The weight of the day finally caught up with Jai as he climbed the stairs toward his chamber.
The moment he entered, the silence of the room felt almost comforting.
He removed the formal clothes he had been forced to wear for the royal audience, tossed them aside, and slipped beneath the blankets.
Sleep came quickly.
Deep.
Heavy.
Restorative.
A voice slowly pulled him back toward consciousness.
Not loud.
Not urgent.
Just familiar.
"Jai."
He stirred.
"Come on, Minister. Wake up."
Jai opened his eyes and blinked several times.
James stood near the doorway with a wide grin on his face.
Little Arthur peeked out from behind his leg.
"Dinner is ready," James said. "Get up before they start without us."
Jai groaned quietly.
"Don't call me Minister."
James grinned even wider.
"Of course, Minister."
Jai gave him a tired look.
Arthur giggled.
Jai finally sat up, rubbed his face, and climbed out of bed.
After splashing cold water over himself in the washroom, he followed them downstairs.
The dining hall was glowing beneath dozens of candles.
The warm scent of roasted meat, fresh bread, herbs, and spices filled the room.
King Borin and Queen Morlin were already seated.
Zayn sat nearby.
Morisa was talking enthusiastically about something, barely pausing long enough to breathe.
The moment Jai entered, Borin raised his hand dramatically.
"Ah!"
The King smiled.
"The esteemed Minister has arrived."
A few people around the table laughed.
James immediately joined them.
Jai didn't.
His mind was still trapped in the vision from earlier.
He forced himself to bow.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Borin's smile slowly faded.
He studied Jai's face.
"What happened to you?"
Jai looked up.
"You look like you've seen a ghost."
For half a second, Jai nearly froze.
Then he forced a weary smile.
"It's nothing, Your Highness."
He moved toward the empty seat Zayn indicated.
"I'm just tired."
Borin continued watching him.
Jai added, "Returning to teaching after so long has been more stressful than I expected."
It was a weak excuse.
But Borin let it go.
Dinner began.
For several minutes, only the clinking of plates and cutlery filled the hall.
Jai barely tasted the food.
One question had been bothering him since the royal audience.
Eventually, he could no longer ignore it.
He placed his fork down.
"Your Highness."
King Borin looked toward him.
Jai hesitated.
"I know I may not have the authority to ask this."
Zayn's attention shifted toward him.
"But you appointed me as a Minister."
Jai continued carefully.
"And there is something I need to understand."
Borin nodded slowly.
"Ask."
Jai took a breath.
"Where were you when Morisa disappeared?"
The atmosphere changed immediately.
Morisa stopped eating.
Queen Morlin's eyes sharpened.
Zayn's expression hardened.
Jai continued.
"And..."
He hesitated again.
"Why did you seem so calm when you returned?"
Borin said nothing.
Jai pushed forward.
"Your daughter was kidnapped by unknown people."
His voice grew more serious.
"We were fortunate enough to find her."
He looked directly at the King.
"But what if we hadn't?"
Silence.
"What if Morisa had been found dead?"
SHING!
Steel flashed.
Before Jai could react, Zayn's sword was already against his throat.
James stood immediately.
Morisa gasped.
"Zayn."
King Borin's voice filled the hall.
"Remove the sword."
Zayn's grip tightened.
"Father, he—"
"Now."
The authority in Borin's voice left no room for argument.
Zayn stared at Jai for several long seconds.
Then slowly lowered the blade.
Jai remained still.
King Borin leaned back.
His expression had changed completely.
The warmth was gone.
What remained was exhaustion.
Old exhaustion.
The kind that had accumulated over years rather than days.
"The truth, Arthur..."
Borin looked down at his hands.
"...is that I lost the ability to react to fear and grief the way normal people do."
The room remained silent.
"I lost that part of myself many years ago."
Jai frowned.
"Why?"
Borin raised his right hand.
Old scars covered the palm and fingers.
Some were thin.
Others deep.
A few looked as though they had once nearly cut through the bone.
"You see this hand?"
Jai nodded.
"This hand has killed men."
Borin's voice remained flat.
"Beasts."
"Soldiers."
"Creatures from races most people in this kingdom have never even seen."
He stared at his scarred palm.
"And..."
His voice weakened slightly.
"...my own child."
The words hit the table like a weapon.
James stopped breathing for a moment.
Morisa lowered her eyes.
Queen Morlin looked away.
Even Zayn's anger disappeared.
Borin slowly lowered his hand.
"That is why fear does not control me anymore."
His voice became quiet.
"And grief..."
He looked toward Morisa.
