《Rogue Odyssey》 The Descend Giant bolts of lightning crashed down into the nearby mountains as the wind picked up pace, causing chaos in the city and the fields nearby. Another sound accompanied the deafening thunder, the sound of a woman screaming coming from a house in a settlement outside the city walls. A man with a thick grey moustache and rugged clothes sat on his porch, his eyes closed, unfazed by the wild banging of the windows and the wild lightning. In the night sky, a comet travelled diagonally across the full moon. Its tail bathed the moon in red and blue as the new colours fell on the city of Rine, the capital of the Istreid Kingdom. Inside the house, a man held his wife as she laid on the bed, her belly swollen as she shrieked in pain. ¡°The child¡¯s coming, it¡¯s coming.¡± ¡°Fear not, I am with you. It will be over soon.¡± The woman nodded as she closed her eyes, struggling to take even the slightest of air. The man held her close, reassuring his wife. A sudden light emerged in the room, engulfing everything. From the outside, it seemed as if the house was on fire and just as quickly as it came; the light was gone. As the storm spread across the Kingdom intensified. In place of the woman¡¯s scream, now came the cries of an infant. On an island far away, an old monk¡¯s eyes opened in shock as he got up from his meditation and rushed outside his shack. ¡°An unimaginable power has descended upon this planet.¡± Somewhere inside a white hall, a tall figure clad in white rose from his throne and stepped out onto the terrace, looking at the bi-coloured moon. ¡°Is it finally the time?¡± Elsewhere, in a dark cave, a bright red glow emerged from within before dying out. On the other side of the world, in a courtroom, the king stood up from his throne as his crown fell off. The ministers and his royal guard all rushed towards him, helping him back to the throne. ¡°King Temish, is everything alright, are you in need of a sage?¡± ¡°I am in no need of a sage. I dread something ineffable has happened.¡± In the forest nearby Rine, a woman woke up from her sleep as she grabbed a hold of her beating heart and rushed to the window looking at the moon. ¡°The day has arrived.¡± She smiled before closing the window, leaving the room in darkness. Five Years Later 26th, July, 1224 TNW As the sun bathed the golden fields and the gentle wind swayed the crops ever so slightly. The King and the royal family arrived at the crop fields outside the city walls. The farmers gathered around as the king stepped out of his carriage with his minister of food and trade by his side. ¡°Long Live King Belreid.¡± ¡°Long Live the King!¡± The farmers chanted as the King raised his hand as the farmers calmed down. ¡°Today, I have arrived to talk with you all, to see if there is anything that the people require or anything that is causing unrest in the fields. Any wild beasts entering and destroying corps or disdain with the market prices for crops?¡± The oldest of the farmers stepped out from the crowd, bowing as much as his old body allowed. ¡°Your Grace, this visit truly honoured us and we are deeply grateful for your noble visit to our humble farmsteads. We immensely appreciate your kind inquiry into our concerns.¡± He then looked around at the other farmers before looking back at the king. ¡°Speaking truthfully, we need no help from the crown at this instance, but we would like to show the king our hospitality and appreciation for his visit.¡± The King smiled as he stepped forward. ¡°If the people demand it, then I can¡¯t deny their demands. Please accompany me for a stroll.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. The king, accompanied by two of the royal guards, walked away with the farmers. Meanwhile, inside the carriage, the queen looked out the window, watching her husband stroll away; she shifted her gaze to her daughter, who sat opposite to her looking out the window on the other side. The queen matched her daughter¡¯s gaze, looking at a single tree at the far end of the crop fields. She looked all around the fields but could not find another tree ¡®This is peculiar, there are no more trees in the crop fields, other than that.¡¯ ¡°Mother, may I go to that tree? Please.¡± The queen turned to her daughter as she smiled, opening the door to the carriage and stepped out, helping the princess down onto the field. ¡°Don¡¯t go any further than the tree.¡± ¡°Yes, mother.¡± The princess then ran to the tree, her golden hair flowing in the wind as she smiled from ear to ear. The girl arrived beneath the tree as she looked at the wide trunk and felt the breeze brush past her face. Suddenly, a small hand reached down from above and snatched her tiara as the girl looked up, finding a boy around her age up in the branches. ¡°Return my tiara.¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Return it this instance.¡± She stretched her hand out towards the boy, who tilted his head. ¡°Did you not hear me before? No.¡± ¡°I, Princess Aurelia Reid, the daughter of King Belreid and the Queen Anessa Reid, command you to return the tiara.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I command you.¡± ¡°What will I get in return?¡± Aurelia gasped at the boy¡¯s remarks. A hand landed on her shoulder as she looked back at her mother. ¡°Mother!¡± ¡°Is there a problem Aurelia?¡± Aurelia pointed at the boy. ¡°This boy stole my tiara and is not giving it back, even disobeyed my command.¡± Anessa patted her daughter on the head as she smiled, stepping forward. ¡°Sweet boy, May I know your name?¡± ¡°I am Kanah.¡± ¡°You have a wonderful name, Kanah. Can you return my daughter¡¯s tiara to her?¡± The boy looked at the queen, and then at the princess, who was holding her mother¡¯s hand and frowning at the boy? ¡°What will I get in return?¡± Aurelia pointed at the boy as she tugged her mother¡¯s hand. ¡°See mother, he has been treating me the same way.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Aurelia.¡± She then looked back at Kanah. ¡°Would cake suffice?¡± Kanah tilted his head. ¡°I am sorry; I meant to say, will cake be enough for you to return the tiara?¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°A cake is something that you eat; it is sweet and very delicious. Would you like some?¡± Kanah nodded as the queen stretched her hand out, and Kanah placed the tiara in her hands before jumping down. ¡°Bring two servings of cake for the children.¡± ¡°Yes, your majesty.¡± A maid accompanying the queen bowed before leaving. Anessa placed the tiara on Aurelia¡¯s head as the maid returned with two servings of cake. Kanah took his share and began eating it as he sat on a flat stone. Anessa guided Aurelia to sit beside him as she handed Aurelia her share. The two kids began eating their share of the cake; Aurelia was the first to finish her cake and then set her sight on the one beside her. Swiftly moving her spoon, she took a spoonful of Kanah¡¯s cake. He then moved his plate away from her. ¡°You are stealing my cake.¡± ¡°You stole my tiara first.¡± The two squabbled with one another for some time as the queen watched on. ¡°Why don¡¯t the two of you head out and play in the fields?¡± Upon hearing the suggestion, Aurelia looked at her mother in disbelief. ¡°Am I really allowed to play with him?¡± Anessa nodded as she sat between the two children. ¡°You have my permission to do so as long as you promise to stay within my eyesight and not hurt one another.¡± The kids looked at one another as they giggled before running towards the fields. After some time, the king and the farmers arrived under the shade as the king looked at his daughter playing with the boy. ¡°Who is that boy?¡± A man with a grey moustache stepped out from the bunch as he took off his cap and bowed to the king as he joined his hands, praying. ¡°He is my grandson, Kanah; please forgive him if he has made any mistake. I will punish him greatly¡± The king looked on at his daughter as she smiled and giggled while playing out in the sun. Her golden hair shined brightly in contrast to the boy¡¯s black hair. The king smiled as he held the man¡¯s hands and helped him up. ¡°May I know your name?¡± The old man frowned in confusion. ¡°My name, your grace, my name is Benjamin.¡± ¡°Benjamin, your grandson has made no mistakes. He is but a child, playing and enjoying the good in life; he deserves no punishment.¡± He looked at his wife and found her watching the children play as she rested her chin on her palm. ¡°I must admit, I¡¯ve never seen my daughter enjoy herself so freely. Answer me, will your grandson be willing to play with my daughter again in the fields if she so wishes?¡± Shock overcame Benjamin as he looked at his grandson and the princess playing before he turned to the king, standing up but still keeping his head bowed. ¡°Yes, I think so.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± The children played until came sunset. ¡°Night is about to fall, Aurelia. Shall we return home?¡± Aurelia looked up at her mother as she nodded, then turned to face Kanah, who met her blue eyes as she smiled at him. ¡°Will you play with me tomorrow?¡± Kanah nodded as Aurelia smiled, shaking his hand before walking away with the queen. Benjamin came, lifting the boy up in his arms. ¡°You gave me a fright, kid.¡± He patted the boy¡¯s head and ruffled his hair, removing the dirt from his head. ¡°Did you have fun?¡± Kanah nodded as he snuggled into his grandfather¡¯s shoulder, looking back at Aurelia. . . . . The king tucked Aurelia into her bed as Anessa sang melodies to her. When she was asleep, the two gently graced the back of their hands on her cheeks. ¡°I am glad we took her with us today.¡± ¡°Yes, dear, she was so happy.¡± The king then held his wife in his arms as he sighed in relief. ¡°I think being with Kanah would be good for her. She will have a friend who does not treat her as the heir to this kingdom, but simply Aurelia.¡± Anessa smiled as she rested her head on her husband¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I also felt the same. With him, she would not have to put up a facade all the time. I wish for my daughter to experience all the joys that I wish I had.¡± The two then left the room closing the door leaving Aurelia with her dreams. Goodbye 19th, June, 1238 TNW The king sat in his council looking at his ministers and general, who all had a grim expression on their faces. ¡°Has everyone received the invitation for the event?¡± ¡°Yes, your grace, we have sent the invitation to all the dukes, counts and barons to be here; many are here now.¡± The king nodded as he supported his head with his hand; he felt the heat leaving his forehead; he grabbed a glass of water, drinking it in a single motion as he leaned back in his chair. ¡°I wish this burden would have not arrived in my time.¡± The ministers looked at their king struggling under the burden. ¡°Prime Minister Vaughn, are we certain this will work?¡± The Prime minister looked at the table as he nodded. ¡°Yes, your grace, this will work.¡± ¡°You are certain that this will be our last hope.¡± ¡°Yes, your grace we all think that this is the only chance we have.¡± The general leaned forward, placing his hand on the table, ¡°Your grace, the prophecy spoke that Evil shall rise after the 108th cycle of the Twin comet, nineteen years ago came the 107th cycle, the night of 24th June will be the 108th and the prophecy spoke that the hero who will save our world will arrive with the passing comet.¡± He then looked at everyone in the council as he swallowed the fear and anxiety in his heart. ¡°The hero is yet to reveal himself if he came during the last cycle. We cannot risk losing this last opportunity, hence, we came up with this method.¡± The king nodded as he looked at his empty glass. ¡°If God does not send the hero, we will bring the hero here ourself. Is that it?¡± The king looks outside the castle, watching the sunset before turning to the royal guard. ¡°Where is the princess?¡± ¡°Out in the flower fields, your grace.¡± ¡°Bring her back.¡± ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± In a field of flowers, a woman was running from a man, giggling and looking back to see if he was still following her. ¡°Catch up, or else I may run far away from you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± As he drew closer, her fluttering gold hair hit him in the face as he struggled to see what was in front of him. He collided with the woman as the two tumbled down into the flowers. The two rolled on the flower bed. Once they stopped, the boy found himself above the woman as he gently brushed the golden hair off her face and looked into her blue eyes. ¡°You are as beautiful as ever.¡± The woman placed her hand on the man¡¯s cheek as he melted with into her soft hand. ¡°You are just as lovely as ever.¡± The two chuckled as the man turned over, lying beside the woman as the two gazed at the star filled sky. ¡°Kanah, which star is your favourite?¡± Kanah turned to look at her as she matched his gaze. ¡°Your sky-blue eyes are the only stars I wish to watch my entire life.¡± Aurelia sat up and rested her head on her knees, looking at Kanah, who stood up, dusting his clothes as he held his hand out for Aurelia, helping her up. He held her close by the waist, swaying left and right like a slow dance with just the two of them under the night sky. They stayed like this for some time as Kanah looked Aurelia in the eyes and held her hands; his face hardened as the ever-present smile disappeared. ¡°I am leaving tonight.¡± ¡°What? Where? Why? Are you leaving me forever?¡± ¡°No, I am not leaving you; I can¡¯t ever do that. My grandfather¡¯s health has worsened and we intend to take him to the Sorala Islands. He wanted to spend his last moments there.¡± Aurelia looked down at her feet. ¡°When are you leaving?¡± ¡°On the 24th.¡± She looked up at his face as tears filled her eyes. ¡°Why did you not tell me this beforehand?¡± ¡°I wanted to spend the day just like we always do. I did not want today to be any different because today might be the last day we get to see each other.¡± Aurelia enveloped him in her arms as he held her. ¡°Won¡¯t you see me again before leaving?¡± ¡°I would love nothing more, but we both will be busy these coming days. I have seen the lords flocking to the capital. What is, father intending to do?¡± Aurelia gazed at the main entrance of the city as carriages were entering it one after the other. ¡°The crown intends to summon the hero. They cannot risk facing evil if the hero does not appear as prophesied.¡± ¡°I see, so when are they going to do the summon.¡± Aurelia rested her head on his chest. ¡°The comet will pass on the 24th. They intend to summon the hero during the banquet that night.¡± She then laughed silently. ¡°What is it you find amusing?¡± ¡°You were born the night the comet last passed. Are you sure you are not the hero foretold?¡± Kanah chuckled, cradling Aurelia in his arms. ¡°Maybe I am.¡± Aurelia laughed lightly as she took a deep breath. ¡°When will you return?¡± ¡°I do not know, but I give you my word; I will remain by your side.¡± As the two separated sounds of horse drew closer until the royal guards arrived, stopping a short distance from the two. The captain of the guards stepped off his horse and knelt in front of Aurelia. ¡°Your Highness, his grace requests your return to the castle.¡± Aurelia turned to look Kanah in the eyes as she held his fingers. ¡°Is this Goodbye?¡± ¡°For now, yes.¡± ¡°Return to me when you can; I will wait for you.¡± Kanah smiled at her as he nodded; Aurelia let go of his fingers and walked towards the carriage. He stood there in the field by himself, watching the convoy head towards the city as he began walking back to his home. Aurelia entered the king¡¯s chambers finding her mother and father sitting at the table. ¡°Father, you requested my presence?¡± The king looked at his daughter as he nodded, motioning her to take a seat at the table. Aurelia sat to her father¡¯s left while her mother sat on the right. The king himself sat at the head of the table, lost in his thought supporting his head with his hands. The queen looked at the two as a grim sensation filled the room, so she tried to shift the topic to a happier one. ¡°So, what did you and Kanah do today? Is he okay? He rarely visits anymore.¡± Aurelia looked at her mother as she smiled, filling the room with positivity. ¡°We went to the flower fields, ran around, fell down and gazed at the stars while lying on the ground. It was good.¡± The king looked at Aurelia looking at the ceiling as she smiled, lost in her memories. His lips curled up upon seeing his daughter smile. ¡°Do continue about Kanah.¡± Aurelia snapped out of her daydream as she straightened herself out. ¡°He is as well as ever. He told me to greet you in his stead and he apologises for not visiting.¡± ¡°Did he acquiesce to the invitation?¡± Aurelia looked down at the table, unable to meet her father¡¯s gaze. ¡°I did not get the chance to ask him; before I could, he told me he was leaving the Kingdom and heading to the Solara Islands.¡± The king stood up, knocking his chair over. ¡°WHAT! How could he possibly fathom committing such an audacious and reprehensible act?!¡± Aurelia and the queen were both shaken by the king¡¯s outburst. The queen stood up, holding her husband. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Aurelia stood up and too held her father. ¡°Do not fear, father. He is merely journeying there to honour his grandfather¡¯s wish of residing there in his last moments.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The king calmed down as he lifted his chair up, sitting back down. ¡°Forgive me, my beloved, and my beautiful daughter. This fever has been making life difficult for the past months.¡± He then took hold of both Aurelia¡¯s and the queen¡¯s hands. ¡°When I heard of his departure, my mind showed me a glimpse of my world fear. Your heart being broken. I feared he intended to cut ties with you.¡± Aurelia smiled as she got up, hugging her father. ¡°Do not fear, father. Our love is everlasting. He will never leave me.¡± The King stood up from his chair as he walked over to his bed. ¡°That puts my heart at ease. Return to your room and start the preparations for the banquet. I wish to rest.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± Aurelia bowed slightly before leaving the room. 24th, June, 1238 TNW The City of Rine was decorated every street, house, square, shop. As today was the day of the twin comet, the last cycle mentioned in the prophecy. All the Important individuals in the kingdom had gathered for the occasion and they all flocked to the Castle White. At the far end of the city. The castle was a staggering seventy meters in height. Its outer walls, thirty meters in height, with 3 layers of walls. They made the castle from Moon Rock a rare and strong material that fell from the moon during the Great War. It gave the castle its name, Castle White. There were four towers on the castle at the corners of the main hall. At its back was the Arena. Used for trials fought with more than just words. . . . . A bald man sat in his carriage alone as he gazed out the window, seeing the gigantic city spreading out over thousands of acres of land and at the end of it all the castle that has stood the test of time for over a thousand years. Soon, the carriage came to a halt as the man stepped out. Anyone who saw him bowed down in respect, as he was none other than the last living male relative of King Belreid. The Duke of the west Galreid. As he walked through the castle, he found himself at the doors of the Main Hall. As he stepped through the doors, The Hall was filled with the counts, barons and the other 3 dukes were also present. Galreid walked to the centre of the hall but stopped once he saw a giant circle drawn at the centre of the hall. He shifted his gaze up as he saw it: The Black Throne made from the heart of the meteor summoned by King Istreid at the Great War. Upon the throne sat King Belreid with the Twilight Sword in hand, the crown on his head and the robe of Light over his shoulder. On the King¡¯s right sat the Prime Minister and on his left, an empty seat for his heir. Who was nowhere to be seen as Galreid studied the room. ¡°Brother Galreid! Oh, the joy that fills my heart upon your arrival. The journey was not perilous, I hope.¡± Galreid turned to face the King who had come down to greet his brother. ¡°No, your grace, the journey was as peaceful.¡± The king looked at Galreid¡¯s empty hands. ¡°No one offered you a drink on this occasion. We need to procure a glass of wine for you.