"How should we do this?" 01 asked, standing next to Levictus as they were floating above the capital city of the Kadence Kingdom. It was situated at the small mountain range bordering their neighbors, the Olgors. The city was built at the foot of the mountain range, right at the start of a narrow road leading up to a mountain pass that was one of the primary connections with their neighbors.
"We could make an avalanche." 02 said when Levictus did not reply.
"We are not here to kill innocents, idiot!" 01 rolled his eyes, hearing his idea.
"Well, we can fly down and just kidnap them quickly. They should be living in the palace, no?"
"What if they have a secret tunnel? Leading into the mountain?" 01 crossed his arms, "That would be bad if they escaped that way!"
"It would be," Levictus spoke up for the first time. "We'll take the whole palace."
"Huh?" both of them asked with surprised expressions.
"Protect me until I finish. The energy required for this formation spell is immense; they will notice it." He said, closing his eyes as his fingers lit up in a warm, creamy-white color, and he started to write symbols in the air before him that quickly shrank down to the size of a pin's head when completed.
01 and 02 had no idea what he was doing, but they knew he was a formation master. Even if he explained it, they would not understand it at all.
At first, the amount of energy he radiated was nothing, but as more and more symbols got added, forming eccentric circles before him, it became stronger and stronger. As he said, small dots soon flew out from the city, heading straight for them.
"I say we should just beat them back!" 02 lowered his hands with a grin.
"I can agree with you on that~" 01 chuckled as the two flew out, engaging with them without listening to their shouts or giving any explanation.
To the guards' surprise, the two enemies before them displayed such teamwork that even they lacked, yet they were trained as a group since their teens. It didn't take them long to sound the alarm for help, and before long, what 01 and 02 faced was a dozen Harmony-level experts rising from the city, flying towards them.
"Damn…" 01 clicked his tongue, even if their enemies advanced at a much lower level, "That is a bit much!"
"Yeah!" 02 shouted, "How long?!" He looked behind his shoulder while dodging a wind blade that almost sliced off the tip of his nose.
"A minute," Levictus replied as his two hands moved so fast he looked like a being with a thousand arms, adding symbols by the dozen in one second.
"01!" 02 shouted in response.
"Sure!" His comrade nodded as the two of them, having the same affinity, flew before Levictus, and both of them let loose a literal firestorm.
Stretching out their hands, the flame that burst out from their palms merged and descended before them like waves of the ocean, engulfing everything in an orange-colored fire. It rapidly drained their energies because it affected a wide range, keeping the enemies at bay and stopping them from advancing.
"We can't hold this up for too long!" 01 shouted backward.
"Better hurry up!" 02 echoed his thoughts.
As the battle raged above the city, inside the palace, the king of Kadence, Horthi, was already with his wife, closest advisors, and personal guards. They were ready to head to the secret passage under the palace, leading into an old, abandoned mineshaft and a completely different part of his kingdom.
"We should hurry; only bring the most important things!" He ordered his family members and his men, "If this is a counterattack by the Empire, we just need to escape. The alliance will deal the rest when we send word! Or we will just lay low… a loss like this will anger Zelig…." He shouted with a somewhat terrified voice, feeling something terrible would happen if they couldn't escape now.
"Ready." Levictus's loud voice echoed out just then that even Horthi heard clearly. The completed formation immediately disappeared before him like it was not even there.
"Did it fail?" 01 asked, breathing heavily as they stopped their own attacks.
"No. It is already under the palace. Energy transfer can be instantaneous. That is the basis of my teleportation formations." Levictus shook his head, almost falling into an elongated explanation of the theory, directing his calm blue eyes towards the multi-floored palace. A bright light suddenly rose from the ground under it, circling it in a few seconds, and the earth started to shake as if a destructive earthquake had just struck the land.
"What is going on?!" Horthi shouted, stumbling and unable to stay standing, having to hold onto the walls of his palace.
Looking out the windows that were rattling loudly, what he saw was slowly drawing his jaw toward the floor. He could see the whole building slowly rising up to the sky, accompanied by a small part of the ground below them. He saw how some of his men fell into the hole it left behind while the outer walls that stayed on the ground crumbled like they were made out of the sand.
"What the fuck…" 01 and 02 said simultaneously with Horthi, only they were looking at it from above.
