The first thing Slate had done on waking was check his surroundings. A strange house, rain beating down on thick glass windows, and Helios snoring to his side, healthy.

Biggest crisis averted - Helios was safe. Slate was healthy as well, though there was a sore spot where Kair's Ice Punch broke through his scales. Slate hadn't expected Kair to show up out of thin air while he was trying to protect Helios from that Zorua. Nor had he anticipated Kair to bellow out a war cry and smash him unconscious with a single hit.

How irritating. Slate was sturdy and hulking enough that a single attack shouldn't have been enough to kill him, even if it was doubly super-effective. He hoped he'd evolve soon in case Kair attacked them again.

But that was probably a ways off. Slate was still tough enough to take on most fighters that set their eyes on Helios - as Helios's friend and bodyguard, that was his duty. For now, it was time to shrug off the injuries and get to work doing whatever needed completion.

"Helios, wait here for a bit," he muttered uselessly to the sleeping Charmander. "I'm going to go look out for danger." That, and figure out exactly why they were in this strange house.

Slate crept out of the room and entered the main hallway. There wasn't anything wrong, but the ambiance was creepy enough that Slate remained on guard. He slinked slowly out of the hallway and approached the main sitting room, where he heard Kair speaking softly to someone. "It was a mistake to ask you that first question - now, start from when you stopped telling me what was going on."

"... it was the day between Selene's arrival and Helios's," Kapun's voice replied. "Kite showed up in front of the gates, demanding to be let in. After a scuffle, they let him in - I don't know what happened after that since my boss was the one who brought him to Kenki." A deep breath. "But the next day, he was working next to me, alongside a Zorua named Rowan."

Slate gripped the wall tightly. As he had thought, Kapun had betrayed them for Kite. He knew Kite's location and what he was planning, but he didn't tell them a thing. And that Zorua (Rowan) was one of Kite's other allies; if Kite was working with the two of them already, then it was likely that Kite was there when Helios and Slate were at the gate. Kite knew they were here the whole time.

"Are they threats, Kapun?"

"N-No - at least, I don't think they are. Not unless you're the one to provoke the fight. As long as you don't directly threaten the two of them and leave them be, they'll leave you alone." A barefaced lie. A murderer like Kite wouldn't leave any loose threads hanging, and any allies weren't trustworthy either.

"... I'll hold my judgment for now," Kair replied after a few seconds. "But be warned - if I judge Kite to be too threatening based on what you've said, I will take decisive action."

It took a second for Slate to process what he just said before he realized what it implied.

Slate was here, Helios was here, and Kapun was here. It was highly likely that Kair picked up everyone that was in the cargo hold. That included Selene, Eve, Rowan, and Kite.

Kapun kept blathering on, but it wasn't anything that concerned Slate anymore. The possibility that Kite was in the building with him and Helios was too much of a concern. Even without Helios's desire for revenge and honor, Kite was a clear danger. Slate had to handle this now.

Slate crept back through the hallway. There were two other rooms.. He had to check both of them for Kite's presence.

Opening the one to his right, he found both Selene and Eve sleeping peacefully. He instantly shut off that feeling of trust that blossomed on sight with Selene and shut the door. Eve was still safe, which was good, but Selene was, too. Slate wasn't sure how much longer her charade would last once she reconvened with Kite, so the faster he found Kite, the better.

That left two Pokemon currently unaccounted for; Kite and Rowan. There was also one door left, so with a great deal of caution, Slate pushed the door open. Slate had handled the two of them on the ship, so he could do so in this house too. It never hurt to be too careful, though.

As he had predicted, both of his enemies were lying on tiny little straw mattresses as everyone else had been. Rowan seemed deep in sleep. However, he had also proven to be more than fearsome with his illusions, so it wasn't a guarantee that he was asleep.

Rowan, though, wasn't Slate's focus. Lying there was Kite. The source of the majority of Slate's current problems, sleeping like he hadn't a care in the world.

Slate flexed his claws. If this wasn't one of Rowan's illusions, he could end this nightmare once and for all. If Slate could find the nearest town and present Kite to the authorities on a silver platter, then there was nothing that would keep Helios on this adventure. Selene would find her dues, Helios would no longer have a chance at his 'redemption', and they all could return home in peace.

This capture needed perfect execution, however. If Slate messed up, this momentary ceasefire would disappear, and Helios's life would once again be in danger. The primary threat, of course, was the Zorua. If he was only pretending to sleep with an illusion, then grabbing Kite and making a run for it was a surefire way to give himself away. Taking Kite had to be done with a way to ensure the Zorua couldn't stop him.

Slate walked back out of their room and returned to his and Helios's room, an elementary plan already forming in his mind. It wasn't anything special, but it should be enough to make sure the illusions didn't work on him. If he could break through Rowan's illusions, then he would be able to take Kite without too much consequence.

He slowly pried some of the floorboards up so that he could contact solid ground again. Then he dug, silent as he could, trying to make it so that no one in the house would realize that anything was amiss. Slate couldn't let anyone know of his plan.

Getting through the house's foundation was annoying, but eventually, Slate managed to dig under the wall. Now, he was under the room Rowan and Kite were in - and here came the crux of the plan. Illusions only affected the senses, not reality, so Slate couldn't directly trust his sensory abilities right now.

Indirectly, however, was a different story. Rowan's weight pressed down on the earth, and Slate could feel him through all the layers of dirt. It was only a rough approximation of a being, but the weight was much less than where Kite had been.

Rowan's tiny size allowed Slate to see through his tricks - or lack of tricks since there wasn't any difference between what Slate sensed through the earth and what he saw when he crept in. Maybe Rowan was asleep, or he could have put an illusion on himself to make himself look asleep and nothing else.

Either way, Slate could see through the illusion. Slate started digging through the earth under the spot where Kite slept. Soon, the ground under Kite's little mattress started shaking, and Slate only had to stand back as it collapsed under its weight and dropped Kite to the bottom of the tunnel.

That was enough, however, to wake him up. Kite slowly stood up, blinking in confusion. He opened his mouth to say something, but Slate immediately cut him off before he could regain his bearings.

"Jurentia involtas mulaties, adjutt benker signitz shutal."

The passcode immediately wiped away Kite's false emotions, and the obedient little drone he was hiding resurfaced. "What would you like to know?" he asked, blinking slowly.

Slate, though, wasn't in the mood for questions. "Nothing - now shut up." Kite offered no protest as Slate grabbed him and threw him over his fin. Now Slate could move around with Kite.

