Days past after Cleo returned from her missions. They did not have another meeting regarding the book yet since it would take a while for the man from the eastern continent to arrive in Midland. Meanwhile, they stayed apart from each other during most times other than normal circumstances.

Louise's cover is a young playful king who does not care a single thing about the ruling, and who wastes time on games, alcohol and young female subjects. Arthur's is a good old fool who let himself rot by caring for the orphans. Meanwhile, Cleo is the poor child who has to repay the sins of her parents by locking herself up in the tower and never going outside or talking apart from her closest kin. She would only show her face at ceremonies and special occasions with dull black dresses to punish herself. Some bachelor pitied her for wasting her great beauty by punishing herself when the lord had already forgiven her.

As such they stayed off the scope of Temple and political plays of big houses.

"How long will you keep this up, Cleo?" Ban Hammock told Cleo in worry. He is the youngest son of Hammes Hammock who became the chancellor when Cleo's father was executed. Hammes is a loyal follower of Mordu' and the biggest contributor to building the grand Temple of Mordu' in Midlake. "It was not your fault. It was your sinful father who challenged the lord's guidance. And the lord had punished him and forgiven him. So you should forgive yourself and move on too."

Ban tried to comfort Cleo who still seemed to be punishing herself all these years by not enjoying the life and the party his father held. She would have broken his neck if they were not at the ball. She hated it when they called her father a sinner. Not to blow her cover, she recollected herself and gave him her same usual 'dead-inside' stare as the answer.

She vividly remembered the day when her father and mother were slain. She was seven and she was with her mother, learning how to stitch clothes; through the window, they could see her brother learning swordsmanship in the courtyard with Louise and Luther. She wanted to repair her father's clothes which were torn accidentally in yesterday's hunt. Her mother told her that the servants would repair it but little Cleo insisted to do it herself. Cleo remembered her mother scolded her when she poked herself with a needle. "That's why I told you not to do it yourself." So Cleo walked to the window and told her mother to look at the courtyard. They saw the boys lying on the grass with bruises and tiredness but smiling. Her mother swiftly understood what little Cleo meant to show and quickly apologized to her.

"I am sorry for scolding you. You are right. We may get hurt but pain is also in the process of learning. I won't stop you anymore. But please be careful not to get hurt. It pains my heart when I see my precious daughter get hurt." "Thank you, Mother. I will be careful." She hugged her mother tightly after make up.

It was their last hug.

She saw a grey-bearded man in golden robes walking in the sky with a cane. Little Cleo, who did not know what was coming along with that man, was purely amazed by a man walking in the middle of the air. When she turned to her mother to share her excitement, she found her mother shaking in fear. Her face turned pale as if she had lost all her blood. Cleo asked her mother why was she shaking so much, but she did not answer. Her mother ordered her loyal guard to inform the king immediately then she ran to the window and shouted to her son who was in the courtyard to run.

Having no idea why her mother was suddenly acting strange, Cleo remembered her young self crying while tagging along with her mother's dress.

The previous night before that day, she remembered they were celebrating with a feast. Laughter and smiles filled the halls of the castle with cheers and praise to her father 'the King' for success in new legislation which banned all trials by combat and giving verdicts through thorough examinations of witnesses and evidence. It was a win for the administration against the Temple in decades. After their win, the confident officials raided the gambling houses run by Temple across Midlake the next morning; arresting the agents of Temple for inciting violence, theft and demoralisation. The proud king thought the Temple would not touch him now that he has firm support from the public. The ambitious king failed to take into account, that Mordu' could bend the will and the mind of the public in a single stroke.

When he heard his mother, Cleo's brother tell Louise and Luther to run inside the castle while he went to the rampart with the soldiers. He wanted to check whether Mordu' came in peace or hostility. If it was the latter, he could give some time to his father to strategize a plan.

"O_saviour of realm and warrior of God, the guiding light of all men. I, Rene Adder Eclair, the firstborn of James Adder Eclair, prince of Midland and your faithful servant, humbly welcome you. How may I serve?" The young prince humbly addressed himself to lord Mordu' in bow and knee, to show submission.

However, the enraged Mordu' did not hear any of the sweet talks. He took out the soldiers on the rampart with a chain of lightning. Captain Orlos threw his body in front of Rene to protect his student but the thunder was so strong, it pierced through Orlos and went into Rene. Cleo saw both of them fall off the rampart.

"Rene!" Cleo called out to her brother through the window but her mother picked her up and get away from the window quickly. Soon after they ran out of the room, a ball of fire came through the window and splattered the flames. It spread to the table and caught on her father's clothes she was trying to repair. They ran to find James.

They met James in the throne room. He was with his closed council members, strategizing a plan to get out of this situation. His general told him that they could trap Mordu' in the throne room and flank him. But his advisors, especially Hammock, told him to submit. The king chose the first.

