CHAPTER 229: _FACE YOUR OWN NATION

Kyren’s POV

*****

"Well, it’s been fun." He clapped once, his smile fleeting from Lucian to Elian.

The Rogue king walked down the steps of the dais, ignoring the tense looks they gave him.

"K–Kyren?" His little flame called out worriedly, still standing relatively close to the exit.

The slight hesitant break in his voice was cute.

But Kyren’s mind was made up.

After he got the information box from the Luna Queen, he’d already mentally prepared himself for a plethora of possibilities.

With parents like Garrick Ironclaw and Amara Redthorn, even the Lord of the Dark Lands should be prepared for anything.

Then he actually opened the box. And saw everything kept in it...

The Ascension protocol experiments. The fact that it was aimed at making a perfect hybrid being. The divine crystal beneath the Dark Lands. And then dear Arian’s involvement in these experiments.

Seeing all the info, the first thing that went through Kyren’s mind was heading back to the Dark Lands.

He couldn’t care less about how the continent’s media would respond to him leaving after the potential death of Lunaria’s ruler.

But following through with everything they uncovered in the information box?

"It’s fine, Elian," Kyren muttered when he got beside him, placing his right hand on his shoulder. "I’m just going to reach out to Commander Farrell. Get an update on what’s happening back home."

His little flame’s violet eyes did not look convinced.

So he slipped into his mind, his mental voice soft as a whisper. ’Trust me. Everything is going to be okay.’

Elian’s lips cracked into a wry smile. ’You can assure me without lying about that.’

Lying?

Kyren’s brows furrowed but before he could address that, Lucian cleared his throat from the foot of the dais.

"You’re still not going to heed my warning about that crystal, huh?"

Kyren froze, barely glancing over his shoulder at the Alpha Prince.

The latter persisted despite the clear disdain. "If Arcadia finds out you know what’s truly underneath the Dark Lands they’ll come with everything they have. And then the Dark Hand as well. Do you know what that means, Rogue King?"

Kyren’s lips remained pressed in a thin line but he held back a smirk.

He knew exactly what an outcome like that would mean.

"What are you, Lucian?" Kyren couldn’t help but ask rhetorically. "Barely past two decades old?"

He pivoted, withdrawing his hand from Elian.

’Kyren...’ his little flame tried holding him back mentally but he raised a finger.

’Let me.’ was his telepathic response before he continued speaking to Lucian. "I’ve seen centuries of battles. I’ve bled and witnessed things on this continent you can’t begin to fathom."

Lucian’s jaw clenched, and so did his fists, but his shoulders were relaxed in surrender.

Meaning Kyren’s words struck a chord.

"This continent has gone through war for millennia before me. And at this rate?" He paused for a beat, his eyes narrowing. "It might as well go through another one if it means protecting MY kingdom. You have yours to sort out so do us a favour..."

He swung back to the throne room doors, his crimson eyes becoming half-lidded. All he gave Elian was one last glance before he moved.

"... Figure out what to do with this nation before poking your nose into the affairs of mine."

He opened the doors with a flick of his wrist and was about to walk away when Lucian roared behind him.

"And when the ’affairs’ of your nation threaten to bleed into mine?! What then, Kyren?!"

Kyren paused.

The tremor behind the Alpha Prince’s voice was no longer one of a son grieving his father. Or one too scared to take on responsibility.

It was one belonging to a man ready to take on actual responsibilities.

Adorable.

Kyren almost caught himself feeling proud.

Almost.

He looked over his shoulder one last time, his voice laced with finality. "It already has... Alpha King."

With that, he barged out, flicking his wrist to shut the doors behind him with a bang.

Elian and Lucian seemed like they needed to have a long chat anyway.

He didn’t want his little flame’s mind distracted. Not with all these things laid out before them.

.

.

When he got to the palace’s garden maze outside, his focus wasn’t on the beautiful roses blooming on the hedges or the warm morning sunlight.

Nay... His mind went through memories.

Memories from his childhood.

"We’ll always find each other." His mother’s voice when she abandoned him on the borders of the Dark Lands was still clear in his mind. "Remember who you are. Remember the power you hold..."

The once bright sky slowly coiled with storm clouds when he remembered her soft features and the way she’d cupped his face.

His father was the first to abandon them and he’s always resented the man for it.

And now... Now the truth was out.

Garrick Ironclaw and Amara Redthorn were not only alive and well but the former had posed as the Beta of the most powerful nation in the continent for Hades knows how long.

Kyren still found it hard to believe.

He had let Beta Axel get so up close to his little flame.

"Disgusting..." He muttered, rubbing his forehead to shake off the rage burning his chest.

He looked up, noticing how his magic was already affecting the once bright weather.

With a single breath, he took control of himself and withdrew his magic, causing the storm clouds to dispel faster than they had appeared.

The Rogue king lifted his right hand, his eyes landing on the information box.

This small box held secrets so great they could shake the entire continent to its foundations.

With a sigh, he activated the black communication bracelet strapped around his wrist, reaching out to Farrell.

After a few seconds, the bracelet came alive with a holographic screen, showing his commander’s figure.

"My Lord."

Kyren didn’t waste another second. "I’ll be leaving soon. Hopefully nothing past today."

Farrell’s brows furrowed with concern. "That’s... That’s great, my lord. But I got news of something happening in the Lunarian palace last night. And then their news station—"

"Indeed, something big happened here last night," Kyren confirmed without giving it away. "Of course, the royal family is still keeping things secret for now... But it’ll all be out soon."

That wasn’t his concern.

"We must not show weakness, Farrell. Keep your eyes locked on that Southern Arcadian city in preparation for our strike." He muttered, raising his head.

But then he froze, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.

He felt something. A presence.

The wind suddenly picked up speed, blowing strands of his long white hair over his face.

"Look at my boy already out here scheming despite everything." A voice spoke slyly behind him, forcing him to cut the call abruptly.

He spun around, his fingers already alight with magic.

However, nothing could’ve prepared him for who he saw standing in front of him.

"M–Mother?" His voice trembled, breath catching in his throat.