students. So that they will also side with us!"

Neo nodded, "That makes sense, Jian. But the room was behind Queen Hudie herself. We have to distract him before he barges in there. You got a way?"

I'm looking ahead. Behind Queen Hudie standing was the large door of the room. Want to enter it, of course, do not let Queen Hudie know.

"I have a way!" Neo looks at me enthusiastically.

"What?"

"We'll just attack him!" Neo said steady.

I glared, "Can't, it's too risky. She's a queen, five thousand years old. We almost died many times when we defeated Rux, let alone him whom we do not know his strength yet. That's hazardous. You've also just healed!" I nagged him, "We better distract him."

Neo nodded, "Then you take Rui with you, she has the powder disappear, I will make an illusion magic to distract her. You can barge in while he's not aware of it."

I darted straight towards Rui, then whispered my plan with Neo. He nodded, taking out a small pouch containing Disappearing Powder.

Brak!

We looked back, Win fell out of place, the crystal was thrown far away, Queen Hudie flew over to catch him.

Neo shouted loudly, his magic wand thrown straight ahead, blocking Queen Hudie who was trying to snatch the Heirloom Crystal.

Queen Hudie only needed to shake her hand to the side, the stick bounced off. Neo coughed until he bled.

Rui and I rushed to save her, the crystal actually fell into the hands of Queen Hudie.

The Great Hall was suddenly silent. Bloodstains were seen everywhere, dozens of people were killed. Zhu was still standing upright, his body trembling full of wounds, in front of him, Zhi was lying motionless.