Moonlight poured across the Royal Palace of Aerthos like liquid silver.
From afar the palace resembled a mountain forged from ivory and gold, towering above the capital atop the highest elevation within Aethelberg. Vast walls wrapped around the royal grounds like the ribs of some ancient divine beast while countless towers pierced the night sky beneath drifting clouds. Hundreds of windows glowed warmly against the night while banners bearing the crest of House Zeppelin fluttered lazily beneath the evening wind. From afar, the palace looked serene.
Peaceful.
Divine.
Up close—
It felt like standing beneath the gaze of something ancient and hungry. But the palace never truly slept. Even at this hour the palace remained alive.
Knights patrolled marble corridors.
Servants moved between wings carrying documents, wine, and lanterns.
At the eastern edge of the palace grounds, two figures walked calmly through one of the quieter servant corridors.
One was a tall man wearing dark formal attire beneath a long coat. His posture was lazy, almost careless, with his hands tucked into his pockets while he whistled quietly to himself.
The other appeared to be an elderly fish vendor.
Wrinkled face.
Fully bearded.
Grey hair tied beneath a faded cloth.
And an overwhelming scent of tuna. The old man, or rather young woman disguised as an old man glared sideways.
"Say one more word—"
"You look ridiculous," he said.
"And the smell is horrific."
She elbowed him.
"I was undercover."
"You were selling tuna."
"Undercover."
"You were screaming about the price of fish."
"Occupational commitment," she muttered.
"You seemed pretty into it though."
The lady in disguise sighed deeply.
"I hate working with you."
"No you don't." The man said with a teasing grin.
The pair eventually stopped before a massive set of dark wooden doors guarded by two Royal Sentinels wearing silver armor. The guards immediately stepped aside without question the moment they saw the pair approach.
Neither servant slowed.
The doors opened.
The room beyond was enormous.
A private royal observatory occupied the upper section of the palace tower, its circular walls lined with bookshelves, ancient artifacts, and enormous star charts stretching across the ceiling dome overhead. Massive glass windows overlooked the capital below while silver telescopes pointed toward the night sky like sacred instruments worshipping the stars.
At the far end of the chamber stood a boy. He could have been roughly the same age as Elias. Silky black hair rested neatly over his forehead while sharp golden-yellow eyes reflected moonlight like polished amber. He wore a loose tunic and pants with sandals though unlike most nobles, he looked entirely unconcerned with appearances.
He stood quietly near the balcony overlooking the capital below. The two attendants immediately bowed deeply.
"My Prince."
The boy smiled faintly without turning.
"You're late."
"The fish woman walks slowly," the young man replied instantly.
The old woman elbowed him again.
"You keep talking and I'll gut you."
The boy sighed softly before snapping his fingers.
SNAP.
A translucent dome of red Flow expanded outward instantly, swallowing the entire observatory in shimmering light before fading invisible against the walls. Now, no sound would be able tio escape the room tothe outside.
Only then did the boy finally turn toward them.
His golden eyes glowed faintly beneath moonlight.
"Todd," he said calmly.
The old fish vendor immediately straightened.
Wrinkles vanished.
Her bent posture disappeared instantly.
Flow shimmered around her body before the disguise unraveled completely, revealing a tall dark-skinned woman with sharp crimson eyes and braided silver-black hair tied behind her head.
She stretched her shoulders.
"Finally," Todd muttered.
"My back was dying in that disguise."
Chad snorted.
You looked ridiculous."
Todd pointed at him threateningly.
"Say that again."
"Tilapia."
She kicked him directly in the shin.
The prince ignored them entirely.
Instead, his gaze drifted back toward the capital.
Specifically— toward the residency district. Even from this distance one particular estate remained visible beneath the moonlight. The Dukker Townhouse, Lord Alaric Dukker's temporary estate within Aethelberg.
"At last," he murmured.
"There's no mistaking it."
Todd tilted her head slightly.
"So he really is the one?"
The prince nodded slowly.
"My other half."
Silence briefly settled across the observatory.
Todd glanced toward Chad.
Chad glanced back.
Neither fully understood what their prince meant whenever he referred to Lord Dukker's son that way—but they had long since accepted that asking too many questions around him often produced deeply confusing answers.
Todd eventually folded her arms.
"I'll admit," she said honestly, "I was surprised."
The prince hummed softly.
"The children?"
Todd nodded.
"The Dukker kids handled themselves far better than expected."
Her hazel eyes narrowed slightly as she recalled the marketplace.
"That girl especially." The prince said.
"She took control of the battlefield almost immediately. Calm. Efficient. Ruthless when necessary."
Chad whistled quietly.
"Sounds terrifying."
"She is," Todd replied immediately.
The prince chuckled softly.
"Of course the boy is strong," he said calmly.
"He is Lord Alaric's son. It would be stranger if he were weak."
Then he paused.
"But Jamie…"
Todd slowly smiled.
"Oh?"
Chad's expression immediately became dangerous.
"Oh?"
The prince blinked once.
Todd leaned forward dramatically.
"MY PRINCE."
Chad gasped loudly.
"Do you perhaps…"
Todd placed a hand over her chest theatrically.
"…have a crush?"
The prince's expression flattened instantly.
"N-N-No."
Todd grinned wider.
"You know her name."
The prince froze.
Chad pointed accusingly.
"HE DOES!"
"You said 'that girl' before but now you're thinking about her specifically!"
The prince narrowed his eyes.
"I merely memorized relevant information."
Todd nodded exaggeratedly.
"Mhmm."
" Jamie is relevant information."
"Ohohoho!" Chad clutched his chest dramatically. "He said her name again!"
"Interesting," Todd mused thoughtfully. "Very interesting."
"I—that's not—" the prince's golden eyes widened. "I don't have a crush!"
