Ivendir watched the raindrops scurrying down the window. Roaring thunder illuminated his hunched silhouette. He stood with his arms crossed, and he wore his casual clothes–a long beige shirt with linen, dark brown belt.

As the calm, steady steps resounded in the hall, a rapid shiver ran through his spine. He raised his pointy ears and glanced behind. Seeing how Thelrim crosses the doorway, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Was that necessary," asked the guard blankly. He rested his hand on his hip, sizing Ivendir up.

Ivendir gazed at the floor. "Killing my people is the last thing I want to do," he admitted, turning his head towards Thelrim, "but we really needed this factory." He raised his sight for a moment. "Especially... the profit it generates."

Thelrim reached his hand and said in an instructive tone, "This one factory won't save us. We will need more and more."

Ivendir blinked as the lightning flashed outside the window. "It should be enough for two or three months." He showed three fingers and turned towards Thelrim again. "Then we'll see."

Thelrim swept his gaze across the floor and unhurriedly raised his sight at Ivendir's face. "I don't want to judge you, Your Highness," he paused, watching the king's reaction, "but I think this... pact... was a mistake."

As Ivendir clenched his fist, his joints cracked. He bored his eyes into Thelrim and declared in a fierce tone, "I won't let them feed on our world."

Thelrim nodded with respect, seeing the audacious attitude of the king.

Ivendir walked away from the window, knowing that his threats were idle. "At least not for too long."

A LiqWatch on his wrist beeped and glowed blue. Ivendir caught a glimpse at it.

Erilaz? Not now, he thought and tapped the discard icon. "Speaking of necessity..." he said, crossing the hall, "I think it was necessary."

Thelrim nodded. He understood the king's decision. The good of their planet was of greater value for him. Since he was a child, he strived to serve his world as best he could, even though his family constantly underestimated his efforts. Now, when Ivendir became king, he had a chance to prove himself at any cost.

"I promised that Helvetto would prevail," Ivendir continued, clenching his fist, "and it will be more powerful than ever..."

The sound of his own words comforted him a bit. He observed the previous riot with swift heartbeat and spasms in his stomach. He secretly hoped that this situation would be resolved bloodlessly but when the first gunshots resounded in the speakers of his LiqWatch, he panicked. The strike of dread was so forceful that his heart almost stopped.

The thought of his next steps filled him with fright, but he couldn't just throw away his last efforts.

It's for the good of us all, as well as this planet, he thought. He stopped under a wall in the corridor and said, "I think Erilaz wants to speak with me." He reached his hand towards the door. "You're free to leave now."

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"As you wish," responded Thelrim and headed towards the exit.

Right before he left, he glanced at Ivendir. The king watched the rain, holding his hand near his mouth and waiting for Erilaz's response. A blue light of his LiqWatch reflected in the window, illuminating the tiny drops of water.

Thelrim walked out of the chamber, wondering how to process the new, unstable situation.

Thelrim left the chamber and headed towards the exit a floor below. As he walked out at the small, outdoor square, a chilly wind blew at his face, and the smell of rain filled his nostrils. The square was surrounded by a wooden walkway and pillars carved from tree trunks propped the sloping canopy. The water splashed out of the roof gutters, while the thin blades of grass bent down as large raindrops fell from the gloomy, dark grey sky. The leaves of decorative bushes grew bigger and bigger, and their pale green buds gained more vivid colours.

Only the Evergreen Tree under one of the walls didn't change. It still grew at a snail's pace, serving as a pillar for the canopy. The moss and lichens on it looked like flaked skin or soft green fur speckled with raindrops similar to round diamonds.

Thelrim narrowed his eyebrows as he spotted the silhouette resting on the root of the Evergreen Tree.

Hefri sat on the root, leaning on the trunk as if it were a backrest. Her long, emerald green dress waved as she swung her leg with boredom. She wore a rosy brown corset with darker plant ornaments and her wavy hair was tied up in a ponytail. A silver triskelion necklace proudly presented itself on her chest like it was the highest honour.

"Your co-worker made a little mess," muttered Thelrim, passing her by.

Hefri looked at him with aversion. "Maybe that's because he didn't receive any clear info? He didn't know any context of that situation." She relaxed her face and averted her sight. "And overall, he's Vardir." Her expression changed to dismissive. "There's one person who's responsible for giving him orders," she said in an instructive tone.

Thelrim raised his eyebrow. "Did he..."

"No disrespect," interfered Hefri in a fully disrespectful voice, "but that was a pretty half-baked action."

Thelrim took a step back. He raised his hands and closed his eyes. "Who am I to argue with mighty Vardir Hefri's opinion..."

A little smile flashed on Hefri's mouth. "I get it." She sighed deeply. "It's been over two years, and you still can't deal with being rejected..."

"It's not about success or rejection," reproached Thelrim, resting his hands on his hips. "King Brymir was unfair."

Hefri fell silent. She only raised a corner of her mouth. "Unfair?" She looked at him in disbelief. "You were too clumsy during the final exam." Before Thelrim responded, she closed her eyes and shrugged. "You lost, I won, the king chose me, the story is over."

Thelrim frowned subtly, and a flare of wrath flashed in his eyes. Hefri was right. He never recovered from this failure. When the results of the final exam saw the light of day, his family turned their back on him once and for all. He became worthless in their eyes.

Hefri was always one step behind him but somehow she managed to win the Vardir Commander position. Thelrim couldn't get over his weakness, so he tried to find a theory that would explain his lapse. He appealed against that result or sought evidence of Hefri's dishonesty but all his efforts were in vain.

"You were cheating," he muttered through clenched teeth, "I know you added something to my drink."

Hefri stretched with her hands behind her head and leant on the tree. "I didn't need to do that. You were weak enough without any magic powders."

Thelrim snorted with a gloomy smile. Gazing away, he said dreamily, "I wish we could do it again... under more fair terms."

"I see," began Hefri but a blast of thunder interrupted her. "I see no objection." She looked at him with sympathy. "But this still won't make you the new Vardir Commander. This place is taken." She raised her eyebrow. "By me."

"It's only about making things right between us."

"Cool." Hefri followed him with her eyes as he strolled away. She raised her wrist to her mouth as if she was talking to a LiqWatch. "We'll be in touch."