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The sun was rising over the horizon when we reached the academy. The gentle and soft rays of light welcomed us home after our ordeal.
Alex and I each took turns sleeping on the back of Chronos as we went back. One of us sleeping while leaning on the back of the other one.
Arthur didn’t sleep at all during the night. He made sure that Kaiser wouldn’t fall down during the ride.
Kaiser didn’t wake up at all. He slept as soundly as a person could on a galloping horse.
We didn’t slow down as we entered through the gates of the academy. The sound of footfalls echoing through as we went to our mansion.
Arthur stopped and dismounted quickly and gently carried Kaiser inside the mansion.
I woke up Alex and we all went back inside. Chronos went back to his usual form.
We saw Arthur lay Kaiser in the living room. He then turned towards us and softly said, “Go to sleep, I’ll explain to the principal why you three won’t be at school today. So just rest.”
He then went back to keep Kaiser company and we went back to our rooms.
As soon as I entered my room, I half ran half walked to my bed and fell down on it. I slept immediately and soundly as the exhaustion of my first real fight and the trip took over.
It was late in the afternoon when I woke up next. I got up groggily as I had been sleeping on my stomach.
Thinking of my stomach, I immediately got hungry so I went downstairs to see if there was anything to eat.
The mansion was quiet as I went to the dining room. I got bread from the basket we keep on one corner of the room and went to the living room just across.
Arthur was nowhere in sight but Kaiser was still there sleeping peacefully.
His wounds from the night before were gone and he still was wrapped in those robes that we found. I immediately went to my room and got some clothes for him to wear when he woke up and went back and placed the clothes near him.
I watched him sleep peacefully and content when the door opened and in came rushing in Sasha.
“Kai-” she started to shout but seeing him peacefully sleeping and me signaling her to be quiet she stopped.
She nodded and walked to sit next to me. The seat that I took was for one person but since we were still five two people could fit perfectly.
When she sat down I held her next to me with my right arm. She leaned into the embrace and cried silently.
After a while of talking she softly said, “Thank you” a lot of times.
Everytime she did so, I simply just said, “I know.”
We sat there quietly for another hour when Kaiser stirred a little.
We instantly got up and rushed to his side. He kept on moving very small movements until finally he opened his eyes and cried.
I left Sasha to take care of his brother and went to get him something to drink when the door opened.
Wouldn’t you know it my father the king came in along with Arthur at his side.
My father was wearing a blue and white long sleeved collared button shirt and black pants. His hair was curled similarly to those from the Renaissance period in Earth. His expression was serious as he walked towards me and said, “I know everything.”
I tried to block his view of the living room and said, “Everything?”
“I know what you did last night and I also know that you have found the prince of the Lunaria Federation,” he said his expression unchanging.
He knew now, even though we tried to hide it. I glanced at Arthur but he just stood there not saying anything and not trying to do anything as if it was not his problem.
I led them to the living room. Sasha and Kaiser heard the sounds of our feet and looked towards us. Both of their expressions were fearful as they also know that they have been found.
“I am not here to do harm to your brother,” my father said as he held his hands up as if in a comforting gesture.
“Arthur, take Zed to his room and then come back here.”
“Yes, your majesty,” said Arthur as he took me away.
I looked back and gave Kaiser and Sasha an encouraging smile as I was led out.
Alex was outside his door when Arthur and I got to the hallway connecting our rooms. Arthur led me to my room and Alex came in as Arthur left.
“What’s going on?” asked Alex with a clueless expression on his face.
“I don’t know,” I said sitting on my bed.
Another hour passed and my father came into the room. He looked tired and worn out as he did so.
Alex got up and bowed to my father and was about to go head out when he was stopped by my father, “You need to hear this as well.”
Alex came back to sit next to me and we both looked at my father as he walked closer to us.
“We are now taking care of Kaiser. We will protect him until he finds a place in the world,” he said when he stopped in front of us.
I understood what my father was saying and said, “As a pawn to get their lands?”
I poured every ounce of hate that I was feeling into those words. My father just announced to me that my friend was going to be a pawn to be used and disposed of. Worse he is the brother of my fiancée!
“Yes,” he said with not a hint of warmth in his words.
“How could you do that to him? Hasn’t he suffered enough?!” I shouted.
“He is the prince of large track of land that we need to have. Even if he is a bastard son he is still the rightful heir to the throne,” said my father in an angry tone.
“It is fortunate that you found him in this academy and fortunate that he is here. You two will make sure that he never leaves your sight.”
I kept my anger in check as he just ridiculed my friend. I also kept Alex from trying to do something.
When I was calm enough I said, “Father, is there no way for you not to do this? He is my friend and I do not wish harm upon him.”
“This is all that I can do. The other countries cannot make a move against him anymore but he still needs to be protected.”
“Keep him in your sights,” he said as he walked out and closed the door.
“Alex we are going to do as my father wishes,” I said through gritted teeth.
He looked at me shocked but then he saw my face. It was filled with anger and hate. Anger at the command that I had to do and hate that my friend will be used as a pawn to be disposed of at the earliest convenience.
“We will protect Kaiser, even if it is from my own family.”
Alex nodded and we both silently went outside my room.
Arthur was standing there and he knelt with both knees to the ground and his head down towards me and said, “I was duty bound to tell your father, my king. I caused this situation so please, give me any punishment you deem fit.”
