Sunlight was still overwhelmed by the glow of the blue magic when Hirday's final question made her uneasy: "Have you forgotten what Alisa was before she became the Queen?"
Before she could shake off the stupor, Hirday swiftly moved closer to her.
Suddenly, Hirday gripped Sunlight's shoulders tightly. He stood right behind her, and his warm breath fell on her ear in the cold rooftop air.
Sunlight realized this was not Hirday's usual touch. His muscles were unusually tense, and a jolt of electrical energy seemed to emanate from his body.
Sunlight was startled and about to turn back, but Hirday held her firmly. It was at this moment that Sunlight's gaze fell upon Hirday's eyes.
It was not a reflection of the blue magic light; Sunlight saw—King Hirday's eyes themselves were blazing with an intense blue light! His eyes were deep, cold, and filled with a strange, unfamiliar power. These glowing blue eyes seemed to be the living symbol of the Nexus Law itself. In this terrifying moment, a sudden, strange, heavy language was heard in Hirday's voice. Leaning into Sunlight's ear, he uttered the strange, hard words:
"Nein, Sonnenlicht! Die Gesetze des Nexus sind nicht für dich. Nicht so!"
Sunlight was completely dumbfounded. All her military training, all her acumen, seemed to vanish in an instant. She was about to ask, "What language is this?"
Hirday had never spoken this language before. The language was familiar—it bore the mark of ancient, secret scripts of the Nexus Empire, which many knew as German Language. It was a hint of Hirday's secret language from his past life or his ancestors.
Sunlight did not understand the meaning, but her inner feeling told her: Hirday has revealed himself. His blue eyes, this stern, unknown language—these were the signs of that other Hirday, the ruler, the one responsible for Alisa's death.
Sunlight was frozen with fear.
Hirday was still holding her firmly, and his voice was suppressed, yet terrifying:
"Verstehst du? Geh nicht. Du bist keine Mörderin." (Do you understand? Don't go. You are not a murderer.)
Hirday quickly composed himself. The blue glow in his eyes instantly faded back to their normal brown. His grip loosened. He stepped back from Sunlight, as if a dangerous entity within him had just escaped.
Sunlight turned around. Her eyes were fixed on Hirday's normal ones. But Sunlight knew that what she had seen was real.
"Your Majesty, you... what are you saying? What is that language?" Sunlight's voice trembled.
Hirday regained his composure. His face again put on the mask of the cold ruler.
"Nothing, Queen," Hirday answered calmly. "Just some very old, forgotten words of an oath. It is enough that you did not leave. Now, let's go back. The work on destroying Alisa's monument is suspended."
Sunlight knew a greater mystery now stood before them than the destruction of the monument. Why did Hirday stop her, why did his eyes turn blue, and why did he speak in that unfamiliar language?
"What was Alisa before she became Queen, Your Majesty?" Sunlight pressed. "Why is this box..."
Hirday quickly snatched the golden box from Sunlight's hand.
"No more questions now, Queen," Hirday said. "Now it's just you and me. Come, let's go down from this roof."
Hirday extended his hand. But Sunlight did not take it. She knew now—she had to face not just a ruler, but a terrible mystery. Sunlight was still hesitant. Hirday standing before her now seemed unfamiliar—the blue flame that had flared up in his eyes for a moment, and the strange, solemn German Language he had uttered, strongly shook Sunlight's mind.
Just as Sunlight demanded an answer to her question ("What was Alisa before she became Queen?"), the mysterious blue magic reached its peak.
The swirling bright blue glow around the rooftop suddenly charged toward Sunlight with intense force. The air seemed to tremble.
With a humming sound, Sunlight's body was completely enveloped in the intense blue light. The light was so bright that even Hirday had to close his eyes. It felt as if that blue energy was forcefully entering Sunlight's body.
Sunlight's face contorted in pain. She let out a suppressed scream. The golden box in her hand fell to the floor with a thud.
"Ah... Ma-ha-raj..." (Your Majesty...)
With that, Sunlight's body slumped. She fainted right in the blue light. Her silken blue gown and golden hair seemed to merge into the blue flame.
