Two weeks passed after the incident on King's Day. A week of national mourning was declared, and a wake was held in honor of Azazel.
The day after his passing, Kia was crowned the new queen of Elysium.
Yet she looked anything but happy during her coronation.
All the joy and happiness she'd normally show, they were completely gone.
It almost looked like…her spirit had left her body.
I wanted to support her as best as I could, but she locked herself up in her own bedroom before I had the chance.
The only one allowed to visit her was Astress, who tried her hardest to avoid talking to me.
And just when I thought we had formed a pretty good bond.
Day in, day out, I would walk past Kia's door before coming to a halt.
I so desperately wanted to see her, hear her, comfort her, but I was also scared.
Scared of what I might find behind that door.
I would raise my hand, ready to knock, yet always lower it straight after again.
The possibility that I might see Kia in such a vulnerable state was enough for me to give up on it.
In the meantime, I tried to switch my mind by continuing my training.
Although, without a teacher to coach me, all I was able to do was some basic training drills and exercises.
Three weeks after Azazel's passing, I was sitting in my room when someone knocked on my door.
I walked over to open it and was surprised to find that my guest was none other than Kia herself. Wearing a joyless expression on her face, she asked me if she could come in.
"S-Sure."
She sat down on my bed, to which I sat down right next to her.
An awkward silence filled the room.
I was unsure what to say, but fortunately Kia beat me to it.
"I want to apologize for my behaviour these last couple of weeks. I just…"
Tears rolled down her face, which she quickly tried to wipe away with her handkerchief.
After wiping her face dry and blowing her nose, I told her how I felt.
"I'm not mad at you. Everyone is as devastated about Azazel's death as you are. Perhaps that just shows how highly your people thought of him. And… I know it's easy for me to say, but maybe knowing this might make your mourning more bearable."
I then took some time to find the right words to say to her.
"Remember when you found me at Sharp Peak? You told me that, instead of focusing on the past, I should accept what'd happened and move forward. I didn't know Azazel for long, but I doubt he would've wanted you to remain sad for the rest of your life. It takes time to fully get over it, but eventually you will. I promise."
"You mean to tell me that, instead of crying for what I lost, I should treasure what I had?"
I nodded.
"More or less."
To that, Kia let out a heavy sigh.
"Perhaps you are right. Now that I am the queen of Fira, I cannot let my emotions get the better of me any more. I must recognize that I have a duty to fulfil. How else am I going to keep my people safe from harm?"
"I think you shouldn't worry too much about that, at least not for now. And if you ever need help, just ask me or Astress."
A light red blush appeared on her cheeks.
I am aware that my reply was pretty cheesy, but I truly meant everything I said.
After all, Kia is the type of person who tries to carry all the burden on her own shoulders.
However, there's nothing wrong about reaching out to people for help once in a while.
Rai taught me that long ago, yet I made nothing of it at the time.
But now, after having met Kia, I finally started to understand what he meant by that.
"Thank you, Shako. I knew talking to you would cheer me up."
A few seconds of silence went by, before she told me her actual reason for coming here.
"I must confess, I did not come here solely for the purpose of finding solace. There is…something I wish to show you. Only, promise me that whatever I am about to show you, you do not share with anyone else. Agreed?"
Not sure what she was about to show me, I nodded nonetheless.
She stood up and ordered me to follow her.
We walked through the long hallways of the castle and moved downstairs.
There, we advanced to the main hall, where Kia stopped for a small moment.
She then turned and began moving towards the room I dreaded going to the most: the Throne Room.
Kia opened the heavy doors and shut them once we were inside.
The room itself had already been restored to its former glory, but the things I witnessed here still haunted my mind ever so vividly.
"This way." she told me.
Kia walked towards the two thrones standing at the other side of the room.
There, she approached one of the giant banners hanging on the wall behind them and put her right hand underneath it.
I heard a click followed by a loud, scraping noise.
To my amazement, a portion of the wall opened up, revealing a stone staircase leading down into pitch-black darkness.
"Right. Let us proceed, shall we?"
