Sitting across from me was Mr. Keller stamping away at some documents. "I don't know how you do that. That's the most boring job you could possibly have." Mr. Keller looked up from the paperwork with an expression of disbelief before laughing, "Haha! You aren't wrong, Darius. Office work is as dull as Saint Helen's humor, but nevertheless, it still needs to get done."

I couldn't understand it. Thousand Roses was similarly swamped with such trivial things. "Young Master, there will come a day when you are forced into such tedious work whether you like it or not." Darius cringed and said, "You'll never catch me dead doing paperwork! I'll just find someone else for those kinds of jobs in the future." "Hahahaha! That's what I do for your father! He still; has to look through the most important documents and decisions and give his ok. Even if you outsource the work, as long as you have authority or power, you'll be stuck with paperwork at the end of the day." Mr. Keller looked back down to his desk as he quickly sifted through dozens of pages before stamping something.

Nope, Not going to happen. I'm sorry, but I'll leave whatever nonsense paperwork and management issues to any siblings I end up having. The door swung open, and my mother entered the room. "Good morning, Jo." "Morning, your son has quite the ambition." Like always my mother got straight to the point, "Jo, I need you to watch, Darius. I'm leaving in a few hours." "Mom!" "It'll only be a few hours, Darius, and then I'll be back to pick you up."

I had been listening lately. Chaos had come, and my father seemed to be involved with some of the most chaotic things on the continent. "Do you really think I don't know where you're going?" "Darius.." "Father went to Ayes! He had to have gone to Ayes because everyone in the tower is talking about it! You almost left last time when father was stuck at the Black Castle! I don't want to lose you or dad!"

My mother looked at me in confusion before saying, "How?"

Mr. Keller interrupted her, "I'll watch him."

"Uncle Keller!"

"Darius, you need to be patient. Your mom is only worried about your father. I'll be honest with you things were a lot more dangerous during the battle for the Black Castle. War is breaking out in Ayes, but this time we are the attackers, which gives our side or your father a clear advantage. Darien can return whenever he wants. There aren't any rivals or beings that can hold him there, but that could change if he stays too long. Dragging him back is the safest thing to do, and your mother is the only one who can do it."

It irritated me to realize what he was saying made sense. I weakly nodded and said, "Fine, but you have to bring father back, and you have to come back safely too, mom!" My mother ruffled my hair and said, "Who do you think I am? I'll make sure your father's not doing anything stupid, and drag him back home safe and sound."

The world grew muddled and uncontrollable around me. War broke out, and the entire continent was changing. I had heard so many stories in the Red Tower just by focusing my ears a bit that I had a general understanding of what happened at the Battle for Black Castle. I clenched my fist and tried to force my mana through my body faster and faster. Everything was happening too fast. My new world was moving further and further away from what I could control. Everyone I knew and loved in this new home of mine could be taken from me at any time. Anger, rage, and annoyance filled my heart. I was getting sick of these emotions replaying themselves over and over again.

There was still something I could do. As weak as I am, in this new reality, young as I was, there was still something I could do, there had to be something I could offer. I just had to figure it out.

In a heavily fortified manor, just South of Alicia a meeting was taking place. "We must do something! Argon treats us like Herals for the slaughter! They killed our King! They killed our Queen! They killed Crown Prince Michael Ayer! Our Royal family butchered! They've broken the accords! They've broken every treatise and every rule!"

"Lord Windhorn, we all are mourning the loss of the Royal Family, but still one remains. If we can expunge Argon from our lands, and find Princess Emily, we can restore Ayes to what it once was. It's too soon for hysterics. As long as Princess Emily still lives, Ayes lives on."

A man with long gray hair and a salt and pepper beard spoke with a deep gravelly voice, "Crushing Argon is the topic today. Expunging them, restoring Ayes, finding the Princess, all of those things rest on what we decided today. We need a date, a time, and an action, and then one of us will have to get that date, time, and action to the rest of the trustworthy nobility."

Lord Windhorn, a mouse of a man, tiny, pale, and weak responded, "Duke Shay, I know we have to gather together to resist Argon, but don't you think choosing a date or a time is a little too forward? If we choose a date and it somehow gets leaked to Argon, there will be hell to pay! We will be gathering up for Argon to slaughter at will!"