Hirday quickly opened his eyes. He saw the blue light quickly fading and Sunlight lying on the cold stone floor of the rooftop.
Hirday was momentarily stunned. His eyes now showed fear and extreme anxiety. He realized that this blue magic did not injure Sunlight but rather entered something into her—just as had happened with Alisa. But Sunlight was strong, why did this happen?
Hirday quickly knelt down and lifted Sunlight's lifeless body. It was not the ruler within him, but the anxious husband who emerged.
He now called out quickly and loudly toward the stairs, his voice commanding but filled with intense panic:
"Lisa! Lisa! Come quickly! Call my maids! Hurry!"
His military uniform was now covered in dust. He held Sunlight's body tightly. Hirday knew that the entry of this blue magic meant the direst danger to life. He could not save Alisa, but he had to save Sunlight at any cost.
Hirday trembled and placed his forehead on Sunlight's damp hair.
"Sunlight... no, you cannot leave. This game cannot end like this," he whispered.
Lisa and the other servants and maids rushed up the stairs. They were dumbfounded by the sight of the Queen unconscious on the roof and the King Hirday's distressed state. This was the first time they saw their King was not just a ruler, but a man—who was afraid.
The Smile of Alisa
Lisa and the other maids quickly reached the roof. Following Hirday's instructions, they carefully carried Sunlight. They did not dare to question the King's command.
Hirday himself walked alongside Sunlight toward the bedroom. His eyes were fixed on Sunlight's pale face—a face that had been filled with intense self-confidence moments ago.
Sunlight was laid upon her massive bed. The maids quickly changed her wet gown and covered her with light clothing. Hirday dismissed them and instructed Lisa to wait outside the door.
Hirday now sat alone beside Sunlight. His hand was on the Queen's forehead. Her forehead was cold, but her breathing was normal.
Just as Hirday was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he noticed a slight change in Sunlight's expression. The stern, ruling look on the Queen's face seemed to have softened, almost become serene. But this serene expression was not Sunlight's.
Hirday leaned closer. He noticed something at the corner of the Queen's lips.
At that very moment, a mysterious smile appeared on Sunlight's lips. The smile was calm, but familiar to Hirday. It was not the confident smile of Queen Sunlight; it was that smile that Queen Alisa used to flash sometimes amid her anger and frustration.
Hirday's heart seemed to stop for a moment. He stared fixedly.
Sunlight's eyes were still closed, but that familiar smile of Alisa seemed to announce: Sunlight is now no longer just Sunlight.
Hirday whispered, "Sunlight?"
There was no answer. But the smile widened, as if someone else was answering from a deep sleep.
Hirday now understood the terrible truth. The blue magic that had entered Sunlight's body was not a power; it was the disembodied spirit or memory of Alisa, who, out of fear of the destruction of the Visarin Tila monument, had entered Sunlight's body. Alisa's spirit, which the Nexus Law could not control, had returned within the body of her rival.
Hirday recoiled in horror. He knew that Alisa's spirit or a part of her memory had entered Sunlight's body because Sunlight herself was about to destroy Alisa's monument. This was Alisa's first step of revenge.
A faint whisper now came out of Sunlight's mouth. The voice was not Sunlight's—it was Alisa's familiar, suppressed, and resentful voice:
"Nexus Aeterna... Who will you kill now, Husband?"
Hirday knew that his wife, Sunlight, was no longer before him. He would now have to face Alisa's terrible counterpart, who was not only a Queen but now a vengeful spirit slain by the Law. Hirday recoiled in horror. When Alisa's familiar, vengeful voice came from Sunlight's mouth: "Nexus Aeterna... Who will you kill now, Husband?"—Hirday fully prepared himself to face this terrible entity.
Hirday slowly approached the bed again. There was no fear in his eyes now, but a hard, military resolve.
Hirday looked not at Alisa, but at Sunlight, and called out in a firm but emotional voice:
"Sunlight."
He uttered the word, as if he wanted to drag Sunlight out of Alisa's influence with it.
Suddenly, Alisa's mysterious smile vanished from Sunlight's face. That stern, familiar expression of the ruler returned to her face.