"Let's go. The formation is going to dissipate in 20 minutes. We need to hurry up." Levictus said so calmly it made the two shiver.
"Wait?! 20?! It takes an hour to reach Rozex!" 01 shouted as they flew after Levictus, and the floating palace followed them automatically to cross the mountain range as soon as possible.
The remaining people below them still could do nothing but look up at the unbelievable scene. They forgot to follow them, not that they wanted to find out what would happen if their enemy decided to drop a whole floating castle on them. The most frightened were the people stuck inside their now-flying royal palace, seeing how they were already halfway up the mountain range and they were still picking up the pace.
"We should find a clearing." Levictus explained in the meanwhile, "When the formation dissipates, we will drop the unnecessary weight and capture the royalty on an open field. We should only bring them along. Until then, try to recover your energies.
"Sure." both of them nodded, popping in pill after pill, looking at the flying palace behind them and the shocked people looking out from the inside.
"This is the kidnapping of the century…" 02 looked at his friend.
"Or the whole millennium. Damn… formations are scary!" 01 agreed with a heavy nod.
…
….
…..
In Rozex, every 'invited' royalty was locked inside the castle's main dining hall. The first to arrive were the pair from the Jakart Kingdom, King Erdene, Queen Dawa, and their young son, Tuguslar. They were still charmed, even now, under the influence of Rumira's aura. The three were infatuated with her completely, especially the young teen Tuguslar. They not just complied with her to leave without any fuss, but it was even more effective than Naulin's mind-affecting powers. With their low cultivation that was not even in the Harmony realm, it took only a whiff of her scent, and they were doing whatever she asked for.
Second to come was Ariana with Qin, who was completely relaxed with a strangely peaceful look in his eyes. He did not even greet the charmed trio, just walked to an empty chair, dragged it to a window, sat down, and started rocking in it back and forth. He was looking out at the sky, enjoying the sun's warm rays bathing him, placing his legs onto the windowsill.
An hour later, Keina also arrived, bringing in the royal family of the Olgor Kingdom, King Sopath, Queen Chaya, and their middle-aged son Veha. They were completely tied up and gagged, especially Veha, who was cursing and screaming all the way. He was making his father more anxious about him than their kidnapping, fearing his son's mouth was going to be the end of them.
The last to arrive were the royal family of the Kadence Kingdom, King Horthi and his wife, Dienes. The experience of getting transported away with the whole palace of theirs left a permanently terrified look on Dienes. Still, when it landed in a clearing, and they were escorted out, Horthi regained his calm exterior. Seeing the others present here and now, he became even more peaceful, knowing their lives must not be in danger. If any of the people kidnapping them wanted to kill them, they would be dead already. They were brought into Rozex, which made them even more confident. This city was Zelig's, and they did nothing to go against him, so they should live through this.
"Qin?" Horthi furrowed his brows, seeing the youngster sitting, balancing on his chair's back legs, sunbathing.
"Hm?" He opened his right eye a little, looking at who called out for him, but seeing Horthi approaching, he just went back to napping.
"I see; your Uncle still failed to teach you manners, hm?"
"Hah…" Qin chuckled a little, remaining seated, rocking back and forth, easily balancing with the chair.
"Where is he? Shouldn't he be here like the rest of us?" Horthi stood before him, looking down at Qin, casting a shadow onto the youngster.
"Why should he be here? Only rulers and their offspring are present in this room," he answered, not opening his eyes.
"You are only king in the name; your Uncle is the true ruler until you come of age!"
"Well, then it is too bad…" he opened his eyes slightly, looking at him with a smirk. "He is dead."
"What do you mean?" Horthi asked with a tremble as everyone else also turned their heads toward him.
"Which part of the word 'dead' do you have trouble understanding?" Seya opened the double door, looking confident and elegant as she walked in. She was wearing a white dress with purple lining on the edges. She was followed by Keina, then Milly and Rabout, and finally Ariana, who closed the door behind her, standing there, not saying anything, just looking at the 'invited' families.
"And who are you to speak to me like this?" Horthi turned towards her, trying to look confident, but he received a slap from his shadow, making him tumble backward. He fell after a few steps, stunned at what had just happened.
