Flashback
"Rise for Her Majesty Veloria!"
Zerath stood, his back straight. He had won the prestigious battle tournament, competing against countless nobles his age. A street boy's victory over the far more privileged and trained nobles had shocked the Rudaheim Kingdom.
Though Nefarion had publicly acknowledged Zerath as his heir, not everyone was happy with his decision - especially Balam's family whose son, Astaroth, had lost to Zerath in the final round quite miserably.
And then there was Veloria. He was aware the King and Queen had no children, but it was only after entering the palace that he learned about the tragedy of their stillborn son.
"It's Nefarion's decision," she said without the faintest trace of emotion. "Never approach me, nor ever address me as Mother. I already detest your sight."
Zerath had expected to be hurt by that, but what he saw was a frail woman, haggard and beaten by fate's cruelty. A strange boy appearing out of nowhere and replacing what could have been her son's entitlement would have been unbearable.
"Give her some time," Nefarion said, watching his wife's open disdain and avoidance.
Zerath smiled. "Yes, Father. I'll never take her son's place in her heart, but I'll definitely try to make my own little place. It's fine even if it's tiny!"
"Is that so?" Nefarion smiled at him warmly, yet Zerath couldn't understand why it felt so bleak.
He began to understand as he grew older. Her walls were too high, too firmly sealed for even a crack to form. She mourned her lost son over and over again - so much so that the son standing right before her never once took shape in her eyes.
But Zerath never deterred. He kept hope. He always carried that hope and worked towards it, only to meet with failure every single time.
"Give up, Zerath."
Years later, Silas said as their mighty blades clashed in the training ground.
"Give up on what? I'm not losing this round no matter what," he smiled.
"Give up on Her Majesty."
"I cannot. How can I stop caring for her?"
"I'm not saying stop caring for her. I'm saying stop hoping for things to change."
A strange light flickered across his gaze. Silas pulled his spear back all of a sudden and swung the shaft low, aiming at Zerath's legs. He jumped just in time.
"Your mind is not here."
"I dodged."
"Barely. Mistakes like these cost your life in a real battle."
Silas struck the end of its shaft into the ground and stared at Zerath with a no-nonsense gaze.
"Give up on her, Zerath. Her Majesty is already lost in the abyss. You dive in anymore, and you'd drown along with her."
The intensity in Zerath's gaze matched his. "I'll bring her with me to the surface."
"No, you can't. Even His Majesty couldn't whom she loves so much. What makes you think you could do any better?"
Zerath's fingers tightened on his sword's hilt. A gust of wind swayed his hair as he stared at the clear, blue sky.
"One day, Silas. That day will come for sure."
Present
Zerath's eyes opened, the small white petal still resting on his palm. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't realize when a figure climbed onto him.
Eurus pressed his palms to his cheeks, and a white misty aura spilled from his fingertips. A pleasant chill enveloped Zerath, easing the heavy weight. His tense shoulders relaxed, and he breathed in.
"Zerath!"
"Eurus?" He turned to him with a smile.
Eurus's face was scrunched as he hugged Zerath.
Zerath studied the sparkling icy mist. "Your mana control has improved considerably. If it had been before, I would've been a block of ice by now," he chuckled, Eurus's previous efforts of trying to comfort him coming back to his mind.
Eurus simply puffed up his cheeks.
Zerath's gaze softened and patted his head. "Forgive me I couldn't meet you these days so often."
"Zerath, sad?" Eurus watched him questioningly.
He wasn't sure how to answer that. "Maybe…I was? Now, I'm not. Your icy mist was very refreshing."
Eurus's little heart was filled with joy. He then asked, his eyes hopeful. "Mother?"
Zerath's expression grew complicated.
How should I say this…
Suddenly, a knuckle landed on top of Eurus's head. "When did I allow you to take a break? Your arms are still attached to your body, which tells me you haven't been working hard enough."
Eurus looked deeply aggrieved by that allegation.
