CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: SECRETS

King Fye did not rise when the doors opened. He remained seated upon the throne, slight frame relaxed, fingers resting against the carved armrests as though the seat had always known him. There was no stiffness to his posture, no performance of power. Only stillness.

At the age of fifteen, he was the youngest ruler in recorded history and the youngest Master Oracle Fulaina had ever been named.

Footsteps echoed across the marble floor.

The chamber reacted before he did. Guards straightened. Armour shifted softly. Lord Mathias went still at the King’s side. Even the air seemed to tighten, waiting.

Only then did Fye lift his gaze.

Princess Mika of the Spirit Kingdom. Lord Shinji Karou of the White Wolf Clan and two men shaped by battle rather than ceremony, bearing exhaustion instead of polish, their presence heavier than their titles.

Dinn stepped forward and knelt. “I have brought them as ordered, Your Majesty.”

Fye inclined his head. “You have my thanks, Dinn. Please rise. All of you — there is no need for formality here.”

He stood and descended the steps with an ease that felt almost disarming, his attention warming when it fell upon familiar faces.

“Lord Shinji. Sir Guy,” a genuine smile crossed his face. “It is good to see you both again.”

He shook Guy’s hand first, then Shinji’s.

“It’s great seeing you again, Your Majesty,” Guy said lightly. “I trust that you are in good health?”

“I have Sir Mathias to keep me on my toes — especially where meals are concerned,” Fye replied with a slight chuckle. He then turned to Shinji.

“I hope Lady Suzumi and Lady Milla are doing well,” His gaze sharpened slightly. “I trust Lady Hiira has not overworked herself either, given the circumstances.”

“All three are safe,” Shinji answered carefully. “Trust the Kingdom's faring the same?”

“We’re still standing firmly,” Fye said. “Though nothing stands untouched these days.”

That was when Kazuo leaned closer to Mika, voice pitched low but not nearly low enough.

“…Did he just list the entire inner circle?” he muttered. “Because I don’t even get to say those names out loud without Shinji glaring at me.”

Mika gave him a weary smile.

Kazuo’s eyes flicked back to Fye with open curiosity rather than suspicion.

“No offence,” he added, louder now. “But that’s… impressively specific for a kid his age. Am I right?” He elbowed Mika playfully with a smirk.

The room went very still.

Lord Mathias drew breath, ready to address the rude remarks, but Fye beat him to it.

“I remember people,” Fye said simply, turning his attention fully to Kazuo. There was no edge or reprimand to his tone. Only quiet certainty with a warm smile. “Especially those who matter to the lives entrusted to me.”

Guy stepped in smoothly. “Mika, Kazuo — please allow me to introduce His Majesty, King Fye of the Kingdom of the Rose. And the Master Oracle that I’ve mentioned to you just now, Kazuo.”

Kazuo’s brow furrowed. Then his eyes widened.

“…Wait,” He looked at Fye again, really looking this time. “So you’re telling me… That one of the most influential and powerful people in all Fulaina,” he said carefully, “is this little kid?!”

Mathias was coughing uncontrollably in the back, while Fye’s smile widened.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Kazuo let out a breathless laugh, in disbelief. “Well. That explains a lot,” He rubbed his jaw, then gave an awkward, crooked nod. “Didn’t mean any disrespect, Your— uh—”

“Fye,” the young King supplied gently. “ Please. I insist.”

Lord Mathias looked like he was ready to faint from the lack of protocol going on in the throne room at the moment.

***

The Spirit Queen stood motionless within her private chamber, her gaze fixed on the crystal sphere hovering before her. Its pale light reflected faintly against the polished stone walls, illuminating the sharp lines of her expression without softening them. Within the crystal’s depths, the image shimmered clearly: the Spirit Princess and her companions preparing to depart, movements calm, deliberate, unburdened.

Free.

Reza watched them in silence for a long moment before her lips curled into a faint, contemptuous smile.

