Chapter 34 - Rise of the new King

While these events were taking place in the castle, a flying carriage appeared in the sky. Of course, the person riding him was none other than Rovshen himself.

He had been in the dungeon for the last few days, investigating the attack. However, the lack of evidence was keeping him there. He only had one person who saw the invader and survived: the guard Rael did not kill.

The guard became increasingly paranoid after he awoke. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Rael's bloody fists piercing his throat. His mind was broken, and the more he thought about it, the more scared he became. And before Rovshen arrived, he had lost control of his mind and was running around the dungeon, swinging his sword aimlessly and making strange noises. He had forgotten how to speak, or so it seemed. He was too scared to speak and line up words or letters back-to-back.

For the investigation process, this was a major problem. Rovshen had to tie him up and place him in a silent room. The guard would bang his head against the walls, bite his lips aggressively, and make animal noises. He'd refuse to eat anything.

This was exhausting for Rovshen. He could always tell when someone was lying because he was a 'Truthseeker,' but how is he supposed to find out the truth when they aren't talking?

Only before giving up, Rovshen noticed a pattern in his noises. He kept saying the letter 'R' like a child who had just learned to say it. This sparked an idea for Rovshen.

He entered the room and, including himself, named every person or thing whose name began with the letter "R." This still did not yield an answer, until he mentioned his name.

When the guard heard Rael's name, he screamed in terror and ran to the corner, attempting to flee.

Rovsen, seeing his reaction, dashed out of the dungeon, riding the carriage at high speed. Because he had connected the dots. If Rael only needed Yareth, he could do a few things, but the most likely option was to attack the castle.

As soon as Rovshen arrived at the castle, he realized the attack had already begun. The guards' lifeless bodies lay on the ground, soaked in each other's blood.

He landed in the garden without thinking and went straight to his room to check on his family. He did face some invaders, but he used his air magic to push them towards the walls so he wouldn't waste time.

When he entered the room, he found no one. The room was completely empty. As his anxiety increased, so did his breathing. He left the room and rushed to the throne room, hoping to solve the problem without losing his family.

…

"Are you kidding me?" Tiberius reacted aggressively, "I said we wouldn't kill people. "Why would you—?"

"You're people, Ty," Rael replied. "That kid is people. He was not. He was a parasite, and we removed him."

“You killed his father.” Tiberius pointed at Yareth, who was slowly standing up.

“The kid wanted to do that but was not strong enough. I just lend a helping hand; that is all.” Rael said, looking around.

Suddenly a wind blew from the door, followed by Rovshen’s entrance. Seeing the scene, he was shocked and could not find a word to say. The king was dead and the man he considered a friend was standing next to his body and a terrorist.

“Where is my family?!” Rovshen clenched his fists. Small rods of lightning began to come out of them as he slowly walked toward Rael.

Understanding the hostility of Rovshen, Rael rushed toward him, with his right hand ready to strike. But even before he could see what happened, Rovshen disappeared out of sight.

“I said we are not touching him!” Tiberius raised his voice, breathing heavily. Rovshen was behind him.

“How did I come here?” Rovshen murmured, looking around in confusion.

Rael turned back and when he saw Tiberius having extended his arm over Rovshen like he was protecting him, he clapped. “I did not expect you to freeze time, boy.”

“Me neither,” Tiberius replied. “But that is not something we ne—”

“What is going on here?” Rovshen questioned, interrupting him. “Where are my wife and kids? I swear, if something has happened to them…” He could not find the words to say because he couldn’t even think of what he would do.

“You guys are too loud,” a voice came from underground.

They looked around in confusion until a part of it rose up, revealing the person. Tyler walked out, followed by Rovshen’s family. They all were blindfolded and were surrounded by flowers as protection.

Rovshen immediately rushed toward them but a sudden wall barrier rose up. “They are safe,” Tyler said. “Don’t take the blindfolds; Ivy said it is not good for kids to see these.”

