(King Xavier)
We assigned knights from Murdox kingdom to migrate the survivors here. The sun is down, I will lead the whole troops. After the assigned knights entered the other nation, I will build the wall around the whole nation. My knights will stay here to wait for my return.
The rescuers can leave the Alcubra nation by passing through the gate I will build. Only them can open. This could be between a life and death mission for them. But knights from the Murdox kingdom are the strongest knights in the world. They can live for nine hundred years and above.
Alcubra and Quede nation are households. My kingdom and Murdox stand approximately near the corner of our nation. Hamel kingdom is the same with their nation. That's why they ask help from us, we're the nearest. Freculus kingdom is in the center of their nation, Ba-sheriyan kingdom is only meters away from it. Melaleeli kingdom is on the other side corner of the nation, but that was the enemy's first victim.
Until the other 35 kingdoms were crashed. I fear the fact that the 46 kingdoms in my nation will fall the same. It's been 14 years, unfortunately, the enemies surely became stronger, especially after killing the other gods. The troops I have now are only 20 knights. It's few compare to the people of the whole nation that we're about to save. But I hope we could still assign more knights from other kingdoms.
All the visitors will stay here and also King Corrihor, he can't just leave his kingdom. We're about to leave when I heard a scream of an eagle, a message. It grabbed its claw on Rhea's arm. It has the symbol of blue sun. It came from my kingdom. I gave her time to read the message, I tighten the saddle of Alpha, I'm sure I need to fight while riding a horse.
"Xavier, our kingdom was ambushed!!" Rhea reported.
"What?!" she walks her horse closer to me.
"This message is not detailed. It came from Key. He said that there came a sudden attack from unknown species and King."
"Callions? And a King...?" I halt. Should I go home or continue our plan?! I gnash my teeth from anger! I need to decide now.
"Go home," said the hooded guy beside me. Again, I didn't feel his presence. "Don't turn your back from it," he added. He speaks like he felt the same way. Or he's been in circumstances like this. But he encouraged me.
"I apologize. But my kingdom is my first priority," I said to my troops. My impression for this, I am the enemy's next target! I can read the confusion on my troop's faces.
"Rhea, come with me. Then all of you, stay in Murdox for tonight," after I said that, I started running my horse. I'm not sure with the enemy's intention. I really push Alpha to run faster, the force of the air makes my eyes close. Still I have no choice but to hurry. If something happened with them, I will never be indecisive to kill that King!
Using my gift, I spread my fingers on Alpha's neck to give him energy. When I got home, Key and other knights are waiting for me on the portal outside. They all look exhausted and trembling. Some of them are wounded.
"What happened?!"
"Your highness, the town are half destroyed. Some citizens and knights died too. We can't sleep from fear that they will ambush again!"
"And how...?!" I glare at him. Not because I'm mad towards him but I hate the situation.
"They discovered our portal. We closed it to lessen the monsters that enters. It was difficult, the healing necklace is not working all of a sudden so some of our knights died. When we managed to exile them here, they all suddenly vanished. We open the portal to inform you and wait for your arrival."
I focus some energy in my mind, this is not an illusion. This is reality. I remembered my hallucination before, is it related here?! Did they attack while I'm sleeping? We enter the kingdom after we talk. Trees are burned and has a sign of scratches. Same case with the houses, I can hear a weep of a child. All of them are still awake.
I feel like a worthless King after seeing this. I enter the castle and found Amber sitting on the throne stage, frustrated and wounded. An unknown old woman is healing her by herbal. She can't use her gift? Not even the healing necklace. I run closer to her
"Amber, why? What's wrong... Why can't you...?"
"The King, he has an item that stole my gift. I don't know how it happened...!"
"Are you okay?" she touches both of my cheeks and smile. "I'm okay," she answered. I look around, Naomi is unconscious, and Almidoron is dead.
"Where is Ashti?!"
"She was... kidnapped... " she said with a very pale voice. I look down, bite my lip to control my temper, but my power can't hide my anger. It's starting to shake again slowly, Amber held my hands to calm me but it doesn't work to stop it. So she hug me, and I cry on her shoulder.
