When Jai and James had first looked at each other, their shared gaze was not one of fear, but of grudging acceptance. Their faces were not the same as the noble chenwongo cousins, but they understood that day: their disguise was going to be revealed. They mentally prepared for the King and Queen to expose them and order the guards to strike.
But then, Zayn interrupted their silent anxiety. "Come on, man, my father and mother are waiting to see the two of you who saved my little sister, their precious daughter."
"Okay, we are coming behind you. Let's go," Jai said, plastering on a casual smile.
As they walked, James muttered to Jai in a voice too low for the prince to hear. "Jai, do you really have to go? Why don't you just escape from these people?"
"I don't want to," Jai whispered back, his eyes flicking to the heavily carved doors. "If we really escape, they'll guarantee our death. But if we're caught now, they're more likely to let us go, or at least imprison us, because we're supposed to be from a noble family. You and I are the grandsons of the Lord Beatrice. We don't have to worry about immediate execution."
The logic, however grim, calmed them both. We are playing a role that offers a safety net, James realized. "Okay, then let's go."
They followed Zayn into the massive chamber.
The King and Queen, Borin and Morlin, sat upon their thrones, an imposing, regal pair. They immediately saw Jai and James, their expressions radiating relief and gratitude.
King Borin spoke first, his voice resonating through the vast room. "You both saved my precious daughter from the kidnappers! What wish do you want?"
Zayn quickly stepped forward, interjecting with a confident air. "Father, I already gave them the wish they wanted—the freedom to leave whenever they choose."
Queen Morlin frowned, her tone sharp and precise. "That's not the gift they want. The work we gave them was a task, and their freedom is merely the removal of their obligation. It is not considered a gift."
She then fixed her gaze on the two young men. "You youngsters, what are your names?"
Jai bowed deeply, his back perfectly straight, invoking the mannerisms of the Barne brothers. "My name is Arthur Barne, your Highness. And this," he gestured to James, "is my first younger brother, Clement Barne."
At that moment, the actual little Arthur Barne, the younger brother whom they were impersonating, stumbled into the room, having chased after Zayn. Jai's face didn't falter.
"And that," Jai continued smoothly, his voice unwavering, "is my second younger brother, also named Arthur Barne."
Morlin's brow furrowed. "Did you say your little brother's name is also Arthur?"
"Yes, your Highness," Jai replied with a slight, polite incline of his head, mentally cursing the absurdity of the real family's naming choices.
Zayn, seeing the royal confusion, came close to his parents and launched into a detailed explanation of the morning's events, including the kidnapping, the rescue, and the strange coincidence of the names.
As Zayn talked, Jai and James exchanged a subtle glance. They understood. The King and Queen didn't recognize them. Their disguise, however flawed, was holding. They had bought themselves time.
The Wish Negotiation
"Now, Arthur," Queen Morlin asked, cutting Zayn's lengthy explanation short and returning her attention to Jai, "what gift do you want?"
Jai looked to James, a strange mixture of calculation and self-sacrifice in his expression. "I want a Tier 9 Air and Space Advance Artifact," he stated, his voice ringing with firm conviction.
The request baffled the entire room. James's eyes widened, and a low murmur of confusion rippled through the assembled guards and courtiers. A Tier 9 artifact was an exorbitant treasure, usually reserved for royal heirs.
Morlin leaned forward, the rubies on her crown catching the light. "What is the reason for this specific gift, young man?"
"My brother, Clement, is an Air and Space elemental master," Jai replied, his voice sincere and earnest. "If he wants to advance from Tier 10 to Tier 9, he has to have an artifact of that level to stabilize his core."
The Queen's expression grew serious. "Do you not know the other methods to advance your Tier, Arthur?"
"Yes, your Highness, we know," Jai admitted. "My brother has tried the other methods, and he has only managed to fill thirty-five percent of his Tier core. The training is agonizingly difficult, and even with daily, brutal practice, the progress is agonizingly slow. I want this artifact to allow my brother to level up safely and quickly."
Morlin listened, her regal posture unchanging. "Very well. We shall prepare the artifact. But you know what happens if his body and core do not possess the latent strength to absorb the artifact's essence, correct?"
"Yes, your Highness," Jai replied, his voice heavy with false solemnity. "He is going to die."
Satisfied with the answer, Queen Morlin summoned a palace manager, instructing them to retrieve a Tier 9 Air and Space Advance Artifact from the Royal Vaults. "The artifact will be given, but it must be filled with the recipient's core essence before it will activate. This essence filling is not easy; it could take your brother more than two months of sustained effort to activate a single Tier 9 advance artifact."
James nodded, the weight of the request settling on him. He looked at Jai, whose face was filled with a warm, supportive smile. James felt a sudden, sharp pang of shame. He had secretly believed that Jai only used him for his utility and power, that the "Barne brother" relationship was simply a necessary façade. Yet, here was Jai, using his one and only wish—a wish that could have bought them a lifetime of wealth and safety—to secure a massive breakthrough for James's own cultivation.
"Clement," Morlin continued, turning her attention to James, "what gift do you desire?"
James thought for a moment, his eyes drifting over the astonished faces in the hall, settling finally on the small, real Arthur Barne, who was gazing up at him with wide-eyed curiosity.
"Your Highness," James began, his voice surprisingly thoughtful, "I want to know if it is possible to acquire a core that can create elemental powers by itself."
The courtiers looked even more confused than before. Borin tilted his head. "A core that creates elemental powers? What exactly do you mean, young man?"
