Until day breaks, the night is not over
Eastern Sage
The minister for war took a knee at the foot of the dais as he raised a leather bound scroll above his head. His face was grim, his lips tightly pursed. Tez' Mu scoffed inwardly at his buffed armor. Scith officials loved to show off. This man had never been in a tavern fight, much less a war.
"Rise and report, Lord Lu," the Dowager said.
The graying man rose, swiftly unrolling the scroll. "I present to Your Majesty and the Scith, grave news: Uimal has fallen!"
The Scith drew in a collective breath as the Dowager started up from the throne, eyes bloodshot, her hand still gripping the armrest behind her. "What did you say?" Her voice came out strained.
Lord Lu gulped, then continued to read. "Kest forces appeared suddenly in the city and the resident army was thrown into dissaray, unprepared for a surprise attack. It was later discovered that they got in through a tunnel connecting the southern cliffs with the governor's mansion. The rebellion has taken the city and fortified its position. Our forces were driven out."
The Dowager exhaled heavily, lowering herself back onto the throne. "This—this tunnel," she bit out, "has existed how long?"
Lord Lu hesitated. "It was built in secret during the reign of the seventy-ninth monarch, Your Majesty. A safeguard in case Uimal ever fell under siege."
"And the imperial forces… fled?"
Lord Lu hesitated before lowering himself. "Yes, Your Majesty. After the rebels claimed the governor's mansion, they cut off escape routes before our forces could mount a proper defense. Our soldiers fought bravely, but they were overwhelmed by sheer numbers," he paused, sighing deeply. "By dawn, Uimal had fallen."
Another murmur rippled through the hall, though no one dared to raise their voice. Tez' Mu watched the Dowager exchange a terse glance with Hu' Ran, whose face was as aghast as hers.
Lord Lu's voice trembled slightly as he continued. "Worse yet, Your Majesty—the defeat has emboldened the rebels. Here in the capital… unrest is spreading. People are asking why Darin was attacked even though the Scith sent a peace envoy."
Hu' Ran's eyebrows met in a frown. Scoffing, he replied. "And what has the Scith to do with the attack?"
Lord Lu pressed his lips together as he rolled up his scroll. Tez' Mu could almost read the thoughts behind his eyes. 'Steward,' Lord Lu wanted to say, 'no one will believe the 'rogue army' propaganda for much longer.'
But it was Muri' Ji that spoke next, rising from his seat with his face knotted with worry, just as Lord Lu returned to his.
"With all respect, Your Majesty, the rumors are turning to something else." He said, twirling his ring nervously, "They say the Scith broke its own peace, that the envoy was merely a ruse. And—" he faltered.
The Dowager's gaze sharpened. "Speak."
He licked his lips. "Posters and notices spreading dissent are being pasted all over the capital; some with only one word on it," Muri' Ji paused, knowing how much the Dowager would detest the next word. He took a deep breath and rephrased it. "The King's name."
The hallwent still. The Dowager glared at Muri' Ji as though willing the words back into his mouth. Her hand, still on the armrest, slowly clenched into a fist.
"And what," she asked, her tone hard, "have you done about it?"
Muri' Ji's throat bobbed. "The city watch has arrested a number of rabble-rousers. But the rumors are spreading too fast. Even the nobles have begun to—" He cut himself off too late.
The Dowager leaned forward just slightly. "The nobles," she repeated.
Most of the judges turned to stare pointedly at the lords, causing them to flinch. The lords glared back, palms sweating. They started murmuring anxiously among themselves. Now, now was not the time to be caught with even a whiff of dissent on their robes. Three Scith lords had gone missing, and no one bothered to give an explanation.
Unable to take it any longer, one of the lords rose. "Your Majesty," he said, his mustache curling, "I will not be needlessly slandered." he growled, glaring out of the corner of his eye at Muri' Ji, who had started this nonsense, "I and my house are loyal to the crown, and can never be found making pointless talk, much less parroting rumors."
Many of the lords quickly added their voices, vehemently declaring their loyalty. The Dowager smiled coldly.
Tez' Mu saw that her grip on the armrest was even tighter now, her knuckles popping as veins crisscrossed her hand from the exertion. Had she been a cultivator, Tez' Mu did not doubt that the fabric would have been set ablaze.
