Once the guests from the Vayu kingdom entered the throne room, King Nicholas stiffened in his diamond studded throne, as his eyes flickered over three in particular with immense recognition and his nails were tightly pressed to his palm, gazing at Siddhant the hardest.
Memories long buried, memories long hidden, and a fear that was hidden. All seemed to simmer. But he hid his feelings behind a nonchalant face, as he rested his chin upon his fist.
"Sefir..... It's been such a long time." He spoke out, with his tone containing a bit of compassion due to the friendship they once shared, when the priest served the court. "You told me once that your presence would never fill the halls of this palace, but here we are, whatever. Tell me why the sudden appearance?"
He paused for a bit and turned towards the beautiful young girl, holding the priest's forearm, and he brought out some mana to his eyes to perform a special spell.
A special spell to understand the lineage, abilities and alliance of the people who dare to stand in front of him.
The eyes glazed with a border of yellow and the iris turned a faint purple, as the information he seemed to need began to fill his mind and a smile emerged on his face after the spell on his eyes disappeared.
"Dianne....She has grown so much. Resembling her mother so much, but it seems his presence is still present with their family, even after constant warnings about him. Wait....a mana conductor?! Now I understand why he ran away. But she can be valuable, though my actions must be careful, for he who stands beside can ruin everything."
Nicholas thought and released a silent sigh, as Sefir stepped forward to speak his concerns, all while gesturing towards the injuries suffered by the people of the village.
"My king, I did swore an oath of never returning yet I must, for the lives of my people are at stake and possibly the people present within the sanctuary of the kingdom too." Hearing such vicious words from Sefir, the king narrowed his eyes a bit and straightened his back just a little, and spoke out with a hardened tone. "I trust your foresight yet I must need some strong claims rather than a vague run through, court healer."
Some beads of sweat trickled by, and Sefir took a deep breath, continuing the words that would paint the picture of the future well.
"My king, last night, when all were sleeping in their abode peacefully. Embers greeted us all. Flames as powerful as the sun graced us all, burning many, but not too much as if someone was controlling their output.
It was deliberately done. I assure you this, my king.
My knowledge never fails me, never, and I trust you know of my capabilities due to the years that I spent serving under you, my king.
The patterns, the time and the lingering scent of malice... All of it matches prophecy written in that book, gifted to me by my forefathers and explained to you by me, all of this matches the tale written and if we don't take swift actions....I fear that the storm will consume everything that this realm holds dear."
Sefir took a deep breath, wiping the sweat trickling on his pale countenance with the back of his sleeves and looked back at the King Nicholas, whose bangs shrouded his expression.
Nicholas pinched his chin in deep thoughts and released his breath slowly, as he pondered the words told by the former court healer.
Sefir had a reputation of speaking only if he was absolutely sure of something, and most of the time he was right, but the thing that caused Nicholas to be suddenly attentive was the mention of the book.
The Book Of Eternal Truth
A book which was kept in a safe vault for it was something so powerful, that if someone weak in the mind read it, they would collapse.
But the thing was, what actions could be taken? Nicholas was having difficulties in deciding, when suddenly his eyes unconscious in their movement, moved over to Siddhant and Dianne.
"Siddhant. Only he could possibly protect us against the threat, but that would mean giving him free reign.....I need someone to keep him on leash and who could be better than Dianne herself. The heavens have presented an opportunity for my plans to control the mana conductor and him, I would be a fool to dash it away."
Nicholas thought with a slight smirk, and it didn't escape the attention of Siddhant, who was casually leaning against one of the tall pillars with his arms crossed and satisfied with keeping his silence.
"Hm. Looks like he has a plan for the mess, and judging by the flash of attention on me and Dianne. It seems to involve us. Good, at least he still keeps his wits, even after marrying that girl Maria."
Siddhant thought with an arched brow and a sense of amusement that settled within his heart. But like always, he just remained a silent audience to the play that was happening around.
Nicholas stretched his fingers and leaned forward a bit on his throne, "Sefir, I trust you a lot. You were my most loved court healer due to your versatility and wisdom, thus I absolutely trust your foresight, no matter what anyone says or proves." Sefir smiled a bit at the words of his former lord, feeling a bit of pride at the compliments and trust provided, but then his king continued his speech further.
"But I need something from you, a promise and an oath, only then I can provide some aid to you." Sefir eagerly nodded, wanting the best for his people and the realm he had sworn to protect, making Nicholas smile a bit more and he continued. "But what I want from you in exchange, is Dianne and Siddhant. The two will have to join the academy dedicated to nurture noble magicians, Dianne will join as a first year student while Siddhant will join as her royal bodyguard—which the others nobles also have."
This was the deal, and it felt as if a boulder had dropped on Sefir, while Dianne was confused and Siddhant was absolutely silent.
Would the priest accept for the safety of the realm, only time could tell.....