Svetlana and her partner wasted no time in going to Neba. Once she had told him her
discovery, they quickly made their way back to their kingdom.
Upon arriving at their kingdom, Svetlana felt that something was strange. Even though
people seemed normal and were going about their daily activities, the slight actions Svetlana
spotted that weren’t there went she left let her know that something big was going on.
Security was tighter at the front gates. That should have been expected after the little war
in their kingdom. Svetlana and her father still hadn’t told the king and his son Wazir how they
were able to know the weakness of the Allikans. It was unavoidable that she would have to say
to them her real identity with the news she had.
The guards at the gate were not the normal ones she was used to seeing. There were built
like the ones trained for war, and they carried the finesse of a warrior. They were stricter in their
dealings, pushing and locking away people they found suspicious.
Once they spotted Svetlana and her partner, they let them in with no squabble. The
people carried out their daily activities inside the city, but guards were everywhere.
Elena walked to the palace from the gate. It wasn’t a short walk, but it wasn’t a long walk
either. She had always wondered why the past king of Neba built his castle not in the middle of
the city, where it would be safer, but at the town leading to the outer walls. She figured that only
the king would be able to answer that.
Her companion walked next to her, his eyes roaming all the actions taking place.
“It’s like they are preparing for something.” He said after a while. Svetlana nodded her
head, deep in concentration.
“They must have received news about something. Probably that’s why they wanted us to
check out the king of Pres.” Svetlana replied.
“Yes. I wonder what news that is.” He said, dragging a hand through his face. “I guessed
I must have been secretly hoping that we wouldn’t go for another war. But seeing all that is
happening, I don’t think my wish is going to come through.”
Svetlana remained quiet. No one liked war. Even if she had been protected by her father
from the outside world, the violence in her village was enough to make her hate any kind of
violence. But to survive, she has to learn how to be violent and wield it. She hardly used this
talent, but she never hesitated to use it when necessary.
She had seen the battles in her former home, caused by different challenges issued by
egocarried men. She wondered why so many of them chose to fight to the death for things that
weren’t worth the sacrifice. Men had decapitated themselves, torn themselves, and mutilated each
other for trivial things. All the blood, the gore, and the injuries. She never could quite get used to
it. She can only imagine how it would be when it happened large scale.
War is never a pretty thing.
They arrived at the castle just when the sun was high, signifying that noontime had
arrived.
There were so many things she wanted to report to the king, but she wanted to see her
father first.
“You go ahead.” She said to her partner.
“I’ll catch up with you later. I have something I need to take care of.”
Her partner looked at her curiously but still heeded her request. She watched as he
walked down the castle’s hallways towards the king’s study. Svetlana went back outside the
castle gates. Her father preferred to stay with the warriors when they were training. Although she
would have been able to reach the warriors’ training field bypassing the king’s study, she didn’t
want to risk being seen by the king and his son, therefore having no choice but to report what she
had seen and heard. They would better understand her report quicker, but only if her father stood
with her.
She arrived at the training ground and wasn’t surprised to find her father at the edge of the
field, watching the warriors train. That wasn’t her first time watching the warriors’ routine when
training, but she noticed something was different this time. There was an eagerness, an air of
expectation, a seriousness that swam the air. They were expecting something huge, something
big enough to destroy the whole kingdom. The number of warriors in training seemed to have
doubled since the last time she was here, and the king of Neba wasn’t a small number. She
walked across the vast field, passing the hidden areas to not distract the warriors nor become the
centre of attention.
“Father.” She called once she reached her father. Her father stood up from where he sat
once she spotted her. He had taken to covering his face with a veil in front of a crowd. He said he
didn’t want to stand out much.
“Svetlana,” He called out lovingly. She could hear the smile in his voice when he walked
towards her, his arms outstretched for a hug.
“You’re back.” He said, holding her tightly into his embrace. She hugged him back
tightly. Sometimes, she still couldn’t believe that she had found her father. She had woken up
several times at night because of her nightmares, then calmed herself with the fact that
everything that happened was just a dream. She would walk to her father’s room opposite hers
and see him sound asleep.
“How did your mission go?” He asked when they finally pulled away.
“I gained some new information. Important ones.” Daruki noticed the serious look on her
face and frowned.
“Did something happen?”
“I need to tell you something important. I would not be able to relay my report to the king
without your help.”
Daruki took a look around them, studying his environment.
“Let’s go somewhere quieter, so we could talk more comfortably.”
He took them to a hidden area in the training ground, where people barely passed by.
“Okay. Tell me what it is.”
Svetlana took in a deep breath and began to relate her story.
“I might have forgotten to tell you earlier,” She started, “but Aunt Navina and uncle
Slovic are in the kingdom of Pres.”
