= = =

  { 1 hour and 12 minutes before the assassination of Second-Leader Asheera Eria }

  There were at least a thousand people protesting on the path that connected the Eria Tower and the Tristate City Central Station. It has been going on for a few hours now.

  People were yelling erratically, with some Mobilizers trying to calm the crowd down but to no avail. The protests were motivated by the populace's dissatisfaction at the silence coming from the Great Kamisword about concerns of Dark Intrinium planning an invasion of Testharia real soon.

  Usually the Great Kamisword wouldn't be this silent. The King would never stay silent when the whole world was crying out for answers. For protection. For safety. But with all that has happened, with Kaioshun's attack and the attempt on Asheera's life, even he's having a hard time processing things.

  Even the Royal Family hasn't issued any official statements about the assassination attempt. Only the hospital staff and a few close confidants know about the full details.

  Altair stood upon the 128th floor balcony, looking across Tristate City. The lights of skyscrapers and businesses illuminated the night sky, shining blue, yellow and white across the landscape.

  But down below, the mood was different. Anger was boiling over, and riots were happening in multiple areas across the city. The sirens wailed in the distance, and the sounds of people chanting was echoing through the buildings.

  All Altair could do was sigh.

  He leaned onto the railing, rubbing his eyes. He was tired from working all night long. A small moment later, the glass pane door opened as someone entered the balcony.

  “This view continues leaving my mouth agape. A stunning view. One I shall never forget.”

  “I can see why, it's a beautiful scene.” Altair chuckled a bit before continuing. “What do you want to say? You aren't someone who'd approach for small-talk, specifically me.”

  Sachiel sat down, chuckling at that remark. “After all these years, you remain indifferent toward me. But I suppose this is natural.” His abyssal eyes, reflecting Tristate City's light looked at Altair.

  The two brothers stared at each other in silence for a second before Altair spoke up.

  “I have missed my brother, as weird as it may seem.”

  “It's not like I've been a moon away. I've been around.” Altair smiled a little, but it wasn't genuine. “You'd be asleep by now. What's keeping you up?”

  Sachiel looked down. “...My choices during my time as a Kamisword isn't of any benefit. I've undertaken a huge burden. I hoped to fix the chaos the madness of my Greatfather created, the incompetence of my father Wersar Eria that put our family in a crisis... and the tyranny of my late brother Fursan Eria's autocracy.”

  Sachiel clenched a fist. The wind whipped around him.

  “Yet here I am... I feel like I'm walking a line. A line so thin and delicate that one wrong step could send us tumbling into oblivion. The people are in a uproar over the destruction of Zephite City, but there is a greater evil awaiting us.”

  “Asheera thinks that you've given up on our people.” Altair rubbed his temples, a frown rewriting his face. He decided to test him.

  “...I can understand why.” Sachiel looked away from Altair. “I have not. I look for survivors on Dankasho everyday. I'm not neglecting them.”

  “You've made no new laws in months. No public addresses. The entire cabinet, the Central Health Ministry, everyone's being left in the dark. The city is rioting downstairs. If you've not given up, act like it. Show them you still stand as Great Kamisword.”

  “...”

  “You can't blame her, Sachiel. It's been a few years since you've done anything important for the nation beyond being just a figurehead. I can't help but notice that all of these issues begun once we relaxed our guard with those beyond our land.”

  “It is not the outsiders.”

  “I'm not saying it is... but I feel like you made an extreme lapse in your judgment.”

  Sachiel gritted his teeth, something that Altair didn't catch seeing it.

  “We all made lapses in our judgments. Sacrifices must be made to achieve something greater. You will have to lose everything to save everything-”

  “You can't say that when you're ruling a planet full of people! Let alone when you're the sole powerholder of ti all.”

  “...”

  “Testharia lives and breathes on your whim. These claims your girlfriend and your tag-along is incorrect. You've been missing from the public for over a month.”

  “They are not incorrect. Everything I do has been for the good of this nation, Alt. You are free to doubt my rule but I would never back away from my own people. This assumption is akin to a betrayal. Plus... she is not my girlfriend.”

  Altair laughed at the last statement. “Was wondering when you'd notice I said that.”