This confused everyone a little. Where they came from, and why Tyler was so careful. However, it was not unplanned. Ivy had asked him to cover the kids' eyes, because seeing dead bodies and murder would not be something they would be fond of. However, the decision to go underground was entirely his own. When Yareth showed them the castle structure, he learned about its secret ways. So, when the fight inside the castle began, he chose the safest option and kept them there.

“Tiberius, what is going on here?” Rovshen asked desperately. “What does all this mean? Why are you siding with that man?”

“I am not siding with anyone. I just wanted to go back, but it seems it won’t be possible for a while.”

“Well, that is not the only thing,” Rael joined their conversation, walking toward the throne. “He wanted to go back; I wanted to end the cruelty. And dethroning the king was something we could work on together.”

“And now what?” Rovshen asked. “I don’t care about the king or others. I care about my family and if your plan puts them under danger…”

“Do not worry,” Rael replied. “Our plan is to help you and your family be safer, without having the fear of losing them. We will also end all this god nonsense and make sure no one has to suffer by their terrible deeds.”

Hearing this, the room fell silent. Others had finished fighting and were entering the room one at a time. Of course, they were tired and injured, but fortunately, no one had died.

Rael slowly approached the throne and sat down. "That bastard…this is very comfortable. No wonder he didn't want to leave this seat."

“So what? You are planning to be the new king?” Layla asked, entering the room at last.

“No,” Rael exclaimed. “I am just resting. I don’t plan to take the throne or the crown. And as a matter of fact, that is the stupidest idea. Think of it: ‘Terrorist Rael Dusk took over Virelia after killing the king.’ Does it sound good?”

He looked around for a response, but no one seemed to say anything. Disappointed, he stood up and approached the king's corpse. He knelt and took the crown from him.

“Having me as the king… not just me, anyone here, would be the most problematic thing ever. All nations would declare us villains, and there would be constant warfare. I do not want that. I want peace. And the only person who can bring us peace is you," Rael said, placing the crown on Yareth's head. "You, heir of Virelia, Emberwyn Yareth the Second, shall be the new king and rule this country."

“What? He is a kid.” Tiberius disagreed. “I don’t wish to take the throne but he is even younger than me.”

“Why does it matter? We are all here. We will help to be a good king. Also, doesn’t it sound good on paper? ‘The brave prince defeated his cruel father and will lead the country to its bright tomorrow.’ ”

“Makes sense,” agreed Rovshen. “But the main point is him. Yareth, are you accepting this?”

Yareth looked around in confusion. He had just been kicked on the ground by his father, and now they are offering him the position of king.

"Don't worry, I won't poison you," Rael laughed, attempting to lighten the mood.

Yareth stood up, patted his clothes clean, and held the crown straight on his head. "I will make sure you don't have to," he said with a smile, accepting the offer.

Then he turned to Tiberius and said, "I will do my best to help everyone, not just those around me, but also the people of this country. Except for you, Tiberius.”

“Huh?” Tiberius reacted immediately, “You still hold a grudge against me?”

"It is not that. You can live here as long as you wish, but I won't be able to send you back. Well, I can't sacrifice hundreds of lives for you.”

“It is okay. It wouldn’t hurt to live here for a while.” He smiled. Of course, Tiberius was irritated by the fact that he couldn't go back, but the method Yareth mentioned was not the only one. He could search for more crystals, and if Rael was correct, he could return to Earth. But that was something he could deal with later.

“Anyway,” Rael said, lifting Tharos’s dead body over his shoulder. “We’ve got a castle to clean and a world to fix.”

Author's Note:

This manuscript is a complete, self-contained Volume 1 (Arc 1) of a planned 3-volume series. It resolves its core conflict—the overthrow of the tyrannical King Tharos—and concludes with emotional and thematic closure for its characters. While the larger saga continues (involving cosmic truths, displaced worlds, and the legacy of the gods), this volume stands alone as a full story with a beginning, middle, and end. The ending sets up future arcs without cliffhangers, honoring the competition’s request for a 'finished' work.

I am actively writing the full series and have not published or released any portion of this work publicly. Should this submission be accepted, disqualified, or receive a final decision from the competition, I will then determine the appropriate next steps for its release. Until then, this manuscript remains exclusive to this submission