She watched as her father’s face turned cold.
“What are they doing there?” He asked.
“Aunt Navina is married to the king of Pres. By how old their daughter is, I would say
that the king was the prince who came to our town and asked for help. You might not remember
because that was the period you got missing.”
“What of Slovic? What business does he have in that kingdom?”
“He told the people of Pres that he wanted to assist them to become the strongest
kingdom in the whole world. He showed them some of his powers, and they immediately
believed his promise.”
“Slovic,” Her father called with a sigh. “Just what are you planning?”
“That’s not all father. There is more.” Svetlana said, her voice grave.
“What is it?”
“The king is under the queen’s command. He is not in control of his mind. The same
could be said for the people of Pres. Partner and I noticed the slight changes. It was like they
were waking up from slumber. Instead of the reverence and awe they always had for their king
when I first came there, I sense restlessness and fear.” At her declaration, Daruki’s eyes widened,
but Svetlana continued.
“The queen is afraid of the king breaking out of her hold. But her brother claimed that he
can’t break out of her control, except he kills her which is almost impossible.”
“This is worse than I thought,” Daruki said, his eyes wide with fear and anger.
“Father, you know something.”
Daruki sighed and leaned on the wall opposite them.
“The Chosen one, my sister,” He said, swallowing a gulp. “She is dead isn’t she?”
Though confused, Svetlana chose to remain silent.
“Most people think that being the chosen one is a blessing. It is not. It is the worst thing
that could happen to anyone, and I found out a bit too late.”
“Father, what is it?” Svetlana asked, getting confused. Her father sighed, them he
removed the veil from his face.
“The blood of the chosen one had certain properties. One of them was the fact that it
could control the minds of people, take the rein over their actions and thoughts.” He said, his
experience weary.
“My sister was being sucked dry for her blood, and the blasted unknown being didn’t do
anything. The Elders of the village were all too happy to try and command someone’s thoughts,
so they used the blood as much as they liked. There was always more where it came from after
all.” He sneered.
“What do you mean?”
“They were using my sister’s blood for their use. I found out about it and was angry, but
there was nothing I could do. The more she uses her blood, the more her lifespan reduces
drastically. I wanted to help her escape, but Slovic got wind of it and hunted me down. They
made use of ash arrows,” he narrated, looking at her once she gasped.
“That was why I couldn’t return. I could barely take care of myself. I was left by the side
of the road to die. I don’t know if the king of Pres found me before or after he had gone to the
village, but I could remember when he helped me. He wasn’t like the man you all had earlier
described.”
“Wow,” Svetlana said, suddenly understanding the picture her father was trying to paint.
“If using just a drop of her blood reduces her life span, imagine how many years she has
lost at the drop of blood needed to control the minds of a whole kingdom.” She said. Daruki’s
voice became grave.
“I can’t believe that her siblings had a hand in sentencing her to death. They all knew
what would happen if she used her blood and still they let her give it out. I’m even surprised
more that the elders didn’t do anything.”
“Queen Navina suspects that they knew about it, but that they turned a blind eye to it so
that it would serve their goals.”
“She must have carried a jar of her sister’s blood once she left the village,” Daruki said,
then began to pace.
“There was something the Supreme Being was plotting. I could feel it. He was at the
point of a breakthrough and before I could find out what it was, I was attacked. Maybe it’s his
breakthrough that he plans in using to attack the four kingdoms.”
“He wants to attack all the kingdoms?” Svetlana said, her eyes widening. Her father
simply nodded her head.
“If someone had told me this during the time I was still around in the village, I would
have laughed it off, saying it was just a stupid dream. But after viewing the fight that had
happened in this kingdom earlier, I’m not so sure of my would-be original declaration. Those two
warriors were more powerful, stronger than the ones I remember. I don’t think I have ever seen
such power.”
“So father,” Svetlana called out cautiously, “Are you trying to say that you can’t defeat
them?” She asked carefully. Her heart crashed when Daruki shook his head, affirming what she
was beginning to dread.
“The ash weapons weaken them, but it doesn’t kill them instantly. If we were to fight one
on one without the use of our powers, I might be able to defeat just a few of them. But with the
power I beheld them using…” he shook his head.
“… I can’t defeat them.”
“Father, what are we going to do?”
“We have to go tell the king of Neba dear. If there is one thing I have learnt of this king,
is that he detests betrayal and I have the feeling that betrayal is the main pillar of this upcoming
war. We must be prepared,” He said, pausing in front of his daughter and looking at her
thoughtfully.
“This isn’t going to be any kind of war. I would avenge my sister, you and myself. This
war is going to be the bloodiest in history.” He declared, his face turning cold.