"I advise you to watch your tongue when speaking to a member of Rozex's High Council!" Ariana opened her mouth as true darkness descended onto the room, closing out the sun. Qin immediately stood up and looked at her with almost worship in his eyes.
Horthi wanted to say something, but whatever it was, it had no chance to leave his throat as a black arm grabbed onto it, lifting him into the air. His feet were dangling below him, trying to fight off his attacker without success. The others watched on with horror as the 'thing' that held him high was his own shadow.
"You need to face reality!" Seya continued, looking at the others, not bothering with the choking sounds coming from Horthi. "Rozex has become independent; we are no longer under the rule of Zelig as he tried to destroy us and wipe out his own city and bloodline!"
"The Kingdom of Naulin is no more." Keina continued, "We cut ties with such a ruthless ancestor! From now on, there is only the City of Rozex, and we are against the alliance! We support independence for all kingdoms!"
"And it means we are allies of the Elroths, Astrans, and Lotharinians!" Milly said, finishing her words. "Do you really think someone would consider your life if he is willing to kill all of his kin?"
In the end, Horthi's shadow loosened on his grip, letting him fall to the ground as it flowed back onto the floor, returning below him. Everyone could only hear his desperate coughing, gasping for air as they realized why they were brought here.
"I agree!" Qin walked forward first, kneeling before them with a lowered head. "I, Qin Pilta, in the name of my kingdom, I give my word that we stand with the City of Rozex! If you let me write a letter, I'll order all our troops to fall back from the frontline, stop any aggression, and turn them against any of the others' capital cities!"
"Oh…!" Keina raised her eyebrows, surprised at the young boy's words but the other rulers were even more alarmed at the prospect.
"Are you-" Horthi groaned with a darkened neck that had multiple blood vessels broken.
"Don't worry, King Horthi. Your son Kadosha will join you soon, but maybe he won't be alive by then." Ariana's voice came from the door. "And it would be your fault that you sent him onto the front lines."
"You don't get it… do you?" Horthi laughed, but it sounded defeated and desperate. "We would all be dead if we did not do what Zelig wants! Even if he does not use his eyes, we can't say 'no' to him!" he broke down suddenly, sobbing like a child. "We can only advance in his presence and never retreat…" he lowered his head, letting it fall between his knees, discarding his calm and forceful persona, surprising everyone else, including Ariana. He was the foremost spokesperson for the quartet's little 'alliance' since the last meeting of kings.
"That is what is going to change!" Ariana walked closer as her powers returned to her body, flashing a friendly smile as sunlight once again shone into the room. Watching all of the royals, she gestured at the rest of the High Council members, who all looked confident and stood there with straight backs. "The alliance's main purpose was to stand united against one foe who endangered your sovereignty, no? Then you can form an alliance with us against Zelig! When he is finally gone, everyone is going to have their independence! Nobody would question what you are going to do afterward! Do you want to wage wars, to pay back old grievances? Do it! Do you want to cooperate with your neighbors? Do it! Every consequence will be yours to bear, and nothing you do will be an order from someone else but your own decision! Freedom means you have choices! Those can either be good or bad, but they are your choices! As to what those bring onto you is solely dependent on you! And as I see… Somebody has already chosen!" She patted Qin's shoulders, making him shudder as he stood up proudly, standing behind them all. He watched Ariana with shining eyes as she walked before Horthi, stretching her hand toward him. "Fear can be a hell of a motivator… but we don't believe it can make true allies, King Horthi."
He slowly raised his head, looking up at her, then at her hand, finally taking a deep breath, reaching out with his still trembling fingers, weakly grabbing Ariana's fair hand.
"I'll order the army to come back!" he said, letting himself be pulled up from the ground as his wife finally got courageous enough to rush in, hugging his husband, not daring to release him, fearing for his life since the moment his own shadow almost choked him to death.
"Me too." echoed the king of the Olgor Kingdom, and everyone turned towards the royal family of the Jakart Kingdom, seeing them still in a dazed state. They were not even paying any attention to what was happening, only fantasizing, murmuring about Rumira.
"Is that… permanent?" Qin asked with an amused voice.
"No. I think… at least, I hope so..." Ariana replied with a twitch of her mouth, followed by a long sigh from everyone else present.