"It's okay, we can still save her." I calmed somehow, it stops shaking. I almost cause another mess. She's rubbing my hair and relaxes me.
"I have fought the King. He uses the same power as Queen Dreas has. He can use illusions and I think there is something with his rings. We must discover the enemy's weakness first."
"That will take us long." She wiped my tears by her fingers. Then I stood up. I thank the old lady that healed her. The inside of the castle is still the same, not much damages can be seen. I leave my Queen here for a while, she's safe.
I came back to the town to visit my people together with Rhea. Most of them are sleeping, specially the kids. I stay here in the middle of them, sitting firmly on Alpha's back. I move all my fingers in the air like playing a piano, and all their ruined houses came back to normal. Even the plants and trees. I unintentionally caught their attention to me, now they're starting to gather around me.
I want to drag my face down to the soil to beg for forgiveness, with this incident I felt like a worthless King. I came down from Alpha then I bow like a knight in front of them saying
"I apologize for this!" I let some seconds past before I raise my head. They all close their right palm and place it to their heart. That's the sign of salute. It means they still accept me as their ruler. I'm grateful. I rode on Alpha to came back in the castle. I discussed some plans with Key.
In front of the throne, I talk with him. "Starting today, the portal will be closed. No one will go outside, not even an outsider can come inside. Only you and assigned knights can leave to and fro."
"So I will be holding the key?"
"Yes you will. And-"
"Wow! What a coincidence! That fits my name!" I just look at him emotionless while he's laughing, and then slowly turning his face in seriousness.
"Oh, I apologize your highness." I clear my throat before I continue.
"And your knights must guard the whole kingdom strictly. Assign them too to help bury the corpses. There will be separation of knights to hunt for food every week. Gather as many as you can and store some of it in the warehouse."
"Okay, I see. So I need to divide them in many callings."
"You can do it. I'm afraid we have to do it for years, but we're thinking for a solution about these recent attacks. The rest will depend on my Queen's command, don't ever disobey her orders," then he saluted.
I carry Amber with my arms to bring her to our room. She's looking very weak and pale. I lay her on the bed and me next to her. I sigh, thinking what the next circumstances will be. Again, she held my cheek, smiling sweet at me.
"Take a rest. Over thinking is stressful," she said with a raucous voice. I lay side ward toward her, I held her hand on my cheek then I close my eyes until I fell asleep.
※ ※ ※ ORC ※ ※ ※
The next morning, I build the warehouse behind the castle, near the edge of the whole land. I stamp my feet and the land was cemented, I raise my arms and walls move up until 50 ft. I build some layers attached to the walls to place there the stored foods. On the ceiling, I also made a chandelier with blank space on the middle.
I included some simple designs, six huge pillars side by side, huge door carved with the symbol of our kingdom and a round roof that has wind chimes on every edge, on the very top it has a spiral dragon like designs. I stamp my feet again and the whole building became gold. I came outside and I whistle, running plants almost covered the outside.
"That was the most beautiful warehouse I've ever seen, your highness," praised by Key.
I look at my right palm, I gather energy here and a little light starts sparkling like a star. I came inside again, Key followed me. Below the chandelier the light ascended and rested on the blank space in the middle of the chandelier.
"Okay. So what's that?" Key asked.
"That light contains a little bit from my gift, it will preserve the foods stored here," he nodded.
After I instructed him to manage the kingdom with Amber, I left to continue my obligation outside the kingdom, I left together with Rhea. The knights who joined us before are home to help Key. While the air is knocking together with my face, I'm thinking if we should continue our plan. Callions had already invaded our nation, I consider it a great threat to my whole nation.
So what's the purpose of closing the Alcubra nation with walls? Specially, saving the survivors while their evacuation was corrupted too. I hate to say that there is no safe place here anymore, again.
"Xavier, I wonder how deep you have excavated." I smirk at her. I face the front again, thinking what will be the enemy's next move.