"...grief has already taken more from me than most people will ever understand."
Jai immediately regretted the question.
But there was something he didn't understand.
"Your Highness..."
Borin looked at him.
"I thought Zayn was your only son."
The King closed his eyes.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he began.
"My first son was not Zayn."
Jai listened carefully.
"His name was Zeron."
Borin's voice grew quieter.
"Zeron was intelligent."
"Very intelligent."
"And strong."
He paused.
"But he had a difficult heart."
Jai said nothing.
"He was deeply ambitious."
Borin continued.
"And he always compared himself to everyone around him."
"Especially after Zayn was born."
Zayn lowered his gaze.
"Zayn's mother died shortly after giving birth to him."
Borin's expression tightened.
"Zeron blamed the child."
Jai frowned.
"He blamed Zayn for his mother's death?"
"Yes."
Borin nodded.
"At first, I thought it was grief."
"He had just lost his mother."
"I believed the anger would disappear with time."
It didn't.
"Zeron awakened Fire."
"Only Fire."
Borin looked toward Zayn.
"But Zayn..."
"He showed affinity with three elements."
Ice.
Earth.
Storm.
The difference between the two brothers became impossible to ignore.
"Zeron became jealous."
The King's voice grew heavier.
"He believed that because Zayn was stronger, more gifted, and more admired..."
Borin hesitated.
"...I would eventually choose him as heir."
Queen Morlin remained silent beside him.
"Years later, I married Morlin."
The King looked at her.
"For the first time after losing Zayn's mother, I found some peace."
Morlin gently touched his arm.
"Then Morisa was born."
Borin looked toward his daughter.
His expression softened.
"When I held her for the first time..."
A faint smile appeared.
"She was so small."
"So fragile."
"I remember thinking that I had been given another chance to protect something precious."
The smile faded.
"But Zeron saw things differently."
Jai's expression tightened.
"He believed Morisa's birth pushed him even further away from the throne."
Borin nodded.
"His jealousy became hatred."
"He became convinced that I intended to hand the crown to Zayn."
"And once he believed that..."
The King's eyes hardened.
"...he stopped seeing me as his father."
Jai remained still.
"He began manipulating our relatives."
"Uncles."
"Cousins."
"Older family members."
"He convinced them that I had betrayed the royal bloodline."
"That I cared more for common people than for my own family."
Jai remembered what Zayn had said at breakfast.
Everything connected.
"The rebellion..."
Jai said quietly.
Borin nodded.
"It was Zeron."
"One night..."
The King's voice became rough.
"They attacked the palace."
Jai's hands tightened beneath the table.
"Guards were killed."
"Two Ministers were murdered."
"Several sections of the palace were set on fire."
Morlin looked down.
"Morlin and I fought them."
Borin continued.
"We defeated most of the attackers."
"But we still didn't know who had organized it."
He paused.
"We never imagined it was our own son."
Zayn's expression had become distant.
Borin continued.
"During the battle, Zeron slipped away."
"He went to Zayn's room."
Zayn closed his eyes.
"He intended to kill him."
The King swallowed.
"When I arrived..."
His voice began to crack.
"...Zeron was standing over my sleeping son."
Jai said nothing.
"I didn't recognize him immediately."
"The room was dark."
"He was armed."
"And I had already spent hours fighting people trying to murder my family."
Borin's hands trembled.
"So I attacked."
Silence.
"I drove my sword into his abdomen."
The King's voice dropped.
"Deep."
"Before he could strike Zayn."
Morlin closed her eyes.
Borin stared down at the table.
"He collapsed."
"And only when I turned him over..."
A tear rolled down his face.
"...did I see my son's face."
No one moved.
"I killed Zeron."
His voice barely carried.
"My first child."
Zayn's jaw tightened.
"He woke up moments later."
Borin looked toward him.
"And the first thing he saw was me kneeling beside the body of his brother."
Jai lowered his gaze.
"I buried Zeron beside his mother's grave."
Borin continued.
"Afterward, I interrogated everyone involved."
"When I learned how many relatives had joined him..."
His face hardened.
"...I banished every one of them."
Jai finally understood the entire story.
The family betrayal.
The missing relatives.
Borin's emotional distance.
Zayn's protectiveness.
Even Morisa's sheltered childhood.
Borin pushed his chair back.
The movement echoed through the hall.
"Please excuse me."
His voice was weak.
He wiped his face with one hand.
Then left the dining hall.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
Jai felt ashamed.
He looked toward Zayn.
"I'm sorry."
Zayn looked at him.
"I shouldn't have asked the question that way."
