Arthur brought the cup of hot tea to his lips and took a sip gently. The fragrant beverage traveled down his throat and began to warm his body slightly.
He set the cup down on the counter, and at that moment, the man in front of him slid a piece of paper and a pen toward him.
Arthur smiled at him with a nod and took what had been offered. After a few movements of his hand, the paper ended up with his autograph and a greeting for the man's son.
"Thank you, General Arthur," the man said in a grateful tone.
Arthur took another sip of tea after handing over the autograph and politely continued with some small talk with the gentleman.
He was at a café in the city, and the man who had asked for the autograph was the waiter.
The establishment wasn't anything special, but it had air conditioning, and it was also the only café open in the city—the rest had already closed because their owners had been evacuated.
The evacuation process had been underway for four days now, with only three days left to complete it. Additionally, he happened to have some free time at that moment, which was why he decided to visit the place.
During the previous four days, he had been on constant guard duty at the wall, so today was his first day off.
The situation at the wall was gradually improving, mainly because Davis had arrived at Aurora Vale a day ago, and both cohorts had been joining forces to keep the number of creatures outside the wall while civilians were evacuated.
Minutes later, Arthur finished his tea and left the establishment.
Although he could have had tea elsewhere—like the Rhino or the quarters provided to them—he decided to walk through the streets to see the citizens.
Mainly to show them that they were still present to protect them, and also to remind himself why he was defending the city. It was a mutual process.
The streets still bore vehicle tracks on the snow-covered pavement, but now the clean sidewalks had begun to show signs of use that weren't there before. Some corners and other areas had piles of snow.
This was because with each passing moment, fewer citizens inhabited the city, making its cleaning no longer a priority for those who remained.
This city was not one of the most populated in the area, with only close to a million inhabitants, so as the days passed, the number of people was decreasing at a rapid pace.
The establishment he was in wasn't located far from the residence provided to them, and therefore from where their Rhino was parked. For that reason, in a matter of minutes, Arthur left the cold streets of Aurora Vale and went to his Rhino.
The moment he did so, Regis appeared beside him and, sending a mental signal, simply entered his core to take a nap. Then, he entered the Rhino and at the front, Emily was running different tests to check the vehicle's condition, while the rest was empty.
Arthur tried to greet the young engineer, but upon seeing her lack of response, he decided to walk past and enter his room after looking at her with judgmental eyes…
It only had the basics, so he didn't spend much time there. First, he checked that his tether was in good condition, and the next moment, he pulled on it.
Arthur felt the passage from the Waking World to the Dream Realm in a matter of seconds, and the view that greeted him was the Gateway situated within the white walls of the Jade Palace in Ravenheart.
It was time to fulfill the deal they had made with the Queen.
Slowly, Djinn of War left his body, and in its place remained the outfit the government had provided him—an outfit that didn't fit for what he was about to do. For that reason, he decided to visit his room first.
The palace was as it had always been—guards watching the Gateway, and members who kept the clan afloat walking through the hallways without any concern other than doing their jobs well.
Moments later, he arrived at his room in the men's sector of the palace and entered to change into something more presentable.
Immediately after he finished changing and came out of the bathroom, a figure appeared in his room.
Mordret was sitting in the chair at his desk, wearing a black suit with white details, holding a book in his hand.
"Long time no see, Arthur," Mordret greeted with a cordial smile.
Arthur was about to greet him, but the moment Mordret turned to look at him, he noticed he was wearing a monocle and stood there staring at him for a few seconds without saying anything.
'...What'
Eventually, he recovered and replied, "Mordret, I'd say it's a pleasure to see you again if it weren't for the fact that you broke into my room without permission." He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Besides… what are you doing? Why are you wearing that?"
Mordret laughed lightly as he stood up from the chair.
"Not having seen each other for so long, I was missing my friend, so I came without asking. Don't you value my spontaneity in coming to greet you?" Arthur didn't respond, and he continued, "I see… You must be tired."
'If you mean constantly fighting creatures without rest, then yes, I'm tired.' Arthur couldn't help but lampoon.
