REONE
Reone tapped his shoes rapidly against the floor of the room, his impatience growing with every second.
It had been a while since Anika went to get her father, yet she still hadn't returned. With a sigh, he set aside the tea the elders had given him and everyone else—bitter, like them, and only useful for keeping one awake. Luckily, the elders themselves had left to prepare for some feast, much to everyone's relief. Now, if Anika and her father would show themselves, Reone would finally relax.
"Guys, it's the next day," Mickey announced, checking his watch.
Spread across the great room, they all gave each other nervous looks.
"We're running out of time," Lyrian stated.
"Yeah. And being here could turn out to be a big waste of it. Maybe we should just head to the temple," Sire suggested.
"Let's just stay a little longer,guys,"Mia said them. " What we could learn here might make all the difference between our fight with the Damon and the Sisterhood."
"I'm with Mia," Reone agreed. "This will help. I can feel it."
At that moment, Anika stepped into the great room, her expression grave. King Arnab followed a few paces behind her, wearing the same heavy seriousness.
Everyone rose to their feet as the King and Princess finally entered.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Anika said at once.
No one said anything. The group would be lying if they said it hadn't been a little troubling, but they didn't want to be rude—especially since they really needed the help of the royals.
Anika moved to stand beside Lyrian.
"Did your dad agree to talk?" Lyrian whispered.
"Yes," Anika replied tightly.
Primi studied her, noticing the tension coiled in her shoulders.
"What's the matter?" Primi asked.
"I'm about to find out, just like you and everyone else," Anika said. The two gave her curious looks, but Anika didn't elaborate further.
Earlier, in King Arnab's study, Anika had been stunned to learn there was another secret her father had kept from her—one that rivaled even the truth about Resonance restoration.
She had been livid.
After all, she was the princess. So why were so many truths hidden from her?
She had confronted him immediately, demanding answers. In the end, her father had relented—but insisted on telling her and the outsiders at the same time. Anika hadn't argued, since that's actually what she had been pushing for.
So here they finally were. And standing before them all, King Arnab wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole.
"Forgive me, everyone," the King said suddenly—and dropped to his knees, which shocked everyone.
"Dad—what are you doing?" Anika asked, horrified.
She wasn't happy with him at the moment, but seeing the proud King on his knees—it was too wrong and uncomfortable.
King Arnab lifted his head, shame carved deep into his features.
"I am righting the wrong I committed toward all of you earlier."
"So you really did lie about knowing the Temple of Echoes?" Reone asked, though he already suspected the answer.
"Yes," the King admitted, bowing his head once more. "I lied to you all. I am familiar with the Temple of Echoes—very much so, in fact."
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Anika had voiced her suspicions earlier, but hearing it spoken aloud by the King, who seemed to be the epitome of nobility, still felt unreal.
She was the first to recover.
"So why, Dad?" Anika demanded. "Why did you lie—to all of us? To me?"
The King sighed deeply from where he knelt.
"I have guarded this secret for so long that my first instinct was to continue doing so."
"But Anika's changed your mind now?" Reone asked.
The old man nodded, much to everyone's relief.
"Yes, but another reason I've agreed to talk is because I owe you and your friends for everything you've done for me and my people," Arnab said. "It's really the least I can do."
"Then you think that the information you have will be useful to us?" Sire asked.
"To say yes would be an understatement," the King informed them.
They all looked at each other nervously at this answer.
"I still can't believe you were this secretive with me," Anika said, not being able to help herself, looking at him coldly.
King Arnab rose to his feet.
"Anika, you must understand. I was trying to protect you. Because I knew that if I told you then—"
He stopped, fear flickering across his face.
"Then what, Dad?" Anika pressed. "What would happen if you told me?"
He hesitated.
"Tell me," she insisted, agitation sharp in her voice.
The King closed his eyes. When he opened them again, resignation had replaced fear.
"To truly understand," he said quietly, "I must take you all far back.Half a millemiun ago—before any of you were born."
Anika frowned, confusion mounting. "What does something that ancient possibly have to do with this?" she asked him.
Her father looked at her.
"Just listen, Anika. So, around that time," King Arnab said, "the Nullnorn hadn't started attacking yet, but our ancestors knew it was only a matter of time. So they prepared…by forging a powerful relic—one that held immense potential for both creation and destruction, though destruction was obviously the intended purpose."
"A weapon?" Primi asked.
King Arnab nodded. Diamond held up a hand before he could continue.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but you keep talking about a relic?" she blurted. "I thought we were going to hear about the Temple of Echoes."
"Patience, my young Sylph. I am getting there," Arnab assured her gently.
"So what's the relic?" Anika asked, also impatient.
Her father fell silent. When he spoke again, it was with visible effort.
"The Trident of Axis."
Anika gasped.
Lyrian, Mia, Diamond, Seren, Nova, Mickey, and Sire all turned toward her, curious at her reaction.
Only Reone—and Primi—fully understood her shock.
It was just yesterday that they had discussed the supposedly mythical relic. Reone still remembered, though he'd been,heavily grief-stricken at the time.
