Chapter 150:
The throne room was vast and silent, its ceiling lost in shadow and its walls lined with banners that depicted the symbol of the Hidden City of Sky.
The morning light filtered through the tall windows behind the throne, casting long golden rectangles across the polished stone floor. Arthur sat on the elevated throne with his golden hair catching the light and his red eyes fixed on the four agents who stood before him in a loose formation.
Ethan stood at the front of the group, his posture straight. Behind him, Kaya stood with her arms at her sides and her white eyes fixed on the king. Austin stood beside, and Lucas brought up the rear with his silver hair still wind-tousled from the journey.
Ethan spoke first. He described the approach to the depot, the initial plan to plant explosives without being detected, and the moment when the masked operative from the Hidden City of Sand had attacked them in the food warehouse.
He explained how the operation had shifted from sabotage to direct combat, how the enemy elites had surrounded them, and how Austin had used his Four Leaf Clover Eyes to summon his Avatar and destroy the warehouse.
Arthur listened without interrupting, his red eyes moving across each of them as Ethan spoke. When Ethan described the purple giant rising from the wreckage, Arthur's expression did not change.
Ethan continued. He described the escape, the pursuit by Tisha and her elites, and the decoy strategy that had allowed them to slip away. He mentioned the intervention of the Sand City operative and confirmed that the attack had been orchestrated to escalate the conflict between the Zenith Empire and the Sky Empire.
When Ethan finished, the throne room fell silent. Arthur leaned back in his throne and let out a slow breath.
"You have done well," Arthur said. "The depot is destroyed. The supply lines are disrupted. The war is over, in large part because of what you accomplished."
He paused, his red eyes fixing on each of them in turn.
"Go and rest," Arthur continued. "You will be given another mission soon. I will send word when it is time."
Ethan bowed his head. Kaya bowed. Lucas bowed. Austin moved to bow as well, but Arthur's voice stopped him before he could complete the motion.
"Austin," Arthur said. "Stay."
The other three agents paused for a fraction of a second. Then Ethan turned and walked toward the throne room doors, Kaya following beside him. Lucas glanced at Austin as he passed, his expression unreadable, and then he too walked through the doors and disappeared into the corridor beyond.
The doors closed behind them with a heavy thud.
Austin stood alone before the throne, his black eyes meeting Arthur's red eyes across the vast chamber. The silence stretched between them, heavy and expectant, and Austin felt the weight of the king's attention pressing down on him like a physical force.
"When did you awaken your Four Leaf Clover Eyes?" Arthur asked.
Austin did not hesitate. "A year ago."
Arthur's expression did not change. "And why did you never reveal it?"
Austin was silent for a moment, choosing his words carefully. Then he spoke.
"Because of the history," Austin said. "Everyone who has ever awakened the Four Leaf Clover Eyes in the past became an enemy of the City. I did not want that to be my fate."
Arthur nodded slowly. He leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees, and his red eyes never left Austin's face.
"Do you know the history of those people?" Arthur asked. "The ones who awakened the Four Leaf Clover Eyes before you?"
Austin shook his head. "No, my king."
Arthur leaned back in his throne, his gaze drifting toward the windows behind him. For a moment, he seemed to be looking at something far away, something that existed beyond the walls of the throne room and the boundaries of the present moment.
"Then let me tell you a story," Arthur said.
Austin waited.
"The first person to awaken the Four Leaf Clover Eyes was named Leo," Arthur began. "This was in an era when the Hidden City was not even slightly united as it is today. The clans fought among themselves constantly, and the Sky King of that time had barely enough power to hold the city together, let alone command it."
Arthur's voice was calm, measured, the voice of someone who had studied history not as abstract dates and names but as living lessons carve0--0[-0[0[0000d from blood and consequence.
"Leo's eyes transformed the Clover Clan," Arthur continued. "With his power, they rose from a mid-ranking family to become the strongest clan in the entire Hidden City. Their warriors were feared. Their influence spread. And Leo himself began to believe that the Clover Clan was superior to all others."
Austin's jaw tightened.
