Lezlie fixed her gaze on the King, her eyes wide with surprise as she spoke. "It is truly astounding to hear. I had no idea that a female Epic even existed."
The King nodded gravely, confirming her suspicion. "Yes, she is the first and only one of her kind. Legend has it that she possesses the power to kill with just a glance. I cannot say for certain how long this power lasts, but I urge you to exercise caution around her nonetheless."
Curiosity piqued, I chimed in. "And what of the other Epics? What do you know of them?"
"The Epic of the Third Kingdom is also a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps you have heard the tale of the 'Chaos Boy'?"
Hiroshi spoke up, a hint of fear in his voice. "The young man who tortured his entire bloodline for power and pleasure?"
"The very same," the King confirmed. "He is the Third Epic, and rumor has it that he died in a fire. But it seems he managed to deceive his enemies and resurface as a powerful Epic, one who is said to be on par with Miron. And you all have seen what Miron is capable of."
My interest piqued, and I pressed further. "Tell us more about Miron. What makes him so formidable?"
The King's expression darkened. "Unfortunately, not much is known about him. He is like a ghost, appearing from nowhere and disappearing just as quickly. No one can predict his movements or understand his motives. In short, you cannot find him anywhere, he finds you."
Hiroshi redirected the conversation back to the ranking of the Epics. "So the fourth and fifth are the most powerful. What do you know of them?"
The King's tone turned grave. "They are the most dangerous of all. If they were to unite, there is nothing they could not accomplish. Their power is said to be capable of bringing about the end of the world."
"Why don't they work together?" I asked.
"Because their goals are divergent. No one knows the fifth's power or what he wants. Unlike him, the fourth saga wants only one thing: to rule the kingdoms with one head like his father. It is a dangerous game they play, and we must be ever vigilant."
The king glanced over at Babu, his keen eyes focused intently on the young man. "And if there is a war between them?" Babu had asked, his voice laced with concern.
"I don't think so, and even if the war breaks out, it won't last that long," the king replied confidently.
"Why not?" Babu pressed, clearly still troubled by the possibility.
"Because the fifth Epic knows no pity. With his power, he just spreads fear around. He is more powerful than anyone ever imagined, so powerful that he rules the most powerful kingdom and no saga can mess with him. That's all we know about him," the king explained.
Babu seemed to ponder this for a moment before asking, "And is the fourth as strong as they say he is?"
The king's expression grew more serious. "Unfortunately, yes. Even if he can't defeat the fifth, he's stronger than all the other elite soldiers and epics. He is also stronger than Miron. And he alone defeated an entire army. Now, he is the number one enemy of the Dragon lineage, one of the strongest lineages out there."
All of our eyes widened in shock, including Babu's. What we heard was much more than we expected.
"That's not all of it. A legendary creature roams in the sea of the five kingdoms. And the creature is too strong and dangerous to kill. Also, he has a magical cloak made of Dragonskin, the cloak does not undergo magic or fire," The king added.
Hiroshi looked equally surprised by this revelation. "How do you know so much about him?"
With a single breath, the King explained the situation to us. "Because he is my nephew, the son of my dead brother Yoresin."
We held our breath in disbelief. Yores was a name that sent shivers down the spine of even the bravest warriors. He had fought Alpha Prime many years ago and torn the kingdom apart in the process.
"The Ruthless Yores? The one who fought with Alpha Prime and tore the kingdom apart?" Lezlie asked, his voice trembling.
"Himself," the king confirmed.
Babu's eyes flickered with a hint of fear as he spoke again. "Sir, are you sure he is no stronger than the fifth?"
"We know a lot about the son of Yores, but we know nothing about the fifth epic," the king replied. "It is also said that Yores's son had a scar on his face and that scar..."
Hiroshi gracefully lifted his cigar to his lips and took a deep puff, finishing the king's sentence with a sense of certainty, "That scar was made by the fifth epic."
As the conversation shifted, The king divulged a dark and mysterious secret, "The fourth kills the one who touches him without mercy, but for some reason, he can't do anything to the fifth. There's something he knows and he's afraid of. And I'm sure of it."
After a moment of pause, he asked, "Now is there anything else you want to ask?"
Curiosity brimming inside me, I inquired about the "King's meeting."
The King explained, "It is a meeting held at certain intervals of time, where kings get together and talk about their kingdom. The reason these meetings are held is that we discuss how to offer our people a more comfortable life. And we'll be reunited as a family."
Eager to learn more about the diverse kingdoms, I asked about the differences between them.
The King elaborated, "Each of the kingdoms is quite different from the other. This is the first kingdom, and the name of the first Kingdom is 'Pevell.' This is the smallest of the kingdoms. It is often engaged in mining and agriculture. The name of the second Kingdom is 'Keontis.' The second Kingdom is bigger than the first Kingdom, and what is being dealt with there is more design, artistry, and the food there is the best food among all the kingdoms. The name of the third Kingdom is 'Jorion,' it is the largest kingdom among the kingdoms. In general, it deals in commerce, but theft, assault, and many things often happen there.
"The fourth kingdom is called 'Neverland,' it is industrially powerful. And the weapons they produce are pretty good."
With a deep sigh, The king concluded, "And finally, the fifth Kingdom, its called 'Verendus,' it is superior to the other kingdoms in everything. I don't know the whole territory, but it is bigger than the second and first kingdoms. At least that's what they say. But no one in our family rules there. And the strangest thing is that there are very few soldiers in the kingdom, but for some reason, it is the most powerful kingdom."
I asked the king, my heart heavy with curiosity, "Who runs the fifth kingdom?"
With a small nod, the king replied, "His name is Reyuo."
I pressed on, "But how did he come into power?"
The king answered with a sigh, "We, as brothers, didn't choose one person to rule the fifth kingdom. Instead, the people of the fifth kingdom chose Reyuo through a democratic process. It was completely their choice."
Hiroshi, frustrated with the lack of action against the epics, spoke up, "Why don't the kings unite and fight against them? It's ridiculous!"
The king explained, "In order to take action at the King's meeting, we need unanimous approval from all the kings. Unfortunately, the fifth king and my eldest brother opposed it in the vote, so we can't fight right now."
Just then, a soldier knocked on the door and informed the king that the ship was ready as he had requested.
The king turned to us and said, "In the unlikely event that Miron or some other evil force attacks, I have armed the ship. You can leave whenever you're ready."
Hiroshi beckoned to us, "Panda! Little Girl! Let's go, we don't have time to lose. You too, kid. We have a long road ahead of us."
Hiroshi's words made me happy because I had chosen him even though the map hadn't chosen him and I was quite happy with that decision. "I thought he wouldn't want to come. After all, we beat the first epic. And you can go back to your old life if you want."
Hiroshi grinned back at me. "You're wrong if you think I'd miss out on this kind of fun. Besides, you won't last five minutes without me."
"I'm glad to hear that because we wouldn't go anywhere without you," I said.
Before we left, the king pulled out a chest from his closet and opened it to reveal a collection of beautifully crafted clothes made from the finest fabrics from the Second Kingdom.
"These are for you," the king said with a smile. "You can keep the weapons I gave you too. I'm sure you'll need them more."
I was touched by the king's generosity and thanked him profusely, feeling grateful for the kindness he had shown us.