¡± Far away from the city at the edge of the forest and the crop fields, a man travelled on a horse beside a wagon. He stopped to look back at the city one last time. His heart wanted him to stay, his soul wanted to stay, but he could not. Just as he looked away from the city, he heard the wind rush as he looked back. Aurelia stood before him, a vision of effortless command and quiet grandeur. The long white tailcoat framed her figure with precise elegance, its pristine fabric cascading behind her in sharp, dramatic folds. Gold buttons lined the front in disciplined rows, catching the light with each subtle movement, as if they too acknowledged her presence. Beneath the coat, a fitted waistcoat hugged her torso, accentuating the regal poise with which she carried herself. The ivory fabric was a stark contrast to the deep crimson of her high-collared blouse, the ruffled edges at her throat and cuffs softening the sharp lines of her tailored attire. The colour bold, unrelenting was a statement in itself, a rich undertone of fire beneath the pristine white. Her hands, clad in white gloves that fit with perfect precision, rested lightly at her sides. They bore no wrinkles, no slackness, just a seamless extension of her presence, as if the gloves had been made for no other hands but hers. Strapped to her waist, a sword rested against her hip, its hilt and handle gleaming in white to match her ensemble. It was not merely for decoration; the careful way it sat against her frame, the ease with which her hand could find it, spoke of practiced familiarity. She wore fitted trousers, tailored to complement the sharp lines of her coat. The fabric clung just enough to flatter her form but allowed for movement, a balance between elegance and purpose. Tucked into sleek black boots, polished to a quiet shine. His gaze traced the fine details: the gleam of the buttons, the way the coat swayed ever so slightly as she shifted her weight, the contrast between the dark leather of her boots and the purity of her coat. She had always carried herself like this; poised, unwavering, untouched by the weight of admiration. And yet, as she stood there, unaware of his silent reverence, he couldn¡¯t help but think that she had never looked more like herself. ¡°What are you doing here? You are supposed to be at the banquet.¡± Aurelia frowned at the man¡¯s word as she walked closer. ¡°I risk the wrath of my father to come say goodbye and you are asking me why I am here instead of holding me.¡± Kanah dropped his head, smiling as he jumped off the horse, embracing her in his arms. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you too.¡± Aurelia then broke the hug as she handed him a box as Kanah looked at her, puzzled. ¡°A memento to remember me by.¡± He opened the box and inside was a ring made from Moon Rock. He smiled, looking back at her. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to give me this just to remember you. You are the only thing in my mind and heart.¡± Aurelia reached out her hand, placing it on Kanah¡¯s cheek as he melted with her touch, his eyes closed and a smile on his face. ¡°Goodbye and happy birthday, my beloved¡± As she retracted her hand, he opened his eyes and reached forward, taking her face in his arms as he placed a kiss on her forehead. ¡°Goodbye, my love.¡± Kanah backed up to his horse; as he got on, he heard the wind flap as he looked back to see Aurelia gone with the wind. ¡°She is getting faster.¡± He smiled, looking at the moon, seeing the comet colour the moon. He turned the horse around, heading into the forest towards the distant wagon. . . . . Aurelia marched through the corridors of the castle until she reached the Queen¡¯s door. She opened the door, entering the queen¡¯s balcony. The queen looked down at the hall below. ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°What I needed to hear.¡± The queen held her daughter¡¯s hand. ¡°Go join your father down there.¡± ¡°Yes, mother.¡± Aurelia looked down before exiting the Queen¡¯s balcony. She travelled down the stairs and emerged from the passage behind her chair. Just as Aurelia entered the hall, The King stood up and gathered the attention of all. ¡°Lords and ladies, honoured guests, hear me now!¡± The king¡¯s voice rang clear through the grand hall, steady and rich with authority. ¡°It is with great pride and solemn joy that I present to you the heir to the noble Kingdom of Istreid, my daughter, your future sovereign, Princess Aurelia Reid.¡± The hall erupted in applause; the sound reverberating against the stone walls as all eyes turned to Aurelia. Aurelia¡¯s lips curved into a gentle, practiced smile, the kind meant for royal courts and grand halls, not for quiet moments with her family or Kanah. It was a mask. With a slow motion, she raised a hand, offering a measured wave to the gathered guests. The subtle gesture was neither overly warm nor distant, but perfectly balanced¡ªacknowledging their presence while maintaining the poise expected of her. She walked to her seat with steady, unhurried steps. As she settled into the ornate chair, she leaned back, crossing one leg over the other in a relaxed yet dignified manner. She showed no sign of discomfort, holding herself with the calm assurance expected of her. The King looked up through the glass ceiling, seeing the comet passing overhead. He leaned to his right. ¡°Begin the preparations.¡± The Prime Minister bowed towards the king. ¡°As you command!¡± He then motioned to the mages in the hall as the doors were closed and all the candles blown out, leaving the bi-coloured moonlight as the only source of light. The King stood up and walked a few steps forward as the mages stood around the circle, placing a piece of paper in the middle. ¡°Guests of the Crown, we have all heard the prophecy, the tale of a hero destined to rise and deliver this world from evil. It was foretold that he would appear on the night of the twin comet, a beacon of hope in our darkest hour. And yet, tonight marks the last cycle of the comet, despite that, the hero has not come.¡± His gaze swept across the hall, his expression firm. ¡°We can wait no longer. Our kingdom, our people, the world itself our very future hangs in the balance. If fate will not bring the hero to us, then we shall summon him ourselves.¡± A heavy silence followed, thick with anticipation. ¡°Tonight, before you all, I will call forth the hero who will save us from the coming darkness. Let the summoning begin!¡± The mages raised their hands in unison, their voices rising in a rhythmic chant, weaving the ancient language into the very air. A thick blue mist unfurled across the grand hall, swirling with a life of its own, pulsing with raw, untamed power. At the centre of it all, the symbol began to glow, its intricate lines pulsating as if drawing breath. The ground trembled beneath it, a deep rumble echoing through the chamber. Beyond the castle walls, the sky darkened, consumed by rolling storm clouds that churned with an unnatural fury. Thunder roared in the distance, and bolts of lightning slashed across the heavens, striking the mountains with a deafening crack. The mages pressed forward, their focus unwavering, their magic surging as they poured everything into the spell. Then, with a sudden, blinding flash, a bolt of lightning tore through the sky, crashing through the glass ceiling in a brilliant cascade of shattered light. Everyone shielded themselves, but the mages stood firm, untouched by the storm¡¯s wrath. At the heart of the ritual, the sacred paper ignited instantly, its surface consumed in mere moments, reduced to drifting ash. For a breathless instant, silence reigned. Then, defying all natural order, the ashes began to rise, drawn upward by an unseen force. Higher and higher they climbed, swirling together, twisting and merging until they coalesced into a single sphere of shimmering black dust. A burst of radiant light exploded outward, engulfing the hall in brilliance, forcing all to avert their eyes. And then, as quickly as it had come, the light receded. Where the ashes had been, there was now a man. He was clad in sturdy brown boots, fitted black trousers, and a weathered brown jacket. Black gloves covered his hands, and upon his head rested a smooth, white helmet of unknown material, concealing his face. Beside him, an enigmatic construct of gleaming metal hovered for a moment before crashing to the ground with a heavy thud. It bore two wheels; one at the front, one at the back. Its purpose was unknown, its very presence foreign to all who laid eyes upon it. The man landed lightly, his feet finding solid ground as he gazed at his surroundings through the visor of his helmet. A hush fell over the hall. Then, a slow grin spread across the king¡¯s face, his thick beard shifting with the motion. ¡°Behold our hero!¡± Paneria(1) ¡°Behold our Hero!¡± The declaration of King Belreid filled the hall and echoed through the castle. He grinned ear to ear, not taking his eye off the man at the center of the hall, who looked back at him through the helmet, unable to move the rest of his body. ¡°FATHER!¡± The King turned to face his daughter as an energy blast tore through the air, striking the King¡¯s right arm, blowing it off and traveling through the walls of the castle escaping into the night sky. Screams of women and gasps of men filled the room. Aurelia drew her sword and leapt at the cloaked figure on the other end of the hall, who drew his sword in return, and the two blades collided, creating a shockwave that pushed the spectators back. The King fell to the ground as he held his shoulder screaming until he lost conscious. Watching the clashing of swords, the Royal Guards surrounded the King, to ensure his safety. As the battle between Aurelia and the assailant continued, the guests backed up to the edge of the hall; Aurelia kept advancing, strike after strike, keeping the assailant on the back foot. The assailant, realizing his predicament, kicked Aurelia in the stomach, sending her reeling backward, and threw his sword at her face. Aurelia slammed her sword on the floor to stop herself. Just as she looked up and saw the blade approaching her, she brought up her sword, barely deflecting the oncoming blade. As she looked ahead, the assailant had charged up another energy blast, this time aimed directly at the hero standing in the circle. Aurelia landed in front of the hero as the blast tore through the air and collided with her sword. She reinforced her arms and sword as she charged up mana in her blade and with a twist of her body directed the blast up in the sky and quickly followed up with an energy slash let out by her sword. The slash collided with the assailant and slammed him into the wall as he fell down unconscious. She stood over the assailant before sheathing her blade. ¡°Guards, place him in the cells and escort all the guests to their rooms.¡± The guards took the assailant away as Aurelia looked at the hero. ¡°Why is he not moving?¡± The mages looked at the hero before shifting their gaze back to the princess. ¡°We do not know, your highness. It could be because of the summoning that his senses are not working as they should.¡± ¡°Move him and his contraption to a room in the Royal wing. Notify us the moment he moves.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± Aurelia moved to her father¡¯s side as the sage stopped his spells and shook his head. ¡°I am afraid the attack was imbued with sacrificial powers; we saved his life but the damage cannot be undone.¡± Aurelia blankly stared at her father before closing her eyes. ¡°Carry him to his room.¡± As the King was carried the out of the main hall. The King was laid down in his bed; the queen sat by his side, worry and fear evident on her face. Aurelia stood to his right, and a knight in white armour from head to toe stood at the king¡¯s feet. ¡°Reinhardt, how could this happen?¡± The captain of the Royal Guards, Reinhardt, stepped forward, getting down on his knee. ¡°My queen, the assailant, entered the hall using a magic rune during the chaos caused by the summoning; his magic went unnoticed and the moment he arrived, he attacked the king.¡± Aurelia stared down at her father¡¯s missing arm. ¡®If only I had detected his presence sooner than maybe¡­.¡¯ She felt a hand land on her shoulder as she looked up at her mother, who comforted her daughter. ¡°It was not your mistake; it happened because it was meant to be.¡± Aurelia nodded as she held back tears, hugging her mother. ¡°What happened?¡± The two separated as King Belreid regained consciousness; he tried to rub his forehead but noticed that he no longer had a right arm from the elbow down. ¡°Father!¡± ¡°Bel!¡± The King covered his ears with his left hand as he gritted his teeth. ¡°Silence!¡± At his command, all mouths were forced to close themselves as he moved his hand. ¡°My head feels as if a war is raging inside, so keep your voices down.¡± He finished the sentence as he gritted his teeth and rage filled his eyes, only for his eyes to just as quickly widen as he grabbed his head. ¡°What is happening?¡± Aurelia and Anessa grabbed a hold of him; Reinhardt turned away from the bed, heading for the door. ¡°I shall bring the sage.¡± ¡°No! I am well; I do not require the sage.¡± Reinhardt stopped and stood guard at the door. ¡°As you command.¡± The king embraced his wife and daughter to reassure that he was fine, he then let go sitting with his back on the bed frame. ¡°What happened at the banquet? Are the guests safe?¡± His eyes widened in shock as he grabbed his daughter by the shoulder. ¡°Is the Hero safe?¡± Aurelia held her father¡¯s hand and guided it down in her lap. ¡°The guests are safe. I took down the assailant who attacked you. The Hero is currently in the room at the end of the royal wing.¡± The King smiled, as he could not control his emotions. ¡°This is wonderful news; did the hero say or ask anything?¡± Aurelia shook her head as she lowered her gaze, uncertain how she was going to mention the hero¡¯s state to her father. ¡°Father, regarding the Hero¡­.¡± Just then, the door opened and Prime Minister Vaughn stepped in, hands on knees, struggling to catch his breath; he bowed the moment he looked at the King. ¡°Your grace.¡± ¡°Prime Minister, you seem exhausted. What caused such unrest?¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Vaughn tried to speak, but his breath fell short as he gasped for more air before finally answering. ¡°Your grace, the Hero is moving.¡± The King smiled as he stood up from the bed walking towards the sofa. ¡°Bring him here this instance.¡± Vaughn bowed, exiting the room. Aurelia looked at her father puzzled, by his decision. ¡°Father, please rest. We can do this tomorrow.¡± The King looked back at Aurelia, shaking his head. ¡°We have plucked that man from his world and brought him here to save ours; he must be confused, scared even. We owe it to him to answer his questions with honesty.¡± The King smiled as he sat on the sofa beside the fireplace, leaning forward, his left arm supporting his chin; Aurelia stood behind him to his left and Anessa to his right. Reinhardt stood to the King¡¯s left, his hand on the handle of his sword. Footsteps could be heard approaching the door only to halt on the other side. The door was swung open as Vaughn entered the room and bowed before stepping to the side and gesturing towards the man behind him hidden in the shadows. ¡°I present to you the Hero.¡± The man walked into the light as the King stood up in shock and Anessa covered her mouth with her hand. A smile spread across Aurelia¡¯s solemn face. The man before them was a replica of Kanah from the hair on his head to the nails of his finger. The only difference was his unfamiliar garbs and a serious face in contrast to Kanah¡¯s relaxed and cheerful face. Aurelia stepped forward from behind her father and called out to the man. ¡°Kanah!¡± The man looked at her, the seriousness fading off his face as his mouth was left agape. ¡°Are you Kanah?¡± The man was pulled back as his seriousness returned. ¡°No.¡± Aurelia gasped at the sound of his voice. ¡®Even the voice is just like his.¡± The man stepped forward, stretching his left hand out towards the King, who returned the gesture, shaking the man¡¯s hand. ¡°My name is Raghav, Raghav Suryanshi.¡± ¡°I am King Belreid, the only son of Delreid and the 32nd ruler of Istreid Kingdom.¡± King Belreid let go of his hand and gestured toward the sofa opposite of him. ¡°Please take a seat.¡± Raghav nodded as he sat down. ¡°Thank you, and I must apologise; I am not well versed in the English language; it is not my native tongue; it is called English here as well, yes?¡± His seriousness echoed in his collected and calm tone. The King leaned back, waving his hand slightly as he chuckled. ¡°No, need to apologise, and yes, it is called English in our world as well. I am sure you have questions you want answers to.¡± Raghav nodded, gazing at the figures present in the room, starting with Reinhardt. ¡®A knight, he must be the King¡¯s personal guard; his hand is on his sword; I should refrain from making any sudden moves, hmmm, long brown hair and hazel eyes.¡¯ Then at Prime Minister Vaughn. ¡®Nothing special about him, a typical old adviser for a king.¡¯ After that, the Queen, Aurelia and the King. ¡®It looks like the Princess favoured her mother¡¯s blue eyes and blonde hair instead of the King¡¯s brown hair.¡¯ Raghav stopped to look at Aurelia for a few moments until the King interrupted his thoughts. ¡°Are you well?¡± Raghav straightened himself. ¡°Yes, I am well.¡± He then placed his hand on his chin. ¡®I should begin by asking him about his arm and of the fight I saw in the Throne Room.¡¯ Raghav placed his hand down as he looked the King in the eye. ¡°Sir, Your arm, I wish to confirm what I saw in the Throne room was true and not my mind playing games on me. I saw a blast of energy blow your arm off and the princess fighting him at unnatural speed. What was that?¡± The King looked down at his missing arm, then up at his daughter before facing Raghav. ¡°Your mind played no trick on you; Princess Aurelia fought the assailant using an energy that exists within our world called Mana. It will take a long time to explain; I promise to explain it later; for now, ask your other questions.¡± Raghav nodded, taking in the information he received; he leaned back, crossing his legs, and lifted three of his fingers. ¡°I looked the throne room when I got the chance and saw marking burned into the ground around me forming a circle, mages around me and the way you proclaimed to the people ¡®Behold our Hero¡¯ I know my coming here was no accident so I have three questions.¡± The King nodded, his face solemn as he gestured Raghav to continue. Raghav took the gesture for what it meant and asked his questions, putting down a finger with each question. ¡°First, how did you summon me? Second, why was I summoned? Lastly, where am I?¡± The King looked at Prime Minister Vaughn. ¡°Yes, your grace?¡± ¡°Ask the head mage to come here.¡± ¡°As you command.¡± Vaughn bowed before leaving the room. The King shifted his gaze towards Raghav. ¡°The mage will better explain how you were summoned.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The door opened and in came Vaughn, with the head mage walking carefully, not to step on his long beard as he bowed to the King. ¡°Your, grace.¡± The king raised his hand as the mage stood up, he then extended his hand towards Raghav. ¡°This is Raghav, the hero; he wishes to know how he was summoned.¡± The mage turned to face Raghav as he bowed slightly. ¡°Greetings Raghav, the hero. I am the head mage Olda.¡± Raghav stretched his hand out for Olda. ¡°Pleasure to meet you, sir.¡± Olda shook his hand as he gathered himself. ¡°Regarding your question; you were summoned to our world using an ancient spell that allowed us to bring you to our world from a different universe.¡± Raghav moved his tongue around in his mouth and closed his eyes. ¡°Why me?¡± He then opened then lifting his chin up looking at Olda. Olda waved his hands in front of him. ¡°We did not look for you specifically; the spell required us to place a paper in the summoning circle upon which we wrote the qualities we were looking for. Among those were, Honour, Righteousness, Valour, Purity, Justice and Truth. The spell chose you itself because it must have felt these qualities from within you.¡± Raghav nodded, satisfied by the answer, before looking back at Olda with a small smile. ¡°Thank you, Olda.¡± Olda smiled as he bowed lightly, then turned to the King and bowed deeply. ¡°Your grace.¡± The king acknowledged Olda with a slight bow of his head. ¡°Thank you, you may leave.¡± Olda bowed once more before leaving the room. As the door closed, Raghav turned to the king, who looked down at the table. ¡°That explained the how; now tell me why?¡± The King looked up at Raghav, his throat running dry as he reached for a glass of water on the table and as he grabbed it, a realization hit him as he looked at Raghav with an open mouth. ¡°I apologise; no one offered you anything to drink; would you like some wine or tea?¡± The king dry lips with his left hand. Raghav raised his hand as he brought a slight smile to his face. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I don¡¯t mind, I can understand how it must have slipped the mind and I must also make clear I don¡¯t drink alcohol or tea. Just water and milk.¡± The King took a few deep breaths as he swallowed the saliva in his mouth and placed the glass of water in front of Raghav, who took the glass and lowered his head slightly before drinking the water. Aurelia looked at Raghav, a turmoil in her mind. ¡®He looks like him, talks like him, but he is different; his face lacks the warmth that Kanah has the positivity. The only thing that he shares with Kanah beside his appearance and voice is that smile; though it is only partially present, it is just like his.¡¯ Raghav finished the glass of water, placing it on the table as he shifted his gaze to Aurelia who looked down to avoid his gaze. The King was having trouble finding the words to satisfy Raghav. ¡°I¡­ We¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t force yourself; if you cannot answer it right now, then I¡¯ll wait for when you can.¡± The King looked at Raghav with his mouth open and his eyes wet from the emotions swelling inside. He rubbed his eyes as he felt a hand land on his left shoulder; he looked back at his wife, who comforted him as he held her hand. She then looked at Raghav. ¡°I know you must be desperate to know why you are here. So thank you for being patient.