Chapter 21: Final Piece

Roah thought deeply.

He thought of fairies—their legends, their culture and their customs. Of the Ruler’s stance and position. Of laborers and their mechanisms. Of Kalden’s structure and management. And he thought of many other details as well.

He also thought of his own abilities, as well as those of Niu. Possibly even Shaya, but Gen would definitely have to be excluded; he couldn’t trust him to not ruin it, somehow.

Roah ran countless simulations in his mind. There were about hundreds of ways everything could go wrong, to say the least, but also a handful of ways everything could go right—or even better than that.

In order to change things, he knew that he would have to risk even his life in the process. He was already prepared for that. As long as it would bring him to his ultimate goal, he was ready to make any number of sacrifices.

All he had to do was take the first step.

Shaya was surprised to notice that she was still awake.

One thing she hadn’t taken into account, during her earlier rampage, was just how mentally exhausting channeling was. Or rather, this was her first time to use that power for so long, so she didn’t know this in the first place.

When she’d run back to look for Gen the anxiety and fear helped her shrug off the fatigue gnawing at the back of her mind, but after some of the guards found them and escorted them back to safety, all tension was cut loose and she nearly collapsed to the floor.

So tired, she thought vaguely while walking. There was a strange, almost imperceptible buzzing in her ears, as if it was filled with whispers. She barely even registered Gen’s questioning looks at her. Luckily, she’d been able to avoid most of his questions for now but she dreaded the moment they got back.

Maybe exposing herself wasn’t such a good idea, after all? Well, at least Roah couldn’t hold that threat over her, any longer…

Being so tired meant that even these worries were being numbed, at least. Her legs seemed to move on their own such that she had to be physically stopped by Gen when they’d reached the surface again. There were a lot of shouts and people moving around them at all times, but this was all in the background.

I hope he doesn’t end up hating me, she thought.

But that was ridiculous; he might be angry, but Gen would never actually hate her. Surely he would understand her. He would treat her the same way. She knew he would.

Some time passed and Shaya found herself back in their lodgings beneath the castle, as if she’d been transported directly there with nothing in between. She wasn’t quite sure if she’d been conscious this whole time—perhaps she’d fainted for a while or just kept half-awake, half-asleep.

The moment she felt relief at this, however, she certainly and most definitely felt herself faint.

The long, long evening was over. Surprisingly, the incident itself barely took a fraction of it. It was mostly the chaos immediately following after it that stretched through the night. The four had been assembled right before the sun started channeling over the horizon.

It was then that Shaya suddenly collapsed.

This, obviously, caused quite a shock; she was promptly being taken away, along with Roah who seemed to have been the most injured of them all. Gen tried going as well, but was denied; Seele explained that they were to be kept inside for their own protection. Niu wondered if she should be taken for a checkup as well due to the Stroba’s substances that had affected her, but couldn’t muster the energy to ask about it.

This heavily awkward and tense atmosphere dominated the small dining room where Seele, TriX, Gen and Niu all sat together.

“…I don’t know what’s going on anymore.” Gen placed one hand balled to a fist on the table.

Just a short time before they all thought they could finally relax, but everything flipped over yet again. Niu was also dazed and quite tired, but she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to sleep in this situation.

“Shaya… Shaya did—” Gen started speaking, but then shook his head as if thinking of something completely different. “Niu, you… did you talk to me, earlier this evening?”

Startled, she raised her face. Ironically, she’d almost completely forgotten about that, but it was obvious he would ask her about this. It was the second time already. She was unsure how to reply; denying it at this stage wouldn’t work, but what could she say about that?

“…I also heard you,” said Seele from the side. It was unlike them to have an expression so full of worry and anxiety.

Niu gulped, and then slowly nodded. If so, then Roah probably figured it out as well.

“Since when can you…?” Gen asked.

Since when, indeed? Niu herself wasn’t sure of it. Even so, she answered—using that very same ability.

I think it was during the wave here, she replied directly into his mind. When I saw you getting attacked.

It apparently worked from a distance as well, but being directly in front of him, it somehow felt a lot easier. Or was she simply growing accustomed to the power’s usage?

To her surprise, Gen shook his head. “No, I think it was before that. You also called me when we were… the day we were transported.”

Niu widened her eyes. Along with the sense of horror and fear she felt that day, the memories of her screaming for Gen in her mind also revived in her mind.

