Kivana approached with a playful giggle, the steady click of her boots echoing against the stone floor.
Each step carried a casual energy until she halted with a theatrical stop at the foot of my throne.
"There are two thousand five hundred and sixty-one new residents," she announced, her tone overly formal, clearly mocking the stiffness of bureaucracy.
The faux sternness in her voice made it impossible not to smirk. She was enjoying herself.
I offered her a small nod, just enough to acknowledge her.
"Alright. Have you already sorted them into proper housing?"
"Yes, sir!" she answered, snapping into a soldier-like posture and raising her voice as if we were in a drill hall.
Then she leaned in, voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper.
"I heard you want to give them money. You're planning to issue taxes later, right?"
"For now, yes. The idea is to build a sense of stability. Let the people grow first, freely, without feeling the weight of obligations."
It sounded sound enough when I said it aloud, but inwardly, I still wasn't sure how sustainable the plan would be in the long run.
Still, one thing was obvious.
At this stage, we didn't need to lean on taxes. We weren't paying for a full bureaucratic system, nor did we have enough knights or guards to draw from the treasury in earnest.
Framework was still light. Minimal. Manageable.
"Got it," she replied with a slight nod.
Then, with a sudden burst of motion, she spun on her heel and twirled once before bounding forward.
Planting both hands on the throne's armrests, she leaned down toward me with a grin full of mischief.
"I want to take Malachi and go out to recruit more people. There are some nearby settlements that are struggling. We could bring them under our protection."
I raised a hand and gently tapped her forehead with a single finger, pushing her back with the lightest of touches.
"I already sent Albert. He's handling that."
Her smile dropped immediately into a dramatic pout.
"I haaaaaate staying idle. Please, give me something else. Anything but counting heads and filing names."
I narrowed my eyes at her overly theatrical scowl.
"And what exactly would you rather be doing?"
The truth was, Kivana managed far more of the kingdom's inner workings than most would believe.
While I wore the crown, she and Mirabel kept the whole foundation intact, especially during my absence.
Until I fully regained my memories, I remained a figurehead in many ways. And everyone knew that Mirabel's authority could match my own on most days.
That thought alone reminded me, I needed to speak with her. Seriously. Soon.
"I want to travel," Kivana said. Her voice had dropped into something calmer. Serious.
"I want to visit the outer settlements. Not just absorb them from afar. I want to help them rebuild. Rejoin us properly. Officially. Let them feel like they're truly part of this kingdom again."
While Albert was out expanding the population, she wanted to rebuild our strength at the edges. Not just numbers, but trust. Allegiance. Unity.
Two parts of a single purpose.
"Very well. You're taking Malachi with you?"
She lit up instantly.
"I cannot leave my dear husband alone."
Husband?
So that was official now.
I blinked, then frowned slightly.
Wait, who married them?
My eyes drifted toward Michael, silently pleading.
I sighed and rubbed my temple.
"Michael will train the knights while Malachi is away."
Before the words had fully left my mouth, she was already beside him in a blur, patting his shoulder with a grin of approval before vanishing once again.
I released a long breath and rose from the throne, stretching until my spine cracked sharply. It had grown stiff again.
Maybe I should add a cushion to the seat. Though it would probably look unprofessional. Still... tempting.
I turned and ran a hand along the throne's backrest.
It was smooth but unyielding, solid like iron, yet with just enough give to suggest motion. Efficient, but not built for comfort.
Beside me, Mirabel silently placed the crown on the small table she had arranged near the throne.
"I'll take my leave now." She said with a smile.
I nodded. She vanished shortly after, which caused me to think about how I might do that.
Disregarding my thoughts, I reached out toward the crown.
Then a voice cut through the room.
"Nicholas?"
I froze.
It wasn't a shout. It wasn't urgent. It was soft, gentle. Concerned. Familiar in a way that bypassed memory and struck directly at something deeper.
I turned slowly.
A girl stood there, her eyes wide with worry. Her presence felt off, like a remnant from another life. Another time.
And then, everything changed.
The throne room dissolved. The kingdom faded.
No court. No people. No sound.
Only light.
It pulsed around me like waves between memories and stars, neither warm nor cold, neither hostile nor safe.
The ground beneath my feet existed, but I couldn't name what it was. Not stone. Not earth. Something else.
And there she was.
The only thing in this strange plane other than me.
Her eyes glowed like distant stars, bright, amethyst, filled with something ancient.
Her hair, a pale shade of violet, flowed straight down her back, smooth to a degree that felt unnatural.
She wore a long black dress, layered with armor over her chest and shoulders. In her hands was a massive sword, its form shimmering like a comet as she pointed it directly at my throat.
A claymore, wide and devastating. Its edge shimmered with celestial fury.
"I waited so long for you to wake up. I waited so long to slaughter you. I waited too long to see that face of yours," she said, her voice low and chillingly steady.
Then she moved.
The blade drove forward, piercing into my neck with horrifying precision.
"To see your hope turn to pride... and your pride turn to despair."
Blood sprayed across her weapon as she yanked it free and kicked me back without hesitation.
My body flew through the air and crashed hard. Before I could stand, her blade speared into my back, pinning me down.
I called on the Shattered Darkness, but the moment it awakened, the ground beneath me split apart.
I plummeted, dragged into the unseen depths of this unreal place.
Then, as if warped by time, I was thrown into the air again. Her blade flashed toward my neck a second time.
I barely managed to twist out of the way, thrusting my own weapon upward.
I clipped her foot, but she vanished before the strike could land true and reappeared behind me.
Another blow sent me crashing down again, just as she cried out, "Turbo Blitzer!"
A torrent of zigzagging purple energy exploded across the sky and slammed into my chest.
I was launched backward.
Then hit again. And again. And again.
Each strike found a new part of my body, battering me endlessly. I could hardly move, only endure.
Her voice echoed once more.
A foot came down on the back of my neck.
"What are you doing? Fight back."
I coughed blood, struggling to shift my body before her descending blade could strike.
I swung desperately, only for her to deflect it with ease.
Then she seized my throat and hoisted me off the ground.
"Are you holding back? Are you hesitating?"
Her expression twisted, not with anger, but with offense.
"As if you still feel sorry for me?"
Then her face hardened into something colder.
"Don't."