War Zone

The truth that meets you (9)

Azrael looked at the now empty balcony just five meters away from his own. The wind was particularly chilly tonight, but the sight of the white splotch of color under the moon, made the wind even colder.

A knock on the door shifted his attention to the door.

"Come in." He uttered after going back inside and sitting on the lounge chair.

"I will be heading out to the border to continue gathering evidence. Would it be alright to ask for your assistance?" Captain Leon Gofraidh uttered.

"Yes, I can do that." Azrael nodded.

The sound of the curtain dancing in the wind was the only thing that could be heard after the curt response. Leon waited for him to add more, but the man merely stared back at him.

Finally, Leon spoke again. "You don't even bother to act like you're in pain... How have you been tricking the lady all this time?"

When Azrael remained unmoved, Leon couldn't help but reveal what he had long since suspected ever since he saw him. It isn't even their first time meeting in Banaha.

He had a small encounter with an assassin during an investigation regarding the murder of a noble that was connected to slave trading once in the capital. The aura and the leaking magicks that trickled ominously from that person's breath... They all point to only a person he couldn't believe is still alive after all these years.

"Your highness, Issac Gryffon Vanderbilt..."

Azrael caught the cautious glint in Leon's eyes. Then he sighed as he lazily brushed back his fringe. The receptive expression on his face faded as his hair turned midnight blue, and his eyes changed hues, becoming golden like the sun.

He raised the corners of his lips. Seemingly an attempt to imitate a smile.

What the hell is that? Leon's brows twitched at the disturbing sight.

"You're the first person to figure it out, Leon. I expected it, of course, but not this early... You're ruining my plans."

Leon continued to stare at the menace as memories of their childhood surfaced in his mind. There was a period of time when they often met in the palace. Greetings were exchanged, but that was all.

To Leon, the prince was an indifferent person who always wore a gold choker. He looked like a normal noble kid except for the deathly aura that clung to him like a second skin. And despite being healthy, he was suddenly sent to the countryside to recuperate. Leon remembered it so well, because the Princess pestered him nonstop to return her poor, defenseless brother. He didn't expect much from his father, but after mentioning the princess requested it desperately, the Duke mobilized the knights of the Gofraidh Duchy. After that, a lot of things happened, and the sudden news of the Prince's disappearance during an outing was released.

The imperial knights stepped up for an official search, but after only three days, the Emperor requested the search to a halt, and declared him dead.

It should have been a big deal in the empire to lose its first born prince, but strangely enough, there was no clamor to seek justice. And soon after the newly announced birth of the Emperor's second son, a month after the incident, Issac Gryffon Vanderbilt truly disappeared as if he never even existed.

And yet he suddenly appeared like this out of nowhere. What's more interesting, is the clock ticking on the Prince's chest. Leon narrowed his eyes at the cursed black ink. It wasn't there this morning. Did his transformation magic conceal it?

"What exactly... are your highness' plans..?" A man who bears the mark of a corrupted is a dead man... Not even if he's the descendant of the first disciple of Hojom.

"There's something in Ma-i, isn't there?" Issac uttered.

Leon's brows furrowed as he recalled an information that a leaf of Biyya was bought by the King of Ma-i. No one really thought it was important because even though Biyya has been mentioned in a lot of records, the existence of the magical tree has never been proven throughout history.

"Your highness will go there in your current state...? How would you even walk past through the royal's security?" It's known that the king of Ma-i has a lot of collections including the royal guards who serve him... Beings that shapeshift into monstrous animals. Curious creatures the Empire of Kesoe has never seen.

"...That King is not the only one with a trump card." Issac uttered as he leaned back and closed his eyes.

It was clear he doesn't want to discuss the topic any further. Leon shook his head then sighed, still in disbelief that he is actually talking to the Prince. "Then... I will not pry into your present matters... However, what really happened to your highness when you disappeared?"

Issac's lids trembled before they gradually split to reveal glazed amber irises. Perhaps, Leon should not have asked the question... The incident of his disappearance and the missing gap of years that led to this moment looked as if they were connected to the scars on his body. It was easy to make a simple deduction. 

"I merely ask, because the Princess has never stopped looking for your highness... Since the day you left the palace ten years ago... She never stopped looking."

The Prince's expression never changed. It must be so. He looks so broken, he couldn't hold any other thoughts about other people. Leon could only wonder what his relationship is to the strange lady whose name is Sierra.

"I apologize if the words I have said just now seem meaningless. I only wish to impart that there is someone who cares for your well-being. Now, however, I wish to know what might be your goal for the assassinations you committed." As a Captain, Leon still has his duties. If the Prince is connected to a criminal organization, he can not let him go. Based on his actions, his goals were all to silence the victims from relaying important information once the investigation unit made the connection to the victims. Such actions are a blatant support to the evil mastermind.

Truthfully, he made preparations even before entering the Prince's room. He only needed to tell his subordinate to announce that a poisonous wild snake had managed to enter the guest house, and everyone wholeheartedly evacuated. If a physical fight were to happen, he wouldn't want any casualties. 

Issac rolled his eyes to the side with a sigh as the lights flickered, threatening to go out. "If I didn't have any use for you, you would have been burned by now, Captain." 

Leon stared as a button from his uniform was pulled out by an invisible energy, slowly floating in the air until it reached the hands of the Prince. Black eerie flames suddenly condensed out of his palm, consuming the object greedily before it thinned and disappeared, leaving not even ashes of the button. 

A satisfied grin appeared on the Prince's face, unlike the forced and unnatural smile he donned at first. 

"The organization can no longer control me, so please lower your guard." Issac put his hand down and stared at Leon's watchful figure. His calm appearance won't fool Issac when the Captain's rippling magick is continuously pulsing at the base of Issac's skull, ready to strike on command. "Rest assured, I am as harmless as a rabbit." 

***