In the following days, I spent my time mostly focused on Runecraft, practical lessons, and occasional visits to the Grade D plane. For the most part, I’d have Belfray or Radek accompany me across the forests, with them keeping a good distance away while I gained valuable experience through sheer effort.

  I liked the hunter’s approach, in general. That was the best way to blend into an environment, as my Mother had drilled into my brain many times. Don’t be a stranger, I’d hear her voice whenever I was too caught up with the hunt. Blend in and become a part of the forest. I feared I might be becoming a bit too addicted to the grinding.

  Not only that, I’d begun to grow a certain liking for herbalism as well. Granted, a Grade D plane wasn’t really a place where magical plants were abundant, but I still chanced across some during my visits. They were almost always guarded by strong beasts, and I’d only managed to pick a few of them by pure luck. More than once, though, I had to fight my way out of it. It could really get hectic in these forests once you had anything worth having on your person.

  To think they sent villagers to hunt for these things… the Palark Kingdom surely was evil.

  The progression of my Internal Core was coming along well, too. After a repetition of beast hunting and Core consuming, I’d managed to bring myself to the late stage of the Bronze Grade, just a few dozen Cores short of actually reaching the Silver Grade. I thought I would hit it, but I knew with growing nervousness that things were about to change.

  How, you ask?

  It was simple, really.

  Our mansion saw quite a few visits during these past couple of weeks, mostly Marcus and Payem, who kept bickering with one another like they were in a love-hate relationship. They would bring with them groups of men whom I’d never seen before, but I could tell they were Mother’s men by the quiet respect they showed me in the form of a military salute. They’d kiss the knuckle of their forefingers and bring it around their forehead.

  It made me feel like I was someone important.

  Belfray also looked more taut and silent than he’d ever been before. He was busy a lot, so I spent most of my time with Radek, who thankfully still kept his carefree attitude.

  “When is it going to start?” I asked him on a Monday evening as we watched the stars pass silently overhead. “I don’t like the air in the mansion. There’s this tension, and it keeps building up. When is it going to be—”

  “It has already started,” Radek said, chewing on a stalk of grass, looking much like a shepherd just done with the day’s job. “We’re just waiting for the right time to play our part.”

  “What, you mean the rebellion?” I said, my eyes widening. “How come I didn’t hear anything?”

  “You’re not supposed to hear about these things. That’s how a rebellion works,” Radek said, smiling. “You keep it a secret as long as you can so as not to give the other party a chance to mount a resistance.”

  “But they have Sound Mages, don’t they? Belfray told me how Palark keeps its low-class folk under control by utilizing those alarm mechanisms. The Mages will know if anything—”

  “We have those as well,” Radek said, then winked at me. “And ours are not of the average kind.”

  “But…” I nearly protested, looking down from the balcony across the lush scenery, trying to see an indication of the operation’s start.

  There was nothing.

  Peace here remained undisturbed, just like it was any other Monday. Mother was seated in the grand hall, accompanied by Marcus and a few men. This couldn’t possibly be the way they planned on carrying out a complete coup. Things were just too… silent.

  “You know how a Knight’s inner will works, Leo?” Radek said, catching me by surprise. I turned toward him and gave him a confused look. He remained in the same posture, seemingly waiting for a response, so I gave him one.

  “A Knight’s inner will lies deep in one’s heart. Its main purpose is to keep the Knight in one piece,” I said, repeating the exact words Belfray used. “Sort of like a protection mechanism. Listen to your inner will, and never take it lightly when it flares. I learned that the hard way.”

  I still dreamed occasionally about the day I came across that Golden Taloned Eagle, exactly the moment when its talons nearly pierced my body. Without Radek’s treasure, I would’ve died that day, all because I thought myself better and ignored my inner will out of greed.

  “Good,” Radek nodded. “Then listen to your inner will and tell me if it says anything or not.”

  I closed my eyes, focusing on the beating of my heart, not really sure how one could listen to something that essentially remained silent so long as one was safe and sound.