"The war council will convene at sundown," she declared. "Uimal will be reclaimed, and whoever allowed this disgrace to occur will answer for it."
She turned slightly, eyes flicking toward the officials assembled before her. "And I want a full report on the rumors spreading in the capital," she added.
The officials did not chorus, 'Yes, Your Majesty,' as they were supposed to. Tez' Mu watched them intently, and caught the flicker of discomfort and hesitation on their faces.
He smirked.
The Dowager would get her report.
But by then, it might already be too late.
Sari ushered Tez' Mu into his office at the Onan Desar barracks. As Tez' Mu sank into his seat with a sigh, Sari closed the door with a soft click after peering left and right. He then spun around to face his master, his face etched with worry.
"How did it go? Does she suspect you?" he asked in a low voice. Tez' Mu raised his eyebrows as he put his arms behind his head and leaned back to cross his legs over the table.
"What? Did you lose sleep over that?" he chuckled, "It's fine; we were too covert. The people arrested aren't any of ours."
"Not that," Sari strode forward and placed his hand down on the table, leaning over his master, "About Uimal. You told the Dowager the Kests would—"
Tez' Mu cut him short. "Exactly," he said, grinning, "It's because of the rumors circulating the capital now that she won't have time to think about that," he tapped his temple, "Smart, aren't I? Go on, praise me."
Sari stared down at him as if he just sprouted half a dozen horns.
"Don't be—" he suddenly thought better of what he wanted to say, sighing, "Don't be complacent, my lord. You have to keep aware."
Tez' Mu rolled his eyes then closed them. "Get out," he pointed at the door.
"What?" Sari was shocked.
"If all you're here to do is to remind me that I'll be a head shorter if the Dowager realizes I betrayed her, then you should get back to your drills," Tez' Mu yawned. "Train well; we have two lords to capture tonight."
Sari left with a huff, but Tez' Mu didn't stay lounging for long.
By nightfall, he was out of the barracks, moving through the capital's underbelly with the ease of someone who belonged in both courts and back alleys.
The moon found him leaning against the wall of a packed tavern, arms crossed, hood pulled low. The street smelled of spilled ale and the oil from hanging lanterns, their flickering glow barely reaching the huddled figures beside him—Kal' Yu, Na' Raa, Yanak and Sari, their hands gripping their weapons.
Inside, their target was drinking his fill, unaware that his night was about to take a sharp, unpleasant turn. Tez' Mu exhaled, tilting his head toward the door.
"Alright," he murmured, a smirk tugging at his lips, "Let's go introduce ourselves."
Kal' Yu moved first, leaping out of his crouch and crashing the door open with a well placed kick.
The other patrons screamed and bolted almost as soon as they sighted the livery of the Onan Desar. Their fearsome reputation preceded them.
Yanak rushed in and grabbed the fleeing lord by the scruff of his robe. The man cursed out his ancestors, swinging round to land a punch on Yanak's left cheek.
"Damn!" Before Yanak could respond with a blow of his own the lord had slipped from his hand and was leaping through the open window of the tavern.
"After him!" Tez' Mu barked. They crashed through the tavern and landed in its backyard, where two horses were tied. Tez' Mu ran up to one of them and mounted it immediately, after untying it, and with a kick to its middle set it lurching into motion.
Tez' Mu urged his horse forward, its hooves striking the cobbled streets like drumbeats in the night. The city blurred past—shuttered windows, the flicker of lanterns, the occasional gasp of a startled pedestrian jumping out of the way. A loud neigh came from behind, and Tez' Mu turned his head to find Na' Raa pulling parallel to him, the horse beneath her kicking up dust as they tore through the winding alleys.
Ahead, the lord was a fleeting shadow, his robes billowing as he sprinted with impossible speed. He barely touched the ground, each step carrying him farther, faster. Tez' Mu grit his teeth. Damn Martial Lords and their ridiculous lightness skills.
"We're losing him!" Na' Raa called over the wind.
Tez' Mu knew it too. They had the speed of their horses, but the lord had agility, darting around corners, vaulting over barrels, slipping between market stalls like a ghost.