But to where? Kair showed at least a small measure of sympathy for Kite if he was going to put him on a straw mattress instead of dumping him on the ground. There was no telling if Kair would try and stop him, and Slate couldn't fight Kair head-on. The gulf in strength was far too large for him to try and attempt that.

No, Slate could dig his way outside the house. He'd be in the Nightmare, but he could handle the bad weather much more deftly on land than he could in a wooden ship in the middle of the ocean. A bigger problem was which direction to travel in - Slate didn't know if he was in Illusuria, or Vidnes, or any other possible nation Kair could have taken them to.

Slate ran back up the tunnel and came back into the original room, scanning it for anything that he could to reference his current location. There was nothing, however, other than books of fairy tales and archeological books regarding various legends. The house's owner must have been some freak for legendaries, one of those nutcases.

A second later, though, Slate noticed a folded piece of paper nestled in between the pages of one of the old books. Cracking it open, he found a map of the Eilkan Continent. All of the countries here had gone to war with Naixe's kingdoms in the Eilkan War two decades ago, though only Illusuria was the one to commit to an alliance with Naixe.

Slate blinked as he noticed Illusuria, which had several lines coming out of a dot on its shore. Scribbled on the margins were several battle plans? Targets? Something along those lines.

Nearby, he noticed a copy of the map and the dot, which was near Logain. A spark of intuition told him that the marked spot was the house's current location since it measured distances to several important cities in the Eilkan Continent. Where else would they measure the distance from but where they already were.

Slate grinned. He had a location, a direction, and an idea of where to go. The best part was that there was a compass off on a shelf in the room's corner. Picking it up and judging his direction, he slipped back into the tunnel with Kite on his back.

A few more minutes of digging later, and Slate was running through the rain, Kite silent as they headed toward Logain. It was only a mile or two away, but every step maintained the risk of Kite waking up and doing battle. Though, it wasn't too much of a risk as Slate could quickly restate the password and put him back into Reporting Mode.

Then, thirty minutes after Slate started running as fast as he could toward Logain, he saw the tempest-swept port and breathed a sigh of relief. It was a little premature, but he couldn't help himself - he was nearly there!

But he couldn't let himself get caught - he was a wanted Pokemon as well, as much as he hated to admit it. Slate wasn't sure it would be 'questions first, actions later' with two fugitives in plain sight. As long as he could drop Kite off where they could recapture him, that would be fine enough for him.

Pinnaleis had taught him not to take the front gate since he couldn't hold himself well under scrutiny - not like Helios could. Tunneling was how they got in that time, so tunneling would be how they entered this time as well. Setting Kite down, Slate made one last hole, digging under the ground and making a route under the gates.

Luckily, there was no 'Illicity' in Logain, so Slate was free to pop back up in a garden. No one had noticed since there were only a few people out and about in such inclement weather, so he safely went back into the tunnel and dragged Kite into the town proper.

The mud and the rain were starting to make things harder, and Slate found himself tiring more than he'd like to admit. The ugly bruise from Kair's attack still hadn't healed over and was twinging angrily in pain as he lugged Kite through the city's nearly empty streets. Hopefully, the police station would still be open so Slate could dump Kite off.

There was the small problem of not knowing where the police station was, though. Slate had to locate it, and there was no way he could ask any of the locals where it was. Since there was no convenient map anywhere either, Slate had to look for it the hard way - by combing through all of the streets until he found something that resembled the station.

It took far longer than Slate was comfortable to admit. Many warehouses and shops and houses seemed interchangeable, and Slate found himself getting lost more times than he cared to admit. A growing headache was making the process of thinking much harder than it had any right to be, and Kite's weight on his fin only grew.

But he persevered. For Helios, he had to complete this.

And then he found it. A tall cylindrical building with a picture of twin magnets. The icon of the most extensive police force in the world, Magnezone Unlimited. A large security company with cheap rates that maintained law with no hesitation or emotional reactions whatsoever. Without greed or a strong sense of fear, they were the ones you wanted to control your criminals and ne'er do wells.

Slate opened the doors and forced himself inside. There was a Magnemite at the desk, of course, and upon seeing him, they instantly sounded the alarms. Sirens rang as Slate just dropped Kite on the ground and made a run for it.

The glass doors to the station shut close, and Slate skidded to a stop. He couldn't go the way he came, so time to dig again.

The second he tried, however, Slate found his claws surrounded with lots of little Magnet Bombs. Slate stared at them in confusion for a few seconds, and that was enough time for the Magnemite to slam into him. Slate tried to wrestle it off, but all of his energy left him, and when the Magnemite lifted the two of them into the air, Slate realized there was nothing he could do.

The Magnemite released tiny explosions on him that broke his scales, making him wince. A few of the Magnemite's comrades joined the fray, grabbing Slate's other arms and completely trapping him.

"Let… let go of me!" Slate ordered, fatigued. "I… I brought Kite here. I'm not working with him."

"Let him go." Slate lifted his head and saw an Absol, flanked by two Magneton and a Magnezone, walk smoothly into the room. "My horn tells me he is of no danger to Logain or anyone. He comes in peace."

Relief flooded into Slate's system at the site of the Absol. "R-right. Kite is right there - go ahead and arrest him, we're not working together. You can look into my head if you want to, it'll show you everything you want to know."

The Magnemite that had taken him dropped him at the Absol's order, and Slate fell to the ground painfully. Nonetheless, he managed to push himself up as the Absol approached him and Kite.

"You don't appear to be lying, young Slate." As the Absol smiled warmly, Slate sat down in relief. "Wait here - I might need your help to subdue Kite in case he wakes and attempts to fight us."

"Of course!" Slate nodded eagerly. "But, just in case he targets me," Slate gestured at the Absol to bring her closer as the Magnemite formed a perimeter around the placid Kite. "There's a phrase you can use - 'jurentia involtas mulaties, adjutt benker signitz shutal'. It'll put him to sleep like this. The phrase 'pyrrer gestit psists affeate' will put him to normal as well." Slate made sure to whisper so he didn't reactivate Kite.

The Absol nodded. "Thank you. I'll be sure to relay that to the Regilian official we've just sent word to."

A few minutes later, a Xatu showed up, and another wave of relief came over him. Slate grinned with happiness as the Absol spoke with it for a few minutes, conveying everything Slate said to her concisely. No time lost, no time wasted - the perfect picture of professionalism.

Then the Xatu grabbed Kite before turning to face Slate. While he turned, Slate took note of a strange marking on the corner of one of his wings. "Know this, young Slate. For your endeavors, you will be rewarded handsomely." With that, he grabbed hold of Kite and teleported away.

Kite was gone.

Kite was gone.