¡± Raghav nodded as he smiled at the queen. ¡°It¡¯s nothing; I could not let him suffer so much stress after what had already happened to him. But if it¡¯s okay with you, may I know where I am?¡± ¡°Yes, you may.¡± The queen then looked at her husband as she rubbed his shoulder, comforting her. He then faced Raghav with a serious expression and a shift in his attitude matching Raghav¡¯s. ¡°You are on the planet of PANERIA.¡± Paneria(2) "Paneria?" Raghav lowered his head, lifting his eyebrows as confusion took over his face. The King noticed his expressions nodded. "Yes, this planet is Paneria; it seems you are unfamiliar with the term." Raghav nodded as he leaned back. "My planet is called Earth." The King blinked as he heard the name. "That is a beautiful name, Earth. May I ask a question? It has been bothering me for some time." Raghav extended his hand towards the king, gesturing him to ask his question. "How are you so calm? From the moment you entered this room, I sensed no fear, no anger from you. I was expecting you to lash out at us for ripping you out from your world and stealing your life. If not, I had imagined you would be afraid to lose your life." The King stared at the man who sat opposite of him; Raghav blankly stared into the King''s eyes before the right side of his lips curled up. "What would either of those emotions get me? Anger would most likely end with me receiving the same treatment as the man in the throne room, thrown in a cell. Beside I would feel angry if I had anything of value that got left behind on Earth. All the things that I hold dear came with me." Raghav stopped to take a sip of water, letting the words sink in. "As for why, I do not fear for my life. Fearing won''t change anything." The King could not fully understand the meaning behind those words as he leaned forward. "What?" Raghav leaned back, regaining his seriousness. "Everyone dies, whether it be today, tomorrow, even right now; no one knows how long they will live, but one thing is certain, everyone dies. So tell me, is there any point in being afraid of dying? it is inevitable. A person should try to save himself when his life is in danger; I do not deny that; but fearing for your our life is not something we should do." Everyone in the room was left speechless upon hearing those words. Until the King swallowed the saliva forming in his mouth. "I am at a loss for words to describe what I feel hearing your words." Raghav chuckled as he leaned forward, gently stretching his hand towards the King, Observing Reinhardt. He placed his hand on the King''s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "Forget about it; tell me more about Paneria. Do you have a map of the planet? It would help me understand the world better?" The King blinked, gathering himself as he looked at Vaughn. Who understood the King''s wish and went out of the room. The King looked back at Raghav as he wiped his forehead with his handkerchief. "It is on its way." Raghav nodded as he stood up, walking up to Reinhardt and stretched his hand out towards him. "I believe I did not get the pleasure of learning your name. You are a knight, yes?" Reinhardt looked down at the man before him; there must have been a height difference of four inches even if Reinhardt took off his helmet. He surveyed the man standing before him before taking his hand and shaking it. "I am Reinhardt, the captain of the Royal Guards. It is a pleasure to meet you, Raghav Suryanshi." Raghav chuckled as he looked back at the King. "He got my last name correct in one meeting; I am impressed." Raghav then moved and bowed slightly in front of the queen. "I am sorry, I did not do this earlier, Mam." He then stood up and turned to look at Aurelia, gently lowered his head. "Thank you for guarding me in the throne room. May I know your name?" Aurelia smiled just as she did in the main hall. "No need to thank me, Sir Raghav. My name is Aurelia Reid, the daughter of King Belreid and Queen Anessa Reid." Raghav looked up before turning to the King. "Is Reid your family name?" The King nodded as Raghav got more confused. "But your name is Belreid, its one word; should it not be Bel Reid if Reid is the family name?" The King gently shook his head as Raghav returned to his seat waiting for the King''s explanation. "In our lineage, the males have the name Reid as a part of their birth name, and so my name is Belreid." Raghav nodded as he now understood the reason behind the name as Vaughn returned to the room with two scrolls and laid them on the table. The king gestured at Vaughn. "This is our Prime Minister, Vaughn Denley." Raghav nodded as he and Vaughn looked at one another before he turned to look at the map. He opened the larger scroll and spread it across the table. His expression twisted to a confused one as he looked at the map. "The world is completely different from mine. If my hunch is correct, we are here, yes?" He then pointed to the word Rine written on the map as he looked at the King for approval, who simply nodded. Raghav then moved his fingers a bit towards north and stopped on the word THE FOG. "What is that?" The King looked at the word as he sighed. "On the northern end of our planet, exists a gigantic fog that does not allow anyone to enter it. That is not the only strange phenomenon in our world." He then grabbed Raghav''s finger and guided it to the word THE HOLE at the bottom. "On the Southern end of our world exists a gigantic hole; it also does not allow anyone to enter it. All we see is darkness." Raghav retreated his finger as he looked at the map in its entirety. He then looked at the king. "So this is the entire planet." "No." Raghav looked back at the King in shock. "There''s more?" The King nodded as he placed a hand on the map. "This is only half our planet; the other half is not added to any maps because of being a vast, empty ocean." Raghav looked down at the map. ''This is half; this already seems bigger than Earth.'' He then looked forward at the King as he saw sadness in the King''s eye. "Something you want to tell?" The King looked Raghav in the eye before looking down and shaking his head. "No, there is nothing." Raghav nodded as he observed the rest of the map. ''The Istreid, Arenithis, Abyssara, Solara, Haringdom, Eldrathis, Kharundar, Vornathis, Xalath. In total, there are nine kingdoms spread across four continents. The continents themselves are pretty interesting as well. Wait a minute!'' Raghav looked at the King as he placed a finger on the Long continent. "If what you say is true that this is half the planet and the other side is nothing but ocean, then that would mean that the long continent is a key part of the world''s trade. Yes?" The king nodded as he smiled. "You are smart, I will give you that, because of the long distance the people of the Estria and Astralith Continent prefer to travel through the Long continent to save time, they have to pay increased taxes to pass through Abyssara Kingdom but it is still far better than travelling 129,000 Km of Empty Ocean." Raghav stood up from his seat, placing both hands on the table. "Excuse me, WHAT? 129,000 Km of ocean? How big is this planet?" Everyone looked at Raghav as he looked back at them, regaining his composure as he sat down. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The king smiled. "I take it that your planet is smaller than ours?" Raghav nodded, pulling out a map of earth from his packet as he placed it on the table. "This is my world at its widest; the circumference is 40,000 km." The King formed a puzzled expression. "Widest? Is your planet not a perfect sphere?" "Yours is?" The King nodded as Raghav stared at him. "My planet is wider, in the middle, then it is at the top and bottom." Raghav looked up at the King. "How long is a kilometer here?" "One thousand meters. On yours?" "Same as yours. Is this a meter in your world?" Raghav then pulled out a measuring tape from his pocket and pulled it out until he reached the one meter mark. Everyone looked at the measuring tape as Aurelia pulled out her sword and aligned the blade with the measuring tape. Once she confirmed the length, she unsheathed her blade. "It is a meter in our world as well." Raghav let go of the tape as it reeled back in. "I see." Raghav placed the measuring tape back in his pockets. The king looked at him, taking back the map as well. "Do you always carry these items with you?" Raghav shook his head. "Yes, I had them in my bag, the one tied to the bike. I took them out and brought them with me since I wanted to know the basics of this world, such as its structure, measurements and other things. But I guess we can leave that for later. Right now, I am more curious about Mana." King Belreid stood up from his seat as Raghav followed his lead. "A demonstration would help you understand better. Anessa, you stay here and rest." Queen Anessa nodded as she looked at Reinhardt. "Keep your king safe." Reinhardt placed a hand on his chest, looking at the Queen. "With my life." Then, the King, Aurelia, Raghav, Reinhardt and Vaughn left the room. Walking through the corridor, Raghav looked at the architecture and the paintings placed on the walls. Then, as they approached a door, Raghav looked at the guards; they wore different armour as compared to Reinhardt. Theirs were black and red, compared to Reinhardt''s white. As the Door opened came an open corridor as he looked to his left he saw just how high he was. ''I must be around sixty meters high.'' He then shifted his gaze to the arena separated from the castle. They walked a few more steps before turning left and crossing an arch bridge to reach the arena. Raghav stopped at the beginning of the bridge as he looked to the right. ''There is another corridor on the right; there are more ways to enter the arena, it seems.'' He then crossed the bridge while looking down at the slanted roof below him. At the opposite ends were seats meant for the spectators. The middle of those seats contained an empty section for royalty. As they stood in the center of the arena, Raghav took notice its gigantic size. ''Even if you exclude the seats, the arena itself has a radius of forty-five meters, at the very least.'' He looked at the King. "What is the purpose of this arena?" The king grinned as he extended his hand. "For tournaments and trials by combat." "Trials by combat?" "Yes, our founder believed a man can choose a trial by combat to save his life; he believed if it was his fate to survive he would survive but if his fate was to die, he would die." Raghav looked at the ground as he found many marks on the ground. The king took off his coat and turned to Raghav. "Mana is the all-encompassing energy that fuels life itself. It flows through all, but only some have a sensitivity to sense it to wield it." He stretched his hand forward as a yellowish glow appeared in his hand and soon there was a fire in his palm. "Its applications are far and wide." As he flicked his palm, letting the fire die out and stretched his hand towards Reinhardt, pulling his sword out of its sheath and into his hands. "You can move objects with your mind by focusing your mana on it; you can create fire, water, wind currents, electricity." He then showcased the four elements by imbuing the sword with them. He then dropped the blade to the ground as the ground cracked. "You can increase gravity, decrease it and even shift it." The sword then flew towards Reinhardt''s feet as he kicked it up and placed it back. Raghav watched all of this with narrow eyes. The king smiled as he continued. "You can also enhance your own body, protect it and your surroundings by enforcing it with Mana; you can lift more, hit harder, move faster, and you can even enhance your senses. And this does not stop to just your body; you can imbue a stick with mana and use it against a sword. Although I would suggest against it, as you would need an unprecedented amount of mana to make that stick last against someone else using mana on a sword." Raghav nodded as he moved his tongue in his mouth. "Is that all?" The king shook his head. "No, certainly not. You can cast spells as well, but they are tricky as you have to follow certain processes to successfully perform them, they are ill suited for combat but are the most valuable aspect of Mana usage, healing magic, teleportation, transmutation, not to forget summoning." "I can use simple spells, but not complex spells that require one to gather items, draw runes. Hence, I belong to the warrior sect." "The warrior sect?" "Yes, people who are able to utilise Mana for combat are classified as warrior, while people who are able to perform spells are classified as mages, this distinction helps identify the person''s talents and assign him a role that benefits from those talents. Although these are not fixed, as someone can qualify for both if he has enough talent in both combat and magic. Our first King Istreid was a master in both sects capable of erasing mountains with his mana blasts and skilled with summoning magic capable of summoning meteors the size of entire kingdoms." Raghav''s eyes widened in shock as he placed a hand over his mouth. "That is a terrifying amount of power." "It truly is, only a few beings on the planet possess power of that magnitude." Raghav pondered with his hand on his chin. ''Physical enhancement, manipulation of the mana to produce fire, water, it must be by turning mana into those elements. Then comes the spells that are cast, summoning, teleporting and healing. Wait healing?" His head shot towards the King. "You say Mana can heal, then why has your arm not been healed?" The king looked down at his arm. "The mana blast that took my arm was imbued with sacrificial magic, magic that requires a sacrifice to be made to a dark entity, who gives a portion of Chaos magic to the mage who made the sacrifice, it is impossible to heal the damage by such an attack." Raghav looked down, processing the information. The King sighed, looking at the twin comet in the sky as Raghav followed his gaze. "Two thousand and fifty-two years ago, King Vardenia visited the Solara Kingdom. He heard a prophecy from the sky itself." "What was the prophecy?" The king looked at Reinhardt and Vaughn as he gritted his teeth. "After the 108th cycle of the twin comet, evil shall rise again and the world will fall under great peril. A hero would appear with the comet itself to save all that is." The king took a pause, admiring the comet. "This was the prophecy that King Vardenia told the people. This is the reason we summoned you here." Raghav looked at everyone around as they nodded, confirming the king''s word. "It was a lie." Everyone looked at King Belreid with a shocked expression. Vaughn stepped forward, looking the king in the eyes. "What do you mean, a lie?" King Belreid stopped looking at the comet as he looked at Raghav. "King Vardenia hid the true prophecy from the people and for two thousand and fifty-two years, this prophecy has been the closely guarded secret of the world. Only known to the Kings of the nine Kingdom" Raghav looked at the king with narrow eyes. "Go on." The king sighed. "The true identity of the evil is of The King of Hell. The prophecy spoke. ''Crimson shall shatter and The King in Hell shall walk among mortals once more. A war between the Divine and the Condemned shall begin till either Fall Heaven or Burn Hell.'' This is the true prophecy that King Vardenia heard in Solara Kingdom." Raghav was confused as he approached the King. "That does not speak of the Hero at all and neither the twin comet." The king placed his hand on Raghav''s shoulder. "That is because the comet and the hero were added to the fake prophecy by King Istreid, who saw a vision of the future at the end of the Great War. I would have told you the original fake prophecy, but I, myself, do not know it. You can ask King Vardenia himself when you meet him." Raghav''s eyes widened as he failed to understand the words. "He is alive?" "Yes, he is an elf. They live for thousands of years." "So¡­" "I believe it is getting late. We should head back to our rooms. Aurelia, please escort the Hero to his room." The King began walking away with Reinhardt and Vaughn by his side. Aurelia walked over to Raghav and stood beside him. "You feel it too?" Raghav looked at her and nodded. The two then walked back to the Raghav''s room at the end of the royal wing. Raghav looked at his door, then to his left, at Aurelia, who stood at the door to her room. She felt his gaze and looked at him. "Good night, Princess." He smiled at her before entering his room. Aurelia stood there with wide eyes. ''That smile was just like Kanah''s. I will have to uncover the connection between them.'' She then opened her door and entered her room. A few seconds later, the door to Raghav''s room opened as he stepped out, walking into the dark corridor. Paneria(3) A small source of light illuminated the dark corridor as Raghav held his phone in front of him. ¡®The castle is crawling with guards and soldiers. Luckily for me, they are spread out to cover for the guests as well.¡¯ He turned off the flashlight as he heard footsteps; two soldiers holding a torch turned around the corner and began walking in the dark corridor. ¡°Are the rumours true?¡± ¡°What rumours?¡± The guard leaned whispering something to his companion before standing straight. The other guard nodded. ¡°Yes, the rumours are true.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it.¡± Once they walked away, Raghav slid down the pillar, looking at the distant flames. He pulled his phone out and turned the flashlight on. ¡®King Belreid told me that the prophecy regarding the hero was fake, then why go through the trouble of summoning me? That I will have to ask him myself.¡¯ He reached the gates of the throne room as he opened them and entered looking at the mess before him, tables thrown around glasses and wine on the floor and at the back a giant hole about 8 feet wide going through multiple walls until it reached the open sky. ¡®A mana blast can be dangerous; King Belreid forgot to explain how to do a mana blast. I¡¯ll ask someone else, for now I should focus on the task at hand.¡¯ Raghav walked around the room with narrow eyes and a serious face. ¡®There should be traces of the assailant being teleported here. They should need some sort of marking or runes to do the teleporting.¡¯ When he found nothing, Raghav unzipped his brown jacket and reached inside; pulling out a small torch, he switched it on as blue light came out. ¡°They probably used a marking or rune drawn by invisible ink. Good thing I had a UV torch.¡± He walked around the throne room once more; as he reached right corner from the main entrance, he found a rune glowing blue. ¡®It appears to be X with a T in the middle.¡¯ Raghav quickly took a picture with his phone. Raghav heard distant sounds of footsteps as he closed his torch and ran hiding behind the throne. ¡®Who would come to the throne room at this hour?¡¯ He pulled out his phone and started recording the audio. Whoever had entered the room just grunted and scoffed before leaving. As the doors closed, Raghav stopped the recording and opened the camera and peeked at the room, making sure that the person was gone. ¡®Whoever that was might be the person behind the attack. I should try to check everyone¡¯s hands to see if they have a trace of the Invisible ink. I doubt they would know how to remove it.¡¯ Raghav left the throne room, heading back to his room avoiding the guards. Once inside, he placed the torch back inside his jacket and the phone in the pocket of his pants. He took off the jacket, placing it on the coat hanger, he then dusted the plain black t-shirt he was wearing and grabbed his silver oval shaped locket, tracing his fingers on it before turning to his bike laying on the floor. He walked over to it, crouching next to the front wheel as he examined the handle. ¡°It must have broken when it fell.¡± He then graced his hand along the letters written on its side, ¡®Sportster S¡¯. ¡°Guess I will have to fix it on my own.¡± Raghav stood up, walking to the bed and laying down. . . . . Aurelia woke up in her silky bed as she looked out her balcony seeing the Sun rise. ¡®Good morning, Kanah.¡¯ She then got up from her bed and changed into her formal attire, similar to the one she wore last night. ¡°I should check up on Mr Raghav.¡± She walked out of her room heading towards Raghav¡¯s; she stood in front of the door preparing herself to knock. ¡°Come in.¡± Aurelia was stunned as she opened the door seeing Raghav arranging a pile of clothes on the sofa table. ¡°You knew I was standing outside.¡± Raghav turned around, looking at Aurelia as the seriousness slipped off his face ever so slightly before he regained it. ¡°Good morning Princess, I am sorry; I did not know it was you. I just heard the footsteps and thought it was someone I had called for. Please take a seat.¡± ¡°I see; do you require my aid?¡± Raghav looked at her and then at the bike. ¡°Help me lift it. Grab that handle and this frame right here and pull it towards yourself, once it is upright, lean it towards yourself and it should be on its side stand.¡± Aurelia came towards the bike and lifted it. ¡°Thank you, Princess.¡± Raghav turned to look at her before he started taking the black forest backpack off the bike and placing it beside the sofa table. ¡°Anything I can do for you, Princess?