  “There’s nothing,” I said in the end, which was the truth.

  “Nothing, indeed,” Radek said, breaking apart the stalk in his hand and throwing the messy side down from the balcony. He planted the other part straight into his mouth, then continued chewing. “Why do you think?”

  “Because I’m safe?”

  “That’s right.” Radek nodded, then gestured with a hand at the lush scenery. “This place is a village. This world is but a tiny gem in a mine spanning the length of the universe. The people living here are a small, unassuming folk who know nothing about the greatness of the Planar System. They’re here because their presence is useful to their betters.”

  He drew in a long breath, his eyes hazy, his smile slowly fading into a bitter expression.

  “Then you have us,” he said thoughtfully. “A group of battle-hardened veterans out searching for a home, having come here after suffering through a conflict the likes of which have only been seen in history a few times. Do you think Celestials are a plentiful bunch in the Planar System, Leo? Do you believe titles like Butcher of the Dawn are given to all those who shed blood?”

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  I had to shake my head under his intent gaze, after which he nodded slowly.

  “We are strong,” he continued, one fist balled up. “Anyone of us could have taken this whole world by themselves had it been a matter of might, but it wasn’t. This is a play. A trickery trick for a bloody old Runemaster who likes to test people. So we’ll do that. We’ll act our part and pay the price. That’s why your inner will remains silent. There’s nothing to fear about this war or this world. It’s just a small business.”

  “Justa small business…” I echoed blankly.

  ……

  Midnight sky, and there was fog everywhere. I sat on the couch across from the giant windows, peering into the night sky, wrapped in a blanket with a bag of questions in my hands. It had been a couple of days since our talk with Radek, and finally, the mansion began showing signs of conflict.

  I couldn’t stress enough how, when there was real trouble to be had, children were sidelined and forced to wait. I wasn’t being told about anything. Nobody bothered to give me an update. I only had bits and pieces I could coax out of Radek, and that was about it.

  All in all, I was not really at an age where I could become part of something this big.

  Still, though, I didn’t necessarily think it was a bad thing. True, I wanted to be involved in some shape or form, but even after all the hunting and gathering, there were still parts of me that tried to distance themselves from reality. Or rather, tried to reject the fact that I now lived in a chaotic world.

  Old news, really.

  When you actually see groups of people being dragged about, screaming and yelling, leaking blood from the holes across their bodies, getting handled like a bunch of kids by Mother’s men, though, you begin to see things in a new light. You start to question the morality of it.

  By all means, Palark needed saving. And yes, the people Mother’s men brought into the mansion were bad, bad people. Up to this point, Mother had been mostly right. They exploited people here as though they were worth less than rats. They were, quite literally, used as an expendable resource for anything that could benefit the Kingdom in some way. They never got to live a true life. To me, they would be better off dead than alive.

  Seeing their corpses scattered about the forests during my visits to the Grade D plane filled me with righteous thoughts I didn’t know I had in me. Radek had told me this stemmed from my inner strength. I argued otherwise.

  In a way, they reminded me of myself. Not in that way, though. I was lucky enough to have a life, even though I spent most of it as a miserable shut-in. I, after experiencing quite a few traumas, decided purposefully to keep myself away from the public. These people, on the other hand, weren’t given any choices. They were born into a system where they lacked any true will.

  Was it wrong to justify this coup by simply considering one side and ignoring the other? Was it wrong to not look too deeply into the rich folk’s lives and think about why they would prefer to have a system like this in place? Were these people born evil? Couldn’t they see the obvious wrongs in their society?

  That was beyond me. I just tried to find solace in the fact that Radek told me this coup wouldn’t be a bloody massacre.

  It was just that… certain people must die. As he’d said, it was a small business.

  Footsteps echoed across the corridor. I perked up, my fingers clutching the blanket tightly, my heart slowly ramping up in nervous expectation. Somewhere deep in my mind, I knew this night would be different. There were just too many things going on.

