“Don’t be scared, Kram. The doctors will just check us if we’re sick”

“Yeah, don’t be such a crybaby. Look at me, I’m not afraid of a needle.”

Kram only cried harder. Reina hugged him and patted his hair. “Don’t worry about anything. This is just normal. A few years ago, the doctors also came by and they checked us if we were sick.”

“Did they poke you with a needle?” Kram wiped the snot from his nose.

“Well…” Reina fidgeted. She didn’t want to lie to Kram. “They did, but it’s to find out if I was sick or not.”

Kram’s lip trembled.

“It’s going to be fine. Everyone have checkups,” Reina said hastily. “And if you don’t cry, they’ll…um…give you a candy. Yes, they’ll give you a candy.”

“Really?”

“I want a candy too,” Melly said, completely missing the intention of Reina to trick Kram.

“Ah, er…I’ll try to get some candy later,” Reina said helplessly.

All the other children cheered as they rode the spacious carriage bringing them to the Maerose Crossroads, where the doctors have set up a place for all the children from the cities connected to the Crossroads to come. It was mandatory for orphanages to have the children they care for checked. Of course, those with parents could have their children checked in the hospital, Reina thought wistfully. She was grateful that they were provided with a free check-up. It was obvious to her that their orphanage wasn't doing well even though the nice people taking care of them were trying to hide their financial problems.

She alighted the carriage and led the other children to the large white tent with the tri-bird design of the volunteer doctors from the capital. Other carriages also arrived. They were separated into age brackets, with the youngest ones going first. They were also provided with food.

Reina experienced this four years ago. But she was slightly surprised that there were a lot of children coming in for the free checkup. There were also many doctors around, or what she assumed to be doctors based on their white robes with the tri-bird insignia.

Is there a disease spreading through Krysperia? She shook her head. The horror books in the local library she read made her think of the worst everytime something out of the ordinary happened.

Kram said, "Look, it's a knight."

"Woah, he's so tall and so many metal things," Melly said.

A knight? Was he from the capital? Reina wondered if it was alright if she chatted up the knight. She would like to know more about Krysperium. How she wished that she could visit the capital. It was supposed to be the most beautiful city in the world, with fountains and waterfalls everywhere. Would that mean that there were also rainbows covering the city? Sometimes rainbows formed when she watered the plants. If there were lots of tall fountains, there should be rainbows, right?

The checkup was finished uneventfully. Although it lasted the whole day because there were so many of them. If her memory served her right, there were no teenagers last time. When she had a checkup when she was ten years old, she was among the oldest kids there. But now, there were lots of teenagers included.

Reina even heard the doctors talk about the age of their patients. She wondered if there was indeed something wrong. But that wasn't her problem now, was it?

She was sure the government would take care of it. And weren't they blessed by Paximillon? The descendants of his servant, Krystfallen, were their rulers. Nothing should go wrong. There were some problems here and there with her life, but she was generally happy in the orphanage.

She counted herself as blessed.

Kram said, "Wow, they really gave us sweets."

"Imagine that," Reina said. "I was right." See? She really was blessed. Now she didn't have to worry where to get candies to give to the other kids.

"We were finished first but they made us stay to wait for all of you," Melly said with a cute frown. "I wanted to return to the orphanage with my candy."

"It's nice to go out once in a while, find new places," Reina said. "And you should have played with the other kids."

"Reina's check up was long," Melly said.

"But we have food while waiting. It's nice," Kram said.

"It wasn't long," Reina said. "Alright, it was kind of long, but I was also one of the last ones in line so sorry for that."

"Because you're the oldest," Kram said.

Melly punched Kram who then proceeded to cry.

Reina hugged Kram. "Melly don't punch people." Melly opened her mouth but she shut it when Reina hugged her too. "I know why you punched Kram, and that is not the way, got me?" Reina was indeed old, a few more years and she would be too old for the orphanage. There was no way she would be adopted, she knew that. Her fate was to get whisked away to military school somewhere in West System.

If that was going to happen, then so be it. But she was really afraid of fighting. She had no idea what happened to the children older than her who were also sent to join the military. They didn't write them letters or anything.

Maybe it wasn't allowed to write back home?

Reina sighed. "They're calling for us to get back to the carriages. Isn't it good that we're not sick with anything? We also have candy."

"Let's go home," Kram said while chewing candy.

Reina suddenly woke up as she hit her head. She rubbed the sore spot. "What was that?" she said groggily. "Where ... where am I?"

