January 19, 1987

Things are starting to not look so good among the Eight Kingdoms once again. King Leirelat has been frequenting our castle and I've been holed up in meeting after meeting with the two kings. King Bowser has decided to discuss things between Leirelat and myself before consulting with the Council, which makes things even more suspicious amongst its members. Usually King Leirelat has a calm demeanor, but this morning he seemed very worked up. He paced back and forth in the Planning Room, wringing his hands. I kept my eyes focused on the two huge maps of Alteria and Oceanside which covered much of the large oak table in the center of the room.

"Leirelat, won't you please sit?" My King politely asked. "You've come a long way to be here."

I turned around in my seat to only lock eyes with the Alterian King.

"I'm sorry, I suppose I'm worrying you all. I've had a lot of my mind lately." Leirelat stopped pacing and rested his hand on the back of my chair.

"I understand a small branch of Oceanside's Aerial Force has been patrolling over a section of Alterian mountainside suddenly. Am I correct?" I questioned.

"Yes, you're correct. For a time I had been corresponding with the Oceanside Head Administrator, and we both tried to come up with an agreement to avoid any drastic military action. Then all of a sudden the letters stopped, and within the last few weeks, Oceanside aircraft has been sighted over the Yaltina Mountain Range." Leirelat explained.

"Well, what's so special about that area?" I further interrogated. At my question, the Alterian King lowered his head and sighed. My King exchanged a nervous glance with Leirelat, then nodded his head. I found the interaction odd and raised an eyebrow at my King.

"Go ahead, Leirelat, inform Kamek. It'll only help the matter." King Bowser stated.

"Inform me about what?" I instantly played dumb. Ever since our meetings with Leirelat began two years ago I always knew he was leaving something out, some crucial information or some sort. It was about time I heard it.

Leirelat took a seat next to me and began to explain. "Supposedly there is a path in the Yaltina Mountains which leads to a cave. Inside the cave is the key to the Netherrealm. Of course, no one has ever seen this cave, since the story is based on legend. It sounds preposterous that someone would be searching for it, especially someone who's an outsider."

"The Netherrealm? But isn't that where the spirits of the dead reside? That's only based on blind faith, how could someone believe that it actually exists?" I was a bit dumbfounded by Leirelat's words. I had to let out a laugh. "Someone would start a war based on that?"

"While the Netherrealm might be legend, the possibility of war is reality. That is our concern." King Bowser explained to me.

I turned to face Leirelat. "Your Majesty, you honestly think Oceanside would go to war with Alteria to gain access to the mountains? Isn't that foolish?"

"When enemies invade your territory there is great cause for concern, Head Administrator Kamek. Oceanside is being extremely persistent." The Alterian King said to me.

"Well did you ever offer to let them explore the territory with Alterian guards?"

At my suggestion Leirelat's expression turned into one of anger. "Why should I let an outsider into my own kingdom? If I so desired to go on a treasure hunt for this legendary cave, don't you think I would've done so already? Besides, I want to avoid conflict over something which may or may not be even true."

"Are you afraid of what they might find, your Highness?" I asked. Leirelat was especially touchy with this subject. There had to be a reason why.

"Head Administrator Kamek, that is enough." King Bowser interjected. He obviously thought I was being too curious and had to silence me. "Avoiding war is what we're trying to do here."

"I understand that, your Majesty, but I think it's foolish to get involved in a conflict which we're not even sure of the reasons behind it!" I exclaimed.

Before my King could scold me some more, King Leirelat spoke. "Kamek, you're right. The main reason why I'm trying to avoid this war is because of my daughter. She means everything to me. Ever since news broke out that she's a sixth tier sorceress, Oceanside has become much more riled up than ever before." Even though he changed the subject, I could sympathize with Leirelat's plight. He had already lost his wife and newborn child. Losing Princess Victoria would surely mean losing everything for him.

"You think your daughter plays a part in this, your Highness?" I inquired.

"Yes," Leirelat knelt his head down and sighed. "I believe so."

