When Illaria returned to her room, it was already past midnight. The discussion had taken more than two hours. The night was silent. She went inside, blew out the candles, but she did not sleep. Prince Marcus was probably going to visit her to collect the map and go search for Iceblade. After about an hour, there was a slight shuffle. In the next instant, she turned and saw Prince Marcus standing inside her room.
Illaria quietly got up and handed him a bag.
Illaria said, “There is a map inside. According to it, down the valley there are no beasts you cannot defend against. And just in case, I have also packed some herbs for you.”
Marcus asked, “How is your injury from yesterday?”
Illaria replied, “Almost healed, thanks to the ginseng you gave me.”
Marcus said, “Princess, I have to go look for my sword too, so are you going to ask me or should I just ask you?”
Illaria looked at him and said, “Even if I ask you about what happened in the discussion today, I have a feeling you genuinely did not know.”
Marcus nodded. “To be honest, at first I also found it strange that Father suddenly asked us to come South for a wedding. But clearly, he had his reasons. Still, I did give a pretty good suggestion about going to the West and looking for clues, didn’t I?” he said with a smile.
Illaria replied, “A terrible suggestion would be more appropriate.”
There was a brief silence.
Marcus asked, “Will you be attending the grand ball tomorrow?”
Illaria answered, “Probably not. I am not needed there.”
Marcus said quietly, “Well, then I think this is the last time we will be talking to each other.”
Illaria nodded. “Yes, that seems to be the case.”
“It was nice knowing you, Princess. I hope I see you again someday,” Marcus said as he climbed out of the window. Illaria watched him jump down and run away. For some reason, she felt a little sad. Maybe going to the West with him would not have been so bad after all.
It was the morning of the fifth day since the Northern royal family had arrived. Tonight was the grand celebration. Everyone in the palace was busy, except Illaria. She sat alone in her room, feeling a little bored. In just two more days, everything would be back to normal. Even if her father carried out a secret investigation, he probably would not allow her to take part.
By evening, she could see from her window guests pouring into the grand banquet hall one by one, where the celebration was taking place.
She stepped back into her room. Maybe she should sleep early tonight. Tomorrow, she would deny the marriage to Prince Lyn anyway. The Northern Emperor had specially asked her to reconsider the proposal and give her final decision later. She wondered how confident Prince Lyn had been when he said she would agree by the end of the week. They clearly had a plan, but she could not understand why they believed everything would go so smoothly.
Now that she thought about it carefully, everything Prince Lyn had said was still only speculation. The West had not attacked anyone yet, so why worry over something that had not even happened? What made them think her father would agree to such dangerous plans when there was no immediate threat?
“I guess even the Northerners make mistakes. Father will probably find the mole in our court though,” she thought and closed her eyes.
Illaria did not know how long she had been asleep when she suddenly heard Dany’s voice.
“Princess, wake up. There is an emergency,” Dany said urgently.
Illaria sat up at once. “Dany? What happened?”
Dany replied, “Princess, the situation is very bad. The Emperor, the crown prince, and Prince Robert have been taken hostage.”
Illaria froze. “What? How is that even possible? Do you know what you are saying?”
Dany said, “Princess, a shadow warrior just came and told me to inform you. Since the situation is so grave, they asked me to notify you immediately.”
Illaria clenched her fists. “These Northerners. I knew they were up to something.”
Dany shook her head. “Princess, even they have been taken hostage.”
Illaria stared at her in disbelief. “They are all spiritual energy users. How can all six of them, five of the strongest people on the continent, be taken hostage just like that?”
Dany replied, “I do not know, Princess. You must do something immediately.”
Illaria was already moving. The moment she heard her family had been taken hostage, she grabbed Eleos and rushed out of her room.
Dany tried to stop her. “Princess, wait. What is the plan?”
Illaria brushed past her and said, “I must go, Dany. You call Noah and tell him to bring all our soldiers to the palace immediately, fully equipped. I will go and see what is happening there.”
And just after saying that, Illaria ran in the direction of the royal banquet hall. Her mind did not rest for even a single moment. Who could be strong enough to take down five spiritual energy users and so many guards? How had they breached the palace security? If so many powerful people could not stop them, what could she do alone?