Metal walls boxed her in. A cage? It was spacious enough for her to move around comfortably but it wasn't tall enough to allow her to stand up straight. She was able to breathe because there were holes lining the sides of her cage. She looked out through one hole and saw that she was traveling through grassplains she hasn’t seen before. The sun was also setting over a pair of mountains. I'm on the other side of the mountains?

There were a couple of men wearing black cloaks and masks riding six-legged horses, traveling alongside the vehicle carrying her cage. Those were the horses used by knights, right? These people didn't look like knights. She checked the other side and saw two more riders. Lastly, a couple more were following the vehicle. She could see sword hilts poking out of their cloaks.

Am I dreaming? What is going on?

She gasped and jerked back when one of the masked men turned to look at the hole she was peering through. She bounced as they probably hit another bump, hitting her head once again.

“Help...uh...what is happening?” she stammered. Then adrenaline shot through her and she pounded the walls of her cage. “Help, help, let me out of here!”

“Hey! Keep it quiet back there.”

“Let me out!” She scrambled around, trying to find the opening of her cage but there didn’t seem to be any hinges. She lied down on one side, braced herself, and started kicking the metal walls, hoping that they would open. “Let me out, whoever you are!”

“Stop that if you know what’s good for you,” a hoarse voice answered.

“Grak it, why did she wake up? It’s so annoying transporting them when they’re awake,” another voice said. They were probably the ones driving the vehicle carrying her.

“Where are you taking me?” Reina shouted. She crawled on her knees to the front side of the cage. She wanted to see who was driving the vehicle they were in.

“It’s my fault. I think I made a mistake in the dosage of the sleeping serum. I assumed she was a small kid so that was all the serum I brought.”

“Incompetence. Master Pyre will hear about this.”

“Lighten up. When was the last time we had to bring someone older than ten years old?”

Reina shouted at the top of her lungs, “Who are you, people? Let me out. I don’t have anything to give you.” She couldn’t see anything from the holes on the front side of her cage. But she could hear them. Their seats seemed to be blocking her view. She continued punching the side of her cage. She didn’t know where they were taking her, and they were about eight of them in total. The masked ones riding on the horses wore made her fear for the worst.

“Argh, can anybody shut her up?”

Reina flinched as one of her captors banged the right side of her metal cage. One of the riders got close and said through the holes, “If you won’t shut up then you would regret it.”

Am I going to be sold as a slave? Slavery was banned in Krysperia a long time ago but she knew that some bad guys would kidnap some people, even children, to sell them as slaves to other countries. If not a slave…then what are they going to do to me?

With fear in her heart, she became more desperate to escape. She renewed her efforts in kicking the walls even though her feet were sore and her knees hurt.

“You can’t even shut up a girl?”

“People will look for me,” Reina said, frantically thinking of any reason to force them to release her. And she did hope that people from the orphanage would look for her. How long was she gone? She couldn’t even remember when and how she was kidnapped. “They will look for me and all of you will be arrested.”

“Grakkers, I didn’t want to do this but you leave me no choice.”

Reina swallowed, anxious at what would happen next. If they stopped the vehicle to beat her up or something, she would try to escape. She didn’t care if she got hurt. She would kick them, punch them, and even bite anyone who tried to stop her.

Come on, open my cage you scumbags. She clenched her fists.

“Aahhh!”

As if a thousand needles pricked her body. She tensed up, tears forming on the sides of her eyes. Another wave of pain swept through her body.

“Stop, please stop.”

“You had to use magic on her?” one of her captors said.

“She wouldn’t shut up. She had this coming,” was the reply. “Shut your trap if you don’t want to get hurt again,” he said, rapping her cage.

She sniveled and tried to kept her quivering lips together so that she wouldn’t make a sound. Why was this happening to her? Why did they take her and put her in a cage?

"Are you sure we have the right one? She's a bit too old, isn't she?"

"They were confused as well but in the end, they put in the order to get her."

"And they said she had friends in the orphanage. That's not normal, is it? For one touched by corruption, I mean."

Reina pressed her ears on the holes on the front of her cage. Maybe they would say something about their location. She didn't want to get hurt again so she kept quiet, but she also didn't want to give up trying to escape.

"I was surprised that we found one. Maybe she's the signal detected in those parts four years ago?"

"That's plausible. Although I don't understand why we're checking these places? Places with a positive signal but no one captured. The positive signals were found years ago, like this one. Why do they assume that we would find any of these filthy things lingering?"

"But we did find one of them, right? Although she is already in her teens, by her appearance."

What were they talking about? Reina wiped the sweat on her face and continued listening.