"The Trident of Axis?" he said slowly. "Anika, Primi—isn't that the relic you mentioned yesterday? The one you think could create a new dimension for your people?"
"That's the one," Primi said, for once sounding shocked.
Anika just nodded, eyes never leaving her father.
"But isn't it supposed to be a myth?" Reone said.
"It's not," King Arnab replied. "It is real. And it lies within the Temple of Echoes."
The room erupted.
"What?" Anika breathed.
"You're serious?" Primi added.
King Arnab nodded ruefully.
"Yes."
Lyrian clutched Reone's arm. Things were starting to make sense now—Damon and the Sisterhood's interest in the temple.
"That explains why those four are heading there," Nova said. "They're after the relic."
"So that's how they plan to dominate the magic dimension," Mia added.
"Everyone—quiet," Anika snapped.
Silence fell instantly, everyone taken aback by the steel in her voice.
She turned back to her father, fury blazing. Now she understood why her father said she wouldn't be pleased with him after this.
"So let me get this straight. The key to ending our people's suffering is real—and you knew where it was and said nothing? Did nothing? "
"That's not what happened exactly, Anika," the King told her, though his eyes were guilt-ridden. "I've only known for a few years. I found a scroll buried deep in our library, written in an ancient language. It took months to decipher."
"But you still kept it to yourself when you did!All this time.I cant believe it!" Anika shouted, her anger rising with every word.
The King's expression darkened. He clearly didn't appreciate being spoken to like this—by his daughter, no less. Even when he acknowledged that he deserved it.
"I had my reasons," the King said through gritted teeth.
Anika scoffed, not being able to trust him.
"Please, Dad! There is no reason good enough for this."
"At least hear me out before you decide that," King Arnab pleaded with her.
Anika opened her mouth, ready to argue further, when Primi placed a calming hand on her shoulder.
"Let him explain," he said carefully. "He claims he had a reason."
"Well, it better be a good one," Anika said icily.
She and everyone then looked at her father again, faces expectant.
The King sighed before continuing.
"The reason I never spoke of the Trident—much less sought it out—is because that was what was in everyone's best interest…"
Anika let out a humorless laugh, cutting him off. She knew that he didn't have a good reason.
"The Trident can create a new dimension for us. It's a weapon too. Keeping it away from us keeps us vulnerable. How is that in our interest, Dad?"
"I'll tell you if you stop interrupting me," the King said.
"Fine. Enlighten me," Anika challenged.
"Why do you think the Trident of Axis isn't with us in the first place?" he asked. "Why do we think it's in the Temple of Echoes instead of with us in our new dimension for us? I'll tell you. Because our ancestors got rid of it. Because they realized that creating it was a mistake."
"What?" Anika whispered.
"Everyone lusted after the Trident and its power, Anika. It triggered a war. And everyone suffered."
"Diviners?" she asked.
"We were targeted, but we used the Trident to protect ourselves from most of the attacks. But in doing that, we caused a lot of pain to the world, which fell into chaos."
King Arnab looked at them with a sorrowful expression. "And you'd think that our enemies would learn their lesson after this, but they didn't. They just kept on coming, driven by a mad pursuit of power."
Anika opened her mouth in shock, contemplating the twisted fate of something meant to protect her people.
"That's horrible," she murmured quietly.
Nova nodded, agreeing with her. "It really is. But what I'm wondering is why we're hearing about this tragedy for the first time. I mean, it shouldn't be impossible."
King Arnab looked thoughtful. "My guess is, as we Diviners hid ourselves from the world a century ago, any story connected to us—including this one—was forgotten," he explained. "The temple is probably the only evidence left of the Trident's existence, but without us Diviners, you can't tie it to the Trident."
"And the people who go in there don't survive, so the Trident's existence remained buried," Nova said.
King Arnab nodded.
"The same thing happened here in the Nest, but it was quite intentional. Our ancestors later decided that they wanted nothing more to do with 'that instrument of destruction,'
So they removed all traces except the scroll,which they seem to have missed.Anyway soon, they had us all believing it was just a myth."
"That's unbelievable," Anika whispered.
"But now do you see why I don't want to see the return of the Trident? I don't want the same thing that happened all those years ago to happen now," King Arnab said.
He sounded sincere, though his eyes shifted in a way that told Reone he might not be telling them everything.
Anika spoke again, distracting him from his suspicions.
"Dad, I just want it to form a new home for us. I'm not interested in starting a war."
"Have you not been listening? War is inevitable with the Trident of Axis around. And our ancestors reached the same conclusion. They even tried to destroy it."
Anika blinked in shock.
"Their reaction was a bit extreme, wasn't it?"
"No, it wasn't. The Trident was too dangerous to have around. It made us a target, and we knew that if the wrong person ,the wrong Diviner were to get their hands on it, the damage they could cause to the world would be great."
"But they didn't destroy it," Primi stated. "From what you said, the Trident still exists, right?"
"Yes. They attempted to destroy it—but failed. It was too powerful."