"How should we do this?" 01 asked, standing next to Levictus as they were floating above the capital city of the Kadence Kingdom. It was situated at the small mountain range bordering their neighbors, the Olgors. The city was built at the foot of the mountain range, right at the start of a narrow road leading up to a mountain pass that was one of the primary connections with their neighbors.
"We could make an avalanche." 02 said when Levictus did not reply.
"We are not here to kill innocents, idiot!" 01 rolled his eyes, hearing his idea.
"Well, we can fly down and just kidnap them quickly. They should be living in the palace, no?"
"What if they have a secret tunnel? Leading into the mountain?" 01 crossed his arms, "That would be bad if they escaped that way!"
"It would be," Levictus spoke up for the first time. "We'll take the whole palace."
"Huh?" both of them asked with surprised expressions.
"Protect me until I finish. The energy required for this formation spell is immense; they will notice it." He said, closing his eyes as his fingers lit up in a warm, creamy-white color, and he started to write symbols in the air before him that quickly shrank down to the size of a pin's head when completed.
01 and 02 had no idea what he was doing, but they knew he was a formation master. Even if he explained it, they would not understand it at all.
At first, the amount of energy he radiated was nothing, but as more and more symbols got added, forming eccentric circles before him, it became stronger and stronger. As he said, small dots soon flew out from the city, heading straight for them.
"I say we should just beat them back!" 02 lowered his hands with a grin.
"I can agree with you on that~" 01 chuckled as the two flew out, engaging with them without listening to their shouts or giving any explanation.
To the guards' surprise, the two enemies before them displayed such teamwork that even they lacked, yet they were trained as a group since their teens. It didn't take them long to sound the alarm for help, and before long, what 01 and 02 faced was a dozen Harmony-level experts rising from the city, flying towards them.
"Damn…" 01 clicked his tongue, even if their enemies advanced at a much lower level, "That is a bit much!"
"Yeah!" 02 shouted, "How long?!" He looked behind his shoulder while dodging a wind blade that almost sliced off the tip of his nose.
"A minute," Levictus replied as his two hands moved so fast he looked like a being with a thousand arms, adding symbols by the dozen in one second.
"01!" 02 shouted in response.
"Sure!" His comrade nodded as the two of them, having the same affinity, flew before Levictus, and both of them let loose a literal firestorm.
Stretching out their hands, the flame that burst out from their palms merged and descended before them like waves of the ocean, engulfing everything in an orange-colored fire. It rapidly drained their energies because it affected a wide range, keeping the enemies at bay and stopping them from advancing.
"We can't hold this up for too long!" 01 shouted backward.
"Better hurry up!" 02 echoed his thoughts.
As the battle raged above the city, inside the palace, the king of Kadence, Horthi, was already with his wife, closest advisors, and personal guards. They were ready to head to the secret passage under the palace, leading into an old, abandoned mineshaft and a completely different part of his kingdom.
"We should hurry; only bring the most important things!" He ordered his family members and his men, "If this is a counterattack by the Empire, we just need to escape. The alliance will deal the rest when we send word! Or we will just lay low… a loss like this will anger Zelig…." He shouted with a somewhat terrified voice, feeling something terrible would happen if they couldn't escape now.
"Ready." Levictus's loud voice echoed out just then that even Horthi heard clearly. The completed formation immediately disappeared before him like it was not even there.
"Did it fail?" 01 asked, breathing heavily as they stopped their own attacks.
"No. It is already under the palace. Energy transfer can be instantaneous. That is the basis of my teleportation formations." Levictus shook his head, almost falling into an elongated explanation of the theory, directing his calm blue eyes towards the multi-floored palace. A bright light suddenly rose from the ground under it, circling it in a few seconds, and the earth started to shake as if a destructive earthquake had just struck the land.
"What is going on?!" Horthi shouted, stumbling and unable to stay standing, having to hold onto the walls of his palace.
Looking out the windows that were rattling loudly, what he saw was slowly drawing his jaw toward the floor. He could see the whole building slowly rising up to the sky, accompanied by a small part of the ground below them. He saw how some of his men fell into the hole it left behind while the outer walls that stayed on the ground crumbled like they were made out of the sand.
"What the fuck…" 01 and 02 said simultaneously with Horthi, only they were looking at it from above.
