## I. The Audience with the Tyrant
The air in Ygon's hall was heavy, not with the smoke of incense, but with the metallic scent of power and the coldness of black marble. Nati, still pale and hollow-eyed from the experience with the Black Moon, knelt before the obsidian throne. Ygon, a red-eyed giant, did not look at her with fury, but with a calm, calculated disappointment.
— Rise, Nati — Ygon's voice was a soft thunder, resonating through the hall's walls. — You failed. Zuko is dead. And the Black-Eyed Hunter is free.
Nati rose, her armor creaking.
— My lord, I...
— Silence — Ygon interrupted her, without raising his tone. — You let yourself be carried away by vanity, Nati. I never ordered the hunt for Zack. Never.
The general swallowed hard.
— But, my lord, all the other generals, the soldiers... they have been hunting him since you took over the Red City. Out of loyalty to you, for the fame of defeating the King of Horror.
Ygon smiled, a gesture that did not reach his eyes.
— Fame... Fame is cheap coin, Nati. Zuko died for your choice to seek that fame. Zack is not our enemy. Loyalty that costs the lives of my comrades is too high a price.
He descended from the throne, walking slowly towards Nati. His hand rested on her shoulder, a touch that was both comforting and crushing.
— I am not the monster that fame says, Nati. The world already fears me enough. The countries that have oppressed us for over a thousand years will pay the price, but not because of one man. The Red Continent is ready to invade. The best thing to do now is not to get involved with Zack.
Nati felt the sincerity in Ygon's words, and guilt hit her hard.
— He... he has a boy, my lord. A boy.
Ygon stopped. Surprise, a rare emotion, crossed his face.
— Zack has a son? Impossible.
— I don't know if he is his son, but he protects him. The boy has... black eyes.
Nati realized her mistake. Ygon's interest was piqued, and the touch on her shoulder turned into a claw.
— Black eyes... Nati realized she shouldn't have said anything about the boy.
Ygon released her, returning to the throne. The audience was over.
— Call a meeting with the generals. We have a new target of interest.
## II. The Last Act of Mercy
Far away, at Zack's base, the tension was palpable. K was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
— It was a mistake, Zack! Letting Nati escape could be the end of the base and the death of us all! Ygon will come with everything!
Zack did not argue back. He was sitting, polishing the Black Moon, the silence only increasing K's fury.
Lyra and Mira entered the room, dressed in their hunter gear. Lyra, with her black cloak and loose clothes, and Mira, with the firm posture of a warrior. "The Boy" wore loose brown clothing, covering his face and body.
— Everything is ready, Zack — Lyra said, her voice calm. — The food, the training, the maps.
K watched the scene, not understanding.
— What is happening?
— We are leaving, K — Zack said, finally. — We are going to the **Polyhedron Country**.
K staggered.
— Did you decide this after freeing Nati?
— Yes. It was my last good deed in these red lands. It's time to leave.
— What about Orpheus? He won't stay at the base!
— Lyra already warned him — Mira replied. — We used a Ra scroll.
K was confused, but her anger still boiled.
— Why the hell are we going to the Polyhedron Country? You know about the tensions! They are armed to the teeth, waiting for the attack from the Red Continent and Ygon!
Zack stood up, the Black Moon shining with a sinister glow.
— It's time to resolve something in my past, K. I need to see some friends and avenge Tobi's death. I made a promise, and it's time to keep it.
Mira approached "The Boy."
— The boy has golden eyes, Zack. We can't risk going to the strongest country in the world.
Lyra smiled at K.
— Don't worry, K. Zack knows the routes. He knows how to enter without being noticed.
K scoffed, angry at Lyra's calm.
— Are you kidding me!
— K — Mira said, her voice serious. — Zack was born in the Polyhedron Country. He was a soldier of the Empire.
K was shocked. She did not know this information.
— The Polyhedron Country is only this giant Empire because of Zack. That's where the nickname **Black-Eyed Hunter** and **King of Horror** came from.
K fell silent, her anger draining away, replaced by a reverent fear.
## III. The Banished King
Mira turned to the boy.
— Don't use your power, unless your life is at risk.
— Of course, mother — the boy replied, perfectly understanding the gravity of the situation.
K looked at Lyra.
— Why didn't Zack return to the Empire?
Lyra gave an ironic smile.
— His father banished him.
K had no idea that Zack's father was someone influential in the Polyhedron Country.
— He is the King.
K stumbled. The information was a shock.
— But how? Zack, the son of a King? It's impossible! He has black eyes! The King has violet eyes, and everyone in the royal lineage does too!
Lyra did not answer, just shrugged.
Zack went to a room, where there was a small altar. On it, Tobi's hat and his diary. Zack said a prayer, asking for protection and wisdom. He prayed for Tobi's soul and, after that, burned the hat and the diary.
— Goodbye, my friend. I will avenge your memory, for Mona and for you.
Zack smelled cigarette smoke, what Tobi loved to do most.
Mira found him there.
— Are you okay?
— I feel like I'm in a *loop*, Mira. It feels like I've lived all this before at some point. I realized it when I woke up at the Black Lake.
— Did you tell Orpheus?
— No.
— Time will tell us the truth. Don't think about it now.
Zack hesitated.
— I've been having dreams. A golden-eyed woman watches me. Every time I say "hello," she answers...
— My love — said "The Boy," who had entered the room without them noticing.
Zack and Mira were speechless.
— How do you know that? — Zack questioned the boy.
— I don't know. But I feel it.
Mira looked at the boy.
— Go stay with Lyra. I need to talk to Zack.
The boy went to Lyra.
— He's just a boy, Zack. Leave him out of this shit — Mira questioned, seeing Zack's lack of reaction.
Zack shook his head.
— I won't force him to give me answers. Don't worry, Mira.
— You are a good father, Zack. You just need to be less of a general.
— I know.
Mira hugged him, seeing Zack's pale and sad face.
— Is Nanashi really alive?
— I don't know. But Tobi wouldn't lie on his deathbed. In fact, I don't even know what to think.
The group gathered, packing supplies, bags, maps, and everything necessary to leave for the Polyhedron Country. The journey of the Banished King was about to begin.
****End of Chapter 45*