At the Imperial Palace. An imperial secretary with blonde hair, sparkling purple eyes, and fair skin ran through the palace corridors. Her hands were full of documents as she rushed toward the Emperor's room. "Emperor! I found a lead!" the secretary shouted. "Hm?!" Pumnkin turned his head.
The secretary pushed open the heavy doors and handed over the bank account withdrawal records. Pumnkin took them. After a few minutes of reading, he tried to link the data with a "Dewan" (Council Member) who had recently appeared. "Amethyst, find this person immediately." The Emperor handed over a profile. The secretary received it, saluted in a panic, and hurried away.
In the hallway, she slipped and collided with someone. It was Orion, who had come to report on the rift situation. "Miss, are you alright?" Orion stood up and offered his hand to Amethyst. "O-oh... I'm sorry, young master!" Amethyst apologized, trembling as she took Orion's hand with a weak grip. "I'm fine, young master."
Orion noticed the files Amethyst was carrying and picked up a paper containing Nox's identity. "So, this is his new name?" Orion took out his phone and asked to take a photo of the ID so he could help search for Balance. As Orion walked away, a sly smile appeared on his face. "You've been a pain in the neck since the beginning." Amethyst watched him, feeling confused.
In the Meeting Room. Orion opened the door to find the leaders of the great families gathered: his father, Duke Agrotera Jaeger; Countess Ariel Cygnus; Duke Papillion Naveah; Marquis Iron Shield; Earl Oras; and the current Emperor, Pumnkin Night. "Thank you for waiting, leaders. I..." "Hey! You're my son! No need for the formalities! It's boring!" his father interrupted. "Good grief, Agrotera!" Pumnkin snapped. "This is a meeting! Don't act however you want just because we're friends!" "Blah, blah, blah," Agrotera joked. Orion facepalmed, exhausted by his father.
Pumnkin then allowed Orion to speak. Orion pulled out photos and strange objects from his dimensional storage. "I found strange auras inside the rift. Someone is sabotaging it." The leaders were shocked. "Is that possible?! Only someone with god-like power could do that!"
"Orion," the Emperor asked firmly from his throne, "what do you think they are after?" Orion answered cautiously. "My god told me... the culprit is a rebel who turned the ancient gods against each other. My god was also a victim. Now, he is targeting those who serve the current High God."
"Does any of them have a connection to the High God?" Pumnkin asked. "Excluding the Prince, no one so far," Orion replied. "The gods contracted to them were also victims of the manipulation. However, the Prince is different. He is hiding his contracted god using a special monitor to block my appraisal. It's likely not Anubis—it could be the Author, Leticia the Golden Primordial Dragon, or Ra."
"Could it be related to the First Night?" Countess Cygnus asked. "Right," Pumnkin remembered. "My ancestor gained his power through a contract with the Author."
Orion then asked, "Emperor, is there a prophecy about a war between dimensions?" "A prophecy?! Impossible!" the Marquis interrupted, but Pumnkin slammed the table. "MARQUIS!" The Marquis went silent. "I remember such a prophecy when the Empire was first formed," Pumnkin explained. "But we thought it had already passed." "Emperor... let me examine that prophecy," Orion requested. "Meet me after this meeting," the Emperor commanded.
The meeting ended on a tense note. Duke Naveah left angrily after a disagreement, and the atmosphere shifted to the personal lives of the remaining leaders. "Hey, Pumnkin," Cygnus teased. "Do you still like Hazel's thighs from the Dominica Robo series?" Embarrassed, Pumnkin covered his face. "I told you, Honey from Darling of Stars is the best waifu!" Jaeger argued. The two of them nearly started a war over their favorite fictional characters. Cygnus laughed, "Are you serious? You're starting a war over fake waifus?"
After the banter, Pumnkin headed to his office where Orion was waiting. "Sorry for the wait," the Emperor said. "It's fine. I was talking to my god," Orion replied stiffly. Pumnkin felt awkward with Orion's formality, which was the opposite of his father's. He placed an old scroll on the table. "This is the prophecy from Psyche, the Goddess of Soul, before she disappeared."
The Prophecy: "The Truth finally turns toward the hurting light; the rising Justice begins to fade. Destruction rages in a war against Creation. The Creator vanishes, leaving gold in sorrow. The cycle of time from repeated deaths makes the soul of Justice weary. The Sun that melted Icarus is controlled; death makes him a puppet of Truth. The Gold chooses a puppet made of snow and blood-red jewels, gathered from the grudge of Destruction. A sacrifice will happen; I shall rise to bind the red thread to the unawakened Justice. Even if he hates me, as the strongest, no god shall deceive us again. In the generation where Justice is born, many warriors will face different trials in the final loop. All will be resolved if they communicate well." — Signed, Psyche, Goddess of Soul.
"It's full of metaphors," Orion noted. "Perhaps she wanted to protect those who will awaken the gods in Olympus," Pumnkin explained. "But what does this have to do with Balance? Just the name?" Orion asked. "The Dragon told me that 'Justice' has a close bond with the 'Author'—the Creator in the prophecy. If Balance is indeed 'Justice,' then the name I gave him fits perfectly :D," the Emperor joked.
Orion sighed at Pumnkin's humor. "He's trying to run away from us. It's annoying." "You're quite brave to complain about my son right in front of me," Pumnkin said sarcastically. "I'm just stating facts," Orion replied.
Pumnkin smiled. "I really am bad at communicating... I hope next time I see him, I can talk to him properly." After handing over a report on Balance's party members, Orion saluted. "I don't have much time. I'll look for more clues outside." Orion walked to the hallway, jumped from the 17th-floor window, and called his weapon. "Dáinsleif!" "Yes, Master!" the weapon replied.
Orion landed smoothly, shocking the workers below, and headed toward Safir Cygnus's workshop to rest.
~ To be continued ~