"Sixth tier sorcerers are the rarest of the rare. If that power got into the wrong hands, then only the gods would know what could happen." My own words caused me to think about the relationship between Prince Ludwig and his father. King Bowser's sudden behavior regarding his son's powers has certainly stuck out in my mind. He often questions me about Ludwig's progress, which is understandable, but there's something not right in his character.

"Your daughter, I've never met her." King Bowser said to Leirelat. "How old is she now?"

The Alterian King broke out into a smile at the mention of his daughter. "My Victoria will be eleven in the beginning of May. May eighth to be exact."

"Ah, she's just a few months younger than my Ludwig. He just turned eleven two weeks ago."

"What does she look like?" I joined in.

"She has long straight black hair, and the most beautiful amethyst eyes you'll ever see. She resembles her mother in so many ways." Leirelat's voice was filled with pride as he spoke about his daughter. It was something King Bowser lacked when he praised his eldest son.

"Wow, amethyst-colored eyes? That's unusual." My King grinned as he exchanged glances with me.

"They're a sorcerer color, so they must be brilliant." I said.

"Yes, just like your eyes Kamek! I've always wanted to tell you how glowing your emerald eyes are. They have to be the most gorgeous shade of green I have ever seen." King Leirelat leaned in closer to gaze at my peepers. My King grinned and nodded his head in agreement. It didn't bother me, because I'm used to people doing that.

"Oh your Majesty, if you think I have nice eyes, you should look at Prince Ludwig's. I've never seen a sky bluer than his eyes!" I chuckled.

"I remember! Why is it that sorcerers have such profound colored eyes, Kamek?"

"It's just to mark them physically, I suppose. No one really knows why."

"Prince Ludwig closely resembles his mother," My King began. "He inherited his powers from her, and many of her physical features as well."

"Yes, including the eyes." I added. It was rare to hear the King refer to his late wife, and it shocked me that he did it in front of Leirelat.

"Oh, is that so?" Leirelat asked.

"Leirelat, I have an idea. The next time you pay us a visit, why don't you bring your daughter? We'd like to meet her, wouldn't we Kamek?" King Bowser presented.

"If her father permits it, of course I'd love to meet the princess." I answered. I've never met a sixth tier sorceress in person before! Maybe she could teach Ludwig and I a few things.

"Well, I'm not so sure. I guess I could tell her we're just going for a visit. She isn't aware of the military situation in Alteria, and I'd like to keep it that way for now." King Leirelat stated.

"That would be wonderful!" My King encouraged. Just as he finished speaking, a knock rang out, interrupting our conversation. "Yes? Come in!"

The right side of the double doors opened slowly. In walked Councilman Remir with a worried expression on his face. "Your Majesty, your wife calls for you. She said it's important. I tried to tell her that you were in an important meeting with the Head Administrator, but she just wouldn't hear it--"

"It's alright, Remir. Tell her I'll be right there." King Bowser said.

"I shall, your Majesty."

"I'm sorry gentlemen, would you please excuse me for a moment? My husbandly duties beckon!" The King jokingly remarked as he got up from his seat. Leirelat and I just smirked and told him it was fine to leave.

My eyes watched as the King exited the chamber. I was left alone with Leirelat, and decided to ask him a few questions regarding his daughter. "Your Majesty, I'm curious to know more about your daughter." I began. "As you know, I'm training the Crown Prince, so naturally I'm interested in Victoria's progress."

"Ah, yes my daughter." He chuckled. "She's quite popular throughout the Eight Kingdoms these days!"

I also laughed and nodded my head. "That's right. As you know, a sixth tier sorcerer was unheard of in our times before your daughter."

"I still remember the first time she ever called upon the spirit of her mother. It was such a beautiful site. Beforehand, I didn't believe that such things could happen. I used to think 'how could one manipulate the power of an ancestor?' and that it just wasn't possible."

"Yes, I can see what you mean. It's odd how such fantasy mixes with our everyday reality."

"Like I remember when she first told me that she had began to communicate with her mother," The King readjusted himself in his seat. "At first I had found it hard to believe, and I figured that it was all in her head. I thought the death of her mother had affected her in more ways than one, and that she was dealing with it in her own way."