"It was your choice to be my disciple, so grind your teeth and accept your fate. Get going before I hammer away your existence," his dark gaze glowed akin to a portal to Hell, making him promptly flee the room.
Silas raised a brow. "Good luck telling him that finding his mother is next to impossible now, especially after Her Majesty's command to stop the investigation."
"I'll figure something out. I won't let Eurus down. For now, I need your help."
"The disappearances?"
He nodded. "Lucian found a connection in the Ministry of Trade. Demons may be getting sold off into the Human Realm."
His eyes widened.
"If it's true, then the slave trade couldn't be just one-sided. I want to know if there're humans kept hidden in Rudaheim as well."
"And you think I'd know anything about that?"
"I most certainly know you could find out about it. You've your own ways of tapping into more underground information."
Silas peeked outside, watching Fenrik sneakily trying to break Eurus's concentration.
He looked back at Zerath."Does anyone else know about this?"
"For now, only me. But you do realize the scale of these implications, right? The situation is already complicated as is with Sir Malphas's death."
Then he paused. "You know something, right?"
"I barely just learned about this. You already want me to have information ready at your disposal? And first of all, I haven't agreed to it. I'm not your damn informant."
He shook his head. "I'm not talking about the slaves. You know something else, or perhaps have some suspicions at the very least - including Commander Gressil."
His eyes narrowed.
Zerath smiled. "You underestimate me. I think he met you personally."
"I've no idea what you're talking about."
"Just like how I came to you today because there're certain things I'm comfortable sharing with you, there're some things I believe Commander Gressil would be more open to sharing with you."
"There is no relationship between us."
Zerath smiled again. "He was trying to be very discreet about it, but I still got the note of him looking into the past records of the war time. There're some sealed records that require Father's approval to access. I've started handling most of the paperwork now. I think he suspects something, which he doesn't want to share with me."
Silas didn't respond.
"Which makes me wonder what kind of suspicions he has that instead of reporting them, he thinks it's far more prudent to find evidence first."
Silas sneered. "I always knew you weren't only a pretty face. You're an annoying face."
Zerath stared. "What are the suspicions, Silas?"
"I think if you've deduced this far, you already know."
"...Does he think Father might have something to do with this?"
It was almost a rhetorical question at this point.
"Never. I know that sounds biased, but I know Father all too well. What does Commander Gressil exactly think?"
Silas relayed the conversation that had transpired between them. The royalty's possible involvement in the past and the suspicions of Fenrik's family buying unsavory tools.
"But his theory pretty much doesn't hold any water now if humans are being enslaved. Obviously, nobody would be funneling humans into the demon army."
Zerath's gaze drifted towards Fenrik. He thought about Olmozir to whom he had offered the Ministry of Knowledge.
Could his family be truly involved?
His thoughts snapped when an icicle suddenly burst through the room and shattered a wall shelf, spilling its items on the floor. Silas deftly took back a few steps, missing the icicle's onslaught.
"So a disciple wants to kill his master? I like the guts."
Eurus peeked in and observed the damage his magic had caused. He glared at Fenrik and pointed a finger at him.
"Heh, for someone who wrecked havoc in Nethermoor and Casca, your ice is certainly weak!" Fenrik sneered.
Suddenly, Eurus's nostrils twitched.
"Mo…Mother!"
He rushed in, sniffling in all directions. His search landed him on a shelf that his icicle shattered. A small vial lay shattered on the floor, a strange liquid spilling out of it.
"Mother! Mother!" Eurus pointed tremblingly, his face turning ashen.
Zerath glanced at Silas. "What's that vial?"
Silas's eyes narrowed. He sneaked a glance at Fenrik, who didn't exhibit any particular change in his nonchalant expression.
He shrugged. "Just some new scent I got off cheap in the market."
"Mother!" Eurus ran to Zerath's side and tugged at his wrist, continuing to point at the vial.
"Mother…" he gasped uneasily, "Smell same…smell same!"