Once he calmed down, Bolten issued orders to the Royal Guards and had his father escorted away to his prison cell. As a safety measure, both Alestor and Cyde followed after them to ensure that nothing unusual happened. Their main concern was that the king’s supporters might come and cause a commotion to free him by creating a distraction.

After watching them leave, Bolten dismissed the ministers and lead away his brother, sister, and the heroes to the side room attached to the audience hall. As they went, a few of the ministers glanced at them while leaving and gulped at the sight of the king’s wife floating in a ghostly fashion as she followed after them.

“Mama!” Santa cried out loud in happiness the moment the door to the room closed. “I’m so glad to see you again! Did you see how tall I got? I’m not that short anymore! I’m also strong now!”

“Oh, Santa,” she replied as she looked sweetly at him. “I’ve been here, watching all of you grow up, and it makes me happy to see how firm your growth had been.”

“You were?” Santa asked, blinking in surprise. “Why didn’t we notice you? No one saw you. Not even the advanced scanning cameras caught a glimpse of you.”

“There wasn’t anything Elemental Spirits essence she could use to solidify her form,” Lakshman said, and they turned to look at him in surprise.

“What do you mean, Lucky?” Bolten asked curiously. “Are you saying she needed some kind of spiritual energy to make herself visible for us to see?”

Lakshman nodded and replied, “That’s right. Normally, a manifested spirit or ghost remains stuck in the Physical Plane, or Mortal Realm if you want to call it that for simplicity. They are able to move around and so on, but they cannot interact with others, and no one can see them because they don’t have the Elemental Spirits to support them, or call it Spiritual Energy for your better understanding. That’s why, she remained literally invisible to all of you till now as I invoked the spell, Astral Circuit, and made her visible to interact with.”

As they looked amazed, Santa became indignant and asked, “Wait! Circuit? Is that some kind of contract? What does it mean? Is she your slave?! You bastard! How could you?!”

The Solaris Hero blinked at him in surprise as Bolten facepalmed while letting out a groan. Even the others stared at him in disbelief as they could not understand how the second prince had jumped to such a conclusion.

“It’s nothing like that,” replied Lakshman in an attempt to reassure him, but the prince eyed him coldly in distrust.

Ward coughed and said telepathically, “Second prince. If I may, Astral Contract is a magic spell that establishes a power channel link between the caster and the target it was used upon. From there, the target is able to draw the necessary energy from the caster to do things they normally could not.”

“So, basically, he’s supplying her his energy so that she could interact with us,” said Natsu as he further simplified it. “That’s fascinating.”

“Wow!” William said in amazement and turned to look at Lakshman in wonder. “That’s some spell you got there. Do you have some kind of experience doing something like this before?”

As all eyes were laid upon him, Lakshman chuckled as did Asura inside his mind at the same time.

“In my worlds, ghosts, wandering spirits and such are a common place, so this is not unusual for me.”

“Yes, I gathered as much, but what about the spell?” William asked curiously. “Normally, people would keep their distance from spirits as they could be either good or bad or something nasty. It just sounds something like sorcery that’s why I’m asking about your past experience. Just curious.”

“I’ve had my fair chance of meeting spirits from time to time,” he said while remembering meeting the spirit by the name Spectra, who was the previous owner of the Demon Slayer, Silvera, “however the only time I ever used that Astral Circuit was when a close friend of mine lost their body and was on the verge of disappearing forever.”

By this, he was referring to the time when the Ex-God of Wisdom, Whamana, was nearly destroyed by the God of Destruction. The reason for such actions was the shame the God had felt when Whamana, who was known as the Decisive Player later on, had lost to a mere mortal, which was Asura at that time. That was why Asura had activated the spell and allowed the wandering spirit of Whamana to take shelter inside of him.

“Really?!” William exclaimed in amazement.

“Wow!” Vikram said, widening his eyes in shock.

“That’s amazing,” commented Maxwell looking impressed.

Bolten looked at him and smiled as he remarked, “It seems that you possess a great deal of knowledge and experience from your world. Makes me feel a little envious.”

“Don’t be, because being me takes a lot of hard work and determination,” replied Lakshman with a laugh and everyone chuckled at his words. Then he grew a little serious as he asked, “So, Bolten, has your anger for your father died down yet?”

The prince paused a moment before replying, “Hardly. He’s a criminal that almost committed a heinous crime.”

“Bolt,” said his mother sadly with a bitter smile on her face.

“But… brother… he’s still our dad, you know?” 

“I know, Santa. He’s our precious father, and is the only parent still alive with us right now, so it’s that much harder to condemn him,” admitted Bolten, and he looked very said, “but… I’ve reached my limit of tolerance with him.”

The air felt heavy in the room before Vikram breathed a heavy sigh and said, “Come on, man. Aren’t you overthinking this matter?”

“Like we said earlier, you shouldn’t solely take decisions based on your own feelings, prince,” said Natsu with a small smile.

