X was scared. His hands trembled, his brain struggling to form anything that resembled words. He closed his eyes and tried to take in deep breaths since that usually made it easier for him to speak, but this time it did not work. He could not even breathe. Suddenly, he heard voices in his head. Or rather, he heard a single voice. His voice. It was telling him to activate Immortal Tree.
He struggled against this voice and resisted it, but in the end, all those struggles were of no avail. He opened his mouth and spoke, but no sound came out. He tried again, and a faint whisper could be heard. His friends looked at him with beaming smiles, unable to hold back their joy. They could hear him whisper. He could speak, and the three of them would not be in trouble after all. They heard him speak, not the words. Because when they did, all they could do was distance themselves.
'Immortal Tree'
X's eyes glowed brightly, and his mouth continued moving. He was not in control.
'Pyrokinesis'
Golden flames enveloped his body, illuminating the room softly. X fit in perfectly with the red and golden decor. His mouth was still moving, but this time he was not whispering to himself, but speaking to the royal family. He could not hear the words, nor did he know what he was speaking. He could only see pink, and X was sure that he had returned to the world of Immortal Tree after a long time.
It felt similar to that time when the dark inky being that resided in this world took over his body in the desert while X was fighting the scorpions. He was not in control, something else was. Only this time the force did not feel malevolent. The person currently talking using X's body was not an evil being like the previous one.
Slowly, he returned to the real world. The pink faded away, and golden replaced it. He could hear the words that left his mouth and could experience the emotions he was feeling alongside what he should have felt had he been in charge of his body when he spoke such words in such a tone.
'We fought the demons and ended up killing them all. The demons were all soldiers of a being they called the Fifth Lord.'
X felt similar to his normal self, like a person who failed at conversations, only for a different reason. X found it hard to converse since he was naturally programmed to be afraid of public speaking. His mouth would not open and words would not form, his tongue would not move and vocal cords would not vibrate. Currently, he felt like he was in a similar yet different dilemma. He could speak fluently, but he could not connect. He could not phrase the words the correct way, since he could not consider that other personas an equal. He was a higher being explaining the world to a lesser.
Everyone in the room was understandably shocked, not only because of what he said but also because of what he said. His friends looked like they wanted to run away from that room, maybe even from the continent. They did not understand what was going on right then, that X was not in control of his own. He did not know why he got tricked by the voice in his head, but he did get tricked by the voice in his head, and now he had to pay the price. At least it was not the man coated in the inky dark who might be Unknown that took over his body.
The King and Queen did not move, barely breathing as they tried to understand what he had just told them, and what he had just done. His words seemed to frighten them, but the fact that X managed to activate Immortal Tree and Pyrokinesis in the Throne room was more frightening. There were countless magical formations within and surrounding this room since ancient times that prevented the use of all abilities, meant to stop knights from revolting against the royalty. Yet, X was able to break through all of them at Stage 2.
The prince leaned forward on his golden chair, a smile plastered on his face. He seemed to be having some evil thoughts right there, mostly regarding the fact that X was able to wield his abilities within this place. He opened his mouth, perhaps to ask a question or to give an order. X himself did not wish to interrupt him, but unfortunately, X was not in control.
'On returning, we fought against a member of the Triumvirate.'
The prince stopped talking, all the shrewdness vanishing from his face as he got up and left the room. The Queen slumped back on her throne, unable to handle the news. The King glared at them, his brain still processing X's words. X himself felt uneasy, his head hurting and his limbs weak. He could feel his limbs. X raised his hands, and to his surprise, they moved. He was back in control. The golden flames of Pyrokinesis faltered as he took a step forward, trying to open his mouth. He had to apologize to the King, to try and make up for his mistake. He opened his mouth, but the sound did not come out.
The flames completely dissipated and as the source of the light that illuminated the room was removed, the whole room darkened. It felt like the sun was covered by a cloud. X felt himself slip out of consciousness, but he could not allow that to happen. He walked forward since movement allowed him to stay conscious. He could not faint yet. Not before apologizing. He felt a palm wrap around his shoulder, and although he did not have the strength to look back, from the size of the palm he could guess that it was Brik. He was trying to hold X back, trying to stop him from messing things up even more.
X pushed forward, still struggling to speak. He gulped down all the saliva that was filling up his mouth, then took another step forward. Aqua ran forward and blocked his path, her arms wide. Her blue eyes shook from the betrayal. X walked forward despite their attempts at blocking him. The guards were rushing from behind. X could hear their footsteps nearing him. They would soon drag him away, and if he did not apologize, he could not even hope for good news. The entire career of his squad and even his own life was at risk. He could not gamble away three lives.
Aqua hugged him to stop him from moving since she knew that she was physically not strong enough to hold him back. X's shoulders were wet from the tears that flowed down from her eyes, and he could feel the two hands on his shoulders. Their strength was faltering. So was X's. He could not go on. Aqua left him, and in a final effort, he dashed forward, pushing Brik's hands away. The ground sizzled every time he stepped down on it. He reached the throne and opened his mouth. His last chance at apologizing.
'I'm sorry...'
He was tackled before he could complete his words and crashed down on the floor. He opened his eyes to see Hester standing in front of him, her thin wooden bow being used as a handcuff for him. She glanced at the King, who nodded. She pulled X up to his feet and made him walk out. X could not handle the stress, not after an unknown entity took over his body and made him use his abilities despite the existence of countless spells that were meant to stop it. His eyes closed, his body falling to the floor. He was slipping out of consciousness, and as he was, he heard a few words.
'Get out.'
The King spoke in a cold voice, and footsteps echoed in the room as X's friends were forced to walk out. X fainted, and Hester had to place him on her shoulder and carry her forward, her bow still being used as a handcuff.
'Dusan, get in now. I have something to discuss.'
The Tower Master walked into the Throne room as medics rushed to the spot, carrying the Queen away on a stretcher. The King had a cold look on his face, his head finally having wrapped around everything that had just happened.
'The kid apologized, and I do believe it wasn't his fault, so I do not wish to give them capital punishment. But he had threatened the royal family, so I have to provide some sort of a punishment to him, or else it would not be fair.'
Dusan nodded before speaking cautiously.
'I believe it is only right for us to send them on a mission. There is one place I can send, which would be a punishment from outside, but good for them in reality.'
'Where'
'Remember the request sent to us by the Vikings.'