¡± Aurelia shook her head as she looked at Raghav, looking at his shirt that hugged his muscular frame, but her eyes were stuck on the locket as she pointed towards it. ¡°What is that?¡± Raghav looked at her, then to where she was pointing; when he saw the locket, he looked back at her. ¡°It¡¯s a locket; these are mementos with a picture of a person or place inside.¡± ¡°What is a picture?¡± ¡°A picture is a word we use for paintings in my time.¡± Aurelia nodded, looking at the bike. ¡°So this is the bike you were talking about.¡± Raghav nodded. ¡°That is a bike; you use it to travel. It does not require any animal to pull it.¡± Aurelia admired the bike before turning to Raghav as he pulled out a rectangular metal plate from his bag. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°A laptop.¡± Raghav looked between Aurelia and the laptop a few times. ¡°Can you make small continuous sparks of electricity?¡± Aurelia stretched her hand out, producing electricity in her hands; Raghav placed the plug in her palm as he opened his laptop. ¡®It¡¯s charging that too at the normal pace. I guess I won¡¯t have to worry about running out of battery with this.¡¯ Raghav looked back at the princess with a slight smile. ¡°Thank you, you can stop now.¡± ¡°Does the laptop work with electricity as its source of power?¡± Raghav smiled. ¡°Yes, it does indeed.¡± As Raghav took the plug back, he looked her in the eye. ¡°How tall are you, Princess?¡± ¡°You can stop calling me Princess; just Aurelia would be nice. And to answer your question, I am five foot ten inches tall. You seem like you are 6 feet, yes?¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Raghav nodded, then moved to sort out the rest of his clothes, placing them on the table. His face hardened as looked at the clothes. ¡°Who is Kanah?¡± Aurelia was taken aback by the sudden mention of Kanah. Raghav turned to face her. ¡°I mean, the moment I stepped in front of you. You called me Kanah and the King himself asked me if I was Kanah. So I am curious who he is.¡± Aurelia took a deep breath. ¡°He¡¯s you of this world, the same face, voice, height, even the hair. The only difference is your personality.¡± Raghav¡¯s eyes narrowed until they closed and slowly opened again. ¡°I see. Where might he be? I would love to meet myself.¡± Aurelia looked at Raghav with a puzzled expression. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. ¡°They must be the people I called for. Come in.¡± The door opened and a few men entered the room, one of them dropping the pieces of metal upon seeing Raghav. ¡°The rumours are true.¡± When the men saw Aurelia, they all bowed. ¡°Your, highness.¡± ¡°Carry on with your task.¡± Aurelia looked at Raghav. ¡°We shall have this conversation some other time.¡± Raghav nodded as Aurelia stepped out of the room. He then turned to look at the men as his expression hardened. ¡°Gentlemen, have you brought the items?¡± The men nodded, placing the items on a round table they had brought with them. ¡°Would you require anything else?¡± Raghav looked at the items before shaking his head. ¡°Let¡¯s begin, what year is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the year one thousand two hundred thirty-eight of The New World.¡± ¡°The New World?¡± ¡°Yes, sir, one thousand two hundred thirty-eight years ago, a war was raging in our world known as The Great War. Once the war ended, a new era began called The New World. When the year is written, The New World is written as TNW.¡± Raghav nodded, taking in the new information as he placed a hand on his chin. ¡®The Great War, King Istreid, also received a vision at its end that made him change the fake prophecy; I should read about this period, its good I asked for history books in advance.¡¯ Raghav then looked at the men. ¡°What is a year?¡± The men looked at one another in confusion before one of them spoke. ¡°It is the time taken by Paneria to complete one revolution around the sun.¡± Raghav narrowed his eyes. ¡°How long is a year?¡± ¡°Twelve months.¡± ¡°How long is a month?¡± ¡°Months have different days; January has thirty-one, February has twenty-eight but every four years it has twenty-nine. March has¡­¡± ¡°I get it. Do you have weeks? If you do, how many weeks a month, and how many days in a week and how long is a day?¡± ¡°There are four weeks in a month, a week is seven days long, and a day is twenty-four hours long. An hour is sixty minutes long, and a minute is sixty seconds long.¡± ¡°How long is a second?¡± ¡°One¡­two¡­three, that was three seconds.¡± Raghav nodded. ¡®It would seem that measurement of time is the same as my world, even the names of the months are the same. It is truly peculiar.¡¯ ¡°Who came up with these measurements?¡± ¡°It was King Istreid. He came up with all these new terms and names.¡± Raghav stared at the man blankly before looking at the items. . . . . The men walked out of the room tired; as they walked in the corridor, they passed Aurelia who looked at their tired states. ¡°What happened to you?¡± The men were shaken as they looked at Aurelia. ¡°We cannot answer any more questions. Forgive us, your highness.¡± The men then ran away from her as Aurelia¡¯s face turned to an angered one as she looked furiously at the door to Raghav¡¯s room. ¡®How dare he do this to the people of this country? He will pay the price for tormenting my people.¡¯ She stormed towards the door, drawing her sword as she opened the door with her sword in hand. The moment the door opened, Raghav looked up from the book he was reading with black rectangular frame glasses on his face. He smiled once he saw her. ¡°Aurelia.¡± All of her anger died down when she saw that smile. ¡®Kanah.¡¯ She shook her head as she placed her blade back on her hip. ¡°What happened to the scribes?¡± ¡°I might have asked them too many questions, I apologised already, but I will treat them to some lunch later to make up for overworking them.¡± Aurelia looked at the books. ¡°Are you interested in our history?¡± ¡°Just learning about the world I am now a part of.¡± Raghav closed the book, placing it on the table as he took off his glasses as he closed. ¡®Everything except for the name, the eras and the map and size of this world is the same as mine. From the weights, lengths, plants, animals except for species like elves, dwarfs, dragons, and beast-men.¡¯ ¡°You asked me about Kanah, that you would like to meet him. I have to tell you he is currently journeying to another country, Solara Kingdom.¡± Raghav opened his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s disappointing.¡± Raghav stood up. ¡°Aurelia, your father did not tell me anything about mana blast to me yesterday. Could you?¡± Aurelia nodded. ¡°As you already know, Mana can be infused in the body and items. When the flow of mana into the item exceeds the physical bounds, it swells outside the item, creating an outer layer of physical, tangible mana. This is called a mana construct, you can craft chains, ropes, walls and even shields of this Mana. When this Mana is not used for construct but for attacks, it is called a Mana blast and can be performed in a variety ways.¡± Raghav nodded as he took in the words. ¡°Does the amount of Mana differ from person to person and do different spell require different amounts?¡± Aurelia nodded. ¡°We all possess Mana inside us, but only a few wield it, even they are divided in ranks. The Acolyte, the Knight, the Master, the Grandmaster. All based on a person¡¯s Mana usage, ingenuity, talent and Mana reserves¡± Raghav placed his fingers on his lips. ¡°Let me guess how they are divided.¡± Aurelia nodded. ¡°The Acolyte, someone who can use Mana to strengthen himself, nothing more. The Knight, someone who can use Mana to strengthen himself, his body and can use complex attacks like Mana blast and elemental infusion. The Master, someone who can use large-scale mana attacks and can even use spells in combat. A Grandmaster, someone who is both a master warrior and an extremely skilled mage. King Istreid seems like a grandmaster.¡± Aurelia clapped, ¡°You are indeed smart; your guesses are correct. These are the basis of rank division. I am a Knight class while my father and Reinhardt are Masters. The only Grandmaster alive I know of is King Vardenia.¡± Raghav looked down. ¡®King Vardenia.¡¯ He then looked at Aurelia. ¡°Do you think I will also be Mana sensitive?¡± Aurelia shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Who would know? We can visit the sage and check out the possibility for that; he may also tell us about the connection between you and Kanah.¡± Raghav nodded as he stepped forward. ¡°Can I see your hands?¡± Aurelia was a bit surprised as she raised her hands and Raghav used the UV torch on her hands and saw that her hands were completely clean. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°I was checking your hands for invisible ink.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± Raghav pulled out his phone and showed it to Aurelia. ¡°This is a picture of a rune drawn from invisible ink that can be seen using this special light; whoever that assailant worked for must have drawn that rune. I am looking for whoever has traces of that ink on them.¡± Aurelia looked at Raghav in shock. ¡°You think I would kill my own father?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that, but I have to think that way to catch the person.¡± ¡°The council will handle this matter; you don¡¯t have to get involved.¡± Raghav looked at her as he smiled. ¡°I am doing this for two reasons. First, I was also a target at the summoning, so it¡¯s personal as well. Second, I cannot turn a blind eye to something bad happening no matter what.¡± Aurelia looked at the determination in Raghav¡¯s eyes as she nodded, understanding his reasons. ¡°Ah, brother, thank you for being here.¡± Raghav and Aurelia poked their head out from the room looking at the King¡¯s door seeing the King talking to a bald man who walked away. ¡®The king has a brother but hey said he was an only child.¡¯ Raghav then looked at Aurelia. ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°That is my uncle Galreid.¡± Raghav stepped out, looking at Galreid. ¡°Your father said he was the only son of Delreid.¡± ¡°That is true; Uncle Galreid is not my grandfather¡¯s son; he is his younger brother¡¯s son.¡± Raghav narrowed his gaze before entering the room. ¡°I will be going to take a stroll through the castle, so shall we visit the sage?¡± Aurelia nodded. ¡°Yes, we shall.¡± Lunch Aurelia and Raghav walked through the halls of the castle as he looked directly in front of him, unbothered by the eyes of the helpers in the castle. ¡®Are all these people slaves of the crown or are they paid workers?¡¯ Raghav stopped walking and turned towards one of the maid cleaning a vase. Aurelia also stopped and stood there looking at him. ¡®What is he doing?¡± The maid turned to look at Raghav as he avoided her eyes and looked at the vase. ¡°Sorry to bother you while you are working, I had a question.¡± ¡°Yes sir?¡± ¡°Do you work here of your own free will?¡± The maid nodded ¡°Yes, I work here of my own will, who would I not? I get paid five silver coins per day working here.¡± Raghav nodded as he turned around. ¡°Thank you.¡± He walked back to Aurelia, the maid watched him walk away as she was confused. ¡®Is he shy? He did not even look at me, he just stared at the vase.¡¯ ¡°What was that for?¡± Raghav looked Aurelia in the eyes before looking ahead. ¡°I just wanted to see if they were slaves or not; but it turns out they are getting paid.¡± ¡°You could have just asked me.¡± ¡°Yes; why not ask the daughter of the king if they have any slaves.¡± Raghav shielded his eyes from the direct sunlight as they stepped out into the courtyard between the castle and the outer walls. Raghav moved his hand down as his eyes adjusted to the light and he looked at the beautiful garden in front of him that spread for about 4 acre. A brick road circling from the entrance of the castle to the giant doors of the outer walls. At the right corner of the courtyard were a couple of trees. ¡°Beautiful isn¡¯t it?¡± Raghav looked at Aurelia nodding. ¡°It is.¡± Aurelia then walked towards the trees as Raghav followed; as they drew closer Raghav saw a man with long braided hair and an unkempt beard sitting under the tree on a straw mat wearing a grey cloak and grey pants without any shoes. Aurelia joined her hands and bowed slightly to the man who opened his eyes and smiled at her. ¡°Does the King require my assistance?¡± ¡°No, Sage Amla. I come to you to know about this man.¡± She then moved to the side letting Sage Amla look at Raghav. The Sage stood up walking to him. ¡°It is nice to meet you. You can call this body Sage Amla.¡± Raghav smiled at Sage Amla and held his hands together bowing to him. ¡°It is nice to meet you too. Sage Amla. I am Raghav.¡± Sage Amla was lost looking at Raghav, not even blinking for a moment. Aurelia stepped forward her hands still held together. ¡°Sage Amla?¡± Sage Amla turned to look at her as he smiled. ¡°Yes my child. What is it that you wish to know about this man?¡± ¡°I wish to know why this man brought from another universe looks like someone close to me. Also to see if he possesses the sensitivity to wield Mana.¡± Sage Amla looked at Raghav. ¡°For his appearance to be matching someone close to you is very simple. He is a variant or alternate version of the person you know.¡± Aurelia looked at the Sage in shock. ¡°How can that be?¡± Sage Amla smiled as he waved his hand in the air. ¡°There exists infinite people with the same appearance but with different identity and souls inside them throughout the multiverse.¡± He looked back at Raghav smiling brightly. ¡°The body is nothing but a vessel for the soul to call its own for a short period before moving onto the next.¡± He then looked at Raghav¡¯s hands. ¡°Can you show me your hands?¡± Raghav nodded placing his hands into the Sage¡¯s. The Sage began chanting a spell in an unknown tongue as white aura surrounded the sage and travelled to Raghav¡¯s hands. He soon stopped and looked at Raghav. ¡°You do not possess Mana sensitivity.¡± Raghav clinched his fist and looked down at it. Aurelia lowered her head and sighed. ¡®How will a man without the ability to use Mana save us from evil?¡¯ Raghav looked back at Sage Amla. ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± Sage Amla nodded not taking his eyes off Raghav. ¡°What is a Sage? Is it a rank for Mages?¡± Sage Amla shook his head his eyes still on Raghav. ¡°A Sage is a Saint from the Island Kingdom of Solara. The spiritual centre of the world. It has no army, no economy. Just Saints who ran away from their lives, leaving behind everything, all attachment in life; in search of The One.¡± Raghav stared simply at Sage Amla. ¡°The One? Who is The One?¡± Sage Amla looked around himself. ¡°Everything, the grass, the soil, the air, the clothes we wear, our body, our soul. Everything and nothing. He is the creator and the creation. The only Truth in this world of Dream and Illusion.¡± Raghav narrowed his eyes. ¡°God you mean.¡± ¡°Some people call him that, we call him The One. Does your world also believe in him?¡± Raghav nodded. ¡°In my world people call him by different names. God, Allah, Rab, Yahweh. Kami.¡± ¡°What do you believe?¡± ¡°I believe it¡¯s the same entity and I also call him The One.¡± Sage Amla placed his hands on Raghav¡¯s shoulders as he smiled. ¡°I am glad to meet a fellow believer of The One.¡± He then lowered his hands. ¡°As I was saying, a Sage is a Saint who practices the art of healing, science and arts and then travels throughout the world, as a Sages, helping people, teaching them, never accepting payments, never asking for anything from anyone. We travel to a place and stay there helping the people and leave once the other Sage arrives.¡± Raghav smiled from ear to ear as Sage Amla¡¯s mouth was left open being drawn in Raghav¡¯s smile. ¡°My country has Saint like that. It is nice to know that there are people like them here too.¡± Sage Amla regained his composure. ¡°We Sages eat the food that The One provided, a fallen fruit or what the people give. Strictly avoiding flesh of animals and eggs. We eat but fruits and vegetables and bread.¡± Aurelia looked puzzled at the way the Sage talked. ¡®I have never seen a Sage talk like this before as if he is enjoying this talk.¡¯ Sage Amla smiled bowing slightly to Raghav. ¡°I should get back to my meditation.¡± Raghav nodded and bowed as Sage Amla sat back on his straw mat and began meditating. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Raghav and Aurelia walked away from the Sage as Aurelia placed her hand on Raghav¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I am sorry, that you are not Mana sensitive.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just looking forward to using Mana. I have read thousands of books about worlds with magic and other forms of powers. I was a bit excited when I was summoned that I would be in a world with those powers and races I have only ever read about.¡± Raghav looked around as he bit his lips. ¡°I guess just being able to see a world like this, so clean, pure and simple is a joy in and of itself.¡± Aurelia tilted her head as she looked at Raghav whose expression matched Kanah¡¯s. ¡°What is your world like?¡± Raghav looked at her before he turned around to look at the city in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s different, very different. I am from the year Two thousand twenty-five. I can¡¯t exactly describe it in a good light right now. I will tell you about it over time.¡± Aurelia nodded. ¡®It will take some time for him to adjust here completely.¡¯ ¡°I can wait. Just one question.¡± She walked in front of him turning around as she pulled her sword out. ¡°Your world still uses sword.¡± Raghav shook his head. ¡°The usage of swords ended a few centuries ago, weapons like sword, spears, bow and arrow are all talk of the past.¡± Aurelia smiled as she began walking. ¡°Come, it¡¯s time for lunch.¡± Raghav walked beside Aurelia till they reached the Dining Hall. The doors were opened by the staff as Aurelia and Raghav walked inside. Raghav looked at the present company. ¡®King, Queen, Reinhardt and Galreid. Seems like a close family lunch.¡¯ The king looked towards the door. ¡°Will you be joining us for lunch?¡± Galreid turned to look at Raghav who met his gaze. ¡°I will be, if that is okay with you?¡± Aurelia and Raghav then moved to different sides of the table Aurelia taking the second seat to her father¡¯s right beside her mother and Raghav took the second seat beside Galreid to the king¡¯s left and stretched his hand toward Galreid. ¡°Hello, Sir Galreid, it is a pleasure to meet you.¡± Galreid was taken back as he shook Raghav¡¯s hands. ¡°How do you know my name, mister?¡± ¡°Princess Aurelia told me this morning.¡± The King leaned forward gesturing to Raghav. ¡°This is the Hero. Raghav.¡± Galreid looked at the king before turning to Raghav as he smiled with his teeth showing. ¡°I see, I am Duke of the west, Galreid. The pleasure is mine meeting the Prophesied hero¡± Raghav narrowed his eyes. ¡°Duke of the west? Is that a title?¡± Galreid nodded. ¡°There are four dukes, The Duke of the west, The Duke of the east, The Duke of the south and The Duke of the center.¡± ¡°No Duke of the north?¡± Galreid turned to look at the King as Raghav followed. The King looked at the two of them before the realization hit him. ¡°There is no Duke of the north because I, The King reside in the north so there is no requirement for a Duke.¡± Raghav nodded as he looked at the empty plate. ¡°I see.¡± Just then a server came to the room pushing a trolley with the dishes on it. He picked the main dish and placed it between The King, Queen and Galreid. He also picked a separate dish for Aurelia placing it in front of her. He approached Raghav. ¡°What would you like sir?¡± Raghav looked at him as he thought. ¡°Would you have anything that does not have animal meat or egg in it?¡± The server nodded gesturing towards Aurelia. ¡°May I bring what her highness is eating?¡± Raghav nodded. ¡°That would be nice, thank you.¡± The server bowed slightly then moved to pour wine for The King, Queen and Galreid. Once he was finished. The King looked at him. ¡°Thank you, Yohan.¡± ¡°Your grace.¡± Yohan bowed before turning to Raghav gesturing to pour the wine. ¡°No, Yohan I do not drink wine.¡± Yohan nodded as he placed the bottle of wine in the middle of the table and left the room. Raghav looked at the King. ¡®He knows the server by name, he pays the workers in the castle, from what I gather he seems like a kind king from the way he treats the people in the castle. I should visit the city and enquire about him from the public as well.¡¯ Aurelia opened her dish and was greeted with Rice and Bread on the sides with a serving of beans and curd. She suddenly heard a click as she looked forward at Raghav who was looking down to his right. She matched his gaze and understood what he was doing. ¡®Is he checking Uncle Galreid¡¯s hands?¡¯ Raghav clicked the torch placing it back in his trousers as he looked at Aurelia who nodded upwards. Raghav shook his head as he his dish and a glass of water was served to him as well. He looked at Yohan. ¡°Thank you once again.¡± Yohan then left the room and the lunch began. The king took a bite out of his lamb steak and a sip of wine. ¡°Raghav, How old are you?¡± Raghav looked at the King. ¡°I am nineteen years old. Do I look too young because I don¡¯t have a beard?