The streets of Arteria have been awfully loud lately, bustling with merchants from all parts of the Principalia. Cart loads of slaves from the far frontiers of the Elven and Dwarven rebel kingdoms, textile from the trading tribes of the south, exotic animals and spices from the far kingdom of Ardanta. The endless caravan of different items and people made the capital a city of trade and a world's crossroads of cultures and arts.

Although happy with the prosperity of his beloved Principalia, Prince Arterius hated the dense queue on the street. It became difficult for his carriage to navigate going to the Senate, especially when this was the only road going forth to it.

He jittered as he sweated from the sweltering hot air around him. More people and animals meant more heat, thus sweat and unwanted odor. That's the reality of the capital, stink and sweat from everyone and everything being there made the city streets putrid.

Prince Arterius wished to resolve that issue. He had good ideas. Ideas, that needed the Senate and his father's approval. But everything would be in jeopardy if his cannon won't pass to their standards. This was his ticket to make his future ideas into a reality.

After a hefty amount of discussion and cursing with Stolas, they finally arrived at the Senate's grounds. It was almost the high level of Andernoon when they arrived. Prince Arterius instructed Stolas to watch for the blasted Adamantite that they strapped on top of the carriage. The last thing he wanted was someone tampering their proof before it got shown to his father and the senate. After that, he stormed into the Senate hall, past the beautiful fountain with the statue of the moon goddess intricately carved in marble.

He climbed up the stone steps of the Senate building. His foot constantly throbbed, dissenting his every step. Prince Arterius could only wince as he walked along the great hall of statues of the previous Imperaturs. He had a stoic façade, masking the crippling pain of his foot.

As they were closer to the Senate Hall, he could hear the chaotic orchestra of voices inside the room. The statesmen were currently discussing something—important or what they deemed to be as such. The prince smiled; he wasn't too late for the meeting.

The guards seeing him, saluted. He smiled to them and swung the doors open, exposing the loud clamor between red-faced and exhausted men shouting from the opposite end of the hall. His sudden entrance distracted the senators and the shouting turned into buzzing whispers.

There to meet him on the isle as Prince Arterius strode towards the podium was his long-time detractor, Senator Ordus. His tomato red face and furrowed brows was an unwelcoming sight, but the prince bowed to him to greet him.

"How dare you?!" Senator Ordus spat. "To have the audacity to interrupt such important discussion! Even if you are a prince, this doesn't give you any right!" The senator spat some more. This time his saliva sprayed all over the prince's face.

"It is great to—" The prince tried to be respectful, but the old, balding man interrupted.

"You do not have a request of audience in this meet—"

"Meeting?" Prince Arterius interjected. "Maybe, I do not. But I have an urgent request of audience to the Imperatur." He walked pass Senator Ordus as the rest of the Senate stood in silence observing the Prince's next action.

Senator Ordus tried to step in his way again, but this time, Imperatur Severus stood up and called out the angry senator.

"That's enough Senator Ordus." He calmly commanded. "We did have a discussion two days earlier."

Prince Arterius walked closer only to his father's raging eyes. He knew then that the Imperatur did not appreciate the way he interrupted the meeting. But Prince Arterius didn't flinch at his father's gaze. He met his father's gaze and conversed with him.

"Father, I am—"

"Are you here to concede and give your birthright to my worthy son? If so, then good! You may go!" The Imperatur's voice echoed around the hall.

The senators couldn't help themselves but whisper and gossip about what they've just heard. Prince Arterius looked at them and their moving lips, hearing the buzzing sounds of their voices like flies flying close to his ear.

Prince Arterius clenched his fist. He didn't want to be ridiculed again by his father and this bunch of men. He had suffered enough for too long. With a smirk on his face, he answered his father in defiance in front of the Senate for the first time.

"No, father I came here to disappoint you." There was complete silence. The buzzing hall became so silent that you can hear a needle fall on the cold marbled floor.

Prince Arterius continued as he saw his father's face reddened with rage, "I have completed the cannon!" He glanced around the senators. "I have completed my design of a cannon without using gunpowder!"

Prince Arterius could see the old men's baffled faces. Some of them couldn't believe it while other faces glowed in glee at such a discovery. He looked back at his father who was still steaming in anger.

The Imperatur forced a smile on his face, "Well then, we shall hear about that later." His father took a deep breath, "Right now, sit there in the corner! We shall continue the discussion that this man has rudely interrupted!" Imperatur Serverus refused to call him by his name or even as his son.

It pained him emotionally the way his father treated him all his life. But this time, it looked like he's getting some payback. Prince Arterius sat painfully in at the corner of the hall, near Senator Casius Prestonheim, the brother of the head of the House Prestonheim.

