Echoes of the Concealed Realm

19

Kai walked around the royal castle, sensing everyone's unrest.

"Master Kai." Some of them bowed.

He nodded, as a sign of acknowledgement, maintaining his disappointed face. The missing princess would surely cause a big havoc amongst the kingdoms.

If Morik and Kitsuri were already at war, now indirectly the other two were involved despite the track record of being disinterested previously. One of those two at war had pulled this move. And he had a gut punching feeling as to which one might have done it.

Fuck.

He looked up to see the other rogoms arriving back. He sighed as some of them bowed in front of him.

He didn't deserve that bow.

"We'll find her." Kai said. Why was he so sure that the princess would be unharmed? A kidnapping isn't supposed to keep the victim scratch free.

But why? Why would they do this? Why involve themselves in a sticky situation?

"Sir!" Levi appeared in front. Jake also appeared next, within seconds. Kai looked at the two young ninjas looking at him with admiration. And he felt like shit.

"Kai." Gio said walked next to him. He put his hand around Kai's shoulder. "Keep your chin up my boy."

Jake and Levi's eyes widened at the proximity of theirs with the chief. They immediately bowed down.

"Sir!" Jake said, keeping his head down. Gio smiled slightly and teleported behind them, so it appeared to be as if they were bowing to Kai.

"Gee that much respect for Kai and none for the chief?" Gio playfully said as Levi and Jake's eyes widened, not realizing he had moved behind them and they were now bowing the opposite way.

"Boys, up." Kai said, trying to calm their franticness around the chief. Gio slightly smiled and left the three.

"Sir are you alright?" Levi asked, looking at the cuts around Kai's face. "Your face..."

"Oh, don't worry. I fell." Kai mumbled, trying not to add more lies to his tally.

"You... Fell...?" Levi asked with raised eyebrows. Kai looked away, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Focus, we have a serious situation to deal with!" Kai said strictly and started walking away towards all the higher ups.

"Kai?" The king walked towards the rogom with a neutral expression.

"Sir?" Kai asked back.

"How did you know that they were gone, the others were still searching for them. But you came back early." He said, looking at him with a questioning glance.

Kai looked straight into his eyes.

"Is there something you think we should know? Kai Zaveri?" The king asked, raising his voice ever so slightly as the others stared confused.

Everyone trusted Kai, thus the king's sudden distant behavior was confusing.

The king was about to ask another question when Gio appeared between the two. He gave a small smile to Kai before turning to the king.

"Are you implying anything against him? Because if you are, you are directly challenging your bond with Ahana." Gio said with a questioning glance of his own.

"I was just asking a few questions."

"Questions don't come with threatening eyes behind it. Choose your next words wisely, because if you mess with my boy you mess with me. And if you mess with me you mess with Ahana. Your pick. And if you dare threaten Kai more, you know it and I know it, you can kiss the idea of seeing your daughter ever again because this boy is your only hope." Gio said.