Responding to his question, Mordret continued after removing the monocle and playing with it in his hand.
"Lately, I've been reading this novel that's quite good, and one of the characters wears a monocle, so I decided to wear one for a while. What do you think? Isn't it cool?"
Arthur remembered the image of Mordret with the monocle and let out a sigh.
"Yeah, sure, it's cool." He lied while crossing his arms. "What book are you reading now?"
Mordret picked up the book he had left on his desk and showed him the cover. It read: "Lord of the Mysteries."
Arthur frowned internally, as he didn't recognize the name.
"I have the first few volumes, which I've already finished reading, in physical format. I can lend them to you if you want," Mordret offered with a cordial smile.
Arthur seriously considered accepting the offer, but in the end, he almost never had free time—this moment being more of an exception to the norm. Besides, he still had to watch the movie about the events of the Forgotten Shore, which he hadn't seen yet.
Thanks to Emily, who had downloaded it from the web, he had it on his communicator and could watch it whenever he wanted.
Finally, after a few seconds of debate, he ended up responding.
"No, thank you. I don't have much free time." With that, he approached the door to signal that the conversation was over.
Mordret simply shrugged and left through a reflection. Arthur followed him briefly with his gaze as he was nearby, but then simply left his room heading toward the throne room, shrugging.
He had chosen to wear a combination of a white shirt with a warm, elegant sweater, paired with black pants.
Soon, the throne room was in front of him, and before he could knock on the door, it opened on its own. He didn't give it much importance and simply entered the room—it was something that had happened several times already.
The throne room was in its usual state, bathed in sun rays coming through the windows, bringing warm vibes to the place.
Arthur took a few steps toward the center of the room, but before he could reach it, he heard the Queen's charming voice.
"Little Arthur, I'm glad you remembered our deal, and I'm excited to talk about my history. So, how about instead of doing it here, we go to the dining hall to talk while we have lunch?"
He had no objection to that—besides, it meant he would eat something other than rations or creature meat…
Arthur smiled slightly.
"As you wish."
Then he left the throne room and headed to the dining hall.
Inside the Jade Palace, there were two dining halls. One was for the workers who kept the palace in good condition, while the other was used by the clan's princesses and the Queen herself when she desired.
This high-class dining hall, so to speak, was located very close to the throne room, so Arthur only had to walk a short distance to reach it.
Standing in front of the wooden doors, this time they didn't open on their own, so he pushed them slightly, and the first thing he saw was one of the Queen's Puppets already seated, waiting for him.
The moment he entered, the Puppet lightly clapped twice, and the auxiliary doors of the dining hall opened, allowing multiple chefs to enter with freshly prepared food.
Arthur didn't focus on the chefs, nor was he particularly drawn to the dining hall's details, as it was relatively similar to the rest of the palace—impeccable white walls, an immaculate marble table, and chairs of similar quality.
Everything showed a class and height worthy of one of the great clans.
What he did focus on was preventing the smell of the food from making his mouth water from how pleasurable it was to feel it.
He sat on the opposite side of the Queen's Puppet and waited for the chefs to leave the room before starting to speak. When they did, he opened his mouth to break the ice, but the Queen beat him to it.
"I hope you don't mind talking to one of my Puppets. I'd like it to be my real body, but due to complicated situations, it's better if I just manipulate a Puppet." She smiled while holding a wine glass, and after taking a sip, she added, "Obviously, this doesn't mean I won't pay attention to you. In fact, this might be the most interesting thing that happens to me all week."
He didn't ask what complicated situations she was referring to, as it wasn't his place to interfere. Besides, his objective was to learn more about the Queen's past in order to create a profile of her personality and try to decipher the reasons why she decided to betray Nephis's father.
Obviously, and more important than that, was the possibility of discovering something about the reasons why there would be a future war against Valor.
With that in mind, as well as the possibility of learning more about the second generation, he didn't hesitate to accept.
"No problem on my part, Your Highness."
"Splendid!" replied the Queen's Puppet after another sip of wine. "Let's start eating."
And so they did. Arthur knew that in situations like this, you first ate, and once finished, that was when you started talking about important matters. In between, casual conversations were always made.
