*** Volume 2 ***

*** The Empire ***

An extravagant study. The sunlight easily entered through the open window, illuminating the entire room with its natural golden lustre. There were incredible paintings hanged on the decorated walls. Everything in the room was beautiful, except one single article, which the exact opposite- ghastly.

There was a ‘picture’- or the tools to sense pictures to be precise- framed on a wall. Beautiful pairs of eyes of multiple colours were ‘pasted’ inside the golden and intricately designed frame. Behind them was a visible magic circle, intended to preserve the sensory organs.

There was an expensive desk coated with rare metals at the other end of the entrance. Upon it was a detailed map depicting the entire continent of Ervilia. But the eyes of the orange haired youth sitting at the desk was on something else.

“So, it’s the princess who won the selection. Not the prince?” The youth moved his black eyes from the scroll in his hands to his secretary.

The moustached secretary standing just beside him nodded. “Yes, your highness. The Lochtears, for the first time ever, had decided to join a side in a selection. It was no wonder that the princess won.”

“But it’s still a wonder that those freaks chose a side.” The prince dropped the scroll to his right. But before it could touch the ground, the monocled secretary caught it and rolled it back in no time. His facial muscles did not even twitch a bit, keeping his monocle in place.

“Indeed.” He nodded.

“Have you investigated?”

“Of course, your highness. It has something to do their recently revealed first heir- Sirius Lochtear, the archseed. He, for reasons unknown, decided to side with Princess. What’s even stranger is the fact that he has yet to show any intent to be the King.”

“Strange indeed.” The prince knitted his brows. “But not the fact that he does not want to be the king. He is an archseed after all, an existence we have been trying to nip before they can bloom since ‘the beginning’, but failed every time.” He shook his head and sighed. “Why would he want to be the king?”

“Your highness is wise.”

“But something’s not right.” He frowned even harder. “Is being an archseed enough to sway the Lochseeds into Royal politics?”

“I have tried to investigate further but could not find any results. But there is a possibility that Nemphis has another Calamity class existence hidden.”

“Another one?” He sighed. “Anyways, any news about the next king?”

“No, your highness. Almost everyone betted on Adrian Darkheart to be the next King. But the Royal family has yet to publicise anything official. I think that they don’t want an outsider- a darkshoric at that- to take the crown.”

“Or, he does not want to disappoint me.” The youth smirked.

“Pardon, your highness?” For the first time, the middle aged man’s facial muscles moved as he knitted his non-monocled eye.

“Forget it.” The prince waved his hand and darted his black eyes to the map below. “How much time remains, Alon?”

The man’s face returned to normal. “Two more years, your highness.”

The prince took a pen and stamped a cross on the map, right where the capital of Nemphis was at. His eyes then moved to his ‘collection’ on the wall.

“Wait, a pair of green will join you soon.” An evil smile creeped out on his face. “Just two more years.”

In a dark room, on a seat not any lesser than that of a throne, sat a majestic figure with his eyes closed, without a care of the world. But the pressure he was emitting was enough to make a normal man kneel.

*Whoosh*

“Viper?” The man slowly opened his eyes.

“It is I, your majesty.” A black cloaked figure that melded with darkness itself appeared out of nowhere.

“You have become more of a harbinger of bad news, than my most capable aide. What news do you bring this time?”

“Recently, the third princess was declared the next Queen because the Lochtears decided to join her.”

“Don’t tell me you will now bring me news the regular messengers and envoys bring.” The authoritative voice turned cold.

“Of course not.” Viper began to sweat beneath his hood.

“Hmph.” The man snorted.

“Have your Majesty wondered why the Lochtears went out their way and joined the third princess? It cannot be just because of the archseed, can it?”

“Indeed.” The king frowned. “Have you found something?”

“Yes.” Viper nodded. “Whoever swayed the Lochtear house has a deep connection to the underworld.”

“The underworld?” The man on the seat knitted his brows even tighter.

“Yes, your Majesty. They might be even some bigshots of the underworld.”

“Can you track it? You are a part of the underworld too- a major one at that.”

“I have to apologise for my incompetence, your highness.” Viper bowed. “The underworld is complicated. It might take several years just to confirm their existence, let alone uncovering their identity. And-“

“Yes, we don’t have time. What about that brat- Adrian Darkheart?”

“The Royals and their spouses aren’t allowed to conceive children before they reach level 5. Adrian is chosen as the King or not, it is of no doubt that he will become a high official at the Royal court.”

The king sighed. “Can you do it?”

“As long as he is not in the Academy or the Royal Palace, he is as good as dead.”

