Arthur felt the passage from the Waking World to the Dream Realm without any complications, welcomed by the guards protecting the Gateway.
He acknowledged their greetings with a nod and went straight to the throne room.
Another week had passed since the Queen had been unable to receive him, so it was time to continue their deal.
Internally, he felt quite curious for this occasion, because Ki Song had told him she had something prepared that she thought he might like. Arthur didn't know what this "surprise" was, but he was going to accept it anyway.
'I hope it's food…' Regis commented mentally, and from the tone he used, Arthur was sure he would have drooled if he had a physical form.
'…You don't need to eat, Regis.'
'And neither do you, yet you still do it, princess.'
'You got me,' he said, throwing in the towel.
They continued talking about meaningless things for a while until Regis eventually left his core without warning.
Arthur raised an eyebrow upon seeing Regis take physical form. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked.
Regis shook his Aether body and replied without any particular tone.
"I have plans."
"What plans?" he said, frowning.
It was the first time Regis had plans in Ravenheart that didn't involve napping!
"Why would I tell you?" Regis said as he started walking in the other direction. Then he added mentally, 'Hel traded me some good-tasting Corrupted Creatures in exchange for Sunny's new number.'
Arthur was left utterly dumbfounded.
'Are you joking?' Arthur asked once he recovered.
Regis said in a slightly confused tone, 'No? Why would I? You already did it before, so why couldn't I?'
'Whatever, Regis. Just don't involve me in this,' he finally warned and decided to push the matter to the back of his mind.
'Sure, princess. See you!'
Arthur continued walking toward the throne room with calm steps. Occasionally, some guards or employees passed through the same hallways and stopped to greet him before continuing with their tasks.
He was quite well-liked within Ravenheart—even with the rumors about him dating one of the princesses… rumors that weren't true, but the people didn't care.
This was surprising because the people within the Citadel were quite loyal and protective of the clan's princesses, always getting involved in some way to test if the person was worthy of the possibility.
Apparently, from what Arthur could tell, he was one of the few cases—or the only one—who had ended up being accepted by the people.
'…This is so strange.'
Mainly because he wasn't dating Seishan, so knowing that he had been "accepted" by the people made him slightly uncomfortable. But at the same time, it brought him a degree of happiness too…
If only they weren't currently at war against Nightmare Creatures, and if there weren't the possibility of a war between clans in the future, he would have already tried to move things forward with her. But it wasn't the right time.
Arthur was already quite aware of his feelings and was sure Seishan shared them. After spending so much time together and thinking about it several times, he no longer cared that she was the daughter of one of the Sovereigns.
A Sovereign who was waiting for him behind the door he had just knocked on.
The door produced the sound of two knocks and opened slightly, allowing his golden eyes to take in the sight of the throne room.
The rays of light entering through the large windows seemed to envelop the room in an embrace, bringing a warm and comfortable vibe.
Seated on the throne was Ki Song, wearing a crimson dress that accentuated her otherworldly beauty and her mesmerizing yet eerie eyes that betrayed a sense of distance, as if she had been long dead.
"Little Arthur," she said softly, her voice traveling through the room like gentle waves. "Welcome back."
Arthur walked to the front of the throne but didn't kneel or make any similar gesture. He simply smiled and nodded.
"Your Highness, it's a pleasure to see you again."
"As polite as always," she commented. "Shall we leave the surprise for the end? It's not ready yet, but it will be soon."
He nodded again. "I have no objections."
"Perfect!" Ki Song said as an auxiliary door to the throne room opened.
Arthur looked toward the door and saw the perfectly preserved corpse of a young man carrying two chairs. Behind him, a young woman in similar condition carried a table and a small box on top of it.
The two already-dead young men left the two stone chairs and the wooden table with the box in front of the throne, then withdrew through the same door they had entered.
He turned to look at the Queen and noticed she was slowly standing up from the throne. The sword was still embedded in her chest, piercing where her heart would be, but she remained more alive than ever.