He had done it. Slate had taken his one chance and used it to end this nightmare. The biggest smile he could imagine broke out across his face as Kite finally would be put into prison, where he belonged.

"I did it… I did it!" Slate cheered as the Magnemite buzzed and signaled at a high rate around him. There was nothing more to do. Slate would cooperate with the Absol to capture Rowan and Selene, and everything would be as it was supposed to be.

"You did, Slate." Slate turned to see Absol's brilliant smile radiating. "I can't say enough how proud I am of your achievement. To take someone as dangerous and competent as Kite, and to bring him here with little-to-no injuries - a truly remarkable feat."

"I did my best, ma'am." Slate replied with happiness.

The Absol continued smiling. "Yes. There is something I need to discuss with you, however, concerning your reward and what we'll do next. Please follow me."

She took him aside, bringing him through several hallways to a massive ostentatious office. Inside were many shiny gold awards and medals for saving Logain - the Absol, Baize, had been crucial to stopping enemy Hovem forces from taking over the location, giving several hours warning to the city to shore up their defenses. It had forced the Naixian Alliance to circumvent Illusuria and Logain by heading around Eilka and attacking from a less-prepared port.

"Ah, you've noticed, haven't you?" Baize smiled at Slate's open admiration. "These are what I'm proud of, Slate. Not the awards themselves, but the accomplishment that led to the awards. Logain has been my home for my entire life, and it is my duty to defend it, be it from Kite or anyone else that may threaten it." Baize's eyes sparkled. "Tell me, Slate. What is your duty?"

"My duty?" The answer came to him as soon as his breath did. "My duty is to protect and serve Prince Helios. That was what I was born to do, ma'am. Kite is a threat to Helios, so I had to get rid of him before Helios decided to confront him."

Baize turned to a kettle of tea, nodding. "Would you like some tea, Slate?" Slate nodded, and within a minute, the tea was already steeping on the table. "I must say, I am very curious as to how you managed to capture Kite. I assume it had to do with that strange passphrase you told me about - exactly what is that?"

Slate launched into an explanation about the collars and Reporting Mode, eventually turning into a detailed log of their events coming to Logain. As Baize listened, the interested glint in her eyes grew. Even as she poured their tea, she never took her eyes off Slate, nor her attention off of what he said.

As Slate finished, she took a long sip of the tea, prompting Slate to do the same. Once they put down the cups, Baize asked another question. "Slate, do you think that this Temptress may be a threat to Illusuria?"

Slate laughed. "I'd think you would know that better than I ever could, ma'am." Baize's frown didn't leave, causing Slate's smile to fall off. "I don't know," he eventually admitted. "I don't know that much about her. These collars can create more Kites, and the thought of more of them in the world scares me. I don't know if she's a threat to Illusuria, or Helios, or everything, but… it's still a little creepy."

Baize nodded. "I see. And if your Prince were to go to Nucifera to confront her in person? What would you do?"

Slate scoffed. "Since Kite is out of the picture, Helios's desire for his redemption will decrease. Even if he wants to go against the Temptress, I'll stop him. I can probably convince him to get Dragnis's help for taking her on if we have to stop her. Either way, I won't let Helios get anywhere near her."

Baize nodded, another warm smile on her face. "I see that you too are loyal to your duty, Slate. Know that you have our aid - if you are to make any moves, be sure to let me know." Slate instantly agreed. "For now, neither you nor Prince Helios should worry about the Temptress. I'll take care of her, and I'll mobilize all of my assets to do so."

Slate breathed another sigh of relief. "Miss Baize, you are one of the most reliable Pokemon I have met."

Baize laughed. "Well, that was what I was meant to be, Slate, just as you were meant to be your Prince's most loyal servant." Baize drained her cup. "All of the information you have given us has been very crucial. Know this, Slate. Tonight, we will go rescue Prince Helios and Princess Eve."

Slate raised an eyebrow. "Tonight? Rescue?"

"Surely you don't want your liege to stay in such poor company, do you? Among a thieving servant of Captain Admer? Among a family of traitorous merchants? Among a monster like Selene?"

"Of course not!"

"Then we will rescue the poor royals from such a sad situation. All those arrested will have fair trials, and your Prince will finally be safe and among those who will protect them." Baize smiled. "Justice will be served, and those that need protection will get it."

Now that was something Slate could get behind. "Does it have to be tonight? Can't it happen earlier?"

Baize's eyes glinted with amusement. "Your enthusiasm is more than apparent, Slate, but we need time to marshal our forces and warn our allies. We don't know the strength of the Zorua, nor the Dragonite. Haste does not need throwing caution to the wind."

Slate nodded, accepting the reasoning.

"Other than that, there is one more thing I must give you for your services." Baize's eyes glinted. "For such an incredible feat and daring courage, you deserve a just reward, Slate. Tell me, what do you want?"

"The safety of Prince Helios is all I need, ma'am," Slate answered with ease. "Anything else is utterly unnecessary, as long as Helios goes where he is supposed to go."

Baize tilted her head. "There is that, of course, but something a little special for you. To go out of your way to make sure Kite never had a chance of escaping requires more than something we would already give. It wouldn't be a reward, would it?"

Slate shrugged. "Then I don't know. Give me whatever you feel is adequate."

Baize sighed. "I see… you aren't a miserly Pokemon, are you? Are you absolutely sure that there is nothing you want?"

Slate crossed his arms. "Nothing, ma'am. Nothing at all." A brief idea for a reward flashed into his mind - another bottle of pills for Selene - before he immediately quashed it. Since she was guilty, then she didn't deserve those pills in the first place.

Baize didn't say anything for a few more seconds, then stood up. "I'll find something excellent for you, Slate. Hold no doubt for it." She walked to the door before stopping. "Tell me, Slate - are you interested in Seeds?"

Slate blinked. "Seeds? Aren't those illegal?"

"Many of them are, but not all of them. I have a few boxes of seeds in the back - I can bring a few here and show them to you, alright?"

"... alright, then." Slate agreed, a little unnerved. It seemed a little odd for someone connected so highly to the law. "If you say so."

Baize smiled again - she rarely frowned, even when the subject matter was grim - and left her office. As she did, Slate's apprehension grew. Exactly what had he gotten himself into, now? Why did Baize want to give him Seeds, of all things?"

Ten minutes later, Baize returned, carrying a few boxes of Seeds with her. "Each of these boxes is filled with a different kind of seed. This box contains Ban Seeds, which will interfere with muscle memory if swallowed." Illegal. "These are Training and Joy Seeds that will greatly speed up training time, allowing you to grow fast at an incredible rate." Incredibly illegal. "And these? They're Violent Seeds, which will make you monstrously powerful for a short time… at a physical cost, of course."