“So,” she murmured, her voice smooth and cold, “the spoiled little Princess chooses the Kingdom of the Rose.”

Her fingers flexed slowly at her side, the faint scrape of claw against skin betraying the tension beneath her composure. The Rose. Of all places. A kingdom draped in diplomacy and idealism, ruled by a child who hid behind foresight and dreams of unity.

How quaint.

How utterly pointless.

“What could you possibly hope to gain there?” she said softly, as though Mika might hear her across worlds. “Nothing.”

With a dismissive flick of her wrist, the image collapsed. The crystal dissolved into pale mist and vanished, leaving the chamber abruptly empty of light. Silence rushed in to fill the void, thick and oppressive.

Reza turned away and moved deeper into the chamber, her steps measured, controlled. The walls around her were ancient, etched with wards and sigils that pulsed faintly beneath the surface. Once, she had commanded power that bent kingdoms. Now, these stones stood as a reminder of Ferid’s curse, unyielding and ever present, binding her to this place. A prison disguised as a throne room.

She poured herself a glass of red wine and drank it in one motion. The bitterness did nothing to calm the unrest coiling in her chest. Her gaze drifted instead to the scroll resting on the table, its presence an irritation she could not quite ignore.

Slowly, she picked it up and untied the seal.

Ever since that man had returned, unannounced and uninvited, her thoughts had refused to settle. He had delivered what she had sought for years with infuriating ease, as though the hunt that had consumed her was nothing more than a trivial errand to him. The scroll should have been her victory. Instead, it had left her restless, her certainty fractured by questions she despised having to ask.

Why did he come back now? How did he find what even she could not? And why give it to her so freely?

Her grip tightened around the parchment.

Now that you have the scroll, fulfil your promise. His voice echoed in her mind with infuriating clarity. The Princess and the Prince. No interference. No delays.

The glass shattered as it struck the floor, red wine splattering like blood against the stone.

“How dare you,” Reza hissed, fury bleeding through her carefully maintained composure. “How dare you think I would surrender years of planning, years of sacrifice, to you.”

Her power flared instinctively, the air rippling as the chamber responded to her rage. For a brief moment, the wards along the walls glowed brighter, pushing back, containing her. A reminder that even now, even here, she was not entirely free.

With a sharp gesture, she summoned the crystal once more.

“Show me the Prince.”

Light bloomed within the sphere as it began its search, swirling with magic both ancient and precise. Reza watched intently, her expression hardening with every passing second.

Nothing.

The image faltered. The light dimmed.

Seconds stretched into a minute, then longer still.

The crystal went dark.

Reza’s jaw clenched, the realisation burning deep and sharp. Makai was no longer where she could reach him. Untraceable spells. Clever. Far too clever for someone who had once been so easy to control.

“That insolent brat,” she snarled, her fingers curling slowly into her palm. Her hand trembled, not with weakness, but with restrained violence.

“Jun.” Her voice cracked through the chamber like a whip.

Advisor Jun emerged instantly from the shadows and dropped to one knee, his movements sharp with fear.

“You summoned me, Your Majesty?”

A dagger materialised in midair without warning. Jun barely had time to react before it flew, twisting aside just in time as the blade grazed past his temple and embedded itself in the wall behind him.

Jun swallowed hard, sweat streaming down his face.

“Where,” Reza asked, each word measured and lethal, “is the Prince?”

“I regret to report, Your Majesty,” Jun stammered, his voice shaking, “O-Our men have lost contact.”

Her eyes burned with restrained fury.

“Then inform Tal,” she snapped. “He will spare me one of his shadows. I want the Prince to be watched constantly!”

“Yes. Yes, Your Majesty,” Jun said quickly, scrambling to his feet before fleeing the chamber without another word.

The doors slammed shut behind him.

Reza stood alone once more, her reflection staring back at her from the polished stone. Regal. Composed. Furious.

Threads she had once held taut were slipping from her grasp. The long-lost Princess was moving beyond her reach. Even the Prince now vanished from her control, while she remained here, bound by old magic and forced to watch as the board shifted without her.