Even though logic told her to stop and think before making a rash move, her legs refused to listen. Emotions were never controlled by reason. Outside the palace gates, there were no guards. She frowned, wondering where they had gone. The doors to the banquet hall were shut. She drew out Eleos, gripped it tightly, and pushed the doors open with a loud bang.
The sight inside was not what she had expected.
A man, around forty years old, stood with a sword pressed against her father’s neck. With one quick glance, she realized that every member of both the Southern and Northern royal families had a blade at their throat.
The man was dressed in a Southern army uniform. He turned toward her and said with a crooked smile, “Oh, look who we have here. A beauty visiting us in troubled times.”
Illaria did not recognize him. One look was enough to tell he was not from the Southern army. But when her eyes moved across the room, her shock deepened. Some of the Southern soldiers had joined hands with the enemy.
The man in the centre laughed in a shrill voice. “Surprised, aren’t you, Princess, seeing your own soldiers betraying your family?”
Illaria asked coldly, “Who are you?”
“Who I am is not important,” he replied. “What I am about to do is. That will change the face of Merwan.”
Illaria slowly walked forward and said, “I can see that half the soldiers here belong to our Southern army. I have only one thing to say to you all. Drop your weapons now, and I will consider sparing you for the sake of your families.”
“Princess, you do not seem to understand the situation here—”
Illaria cut him off. “Trust me. I will count to five. If you do not back off, I will kill you instantly.”
“Nice attempt at a bluff, but—”
“One. Two. Three.” She saw a few soldiers hesitate and drop their weapons.
She stepped into the centre of the room, raised her sword, and drew a circle in the air.
“Four.” More weapons fell to the ground, though over half of them still stood firm.
Illaria pointed her sword forward. “Five.”
She lunged straight at the man in the centre.
In the next instant, the hall filled with groans and cries. Blood spilled from both the traitorous soldiers of her own army and the enemy forces. She did not kill the man before her. Instead, she struck a powerful blow to the back of his neck. He dropped to his knees, eyes wide in shock, and then collapsed unconscious.
Illaria looked around. The scene matched exactly what she had gambled on.
The shadow warriors stationed in the banquet hall had understood her signal. They moved the moment she attacked, striking down every soldier who had been holding the royal families hostage.
The circle she had drawn was a command meaning prepare to attack, and pointing at its centre meant strike. She had once overheard her father explaining this to Edric. Shadow warriors only obeyed princes and the emperor, which was why no one else had realized what she was doing. By drawing all attention to herself, she ensured no one noticed them move. It had been a dangerous gamble. If they had not responded, everything would have been lost. If the enemies had been stronger, the shadow warriors might not have succeeded so swiftly. But fate, for once, had been kind.
A few minutes later, Noah entered with the Southern army.
Ryan spoke firmly, “Noah, escort all the ministers and soldiers away from here. Everyone except the Northern and Southern royal families. Shadow warriors, you may leave as well. I want no one here except our families and this man.”
Within five minutes, the grand banquet hall stood empty, except for the two royal families, the unconscious man on the floor, and the bodies of the dead soldiers.
Illaria turned to her brother. “How did this happen? What exactly went on here?”
Edric shook his head. “We do not know everything yet. But all our spiritual energy was sealed. I could still feel it inside me, but I could not use it at all. The banquet was going well. We had food, watched the dances, and then came the port wine toast, as is customary in our Southern tradition. About fifteen minutes after drinking it, I felt my spiritual energy becoming more and more restricted. It kept getting worse with time. Then these people attacked, and we had no choice but to be taken hostage. Marcus still tried to fight back using Myrenn, but the attackers were stronger. They are trained at Kelzar, for sure.”
Robert said quietly, “The port wine did taste a bit different though.”
“Quiet, all of you.” Ryan’s voice cut through the hall. He was furious.
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“I can feel my spiritual energy getting unblocked again. I will find the truth. The real truth. No more speculations and no more what-ifs.” He turned sharply toward Elmar.
“And I am telling you this clearly. If I find that your family had anything to do with this, then this is a declaration of war. You come to my home under the guise of marriage, call it a gamble, and then pull this nonsense on us. If you had any part in this, tell me now. Otherwise, neither you nor your family will leave this place alive.”
