It was another bright and sunny day.
Even filtered through Kalden’s leaves and dimmed further still through the windows of Niu’s workroom, the sun still provided plentiful light and calmed her heart. Especially when just a few years ago—or months, by Plainland’s reckoning—it was a murky and wet winter. But it was no longer rainy and cold; it was finally warm again.
Smiling, Niu felt the brush grasped in her hand was lighter than ever. She passed it over the canvas set up in front of her, leaving a trail of crimson. This pure color, having been made by grinding and mixing together several flowers and roots given to her by Aisbroom, created a hue more eye-catching than blood.
Niu used it to paint a twilight sky, trying to encapsulate that tense moment when the sun was about to cease channeling, when it bled its last dying breaths unto the world—or at least, that was how Niu imagined it. She was attempting to depict this poetic scene onto the white canvas.
Possibly her only regret was that she couldn’t go outside on such a fine day. However, after the previous assassination attempt a while back, Roah had forbidden it. She used to go on a lot of walks, so it was a pity that there were still some people against her rule.
Now she had to spend most of her free time painting instead.
Despite ruling the entirety of Kalden’s territory, the Queen had to be imprisoned in her castle. How unfair was that? She hoped that she could go out again, once things calmed down a bit; she rather needed the exercise. For now, she simply dedicated herself to art.
Many other paintings, most of them abandoned halfway, were tucked together in the corners of the room. Back in Plainland she could paint only very little, so she usually just drew and sketched with pencils, but here she found it a relaxing hobby.
Too relaxing, perhaps. As would often happen, she found her mind wandering in thoughts, so at some point her brush was simply hovering near the canvas, letting a few droplets of red drip to the floor. Just as she noticed this fact, slightly frowning, there was a knock on the nearby door situated a bit further behind her.
“Queen?”
She obviously recognized Roah’s voice. You may enter, she told him directly into his mind.
The door opened and she heard the young man step inside. Yes, he was no longer a boy; even without turning back, she already knew his body that grew mostly horizontally, his features that became slightly sharper and his hair that got slightly longer.
He would often wear a billowing cape and well-fitted clothes, now that he was technically one of her generals; but other than in his admittedly striking external appearance, Roah hadn’t changed much.
Not as much as she changed, anyway.
“I hate to interrupt you like this, but Sqore brought the thing I told you about. And, well, it’s almost noon, anyway. You can’t just hole in here all day long.”
Cancel everything, she said lazily, waving a hand.
“Very funny. You have a few minutes, so go and get ready.”
Yes, yes. By the way, while you’re here…
“Yes?”
Do you think that ‘myth’ and ‘release’ are good rhymes?
“…What?”
Niu shook her head. No, never mind.
“Just don’t take too much time, Queen,” Roah said. He apparently didn’t even wait for any reply, as she heard the door close right after.
Niu sighed. She was wearing work clothes and they were dirty with paint, so she obviously couldn’t meet anyone like that—although Acrus, in their time, was quite sloppy too. Well, that was yet another difference between them. Roah had always advised her to appear to be as queenly and professional as possible.
She extended her hand holding the brush and the pallet to the side, whereupon a laborer grabbed it. It and another one were standing nearby, looking like bizarre statues until that moment. She’d gotten used to their constant and silent presence for a long time, now.
Sqore brought the thing, huh? Roah had been teasing her about this for a long time now, so she got rather curious. He kept it a secret no matter how much she asked, and with her other duties she more or less forgot about it, but now she would finally see what the deal with that was.
Walking to her nearly adjacent wardrobe room, Niu started stripping and let the laborers help her into one of her more formal outfits.
A short time later, Roah led Sqore into the throne room of Queen Niu Kalden.
The room itself stayed unchanged from the days of Acrus; the previous Ruler might have been a rather strange mix between vain and overly casual, but even they had a sense of aesthetics. Now as well they kept things as they were in the past. The wooden throne, the trees around it, the miniature garden, the ornate windows and doors… all of them remained pristine and were still maintained perfectly. The Ruler might have changed, but not the essence of Kalden.