Erza, who sat beside him, smiled and patted his shoulder as she said, “Brother, 

“Everyone,” the first prince said and looked at her for a moment before he turned around to look at the group in front of him with a wonderous expression on his face.

“Hey, don’t go crying now. It’s going to be really awkward for us,” commented Vikram cheekily.

This made the prince chuckle and say, “I won’t because I have dependable people to rely on.”

They remained silent for a few seconds before Gram broke it by saying, “In my honest opinion, killing him off is the best option.”

As they all turned to face him in a dejected manner, Vikram said irritably, “Gram…!”

“Yeah. Yeah. I’m aware of what I said and it’s bad. I know,” said Gram in a stronger voice, “and that’s why it’s not the right choice to make.”

“Mmm?” Vikram asked, looking confused. “The right choice? What’s the difference between the two?”

Gram eyed him coldly and said, “Look it up in the dictionary, fool.”

“Why you?!” Vikram exclaimed, flaring up angrily.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Calm down, Vik,” said Natsu, and Vikram stared at him before relenting and calming down. Then Natsu turned back to the Tempest Hero and asked, “Are you suggesting that killing him would be bad so letting him live is the right decision?”

Gram nodded and said, “Yes. It’s like the spirit lady said—!”

“Her name is Rina, Gram! Please do make sure to remember it,” interjected Santa coldly.

“There’s no need for that, Santa,” his mother said sternly. 

At the same time, the prince from another world rolled his eyes to the ceiling and said, “Come on! We haven’t even introduced ourselves yet, and we jumped straight into the topic. So, give me a break, alright?”

The second prince looked at his mother and then at Gram before muttering dejectedly, “Alright.”

“Thank you,” said Gram, and he nodded appreciatively at her, who nodded back with a pleasant smile. Then he went on to say, “As I was saying, she is right to defend him because he is her husband and your father, Bolten. As such, you cannot simply go for the option of killing him because, in the eyes of the public, this will just appear as though you’re using this opportunity to eliminate him and ascend the throne.”

“T-That’s…!” Bolten said, looking a little taken aback by Gram’s strong statement. “We will explain the circumstances.”

“And who do you think will listen?” Gram asked flatly, making Bolten become immediately discouraged. “People would just think you’re simply making up an excuse to defend your actions. This will cause a shift in political support and that will rally the ministers towards supporting the second prince to make him ascend to the throne.”

“Wait! What?!” Santa exclaimed, looking shocked. “Me?! Ascend the throne?! No, no, no, no, no!” The second prince shook his head several times while repeatedly stating his denial. “I’m not interested in being king. No way! I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my life if I take up such a stressful job.”

“Well, you would have to contend to that if your brother proceeds and takes your father’s life,” said Gram with a small smile. “It’s a common tactic in a political game when there’s more than one successor to the throne. Possibly why my mother got rid of me as she viewed me as a threat to her control over the throne from behind the scenes.”

“Huh?!” Santa exclaimed, looking shocked. He quickly turned to his brother and pleaded, “Bro! Please! Don’t do anything stupid!”

“I won’t,” said Bolten calmly.

“I know we’ve had our differences and minded our own businesses, but if you do something that puts me in a tight spot, I seriously wouldn’t be happy about it!” Santa said accusingly.

“I’m not doing anything, okay?” Bolten said, more firmly than before, causing his brother to nod but continue to look worried. He turned to Gram and asked, “So, to avoid all of this, you’re suggesting I let my father live just to avoid that eventuality?”

Gram shrugged his shoulders and did not say anything as he had already laid out what would happen. His silence made Bolten a little unsettled as he was made clear of the consequences that would be waiting for him and his brother.

It was then that Lakshman spoke up by asking him, “Have you ever killed anyone before, Bolten?”

The prince turned to him and responded with, “I’ve killed aliens before.”

His response was tight and contained a hint of hesitation as if he was unwilling to admit that he had no experience killing humans before. This made Lakshman smile as he went on speaking his mind.

“I have; it was in my first incarnation as the Phoenix Titan,” said Lakshman, and everyone turned to listen to him calmly. “It was a warring period, where clans would clash over dominance, and I was only twelve years old at that time when assassins came and murdered my parents.”

The atmosphere suddenly grew dark and heavy as he continued retelling the events of that time.

“I was enraged. Normally, I who valued life the most, didn’t care one bit about life anymore. In my rage, I slaughtered all of them, exacting vengeance on their actions. I ripped them to pieces, blasted them to pieces, and made it rain blood on that day.”

There was a sudden convulsion from Fred, who quickly clapped a hand over her mouth while William supported her shoulders. Everyone glanced at them before they turned back to focus on Lakshman again.

“Yeah. I know. It was a mess, and I was drenched in blood,” said Lakshman with a feeble smile, “but I lost my parents and came close to losing my brother. So, I swore on that day that I will stop this warring clans and unite the world under the banner of the Phoenix Clan. Years later, I did just that, and on my conquest, I ran into the Assassins Clan of the men that I had killed years ago in my childhood. Do you know what I did to them?”