  Then came a knock on the door, after which it clicked open softly, and Mother walked in. She looked like a fine commander of some grand origin, her blond hair wrapped neatly into a bun and her sheath clanking against her leather leggings at each step. Her smile was taut, a little bit nervous, but still looked natural.

  “Are you ready?” she asked, as though she knew I was aware of something.

  “Can I not be ready? Is that an option?” I answered.

  “I’m afraid not, my love.” She shook her head. “It will be over soon. We just have to show people their new ruler, then this will all end.”

  “End? I don’t think so,” I muttered. “Things might end for Palark’s people, but for me, this is just a beginning. You’re about to send me off into a different world, to be trained under a mysterious master and with people who are going to hate my guts. I’d much prefer staying here for a while. Maybe until I’m old enough to handle… certain things.”

  “You do?” Mother tilted her head. “I thought you didn’t like being trained like a slave soldier. I thought you’d cherish this opportunity to get… what was the word? Ah, true freedom? What happened?”

  “Well, it isn’t much of a freedom, is it?” I said. “This world is mad. Radek told me there’ll be crazy people doing crazy things in the Creator’s Academy. That it’ll be like a more regulated hell, but a hell nonetheless. I’m not sure if I like my future prospects at this point.”

  “You remind me of your father,” Mother said suddenly. “This side of yours that likes to question everything, that can’t quite settle on a response… You’re just like him.”

  My eyes widened as I regarded her.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Nothing,” I said. “It’s just… You never say anything about my father. I’m surprised.”

  Mother dipped her chin, looking thoughtfully into her hands as if she were searching there, in her fingers, for something that had been missing.

  “I don’t, don’t I?” she said after a beat. “It’s not easy for me to talk about the past.”

  “I know that,” I said. I could relate to that, even.

  “People know your father as the Paragon of Swords. An Emperor feared across the Planar System, a man of strength and achievement, a true apex Knight who stood at the very end of the Path of Glory. A mere word out of his mouth would rally millions of soldiers into war, no questions asked. People just wanted to be under his leadership. He gave them hope and made them feel safe. I… always hated that about him.”

  “What?” I blanked. “Why?”

  “Because that wasn’t the true him. Not entirely, at least,” Mother said. “As much as he was a feared Emperor, he was also a visionary mind too broad to fit on a small throne. He fought old traditions and his own family all his life, aware that he’d been broken by them through and through. You know the very first words he uttered to me when I was brought into his presence?”

  I shook my head.

  “I was just done with a campaign where I earned the name Butcher of the Dawn,” Mother said. “I killed thousands of men in cold blood and swept a dozen worlds free of rebellion. I butchered those pitiful souls senseless in the din, thinking how grand a feat I was about to achieve. They’d surely reward me for this effort, I remember thinking. They’d surely see my worth and acknowledge the rising of an orphan whose name was only given to her after she was taken by the military. Your father asked if it was worth it. It was his words that first made me question my true purpose in this life.”

  “I thought he was the Emperor?” I muttered. “Then he should’ve handed you the task, no? How come—”

  “I wasn’t the only one those words were directed to. He was also speaking to himself, your father was,” Mother said, then drew in a sharp breath. “It’s time to go, Leo. It’s about time you take the throne and become a ruler. When this is over, I will tell you about your father. I will tell you everything he did to make the world a better place, then I will tell you where he did wrong. You will not repeat his mistakes. I’ll make sure of it.”

  She led me out into the night, and I went with her. By morning, Palark would have a new ruler. For many people, that would mean the end of the miseries they had to deal with throughout their lives, but for me, it would simply be a small step toward a future I knew nothing of.

  There was a lot to be scared of, and yet I found myself strangely at peace. After all, I had been purposefully prepared for this my whole life, but this wasn’t just about the training and the people around me. I had also become a better version of myself.

  Just like how I always dreamed of back in my first life.

  …….