Alone in the chariot on the way towards the Royal Palace, Nathan Modernson knew that the bond that chained him and his destiny had just been sealed tighter than before. The awkward "meet and greet" session that left half the citizens in Endnest hanging and watching by the side was a necessary declaration of Nathan's singularity. On that note, he had come to the realisation of the whole purpose of this visit to the royal palace. This tradition was never created for the sake of the Student Council President, but for everyone who needed to be ready for him in the not-so-distant future. If nothing else, at least get his face imprinted in their memory.
This original purpose, however, was fractured by the singular claim that he didn't need to bow before the First Seat, or was it really that simple?
Everything up to this point, ever since he came back from the revisit to Lostburg, seemed to have been controlled by a big hand from behind the scenes, like a path had been laid out before him that he had no choice but to tread once he had made his decision. As for the possessor of this big hand, Nathan once thought it should be Arthur Paradox, but now, thinking about it, was Arthur so powerful that he could summon the three most compelling organisations anytime he wanted? The answer was certainly a "no."
There was only one possibility: the person who set him up was King Runaria himself, or perhaps even his father, who came to Endnest at roughly the same time he left. If this was the case, Nathan didn't know whether to feel relieved or even more hesitant.
The ceremonial conference with the powerful organisations was meant to secure more support for him, but somehow Nathan had never felt lonelier.
Time rolled forward with a speed neither fast enough to expel nor slow enough for him to process these thoughts. As the chariot finally came to a halt, Nathan knew that this break from the outside world had reached its end.
The door opened without demand, and Nathan stepped out with the unneeded assistance of a well-dressed steward with manners so perfect they seemed robotic. This was the first time Nathan had set his eyes on the royal palace from directly underneath. Yet, he was not in the mood to be amazed by its extravagance, or rather, he didn't even bother to.
Instead, Nathan scanned the steward with the corner of his eyes. His nameplate stood out in the regalia designed for simplicity:
Lord Steward – Justin Lock
The last name rang a bell in Nathan's memories, in a file containing the information of Representative Students enrolling into the Imperial Academy next year: a handsome boy named Evan Lock, as well as several members that shared the same last name in the Student Council's records. From what he could remember, the Lock Clan was another one of those "super-aristocrats," but uniquely, one of the few that rose to prominence after the kingdom's foundation had already been built. There was nothing notable about their rise, not like Nathan had enough information to know. It felt as if the family just got lucky in an era full of opportunities.
Lord Steward or a steward of an ordinary noble family, Nathan supposed that there was no difference. Servants were servants no matter which master they served. Judging from this perspective alone, it was not that stupid to claim that Justin must be a member of a branch family.
One thing that concerned him was Justin's complete silence as the most professional steward in the kingdom. He only fluidly cast a Rune Art that summoned a trail of light leading them inside, along with a gesture to further clarify his intent.
The path from the front gate to the Great Hall was split into three sections by two layered, ascending curtain walls with different styles of design that somehow seemed concordant from the outside. Examining the philosophy of most buildings in central Endnest, Nathan discovered that the Whitedawn family really favoured a meticulous sense of parallelism, especially in structures like cones or fountains. Yet, the Royal Palace was a courageous and successful attempt to break this symmetry, proving that their skills were not hampered by a tendency to follow habits.
The royal palace's design was far from parallel. If Nathan possessed the Wind Element or could fly in any other way possible, he would almost certainly be moved by how striking the palace looked from a bird's-eye view. Each peak and building was arranged into a sequence that mimicked the brightest constellation visible in Runalond's night. Even with such an intentional motif, the configuration was still so perfectly logical. The only thing that Nathan had to complain about was how the design made the path towards the Great Hall so much longer than it could have been.
Throughout the course, Justin Lock remained silent. To put even more pressure on Nathan's heart, there was nobody around, not even a servant or a royal pet. In situations like this, it was actually more difficult than one would think to focus on the beautiful scenery. He attempted to talk to Justin, but the steward only replied to him with professional gestures, either with his body or his face.
"Steward Lock, are you forbidden from talking to me?" he asked after failing to get a word out of Justin's mouth.
Justin looked at him apologetically and shook his head slowly. He covered his mouth with the back of his hand, then proceeded to flip his hand towards his neck, presenting a gentle choking motion.
"You… You are a mute?"
Thankfully, the question only resonated in his mind instead of escaping from it.
Why was the Lord Steward of the royal palace a mute? There had to be something extremely special about him. No matter what it was, Nathan knew that Justin Lock was someone to look out for, not out of hostility, but out of the fear of the unknown.
Even a long path eventually reaches its destination. Nathan Modernson, following the lead of Lord Steward Justin Lock, eventually reached the Great Hall that defined the core of this kingdom's reign.
To Nathan's shock, he could see nothing in the Great Hall but plain nothingness. Stepping through the great door inside, Nathan thought that he had fallen into an abyss. This darkness was not the usual darkness he was used to. As the door closed behind him, the only pointer that could convince him that he hadn't gone fully blind was the faint outline of Justin's interrupted movement.
It's not that Nathan Modernson couldn't see; it's that there was nothing to be seen.
"Nathan Modernson, you have finally arrived."
For a moment, Nathan thought his father was in the room with him, only to realise seconds later the reason for his appearance in this chamber. He bent his knees slowly; even if no gestures were really visible in this darkness, it felt instinctively right to kneel before the ruler of Runalond.
However, in this process, his hand naturally pressed onto his chest. He felt a firmness under his shirt from the necklace that he intentionally put on, mainly for the sake of seeking some answers.
As if a switch in his eyes had turned on, the Great Hall became blindingly bright instantly. No, Nathan was sure that the darkness in the room persisted; it was just that his eyes were able to see through this darkness, as long as his hand was in contact with the necklace.
