Twilight

My window!

She shouted internally as she reached the training field outside her room. Not a soldier could be seen throughout the yard bathing in the dawn.

It’s fine if I hit the higher wall too, I’ll just hug the stone and climb down as a puddle.

The second the chakram hit the castle, as she transformed into a liquid state, a thought reverberated through her spine.

Or more so, a realization:

I forgot to listen to what Agmon had to say!

It took her under five seconds to open her window from outside and slide in, before she opened a gate.

“I’m so sorry!”

She bowed near the crimson portal, her feet remained in her room while her head peaked through it.

The wolf eared boy must’ve been running, as he slipped through mud watered by the morning dew and stopped his face from getting covering in the last moment by pushing himself from the ground.

“Agmon, I am ashamed to be asking this of you: Please prepare a written version of the question and inquiry you so desired to share with me, and in exactly an hour from now I’ll open a portal to take it!”

“Wait a second! You did nothing wrong!” He walked closer to the portal, his tone high yet less dramatic than one would expect of someone who almost fell face-first into mud.

“I forgot about it myself…”

He grabbed onto his left arm while he spoke, as if his fingers were fidgety.

“You know…”

His now-unhurried words allowed Zayobi to stand straight again before he continued.

“...I was so interested in your Creation that I forgot of my own subject to share with you.” The portal lavished the dim forest with the color of the girl’s eyes, the ones fixedly staring into his.

“I get it, there’s no shame in pointing your attention at me, but I do have the responsibility to hear what you wanted to ask.”

With only the head of the dark-red-haired girl facing him, Agmon began: “Did your army attack our capital yesterday?”

Blinking in silence was an understatement for how Zayobi reacted.

“I don’t remember anyone speaking of such plans…”

“There were no casualties, however numerous buildings were attacked in less than an hour, many destroyed. What’s more, none of the invaders were captured.”

For the first time she could remember, Zayobi’s lungs chilled akin to a lack of oxygen.

“I promise you I wasn’t told of such a thing…” She retained just enough warmth to not stutter. “...And you still risked meeting me?”

“That’s a different matter, I doubt you have control over those decisions.”

“I would’ve been told had such a plan were to be in motion, I also was taught since a very young age of enacting plans without telling others in your same rank to not gamble with hidden traitors.”

At those words she threw her chakram back and stepped inside the portal.

“I mentioned about an invasion myself yesterday, that was a drill. Also, I should’ve updated you on that earlier. But…”

Her mind traced back to the moment she saw the face under the hood during the festival.

There’s no way mom and dad planned a drill only they were aware of to completely fool the whole kingdom just to put them on high alert in case a war begins…

“Apologies for misdirecting, I need to ask something to proceed.”

He nodded in approval.

“Is there a squad or faction in your army known for assassinations? It’s a silly question, but do they use daggers imbued with blue Spiritual Energy?”

No matter the race, everyone can utilize the blue Spiritual Color, that was how Kamiko was able to fool me. So that’s one logical case for the invaders being a drill…

“Well yes, although that’s too common to help specify. What are you thinking?”

The second to last one had a lance, yet that’s nothing to go off of. All I know for sure about them… Wait…

“It will sound suspicious coming from me after all I showed you of my Creation, regardless, I need to confirm: Does your kingdom have a developed technology or Spiritual Art for teleportation as a means of returning to a place you were in the past?”

Agmon’s eyes widened with a deep inhale that same instant.

“Those are projects I myself scarcely was told of.”

Zayobi pushed on: “During my birthday celebrations, five cloaked assassins all in blue tried to kill me. While all were kept alive, not even the bodies of those who lost conciseness remained.”

“I…” He stepped forward. “I swear on my kingdom I know nothing of that.”

While his mind surely seared piecing those events together, Zayobi asked: “Are the colors of the invaders’ skin or the Spiritual Colors they used known at all?”

“I’ve yet to hear of any details beyond their actions, I have no clue.”

Zayobi turned to the ground at his words.

She faced him again after a few seconds, as if she had exchanged a conversation with the earth itself.

Her first utterance was not words, but a chuckle.

A single, short, laugh.

Then she spoke.

“I never imagined such an absurd scenario happens outside of fiction…”

She leaned closer to hold onto his shoulders. “Agmon, I am saying this as a clean hypothesis pure of emotion. Please hear me out.”

For the first time, the crimson ocean in her eyes cemented to confine him.

“I will respect every word and theory, Zayobi.”

Whether water or lava, he would soak in her eyes with no hesitation.

“A group of soldiers from your nation might be operating without orders, and they might be doing that to advance a total war.” She continued after a breath. “My theory being correct gives us nothing to discern the motive for such a result, just remember.”

No reverberation climbed Agmon’s spine as his shoulders rested in Zayobi’s hands.

“I never feared my own wisdom until now. I wish to be wrong, you know?”

He put his palm to aggressively wipe his forehead, as if looking for sweat and not finding any.

At that she released her arms.

“No, it’s fine.” He put his own on hers.

“I will see if my parents know anything. And even if it’s not by their orders, they could surely send someone to figure out if any of the gear for teleportation was taken out.”

“Very smart. I sadly lack the means to do the same.”

Her lips formed a smile as she put her hands on his. “Now I get why you were so poetic about the inquiry. I don’t want to feel your warmth and sink into sorrow of when I’ll see you again.”

She removed them and clasped his palms together between her own.

“I know how selfish I am, but if something will endanger my life, I will instantly go inside the realm and pull you in as well. Alright, Agmon?”

“Alright.” He nodded with a smile.

“See you, then.” She spoke softer than ever.

“Yeah, hopefully soon.”

She stepped back into the portal as the last word left his mouth.

The princess slumped onto her bed.

Her eyes meet the red calling, vision focused on a single spot reminiscent of a kid gazing at where a shooting star had faded.

I never would’ve celebrated my birthday had I known my adolescence would end so fast.