Having seen Niu messy and dirtied with paint, Roah couldn’t help but feel impressed by her current form, clean and imposing, achieved in so short of a time.
She, too, went through many changes, the least of which were her getting only very slightly taller and growing out her reddish-brown hair until it passed her shoulders. Her eyes indicated a lack of proper sleep, only hidden by the slightest layer of makeup, but there was also something more powerful about the light they were emitting now.
Adorned in red-colored garments, more of a robe than a dress, and wearing a crown of flowers on her head, she had a completely different atmosphere than what her otherwise cute but plain appearance would indicate. There was none of her predecessor’s apparent tedium whenever they sat there, only a quiet determination.
Niu had adjusted well to her new role as a Queen, Roah felt. Perhaps too well, but he couldn’t find fault in that. After all, he was the one who’d asked her to act like that in order to garner respect as the new Ruler and at the same time contrast Acrus’s rule. The simple yet different title of “Queen” was yet another way to differentiate her from just another Ruler.
Yes, Roah was very pleased with how she adapted.
So? Niu’s voice echoed in Roah’s mind, and probably in Sqore’s as well. What have you brought to me? Wasn’t it supposed to be another robot?
Niu had also done a great job in learning this world’s language. At this rate Roah felt that she might even surpass his own proficiency in it.
“Indeed so, our Queen,” said Sqore, bowing slightly. They wore their finest robes and had their curly hair bound into a tight ponytail. Their voice was excited and a smile snuck its way to their lips. “It is right here.” Sqore lowered a small bag from their back onto the floor, which Niu eyed with a raised eyebrow. “Come out, now.”
A small thing crawled out of the bag—a creature that looked somewhat like a cross between a cat and a dog with a smooth, brownish body that had many icons etched on it. Niu couldn’t help but open her mouth in surprise, which then curled to a soft smile.
That’s… really cute, Niu broadcasted. It really was; it reminded Roah of the many stray cats he’d see back in Hayden. Or rather, he was the one who designed it like that.
“Greetings. Queen,” said the small laborer, bowing its head decorated in protrusions shaped like triangular ears.
The entire project was Roah’s idea. Once they figured out how to start producing laborers again—a process that was not easy by any means, especially when most of the artisans had already died of old age or else executed by Acrus—he set out to detail a few design ideas. One of those was to create a smaller laborer, as most of them were large and unwieldy. The process was difficult and took a lot of time to both conceptualize and realize.
Of course, size wasn’t the only special thing about this laborer.
“Allow me to introduce you, Queen,” said Roah, “to NiU.”
Her smile and excitement instantly melted away, replaced by visible confusion.
Is this some sort of joke? she asked. The pronunciation was just slightly different, putting more emphasis on the final syllable, but the name was practically the same as hers.
“No, of course not. We simply thought the name would suit it very well, based on its functions and expected role.”
Niu still didn’t seem convinced. What is it supposed to, do then?
“Remember us talking about a way to make you heard?” asked Roah. As convenient as her ability was, it couldn’t be used to address too many people at once and it was more suited for long-range communication. The new laborer had been created aiming to assist that. “NiU is especially designed to receive and verbalize whatever you tell it. There should also be little to no lag in the process.”
Niu’s expression returned to surprise. Normally they should have used her during the testing phase of the laborer, but Roah wanted to keep it as a surprise until the very last second—so while they hadn’t been able to directly test its intended use, preliminary checks with similar channeling indicated it would do just fine. If not, they could make better models later.
“Give it a try, our Queen. I promise you it will be to your satisfaction,” urged her Sqore. They were anxious as if it was their very first project, despite already being the head of the laborer division for such a long time. Well, not that they were really in control of it until recently.
Niu closed her eyes in deliberation, and after a few moments NiU began to speak.
“Above the spheres, a bright light, shows that something, isn’t right.”
Its voice was sweet yet strong, and despite the many pauses (a problem that was apparently inherent to all laborers), its pronunciation was clear. NiU had obviously been created to have a feminine voice fitting the impression of the Queen. It was going to speak for Niu, after all.