Elmar’s eyes narrowed. “Ryan, aren’t you forgetting that we were taken hostage too? And I think we are the ones who should hold you accountable. Your security failed completely. We are not afraid of war. In hindsight, it was foolish to even ask you to join us. Your management is so weak that some lowly soldiers managed to take us all hostage.”
Ryan laughed coldly. “We Southerners have honour and morals. Do not worry, you and your plans, especially this farce about marriage, have invited my wrath. But I am still a man of my word and in control of both my kingdom and my senses. Truth is absolute and supreme. Once I have the truth, everything will be clear.”
“And how do you plan to extort the truth?” Elmar asked sharply. “By chipping off his nails or burning his skin?”
“Neither.”
“Then what is your plan? He will not simply serve you the truth.”
“You will see.”
Ryan stepped toward the unconscious soldier. He stood before him and began to move his hands in a strange, serpentine, circular pattern while chanting under his breath.
Illaria felt a chilling aura spread through the room. It was not Auren. It was not Myrenn. Whatever it was, it felt far more terrifying than both. The energy was so overwhelming that the unconscious man suddenly woke up, fear flooding his eyes. In the next instant, thick steel chains formed around Ryan’s right arm. A heartbeat later, they left him and wrapped themselves around the captive like a living snake.
The man stayed still until the chains began to sink into his body.
Ryan spoke calmly, “This is long-lost ancient magic. I do not know what it was called back then, but I call it Blood Chain. Right now, these chains have penetrated your body and wrapped themselves around your bones, your muscles, your organs, especially your heart.
“Whenever you lie, the chains will tighten inside you. As you continue lying, they will come for you. First, they will break your bones. Then they will crush your organs. Finally, they will explode your heart. You will bleed and die.”
“But that will not be the end. If you die with the chains still bound to you, they will cling to your soul. You will carry them into your next life and possibly every life after that. The only way to be free is to die without telling a single lie from the moment you receive them, or until I, the chain master, remove them.”
“This is ancient magic. I believe no one in Merwan can help you now except me. So choose. Tell the truth and I will grant you a chain-free death. Or lie, and carry this curse for eternity.”
“Let us begin. What is your name?”
The captive stayed silent.
A sharp cracking sound echoed through the hall, followed by a scream. His left index finger twisted at an unnatural angle.
Ryan said evenly, “I forgot to add something. Hiding the truth is also lying. Same effect. I will ask again. What is your name?”
“Myron,” the man cried out.
Another finger snapped.
He writhed in pain, eyes wide with horror. “But you said if I told the truth the chains would spare me.”
Ryan looked down at him coldly. “Then tell the whole truth. Anything less is still a lie. And I do not think you have many fingers left. I, on the other hand, have many questions. You are not planning to die with the chains, are you? You would not want the sins of this life to follow you into the next.
“So, I will ask again. What is your name?”
“Myron Lamerick.”
Ryan’s eyes darkened. “Well, well. That is a common name from the North. Now tell me, Myron, how did you manage to block all our spiritual energy tonight?”
“I… I…” A third finger cracked.
“I told you, Myron. Complete truth. No hesitation. The chains are ruthless, and clearly this question-answer method will kill you before I can remove them. So I have a proposal. Why do you not tell me everything at once? At this rate, you will die before I finish my questions.”
The man swallowed hard.“Fine. I will talk.
I am Myron Lamerick. I am a captain in the Western kingdom’s army. I have utmost loyalty and respect for my empire. But these Northerners made life in the West hell. Every day we live in fear of war. We live under such strict rules that it feels less like a homeland and more like a prison. I hated that.
So as a kid, I made a decision. I would climb the ranks. I would lead our army against the North, against all odds, and put an end to their bloody empire. I trained hard. I fought my way through Kelzar, through court politics, through thousands of demotivated men who merely existed, just to rise higher. But being low-born, the highest I could reach was captain.
I had potential. I had fire. I had loyalty. And who became the generals? Useless highborns who could not even scratch me in a fight. Those idiots could not see my worth. I tried. I truly tried. But I failed.
