"What? Sora ventured out on his own?" Visavi nodded. "He told me to inform you when you woke up. He said there was something important he had to do on his own." Karna sighed. "What's he up to this time? Well, no point in worrying about it now."
"Are you going to follow him?" Karna shook his head. "I don't even know where he's going. I'll just have to trust in his decision. Besides, Lucia and Velvet are waiting for us."
Lucia sipped on a cup of tea. "Karna, are you aware of the Arcadia Kingdom's declaration of war?" Karna nodded. "Their soldiers are hiding in the mountains. They've issued a statement saying they'll attack if we don't surrender in three days, correct?"
"How'd you know?"
"Visavi and Angin told me. The two witnessed the little skirmish last night." Velvet came into the room wearing a bathrobe. "Guess that saves us from having to explain the situation to you. We have two days left until they attack." Lucia nodded. "I was hoping to stop the war before it began, but that's a dead end now. Nothing can be more offensive to a monarch than their prince dying." Velvet sat on a chair. "It's the same with us. If you died, the people of Sobloeze would be enraged. What do you want to do, Karna?"
"I think I'll try to stop the war."
"Even after we just established that doing so is highly improbable?" Karna nodded. "I don't think it's impossible. If I can get the attention of both sides, I think I can get them to listen to me. Who's the commander of the Arcadian army?"
"General Michel Ney. The Arcadian army has never lost a battle under his leadership. What's more, I hear they have some powerful barongs on their side." Lucia nodded. "That's what worries me. We've lost a lot of our barongs to the Kraken that attacked a few months ago. And Cornelius now overlooks the recruitment of soldiers."
Velvet's brows knitted. "That is distasteful. Knowing that snake, he probably recruited people who are loyal to him. He may even attack Lucia during the war so he can gain more power." Lucia bit her lip. "Given that it's him, there's a high chance of that. Some troops have told me how Cornelius is participating in shady deals as well as stealing money from the treasury."
"I'm guessing that since you haven't said anything about that means you can't do anything?" Karna asked. Velvet nodded. "Cornelius has offered numerous bribes in advance. Nobody will testify against him."
"Well, I might have an idea for that. But before that, I want to ask if we should just get rid of Cornelius." Velvet raised an eyebrow. "You mean you want to kill him? I think that's inappropriate for the Cahaya." Karna shook his head. "We don't have to kill him. This is a war, after all. If he dies in it, nobody will suspect anything, right?"
Velvet smiled. "I thought your brother was the devious one. It seems he taught you some things as well."
"Yeah, well, I'm a lot softer than he is. Even though I understand Cornelius is a horrible guy, I still don't think he deserves to die. If the Arcadian army finds him, they'll most likely take him into custody." Velvet nodded. "Then we wouldn't have to worry about him. But Cornelius probably knows there are people out to get him and is in hiding. How will we draw the Arcadian army to him?"
"I can go to him and say I support the war," Lucia chimed in. Velvet's jaw dropped. "I never expected to hear that. But there's no way Cornelius is trusting either one of us. Faking an act won't be easy." Karna thought about it. "You said you have soldiers working under him. We can ask them for his location and then pass that information to the Arcadians."
Velvet nodded. "Sounds like a plan. I'll put more thought into it and let you two know once I'm done thinking." Lucia nodded. "Thank you, both of you. You two have done so much for me. I wish I could help somehow."
"An army needs a commander," Karna said. "Your troops need you to lead them to victory. Forget about us for now. Once we get rid of Cornelius, we can put a stop to the war." Velvet agreed with him. "As our princess, we need you now more than ever." Lucia smiled. "I appreciate that. Thanks." She started for the door. "I have things to do, so I'll leave while you two talk strategy. Alone." Lucia winked at Velvet before she left, causing the latter to blush. Karna saw her cheeks turn rosy. "Velvet, is there something wrong?"
"N-no, nothing's wrong," she stammered. "Anyways, we still have a lot to discuss, so let's get to that."
Visavi appeared in front of Karna. "Don't take this the wrong way, Master, but I do not think you should get involved in the war."