Sunlight's eyes quickly opened. She hesitated for the first few moments, then looked around with a confused gaze. There was no blue magic or fire of revenge in her eyes now, only the grogginess of waking from a deep sleep.
Sunlight sat up on the bed. She looked around once, then looked at Hirday.
"Where am I?" Sunlight asked, her voice slightly weak, but normal. "What happened? Was I in the bath? I don't remember..."
Hirday was momentarily conflicted. Was this truly Sunlight who had regained consciousness? Or was Alisa now inside Sunlight's body, acting? Alisa was very cunning.
Hirday quickly composed himself and took Sunlight's hand. Through his touch, he tried to understand who the entity inside was.
"You fainted, Queen," Hirday said, his voice calm and cautious. "You were going toward the roof, and then you suddenly felt unwell. I brought you here."
Sunlight pressed her forehead. "On the roof? Why? I don't remember. Everything is so blurry... And you? Why are you wearing such clothes?" Sunlight gestured toward Hirday's dust-covered military uniform.
Hirday was confirmed—if it were Alisa, she would have questioned his weakness, but Sunlight was questioning her own condition and Hirday's uniform.
"It's nothing, Queen. Come, lie down. You need rest now," Hirday said.
Sunlight lay down, but her eyes were alert. "I remember... I asked you about being my fifth wife... Then what happened? Were you angry?"
Hirday understood that Sunlight's memory only went up to just before the blue magic attack. She knew nothing about Alisa's entry or the terrifying blue light.
Hirday sat beside the Queen. A new fear was in his mind now—was Alisa's memory or influence hidden somewhere inside Sunlight's body?
"I was not angry, Queen," Hirday said calmly, though he knew he had thrown the spoon. "I just thought you would only sleep now."
But Hirday's eyes were still watchful. He knew Sunlight had regained consciousness, but was this a pause in a terrible game, or the final conclusion? He did not know that Sunlight was no longer alone.
The Queen's Tears
Sunlight's confused questions after regaining consciousness temporarily calmed Hirday's suspicion. Hirday composed himself. He knew that at this moment, he should not scare Sunlight or express suspicion. Rather, he should draw her close to him and try to understand the change within her.
Hirday gently sat on the bed and leaned toward Sunlight. There was no ruler's sternness in his eyes now, but a strange mix of emotions—anxiety, possessiveness, and a kind of cold love.
He placed his hand on the Queen's damp hair and slowly drew her toward himself.
King Hirday then softly placed a warm kiss on Sunlight's forehead. Then he placed his soft lips on Sunlight's. It was a deep, calm kiss.
Sunlight suddenly felt weak at this unexpected kiss. All her resistance seemed to break under Hirday's stern, controlling touch. She remained immersed in the King's kiss for a while.
But when Hirday pulled away from her, tears began to stream from Sunlight's eyes. She could not hold herself together any longer.
Sunlight hugged Hirday tightly and began to cry like a child. This weeping was the result of all her doubts, fear, and the shock of that blue light.
"What is wrong with me? Tell me what happened to me!" Sunlight asked between sobs.
Her question was not just about physical illness. It was the combined result of the rumor about Alisa, Hirday's secret past, and the sudden entry of the blue magic. Sunlight was subconsciously feeling that something had changed inside her, something had been taken away.
Hirday held Sunlight even tighter. He knew that Sunlight's tears were the tears of the true Sunlight within her. Even if Alisa's spirit or influence had entered, Sunlight was dominant at this moment.
Hirday whispered into the Queen's ear, his voice filled with deep caution:
"Nothing is wrong with you, Queen. You have just experienced the truth of this fortress too quickly. This fortress is not just built of stone and rules. Many old shadows are hidden within its walls. You rest now. Everything will be fine."
Hirday knew Sunlight might calm down tonight. But this crying was not to cover up her inner change, but the first step toward accepting it.
Hirday gestured toward Lisa outside. Lisa quickly brought a warm drink.
"Drink this, Queen. And you will rest now. I am here beside you," Hirday said.
Hirday helped her drink the beverage, but his eyes were still deep in thought. He knew that the shadow of his former rival and former love—Alisa—was now present in Sunlight's body. And only time would tell the end of this terrifying game.