Her fingers curled slowly into her palm.

“Run while you can,” she whispered into the empty chamber. “All of you.”

Her smile returned, thin and sharp, utterly unrepentant.

“This game is not over yet.”

***

Lord Eden had never been a man inclined toward rest.

As Commanding Officer of the operation and chief strategist of the League Army, his days were typically measured in overlapping briefings, battle maps, and contingency plans stacked neatly atop one another. Delegation existed, certainly, but final decisions always fell to him. They always had.

Unfortunately, life had decided, rather rudely, that he had reached an age where bending down to retrieve a dropped scroll could be considered a hostile act.

The meeting had been proceeding smoothly enough. Two powerful Clan leaders, the White Wolf and Black Raven Clan, had joined forces and were engaged in a long-winded tactical debate. The usual tension humming beneath polite discourse.

Then, a scroll slipped from his grasp. Lord Eden bent to pick it up… And something snapped.

The pain detonated through his back with enough force to steal the breath from his lungs. The next sound that echoed through the command tent was not the voice of a seasoned leader, but a very undignified cry of agony.

Chaos followed swiftly.

By the time Lord Eden regained full awareness, he was being hauled into the First Aid tent amid frantic orders, concerned faces, and at least one healer loudly insisting that he stop trying to stand up.

Two hours later, the chain of command had been temporarily transferred to two high-ranking members of the White Wolf Clan and the Black Raven Clan, respectively.

Two days later, Lord Eden was still trapped in bed.

He sighed, staring at the canvas ceiling above him. The nurse assigned to his care, young, pleasant, and utterly terrifying, had made it very clear that further escape attempts would be met with physical restraint. Her fourth warning had included the word handcuffs and a disturbingly cheerful smile.

So here he lay, wrapped in blankets, playing the role of obedient patient while a war continued without him. At least he had been allowed to keep his mask on.

The nurse had tried, once, to remove it under the pretence of comfort. Curiosity had been poorly disguised. Lord Eden had reacted faster than expected, clamping a hand to his face and insisting firmly that the mask remained where it was.

The argument lasted fifteen minutes.

Eventually, she retreated, muttering threats about check-ins and rest.

Silence returned.

Lord Eden waited. Then, carefully, he sat up and glanced to either side.

Empty.

Good.

He reached beneath the mask and pressed a small switch. A soft click followed, and the mask loosened. As he lifted it away, strands of long silver hair slipped free, falling across his forehead as he drew in a slow, unrestrained breath.

Relief—

“Lord Edeeeen! I’ve brought company!”

The mask was quickly back in place in a heartbeat. The tent flap burst open as three figures strode in, accompanied by the nurse’s outraged shouting.

“I do not recall granting permission for visitors!” she snapped. “The Lord requires rest!”

“Oh, come on,” Rinda drawled. “He summoned us.”

“I did, actually,” Lord Eden said mildly, enjoying the way the nurse froze. “And I promise it won’t take long.”

She stared at him, hands on her hips, then pointed a finger. “Half an hour. No more.” With that, she stormed out.

Rinda rolled her eyes. “What’s her problem?”

“War has a way of fraying nerves,” Lord Eden replied evenly. “And with me out of commission, things have been… lively, to say the least.” He straightened slightly. “Enough of that. I called you here because something has happened, and it concerns you most of all, Your Highness.”

Makai inclined his head.

“An enemy messenger arrived earlier,” Eden continued. “The message was brief. The Spirits have all retreated to their realm. Luyas is ours again.”

Silence fell.

Rinda blinked. “That’s… that’s good news, right? But why do I feel like something’s missing?”

“Because it is,” Makai said quietly.

Lord Eden nodded. “Scouts have confirmed there are no Spirits remaining in the castle. The battle is over. However, no retreat like this happens without reason.”

“It’s that bastard in the forest,” Makai said, fists tightening. “He must have interfered.”

“The Orders?” Rinda asked. “The ones working under the Queen?”

