Chandragupta opened his eyes with laze and looked for the source of his discomfort. Only when he looked upward did he see the beheaded horror.
No sound came out of his mouth even though he was astonished.
As he observed his surroundings, he wondered.
'How? What's this? Why? No... I know why and I know who!' The guards were still standing at their post and waiting the the royal morning routine to leave their respective areas.
'If I can't answer how is it possible, I'll seek for how can I de-escalate this high heated situation. We've just celebrated Seven's arrival! If they all turn against him, we'll lose this precious asset before the predicted problems.'
Sunrise approached and the king found a way to not let his palace go haywire because of a threatened leader.
The solution came knocking on his door, as every morning. Chandragupta laid back on his bed, as if he was still sleeping despite the pungent stench.
The servant pulled the curtains and revealed the macabre drawing on the floor. The same moment the king shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Guards! Guards save me! Seize him!"
All of them busted in. They did not think twice and obeyed the command. The servant's plea fell on deaf ears and he was dragged to the slaughterhouse.
A hundred meter away in Keith's room, the boy woke up to a sharp pain in his mouth.
The huge shadow was holding him tight and clawing the inside of his lower jaw, engraving something on the bone. He quickly shoved some matter in his throat to engulf any cry.
'Stay still, it won't take long.' He said. He had to be quick to avoid being sulked again. With a sharp claw he drew an eye-shaped symbol.
The boy drank the blood mixed to his saliva and touched the thorn area with his tongue. A new world opened to him. He was surrounded by people, in a mainly golden coated room. He couldn't move his sight. It was just a straight view, like a theatre scene, a mute dream.
He saw himself as if he was standing on a huge bed with multiple ornated fabrics hanging around. But as the sight did not belong to him, he wasn't much focused on the bed's artwork as much as he was on the head impaled next to him.
"Moore!"
Keith exclaimed.
'That's the mad moustache guy!' Thought the king as if the idea had just crossed his mind.
The dream-like sight ended when he spoke, unbinding the link between the symbol and his all-discerning tongue.
"What have you done?"
He asked to the shadow.
'He was already dead! I sent a message to our host. He can't threaten us this soon. He needs to think we're more useful than harmful even if it means being as dangerous as a double edged sword.' Replied Mister Show.
"You cursed him? Can't you warn me before you slice half of my gums?"
Keith said while touching the symbol out of curiosity again.
This time he was in a corridor, about twice his height high. He walked in the middle of the halls, trampling on a deep red and thick carpet with each step. Each time there was a servant or a guard passing by, the latter was gestured to go in a specific direction, always pointing behind him.
All of them were unknown faces for the boy.
How could the kid see with no eyes? It was the same as in the Explanation, his bare imagination.
Keith could hear a thing, a distant voice shouting from his window.
"You! In the royal room! Clean up!"
It was the king's assistant, already on the double, behind the king and speeding to keep the same pace.
Left, he saw a court with a well-kept garden with a flowering three in the middle. Right, only multiple doors and the corridor in its continuity. The giant stopped in front of a door, with two hands joined flat together on its center. He pushed it and interrupted the king, seemingly meditating, with a loud banging noise.
"Seven!"
The king said, furious. While he gestured his assistant to stay outside.
"Good morning."
The kid said with a chuckle. The third time he touched his lower jaw, he saw his own figure. A puny burnt victim with a permanent smile. He was shocked of his appearance and grabbed his face by reflex.
"Did you do 'that'?"
Chandragupta said with his most serious tone.
"I didn't do that."
"Then how come you know what I'm talking about!"
'You're talking too fast, kid!' commented Show in the kid's mind.
"I... I must apologies. This was no easy test for you. But I needed to convince your new audience." Said the king.
'What on the earth...?' They thought in unison.
Out of stress, Keith naturally lifted his tongue and stuck it to his palate, leaving him with only his hearing to palpate the atmosphere.
"Listen. I won't try anything funny like that again, in exchange you must not scare me like that! You could have scared my servants as well, they are far from being as wise as us, okay?"
