Friend or Foe?

"You." Zeya turned her attention to the Princess, who was silently processing the shocking information she had just heard. "Is there anyone else that knows you're here?"

"No one, Your Grace." She answered almost immediately, having a good feeling about where this situation was going. "Everyone back home thinks I am meeting with Varen in Exousia."

Again, both Zeya and Nox could not detect any deception from the human, agitating Zeya even more.

"... The sun has already set at their realm, so I suppose that does make it easier." She seemed to be talking to herself, the ambience around her seeming less threatening than before. "Surely, Arius wouldn't notice a quick visit, will he?"

"Nox, I'll trust her with you." Zeya finally announced before rushing to the door. "If we wish to remain unnoticed, we must get there as soon as possible." Nox obeyed the ordered with a small nod before the Empress disappeared into the dark hallways.

"Princess, follow me." Nox's unnatural voice caused Kaari, her bewildered stare now fixated on the mysterious creature. Slowly, Nox turned itself back to its original form as the much larger and less harmless cloud, revealing its countless white eyes that peered hauntingly at the human.

"W-Where are you taking me?" Kaari stammered, unable to conceal her horror.

"Her Majesty has agreed to meet your grandfather." Nox explained, lowering itself in front of the princess. "So, unless you have changed your mind, let us hurry and not make the Empress wait."

==========

Imnolyn, the human's realm was the only nation to have all four seasons every year, a phenomenon known only to occur here and nowhere else. The hot summer air slightly stung Zeya's much colder body as she silently glided through the human city with Nox and the human princess following close behind her. Although the nation had only started to thrive recently, the developments made were rather impressive even with Exousia's evident influence in the nation.

The overall architecture of the town were exact replicas of the Kaxarenes, from the distinctive octagonal structures of the houses to the intricate floral craftsmanship on all the buildings.

The palace of the human realm was in deep sleep when the group finally arrived. Kaari wordlessly guided them to where they needed to be immediately upon their arrival, slightly nervous at the thought of having a Roseabelle over as a guest.

'She's no ordinary Roseabelle. She's their ruler, the strongest one of them all.' She thought, biting her lips. 'I hope whatever you have planned is worth it, Grandfather. I believe in you.'

After a moment of walking through the corridors, they finally stopped in front of a mighty door decorated entirely out of pure gold.

Nox remained outside to keep watch while Zeya followed Kaari into the chamber, honestly not knowing what to expect from all of this. A great wave of magic blasted through the door as it opened, taking Zeya by surprise.

'I was wondering how he managed to stay alive for so long.' Zeya thought, recognizing the magic to belong to Varen. "But this much magic constantly being produced every day is outrageous, even for a Kaxarene."

The Kaxarenes were widely known for their ability to create amazing healing spells, ranging from being able to cure the more gruesome of injuries to even allowing one to live past their life expectancy by constantly feeding them healing magic.

One of the most notable of these mages were those from the royal family, who were known to have been born with all the required characteristics to be exceptionally good at this particular magic type.

Zeya quietly watched as Kaari gently shook her grandfather awake. The elderly man jolted awake before Kaari quickly whispered something into the disoriented King, making his eyes widen.

"I am surprised you agreed to meet me, Your Grace." The old man said in a gravel-like voice that was barely audible despite the quietness of the room. He turned to meet Zeya's stare. His hazel eyes were blurry and bleak due to his old age, but it seemed as though he could still see fairly well. "After refusing to do so all this while, I am truly honored."

"Your granddaughter made it fairly difficult to reject." Zeya replied honestly. "She made it quite clear that you would actually drop dead if you didn't get to see me.... although that sounded quite lovely to me."

"Your Grace!" Kaari whispered loudly in alarm, offended by Zeya's blunt remarks.

The old man let out hearty laughed, exposing his toothless mouth before going into an extreme coughing fit. Kaari tried to calm it down by offering some tea that was by his bedside, but the man denied the offer, waving it off just as the coughs began subsiding.

"Why don't you give us some privacy, my dear?" The King said sweetly, reassuring Kaari of his safety with a pat on the back of Kaari's hand. "I wish to speak to her Majesty in private, it won't take long."

Kaari took a moment to look at the King with a worried expression before she let out a sigh of defeat, deciding to listen to his wishes.

"... Alright, I'll be waiting outside then." She managed a small smile before bowing farewell. "Do let me know if you need anything."

"She claims to have knowledge of a place I am searching for. Where is it?" She demanded once she heard Kaari leave the room.

"Why don't you take a seat first?" Vulcan offered one of the spare chairs next to him to her. "I fear that this conversation won't be as short as you'd prefer it to be."

She stared at the King, contemplating. Just like Kaari, she did not sense any deception from this man too. As much as it went against her morals, she hesitantly agreed, taking a seat with her hands still crossed. Much to her dismay, he smiled gratefully, almost as if to say thanks.

"To begin, I have no intentions to deceive you if that is what you are worried about. As reasonable as it is to suspect such actions from me, I am nothing like my late father."

"Enough with the useless chattering." Zeya waved it off, not wanting to hear any of it. "Tell me what I wish to know."

"... Very well." Vulcan agreed, taking a deep breath. "It all started just a few weeks ago."

==========

"While I was unconscious, I've had a series of visions... visions of a past that were not from my lifetime." He began. "One of them were the memories of my late father who was alongside your mother, the Empress."

"This place they were at... I believe it to be place where the book you seek is hidden." The king looked at the Empress. "The book that both you and the Kaxarene Emperor is looking for."

"Your mother had good relationships with everyone, but she has always been particularly closer to us." He smiled, reminiscing. "She was known to have always have our back, and we, the people, loved and cherished her because of it."

"Then, one day during her usual visits, she appeared... distraught. Like she had just seen a ghost." Vulcan's smile faltered, most probably reliving the emotions he felt during the visions. "Father was obviously worried, since there weren't much in this world that could shake up one of the most powerful beings so badly."

"After all it was all a blur... The memories suddenly became blotched and distorted almost." He mumbled, apparently lost in his own thoughts. "Like something was trying to stop it."

"And then, it cuts back to a room I had never seen before, much like a library if you will." His eyes sparkled as he remembered what he had seen. "A magnificent room filled with ancient books that held knowledge of both the known and unknown. The mere size of the place showed just how all-knowing your mother was."

"This may sound foolish but... I could feel it." He touched his chest, feeling his heart beating slowly yet it was steady. "The power each book held was tremendous and unfortunately... Father seemed to have had the same thoughts."

He lowered his head in shame before concluding. "... What happens after well... that is something we all know, don't we? I'm sorry."

"Is this all that you know?" Zeya questioned, ignoring his apology.

He nodded solemnly.

'Though it wasn't the information I wanted at least I know now that Mother's library is in Imnolyn.' She thought, planning her next steps. 'I must get Lex and his shadows to search for it immediately.'

"Alright then." She concluded with a sigh, getting up to leave. "If that is all, I shall be taking my leave."

"Are you going so soon?" The king asked, surprised by Zeya's sudden urge to depart.

"Well, am I supposed to stay around for some tea then?" She retorted sarcastically, not wanting to spend another second in this country.

Not only was it filled with creatures that she despised the most, it was also tremendously warm too. Far too warm. Beads of sweat already occupied most of her forehead, her body not used to such heated weather.

"B-Before you go," Vulcan stammered, nervous to see the Roseabelle agitated. "Please, I would like to ask you something."

"And what knowledge exactly do you seek to think to ask a Roseabelle?" She asked, perplexed by the sudden favor.

"The secret of immortality." He replied. "Surely, you can tell me what I wish to know."