With elegant steps, Ki Song approached the chair and stood in front of it. Arthur understood the meaning and moved immediately.
Walking around the table, he grabbed the back of the chair and gently pushed it into the correct position.
Ki Song smiled affectionately at the gesture and sat down, then waited for him to do the same before speaking.
"This isn't the surprise, but I thought it could fit well with our deal, so why don't you open the box?"
Her voice reached his ears, and he identified a slight tone of anticipation. With no other option, he nodded and opened the box.
What he found inside was a simple board game he had played many times—a chessboard. This one was made of crystal, and was cold to the touch.
'She wants to play chess with me?' Arthur was slightly surprised at first, but then he understood the deeper meaning.
Chess is not a simple board game. The way one plays can reflect their personality and their tendency to make certain actions and sacrifices.
This meant today's conversation would have an extra depth.
Apparently, the Queen noticed Arthur's initial surprise and let out a small laugh.
"Surprised?"
He nodded—there was no reason to deny it.
"A little, but I understand now." He cleared his throat and asked politely, "Your Highness, would you play a game of chess with me?"
"Yes, I would like that."
Arthur said nothing more and began setting up the board, placing the pieces in their positions from memory.
"It seems you've played several times?" Ki Song asked, already knowing the answer.
He continued placing the pieces while replying.
"Yes, my mother insisted I do it to improve my decision-making for the future."
"Your mother seems very wise," Ki Song commented while observing him closely.
Arthur felt her gaze, as if he were being judged for every move he made. Still, he didn't let it affect him—reacting would be giving an answer to an unasked question.
Finally, with all the pieces placed, the game began without another word. Since he was the guest, he took the black pieces while the Queen kept the white ones.
Ki Song didn't comment on this detail and started playing with a basic pawn move to control the center of the board in the early game.
Arthur imitated the move, and without realizing it, they had already made a couple of moves without saying a single word.
Finally, the Queen held the knight piece in her pale hand and spoke for the first time since the game began.
"Tell me, Little Arthur, what is the situation in Antarctica?"
The Queen placed the knight on a central square, threatening three pawns and cutting off an advance of his bishop.
Arthur moved the pawn closest to the knight's diagonal square, forcing it to retreat while simultaneously opening a path for the other bishop.
"The situation continues to worsen—there are more creatures and Gates on the continent every day, though fortunately, there are also more cities that have been successfully or partially evacuated."
The Queen took the opportunity to castle long while raising another question.
"Have you been able to confirm the origin of the creatures?"
Arthur copied the move.
"Yes, apparently most come from the same region of the Dream Realm." He paused slightly and added, "There's a possibility it's an unexplored region of the Dream Realm…"
Although he said there was a possibility, Arthur was sure it was a certainty, since the characteristics of most creatures were almost similar, and this only meant they came from the same environment.
A creature with a body and tools to provide protection from heat wouldn't come from a frozen or maritime region, so he had also deduced it could be a desert or a very hot place.
If it was a desert, the situation was more complicated because he knew which desert they came from—he had been there in person… He also knew that at night, some Deathless rose from the sand and waged eternal war against each other.
Though surely the creatures came from another part of the desert where there were no Deathless.
He also implied that there could be a Citadel in that region, and now he was waiting for the Queen's move.
She obviously understood the hidden meaning and still made the next move, confirming one of Arthur's theories.
The Queen moved the previous knight again and captured one of his pawns—with a smile on her breathtaking face.
Arthur could have used the opportunity to capture the knight, but reading the play, if he did, the Queen had a sequence of moves that would make him come out losing from the exchange.
Instead, he made another move.
Arthur ignored the possibility of the knight capturing another of his pawns and moved the pawn in front of his rook to protect the pawn attacked by the knight.
"…Interesting," Ki Song murmured quietly.
'She did it on purpose.' That was the first thought that entered his head. If she had wanted to, she could have kept the comment to herself, so she did it because she wanted him to hear it.
She retreated the knight again and placed it on a safe square.
