Ara coughed ungracefully as she made her way up the steps of the Ranharan Court Room, the rain that soaked her the previous night having given her a cold when she woke up that morning.

She couldn't count how many bodies she had walked past from she set foot into the palace grounds.

Her feet felt heavy, every step requiring effort to get her back to the place where it all started and a shiver ran down her spine the second her palm touched the smooth metal door.

It was just a bit too quiet.

Using her body weight, she pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold where she spotted a few people inside, instantly recognising Jing Han - his platinum blonde hair making him difficult to miss in any room. As she took steps forward she recognised more people: Yifa, Zhan, and some other Demons she hadn't seen before.

"Your Highness!" she called out, her voice managing to be loud enough to get Zhan and Jing Han's attention.

She looked from one to the other and immediately grabbed her necklace upon spotting Jing Han's sword gripped firmly in his left hand.

"Ara?"

The telltale reflective spot that suddenly appeared on her face was all it took for Zhan to whip around. Her hand flew out in his direction as she yelled the Protect spell, her precision, enunciation, casting and speed were perfect - she moved so fluidly and so fast.

But Jing Han was faster.

The young King's body jerked as the Demon's sword pierced right through his armor, flesh and bones, falling unceremoniously to the ground with a thud as the blade was pulled out.

Ara didn't even realise she was running until she almost tripped over as she stopped in front of his body, but was shoved out of the way by his mother who bent over his writhing figure.

"DO SOMETHING!" she screamed at Ara, her face red and puffy with panic and grief.

Ara glanced at Jing Han, who simply smirked and gestured for her to try.

He wasn't going to kill her?

Her breath hastened as she fell to her knees by his side and her hands shook with nerves as she felt around his rapidly cooling skin for any signs of life. Maybe, just maybe if there was a weak pulse, she could do something. His blood stains seeped onto her clothes as she mindlessly wiped her hands on the fabric, trying to tune out Yifa's panicked screeches. She couldn't think straight, and when she was able to focus for a few seconds, the words she needed to say became stuck in her throat. Yifa's gaze followed Ara as she got to her feet and stumbled back, shaking her head.

"Huh?"

Ara's ears pricked up at the sound of a new voice and a man in extremely elaborate green robes entered her field of vision. It was only then she noticed Min standing by the entrance. They acknowledged each other, but said nothing.

"T-the King is dead." Ara stammered, her own heart racing as adrenaline coursed through her veins.

The young man in green robes cocked his head and looked more closely at the dead guy on the floor.

"He's not the King."

"What?" Jing Han frowned. "What do you mean he's not the King?"

"This is the King!" Yifa growled, cradling her son.

The young man looked up and spotted... black wavy hair... wide eyes... strong bone structure...

"He's the King." the young man nodded. "Or... at least he was supposed to be."

"He's the one in your visions?" Jing Han asked.

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"That's him."

"Ara what is he talking about?" Yifa demanded. She was so confused, but seeing The Witch in front of her having turned quiet and keeping her head down...

No

It couldn't be...

"What did you do?! Zhan is dead! It was never supposed to be him! It was supposed to be Min!"

Min's heart stopped at his mother's words.

Did Ara... did she really lie about her visions?

Why would she do such a thing?

"Answer me! Was Min supposed to be king or not?"

"Yes!"

Min's face softened and he bit down hard on his cheeks as he felt a burning pain blossoming in his chest. It was his first time seeing Ara upset - nothing ever bothered her, she was unflappable. Her large eyes caught his and she didn't seem apologetic at all. A subtle jerk of her head towards the door told him everything she wanted to say.

Surely she wouldn't lie about that just for...

He took exactly one step forward.

No.

The sturdy heel of his boot twisted in the carpet as he turned away, the sound of his heavy steps lost in the thick tension in the atmosphere. He barely noticed the man he brushed against as he thundered out of the Court Room, away from the place he grew up in and mounted his horse.

The sun shone against the scratches, dents, dirt and blood in his armor that had seen one too many fights.