"Baize, these are all wonderful, but," Slate grimaced, looking at the boxes (and why did he feel a strange sense of deja-vu?) with trepidation. "Is there anything less risky that you can give me?"

Baize sighed. "That's the only reward I can give you. If you wait a month, I can order some evolutionary stones from Mt. Polymus, but it won't be easy."

Slate took another look at the Seeds before breathing heavily and taking them. "Well, I'll take what I can get. You don't mind if I throw these away, do you?"

"By all means, be my guest. I no longer need them, so you can take them and do whatever you want with them." No longer? "I'll need to meet with the Regilian Hounds to organize the rescue. Feel free to use the facilities here however much you want. I fully trust you, Slate."

Baize got up and walked to the door again. As she opened the door, Slate noticed that she shared the strange tattoo the Xatu did - one that looked like a hat, now that Slate looked at it more closely.

"Miss Baize, what is with that strange tattoo on your hindquarters?" It was a little impolite to ask, but she did say she trusted him.

Baize turned to face him and smiled one last time. Despite Slate's confidence and trust in her, it looked strangely predatory.

"You know well what it means, Slate. There is no need to hide among us." With that cryptic statement, she exited, leaving Slate alone in her office. As she left the room, Slate's apprehension and nervousness grew. Slate scooped up the boxes and left for the lobby.

While the Magnemites scurried around, preparing for Aegeron's arrival and the rescue, Slate sat down in the corner with his boxes of Seeds. Despite minutes passing by, Slate's feelings of restlessness never abated - honestly, he just wanted to return to Baize's side. He felt a lot of relief and trust in her.

A horrible, horrible thought was going through Slate's mind, but no matter how hard he tried to push it out, it remained. It was a terrible thought. To make sure it was only a thought, though, he had to check.

Slate opened one of the boxes. After emptying it, he took a look at its interior walls. That strange hat-shaped mark was printed all over the inside of the box.

Slate's earlier feelings of deja-vu manifested into a memory. It wasn't something Slate had paid attention to at the time - he was much more concerned with the collared Mirella and the Shadow Worker, Ami. But inside the box of Reviver Seeds was the same pattern of hats that Slate saw now.

Maybe Baize confiscated these from a Shadow Worker? But then, why would she have it tattooed on her hindquarters? Why would the Xatu have it tattooed on their hindquarters?


"These are what I'm proud of, Slate. Not the awards themselves, but the accomplishment that led to the awards. Logain has been my home for my entire life, and it is my duty to defend it, be it from Kite or anyone else that may threaten it." Baize's eyes sparkled. "Tell me, Slate. What is your duty?"


"Yesterday, Kenki said that any further questions should be forwarded to the Temptress. Where can we find her?"

Ami raised an eyebrow. "Is it part of your duty?"

"Duty?"

Ami waved the question away. "Never mind that. You can find her in Nucifera - just ask a Hat and they'll bring you right to her."

"A hat?"

Ami laughed. "You'll understand eventually."


Oh no.

Slate screwed up. Slate had screwed up in the worst way possible.


HE DELIVERED KITE TO THE TEMPTRESS ON A SILVER PLATTER! WHAT THE HELL ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?!

Maybe Slate's wrong? What if Baize just did what she said and gave Kite back to the Regilians?

I wish I could agree with you, One, but it's far more likely that Four and Slate are correct. We all saw the inside of the box, and it matches the one Ami had.

Is it even that bad that the Temptress took Kite? It's not like he's far away - we only have to go to Nucifera.

Three, you are an imbecile. I swear, if you don't understand the ramifications of the creator of the COLLARED knowing where we are and what we know of, I will disfigure you.

Four, that's enough. Selene doesn't need us panicking in her head. She needs support, and we have to do our best to give as much of it as we can to her.

Support? She's still on the ropes as to whether we exist or not. What the hell is she going to do with our advice?

I think she said support, not advice. Should we cheer for her?

You can do it, Selene! I believe in you! Selene, Selene, SELENE, yaaaaaay!

You're all complete nimrods!

Please, please, stay quiet, you four. I'm - I'm still not feeling too well.

Thank you.

Selene had huddled up on her bed, trying to ignore the searing pain that spread across her body. There wasn't much else she could do. Her health had begun to deteriorate once more - while she was well-rested (for once), her rashes and other bodily problems had dramatically worsened.

Scales were falling out by the handful, only matched by their rate of regrowth. She couldn't eat anything anymore - her body rejected everything as though they were rocks. Every muscle movement shot strands of fire into her brain, making her want to cry.

And it was every muscle. Selene couldn't speak anymore, the act of blinking made her want to gouge out her eyes, and the very beating of her heart made her want to cry - but that would also be painful.

The sensitivity of her eyes was growing exponentially, too. Things that used to look dim now looked blinding, and average-lit objects now looked like the sun. Even her flesh felt like it was being burnt alive.

You know, I don't think we're the main problem.

Four!

But she's right, Two.

Selene?

You all are the least of my worries. You guys are annoying, but you aren't going to kill me, are you?

I don't want to kill you, Selene.

Then no, you're not worse than anything else I'm facing.

Maybe you should take one of those pills? They - They're not good for us, but if it can help you, Selene, then I'll take the pain.

Excellent idea, One - if she had any!

She - she doesn't have any?!

Of course not! She lost them in the Nightmare! Every single one she had left is now a Sharpedo's snack!

But - but what's going to happen to her?

We don't know, One.

"Selene? Are you feeling better?" Eve's voice floated up to her ears. "We'll have to leave soon before the Hounds come."

"... no…" Selene croaked. Still, she somehow found the resolve in her to stand, nearly collapsing on Eve in the process. As she stumbled, fire melting her bones, she forced back the tears that threatened to spill out. "But… take me there anyway."

"Of course," Eve said instantly, hauling Selene on her back and taking her out of the room.

Eve truly is a gem, isn't she?

She should be a little gentler, though. She's causing a lot of pain to Selene.

Four, I swear!

Eve set her down on a chair before turning to face the other Pokemon in the room. "Alright, what's our plan?"

"Our?!" Rowan snarled. "There is no 'our'! Your friend Slate gave him away to an enemy! To me, he's barely a step away from being my enemy as well!"

No one stepped in to defend Slate, not even Slate himself. Selene had only woken up when Slate had already returned from Logain to give the bad news in person. There had been a lot of shouting, and Rowan tried to tear Slate apart (only to be stopped by Kair, who didn't want blood spilled in his friend's house). Slate had offered no rebuttals, no arguments, nothing.