I was broken. I had hit rock bottom. And then I met him.
A mysterious man. I never saw his face. Always in black robes, always behind a mask. But he saw my devotion to the Western kingdom. He told me not to lose heart. He said the West would burn both kingdoms and conquer all of Merwan.”
“I called him an idiot. I told him we could barely challenge the North, let alone both kingdoms. And I left.
But he came again a few days later and told me to follow him. I do not know why, but I did. We snuck into the laboratory at Nightsong. He did not show me everything, but what he showed shook me to my core. Magic I had never imagined. Myrenn at a level beyond anything I had known. Potions that could reattach broken limbs. Low-level mythical beasts being controlled. Auren condensed into pills to serve as energy boosters. I was fascinated.”
“When I left that place, something inside me ignited again. For the first time in years, I felt hope. It was comforting to know I was not alone in wanting to see the Western kingdom rise. I asked him who he was, how he knew so much. All he said was that he was the true crown prince of the Western kingdom.
I did not understand what he meant. Emperor Draven Sevenith is old, in his sixties. His firstborn son and crown prince, Varlen Sevenith, must be in his forties. But this man’s build was different. His voice was different. He looked no older than his twenties.”
“I did not question him. It felt like destiny had brought him to me. And I decided I would help him with whatever he was planning.”
Myron sighed and continued, “But that man would not let me join the experiments. He kept insisting that the emperor would never allow it and that I, being a warrior, had other critical roles to fulfill. He said my chance would come, and when it did, he would need me. So I waited. And a few weeks ago, my chance finally came.
He approached me again. We were preparing to wage war within a few months. Our experiments had succeeded in generating powerful magic, enough to take down the North. But suddenly, everything had to stop. The North and the South decided to become allies. They have never been friends, so it was obvious this marriage was nothing but a political move to join forces.”
“That is where I came in.
As soon as we learned that the Northerners were coming south with a wedding proposal, we created a plan. Our laboratory had successfully developed a potion capable of blocking a user’s Auren energy for a few hours. So we decided to strike at the strongest fighters, right here, right now.
By mixing the potion into the customary port wine, my plan was simple. With all of you weakened, we would kill you and claim glory. And it would have worked, if this young lady here had not intervened. Princess, if you had let everyone here die, think of how many lives would have been saved that will now be lost in the upcoming war.”
“But it is fine. Northerners are scum anyway, and with our new magical instruments, I am sure the West will conquer everything soon. You simply cannot beat us. And before you snap more of my fingers, this is all I know. This is the truth.”
No more fingers cracked. No more bones snapped. It seemed Myron had told everything he knew.
Elmar called in the guards, and they dragged the man away. The emperor then asked the Northern family to take their leave so both sides could independently process the revelations and decide on their next steps in a few hours.
That night was bound to be sleepless. Too much had happened.
Ryan, Edric, Illaria, and Robert returned to the emperor’s chambers.
Illaria asked quietly, “Father, was Myron really telling the truth? And what was that magic you used? Why have you never told us about it?”
Ryan sighed. “Yes. He was telling the truth. I am sure, my magic confirmed it. As for the magic… I never spoke of it because I never believed I would use it again. When I was a child, your grandfather sent me for training but I returned to peaceful times. Years passed, nearly a decade without a single war. Our kingdom was stable, and I grew restless. So I decided to visit Kelzar again, alone this time, without any shadow warriors.”
“I traveled across the ranges, crossed lakes, hunted beasts in caves, practiced my craft. One day, I crossed some river, and there I found a temple.”
“It was an architectural marvel. From the scriptures and idols, I could tell it was centuries old. A powerful magical aura surrounded it. It felt as though the place itself was alive. Later, I realized the magic was Myrenn, but far more advanced than anything we know today.
I explored the temple and found many rooms. A prayer hall, an observatory, a library, a courtroom. It was a maze. The walls were covered in drawings and texts in a language I could not understand. But as I studied the books and matched them with the symbols, I began to crack parts of it.”
“The first word I understood was ‘blood’. As I went through scrolls and manuscripts, I found records of kingdoms, stories, and spells. Most of it remained a mystery to me, it was in a completely different language. But there was one spell I fully understood. Blood Chain.
