Kaelis, regaining his consciousness, found himself bound, sitting in the corner of a well-lit train carriage. His wrists and ankles were shackled with something he had trouble focusing on, but then he finally realized why. Each restraining cuff was suppressing his connection to magic. No matter how he tried to call on the familiar feeling, it wasn’t responding to him at all. It was different from the suppressive effects of his rings, as even then, he could feel the connection being there. Now? It was gone. Utterly gone. Realizing that he couldn’t access it, his mind churned in absolute terror. They captured him… And if he wasn’t dead, a much worse fate was waiting for him. He couldn’t even activate his last resort and bring them down with himself. The memory quickly brought back the fact of how Avalon’s soldiers defeated him, slapping his magic away like flies… If they can do that, what else are they capable of? Avalon… it was worse than they thought. Looking out of the window, watching the scenery pass by, the melting snow and the first greenery slowly sticking out of under it. The realization finally allowed him to pick up on the world and its noises coming out of the stupor he was previously in.

Throughout their journey, he remained silent. When he was flanked by the same grim warriors, being pulled up and forced to walk out of the carriage, his eyes finally rested upon the city he only knew from Lyria. Lyria! The realization that she wasn’t caught gave him some solace. Not all was lost after all…

Forced to walk, his mind had returned to the present, surviving the city, which would be his prison until he was tortured to death. At least, he thought he would be. This place wasn’t a city—it was a beast masquerading as one. The roads in and out were paved with flawless symmetry, stretching in all directions. It was not natural; it was engineered to be the blood vessel of this monster. Wherever he looked, he only saw, in his opinion, brainwashed traitors. They had everything it seemed… they were happy, their faces looking on curiously, examining him like an exotic animal, without any worry. They didn’t fear him or the skull-faced warriors. Which further showed they were brainwashed as who wouldn’t be afraid, trembling in terror when meeting a mage or warriors who were twice their size?

“Ishillia’s focus is all wrong,” he whispered under his breath, his voice trembling. “The Emperor… needs to focus on this, not on the traitor Empress...”

“Talking to yourself?” Pion's voice cut through his thoughts like a blade, walking next to him. His skull-faced helmet turned slightly, the glow of his red eyes scanning him, probably checking the cuffs they put on him for any defects. “Good. Keep at it because it’s the only conversation you’ll have for a while.”

Kaelis stiffened the moment he gazed into those ‘eyes,’ retreating inward in response, falling silent again. He was terrified… In a way that he never knew was possible. When they finally arrived at the holding facility, Kaelis was marched through corridors illuminated by bright lamps, giving out light without a burning torch. He may have been in the mood to try and guess how they worked in the past, but right now, he just chalked it up to another work of demonic magic. Through the journey, he watched those black armors, and he knew… they had to come from beasts. As for how? He didn’t want to know; he knew enough that Avalon was the home of the worst of worst… Beast worshippers. Just like the legends of the ancient Vasa bloodline...

“In.” Pion shoved him from behind, breaking his thoughts and locking Kaelis into his new ‘home.’

The prison cell he was placed in was bare and unsettlingly clean. Where were the rats? The stank of decades of filth left behind by other prisoners? By their decomposing bodies, left here to rot? Was this a new kind of torture method? Trying to break his will more insidiously? His mind raced as he tried to plan, but every thought looped back to a singular idea: Avalon was something that he couldn’t comprehend, and Lyria was not even close when giving her warnings.

…

….

……

“You flew?!” Merlin yelled, making me raise a hand before he could continue.

“Wait, wait, you brought back who?” I asked, looking at him with raised eyebrows as he came running into my study.

“Doesn’t matter! You said you would wait for me to return! Yet you flew?! Already?! Liar! No fair! Noooooo, I wanted to see iiiiiit!” He sniffled, actual tears appearing in his eyes as he was doing his best not to throw a tantrum.

“If others would see you like this now…” I whispered, amazed by his reaction.

“I don’t care…” He continued pouting, sniffing, wiping his eyes. “I never missed a first in Avalon’s history…”

“…” I had so many dirty jokes appearing in my mind to reply with. But I was the older one; I had to hold it back, or I seriously could extend his sulking period by days. “We couldn’t wait, war is upon us. Kraus and the rest are already building the first squadron while I compiled the training regimen along with a user manual.” I explained calmly, ignoring his bad mood. “For now, they will act as scouts for our army and possible bombers. When you are finished skulking and got spanked by your wife for being petty, we can plan our attack for real.”

“I’m not skulking… I’m sad…” He muttered, making me chuckle.

“So? What is this about... saying that you brought back an Ishillian mage?”

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“I decided on tying Atuvia to us, permanently.” He shrugged and finally began explaining what happened, making me cross my arms while listening to him.

“Hm… Not a bad move. This will help us out in the future. What about the other spy?”

“We intercepted a letter from her. I have already modified it and sent it on its way. Soon, Pascal will learn our plans to move through Atuvia and how we made them allow us to do so. Capturing his mage. I opted to leave the woman untouched, to be of service to us until we started our assault.”

“Mhm. We will keep at it as before. Send a message to our agents to keep to the plan. Set her up with the oil fields. When it's done, start planting clues for Atuvia’s own to discover her role as a spy.”

“Shouldn’t it be us who expose her?” Merlin asked, a bit surprised.