"Let's go. The formation is going to dissipate in 20 minutes. We need to hurry up." Levictus said so calmly it made the two shiver.
"Wait?! 20?! It takes an hour to reach Rozex!" 01 shouted as they flew after Levictus, and the floating palace followed them automatically to cross the mountain range as soon as possible.
The remaining people below them still could do nothing but look up at the unbelievable scene. They forgot to follow them, not that they wanted to find out what would happen if their enemy decided to drop a whole floating castle on them. The most frightened were the people stuck inside their now-flying royal palace, seeing how they were already halfway up the mountain range and they were still picking up the pace.
"We should find a clearing." Levictus explained in the meanwhile, "When the formation dissipates, we will drop the unnecessary weight and capture the royalty on an open field. We should only bring them along. Until then, try to recover your energies.
"Sure." both of them nodded, popping in pill after pill, looking at the flying palace behind them and the shocked people looking out from the inside.
"This is the kidnapping of the century…" 02 looked at his friend.
"Or the whole millennium. Damn… formations are scary!" 01 agreed with a heavy nod.
…
….
…..
In Rozex, every 'invited' royalty was locked inside the castle's main dining hall. The first to arrive were the pair from the Jakart Kingdom, King Erdene, Queen Dawa, and their young son, Tuguslar. They were still charmed, even now, under the influence of Rumira's aura. The three were infatuated with her completely, especially the young teen Tuguslar. They not just complied with her to leave without any fuss, but it was even more effective than Naulin's mind-affecting powers. With their low cultivation that was not even in the Harmony realm, it took only a whiff of her scent, and they were doing whatever she asked for.
Second to come was Ariana with Qin, who was completely relaxed with a strangely peaceful look in his eyes. He did not even greet the charmed trio, just walked to an empty chair, dragged it to a window, sat down, and started rocking in it back and forth. He was looking out at the sky, enjoying the sun's warm rays bathing him, placing his legs onto the windowsill.
An hour later, Keina also arrived, bringing in the royal family of the Olgor Kingdom, King Sopath, Queen Chaya, and their middle-aged son Veha. They were completely tied up and gagged, especially Veha, who was cursing and screaming all the way. He was making his father more anxious about him than their kidnapping, fearing his son's mouth was going to be the end of them.
The last to arrive were the royal family of the Kadence Kingdom, King Horthi and his wife, Dienes. The experience of getting transported away with the whole palace of theirs left a permanently terrified look on Dienes. Still, when it landed in a clearing, and they were escorted out, Horthi regained his calm exterior. Seeing the others present here and now, he became even more peaceful, knowing their lives must not be in danger. If any of the people kidnapping them wanted to kill them, they would be dead already. They were brought into Rozex, which made them even more confident. This city was Zelig's, and they did nothing to go against him, so they should live through this.
"Qin?" Horthi furrowed his brows, seeing the youngster sitting, balancing on his chair's back legs, sunbathing.
"Hm?" He opened his right eye a little, looking at who called out for him, but seeing Horthi approaching, he just went back to napping.
"I see; your Uncle still failed to teach you manners, hm?"
"Hah…" Qin chuckled a little, remaining seated, rocking back and forth, easily balancing with the chair.
"Where is he? Shouldn't he be here like the rest of us?" Horthi stood before him, looking down at Qin, casting a shadow onto the youngster.
"Why should he be here? Only rulers and their offspring are present in this room," he answered, not opening his eyes.
"You are only king in the name; your Uncle is the true ruler until you come of age!"
"Well, then it is too bad…" he opened his eyes slightly, looking at him with a smirk. "He is dead."
"What do you mean?" Horthi asked with a tremble as everyone else also turned their heads toward him.
"Which part of the word 'dead' do you have trouble understanding?" Seya opened the double door, looking confident and elegant as she walked in. She was wearing a white dress with purple lining on the edges. She was followed by Keina, then Milly and Rabout, and finally Ariana, who closed the door behind her, standing there, not saying anything, just looking at the 'invited' families.
"And who are you to speak to me like this?" Horthi turned towards her, trying to look confident, but he received a slap from his shadow, making him tumble backward. He fell after a few steps, stunned at what had just happened.
