Chapter Text
The expedition arrived faster than Fluixon expected, perhaps the days were faster or he was too busy with everything going on.
The King's condition had gotten worse—he could barely keep his eyes focused, he lost all sensation in his arms, his hair started falling from the lack of vitamins.
The poison didn't do much actually. It's like a domino effect, sabotage one thing and let the others fall on their own.
He was already planning on taking the crown for himself, but he had to wait considering it would be suspicious if the vice president snatched the crown too early when the king is still alive.
He had to play the role of the worried vice president. He already had a perfect excuse for taking the cown.
“ Someone has to manage Luminara even if the King is unwell. We can't let our grievances take over us, continuing forward is what BelowZero would want us to do. ”
He spoke of the King as if he has already passed. No one looked into it too much. They were distracted since these "glitches" didn't show any signs of stopping.
Everyone else is too occupied. Cass, the one leading the expedition, Tricolor in utter disarray after the murder of their Queen—Jophiel. Leading the arranged marriage to the Emperor, Schpood, called off
Fluixon is almost certain that in their current situation, they would agree with his suggestion. Everything felt laid out for Fluixon, everything within arm's length.
Of course, accept for one man. Saparata. Within the past weeks not one single sign of him has been found yet. It's as if he vanished into thin air.
Fluixon already had no use of him since the entire world had seemed to turn on him. The trail of clues they left leading to Saparata didn't leave anything out of the imagination.
People turn blind if they are enraged enough. It's human nature, they only needed someone or something to blame. No one cared if it was a lie or not.
It's not like they know it's a lie.
Alkaline had been strongly against Fluixon's idea since the very start. Calling him ridiculous for thinking Yggdrasil would attack Pandora.
" Pandora is rich with diamonds, iron, and everything else we can need to survive. And why would Yggdrasil attack Pandora when they are at a clear disadvantage? "
Alkaline's voice made Fluixon grit his teeth. Clenching his fists under the table to surpress his anger.
“ We don't know what kind of materials they have, Alkaline. The fact that they're so keen on making threats and propaganda towards Pandora shows that they have something we don't. ”
Fluixon snapped back, glaring directly at Alkaline. The other leaders sensed the growing hostility between the two.
“ Our people are in 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧. Our people have families and children to protect. When the border drops and they use that bridge to invade Luminara, the kingdom would already fall before your soldiers arrive. ”
" Do you really think of them that low? Attacking Yggdrasil was never in anyone's intention. Fighting them will only cause war to break out. Costing more lives than we can comprehend. Showing that we have no hostility towards them will result in peace. "
Alkaline said, his tone unwavering. Fluixon looked him up and down, and scoffed. Rolling his eyes—replying.
“ And what happens if Luminara 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 get invaded? You're not worried because it's not your people and it's not your nation. You want to use Luminara as a sacrifice don't you? ”
Alkaline widened his eyes in disbelief, his brows creasing. The two men looked like they were about to cut each other's throat.
“ Ahem.. ”
Saparata cleared his throat—sensing the tense atmosphere he attempted to lighten up the mood.
“ Both of you have extremely valid reasons but also opposite approaches. Fluixon, I understand your frustration. But can we please talk about this in a calm and reserved manner. ”
Fluixon sat back in his respective seat. He did not realize he was almost across the table, releasing his knuckles. The inside of his palms showing marks where his nails dug in.
Calmly fixing his expression, Alkaline getting under his skin was something he did not expect.
He nodded towards Saparata's direction and apologized. Saparata—giving him a warm smile and nodding in acknowledgement.
“ I apologize, Mediator. ”
“ No need! Please make yourself comfortable. ”
Saparata replied. Though the apology was genuine, it wasn't directed to the person that deserved his apology the most. Not that he was sorry towards Alkaline either.
The leaders understood his intention, pretending to not hear it. Choosing to ignore a back handed apology than make a fuss about it.
Alkaline was ushered to his seat. His knuckles turning white as he glared at Fluixon. He muttered under his breath.
" Disrespectful. "
They continued on with a meeting, but despite Fluixon's efforts he couldn't persuade the other leaders. Almost all of them agreeing to send aid to Yggdrasil.
Fluixon sat in his office, buried in paperwork and contracts. Multiple nobles tried poking their nose where it didn't belong—insisting to meet the king.
