“Weeks had gone by since then, and I had not heard from Kira either. While The Duchess slept soundly, I worked with my guards to compromise a trade with another country. One of them, named Stels, came to me with some paper in his hands.

‘So, did they reply to our request?’ I asked.

‘Yes,’ Stels replied. ‘They’re willing to compromise a trade!’

‘Excellent work Stels, let’s travel by ship and—’

The grand doors behind us slammed open as Papeht entered the premises, looking terrified. His body sweat, and his eyes widened in shock and paranoia.

‘Aehaby, bad news!” Papeht yelled out.

Oh, great. I thought, rolling my eyes. What does Papeht want now? ‘What do you want? And don’t call me by my first name, ok?’

Papeht knelt before me and sighed. ‘I apologize, your Majesty, but a visitor is waiting for—’

‘Now, at a time like this? I’m busy, so if you could tell—’

“Kira pushed Papeht out of the way and stood between the guards with a sinister smile spread across her face. ‘Why hello there!’ She greeted me with a bow. She caught me off guard as I took a step back. ‘Kira, what are you—? Have you learned nothing? Is there something you want? I need—’

“Kira moved her arms behind her back as her body wobbled back and forth.

‘Do you ever wonder how your parents died? And why the Duchess called you away from us?’

‘She felt sorry for—’

‘Oh? Then where is she now?’

‘I’ll find her!’ Stels exclaimed as he was about to run off, but another guard came in to proclaim an announcement.

‘Emergency! The Duchess is lying motionless beside the bed with dropped tea on the floor!’

‘Did you check the body?’ Stels questioned.

‘Yes, but we can’t hear the heartbeat, and her skin feels cold!’

‘Do you want me to—?’

‘Oh, no... Is the Duchess dead too? How’d that happen?’ I felt my heart drop upon hearing those words. I fell to my knees and hung my head in sorrow.

“Kira took a few steps closer to me while laughing at herself softly as the guards noticed and tried to prevent her from going forward.

‘Hey, get away from her!’ Stels thundered as he charged toward Kira.

“However, Kira unleashed a purple aura around her fist as she lifted the man into the air in a chokehold before slamming him on the ground.

“Larry ended up stuck between the two, unsure what to do now. Check up on Stels or cheer me up?

‘I warned you,” Kira said as she turned to face me as she walked closer. “Now allow me to put an end to your pain by taking away your crown...’ She moved her hands toward the crown on my head.

‘No!’ I yelled as a blast of radius came out of my body and pushed back a shocked Kira to the ground. The crown took my body as it soon levitated high into the air while everyone watched over me.

‘Aehaby, don’t do it!’ Papeht cried. ‘You’re going to get yourself—’

“Kira shoved him out of the way before he could finish his sentence. She used her dark magic to propel herself into the air and unleashed a blast of magic at me.

“However, the crown projected a barrier to ricochet the magic and prevent me from getting hurt. Kira then charged to the barricade bubble and knocked it off, trying to bounce around the walls and get me to drop the crown.

“Papeht and Stels watched from below in horror as they were unsure of what to do next. Papeht didn’t want to risk hurting me by accident while Stels didn’t want to sit back and watch the chaos ensue, with my life and crown on the line.

“Stels ran over to a wall and leaped off from it. He used a light green orb to strike and home in on Kira. We separated as it hit the walls. The barrier broke apart as we fell on the floor. I landed on Papeht as the carpet broke Kira’s fall. The crown got knocked off and fell into Kira’s hands. Stels threw some dark blue blasts at Kira, but she blocked it off with her elbows.

‘Yes, at last, I got the crown!’ Kira exclaimed.

‘Oh, shoot!’ Stels panicked.

‘Aehaby, why live life behind the doors when you can just be free outside?’

‘Please stop this Kira!’ I cried out.

‘Join me,” Kira insisted. “We can rule the world together, and we can be friends forever—’

‘After everything you’ve done, especially to my people, never!’ I refused as I opened a compartment where we hid the Golden Scepter. I took it out and used it as a last resort.

‘Whoa, where did you get that?’

‘It’s an antique I got from my family, now give me back my crown.’

‘No way, try me.’

“I ran over and, using the staff as a pole vault, flipped into the air and swung it at Kira’s stomach, pushing her back against the wall and making her drop the crown in sorrow. As Kira leaned her hands toward the tiara, I used the staff’s magic to make her freeze in place. Still, she continued to reach in desperation.

‘Just give it up already.’ I warned her.

‘Why? All I wanted was to—’

‘No wait, don’t touch the gems on that crown!’

‘No, I don’t want to listen to you! If I can’t have this crown, then neither can you!’

“Kira placed the tiara on her head while touching the gems to the side. Her body floated in the air as electricity sparked all around her and screamed in pain.

“I didn’t want to do it, but she gave me no choice. I took the scepter and shut my eyes. With tears welling up in my eyes, I activated the portal from behind Kira as she got sucked in by it. Papeht ran away in a panic, but then ended up getting caught by a purple trap that Kira created out of her mind quickly.

‘I won’t go alone!’ She thundered.

‘Oh, no! HELP ME!’ Papeht screamed.

“Stels and I tried to hold on and prevent ourselves from getting sucked in as well.

‘Uh, Aehaby, do you think maybe you could close the portal and—?’ Stels asked.

‘I don’t think I can,’ I mentioned. ‘I’ve never tried this out before, to be honest...’

‘Are you serious?!’

“But I was too late. The portal had already closed up, and Kira and Papeht disappeared from oblivion. They left us all alone in the throne room.