"And the Titans that emerged?" she asked while watching him attentively. "I heard they're very strong, is that true?"
"They are, yes," he replied while they kept playing. "The Titans continue destroying everything in their path, but only two are the most dangerous so far."
He made another move and added, "Mainly, the Corrupted Titan Leviathan hasn't stopped attacking the Nightwalkers' ships, making their mission more complicated than it should be. Currently, Saint Bloodwave is trying to contain it."
Leviathan was the name the government, along with the House of Night Clan, had decided to give the Titan.
The Queen nodded while making her next move. Once finished, she asked, "And the Winter Beast?"
"Currently, there are two Saints containing it, but the situation is similar," he replied unconsciously, then added, "Saint of Sorrows and Saint Cormac have that mission, but the creature is a counter to both. No one knows how long they'll last."
"I'm surprised Valor sent Cormac to Antarctica," the Queen commented in passing. "I thought his mission in the Hollow Mountains was more important than a mere punishment…"
He looked up from the board and asked, "Mission in the Hollow Mountains?"
Arthur didn't ask about the "mere punishment" because he knew it was related to Mordret and his escape from his Citadel with Cassie and Nephis's help.
Ki Song nodded while making a defensive move on the board.
"I don't know exactly what mission he had, but Vale seemed to place great importance on it."
'Vale…' Arthur repeated mentally.
He preferred not to delve deeper into the topic upon noticing the board's movement. Even if he did, he wouldn't get an answer—besides, he also hadn't mentioned why the Saint of Sorrows was in Antarctica.
He knew thanks to Seishan that the Sorrows Clan was climbing the ranks within the Song Clan, and this was a mission to see if they deserved such a position.
'A bit misaligned, the mission with the benefit… well, maybe they receive something more than that.'
Arthur decided to change the subject while making another move.
"Our cohort's condition remains steady even without Owen's presence, though we only believe ourselves capable of eliminating one of the Titans—Goliath being the chosen one. If the government sends us to cover for any of the Saints, we won't be able to refuse the order."
"I'm aware," the Queen replied. "Shan said something similar the last time she came, and honestly, I hope you don't cross paths with even Goliath. The best way to survive a fight is not to start it."
'Isn't that similar to what Seishan also said? That if you're forced to fight, you've already lost?' The gears in Arthur's head began to turn…
'Could the Queen not want the war to happen?' Putting both facts together, he reached that conclusion. 'That means the war itself is inevitable because of something that happened in the past…'
He didn't let any of this show on his face or in his moves on the board.
The game continued, and slowly they were reaching its end while they kept talking about topics and waging a psychological battle on the board.
Eventually, Arthur's side of the conversation ended, and Ki Song began telling him about her history.
"You won't believe it, but at the beginning, I was quite shy," she began between laughs. "My mother protected me from quite a few things, and at the same time, because of her position, she didn't spend much time with me." She moved a piece defensively. "So what happened was that I ended up being raised by her absence."
"Still, I loved her with all my heart," she added in her defense. "But at the same time, I would have liked her to have spent more time with me." With a smile, she finished, "That's why I always tried to be present for my daughters… I don't know if I succeeded, but I tried."
At that moment, Arthur turned his head from side to side, taking in the place they were in, and spoke.
"From what it seems, you did succeed, Your Highness. Not only did you reclaim your mother's Citadel, but you also raised a bunch of successful daughters."
Ki Song smiled with affection and a hint of pride. "Thank you, but let me correct you on something. My daughters' success comes from their own efforts—I only gave them the tools. If they ended up successful and strong, it's because of their sacrifices."
Arthur nodded without responding, implying that he understood.
"Well, where was I?" she asked herself, looking up, then lowered her gaze and made a move. Her bishop captured a rook, and she continued speaking, "What I was getting at is that since my mother didn't have much time, I had to grow up with her absence while at the same time representing her image."
"I don't know if you can imagine it, but at the beginning, Legacy families were very closed to outsiders. If you weren't Immortal Flame, Warden of Valor, or a Nightwalker, it was very complicated to enter that circle." Arthur listened to her while making his move after a few minutes of thought.
