The King Arrives

The room Nino was led into looked nothing like an ordinary courtroom.

It was vast and circular, carved directly into the mountain itself, its gray stone walls broken up by thick pillars supporting a vaulted ceiling. Solvar's banners hung between them, each bearing a golden mountain against dark fabric. At the center, a long stone table occupied most of the chamber, surrounded by men and women dressed in formal attire, military uniforms, and heavy robes suited to the mountain cold.

There was no audience. Only ministers, officers, and a handful of scribes stationed along the walls. The conversations died down as soon as Nino entered.

The Hero of Solvar stepped through the doors first and made his way toward an empty chair at one end of the table. Nino was led to the center of the chamber, where a circular space had been left open. The three soldiers escorting him took position several steps behind, spears in hand while the Noctrium chains remained fastened around his wrists and ankles.

For several seconds, no one spoke. Nino used the silence to study the people who would decide his fate.

Most of them were older. Some already had hair overtaken by white, while others wore military medals and insignias across their chests. A narrow-faced woman with gray hair tied into a bun occupied the seat closest to the center; before her rested a stack of documents, several bearing Solvar's seal.

She was the one who broke the silence.

"Zero, Hero of Mezi. Do you understand why you have been brought before this council?"

"..."

One of the ministers let out an irritated breath.

"Part of our walls is lying in ruins."

"..."

The man slammed his hand against the table.

"Do not treat us with such contempt. Have the decency to answer us. To think the greatest Hero among the Four Nations is nothing more than a worm."

"Perhaps we could avoid turning this into a pointless argument before we've even begun," the Hero of Solvar interrupted.

The minister shot him a hard look but leaned back in his chair. The woman at the center opened one of the documents.

"Four days ago, a Colossus emerged from somewhere it should not have been possible for one to appear and crossed the valley toward our borders. You were standing on top of it. Mezi gave us no prior warning, submitted no request to cross our territory, and made no declaration of a joint military operation. Hours later, part of Solvar's fortifications lay in ruins."

Nino narrowed his eyes. No one had mentioned the Shadows, despite their presence on the Colossus. Either Solvar still didn't know they had been involved, or someone was deliberately keeping that information out of the discussion.

"And Arvendel remained standing," another voice said.

A younger man seated on the opposite side of the table leaned forward.

"If he hadn't altered that creature's fall, we wouldn't be discussing walls. We'd be counting bodies."

"Arvendel is a neutral village. Despite its proximity, it is not exactly Solvar territory. And that does not change the fact that a foreign Hero entered our lands without authorization," the first minister replied.

Nino remained silent as the Hero of Solvar rested his arms on the table.

"I was there. The Colossus was already falling when he redirected it. The choice wasn't between keeping our walls intact or destroying them. It was between losing part of our fortifications or watching Arvendel disappear beneath a mountain."

"And how exactly did that mountain reach us in the first place?"

The question came from an officer wearing a dark blue uniform crossed by three golden bands over his chest.

"That is the question we should be asking," the Hero replied. "Not declaring the only man who managed to prevent a greater tragedy guilty before we even know why the Colossus awakened."

Several voices began talking over one another. One minister demanded an explanation from Mezi, another spoke of a border violation, while someone else brought up the cost of reconstruction. The Hero of Solvar tried to intervene twice before finally striking his palm against the table.

The sound was enough to silence the chamber.

"If we turn this into an act of war before we understand what happened, we may manage to create a second catastrophe before we've even rebuilt from the first."

Before anyone could respond, the doors opened and a guard hurried inside.

"The delegation from Mezi has arrived."

The silence that followed was different. The woman at the center closed the document.

"Much earlier than expected. Let them in."

Nino heard the footsteps before he saw them.

Five representatives of Mezi entered under the escort of Solvar's guards. The first two wore the long black cloaks reserved for envoys of the Crown, violet details tracing the edges of their sleeves. Behind them came a military officer and, several steps farther back, a figure Nino recognized immediately: One.

The left side of his face still carried the marks of their battle atop the Colossus. A cut crossed his forehead near the hairline, and pale bandages disappeared beneath his uniform around the shoulder. His right arm was secured against his chest in a sling, yet he walked upright, as though allowing anyone to notice his pain would be a greater humiliation than the injuries themselves.

For a moment, the two stared at each other. Neither needed to say a word. The delegation took its place before the table, but Solvar's ministers continued staring toward the open doors.

Someone else was outside. The guards straightened almost simultaneously. The Hero of Solvar rose from his chair. Then the King of Mezi entered the chamber. Even Nino needed a moment to comprehend what he was seeing.

The King wore no crown. A long, impeccably tailored black coat rested over equally dark clothing, with subtle violet details along the cuffs and collar. Around his neck, the mysterious gemstone still hung from its chain. Silver strands had begun to run through his hair, swept neatly back, yet there was nothing in his posture that suggested age. He walked without haste, hands free and shoulders relaxed, as though entering a chamber prepared to receive him rather than the council of another nation in the middle of a potential diplomatic crisis.

