In that spacious room, its balcony overlooking the moonlit gardens, Saruto and his three companions, Kyle, Rhyn, and Lucien, sat around an old wooden table, scattered with the remnants of maps and glowing magic amulets.
Saruto stood by the window, his back to the others, his long shadow stretching across the shimmering floor. His voice came out quiet and deep, as if he had made his decision long ago: "We will help you."
Kyle looked up at him with slight surprise, then said cautiously, "Help us? With what, exactly?"
Saruto turned slowly, his eyes shining with a seriousness they had only seen in him at crucial moments. He took a step forward and said in a clear voice, the confidence of a commander, "To bring peace between the Kingdom of Sand Forest and the other kingdoms."
Then he added, with his usual slight, sideways smile, "And also… for your sake, so that you don't betray the trust of the two princesses who have placed their faith in you."
Silence fell over the room for a brief moment, as if the air itself had stopped. Kyle and Ryan's eyes widened in genuine surprise, while Lucien, with a broad, astonished smile, crossed his arms. "Heh… I didn't expect this from you, Saruto."
He chuckled softly. "But why not? After all, we're like brothers… after all."
Kyle smiled a rare smile of gratitude. "I didn't think you'd do this for us… Thank you, Saruto."
Ryan offered only a small nod, but his eyes held a gratitude that needed no words. Saruto finally sat down at the table, resting his chin on his fist. "And how are you going to do this?" Kyle asked, his tone serious as he stared at him. "Do you have a plan?"
A confident, sideways smile spread across Saruto's lips—the one everyone knew… the smile that always precedes something remarkable. "Yes, I have a plan," he said with quiet confidence.
"First… Lucien will use his 'Ice Breathing' skill. He'll freeze time to slow down everyone in the palace. This will give me a few seconds to unleash my power."
Lucien nodded slightly, his eyes shining with interest. "I understand. And then?"
Sarotto continued, "I'll use teleportation and go quickly to the two princesses… I'll take each of them to a place far from the palace, a safe place out of the guards' sight. There, we'll explain everything to them, how you weren't their enemies but were only after the treasures, and then decided not to take them back so as not to break their trust."
The plan was precise, but Kyle still looked at him with undisguised suspicion. "And what if… they don't agree to the alliance? What if they refuse to listen or decide to return to the palace and tell the guards what happened? Wouldn't that start a war between kingdoms?" Saruto's expression shifted slightly, and he replied in a cold, razor-sharp tone, "Then… I will erase their memories."
A heavy silence fell over the room. The only sound was the wind outside, before Lucien broke it, his face etched with surprise. "You can do that, Saruto? Erasing the memories of two people of this caliber is no small feat."
Saruto turned his head toward him and said in a calm but confident tone, "No, I can't… but someone else can."
Everyone looked up at him with intense interest. Slowly, he pronounced the name with a hint of reverence. "Ethan… my servant and master. He can enter anyone's consciousness, tamper with their memories, even erase them completely. If we summon him, he can do what I cannot."
Ryan's face darkened, then he said sharply, his objection barely concealed. "Why don't we use the same method, but instead of erasing memories, convince the princesses to form an alliance? He could implant it in their consciousness instead of erasing it."
Silence fell again. Saruto raised his eyes to Ryan, giving him a long, deep look, as if weighing his words before speaking. Then he said coldly, "If we do that… you'll be living your life with a brainwashed person."
Then, his tone even more resolute, he added, "Someone who truly loves you, only because you forced them to. Do you want that kind of life, Ryan?"
Ryan remained silent, unable to answer. He lowered his gaze to the ground, as if he understood exactly what Saruto meant, then muttered in a barely audible whisper, "No… I don't want that."
Saruto smiled faintly, then stood and turned to face Lucien and Kyle. His voice was firm and decisive. "Then the discussion is over. We begin implementing the plan immediately."
The three exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement. Saruto stood and extended his hand forward. Shadows began to swirl around him like a swirling vortex of living night, while a sudden chill rose around them—a sign that Lucien had activated his Ice Breathing skill.
At that moment, absolute silence descended upon the palace, the silence of time itself. Saruto stood in the center of the room, his black hair billowing with the current of his energy. With a sharp, enigmatic smile, he spoke before vanishing in a flash of shadow: "Let us change the course of history… in our own way."