¡± The King shook his head. "You seem a lot more mature for your age. That is why I was wondering as for your beard. Can you not grow one?¡± Raghav shook his head. ¡°If I let my beard grow out it will probably be as big as yours in a month¡¯s time, I just prefer to shave it off.¡± The king nodded as he leaned back into his chair taking another sip of his wine. ¡°Are you comfortable with your stay here?¡± ¡°I am, the food is good and the water is excellent. That is all I can say for now, it will take a few more days or week to tell more about this place. At first glance it is nice.¡± The king smiled. ¡°Glad to know.¡± ¡°Your grace, did the assailant reveal anything in regards to who he is or who hired him.¡± The King looked at Galreid. ¡°No, he has not revealed anything yet. Fear not brother, he will spill everything soon.¡± Raghav looked at the King and Galreid as he finished his lunch and wiped his mouth with a white cloth. ¡°King Belreid, I wish to see the city of Rine, with your permission, I could leave the castle and explore the city.¡± The King laughed as he coughed almost choking on his food. ¡°You do not require to take my permission, but I am glad you chose to do so. Do you wish to do it publicly as the hero or inconspicuously?¡± Raghav narrowed his eyes. ¡°Inconspicuously.¡± The king nodded gesturing towards Aurelia. ¡°Then Princess Aurelia will accompany you on this little adventure.¡± Raghav nodded to himself. ¡°That would be wonderful.¡± ¡°When do you intent to visit the city?¡± ¡°I have not yet decided, I am currently focused on the books in your library. This Kingdom has a rich history to it as does the planet.¡± The King¡¯s chest swelled with pride as he looked at Raghav. ¡°Does your world have a rich history as well?¡± Raghav nodded. ¡°Countless Kingdoms, hundreds of dead civilizations. My planet was able to have these because of the small size of the world and a large population. People were close to each other stories got spread unlike Paneria. It is so large that even if a few wild men came together and started a civilization in the Forest of Trask to the western coast. No one might even know of its existence for hundreds of years. The Kingdom of Istreid itself is about 60000 km from its western end to the southern end. You could place the entirety of my world on here and you would still have 20000 km to spare.¡± The King looked down acknowledging the contrast between the worlds looking at the wine in his glass. ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to imagine it. A world like that. Small, people being so close to one another sharing their stories, cultures. It must be beautiful. I have to wait months if not years to be able to see my brother.¡± The King then looked at Galreid who laughed to himself. ¡°Something funny you remember.¡± Galreid nodded as he looked at everyone at the table before pushing down the laughter. ¡°No nothing.¡± Raghav stood up. ¡°I will be returning to my room. Your grace.¡± The king chuckled. ¡°You do not have to call me your grace. Call me Bel.¡± Raghav nodded. ¡°Alright. Good afternoon everyone.¡± He then left the room. . . . Raghav was walking back to his room when he saw a maid exiting from the fourth room in the royal wing. He lowered his gaze to the floor. ¡°Good afternoon.¡± ¡°Good afternoon, sir.¡± As she walked away she stopped to look back at Raghav one more time. ¡®Ela was telling the truth, he does appear to be shy around women.¡¯ Raghav looked at the door and entered it. The room was dark so he turned on the flashlight of his phone. He saw what seemed to be a child¡¯s room as he approached the bed. ¡®Who is this boy?¡± He saw a brown haired boy who appeared to be around the age of twelve who seemed to be laying there like a corpse. ¡°Who are you?¡± Raghav placed a finger on the boy¡¯s neck confirming his heartbeat. ¡°What are you doing with my brother?¡± Raghav turned around seeing Aurelia standing at the door. ¡°I was checking for a pulse, He is your brother?¡± Aurelia nodded as she came close opening the curtains letting the sunlight enter the room. ¡°He is my younger brother Vonreid. Five years ago he fell into a deep slumber.¡± Aurelia placed her hand on her brother¡¯s face. ¡°Come with me I will tell you the rest.¡± Aurelia walked out of the room without waiting for Raghav¡¯s response as he looked at Vonreid before walking after Aurelia closing the door. Hugs If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Request Raghav sat opposite to the King and Queen; who sat beside one another; Aurelia sat between the two on the single sofa facing the fireplace. Reinhardt stood behind The King and Queen. Raghav kept looking down at his laptop placed on the table; seriousness in his entire body. The King leaned forward. ¡°You asked to talk with me.¡± Raghav raised his head, looking at The King with narrow eyes. ¡°Hmmm.¡± He then looked back at his laptop one last time before looking at the King. ¡°I learned of Vonreid¡¯s condition today and have found the cause; alongside it, I found the reason for your troubled mental state.¡± The King titled his head in confusion. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Raghav pulled out his phone and handed it to The King, showing him the pictures he took of the ledger. ¡°Neem leaves, valerian flowers, passion flowers; these are simple yet effective sedatives found in nature. Prince Vonreid has been fed a mixture of these herbs, which is possibly enhanced using Mana for five years. I believe this to be the cause of his current state.¡± The King dropped the phone; which Raghav caught in the air. ¡°I cannot believe it; it was right here all along.¡± The King looked up at Raghav, his eyes shaking. ¡°Was this all an accident?¡± Raghav shook his head and swiped in his phone showing the other picture to The King. ¡°They have been adding Kava powder to your steak to enhance its flavour and help you relax, but there are some special cases where they can cause the person to be more anxious, have mood swings and even anger issues. It is advised to stop using it urgently in these cases. You seem to one of the special cases.¡± The King¡¯s mouth was left agape as Aurelia looked at Raghav. ¡°Is someone behind this?¡± Raghav looked at Aurelia and nodded before turning to The King who was still left in shock. ¡°Vonreid¡¯s state, your mental instability and the assassination attempt all have the same mastermind.¡± The King looked up at Raghav, his expression hardening. ¡°WHO?¡± Raghav looked at Aurelia from the corner of his eyes before he picked the laptop and placed it on the sofa. ¡°The Duke of the west, Galreid.¡± The King growled as he stood up, punching the table with his left hand, breaking it. ¡°YOU WOULD FUCKING DARE? AN OUTSIDER ACCUSING A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL FAMILY!¡± Anessa and Aurelia gasped at The King¡¯s outburst. Raghav remained calm and serious as he looked at The King. ¡°Bel, please listen to what I have to say.¡± The King grabbed Raghav¡¯s collar and pulled him up. ¡°IT IS KING BELREID TO YOU! BASTARD. WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? WHAT RIGHT DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE TO ACCUSE MY BROTHER?¡± The King growled as he held Raghav. Raghav, with his unchanged expression; gently raised his hand and placed it on The King¡¯s hand as he blinked multiple times and looked around then back at Raghav, letting go of his collar. His face changed from an angry one to one of confusion and shock. His lips quivered as he looked at Raghav. ¡°I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry.¡± Raghav grabbed a hold of The King¡¯s shoulders, guiding him back to the seat. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I take it you are not one to curse or get angry.¡± Aurelia held her father. ¡°He has never raised his voice like this; this only started a few days ago.¡± Raghav nodded, walking over to the bedside table pouring a glass of water and came back handing it to Aurelia; who took it and gave it to her father. ¡°It is the second time I have heard you yell since I was summoned. You also suddenly cut our conversation last night in the arena. I would advise you to stop taking Kava powder immediately. Otherwise it can have some lasting effects.¡± Raghav sat back down on his sofa, looking at his laptop. Aurelia and Anessa helped The King calm down. He then looked at Raghav. ¡°I am sorry for using such vulgar language.¡± Raghav turned to face The King as he shook his head. ¡°It was not your fault. But can you answer one of my questions?¡± The King nodded, his eyes lowered to the floor, unable to withstand the guilt and remorse. Raghav looked down at The King with solemn eyes, yet his face remained serious. ¡°Why was I summoned?¡± The King looked up, his mouth slightly opened and his eyes getting wet. Raghav closed his eyes the moment he saw The King and stood up kneeling before The King. ¡°It is okay, don¡¯t blame yourself over such trivial matter. You did nothing wrong.¡± Raghav pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to The King, who wiped his tears as Raghav sat back on the sofa. ¡®He is a really kind person; to be saddened by the way he acted towards me. It is admirable.¡¯ The King collected himself as he looked at Raghav, a small smile present on his face. ¡°I beg your pardon, I did not quite hear your question.¡± Raghav nodded with closed eyes. ¡°Why was I summoned? If the prophecy about the hero is a lie?¡± The King closed his eyes. ¡°It is true the original prophecy spoke nothing of the hero or the twin comet. It spoke of a war that would doom all. The first King of this kingdom, my ancestor King Istreid, saw a vision at the end of the Great War. A hero standing against that doom, he told the people when evil will return and that there will be a hero to save us and that he will come with the comet.¡± He opened his eyes as he clinched his fist. ¡°I believed in his words, as did the world. Someone to save us from doom; someone who will save us all.¡± He then gripped his chest, taking a deep breath. ¡°As the 108th cycle of the twin comet drew close. A fear began growing in me; what if he does not come? What if it is all a lie? I told myself that the hero will come but the fear kept growing and I finally decided to summon someone in hopes that he may be the hero or yet that I can at least save others from the fear that plagued me.¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Raghav listened attentively, his narrow eyes looking at The King as he grabbed his head. ¡°I thought I was strong, strong enough to protect the people and stand beside the hero when he came.¡± The King began crying as he covered his eyes. ¡°I now realise that I am a coward who gave into his fears, but I never stopped believing, no matter how hard it got. I never stopped believing that there was hope for us. I just could not take the risk of the hero not appearing.¡± Raghav leaned forward gently, placing his hand on The King¡¯s shoulder making The King look at him. ¡°If you believed that the man you would summon will be the hero who will save all. Then I ask you to believe in me; I do not know if I am the one that your ancestor spoke of, but I give you my word. I will do everything to help you and the people of this world.¡± Raghav let go of The King as he leaned back. ¡°Shall we get back on track?¡± The King nodded, wiping his tears and face. ¡°Yes, we should.¡± Raghav leaned back his eyes growing narrower. ¡°I suspect Galreid to be behind this whole situation. He stands to gain the most out of this.¡± Aurelia looked at Raghav grabbing his hand. ¡°How?¡± Raghav turned to her. ¡°He is the son of the previous King¡¯s younger brother, If King Belreid were to die. He will be the most obvious choice to rule until Vonreid comes to age or you get married and have a King consort. Until then he will be King.¡± Aurelia looked at her hands as she gulped down the lump in her throat and closed her eyes. ¡°Why not kill Vonreid? Why go to such lengths to keep him asleep, why suggest father to take kava and create unnecessary risk.¡± Raghav grabbed his chin as he looked back at Queen Anessa and then at Aurelia. ¡°I do not believe he wants to Kill Vonreid or anyone else other than The King. Galreid has no wife or children. I believe he just wants to sit on the throne and enjoy being King for a while.¡± The King frowned. ¡°You are telling that the only person in the world I call brother, wishes to kill me just so he can sit on my throne and call himself King for a few years. He can¡¯t do that not for something so insignificant. We have a special bond. We grew up together in this very castle. The halls still echo of our childhood.¡± Raghav met The King¡¯s gaze with his narrow eyes. ¡°Where I am from there is a saying; I will translate it for you. ¡®There is something very special about betrayals, they always come from someone special.¡¯ I hope you understand that.¡± The King leaned back looking at the ceiling as small tears escaped his eyes. ¡°Do you have any proof?¡± ¡°I do.¡± The King looked back at Raghav who turned his laptop towards the King showing him the footage of the cell where the assailant was held. The King¡¯s eyes widened as Anessa gasped and Aurelia placed a hand over her mouth and shook her head. They all saw Galreid sitting in front of the assailant talking to him. ¡°This is happening this instance. I do not know what they are talking about as it does not have a microphone.¡± Aurelia pointed at the screen shaking her head. ¡°He could just be there to question him, it is not proof that he is working with him. Do you have any other proof?¡± Raghav nodded as he pulled out his phone and showed the picture of the rune in the throne room. ¡°Remember this?¡± Aurelia¡¯s lips parted as he gritted her teeth and nodded. The King and Queen Anessa were confused as Queen Anessa looked at the rune. ¡°What is it?¡± Raghav turned to look at The Queen. ¡°It is the rune that the assailant used to get in the throne room. It is drawn with invisible ink, a form of ink that cannot be seen under normal circumstances except for under UV light. At lunch I checked his hands for traces of this ink and I found it laced on his fingertips.¡± He then looked back at The King. ¡°The maid Venessa who found Vonreid and has been taking care of him for the last five years is from Marne, overseen by The Duke of the west. I suspect she is also working for him.¡± Aurelia closed her eyes as she gritted her teeth. The King rested his elbow on his thigh as his head dropped down. ¡°We will hold a trial tomorrow, Galreid will have to answer for his crimes.¡± His voice lost all its strength. Raghav looked at both of them unfazed by everything. ¡°May I make a request?¡± The King without looking up closed his eyes. ¡°Yes, you may.¡± Raghav closed his laptop and stood up from the sofa. ¡°Let me oversee the trial tomorrow and please keep the findings about the reason behind Vonreid¡¯s slumber and Venessa a secret. Do not arrest Galreid, let him walk freely to the trial.¡± The King looked at Raghav in confusion, but he sighed and closed his eyes and nodded. ¡°I accept.¡± Raghav looked back at the family one last time. ¡°I am sorry to hurt you like this. It will get better, I promise it will get better.¡± He then left the room leaving the family to deal with their grief. As the door closed another opened as Galreid looked at the guards standing outside his room. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°His Grace summons you to the throne room this instance as you are.¡± Galreid stepped out closing the door behind and nodded to the guards. ¡°Best not make The King wait.¡± Galreid began walking in front of the Guards who walked behind him. ¡®What could be the urgency for brother to summon me like this?¡¯ He was brought out of his thoughts as the door to the throne room opened and he saw that all the guests previously present at the banquet were gathered there and stood on either sides of the throne room. He then saw a wooden trial stand placed in front of the steps of the throne. He froze as he looked at it until the guards pushed him forward as all the eyes looked at him. He looked at all the eyes staring at him until he reached the wooden stand looking at it. Suddenly the guards grabbed his neck and pushed him in the stand and closed it from behind. Galreid fell on the railing as he grabbed it and stood up looking at The King sitting in his throne with Reinhardt standing to his right. Prime Minister Vaughn in his chair and Princess Aurelia in hers. He then looked up and saw the Queen in her balcony above the throne. He then lowered his gaze to the bottom of the steps to the throne. There sat Raghav with his eyes closed, the ten fingers of his hands crossed and placed under his nose and his elbow resting on his knees. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at Galreid. He then places both of his hands on his knees and stood up. Never once looking away from Galreid. Galreid looked at The King; yelling at the top of his lungs. ¡°What is happening brother?¡± The King remained silent and tightened the grip on his throne. Galreid lowered his gaze and met the Hero¡¯s. ¡°Galreid! You are hereby placed on trial for the plot to assassinate King Belreid.¡± Deserving Galreid looked at Raghav with utter disbelief in his eyes then at King Belreid who looked down the moment their gaze met. Galreid gritted his teeth as he stood up his hands tightly gripping the wooden railings. ¡°Brother, what is happening? I am sure there has been a misunderstanding. I would never do what this man accuses me of. You know that. Right?¡± Galreid looked at The King with fearful eyes. The King however remained silent as Galreid¡¯s grip began to slip. Raghav looked at Galreid with narrow eyes. ¡°Duke of the west, Galreid.¡± Galreid slowly turned to look at Raghav as he gulped the lump in his throat. ¡°During this trial, everyone present is merely a witness and I am the one in charge. You and I will now engage in a conflict of words. I will state your crimes and you shall defend yourself by presenting before me and the rest of the court; proof that you have not done anything wrong.¡± Galreid looked up at Raghav as he closed his eyes as his face puckered. ¡°I understand.¡± He opened his eyes matching Raghav¡¯s seriousness. ¡°What crime have I committed?¡± Raghav looked down at Galreid. ¡°You are accused of Royal Treason.¡± Galreid stood up fully. ¡°What exactly have I done that counts as Royal Treason?¡± Raghav pulled out his phone as he looked into it then looked up at Galreid before moving his head to match his gaze. ¡°Drugging The Crown Prince Vonreid, keeping him in a forced slumber for five years. Drugging The King with mentally altering herbs and finally attempting to take The King¡¯s life. The gravest crime that can be committed against the crown.¡± All eyes were on Galreid as he looked at Raghav with unwavering determination. ¡°I plead not guilty. I have no memory of committing such acts against my blood and family. Beside what would I gain through this ploy?¡± ¡°Tch.¡± Raghav clicked his tongue as he shook his head before looking at Galreid. ¡°Everything. You will gain everything. The throne will be yours if King Belreid passes away, you can then convince the court and the seven hundred million citizens of the kingdom that it was done by another kingdom to weaken Istreid and you can begin a conquest in the name of avenging your brother. Go down in the annals of history as the King who avenged the crown and expanded the Kingdom to new lands.¡± Galreid¡¯s eyes widened as his lips parted. ¡°I read the laws of this Kingdom although brief but I paid attention to it. If The King dies the crown shall go to his heir, but in this case the male heir is underage and in deep slumber. So the female heir then? But no the female heir needs to get married and take a King Consort to ascend to the throne. Then the law of the Guardian sets in place. Granting the title of King to one of the King¡¯s brothers or to a member chosen by the lords of this Kingdom to rule until the heir can take their rightful throne. Which may be never.¡± Galreid gritted his teeth as he pointed a finger at Raghav. ¡°If I wanted the throne as you say I want and if I was behind Vonreid¡¯s slumber as you say I am, why have I kept him alive? A man who wanted the throne would have removed the heirs first then when he gets the throne he can name his own off springs as the heir.¡± Raghav slowly nodded. ¡°You speak truthfully Mr Galreid. A man who would want the throne for himself would not leave the heir¡¯s alive but he can just as easily kill them after he becomes The King, but you are different. A man without a wife or children. Maybe that is why you kept Vonreid alive.¡± Aurelia frowned at Raghav¡¯s word then looked around finding others equally confused at Raghav¡¯s words. ¡°In my world in ancient times a man fought his brothers for their empire, he used lies, deceit and treachery to take the throne but in the end a war broke out and he lost. At the end of the eighteen day war he laid by a lake his hips broken. He was left there to die slowly for all the crimes he had committed, one of his surviving friends and came to him asking him what he could do for his friend. He asked him to kill the five brothers and so his friend in the cover of the night attacked the camp and killed five brothers but when he brought their heads to his friend. He cried as he looked up from the ground with blood dripping from his mouth. ¡®Fool, these are not my brothers these are their sons; I never wanted them dead; my fight was with my brothers I wanted to see them dead. I will die and after my brothers died these kids would have rules and our bloodline would have continued. But you have brought ruin to my entire bloodline.