I - Modern Princess

(Hello, guys! Noel Lucis Caelum here! And welcome to Bloody Shadow! Yeaaay. This is my first time posting a novel on Wattpad and this is the revised version (as of September 2022). So, I hope you will enjoy the entire improvements I created. Happy reading~)

***

Nerissa wakes up at 7.02 in the morning. The strange thing is that the alarm beside her bed was on low battery, yet she got up right on time. Is this just a coincidence? Usually, she would sleep a bit more because she wanted to continue the previous dream she had. It was a nice dream.

She wipes off the dirt near her eyes and combs her messy black-white ombre hair with her fingers. The first thing she does in the morning is to drink a glass of water from the nightstand. Just to cleanse that morning palate. The bedroom is still dark because she hasn't opened the blinds. But, once she rose to her feet and opened it, she felt like a vampire scared of light. She feels the breezing morning air when she slides the window open.

She let out a sigh and spoke, "Yup Thats morning for me."

A loud ding sound comes out from the ceiling. That means the AI of this house sensed its master had awakened from her sleep and recognized the voice.

"Good morning, my lady." It echoes.

Nerissa then replies, "Mornin', Grandia."

For those of you who haven't known her, her name is Nerissa Dezastaria. Princess Nerissa Dezastaria. The 35th generation of the Dezastaria Kingdom, along with her older brother, the Prince. A royal family is known for its powerful magic. However, Nerissa was considered different from them. Why was that? Because she has the blood manipulation ability, it's a gift from the Gods. But, those powers have their own limits. The King gave her a ring with an extraordinary power that hopefully could hold her off in case anything went wrong. The King also made an AI-programmed robot just for her. Grandia. He made her so that she could accompany Nerissa in her loneliness and assist her. Nerissa refers to her as a close friend, and Grandia will remain loyal to her master until the end.

Nerissa and Grandia have been on the other side of Earth for a year. Why do they come here? That is because her kingdom, from a different dimension, is currently having a war with the other nation. It's been going on for decades and getting worse. A year ago, the King commanded her to stay on the other side of Earth for her safety. Hence, she slept inside this house made by Grandia on the outskirts of Rintis Island.

"Breaking news. Just now, three bank robbers escaped from the Bank for stealing a cart of gold bars. The staff threatened to give them the objects. And as we can see now from the city surveillance cameras, the bank robbers are assisted by the Jero-Jero, Adu Du, and Probe."

"Another day, another case." Grandia comments.

"Well, I guess it's no different than the ones in Kingston," Nerissa replies as she scrambles the egg on the frying pan.

Grandia questions, "Must we help the polices, my lady?"

Nerissa pours her scrambled eggs and says, "Help them? No. Let them handle it. It's their job. I don't want to start my morning by handling some criminals, not during my breakfast. Besides, who the fuck robs the bank in the damn morning? They probably have high-level patience just to wait for the Bank to open."

Later, Grandia informs regarding the news, "And it looks like things got twisted."

"Oh? That's quick." She commented.

"Breaking News. The three bank robbers are now secured by the police with the help of our superhero, Boboiboy. They will undergo some penalties by the justice court, and the stolen goods will be delivered safely back to the Bank. The police and the Bank have expressed their gratitude to Boboiboy for assisting. Next up, we will have a Weather Forecast for today."

For her breakfast-scrambled eggs and Earl Grey milk tea-she consumes them at the house's back terrace to enjoy the breeze and blue morning sky. Grandia turned off the TV because nobody was watching it anymore and focused more on her master.

"I have a question, my lady." The AI asks.

Nerissa sips her tea and speaks, "What is it?"

"Why do you think they rob the bank? From your view."

"Because it's their way of survival. Most people rob because they need to fulfill their needs but don't have any cash. Get a job, they said. But, they didn't pass any of the requirements. Whether they liked it or not, they had to steal. But, I don't like that they steal just for entertainment, fashion, anything expensive like that, instead of taking care of themselves." She comments.

"I see."

Later, a thought struck Nerissa's mind, "Speaking of robberies, I've never thought there's a "superhero" here. What was his name, again?"

The AI answers, "It was Boboiboy, my lady."

She finishes the food and retorts, "We've been here for a year, and we just found this Boboiboy now? Where on earth have we been?"

"He hasn't been active for a long time, and this is the day he finally shows up on television. Hence why, we have just found out about this individual." Grandia replies.

"Have you got anything about it?" Nerissa queries.

"Data is now acquired."

She commands, "Explain."