The contents of this test made Roah raise an eyebrow, however. “Is that a poem?” he mumbled. He thought he saw Niu slightly blushing at his question, but that might have been just part of her makeup.
“I don’t like it,” said NiU, which caused the Queen to grimace and shake her head, sending the next message to Roah’s mind instead: It doesn’t sound like me at all. And it doesn’t speak well.
The latter was obvious, but with the former being her complaint, Roah wondered how exactly she sounded in her own mind. Since her ability directly transmitted words there was no voice to speak of—so was this simply an excuse?
“We can try to make some different models, our Queen,” suggested Sqore.
“It might also just be a matter of getting used to it,” added Roah. “Don’t reject it so readily. It could be useful for many things.”
Niu stared at the small laborer still looking up at her as if trying to think of its possible uses. Or perhaps it was entreating her not to throw it away. Roah designed it to try and appeal to Niu’s tastes.
Finally, she sighed and said, Fine, I guess I will give it a shot. But no more surprises like this.
“As you wish, my Queen,” said Roah, bowing and smiling.
Droplets of sweat covered the well-trodden grass. Twirling the spear in his hand once, Gen stabbed it into the ground and took a deep breath. “Let’s take a break,” he said to the fairies around.
Hearing his call, the other soldiers including his own sparring partner all stopped what they were doing and set down their weapons, sitting on the ground or leaning on the fence and starting to lightly chat amongst themselves.
Since when had he started training with all of them anyway? It all began with Aisbroom training him, but at some point, other people joined them, and before he knew it, Gen had been surrounded by many new recruits. Most of the time Aisbroom wasn’t there at all. It was ridiculous; Gen himself was pretty much still barely over a novice, so he couldn’t understand what Aisbroom was thinking.
“How are things going?” asked a voice coming down the stairs to the training ground.
Gen had decided to take a break not because he was tired yet, but because he’d noticed this visitor approaching from afar. Dressed in a flowing, golden robe with similarly flowing golden hair—was Shaya.
Everyone there stared at her in awe. Despite seeing her every day like this, Gen could sympathize with their feelings a bit.
Shaya had been perhaps the one to have undergone the most changes out of all four of them. She did grow, but she also became… freer, if he described it in a single word. She was less reserved and more confident. The same went for Niu as well, perhaps, but it was different. Shaya’s face almost seemed to be glowing.
Gen shook himself from this brief rumination. “You know, the usual. Why are you here anyway?” As he answered she began approaching him, almost seeming to glide on the slightly damp grass. “Oh, not that I’m complaining, of course.”
Shaya shrugged. “No particular reason or anything. Just wanted to watch you training for once… I guess?”
“…It’s the Angel.”
“Will they also join us?”
Gen tried ignoring these whispers that appeared almost every time he was together with Shaya in public; it almost felt like they admired her more than they did the Queen. He also wasn’t yet completely sure what they meant by “Angel”, but figured it was something similar to Sacrona’s Saints by context. It felt silly to even ask, as if he would have to acknowledge that Shaya was anything special.
She was simply his friend Shaya. Nothing more, nothing less. That was how it was.
“Oh. It’s boring, really,” Gen said. “We mostly just practice our weapon handling and such. It wouldn’t be interesting to watch.”
“Hmm,” Shaya mumbled noncommittally. “What about your compensation, then? You’ve gotten really good at using it, right?”
“Yeah, but training with that wouldn’t be fair toward the others,” he said with a slight smile. There were a few laughs from around.
“I see.”
Shaya leaned on the fence surrounding the inner circle used for sparring matches. Now she was starting to notice everyone’s attentions on her, and was visibly growing embarrassed. She hadn’t changed too much, yet.
“Then what if we… trained together?” she suddenly offered.
Gen couldn’t help but be surprised. Especially considering how everyone around viewed her. She basked in her new self-confidence, but still didn’t like flaunting her powers like that. That was also the first time he’d heard her have interest in anything of the sort.