King Eric Runaria, or to be more rigorous, King Erik Runaria, did not use words to impede Nathan's movement. He remained silent under a curtain that covered the entire throne as Nathan knelt before him.
"Son of Eric Runaria and Viviana Modernson, Nathan Modernson, hereby expresses my deep gratitude for the honour of attending before Your Majesty."
Nathan didn't know exactly how to introduce himself or greet a king, nor was he stupid enough to ask people suspiciously. He followed the formula of speech that characters in the stories his father told him would have used. Whether it was appropriate or not, he doubted that the King would care.
King Runaria once again replied with silence, but with a fluid motion, the curtain was lifted. A face that mirrored his father entered Nathan's eyes.
No matter who you are, no matter how much you had already expected, it was hard to pretend like you didn't see anything at a moment like this. Nathan's pupils uncontrollably tightened. This subtle change of expression seemed to have startled the King, who lifted his eyebrows in surprise.
"You can see me?"
Nathan reached towards the necklace, but hesitated before he tugged it out. He knew Erik was trustworthy, but was he trustworthy enough to see the object that his father had directly asked him not to bring into the public eye?
"He gave his insignia to you," the King murmured to himself. "A considerate choice. Just because he rejected the role, he has no right to make that decision for you."
"Gideon's Crystal," Nathan murmured too, but intentionally raising his voice so the King could hear his words clearly. "What does it really represent?"
Erik Runaria walked slowly down from the throne steps and examined Nathan's crystal from a distance. Simultaneously, Nathan caught sight of a necklace that held a gem of the identical texture and the peculiar colour that could not be described with words. Up close, Nathan finally understood how even his mother couldn't distinguish between the two brothers by looking at their faces alone. However, deep down in his heart, something hinted to him that Erik's eyes carried much more weight than his father's.
"The gem was a symbol of royalty, a symbol of Founder Gideon Runaria's blessing." Different from his parents, his uncle Erik Runaria did not hesitate to provide him with an answer. "As for what this blessing is…"
"If anyone should know, it was you. If anyone should be kept from knowing, it was also you."
"So, Nathan Modernson, do you think I should tell you?"
Nathan swallowed in anxiety and curiosity.
"It depends on whether you are the saviour foretold in The New Prophecy, or not." Receiving no reply, Erik Runaria continued in the same royal tone that stretched the distance between them from an uncle and a nephew to a king and a subject. "But it also depends on whether you want to know, or not."
A chill went down Nathan's spine. He never expected talking to someone who resembled his father so much could be so suffocating. He almost wished that the darkness had not been dispelled.
"What a bore!" A familiar voice arose from behind the throne. "Does the royal family never teach their kids to finish their sentences?"
The one who leapt out from behind the throne was a lady in a white robe, with a thick curtain of hair that covered half her face. Nathan Modernson didn't need to be reminded of who she was.
"Nathan! Long time no see!"
She jogged towards their direction, almost tripping over herself on the throne steps in the process. Before Nathan could resist or command his body to complete any other action, he found himself in his mother's arms.
"Oh my!"
Viviana let go of him quickly and held his face with delight in her eyes.
"You look so much more handsome in person!"
Nathan caught a sigh of displeasure from the King, but he was too caught up in the situation to respond. Between the embarrassment of knowing his handsomeness was the work of makeup and the amusement that the Viviana before him felt identical to the one he saw in the memories, Nathan didn't know how stupid his grin looked at that moment.
Even though there was a high possibility that neither of the two figures before him was his mom or dad, he felt the joy of a reunion that he had secretly longed for throughout his entire childhood. He had no evidence that this Viviana was the original Viviana, but he could just tell, just like how he could tell that Erik Runaria was not his father even if their faces looked the same.
"Who allowed you in?" Erik Runaria seemed like he was having a severe headache. "And where did you leave my brother? I thought he didn't want to show up."
"Don't worry! He wouldn't come even if I tried dragging him," Viviana replied while her exposed, round eye fixed onto him like a treasure that she had spent her whole life seeking and had finally found.
"And whatever this Gideon's Crystal's power is, I want to know as well." Her voice calmed down a bit. "Eric kept avoiding the subject whenever I asked."
"And that should probably give you the hint to stop asking," Erik said in resignation.
"It's not that I don't trust you…"
He paused, lifting a finger to point at the sky.
"The sky is watching up there. We can't afford to break the rules."
The sky is watching up there? What did that even mean? Nathan secretly thought. Was it a reference to the Divine Beings? Even though he had been sceptical about the concept of gods from the beginning, what he saw and heard had consistently pulled him towards the other side.
Viviana turned around and gave him a deadly, annoyed stare, but, knowing his brother's wife, all Erik Runaria did was burst into surreptitious laughter.
"Nathan Modernson, Founder Gideon's Rune Arts Mastery, was beyond anyone's imagination. If he wanted to live forever to lead this kingdom, all he needed was to cast one simple Rune Art out of the tens and hundreds that could all achieve this outcome. I never understood why he chose to succumb to death in the end, but he left a final, indomitable barrier that could secure the kingdom's longevity, just in case a catastrophe broke out once he was gone."
"Whether these were his final words or just a myth, this was what had been passed down through the royal line, even after Gideon's last direct descendant fell."
"A tomorrow, one all of us could foresee,"
"Where suffering overthrows equilibrium's decree."
"A Beacon, upon any future fate should be,"
"That permanently numbs the wounded debris."
"Runalond, he will hear your desperate shriek,"
"In the corpse we answer, among the origin we speak."
"My chosen, no matter what paragon you choose to seek,"
"Your destined nirvana is what sets this kingdom free."