James elaborated, his voice gaining a scientific, almost detached quality. "If we can insert a new core into the body of a person who already has one, can that person then utilize two different core powers?"
King Borin burst into genuine, incredulous laughter. "Yes! Your basic idea is sound! Two cores mean two elemental paths! But, young Clement, there is absolutely no known method for safely achieving what you suggest. A second core would be rejected and destroy the host's body."
James's face fell, his excitement replaced by a deep sadness. He had hoped for a miracle that could change the very nature of cultivation.
Seeing his disappointment, Morlin asked again, her voice gentler now. "Clement, do you want any other wish, then?"
James looked back at little Arthur Barne, whose pure, innocent gaze gave him an idea—a reckless, political idea.
"Your Highness," James announced, bowing low, "I want my Big Brother Arthur to be given a Minister post in this Dwarf Kingdom."
The Unpredictable Turn
The silence that followed James's request was absolute and deafening, far more impactful than the confusion over the Tier 9 artifact.
Jai, King Borin, Queen Morlin, and Prince Zayn all simultaneously gasped.
Zayn, recovering first, rushed towards James in a fury, his usual calm demeanor shattered. "Did you lose your mind?! Do you know what you are asking?!"
"Yeah, I know what I'm talking about," James returned, standing his ground. "The Queen asked me what wish I wanted, so I asked for the wish I wanted. My brother deserves a high position after saving the Princess."
The audacity was astounding. King Borin and Queen Morlin looked at each other, their initial shock melting into something like amusement and respect. This young man possessed a political nerve utterly unprecedented for his age.
Then, King Borin laughed, a genuine, booming sound that signaled his full approval. "Then ok! Your brother Arthur is going to be the Minister for this kingdom!"
Jai and Zayn were utterly shocked for a second time. They had expected the King to refuse, perhaps to offer a lower noble title, but never the position of Minister, one of the highest echelons of power in the entire kingdom.
The life is unpredictable, Jai thought again, the initial panic of the day replaced by a dizzying euphoria. How lucky I am that this dumbass asked for such a wish, and how fortunate I am that the King immediately accepted it. This wasn't just safety; this was power, a base of operations, and a way to quickly acquire resources, all secured by his clever younger brother.
The Collapse and the Crimson Vision
With the royal audience concluded and a Minister post unexpectedly secured, the three brothers were dismissed. They bowed their farewells and retreated, the massive, ornate doors of the King's chamber closing with a heavy thud behind them.
They had only taken a few steps down the polished marble corridor when a profound weakness struck Jai. The euphoria was violently stripped away. His vision tunneled, the colors of the opulent hall draining away. A sudden, violent pressure hammered behind his eyes, a spike of pain far beyond a simple headache.
He stumbled, the shock draining the blood from his face. Before James or Zayn could react, Jai's legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the cold stone floor, the marble feeling like a sheet of ice against his cheek.
As his consciousness faded, a terrifying, hyper-vivid vision seized his mind:
He saw fire and shadow. A man, clad entirely in midnight-black attire—a strange, form-fitting suit that seemed impossibly sophisticated—stood silhouetted against the inferno of a burning chamber. This man was a blur of deadly motion, a predator weaving through the desperate, futile resistance of the dwarf guards. In his hand, he wielded a katana—not a dull, silver blade, but one of raw, polished obsidian, its length glowing with a malevolent, arterial red.
With every fluid swing, a dwarf fell, their colorful armor instantly drenched in blood. The man was an unstoppable tide of slaughter. Jai's gaze was desperate, trying to find a detail, a feature—anything to identify the killer—but his face remained indistinct, a shadow against the blazing light.
The scene lurched. The killer was now standing over a weeping woman—Queen Morlin. The red blade plunged into her, a silent, sickening motion that ended her life. Next, the man stood over Zayn, his face a mask of cold indifference. The red katana, now dripping with the blood of the Queen, rested lightly on Zayn's neck.
Jai's focus narrowed, desperate for a clue. The man had intensely black hair that seemed to absorb the light around him, and eyes that burned with a startling, dangerous red hue, starkly visible against his pale, cold skin. He was sleek, impossibly fast, and absolutely merciless.
The climax of the vision was swift and brutal. The red sword sliced down. Zayn's head was severed in a spray of blood.
Then, the final, chilling image: the man in black stood over the wreckage, his crimson-eyed gaze seeming to pierce Jai's very soul.
Jai gasped, violently wrenching himself back to the present. He was lying on the floor, James and Zayn kneeling over him, their faces etched with concern.
"What happened to you?" James demanded, his voice tight with alarm.
"Nothing," Jai replied, his voice a dry, ragged whisper as he pushed himself up, trying to conceal the violent trembling in his hands. "Just... a sudden dizzy spell. The tension of the audience, perhaps."
But his thoughts were already racing. The chilling image of the killer was branded onto his mind. He silently searched the room, the opulent reality of the palace suddenly feeling fragile, temporary.
Who is that person with black hair and red eyes?
He thought of another vision—the one he'd had recently, of a man in a black suit sitting in a futuristic, high-tech command center. Were they the same person? Was the terrifying assassin who murdered the entire dwarf royal family linked to the cold, distant figure in the future?
The warmth of James's loyalty and the sheer relief that came with the new title were now utterly overshadowed by the horrifying certainty of a coming catastrophe. A darkness was heading for the Dwarf Kingdom, and it was cloaked in black, wielding a sword of blood, and possessing eyes of pure, murderous red. The unexpected victory had come with a devastating price: a warning of impending death.