The Quest for Normania #1: The Door of Andrios

32. A Royal Threat

At the other end of the world, there was a young woman looking eastward from atop the highest structure in the kingdom of Zorra—the Tower of Zara, the regional deity, that overlooked the Strait of Cordis.

Hirazawa wore the traditional silver and gold robes of the Moon Knights, having ascended into such a prestigious position just a few days ago, her rank being that of 'Luna'. It was night in this part of the Ahala and she should've been in bed, waking up two hours later for her guard shift. She couldn't sleep, though, for one thing. And for another, if she had the choice, she couldn't care less about the person she had been commanded to guard: Euri una Regnum Yamata .

His highness, being the first son in the royal family – though, hardly the first-born – had been raised and protected closely as the successor of his father, which naturally made him selfish and arrogant, taking everything he had and got for granted. Not once, in Kiki's opinion, did he ever stop to think of another person, be it a person of his own station or the lowest of slaves.

Kiki sighed. There was nothing apparent in the night sky, but she sensed a disturbance in the air—either invisible or approaching. 'And there's no time to waste. I must consult Seer Yamanaka- as soon as I can. She'll probably be asleep now. Let her be at peace tonight; tomorrow, at dawn, I shall go and enquire if she has seen anything.' She looked on some more. 'Well, it's time I caught up with some sleep. The euri will be sleeping, too, so it should not be much of a problem when it's my turn to guard him.' She gave another, louder sigh. 'I wish I were given one of his sister, instead. Why did the Moon Goddess had to bestow me with such powers as to let me take one of the highest posts?! Fuck this life! Perhaps in another, I shan't have to deal with the silly brat!'

At last, with such thoughts, Kiki turned around to go back down the tower and made her way to her own chamber. She stopped at the door, closed her eyes, and alerted all her six senses.

After about five seconds of mental surveying, she opened her eyes and nodded once to herself. 'No disturbance here. I should be at peace.' She opened the door and shut it behind her once she was inside. She went to her enormous bed and lay down, only bothering to set aside her quick silver dagger and sword.

Euri Yamata Fatish was wide awake in his chamber and as far as he knew, no one was aware of this.

Sleep simply wouldn't come to him, as much as he tried, until he finally relented and lay on his back quietly. He didn't even know what it was that kept him awake.

Suddenly, he sat up. 'I wonder if something big is about to happen,' he thought. 'Was there some news they announced in the townsquare that I didn't know about? Darn, those fools never tell me a thing!' He muttered a curse, before jumping off the bed with a soft thud and making his way to the wide window behind his bed. He gazed at the sky at the twinkling stars. 'They're trying to tell me something... I wonder what it is –'

He broke off with a loud gasp. The next thing he knew, a flood of images burst forth in his mind—a village burning, an army of Moon Knights, with the Mark of the Moon on their uniforms, marching across the continent towards east, and .

As suddenly as the images flooded his mind, they disappeared and he shook his entire body, trying to get ahold of himself again. 'What the fuck was all that!?' he almost shouted, before he remembered that it was night-time and he was supposed to have been asleep. 'Why did I see those images?! Am I fucking seer or something?! No, shit! – I can't be! Those people are... are...'

"What are they, your highness?"

Fatish jumped. 'Was that a voice in my... my head?!'