“Err, maybe? But you’re way stronger than me,” he replied.
“Huh? That’s not true!” Shaya said, shaking her head. “I can’t do even half of what you’re capable of.”
“Nah. You’re the really amazing one between the two of us.”
Normally, he thought, that comment would have probably made her blush or at least deny what he was saying, but instead she just widened her smile as if that was the exact thing she wanted to hear. And then she voiced the exact same words that were on his mind.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“You’ve changed.”
“…Yeah?”
“Oh, I mean it in a good way, of course!” Perhaps seeing his expression darken, she hurriedly clarified herself. “You know that you’re starting to really look like Revol? But I’m not talking about that either. You’re just more… mature, I guess.”
He didn’t feel that way at all. As far as he could tell, the only thing that changed about him was his height, muscle mass and fighting skills, including his control of his compensation. On the other hand, he knew he wouldn’t be objective. Perhaps he should trust Shaya on this.
“All of us changed, it seems,” he said. “After all we’ve been through here, it might be natural. I just hope it’s for the better.”
“It is.” Shaya nodded, her golden hair slightly swaying. Looking at it, Gen now recalled that she’d used to braid her hair, but now it was almost always free. When had this started and why was he noticing it only now? “I mean, we’re sort of royalty right now. And Niu is actually working to get us back.”
Gen’s smile vanished. Speaking of changes, perhaps it was Niu that changed the most. She was bright and dashing as she sat on that throne, but that was exactly what made Gen feel that way. He wanted her to be happy, but he wasn’t sure if that was how she really felt.
“Yeah. I hope we can get back soon.”
For a while they simply leaned on the fence side by side, gazing at the wooden walls without saying anything. Some of the faeries around resumed sparring, though many also watched them from afar. Even so, times like these were also nice.
“…Not all of us changed, actually.” Gen had no idea why, but as soon as this thought came to him, he vocalized it.
“Hmm?”
“Roah,” he spat the name like it was some dirty word. “He’s still the same brat he always was.”
“He’s working for our sakes, too,” Shaya reproached him. She then smiled and added, “but I guess your relationship really was one of the only things to not change in the least. Oh well.”
What could possibly change? Gen couldn’t stand the other young man’s mannerisms, his personality and his way of doing things. He still held a grudge for that plan that, despite technically helping them, changed everything… he also couldn’t understand why Shaya was defending him.
He wanted to speak to her about all this and more, but someone else talked before he could do.
“Um, Angel?” Both of them were surprised to find one of the trainee fairies standing nearby, looking anxious. “Will you please show us your magic?”
“Show you? My magic?” she asked in surprise. The fairy promptly nodded.
As if seeking confirmation she moved her gaze to Gen, and the fairy also glanced at him as well. Finally, he sighed and shrugged.
“Why is it up to me, anyway… but well, why not?” he said to Shaya. “They probably want some inspiration. Because all of them—actually, make it us—are not making much progress with our channeling as of late. Oh, and I guess they really want to see you in action, too,” he added with a wry smile.
Shaya for some reason giggled.
“What’s funny?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. For some reason I suddenly imagined the exact same scenario but with you asking this of Stard Molton… I’m sure it would feel the same.”
“Haha…” he laughed nervously, “yeah, that sounds about right.”
Shaya detached from the fence, walking on the grass in front of many expectant eyes. Her form almost seemed to be glowing—no, she actually was glowing. Unless Gen was mistaken, she was currently channeling some faint light.
“Do you remember the Green Gale?” she suddenly asked as she turned to him.
“The Green Gale?” he furrowed his brows. “What are you… oh, wait. Wasn’t that the performing troupe you wanted to see back in Plainland?” That was so long ago and belonged to such a different era of his life that he’d almost completely forgotten all about it. But Shaya apparently remembered.
“Yes. I have heard that their performances were something a little like this.”
The moment she said this, a few pebbles lying here and there rose from the ground, dancing in air. In addition, they started faintly glowing—each in a different color. The pebbles created a revolving rainbow around Shaya, who seemed to be basking in it.
