Free from the authoritarian environment under Clara Marshall's teaching, the second- and third-year Representative Students only saw the end of courses as the beginning of the holidays. Dorothy Rumble and her group of friends would frankly leave through the academy gate and host parties in her clan's mansion almost every day when she wasn't on her Treasurer duty. Nathan approved this with his silence. She did her job well and didn't cause any trouble since the first meeting. Whether this alone was deserving of gratitude or not, Nathan wasn't bothered to annoy her further.
Amy Blanc spent her days on the spire of the Central Tower in the room she practically owned. No one knew what she was doing except for Leo, who seldom visited to discuss clan matters. Ever since Nathan became the President of the Student Council, it almost seemed as if Amy's attitude towards Leo completely turned around, from seeing him as inferior to truly seeing him as equal. She didn't know, or simply was too arrogant to realise, the spite deep inside her cousin's heart after years and years of disdain.
Jonathan Schwarz was nowhere to be seen. William implied that he was sleeping in his room for twenty hours a day. To people who knew him, it wasn't that impossible to believe.
As for Arthur Paradox, he remained in his room as well. Members of the Salvation Club and the Student Council all assumed he was just doing Paradox business, but that actually wasn't the case.
"Tsk," Arthur sighed in grievance as he scrunched up the paper before him and shoved it aside. He dropped the pencil on the table carelessly and shook his wrist, exhausted after hours of studying.
"Why can't I get it right for once?" he grumbled and furiously drew the wand from his waist. In his futile attempt to draw an actual rune, the scrambled lines seemed more like the trails of several worms crawling across. He didn't give up despite how ugly the prototype looked and continued adding strokes to it until a noise behind startled him so much that he dropped his wand.
"What kind of Personalised Rune Art is that?" A calm yet somewhat distant voice came out from under the chaotic scribble that covered the man's face. "It surely has some artistic beauty." He sat on Arthur's bed with crossed legs, making himself rudely comfortable in the room he wasn't invited into.
Arthur spun his chair around to face him with his eyebrows furrowed. "Haven't heard from you for quite a while."
"Nathan Modernson had been busy, though not on anything even relatively meaningful," the man replied. "Talking about him, your rune is even uglier than his. That's a record I thought was not easily breakable."
"Hmph," Arthur huffed. "Why do you think I'm studying?"
"Say, your mother was a talented Rune Artist. She aced the exams without studying for a second. It seems that talent in Rune Arts is not inheritable." The man mocked. His mischievous smile was visible even under the doodle on his face.
"At least I'm trying. Unlike Nathan Modernson, who is cheating his way through everything."
"How much news did you bring me this time?" Arthur ended the small talk and got to business. "What has Nathan Modernson been up to?"
"Forming alliances with every side. The Edmonds. The Undefeatable. And most notably, with the most likely future head of the Lumendra clan, Jennifer Lumendra. In fact, I believe they are formally betrothed to each other."
"Give me a break…" Arthur fell back in his chair and sighed deeply. "Copying everything I do, huh?"
"That's a topic we have to discuss later." The man's tone turned cold. "In short, Lumendra, in Old Runarian, stands for 'light of the past.'" He explained slowly, "If you didn't know already, the Lumendra Clan is the recorder of history, author of Runalond's chronicle. Whether Nathan Modernson knows this fact is up for debate, considering this is a secret in the kingdom, but it is very obvious that he will eventually find out. Knowing him, we couldn't underestimate how much he could abuse his wife's identity."
"Understood." Arthur picked up the pen that rolled down from the table and spun it across his fingers lazily. "Anything else?"
"Nothing else relating to Nathan Modernson, but unfortunately, there are two pieces of bad news I must inform you about."
Arthur continued to spin his pen while staring blankly at the ceiling, signalling him to proceed.
"Remember Fellvion Sheorad? The man I claimed is dangerous?"
"I'm still convinced His Majesty has his ways to solve that problem," Arthur assured.
"There's something that Fellvion and Nathan share in common. The very thing that makes Nathan Modernson a threat to the kingdom itself."
"You mean…?" Arthur's expression turned serious.
"Fellvion is of pure Royal Descendant, which means, like Nathan, he too has access to 'that power.'"
"From which king?" Arthur asked. "Eric Runaria again?" There was an understated sense of ridicule in his voice, at the sheer absurdity of there being two royal bastards in the same generation. "Perhaps The Old Prophecy is true after all."
"From the generation before that," the man replied softly. "Fellvion is in his forties. How could it be Eric Runaria's descendant?"
"These damned kings…" Arthur cursed, disregarding respect towards Royalty. "Do they not know their actions are putting Runalond at risk?"
"It's not that serious yet, since it's almost impossible that he knows how to receive 'that power.' And even if he did, he lacks the 'catalyst,' and the 'condition.' But again, I believe this time… We should be taking him more seriously, shouldn't we?"
"You're right. Any threat to Runalond is a threat to the Paradox. I'll send nearby Parasites to stay on high alert." Arthur sat back up and nodded steadfastly. "This thing may not be desired, but it's highly preventable."