She grabbed the lone torch hanging on the wall and lit it.
Still trying to take in what just happened, I eventually followed her down the stairs.
The air was cold and musky.
Cobwebs and moss covered the walls, making me even more cautious of where I placed my next step.
It was likely this place hadn't been visited for years, perhaps even decades.
My only comfort in this situation was the torch Kia was holding onto.
"Tell me Kia, where exactly are you taking me?"
"You shall see soon enough."
And indeed.
After what felt like minutes of walking, we arrived at the bottom of the stairs.
Once there, we entered a large, underground room.
From the roof hung a series of lights.
The floor was made of black and white marbled tiles, though they appeared to have lost their sheen a long time ago.
The walls were decorated with banners carrying the Diablo insignia, yet similar to everything else down here time had worn them down as well.
The roof itself was being carried by several columns, with each column having a wooden display case standing in front of it.
Inside these display cases were pieces of armour, accessories, and other unusual items I had never seen before.
My eyes then got drawn towards the other side of the room, where a similar, even bigger display case stood.
Inside it was a sword.
The blade was long and made of gold, yet it possessed an unusual glow.
The hilt was coloured a bright red, and decorated with various gems.
At a glance, it looked like an ordinary sword to me, but I could tell there was something special about it. Why else store it here, where no one else could find it?
"Ashiar, my family calls it. It means 'Light Bearer' in ancient Firan." Kia said, as she pointed towards the sword.
"It certainly looks cool. Is this what you wanted to show me?"
She nodded and clarified.
"Like every other Relic inside this room, this sword is a family heirloom, passed down from each generation onto the next. Eons my family spend guarding it, making sure it does not fall into malicious hands."
"Does that mean this is one of those artifacts Lucifer was talking about?"
"Correct. Despite that, how he got his hands on such confidential information is beyond me."
I gazed around the room and looked at every item again.
None of this really made sense to me.
While every Relic did seem a tad bit more luxurious than their average counterpart, nothing else stood out to me.
So, what could be so special about them that even Lucifer would want them?
"Kia, what exactly are these Relics?"
She sighed, as if to reveal she already expected me to ask her that question.
"Allow me to tell you a story. Long ago, before the rise of kingdoms, when Fira was but a giant wasteland, there were seven beings called The Elders. These beings possessed extraordinary amounts of power, power no ordinary Firan could ever comprehend. Therefore, they amassed a great following and thus the Realms were born. Everything was going well. Towns were flourishing, business was thriving, and all-in-all the people were generally happy. It was but a matter of time before something bad would befall them."
"Alright, but what does this sword have to do with any of that?"
She lifted her hand, signalling me to be patient.
"This sword was once wielded by Shabaan, the Elder of Riches. Like any of the weapons wielded by The Elders, it possesses unfathomable power. It can execute anyone in Fira – may they be mortal or god. These are weapons meant to bypass the rules of The Flow of Life, weapons that can cut both the material and immaterial. Or simpler put, they can destroy one's body as well as their very soul."
I was baffled by what I was told.
Weapons that could execute anyone, regardless of if they had destroyed two Life Spots or not?
What kind of overpowered item is this thing?
And you're telling me there are more of them?
No wonder Kia was acting so worried up until now.
If someone like Lucifer got their hands on such a thing, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"And to think Lucifer wanted this. Now I understand why you brought me here."
"What worries me even more, is the person he is stealing this for."
"He mentioned something about a 'Covenant', if I recall correctly?"
Kia nodded.
"I made some of my people look into it, yet they were unable to collect any clear information. No records, no texts, nothing. Almost as if, this 'Covenant' does not want others to know about their existence."
"So, what now?"
She waited for a moment to get her thoughts together and then told me her plan.
"For now, I shall attend the King's Summit in my father's stead, which is to be held in Prudentia this month. This also brings me to my next topic, coincidentally. Long and hard have I thought about this decision, however, I genuinely believe this is for the better. I have signed you in at The Academy."
It took me a moment to figure out what she said, but once I did, a sound of utter confusion left my mouth.
"Wait, what?!"