The heated discussion continued once more. The Senate continued in rambling about an incoming force from the North. The rest of what they discussed just passed by his. His hand shook as he tried his hardest to hide the pain of his left foot. His body went numb and he began to hear muffled voices instead of buzzing loud shouts from the hall.

His eyes watered and he became cold and clammy as the time passed. He wasn't sure what time it was already, but he hoped his suffering would end already. He needed that medicine which he left inside the carriage. His mind slowly began to drift as the pain continued to gnaw his leg.

Suddenly, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He looked and saw Lord Prestonheim, tapping him, pointing to him the podium. His mind drifted too far; he didn't notice that it was finally his turn.

He clenched his teeth as he walked his way to the podium. He tried his best not to show his pain towards the wake of vultures waiting for him to show his weakness. He cleared his throat when he reached the podium. He bowed before the Imperatur and the Senate.

"Imperatur, members of this honorable Senate, I—" He started.

"Enough of that crap!" A voice from the far end of the hall echoed. "We are already hungry! Be done with it already!" The last statement got a huge support from the Senators who roared and cheered.

The Imperatur cleared his throat. Everyone silenced themselves.

"Make it brief. We all need to rest!" He commanded Prince Arterius.

Prince Arterius couldn't help but smile. He already knew this would happen and so, he dropped his parchment into the podium and addressed the noisy Senate directly.

"Well then!" He said. "I have created a cannon powerful enough to blast an adamantite hull without the use of gunpowder!"

The whole Senate roared, mostly in disbelief.

"Bollocks! Nobody can do that! The best mind all over Principalia tried and no one succeeded doing that!" commented Senator Lucresia.

"What is this?! Are you the second coming of Lord Oradineus the mad?! Oh wait! You are his student!" Lord Ordus jeered.

His comment garnered laughs from the crowd but the prince was not disheartened by it.

"Rather than explain this, which would take a lot of time, let me show you what I mean!" He walked away from the podium and into the door.

He swung the door open and asked one of the guards to help his ward fetch a plate of adamantite plate strapped on top of his carriage. After a few moments, the guard came along with Stolas carrying the damaged adamantite plate.

The senators and the Imperatur examined the damaged plate. After several heated arguments regarding the legitimacy of how the plate got damaged, the Senate concluded to test the cannon with them observing.

The delighted prince nodded at this proposition. It was agreed that the test be done at the riverbank outside the city proper. The observation was scheduled two days from that day, during the day of Jovis, early at dawn. The session ended after that.

Prince Arterius slumped back into the carriage, demanding Stolas to give him his bottle of medicine. His ward immediately gave it to him, and he took more than a few more sips than the usual. Stolas didn't protest to it, he knew the torture his master had to go through during that time inside the Senate.

The prince decided to sleep inside the palace. He instructed Stolas to tell the coachman to drop them there.

It didn't take a while for them to reach the Palace to Prince Arterius' relief. Stolas had to help the prince reach his room, as the effects of the drug started to show.

They painfully managed to reach his room. The poor prince struggled in opening his door—it took him a few tries. After it finally opened, Stolas reached for the switch to activate the lighting baubles inside the prince's room.

As the glass orbs slowly illuminated the room, a figure emerged from the corner of Stolas' eye. The ward pushed the prince away from the assailant. Prince Arterius leaned on the wall near the door, as he watched his ward lay motionless on the floor.

Prince Arterius attempted to scream, but the man was quick enough to muffle his scream while closing the door at the same time. He struggled and bit the intruder's hand prompting the intruder to let go. The prince sat on the ground pointing his cane at the would-be assassin, while he burst some threats.

To his surprise, the hooded intruder knelt in one knee in front of him and made his salute to him—a salute that was taught only to soldiers who are designated messengers to the royal court.

Still wary of the stranger's intention, the prince tried shouting for help once more, but remembered how he modified his room to make it soundproof. With the door closed his cries for help are rendered useless. Now, he might have to die pathetically with the design he did.

"My Prince," the hooded figure said. "I came here not to harm you. I am here to deliver this letter to you from Lord Commander Prestonheim." The hooded figure handed him the letter sealed with the commander's sigil.

"What did you do to my—" The distress prince tried to ask.

"Ser Stolas is fine. I apologize my prince, I have to cast a sleeping spell on him." The messenger answered. "I apologize about this Prince Arterius, but I'm running out of time!" He added.

Prince Arterius was hesitant but hastily snatched the letter from the messenger's hand. He glanced at the hooded messenger while opening the letter.

He skimmed through the letter; it was indeed his godfather's handwriting. He read further down when a word caught his eye.

"AETHERIUM?!" He exclaimed."