"Are you awake?"
I turned my head to the voice of my father who was now standing in the doorway of my room. Father stood looking intensely at me with his usual sharp and stern eyes. I was quite surprised by his different appearance.
I could see that his hair looked clean and well-organized, as well as the strange clothes he was wearing. A black shirt that was knee-length, with a stand-up collar that almost covered half the neck. Then there were the gold buttons that added to the impression of luxury. Father certainly looked handsome and dashing. But since when did he have such nice clothes?
Father walked over with a glass and handed it to me. I stared at the pitch-black liquid that filled half of the small glass.
"Drink it, it will make your pain less," he said. I hesitated for a moment because I didn't know what kind of liquid was in it.
"Ugh... What is this? It's so bitter," I exclaimed while smothering my mouth.
"It is bitter, but it will restore your strength quickly. It's been three days since the incident, so your wound should be fully closed."
"Three days?! So I was unconscious for three days?!" my father nodded his head.
"The ice needle shards from your sword also hit your own body. That's because you haven't been able to master your immense power. But you're still lucky, your wound didn't hit your internal organs."
I turned to Arga's bed which was right beside mine. My eyes widened immediately when I saw Arga's body lying stiffly with bandages covering almost his entire body.
"W-what happened to Arga?"
I looked at Father who closed his eyes for a moment, trying not to show his worry at Arga's current state.
"Arga used Yajirushi when his body wasn't strong enough. While all this time he was never able to train himself because the place was not possible. Yajirushi is the highest technique possessed by the Uryans (wind controllers), they can raise and control winds of any size. But Arga's Yajirushi was far from perfect, and it ended up hurting himself and hitting his internal organs. Fortunately, he only used the technique once."
I listened to my father's explanation carefully. I hadn't forgotten what happened that day and why Arga could have gotten hurt this badly. And one thing that made me a little angry, how could you cover up the reality of my life all this time? A reality that is far different from the life I've been living.
"I brought you into this world when you were less than a year old."
I immediately looked up when my father suddenly said that sentence. He looked at me with his stern eyes and then took a step to sit beside Arga's body. Without even asking, it seemed like he already knew what was in my head at the moment.
Dad took out his pipe, lit it, and took a slow drag. As if pausing before he told me everything. I was silent, waiting patiently. Because I also wanted to know who I was, where I came from, and why I was here.
"Porta Loka is a whole area that resembles a full circle. It is surrounded by twelve large gates and also a protective layer called Arkala. That's what makes them untouchable and also unable to touch the outside world. Arkala was created to be able to smell and detect any objects or creatures outside Porta Loka. That's why Arga forbade you to bring the book out yesterday."
"But aren't we also from Porta Loka? Then why can't Arkala detect our presence?" I asked with a furrowed brow.
"It's because we all have protective spells that Grandpa Kyu made when we first came to Aras. And the smell of this place makes it difficult for Arkala to detect our presence."
Hearing that, my eyes widened again. "Grandpa Kyu? So Grandpa Kyu knows all this?"
"Of course, I know!"
A heavy, hoarse voice that I recognized came from behind the door of the room that didn't have a shutter. I saw the image of Kyu's grandfather sitting on the floor smoking his pipe as usual. And I was still staring in disbelief that Grandpa Kyu was also from Porta Loka.
"Just tell him the bottom line Saiga. About Porta Loka, he can learn that by himself," said Grandpa Kyu, which immediately made Father nod.
"Exactly fourteen years ago when your father was still King of Porta Loka. And that was two years before your birth. There was great turmoil in Porta Loka at that time. Your father, King Hiroki Aiken suddenly resigned from his position as King due to coercion from the Aryans."
"The Aryans?"
"Yes. The people of Porta Loka consist of two nations, the Aryans and the Rania. And for a long time, the Aryans have never agreed to have Noble Hiroki and his descendants continue to occupy the throne. They tried to do various ways to overthrow the power of the king who led. They also supported three descendants of the Nobles who defected and also betrayed the King and the people. "
"The three treasonous Nobles, that is?"
"They are Nover, Nolan, and Veda. This story happened in the past, maybe next time you can hear the story. Not all of them were betrayed. Just because their ancestors had committed a crime in the past, these three Nobles received a bad reputation from the people. There was one person who was very ambitious to overthrow King Aiken's rule, namely Ballavan Nover Rodra. The current King of Porta Loka, and is a descendant of Noble Nover. "
"He incited the Aryans as well as the people by saying that King Aiken had the intention to re-open the Hiroki Gate to gain control of Hira. Hira is the heirloom that is the center of all power and also the center of the balance of life in Porta Loka. The person who can open the Hiroki Gate is his descendant."
"Of course, the people were angry and immediately incited by Rodra's words. Because if the Hiroki Gate opens again, it will be devastating for Porta Loka. Because in addition to the Hira stash, the Hiroki Gate has great dark power. And that's what makes the Hiroki Gate never open again even for the examinees. In the past Porta Loka had experienced a terrible natural disaster due to the actions of the descendants of the three Nobles who betrayed, they awakened the creatures inside with forbidden spells. And the only person who could reseal the creature was your great-grandfather, Major Hiroki Jakarri."
"My great-grandfather? Then what did he seal the creature with?"
Father continued. "With the Hira heirloom. Because it was your grandfather who made that heirloom and used it to seal the creature inside the Hiroki Gate and also restore the chaos that occurred in Porta Loka. He also made the key to the gate and passed it down to his descendants. And that's what kept the Hiroki Nobles on the throne for hundreds of years. Because they were tasked with protecting the gate and the heirlooms within it."
"But still the Aryans and the nobles who supported them continued to rebel. Eventually, your father was overthrown, and Rodra gained the full support of the Aryans and the trust of the people. But not all, the Rania Nation are still followers of King Aiken to this day. Because Noble Hiroki is also a descendant of the Rania Nation, and all this time Noble Hiroki has always kept the trust well."
I listened to that marvelous story with enthusiasm." Then what happened next with King Aiken?"
I asked again in an awkward tone. I knew the King was my father, but it seemed very difficult and strange if I had to call him Father. Especially since I don't have any memories of him.
"Rodra has two motives why he wants to usurp your father's throne. Firstly, because he wants to take control of Porta Loka, and he has long yearned for that position after he previously succeeded in becoming the King's advisor."
"What? So he's the King's advisor?"
"That's right. Very cunning, isn't he? Then the second motive was that he wanted to reopen the Hiroki Gate and take control of Hira for his use. Because at that time, Prince Raito was two years old. And he is your biological brother Kazo."
I can't describe how I felt when I heard that. My eyes were perfectly round with a choked face. How could I not? It turns out that I also have an older brother.
"B-brother? So you're saying I have an older brother over there?"
Dad nodded." Yes. You have an older brother whose age is not that different from Arga's. "
Continued...