  But the laughter turned into a sigh soon after. He wasn't here for sentiment.

  “You know what I think you should do? If you're going to be abandoning your Kamisword duties for another month, tops... Reform the councils to actually be able to do something. Make a new one, edit the new one, I don't care. You might have not seen it... but Testharia has been under scrutiny from the outside. They see us as a dictatorship throwing up smoke and mirrors. And those outsiders you babysit isn't helping. The people hate them.”

  Sachiel coughed, taking a moment to enjoy the view. He walked towards the railing. His knuckles whitened as he gripped it.

  “The future... Altair. This future is built by the hands of those we fight for.” He started.

  “Greatfather Azrael's actions led to chaos, but he also had a vision. A vision of a Testharia that stood as a beacon. I thought I was following that path. I have been searching. Not only for survivors, not only for a solution... but for a reason to continue.”

  “... What do you mean, 'reason'?”

  “Testharia is my everything, Altair. But the weight... The weight of this title... it's... crushing. There are days I wonder if we are even fighting for a future worth having.”

  He sighed, turning back to Altair. For a split second, Altair saw the abyss in Sachiel's eyes had a flicker of... humanity. A hint of desperation.

  “But then I am reminded. A traveler and a kid with innate power from Earth... They reminded me of a future I used to imagine. One where Testharia didn't just survive, but thrived.”

  “You think these outsiders will fix everything for us? You're leaning on strangers to fix your own planet? You're leaning on foreigners... The same as Azrael.”

  “No,” Sachiel said. “This is different.”

  Altair saw Sachiel tugging on the railing, joining him as he leaned on the railing. He took a big gulp of Testharian pineapple juice from a can.

  “You sound like you're brainwashed, Sachiel. What is happening?”

  “... Altair.”

  “Yes?”

  “What do you think of me as?” Sachiel turned to him now.

  “...”

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “...I see you as my older brother and the leader of my country... my planet. An older brother who spent their entire childhood fixated on duty rather than his family, then in adulthood throwing that duty away when it was time for you to lead. A leader who was left to rebuild from an unstable and desperate Testharia, who weakens its people by allowing foreign bodies to take over the Mobilizer's jobs. A leader who prioritizes outsiders over the safety of his own people.” Altair said. There was no hint of emotion in his tone. Just the cold, hard truth.

  Sachiel took that all in, turning away again. “Heh... Such an honest guy.”

  He... laughed.

  Altair was stunned by his reaction. He expected anger, denial, or a bitter defense. But a laugh? A dry, mirthless sound that held more pain than a scream.

  “There will come a time when I tell you everything I have been holding secret. I cannot do that now, it will put Jumkou and Flynnigan in danger. The stars will align with my thoughts and my pleads. I care about my family more than anything.”

  “Then why listen to them?”

  “Because... they are the key to saving the galaxy from... a greater evil.”

  Altair's expression remained unmoved, a mask of skeptical disbelief. He had heard tall tales before, often from men desperate to justify their failures.

  “And this 'greater evil',” He countered, his tone dripping with skepticism, “did it destroy Zephite City? Did this Kaioshun target Jumkou and Flynnigan for that very reason?”

  “... Just put a bit more trust in me.”

  “I've given you my trust this whole time. Yet it wavers with your inaction in these trying times. Who are these people, Sachiel? Why can't you tell me?”

  “It's complicated.”

  “Listen, Sachiel. Get out of that delusion you've created for yourself. Try and see things clearly before you reach a point of no return. Decide what's good for our people and not what it looks from first glance.”

  “I...”

  The Great Kamisword looked down, as if seeing for the first time the fury gathering on the streets below, a storm of their own making. His title, “A King Who Never Lost a Fight,” felt undeserving.

  “It's like your mind is synced with hers.” He referred to Asheera.

  “Yours was like that too, once.”

  Sachiel laughed again. It felt empty. A void of an act. Altair felt the space between them stretching not across a balcony, but across years of misunderstanding. Then Sachiel's face turned dark. His abyssal eyes narrowed, and for a fleeting moment, the wind seemed to howl in sympathy, rattling the glass behind them.