"Yes, but I still don't understand why we don't have scans as of late. Is it connected to the illness of his Holiness? I pray to Paximillon that the leaders of the Church live long and healthy lives."

"It's not our place to question orders. And our orders are to check the children in areas with positive signals in the past but ended up with no one being captured."

“Van Sur Kraten, it has been awhile since we last met. How I wish it was longer,” Elverius said into the mind of the young unassuming maidservant of the Van Garrin diplomatic group.

The other servants, three men and another maidservant, surrounding the girl Elverius talked to jumped in surprise when Elverius suddenly appeared behind them. They immediately composed themselves when they saw that it was a Devastator Knight who popped up. Bowing, they retreated to the other end of the corridor, leaving the maidservant. The imperial knights lining the double doors on one side of the corridor also left when they saw Elverius arrive; it was but simple courtesy not to assume you would be needed as a guard when there was a Devastator Knight present.

The maidservant chuckled, unsurprised by the sudden appearance of a towering headless armor. She flipped her hair back, unbecoming for a servant. She looked up to Elverius with her golden eyes that popped from the background of her mahogany complexion. “One point to Eleverius for spotting me. I bet other Devastator Knights wouldn’t have noticed me. And what do you mean by “I wish it was longer”? Why do you not want to meet little old me,” she said, pouting and acting hurt.

“Why do you bother to speak High Krysperian? It is obvious that the girl you are possessing is not used to speaking in our tongue.”

“Well, we’re in your country, so I thought it would be polite to speak High Krysperian.

“Is this your new hobby? Acting like a young girl? I am not one in a position to judge your preferences, merely commenting that it is quite sad for you to take over the body of this girl.”

“Everyone serves a purpose, Elverius. The purpose of people around me is to become my body if needs be. That is all.”

“Still. A young girl?”

“Well, if you’re bothered by it, then don’t do anything to me and the girl will be fine. I know we don’t see eye to eye in these things but we are in the palace of your emperor, and beyond this door,” she jerked her thumb towards the ivory double doors, in-laid with gold, leading to the dining hall, “your emperor is having an important discussion. So, let’s keep things civil?”

“It wasn’t my intention to antagonize you. I apologize.”

“Humility from a Devastator Knight, how admirable. But it’s you Elverius; you’re the most…sane, out of all the Devastator Knights I have met. Pity that you don’t like me.”

“How many bodies have you gone through since we last met three years ago?”

“I do not know.”

“You can see their memories, right? These people you possess? The bodies you use?”

“Yes, but I do not look inside their heads. Just use their bodies. Is this some effort to guilt me?” the girl said. She sighed and shook her head, “Let’s not have this discussion again, Elverius. It does get tiresome.” She turned to the servants who retreated to the sides of the corridor. “You are not to speak of this conversation to anyone.”

“Why?” Elverius asked. “Is it bad for a Mediallbor and a Devastator Knight to be seen talking with each other?”

“Perhaps, perhaps. We don’t want anything to be misinterpreted. And they won’t say anything,” she said, referring to the other servants. “They are my spares. They are sworn in absolute loyalty to me.”

Elverius examined the servants with the sensory enchantments attached to his armor. They do have impressive mana frameworks, especially the other maidservant who could be a powerful mage if trained well. The manservants have developed bodies with a potential to be on the level of elite soldiers but he could tell that they didn’t know how to fight. There was no point in training them to fight because Van Sur Kraten only needed their bodies in case of an emergency.

As long as there were bodies to possess, Van Sur Kraten could not be killed.

Kraten said, “I can feel you judging me.” She laughed. “If it gives you any comfort, this Bloodline ends with me since I wouldn’t be able to have any kids. I have lost my real body a long time ago. I actually have forgotten who I was before I was jumping into the bodies of others.”

“I don’t believe that you have forgotten who you were before.” Elverius also didn’t believe that the Bloodline would end with her. They would find a way to be able to pass it on. He wouldn’t be surprised if Kraten’s original body was being reconstructed somewhere in Van Garrin.

“If you don’t want to believe, then that’s your choice. How did you spot me, anyway?”

“There was a brief moment a while ago when you smirked,” Elverius said. “I asked myself, why would this girl smirk? Plenty of reasons, of course. But if I added in the fact that two Venearros of the Republic of Van Garrin are visiting, then those reasons are narrowed down. Also, you left Mediallbor Turkavan below. Only servants accompanied the Venearros to a meeting? Impossible.”

“You saw me smirk, huh? Normally, I don’t break my disguise.”

