1179  Empyrean of Yalen

Arthur was standing in his runic house with excitement boiling through his blood. It hummed a song that yearned for adventure alongside his friend, whose ideas could not be called anything but lunatic. To kidnap the prince of Yalen and threaten the royal family into submission…

"Bold!" exclaimed Arthur with a grin. "But I know that the king would never yield, Oriole. This plan of yours is too human for someone who was willing to sacrifice an entire city to get rid of me!"

Kera has now become the focal point of resistance in the union. The entire population hated the kingdom for what they have done when Amelio attacked, and Arthur"s speech at the memorial further fueled their resolve to rise against the crown.

Although things would not go as Oriole demanded, he was still brilliant for pulling off something this bold at such a dangerous time. The union was a powder keg about to explode, and Oriole might just be the trigger that detonates it!

Furthermore… that speech about evidence and truth, it might start the rebellion now.

It has been few hours since Markus left the runic house after guiding him here, and Arthur planned on advancing his control of wrath in the meantime. However, this interview changed everything. A knock arrived on his door, hurried and galloping. "I can hear your heart from across the door, Markus," said Arthur after wearing his cloak and opening the door. Outside was a tired Markus, who seemed to have been running around ever since the interview aired.

"I apologize for the late visit, but have you seen…"

"The interview?" asked Arthur with a smirk. "I knew it would alarm you."

"You don"t seem surprised by this change, sir," asked Markus as he adjusted his necktie, confusion written in rolling sweat on his face. "Is this something that you have a hand in?" he asked with expectations.

"I have nothing to do with it, but I know the person behind it," said Arthur with a teasing tone as he walked into the house, allowing Markus to follow inside. "He is not a murderer, if that is what you fear."

"I just fear the consequences of angering the kingdom," said Markus with hurried steps into the house. "We might need to change our plans, since this incident has already alerted the kingdom. Our attack will be met with preparations!"

"The moment you raised a weapon against a seer, you should have expected that," said Arthur as he browsed the liquor bottles in his refrigerator, before closing them with a sigh. "Do you happen to have any orange juice here?"

"I came here to inform you that the attack will be pushed forward," said Markus with a frown. "My lady has received intel that the king plans on responding to this threat via extreme means that would endanger the entire city of Yalenia."

This time, Arthur paused as his relaxed att.i.tude disappeared. His hand was reaching to same cabinets as he froze, turning toward Markus with confusion. "What means?"

"I cannot reveal that secret, but this kidnapper played with fire. There is a reason that no one takes anything from the Yalen King, and the world is about to witness that firsthand."

"I said… what means?" asked Arthur again, his voice dropping several octaves. His hoa.r.s.eness alarmed Markus, as he witnessed the golden glow that appeared underneath the hood. As the eerie eyes stared at him, Markus fl.u.s.tered and shifted.

"I-I cannot say," he stuttered, more nervous than before. "I would never betray my lady"s trust."

"Then let"s go and meet your lady," said Arthur as he rushed to his robes, pulling them around his body. "I thought that I could take a mild approach and sneak into the capital, but if the king can endanger him, I will crush the entire union in a day."

His domineering words sent shivers down Markus" spine as he stared at the figure throw the doors open and leave. With a hurried gate, he rushed toward the central clock tower, where the resistance hid itself.

Markus led the way after reaching the Square of Heroism, where chaos filled the festival. Everyone watched the interview, and some of them cheered while others prepared to flee.

Arthur entered the clock tower a lot easier this time, and met the masked lady who seemed troubled. Even as the two entered her room, the lady was still anxious and pacing around. At first, she did not realize Arthur was here.

"How did it go, Markus?" asked the lady as she paced around, panicked. Her mask was still on her face, glued to ensure that she would remain anonymous.

"I contacted the leaders of each faction, and everyone is prepared to attack Yalenia at a moment"s notice. However, our new ally wanted to meet you," said Markus with hesitation, as if knowing that it would anger his lady.

"Guest?" asked the lady as she paused, turning toward them. Seeing that Arthur was standing behind Markus, she paused before her voice returned to its composed state. "How can I help you?"

"I heard from Markus that the king is going to take an extreme measure against this incident," said Arthur as he advanced forward. "I happen to know the kidnapper responsible, so I would not wish that they get hurt."

"I understand your reasons, but I cannot reveal these secrets to just anyone," said the lady as she held her hands together in front of her dress. "Such a revelation might cause a leak in information. If the kingdom catches such a blunder… I would be discovered."

"You are someone close to the Yalen Family?" asked Arthur with a frown, his shift in mood alarming the two. An emotional disturbance in a strong person was enough to alert others around him.

"I cannot deny nor confirm that a.s.sumption," said the lady without any fl.u.s.ter that her ident.i.ty got revealed. "Please do not pry further into my ident.i.ty. It was you that wished for anonymity, not me."

"The situation has changed, but I never asked to learn of your ident.i.ty. I want to know if the person who kidnapped the person is in danger."

"…Caleb Yalen is a degenerate who knows nothing but to please himself and harm others, but he still lives to this day. What do you think the reason is, exactly?"

"His father."

"And the father of his father," said the lady, which made Arthur frown. "Ruling families has founders of the empyrean rank, and they maintain the safety of their respective nations. Although the Yalen King is a failure of a seer, who could do nothing but read minds, his father is far more capable."

The tension thickened in the room. Arthur"s focus honed in on the masked lady, a palpable urgency radiating from him. The weight of her words about the Yalen King"s lineage was heavy, hinting at terrifying powers pa.s.sed down through generations.

 "You speak of this seer...this lineage founder. It sounds as though he possesses abilities more formidable than his son. Am I to understand it was his power that protected Yalen all this time?" Arthur leaned forward, the glow beneath his hood pulsing a warning.

 The lady shifted uncomfortably; the weight of Arthur"s intensity almost tangible. "Indeed. Though the current king"s talents lay solely in mental probing, his line is ancient, blessed with abilities far more… expansive. The empyrean of Yalen was said to have the ability to see the future, past, and even create prophecies."

 Arthur absorbed this, the gears in his mind whirling. Temporal magic was as rare as it was feared. If the Yalen King"s ancestor possessed even a fraction of such power... "How can we defeat someone who could affect the future and past?"

 "I don"t know. But we can see the evidence of his powers in the simple fact that Caleb Yalen was never supposed to rule, destined for hedonism. Yet here he sits, untouchable even for the most egregious violations. I suspect not due to any competence on his part, but his very existence ensures something...watches."

 "This is…" Arthur trailed off, overwhelmed. If true, it changed everything. Caleb was not only an obstacle, but potentially a ticking time bomb. "…then is that how they intend to respond?"

 "I know not the king"s intent." The lady sounded defeated. "Perhaps desperation breeds even more monstrous acts." She hesitated, a hint of pleading in her voice, "...when an ent.i.ty is rumored to manipulate time, anything is possible. There may be no way to protect your friend without revealing them."

 "Markus," he spoke, voice low but firm, "Arrange a carriage. Prepare whatever supplies we may need for an extended journey. It sounds as if…"

 He glanced back at the masked lady. No bargain would come this time, no leverage from a fragile alliance. Only truth lay between them now.

 "…it sounds as if I shall be paying a visit to the City of Yalenia myself."

Arthur no longer cared about being anonymous. If Oriole was in danger, then he would risk everything to save his friend, as the latter did for him.