  “Do you want me to be ruthless? Do you want me to spiral into madness like my Greatfather did? If you truly think that I will be what Fursan was in the prime of his time... you are dead wrong.” His body fully turned towards him now. “Both of you are oblivious to what is truly going on. I am simply asking to give me more time.”

  “Time? You want time? I want you to explain everything, now! 3.6 million people died in your search for more time! You know what that means? It means that for every minute you keep secrets, another body drops! Another Testharian citizen that trusted you is dead!”

  “So what is it that you want!?”

  “Who those fucking people are, Sachiel! And why they've brainwashed you! And why the hell that terrorist is so fixated on them! It can't be because they have 'innate power', there's someone else behind it all. Someone else you've been hiding. Someone who has been pulling the strings this entire time!” Altair shouted, slamming the can of pineapple juice onto the floor.

  “...”

  “...You haven't seen me for years and you can't even be upfront with me?”

  Sachiel looked away, holding back tears as he walked towards the glass door leading back inside the apartment. That statement broke his heart. He was exceptionally good at not showing any signs of weakness, but the King has been defeated emotionally by the ones he's loved.

  “It's time you look down on your bleeding world rather than the cold stars above. Because your answer is down below. Not up there.” Altair pushed down the railing, shoving Sachiel aside and leaving the balcony.

  .:. Testharia is already in deep trouble, Altair... I'm trying to stop it. .:.

  = = =

  { 49 minutes before the assassination of Second-Leader Asheera Eria }

  The elevator chimed as the doors opened, revealing a pink-haired, pale as snow but tall beauty. You would know this person as the Second-Leader of Testharia, Asheera Eria. Her smile was bright and cheerful, like the sun peeking out from behind the clouds.

  Better said, this smile of hers was now in the past. She was here to talk to Sachiel about something but instead of looking at the Great Kamisword, who wasn't here, she looked at his other but lovelier brother.

  Altair Eria.

  She closed her eyes. She fought with Sachiel earlier, hence the sad expression. That fight, now, seemed so trivial. She loves her brother so much but even so, why does a trivial fight hurt so much?

  .:. It wasn't trivial. .:.

  Asheera jolted and turned towards Altair who was smiling as he worked on his paperwork for his pharmaceuticals company. He was sat in the other room that separated the lobby (the negotiation room) from their actual abode. Even if he was only visiting, it wasn't exactly a holiday.

  Asheera opened the door to their abode quietly and walked over to him, sitting on a nearby armchair.

  “Asheera? Everything okay? You don't sulk often. You are more like a 'I'm gonna say whatever is on my mind and if you don't like it, that's your problem' type of a woman.” Altair teased, his voice soothing to her.

  “Right... it can't be that obvious, can it?”

  “I know you longer than yesterday. What's wrong?” Altair put down his datapad, fully turning towards Asheera.

  She closed her eyes; a deep sigh followed after before opening her eyes again. It's like the world lost its colour. The hues of the Eria Tower's ornate wallpaper fading into a monochrome tone. It felt lifeless, much like what she was feeling right now.

  The armchair beneath her felt more a cold stone sending chills down to the very last bone from head to toe. It didn't feel comfortable anymore, it felt like she was sitting on needles and spikes.

  The glow from the wall sconces seemed dimmer, casting only shadows that moved at the corners of her vision, almost mocking her for looking at it that way. Even Altair's presence felt distant across the room, something that she always felt was warm and reassuring.

  .:. I can't be feeling this way for no reason... .:.

  The scent of his herbal tea seemed bitter on her tongue, almost mimicking the taste of the words she and Sachiel exchanged.

  It's only negative thoughts.

  “...I guess I can't walk away from this, can I?” She sighed, facepalming.

  After a long second sigh, which felt like an eternity to both Asheera and Altair, she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. The penetrating white LED light stared back at her, burning this moment into her retina.

  “... Sachiel has given up on Testharia.”

  Altair's eyes widened in horror. The Great Kamisword, the King that governed Testharia for years... suddenly gave up?

  “You're joking, right? 'The Great Kamisword', he who loves this rock more than us has suddenly just... given up?”