Tez' Mu yanked the reins, guiding his horse onto a narrow bridge spanning a drainage canal. The lord had already crossed the bridge in two bounds. He and Na' Raa had no choice but to keep to the streets, weaving between carts and startled night merchants.
The man leapt onto a parked cart—he was aiming for the rooftops.
Tez' Mu growled, tightening his grip on the reins. Not happening.
"Cut him off before he climbs!" he snapped at Na' Raa.
She veered right, angling for the next intersection. The lord glanced back once, sneered, then pushed off a fruit stall and launched himself upward—toward freedom.
Tez' Mu cursed and kicked his horse harder, he and Na' Raa racing through the streets, their horses pounding against the stone as they now shadowed the lord's path above. He barely seemed to exert effort, skimming across the rooftops like a stray breeze, his silhouette darting from one building to the next.
"Cocky bastard," Tez' Mu muttered, yanking the reins to follow his trajectory. "He's playing with us."
Na' Raa snarled. "He won't be laughing once we drag him back by the ankles."
But the lord wasn't slowing. He wasn't just escaping now; he seemed to be going somewhere.
Then Tez' Mu saw where he was headed—the outskirts of the capital. The tight cluster of buildings thinned ahead, giving way to open roads and beyond that, a dark, looming wall of trees. The forest.
His stomach tightened. That wasn't just any forest.
"He's heading for the Kelzar Grove," Na' Raa hissed, following his gaze.
The name alone was enough to send a ripple of unease down Tez' Mu's spine. The dense, ancient woodland that wrapped around the outer rim of the capital was barely patrolled, its depths filled with twisting paths, hidden ravines, and things better left undisturbed. If the lord made it inside, even the best trackers would struggle to find him.
Tez' Mu clenched his jaw. He kicked his horse harder, urging it into a dead sprint. "Push him left! We can't let him reach the trees!" he barked.
Na' Raa veered, angling her horse toward an upcoming alley, hoping to cut him off; but the lord, as if sensing the shift in their movement, suddenly sped up. His final leap carried him onto the last row of rooftops before the open road.
Tez' Mu's pulse pounded. If they didn't stop him now, they'd be chasing shadows through the underbrush.
Na' Raa barely had time to shout before the lord flung himself off the last building, his body a blur of dark robes as he vanished into the thick canopy below. The moment his feet touched the treetops, he was gone, swallowed by the night-cloaked forest.
Na' Raa cursed and pulled her reins sharply, but Tez' Mu had already made his decision. Without hesitation, he veered off the main road, yanking his horse toward the nearest forest entrance.
"Captain!"
The trees pressed in around him as he charged through the old trail, his surroundings shifting from open air to a tangled maze of trunks and undergrowth. Moonlight barely reached the forest floor, but he didn't need it—his absorption sense flared, tracking the faint, dissipating tendrils of the lord's aura.
There!
The aura streaked through the woods like a fading ink trail, slithering around trees and dipping into unseen pathways. Tez' Mu followed, weaving through the underbrush, his horse pounding forward with reckless speed.
Then, suddenly, the aura threads snapped into focus—all twisting toward a single point.
A tower.
It loomed ahead atop a small hill, half-hidden by vines and crooked branches, its old stone walls swallowed by time.
Tez' Mu didn't hesitate.
He dug his heels into his horse's sides and charged forward. Reaching the foot of the hill, he barely pulled his horse to a stop before leaping off, abandoning the beast without a second thought. His boots struck the uneven ground, and he took off, muscles burning as he sprinted up the craggy hill. Loose stones skittered beneath his steps, but he didn't slow, eyes locked on the looming tower ahead.
The heavy iron door at the entrance was left ajar.
His suspicion solidified into certainty. The lord was inside.
Tez' Mu lunged forward, shoving the heavy door open as he burst into the tower's dim interior. The air was thick with dust and the scent of damp stone, but he barely registered it. His focus locked on the spiral staircase curling upward, disappearing into shadow.
His boots echoed against the worn steps as he rushed upward, each turn narrowing his world to the path ahead. Then—
Another door. Wooden.
Tez' Mu skidded to a halt, chest heaving. He pushed it open.
