Before I start the new chapter, I'd like to share something with you. I've already written this on my profile, but I'll say it here as well.

A few people have approached me and kindly offered to illustrate my story and turn it into a comic. Thank you so much for your offers and kind words—they mean a lot to me as a beginner writer. However, at the moment, due to the limited online payment options available in my country, I'm unable to participate in any collaborations. It's a headache, but until something changes, it is what it is.

Now, the story.


The king, along with almost all the members of his secret council, left the room. Left behind were only General Vexar and the scientist Kaelen Rekken.

"You and your little group of scientists better know what you're doing. You carry a great responsibility on your shoulders."

"I can assure you, General, that we are here for a reason," Kaelen replied, "but I would like you, as someone older and more experienced, to teach me something."

At these words, Vexar stopped and turned toward the young scientist. A faint smile played on his face, but in his eyes, there was an unexplainable, lively yet eerie energy. When the General didn't respond, the scientist spoke again.

"'Return things to the way they once were.' What exactly does that mean, General? When you said that sentence, I thought it would be followed by an explanation. You're almost 40 years older than me, and much older than many others who were in that room. Don't you think that presenting such a delicate plan should be accompanied by a proper explanation? What is the way things once were, General? Explain it to me."

General Vexar looked him in the eye for a moment but said nothing. Instead, he turned his back on him and walked away briskly.

"Do you even know, General," the scientist's voice echoed behind Vexar, "what you are fighting for? Or are you merely doing as you're told?"

Kaelen now quickened his pace to keep up with Vexar.

"Are you here fighting for your ideals, or are you blindly following orders because you've forgotten who you are? Because over the years in the king's service, you've lost your identi—"

Kaelen didn't finish his sentence. He found himself pressed against the wall, the General's hand tightly gripping his neck.

"You've overstepped, Rekken. You've forgotten who you're talking to. Forgotten, or maybe you were never taught, you little brat," the General's hand tightened further around the scientist's neck, "that on this planet, the first is the king, and after him, it's me."

With those words, the General released the young man and continued walking briskly.

Kaelen remained in place, catching his breath and holding his neck. Yet he felt no fear, nor was he surprised. To Vexar's great, even unsettling surprise, all he heard behind him was a brief chuckle.


Queen Reina stood in a large room filled with screens. Most of them displayed the current situation on Ascaron. Massive crowds filled the streets—some intent on destroying everything in their path, others striving to restore order.

"In times of hardship, true intentions are forgotten," she thought to herself.

"Your Grace, we're ready," said a young man behind her.

Clicking a button, she saw the scenes on the screens change. Now they showed people turning toward billboards and screens on the ruins of buildings, all gazing at her image. The man seated just in front of her gave her a signal to begin.

"My dear fellow citizens of Ascaron, I address you today as one of you, as your sister. We all know the reasons behind the current situation on our beautiful planet. We all know who is responsible, and we all know that for the past few decades, you have lived in the deepest poverty and suffering, and that cannot be ignored.

Today, I want to inform you that I have decided to answer the call that has existed since my birth—to help the people of my home planet. I believe that Ascaron does not need people who will merely talk and make promises; it needs people who will act.

As I speak, 347 ships filled with food and medicine are on their way to Ascaron. My mission is to rebuild Ascaron and provide its people with a life of quality, peace, and prosperity."

As she finished her last sentence, the broadcast ended. The screens now showed thousands of people cheering and clapping in celebration.


"I must say, I didn't expect them to trust me so easily."

"Neither did I," the king replied, "but that means you've done a good job, and we're closer to success."

"When will you send me to Ascaron?"

"As soon as the situation settles. Considering the great success of your speech, that should be soon," the king said, pleased.

"But before Kaldarion comes here?"

"Yes."

"I was hoping, since you said he mustn't go to Ascaron under any circumstances, that I'd at least see him once before I leave."

"He, alongside you, plays one of the most vital roles in this plan. His connection to Technoi—"

"I told you not to involve him in your dirty plans," Queen Reina interrupted sharply. "I told you that whatever monstrosities you're planning, you're not to drag him into them."

"He will one day be the leader of this planet and everything else we gain from this war. He needs to understand why that is. He's a grown man. If he had any sense, this would have been his plan. I see nothing in him that shows a desire to rule this planet."

"You're destroying him, Veroxus," the queen said, turning her head away. She couldn't bear to look him in the eye.

"No. I'm simply guiding him onto the right path. That's what my father did for me, as his did for him, and so on, and that's how this dynasty has survived. The time of a world without cruelty is long gone, Reina. You need to accept that."

The queen quietly sobbed at his final words, hoping her son would recognize the threat his father posed to him.