Zaliyah stared at the white lotus resting on his pillow. The sight of it was grotesque.
The thick, vibrant red liquid seeping steadily out of the pristine white petals, staining the silk below it like a fresh wound.
To his own surprise, Zaliyah didn't scream. He didn't panic. Instead, a short, humorless laugh escaped his lips. The sheer absurdity of it all was almost funny. He had only been in the Underworld for a matter of days, and he didn't even know what this Ailla woman looked like. Yet, she had already developed a personal, obsessive beef with him.
"Iruna," Zaliyah called out, his voice smooth and devoid of fear. He didn't even turn around as the heavy doors opened behind him. " throw this garbage away and change my sheets."
Iruna stepped into the room, her eyes instantly narrowing at the sight of the blood-soaked flower. "Of course, Your Highness. Right away."
The task was handled swiftly and silently. Once the ruined linens were stripped away and replaced with fresh, dark silk, Harun and Iruna stepped up to Zaliyah. They moved with deferential grace, reaching up to slowly strip him of his heavy outer layers of clothing to prepare him for the night.
As the heavy white robes pooled at Zaliyah's feet, leaving him in nothing but his thin undergarments, the twins froze.
Scattered across Zaliyah's pale, delicate skin were several dark, almost fading hickeys. They were a violent contrast to his pale skin, small purple and pink bruises left behind from nights spent in a lover's arms.
Harun and Iruna didn't say a word out loud. Instead, their eyes locked, and their minds connected.
'Is this why he wanted nobody to touch him these past few days?' Iruna's voice echoed directly into Harun's mind, laced with a protective sadness.
'Probably,' Harun replied telepathically, his jaw tightening slightly. 'He was trying to hide it.'
'Luckily, it's fading away,' Iruna thought, her mental voice a sigh of relief. 'I can't imagine how his majesty would react seeing those on his skin.'
Zaliyah stood perfectly still, closing his eyes as the weight of the day pressed down on him. He didn't have the telepathic gift of the twins, but the sudden, excruciating silence in the room was loud enough to notice.
He felt a sudden, icy shiver run down his spine that had nothing to do with the hickeys.
"I'm cold," Zaliyah muttered, his voice barely a whisper in the quiet chamber.
The twins immediately broke their mental connection, their faces smoothing into neutral masks of professionalism.
"Our deepest apologies, Your Highness," Harun said smoothly, bowing his head. "Let us lead you to the bathouse. A warm water bath has already been prepared."
They guided him into the adjacent bathing chamber, where a massive wooden bathtub filled with steaming, fragrant water awaited him. Zaliyah stepped in with a sigh, sinking into the warmth until the water reached his chest. He leaned his head back against the smooth, dark wood of the tub, letting his eyelids flutter shut.
Behind him, Iruna went to work. She gathered Zaliyah's long, silk-white hair into her hands, gently washing it with a scented soap that smelled of sweet oils.
Harun stood a few paces back, his sharp eyes diligently watching Iruna's hands as she traced the lines of the pink, almost fading hickeys scattered across Zaliyah's exposed back.
In the warm candlelight of the bathhouse, they looked like a scattered garden of fresh roses.
"We would be going to the library tomorrow," Zaliyah spoke up suddenly, his voice echoed with exhaustion.
Iruna paused her gentle scrubbing for a fraction of a second. "Does your highness like books?"
Zaliyah gave a slow, tired nod against the edge of the tub. "I do."
"Your highness needs not exhaust himself going all the way to the royal library," Iruna offered warmly. "Brother and I would gladly bring the library to you. We can carry whatever scrolls or books you desire right here to your bed."
Harun let out a small, quiet cough, shaking his head at his sister's overprotectiveness. "Runa, he wants to go to the library. Let him go."
Zaliyah opened his eyes, staring at the steam rising from the water. "I want to learn more about this world," he said, his voice gaining a small edge of determination. "If I'm gonna live in it, I should at least know the history, the cities, the states, and how everything functions. I won't be left in the dark."
Harun bowed his head respectfully. "As you wish, Your Highness. We will take you there first thing in the morning."