Chad and Todd exchanged knowing looks.
"Of course, my prince," Todd said smoothly.
"We believe you," Chad added, his grin widening.
The prince pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Cut it out."
Neither Todd nor Chad looked convinced but they let it go. The prince groaned.
"You two are insufferable."
"And yet you keep us around." Chad replied smugly.
"Maybe I need a change after all."
Todd gasped.
"How cruel."
The prince sighed heavily before turning back toward the balcony. Moonlight illuminated the side of his face. The capital stretched endlessly beneath him.
Beautiful.
Ancient.
Fragile.
For a while nobody spoke. Then Chad's expression gradually became more serious.
"So," he asked quietly.
"What now?"
The prince stared at the sky for a moment as the wind shifted gently through the observatory.
"The moon is beautiful tonight," he murmured.
Todd and Chad exchanged glances.
"…What does that mean?" Chad asked Todd.
Todd shrugged.
"No idea."
Neither of them interrupted further.
Because despite his optimism—despite his strange personality and eccentric behavior—they both knew exactly who this boy truly was.
Prince Raileigh Zeppelin, the Twelfth Prince of Aerthos.
They had known the prince since he was an infant.
Every child of the King was assigned two attendants at birth—a butler and a maid. Chad had been chosen for his strength, his loyalty, his willingness to stand between danger and his charge. Todd had been chosen for her cunning, her perception, her ability to see what others missed.
They had watched Raileigh grow from a golden-eyed infant to a golden-eyed boy. They had watched his older siblings mock him, dismiss him, scheme against him. They had watched him endure it all with a smile that never quite reached his eyes.
And then, one day, he had declared—boldly, loudly, in front of the entire court—that he would be the next ruler of Aerthos.
They had laughed at him.
They had called him a fool.
They had dismissed him as delusional.
But Chad and Todd had seen something else in his eyes that day. Something hard. Something certain.
And now—
Chad and Todd honestly weren't sure it was impossible anymore. Not after witnessing the impossible nature of his Trait.
Raileigh finally turned back toward them.
"Arrange a meeting."
Todd blinked.
"With who?"
Raileigh looked almost offended by the question.
"Elias Dukker, obviously."
Chad folded his arms.
"You're just going to approach him directly?"
"Yes."
"That sounds dangerous."
"Everything worthwhile is dangerous."
Todd tilted her head.
"And what exactly are you hoping to gain from this meeting?"
Raileigh's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"I want to determine whether he is an ally."
"Ally against what?" Chad asked.
Raileigh smiled faintly.
"The future."
Silence.
Todd rubbed her forehead.
"There it is again."
"There what is?"
"The weird cryptic thing you do."
"It's not cryptic if you think hard enough."
"It absolutely is."
Raileigh ignored them again.
"You both did well today."
His voice softened slightly.
"Thank you."
Todd and Chad immediately straightened. Despite all the teasing, both servants visibly relaxed at the praise. They bowed once more.
"It was our duty, my Prince."
Raileigh nodded gently.
"Get some rest."
Todd immediately turned toward the exit before Chad suddenly sniffed dramatically.
"…You still smell like fish."
Todd's eye twitched violently. "At least I wasn't ogling Lord Dukker's secretary."
Chad's face went pale.
"I was not—"
Todd grinned wickedly.
"Oh don't pretend."
Before Chad could respond, Todd pulled a small orb from her sleeve and activated it with Flow.
Light burst outward.
An image formed above the orb.
Specifically—
A perfect recording of Chad inside the Council. Chad, his face flushed, his eyes fixed on the back of the chamber where Gyan stood, her hands folded, her expression blank. He looked like a man who had forgotten how to breathe.
Todd nearly collapsed laughing.
"Oh my GOD." Chad lunged instantly.
"GIVE ME THAT!"
"No."
"Todd—"
"No."
Todd sprinted toward the door cackling like a maniac while Chad chased after her in absolute horror.
"You looked one second away from proposing marriage!"
"I WAS OBSERVING!"
"WITH THAT FACE?!"
The observatory doors burst open as the two attendants disappeared into the hallway still screaming at each other.
Several nearby servants and aides watched them pass with visible disappointment.
"…Shouldn't they be guarding the Prince?" one maid asked quietly.
A nearby butler sighed.
"In theory."
Another servant frowned.
"Isn't His Highness the most vulnerable among the princes?"
That statement caused several uneasy looks.
Because technically—
Yes.
Prince Raileigh abilities seemed Non-combat oriented abilities whatsoever.
Yet paradoxically—
He was also considered one of the most impossible royal children to assassinate.
Because his Trait was… an Anomaly.
No one fully understood it.
And things people did not understand tended to frighten them.
"The prince deserves better attendants."
"Perhaps," the butler said. "But he seems fond of them."
They walked on.
Back inside the observatory, silence returned. Raileigh remained standing near the balcony alone. The moon hung enormous above Aethelberg tonight. Silver light bathed the city endlessly. Then—
A voice spoke.
"So."
Raileigh didn't react.
The voice came from nowhere and everywhere simultaneously.
"Do you truly believe this is the correct decision?"
Raileigh smiled faintly.
"Yes."
The unseen voice sounded amused.
"You intend to approach Deus' ward personally."
"Yes."
"That is extraordinarily dangerous."
"Probably."
"And your reasoning?"
Raileigh's golden eyes reflected moonlight.
Something soft entered his expression.
"Something tells me it is fate."
Silence.
Then the voice sighed dramatically.
"That is an unbelievably foolish answer."
Raileigh laughed quietly.
"Maybe."
"Oh?" The unseen entity chuckled.
"In a foolish world… perhaps the people called fools are actually the wise ones."
The voice laughed loudly this time.
"Well said."