Gen stood there in a daze, with the other fairies watching her the same way. Had she been training as well? It was enough of a shock to have heard about her channeling powers in the first place, but seeing her control it so freely was something else entirely.
There was a small pang of jealousy over those skills, but that also served to bolster his personal pride. He, too, learned many new tricks by now. He had no reason to feel upset about his inferior channeling ability.
Gen simply watched in awe along with the soldiers while Shaya danced and giggled. He was thinking to himself.
Many things changed. Some didn’t. Even so, one thing he could say for sure was that they weren’t done; they were still continuously changing and evolving every day. Gen could only hope he was becoming strong enough to make sure this was change for the better.
At early noon in Fairland and early evening in Plainland, the two worlds made contact.
No longer limited by previous methods, they could speak whenever they wanted to, at least when the right people handled the newly-created equipment. Monarchs of both lands, Queen Niu Kalden and Queen Levia-O, were two such individuals, seeing as they excelled in the handling of the communication channel.
Based on technology conceptualized by Rumdon’s engineering unit, Kalden had constructed a metallic tablet that was identical in make to the one in possession of Rumdon, linking the two of them.
Although Niu couldn’t use her ability directly to pierce the distance between the worlds—several tests were conducted long ago—it worked perfectly through the Heavenly Board, or, as it was called in Fairland, the Tablet of Light.
As usual, Niu was inside the designated room on Armonia along with Aisbroom, a few guards and Roah.
She stood in front of the Tablet, focused on its icons and sent the first message.
Good evening, Your Majesty. How are matters on your side?
There was no visible phenomenon, but Niu knew that her message had been sent and transmitted all the way to Plainland. In a way, perhaps it was similar to NiU’s mechanism. She cast a glance at the small laborer curled up in the corner of the room; Roah had insisted that she take it everywhere, even if only as a kind of a pet. She felt that she’d never get used to speaking through it, but she was warming up to it, adorable as it was.
Presently, the Tablet started playing a different voice.
“And a good afternoon to you, Queen of Kalden,” said Levia. “I regret to say that there are currently no new developments. As I assume is the case on that side as well.”
It was exactly the response Niu had expected to hear, but this didn’t mean that she found it pleasant. Lately, these talks were nothing but formalities; everything else had already been agreed upon long before.
After Niu had usurped the throne, they’d immediately established true contact with the other side instead of Acrus’s silly negotiation games. Their goal was to create a path between the two worlds, allowing them to transport people and resources and connect them in front of the ongoing threat.
However, there wasn’t any development on that front. No matter how much time passed, they reached no breakthrough in finding a method to do so. Although they already knew that such a thing should be possible, and probably related to the mysterious monster-carrying tentacles, they hadn’t been able to advance past the theoretical stage yet—mostly due to a particular problem.
No signs of any further waves, then.
“Indeed. We are still keeping watch.”
It had been nearly two years—about twenty by Fairland reckoning—since the last wave.
Although it really seemed like the Gods intended to wipe out all life by sending nightmarish monsters to ravage the land, there were only three waves. Three waves, and then complete silence.
Obviously, they were all very confused. It looked like it was going to be a very difficult and long campaign, so what happened? They couldn’t feel relieved, either. It vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared so there was no sense of closure, or really any sort of guarantee that it was a done deal.
None of them thought it could just end like this. But time simply passed.
Even using Plainland’s latest technology of the telescope (not yet developed on Fairland, though they had their own, somewhat less convenient methods) they were unable to ascertain the current situation in Blissland.
As long as there weren’t any further attacks, they were unable to analyze the mechanism that allowed transport between worlds. It was a contradictory situation where they felt they should be happy about the peace, but weren’t.
As we suspected, Your Majesty. Unfortunately, there is no news from this side as well.
“They do say that no news is good news,” said Levia’s calm voice. “Let us hope this saying is true. A good day to you, Queen.”
…To you as well, Your Majesty.