"You can't run anymore, Lord Ui!" he shouted, and he rushed into the room, Moonfire already drawn, its blade simmering with red essence. Then he stopped short.
A young boy raised his head from a book he was reading, seated cross-legged on a window seat. His white hair was messy, his cheeks bearing the softness of childhood. With raised eyebrows, he cocked his head to one side.
Tez' Mu lowered his sword. "Where's the lord that ran in here?" he asked, his chest heaving.
The boy frowned. "What lord?"
"A lord ran in here just now," Tez' Mu repeated, glancing around the bare tower-room illuminated by a blazing lunar stone hung on a bracket in the wall. Aside from the poster bed, there was only a shelf full of books. "Where is he?"
"There's no lord here but me," the boy responded, closing his book with a snap and leaping down from the window seat. "And why aren't you bowing?"
Tez' Mu raised his eyebrows as he slowly raised the sword again, leveling it at the boy. He was not here for games.
"Me? Bow to you?" he scoffed, "Why?"
The boy tilted his chin up. "I'm your monarch."
Tez' Mu's breath stopped. "What?" he managed to hiss.
The boy stepped forward. His gaze held Tez' Mu's, unblinking. "I am Keol' Han, king of Ochelon," frowning, he crossed his arms over his chest, wondering why Tez' Mu had not dropped to one knee already.
Moonfire slid out of Tez' Mu's grasp and clattered to the floor. His sword was not the only thing that dropped. So did his jaw.
"You're—"
"Keol' Han," the boy repeated, a speck of irritation crossing his brows, "And who are you?"
Tez' Mu's heart pounded as he gazed upon the boy. The war. The bloodshed. The bodies stacked on the battlefield, the cities burned, the kingdom unraveling—all of it.
And the boy they were fighting over had been sitting in this tower the whole time.
"You... you're the king?" Tez' managed, his voice cracking with disbelief. "Why are you here?"
Keol' Han frowned, confused. "This is where I live," he spoke as if stating the obvious.
"Since when?" Tez' Mu croaked.
But Keol' Han did not reply. Instead, he walked up to Tez' Mu and reached out his small hand. He poked Tez' Mu's stomach, making him flinch.
"You're real," the boy said, his eyes lighting up.
"Why would you think I wasn't?" Tez' Mu frowned. Keol' Han raised his head to gaze up at him.
"I thought I was hallucinating. I do that sometimes. I thought you weren't real because no one ever comes in here. I don't have visitors. It's just me and my nanny."
"Wait," Tez' Mu suddenly grabbed the boy's arm as he crouched by him. "What did you just say? You have—hallucinations?"
Keol' Han nodded. "My nanny says it's because of my illness. She must be on her way with my medicine even now," he glanced at the door, and then shrugged.
Tez' Mu swallowed. So the Dowager was right. The king was indeed ill.
"What kind of illness is it?" he asked.
Keol' Han shrugged. "I don't know. Just that I get sick often," he narrowed his eyes. "You're asking a lot of questions."
Tez' Mu let go of him as he rose. "Yes."
Keol' Han turned around and traipsed back to the window seat, "You're a Onan Desar guard," he said, startling Tez' Mu.
"How do you know that?"
Keol' Han pointed at his uniform. "I love reading about you elite guards," he said, waving casually towards the heap of books on the shelf. "What's your name?"
"Tez' Mu," he wondered if it was safe to reveal it. Keol' Han's eyes widened with excitement.
"You're a Mu! I read about your family!"
His shout made Tez' Mu flinch again. He turned towards the door and shut it quickly.
"Be quiet," he hissed.
Keol' Han shrugged. "I'm the only one in the tower," he said. Tez' Mu let out a sigh, and crossed the room to sit next to Keol' Han on the window-seat. The boy shuffled to give him space.
"Are you alright?" seeing Tez' Mu suddenly grip his hair and grunt, Keol' Han asked worriedly. Tez' Mu opened his eyes and turned his head to the right, gazing upon the boy, the young king, who was blissfully unaware of the grave danger he was in.
Keol' Han shifted uncomfortably under Tez' Mu's intense stare.
"Tell me about yourself," Tez' Mu said finally, his head whirring with thoughts. Lord Ui had been swept to the back of his mind.
