Weeks had passed.

  Construction on Cairnreach had begun while the majority of its inhabitants, especially the nobility, fled to other kingdoms. The former King, however, along with the crown, was nowhere to be seen. Few knew what he looked like, and none had the means to locate him. Had he been defeated so quickly and so easily? Was he overwhelmed by the ruler of Zod? Was Khael’s victory really a certainty?

  Seraphiel felt it hard to believe; he wanted justice for the King's crimes and intended to seek him out in order to execute this justice himself.

  If anyone knows where the King is, it’ll be him. It’ll be Sol.

  Seraphiel set out along with Hiro to seek out Sol himself. He knew roughly where he stayed and intended to ask a favour on grounds of old… acquaintances.

  Seraphiel and Hiro trek through the slums of Seriol in search of an exit. They brush past a plethora of characters bickering and throwing insults at each other like usual. Hiro barges into people intentionally trying to cause a ruckus, while Seraphiel cuts through like nobody is there. In an instant, fists fly and blood splatters. Hiro is punching grown men, and Seraphiel is struggling not to decapitate them.

  They arrive at the door. The door was tall and made of a light brown wood that was elegant but remarkably thin; it served no value as a means of defence, and was rather only there for privacy.

  Knock. Knock. Knock.

  Seraphiel raps his knuckles on the door to make his presence known. He lets out a forced cough. Hiro peeks up. He sees a figure standing atop the roof, looking down at them while chewing on a stem of a flower, like a toothpick. He continues chewing and standing in silence while Seraphiel knocks again and again. Only when Seraphiel gives up, Hiro musters up a “look” before the door swings open, he looks back up, and no figure is there to be seen. Sol is standing behind the door, leaning his lanky neck out from the side. His hair is dishevelled, and he wears only loose trousers.

  "It would be nice to receive a warning." He leans and says with a grainy voice. Seraphiel looks at him wide-eyed and gives off a disconcerting grin, his eyes smiling. "Oh yeah, sorry," Sol maintains eye contact with Hiro even when speaking to Seraphiel. Hiro and Seraphiel are seated in the room where Seraphiel once stayed. Sol paces back and forth, drinking from a small metal cup. He fidgets with something in his pocket. "What is it?" Sol continues pacing, not looking at them. Hiro stares at him. "...It's...been a while," Seraphiel says.

  "I know that". Sol bites in an instant. "I asked what it is."

  Seraphiel pauses for a moment and decides to just cut to the chase. Sol does not seem very fond of their interaction; perhaps it was the time?

  "Where is the King, you know the one that usurped me and briefly ruled over Cairnreach? Are you aware of his... whereabouts?" Sol grabs his scalp like he was just afflicted with a major pounding migraine, his pacing persists. Sol walks into another room and comes out in an instant far calmer. He takes a seat, looks down and spins a flower stem rapidly. He rubs his chin.

  "Hmm. I know where he is. Why do you wanna know, hm? Khael is your man if you want Cairnreach back, try some fisticuffs with him perhaps."

  Seraphiel hunches over and sighs. Sol seems offended by the impertinent sigh. Hiro swings his feet off the edge of the seat.

  "I want the crown, and, I want to punish him for what he did to me."

  "To you? What did he do to you?" Sol says inquisitively.

  "He stole my king-"

  "Oh right. Speaking of the crown, don't you find it strange, he hasn't used it to smite anyone or anything? Zod, Khael, Cairnreach. Nothing. Why do you think that is."

  "Maybe he doesn't want to use it?" Seraphiel says confused.

  "Don't be stupid, he lost everything this is the only time he must use it. Have you considered the fact he can't"

  Vanele walks out from the room Sol entered a moment ago and walks past them into another room.

  Hiro and Seraphiel look at her while Sol does not seem to notice. Seraphiel replies a moment later, "If he couldn't use it then he isn't worthy, and if he isn't worthy he would be dead. The crown destroys imposters".