"Boboiboy is an individual with the unique ability to manipulate elements with the help of his Power Sphere named Ochobot. Made him titled as a superhero." Grandia informs.

She ponders, "Power Sphere? The thing Papa used to talk about. How the hell did he get that thing?"

"Originally, Ochobot was possessed by Adu Du, one of the alien Jero-Jero. But, when Ochobot was activated, it recognized Boboiboy as his master instead of Adu Du. So, as his form of loyalty, Ochobot gave him power bands. And they both became friends."

"Okay. So, what can this Boboiboy do?" Nerissa asks again.

"BoBoiBoy's main superpower is his Elemental Forms ability in the form of a powerband. With this ability, he can switch between these elemental forms. They all have unique abilities to control and use the different elements to combat enemies. Boboiboy has seven elements: lighting, wind, earth, fire, water, leaf, and light."

She accidentally chokes on her milk tea after hearing those words. She had to urge to laugh at those explanations.

"My lady, are you alright?!" The AI worried.

Nerissa chuckles and says, "Wait, haha! Let me get this straight," She clears her throat, "So, in a nutshell, he's like a freaking Avatar, master of all four elements!"

The girl still couldn't help herself but laugh at her thoughts. To think that the superhero in this town is an Avatar is kind of hilarious for her.

"Oh my god, I couldn't even imagine him being a real Avatar!" She finishes her laugh, "I'm getting even more curious about him. Should I go see him?"

"If that is what my lady wants, I will gladly follow your decision." Grandia answers.

"And how about stop calling me my lady, Grandia? It sounds tacky."

She hurried to the shower in her bedroom and had an excellent cold rinse. She will wear a black jacket with a white shirt underneath, dark jeans, and some black heeled boots. Took a short hair dry and just simply combed it. She placed some natural makeup on her fair face, not too much because she could feel it would be hot outside. Also, silver rings, just for the final touch.

"Ready to go, Grandia?"

Grandia, who was in her robot form, turns into a small earpiece so that it would be convenient for assistance without being stared at by people.

"Alright, then. Let's go see this Boboiboy guy. Hope he's like what I imagined."

***

A black sports car slowly stops its movement beside the sidewalk. She could see some kind of a small café stand named Tok Aba's Kokotiam. According to Grandia, that café is where Boboiboy usually hangs out with his friend. It's great that all the windows in her car are dark-tinted so Nerissa could have a good sight without being caught. However, her reaction is different than what she thought it to be. She is in disbelief.

"I swear to God, I just wished he was what I imagined," Nerissa speaks regretfully.

She took a quick eye clean and stared at the so-called Boboiboy. Fearing that she's in hallucination. Yet, he still looks the same. The expression on her face is too hard to explain as she leans on the seat.

"What do you think, my lady?" Grandia asks.

Nerissa lets out a huge sigh, "Boboiboy is a kid."

Her assistant simply answers, "Yes, my lady. He is a kid."

She nods and retorts, "A kid being a superhero" and then she exclaims, "A KID being a superhero! Along with his friends, too?! They're superheroes?!"

Grandia asks again without hesitation, "Is there anything wrong?"

"Anything wrong, that's your question?! They're all MINORS! Why didn't you tell me earlier, huh?!"

"Because you didnt ask me their ages.

She slumped on the seat and covered her face, hiding her embarrassment. It's so stupid of her to think Boboiboy is like someone else. The girl even had the thought of punching herself.

"What did you imagine Boboiboy to be, my lady?"

"I thought he would look like a handsome guy around my age. I even imagined him wearing some stupid and tacky costume with capes like the ones I saw on TV. But, instead, I got this. A kid. I-I just can't." She snarls and sighs, "My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined."

"Well? Would you like to meet them?"

She frowns, then clicks her tongue, "Fine I've already come in a car and dressed up like this. Let's just hope he's worth my time."

She could tell from where her heels stepped that eyes were now all over her. Stepping out of a fancy car could drive lots of attention. Not to mention, many customers are in front of the Kokotiam stand. The peal laughter from Boboiboy and his friends slowly ease into silence. Probably because something like this is rare. Everybody stares at her as she goes on her way towards Boboiboy, ignoring his friends.

"Boboiboy?" The girl asks the young boy's name.

He stutters, "Y-Yes?"

"Earth's superhero?" She questions again.

She could see him gulp his saliva and say, "Yes, I am a superhero."