Jai's voice was sincere.
"I was angry."
"And I didn't think about what might be behind your father's behavior."
Zayn let out a long breath.
"Forget it."
Jai frowned.
"Seriously."
Zayn shrugged.
"If I were in your position, I probably would've wondered the same thing."
Jai remained quiet.
Then another question came to mind.
"How long ago did this happen?"
Zayn leaned back.
"When I was fifteen."
Jai nodded.
"And Zeron?"
"Nineteen."
Jai's expression changed slightly.
Four years older.
Interesting.
Then one final detail bothered him.
"Was Zeron human?"
Zayn's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"Like you."
Jai gestured vaguely.
"Did he look human, or did he look like a Dwarf?"
Zayn studied him.
"He looked like a Dwarf."
"Like Father."
Jai nodded.
Zayn's suspicion increased.
"Why are you asking?"
"Curiosity."
Jai smiled faintly.
Nothing more.
At least, that was what he wanted Zayn to believe.
Later that night, Jai returned to his room.
Before entering, he looked toward James.
"Come to my room after Arthur falls asleep."
James raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Important."
James sighed.
"Fine."
An hour later, little Arthur was asleep.
James entered Jai's room and closed the door.
"Okay."
He crossed his arms.
"What is it?"
Jai turned toward him.
Then grabbed his arm.
"Why did you make that wish?"
James blinked.
"What?"
"The Minister position."
James stared at him.
"You dragged me in here because of that?"
"Yes."
James pulled his arm free.
"I was trying to help you."
Jai's frustration finally broke through.
"Your wish completely messed up my plan!"
James frowned.
"What plan?"
"I didn't want that kind of attention."
"You got a powerful position."
James threw up his hands.
"How is that bad?"
Jai lowered his voice.
"Because I think Abinay is connected to the Shadow Ledger."
James immediately became serious.
Jai continued.
"I think Abinay..."
He paused.
"...is Vystan."
James stared at him.
"What?"
"I can't prove it yet."
Jai walked toward the window.
"But the aura."
"The artifact."
"His reaction."
"It all fits."
James frowned.
"Then how did my wish ruin anything?"
Jai turned.
"I wanted to observe him quietly."
"Watch him."
"Follow him."
"Learn who he meets."
"If I suddenly become a Minister, I'm not some invisible academy teacher anymore."
James slowly understood.
"People will watch you."
"Exactly."
Jai pointed toward himself.
"Vystan will watch me too."
James looked toward the floor.
"And if he knows you're interested in him..."
"He'll become more careful."
Jai nodded.
"He might even disappear."
For several seconds, James remained silent.
Then he looked back up.
"Fine."
Jai raised an eyebrow.
"I'll follow him."
"What?"
James's expression hardened.
"If he's Vystan, I'll find proof."
Jai stared at him.
"Without exposing yourself?"
"Obviously."
Jai gave him a doubtful look.
James sighed.
"Bro."
"I'll be careful."
Jai finally nodded.
"Good."
James walked toward the door.
Then stopped.
"By the way..."
Jai looked at him.
"Tomorrow is your first official day as Minister."
Jai stared.
James grinned.
"Good night, Minister Arthur."
"Get out."
James laughed as he closed the door.
Silence returned.
Jai stood alone.
For several minutes, he simply stared toward the window.
Then he reached beneath his shirt and pulled out his storage necklace.
Golden light flickered faintly.
A small object appeared in his hand.
A photograph.
Old.
Worn at the edges.
Jai sat on the bed.
In the picture stood a woman with long blond hair and slightly pointed, almost elven ears.
She wore a beautiful green dress.
Beside her stood a much younger Jai.
The woman held a small green ball in one hand.
But Jai barely noticed any of that.
His gaze remained fixed on her eyes.
Green.
Not pale.
Not dull.
They were the kind of green that seemed almost impossible.
Deep and vivid.
Like old emeralds warmed beneath candlelight.
Or the surface of a hidden forest pool beneath summer sunlight.
Jai gently ran his thumb across the photograph.
"Emma..."
The name escaped him as a whisper.
His chest tightened.
Five years.
It had been five years since he had last seen her.
Five years since everything had changed.
"I wish I could see you."
Jai leaned back against the pillow.
He placed the photograph carefully against his chest.
For the first time that night, all thoughts of Vystan, the Shadow Ledger, Zeron, the royal family, and the Minister position disappeared.
There was only Emma.
A memory.
A question.
And a pain that had never truly gone away.
Holding the photograph close, Jai slowly closed his eyes.
Sleep eventually found him.