This new piece of information greatly sparked my interest, and I felt myself raise my right eyebrow. "Communicating with her? How so?"

"Well, she told me that she'd talk to her and they'd have normal conversations, just like how you and I are having right now. Of course, I had trouble believing her, but I questioned her further about it. She was only seven at the time, so I attributed it to an overactive imagination, or like I said earlier, it was her way to cope. I asked her if she heard her voice out loud, and she said no, she heard it in her mind."

I felt a pang in my chest as he spoke, my eyes began to wander around the room as my mind raced. The situation he was describing gave me a sense of deja vu in a very eerie way. "Through telepathy, right?" I asked.

"Yes, I suppose that's the correct term for it. She told me that she'd talk to her mother through her sorcerer's powers, and she said she might even be able to talk to others who can receive the messages. I didn't truly start believing her until one day she told me some very personal facts about her mother, facts that I had never told her about, like about her past, where her and I met, stuff like that."

"And then shortly after she called upon her mother's spirit?"

"No, their conversations went on for a few years after that. She didn't summon her mother's angel until she was nine."

Angel...I thought. So Victoria's mother had chosen the form of an angel to come back to her daughter as. One of the awesome things about the spirits is that they can chose the form they return to us as, be it an angel, bird, anything imaginable! I began to wonder what form Monika, if she chose to do so, would come back to us as.

"An angel? That must be a beautiful site!" I exclaimed, leaning foward in my chair.

"Yes, that it was. When she first showed me I thought I was dreaming. It was like watching a movie! The sky turned a light pink, the clouds parted, and there appeared this angel on my balcony. Victoria seemed to communicate with it, but not out loud. Then the being turned and looked at me, and I felt a familiar presence, one that I hadn't felt in years. Before I could say anything to it, Victoria sent her away. Then, my daughter laughed and told me that her mother said to her that I still looked the same and that she missed me." Leirelat suddenly stopped and looked up at me, a worried expression now upon his face. "Oh Kamek, you must think I'm a nut!"

"No, I'm thinking quite the opposite, actually." I then laughed, shaking my head. "To be able to see the one you loved again, even if only once...is something I'd give anything for."

"I'm glad you believe me. As soon as word broke about my daughter's power, everyone wanted to see her summon the angel. She never granted any requests, and is still touchy about it. I don't blame her. Her gift isn't a novelty act, she shouldn't have to show people at whim!"

"I agree, your Highness. Sorcery like that is not to be exploited. If you do bring her to Dark World for a visit, I assure you, no one here will beg her for a show. But, I'd love to talk to her...and I'm sure the Crown Prince would want to also."

Just as Leirelat opened his mouth to speak, my king entered the room, prompting the both of us to end the conversation.

"Did I miss anything?" He asked, with a wide grin on his face.

"No, nothing at all, your Majesty." I answered. There was no way I wanted my king to know about the discussion I had with Leirelat. Even more so I didn't want him to find out about his son's recent discovery about his telepathic powers. "What did Queen Adora request of you?" I questioned in a half joking tone.

"Gentlemen, I'll be the first to tell you before anyone else can. My wife is expecting again!" King Bowser's voice was filled with great joy. Maybe he just had pride about the fact that he had turned his wife into a baby factory! This would've been Adora's fifth child in less than seven years. It was facts like that which made me want to pity the woman, but no matter how hard I tried, it escaped me to do so. I did my best to wear a happy expression on my face despite my thoughts. I turned to look at Leirelat, who appeared to be thinking the same thing.

"King Bowser, you've been very...productive over the past few years!" The Alterian king quipped.

"I agree." I added through a fake smile. Wait until the rest of the children heard about this. Prince Lemuel has spent the past few months cleaning up after his year and a half old brother Ignatius's toys, that he's resorted to calling the infant a "little bratty smells-like-poop terror". Not quite the terminology that comes to my mind, but it does suite the baby prince quite well.