  "Oh yes." Sol palms his face sarcastically. "Well if he is worthy and chosen by the crown, then surely you weren't chosen and would be destroyed if he did not save you from your destiny? I hope you don't plan on wearing the crown, if you ever manage to retrieve it". Seraphiel eye falls cold and he looks through Sol with a threating glare.

  "This King resides in..." Sol yawns. "Lyeer. I'm sure you want specifics or maybe you didn't think that far ahead. I will tell you don't worry, I shall even escort you there though not right now. This time in about."

  He looks at the clock on the wall. "14 hours. I will fetch you, okay?" He says like a teacher making sure his underperforming students are understanding the concept. "I will even escort your passage, though I hope you don't expect me to help in your suicide mission, il be a tour guide that's about it". Sol yawns again, he walks up to them both slowly. He places his hand on their heads as they appear in their rooms in the parlour.

  Sol walks drained back to his room.

  Hiro is confused at this whole ordeal and just manages to blurt out a “Wow”.

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  Whats wrong with this moonless bastard?

  Seraphiel is sick of Sol’s disrespect and callousness. He couldn’t fathom what was wrong with that guy, he seemed like a petulant and rude rat.

  Madarame leans back in his chair. He smokes and blows the cigarette smoke out of the window. He caresses his back with his fingers.

  The next morning arrives, 14 hours had passed and just as Sol said, he had arrived to take the youth on a tour of some sort. Sol appears standing in the room at the parlour, the others shout. “How did he- Madarame!”

  Before Madarame could react Sol tapped Hiro and Seraphiel blinking them to a distant place. They arrived at a sunny yet chilly resort. Vanele was sitting there with a tennis hat and holding a wine glass filled with dark red liquid. She swirled it in the air and raised it to her nose sniffing it before drinking. Sol was dressed in a floral undone button up shirt and light grey shorts. He had a large uncharacteristic smile on his face. He pulls out two ice creams, they had a flake for a nose, sprinkles for mouths and chocolate buttons for eyes. He hands a usual one to Hiro and gives Seraphiel his own unique one. Seraphiel’s ice cream had one button eye and his mouth was in a frown instead of a smile.

  Does this moonless look for every opportunity to mock and humiliate me?

  ”Here kids it might be your last so enjoy!” Sol exclaims cheerily.

  He jogs towards where Vanele sits, he sits opposite her and gestures towards something. A note in their pockets, they unfolded the papers and a card falls out, an eye with a tear looking down. The note had poorly drawn stick figures, it showed a man with a happy face and golden brown hair next to a woman with a moody face and pinkish hair. The artistry was rivalling an infant, an arrow pointing to the happy man was labelled with an oval with a smaller malformed circle falling from it.

  Further behind them there was another drawing. A woman with an angry red face, she had a red long tube running down from her head and an exclamation mark was drawn above it. “Sandstorm” was handwritten above her head with speech marks.

  ”Is this guy serious?” Hiro laughs and flicks the paper trying to see if there was some hidden property.

  ”Apparently so.” Seraphiel adds “keep that card on you, if you think you are going to die and only then you can tear it for assistance.”

  Hiro is a child even compared to Seraphiel.

  Hiro does what a child would do and tears the card immediately. “Cool” he says as Sol appears in front of him. Sol looks at Hiro then at Seraphiel, he looks back to Hiro. “I know he is a bit of a weirdo isn’t he?” Sol pokes fun at Seraphiel “but don’t tear it unless you absolutely have to okay?” He says while handing Hiro another card and teleporting back to the chair.

  Seraphiel can feel the fury in his head as he strains with rage. He takes a moment to recalibrate. Only then has he noticed that their ice creams had fallen to the floor somehow. Both their faces had a long frown now.

  “over there!” Hiro runs towards a woman wearing a long red coat and a stern expression. She sits holding a newspaper to her face. Seraphiel runs along. They both sits opposite her and she lowers her paper. Seraphiel gathers that perhaps sandstorm is a secret code word and tries to add it in a sentence. “Brhh isn’t it cold here? Back in Seriol theres a sandstorm”. He says it with such emphasis he seems inept.

