The Past in the Laybirth Kingdom
In the palace
"I hope he's okay. He's going alone," Zeya said, worry in her voice.
"He'll be fine," I replied.
"I hope you're right," she muttered, still uneasy.
"He's strong. He's my brother, after all," I said with confidence.
"Thank you, Mara. You're making me feel a little better," Zeya admitted, smiling faintly.
Believe me, I'm worried too, I thought silently.
In the carriage, traveling along a dirt trail bordered by grass, flowers, and animals
Peter gazed at the distant Jinkawa walls.
They're huge, even from here, he thought.
The driver broke the silence. "King, how are you going to get in if there are guards?"
"You'll stop where they can't see me, and I'll climb the wall."
The driver's eyes widened. "What?!"
"Is something wrong?" Peter asked, genuinely confused.
"You could go to jail for that!" the driver exclaimed.
"Yeah," Peter answered, calm and confident.
"So… you know?!"
"Of course. And stop yelling," Peter ordered.
"King, you're crazy," the driver muttered.
"Anything for the kingdom. I'll go to jail if I have to," Peter said firmly.
That's our king—determined, willing to do anything for us, the driver thought with a smile.
"Well, hold on tight. I'm getting you there as fast as I can," the driver said with renewed determination.
Might as well give it my all. It's for the king, the driver thought, grinning.
"Thank you," Peter said warmly.
Thirty minutes later
They reached an open field just outside the massive stone wall.
"From the kingdom, it looks like we're close to Jinkawa Village… but we're far south," Peter observed.
"Well, we're here. This wall is incredibly long—it'll take time to climb," the driver said.
Peter stepped out. The wind whipped against him as he stared up at the towering wall.
"Don't worry about me. Go back to the kingdom," Peter instructed.
"What?! No way I'm leaving you alone!" the driver protested.
"I'll walk back when I'm done."
"That's even worse!" the driver shouted.
"Stop yelling," Peter grumbled, rubbing his ear.
"It's a three-hour walk! I'm staying here!"
"Go back."
"No."
"Actually, go back," Peter repeated, stepping toward the wall.
"I'm not leaving."
"I'm serious. Go back," Peter said, almost at the wall now.
"Nope."
Peter placed his hand against the cold stone and turned, his expression hard.
"You don't know how cruel this world is. I've traveled it with my wife. It's nothing like the kingdom. Out here, they'll rob you, kill you, torture you without hesitation. Go back—that's an order."
The driver swallowed hard. "…If that's an order…"
"Tell them I'll be back before they know it. Now go."
"Got it," the driver said, his voice shaky.
As the carriage rolled away, Peter smiled faintly. "You think this is hard for me? I built a kingdom."
He leapt at the wall, scaling it with rapid, powerful movements until he reached the top.
From there, he gazed down at the glowing village. People laughed, talked, and lived happily.
"It's beautiful… but you force your villages to work to death for this. It's not right," he said darkly.
He dropped from the wall, landing softly before sprinting through the streets. He passed villagers, vendors, children, even ninjas—all staring at him like he'd lost his mind.
At last, he reached the massive stone building marked Jinkawa Village Headquarters . Guards in silver armor, and spears blocked his way.
"Stop!" one ordered.
"You're not allowed here. Come closer and we'll—" another began, but Peter ignored them.
He launched himself into the air, the guards watching in disbelief as he began scaling the building.
"How do we even stop him?" one whispered.
"For real—he's actually climbing!" another muttered.
"Doesn't matter. The Spiritual Kings will kill him for interrupting their meeting," one guard said, regaining focus.
"You're right," another replied, relieved.
"Let's just hope they don't blame us," one guard muttered.
"That window… that's where the meeting's happening. I think," Peter thought as he climbed.
Inside the Spiritual King's meeting room
"So how can we fix that?" asked a red-haired man, seated beside a sharply dressed swordsman.
"Well, what we ca—" another began before the window shattered.
Glass rained down as a man vaulted through. The kings and queens didn't flinch; their eyes were cold, unreadable.
Peter landed, head bowed, breathing hard—but smiling.
"Am I too late to join?" he asked with a smirk.
To be continued…