He had told them all of what happened in Logain and of the true nature of Baize. Selene's poor vision hadn't let her see Slate's face, but purely from his tone of voice, she could tell that Slate was regretting his earlier decision.

Regretful of giving Kite to the Temptress, not of selling him and all of us out! Slate's not on our side, Selene!

I mean, we're against Kite, aren't we? The enemy of an enemy is a friend and all that?

No, that means it's a three-way conflict!

Why did Slate even try this at all? Isn't he doing this all for Helios?

Helios was sitting off in the corner as well. Eve had tried talking to him earlier, but Helios refused to speak to anyone at all. Slate's betrayal must have shaken him to his core.

Kapun stood by Rowan, supporting him with what he was saying. "How do we know that he won't try to sell us out again? How do we know you won't try to sell us out again?"

"Boys, please!" Kair interrupted. "Now isn't the time for an argument! We need to come up with a plan so that we don't get imprisoned!"

Rowan spat at Slate's feet. "Plan with him? I'd rather throw him in front of the Temptress as well and see how he likes it!" Slate twitched but didn't say a word.

"Helios?" Eve asked, desperate. "Do you have any ideas?"

Helios bowed his head. "I need to think about this for a little bit," he pled. "I'm - I'm sorry, but I don't know what to do. Does anyone know? Please?"

I don't know either, Helios, so it's okay.

He can't hear you, One.

I know, but maybe the message will get through to him?

Rowan snarled. "I know one thing for sure - that Gible is never going to work with us." He made a rude gesture toward Slate. "He's already shown time and time again that he doesn't give a shit about what anyone else wants or thinks. If he's in, I'm out."

Slate's remorse fell to an irritated growl. "I don't want to work with you either, so do whatever you want. I'll do my best to prevent the Temptress from attacking Helios. Everything else is up to you."

"Did you hear that?" Rowan raged. "He's not even interested in getting Kite back. All he cares about is that idiot!"

"Idiot?" Slate seethed. "Helios, give me the order and-"

Helios bowed his head. "... apologize."

"What was that?"

"Apologize," Helios demanded after a few more seconds.

"To him? You're delusional if you think-"

"Not to him," Helios interrupted. "Slate, this is an order. Apologize to me."

Slate looked up. "W-what?"

Helios looked at his bodyguard, eyes brimming with fury. "Slate, apologize now. I keep telling you that Kite is dangerous and that we need to stop him, but all you care about is protecting me! I'm your prince! Aren't you supposed to listen to me?!"

"But Kite is-"

"Kite is in the worst possible place right now! Not with us, not with the Regilians, but with the Temptress! I hate him, and giving him back to his first owner is the last thing I wanted! Slate, apologize to me now."

Is it just me, or does Helios sound really entitled right now?

"Helios, I-"

"Slate, stop it!" Helios roared, cowing Slate into silence. "Stop making these decisions without asking me! Stop it! StopitstopitSTOPIT!"

"THAT TEARS IT!"

Helios's ranting was cut short by Kapun's shout. Everyone turned to look at the boy, who faced the two Dragnians with almighty fury. "You two are the most self-centered and selfish idiots we've had the misfortune to come across! The Temptress has taken Kite away to his master, but all you care about is running away and making sure you're still on top of the hierarchy!"

Helios drew himself up. "Well, I want to bring Kite to justice - that means taking him away from his master and putting him to Undeath or whatever. Slate needs to learn to listen to what I say!"

"Undeath? He's going to suffer in Undeath?"

Helios looked at Rowan in confusion. "Yeah, that's where he's supposed to go. I don't know what that is, though."

"A fate worse than death - you think that's justice?" Rowan asked again, disbelieving.

"Fate worse than death?"

Eve took this moment to pipe up. "Undeath is a permanently active slavery band. It attacks the brain with mind-melting pain and causes insanity within the first few hours. Even then, they still feel the pain. Caretakers lengthen the prisoner's life as much as possible so that they feel as much pain as they can ever have."

That's so awful! Why go that far?!

It's because Kite broke the Life Harp or something.

But he didn't! Even then, is the Life Harp that important?

Kapun stared at Eve in shock before his gaze sharpened. "Why… why?!" He demanded, surprise twisting into fury. "Even if he's a murderer, something like that is unreasonable!"

"Because he broke the Life Harp. I don't expect Dragnians or Vidnesians to understand why it's so important," Eve replied flippantly. "But know that he deserves what's coming to him."

"Dad, get Rowan. We're leaving."

Kair blinked. "What?"

"Dad, we need to leave. These four should take care of themselves from now on. Rowan is right - we can't work with them." Kapun growled. "And people like them won't save Kite. Not the way we want to."

I'm confused. What's happening?

If Kapun is saying what I think he's saying, then he's turning on us.

"Those four got themselves into this situation. I plan on getting Kite back - but not with them." Rowan nodded in approval. "If you want to save them and you have the time, then fine. But you've done more than enough for them, Dad."

He is turning on us! The bastard!

I can't believe it! Of all the awful things that Kapun has said, that must be the worst!

"Kapun, I didn't raise you so that you could-" Kair started slowly, gently, but Kapun cut him off again before he could build up any resistance.

"Dad, Slate is ready to sacrifice us. Helios could have killed me if you didn't save us. Selene is a burden, and Eve is a psychopath! Kite won't be, and the only reason those four would work with us to rescue Kite from the Temptress is to throw him to Regilia afterward, to Undeath! Please, Dad."

Kair was silent. Helios's ranting and whining trailed off as he stared at Kapun in shock. Rowan looked at his friends with delight and pride. Eve and Slate couldn't say a word.

"Dad, you've thrown yourself to hell and back for them. Kite taught me that you shouldn't give something away without expecting something back, not without getting yourself exploited. They've taken everything from us. Everything. How much longer will you push yourself like this?"

"Kapun…"

"Please!" Was… was Kapun crying? "Please! Dad, we can't do this anymore! When will this stop? They've tried to kill me, to kill us. WHY? WHY DO WE HAVE TO SUFFER FOR THEM?! WHY DO WE HAVE TO RISK OUR LIVES OVER AND OVER FOR THEM?! WHY?!"

Had this not happened before, Selene would have thought of Kapun as cold, psychopathic, manipulative, but there was sincere emotion in what he was saying.

"I'VE PUSHED MYSELF TO HELL AND BACK TO GET HERE, DAD!" The sobs now mixed with rage. "AND YOU WANT ME TO STAY HERE? WITH THEM? WITH PEOPLE WHO WANT ME IMPRISONED, WHO WANT TO USE ME, WHO WANT TO KILL ME? PLEASE, DAD! PLEASE!"