¡¯ He then banished his friend and died.¡± Aurelia¡¯s eyes widened as she grasped what Raghav meant. ¡®Uncle left us alive so that the family will continue.¡¯ She then looked at Galreid who sat back down in his chair. His mouth open as he shook his head left to right. Galreid closed his eyes and hung his head low. ¡°You are in a similar state Mr Galreid, you are without children and you will not be fathering any in the future. I have read about you a little, your wife died few months after your marriage yet you wear your wedding ring, staying loyal to her even in death. I admire it. I believe just like that man from my world you just wanted to remove your brother become King, go down in history and in the end leave it to your own blood. Am I wrong?¡± Galreid had his eyes closed as he took a few deep breaths before opening his eyes filled with an unyielding resolve. ¡°You are wrong.¡± In a calm and collected tone Galreid denied the claims. ¡°You are wrong Raghav. I have done nothing of the sorts. If I wanted the throne and that is IF. I would have asked my brother, he has loved me as if we came from the same mother, he would have happily given me the throne had I just asked for it. I never did any of what you say that I have done. If you do not believe me ask my brother if he loves me as I say.¡± Raghav turned around to look at the King as he gave a nod so small that it went unnoticed by everyone except for Raghav. Raghav turned around looking at Galreid. ¡°I am sorry; only you and I get to speak during this trial. Let¡¯s say what you claim is true, you had no hand in any of this, but the evidence is against you.¡± Galreid gently placed both of his hands on his thighs and sat upright. ¡°What evidence?¡± ¡°The maid Venessa, She found Prince Vonreid five years ago in the garden she is the one who has been feeding him a mixture of sedative herbs possibly enhanced using magic to keep him sedated for the last five years. Do you know her?¡± Galreid nodded. ¡°I do, she is from the city of Marne, which I rule over as Duke of the west. She worked in my household; pleased with her work I sent her here six years ago.¡± Raghav quickly raised and dropped both of his eyebrows as he looked around. ¡°Aren¡¯t you an honest person? I first thought of having this trial after Vonreid woke up but he probably can¡¯t do anything to help us in this trial after such a long time spent in a coma.¡± ¡°Any other evidence Raghav?¡± ¡°The rune at the corner of this throne room that was used to summon the assassin.¡± Raghav pointed to the corner as Galreid looked over his right shoulder. The crowd in that section moved to look at the rune. Galreid looked forward still calm. ¡°There is nothing there.¡± ¡°Oh there is.¡± Raghav pulled out the UV torch tossing it to one of the guards who shined the torch in that spot as the rune began to glow. ¡°In my world, there is a special type of ink called invisible ink that can be made with lemon secrete, one of the simpler and easier ways. These inks can be seen under UV light, when heated and a few other ways. Now show us your hands.¡± Galreid did as Raghav asked holding his hand in front of him. The guard threw the torch back as Raghav caught it and shined it down on Galreid¡¯s hands as the tip of his fingers glowed with the same colour. ¡°I saw this on your hands yesterday, when we had lunch.¡± Galreid looked down at his hands his eyes slightly expanding as he gulped but with a blink of his eyes he calmly looked at Raghav. ¡°What other proof do you have?¡± Raghav tilted his head slightly narrowing his gaze. ¡°If you do not wish to talk about this I can¡¯t force you to. Then how about this?¡± Raghav extended his hand to the right as one of the castle workers pushed a trolley towards him. On the trolley was the laptop which Raghav lifted in his hands facing towards the crowd and Galreid. Raghav pressed the play button and it showed the cell in which the assailant was held. The video played for a few moments until Galreid walked in the cell sitting in front of the assailant. Raghav hit the pause button. ¡°Now then, why were you meeting the assailant in the night yesterday?¡± Galreid looked at the laptop, pointing at it. ¡°What is this thing? What is that moving portrait?¡± Raghav looked down then back at Galreid. ¡°This is a laptop, a machine that helps me store information equivalent to millions of books, take pictures which are real portrait, and what you see before you is a video, which you can record using an item known as a camera. Which I placed in the cell yesterday. Sadly the camera cannot record sounds.¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Galreid nodded as he placed his hand back on his thigh. ¡°Yes I went to see the assailant but not because I ordered the attack but because I wanted to question him.¡± Raghav looked Galreid in the eyes for a moment. ¡°I see.¡± Raghav placed his laptop on the trolley. He then looked at Galreid the two locked eyes; Raghav¡¯s serious and confident gaze clashed with Galreid¡¯s confident and calm gaze. ¡°How do you plead?¡± Galreid looked past Raghav at King Belreid. ¡°Not Guilty.¡± ¡°I asked you; how do you plead.¡± ¡°Not Guilty.¡± Raghav closed his eyes. ¡°Am I not loud enough Prime Minister Vaughn?¡± King Belreid looked at Vaughn then back at Raghav. ¡®What is he doing?¡¯ Vaughn looked at Raghav then at others. Raghav opened his eyes and looked at Vaughn. Vaughn looked back at Raghav who stared at him with his narrow eyes as Vaughn felt a chill as he moved in his chair to find a better position. ¡°Yes, Raghav you are loud enough, everyone can hear you.¡± ¡°Then why did you not answer me when I asked you the question?¡± Vaughn tilted his head in confusion. ¡°But I just did.¡± Raghav shook his head with his eyes closed; he then stopped dropping his head down as he opened his eyes and looked up at Vaughn. ¡°I was talking about the other two questions, for some reasons. Mr Galreid was answering instead of you. So I shall ask again. How do you plead?¡± Vaughn face twitched as he chuckled. ¡°I am afraid, I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡± Raghav stood straight walking over to Vaughn and standing before him. ¡°I mean to ask, how do you plead Prime Minister Vaughn; guilty or not guilty?¡± Vaughn looked at The King as he pointed at Raghav. ¡°Your grace, look what the hero is doing. Instead of asking Galreid this question he is asking me.¡± Raghav looked at The King. ¡°Your grace, I am indeed asking the right person. Can I place Prime Minister Vaughn in the trial stand?¡± The King nodded. ¡°I allow it.¡± Raghav looked at Vaughn as the right side of his lips curled up slightly before going to their original place. Vaughn stayed seated in his seat staring at Raghav. Until two of the Royal Guards tapped his shoulder as he stood up maintaining eye contact with Raghav as he walked down the stairs and into the trial stand as the guards placed a mouth lock on him. Galreid was released and sat in Prime Minister Vaughn¡¯s seat. ¡°My apologies, I can¡¯t have you interrupt me the entire time.¡± As Vaughn sat in the chair he gripped the wooden railing as he stared at Raghav. Raghav took a deep breath through his nose and let it out pulling a letter out from his jacket and Vaughn¡¯s eyes widened as Raghav lifted the letter up in the air. ¡°This is a letter from Prime Minister Vaughn, written three months ago. The letter reads. ¡®Your grace, I Vaughn Bonre have served you and your father before you faithfully for thirty four years, fifteen with your father the late King Delreid and nineteen with you King Belreid. My old age has caught up with me as I find myself turning sixty three this year. I request to leave so that I can give this old body a rest.¡¯ A normal letter an old man asking for retirement.¡± Raghav then placed the letter down. ¡°What were you expecting as a reward for those thirty four years of service? Not to forget the forty year your father served King Volreid and his son King Delreid. What would be a just reward for seventy four years of service?¡± Raghav looked at Galreid as Aurelia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®It can¡¯t be!¡¯ ¡°Maybe the position of Duke of the west? The greatest position one could ask for.¡± Raghav looked back at Vaughn and walked right in front of him placing his hands on the wooden railing. ¡°But how will you get that position if there exists a duke already? Do you want an idea?¡± Raghav pushed off from the railing. ¡°Frame him for assassinating The King.¡± Raghav then frowned as he looked down shaking his head. ¡°No, then you cannot ask for leave during such a crisis. How about framing him for attempting to assassinate The King? Will that work for you? I believe it should he stands to gain more from the king¡¯s death than anyone else so all eyes should turn to him while you can fade in the background as an old man.¡± Vaughn stood up pointing his finger at Raghav attempting to yell but the mouth lock prevented him from speaking. Raghav simply placed a finger on his lips signalling Vaughn to remain silent. Raghav then looked up at the broken glass ceiling. ¡°You picked the perfect moment to do it, the assailant came under the cover of the summoning and prepared a mana blast that no one saw except for Aurelia who called out to her father saving his life.¡± Raghav frowned while maintaining his seriousness. ¡°But is that what really happened. You know in my world there is a theory about the human mind that it will remember an event the way someone tells them if they were not actually paying attention to it when it happened.¡± He looked back down at Vaughn. ¡°When I came here, I could not move so I observed and want to know what I saw. The King did not move an inch and still the Mana blast missed him. That can only mean one thing, it was planned to miss him.¡± Aurelia stood up as she approached Raghav. ¡°Then why were you attacked?¡± Raghav looked at Aurelia. ¡°To push me.¡± ¡°To do what?¡± Raghav spread his arms. ¡°This.¡± Aurelia looked around as the realisation drew on her. ¡°He wanted me to be the one to bring Galreid to justice, so he could slip away without gathering attention to himself.¡± Aurelia shook her head. ¡°How could he have known that you would be able to find all the evidence and do this?¡± Raghav leaned over to his laptop as he pressed the space bar. ¡°Mark, he has all the items, as you mentioned, Are you sure he will be able to solve it.¡± Aurelia moved towards the laptop. ¡°This is Prime Minister¡¯s voice.¡± Raghav then raised a hand in front of her. ¡°Keep listening.¡± ¡°As I have told you Prime Minister Vaughn, the man has been brought here with the skills and tools to help you accomplish your task.¡± Raghav then pressed the pause button and looked at Aurelia. ¡°Alongside the qualities that you were looking for in the hero were some secret qualities as well.¡± Vaughn sat there his head in his hands. Raghav looked at him before looking back at Aurelia. ¡°I was a criminal detective in my world. A detective is someone who solves mysteries regarding crimes. He had secretly placed a second paper in there that asked to summon a detective with the qualities of a hero you were looking for.¡± Raghav placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Please take your seat as I explain the entirety of the events.¡± Aurelia nodded as she moved back to her seat. Raghav stood before all ¡°Vaughn¡¯s father Elmond was the Prime Minister to King Volreid and Delreid for forty years before he died while still in the council his seat was given to his son Vaughn a young twenty seven year old man. Vaughn spent twenty eight years working until he realised something he has nothing to show for all his hard work, neither did his father. They had spent so many years serving and they had nothing to show for it just a good salary and a decent house in the capital but no land no titles. He then enlists the help of Mark, he is from my world yes?¡± Raghav looks at Vaughn who furiously nodded. Raghav sighed looking up. ¡°Apparently they had been planning this for the last six years meaning Mark has been here for some time. They were contacting each other using Radio waves which I was able to intercept and catch Vaughn. He placed Vonreid in a coma to leave a long trail of evidence and started giving The King Kava powder to mess with his mental stability for the last few weeks and had Venessa act as Vonreid¡¯s primary caretaker so that I would suspect Galreid even more. He placed the invisible ink on Galreid¡¯s hands he set this whole thing up. He even had me suspect Venessa.¡± Raghav then looked at Vaughn walking to him and as soon as he was within reach Vaughn grabbed his throat as Raghav calmly removed Vaughn¡¯s hands. ¡°Do you want to know where you failed?¡± Vaughn¡¯s eyes fumed with anger as he tried to break his hands free from Raghav¡¯s. ¡°You wanted everything to happen quickly, you left such easy clues. It was as if you were laying a path of small pieces of bread for a mouse. Your impatience was your undoing had you taken time to do this properly and had actually hidden the clues. I might have believed that Galreid was the one. Six years you spent planning it all. Could you not have waited six months?¡± Raghav let go of Vaughn¡¯s hands and backed off as Vaughn lunged forward to grab his throat again but was stopped by the railing. ¡°I read about your father, from what was written he was a good man, he was actually deserving of what you wanted. He deserved to be made Duke, he worked and never betrayed his King. You wanted to leave a legacy behind for your family you wanted your family to rule as Dukes. Now that legacy will forever be tainted. Your children and their children will carry the burden of your treachery.¡± Raghav turned to the King as he bowed slightly. ¡°Your Grace, I have said everything.¡± As Raghav looked forward King Belreid stood up from the throne making everyone that was sitting stand up. ¡°Thank you Raghav, for uncovering this bitter truth.¡± The King then turned to Galreid; not looking him in the eyes. ¡°Forgive me brother. I doubted you.¡± Galreid approached The King and hugged him. ¡°There is nothing to forgive.¡± Galreid felt a hand on his shoulder as he looked to his right down on the stairs. ¡°I am sorry for using you like this. I wanted to give him a sense of victory to finally take him down.¡± Galreid laughed as he shook his head. ¡°Why are you apologising, I still have my head because of you. Thank you, Hero.¡± Raghav nodded as he felt a tap on his shoulder as he looked at his right. Aurelia looked at Raghav in the eye. ¡°Could have told us all of this.¡± Raghav gently smiled. ¡°I could have, but I wanted to catch him with his pants down.¡± Aurelia frowned as she looked at Raghav up and down. ¡°Why would you want to see him with his pants down?¡± Raghav shook his head as he chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s a metaphor, used to describe a criminal being caught while he is doing the crime, I think that is what it means not really sure, as I said English is not my native language.¡± Aurelia looked at Raghav as he laughed and smiled. ¡®Just like him. You are similar in more ways that just appearance,¡¯ ¡°Raghav!¡± Raghav and Aurelia turned to look at the King. He then motioned him to come towards him. Raghav looked at Aurelia before he walked towards the King, regaining his seriousness. ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± ¡°Decide his fate. You are in charge of this trial.¡± Raghav nodded as everyone moved to their seats and he looked at Vaughn. ¡°Open his mouth.¡± The guards did as told and opened Vaughn¡¯s mouth. ¡°FUCK YOU SON OF A WHORE! YOU FUCKED EVERYTHING I HAD FUCKING WORKED FOR ASSHOLE! I WILL FUCKING FUCK YOU UP!¡± Raghav stared at Vaughn as he kept cursing at Raghav who stood there unfazed by all of this he just stared at Vaughn until he started coughing. ¡°Are you done? If so tell me. How do you plead?¡± ¡°FUCK YOU!¡± Vaughn then began coughing even more, when he calmed down he looked Raghav dead in the eye. ¡°There is no point in this trial anymore, I won¡¯t let you take victory this easy. I challenge you to a TRIAL BY COMBAT.¡± A Trial by Combat(1) ¡°A trial by combat?¡± Raghav looked at Vaughn who nodded with a grin on his face. ¡°You said you read the laws, so you must know this as well you sly fuck.¡± Raghav nodded. ¡°I do¡± King Belreid stood up. ¡°You do not get the right to ask for a trial by combat when you have been proven guilty.¡± Vaughn chuckled as he lifted his hands in front of himself. ¡°But I can, I have only been proved to be guilty, I am yet to be judged guilty. Hence this trial is not over and I have the right to ask for a trial by combat anytime I wish like anyone else.¡± King Belreid frowned as he gritted his teeth and sat back down. ¡°Very well. Procced.¡± Raghav looked Vaughn from top to bottom. ¡°Who will represent you in this battle since I do not think your old body will aid you in this endeavor.¡± Vaughn began laughing as the halls of the castle echoed with his laughter. ¡°You are worried about me? Oh you dumb fuck you should be worried about yourself.¡± Raghav raised one of his hands in front of himself. ¡°Why should I be worried?¡± Vaughn lifted his finger and flicked it between himself and Raghav. ¡°This is a trial between you and me, when I ask for a trial by combat, the people who fight represent us. I have a representative, do you?¡± Aurelia stood up. ¡°I will represent him.¡± Vaughn clicked his tongue a few times shaking his head. ¡°You cannot, this man is not a citizen of this Kingdom and hence cannot ask for any warrior of this Kingdom to represent him. He will need to ask someone from his Kingdom to represent him or fight himself. But even if he chooses that outcome he will lose because neither he nor anyone from his world are Mana sensitive.¡± Raghav gently stared at Vaughn grinning from ear to ear. ¡°If you chose not to fight, it will be my victory by law of forfeit and I will walk away a free man and this case will never touch me ever again.¡± Raghav sighed. ¡°Do not worry, I will not need a representative. I will fight myself. Who is your representative?¡± Vaughn¡¯s grin spread even further as his face felt it will split in two. ¡°Asfan!¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The assailant you have locked up in the cells, he will fight for me. Do you want to know where he is from?¡± Raghav nodded. ¡°If you really want to tell us, go ahead.¡± Vaughn chuckled. ¡°He is from the Mortenia Tribe of Abyssara Kingdom.¡± The crowd gasped in unison as Raghav looked at them then behind himself as he observed the faces of Galreid, The King, Reinhardt and Aurelia. Galreid¡¯s face was turning white, The King tightly gripped his throne as he froze. Aurelia was looking at Raghav as if he was the one who received a death sentence. ¡®I take it, he comes from a well-known tribe of warriors.¡¯ Raghav then faced Vaughn. ¡°So?¡± Another gasp filled the throne room. Aurelia stood up. ¡°SO? Do you not realize the danger you have put yourself in. The Mortenia Tribe is one of the most dangerous groups on the planet the weakest of their members are at the rank of an Intermediate Knight. This Asfan is possibly an Elite Knight or a Young Master. You will not win.¡± Raghav gently smiled at Aurelia before turning to Vaughn as he stared him down. ¡°Do not worry, Princess. This will not be an issue for me.¡± Raghav took a deep breath before he addressed the room loud and clear. ¡°Today at dusk, Asfan and I will engage in a trial by combat. The fight will go on until either one of us surrenders or dies.¡± Raghav paused to look at Aurelia who shook her head with worry written all over her face. Raghav smiled in an attempt to reassure her before he faced Vaughn again. ¡°Asfan will be healed by the mages and be given a proper room and food. Vaughn will be held in his room until then. I will not have anyone say that I defeated a starving and beat up man. The fate of Prime Minister Vaughn will be decided today. Guards take him to his room.¡± As The Guards took Vaughn away the crowd also dispersed leaving Raghav standing there. His back turned towards the King. ¡°Raghav!¡± He turned to look at The King. ¡°Yes, Your grace?¡± The King grabbed Raghav¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Have you gone mad?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°You will die if you fight Asfan, he is a knight and possibly even a master and Aurelia told me you come from a world where swords, spears and bows are weapon of the past. How will you match him?¡± Raghav gently shook his head. ¡°You will see. I shall go and get ready for this battle.¡± The King sighed. ¡°I hope you win, I am also sorry that you have to risk your life for us.¡± Raghav smiled. ¡°That is what heroes do. They risk their lives for others. If I am to assume the role of a hero for this world then I shall get the hang of such risks.¡± Aurelia looked between her father and Raghav. ¡°I shall come with you and help you prepare.¡± The King nodded as both Raghav and Aurelia began walking to the door. Raghav suddenly stopped lifting his hand as he turned to The King. ¡°Please task your spies to uncover this Mark. He hold knowledge and resources of my world. He was also smart enough to recreate certain technology. So be cautious of him.¡± ¡°I shall put them on his trail.