“I leave it to you then.” His countenance suddenly turned serious. “How’s the preparation going?”

“Everything’s good with the alliance and Darkshore. Northguard will take time. And Nemphis…”

The king sighed. “Not enough time, is there?”

“I regret to inform your Majesty that indeed we are lagging behind in that sector.”

“Leave it.”

“Pardon?”

“I said call back everything from Nemphis and concentrate on Northguard.”

“But-“

“No buts. Nemphis was a pipe dream anyway. Let’s focus on what we can achieve.”

“I understand, your Majesty. Everything will be done in time.”

“Leave.” The king waved his hand.

Viper bowed and disappeared back into the darkness.

The man looked up and sighed. “Only two more years.”

*Rumble*

Thunders were raging high in the sky. The occasional flashes gave a glimpse of days during the night.

*Whoosh* *Whistle*

Wind raced through the empty streets of the capital, whirling on the squares.

*Pitter-patter*

Rain fell down, drowning the streets of the biggest city in Nemphis. Hails pierced through the roofs of the wooden houses.

The situation was not any different for the Royal palace, except the hails crashing through the roof of course.

At the highest floor, sat the Everking- the highest existence of the Confederation known to the common men.

There was one window at one side of the room. It lit up the dark room for a moment in rhythm with the thunderous sound that came after a second or two.

There was only one candle upon the small table before him. He was staring blankly at the parchment of paper dimly lit by the candle beside. The flashes of lightning revealed the revealed the paper to be worn and old and having a hole at certain spot.

*Knock. Knock*

The green eyed old man with white strands of hair woke up from his stupor. “Come in.”

*Creak*

The rusty door opened. The nostalgia of the Everking was quite known among the Royals.

“Greetings, father.” The blonde bearded high king entered the room with light steps.

The Everking nodded and gestured the high king to sit opposite him.

The high king nodded once before sitting on the seat before his father. On the way, he noticed a worn out map on the table.

He frowned. It was familiar, too familiar.

He sat down, but his eyes were still knitted.

The two, side by side, looked like two brothers, not father and son.

“You are at it again, father.”

The Everking heaved a sigh. “It has been fifty years, Ernic, fifty years. And I still can’t get over it.” The beardless old man sighed yet again.

“Relax, father. You have done something that none before you could, nor anyone after. I, myself, tried two times…” The high king looked at the the small hole on the map. He still remembers his father stab that spot with a knife, tens of times, if not hundreds. More than that he remember himself stabbing through that hole a dozen of times. “But failed.” He sighed.

“But you at least tried.” The Everking suddenly scowled. “But your incompetent son… hmph… he did not even try.”

“Don’t blame him, father.” The high king gently shook his head. “You know what he had to go through. I am still glad for the fact that he was able to survive through all those years.” The feeling of guilt was again evident in his eyes.

“I apologise. I just…” the beardless man sighed.

“And you, father? You were able to grasp it in your hand- something unprecedented in the history of Ervilia.”

“But I couldn’t hold it.” The everking shook his head before facing the East and grasping the air with his fist. “But I had to let it go.” He released his grip, opening the fingers.

“You had no choice.”

“But it was a failure nonetheless.” The everking looked back at the wooden table through the spot on the map.

“That time is coming again.” The high king said.

“Yes. And this time, we are not failing.” The Everking’s voice grew firm as his face became stern.

“Are you…” The high king squinted.

“Yes, we are bringing out our trump card.”

“I guess it’s time then. But don’t forget we have two now.”

“Adrian Darkheart?”

“Yes.”

“But…”

“He might not be family yet. But he is still the most highly paid official in the country. He ought to give us something in return, right?”

“If it’s those two, we might have a chance.” He brought out a knife and stabbed a bit East to the joint borders of the Empire and the Kingdom, right above the Wyvian forest on the other side.

‘Ah shit, here we go again.’ The high king smiled wryly.

The Everking again looked to the East.

“Just two more years.”

Meanwhile, Adrian was ‘sunbathing’ on the solid roof of the palace. He was lying on Isabella’s lap while Isabella peeled and fed him fruits.

But there were two things terribly wrong with the scene. One- it was the dead of the night. And two-

*Pitted-patter*

It was raining cats and dogs.

But yet, a smile formed on his drenched face.

“Just two more years.”

This month comes to an end. The book’s rankings among the ongoing originals:

Golden ranking: 149

Trending ranking: 172

Weekly power ranking: Top 85

New Win-Win ranking: 36

Thanks to you guys, I was able to reach this high despite being a completely new writer in the seasonal period. Let’s try to reach higher next month, shall we? Enjoy!