Really?

“Yeah. It was really weak so I wasn’t sure… but then I felt drawn to a certain direction and saw you getting attacked by that monster.”

Niu covered her mouth. Apparently even back then she’d used her compensation without even noticing. Perhaps there were even such other cases. If only she’d noticed it sooner, many things would have been different—she was about to be consumed by the despair of these thoughts, for the hundredth time, but then Seele spoke.

“That’s amazing, Niu,” they said with a smile.

Is it? she sent back, causing Seele to raise their eyebrows in wonder. She then realized that her previous words had been sent only to Gen.

“Don’t speak to anyone about this,” Gen said, his voice suddenly low.

Why? Niu asked, tilting her head.

“I hate to sound like that jerk,” he spat, “but maybe it's too dangerous. They might want to… use you, or something.”

Niu had completely different misgivings about her ability, but it was possible that Gen was right. His own abilities made the fairies include him in battle. Niu didn’t want to be anywhere near the battlefield if she could help it.

“Can you promise not to say anything?” Gen turned to Seele.

“I…”

“Please,” Gen said, gritting his teeth.

Seele seemed to be hesitating. They turned to TriX. “What do you think?”

“We shouldn't hide this,” was all that it said.

Please, Niu repeated, now directly into Seele’s mind.

Finally, Seele relented and nodded. “Fine. TriX, don’t say anything about it. But you need to be careful, too,” she turned to the boy and the girl.

“Have you told anyone else?” Gen asked.

Niu thought back—other than Boum, who was probably already dead, she hadn’t contacted anyone else.

Only you three and Roah, she said.

Gen clicked his tongue. “Well, whatever. He understands, I guess—but we’ll talk to him too when he comes back.” Groaning quietly, he placed his head on the table, a grimace on his face.

“…Perhaps we should all eat something, if we’re not going to sleep?” asked Seele, wearing a thin smile. There was no response, so Seele took that as affirmation.

Shaya nearly cried in horror when she awoke to see an eye the color of cold steel glaring at her.

“You’re finally awake,” Roah said casually.

“I-I…” Shaya rose from the soft bed she had apparently been lying on. The small room around her was unfamiliar. She then recalled that she had probably lost consciousness at some point.

“You fainted when we got back,” Roah explained as if he read her mind.

“I… see,” she replied. “Where are…?”

“This is Kalden’s hospital tree called Karnana.”

Shaya looked around; currently, only she and Roah were inside the room. Roah seemed to have once again sensed her thoughts.

“They’re all fine, don’t worry. I’m here because I’m also a bit hurt,” he said calmly. Now she noticed that he was wearing some sort of white gown. “So once they treated me, I told them I’d watch over you.”

“What time is it?” she asked. There was a nearby window through which some filtered sunlight streamed into the room. It had to have been at least a couple of hours, then.

“Morning.”

Hearing his response, Shaya merely nodded. She got off the bed before Roah spoke to her again.

“Wait.” She turned to him. “They will want to check you again. But I’m here because I want to discuss something with you, first.”

Shaya furrowed her brows. What now? She said nothing, simply waiting for him to keep talking. It was better to get it over with.

“Last night… has anything out of the ordinary happened to you?” Roah asked. “I mean, other than us being kidnapped, and all that.”

“Out of… the ordinary?” she repeated his words. There was something strange about these words, as if he wanted to ask something more specific and refrained from it. Well, there certainly was something, and probably not a lot of sense to hide it. Gen himself must have already spilled it. She now realized that properly facing him had once again been postponed.

“Well?” Roah prodded her.

“I… I used my powers,” she finally spoke quietly. Judging by the movement of Roah’s brows, though, it appeared that he wasn’t expecting that answer.

“Your channeling?” he hissed.

Shaya nodded. “That’s how I got free, a-and… I also helped Gen later.” She licked her lips. “S-so you can’t blackmail me anymore.”

Roah still looked surprised, but once she said those final words he snorted in amusement, wearing a twisted smile.

“Are you really calling that blackmail?” he sneered. “Especially after I took the blame for you?”

Shaya lowered her gaze. “…I’m sorry.”

“And now you’re apologizing?” Roah sighed and shook his head. “Never mind that. I don’t care about that anymore, and if Gen knows… well, that’s your problem. Is that everything, though? What about…” he paused for a second, “voices?”