"So they hid it in the Temple of Echoes?" Nova asked.
"Yes, but at the time, it was called the Temple of the Diviners. And the location didn't remain a secret for long. Two dark female foes found out about it and sought to obtain it, to rule the world. They were called the Matrons of Destruction."
Mia and everyone else gasped.
"What are the chances he means a different Matrons of Destruction?" Diamond asked.
"None," Nova answered regretfully.
"You know of them?" King Arnab asked.
"Yes. They're the founders of the Dark Sylph Arts—extremely dangerous and extremely forbidden magic. They're also the mentors of the Sisterhood, the new generation of Dark Sylphs," Lyrian explained.
"The people you're after?" Anika asked.
"The very same," Lyrian answered, shaking her head as she processed the disturbing truth.
"That explains how the Sisterhood even learned about the Trident of Axis," Seren said.
"Well, just like their predecessors, they aren't going to get the Trident. In fact, it's likely they'll die trying," King Arnab announced grimly.
"The curse of the temple?" Nova guessed.
The King shook his head.
"No. The temple isn't cursed," he informed them.
"But the echoes of dead people's souls remain there," Seren said quietly. "That's how it got its name."
"That's part true, but the temple isn't what killed them," the King replied. "You see, when the Diviners hid the Trident at the temple, that was just the first safeguard in place to protect us from enemy use of it. The second was to split it into two pieces—both of which are at the temple, but can only be brought together by a Diviner of a certain bloodline. If anyone else tries, they die."
"Wait—the Trident is in two pieces?"
"Two highly unstable pieces," he clarified.
"Which can only be assembled safely by the right Diviner?" Lyrian asked.
"Yes," Arnab said.
"So it's not the temple that's cursed. It's the relic," Nova said.
"You can say that," the King agreed with a shrug.
"Alright, so no touching the relic when we get to the temple. Got it," Mickey said.
"Exactly. Unless you want to get vaporized."
Sire blinked. "Vaporized?" he repeated.
"I'm afraid so."
"Well, thanks for the info, Your Majesty. And the warning," Mickey told him.
"Your mission is to stop people from acquiring the Trident. I'm very happy to help. And like I said, it's the least I can do."
"And you can consider us even after this, Your Majesty," Sire joked with a wink.
Reone continued, ignoring him.
"It would also be great if we could assemble that Trident. But in ensuring that your kind could assemble the relic, your ancestors kind of rigged the game," Reone observed, secretly impressed.
"Our ancestors had to take precautions," the King said. "After all, they were giving up our only defenses."
"But once assembled," Primi said slowly, "anyone can use it?"
"Yes," the King replied grimly. "They would have free access to the Trident's power, making them almost invincible."
"Then we really have to stop Damon and the Sisterhood. If they get their hands on that Trident, we're all doomed," Lyrian said.
Anika's voice rang out again, calm this time.
"You can all stop worrying. If my Dad is telling the truth this time," she paused for effect, "then it stands to reason that your enemies are going to die if they try to use the relic. Unless they have a Diviner friend you don't know about," she joked.
Lyrian and Reone looked at each other nervously.
"I doubt it. But they might have found a way around that," Reone told her.
King Arnab frowned. "Impossible."
Reone met his gaze. "It should be, but if anyone could figure it out—it's them. Between the four of them, they have a lot of tricks up their sleeves."
King Arnab and Anika looked at each other, their animosity forgotten, a shared fear for their people passing between them.
"We'll have to get to the Trident first," Mia declared.
King Arnab rounded on her at once.
"Are any of you listening to me? You can't do that. Only certain Diviners can touch that relic in its unstable form."
"Then we take a certain Diviner with us," Reone said, looking straight at him.
King Arnab was stunned into silence for a moment.
"No! I won't allow it. It is too dangerous. And I'm not going to let my people get embroiled in the mess that Trident will bring."
"Your Majesty," Reone said, "the Trident is no longer safe at the temple. Help us retrieve it, and we'll return it to you. It's yours after all."
"That weapon brings only chaos," the King snapped. "I don't want it here."
"But We won't use it as a weapon,your majesty," Prim argued. "We just create a new home for all our people."
"And we keep it. The safest hands are clearly still our own," Anika added.
"I said no!" the King roared, slamming his fist on the table. Everyone flinched, surprised at the harshness in his voice.
Reone studied him carefully. King Arnab's reaction made him even more suspicious.
"Your Majesty, you mentioned earlier that the relic can only be assembled by a Diviner, and that the Diviner has to be of a specific bloodline," he said slowly. "Which bloodline?"
The King froze. His face drained of color.
Anika narrowed her eyes, also becoming suspicious now.
"Well, Dad?" Anika pressed softly.
The King closed his eyes before reluctantly giving his answer.
"The bloodline of the ancestors direct descendants," he admitted. "Our ancestors bound it to our bloodline."
Understanding hit Anika like a blade.
"Which I guess brings us to the real reason you've been keeping this to yourself—and why you're so against a Diviner going with Lyrian and Reone's group," she said, crossing her arms to express her unhappiness.