¡± Raghav nodded as he and Aurelia left the throne room. ¡°So you were a detective?¡± ¡°I was. I was on a vacation when I got summoned. They will report me missing in a few months.¡± ¡°Your family must be worried?¡± Raghav frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t have a family, I was found at the doorsteps of an orphanage.¡± ¡°How did you become a detective? In my world orphans don¡¯t end up making it very far in life.¡± ¡°Due to a murder case one day a detective came to our orphanage. I admired the way he worked and carried himself. I was eleven at that time, I asked him to teach me.¡± Raghav looked at Aurelia as he smiled. ¡°Surprisingly he agreed and became my teacher. He spent the next six years teaching me all about how to be a detective and even gave me a proper education. When I was seventeen, I accompanied him to my first case and that is how I became a private detective.¡± Aurelia looked at the floor while her hands were behind her back she looked away from him to the wall. ¡°What do you call someone you love in your world?¡± Raghav smiled. ¡°What type of love?¡± Aurelia looked at Raghav tilting her head. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean you love your brother are you referring to that type of love or the type that a husband and wife have?¡± Aurelia¡¯s face turned red as she walked a few steps forward creating a small distance between them. ¡°The latter.¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Raghav smiled seeing Aurelia blushing. ¡°Before marriage, boyfriend and girlfriend.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± Raghav chuckled looking away from her. ¡°When a boy and girl love each other and are together, but they are not yet married. So the boy is the girl¡¯s boyfriend and the girl is the boy¡¯s girlfriend.¡± Aurelia placed her fingers on her chin. ¡°I see.¡± She then turned around looking at Raghav as she walked backwards. ¡°Do you have a girlfriend?¡± Raghav shook his head. ¡°I do not.¡± ¡°OH.¡± Aurelia nodded and turned around. Raghav slightly sped up walking beside Aurelia as he looked at her. ¡°What about you? You have a boyfriend?¡± Aurelia nodded. ¡°I do.¡± Raghav looked at the floor. ¡°OH.¡± He then slightly chuckled. ¡°Is it the prince of another Kingdom or the son of a Lord?¡± Aurelia smiled from ear to ear. Raghav looked at her as he got lost in her smile. ¡®This is the first time I have seen her smile like this.¡¯ She turned to look at Raghav as she shook her head. ¡°Neither; he is the son of a farmer out in the crop fields of Rine.¡± Raghav chuckled shaking his head as he ran his hand through his hair. ¡°That is not what I was expecting. The King allowed this?¡± Aurelia nodded. ¡°Wow. Then can I know his name of this lucky man?¡± Aurelia stopped in front of a room. ¡°Win this battle. Then I shall tell you his name.¡± She opened the door to reveal an armoury. ¡°Take any weapon you feel confident with. I would suggest you take some good armour.¡± Raghav walked in ignoring all the armour. ¡°I suggested you to pick an armour at least wear a chest plate.¡± ¡°Armour will just get in the way. I don¡¯t like it.¡± He reached the end of the room and stood in front of a table that had a sword displayed on it. The silver steel blade was a meter long; the handle was nine inches long and was made of steel covered with a special resin instead of leather to enhance the grip. The pommel contained a white diamond at the very base. The cross-guard stretched four inches to either side of the blade. The scabbard was made of flexible yet durable wood with steel bolted in at the locket and the chape. ¡°This is what I need.¡± He lifted the sword from the display with his right hand and then grabbed it with both hands as he lifted it upright. Aurelia looked at him. ¡°Why pick this sword among all others? It is not fit for combat, the scabbard is made of wood and the handle is wrapped in resin which is not a good substitute for leather handles. It will slip out of your hands if you don¡¯t hold it tightly. Then why?¡± Raghav admired the sword. ¡°It is exactly because of those reasons. I will not use anything with the blood of the innocent on it.¡± Aurelia looked at Raghav¡¯s jacket, belt and shoes before looking back at his face. ¡°I have to say I did not take you for a hypocrite. Wearing that leather jacket, belt and shoes.¡± Raghav looked away from the sword and at himself. ¡°This is not leather, its artificial leather. It is made using chemicals but it acts and feels like real leather.¡± Aurelia tilted her head as he placed her hand on her hips and pointed at Raghav with the other. ¡°So you want leather without actually killing animals for it.¡± Raghav nodded shifting his eyes back to the sword. ¡°I will admit leather is useful but the life of an innocent is too much of a price for me.¡± Aurelia smiled and dropped her hands. ¡°He is just like you. He made a special saddle and reins for the horses he and I use.¡± ¡°Are you talking about Kanah?¡± Aurelia nodded. ¡°Glad to see that he is not ruining my reputation.¡± He then sheathed the sword and tied the scabbard on his waist. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± . . . . The light of the setting sun bathed the white arena in a yellowish-red. The lords and ministers sat on the marble stands while at the centre sat the royal family and Sage Amla on red chairs. Reinhardt stood behind The King while the rest of the Royal guards were spread around the stands. Vaughn sat on a white chair at the bottom of the stands. Aurelia looked at Sage Amla beside her. ¡®He is still meditating, this way I will not get a chance to ask him anything.¡¯ Right then Sage Amla opened his eyes and looked at Aurelia. ¡°Yes, my child.¡± Aurelia smiled as she joined her hands and bowed her head to him. ¡°Sage Amla, do you believe, Raghav can win.¡± Sage Amla looked at the centre of the Arena. ¡°I do not know, given everything that we know; he should lose. But we live in a world running at the will of The One. Anything can happen. So let¡¯s just wait and see what the lord himself wills.¡± He then closed his eyes again. Aurelia looked down at her feet until she heard the sounds of doors opening. Her head shot up looking at either ends of the corridor. From the left door came Asfan escorted by three Royal Guards his hands still cuffed in the Mana restraints; he was back in the black robe and had black armour covering his torso. With his hood down she was able to see his shoulder length black hair tied in a bun and a deep burn scar on his nape. From the right door came Raghav alone. ¡®He really did not wear any armour.¡¯ Raghav had changed his clothes for this fight. Opting to wear a white medieval linen shirt under his brown jacket alongside black pants and black military boots. The two met in the middle of the corridor locking their eyes. They then turned towards the Arena and walked over the arch bridge. Once they stepped foot on the arena they walked in the opposite directions. Raghav walked to his left and Asfan walked to his right they walked the edge of the Arena until they reached the midway point. They stopped and started walking towards the centre stopping one meter away from it. Raghav crossed his arms and stood straight looking at Asfan. Asfan¡¯s cuffs were opened by the guards as they moved to their position to guard the spectators. Asfan grabbed his wrists rubbing them as he looked at Raghav and grinned. ¡°It was a mistake, healing me and giving me food. Your pride as a warrior will be your undoing.¡± Raghav opened his hands placing his left hand on the pommel of his sword. ¡°It was the right thing to do.¡± Asfan smiled as he pulled his curved sword out holding it in his right hand as it was a one-handed sword. He pulled his hand back pointing the tip of the blade at Raghav aligning it with his left hand stretching forward. Raghav was dead serious as he pulled out his sword with his right hand and held it to his side. The King stood up as everyone looked at him. ¡°With the sky, earth, the setting sun and the rising moon as our witness. In the name of the Istreid Kingdom, I King Belreid announce for this battle between Asfan of the Mortenia Tribe and Raghav Suryanshi of Earth to Begin.¡± Both combatants ran at one another swinging inward with their swords as the swords clashed Raghav¡¯s strength pushed Asfan¡¯s sword back as he placed his left hand under his right hand and swung outward at Asfan who leaned back, his neck narrowly avoiding the blade as it tore off his robe leaving a mark on his black armour. Asfan leapt back as he placed his left hand on his armour. He laughed as he felt the mark. ¡°I did not know you were so skilled with a sword.¡± Raghav stayed silent rushing at Asfan with an overhead downward slash; Asfan dashed to the left letting Raghav strike the ground. ¡°Missed me.¡± He then attempted to slash down Raghav who quickly swung the sword with his right hand. The two swords clashed again and were locked together, Raghav moved his right foot toward Asfan who leaned forward grinning. ¡°Why are you so Silent. Say something, it will make this fight more exci¡­ugh.¡± He was cut off by an uppercut as he flew back a few meters flipping in the air to land on his feet and covered his mouth with his left hand. Raghav lowered his left fist as he lowered the sword to his right. ¡°It is very easy to lose your tongue, if you speak during a fight.¡± Aurelia¡¯s eyes were widened as she looked at Raghav. ¡®The people from earth should have been physically weaker compared to us. How could he launch him a few meters back? He cannot even use Mana then how?¡¯ Raghav narrowed his eyes as Asfan removed his hand from his mouth wiping away some blood on his pants. ¡°Did you lose your tongue?¡± Asfan shook his head lifting his sword as dark red aura began to surround his blade and body. ¡°I did not, but you are about to lose your life. I will not go easy anymore.¡± Raghav took a deep breath. ¡°Very well then. Neither shall I.¡± A white glow emerged from the centre of his chest and spread across his body and the sword. Sage Amla stood up from his chair looking at Raghav with wide eyes. ¡®It can¡¯t be. He can use it too.¡¯ Aurelia who was equally as surprised as him looked at Sage Amla. ¡°Sage Amla you said he could not use Mana. Then what is that?¡± Sage Amla turned to look at Aurelia. "My child. That is everything.¡± A Trial by Combat(2) Sage Amla stared at the white glow that surrounded Raghav. A smile spread across his face. Aurelia kept looking at him. "What do you mean?" Sage Amla did not take his eyes off Raghav. "That is pure untamed power. I know of only one person who can use that power whenever they will it." "Can he win using this power?" "Yes my child. His victory is guaranteed because there is no greater power in existence." Aurelia was relieved once she heard Sage Amla''s words. She looked back at the fight as Raghav and Asfan stood ready to attack at a moment''s notice. ''Whatever that power is, if Sage Amla believes it is enough to make Raghav win. Then there is nothing to fear.'' King Belreid''s lips curled up as he heard Sage Amla''s words. Asfan moved his sword in the air as a dark red mist rose from it. "Any last words. Raghav?" Raghav did not respond to Asfan''s question; instead he dashed forward at incredible speed cracking the marble where he stood. Asfan raised his sword as Raghav''s clashed with his; creating a deafening sound. Raghav grabbed the sword with both hands forcing Asfan to take a few steps back. Asfan supported the back of his blade with his left hand and pushed forward. Raghav twisted his sword putting the gross-guard under Asfan''s curved guard and raised his sword high; throwing Asfan''s sword up in the air. Raghav brought his sword down as Asfan grabbed Raghav''s hands; stopping the sword a few inches from his face. "Ahhhh!" He yelled out pulling Raghav''s hands to his left pulling Raghav close and kicked him in the face with his right foot. Raghav flew back nearly thirty meters; flipping in the air and landing on his feet. He looked at Asfan with a serious face. "Cat got your tongue?" Raghav ignored the pun and ran back at him with the sword in his right hand. Asfan''s hand glowed as he raised it up and grabbed the falling sword. The moment he grasped the blade he swung down; letting out a mana slash at Raghav. Raghav quickly stopped running as he brought the sword to his left and grabbed it with both arms and swung the sword to his right shattering the Mana slash as if it was made of glass. He looked up as Asfan had jumped up and plunged at Raghav. Raghav ducked as Asfan went over him striking the ground behind him. Raghav quickly lifted the sword over his head and brought it behind him as Asfan attempted to attack Raghav''s back. Raghav''s sword glowed a faint white. Asfan''s eyes widened as he tried to pull his sword towards himself but found it stuck to Raghav''s sword. Raghav quickly brought his sword forward twisting Asfan''s arm and swung the sword in a circle as Asfan''s grip weakened then he swung the sword towards the castle launching Asfan''s sword into wall of the corridor. He let go off the sword with his left hand as he swung the sword with his right hand intending to stab Asfan in the side. Asfan stepped back but could not avoid the strike as Raghav managed to drive the sword between Asfan''s chest and the black armour. Raghav quickly grabbed the sword with both hands and pulled the sword towards himself ripping the armour off Asfan''s chest revealing his entire torso. He swung the sword over his head intending to behead Asfan with the next swing. Asfan raised his left hand covering it in the dark red glow as he stopped the sword strike and rocked his right hand back and threw a punch as his fist ignited. Raghav let go off the sword with his left hand and tried to block the attack but the moment his hand made contact with Asfan''s. A giant pillar of fire shot out from his fist that fully engulfed Raghav and reached over the edge of the Arena. Asfan kept blasting the fire until the hand holding the sword fell limp. Asfan laughed as he threw Raghav''s sword to the left and placed his other hand forward blasting out more fire. Aurelia closed her eyes as she looked down. ''Even I cannot survive an attack like that.'' The spectators all gasped as Asfan''s laugh grew more and more. "YYYYYEEEESSSSS! BURN THAT SON OF A BITCH, BURN HIM UNTIL ONLY ASHES REMAIN!" Vaughn stood up throwing his arms in the air and pointing at Asfan; but his joy died the moment two hands reached out from the fire grabbing Asfan''s wrists putting out the fires in his hands. Revealing an unburnt Raghav. Asfan tried to free his hands pulling them back. But Raghav''s grip was too strong as he turned around flipping Asfan over his head and slamming him in the ground. Asfan bounced off the marble as it cracked. Raghav quickly punched Asfan in the chest with a right hook sending him flying over the arch bridge and in the corridor wall as he fell to the ground. Raghav looked to his left and right cracking his neck as he extended his left hand towards the sword as it flew in his hands. Raghav then transferred the sword to his right hand and flicked the sword to his right as sparks of electricity flew off. Queen Anessa looked at her husband. "Bel, are you able to follow their movements. They are moving so fast that I can only see small glimpse of them when they stand still." The King looked at his wife nodding. "I can follow their movements by enhancing my senses and brain functions with Mana. I have to say they might be Intermediate Masters each movement from them is creating shockwaves in the air. Luckily we have this Mana barrier protecting the spectators." Aurelia looked at her father before looking at Raghav; she smiled holding her hands together over her mouth as she whispered. "Win Raghav win." Raghav slightly turned his head to his right as he nodded. Aurelia''s mouth opened in shock. ''He could hear me.'' Raghav''s head shot forward as Asfan stood up holding his bare chest that had turned purple. "Stay down and surrender, you cannot win." Asfan looked at his right reaching for his sword; as he pulled his sword out from the wall and stood at the edge of the corridor. He opened his mouth as blood poured out. He then placed a hand on his chest whispering something as a faint green glow appeared on his body. "I cannot surrender." His face matched Raghav''s seriousness and calmness as he held his sword in front of him as Raghav narrowed his eyes. They both rushed at one another clashing in the middle of the arch bridge. The swords clashed as the electricity from Raghav''s sword travelled to Asfan''s shocking him. Raghav pushed back Asfan''s sword and punched him in the stomach with his left hand throwing him back into the wall. Asfan flipped in the air and landed with his feet on the wall and jumped back at Raghav. Asfan pointed his sword at Raghav as a thin stream of water came from the tip as Raghav leaned to the right narrowly avoiding the stream as the stream travelled to the crowd it stopped when it hit an invisible barrier that glowed blue when the water hit it. Asfan planted his sword in the ground directly in front of Raghav and used it to swing in the air as he drop kicked Raghav in the stomach. Raghav attempted to block the strike with his left hand but got throwing off the arch bridge and onto the slanted roof below. Raghav landed on the roof as he looked up at Asfan. Asfan jumped down from the arch bridge. Raghav rushed forward grabbing something from the floor. Just before Asfan''s feet could touch the ground Raghav pulled his right arm back as Asfan was pulled towards him feet first. Asfan looked at his left foot and saw a Mana rope tied to it. As he reached Raghav he braced for impact with his arms in front of him. Raghav punched Asfan in his arms and slammed him in the wall. He rushed forward kicking Asfan in the stomach; sending him upwards. Asfan placed a hand on the wall of the castle stopping himself as he planted his feet on the wall and stood up looking down at Raghav. Raghav slightly tilted his head before placing one foot on the wall and then the next as he also stood on the wall. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Asfan''s eyes widened as he placed his sword in the scabbard and began running up the wall towards the top of the castle. Raghav ran after him as the white glow became brighter as Raghav dashed forward cracking the wall and grabbed Asfan by the neck. Raghav turned around and threw Asfan back at the Arena. Asfan landed on his back as the marble cracked shaking the entire Arena. Raghav leapt from the wall straight towards Asfan who brought his hands forward and fired a giant Mana blast at Raghav who was heading straight for the blast. Aurelia stood up from her chair yelling. "NO!" Raghav switched the sword to his left hand and thrusted his sword at the Mana blast. The Mana blast clashed with the sword and disappeared in Raghav''s body. Asfan''s eyes and mouth were left wide open. ''He absorbed my Mana blast?'' Asfan pulled out his sword with his right hand and held his hand high. Raghav flipped in the air going over Asfan and landed feet first as he crouched. Asfan turned around looking at Raghav who stood up and thrusted the sword at Asfan''s stomach with his left hand. Asfan moved his stomach to his right avoiding the thrust; he retaliated by swinging down his sword at Raghav''s hand. As his sword drew close Raghav let go of the sword and pulled back his hand letting Asfan''s sword swing past and then extended his right hand taking hold of the sword and swung it in Asfan''s side and pulled the sword back opening his stomach. Asfan lost all the strength in his body as the dark red glow faded and he fell to his knees. Raghav stood over Asfan; his left hand hanging by his side and the sword in his right arm raised over his left shoulder the white glow made his body shine in the young night. Sounds of yelling came from the stands as Vaughn cursed at Raghav and Asfan. Asfan''s breath became heavier as he held his open stomach preventing the organs from slipping out. "Why?" Asfan looked up confused as his mouth trembled. Raghav blinked letting out a sigh. "Why did you agree to work with Vaughn, you know it was a fake attempt; you knew you will get captured and later executed. I read about your tribe before the fight. You are a tribe of warriors, honourable warriors, you live to fight but you fight to live on. Then why did you accept death like this?" Asfan leaned back holding his stomach. "We owed him a Life Debt. I am the youngest son of the chief Umtar. He came to us demanding that we pay the Life Debt that my grandfather owed his father. Hence I came all this way." Asfan then raised his head showing his throat to Raghav and closed his eyes. "Have mercy." Raghav narrowed his eyes as he swung his sword down. Asfan opened his eyes and looked at Raghav who had swung his sword to the right sliding all the blood off his sword. He then looked at Raghav with a puzzled face. "Mage Olda please heal this man." Mage Olda came running forward and began healing Asfan. Asfan looked at his stomach being healed as he looked at Raghav with shock and tears in his eyes. "Why?" Raghav looked at Asfan with a gentle smile. "You asked for mercy. I only did the right thing" Asfan smiled as he fell unconscious. Vaughn stood up laughing and began walking towards the castle. "I AM FREE!" The guards were about to stop him until Sage Amla raised his hand. "Let him go." The guards stopped in their place and bowed letting Vaughn walk freely. As