Morning came quietly.
Team Z woke one by one, sunlight spilling through the windows of their temporary quarters.
But something was off.
"Where's Captain?" Scarlet asked.
Zain was nowhere to be found.
Rukaiya frowned. "He'll come back."
No one panicked. Not yet.
What they didn't know was that the night before, Zain had been awake — in the kingdom — with Rimazu.
They had heard everything.
The soldiers.
The prince.
The confession.
As soon as they realized what was happening, Zain had turned to Rimazu.
"Go back to sleep," he said calmly. "I'll handle it from here."
And to himself, Zain had thought:
I knew it would be someone from the royal family…
But I never would've guessed the prince.
Later that morning, Team Z and Rukaiya met Zain in town.
"Captain!" they all called out.
Ruqayya crossed her arms. "Where were you? We didn't see you when we woke up."
"Don't worry," Zain replied.
Rimazu stepped forward. "Captain… can I tell them?"
Zain looked around at the crowded streets.
"Alright. But let's go somewhere quiet."
They found an empty alley behind a closed market.
Rimazu took a breath.
He told them everything.
The prince.
The soldiers.
The confession.
Ryo's eyes narrowed. "But me and Rukaiya were awake last night."
"For part of it," Zain said. "We wanted you two to rest first. Then we would move."
Aisha folded her arms. "So what are we going to do?"
Scarlet answered first. "I think we should tell the people."
Leona shook her head. "The last thing we need is panic. Or a civil war."
Abraham sighed. "Whether we like it or not… that civil war is coming."
Benjamin spoke next. "Then we join forces with the underground survivors."
Sulaiman grinned. "Ooo… finally a fight."
Ruqayya nodded. "Benjamin's right."
All eyes turned to Ryo.
"So we're fighting the prince," he said slowly. "Fine. But who's telling the king?"
Rimazu stepped forward.
"Leave that to me and Captain."
Zain nodded.
Rimazu activated his invisibility, cloaking both himself and Zain.
They weren't allowed inside the palace without the king's permission.
So they snuck in.
Silently.
They appeared inside the throne room.
The King sat upright.
The Prince stood beside him.
The King jumped in shock. "What now?!"
Zain stepped close to Ludiga and whispered everything into his ear.
Every word.
Every detail.
Every betrayal.
The King's face drained of color.
He slowly turned toward his son.
"Son… did you destroy the underground?"
The Prince met his father's eyes.
And smiled.
"Yes. It was I."
Silence.
The King's voice shook with fury.
"Guards! Take him!"
The soldiers moved.
But not toward the Prince.
They stepped beside him.
The Prince — Mukaru — did not even look surprised.
The King stood. "What is this?! I ordered you to put him in a cell!"
Mukaru spoke calmly.
"Father… these soldiers are tired of your rule. A rule passed down for generations."
He turned slightly toward the men behind him.
"They want to live as we do. And I will give them that."
Team Z burst into the throne room, weapons ready.
Ruqayya stared in confusion. "What is going on? Why are the soldiers standing with Mukaru?"
"That is Prince to you," he corrected.
Rimazu stepped forward. "Why would you destroy your own home?"
One soldier answered, "Unlike the King, the Prince promised us the best life imaginable… if we help him build his ideal kingdom."
Ruqayya's voice shook. "By getting rid of your own people?"
She looked genuinely hurt.
Mukaru turned slowly toward the soldier who had spoken.
"Did I give you permission to speak?"
The room froze.
In an instant, wood shot upward from the marble floor.
It pierced through the soldier.
Silence fell as his body collapsed.
Everyone stood in shock.
Even the soldiers beside Mukaru stiffened.
How could someone be this twisted?
Then the Queen rushed forward.
"That's enough!" she cried.
Before she could finish—
Wood erupted again.
It struck her down just as quickly.
The King screamed.
"DARLING!"
Ryo's body shook with rage.
"Why?!" he shouted. "Why would you do that to your own mother?!"
Mukaru's expression did not change.
"She stood in the way."
That was all.
The Raiki users gathered at the entrance, preparing for battle.
The throne room, once a place of rule and order, now felt like a battlefield waiting to ignite.
Nurami stepped beside Ryo and let out a low chuckle.
"Well, boy… hehe… this is getting interesting."
The King fell to his knees beside his wife.
The soldiers tightened their grip on their weapons.
Team Z stood ready.
And Mukaru smiled.
The crown had finally chosen its side.