SYZYGY:The raise of the Monarch

Chapter III

Blood stains marred the dirt beneath, a panting voice echoed, and light, hurried steps raced toward an unknown destination. 

Eva was severely injured. Every time dizziness overcame her, she sought unmelted snow to bury her hands, touching her cheeks before resuming her desperate run. How long had she been like this? For over two hours. During that time, she dared not look back. In her entire life, she had never encountered such a terrifying creature. The man pursuing her had long white hair, a unique quality in Ruvia and she knew that the person who attacked her was him. 

She had sworn to the holy idol Ragran to accept her fate and die by the hands of the Tsar of Ruvia. However, her survival instincts prevailed. Even though she was a strong warrior, she was terrified, nearly passing out from the sight of that uncanny monster.

"But I swore," she thought to herself.

 "What should I do?" She let out a cry, her eyes teary.

 She had survived hardships but never shed a tear, dreaming of a day when she could be happy. The shattering of her dream was too much for her to handle. She pleaded and swore never to hurt anyone, to find a way to relinquish her powers. They wanted her dead, but she wanted to live. 

She had made an oath to what she views as a powerful god, and as a staunch believer, she accepted her fate. She marched with both legs to face her destiny and die. Just as she almost embraced death, he appeared, and her desire to live, coupled with fear, overpowered her faith.

She continued running, her vision growing blurry. She had lost a significant amount of blood. Being thrown to the ground was nothing new, but she had never encountered such power. What frightened her more was that he used no mana, relying solely on physical strength, while she, on the other hand, used half of hers to save her skull from being crashed into pieces.

She couldn't see what lay ahead; the forest in Ruvia was vast and dark even in the morning.

 Her legs gave way, and the dizziness intensified. She found a tree with a bush, uncaring about insects or dangerous creatures, she hid beneath the leaves. Closing her eyes, she cradled her bloody head in her hands.

In the royal castle of Ruvia, amidst chatters and laughter, Ogen had arranged a feast for Naser, his exclusive guest and his only friend . 

Ogen, sipping on wine, asked: 

"So, what's new?" 

Naser, staring at his friend with a cold look, didn't reply.

 "Alright, alright, I'm putting it down," Ogen said, sighing and ordering juice.

 "You quit drinking a long time ago, but I know you sip a glass from time to time when something bothers you." Naser, with a raised eyebrow, stated

 "You know how much I hate spies",said Ogen starring at the cup in his hand

 "Did they send you another one? Are your enemies some bunch of kids?"

"That's what I said, but this time, they want me to do cleanup work for them. It's the most humiliating thing that has ever happened to me," Ogen, furious and loud, vented:

 "It bothered me so much that I wanted to go straight to that old piece of shit and rip out his dick and stick it up his ass!"

 The room fell silent, and Ogen brushed his hair back, breathing angrily and downing his drink.

 Naser looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm always wondering if that mouth is yours or you just stole it from some dirty vulgar fisherman,"

 "I'm mad," 

"I couldn't tell."

 "Do you want me to pull out your beard hairs one by one?" Ogen threatened. 

"Alright, alright, calm down. What about the spy? I suppose you wouldn't be an obedient person and just kill him, right?"

 "It's a 'her,'" Ogen clarified. "She's the one you saw me hitting earlier and gave me an earful."

" They want you to kill her? Then I think she's a victim. Maybe you shouldn't hurt her"

"I won't for now. I know they want to kill her. I was testing her powers earlier, and I might use her against them," Ogen said, leaning back and raising his cup to the ceiling, admiring the shiny reflection of the light.

 "So what's your next step?" Naser asked, curious about the plans of the young witty king.

 "If a ball is thrown at you, you throw it back, stronger," 

said Ogen while smiling evilly at his friend. The latter shrugged his shoulders, took a bite from the meal in front of him, then stood up and walked away.

''Where are you going?'' Ogen halted him.

''I brought you some souvenirs. I need to check if they're still in good condition.''

Ogen put down his cup and stood up with a smile, looking like an excited kid. 

''What did you bring me this time?'

Nasser gave him a warm smile. He always felt satisfied when he made Ogen excited and happy, knowing that he was a king who could have anything he wanted, yet still felt joy receiving gifts from his only friend.

"I brought you many new things from different countries I stopped by. I also have new stories to tell you."

Nasser had been Ogen's friend since he was 10 years old. He didn't treat him like royalty, making their relationship comfortable and close. For many years, Nasser had been traveling with his father, a famous merchant, and whenever he visited Ruvia, he would meet up with Ogen to play, tell stories, and exchange gifts. To Ogen, Nasser was a comforting presence, someone he looked forward to seeing every few months. Grayton and Ronard knew for sure that without Nasser, the Tsar would have been a tyrant who ruled with injustice.

"Ogen, listen to me. Women are fragile creatures. God created them with their feelings often overtaking their rationality. I have a feeling that the lady you attacked earlier is only trying to survive and protect herself. As you clearly said, she was sent here for you to get rid of her. Have mercy on her, and God will have mercy on you later when you need it. I know I shouldn't meddle in your business, as you know much better, but I just have this bad feeling that you might regret hurting her because she is totally innocent of any scheme they put her in."

Ogen listened, having already made a plan to deal with her. He only took what he needed from Nasser's talk for his plan, a diabolic one."