Chapter Two

"Your Majesty King Obsidian, the boy is here." Said Insignia's raspy, drunken slur as the boy entered with him.

"Ah… good. Boy, tell me your name." Said King Obsidian. Luneth hesitated for a bit, then answered.

"My name is Luneth, Your Majesty. I come from the town of Ur, on the Floating Continent. Why have you summoned me? I have done nothing wrong." He said. The king's face was stern for a moment, then he smiled.

"My boy, you speak the truth. You have done nothing wrong. I have summoned you because… well, it is a long story. You may want to sit down." Luneth was a bit baffled by the king's friendliness, then sat. "You see… I am bored. Every story in the Royal Archives has been read to me, and the last time we had a traveler with new stories was long, long ago. I am deathly bored. I have a deal for you. Tell me a story, and I will fix your ship. It may seem like an unfair trade, but if I hear about the origin of the Caurora Kingdom one more time… I am going to scream. Please… do you have any stories?" Luneth looked at King Obsidian's pleading face, and decided.

"I have one story you may be interested in…" and began to tell him about the journey he had gone on exactly one year ago…

- - -

It had been exactly a night and a half. The king had let Luneth stay in a room in the castle while he was here, and when the story was over, everyone who had heard the story, including the king, knew the entire thing. In fact, all of them had shed at least one tear.

"In the name of the Great Spirit beyond… The trials you and your friends went through are amazing… Royal Inscriber!" called the king. A young man, barely over twenty, stepped forward.

"Yes, my liege?" he said. The king gestured to Luneth. "I want you to write down all that Luneth has said in the Royal Archives. This tale… it deserves to be recorded." The man nodded and quickly walked away. Insignia was silent.

"I knew it… there were people in his past who had died… They would make excellent slaves! I knew that the boy would be an asset to the plan! Hahaha…" He thought. He stood up and bowed. "Sir Luneth… please meet me in my room. I need to speak with you about something." He bowed again, then walked away. The king watched him leave, then turned to Luneth.

"You should go see him. He rarely calls anyone to his room. He must need to discuss something important. Go!" said the king. Luneth walked toward Insignia's quarters. Meanwhile, Insignia pondered the story he had heard. "So many people died… perfect." He thought. He heard the doorknob wiggle, then the door opened. Luneth stepped inside and gazed at the room. The room was filled with strange, yet beautiful things. There were pictures on the wall of people and places, and a clock was on the dresser. There were also black spheres, targets made from wood and stone, and a bed made of black stone.

"Come, sit." Said Insignia as he patted the spot next to his bed. Luneth walked forward, then stopped and looked at the bed apprehensively. "Don't be so shy and sit." So Luneth sat down, reluctantly.

"I want to talk about the girl you spoke of." Luneth froze. "Y-you mean… A-Aria?" he stammered.

"Yes… I could see something in your face when you spoke of her… death." Insignia cringed. "It was as if… you had not let go of something about her. You loved her, didn't you?" Luneth suddenly became irritated.

"That's none of your business!" he said. Insignia did not get angry and throw him out, like he expected. Instead, he gave him a comforting smile. "I thought so. Let me tell you something. When my sister died, I never let go of her. She was the love of my life, and in a few years… she came back to me. If you never let go of Aria, she may come back to you. Remember this, my boy." He said. Luneth shed a single tear.

"Thank you, Insignia." He shook the Onion Knight's hand, and exited. When he was gone, Insignia grinned viciously. "Remember… because she may come back… sooner than you think, fool! As soon as that moronic king is out of the way, she'll come back… but you'll both be my slaves! Warrior of the Light, ha! I will rule!" he muttered as he walked to a pedestal holding a stone shaped like an angel. "Lucifer Statue… revive the people I name… and send a monster to assassinate the king. It's time to put the plan into motion. Hahahahahahaha!" He laughed, as it was time for the Age of Insignia to begin.