When they were finally done washing him, the twins dried him off with soft towels and dressed him in light, comfortable night garments. They guided him to his freshly made bed, and for the first time since arriving in the Underworld, Zaliyah fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
While Zaliyah slept in his gilded cage, morning was already breaking over the human realm.
Karas woke up before the sun had even fully cleared the horizon. His eyes snapped open in the dim light of his study, and he realized that the chaotic panic of the previous day was completely gone. It had been replaced by a cold, hard, and immovable resolve.
His mind was made up.
He sat up on his cot, staring blankly at the wall as a vivid flashback of the previous night washed over him. He remembered returning from the waterfall temple, his clothes damp and his heart heavy. Riosuka had been waiting for him in his room, her eyes filled with a mother's desperate worry.
He remembered the way he had held her hands and looked into her eyes, promising her that he wouldn't do anything irrational.
He had told her he just needed to sleep and that he wouldn't throw his life away. He had lied to her.
As Karas stood up and began to pack a small bag, making his way quietly out of the house and back toward the waterfall temple, he knew exactly what he was doing. He was deciding to betray his family. He was deciding to throw away his future, his safety, and his longevity.
But as he walked through the misty morning forest, Karas didn't feel any regret. He truly meant it when he had told Zaliyah those words months ago: "I love you more than my name, more than my blood." If proving that required him to bleed his own life force away to bridge the gap between realms, then he would pay the price gladly.
By mid-morning in the Underworld, Zaliyah stood in the center of the Royal Library.
The room was gargantuan, with dark shelves stretching so high into the noirish dimness that the top rows were lost to the shadows. It smelled heavily of ancient books , grimoires , scrolls and dust.
Zaliyah was seated at a heavy stone table, pouring over a massive leather-bound book detailing the history of the dark courts.
Harun and Iruna stood obediently on either side of him, acting as his chamberlains. Every time Zaliyah ran into a complex demonic term or a reference to a historical war he didn't recognize, he would point to it, and the twins would patiently explain the details.
But as the hours ticked by, Zaliyah found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on the ancient script.
His eyes darted around the quiet, empty room for what felt like the millionth time. A prickling sensation was crawling up the back of his neck, making his skin itch. He felt watched. It wasn't the twins--their presence was familiar and non-threatening. No, this felt like a foreign pair of eyes boring into the back of his skull from the shadows of the high bookshelves.
"Is everything alright, Your Highness?" Harun asked, noticing Zaliyah's shifting focus.
"I can feel eyes on me," Zaliyah admitted, his voice low as he scanned the dark gaps between the shelves. "But I can't tell who it is or where they are hiding."
Harun let out a small breath, his posture tightening. "So you could sense it too? And here I thought Runa and I were just being paranoid."
Zaliyah blinked, turning around to look at the space next to him. "Wait... where is Iruna?"
"She was so worried about the sensation that she went out to investigate the perimeter a few minutes ago," Harun explained.
Just as the words left his mouth, soft footsteps echoed against the stone floor. Iruna emerged from the maze of bookshelves, but she wasn't alone.
Tugging gently on the hand of another figure, Iruna led a little girl out into the candlelight. The child looked to be about seven years old. Her skin was incredibly pale, contrasting beautifully with her wavy, dark hair that cascaded down to her shoulders. She had small, pouty lips and striking, bright red eyes that darted around nervously. Two tiny, adorable baby horns were just beginning to shoot out from the top of her head, and she was dressed in incredibly pretty, expensive royal attire.
Zaliyah's eyes widened in recognition. He sat up straight. "Huh? What is that little servant doing here?"
Harun and Iruna looked at each other in absolute, pure confusion.
"Servant?" Iruna repeated.
The little girl immediately bowed her head down, her cheeks flushing a soft pink as she stared at the floor, refusing to make eye contact.
"Was she the one lurking in the shadows?" Harun asked his sister.
Iruna nodded. "Yes. It was actually a little difficult catching her; she concealed her presence incredibly well for her size."
Harun let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Royalty... always so good at hiding."
Zaliyah looked between the twins and the timid little girl. "Are you here because I didn't thank you properly that day?" he asked the child gently.