The ministers rose.

"Your Majesty," the woman at the center said, unable to hide her surprise. "We were not informed that you would be coming in person."

"Because until yesterday, I had no intention of doing so." The King's voice was calm. He passed Nino without offering him a single word. "Then I was informed of the extent of the damage Solvar suffered. A letter seemed... insufficient."

The courtesy was there in his voice, but Nino knew the man far too well to mistake it for sincerity. The King took the seat prepared for Mezi's chief representative, while One remained standing behind him.

"Your Excellencies, allow me to begin by making one thing absolutely clear," the King said. "What happened here was not an action authorized by the Crown of Mezi. Zero received no orders to enter Solvar territory, interfere in its affairs, or conduct any mission involving a Colossus."

"Convenient," one of the ministers muttered.

The King turned toward him.

"Necessary. Had Mezi sent its Hero across your borders without authorization, I would fully understand Solvar interpreting it as an act of aggression. That is not what happened."

One stepped half a pace forward.

"Zero acted independently."

The name traveled through the chamber in murmurs. Nino remained still.

"His actions will be judged in Mezi," One continued. "We are here to receive him and escort him back."

"No."

The answer came immediately from the woman at the center. One turned toward her.

"Pardon?"

"He will not simply be removed from Solvar after destroying part of our fortifications."

"You just admitted that he saved thousands of lives," the Hero of Solvar said.

"And that will be taken into consideration. Along with everything else."

The King raised a hand before One could respond.

"A reasonable position."

Everyone turned toward him, curious about where he stood. The King continued.

"Mezi will assume financial responsibility for part of the reconstruction. We can provide labor and Noctrium to reinforce the damaged sections. Additional raw materials will also be supplied."

The proposal immediately changed the tone of the room. Over the next several minutes, figures were mentioned, reconstruction estimates discussed, and conditions added. Nino paid little attention. This was no longer a trial. It had become a negotiation over who would pay for a broken wall. Until one of the ministers leaned over the table.

"Money is not accountability."

The King turned toward him, irritation plain on his face.

"What do you suggest?"

The man looked at Nino.

"That he repay part of the debt himself."

The room went quiet.

"The quarries and mines to the north have been operating without pause since the Colossus fell," the minister continued. "We need stone, ore, and Noctrium to rebuild what we lost. If the Hero of Mezi possesses enough strength to move a mountain, he can certainly contribute to repairing a wall."

Several ministers exchanged glances.

"Are you suggesting forced labor?" the Hero of Solvar asked.

"I'm suggesting restitution."

"For how long?"

The minister considered it for a few seconds.

"One day."

Another man laughed in contempt.

"One day? We lost an entire fortification."

"Twenty-four hours," the minister corrected. "Without interruption. He works under Solvar's supervision and extracts as much as he can during that period. Once it is over, Mezi may take him back and judge him however it sees fit."

"That would be humiliating for a Hero," one of Mezi's representatives said.

"That's the point," someone replied from the other side of the table.

The Hero of Solvar leaned back in his chair, clearly displeased. Nino, however, said nothing.

Twenty-four hours.

After that, he would be free of Solvar. Then he would only have to find a way to escape Mezi and reach the place Three had pointed him toward.

"I accept."

The words came before anyone could continue negotiating. Several faces turned toward him.

"No one asked whether you accepted," one minister said.

"Now you know."

The Hero of Solvar ran a hand down his face.

"You really took my advice to heart."

Nino ignored the remark. The woman at the center turned toward the King of Mezi.

"If he completes the twenty-four hours, Solvar will accept the proposed compensation and allow your delegation to take him back at the end of that period."

The King remained silent for several seconds, as though considering a condition he had only just heard for the first time.

Then he smiled.

"Mezi finds the terms acceptable."

Something bothered Nino. It wasn't the answer. It was how quickly One's shoulders relaxed after hearing it.

The movement would have gone unnoticed by almost anyone else, but Nino had known that man for years. One had entered the chamber prepared for conflict. Now, even injured, he looked exactly like someone who had gotten what he wanted.

Nino turned his attention back to the King. The same composure remained on his face.

No anger at seeing the Hero of Mezi sentenced to forced labor. No attempt to reduce the twenty-four hours. No real objection to the public humiliation of a man who, officially, still represented the military strength of his nation. It was almost as though the proposal had never surprised him at all. The Noctrium chains suddenly felt colder against Nino's wrists.

Twenty-four hours in the mines.

He repeated the condition in his mind, this time not as a sentence, but as a question.

Why exactly twenty-four?

When he looked at One again, the other man was already watching him. This time, the satisfaction was written plainly across his face. And ever since the King had walked through those doors, Nino had become certain of one thing: There was far more to that agreement than he could possibly imagine.