“V-voices…?” For some reason, her mind was drawn to the strange buzzing in her ears before she fainted, but she doubted that was what his meant.

Roah said nothing. Instead, despite him still technically looking at Shaya, she could see that he was not really there. It looked like he was pondering over something. In fact, he seemed to completely forget about his own question.

“Look,” he suddenly said. “I’m not going to demand you help me. But there might be something you could help with. This is just in case… but we could use your powers, if the chance arises.”

“We?”

Roah ignored her question. “I will let you decide for yourself, when the time comes. If it comes. After all, just like you said, I can’t blackmail you anymore.”

“…What are you even talking about?” Shaya started getting scared; she had a bad feeling about his cryptic words.

“You don’t want, or need, to know,” he answered her, then got up and out of the door before she could even say anything.

Shaya just watched him go away, her worries growing by the second. What did he mean by, well, all of that? These weird questions and insinuations… it was almost as if he was some lunatic seer, declaring his newest prophecy.

Still feeling a bit dizzy, Shaya leaned back on the bed and sighed.

“Congratulations—your plan was a success,” said Aisbroom, not even a hint of venom in their voice. “We have found about two dozen people who have been leaking information to or have otherwise assisted the Stroba. Not to mention their new… toys we have procured.”

“I suppose all of that is the silver lining, yes,” Acrus said, leaning their head on their hand in a bored manner.

Yes, I know how disappointed you are about the faeries, thought Aisbroom without letting anything show on their face.

The night was quite harsh for Aisbroom as well, although they were used for it. They led a couple of assaults down known tunnels (most of them had been left purposely unguarded by Acrus), including the one that Niu had gone through. They managed to capture or kill most of the Stroba, further leading them to other collaborators.

“Anyway, hang all of them after you squeeze them thoroughly,” Acrus said casually.

Aisbroom bowed. “I will send a message to the dungeons, then. However, I think we should continue preparations for the next wave.”

“Ah… right. The Grand Feast was a failure, but we still have that as well... yes, you take care of that.” Acrus waved their hand in dismissal.

Aisbroom bowed again and left the throne room at a brisk pace. There would be no time for rest the entire day, most likely. Acrus just kept piling more and more work for them, possibly intending to finally see Aisbroom complain.

They wouldn’t give Acrus the satisfaction, however.

“General.” A voice from the side cut in as Aisbroom passed a corridor on their way out. It was Sqore. “Is it true? Have they really betrayed us?”

Slightly grimacing and not slowing down in the least, Aisbroom said: “They?”

“…I mean Fillian and QuaD,” said Sqore, clearing their throat. “I only just heard about what happened last night.”

Sqore technically served as the captain of the laborer unit; perhaps they felt personally responsible for this incident. Aisbroom just hoped that Sqore wouldn’t be foolish enough to discuss the topic with Acrus… but that might be why Sqore came to them right now.

“Fillian is currently detained and questioned. The robot had been destroyed in battle,” Aisbroom replied. Sqore grimaced, biting their lips. From how Aisbroom knew them, Sqore was probably anguished at both these conclusions.

“If only I was on duty that night,” Sqore lamented. “I knew the passcode, so I could have—“

“They specifically chose that method because you weren't there,” Aisbroom interjected. “Relax. You shouldn’t worry about that. …Just don’t be surprised if the Ruler decides to dispose of all robots after this.”

Sqore froze in place for a few moments, then caught up to Aisbroom who was just passing the bridge to another tree.

“T-this… is this something that the Ruler is actually…?” they asked in a low voice.

“I do not know.” Aisbroom’s reply was sharp and immediate. “But I wouldn’t put something like that past them.”

It was actually a well-known fact that Acrus scorned robots. They were willing to employ them, as long as there were uses for them, but ever since ascending to the throne no new robots had been made and all research about the technique was put on hold. A hundred years back there were about a thousand models, and now they have dwindled to a mere 100 or so through wear and war.

Aisbroom sighed inwardly; talking about such topics made it really hard for them to suppress their true feelings. Acrus’s little games proved more and more dangerous with time, and Aisbroom had their hands full just trying to keep Kalden operative and safe.

They had no time for this nonsense about faeries or robots. Yet they couldn’t do anything by themselves, either.

Aisbroom could only keep moving forward and wait for something to change—

“We need to talk”—was there any other scarier sentence in existence?