“Why did you smirk, then? Are you privy to what is being discussed behind these doors?”

“Why don’t you waltz in there and ask them?”

“I’m not a prying person,” Elverius said. No one would probably object if he went inside, no one from Krysperia, that is. Devastator Knights were under the command of the emperor, but they have plenty of discretion and leeway in what they can do, mostly because it would take a Devastator Knight to stop another one. But he wasn’t as impertinent as to barge in an important meeting. And the Van Garriners wouldn't take too kindly that one of the ultimate warriors of Krysperia was present in a highly confidential discussion. “Hmmm. Is it being too inquisitive if I asked you why the Venearros are here?”

“I honestly have no idea. If you will believe that,” Kraten said with a shrug

“I wouldn’t be surprised if several Vaerro’s came with the diplomatic mission. Many of them were present during the ceremony of the princess.”

“Vaerro’s are like that as always. Politicians wanting to look good, showing up in all sorts of events, people vote for popular Vaerros. It’s just…” Kraten didn’t finish her sentence but she looked like she really hated politicians.

“Again, why are Venearros here?” Elverius paused to think. “A gesture of sincerity?” Venearros weren’t elected by votes of the citizens of Van Garrin. Rather, their electoral districts send candidates to the twelve Venearro positions, and there was a secret way of how they were chosen.

“I think yes,” Kraten said, surprising Elverius. “Maybe it is as you say. A gesture of sincerity. Nothing as sincere as bringing two of the twelve persons who could control the motherbeasts supporting the economy of Van Garrin as a show of sincerity.” She noticed the skeptical silence of Elverius. “Hey, I really don’t know why they are here. It was just like, “Hey, Van Sur Kraten. You have to accompany a group going to Krysperium”. And I said, “Yay, I get to meet Elverius.” That’s about it.”

Elverius didn’t bother answering. Van Sur Kraten wasn’t famous for telling the truth. The important thing was that he shouldn’t let Kraten roam around freely in the palace. Although, he was curious about the real reason why a diplomatic mission from Van Garrin was accompanied by the Venearros. “Those masks are real, aren’t they?”

“No idea,” Kraten said, smiling and acting in a way she thought was cute.

Elverius could feel his real body unconsciously clenching his teeth. There was no way to get Van Sur Kraten out of a body she, or he, has possessed. Krysperian Intelligence didn’t have any information as to the identity of her, or maybe his, original body. Elverius only hoped that the girl would be fine after Van Sur Kraten left her.

“Would the Venearros risk bringing the real masks here? Probably. Depends on the negotiations happening inside,” Kraten said. “But I doubt it. The masks shouldn’t be taken far away from the motherbeasts they controlled. Or they might be real? Your guess is as good as mine.”

“You’re not being helpful.”

“We’re from opposing sides. I’m just here to protect the Venearros and their masks, if indeed those masks are real.” Kraten started to whistle a tune and dance, twirling through the corridor, her dress flowing around her. “It’s such a shame I wasn’t able to attend your festival.”

The masks might be real, Elverius thought. Why would they send two Mediallbors to accompany the Venearros if the masks were fake? Mediallbor Van Sur Kraten wouldn’t care if something happened to the Venearros, even though they held great power. While they didn’t have votes in the Van Garrin government, they each have powers to veto laws passed by the Vaerros if they considered it inimical to the interests of the motherbeasts. He was sure that Kraten wouldn’t care about politics, but she would care about the masks controlling the motherbeasts.

And the fact that it was Kraten that was sent as one of the guards. The most powerful warriors of Van Garrin were beastmasters. Obviously, if they visited the palace, they had to leave their beasts outside, like what Mediallbor Turkavan did. But that would mean that the masks of the Venearros would have weak security; which wouldn't matter if the masks were fake.

But the fact that Van Sur Kraten was here meant that the masks were most likely real, Elverius thought.

Kraten beckoned her servants to join her on the other side of the double-door. "Best to keep our distance," she said. "And don't tell them you know that it's me."

"Of course," Elverius said as his metallic body started to melt into the floor, leaving behind a copy of his real body. Time for politics.

The double-doors opened with Emperor Mauvehaven leading the way. "Ah, Elverius, very good of you to be here," he said without a hint of surprise that Elverius was there with what seemed to be his real body. "Venearro Malnav and Venearro Geronad wanted to meet with you." Two men with pure white masks followed the emperor.

"It is an honor," Elverius said, ever respectful. He bowed low even though he was a Devastator Knight. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kraten smirk again.