Fluixon figured they already started suspecting why the king hasn't been seen in public in a while.
He drove them away, giving vague answers and excuses. The room smelled of ink and paper. Sounds of papers folding and crinkling echoed in his office.
A desk at the end of the room sat in the middle, a cushion chair matched with the dark wooden desk.
A massive floor to ceiling window stood behind the desk—letting natural light shine through the tainted glass.
The golden railings that outlined the gothic window shimmered with the sunlight. The artwork of the tainted glass looked majestic.
The sunlight that filtered through the panes gave color to the ground. Dark clouds covered the sky, a dim melancholy atmosphere filled the whole Nation.
Cold wind blew from the north, showing signs of a storm. The inside of his office was bright, the chandelier casting a glow.
A knock came from the door.
“ Come in. ”
Fluixon said, his head resting in his palms not looking up from the letter he was currently reading.
The office door opened with a dull creak, the double doors opening into the room. The cool monotone light from his office immediately clashing with the warm light from the hallway.
Out came a man with tan skin and a lean figure, neat brown hair styled to the side of his face.
" Letter from the Harbourbloom, especially requested to be read as soon as possible. "
The man said, his steps rhythmically tapping against the carpeted floor as he walked over Fluixon's desk. Slipping the letter across from him.
A white letter paper slid across from him, the navy blue seal contrasting with the clean white base. The wax seal locked the letter, its navy blue color adorned with snippets of gold wax.
A clean and sleek design, stylish but efficient laid unopened on his desk. He fixed his posture and reached for the letter, his fingers brushing against the fine material.
The wax seal broke with a small crack—the crumbs dropping down to the surface of his desk where other scattered letters laid. Some opened some closed.
A folded paper was tucked inside. He took it out and it read;
𝑪𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑪𝑶𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵
𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏
𝑎𝑐𝑡. 8687
– 𝐓𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐚.
𝐈𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 "𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬", 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬.
𝐖𝐞, 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜, 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭.
𝐈𝐟 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝—𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐗𝐗𝐗 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐗𝐗𝐗 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐰𝐧, 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐚 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫—𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥.
𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐈𝐬𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲.
– 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
“ Shit. She already knows. ”
Fluixon said with a hiss. The man across from him raised a brow and questioned.
" ...She knows what? "
“ She knows that the king is dying. Everyone is probably suspicious, but im guessing she connected the dots.. ”
He sighed, handing the paper to the brown haired man. The paper got passed to him, his eyes scanning the words on paper.
" It doesn't say it here, are you also dying or what? "
Looking up from paper, his tone was sarcastic and exaggerated. He received a death glare from Fluixon.
“ Use your brains for once, Thomas. The fact that the letter is specifically addressed to me and not the king just shows she knows something. ”
“ The letter sounds optional though it's practically forcing us to accept it. The need for her to write it specifically for me and not the king– ”
" She knows this is supposed to be a secret yet she says it so casually she can fit it in a conversation and let it snowball into a massive scandal.. "
Thomas interrupted as he finally understood the venom in her letter. Fluixon looked slightly annoyed that he was interrupted although he let it slide. For now.
“ ..Exactly. And the fact she would invite other leaders to "possibly let it slip" that BelowZero is dying will only make things worse. ”
Thomas exhaled a sigh, realizing they are cornered and have no choice but to accept.
" Here i thought we could decline it. "
“ You already knew about it but why are you surprised now? ”
Fluixon raised an eyebrow.
" Well i only brought it up to you know... get rid of the awkward air and all.. "
Fuck, now it's awkward again.
“ Right. You're dismissed, make sure to tell the others every detail. ”
He said, waving his hand in the air as if shooing a fly. Thomas bolted out the door, slamming it so hard it almost pushed a nearby vase.
Fluixon feel into deep thought. Doing the math in his head, if they decline their secret of the King's condition could be leaked by Cass, and if it does it will only add to the growing concern of their people.
More letters, more contracts, more meetings, more paperwork. Not only that, the other leaders will also suspect Fluixon because he tried to hide the information from them.
He could lose his position. He needs to clear the air, or at least make a lie convincing enough and he could use it as the reason why he kept it secret.
So many thoughts are going through his head, thousands of possibilities.