After determining Shaya had suffered nothing more than fatigue, she had been released from the hospital wing and returned to the guest wing. The moment she entered, however, she had been told these dreadful words by Gen.

That was obvious, though. She knew this time would come. With a heavy heart (which was also beating like crazy) she accompanied him to his room.

“How long?” he immediately asked her, sitting on the bed. Shaya still stood near the door, as if ready to run away if anything happened.

“H-how long…?” she repeated.

“How long have you been able to do that?”

Shaya was tempted to ask him what he meant, but there was no more escaping that. She didn’t want to see Gen angry at her, either.

“…Since… forever. For as long as I can remember,” she answered truthfully, avoiding his eyes. Even so she thought she saw them widen. He stayed silent for a while.

“So before any of us knew each other… I see. That’s a relief.”

She was confused by his words. “What?”

“Because it means you weren’t just afraid to tell us,” Gen said. “It’s not because you don’t consider us your friends. It’s something that runs deeper than that, I guess. If it’s that, then I can understand why you hid it.” Gen smiled. “I’m not going to pry too much, okay? I just wanted to understand your motives.”

Shaya’s mouth hung open. She definitely wasn’t expecting Gen to take the matter so lightly. In fact, she thought he would be hurt about her hiding such a crucial detail all these years. Especially when it was something very relevant to her small group of friends.

“I-I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

Gen shook his head. “You don’t need to apologize. You just need to know that… we’re here for you, alright? Niu’s still feeling down and Roah is Roah, but still.”

Shaya smiled faintly. This whole exchange went much better than she’d anticipated.

“Also…” Gen’s smile widened.

“Also…?”

“You were really cool, Shaya!”

“Huh?”

“You just… looked at them and opened all these channels!” he sounded excited. “That was pretty amazing. I can’t do it, you know?” Roah had indeed mentioned that fact to her, begrudgingly, a couple of times. “Were you hiding it because you were afraid of fighting? Can you show me some? O-only if it’s alright with you, I mean,” he added hurriedly.

Shaya started shaking; not out of fear, but out of confusion and perhaps a bit of happiness. Was she really so afraid of nothing? She almost felt like crying.

She came to sit next to Gen and began to talk.

“We need to talk”—this was definitely something Niu hadn’t expected to hear.

Especially not when, moments before, Gen had said the same to Shaya and took her away. Before Niu could even start thinking about what that meant, Roah whispered the same to her ears.

Of course, she could guess what he wanted from her—having just returned from the hospital wing along with Shaya, he was probably going to ask Niu about her ability. She was prepared for that.

Roah led her to his room, closed the door behind him and glared at it, as if expecting someone to be standing behind it and eavesdropping. Seele and TriX were actually already gone and Niu was pretty sure there were some guards stationed outside the wing, but not inside.

“Let me just cut to the chase,” Roah said. “Last night, you have discovered your compensation—is my assumption correct?”

Thinking that actions spoke louder than words—well, in this case the idiom was not quite fitting, but still—she replied with a resounding Yes into his mind. He looked momentarily surprised.

“How did that happen? Explain,” he demanded.

Niu wasn’t quite used to “speak” at length, yet, so she used her slate instead. This also allowed her to express everything more coherently. She briefly explained everything that happened to her, mainly how she came to use her power, up to and including how she’d sent messages to Gen.

Roah furrowed his brows. His eye was trained on her but she could see he was staring at empty air, lost in his thoughts for a while.

“I understand. And how does that work, exactly?” he finally asked. “Range? Conditions? Limitations? Tell me everything about it.”

…Why are you asking?

“I will explain shortly.”

Niu sighed and began writing. She had the feeling Roah was up to no good, but also wanted to understand her own ability better.

Well, I just think of someone and send the words to them. I assume it works through the channel of communication. The range seems to be pretty far, though I imagine it’s not limitless. Since I managed to contact you and Gen from afar, I apparently don’t even need to see my target. Maybe it is limited to only people I know or something of the sort.

“I would’ve loved to test that,” Roah mumbled after reading her explanation. “For example, if you could send a message to Saburn… unfortunately, we have no way of verifying that sort of thing right now.”

I’m not your guinea pig, Roah, she transmitted to him.

He smiled. “Of course not. However, you are part of my plan. A plan to make everything better again.”