Kapun's sobs trailed off. Kair looked at his son with both fear and deep concern. Nobody said anything.

Kair won't listen to him. He's not like that.

"... fine."

Selene's heart skipped a beat.

Kair turned to face her, Eve, and the two Dragnians. "You four are fortunate enough to have gotten this far. Use your connections properly, and you won't need my aid anymore. I have gone through hell and back to help you all." His voice harshened. "You're on your own now."

Through the sensitivity of her eyes, Selene managed to get a glimpse of Kair's face. The kindness was still there but far wearier. He stared at them with a mixture of irritation, sadness, disappointment, sympathy, and everything that made Selene's blood run cold.

He can't be doing this!

Selene, you have to do something! Stop him!

"W-wait!" Eve shouted, running back up to them. "I - I can pay you back! I can get-"

Kair smiled. "Eve, you've been a good girl, so take care of them." He patted her on the head before grabbing Rowan and Kapun. "I've gotten my friend's permission for full use of this abandoned house. You can use it however you wish for the next few hours before the Hounds come. They'll take care of you four. Stay strong."

With a beat of his wings, he flew out the door, leaving a gust of wind in his wake.

Will we be okay?

No one answered her.

They stared at the door in disbelief. Helios's mouth was gaping while Slate curled his claws into fists. Eve stared at the spot where Kair flew off from, as though she couldn't understand what happened.

Minutes passed. Nobody moved a muscle. Selene felt the pain grow slightly, now that she had nothing to take her mind off the constant pains.

Hey, Selene? Maybe you should get up?

What?

Three, what are you saying? You know how much pain Selene is in, right?

Knowing Three, she might not.

Selene, you guys need to start moving, right? Since you're an 'accomplice' to Kite, they'll throw you into Undeath too. Do you want to stick around and let them catch you?

Damn it, you're right.

With the Numbers' encouragement, she managed to screw up enough courage to push herself off the chair. The motion alerted Eve, who hadn't moved an inch. "S-Selene! Why are you-"

"If we don't get moving, they'll send me to Undeath too," Selene muttered, wincing. "Moving is painful, breathing is painful, and living is painful. Undeath is torture, though. If it means avoiding that, I can push myself to do anything."

"They won't put you through Undeath," Helios promised. "I'll make sure of it."

Selene laughed hollowly, any sort of empathy having been burned away by her boiling blood. "Helios, you can't even get Slate to listen to you. What makes you think King Midos will?"

The effect of Selene's statement was palpable. Helios's head slowly dropped, and a few seconds later, tears started to form at the corner of his eyes. "S-sorry," Helios mumbled. "I'll… I'll…"

Helios trailed off, words crumbling to nothing. Slate went next to Helios and glared at Selene. "Selene, apologize," he commanded in Helios's place. "Don't insult Helios like that."

Eve growled. "Insult? She said he couldn't convince anyone, and he collapsed like a sack of sugar. It's not her fault if Helios can't take the truth."

Selene interrupted before the fight could get too far. "Slate, Helios, Eve, you three can stay here. I'll be leaving for Nucifera and to get Kite back before Rowan and Kapun can. Kair was right - you three won't get in any trouble if you stay here for the rescue."

Eve snorted. "As if. In case you've forgotten, Selene, I didn't leave Ascendance Palace for Kite."

Right. "Then go to Mt. Polymus. It's in Illusuria, right? You can get there by walking now."

Eve's snorts blew up into laughter. "Selene, didn't I tell you that Mt. Polymus is next to Nucifera. I'll be going with you."

Selene, even if you're afraid of her seeing you die, you can't just try to abandon her like this.

Did I ask, Two?

No, you didn't. It doesn't mean you didn't need to hear it, either.

You too, Four?

Yeah, me too. Deal with it.

I don't want to leave Eve. She's nice to us.

"Fine, Eve," Selene said after a few more seconds. "You can come with me. Helios and Slate should go somewhere else, though." A rationalization came to her. "After all, it would be bad if we were to all go together. The Hounds will find us easily if we stay stuck together like this. They won't treat you two so badly, will they?"

Helios offered no words of rebuttal, still lost in a torpor. Slate, however, seethed. "Oh, I see. You can go off and take Eve to the Temptress yourself while we stay here, oblivious."

Fuck you too, Slate.

Two, what does that mean?

Four, don't repeat those things in front of One!

Try and stop me.

Eve glared at Slate. "When I met you, I thought you were a good enough person. Dragnian or not, you seemed nice. But in reality, you're just a monster that can't show an inch of compassion or camaraderie."

Slate's face remained stony. "I'm doing this for your safety too. Sticking around with Selene is-"

"Selene is my friend, and you aren't." Eve let out a bark, then turned to Selene. "Kapun had the right idea. Let these two take care of themselves while we fix up the messes you made."

You go, girl!

"Eve, they're our friends too," Selene tried to interject, but Eve shook her head.

"Helios isn't bad, but Slate is more than terrible enough to compensate. They're a pair, a pair that will put you in harm's way the longer they're around you. I won't let them hurt you."

"Selene, I'm going to," Die. Selene was going to die, but the words stuck in her throat. "Helios, what do you want to do?"

"... you two can leave," Helios muttered. "We'll - we'll figure out what to do sooner or later. Don't let us stop you." Eve smiled with approval, though Selene was less than sure herself.

"Helios, to leave Eve with that Shadow Worker-" Slate tried to warn.

"Slate, stop it," Helios said. There was no effort, energy, or conviction behind the order.

"Helios, I won't let Selene take Eve away to the Temptress!"

"Alright, then," Eve interrupted, eyes gleaming. "She won't take me away - I'll take her away."

Before Selene could react (though, it wasn't possible for her to 'react' as she was now), Eve hauled her over her shoulder and Quick-Attacked her way out the door.

And so, they left for Nucifera.


The black hole wasn't the biggest she had ever made. If she concentrated on the fabric of space and time and manipulated it more, she could make one many times more massive. But for an intimidation tactic, it worked splendidly.

"More than a week has passed, and you have all the materials you need. Still, my father remains on his deathbed. Tell me, Tamon - how much incompetence do you think I can tolerate? The answer will be less than what you want, of course."

Arya's patience, too, had thinned over the last week - though negotiations with Hovete were going well, her father's health had taken a drastic turn for the worst. Muscular atrophy and psychological stress fell to near-complete immobility and an inability to do anything remotely complicated. Even his heart was failing, now needing an artificial pacemaker to maintain a constant rhythm.

Now, as her father lay in critical condition and Tamon refused to hand over a proper cure, she finally let loose everything.