"About myself?" Keol' Han raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. How long have you been living here? Who put you here? Who are your servants? How many are they?"
"Why do you want to know?" the boy frowned. Tez' Mu looked into his clear innocent face. Turning slightly to face him, he reached out and took his small hands in his.
"Because—I—I want to be your friend."
Keol' Han's eyes grew round. "My friend?" he repeated, softly, as if saying the word too loudly would cause Tez' Mu to suddenly melt and disappear into the recesses of his sub-conscious, where all the previous ones had gone.
Tez' Mu nodded, vaguely but not fully aware of the impact he was having on the child. "Yes. I'll come here as often as I can to play with you; you're lonely aren't you?"
Keol' Han nodded vigorously.
"First tell me; when will your nanny be back?"
Keol' Han turned his head towards the window. Tez' Mu followed his gaze. Below the tower on this side was a footpath that led into a dense wood. Not far from the trees, he could see the faint outline of a small wooden house.
"She lives there. We'll see her come out when she's done preparing the medicine," Keol' Han muttered.
"Good," Tez' Mu nodded. "Now answer my questions, and then I'll answer any of yours."
Keol' Han seemed satisfied by the bargain. "What did you ask again?"
Tez' Mu sighed. Children.
"How many people serve you here?"
"Oh," Keol' Han shrugged. "Just one. My nanny."
"Just one?" Tez' Mu repeated, shocked, "No guards?"
Keol' Han shook his head.
"Why?" Tez' Mu found himself asking. Keol' Han shook his head and shrugged.
Tez' Mu took a deep breath to calm himself. "How long have you been here?" he asked.
Keol' Han raised his right hand and counted three fingers. "Three years."
So he was moved here after his title was changed, Tez' Mu thought, piecing together the clues quickly. Keol' Han had only been named king after Offal' Kest's relentless petitions to set him on the throne, to present him before the Scith. But the Dowager had only changed the boy's title, throwing a lavish ball to celebrate his coronation, but the 'crowned king' himself was nowhere to be seen.
Offal' Kest had stormed out of that ball.
That was the last time he was seen in the Scith.
"She's coming!" Keol' Han suddenly hissed, tugging Tez' Mu away from the window, "Quick, hide!"
Tez' Mu threw himself flat on the ground, slipping underneath the bed. Keol' Han moved quickly, grabbing the quilt and throwing it over the exposed side. Tez' Mu's vision went dark, the only sounds in his ears his deep breathing and Keol' Han shoving Moonfire under the bed after him.
The minutes ticked by, and then footsteps were heard on the stone stairway. The door creaked open not long after, and Tez' Mu registered the presence of an earth-affinity cultivator.
"My king," the nanny's voice put her around Eima's age—in her early sixties or late fifties. Tez' Mu heard her cross the room and move towards the window.
"Time for your medicine."
Soft gulps were the next thing Tez' Mu heard.
"It's late, stop reading," the nanny's voice came, now low and gentle. "Don't hurt your eyes. I'll put out the lunar stone."
She shuffled across the room.
"Go to sleep now, my king," her voice came again, insistent. Then with a soft sigh, the door creaked open.
"Goodnight, Your Majesty."
Tez' Mu did not move until the echoes of her footsteps had died out. As he crept out from under the bed, he almost jumped as he was met with the sight of Keol' Han crouching by the bed, his green eyes blazing in the dark.
"Sheesh, you scared me."
"Are you leaving now?" Keol' Han asked, the light from his eyes landing on Tez' Mu's sword as he groped for it.
Tez' Mu nodded. "I didn't know you're of the light affinity," he said, awe evident in his voice. Many imperial family members weren't even cultivators, much less affinity mages.
Keol' Han nodded. "I am," he said. "When will you come back?" he asked, his voice sad.
"When are you usually alone?"
Keol' Han shrugged. "My nanny only comes up here to give me my meals and medicine."
"I'll come tomorrow then. But," Tez' Mu lowered his voice. "Keep this a secret. Don't tell her about me," he tilted his head towards the door, "Or I won't be able to come anymore,"
Keol' Han sniffed, smirking. "I'm not a fool."