Emperor's Reckoning

Nostria was under a solemn defeat. Their heads hung down for the loss of those who successfully defended the kingdom with their lives on the line. As much as they wanted to blame someone, it was a part of their job, the responsibility they had taken when they wore the armor and raised their blades for the flag that fluttered on top of the palace.

"The Mist Clan has arrived.... too late, huh," Reka solemnly muttered as she watched the aftermath of the battle. She took a deep breath the moment she saw the corpses of valiant young soldiers on the path where she walked past them. She couldn't believe it but what she saw was real. Nostria might have lost two of its towers and none of their public establishments, nor innocent civilians, but they had lost young brave souls.

Reka took a deep sigh before she approached the queen of the kingdom. "We have arrived too late, apologies."

"Ah," Sylviana raised her brows before she realized who she was talking to. "No, it's fine, the attack was sudden and we were unprepared."

"But why did they leave?"

"They got what they wanted," asked Jugen who rode a horse.

"They got what?"

"My sister," said Jugen as Sylviana bit her bottom lip.

Reka darted to the queen and noticed how she reacted before she darted back at Jugen, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to fetch Fenrir, poor boy must have died in the forest."

Sylviana turned ghastly as her brows raised to the top with her eyes opened wide. The little black wolf was racing against the mighty orc to get away. However, now that it was revealed Karina was taken back, the state of the wolf was unclear.

"I see, my swordsmen shall aid you in your search," Reka nodded before she turned to Riku. "Riku, follow him thoroughly. Help him search for his partner."

"Do as you please," Jugen didn't wait for them to answer as he pulled the reign and went into the forest where Fenrir had last fled.

Riku closed her eyes.

"He's been through a lot," Reka smiled.

"I understand," Riku nodded before she turned and quickly followed him by feet.

"Queen of Nostria, what is your next move?"

"Huh?" Sylviana raised her face to look at the leader of the Mist Clan. "My next.. move?"

"Yes, you're next move," asked Reka. "Do you want to recuperate, or do you want to retaliate?"

"Recuperate, retaliate...?"

"I think that we should discuss this in a more sane time, don't you think, Lady Reka?" added Fei.

"Then recuperate it is," nodded Reka.

Biane shook her head, "It is impossible for us to retaliate right now, from what I gathered, they possessed a different trait than us. Our magic and art were wasted for not even a scratch on their skins."

Clemora nodded, "That is what I also gathered, for the meantime, our focus should be recuperating. However."

"However?" Reka raised her brows.

"We should have a team to inform Lyon what's happening," said Clemora. "We should send aid as well to the Phantera Kingdom since their king was injured in trying to defend Nostria's gate."

"En, that's the logical way of handling this matter," Reka nodded. "The Mist Clan will do their best to aid your recuperation as well."

"We thank you for your aid," Fei bowed. "But I'm sorry, my lady here is not feeling well lately, so she must go off-screen for a while."

"I can see that her skin turned paler than mine," Reka chuckled. "However, you would do good in becoming a good queen someday. Word of advice, being a leader is not easy, watching their death because of your own failure is hard to swallow, and it is normal. Don't take too lightly on your own capabilities because you failed horrendously or not. There are no perfect kings as there are no perfect queens. There are only leaders with a vision and a leader not with a vision."

"That's..." (A really long speech, I don't think I can fathom it with the state I am now) thought Sylviana as her eyelids got heavier.

"Thank you for your words of advice, I'm sure that she would take it to her dream," said Fei with a smile before she grabbed the fallen queen by the shoulders.

"Ah," Reka covered her lips before she chuckled. "Look's like it was too much for her."

"Then, if you excuse me," Fei bowed before she took her queen away from the scene.

...

Meanwhile, Jugen had arrived where the forest had been turned into a sea of stumps.

His brows furrowed as he watched a couple of soldiers in the distance.

"They're from Luderia," Jugen frowned before he called out. "Oi!"

"Huh?" both of them darted over before they saw him. "What?"

Jugen approached them with his horse. "What are you all doing here?"

"Who are you?" one of the soldiers furrowed his brows.

"Pst! Hey, that guy is Jugen, rumor has it that he is the little brother of Lyon," whispered the other one.

"O-Oh?! Forgive my manner," said the soldier in a hurry. "I don't know who you were, so..."

"Forget it," Jugen shook his head. "What are you doing here?"

"We are instructed by the princess to bandage this, err.. hand."

"What?" Jugen frowned before he got off of his horse. "Let me see it."

"Ah, well that would be complicated, you would need to have the princess's permission first. It's... a delicate matter," said the guard as his eyes avoided his gaze.

"Let me see it!" shouted Jugen as Riku added with her sword unsheathed.

"Eek!" the soldier could do nothing but comply and gave him a bag of cloth. "P-Please don't kill me."

Jugen gulped as he held the cloth in his hand. It was soft to the touch, but more importantly, he recognized the finger sticking out from it.

"P-Please don't report it, we, we don't have a bandage with us, so, we are planning to use a neat cloth to bring it back to the palace and then bandaged it."

Jugen disregarded his words as his trembling fingers opened up the clothing. His heart immediately froze as his eyes recognized whose hands it belonged to, added to that, the dagger on its palm. His knees immediately dropped to the ground as his back hunched. He put her hand on his chest as he gritted his teeth with tears squeezing out from his tight eyelids. It was silence before he roared at the sky with veins in his neck challenging to burst out.

"AHHHHH!!!!" He screamed at the top of his lung before the corner of his eyes picked up an unusual bird flown over by. He abruptly took a short breath as he opened his eyes wide. "Parriot! Parriot!!!"

"Huh?" the dove looked down to see Jugen kneeling on the ground. He immediately knew something bad had happened. He perched down before he was in the presence of Jugen.

"Please tell me something good happen," said Parriot before he looked at the tears in his eyes. "I guess it's impossible."

"You're going to big brother Lyon right?"

"That's right, do you want to relay a message?"

Jugen firmly nodded. "I want you to give this hand to him."

"Hand? Wha—Woah..." Parriot was taken back before he darted his eyes at Jugen. (Is Lyon really into this though?). "I-I don't think that would be appropriate."

"He has to see this, he has to know what really happened, it's just not Nostria that was under attack, it is something on a personal level!"

"Wait a minute, I just passed by Nostria and we did lose two towers and a few lives, but that's it. I would call it a successful defense to be honest."

"Their target was never Nostria."

"What?! Then what?"

"My sister, Karina Aprilia. The Golden Demoness."

"D-Don't tell me this hand is...." Parriot gulped.

"It's hers," answered Jugen solemnly. "I want retaliation, I want them dead, I'm sure he would want the same. Especially because she had saved his life a couple of times."

Parriot saw the trembling gaze of desire to mass murder people in Jugen's fevering gaze. He smiled inwardly. "Very well, I seem to like you more than I should, Jugen."

Jugen nodded. "Thank you."

"He would flip the Mortal World though," added Parriot as he grabbed the severed forearm.

"I don't care," answered Jugen as he stood up. "Tell him, she has been kidnapped by the orcs, they were targeting her all along. They said something about their home, and that my sister has the key to it."

"I understand," Parriot flew over before shifting to a falcon.

Jugen looked at Parriot streaking against the sky before he pocketed the knife that his sister had used. He disregarded the shrieking guards before he rode his horse and on his way out of the forest of stumps. His eyes turned sharp as the horse gradually raised its speed.