"Father, Reiji can help," Lyra's voice cut through the heavy silence.
King Theodorus exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable. Then, in a solemn tone, he commanded, "Mortus should go first. Eudia mentioned his body is barely recognizable. Take this man with you and bring him to where Mortus lies, Lyra."
Lyra bowed her head. "As you command, Lord King."
Reiji stiffened. "Lord King?" The realization hit him suddenly. "Wait… this guy is the king? Which means… Lyra and Lyrien are princesses?"
He barely had time to process the revelation before Lyra turned to him. "Reiji, come."
His head dipped instinctively in a bow. "Yes. Please, lead the way."
Lyra blinked at him, momentarily confused. "Okay?"
As they walked, Reiji trailed slightly behind Lyra, though she didn't seem to mind.
"How should one act around royalty here?" he thought in a panic. "Should I keep acting casual? Or should I wait for her to tell me to act normal?"
He clenched his fist, scolding himself. "Reiji, now's not the time for silly thoughts. Just act normal." He nearly smacked his own head, trying to shake off his out of place thoughts.
Suddenly, Lyra came to a stop, her gaze fixed straight ahead and she said, "Reiji, I apologize, but… I can't take you directly to Mortus."
Reiji asked, "Do you mind if I ask, why?"
Her voice wavered. "I know it's selfish, but I just can't bear to see Mortus again. And more than that… I don't know if my heart can take the sight of Lucas, sitting next to him, head down.
Reiji hesitated.
"I didn't throw up seeing what happened to the Queen…or Seand's father, I should be fine," he reassured himself.
Then, he nodded firmly. "It's okay, Princess Lyra. I'll go there myself."
Lyra exhaled softly, grateful. "Just turn that corner, and you'll see them. Let Lucas know I sent you."
Reiji followed Lyra's directions and slowly approached Lucas, who sat motionless, as if unaware of the world around him.
Regardless, Reiji spoke gently. "I'm here to try and restore Mortus… to make him look like he did before. Lyra sent me."
Lucas didn't react. His head remained bowed, his hands resting limply on his knees, sitting beside Mortus' broken form.
Reiji waited a moment in silence, giving him time to respond. But when none came, he exhaled softly and decided, "I'll start now. I hope you don't mind."
Reiji kneeled close to Mortus, his eyes still glowing blue but it was grim by the sight.
"This is just brutal," Reiji told himself, "Is this how ruthless monsters can be? I can see the reason for Lyrien's eyes back then, I protected a monster who is capable of this." He admitted to himself.
Reiji then began what he's tasked to do, he placed his hands on Mortus and shut his eyes…
As he dived into Mortus' internal Physical structure, he'd seen nothing and he felt a striking pain into his mind and he fell unconscious next to Mortus.
Before he completely lost it, he muttered, "This is familia–"
Reiji's consciousness drifted in a dark, empty void. His thoughts, floating without form or direction.
Then—light.
His eyes fluttered open. He was lying in a chamber within one of the castle's towers.
Blinking away his disorientation, he turned his head toward the window.
The sun was setting, casting a warm glow over the kingdom.
He slowly got up and glanced out the window.
Below, he could see people hard at work, repairing the damaged structures.
"Where am I?" he murmured, his voice raspy. "What happened to me?"
A sudden knock on the door snapped him to attention. He sat back down as he asked, "Who's there?"
A soft voice came from the other side. "He's awake. Let Lady Lyra know."
Then, more directly, the woman called out, "I am a servant of Princess Lyra. You have been asleep for two days, and you'll need food to regain your strength after suffering from Drainea."
Reiji's brow furrowed. "Drainea?"
"Ah, so it's been two days?" Reiji confirmed, rubbing his temples as he processed the information.
He stood, steadying himself before walking to the door.
As he opened it, he was met by a servant—a woman dressed in a long-sleeved tunic, full skirt, apron, and cap, adorned with simple embroidery.
"Brown eyes and hair... she looks like an ordinary human from Earth," Reiji mused internally.
The woman inclined her head respectfully before speaking. "Lady Lyra extends her apologies for not arranging for a Recovery spell to restore your energy. Given the kingdom's losses, magic has been prioritized for those in critical need. It was Lady Lyra's decision to allow you to recover naturally."
Reiji nodded, his expression softening. "Tell her I'm grateful. I'll take the food now—you may go. Thank you."
The maid bowed politely before departing.
Reiji re-entered his chambers and finished his meal.
As he set the empty plate aside, he mused, "They serve steak here, huh? This place has such a Western feel to it—from the castle's architecture to the maids' gowns and even the food."
His fingers tapped idly against the wooden table as he thought back on everything.
"What puzzles me the most is why I ended up with Drainea?"
"Did I exhaust my energy too much?"
"That shouldn't be possible. The Ragor I fought was the weaker double, and the only time I used Vitalis Vedere back then was with Seand's father."
His brows furrowed.
"I didn't even feel fatigued. So how the hell did I end up with Drainea?"
As Reiji tinkered with his thoughts, another knock broke the silence in his room, followed by a familiar voice.
"Reiji? It's me, Lyra."
Recognizing her voice, Reiji quickly stood and opened the door.
"How are you feeling?" Lyra asked the moment she saw him.
"Much better. Thanks for asking." He answered.
Lyra stepped inside, taking a seat on the bed and added, "What happened? You ended up with Drainea again. Is your ART skill still unstable?"
Reiji closed the door behind her and sighed. "That's what I've been trying to figure out. Why did I end up like that? What exactly was I doing?"
"Nara didn't tell you?" Lyra asked.
"Tell me what?" Reiji clarified.
"You were in the process of… how should I put it? Restructuring Mortus." Lyra explained.
Reiji's expression darkened as he tried to recall. "I see… I barely remember. I walked toward a knight sitting on the ground, but after that... it's all blurry."
Lyra nodded. "That's a common side effect."
She then added gently, "Anyway, I'm not going to ask you to restore Mortus or Queen Ann if doing so puts you in this state. We're already halfway through preparing their honoring and burial. I need to go help out."
Standing up, she offered him a faint smile. "I just wanted to check if you were okay."
As she walked towards the door, she instructed Reiji. "If you need anything, just head left down the hallway. You'll find a servant along the way—just ask for me."
"Thanks, Lyra." Reiji replied.
As Lyra stepped out, Reiji sat back down, deep in thought.
"It seems I still have a lot to learn about this power… Unstable..."