Disorder

The lime-colored rays of the sun had barely graced the impoverished lands of Vyndival Kingdom and yet the bickering of old men and women already pushed King Urzic's patience to the limit. The only saving grace these people had was the leverage they possessed upon the fact that their war against Irista—insisted upon by the King himself—resulted in utter defeat and shame.

Now he had to sit here the entire day wishing he was somewhere else. Beside Lynera, his beloved. Life would've been simpler had he found her earlier in life.

Life would've been more tolerable indeed.

"The treasury has grown thin because of all these projects, King Urzic. Either we increase the collection from our citizens, or we terminate the ones we can afford to live without."

"Our men's morale still wavers from the loss against Irista Nation. We barely managed to scratch the surface of one province even after focusing all our resources to that lost cause."

"Famine will be upon us if the Void Region isn't dealt with! We can't get help from Irista Nation and we're blocked by this massive concentration of meiyal from all sides! The Nightmare Lands may not be moving now, but it will eat our kingdom sooner or later! We must deal with this problem!"

"How are we supposed to do that if none of our men have any will to fight? This isn't something we can deal with!"

"Correct! We don't have any funds to spare for another war! More so against a natural calamity!"

"So, what should we do? Just stare at it and pray to who knows which god, hoping it'll smite the goddamned Nightmare?"

"I'm telling you; we should send a search party for Su'karix. We have spare airships to find the land of dragons."

"Those airships won't last the Nightmare Lands! Do you not remember your history? The Sky Islands were destroyed and devoured by the Nightmare! The Thousand-Year Storm isn't alive. Those are just rumors left by hopefuls. And we can't leave our survival to hope!"

The people inside the room continued their heated debate while King Urzic listened to each of them with—he wished—open ears. Every day it was the same routine, and every day they failed to find an answer. Judging by how things were going, this day wouldn't be any different.

"Why don't you just tell the people?"

A phrase Urzic didn't expect to hear, more so from Lynera. The Sentries guarding the arch door allowed the felintine entrance to the meeting hall. Lynera, whether on purpose or not, walked with a semblance of authority.

As the days went, she had become more and more sure of herself. There was confidence and self-reliance building inside her. Even during their nights together, she had become more demanding and asserting. Now, she was closer to what looked like her true self. Even in such simple set of clothes, she commanded all eyes on her, as if she willed them through sheer charisma.

"Tell the people? That will cause chaos! Vyndival will implode on itself!" said Dorvel Winer, a plump and overly dressed dwarf. Urzic always wondered why and how this man became an adviser to his father. The days of heated debate only made him question further whether this dwarf was indeed loyal to the kingdom or to himself. Caring for the stability of the kingdom skewed his impression towards the former this time. Though his attitude left much to be desired. "Why would the council even consider such a thing from someone like—?"

"Silence." Urzic's Monarch's Law filled the room and none dared utter another word. A command spoken so quietly, yet the atmosphere it made forced everyone to submit to its authority, leaving nothing but the hushed whispers of the wind.

A wave of satisfaction washed over the King; he had wanted to say that word for the longest time. He gestured for Lynera to continue.

The felintine cleared her throat and approached the meeting table. One gorgeous and confident step after the other.

"If the people would hear these terrors and problems from uncontrolled rumors, then worry, doubt, and anger will fill their hearts. They will no longer listen to any of you, and there will indeed be nothing but chaos. But if everyone hears the truth coming from the King himself, then he can also give them hope and unite everyone to save this kingdom. Monarch's Law will be helpful to minimize and control any sort of panic."

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"I cannot afford to speak to that many people until I'm fully recovered," Urzic said.

"You have to, since you're the King. Use every bit of your strength as you can," Lynera countered. "You did so once before with your army, you can do it again."

How he wished it was that easy.

"You have a point, Lynera," Urzic said. "But not everyone who has ears can hear. And not everyone who hears will listen." He stood and everyone immediately followed suit.

"Except for one, I believe today has been as uneventful as ever. Regardless, it has been an informative one. Reflect on Lynera's words and dispel any prejudice you have against her race or status. Treat her words as that of mine, see if you can find some wisdom in it. Tomorrow, hopefully, we will be more productive. This meeting is adjourned. Go take care of your families and affairs."

All the councilors left with few sparing a glance towards Lynera.

