RAY VAN CAMARO
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About three months had passed since the Great Shuffle teleported everyone in Gilead all over Armestis. Around fifty percent of the villagers who were caught up in the Great Shuffle had been accounted for. Either dead or alive. The other fifty were still missing.
There had been a nationwide search for the teleported which helped out a lot. Many of the villagers were sent to places they were unfamiliar with. With no clue what was going on or where they were, they were taken advantage of. The nationwide search found them and punished the people that had done so.
During this, there was a State Of Emergency declared for people near the Capital and the north. The Maze Labyrinth right by the Peaks Of Asaru had been spewing out monsters and wreaking havoc on nearby settlements. Many State Jynxists, adventurers, and soldiers united to take out its heart. There were even rumours that a couple of the Royal Guard were there to help out.
Since I was dealing with the Great Shuffle, I was exempted from the emergency.
Heloise would be going with them. She was the strongest and most experienced jynxist I’d ever met. But she had trauma from the Ice Palace Labyrinth as everyone she cared about died during its raid.
If things go wrong, she better stay safe and use her judgement.
I do hope Gluttony went with them. The Maze Labyrinth was exactly what it sounded like. It was an ever-changing maze and its heart was in the middle, protected by dangerous monsters and fiends. If things went out of hand, he could simply open a portal and have everyone escape.
“I’ve been in Gilead for far too long,” Pops said as his soldiers began packing up. “I have to get back to Seraphim and continue my duties there. I’ll leave additional men here. This is as much help I could give.”
“Actually, there’s one thing I can use help with,” I said. “Could you have someone stay here in my stead?”
“You’re leaving again? You’ve done this so much. You’re going to get into trouble.”
“I know, but these jynxists are planning something. If we don’t deal with them, we’ll be in a lot more.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Right now, the only people that know about this thing are you, me, Czeslaw, all three of our units, and some random cat woman.”
“Cat woman?”
“She’s Czeslaw’s friend. Or partner? I don’t know, it’s very unclear.”
“What are you planning?”
“We need King Arthureus’ help. He’ll know what to do. Actually, he’s been eager for something like this.”
“The King? That’s a big risk you’re taking. Many people have something to gain if Arthureus loses the crown. If he acts rashly, it could do us more harm than good.”
“Something sinister is happening behind the scenes of this country. A lot of people call him a meek king because his reign has been relatively peaceful. I’m sure he’ll want a chance to prove himself.”
“Be careful, Ray. If Arthureus makes the wrong decisions or even says the wrong words, we’re going to make ourselves more enemies than allies.”
“I know, but we’re soldiers. We gave up our safety. I can’t stay safe knowing there are people who are in danger. Among them are Jaime, Trisha, and Ilias. And two of them are being hunted.”
Pops put a hand on my shoulder. “We’ll find them.”
And just like that, we both headed our separate ways.
We arrived at the Capital two weeks later and in that time only four more villagers were found. Fewer people were being found as time passed. There was no news about Jaime, Trisha, and Ilias either.
“I’m really worried about everyone who hasn’t been found,” Kaiser said after we rented out rooms. “In a missing persons case, the first forty-eight hours are the most important. It’s been three months.”
“They’re fine,” Gama said. “Ilias is a State Jynxist, Jaime is a better swordsman than us, and the doc is good with jynx and she’s a doctor for crying out loud.”
“If they are fine, they should’ve been found by now.”
“Exactly,” Rudolf said. “And less and less people are being found. The chances are getting slimmer.”
“Fewer. Fewer and fewer people are being found,” Hendrik corrected. “But they’re not in the hands of the people that caused this. Unless there’s a pattern we haven’t seen, there’s no way to know where they are. If the entire country hasn’t found them, I doubt people moving in the shows have.”
“But we’re not sure about that, are we?”
Doria noticed I was getting uncomfortable at their conversation and shushed them.
I scheduled an appointment with King Arthureus and Wrath dropped by at the inn we were staying. He escorted me to the Iron Keep and instructed my unit to stay where they were.