"Why not?"
"You're not ready for it."
"How so?"
"It's difficult to explain. You still have a lot to learn before you can participate in a war. There's still much you need to understand about the darkness." Karna sighed. "But I'm going to get involved either way. Sobloeze is getting attacked, and I'm not going to just let that be."
"But even still..."
"With all due respect, I think Karna is eligible to participate in the war," Velvet interjected. "He's taken down a basilisk and even a jahat." Visavi shook his head. "That's not it. It's difficult to explain, so follow me."
Visavi led Karna and Velvet into an alleyway. Karna recognized it. It was the same alleyway he spoke to the Kegare that had attacked him in Allesium. "Visavi, there's nothing here."
"Wait a bit more, and you will see." A Kegare jumped out of the garbage. It was disturbingly humanoid, so much so that Karna mistook it for a human at first. The Kegare jumped, and Karna charged at it with his spear.
When the tip of the spear touched the skin of the Kegare, memories flashed through Karna's head. Karna reeled back, overwhelmed by the sudden intake of so much information. However, what caught Karna's attention was the fact that this Kegare was once a human. He had small grudges towards someone, and the darkness in his heart morphed him into a Kegare. Velvet caused a hole in the ground to form where the Kegare was standing. She ran to Karna. "Are you ok?"
Karna nodded. "Yeah." The Kegare charged at him, and Karna swiftly stabbed him. The black particles surrounding its body dissolved, and the Kegare became a human again, albeit dead. "Visavi, what happened to him?" Karna asked.
"You saw his memories. The essence of darkness is all the evil in the world. If enough of it finds its way inside of you, you will become corrupted. As you saw, there's a chance you can become a Kegare. It's how all of the Kegare come into being, through the negative emotions of humans." Karna's face hardened. "But humans don't just start hating on others or do evil deeds for no reason." Visavi nodded. "They are tempted into doing it."
"In what way?"
"If the darkness corrupts you, you become more prone to your desires and lusts, making it easier to commit evil deeds. Eventually, you morph into a Kegare. Now, you have an insatiable thirst for the darkness, killing humans to consume the darkness in their hearts. Yami has been tempting both humans and Kegare for centuries."
"Yami?"
"The lord of darkness. You will meet him when the time comes. As you are now, you are nowhere near strong enough to take him on."
"So, I should just do nothing?" Visavi shook his head. "No. I only brought you here to give you a little insight into what you will see in a war. In war, darkness is abundant. All their hate, their anger, their rage, it all condenses into one thick cloud of black smoke that corrupts everyone it can reach."
"And Kegare pop out of it." Visavi nodded. "Exactly. If you choose to still attempt to stop the war, I will not stop you. As my Master, I will help you until you die. However, I urge you to choose wisely. If you are hesitant, don't participate in the war." Visavi disappeared, leaving Karna to ponder on the new information he received.
Cornelius sat at a table, surrounded by a large group of soldiers. He had been waiting for the war, and he could not wait to conquer Arcadia. The river the kingdom was located near was an important trade route. Cornelius wanted to exploit it to enrich himself further. He turned to one soldier. "Parry, have the scouts arrived yet?" The soldier shook his head. "No, my lord. On the other matter, it seems the princess wishes to know of your location."
"Why? Does she intend to sell me out to the Arcadians?"
"No, my lord. It seems she wants to support you in this war. She declared that the Arcadian monarch is tyrannical for starting a war because their prince was killed for murdering Mrs. Velvet's parents. She wishes to punish the heathens who commit multiple injustices against us." Cornelius paused. He knew that Velvet and Lucia would most likely try to stop the war than actually support it. Unlike him, they actually cared about people. "Has her Highness said anything else?" The soldier nodded. "The princess wishes to speak with you. However, she will be alone, and you are allowed to bring soldiers. She says she'll tell you the location later. Either that, or you can give her your location." Cornelius knew he had soldiers on Lucia's side around him now. They would most likely rat him out. "Very well. Tell the princess I'll be in attendance. With a little present, of course."