"The Sky King who ruled before my father's predecessor was not a strong king," Arthur said. "He was cautious, perhaps too cautious. When Leo came to him with demands—demands that the Clover Clan be given control over the other clans, that their warriors be placed in command of the city's defenses, that their elders be given seats on the Council—the Sky King agreed. He allied himself with Leo because he was afraid of what would happen if he refused."
Arthur's red eyes returned to Austin's face.
"That alliance caused one of the greatest civil wars in the history of the Hidden City," Arthur said. "Leo planned to kill the leaders of every other clan and install Clover Clan members in their place. He wanted to show that his clan was superior, and he was willing to destroy the city to prove it."
Austin's hands had curled into fists at his sides, but he said nothing.
"The Sky King eventually realized what Leo had become," Arthur continued. "He turned against his ally and defeated him in battle. Leo died, and the civil war ended. But many clans had already been destroyed. Many families had already been wiped out. The city took generations to recover."
Arthur paused, letting the weight of the story settle over the throne room.
"Leo's son grew up in the aftermath of that war," Arthur said. "He saw what his father's ambition had done to their clan, to their city, to the people who had died because of the Four Leaf Clover Eyes. And after certain events—events I will not describe here—he too awakened the Four Leaf Clover Eyes."
Austin's eyes widened slightly.
"Unlike his father, Leo's son brought stability to the city," Arthur said. "He used his power to defend the Hidden City from external threats, not to dominate it from within. He fought in wars against the other Hidden Cities, and his achievements were so great that even his father's enemies came to respect him."
Arthur's voice grew quieter.
"But the other Hidden Cities feared him," Arthur said. "They saw what he could do, and they understood that as long as he lived, the Hidden City of Sky would have a weapon that none of them could match. So they surrounded him with Saint Class elites from three different Hidden Cities and killed him."
Austin stood in silence.
"There have been others," Arthur said. "Other Four Leaf awakenings throughout the history of the Hidden City. Every single one of them became a notably powerful being. Some used their power for good. Some used it for destruction. But all of them were marked by their eyes, and all of them were hunted because of it."
Arthur rose from his throne. He walked down the steps of the dais and stopped a few meters from Austin, close enough that Austin could see the flecks of gold in his red eyes.
"Because of the current relationship between the city and the Clover Clan, your awakening will not be welcomed by the Council," Arthur said. "They will see you as a threat. They will see your clan as a danger that must be neutralized. And to avoid a civil war—to protect their own power, to preserve the fragile peace that has held for generations—they will try to kill you."
Austin met the king's gaze without flinching.
"But for me to protect you," Arthur continued, "I need to know where you stand. When the choice comes—when the Council demands that you choose between your clan and your city—what will you decide?"
The throne room was silent.
Austin stood with his fists still clenched at his sides, his red eyes holding Arthur's gaze. The weight of the question pressed down on him, heavier than any physical force he had ever faced.
Austin let out a slow breath.
"I am not standing with the clan," Austin said. "And I am not standing with the city."
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
Austin continued. "I will not allow my clan to create a civil war. They have their grievances, and some of them are justified, but destroying the city is not the answer. At the same time, I will not allow the city to deny my clan's achievements. The Clover Clan has fought and bled for the Hidden City for generations. We have earned the right to be respected, and I will not let the Council pretend otherwise."
Arthur was silent for a long moment. Then he chuckled—a low, genuine sound that seemed to surprise even him.
"What will you do, then?" Arthur asked. "If you stand with neither side, how will you stop both sides from destroying each other?"
Austin sighed. The sound carried the weight of exhaustion and determination in equal measure.
"I will find a way to save both," Austin said. "I will change the situation. I do not know how yet, but I will find a way."
Arthur stared at him for a long moment. Then he laughed—a full, open laugh that echoed through the throne room and bounced off the shadowed ceiling above.
Austin stood in silence, unsure whether he had said something foolish or something profound.
Arthur's laughter faded, but his smile remained. He reached out and clapped Austin on the shoulder, his grip firm and warm.
"As long as you are like that," Arthur said, "I will do my best to protect you and your clan." His red eyes met Austin's. "Because I am also trying to push for the same thing. A city where every clan has a voice. A city where strength is rewarded regardless of bloodline. A city that does not destroy its most talented children out of fear."
Austin bowed his head. "Thank you, my king."