I was then let into the king’s office where he was reading over papers, signing letters, and sealing envelopes with wax.
“Good morning, Ray,” he said as he wrote with a quill. He continued to write a letter, paying me no mind. “I’m terribly sorry about the Great Shuffle. There was just no way we could predict a mana incident like that. Why are you here… again? I’m sure your presence in Gilead would ease the hearts of your people. But I know you only come here if it’s important.”
“You’re right about that, Your grace. And about the mana incident. Can I talk to you in private?”
He shot a look at Wrath who nodded and left, closing the door.
I closed the windows, summoned two Dolls outside, and took off my coat to block the gap beneath the door.
“You’re going through a lot of trouble to keep this private,” the king pointed out.
“The Great Shuffle wasn’t naturally occurring. It’s a spell. Hundreds of them being cast simultaneously. Hundreds of jynxists all have this book. If you—”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
“Colonel, Colonel,” the king said. “Calm down. Slow down.”
“Someone ordered Gilead to be teleported. And their targets were two people in particular, Ilias, who you named as Prince Of Dawn, and his mother, Trisha. I don’t know why—”
“I know everything about the Great Shuffle, Colonel. You don’t have to tell me. I was the one who ordered it.”
“Only half of the vill…”
Did he just say he ordered it?
“You probably think you’re hearing things, so I’ll repeat myself.” King Arthureus put down the quill and interlocked his fingers. “I ordered the Great Shuffle.”
I chuckled uncomfortably at his jest, but his serious demeanour told me it was everything but.
“W-why?” I backed away from him, my knees weakening. “So many people are missing. So many people are dead. What do you mean you ordered it?”
“Do you know what metamorphosis means?” He went to the corner and poured two cups of wine. “A change of a form of a thing into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means.”
He set one of the cups in front of me and drank the other.
“That is the simplest way I can explain why I ordered the Great Shuffle. I want to change Armestis into a new and more prosperous country. And for that to happen, it must be built on strong foundations. To have a good foundation, you must tear down the existing one.”
“Like a phoenix. Death and rebirth.”
“Exactly. I want to help change Armestis.”
Help? Is he not behind all this?
Don’t tell me he’s following orders. Don’t tell me there’s someone above him.
“And Trisha and Ilias? What do you need them for?”
“I can’t tell you that. But one or the other is needed to progress.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I want your help, Colonel. I have shown interest in you ever since you were a boy because you have the attributes to become one of the founders of a metamorphosized Armestis. I want you to join me.”
“If I join you, I’ll become one of the leaders?” I asked.
“You’ll be so much more.”
Clenching my teeth, I struck the cup of wine he set before me. “You are out of your mind if you think I’ll join you. I admire your want to make this country a better place. I share that same dream. But not like this. There are other, cleaner ways.”
King Arthureus sighed. “What shame at how so much potential can just crumble away like that. You’re just like General Clegane.”
“General Clegane? What does he have to do with this.”
“I asked him the same thing I asked you, albeit in a hypothetical manner. Just like you, he declined. That’s when I knew he’d oppose what we’re planning.”
“So that’s why you moved him to Seraphim and made him Warden of the West,” I realized. “The west is sometimes called the Bad Company because they are more loyal to General Clegane than to the king. He’s also got some powerful allies who wouldn’t question him. That’s why you made this whole thing look like a mana incident. You’re scared of him.”
“I’m not afraid of that old man. The Day of Reckoning is close. We can’t afford to waste time meddling with domestic affairs.”
“We? Who’s in on this grand conspiracy?”
“Conspiracy? It’s a rebirth. I don’t offer this to just anybody. I need people who know how to be in charge and assertive. Most of them are higher-ups in the military.”
I was confused as to why Dr Creed assured me I was safe from Scar. Back then, I thought he was insane. But the pieces had fallen into place.
“Higher-ups?” I chuckled desperately. “All these years, I was led to believe Scar was a terrorist. Now I know why you fear him so much. He knows about this rebirth and plans on stopping you—by eliminating your higher-ups one by one. You led me to believe he was the villain. In fact, it’s the opposite.”