Tamon, to his credit, didn't flinch despite his proximity to the black hole. "I have been doing my best - however, there remains a side-effect to the serum. Right now, I believe that it will do more damage than anything else."

Arya growled. "Side-effect or not, Parasel told me it would be ready, and it isn't. Right now, my father is in critical condition, so any delay is grounds for treason."

Tamon stayed silent for a second before continuing. "If that is the case, then perhaps the side-effect is something he must risk." Tamon sighed. "Ten minutes. That's all I will need to procure the prototype serum. If things go well, it will give us time to produce something usable."

Arya's heart skipped a beat. "Are you saying my father has a chance?"

"Using the serum, possibly. If your father truly is in such danger, then we must risk the side-effects regardless." Before Arya could say anything else, Tamon started leaving for his side-lab. "Tell Rahan to prepare for process 3-F. She'll take care of everything from then on."

"Of course." Arya immediately built up her composure again. "I'll leave immediately."

A chance, a chance, a chance. Father needed to live, and Arya would make sure it happened.

Arya was about to teleport away before Genevieve, one of her Kirlia handmaidens, popped into existence next to her. "Your Highness, Kite has been found and captured."

That was enough to stop her temporarily. "Captured?"

Genevieve nodded. "Spymaster Xion has an Absol contact named Baize in Illusuria. It appears that Prince Helios's bodyguard, Slate, betrayed Kite. Kite has been subdued and is custody as we speak."

Thoughts flew through her head. She had expected the Hounds to find Kite, not Xion. Though father had ordered the Xatu to use his contacts to look for the criminals as well, so perhaps father's wisdom outshone hers. "Does that mean that the locations of Selene, Prince Helios, and Princess Eve are confirmed as well?"

"Yes. Slate has revealed their location - Xion has sent word to Aegeron and Caesian to prepare a retrieval squad." Genevieve took a deep breath, then continued. "Xion will send Kite to Undeath once he has finished interrogating him. Is this satisfactory, your Highness?"

Arya remembered the short window of time she had to warn Madam Rahan. "Yes, and give Xion and Caesian full authority on all matters with Kite and his compatriots until further notice. Don't bother me for at least the next few hours, understood?"

"Understood, your Highness." With that, Genevieve teleported away. Arya soon followed suit, teleporting to her father's private chambers, where many different healers worked.

Madam Rahan rushed up to her, face mopped with sweat. "Your Highness! I'm sorry, but-"

Arya interrupted Rahan before she could give her some more bad news. "Tamon's serum is virtually complete. He will administer it in seven minutes. Prepare for process 3-F."

Madam Rahan's apologetic look broke into a smile. "3-F? We can prepare that immediately." Rahan immediately looked at three of her nearby helpers. "Rama, Sama, Carm, prepare for 3-F!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Under Arya's careful watch, they began preparing, setting up a series of glowing orbs. Their thoughts consisted of diagrams and procedures, and Arya felt overwhelmed with the amount of information she was getting.

'Arya… Arya…' Her father's mental voice immediately made her snap to attention. She floated over to his side and knelt.

'Yes, father?'

'Do you… remember gold?'

Gold? 'Yes, father.'

Pasiphae loved it all. Gold, silver, platinum, metal, all were beautiful to her.'

Pasiphae. Her mother. Arya felt her heart clench as she remembered seeing her mother in that blood-soaked tub. Bath had robbed her of her mother, of the chance of knowing her as her father did.

'To me, gold was only beautiful on her.' Arya felt him use dredges of psychic power to drag her face into view. 'Did I ever tell you that you had her face?'

'No, father.'

'Ah…' Slowly, her father blinked. 'Arya… am I dying?'

Arya clenched her father's hand. "No, you aren't," she said aloud. "We'll deliver the medicine to you soon and buy time to develop better treatment. You won't die today."

'... I see.' A pause. 'How does the search go?'

Arya smiled. 'We captured Kite today.' Elation emanated from her father. 'Soon, everything will come to a close. You won't have to worry anymore, father.'

'Excellent. You've done a fine job.' She had done little, in all honesty. 'Nonsense. You maintained your composure with a strong heart and wise decisions. A fine queen.'

Queen? 'We still have a few years left before I undergo coronation. Don't leave the job to me just yet, father.'

'Arya… if the procedure were to fail, if I die-'

'Stop speaking nonsense, father.'

'You will become Queen.'

Arya grimaced inwardly. 'Father, you will not die.'

Almost as if on cue, the door to the sick bay opened. Tamon, holding a vial of blue fluid, slid up to Arya.

"The serum is as ready as I can get it. For this batch, I've minimized the agents that will cause the side effects. Hopefully, this will be enough to buy us the time we need."

Under Arya's eye, Tamon, Rahan, and the assistants all worked together to enact procedure 3-F. With careful precision, they made a tiny incision near some of the veins. Inserting the serum into a syringe, they then made three separate injections into as many different veins.

"This is to speed up the time it would take for the serum to get into the blood. Normally, we would have had King Midos ingest the serum or inhale a gaseous variant - however, with the time we have left, neither is an option." As Tamon worked, he explained the process as he went.

Soon, Tamon and Rahan began disinfecting and stitching up the incisions. As they worked, her father began taking on a purple hue.

"Tamon, what is happening?!"

Then she felt it - a surge of pain blasting its way through her father's consciousness. Instinctively, she retreated from his mind as he began flailing.

"Side effects, ma'am," Tamon explained with dispassion as he continued working. "There are many, many complications with the serum as it is. Rahan, begin emergency ventilation."

Soon, father's face took on a more normal hue, and Rahan set one of her assistants to assist father with his breathing. "How many more of these side-effects will my father have to suffer?"

"Many, many different side-effects," Tamon murmured. "Your father's illness is one I only barely understand, with the lack of time I have to study it. The serum will most likely cure him, however - if he survives the backlash, however."

Arya winced as she looked at her father's agonized face. "Can we attempt anesthesia or a Pain Split-"

"No." Tamon interrupted, eliciting gasps from the more respectful assistants. "I have not tested the serum on living patients yet. Anesthesia or a Pain Split could irreversibly damage the effect the serum has on the illness."

Arya stomped on the spike of irritation. "Why would anesthesia or a Pain Split ruin the recovery?"

"The disease affects neurons, which make up the brain and the ability to feel pain. Anesthesia does the same, meaning that it could interfere with the serum. Pain Split works on a similar basis. It might not affect him, but it could also make it worse. Do you wish to make that gamble?"

Arya screwed her eyes shut, feeling her father's pain acutely. "Continue, Tamon."