Niu glared at him suspiciously. Roah always seemed to be brewing something in that overactive mind of his. Even back in Plainland he had many shady dealings. She was pretty sure that he wasn’t a bad guy, overall, but she’d never been able to really judge his motives.

What are you planning?

Roah extended his arm toward her. When she stared at it with visible confusion, he said, “The slate, please.” Still quite confused, she handed over both slate and chalk. “This is just in case.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “I don’t want anyone to hear us, after all.”

Niu felt a chill as Roah started writing. Every once in a while, he would show her what he’d written, ignore her bewildered face and, once confirming she finished reading that part, he erased it all and wrote anew.

While reading one part after another, there was only one thought running through Niu’s mind.

You’re crazy.

After hearing those words being transmitted directly inside his mind, Roah started laughing. He was the one who claimed to not want anyone to hear their discussion, yet he started almost rolling with laughter.

What’s so funny? Niu asked, pouting.

“Oh, sorry.” He instantly composed himself. “I just thought how right you are. Yes, of course I am—but so what?”

‘So what’? After showing her all those crazy ideas of his, that was all he had to say? How had he managed to even concoct this sort of plan? No normal person would think of attempting something like that. Even simply trying to assassinate Acrus seemed like a safer deal.

Also, since he didn’t even know about her ability until the previous night, how could he have put up this scheme so quickly? Did that mean that he already had the foundations of his plan for a long time?

“So what do you say?” Roah asked nonchalantly.

Niu wasn't even sure how to start to reply. Everything he explained to her still overwhelmed her. This was way, way too big for her.

“You don’t have to answer straight away. You can think about it for a while,” said Roah, “but I must have your answer soon. Of course, don’t worry—for now, this plan can’t function without you… this means that if you’re too scared, I won’t do anything.”

Somehow Niu doubted that. Though it did seem unlikely he could do something like that completely on his own.

“The first phase should be relatively risk-free, though,” Roah continued. “At least give that a shot.”

I’ll… think about it, she said. But I really don’t like any of this.

“Oh? But you do like being stuck here and being used as a pawn in some game with rules that you don’t even understand? It’s obvious that whatever’s going to happen, we’ll not be getting out of here anytime soon. And that we are in great danger anyhow.”

Niu bit her lips. She knew he was right. She knew it, but his methods were too extreme and too dangerous. They had plenty to gain but much more to lose. And the trouble was that time was ticking and their situation didn’t seem to be improving in the least. This time they’d been saved… but what about the next time? Or the one after it? Not to mention the otherworldly invasion that still hung over their heads.

“Or are you, perhaps… thinking about rattling on me?” he asked her next, smiling. His expression scared her, the more she thought about it; it was almost as if he was gleeful at this option.

She momentarily imagined herself telling Gen or Seele or someone else about Roah’s plan, and it reaching all the way to Aisbroom or Acrus. What would be done then? Would he be taken away from them? Locked away? Or something even worse?

The truly worst part was that she could somehow still picture him smiling even throughout all that. No, she couldn’t do it to him. She wouldn’t.

What should she do, then?

“Come on, Niu.” Roah’s voice was low yet sharp, his lone eye gazing directly through her soul—or so she felt. “I can’t do it without you. I’ve made sure we don’t have to hurt anyone. Let’s do it—let’s take control of our destiny.”

Faced with these words, Niu made her decision.

Now that the Grand Feast was over and the time until the third wave was ticking down, preparations were at full swing. It was at the end of one such tiring day that Seele plunked down on their bed.

Seele was going to serve the exact same duty that they served the previous wave, but this didn’t mean they sat down doing nothing. First of all, following recent events, Seele was asked to supervise their partner TriX at almost all times.

Since Seele served in logistics management even originally, both of them were in charge of handling and moving equipment and supplies, a physical job that wasn’t quite suitable for Seele and so made them very tired.

Well, at least now their lodgings were located in Kalden’s important guests wing, just like the faeries. That was one advantage of serving as the so-called ambassador between the two worlds—though of course Seele knew nothing about the Ruler’s communication with the other land. At the very least, they didn’t hear any news, good or otherwise.

“I am very worried about them,” Seele confided in TriX. “What will the Ruler do next?”

“They will not fall in battle,” said TriX. “They are stronger, than they seem. They even managed to, fight against the Stroba. Even I did nothing that night.”