The Gray Duke, Jonathan Shay, grimaced as he said, "We aren't here to place nice. It's time to be decisive. Crown Prince Michael would have an easier time gathering the nobles and launching an assault, but we don't have the luxury of summoning him from the dead. If we had been prepared for Argon's attack we wouldn't be in this situation, to begin with! Windhorn, we have no choice, if we continue to dawdle, we'll lose our chance of restoration forever. Ayes will be a vassal state at best or all of Aye's nobles will be killed and replaced at worst." Duke Shay banged the table and said, "Today, we choose a date. Today, we make a plan. No more hesitation!"

A handsome noble with pale white skin, and long blonde hair responded, "I agree, Darien Northwood, the Red Tower Master is currently causing bombarding Argon's forces in Alicia. Today would have been the best day to act, but there is no way to plan for such a thinh unless you were some kind of seer." He sighed and said, "It's time for Ayes to be decisive. Today, we choose a time to act."

The other nobles looked amongst themselves and said in unison, "Today, we choose a time." Duke Shay looked around the room and met the gaze of everyone in the room. The meeting continued under the leadership of Duke Shay. There was a date and time set, and the future of Ayes was determined.

The clock was ticking.

Darien was covered in injuries from head to toe. Most if not all were small bruises and cuts from spells he deigned weak enough to take with his body. Smoke covered Darien's vision in all directions. Screams and shouts continued as the battle had lasted long enough to put the enemy into a war-like frenzy. It was time to leave. "Flame Serpent!" Darien made a giant serpent of fire using up most of his remaining mana and had it drive forward in a rampage.

It only took seconds for Darien to decide on an exit route. "Dig." A hole formed in the ground, and Darien leaped into it. Without skipping a beat he covered the top layer of the hole with compacted earth to hide his exit.

Darien moved neither quickly nor slowly underneath the battlefield. The natural smoke barrier and raging serpent offered an excellent distraction. "How can he still cast spells?! What the hell is he!" Screams rang out on the battlefield as Darien made his way to the outskirts of the city. Soon the noise of the screaming knights and mages faded as he made his way outside of the city. When all grew quiet Darien cautiously cast an Earth Tremor spell to get an idea of what was above him.

Cautiously and slowly, Darien poked a hole in the ground and popped his head out. There was no one in view, only the smoke-filled city in the distance and the crooked dirt road by his side. Darien surveyed the city, which looked as if it had been consumed by smoke, and said, "I think I might've overdone it."

Shaking his head, he looked away from the city and tried to focus his attention on the Ayes forest ahead of him. "I'll need to recover mana, but it shouldn't take much to find them." He took a deep breath held it in for a few seconds, and exhaled. Eyes focused and mind made Darien ran into the forest with little to no mana remaining.

Jamie, Ann, and Princess Emily had already passed the Elion border and were on their way to the Capital. They would pass the cities of Renee, Windsor, and Halic within the hour. The group's speed of travel was fast. Wind formed around them making their steps weightless, and the earth moved as they ran taking them further and further with every step. Ann asked, "Sir J-Jamie, how long exactly, can you keep these spells up?" He had been using two seemingly draining spells for hours without rest, and Ann couldn't understand how that was possible. "Oh, don't worry we'll make it to the Capital before I ever need a rest." "Is that so."

She couldn't understand what Jamie was, but she knew whatever it was, was monstrous. "There's no need to fret Miss Ann we can rest in a few hours when we reach Avia, unless of course, are you tired now?" "No, Sir Jamie, I'm fine, let's continue. The quicker we get there the better for all of us."

Princess Emily managed to choke out, "D-d-do I-I-I ge-ge-get a-a-a s-s-say!" Her voice hummed and cracked due to the speed at which they traveled. Her whole body shuddered on Jamie's back as he ran. She could barely even hear her own voice as the only thought she could form was to hold on for dear life. "Princess Emily, we can get something to eat once we arrive at the Capital. Please be patient until then." "Th-that's n-not wha-what I-I mea-meant!"

Pieces continued to roam around the board on all fronts of the Northern continent. All of the powers had their own strategies and whims at play. It was only a matter of time until all of those pieces met. Ayes was on a timer, and the clock was ticking.