A week passed, and the news reached every corner of the continent. Rumors began to fly, speculating the involvement of the Balrog Empire and even the deep elves.
Amidst the chaos, Prince Barnabas managed to secure the Capital City on his side. He took great risks by hiding that night in his safe house within the capital, but as a reward, he earned the trust of the Imperial Knights and the nobility. It had been a bloody night; many families were suspected of being involved in the assassination of Prince Hector. Consequently, many other princes and princesses fled the kingdom.
As morning arrived, Whiteford fell into chaos. The military grew suspicious of the knights and began to take action. For a full week, Whiteford was paralyzed.
Now, with Barnabas having claimed the throne, he could not yet ascend as king. Instead, he was named Lord Regent of Whiteford. He managed to earn the trust of most of the military, the Imperial Knights, the Seven Swords, the Saints, and a group that ultimately formed called the Throne Watchers and Throne Defenders.
Fearing others, Barnabas declared that all of his siblings, without exception, would be taken for interrogation. Essentially, Barnabas labeled the other princes and princesses as traitors. Many nobles opposed this decision, but others supported it, deeming the princes' and princesses' actions of leaving the capital as acts of treason.
Every prince and princess made announcements declaring their disagreement with Barnabas. However, tensions quickly escalated, worsening the situation.
To Aina's surprise, her family's bond was not as harmonious as she had thought. Now that things had deteriorated, Barnabas managed to raise an army, ultimately gaining control over more than half of Whiteford's forces alongside most of the royal knights. This allowed him to maintain control of Whiteford while remaining in his position as Lord Regent with minimal resistance.
Aina, however, still hoped that now Barnabas had almost completely controlled Whiteford, he would change his heart and attempt to defuse the situation, reasoning with all the princes and princesses.
To her dismay, Prince Adonis and his loyalists were ultimately defeated in less than two months. Prince Adonis was now imprisoned in the capital city, where most of his forces had been routed and defeated.
This shocked Aina to her core. She felt both terrified and disappointed in her brother. She realized that Barnabas was not who she thought he was. His cold and iron-fisted rule was causing problems not just for Whiteford but for other countries as well.
Now, he began to hunt down other princes and princesses with his forces. Aina knew it was just a matter of time.
File agreed and finally decided to gather allies from other kingdoms and countries to strengthen their political standing. Of course, that meant File would have to spread his forces thin. This also meant he would need to take most of the knights away from Aina, as they were both top priority targets. They were easier to detect together, and having a large number of knights with Aina would make her movements easier to notice.
That night, Aina and File had a private meeting, just the two of them.
"Hey, you alright?" File asked.
"Yeah, I'm sorry; it's just still way too much for me. I believed the bonds I have with my family were genuine. I guess I was too naïve, right?" Aina admitted.
"I'm not blaming you, but don't let it change who you are. Because you, Aina White, are the one they follow," File reassured her.
"I know, it's just too much for me to handle," Aina said.
"I'm going to Numen to divert Barnabas's attention. If I move a large number of knights there, they will shift their gaze from here," File explained.
Aina stood in silence for a moment. "But where will you and the others go?" she finally asked.
"I don't know yet. I have some contacts in Sofia, but I can't guarantee anything," File replied.
"Will you return?" Aina asked, concern evident in her voice.
"I will," File promised.
"Then I will wait, but promise me," Aina said, taking File's hand.
"Promise me you won't leave me again," she urged.
This surprised File for a moment. "W-why do you ask that?" he questioned.
Aina suddenly came to her senses. "Oh, sorry! I don't know. It just feels strange, like a strange thought crossed my mind," she admitted.
For a brief moment, tears fell from File's eyes as he caught an image of Yanmei in Aina.
File smiled gently. "I promise, this time I'll make a happy ending for us," he said.
Aina blushed, her face turning red. "F-File, I'm not ready for that kind of relationship yet," she stammered.
File realized the implications of his words. "Hahaha, I'm sorry too; I think I got carried away by the situation. Anyway, don't worry. I promise we will meet again. You and the rest take care here and lay low for the time being. I will set our future plans," File reassured her.
The two then made a pinky promise. Additionally, File gave Aina a tiara adorned with three red gems.
"Aina, listen, if they ever find you while I'm away, shatter this gemstone. It will unleash my will to protect you. I promise I will find you as quickly as I can," File instructed.
"Alright, I promise too. I will wait for you," Aina said earnestly.
File took Skye and Nia, along with the majority of the team, to meet Cyan Pile, who had already scouted ahead. Ghani, Rifqie, and the rest of the team were left behind to protect Aina until File could inform them of a path forward.
This ultimately marked the beginning of Aina's new goal: to uncover whoever the enemies of Whiteford were that hid behind the shadows. Could it be other princes or princesses? Outer God cultists? Daemons? A rival nation? Or perhaps someone from the past who refused to let go of what had happened?
As File rode alongside Nia, one thing he knew for certain was that whatever had killed Hector was a spell called Heart Grasp, which was only accessible to daemons, as it was a form of dark magic. Yet it didn't make sense that a daemon could carry out the act, given the thousands of holy pylons that would burn most daemons on the spot.
Ultimately, File and Aina would lay low and not meet each other for over two years. A lot of things happened during that time. File finally finished setting up network connections for the Archive Knights, while Aina matured significantly compared to the last time they met.
Now roughly 22 years old, Aina finally met File again after he secured a tunnel within the border of Lagu City that connected to Margram City. Upon returning to their old headquarters, the moment File saw Aina, he was baffled.
Here stood the young woman who had always relied on him, now grown into a mature lady who led her people. She was loved, idolized, and respected. Aina had also cut her long hair short, sporting a hairstyle similar to Yanmei's.
File knelt before her in admiration and respect, a sign that he fully accepted Aina as his lord and princess. Thus began their journey together, fighting against whatever awaited them in the future.
"You've returned," Aina said, her voice filled with emotion.
"I promise, this time I will protect you from the world," File vowed.