"At many Balls or gatherings, I always ended up sitting in a corner alone or talking to low-ranking families. Although it wasn't something that bothered me, I always felt that my mother deserved more than what society gave her."
"After she died, everything changed for me, and I realized many things… So I tried to change them." Ki Song made another aggressive move, trapping the remaining knight. "At first, it was complicated to do so—a young woman without any support would never achieve anything if compared to the rest of the world's legends."
Arthur frowned slightly while thinking about his next move and listening attentively. The Queen was on a streak of aggressive moves that were forcing him to retreat.
"So I formed alliances, made myself stronger, and when an opportunity to take something presented itself, I was the first to do so." She let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Maybe this attitude came from my nature as someone from the bottom, but it was precisely because of this that I achieved what I achieved."
To avoid continuing to have a passive role in the conversation, he simply decided to add a compliment to slow down the pace of both the conversation and the game.
"You did very well, Your Highness."
"Oh, thank you, Little Arthur." The Queen laughed and added, "Don't think I'm going to show you mercy in the game just for a simple compliment!"
"I wasn't expecting that in the slightest," Arthur replied in a slightly sarcastic tone while raising his hands.
Ki Song laughed a little louder and decided to set that aside to continue speaking.
"Well, since the game is ending, I'm going to finish with what I wanted to say." As soon as she said this, she made another aggressive move with her queen and put Arthur in check.
"Everything changed when I joined Broken Sword's cohort…" A nostalgic smile found its way to her lips. "Though calling it his cohort would be wrong—while he was the strongest, we all knew Alicia was the leader…"
Arthur frowned upon hearing the name, as he didn't recognize it.
Ki Song noticed his confusion and decided to add, "Alicia was Smile of Heaven's name. Little Nephie's mother."
'Smile of Heaven… the first to receive a True Name in the First Nightmare. She surely had Sun God's lineage too, which is why Nephis has it now.' Arthur nodded to indicate he understood.
"So…" The Queen continued. "At that time, we were the strongest, and we overcame the Second Nightmare at an early age compared to the norm." Arthur made his move after some time and decided to capture a rook.
"After that, well." Her mood shifted to something more melancholic. "The crisis in North America happened, and we lost Alicia and Immortal Flame…" Then she made a move on the board that didn't reflect her mood.
Her queen captured Arthur's remaining rook and simultaneously put him in check.
He frowned and remained thoughtful for a while. The Queen didn't continue speaking while watching him think.
Silence took over the throne room, and Arthur slowly raised his hand. In it, he held his queen and released it onto the check's path…
He was going to sacrifice his queen to defend against the check!
Ki Song made the decision to capture the queen with hers, and the check continued!
Which was part of Arthur's plan, as he now moved his king out of the square, avoiding checkmate.
The Queen decided to continue with her aggressive posture, seeing victory at her fingertips, so she moved the queen and made check again!
At that moment, a game of escape and pursuit began across the chessboard.
Arthur avoided checkmate while Ki Song pursued him with the queen, but eventually, without realizing it, she ended up leading Arthur to a position where he had no moves left, yet he wasn't in check.
Which meant there was a stalemate, making the game a draw!
"Well, well, well," said Ki Song while chuckling. "It seems we've drawn, Little Arthur."
"So it seems," he agreed with her.
'Phew… that was close.'
Arthur's plan was always to seek a draw—he had no intention of winning, no matter how strange that sounded. If he did, it could mean something he didn't want to happen.
That was why the safest move was to seek a draw. Besides, this way, he would get Ki Song to talk longer than she would have if he had won or lost earlier… The game stretched out so much precisely because he was seeking a draw.
Slowly, the Queen stood up from the chair elegantly and returned to the throne as if nothing had happened. Arthur, in turn, stood up from his chair and remained standing beside them.