"I advise you to watch your tongue when speaking to a member of Rozex's High Council!" Ariana opened her mouth as true darkness descended onto the room, closing out the sun. Qin immediately stood up and looked at her with almost worship in his eyes.
Horthi wanted to say something, but whatever it was, it had no chance to leave his throat as a black arm grabbed onto it, lifting him into the air. His feet were dangling below him, trying to fight off his attacker without success. The others watched on with horror as the 'thing' that held him high was his own shadow.
"You need to face reality!" Seya continued, looking at the others, not bothering with the choking sounds coming from Horthi. "Rozex has become independent; we are no longer under the rule of Zelig as he tried to destroy us and wipe out his own city and bloodline!"
"The Kingdom of Naulin is no more." Keina continued, "We cut ties with such a ruthless ancestor! From now on, there is only the City of Rozex, and we are against the alliance! We support independence for all kingdoms!"
"And it means we are allies of the Elroths, Astrans, and Lotharinians!" Milly said, finishing her words. "Do you really think someone would consider your life if he is willing to kill all of his kin?"
In the end, Horthi's shadow loosened on his grip, letting him fall to the ground as it flowed back onto the floor, returning below him. Everyone could only hear his desperate coughing, gasping for air as they realized why they were brought here.
"I agree!" Qin walked forward first, kneeling before them with a lowered head. "I, Qin Pilta, in the name of my kingdom, I give my word that we stand with the City of Rozex! If you let me write a letter, I'll order all our troops to fall back from the frontline, stop any aggression, and turn them against any of the others' capital cities!"
"Oh…!" Keina raised her eyebrows, surprised at the young boy's words but the other rulers were even more alarmed at the prospect.
"Are you-" Horthi groaned with a darkened neck that had multiple blood vessels broken.
"Don't worry, King Horthi. Your son Kadosha will join you soon, but maybe he won't be alive by then." Ariana's voice came from the door. "And it would be your fault that you sent him onto the front lines."
"You don't get it… do you?" Horthi laughed, but it sounded defeated and desperate. "We would all be dead if we did not do what Zelig wants! Even if he does not use his eyes, we can't say 'no' to him!" he broke down suddenly, sobbing like a child. "We can only advance in his presence and never retreat…" he lowered his head, letting it fall between his knees, discarding his calm and forceful persona, surprising everyone else, including Ariana. He was the foremost spokesperson for the quartet's little 'alliance' since the last meeting of kings.
"That is what is going to change!" Ariana walked closer as her powers returned to her body, flashing a friendly smile as sunlight once again shone into the room. Watching all of the royals, she gestured at the rest of the High Council members, who all looked confident and stood there with straight backs. "The alliance's main purpose was to stand united against one foe who endangered your sovereignty, no? Then you can form an alliance with us against Zelig! When he is finally gone, everyone is going to have their independence! Nobody would question what you are going to do afterward! Do you want to wage wars, to pay back old grievances? Do it! Do you want to cooperate with your neighbors? Do it! Every consequence will be yours to bear, and nothing you do will be an order from someone else but your own decision! Freedom means you have choices! Those can either be good or bad, but they are your choices! As to what those bring onto you is solely dependent on you! And as I see… Somebody has already chosen!" She patted Qin's shoulders, making him shudder as he stood up proudly, standing behind them all. He watched Ariana with shining eyes as she walked before Horthi, stretching her hand toward him. "Fear can be a hell of a motivator… but we don't believe it can make true allies, King Horthi."
He slowly raised his head, looking up at her, then at her hand, finally taking a deep breath, reaching out with his still trembling fingers, weakly grabbing Ariana's fair hand.
"I'll order the army to come back!" he said, letting himself be pulled up from the ground as his wife finally got courageous enough to rush in, hugging his husband, not daring to release him, fearing for his life since the moment his own shadow almost choked him to death.
"Me too." echoed the king of the Olgor Kingdom, and everyone turned towards the royal family of the Jakart Kingdom, seeing them still in a dazed state. They were not even paying any attention to what was happening, only fantasizing, murmuring about Rumira.
"Is that… permanent?" Qin asked with an amused voice.
"No. I think… at least, I hope so..." Ariana replied with a twitch of her mouth, followed by a long sigh from everyone else present.
