Sirus stood up and summoned a podium in front of him that already had some papers on it. He took them and fanned the papers together, then began to read aloud, "We shall start with the new laws to be passed down. First, the amendment of Kingdom laws that parallel with the World Magistral Army's laws…"
A total snooze fest.
Why had everything since we came back from LeHarla been so utterly boring? Why was I anxious for something to happen? Like I could sense something big lording over us all and I wanted it to come to light already.
Or perhaps it was this hangover.
Anyway, could we get this going?
I placed my elbow on my armrest and propped my head up with my fist. My leg still hung off the other armrest, completely improper. But I didn't care.
There were stone benches behind each throne that extended all around the room. They were part of the wall, and it was where our Vice Captains and Executives sat.
Behind me, Havoc sat up straight, back against the wall, and with his fingers crossed over each other. Bored shitless. Code sat with his arms and legs crossed, his long sword leaning against the stone bench next to him. Eyes closed, listening.
Back in the day with Asura, he would attend these meetings at least on a frequent basis. Even though I was a Vice Captain like Code at the time, I always chose not to go. Instead, it was Code and our 1st Executive who went. Asura never cared that I didn't want to come. So, it was ironic now that I was finally at one of these things—and I was sitting here. On a throne. With the other captains.
Then from my right.
"Thank you, Sirus, for all that you do while the Arcane King is away. You help hold this Kingdom together. Please, my fellow Knights, an applause for Sirus, and applause to our great Royal King Ezkar once again. I thank you for welcoming a new Guild like the Blue Phoenix Knights into the Valley with open arms." Captain Syemore said, standing up to bow. His voice, though elegant and light, seemed like a calm before the storm… Or a stalking, giant serpent…
Sirus was caught off guard by the praise. He made a slightly nervous face before bowing and sitting back down on his throne as we all clapped for him and then again for the Royal King.
Keeper... was this all these meetings were? Clapping?
Captain Syemore held his last clap and then looked around the room, assessing.
"Now… I would like to bring to the meeting's attention the issue with the walls and their barrier," he said plainly, unapologetically shifting the topic.
Then an instant thought rushed in my head, replacing my own, simultaneous with the quiet snap of fingers. The thought was Code's, and he had used his ability to trade thoughts with mine.
Code's magic ability was Space Manipulation magic. A type of Alternate Space Creation magic that had many properties and could do various things within a certain created space. It was a very versatile ability depending on the circumstance, and he could only exchange forefront thoughts with this, but only once at a time.
For this, he only used it to speak to me incognito as the meeting continued.
Snap…
That Syemore guy and his crew are the newest Guild here. They've only been around for about four months, and they've already taken rank number 4 of the Guilds in the Kingdom, he said in my head, keeping in mind my dismissive nature. These were all things I already knew, but I could only carry so many thoughts I cared about.
Once the thought was exchanged, I thought of a response for him to trade back. I was meant to keep that last one. If I let him trade it back without thinking a new thought, I wouldn't be able to remember it. Only original thoughts could be remembered. I knew the drill.
He gave me a few seconds.
Snap…
Quiet. Efficient.
I traded my noted thought with his: There's something off about him… I can't put my finger on it, but I'll keep you posted. I'll be keeping a close watch on them this whole meeting.
You mean that Terek guy?
All of them.
No more silent exchange was made between us. So I paid back attention to the meeting at last.
The Zion Orbs kept the barrier active at all times, and each Kingdom had three of them to last for thirty years. However, from what I picked up so far, ours was dying.
"I may have a solution for this, rather than going to the mines and retrieving a new Zion Orb…" Syemore said wittily.
Murmurs rippled throughout the room.
My quiet golden princess was still slack on her throne. Legs crossed and elbow on her armrest, propping her head up. Her bare foot dangling, toenails glinting, sparkling pink in the light. Face, stern as ice. I couldn't see any other expression on it. She didn't say a single word since we started the meeting.
"You see, I have half a Zion Orb in my possession right now…"
The murmurs turned into chatters and some gasps.
"How do you have half a Zion Orb in possession?" the Silver Sharks' Captain Jecht demanded.
Syemore reached into his cloak and held a closed palm out to the side of him. His dreary-eyed Vice Captain, Henza, held his hand out, where he received a small orb. Tiny enough that you could barely even see it, probably the size of a grain of rice.
Henza then jumped quickly to the center of the meeting room and gently placed the tiny orb on the ground. He looked back to Syemore, nodded, then jumped back in place behind him.
Syemore then raised a hand toward the tiny orb on the ground. He made a gesture with his fingers, as if pinching something, then flicked. The air rippled, and the tiny orb expanded to its normal size in an instant.
What lay now in front of us all, in the center of the room, was half of a large orb. A Zion Orb. It was only half of one but was the size of three people.
Gasps and chatter filled the room again like we were all watching a cheap magic show. Sirus was even in awe, as he wondered how Syemore had gotten his hands on this.
"You are all probably wondering how I came across this Zion Orb and why it is only half of one," he said, silencing the chatter.