There was a pause as he waited patiently for someone to take a wild guess in saying what he might have done to them.

“You didn’t… kill them?” Bolten asked finally with a slight hesitation.

At that, Lakshman paused as he heard Asura say inside his mind, “I was so tempted to do it. Man, I was really tempted to slaughter them all.”

“You’re one hell of a pain,” commented the fairy curtly.

“It’s their fault for making an enemy out of me,” replied Asura as he seemed to shrug his shoulders indifferently.

Lakshman smiled as he shook his head and replied, “Yes. I didn’t kill them, but I didn’t spare them either. I was on a world conquest, and they were in my way. However, I later found out that they were a clan that was slowly dying out and were on the verge of collapsing. So, I defeated their leader and incorporated the clan into the Phoenix Clan, which brought the creation of the Phintex Rajas.”

“Oh,” said everyone in awe, looking amazed. “I’m amazed you felt that way.”

“I’m amazed at myself too,” admitted Lakshman with a chuckle, “because I spared no one, and yet, after seeing the kind of struggle they were going through just to sustain themselves, their families, their children… it kind of made me realise that perhaps killing people without giving them the chance to surrender and submit to me was a bad choice.”

“So, from then on you gave warnings to everyone and if they didn’t heed you, you took out your forces and went to crush them, right?” William asked curiously.

“That’s right,” stated Lakshman with a small smile. He turned to the prince, who was looking troubled, and said, “We all gave you our thoughts earlier, and we all agree with what Gram said as well because he is right. This problem simply won’t end when your father is gone because, like a curse, it will come back to strike you and your family just as my family suffered the consequences of my actions so long ago.”

Bolten appeared to be processing through all of this when his mother said, “Bolt, I told you earlier, and I’ll say it again; exile him.” He looked up at her in surprise as she went on saying, “I don’t say this as his wife, but as your mother, and I don’t want you to do something that will haunt you later on. That’s why, exiling him is the right decision and it will also leave you with no regrets when you have to kill him the next time he steps out of line. Understood?”

“Mom…” he began slowly, staring at her kind expression hesitantly. He turned to his siblings and asked, “What about you?”

“I… I don’t know what crimes dad had committed since I never paid any attention to it, so I don’t feel I can say anything here, but… I don’t want to see you killing dad, bro,” said Santa sadly. “I… I want you to give him a chance to turn over a new leaf and become a better person.”

“It’s for the best, brother,” said Erza as she smiled serenely at Bolten.

The first prince looked at them and then glanced around at everyone in the room, who were smiling silently at him. He breathed a sigh and decided that he must put his feelings aside and do the right thing for the greater good of everyone.

“Very well. Exile it is,” he declared, and everyone’s smile widened happily at his verdict.

As such, that following evening, Bolten arranged another hearing, and this time, he laid out all the crimes that the king had committed before the assembled ministers and political leaders. For his part, the king protested numerous times for many of them, but Bolten simply ignored him as he went on by producing evidence after evidence against his father. Finally, he declared the king’s banishment and prayed that this would do him some good for the years to come.

“However, if you do anything terrible and step out of line again,” said Bolten and left his sentence hanging to create an ominous pressure on his father, who widened his eyes in shock.

On the very next day, the king was stripped of his royal clothing and was given the bare minimum clothing, food, and money before he was escorted out of the castle. A while later, the news of his banishment stunned the people before they started receiving the information and details of which had made the first prince, Bolten, to decide on banishing the king.

This caused a suddenly increase in popularity towards the first prince, Bolten, who was praised as a merciful ruler who valued the lives of his subjects and had a forgiving heart. Bolten was stunned by how people understood him and could only laugh bitterly at how close he came to making a grave mistake.

“It’s all thanks to you, my dear heroes,” he said, praising them and bowing his head to them.

“Ah well. We live and learn, right?” Vikram asked energetically as he walked over and clapped the prince, who was now hailed to become the next king.

“Hitting the next king on the back is a chargeable offense,” said Gram with a small smile.

“No, it’s not,” replied Vikram confidently.

“It is,” said Gram in a firm voice. “Isn’t it, Santa?”

“Oh. Well,” began Santa with a cheeky smile. “One could argue that it is, but since you're heroes, it might not be, but then again, he’s still a king, so maybe it is a crime?”

Vikram looked worried as he backed away from Bolten as he said, “Oi, oi, oi! You can’t be serious?!”

Both Santa and Gram looked at him, and then at each other before the two of them burst into laughter. For some reason, the second prince and the prince from another world seemed to get along pretty well after the previous king’s exile. It looked like Santa had taken a liking to how frank and honest Gram was during his declaration to convince his brother, and as such, had befriended him very quickly and by now the two seemed to have become good friends.

Lakshman, who was witnessing all of this, smiled softly as he gazed up at the sky as he muttered, “Right. With this, I think I can finally go home. But first, there’s one last thing to do.”

With that, he turned and let his gaze fall on Erza, who was smiling joyously with everyone else.