“But his actions are futile. He can keep killing as many people as he wants. Nothing will stop this.”
“And one of your jynxists said you needed Ilias and Trisha. What for?”
“Now that you oppose me, I can’t tell you.”
I scoffed. “Gilead was always so much safer than other settlements. It’s because you were taking extra precautions to keep them safe.”
“Do you ever wonder why I put you in jurisdiction of Gilead? I knew you’d keep them safe with your Dolls and I knew that Scar wouldn’t target you.”
I chuckled in defeat. “Now that I know so much, you’re going to kill me to keep me quiet, aren’t you? How will you do it?”
“You really think I don’t see what you’re trying to do? If I killed you, General Clegane would wage war. Even if we manage to hide your execution, word will get to him one way or another. That or he’ll figure it out. I’m not going to let you die a martyr.”
I kept calm, trying to accept my demise. As fast as I could, I grabbed my revolver, pointed it against my head, and pulled the trigger.
“Another Brick In The Wall!” King Arthureus’ eyes glowed red. “I prohibit you from taking your own life!”
At the last possible moment, it felt like my body moved on its own. I turned my head out of the way and tossed my revolver aside. The bullet that would’ve otherwise entered my skull only grazed my hair.
The door was burst open by Wrath, donning his blade.
The king raised his hand. “We’re fine here, Wrath. Let us continue this conversation just for a few more minutes.”
Wrath bowed and did as he was told. “Of course, Your Grace.”
“What the hell was that?” I questioned.
“Do you really think the king of Armestis doesn’t know jynx? What you just saw is my alchemy ability. I call it Another Brick In The Wall. When I activate it, my eyes turn red and I can plant a command on anyone making eye contact with me.”
“Tsk. Why didn’t you just command me to do your bidding?”
“Because my commands only prohibit actions. Not encourage them. I can also only put in one command per person. The command is passive, but it lasts forever.”
“You’re a fool, Your Grace. Why didn’t you just use it on the jynxists and prohibited them from talking about this whole thing? Instead, we found one and tortured him just enough to make him talk.”
He rubbed his eyes. “I try not to use this ability too much. Every time I use it, my vision gets worse. I’d say I have three more uses before I go blind. By that point, I wouldn’t be able to make eye contact and this whole ability will be useless. I have to be smart about how I use it.”
“And you couldn’t just waste it on over a hundred jynxists.”
“You’re smart, Chariot. Too bad I can’t have you on our side. But you still have a lot of uses. You’ve got strong and powerful gates. You might come in handy during the ritual.” He sighed. “However, I’ve used up my one command for you and I can’t have you roaming around. Which is why I’m taking away your jurisdiction of Gilead and keeping you here.”
“Who would’ve guessed?”
“I’m also going to be taking your unit apart and reassigning them. Greed and Gluttony have already told them that you want to separate them to make sure at least one of you knows the truth just in case the others get killed. I’ll be sending Gama to Frieren. I’m sending Hendrik to Drenyev. I’m sending Rudolf to Harkhall. I’m sending Kaiser to the Divot. And Doria will be staying in the Iron Keep with you and becoming my personal adjutant.”
I sat in silence.
“You must be feeling desperate losing your squad. It’s common knowledge that Lieutenant Doria has been struggling with the trauma of being teleported. No one would question if she takes her own life. Don’t do anything stupid, Colonel. Her life is in your hands.”
Many thoughts flooded my mind and I wanted to summon as many Dolls as I could to attack King Arthureus. But that wouldn’t do anything. Even if I did manage to kill him, he would probably just be replaced by someone who would still enact the same plan.
I had to restrain myself. He said I was more use to him alive than dead, but the same goes for the side I was fighting for. I couldn’t save the people I care about or stop this sinister plan if I was dead.
I’ve got to keep it cool.
“You’ll be staying at the Royal Apartments and will be heavily monitored,” King Arthureus mentioned.
He took away my precious pieces and cornered me, but the endgame was still far off. I couldn’t see a clear path to checkmate the king. But I didn’t have to win, I just have to prevent him from winning.