"Before I and my followers came to this Kingdom, I hailed from the Mountain Kingdom. Unlike other Kingdoms, this one needed not just three but five Zion Orbs because of its size alone. I'm sure you all know the Mountain Kingdom is twice as large as the Valley. But I digress… I made a deal with them and took half an orb in exchange for the Valley's alliance with the Mountain. Once the alliance has been officialized, the Valley will receive the other half of the Zion Orb." Syemore ended, causing more chatter and bickering in the meeting room.
"Order!" the King echoed from his exaggerated throne.
Captain Laylee from the Green Owl Knights spoke up at this time, "This cannot be up for discussion. We all know the Mountain Kingdom has started frays and wars, and even cut ties with many of their own jurisdictions. That is why my Guild has come into those towns and villages to give them protection ourselves. We are the Valley's extended hand. Why would they, all of a sudden, want an alliance and offer an orb? The offer is not lining up. Not even for good negotiation. What other reason for them to want to join forces if not to amalgamate and make their Kingdom bigger?"
She was mostly quiet unless a topic came up that she was extremely passionate about. In this case, those involving people in need. She also had a strong passion for orphans and those who were discarded by their original owners. Thinking of the Mountain made her think of all the small towns and villages she and her Guild, the Green Owls, looked after. A better description of her, perhaps, would be like that of a mother.
Earlier, she had seemed small in frame and younger than most of the captains in the room, but when she spoke up, it appeared she got taller and a little older—partly, of course, because of her magic…
"I have to agree with Captain Laylee on this one. Though it is a promising alliance with a powerful Kingdom, we have tried many times in past years to ally with them, only for it to end up in times of war. Why now are they willing to bargain? And why is it so easy when they have made it very difficult in the past? What is their angle?" A strong male voice added. He was mainly silent, too, among the other captains, and was also a man I respected simply because Ryo respected him. The Captain of the Crimson Dragon Knights, Ark.
This caused a ruckus of chatter in the room, to which the Royal King had to order the court yet again.
A smug male voice spoke up this time from across the room, "Well, I, for one, agree with this alliance."
All eyes turned to the man. The chiming of his dangling orb earring sounded, following his serpentine smile as he sat straight in his throne, elbows on his armrest and hands meeting, crossing his fingers and resting them on his core. The man was Captain Tubolt of the Purple Panther Knights.
Disagreeing stares and quiet shock were his reply, but he continued, "Think about it… We get half a Zion Orb now and possibly the other half later. Plus, an alliance with one of the strongest Kingdoms on the continent. I mean, Ark, you said it yourself—we've been trying to ally with them for years past. So why, now that they are willing to bargain, are we so unsure? It's basically falling right onto our laps, and you won't take it?"
Syemore sat back in his throne, sitting in similar fashion to him. He said nothing since his lame magic trick. It was as if he predicted a debate between the captains would occur. He only held a serene smile as he remained as he was.
Code was silently watching Syemore the whole time. And my golden princess still sat slack in her throne. Unmoving. Emotionless… maybe even, waiting...
Captain Jecht spoke and stuck out his chest—loud, but not yelling, "It's precisely the reason it fell on our lap so easily that we are all so cautious, Tubolt. You'd think you'd be more cautious as well and not so easy to trust after all this time. You were involved in the war as well, were you not? And a year ago, they used forbidden magic to open a rift, which they could not close, that led into the Demon World. I'm sure you know this story well…" He ended darkly.
"Yes, and we patched that up nicely, didn't we? With little to no casualty to us…" he snarked, trailing off in my direction now.
I simply observed as they spoke, seeming disinterested in this debate. But I twitched when Tubolt said that, and then when his violet eyes met mine. Because… I also knew why.
"Speaking of… Now that you and your mutts are here, 'Captain,' do you have anything to add? Or are you just going to ride by and let the adults converse? After all, the topic now relates to you and your wonderful former captain…" he sarcastically implied.
I only stared at him as Havoc sat up and Code became so still, trying to stay unbothered by the hidden slight.
Though he seemed young, Captain Tubolt was older and more experienced as a captain. He was a captain at the same time as Asura back in the day and held a lot of sway in his words, even if he was a prick. The only thing I knew for a fact was that he and Asura had a harsh rivalry.
When they brought up that topic, I couldn't help but feel a bit pissed.
Still, I collected myself before responding. "What good does the opinion of a few dogs do you in this matter? Seems you and this guy,"—gesturing with my thumb to Syemore—"already made up your minds."
My princess finally turned her head just to look at me. I felt her gaze and gave her a cool, sly look. Sending a message with my eyes that I had noticed her. To which she simply responded with a lifted eyebrow to me.
Tubolt snickered, then said, "Oho… So, you do speak up for yourselves and not just mooch Guild privileges."
Prick. I thought to myself, trying to keep a level head.
But he continued, "I mean, how else would you be funding your illegal activities outside the Kingdom?" he jabbed again. This time more direct and referring to the fakes Black Wolves. He scoffed then ended, "We were so close taking you in LeHarla..."