He sighed, relieved to see his guest was not in a bad mood at all, in the contrary he looked like a child proud of his latest trick. The king spoke.
"Can I see the bite? I can help it heal. My knowledge about venom is wide, it's a legacy of my family."
The boy lifted his arm and pointed the bite mark. But only two brown spot remained, the forearm wasn't swollen nor beet red.
'What an amazing little monster. He gets about a scratch and he almost made my heart stop.'
"I told you, I'm fine."
From the other side of the door, his assistant called.
"My king, the cook is here, he wants to enter."
The man forced his way in. Keith rushed to put his mask on.
"I already follow his command you dimwit! Let go!"
The cook said while urged his way with his chariot. He pulled it so hard he almost knocked everything down.
He left as fast as he came, leaving behind him the extreme opposite of a piece of art. The trouble it gave to discern let the king escape his thought
"Ew."
It was a stew, presented in a large bowl. Its colour gave off a slight dizziness while its smell reminded the king of his awakening. Yet he saw no meat.
The kid touched the bowl and its content, he drank it in one go. Two litres of the strange liquid went down in an instant and the king had barely the time to get to a safe distance. But this time the kid had no black eyes. He didn't looked as savage as last time.
"Are you full?"
He asked.
"Far from it. Your cook gives interesting dishes, but none of them stimulated my appetite. I want something with more meat. My mind will compromise both of our plans if I don't eat properly."
"Speaking of which, I never bothered asking you so far, how rude of me! What are your plans young one? Tell me what someone like you want to do when you grow up?"
The king asked a question Keith never bothered asking himself.
"I want to help you fight the prophecy."
He answered. Alas the king wasn't satisfied.
"What about later? Will you stay by my side until I die? I can give you plenty of materials to exert your sorcery of course. However I don't think you'd limit yourself to my sole knowledge. Why wouldn't you... Why wouldn't you travel? Explore new territories as I did, find new ways to empower yourself and build yourself the path to wisdom.
Keith pondered on the proposal. It was exiting. More interesting than staying in this trouble magnet. First Foresee spying at the slightest occasion, then the annoying, hypocrite servant. The king that has no idea how to control his guest, And far on the background, three men lurking in the dark, waiting for an occasion to get their hand on him.
'Don't fall for it kid! He's trying to get rid of us!' Said Show, a second away from Keith's decisive sentence.
"When our agreement is done, involving you feeding me while not attempting any murder, I would like to travel to Eastern Jin. I'd never meet you again if you wish so."
The king gulped down his saliva 'How foolish, of course he knows this was no mere challenge.' then asked.
"Eastern Jin?"
How could a villager know about the outside world. His territory was so wide most citizen believed he had conquered it all already.
"I have an important matter to deal with my master here."
This time it was Show's turn to be stupefied. He wouldn't have envisaged his puppet to go here by himself. He was quite proud of the boy.
"It's settled then. I'll pay a visit to your personal cook, his name is Rhodo by the way. I'll be firm until his work meets your needs."
Chandragupta exited the room with the clanging of his short blades hidden between his fat pads.
'Did it go well?' Asked Keith.
'Perfect.' Answered Mister Show with his utmost conviction.
The kid spied on the king for two more hours. He supervised the servant cleaning his room, dealing with the early gossips around the court by seeping his own in the lot.
It was interesting to discover the palace's architecture. It was pretty similar to the temple next to it, but with more gold on the statues, with people walking in specific order. The silence was still here, recalling Keith the constant whispers in the prayer room.
The servant outfits and the guard's costumes accentuated the seriousness and the respectfulness of each room and each job they were affiliated to.
Next meal came. It had meat, but mostly bones. Carcasses, heads and animal legs. Mostly bird types.
Rhodo was surprised to bring so much weird dishes and to never get a complaint. Yet he was pleased to have someone he could victimise. His train of thoughts did not go as far as questioning what would the guest eat on leftovers and inedible parts.
Prem who was charged of the room's cleaning up never saw any of the plate's content.