he was about to walk past Raghav; Raghav switched his sword from the right hand to the left and extended it to the left placing the sword at Vaughn''s throat. Vaughn dead in his tracks and looked at Raghav who was still looking at Asfan. "What is the meaning of this?" Raghav looked straight before turning towards Vaughn. "Your grace, what punishment should this traitor get?" King Belreid stood up stroking his beard as he closed his eyes before he opened his left eye. "Death by decapitation sounds deserving for the crimes he committed." Vaughn raised his hands between the sword and his throat. "I am a free man, Asfan did not surrender and Raghav backed off from taking his life. Raghav surrendered and as the rules stated the trial will go on till either one of them surrendered or died." "Tch" Raghav clicked his tongue as he shook his head. "Asfan surrendered the moment he offered his throat to me. So as it stands Vaughn, your representative lost meaning you lost. Tell me; do you wish to die?" He then began walking forward his sword still at Vaughn''s throat as Vaughn backed off. Everyone looked as Vaughn was pushed to the edge of the Arena as his foot slipped off he almost fell but was caught by Raghav who held his collar in his right hand and held the sword to his throat with his left. Vaughn looked down at the ground founding himself dangling in the air. The white glow illuminated his neck he then looked at Raghav closing his eyes as he found the white glow blinding. He raised his hands over his face and yelled with all his strength. "HAVE MERCY!" Vaughn felt his feet touch ground as the hand was removed from his collar. He slowly opened his eyes and lowered his hands. He tried to look at Raghav but the white glow was still blinding for him. He then dropped to his knees and bowed his head on the floor crying. "I beg of you to show me mercy. To let me live. I do not wish to die. I wish to see the sunrise tomorrow. I wish to see the sunrise tomorrow as I have had for all these years. A free man." King Belreid looked at Vaughn with furious eyes. "The audacity to ask for such a mercy. Do not be fooled by his words Raghav. Strike him down." Raghav looked down at Vaughn kneeling in front of him. He lowered his sword and placed it in his scabbard. "As you wish. I, Raghav Suryanshi give you my word that you shall see the sunrise tomorrow as a free man. You will not be kept in chains or locked, you will be free to traverse the world as you wish. All your needs will be fulfilled, you want a horse to see the sunrise from the forest, the mountain, the fields. It is up to you to decide." Vaughn looked up as he wiped the tears from his eyes and stood up as he ran towards the castle. "Raghav!" Raghav looked at the King who raised his hand in a questioning manner. "Why?" "I cannot deny someone asking for mercy. I have given him my word, please do not make me go back on my word." The King gritted his teeth as he walked towards Raghav alongside The Queen and Aurelia followed by Sage Amla. "Raghav. You did it." Aurelia ran past her parents and hugged Raghav. Raghav did not hug Aurelia back. "I did." She then broke the hug as she looked at Raghav. "Why are you still using your powers?" "I wish to know about your powers, if you are willing to share it with us." Raghav looked at the King and nodded. "I currently have one last thing I need to do. I will answer your questions when I return." Aurelia grabbed Raghav''s chin turning his face towards her. "Where are you going?" Raghav smiled looking at her. "I will be back before long. Until then please take care of Asfan, let him stay here as my guest." The King nodded. "He will be treated just as we treat you." Raghav nodded back to the King before he walked away. . . . A few kilometres away from the entrance to the forest a man on a horse stopped under a lone tree on a hill. He took his hood off and got off the horse. Vaughn looked at the village in the distance. "I must have travelled over two thousand kilometre." He then felt light hit his face as he looked at the rising sun. "Are you satisfied?" Vaughn''s eyes filled with terror as he turned around. Before he could speak his mouth was grabbed by a hand covered in white glow. He was lifted in the air as he looked down at Raghav. Raghav looked at the rising sun. "You were quick heading straight for the horse, this world is truly unique, I was not aware that horses could run over two thousand kilometres in one night." Vaughn attempted to speak something but his mouth was closed by Raghav. "I promised you would get to see the sunrise tomorrow. I have kept that promise." He then tightened his grip on Vaughn''s mouth. "However I never said a word about the sunset. For your crimes against Istreid Kingdom. I shall deliver your punishment." Raghav then grabbed Vaughn''s body with his left hand and pulled his head off his body. The moment he dropped the body and head on the floor a white light emerged from Vaughn''s chest and entered Raghav''s. He turned to look at the sun as he closed his eyes. . . . . Aurelia was at the gates of the city accompanied by The King and Reinhardt. She was walking left and right. "I cannot believe he left the city right after the trial, does he even know what road to take. I mean, sure there is only one way to enter the valley as there are mountains to our north, east and west. What will he do if he gets lost?" The King just kept looking at the forest. "He told us he would return. So have faith in him. I know he has been gone for twelve hours but have faith." Aurelia sighed. "I am just worried about him; he is in a world he is unfamiliar with. I hated the trial yesterday. Every time I imagined him getting hurt it felt as if it was Kanah who was getting hurt." The King hugged his daughter comforting her. "I know what you feel." Just then The King saw a white glow at the edge of the forest at the mouth of the valley. "I told you to have faith." Aurelia broke the hug as she looked back and saw a man covered in a white glow approaching them on a horse. Soon the man arrived near them as they could finally see his face. Raghav''s serious face turned into a smile the moment he saw Aurelia and stopped the horse as he got down. Aurelia ran at him jumping in his arms. He was surprised as he caught her and placed her down. "I hope I did not make you wait for long." Aurelia hit Raghav in the arm. "Idiot." Raghav smiled as he then looked at The King as he pulled off the sack placed on the horse back. "This is the body of Vaughn." "But you showed him mercy and let him live. Then why?" Raghav looked at Reinhardt as his face hardened. "He asked to see the sunrise and I gave him my word. He saw the sunrise as a free man just as he wanted. I never said that he will continue to live a free man. So I delivered on him his punishment for his treachery." Reinhardt nodded as a smirk appeared on his face. "Why are you still using your powers?" Raghav looked at Aurelia as he frowned. "About that. I will explain that after I take a rest." He then receded the white glow back in his chest and smiled at Aurelia closing his eyes before he fell down. See You Raghav laid on his bed; Sage Amla held his wrist checking for pulses as The King and Aurelia stood by. ¡°Is he okay?¡± ¡°Yes, your grace Raghav¡¯s is completely normal, it would appear that his body was unable to handle his power and the moment he stopped using it his body finally collapsed under the burden.¡± Sage Amla stood up placing Raghav¡¯s hand on the bed and stood up from the stool. ¡°Your grace. May I have a word with you?¡± King Belreid joined his hands and bowed down to Sage Amla. ¡°Yes Sage. As you command.¡± ¡°Follow me and you my child.¡± Aurelia looked at Sage Amla as she bowed. ¡°Yes Sage?¡± ¡°I know you wish to know the nature of his powers and you are afraid if it is anything dangerous. What I tell you now is the single truth of our existence. The power he wields is the greatest in existence. Eventually his body will adapt and once that happens. None shall be his equal.¡± Aurelia shifted her gaze to the unconscious Raghav. She then heard the sound of the door closing as she looked up and found herself alone in the room. She walked over to him placing a hand on his cheeks his head turned towards her hand. Aurelia smiled at this reaction. ¡°Just like him. Sleep well Kanah.¡± She then left the room and looked at the empty corridor she walked over to her room and entered it. Sliding down behind the door as she rested her head on her knees. As small tears formed in her eyes as she finally closed them. The King opened his eyes as Reinhardt knocked on the door; sound of careful steps came and it was opened by Mage Olda. ¡°Your Grace.¡± He bowed as he stepped out of the way. The King entered the room and found Asfan sitting in a chair. Asfan quickly stood up and got on his knees. ¡°King Belreid. My actions are mine and mine alone, The Mortenia tribe had no hand in this. I accept all punishments.¡± King Belreid looked down at Asfan. ¡°Rise warrior.¡± Asfan stood up as he looked The King in the eyes. ¡°You will receive no punishment. We all heard that you were asked to aid in the Prime Minister¡¯s nefarious goal; due to a life debt owed by your grandfather. We know the law of a life debt and you have been deemed innocent because of it. I came here to inform you, that you are a free man. You can leave whenever you wish. Until then you will be a guest of the crown.¡± Asfan got down on one knee and lowered his head. ¡°Thank you for your mercy, your grace.¡± King Belreid turned around to leave the room. ¡°If you wish you thank anyone for the mercy it is Raghav.¡± Asfan looked up. ¡°Can I meet him before I leave?¡± The King stopped at the door as he looked back. ¡°It is for him to decide when he wakes up. He has been unconscious since he came back with Prime Minister Vaughn¡¯s corpse. You will be notified the moment he wakes up.¡± With the parting words King Belreid left the room followed by Olda and Reinhardt. As they walked in the corridor. King Belreid looked at Reinhardt. ¡°Speak your mind.¡± Reinhardt lowered his head slightly. ¡°Your grace, I was thinking, you should do a public appearance soon. The city folks are aware of the attack and the ensuing trial that took place; I am certain that the other Kingdoms have caught wind of these events. Your public appearance will put it out there that you remain healthy and well; if you could have Raghav by your side as the hero; it will cast aside all shadows of doubt that the Kingdom has lost its strength.¡± The King placed a hand on his chin. ¡°It is indeed true. I need to put the Hero in the eyes of the world. Summon Galreid to my room; I have a proposition for him.¡± As the King lowed his hand and looked up the door to Vonreid¡¯s door opened and the boy fell out onto the floor. ¡°VONREID!¡± The King yelled running at the boy falling on his knees beside the boy. Mage Olda rushed after him almost tripping on his beard as he embraced the child¡¯s thin body applying healing magic to him as it regained the mass. ¡°By the Will of The One. It is just as Raghav predicted.¡± Olda lifted Vonreid in his arms and carried him back to his bed; followed by King Belreid who was struggling to breathe. ¡°Is he okay?¡± Olda stopped casting healing magic and looked at King Belreid as he smiled. ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± The King let out a sigh of relief as he closed his eyes. ¡°Father?¡± The King¡¯s eyes opened wide as he looked at his son and found him staring back at him. ¡°Son?¡± ¡°Father?¡± ¡°SON!¡± King Belreid hugged Vonreid as the boy looked at his father¡¯s right arm. ¡°What happened to you?¡± King Belreid broke the hug and looked down at his arm. ¡°A lot, a lot. I will tell you everything in due time.¡± ¡°VONREID!¡± The King and Vonreid looked at the door as The Queen and Aurelia rushed forward. They grabbed the King and threw him to the side as Reinhardt caught him. ¡°Your grace!¡± The King looked forward and found Queen Anessa and Aurelia grabbing Vonreid¡¯s face moving it left and right as they bombarded him with questions. Vonreid looked at his father with horror filled eyes. King Belreid just closed his eyes and looked away. Vonreid looked at his father in shock. ¡®I shall never forget this.¡¯ Vonreid then looked at his mother and sister as he broke away from them. ¡°Can you two stop? I am okay. Can someone tell me what is happening?¡± Queen Anessa held her confused son as Aurelia stood there holding back the tears in her eyes. As soon as the Queen broke the Hug Aurelia rushed in holding Vonreid as the tears escaped her eyes. ¡°I am sorry, I left you alone all those years ago. I am sorry, it was all my fault. Please forgive me.¡± Vonreid held his sister back. ¡°I do not understand what is happening but whatever it was, it was not your fault elder sister.¡± Aurelia kept on crying as her mother and father comforted the children. Vonreid looked at the corridor as he frowned. ¡°Was that Kanah?¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Everyone looked at the door finding no one there. Aurelia stood up wiping her tears away as she ran out of the room heading for Raghav¡¯s she opened the door and found the room empty. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she yelled out. ¡°FATHER HE IS GONE AGAIN!¡± . . . . Sage Amla stood at the gates of the castle¡¯s outer walls looking at the night sky; he then heard footsteps approaching. ¡°I was just waiting for you.¡± He turned around as Raghav approached him. Raghav looked at the guards. ¡°Please give us some space.¡± The Guards nodded walking outside leaving the two at the gates. Raghav looked at Sage Amla his straw mat over his shoulder and a ewer in his hands as well as a small needle and a ball of grey thread. ¡°Going on the next steps of your journey.¡± Sage Amla nodded. ¡°Another Sage has made it to this city and I intend to travel east now. I talked it with the King this afternoon while you were asleep.¡± Sage Amla then looked at the sky as he smiled. ¡°When I first saw you I felt an attraction towards you, I was drawn in by that warmth and light I felt inside you. At first it scared me. I who had left all attachment to this world of lies and dreams was beginning to feel attached once more.¡± Sage Amla looked back at Raghav. ¡°But after you showed your powers; all my fears were eradicated, because in you I saw the truth. I have been blessed to witness your arrival. Now that I look at you I see that warmth and light I had only felt.¡± Sage Amla walked towards Raghav; getting on his knees as he joined his hands and placed his head on the ground. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raghav quickly got on his knees holding Sage Amla by the shoulders as he guided him back up. ¡°You are older than me. Don¡¯t bow down to me.¡± Sage Amla laughed as he said. ¡°This body may be older than yours but your soul is far more ancient compared to my own. I have been blessed by your touch and now I can go.¡± He then looked Raghav in the eye. ¡°You are aware of what your powers are yes? What they are capable of? Where they come from?¡± Raghav nodded as Sage Amla slowly backed off still looking at Raghav. ¡°I will see you at the end yes?¡± Raghav nodded. ¡°You will.¡± Sage Amla a few feet away bowed slightly. ¡°Can you tell me your name once again?¡± Raghav gently smiled as he placed a hand on his hip. ¡°Raghav. Raghav Suryanshi.¡± Sage Amla then bowed one last time before walking away. Raghav watched for a few moments as Sage Amla walked through the central road before calling out to the guards as they returned to their positions. ¡°Thank you. For giving us privacy.¡± The guards silently nodded as Raghav walked back towards the castle. As he was walking up the stairs to enter it. Aurelia was walking down the stairs with a platoon of soldiers; worry written all over her face. They looked at one another as they smiled at one another. Raghav waved at her as she waved at him and the two went their separate ways. Aurelia walked forward until she reached the bottom of the stairs fixing her gloves when she suddenly looked forward as the realization drew on her she quickly turned around looking at Raghav on top of the stairs. ¡°STOP RIGHT THERE!¡± Raghav stopped walking as he turned to look back finding Aurelia in his face. Raghav stared at her unfazed. ¡°I apologise for not coming to see you first thing when I woke up, I just had to come and say farewell to Sage Amla.¡± Aurelia sighed as she backed off slightly before looking at the soldiers. ¡°You can return to your posts.¡± The soldiers in unison saluted her and went back. Raghav looked at them march away. ¡°Thank you.¡± Aurelia looked at him as she tilted her head. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°For coming to look for me. I know you must have been worried since the trial ended yesterday. I will answer any and all questions that you have, but first can I talk with Asfan and Galreid.¡± Aurelia looked at him as they began walking inside the castle. ¡°Are you angry at me?¡± Aurelia looked at Raghav as she shook her head looking away. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Raghav looked away from her. ¡°I never knew a royal family can be so normal, I always envisioned, people that were cold and distant than the rest of the world. So the history books were all a lie.¡± Aurelia looked at Raghav. ¡°Are there no Royal families in your world?¡± Raghav shook his head. ¡°There were Kingdoms and Kings in the past now days a few places have them but they hold no power they are there in just name. The real power is with the people selected by the people or with dictators who take control from the people and rule over them.¡± Aurelia smiled as she looked forward. ¡°So what did you think of me? I am the first princess you have ever met.¡± Raghav smiled looking at her. ¡°You are everything I had dreamt of in a princess.¡± Aurelia remained silent as she looked at Raghav. His smile slowly faded out as the seriousness took hold. ¡°It is Kanah, Yes?¡± ¡°What?¡± Raghav looked at her. ¡°Your boyfriend, it is Kanah, is it not?¡± Aurelia nodded as she looked at the floor. ¡°I understand, it has been difficult for you, me being here.¡± He felt a hand land on his back as Aurelia shook her head. ¡°It is indeed strange but nothing difficult. Let¡¯s just not discuss it any further. I will return to Vonreid and you can go and have your talk with Asfan and Uncle Galreid. We will talk tomorrow.¡± Without waiting for a response Aurelia walked away as Raghav watched her with narrow eyes. . . . . Asfan sat on the edge of his bed drinking wine. He held the bottle to his forehead as he sighed. The cold glass bottle tempering his burning head. He was looking at the floor, eyes blood red; he slowly closed his eyes until the sound of knocking at his door caused them to shoot open. He looked at the door. ¡°Coming.¡± He then stood up walking over to the door and opened it. He stared at Raghav who stood there. ¡°May I come in?¡± Asfan blinked a few times before he moved out of the way gesturing to the chair in his room. ¡°Please come in. I actually wanted to talk to you as well. Would you like some wine.¡± Raghav shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t drink alcohol.¡± He then took a chair and placed it in front of the bed and sat down. ¡°So, what was it that you wanted to talk about?¡± Asfan came and sat on the edge of the bed. ¡°I wanted to thank you for sparing my life.¡± Raghav waved his hand. ¡°I simply did it because I realised you were nothing but a pawn in this game and hence were innocent of this crime at least. I did what was right. Do not thank me for it.¡± Asfan took a sip of his wine as he hummed in response. Raghav looked at Asfan with narrow eyes. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Asfan shook his head. ¡°Just have a lot on my mind. I apologise for attempting to kill you.¡± Raghav leaned back in the chair; crossing his legs and placing his hand on his knee. ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologise but if it makes you feel any better, you have been forgiven. After the trial I researched about your tribe and learnt a lot about your people. Such as your tribe¡¯s war cry. ¡®Live to fight; fight to live.¡¯ It made me look at possible reasons why a person from that tribe be willing to be captured and executed.¡± Asfan stood up walking over to the window as he opened it letting the cold air inside. He leaned on it closing his eyes. ¡°He asked one of our lives for this plan of his to settle the life debt we owed him. The plan was either I was killed alongside Galreid or if things fell apart and Vaughn was placed on trial instead; I would represent him in a trial by combat and kill the person for him.¡± He then turned around looking at Raghav. ¡°I hope you believe me. I had no intention of harming anyone here. I was bound by the life debt.¡± Raghav nodded as he stood up. ¡°I see. I am glad I was right about you.¡± Raghav walked over to the door as he looked back. ¡°Stop blaming yourself over it, you upheld your grandfather¡¯s honour and his oath. Keep your head high.¡± Raghav turned around. ¡°Will you stay?¡± Asfan shook his head. ¡°I just wanted to see you once before leaving.¡± Raghav nodded as he gave Asfan a small smile. ¡°Stay until morning. I will see you off.¡± Asfan nodded as he bowed towards Raghav. ¡°Good night Asfan.¡± ¡°Good night Raghav.¡± With that Raghav left the room. As Asfan closed the windows and extinguished the candles as he laid on the bed. ¡°By the will of The One. Thank you.¡±