And it was over. It might have been a bit of a waste, but these talks every day mostly consisted of this exchange. As long as there nothing new to report, there was no need to extend the conversation needlessly.
If at first Niu felt nervous talking directly with the actual Queen of Rumdon, now it was all part of the routine, with only tedium and low-burning frustration arising from these talks. It was a bit ridiculous, but that was the current situation.
Nothing, Niu glumly announced to Roah and Aisbroom, who obviously heard Levia’s side of the exchange, but even so.
“You need to try using NiU more,” Roah told her.
Niu frowned. Never mind that now.
Roah shrugged and continued talking. “…I do have to wonder if there really is nothing, or if they are hiding something.”
What? Niu was shocked. What even gave him that idea?
“Being paranoid as usual?” quipped Aisbroom from the side. “I do admit there’s sense in doing so, but try not to become too much like Acrus.”
“I won’t. Ever.” Roah’s eye narrowed menacingly. “I’m just saying we should not assume they’re telling us everything. Remember that we’re a bunch of children who took control of a country. Once we can establish true passage… well, we’ll cross that bridge when we build it.”
Right now, we can do nothing but wait, said Niu, furrowing her brows. As if feeling her frustration, small NiU came up to her and started rubbing against her leg. Niu’s face eased into a faint smile. Perhaps she really should try using the poor thing some more.
In the same way, the secure room under the castle in Copius also housed the Queen, her advisor and her General.
“Nothing? Or are they merely hiding something?” Salom asked once Levia stepped down from the dais housing the Heavenly Board.
“Oh? You really suspect them,” she noted with a calculated tone of amusement to her voice. Looking at Salom, he seemed pretty much unchanged from when he came back to the capital. Perhaps a bit older and tired, but still just as sharp.
“Of course I suspect them. They know they’re in an inferior position, and they will do anything to strengthen themselves. They might seem forthcoming and honest in their attempts just because they want to come back home, but that definitely isn’t the whole story.”
Stard slightly grimaced. “That’s harsh, talking about your former students like that.”
“It is because they were my students,” Salom replied with a smile. “Just the fact they managed to do all of this was astounding enough, but since Roah’s there, perhaps I’m not surprised at all.”
“And that girl… perhaps you were right about her after all,” mumbled Levia. “I was surprised, I admit, but she does appear to have a queenly disposition. One that still needs some time to be polished and tempered, but even so. I might have been wrong to doubt you so.”
Queen Niu Kalden… she was young and inexperienced, yet from Levia’s talks with her, Niu seemed to grow more and more comfortable in her role with each passing day to a surprising degree. Levia couldn’t tell for sure unless she directly engaged with the girl, but she seemed to be getting stronger.
For now, though, she was perhaps a bit too naïve. She had yet to face truly dire circumstances that could endanger her rule. Levia didn’t mind this as long as the alliance served them well, however.
“Although I know you’re just mocking me, thank you,” said Salom.
Two years ago, after wracking their brains with how to negotiate with the greedy fairies in a far world, there had been a sudden and shocking contact—news of a coup d'état instigated by none other than the four teens who’d been mysterious transported there. If that wasn’t enough, one of them had even assumed the role of the new Ruler.
Since they were all working toward a common goal it seemed that things were going well, but when the waves suddenly stopped without any warning, they all reached a dead end.
They had managed to procure a few more beasts and even a lone tentacle during that third, final wave, but at present those were already long deceased without having yielded much useful information. Even after Salom, Mallew and many others, including from the other side, had been brainstorming ideas, they were unable to reach anything even remotely practical.
So now they did nothing but wait. And that wait was mentally exhausting.
“You two are getting anxious over nothing,” Levia suddenly said. “Relax. The waves will definitely resume at some point, but we are ready for them.”
“I wish the waves were the only problem, Your Majesty,” said Stard, sighing softly and giving her a somewhat intense look. “Some other trouble is brewing, unfortunately. Sacrona might be up to something. They’ve been quietly gathering some forces around the sea.”
Levia raised an eyebrow. “You did not report this to me,” she accused.