I was mad but not mad at Arthur. I knew that if he did this, he didn’t mean to do it so I said, “Stand up, I know you didn’t mean to. All this happened because we weren’t strong enough. If this whole situation didn’t happen, my father would not have interfered.”
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He stood up and bowed and said, “Thank you for your kindness, my lord.”
We then all went to the living room. Kaiser was sitting with Sasha next to him. His expression was devoid of hope and Sasha was filled with worry.
I walked up to Kaiser and placed one hand on his right shoulder causing him to look up and said, “I will protect you, even from my father.”
His eyes closed and he shook his head and was about to say something but I interrupted him and said, “I will protect you. You’re as much part of my family as Sasha is. I will not let you be a pawn.”
His despairing expression became hopeful. He looked to his sister and her face was full of smiles. He looked towards Arthur and Alex and they too were smiling.
“We’ll protect you too,” they said confidently.
He cried and said, “Thank you” repeatedly.
Siblings alright, they do the same thing, I thought.
As he cried we all huddled together comforting him.
When exhaustion took him, I told Arthur to take him to my room and let him sleep on my bed tonight.
Arthur did that and Alex went to the kitchen to make dinner for us since we haven’t had anything to eat at all that day. This left Sasha and I to remain in the living room.
After a while of silence she said, “Thank you for saying you will protect him. I know its imp-”
“Its not impossible,” I said interrupting her words, “ I will do everything I can to protect your brother and you as well.”
She hugged me after a while and started crying. I half carried half walked her to a nearby seat and we sat next to each other.
She then began telling me about her past. Even though we’ve been dating for a couple months now, she never did talk about it before and I never pushed the issue.
She was considered worthless by the nobility in her homeland. They all thought that she could not rule and so had sent their own sons to be her fiancé.
Her father was also of the same opinion but he was reluctant to let her be married of to some noble’s son because he wished to continue his own royal bloodline.
Since I was of royal blood, he allowed my father to have myself and his daughter to be engaged. Her father had hoped to be able to manipulate me since I will be attending Asmodeus Academy where royalty has no power.
She knew about his plan because he had told her before she got to the academy and met me. She kept it secret because she was told not to. But then meeting Kaiser and finding out that she had a brother that no one wanted alive made her confused of what to do.
After telling me about her past I just hugged her tighter and said, “I’ll protect you.” She then proceeded to cry some more and I just held her tighter.
I knew that I had just made a promise that would linger for a long time. Both our families have schemes in the shadows and I have people to protect from those schemes.
They wouldn’t dare to do anything to me as I was an important piece within their eyes but Sasha and Kaiser were expendable for them. Alex even was probably also an expendable pawn for them.
I never knew that I would be involved in such trouble but since I am now, I have to do all that I can to protect those that I love. I have to protect Sasha from her father, Kaiser from both our fathers and Alex from my father.
When she stopped crying, I carried her to the couch where Kaiser was sleeping before and laid her there making sure she was comfortable.
I watched her sleep soundly and I said, “Malakir…”
“Yes master?”
“Give me everything you know,” I said commandingly, “I need to have the power to protect them. As I am now, I am powerless. Even if it is painful, even if it is difficult, I need to do it.”
“…”
“Malakir!” I shouted loudly enough to not wake up Sasha.
“There is a process… as luck would have it there is a full moon outside that is required right now.”
“Then let’s go,” I said moving to go outside.
When we got outside, Malakir said, “Follow me.”
I followed him and I walked with Chronos who was waiting outside in his tiger-form. Apparently, Chronos can only change how he looks once per day so he has to remain in this form for a little bit more time.
Malakir led us to a small clearing that I never noticed before. In the middle was a cut down tree stump and small rocks littered the edges.
“I had Chronos create this in the past,” said Malakir, “in the hopes that you will decide whether to use it or not when you are older. But if you are determined then dismiss Chronos back within you and sit on the stump.”
I did so, dismissing a summon was like absorbing the whole being into myself and locking it away, and walked to the stump. It had a cleanly cut flat surface and sat down.
“I do not know what you will be experiencing as this is a spell that was recorded but its effects are unknown. All that was recorded is that it will make you powerful in the shortest amount of time, only a handful have passed. Are you sure about this?”
“Even if I have to go through hell,” I said with my face serious.
“Then you migh get your wish,” Malakir said as he started glowing white, “for those handful, have called it hell.”
He then started glowing black slowly, then yellow, purple, brown, orange, all sorts of colors one at a time. Then the chaning colors sped up and I could barely tell the colors apart.
My eyes were wide open at the sight but I held my breath and just watched as I knew that this was the spell working.
The surroundings started to change color as well. The rocks on the ground each glowed a different color from each other. Then veins of light connected the rocks all around me.
Soon the ground started to give off light that was enough to blind anyone looking at it but surprisingly I wasn’t bothered by it. I could barely see anything though through the light.
Then a sound, similar to rolling thunder, sounded all around me and the light disappeared. I felt that I was no longer sitting but rather nothing. I saw nothing, heard nothing, my senses were gone.
I panicked but I couldn’t move. My whole body was frozen and I couldn’t do anything.
Suddenly a small red light was lit in front of me. I couldn’t tell what it was as it was too small but I thought that I saw some wings.
"Hello," said a deep voice, "welcome to Hell."
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