CH19

Alice can be seen smiling at them, but Furi knows, if they were to step on that stage, there won’t be an easy way out.

Furi looked at Spero, who looked pale, but she dismisses it for now, not the time for that

Simultaneously, they both started running away from the crowd.

Leaving the crowd in silence.

“Guess they have matters to attend to” Robert said, chuckling a bit, he turns towards Alice, only to be frightened.

Alice, a wicked smile on her face, like a predator finally finding its prey, A grin from cheek to cheek, a chilling one indeed.

“So that’s where you gone, I’ve finally found you” She uttered “Spero”

In a random alley

The two grasped for air, Furi collapsed, sitting on the ground. Spero leveraging with his arms against the stone wall.

“That was close” Furi said between huffs “I wouldn’t even know how to escape that”

“You think so? Spero” Furi said, expecting an answer. But only the distant chant of the crowd answered.

“Spero?” Furi said, turning towards him, who is just staring at the floor.

Sweat poured from his body, but they weren’t from the run

But from fear.

“No, it can’t be…No” Spero whispered “Why didn’t I see…Why was I so fixated on those two” murmuring to himself.

This man who wield the ability to use frost magic, was shivering in a cold fear induced sweat.

“Why didn’t I recognize…Why now…Why her?” Spero murmurs.

“Hey! Spero!” Furi extended her hand, tapping Spero’s back.

Spero suddenly snapped back, A cold mist exudes from his body automatically, like an instinct.

The sudden turn, pushing Furi away. “Spero! What are you doing, this isn’t the time!”

Spero snapped back, the cold mist immediately disappeared.

“I’m sorry! Are you ok?” Spero apologized

“Yes, I’m good” Furi answered “What happened?”

Spero clutches his head, his breathing still rushes.

“You…You can talk with Lisa” Spero uttered “I just…Let’s go back”

“S…Sure” Furi said

Later

Furi explained what happened to Lisa.

“They’re trying to raid the high command? A coup was not in my expectation” Lisa wondered, her ear twitched. “Well good job, I’ll plan something tonight, you can go rest”

Lisa turns to grab a map out of a drawer, grabbing the map, she notices that Furi hasn’t left.

“You have something to ask?” Lisa said

“Yes…About Spero, he…he looked scare when he was face to face with Alice” Furi asked

“Huh” Lisa places the map on the table, and sits down “Spero doesn’t really want anyone knowing this, so sorry I can’t tell you”

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“But…he said to ask you about it” Furi said.

Lisa signs “If that is his words, then I’ll honored it”

“It began before the scourge, Alice was…something in her own league”

Emperor’s palace, Pythagorosa Empire, sometime before the scourge’s arrival

“Pardon my humble self! Esteemed emperor!” A soldier burst through the emperor’s office. Decorated with gold and wood. The bearded emperor sits at the golden crusted desk

The soldier kneels before his ruler. The emperor signs “What is urgent that you need to come in like this?”

“Esteem emperor, our attack on the Mobius Federation’s city of Verastia has failed! Our southern forces have been completely decimated! And…and…”

“What and? Did something happen to my son?” The soldier still hesitates to answer, fearing how the emperor will act.

The emperor bangs the table “Give it to me!”

“Ye…Yes…The crown prince…The crown prince was killed!” The soldier answered, his voice trembled.

“What? Are you joking?” The emperor stood up

“My humble self-hoped it was, sire!”

Tears ran down the emperor’s face, landing on the golden desk, tainting its shine. He wipes it out.

An emperor must be strong for his people, right?

“Let…Let me talk with those commander” he said, between sniffing on his tears

The soldier fumbled for a glass orb; he gently puts it on the desk.

“What…what’s the situation” The emperor said, his voice trembled, holding back rivers of tears and a mountain of grief.

The boy peeked into his father’s room. He had come with something to ask, but now it was gone from his mind. He didn’t know why, but

The strongest man he knew, the shining idol in his life.

he was cracking, the dam of responsibility had burst, and guilt was leaking out

Although he himself didn’t know it.

That night

“Master, his highness has called” The boy’s caretaker uttered.

Could it be about what happened today? The boy thought.

“Yes, I’ll go there right now” The boy said, hopping of his bed.

As he walked, the boy was disorientated. It is the same palace, but the feeling wasn’t the same. The air felt sorrow, like mourning.

It wasn’t the palace that he and his brother used to run around in; it wasn’t where their mother planted a beautiful garden.

It is not the same.

“Father, I’m coming in” The boy arrived, opening the door.

The boy jolted backward. Had a monster broken into the palace? No, it was his father

But it wasn’t, it was his father, with his mother slouched on the table, not moving, a pool of tears under her arms, dripping to the carpeted floor.

“Your brother is dead, Spero” The emperor said, “He has failed his country.”

The boy stood still, Failed? He failed? He was the most diligent person I’ve ever known.

The news hit him like a gut punch, ripping through his body.

“I’ve discussed it with the commanders; we’re going to request help from The Fibonas Kingdom, we offered them to share conquered land, riches and gold.”

“They said it wasn’t enough” His hands trembles “They wanted more”

The emperor’s hand clenched on the table, his tongue refuses to utter the next words. His sight stared at the table. But there is no other choice.

“They want you, in 3 days. They want you as a slave”

The boy’s eyes widened. His mind raced with countless questions. He stared at the floor, waiting for an answer that would never come.

“I understand, father” The boy said, then left.

With a click of the wooden door, the emperor looked up, he stared at it.

Tear stream from his face, his fist clenched, two sentence came out from his mouth.

“Spero, I love you.” The emperor voices trembled before the next one was uttered “Please, Forgive me”

The door opened, the boy’s caretaker entered, 3 days have passed, the boy sat on his bed, not moving, his eye stared at the window. Not once did his father visit him, his mother came once,

But she stood behind him, for what felt like eternity, then left without saying a word.

“Master, it is time” The caretaker sniffled, it seems that she was the only one who cared “It was fun, master, it was”

“Thank you, Anna” Spero said, the boy has accepted this fate,

He imagined laboring away, in the kitchen, endless toil in a noble’s house. That was what a ‘slave’ meant to him, humiliating, but survivable. But reality is often cruel.

But when those steel doors closed, he saw vials of weird substances, People with their limbs so distorted that they can hardly be called human anymore.

“Alice!” A man’s voice rang out, full of excitement “I’ve got you a dream subject!”

A girl appeared behind a pillar, red haired, a sword strapped to her waist,

Spero looked at her, she looked back, a grin appeared, her eyes didn’t sparkle in the room’s light.

But Spero knew she was excited.

Without thinking Spero ran from the man’s grasp, towards where?

Who knows? But he must not be here.

“Where are you going?” Alice called out.

Suddenly both of Spero’s leg tendons were cut, he falls to the ground.

“Damn, I wished I had talent like you” The man said in frustration “You’re wasting it in a place like this”

Alice walked up to Spero, grabbing his arm and dragging him.

“Let me go!” Spero shouted and struggled. But his noises were heard.

Suddenly blood poured from his neck, he tried to scream, but only weak grasp came out, he turned toward Alice, only to see her sheathing her sword.

His larynx was cut. He struggled from the pain, but the hand that gripped him won’t let go, and he disappeared behind a closed steel door.