The Thousand Year Dynasty
18.5. Anna Side Story Part 2's

"Now it's been two weeks. The residents have started to limp and some have started to fall ill. The black shell is not food that is suitable for daily consumption" said Nikolai who was arguing Anna at noon in the cabin of the shipwreck owned by Anna.

"Wait a minute. Surely soon the weather will return to normal, and we can sail for more fish" Anna replied trying to convince Nikolai.

"Are you willing to sacrifice them all for your ego?"

Nikolai's question this time hurt Anna's feelings.

"You think I'm not burdened by Nik? I thought of them too, but I didn't want them to fall into the deceit of those rotten Narva people. Those trashy nobles" said Anna, who tried to defend herself.

"You're being too careful, An. You always look at all Narva's bad. Forget about your revenge. Your hatred for Narva" Nikolai who had stood up earlier now sat back down.

"You know what happens when you're not careful? They'll be Nik's slaves, they'll lose their right to be free. It's worse than death, you know?!" There was a sound of Anna still not accepting Nikolai's words.

Nikolai was still staring at Anna despite not saying anything.

"And again, grateful that with this hatred and vengeance of mine, I was able to survive until this very moment. Through this hell" Anna added.

"I know that, but.." said Nikolai clipped by a woman who suddenly opened the door of the room without excuse.

"Captain!" The woman looked a little panicked.

"Yes why?" Ask Anna then.

"Gale's missing!" Answer the woman later.

"Well, where is he now?" Anna was visibly irritated to hear the report from the wanjta earlier.

"So I saw her heading towards the crack in the eastern cliff" the woman added.

"Don't the boy head over the cliff" this time Nikolai guessed.

"Come, let's find it!" Take Anna while taking her hat hanging on the wall behind her.

Then Anna and Nikolai went to the cliff to the dead land.

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"What's that?" Anna was surprised by the strange thing she saw first, when she was already in the dead land.

Looks like a pair of iron installed on the ground, shiny black sunburn. Extending eastward to the invisible end. Beside the iron, also extends a river whose water flows from the east to the ravine in the south.

"So then, I've also just seen it now" Nikolai was no less curious and confused, than Anna.

"Since when did inanimate land have such a thing? There's even a river with running water?" Anna felt that she was in another world. Not dead land.

"I think what the Narva girl said yesterday is true. I think there is now a city on this land" Nikolai said later.

"More than that, we need to find Gale immediately. Where did the boy go?" Anna reminded them of their main purpose in that place.

"I think he must have followed the course of the river" Nikolai conjectured.

"Well then, let's follow through" Anna immediately walked ahead of Nikolai walking down the river.

-

Shortly walking down the river, Anna and Nikolai found a wooden fence that stretched long enough. At the east side was a wooden house and a tree.

"Did I not look wrong, Nik? Is that a house and a tree?" Anna asked him to make sure he was not looking at the mirage.

"I also saw him, An" Nikolai replied with a few rubs of his eyes.

And once Anna and Nikolai were close enough, the boy named Gale was seen sitting in the courtyard of the house. Eating something cheerfully.

"That boy, indeed." saw the boy who had been worried about him seeming to be having fun, making Anna annoyed. "Gale!" Anna shouted as she walked quickly towards the boy.

And as Anna and Nikolai entered the courtyard of the house suddenly appeared a wolf as big as a horse in front of them. Walk calmly towards Anna.

"Se-Silver Wolf?" Anna was surprised to see the wolf that should be in the wilderness of the forest and the highland valley, was in front of her.

"Truely his name is Popo, he is my wolf" said a man who emerged from the side of the yard with a pack in his hand. A young Morra with clothes that looked out of alignment.

"W-who are you? Let go of the boy!" Anna began to put up the horses ready to pull out her sword. Although he was not sure he could win against the Silver Wolf.

"Are you the family of this child?" The young man asked as he walked closer to Gale.

"He's my aunt, uncle. He's a captain of the ship" said Gale, who answered the young Morra's question, in a proud tone.

"Oh, you're her aunt? Sorry, I have been disrespectful. Popo, let them pass" said the young Morra as he took the more seats he placed in front of his courtyard.

Meanwhile the Silver Wolf had walked back, then sat curled up next to Gale's chair.