He had survived it all.

He took one last look at the Court Room before kicking off, the bright sun and blue sky overhead illuminating every route away from the blasted place.

Ara didn't have to look to know that Wang Jun had arrived.

"You get visions too?" Jing Han asked, his attention now on Ara.

He smirked as she raised her chin at him.

She wasn't afraid.

"I am The Witch Ara, the Descendant of Lu - I am the only person in this nation who receives visions."

"I don't have any descendants." the man in green frowned.

"What?"

"I am Lu." he explained, giving her an odd look.

Jing Han's feline lips turned into a smirk once more and Ara yelped as he reached out and tugged the necklace free from her neck.

"Give that back!" she demanded, swiping at the pendant that hung from his grip.

"I think..." he began, reaching under his robe and pulling something out. "you're not the only one who has lied."

An identical pendant sat on the Crown Prince's robes.

Lu produced his pendant and Wang Jun as well. No one in the room missed how the atmosphere shifted, an almost visible shift of the tension from the Witch to the King's Mother.

"Wang Jun, you were the one who found her, right?" Jing Han asked.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"If I could promote you, I would." he smirked. "The whole time she was right here, right under our noses."

"What are you talking about?" Ara asked, her voice quiet and cold.

"No, is she...?" Lu trailed, taking a few strides towards Ara, who backed away as he and the Crown Prince came closer.

"I think she just might be." he grinned.

"Your Highness, what are they talking about?" Ara shot the question at the Queen.

Her chest rose and fell as she cradled her son, staring daggers at the Demon Prince. Of all days for this to come to light... it had to be today? As soon as her lips parted, Wang Jun spoke:

"You see, Miss Ara, there was a famous case of a daughter of a noble family being abducted by strangers and for the last twenty-two years no one has been able to locate her. However, we got wind of how you use your necklace to perform magic and Crown Prince Jing Han had me come to confirm your identity."

"Your Highness?"

Ara turned to the King's Mother, who simply scowled.

"We needed a new one!" she spat. "The last one had no kids, what else were we supposed to do? How were we supposed to defend ourselves?"

"Figure it out like every other fucking nation, you waste of space!" The Witch yelled, unmoved as Yifa gaped. "What? You think I enjoyed having all of you rely on me for every single decision? I lied about Zhan and I knew this invasion was coming and I said nothing!"

"How could you!" Yifa shot to her feet.

"What difference would it have made?" Ara countered.

One could have heard a pin drop in the silence.

"Did I not treat you like one of my own?" Yifa murmured.

"Like one your own, but not." Ara let out a bitter laugh as approached the former queen. "You made it very clear what my position was in the palace. Did you always know what I was capable of? Of my strength? Are you aware that I can crush your neck with one hand if I so wish?"

"Ara!" Yifa's eyes watered. "What's gotten into you? What are you saying?"

Ara stood at her full height, no longer feeling like she had to make herself look smaller beside her.

"How about this, Ara?" Jing Han's voice interrupted. "Why don't you come with us?"

Ara turned slightly, all ears.

"Come with you?"

"Come back home." he finished, noting how her fingers had curled into the fabric of Yifa's robe. "Don't waste another second with these evil people, don't give her any of your energy. She's not worth it, not with what she's done to you."

Hesitating for a moment, Ara's grip didn't loosen one iota. When she had asked about her parents, the King and Queen told her they had already passed away, her father in battle before she was born, her mother stolen away by murderous thieves in the middle of the night, her body never to be found again. She'd never seen anything of them, no one had stories to tell, and you couldn't miss someone you'd never met.

Her grip tightened.

Somewhere out there in Revenet, a family had been grieving the loss of a baby. What had they told themselves to cope through the years? How many people blamed them for not being careful enough? How would they feel knowing that one of their own was not only alive, but had been well taken care of for her entire life, albeit groomed to be their national soothsayer, nothing more than a tool?

Just who, exactly, was she?

With a forceful shove, Ara sent Yifa hurtling towards the cold stone floor once more.

"Let's go."