The little girl remained completely silent, her small hands twisting in the fabric of her expensive dress.
"She's a little timid, your highness," Iruna whispered, leaning in closer to Zaliyah. "She doesn't talk much at all."
"But don't undermine her powers," Harun added with a respectful nod toward the child.
Zaliyah's confusion only grew. He looked at Harun. "How do you two even know her?"
"She is the King's favorite sister," Harun stated plainly.
Zaliyah was struck with absolute shock. His mouth parted slightly. "Sis... sister? Malachi has a sister? Wait... Malachi has a family?!"
"Everyone has a family, Your Highness," Harun said, a faint, amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Did you think the King just fell from the sky?" Iruna giggled quietly.
"Kinda," Zaliyah admitted, causing Iruna to let out a full, quiet laugh. Zaliyah shook his head, trying to process the information.
"But how does Your Highness know Princess Nyxian?" Harun asked, using the girl's proper title.
"Nyxian?" Zaliyah repeated the name, testing it on his tongue.
The little girl gave a small, jerky nod. She stammered out a tiny, quiet response. "Yeee... yes. My name is Nyxian."
Zaliyah smiled warmly. He leaned down and gently cupped the little girl's pale face in his hands, lifting her gaze so she was looking at him. "It's a beautiful name."
Harun and Iruna looked at each other in stunned silence. They had never seen anyone, let alone an outsider, touch the princess so familiarly without her flinching away.
"She was the 'servant' who helped me locate the dungeon when Kizari had the two of you locked away," Zaliyah explained to the twins.
"Oh," the twins uttered in realization.
Nyxian pouted slightly, her bright red eyes looking up at Zaliyah. "I... I am not a servant," she whispered.
Zaliyah let out a soft giggle, patting her head. "My bad. I'm sorry, little Princess. You did a wonderful job being sneaky."
"Why were you watching His Highness, Princess?" Harun asked gently.
Nyxian instantly looked back down at the floor, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "I... I wasn't watching."
"But—" Iruna started to argue, but Zaliyah held up a hand to interrupt her.
"She said she wasn't watching," Zaliyah said defensively, pulling the girl a bit closer to him. "Let the girl be. She's just curious." He reached up and gently patted the top of her dark, wavy hair, making sure to avoid her sensitive baby horns. "Thank you for helping me that day, Nyxian."
The little girl's face turned bright red. She stammered out a shy, "You... you're welcome," and leaned her head against Zaliyah's hand.
Harun and Iruna shared another confused, amazed look. "Should we call for her chamberlain?" Harun asked.
Zaliyah blinked. "Does everyone have a chamberlain in this palace?"
"Just the royals, Majesty," Iruna answered.
"And you are the only one with two," Harun added with a dry smirk.
Zaliyah rolled his eyes playfully. "And yet, somehow, I'm still the weakest royal here."
As Zaliyah turned back to his book, little Princess Nyxian didn't run away. Instead, she walked a step closer to Zaliyah and leaned her shoulder against his legs, quietly gazing down at the stone floor as if content just to be in his presence.
"It seems she wants to stay," Harun noted quietly.
Zaliyah smiled, waving his hand at the twins to let them know it was fine, before turning his focus back to the history of the realm, feeling a little less lonely in the dark library.
Simultaneously, back in the human realm, Karas was stepping through the roaring curtain of the waterfall once more.
He didn't hesitate this time. He walked directly through the wet, dark cavern and stepped into the ruins of the decaying temple. The air was cold, and the small fire in the center of the floor was dead and somehow cold.
Karas stood tall in the center of the room, his fists clenched at his sides.
"I'm back!" Karas shouted into the dark void of the temple.
The shadows in the corner of the room seemed to stretch and swirl. From the darkness, the gnarled, tattered figure of the blind hermit slowly materialized, leaning on his wooden staff. His milky eyes focused on Karas's determined face.
"You've returned quickly," the hermit croaked, "Have you made your choice, boy?"
Karas didn't blink. He stared directly at the old man, his voice booming with absolute confidence.
"I'm ready," Karas stated.