Using this as an opportunity, he began asking casual questions and talking about different topics, mainly about Ravenheart's current state and how the zone they had cleared of creatures before starting the Antarctic campaign was already being used for different purposes.
First, someone had to go to really clear the area, since they had only killed the Nightmare Creatures. Then, multiple people with construction-related Aspects would take care of the first phase of creating different shelters and security measures against nearby volcanoes.
Once that was achieved, security zones would be built where guards and different personnel would be stationed, finally ending with the mobilization of volunteers to start populating the area.
That was in the part closest to the volcano, while in the farther part, different uses focused on training were being planned.
In the area, it was very difficult to harvest food, but some zones dedicated solely to planting cold-resistant vegetables were also installed.
Once the casual conversation ended—along with the meal—Arthur began to tell her about the current situation in Antarctica.
He wiped his hands on a napkin and said, "The situation in my area is temporarily under control. Different Gates have opened nearby, but since our objective isn't to eliminate the creatures but to keep them at bay, they haven't presented major complications."
Then, in a more annoyed tone, he added, "The only complication present is a Corrupted Terror with the power to turn invisible, commanding the creature army." His tone returned to normal. "Due to its powers and intelligence, we haven't been able to eliminate it, but it's being contained."
The Queen nodded while moving the wine glass away from her lips. Then they continued talking about other matters until she asked:
"Tell me, what characteristics do the creatures share? Different reports mention that they are similar to each other and may come from the same place in the Dream Realm… what's your opinion on this?"
Arthur nodded as the Queen spoke and added, "In fact, yes. The creatures share different similarities, and it could be assumed they come from the same region of the Dream Realm." Then he fell silent and thought of something else. "If we analyze the creatures' characteristics, one could intuit the conditions of the region they come from."
The Queen's Puppet remained silent for a few seconds while thinking.
"That's an interesting way of thinking." She gave him a wide smile, "I'll inform those in charge of the matter to interpret it this way." She raised the wine glass slightly. "Thank you very much, Little Arthur, this could come in handy."
Arthur accepted the compliment and asked.
"Is the creatures' origin important to the clan?"
He had actually only wanted to ask the first part, but after thinking about it, he decided to add "to the clan," creating the interpretation that he cared more about that point, when in reality, it was the opposite. Although in a certain sense he cared about the clan a bit.
'Could this be related to Domains?'
Arthur wondered this because he already knew about the matter of Domains and how they increased the Sovereigns' power. If his theory was correct, this could mean that the place the creatures came from had a Citadel present.
Therefore, the Sovereigns would place great importance on this matter, mainly because Citadels weren't infinite, so the power they could acquire was limited to a certain extent.
With this in mind, Arthur wondered: 'Could this be the reason that Nephis didn't know why the clans were going to war?'
He didn't know the qualitative power difference that a Citadel could bring to a Sovereign, but it shouldn't be small. For that reason, he would bet they would be willing to go to war over one. There is also the possibility that there is more than one Citadel in that place...
The Queen's Puppet chuckled softly.
"Very important, in fact." One side of her lips curved slightly. "Maybe in the future, I can tell you why."
He understood this perfectly as well. In the end, he had only been a clan member for a few months, and while he was a very important asset, that didn't mean he had the right to know everything that happened within it or its long-term objectives.
It was a very understandable measure.
With that in mind, he simply nodded and decided not to push the matter further. There was still time to figure it out or be told.
"Very well, then," the Queen continued. "I think it's time to fulfill my part of the deal… what do you say, little Arthur?"
Arthur smiled politely and settled into his chair.
"I'm excited to hear it, Your Highness."
Ki Song poured herself a little more wine into her glass, and her gaze slowly changed. Arthur managed to identify a hint of melancholy in the Puppet's eyes.
"Let's start from the beginning, shall we?" She chuckled lightly. "Everything started with my mother… She was a beautiful young woman, and also very powerful."
"She was from the generation when the Spell first descended upon the earth, so she lived through all the chaos its descent caused in society. But she wasn't weak at all—even while pregnant with me, she survived her First Nightmare and then the Winter Solstice." The corners of the Queen's lips lifted slightly as she said this.