“No. Not after what you pulled. They may think we are playing them. Make sure that our clues don’t lead back to us. Let them ‘discover’ that the woman is also an Ishillian spy. That will reinforce their belief that we are a much better choice than anything they have open to them.”

“I see. Understood, I’ll make sure to implement it well.”

“As for the prisoners, what are your plans? I would be behind the idea of turning him, but so far, every Ishillian mage and agent looked like they were raised well, with complete loyalty.”

“Maybe.” Merlin shrugged, showing his own uncertainty, “Mikan changed sides easily, though!”

“That was different.” I chuckled, remembering the first time I saw her, “If it works, good. If it doesn’t, it will only be a danger and liability. In that case, send him on the Walk.”

“Understood.” Merlin saluted again, but then a thought struck him, “When we sent the previous mage on it, the following winter was… unpleasant.”

“It shouldn’t have any correlation,” I said, but then again, who knows? “But… yeah. Sure. Then send him to Mirian; maybe she can do something with him.”

“If it comes to that, I will.” He nodded before stepping closer to the table, looking at me with a curious, puppy-like eye, “How was it?”

“Hm? What?”

“The flying! How was it?!”

“Oh?” I grinned, “It was incredible.”

“Uuuuuuuuu! UNFAAAAIIIIIR!”

…

….

……

Kaelis had been left alone for days—at least, that was his feeling. In reality, he couldn’t really tell how much time had passed since being put into his cell. The only constants were the young-faced officers bringing him food and the guards standing close by. The food itself wasn’t bad or stale—quite the opposite, it was good. He knew it was about to be feeding time once again, and by now, he even looked forward to it, making him think they had put something into his meals. Something addictive. Yet, instead of the usual face, someone else came this time.

Merlin entered the room with the air of an interrogator who already knew all the answers and was here to torture him for fun. His staff was absent this time around, but that didn't mean anything. His hands were clasped behind his back as he stepped lightly, his boots tapping against the smooth stone floor, making Kaelis’s eyes twitch in the same rhythm. He came along with a soldier, this time his helmet hanging from his waist, showing Kaelis that there were indeed humans under those masks. Unexpected.

“Kaelis Zerath,” Merlin began, his voice neutral. “You’ve had a couple of days to think things through. Care to tell me why Ishillia felt it necessary to plant you in Atuvia?”

Kaelis clenched his jaw, saying nothing. He wouldn’t break so easily, not in the face of this… child. If he thought he would just open up, he was gravely mistaken.

“I see.” Merlin chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re still terrified. I can feel it. That’s good. Fear is honest.”

“You don’t know anything about me,” Kaelis spat, though his voice cracked slightly.

“Oh, but I do.” Merlin chuckled, sitting down on a chair that Pion brought along for him. “You’re a talented mage, trained since childhood to be the perfect spy for Ishillia. But that is information we are not really bothering with. It is useless for us. Just like the presence of your female colleague within Atuvia. The one we left behind on purpose.”

Kaelis’s heart sank upon hearing. He said nothing, but his thoughts betrayed him. The fact they knew about Lyria… Everything was over. They… Did they win already?!

“We have.” Merlin smiled faintly as if reading his mind. “Let me make this simple. Your Emperor focuses on Mirian Ishillia because he sees her as THE threat. Maybe he is starting to realize she is not the true spearhead… But it is too late for him. But you, Kaelis, you’ve seen what lies here. You’ve felt it. You now know for sure that real danger isn’t Mirian.” He leaned closer, his eyes locking onto Kaelis’s. “It’s us.”

Kaelis immediately looked away, unable to maintain eye contact for more than a second. He was shaken to the core, and it showed.

“Let me tell you a story,” Merlin continued, his tone softening. “Avalon wasn’t always like this. We were a forgotten corner of the Empire, ignored by everyone, written off as savages. But we built something from nothing. What you have seen is what we did in only a decade! We embraced our Sovereign’s ideas and leadership. Our region has advanced beyond your understanding, Kaelis from Ishillia. And we have just started...” He gestured around the cell, “Now, we’re a power that can rival giants ten times our size. Imagine what we will be in another decade!”

“You are delusional.” Kaelis finally glared at him again, though the fear still shone in his eyes. “You think that you really have a chance?”

“Chance?” Merlin laughed. “We have certainty.”

Kaelis stayed silent this time around, his resolve faltering with every word coming out of Merlin’s mouth.

“I won’t kill you,” Merlin said finally. “Not unless I have to. You’re too valuable for that. But I will break you, Kaelis. Not with pain, not with fear—but with the truth. And the truth is, Ishillia has already lost. I will show it to you and give you a chance to repent. To join us. That is the only way for your true freedom, not just from this cell, but from the sinister magic in you. We wouldn’t plant something in you, Kaelis… something that would kill you if you go against us. We have honor in Avalon. Something that Ishillia has long forgotten.”

Finishing his words, the Prime Minister of Avalon simply walked away while Kaelis watched his back. He was left with his confused thoughts for the rest of the day.

He continued to sit alone in his cell, staring at the small, unlit lamp in the corner that, when night came, had been extinguished. His thoughts were a tempest. Merlin’s words echoed in his mind, intertwining with the images of what he saw of the city... What else was hiding in here…? What kind of horrors give them such confidence? He didn’t know, but that night, his dreams kept him waking up multiple times in a row.