“It is brand new intel that reached my ears this very noon. I was going to report to you right after this.”
Without saying anything, Levia finally walked toward the door. “You will give me the full report once we return to the castle,” she ordered, opening the door.
Right, that was exactly just what they needed—more and more troubles into the mix. Another world, another different world, another country. All of those affected each other in mysterious ways, creating a storm of emotions that could incite chaos. Right, and she couldn’t forget that even inside Rumdon itself there were enough problems to take care of.
As Levia walked through the gloomy corridor of the underground space, with Salom and Stard following her from behind, she felt that they were her only allies in the world. Even if one added the ever-loyal Swen to the list, they were simply faced against too many enemies.
However, Levia did not despair. She simply was unable to feel that way. Instead, she thought of how to get prepared as much as possible during this apparent calm before the storm.
“As you said, Niu didn’t like it…” said Roah.
“Hmph.”
In Kalden’s ground level (or the thing closest to it, anyway) below the castle, there were the dungeons. It was a bit odd for the dungeon to be located there, but was apparently seen as symbolic. These cells, imprisoning mostly hostages and dissenters, were some of the few things in Kalden built of metal.
Separated by thick bars were one human and one fairy.
“I have told you again and again that they are an impertinent child unfit to be Ruler, afraid of their own shadow, power, and authority. If I was still in control, I would have—“
“But you’re not, so shut up,” Roah spat.
Inside their cell, Acrus looked at him, displeased. However, it had been a while since they resorted to overt anger and violence like during the first days of their imprisonment. Now they merely watched the situation outside as if waiting for someone to finally get the good sense to set them free and put them on the throne again. And they were surprisingly very patient.
“You disgusting, ungrateful brat,” Acrus mumbled with a faint yet malicious smile. “You dare come to me for advice and then throw prune those parts you find uncomfortable? Believe me, I’ll have you murdered one day.”
Roah snorted. Unlike their advice, Acrus’s threats weren’t worth his time.
Roah wasn’t quite arrogant enough to think that four teenagers (or more like two, really; it wasn’t as though Gen and Shaya helped them directly) could effectively rule over an entire kingdom. It was one thing when he was secretly planning a revolution, where there was a need to work out everything on his own, but quite another when he needed to secure and bolster an existing rule.
Aisbroom and the other generals and advisors had also been very helpful, of course, but even so Roah sought the help of someone more experienced at ruling. Yes, no matter how much of a hated Ruler Acrus had been, the populace still respected them, be it out of fear or otherwise.
However, he did hold these meetings in secret, since he had the hunch that neither Aisbroom nor Niu would approve. Sly Acrus also realized that and was taking advantage of these meeting in limited ways.
“Never mind that child,” Acrus kept speaking, ignoring Roah’s derisive laugh. “As silly and immature as the Queen is, they are doing a decent enough job, or so I hear from you. Your plan was surprisingly solid. The real problem right now is your subjects’ state of being.”
“Our subjects’… you mean the fact that it’s gotten too quiet?”
Acrus nodded, looking pleased. “Exactly. A tree that doesn’t shed its leaves… have you heard that idiom already? It means that something is unnatural. Yes, just like the present situation. In times of peace people always grow too relaxed and complacent. This can hurt Kalden both in the short and long term. I do not know if the foul Demons truly stopped their attacks on us, or if they are biding their time and preparing something on a larger scale, but we have other enemies, like the Stroba, who will strike at some opportunity.”
“We are prepared for it,” Roah said. “You know yourself how good Aisbroom is.”
“That piece of manure has nothing to do with it. I am not talking about physical, but mental preparedness. You can’t have anyone relax; you must keep them on constant edge.”
“And how do you expect us to do that?” asked Roah with furrowed eyebrows, but he then realized, “you want us to manufacture a happening.”
Acrus’s smile widened as their eyes shone under the dungeon’s limited lighting.
“Indeed. That is my method. Keep everyone as tense and strung-up as possible, before they get… ideas. Both allies and enemies, I mean. In the Stroba’s case, provoking them requires but a small push.”