  “... Believe me, I find it weird too. He kept blabbering on about what he wanted to change about this place. What laws were worthy to enact and what rules were enough to scare evildoers... what family tradition are we going to break to move forward...”

  She paused.

  “But nowadays? He's fixated on Jumkou and Flynnigan. When was the last time that he enacted a new law, or spoke to the people or done anything remotely kingly? He's...”

  He's scared.

  “He's...”

  “...He's distracted.” Altair finished her sentence, as if reading her mind. Altair was wrong, though. Distracted wasn't the right word.

  But for now, Asheera agreed.

  “It can't be all that bad though... You're the Second-Leader, second-in-command. When he's not available, you're the leader.”

  “I don't have authority if Sachiel doesn't care enough to view my opinion, Altair. My authority is meaningless. I can't do anything if he's 'too busy'. I've made one mistake and that has probably costed us our entire history.”

  “...”

  Asheera kept it cryptic. Altair didn't know about the alliance proposal Lord Veyron came up with as he spoke with Asheera Eria. This was while Sachiel was gone doing Search and Rescue operations. This gave Lord Veyron the edge in diplomatic battle and eventually coerced Asheera into accepting a military alliance with Dark Intrinium.

  “Not all of your power needs to be in the legal world. As Second-Leader, you have the people on your side. Sachiel can't ignore an angry planet.”

  Asheera's heart fluttered, but the optimism Altair presented didn't quite land.

  “We aren't alone in thinking that Sachiel has abandoned our people. Many people on Dankasho are still angry about the attack there... Those who survived, that is. I'm among those people. My town has survived but my town isn't far from Zephite City. I felt the brunt of the explosion.”

  Asheera facepalmed again, trying not to cry.

  “Everyone is angry, even here in Tristate City.”

  She knew it was her fault.

  It was all her fault.

  The Pandora's Box that shouldn't have been opened ever, was opened by a naive and inexperienced girl who was easily manipulated by the son of a tyrant.

  The son of THE tyrant that ruled the galaxy with an iron fist.

  The son of Kytron Veyron.

  “As soon as we... opened our arms to the outside... this is what's happening. Oh god... Oh fuck...” The facepalming continued, along with the knot in her stomach making her way to her throat, making her want to gag.

  Altair's expression softened, and he moved from his chair to sit beside her on a small sofa. He gently took her trembling hands. The warmth was a deliberate and strong contrast to the coldness that moved in and out her body as a ghost.

  “Asheera,” he said, his voice lower than usual.

  “Hey. Look at me.”

  Reluctantly, Asheera lifted her gaze from her trembling hands to her brother's eyes. The compassion there felt both a comfort and an indictment.

  “You're allowed to be scared. And I won't pretend I'm not.” He paused, for emphasis. “Sachiel has a different kind of burden... but this 'giving up'... this is not the Sachiel we grew up with. He always had a vision. He always has.”

  Altair gently squeezed her hands, a small attempt at reassurance.

  “But let me ask you... When have we, the Eria siblings, ever been satisfied with letting someone else handle our problems? Asheera, you're Second-Leader for a reason. Your name, your face, your passion... you embody this country in ways Sachiel's cold pragmatism can't. The people trust you. More than you realize.” He paused again.

  “No... No they don't, Altair... I don't trust myself... I don't...” Asheera started to cry. It started as a small sob and escalated to a full-blown meltdown.

  It all came back.

  That day. In the negotiation room. With Kytan Veyron. His late father's henchmen standing guard behind him. The suffocating atmosphere in the room, the stench of stale coffee, and the overpowering scent of her own fear.

  The terms of the contract.

  “It... It was my fault. It was all my fault.”

  “...” Altair was silent. The silence in that room was as suffocating as her memory of that day with Kytan. “What... was your fault?”

  “I... I was the one who accepted Dark Intrinium's alliance proposal. I was so pathetically naive and fucking stupid... and now they're planning an invasion as we speak... a grand justification of war... because we're now allied with Soul-Core...”

  Altair moved away from Asheera. For a split second, the warm brotherly presence she relied on vanished. His eyes widened in disbelief and horror. The calm demeanour was shattered.

  “W...”

  “What did you do?”