Lord Varnaak was given until the next dusk of Triven to uncover what Prince Andreas was hiding by order of King Radia. He devised a perfect strategy to carry out the king's command of following the prince.
He knew well that he couldn't be seen by the people of Triven, but he was certain the prince would sense him—one way or another—and, inevitably, see him. Therefore, he had to do something exceptional: use one of his rare abilities, the power to create illusions!
Yes, that was his strength, and he was confident it would be a great asset now. But to pull it off, he had to hatch a very effective plan to outsmart the prince. He thought of following him around, lurking in his dark self's shadow so that it wouldn't seem strange if the prince saw or sensed him wherever he went.
He already knew that the prince spent much of his imaginary time in Omania, at Triven, and he was certain the prince mostly stayed in the ranger institute at their capital, Nerwin.
But why Andreas was always there was unclear. He could have simply said the prince was searching for the mutated illuminator, but he knew that wasn't true—he always sensed the prince's presence around the dorm. He thought of going there himself, but it was too risky; he was sure Andreas would figure something out if he saw him there. After all, the prince loved to cause trouble and devastation, and Triven was not a place he liked to haunt in this ghostly form.
With all these considerations in mind, he decided to visit Nerwin—not as himself, but disguised as the prince. He planned to give the prince a good reason to return to Gorgor, granting him the time to explore and uncover what bound him to the place.
With that decision made, he headed to the king's throne room to ask for the power to speak in the king's name.
"Your Grace," he bowed as he entered, seeing the king staring out the window at their dark, crumbled world.
"I assumed you came to tell me what you found, Lord Varnaak," King Radia said casually, not taking his eyes off the window.
"Not exactly, Your Grace," he began calmly. "But I am definitely on it. I have come to ask that you grant me the authority to speak in your name to the prince, for it would greatly assist me in achieving your goal."
"Do whatever you must, Lord Varnaak. You have just 24 hours to bring me valid answers."
"Thank you, Your Grace," Lord Varnaak bowed. "I will not fail you," he assured before leaving.
With satisfaction, he made his way to Nerwin immediately—it was dawn there. He stood at the gate and called out to the prince's aura, certain that Andreas was inside.
"What do you want, Lord Varnaak?" Prince Andreas asked, standing just a few steps away.
"Well, my prince, greetings to you," he bowed. "I wonder what you are doing here this early in the day. I suppose this is where your search for the mutated illuminator has led you—very thrilling," he said with a sly smile.
"Just say why you are here and leave immediately to your favorite world to cause more disasters, because that is certainly what you do best."
"Sorry to disappoint you, my prince, but I have become skilled at something else too," he chuckled.
"And what might that be?" Andreas furrowed his brow.
"I now carry out orders from your father, the king and ruler of Gorgor." He bowed deeply to the king's grace.
"And when was that decided?" Andreas didn't seem to believe him.
"Wrong question, my prince," Lord Varnaak objected. "The right question should be… what has the king ordered me to pass to you?"
"I'm very certain I don't need to remind you, Lord Varnaak, of the consequences of speaking falsely against my father. Look before you leap." Andreas's voice was cold.
"I am sure my sight is clear, my prince, and so are my senses. So if you don't mind, I would like to deliver the message and attend to other duties for today."
"Say whatever you want to say and leave," Andreas ordered.
"The king commands that you move immediately to Babu—another world in Omania. He senses strongly that the mutated illuminator is there. He says you must go at once if you still cherish the presence of our world's symbol behind your neck," Varnaak said, crossing his hands behind his back.
After speaking, he turned and left, not waiting for further questions or risking implication. He knew if he lingered, the clever prince would uncover the truth, so it was best to leave at once.
However, he truly hoped the prince would fall for it—and he did. Andreas was initially skeptical; the people of Babu were known only for their exceptional skill in food cultivation and production. How could the light illuminator be there? Besides, he had a strong feeling in his gut that Lilith was destined to become the light illuminator. Yet if his father sensed something in Babu, he had to go—no matter what. Though uncertain whether he could trust Lord Varnaak, he could find no compelling reason for him to lie...