“I know Reza better than anyone,” Makai replied sharply. “She would never retreat willingly. Not unless something forced her hand.” His jaw tightened. “If Mika were her only objective, she would never have needed a war. The Orders alone would have sufficed.”

Lord Eden studied him. “And Luyas?”

“That’s what troubles me,” Makai said. “The scale of it. This wasn’t just about retrieval. Luyas was always part of the target.”

Before Lord Eden could respond, the tent curtain snapped shut.

“Perhaps I can assist with that deduction.”

Henry entered with a grin, ignoring the nurse’s muffled protests outside. “Hi there. Heard you were unwell, Milord.”

“Henry? What brings you all the way up here?”

“We found something,” he continued. “While investigating the dungeon where Jake and I were held. The walls were layered. Tapes, sealants, concealment spells. Someone didn’t want what was underneath to be found.”

“And what was it?” Lord Eden asked.

Henry’s smile thinned. “You’ll want to see it for yourself. Baron needed you onsite. Think you can manage for an hour or so?”

***

They arrived at the secured dungeon via fast teleportation, activated by Baron. The chamber was brightly lit now, guarded and orderly, two familiar scientists moving briskly between instruments.

“Prince. Lord Eden.”

Henry removed his mask and set aside his device. “You’re meant to be resting, Milord.”

“I’ve been ordered back in an hour,” Lord Eden replied. “Show me.”

Baron gestured toward the structure behind them.

“Not one of ours,” he said. “Unused. Untouched. No dust. No degradation.”

“May I?” Leo asked.

Baron nodded. “Please.”

Leo stepped closer, studying the portal’s frame.

“Notice anything strange about the portal, Sir Leo?”

“There are no primary marks,” he said slowly. “No establishment signature.”

“Exactly,” Baron said. “Every sanctioned invention carries one. This portal does too, though it is faded and nearly erased. It bears the Kingdom of Aquarius’s signature.”

The room went still.

“Before the Great War,” Baron continued, adjusting his glasses, “The Kingdom of Aquarius maintained extensive trade with the Spirit Kingdom. Their markings were distinctive. Three zigzag lines, to be precise. Correct me if I’m wrong, Sir Leo?”

Leo nodded. “Right.”

Lord Eden folded his arms. “Then it settles. I will inform the Master Oracle immediately about this news.” He turned to Makai. “Meanwhile, Your Highness, I require another infiltration.”

Makai did not hesitate.

“The Kingdom of Aquarius has gone silent,” Lord Eden continued. “No supplies. No communication. A full-scale barrier sealing its borders, even before the war ended. Its neighbouring kingdom, the Kingdom of the Rose under the Master Oracle’s reign, cannot investigate without provoking King Lewis XII further. Hence, we need moles to enter Aquarius undetected.”

Rinda nodded. “We’ll investigate and report back.”

“I shall notify the Master Oracle of your arrival,” Eden said. “He will prepare a means to ease your passage. As for myself, once Luyas Castle is declared safe, I will require Baron’s presence for the interrogation of Lord Ranfel. Baron, you may ask questions afterwards if you wish.”

“I have plenty,” Baron said grimly, fists tightening.

***

After a well-served breakfast prepared by the Kingdom’s attentive chefs, Mika and her companions were escorted to the Audience Chamber to formally thank the Master Oracle for his hospitality. During the meal, Fye had already shared the latest news from Lord Eden: the Spirits had withdrawn, and Luyas was once again free.

The announcement had been met with raw relief. Guy had embraced Mika without hesitation, laughter breaking through tears he had not realised he was holding back. Shinji had offered him a steady hand at the shoulder, while Kazuo’s rough congratulations came in the form of a grinning knuckle rap to the head. Even Fye himself had seemed quietly moved by the news.

Yet the joy had not gone untempered. Lord Eden’s message had carried caution alongside victory. The retreat was abrupt and still a mystery.