"Couldn't say the same for the other bad news." The man sighed.
"What is it?"
The man fell silent, as if he needed another moment to process the information before sharing it. His gloved fingers traced across each other. One didn't need to see his face to comprehend his unease.
"Isabella Relfog is not dead."
Arthur's pupils widened. None of the news before meant anything compared to the weight of this simple sentence.
"That's not a topic for jokes, Parasite i…" Both his body and voice were trembling.
"It's not." The man, Parasite i, replied in a deeper voice. "It's true."
"My grandfather watched her execution!" Arthur raised his voice uncontrollably and stood up from his chair. "How could the kingdom let someone like her live? She knows about…"
"Calm down, Arthur. Denial of facts doesn't change the fact that they are true." Parasite i continued, "Not only is she alive, but she is also at the academy right now, as the mentor of one of Nathan Modernson's subordinates, Ash Robert. It is possible that Isabella Relfog had already sided with Nathan. And that, Arthur, makes it very difficult for us, but it isn't completely over. In fact, if we play this game well enough, this could actually be… The best news ever."
His voice returned to its usual serene state. "At the end of the day, it's still about how much you are willing to sacrifice for greatness."
"As much as it takes, as long as it doesn't disturb the peace of Runalond," Arthur murmured, almost to himself.
"If it fails, Runalond and its future will be put at severe risk, but if it succeeds, the goal we want to achieve would be easily within grasp."
"What is the probability of success?"
"Who could say? Depends on how things unfold."
Arthur fell back down on his chair, still shivering at the realisation that this wasn't a dream. He lifted his head and stared into Parasite I's face and clenched his teeth.
"Let's hear it."
"Not like we have the luxury of choice anyway," he added.
Parasite i sighed again. After a short pause, he began.
"Two types of secrets are safe: One that is known to no one, or one that is known to everyone. Since Nathan Modernson will find out no matter what, we use Isabella to completely disclose this secret. Yes, even to Fellvion Sheorad."
Arthur gulped at the thought of that. "What if we fail to stop him?"
"Then it's over." Parasite i brushed over that within an instant. "Well, probably not completely over, since there is a promised saviour in The New Prophecy, Nathan Modernson or not, but again, it does put Runalond at severe risk."
"But if we do somehow stop him, not only will you be seen as the hero that preserved the longevity of the kingdom, Nathan Modernson's threat would also be made known to every living soul in Runalond."
"And with that excuse, our surveillance would be fully justified, and there would be nothing he could do to escape the eyes watching him for the rest of his life."
"Fellvion Sheorad will fall. Nathan Modernson shall follow suit. And after that, is the promised Utopia this kingdom ought to become."
Arthur remained silent.
"Knowing that failure could lead to the death of hundreds of thousands of citizens pains me just as much as it pains you." Parasite i carried on after noticing Arthur's refusal to speak, "That's why we must trust each other and ensure it doesn't fail under all costs."
Snap.
The pen Arthur held ruptured amidst the brief silence. Distinct veins on the back of his slim hand vigorously throbbed.
"It's this or nothing at all."
He bellowed, "I'd rather fail than do nothing."
Parasite i did not seem even slightly more pleased to receive approval for his plan. He only nodded rhythmically as a response.
"Give me the holiday season to prepare for the worst, and we shall proceed," Arthur said, swallowing.
"Then that leaves only one remaining topic to discuss." Parasite i didn't dwell further on this topic. The serenity in his voice had once again disappeared, yet was replaced by menace rather than the prior indecisiveness.
"Arthur Paradox. I must warn you." He hissed, almost sounding like a threat. "We can't trust anyone but ourselves, at least for now."
"I know." Arthur noticed the change of tone yet remained indifferent.
"Then why did you take a girl from Lostburg as your fiancée? Without at least consulting me first?" Parasite i raised his voice. For the first time, anger began echoing in his lines.
Arthur sneered, "Now you are overthinking. I wanted to marry her because she is cute. Nothing more, nothing less."
Parasite i shot up from Arthur's bed and immediately flickered before him, grabbing his collar with a force that almost pulled him up from the chair. Arthur stared fearlessly into the disordered scribble on Parasite i's face. It was far from a pleasant scene, especially not from a distance so chillingly close.
"This mutualistic relationship benefits both of us, Arthur Paradox, but I don't mind if it didn't exist. If you continue to provoke my baselines, neither of us gets what we want. Is that clear?" Parasite i bickered.
"What do you want me to do then, divorce her and send her back to Lostburg?" Arthur rebuked. "Come on now, Parasite i, there is no need to pretend to be angry."
With a deliberate pause, Parasite i let go of Arthur's collar and turned around rapidly before dissolving back into nothingness, yet his last words remained echoing in Arthur's room.
"Leave anyone unrelated to this matter out, especially those of Lostburg. This is the first time. I expect it to also be the last."
Arthur sighed in relief and shouted back, even though he knew that Parasite i couldn't hear him.
"Fine, fine. You are in charge, alright?"