Despite being on site and under strict commands to protect them, TriX failed to save even a single one of them during the Grand Feast. That was probably its way to feel bad about the case.

Yet Seele shook their head. “No… I know they’re going to be fine in the coming battle. We’re also much better prepared against the waves, now. But I’m still scared. Roah’s right. The Ruler isn’t really interested in them. I feel like something’s going to happen sooner or later…”

“Then what do you…” TriX started saying, then trailed off.

“T-TriX…?” asked Seele, worry coloring their voice.

A few seconds passed with nothing happening. TriX was completely frozen. Seele rose from the bed, heading toward their trusted partner with widened eyes—

“—I am fine,” TriX finally said.

“What was that?”

“Perhaps I am getting old,” it replied. Relatively speaking, TriX was indeed old; only about half of Seele’s age, but it still belonged to the first generation of robots.

Thinking about it, Seele had heard about many other robots that simply malfunctioned and ceased operations. This worried them greatly.

“…We also have no one who would look at you right now, huh?” Seele mumbled weakly. “Maybe if I ask Sqore for a favor, but even they…”

The Ruler had forbidden any and all research or tinkering with existing robots. The fact that still many of them survived to this day was a testament to the superior making of this technology.

“I should go get charged,” TriX said.

“Yes… you go do that, please.” Seele’s voice was weak; something that they would not normally show. Only around TriX did they feel comfortable enough to completely drop their mask of positivity. “I don’t want to lose you too…”

“I will try to hold up.”

Leaving these words behind, TriX exited the room with heavy steps.

Seele went back to sit on their bed. “Will we really be fine during this wave…?” they said, sighing. They still couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was about to happen.

Despite all the tension and worries, the day of the wave went and passed without incident.

It almost felt bizarre to say that they were getting used to this. They still knew nothing about the origins of the dark beasts or the motives of the attack, but they already gathered valuable combat experience against them.

In fact, for some reason it seemed as if the wave was more subdued than the previous times. Even during the second one, most of the fighting had actually involved the Stroba and not the monsters, but this went even smoother than that, and speaking of the Stroba, none of them appeared. Apparently two consecutive failed attempts were enough for them. For now, at least.

Gen was positioned the same as last time, but saw no action whatsoever. Neither did Niu and Roah, who were stationed together, nor Shaya who was on her own. To the surprise of everyone, the monsters were easily defeated, and the wave concluded in a mere two hours or so with minimal casualties.

The day of the third wave went and passed without major incident—but the night introduced something that would change the course of history.

“I have gathered you here today,” said Acrus, “to congratulate you on another mission well done. You have all proved yourself, once again, to be above and beyond contributing members to our society.”

The quartet of faeries was summoned to the palace the day after the third wave. Following its resounding success, nearly all citizens were in extremely high spirits—pretty much everyone except the faeries.

They were probably apprehensive of what they were going to be asked this time.

“And so—I decided to ask for your help. You have proven yourself worthy not only in two waves, but during the night of the Grand Feast as well. I want all of you to join our army for a special mission.”

Acrus paused, scanning the hall. Most of them looked confused, still not being familiar with the language, but one of them stared directly at the Ruler, his lone eye narrowing. Seele, their trusty ambassador, couldn’t hide the worry and confusion in their expression. Aisbroom, standing at Acrus’s side, was as apathetic as ever.

“—Namely, the destruction of the Stroba!” Acrus announced after this short, dramatic pause.

Acrus always loved seeing the expressions and hearing the hushed whispers of their subjects after making such big announcements. It made everything much more exciting. This time didn’t disappoint as well.

“Translate everything to them, Seele,” they ordered, their smile widening. Now, how were the faeries going to respond to this news? The insolent-looking one probably already understood the gist of it, but how about the others?

As it turned out, the response was definitely not what Acrus had anticipated. After hearing the explanation, one of them suddenly spoke aloud.

“That is enough.”

It was the one called Roah. All eyes immediately turned to him. The other confused boy said something to him, but Acrus couldn’t understand him. Regardless, Roah ignored him and spoke again before Acrus could say anything.

“We have had enough of your scheming and playing with our lives!” he announced. “We will no longer be bound to you, Ruler of Kalden. Starting now… we will be taking the throne for ourselves!”

Although the puzzles never cease

I have obtained the final piece