Suzannah quickly returned to Nannu, where the king awaited her anxiously. As she approached the city gates, she felt her mana depleting. Her flight magic lost strength, and she gently descended to the ground. Alister, even injured, was there to receive her. He ran in her direction, noticing her exhaustion. "It seems the king did not like our plan to rescue him without permission!" said Alister with a touch of irony, helping her walk back to Alnuum.
Suzannah, with a lost look, responded seriously: "We will deal with the consequences of the king later. Now we must prepare, for what I feared has happened. Those damned special soldiers of Saladon will arrive in Alnuum soon."
Arriving at the throne room, Suzannah and Alister knelt before King Relon. They expected a severe reprimand, but seeing Suzannah's troubled look, Relon realized their plan had not succeeded. "Rise," he ordered. They quickly stood up. "Tell me, Suzannah, what are we facing? To escape your powerful magic, they must be special. Would they be demons?" asked the king, his voice full of concern.
Suzannah took a deep breath and explained: "I did not have time to fully understand everything, but it seems they are genetically modified soldiers, created by surviving scientists from the ancient Kingdom of Tenai. They are stronger, faster and more resistant than a common human. My sources discovered that only one of them can face ten common men. Besides that, their leader is a king's seed!"
Relon frowned in confusion. "King's seed?" he questioned. Shun, another advisor present, intervened to explain: "As you must already know, king's seeds are the kings'...". Relon, irritated, interrupted: "I know, I know! My confusion is because I thought that was fiction or something from ancient times. I did not imagine it was real! Besides that, I fought against him and know how powerful he is," said the king, pointing to the bandage covering his left eye.
Suzannah nodded. "Apparently, Felix Saladon, the Grand Duke, saved that seed and trained him to become a fierce and terrible fighter. His name is Set, and he is even more dangerous than all the soldiers he commands."
Relon, restless, asked: "And what can we do against this?" Suzannah, determined, replied: "I can face Set, after all I am still the Red Queen. But I need to recover my mana. However, the soldiers must be stopped in other ways. Let us gather all the mages and warriors of this city. We will create traps and surprises for them. Despite being powerful, they do not know this terrain as well as we do."
The king nodded in understanding of the urgency of the situation. He ordered Shun to gather the most powerful warriors of Alnuum and the surrounding areas to defend the city as quickly as possible. After dismissing his advisors, Lilla, Relon's sister, approached. "How are you?" she asked, concerned.
"Terrible. I just got my ass kicked, can't you see?" Relon replied, half joking, half bitter. Before Lilla could say anything, he continued: "Don't tell me you came to say I was an idiot?"
Lilla walked over to the large window of the king's hall and looked at the people mobilizing outside. "Remember a wet nurse we had who loved to read?" she asked. Relon smiled at the memory. "Yes, our mother was always scolding her because she loved to read. I remember one time she was so focused on a book that she didn't notice I had fallen." They laughed, remembering how their mother had almost beheaded the nurse several times.
Lilla continued: "That nurse hated the fact that, even as children, I wanted to learn to fight with swords and you wanted to focus on your books. And before leaving, wanting to change my ways, she gave me a book, one that talked about the annals of our family. I did not read the whole book, but I remember one story about why today we are called Artal Aquarion and not Quid Aquarion, as our ancestor."
Relon, always studious, took the lead: "I know it was because of King Aerion Aquarion's second son, Artal. I know he received a prophecy saying that the future kings of Nannu would come from his lineage." Lilla smiled and continued: "Yes, but the story I read went further. Artal did not want to be king; he said he had not been born for it, as he only carried the golden hair and blue eyes inherent to the family, but had no mana for magic or talent with swords. He felt useless and spent hours studying and reading."
Relon, confused, asked: "And what does this have to do with me?" Lilla looked at him and told: "During a war against Volkaron, Artal's brother, the then King Aernon, was struck by a poisoned dart, and Nannu's forces suffered a terrible defeat. Volkaron's armies marched at night on Alnuum to once and for all destroy our country. With the king Aernon's sons still very young, Artal, gathering courage and strength, stood up. Even without skill, he led Nannu's defenses against an enemy three times greater. His will was so great that, contrary to all expectations, Wavebringer and Leviathan chose him, even after being wielded by Aernon."