It was one of the shorter spells. I spent countless hours trying to master it, but failed again and again. I nearly gave up. Then one day, instead of merely reciting it, I imagined how the spell would work. I pictured every detail. The chains, the blood, the pain, the weight of the curse. My mind locked onto the spell alone.
And then I felt it. I do not know which was heavier. The chains that appeared on my hands, or the responsibility of wielding such terrible power and possibly condemning a soul for eternity. I was amazed. And terrified. If a single spell held this much power, what of the others? I realized this discovery was too great for me alone. I memorized the route to the temple and returned home. I told your grandfather, and we led a secret expedition to retrieve the books and scrolls.”
“But when we reached the place, the temple was gone. Vanished, as if it had never existed. We searched for days. Days turned into months, months into years. In the end, we had no choice but to abandon the search. And eventually, I buried the memory.”
Edric looked at him intently. “Can you not teach this spell to us?”
Ryan shook his head. “I tried to teach it. But it is incredibly difficult to master. I nearly failed to learn it.”
Edric frowned. “Then what Myron said about the West’s laboratory creating terrifying magic… it must be true. In that case, should we not join hands with the North and launch a war? What happened tonight was an act of war. A direct declaration. We should retaliate before they complete whatever they are doing in that laboratory. Their magical portion blocked our Auren. What if they generate a variant of it which they can spread in air and use it against us?”
Ryan turned toward Illaria. “What do you think, Illaria?”
“I hear you, brother. But Father, I feel all of this is far too convenient. The North visiting us, claiming the marriage was a gamble, and then the West falling straight into that gamble—my instincts tell me something is terribly wrong. Moreover, we are the least informed kingdom among the three. Prince Lyn clearly knows far more than he has revealed. And are we even ready to go to war immediately? Our armies would have to cross the Ranges of Ishtaar to enter the Western Kingdom. How will we even manage that?”
Robert stepped forward. “But, sister, we can’t just sit here and wait for everything to unfold. After today’s incident, I doubt the Northern Kingdom will enter this war alone. We need to stand with them and fight the West. I agree with elder brother Edric—what happened tonight was nothing less than an act of war.”
Ryan folded his arms. “Even if we agree to the marriage and say it buys us time, going to war like this is far too risky. From what Myron said, the West launched this plan only because they believed we were joining forces with the North. Otherwise, perhaps this was never our war to begin with. And something still doesn’t make sense to me. If they truly possess magic powerful enough to be ready in just a couple of months, why not wait a little longer and fight the North alone? By acting now—and failing—they have made both the North and the South their enemies at once. Why would they take such a risk? And Lyn’s entire gamble feels too far-fetched for me to accept without doubt.”
Illaria took a step forward. “Father, please hear me out. Clearly, we do not know what is really happening. So let me infiltrate the Western Kingdom with Marcus. Even if we are to go to war, we will need at least a few months to prepare our armies properly—and more importantly, we need information about the magic we will be facing.
But there is another reason we must do this. It is the one move that neither of our possible enemies—the North nor the West—will expect. I noticed something when Marcus proposed this idea earlier. Prince Lyn lost his composure for a brief moment. For someone who always speaks as if he already knows everything, that hesitation was telling. It felt like, for once, he did not know what to do.”
“If Marcus and I go to the Western Kingdom, the Northern Kingdom will also have a stake in this. Announce the wedding between me and Prince Lyn. That will buy us time and, according to Myron’s claims, prevent the West from attacking us immediately. Meanwhile, Marcus and I will uncover the truth—what the West is truly planning and what kind of power we are facing.”
“And you know this as well as I do. It has to be Marcus and me. No one else can go.”
Ryan took a long breath, the weight of her words settling heavily on him. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
“I do not want to risk my daughter’s life. If they so much as scratch you, I will declare war without hesitation. But… I hear you. This is a struggle between three kingdoms, and right now, we are the ones most in the dark. After tonight’s attack, the Northern Kingdom is surely expecting us to simply join them and march into war. If they are hiding something from us, they will never agree to sending you and Marcus to the West. But if they do agree… then we take one step closer to learning the truth about the Western Kingdom.”