Lucky for me, as I couldn't keep a straight face anymore, King Bowser called an end to our meeting. He instructed me to lead King Leirelat back to his jet, which was parked at the castle's Imperial Airway. The two of us walked out of the Planning Room and made our way down the hall. There was silence between the two of us for a few moments, until suddenly Leirelat quietly started laughing to himself. I turned my head towards him, puzzled.

"May I ask what is so funny, your Highness?"

He laughed again and shook his head. "Oh, just the face you made earlier when King Bowser told us about the 'new arrival'. It was hysterical actually."

I felt nervousness creep into my voice. If Leirelat saw my uncontrolled expression, my king must've seen it as well! "Oh gods, I actually did make a face? I tried my best to hide it!" I exclaimed. We both bursted out laughing and stopped in our tracks.

"Kamek!" called a familiar voice from inside the room we had stopped in front of. "What are you laughing at?"

"The Crown Prince questions me!" I smirked at Leirelat. I was now in a particularly playful mood, partially drunk with the joy from the conversation I had earlier with the Alterian king. I peeked my head into the doorway, to find my protégée seated on the floor, with his baby sister Gwendolyn on his lap. "Ludwig, have you heard the news?"

The boy looked up at me with a weird look on his face. "News? What news?" He paused momentarily to unlatch a clump of his hair which had found its way into the baby princess's clenched fist. "Oww! Quit it, Wendy!" The child giggled at her brother's yelp of pain and let go.

"Oh, so you haven't heard." I then motioned for Leirelat to come foward, and we both stepped foot into the room, which happened to be Princess Gwendolyn's nursery. "Your step-mother is pregnant again."

At my words, the prince rolled his huge blue eyes. "Ugh, really? But the twins are enough work!" As he spoke, his little sister got up and wobbled over to me. The one and a half year old wasn't very quick on her feet yet, but she was learning fast.

"Why hello, Princess Wendy! You're probably wondering who the stranger is behind me. That's King Leirelat. Say 'hi' to him." I smiled, leaning over to address her.

"Hello, Wendy." Leirelat greeted, waving his hand at her.

The baby mimicked his action with her tiny right hand. "Hi." she simply said, looking up at us with wide eyes. She then ran back to her brother and collapsed on his lap.

"Ludwig, you remember Leirelat, right?" I questioned.

"Of course." He replied with a smile. The Alterian king returned the gesture.

"Well, next time he pays us a visit, he's going to bring his daughter. She's the same age as you and also has the same powers you do. Maybe you could ask her a few questions?" I suggested. What I really wanted was for Ludwig to tell her about the conversations he's been having with his mother. The Alterian princess might have some valuable insight for him.

"Sure, that would be great--Wendy! Stop it!" The Crown Prince scowled again as his little sister now yanked on his ear.

"Seems like she's trying to get her hands on anything she can," Leirelat grinned. "Very typical of children her age."

"Eh," Ludwig smirked. "She's just a brat." With that, he placed a quick kiss on the side of the baby's head.

Seeing the prince act so lovingly towards a sibling was not a sight regularly seen. He has taken a liking to the princess, probably because she's the only sister he has. Certainly his mother would be proud to know that her son is looking out for his sister. Monika always loved children, and I remember when she used to hold her son constantly, cradling him as he cried. I'm sure if she were still alive she would've had more children, but the mere thought of her having more with King Bowser made my stomach turn.

After a few moments, King Leirelat told me that he had to get back home to Alteria to take care of matters, which I assumed were about the impending war. The traveling distance between Dark World and Alteria by air wasn't long at all, an hour and a half at the most. For this short journey, he often traveled with his most trusted councilman, who would wait behind in the jet as the king attended the meetings. I accompanied him to the Imperial Airway, spoke a bit with Alterian Councilman Gregory, and bid the King farewell. Before leaving, he had told me that he'd return soon, and this time he'd bring Princess Victoria. Meeting the young princess is definitely something I, and the Crown Prince, are greatly looking foward to!

Yup, it's me again, the blithering idiot of an author! I ended it here, because the next entry I'm working on isn't yet complete...and also I figured that this was enough gobbledygook to read at once. I'll be adding future entries very soon, and I hope you've at least slightly enjoyed what you've read so far. :) So until the next time, later!