"She was very modest to the outside world, but in my eyes, she was always the most formidable woman I've ever seen. She was one of the individuals who had earned a True Name from the Spell, though her fame was nowhere near the likes of the Warden, Immortal Flame, and even Nightwalker."
Arthur began paying extremely close attention to everything the Queen said, but also mainly to how she said it.
Ki Song, unaware of his thoughts, continued: "During her Winter Solstice, she was the one who discovered the Jade Palace. So she became one of the few Awakened who possessed a Citadel under their name… but there was also a problem there." She paused briefly and asked, "What do you think it could be?"
Arthur didn't take long to respond.
"She had to spend a lot of time in Ravenheart, and therefore couldn't share that time with you."
The Puppet nodded.
"Yes, mainly because she was the Citadel's representative, she was its image. That's why she had to take care of all the citizens, providing them with food, shelter, and security. But…" She paused.
Arthur continued for her.
"But she was only an Awakened."
Ki Song slightly tilted the side of her lips in a semi-sad smile.
"Exactly. So when a creature emerged from the volcano's depths and decided to attack the Citadel… She decided to fight it instead of running away, to protect the Gateway and the people anchored to it. The people she was trying to protect, though, all decided to hide and leave her alone. And so, that was the end of her story."
"The end of Ravenheart. The end of my mother."
Arthur didn't speak after that, preferring to remain silent for a few moments to respect. Eventually, he tilted his head slightly forward and said.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Your Highness."
"Thank you, little Arthur," Ki Song replied, bringing the wine glass to her lips again.
A question occurred to him then, and he voiced it.
"If I may… I'd like to know what happened to the Awakened your mother saved that day."
He more or less already had an idea of the answer. If something similar had happened to him, Arthur was sure he would have gone to Ravenheart and killed all the cowards who hid while his mother gave her life to save them.
The Queen's Puppet replied without complications.
"You may." She paused and set the glass down on the table. "As if it wasn't enough for them to cowardly hide and let my mother, their savior, die… they decided to take Ravenheart for themselves."
"My mother had made it clear that if anything happened to her, all the Citadel's riches as well as the property of it, would be mine. But clearly, they didn't care. They not only let her die but also denied her last will."
"So I decided to take matters into my own hands. They told me that if I managed to reach the Citadel, they would hand it over without complications, but this was clearly a lie." She paused to take another sip and continue telling the story. "I was anchored in Rivergate at the time, and the journey would take me months to make, especially considering the situation of the second generation in the Dream Realm."
"There weren't many zones conquered by humans at that time, so it was a perilous journey they were asking me to make."
He clearly saw where the story was heading.
Ki Song smiled slightly—a dark smile.
"Eventually, after months of travel, I arrived at Ravenheart to reclaim what was mine. And that's exactly what I did."
'In short, she killed all the participants—no, all the non-participants who let her mother die. I have to say I can't judge almost any of this because it's something I would do myself.' Arthur thought seriously while continuing to pay attention to the Queen.
"That's what marked me the most, but there were many events in between those impactful moments. Would you like to hear them too?" Ki Song asked with a charming voice.
Arthur still had to wait much longer until he could return to the Waking World, so he didn't reject the offer. Besides, he had the feeling that the Queen enjoyed remembering such moments of her life.
"It would be a pleasure, Your Highness."
Ki Song smiled widely and began telling him the details in more depth about what she had recently mentioned.
After a few hours of continuing the conversation, the Queen had to leave, and Arthur decided to take advantage of that time to speak with more Awakened about the continent's situation in other zones.
He also reviewed several times everything the Queen had told him and drew different conclusions, as well as having a small anticipation for the next time they would speak and fulfill the deal they had made.
Finally, with all those matters and conclusions resolved, he ended up returning to the cold continent to continue his mission of protecting Aurora Vale until the evacuations were complete.
Although, that was what Arthur expected. Once he returned to the Waking World, the first thing he heard were the city's alarms urging citizens not to panic…