Roah narrowed his eye. There was sense to what Acrus was saying, but it was also dangerously stupid and yet another indication of the former Ruler’s warped nature. They couldn’t go out picking wars on purpose when they had enough enemies and issues to worry about. Also, getting Niu to act just like her predecessor would nullify almost everything they’d achieved thus far.
“I will keep that in mind,” he said eventually. He didn’t have to follow Acrus’s advice to the letter, after all; he never did. Just like Acrus complained, he simply took the parts that he thought would work best and implemented them.
Roah turned his back and headed to the exit without even saying his thanks or a farewell. However, Acrus stopped him as he did so.
“Wait. How’s Orin doing?” Acrus asked.
Roah turned around. “Oh, they’re fine. Actually, I’ve heard that they’ve been asking about you lately.”
Acrus’s face seemed to lighten up. Roah found it bizarre how usually Acrus had only two modes—pompous and haughty or derisive and angry—and yet this one thing made them feel normal. Parental, even. It almost made him jealous.
“Bring them here,” Acrus ordered.
“You know I can’t do that,” Roah answered softly. “Also, is that really something you want to show your child? How their miserable progenitor is locked up like a common criminal?”
Fairies were odd. Not only did they have no genders and could impregnate themselves with some biological function Roah didn’t understand well, they delivered their babies much more quickly than humans, and these babies also grew up much faster. Small Orin was a little less than two years old but more similar to a four, five-year-old human child.
Of course, the baby bore no sin for their progenitor’s crimes, so they let them grow up normally—not that they would actually be normal. Especially now when they were beginning to understand the circumstances about their birth and origin.
“You can. Find a way to let me see them,” Acrus simply repeated.
Roah sighed. Even if Acrus was locked down here, there were still some limited ways he could cause problems and sow some seeds of trouble. Perhaps Roah should think of a way to assuage this situation after all, even if it seemed like more trouble than it was worth.
“Understood. It might take a while, though,” he said, turning his back yet again. This time Acrus did nothing to stop him.
Nodding at the guards standing outside Acrus’s section of the dungeon, Roah carried on toward the exit with his cape fluttering behind. He had the feeling that this strained peace would not last soon—but he also felt ready for whatever it was that came.
Without any advance warning there was a loud crash in the forest.
Sounds of destruction and havoc reverberated for a few moments as branches broke and leaves were crushed when something hit the ground, creating a small earthquake. Soon silence resumed, but it was an eerie silence. And even that didn’t last long, for it was replaced by a voice.
“Sensing the displeasure of the sky/confirming the will of the abyss/recognizing the sin of our makers.”
As a kingdom, Kalden consisted mostly of the Tree City, but there were other many settlements around it. While most were under Kalden’s rule, some had been overtaken by the Stroba.
The crash of this foreign object happened not far from Somalir, a small town practically in the middle between Kalden and Stroba territory. This location caused many a battle, but never from the sky. Well, the waves were an exception, obviously. But even those never brought along a being like this.
“I announce: I am here/I deplore: my existence/I regret: our belatedness,” the being said.
None were there to hear it, but it still spoke. It spoke and it spoke and it spoke—and finally, it was silent.
Not for long.
“No/no?/no,/no;/no./no…/no!/no!!!”
There was a flash and a slash, and the nearest tree was cut down. Trunks crashed down, leaves scattered around, and a small storm disturbing the forest was born. As if this being was trying to make itself known. As if it was trying to call for help. As if it was trying to let people become aware of a simple yet important fact.
At the start of summer, one of the Gods descended down to earth.
---
I’m not quite sure about Plainland, but there are some white roses here.
They really are beautiful. They produce a bright color that stands out even on a canvas. They look so pure and virginal, and they don’t even have thorns, as if they have no care in the world. For a moment I thought I found the soft rose from that old children’s story.
However, that whiteness and softness is a mere diversion, for that flower is actually one of the most poisonous of all.
Am I to learn something about myself from that metaphor?