Things were odd. Very odd. It wasn't every day that the great, renowned emperor of Aolan, Suwan Yinjilang who stuck to his own matters up in the sky ignoring all else, personally visited other empires willingly, and patiently sat there with a pleasant expression on his face whilst sipping a cup of tea. It just wasn't right. If anything, it was wrong.
Aeternius Bojica sat across from him, posture straight, hands atop his knees, and an amiable smile cordially rested upon his benign features. The bridge between his golden eyebrows was smooth and pristine with no lines of stress or tension in sight even though he was feeling quite uncomfortable and conflicted at the moment. When they were young, him, Suwan, and one wild other were quite close since their ages had aligned somewhat. The fact that their parents were close friends also played a part. Every day had been full of chaotic adventures and harsh scoldings back then. Loud laughter, raucous footsteps, and sullied faces from sneaking out of succession lessons and digging in the dirt, sometimes even running away to other kingdoms for fun. What sweet yet bitter memories those were.
Now, there was a strict, icy wall set between them. Nothing was ever the same after Aeternius's aunt and her husband passed away about a decade ago in the hands of Ryuhwai Pojun, leaving the burden of running a whole empire upon the shallow shoulders of a mere seventeen-year-old. That night, Suwan had ventured to a far off place that Aeternius himself wouldn't reach until three years later, and they no longer spent time together. The strong, twisted emotions the two felt after the friend they'd both considered a brother turned black made it even harder to face each other properly like they had before. Which was why the sudden visit by this cousin of his was even more alarming.
Silence ensued. Suwan guzzling down the tea he'd been served without rest. At this point, Aeternius could no longer stand the awkward quietness floating in the air between them and began to open his mouth to speak, but was immediately cut off when Suwan abruptly spoke up, setting down the delicate cup of china with a small clink, "Have you heard the rumors?"
Taken aback and a bit confused by the suddenness, Aeternius questioned, "Rumors? Which one? The ones that have been spreading across the continent about the mineral and magic crystal mines located in Gojin?"
Suwan shook his head. The long brown locks swishing and brushing against each other with the immaculate movement.
"There are more rumors spreading across the continent other than that."
The dour, solemn expression that darkly loomed over the fair and handsome face before him immediately notified Aeternius of what his cousin spoke of. His striking features turning stony as well. Now that the issue he'd desperately been ignoring all this time was so seriously brought up, he couldn't possibly brush it aside and stow it away into the darkest corner of his mind. Aeternius grimly responded, "I think it is safe for me to presume that you are talking about the rumors about Daewee being brought back to life?"
Suwan nodded sternly.
"Although the rumor itself is certainly about an urgent matter, I don't think it is quite plausible to say that a dead person could come back to life. Unless there is solid evidence from a credible source other than the baseless gossips identically narrated by bored drunkards at night shops, there is no need to be so on edge about it. There's never been a precedent before about someone coming back from the afterlife—their soul fully intact, and the undead no longer roam the mortal lands as there is no one who can call upon them anymore."
The instant gloom that swept over and sent Suwan's face several shades darker upon the mention of the undead, set off an alarm in Aeternius's mind. That's odd. It appeared that there was something he was missing regarding the circumstances of their continent. Had something serious really happened, his father who possessed the ability of clairvoyance would surely have kicked up a fuss, but ever since he'd flown into a rage three months ago upon the rumors of Daewee's return, he'd been completely silent. Major problems would arise if the Heifos Empire-- which was responsible for the protection barriers placed at every empire except Gojin per the treaty of the last war-- were unaware of occurring discrepancies on their lands. It would be a huge hit to their reputation, so it was crucial for Aeternius to know whatever affairs were happening as the emperor—and, currently, the man across from him with the somber countenance was the only one who could fill him in on them.
He spoke in a soft, coaxing voice-- a gentle, mellifluous tune promising warm, summer days and bright, blue skies.
"Suwan, what is it? What is it that worries you so? Come; tell me all that is on your mind."
After organizing and collecting his thoughts in a moment of silence, Suwan told him everything. How he, his advisors, and a few soldiers had gone to the gates of Gojin to sneak in and overthrow the Grand Duke, fully aware but not expecting so many fables to be there. He retold in great detail how they'd seen a whole army of undead appear and attack with much vigor; how Nuanxin was almost killed by a weapon-wielding zombie before a mysterious someone appeared. He told Aeternius about the goblin of great power, and how it unconditionally protected them with much devotion almost as if its life depended on it. He thoroughly described the battle between the person clad in black and the weapon-wielding undead, even mentioning the dark, black hair he'd seen glisten in the sunlight like that of a crow's feathers. After the story was finished, Aeternius sat back in his seat and pondered for a bit, gently tapping the tip of his straight nose. These certainly were some peculiar flow of events that he'd almost failed to become aware of.
In an unsure tone, Suwan asked, "The man in black… could he possibly be…?"
"Now now, the trait of having dark, black hair that glistens in the sunlight like that of a crow's feathers is one common to all subjects of the Gojin Empire. You cannot simply assume it is Daewee because you're feeling a little agitated, Suwan. Perhaps the person was a mercenary of sorts passing through, saw the trouble that was happening, and decided it was in their best interest to help. That's more likely, isn't it? After all, Daewee has no reason to save you or any of us. After all that has happened, that would be even weirder than the fact that he has been resurrected."
Suwan slowly nodded in agreement. What he said was right. If you considered all that had happened, the sentiment that Daewee would save anyone was more than laughable. But still, he had his doubts.
"Even so, we shall not let down our guards. Because of the rumors and the fact that the undead have reappeared, we must be the most critical. I will notify the other empires to be on the lookout and re-enforce the shields with stronger magic. We shall continue this conversation with the others during the Grand Festival."
Again, Suwan nodded. A fiery resolve burning in those sky-blue eyes of his.