  She looks at him like he’s stupid. “Madam we are in Seriol?” Vanele giggles and Sol follows after her. Sol had not informed them that they were still in Seriol and not Lyeer and that he had made the woman see Hiro and Seraphiel as two wealthy oligarchs, who were also women. Seraphiel laughs out manically, Hiro laughs too. “Can’t you take a joke” he says trying to save face.

  “yeah… anyway. I would like to thank you two for your assistance last week with funding our leaders project. Your sympathies for his situation and usurpation are highly valued. Your request for a visit is granted.”

  she gestures with her paper to a boat. “We will be heading to Lyeer shortly”.

  Hiro still doesn’t understand what was taking place and says. “We didn't fund any project right?” He elbows Seraphiel smiling “I have 10 Serol to my name”.

  Seraphiel smiles passively.

  The woman taps her glabella impatiently with an even more mardy expression. She laughs to herself before looking back up. “I know you two enjoyed your liquor but please be sober when meeting with our leader. He has plans for you.”

  These words for some reason sent a cold shiver through Seraphiel’s spine. A man walks up to Seraphiel, drunk he slips over himself and his words. “O-ooh madam- aren-t you a damsel” he leans in and is met with a jaw shattering punch. The man lays motionless on the floor.

  The woman looks down at the man “we leave in 30 minutes, please prepare and come aboard once ready”.

  “Yes thank you.” Seraphiel rises jittering and pulls Hiro along with him. Sol sits opposite Vanele still as they gossip about random things. “And then i said to him, you know i won-“ Sol is punched in the back of the head. He turns to see Seraphiel red with rage and embarrassment. Seraphiel grabs his collar, “just what is your problem? Do you think everything is a joke?”

  Sol looks towards vanele while covering his mouth, he says from the corner of his mouth mockingly, “Only when it comes to you.”

  This man. This strange man. This impudent man. He really has no shame does he?

  Hiro throws a punch at Sol too. It hurt Hiro’s knuckles and Sol did not even realise a punch was thrown.

  “You don't have long you know, and you could have said thank you.” Sol sigh’s

  Thank you? Thank you is the last thing that comes to mind.

  ”Well anyway” Sol continues. “I thought i should tell you… actually no, just get on the boat and enjoy the ride. Try to put up a fight, and try to make an effort to tear the card, or at least have it torn along with you”.

  Sol picks his ear with his pinky finger, “yeah, that’d work”.

  ”I didn’t see you at the council.” Vanele speaks towards Hiro, “how are you two acquainted.”

  Hiro thinks for a moment before saying. “We are both Madarame’s undoings, no, underlings.”

  Sol laughs out loud smacking the table. “This kid is great, if i didn’t know any better i’d say you were mine, you’re like a mini me”.

  Vanele’s eyes scrutinise Sol, he was surely jesting and him having offspring of any sort was not possible as he said himself he is always “lonesome”.

  Sol wipes a tear from his eye as his laughter dies down. “Ahem, anyway”, he pushes Seraphiel back with his fingertips, “Won’t you leave us be now, go meander elsewhere or just wait like normal folk there isn’t much longer”.

  Sol takes a sip and laughs into his cup. Hiro drags Seraphiel's arm who was just standing frozen looking at Sol.

  “He’s weird and funny he’s like Madarame from Seriol. A little meaner though. He is definitely strong too, Right?”.

  ”Oh, erm yes.” Seraphiel snaps out before returning back into a daze. Ahead of him the woman in red boards a ship, it bore no mast or sail and it had stairs leading down deeper into the boat. All others on the boat including the woman in red looked to be of Cairnreach descent or at least from minor kingdoms.

  Seraphiel and Hiro opted to board the boat also.

  Sol finishes his drink and throws the cup into the sea. “Don’t you feel bad, i mean for the other boy he has nothing to do with this.” Vanele says with pity.

  Sol scrapes his nail on the table before finishing with. “Family is often collateral, this is nothing unusual”. He looks down at the markings in the table and up at the visions in his mind.

  Blink.