"I'm glad you're alright," Marian said as she placed her hand on Kris's.

"An agwe's nothing."

"It was from the mythical lord class, not some usual agwe."

"The fact that you call agwes usual in the first place cements my point."

"Cement?"

"Huh? There isn't any... nevermind. Maybe later," Kris decided, not wanting to derail the topic. He didn't actually know how to make cement in the first place so there was that.

Currently, Kris was detained in the royal prisons, a place specially reserved for detaining figures that were connected to, or wanted by the crown for some reason. Marian was only allowed to visit due to her former prestige as a royal battle mage working under the King, Iame. Which was why it was so weird.

"Mom, why is it that I get treated as an immediate threat and then given some form of special treatment now. What gives?"

Marian's expression darkened.

"I'm not too sure but... lately there are a lot of things happening around Dragnir that are strange. More or less, things get decided too quickly."

"Even the King?"

"I'm not sure. Everything has been confusing ever since the turn of this year. There's something happening."

"It must have something to do with the cult," Kris said. The information Maya... extracted from those mages were few, but there's a particularly important one. Kris would have to investigate further.

"Whatever the case is, the cult will be involved in what's to come," Marian warned.

"You're right. Can you try to look into this?"

Marian stared at Kris for a few moments before smiling slightly. "I'll do my best. I'll even get your father in."

"That's reassuring. Thank you," Kris said. "So what will happen to me next?"

Marian sighed. "I'm guessing they're still assessing that. One thing is for sure," she put a palm on her face before continuing. "The King ordered this, and tasked it to Diethart. You being in the royal prisons means you're bound to meet the King," Marian said in worry.

"Who the hell is Diethart? How is he so young yet important?"

Marian only chuckled wryly, trying to ease her worries before answering. "It's not as shocking - try looking in the mirror. Well, it's simply because he's a genius in the truest sense. He is young, but he has already gained the trust of the King simply through his skill, efforts, proactiveness, and intelligence. He's most likely the most dangerous active battle mage right now. He works behind the scenes at the moment, but the royal battle mages and a few officials in the government know of his true identity. For most, he's just a better-than-average noble at the academy, a perfect candidate for their daughters."

"He's powerful. But surely there's more, right?"

"Indeed. He was trained by the lord of the former Dragnir royal family."

"Former!?"

"They've long relinquished their claim, but their influence is still present. Right now, the royal lineage runs through the cousin of the late Rolin Dragnir. Currently, we don't know what they're after, but they've always had the best interests of the country in mind at least in the past. They aren't as active today. Diethart may be loyal to Dragnir the country, but his values lie in preserving the ideals of the Dragnir family. This has caused a rift between him and his father."

"Sounds complicated," Kris said, reminded of his own identity crises. It seems the political structure of Dragnir is more fragmented than ever. It was on the cusp of something that Kris couldn't yet place. In truth, during the brief moment Diethart talked about his father, he seemed more worried than angry.

More than that... for someone to completely flip his switch like that...

Needless to say, it's not normal. It's possible that Diethart completely trusts his judgment, but there was still an eerie abruptness to it all.

"And Reina?"

"It's complicated," she shrugged.

”What do you suppose I should tell them?"

Marian smiled. "That you're Rizale," she shrugged again.

"You can't be serious, mom."

"Well, of course not. But it's a good idea to just stay true to yourself. What do you want?"

"You don't sound worried," Kris commented.

"Oh, but I am... but I'm not sure for whom," she quipped back.

There were a few hours left before Kris was to be 'presented' to the King. More and more, he was beginning to understand Jack's real motives. Kris has been scurrrying through the halls and rooms of the castle, unbeknownst to many people. With void magic at his disposal, hiding his presence and movement is easy; unfortunately, it seals all of his other abilities, largely due to the fact that his other magic is nothing close to stealthy.

Kris found nothing of value to him. Just some records, documents and books that didn't really interest him. But he had a weird gut feeling that he was going to find something here, and he was determined to look for it. Many places in the castle had tighter security - he only lamented that he couldn't enter the Royal Records as it was beyond his ability to sneak into, apart from other inaccessible places.

Being Rizale didn't mean that he didn't consider his actions - especially his magic. In fact, being Rizale meant that he must always know the line between going too far with his magic, and doing too little. Both of these situations posed risks for Rizale and his surroundings. Void magic always posed risks, and chaos magic is only a subtype of the void.

A common misconception about the void is that it's about controlling time or space. However, for Rizale, it meant something entirely different.

Be that as it may, as he does not have any structured system to help cast phenomenon, Kris has to rely on more chaos magic to bridge the gap while spells scale in difficulty. Especially today, when he had to put in mind actual effects apart from destructive force. This is why the academy, wherein he can help bridge the same gap using a different method apart from chaos magic was key to his growth.

Using simple spells like firebolt is one thing, but Kris had a feeling he needed to be ready to cast many types of magic. Chaos magic is anything but guesswork. Preparation, control and application of theory is still required for chaos magic to cast anything substantial. Rather, a simple firebolt done through chaos magic gone wrong could spell a whole plethora of trouble.

In a one-on-one battle, Kris knew he had no equal. At the very least, he would always be able to escape. But it wasn't impossible that a magic existed today that Kris couldn't triumph. Or a task that he couldn't fulfill with chaos magic alone. The days of wanton combat are over. From his previous encounter with the agwe, he knew that he couldn't rest on his laurels.

As he reached a tall, adamantium-plated door, he moved his thoughts to the back of his head.

Such a door will always be suspicious, but what made it more so was the fact that it was a concealed entrance. Kris could tell only through sheer luck, as the texture of adamantium always felt a bit rough, even when it appeared as glossy as metal. That, and the magic power that slightly electrocuted Kris was enough of an indication on its own.

With no way in, Kris simply shrugged and made his way to the king's chambers. The entrance was normal enough, but it was stricter than even the Royal Records hall.

Kris had no way in without revealing himself.

Giving up, he was starting to walk away when the door to the chambers opened. Two figures exited the hall, one was a well-dressed noble who seemed vaguely familiar. Another was a knight dressed in pristine armor. Curious, Kris immediately prodded for the man's core.

The man stopped in his tracks and looked behind him, suspicious. Kris stopped prodding further, the brief moment was enough for him. Thankfully, he wasn't discovered.

"Chaotic mana. He's from the cult," Kris realized. He made his resolve as he went back to his cell.

"For starters, you are not to meet your gaze with the king's. Always place it just under his feet," the court marshal addressed him with underlying hostility. He did not like a kid meeting with the king at all.

"I understand."

"Afterwards, upon arriving a good distance away from the king, kneel on your right knee, and place your left arm underneath your chest as you bow. Kiss the earth, if you must," he said sharply.

The doors to the chamber opened, and revealed a lavish hall. Draped in red and pinkish white, it looked more a place of luxury and decadence than a base of power.

The court marshal, back to a more professional facade, read from a script, "Presenting to his Majesty, his Subject, Kris Raven," his tone then turned a bit colder than usual. "Son of former Royal Battle Mage, Marian Raven."

Kris felt like he walked for longer than he did, before he found a suitable distance where a conversation could happen, away from the King.

He stopped, then quickly fixed his gaze. Immediately, the king's expression turned sour.

"What is the meaning of this?" he almost let himself go there, the King. His face was twisted and he gripped on the rest's of his throne with a bone-crushing grip.

"Are you working with the cult?" Kris said, without further ado.