Tamon and Rahan continued working. Soon after her father's breathing got under control, he started throwing up. While dealing with that, his heart began beating wildly again, which needed the reactivation of the pacemakers. On and on, different maladies appeared, all quickly remedied. She felt both the desire to avert her eyes and escape the room and the need to stay here with her father.

'Arya… thank you.'

But then, some three hours later, something changed. Fewer side-effects began to appear, and bulk started showing on Father's muscles again. "Is it working?"

"Definitely." Excited whispers went around as Tamon continued. "He is regaining energy and reforming lost muscle."

Father then spoke.

"I feel my strength… returning," he said slowly, flexing his arms. "How much longer will I have to stay here?"

"The serum worked better than expected," Tamon replied. "I'll have to take more blood and tissue samples to make sure, but if the serum worked better than I expected… seventy-two hours, give or take a few.

Arya's heart leaped. "Three days, and he can leave healthy?"

Tamon nodded. "As fit as he'll ever be."

Father rolled his shoulders. "I must admit, Arya, I thought you had deluded yourself into thinking I had a chance. But now, I see that it was no mere delusion. Tamon, you shall know no lack of rewards for this deed."

"Of course, your Majesty." Father was always more particular about honorifics than she was, and Tamon seemed to pick up on that. After taking a few samples, Tamon continued. "I'll depart for my lab to see if any traces of the illness remain. Arya, if you would like to stay to speak with your father, you have my full permission."

Father drew himself up in anger at Tamon's presumptions of authority, even in an area of expertise. "Tamon, don't expect-"

"Of course, Tamon." She shot her father a message to back off. "I'd love to stay here."

She could resume her duties as a princess ('not queen,' she thought triumphantly) once her father recovered. Now that Kite was no longer a threat and the rescue squads would retrieve the Prince and Princess, she wasn't as necessary.

As Tamon left and Arya resumed conversation with her father (where he judged most of her actions and gave her further advice, not that she needed it), she felt the spark of hope reassert itself.

Things were finally going well.

A crash of lighting shook her awake. She had spent time with her father long into the night until he eventually fell asleep. She stood on the vigil for longer, making sure nothing was going wrong. In the end, sleep beckoned, and she fell asleep.

Once she recovered from the lightning strike, she set herself back on her chair and got ready to fall back asleep again. Yet, something churned deep within her, something wrong. Alarm bells were going off in her head, warning her of some approaching danger.

Eventually, she stopped trying to fall asleep again. Her species could see into the future, though unreliably. She had experienced this particular sense of unease before, right as something was about to go monstrously wrong. Not as precise as an Absol's, but still functional.

Still, what had triggered that psychic sense of danger? Her father looked as hale and hearty as he ever did, sleeping on his bed, so he wasn't the issue. Perhaps the attempted rescue had failed? Troubling, but not an immediately concerning problem.

She floated to her feet and teleported to where father had brought her to once before - the ward matrix. It was the location where she could quickly look over the entire castle, showing her images or whatever went on inside its halls. It wasn't perfect - it could not look at what happened in the secret passage built after it, nor on top of the Tower of Chandeliers. It couldn't look at what happened in the past, either, as it could not hold any records.

However, it was the best view of the castle she had. No immediate issue jumped at her, no problem or predicament. Tamon was busy researching the sample, and Parasel was refining the serum next to him. Rahan took care of patients as she was supposed to, and Genevieve and her other maids were cleaning as was their job.

Yet, the sense of unease grew. Arya gripped the controls tightly before swiveling the view around to look at her father again. Perhaps something was about to hurt him as well?

Nothing there either. Father slept as he always did, peacefully. Arya decided that she should check the barracks, see if anything was going wrong in there-

Her breath hitched as she noticed something new in the vision concerning her father - his eyes had opened. Another bolt of lightning must have woken him up. Arya had to return to relieve him.

Her father sat up in his bed. The sense of unease spiked as Arya watched him hold out a hand. She should return to his side and-

A surgical knife flew to his hand. Transfixed, Arya watched him do the unthinkable.

With perfect precision, he stabbed himself in the heart.

Her mind went blank. What - how - why?

And as klaxons began to ring, his eyes went dark for the last time.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Parasel replied as he continued the autopsy. "He was an excellent king."

Arya could only stare mutely at the chilling corpse. Her sense of danger had stopped the instant it was too late to fix anything. It had been fate - a fate she could have avoided had she been smart enough to remember what was important to her.

Several of the maids and other servants were beside themselves with tears. Next to her, Genevieve was shutting her eyes close, wishing not to see the corpse in person. The only person not entirely unhappy was Brush, who harbored some resentment for her father for what he did to her family.

Arya briefly contemplated punishing her for thinking as such before catching herself. She would not let herself become a tyrant of thoughts. Already, they were calling her Queen. Already, they had acknowledged that she was next in line for the throne.

Now, she was their leader. She had to act as such.

She turned to them. "Begin preparing the funeral." She couldn't put the weight of command into her voice, too tired to do so. The servants still loyally snapped to attention, if only to bring themselves away from the corpse. "Genevieve, bring Yurime here as well. He needs to know."

Once Genevieve had teleported away as well, she turned and nodded to Parasel. "As you can tell, he committed suicide." The words that she spoke pained her. "I saw him do it with my own eyes, using the ward's eyes. Make no mistake."

"That is what matches the way he's holding the knife," Parasel agreed. "However, there is one more thing you should take note of, your Majesty."

'Your Majesty.' She would have to get used to that. "What should I take note of?"

"After removing the knife, I've detected trace amounts of an instantly lethal poison."

The words echoed in her ears. "P-poison?" she asked incredulously.

"Poison." Parasel turned back to her father's corpse. "Your Majesty, did he speak about willing to kill himself or show any signs of depression?"

"N-no! He said that he had much more to teach me earlier today." A thundering realization came to her. "Are you saying that this is murder?"

"With the lack of a suicide note and motive, yes." Parasel bowed his head. "With hypnosis, psychic puppeteering, and other forms of mind control, there are many ways one could force another to commit suicide."

White-hot rage flared throughout her body. "I will find who killed my father, and I will make them pay."

For this, and this alone, she could shelve the polite, caring princess. For her father, for justice, she would find his killer and have them kneel.

Now, she was the Queen.


Man, Slate really messed up. But, then again, from what we saw with Arya, maybe he didn't? After all, it looks like Culus is going where Slate wanted him to go.

If you liked the chapter, feel free to fav, follow, and review. I really enjoy them - and now that more people are slowly warming up to the series, I can't help but feel the smallest smidgeon of pride. Someone knock it down, alright?

See ya!