"What's going on here?" Anna asked still not understanding.

Anna and Nikolai looked more confused. Then he sat down on the chair that the young man Morra had prepared.

"Are you all from the fishing village behind the western cliff?" He asked the young man, presenting two glasses of water to Anna and Nikolai.

"really. We are from there. Is there a problem?" Ask Anna ketus. While Nikolai glanced at him cynically, while receiving the glass of water.

"No, no problem. I was just guessing" said the young man later.

"Is there now a city in this dead land, sir..." Nikolai searched his words, because he did not know the name of the young Morra.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Selene" looks like she just realized that they haven't been acquainted, the young man immediately introduced her name.

"I'm Nikolai, and she's Anna. So is it true that on this land now stands a city, Mr Selene?" This time Nikolai repeated his question in a more appropriate word.

"Yes, Mr. Nikolai. This land has now broken away from the kingdom of Elbrasta. And it will make a city of its own" Selene explained, surprising Anna and Nikolai.

"Oh, so it turns out to be true. Then the river, how can there be a river in this dead land. Did you find the source of the spring?" Nikolai again asked his curiosity while looking around.

"Not Mr. Nikolai, our leader pulled the river from behind the northern cliff wall and then made it into a waterfall that fell into the land of Pharos" replied Selene who was like telling a child.

"What is it?!" Anna is visibly offended at being played by Selene.

"If you don't believe it, you can check it out for yourself. Not far from here to the east, you will see a waterwheel on a cliff. It was the waterfall. Big enough so it must be visible from a distance" said the Morra man casually.

"Correct? Is your leader a magician?" This time Nikolai who spoke because he did not believe what was told by Selene. Selene just laughed a little.

"Then the fence behind it was for what Mr. Selene, extending to almost the west cliff" Nikolai asked again.

"Oh, that? There's an Antelope Cinder nest. So for safety, we gave her a barrier" Selene replied as she looked at the fence next to her courtyard.

"Antelope Cinders? Her nest is behind it?" Anna was again surprised by Morra's young man's reply.

"Don't worry they're tame, actually we put up the fence for their safety"

"You attach great importance to the safety of mystic beasts?" Anna felt that nothing made sense in this place.

"The animal or human being is both the living being of Miss Anna" Selene replied hearing Anna's words.

"Well then, we'll excuse you. Let's go Gale home!" Anna finished the conversation while standing up from her chair.

"Oh, and this is for the others. Not much but I hope enough" the young Morra gave Anna two bags of cloth.

"What's this?" Anna asked without touching the package in Selene's hand.

"That's whole wheat bread"

"Why did you give this to us?"

"Just a gift to the neighbor. Aren't we neighbors now?" Selene answered with a smile.

Anna just kept quiet, then threw away her face, "Come, let's go home, excuse me, Mr. Selene" she said as she walked away.

"Thank you for this gift. We excuse Mr. Selene" and Nikolai immediately received the two packages and walked away after Anna and Gale who had walked first.

"Together, don't hesitate if you need help" Selene replied as she waved her hand. The one that Gale responded to, also with a wave of hands.

"See you again uncle!"

-

"What is it, An? Your behavior was really embarrassing" Nikolai complained as they returned to the captain's cabin on board.

"Why is my behavior?" Anna put on a face pretending not to know.

"I know you want to maintain your obnoxious nature, but to act disrespectful and disrespectful to such a person, you've really gone too far. Do you refuse people's gifts because you maintain your own ego? It was the most inexcusable thing" Nikolai grumpily did not accept.

"If you don't like my behavior, go where they are. Begging them for food" replied Anna.

Nikolai stared at Anna. "You know what, An? I'm going there. And I'll take people with me" he said later.

"Don't you dare to do that" Anna seemed to be starting to get emotional.

"I'm willing to drop my pride so they can eat and live on"

"You think I don't think about them?"

"Together with you they are no different from a slave. Not having free will" Nikolai said as he walked away to the exit. "Oh, no" Nikolai stopped at the doorway, then turned to look at Anna, "They are more unlucky than the slaves. Because you took them in death for the sake of your self-esteem obsession" he said then as he left while slamming the door.

Anna grabs a copper candle holder on the table and throws it at the now closed door.

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