I hesitated, keeping silent still. Defending my case would just make us look worse than we already did. That last part told me everyone in this room already knew what happened then too. Word spreads faster when you're unpopular, ironically.
But I couldn't help myself, "We're not associated with the fakes. What does any of this have to do with the Zion Orb, Tubolt?" I addressed him informally on purpose.
He scoffed again, "You have a lot of nerve showing up here and pretending you are innocent, it's only a matter of time I should let you know," he finally sat up as he spoke to me, "before we stop seeing you around."
"Couldn't agree more. I want to leave this dreadful meeting anyway." I joked and some of the people in the room quietly chuckled at that. Apparently, that was okay to say. Sounded like a joke, but it couldn't have been any truer.
"Ah, so he's a comedian. That checks out. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree."
I glowered at him. This guy liked to beat around the bush.
"How about you just let us handle the fakes and you handle the matter at hand?" I said, trying to end this squabble and be the bigger person.
"Oh, you seem to be handling the Guild in Asura's absence just fine. He raised you right, after all. Why did he choose you as his Acting Captain, I wonder? He would have been better off choosing that one over there with the hood over his head." He pointed to Code behind me, that last part was sarcastic as well. "But then again, you're all dogs regardless, so I guess it didn't matter the choice anyway." He paused, letting his words sting. "What exactly are you mutts doing for this Kingdom? What is your purpose here in the Valley if not to just fill the eighth rank? Go on! What is it? We're all listening," he obnoxiously kept going.
I twitched an eyebrow at his annoying voice and words but didn't react. He might be brushing on insults to him, but it was still just insults to us—which we could take. But how much longer would he keep on?
The room was silent as everyone spectated, we were off topic, but he asked curious questions everyone secretly wanted to know the answers to. Watching how I would react. Ryo and Snow became a bit tense, eyeing each other from their positions in the room just in case something was about to break out.
I also tensed. Not at what he was asking, but more so on this restraint on myself I was trying so desperately to keep together, "What do the answers to these questions have to do with anything?"
He raised a brow and looked around. No one was stopping him. "Well, let's see… As far as I can tell, the only thing Asura has done right for this Kingdom is sacrifice himself to keep the Demon rift closed," he said, sucker punching with his words. "I'm just curious if you're going to bring anything to the table? Or perhaps your contribution could be like his oh-so-noble act. Lackluster as the deed was…"
The shadows around my eyes formed, and I clenched a fist. Havoc and Code were wearing similar expressions.
Tubolt continued, snickering all the while, "It must have been tough raising a bunch of hooligans. If I were him, I'd want to escape my life too, regretting the choices I made."
He kept on as I continued to keep to myself. My rage building inside every second.
"He tried to do a noble act turning your lives around, but you're all still so useless. Come on, and what more him? I bet he's barely holding on as it is right now. The fool should give up and let the rift open so we can seal it up again and solidify our deal with the Mountain Kingdom. That would give us the upper hand in this offer they're trying to make with us, don't you all agree?" he spoke to the whole room now, "Scratch our backs, we scratch theirs. That would be a better utilization for himself."
Kept on. Short snapshot memories of Asura flooded my mind. I was hardly listening now as his pompous voice rang in and out of my hearing.
"… A way more logical than running away from the feeble life you tried to build for yourself…"
Kept on. And Asura's smiling face kept popping up in my head. My head lowered, and I ground my teeth, saying under my breath, "He wasn't running away, asshole."
"... You lack the necessary components of what it takes to be Valley Captain! Your methods are nonsensical, and you contribute nothing to the Valley at all. What was Asura thinking when he appointed you as the 'acting captain'?"
Kept on.
"You and your crew... You're like lost puppies without your owner around. Shitting everywhere and making a mess of things."
Kept on.
But it wasn't the words to us that did it. It was what he had finally decided to openly say about him.
"Asura is a goddamn fool, and just for that, he should die."
My eyes raised slowly and grew wicked. I gently placed my hands on my armrest, and in an instant, I was gone from my throne, leaving nothing but dust from where I once was. There was no sound, but it looked as if a cannon had fired.
I appeared before him at a speed that no one in the room could comprehend. Though I could have sworn I saw my princess widen her eyes at my sudden movement.
Tubolt was still sitting on his throne, barely catching up to the fact that I was right there, feet away from him now.
I threw my hands in my pockets, casually walking toward him a few drawn out short steps. My eyes shadowed and hid behind my black bangs as I crept ever closer.
I was now an arm's reach from him, raising my right leg to his left armrest and trapping him in. I hovered over him from where I was. Looking sideways as he raised his head slowly to meet my rage-filled, burning eyes at last.
When I spoke, my words were polite, but the tone behind them was so immense and heavy that one could feel the air grow thick, becoming almost solid, trapping us in this timeless moment. It was as if it gave off an aura on its own that tensed the entire room and made even the other high-ranking captains sweat,
"Sorry… I couldn't quite hear you from over there. Could you say that again?"