He placed his pen and ink in their spots and leaned back, his eyes landing on the dark clouds in the sky.
He turned his chair around so it faced the window, he looked down from his office to the large courtyard on the ground, to the tick walls surrounding the castle and to the city of Luminara past the walls.
He could barely make out the shapes, he's lucky to have his office high enough to be able to see past the walls and to the city.
Luminara was close to the sea side, the tides were heavy and stronger than before. The chilly air brushing past his hair, the gush of wind coming from an open window in the room.
He didn't care enough to look for it. His gaze was fixed in the city below, Luminara spanned miles or more. It's hard to tell where Luminara ends because of the approaching fog.
Fog?
It's just the start of June and they're not above sea level so why is a fog approaching? He thought to himself, right. These strange glitches probably caused it.
He wondered what 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 the glitches in the first place. Everything was fine then so why is this happening now?
His mind flashed him a picture of someone he hasn't seen in a while. White hair swaying with wind, sunlight getting caught in those silky strands. That stupid smile he wore everyday.
He scrunched up his face in discomfort, he feels like he's about to get a headache. He buried his head into his hands, his dark hair framing his sides.
Dark circles underneath those amethyst eyes, his eyelids slightly dropping. He made himself comfortable in his seat, turning back around to his desk. He organized everything and quickly put it in seperate folders in the bookshelves.
He went back to his now empty desk, laying his arms on the dark surface and turning it into a makeshift pillow. He laid his head on his arms as he felt his blinks slowing down more and more before he drifted to sleep.
He felt weird to say the least, his body felt light. The harsh wind sent shivers down his spine, the dense air made it difficult to see.
He looked down to his hands—the fingertips were a shade of purple, his skin tone a lot paler than normal. He figured it was the snow obscuring his vision.
Huh snow..
He looked around him, he couldn't really see anything pass a few feet away. But what he can make out are four black pillars behind him, a black roof, and white floors. Fluixon did not know where he was, but his chest felt tight.
Behind him was a chest, he felt curious about what could be inside it. He tried to walk towards it but he couldn't move his feet, he looked down and saw his legs were frozen in place. Ice physically stopping his feet.
The clothes he wore were thin and damaged, the white fabric torn and worn. He felt something slap his face, he looked to the side and saw long white hair dancing with the wind.
He felt confused and terrified. He almost fell in front of him because of the shock, but his paralyzed legs stopped it.
He felt nothing but cold air in front of him. He looked down and saw he was several meters off the ground. From the looks of it he seemed to be on the edge of a tower of some sort.
His heart started rapidly racing, panic flashing over his face. He tried reaching for one of the pillars behind him for support, but his body wouldn't move.
He heard himself laugh, but it wasn't his voice that came out. It was a broken voice that filled the silence, though it sounded broken a tinge of sweetness sounded from the tone.
It was a voice he missed hadn't heard in a while. The same laugh he used to find amusing.
But he looked back and saw no one but the tower's edge and he heard nothing but the howling wind.
Just then he felt a pair of hands push him on the back, he felt horror as he watched the ground get closer and closer.
He tried to scream but no matter what he couldn't open his mouth. He watched helplessly as he was about to plummet to the snow.
He woke up in a cold sweat, his heart hammering against his chest. His lungs gasped for air as cold sweat ran down his forehead and neck.
His hands were shaking uncontrollably, he felt his whole body jerk up from his desk. He looked down to the ground and saw only the floor of his office, he wasn't at the edge of the tower.
He looked around, he saw only his office. His senses were still screaming at him. The feeling of air escaping his lung and the wind blowing on his face as he fell was vivid.
The feeling of almost falling to the ground felt horrifying. And the feeling that he Wasn't alone in that place was eerie.
The silhouette of someone above the tower that pushed him was blurry. His memory of the dream (or nightmare) was already disappearing.
His office was still bright from the chandelier, but the sky outside was dark. All he could hear was the rumbling of the sky and the loud slamming of raindrops from his window.
His two story office muted the loud storm outside. He breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm his nerves. A deafening thunder rang outside.
His heart started going back to normal. He could no longer hear his own heartbeat which was a good sign.
He pushed himself up, pulling the massive curtain from the sides and closing it shut. Now that the noise from the storm was out of the way, he walked to double doors of his office. Glancing at the grandfather clock before leaving.