A few days later, the Kingdom of Darkness was experiencing a historic moment. In the Great Hall, Saruto sat upon his family throne, the throne he had inherited from his father.
Everyone stood before him. His two fiancées, his closest friends, and the fiancées of his friends all stepped forward, one by one, to congratulate him on his ascension to the throne and to offer their condolences on the loss of his father.
The congratulations were heavy, and the condolences even heavier. Yet, Saruto did not forget to reciprocate, stepping forward himself to offer his condolences to the three princesses on the loss of their fathers, the kings of the forest, the sand, and the sea.
He was not merely a king sitting behind the throne, but a young man who carried the loss of everyone in his heart. The ceremony finally ended, and the guests began to leave. But before his friends departed, Saruto said in a calm, unwavering voice, "Wait…"
Lucian, Kyle, and Ryan stopped. They looked at him in surprise. Lucian smiled faintly. "Is there something you need, Saruto?"
"No," Saruto replied.
"Then why did you stop us?" Kyle frowned.
Saruto looked up at Ethan and nodded. Ethan returned the nod. Saruto took a deep breath and said, "Now I'll tell you… who was really responsible for the Abyss Prison disaster."
All three of them widened their eyes. "What do you mean?" Ryan said, his voice laced with barely concealed anger. "Are you saying it was deliberate?"
"Yes," Saruto answered without hesitation.
"But that's impossible!" Kyle said quickly. "The Abyss Prison is completely impenetrable! It can only be breached if the perpetrator is inside… or—"
Kyle stopped abruptly. His voice froze. He slowly raised his head, as if a terrifying thought had taken shape in his mind. "It seems you've figured it out," Saruto said with deadly calm.
Then he added, "Yes… the culprit might be from the Dark Family itself. Only someone with Dark Power can open the prison gate."
Ryan slammed his fist on the table. "Enough with the beating around the bush, Saruto! Tell us who it is!"
Kyle raised his hand, trying to calm him down. "To be honest… even I don't know who it is," Saruto said honestly.
Ryan took a step forward, furious. "Are you making fun of us?!"
At that moment, Saruto aura erupted. Dark, heavy energy, as if it were engulfing the room in its shadows. "Because… he's not from this world," he said in a deep voice.
Silence fell. No one understood what he meant. Saruto continued, "So far, all we know about him is his name. Umbra."
"Hold on, Saruto… what do you mean he's not from this world?" Kyle said.
"What I mean is… he has Dark Power… like me. But he's not on this planet."
Then, in a more sinister tone, he added, "We haven't found enough information about him yet. But…"
His aura exploded again. "If I find out where he is… I'll be the first to exact my revenge."
His friends instinctively took a step back, stunned by the sheer hatred and rage emanating from Saruto. Kyle asked cautiously, "And where did you get this information?"
Saruto glanced at Ethan. Ethan nodded in agreement. "Not now," Saruto said. "In a week… I'll tell you everything."
"Why not now?" Lucien asked, puzzled.
"Because the place where this person is… is one of the Dark Family's secrets," Saruto replied. "And I can't take you there without the rest of the family's consent."
They looked at each other, then silently agreed. They left the hall. Saruto remained alone with Ethan. He sat on the throne and said in a low voice, "Do you think I should take them into the Time Chamber?"
"The decision is entirely yours now, Saruto," Ethan replied. "I am merely a servant… and a teacher."
Saruto smiled sadly. "Not true. You're the last of my family, Ethan."
Ethan froze. Then he bowed respectfully and thanked him. In Saruto consciousness, Void said with a smile, "And what about me? Have you forgotten me?"
Saruto laughed for the first time in days. "I haven't forgotten you. You're my brother, Void."
They both smiled. In the Time Chamber, Darius was chained, his eyes closed. He suddenly felt a dark energy approaching. He opened his eyes. A shadow soldier stood before him. Darius laughed and lowered his head respectfully. "Welcome, Master Umbra."
Umbra voice came through the soldier. "Now… the second part of the plan, Darius. Do you remember it?"
Darius smiled sickly. "How could I forget it?"
"Good," said Umbra.
A dark energy shot out, shattering the chains and freeing Darius.