"Careful now, little one," Liuke said softly.
The child had stumbled near him in the snow.
"Watch where you're going, or you'll get hurt."
The boy puffed out his chest, looking up at Liuke defiantly.
"Hey! You should watch where you're going too!"
"If a kid is running, you should move aside. I'm right, and you're wrong!"
Liuke let out a tired, genuine smile.
"Fine, fine. I'm wrong. Now go on, run along."
As the boy scurried away, Queen Sharley turned to Liuke.
"You seem to have blended into this environment quite well, Liuke."
"Almost as if you were raised here. But... I have a question."
"Ask away, Queen Sharley," Liuke replied.
"How did you lose your right hand? Was it an accident?"
Liuke looked down at his empty, pinned sleeve.
"I put everything on the line to save Elysia from an Ice Monster."
"I nearly died. The heat of my own power charred my entire arm."
"The doctors had no choice but to remove it."
A flicker of hesitation—and perhaps genuine grief—crossed Sharley's face.
"Can I ask you something too?" Liuke ventured.
"Go ahead."
"Why are you helping me so much? Why this special treatment?"
The question seemed to catch the Queen off guard.
Civilians bowed in deep respect as she passed, but her focus was on Liuke.
"You are my... resource," she said finally, regaining her cold composure.
"I do not behave ruthlessly toward my vital resources."
Liuke's heart sank. Typical, he thought bitterly.
You don't see humans as humans. Just tools.
"I see. Thank you for the answer," he said aloud.
"I want to tell you about this kingdom and its history," Sharley continued.
"I want you to understand so you don't feel your power is being misused."
"If that is what you wish, I am listening," Liuke said.
"Thousands of years ago, this world was normal," Sharley began.
"It was divided into two great realms: Velmora and Syrix."
"Two kings, bitter enemies, fought wars that nearly destroyed humanity."
"Then, one morning, everything changed."
"A thick, impenetrable shroud of clouds covered this half of the world."
"The sun's light vanished. Velmora began to wither."
"The King died, and ninety percent of the population perished."
"Over the next 150 years, Velmora became a graveyard of ice."
"But then, a prodigy was born who changed our fate."
"Aeries I, The First King."
"He manifested the first glimpse of Negative Magic."
"When his mother died, he used his magic to perform a Death Reverse."
Liuke's eyes widened. "Death Reverse?"
"Yes. Aeries tried to teach his knights, but the magic was too volatile."
"Research revealed this magic stems from a 'Negative Core'."
"It was an evolutionary response to the lack of sunlight."
"Today, only a few of us possess the potential for Reality-Changing Magic."
"But the struggle never truly ended."
"Some are still born with the old evolution: a Solar Core."
"They fall into a deep sleep shortly after birth... and they never wake up."
"That is what happened to my children," Sharley said, her voice trembling.
"Every child I had after my first was born with only a Solar Core."
"They fell into the deep sleep and died within a year."
"The same happened to my youngest, Charles."
"I sent Elysia to find a Solar source to save him... but she was too late."
"Charles is gone. Come, let me show you."
They arrived at a sprawling cemetery where bodies were preserved in ice.
Sharley stopped before a magnificent crystal casing.
Inside lay a small, pale boy.
"This was Charles," she said, her voice breaking.
"I hate myself for being too late. But now, with your help, I will save the others."
"I will stabilize the Solar children and send them to Helmora."
"There, they can live under the sun."
Liuke felt a surge of genuine sympathy.
"Your story is heartbreaking, Queen. It is a noble goal."
"But... what happened to your first son? The one with both cores?"
Sharley's eyes welled with tears.
"His name was Wysar. I raised him with all the love a mother could give."
"But the people... they grew jealous. Rumors spread like wildfire."
"They said I made a pact with a Devil to make him strong."
"They said my other sons died as a sacrifice for that pact."
"I executed those who spread the lies," she sobbed.
"But the damage was done. Wysar couldn't handle the whispers."
"To prove them wrong, he fled. He chose to wander the world alone."
"My only living son... he abandoned me too."
Sharley broke down, her shoulders shaking with raw agony.
Overcome by her grief, Liuke stepped forward.
Forgetting he was a prisoner, he reached out to comfort the weeping Queen.
Meanwhile, at the massive frozen gates of the kingdom...
Five battered and exhausted Commanders finally arrived.