Seconds later, two young men entered through the auxiliary door from before and removed the table, chairs, and chessboard. Soon, the throne room was as good as new.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Arthur decided to raise a question he had had ever since the Queen accepted the deal.
"If I may, I would like to ask the reason why you've been willing to share such intimacies with me?"
The Queen didn't respond immediately and remained silent for a few seconds. Eventually, the corner of her lips rose slightly.
"Although you haven't realized it, I already answered your question."
He frowned. 'Did she? When?'
He was about to review the conversation, but Ki Song decided to save him the work.
"Do you remember when I said my mother didn't have much time to spend with me?" Arthur nodded. "Later I mentioned that I always wanted to be present in my daughters' growth…"
"Is this your way of thanking me for helping Seishan escape the Forgotten Shore?" he mentioned his guess.
Ki Song nodded while smiling.
"Exactly. If it weren't for that, who knows when I would have seen Shan again. So thank you, Arthur Leywin." She used his full name to be completely sincere in the matter.
This caught Arthur by surprise, so he froze for a few seconds. When he recovered, he gave thanks.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"You're welcome, Little Arthur." She clapped lightly. "Now comes your surprise, are you ready?"
Arthur nodded, and at that moment, the room's doors slowly opened… He turned and cast his gaze upon the figure entering.
She was a woman in her thirties, with raven-black hair and eyes that seemed to be cut from pure obsidian. Her presence was vast and oppressive, like the lightless expanse of a boundless, dark ocean.
She was dressed casually in stretched-out sweatpants and a threadbare sweatshirt…
She was Revel, the first of the Song sisters to reach the rank of Saint.
Arthur stood completely frozen… mainly because this was supposed to be his gift… Arthur's brain short-circuited.
Revel ignored him completely and walked past him until she stood in front of the throne.
"Mother, I was told you needed me?"
Ki Song nodded and explained.
"Actually, Arthur is the one who needs your help."
Only when the Queen mentioned him did Revel deign to look at him, and she moved her head slightly as if to greet him—a gesture Arthur repeated.
Ki Song laughed upon noticing this and said, "There's no need to act that way, Rev. I've already confirmed that Arthur here genuinely values, and respects Shan. That's why I want you to help him take their relationship to the next step."
Arthur and Revel stood with their mouths open upon hearing this. Slowly, they both turned, and their eyes connected with panic, confusion, and a host of emotions they both shared.
Revel cleared her throat and asked him.
"Is what Mother mentioned true?"
There was no reason to lie or delay, so he simply had to accept.
"Yes, it is."
Revel remained silent, looking at him for a while. Then she blinked several times and nodded.
"Okay, I can help you, but with one condition." He said nothing, just looked at her, implying she could continue, and she did. "My condition is that we have a sparring match between us. If I'm satisfied with your performance, I'll accept you as my sister's future boyfriend and even help you."
He was actually quite interested in the sparring proposal, mainly because he had never had spars against a Saint, and it would serve him for the future. He had sparred with Grey, a Sacred-rank being, but he held back a lot in their fights.
Now, he could go all out with everything he had and knew the other person would also try to defeat him without holding back as much.
Obviously, there was also the part about her supposedly helping him date Seishan—something he certainly doubted, but he was willing to trust…
Maybe he shouldn't, but upon seeing Revel's eyes full of clichés she had read in books and the expectation behind them to invade his world, he couldn't reject the offer.
It wasn't as if he could have anyway, since it would have meant he had just lied about genuinely valuing Seishan.
"Alright, I accept," he replied after a few seconds.
Revel and the Queen smiled at his response, and the former summoned her armor over her casual clothes.
Seconds later, Lightslayer was in a suit of dark leather armor, and she wielded a curved sword akin to a tachi, its pommel wrapped in a black silk cord.
In his place, Arthur activated Djinn of War, and the Attribute took its armor form, covering his entire body and bringing a sensation of being the very concept of war itself. Then, Dawn's Ballad appeared in his right hand, and they both took a few steps back.
They stood at a distance, waiting for the Queen's signal for the sparring to begin…