Later that night, after his mother and father had left him to rest, Vulcan was having trouble sleeping. This wasn't anything knew as for the past week; he had barely slept. At random times during the day, his mind would be stricken with unfamiliar yet, very familiar memories. Gradually he was able to handle the stress that it placed on his mental fortitude and stop it from happening altogether.
-I really wonder what is happening to me- Vulcan thought.
Suddenly out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed something odd. The windows were closed, the room's temperature was comfortable due to the control runes in the walls and ceilings, so there was no moving air to say, inside the room. Yet something seemed to be flickering in the corner. Fear gripped his heart, for as though he didn't remember what exactly happened to him, the pain he felt was burned into his mind.
"Who are you! Show yourself! Come to finish the job have you!" Vulcan shouted at the shadow.
"Your highness, please be at ease. It is I Durcan from the Shadow Guards. We have been tasked to protect you," a deep guttural voice drifted from the darkness.
"The Shadow Guards? Oh, from the Royal Guards, right? Weren't you supposed to stay hidden? Why did you make yourself known to me?" Vulcan asked.
"Your highness, that… I didn't mean to. The fact that you noticed me in the first place, is simply unexplainable. Forgive me if this comes across as rude, but you are no where near the level whereby you should be able to notice me," Durcan replied in an amused tone.
The shadow guards were an elite force within the kingdom, that no one other than the royal family knew of. They were responsible for ensuring all legal policies when it came to anointing a king, where enforced. As such, when it came to secrecy and invisibility no one could dare claim to be better than the shadow guards. Thus, when Vulcan called out to him, Durcan was rightly confused and shocked. However, he noticed a peculiarity with Vulcan's right eye. When it passed over his location, it glimmered a blueish colour. Almost as if it was reacting to the runes on his person that made him invisible.
-Interesting- Durcan thought.
"\Sigh/ There have been many, many weird happenings as of late. Were you able to find out anything the past week?" Vulcan asked.
"Unfortunately, no. We are at a loss as to how they broke in through all the barrier runes without even tripping or deactivating them. The ministries of Magicka and the military have put forth an investigation and also decided to rush the completion of some more advanced runes in the meantime," Durcan replied.
-There is the possibility that it was a pure mage but, that idea is so farfetched and outlandish, there will be no use telling His highness that- Durcan thought.
"\Sigh/ Alright, alright. Let me go sleep. I will try to move about a bit tomorrow. I've been confined to this room far too long," Vulcan said as he sunk down under his blanket.
"So be it," Durcan said before he once again vanished from sight.
The following day, Vulcan was again awakened by his maid Lisa. She helped him bathe, which was quite embarrassing for him, but it needed to be done so he just went with the flow.
-Today should be the last day I would need the help of Lisa to wash myself, thankfully- Vulcan grumbled in his mind. He wasn't embarrassed of his body, but more so by the fact that he couldn't do it himself with all the bandages.
After helping him dress, Lisa told him to wait as she ran outside to fetch something. She came back holding a walking stick with a ribbon tied to the top.
"This is for you, Your highness. It was handcrafted by a skilled woodworker and has some defensive and offensive runes imprinted on it," Lisa shyly explained.
The cane was magnificently crafted with the handle being shaped in the form of a serpent, the Hestallian kingdom's insignia.
"Its lovely. Please extend my regards to the woodworker and also send an extra reward as thanks," Vulcan said.
Holding the cane in his hand, felt comfortable. It was light yet ridiculously solid. The runes were even more marvellous. It was meticulously made in such a way that it was able to react to intent, by reading the mana of the owner's body. If swung at a target with the intent on harming it, the rounded cane suddenly turned into the sharpest blade. If held stationary in a blocking stance, the roundness returned, allowing for a seamless shift from offence to defence. It truly was a masterpiece of rune-working.
-Runes, huh- Vulcan thought. Runes were the basis of modern ingenuity. The mana of the world couldn't be harnessed in a fashion that allowed humans to directly react to and manipulate it. Instead, a certain gem was needed to control and weave it into whatever was desired shaped by the owner's imagination. Whilst it sounds incredible, there were many limitations. For instance, to make a cane as the one Vulcan received, a detailed description followed by a precise imagination of the instructions happening, had to be done. As such, the time it took to make his cane was approximately 3 days, and that was with a team of 3 runemasters.
As Vulcan was contemplating the awesomeness of his new accessory, doctor Grim arrived.
"Are you ready for your final check-up, Your highness?" Doc Grim asked.
"Yeah sure, let's get this over with. I am done with staying in my room," Vulcan said in frustration.
After getting the 'ok' from the doctor, a message came with one of the maids to meet with the king and queen in the dining room for breakfast.
-It had been a while since we last ate together, guess they are waiting on me today- Vulcan smiled, as he followed the maid to the dining hall.
"There's my prince. How are you feeling today?" Queen Annais asked, her voice slightly trembling as she looked at him walk with the cane into the room.
"I'm good mom, the doctor gave me the all clear as long as I don't do anything strenuous. As if I even could if I wanted," Vulcan replied with a sigh.
"Don't worry son, the medical department has been making some advancements recently in rune application. You may not be needing that cane sooner than you think. Alright come now let's eat, you must be famished," King Edwin said with a smile.
After eating, Vulcan left the palace and made his way to the garden for some fresh air.
-It sure is nice being outside again- Vulcan thought.
Feeling his weight being rested on the cane, Vulcan frowned. Leaning a bit to the left, Vulcan supported himself with his left leg and raised the cane up in a classic sword stance.
-My vision is off, my balance is off, my techniques that I learnt are now obsolete. Only my mana capacity remains the same. I can no longer accurately perceive how far away something truly is nor am I able to make any quick movements without falling down…Fuck… What am I to do? - Vulcan thought as he stared at the bright blue sky.
"I will overcome this," he said.
"I WILL overcome this"
As if affirming to the heavens, Vulcan turned around and headed towards the soldier's barracks. He had a lot of work to do.