For now, Lord Eden had urged vigilance and promised to handle the situation in Luyas personally, while keeping them informed as events unfolded.

“It has been my pleasure to welcome all of you into my Kingdom,” he said warmly. He turned his attention to Mika. “Your Highness, in preparation for your journey, I have prepared something that may prove useful.”

At his gesture, a guard stepped forward, carrying a medium-sized treasure chest. He set it carefully upon the table before stepping back. From within his robes, Fye produced a small amulet, its surface etched with delicate runes. With a soft click, the lock gave way.

Kazuo and Guy leaned closer, curiosity plain on their faces.

Inside the chest lay a pair of twin blades.

They were exquisite. Crimson hues rippled along their edges like living embers, the metal shaped with elegant precision. Deadly in design, yet balanced and refined, as though forged for someone who moved with both grace and resolve.

Mika stared, momentarily speechless.

“They are yours for the taking,” Fye said simply.

“What?” Mika blinked. “Really?”

“These are one of the Legendary Weapons of Miena,” he explained. “They’re formally known as ‘Lucas, the Blades of Balance’. According to the legend, Miena was a priestess of the old Kingdom of Khulai. During one of her journeys, she discovered several weapons abandoned beyond the kingdom’s borders. Weapons that she alone wielded to combat evils that once threatened the world.”

“Then… Why give them to me?” Mika asked softly.

Fye smiled. “These blades have been safeguarded by my family for generations, sealed away within the chamber. Yet, on the night before your arrival to this kingdom, they began to glow once more. Their light returned after centuries. The legends also said that the blades were forged from the feathers of the Great Vulcan, King of All Birds.”

Mika lifted the blades carefully, their weight perfectly balanced in her hands. She looked up at Fye and smiled.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I promise to use them wisely.”

Shinji frowned thoughtfully, one hand resting at his chin.

“The Kingdom of Khulai,” he murmured.

Guy glanced at him. “What about it?”

“It’s not a myth or legend,” Shinji said. “The Kingdom of Khulai existed long ago. Its lands are now known as the Kingdom of Aquarius. South of here. Our final stop.”

He unrolled the map which he kept close and spread it on the table. Ignoring the glaring that Advisor Marthias was giving him due to breaking one of the many protocols since their arrival.

“Aquarius, huh?” Kazuo muttered. “I’ve got a contact there. Security’s tight. Almost prison-level.”

Fye remained silent for a moment before speaking. “If you intend to enter the Kingdom of Aquarius, I would strongly advise against doing so openly.”

Shinji raised a brow. “That’s not something I expected to hear from you.”

Fye met Mathias’s gaze calmly until the advisor relented with a sigh in defeat.

“A crisis has been unfolding there,” Fye explained. “The Kingdom of Aquarius was one of our primary suppliers prior to the war. However, all communication ceased during the war, not only with us, but with the outside world.”

“What?” Kazuo asked.

Fye gestured for a guard nearby. “Show them.”

The guard pulled a level. A large screen with Baron’s signature on the side appeared from the ceiling. It flared to life, revealing the southern lands.

A vast, violet-hued barrier encased the Kingdom of Aquarius entirely.

“We have attempted to try and get through King Lewis XII by all known means,” Fye continued. “But it seems impossible. The barrier itself is impenetrable, even to our strongest mages.”

“So there’s no way in?” Kazuo asked.

Fye smiled faintly. “There is one.”

The room leaned in.

“Long ago, our two kingdoms forged a pact. A concealed passage was constructed, intended solely for royal evacuation in times of emergency. It links to both lands directly and vice versa.”

Guy hesitated. “Are you certain this won’t provoke conflict?”

Fye laughed lightly. “On the contrary, it is the only viable option. We need to know what’s going on within the kingdom. Also, it’s exciting to see as you will be the first to ever use the passage.”

The group exchanged looks.

Finally, Shinji nodded. “Alright. We’ll start preparing.”

“Good,” Fye said. “I’ll have the guards to prepare your supplies for your journey. Let us meet back here in one hour.”