When we arrived at Murdox kingdom, I heard sounds of trumpets, giving honor for my arrival. And as the same as before, King Corrihor is waiting for me on the doorway of his castle. This time, I don't see a smile on his face. I slide down from Alpha, we shake hands firmly
"So? What happened?" he asked. Still holding each other's lower arms. I'm staring at his eyes, there's something wrong here too.
"Let's discuss everything inside," I said. Again, at the main hall, the three Kings including me gathered again for a little conference.
"My Queen said, she fought a King wearing rings and using knife for combat. When she was stubbed her stamina was drained and for worst, she lost her gift. For now, she's under recovery. Callions did also ambushed and killed some of my people and knights. And my daughter was kidnapped." they listen sincerely to me. I hope they know how it feels.
"Enemies are here! Doing our mission is worthless, I'll abort it! For more safety, I shall add barriers too to every kingdom in our nation for protection. Only the knight can leave per week to hunt food. That would be a big nuisance. So we should finish this mess. I need the power of Queen Dreas to hasten the transportation of my offer."
King Corrihor cleared his throat, "Speaking of that, she's not available."
"How come?" I look around for her and she's not here, not even a heartbeat from her.
"She has... something... to do in her... uhmmm... kingdom," said King Corrihor. I glare at him.
"Why?" he's thinking of what to answer.
"You're lying," I said. I look at King Hibyte and he's avoiding my glance. I'm worried. She's a goddess too, the enemies are after the gods and goddesses. I walk away to figure it out myself if they don't want to tell me.
"She's dead." I pause my pace. I look where the voice came from, from my right side, the hooded guy said while leaning his back on the floating cane. Arms folded.
"Late night, she died, killed by the King you saw before. Her kingdom also was-"
"Silence!!" King Hibyte shouted. He stood up properly, looking surprised. Hibyte is coming closer to the boy, I know his intention. I point him my palm to control him. He stopped moving, like a statue. I feel wrath now!
"Why do you keep this a secret?" I sway hard my arms away from him and Hibyte almost lost his balance. I can't get rid of my intense glare. Ground is starting to shake again.
"I apologize, god of dominion!" said King Hibyte.
"We know what happened with your kingdom too. And we don't want to add your dilemma." King Corrihor explained like a kid being scolded. Rhea called my name aloud, I know she's trying to calm me down, so I did. I sigh
"The plan is aborted. Let's end the conference here."
"No!" I look at King Hibyte, "We still need to talk about this."
"I'm sorry for intruding the conference of the high ranked beings." I look in front of me, it's a girl standing confidently in front of me.
"My name is Jexica, princess of Ba-sheriyan kingdom."
A survivor.
It's good to know one of the rulers survived. She looks powerful and brave from the way she dared to stood up in front of me despite of my wrath.
"As part of my gratitude, I will send that guy to save your princess. So you can manage the cases here in your nation." she knew everything; how long is she observing us? And the boy she's talking about, she'll send Haris to save my daughter?
"No. I will save her on my own."
"No. It's a trap. They are after your gift. The knife of the King steals the gift of the one stabbed even their strength, and that gave him a chance to win the fight. And those gifts, he stores it inside his rings." Is it because he can use white butterflies too? And now he can heal himself, he's a difficult opponent now. Specially my healing necklace is not working anymore.
"You should deal with the god of wishes' case. I beg you again, leave your daughter to me. Don't leave this kingdom, remember, you still have to provide protection on every kingdom, don't let the other people die too. Like my father..." she whispered her last sentence but I heard it. She's too fast to decide, like a Queen already.
I agreed with her proposal. She commanded Haris to come closer and asked me to give him blessing. So I did. Right away, he pulled the cane inside his left glove, round it on his hand and stamp the feet of the cane, he disappeared.
"Trust him, King Xavier. He's audacious." She honored me then left. I talk with King Corrihor without looking, chin up.
"I need some of your knights. I'm going to investigate in Ishi-kea kingdom."
That's the name of Queen Dreas' kingdom. A kingdom considered as peaceful too, it has huge shinning leaves tree. On top of that is her castle, always surrounded with white butterflies, but when I came here, not even a single butterfly can be seen.