Footfalls resounded as Koit and his team of healers made their way along the hall until they stopped in front of large double doors, where two knights stood on each side. Both guards placed their right hands over their left chest and bowed, and then opened the doors to let them in.
In the heart of the room was a sceptre, floating above an elaborate magic circle and surrounded by a barrier. And on either side of it, matching chairs with an elegant design and intricately sculpted accents fit for a king and queen were both empty.
The only person in the throne room was sitting on a desk by the side. He was holding one scroll out of a mountain piled in front of him. His gaze was hovering from one end of the paper to the other until the healers came in and stood before him. He put the scroll down and got up.
His hair and eyes were the shade of the night sky, and he wore an all-black ensemble from the multiple layers of his flowing robes down to his shoes. He had a quiet yet unmistakeably commanding presence. After all, he was the most powerful man in the kingdom of Mira. The former king's aide, and the current king regent.
"We have returned, Your Highness," Koit put his right hand over his left chest and bowed, and so did the other healers behind him, and the king regent returned this gesture. "We have safely brought our wildlife home, and the patients have all been transferred to the royal veterinary hospital, where they will be cared for until they are either ready to be transferred to the rehabilitation centre or to be released back into the wild."
"Well done," The king regent nodded. "The rest of you may go. I have things to discuss with my aide."
The healers bowed and left. The guards closed the doors, leaving only the two of them inside. The king regent led Koit to the balcony and closed the door behind him. The view in front of them was a vast sea of glittering golden sand, with a clear barrier protecting them from windblown dust. From a distance, one could see a portion of the sands were bordered by the edge of a barren land with burned tree trunks— remnants of what would have been a once lush forest that had been burned to the ground.
Standing side by side with Koit, who was dressed in all white, the two of them looked like the symbol of yin and yang. The king regent was the first to speak, scowling.
"I heard he has returned, where is that brat? Does he still have any plans to come back? I am getting tired of filling in for his duties," the king regent frowned.
Koit flashed a strained grin. "About that, he has embarked on a new mission. He wants to track down a ghost ship, which may hold answers to wildlife being forcibly taken not just from our world, but from others as well, it appears. And whoever is behind it, they are involved in extracting their light cores."
"Extracting light? He might be biting off more than he can chew. Does he realize only the most evil and abhorrent of beings would even think of doing that?"
"He does. I told him he can always come to us for help, but he fears getting the nobles involved might… complicate things, and compromise his mission."
The king regent smirked. "I don't blame him. These walls have ears, some of which you'd do well not to trust. You never know what those who hear will do with the information."
Koit nodded, "And that's exactly what he said."
When the king regent didn't say anything further, Koit brought up another matter, and his voice became a lot mellower.
"Your Highness, I can sense that you would like to ask, and yet I also know you are holding back. So I will say it anyway. I have met him. He seems well."
The king regent acknowledged his words with a grunt, but having known the man for years, Koit did not miss how his expressionless face belied how his gaze were filled with affection as he looked up to the sky.
"Then, if there's nothing else, I shall excuse myself, my liege," Koit bowed. As he reached for the door, Koit heard the soft words that passed the king regent's lips. "… Thank you, Koit. Also, welcome home."
Koit's eyes widened, then his face softened into a smile. "I'm home, Lord Varjutus."
Looking at the king regent's back towards him, Koit felt a tug in his heart, at the bittersweet feeling brought by the one thing that stood out from the king regent's all-black outfit.
His long hair the colour of the velvety night sky was held together in a loose ponytail by a sapphire blue ribbon, with only one edge cleanly cut and sealed, while the other had slight fraying as if it was split in half.
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This is the end of volume 1. Thank you for reading!!
The story continues in Volume 2