"I see you've just returned from the police department. It's all over the news." She sits on the empty stool, "Tell me, Boboiboy. Do all those 'heroic' acts satisfy your pride?"

That question kinda triggers him a bit, "Why did she ask something like that? Perhaps this is what they called 'haters'?" He thought.

The fat guy suddenly cuts off, "Dey! Why did you ask that?!"

"Hold it, Gopal," Boboiboy said to his friend.

She could see that he was cautious, yet she still waited for his answer. Her eyes accidentally glance at the other customers. Their eyes are still all over her.

"Nothing to see here, gentlemen." She warns.

They finally returned to their own business after she said those words. Her ears still haven't heard words from Boboiboy.

She then questions him, "Well?"

"To be honest, I became a superhero because I wanted to help people. Im more than happy being it. But, my urge to do good things and bring justice to someone who deserved it affected my personal life. Sometimes I constantly do superhero stuff and forget about planned events, with my friends, for example. But, if you're saying my heroic acts satisfy my pride, it does, but sometimes it doesn't." Boboiboy states.

"And why is that?"

"Because my powers could accidentally hurt anyone or destroy anything around me. I often blamed myself for it. So, I've taken my best to control myself from it."

Those explanations made her smile in the end. She could tell that this boy was being honest. She may be misjudged him, but she felt this was not enough.

"And here I thought you would consider being a hero an understatement. I misjudged you." She then offers her hand, "Nerissa Dezastaria, pardon me for not introducing myself earlier."

Boboiboy awkwardly accepts her hand and shakes, "I-It's alright."

"And I assume these people right here are your friends?" Nerissa speaks, referring to his friends.

"A-Ah, yes. My friends are Gopal, Yaya, Ying, and Fang."

"Hey, Boboiboy."

Everyone noticed the robotic voice and glanced at it. A yellow-black colored power sphere just popped out from the bottom of the stand.

"Is this what Grandia called Ochobot?" Nerissa ponders.

"How could you forget about me?" Says the annoyed sphere robot.

The boy quickly apologizes to his robot, "Ehehe, sorry, Ochobot. This is Ochobot, my best friend."

The fat boy named Gopal protests, "Dey! Aren't we best friends? What am I this whole time to you, a statue?!"

"You're all my best friends."

While they're all chatting away, Nerissa stares at the robot for a while. It lookssmall, just like the ones her father used to tell her about. Yet, she is curious. How powerful is he that everyone called him a superhero? Her thoughts suddenly broke off when the shop owner gave her a cup of special hot chocolate, their signature menu.

"Here you go, young miss." The elderly man speaks, "It's on the house."

She was surprised and then uttered, "Really?! Thank you, sir."

She dips the chocolate stick into the whipped cream and eats it for the beginner. Then, she sips the hot chocolate. Surprisingly, it is excellent.

Gopal saw it and pleaded, "Tok Aba. Can I one free hot choco-"

Tok Aba quickly says half-aloud, "In your dreams."

The fat boy felt down and disappointed, "Aw.."

His female friend questions, "So, Nerissa, why did you come here?"

Nerissa places the cup on the table and queries, "Yaya, right?"

"Uhh Yes, I am."

"I have two reasons why I came here." She replies.

"And, what are those?" Speaks the girl with a cyan beanie hat, Ying.

"First, I wanted to see Boboiboy with my own two eyes. It's strange to say this. 've never heard there was a superhero here."

The boy called Fang, "Never heard? Where have you been this whole time?"

"You could say Im not from here, Fang." She adds, "Though the first time I saw this kid, my expectations were ruined." She talks about his appearance.

"Really? What did you expect?" Yaya asks,

Thinking about it made Nerissa shiver to the bone, "I... I would rather not talk about it."

"Let's talk about his attitude. What did you expect from him?" Ying queries.

Nerissa sips the remains of her hot chocolate and finishes it, "Cocky, overestimating, and narcissist."

The three were surprised by her answers and tried to hold their laughter.

"It's okay. You can laugh all you want." Says Nerissa while holding her embarrassment.

Yaya giggles, "Well, if you thought of those characteristics, you probably talking about Gopal and Fang."

The two boys overheard it, "What the frick?!"

"Surprisingly, turns out he's not so bad at all, judging from his words."

Boboiboy was surprised, "What do you mean by my words?"

"And, that leads to reason number two." Nerissa smiles, "I want to challenge you."

"W-What?" He stunned.

She repeats herself, "You heard it just right, Boboiboy. I challenge you."

Boboiboy queries, "Challenge me to what?"

"Fight me."