Urzic wanted to believe they would at least give his words some thought. He could've chosen to use the Monarch's Law on the dismissal speech, but the more complicated the words were, the less effective the Blessing. He also wanted their actual thoughts about the possibility of uniting the people to save Vyndival rather than force them to agree with him.

He slumped back on his chair and sighed so heavily it almost took his breath.

"I feel like I've made a mistake coming here," Lynera said. Despite her statement, she sat down on the chair nearest to the king. Her two escorts stood quietly beside a pillar behind her.

The meeting hall had a knack for making people feel small, the way it was built. King Urzic would rather not mind how high the overarching roof was, or how many sentries there were posted on every pillar. He could see Lynera feel exposed, but the felintine had a handle on it. She welcomed the challenge.

"You're becoming more and more of a Void Mother," Urzic commented.

"I never finished my training."

"It doesn't matter. I'm glad you're here." Urzic meant it as thanks for giving him an excuse to relieve his councilors, but the felintine must've taken it differently, the sort of way most would usually take.

The realization took a little while to sink in, but the King did not regret his words. In fact, he rather enjoyed the sight of Lynera glancing away out of embarrassment.

"What made you finally leave the tower?" Urzic tried to be as casual as possible, but all he heard from himself was awkwardness.

Lynera didn't notice. She was stoic. She glanced towards her young escort who brought forward a container of food.

"Thought you might want some breakfast," the felintine said.

A whole fish and a piece of bread. No soup, no water. Still, Urzic accepted the meal and asked one of his servants to find drinks for him and his Mistress. While Lynera willingly accepted half of the fish, she made sure he ate everything else.

"The Void Region will be moving soon," she said while drinking freshly brewed tea.

Urzic had trouble processing her statement. He drank his tea while chewed on the information. His calculations—with help from some of his more trustworthy advisers—indicated that the risk of the Nightmare Lands moving northwards gave them as soon as a year, which was nowhere near soon.

"What made you so sure?" he asked, finally.

"A vision." Lynera met Urzic's gaze without any hint of flinching, and rid of all her hesitation. "I cannot tell exactly when; I haven't Opened my core for a very long time. But I know it's soon. Very soon." She shook her head. "Far less than a year, Urzic."

Urzic analyzed her words. Those yellow eyes staring at him, pleading him to hear out her warning, simply couldn't be false.

"What do you think I should do?" Urzic asked. "Should I tell the people?"

Lynera's eyes softened with compassion.

"I don't know," she said, but she was smiling. "But you should find a way."

Urzic sighed again. He looked around, trying to find ideas on places that didn't have them. No matter how much he ran the numbers, they simply didn't have the people and resources to survive a Void Encounter coming from the south. Whether they had a year or less, the scale was simply too much. Even if he had the resources back from before the Battle of the Vanguard, it still wouldn't be enough.

Vyndival by herself wouldn't be enough.

"We need help," Urzic said, his whisper as much as a sigh as it was acceptance of their dire situation.

"The Eastern Sanctum can't help us," Lynera said. "It's been taken over by the Nightmare. At least, that's what I remember."

"The Order of the Void can't help us. They're too busy dealing with the larger picture. If there's still an Order, that is." King Urzic glanced behind Lynera. "How much do you trust those two?" he asked.

"I trust them enough," the felintine replied, shrugging.

"I need you to travel to Irista Nation," he said, controlling his voice just enough to make the statement a command and a request at the same time. "Convince them to help us. Since you're still technically with the Order of the Void, they should listen to you."

Lynera's expression turned from denial to acceptance in quick succession. "What should I tell them?"

"If they help us, we'll be willing to merge our kingdoms under their rule. I will happily step down if it means safety for all our people. And should the successor of the Law of the First Monarch really does belong to them, I will give them everything they want. Including my life."

"Our lives," Lynera corrected. "Give me a few days to prepare."

"Can you afford to take a week before you go?"

"Why?"

"Just to be safe." King Urzic still remembered the orbs—whatever those were—infiltrating their way into Irista Nation territory. He had no way to estimate how soon events would unfold as far as those things were involved. So, he trusted his gut. "And I want to spend more time with you."

The Void Mother in-training smiled and stood with such grace that King Urzic followed without realizing. He held her by the hand and gave her a soft kiss.

"Thank you, for doing this," he said.

"I expect proper compensation before I leave and after I return."

"Of course."

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