"Artal was so victorious that day that, before dying, King Aernon gave him the relics Wavebringer and Leviathan, contrary to the tradition of passing them from father to son. He became Artal, the Guardian of the Relics of Aquarion."
Lilla concluded, looking Relon in the eyes: "What I mean to say is that it is not the mana, skill or even blood that makes an Aquarion an Aquarion. It is the strength to stand up and protect one's people. That is what it means to be an Aquarion."
Relon fell silent, contemplating his sister's words. Lilla turned to leave the king's hall but before leaving said: "Remember what our father used to tell us, brother: to be an Aquarion is not a privilege, it is a responsibility. Just like our symbol, to be an Aquarion is to be the golden shield that protects the people and the spear that dominates the waters to drown enemies. To be an Aquarion, king or not, is to be a hero."
Lilla's words echoed in Relon's mind, bringing with them a new determination. He knew that regardless of the challenges ahead, he would have to stand up and fight, not just as king but as a true Aquarion, protector of his people.
The morning sun shone ever more intensely, revealing the approaching horror. From afar, Alnuum's garrison watched apprehensively the implacable march of hundreds of soldiers led by Set. The soldiers with golden eyes advanced with determination, reflecting Saladon's resolve to subjugate that country. Tension rose with every step taken by the invaders, as the defenders prepared for the imminent battle.
On the battlefield, Ionna awoke amidst devastation. Wounded and exhausted, she rose with difficulty, feeling intense pain throughout her body. Around her, the charred corpses of Volkaron's soldiers bore witness to Suzannah's destructive magical power. Humiliation and rage bubbled within her, and she screamed in despair, her voice echoing across the plains filled with death and destruction. When finally calm, the moans of pain from the dying reached her ears, increasing her anguish.
Determined to find Prince Flamarion, Ionna began walking slowly toward the camp. "He must be alive, the lineage of the Heatak kings cannot end here!" she thought, each step a challenge. As she advanced, her mind filled with doubts about her choices, especially the decision to sell Princess Elanor to slave traders. But forcing herself to focus on the task ahead, she reaffirmed her loyalty to Volkaron and contempt for the Aquarion.
Reaching the camp, Ionna was horrified to see the devastation caused by Suzannah's magic. The tents were burned, and not just soldiers, but also innocent animals and servants had perished. "Damn red witch, she spared not even the innocents," she thought bitterly. Her heart raced as she approached Flamarion's tent, only to find a pile of charred bodies. Desperate, she knelt before the mortal remains, fearing the worst. "It can't be!" she screamed, her voice trembling with pain and despair.
Suddenly, a faint moan broke the terrifying silence. Ionna, mustering all her strength, began removing the bodies with her trembling hands, revealing Prince Flamarion underneath the pile of corpses. He was critical, covered in severe burns, but still breathing. "The servants protected the prince with their own bodies," Ionna thought, feeling a mixture of relief and despair.
With the prince in her arms, Ionna began a painful march towards Volkaron. The way to the capital Emarlal was long and dangerous, but she was determined to find a village or any kind of help as soon as they crossed Nannu's border. As she walked, she looked at the prince. His black hair, a symbol of the Heatak lineage, was burned, and he breathed with difficulty, his face marked by suffering.
Ionna promised herself she would not let the Heatak lineage go extinct. She picked up the pace despite the pains that tormented her. Every movement was torture, especially upon realizing that the armor on her right leg had melted into the flesh, caused by the extreme heat of Suzannah's magic. The pain was unbearable, but she could not stop; the prince's life depended on it.
As afternoon turned to dusk, Ionna felt her vision blur. Her strength was rapidly draining. Desperate, she found a safe place by the side of the road to lay the prince, hoping someone would find and help them. She sat near a tree, resigned to her fate. Exhaustion and pain finally overcame her, and she began to lose consciousness. "Save fire land, save mother of mountains, save Volkaron!" were her last thoughts before everything went dark.