Dinothom wasn't annoyed, pissed, or even angry. He was furious. After the solemn flight home, where Morokhan and more so Sophie were unconsolable, Dino went to see his father the king. He informed him about the happenings and Dino's clues and inklings, requesting the king's support to get justice from the Ruby family for attacking Tiara and killing a faithful subject.

In his infinite wisdom, the king denied the request, telling his son that the situation had already been dealt with. In fact it had been an excellent opportunity to test Dino. Though the king had been disappointed with how long it had taken Dino to produce results, this would be something that had to be corrected soon.

While the king talked at length about what Dino had missed, done wrong, or too slowly, Dino grew increasingly agitated, only royal protocol holding him back from shaking his father and shouting at him. Still, what almost put him over the edge to a full magical assault was his father's explanation that he had cleared any misunderstanding with the Rubys regarding the death of their first son. This leads to another long-winded explanation about the roles of the four great houses.

The Obsidian family were the military leaders, and the Emerald family was responsible for logistics, leaving the Sapphire family's duties to internal matters. The Ruby family was different. On the surface, they would be responsible for enforcing the law whenever the Sapphire family could not deal with it. Still, and this was something Dino didn't know until now, their actual duty was to keep the hidden techniques and history of the Soul-kin alive and keep an eye on the dangerous Shadow-kin. The unfortunate accident of their heir was because of the boy's hubris, using the forbidden technique before he was ready and with a stronger elemental than he could handle.

If you had asked anyone close to the throne room, everyone would say that they most definitively hadn't heard a shouting match between the present and future ruler. Also, of course, nobody had heard Crown Prince Dinothom calling his father a "heartless, brainless barbaric tyrant" or his Royal Highness the king calling his son a weak-willed idealist who couldn't appreciate the sacrifices the king needed to make to prepare him for his rule.

Asking any guard for a hypothetical answer, they would probably answer something like, "Calling the sacrifice of a loyal subject and the almost death of the third princess cheap sacrifices for teaching the crown prince" would have been only a reason for more shouting.

After a multiple-hour shouting match between the king and Dinothom, Dino had returned to his quarters, thoroughly exhausted. Still, the new, somewhat familiar redhead maid responsible for Dinothom's wellbeing had prepared refreshments and some light fruit snacks.

"What do I tell them?" Dino asked.

"The truth?" Ruth answered him, giving Dino a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Sophie will be devastated, and Morokhan, he's normally rather calm in difficult situations, but this could send him over the edge." Dino sighed. "I mean, my father more or less allowed the whole Shadow-kin attack to happen. And it's my fault for not recognizing that the mission had gone from capture to kill. Otherwise, the Shadow-kin wouldn't have made the glider crash in such a dangerous place."

"You think the crash was calculated?" She asked, starting to give Dino a shoulder massage, which drew a deep sigh from the stressed prince.

"I know it to be so. Those mercenaries are skilled." He grumbled.

"Still, I think they both have the right to know the truth. They have lost their son. Even if he died a hero." Ruth said in a calm voice.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"You're right. But I'm scared." Dino answered.

"I understand. Still, you ordered their son to watch over your sister. This is your responsibility," she said.

That's why the following day, Dino stood before the home of his friend, disguised in his usual attire, and hesitated to knock. Dino took a deep breath and finally knocked. Then, he waited a long time until the door was opened, giving him the view of a completely disheveled Morokhan. Dino was shocked at his friend's appearance for a second but then understood it and hid his shock well. Morokhan looked like he hadn't eaten for days, was seemingly back to the malnourished figure prevalent in the Soul-kin, and looked dead tired.

"Hallo, Dino." Morokhan greeted his friend. "Sorry for not keeping up with our duty."

"That's not why I'm here," Dino replied. "Can I enter?"

Morokhan nodded and made way for the prince. When Dino entered, the first thing he noticed was that the normally clean home was in dire need of cleaning, but his friend didn't even seem to notice the dirt. The next shock for the prince was Sophie, who was not even looking at him but sitting on the floor, hugging something that looked like some sort of clothing to Dino.

"Hello, Sophie," Dino said carefully, but he got no answer. A concerned look at Morokhan only made the other man shrug.

"Can I offer you something to drink?" Morokhan asked.

"I don't want to be a bother," Dino stated.

At this, Morokhan simply shrugged and sat down on the floor next to his wife, hugging her. This display almost broke Dino's heart, and his determination wavered. Could he be so cruel and tell his friends that their son's heroics were more or less for naught? He knew it was the right thing to do. They deserved to know, but right now? In the end, he let out a sigh.

"Do you want to be released from my service?" He asked.

"I don't know," Morokhan answered, and after an uncomfortable long time without saying anything more, Dino let out another sigh.

"I can understand your grief. Mor was something special and far more to you than to anyone else. I feel awful because it's my fault he ended up like that." Dino began.

"No, he chose for himself. We didn't expect it to be so dangerous. We should have prepared him better." Morokhan said.

"Still, do you think he would want you to sit there and do nothing?" Dino began but was promptly interrupted by Sophie.

"He would have wanted to be here and alive!" She hissed.

"But he can't. He would have wanted you to take up his legacy, the new techniques he developed, and the new truths he had shown us. You need to come to terms with his absence, as hard as it is." He continued.

"Shut up," Morokhan growled. "Leave! You know nothing."

"I know enough, and I will change the Soul-kin with all my might for the future and that special boy. I just had hoped you two would be by my side." He let out a big sigh. "I fought with my father because of this, because he couldn't take this seriously."

Dino then waited for a response but got none.

"I will come visit you tomorrow." He finally said and then left.

Every step that carried him further away from his friends angered him. He hated that the Rubys would get away unpunished and hated his father for letting this happen. Most of all, he hated those political games everyone played while he tried to make life better for everyone. A splat and shout pulled his attention away from his anger. To his shame, he recognized the poor salesman, whose leafy vegetables had been crushed and then exploded. He needed to cool down. Losing control of his highly potent magic could end very badly.

Still, this moment got his mind working again. If everyone wanted to play games, then Dinothom would play. He would stack the deck as much in his favor as possible. Meaning he needed to get Orth and Saphine where he needed them. Also, Tiara would need to help him, and hopefully, this would get Morokhan and Sophie out of their despair.

He decided that he needed to take over quicker than his father had expected, though it would likely take years until all the pieces were in place for an unbloody hostile takeover.