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"Cleo, my dear. Listen to your mother well. Don't give her a hard time. Okay?" James said farewell to his beloved daughter as he sent them away to safety. Little Cleo was not ready to let go of her father yet. She held his hand and whimpered, "No. You should come with us. Please don't leave us like Rene." It sank her father's heart to see her cry. He collected himself not to cry and gently brushed her golden hair. "I won't leave you. I promise that I will play with you again."

Her mother put Cleo tightly in her chest and ran through many hallways. "Cleo, my dear. Let's play a game. Can you close your ears and eyes for me?" She asked her to close them so that Cleo would not be afraid of all the screams and chaos. She listened to her mother and shut them tightly with her small hands but she could still hear the people being terrified by a single old man in a cane.

They got out to the backyard where there was a small humble carriage waiting for them. "Don't worry, Cleo. I will take you to safety." The driver reassured her so that she would come along quietly. However, it made her cry more. She jumped out of the carriage and ran back to the castle to take her father along with them to safety. A guard had to run after her and put her back in the carriage while she struggled. Small but strong, it took the guard a while to catch up to her. "Father! Come with us! No! I won't go without my father! Father!!" Cleo cried and cried. While they were struggling with Cleo, the fanatics finally reached the castle and surrounded the backyard. "Kill the heretics! Get inside! Oh children of Mordu'! Do not be afraid to be stricken down by the blades of heretics. For the Lord has a place for his children in heaven." Ordered a zealot to his men.

Against the horde of enemies who do not afraid of death, the king's guards struggled. However, they bravely pushed back so that their queen and princess could get away to safety. Without any delay, the driver rushed his horse to full speed, breaking through the enemy line by force. It passed the last man then a strong gust of wind suddenly rocked the carriage and flipped it down. The kind driver was blown away to the ground and stabbed to death by the fanatics.

The queen protected her daughter by embracing her inside her chest while she suffered a concussion to her head. She would not let go of Cleo even when they forcibly removed her hands so the Templer mercilessly broke her arms and took Cleo from her.

"Get her up. We are going to meet our lord."

"Yes, sir Raün. How about the guards?"

"Kill them all."

"The servants?"

"Kill all the males. For the women, do as you wish."

While his men were raiding the backyard, Mordu' barged into the castle through the front door alone. Without waiting for his men, he entered the throne room by bursting through the big golden glided door. His rage clouded over all his reasoning and James took advantage of it. He lured him inside by angering him. James insolently greeted Mordu' from his chair, "O_sun of the realm, the saviour of men, lord Mordu'. If you came announced, I would have greeted you properly at the front gate."

Blinded by the anger, Mordu' did not see the general and best of the king's guards hiding in the room. "Insolent fool." He stepped foot into the room. As soon as Mordu' reached inside, the general ordered his men to shut the door and shoot.

However, just a second before the general ordered, Hammock came running inside the hallway and warned his saviour. "It's a trap, lord Mordu'!"

Upon his warning, Mordu' stomped his foot shaking the castle and rattling the ground. The king's men missed their target due to the unstable foothold. Desperate, the general took out his sword and went for Mordu' himself along with his men. "Spears!" He called out his men to charge. On his order, they moved in as a unit, surrounded Mordu' and attacked at once.

"Inferno ultimata." Mordu' muttered a word. The moment he spread his arms, a blue fire 'the infernal flame' blasted out of his body, damning everyone who was touched by it.

The king fell to his knee in defeat as he watched his friend and his loyal men melted like candles.

"Insolent fool. A man dares to kill a God. A futile effort. A doom failure." Mordu' spoke in triumph.

Soon, Templer Raün came to the throne room with Cleo and the queen. When the queen found her husband kneeling in defeat, she ran to him and pulled him up. "Do not kneel, James. For you are a king who tried to set things right. A brave king who does not cower to power and a good king whose love for his people is bigger than a God's."

"Or a corrupt king who disavowed his God and be damned in eternal hell." Raün interrupted the queen.

And so, the king and queen along with all members of the royal family, council members and all of the king's guards were spiked in public as divine punishment and left to rot on the castle wall for thirteen days and thirteen nights. Then, what was left of the remains was brought down to burn. It was an unpleasant sight and a reminder to the people of the crown city to watch the remains of their beloved king and queen degraded by rodents and crows. And young Cleo and Louise were forced to watch that unsightly sight for thirteen days.

Cleo gave Ban Hammock "the traitor's son" a death stare. She loathed the bastard and all of his family who killed her family. Without further ado, she got up from her seat and left the ballroom unannounced.

When she reached her room, she burst out all the anger she concealed downstairs. "How dare he speak ill of my father, calling him a sinner? He was a true king who tried to save his people from the imposter poisoning our souls. Father, I will finish your work. Soon, I shall unmask the devil and let the world know."